the problem with ecumenism

Ecumenical charitable efforts seem really great on the surface.

I agree that we need to cooperate on some things and that it is good to help people.

The thing is, it does no good to help people without presenting them the gospel.

It is great to give food, comfort, shelter, and clothing to those in need.  However, to give people these things without the gospel only makes people more comfortable living in their sin.

It is akin to giving someone a glass of icewater on their trip to hell.

How loving is it to give someone a pair of shoes when they are fixing to walk off a cliff?

Fine to give them a pair of shoes, but also turn them in the right direction while doing it.

The problem with ecumenical efforts comes when it is time to present the gospel...

Which gospel do you present?

Do you tell them they need to confess their sins to a priest, take the euchrist and perform seven sacraments in order to maybe reduce the time they spend in purgatory?

Do you tell them they need to be a good person, wear special underwear, baptise the dead, have lots of kids, and tithe every penny faithfully so that they can get access to the temple and maybe someday get to one of the levels of heaven or even become a god?

Do you tell them that, since God loves everyone, that everyone who is a "good person" is going to heaven and it doesn't matter what you believe?

Or, do you tell them that we have all sinned against an eternal, Holy, and Perfectly Just God and that the only way they can pay for their sins themselves is death and an eternity in hell.  That God Himself, because of His Perfect Love, made a way out for them by becoming a man, Jesus, and paying their debt for them, then rising again in victory over sin and death.  That they need to repent (turn) from their sin, turn to Jesus, accept what He did, and live for Him.

positive

People who say they want to be "positive" all the time will have to tell something other than the truth.

The truth is not always "positive".

Look at what people do, not what they say

Look at what people do, not what they say.

For example, Obama has made more affirmations to being a Christian and believing in Jesus than any other President in American history. Yet how many people believe him? And, why should anyone doubt him? It is because of what he has done, not what he has said.

You who claim to love freedom and support the Constitution, are you carefully examining the voting records of the people you are supporting?

Politicians will say anything to get elected. What these people do with the power they are entrusted with is what matters, not what they say.

they had a good start...

Saul had a good start.  He was humble and merciful in his dealings and was annointed by God to be king over Israel.  However, in time he began to concern himself with what people thought of him.   It got to the point that he started doing things to please the people instead of obeying God.  Saul went back on his word and even broke his own laws against necromancy.  The final result was the loss of his son, his kingdom and ending his own life in suicide.

David had a good start.  Even as a boy he was a good shepherd and able to face down bears and giants because of his trust in God.  However, in time he became complacent and self serving in his success.  Because of this, David committed adultery and then murder to try and cover it up.  The effects of David's sexual sins and permissivness with his sons led to incest, rape, and murder within his own family as his sons rebelled against him.

Solomon had a good start.  He sought after Godly wisdom rather than riches and is to this day regarded as the wisest man (second only to Jesus).  His kingdom knew peace and prosperity that was unmatched.  However, he began to compromise for the sake of peace by taking wives of the surrounding nations.  His ecumenism extended to building temples to appease the desires of his many wives to worship their pagan gods and idols.  The result of this was that the kingdom if Israel was divided and later overthrown and the people taken captive by a succession of pagan empires because of their idolotry.

We get in trouble when we put too much stock in personalities.  Leaders may start out really good and in the right direction, however, it is important to know when NOT to follow them if they begin making wrong turns.

Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
Eph 5:11

Spiritual -vs- Mystical

There is a danger in mistaking the mystical for the spiritual. The "mystical" is satan's poor facsimile and substitute for God's true spirituality.

political spectrum

This is what is taught in a lot of schools and popular media concerning the "political spectrum"

It creates fallacious paradigm of the “Left-Right” dialectic (basically, the two sides of the argument are positioned in such as way as to point to a predetermined outcome).  This spectrum is designed to give students the idea that Communism and Fascism are some kind of extreme bogey-man and Socialism is the "not so bad" happy medium.

This diagram reveals the truth that it is really the spectrum of socialism.  Far left results in Communism (International Socialism) and far right results in Fascism / National Socialism (NAZI).

This still occludes the true roles of Communism, Fabian Socialism, and Fascism.  They are just the IDEOLOGIES by which Socialism is established.

The goal of Communism, Fabian Socialism, and Fascism is the establishment of SOCIALISM.

Communist, Fabian, and Fascist ideologies are the MEANS by which Socialism is established.

Communist ideology is a bottom-up revolution that throws out the old ruling elite and replaces them with a new group of bureaucrats  who are supposed to make sure everything is distributed “fairly” and “scientifically”.  The problem is, these bureaucrats will tend to treat themselves a little “more fairly” than others and they become the new ruling elite oligarchs.

Fascism is top down imposed transformation.  There is a point at which mega-monopolies use the government to squash all free-market competition and ultimately merge with the state in control over all of the markets, goods, services, and property.  The end result is the same ruling oligarchy you get with communism.

Fabian ideology, also known as “The Third Way”, “Communitarian”, or “Progressive”, is working within the existing system like a virus to implement socialism through incremental steps.  The goal is to incrementally bring a society to a point of critical mass where it is ready for a revolution and/or transformation to a completed socialist model.

Socialism is not the means, it is the goal.  The end result is always the same — SOCIALISM.  THE GOAL IS ALWAYS SOCIALISM!!!!

A more accurate representation of the political spectrum.

It is not about “left” or “right”.  It is about Liberty or Tyranny.

The end goal is to eliminate the middle class and have a two class system of the super wealthy who are supported by a manageable number of working class economic slaves.  The oligarchs have a front man who catches all of the flak for things being bad.  The general public feel they have a say in matters because they get to “throw the bum out” with an election.  However, the oligarchs have already hand picked any and all of the candidates “competing” for office, so regardless of who gets in office, the status quo will be preserved.

Power is being centralized at the apex of the executive branch of the federal government.

This concentration of power makes a dictatorship inevitable.

Those who control the president, indirectly gain virtual control of the entire country.




A better way...

1. For liberty to thrive, we start with the presumption that man has a fallen, sinful nature and that man’s wisdom is fallible and incomplete.

2. Because of this fallen nature, without anything to stop it, there would be anarchy, lawlessness, and mob rule.  Government is then necessary in order to preserve life, liberty, and property.

3. At the same time, while government has a necessary function, man’s fallen nature also means that any form of government where men are in leadership will have those same sinful attributes.  The very nature of government means that a few men will have power over other men, and those who covet this power will be the most depraved among us.

4. So, the ideal form of government is one that is only big enough to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens; but, not so big that the government itself begins to violate the life, liberty, and property of the very citizens it is supposed to protect.

5. To protect this balance, there must be checks and balances, division of powers, limitations on government, and rule of law--where the law applies the same to everyone whether they are a politician, judge, entertainer, businessman, farmer, or factory worker.

compromise

Compromise is a good thing when it comes to sharing toys, but not when sharing the truth.

reformed or re-packaged?

Why anyone attempts to be an apologist for "Reformed Theology" is beyond me.

Instead of reformed theology, it should be called "Anti-Semetic Re-Packaged Catholic Theology".

Any "theology" that has its basis in anything that came after the syncretism of gnosticism and paganism that was the foundation of the doctrines of Augustine and Roman Catholicism is sorely corrupt.

True, many of the "fathers of the reformation" did get it right in criticizing popery in the areas of soteriology. However, they failed to reject the rest of the pagan practices and gnostic doctrines that continue to this day in many "reformed" churches.

Personally, I'm more interested in what scripture actually says, rather than what a bunch of "reformed" catholic priests have to say any day.  Their major accomplishment in their criticism of Catholicism was to convieniently not get burned at the stake they way that true Christians (who totally rejected popery) had been murdered for hundreds of years both prior to and during the reformation.

Some things to keep in mind as the days get darker...

- The darker it gets, the brighter even the smallest light shines.

- The majority of people who call themselves "christian", are not.  Most people who call themselves christian are false converts to a godless religion of works or they think is christian spirituality is really new age mysticism repackaged as spirituality.

- Persecution will first come from fellow "christians" because we are not tolerant, we are too dogmatic about the Bible, and we don't accept just anything as "christian".

- Teaching from the Bible is already considered "Hate Speech" because it allegedly causes "Hate Crimes", and eventually even "Hate Thoughts" will be a crime.

- We need to be very strongly grounded in truth, or we too can fall for the lie.

- We need to be proclaiming the gospel as loud as we can for as long as we can.

myth of inevitability

One thing that the enemy would like you to believe is that his agenda is inevitable and "you might as well give in to it".

It is true, if we do nothing, then it really is inevitable.

However, we can fight back, we can slow it down, we can stop it and even reverse it.

To do that, it is important to get informed and get involved.

In the process, let us not forget our reason for standing against the tide.

We lobby for liberty not so that we can do whatever we want, we lobby for the liberty to exercise our commission to preach the Gospel.

The enemy's ultimate goal is to silence the Gospel and replace it with his own false gospel.

While we are here and actively resisting, the enemy's plan is restrained from coming to full fruition.

We need to keep our lamps full, remain vigilant, and sound the shofar any time the enemy approaches the gates.

slaves in our own land

What is the big deal about the Federal Reserve being "private", international bankers, and all that jazz?

What does they have to do with anything?

The issue is not every corporation or every bank.

The Federal Reserve is "backed" by international banks and international investors.  Every dollar printed in the United States is "backed" by a loan from the Federal Reserve.  Every dollar the government spends increases this debt.  The collateral for the loans are taxes collected from the American citizens.  Your taxes do not go to pay for government services, taxes collected by the IRS go to pay interest on these loans to foreign financiers.  When the people cannot pay their taxes, their labor and property is forfeit to pay these debts.

This is how the globalists end up owning and controlling American citizens. 

We become slaves in our own land to a foreign power.

This is not without precedent.  We have ample warning of this from scripture.

While nothing has "replaced" Israel (no, not America, the church, or any other entity), there are still lessons to be learned concerning how God meets out judgement against nations.

There are some insightful passages from Nehemiah on the subjects.  The thing to keep in mind, even while in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, they were still subjects to the Persian emperor, King Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah 5:4-5 NAS
"We have borrowed money for the [foreign] king’s taxes against our fields and vineyards ... we are bringing our sons and daughters into bondage as slaves. Some of our daughters have gone into slavery already, and it’s beyond our power to do anything about it, because other men have our fields and vineyards.”

Further passages reveal that this is part of the judgement against Israel for the people turning their back on God and worshipping foreign gods.  The people had become slaves in the very land that was to be their inheritance.  The fruit of their labors went to foreign kings.  They were being sold into bondage to pay thier taxes.

Nehemiah 9:33-37 NAS
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.

For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law
   Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.

But they, in their own kingdom,
   With Your great goodness which You gave them,
   With the broad and rich land which You set before them,
   Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.

Behold, we are slaves today,
   And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
   Behold, we are slaves in it.
Its abundant produce is for the [foreign] kings
   Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
   And over our cattle as they please,

So we are in great distress.

501c

Next time you get a chance, ask your pastor if they are prepared for a time when they will need to give up their 501c non-profit status...

God declares the end from the beginning...

Isaiah 46:9b-10
... I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'

I've recently heard this misquoted twice recently and had to look it up to make sure I was remembering the verse correctly.

man's fallable government

Looking to government to solve your problems is making government a "god".

Government seeks to eliminate all "gods" before it.  Otherwise, you can believe what you want, as long as government is the ultimate authority.

when you care enough to tell the truth

Giving people a helping hand is great. 

However, how helpful is it to provide temporal assistance to someone without sharing the Gospel of turning away from sin (repentance) and turning toward salvation found only in Jesus the Messiah?

So often, when we help someone it is just so that we can feel better about ourselves.

Most of us are helping others to alleviate our own sense of guilt.  That is not love.

Once the guilt is assuaged, we then pat ourselves on the back and smugly reflect on how "good" we are.

Assistance without the Gospel is is akin to giving someone icewater on thier way to hell.

Heaven forbid that we should share the truth with someone.  Telling someone the truth is more likely to alienate you and make you the target of ridicule.

The truth does not make us any friends.  If we tell someone the truth, well, it might offend them and they may not like us. 

So, for selfish reasons we hold back the truth and try to selfishly assuage our guilt by throwing money at the problem. 

Always maintain an eternal perspective.  Ask yourself, how much will this temporary circumstance really matter 10,000 years from now?

If you truly love and care about someone, then you should be VERY CONCERNED about where they will be spending ETERNITY before you concern yourself with where they will spend the night or get their next meal.

Providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need is a great draw for getting people's attention.

But, the assistance should not be a goal in and of itself.

It should be an avenue to the goal of sharing the Gospel.  That should always be the drive and focus.

my criteria for charitable giving

1.  Must be used toward a biblical purpose (ie: taking care of widows and orphans, feed and cloth the destitute and hungry)

2.  Sharing the Gospel of turning from sin and turning to the salvation found only in Jesus the Messiah must be the central purpose, the food and other items are just the draw.

3. Over 95% of the funds collected must verifiably go toward #1 and #2 and not to "administrative  costs" (someone's pocket)

The Harbinger

I just completed listening to the Harbinger on audiobook.

Some have criticized Cahn's book, but their criticism makes it clear they have not thoroughly read the book or listened to the author's explanation of it.  I have yet to find a solid criticism, and instead have only seen circumstantial and knee jerk attacks by those who are trying to hock their wares.

I strive to be someone who is very picky about what I read and quick to point out the rampant apostasy, false prophets, and misinformation that clouds the truth.  I did not get the least impression that this book was trying convince anyone of replacement theology.

Cahn, himself a Jew and Messianic Rabbi, has stressed several times both in the book and in interviews that he does not believe in replacement theology (that America, the church, or anything else has replaced Israel) or that the Isaiah 9:10 is a prophecy written just for America or anything of the sort.

What he is uncovering is that there was a pattern in Israel's judgement that seems to be repeating itself in actual recorded events surrounding 9/11 (and yes, they are all verifiable in news stories, pictures, and video of actual events).

While I agree that the fictional backdrop might cause confusion for some, the point was to arouse people to investigate further for themselves, repent, and turn to God -- not make a "thus says the Lord" declaration.

(NOTE: I don't receive anything for my comments on this book)

freedom and liberty

Is there a difference between freedom and liberty?

Often the words freedom and liberty are used interchangably.  From time to time, they may carry with them different connotations or distictive definitions based on an author's intent.

Typically, if a distinction is drawn, freedom is typically tied to a person's belief or feeling about their circumstances.

In contrast, liberty is typically tied to a person's ability to perform certain actions.

Some progressives might say that "We want to protect freedom to worship".

This may sound good, but a freedom to believe something or worship is something is quite different than the liberty to act on those beliefs.

For example, you may have the freedom to believe that "Jesus is the only way".

However, as currently exists in many countries, you do not have the liberty to share that belief with others.

essentials

I have heard it said: "Let us unite on the essentials and have grace on the non-essentials"

I agree with that. But, then the discussion turns to the question of "What are the essentials that we are supposed to unite on?"

The Bible may not tell us everything there is to know, but it does tell us everything we NEED to know.

My observation thus far has been that there are many things in the Bible that are crystal clear.

There are also some things that require time, study, and spiritual discernment to understand. These things best understood by "getting to know" God and His nature.

Additionally, there are some things that are prophetic and "sealed" (their meaning is not clear) right now, but will become clearer as we approach the in the time for which they were written.

The more essential it is, the clearer it is stated and the easier it is to understand. Since we are to recieve the kingdom of God as a little child (Luke 18:17, Mark 10:15), then the essentials should be simple enough for a child to understand.

If you have to really do some hard core gymnastics to stretch it beyond its obvious meaning, your doing it wrong. We get into trouble when we put our own pet theories, traditions of men, and doctrines of demons ahead of the simplicity of God's Word.

We must unite around the truth, even if the truth is sometimes hard to take.  The key is for us to submit ourselves to the truth as reavealed in the Bible.