Be Thankful

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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In all circumstances! This comes as a surprise when one considers the vicissitudes of human life. Sickness and health, poverty and wealth, joy and sorrow, are all ingredients of the cup placed to human lips, so all must come within the scope of thanksgiving. Why be thankful for everything? Because God causes everything to work together for good to those who love Him.

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A godly farmer was asked to dine with a well-known gentleman. While there, he asked a blessing at the table as he was accustomed to do at home. His host said jeeringly, "That is old fashioned; it is not customary nowadays for well-educated people to pray before they eat."

The farmer answered that with him it was customary, -but that some of those on his farm never thanked God their food.

"Ah, then," said the gentleman, "they are sensible and enlightened! Who are they?"

"My pigs!" the farmer answered.

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Charles Dickens said that we are somewhat mixed up here in America. He told an audience that instead of having one Thanksgiving Day each year, we should have 364. "Use that one day just for complaining and griping," he said. "Use the other 364 days to thank God each day for the many blessings He has showered upon you!"

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Some years ago an old black woman was put up at auction at a slave-market. She was distressed lest she might be sold to a cruel master. A godly man bought her and set her free at once. But she would not leave him who had set her free, and insisted upon going into his household and working for him. Now when she could do what she pleased, she would not go anywhere but to him. She would say: "He saved me! He saved me!"

This is how we ought to feel toward Him who died for us and set us free.

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"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues."

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"Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted, all that God has given us."

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"None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy."

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"When we have an attitude of being thankful, we never take anything we have for granted. We are blessed in so many ways."

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Do you not teach your children to say "Thank you" for what they receive? Even the baby, before it can speak, is made to utter a "ta," an expression of gratitude for what it is given. Well, we are the children of God, and He demands of us that we shall not take anything He gives us as a matter of course, but in a spirit of thankfulness.

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"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

For Christ who came from Heaven above,
For the cross and His redeeming love,
For His mighty power to seek and save,
For His glorious triumph o'er the grave.
For the lovely mansions in the sky,
For His blessed coming bye and bye,
I give Thee humble thanks.

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"Let us be thankful!" Hebrews 12:28

"Overflowing with thankfulness!" Colossians 2:7

John the Purifier

The term ὁ βαπτιστὴς is never used in classical Greek. It is only ever used of John. It is a title bestowed upon him by outsiders, just as the title Christian was first bestowed upon the followers of Christ Jesus by outsiders (Acts 11:26). So this title is particular and peculiar to John's ministry. Why was this title bestowed upon him? What significance did it have? What was his ministry about?

"Why then are you baptizing?" John 1:25

"What (baptism), then, do you baptize?" Since Jews in religious rites employed βαπτίζω in the appropriate sense to purify, the question might be modified this way: "What (defilement) do you purify?" Is it an actual removal of ceremonial defilement, or of spiritual defilement? or, is it only a symbol of purification? What is its character? What is its nature? Baptisms are of endless variety, which this passage brings that fact out clearly. The purifying agencies were made up of water, blood, ashes, and fire. There is absolute proof that objects not enveloped by water, blood, ashes, or fire are said to be baptized—ceremonially purified (e.g., Mark 7:4, re: tables/couches).

"I baptize in water." John 1:26

John's answer is perfectly satisfactory: "I baptize with water. Water (of purification, i.e., the symbol of repentance) is the essence of my baptism. My baptism has no other power than that which belongs to simple water, and is therefore merely symbol in its character." His baptism was corporal: Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16—"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." John's was a baptism of repentance, whereas Jesus' is a baptism of grace.

John does not merely say Ἐγω βαπτίζω, but Ἐγω βαπτίζω εἰς μετανοίαν—into repentance (Matt. 3:11). He does not merely preach a βάπτισμα, but a βάπτισμα μετανοίας—of repentance (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). The nature of his baptism is βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν—baptism of repentance into the remission of sins (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3).

"And [Paul] said, 'Into what then were you baptized?' And they said, 'Into John's baptism.'" Acts 19:3

Both the Pharisees and the Apostle Paul asked the same essential question, though not identical in every respect. Both questions reveal variety in the nature of baptisms. The answer "We were baptized into John's baptism" gave Paul all the information he desired. Likewise, John's answer gave the Pharisees all the information they sought.

Just as the Israelites under Moses' leadership had to pass through the Red Sea at the exodus, and just as the second generation of Israelites under Joshua's leadership had to do the same thing at the Jordan River, so now true Israelites must identify with the water and their prophetic leader in order to begin experiencing true restoration. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, the passing through the Red Sea is described as a "baptism." So, too, could the passing through the Jordan River. These "baptisms" merely identified the Israelites with their prophetic leaders. So, too, with John's baptism.

The Baptism which John preached and the Baptism which John administered were one and the same baptism. John preached the imperative necessity for a thorough change in the condition of the soul manifested by godly repentance and issuing in the full remission of sin through "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world;" which changed condition of the soul was the work of the Holy Ghost. This baptism of the soul which was set forth by words in the preaching was identically the same baptism which was set forth by water in the rite. The purification of the soul was always effected, as a fact, by the Holy Ghost; and the purification of the soul was always exhibited, as a necessity, by the pure symbol. The agencies differed infinitely; the baptism was one absolutely—effected in the one case, symbolized in the other.
Matthew's "Repent!" and Mark's and Luke's "Baptism of repentance into the remission of sins," and John's "Behold! the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world," have all alike the same amount of water in them; that is to say, just as much as may be found in the burned out craters of the moon. The verb βαπτίζω and the noun βάπτισμα, as used in the history of John's baptism, have no more to do with the quantity or the manner of using the water employed in his symbol rite, than has the multiplication table to do with the amount or the manner of using Rothschild's wealth. Let these words mean what they may, they have no more control, in the relations in which they stand, over the use of the water, than a sleeping infant has over the earth's diurnal revolution.¹
The word βαπτίζω, as used in Scripture, has no more control over or connection with the manner of using this water, than a broken arm has control over or connection with the movement of the solar system.²

βαπτιστὴς has nothing to do with water in any form or measure. It carries no water with it. John ὁ βαπτιστὴς is and can only be, John the Purifier. Ιωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς = John the Purifier.

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¹ James W. Dale, Johannic Baptism, p.407.
² Ibid, p.417.

Humanity By Design

GOD CREATED HUMANITY IN THIS WAY:

"Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female" (Matt. 19:4; Mark 10:6).

God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18a). Any man; every man; all encompassed in Adam, our head and representative. God then continued by saying, "I will make a helper suitable for him" (Gen. 2:18b). The phrase "meet for" (KJV) in Genesis 2:18 comes from two Hebrew words. The first, #5048, is a preposition indicating before, in front of, opposite. The second, #3509.1, is a marker of comparison: as, like; a marker of similarity or correspondence. The phrase "meet for" in the Hebrew indicates something that is both similar yet different; something that was similar to Adam yet completely different from him. Not a mirrored image, which is entirely the same and identical. As other translations render it (more accurately, I might add), this is what was "suitable" for not only Adam but for every man—woman. Every animal in the animal kingdom had its suitable pair, something that was similar but different—its female counterpart. The similarity was in its kind; the difference was in its make up. Adam saw that every animal had its appropriate pair while he did not. Thus, God said "It is not good for man to be alone." In creating the "suitable" helper for Adam, He created woman. Woman is similar to Adam, being of the same species; but different from him, being a woman and having womanly parts rather than manly parts. This difference would be key to the mandate that God would give to the two of them, which is the same mandate given to all mankind—"Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28).

GOD INTENDED HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS TO FUNCTION LIKE THIS:

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7-8).

The creation account gives a very clear picture—a standard—of God's intention for all human relationships. The only standard for sexual expression you will find consistently praised in both Testaments is that of heterosexual monogamy. Throughout the entire Bible, only that standard is upheld. Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul upheld the standard of heterosexuality. If I uphold the life of a child in the womb, I am necessarily opposed to abortion. Likewise, Scripture, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul, while upholding the standard of heterosexuality, are necessarily opposed to homosexuality (and every other sexual deviation). The statement encompasses every man; all men: "For this reason a man [any man, every man, all men] shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Jesus made the point of directing his listeners back to the beginning, the creation of humanity, which tells us everything we need to know about God's design, plan, and intention for human relationships. Anything outside of this union—one man and one woman—is a perverse, abnormal, unnatural, abominable sexual deviation.

GOD GAVE HUMANITY THIS MANDATE:

"Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22).

Man and woman were perfectly designed for each other; both for pleasure and for procreation: "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28). The genital parts of both man and woman were designed differently yet complimentary—they fit together perfectly. They are, by design, perfectly fit for each other; perfectly matched. Like a light bulb and a socket, a plug and an outlet, a bolt and a nut, male and female genitalia were perfectly designed for complimentary union. This union of man and woman is the only means with which to create progeny and carry on one's family name as well as the human race. Humanity would die outside of this union and this mandate. Every living creature that God created, those in the water, those in the air, and those on the land, were all given the mandate to "be fruitful and multiply." They could not fill the waters and the air and the land otherwise. Humanity was given the same mandate, which is an expectancy of how God intended human relationships to function, the standard upheld by both Jesus and the Apostle Paul.

The Nickels and Noses Racket

by Milburn Cockrell, 1941-2002

The average pastor is no longer a powerful, plain preacher--but a polite, polished politician!

We live in a time of big meetings, big churches, big church buildings, big preachers, and big church budgets. The failure or success of a church and its pastor--is judged by the number of nickels and noses that they have. In all too many cases, there is seen in this more Satanic pride, than spiritual piety.

In the craze for nickels and noses churches have replaced preachers and pastors, with puppeteers and pranksters. The gospel of Christ has been superseded by gimmicks, gadgets, and games. Psychology has taken the place of Holy Spirit conviction. The faith has been displaced for finance, fun, and foolishness. Church discipline has been relegated to the background, in order to swell the size of the church with religious hypocrites who might give a little money to the church now and then.

The nickels and noses racket has filled our churches with unconverted persons. We have far more churchianity than Christianity. Many church members are white-washed--but they are not blood-washed. Their names are upon the church roll--but they are not found in the Lamb's book of life. Many have been reformed--but they have not been re-born. Many have been confirmed--but they have not been converted to Christ. There are so many lost people in our churches, that you cannot tell the difference between a church member and the unconverted. The reason is, because there is no difference. Both are headed to Hell as fast as time can carry them!

It has produced icy services--and cold, callous, complacent church members. Look at the average church! They have their robed choir, their cut and dried program, and their intellectual preaching. They have a beautiful edifice. They have all the organization and rituals one could ask for--but in most cases it is Spiritless! We have form without reality; we have organization without power; we have profession without possession. We have a form of godliness--without the power of it. We have religion without life.

It has caused pastors to spend more time worrying with goats, than feeding the sheep. The pastor nowadays must provide a spiritual diet for people who have no spiritual appetite. Like Ezekiel of old (Ezekiel 37:1-10), he must preach to dead, dry bones--but without the blessings which Ezekiel experienced. These dry, dead bones can't hear--yet the pastor must keep preaching and pretend that someone is listening. These dry, dead bones do not grow in grace--for the dead do not grow. These baptized bones are in no way sensitive to the appeals made to them from the Scriptures by the pastor. They watch the clock on Sunday morning, hoping the pastor will preach a short sermon so they can soon go home and do what they really enjoy.

This idea has given us the gimmick gospel. Most church members want to be entertained--instead of instructed in the Word of God. They have far more delight in the gospel of amusement--than the gospel of the atonement. Gospel celebrities must be brought in to entertain these worldly church members. These members love to hear these clerical comedians who mix a few verses of Scripture with a large amount of humor. Special singing groups must be brought in too. These have the same dress, music, hair style, and manners of any rock and roll group. Our church services nowadays have become a carefully produced theatrical production for the delight of carnal Christians and religious rascals. The only difference between this entertainment and that in the local nightclub, is that it has a religious flavor! But they say it must be done to get nickels and noses!

While there are some exceptions, most big churches are worldly churches. They have high carnality--and low spirituality. Truth is very scarce in such fashionable churches, because the Word of God has been compromised to keep nickels and noses.

What Are You Watching?

When it is more important for professing "Christians" to "not miss their TV show" than it is for them to prove their faith by standing with Jesus for truth against immorality, there is something severely wrong; both in their hearts and their minds. These so-called "Christians" willingly watch trash like Spartacus, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Lost Girl, Bitten, etc., including TV shows that have been inundated by the homosexual agenda, and somehow think there is nothing wrong with doing so. It is evident that these "Christians" do not read their Bibles, if they ever have even once.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things" (Phil. 4:8). Apply the truth of this verse to the rationale of these "Christians" and their idolatry of not wanting to "miss their TV show" under any circumstances; even when that TV show is morally corrupt. "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them" (Eph. 5:11). Do verses like these mean nothing to these so-called "Christians"? They know what they ought to do, but because they love darkness more than they love the Light, their idolatrous heart would rather continue watching a show they know they should walk away from, rather than obeying and serving the Living God.

If you can pray the following prayer over the things you watch, then by all means watch them.

"Dear Lord, we invite You to come join us in this time of viewing. As Your children, we commit this time to You as worthy of our attention. May our family be uplifted by this hour before the screen. And, Lord, we pray that families everywhere would have the opportunity to do likewise. We thank You for providing this program for us, and we ask You to bless the men and women who produced this show and those who made it available. May they have Your blessings to do more of the same. In Jesus' name, we thank You, Amen."

This can also be applied to what you listen to and what you read. You are what you read; you are what you watch, and you are what you listen to. Garbage in, garbage out. It is not "just a book"; it is not "just a movie"; and it is not "just a song". It is an influence on who and what you are and what you believe.

God knows everything you think, hears everything you say, and sees everything you do because He is always with you. With that fact in mind, freedom in Christ is doing those things which the Holy Spirit leads you to do; not what you feel like doing. If the Holy Spirit is leading you to...

• ...drink alcohol (if you believe this is okay)—How much?
  Remember what Ephesians 5:18 says?
• ...listen to music—What’s the message?
  Would the Holy Spirit want to embed this message in your heart? (Galatians 5:13)
• ...watch movies and TV shows—Which ones?
  Would the Holy Spirit want to embed these images in your heart? (Galatians 5:13)
• ...visit places of entertainment—Are you taking God with you?
  If you wouldn't take Jesus there if he was with you in the flesh, you have no purpose in being there yourself.

"For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

You act the way you act because you believe the way you believe. You behave the way you behave because you think the way you think. How you believe determines what you do. Correct belief and correct thinking will result in correct action.

Galatians 2:11-14 teaches us to (1) watch our lifestyle and not to act hypocritically, and to (2) act in a manner that is worthy of the truth of the gospel. "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Col. 2:6). In other words, walk as if you have truly received Him. "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8).

• "...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called," Ephesians 4:1
• "...conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ;" Philippians. 1:27
• "...walk in a manner worthy of the Lord..." Colossians 1:10
• "...walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." 1 Thessalonians 2:12

Homosexual Agenda Infects More TV Shows

Homosexuality has infiltrated two more television series, attempting to press their agenda and convince people that there is nothing wrong with it. Through manipulation and brainwash, their typical tactics, homosexuals use the media to spread their lies the same way Hitler spread his: by repeating them loud enough, long enough, and often enough.

In Gotham, the depraved writers have turned Penguin into a homosexual who desires to be in a relationship with Riddler. In Supergirl, the depraved writers have turned Carla Danvers into a lesbian, using the argument of an alien super being "coming out" with their powers and abilities as their rationale for homosexuality. Homosexuals and their supporters will look anywhere and everywhere for illogical and irrational arguments to use in attempts of persuading people that homosexuality is normal and natural, which it is not. Homosexuality is abnormal and unnatural, and everybody knows it, regardless of how much they try to convince themselves otherwise. Homosexuality goes against both human and sexual natures. Logic, common sense, science, nature, etc., all agree and prove that homosexuality is a perversion; an abomination of how God created us ("Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female" [Matt. 19:4; Mark 10:6]), how He intended relationships to function ("For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" [Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7-8]), and the mandate He gave us for procreation ("Be fruitful and multiply" [Gen. 1:22]).

Is inevitably having a shorter life span due to the diseases that result from homosexual activity considered normal and natural? Is successfully terminating your family line considered normal and natural? Homosexuals have a life expectancy of 1/3 to 1/2 that of heterosexuals, and they will never be able to procreate and create progeny to carry on their family name.

Homosexuals and their supporters willfully fail to grasp simple logic. If God created gays, there is a problem. Imagine in the Garden of Eden God created three couples instead of just one. There is Adam and Eve, obviously, and then two homosexual men and two homosexual women. Guess what? Homosexuality died with the first generation. The only couple capable of living long lives and carrying on the human race would have been Adam and Eve. The others contracted diseases, cut their lives short, and died being the only members of their family tree. Seems a rather cruel joke if that is how God intended it to be. But that is just it. That is not how God intended it to be, and that message is announced loud and clear from the beginning of Scripture until the end of Scripture. Logic, common sense, science, and nature all prove that homosexuality is unnatural. Homosexuals love their sin the same way zoophiliacs love their sin and pedophiles love their sin, and that is why they try so hard to manipulate and brainwash society into accepting their aberrant behaviour as "normal" and "natural," despite the fact that everyone knows in their hearts that it is not!

Homosexuality and its perverted and depraved writers have practically turned Teen Wolf into a gay porn TV show. I have already quit watching a number of previous favourite TV shows because homosexuality infiltrated them and tried forcing their perverse opinion upon the viewers. Once again, homosexuality has ruined two more TV shows. Thus, I will no longer be watching Gotham or Supergirl. More Christians need to prove their faith and grow a backbone, turning off the TV and refusing to watch when these people infect our shows with the homosexual agenda. If these so-called professing "Christians" stood by their faith and took a stand, the ratings for these shows would go down and they would have to remove this perversion from the show. But when Christians choose to watch even though they know it is wrong to do so, they encourage it and support it.

The way you live, "Christian," reveals the truth about what you truly believe. When you watch stuff you know you should not, your true faith is being revealed. You cannot claim to be a Christian and in the same breath admit to watching trash like Spartacus, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Lost Girl, Bitten, etc. Standing by while homosexuality becomes a key theme of your favourite TV show shows you to be a hypocrite, too. If Jesus means a thing to you, and if your faith is genuine in the least, then develop a backbone and take a stand. When it is more important for you to "not miss your show" than it is for you to stand up for Jesus and the truth, you have revealed your idolatry. Watch How You Live! I would sooner watch no TV than to be inundated by the homosexual agenda and their filthy lies.

Benedictions

What exactly is a benediction? A benediction is a short, concise pronouncement of divine blessing given in the Bible in the form of a petition, a promise, or an assurance. It voices images of protection, or comfort, or some other word of assurance. It represents a joyful, unifying call to faith; patience and practice for the faithful.

The word benediction means "to say good, to voice good thoughts, to pronounce." What makes good thoughts is that they are based on Truth—God. Whatever is true fulfills itself. Good is the inevitable result of the certainty and righteousness of Truth—God, Who is all-good.

The reading aloud of a benediction at the conclusion of a church service is joy expressed, cherished, and shared with all in its hearing. It is the essence of genuine, heartfelt joy and commitment, seen in the exalted light of spiritual interpretation. It is impersonal, it is positive, it is healing, and it is eternal. It is part of "the morning meal" that blesses all.

1. The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
2. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)
3. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever. (Psalm 121:7-8)
4. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
5. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
6. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
7. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)
8. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; (2 Corinthians 9:8)
9. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11)
10. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14) 
11. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. (Galatians 6:18)
12. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible. (Ephesians 6:23-24)
13. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
14. And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20) 
15. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4:23)
16. Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)
17. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) 
18. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
19. Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
20. Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
21. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:2-3)
22. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21)
23. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)
24. Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (Revelation 1:4-5)

Can Women Be Deacons?

Some churches say that women cannot be deacons while some churches say that women can be deacons. Which is the correct view? As with any opposing biblical views, the Greek needs to be consulted in order to determine the truth.

In the Greek, there are three words we need to be concerned with: diakoneō (διακονέω), which means to minister/to serve; diakonia (διακονία), which means ministry/service; and diakonos (διάκονος), which means minister/servant. Diakoneō appears 38 times in 32 verses. Diakonia appears 36 times in 32 verses. Diakonos appears 31 times in 29 verses. Only thrice in Scripture is diakonos translated as deacons: Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8 and 12. Only twice in Scripture is diakoneō translated as deacon: 1 Timothy 3:10 and 13. It is best to understand these words in their usual translations as either ministers or servants and minister or serve, respectively.

There is no "office of a deacon," as found in the KJV. In the 1560 Geneva Bible, 1 Timothy 3:10 reads: "And let them first be proved: then let them minister (διακονέω), if they be found blameless." In the same Bible, 1 Timothy 3:13 reads: "For they that have ministered (διακονέω) well, get themselves a good degree, and great liberty in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus." Other translations have "serve as deacons" (v.10) and "served as deacons" (v.13), which is a redundancy. "As deacons" is not required or necessary in either verse. The translation of verse 10 should simply be "then let them minister" or "then let them serve," and the translation of verse 13 should simply be "they that have ministered" or "they that have served." Period.

Diakoneō (διακονέω) means "to serve, wait upon, with emphasis on the work to be done and not on the relationship between lord and servant." This word is used in 1 Timothy 3:10 and 13. Diakonos (διάκονος) means "a minister, servant, deacon." This word is used in Romans 16:1 of Phoebe and, interestingly enough, it is also used in 1 Timothy 3:8 and 12.

Romans 16:1-2

¹ I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a [deacon/servant/minister] (διάκονος, diakonos)^{[predicate/anarthrous,noun]} of the church which is at Cenchrea; ² that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.

1 Timothy 3:8-13

⁸ [Deacons/Servants/Ministers] (διάκονος, diakonos)^{[anarthrous,noun]} likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, ⁹ but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ And let these also first be tested; then let them [serve/minister] (διακονέω, diakoneō)^{[present imperative active]} if they are beyond reproach. ¹¹ Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Let [deacons/servants/ministers] (διάκονος, diakonos)^{[predicate/anarthrous,noun]} be husbands of one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. ¹³ For those who have [served/ministered] (διακονέω, diakoneō)^{[definite article,aorist participle active]} well obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Predicate is part of a sentence that states, affirms, or asserts something about the subject. Anarthrous refers to a word that appears without a definite article—"the." Present Imperative Active describes the verb. Imperative is a grammatical mood that forms commands or requests, including the giving of prohibition or permission, or any other kind of advice or exhortation. Aorist Participle Active also describes the verb. Aorist is a verb tense expressing action or, in the indicative mood, past action, without further limitation or implication. Participle is a “verbal adjective”: it is like a verb, in that it has Tense (past, present, perfect—future participles are rare in the NT)  and like an adjective, in that it has to agree with  the noun or pronoun which it qualifies (goes with) in Number (singular or plural), Case (Nominative, Accusative, etc.) and Gender.

In 1 Timothy 3:11, Paul uses the word likewise, which means "in the same way, in a like manner, similarly, also, too, as well." It relates back to what was just said. Paul was not talking about wives of deacons because no pronoun was used to refer to them. If that is what he meant, he would have said their wives or their women. Since there are no comments about the wives of elders, why would there be comments about the wives of deacons? There is no feminine form of diakonos (διάκονος); the same form of the word diakonos is both masculine and feminine. If Paul were to use just the term diakonos if he wanted to refer to women servers, it would have been unclear to his readers. He had to identify them as women. Hence why he refers to women in verse 11 with the Greek word gunaikas (γυναῖκας): Γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως... (Women likewise...).

Based on the words used, Phoebe is referred to by using the exact same word that appears in 1 Timothy 3. This tells me that women are allowed to be deacons. In the early church, women were full and active members. 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 informs us that both husbands and wives could pray and prophesy in the worship service. Paul's chief concern was that no woman should attempt to usurp the position of their husbands in the home or in the church. God has appointed specific roles and tasks for both men and women.

On the other hand, however, women are not allowed to be elders or pastors (see Women Pastors: What Does the Bible Say?). "Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says. And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment" (1 Corinthians 14:34-37). "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve" (1 Timothy 2:12-13). These verses—God-breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have no bearing on women being deacons as they are under the authority of a male elder within the church.

Verses 1-7 of 1 Timothy 3 are best understood as "Qualifications To Be An Overseer/Elder," while verses 8-13 are best understood as "Qualifications For Servants." When we understand these passages in this way, and the language being used, it removes any confusion on the issue. Do not cherry pick at verses 11 and 12, trying to justify your desire for exclusion of women as deacons. Romans 16:1 uses the exact same word regarding Phoebe as is found in 1 Timothy 3:8 and 12. In order to grasp the truth here, let us eliminate the use of the word deacon and use the more accurate translation of either minister or servant, which is why 1 Timothy 3:8-13 is best understood under the heading, "Qualifications For Servants." These servants are especially qualified for ministering to the church, each other, and the surrounding community. The word "minister" here does not mean "preacher"; it means "someone who is qualified to attend to the needs of someone else."

Can women be deacons? According to Scripture, yes, they can.

Diakoneō (διακονέω)	Diakonia (διακονία)	Diakonos (διάκονος)
Matthew 4:11 Matthew 8:15 Matthew 20:28 Matthew 25:44 Matthew 27:55 Mark 1:13 Mark 1:32 Mark 10:45 Mark 15:41 Luke 4:39 Luke 8:3 Luke 10:40 Luke 12:37 Luke 17:8 Luke 22:26 Luke 22:27 John 12:2 John 12:26 Acts 6:2 Acts 19:22 Romans 15:25 2 Corinthians 3:3 2 Corinthians 8:19 2 Corinthians 8:20 1 Timothy 3:10 1 Timothy 3:13 2 Timothy 1:18 Philemon 1:13 Hebrews 6:10 1 Peter 1:12 1 Peter 4:10 1 Peter 4:11	Luke 10:40 Acts 1:17 Acts 1:25 Acts 6:1 Acts 6:4 Acts 11:29 Acts 12:25 Acts 20:24 Acts 21:19 Romans 11:13 Romans 12:7 Romans 15:31 1 Corinthians 12:5 1 Corinthians 16:15 2 Corinthians 3:7 2 Corinthians 3:8 2 Corinthians 3:9 2 Corinthians 4:1 2 Corinthians 5:18 2 Corinthians 6:3 2 Corinthians 8:4 2 Corinthians 9:1 2 Corinthians 9:12 2 Corinthians 9:13 2 Corinthians 11:8 Ephesians 4:12 Colossians 4:17 1 Timothy 1:12 2 Timothy 4:5 2 Timothy 4:11 Hebrews 1:14 Revelation 2:19	Matthew 20:26 Matthew 22:13 Matthew 23:11 Mark 9:35 Mark 10:43 John 2:5 John 2:9 John 12:26 Romans 13:4 Romans 15:8 Romans 16:1 1 Corinthians 3:5 2 Corinthians 3:6 2 Corinthians 6:4 2 Corinthians 11:15 2 Corinthians 11:23 Galatians 2:17 Ephesians 3:7 Ephesians 6:21 Philippians 1:1 Colossians 1:7 Colossians 1:23 Colossians 1:25 Colossians 4:7 1 Thessalonians 3:2 1 Timothy 3:8 1 Timothy 3:12 1 Timothy 4:6

Others May, You Cannot!

by George Watson, 1845-1924

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience, that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other believers do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful, may push themselves up to be admired, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or in having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold—a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, while keeping you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit in you, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but He will keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without others knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done. This to teach you the message of the Cross and humility.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

If you absolutely give yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other Christian people say and do many things which you cannot.

However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, then you will have found the vestibule of Heaven, the high calling of God.

Discrimination

Funny. Homosexuals and supporters of homosexuality will say things like this, or picket with signs saying things like this, yet their narrow, tunnel-visioned, agenda-pursuing, illogical minds fail to see the hypocrisy in themselves.

What is the homosexual's thoughts with regard to murderers? What is the homosexual's thoughts with regard to rapists? What is the homosexual's thoughts with regard to pedophiles? What is the homosexual's thoughts with regard to zoophiliacs? Oh, that is right, they discriminate against them.

Society has lost the meaning of "discrimination" and broadened it in order to overlook and excuse blatant wrong-doing, immorality, and sin. Homosexuality is unnatural and improper. Period! Whether homosexuals are in the minority or not is irrelevant to the issue. Rapists are in the minority. Pedophiles are in the minority. Zoophiliacs are in the minority. There is a huge difference between a minority of ethnicity or colour and a minority of immorality or sin.

A less than 2% world population is bullying the other 98% of the world population into what they can and cannot think, say, or believe. Homosexuals and supporters of homosexuality are intolerant and guilty of true hate speech, forcing their opinions upon everyone else. They accuse Christians of being discriminatory, yet look at what they are doing to Christians and non-Christians who disagree with their unnatural, corrupt, and perverted lifestyle.

Taking a stand against immorality and sin is not discrimination! Homosexuals and supporters of homosexuality are guilty of discrimination and intolerance by attempting to silence Christians and non-Christians who disagree with them—by whatever means necessary. Homosexuals and supporters of homosexuality think that by changing the laws their consciences will somehow be silenced and homosexuality will somehow be accepted and acceptable. However, when they stand before the Law-Giver on judgment day, they will stand condemned because they know intrinsically that homosexuality is a sin against Him Who created them male and female.

Homosexuality cannot survive and cannot thrive left to itself. They cannot reproduce among themselves and create progeny. Their acts only result in disease. Logic and common sense and every evidence of science and nature makes the case that homosexuality is unnatural, improper, unacceptable, corrupt, and perverse. It is a perversion of both human and sexual natures. No matter how much homosexuals and their supporters argue for homosexuality, they cannot escape the reality of these facts!

Sexuality and Gender

The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society (Number 50, Fall 2016)
Sexuality and Gender: Findings From the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences

Lawrence S. Mayer, M.B., M.S., Ph.D.
Paul R. McHugh, M.D.

Download PDF here.

Planned Parenthood Harvesting Baby Body Parts

Article One: Planned Parenthood's Macabre Baby Body Parts Business
Article Two: Texas Grand Jury Indicts Whistleblowers Instead of Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood's Macabre Baby Body Parts Business

by Rita Diller - NOVEMBER 01, 2015

Planned Parenthood is always on script when it knows the media is watching. The script paints a picture of an organization that cares—no matter what. It bills itself as a champion and savior of women, a friend to adolescents, and an irreplaceable, trusted health resource.

But what if someone caught Planned Parenthood officials on video showing their true colors—speaking to those they believe to be in their camp, and blowing the Planned Parenthood facade wide open. That’s precisely what David Daleiden, the founder of The Center for Medical Progress accomplished through CMP’s 30-month investigative study of Planned Parenthood’s baby body parts business.

________________

CMP’s Human Capital video series provides a rare glimpse into the closely guarded Planned Parenthood baby body parts business. The videos feature inside conversations with high-level PP employees—conversations about procuring body parts and the compensation the abortion giant wants to receive in exchange. The viewer sees shocking images of a PP pathology lab where pieces of babies just ripped from their mothers’ wombs sit in clear pie plates. They are illuminated from underneath. Here technicians eagerly search for body parts that will be sent to researchers, sometimes in piecemeal fashion—glands and organs to one location, skin to another.

Cutting a baby boy’s face open to harvest his brain

As the videos roll, a picture emerges of a cold-blooded, callous organization so focused on increasing its economic bottom line that its abortionists plan their workday around procuring saleable specimens. PP officials acknowledge willingness to prolong painful abortions and alter abortion procedures in order to obtain more intact fetal cadavers for harvesting the body pieces that are on the day’s list of income opportunities.

We see the real PP—the company that, for economic gain, invited procurement technicians inside its facility to cut an aborted baby boy’s face open with scissors to harvest his brain—the same intact baby boy whose heart was being manipulated to beat minutes earlier by tapping it with a medical instrument.

PP executive wants a Lamborghini

The video contents are shocking from start to finish, with jaw-dropping statements coming from the highest levels of PP. Dr. Mary Gatter, during negotiations with undercover investigators about what she wants to receive for body parts procured from aborted babies, laughs and says, “I want a Lamborghini.” Gatter is president of the Medical Directors’ Council of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).

While discussing the compensation PP would want to receive for fetal parts, Gatter suggests a “less crunchy” technique for aborting first trimester babies in order to obtain more intact fetal parts.

Admissions by PPFA Director of Medical Services

Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services for PPFA, describes how some abortionists will turn the baby from a head first position to a breech position before beginning the abortion to cause further dilation as the abortion progresses. This enables the baby’s head to be delivered intact, making it possible to harvest skull contents. This is the same type of fetal manipulation that is used in illegal artial birth abortions.

“You never have enough dilation at the beginning of a case unless you have real huge amount of dilation, to deliver an intact calvarium [head],” Nucatola explains. “So if you do it starting at the breech presentation, there is dilation that goes on and often, the last step, you can evacuate an intact calvarium at the end,” she says.

It’s a ‘reasonable’ way to make money for PP

Talking about the income provided from procurement of baby body parts, Nucatola says, “I think at the end of the day, [Planned Parenthood] affiliates—they are still a nonprofit—they want to break even. And if they can do a little better than break even, in a way that, you know, seems reasonable, they are happy to do that.” Only in the evil, warped world of PP would harvesting the eyes and gonads of babies seem like a “reasonable” way to increase income.

Nucatola describes how she plans her workday around baby body part procurement by looking at the day’s list of requests before beginning work. “I knew exactly what was needed . . . so I knew which were the cases that were probably more likely to yield what we needed and I made my decisions according to that.”

It’s a matter of line items

Dissecting intact babies and sending their parts to different locations is just a matter of line items for Melissa Farrell, Director of Research for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. “If we alter our process and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers,” she says while hidden cameras roll, “then we can make it part of the budget—that any dissections are this, and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this . . . It’s all just a matter of line items.”

Fresh eyes and gonads!

Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, Senior Medical Advisor for PPFA, talks about the freshness of specific body parts that have been in demand. “We’ve just been working with people who want particular tissues, like, you know, they want cardiac, or they want eyes, or they want neural,” she says. “Certainly, everything we provide—Oh, gonads! Oh my God, gonads. Everything we provide is fresh.”

She and other PP officials expressed great concern about what would happen if the public became aware of the body parts business. “Obviously, we would have the potential for a huge PR issue in doing this,” she says to an investigator she believes is a potential buyer.

‘This could destroy us.’

Deborah VanDerhei is the National Director for PPFA’s Consortium of Abortion Providers. She also weighs in with concern about the fallout that would result if the public knew about the money PP receives for baby body parts. “I have been talking to the executive director of the National Abortion Federation,” she says. “We’re trying to figure this out as an industry, about how we’re going to manage remuneration, because the headlines would be a disaster.”

“We have independent colleagues who generate a fair amount of income doing this,” VanDerhei continues.

VanDerhei makes it clear that the harvesting and exchange of body parts will not be discussed in writing.  “It’s an issue that you might imagine we’re not really that comfortable talking about on email,” she says.

In addition to headlines, the fact that PP is likely breaking the law should be a huge concern. The sale or purchase of human fetal tissue is a federal felony, punishable by fines and up to ten years in prison.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, PPFA Vice President of External Medical Affairs, seems very aware of the potential legal problems. “This is important,” she tells a person she thinks is a potential buyer. “This could destroy your organization and us, if we don’t time those conversations correctly.”

PP’s long-term body parts business

Dr. Katherine Sheehan, the former Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, reveals that PP has been involved in the baby body parts business for over ten years, working with a procurement company known as Advanced Bioscience Resources, and that the government is involved as well. “We’ve been using [ABR] for over 10 years, really a long time, you know, just kind of renegotiated the contract,” Sheehan says. “They’re doing the big government-level collections and things like that.”

“Service fees” and body parts picking lists

ABR’s “service fee schedule” in the video footage shows a fee of $550 per specimen for first trimester fetal cadaverous specimen procurement.

The video footage also reveals a daily procurement list, known as a task page. It contains a picking list of body parts, with the gestational age of the baby who must die to provide those parts, and shipping instructions. The macabre list includes a request for liver, thymus, and skin—all from the same “donor.” That donor, it says, needs to have reached 16-20 weeks gestation. The body parts are to be packed on wet ice and shipped by FedEx priority overnight delivery. The baby’s liver and thymus are to be shipped to UMASS and the skin to Harvard.

What are researchers doing with fetal tissue?

A well-documented fact sheet on the CMP website shows that the National Institutes of Health reports spending a minimum of $76 million on human fetal tissue—specific rants and nearly $1.4 billion in stem cell research grants in 2014. Some of the recent, grisly studies conducted via government grant money include transplants of fetal brain cells into lab mice, experiments with beating fetal hearts, and a 2013 study that used normal 24-week fetal eyes “harvested within minutes of death.”

Why are we paying PP to commit such atrocities?

That’s what a September 29 hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee attempted to clarify. PPFA president Cecile Richards did not deny under questioning that 86 percent of PP’s non-government revenue is derived from abortion.

PP’s abortion business stacked up 327,653 dead baby bodies in 2013, according to its annual report. It gulped up $528.4 million in taxpayer income, showing a year-end profit of $127.1 million—a 118 percent increase over the previous year. In the meantime, PP dramatically decreased services like breast exams and cancer screenings.

Now we see that, by adding baby body parts procurement to the end of the equation, and by altering abortion procedures to obtain more saleable body parts from each little victim, PP stands to increase its profit margin exponentially.

Time to defund PP

The release of the CMP videos have set off an avalanche of resistance to continued government funding of PP and opened the eyes of thousands to the depravity of the organization.  We must keep the PP atrocities at the forefront of the discussion in person, in print, and on social media. We must contact our elected representatives frequently, letting them know that PP does not deserve one penny of taxpayer money; we must also insist that a full-scale congressional investigation be launched and that criminal charges be filed against PP executives. We must shine the light on PP’s baby body parts business at every turn, including when we pray and witness at PP facilities. And pray we must, without ceasing, asking our Blessed Mother to deliver a decisive victory over PP and its horrific objectification, exploitation, and killing of little children.

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Texas Grand Jury Indicts Whistleblowers
Instead of Planned Parenthood

by Rita Diller - MAY 10, 2016

Even ardent Planned Parenthood supporters are crying foul over the indictment of investigative journalists David Daleiden and his associate, Sandra Merritt. Daleiden and Merritt were indicted by a Houston, Texas, grand jury after they exposed a grisly baby body parts business in progress at Planned Parenthood facilities.¹

No charges were leveled against Planned Parenthood for negotiating, on camera, the sale of freshly harvested gonads, eyes, skin, brains, femur—”everything” available on a baby, as one Houston Planned Parenthood official stated.² Astonishingly, the pro-life investigators were charged with felony counts of tampering with a governmental record (using a fake ID). Daleiden also faces a misdemeanor offense related to buying human tissue.³

The charge against Daleiden begs the most obvious question—the same question that was posed to media members by his attorney: “How could David Daleiden buy baby body parts for profit without Planned Parenthood being willing to sell him baby body parts for profit?”⁴

Planned Parenthood: “A-la-carte” payment for body parts is best

Planned Parenthood claims the undercover videos are edited to mislead. However, the footage clearly shows Melissa Farrell, the director of research at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, enumerating past payments received from other organizations for baby body parts. She states explicitly on camera that an “a-la-carte” method of payment—where the purchaser pays for only the body parts it wants—would be best: “I just don’t want it to turn into a situation where it’s not financially beneficial for you,” Planned Parenthood’s Farrell says to Daleiden. As she discusses altering the abortion procedure to harvest “intact fetal cadavers,” Farrell refers to the sale of the body parts from a single baby to several different buyers as “just a matter of line items.”⁵

The full unedited versions of the undercover videos are available on the Center for Medical Progress website (centerformedicalprogress.org).

Planned Parenthood board member is a prosecutor

In light of all the damning evidence, why was Planned Parenthood not held accountable for violating the laws that prohibit selling human organs and tissue?

Here’s the multifaceted answer. The Associated Press reports that one of the Harris County prosecutors is a Planned Parenthood board member.⁶ And though Planned Parenthood officials claim the grand jury vindicated the abortion giant of any wrongdoing, Planned Parenthood attorney Josh Schaffer said a prosecutor told him “the grand jury never even voted on possible criminal charges against the nation's largest abortion provider.” That means that the grand jury never voted for or against pursuing any charges on Planned Parenthood.⁷

Instead, behind the Harris County district attorney’s repeated statement, “We have to go where the evidence leads us,” the DA’s office led grand jury members to indict the investigators who caught Planned Parenthood red-handed. In doing so, it attempts to criminalize tactics undercover journalists have used for decades to expose illegal acts.⁸

Getting even with whistleblowers

In addition to having a Planned Parenthood board member on staff in the Harris County DA’s office, pro-life organization Operation Rescue says that the Houston district attorney’s office had an axe to grind with pro-life whistleblowers and that the district attorney’s office “wanted to get even with whistleblowers who have reported evidence against abortion providers of serious crimes, including murder.”⁹

The prosecutor who headed the grand jury investigation against Daleiden is reportedly the same prosecutor involved in the 2013 grand jury investigation of abortionist Douglas Karpen, whose illegal late-term abortion business was exposed by Operation Rescue. Operation Rescue president Troy Newman is a board member of the Center for Medical Progress, the organization behind the 2015 undercover videos exposing Houston Planned Parenthood’s baby body parts business.

Operation Rescue reports that the 2013 complaint provided evidence that Karpen had “murdered babies born alive during shoddy abortions by twisting their heads nearly off their bodies.” The Karpen case prompted the passage of HB2, a clinic safety bill that has contributed to the dramatic drop in the number of abortion centers across Texas.¹⁰ Planned Parenthood continues to fight that bill with a vengeance today.

A chilling effect on First Amendment rights

Journalists, law professors, and other experts—even those who vehemently support Planned Parenthood—lost no time in expressing grave concern that the charges against Daleiden would have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights encompassing freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

“We are pro-choice, and we support the important work of Planned Parenthood, but we find the prosecution of these citizen journalists…deeply disturbing” Sherry Colb and Michael Dorf, law professors from Cornell University state in an opinion piece for CNN. “[I]t appears the charges arise entirely out of their efforts to deceive Planned Parenthood officials in order to gain access,” Colb and Dorf continue.

They point to the fact that criminal prosecution of journalists for investigating such situations will only help cover up facts that need to be revealed. “Whatever the precise facts of this case prove to be, the prosecution has broader implications, and not just for abortion and anti-abortion speech. Undercover exposés play a vital role in informing the American public of important facts that would otherwise remain hidden.”¹¹

Journalism professor Mark Feldstein expressed similar concerns. “Even though I support Planned Parenthood and do not share the politics of those going undercover, I think it’s unusual to prosecute when there’s a lack of intent to commit a crime, even when they’re not journalists,” Feldstein said.¹² Feldstein teaches at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Run-away grand jury

“We believe that this is a runaway grand jury that has acted contrary to the law,” said Houston attorney Jared Woodfill. “Instead of indicting the wrongdoers here, the organization trafficking in baby body parts, they’ve gone after the whistle-blower.”¹³

Woodfill, a member of the Daleiden defense team, is calling for a new grand jury to investigate Planned Parenthood.

“He will be vindicated”

Daleiden’s attorneys have repeatedly expressed their conviction that they will prevail if and when the case goes to trial. They scoffed at a plea bargain offered in February in exchange for a guilty plea, and stated instead that what they really want is an apology. They will file motions to dismiss the case. “We believe the indictments are factually and legally insufficient,” Daleiden’s attorney Peter Breen said.

Referring to his client as a modern-day hero, Woodfill said, “He has exposed the wrongdoing that has been occurring at abortion clinics all across this country. And the fact that he's here today is a miscarriage of justice.”

“He will be vindicated,” Woodfill said.¹⁴

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¹Diller, Rita. “Planned Parenthood’s macabre baby body parts business.” Celebrate Life Magazine. Nov. 1, 2015. www.clmagazine.org/article/planned-parenthoods-macabre-baby-body-parts-business/
^2,5Center for Medical Progress. “Planned Parenthood Houston Admits Accounting Gimmicks Hide Baby Parts Sales, Invoices Charge $8,000.” YouTube. Feb. 2, 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U9mZyRCisM
³Ludden, Jennifer. “Anti-Abortion Activists Indicted on Felony Charges in Planned Parenthood Case.” NPR. Jan. 27, 2016. www.npr.org/2016/01/26/464469813/anti-abortion-activists-indicted-on-felony-charges-in-planned-parenthood-case
⁴Thomas More Society. Thomas More Society Response to Grand Jury’s Indictment of David Daleiden. n.d. www.thomasmoresociety.org/thomas-more-society-response-to-grand-jurys-indictment-of-david-daleiden/
^6,7,8Weber, Paul J. “Houston prosecutor has angered anti-abortion groups before.” Associated Press. Jan. 27, 2016. www.bigstory.ap.org/article/0f9ee593bc8d4d4e904c33bb08f0f9dc/houston-prosecutor-has-angered-anti-abortion-groups
^9,10Operation Rescue. “Bombshell: Houston Grand Jury Never Voted on Planned Parenthood Charges.” Operation Rescue. Jan. 27, 2016. www.operationrescue.org/archives/bombshell-houston-grand-jury-never-voted-on-planned-parenthood-charges/
¹¹Dorf, Sherry F. Colb and Michael C. CNN Opinion. Jan. 29, 2016. www.cnn.com/2016/01/29/opinions/planned-parenthood-colb-dorf/
¹²Richardson, Valerie. “Even Planned Parenthood supporters troubled by prosecution of pro-life investigators.” Washington Times. Feb. 2, 2016. www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/16/david-daleiden-sandra-merritt-criminal-charges-dis/?page=all
¹³Fernandez, Manny. “Lawyers Assail ‘Runaway Grand Jury’ in Indictments of Abortion Opponents.” New York Times. Jan. 27, 2016. www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/lawyers-assail-runaway-grand-jury-in-indictments-of-abortion-opponents.html?_r=0
¹⁴Johnson, Ben. “Planned Parenthood investigator Daleiden refuses plea deal: ‘What we really want is an apology.’” Life Site News. Feb. 4, 2016. www.lifesitenews.com/news/daleiden-refuses-plea-deal-what-we-really-want-is-an-apology

Lost Books of the Bible?

There are professing Christians out there who think that there are lost books of the Bible. Many of the people who push the idea that there are lost books of the Bible are either New Age or belong to some cult or another. Here is just a small sampling of some books these people claim belong in the Bible:

Gnostic Gospels

• Gospel of Thomas
• Gospel of Peter
• Gospel of Mary Magdalene
• Gospel of Judas

Pseudepigraphal Books

•     Epistle of Barnabas
•     First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
•     Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
•     The Letter of the Smyrnaeans or the Martyrdom of Polycarp
•     The Shepherd of Hermas
•     The Book of Enoch
•     Gospel of Judas (130-170 AD)
•     Gospel of Thomas (140-180 AD)
•     The Psalms of Solomon
•     The Odes of Solomon
•     The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
•     Second Baruch
•     Third Baruch
•     The Books of Adam and Eve
•     The Acts of Phillip

It is understandable why those involved in New Age and members of cults would think these books belong in the Bible. Often times they are seeking to justify various false teachings they hope to believe. When professing Christians attempt to argue that these books were removed from the Bible and should be included in it, it is an argument made entirely out of ignorance. First, through ignorance of never having read, paid attention to, or studied the 66 canonized books of the Holy Bible. Second, through ignorance of never having read, paid attention to, or studied any of the so-called "Lost Books." If ignorance is bliss, these people are living in paradise.

Take the Gospel of Thomas, for example. Not only is it a Gnostic Gospel, but it is also Pseudepigraphal, meaning "false," because it is falsely attributed to the Apostle Thomas. Verse 14 says, "Jesus said to them, 'If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits. When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you.'" Does that honestly sound like it belongs in the Bible? Does it honestly sound like something our Lord and Saviour would say? "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourself. If you pray, you will be condemned. If you give to charity, you will harm your spirit." Jesus fasted. Jesus prayed. Jesus was very charitable. Verse 114 says, "Simon Peter said to them, 'Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life.' Jesus said, 'Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.'" Does that honestly sound like it belongs in the Bible? Does it honestly sound like something our Lord and Saviour would say? "Females don't deserve eternal life. Women have to become men in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven." Really?!? These two verses are just some of the examples that hugely contradict the teachings of the Bible, especially that of the New Testament.

These books are not included in the Bible for a number of reasons. These books did not claim to be the Word of God; they lacked apostolic or prophetic authorship; and they were never referenced by Jesus. It would help if professing Christians did not blindly believe everything that was told them by someone in a trusted position, but that they would read, pay attention to, and study the Bible carefully. These so-called "Lost Books" are self-refuting when someone actually knows the Word of God.

The NIV (New International Version)

If your favourite Bible was the KJV (King James Version), and you needed a new Bible, or were looking for a different format of that Bible, how would you feel if, when you purchased your KJV, you found out that it contained the text of the NKJV (New King James Version)?

If your favourite Bible was the RV (Revised Version) or the RSV (Revised Standard Version), and you needed a new Bible, or were looking for a different format of that Bible, how would you feel if, when you purchased your RV or RSV, you found out that it contained the text of the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)?

You would feel deceived. Pure and simple.

Well, for those of you who have preferred and enjoyed the NIV (New International Version), this is precisely what has been done to you. If you were in need of a new copy of the NIV Bible, or you just wanted a different format of the NIV Bible (larger text; single column; study notes; or whatever), the Bible identified as the "NIV" today is no NIV at all!

The 2011 text of the "NIV" is nothing more than a repackaging of the 1996 NIVi (New International Version Inclusive Language Edition) and the 2002/2005 text of the TNIV (Today's New International Version), which never became popular due to its gender-neuter language and the vast amounts of heresy found in various passages.

The publishers of the NIV have deceived you. They have deliberately tried to slip the text of the NIVi/TNIV in under your nose unnoticed as the "NIV." Any NIV you attempt to purchase today is the 2011 text. Not the 1984 text. You are purchasing a completely different Bible. It is deception!

If you preferred and enjoyed the NIV due to its ease of readability, if you are looking for a new Bible to replace your worn NIV, or if you simply want a different format, might I suggest you pick up a copy of the ESV (English Standard Version)? It has the same ease of readability that the NIV had, but is more accurate in translation than the NIV ever was.