Amazing Grace Video Snippet.

Integration or Separation?

Lionel's articles regarding this issue as well. 1 & 2

These figures above may bring back horrid memories to some. To others like myself, probably not as offensive since I grew up after this era. These pictures above are referencing a term that was used offensively used throughout history over the past 200 years and made more popular within the last century. There are many stories on the history of this term one says that the origins of the word “Sambo” stem from an occurrence believed to be at the height of the British Empire. An unknown slave ship had docked in the then-popular Morecambe Bay area to buy various sundry items; once back at sea it was noticed that a black member of the ship’s staff had been left ashore. This man’s name was Sambo; shunned by the people of Morecambe, he was made to live out the remainder of his days on the outskirts of the villages at that time. To this day there is a monument known as ‘Sambo’s Grave” on the coast of the Lancashire village of Heysham. The term “Sambo” has its origin from the Spanish word “nzambu” which means monkey. The Royal Spanish Academy gives the origin from a Latin word which in modern Spanish means “bow-legged.”

About 1600 years prior to this event we see a great man name Apostle Peter. Apostle Peter was one of the 12 and some would claim the most influential of the Apostles. In Acts 10 we see Peter receives a special revelation from God and is placed in a trance. What he learns from this trance from God is that this Gospel that he had been commissioned to preach was not just for Jews but for all nations also created by God. In this we see God demolishing the ignorant presuppositions that were put in place by his Jewish culture. It was a unlawful(Acts 10:28) thing for a Jew to dine with a gentile regardless of the circumstance. In other words we can only imagine how doing this command from God made his flesh feel. We catch a glimpse of this when Peter says in verse 14, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Wait a minute!! Did Peter just openly disobey Our Lord? Thank God for His grace!! Peter was a bold man. He must have forgotten what happened in Acts 5 right?

Furthermore we see Peter being obedient for 1) To the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19and 2) To the command just received from God the Father. What happens? Peter preaches the unadulterated Gospel and I guess we can step into the Charismatic dialect and say he saw “A mighty move of God.” The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit and secondly they were baptized. Shortly after this wonderful act of God we see the Judaizers coming on the scene in Acts 11. Peter does not withhold his special revelation from God and informs them of the great news. It would appear based on the disappointment that the Judaizers had with Peter that possibly they had some type of relationship with Peter before or after Christ’ ascension but that could be a incorrect speculation.

Peter does not relent and dishes a double scoop of the Gospel to the Judaizers as well. From this passage in Acts it would certainly appear that the Judaizers were OK with this great news. They say, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Somewhere in this or thereafter Paul exposes some further insight in Galatians 2:11-21. I am unsure of the chronological order here but it would appear that this sin committed by Peter in Galatia was done after Acts 15-The Jerusalem Council. During this meeting among Paul and others, Paul states in verse 8, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us them. This is not Supersessionism or Replacement Theology rather it simply states that all of God’s elect throughout time have been saved the same way-By Faith.

It is horrible to think of how some of our ancestors were treated but just as they fought for us to be considered humans and to vote, they also fought so that we can be integrated and not separated. I used the Sambo figure above because many people say they are Christian’s but cannot let go(forgive) of the past. They hold Sambo and slavery issues as a grudge towards there brother or sister in Christ and allow it hinder their spiritual growth. In our day we don’t see the sovereignty of God in slavery as being similar to Joseph and him forgiving his brothers. We miss the purpose of God in the things he does throughout history. Joseph says, “Genesis 45:5 Do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 45:8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God, and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.At times in my dealing with blacks and whites I see the animosity they hold to in their dealings with their Christian brethren which is a direct opposition to scripture and definitely not Christ-like. Similar to how Peter was acting when after he recieved the revelation from God. How much more should we act in accordance with scripture since we have the completed Canon.

If God calls you to sit amongst people who don’t look like you-SO WHAT!! So the worship is different-Maybe you have opposition at home. You-my friend have been commissioned to follow the LAMB not your comfort. God causes us to do things at times that does not coincide with our feelings or our regular dealings. When God saved me I heard His voice and followed and will continue to follow wherever HE leads me. The Gospel is all that matters and all that will ever matter-without it we have absolutely nothing. As Lionel stated in an earlier post-”stop complaining about your situation(which is sin by the was Phil 2:14) and GOD may have called you to be that “Catalyst” for a while.

1) How much are you willing to compromise your Biblical convictions for the sake of being comfortable?

2) Did God only call you to save a certain race or to preach the Gospel to all nations?

3) Are there any benefits to learning how to mingle with other cultures and can that help you be a better witness for the Kingdom of God?

4) Would this help us become all things to all men that we might by all means save some?

Ponder these things if you consider yourself a Christian. We are to emulate the attributes of Christ in all we do. Search for a Biblical church and don’t be locked in on finding a particular race of people. The only people you should be concered about being in fellowship with are your brothers in sisters in Christ in which you share the same blood-that of Christ.

Brittany Williams

Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Some links for the story here here and here.

My cousin 21 years old was killed last week in a random shooting(in the head) in Omaha Nebraska. For those of you who don't know I used to live in Omaha and a large majority of my family still resides there. Brittany Williams and I went to church for years together although I did not talk to her much since I've been, older I was shocked at her death. Her Funeral is tomorrow January 29/2008. Please pray for my family during this time and pray that people who are lost would be saved and turn to their only hope-that is Christ and Christ alone!!

We see a lot of death nowadays and have pretty much as people become accustomed to it so much so that we don't feel sorrow about people dying until it hits close to home. I personally stopped watching the news when I was around 14 years old. It really sickened me and I just did not have a yearning to hear about the madness in this world. At a young age I always have had an interest in the things I did not know. Questions such as; where to people go when they die? Where did God come from? How should we view death? Is God Sovereign in death and suffering?

I would like to delve into a Biblical view of death and see what God says about it. Personally I view death as a beautiful thing regardless of how it happens. Let me clarify myself here. Death is only beautiful for the believer and for the non-believer it is the worst thing beyond our imagination. Let us look at 2 Corinthians 5:11 (Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ) Other translations say (Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord), I particularly like that phrasing a little better. This is somewhat hard to say when we look into Hebrews 11 and see people like Isaiah being sawn in two by a wooden saw-OUCH!!! But in the Psalms it says, Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints. I would love to get into the history of what the means in context but I believe that would take us into an entirely different direction.

I would encourage the reading of this entire passage-it is such a great hope. Paul begins to speak of how we know that our earthly bodies are only temporal but we are searching for a house in heaven not made by human hands. Paul is speaking about when Daniel also spoke of this long time before this. He says our bodies continue to groan until we are finally completely fulfilled in Christ at his Second Advent. Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. He also says in verse 9-So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. Do you make it your goal to please the Bishop and Overseer of your soul, Christ Jesus?

And here-15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

This is just a wonderful passage of scripture. I am so amazed of the treasures we find in scripture and the more I get to know Him the more I begin to delight in Him. How is your relationship with Christ? Stagnant? Non-existent? Do you take the grace of God for a license to sin? Do you act as if you think Death will never come to you? Assess your walk with Christ in light of His Word. I recall going to so many churches where the children and adults alike hear a sermon on sin and how their sin is disgusting to God but get in their car after church and bob there heads to the music in which people sing about the very things they just got through hearing about-SIN. Boastful Pride of life, Lust of flesh, and lust of the eyes. Or your tongue-does it reflect Christ? Is Christ in YOU? Do you have a changed heart as mentioned in verse 17? Do you have any evidence or fruit of your conversion?

These are good questions-do not think that you could not have been the victim? I can hear people saying, "oh yeah you're right" But are you going to let these questions resonate in your mind for more than a couple of hours? Probably not but I hope so!! Death has a 1 to 1 ratio and only one has escaped it and if you are not putting your hope and faith in Christ and forsaking your fake Christian life of filthy righteousness-my friend YOU will face the terror of the Lord!! This is pretty near and dear to my heart because I used to be one of those church goers who had the act down, but in reality I did not have a changed heart and a changed life. I believe this is something that really needs to be wrestled with by all who profess to know Christ. Don't get me wrong here, it is a sad thing anytime someone so young gets killed in that manner, but in comparison to the terror of the Lord-it is a small thing. Everyone will die one day and that is how it has always been since the fall of Adam and will always be until Christ returns for His church. Christ has not promised we will not have trials and quite honestly He says the exact opposite. We just have to keep a eternal perspective in absolutely everything.

God is totally sovereign in absolutely everything. This is hard to believe during times like these but it is Biblical Truth. GOD is surprised by nothing. My prayer is that when things happen like this that it will make people really examine themselves and not to just look at life from a temporal perspective but let us be heavenly minded in all things-Knowing the Terror of the Lord-we try to persuade men. In Christ Alone

Good Article worth Reading by Lionel.

So You Want a Diverse Church? Be a Catalyst Then!

Boy Do I love Paul Washer!!!

John Piper Sets Them Straight.

Got the Holy Ghost?

Wow I can recall when I used to attend a church like this. I would not recommend watching the entire video cause after about the first 3 minutes it only gets worse and just repetitious. When I attended I was never the one running the isles or catching those who did not have self-control, rather I was the one on the the keyboard and organ keeping it all going and being pushed on by the pastor to keep up the paste or give him more volume. It is a shame that these kid sinners are simply imitating what they have become accustom to view as the "CHURCH." It is my prayer that these little ones are saved but.....

Pray that people likes the ones in this video would start to think critically about the Faith and how are these actions in line with scripture. Is anyone being edified by this behavior and is this order in church or amongst believers. I would say no but would love to hear some thoughts on this-God Bless in Christ

Give Us a Shot?

Any thoughts on this?

Television

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Television I believe it to be the most influential piece of technology known to man thus far. I cannot go as far to say that television is inherently evil because I think that would be a stretch but we all can agree without a doubt that this small piece of technology is used for more bad than good. In my short life of 27 years I have seen television take a pretty wicked turn from "Bill Cosby" which would be considered a pretty moral family show to the likes of a show similar to "Girlfriends" or the adult cartoon "Family Guy."

This has become a more obvious reality for me for two main reasons. 1) I have become more accustom to God's Word and I am a lot more sensitive and aware of sin. 2) I have a 18 1/2 month old son and I am more cautious as to how I live my Christian life before him knowing that my example as a Christian man is more important than what I say to him. Personally I absolutely always keep the television off if he and I are at home with the exception of bedtime since I prefer to have some light on so I can see how he is doing but even then the volume is on mute. I know how influential this time is for his mind and young people are very impressionable.

This became really obvious to me more so now than ever. Why? I exercise quite a bit more now than i ever have for a long time and I also read more now in my life than I ever have in the past. So, to my understanding even when I do these things my son appears to not be paying attention-To my surprise this little man was one day on the floor and he started to do push ups just like he sees his daddy do all the time. Another occasion is when he is in the back seat of my car-he picks up some books in the back seat and starts to pretend to read them. I thought WOW!! For many of you that might be pretty obvious but for a young brother like me who has never really had a lot of experience with little children-this is brand spanking new and I learn daily. So in essence my Christian life is now under a microscope and this helps me further realize who my obedience is to-Christ. My son is a constant reminder that this little guy is watching me but more importantly Christ is watching me.

A great brother at my church told me last week as we met for a late snack that his daughter was watching a children's program on the children network and she saw someone practicing yoga. So his daughter unknowingly was in the room sitting Indian style saying with her fingers clinged together "hmmmmm" "hmmmmmm." Now my friend being very much like me had to nip this in the bud and inform his daughter that what she was doing was not Biblical and is dangerous. Now how much so is this the norm in our every day life. Simply watching a football or basketball game and "BOOM" a half naked woman walks across the screen in a commercial. Now we have seen how TV has changed just in the past 30 years and we can only imagine how it will continue to progressively continue to get worse. An example of this can be seen as we listen to the expletives that were not tolerated in the 1970's are now normal words on the basic non cable stations today.

Why do we see such a contrast in our day versus two centuries ago. I just recently started to read Puritan material (thanks to my church) and to me it was startling to see how these guys viewed sin and how much so it is tolerated today and has become common place. Sin has become a part of our very being so much so that when we watch the regular news on TV it no longer has an effect on us to the point where we seek out God in prayer for the depraved people of this world. We have become desensitized to the very thing that got Adam thrown out of Eden-SIN.

As referenced in the scripture above John focuses on the same 3 ways in which Christ was tempted by Satan and I believe every sin can be put in one of these three categories. These things are the very things that are glorified on TV and in the music of our day.

1) Lust of the flesh.
2) Lust of the eyes.
3) Pride of life.

I would like some feedback from you all on this.

1) Has TV had more of a positive or negative influence on you in your life?

2) Do you find yourself spending more time watching TV than reading your Bible or praying?

3) Do you think our society would be challenged to think more critically about everything rather than let television make their minds weak.

When the Adultress Went Home!

This is an excellent article written by John Piper's ministry-Enjoy.

“Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on, sin no more.”

These words were almost unbelievable. A half hour ago she had been dragged out of her illicit lover’s house and shoved through the streets. Just minutes before, she had been bracing herself for the stones of judgment to crush her. Now those stones lay on the ground and the execution squad was gone. And the young rabbi with compassionate eyes was telling her she was free to go, as if she was no longer guilty. It was hard to comprehend. Adultery. Not guilty. Free.

As she turned and began to walk toward home she felt clean—cleaner than she could ever remember. How could that be? She hadn’t done anything to deserve to be clean. There hadn’t even been a ritual sacrifice or water cleansing according to the law yet. That rabbi had simply declared her guilt-free, and it was so. No one ever spoke like this man. She heard God when he spoke.

But after a few minutes of walking it hit her: “I have to go home.” Fear shot through her. She wanted to bolt. The rabbi had forgiven her. But waiting at home was her betrayed husband. And her children. And her parents. And his parents. She had shamed the entire family. Her life was like a broken pot; shards all over the floor. Because of her sin. She almost longed to be buried by the stones.

But she still felt clean.

She pulled her head-covering around her face and took a detour, walking streets where she might not be recognized. She needed time to think. And pray.

That was strange. She hadn’t prayed a heartfelt prayer for years. She hadn’t really wanted anything to do with God. She had merely been going through religious motions while secretly pursuing her own happiness in forbidden places. She had just tried to lay low and escape the Judge’s attention.

But now it was all different. As she thought about God she felt that cleanness again, like she had when the rabbi spoke. She found herself wanting to run to God to hide rather than hide from him. Suddenly he was the one she wanted to talk to the most. This was new. God was no longer her angry Judge. He had become a forgiving Father.

So she ducked into a lonely alley to repent of her horrible, selfish sin and to ask her Father for help with what seemed like an impossible situation. As she prayed, she heard the rabbi’s words again, “Neither do I condemn you.” And then these words followed, “Go, and from now on sin no more. I will be with you. With man it is impossible. But not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

With a new peace that passed understanding, she took a deep breath and headed for what was left of her home.

We do not know happened to the adulteress in John chapter 8 after she left Jesus. We can only imagine. God in his infinite wisdom does not tell us. That’s for the best.

What Jesus said to her in forgiving her sin (“Neither do I condemn you”) is true of all of those he calls. But the earthly consequences of sin which we must live with are different in every case. Jesus removed the guilt of her sin, taking it and God’s wrath against it upon himself. But he did not remove the fact that she had sinned and the relational pain that must have resulted. Maybe her husband was also saved and they were reconciled. Maybe he divorced her.

But whatever happened, what remained true was the fact that she was forgiven, clean. She was justified in God’s eyes. In Jesus she became a new creature. Wearing Jesus’ righteousness, the Father viewed her as if she had never sinned and as if she had perfectly obeyed, because Jesus became sin for her and he perfectly obeyed the Father on her behalf. And even the earthly consequences of her sin became a means of grace to her because God caused all of them to work together for her good.

And that’s the hope we all need. We need the hope that we have been justified by the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. And we need the hope of the promise of Romans 8:28, that God will work all things together for good for us, even the fallout from our past sins.
That’s why as we begin a new year we want to point you to a message John Piper preached on Hebrews 13 titled, Here

In it he says, When I… feel guilty… and hopeless because of yesterday’s failure… I need the grace of forgiveness based on a great past substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, that covers all my sins… and I need the grace of promised help from Jesus today and tomorrow.

The adulteress had a long walk back home. And no doubt there was much pain as she faced the consequences of her sin. But God’s grace was sufficient for her, both to cover her sins and redeem her life. And his grace will be sufficient for us, too.
Seeking with you to strengthen my heart with grace (Hebrews 13:9),

Written by,

Jon Bloom
Executive Director

Emergent Church

I am not real familiar with Doug Pagitt but I assume he is a popular emergent church practitioner. I think the the Way OF The Master crew Todd, Kirk, Ray, and others are pretty effective in presenting the true Gospel of Christ apart from the law. I do not necessarily agree on the heavy emphasis on what they call "The Moral Law" which is a unbiblical term. I would recommend you read "Tablets of Stone and the History of Redemption" by John Reisinger, God Bless in Christ.

Mormons Refuted

After doing a little research I discovered this man who was refuting the Mormons may be one of those people who claim to be a "Black Israelite." Of course that is insidious but I still thought I would post this because what he was saying in this clip was definitely accurate- God bless in Christ

Did Moses Marry a Black Woman?

My brother in the Lord Saiko sent me this article by John Piper titled,
"Did Moses Marry a Black Woman?"

I thought it was a interesting article-God Bless in Christ

Another Reformed Brother in Kansas City!!!

Sermon here .

This sermon is from a brother(Damon Horton) here in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the same age as me(27) and a pastor. He just finished Bible college and is currently attending seminary. He is very solid. Listen now-God bless

Tony Evans

Dr. Tony Evans is well respected amongst evangelical circles and has been one of the few black somewhat solid teachers that we can be somewhat proud of his accomplishments and Biblical faithfulness. He has some wonderful accomplishments. I honestly had never heard of him until I began to attend Bible college in the fall of 2006. While attending our teacher asked us to read a book called "Free At Last." It was an elementary book to say the least but Evans spoke out somewhat harshly about the Word of Faith/Prosperity Gospel movement. So I decided to dig a little deeper to see what he was about. Found out he was the first African-American to graduate with a doctoral degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. (By the way I don't get into "The first black man this" and "The first black man that"-It is really is not important but just an interesting fact.) With this mans background you would assume that he understands basic Biblical Hermeneutics without a shadow of a doubt. Lionel sent me this daily word that Evans issues out to email recipients and to our amazement we found this quote by Evans...

Evans says, "Did you know that many problems people face are linked to choices their parents, grandparents and even “great-grandpa” made? This may be a new way of thinking for you, and it is certainly not about placing blame. Yet we need to know God´s truth about generational curses and how to live free of their bondages.A generational curse is passed down from one generation to another due to rebellion against God. If your family line is marked by divorce, incest, poverty, anger or other ungodly patterns, you’re most likely under a generational curse. The Bible says that these curses are tied to choices.Deuteronomy 30:19 says we can either choose life and blessing or death and cursing.
Freedom comes when we confess the ungodly patterns, ask God for forgiveness and then walk in obedience by consistently choosing His ways.

Wait a minute...this would be the proper time for me to be improper and say.. NO HE DIDN"T!!
Dr. Tony Evans didn't say that! Please wake me if I am dreaming.. OK enough sarcasm.

Lionel wrote about his HERE. So I would like to come at this from a different angle. Let me preface this and say that I am saddened by this; in which this might seem like a small minor slip up that Evans has done but this is not just a slip of the pen. This has been a consistent habitual behavior that Evans has been rehearsing(for lack of a better term). Subtle to some but obvious to others. We know that typically when the cash flow starts coming in and you have thousands of members-people begin to change. They become more compromising and less Sola Scriptora.

September 10-12, 2006. Tony Evans spoke at New Birth, the pastor here is Word of Faith Expositor Eddie Long. Along with Eddie were Creflo Dollar, Bishop Gary Hawkins, Dr. Robert Schuller, and Dr. I.V. Hillard. We are told by Apostle Paul in Eph 5:11 not to have fellowship(sygkoinōneō) with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]. You may say that me using this scripture is a harsh description but I think it is accurate. Look at some of the key words to describe these people in Ephesians 5-foolish talking, jesting, covetous, and idolater. This is a much deserved description of the prosperity preachers of our day.

Furthermore Tony Evans was the man who coined a phrase known as "transdispensationalism" in the book he wrote called, "Totally Saved." Here is the answer John MacArthur gives to a question regarding this issue....

"At the end of the book, there is a chapter in which the question comes up about people who have never heard the gospel. And, in that section, Tony writes that people who never hear the gospel, if they will accept whatever light they have, God will acknowledge that as sufficient for their salvation. That, in itself, is a—that is a departure from historic Christian gospel. We would say that if someone lives up to the light they have, then the Lord, who is not limited in His capacity to deliver the truth, will bring the full light—and that no one could ever be saved apart from Christ.
"And that’s essentially the argument of this book, that in the world, there are going to be people who never hear the gospel, and they are not going to reject the light they have. They’re going to accept the light they have, and God will count that as sufficient to save them. "

***There was a radio interview that followed that book that’s available. You can get the transcript of that radio interview, in which the host was interviewing Tony Evans and said to him, “You’re saying, if a Hindu looks up and says, ‘I know you’re up there somewhere. I don’t know who you are, but I’d really like to know you,’ God will count that as sufficient as salvation?” And the answer to that was “Yes.” ***

Transdispensationalism is somewhat hard to define but it seems to be an off shoot of universalism. It is so sad when these people start to go this direction. It hurts because this is not salvific-meaning I don't know if Tony Evans is saved or ever was, or he may be saved-i don't know. What I do know is a lot of these somewhat solid teachers or preachers we know end up going down this slippery slope and we know it only gets worse. Lionel Woods did a good job referencing the New Testament evidences that discredits any possibility of a believer in Christ being bogged down with any generational curses. So I encourage you to read his argument and also let us glance at Ezekiel chapter 18.


1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? 3 As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. 5 If a man is righteous and does what is just and right 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, 9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.
10 If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor's wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, 13 lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself. 14 Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: 15 he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, 16 does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father's iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. 19 Yet you say, Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father? When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21 But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. 25 Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not just. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, The way of the Lord is not just. O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.

We are called to Biblical faithfulness-Sola Scriptora. Therefore even if John MacArthur, John Piper,or who else ever goes astray,(God forbid) we stay faithful to God first and man second. We stick with the Lord at all cost. We don't make excuses because someone is our favorite teacher. We cannot compromise the truth of the scriptures for anyone. Regardless of your theology, we all agree that what Evans has done is eisegesis and continues to go down the slope. Let us pray for men like him, for we know not what the Lord has in store for him. Sola Christus.

Knowing Christ

I had the wonderful opportunity to witness to a co-worker today. He was a young man, 21 years of age. He like many have the idea that people should not go to church unless they are living "right" and then find a local church to attend so that they will not be "hypocrites."

My first question was how do you define a hypocrite? The definition is as follows:

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

3. an actor, stage player

I told the young man picture yourself as a dirty dish after a thanksgiving meal. Let us say that you are the plate that a 300 pound man used to eat his wonderful thanksgiving meal on. Without a doubt you are considerably dirty as you can imagine. You, the dish say, " I am going to wait until I get myself cleaned up before I put myself in the water. This is and of itself is a mere impossibility since you are just a mere dish and have nothing in and of yourself or any means to do any type cleaning. You are helpless. The water in the in the dishwasher or sink is the only way or means to be thoroughly cleaned. Needless to say you will need some divine intervention, correct. I had to take him through the analogy once more before he got it. But it was clear.

I was not speaking particularly about salvation here but this is the purpose of the Body of Christ and a true Biblical church. Furthermore this is what the Word of God does. It changes us through the work of the Holy Spirit and with more knowledge we understand even more clearly that God's only acceptable sacrifice is His Son-Jesus the Christ-Our Deliverer. From here the young man began to say, "there are so many bad churches altogether so I just stopped going" From here I used an analogy of a close friend of mine and said, "When you get food poisoning do you stop eating or do you look for other good food."

Bad experiences are not excuses that we use to stay away from God standard and do what He has commanded us to do. I informed him the his bad experiences do not mean that there are not good churches out there.

After hearing of his experiences I thought of the book of 1 John and many other passages. This young man had never seen(to his knowledge) and example of true Christianity. He had never seen people who live what they say and have changed hearts to the point where they earnestly turn from sin once they learn of it and try to obey the revealed Word of God the Bible. If we love Him we obey what he has commanded in every avenue of our life. This does not mean we do not sin. 1 John makes that clear, but we do not have a lifestyle of habitual sin. Meaning we do not know of sin in our life and continue to do it contrary to what we know in scripture and our conscience. If we do the truth is that God's grace is sufficient for all sins but we have to examine our self to see if we are really in the Faith. I say this simply because the demons know God exist and even people reference in Hebrews 6 and 10 have an intellectual knowledge of Him but truly do not know him.

John's Purpose in this letter is clear here in 1 John 1:4

1 John 1:4
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

1Jo 1:6
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jo 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Jhn 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jhn 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

1Jo 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1Jo 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1Jo 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Mat 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The Greek word here in Matthew is the same one used in 1John. We understand that knowing Him is much more than just knowing about Him. Demons know about Christ and many people know about Him but do not know Him in the intimate way that the scriptures talk about. We understand that truly knowing Him is linked to obedience and obeying what He has commanded in the revealed will of God-The Bible.

ginōskō

1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
a) to understand
b) to know
3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know

I ask you to examine yourself. Time out for some silly un-biblical altar call, and really wrestle with the reality that our time here on Earth is simply a vapor-here one day and gone the next. What do you desire most? What makes you happy or angry? Is Christ working in you to bring about His glory? Does you attitude and your worldview hang upon God's Word? How are you loving your neighbor, wife, husband, or co-worker? These questions need to be asked and use scripture to check yourself-In Christ.

Once Saved Always Saved?

Pastor Saiko Woods in Texas regularly witnesses. The Gospel for him and for all Christians consumes our everything. It is like a deadly(heavenly)virus that not kills but gives life. He is a Black and Reformed Pastor who is very solid. Here is his response to a Arminian pastor. It is lengthy but worth the read.

Saiko's response to the arminian theology.

The Bible supports the doctrine of Eternal Security because it is based solely upon the finished work of Christ’s atonement on the cross for those who believe. Those who fall away, are unrepentant, or refuse to accept Christ’s free offer of salvation give evidence that their salvation was never genuine to begin with. In other words, they NEVER were saved (1 Jn. 2:19)! To say that a true Christian can lose his/her salvation contradicts, conflicts, & compromises the following (3) things that God has done for the truly repentant believer:


It nullifies the Electing purpose of God in salvation

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be  holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in  the Beloved (Eph. 1:4-6; emphasis mine).

The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit makes this declarative statement concerning our position in Christ. If our salvation were on the basis of what we would do, then it would be according to works and not God’s electing grace (Eph. 2:8-9). If keeping ourselves saved were true, then that would contradict Paul’s teaching in Phil. 1:6; 2:13.

It nullifies Christ’s redeeming work on the cross for His elect

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep (Jn. 10:14-15; emphasis mine).


It nullifies the securing work of the Holy Spirit to God’s elect

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:13-14).

Paul uses the Greek word (sphragizo- pronounced “spra-gid-zo”) and it is used in the passive voice meaning that the recipient receives the action. In other words, the Holy Spirit sealed (protected, pledged, secured) those who God chose to save unto salvation. We [believers] had absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. God is the active cause in salvation; we are the passive recipients of His saving grace. Salvation is totally sola-gratia (by grace alone).

In your letter, you ask the following question:

“However, the questions remain, “Can we walk away from salvation?” Or, can we reject the salvation that we once embraced?” Clearly, the previous verses indicate that nothing external can place our eternal security in jeopardy, but what about an internal choice to reject Christ? What does the Bible say”?

No truly born-again believer will ever walk away from Christ in a saving relationship with Him. Why? Because the love of Christ constrains (i.e. to hold) us (2 Cor. 5:14). To reject a salvation that you once embraced is not biblical salvation and is foreign to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles (Jn. 10:28-30; 1 Pt. 1:5). As far as an “internal” choice to reject Christ in the life of a true born-again believer, I will refer to the scripture that you quoted from the Apostle Paul when he said,

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39; emphasis mine).”

“What about the individual who sincerely accepts Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but then subsequently chooses to reject a relationship with Jesus, wanting nothing to do with Him, or His salvation”?

No one who is truly saved will ever reject the lordship of Christ in his/her life. It is utterly impossible (1 Jn. 2:19). There are varying views concerning the interpretation of Hebrews in chapters 6:4-6 &10:26-27. However, most scholars who interpret the Bible based on the principles of hermeneutics would strongly agree that both passages do not teach that a Christian can lose his/her salvation (Heb. 3:1, 12; 6:9).

“The Bible teaches that only those who “receive” Him are privileged with eternal life (see John 1:11-12). There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that God EVER takes away our free will, especially in regard to salvation. The picture of God forcing someone into heaven against their will is terribly inconsistent with scripture”.
The Apostle John gives his readers the reason why those who receive Christ are born again in the 13th verse of John.
….who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (emphasis mine).

Jesus makes this pride-destroying statement in the 6th chapter of John.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…. (Jn. 6:44; emphasis mine).

The word “draw” is the Greek word (helkuo) which means to drag or to induce to come. The word is in the active voice meaning that God is the one who brings or “draws” those He desires to save to Himself. Those who come to Christ is because of the Father’s drawing them to the Son, and His drawing is irresistible (Jn. 6:37).

Also Scripture is abundantly clear that no one chooses to come to Christ (Rom. 3:10-12) because they are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2). The only way a person can accept Christ is that God must first regenerate the sinner making him able to respond in saving faith to the gospel of Christ (Eph. 2:4-5). To say that man who is spiritually dead is able to “choose” Christ out of his own “free-will” is totally inconsistent to the doctrine of the depravity of man (Rom. 8:5-8) and robs God of His glory.

In closing, based on the reading of your letter it seems to me that the teaching that you hold regarding Christians losing their salvation is based on man and not the power of God that needs serious attention and consideration (1 Pet. 1:5). If salvation were up to me to keep it, I know that I would have lost it the moment I had it. Also man’s will will always consistent with his nature (Gen. 6:5; Psalm 14:2-3).