Free from the Yoke of Slavery
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Posted:Nov 22, 2011 3:54 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2024 3:53 pm 3079 Views
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FREE FROM THE YOKE OF SLAVERY
By: Bob George
Under the law we become hypocrites. The word comes from the Greek theatre. A hypocrite is not an imperfect person; a hypocrite is an actor, a pretender. What made the Pharisees hypocrites was not their faults: It was their pretense that they were righteous. It was teaching one thing and doing another. But that is what law will always produce: people who are always hiding their real selves, always acting, always pretending, and never being real.
But what happens when we are set free by grace? One of the most common testimonies I hear is, "For the first time in my life, I am free to just be myself! I'm free to be me."
The ultimate consequence of living under law is outright rebellion when you give up because of the hopelessness of ever making it.
Time and time again, I have seen these people who have been branded as "rebels against God" or "back-slidden Christians" come out of their chairs in excitement and joy as they learn for the first time about the incredible grace, love and acceptance of God in Jesus Christ.
In all my years as a Christian, I have never heard anyone say, "I've had it! I am sick to death of the love and grace of God. I'm sick of other Christians loving and accepting me. I'm giving up this Christian life." No I've never heard that. But I couldn't count the number of Christians I've known who have given up because of being under law, who have been broken by the crushing burden of trying to be good enough to earn God's acceptance, who have been mangled by the competition, the judging, and the demands to conform to some group's standards. "We'll accept you if you look like, walk like, talk like, and act like us." And the implication is always, "And God will, too." So what are we to do?
Jesus Christ came to free us from the burden of the law by calling us to a life united with His. We are beloved, accepted of God, who have been called to His "banquet table" to experience Jesus Christ living in and through us every day. Abundant life is not "pie-in-the-sky" or nebulous theory. It is real, and it is ours for the taking if we will only believe. Let's not settle for anything less.
From: Classic Christianity. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. ©1989.
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Love and accepted
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Posted:Nov 22, 2011 3:49 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2024 3:53 pm 3039 Views
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By: Bob George
"If you are a true Christian, then you are as righteous and acceptable in the sight of God as Jesus Christ!"
What's your reaction? If you are shocked..., then it may be that you just don't know who you are in Christ. It may be that you know a great deal of doctrine, but your daily Christian life is still more a burden than a blessing. You may have tried and tried to change your life without success, in spite of all the seminars, books, and tapes you have searched. Whatever your situation, I have great news to share with you.
Most Christians, I find, understand the general idea behind forgiveness: God took our sins and gave them to Jesus. But that's only half the message! God also took Christ's perfect righteousness and gave it to us! Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." How could I stand up and declare that in the sight of God I am as righteous and acceptable as Jesus Christ? Because of what I do? No way! It's because of who I am in Christ.
The Bible goes to great lengths to declare that righteousness is a free gift that a man receives by faith.
"For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)
Righteousness (a right standing of total acceptability before God) is a gift. You don't work for it. You don't earn it. You don't deserve it. Like any gift, all you can do is accept it or reject it. And once you have it, it's yours.
Galatians 3:27 says, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Because we are in Him we are totally acceptable to God!
Now realize that I am talking about ourselves being acceptable to God, not necessarily our actions. In my identity I am eternally acceptable to Him, but that doesn't mean that everything I do is all right. He may put His arm around me, so to speak, and show me the truth about something in my life that is out of line: an attitude, action, or habit. Why? So He can change my attitude that is out of line, resulting in a change of action. But at no time is His acceptance of me ever in question.
From: Classic Christianity. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. ©1989.
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Christian Universalism??!!??
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Posted:Nov 22, 2011 3:38 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2024 3:53 pm 3015 Views
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"Christian Universalism" is the position that all of mankind will ultimately be saved through Jesus whether or not faith is professed in him in this life.
It claims that God's qualities of love, sovereignty, justice, etc., require that all people be saved and that eternal punishment is a false doctrine. Salvation is not from hell, but from sin.
There are two main camps in Christian Universalism:
Those who teach that the unrepentant will be punished in a future state, and that their punishment will be proportional to the degree of sin committed in the mortal state. They generally hold that the punishment is moral and not physical. There is no hell. They do not maintain that salvation is merited through these sufferings.
Those who teach that all the punishment for sin occurs in this life and that God's discipline in our lives is for the purpose of purifying us, though this purification is not our merit for salvation. In eternity, there will be a loss of reward for those who did not trust in Christ in this lifetime.
Christian Universalists claim to hold many of the tenets of historic Christianity:
Trinity, deity of Christ, deity of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace, etc. As always, it is necessary to inquire and ask what is meant by the terms they use because the diversity that exists in universalist beliefs warrants further examination. Nevertheless, the Christian universalists claim to affirm:
The inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.
From what I have seen here, they hold to the orthodox position.
There is only one God.
From what I have encountered, most universalists who claim the title "Christian universalists" do not accept the standard doctrine of the Trinity, but lean more towards either Arianism (God is one person, Jesus is created) to modalism (God takes different forms in history). This is, of course, heretical.
Jesus is the of the Living God
Many cult groups say the same thing. What they mean by the phrase is what is important. The Christian Universalists tend to say the is a manifestation, an image, a representation of God's essence, yet he is not equal to the Father. Therefore, they are denying His true deity. But, not all who claim to be Christian Universalists deny this.
Some hold that Jesus is not God but that He is divine. This is perplexing since divinity is a quality of God, not angels or men.
Jesus' Resurrection
Most Christian Universalists affirm the physical resurrection of Jesus. But, some claim he did not rise from the dead physically, but was assumed into heaven to dwell with God. "The Crucified is living forever with God, as our hope. Resurrection does not mean either a return to life in space and time or a continuation of life in space and time but the assumption into that incomprehensible and comprehensive last and first reality which we call God."1
If, by the above quote, the physical resurrection of Jesus is denied, as it seems it is, then anyone who holds to that position is indeed a non-Christian since it denies one of the essential doctrines of Christianity.
The Holy Spirit is God's presence
There is a surprisingly common denial of the personhood of the Holy Spirit. (Personhood is self-awareness, a will, the ability to speak, etc.). This is a serious error on the part of those who hold to it. But to be fair, many universalists affirm the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Godhead.
There is no salvation without accepting Jesus as Savior
This statement is problematic for two reasons:
Since, to many universalists, Jesus is not truly God by nature, they have an improper object of faith (denying the Trinitarian nature of God and the deity of Christ). Their faith, then, is useless since they have violated the command to worship no other God (Exodus 20) and are worshiping a false god. The Jesus they believe in, is not the real one. This means they are definitely not Christian.
There is a second chance theology at work here where people who have rejected Jesus in this life can come to faith in the next life, even though he has flatly rejected Jesus' sacrificial atonement.
Some Universalists believe...
in consciousness after death, others do not.
in limited punishment of sinners in a type of hell that is not of fire, but of some moral chastising.
that punishment in the afterlife was for a limited period during which the soul was purified and prepared for eternity in the presence of God.
Conclusion
"Christian Universalism" really isn't Christian and it is meshed with many other unorthodox and erroneous teachings. This belief system should be avoided.
~Matt Slick
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the box inside the box
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Posted:Nov 21, 2011 5:54 am
Last Updated:Nov 24, 2011 10:37 am 3516 Views
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In life, we all have our concepts of what life is all about. We also seem to compartmentalize everything so in our ways we can make sense of things. Its just what most of us do. If we look over here at our Spiritual, we have a list in our head of how we view and believe. In Politics, the same. How we think of family, friends, relationships. We all have concepts. Some of them based on experience, some on rearing. But we usually come to some conclusion.
The word states that the Christian is of the world but not in it. Meaning that we are physically here, but our reality is to be found in God's Spiritual Kingdom here on earth that is entered into by receiving Jesus Christ as savior. This kind of reminds me of the person that finally gets somewhere, and asks, I am here now...what do I do.
Christianity is supposed to be a living, life giving experience that is led by the Holy Spirit.When we look at what Jesus did, he abided in the father.Then when we look at Paul, he abided in Jesus. This meant that the Father lived through the human nature of Jesus, and that Jesus lived through the humanity named Paul.
Its interesting. Somewhere a long the line, Christianity goes from being abiding, to emulation in many peoples lives. In doing this, (and we have all done it) it goes from being empowered by God to doing things in our own strength. What happens when we carry the burden as opposed to giving the burdens to him? We experience burnout in life. You might be thinking, so that is what causes it! Well it is a good portion of it and it makes sense.
I could take you through the old testament and new testament and show you case after case of human failure when they were trying to do it in their own strength. Samson? David? Moses to name a few. In the end they decided to let God be God and the situations changed as well as the circumstances. Peter screwed up so much that Jesus once called him Satan. That's pretty embarrassing isn't it? I do not think too many of us wish to have a Damascus road experience and be humbled the way Saul was. But it was all part of their journey. We all have a journey.
I have been a part of a fellowship that witnessed God do mighty things in another fellowship So our Pastor decided to do things just as the other leaders in this other fellowship did in attain their blessings. What is that "clang" I heard? Its the loud gong of failure. That is what happened to us because God is not the God of tons of pat answers. The only answer is Jesus, and the things God does are things of the spirit. Just as God deals in nurturing each of us in his own way that best deals with our individuality, he also deals with the growth of fellowships differently because the dynamics are different in each group.
In man-woman relationships, the dynamics are always different because each person brings something entirely different to the relationship. Yes many basics hold true, but at the same time the rough edges of the relationship is different. We in time find this out, but God of course already knows it. That is precisely why what happened there because God initiated it and they were obedient ; will probably be a loud clunk as it fails in other places because God did not initiate it. Man did.
One of my favorite scriptures says, It is not by might, not by power; but by my spirit says the Lord. So if it is not happening by his Spirit, it is us doing it and we have all been there and been disappointed and burnt out. That seems to go on until something inspires us and we get back on the wagon again full speed ahead.
But when we abide, start each day with, Jesus! Live through me, then its all good and works well. Our lives are so much better in allowing God to live through us. We can kind of step back and see him doing amazing things through us and it all makes sense. To him needs to be all glory. It is not us, it is just us being obedient and getting out of the way.It is so easy to get caught up in performing, but he doesn't ask us to perform, he asks us to abide.Big difference. There is life found in abiding, and there is burn out found in performance.
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Beware of the Universalists Here
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Posted:Nov 17, 2011 3:01 am
Last Updated:Nov 22, 2011 3:57 am 3703 Views
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Years ago there were some people spreading some really bad false doctrine here. Well they are back. Here is an article on Universalism so you can understand what you are up against. Personally, I have nothing against Neets and Schofield, but this is what will be drug into the arena and we need to be aware.
Universalism
Universalism is the teaching that all people will be saved. Some say that it is through the atonement of Jesus that all will ultimately be reconciled to God. Others just say that all will go to heaven sooner or later, whether or not they have trusted in or rejected Jesus as savior during their lifetime. This universal redemption will be realized in the future where God will bring all people to repentance. This repentance can happen while a person lives or after he has died and lived again in the millennium (as some "Christian universalists" claim) or some future state. Additionally, a few universalists even maintain that Satan and all demons will likewise be reconciled to God.
Nevertheless, both facets of universalistic belief are in serious error. People will suffer eternal damnation (Rev. 14:11) and the demonic forces have no redeemer. But, in my opinion, though universalism is a grave error, holding to the idea that all will be saved in itself does not automatically make someone a non-Christian. Please see Can a Christian be a Universalist?
However, there are those within the universalist camp (who claim to be Christian) who also deny the doctrine of the Trinity and, thereby, the incarnation of the Word of God as God the . They also deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. Usually, these denials are held by Unitarian Universalists, though others who are not of the Universalist camp also deny the Trinity. Those who deny these essentials cannot be classified as Christians.
To deny the deity of Christ, is to deny one of the essential doctrines of salvation. In this sense, those universalists who deny the deity of Christ are in a false religious belief system. Of course, when one essential doctrine is denied, many other historic biblical doctrines are also denied and salvation is void because the object of faith is false.
There is no official "Universal Salvation Church" denomination but there is a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The UUA can be classified as non-Christian because it denies the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, etc.
It is not possible to categorize all of universalists into one tidy doctrinal category. Its adherents vary in belief. Some are Arian (God is one person, Jesus is a creation). Some are Trinitarian. Others even lean toward new age concepts of man's divinity.
So, universalism is not really a doctrine that identifies a group. Rather, it is a doctrine of different, even contradictory groups, who all claim universalism.
The problem with words
The cults are particularly guilty of using biblical words with non-biblical definitions. This is absolutely necessary among them in order to maintain some sort of internal consistency of theology. So too, with many universalists. Hell can mean non-existence, after-life consciousness, or this present life on earth. Some universalists believe that all punishment is accomplished here on earth, while others believe it is future event with a loss of rewards, and not a physical punishment. The punishment in both groups is corrective and limited. It will last only as long, and only be as severe, as it takes to accomplish its corrective purpose, which is to bring all mankind to a state of holiness and happiness in obedience to God. Of course, the problem with this is that it strongly suggests that a person is made worthy to be with God through his own sufferings and corrections in the afterlife.
In universalism, the word "eternal" means "without end" when it comes to salvation, but not when referring to damnation, even though the same word is used for both and in the same context (Matt. 25:46). Universalists divide history and the future into different "eons" or "ages" and assert that punishment is "age-lasting," not eternal. The term " of God" is claimed by all groups as an accurate description of Jesus, yet to some it means a created being and to others it means God in flesh. Therefore, determining which belief is held by which universalist is often difficult and it requires digging.
Misrepresentation
Universalists often use the most negative terms to represent historic positions they disagree with. For example, regarding the damnation of the unsaved, instead of saying that historic Christianity teaches that those who reject Christ will suffer eternal damnation, they frequently say that historic Christianity teaches that "God can't save everyone and wants to torture most of humanity forever." Or, it is often implied that God will not torture people forever because "God is not sadistic enough to send people to hell." Such emotionally slanted words reveal a hostile bias against historic doctrines and is an unfair description of those beliefs. It is a surprisingly common tactic among universalists which demonstrates their lack of objectivity and sheds an automatic cloud of doubt upon their observations.
Conclusion
As you can see, universalism covers a wide range of beliefs. Though belief in universalism, in and of itself, does not automatically void salvation, it has the potential danger of allowing false teachers to abide alongside true believers as well as deny basic Christian teaching such as eternal damnation. Therefore, to determine if a universalist is Christian, you must delve further into other areas of his belief system.
by Matt Slick
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Scofield, Here is why Jehovahs Witnesses are not Christian
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Posted:Nov 17, 2011 2:56 am
Last Updated:Nov 20, 2011 3:40 am 3861 Views
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In Christianity, there are absolutes. We are commanded to judge with a righteous judgement. Here is why JW's are not Christian.
"No. It is not Christian." Like all non-Christian cults, the Jehovah's Witness organization distorts the essential doctrines of Christianity. It denies the deity of Christ, His physical resurrection, and salvation by grace. This alone makes it non-Christian. To support its erring doctrines, the Watchtower organization (which is the author and teacher of all official Jehovah's Witness theology), has even altered the Bible to make it agree with its changing and non-Christian teachings.
Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of interpretive errors:
Taking verses out of their immediate context.
Refusing to read verses in the entire biblical context.
Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
Changing the meanings of words.
Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
Adding to the Word of God.
Additionally, the Jehovah's Witness organization requires of its members regular weekly attendance at their "Bible Study" meetings where they are repeatedly indoctrinated with anti-Christian teachings. This is done by reading the Watchtower magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it asks, and reciting the answers it gives. In other words, the Watchtower Organization carefully trains its members to let the Organization do their thinking for them. For confirmation of this, please read Does the Watchtower organization control the JW's thinking?
The Witnesses are told they will be persecuted when they go door to door teaching their doctrines. They are further told that this is simply the enemy fighting against God's organization because they are in "the truth." So, when someone disagrees with them, they are conditioned to reflect on what the Watchtower has told them. They then feel confirmed in being in God's true organization on earth (like all cults claim). They are strongly encouraged to have friends and acquaintances that are only JW's, thereby keeping outside examination to a minimum. They are told to shun those who leave their group, for in this way there is no way to see why someone has left and no way to find out that they are in error from those who have found the truth in Christ. They are conditioned to shy away from any real biblically knowledgeable person. An example of this is frequently found on the Internet. I was once banned from a Jehovah's Witness chat room after I not only answered their objections to the Trinity and deity of Christ, but challenged them in return. Subsequently, my name was passed around to all other Jehovah's Witness rooms where I was banned from them as well. This is a frequent occurrence on the Internet where the Jehovah's Witnesses are alive and well. It is obvious that critical examination of their doctrines is not encouraged by the Watchtower Organization.
The Jehovah's Witnesses consider themselves to be Christians because they believe they are serving the true and living God. Like many cults, they think they are the only true church on earth. Yet, they deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' physical resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged from looking into Jehovah's Witness history or old Watchtower literature which is replete with contradictions, altered doctrines, and false prophecies. Instead, they are indoctrinated repeatedly against basic Christian doctrines (Trinity, deity of Christ, etc.) and into the notion that they alone are the true servants of God and that all others are either in "Christendom" or simply unbelievers.
Primarily, the Jehovah's Witness organization is a mind-control organization that uses its people to pass out literature and send in "donations" to the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.
"Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible."1
The Watchtower organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses is a non-Christian organization that uses its people to promulgate false doctrines, and collects "contributions" for distribution of a multitudinous amount of literature, and expand its grip into the lives of its members and their families.
It is a non-Christian cult.
by Matt Slick
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the magical mystery tour, its coming to take us away
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Posted:Nov 17, 2011 2:40 am
Last Updated:Nov 17, 2011 2:40 am 2868 Views
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God is attentive. More than we realize. But his attention is not like this harsh task master that lays in waiting for his creation to fall short so he can deeply discipline us. We were created to have a relationship with him. A personal one in which he is our Lord, he is our provider and one in which he has unconditional love towards us, the human screw ups. Some of us are pretty good at messing up a lot less, while others are a walking disaster blown in the wind, sucked into every possible whim know to mankind. Others are in the bondage's of physical, emotional and other addictions.
So, do we concentrate on our failures? Overcoming the lures of the world that are so self destructive? We could. Many teach doing so. But is that really the answer? The father of the new testament once proclaimed that he found himself doing the very things he did not want to do. Hard as he tried, he just ended up doing them. So where is the answer?
Well, later on he made a statement as his life in Christ went forward and he matured that it was no longer him living, but Christ living through him. So what changed? Here he was with his own personal struggles, just as you and I have our own in differing areas. The more he tried to overcome them, he found himself failing.Doing what he didn't want to do, whether it was his temper or other goofy things.
In Jeremiah 31 we are told that in the New Covenant God was preparing (through Christ) that right and wrong is written in the hearts of all born again believers. We just know. We are under much more grace, as we are now only justified by what Jesus did on that cross and not by being a law keeper. But what ios the answer really to the victorious Christian life?
I do not think it is nearly as hard as men often make it out to be. Actually I think it is simple. Yet men feel like they should always be doing more. To many, it is a mystery. Paul agreed. Yet he said the the mystery was, Jesus Christ, our hope in Glory. That is the mystery.
If our focus is on something that no man could ever do except Jesus, and that is being a law keeper, then we set our self up to continually fail. We will, its just a question of when, and not if. So why keep trying to approach life in something we have failed at and will always find new ways to fail at? I do not believe this is God's intentions. Remember, Jesus came so we could have a relationship with God, not just be better people.
So what is it we miss? Well I think it is our sights are too much focused on us performing and not enough on the relationship. If you are married and all you do is keep a bunch of rules that you think you should be doing as a married man or woman, its pretty much a sure thing that you are missing out on the real focus of why you are married. To love each other and be help mates in the world you face and also the spiritual realm. Love means protecting, but it also means enhancing and encouraging as well as the intimate moments you share.
It's like this with God. Do we love him by concentrating on keeping rules, or do we love him in intimate and ways of close love? It makes all the difference in the world, and it makes the relationship one of deep meaning and continual growth. That's what the journey of life and fellowship with God parallel. Love Relationship.
One might say that its easy to do this in a man wife, because they are there, can orate words and actions which may be easier to understand than God. That's why people get caught up ion rules instead of real intimacy with God.Because we aren't shown how to do this with God. We listen to others, but how much do we wait on God to hear his heart?
So what is the answer? Well it is found in the bible. Focus on these things. No matter what your past was, the bible says that you are a new creation in Christ. It says, behold... or hey dude or dudette  all things have passed away. The bible talks about being born again. When we are born again, we are like that little that is totally new to the world.
The word says we are buried with Christ and resurrected into this new life. So we are new. Totally new in him. That is a lot to think on. We may have been nice people before, or bad. But now we are new. What else to think about? Well the bible says that we have the mind of Christ in us. So, you know when we go to school and if we use our normal minds and apply our self we will find successes in school. So, we had to use it to do well. Yet we have this mind of Christ. Do we allow that mind to be used when we consider the things of life? We have it, but we have to use it. Reading your bible is one way of using that. He will teach us. The bible also says to daily renew our minds. That is not that hard.
If our focus is on Jesus, then we will also remember he told us we can not go wrong if we love God with all of our being and treat our neighbors as our self. But the focus is on Jesus. Thios is all part of abiding. Jesus said that he spoke only the words the father gave him and the miracles were the work of the father doing them. He said he is the vine and we as believers are branches. Life comes from the vine, and is not found being made by any branch.
Paul stated that it was no longer him living but Jesus living through him. Jesus stated to trade in our burdens for his, because his are light. When it starts becoming about Jesus, and a love relationship with him, then the empowerment is within you each day. Otherwise it is about you trying to earn something that is free. Life is hard, but God lives in you in the form of the Holy Spirit. he is always there.
God Bless
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There are other Jesus' being Preached
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Posted:Nov 11, 2011 5:01 am
Last Updated:Dec 9, 2011 2:54 am 4391 Views
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by D Stewart
There is Only One True Biblical Jesus, the Rest are Counterfeits
“Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER JESUS, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive ANOTHER SPIRIT, which ye have not received, or ANOTHER GOSPEL, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2nd Corinthians 11:1-4).
The Apostle Paul was not the average minister. Paul had a sincere desire to go above and beyond the mere formalities of religion, he truly cared about people and wanted to protect them from false religion and false prophets. Here in 2nd Corinthians 11:1-4, Paul warns us that some people are dangerous and extremely hazardous to our spiritual health. There are many people today, just as then, who preach ANOTHER JESUS—not the Jesus which the Scriptures portray.
If someone comes along teaching that Jesus never died on the cross, then you know he’s an imposter—a heretic (such as Islamic Muslims). If someone teaches that Jesus’ physical blood has no redeeming power, then you know he’s a false prophet (such as John MacArthur). If someone says that Jesus is not Almighty God or that there is no Godhead (Trinity), then you know that he is a liar (such as Jehovah's Witnesses). If someone teaches that trusting Jesus as Savior is not enough in itself to be saved, then you know that he is of the Devil (such as Seventh-Day Adventists). If anyone says that a priest can forgive your sins or that you should bow down and pray to a statue (Mother Mary), then you know that he is of the Devil (such as Catholics). If someone denies the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, as Martin Luther King Jr. did in his writings, then you know he is an unsaved man without Christ.
There are thousands of religions in this world. My dear friend, salvation is not found in any of them! You don’t find salvation in a religion, you find it in a person—Jesus Christ!!! There are many concepts of Jesus in the minds of people throughout the world, but the true Jesus is only portrayed in God’s Word. Satan has introduced many false Christ's and false bibles and false religions into the world to deceive mankind. We are warned by the Apostle Paul against accepting ANOTHER JESUS.
We Must Test Every Teaching with the Light of God's Word
Paul also warns us of those who bring in ANOTHER GOSPEL or ANOTHER SPIRIT... “For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER JESUS, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive ANOTHER SPIRIT, which ye have not received, or ANOTHER GOSPEL, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” The Gospel is the “Good News” of salvation. We are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Christ alone.
Most ministers today teach some OTHER way of getting to Heaven besides through Jesus Christ. They teach a false plan of salvation. The Bible calls them wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). They do this to their own destruction! The Bible tells us to TEST the things which people teach... “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but TRY THE SPIRITS whether they are of God: because MANY false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1st John 4:1-3). People are spirits in the flesh. That is what we are! When we try (or test) the spirit of another, we are simply finding out whether or not they have God’s Spirit. We are NOT to judge or condemn anyone, we are simply told to decipher whether or not they are saved. Either they have God’s Spirit or they don’t. We can KNOW if a person is saved or not by the doctrines which they believe concerning salvation and Jesus Christ.
As believers, we are commanded to “try the spirits” (test other people) to see if they are saved or not. If the person is not saved, we are to avoid yoking together with them... “BE YE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2nd Corinthians 6:14). This means that a Believer is NOT to marry an unbeliever; a Believer is NOT to go into business together with an unbeliever; a believer is NOT to become close friends with an unbeliever, et cetera. This is a command from God. If a believing man marries an unbelieving woman, he will have the Devil for a father-in-law. We are not to entrust a Sunday School class or other position of church leadership to an unsaved person. We must test every doctrinal teaching using the Word of God as our Final Authority.
Here are two critical tests:
Jesus is Almighty God!
Anyone who teaches that Jesus is NOT Almighty God is a liar. Every Believer has God’s Spirit! The test is simple! The Bible tells us what the test is. If a person fails this test, they are NOT of God and have not His Spirit. The test is to ask the other person what they think about Jesus! Specifically, you want to find out if this person believes that Jesus Christ is Almighty God. “Every spirit that confesseth that JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH is of God.” What does this mean? Nearly every false religion believes that Jesus had a fleshly body. This Scripture must mean something entirely different. Here’s the real question: Do you believe that Jesus existed before He came to the earth? Do you believe that the pre-incarnate Christ became flesh? Do you believe that Jesus is Almighty God? Do you believe that the Godhead (Father, and Holy Spirit) became flesh?
The Jehovah witnesses believe that Michael the archangel became Jesus—they have the spirit of ANTICHRIST. Every false religion attacks or diminished the deity of Jesus Christ in one way or another. Many new perversions of the bible diminish Christ’s deity! Modern bibles that change and twist important Scriptures concerning Christ are all of the Devil. Listen to what the King James Bible proclaims concerning Jesus... “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL with God” (Philippians 2:6). Pick up a New International Version [NIV] and make sure your sitting down when you read it. The NIV says that Jesus thought “equality with God not a thing to be grasped.” That's the exact opposite of what the King James Bible teaches!
We are surrounded by deceivers... “For many DECEIVERS are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2nd John 1 ). Those who deny that Jesus Christ is Almighty God in every way are NOT of God! Jesus is the Creator, He is the Father, He is the Holy Spirit, He is the , He is Omnipotent (all powerful), He is Omnipresent (all present), He is Omniscient (all knowing), Jesus is Wonderful!!!
Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to Heaven!
Anyone who teaches that Jesus is NOT the Only Way to Heaven is a liar. We’ve often heard the saying, “all rivers lead to the ocean.” This simply is not so with salvation. It all depends which way you are going. Do all airplanes lead to Chicago? Of course not! There is a great danger in adopting the silly sayings of ignorant people concerning God and salvation.
Another lie you may have heard is “We are all God’s .” That sounds cute but it’s NOT true! We are all God’s creation, but we are NOT all God’s . You are only a of God if you’ve been born-again into God’s Family.
I witnessed to a man concerning his faith and He said he believed in reincarnation. This doctrine teaches that when a person dies, they come back again as an animal, or vise-versa). This of course is another lie of the Devil! I asked the man why he believed such a thing and he said his beliefs were based upon the fact that a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. His beliefs concerning God and salvation were based on his own logical human reasoning. This is the foolishness of the human mind! Listen to the warning of Proverb 14:12... “There is a way which SEEMETH RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” It is a dangerous and foolish thing to decide for yourself what is right and wrong. God’s Word is pure, decent and upright—there is NO reason for any sensible person to ignore the Bible. There are nuts everywhere in this world who know NOT the Lord and have adopted a crazy insane form of thinking. Even some Believers end up out in left field doctrinally because of a lack of proper Bible knowledge and a close walk with God. There is a fine line between faith and foolishness. We must combine common sense with godly wisdom.
So anyone who denies that Jesus is God Almighty or that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven is unsaved.
The Plan of Salvation is Simple, but the Devil Tries to Corrupt It
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST” (2nd Corinthians 11:3). “In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath BLINDED THE MINDS of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2nd Corinthians 4:4). Satan is a master counterfeiter! The Bible is clear that salvation is SIMPLE! Salvation is found in the Person of Jesus Christ, nowhere else. Satan BLINDS the MIND of the unsaved in an attempt to prevent them from accepting the truth. Most people already KNOW the truth, but willfully reject it.
They have some form of FALSE THINKING that overrides God’s truth. Humanism is an insane form of thinking that invades the human mind convincing it of it’s own superiority over God and His Word. This is the big problem—humanism! Humanism has no church, no organized religion, no building—yet it is the biggest religion in the world. Humanism is the religion of “self” ... “Beware lest any man spoil you through PHILOSOPHY and VAIN DECEIT, after the TRADITION OF MEN, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2: . Satan uses a counterfeit Jesus, false gospels, corrupt bibles, worldly philosophy and useless teachings and traditions—to blind the minds of billions of people around the world. “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own TRADITION” (Mark 7:9). Remember, “...LET GOD BE TRUE, but every man a liar
” (Romans 3:4).
Have You Believed Upon the Biblical Jesus?
Ignorance concerning Christ won’t keep you from being saved, BUT a misconception of Who He is may. If you believe on the True Christ as He is, you WILL be saved. The only way to be saved is to simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ apart from all else. However, if you’ve been taught that Jesus is not God and you refuse to admit that your thinking is corrupt, you are on your way to hellfire! You must believe on the correct Jesus. You must acknowledge Christ as He is. If you only view Christ as a prophet or as a good man, you can trust him all you want but it won’t do you any good because you have found another Jesus.
Let’s read this powerful passage again... “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER JESUS, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him
” (2nd Corinthians 11:3,4). The Apostle Paul warned of false prophets who would bring in damnable heresies, teaching ANOTHER JESUS which is not of the Scriptures. If you say that you are trusting Christ AND keeping the Seven Sacraments to be saved as a devout Catholic, then you have never been saved, because you've never completely trusted Christ. I have witnessed to many folks who tell me that they are trusting Jesus AND something else (e.g., baptism, good works, church membership, confirmation, confession, religion, the Virgin Mary, Saint Anthony, uncle Joe, etc). You must trust Christ alone to save you!
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Might I add, God was never a man. he was always God. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all part of the trinity. Jesus and the Holy Spirit always existed and were not later formed. The trinity is like water, vapor and ice, all the same make up and yet different offices in action of the Same God.
The Mormon god is not the Christian God... their God was once a man
The Mormon jesus is not the biblical Jesus because he was conceived by their god and a goddess
This is a prime example of the deception Paul warned about.
~Dennis
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my daddy
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Posted:Nov 6, 2011 8:10 am
Last Updated:Nov 11, 2011 4:01 am 3715 Views
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I remember what he did for me
I remember the days of my youth. I was reckless and full of pride. So much pride that I thought I knew more than anyone. My dad, he was so patient with me. My story, it is one of the reality that rebellion can bring you down. It grieves me even to this day when I think about my foolish type of thinking that led me to the darkest time of my life.
Some might say that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My father owned a big farm with lots of land that we grew crops on. We had many live stock, as well as many many servants hired by my father to operate this family business. One thing that sticks in my mind as I think back. That being that my father was always fair in how he treated those servants. He paid them a good wage, the living conditions of the on site housing was always top notch and probably better than if they had built something for themselves. The food provided daily was pretty good. Something I would have no problem at all eating. If someone was ill, my dad made sure everything was done to make sure they became healthy again.
Its' strange but when you are young and you think you know everything, these types of everyday operations seem to go unnoticed because I was too much thinking about me. Yeah...I was once young and am now old. I hope that by me telling my story, some of you parents out there can realize just how much of an impact you can have without realizing it. Families can be saved much grief with just a little understanding and love. Maybe some of you young folk can save yourself a lot of problems. It wasn't fun.
My brother, he was a lot different than me. He seemed to take pride in going about our family business. I think he was hoping to take over when Dad didn't want to do it anymore. Some might say he was a brown noser. But I wouldn't be so hard on him. He was off to himself and a tad quiet and removed. But, he was diligent. That is a word that I could never even spell in those days.
The strange part is that try as he might, the connection between he and dad was not as strong as what dad and I had. When you consider what a problem I was, it amazes me despite the rebellion I had, how much we loved each other deep down. Yet at the same sense I just believed I was smarter than my dad.
If I were to look at it now, I would say my dad looked simple to me. He loved people because that's what he had in his heart. He never lied. Back then, I saw it as weakness because I looked out at this big world and through my eyes it was all about what I could take from it.
His outlook was what could he give to the world to make it a better place. Now I can see. He was right and I was the perfect fool in all of this. There is an old saying, if you seek self you find self. I sure did a lot of that and let me tell you I was never more wrong in my life.
Eventually things came to a head as they say. I kept looking at all there was out there. Pretty women, things that I thought would make me happy. Like minded people. I tried to get my dad to see things through my eyes. Finally I said to him, I don't want anything to do with this family or you anymore. You do not understand me and I do not understand you. Can I just have my inheritance that I would have when you are gone? I just want to go. I am not happy. I am sick of all this.
As I tell you this, I can still remember how his eyes teared up. His head dropped a little. I knew I had hurt him. But I didn't care. I knew in my mind he was weak. The desire to do as I wanted seemed to overtake any reasoning in my heart. He held out his hand in a way intended for me to wait. In a few minutes he returned with a small bag. It was full of coins and gold. I was looking at the Gold and so happy I thought, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him mouth the words "I will always love you my ". He slumped in the chair and I hears sobs as I walked out that entrance way forever. Never to return.
I cant tell you what happened in my dads life once I left. I am sure he hated me. I sure would have if my would have said the things I did that day.Many I am too embarrassed to share here and now.
Well, I went right off to the City.Everything I ever wanted probably could be found there. My daddy had a lot of money. Funny thing is looking back, that money never ever owned him. He just used it to pay servants and make everything work properly. He used to say that the Love of money is the root of all evil. I guess that just never sank in.
money, sure can bring a person a lot of friends. At least you think it can. In the long run they just are like leaches. But I didn't think about that. I liked the new found attention. My mom and daddy always talked about how beautiful and right making love was and that it should be saved for marriage.
Well.... I was a good looking man when I was young, and there were more beautiful women in that City than I had ever imagined. I cant begin to tell you how many of them I took advantage of and take them to my bed. I had a nice place and they liked being there. Funny thing though, when I started to be a little careful with the money they left me.
That's when I discovered some women for just a little bit of money would do whatever I wanted. I didn't even have to be nice to them. Yet then again, when I was all alone I was haunted by that vision of my dad telling me ", I will never stop loving you". I was haunted by his sounds of crying as I left.
But you know, I shouldn't worry. My brother was there. I am sure they are bonding like he and I once did. No big deal huh? Well, I can tell you I didn't convince myself with these thoughts. That's when I started drinking in excess instead of sociably.
When you become a drunk, that's when everything goes out of control. It wasn't that much longer before all of my inheritance was gone. Well when money runs out, then your place to stay is taken away from you. That's what happened to me. I can;t even begin to tell you where I ended up. it was so filthy. I didn't know what to do to be honest. All of this went on for awhile, as I knew I had burned bridges. Funny thing is when you do not have money, those friends you once thought to be friends are no where to be found.
All of a sudden, I started thinking about my simplistic daddy and how he lived. I started laughing in a painful way as I realized how nice and kind that he treated mere servants. He was always good and kind to them. That's when it hit me. Maybe, just maybe he would let me come back and live there as a simple servant. Those servants on the farm were living like a king compared to me.
Gotta be honest, it took me a few more weeks before I could muster up the courage to go back. He had every reason to never talk to me again. I can't even tell you how bad the words were that I spoke to him. But, finally I went.
I can barely say this. I was probably about a mile from the house. I saw someone running at me. I wasn't sure at first if someone recognized me and was going to try and kill me. I sure know i deserved it. There is no forgiving my actions. Then............I saw a face. It was my dad. Tears flowing. I didn't deservethose tears being shed for me. he had to be watching to know it was me. Had he been watching everyday? All this time?
I felt my knees fail me as he ran to embrace me. He caught me as I started to fall. I could feel him kiss the back of my neck. I said "I love you my , and I always will. I am so glad you are here".
Those words were a salve to my soul. But I did not deserve this. What could I say? What could I say?
I looked into his eyes as best I could. All I could see was his love for me. The that acted like the worst bastard ever. Finally I started muttering. I fell to my knees. I bowed down before him and said "Father, I have sinned against heaven and I have sinned against you. Please forgive me. Allow me to just live here as a servant and help you."
There was a silence. I kept waiting for the scolding that I knew I deserved. By then some of the servants were there a few feet away. My brother just a little bit further. But my father didn't scold me. God knows it is the least I deserved. He didn't even bother telling me he forgave me. Didn't even say, ok this time but don't ever do this again.
I looked up, I could see his face. He had actual joy to see me, His arms were outstretched to me. he reached down and pulled me up.
He held me for what seemed like forever, and yet that would not be long enough! How could he love me? I had brought this family such shame? I deserved nothing but scorn. Nothing but eternal disgrace. Yet he loved me no matter.
Then he turned to the servants. He said, get my a clean robe, bring me one of the family's rings to place on his hand. Find the fatted calf. Let us celebrate the return home of my .
Two of the servants led me away to prepare me for the feast and fulfill my fathers directions. I saw my Father and my Brother talking. It looked like an argument. i hope not. I was not worth arguing over.
The feast went well. It was nice talking to the people and being held by my mom. But where was my brother? Did I really belong again? Would I ever? Was this a good idea over all?
He came up to me and gave me a hug. He told me he was really mad at me. That's understandable. But he also said dad explained everything to me. Why the celebration, and why the total forgiveness. I have given him my word to forgive you. It will take some time, but I will get there. I am only my fathers . It will take me more to get where he is, but I see the finished product.
I thanked him and asked his forgiveness as well. I was once young and foolish. I was more reckless than most. The story could be about me and how I wised up. How I humbled myself. But, that is the farthest thing from the truth. The real story is my fathers love. How he saw me through his eyes of love, and not where my heart was at that time. What he did for me, I will never forget. It will carry me in my dealings with my family and others.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not perish; but have everlasting life.
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Why marry? What is the real Reason?
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Posted:Oct 16, 2011 6:36 am
Last Updated:Oct 18, 2011 8:35 am 4236 Views
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Why Marry and what is its real reason?
by Dennis Thompson
There is a special thing intended in marriage. The magic of two people becoming one. We can sit here and state that it is intended biblically for two people to have a ministry towards each other, the community and where God would lead. A man and a woman can also do that as just friends. You know over the years I have known long time married couples who will confide and say that their sex life is even better than when they were young lovers, and they go on to talk about how they have incorporated their maturing relationship into new and more playful loving aspects of their love making. I think this is very good.
Then I hear others speak and say, oh well, ya know we are older now. Its just not that important anymore. Sometimes this is based on physical deterioration of one or more of them. That is understandable but it does not have to limit intimate touching and moments. Love doesn't have to stop entirely to the point that you should be like a couple of friends.
Then there is this other side. I have heard people say that the sexual contact is way blown out of context and that is only part of marriage. I have seen this stated towards a spouce that wanted much more sexual activity and it was a huge reason that they got married. To have someone they loved that they could have LOTS of sex with. So this is of course a huge issue between that couple. I have done a lot of thinking regarding this topic. Recently I have encountered several friends that are in the middle of middle age that have pretty strong issues in their marriages. One couple is just vastly different. They love each other, but are just so different. Communication is difficult because of the pain and depression one of them suffers from. Another couple has a wife wanting much more romance in their life. The husband just doesn't get that and thinks its a hormonal thing because she is starting menopause. Then I have friends who, one deeply longs for sex and the other for differing reasons doesn't think it should be a big focal point for a marriage.
I plan on remarrying. I have met someone who is a born again believer. I love her devotion to God. I love her sense of humor. I watch how she values family and friends. I see great passion in how she approaches life. She sets goals and stays committed to them. She makes me feel loved. I love loving her. I have never in my life quite felt this way. Our conversations always make me go back several times to enjoy and rehash those moments in my mind. She has no yet loves them. I have always wanted more and can do this with her. She reminds me so much of my mom in how she loves people and tries to make a difference one day at a time. I want her more than I have ever wanted anyone. When I marry her, i want intimacy on a very regular basis. Otherwise, I would just be her friend.
Marriage has many many good things I could talk about outside of making love, having and raising a family. The companionship on a daily basis is a great thing. But you know what? Outside of the sex, between a couple, you could nix the sex and and just be great friends. I have many lady friends that are just that. Friends. Good to great friendships. I wont Marry them or have sex with them. So I can have most of these other things that under Gods' plan is ok, except for sex. So, marriage really is about being free to make love and procreate. You could still have your spiritual friendship between men and women and not have sex. After all, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Thats part of any Christian friendship. But why make such a big deal out of Sex?
What did Paul Say? :
In 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 Paul advises, "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Essentially this says that neither partner in a marriage has a right to deny sex with the other, except if they both make a mutual agreement to abstain for a specified period of time for prayer and fasting. This means a short time, because it is not likely one would or could reasonably continue a real fast for long periods.
*That is pretty strong. How often do we think about this? We, meaning both of us in a marriage do not have power over our own bodies. We are supposed to comply with our partner unless there is a MUTUAL agreement. There is also a WARNING of how the enemy can cause problems if you do not comply to your partners desires. What do you think about these sscriptures?
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