Why should we preach the gospel?

As I sat in the solitude of my room on a quiet Sunday afternoon, my study for the day was to gather a small list of verses on the depravity of man. Bible open, notebook at hand, I proceed to Romans 3 for some obvious examples. . From Romans, I went to John, and several other books, gathering many verses that actually showed the status of an unredeemed man throughout the writings of the New Testament. As you can see the list is rather long...
Last night, I took all the verses I gathered and ordered them. as you see them below.
While I was praying on how to present this. The Lord laid it upon my heart to use it for an answer to the question I have been dealing with, as a follower of Reformed theology.

Q. "If all the elect are guaranteed salvation, why should we evangelize?"

The obvious answer is simple, Because we are commanded to. -Matthew 28:19-20
Yet this answer, true as it is, seems to me to be a "cop out answer" to a critical question...

We were not given the ability to discern who is elect and who is not. We are commanded to preach the Word to all nations. It is the Holy Spirit's job to call and save. It is God who will gather His elect... It is our responsibility to preach His Word.
Every verse listed below reveals the condition of an unsaved man before God..This is how God views those who are unredeemed.


I. From the Mouth of Jesus Christ

John 3:16 is probably the most quoted, and the most memorized verse in the Bible. Yet
surrounding this wonderful truth, Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus, revealed many
things concerning the status of the lost.

• 1. They can not see the kingdom of God- John 3:3
• 2. They can not enter the Kingdom of God-John 3:5
• 3. They are already condemned- John 3:18
• 4. They love darkness rather than light- John 3:19
• 5. Their deeds are evil- John 3:19
• 6. They hate the light- John 3:20
• 7. They won't come to the light- John 3:20
• 8. The Wrath of God Abides upon them- John 3:36
• 9. They can't come to Christ- John 6:44

Wow... Jesus had a lot to say about the unredeemed... but it doesn't end there. If that is not enough to show the need for proclaiming the gospel, Let us go to The works of the apostle Paul.

II. The Writings of Paul

Let's jump to the book of Romans. A book that is replete with verses that testify to the
status of the unredeemed:

• 10. They treasure up wrath upon themselves- Romans 2:5
• 11. They are not righteous- Romans 3:10
• 12. They do not understand- Romans 3:11
• 13. They do not seek after God- Romans 3:11
• 14. They have gone their own way- Romans3:12
• 15. They have become worthless- Romans 3:12
• 16. They do nothing good- Romans 3:13
• 17. They have no reverence for God- Romans 3:18
• 18. They fall short of God's Glory- Romans 3:23

Let us continue

• 19. They are ungodly Romans 5:6
• 20. They are enemies of God- Romans 5:10
• 21. They are servants of sin- Romans 6:17
• 22. They are at enmity with God- Romans 8:7
• 23. They can not please God- Romans 8:8
• 24. They are vessels of wrath , fit for destruction- Romans 9:22

Oh... there's more

• 25. They can not receive the things of the Spirit of God- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 26. The things of the Spirit of God are foolish to them- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 27. They cant know the things of the Spirit of God- 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 28. They walk according to the course of this world- Ephesians 2:2
• 29. They are dead in trespasses and sin- Ephesians 2:1
• 30. They walk according to the prince of the power of the air- Ephesians 2:2
• 31. They are children of disobedience- Ephesians 2:2
• 32. They are Children of Wrath - Ephesians 2:3
• 33. They are Dead in sins- Ephesians 2:5
• 34. They are without Christ- Ephesians 2:12
• 35. They aliens and strangers to the covenant-Ephesians 2:12
• 36. They have no hope- Ephesians 2:12
• 37. They are without God in the world- Ephesians 2:12
• 38. They are dead in sins- Colossians 2:13
• 39. God will take vengeance on them in flaming fire- II Thessalonians 2:8
• 40. They will be punished with everlasting destruction- II Thessalonians 2:9
• 41. They can't please God- Hebrews 11:6
• 42. The are children of the devil- I John 3:1o

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But every single thing on this list applies to your lost friends... or family members...Wife, child, brother, sister, mother or father...
You would do everything you could to help them if they were seriously ill... Why won't you help them seeing that they are spiritually dead? How much do you really love those who are lost?

People are in dire need of hearing God's Word...We must love them enough to tell them the truth. Even if, in doing so, we become their enemy. It is our commission to proclaim the Love of God to all people through the sacrifice of his Son.

Q. "If all the elect are guaranteed salvation, why should we evangelize?"

A. Because if you don't tell them, you don't love them... Period.

Total Depravity and the Bottom of the Food Pyramid

Have you ever look at the bottom of the Food Pyramid? The U.S.D.A has determined that in order for a person to have a well balanced diet, they must have 6 to 11 servings of the "The Cereal Group" It is to be the most significant part of our diet, as fiber is important to the proper running of our digestive/excretory system.....
Now, Surely this is good information to know, but after reading the title to this blog entry, you might be wondering, "What does this have to do with man's Spiritual Condition?

The Word "Perhaps"

First of all, Before we go on, I would like to make it clear that this is not meant to be taken dogmatically. It is just an interesting observation to spark conversation. That is why the word "Perhaps " will figure in to the writing as needed to show that I do not consider this to be doctrinal . It is just one of those things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"

Imago dei

Man Before the fall was created in the image of God. There has been much speculation and debate concerning exactly what is meant by "image and likeness." For the sake of avoiding a Long lesson on the theology of Imago Dei, Let us examine the most common of the teachings.

The Tri-Unity of Man- Genesis 1

Let us First establish the common belief among most of Christianity, that the Hebrew word "Elohim," A plural of the of the word "EL" meaning God, and all the plurals in the creation account, allow for the New Testament revelation of the Holy Trinity... In other words, God The Father, The Pre-incarnate Christ and The Holy Spirit were all present in the act of creation.
In this scene, perhaps we can look at the Imago Dei, as refering to the triune nature of man. (See Image to the left)
Just as God exists in three personages, so there are three aspects to the nature of man. This is dismissed by many theologians, in favor of a human dichotomy, that is, man as body and soul.
I personally happen to lean to the former, holding to the fact that God is not only triune in nature, but is consistently seen, throughout The Bible as dwelling with man in buildings of three rooms, each room being an aspect of the nature of man.
For instance, both the Temple and the tabernacle consisted of three areas, 1. The outer court, the place of sacrifice that represents the physical , or the body, 2. The Holy Place, the place of fellowship, that is represented by the soul, (as the soul is identified as being in connection with fellow man) and 3. The Holy Of Holies a place of personal intimate communication with God, that is represented as the Spirit.

" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."- Genesis 1:7

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."- 1 Thessalonians 5: 23

There is scriptural support for the trichotomy of man as you can see, also. This is the State of Man BEFORE the fall.

Adam and Animals

If you look at the creation account you will see that there is a fundamental difference between the way God formed man and Created the animals. that difference is seen in the above verse. (Genesis 1:7.) In that verse it is well known that God formed the body of man from the dust of the ground, and then .. He Breathed into it's nostrils... And lump of earth became a living soul. That piece of human shaped clay received something that no other part of creation was blessed with, the very Breath of God. When you consider all that sprung forth as a result of that divine act, it begs to question. What Did Man receive From God during that moment of creation?
Perhaps, The Breath of God had something to do with the formation of the Spirit of man...
Years later The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his scared disciples, huddled in a closed room, afraid of the Jews... and performed an act that not only parallels to this creation account, but also testifies of His Deity:

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you."
And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Then said Jesus to them again, "Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,"Receive ye the Holy Ghost."- John 20: 19-22

The Greek word translated "Breathe" is Emphusao and is used only once in the Septuagint, (Greek translation of the Old Testament).... and that is in Genesis 1 verse7
Man, apart from all other creatures received the Spirit of God. Of all of God's Creation, only Man was given the ability to have a intimate relationship with his Creator. Plants have a body, but they have no soul or spirit. Animals have a Body and they Have soul and they have a animating spirit, but they have no connection to God. no capacity to worship. Adam had a body, and a soul,
and a Spirit. and the very presence of God dwelt within him. A human building, with three rooms.
Now that we have "chased that rabbit," Lets get back to the point of the lesson

"Chowing Down in Eden"

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." -Genesis 1: 29-30

Now As God Came to the completion of the creative act, we can see he assigned the nutritional guidelines for Both man and animals. they had separate diets, yet they were both vegetarian.
Man was Given the herbs bearing seed and the fruit of the tree yielding seed... Fruit, and seed-bearing vegetables. He was free to eat anything he wanted of this, with one exception

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2: 16-17

As for the animals, they were given every green herb ... The Grass of the field and vegetables. Why was there a distinction in their diet? Was there a reason why the diets of man and beast differ? If there was, the difference did not last.

The Fall

Form Genesis 2: 16-17 we see that Adam was Given Every tree to eat in the Garden except one.
In Genesis 3: 1-2, we can see that Adam Conveyed the warning to Eve.

" We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." -Genesis 3: 2-3

The message was more than clear, Adam and Eve had Access to any tree in the garden, including the "Tree of Life," Yet they were to avoid the tree in the center... the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... Without going into a long lesson on the fall, The Serpent beguiled Eve into eating, Eve ate, She brought it to Adam, he ate.... And they Died

Diet of a Dead Man

The day Ye eat there of, ye shall die... What exactly did that death entail? First the death was Spiritual. As seen earlier, Adam, had the Spirit of God dwelling in him. yet that relationship ended with his disobedience. As Sin Entered into the Life of Adam, the Spirit, which was tabernacled in Adam (and Eve,) departed. Instead of Fellowship with God, Adam and his wife were reduced to hiding in the trees. They feared to meet God. (Genesis3:8) and were ashamed of themselves. They became "Spiritually dead, " and this curse that was passed down to every man that would ever exist.

" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" -Roman 5:12.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins"-Ephesians 2:1

Spiritual death entailed the departure of the Spirit of God from man. He had a body, a soul, and an animating spirit, but the capacity to fellowship was lost, as the Spirit of God no longer dwelling in him.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."- Isaiah59:1-2

When the Spirit of God Left man, he became separate from God, and in that separation, man had nothing distinguishing himself from the rest of creation. Guided by natural desires, instead of the will of God, Man in a sense became as the animals.

Perhaps this was reflected in the dietary revision that God gave to Adam as punishment
for his part in the the sin of disobedience.

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

As Adam's punishment God cursed the ground, and gave him, in addition to their diet of Fruit, the diet of the animals., the herbs of the field...Perhaps in the increasing toil of man's quest for food, God sent another clear message... Fallen man is no better than an animal. Should you doubt this, take a look at how far we have come to prove the point

Notice at the end of the above passage that God has also proclaimed physical death. The body that He formed from the earth, and blessed with life, will return to the earth, as it is cursed in death. This was accomplished when man was removed from Eden, and denied the Tree of Life.
(Genesis3:22-24)

Closing... FINALLY!

Since the Fall we have come a long way. Man and beast became carnivores, and God added (and relaxed) many dietary laws For his chosen people, Yet I will often think back as I choke down my bowel of oat meal and thank Adam for facilitating the addition of The cereal group to our diet... as now the least enjoyable of our food sources, (in my opinion) have now become the most beneficial to our health. Fin

The Universal Atonement Dilemma (As seen in a flow chart)

Sometimes a christian man gets to much time to think. It is Independence day, and I am , as with most holidays, spending it alone. Since my family has all grown and gone, I find myself in a situation that would depress many middle age men. Yet in my solitude, I can honestly say that I have my most enjoyable times, for it is at this time that I can lose myself in prayer, and contemplation on the things of God.
I can read, without distraction, play my recorders, without annoying, pray without interruption. and enjoy peaceful fellowship with my Father and the The Lord Jesus. It is my sincere hope that You who read this are having a Happy Fourth...
Now to the blog. (Double click the chart for a larger picture)
I have not always leaned to reformed theology. As an Independent Baptist, I was spooked with various pamphlets and articles on the Dangers of "Hyper Calvinism." At best I was a "2 point" Calvinist" With a slight lean to 3...Also as an Independent Baptist, I can't recall any clear and concise teachings on predestination.
One Day a dear Pentecostal brother of mine introduced me to R.C. Sproul. He Gave me a book as a gift, called, "The Holiness of God." From the First page of the book I was hooked. In the following months I purchased Several of his writings, and eventually came upon his book, "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith."
It was there that I hit a wall. I read the section of the book on predestination, and quickly realized that he was a "Calvinist." I continued to read his works, avoiding his views on predestination like the plague.
Yet something kept eating at me to investigate. So I set to do a topical study on predestination.
I bought Sproul's "Chosen By God, " and for a balanced view, "Chosen but free" by Norm Geisler.
Books and Bible in hand, with much prayer, I took to the study. By the time I was done, God's sovereignty won out over free will, and I jumped from a "2 to 3 point" Calvinist to a 4 pointer...
Still struggling with the Doctrine of Limited Atonement. There were so many scriptures that showed Christ dying for THE WORLD, and that ALL should come to repentance. I continued in what was to me a major struggle, that ended when was introduced to Pastor Jim McClarty.
To make what is already a long story short, Jim's teaching finally settled my dilemma. He not only was able to expound on all the "Questionable Scriptures", He used simple logic to draw the teaching of "Universal Atonement" to it's logical conclusion. Hence, after much notebook scribbling, software failing, and Microsoft Paint struggling, The above Flow chart. titled "The "Universal Atonement Dilemma." It started as a notebook doodle drawn while attending my little buddies t-ball game, and blossomed into this fine piece of artwork you see above..
And coming out on the heals of the "Emergent Flow Chart" posted in "Pyromaniacs"
this post seemed most timely... At least to me.

Dilemma-"A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution."

Could this more than describe the teaching of Universal Atonement? As You can see from the chart, there is no way to show that universal atonement, can be biblical. you are either forced to believe in universalism, or you must limit the atonement in a way that contrasts what is Clearly taught in God's Word.
In Closing, This meager artist rendering is not set in stone... If you can find a way to throw a wrench in the works, feel free to comment as always, but if you can't, a word study on the words "WORLD" and "All" might be of some help in answering this puzzle. If all else fails, there is a link in the sidebar to Grace Christian Assembly, the website where you can find the teachings if Pastor Jim McClarty. Humorous, Easy to understand, and Filled with Bible Scripture, his "Doctrines of Grace" sermon series is some of the best teaching on reformed theology I have seen to date...
In the near future , Lord Willing I will do a companion Flowchart on Limited Atonement...But for now, May the Lord Bless you... Happy 4th!

Examine Yourself...AGAIN!

A Few posts ago I. recommended a sermon by a true modern day prophet, Brother Paul Washer. There is a small widget in the sidebar of this blog where the sermon resides. Since I have added the widget, There has been this video which I found uploaded, on a fellow brothers YouTube site.
Mind you it is only audio. but none the less, the message is important. So until the posting of my next entry, please give this a prayerful listen.




I beseech you brethren and sisters, once again, If you Get nothing from this blog, PLEASE consider listening to this message, for many of you, your life might depend on it.

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him; for we shall see him even as He is. And every one that hath this hope set on him PURIFIETH HIMSELF, even as He is pure.-1 John3:2-3

SOLI DIO GLORIA!

Culturally relevant Jesus...

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 16:13-17

The question of the ages... Who is Jesus Christ? The Lord posed this same question to his disciples as they traveled together..."Who do men say that I am?" The answers were varied. Some thought that Jesus was the resurrection of John the baptist... this included Herod. Some thought he was the risen Elijah, or Jeremiah, or perhaps another prophet...
The question has carried on even to this day. Who is Jesus? Who do men say that The Son of man is today?
Mormons Believe he is the spirit brother of Lucifer, one of a myriad of gods. Jehovah's Witnesses believe he is Michael the Archangel, the first and Greatest creation of Jehovah. Muslims Believe he is one in the line of the prophets, but he is not divine. New Agers believe that he is a man who obtained the "Christ Consciousness" You could go on for volumes.... Everyone Has an opinion on Who Jesus Christ is.

In a post-modern culture, where "there is no absolute truth," The Lord Jesus Christ has become like a lump of clay, which each individual can Mold to fit his given convictions and life style. The Jesus Christ of the Bible is sacrificed on a humanist alter of cultural relevancy, and the results are quite pathetic. The Holy one of Israel is traded for a Jesus, so motivated by "LOVE" that he has no other attributes, an Effeminate Jesus who would never condemn, never anger, never hurt their fragile self image...
And the church, Being no better, has Replaced the Lamb of God with a cheap imitation. Reverence for Christ, God manifested in the flesh is replaced with Shallow relationships where Jesus is now a "Homeboy," or even worse yet, a "BOYFRIEND." Sitting in a cesspool of "seeker sensitivity" they have introduced every worldly element imaginable to promote a Christ that has nothing to do with scripture..below are a few goodies. How sad it is when our savior becomes a marketing gimmick to sell Jesus Junk to spiritually bankrupt "Christians." How Sad when Good Bible preaching and teaching is replaced with garbage speeches based on the latest Hollywood movie.. And biblical ignorance has had serious consequences when it comes to discerning truth for error. People will fall for anything with Jesus in it's pages, regardless whether it is biblical... regardless of the spiritual status of the author

"Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing."- Revelation 5:12

Now Please don't get me Wrong, I Do Believe that the Christian faith is a relationship, as opposed to a religion, but our relationship needs to be tempered with the proper understanding of who Jesus Christ actually is. You would not walk into the presence of a world leader, flop your arm around his shoulder and say-"Wassup Homeboy, " and if you tried, you would be quickly reprimanded... How much more so The Lord Jesus Christ, who is infinitely more worthy of worship and respect? Is He not the King of kings and the Lord of lords? (Revelation 17:14)
Isaiah, when he stood in the temple saw The pre-incarnate Christ, pronounced an Oracle of doom upon himself because of his filthy mouth. (Isaiah 6) When Paul was in the presence of the post- resurrected Christ, the was knocked from his horse and blinded. (Acts 26:13)
How can we delude ourselves into thinking we can stand in his presence, and call him anything less than Lord and Savior? It should be a very sobering thought that when the time comes, we will not only be standing before our Savior, we will be standing before GOD.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"- (Phillipians 2:10-11)

Jesus is LORD. He is GOD, He is our SAVIOR, and He should be worshiped in the Beauty of Holiness. He is not "Buddy Christ". He deserves better than to be reduced to a bobblehead,
or a irreverent t-shirt. He deserves praise out of a pure heart, not ungodly pop songs that have his name squeezed in to "sanctify" them. (See previous post) Christians, we need to consider our ways...and wake up. One day we will ALL give an account..

Peter responded to Jesus by proclaiming "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. "
And Jesus said that flesh and blood did not reveal it to him, but The Father in Heaven,

I fear that Christ today is revealed more from the FLESH than anything remotely spiritual...
We should be ashamed of ourselves and repent on our knees for the false teaching , worldly worship and our superficial attitude we have toward our Savior.

Reverence should NEVER be sacrificed for relevance.

Worship Music Battle of the Bands II

It's that time again folks! the second installment of the Worship Music Battle of the Bands! Last week we featured music from representatives of a Sovereign Grace ministry, and a Emergent Liberal heresy . This week it's "Pentecostal/Charismatic" v.s. "Seeker sensitive" worship leaders, as we enter in to round two of our contest.

Contestant one is "the founder of FIRE RAIN MINISTRIES, an established, covered ministry that is sent out by Apostle and Pastor Robert Summers and Mt. Creek Church in Dallas, Texas. He is also a dynamic prophetic minister that is being used to set the church as well as the lost free through his deep, heart gripping music, prophetic words, and passionate messages. a very talented musician, he was also a worship leader for the Lakeland revivals which included the ministry of the infamous Todd Bentley. Ladies and Gentlemen, Rick Pino and his Band!!!

If this is deep heart gripping music... one can only be more moved by his prophetic words and passionate message

"Give Him Glory, Give Him Glory, Give Him Glory!!!! Yeah... We love the LORDY!

Rick Pino is a talented musician, And he does have much better music than this. But let me ask you something, Does placing the name of Jesus in a song, (originally sang by a transvestite in the 80's group "Dead or Alive") actually sanctify the music? Does it give Glory to God, or does it appeal to the flesh?

Our second contestant solves this question of adding Jesus to worldly music. He
is the "Worship Leader" for the "Seeker Sensitive" NewSpring Church, and is famous for introducing controversial music to the worship service. Here is a Fine example of
the anointed music played at their Easter Church service. So without further delay, Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, to the Glory Of God...Lee McDerment
and the NewSpring Band!

Sigh....I have been banned from all You tube sites hosted by NewSpring Church, for
my rather passionate opinions concerning their choice in church music. but since this is My blogsite, I can feel free to comment as I wish... But in this case I would rather simply let The Holy Spirit of God speak in my place. Heed the word of the Lord!


"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."- (2 Corinthians 6: 14b-17)

What We Take Pleasure In...

I have had a project in my mind for some time, something I would consider fun, but also informative. and it is based on the 32nd verse of Romans Chapter one

"Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

This verse is the end of a narrative with closes with a list of things that are considered "worthy of death," I think we should grab a hold of this seriousness of that phrase, "worthy of death." The people that do these things will die in their sins. What is worse than that is, not only do they commit sin, they take pleasure in others that do the same. Christian, what do you take pleasure in?
Amen... and Oh my...for this is also a product of self examination, What do I take pleasure in, is it pleasing to God? Or is it "Worthy of death?

What we take time to enjoy should be a concern for every Christian. We are commanded to separate from worldly elements, (1 John 2:15-17), to abstain from the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5: 22) and to Touch not the unclean thing. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
but sadly, the church is steeped in worldly elements, even to the point of using Hollywood movies as a basis for sermons, and secular rock songs in worship services. Hollywood and the music industry have replaced the Holy Spirit in drawing people to Christ, and the results
are tragic.

So using a list of sins culled from the first chapter of Romans, I thought it would be informative to create a checklist, in the form of a spreadsheet, to critique various things that we enjoy, and see how they stands in the light of God's Word. And because it is such an easy target, I decided to start with television, and perhaps move on to music and movies. I am sure the results will be interesting to say the least.

WORSHIP MUSIC BATTLE OF THE BANDS!

My recently abandoned addiction to You Tube has left me with a few videos in my hard drive. As I began the process of elimination, to free up drive space for something more edifying, I had to chuckle at some of the downloads I accrued. Some were beautiful and powerful songs of worship, from such bands as Eden's Bridge, Iona, Lianne Klassen. Others were bona fide STINKERS, of which I have no idea why I downloaded. So, for fun, instead of deleting them to the recycle bin I Chose to post them for your viewing pleasure...As you Watch, Feel free to choose which one, if either give Glory to God, and The Lord Jesus Christ...Soooooooo...LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... TIME FOR THE WORSHIP MUSIC BATTLE OF THE BANDS!

Contestant number one is a pastor of a Sovereign Grace Church in Smyrna Tennessee. A Former musician for the Hard Rock Band "707," He is now a Gifted teacher, author and a superior musician, Who played ALL the instruments on this video! representing Grace Christian Assembly...Pastor Jim McClarty!!!!



Beautifully done! Reverent worship music that Gives Glory to our Sovereign God! I praise the Lord for Pastor Jim and His ministry!


Our next contestant is a prolific author and teacher of Liberal emergent doctrine. He VEHEMENTLY denies many of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian Faith, and is more concerned with social action than evangelizing. considered the "Godfather" of the Emergent Church Movement, he is also the founding Pastor of Ceder Ridge Community church, in Spencerville Maryland. From His Debut CD, "Songs For a Revolution of Hope, Here is Brian McLaren and Friends performing "Atheist!"

Ummm... o.k...whew... uh, well, Bob Dylan has nothing to worry about here. This piece has a strange "late 60's too much acid creepiness" about it. but then again, so does Brian's theology... I wonder what this would sound like backmasked...

So 'Ere ya have it, the first two contestants in the Worship Music Battle of the Bands.
Feel Free to leave your vote in the comment section, along with any flame you wish to light under my tail... Until next time, Good Bye and God Bless!

What's the Son of a Duck?

I am not a huge fan of television, particularly anything off of Comedy Central, but when was listening to a "Fighting for the Faith Broadcast" on Pirate Christian radio, They played a clip from the Colbert Report where Stephen Colbert was doing a spoof interview with Bart Ehrman, an Agnostic who has wrote a series of books that question the validity of the Bible. I thought the clip was interesting enough to share with those who might not yet have heard it...Here 'tis

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Keyboard Cat

I have read Colbert is a Devout Roman Catholic, and a Sunday school teacher, which would explain the Knowledge of The Apostles Creed. Be that as it may, as I pondered at this, I felt sadness in the fact that while many Christians would be amused at this, as I was, they would be more likely to embrace the garbage Spewed by Ehrman than raise any kind of Defense for the Word of God...

Long time-No blog,

Although the title is probably far from original, it seems to fit well with my current status
concerning this site. Been spending A lot of time posting on You Tube. in areas that generate a lot of smoke, and no fire... much of it is like going out and yelling at a tree... Meanwhile, in thinking I am doing God a favor while posting in that freak show, several issues have been Brought to my attention concerning my walk with God. As I sit here at the desk, morning cup of coffee slowly growing cold, I happened to run into something that caused me to examine my life before my Heavenly Father. Instead of Going into great detail, I posted a widget from Heartcry Ministries, which appears to the left of this text. If you get nothing else from this Blog site, I encourage you to listen to the sermon, "Examine yourself" by Paul Washer.
It gave me Much to think about, and as I truly examine myself, I am not liking what I see...