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Showing posts from April, 2016

The Timeless Message That Jesus Christ Is NOT an Accessory

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Many people today treat Jesus Christ as an add on to their sinful lifestyles rather than someone who is going to change their lifestyles.  Easy Christianity on the other hand either directly or indirectly preaches Jesus as an "accessory" instead of someone who comes into the hearts of men to clean it and purify them from unrighteousness.  It is not about adding Christ into your life but rather, without Christ you have no life.  The evidence is either in self-righteous behavior or sinful lifestyle to which both send people to Hell. What does it mean to be born again?  It means it is all about starting over.  When a person becomes a Christian, it is all about starting over and becoming an immature believer who will be guided by the loving hand of the Father.  It has never been about add Jesus and you can live the way you want.  That is a heresy that is sending a lot of people to Hell today with the same crowd of people who believe that they are saved by their works.  When a

Charles Spurgeon on Self-Esteem

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There is really the timeless truth in the Bible that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).  The problem of this "self-esteem" is that it really makes a person too proud of themselves.  I felt that problem when I started relying on what God has entrusted to me rather than fully relying on God.  It is just like how David and Solomon fell down when both men of God started to rely on themselves.  Remember that David's backsliding happened when he was already an established king and Solomon backslid severely in his older years. As wise King Solomon wrote his repentance of his horrible backsliding in Ecclesiastes, he declared in Ecclesiastes 2:15 saying, "Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity."  It is hard to believe that Solomon the great man who wrote Proverbs and the Song of Solomon would soon fall i

True Conversion Changes Your Life by God's Saving Grace

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I have been too sick and tired of people who love to repeat the lie, "A person can get saved and not have any change in life.  Some Christians will never go beyond their old nature.  If you teach that then you are adding works to salvation."  That is a bold-faced lie that cannot agree with the Scripture.  The heresy itself does nothing but misrepresent the grace of God as a license to sin (Jude 1:4).  It is not works salvation to teach that good works happen because of salvation because it does not teach that works helped contribute to salvation but rather salvation contributed to good works. James 2:14 warns that faith without works is dead and that faith cannot save.  One can say, "But we are saved by faith!"  Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it clear that you are saved by grace and not by works yet good works come as a result of grace.  Titus 2:11-14 shows that God's grace makes the unteachable to be teachable not by their own selves.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 shows a c

The Human Heart Is a Factory of Idols

John Calvin once said, "The human heart is a factory of idols."  The statement itself is not an invention by Calvin but it is a biblical truth that we must be afraid of.  Jeremiah 17:9 warns, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"  Mark 7:20-23 says, "And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man." To say that you must listen to your heart is a real deceit.  No, do not listen to your heart but listen to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.  The very human heart is a factory of idols to which we see that it is by a wicked heart that idol worship is conceived.  Romans 1:18-25 gives this warning about the human heart's evil sayi

We Do Not Go to Church to Play Tennis!

"I went to a church not along ago--they have thirty acres. So what are their plans with it?  They want their own football field and tennis courts.  Dear God, do we go to church to learn to play tennis?  God help the preachers!" ~ Leonard Ravenhill 1907-1994 A quote above by Leonard Ravenhill should really ring true.  Now I do not have anything against churches that promote sports as part of its activities but to prioritize sports or any extracurricular activities over worship in church is a very act of idolatry.  The purpose of going to church and fellowship with the pastor.  Having tennis and other sports activities are considered secondary priorities.  It is okay for the pastor to have a tennis coach in their church teach tennis to the players but it is not the top responsibility of the local New Testament church. The pastor is also a teacher as it is his responsibility to both teach and preach the Word of God.  Going to a Sunday service is not only worship but also l

How Often Do Many Churches Preach, "God Is Angry at the Wicked Every Day"?

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One of the many reasons why I have boycotted many churches and marked them as heretical because not only because of works salvation, teaching grace is a license to sin, accepting false converts but also when they do not preach against sin or hardly do it.  I really would dare to think what John MacArthur said in the Ligonier Conference saying, "God is angry with the wicked every day.  Try that sign in front of your church!" It is really needed for sinners to realize the sad truth that God is angry with the wicked daily.  He is holy and righteous while men are sinners who only deserve Hell.  If you are going to start preaching against sin and emphasize repentance of sin and turning to God then expect the world to hate you because they hate that message.  Many people tend to have the tendency to either want salvation without sanctification or salvation earned or maintained by works or just any unbiblical doctrine that appeals to their fleshly nature.  As long as it appeals

We're Encouraging Believers To Stand Firm

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Even if the Christian does not live like the rest of the world but it does not mean that they are sinlessly perfect. No Christian can say that they are already 100% free from sin because they are still in the process of sanctification. If Christians today were 100% sinless then Titus 2:11-14 would be useless because the grace of God is a teaching program for holy living not an instantaneous recipe for 100% sinlessness. So while Christians cannot live like devils but they are not yet completely free from sin until glorification. There are times that Christians can cower when they rely too much on themselves. The parable of the sower shows that not every Christian has the same degree of fruit bearing. Some bear more and some bear less. When Christians start to bear less than bear more then it can be assumed that the person still has immaturity issues to deal with. When God talks people into Christianity it is the whole package. It does not only mean you no longer live wickedly but it

Satan's Effort to Infiltrate with the Use of Watered Down Preaching

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There are many obvious deceptions to the Christian like pseudo-Christian groups that visibly show their cult mentality, taking Scriptures out of context, they have religious practices not in the Bible but other deception can be more subtle than ever.  While I could tell that a Mormon missionary or a Roman Catholic priest is not a brother-in-Christ but there are some groups that claim to be either Baptist, Protestant or Evangelical but they are having "Easy Christianity" instead of Biblical Christianity. The deception can be subtle but you can really see how preaching against sin has been watered down, you can see prosperity preaching which makes Heaven less appealing, you can see Hellfire preaching lowered down which in turn does not address Hell as really horrific beyond words and they water down the Gospel making it less urgent when that church refuses to go soulwinning.  These churches might be best described as "Sunday social halls".  You might have "Yo

So You Are Not Afraid of God, Atheist?

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Some atheists can say, "I am not afraid of God." for whatever reasons they have.  What I am afraid of is that they are going to eat those words one day.  When people die without Christ then they are headed towards Hell.  Jesus already warned in John 5:22-24 says, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.  He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Contrary to what some people think, Hell is not merely separation from God but instead, Revelation 14:9-11 says, "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink

Reminder: Do You Reflect on the Bible While Reading the Bible?

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It is very easy to brag about one's ability to speed read but many times the retention rate will be good as zero.  The Bible is not just an ordinary book but it is a collection of 66 books where he have 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.  Nobody can say, "Reading the Bible is a piece of cake." considering that there are some difficult passages that you need to chew on properly with the help of the Holy Spirit.  I feel whenever I just read the Bible for the sake of reading it, I really feel malnourished compared to when I read the Bible and reflect upon it.  When I read the Bible and reflect upon it then I feel more confident in the wisdom God provides me about the Bible.  I cannot brag how much I know about the Bible because it is God who provides that knowledge. The Bible's command in Joshua 1:8 says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do accord

God Makes Christians Better Through Suffering

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If you are going to stand up for Christ then expect only persecution, persecution and more persecution.  2 Timothy 3:12 warns, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."  Because Christians are destined to live godly then it is really only expected that they are destined to suffer persecution.  Do not ever believe the lie that if  you do what is right you will never get into trouble.  Doing right may mean you do not get in trouble with God but it there is a high guarantee you get in trouble with the world.  God may be pleased with the Christian for opposing legalization of certain sins but the world will definitely not like that person.  If you are going to stand up for Christ then you might as well expect to go home to be with your Heavenly Father. The illustration of suffering making the Christian better is in John 15:1-8.  The Christians are the fruitful branches while the false converts are the branches that are cast into the fire.  

A Righteous Identity Brings Righteous Behavior

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It's foolish to take Romans 4:5 out of context and say that it proves that Christians can be saved and still live like the world.  While there's blessed comfort in eternal security but that's not the whole point of eternal security.  Many times, people say they've been "imputed with righteousness" so they can sin all they want or that Christians can go ahead, be saved but never result in any change.  Such a teaching is severely misguided and a lie from the pits of Hell.  In Romans 3:31, we read that Paul says that faith doesn't make the Law void but rather it establishes the Law. When a person is saved, there's going to be a change.  Before salvation, these men were brought before a holy and righteous God.  They realize that they're miserable, lost sinners and they're fed up with sin but they can't save themselves.  They see they're unholy and God is holy.  They see they're unrighteous and God is righteous.  They see they deserv

Charles Spurgeon on People Thinking Lightly of Sin

"Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Saviour.  He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honour of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed." ~ Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892 It is a very common practice to say, "Well what was my sin anyway?  It was just a little sin." or "Sin is just a fantasy word cooked up by people."  Do they even know how severe sin really is that it caused God His only begotten Son?  Isaiah 53 gives us a bloody view of the Savior's sacrifice for sin so man can be saved.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says that Jesus who knew no sin became the sin sacrifice for man.  You cannot deny how sin is not to be taken lightly. Like it or not, all sin is sin and all sin breaks the standard of the Law sending sinful man to their condemnation and Hell (James

Unsaved People Want Anything but God's Remedy for Sin to Relieve Them of Their Guilty Conscience

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Do you know why lost people get involved in a lot of stuff but read the Bible when they have a guilty conscience?  It is because the Bible exposes their sin while they think that the sinful pleasures of the world will forever silence their guilty conscience.  It can be observed how wretched, unsaved sinners would do whatever sinful or anything else but God to silence their guilty conscience.  John 3:19-20 addresses the sad truth that men love darkness rather than light.  It is because they love their sin and they want to continue sinning.   The more I think about how drugs, therapy and entertainment are used it is because of man's fallen short of the glory of God.  People do drugs trying to forget about their problem.  It is not only limited to smoking weed or taking meth but it is also when people get addicted to anti-depressants.  I have nothing against therapy because it is part of medical science but people tend to rely too much on technology than read the Bible when they

Reminder: Never Let Homosexuals Use the Restroom That's Not For Their Biological Genders

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When I just said, "Don't let homosexuals use the wrong restroom!" it means this.  Male homosexuals should use the male restroom and female homosexuals should use the female restroom!  A male homosexual may go ahead and insist they're female and a female homosexual may go ahead and insist they're male.  They can go ahead and have a transgender operation all they want but one thing's certain.  There's really no sex change as the DNA remains the same.  A man is a man and a woman is a woman. You want to know the ONLY time a woman can use a man's restroom and a man can use a woman's restroom?  It's not when they get a "sex change" but only when the other restroom is out of order.  But if both restrooms are in order then they must use the restrooms assigned for their biological genders. See also: Answering Some Challenging (and Common) Questions From Homosexual Communities  Some TERRIBLE Facts About Sex Change Homosexuals Need to Kn

The Subtle Deception of Mary Worship Examined

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I have noticed that Mary Worship is indeed a subtle deception towards those who practice it or those who don't know much about it. I was thinking about how some Roman Catholics may protest and say they don't pray to Mary or some say they do pray to Mary and not to Semiramis, Ishtar or any pagan goddess. Now I agree that Roman Catholics don't pray to Semiramis, Ishtar or any goddess that was called the "Queen of Heaven" but praying to Mary or any honored Christian is still a very act of idolatry nonetheless. Some have even gone as far as to say they don't even worship her. While it's true kneeling isn't necessarily worship but there's more than kneeling. Praying itself is inseparable from worship. Roman Catholics might be right to a certain extent they don't worship the incumbent Pope since none of them pray to any incumbent Pope but they've been worshiping some dead Popes that were either beatified or canonized by previous Popes or the in

Learn More About Calvinism or Reformed Theology from John Calvin Himself

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Some preachers have shifted to Reformed Theology from non-Calvinist view.  It really is a huge leap just like how preacher George Muller shifted from non-Calvinism to Calvinism as revealed in John F. MacArthur's book "Slave".  Now people can go ahead and have this "Calvinism crash course" and maybe they are going to the bookstores where they start searching for books by John F. MacArthur, Paul David Washer, John Piper, Robert Charles Sproul, Ray Comfort and they start digging into the books like drinking from a fire hose. I really have enjoyed reading the books of some of the preachers above and currently, I read more of MacArthur's books as I shifted to a more Reformed view of theology.  It does however become really weird if somebody is doing some Calvinistic studies with MacArthur, Washer, Piper, Sproul and Comfort or you might add John Bunyan, Charles H. Spurgeon, John Gill, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards but have you missed John Calvin's

The Incredible Irony of Godless Science's Effect to the Environment

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Science is a gift from God to man but man has chosen to only accept science but reject God's standards. The problem of godless science is that seeks to divorce creation from its Creator as Romans 1:18-25 mentions the sad fact that people know God exists but they choose to reject Him and they become foolish. It is evident with how godless science is not proceeding with "unlimited human progress" but is instead destroying God's creation. Sinful humanity is bringing every judgment they can to themselves imaginable which includes their wanton destruction of nature. It is really something to fund billions of dollars looking for life on other planets when scientifically speaking the Earth is the only planet where life can live. They end up going from planet to planet searching for life in dead planets while trillions of dollars are used to kill life. One can ask how is that possible? You have people spending billions of dollars with space research hoping to find life in

Must Read: John F. MacArthur's "Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus"

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After reading the book "Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus", it's very hard to find somebody who'd really give a real hard preaching. Way back in the past, the first edition had a typographical error that made it look like it taught works salvation. Fortunately there was the revised manuscript that is present in today's copy. Having been left out of the blue of the revised manuscript and the mistake done by the editors made me think MacArthur taught "works salvation" and mistook Lordship Salvation for what it wasn't. It's time to really tackle on the reality of the whole idea of what it means to be "Hard to Believe". One of the worst heresies creeping in the Evangelical circles today is a perverted view of eternal security. While salvation can't be lost but there's a warning that there are many who claim to be saved aren't saved. After reading Arthur W. Pink's classic "Eternal S

Jonathan Edwards on the Boldness to Stand For Jesus

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It is only normal for Christians to have a lack of boldness so it is God by His grace that provides the boldness.  Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."  Since Christians have been given the righteousness of Christ the Lion of Judah then there is that boldness that comes along with that imputed righteousness.  While Christians do have their fears so they must need to really pray to God for that boldness to proclaim the Gospel. What causes the Christians to be so bold?  It is not themselves but the righteousness they have in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Apart from Christ, Christians have no power against sin on their own nor do they have that power to overcome their fears.  That was an important lesson Peter learned when he denied the Lord Jesus Christ thrice during the night of the arrest.  He was afraid apart from the grace of God but after he learned to stand by God's grace, he was given that boldness to proclai

The Sad Truth About Bibles, Schools and Prison Houses

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The more I hear that the Bible is not allowed in school then all I can say is wonder no more why the prisons are getting more and more full each day.  Society today is getting more and more into trouble because it calls God and His laws as "unjust" and "outdated".  We have Bibles considered as just "another book of fables" when it is not.  We have people who say, "We do not want your Bibles near our schools.  We are not a prison house.  Keep them occupied in jail with your book of fables." There was really a huge difference back then when Bibles were encouraged in schools because crime rates were reduced.  It was not until later on that Bibles are not allowed in public schools that we see a huge increase in crime rate.  Without the Bible to teach people about right and wrong then they really think that sin can be taken lightly.  With people ignorant about the Word of God and encouraged with a worldly culture where sex outside marriage, booze, n

Reminder: We Need More Hell Fire Preaching!

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The great Protestant preacher Leonard Ravenhill said, "If we had more Hellfire preaching int he pulpit then we would have less Hell bound people in the pew."  The problem is many churches today are seeker-friendly, the pastor is not really a man of God and many churches today may feel Protestant, Evangelical or Born Again Christian but they are not.  Many are Protestants but not Protestant Christians.  Some are just Baptists but not Baptist Christian.  Anybody can go ahead and just jump from one denomination after the other but they were never truly born again.  Many can go ahead and claim they belong to such "Christian" circles but the pastor is a quack who hardly mentions abotu Hell and Hellfire preaching is really necessary because as said, how can people know they are sinners and how can they know they need salvation if they don't know they're headed for Hell?  People need a real sermon about Hell and its unspeakable horrors towards lost sinners.  It&#

Alcohol is a Very Effective Dissolving Agent

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Chemistry shows alcohol is an effective dissolving agent. I have discovered how alcoholism is really bad for the health. It dissolves your good cells creating bad cells, it dissolves your teeth and bones and in short it is a dissolving agent. That is just the surface with how alcoholism dissolves the teeth, bones and good cells. It is more than a chemical dissolving agent but it is also a spiritual dissolving agent as it dissolves families, marriages, friendships, jobs, bank accounts and neurons but never problems. The idea that getting drunk harms no one or no one but the drinker is a lie straight from the pits of Hell. Families are torn apart because somebody is a drunkard in the family. An abusive husband who beats his wife up has a high chance of being an alcoholic. An irresponsible mother who neglects her children or flirts with other men may have the high chance of being an alcoholic. Deuteronomy 21:19-21 even has drunken apostate sons to be stoned to protect others and to se

Life Is Very Difficult for Born Again Christian Witnesses in the Midst of Hungry Wolves and Stubborn Sheep

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This is expected that the man of God should suffer rejection from stubborn sheep. The illustration above of the wolf, the sheep and the preacher is really very true until today.  Whenever I read through Jeremiah, I really tell myself that there's nothing new anymore and if I'm getting unjustly kicked out for preaching God's Word than when I deserve it like because I wasn't acting accordingly to God's rules, then it's expected to happen. The picture used shows three symbols that may be seen this way: The man warning the sheep is any born again Christian witnessing to the lost.  It can be the pastor of God or anybody who is a concerned Christian. The sheep are members of false religion who don't realize they're lost or love being lost. The wolf can either be the false religion, the minister of false religion or Satan himself waiting to devour the flock of stubborn sheep. Many people today are too comfortable with their false religion without

Christianity and Islam as Religions Born in Blood

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The great difference is whose blood was shed for its expansion.  Let's take a look at the differences between Christianity and Islam. Christianity was born in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed on the cross for the sins of mankind.  Later followers of Christianity ended up choosing their blood be shed for their faith as proof of genuine conversion.  The more Christianity was persecuted in cold blood, the more Christianity grew instead.  It has never been a religion that called for the shedding of blood but rather shed your blood if you have to in order to win others to Jesus. Islam has the very opposite.  They teach that it's blasphemy to believe that Jesus died for the sins for sinful humanity, that people are on their own and some Muslims even believe to appease their false god Allah, they must shed their blood.  Islam expanded by bloody conquests and persecution of those who refuse to submit.  This is very different than what Christianity teaches about l

Where Do You Spend More Time: Your Cell Phone Or Your Bible?

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It is a problem in today's tech-savvy world that people really get too occupied with their cellphones as they have become part of everyday life.  The pastor wants to call for a meeting he does not need to pay a messenger to send it to everybody's house saying, "We are having a prayer meeting."  Instead, the pastor texts his message or details on the cellphone then sends them to some church members, he can remind them of the upcoming prayer meeting.  Great Reformed theology preachers like Charles H. Spurgeon did not have that privilege of doing so and yet they succeeded. Do you spend time more with your cellphone or reading your Bible?  While it is important to check out for messages because they might be important stuff like emergencies but how about the Bible?  It is stupid to complain that you do not receive text messages if your cellphone is turned off.  How much more is it foolish to complain you do not get messages from God and you are not reading your Bible.

Are You Rejecting Christ Because of Something Temporal and Worldly?

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Mark 8:36 says, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"  It is a question to ask people why are they are still not saved even after they have heard the Gospel.  One of the many reasons would be their worldly concerns prevented them from getting saved.  In the parable of the sower, the seeds that fell on the thorny ground represented people with worldly concerns.  The result was that such people who were pursuing after the lust of the flesh and their worldly ambitions that they did not get saved because they refuse to be saved.  For the last time, the parable of the sower is not about four different kinds of Christians but three are false converts and only one became a true convert. Many people today are like the rich young ruler where they think nothing is wrong with them while they are caught in worldliness.  It is because while salvation is not by works but it can cost you a lot after you get saved.  Sometimes, some peo