Thursday, April 3, 2008

True and False Conversion

Before I have you watch the True and False Conversion videos, I would also like to encourage you to read about a threat that has taken place over at reformationnation.
http://reformationnation.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/reformation-nation-receives-threat-mail-from-prophet-woody-ministries











Please take time to examine your walk with Christ to ensure that you are truly in the faith. We are told to examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith. My prayers are with you. (trolls need not reply)

10 comments:

stella said...

I went to that "prophet's" website. You can tell right off that he's a charlatan and he himself gives the evidence and you don't even have to hear him preach!

1. He's given scripture to connect the precious Blood of Jesus to his "Blood of Jesus oil." Although he claims there's no miracle power in this oil because it's just cooking oil and food dye, it's a mockery! The guy should just sell vials of blood!

2. He continues to undermind himself in his presentation of his prayer shawl. He uses Numbers to support the validity of the product. The verses from Numbers support the Jewish tallit! Which was used to a) help to set a mood for prayer AND b)remind the Jewish people of the 613 laws (see the knots on the fringes). And the real significance in the tallit (prayer shawl) is the fringes. So, in the end, the purpose was to remind God's people of His laws.

What is meaning of it for a Christian? It can remind us of Christ in whom we have the opportunity to go before the Father in prayer. (That's what my messianic Jewish rabbi friend told me once when I asked him if I was allowed to wear one).

I think it's fine of a church bookstore to sell symbolic items such as tallits (not to be confused with ordinary scarves with the label "prayer shawl" slapped on).

However, to do otherwise is just an attempt to make money. There is no Biblical foundation/significance for these items, and all it does is deceive people who are naive.

Thanks for sharing that Brian.

pastorbrianculver said...

Thank you Nicole, very well said! Looks like someone has been doing some research! Thanks for the added info!

stella said...

I give credit to my semester and summer of independent studies on the history of zionism and judism and my mentor prof who is jewish, and my family members who are jewish...

they all taught me well :)

now if they could only take the religious blinders off and see how it all comes back to Jesus!

pastorbrianculver said...

another fine example of how going to seminary does not a biblical preacher make!

stella said...

yup...i learned all that at a state university. i wanted to understand my family better, so i sought out a prof that was heavily involved in the jewish community, told him what i wanted to learn (and he was confused and taken back why a christian would want to learn these things), all the while i got 9 credits, went to egypt...AND learned a whole lot! :)

better than any seminary. hands down.

pastorbrianculver said...

the information you learned will be valuable in reaching some lost people with the Gospel of Christ!

stella said...

Hey! I did my first open air preaching today! (Well, mini preachings).

I joined the youth group to hand out invites to church...

Now, you know that's not all I was going to do... :)

I told the group that we're going to preach and then give them the invites. I put up some pictures.

toodles

pastorbrianculver said...

hey that is great toodles!! (I mean, Nicole!)

I'll bet you really had quite a "rush" from doing the actual witnessing, didn't you? When I do it, I feel like, I could do it for 24 hours straight! It feels so good to talk to people about the things of God! The fear you have quickly goes away and turns into a genuine desire to reach the lost! I'll check your blog out later today after church!
God bless you on your faithfulness!

noodles
poodles
(gee, it just doesn't work when I try to say something cute!)

stella said...

noodles was one of my nicknames in grammar/high school...when i took american sign language, my prof called me the same thing!!

yes, it felt like a rush. the first time was a little awkward because i spoke, then my translator spoke, and then this other woman translated from chinese to taiwanese. it was a really long time.

but after that i just walked right up to other groups of teenagers and went right into. it felt so natural and i wasnt afraid.

i didnt want to stop and my friend who was with us said that we shouldnt talk too long because the kids were bored. but they weren't bored, it was that their mouths were shut because they admitted they would be found guilty before God if they died today.

i really wanted to go back to them but no one wanted to go with me!!! :*(

(and i did need a translator because they didnt understand english)

bu hao! :)

peace in.

(im cute because that's what my name in chinese means...ni ke)

pastorbrianculver said...

Hi Brian. Serious question, you are a pastor. What denomination are you ordained through? I saw that you had a revival scheduled that had to happen outside. Why couldn't you use one of the churches?

The above question was asked...
here is my response

I am a non-denominational pastor. I was originally ordained through the United Methodist Church which is the church I grew up in. I left the UMC when they held their annual conference one year. While sitting there they decided they needed to vote on whether to allow gay pastors to preach and whether to allow gay marriages. The pastor at a mostly gay church down in Plano, TX said they would lose most of their members if they did not allow gay marriages and that would mean losing a lot of money. I wanted no part of a church hierarchy that felt they had to "vote" on something that goes against the Word of God. I left the UMC and went with a nondenominational church because I wanted to go to a church that believed in the Bible with no other authority other than the Word of God.

The reason the revival was held outdoors was a simple one. It was not meant to "promote" one church. The revival was ONLY to promote Jesus Christ. Where better to promote Jesus than under His created skies? Not within manmade walls. I see too many churches that hold revivals and the only reason they do it is to increase their membership. It is not about glorifying God, it is not about lifting up His Name. It is about getting new people into their church. Revival will not happen if people do not repent of their sins and put their trust and faith in Jesus alone for their salvation. Too many revivals are entertainment oriented and not God's Word being preached.