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Showing posts from August, 2017

The Christian Life's Command to Prove All Things

The Christian life has never been an easy one. There is the command to prove all things and to hold fast to which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The life of the Christian is never easy. In fact, we're told in Acts 14:22 that entering the Kingdom of God is through much tribulation. This isn't all about faith plus works formula but rather that the Christian life will never be easy. The Christian life is not mean to be easy as Matthew 7:13-14 warns that the way of life is narrow. The more the Christian enters into life the harder it becomes but the harder it becomes by faith in God alone can these difficulties can be overcome. Titus 2:11-14 says that God's grace gives strength to survive the Christian life. First, there's the command to prove all things by obeying what the Bible says. There is always the obedience of blessing and the curse of disobedience. Deuteronomy 11:26-27 says that there's a curse if you disobey and a blessing if you obey. However, this doesn

It's Tragic That Many People Who Are in Hell Right Now Have Been Witnessed To So Many Times

It's really one tragic truth that the Bible tells about Hell. The worse thing is how many people in Hell today have been warned about Hell before they died? I would believe plenty of them have heard the Gospel but they are in Hell. Plenty of them have been witnessed to but they have laughed it off. They thought that they were good enough. There are others chose to think they were too smart and enlightened to believe in Hell. One reason why I believe many people who are now in Hell have been witnessed to many times is that I have dead relatives who I assume are in Hell now have heard of the Gospel even before I was born. Think about how awful that must be to think that they were told about the Gospel and they are in Hell right now. Why do I believe many people who are in Hell now have been witnessed to so many times? It's all linked to this truth that the Gospel is being preached across the world. One of the signs before the Rapture is the preaching of the Gospel at a worldwid

Modernization is Not an Excuse to Dismiss Badly Needed Old-Fashioned Revivals

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I remembered reading through Jeremiah can be a chore because the events of that book continue to repeat itself. At the same time, reading through Jeremiah can be a comfort because the prophet chose to stand by God's command even if he momentarily stopped preaching (Jeremiah 20:5). One verse that is used to call for old fashioned revivals is Jeremiah 6:16 which says: Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. It's a problem you start calling for old-fashioned revivals and people will call you outdated or a neanderthal. While there's nothing wrong with modern technology but the problem is when people only care if something is modern. While modernization can be used to evangelize but it can also be used to spread the influence of sin. The same printing press that allowed the late Martin Luther to publish Bibles was a

When God Says No, He Means No

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When God says no He means no! Do you know why the world is in a mess right now? It's all because Adam and Eve couldn't follow one simple rule that was to never eat of the tree of the fruit of life. I'd like to imagine it that God may have even put an "Off Limits" sign on it. But Satan himself always finds a way to convince people to break the rules. Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evi

Politically Correct Parenting Raises Spoiled Brats

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Politically correct parenting is already the norm of parenting in this fallen world. What most parents don't see is that everyone needs a healthy dose of both Vitamin Yes and Vitamin No. But like anything beneficial in excess or in scarcity too many people have either too much or too little of Vitamin Yes and Vitamin No. While it's not okay to have an overdose of Vitamin No but what's so upsetting is that many people today take the opposite extreme. They aren't giving enough Vitamin No and are given too much Vitamin Yes. Either way both are overly misguided approaches in parenting. Is there anything wrong with giving the child what they want? It depends on what the child wants. If a child wants something that's going to honor God (ex. They want their own copy of the Bible that they can read for themselves) then the parent should say yes if what the child wants is God honoring. But if the child only wants to be like the secular children with all their nice stuff

Who Will You Believe: Pope Francis or the Bible?

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Here's a cartoon of how tragic the afterlife for Roman Catholics would be when they realize that they needed a real, personal relationship with Christ to enter into Heaven. As I grew up as a Roman Catholic I didn't really care about the Bible. I even hear some Roman Catholics are told to never read the Bible for themselves because not everyone should be allowed to read it. The priest often says that reading the Bible alone will confuse you so you need their extrabiblical doctrine. Worse, they are confusing Sola Scriptura with Solo Scriptura. Born again Christians have their tradition but it's dictated by the Bible as a guiding principle to one's lifestyle. It's not that they read only the Bible but rather they have the Bible as their only principle for Christian tradition. What is this personal relationship? As much as some pastors feel like the term personal Lord and Savior can be dangerous or "personal Savior" may suggest that Jesus is a genie than L

Drunk Driving is Dangerous to Society

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Consider this picture of a drunk driving incident. This is the car that the late Princess Diana Spencer, the late Dodi Al Fayed, and the late Henri Paul (the driver) were using before their tragic demise. What was also interesting to note is that their driver had high dosages of alcohol prior to this gruesome incident. I don't want to talk about the conspiracy side of things but the whole ugly picture that drunk driving kills. But even after this incident and many similar ones before it is that many people still do it even if the consequences are clear as day. The Bible warns that being a drunkard is one of the marks of an unsaved person: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  Those who ar

What Christians Can Learn From Joshua and Caleb's Confidence in Seizing the Promised Land

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Being a Christian means you can be stuck in a pickle. Today's lesson will be from Numbers 13-14 which talks about the twelve spies to the Land of Canaan. I think any Christian leader going into much trouble today may find this as both a source of vexation and encouragement at the same time. It's a source of vexation because there are so many people like the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness. It's a source of encouragement because it's a reminder that God is still in charge. The story of Numbers 13 talks about the spying. We see one member of each of the tribes that were given a political inheritance were there. We can see their names are as follows: Numbers 13:4-13 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Be

The Prosperity Gospel is an Enemy of Cheerful Giving

I remembered having a lecture on the prosperity gospel. One of the worst lies of the prosperity gospel is that giving money or the tithes and offerings to their pastors will turn you into a millionaire, God will spare them from trouble and that they can have the desires of their wicked heart. That's one of the worst heresies I've heard. On the contrary the more faithful you are to God the more you should expect enemy attacks. Some people I know are faithful in giving and their tithes and offerings yet they are not living as billionaires. The motive of giving in the prosperity gospel is to gain the false promise that God wants us happy, healthy and wealthy all the time. That's not cheerful giving isn't it? If you give money to God in exchange for material blessings then something is pretty wrong. It's a terrible misapplication of Malachi 3:9-10. Do they even know that the blessings where there isn't enough room to receive it isn't all about becoming a billi

Do We Forget the Church is Also an Army of Which Involves Repentant Sinners Whom God Has Declared as Righteous Saints?

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I agree that the Church is a hospital for sinners but it's for repentant sinners seeking to be freed from the power of sin. The problem today is that many forget that the Church is also a museum of righteous saints whose lives were changed by God's grace. What's even worse is that many also forget that the Church is also an army of whom God has declared righteous? It's a problem that today, some people are thinking of the Church only as a hospital. That kind of thinking is dangerous for the reason that it can shelter false converts because of false repentance. It's stupid to criticize the den of iniquity called the papacy if Evangelical churches themselves end up as a haven for sin. What's the use of criticizing the Pharisees of the Pope for their sinful behavior that's so hardly known by the public or hidden by poor deceived Roman Catholics if a pastor preaches that you can get saved and never change? What's the use of pointing out how many live sin

If That Preaching Doesn't Hurt Anyone With Biblical Truth Then That Preaching is Bogus

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It's very typical today to have seeker sensitive preaching. While I don't suggest people to be as cheesy and offensive as possible like some Christian ministries that tend to generalize certain religious people as criminals (ex. Roman Catholics, Muslims) instead of victims of false preaching but it's not good to be seeker sensitive either. The problem is that many times is that many foolish preachers today don't even preach the Bible as it is to people as they are in fear of not having enough people attending (and financing) their pulpits. The Bible is so offensive to many because the truth about sin and salvation is so real. The paradox is that getting saved could be the easiest thing but it could also be the hardest thing to do. What's so hard to believe about the Gospel? It's because a lot of the Gospel challenges our thinking. It's easier to believe you can be saved by your own good works than it is easy to believe that you can't save yourself. I