Happy Thanksgiving!
We’ll be away from the blog over the holiday weekend, but we’ll be back next week with some things that have been going on in the world and right here at home in the USA.
In the meantime, have a very happy Thanksgiving! May God bless you and your family!
Planned Parenthood Director Declares “It’s Life. It’s Alive!”
It’s life. It’s alive!
This was the declaration made by Abby Johnson, former Affiliate Director of a Texas Planned Parenthood, who decided that she could no longer be a part of that murderous industry after she witnessed the ultrasound of a baby being aborted and saw for herself that the unborn child was fighting for it’s life.
Check out this video clip from the Huckabee show on Fox News as she talks about her experience during the abortion:
If only more people would stop listening to the abortionist’s propaganda machine and listen to the truth, maybe we wouldn’t be murdering about a million babies each year in the U.S.
And there are options! Each year, thousands of couples adopt babies as their own and raise them in safe, loving homes.
I pray that churches would support their local crisis pregnancy centers, where scared pregnant women can hear about options for their baby that include adoption and life instead of simply murdering an unwanted child.
I pray that you would support them personally, too.
The Criminalization of Christianity
It’s nearly noon on any given weekday. You’re feeling hungry, so you head to your local diner and grab a booth in the back. It’s quiet, almost too quiet for a normally busy diner at lunchtime. You look around and realize you are alone in the diner except for a man in a suit behind the counter. You catch his eye and he immediately stands and walks over to you, introducing himself as the manager. He asks what you’d like to drink and if you are ready to order. Because you are watching your waistline as well as your wallet, you order a water and a $2.99 garden salad with low-fat dressing.
The manager scowls at you, then heads behind the counter to prepare your salad and drink. He returns with your food and a sour face, leaving the check as he walks away. You see him pick up the phone and dial a number while looking in your direction. He speaks for a moment then hangs up. A smug smile creeps across his face.
A few minutes later, two uniformed police officers enter the diner and walk directly to your table. They tell you to put the fork down and stand up. As you do, one of the officers grabs you roughly and slams you down on the table on top of your salad. They cuff you and lead you off as they read you your rights. You ask them what you are being charged with and they tell you that you are accused of a hate crime. The manager of the diner was offended that you would come in and only spend $3.17 on your lunch.
“Don’t you understand how much it costs to keep the lights on, to keep the diner climate controlled, to keep the food cold, to cook the food, and to pay the manager a decent salary,” they ask?
I say that’s crazy! Where’s your proof? We are still innocent until proven guilty in this country, aren’t we?
The officer said yes, but the proof is that the manager felt offended, and that constitutes a hate crime.
* * * * *
What crap, you say? That sort of thing could never happen in America, you say?
Well, think again.
Last Wednesday, President Obama signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation, a milestone that activists compared to the passage of 1960s civil rights legislation empowering African-Americans.
The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.
“No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love,” Obama said in an East Room reception, surrounded by joyous supporters. “No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are, or because they live with a disability.”
But does it violate first amendment freedom of speech liberties? Maybe.
Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley explained that it “provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe.”
“ADF has clearly seen the evidence of where ‘hate crimes’ legislation leads when it has been tried around the world: It paves the way for the criminalization of speech that is not deemed ‘politically correct,’” Stanley explained. “‘Hate crimes’ laws fly in the face of the underlying purpose of the First Amendment, which was designed specifically to protect unpopular speech.”
The ADF analysis said, “The emotion of hate is an unfortunate reality of the human experience. But it is not a crime unless accompanied by a criminal action – and even then it is the action that is within the police power of the government, not the emotion. The reality is that ‘hate’ crime laws are designed to punish people for what they think, feel, or believe. The crime itself that is committed is already punished under various federal and state criminal laws. The only thing added … is punishment for what a person thinks, feels, or believes. That intent is diametrically opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
But hate crimes legislation is here to stay, and only likely to get worse as time goes on. For now, there is a thin layer of protection for pastors and preachers who denounce homosexuality as a sin, but even that is likely to be removed in the near future.
What began as protecting a group of people from violence has become special rights for a special class of people who can “fight back” anytime they “feel” offended by a word, a look, or even a belief.
We are witnessing the beginning of the criminalization of Christianity.
“Even so, Lord Jesus, come soon!”
AntiChrist To Be Revealed October 23, 2009!
It’s true.
Antichrist is going to be revealed this Friday, October 23, 2009.
No, not that Antichrist. A different one; but one of the same spirit. A movie titled “Antichrist.”
Already dubbed “the most horrific movie ever seen” for explicit and pornographic sadomasochism, violence and occult content, the film “Antichrist” is not yet rated, but when it is, the rating it gets could determine whether or not it’s seen in your local theater – and there may be something you can do about it.
The Christian media ministry MovieGuide is inviting people concerned about the film’s gruesome and graphic content to join a petition of the Motion Picture Association of America to rate the movie NC-17, which would not only prevent children from viewing the film, but also dissuade many theaters from showing it.
“Coming to your local theater Oct. 23 is a movie that I can only call the most horrific movie ever seen,” writes Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission. “It’s called ‘Antichrist,’ and it’s filled with a wicked worldview, vile pornographic scenes, onscreen mutilation of private parts and some other material which I simply cannot describe to you in a family publication.”
“We cannot stop this movie,” he continues, “but we have a strategy which we believe will be the next best thing.”
MovieGuide’s petition explains three reasons why an NC-17 rating, rather than an R rating for the film, would limit the number of people – especially children – exposed to the movie:
- “An R rated movie easily makes its way to the cinema in your local neighborhood. Thankfully, many local cinemas still won’t show the movie if it’s NC-17.
- “An R-rated movie stands a chance to make more money than NC-17, and this will only encourage some producers in Hollywood to make more vile movies like this.
- “And most importantly, children under 17 cannot get into movies with an NC-17 rating, unlike R-rated movies, which admit them.”
The film “Antichrist” stars Willem Defoe, who also played the role of Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ,” a film blasted as blasphemous by many Christians.
According to MovieGuide’s review of the film, Defoe’s newest effort includes demonic activity, full nudity and graphic on-screen depictions of sex, sadomasochism, sexual mutilation with both a block of wood and a pair of scissors, child abuse, and violent animal acts.
“‘Antichrist’ is the wicked story of a married couple’s plunge into occult darkness as they try to grieve the loss of their son,” the review states. “This movie wallows in evil and contains extremely graphic pornographic sexual scenes, much occult content and extreme sadomasochistic violence, making it a movie to avoid.”
So come on everyone, let’s do our part!
Please take a moment to sign the petition and then send the link to this post to everyone you know so that we can stand united against this abomination of a film.
1 in 4 People Worldwide Is Muslim So Support A Christian Missionary
Missions!
Someone else’s job, right? Well, for the time being, we’re going to let you off the hook. Sort of. This article is not about personal evangelism (although we STRONGLY suggest you share you faith as a way of life.)
This is about missions. However, we aren’t about to suggest that you quit your job and move to Uganda and live in a thatched hut eating bugs and speaking through a series of clicks and whistles. (Actually, the official languages of Uganda are English and Swahili, but the clicks and whistles make for better imagery.)
According to CNN and a global report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, there are 1.57 billion Muslims in the world. Consider the following statistics taken directly from the CNN news report:
- India, a majority-Hindu country, has more Muslims than any country except for Indonesia and Pakistan, and more than twice as many as Egypt.
- China has more Muslims than Syria.
- Germany has more Muslims than Lebanon.
- And Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya put together.
- Nearly two out of three of the world’s Muslims are in Asia, stretching from Turkey to Indonesia.
- The Middle East and north Africa, which together are home to about one in five of the world’s Muslims, trail a very distant second.
Now consider that these Muslims are not simply being born to Muslim families. They are people from other countries and religions who are being proselytized by Muslims around the world. These Muslims believe they are carrying out the commands of their God and Mohammed in the Qur’an. And why shouldn’t they? There aren’t many Christians standing up and sharing the truth with the Muslims, or anyone else for that matter.
Don’t we serve the True and Living God? Don’t we serve Jesus Christ, who died but rose from the dead 3 days later? Didn’t He leave us with some sort of command or commission that we should use as a guide to living our lives? Go somewhere and do something?
Oh yes… I remember now…
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
The Muslims are doing for their false religion what Christians, who have the truth, fail to do every day!
We MUST fulfill the Great Commission! And we can, without leaving our house. (Remember, this isn’t about personal evangelism.)
Missions!
We can fulfill the Great Commission by sending and supporting missionaries who ARE called to the ends of the earth.
Bible News Today suggests partnering with Evangelism Explosion International to support missionaries who are actively sharing the Gospel around the world. Just go to the site and click on “Ways to Support.”
But no matter who you support, throw your support behind a missionary somewhere. Be faithful and consistent. Let them know that you care and pray for them.
We can’t wait. The Muslims aren’t waiting.
And we have the truth.
Denominational Division and the Church
We all see it. We all know it’s happening.
The church in America is dying. And it is dying because of a denominational separation caused by the debate thats raging about how to interpret certain passages in the Bible.
The church is on life-support and some who call themselves “christians” are trying to pull the plug.
I don’t say that lightly, but someone has to say it. Someone has to stand up in this debate and speak the truth! Churches and denominations are splitting and dividing Christianity right in front of us.
We’re not just talking trends either, like attendance being up during the school year and down during vacation season. We’re talking death. Actually, we’re talking suicide, because the church in America brought this on itself.
How, you may ask? Two ways.
First, by failing to maintain an absolute commitment to the written Scriptures. More specifically, failing to adhere to the original writing and context of the Bible. With prohibitions against ordaining women and homosexuals, directives such as marriage being between a man and a woman, and the terrible penalty and consequence of sin, the Word of God contains many aspects that do not fit into our “modern” culture. And since “modern” culture has permeated our “modern” churches across the United States, churches and denominations find themselves having to take a side in the debate on these and other topics.
But God’s Word has not changed.
We do not need a new translation that is gender-neutral, so that women can be ordained as elders in the church. God’s original requirement for men to serve as elders is as valid now as it was when Paul wrote the letter we refer to as 1 Timothy.
We do not need a new interpretation of the Bible that removes “hate language” directed at homosexuals. Even this passage is a passage of love:
1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (NASB) - 9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
This is not a call to hate. It is a call to love! We are to proclaim that no matter what sin or lifestyle a person is currently involved in, there is freedom in Jesus Christ. God is not excluding them from His kingdom. On the contrary, He has invited them to come by the forgiveness that is available through Jesus’s death and resurrection.
But they are not answering the call to leave their sin behind and be made clean. Instead, they are finding a sympathetic ear in churches today and are being invited to lead the churches as God’s representative, as if God would allow a homosexual to speak for Him.
The Scriptures are being changed to accommodate these sinful behaviors instead of the sinful behaviors being changed by the power of the Word of God.
This has led us to the second way that the church in America is dying, which is through the destruction of unity that we should share as brothers and sisters in Christ. If we cannot come together in Christ united behind God’s Word, what chance do we have to come together as we tear down the truth of the Bible and build a different “truth” based on poor interpretation and our own sinful desires?
Thank God that no matter how badly we mess up here on earth, He is faithful to us and will take the death of the church as we know it and resurrect something more beautiful, more pure, and more glorious. As a goldsmith separates the dross from the pure gold, so the Lord Jesus puts His church through the fires of testing to separate that which is pure and true from that which is worthless.
I pray that we are found to be precious in His sight!
Unexcused Absence
We apologize for the lack of posts this week. There were several things going on, including an out-of-state funeral, that needed our attention. We will be back next week with news and prophecy fulfillment happening right before our eyes!
Until then, have a great Lord’s Day and remember: if we are in the presence of God Almighty, worship can be our only response.
Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth!
Facebook Allows Deletion Of More Than 6 Million People!
The popular social network, Facebook, is now hosting Holocaust denial groups on its website. In May 2009 the website removed the explicit ban on content that is “harmful,” “defamatory,” “abusive,” “inflammatory,” “vulgar,” “obscene,” “fraudulent,” “invasive of privacy or publicity rights,” or “racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.” The move has opened the door for creating groups which deny the Holocaust and foster hate and abuse at the expense of the truth. This change comes in spite of the fact that the company continues to bill itself as “a safe place on the Internet.”
But however offensive, inflammatory and untrue this denial of Jewish history is, the question at hand is this: Do our First Amendment rights apply to this type of hate speech?
Yes. They have to, or our speech isn’t really free. The only exception is if that speech incites people to violence.
Of course if you are a Christian, you know the world loves to put limits on our speech. Anything to shut us up because as they like to point out, the First Amendment provides freedom from religion.
Except, of course, that the Constitution actually protects an individual’s right to freedom of religion; it does not provide freedom from religion. Likewise, it also provides freedom of speech, not freedom from speech as long as it doesn’t set off violence. As that great American icon Austin Powers said, “We have freedom and responsibility. It’s a very groovy time!”
So, does Facebook have the right to allow groups to promote their hate speech and extremist agenda on their social networking site? Of course they do, but with freedom comes responsibility.
They are free to allow hate speech if they choose. But they must also be prepared to take responsibility if their site is used to plan or commit violence against any individual or people group.
After all, it’s a very groovy time!
One Nation Under Allah
What would you do if you heard there were going to be 50,000 Muslims outside of the US Capitol? Would you be afraid? Would you avoid the area entirely? Would you pray for the peace and security of our nation? Would you expect another 9/11?
Well, you have 9 days to figure it out, because they are coming!
On Friday, September 25, 2009, 50,000 Muslims are expected to turn out at the US Capitol for the Jummah prayer, intending to bring Muslims together in Islamic unity. ”Our Time Has Come” exclaims their website!
But how? How did their time come in our Christian nation?
Paul warned us about it in Romans 1: 24-25:
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!
America was founded by Christians on Judeo-Christian ethics and principles, although these have been cast aside over the last 50 years to make room for the sexual revolution and freedom to worship America’s newest god, ourselves. God has been calling us to repentance for a long time, but our nation no longer acknowledges or even hears the voice of God.
However, the voice of the people is still heard by God. It was heard when this country elected to its highest office a man who has no respect for the Judeo-Christian values that this country was founded on. A man who may very well be a Muslim, and at the very least was brought up in an Islamic household with Islamic thoughts and ideas.
Here are some of the ways that our President led us to where we are today:
- President Obama signed an executive order striking down the policy that kept recipients of our foreign aid from promoting abortion in the medical facilities we were supporting in their countries.
- Democrats have repeatedly called for the repeal of DOMA, the Defense Of Marriage Act.
- President Obama has repeatedly nominated pro-abortion and LGBT rights activists to key government positions.
- President Obama has extended government employment benefits to same-sex partners of government employees.
- President Obama issued a White House proclamation declaring June 2009 as LGBT Pride month.
These are just a few examples of the leadership and change that President Obama has brought to our country. Change that includes blatantly denying our Christian heritage and stating that we are one of the largest Muslim nations in the world. President Obama may be to blame, but only partly, since he was elected by a majority vote of the people of this free republic.
We, as Christians, have to accept our part of the blame for that. We have not stood up for what we believe nor have we spent enough time, if any, in prayer for our nation and its leaders as we are instructed to do in the Bible. We also have not turned out to perform our civic duty and vote against leadership that is in violation of the principles of the Bible. By doing nothing, we have brought this upon ourselves and our children.
But still, it is not too late. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” We must turn to God and ask for forgiveness and healing for our country. God is still on His throne and is still in control of this nation. We tried to handle things on our own by pushing God out of America and in less than 50 years, we have gone to hell in a hand-basket.
For the sake of our children and our children’s children, we must pray for our nation and it’s leaders! The True and Living God can turn the heart of even President Obama back towards the Christian heritage of these United States of America
The Muslims are praying to their god.
We should be praying to the Incarnate God, Jesus Christ, for He is powerful and mighty to save! He can even save us from ourselves!
Homosexuality Causes “Mental Anguish”
Is anyone else surprised? I can honestly say I’m not.
For those who missed the news this week, Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Michigan, a homosexual, is suing a Bible publisher for the mental anguish he has received over the last 20 years. Fowler alleges that Biblical references to homosexuality as a sin made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of “demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.”
Really? Or could it be that the drug abuse, bad or forged checks, and manslaughter had something to do with it? You can check out his criminal record here.
But maybe not. His lawsuit claims that the difficulty in his life came when Tyndale Publishing made a change to its New Living Translation Holy Bible and the New Life Application Study Bible.
The change? Using the term “homosexuals” in the New Testament passage of 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 in place of:
- “nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind” from 1970
- “nor homosexuals, nor sodimites” from 1982
- “those who are male prostitutes, or men who have sexual relations with other men” from 2001
- “or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality” from BibleGateway today in 2009
Personally, I don’t see what the problem in this passage is. It is clear, direct and to the point. Those who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Period!
The book of Leviticus tells us that homosexuality is an abomination. The books of Romans and 1 Corinthians tell us that God has not changed His mind and that practicing homosexuality is still a sin.
By the way, it is practicing homosexuality that makes one a homosexual. A homosexual is not “born that way” and a homosexual does have a choice in how he or she lives their life.
We all have a choice between sin and righteousness. We all make that choice hundreds of times each day. Sin comes with a penalty and with consequences. The penalty for sin is death, separation from God. The consequences could be anything that happens as a result of our sinful behavior, including becoming an outcast from your family, physical discomfort, and even periods of “demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.”
But admitting your homosexual behavior is sin doesn’t get you $10 million dollars, so let’s just blame the publishing company instead.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to stand up against the homosexual agenda that is threatening to destroy our country and our religious freedom. We must not be pushed around by 3% of the population just because they get more media attention than Christians in this country.
And of course they get more media attention than we do. They get to wear those brightly colored clothes with the feathers and the diamond tiaras and thats just better television, or so “they” tell us.
It is my sincere prayer that Fowler would turn from his sinful ways and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, knowing that true regeneration leads to Godly repentance and sanctification, then to eternal life in heaven. It is also my sincere prayer that Christians unite around the Bible and its truth. It is not bigotry or hate to stand against homosexuality. We do not hate the homosexual. We do choose to live a life of faith that is made possible by the grace of God alone.
The grace of God is sufficient for the homosexual as well as for any other sinner, but God will not be mocked by having a sinner seek to accept the grace that saves while living a life of debauchery. The grace of God that saved me can save the homosexual as well. My sins are no better and no worse than anyone else’s. They were all paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross.
That is the beauty of the Gospel!
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