What Christians Taught Me On FaceBook

Today the Christian landscape can be very confusing especially if your on facebook, just this week alone I have been taught that I can "give God control", but the Bible says "He does according to His will in the Host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, "What hast Thou done" (Daniel 4:35). I've also been taught that I need to "trust myself", but the Bible says to "lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) because my "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:8-10). It also seems that being "happy" is now the greatest virtue a Christian can obtain, but the Bible says "Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16) I know it's hard to believe but apparently there is "no absolute truth", wait a minute that's an absolute statement. Some Christians are teaching that we are "all children of God" but Jesus said "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44). I've noticed that cussing and drinking have become very popular within some Christian circles but the Bible says "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10) and that "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). Christians also seem to think we are all good people, but the Bible says "none is good" (Luke 18:19) and Jesus called us "evil" (Matthew 7:11). Success and self-esteem are popular topics among Christians today as well but the success they speak of is a path to a worldly success not the Joshua 1:8 path and self-esteem is not the solution it's the problem for it is the very essence of unbelief and pride. And the number one thing that Christians promote on facebook more than any other is "judge not" (John 7:1) but the Bible also says to "judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24). So the message I hear coming from Christians today is that "I'm in control, I can do it, do what ever makes me happy, I'm a good person, trust myself and I'll have success and feel good about myself, never make judgments and God will be pleased with me." Folks that's the same message of the world and Christians are now so drunk with this false gospel that they actually hate messages like this one that expose it's lies. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light" (John 3:20).

Scripture

"To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary of holding it in." Jeremiah 6:10-11a ESV

All We Need To Know

"Remember that, to the faithful reader of this blessed Word, it reveals all that we need to know about the Father, all that we need to know about the Lord Jesus Christ, all about the power of the Spirit, all about the world that lieth in the wicked one, all about the road to heaven, and the blessedness of the world to come. In this blessed book we have the whole Gospel, and all rules necessary for our Christian life and warfare. Let us see then that we study it with our whole heart and with prayer, meditation, faith and obedience." —George Mueller (1805–1898)

Silly Preachers

With all the silliness that seems to be gearing up for the up coming Easter week I thought I would post a few scripture text from Jeremiah to warn so-called pastors of the dangers of not preaching the Word. Now I know that these are out of context as to the meaning to be applied directly to Israel but the same principle's still apply to us today.

Jeremiah 23
1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

Fully and Beautifully

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering." (Hebrews 2:10)

"The text fully and beautifully implies the absolute sovereignty of God. His name is not mentioned, but he is described as one for whom all things exist and by whom all things came into being. He is the origin and the end of all things. This thought is concentrated into the statement, that in accomplishing the salvation of sinners he is the supreme actor, and that the sovereign act of salvation is brought to its accomplishment by the provision of a perfect Saviour. Not the free will of man, not even the voluntary self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, can conflict with, much less overthrow, the supreme fact that the salvation of men is a sovereign action of God." —E. C. Dargan (1852-1913)

Do What You Want

God has a will for your life. We know that. If God has a will for your life, he wants you to know it. That's obvious. And if he wants you to know it, then be sure of this, he didn't hide it. It's not tucked obscurely under some convoluted interpretation of scripture. It's not left to some transcendental experience of intuition. It's not dependant upon some private, personal angelic delivery. It's not ever dependant upon some serendipitous coincidence. If God has a will, and he does, if he wants you to know it, and he does, and he holds you responsible for it, and he does, then you can be sure he didn't hide it. He would place it in the most obvious place. And the most obvious place would be his word. You can know the will of God for your life from scripture. And it's unmistakable, absolutely unmistakable.

God's Will

1. It is God's will that you be saved. "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." God's will is that you be saved.

2. It is God's will that you be Spirit filled. "understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" Ephesians 5:17-18

3. It is God's will that you be sanctified. "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;" 1 Thessalonians 4:3

4. It is God's will that you be submissive "For such is the will of God." 1 Peter 2:15

5. It is God's will that you suffer. "It is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." 1 Peter 3:17

6. It is God's will that you be thankful. "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" 1 Thessalonians 5:18

7. Now there is one last principle in doing God's will, you ready? If you're saved, spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, suffering and thankful - Then do whatever you want. Marry whoever you want. Go wherever you want. Work wherever you want. Choose whatever you want. You say, "Whoa. Are you sure?" Absolutely. Because if the first six principles are true of your life, guess who's controlling your wants? Do whatever you want.

Excerpts compiled from a sermon preached by John MacArthur titled "Taking the Mystery out of Knowing God's Will".

Sovereign Shepherd

Jesus says "I am the good Shepherd, the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11. What does this really mean to us? Do sheep ask the shepherd to come to them, die for them and save them? Can the sheep admit or deny the true Shepherd in their life?

Jesus is always there, we as sheep sometimes do not see Him clearly, but He is there nonetheless. "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." John 10:14-15
His own sheep He knows. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27.

Sheep are considered by biologists to be perhaps the dumbest land animals by comparing the size of their brain to the size of their body. They have no sense of direction, and for a defense mechanism they simply run around in circles. Predators need only wait on the sheep to wear themselves out and then they have an easy victim.

Time and again we are characterized as sheep. We need direction and guidance. We cannot know which direction we are going and we have no way of defending ourselves. But "all things are possible through Christ who strenghtens me." Thankfully and humbly we can submit to the good Shepherd, for when He calls His sheep we hear His voice and He guides us and protects us and keeps us in His fold.

"Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equiping you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever, Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21

He Loved Us!

1 John 4:9-10 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."

In Case You Forgot

I have a good friend named Dewayne who is from east Tennessee and he is famous for saying quote: "never forget where you came from". I think this would be good advice for the church today to fall down on it's face and remember where we came from and who it is that saved us.

Ephesians 2:1-5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" KJV

Palm Sunday

Mark 11: 1-11 "And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve."

Beware of the Deception

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Sid Galloway - Beware of Deception.mp3

Merry Christmas

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Luke 2:9-14
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Valiant for the Truth!

After reading Phil Johnson's post on How Can I Be Sure? and the many other post around the blog world on the topic of the Emergent Church and the battle over the "Truth War" and recently I heard an interview on Way of The Master Radio with Doug Pagitt and Doug refused to let Todd Friel quote Psalms and I wondered why he would do that, so I decided to do a search for the word "Truth" in the bible and found that Psalms is so full of truth claims (imagine that) which is exactly what Mr. Pagitt tries to avoid. In my search of the word "Truth" in scripture I have compiled a summery of my thoughts in line with what the bible reveals concerning truth, I hope and pray it sheds some light on the false notion that as Christians we must embrace ambiguity and reject absolute truth.

The God of the Bible is the "God of Truth" (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 31:5, Isaiah 65:16), God "lives, in truth" (Jeremiah 4:2) and the Bible is called the "scripture of truth" and the "Word of truth" (Daniel 10:21, John 17:17, 2 Corinthians 6:7, Ephesians 1:13, James 1:18). Jerusalem is "called a city of truth" (Zechariah 8:3) the ten commandments are called "the law of truth" (Malachi 2:6) and God "desires truth in our inward parts" (Psalm 51:6), and the only way we can truly serve God is "in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:23). We are reminded to continually walk before Him "in truth" with all our soul (1 Kings 2:4) and to "serve him in truth with all your heart" (1 Samuel 12:24). The man who wants to walk righteously before God must "speaketh the truth in his heart" (Psalm 15:2) and he wants to be "guided and taught in truth" (Psalm 25:5), and will "not conceal" the truth from others (Psalm 40:10), but will gladly "rejoiceth in the truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6).

But today within Christianity there are those who deny that there is even an absolute truth to be known but without truth there is no mercy for "mercy and truth are met together" (Psalm 85:10), they say that this is a new generation where truth is within each of us but "His truth endureth to all generations" (Psalm 100:5) and "endureth for ever" (Psalm 117:2). If no one can surely know truth then there is no actual right or wrong which is the basics of all laws and without laws there is only anarchy but God's "laws and commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:142,151, Malachi 2:6). Those who deny absolute truth also deny the Lord Jesus and call Him a liar for Christ said "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) and was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus taught "the way of God in truth" (Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14) we are told that "the truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). These same false teachers also deny the Holy Spirit for the Spirit is called "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13, 1 John 4:6) and "the fruit of the Spirit is in truth" (Ephesians 5:9). We are to be "sanctified through the truth" (John 17:19) and we are to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) and we are to have our "loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:14) and how can we do this unless we study so that we can "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15), and we know that it is God's will that we "come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4) so that "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

But those who maintain that we can't know truth are "false witness's and speak deceit" (Proverbs 12:17), they are "in err and devise evil" (Proverbs 14:22), they make mention of God "but not in truth, nor in righteousness" (Isaiah 48:1) they "obey not the voice of the Lord and truth is cut off from their mouth" (Jeremiah 7:28). "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:3). And "they will deceive his neighbour, and will not speak the truth" (Jeremiah 9:5) and their "father is the devil" (John 8:44) for they have "changed the truth of God into a lie" (Romans 1:25) and are "instructors of the foolish" (Romans 2:20) and they "hinder you that ye should not obey the truth" (Galatians 5:7) for they have "received not the love of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:10) and are "men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth" (1 Timothy 6:5). These same men have "turned away their ears from the truth" (2 Timothy 4:4, Titus 1:14) and are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7).

But these men have been led "captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8) and are "a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!" and "full of all kinds of deceit and trickery" (Acts 13:10). So I pray that these men "will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26) otherwise they might be counted among those who "might be damned who believed not the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:12) because the Lord will "judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth" (Psalm 96:13).

"There is one sure and infallible guide to truth, and therefore, one, and only one corrective for error, and that is the Word of God." —G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945)

Merciful Husband

Proverbs 11:17 "The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh."

I am far from being a Biblical scholar so don't make to much of this it's just a thought that ran through my mind this morning as I was reading my daily Proverbs and I came across the verse above, and I was reminded of Ephesians 5:28 "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." and so I have concluded that "He that is cruel and unmerciful to his wife troubles his own flesh: Do good to your soul, love your wife and be merciful to her."

Meddle Not With Them!

Proverbs 24:21 "My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:"

With all the Emergent church leaders like Brian McClaren who are declaring that Everything Must Change I believe it's quite clear from this verse that as Christians we are commanded not to meddle with them that not only are given to change but who openly proclaim that a change is needed within Christendom, and you may ask why? Well just read the next Proverb.

Proverbs 24:22 "For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"

Clearly the Emergent Church Movement has risen suddenly and who will know the ruin of them that follow this change? The famous Baptist Preacher John Gill commented on these verses in his Exposition of the whole Bible he said concerning verse 21 quote:

"Or who are given to change in religious things; make innovations in doctrine and practice, always love to hear or say some new thing; turn with every wind, and shift as that does; are tossed about with every wind of doctrine, fickle and inconstant, carried about like meteors in the air, with "divers and strange doctrines"; such as disagree with the perfections of God, the doctrines of Christ and his apostles, the Scriptures of truth, the analogy of faith, anti form of sound words; and so the word here used signifies "divers", and is so rendered Es 3:8; and may design such who hold doctrines and give into practices divers and different from the faith once delivered to the saints, and from the institutions and appointments of Christ; innovations in doctrine and worship ought not to be admitted of; and such who are for introducing them should not be meddled or mixed with; they should not be countenanced and encouraged; they should not be attended upon or given heed unto; have no fellowship, and join not in communion with them." —John Gill (1697 – 1771)

I would like to leave you with a quote from D. A. Carson that I think speaks volumes of truth on this subject of change within Christendom.

"Always be suspicious of church's that proudly flaunt how different they are from what has gone before." —D. A. Carson

Whithersoever

Would the patrons of free-will who deny the five points of Calvinism please take the time and meditate on the verses below and then ask yourself; is God, God? Doesn't His sovereignty extend even over the heart and will of man? If you say no, then you have made God in your own image and you are denying the God of the Bible that has been revealed to us.

“What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” 1 Corinthians 4:7

“predestinated to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,” Ephesians 1:5

“Many are called, but few are chosen,” Matthew 22:14

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” Luke 12:82

“ For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth,” Romans 9:11

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me,” John 6:37

“Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” 2 Timothy 1:9

“He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy,” Ephesians 1:4

“Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” So that “nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:29, 30, 39

“ Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased,” Psalm 115:3

“None can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” Daniel 4:35

“The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD,” Proverbs 16:1

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will,” Proverbs 21:1

“Thou hast wrought all our works in us,” Isaiah 26:12

“My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure,” Isaiah 46:10

Peace & Joy

Romans 5:1-11 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." NASB

Scripture

Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Scripture

Pslam 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.