LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

OUR GOAL: ALWAYS PROVOCATIVE - ALWAYS BIBLICAL - ALWAYS EDIFYING. If you haven't already, please log on to our Kingdom Gospel Ministries website for a lot of info and THREE new radio programs you can hear online each week - a provocative radiodrama, a message from Current Events, and a verse by verse expository message! All at www.kingdomgospelministries.org

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Location: Horsham, Pennsylvania, United States

A "Tentmaking Evangelist" credentialed as an ordained minister (Anchor Bay Evangelistic Association - non-denominational). Co-Founder of Kingdom Gospel Ministries, Inc. in its 38th year with a mission to reconcile people of different racial, ethnic, educational, and economic situations. Produces three weekly radio programs - edgy dramas, Sunday morning verse-by-verse Bible expository preaching, and messages derived from current events. He has archived many radio programs and written articles on the Internet and preached at numerous churches. A PA/NJ Architect with his own practice in its 44th year working on a wide variety of projects including churches, convenience stores, residences, and academies as well as industrial and recreational enterprises. Helped in property acquisitions and worked with real estate investors. Acutely interested in politics since a teenager with many articles published over the years as well as a long running political blog. Was an invited writer for Community Voices in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Guest on a Talk Radio show discussing race relations and on "It's Your Call", a TV show with Lynn Doyle dealing with the subject of interethnic marriage.

Friday, December 29, 2023

WILL 2024 MARK THE END OF "CHRISTIANITY LITE"?

This post was originally written way back at the dawn of 2005 when Christmas and New Year’s Day were on Sundays.  In 2020, churches were ordered closed in many parts of the country. Precedent was claimed since in 1918 churches were ordered closed (but for only several weeks) during the Spanish Flu. That pandemic hit the young much worse than the old and the fatalities were almost triple percentage wise compared to today. Some still watch online with zero accountability or in-person fellowship with the saints while others go to churches in name only where a faithless word is preached.  One preacher actually told a friend of mine that he preached a lite gospel!  God help us! This post is more timely than ever.  

From 2005:

Much ado has been made of churches canceling services this 2005 holiday season. Our church did not, but we decided to pay a visit to another Pentecostal church near us on New Year's Day, and it was CLOSED! Not closed by Communists, not closed by Muslims, not closed by the ACLU, but closed by none other than CHRISTIANS! It was already just after 11:00 AM, so we went somewhere else nearby - Zion Baptist in Ambler, to give credit where credit is due - and they were not only open, but with a big crowd and in no rush to end it! Over an hour of worship and praise, a wonderful dance performance by Living Stones on getting into the heart of Jesus, and an interactive sermon from Hebrews 13:1-5 that was practical, up-lifting and enjoyable. They then were taking a group to a Senior Citizens' home to minister on New Year's Day afternoon! 

 

For quite some time now even well before 2005 and seemingly more through 2023 which has just drawn to a close:

Why are some assemblies so eager to serve God, and others afraid of being too "radical"? We live in a world of "lite" everything. I think Miller Beer started it all. Remember "More taste, less filling"? We now have "lite" margarine and "lite" everything else. Some of these are perhaps more healthy than the full blown version. However, we also unfortunately have "Christianity Lite" and that for sure is far from healthy. Not only does it have less taste, but it is also less filling. Like Bud Light with their disastrous ad campaign, many churches appear toxic to the world - clowns on "Christian" TV proclaiming health, wealth, and fame counter-gospels and a seemingly endless string of sex and money scandals which are different from Hunter Biden only in monetary amount and publicity, one affecting even one of the most respected churches in Philadelphia.

 

The Psalmist says in Psalms 34:8, "Taste and See that the Lord is Good." Psalm 119:103 says "How Sweet are Your Words to My Taste". So many Christians have not had a solid five course meal of God recently that they do not know what it tastes like. Instead they are in a hurry and fill up on junk food such as get rich schemes, worship that stops almost before it starts or music filled with the spirit of this world that is more about us than about God, and messages more about current trends in the world than on imparting heavy duty soul food into the spirit. In essence, we are driving through to eat spiritual food of dubious nutritional value while pursuing other things. Recipes, the big game, and other thoughts often replace diligent attention to what is being said from the pulpit even those few minutes most churches limit the word to. Not only is the body not nourished, but the enjoyment factor is low because it is not the slightest equivalent to what Jesus has prepared for those who diligently seek him. An appetizer of praise and worship. a fruit salad of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in full operation, and a meaty message are far better and there is no need to count spiritual calories. We need everything to nourish the body, not food of limited value with lots of salt and no balance. We are to be FILLED with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). We can't have "fillers" and have room for the Spirit, too! Many Pastors are afraid of losing people if the services are too serious. I say, so what? Didn't they EVER study Gideon??? We need to move beyond where we are and fully engage the Lord in concert with the rest of the Body EVERY time we are together. The truth is, sinners would be more attracted to that level of reality. 

 

One unintended consequence of the closure of many churches in 2020 and 2021 is that since so many churches practiced Christianity Lite, those with hunger went to Facebook and YouTube and heard a much stronger word, perhaps for the first time. Pastors of sound churches have been telling me that they have more people online than in the pews, and their outreach has been transformed from primarily local to global.  Many have also experienced increases in giving, so what Satan intended for evil, God has turned to good.  I encourage you in 2024 to look to the Lord in everything. Do not be satisfied with the mediocre.  Do not go to a church where you leave still hungry and unsatisfied.  Taste and see that the Lord is good!  He will surely satisfy you!


Here are some practical tips – 


1)    Know your position in Christ. Do not live in the outer courts or as though the veil is still there and you need a priest to go into the Holy of Holies for you. Jesus tore the veil from top to bottom. LIVE in the Holy of Holies. Live in His presence. You need to carry God's presence with you. You must not walk into it and then out of it! That is far below your privilege! 

 

2)    Pray without ceasing. Know that when you walk with the Lord, you have an open line, a BROADBAND CONNECTION if you will. You needn't talk all the time, and neither will the Lord. However, when either of you have something to say, it can be said and freely received. It is effortless if you live that way. 

 

3)    Worship God on your own. It is not a good sign if you have to be in a church building to worship. Worship at home, in your car, ANY PLACE. Worship with songs, with words, with attitude. Use English or your native tongue. Use your gift of tongues. Worship with the mind and the Spirit. 

 

4)    Write down what the Lord tells you. Expect him to share with you every day. Share what he says with others if it could bless them. Make sure to note specific commands the Lord gives you and follow through in a TIMELY manner. When we obey, the windows of heaven open wider each time. 

 

5)    Contribute sacrificially to God. First your heart, then your time, and last, but not least, your substance. Never give to get. Give to GIVE! God will supply your needs, but we give to facilitate the growth of the kingdom, not for selfish reasons or with expectations of return. Don't let giving be reduced to a formula! Simply learn to hear God's voice and give him WHATEVER he asks of you. Do not hold back anything from your heart, your time, or your substance. 


Don't wait for others to take the lead. Take the initiative yourself. If your church is practicing "Christianity Lite", talk to your leaders and tell them you want more taste and to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. As you are filled each time, your capacity grows for Him, so this is a continuing process for both the individual AND the Body of Christ. Tell those guarding your soul you want 2024 to be the end of "Christianity Lite" and the beginning of a "take no prisoners" brand of New Testament Christianity. Our lives surely depend on it!

Saturday, July 29, 2023

THE 2 GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

SO MANY PEOPLE  do not really know their neighbors - perhaps by sight, with a wave, or "How about this weather?" Yet Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  What does that entail?  Check out my video message on Mark 12:29-31 to find out how we can better love God first, and then our neighbors.  Just go to shalomag.com, scroll down until you see the small box with Facebook written in it on the left side, and tap it.  The messages you see are latest first - scroll down to July 30, 2023.  Your comments are welcome!  God bless.

Saturday, January 7, 2023

2023 - A MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH

First, may I wish you and those you love a most Happy New Year.” May God grant you in 2023 the satisfaction that comes from achieving everything in Christ that he has laid out for you to do.


I wrote a message years ago questioning whether the New Year would be the end of “Christianity Lite?”  I wish I could say today that the desire of my heart came true in great measure. I know it did in the hearts of some of God’s sons and daughters, but the church as a whole remains immature, and self-satisfied with far less than the inheritance God wants us to enjoy in Christ Jesus.


Despite the growth of mega-churches, Charisma magazine has rightly noted that there is a startling shortage of Christ-like disciples. Those reputed to be leaders talk of the “great traditions of Islam”, ignoring the fact that close to 90% of the worst persecution of the church today comes from Muslims. A best-selling book from the largest church in America barely mentions Jesus and reads more like the Reader’s Digest than a call to follow the Lordship of Jesus Christ. People continue to watch “Christian” TV and pour billions into ministries whose tired and false litany is that every problem in your life can be solved by giving your money to THEIR ministry and that God’s job is to make you happy and fulfilled as opposed to taking up our cross and following the Lord. Meanwhile, they divorce, they have scandals, the true gospel is not preached, and the unholy day-to-day lives of the couch potatoes watching them are barely if at all distinguishable from those of the world.


Churches are going the “Lite” route more and more. Bud Lite and Coors Lite were the nation’s top two selling beers, and churches that preach a “Lite” Gospel greatly dwarf the ones who preach the whole counsel of God. Pastors say that the way to growing a church numerically is to avoid spiritual gifts in the morning service. It supposedly makes those services more attractive to “seekers”. They have statistics to back them up.  You can go all year in many churches without ever hearing about hell and Christ’s requirements of the believer. One person said that Jesus was not even mentioned at their Christmas service! We know the President did not mention Jesus in his Christmas address, but he is an unbeliever at war with the church with policies birthed in hell.  What are people IN the church thinking basically doing the same thing?


The churches that grow the most numerically do indeed practice “Christianity Lite”. You will never hear convicting sermons like Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”. Instead, divorce practices, sexual practices, business practices, TV/movie practices and a stained vocabulary are not all that distinguishable from the world if at all and they go essentially unchallenged week after week.


The pulpit  - fixed or electronic - is supposed to be the place for the Holy Spirit to challenge folks not only to believe in Jesus but to follow him completely! The church is the place for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate. I say that the only growth Jesus Christ cares about is growth on the INSIDE, not mere numbers. Read the account of Gideon in Judges 6 through 8! Listen to Jesus’ teaching that the BROAD way leads to destruction. Yet, Christian leaders are loath to say or do anything that will cause the lukewarm to disappear, even though in Revelation 3 Jesus said he is about to spit them out of his mouth. Why do Christian leaders want to coddle those whom Christ himself is about to spit out??? How do we think we will win the battle we are in with a half-armed and barely dangerous army? The truth is, we won’t. Israel never won when they looked good in the world’s eyes. They only won when they trusted God and God alone, regardless of the numbers, regardless of their carnal weapons, and regardless of the strength of their enemy. These accounts are written for us to learn from, not ignored so we can make the same mistakes Israel did!


Further, the main reason that so many have lost confidence in the gospel is a failure to believe absolutely in the authority of the Word of God. Secular colleges have long despised the Bible, but many strong Christians have emerged battle-tested from those venues, present company included. Nowadays, between 8 out of 10 and 9 out 10 CHRISTIAN colleges do not believe the Bible is really completely true! Some discard the unequivocal teaching of Genesis that God made the world in six literal days and that his creation was GOOD! They allow for or even encourage belief systems that require death and destruction to have entered the world long before Adam sinned. Richard Dawkins, perhaps the most lucid exponent of evolution, clearly understands the linkage between evolution and atheism. Why don’t Christian leaders? Other schools dismiss or throw into the past the role of the Holy Spirit, miracles, spiritual gifts, and the crowning piece of spiritual armor - praying in the Spirit that is mandated in Ephesians chapter 6.


So you may rightly say, that is the diagnosis, but what is your solution? I’m glad you asked! My solution is nothing original and nothing new. It is simply what God instructed us to do in the first place.  We will look at Ephesians 6 and I Corinthians 14 for a few moments tonight and I encourage you to also study them on your own.


10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.


I Corinthians 14:26ff tells us what to do when we come together. People, not choreographers, bring hymns, words of instruction, revelations, tongues, interpretations. Not just in small groups. Not just during mid-week meetings when those ”likely to be offended” seldom show up. Truly the weak Christians need this edification more than ANYONE!!! Seekers need to SEE the power of our salvation more than anyone! The Holy Spirit says through Paul “ALL OF THESE MUST BE DONE FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE CHURCH.”  Therefore, if we see a weak and enfeebled church, we know why. Why don’t we simply follow the teaching of the Holy Spirit and DO WHAT HE SAYS?????  Now you may say, I have been to Pentecostal places and they are still weak. SO HAVE I. I have heard suspect and shopworn “prophecies” and those who mechanically follow what is supposed to be supremely spiritual. I have also heard wild tales of supposed amazing encounters with God or angels that do not line up with the Bible.  The people may be sincere, but everything has to line up 100% with the Bible or be summarily rejected. That is why there are Shepherds to guard the flock from error. However, I have also been where I Corinthians 14:26 was literally followed, and IT WORKS. Let God be true, and every man a liar!


Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the WHOLE ARMOR of God. Partial armor will not do. What is there of lasting value that is accomplished when we are HALF-ARMED AND BARELY DANGEROUS? We are unprepared to take the offensive and we cede area after area to the minions of Satan. At the same time, we are suffering untold casualties on the defensive side. Satan will simply ignore the protected areas and go for the jugular. That jugular, the place where our blood flows, is UNPROTECTED when we go not pray in the Spirit per Ephesians 6:18. When we try to follow Christ in the flesh and do not follow him in the Spirit, we are sitting ducks. That is why Christians are jettisoning portions of the infallible word of God they feel are hardest to believe. The WHOLE BIBLE is impossible to believe without the GIFT OF FAITH!!!  


The miracle of creation, Nebuchadnezzar’s fire that could not kill the faithful, the parting of the Red Sea, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, the raising of the dead, the saving of sinners like me - all of this is so fantastic and so unbelievable and so foolish to the UNBELIEVER! Yet it is the power of God to salvation, and to those who are given the gift of faith, every word of it is true and every word is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. I love the word of God, and I am not ceding ONE WORDONE CONCEPT, or ONE EVENT to anyone!  


The Lord recently told me that if we reject any portion of the Word of God, Satan will substitute another idea or another concept in its place, and we will believe what Satan says INSTEAD of what God says to our severe detriment. Believing what Satan says is truly addictive! We need to remember that a counterfeit piece of money is usually at least 95% accurate and genuine looking – otherwise everyone would immediately recognize it as play money.   Most weak and counterfeit churches resemble the genuine in many ways – scripture reading, singing, religious vocabulary, and warm fellowship. Satan counterfeits only the most critical aspects of our faith – those that will separate us from the will of God, those that will remove our source of power from us, those that will give us false assurances when we have unconfessed sin in our lives, those that will open the door just a crack for doubt, because Satan knows that doubt grows as a cancer without any further intervention from him.  

 

Let the church be the church and let the church do what Christ commands. The uncompromising church is the church that turned the world upside down in the first century and the one that is causing revival in various parts of the world now. Christians from other parts of the world are stunned at what they see in American Churches. I for one want to change that in 2023. I am determined to present the uncompromised and politically incorrect word of God in every way I can. Are you with me? Will you do the same? If you do, you will have a blessed, prosperous, and very spiritual New Year. If you don’t, please do not complain to me!

 

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

HOW DO BELIEFS IMPACT INTERPRETATION OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

QUORAHow does the Belief in Creationism Impact how one Interprets Scientific Evidence?

All evidence is common regardless of the belief system you hold to. The question could just as easily be (but seldom is), how does the belief in atheism impact how one interprets scientific evidence? Evolutionists love to pretend they are the truly unbiased ones. Yet I have heard endless illogical arguments that commit fallacies one should have learned to avoid in Logic 101. Reification, Equivocation, Begging the Question, and the Question-Begging Epithet fallacies are some of those.

For example, how many times have you heard “The Evidence says that evolution is true!” - Reification fallacy, Evidence, Science, or any other non-human entity cannot talk or make value judgments. One constantly hears “Creationists are wrong because we see evolution happening all the time. Organisms are constantly changing and adapting to their environment.” Creationists do not deny organisms change, but they do deny we all have a common ancestor. The equivocation fallacy is in full swing - the entire meaning is changed to total misrepresentation of the issues to cover the fact there is zero proof we have a common ancestor. How about the argument that “The Bible cannot be true because it teaches that the earth is only thousands of years old, whereas, we know the earth is billions of years old. That is Begging the Question - the accuser is assuming naturalism, and uniformitarianism and that everything is as it always was. St. Peter actually pointed out this fallacy in his writing almost 2,000 years ago. Finally, we have the Question-Begging Epithet. How many times have you heard evolutionist adherents say, “ To be a Creationist, you would have to ignore tons of scientific evidence!” Emotional language to be sure, not logic.

I believe the Holy Scriptures, as eyewitness testimony supplants the notions of fallible men. I also believe that things are not as they always were – because God said so, and everything from the breakup of the Pangean continent to a careful study of geology and fossils substantiates that. The argument that the age of matter and life is much older rests on unproven assumptions intrinsic to the dating methods, and the R.A.T.E. project exposed that many err by many orders of magnitude. Physical and cultural evidence for the worldwide flood are at the heart of the different core assumptions which have global impact on the resulting interpretations. We would be much more unified if the real issues were honestly discussed by all parties.

Moses sat with the Creator in the tent of meeting so if anyone had doubts about any part of the Bible, the Pentateuch for sure should not be among them. The simple fact is that evolutionary ideas extrapolated to the origins of man and the universe is atheistic to the core, and many logical arguments cast great doubt on that aspect of the theory. Evolutionists largely circumvent the major problems with that portion of their theory and instead censor, attack, and seek to marginalize all who question any portion of their dogma. That is not science. Science means “Knowledge”. The matter of one idea of origins does not cross that threshold.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

TWO GREAT ARTICLES

 Check these two prescient articles out on CATHOLIC INSIGHT.

Here are the links

ISSUES WITH TATOOS - so many Christians have or are getting them...

https://catholicinsight.com/tattoos-as-a-spiritual-and-bodily-harm/

GENDER THEORY HAS SPIRITUAL ROOTS - and not good ones...

https://catholicinsight.com/the-gnostic-roots-of-gender-theory/

Friday, October 14, 2022

EISEGESIS

 This introduction comes from "GOT QUESTIONS.org.

Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches to Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text and respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words. 

Second Timothy 2:15 commands us to use exegetical methods: “Present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” An honest student of the Bible will be an exegete, allowing the text to speak for itself. Eisegesis easily lends itself to error, as the would-be interpreter attempts to align the text with his own preconceived notions. Exegesis allows us to agree with the Bible; eisegesis seeks to force the Bible to agree with us.

The process of exegesis involves 1) observation: what does the passage say? 2) interpretation: what does the passage mean? 3) correlation: how does the passage relate to the rest of the Bible? and 4) application: how should this passage affect my life?

Eisegesis, on the other hand, involves 1) imagination: what idea do I want to present? 2) exploration: what Scripture passage seems to fit with my idea? and 3) application: what does my idea mean? Notice that, in eisegesis, there is no examination of the words of the text or their relationship to each other, no cross-referencing with related passages, and no real desire to understand the actual meaning. Scripture serves only as a prop to the interpreter’s idea.

I have been finding with increasing frequency that even Evangelical Pastors who claim to follow the Bible are going hook, line, and sinker into EISEGESIS.  They are layering their own ideas over scripture and their own ideas ALWAYS take precedence.  Let's go a widespread one - after all, in one evangelical denomination, they are ordaining a woman every fifteen minutes on average. They trot out Romans 16:7 on Junia and ignore the Greek. They say if a woman was an apostle, she can occupy any position of authority in the church. They cancel out I Corinthians and I Timothy and all other scriptures giving qualifications for leadership. They love Deborah who was reluctant to be a judge - not a woman seeking the position and she never led a church so it is irrelevant! Deborah was successful in the job, but Israel went right back into idolatry so her legacy was truncated.  Even then, note the scripture, "Their oppressors are children, and women rule over them" (Isaiah 3:12) Deborah was reluctant and totally unlike the women today to are ACTIVELY SEEKING positions of rulership over men. Do Evangelicals get baptized for the dead or get baptized for them because of I Corinthians 15:29 which few understand?  Paul was saying people who did this, and if you study it, you will find those doing it then did not believe in the resurrection.  Mormons have practiced this for years.

In Genesis, God made man and then the woman to be his help-mate. Paul told the Corinthians that man was made in the image of God and woman was the glory of man. Paul told Timothy the reason women could not be in authority in the church was that man was created first.  What do they do with the scripture that says an elder must rule his own house well?  Women are not permitted to rule their own house in scripture if they are married. The scriptures are so simple and clear on the matter. All this is considered as nothing because of half of one verse (Romans 16:7) which they butcher. The English Standard Version is so clear - she was known TO the apostles and was not one of them.  If you want to know the Greek, when the preposition "en" is followed by a dative pronoun, it is "exclusive" which the ESV acknowledges.  If it were a genetive pronoun, it would be "inclusive" and she would have been noted as one of the apostles.  Does anyone else remember back to Latin class which has some similarities here?   Some translations simply say "known among the apostles" which the feminists use to bolster their claim. However, they ignore 2 Timothy 3:16 where we learn that ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God. They are not permitted to pick and choose, but that is what those false teachers who practice eisegesis do.  Of course, they dismiss the clear and unequivocal scriptures as being culturally bound and irrelevant today. I have yet to meet even one of those who say that who have really studied the culture of the times when Paul wrote.  Remember when Paul wrote more than once that an elder had to be the husband of one wife? I have heard it said that the scripture meant he could not be polygamous, obviously ignorant of the readily found FACT that the Roman empire stood for monogamy. The Romans allowed some cultural exceptions such as the one that the Jews actually practiced in Levirate marriage. A little research would also show that women were often in spiritual authority in the pagan religions in Corinth and Ephesus, likely even a majority in Ephesus, the hometown of Diana whom they worshipped.  Some say Jesus did not have female apostles among the twelve because of his being culturally bound! Jesus was not bound to anything - he was and is God Almighty. It is blasphemous to make modern feminists more sensitive than the son of God.  I have yet to meet even ONE who is not in spiritual deception - leadership is simply the gateway to all kinds of evil.

How about concepts from gnostic mysticism derived from Zohar from which Kabbalah and promoted by people such as Jonathan Cahn?  Gnostic heresies happened early in the church and we are to have no part in them.  Here is some basic information from Chabad.org which anyone familiar with Christ should be able to discern is 180° opposite from scripture.  His claims on Shemitah and America as a new Israel fly in the face of the fact that GOD initiates covenants with us - we do not initiate them with Him!  In fact that is the single biggest distinctive between Christianity and other religions.

It is important to realize that the Kabbalah is more about losing ourselves than about finding, becoming more other-centered and less ego-centered. The literal translation of the word Kabbalah is 'that which is received.' To receive we must be receptive. We must open ourselves, creating a vessel in which to absorb that which we wish to understand or grasp, and in turn become part of Kabbalah. To open the self to a higher reality, to view the spirit within the matter, to raise our consciousness to the point where our perception of reality is completely changed, and the divine within all creation is revealed.

Generally speaking, Kabbalah is divided into three categories: the theoretical, which concerns itself primarily with the inner dimensions of reality; the spiritual worlds, souls, angels, and the like, and the meditative, where the goal is to train the person who is studying to reach higher elevated meditative states of consciousness and, perhaps, even a state of prophecy through employing the Divine names, letter permutations, and so forth. The third type of Kabbalah is magical, which concerns itself with altering and influencing the course of nature. It also uses Divine names, incantations, amulets, magical seals, and various other mystical exercises.

Cahn also joins a legion of others with prophesies which turned out to be false. The true test of a prophet is that what he says comes to pass. We must reject all who prophesy falsely in the name of the Lord.  Also my friends, we must never follow ANY deviation from God's word. Do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, Satan goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Do not offer yourself up to be his dinner!

Saturday, October 1, 2022

WE MUST FINISH STRONG

The Children of Israel loved to complain. No matter what God did for them over DECADES. It was not only the miracle of crossing the Red Sea on dry land. 
Their shoes and their clothes did not wear out. 
God rained down bread from heaven. 
He had many quail descend on them inviting themselves to be killed for dinner. 
He covered them with a cloud to protect them from the heat. 
He gave them a pillar of fire by night. 
Still they complained.

Aaron sinned of course with the golden calf.
He was well aware of his shortcomings but was faithful for DECADES.
Moses was faithful to the word of the Lord for DECADES.
The people tried them constantly.
They complained about water.
They complained that Moses was an autocrat.
They complained about having to move around.
Yet Moses and Aaron were remarkably resilient even though their authority was constantly questioned.

With Canaan close by, with the prior faithless generation dead and gone, there were still complaints.
Moses and Aaron were at their wits end.
Water was sorely needed,
God heard their cries and told Moses to SPEAK to the rock and water would come out.
In the past, Moses was to strike the rock and he did so.
This time is was supposed to SPEAK to the rock.
Instead he with Aaron's full approval, struck the rock TWICE, and water came out.
He told the people that he and Aaron had to get the water out of the rock for them.
They had nothing to do with it - God brought forth the water.
Men are not able to do that.
Yet they took credit.

BOTH Moses and Aaron, despite steadfast and LONG ministries were BARRED from entering the Promised Land. BOTH died in the Wilderness. God was in fact saying, "What have you done for me lately?"  In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul said, "But I keep my body and bring it under subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a CASTAWAY.  The Greek word translated CASTAWAY is used EIGHT TIMES in the New Testament, and synonyms include REPROBATE  and REJECTED.  Check out Titus 1:16, 1 Timothy 3:8, Ephesians 5:1-21 and Galations 5:16-25.

Many are proud of how they have stood against rebellion and evil all their lives. Yet pride comes before destruction!  Moses and Aaron, for all the good they did, died in the wilderness and could not enter Canaan. Many pastors and other Christians today are compromising right and left. They are conforming to this world rather than being TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of their minds,  This is a life-long process, not a one-time deal.  Like the Eagle, we need to be constantly renewed.  Brothers and Sisters, we have to abide in Christ, and we can NEVER out our stamp of approval that which contradicts the Bible, that which contradicts the character of God, and that which proceeds from our own wills rather than the will of God.

It is great to start strong, but do not be proud -be humble and submit to God so you can FINISH STRONG.  Learn what God has for you to learn, and know that he expects you to remain faithful to him and to walk circumspectly in the free salvation once delivered to the saints.  As James says, we demonstrate our faith by our works.  What we do must be consistent with our profession. The Holy Spirit will be your guide!  Do not grieve him, ignore him, or explain away his very clear written instruction to us in the Holy Scriptures!

FEARING GOD

SO MANY CHRISTIANS do not think the fear of God is a fashionable thing to talk about. They ignore it if not outright despising it.  WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS?

Wholesale deception is one by preaching in opposition to the clear, unadulterated Word of God. They layer their own agenda on the scriptures - feminism, social justice, gender fluidity, partisan politics, personal ambitions - you name it.  In the process they totally ignore CRYSTAL CLEAR scripture and twist others beyond recognition.  It is an abomination before God and is getting so common it is truly scary.

I have been reading Francine Rivers on the life of Aaron.  God wanted to wipe out the Israelites numerous times.  Sometimes it was 250, as the ground opened up to swallow Korah, his family, and his followers. Shortly after it was 14,700 who died of the plague. Why God is allowing all these rebels to live in 2022 is beyond me, but it must simply be his amazing mercy.

We need to be Bereans.  We need to check out even Pastors and teachers we love and admire.  Paul praised them for checking HIM out.  I tell my radio listeners to check ME out!  This is very serious business and we cannot show partiality by letting people we may like and admire slide when they butcher the Bible. We cannot support with our presence or our finances ANY who lead people astray with false teaching.  If God allows, we can try to reason with them, but generally that will not work - they have gotten to that point through ignoring God multiple times that they are set in their errors.  However, if someone simply slips, those who are spiritual should go to them in meekness, considering themselves, lest they also be tempted.

Submit to God, fear him, honor him, and by all means remember that those who teach are worthy of double honor but are also judged more strictly.  If you teach, make sure you have the Lord censor out anything and everything that is not in strict accordance with his Holy Word. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Fear him and you will be wise indeed!

Friday, July 29, 2022

POLITICS - YES OR NO?

Christianity Today likes to talk about the perils of politics in the pulpit. Frankly, I get nervous when the left or the right is overly political from the pulpit.  The funny thing, in black churches, there has been active campaigning and partisan political activity forever, and I do not see Christian publications alarmed about it.  Since most of it is for leftists with anti-God policies, it would seem if there is to be an objection, it would be campaigning for people who oppose the faith you profess to believe rather than those who advance ideas more consistent with our faith whether they be Christians or not. However, in a worship service in church, I find it distasteful for any overly political commentary to be presented, even when I agree with it.  I do advocate people being informed, however, and sharing with their friends, as not everyone is tuned in to what is happening.

The argument for being political in the pulpit, of course, is that a significant number of Christians are woefully ignorant of the issues and what is actually going on that will impact their church and their lives as Christians.  There is a brutal and unrelenting war against Christians today in the United States and elsewhere seeking to remove all conscience, all rights, and to force them to hire people whose only goal is to destroy their message.  Of course, the perpetrators of this never allow this in their own organizations. Name an LGBTQP... group that would hire a Biblical Christian for ANY position in their organization whose goal would be to subvert their message and neutralize it. I thought so.

Nonetheless, it is telling that while Jesus made some politically charged comments from time to time, and he lived in a day where it could have taken 100% of his time given the evils of the day, that was not at all his focus, and he would not have been crucified for anything he said by the Romans.  He was crucified ONLY because the Jewish religious leaders totally rejected him as the only begotten Son of God. Jesus' ventures in politics were primarily calling out the corrupt religious system with only scattered comments on secular leaders.

Time spent talking partisan politics to the church takes away from Bible teaching which is sorely needed for a largely Biblically illiterate church. In actuality, if one preaches the Bible in power, most people will come to the correct political conclusions on their own. Those who preach a compromised gospel usually produce people on the wrong side of God in their political views as well. I met a pastor whose church was in pre-foreclosure. He was a black pastor of an inter-ethnic church who strove to avoid partisan politics and simply preach the Bible. Those on the left interpreted his MORAL teachings as being against them, which while not intended had that affect since the left rejects the Bible and all morality stemming from it. They blew up the church with tried and true divide and conquer tactics and a Bible-teaching church in a mixed community in the Philadelphia suburbs with a very nice setting and building had to be sold.

My personal approach is to steer clear of overt politics when I preach from the pulpit, though by preaching the Bible, some of what I say will naturally have consequences with those who reject God's standards and God's ways. I teach the Bible verse-by-verse on the radio and have for many years and let the chips fall where they may. 

That said, I also have a radio program with messages based upon current events, and those tend to emphasize differences with clear political overtones between the world system and the Kingdom of God.  I have written and been published many times in diverse media on politics for well over 55 years and have been a guest on talk radio and on TV on programs with strong political overtones.  I also have a long-running political blog separate from this one called Avoiding Political Deception. (There is link if you look in my profile). Occasionally I put the same post on both, but that is really quite rare. This blog is intended for people of varying beliefs though if those beliefs are in opposition to the scriptures, they may still take issue with what is said.

The main thing is that our citizenship is in heaven and this world is doomed and rapidly winding up for the tragic end. Some say just let it happen as it is inevitable. I say much tragedy in human history could have been avoided had Christians not been so laid back and not been either hopelessly naive or impotent.  The spiritual destruction of the country of Lebanon would be a prime example.  I believe we need to act and be proactive and aware of Satan's schemes.  We need to pray hard, pray aggressively, and work for the good of all.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

BONDAGE

 Bondage seems to be everywhere.  Universities are in bondage to absurd anti-science suicidal "woke" policies.  Most students have to self-censor to survive. There is no critical thinking and lies are routinely accepted as truth with no questions allows.  While claiming to fight racism, the woke folks firmly believe in black inferiority.  Rather than seeking to improve academic performance and close the substantial gap that shows up on every objective measurement, they are eliminating ALL objective measurements and going strictly with unreliable data and emotional campaigns.  Ironically standardized tests actually predict HIGHER outcomes than are achieved.  Their answer to to engage in hard racism, even calling for separate colleges in California, discriminating in the classrooms, and blaming everyone else.  They also rob all high-achieving blacks of the rewards for their hard work, giving everyone the impression that they did not deserve it, got special treatment, etc. They also engage in hard core racist pressures against the increasing number of blacks who identify as conservatives with a moral agenda.  What they endure is covered up by fake media which is so lopsided it is ridiculous. This is classic Marxist cultural warfare, of course, and feckless university and corporate administrators are in bondage to it.

People are in bondage to unbridled sexuality, with the result that kids have tried everything in their teens and now want t explore every perversion out there.

People are in bondage to pot, ignoring the fact that almost all ass shooters were pot smokers - 9t is a gateway drug that indeed affects the brain, but the potheads are in total bondage to it.

People are in bondage to fake science, fake history, and totally failed political ideas.  Fools who refuse to believe in God come up with their wild hypotheses and push it on impressionable people who are too scared to have their grades lowered to protest.   They believe slogans and revisionist history and never bother looking into the matters for themselves.

The Apostle Paul believed it was intelligent for people to question him and see if what he said was supported by the scriptures. Remember the Bereans?   So many Christians are in bondage to abusive churches and ideas. Man-made rules which are of no value against fleshly indulgence.  Some of the worst sexual abuse has happened in Christian and other religious groups with oppressively strict dress and behavioral codes.  Only CHRIST can free people from bondage.

Some churches require members to submit IRS 1040 forms to be accessed a "tithe".  Never mind that the Bible says Not to give under compulsion and that EACH MAN is to determine in his heart what to give. Of course they are clueless that the Old Testament taught THREE tithes, two annual ones and a third every three years for the poor - so 23.33!  So many ministries on TV are all about money and the damage done to unbelievers in undermining the integrity of Christians  is probably even worse than what naive Christians go through sending money to be wasted on riotous living rather than spreading the real gospel.

My friends, do not remain in any bondage - Christ came to set us free.  Be free indeed!