Santa's Moral Judgments

"Santa says he's gonna find out who's naughty or nice.
I like the Easter Bunny better . . .

. . . He doesn't make any moral judgments."

That was the message that appeared on one particular Christmas card. Sadly, the sentiment of this card is the ditch that the majority of modern society has fallen into. Most, if not all, immorality is now acceptable, and woe to you who should dare to speak out against any immorality.

This Christmas card illustrates the ignorance of modern society, as well as the poor means with which society is attempting to raise its children these days. There is absolutely nothing wrong with judging another person, or judging them morally. The ignorance of those who think there is, is demonstrated by the fact they have no clue what the English word "judge" actually means. It has multiple definitions. If we judge by discernment, it is perfectly fine and perfectly acceptable. Right and wrong still exist, regardless of how the world attempts to blur the line between the two. If we judge by condemnation, this is wrong. Every sinner already stands condemned, both by their rejection of Christ Jesus and in His sight because of their sin and unwillingness to repent. When He returns to judge the world, their condemnation will become evident and they will spend eternity in Hell separated from God, which is their just and acceptable punishment for sinning against a thrice holy God. Because they are already condemned, we do not need to condemn them further. However, we do need to be discerning and expose their darkness.

"Tell me what the world is saying today, and I'll tell you what the church will be saying in seven years from now." —Francis Schaeffer

Like we read in the Book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament, and church history, the church is supposed to be turning the world upside down. However, a good thorough look across North America will reveal a "church" that is being turned upside down by the world and absorbed by the world. When the church is accepting, propagating, and encouraging the immoral "values" of the world, there is something wrong. The church is not becoming "enlightened"; it is becoming darkened! It has spit in the face of God, is rejecting His holy Word, and conforming itself to the immorality of the world. And worldlings^* looking at these changes taking place think the church is changing for the better?!? When the church is siding with the world and being absorbed by the world, it is not a good thing. It is a change for the worse and reveals just how great a number of professing "Christians" are actually false converts. As persecution starts to come upon North American churches, the true believers will be revealed as they refuse to bow down to the world's golden idol and are imprisoned or lose their lives for taking a stand against immorality and sin.

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

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^*worldling: 1.) a person absorbed by the concerns, interests, and pleasures of this present world. 2.) an inhabitant of the Earth.

Accountability

Every once in a while in a Christian's life, you are going to need somebody to walk right up in your face and point their finger.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:7-9

"He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6

Sow what you want to reap.

Grow what you want to keep.

We all miss the mark from time to time. None of us is perfect. If we are truly Christians, we need to speak into other believers' lives, as well as receive when other believers speak into our lives. Instead of trying to justify ourselves, we need to listen, thank them, and examine ourselves honestly. If I am doing something sinful, I would hope that a brother or sister in the faith would call me on it and keep me accountable. If we refuse accountability, perhaps we should question whether we are Christian to begin with. When we examine everything Jesus and the Apostle Paul said, there is no room for debate on this. We are not islands unto ourselves. Everything each one of us does affects the others some how, some way. It is the ripple effect. You cannot escape it.

"Sow a thought, reap an act; so an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." —Warren Wiersbe

If you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus, what kind of Christian do you want to be? Do you want to be the kind of "Christian" that Jesus spits out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16)? Or do you want to be the kind of Christian who will hear Jesus speak the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21, 23)? Remember that actions speak louder than words. You may talk a good game, but what do others see in your walk? What you truly and honestly believe will be seen in the way you conduct yourself throughout your daily life and activities. If you know you are a fraud and a hypocrite, then repent and beg God for His forgiveness, and start living the way the Bible teaches and Jesus would want. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:15).

Had He Known Me Better!

by Frederick Marsh

Humility is the queen of the Christian graces. The excellence of humility is illustrated in the following Scriptures.

1. Humility is the Flower of Grace—Ephesians 4:2. Humility walks consistently, loves generously, serves willingly, acts meekly, forgives heartily, forbears thoughtfully, and responds obediently.
    
2. Humility is the Soul of Contentment—Philippians 4:12. It feels that it does not deserve anything, therefore takes whatever comes with gratitude. It ever sings, "O to grace how great a debtor!"
    
3. Humility is the Secret of Service—Acts 20:19. To serve the Lord with all humility of mind, is to have the bloom of consecration, the aroma of grace, the unction of love, the warmth of zeal, the ardor of faith, the walk of obedience, and the beauty of holiness.
    
4. Humility is the Badge of Obedience. The Lord's command is, "Humble yourselves" (1 Peter 5:6), and it is not without meaning that it is to be "under the mighty hand of God." We only know the mightiness of God's hand--when we lie low beneath it.
    
5. Humility is the Lesson of Grace. When we are yoked with Christ in God's will, we are in the position to learn of Christ, who is "meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). To talk about humility, is to show we do not possess it; but to keep step with Christ, is to have it without knowing it.
    
6. The Mind of Humility. "In humility of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves" (Philippians 2:3). To see the best in others is to find the worst in ourselves. Self-contemplation leads to self-congratulation, and that always fosters pride.
    
7. The Example of Christ. The mind of Christ is illustrated in that He "humbled Himself" (Philippians 2:8). He went down, before He was raised up. We need to pray: "Help us, O Lord, to deeper sink, that we may the higher rise." The downward path is the upward one.
    
8. Humility is the Attire of Heaven. "Be clothed with humility" (1 Peter 5:5). This is a suit that is always in fashion; it never wears out, and it is always befitting. Humility is recognized by men, admired by angels, and loved by God.
    
9. Humility is the Securer of Blessing. "He gives more grace to the humble" (James 4:6), or as the margin, "A greater grace." Whether an excelling grace, or "more" of the grace that excels, humility is its own reward, and is rewarded by the Lord's commendation.
    
10. Humility is the Harbinger of Reward. "He who humbles himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). The heavier the cargo, the more the vessel is sunk into the water, and the greater its worth. When the fruit of humility causes the branch of the soul to bend in lowliness, the Heavenly Gardener plucks the fruit for the garner of His love!

"There is nothing more characteristic of a true Christian, than humility. It is the first lesson that he learns in the school of Christ, and is the source of contentment and solid peace of mind.

If he hears that anyone has reviled him, he is ready to say, "Had he known me better, he would have said worse things of me than that!"

The fiercest storms of adversity blow over him. Humility gives a pliancy to his mind, which saves it by yielding to the force it cannot resist; like the weak and bending reed that weathers out the tempest which fells the tall and sturdy oak."

No Way!

There are many ways to get into Hell.
"For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13

There is only one way to escape Hell.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

There is no way to get out of Hell.
"They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever!" Revelation 20:10
"They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power!" 2 Thessalonians 1:9

Planned Parenthood

from the 1992 album We Are Not Ashamed by Lust Control

Thank God for godly parents, Thank God for godly teachers
Who don't wimp out when it comes to the truth, Thank God for godly preachers
Planned parenthood, you make me sick to my stomach, And sometimes I just wanna cry
Your answers for kids lead to their destruction, I got one question -- WHY???

Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
Your only plan: To brainwash the nation
Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
You justify murder and fornication

Well, you taught my boy to wear a condom, 12 years old, had to take your course
Mandatory Sex Ed in the school, You're coming in like a Trojan horse
I'm not afraid to tell my kid about sex, But you wanna teach her to play
You give her pills and pay to kill her baby, Well, you're gonna pay yourself someday

Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
Your only plan: To brainwash the nation
Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
You justify murder and fornication

You are pro-abortion, You are pro-gay rights
I know one thing that you're against: You are anti-Christ!!!

Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
Your only plan: To brainwash the nation
Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
You justify murder and fornication
Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
Your only plan: To brainwash the nation
Planned parenthood, you ain't no good
You justify murder and fornication

(Romans 1:24-25; James 3:1; Luke 17:1-2; Proverbs 6:16-19; Luke 18:6-8; Matthew 18:6)

You Talk About God Too Much

My good friend, Jerry, from out east, has been accused of this on a number of occasions. Who has accused him of such? Professing believers. Jerry likes to fellowship with other believers and will often ask others out for a coffee. On several occasions, members of a couple different churches he has attended over the years have accused him of talking about God too much. Including deacons and elders!

If this sentiment is ever uttered by one professing Christian to another Christian, apparently the first has no love for God. If anything, we do not give God enough of our time or talk about Him enough. It is impossible to talk about God too much. If you can tire of talking about God, you might want to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. There is no more noble a subject than to speak of God from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun.

Professing Christians who can tire of reading good Christian material, listening to good sermons (apart from on Sunday), and fellowshipping over Jesus, ought to examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith. You realize that for all eternity we will be sitting at the feet of God, learning from Him? If you can tire of Him as a subject now, imagine eternity. If you do not love Him now, you will not miraculously love Him later. Jesus is just a crutch to you, a "Get out of jail free" card, a means of fire insurance. You want to be in heaven, but you just do not want God to be there. You have an obvious lack of love for the Saviour of our souls. This should concern you greatly.

If you, as a professing Christian, would rather talk about anything else under the sun other than God, you can be sure that you are not a Christian. There is nothing wrong with talking about other subjects, but when you ache inside to talk about anything besides God, and it bothers you when someone else talks about God so much, then you are not a Christian. You obviously have yet to recognize how desperately wicked a sinner you truly are, and to be hit with the reality of precisely what Jesus accomplished on the cross on your behalf, and to repent of your sins, trust in the Saviour, and live a holy life. When you understand exactly how wicked and depraved you truly are, and just what Jesus did for you on the cross, it fills you with immense gratitude and thankfulness. How could you be satisfied with talking about God less after all that He has done for you? Guaranteed that if someone gave their life for you by taking a bullet for you, whether in war or a robbery or whatever, you would talk more about that person than you care to about God. Think about that.

Quietness

Here are some fun quotes pertaining to quietness. Many of these quotes I can identify with, or have at specific times throughout my life. One of the reasons I prefer to work alone is because I can get lost in thought, and I frequently think nonstop. Most people these days distract themselves just so that they will not have to think, because otherwise they will be forced to have to face themselves and reality. Thinking expands the mind. Generally, my quietness is a result of having nothing to say and/or to contribute to a conversation. The things I would like to say, people are not interested in listening to—including self-professed believers in Christ.

 "I think a lot, but I don't say much." —Anne Frank

"Staying quiet doesn't mean I have nothing to say, it means I don't think you're ready to hear my thoughts." —Unknown

God gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason.

God gave us a mouth that can close and ears that don't for a reason.

"The quietest people have the loudest minds." —Unknown

"Don't underestimate me. I know more than I say, think more than I speak, and notice more than you realize." —Unknown

"I'd rather stay quiet than explain my problems to people who are just curious and don't really care." —Unknown

"My mama always told me that if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. And some people wonder why I'm so quiet all the time." —Unknown

"Better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." —Unknown

SOCIETY: "Why are you so quiet?"
ME: "Why are you so loud?"

SOCIETY:
"You should talk more!"
ME:
*Tries to talk.*
- Gets ignored.
- Gets interrupted.
- Gets talked over.
- No one pays attention.
- No one cares.

SOCIETY:
"Why are you so quiet?"
ME:
1. I refuse to gossip, which I feel constitutes 70% of human conversation.
2. Silence is beautiful.
3. Small talk bores me quickly.
4. I'm not going to talk just for the sake of talking.
5. Even if I'm quiet, I still feel as if I'm more open and friendly than most. Social "barriers" mean nothing to me.

Are Catholics Christian?

If you search for this question on Google, sites like Answers.com, which do not provide answers but merely provide opinions, will give you false answers. It will say that, yes, they are Christians. It will say that they are the first Christians. It will even say that they were the only Christians for the first 1000 years. But these "answers" are all false; they are all lies.

Catholics are not Christians! Not even in the least. Catholicism may be a Christian sect, but they are by no means Christian. A simple reading of Scripture will reveal a great many contradictions within Catholic beliefs and traditions. Rather than Scripture be their sole authority and they conform themselves to it, Catholicism says that they and their traditions transcend Scripture. Catholicism broke off from genuine Christianity somewhere within the first five centuries. Catholics were not the first Christians, nor were they the only Christians for the first 1000 years. As soon as the papacy began its rule, it began blotting out true Christianity and ruling the world with an iron first until the Reformation, when men and women touched by God began to read the Scriptures and see the inconsistencies, contradictions, and falsehoods of the Catholic church and expose them to the light. The Catholic church and Catholic apologists are not above lying and deceiving people with lies because they are nothing more than two-bit liars.

Catholicism is a joke. You can obtain a price list for the Catholic church that lets you know how much you need to pay in order to absolve your particular sin. If you commit fornication, sex outside of marriage, you simply pay the priest, say your "Hail Mary's," and away you go, free to commit the same sin again. True repentance does not exist within the walls of the Catholics church or within the confines of Catholicism. Catholic women, while wearing crosses around their necks, will prostitute themselves out over their webcam, sell their bodies to complete strangers for a couple hundred or thousand dollars, and participate in pornography. The cross around their neck is meaningless. It is nothing more than a religious trinket. These Catholics "profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him" (Titus 1:16).

Catholics are highly superstitious. Every practice in Catholicism was taken from some other cult and absorbed into Catholic tradition. Lighting of candles, prayer beads, etc. Catholics pray to Mary, who, apart from being the chosen vessel to give birth to the Messiah, Jesus, is nothing and can do nothing. They also pray to dead "saints," who are also nothing and can do nothing. It is as silly as you praying to your dead grandfather or grandmother. The Catholic church tells people that if they pay a certain amount of money, they can absolve the sins of a dead loved one and make a way for that dead loved one to enter Heaven. If your dead loved ones left this world without knowing Christ Jesus as their personal Saviour, your dead loved ones are in Hell and will reside their for all eternity. Do not believe the lies of the Catholic church. They like to presume that they have more power than God and that they are some how above God and that God will bend to their will.

Catholics and the Catholic church are some of the greatest religious hypocrites in existence. Some will religiously attend mass daily, yet willingly commit a variety of sins at the same time. Catholicism, like all other cults, is a religious system based on scales. They believe that if you do enough good to counterbalance the bad you do, then you will be able to get into Heaven. But that is not what Jesus said, nor what the Bible teaches us. These Catholics would do well to start reading the Bible, beginning with Romans 6 and 8.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "I can never understand how a 'Catholic priest' can ask people to confess their sins to him. I would not make my ear into a common sewer, for all the wealth in the world! What foulness must there be on the soul of him who has heard the sins that others have committed, and who knows what sin he has himself committed!" "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). The only person you need to confess your sins to is the Lord Jesus. Repent of your sins, trust in the living Saviour, and live a life of holiness.

Are Catholics Christian? No, they are not! They were not the first Christians, and they were not the first Christians for the first 1000 years. Catholicism is a sect that broke off from genuine Christianity in the first five centuries, began to dominate and rule the world, and continues today to be a cult that leads millions of people to an eternity in Hell.

Admiration, Envy, and Jealousy

Christian, do you ever admire the lost? Are you ever envious or jealous of them? I am. Let me explain why. The other day at work, while working alone, I listened to two other employees nearby talking while they were working together. They were talking up a storm about their favourite things, the things that interest them the most, and they were doing so with passion. When a topic interests you, why would you not talk about it with passion?

People often wonder why I do not have a lot to say and generally keep to myself. Because of this, they presume that I am arrogant and standoffish. Generally, I do not have much to say because I have nothing to contribute to the conversation as I do not know much, if anything, about the things that interest them. However, when they have things to say, I will listen to them and every now and then chime in and say or ask something, whether to clarify what they have just said or to get a better understanding of what they are trying to say. For instance, if a car guy is talking to me about cars, I know absolutely nothing about cars as I have no interest in them (apart from driving them from point A to point B). When they are finished with what they have to say, it generally becomes quiet as I have nothing to say and cannot talk about what I am passionate about.

The alternate reason as to why I do not have much to say is because I have absolutely no interest in their immediate conversation due to it being centered on filth, which I refuse to glorify in the least. When they are talking about drinking and drugs and parties and getting laid, I could care less. Those are conversations I do not wish to take part in, and I usually let them know.

I admire the lost and am envious and jealous of them because they can freely talk with passion about whatever interests they have, regardless of how mundane. If I were to start talking about what I am passionate about, they would accuse me of "preaching" to them and I would soon be dismissed from my job. It is pretty sad, too, because when I was in high school, you could dialogue with an unbeliever and reason with them without them getting angry or accusing you of trying to shove religion down their throat. They were more open back then, more reasonable, and you could talk freely about religion, having a decent discussion, without arguing. Nowadays, however, you even mention the word "religion" and people fly off the handle in an irate tirade.

I am passionate about Christ Jesus, the Bible, theology, and real science (the stuff you can hypothesize, test, and observe—not the imaginary fiction purported by evolutionists). When I am around other Christians, I tend to take advantage of it and I just talk and talk and talk. Why? Because I do not get to do so very often. I am starved for rational, logical, intelligent conversation. I would love to talk about my interests, but modern society hates Christ Jesus, hates His truth, and hates those who follow Him. Even just by living differently, they notice and they begin targeting you. I do my best to keep my head down and my nose clean, yet somehow rumours, gossip, and lies seem to find me. I do not appreciate liars who make stuff up about me just to try and get me in trouble because they do not like me. If their biggest accusation against me is that I am a Christian, I would be all too happy to plead guilty.

When I am involved in a conversation pertaining to someone's interests, I do not notice it so much. However, when I am a third-party to their conversation, I really notice how much people talk about those things they have an interest in. Because of how freely they can talk about their likes and interests, and how they can do so with passion, without fear of reprisal, I envy them. I wish I was able to talk more freely about my passion for theology. I miss not having that freedom.

The Foundation of the World

"This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.'" Matthew 13:35

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" Matthew 25:34

"so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation," Luke 11:50

"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." John 17:24

"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love" Ephesians 1:4

"For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, 'AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,' although His works were finished from the foundation of the world." Hebrews 4:3

"Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hebrews 9:26

"For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you" 1 Peter 1:20

"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." Revelation 13:8

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come." Revelation 17:8

Jesus was loved by God the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). His purpose was foreknown before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20). His works were finished from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3). Jesus spoke in parables to reveal things hidden since the foundation of the world (Mathew 13:35). The blood of God's prophets has been shed since the foundation of the world (Luke 11:50). We were chosen in Jesus from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  The kingdom of God was prepared for us from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Those individuals who do not have their names written in the Lamb's book of life were not written in it from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8; 17:8).

Before God ever embarked on the creation of the universe, these things were already predetermined and decreed. Time just had to catch up. Humans need to quit trying to measure God by our standards and trying to understand Him with our finite and fallible minds. If we are going to claim to read the Bible literally, then we might start doing so with passages like these and those where Jesus speaks of those whom have been given to Him (John 6:37, 39; 17:1-2, 6, 9, 24; 18:9). Those who leave us were never part of us to begin with (1 John 2:19). The sooner we learn this and accept it, the better off we will be. There is no such thing as a "backslidden Christian" as he/she has never slid forward in the first place.

The Truth of Biblical Election

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:44

"For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." John 6:65

Jesus made it abundantly clear that no one can come to Him in saving faith unless God the Father has granted it to him/her and drawn him/her to Himself. Mankind does not have the option to choose whether they will come or not.

"It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." John 6:45

Only those who have heard from and learned from God the Father are able to come to Jesus in saving faith. Why? Because He has regenerated them, made them spiritually alive, and given them a heart of flesh. Paul made the process plain and simple:

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:29-30

Each one of these statements is true of the born-again Christian. God did each of these things to the believer. You cannot have one and not the others. If one is true, they are all true. If God started the process, He will complete the process. There is absolutely nothing we can do to hinder or stop it.

"All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." John 6:37

"This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day." John 6:39

"Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.'" John 17:1-2

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word." John 17:6

"I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;" John 17:9

"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." John 17:24

"To fulfill the word which He spoke, 'Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.'" John 18:9

Jesus also made it absolutely abundantly clear that all genuine believers were given to Him by God the Father and that no one can come to Him in saving faith who has not been given to Him by the Father. Every single individual that the Father gave to Jesus from before the foundation of the world will come to Him in saving faith. Why? Because God has determined it and His will is always accomplished. Jesus will not lose even one of those of whom God the Father has given to Him.

"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." 1 John 2:19

Those who walk away from Jesus and the Christian faith were never genuine believers to begin with. They were two of the soils Jesus talked about; they were false converts. If God did not choose to save some of us, then none of us would be saved. Every single one of us would end up in Hell for eternity. You can either come to terms with these truths or you can continue worshiping your false god, because your god is not the God of the Bible. Your god tries to save many but only succeeds in saving some. My God, the God of the Bible, saves each and every individual He set out to save from the foundation of the world.

The reason you came to saving faith (not any other kind of faith) is because God determined that you would. Again, see Paul's words regarding the process. God has always elected some individuals while leaving the others to themselves. He does not leave it to chance.

Your Constitution? Or God's Word?

A preacher is brought in to the church to speak the Word of God into every area of church life. When the overseers or elders of a church reject the Word of God in any area in favour of the church's Constitution, or a particular Creed or Confession, that preacher should run fast and far from that church. 

"All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching [what is right], for reproof [what is wrong], for correction [how to get right], for training in righteousness [how to stay right]; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Any church or denomination that places more stock in their Constitution (or Creed or Confession) than they do in Scripture, may that church or denomination be damned. When what a preacher can or cannot preach is dictated by what appears in a church's or denomination's Constitution (or Creed or Confession) rather than what appears in Scripture, may that church or denomination be damned. Scripture is our first, only, and final authority on all matters pertaining to faith and life.

"But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"" Matthew 4:4

Regardless of a church's or denomination's Constitution (or Creed or Confession), they need faithful men who fear, respect, and revere the Word of God and will study and preach it faithfully, honestly, and truthfully. No man should be a preacher who thinks he deserves it or has earned it! It is a holy calling. It is not a position for men who desire power over others. It is not a position for men who desire to earn good money. It is not a position for men who desire to be famous and well-liked. If you are not humble and do not have the character and attitude the Apostle Paul possessed, then you do not deserve to be and should not be a preacher!

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Word of God is not yours to twist and manipulate in order to suit your personal feelings or opinions. Men who have been called by God to be preachers must be faithful to the Word, honest with what the Word teaches, and to submit themselves to the truth of the Word—no matter what it may cost them. Regardless of how a man is raised, what a man is taught, or what a man may presently believe, he must always seek to submit and conform himself to the truths revealed in Scripture through thorough and honest study.

Our only rule of faith and practice is the Word of God. We have . . . 

     no creed to defend,

     no denomination to maintain, and

     no confession to bind our minds.

"What do the Scriptures teach?" That is and must be our only concern. If the plain teachings of Holy Scripture appear to destroy or contradict our understanding of any doctrine, then let us relinquish the doctrine, or acknowledge the fact that our minds are both depraved and minuscule, and bow to the revelation of God.

—Don Fortner

What Is A Successful Ministry?

by Don Fortner

"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:2

The desperate need of the hour is faithful men in the pulpits of our churches. We have an over-abundance of preachers. We do not need any more slick, polished, well-educated professionals in "the ministry". But we do, most desperately, need some faithful men--pastors after God's own heart, who feed His people with knowledge and understanding. Thank God, we have a few!

In this day of big business religion, when churches are measured not by their orthodoxy, but by the opinions of men; when a preacher's success is measured not by his faithfulness, but by the number of names added to the church roll--it might be wise to consider what a successful ministry is according to the measure of Holy Scripture.

According to the Word of God, those preachers and churches are successful who are faithful to the work to which God has called them. Never in the Old Testament or in the New was a prophet, apostle, or preacher measured by the opinions of men. God's servants never courted the favor of men, and were never favored by the majority of the people. The church of God has always been out of step with society. The servants of God have always been looked upon as peculiar, bigoted dogmatists, intolerant and incapable of compromise. But they were faithful--faithful to God, faithful to His truth, and faithful to the souls of men.

Do not be so foolish as to measure God's work by man's yardstick. Do not measure the success or failure of preachers and churches by men, by numbers, or by popular opinion. The only measure of success for churches and preachers is faithfulness. Those who faithfully seek and promote the glory of God, who faithfully proclaim the truth of God, and who faithfully serve the eternal interests of immortal souls are successful. Those who are not are failures. The one will stand the fire of judgment. The other will not.

The greatest blessing God can ever bestow upon any people in this world is to establish in their midst a faithful Gospel church with a faithful Gospel preacher as his messenger.

"Tychicus . . . is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord." Colossians 4:7

Gender and Sex

"The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names."

—Chinese Proverb

The English-speaking world today is in shambles. The English language is being systematically destroyed by Left-wing Liberals, Feminists, and Homosexuals. Instead of using words correctly and for what they actually mean, these ignorant idiots (and, yes, that is precisely what they are) are re-defining many words to suit their various political, personal, and perverted agendas. They have already corrupted the meaning of the words tolerance, orientation, and identity, among others. Now they are attempting to alter the definitions of the words gender and sex, and distinguish them one from the other (much the same way they are attempting to distinguish bestiality from zoophilia, when they are one in the same interchangeably). The word gender and the word sex are the exact same word; they are interchangeable. There are only two genders; there are only two sexes. Observe:

GENDER n. 1. Properly, kind; sort. 2. A sex, male or female.

SEX n. 1. The distinction between male and female; or that property or character by which an animal is male or female.

—American Dictionary of the English Language

gender n. 1a a person's sex, either of the sexes.

sex n. 1 either of the main divisions (male and female) into which living things are placed on the basis of their reproductive functions. 2 the fact of belonging to one of these. 3 males or females collectively. 4 sexual intercourse.

—The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary

gender n. 1: SEX

sex n. 1: either of two divisions of organisms distinguished respectively as male or female 2: the sum of the structural, functional, and behavioral characteristics of living beings that subserve reproduction by two interacting parents and that distinguish males and females

—Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

Useless, worthless, God-less websites such as Facebook have created a list of 50-plus "genders" for their users to choose from. There are only two genders, two sexes: male or female. Every man, woman, and child on this planet belongs to one or the other. Every animal on this planet belongs to one or the other. Every man, regardless of surgical alteration or mental health issues, belongs to the gender/sex of Male. Every female, regardless of surgical alteration or mental health issues, belongs to the gender/sex of Female. Period! There are no if's, and's, or but's about it. You can feel like you are a balloon trapped in a man's or woman's body, but that does not make you a balloon. You are either a man or a woman. If you are one and you think you are the other, you need to seek help through mental counseling.

There is nothing for you to discover! If you have a penis, you are a Male. If you have a vagina, you are a Female. Period! Parents who do not live in, or refuse to live in, reality and inform their children which gender/sex they truly are, but instead encourage their children to decide for themselves, are cruel parents who should not have children placed in their care and need to seek help through mental counseling. Their child, if they are taking hormones in preparation for surgical alteration, need to seek help through mental counseling.

Why is it that our present society is suddenly catering to and entertaining the whims of the mentally ill among us? Instead of getting them the mental help they so obviously are in need of, we are bowing down to their every whim and punishing those who have the intelligence and discernment to recognize the problem and sound the alarm. One young female "tween" (as fools are calling them today) taking hormones to become a boy gives unwanted intimate advances toward another young female "tween," who politely informs the first girl that she is more than willing to be her friend but that she is not interested in her that way, beats up the second girl for refusing her advances and some how the second girl is held to blame? The school and legal system are attempting to hold the second "tween" responsible for the entire incident? Not only is a less-than-2% population telling the other 98% what they can or cannot say, think, or believe, but now if they make unwanted intimate advances at normal individuals, the rejection thereof is some how seen as "intolerance" and "hate" and worthy of fault for any physical altercations as well as legal condemnation.

If normal individuals are going to be held at fault and guilty for any physical altercations that may occur, whether they stand there and take it or use self-defense for their own protection, they might as well make sure they earn it by laying a good beating to the other person and at least make the fault and guilt worth receiving. It is pretty pathetic how our laws have made these twisted individuals untouchables but allows them to get away with bloody murder. They can lay a beating on you and nothing will legally happen to them. But if you swing back once in self-defense to let them know to back off, you get the full force of the law brought down on you. Talk about a corrupt legal system!

Wake up, humanity! Pick your brains off the floor and shove them back inside your skulls. There is no excuse for the rampant ignorance that is plaguing our nations. Every single one of us knows for a fact that there are only two genders/sexes and that the only suitable and appropriate union of those sexes is one man with one woman. The penis was designed specifically to enter the vagina and the vagina was designed specifically to receive the penis. It does not matter whether you "identify" with either gender/sex, you are what you were born as. If you were born with a penis, you are a Male. If you were born with a vagina, you are a Female. If you were born as a hermaphrodite, this is an abnormality, a birth defect as the result of the mutation of genetic information; you are not a separate gender/sex, but you have both genders/sexes (male and female) in your person, of which one is more dominant than the other.

Let us be wise and use wisdom and start calling a spade a spade.

Choice Quotes

Delusion (noun):

1. A misleading of the mind.
2. False belief; a fixed misconception.
3. Something which one accepts as being true or real but which is actually false or unreal.

—Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary

G. & C. Merriam Co. (1953)

[God's] truth [is] not to [certain individual's] taste. We all know how soon a man will contrive, against the strongest evidence, to reason himself out of the belief of what he dislikes.

—Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Three things cannot be long hidden:
The sun, the moon, and the truth.

—Confucius (551-479 B.C.)

It is a small and narrow mind that is afraid to change; it is a sign of greatness that one is prepared to admit at times that one has been mistaken, and that therefore you have had to change your position.

—D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

Our only rule of faith and practice is the Word of God. We have . . . 

     no creed to defend,

     no denomination to maintain, and

     no confession to bind our minds.

"What do the Scriptures teach?" That is and must be our only concern. If the plain teachings of Holy Scripture appear to destroy or contradict our understanding of any doctrine, then let us relinquish the doctrine, or acknowledge the fact that our minds are both depraved and minuscule, and bow to the revelation of God.

—Don Fortner

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Thy name give glory."

—Psalm 115:1

"Not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit."

—1 Corinthians 2:13

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

—Luke 24:45

Homosexuality and Pedophilia

Homosexual apologists have attempted to separate homosexuality from pedophilia, claiming that pedophiles cannot, by definition, be considered homosexuals. Their illogical methodology for this claim is the belief that pedophiles who molest boys cannot be considered homosexual if that individual has at any time been married or sexually involved with women. Based on that argumentation, homosexual apologists have effectively denounced and cutoff a vast number of the homosexual community as not being homosexual. A great number of professing homosexual males have been married and/or sexually involved with women in the past. Likewise, a great number of professing homosexual females have been married and/or sexually involved with men in the past. According to this argument, these professing homosexuals are not truly homosexuals. This argument from homosexual apologists has admitted that homosexuality is in fact a choice.

Homosexual apologists admit that some homosexuals sexually molest children, but they deny that homosexuals are more likely to commit such offenses. They argue that the majority of child molestation cases are heterosexual in nature. While this is correct in terms of absolute numbers, this argument ignores the fact that homosexuals comprise only a very small percentage of the population—less than 2%.

If the world population is 6 billion, 2% of that is 120 million. If half that number is males and half is females, that is 60 million gay men compared to 2,940,000,000 straight men. If 1000 homosexual males were pedophiles and 10 thousand heterosexual males were pedophiles (exaggeratedly 10 times as much), that is 0.0016% to 0.00034%. If 1 million homosexual males were pedophiles and 10 million heterosexual males were pedophiles, that is 1.6% to 0.34%. While the numbers may be with heterosexuals, the percentage is with homosexuals. Ergo, percentage-wise, homosexuals commit such offenses more frequently than do heterosexuals.

Homosexuals comprise less than 2% of the population, yet are responsible for one-third of all child sex abuse cases. There is an overwhelming correlation between homosexual preference and pedophilia. This is further evidence that homosexuality is in fact sexual deviancy, as all psychologists acknowledged only a couple decades ago. Presently, panels of so-called "psychologists" have moved things like homosexuality, pedophilia, bestiality, etc., etc., from the category of sexual deviancy and mental disorders to a category of legitimate lifestyle. None of these is acceptable for civilized people; all of these were contributors to the downfall and destruction of great civilizations of the past, as we see repeating itself today because of people's ignorance and lack of discernment. When people love darkness rather than the Light, they inevitably fuel the darkness and find ways of excusing it and embracing it. Men love their sin more than they love the Saviour.

Some homosexual apologist fools out there attempt to claim that homosexuals cannot be pedophiles because, they argue, pedophilia is a separate orientation. By that same illogical argument, it is also impossible for heterosexuals to be pedophiles. Neither are "orientations." (I am curious as to what these people think the word "orientation" means.) They are both disorientations and these people need to be reoriented through love and getting them the proper mental help they so desperately need. Pedophilia and homosexuality are not sexual orientations; they are sexual deviances. Homosexuals can be pedophiles. Pedophilia known as pederasty is homosexuality. Heterosexuals who commit pederasty are committing the act of homosexuality, which makes them homosexual. You only need to commit a single act of homosexuality to be a homosexual, in the exact same manner that someone who commits a single act of murder becomes a murderer and someone who commits a single act of rape becomes a rapist. Ergo, 100% of male child sexual abuse is committed by homosexuals. Homosexuality is not an "identity," nor is it normal or natural. Homosexuality is a sexual deviancy. Period! It is a perversion of both human and sexual natures. This is Humanity By Design.