Benny Hinn: Just another false prophet uttering false prophecies.

Unfortunately, he’s not the only one.

The brand new Paul Washer video.

This is one of the best Paul Washer videos set to music that I’ve seen so far. It is very well done.

Paul Washer’s “shocking” sermon. Shocking only because it’s so rare to hear anyone preach like this in America.

For those of you who do not understand why I do what I do. For those of you who try to justify the lukewarmness of the “Church” today; or the vulgar and profane happenings going on in the “Church” today; for those who think they’re radical Christians because they wear a Christian t-shirt, allow me to acquaint you with a man your pastor will never invite to your mega-church. A man that will not preach on your Best Life Now or teach that “God Loves Sex”. A man that that understands and preaches what it is to fear God, reverence God and fall on your face before God… yes, because God is THAT holy! Allow me to introduce you to a man who will not pull any punches or sugarcoat any truth. A man who will tell it like it is, in spite of your “feelings.” A preacher desperately needed for this generation: Pastor Paul Washer.

Update on the “Bishop” Thomas Weeks and Juanita Bynum fiasco.

An update on TBN darlings “Bishop” Weeks and “Prophetess” Bynum.  See my original post here and a more recent post here. Thanks to Tammy for this update video.

Quotes (6)

 

Are you willing to give up anything which keeps you back from God? Or are you clinging to the Egypt of the world, and saying to yourself, “I must have it, I must have it: I cannot tear myself away”? Is there any cross in your Christianity? Are there any sharp corners in your religion, anything that ever jars and comes in collision with the earthly-mindedness around you? Or is all smooth and rounded off, and comfortably fitted into custom and fashion? Do you know anything of the afflictions of the gospel? Is your faith and practice ever a subject of scorn and reproach? Are you thought a fool by anyone because of your soul? . . . As Bunyan says, “the bitter must go before the sweet.” If there is no cross, there will be no crown.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Joel Osteen and the watered-down, take-no-stand, limp-wristed, sugar-coated “gospel.”

If the early Church fathers were as weak in their stand for the faith as this Mega-Church pastor, Christianity would have died in the first century.

The “Bishop” Weeks defenders come out.

  Since my earlier posting on the “Bishop” Weeks and “Prophetess” Bynum fiasco, I have received contact mostly from defenders of these two people, albeit by the use of out-of-context scripture, but defenders nonetheless.  Apparently no one seems to care that these two individuals spend their time peddling the profane and vulgar.  And those who do care dismiss it way too easily… in spite of our Lord’s warning that even a little leaven will ruin the whole lump.

Well, one of the defenders of these two purveyors of preoccupation with sexuality commented in their defense and I thought it was worth sharing some parts of her comment (the whole comment can be read by clicking on the above picture, then scrolling down to the comments).

Latoya wrote:  The question that must be asked is, what about their teaching is false? If I teach something that is incorrect, but on another subject matter teach something that is correct, and that helps people in doing God’s will, am I a false teacher? or am I a flawed teacher?

Well Latoya, I could pose the same question to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.  Some of the stuff they teach is scriptural. .. some isn’t.  So are what they teach ok with you because they also teach good stuff mixed in with their heresy? Are they just “flawed” teachers? 

If you received a glass of water in a restaurant but discovered a dead cockroach in the bottom of the glass what would you do?  Would you simply scoop out the offensive roach carcass with your spoon and enjoy your glass of refreshing water afterward, or would you send it back and demand another glass of water, if you even remained in the restaurant?  I’m pretty sure you would do the latter.  So why not treat things of an eteranl nature with as much caution and discernment?  The Bible never says that a false teacher will teach 100% falsehood. In fact, no one would follow one if they did. They always mix a little damning heresy with their truth.  

Latoya wrote: …we as the church need to come to grips with the fact that sex is not filthy or dirty, but a gift. Talking about it (respectfully and with discretion) is not a sin nor is it encouraging lust.

There was nothing respectful or discreet about the way sex was being addressed in those two videos so they failed even your standard of decency. Imagine how offensive it is to God’s standard of holiness in the Church!

Additionally, no one said sex itself was dirty or filthy. But the Church is not where this is supposed to be handled! Sex education was not part of the Great Commission. God did not purchase the Church with His blood (Acts 20:2 so that we can give sex seminars from the pulpit. The martyrs did not die so that we can be taught how to have better orgasms by those who are supposed to be pointing us to Christ and helping us to grow in the FAITH. If you think otherwise, I encourage you to take this enlightening pop quiz.   

Latoya wrote: When someone calls a professed christian a false teacher, to me, they are saying that person is not really a christian, but pretending to be so he/she can get what he/she wants. Can anyone say without a doubt that this is the case here?  And: Who knows the true sheep from the goat? None but God, or the goat himself. 

Bare in mind that Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing and He instructed us to judge them by their fruits.  What are the fruits of these two individuals? No, no, I don’t want to hear about how they helped someone’s sex life that you know. Even the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses can rattle off what they consider “good fruits” that “prove” they’re correct. Really, what are their fruits? Is it the insatiable hunger to feed the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh as seen in those two videos? 

Here’s the bottom line Latoya, from out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A true false teacher will always be revealed for what they are. But if you want the proverbial proof in the pudding on whether or not “Bishop” Weeks is a false teacher, and how I come to that conclusion, then look no further than this video. This video of “Bishop” Weeks will clearly show what a false teacher is. It’s his own video and it speaks volumes.  

In the video “Bishop” weeks wants you to “imagine” with him all churches, all people, all faiths  gathered in one place. Now before you say “he meant all Christian faiths” think again.  He not only says “all faiths” (and last time I checked there was only one true faith) but on his Church On Demand website he lists Catholicism, Judaism and other faiths.  Last time I checked Jesus Christ said that He was the only way to the Father.  Jews deny this.  How do you reconcile this?

Possible remains of second Temple found in Jerusalem.

  Click on the picture to read the article. 

Using Harry Potter to promote Christianity?

A church in England sees no problem with using Harry Potter in their youth group.

Why is a movie about witchcraft being used in the church? It’s simple, the youth worker of this church says Harry Potter “deals with some issues–standing up for what you believe in, love, trust–are really important for our young people to be thinking about.”

But what about the occult, witchcraft, Satanism, etc. associated with this movie? Ahh, the good youth leader has an answer for that as well: “I think certainly there are [sic] some stuff within Harry Potter that the Church wouldn’t endorse but we need to teach our young people to work out what those things are and stay away from them and that’s great.” Oh, you mean stay away from them like bringing it into the Church? Woe to you young man, woe to you!

Reformation Nation has moved. Please visit us at our new blog: Defending. Contending.

Quotes (5)

Do you wish your soul to be saved? Then remember, you must choose whom you will serve. You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot be on two sides at once. You cannot be a friend of Christ and a friend of the world at the same time. You must come out from the children of this world, and be separate; you must put up with much ridicule, trouble, and opposition, or you will be lost forever. You must be willing to think and do things which are only held by a few. It will cost you something.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

The “pastor” who believes that “God Loves Sex” so much, that he’s devoted 4 weeks in July to tell his church about it.

For some reason, all these emergent-type pastors all dress the same, look the same, have the same ideas and love to talk about sex… from the pulpit. Here’s another abomination done under the guise of “Christianity.” While the pastor of this church is busy putting together his “God Loves Sex” sermon series, members of this church are sitting in the pews thinking everything is well, while in reality many of them are going to hell and the pastor could care less. After all, he’s too busy talking about sex. No time to worry about the the fear of God, holiness, the gospel, sin, salvation, hell or judgment. Oh but there will come a day, mark my words… there will come a day.

In the video provided on the website, the man and woman acknowledge their excitement about the upcoming series on sex because, as the man says, “you know me, I love talking about sex.” (Too bad he didn’t have that kind of passion for Jesus Christ).

Then when the couple “discover” the video camera in their bedroom, he says “oh my G–, how long has that been on?” Oh how using God’s name in vain is so funny.  We shall surely give an account on the day of judgment for every idle word we speak.

Thank you Revolution “Church” for your part in the Great Apostasy!

They will know we are Christians by our sex?

Thanks to Chris from A Little Leaven for putting this together. This video shows a heretical false teacher tickling the ears of his congregation who know no better because their Bibles are more than likely  at home collecting dust on a shelf.

Joel Osteen explains why he doesn’t use much scripture.

“I wanted to reach the mainstream.”

“I just try to teach practical principles, I may not bring the scripture until the end of my sermon and I don’t feel bad about that.”

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but consider associating Osteen’s philosophy on preaching with that of Jesus, or Peter, or Paul. Whenever you can say “aww, that doesn’t really seem that bad” I recommend that you check out how preachers of old used to preach. In fact, check out this great post by Jim over at OldTruth.com for an example of Now vs Then. I enjoy when Jim compares preachers of today to preachers of yesteryear. It really helps to put things into perspective.

Quotes (4)

But I have come to see that many evangelical Christians do not really believe the Word of God, especially when it talks about hell and judgment. Instead, they selectively accept only the portions that allow them to continue living in their current lifestyles. It is painful to think about hell and judgment. I understand why preachers do not like to talk about it, because I don’t either. It is so much easier to preach that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” or to focus on the many delightful aspects of “possibility thinking” and the “word of faith” that brings health, wealth and happiness. The grace and love of God are pleasant subjects, and no one more beautifully demonstrated them than our Lord Jesus. Yet in His earthly ministry, He made more references to hell and judgment than He did to heaven. Jesus lived with the reality of hell, and He died on Calvary because He knew it was real and coming to everyone who doesn’t turn to God in this life. Believers are willing to accept the concept of heaven, but they look the other way when they come to passages in the Bible about hell. Very few seem to believe that those who die without Christ are going to a place where they will be tormented forever and ever in a bottomless pit where the fire is not quenched and they are separated from God and His love for all eternity without any chance of return. If we knew the horrors of the potential judgment that hangs over us–if we really believed in what is coming–how differently we would live.

- K. P. Yohannan

Who said that? (3)

    It’s time once again to play Who Said That?

Interviewer: Tell me, what do you think is the future of Christianity?

Response: …I think there’s the body of Christ which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the body of Christ. And I don’t think that we’re going to see a great sweeping revival that will turn the whole world to Christ at any time. . . . And that’s what God is doing today, He’s calling people out of the world for His name. Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their heart that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have and I think that they are saved, and that they’re going to be with us in heaven.

Interviewer: That’s fantastic, I’m so thrilled to hear you say that. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.

Response: There is, there definitely is.

A. Shirley MacLaine interviewing Joel Osteen

B. Barbra Walters interviewing Rick Warren

C. Oprah Winfrey interviewing Robert Schuller

D. Robert Schuller interviewing Billy Graham

E. Billy Graham interviewing T.D. Jakes

ANSWER

We’re called to love them.

We are called to care and love the lost but sometimes we forget this. I hope this video encourages you to remember the second greatest commandment.     Matthew 22:37-40

If you prefer, you can watch this video on Godtube.com by clicking here.

Quotes (3)

Better suffer and obey God, than be at ease and sin.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Jesus Christ and Christianity are now “products.”

Thanks to T.D. Jakes & Joel Osteen for their contribution to the downfall of Christianity in the West.

Watch for these gems in the video:

*He [TD Jakes] works as hard as any CEO and makes no apologies for living like one too.”

*The first evangelicals in the 19th century were often sales people, people who understood a customer, knew how to sell a product. There’s always been this interesting connection between marketing and evangelism. (Author Laura Nash)

*The narrator’s description of Osteen’s book as “largely secular” with a “think big message.” (Yet Christian bookstores continue to sell this book).

*And listen to Joel Osteen’s answer to the interviewer’s question: “God is a growth business?”

Lifting the Veil on Polygamy

Click on the picture to the left to watch the trailer, or watch the complete video Lifting The Veil on Polygamy below. The latest documentary from Living Hope Ministries.

China begins to monitor the web using cyber police.

China will be using animated Cyber Police that will appear on internet user’s screens to warn them to stay away from illegal internet content. I find it interesting that this article came from Yahoo News because Yahoo has blood on its hands from past actions and it’s for this very reason I refuse to use the Yahoo search engine. If you are unfamiliar with Yahoo’s assistance with the Chinese government to turn in the identity of web users, then check out this article, or this article.

For those of you who are asking the question, “who cares about this, isn’t this all related to politics?” I submit for your consideration this link regarding what Christians endure in China. And if you’re still unconvinced, then here’s a whole list of links on news articles of Christian persecution in China.

The pastor, the text messages, and the teen.

Thanks to Stacy over at StacyHarp.com for this one. I won’t even try to preface this video. I’ll let you watch it and come to your own conclusions.

Biblical Adornment

Ingrid had an excellent show recently on CrossTalk on the topic of Biblical Adornment. So good in fact that I’ve put it on the Reformation Nation website for you to download it. Just click on the this link then right-click on the link Biblical Adornment and save to your computer.

Preaching on the “outside” what should be preached on the “inside.”

Since Joel Osteen has announced the upcoming release of his new book, which I posted earlier here, I thought I’d add some more posts this week in honor of him and his Lakewood Church.

The following video is of a preacher standing outside Osteen’s church doing what Osteen has failed to do inside… preach the Gospel. I know, I know, some of you are saying, “but Pilgrim, he is preaching the ‘gospel’ inside.” Oh, I’m certain he is, but the “health, wealth, prosperity, have your best life now, become a better you” gospel of Osteen is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was struck by the droves and droves of people that just walked past the preacher in the video as they exited Osteen’s Church. It reminded me of these illustrations in the Chick Tract entitled The Long Trip. To see the whole tract click on any of the pictures.

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you the man preaching the Gospel outside Lakewood Church that isn’t being preached inside Lakewood Church.

The Great White Divorce

“Pastor” Paula White & Husband Randy White are divorcing. You can read more about it here.

Yet, according to “Life Coach” Paula you can still HAVE IT ALL. Apparently that does not include a happy marriage apparently.

Movie review: September Dawn (The Mountain Meadows Massacre)

Anyone like myself who has studied Mormonism has been anxiously awaiting the film September Dawn. Not so much to learn something new about the horrific event that transpired on September 11, 1857, but to see how the historical truth would be depicted in this film. Well the wait is finally over. My wife and I went to see the movie opening day! I rarely ever go to the movies, since Hollywood only knows how to produce trash nowadays, and I haven’t been to the theaters since Narnia, so this was an all around treat: an anticipated movie and hot buttered popcorn.

The comes out of the gate swinging! No holding back. Not only does the movie pull no punches regarding the doctrine of Blood Atonement that contributed to the murder of the 120 men, women and children, but it also highlighted polygamy and Joseph Smith’s demise in a gunfight (where he also shot and killed two men). The movie even shows the very reason Joseph Smith was shot and killed while being held in the Carthage Jail; for having the Nauvoo Printing Press burned because the paper dared to print information about Polygamy in the Mormon Church. This movie even shows part of the secret temple ceremony (yes, I said secret, not sacred) in the Mormon Temple.

Another pleasantly shocking surprise is that there are those in the movie that are Christians and are depicted praying, wearing crosses, etc. but here’s the shocking part: They’re pictured in a neutral if not favorable light! That’s right, you heard me correctly. The Christians in this movie are not depicted as crazed child molester like is so often the case in Hollywood movies.

Now bare in mind, this movie was done in “Titanic” style. It combines a love story with an actual historical event as the backdrop. It all flowed together splendidly.

One of my favorite parts is when the main (Mormon) character calls the main (Christian) character a Gentile. She questions him about why he says that when he’s not even Jewish. (Gentiles are what Mormons call all non-Mormons).

The movie has an R rating for violence, although there is one scene in which the main male character enters a tub. His unclothed backside is exposed. And because this movie is interwoven with a love story, there is a moment of sensuality where the two main characters run into each other at the river at night, which ends up in them kissing fully-clothed while sitting atop a horse. Aside from that, there is no sex or profanity in this movie (outside of the words “damn” and “hell” used in their proper context).

Those who are interested in the history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre will enjoy this film. And allow me to go out on a limb here, but I don’t think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is going to be promoting or even encouraging the viewing of this movie.

I invite your comments.

September Dawn Theatrical Trailer (1:44)

Behind the scenes of September Dawn ( 5:44)

I have no wife whom I love so well that I would not put a javelin through her heart, and I would do it with clean hands.
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 3 Page 247

Protest outside the Kingdom Hall.

Here’s a video clip filmed outside a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall on their Memorial night. It’s the once a year tradition where Jehovah’s Witnesses meet to take part in communion. However, nobody actually takes the elements because in their belief system, only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses are worthy to do so and they’re all dead.  Six Screens Of The Watchtower are the creators of this video.

Jehovah’s Witness disfellowshipping caught on tape.

When the Watchtower sent two of their members to disfellowship another member, he was armed with a video camera. Watch the video below.

If anyone has any similar videos involving the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons, please send them to me at ReformationNation@sbcglobal.net.

A Jehovah’s Witness encounter (dramatization)

Enjoy this 7 minute dramatization created by a former Jehovah’s Witness. It’s produced in good quality and accurately depicts the common JW’s approach to share their “gospel.”   Six Screens Of The Watchtower are the creators of this video.

It’s all about you!

In one of my other posts I commented on Joel Osteen’s new book (releasing in October) entitled Become a Better You. If you haven’t see it, click here. Now he’s got a short 34 second promo clip on Amazon plugging this new book. I guess his first book Your Best Life Now didn’t deliver, otherwise there’d be no need to become a better you. You can watch the video by clicking here.

First there was American Idol, now American Pastor?

New Life Church recently held auditions for their next pastor. That’s right… “auditions.” Would you expect more from the church in America today? Check out this news video clip to see for yourself. The pastor in my previous post said there was no blueprint in the Bible about how a church should be. According to New Life Church, I guess there’s no blueprint in the Bible about selecting a shepherd of a church either.

Another very interesting morsel I found in the news clip was that after the former pastor fell from grace, (i.e. paying for sex with a homosexual prostitute and using methamphetamine), membership in the church dropped by 20% and contributions to the church dropped by 10%. Now I’m no math whiz, but something here doesn’t add up.

And by the way, in case you were wondering, the church website has officially announced that they’ve selected the pastor in the news clip as their new pastor to head their 14,000 member church. Maybe next time they can select a pastor by putting all the candidates on an island and putting them through rigorous tests, then allowing them to vote each other off the island.

P.S. For those of you wondering where Ted Haggard, the previous pastor of this church is today, click here.

“There’s no blueprint in the Bible about what Church should be.”

Bloodtipped Spears featured this video on their blog. Although the pastor’s comment that has received the most attention is “We are gonna have Adam and Eve with a Hummer and blinged out driving through the Garden of Eden,” I think there’s other comments he made in the video that were a little more intriguing. Like this little morsel: “There’s no blueprint in the Bible about what Church should be.“

Really? Well according to the news video the pastor is a very busy man. Perhaps he needs to spend more time reading his Bible and less time giving interviews, doing sound checks and cutting ribbons. Just a suggestion. What do you think?

The sex and lust peddling “prophet” finally snaps: beating his “prophetess” wife.

The Denver Post is reporting that Juanita Bynum, the televangelist who has won a national following with sermons about women’s empowerment, was badly bruised in a fight with her estranged husband “Bishop” Thomas Weeks. Watch the Fox 5 News video below:

This deviant behavior doesn’t surprise me when you find out what this false prophet and prophetess are all about. Since their televised wedding on the apostate cable channel TBN in 2002, they have peddled lust and sex in their seminars all under the guise of Christianity. Think I’m being too harsh? Check out the following videos and see for yourself. But I caution you, parental discretion is advised as the subject matter these “prophets” are peddling is not suitable for children.

Junaita Bynum the “Dr. Ruth of Christendom.”

“Bishop” Thomas W. Weeks and the vulgar “Christian” Newlywed Game.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3 NASB)

An intense video that asks: Are you willing to die for your faith?

You’ll never see this video in your local seeker-friendly, purpose-driven, entertainment-driven, Mega-Church.

Allow me to preface this video so you get the most out of it: A man and his wife pick up a hitchhiker and it doesn’t take long for the hitchhiker to figure out that they are Christians. But halfway through the long drive where they talk about the weather, the traffic, sports . . .  everything but Jesus Christ, the hitchhiker pulls out a gun and the video picks up from there.

(This video can also be found on God Tube).

Conversation with a Nun in the unlikeliest of places.

My family and I attended the state fair last night and stumbled upon a Roman Catholic booth manned by four nuns. This was an unlikely place to find such a display, but their booth was set up with numerous other vendors selling everything from cookware to sunglasses for dogs. This Catholic booth fit in perfectly with the other booths that were hawking anything and everything for a buck. The Nuns were overseeing a smorgasbord of idolatry. Here you could buy your statues of every Saint under the sun. Rosaries of every color and kind, and trinkets galore. Most predominantly though, was the plethora of Mary paraphernalia. She was everywhere. In contrast I saw our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ prominently displayed in only two capacities: As a helpless infant and as a dead man hanging on a cross.

I made myself available for approach by whichever Nun the Spirit led. (I’m confident that meeting was ordained before the earth was even formed). Of the four Nuns, the youngest, (possibly in her mid to late twenties), began the conversation with me over the “beauty” of a piece of artwork of none other than… you guessed it, the Virgin Mary. This is how the conversation began and for over the next hour I got to witness to her and share the gospel with her. I truly grieved for how they put so many “things” between us and Jesus, including Mary herself. We discussed many things but here’s a synopsis of just some of the points this Nun expressed about her Church:

* Her denomination (or sect) of Roman Catholicism doesn’t agree with the modern Catholic Church that began making compromises to their faith in the 1960’s. I could relate to that, although the compromises in evangelical churches began long before the 1960’s.

* There is no assurance of salvation and one can only hope to be in Heaven one day if they’ve done good enough. This in spite of the fact that the Bible says whoever calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved (Romans 10:13), if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL be saved (Romans 10:9) that whoever has the Son has life, and that the Apostle John wrote this to the brethren so that they may KNOW that they have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13).

* Mary remained a virgin her whole life. In spite of Matthew 1:25, Luke 2:7, Luke 8:19-21, among other verses, that contradict this teaching.

* Mary never sinned! That’s right. According to this Nun, Mary was sinless. This in spite of the fact that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that Mary even brought the required sacrifice to the temple as an offering for sin (Luke 2:21-24 as per the Law in Leviticus 12:6-8).

* Mary is above the rest of mankind, but Jesus is above her. In spite of the fact that even Jesus said there’s none greater born among women than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). You’d think their emphasis would be on John the Baptist, not Mary.

* Mary is our mediator between man and Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is our mediator between Mary and God the Father. This in spite of the clear teaching in 1 Timothy 2:5 that says there is only ONE mediator between GOD and MAN and that is the man Christ Jesus.

* Jesus Christ comes down from Heaven during every Mass in every Catholic Church to be sacrificed again, and again, and again. This in spite of Hebrews 10:12 that says He offered ONE sacrifice for sins for ALL TIME and then sat down at the right hand of the Father.

I was grieved to see how Mary was elevated as she was. And regardless of how much the Nun said Mary was not above Jesus in her life, and that she didn’t worship Mary, her actions spoke louder than her words. I even pointed out how whenever she spoke of the Savior she would refer to Him as “Jesus,” or “Jesus Christ,” however, when she spoke of Mary she uttered the mantra “the Blessed Virgin.” The very words that flowed from her tongue betrayed her, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. She had more reverence for Mary than Jesus Christ… evidenced by her own words.

Of all the topics we touched on during our conversation, there was one that definitely stopped her in her tracks. One topic that penetrated the veil of deception that so heavily cloaked here eyes. Ephesians 2:8-9. The very idea that salvation is a free GIFT from God through our FAITH alone by His GRACE alone seemed to visibly minister to her heart.

Finally, at the end of our conversation, she asked me if there would ever be a circumstance in which I’d pray to the “Blessed Virgin Mother.” I assured her that there would be no circumstance that I would. She then asked me to pray to God, seeking His answer on whether or not I should pray to Mary (a petition familiar to those who’ve studied Mormonism because this is the same thing they tell you to do about the Book of Mormon). I kindly told the Nun I don’t need to pray to God about whether or not it’s permissible to pray to Mary any more than I need to pray to God to see if it’s permissible or not to commit adultery. She responded with the fact that I don’t have to pray about adultery because adultery is already declared to be wrong in the Bible. Exactly! And thus I would never need to ask God if it was okay to pray to the dead because he’s already declared it detestable. Praying to the dead is called necromancy and is forbidden by God in Leviticus 18:10-14.

She gave me a card with the Rosary prayer on it which afforded me the opportunity to give her the Chick Tract entitled The Execution. We shook hands and said we’d pray for one another. I hope to run into her again one day and get the opportunity to water those seeds. Or perhaps someone reading this will run into her in the future and have the opportunity to water those seeds. Please join with me in praying for her salvation.

Quotes (2)

But if you really are in earnest about your soul, if your religion is something more than a mere fashionable Sunday cloak, if you are determined to live by the Bible, if you are resolved to be a New Testament Christian, then, I repeat, you will soon find you must carry a cross.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Must-see video.

If you have not seen this video yet, I encourage you to do so. I cannot watch this skit without being moved emotionally, every time I see it. I know, I know, I’ll be the first to agree that the Christian faith is not all about emotion. In fact too many people today seek one emotional experience after another to keep them going in their “faith.” Hence we have the weekly faith-healing, weekly demon-casting, Charismatic Pentecostal movement of today. But I digress. This powerful skit has been duplicated at this church, and also at this church among many others. There’s even a dramatized production made of this skit.

This video shows the incredible love of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and how it sets us free from the sins that enslave us (even those who don’t think they’re slaves to sin). However, I urge you to look further than that and consider what His sacrifice meant for us eternally. His sacrifice that–for those who trust in Him–keep us from suffering the wrath of God on Judgment Day and being cast into hell for our sins.

Who Said That? (2)

   It’s time to play Who Said That?

Interviewer: Do you think there’s a form of purgatory … for people who never heard the name of Christ?

Response: That’s a debate that’s going on, especially in England at the moment. But I think that uh, I don’t have any thoughts on that because I don’t know. I don’t think the Bible teaches one way or the other.

A. Bill Hybels

B. Billy Graham

C. Pope Benedict

D. Mother Theresa

E. Rick Warren

ANSWER

Pragmatism 101 - How To Grow Your Church.

This is a great little video on How To Grow Your Church. It’s definitely a sign of the times and I can’t help but imagine how many pastors who see this will squirm in their seats.

A Distant Thunder.

My wife and I just watched the movie A Distant Thunder. When it ended we were both kind of speechless. Partly because it was powerful and partly because we were lost. When it ended, we knew something big had just happened, but we weren’t quite sure what it was. It wasn’t until after we perused the directors commentary that we better understood the film. It is a short movie that in 35 minute covers a courtroom drama, a prosecutor dealing with uncontrollable visions, partial birth abortion and then it’s all wrapped up with a twist in the end. I recommend this movie but with a caution. The movie should be viewed by mature audiences only due to the subject matter and intensity of some scenes.

The DVD allows two viewing options: The edited and unedited version. I recommend the edited version for everyone, especially for younger viewers and those who wish to lead pure lives. One of the two scenes removed from the edited version includes a shower scene where the frosted silhouette of a nude female is observed. There is no actual nudity and the scene is not essential to the plot of the movie so missing it won’t change the impact of the film. Viewing the edited version is my suggestion. Furthermore, neither version contains any profanity but there are moments throughout the movie (i.e. the main character’s visions) that can be frightening to younger viewers.

In all, it was a profound film that reveals the horrors partial birth abortion. I give it three out of five stars.

If anyone has seen this movie, please feel free to comment on it. I’d love to hear your opinions. If you want to view the trailer, click here.

Crazy claims and false prophecies of Latter-day Saints

This short video clip featured on the blog Independent Conservative is less than four minutes long but it is packed with information.  Information that the Mormon Church understandably wouldn’t want you to know about.