Merry Christmas

  From David Jeremiah:     

                   All our inheritance was released upon the death of Jesus Christ. Because He died, we have an abundant provision of everything we need. We are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, and He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:3, 7).

Because of Christmas we have comfort for today, hope for tomorrow, and blessings innumerable for every day. That's why it's truly a Merry Christmas.                            

Beware the Hucksters!

The warning that appears most in the New Testament is the warning against false teachers. The false teacher that concerns me the most these days is the huckster.

The warnings are clear and most times it is good to see multiple translations of a given passage to leave no doubt as to its intended meaning. Here are two translations of 2 Cor 2:17: 

 "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." NIV

"You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us."  NLT

Combined with 1 Tim 6: 3-5 the warning is clear:

"These are the things you are to teach and insist on. ³ If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴ they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵ and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain."

What to look for:   “Confess it to possess it”, “Name it and claim it”, Teaching on a 100 fold return on donations, and extra biblical teaching such as  "New Revelations". These are some of the big things to look for.

The flaws in these teachings are real obvious for the Christian with a minimum of discernment to spot. Unfortunately those who are brought up in an “ology” based on faulty exegesis of scripture or that read things into scripture, (eisegesis) are prone to fall into the trap and not even see it.

Pray for these people, handle with care, point out their error with gentleness and the agape love of GOD.  

Think about it, meditate on it, open your Bible and verify it so that you know what I'm saying is accurate and in context.  

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

You Have Received Christ as Savior: Now What?

While I love it when I see people come to a saving relationship with the GOD of the Universe through his son Jesus Christ, but I often ask the question on their behalf, now what?

I was left high and dry after I was saved and looked and searched for a long time for the right church. It took way too long and I drifted aimlessly. In other words I was the true definition of a seeker. 

Here is what David Jeremiah says about what really needs to happen after one becomes a new born again believer:

“New Christians need to be fed "the milk of the Word"--basic biblical truths about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. But that "milk" is for a transitional purpose, just as mother's milk plays a transitional role in human physical development. If a Christian doesn't move beyond basic Bible doctrines into deeper biblical understanding, something is wrong. Spiritual growth only continues when the "milk" of the Word is replaced by the "meat" of the Word.

How would you describe your spiritual diet in terms of how long you have been a Christian? If you are consuming milk too long or meat too soon, your growth will suffer.”

Churches: Please don’t leave your new Christians high and dry, to fend for themselves.

Get them studying, at least have Bible Studies weekly to ensure their growth.

Think about it, pray about, and until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us,

In Jesus name I pray.

Politics: Who Do You Trust?

As the political ads are already saturating the air waves with lies and exaggerations and the “It’s not corruption if it’s my guy” attitudes take hold, it all comes down to who do you trust. Who is truly worthy of our trust? 

If you are a professing Christian, there can only be one answer. I trust in no party, no plan, no political or social dogma, no “ology” or “ism”. The only man I trust is the man with the nail scarred hands, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

While it may be our national and some would even say it’s our moral duty to vote, please do so against the measure of biblical truth. Vote for the people who stand on the firmest moral ground.  Hold your nose and perform your civic duty. What we shouldn’t do is get caught up in the debate and get dragged down or dragged into the world, but rather we should always, as much as is humanly possible, stayed focused on Jesus.

Think about it, pray about it.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.   

“Ologies” and “Isms” The Doctrines of Men

So I need to ask, did the early Christians and church fathers have to believe in the doctrines of predestination, prosperity, free will, or any other man made doctrine to be saved? I don’t think so. The Gospel is simple, one puts their faith in Jesus, believe he was the virgin born son of God, suffered died and was buried for the sins of mankind, rose on the third day, and are saved by doing so. That is it, THE END! 

Anything beyond this simple truth is man made doctrine.

 But Dan, it’s in the Bible.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. One mans exegesis is another mans heresy. 

There is no doubt in my mind that certain things get lost in translation from the original languages, thus leaving the original intent obfuscated in some cases. Regardless, all of these “ologies” and “isms” are based on non-essentials for salvation. Whether GOD chooses or  not, if you are rich or not, if you have free will or not, if your faith is strong enough or not, if you read the King James only or not, or any other man made “ology” or “ism”, none of which matter. What matters is this:

Romans 5:8

“.. but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”.   

Yes, it is that simple! Why do men have to make it more complicated than that? Enough with the neo-pharisees creating religious systems that muddy the WORD!!! Could it be Satan stirring things up?

Think about it. Pray about it.

Until the next time, may the LORD Bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Getting Conversion Right

From Erwin Lutzer. This is part 4 of a series but it is critical. I thought it was important enough to share with you today.

lhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/running-to-win/player/getting-conversion-right-part-4-of-4-278009.html

Counterfeits: Believers Beware

In this age of apostasy all of Gods’ children need to be careful as things aren’t always what they may appear to be.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 NIV

Satan is good at counterfeiting in the spiritual realm. He can produce signs and wonders and can make his apostles look like Christ's apostles. Christians must be careful. Spiritual appearance is not a guarantee of spiritual integrity. We must "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" as John wrote (1 John 4:1 NIV).

It is up to us to obey the Bible's exhortation: "Do not be deceived" (Galatians 6:7).

But Jesus himself warned that us that even the elect(saved) can be deceived:

For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. Matt 24:24 NLT

"There are powers that can counterfeit almost anything in the Christian life".
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

With Thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah and his daily devotionals from which this post was derived.

Here is a great Praise video from Cristy Nockels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3OEGnH5x8g&ob=av2n
Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Repentance: A Basic Requirement, Not a Dirty Word

Too many in the modern church refuse to teach and preach about sin and repentance. “We don’t teach condemnation, only grace” they may say. Those that follow this prescription are teaching only part of the Bible and are in serious error.
“But Dan, God is our Daddy, he doesn’t want any of us to perish, and all things work together for good, it’s in the word, you should know that!” they exclaim.
I hate to break it to you but I must. The first requirement to being born again and truly receiving Christ as Savior and LORD is to repent. This concept in not only in the word but also in context without conflict with other scriptures:

Acts 3:19-20
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, NIV
Acts 20:21
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. NIV

Grace abusers do not like this but the above verses are examples of repentance being a prerequisite to being saved. Repent and have faith, repent and turn to GOD, another verse states “Repent and be Baptized”(Acts 2:38). Repentance is the turning away from sin without regret for leaving it behind.
One who is truly born again repents, i.e. turns away from their sins and the difference in their lives will be noticeable. This does not mean we will be perfect, we all sin but the general move should be forward, away from sin, and not looking back. Those who do not repent are headed for judgement. NO you say? Then how do you explain away this:

ACTS 2: 3-5
“3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
I implore everybody to not exclude repentance, judgment, or faith from your teaching in lieu of grace. Remember that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2: 8-9), that you can’t have one without the other and neither without repentance.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

The Great Apostasy vs Weirdness in the Modern Church

It has become obvious that the Church is in the midst of a great apostasy. Many “ologies” and “isms” have arose and have come to prominence, some old, some new, but all are extra biblical and full of heresy.
I’m not going to address these groups today, instead I want to address some changes in the orthodoxy, the Christ focused, Bible believing churches.

In my visiting some local bodies of late I can’t help but to notice that the Gospel message seems to no longer be sufficient. The use of worldly marketing ideas, using course language as part of a message or alluding to harsh language through double entendre and shock value to get folks in the door have become the new trend.
I attended a Baptist Church for a while where the Pastor used the term “scumbag” during a sermon on multiple occasions. Why? To serve what purpose? Another church I attended had a sermon series called “F-Bomb” a series on forgiveness. They could have named it “Forgiveness: The Christian F-Bomb” for example but I guess it wouldn’t carry the requisite shock value. The lack of maturity and or discernment is sometimes more shocking than the devices being used.

Can we get back to the Gospel, the simple, perfect message of the Gospel and stop the nonsense? I can understand doing certain things to entice the “goats” to come to church to give them the Gospel. What I don’t like is the prospect of having a church full of goats to bloat the attendance figures. Jesus asked Peter to "feed my sheep" and that should be the primary focus. Anybody searching for GOD will be looking for the WORD, not a bunch of gimmicks.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, In Jesus name I pray.

Sensing the Presence of The LORD

One of the benefits of having a close personal relationship with GOD through Christ is the sense of his presence when we are in prayer, reading the Word, or in worship with fellow believers. “Christ in you the hope of glory”(Col 1:27) becomes more real when you sense his presence. It is real and palpable, unmistakable.

Every believer at some point in their walk has experienced this, some daily, some occasionally. One way I know that I am outside His will or have some unconfessed sin is that his presence is not felt as strongly, or not at all.

The best way to grow in faith is to read the Word. It is also the best way to feel his presence and grow closer since GOD Talks to us through his Word. When we talk to Him through prayer the communication is both ways and complete.
While the Temple and the Tabernacle of the Lords’ presence in the Holy Of Holies no longer physically exist, the tabernacle of his presence resides in each and every born again believer. Feed on the Word to reap the maximum benefit of this relationship.

Until the next time, May the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Proverbs 23:04 and the Book of Ecclesiastes

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." (Proverbs 23:04)

One of the deceptive aspects of the pursuit of wealth is the idea that wealth will answer all of your problems. There are abundant examples in life that this is not true, but most people ignore the proof. More than one rich person has died grasping for one last dollar, having sacrificed their relationships with people in exchange for more wealth. Like the old country song that says, "money can't buy back your youth when you're old, or a love that's grown cold". So true! Wisdom will guide you to realize that earthly wealth is a short-term blessing, uncertain at best, and useless in eternity. Always realize that you are more than what you possess, much more. That's why Jesus advises that you invest in treasures in heaven. When Jesus speaks, people should listen. -Unknown

Yes, it doesn't get any clearer than this. The bottom line here is the same that the book of Ecclesiastes tries to get across when the writer opens with: "vanity, vanity, all is vanity" , What does man gain from all his labor...." The book is a discourse of how useless the pursuit of "stuff", all kinds of "stuff" is. The good life is not things and experiences and secondly not just living and success. Christians need to learn that the full life is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and living in his will, not the pursuit of riches or other idols.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

So, What IS My Theology

I have been asked, rightfully so, what is my theology? Despite being anti- “ology” and “ism”, and being as totally non-denominational as is humanly possible, I still have to have a basis for my faith.
I’m very “protestant”. I was raised Roman Catholic despite being from predominantly Jewish parents. (Both died in denial of how Jewish they were, a story not for here). In the mid 80’s I had grown to a point where I no longer could accept the teachings of the Catholic Church. I was a believer in Jesus Christ but had developed an issue with the obvious idolatry and idol worship, amongst other things, and thus started my quest for the truth. That is when I started studying the Bible. After a while of studying and watching the likes of Ben Hayden, Charles Stanley, John Ankerberg, and listening to J.Vernon McGee, and Chuck Smith on the radio I came to a traditional Protestant position and realized I needed to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior.
My theology is pretty much what came out of the Reformation; I have been saved by Grace alone, by Faith alone, in Christ alone. I believe the Bible, the original texts are divinely inspired and is God’s only revelation to mankind. Yes, very basic and very simple.
We get in trouble when we start interjecting our “people stuff” on top of this foundation.
For example, “Thou shalt walk the isle” or “You need to be baptized to be saved” are pretty classic deviations. Anything added to basic salvation, the basic Gospel message is error in my opinion. I have railed against all sorts of secondary issues over the years, railed against folks who major in the minors, folks who say “believe as I believe exactly the way I believe it or you are not saved” or accuse you of heresy due to “required” secondary or even tertiary beliefs. These folks are tools of the devil in my opinion and do nothing to spread the Gospel, and in fact hinder its growth by their actions. Religiosity is poison.
You see it all comes back to basics. Christianity is not about religion, it is about relationship, a relationship with the God of the universe through his son Jesus Christ.

I hope this answers your question.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

What I Pray For the New Year

I pray for a movement of the Holy Spirit to move across this nation and raise up an army of new believers, for this nation to turn back to GOD in a major way. May this be the reason why we (the United States) are not to be found in scripture: Because of this mass turning back to GOD we all will have been raptured away prior to the tribulation.

I pray that we all begin to study the word daily if we are not already doing so.
Charles Stanley calls the Word “Fuel for Faith”. "Faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of GOD".(Romans 10:17) Dust off those Bibles and start reading. Don’t know where to start? Start reading Proverbs, a chapter a day for 1 month. I trust the Holy Spirit to lead from there.

I pray that the evil doers be swept from office, that the modern holocaust called abortion be stopped, that the culture of death be swept away to be replaced by the culture of life, life in Christ. What else matters?

I pray that professing churches, the congregations of true believers in the LORD Jesus Christ, drop the drama and get back to basics, drop the fleshy displays of emotion and get back to the word, drop the peer pressure antics and become more Christ like.
I also pray that the true church become Gospel driven. Let's drop the "ology's" and "isms". The church will be inherently more seeker sensitive when we become Bible centered again and the purpose driving us is to spread the word.

What are you praying for? Will you also join me and pray for the same things?

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.