Why can't mormons send flowers?

Before you watch this clip, let me tell you a little bit about it first. It is a scene from the old TV series, Cheers. I know, the setting is in a bar. The "d" word is spoken once. I want you to listen to how the conversation that Sam engages in. The final line is cut off a little bit, but you can tell what he is about to say. That is the line I want you to listen to.



I have visted some other blogs and have viewed some pretty scary conversation between people. The Christian would present the Word of God and the Atheist, or the Mormon, or the Agnostic or the Emergent would completely ignore the Bible and say that the Christian person is either hateful, bigotted or lying. Even when it is obvious that the Christian is writing with the love of God guiding him, the other people just do not want to hear it. We just have to remember that it is not us that does the saving. If it was, we would get very discouraged and would give up. But praise be to God, that He promises that His Word will not return void. Our job as Christians, is to get God's Word out there. So, get out of your pew at church, and go reach the lost the way Jesus did. Hand out tracts or even leave them where they can be found. Some people will argue that tracts are not effective. We don't know. We might never know how it affects someone. But it is better than doing absolutely nothing. On the side bar of my blog is the one that shows 150,000 people die each and every day. Take a look at it right now. How many have died since you got on this site? Now, in the past week, what have you done to reach the lost? you have seen how Mormons will argue that they are Christians (when we show them that they do not follow the Jesus of the Bible, they say we are liars. You have heard how atheist do not believe there is a God. If you are a person who claims to be saved and claims to be a follower of Jesus -- let me ask you a question.

How often do you go out and attempt to reach the lost?
Do you understand that the Great Commission is meant for each one of us? Not just for your pastor and not just for your missions board.
Do you understand that when Jesus said, he who keeps my commands, is he who loves me, that He is talking to you and me? How much love do you really have for Jesus if you are not willing to do what He wants you to do? Go into all the world preaching the gospel to every creature.
Are you comfortable with your religion? Has Satan been actively attacking you? If not, maybe you are not actively preaching the gospel to the lost. The last thing Satan wants is for you to be a God-fearing, God-walking, God-proclaiming repentant follower of Christ. Are you willing to step out for Christ? Are you ready to reach the lost? Want help? Write me and I will be happy to give you some help.

Are you a Mormon and are willing to dialogue with a Christian?
Are you an atheist and are willing to dialogue with a Christian?
Are you a Christian that is not living a life fully devoted to Christ and you want to dialogue with a Christian?
then write to me...
if not, then I guess there are
Some people you just can't discuss religion with.

The God Makers 2, all five parts

I have included all five of the previous God Maker 2 posts. I wanted to make it easier for you to email it to your friends, and to make it easier to watch it all with almost no delay between them. My blog is about having our churches return to biblical preaching and teachings. I want to see church discipline return along with preaching on God's Law and the need for repentance followed by God's wonderful mercy and grace. The post on mormonism is geared towards some good friends of mine who are mormons. I love them and do not want to see them going to hell. It is important that as Christians who follow the Jesus of the Bible, that we are out in the streets reaching the lost. Mormons are going door to door to reach people but unfortunately they are leading people to hell. If you love your neighbor the way Jesus says we should, then we will be out reaching the lost. Mormons are trying to claim that they are Christians (much like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Tony Jones, Brian McLaren and others who have signed the pact with the Muslims). It is time that we Christians get "out" of the church and out into the streets where the lost are found. Are you scared? Doesn't matter. God commands that we follow Him and He has commanded that we go into all the world preaching the gospel to every creature. It is a command. Let's do it. If you don't know how to do it, please contact me and I will help you. But let's do it. The real ministry takes place out in the real world and not inside the church. If your pastor is not reaching the lost out in the streets, then challenge him on it. It is too important to not take it seriously. My prayers are with you. God bless
till His nets are full
Brian

The God Makers 2, part 5

This is the last video in the God Makers 2 series. I hope you have enjoyed them for their informational value. Tomorrow, I will post all five video's on one post for easy access to all at one link.

God bless
Brian

The God Makers 2, part 4

Have you seen the previous three parts yet? They can be found in my posts on Wed, Thurs and friday!

There will be a part 5 on sunday!

The God Makers 2, part 3 UPDATE!

Please be sure to watch the previous two parts before viewing this video. They are found in the previous two posts.

Is it starting to make sense yet? Is there a reason to believe that if Mitt Romney was elected, that the Mormon Church would not be involved??

Part 4 will be posted on Saturday morning! I hope you are enjoying the information coming out of these videos.

I just found this on the internet dated Dec 27. makes for interesting reading. Send me your comments on it!

The God Makers 2, part 2

If you have not watched part one yet, please scroll down to yesterday's post before viewing this one. Tomorrow, I will post part 3!

If any mormons out there feel that I am misrepresenting your religion and faith, please feel free to comment. Unfortunately, (for the mormons) everything is documented in their own sources, so it would be hard to accuse me of making it up to make them look bad. My desire is not to make anyone look bad. My desire is to make all mormons look INTO THE BIBLE to see what it has to say about their religion. Don't just read those verses that you have been taught to read by your church, but read the whole of the Bible. Read it in context. Understand who is being talked to at any given time. Go to a Christian bookstore (When I was a mormon, I never stepped foot inside one, I wish I had!!!) and read what it said about Mormonism (you will find it under the heading of CULTS).

The God Makers 2, part 1

I have several videos coming up in the next few days of The God Makers. Please come back to watch the rest of the series in the next few days.

I hope Christmas was not a "let down" for you. Remember that we celebrate the birth of Christ and that the only "let down" is when we fail to please HIM!

The Mountain Meadow Massacre -- (Mormons)

You can read about The Mountain Meadow Massacre here!

Also, go back and read my earlier post on the Mormon stance of blood atonement here.

Don't just take my word on this and don't just take the Hollywood account either but do some research for yourself and come to an educated evaluation. You will be amazed, as I was, in how power-hungry the mormons are. If Mitt Romney is elected President of the United States, you can be sure he will surround himself with other Mormons.

ON A HAPPY NOTE --
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO YOUR FAMILIES AS WELL. MAY THE BIRTH OF JESUS (THE BIBLICAL JESUS AND NOT LUCIFER'S BROTHER) BE AN OCCASION FOR YOU TO RE-EVALUATE YOUR WALK WITH HIM. REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND PUT YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN HIM! GOD BLESS, BRIAN

Anticipation...

What is the definition of "Anticipation?"
1 a: a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action b: the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation.

My original thought was that I was anticipating that Joel Osteen would say this. I found this at Apprising Ministry. Does it surprise me? NO! But to think it was a "pleasurable expectation" would be incorrect. I think the first part more accurately describes it...
his prior actions (discussions and talk along with his teachings) only goes to show that he is consistent on his lack of knowledge and understanding. When will the people who love Osteen realize that this man has no knowledge when it comes to theology and God?

Today is Christmas Eve.
Did you ever think about those two words and how well they go together?
Christmas is the day we celebrate the long-awaited, much anticipated birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Eve is the very reason that the birth of Jesus was necessary! As she listened to the serpent, she brought sin into the world and thus brought the death sentence upon us all.
So today, as Christians we anticipate the day when Christ will return to take us home to the place He has prepared for us. But for tomorrow we give thanks to God (we do this everyday!) for sending His Son to die on the cross. He sent him in the form of a little baby, born in a manger. A humble beginning. Did his mom ever anticipate a day would come when her son would be a sacrifice on the cross for all humanity? Did the world anticipate the hatred and rejection that would befall him?
My grandson is anxiously anticipating Christmas morning. He knows there will be presents under the tree! But what else does he know?
He knows that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus.
He knows that Jesus is God.
He knows that Jesus loved all the children.
He knows that Jesus died on the cross and can show you where the nails were driven into Him.
He knows that Jesus died.
He knows that Jesus is in Heaven.
He knows that Jesus is alive.
He knows that Jesus is coming back someday.
He gets on our little play piano and sings a song of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I love you!
And he is anticipating the day when he gets to see Him.
my grandson is three years old!

If you ask my grandson if a mormon is a Christian, he will tell you NO!
If you ask him why not? he will tell you because they don't know Jesus of the Bible!
Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it! Maybe someone should have done this with Joel Osteen.
Unfortunately, people are doing this in the Mormon Church. Little three-year old children are taken to the front of the church and told by their parents what to say.
Parent: tell the people that you know that the church is true.
Child: I know the church is true.
Parent: tell the people that you know Joseph Smith is a true prophet of god.
Child: I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of god.
Parent: tell the people you love mommy and daddy.
Child: I love my mommy and daddy.
Parent: Amen
Child: Amen!

You might say, what is the difference between that and what you do with your grandson?
Here is my answer.
My grandson can tell you that Jesus is God (with a capital "G")
He can tell you that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
He can tell you that Jesus is alive in heaven.
He can tell you that Jesus will be coming back.
What can a mormon child tell you about Jesus? NOTHING!
While I was in the mormon church, I would hear the exact "testimonies" each and every week. In fact when the adults came to the front to give their "testimonies" it would sound almost exactly word for word the same. And we wonder why they defend their church so much, even though the evidence against Joseph Smith is overwhelmingly against him being a prophet of any kind other than a false one!

I am anticipating the day when my grandson will be serving Jesus (the One found in the Bible!). If God decides to take me home early, I feel confident that He will be with my grandson and will see His work completed through him!

What are you anticipating today?

Mormons belief in shedding of their own blood for remission of sins!

Can you see my car in this picture? It is just under the large snowflake at the top of the left-center part of the picture. You really have to look hard to see it!

"There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their sins, whereas, if such is not the case, they will stick to them and remain upon them in the spirit world.
"I know, when you hear my brethren telling about cutting people off from the earth, that you consider it is strong doctrine; but it is to save them, not to destroy them...."And further more, I know that there are transgressors, who, if they knew themselves, and the only condition upon which they can obtain forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood, that the smoke thereof might ascend to God as an offering to appease the wrath that is kindled against them, and that the law might have its course. I will say further; I have had men come to me and offer their lives to atone for their sins.
"It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit.... There are sins that can be atoned for by an offering upon an altar, as in ancient days; and there are sins that the blood of a lamb, or a calf, or of turtle dove, cannot remit, but they must be atoned for by the blood of the man."
(Sermon by Brigham Young published in the Mormon Church's Deseret News, 1856)
-----February 8, 1857 sermon
"Now take a person in this congregation who has knowledge with regard to being saved... and suppose that he is overtaken in a gross fault, that he has committed a sin that he knows will deprive him of that exaltation which he desires, and that he cannot attain to it without the shedding of his blood, and also knows that by having his blood shed he will atone for that sin and be saved and exalted with the Gods, is there a man or woman in this house but what would say, 'shed my blood that I may be saved and exalted with the Gods?'
"All mankind love themselves, and let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be glad to have his blood shed. That would be loving themselves, even unto an eternal exaltation. Will you love your brothers and sisters likewise, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the shedding of their blood? Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood? That is what Jesus Christ meant....
"I could refer you to plenty of instances where men have been righteously slain, in order to atone for their sins. I have seen scores and hundreds of people for whom there would have been a chance... if their lives had been taken and their blood spilled on the ground as a smoking incense to the Almighty, but who are now angels to the Devil... I have known a great many men who have left this Church for whom there is no chance whatever for exaltation, but if their blood had been spilled, it would have been better for them....
"This is loving our neighbor as ourselves; if he needs help, help him; and if he wants salvation and it is necessary to spill his blood on the earth in order that he may be saved, spill it....if you have sinned a sin requiring the shedding of blood, except the sin unto death, would not be satisfied nor rest until your blood should be spilled, that you might gain that salvation you desire. That is the way to love mankind."
(Sermon by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle, printed in the Deseret News, February 18, 1857)
John D. Lee on Blood Atonement (from his confession)
In his confession, Lee offered a chilling account of one instance of blood atonement in early Utah:
"Rasmos Anderson was a Danish man who came to Utah... He had married a widow lady somewhat older than himself... At one of the meetings during the reformation Anderson and his step-daughter confessed that they had committed adultery... they were rebaptized and received into full membership. They were then placed under covenant that if they again committed adultery, Anderson should suffer death. Soon after this a charge was laid against Anderson before the Council, accusing him of adultery with his step-daughter. This Council was composed of Klingensmith and his two counselors; it was the Bishop's Council. Without giving Anderson any chance to defend himself or make a statement, the Council voted that Anderson must die for violating his covenants. Klingensmith went to Anderson and notified him that the orders were that he must die by having his throat cut, so that the running of his blood would atone for his sins. Anderson, being a firm believer in the doctrines and teachings of the Mormon Church, made no objections... His wife was ordered to prepare a suit of clean clothing, in which to have her husband buried... she being directed to tell those who should inquire after her husband that he had gone to California.
"Klingensmith, James Haslem, Daniel McFarland and John M. Higbee dug a grave in the field near Cedar City, and that night, about 12 o'clock, went to Anderson's house and ordered him to make ready to obey Council. Anderson got up... and without a word of remonstrance accompanied those that he believed were carrying out the will of the "Almighty God." They went to the place where the grave was prepared; Anderson knelt upon the side of the grave and prayed. Klingensmith and his company then cut Anderson's throat from ear to ear and held him so that his blood ran into the grave.."As soon as he was dead they dressed him in his clean clothes, threw him into the grave and buried him. They then carried his bloody clothing back to his family, and gave them to his wife to wash... She obeyed their orders.... Anderson was killed just before the Mountain Meadows massacre. The killing of Anderson was then considered a religious duty and a just act. It was justified by all the people, for they were bound by the same covenants, and the least word of objection to thus treating the man who had broken his covenant would have brought the same fate upon the person who was so foolish as to raise his voce against any act committed by order of the Church authorities."

read about the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 (Sept 11th)

the last paragraph of the story says this:

In 1998, Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Latter-day Saints, visited Mountain Meadows. He found himself embarrassed at the dilapidated condition of monument at the site and committed the Church to building a proper memorial. "We owe [the dead] respect," Hinckley declared, "that land is sacred ground." On September 11, 1999, a new monument was dedicated at Mountain Meadows. President Hinckley, in the afternoon sunshine, told the assembled crowd: "[The past] cannot be recalled. It cannot be changed. It is time to leave the entire matter in the hands of God."

And such is the mormon stance on much of their past. Their prophets have lied and committed polygamy in the name of God. They have given false statements on who God is and they have been passed over as not speaking for God. I tell you that not a single one of the mormon prophets speak for God! In the days of old, (OT times) prophets pointed towards Christ. Now that Jesus has come and died on the cross there is no need for further revelation. We have all the information we need!

special thanks as all of the above information was taken from: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mountainmeadows/atonement.html

(except for the last paragraph and the picture at the top of page. Did you see my car in the picture? NO? good, it's not there! it was there but I covered it up because that was in the past and I can't rely on the fact it was once there so if I can't see it now, it must not have ever been there!)

Why on earth look for a planet like ours?

taken from The Daily Telegraph ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ )

Why on earth look for a planet like ours? By Jim White
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 12/11/2007

One day last week, The Guardian carried an eye-catching headline on the front page of its review section: "This is Gliese 581c. It's small and rocky and it orbits the sun 20 light years from here.
But scientists say it could support life. Are we close to discovering the new earth?" A day later, the same newspaper had this story on page three: "Could this be earth's near twin? Introducing planet 55 Cancri f. Astronomers discover solar system 41 light years away with similarities to our own."

One paper, two days, two different new earths: if nothing else, it proves that journalists and their editors work on entirely separate planets.
Not that it much matters. Whichever world it is that has been discovered out there, most of us reading of these findings will have felt a surge of excitement.
It was the phrase "new earth" that was the clincher.
This is what we want to hear, that up in the heavens somewhere there is another place capable of sustaining us, somewhere to take up a bit of slack, somewhere we might be able to leave behind the mess we have made of this place and start again.
This urge to explore new lands has been with us since we first took to boats millennia ago. It was what sustained Cook and Magellan, Raleigh and Columbus. It was there in the space programme of the 1960s, in the brave few who flew to the Moon in tin buckets.
And it is there propelling hundreds of thousands of Brits every year to leave these islands and head off to Spain and Portugal, France and Florida.
So it is with this news.
It doesn't really matter that, at 41 light years away, 55 Cancri f is a planet so far from any hint of civilisation that the only future purpose for it would be as an airstrip serving Ryanair flights. The very fact it is out there is cause enough to dream.
Or possibly not. Because what if, by some miracle of physics, Stephen Hawking managed to invent a method of travelling faster than light, we sent a manned flight to check up on Gliese 581c or its equally romantically-named twin and, upon arrival, the space travelling pioneers discovered not some box-fresh new world but a parallel universe?
What if they landed in a vast cityscape gridlocked by bendy buses, with shopping malls lined with chain stores selling stuff nobody needs to consumers up to their gills in debt?
What if their radio communication devices were jammed by mouthy personalities shouting about how they'd gone out last night and got absolutely bladdered on 10 pints and won't be able to give out accurate time checks this morning as they're suffering from a hangover the size of Canada?
What if they found themselves in a place working itself up to a right old lather about the prospect of a bunch of pneumatic models, rentagob former footballers and superannuated pantomime dames being marooned in the jungle for a month?
What if they sought elucidation from the local print media and found themselves confronted by headlines like "Now doctors say it's good to be fat", "Cottage cheese consumption linked to skin cancer" and "Are health check-ups bad for you?"
More to the point, what if they were arrested on arrival and put in a transit camp because they didn't have the requisite documentation, to be sent, once a judge could be wrested from his bed, back whence they came, without even so much as a souvenir copy of Heat magazine?
The hope that a better place lies out there has sustained migration throughout the centuries (except, to be fair, in the early days of Australia, when the migrants were dispatched in the hope that their departure would make things better for those left behind).
But oddly our imaginative responses to boldly seeking out new worlds have generally undermined that optimistic response.
Remember how, in Star Trek, the infinitive-splitting Captain Kirk and his spandex-clad colleagues were forever landing on planets run by Nazis or Chicago gangsters or leggy Amazons who drained the life from any man they snogged (usually Kirk himself).
Remember how even the unremitting misanthropist Gulliver couldn't wait to get home from his travels after encountering what lay writ large and small beyond his natural boundaries. And let's not even think about what happened to the cat-loving Ripley in Alien.
Ultimately, the best thing to come out of learning more about Gliese 581c and 55 Cancri f might be this: the discovery that what we have right now is as good as it gets. And, instead of deserting the place for some assumed better elsewhere, maybe we should just get on with living here.

**********************************************************

Isn't it amazing how the people, regardless of where they live, are always looking for a better place to live. They think all of life's answers are on the other side of the fence (or universe). Is it really logical (no, I am not Spock), to think that we can leave behind the mess we have here and begin anew? While it sounds nice and dreamy, we ultimately would take our sinful nature with us. Lust, greed, covetousness, murder and adultery, thievery, idol worshipping would all follow us. It's not that we need to look for a new earth (for those living today), but rather that we should be preparing for the day when Jesus returns to judge the quick and the dead. Jesus said he goes to prepare a place for us. Why would we want any other landlord? Do you wish this world was better? Tell it to God. But be prepared...

What have YOU done to make it better?

Do you know that the crime rate would drop if we would each just reach one person and show them the consequences of their sins?

Do you know that abortions would stop if we would practice what we preach and actually get out to reach the lost girls in the city (and within our own churches)?

Do you know that adultery and passive sex without marriage would drop considerably if our teens new that God looks at our hearts and says that lust is the same as adultery and that adulterers are headed for hell unless they repent?

Do you realize that when we stop crying, "oh my, they took prayer out of the schools, that's not fair" that the children have NEVER been stopped from praying in schools? They can pray anytime they want and so can you. So why blame atheist for something that many Christians do not do anyway?

Do you realize that if all pastor's would start preaching all of God's Word (ie. Ten Commandments, wrath, repentance, judgment and then combine it with God's grace and mercy and love), that much of what is wrong in our land would be eliminated? When the fear of the Lord directs our paths, we will understand that God is holy and just and must judge us for our sins. When we understand that, then we will come to accept the free gift of grace that God offers us.

Yes, man (and woman) has pretty much destroyed our land. Sex, booze, crime are all ways of man. Righteousness, peace and joy are ways of God. When pastors finally get it, maybe then we will see a difference in our land!

Oops, I did it again... (a cry for help!)

That famous Britney Spears song is coming back to haunt her. One of the lines in it says, "I'm not that innocent." We now hear just a couple of days ago that Britney's little 16 year old sister is not that innocent too, in fact, she appears to be headed to the same lifestyle as her older sister. Little Jamie Lynn Spears, at 16 years of age is pregnant. She stars in her own tv series called Zoey 101 (never seen it and never plan to). What is really disturbing is that she said she met her boyfriend (the baby's father) at church.


Britney claims to be a Christian. She dresses in a way that exposes more skin and less morals than any Christian should. She sings songs about love, sex and adulterous lifestyles. She says in her songs that she is not innocent (pure).


Now her little sister is following in her footsteps. Why? Is it because she has seen all the success her big sister has had? Is it because of all the money she has made? Is it because her mom has pushed her into that lifestyle in order to be popular? No one can really know for sure, but for her to say that she met her boyfriend in church, that bothers me.



I have to wonder about the effectiveness of their church. I do not know the pastor and would not want to pass judgment on him. Without knowing what he is preaching, I cannot say for sure, but...



With the way so many churches today are not preaching the Word of God
With the way so many churches today look the other way when it comes to dealing with sin
With the way so many churches today only focus on the love of God without any knowledge of the wrath of God...


Is it any wonder that the youth of today lack any sense of morality?
Is it any wonder that the youth of today have no fear of God?



Youth Specialties and other youth programs have geared their resources to be more "user" friendly in the sense that there is no accountability to our actions with God.


It saddens me to see so many youth today who go on with their life as if God is just an after-thought. Actually, too many adults do that too.


What lies in store for little Jamie Lynn Spears? Will she raise her child to fear God? Will she teach her child to stay pure until marriage? Will she bring up her child in a church atmosphere surrounded by loving Christians? Let me rephrase that one, will she bring up her child in a church full of committed, faithful, obedient, repentant Christians? It is sad. Her sister has failed to be a proper role model for her. Her mom has not kept a close watch on either of her daughters and trained them up in the way they should go. And her church failed her. It would seem that not only did the pastor and the youth pastor fail to properly teach the girls about being chaste, pure and remaining innocent, but they failed to teach the girls about consequences by God's standards and His Word.



There was the church in Georgia (I think), that was going to send a letter to Britney and tell her how much God loves her. No mention of God's wrath. Without a knowledge of the wrath of God, why should she fear Him and why should she change her way of living. She can go on living for her self and for her own pleasures because she is comforted by the fact that God loves her. I want to tell her and her sister what they need to hear (and I hope they somehow are able to read this post), but here it is...



Britney and Jamie,


You have undoubtedly heard by now how much God loves you. This is a true statement and you can take comfort in that. But there is something you are not hearing and you need to hear it (or read it). The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am not here to point a finger at either girl and say they are headed for hell. That is not my place. Only God knows for sure. But we do have guidelines that are in place. We have God's Word on what our behavior should be and what our walk with Him should look like. The first words that Jesus spoke in his ministry were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators (those having sex outside of marriage), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
How many times have you heard that preached? Just because you maybe claim to believe in Jesus, I do not want you to be fooled. Read what the Bible says,
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Mat 7:21
¶
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.





Is this describing you? Has your church or your pastor failed to warn you that you might be a false convert sitting in church. You might be one that says, Lord, Lord and He will look at you and say, depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you. This is very serious and your eternal salvation is at hand. What does it take for you to be saved. You are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. But it is not just an easy-believism I am talking about. It is a live, action-filled faith that is a result of wanting to serve God. You need to repent of your sins. The Bible tells us that without repentance, you will not enter heaven. Without repentance YOU WILL NOT ENTER HEAVEN. Please read that over and over. You can't just go on living your life to please yourself. We are put here for God's good pleasure and to bring Him glory. So with your faith, there should be the fruits of repentance and the fruit of thanksgiving evident in your life. Without repentance, no heaven. Got it? Repent and put faith in Jesus -- Heaven. Live for self, continue sinning with no repentance -- hell. It is not an easy message to hear but it is the greatest message you will ever hear.


Listen (or read), I am a sinner too. I commit adultery (lust after pretty girls), I am a liar, a thief, a murderer (hate), a covetous person, I have dishonored my parents, I have not put God first in my life and I have worshipped idols (money, success, etc). Sound familiar? Here's the thing...


When I finally got it, I put my total trust and faith in Jesus. That meant that my life wasn't about me any more, it was about Him. I wanted to be pleasing to the Father. Does that mean I can't keep my personality, no, I still tell excellent jokes (clean) (okay, so that is why I am a liar, my jokes aren't always excellent!), I have just repented of my sins. Will I ever sin again? Sure! But now, when I sin, I do not go chasing after it. I do not make provisions to sin. I do not plan it out. If I sin, I immediately recognize it and take it to God and ask for forgiveness. We have His Word that He will forgive us of our sins, but it must be because we have repented of our sins. You might fall into sin, but God can get you through it. If you run to sin, then you have turned your back against the God who gave you life and pursued the ways of the Devil. I speak to you and anyone else reading this, that I love you and do not want to see anyone go to hell. I want to do whatever I can to see that the True message of God gets out. It is a shame that the churches are not doing their job. I pray that you will both repent of your sins (turn from your sins and do them no more), and put your faith and trust in Jesus much the same way you would put your faith and trust in a parachute to save you from a jump from a plane. Cling to Jesus to save you. Desire to get into His Words. Watch out for false teachings and cults (Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc). God's will is to bring the redeemed of the Lord together in heaven and on earth. Our job is to get out and reach as many people as we can to bring them to a saving knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ. With all the talent you both have, wouldn't it be good if you could reach millions of people for the name of Christ as opposed to living for Satan and his ways? It's not too late. I didn't tell you what 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." When you put your faith in Jesus and repent of your sins, you will desire to be obedient to His Word. I pray that you seriously consider what was written here to you. May God bless you and keep you in His care. Make a difference in the life of others. Show them how the wonderful love of God, not sending you to hell, has changed you. If you continue to claim to be a Christian and yet continue to live in your sin without repentance, you shall surely perish.



God bless


Brian



click here to see if your pastor is guilty of this!
thanks Tony!

Mormons and polygamy

I apologize on how long this is, but it is very good!


Why would the Mormon church denounce polygamy if the Mormon founders taught and practiced polygamy? (taken from wikipedia)
Answer
As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled in the Utah Territory, they began to participate in national politics. The general opinion of the rest of the United States was that the practice of plural marriage was offensive. On July 8, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act into law, which forbade the practice in US territories. President Lincoln told the church that he had no intentions of enforcing it if they would not interfere with him, and so the matter was laid to rest for a time. Nevertheless, the rhetoric continued, and polygamy became an impediment to Utah being admitted to the United States. This was not a concern to Brigham Young, however, who preached in 1866 that if Utah will not be admitted to the Union until it abandons polygamy, "we shall never be admitted."[8]
In February of 1882, George Q. Cannon, a prominent leader in the church, was denied a seat in the House of Representatives due to his polygamous relations. This revived the issue in national politics. One month later, the Edmunds Act was passed, amending the Morrill Act by revoking the right of polygamists to vote or hold office, and allowing them to be punished without due process. Even if people did not practice polygamy, they would have their rights revoked if they confessed a belief in it. In 1887, the Edmunds-Tucker Act seized control of the church and further extended the punishments of the Edmunds Act of 1882. In July of the same year, the U.S. Attorney General filed a suit to seize the church and all of its assets.
Following the aforementioned passage of the Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887, the Church found it difficult to operate as a viable institution. Among other things, this legislation disincorporated the Church, confiscated its properties, and even threatened seizure of its temples. Many scholars believe that in order for Utah to become a state in the union the United States government demanded that the LDS church discontinue the practice of polygamy, which was not only morally repugnant to the rest of the nation but feared by political leaders as a way for the church to gain power in numbers.
After visiting with priesthood leaders in many settlements, President Woodruff sought to obtain "divine confirmation" to pursue a course that seemed to be agonizingly more and more clear. As he explained to Church members a year later, the choice was between continuing to practice plural marriage and thereby losing the temples, " OR ceasing plural marriage in order to keep the temples and continue performing the essential ordinances for the living and the dead. President Woodruff hastened to add that he had acted only as the Lord directed: "I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I do; and when the hour came that I was commanded to do that, it was all clear to me."
While nearly all Church leaders in 1890 regarded the Manifesto as inspired, there were differences among them about its scope and permanence. Some leaders were understandably reluctant to terminate a long-standing practice that was regarded as divinely mandated. As a result, a number of plural marriages were performed over the next several years by those felt the manifesto was only given to satisfy the government. Not surprisingly, rumors of such marriages soon surfaced, and beginning in January 1904, testimony given in the Smoot hearings made it clear that plural marriage had not been completely extinguished.
The ambiguity was ended in the General Conference of April 1904, when President Joseph F. Smith issued the "Second Manifesto," an emphatic declaration that prohibited plural marriage and proclaimed that offenders would be subject to church discipline. They declared that any who participated in additional plural marriages, and those officiating, would be excommunicated from the church. Those disagreeing with the second manifesto included apostles Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor who both resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve. Cowley retained his membership in the church, but Taylor was later excommunicated.
In 1943, the First Presidency discovered apostle Richard R. Lyman was cohabitating with a woman other than his legal wife. As it turned out, in 1925 Lyman had begun a relationship which he defined as a polygamous marriage. Unable to trust anyone else to officiate, Elder Lyman and the woman exchanged vows secretly. By 1943, both were in their seventies. Lyman was excommunicated on November 12, 1943 at age 73. The Quorum of the Twelve provided the newspapers with a one-sentence announcement, stating that the ground for excommunication was violation of the Law of Chastity, which any practice of post-Manifesto polygamy constituted.
They didn't denounce it as a morally reprehensible thing to do, but rather encouraged members to obey the law, realizing that the church couldn't survive if they were all in hiding. :) Members in Mexico, where there was no law against it, continued to practice polygamy for a time.

Now for the good stuff! In an article published back in 1881 (article is below!) by John Lalor (?-1899)


UTAH
UTAH, a territory of the United States. Its area was a part of the first Mexican cession (see ANNEXATIONS, IV.); and at the organization of the territory, by the act of Sept. 9, 1850 (see COMPROMISES, V.), it contained 220,196 square miles. Since its organization it has been largely reduced by portions which have been taken from it and added to Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. It is now a compact, nearly square territory of 84,476 square miles. Its population, by the census of 1880, was 143,963, so that it is the most populous of the territories, if we except the District of Columbia. Its capital is Salt Lake City, and its governor (1880-84) is Eli H. Murray.
III.285.1
—The American territorial system (see TERRITORIES) is essentially and altogether an adjunct to the federal system. A more complete antipode to the mercantile colonial system of a century ago could hardly be stated or imagined. The American territory is practically under the absolute control of congress; and yet it is never thought of except as on the way to self-governing statehood. It is useless, indeed, is worse than useless, unless it is considered as an inchoate state. And yet here is a territory, already containing the full voting power of a congressional district, whose possible statehood not only is unconsidered, but would be considered only as a worse peril to American institutions than its present absolute government. The territory of Utah is the anomaly of the American system; and the question of its proper treatment is one of the most serious and perplexing problems of American politics. It has two distinct aspects, that of Mormon polygamy, and that of the Mormon hierarchy. In considering them, two features of the American system must be constantly kept in view. 1. The subjects of marriage and divorce are exclusively state concerns. Congress may forbid polygamy in a territory, but, as soon as the territory becomes a state, its legislature acquires entire control of marriage within its jurisdiction. If any of the present state legislatures should abolish their penal laws against bigamy, and either expressly or tacitly permit plural marriages, there is no power outside of the voters of the state which could intervene. 2. Once a state, always a state. When a state once secures the power of self-government, whether by surprise, by secret purchase, or after deliberate consideration, no power can legally revise the action of congress in the admission: even congress is unable to reconsider its action, and the state is equally unable to forfeit its position, except by expressly abandoning its statehood and expressly demanding a return to a territorial condition. (See RECONSTRUCTION.) Mr. S. G. Fisher, as cited below, some twenty years since stated and advocated what he considered as the right of congress to expel a state, or the right of a state to secede with the express permission of the same congressional authority which admitted it: but this view has never been accepted. One of the fundamental provisions of the constitution is, that not even an amendment shall be passed to deprive any state, without its consent, of its equal suffrage in the senate. The population of a state may diminish to almost nil, or its moral conditions may be shocking to the rest of the country, but its statehood must continue as long as it demands it.
III.285.2
—Mormon Polygamy. The growth and conditions of this institution have been elsewhere stated. (See MORMONS.) The revised statutes of the United States prohibit polygamy in the territories, and jurisdiction of offenses against the prohibition is in the federal courts of the territories, with a power of writ of error, by act of June 23, 1874, from the United States supreme court to the supreme court of the territory. This was found ineffectual from the difficulty of obtaining evidence; and the stringent "Edmunds Act" was passed March 22, 1882. (as noted in the first part of this blog!)
III.285.3
—The provisions of the Edmunds act are, in general, as follows: 1. The offense of bigamy (U. S. Rev. Stat., § 5352) is restated, and made punishable by fine and five years' imprisonment. 2. Cohabitation with more than one woman is made a misdemeanor, punishable by fine and six months' imprisonment. 3. Jurymen may be challenged for being guilty of bigamy or of unlawful cohabitation, or for believing it right to commit such offenses. 4. The president is authorized to grant amnesty for past offenses. 5. The issue of Mormon marriages up to Jan. 1, 1883, is legitimated. 6. Bigamy, polygamy and unlawful cohabitation are made bars to voting and to eligibility for election or appointment to any office under the territory or the United States. 7. All the registration and election offices of Utah are declared vacant. 8. Five commissioners are to be appointed by the president, with exclusive power to appoint subordinates for the purpose of registering voters, conducting elections, receiving or rejecting votes, canvassing and returning votes, and issuing certificates. 9. More opinion as to the right of bigamy or polygamy is not to be a bar to a seat in the legislature.
III.285.4
—The first election held under the provisions of the Edmunds act resulted in an almost exclusively Mormon legislature, devoted to the maintenance of the corporate right of the church of latter-day saints to hold and enjoy its wealth. It is very evident, that, while polygamy is to be retained as a distinguishing mark for a peculiar people, it is to be practiced only by those who have an exclusively ecclesiastical ambition, and that the church will always take care to have monogamists ready to care for its political interests. No one can suggest any further step in the direction of the Edmunds act, except to make opinion a bar to a seat in the legislature. And that would mean the temporary abolition of legal government for Utah, and the relegation of government functions to the moral control of the church, through its unofficial courts of arbitration.
III.285.5
—As a final remedy, it has been proposed to adopt an amendment to the constitution, prohibiting polygamy in the United States, and empowering congress to enforce the prohibition. An amendment to that effect was introduced at the opening of congress in December, 1883, but has not yet been acted upon. It may be that such an amendment, with appropriate legislation to back it, might solve the problem and make it safe to admit Utah as a state. But considerable caution should be felt in coming to this conclusion after our experience with the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. They were supposed, at the time of their passage, to be so carefully framed that they had transferred the protection of the civil rights of the enfranchised negro race to congress. But the supreme court has decided, in effect, that these civil rights were primarily under the protection of the states; that a diminution of the power of the states must be express to be valid; that these amendments gave to congress only a veto power over unconstitutional state legislation; and that individual offenses are still in the domain of the states. Why may not the proposed anti-polygamy amendment meet the same fate? Suppose that Utah is admitted after the amendment is passed; and that her legislature as carefully refrains from passing laws permissive of polygamy as from punishing polygamy by individuals. May we not then find that the sixteenth amendment is as much of a practical delusion as its two predecessors? And it will then be too late, it must be remembered, to return Utah to a territorial condition. Surely the hazard of such a chance is too great to be taken.
III.285.6
—The only alternative seems to be to limit the sphere of the states by words that can not be mistaken or evaded, and to add to the powers of congress that of exclusive legislation, by general laws only, on the subjects of marriage and divorce within the United States. Utah might then be admitted with absolute safety, for no legal argument could emasculate such an amendment. Bigamy and polygamy would then be federal crimes; and no marriage would be valid, or its issue legitimate or capable of inheritance ab intestato, unless the marriage had been contracted according to the forms prescribed by a federal statute. Growth of population, wealth and culture in Utah would only increase the force of the influences, material and moral, which would aid the amendment to enforce itself. This remedy, succeeded by the immediate admission of Utah as a state, seems to the writer the only remedy for polygamy in the territories which holds out a fair promise of final and permanent success. It is open to the objection that a two-thirds majority in both houses of congress, or simple majorities backed by the president, might force free-love on the United States. But, if that time should ever come, all would be lost; and our posterity would be too busily engaged in guarding fundamental interests to have time to spare for Utah. The danger is on a par with that of the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus; and is only one of a class of dangers which a democratic republic must meet and surmount or die.
III.285.7
—The Mormon Hierarchy. Federal officials, who have honestly endeavored to execute federal laws in Utah, are almost unanimously of opinion that a greater danger than polygamy is in the Mormon hierarchy, supported by the immense resources of rigidly exacted tithes, bulwarked by the fanatical obedience of the people, and willing, if it could see its way clear, to turn secret into open rebellion. Governor Murray, late in 1883, gave very forcible expression to this view in a newspaper interview, and urged strongly that the whole territory should be placed under an absolute military despotism until the hierarchy should be crushed out. One who has not been upon the spot must speak with diffidence upon such a subject. But, from all the information open to reach, it seems probable that this view is only the natural outcome of unsuccessful contest, and that the fate of the Mormon hierarchy is conditioned by that of Mormon polygamy in the following fashion—Polygamy seems to be primarily purposed to make the Mormons a "peculiar people," to give them a sense of homogeneity which the other elements of their "faith" will not supply, and thus to secure an obedience founded on faith rather than on force. Secondarily, it has divided the Mormon leaders into polygamists, with church ambitions, and monogamists, with political ambitions. To the polygamists are given the present and future honors of the church, and the pleasure and profit of managing an enormous church revenue, without responsibility of accounting, except to the hierarchy. To the monogamists are assigned the present political honors of the territory, and the future political honors of the possible state. It is plain, from the results of the Edmunds act, that the monogamists, though at present of a humbler rank, are not only important, but absolutely essential, to the polygamists. Without the political auxiliaries, the hierarchy would be powerless; with them, it can endure patiently, labor, and wait with hope. To cut off the political auxiliaries would be to cut off hope. It seems to the writer, then, that the mistake has been in aiming all operations at the polygamists, while every blow fell harmless on the monogamous shield before them. The true policy would be to strike at the monogamists, to push them into a compulsory choice between their allies and their own hopes of political preferment. What blow would do so more effectually than the passage of the marriage and divorce amendment, followed by the admission of Utah as a state? If a record of conviction for bigamy, or for aiding a bigamous marriage, is to be a bar to office-holding, to citizenship, and even to voting, how long will political leaders, in the hot conflicts of real state politics, hold to an organization which can not even provide them with votes? Whichever side the church takes, it must bring votes in its hands. Mormonism is a democracy of revelation, in which a revelation is tested by its general acceptance. A new monogamous revelation would thus be the inevitable result of the gift of statehood, if we could give it safely; and such a revelation would only result in the disappearance of the Mormons as a "peculiar people," and the downfall of the hierarchy. Separate the political monogamists from the ecclesiastical polygamists by the marriage and divorce amendment; fling the apple of discord among them by granting statehood and introducing state politics; and it seems evident that the problem of the hierarchy will be found to be only an outgrowth of the problem of polygamy, and that they stand or fall together.
III.285.8
—It is not intended to make polygamists and ecclesiastical leaders exactly coincident classes. Some of the ecclesiastical leaders are certainly monogamists, but they are exceptions.
III.285.9
—Authorities will be found under MORMONS. See 9 Stat. at Large, 453 (act of Sept. 9, 1850); Fisher's Trial of the Constitution, 173.
ALEXANDER JOHNSTON.
III.285.10

update to my blog after lunch today!!

for now, I thought this might interest you. It is written by the grandson of a Mormon Prophet!

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20165/mormonism-8

youth specialties does it again!

The following letter came to me from Youth Specialties. I don't mind the title of "Don't be afraid," I am very concerned with the lack of content which seems to permeate with YS. I can look the other way when language such as "dude" is used. I understand their worldly thinking here. But when a question comes up of "what do I have to be afraid of?" and the response completely ignores what the fear should be focused on, then I have a problem. Suppose someone actually makes the statement, Why should I follow Jesus and what do I have to be afraid of if I don't? YS response is this -- "if you don't have a sense of what you should be afraid of, you might not be fully living...into the reality of what Jesus brought." And that's it? How is that going to help anyone? If someone does not know why they should fear, he is right in saying that they probably don't know much at all, but YS should have taken it a step further. Why should we fear God? Because if we are not saved, He will judge us on our sins and cast us into hell. I guess YS does not want to scare people into repentance. Remember that God loves you and we should not fear Him. Read the letter for yourself. Let me know what you think. Why is it so hard for YS to mention the need to repent of sins?

Dear Youth Worker:

"Don't be afraid."

That's how the Christmas story starts in Scripture. Twice, in fact. First, the angel shows up to Zechariah (telling him about his future son, John) and says, "dude, chill."

Then the angel shows up to Mary and says the same thing (well, probably not the "dude" part).

Is it just the being-startled-by-an-angel part that precipitated that calming word? Seems to me it was so much more than that. The messenger wasn't only saying, "Hey, I realize I'm a strange sight, and I've just materialized in front of you in a way that is likely startling." The angel was, I believe, defining a path. The angel was speaking words that would need to be remembered over and over as the arrival of the Christ-child would completely up-end the world of those intimately involved in his birth.

You see it coming, right? You and I, my youth working friend, are intimately involved in the arrival of the Christ. I mean, sure, we're not physically there. But this is our story! Since we get to be children of God, Jesus is both our brother and our savior. Jesus IS OUR STORY.

So the "don't be afraid" should come to us too.

You might be thinking, "Afraid? What do I have to be afraid of?" Well, my contention would be that if you don't have a sense of what you should be afraid of, you might not be fully living into the upside-down, kingdom-rearranging, first-shall-be-last, love-your-neighbor reality of what Jesus brought (and continues to bring).

The truth: you have plenty to be afraid of. But be not afraid. This is one of those wonderful (and sometimes annoying, if we're honest) paradoxes the Bible leaves us with: Fear God... Who loves you unconditionally and tenderly. God is all powerful and all loving... But seems to regularly not intervene in human suffering. We're in this world and are called to engage this world... But, ultimately, we're not of this world. The creator of the universe... Often speaks in a still, small voice. You have plenty to be afraid of... But don't be afraid.

Let's be honest: working with teenagers, no matter how much you love them and are called to this ministry, is cause for fear. They're a messy lot. The work is never done. The needs are never fully met. The demands and expectations of youth ministry pull in every direction, often in opposition with one another. If you live into this calling, sooner or later, you'll get hurt; you'll get ignored; you'll be misunderstood; you'll be blamed; you'll be misrepresented; and you'll screw up.

But, be not afraid.

For unto us a child is born. And "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

We love you. During this busy Christmas season in youth ministry, we pray that you catch a glimpse of the One, the Savior, God among us, Emmanuel.

Marko, and from all of us at Youth Specialties

There you have it straight from YS! Be not afraid, if you are saved, but beware if you are chasing after false idols!

I found this excellent link on mormonism!

The Cloning Effect...

Seeing the video on the cats being cloned and then having a virus put into them so that they would glow, got me thinking...

Christmas has been cloned and we didn't even know it until it was too late!
yes, it still occurs on December 25th of each year...
yes, it still has church services for those "faithful" two times a year Christians...
yes, it still has some songs being sung lifting up the name of Jesus the Christ-child...
yes, it still has Santa Claus and those pesky 8 reindeers or 9, if you include Rudolf...
BUT, somewhere in the space of time it happened...
A virus infiltrated Christmas
Now, Christmas begins sometime in October about the same time Halloween candy is displayed in stores...
Now, Christmas offers churches who cancel church services so that the families can spend time together instead of going to church...
Now, Christmas songs being sung on Christian radio stations are playing Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, and the ever popular, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer!...
Now, Christmas is about a holiday season and no longer about Jesus the Christ-child...
Now, Christmas is about Satan Claus (did, I misspell that?)
Now, (notice, I didn't change the spelling above!) Christmas is about me and what I want and not about Jesus and what He did for us...

It still occurs on Dec 25th, but this is not the Christmas I grew up with. It has changed. It might look the same but it is different, vastly different than what it should be. It should be a time to remember the birth of our Savior and the "why" it was necessary for Him to come in the first place. It all started back in the Garden of Eden when Eve took that first bite and it brings us to where we are today...
A nation that is entrenched in homosexuality (it's not a war against it like it used to be, it is just something that is tolerated because we don't want to offend anyone, unless of course they are Christians!)...
A nation that is so politically correct that politics will not work in this country anymore...
A nation that is so lacking the fear of God that it has caused even the churches to become worldly...
A nation that is so accepting of false religions that pass themselves off as being Christian, such as mormons. (who claim that the Jesus they worship is the same one we, Christians, worship)...
A nation that will not persecute us for believing in Jesus, they just don't want us acting and behaving as a true Christian should!

Oh, how I wish our country, our Christmas, our very lives would return to the very foundation for which we are here...
TO GIVE GLORY TO GOD!

Dan Fogleberg died yesterday at age 59. This song is a tribute to his dad. My own dad died back in 1996 and I always wanted to pay tribute to him and still do. Thank you Dad for all you did for me! I love you! And God, I can never thank you enough for all you have done for me and continue to do for me. I love you oh so much!

Glow in the dark cats. What's next?

What are we to think of scientist who have cloned cats to glow-in-the-dark? In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. By Him was all things created! Man has decided that he has the power to create things. The more man feels this, the less likely he is to feel a need for God as he will see himself as god. The Mormons teach that we can all become gods. They teach that if you live a good life, get married in the Temple and have several children, that you can become a god of your own planet. Why wait? Why not become god of this planet? That seems to be the thought going around these days.

Why not be god?

Because there is not one person who is good. Every person is full of sin. Not just one sin, but completely wretched in God's sight. We are all guilty of being liars, thieves and adulterers. We have all failed to put God first in our life, thus meaning we have created a god to suit ourselves. We have not always done what our parents told us to do, thus dishonoring God. We are guilty of breaking all Ten of the Ten Commandments. Regardless of whether you are a Mormon, a Jehovah's Witness or involved in another one of many cults, regardless of whether you are a church-going Christian or one who "believes" but does not feel it is necessary to go to church, we are all headed to hell because of our sins.

What can you do?

NOTHING!

It is not what "we" do. It is what God has already done for us. He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. He took the complete wrath of God while on the cross. Remember that Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man. Many religions do not understand this truth. But the Bible does not lie. Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies that spoke of Him in the Old Testament. (by the way, there is nothing in the Old or New Testament that foretells of another prophet coming in America!)

We must put our faith and trust completely in Jesus of the Bible. Not of a Jesus created by Joseph Smith or others. But by the Bible! Mormons teach that the blood of Christ is not sufficient to cover ALL of our sins. The Bible teaches something completely different. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. His blood covers the sins of all people. There is nothing we can do apart from the shed blood of Christ to enter heaven.

We need to repent of our sins and be obedient to the Word of God. We cannot and will not ever be a god ourselves. You are believing a lie if you think you can. Or, hey, maybe you can create glow-in-the-dark humans so you can always keep an eye on them at night!!

Youth Specialties, Pastor's, you need to watch this!

Paul Washer is preaching to youth in a way that needs to be preached to ALL people regardless of age.
Are you from an EC (Emergent Church)? This is the message you are not hearing.
Are you from a Rick Warren type of church? This is the message you are not hearing.
Are you from a Willow Creek type church? This is the message you are not hearing.
Are you in a cult (Mormon, YW, Christian Science, Oprah worship)?
This is the message you are not hearing.

This is the message you NEED to hear. Keep it and listen to it often.

I originally saw this video on Way of the Master.

I am going to write down some quotes from this video because I not only want you to watch it but I want you to read it to.
Paul Washer says...
"I will tell you things you will misunderstand, and I will tell you things that make you so angry with me, and I will tell you things that you will deny, and I will tell you things that you say I have no right in telling you..."
What does today's church say?
"I will tell you things you will understand, and I will tell you things that make you so happy you came today, and I will tell you things that you will agree with, and I will tell you things that you will say, preach it man, you are right on!"

Paul Washer says...
"...you see, preaching is a very dangerous thing, it's dangerous for me, because the Bible says that false teachers will undergo greater condemnation. If what I tell you today is not true, I am in a great deal of trouble and have every right to do this with fear and trembling because I will stand condemned before God"
What does today's church say?
"no comment!"

Paul Washer says...
"but if what I tell you today is true, then you're the one with cause for fear and trembling"
Today's church?
"Don't worry, be happy!"

Paul Washer says...
"I'm not troubled in my heart about your self-esteem, I'm not troubled in my heart about whether or not you feel good about yourself, whether life is turning out the way you wanted it to turn out, or whether or not your checkbook is balanced. There's only one thing that gave me a sleepless night, there's only one thing that troubled me all throughout the morning, and that is this, within a hundred years a great majority of people in this building will possibly be in hell."
Today's church?
"I'm not doing my job unless you feel good when you leave church today. And yes, we will be starting a class on how to balance your checkbook!"

Paul Washer says...
"And many who even profess Jesus Christ as Lord will spend eternity in hell."
Today's church?
"if you name it, claim it. if you believe it, it is yours!"

Paul Washer says...
"American Christianity is based more on a godless culture than it is on the Word of God. And so many people are deceived, and so many youth are deceived, and so many adults are deceived into believing, that because they prayed a prayer one time in their life, they're going to heaven."
Today's church?
(you know what it is!) "just say this little prayer and you are saved!"

Paul Washer says...
"Why am I a Christian? because there was a time when I prayed a prayer and asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart. I want you to know that the greatest heresy in the American Evangelical and Protestant Church is that if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, He will definitely come in. YOU WILL NOT FIND THAT IN ANY PLACE IN SCRIPTURE, YOU WILL NOT FIND THAT ANYWHERE IN BAPTIST HISTORY, until about 50 years ago. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone and in Jesus Christ. And faith in Jesus Christ is preceeded by and followed by REPENTANCE."
Today's church?
"Do you know where you will spend eternity. You can know right now. Just say this little prayer and repeat after me. If you do it and you are sincere, then you will be saved and will spend eternity in heaven."

Paul Washer says...
"Do you know how much love it takes to stand in front of 5000 people and tell them that American Christianity is almost totally wrong? Do you know what it's going to cost me to never be asked back again to something like this? To be unpopular?"
Today's church?
"I don't want to offend anyone here today. I don't think that is the way Jesus would talk. Jesus is love and He would never condemn anyone."

Paul Washer says...
"...that apart from the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, the only thing left for you is the wrath, the fierce anger of God, because of your rebellion and your sin."
Today's church?
"God loves you. He hates the sin but loves the sinner."

Paul Washer says...
"Many of the things that you love to do, God hates."
Today's church?
"you have free will and God loves you anyway. Want to engage in homosexuality, go ahead, God loves you"

Paul Washer says...
"One of the greatest distinguishing marks of a false prophet is, he will always tell you what you want to hear, he will never rain on your parade, he will get your clapping, he will get you jumping, he will make you dizzy, he will keep you entertained, and he will present a christianity to you that will make your church look like a 6-Flags over Jesus, and keep you so entertained, you are never addressed with great issues as these, is God working in my life? am I growing in holiness? have I truly been born-again? ...how do you know you're saved?"
Today's church?
"today we are going to watch MTV videos and so a bible study on their music. It will be fun and be sure to invite your friends!" (by the way, Youth Specialties has exactly this posted on their website about having the youth watch MTV!)

This video is so full of the Truth of God's Word. Can you see what a vast difference there is in the way God's Word is presented? The difference is too large to not notice it and the difference is too great to not acknowledge it. I pray that youth pastor's, education teachers, Senior Pastor's and Associate Pastor's will get away from false teaching. Don't worry about offending people. Speak the Truth in LOVE!

Are you obedient to God's Word? Are you out reaching the lost? Why not? Why not? If you claim to be obedient to God's Word and you are not showing compassion to your neighbor and show the love of God living within you, then how do you know you are saved? It is important people. Please examine yourself to see that you are in the faith. May your eyes be opened to those who are leading you astray.

Way of the Master witnessing clip

So, what do you think? Would you have answered the questions the same way the teenager did? I think most of us would have. You can just see it on his face the moment he "gets it!" I love this video. I put myself in the boy's shoes and can feel God convicting me of my sins. It is at that time, I realize that I need to repent of my sins and stop doing things "my way" and start putting my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save me. It makes me want to hit the streets to reach the lost the way we are Commanded to do! If you have not already seen this video, please watch it and then go to: www.wayofthemaster.com and watch some of their other witnessing video clips. Sign on for the School of Biblical Evangelism, it is an awesome teaching that is very biblical.

Is your church guilty of misquoting the Bible? Repost

This is just a repost from one of my earlier post back on Oct 30, 2007. I will be posting new post later today! enjoy



Here are a few items for you to do a google search on...

See if they are in the Bible!

The lion shall lay down with the lamb.
God helps those who help themselves.
Money is the root of all evil.
Once saved, always saved.
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
To thine ownself be true.
God works in mysterious ways.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
This too shall pass.
Pride comes before the fall.

Okay, there you have them. Ten well known sayings that many people think are in the Bible. Go ahead and click on each of the links and you will find that we as Christians have become biblically illiterate. As the overall theme of this blog will show you, our churches have fallen away from biblical preaching and teaching. We have used so many cliche's in our sermons that we have accepted them for the gospel truth.

When you are sitting in church listening to the pastor's sermon...
Are you truly listening to what he is saying?
Does his message truly line up with the Word of God?
Is he doing a verse by verse study on God's Word?
Is he telling you how very important it is to apply God's Word to your life?
(this is more than just the mere "claim" to be applying it to your life -- it is the actual adherence to God's Word)
Does your pastor "skip" over certain Scriptures that would imply the need to repent of certain sins?

While some of the sayings at the top of this blog do not have a major alignment problem with the original verse, it is important to understand why we need to be in God's Word daily. We need to be able to give an answer to everyone regarding our faith.

If you are finding that your pastor is using one line of Scripture to create a whole sermon based on jokes and stories, it is time to leave. True growth in your walk with Christ should show fruit. The fruit of repentance. The fruit of thanksgiving. You should be walking in the Way. Let your light shine before men. There are many Christians who are walking in the dark today. Won't you help them? Won't you pray for them? Won't you do something????

The ALARM has sounded! Get up and get out!! Your comfy chair will drag you down. Your nice warm house will lull you to sleep. It's cold out there! It's dark out there! And people are dying everyday with many of them headed for hell.

Unless you do something...

Has it hit you yet? Are you guilty of misquoting the Bible in an effort to show the world your knowledge? Is your church abusing the Scriptures? The Way to heaven is narrow and the road to destruction is extremely wide. What road are you on? What road is your neighbor on? Hey, have you even gotten on a road yet? Feeling a little luke-warm? Lift up your head and fix your eyes upon Jesus!
Read the Bible each and every day! Pray without ceasing! And be obedient to the One who has paid your fine!

While we are at it...
At the top of the blog are ten popular sayings and many of us have them memorized

Have you memorized the Ten Commandments yet?

The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make any idols
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet
(Here's a test for you -- Does the wording I used in these Ten Commandments line up with Scripture?)

There was a time...1999 AD

These videos were created back in 1967. The young man you see in the second video is a huge celebrity today -- Wink Martindale, game show host. Okay, maybe not a huge celebrity but kind of well known if you watch game shows on TV. Back in 1967 they talked about the future having the ability to do shopping "online" from your own home. Pay bills online and even send messages (email). Of course there are no flying cars in this video but that hasn't happened (yet!). Of course, now when we see on tv thoughts of what the future will be like, we don't even blink an eye, because we know that almost anything is possible. But there was a time...

A time when the thought that man could fly was absurd.
A time when the image of trains crossing the country were unimagineable.
A time when being able to talk on a phone (one ringy dingy, two ringy dingy)all the way across america or even right next door would have been crazy thinking.
A time when automobiles would go 100 miles per hour was unthought of.
A time when vaccines to prevent polio and other diseases were the miracle cure all.

There was a time when no one thought of any of these things. But someone did. Someone had an idea and used his God-given brain to invent, create and discover wonderful advances for humanity.
There was a time when the average life span was only about 45 years of age. Then someone realized that if doctor's would wash and sanitize their hands when moving from one patient to another, they could save lives.
There was a time when prayer was allowed in schools.
There was a time when people went to church to (now get this) TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD PREACHED. NOT TO BE ENTERTAINED. TO BE EDIFIED IN GOD'S WORD!!

There was a time when a man and a woman lived in a place called the Garden of Eden. It was wonderful and perfect.
There was a time when sin was not alive in man.
BUT...
There was a time when the serpent beguiled Eve.
There was a time when two people looked after their own wants and desires and forgot about what God had told them.
There was a time when two brothers brought their offerings to God.
There was a time when one brother killed the other.
There was a time when every person was headed for hell.
BUT...
God showed the world His ultimate love for them. He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins.
What does he require of us?
to believe in His Son.
There was a time when belief in Jesus meant that we would totally put our faith and trust in Him. We would show our lives as being changed, new creatures in Christ. Repentant sinners who walked after righteousness. Obedient to His Word. Meeting publicly to share His Word.
There was a time when God was our very reason for living.
BUT...
Man decided he had a better way.
Man decided that they had a better way of presenting God's Word than Jesus did.
Man decided that they could reinterpret God's Word to align with the world's values.
Man decided to mock the very name of Jesus by saying all you have to do is believe...
Man redefined what it means to believe in Jesus...
Man says all you have to do is say a prayer and you are saved.
Man says you need to know what your purpose in life is.
Man says your church needs to know what it's purpose is. (of course, it might take 40 days for you to find out what God's purpose is for your life)
Man has completely succeeded in creating false converts!
BUT...
God's plan is still in control.
His Word is the final authority.
His Word is the contract that we have all signed with our destination being determined by where we signed (enter - heaven or hell)
His Word is never changing.
His Word is all encompassing.
His Word is sharp and will cut in to your heart and minds.
His Word will not return back void.
In the beginning God...
There you have it, my favorite line of Scripture.
In the beginning God...
He is in control.
He is the creator of all
He is the sustainer of all
He is the redeemer
He is the judge
He is love
He is a God of wrath
He has prepared a place for us
Long ago, he said what he was going to do.
He said that a child would be born of a virgin
He said that he would be bruised for our iniquities
He said that He would return to judge the quick and the dead.
Even looking back, people have still refused to believe that Jesus is the Messiah
Even looking back, people have still refused to give their life to Jesus
In the beginning, God...
Knew what we would need and He requires that we put our faith and trust in His Son.
What does it mean to put your faith and trust in Jesus?
What is the definition of faith?

The dictionary definition of faith is, “the theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.” For a Christian, this definition is not just words on a page it is a way of life. Faith is acceptance of what we cannot see but feel deep within our hearts. Faith is a belief that one-day we will stand before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Theological Virtue For Christians, believing is not seeing. Our life is built on the knowledge that God came to earth, died on a cross, rose again on the third day, and then ascended back into heaven. Why do we believe, because the Bible tells us so. We were not there when Jesus was crucified, yet we believe. We were not there when Jesus rose again, yet we believe.

Too many people want physical proof. Even Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, said he would not believe unless he saw Jesus. What was Jesus’ answer to him when he saw Jesus? “Because you have seen me you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29). This is the theological virtue known as faith, believing what we did not see because we know it in our hearts to be true.

Secure Belief in God As Christians, we are secure in the knowledge that there is a God and that He rewards those that diligently seek Him. Faith for a Christian is much more than just a belief; it is security. Christians are secure in the knowledge that when all things come to pass they will see their Savior Jesus Christ.

Faith is a belief that what is said in the Bible is true based on the eyewitness accounts and the peace that comes when we turn our lives over to God. Faith is also the security of knowing that we are firmly in God’s hands and no matter what happens nothing will shake us from them. Faith is our secure belief in God and our secure belief of God and our secure belief that all things happen through God.

Trusting Acceptance of God’s Will As Christians, we do not only have a secure belief in God, we also have an acceptance that what God tells us to do is for our benefit. A part of the definition of faith is accepting God’s will over our own will. This means that we understand that what God is asking us to do will always work out for the good of those who love and listen to Him.

Jesus said to us to have faith like a little child. A child will accept what is asked of them and then go and do it. As Christians we do not question what God wants us to do. We just go ahead and do it because we have faith that what we are being asked to do will help further the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Faith Is A Verb In a way, faith is a verb because it means we must act on what we believe. Faith, as we have seen, is the theological virtue of being secure in our belief that God is real and that His Son died on the cross for our sins. It is taking that in a trusting acceptance of what God wants us to do and then going out and doing what we are told.

Some time ago someone likened faith to the wind: we cannot see the wind, we cannot hear the wind unless it blows against something, we can only feel the wind when it touches our skin or rustles our hair. Faith is like that wind. We cannot see what we believe in, we cannot hear what we believe in unless we open our eyes to the truth, but we can sure feel that our faith is justified by the joy we feel in our hearts. Remember, in the end, we all put our faith in something, so let it be the truth.

What is the definition of Trust?

Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
Something committed into the care of another.
Reliance on something in the future; hope.
Reliance on the intention and ability of a purchaser to pay in the future (Jesus paid our fine!)
To have or place reliance; depend: Trust in the Lord. Trust to destiny.
To denote a feeling of certainty that a person or thing will not fail

So, have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Not just a little piece of saying I believe (because even the Devil believes!). It is much deeper dependance upon the word of God. If your faith and trust is in Jesus to save you, it will show by the way you live. You will have the fruits of repentance and thanksgiving evident in your life. You will desire to get into God's Word on a daily basis. You will examine yourself daily to see to it that you are in the faith.
What will your future hold? Will it still involve a relationship with Jesus Christ? Will you be stronger in your faith tomorrow than you are today? Will you be out reaching the lost as a sign of obedience and love to God? What does your faith look like today? Would God be happy with the new created being that is YOU?

There was a time when you were headed to hell...
There was a time when someone loved you enough to show you how exceedingly sinful you are...
There was a time when you had to humble yourself and say "not my will, but Thy Will be done!"
Have you gotten to "that" time yet?
Repent and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Be obedient to His Word.

Christmas is less than two weeks away...
there was a time when a baby was born of a virgin...
Are you ready to face Him? He is no longer a baby. He is God!
You will be seeing God face to face when you die in the future (could be today), are you ready to see Him? Before it is too late, repent of your sins and put your faith and trust in the ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOU!