Laodicea

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Tattoos of Faith?

And you thought the last one was bad? Laodicea would be a strong, vibrant, Christ-honoring body of believers today compared to what we are seeing taking place throughout so-called evangelicalism.

While this short post is not about whether it is sinful for a Christian to get a tattoo, there is certainly some consideration that must be given to when and why this is done. Take for example the link below that shows a church social club that decided to incorporate the stunt of getting a tattoo into the Sunday morning series of sermons entertainment modules.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/Church-offers-tattoos-during-Sunday-services/20035454

tattoo

The standout quotes by the professional tattoo artist who set up shop right on the platform, and the pastor, shows the results of what happens when you divorce the truth of the gospel from your messages.

MANY PEOPLE WANT TO USE A FORM A FORM OF FAITH THEY CAN ONLY USE SUNDAY..AND NOT USE MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. WHERE AS YOU GET INKED BY GOD ITS PERMANENT IT AIN’T COMING OFF…[TATTOOS ARE] FAITH IN THE FORM OF AN UNWASHABLE DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO JESUS.

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The Farce is Strong With This One

No, the title is NOT a misprint or a misspelling. The below link is from The Guardian newspaper.

Star Wars Sunday

A church social club in Berlin, Germany has decided that the truth is irrelevant. However, I have to assume that it is a sign of the times. If you have no desire to draw anything but goats to a service, then you have to use what goats like. After all, using the unadulterated truth of the Scriptures just doesn’t draw crowds these days.

lukewarmpicTwo quotes in the article stood out to me. The first from one of the pastors hirelings. “They trust us to make them part of the church service without making it too Christian or too Star Wars, but to find a good compromise.” (emphasis is mine)

The second from an attender.

Scott McGuire, sporting a Chewbacca costume, said he planned to see the movie later. “I think the whole question of God is very interesting, but getting up early on a Sunday is one of those things. But for something like this, I’ll go,” he said.

However, is it really any different than Hillsong Church that decided to produce the blasphemous 1920 flapper style version of “Silent Night”?

WARNING — This version of Silent Night from Hillsong may require much eyewash, but the damage to your eyesight and brain may be permanent.

 

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Quotes (859)

“Will you let Jesus take the heroic right out of you? Will you let Him make you see yourself as He sees you until for one moment you stand before the Cross and say, ‘Nothing in my hands I bring”? How many of us are there to-day? Talk about getting people to hear that, they won’t have it! Jesus says they won’t. No crowd on earth will ever listen to that, and if under some pretence you get them and preach the Cross of Christ they will turn with a snubbing offence from the whole thing as they did in our Lord’s day (John vi. 60, 66).

The abominable ‘show business’ is creeping into the very ranks of the saved and sanctified–‘We must get the crowds.’ We must not! We must keep true to the Cross! Let folks come and go as they will, let movements come and go, let ourselves be swept along or not, the one main thing is–true to the yoke of Christ, His Cross.”

Oswald Chambers
1874-1917

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“Let us flee, for the enemy of the truth is inside!!”

In the First Century AD, Cerinthus was a well-known heretic, being one of the early leaders of the Gnostic movement. John opposed him as fiercely as a man possible could (thus giving us a better example of how to deal with heretics than the many modern-day milquetoast “pastors” who think we need to buddy-up with heretics and call them “brothers in Christ”). In fact, the story goes that when John and some of his disciples (possibly Polycarp) were about to enter a bathhouse, and John heard that Cerinthus was inside, John fled the building with his disciples, shouting

“Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”

If only that which calls itself “the church” in America today would follow John’s example, we might not need a site like this. If the quote-unquote “church” would rise up and flee, flee, flee! Flee swiftly from those institutions that teach things that are contrary to the Word of God!!

  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Roman Catholic idolatry, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Emergent “Christianity”, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Purpose-Driven™/Seeker-Driven™ egocentrism, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Prosperity heretics, those enemies of the truth, are inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Robert Schuller, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for self-esteem, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”
  • “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for Compromise of all sorts, the enemy of the truth, is inside!”

That which calls itself “church”–if only they would adopt the attitude of John the Apostle, and “Let us flee, lest the building fall down; for [fill in the blank], the enemy of the truth, is inside!” Remember these words which our Lord Jesus spoke to this one who fled from Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth. Listen to what He said to these gatherings that claimed to be of Christ–but which allowed Satan to enter through the front door, all the while claiming they did it “for Christ”:

Revelation 2:12-16—“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write…I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”

Revelation 2:18-23—“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write…I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts.”

These were churches that were “doing good things.” They went around preaching “Love!! Love!! Love!!” They had all kinds of faith. But what did they do? They brought the enemy inside. They brought in Balaam, and they brought in Jezebel–and by doing so, they brought in all of their destructive heresies.

  • Did Jesus say, “Oh, I’m so proud of you!! You’re using Satan’s methods to bring people in the doors! How wonderful!!”
  • Did Jesus say, “It just thrills my heart to see you joining the worship of the true God with those who teach false Christs and bow down to worship statues!!”
  • Did Jesus say, “I love how you guys are engaging the culture around you!!”
  • Did Jesus say, “That’s the way to do church!! After all, who wants to sit there for a half an hour and just hear about…Me? Bring in more games!!”

NO!!!!!

Look at the warnings Jesus gives the church at Pergamos, and the church at Thyatira. Notice how they compromised with the world, and notice the rebuke from Christ. Then ask yourself: Would your church receive a “Well Done.” Or would He rebuke you for flinging wide the front door and inviting Balaam and Jezebel inside?

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Playing the Pharisee Card

It happens. It always happens. Someone styles themselves a prophet, or a teacher. They teach some aberrant doctrine that flat-out contradicts the Bible. Or they bring in AC/DC Satan to minister to the people. They use all kinds of newfangled methods to make people feel comfortable in their sins while not teaching them the necessity to repentance. They gain a large following, people begin to be attracted to their methods and teachings.

We (and others, such as Ken Silva or Ingrid Schlueter) warn others to avoid these people, since their doctrines are capable of leading people away from Christ, and into destruction. We obey the command given to us by the apostle Paul in Romans 16:17-18—“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” And guess what happens? Those folks with the itchy ears get all upset because we are exposing the wolves who are preaching “peace and safety! Peace! Peace!” When there is no peace. And, like the Israelites–to whom God sent prophet after prophet, finally sending His own Son whom they killed–they buck back against the warnings, they continue to follow the wolves who are spoiling the flock, they let their itchy ears guide their thoughts. And then they whip out… Continue reading →

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More satire, this time from Sacred Sandwich

I had posted the following on my own blog about a year and a half ago. When you stop to think about it, it is more sad than it is humorous. And that because it is just as relevant now as it was then.

So here, then, is some satire, originally posted by the guys at Sacred Sandwich:

BUSY FAMILY HIRES PERSONAL CHURCH SHOPPER

DECEMBER 2006 — Growing bored with the outdated programs at their present church, the Henman family of Peoria, IL, recently hired Lucy Ditmer, a personal shopper, to find them a new church home to meet their spiritual needs. “Between my boy’s hockey games and my girl’s dance classes, I really don’t have the time to go church shopping,” said Helen Henman. “It’s a great relief to know that Lucy can take care of all that. The last thing Phil and I want to do right now is spend every Sunday morning going to strange churches just to see if they have cushioned seating and a proper food court.”

Ditmer, who has over five years experience as a personal shopper at Macy’s, began advertising her church shopping services when she saw a need for busy families who find it difficult to squeeze a religious life into their hectic schedules. “Most churches nowadays have sermons that last from ten minutes to an excruciating half hour,” Lucy explained. “My clients just don’t want to put themselves through that kind of ordeal when all they really want to know is whether the youth program has a Playstation 3. With my service, the clients just give me a checklist of all their felt needs and I do all the dirty work while they’re sleeping in on Sunday morning.”

One of Ditmer’s recent success stories comes from Judith and Bob Nickerson, a pair of sports enthusiasts who were looking for a church that provided for their physical needs as well as their spiritual ones. “Coming from a Methodist background, we were really surprised when Lucy recommended the Beth Israel Synagogue on Fifth Street,“ Judith said. “But we had to admit that it had the state-of-the-art exercise facility we were looking for. After a couple visits, we knew it was the place for us. In fact, we like it so much, Bob is getting circumcised next Thursday.”

As for the Henman family, they are anxious to see what Lucy finds for them. “Being without a church home these past few weeks has really taken a toll on our family,” Mrs. Henman admitted. “Just the other day Phil was dealing with a lot of stress at work and he needed a pastor to show him how Jesus dealt with project deadlines. If Lucy doesn’t hurry up and find us a church soon, we may be forced to open a Bible and look for the answer ourselves.”

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Quotes (636)

“For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was—a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate “producers” peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency.

And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.”

A.W. Tozer
1897 – 1963

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Refuting the cry of “Make Jesus Lord Today!”

Have you ever heard one of these “preachers” as they stand there and try to sound all hip and cool and relevant by saying that you should “Make Jesus Lord today!!!” That is about one of the most unbiblical statements a person can make. We don’t “make” Jesus Lord–

HE ALREADY IS!!!!!!!!

Acts 2:36-“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Over 100 times in the New Testament, Jesus is called “LORD.” Philippians 2:11—…and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ IS LORD… Friend, you CANNOT be saved WITHOUT confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. Romans 10:9—IF you confess Jesus Christ as LORD, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dea, you will be saved. Does Paul say “If you confess Jesus Christ as savior” you will be saved? NO. He says, “If you confess Him as LORD” you will be saved. See that? We don’t make Jesus Lord–we confess that he IS Lord!!!!!!!!!

Here is Dr. John MacArthur exposing the error that is taught throughout modern American evangelicalism today.

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First Seeker-Sensitive Church of Relevance

I made the following video this past week. It may appear to be silly, but it is a dire warning for those churches who do nothing more than scratch the ears of their ticklish members. These “churches” that use music by atheists like The Beatles; “churches” who find more inspiration from wretched, abominable movies than they do from the Word of God; and “churches” that use gimmicks like “Vegas Night” and who produce idiotic videos (like this one in San FranFreakshow) are headed toward what is depicted in this video.

Their justice does not slumber.

And speaking of Crowder and Dunn, here is a video that was made by one of their buddies (found it via A Little Leaven. But, of course, the acolytes of these heretics will claim that this blasphemer has led thousands of kids to Christ. And he probably has. Just not the Christ of Scripture). I won’t post it here because it is too vile and vulgar (like Crowder and Dunn themselves), but it shows you just what kind of fruit their pimpistry bears (**WARNING** VISIT AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS HERETIC MAKES CHOWDER AND DUNG SEEM LIKE PAUL THE APOSTLE). If you can stomach it, read through some of the comments made by the supporters of this heretic. Yeah, real Christ-like (::rolls eyes::)

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Where does Rick Warren go from here?

rick-warren Now that Rick Warren’s inauguration prayer has been examined and exposed by discerning Christians as nothing more than honoring God with his lips, and that same prayer has also angered the unbelieving left, where does he go from here? His prayer was a watershed event that has brought him to a fork in his broad road.

The man who has contributed more to the mile-wide, inch-deep church than anyone else alive today by compromising Biblical truths and blurring the lines between things of God and things of this world has a big decision ahead of him. If human nature and history are any barometer of what’s to come, then we should expect to see Mr. Warren continue to drift leftward ever so swiftly.

As Ingrid Sclueter so aptly observes:

“Rick Warren is faced with the fact that he is either going to have to state that all paths lead to God or confirm, unequivocally, that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. If he explicitly states that Christ is the only way, he will no longer be welcomed in the halls of political power, and he can forget any further snugglefests at the White House, the Council on Foreign Relations, the UN, and Davos.

As it stands now, he really pleases nobody. Straddling a fence gets really uncomfortable after a time. I predict that Warren is going to make a sharp move left theologically very shortly for this very reason. The Purpose-Driven machine has gone about as far as it’s going to go with his present approach. Just as Warren was willing to remove negative statements about homosexuality and church membership at the Saddleback site, he is, without doubt, going to have to delete even more material to move ahead to the rest of his spiritual program for the world.”

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“Purpose” = “Compromise”

Rick Warren, pastor of the Church at Laodicea Saddleback Church, in an effort to show homosexuals that he could be just as tolerant of their sin as the next person, visited a gay thrift store in West Hollywood–all in the name of “Purpose” and “Unity” you know. You can see him trying to strike a “tolerant” pose here, with his arm around the openly gay owner of the store.

From TMZ.com:

We got this pic, taken yesterday at Out of the Closet thrift store. That’s Warren on the right (naturally), his arm around Erol Sarabi, who is openly gay. Warren, who supports the ban on gay marriage which has not sat real well with some Obama supporters, bought 8 to 10 books, two of which were his own (that doesn’t help with his Amazon ranking). Warren told Sarabi not to believe everything he reads, that he does a lot for AIDS research and was happy that Out of the Closet does free AIDS testing.

“Two of which were his own?” Are you kidding me?? He’s happy they do free AIDS testing? Is he happy they are living in outright sin also?

From another blog:

Meanwhile, in another attempt to soften his anti-homosexual stance, Warren pulled a message from his website. John Aravosis of Americablog noticed that Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church website on Friday said it explicitly bans gay “unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle” to become members. That message has since been removed. But one thing that hasn’t been permanently removed but “rather repurposed for clarity” is the site’s Q & A section addressing homosexuality. Kristin Cole, the press representative for the Saddleback Church purportedly e-mailed the gay website queerty saying:

I wanted to make sure you were aware that the Q & A addressing homosexuality on the Saddleback Church Web site has not been permanently removed, but rather repurposed for clarity. I know your readers have noticed the change. Click here and play the recorded answer to question 22, “What does the Bible say homosexuality?”

Is Rick Warren ashamed of taking–and maintaining–a biblical stance against homosexuality? It seems as though the quote from Martin Luther posted by Desert Pastor should be passed along to Mr. Warren.

I have to wonder something: how did the media get wind of this? How did TMZ find out that Mr. Purpose was at this thrift store? Paparazzi? I doubt it. How many Hollywood photogs are following Rick Warren around, cataloging his every move? No doubt The P.E.A.C.E. Pastor had someone put out the word he was visiting this place so they could do a photo-op of this event. It’s obvious the store owner didn’t approach Warren about having this picture taken, let alone forward it to the media.

You know, it wouldn’t seem so fishy if the Purpose Driven Pope hadn’t just been chosen to do the invocation at the inauguration for The Obamanation with all the kerfluffle that surrounded it. But the timing, the chutzpah, the obvious ham-handed attempt to look “tolerant” to those who are very intolerant of Christians–all in the name of “Purpose”–This was one big PR stunt meant to drive up book sales–Pastor Warren’s favorite “Purpose.”

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Is the world crucified to you?

Just finished making a video to go along with one of the greatest quotes from Leonard Ravenhill–“Is the world crucified to you tonight? Or does it fascinate you?” To look at many churches across America–you know, the ones that serve that ooey-gooey sugary goodness that screams “seeker sensitive”–you would think that the apostle Paul was a laid-back, hippie-type slacker dude who didn’t care much about doctrine, but went around with “so what does this verse mean to you?” on his lips.

Anyhoo, many of the images in this video can be found over at A Little Leaven. And since someone will ask–the music is “Carmina Burana (O Fortuna)” by Carl Orff. It’s one of those pieces of music you hear on just about everything, but never knew what it was called. Well now you know 🙂