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Showing posts from March, 2016

Addressing a Poor State of Born Again Christian Apologetics

It is very easy to nitpick on the sins of the Roman Catholic priests but you may be ignoring some pastors deserve to be criticized as well. Likewise, it is very easy to nitpick on Catholic Faith Defenders without realizing that there are born again Christian apologists regardless of denomination (and many of them belong to the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement) who are really in a poor state of apologetic ministries. It is time to really start listing some common problems of a poor state of born again Christian apologetics that stoops them down to the level of their opponents: Ad Hominem. If Catholic faith defenders are so fond of attacking the person instead of the argument, some born again Christian apologists are also so found of doing that. It is very possible to start attacking Catholic faith defenders based on who they are instead of what they argue whether it is sensible or not. Conspiracy theory approach. Another problem why so many born again Christians are makin

Sometimes, Christians Make the Mistake of Seeking the Answers Within Themselves than Christ

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In the Christian walk that even if the Christian does not live like the rest of the world, they are still subjected to their old carnal desires. One of these greatest temptations is to trying to discover in one's self the answers which are found in Christ alone. The problem with backsliding believers is the problem is because they tend to rely on themselves at a certain point. Solomon relied too much on his own personal wisdom than the One who gave him the wisdom. David became too complacent with his victories that he soon fell into adultery with Bathsheba. Samson got so reliant on his strength that he was defeated by Delilah. It is important to realize that when a Christian is saved, God does not leave them alone. Philippians 1:6-7 gives the guarantee that what God has begun, He will certainly finish. 1 Corinthians 6:11 does not accredit one's self for the new life but the new life is by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit works not only as a Comforter but also as a Rebuker

Sinners Love to Sin Because They Are Unsaved Sinners

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Why do people love to sin?  It is because they are sinners.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."  What we can be certain is that the unsaved man hates the things of God.  When I asked my pastor why do many people hate hymns, it is because the world is in war against God because it has fallen into Satan's hands.  There is always the issue that men are indeed hostile towards God and they find truth about God as foolish.  They have either a different perception of God or they want to reject God.  Either way it is the result of the sin.  For the world, Christian values are anything but acceptable because they only appeal to morals to get what they want not because they want to please God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 gives this stern warning, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Be n

People Saved by God's Grace Will Serve Christ Willingly

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It is a problem in today's pulpit that adds works to staying saved or denying that God's grace will inevitably result to serving Christ.  Although they do not directly state that once you are saved then you are just "saved" but it seems they ignore the reality of being saved from sin.  If one gets saved then there is the incredible power over sin that slowly manifests itself in the life of the believer.  Only false converts ever dare to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).  Given the fact that God's grace is never a license for sin, I have every right not to embrace anybody who teaches that a Christian can remain stagnant in their sins to be a false teacher.  Such damnable heretics are no better than those who teach works to get saved or to stay saved. Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:11-14 describes how the grace of God makes change inevitable.  When the person is saved by grace, they have that desire to serve Christ and they love to serve Christ

Some Roman Catholic Apologists Tend to Change Their Stance Whenever It Is Deemed Convenient for Them

Some Roman Catholics whether they like to admit it or not change their stance a lot whenever it is deemed convenient.  I can just give a few examples of this hypocrisy as far as I have observed based on personal experience.  This is not true for all Roman Catholic apologists but this is true for some of them. 1.) Says that no born again Christian pastor ever suffers for Christ but laughs whenever a born again Christian pastor is persecuted for their faith It is common for Roman Catholic apologists to sensationalize the sufferings of their priests who are persecuted for their beliefs.  They can say that no pastor ever suffers like those martyred priests in some areas of the world.  But when born again Christian pastors are suffering for spreading the Gospel of Christ there is the huge tendency to laugh at them and ridicule them. 2.) Says that born again Christians teach a license to sin but then says they are also legalistic killjoys This is another contradicting statement consi

"Easy Christianity" Pulpits Are Not Christian Pulpits!

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With that quote by Dr. John F. MacArthur above saying that many pulpits are gone and instead, we have people who are just wandering around telling stories.  It can be observed that many "Evangelical" pulpits today are not pulpits of God but rather, they have become "Easy Christianity" pulpits.  These churches can be assumed to be housing false converts of an Antinomian gospel and are social halls.  The "Easy Christianity" pulpit is no pulpit of God but it is rather a place where Jeremiah 5:31 is easily repeated.  Considering that there is no need for priests and prophets as the Bible is complete and there are no need for Levites but today we have the pastors bearing rule by their means. It is true indeed that if a pastor wants to be popular he must take the Bible out of context and instead choose to appeal to people in any way possible.  Works salvation crowd appeals to a lot of people because most people hate the idea of salvation by grace through fai

The Message of Easter: Crown of Thorns to Crown of Glory!

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The real message of Easter has been this one that Jesus was crucified and on Sunday before sunrise, He was resurrected. The whole meaning of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday shows the sinful fickleness of man. During Palm Sunday, everyone started singing praises when Jesus came into Jerusalem but a few days later they cried out, "Crucify Him!" People chose the robber over the innocent Jesus but this was all part of God's plan. The more I thought about the people choosing Barabbas the robber, it shows the wickedness of man yet it also shows the mercy of God. The Scripture is silent about Barabbas but one thing I am certain like Barabbas, I should have been the one who was crucified. I felt like shouting, "That's not fair, Jesus should be set freed." He could have set Himself freed but instead, He was obedient unto death and people were probably given the picture He was going to die for the lost sinner. On the cross, Jesus really looked like

Dear Roman Catholic: Remember, the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross Is Finished!

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I know today is Easter Sunday and many of you feel like you have gotten right with God during the Lenten season believing that from your Ash Wednesday ash, abstaining from meat which is no way fasting and whatever religious activities you did - they do not get you right with God at all.  I would like to tell you that the sacrifice of the cross was once and for all, never to be repeated. I would agree with what you say that in communion, the sacrifice of Christ is done in His memorial but the doctrine of the Mass perverts it.  What really needs to be mentioned is that Jesus offered Himself once and for all and not continually.  Let me read to you from the Good News Bible which is one of your approved versions saying in Hebrews 10:10-12, "Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all.  Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times; but

Learning Patience by God's Grace

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Do you ever get tired of waiting?  The flesh always gets anyone confused.  It is very easy to confuse patience with procrastination as much as it is easy to confuse forgiveness with condoning any form of wrongdoing and seeking revenge is equivalent to getting justice.  It is very easy to say that if you are patient then you are condoning abuse.  That is not what the Bible says but rather it is redeeming the time while waiting for God's perfect timing. Like it or not, as much as the Bible commands one to to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5) but one is also commanded to wait.  The problem of being unable to wait has had drastic consequences.  In the Old Testament we read of various examples of what happens when Christians do not wait for God's timing.  Sarah's hastiness led her to make Abraham commit sin with Hagar to produce their heir which today led to several wars between the Jews and Arabs.  When Moses was gone to Sinai, the people's impatience led

George Whitefield on Persecution

"We may assure ourselves, when Jesus Christ begins to gather in His elect in any remarkable manner and opens an effectual door for preaching the everlasting Gospel, persecution will flame out and Satan and his emissaries will do their utmost (though all in vain) to stop the work of God. Thus it was in the first ages, thus it is in our days and thus it will be, till time shall be no more." ~ George Whitefield If you are ever going to do the work of God, if you are getting saved then there is one sure guarantee and it is persecution. The moment you become a friend of God, you are the enemy of the world (James 4:4, John 15:18-19). Christianity has never been you get saved, get an easy path, get rich and all that garbage that prosperity gospel preaches to its followers. 2 Timothy 3:12 warns,"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." God has done more glory when he allows Satan to persecute His elect than when there is no persecuti

The Cross and the Christian Life

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Arthur W. Pink's quote above gives an exposition of what it means to have the cross. The empty cross is the symbol of the finished work of Christ. There are lessons to be learned from the crucifixion and what it means to be a Christian. When it comes to the cross, I really cannot help but think that Jesus' death on the cross was not only to pay for our sins but it also showed Christians how to live. Philippians 2:8 says, "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It was at the Garden of Gethsheme he prayed saying in Luke 22:42 that it is the will of the Father be done and not His. Jesus gave perfect obedience to His Father in everything even to die by crucifixion. Crucifixion was the punishment reserved for the most evil of criminals in that day. An innocent man was about to get the punishment that was so undeserved yet it was the Father's plan. It was Jesus' sacrificial love that

Charles H. Spurgeon's Quote as a Good Friday Reflection

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2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Does that sound fair that the sinless Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ to be the one made sin for man? By the human point of view, it is not fair. In the default justice system, sin must be punished. But do you realize why the Son of God became the sin sacrifice. It is because the sin of man no matter how big or how small cannot be paid by man's own effort. James 2:10-11 says that if we break even one of His laws, we already are fallen short. The only way to pay for your sins without Christ's mercy and by yourself is to spend an eternity in Hell. There is no way that one's own natural goodness will ever deliver them. The whole message of the crucifixion is that Christ died for my sins so sin would be defeated. When Matthew 1:21 declares the timeless truth that Jesus came to save His people from their sins, one has to reme

The Call of Salvation Is Salvation FROM Sin, NOT Salvation to Sin!

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As I love to say it to say that Christians can get saved and remain as wicked before they got saved is an absolute blasphemy.  The "Easy Christianity" crowd have severely misquoted Scriptures about salvation by grace to justify accepting false converts as much as the self-righteous crowd have severely misquoted Scriptures to add works to either earning or maintaining salvation.  It would be time for me to really talk about salvation FROM sin and NOT salvation to sin.  Nobody ever gets saved in their sins but sinners are saved from their sins.  Salvation from sin is a gift for the repentant guilty and not for people who live righteous lives by human standards. The entire call of salvation has been to REPENTANCE.  Luke 24:47 says, "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."  It is to preach both the repentance of sins and the remission of sins.  Whoever says that repentance of sin means

Jesus Died For Sin Because Man is Not Basically Good

The argument of some people is that man is basically good when he is not.  The more I think about the fact that I was born a sinner, the more I see that I do not deserve anything but Hell.  Considering today is Good Friday, it is time to really address the one horrible fact that man is not basically good to start with.  Even the current events in the news today proves that man is not basically good.  Try reading the news and you will see how depraved man is and yet so many people insist in the folly that sin is just a "fantasy word" and that "people were just doing what they needed to survive".  Then expect some hypocrisy when these people become victims of other people's sinful actions. If man were basically good, there would be no need for laws.  Romans 3:19 says that the world must be silent before God for falling short of the Law.  1 Timothy 1:8-11 says that the Law was not made because man is basically good but it is because man has fallen short of God

John Bunyan on Dark Clouds

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Life is never always sunshine but there is one thing we can be certain.  When God created the laws of nature, be thankful for the rain.  There is the quote that says, "Too much sunshine and no rain makes life a desert."  It is indeed fun to have the sun because one can do a lot of outdoor activities like fishing and play outside.  When there is too much sun and no rain, the ground becomes dry, plants wither, bodies of water do not replenish and it results to a famine. Do your remember the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17-18?  It did not rain for three years and the Northern Kingdom suffered from severe famine.  Wherever there is not enough rain it becomes a dry desert.  The balance of life is that we both need rainy days and sunny days to have a well-balanced atmosphere.  Time comes when the human body has too much heat that it is time to cool it down and to replenish the bodies of water. Basic science tells us that it is the dark clouds that are the rain clouds.  The whit

Dear Wealthy Roman Catholic: Your Material Wealth Does Not Guarantee You Are Right with God!

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During the loss of Manny Pacquiao, many Roman Catholics tend to say something like that his loss was a result of leaving the Roman Catholic institution.  They also warn, "If you leave Rome the Holy Mother Church, you are certainly going to lose your blessings.  Look at Pacquiao - he has lost his blessings and Marquez's Catholic fists beat him in boxing."  It is a tragedy that so many people tend to think that one's material wealth is a guarantee that you are right with God.   Likewise, many of you may think that you have all your material wealth proving you are blessed by God.  Many of you refuse to leave the Roman Catholic institution because it is good for business.  What is good for profit may sometimes be bad for your soul. May I first address the problem of thinking that material wealth is an indicator you are right with God.  If it was truly an indicator of being right with God, may I remind you that in Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36 and Luke 9:25 warns you can

Some Roman Catholics Are Making Fun of Born Again Christian's Baptism by Water Immersion

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If Roman Catholics could not even get the Lord's Supper right where it ends up as Lord's breakfast (morning service), Lord's lunch (noon service) and it only becomes Lord's Supper on an evening service then I do not really expect them to get baptism right. Some Roman Catholic apologists tend to be laughing at the born again Christian ritual of baptism that involves immersion or are making false allegations that "somebody drowned during baptism". I will be quoting again from the Good News Translation (GNT) instead of the King James Version (KJV) which I use for my daily Bible reading to show the stupidity of these Roman Catholic apologists on making fun of born again Christian's baptism ritual. Here are verses from the GNT to show baptism was by immersion: Matthew 3:17 - "As soon as Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the water . Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him. Then a vo

Unsaved Reprobates Have NO ONE but Themselves to Blame for Their Damnation

"The doctrine of Reprobation does not mean that God refuses to save those who earnestly seek salvation.  The fact is that the reprobate have no longing for the Saviour - they see no beauty in Him, that they should desire Him.  They will not come to Christ - why then should God force them to?  He turns away none who do come - where then is the injustice of God foredetermining their just doom?   None will be punished but for their iniquities; where then, is the supposed tyrannical cruelty of the Divine procedure?" ~ Arthur Pink, "The Sovereignty of God" There is no doubt that the unsaved man is a reprobate man.  I really have no question about it that before I was saved, I was a reprobate.  When my life changed after salvation, it was God's work and not my work. Do you know why God does not save those who love their sin?  It is because these people do not long for the Lord Jesus Christ, they see no beauty in Him nor do they desire Him.  They reject the Chris

John Bunyan on Fruitfulness and Criticism

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The natural inclination of fallen humanity is more on receiving praise than being fruitful.  When a person becomes a Christian, there is one important lesson the parable of the sower and the vineyard that we have to learn.  In Matthew 13:33 we read, "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  We do not have the four types of soil as the four types of Christian but rather we have the Christian differentiated by their degrees of fruit bearing.  Young believers bear little while they bear more as they mature.  Just because a person bears less fruit does not mean they are not saved - they are saved but they certainly need more discipleship and follow-up so they become more and more fruitful. Because Christians are not yet perfect and glorified on this Earth so remember some of them bore thirty, some sixty and not yet a hundredfol

In Search of Scholarly Anti-Catholic Literature in Your Local Christian Bookstore

I remembered the time I got saved and I really just got dabbled into one anti-Catholic site or literature after the other.  I had the failure of not only investigating the source but also the method.  Some of these sites mix truth with error or have their own personal agendas of bitterness and revenge rather than evangelism.  Other books and literature tend to rely on the sensationalist or conspiracy theorist approach.  Worse, it has become a problem that many Christians are so accustomed to the conspiracy theorist approach where they end up spending time trying to uncover the Vatican's activities rather than attack the doctrine of Roman Catholics.  Instead of talking more about correcting heresies by the grace of God; it is very easy to get lost and focus more on the lies and activities of the Devil. In trying to discuss with Roman Catholics, it is very important to realize that your mission is to spread the Gospel and not to discuss about controversial stuff like Jesuit infiltr

Repentance is More Than Being Sorry

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While repentance does involve feeling sorry for your sin but that is not the entirety of it.  What does it mean to repent?  As the Greek word for repent is metanoneia, it means to have a change in mind that begets a change in purpose.  It means that if you repent of your sins, it makes you change your mind about your sins and it results in having a change in purpose not to live in sin.  Judas Iscariot may have felt sorry for his betrayal but he never repented towards Christ for forgiveness.  What he did was not unforgivable but he chose to commit suicide instead. Many people confuse repentance with regret.  While repentance does involve some regret but having regret does not necessarily mean the person has repented.  Let us take a cookie jar scenario.  You regret you stole the cookie because you got punished.  If you repent of the act, it is because you see that stealing is wrong and offensive.  You realize that whether you get caught or not, it is still wrong and it leads you n

According to Some Roman Catholic Apologists, Being a Born Again Christian is Unbiblical

I am always amazed with how many people still continue to choose to follow the Pope blindly while condemning the blind followers of a pastor at the same time.  If they really claim to belong to the true church, do they know what Jesus told Nicodemus?  They are always speaking ill of born again Christians but do they really realize the Bible says you must be born again? John 3:3-8 of the Good News Bible even says: Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again."  "How can a grown man be born again?" Nicodemus asked. "He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!"  "I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.   A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit.  Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again.  Th

Beware of Diluted Truth!

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There is a statement that a half-truth is far more deceitful and worse than an obvious lie.  Just as there are varying degrees of sin and varying degrees of punishment depending on the severity of sin then the same goes for any sin.  Although looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to breaking God's standard against adultery but the Old Testament only condemned to death the man and the woman committing the fleshly act of adultery.  Although wanting to murder someone is indeed breaking God's standard against murder but the only murder that is condemned to death is the very act of murder.  When it comes to bearing false witness it can go from a simple lie that a child tells his or her parent to avoid punishment, cheating on an exam to get a high score, lying to the authorities to avoid punishment and doing swindling jobs that while they do break God's standards against lying, not all of them required stoning in the Old Testament.  But remember, all of these will send peo

Taking Judge Not Out of Context

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When it comes to people who are warned about their sin and false religion, telling them they are on their way to Hell or that they are not as good as they think (and note, many wicked people think they are righteous), they always say, "Judge not or you will not be judged."  Let us take the whole statement into context and not out of context. The most common verse that gets taken out of context is Luke 6:37.  What did Jesus mean by judge not and you will not be judged?  It is about a judgmental attitude or being the final judge.  People are called to judge sinful actions and wrong doctrine but not as the final judge.  In John 7:24, Jesus said, "Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgment."  In short, you are not to judge unrighteous judgment but righteous judgment.  The kind of judgment that is forbidden is that when you judge wrongly.  You are only permitted to judge righteously. In further context, Matthew 7:1-2 is not the whole context eit

Abstinence From Meat is NOT Fasting

Considering it is Holy Week starting yesterday, I thought about the funny idea that some Roman Catholics are saying they are fasting.  But are they really fasting?  Here is what fasting is defined as to abstain from food.  On the other hand, abstinence means avoiding certain types of food.  To fast means to skip one meal.  On the other hand, not eating meat at all does not mean you skipped a meal. A good picture would be a vegetarian and seafood buffet.  There is really no meat in the vegetarian buffet but you cannot say you are fasting.  Let us think if during the first round you took some vegetables and grilled squid and you went a few more rounds because there were also serving of octopus, tofu and various types of fish dishes.  Even if you did not have a single portion of meat but it was not fasting.  It was merely abstinence from meat but it was not a fast. What is also so hypocritical is that many Roman Catholics even tend to be judgmental what people eat during Holy Week.  B

Dear Christian, You Are NOT Alone in Your Trials!

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In this world, it is very easy to get personal when you are persecuted.  The reality of the situation is that when a Christian is persecuted, the persecutor does not target just one person but many.  A false accuser is most likely never satisfied with just one person.  If one person he or she falsely accuses ignores him or her, then he or she will always find someone to heckle for their sinful pleasure.  When it comes to one's troubles it is very easy to think that the grass is greener on the other side. It is very easy to think you are the only one suffering in this world then you are dead wrong.   When it comes to the Christian suffering they are not alone.  While Jeremiah seemed alone but there was a faithful remnant.  God reminded Elijah that 7,000 people in the Northern Kingdom of Israel were still strong for Him.  In the New Testament, we read that persecution has been more against Christianity than the Christian.  Just because they got rid of Stephen did not mean they we