Waking and Watching

What are you watching? I’m watching the Church. It’s far more interesting and and I believe, more significant than what is happening in “the world”. One can’t even keep up with it all anymore. The flood of apostasy is overwhelming. Here’s a recent news item:

In response to public outcry over the Ground Zero Mosque and other mosque projects in the United States, the Jewish group the Anti-Defamation League has formed the Interfaith Coalition on Mosques. The panel’s self-described purpose is to support Muslim’s right to build mosques around the United States.

The group includes clergy from all faith traditions and one of group members is the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Executive Director Richard Land.

Land says the purpose for the ADL’s Coalition on Mosques is clear.

“To help support the First Amendment for all Americans—we have the right to the free exercise of our faith without the interference of the government. For over a hundred years, the Supreme Court has ruled that’s not just the federal government, it’s all government,” Land stated.

“We agree with that as Baptists. We believe that people have the freedom to worship and to express their faith and to have houses of worship in the places where they live,” Land added.

Article link here: http://www.centrepointnews.com/?p=8942

I’m trusting you see the point: Land, who is is the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, is on an Interfaith Panel. Interfaith panels exist so that people from different religions can dialogue (Diaprax) until they come to a unified group consensus on a matter. Compromise of Truth (denying Christ and His Word) is required to do this. Denying Biblical Truth for the “common good” in society is the planned end result of the Interfaith panels.

Another interesting situation is the fact that the SBC’s ERLC is a UN-NGO. According to UN Resolution 1996/31, the NGO must support the principles of the UN Charter. The NGO must support the activities, initiatives and programs of the UN. The UN is an antichrist organization with the goals of destroying the Christian faith and setting up a global interfaith religion. Read the Millennium Goals of the UN. UN-NGO’s must be in agreement with the UN agenda. Are you surprised to find Evangelical Church Denominations with UN-NGO status?

Land is also apparently a member of the CFR, as is Rick Warren. Land is a member of their Religious Advisory Committee. Here is an interesting talk Land gave at the CFR. Here is Land giving an open forum Q & A discussion at CFR on “U.S. Foreign Policy and the New Evangelical Agenda”. We cannot watch unless we are awake. Brothers and sisters, are you waking up yet?

Related article: Gospel-less Haiti Relief, which discusses the statements of Richard Stearns, President of the UN-NGO organization, “World Vision” . Stearns is also on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a government Interfaith discussion group.

Gospel-less Haiti Relief

While looking for news about the Haiti relief effort a few weeks back, I ended up on the World Vision site where I saw a link to the book, The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. Looking for information about this book, I found two interviews with statements that are very important for us to understand at this time, so that we may continue to be found faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this Sojourners interview, Stearns discusses his philosophy of ministry and his position on the president’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Read the Sojo interview here at this link.

In this PBS interview, Stearns discusses World Vision’s policy on religion, evangelism and proselytization, as well as his position on Obama’s Faith Based Task Force.

Watch the PBS interview here at this link.

Please continue reading for a collection of quotes from these interviews, and my analysis and exhortation to all the saints.

If I Went to Jail Would You be Ashamed of Me

I admit sometimes I lack patience with a certain group of people and rather than press the “ignore” button and keep walking, I do sometimes choose to take on the situation. Some would say this is a major fault of mine, even sin, and others would say this is the desire to Defend the Faith and Contend for Truth (which again, many would say is wrong to do because it causes division and is ‘unloving’). The particular group I’m referring to here is professing Christians who do not believe the Bible is sufficient, but must be mixed with Humanism and Psychology, who think that pleasing and blending with the world is more important than faithfulness & obedience to Christ, who play footsie with New Age Spirituality, and who dislike the authority of scripture, the exclusivity of the Gospel, and evangelism. I’m talking about the apostacy.

Of course the DMV was closed today.

I bumped into a man who is on staff at a Ne0-E megachurch. He was telling me that he is in seminary so I thought he might be preparing to be a pastor. But he is taking advanced Counseling and Psychology courses. I asked him if he did “Christian Counseling” which utilizes Psychology primarily, or “Biblical Counseling” which utilizes the scripture. He was telling me that now these two camps are now blended together. He kept dropping the word “Spirituality“–and I gave him the benefit of the doubt –at first, although that buzzword set off my alarm bells. Then he started sounding more like a New Ager. He said, “Things are different now” (referring to the many beliefs of the clients, and the new methodology); “if someone comes in saying they do crystals or moon rocks (or such), then we work with that.”

I asked him to affirm what I was hearing: that what he was telling me was that he must operate as a functional Universalist in his counseling sessions. He did not deny. I challenged him, asking why he cannot just operate as a Christian, and he said, “It would not work” (because they want to help people). Then I asked him if he was telling me that Pragmatism was more important than faithfulness to Christ? That did not go over well.

The old city jail bars, in use for 40 years, are now a museum display.

Since he was sounding very New Age, I asked him about sharing the Gospel with the clients and he told me he always leaves them (the unbelievers) with “the Golden Rule”- encouraging them to “do unto others”. When I said that is not the Gospel, he told me he would only talk about that “when the door is open”. He had an expression and tone that indicated, “That is not appropriate”. I asked him if Jesus’ words in Mark 16:15 and Mat. 28:18-20 were not the open door? . He got agitated and challenged me: “Well why don’t YOU go down to the DMV and preach! And when they throw you in jail, well, how about that!” (He made it sound like it would be the most contemptible and dreaded thing that could happen.) But raising my arms up in an attitude of victory,

I told him joyfully, “Wonderful! That would raise up more and more bold courageous evangelists who would be glad to go to jail for the Gospel!”

He shook his head, as if I did not get his point. He explained, “No! No! We would….” ( he indicated in word and facial expression that the rest of the Christians would be disgusted and look with disdain and embarrassment upon me.)

One of the new beefed up high security city jail cells.

If choosing Truth and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ lands me in jail someday, the Compromising Christians will be ashamed of me. But those who believe the Word and trust and follow Jesus regardless of the consequences, will not be ashamed. I trust that by the Spirit, God will have you either visit me in jail, or else he will move you out on the street, preaching and telling the Gospel, to your joy, and His glory.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.. 2Tim1:8

For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed..2Tim1:12

Listen! Sermon Jam: John Piper UNASHAMED!!

The Jesus You Can’t Ignore!

Proclaiming the real Jesus and the true gospel, defending and contending, discerning false gospels; if you desire to be faithful with “Grace and Truth”, you will be encouraged by this interview.

Audio: The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: An Interview with Phil Johnson and John MacArthur

Religion Out, Jesus In

Saturday I was in line at the department store, waiting to purchase some sale priced running shoes. I ended up having a conversation with the lady in front of me. In five minutes the talk turned to spiritual things as we began to talk about the gospel. Interestingly, she wanted to know if I was referring to ‘religion’. I clarified that I was not talking religion, but only about Jesus and the Good News. Then she said she was glad because she thought religion was bad and dangerous, but Jesus was good. “Religion out, Jesus in!”, she exclaimed.

I left glad that she understood the difference between religion and Jesus. With the developing interfaith global religion, which includes many Christian groups and movements, it is more important than ever to distinguish between the two, and remain faithful to Jesus.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them. Hosea 14:9.

Deceiving the Church

This issue is not going away; we will all eventually have to deal with it. One reason this is important is that deception in the church changes and eliminates the gospel.

There are many new gospel messages emerging; among them, the New Spirituality/One World gospel (we are god, we are all one), and the “Save the Earth” gospel (the planet is god/we must all unite/we can create Utopia on Earth). It is the popular thing in many churches now to be transformed (changed), to agree with these new ways of thinking and believing.

I agree with this statement that contending for truth and defending the faith will cost you something. There is a price to pay. Unity with, and acceptance by the world will not be yours. Unity with, and acceptance by people in the visible church who are emerging into the New Paradigms (ultimately joining the world), will not be yours. But you are not alone.

Here are excerpts from an article by Jan Markell:

Biblical truth will continue to be scorned by those who consider themselves to be intellectual (I Cor. 1:20), and it will likely be rejected by those who seek the praise of man over the praise of God (John 12:42,43). But the Spirit of God is always at work in the hearts of men, giving life to human spirits by the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19).

Will you contend for the faith today as we are asked to do in Jude 3? It will cost you something. You will lose loved ones. You will be tempted to cave in and keep quiet. You will feel very alone. I know these things because endless e-mails from the four corners of the earth come into our office stating this is the case.

Read the article here at Understanding the Times

Related post: Change Agents in Your Church?

Contend Earnestly

Well friends, I was going to talk with you today about our wonderful salvation in Jesus, but instead, I’m finding it necessary to take this time to remind you of the urgent need to defend truth and contend for the faith. I’ve been thinking about Tony Miano going to proclaim the glorious gospel to the folks waiting to hear Todd Bentley. If I was standing in line for something, and I heard the Law and the Gospel preached, I would be praising God. I love hearing it. Many people at the Todd Bentley event reacted in such anger and hostility, like the unbelievers on Haight St. who did not like hearing the gospel.

I have a dear brother who works in youth ministry. He has seen many youth groups, conferences and Christian youth mega-events. He says he has heard some groups teach a totally different thing, which is not our faith at all, but is carnal, worldly, about self and this world. It is not based on God’s Word. It is a different gospel. Someone came in to these youth groups (with new messages and methods) and changed what would be taught to the youth. The Bible was tossed out, (or twisted out of context and misapplied) and a new thing was introduced.

This reminds me of my college instructor who boldly declared that their goal was to destroy the Old Paradigm based on God’s Word,(they were talking about the Christian faith) and replace it with the The New Paradigm, which is of course, satan’s religion.

There are many believers who are being influenced by the messages of false prophets and teachers. They need to get back to the truth of God’s Word. There are also many others in the visible church who profess Christ but believe a different gospel, and even have a different Jesus; they are not actually in Christ. They need to hear the true gospel.

This situation is going to escalate and there will be increasing pressure on believers to just “get with the new program”. As New Paradigm Christianity synthesises with the New Spirituality and the world system, we must boldly and humbly declare the true gospel all the more.

This subject is not a distraction from preaching the gospel, it provides even more motivation to keep preaching the gospel.

Also, it is our Christian duty as bondservants of Christ to contend for the faith. The Word commands us to discern false prophets and false teaching. I believe truth is more important than keeping the peace and not making waves. The danger of strife is nothing compared to the importance of biblical truth. The Bible teaches that we are commanded to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

For false Christs (“anointed ones”) and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. Matt.24:24-25.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons…1Tim.4:1.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires..2Tim.4:3.

…exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. Titus 1:9.

…there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master….2Peter 2:1.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1John4:1.

But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful… But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2Tim.3:1 & 13.

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude3.

The Two Christianities

The two Christianities are completely different things, and the visible church is falling on one side of the line, or the other.

The true church, which I’ll call “Biblical Christianity”, is about the objective truth of God’s Word, Jesus, walking the narrow path, repentance, faith, humility, obedience, redemption, the gospel, and evangelism. It has the Holy Spirit. It often involves suffering.

The other church, which I’ll call “Fake Christianity”, is about subjective personal revelation that is not really from God, entertainment, feelings, experiences, popularity, prosperity, success, pride, fake spiritual manifestations, false signs and wonders, spirits and ‘angels’, fake dreams and visions, New Age beliefs and practices, bringing the glory of God down, bringing the Kingdom now etc. It “fakes” the Holy Spirit. It is often about money.

I’m mainly referring here to the Kingdom Now/N.A.R. movement but I also believe included in “Fake Christianity” would be the Emergent movement and in my opinion, the Church Growth movement as well. Eventually everything that denies the truth of God’s Word joins Cultural Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church, the New Agers (New Spirituality), the world religions and the Globalists/Humanists for the “one world religion”. In Rev. 13:11, the false prophet looks like a lamb (like a Christian) but speaks as a dragon (like satan).

Oddly, this group thinks that Biblical Christianity is the “establishment church”: the Pharisees which must be opposed. But in fact, it is this huge group which is forming, which will be the world’s accepted church, established by the world. These will be the ones who will persecute the true church, just like the Pharisees persecuted Jesus. In Matt. 24:10 I believe that the “many” are people in the visible church. Persecution of the true church will come from the “one world religion”.

Meanwhile, we watch the dividing between the “Two Christianities”.

Blog: Bentley Revival-goers are angry when they hear Tony Miano preaching the gospel- they don’t want to hear it.

Let’s Remember Our Message

There are many messages being proclaimed by churches and people professing to represent Jesus, but they are not the message of the gospel. There is the ‘health and wealth’ message, the ‘best life now’ message, the ‘Kingdom now’ message, the ‘listen to the angels’ message, the ‘Psychology’ message, the ‘be successful & get results’ message, and the ‘join with other religions to work for world peace’ message. The false gospel situation is only going to escalate within Popular Christianity, therefore let us commit to faithfully proclaim the true gospel message, and leave the results of that, up to God.

For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men…..1Cor.1:18-25.

Article: Let’s Remember Our Message, by Paul Lewis

Evangelicals and Everyone Together

In light of the recent “Evangelical Manifesto“, which was approved by Deepak Chopra, this humorous list by John Piper is a welcome diversion from all the insanity currently taking place in the Modern Evangelical church. Here’s a few I really like:

3. They believe that truth really matters.
6. They have backbone and are not prone to compromise principle.
7. They put obedience to Jesus above the approval of man.

Can you guess what #20 is?

Read: 20 Reasons Why I Don’t Take Potshots at Fundamentalists…..

Here are a couple interesting quotes from the Evangelical Manifesto:

“We call on all citizens of goodwill and believers of all faiths and none to join us in working for a civil public square and the restoration of a tough-minded civility that is in the interests of all. ”

“As the global public square emerges, we warn of two equal and opposite errors: coercive secularism and religious extremism. We also repudiate the two other positions. First, those who believe their way is the only way and the way for everyone, and are therefore prepared to coerce them. This position leads inevitably to conflict. ”

“…we are also troubled by the fact that the advance of globalization and the emergence of a global public square finds no matching vision of how we are to live freely, justly, and peacefully with our deepest differences on the global stage.”

“We urge adherents of other faiths around the world to understand that we respect your right to believe what you believe according to the dictates of conscience, and invite you to follow the golden rule and extend the same rights and respect to us and to the adherents of all other faiths, so that together we may make religious liberty practical and religious persecution rarer, so that in turn human diversity may complement rather than contradict human well-being. ”

“…we reach out to people of all other faiths with love, hope, and humility. With God’s help, we stand ready with you to face the challenges of our time and to work together for a greater human flourishing.”

What does all this sound like to you?

My analysis is in the comment section, and here is an article by Berit Kjos:

Article: An Evangelical Manifesto for an Interfaith World.