The Gospel Is the Greatest Thing in the World

(HT: CRN)

Every Man To His Post

War will always rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is impossibility; the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. . .

Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and for ever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with Him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords tonight, and pray to the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for conflict. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!

-- Charles Spurgeon

HT: Defcon

My Orders Are To Fight

My orders are to fight;
Then if I bleed, or fail,
Or strongly win, what matters it?
God only doth prevail.

The servant craveth naught
Except to serve with might.
I was not told to win or lose,–
My orders are to fight.

--Welsh poet Ethylwyn Wetherald

Rescuing the Gospel from Evangelicals: Kirk Cameron & John MacArthur On...TBN?

TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) has become known for false teaching, but Pastor John MacArthur and Kirk Cameron (Fireproof) hit the nail on the head here.

This is the uncompromised Gospel!

If you haven't seen the movie Fireproof yet, don't wait another minute.

(HT: Puritan Fellowship)

Republican Party Is Conservative? Don't Make Me Laugh

Just in case anyone needed convincing that George Bush, John McCain, and the Republican Party are anything but conservative, this horrifying post-election writeup by Michelle Malkin should do the trick:

I hope Barack Obama remembered to thank George Bush on behalf of his illegal alien aunt this week. The lame-duck Republican president did the Democratic president-elect a generous -- and dangerous -- favor right before Election Day: Putting politics above homeland security, the Bush administration ordered immigration authorities across the country to halt all deportation enforcement actions until the campaign season was over.

According to my sources, the Bush administration issued a 72-hour cease-and-desist order to all fugitive apprehension teams to spare Obama embarrassment over his Kenyan half-aunt, Zeituni Onyango.

The rest of this horror story is here.

A Razor's Edge

"The difference between truth and error is not a chasm but a razor's edge."

--John Murray


HT: email brigade

Spurgeon on Postmodernism: Stand Fast for the Truth

This is an age in which truth must be maintained zealously, vehemently, continually. Playing fast and loose as many do, believing this to-day and that to-morrow, is the sure mark of children of wrath; but having received the truth, to hold fast the very form of it, as Paul bids Timothy to do, is one of the duties of heirs of heaven. Stand fast for truth, and may God give the victory to the faithful.

We must believe the gospel and maintain it, for it is committed to our trust.

-- Charles Spurgeon

HT: Pyromaniacs

Republican Party R.I.P.

Conservatives Lost More Than An Election
by Chuck Baldwin
November 7, 2008

. . .For all intents and purposes, conservatism--as a national movement--is completely and thoroughly dead. Barack Obama did not destroy it, however. It was George W. Bush and John McCain who destroyed conservatism in America.

Soon after G.W. Bush was elected, it quickly became obvious he was no conservative. On the contrary, George Bush has forever established himself as a Big-Government, warmongering, internationalist neocon. Making matters worse was the way Bush presented himself as a conservative Christian. In fact, Bush's portrayal of himself as a conservative Christian paved the way for the betrayal and ultimate destruction of conservatism (something I also predicted years ago). And the greatest tragedy of this deception is the way that Christian conservatives so thoroughly (and stupidly) swallowed the whole Bush/McCain neocon agenda. . .

Consider, too, the way Bush and McCain have allowed the international bankers on Wall Street to bilk America's taxpayers out of trillions of dollars. Yes, I know Obama also supported the Wall Street bailout, but it was the Republican Party that controlled the White House for the last eight years and the entire federal government for six out of the last eight years. In fact, the GOP has won seven out of the previous ten Presidential elections. They have controlled Supreme Court appointments for the past thirty-plus years. They have appointed the majority of Treasury secretaries and Federal Reserve chairmen. They have presided over the greatest trade imbalances, the biggest deficits, the biggest spending increases, and now the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression. . .

But the worst calamity of this election was the way conservatives--especially Christian conservatives--surrendered their principles for the sake of political partisanship. The James Dobsons of this country should hang their heads in shame! Not only did they lose an election, they lost their integrity!. . .

Across the country, rather than stand on principle, hundreds of thousands of pastors, Christians, and pro-life conservatives capitulated and groveled before John McCain's neocon agenda. In doing so, they forfeited any claim to truth, and they abandoned any and all fidelity to constitutional government. They should rip the stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of their Bibles. They should never again tell their children, parishioners, and radio audiences the importance of standing for truth and principle. They have made a mockery of Christian virtue. No wonder a majority of the voting electorate laughs at us Christians. No wonder the GOP crashed and burned last Tuesday.

Again, it wasn't Barack Obama who destroyed conservatism; it was George W. Bush, John McCain, and the millions of evangelical Christians who supported them. And until conservatives find their backbone and their convictions, they deserve to remain a burnt-out, has-been political force. They have no one to blame but themselves.

And since it is unlikely that the Republican Party has enough sense to understand any of this and will, therefore, do little to reestablish genuine conservative principles, it is probably best to just go ahead and bury the scoundrels now and move on to something else. Without a sincere commitment to constitutional government, the GOP has no justifiable reason to ever govern again. Therefore, put a fork in them. They are done. Let a new entity arise from the ashes: one that will stand for something more than just "the lesser of two evils." As we say in the South, That dog just won't hunt anymore.

Or as Pat Buchanan says in his column today, "as long as the Republican Party is hooked on K Street cash, it will not address [globalization and illegal immigration, the "twin causes of death of the Reagan coalition], and thus pass, blissfully addicted, from this earth."

Finding America in Romans Chapter One

In this must-see video, James White speaks with great eloquence and power on the election of Barack Hussein Obama to the presidency of the United States, and finds America in the year 2008 to be right smack dab in the middle of...Romans chapter one:



Spread the word.

Leadership and The Gospel

We also need to understand that for us to have better leaders in the nation the church must be faithful in proclaiming the gospel. The problem in the world is not bad economic policies but bad hearts and these can only be changed by the gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe (Romans 1:16). The gospel has always been the vanguard of civilization and true human dignity. It changes lives in the grassroots of society and, since rulers come from there, in due season it gives us rulers with pure hearts. It is the failure to realize this that makes Christians excited about a new leader coming into power even when the state of the church still leaves much to be desired. That is totally misplaced confidence. Our excitement, rather, should be when a purer gospel finds its way into the homes of our land. That alone is the true hope . . .

HT: A Letter from Kabwata

Where Are You, God?

“Thursday in Minneapolis it was so gorgeous walking home I thought: I should write a post on how astonishing it is that no earthquake swallowed up this city today.

Instead God sent warmth and crystal skies and cool breezes and golden leaves and hanging sea gulls over Elliot Park.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing!

We deserved the 52-story IDS tower to fall, and bridges to collapse, and poisonous gas to kill thousands. But instead God gave us over-the-top foretastes of heaven.

This is why everyone is crying out, Where was God on Thursday! Where were you God! How could you do this? Why did you let this happen?

Everybody is saying that, aren’t they?”

- John Piper

John Owen: Christ the Beam of Divine Sunlight

"The light of the sun comes to us by its beams. By its beams we see the sun, and by its beams the sun touches us. Jesus Christ is the beam of his Father's love and through him the Father's love reaches down and touches us. By Jesus Christ also we see and experience and are led up to the Father's love. If we, as believers, would meditate on this truth more and live in the light of it, there would be great spiritual growth in our walk with God.

This growth in our walk with God is what we are to aim at. Many dark and disturbing thoughts arise to hinder our walk with God. Few can rise to the height of the Father's love by faith, so as to rest their souls in his love. They live far below it in the troublesome region of hopes and fears, storms and clouds. Abiding in the Father's love, all is peace and quiet. But how to rise up to the height of the Father's love they do not know. It is God's will that he should always be seen as gentle, kind, tender, loving and unchangeable. It is his will that we see him as the Father, and the great fountain and reservoir of all grace and love. This is what Christ came to reveal. Christ came to reveal God as a Father (John 1:18). It is the name of God as Father which Christ declares to those who are given him out of the world (John 17:6). And this is what Christ leads us to, because he is the only way of going to God as a Father (John 14:5,6). He leads us to God as love. By this, Christ gives us the rest which he promised us. We believe in God through Christ (1 Peter 1:21). Faith seeks out a place for the soul to rest. This rest is presented to the soul by Christ, the Mediator. By Christ the soul has access into the Father's love (Ephesians 2:18). Believers find that God is love, and that he loved them from eternity. Believers learn that it was God's will and purpose to love them from everlasting to everlasting in Christ, and that all reason for God to be angry with us and treat us as his enemies has been taken away. The believer, being brought by Christ into the bosom of the Father, rests in the full assurance of God's love and of never being separated from that love. This is the first act of communion which the believer has with the Father."

~John Owen From the Puritan Paperback's, R.J.K Law abridged version of "Communion With God."

HT: Puritan Fellowship

Break the Neck of the Donkey? What's That All About?

The inestimable Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon expounds the Gospel where one might not expect to find it -- in the Old Testament law of sacrifice.

"THE FIRSTBORN OF A DONKEY YOU SHALL REDEEM WITH A LAMB, OR IF YOU WILL NOT REDEEM IT YOU SHALL BREAK ITS NECK." Exodus 34:20

Every firstborn creature must be the Lord's; but since the donkey was unclean, it could not be presented in sacrifice. What then? Should it be allowed to go free from the universal law? By no means. God allows for no exceptions. The donkey is His due, but He will not accept it; He will not void the claim, but yet He cannot be pleased with the victim. As a result, no way of escape remained but redemption-the creature must be saved by the substitution of a lamb in its place; or if not redeemed, it must die. My soul, here is a lesson for you.

That unclean animal is you. You are justly the property of the Lord who made you and preserves you, but you are so sinful that God will not, cannot, accept you; and it has come to this-the Lamb of God must stand in your place or you must die eternally. Let all the world know of your gratitude to that spotless Lamb who has already bled for you and so redeemed you from the fatal curse of the law.

Oh, the wonderful truth that indeed, Christ is in all the Scriptures! (Luke 24:27)

Quote of the Day

“When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

--Abraham Kuyper

Truth vs. "Just Doing Good Deeds"

There are many who claim that Christians just simply need to "do good deeds" and downplay or ignore doctrine.

Evidently, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the greatest preachers of the century just past, did not agree:

There are many today who regard truth and error as matters of small consequence; if a man lives rightly, they say, it matters not much what his beliefs and opinions are. Such statements do not surprise us. Night and day are all one to a blind man. Truth and error are all one to an ignorant man.

(HT: e- mail brigade news)

Who Is Barack Hussein Obama? Joe Farrah Reports

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

– Bob Dylan, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"

That was the line that inspired Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers and Mark Rudd to drop out of society, go underground and launch a bombing and terror campaign against the United States of America.

In 1970, they signed the Weather Underground's "Declaration of a State of War" on the U.S. government and clearly articulated their call for a worldwide communist revolution. The group committed at least 40 bombings between 1969 and 1975. The targets included the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol, the State Department, military bases, police stations and businesses.

Before going underground and just following the mass murders of actress Sharon Tate and others by disciples of Charles Manson, Dohrn had this to say: "Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, then they even shoved a fork into a victim's stomach! Wild!" Dohrn went on to suggest her fellow radical, homicidal maniacs adopt a "fork" salute to greet one another.

Dohrn also publicly celebrated the group's maiming of Chicago prosecutor Richard Elrod in the Chicago riots. In 1970, Ayers explained what the Weather Underground was all about: "Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, kill your parents, that's where it's really at."

On March 6, 1970, three members of the Weather Underground were killed when a bomb they were building exploded in a Greenwich Village townhouse. The device was made with dynamite wrapped in roofing nails to maximize casualties. The intended target of that bomb was a dance for non-commissioned officers at the Fort Dix Army base.

Dohrn is believed to be responsible for the bombing of a San Francisco police station in 1970 that killed one officer and injured two others.

After Ayers and Dohrn turned themselves in to authorities in 1980, they were never prosecuted for those crimes. Instead, they pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated battery and bail jumping, receiving probation.

Yet, there is no question they were bombers. In 2001, Ayers told the New York Times, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough."

I lived through all of this history and remember it well. In fact, in 1979, shortly before Dohrn and Ayers turned themselves in, I actually met them in New York. At the time, they were not using their real names. They were living under the pseudonyms Christine Louise Douglas and Anthony J. Lee.

In 1980, after they turned themselves in, I fully expected to be questioned by the FBI about my association with these dangerous revolutionaries who had broken every imaginable law – from assault to sedition to murder and mayhem. Shockingly, the FBI showed no interest.

I suspect that was because the fix was in. Ayers and Dohrn had powerful support from wealthy people, including Ayers' father, Thomas, the head of Commonwealth Edison. He served on many influential boards including G.D. Searle, Chicago Pacific Corp., Zenith Corp., Northwest Industries, First National Bank of Chicago and the Tribune Company, owner of the Chicago Tribune.

In 1984, Dohrn was hired by the prestigious law firm Sidley Austin by Howard Trienens, a friend of Thomas Ayers. In 1991, Dohrn was hired by Northwestern University in Chicago as an adjunct professor of law. Trienens served on the board of trustees and Thomas Ayers was its chairman. Ayers today serves as a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Why is all this history important?

Because Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn played a critical role in shaping the political career of Barack Hussein Obama.

When Obama first ran for Congress in 2000 – just eight years ago – he was questioned on a local TV news interview about what qualifications he had for the job.

"One of the criticisms that arises in connection with your candidacy is that you haven't been in the (Illinois) Senate very long, the state Senate," the interviewer said. "You have a limited track record in terms of time. What is your argument, based on the one term that you served in the Senate so far, that makes you prepared for the Congress?"

Obama replied: "I would argue, though, that my experience previous to elected office equips me for the job. You know, I have a background as an attorney. I've represented affordable housing organizations to build affordable housing, something that is a major issue in the district. I've chaired major philanthropic efforts in the city, like the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that gave $50 million to prop up school reform efforts throughout the city."

And how did Obama become chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge?

Presumably, he was recruited by Bill Ayers who helped found it and served as co-chairman of the Chicago School Reform Collaborative, one of the two operational arms of the CAC.

So who provided Obama with the only executive experience he has ever had in his young life? Bill Ayers, unrepentant domestic terrorist, communist revolutionary, husband of Bernardine Dohrn, untouchable, spoiled rich kid.

Obama has never been forced to explain his association – and his debt – to Ayers and Dohrn. He claims he doesn't know them well. He says they're just some people he knows in his neighborhood.

Yet, he admits the best qualification he had to run for Congress (and lose) in 2000 was his job giving away money for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge – a job he got because he was plugged in to the connections of the two spoiled-brat communist revolutionaries.

By the way, thanks to the revelation by WND Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein that Mark Rudd now serves on "Progressive for Obama" along with other anarchists, communists and assorted socialists, we now know there are at least three leaders of the domestic terrorist group tied to the man who could be the next president.

I no longer expect my colleagues in the press to question Obama about any of this. They've shown they believe it is irrelevant to the question of who will become the next president of the United States. But now you know the truth. Help me spread it far and wide.

The Braying of Asses and the Grunting of Hogs

Herewith Martin Luther on the divine gift of music:

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits…This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God. However, when man’s natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace.

A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.

(Martin Luther, 1538, in his Foreword to “Symphoniae iucunda,” a collection of chorale motets)

Calvin Quote of the Day: The Spirit is More Excellent Than All Reason

Since for unbelieving men religion seems to stand by opinion alone, they, in order not to believe anything foolishly or lightly, both wish and demand rational proof that Moses and the prophets spoke divinely. But I reply: the testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded ...

John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion 1.7.5.

(HT: monergism.com)

Piper to Preach Through Gospel of John!

A cause for great rejoicing!

For those of you who haven't yet heard John Piper's sermons on Romans, you should. Pastor John preached 224 sermons on this book. The DVD contains all of them as mp3's and is worth its weight in gold.

How long will it take him? You do the math:

Hebrews has 303 verses: he preached 52 sermons on Hebrews.

Romans has 433 verses: he preached 224 messages.

John has 879 verses...

But, however long the Lord gives him to preach this tremendous book, don't miss it!

B. Hussein Obama Is Not a Christian

Here is the video of B. Hussein Obama slipping and referring to "my Muslim faith" before George Stephanopoulos helpfully -- helpfully, that is to Obama, but not to us -- corrects him:




Dear friends, there is no evidence whatsoever to support the claim of Senator Obama and Mr. Stephanopoulos that B. Hussein Obama is a "Christian." The fact that he says he is a Christian, and the fact that he is a member of a United Church of Christ are both meaningless.

Point No. 1: Saying you are a Christian does not mean you are one. You can look that up in Matthew 7:21 and elsewhere in the New Testament.

Point no. 2: Being a member of any kind of church does not mean you are a Christian. If you need proof, read John chapter 3 in the Bible.

Point No. 3: B. Hussein points to his membership in the United Church of Christ (the UCC) to support his claim. That denomination is widely referred to among Bible-believing Christians as "Unitarians Considering Christ."

For those of you in Rio Linda, that means it is not Christian even though it calls itself Christian. See Points no. 1 and 2.

And, of course, if further evidence were needed that B. Hussein is not a Christian, his support for abortion would surely provide it.


HT: Baylyblog

Martin Luther On False Religion

Martin Luther hit the nail precisely on the head:

All manner of religion, where people serve God without his Word and command, is simply idolatry, and the more holy and spiritual such a religion seems, the more hurtful and venomous it is; for it leads people away from the faith of Christ, and makes them rely and depend upon their own strength, works, and righteousness.

Is John McCain Pro-Life? Don't Make Me Laugh

Just because John McCain (who happens to be running for President) tells Rick Warren that life begins at conception, gullible evanjelly-fish leaders are falling all over themselves telling everyone McCain is "pro-life."

Oh really?

As Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin documents, here are the facts:

1. John McCain openly advocates embryonic stem cell research.

2. John McCain voted to confirm Stephen Breyer, the openly pro-abortion Supreme Court justice.

3. John McCain voted to confirm Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former general counsel of the ACLU. It's a bit hard for him to say he didn't know how she would vote on abortion cases.

4. John McCain gave us McCain-Feingold, which prohibits pro-life groups from broadcasting any ad the mentions a candidate by name 60 days before a general election.

5. In a debate with George W. Bush in 2000, John McCain attacked Bush for supporting the pro-life plank in the Republican platform.

6. John McCain has repeatedly voted to fund abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood with federal tax dollars. In fact, along with President Bush, McCain has increase levels of federal funding for abortion providers above what they were under Bill Clinton.

7. And who can forget that John McCain was one of the main forces behind the "Gang of 14" that blocked President Bush from appointing pro-life judges to lower federal courts?

8. Last but not least, John McCain has been a tireless supporter of the United Nations, which has been responsible for more abortions than any other single entity in the world.

Chuck Baldwin has it exactly right:

"Tell me again, Mr. Christian leader, how 'pro-life' John McCain is. What a joke!"

Hypocrisy Alert: So-Called "Evangelical Leaders" Blow It Big Time On Bristol Palin's Pregnancy

Here is my rendition by memory of the letter sent today via email to Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party candidate for President:

Dear Chuck,

As a Constitution Party supporter, I am appalled by the blatant hypocrisy on display in all its ugliness by so-called "evangelical leaders" such as James Dobson in the matter of the teenage pregnancy of Sarah Palin's unwed daughter. The incessant spin-spin-spin machine is in overdrive, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

What ever happened to SIN? What ever happened to genuine repentance? What about Our Lord's warning, in response to far greater perils, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish?" These get nary a mention. All we get from Dr. Dobson is that this teenager was "imperfect." This is bald-faced hypocrisy. It will surely be pointed out by our opponents, and they will be right.

This teenager's "imperfection" (the term clearly implies that all she needs to do is get a little counseling to get patched up), is not the issue for any genuine believer. The issue is that the righteous and just wrath of a holy God is even now being revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men and women -- including against Bristol Palin and her boyfriend in these very events as well as the hardships they will undoubtedly face in the future.

Of course all Christians will support them and love them throughout the raising of this child -- that is not the point.

The point is, without the conviction of sin, there is no Gospel and we perish. But how can there be conviction of sin, if sin is never even addressed? These people call themselves Christian?

I beg you to speak out against this.

Sincerely,

Your supporter,

How Does a Church Die?

Pastor John MacArthur answers this important question, in his teaching on Revelation 3:1-6, the church at Sardis:

Death occurs when unbelievers are allowed to take over ministries in the church. It happens when a church becomes more concerned with form and liturgy than it is with life on a spiritual level. Death occurs when a church becomes more concerned about welfare and social ills than it is about salvation. It happens when a church loves systems more than it loves Jesus Christ. And it happens when a church becomes more concerned with material things than spiritual reality. That's how a church dies. It all is a result of sin. . .

What kills a church? Sin--in any form that the church tolerates, whether it is in the members or the leaders. Tolerance of sin begins the cycle; then comes the tolerance of unbelievers in the church until no one cares who is a believer or an unbeliever. The end comes when the man who runs the church isn't a believer. Sins of commission and omission kill a church little by little. When that happens, Christians become carnal. Soon afterwards, unbelievers come into the church, and then a total tolerance for sin exists. The church begins to die, and the people who really love Jesus Christ leave only to be replaced by people who don't know Him. There are many people in our church who can testify to the fact that they have come to a church like ours because they had to leave a church that was dead--it was in the hands of people who didn't love Christ.

Piper on True Discernment

Discernment is not created in God’s people by brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance. It is created by biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds. When that happens, then the brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance will have the strong fiber of the full counsel of God in them. They will be profoundly Christian and not merely religious and emotional and psychological.

Unity in Truth: Spurgeon in Agreement with Luther

Martin Luther said, "It is better to be divided by truth than united by error."

Evidently Charles Spurgeon agreed:

"Where union and friendship are not cemented by truth, I say it again, we must have unity, we must pray for unity, we must love one another, we must never divide over incidentals but it is far, far, far better to be divided by truth than united in error."

Our Sovereign God

From the unsurpassed pen of Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon comes these wonderfully comforting and sobering words for God's own chosen ones:

"There is no attribute more comforting to His children, than that of God's sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials--they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children of God ought more earnestly to contend, than the doctrine of their Master over all creation--the kingship of God over all the works of His own hands--the throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne.

On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of which they have made such a football--as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine, of the sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere, except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends His throne--then His creatures gnash their teeth!

We proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter. Then it is, that we are hissed and execrated; and then it is, that men turn a deaf ear to us--for God on His throne--is not the God they love. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon His throne, whom we trust!"

(HT: Grace Gems)

The Truth About Unity

Several months ago, during a conversation with one of the elders at our former church, the elder quoted to me John 17:22 (Jesus praying "that they may be one"). The elder intended this to chide me for participating in something he and the other elders saw as disturbing the unity of that church.

By His grace, the Lord led me to respond to this elder with John 17:17 a few verses before -- Jesus praying, "Sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth."

Then, this morning, I saw this quote from Spurgeon, in which he makes the same connection the Lord had shown me during my conversation with this elder:

To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may
be one, even as we are one”? (John 17:22). A chorus of ecumenical
voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is,
“Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together
in one visible organization, regardless… Unite, unite!” Such
teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must
determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

Thanks be to God.

-Charles H. Spurgeon.

(HT: CRN)

Justification Is By Grace Alone

As Dr. R.C. Sproul has noted, the doctrine of justification by grace alone has not penetrated our culture.

Maybe this will help:





(HT: Defcon)

Porous Vessels

"While truth itself is unchanging, the minds of men are porous vessels out of which truth can leak and into which error may seep to dilute the truth they contain. The human heart is heretical by nature and runs to error as naturally as a garden to weeds. All a man, a church or a denomination needs to guarantee deterioration of doctrine is to take everything for granted and do nothing. The unattended garden will soon be overrun with weeds; the heart that fails to cultivate truth and root out error will shortly be a theological wilderness; the church or denomination that grows careless on the highway of truth will before long find itself astray, bogged down in some mud flat from which there is no escape."

--A.W. Tozer

(HT: CAMPONTHIS)

Who Are You, O Man, To Answer Back to God?

If you want to ask God, "Why did you permit this?" and "Why didn't you do that?" then my advice is to "Be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20) by believing in Jesus Christ as the only Savior, repenting and confessing that He is Lord.

Then you will have all eternity to ask God all your questions!

(HT: Proclaim His Word)

Nothing New Under the Sun: Tossing Truth Overboard

“Everything forsooth is true, and nothing is false! Everybody is right, and nobody is wrong! Everybody is likely to be saved, and nobody is to be lost!” The atonement and substitution of Christ, the personality of the Devil, the miraculous element in Scripture, the reality and eternity of future punishment, all these mighty foundation-stones are coolly tossed overboard, like lumber, in order to lighten the ship of Christianity . . . . Stand up for these great verities, and you are called narrow, illiberal, old-fashioned, and a theological fossil! Quote a text, and you are told that all truth is not confined to the pages of an ancient Jewish book . . . . We must charge home into the consciences of these men of broad views, and demand a plain answer to some plain questions. We must ask them to lay their hands on their hearts, and tell us whether their favorite opinions comfort them in the days of sickness, in the hour of death, by the bedside of dying parent, by the grave of beloved wife or child.

--J.C. Ryle

(HT: Defcon)

Hit It Stone Cold in the Face With the Truth

In my humble estimation, at least ninety percent of the people who claim to be Christian and say we must be "sensitive" to the "postmodern culture" have already compromised with it.

Thank God not everyone has. Here is how John MacArthur displays Christian sensitivity in preaching:

"In my own preaching, my objective is not to court the postmodern mind. My objective is to confront it—to hit it stone cold in the face with truth. It’s irrelevant to me how the person thinks. It’s only relevant to me how they need to think."

(HT: Pulpit Magazine)

Worldwide Church of Oprah Exposed!

"The Devil Hates Goose Quills"

In today's post, Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon beseeches us to work against those who seek to restore false religion among us. He also reminds us that the pen is more powerful than the sword.

Are we using our pens for the cause of truth?

Are we speaking out against those working to restore false religion among us?

"If the man who rebuilt Jericho was cursed, how much more does the man who works to restore false religion among us deserve the same. In our fathers' days the gigantic walls of false religion fell by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would like to rebuild those false systems upon their old foundations. Lord, we pray, be pleased to thwart these unrighteous endeavors, and pull down every stone that they build. It should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error that tends to foster the spirit of falsehood, and when we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad in the church and in the world.

This we may accomplish only in secret by fervent prayer and in public by faithful witness. We must warn with judicious boldness those who are inclined toward the errors of false religion; we must instruct the young in gospel truth and tell them of the dark doings of falsehood in earlier times. We must assist in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for false teachers, like owls, hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the Gospel? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of the heretics. What are we doing to spread the Bible, which is the antidote to falsehood? Are we sending out good, sound gospel writings?

Luther once said, "The devil hates goose quills," and, no doubt, he has good reason; the writer's pen blessed by the Holy Spirit has damaged his evil kingdom greatly. If the thousands who read this short word tonight will do all they can to hinder the rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord's glory shall spread quickly among the sons of men. Reader, what can you do? What will you do?"

(HT: Truth for Life)

Calvinism Quote of the Day

"I am a five point Calvinist and all the points are sharp!"

-- Ian Paisley

(HT: christiansquoting.org.uk)

If You Don't Believe Jesus is the Only Way, You Are Not a Christian

1. Moral relativism is the greatest evil of our day. It leads to massive confusion, despair, suicide, and countless power struggles. It is like a colorless, odorless gas which has escaped into the atmosphere of our culture, which we have breathed in without knowing it. To pick just one example, our legal system has become overrun with power struggles over such things as whether evolution or creation, or both, can be taught in public schools. The ultimate legal “issue behind the issue” in these fierce debates, as every lawyer knows, is who gets to decide. The same can be said for abortion, euthanasia, etc.

2. No one can believe such things as “my ideas [about ultimate issues of faith] are just as good as your ideas,” “no one can tell me what to believe,” “all religious are just different paths to the same god,” and the like, and believe at the same time in the Christ who said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) No one can believe in moral relativism and believe that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Many other scriptures could be piled upon these.

3. The organized Christian church should speak out with one voice against this evil, and even call it what it is, a heresy. From time to time through history, the Church has been called upon to draw the lines that distinguish the true Gospel from various false teachings that assail it. This is one such false teaching, yet it has been adopted, albeit perhaps unconsciously, by many who claim to name the name of Christ in our society.

The Church needs to speak clearly and with one voice, and proclaim to all such people: If this is what you truly believe, then whatever else you may be, you are not a Christian.

[The above are some thoughts on Moral Relativism, arising out of reading the chapter in John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion on the doctrine of the Church, and the necessity for the people of God to hear the preaching of the Word as a congregation in order to avoid “lone ranger” Christians who by failing to attend such preaching fall into all kinds of error.]

Washington Wages War on We the People

Now here is a presidential candidate I might actually vote for:

No, my friends. The real war is not a “war on terror.” The real war is a war against constitutional government, personal liberty, and national sovereignty. It is a war against the fundamental principles of America’s Founding Fathers, that America should be a friend and trader with all, but engaged in entangling alliances with none. It is a war against the Bill of Rights. It is a war against the Spirit of ‘76, the spirit that says America is a free and independent country, subservient to no international entity or interest. It is a war against the principle that would put America first. It is a war against the very heart and soul of everything this country has stood for ever since our patriot forebears stood on Lexington Green and Concord Bridge. And this war is not being waged from Baghdad or Tehran. It is being waged from Washington, D.C.

(Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin, "Open Borders Prove War on Terror is Superficial"

True Faith Is:

Many thanks to Ingrid at Slice of Laodicea for this wonderful definition of true faith:

“True faith is a cordial belief of the divine record concerning the admirable suitableness of Christ Jesus as a Savior to all the cases and wants of sinners . . .

Christ is altogether lovely, or exceedingly desirable, for He is exquisitely suitable. If we are by nature dead in sin, He is life; if we are lost sinners, He is the Savior; if we are sick, and sick unto death, He is the Physician; if we are the captives of sin and Satan, He is the almighty Redeemer; if we are under the power and tyranny of strong corruptions, or deceitful and imperious lusts that we are utterly unable of ourselves to conquer, He is the almighty King. Are we naked? Christ has a robe of righteousness to clothe us. Are we poor? He has gold tried in the fire to enrich us. Are we spiritually blind? He has eye-salve for us. Are we hungry and thirsty? He is the bread of life and the water of life. Are we prisoners? He says to the prisoners, “Go forth.” Are we ready to stray from the right path? He is a Leader and Commander. If we have been overcome and oppressed by our spiritual enemies, Christ is the Captain of our salvation who will teach our hands to war and our fingers to fight, and so lead us forth to victory. If we are by nature unholy, He is made unto us sanctification; and if we are disquieted and disconsolate, He is the Consolation of Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ and His great salvation, then, are every way adapted to the various cases and wants of our souls. As a compassionate Savior, He is suitable even in an infinite degree. None in heaven or upon earth, besides Him, can supply every want of our souls and save them with a complete and everlasting salvation. Now genuine faith is a spiritual discernment and an affecting belief of His infinite suitableness as a Savior to sinners, and to us in particular.”

–John Colquhoun, A View of Saving Faith, 1824

Amen!

We Fight For the Really Important Things

"Clear-cut definition of terms in religious matters, bold facing of the logical implications of religious views, is by many persons regarded as an impious proceeding. May it not discourage contribution to mission boards? May it not hinder the progress of consolidation, and produce a poor showing in columns of Church statistics? But with such persons we cannot possibly bring ourselves to agree. Light may seem at times to be an impertinent intruder, but it is always beneficial in the end. The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from "controversial" matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight."

J. Gresham Machen, "Christianity and Liberalism"

Has This Guy Been to My Church?

What follows is a quote from an article written by J. Gresham Machen in the Princeton Theological Review:

"It may well be doubted, however, whether the assertion, "I believe that Jesus is God," or the like, on the lips of liberal preachers, is strictly truthful. The liberal preacher attaches indeed a real meaning to the words, and that meaning is very dear to his heart. He really does believe that "Jesus is God." But the trouble is that he attaches to the words a different meaning from that which is attached to them by the simple-minded person to whom he is speaking. He offends, therefore, against the fundamental principle of truthfulness in language...if the audience is composed of old-fashioned Christians, who have never attached anything but the old meaning to the word God (the meaning which appears in the first verse of Genesis), then the language is untruthful. And in the latter case, not all the pious motives in the world will make the utterance right. Christian ethics do not abrogate common honesty; no possible desire of edifying the Church and of avoiding offence can excuse a lie."

This could have been written by Dr. Machen after a visit to my church.

He wrote these words in 1922.

Hug No Traitor To Thy Bosom

Listen to the words of Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon on Christian leaders, so-called, who gut the Gospel of its meaning, and then turn around and ask us to tolerate them in "charity:"

They believe in Christ, but it is a Christ without his crown, his atonement, his judgment-seat, or even his Godhead. They mock us with orthodox phrases, from which the essential truth is gone. They pretend that they believe in the atonement, and when we listen to their atonement we find that it does not effectually atone for anyone. It is a mere fiction, and not a fact. It saves nobody, but is a mere sham.

They have eviscerated the gospel, and then they hold up the empty carcass, and claim that they are Christians still. Christians who have murdered Christianity! Believers who doubt whether there is anything to be believed! Yet we are entreated in our charity to hug such traitors to our bosom. We shall do nothing of the kind. We would sooner believe in infidels outright than in those who pretend to be Christians and are infidels at heart.

C.H. Spurgeon, "Recruits for King Jesus," a sermon preached at the Met Tab on Sunday evening, 17 February 1884.

(HT: Pyromaniacs)

Case Closed: "Salvation is of the Lord"

If you think the gospel is, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," then you need to see this.

In fact, everyone needs to see this:

Californians Worship the Law God

It must be cool to be a judge on the California Supreme Court. All you have to do is write a bunch of stuff, and millions of citizens just do whatever you say.

It's amazing how Californians will bend over (oops -- poor choice of words) for almost anything. They'll go for just about anything as long as the person saying it is wearing a black robe. You'd think they were worshipping the Law God or something.

Forget worrying about all those Christians setting up a theocracy -- California as usual is way ahead of the curve.

They' ve already set up a judiciocracy out there

"Those Who Slay the Doctrines"

As a word fitly spoken, I commend to you the following from the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

"Men fancy that their minds are their own, and that they may do what they will with them, thinking and believing as their conceit suggests. But who gave them a release from the authority of God as to this part of their nature? True, they are not bound by the opinions of their fellow-men; but does this give them a dispensation from the supremacy of God? There are revealed truths: have we license to receive or reject them at our pleasure? If we set up our own conceptions as equal or superior to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, are we justified in so doing? One would fancy from the talk of the wiseacres of the [current] period that God did not know his own mind when he wrote the Scriptures, or that, like the old almanac, divine revelation is out of date, and superseded by 'modern thought.'

Doctrinal laxity has led to moral license: professors now wander in ways which their sober forefathers would have shuddered at. They will soon be given over to return to the old idolatries of Rome, since they are growing weary of the grand truths of Protestantism. Falsehoods of belief are fitly followed by superstitions in ritual: those who slay the doctrines are not ashamed to mangle the ordinances. We wonder what next, and next!

O Lord, I am willing to be thought a simpleton for believing as reformers, confessors, and martyrs believed, and as thy word teaches. Do not allow me to be blind to thy truth, lest I stumble in my daily life, and become scandalous as well as heretical."

C.H. Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden," (Sprinkle Publications, 1997) pp. 276-77.

Shocking Questions

How many Christians do you know who could say, "The lifestyle I have chosen as a Christian would be utterly foolish and pitiable if there is no resurrection"? How many Christians are there who could say, "The suffering I have freely chosen to embrace for Christ would be a pitiable life if there is no resurrection"? As I see it these are shocking questions.

- John Piper

HT: Absolute Dominion

Johnny, We're Sorry We Knew Ye

When John Armstrong tries to take on John Piper, it's a bit like watching a gnat try to swat an elephant. You just know the gnat is going to lose.

Here are a few of the lowlights:

"My frustration with Piper [Armstrong writes] is that he represents the “low” ecclesiology of evangelicalism and then argues that we should go back in our reading to old writers." [As opposed to my exalted “high ecclesiology of evangelicalism," whatever that means]

"But he goes back only to the Puritans [egad!], never even suggesting that the Fathers, both East and West, were vastly more important for the health of the Church today." [What “Fathers? Moe, Larry and Curley? What???]

"He [Piper] also argued that knowing God, the Scriptures and the truth were central to everything." [This was so shocking, so appalling to me personally that I was compelled to type it entirely in bold face!]

"While I completely agree with his arguments here they were almost entirely rooted in a foundationalist epistemology and a heavily propositional approach." [As opposed to the sacred and revered “chastened epistemology:"]



"It seemed to me that John was arguing for a Bible that was quite clear to all who read it and that by reading it well we can all know the truth." [Oh, the horror! The horror!!]

"I would argue that Noll was much closer to the Christian position when he said we know Jesus Christ as truth through the revelation of the Holy Scriptures. Piper, however, is surely to be commended for his passion for mission and the gospel." [Golly, thanks, Father, er, I mean Pastor, er, I mean, Dr. John!]

Piper: Truncated Theology of God=Truncated Lives

"American Christianity is plagued by truncated views of all God’s attributes. And a truncated view of God will give raise to truncated Christian living and truncated awakenings. Therefore the awakening and revival that I pray for will be not just for the fullness of the Spirit’s power, but for the fullness of the Spirit’s illumination of God in the word."

And better yet:

"Nine percent of born again people (who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus which is still important in their lives) have a biblical world view (absolutes exist, God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, Creator who still rules the universe; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; Satan is a real, living entity; salvation is a free gift, not something we can earn; every Christian has a personal responsibility to evangelize; and the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches). However, this group of people stand out with significantly different behavior from the worldly “born-againers” and “evangelicals.” Here is Sider’s [Ron Sider, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience" in Books and Culture] comment:

"Barna’s findings on the different behavior of Christians with a biblical worldview underline the importance of theology. Biblical orthodoxy does matter. One important way to end the scandal of contemporary Christian behavior is to work and pray fervently for the growth of orthodox theological belief in our churches” (Jan/Feb, p. 42)."

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Spurgeon on Depressions of Spirit

"I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to, but I always get back again by this-I know I trust Christ. I have no reliance but in him, and if he falls I shall fall with him, but if he does not, I shall not. Because he lives, I shall live also, and I spring to my legs again and fight with my depressions of spirit and my down castings, and get the victory through it; and so may you do, and so you must, for there is no other way of escaping from it. In your most depressed seasons you are to get joy and peace through believing."

(HT: Pyromaniacs)

Naming Names

Berit Kjos in a superb piece titled, "How To Resist the Pull of the Crowd" writes:

"Our anchor and foundation is God's unchanging Word...Postmodern leaders resist such truth. It doesn't fit the collective thinking of the new managed society. It clashes with the pluralistic vision of unity in diversity: all gods are equally valid. All lead to the same end.

Unlike noble visions and humanist idealism, God's actual Word can't be manipulated by today's clever facilitators. His unchanging truth is poison to the consensus process...As the apostle Paul wrote two millennia ago,

"...the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things..." 2 Timothy 4:2-5."

This Scripture gives us three crucial facts about pagans in the last days:

1. They will follow many teachers;

2. They will not listen to God's truth;

3. They will turn instead to fables -- such as the myth that "all religions pray to the same god."

So, who are these false teachers? Who are these "postmodern leaders?"

It is time to name names. They include:

President Bush
Oprah Winfrey
Joel Osteen
Ravi Zacharias
James Dobson
Rick Warren
Robert Schuller
Billy Graham
John Armstrong

...and many others.

Each of these has stated or implied the myth that "all roads lead to the same god." Their public statements are thoroughly documented. Many of them are quoted or linked on this blog.

So what do we do about it?

Berit Kjos gives the only true answer:

"So how can we use truth to ward off contemporary myths, lies and distortions? We read, study, memorize and follow God's Word. It builds an unshakable foundation for our thoughts and values."

In other words, we put into practice the teaching of God's word in Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."

We also follow the teaching of Scripture, "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you..." II Cor. 6:17

Under His Wings

1. Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

2. Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Refrain

3. Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

Refrain

"Hide me under the shadow of thy wings." Ps. 17:8

(HT: The Desert Pastor)

Listen to it here (Cyberhymnal)

No Sin, No Divine Wrath, No Atonement, No Repentance...But By Golly, We Gave 'Em the Gospel!

Pastor John MacArthur exposes the false gospel of Rick Warren:




(HT: CRN)

Pres. Bush Admits He is a Universalist

(HT: Slice of Laodicea)

Stop Reading This Post and READ THIS ARTICLE FROM MODERN REFORMATION MAGAZINE INSTEAD!

Here, from the pages of Modern Reformation magazine, written with great care and insight by Peter R. Jones, is an article that everyone naming the name of Christ needs to read -- now!

That means you, dear reader. Put down that mouse, or rather, pick up that mouse and direct your pointer here -- a brief excerpt to get you started appears below:

"We often use the term post-Christian to describe our present world, but perhaps fail to see its implications; namely, a serious repeat of the pre-Christian world that the early Christians faced-no general government support, but rather government intimidation, oppression and even persecution; no social encouragement, but rather deep suspicion and antagonism; no knowledge of the Bible and the Bible's worldview, but rather a deep commitment and acceptance of the pagan worldview; no "Big Man on Campus" Christianity, but rather the intimidation and ostracizing of Christian students by Big Brother Administration. From this perspective, the future looks ominous."

The children of the Sixties, and their biblical contemporaries, have sowed the wind and are now reaping the whirlwind. The "new spirituality" is here, and it is not a pretty sight. Nevertheless, we must be as wise as serpents, and innocent as doves. ( Matthew 10:16 ESV)

(From "The New Spirituality: Dismantling and Reconstructing Reality," by Peter R. Jones, Modern Reformation, vol. 17, issue 3 (May/June 2008)

We Have These Treasures in Jars of Clay

"Disembodied spirits might have been sent to proclaim the word, but they could not have entered into the feelings of those who, being in this body, do groan, being burdened; angels might have been ordained evangelists, but their celestial attributes would have disqualified them from having compassion on the ignorant; men of marble might have been fashioned, but their impassive natures would have been a sarcasm upon our feebleness, and a mockery of our wants. Men, and men subject to human passions, the all-wise God has chosen to be his vessels of grace; hence these tears, hence these perplexities and castings down."

--C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students

HT: Pyromaniacs

Elijah & The Prophets of Baal -- A Pomo Parody for John Armstrong and His Emergent Brethren

Elijah said to Ahab, "You have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed Baal. Although I don't agree with that decision, I can't condemn it. After all, no one has all the truth. I understand that Israel has some truth and so does the religion of Baal. We're all seekers of ultimate truth. Therefore, let us unite with the prophets of Baal. Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table. And let us all have a conversation."

(HT: Steve Camp)

"I Bequeath My Pastor's Soul to the Devil," By Thomas Brooks

Another gem from the pen of Master Brooks --

Whatever a man loves most and best—that is his god.
The covetous man looks upon the riches of the world
as his heaven—his happiness—his great all.

His heart is most upon the world,
his thoughts are most upon the world,
his affections are most upon the world,
his discourse is most about the world.

He who has his mind taken up with the world, and
chiefly delighted with the world's music—he has also
his tongue tuned to the same key, and takes his joy
and comfort in speaking of nothing else but the world
and worldly things. If the world is in the heart—it will
break out at the lips. A worldly-minded man speaks
of nothing but worldly things. "They are of the world,
therefore they speak of the world," John 4:5. The love
of this world oils the tongue for worldly discourses,
and makes men . . .

forget God,
neglect Christ,
despise holiness,
forfeit heaven.

Ah! the time, the thoughts, the strength, the efforts,
which are spent upon the world, and the things of the
world; while sinners' souls lie a-bleeding, and eternity
is hastening upon them!

I have read of a greedy banker, who was always best
when he was most in talking of money and the world.
Being near his death, he was much pressed to make
his will. Finally he dictates:

First, I bequeath my own soul to the devil
—for being so greedy for the muck of this world!

Secondly, I bequeath my wife's soul to the devil
—for persuading me to this worldly course of life.

Thirdly, I bequeath my pastor's soul to the devil
—because he did not show me the danger I lived in,
nor reprove me for it.

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and
a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge men into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:9

Wisdom from Professor J. Budziszewski

"Though it always comes as a surprise to intellectuals, there are some forms of stupidity that you must be highly intelligent and educated to commit. God keeps them in His arsenal to pull down mulish pride, and I discovered them all."

HT: Fighting for the Faith

The Gospel Plus Nothing

The sad, sad tale of Ravi Zacharias, Shirley Dobson, and the National Day of Prayer continues. You can read about it at Slice of Laodicea.

Christians, we do well to remember that the Gospel cannot be mixed or blended with any other religions -- including the modern American religion called "political correctness" or inclusivism:

“The idea that the Christian gospel can mix with or blend with any other religious system in any way is absolutely wrong. You cannot mix the gospel with Roman Catholic or orthodox sacramentalism. You cannot mix the gospel with liberalism. You can’t mix the gospel with Mormonism, or the religion of the Jehovah’s Witness, or Christian Science or any other religion. You cannot mix the gospel even with the religion of Judaism. The gospel is absolutely exclusive. It mingles with no other religion. It accommodates no other religion. In fact, it replaces all other religion. The gospel is absolutely exclusive. Now this needs to be emphatically understood in a time which exalts diversity of belief, tolerance of religion, pluralism, inclusivism and even universalism which essentially says we’re all headed the same direction. Now we know there is one God, there is one authoritative book, the Bible. There is one Redeemer of souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one gospel, the gospel of grace and faith. And that singularity of the Christian gospel means that any intrusion that mixes or alters the singularity of the gospel renders it void, nullifies it. It stands alone".

—John MacArthur

HT: Defcon

Et Tu, Ravi?

Under the heading, "Say it ain't so!" we have Dr. Ravi Zacharias, renowned Christian apologist who frequently appears with such defenders of the faith as Dr. R.C. Sproul and Dr. Al Mohler. Dr. Zacharias has posted the prayer he intends to pray on the National Day of Prayer. Believe it or not, his prayer carefully omits any reference to Jesus Christ.

Don't believe it? Check out Dr. Zacharias' prayer here.

According to John 14:6, the only way anyone can come to God the Father is through His only Son, Jesus Christ. How then can a Christian leader pray to God while ignoring Jesus Christ? Isn't it just a little bit misleading to pray that way in front of a huge audience of people, many of whom deny the truth of John 14:6? Doesn't it in effect say, "Well, all that stuff about Jesus being the only way to God, it doesn't really matter that much?"

And while we're on the subject, why does Dr. Zacharias choose to address God as "Holy Father?" Won't that tend to cause some confusion among our Roman Catholic friends, especially in light of the Pope's recent visit to our nation?

(HT: Slice of Laodicea)