Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

It's over. 2017 is in the bag, it's a done deal, stick a fork in it. Not that 2017 was a bad year, and by looking at the economic numbers you'd think it was an outstanding year. I'm not going to get into a rehash of 2017, there are plenty of click-bait slide shows out there to show you the best/worst movies of 2017, the celebrity deaths of 2017, the sex scandals of 2017, the top news stories of 2017... ad nausium. 

What is weighing on my heart is something I haven't seen in a slide show yet - the Great Apostasy of 2017. Nothing sums it up better than a twitter "conversation" I had with a member of the "Christian" left. When challenged by this person to name Jesus top commandment I replied "Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind" I was informed that I was wrong, it's to love your neighbor. And that's where Satan is attacking the church, our sinful neighbor has replaced God as the object of worship, rather than spreading the gospel to them, we're trampling the gospel for them. To top it off, the church has been filled with false prophesy, false teaching, occultism, and piles and piles of mammon. And those in the wrong are those that point this out. It's thrilling to watch bible prophesy come alive in front of your eyes, it's also saddening

Necromancy? Tarot cards? Just another day at Bethel Cult Church

Bethel pastor Ben Fitzerald gets upset that his mother is accused of practicing a form of occultism, when in reality she is only practicing a form of occultism

Occultism is becoming a big problem in the church

Eight Christmas biblical "contradictions" resolved

Christmas in the Armed Forces

Naming Names

Ever have someone get on your case for calling out a false teacher? It's not hard to do, just find a false teacher and publicly announce why he or she is a false teacher. 

You can have all the biblical evidence needed to back up your claim, you can even throw in evidence of their financial and marital malfeasance, but still you're going to be accused of being "unchristian" and "hateful" for your desires to protect the flock that the wolves are ravaging. And what happens? the sheep being torn asunder accuse you of being unfair to the wolves whose teeth are dripping with their blood.  Don't believe me? Try discussing Steven Furtick. You'll find out very quickly why Naming Names is the #1 crime an Evangelical can commit.

WWUTT - Born in a Barn?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Thoughts on Christmas

Spurgeon on Christmas

December 8, 2015 by Ray Rhodes, Jr.

A few days before Christmas 1891, while recovering in Mentone, France, from poor health, Charles Spurgeon wrote a moving letter to the children of his orphanages. From the time Spurgeon moved to London in 1854, he was deeply concerned about the plight of the hundreds of orphans that lined the city’s streets. Between 1866 and 1876, he led his church to build two orphan’s homes.1

As long as Spurgeon’s health allowed him to remain in London during the cold winter months, he, along with Susannah, visited the orphans each Christmas Day. He led the children to remember generous benefactors who supplied funds for the orphanages, to be kind to their caretakers, and to give thanks to God for his provision. Affectionately, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a coin for each child.2

As what would be Spurgeon’s last Christmas Day drew near, he wanted the orphans to know that he loved them. In his letter, Spurgeon wished them a “glorious,” “jolly,” and “merry” Christmas. When the children received his letter, they cheered. The children wrote back warmly telling him that they prayed for him every day “that God would make you well again, for what should we do without you?”3 Spurgeon’s care for his orphans each Christmas Day demonstrates his positive outlook on the holiday.

To assert that Spurgeon was a Scrooge, as some have suggested, is to misunderstand him. It is true that he opposed ecclesiastical enforcement of, and superstitious practices related to, Christmas.4 He also denounced excesses that were prevalent at Christmas, such as drunkenness and gluttony. However, he did not discourage Christians from celebrating the birth of Christ. Spurgeon valued Christmas Day and said, “I love it as a family institution.” He wished there were “20 Christmas Days.”5 He viewed Christmas as one of “England’s brightest days,” because laborers rested, families gathered, and joy was expressed.6

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

I've always been leery of big company Christmas parties. For one thing there's nothing Christian about them, instead Christ is replaced with myths and alcohol. Still, they did show that the higher-ups care about employee spirit. The reason why I'm leery is that the most awesome Christmas parties I've attended in the civilian world preceded company collapse. When I worked for Andalon.com our 2000 Christmas party was Spectacular! and in the week that followed the company announced it's bankruptcy and we were all out of jobs. Talk about a Y2K bummer! The same thing happened with another company I worked for: Adelphia.

I could say that it just applies to companies that start with an A, but the same thing happened at Time Warner Cable, which also no longer exists. Maybe it's just me? Possibly, my current company has either phased out Christmas parties, or (much more likely) they just didn't invite my team. (I knew there was a reason they moved us to that dank basement!)  All that party stuff is just a distraction to the real meaning of Christmas: We have been blessed with our promised Savior! His birth was just the beginning of His wonderful ministry on earth and should be celebrated with great joy, almost as much joy as the news of His resurrection. So on Sunday I will join with my congregation of Bereans, twice, and celebrate the Good News.

Looks like we have to build a second wall. Man, I used to like Canada

And just when you thought Canada couldn't slide any deeper into...

You say Potato I say Potahto dept: Is witchcraft synonymous with feminism?

Tom Wolf, Governor or Pennsylvania, has vetoed a bill Monday that would have made it illegal to chop live babies into pieces

Did God use a false teacher to heal you?

WWUTT Wednesday - The Myth of Social Justice

What is social justice? If you pay attention to popular culture you may get the idea that it has something to do with safe spaces, snowflakes, triggering, and the imaginary right to exist without being offended. At its roots its a movement against poverty, racism, and sexism. 

All of these are noble causes, and people who fight for these causes dub themselves as Social Justice Warriors, or SJW's. Now if we filter out the SJW rhetoric that's purely political jibes against the Trump administration and everything that's not considered a purely political liberal view point (of course this includes the rhetoric of the "Christian" left) we're left with what sounds like a hard task: make life better for the needy and oppressed. How as Christians do we best lift these people up? The answer is in the bible

The Weapons of God's Righteousness

In its time the Spartan army was the most terrifying thing to walk the earth, it was called "a wall of men instead of bricks". The reputation of the Spartan army lasted well beyond Sparta itself. Even today their ferocity and exploits are awe inspiring; read the book Gates Of Fire (please ignore the movie "The 300") and you will see why Sparta was held in such esteem, militarily anyhow.

The Greek military had developed a form of fighting called the Phalanx, it was a tight formation with the ranks so tight their shields protected the carrier and the man to his right. They carried spears so long that the second and third ranks could fight over the shoulders of the ranks before them. The warrior also carried a short sword as a secondary weapon. Many Greek armies also had light missile troops behind the phalanx launching javelins and arrows.

As with Spartan soldiers, warriors from all the Greek city-states were called "hoplites" because they carried their "hoplon" which is the Greek word for implements of war; panoply (armor including helmet, armored breast plate, greves), aspis (shield), doru (spear), xiphos (sword), toxon (bow), oistos (arrow), akóntio (javelin). and lets not forget food, water, etc. In the ancient world this was a lot to carry. In fact the majority of the hoplite's job was to carry his hoplon to the agó̱nas (battle).

All of which leads us to:

and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13)

When we look at the original Greek the word Paul used which has been translated to "instruments" the word he used is hoplon, or instruments of war. Paul could have used ergaleía which is tools, implements in a generic manner, but he didn't, and this isn't a mistake, he knew what he was writing. Yes, Paul was a Roman citizen, and he was a highly educated man and spoke Greek:

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek? (Acts 21:37)

Being from Tarsus, a city Hellenized for well over 300 years (and the death place of Alexander the Great), and let's not forget that Palestine was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC so Greek is not a foreign language in neither Tarsus or Judea. It's clear that Paul knew his way around the Hellenistic language. 

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

The bishop of Rome is unhappy with President Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to the capitol of Israel. Personally I say "So what?" It's not like I'm getting tired of the reports of Mr. Pope's exploits, many are quite amusing, it's that his arguments are misplaced. The capital of Israel is Jerusalem, and it has been since for 40 years. Does Mr. Pope demand that the capital of the Untied States continue to be Philadelphia because we moved it to Washington DC without his permission? 

In fact the United States has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State for 95 years. In 1917 the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, a public statement announcing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. On October 6 of that year US President Woodrow Wilson agreed and consented to the declaration. On June 30, 1922, a joint resolution of both Houses of Congress of the United States unanimously endorsed the "Mandate for Palestine," confirming the irrevocable right of Jews to settle and govern Palestine. In recognizing that Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is the capital of Israel, President Trump took a page out of Harry Truman's book. Mr. Pope, don't you have something more important to meddle in? Like Net Neutrality?

No shock here: American evangelicals support Israel, but millennials don't understand Israel's place in the biblical narrative.  

Dr. Robert Charles (RC) Sproul graduates leaving us his words as a legacy

False Teacher of the Year 2017

Once again it's that magical time of the year when the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock (extra points to whom ever can identify that quote WITHOUT using Google). I love this time of year, when I look to the west and see the mountains pointing upward toward God.

I love this time of year, the air is crisp, the harvest is over, the silos and store houses are filled to splitting and the bible study classes are in full swing. For me the study is Romans this year, and a valuable class it is! Paul was one of the greatest sheepdogs Jesus left to protect us. Even now, two millenia since his passing from this old rock, his words still echo down through the ages, warning us about false teachers and their bloodthirsty wiles. We need to stay on our guards Brothers and Sisters, because these wolves are attacking, dragging off members of our flock, the venom of their bite (wolf venom?) leaving them to think this was their own idea. I've seen some very venomous wolves, their attacks aren't marked with snarling and baring of teeth, it's marked by soft soothing words, a smile, and a bible verse twisted like a pipe cleaner in the hands of a two year old.

So onward with the presentation of the ignominious Golden Goat award; John Shore grabbed the Golden Goat in 2013, followed by Steven McSwain in 2014, Mark Sandlin in 2015, and last year God's own NFL bookie, Rick Joyner. I still want to nominate Gretta Vosper for this prize but in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 5:12, he tells us that God instructs us not to judge those outside the church. Gretta is still a devout atheist and far outside of the church even though she is still seated in the West Hill United Church, Scarborough, Ont. The United Church of Canada is still unable to come up with the courage to remove this wolf from the remainder of their flock, If the rules of the Golden Goat nominating process didn't stipulate that the Golden Goat was awarded for individual merit the UC of C would be a shoe-in for their lack of guts and failure to protect their flock from the ravages of an outsider.

There were so many to chose from - Perry Noble has shown a remarked determination to lead his flock to hell, it was hard to turn our backs on him as he did to sound biblical teaching. Then there's the man that had a whole new word created just for his brand of teaching: Steven Furtick (and the word is 'narcigesis' of course) And speaking of narcigesis, Beth Moore comes to mind too, as does Paula White and the Phoenix of Falsehood Mark Driscoll.

Random Bits

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted regularly. It's been a very long time since I've been able to sit down and type, and read, and not necessarily in that order. So I need to start with a prayer request - my stepson recently had a catastrophic snowboarding accident, his leg was shattered. It took seven screws and a metal brace that looks like a shin guard to bolt his ankle back together. Then acute compartment syndrome set it, an incredibly painful condition that can lead to  muscle loss, amputation, infection, nerve damage, and kidney failure. He didn't lose his leg but he was close. Prayers are needed that he recovers physically, financially, and mostly spiritually. 

So that's where I've been hiding lately, taking care of children, grandchildren, and fulfilling my bosses needs. I may end up calling 2017 the Year Of The Management. I've been through 5 different managers and 2 different directors. And they also fixed my back! It wasn't my back, it was my hip, and it was a nurse that listened to me and diagnosed the problem correctly. Nurses rock. 

My next post will be the False Teacher of the Year, these past weeks have been very hectic so it's been a long hard effort. There's so many out there to choose from, and no, it won't be The Orville, that's just atheist propaganda

Perry Noble fail. Pray for those undiscerning bugs who stumble into his web of false teaching

Irish Catholic Priest tells Christians to get rid of "Christmas" At first it sounds shocking... then it starts to make sense

Critics complain that the Museum of the Bible represents the Judeo-Christian perspective but leaves out other religions... ummm yea, I also noticed that the Holocaust museum doesn't mention much about advances in aerospace technology.

The Red Cross is removing the cross?

Resistance is Futile

The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is a public law of the United States. It was passed by the 104th Congress on October 23, 1995  it passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 374 to 37 and in the Senate it passed with a vote of 93 to 5. 

It was passed for the purposes of initiating and funding the relocation of the Embassy of the United States in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, no later than May 31, 1999. However the president at the time, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton III, took time out from doing what his party does best, and demanded an 'out' in the bill so he didn't have to attempt any actual diplomacy and could allow the farce that was/still is the Middle East "Peace" talks to meander on with no actual end in sight other than the destruction of Israel. 

Fast forward 22 years: President Donald Trump, who succeeded the most anti-Semitic president that the United States has ever produced, enacted the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. The press went crazy, I believe because it wasn't their decision to move the embassy. Anyhow, one of my favorite authors, Andrew Klavan, summed it up quite nicely: 

Words Of Wisdom

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.

The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity.

Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ?

And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

George Washington - September 19, 1796
Farewell Address

Spurgeon Thursday - A Day of Giving Thanks

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very
satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not
 content with what you have, you would
not be satisfied if it were doubled." 

Note: There is no official holiday of Thanksgiving in the United Kingdom. On October 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln announces that the nation will celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863. Spurgeon gave this sermon on September 27, 1863. Coincidence? I think not...

POSSIBLY objections might have been raised to a day of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest if it had been ordered or suggested by Government. Certain brethren are so exceedingly tender in their consciences upon the point of connection between Church and State, that they would have thought it almost a reason for not being thankful at all if the Government had recommended them to celebrate a day of public thanksgiving. 

Although I have no love to the unscriptural union of Church and State, I should on this occasion have hailed an official request for a national recognition of the special goodness of God. However, none of us can feel any objection arising in our minds if it be now agreed that to-day we will praise our ever-bounteous Lord, and as an assembly record our gratitude to the God of the harvest. We are probably the largest assembly of Christian people in the world, and it is well that we should set the example to the smaller Churches. Doubtless many other believers will follow in our track, and so a public thanksgiving will become general throughout the country. I hope to see every congregation in the land raising a special offering unto the Lord, to be devoted either to his Church, to the poor, to missions, or some other holy end.

The whole subject seems to give us one or two suggestions as to matters of duty. “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.” One suggestion is this: some of you in this house are strangers to God, you have been living as his enemies, and you will probably die so. But what a blessing it would be if a part of the crown of this year should be your conversion! “The harvest is past and the summer is ended, and ye are not saved.” 

But oh, what a joy, if this very day you should turn unto God and live! Remember, the way of salvation was freely proclaimed last Sabbath morning, it runs in this style - “This is the commandment, that ye believe on Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” Soul, if this day thou trustest in Christ, it shall be thy spiritual birthday, it shall be unto thee the beginning of days; emancipated from thy chains, delivered from the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, thou shalt be the Lord’s free man. What sayest thou? O that the Spirit of God would bring thee this day to turn unto him with full purpose of heart. 

Rekindling the Gratitude

from John MacArthur

The Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time to heighten your sensitivity to the blessings bestowed by God. Thanksgiving grabs your attention, shakes the cobwebs loose, and reminds you of all God's most precious gifts. That's one reason Thanksgiving has always held such a special place in my heart. It rekindles in me the kind of God-centered gratitude that our Lord demands and deserves—the kind that should readily be on our lips year round.

To help stimulate that kind of deeper gratitude, my family has adopted a Thanksgiving tradition we've found extremely helpful. Each year after our Thanksgiving meal we gather in our living room and simply recite the blessings of God that have touched our lives. One by one we circle the room, each one of us expressing our gratitude to God for His many physical and spiritual blessings.

Allow me to share with you just five blessings that deeply touch me every year and prompt me to thank God. Perhaps it'll catch and you'll be able to rekindle your gratitude!

You're Saved and You Know It

No work of God's is more beyond my comprehension yet closer to my heart and more worthy of gratitude than salvation. Before coming to know Christ, each of us lived in a self-imposed prison. Guilty, condemned, spiritually blind, and with no means to pay our debt, our destiny was one of eternal separation from God.

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

I apologize for falling behind this week but it's been a very busy month so far, but first I need to open with a prayer of praise: Dear Father in Heaven, your power and Majesty are beyond comprehension, and when you reach down to me, a wretched sinner, and intervene in my life, I truly realize your love. Thank you for relieving me of this pain, I had forgotten how great it is to stand without stabbing agony. Thank you so much for leading me to the overly bubbly nurse who was the instrument of Your healing. Your love and mercy awe me, thank you, I love you.

Wow, just wow. A while ago I mentioned my back pain and it seemed like every medical procedure I endured just made it worse. My surgeon (Dr. Chainsaw) gave up, my pain specialist (Dr. Opiod) tried and only inflicted more pain. Then Dr. O's assistant, Nurse Caffinated, made an astute observation on how I was sitting, asked a few questions, put me on the table, and inflicted incredible pain by moving my leg around. Her pronouncement was "Your back isn't the main problem, it's your left hip." One cortisone shot later and I'm feeling better than I have in what seemed to be ages. I could write about what constant pain does to ones outlook but I will spare you that, I felt it's best to open up with a warm fuzzy because it's been a very strange week and random bits of good news outside of the Bible are few and far between.

Not Fit For The Pulpit Dept Update #1: Disgraced, defrocked, millionaire, former mega-church preacher Perry Noble is NOT a liar, he hires someone to be a liar for him

Not Fit For The Pulpit Dept Update #2: A Lesbian Bishop teaches that Jesus is a bigot filled with prejudices. Her message (which has been deleted from Facebook because it was so embarrassing) shows a complete ignorance about Jesus' mandate from God Himself to preach to the Jews  (Matthew 15:24). And she said these things while talking about it! Her topic was Matthew 15:21-28. It appears that it is the Homosexual FauxBishop that is a bigot filled with prejudices and incompetence.

Not Fit For The Pulpit Dept Update #3 This particular woman does not have the Pulpit in the traditional sense but she is a writer and managing editor of a Christian website is standing on an electronic pulpit and must be held to the same standards you'd hold your pastor to if you're going to read her drivel works. This particular woman mocks VP Pence for following Billy Graham's example.  This is the kind of thing this woman writes and publishes for a living. Would you allow this from the pulpit in your church home?

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

"If there is one part of the Bible that has undergone more scrutiny and abuse than any other, it is the beginning—Genesis. The heated debate over origins has questioned the Creation and ultimately the Creator. So what exactly happened at "Creation," in the "Beginning"?" So begins the description of the newest Christian flavored movie GENESIS: Paradise Lost playing in select theaters on November 13.

Genesis: Paradise Lost promises to be a big screen study of the creation using 2D and 3D formats along with "stunning" visual effects. Commentary in the film is provided by  Dr. Charles Jackson, Dr. Georgia Purdom, Ray Comfort, Ken Ham, and is narrated by Dr. Voddie Baucham. Unfortunately this is sold out in my area. If you get a chance to see it, let me know what you think here in the comments

Discernment - Perry Noble doesn't like it. Nope, not one bit. This article is important, please read it. Think about all the pastors who fall into unrepentant sin and think what is going to happen when they discover that turning to a lawyer is much easier than repenting. Here is Amy Spreeman's report on Perry Noble's crisis manager Hunter Frederick

Trump Derangement Syndrome is veering off the deep end with battalions of witches casting "hexes" at the President of the United States.

Perry Noble news 

John MacArthur attacked! (unsuccessfully)

WWUTT Wednesday - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

On November 5th at 11:25 AM a madman walked up to a small church and opened fire on people outside and on the building itself. The terrified people inside breathed a sigh of relief when the shooting stopped, but that was just the opening salvo. The madman then entered the church building and the slaughter began in earnest. I won't recap what happened inside the Sutherland Springs TX First Baptist Church, but let me say that their congregation is about the same size as the congregation in my own tiny family of loving Bereans. The thought of the possibility of watching half of my church family being executed has hit me harder than I had imagined.

Or is it the thought that I, a physically broken weak worthless wretched sinner, may survive while many of the beautiful saints that I love so much die around me, be the thought that turns my stomach?

But this didn't happen in my little corner of Colorado, home of the Mentally Disturbed Mass Shooters, it happened in Texas, another land I wouldn't mind calling home. Our church hasn't had an official discussion on concealed carry for our "sheep dogs" but we probably will. I can't speak for the other veterans on the board, Pastor Semper Paratus and Deacon Semper Fi, but as for myself (Deacon Visum Altum?), I laid down my arms upon reentry into the civilian world. I even gave up hunting and (most) fireworks. The smell of burning cordite has lost its allure and the only venison on my table is supplied by my son-in-law. I will do anything it takes to protect my flock, anything but deadly force.

My #1 defensive weapon? Prayer. Yes, many liberals are having a field day making fun of us, our prayers, and our faith in God. I won't repost any of their remarks here, many are so foul and hate filled I was shocked at their heartlessness. But that's ok, we will pray for them. They mostly need to understand the core of Christian prayer:

Thy will be done...

We Are Of Good Courage

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. (Matthew 5:11)


43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  (Matthew 5:43-45)

You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. (Matthew 24:9)

 11 When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (Mark 13:11-13)

12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

My sister, the witch, claims that "The Veil" (cue spooky music) is thinner on Oct 31 and evil comes can come out from the other side. And while I have your attention the New Apostolic Reformation has their own perVersion of the New Testament of the Bible which came out on Halloween. I'm not saying "Something wicked this way comes"  but something really chilling happened this Halloween - The NAR decided to throw their own reformation on Reformation Day. 

I don't want to give any spoilers but this fanciful rendition of the word of God was imagined up by the same folks that prophesied the Carolina Panthers victory in SuperBowl 50 (Rick Joyner) and are determined to destroy what the Reformation put in place (Mike Bickel). As usual, the Spirit of Error website is on the job exposing NAR false prophesy, heresy and out right nonsense. In Part 1 of her report on the "Passion Bible" Holly Pivec tells us about the mysterious cabal unnamed team that helped NAR apostle Brian Simmons produce this work of... this work. In Part 2 of her report Holly reveals why the NAR chose October 31 to release their Newer New Testament. 

Besides re-writing the bible to reflect your own personal belief system, here's 5 more ways not to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

Has the Reformation Failed? Most Protestants can't even identify a central Reformation teaching.

The French high court ordered a religious symbol to be removed from a larger religious symbol so the statue of a Catholic saint doesn't look "too Christian"? Somebody please explain to me where the "smart" occurs in this

Religion of Peace Update #1 - Saudi Arabia teaches children that Christians are '\"unbelievers" and the day of resurrection will not come until Muslims have killed all the Jews

God tells a Friar Thomas Weinandy to rebuke Mr. Pope for heresy, like these guys did, and  Friar Tom gets fired for passing on the word. Notice that the discussion in this article goes on and on about Mr. Pope failing to uphold Roman Catholic dogma and never ever mentions his failure to uphold the Word of God

I can say with 20/20 hindsight this didn't help

Is twisting Scripture to support your pet economic theory a sin? The Christian Left doesn't seem to think so, but contrary to their high decibel exhortations, the bible does not teach socialism, and it shouldn't be weaponized by radical socialists

Jeff Durbin sells out Protestantism over Reformation Weekend - only one small thing with this article, I've heard Sean Hannity say numerous times he's left the Catholic Church in his past and has graduated to Christianity.

I have news for you, it's not just kids turning to witchcraft, I know plenty of "grown" adults who 

Church Holds Harry Potter-Themed Worship Services I prefer a God-themed worship service myself. 

A British court ruled that a college could expel a student for posting his position against same-sex marriage on Facebook by quoting the Bible. 

"The View" bleeps out the name of Jesus, and seriously, why is anyone watching?

Jennifer LeClaire continues her downward spiral into hysterical heresy. Now she's planning to replace the psychics at CNN with her own

Carl Lentz has no idea if slaughtering a baby is a sin or not. I wonder what (if) he thinks about something like this

Tired of getting highlighter bleed-through? Cant figure out which color to use? This will take the frustration out of worship! It's got to be a real product, I saw it on the internet

WWUTT Wednesday - What is Reformation Day?

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, his ninety-five theses, a list of arguments calling out the corrupt practices of the Roman Catholic church. This marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, an effort to reform the church and recover the gospel.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

From the Pulpit & Pen:

I am writing this for my church. I think it might be helpful for others, and so I will make it available here.

Clearly, certain questions are a matter of adiaphora, and no one should deny the reality that certain ethical questions fall into that category.

Adiaphora is a term developed by stoic philosophers and adopted by Christians to describe decisions that are neither inherently moral or immoral, right or wrong, or necessarily good or bad. As a category or framework to understand ethical conundrums the concept of adiaphora is often helpful.

However, not every ethical question can be answered by categorizing the matter adiaphora. There are also questions with answers that do not echo sentiments of Christian liberty, but can rather be clearly categorized as moral or immoral, right or wrong, righteousness or sin. Christians seem all-too-eager today to silence the collective conscience by putting every issue in the pigeon hole of adiaphora, shrugging their shoulders and mumbling something about floating your boat. In reality, even if something is adiaphora – meaning that it is neither explicitly forbidden or explicitly commanded – it doesn’t necessarily mean that there isn’t a wise or unwise, helpful or unhelpful, healthy or unhealthy decision to be made regarding that ethical decision. In short, even if something is adiaphora, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook of thinking out the costs and benefits, implications and consequences of ethical decisions.

Paul references this notion in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” Clearly for the Apostle, even those things that may not necessarily be wrong, may still be unwise, unhelpful or unedifying. It would be foolish of the Christian to embrace “all things are lawful” while neglecting his admonition, “but not all things are helpful.”

First, we need to ask if it is sinful for a Christian to celebrate Halloween. Then, we must ask – if it is not sinful – if it is wise, helpful or edifying to celebrate Halloween.

In order to answer the first question, I need to explain the holiday known as “Halloween.”

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

There is a shortage in China that is shaking their society to its foundations. I'm not speaking of the shortage of Christianity, the Holy Spirit is working with that, I'm talking about the shortage of women. One of the hallmarks of communism and socialism is the complete and total enslavement to stupid ideas. Another hallmark of these political diseases is to implement those stupid ideas regardless of the cost in human lives. 

Mao's "Great Leap Forward" killed 45 million people in four years, the slaughter was unimaginable. Unfortunately that was not the only, or last, stupid idea inflicted on the Chinese people. A shining gem of shortsightedness is China's "One Child Policy" where couples are restricted to having one child only. Forced abortions became the law of the land and parents would abort girls so their one child could be a son. This has lead to the very easily forseeable condition of a severe shortage of women in China. So one would think that an advanced civilization (as compared to a communist civilization) would  avoid this kind of nightmare, right? Unfortunately, the dishonest agenda driven Planned Planned Parenthood, a tax supported "female friendly" organization is specializing on killing baby girls in the womb

Then there's the ideas generated by Mr. Pope

Todd White is beyond awesome

It's been very clear that Willow Creek church and Bill Hybels has had very little regard for Scripture. Here's more proof

Do you need to believe in God to be moral? Atheists say "No."

Speaking of immoral, how much more proof do we need that AHA is a group of domestic terrorists?

Jim Bakker tells us that he knows the mind of God. He wouldn't lie, would he?

Spurgeon Thursday - Spurgeon Speaks His Mind

The Protestant Reformation is a term used to describe a series of events that happened in the 16th century in the Christian Church. Because of corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, Godly people saw a need to change the way it worked.

In the beginning of the 16th century, many events occurred that led to the protestant reformation. The split was over doctrine not corruption. Martin Luther began the Reformation by criticizing the sale of indulgences, insisting that the Pope had no authority over purgatory and that the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints had no foundation in the Bible. The Reformation incorporated doctrinal changes such as  a complete reliance on Scripture as a source of proper belief (sola scriptura) and the belief that faith in Jesus, and not good works, is the only way to obtain God's pardon for sin (sola fide).

The reformation was a schism, not a conquest, and the Roman Catholic Church preservered, yet many Christians called out to their Catholic brothers to come out of ideological slavery. Leading the call was Charles Spurgeon;

Roman Catholicism

If you and I had been about in our Lord's day, and could have had everything managed to our hand, we should have converted Caesar straight away by argument or by oratory; we should then have converted all his legions by every means within our reach; and, I warrant you, with Caesar and his legions at our back we would have Christianised the world in no time: would we not? Yes, but that is not God's way at all, nor the right and effectual way to set up a spiritual kingdom.

Bribes and threats are alike unlawful, eloquence and carnal reasoning are out of court, the power of divine love is the one weapon for this campaign. Long ago the prophet wrote, "Not by might, nor by power, but by Spirit, saith the Lord." The fact is that such conversions as could be brought about by physical force, or by mere mental energy, or by the prestige of rank and pomp, are not conversions at all. The kingdom of Christ is not a kingdom of this world, else would his servants fight; it rests on a spiritual basis, and is to be advanced by spiritual means.

WWUTT Wednesday - Papal Perfection Pettifoggery

As we come closer and closer to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation we have to keep in mind one of the main driving causes of the Reformation; the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, the Primate of Italy, the Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, the Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, the Servant of the Servants of God.

We know him as Mr. Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and a member of the self styled "unbroken succession" of Bishops (ignoring instances of popes being involuntarily deposed and instances of contention over the papacy by two or even three popes simultaneously, accompanied by multiple colleges of cardinals and bishoprics) seated in the "Chair of Peter" to rule over people who should instead be ruled over by God. The only history of Peter being in Rome was a letter written over 120 years after his death yet this church claims to be founded by Peter in Rome. How do we know that's true? Because Mr. Pope says it is.

Getting Closer To The Throne

At 7:12 PM EDT last night I officially became a sexagenarian which, if you don't know what the word means, isn't what it sounds like. And like anyone else reaching a milestone in their progress toward the Throne of Mercy I pondered and prayed a prayer of thanks for God's guidance in reaching that point. 

I don't have a problem with reaching 60 but King Solomon wasn’t all that enthusiastic about growing old. In fact he was really upset with his age. In Ecclesiastes 12 he says

1 

1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come And the years approach of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun is darkened and the light and the moon and the stars and the clouds return after the rain;

Then he goes on

6 Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the pulley is broken at the well, 7 And the dust returns to the earth as it once was,  and the life breath returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity!

He finally finishes up Ecclesiastes with the words For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Solomon was very disheartened. He obviously was looking back on his life and realized where he fell short far too late. He had it all and squandered it all away in his pursuit of power. His selfish ambition lead to the division and fall of Israel, and as he neared the end he realized the folly of his actions.

WWUTT Wednesday - Does God Cause Hurricanes?

You have to admit that there's been a whole lot of interesting things happening this year. I say 'interesting' instead of 'horrible' because I feel like I'm standing on the sidelines of a game or a stage play that I know how the ending will turn out, as all Christians should.

Houston, Barbuda, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, St. Martin, Naples, Jacksonville, these areas and more were battered by weather systems as hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria danced across the Atlantic and slammed in to the Caribbean and mainland United States.

Where do hurricanes come from? Humanists will want you to believe that every time you start your car you're contributing to the next category 5 hurricane, but then if humanists are so sure that CO2 emissions are the cause of hurricanes, why don't they demand more power plants be built based on reactors? Thorium reactors are very safe and they are not based on 1960's technology so the humanists don't have anything to worry about there, and unlike wind power, they don't slaughter bats and birds wholesale. The problem is that hurricanes don't come from your exhaust pipe, they come from God.

Resist We Much

My annual False Teacher Of The Year award is coming up soon and to be honest, there's plenty of candidates out there. The problem is that although a plethora of new false teachers are clamoring for recognition, there appears to be a wealth of old names putting themselves in the running for this prestigious award. We had thought that these graybeards had retired from the limelight and were quietly praying for redemption or making their livings saying things like "you want fries with that?"

It breaks my heart that people I know who are good Christians are falling to the spell of smooth talking "prosperity pimps", pulpit "Weinsteins", and teachers of the word of "If It Feels Good Do It". False teachers are nothing new, Paul warned us about them two millenia ago:

28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. (Acts 20:28-31)

And then there's Al Sharpton. "Reverend" Sharpton has always been on the periphery of bad news but there is one question about Al Sharpton that always bothers me: "Just what exactly is the "Reverend" Al Sharpton a revered for?" (I know that ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong, but sometimes you just have to do it)

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. was born in Brooklyn NY on October 3, 1954 and he claims to have delivered his first sermon at the age of four, his sermon was titled "Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled" a sermon he delivered before learning to read or write. By age ten Sharpton was "ordained" by Pentecostal minister Bishop F.D. Washington - a man with no training or education himself. After Bishop Washington's death in the late 1980s, Sharpton became a Baptist. He was re-baptized as a member of the Bethany Baptist Church in 1994 by the Reverend William Augustus Jones and became a Baptist minister. 

As for education, "Reverend" Al attended and graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, but dropped out of Brooklyn College in 1975 failing to complete two years. I dropped out of college around the same time so I can't fault him for that, I had dropped out to go on a 20 year world tour with the United States Air Force. "Reverend" Al dropped out to go on tour with James Brown, the Godfather of Parole Soul. While I did return to college to earn my degree Al never did. It is said that "Reverend" Al received an honorary degree from A.P. Clay Bible College, an educational institution that doesn't seem to exist on the internet.

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

Fair warning: If you're not a history buff just skip over this part. Today is a dark anniversary in Catholicism - 710 years ago today King Philip IV of France exercised the nuclear option to erase his debt with the Knights Templar: he killed them.

At daybreak on Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of Templar's in France were simultaneously arrested by agents of Philip the Fair, tortured into admitting heresy, then slaughtered. After seven years in prison the leaders of the Templars, Jacques de Molay told the French jury that he was tortured into lying so he was dragged out to a small island on the Seine, the Île aux Juifs where the French executed Jews, and very slowly roasted Jacques de Molay to death.

The main crime of the Knights Templar was the sin of being better with a dollar than the King of France and the pope which made them targets. The pope was better with a dollar than King Philip IV which made him a target too, Pope Boniface VIII was arrested by King Philip IV and was replaced by  French archbishop Bertrand de Goth who was elected pope as Clement V which sheds yet another unfavorable light on the claim of an "Unbroken chain of apostolic succession"

Speaking of the Knights Templar, England roasts them slowly to death again

Christians denied service by a gay business owner. Where's the outrage?

I don't do politics here, but this isn't politics, this is satanic crushing of the truth. If you disagree with that assessment, please start a conversation in the comments below ↓

Note to Tim Allen - you used to work for DISNEY, Disney does not like you if you're straight, conservative, or a man of faith

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

Christian men - have you ever had an issue where your wife or other women in your church start giving a false teacher or false teaching more credence than it deserves? I've actually seen it in action more times than I'd wish to recount. "We decided to use the Message at our woman's bible study because "it's current and fresh and understandable" or you see that the women of the church plan to attend a seminar featuring Paula White or Joyce Meyer.

Men don't fall under the spell of charismatic (and Charismatic) false teachers like women do. When a man realized that a person is a false teacher the man will walk away. Women don't do that, they will knowingly follow a false teacher for reasons that us men cannot begin to fathom. This is the reason why God made men the spiritual leaders of our families and our churches, and precisely why we men need to "Man Up" and protect our families and church families from the ravages of the wolves that are false teachers. This battle goes back to the Garden of Eden where Adam failed to act courageously and look where we are today, Read this fascinating study of the problem and be sure to read the comments too

Speaking of false teachers, here's Mark Driscoll, just in case you forgot

Speaking of false teachers, here's Paula White and her rockstar 3rd husband on the Jim Bakker show. It's like the Grand Slam of false teaching

How to tell if the gospel you are being taught is a false gospel

It's 25 more days until Reformation Day, Here's how some folks celebrate

And here's how other folks "celebrate" Reformation Day