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Showing posts from May, 2012

Does Forgiveness Negate Justice?

There is the old classic argument I sometimes struggle with, "If I forgive doesn't that omit justice?  Why can't I have revenge?"  The answer is no.  Here's the issue- forgiveness DOES NOT by any means negate justice.  Here's some truths we are to understand about the relationship between forgiveness and justice:  It doesn't mean that God forgives that a Christian can sin all they want.  God may have forgiven the Christian but that does not mean that He will not chastise the sinning believer.  Hebrews 12:5-6 is clear that whenever a Christian sins, they endure chastising. Although a Christian who stumbles in the faith won't lose their salvation because they CANNOT completely fall away, God is still faithful and just to chastise the believer until they confess their unconfessed sins. The illustration of forgiveness and justice is plain simple- punishment is given but it does not mean that the person is being personal.  The teacher PUNI

Estus Pirkle... One of My Favorite Preachers!

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"Did you read the Greek New Testament?  This Bible says that there is a literal Hell where sinners burn forever and forever!" Presenting one of my favorite preachers- the late Estus Washington Pirkle.  Maybe some of you will recognize this picture to be from the soulwinning film "The Burning Hell" which happens to be one of my favorite videos to bring conviction to sinners about their lifestyles that happen because of post-modernism preaching.  Compared to most preachers, Estus Pirkle is a raw preacher that I'd say is never afraid of modernism, an old-fashioned revivalist (Jeremiah 6:16).  As you read on, you'll find out how God raised this man as a modern day Charles Haddon Spurgeon of his decade, he was also the person who witnessed to Ron Ormond a vile sinner to Christianity thus began the series of evangelistic films.  He wrote these books I am yet to check out namely Wintertime, Preachers in Space, What Are You Living For and A Ray For God: The Of

There are NO Carnal Christians!

There is the big question that Paul Washer was slammed as teaching a wrong doctrine because he strictly said, "There are NO carnal Christians."  It was also presented as a works salvation doctrine when it is not.  True salvation results to true conversion especially of CHARACTER even if it is not evident immediately.  A Christian may have struggles with the former homosexual life, pornography, etc. and if they ever even slip a bit, God chastises them immediately while leaving the rest of the sinful world alone to their destruction.   One may appeal to 1 Corinthians 3 for the "justification" of such a notion when the Apostle Paul said in verse one that he could not call them as spiritual but as carnal for they were still babes in Christ.  However the Apostle Paul also warned in Romans 8:7 that the carnal mind (unsaved mind) is in enmity with God.  Here's the reality, Christians can FALL into carnality like how David fell into adultery, but like David was no

Getting it Right... the REAL Gospel According to Jesus!

Note: This entry shows as a formal apology to Pastor John F. Macarthur to whom I have severely misrepresented for the past few years. Today people quote from the Bible and yet offer down a very watered down message.  I remembered to how Pastor Estus Pirkle once said how times have changed, how modernism has invaded the church and I began to read "Fool's Gold" and "Truth War" by Pastor John Macarthur on what is watered down preaching and how it literally kills the Church with FALSE converts.  So what is going on?  There's the danger of the watered down preaching that has reduced the real Gospel to a false one.  The Lordship of Christ is not being emphasized because it will look like "works salvation" when it isn't.  For one, I agree with what Arthur Pink and A.W. Towzer has to say you accept Christ in WHOLE and not just a fraction of Him.  When I received Christ as my Savior, I consciously received Him as the Lord of my life.  It's

My Changed View on Pastor John MacArthur

A few years ago I remembered thinking that Pastor John MacArthur was teaching works salvation and conditional security without actually bothering to investigate the source that was him out of biases. The problem with me when I read about a person who tried to refute the doctrine of eternal security to which that person had said that salvation was all about doing what Jesus says, not receiving Him as Lord and Savior and that a backslider has lost his/her salvation. Actually, she had misquoted Pastor MacArthur to a huge extent. So I began to really think that he was teaching the wrong doctrine like conditional security which he does not so if you really read through and through what he has to say! Also the words "lordship salvation" are now being widely misused by the conditional security crowd which leads to the "lordship salvation controversy". Well, he even got a "skull and crossbones" award for emphasizing the wonderful truth that salvation can't

SOTERIOLOGY 101: The Total Depravity of Man

A pastor once told a story that while riding on a plane en route to a pastor’s conference, another pastor who was his friend began scribbling on a piece of paper until it was completely covered. He than handed the paper to his friend and asked what was the first word he wrote to which his friend replied he had no idea. Then he showed his friend what he had done. He gave his friend another small blank piece of paper and told him to write “Christ” on it. On top of the first word and all over the rest of the paper, he was then told to write “Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Pentecostal, Dispensational, fundamental, evangelical, liberal, protestant” and perhaps a dozen more such terms. His point was clear; the simple message of Jesus Christ is sometimes so encumbered with secondary matters and human interpretation that the world has a vague or a wrong idea of what the Gospel really is. So what is the Gospel that Jesus preached? The Gospel is the central message of Christi

Can A Truly Saved Christian Sin All They Please? NOT A CHANCE According to Scriptures!

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Some people argue that when a preacher says that Christians can no longer live the way they want, it's equals to works salvation.  However that argument is hardly anything but agreeable with Scripture nor is it works salvation to teach that Christians can no longer sin all they want.  Another mind-blowing accusation I also hear is the extreme opposite that the doctrine of salvation that cannot be lost means, that a person can think they sin all they please and still go to Heaven.  However quite contrary, anybody who is truly saved will have the gift of the perseverance of the saints which Pastor Paul David Washer elaborates as that true Christians CANNOT fall away for good and rather will endure to the end.  In fact, salvation brings a CHANGED LIFE!  There are MANY reasons why Scripture dictates that Christians CANNOT live the way they want to live even if they have eternal security or they may stumble into sin because Christians do not become sinless but they DO SIN LESS:

Before Receiving is the Giving!

There is the huge problem of selfishness among people.  These people just THINK of themselves before others.  Yes they may do good works but only to take advantage of their beneficiaries rather than because they love their beneficiaries.  2 Timothy 3:1 already warned WAY AHEAD that in these last days, there will be people who will be lovers of themselves rather than of God.  The kind of love the world displays is not the agape love but the wrong kind of love.  They are self-serving and what they don't realize is this principle, "For everybody to receive, everybody must also give."  It's "give and take" not "give and give" and "take and take".  People must both give and receive for society's wheel to turn like how one must push, the other must pull.  Is it any wonder why poverty is increasing?  It's all because people do not know the real relationship of give and take.  John 6:26 condemns such reasons that people went to see Jesus

How Should Christians Handle Their Sinful Relatives and Associates?

Being a Christian is no walk in the park especially when Jesus warned ahead in Matthew 10:24 and Luke 12:51 that with the world, Jesus offered not peace between Christians and the world but rather DIVISION.  Okay this does not mean Christians are to be belligerent even if they are commanded to reprove error but rather be loving to those who reject the truth and pray for them.  Christians are to be united with each other BUT separated from worldliness .  An issue now can be is that a convert to Christianity is most likely to have a 50%-90% chance of having sinful relatives and associates which can range from home-wrecking whores to being wanted fugitives who are guilty of breaking the law.  While the typical worldly mindset says, "Oh you have to protect them even if they're criminals because they are your relatives." or "Go with the flow with your friends." however the Lord Jesus wouldn't do that a bit!  He would not go to disco just because He is afraid of

The Need for OLD FASHIONED WAKE UP CALLS!

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Christians should not just be angry about the lack of wake up calls but they ought be VOCAL about the evils of today's society. This man of God the late Estus Pirkle in this excerpt video "If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do?" reveals the most disturbing issues that causes true Christians to be called as "stupid", "idiot", "moron", "subhuman" and "asshole" or any bad words that the unbelieving world will hurl at them. But truth is, like the prophet Jeremiah, the old fashioned revival must be set (Jeremiah 6:16)! There is NO room for modernization when morals are corrupted! Christian parents must remind their children that Christians are NOT any part of the world but rather they are called out of the world(John 15:18-19). Go with the flow? No thanks. Christians must remember Ephesians 4:11- No fellowship with darkness but rather REPROVE THEM ! A good example is how Pastor Paul Washer didn't c

Unless a Man REPENTS OF SIN, There Can Be No Salvation!

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John 3:20 says that people are afraid to come to the light because lest their deeds be exposed. How true. Romans 3:10-19 reveals that the Law REVEALS the reality of sin. However the problem today is that man in his own sinful state says, "There is nothing wrong with me or what I am doing! I am perfectly justified with all that I do!" That is nothing more than Romans 10:3- trying to establish one's own righteousness and being IGNORANT of God's righteousness. James 2:10 is clear on this issue- it only takes one sin for a man to fall down. No matter how man tries to reach high with good works, he'll only fall down short. And yes, man has to REPENT of their self-righteousness IF they ever expect to believe the Gospel! A repentance of self-righteousness also includes a repentance of sin, which a person changes their mind about their SIN and the Savior. An example is like how sinners in recognition of their sinfulness came to the Lord Jesus to genuinely beg for f

A Child Left Alone to Himself

Proverbs 29:15- "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." The whole problem today is that we have mothers who instead of staying at home to guide the children at home (or if they are working they prefer to take jobs that don't take them away from their children) are instead having "money comes first".  Okay one cannot DENY that money is important and hard to find.  A good father will provide money and teach his children how to make money so they can become independent and eventually raise one generation of providers to another.  A good mother manages the money well.  However BOTH PARENTS must NEVER ever make their children lovers of money instead of stewards of money.  There is a difference- stewards of money are aware God OWNS the money, lovers of money want ALL the money for themselves so one manages the money, the other seizes it for himself/herself.  However these mothers have started taking jobs that

Overly Militant Preachers

If there is such an epidemic was watered down preaching, face the facts that there will always be such a thing as overly militant preaching !!! This is the extreme of watered down preaching where the pastor himself turns into a dictator and a monster in the pulpit. It does sound crazy BUT the reality is there will always be the problem of dictatorship. While of course Jesus was one who was confrontational but He was NEVER a bit for once absent on compassion for the repentant. He though He was a tough preacher, He was never without a gentle side for people. In fact, He was compassionate towards sinners. However he are now facing the problem that some pastors have grown OVERLY MILITANT like in these examples below: 1.) Being the quarrelsome evangelist. Rather than pray for people who make fun of them or call them crazy, they would go from debating to actual FIST-FIGHTING and worse comes to worst engaging in brutal battles with others. Sure good Christian schools may be stri

Money or the Love of Money is the Root of All Evil?

There is such a misunderstanding when people cross the extreme into saying that money per se is the root of all evil. However, that is NOT true. Remember God ordained the monetary system for Israel. Money in itself is not to be regarded as evil. People need money to survive and money is a major concern as a necessity. Money is needed as long as the fallen world still runs and God will say so when all the money of the world will become useless. What is wrong is when people love money over God and this is the wrong kind of love. 1 Timothy 6:10 is clear that not money itself is evil but it's rather the LOVE for it. That is where people would do anything to get money- cheat, steal, commit adultery, swindle a close friend so one doesn't need to pay, become part of the occult, do bad jobs (like abortion, robbing banks, swindling and pornography) which they think grants "instant money". They could care less about the consequences as long as it gives them a profit. They

How Christians SHOULD Fight The Christianity vs. Islam War

Make no mistake there is really NO reconciliation between Christianity and Islam in terms of religion.  Both are contradictory, not complementary.  However the holy war between Christians and Muslims can be fought in these ways: 1.) Ephesians 6:12-19 and 2 Corinthians 10:4 present the reality that the warfare between Christians and other religions is NOT bullets, guns, bazookas but the matter of saving people from eternal damnation in Hell.  Every Christian must realize that the war is for the souls of Muslims, it's against Islam and not its followers.  They are not to go around blowing up Mosques.  It's MISSIONS and NOT MISSILES and it's BIBLES NOT BULLETS!  Jesus sent the Apostles to evangelize not to exterminate.  Wherever they went, they accepted persecution and preached!  Christians must keep evangelizing to Muslims the folly of their religion and that Jesus is more than willing to forgive them, that He is more than a prophet and that He is the Son of God!