It is not the job of the youth pastor to evangelize my child—that’s my job. It is not the youth pastor’s job to equip (disciple) my child—it’s mine. And it is not the youth pastor’s job to send my child out to engage the world; you guessed it—that’s my job too.
– Voddie Baucham
I found the following at Berean Wife.
Thief I: One of the greatest time-wasting sins consists of idleness or sloth.
Thief II: The next thief or time-waster is excess of sleep.
Thief III: The next thief or time-waster is an inordinate adorning of the body.
Thief IV: Another time-wasting thief is unnecessary pomp and curiosity in retinue, attendance, house furniture, provision and entertainments, together with excess of compliment and ceremony, and servitude to the humors and expectations of time-wasters.
Thief V: Another time-wasting sin is needless and tedious feastings, gluttony, and tippling. (Tippling – drinking)
Thief VI: Another time-waster is idle talk.
Thief VII: Another thief which by the aforesaid means would steal your time, is vain and sinful company.
Thief VIII: Another notorious time-wasting thief, is needless, inordinate sports and games, which are stigmatized by the offenders themselves, with the infamous name of pastimes, and masked with deceitful title of recreations;
Thief IX: Another time-wasting thief is excess of worldly cares and business.
Thief X: Another time-waster is vain ungoverned and sinful thoughts.
Thief XI: Another dangerous time-waster sin is the reading of vain books, play-books, romances, and feigned histories; and also unprofitable studies, undertaken but for vain-glory, or the pleasing of a carnal or curious mind.
Thief XII: But the master-thief that robs men of their time is an unsancitified, ungodly heart; for this loseth time whatever men are doing; because they never intend the glory of God.
In the creation, man was made in God’s image; in the incarnation God was made in man’s image. . . . He took our flesh that He might take our sins, and so appease God’s wrath. . . . Christ’s taking our flesh was one of the lowest steps of His humiliation. For Christ to be made flesh was more humility than for the angels to be made worms. . . . He stripped Himself of the robes of His glory, and covered Himself with the rags of our humanity.
– Thomas Watson
1620 – 1686
I recently heard Don Kistler make the statement that “sin is the reason for the season” and he is absolutely right. Christ coming to earth as a human wasn’t for . . .
Your self-esteem . . .
Your personal finances . . .
Your financial success . . .
Your gift exchange party . . .
Your social status . . .
Your temporal happiness . . .
Nope, Jesus came because of your sin and mine. He was the perfect substitution for the object of God’s righteous wrath that we so justly deserve. So this holiday, remember sin is the real reason for the season!
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Merry Christmas!
Though all the peoples walk each in the name of his god, as for us, we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
– Micah 4:5
Your sermon of the week is Christ the Lord by Alistair Begg. This message is from his series The Gospel According to Luke and is a perfect sermon for Christmas. Enjoy.
I found this short and interesting video debate between a Roman Catholic (who includes Evangelicals, Catholics, and Mormons under the umbrella of “Christian”) and an Atheist on the subject of Christmas.
The Roman Catholic is a Foxnews anchor, and the Atheist is from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Yes, the same Freedom From Religion Foundation that honors the bloodthirsty racist Margaret Sanger as a great “Free Thinker.”
All in all, a very entertaining video.
Similar to the previous post Thanksgiving Perspectives, I wanted to take the opportunity to recommend that you keep the Christmas holiday in perspective. I offer the following two things I believe will help you to do this: Download and listen to this sobering message by Bill Wilson and view the video on this post.
Text from YouTube:
“Dr. Patton is the staff Geologist for the Qumran Plateu excavation in Israel, the site that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls some 2,000 years ago. These scrolls, perhaps the most significant archeological discovery of all time, have changed the way we view the Bible.
Many have been led to believe that the original text of the Bible has deteriorated over years of copying and recopying. The Dead Sea Schrolls provide a test of that hypothesis, allowing us to compare modern versions with recently discovered manuscripts written over 2,000 years ago.
Dr. Patton will take you to the same scene of the original caves where the scrolls were discovered with one of the Bedouins who made the discovery. This is a fascinating story with eternal implications.
Dr. Patton has a broad educational background; four years at Florida College, Temple Terrace, FL (Bible); two years at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN (Geology); two years at Indiana Univ./Purdue Univ., Indianapolis, IN (Geology); two years, Pacific School of Graduate Studies. He has worked as Geologist in US, Canada, Australia, England, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Cambodia, Israel, and Jordan. Dr. Patton has participated in dinosaur excavations in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Canada. He is credited with excavating the longest consecutive dinosaur trail in North America, totaling 157 tracks, extending over 500 feet. He is a member of the Geological Society of America and was a speaker at their 1997 annual convention. Dr. Patton lectures at universities across the United States. He has conducted up to twelve Creation/Evolution Seminaries a year for twenty five years. He has participated in numerous public debates on creation/evolution including radio and TV debates. He has testified three times before Texas State Textbook Committee, Austin, TX. Presently, Dr. Patton is consulting geologist & partner in Mazada Corporation, Dallas, TX. He is a staff geologist of the Creation Evidence Museum, Glen Rose, TX, staff geologist for the Qumran Plateau excavation in Israel, an area supervisor at the City of David excavation in Jerusalem and chairman of the Metroplex Institute of Origon Science. He preaches for the Melrose church of Christ in Richardson, Texas.”
Paganism was a system of deceivableness. It was the worship of a false god, under the pretence of being the worship of the true God. But popery [Roman Catholicism] is a deceivableness on a scale far beyond that of paganism. The one was a counterfeit of the religion of the Gospel. Popery has … a saviour of its own -the Church, to wit. It has a sacrifice of it own -the Mass. It has a mediator of its own -the Priesthood. It has a sanctifier of its own -the Sacrament. It has a justification of its own -that even of infused righteousness. It has a pardon of its own -the pardon of the Confessional; and it has in the heavens an infallible, all-prevailing advocate unknown to the Gospel -the “Mother of God.” It thus presents to the world a spiritual and saving apparatus for the salvation of men, and yet it neither sanctifies nor saves anyone. It looks like a church; it professes to have all that a church ought to have; and yet, it is not a church. It is a grand deception -“the all-deceivableness of unrighteousness.”– J.A. Wylie (from The Papacy is the Antichrist)
– 1808 – 1890
I want to give all of the DefCon contributors and readers enough time to get tickets for Saddleback’s latest conference, Radicalis (i.e “Radical Is” which you will find with a backward “R” on their website). Here, in case reading your Bible, sound exposition, prayer, and a study of church history were not enough, you can now learn from the movers and shakers in Christdom about absolute surrender, sacrificial lifestyle and authentic Christianity. All as Rick Warren and his team extend an invidation to radicals only to attend this conference that is billed as,
…a unique hands-on, comprehensive experience that will enhance each member of your team’s role in your church and build and inspire them to serve God in your community and the world. Rick Warren, the Saddleback Team and leading national pastors will challenge, develop, and expand your vision to be a moving force for God in today’s world.
They’ll help you understand the paradigm, learn the process and build relationships for expanding your ministry. They’ll enlarge your understanding of what “church” and “ministry” mean to enable you to affect positive, purposeful change for God. Imagine what would happen in your community, in your church and in our world if your church team collectively shared an experience guided by the Spirit of God in which we saw His calling and His will for your ministry.
And who will be the speakers that will teach you about “church” and “ministry”? Well, well, I’m sure you are sitting at the edge of your seat in rapt anticipation. Without further delay, some key speakers from the entire speaker list include:
So there you have it. Any takers? For a few insights, you can check out what Ken Silva has to say on his blog.
O, the work that sin has done in the world! This is the enemy that has brought in death; that has robbed and enslaved man, that has turned the world upside down, and sown the dissensions between man and the creatures, between man and man, yea, between man and himself, setting the physical part against the rational, the will against the judgment, lust against conscience; yea, worst of all, between God and man, making the sinner both hateful to God and the hater of God. This is the traitor that thirsted for the blood of the Son of God, that sold Him, that mocked Him, that scourged Him, that spat in His face, that mangled His body . . . condemned Him, nailed Him, crucified Him. . . . This is the bloody executioner that has killed the prophets, burned the martyrs, murdered all the apostles, all the patriarchs, all the kings and potentates; that has destroyed cities, swallowed empires, and devoured whole nations. Whatever weapon it was done by, it was sin that caused the execution. Do you still think it is only a small thing? If Adam and all his children could be dug out of their graves, and their bodies piled up to heaven, and an inquest was made as to what matchless murderer was guilty of all this, it would be all found in sin.
– Joseph Alleine
1634 – 1668
After a class was instructed to sketch something that reminded them of the Christmas holiday, one student drew a crucifix. Apparently, however, according to the godless government-run public school, not only did Christ’s birth have nothing to do with His birth (like they know anything about theology anyway), but it also warranted this child’s removal from school and necessitated a psychological evaluation. Read more about this shocking story from Massachusetts.
Welcome to a brave new world.
Your sermon of the week is Grace Conceived: Unconditional Election by Brian Borgman. This is a great message on the doctrine of Election. If you struggle with this doctrine or simply want to know more about it, you must listen to this sermon.
This is part five of a thirteen-part series entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith that Pastor Borgman gave in 1998. Look for the each additional installment every couple weeks.
Listen to another great sermon on this subject by Russ Sukhia found on this previous post.
In no way rejoicing, but for those who care to know, Oral Roberts today has joined the growing list of Word Faith teachers who have died. Where once again, a man who claimed he had the power to heal others could not, like his predecessors, heal himself. The cause of Mr. Robert’s death was complications of pneumonia according to Melany Ethridge, his spokeswoman. He was 91 years old.
In poking around the Web, I came across a website of one who was closely tied to the Oral Roberts ministry and was himself a Word Faith preacher and also one of Oral Robert’s bodyguards. Here, I felt it would be profitable to share his reflections since he walked where many of us have not walked regarding the Word Faith movement. And to God be the glory, by His grace, this brother was delivered from the Word Faith movement and is now a Southern Baptist preacher.
Speaking to Oral Roberts death on his blog, he writes:
I do not write this gladly or mockingly. I worked for Oral Roberts for two years. I was one of his bodyguards. I delivered his newspaper every morning. I watched over his family as they slept. I was a huge fan and admirer.
But Oral Roberts died sick today. Just like all of the famous Faith Healers, he has died sick. Kenneth Hagin died of heart disease although he claimed to enjoy Divine Health. He was on heart meds for years.
EW Kenyon, the founder of the Word of Faith Religion and author of the confession brings possesion [sp] message, died from a malignant tumor.
The Word of Faith Message is a false one. It does not work, even for the most famous preachers.
Most assuredly their message is a false one regardless of what the deceivers like Jesse Duplantis continue to spout forth. The only option for those trapped in this movement and in bondage to its damning legalism is that you leave this movement even as Junker Jorge did. And that you come to understand and believe the true gospel where Jesus came not to deliver us from sickness, pain and suffering nor to give us wealth and richers, but the one where he came to set us free from sin and give unto us the gift of eternal life.
Care not so much for [your children] being mighty in the catechism as for their being mighty in the Scriptures.
J.C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
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What happens when you mix hippies, psychics, and “prophetess” Patricia King? One huge unbiblical mess reminiscent of Woodstock and a Psychic Fair!
See the results in this video clip.
A sword in a madman’s hand, and the Word of God in some wicked man’s mouth, are used much alike.
– William Gurnall
1617 – 1679
In the news: The Duggar’s welcome child number 19 and a feminist who wants the planet to adopt China’s limited child policy (video).
Timothy George, Co-Author of Manhattan Declaration
From: Ralph Ovadal, Pastor of Pilgrims Covenant Church, Monroe, Wisconsin.
The Manhattan Declaration is an ungodly manifesto, contemptuous of the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an ecumenical treatise, complete with a Romish gospel and shot through and through with popish error. Those evangelicals who have authored this document and who have led the way in signing it show themselves to be in rebellion to God. It is, in their case, a brazen manifesto of treason against the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are not friends but rather are enemies of Christian liberty in that they disobey and provoke the Author of liberty with their spiritual fornication, even wresting His word and corrupting His blood-bought church. It is the biblical duty of all faithful Christian pastors to stand against the evangelical authors of the Manhattan Declaration and all evangelicals who sign it or promote it in any way. Such betrayers of Christ and His church must be separated from and called to account by all faithful Christian ministers and people.
For a message speaking to this much needed, very strong public rebuke to the evangelical signers of The Manhattan Declaration, please listen here.
Christ Alone Wyoming 