Open Air Preaching at the Courthouse

Watch as Ray Comfort and EZ preach to a crowd ready to enter the courthouse. Be inspired and try open air preaching yourself! There is no higher calling... when you open air preach you join the ranks of Paul, John the Baptist, Peter, and even our Lord Jesus Himself.

Hollywood and Their Hatred of God

By Ray Comfort @ http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com
Email: email@livingwaters.com

Few could deny that Hollywood has become a modern day Sodom. It is an evil that has been responsible for destroying this country�s moral foundations. It is responsible for promoting alcohol, tobacco[1] and illicit drugs, for mocking the gospel[2], aggressively promoting the homosexual agenda, promoting unspeakable violence[3], adultery, rape, blasphemy, lying, greed, and every evil possible[4].

Hollywood has set its own standard and become a law to itself. It answers to no-one and rules as the only potentate. Its says, Thou shalt commit adultery, lie, steal, kill, blaspheme and covet. It�s first and greatest commandment is Thou shalt have any other gods before the God of the Bible.

Jody Eldred is an Emmy-Award-winning producer-director. He said,

�Did you know that nine out of ten Hollywood films lose money? Did you know that the vast majority of new television shows are cancelled because no one is watching them? Do you wonder why?� The obvious answer, says Eldred, is �because they�re mostly awful.� But why are they awful? �Because,� notes Eldred, �the people creating them are completely out of touch with the people they are creating them for! Their worldview is vastly different from the worldview of most Americans. We have a largely Christian nation, but Hollywood is largely un-Christian, and in many if not most cases, anti-Christian. They�re not just out of touch. They�re against you![5]�

Biblical Christianity is anathema in Hollywood because those who truly love the God of Scripture will no longer show up at the box office to pay for movies that glorify that which is abhorrent to Him. Hollywood�s income is built on the things that it loves--lawlessness, adultery, lust, fornication, violence and greed, and as long as this world is kept from turning to God, it will continue to pay Hollywood its dues.

If an actor becomes involved in Scientology, Kabala, Buddhism, atheism or any strange religion, he or she will have Hollywood�s blessing. However, if he or she is genuinely converted to Jesus Christ, they have sinned in Hollywood�s eyes, and his or her career may face the death sentence.

What should you do?

So, how can you make a difference? How can one person influence the powerful Goliath of the entertainment industry? The answer is in your own hands. You have a powerful sling that can hit the blaspheming giant right between the eyes, and believe me, it will leave a deep impression on his mind.

Make it your aim to never pay Hollywood to see sex and the blasphemy. Every time we give any money to see any motion picture we are lining the pockets of the producers. We are saying �Good work. Love it! Keep them coming!� That�s the message we send if it�s a good clean movie, and it�s the message we send if it�s a filthy, dirty movie.

A few years ago, there was a movie called �The Time Changer.� It was about a Christian gentleman from a hundred or so years ago, who invented a time machine that brought him into the era of modern Christianity. He joined a contemporary church and found himself doing things the rest of the congregation did--he found himself watching a modern movie. But shortly after he entered the theater, he ran out into the lobby with a look of pain on his face, crying, �They blasphemed the name of the Lord! There must be a mistake! They blasphemed[6] His name. Stop this!�

Many years ago I went with my daughter (when she was 14 years old) to see a movie that had been enthusiastically recommended by a Christian. Within five minutes of the beginning, the name of Jesus was blasphemed, so we immediately walked out.

What good did that do; we had already paid for the tickets? We walked out because I want to set an example for my daughter. If I sit through a movie that blasphemes the name of Jesus, I�m saying �It�s okay� to Hollywood and I�m saying to her, you can do what I�m doing. You can worship Jesus on Sunday and to sit through a movie that uses His name in place of a word used to describe human waste. That�s hypocrisy, and I would rather lose my right arm than have my daughter think that I�m a hypocrite. That�s my standard. Yours may be higher.

You say, �But if I had that standard I would rarely get to see a modern movie!� That may be true, and it shows how far America has fallen. But being a Christian means taking up the cross and denying yourself. It means denying myself the pleasure of entertainment, denying Hollywood income, and most importantly, honoring God.

So, what�s the big deal with using God�s Name in vain? Movies simply reflect culture, and that�s how people talk nowadays--it�s just a word. Not to God. Using God�s name in vain is more serious than a heart attack. The Old Testament gives the death sentence for blasphemy, and that same Law will be enforced on the Day of Judgment[7]. The Lord will not hold him guiltless who uses His name in vain[8].

Look at this news release from early in 2007:

ATLANTA (AP) � So much for God and country, at least during some in-flight showings of the Oscar-nominated movie The Queen. All mentions of God are bleeped out of a version of the film distributed to Delta and some other airlines.

Jeff Klein, president of Jaguar Distribution, the Studio City, Calif., company that supplied the movie to the airlines earlier this month, said it was a mistake, committed by an overzealous and inexperienced employee who had been told to edit out all profanities and blasphemies.

"A reference to God is not taboo in any culture that I know of," Klein said. "We excise foul language, excessive violence and nudity."

Airline passengers watching the movie hear "(Bleep) bless you, ma'am," as one character speaks to the queen. In all, the word "God" is bleeped seven times. (At no time in the original movie is "God save the queen" uttered.)

Klein said he discovered the mistake after a London-bound Air New Zealand passenger complained. Jaguar has been sending out new, unedited copies to the airlines. Airlines routinely show movies from which graphic scenes and strong profanities are edited out.

The �overzealous and inexperienced employee� had been told to remove filthy offensive words from the movie. So he removed the Name of God. What does that say about him, and what does it say about Hollywood?

Hallowed Be Thy Name

God�s name is to be revered. It is to be honored. It is to be hallowed. But Hollywood doesn�t do that. It does the opposite. It takes it in vain. The definition of something that is taken in "vain" means that it is considered �worthless, empty, or hollow.�

If I went to a movie and for some reason the producer decided to have an actor say that my wife was a prostitute, I would immediately leave the theater. I don�t care how much I am enjoying the movie, I would not sit back and let anyone insult the good name of my precious wife.

Now let�s bring it closer to the issue. Imagine if, for some strange reason, the actor began to equate my wife�s name with human excrement? What a terrible insult it would be to her character if I was even tempted to sit there for a second, because I liked the movie! If I did so, you would be justified in questioning my love for her.

How much more should I be jealous of the good Name of the God who gave me my wife and gave me life itself? How much more should I esteem the Name of the One who suffered and died and the cross for me?

If a Hollywood producer for some reason decides to put the �f� word before the Name �Jesus Christ,� I don�t care how entertaining the movie is, I will not pay for that to listen to that, no matter how good the story-line.

Godly Jews won�t speak or even write the Name of G-d because they consider it so holy[9]. Yet we pay Hollywood actors to use it in blasphemy for our entertainment and pleasure.

Christianity Today cited a study that looked at the movie-viewing habits of "religious" Americans. They found that when it came to watching R-rated films, �there isn't much difference between the religious and nonreligious[10].�

Home Delivery

With the advent of cable TV, now anyone can have R-rated movies pumped into their home. No longer is there the concern about someone from church or the workplace seeing you at a dirty movie. What�s more, these movies have no moral boundaries--�This kind of programming�a mix of violence, sex and sophomoric stunts�is bursting out all over basic cable, which is not regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and is therefore, theoretically, reined in only by concerns of cable operators and advertisers[11]."

Every Christian has his own liberty before God, but I�m curious to know how do they react when they hear blasphemy[12]? Do they blush, not notice it, or just whisper a sincere apology to the Lord?

An actor friend of mine once called me and said that he had been offered a great movie deal, but he had a problem with one part of the script. The story line was wonderful, but as usual in a romantic movie, it included an intimate conversation and ended with a passionate kiss. He would get $100,000 for doing the movie, but he said, �I won�t kiss another woman like that, and besides, what would my kids think of me if they saw the movie?� He turned down the part because it could also be used to undermine his Christian testimony.

I greatly respected him for it. Think of it. Could you bring yourself to kiss someone other than your spouse for ten seconds�for $100,000?

The incident reminded me of a story I heard of an English Prime Minster, who during a dinner leaned over to the woman sitting next to him, and said, �Would you go to bed with me for a million dollars?� She said, �I would think about it.� He then asked, �Would you go to bed with me for one dollar?� She widened her eyes and said, �What kind of woman do you think I am!� He replied, �Madame, we have already established that. Now we are just negotiating the price.�

For what price should a Christian prostitute himself? What amount tempts us to compromise our convictions? $100,000? One dollar? An entertaining movie? God isn�t impressed with the cost, and neither should we be impressed with anything the world offers us. We are called to live out our convictions, not to be hypocrites.

Peeping Tom

Imagine your indignation if you found a peeping Tom peeping through your bedroom window at night. You would probably call the police and have the dirty pervert arrested. But if you have ever found pleasure by watching a sexually explicit scene in a movie, you are a peeping Tom�a lust-filled heavy breathing pervert. The only difference is that you pay a fee to peep through a window you call a movie screen. Remember that God says that if you even look with lust you are committing adultery in the heart[13].

So, if you and I are going to support Hollywood�s film industry, here�s our biblical Movie Guide:

�Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things� (Philippians 4:8).

�I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes . . . � (Psalm101:3).

Why are so many who profess to be Christians feeding on R-rated movies that are filled with violence filthy language, blasphemy, and graphic sex scenes? Perhaps it�s because magazines like Christianity Today[14] (despite Philippians 4:8 and Psalm101:3) actually promote them:

The Number 23 is rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language. The Lord's name is taken in vain along with all the big swear words. There's very graphic, bloody and sudden violence�throats being slit and bodies dropping on pavement. There's no nudity, but there are several sex scenes that show a lot of action�and degrees of perversion such as violent sex^[15].

The magazine kindly provides a �Talk About it--Discussion Starters� section--for after you have peeped at the "lot of action" sex and listened to them blaspheme the Lord�s Name.

Hollywood producer Ralph Winter says, �I've made R-rated movies, and if I think that's warranted, I'll do it again, because sometimes you need to show the depravity of where people come from, to show how they can be changed into something else[16].�

�Ralph is important to the Christian community of Hollywood, because he is a living breathing witness of what it takes for Christians to acquire power and influence here. [He�s] a wonderful combination of professionalism and integrity, and godliness. He has made it to the highest level in Hollywood, without losing his faith in Jesus, and without the kind of nauseating rationalizations that many Christians eventually make to achieve success here[17].�

Winter calls himself a Christian and yet sees fit to produce films that blaspheme the Name of God and the Name of Jesus[18].

And Winter says that Christians better beware of hypocrisy when they judge their Hollywood brothers for making R-rated entertainment, because . . . believers must be going to a lot of those questionable movies, or those films would not make so much money[19].

It�s become popular for church websites to give a little insight into the pastor�s likes and dislikes, so that you can get to know him better and perhaps imitate him. On one site, when the senior pastor is asked about his favorite movie, he says, �Tough one; I�m a movie freak -- used to be Lost Boys (vampire movie) . . . I like anything intense, brutal, mind-bending, etc.� His associate one-ups him. He answers, �Snatch with Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. Great film if you can get past the 493 F-bombs!�[20] He got past them without a problem. Actually, he was exaggerating a little when he said that the movie used �F� word 493 times. It was only used 156 times, and the name of Jesus was blasphemed 11 times.[21]

It�s Not Okay

Every dollar bill that is given to the box office goes towards helping to feed the giant. But when we don�t pay them to produce movies that blaspheme the Name of God, we are saying to the producer and the script writers, �It�s not okay[22].�

Protesting with the wallet gets the attention of the entertainment industry, because it articulates the only language Hollywood speaks. Mammon is their god:

The studios learned an important lesson from Universal's Walden-financed Oscar-winning biopic, Ray, which was previewed at churches. Congregations loved the film but objected to the word "God" being used as a cuss. Ray's director, Taylor Hackford, who had already cut four-letter profanities to satisfy Anschutz, the Walden boss, insisted he would not edit the film further, but it cost Universal the support of some church advocates. As Hackford says: "People in Hollywood aren't stupid. It flies in the face of what I believe, but you're still working in the movie industry, not the movie art form[23]."

Hollywood�s love of blasphemy only cost them �the support of some church advocates.� But the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, for eight years had a policy of not going to any movie Disney produced because of its support of homosexual-themed events and movie subjects. Although Disney never indicated that their bottom line had been effected, look at what happened back in July, 2006:

Famed family-film maker Disney is headed back to its roots, with confirmation yesterday of cuts of 650 employees that will include a phase-out of its R-rated movies[24].

It seems that Disney had already been feeling the pinch. A year or so earlier they took the drastic step of actually removing blasphemy from a script:

Peter Sarsgaard[25], co-star of the Jodie Foster Disney thriller Flightplan, had the exclamation "Jesus" removed from his lines of dialogue. "They said, 'You can't say that. You can't take the Lord's name in vain.' I had to say 'shoot', and that isn't as good[26]."

Perhaps Mr. Sarsgaard should have used his mother�s name in place of human excrement. That might have been as good. Or if he wants to draw attention to the movie and himself, why doesn�t he consider using the exclamation �Mohamed!�? It may be a first for Hollywood, and would probably get him some free publicity.

So, why don�t we see actors blaspheming the name of Mohamed? There are probably two main reasons:

1. Screenwriters are aware that if they even draw a simple cartoon of Mohamed they could lose their head.

2. Mohamed�s name isn�t despised enough to use as a cuss word. That�s reserved for the Savior. He said that the world would hate Him, because He would testify of their deeds�that they are evil[27].

Hollywood�s Redeeming Features

Perhaps you are consoling yourself with the thought that contemporary Hollywood has been bad, but it does have some redeeming qualities. In recent years it has gained some merit points in the eyes of Christians because it has produced good movies such as C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was a great movie, but it had no clear gospel message. Only those with an keen eye for allegory would have found something.

Then there was the much awaited trilogy of Lord of the Rings. I sat through more than nine long hours, waiting for some sort of gospel message. There wasn�t one. Not even in the faintest of allegories.

Facing the Giants was a good Christian movie. However, it wasn�t a Hollywood production. It was produced by a church and the cast were church members[28]. The Left Behind Movies were made by a Canadian company in Canada, with a Hollywood crew and cast.

Neither was The Passion of the Christ a Hollywood production. It was filmed in Europe. Mel Gibson financed it with his own money, and Hollywood hated it with a passion. They would be greatly offended it if was even slightly attributed to them. Despite its incredible success (it grossed well over $700 million worldwide), it was virtually snubbed at the Oscars[29].

Luther was a good movie, but again, it had no gospel message. Neither did Disney�s production of Prince of Egypt, The End of the Spear, etc., etc.

According to Gallup polls in recent years, 80 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian to some degree and 59 percent (177 million) attend religious services at least once a month. So it makes good business sense for Hollywood to pan for gold in the pews. However, Disney�s 2007 effort to do so with The Nativity Story didn�t yield any nuggets[30].

The Problem

Here�s the problem. Hollywood�s moguls may give the Christian market movies that entertain, but they will certainly not make movies that promote what they consider to be �dangerous Christian fundamentalist propaganda�--what we call �the gospel.� You have about as much hope of that happening as you have selling the Temple Mount to Jews for an Arab Israeli bacon burger drive-through.

So don�t hold your breath for Hollywood to produce a movie that is going to present a clear gospel message. If anything of that nature is produced, it will no doubt come from independently from Christians within the industry. The only time Hollywood itself is really happy to hear the name of Jesus, is in blasphemy.

Adapted from Hollywood Be Thy Name by Ray Comfort (Bridge Logos Publishers). Please make sure you visit www.HollywoodandGod.com

---

[1] Hollywood Stars Encourage Youngsters to Smoke, www.mascotcoalition.org

[2] On December 11, 2006, actor Charlie Sheen gave a "vulgar adaptation," as the American Family Association described it, of a few favorite Christian Christmas carols, including "Joy to the World." The Monday episode opened with Sheen singing about his sexual activity to the Christmas tunes. �CBS approved Sheen's adaptation of the favorite Christmas carol, making it into a vulgar sex song," said Donald E. Wildmon, Chairman of AFA, in a statement. "The network and sponsors paid Sheen to mock Christ, Christmas and Christians. Many in the Christian community are growing tired of this bigotry by the networks and Hollywood." www.christianpost.com

Early March, 2007, Comedy Central rebroadcasted an episode of the Sarah Silverman Program on Thursday in which the female comedian has sex with �God.� The installment, titled �Batteries,� first aired Wednesday night and features a �one-night-stand� with a �Black God,� whom Sarah Silverman tries to brush-off the morning after. Many Christians disagree strongly with the rebroadcast, noting that the content is extremely insensitive and degrading toward religion. One such group, the Timothy Plan, has urged Christians to boycott the network�s parent company, Viacom, and pull out from all investments with them. www.christianpost.com

[3] If viewers aren�t influence by what they see and hear why then do advertisers pay $2.6 million to air 30 second advertisements during the Super Bowl? Billions of dollars are spent each year and advertisers get their returns of their dollars because viewers are influenced.

[4]� Over the past 40 years, Hollywood has been primarily responsible for the rapid degeneration of our culture. Modern cinema is filled with violence, sadism, sex at its most animalistic, crudeness, nihilism and despair. If Hollywood wants to treat Christianity as the antithesis of all it holds dear, Christians should feel complimented.� Why Hollywood Hates Christianity, www.frontpagemag.com

[5] �Why Hollywood is Insane�, www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52626

[6] Even in the United States there are some states that still officially have blasphemy laws on the books. Massachusetts, for example, still has a law under Chapter 272 of its general laws; Section 36: "Whoever willfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior."

[7] See Romans 2:12.

[8] Exodus 20:7: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

[9] Jews interpret the law given by Moses as a prohibition against transcribing the name of God, because they feel that if God is recorded onto a piece of paper, there is the possibility that the name will be disrespected or destroyed in some way. The general concern with writing G-d in its true form is that it might be erased, defaced by being crossed out or scribbled upon, torn, thrown in the trash, or ravaged in some other way. Writing G-d instead of God communicates the writer�s idea effectively, but since G-d is incomplete, there is no risk of defacement. http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-jews-write-g-d-instead-of-god.htm

[10] http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/rratedmovies.html

[11] http://www.ucg.org/commentary/moralmind.htm

[12] �Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed . . .� (Corinthians 12:3).

[13] �You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart� (Matthew 5�27-28).

[14] Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 150,000 and readership of 350,000. It was started in 1956 as counter-point to The Christian Century (the predominant independent periodical of mainline Protestantism) and as a way to bring the evangelical Christian community together, the magazine was founded by Billy Graham.

[15] http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/number23.html

[16] http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/

[17] http://lookingcloser.org/ralphwinter-interview.htm

[18] http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/f/fantastic-four-script-transcript-alba.html

[19] Ibid

[20] http://www.bridgewaychristian.org

[21] http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/snatch.pdf

[22] If you don�t go to modern movies, you may like to consider passing this book onto something you suspect does.

[23] http://www.newstatesman.com/200511210029

[24] http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51167

[25] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765597/

[26] Ibid

[27] �The world cannot hate you; but me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.� (John 7:7)

[28] Produced by Sherwood Pictures, part of the media ministry of the Albany, GA.-based Sherwood Baptist Church, the film was made on a limited budget with a cast and crew of volunteers. But "Giants" earned more than $4.4 million in three weeks of release. Playing at its widest point on 441 screens, the movie centers on a losing high school football coach whose life turns around after he puts his faith in God. "What is unique about faith-based films is they don't accept traditional marketing approaches and don't trust Hollywood," Samuel Goldwyn president Meyer Gottlieb said. http://movies.ninemsn.com

[29] As a result, lots of us who love movies end up minimizing the obvious distortion in a project and focus on its subtle strengths. But the fact remains, if a good man would turn his face in disgust and shame from what is on the screen, that should inform our own discernment about a movie. We can get so caught up in technique, that we are essentially gobbling down well-prepared sewage. "Stunningly arranged!" "Daringly conceived!" "Strikingly performed!"-it's still just poisonous filth. What makes this year's nominations even darker is the fact that there was one big cinematic elephant that, as we all predicted, was passed over for all the top awards. This movie was...the biggest independent movie in cinema history...the third biggest box-office movie of the year...a movie that moved millions of people to tears, had the entire world talking, and even led several murderers to turn themselves in! www.beliefnet.com/story/160/story_16008_1.html

[30] It its opening weekend it grossed $7,849,304. Disney�s production budget was $35 million. The Passion of the Christ grossed $83, 848,082 on its opening weekend. Its production budget was $30 million. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies

xpelled - Ben Stein takes on Scientism's anti-ID Orthodoxy

From http://www.twoorthree.net

Ben Stein doesn't want to give you money right now. He wants to give you some truth. What truth is that? That "Big Science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom," and are suppressing dissent, especially when it comes to evolution and intelligent design. Coming February 2008. Check out the Expelled trailer. You can also read the press release:

What freedom-loving student wouldn't be outraged to discover that his high school science teacher is teaching a theory as indisputable fact, and that university professors unmercifully crush any fellow scientists who dare question the prevailing system of belief? This isn't the latest Hollywood comedy; it's a disturbing new documentary that will shock anyone who thinks all scientists are free to follow the evidence wherever it may lead.

The Gift of Spiritual Discernment

By Tim Challies @ http://www.challies.com

A brief examination of the gift of spiritual discernment.

As you well know if you are a regular reader of this site, I’ve written a book called The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment and that book was the result of spending almost a year studying the topic of spiritual discernment. As I hunted down all the references I could to discernment and as I studied what the Bible has to say about the topic, I was struck by how many people show interest in discernment as a spiritual gift, but also how the description of this gift rarely matches what the Bible tells us about it. Far too often the gift of discernment is said to be little more than a gift for making good decisions—for knowing God’s will when we need to turn to the left or the right. Yet the Bible tells us that it is more. For that reason I wrote a whole chapter interacting with gifting in general and this gift in particular. In just a couple of short articles I want to draw upon some of what I learned, sharing what the Bible says about the spiritual gift of discernment, showing what it is, how we can know if we have it, and what we are to do with it.

Unfortunately I can’t provide an exhaustive theology of the spiritual gifts to serve as a foundation for this series for that would make it go just a little bit too long. In my book I’ve done a more thorough job of discussing the basics of spiritual gifting, so you can always consult that when it becomes available (in January of 2008). For now, suffice it to say that the basic theology of spiritual gifts can be found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (and that this theology is consistent whether you are continuationist or cessationist—charismatic or non-). “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). We see here several important principles regarding gifts: there is a variety of gifts; they are empowered by the Holy Spirit; they are in all believers; they are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit; and they are for the common good of believers. We will leave it at that for the time being.

What is the Gift of Spiritual Discernment?

The Bible makes it clear that, even in the church’s infancy, there were many false prophets and teachers who claimed to speak God’s words with God’s authority. These men were strangers to God and yet claimed to speak for Him. Many Christians were drawn in by their words and were led astray by them. Because of this Scripture contains many exhortations for Christians to test all teaching. John writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Just one verse earlier, in John 3:24, John has spoken of the fact that the Holy Spirit is given to us as evidence of God’s presence in our lives. And having spoken of the Spirit, John now ensures that his readers know that not every spirit is holy. We are tempted to believe and obey spirits, for they represent a spiritual realm that is outside of our experience, but many spirits are commanded by Satan, the father of lies. Because of this we need to test or prove the spirits to see if they come from God.

Some commentators draw a direct line from the spiritual gift of prophecy to the gift of discerning spirits, but I am not sure this argument can be sustained. When we combine the presence of this gift with Paul’s exhortation to “test everything,” it seems that the gift of discernment would be likely to extend far beyond prophecy.

All Christians are responsible to test words of teaching and prophecy. The Bereans were considered noble for hearing the teaching of Paul and Silas, receiving them with eagerness and “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). These believers tested the words of the apostles, examining the Scriptures to see if what they were being taught was consistent with what they knew of God’s revelation of Himself. In doing this they modeled the task of all believers. Christians are ultimately responsible for what they choose to believe, no matter whether or not they have been gifted with the spiritual gift of discernment.

While all Christians are responsible for what they believe, it seems clear that some people are especially gifted by God for this task. This is not merely a gift, but a responsibility. New Testament commentator Lenski says, “Certain difficult cases occur, for which more than common Christian discernment is necessary. False prophets love to use deceptive language. For the purpose of unmasking these prophets the Lord provides this gift and thus enables his church to turn from lying spirits to the one Spirit of truth.” The gift of discernment is the Spirit’s special defense against the lies that come from lying Spirits.

The power and influence of spirits can be discerned in word, deed, and appearance. Satan communicates in words that are inconsistent with Scripture and which convey information we know to be false. This happened when Satan approached Eve and directly contradicted what God had told her (Genesis 3:4). It happened when Jesus rebuked Peter for denying that He would die, saying “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23). Jesus discerned that behind Peter’s voice was the spirit of Satan. And so every word about God or that supposedly comes from God must be carefully tested and examined in light of the Bible.

As Satan and his spirits communicate in word, they also communicate in deed. Just as Jesus was able to perform miracles, so Satan and his minions are able to perform signs and wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 warns that “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” In the last days, Jesus warns, “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Deeds, no matter how extraordinary and how beneficial they appear, must be examined and compared to the Word of God.

Satan and his spirits can be discerned in appearance. Satan invades the Christian community with teachers and leaders who counterfeit the truth. These people will always introduce teaching that is foreign to Scripture. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are met by a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. Men and women with the gift of discernment are specially gifted in distinguishing between those words, deeds and appearances that are true and those that are falseFor many days she followed the apostles crying out “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Though her words were true, the spirit behind them was false and sought to lure people with a little bit of truth so that the opportunity could be used to heap reproach upon the gospel. Paul judged her words to be true, but knew by appearance that the spirits guiding her were insincere. He was not fooled by what might have been an appearance of godliness. And so appearances must also be carefully weighed against the Scriptures.

Men and women with the gift of discernment are specially gifted in distinguishing between those words, deeds and appearances that are true and those that are false. In his commentary on 1 Corinthians John MacArthur summarizes the implications of the gift of discernment in this way: “It can be said that the gift of discernment is given to tell if the other gifts are of the Holy Spirit, if they are merely natural imitations, or if they are demonic counterfeits. I believe God still empowers some of His people to unmask false prophets and carnal hypocrites. He gives them insight to expose imitations and deceptions that most Christians would take as genuine.” Those Christians who are gifted with discernment will be able to compare ungodly words, deeds and appearances with what God has revealed in Scripture and expose the fraudulent leaders and teachers for what they are. They are gifted with unusual ability in separating what is true from what is false and what is right from what is wrong.

In our next article we’ll look at how you can know whether God has gifted you in this way. And in the third article we’ll look at what you can do with the gift, what to do if you want it, and what to do if you don’t have it.

Credo's and Paedo's Find Common Ground

Posted by Jason E. Robertson @ http://fide-o.blogspot.com

We all know how divisive the "baptism issue" is between credo-baptist and paedo-baptist. So in the spirit of Christian unity I want to propose the following thoughts and see if we can find common ground.

Both paedo's and credo's agree that some New Covenant practices are commanded and some are inferred. We disagree on what is commanded and what is inferred. But my desire is focus on what do we both agree is commanded and what do we both agree is inferred. Lets find that common ground.

First lets find common negative ground:

1. Both paedo's and credo's agree that there is no command in the Scriptures to baptize infants.
2. Both paedo's and credo's agree that there is no command in the Scriptures that female should partake of the Lord's Supper.

Second lets find common positive ground:

1. Both paedo's and credo's agree that there are commands in the Scriptures for professing believers to be baptized.
2. Both peado's and credo's agree that there is a clear inference in Scripture that female disciples should partake of the Lord's Supper.

So here we have clear Biblical common ground on which both paedo's and credo's agree:

1. Professing believers are to be baptized.
2. All disciples should partake of the Lord's Supper, both male and female.

If my proposal is true... then so far we are all credo-baptist.
So, why don' you paedo's just quit being so divisive and join us Baptist? :)

[Remember this is not a debate about commands vs inferences. This is an attempt to find what is the common ground inspite of the unending debates.]

The Mission of Jesus

By Mark D. Roberts | @http://markdroberts.com

Part 3 of series: The Mission of God and the Missional Church
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If you were to ask the average Christian, “What was the mission of Jesus?” you’d no doubt hear that Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might have eternal life. I believe this is true, profoundly and wonderfully. But I also believe it’s not the full story. The mission of Jesus, though ultimately centered in the cross and though leading to life after death, was far more inclusive than many of us have been led to believe. In this post and the next I’ll give a quick overview of the mission of Jesus as seen from the perspective of the Old Testament mission of God.

Hundreds of years after the Hebrew prophet Isaiah delivered the message of the coming kingdom of God, another man recognized as a Jewish prophet emerged on the scene, bringing a message reminiscent of Isaiah’s. In a nutshell, he proclaimed: “At last the time has come! The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” (Mark 1:15). Could this man, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth, be the one whom God sent to “bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns” (Isa 52:7)?

One sabbath day Jesus went to the religious gathering place in his hometown. He was given the scroll containing the prophecies of Isaiah. Turning to the 61st chapter, He read:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come (Luke 4:18-19).

There was nothing particularly unusual about the fact that Jesus read this text. It was well-known and beloved among the Jews of Jesus’s day, who hoped for God’s kingdom. But then Jesus did a most exceptional thing. As those who had gathered stared at Him, he said: “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!” (Luke 4:21). With this simple sentence Jesus made an audacious claim. In effect, He said, “I am the one appointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. I am the long-expected Redeemer of Israel, the Servant of God who will bear the sin of humanity. I have come to complete God’s mission of reconciliation.” (Picture above: The great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran, one of the first Dead Sea Scrolls to be discovered in 1947. It is an almost complete copy of Isaiah, and dates to the second-century BC.)

The passage from Isaiah 61 which Jesus applied to Himself highlights several essential features of his mission. First of all, He was sent by God in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18). Even though Jesus was the divine Son of God, He was empowered by the Holy Spirit for His ministry. Even though His birth was a miracle of the Spirit, at His baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus received the Spirit in a dramatic way (Luke 3:21-22). From that time onward He was guided by the Spirit (Luke 4:1).

Second, Jesus was sent to proclaim the good news (Luke 4:18). At the core of His earthly ministry was the proclamation of God’s reign. The Gospel of Mark provides a concise summary of Jesus’s message: “At last the time has come! The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” (Mark 1:15). Notice that Jesus’s own preaching was not primarily about Himself, but about the coming of the long-awaited kingdom of God, that which the prophets had promised and for which the Jewish people prayed every day.

What is this kingdom of God? In the Old Testament, the kingdom of God was not somewhere up in the sky, or something we experience only after death. Rather, it was God’s reign or rule on earth, a reign that would continue into eternity. The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth brings reconciliation between people and God, and extends that reconciliation throughout the world. Hatred and injustice are replaced by the love and justice of God. Sickness and death are consumed by God’s wholeness and eternal life. Human rebellion against God’s reign is replaced by loving obedience. (For much more on Jesus’s preaching of the kingdom of God, see my series: What Was the Message of Jesus?)

Part 4 of series: The Mission of God and the Missional Church
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Yesterday I began to summarize the mission of Jesus in light of the mission of God in the Old Testament. I based my discussion on a passage from chapter 4 of Luke’s gospel. Here’s that passage, once again:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come (Luke 4:18-19).

On the basis of this text, which is a citation from Isaiah 61, I explained that:

1. Jesus was sent by God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus was sent to proclaim the good news.

Today I’ll continue where I left off yesterday.

Third, Jesus was sent to enact the good news. Jesus practiced what He preached. As a part of His announcement of God’s coming kingdom, Jesus proclaimed release for the captives, seeing for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. He backed up His audacious proclamations with compelling demonstrations. Those in bondage to demonic powers were set free (Luke 4:33-35). The sick were made well and the blind given sight (Luke 7:21-22). Jesus liberated those who were bound by social injustice and prejudice (Mark 7:24-30; Luke 5:12-15; 7:36-50; 8:43-48; 10:38-42; 19:1-10). Even as he called his followers to love their neighbors and their enemies (Luke 6:35; 10:27), Jesus also loved with exemplary compassion (Matt 9:36; Mark 10:21; Luke 7:13). He not only spoke of God’s reign, but also embodied that reign in His own person and ministry. Where Jesus was, there was the kingdom of God (Luke 17:21). His enactment of the kingdom demonstrated the validity of His preaching, and drew thousands to hear His good news. It showed that the coming of the kingdom was focused in Him, His proclamation, His ministry, and His person. (Picture: El Greco, “Christ Healing the Blind,” c. 1567)

Fourth, Jesus was sent to form a community of the good news. Although not explicitly stated in Luke 4:18-19, when the poor, the blind, and the captives received the good news of God’s kingdom, they also had the opportunity to join the community of kingdom people, who, once reconciled to God, experienced reconciliation with each other as well. In Luke 5 Jesus called a few fishermen to form the core of His disciples, promising that they would now fish for people (Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16). The community of Jesus’s followers live under God’s reign, demonstrating love and justice as servants of God and of each other (Mark 10:43-44; Luke 11:42; John 13:34-35). Even during the earthly life of Jesus, His followers were empowered to join in His ministry, proclaiming the good news of God’s reign and demonstrating that good news through works of healing and liberation (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-17). Their sharing in the ministry of Jesus foreshadowed an even greater work to come.

So, even as in the Old Testament God’s mission involved forming a people through whom to restore His kingdom on earth, Jesus’s mission was not simply about getting individuals right with God. He was also in the business of forming a people to proclaim and live out the reality of God’s kingdom. This is perhaps one of the major oversights in much of American Christianity, which has allowed the individualism of American culture to obscure the essentially communal nature of Jesus’s mission. Yes, He came to secure individual salvation and to call individuals as His disciples. But full salvation includes restoration as God’s people. True discipleship is always a shared endeavor. There are no “lone ranger” disciples in the kingdom of God (or at least there shouldn’t be).

Fifth, Jesus was sent to consummate the good news through His death and resurrection. Though He embodied and inaugurated God’s reign on earth, human response to Jesus was still limited by sin. Without experiencing the most profound kind of liberation – from sin, our rebellion against God – we cannot be reconciled to God. Until we are cleansed from our sin, we can long for God’s kingdom, but we cannot fully enter it. Jesus was sent not only to proclaim and to demonstrate the good news of God’s reign, but also to consummate that good news by overcoming the barrier of sin. He came, “not to be served but to serve others, and to give [His] life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He was sent to fulfill the mission of Isaiah’s suffering Servant of God, the one who would be “wounded and crushed for our sins,” upon whom “the Lord laid . . . the guilt and sins of us all” (Isa 53:5-6). Because God’s rightful reign over us was shattered by sin, the shattering of sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus enables us to be reconciled to God. Once reconciled, then we can live in full fellowship with him as citizens of His kingdom. The cross of Christ invites us into the kingdom of God and restores us into intimate fellowship with Him as God’s subjects, servants, and beloved children.

In my next post I’ll show how this kingdom-centered mission of Jesus has been passed on to us.

How to Kill Sin in Your Life (Part 1)

By John MacArthur @http://www.sfpulpit.com

The following post is adapted from a message John preached on a practical plan for overcoming personal sin.

The question is, “How do I kill sin in my life? How do I do it?” Let me give you some little principles — very basic and straightforward.

If you live by the Spirit and are headed towards eternal life because of your salvation, the Spirit in you gives the power to be killing the deeds of the flesh.

The question is, “All right, how do I do that? I agree that the power is there, that’s the bent of my life, that’s the way I am going. I want to see the Spirit do more and more of it. How do I get to that point? How do I gain that victory? How do I establish that habitual pattern? What do I do?”

1. Recognize the Presence of Sin in Your Flesh.

Do you know why most Christians are most commonly defeated by sin? I believe it is because their sin has so totally deceived them, that they never really get to the point where they honestly evaluate its reality. They are not dealing with the issue.

They spend so much of their lives justifying their sin as a personality quirk or a product of their environment. They sugar-coat their habitual sins as simply idiosyncrasies of individuality, or some prenatal predilection that their mother had, or whatever. People can become so good at denying the reality of sin that they don’t see it. As a result, they don’t deal with it because they don’t even recognize it for what it is.

Any kind of spiritual victory begins by identifying the enemy. It is the same old story, ”If you don’t know what you are shooting at, how are you going to hit it?” How am I going to eliminate from my life what I don’t even identify as needing to be eliminated?

Sin is not only wicked, it is deceitful. And it’s there inside each of us. Believe me it is there. John Owens was right, he says of sin:

It has no doors to open. It needs no engine by which to work. It lies in the mind and in the understanding. It is found in the will. It is in the inclinations of the affections. It has such intimacy in the soul.

It’s there! But inevitably it’s covered up. As the Psalmist prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:22). We must ask God to help us see our sinfulness, if we want to recognize it for what it is.

Don’t be deceived about how good you are. Believe me, your sin is there, and it is wretched and it spurts forth between the cracks of your supposed righteousness. It comes out in anger and bitter words, unkind thoughts, criticisms, self-conceit, lack of understanding, impatience, weak prayers, immoral thoughts, and even overt sins. You need to know your weaknesses.

Haggai the prophet, in chapter one of his prophecy, repeats the command, “Consider your ways! Consider your ways!” (vv. 5, 7). In other words, take a good deep look at yourself. First Kings 8:38 says, “Know the plague in your own heart.” And Paul in Ephesians 4:22 talks about deceitful lusts. From these and many other passages, the Bible makes the point: If you want to kill sin in your life, you must begin by examining your own heart to see the reality of what is there.

(To be continued tomorrow)

Does God Author Sin?

From www.desiringgod-org

This is part 1 of a 4-part series on how to talk about God's sovereignty over sin.

In his last three sermons, John Piper has made some provocative statements about God’s sovereignty over sin.

• August 12: “God created [Satan and his demons] knowing what they would become and how, in that very evil role, they would glorify Christ. Knowing everything they would become, God created them for the glory of Christ.”
• August 19: “God is sovereign over Satan, and therefore Satan’s will does not move without God’s permission. And therefore every move of Satan is part of God’s overall purpose and plan.”
• August 26: “[E]verything that exists—including evil—is ordained by an infinitely holy and all-wise God to make the glory of Christ shine more brightly. . . . Adam’s sin and the fall of the human race with him into sin and misery did not take God off guard and is part of his overarching plan to display the fullness of the glory of Jesus Christ.”

Desiring God has received a batch of emails in response—some more heated than others!—questioning (or outright disagreeing with) God’s sovereignty over sin.

We’ve found that John Frame provides some significant help on how to talk about God’s sovereignty over sin. Dr. Frame and P&R Publishing have graciously given us permission to quote his Doctrine of God at length. The excerpts below (and in the next 3 parts of this series) are not available elsewhere on the web. If you get some help here, we’d highly recommend purchasing The Doctrine of God.

* * *

The following is from The Doctrine of God, Chapter 9, “The Problem of Evil,” by John Frame. The headings are added; the paragraphs are Dr. Frame’s.

God Is Sovereign Over Sin

. . . God does harden hearts, and through his prophets he predicts sinful human actions long in advance, indicating that he is in control of human free decisions. Now theologians have found it difficult to formulate in general terms how God acts to bring about those sinful actions. . . . Do we want to say that God is the “cause” of evil? That language is certainly problematic, since we usually associate cause with blame. . . . [I]t seems that if God causes sin and evil, he must be to blame for it.

Words: The Theologian’s Tools

Therefore, there has been much discussion among theologians as to what verb should best describes God’s agency in regard to evil. Some initial possibilities: authors, brings about, causes, controls, creates, decrees, foreordains, incites, includes within his plan, makes happen, ordains, permits, plans, predestines, predetermines, produces, stands behind, wills. Many of these are extra-scriptural terms; none of them are perfectly easy to define in this context. So theologians need to give some careful thought about which of these terms, if any, should be affirmed, and in what sense. Words are the theologian’s tools. In a situation like this, none of the possibilities is fully adequate. There are various advantages and disadvantages among the different terms. Let us consider some of those that are most frequently discussed.

1) Does God Author Sin?

The term authors is almost universally condemned in the theological literature. It is rarely defined, but it seems to mean both that God is the efficient cause of evil and that by causing evil he actually does something wrong.¹ So the [Westminster Confession] says that God “neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin” (5:4). Despite this denial in a major Reformed confession, Arminians regularly charge that Reformed theology makes God the author of sin. They assume that if God brings about evil in any sense, he must therefore approve it and deserve the blame. In their view, nothing less than libertarian freedom will serve to absolve God from the charge of authoring sin.

God Does Not Author Sin

But as we saw [in chapter 8] libertarian freedom is incoherent and unbiblical. And as we saw [in chapter 4] God does bring about sinful human actions. To deny this, or to charge God with wickedness on account of it, is not open to a Bible-believing Christian. Somehow, we must confess both that God has a role in bringing evil about, and that in doing so he is holy and blameless. . . . God does bring sins about, but always for his own good purposes. So in bringing sin to pass he does not himself commit sin. If that argument is sound, then a Reformed doctrine of the sovereignty of God does not imply that God is the author of sin.

¹ Lest there be confusion over language: the “author/story” model of God’s relation to creatures, which I [will advocate later], does not make God the “author of sin” in this sense. Nothing about that model implies that God commits or approves of sin. In fact I shall argue later that it provides us a reason to deny that.