Experience Over The Bible

This is an interesting video how people are willing to put the bible aside and rely on their on experiences. I would be way too afraid to rely on my own heart and not check it against what the Bible says. In this video John MacArthur address letters sent to him by people that tell him their own personal truths are more important than the Bible.

This is just another ratchet against objective truth. Objective truth does not rely on my feelings. Objective truth comes from the Bible; its how I compare my heart to God’s truth.

All Praise, All Honor, All Glory go to our King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

Part 3 of Sharing the Gospel is coming!

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Hillsong Concert

My wife and I went to the Forum last night to see Hillsong United. They have just released a new album which is amazingly good called “All of the Above”. If you have never heard of them I highly recommend their music. Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs on the new album called Lead Me to the Cross.

Saviour I come
Quiet my soul
Remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss

Lead me to the cross
Where your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to you
O lead me
Lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and tried human
The Word became flesh
Bore my sin in death
Now You're risen

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss

Lead me to the cross
Where your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to you
O lead me
Lead me to the cross

We really enjoyed the music but their was one thing that really disappointed me last night and that was their pastor who came out to give a gospel message. First off I wouldn’t say anything was “wrong” or completely unbiblical but geez it was a really watered down message. There was no talk about sin but just about how God wants to make beautiful noise from you if you put Him in your heart. He never talked about God being holy and why we even need Him. It really felt like this: Jesus could be your favorite ice cream, why don’t you try it out see if you like Him or not.

I don’t know how the pastor can give a message like that when the group sings a message that is right on. The lyrics above would have been a way better message than what I heard last night from the pastor. Anyways, buy the album it rocks!

All Praise, All Honor, All Glory go to our King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

Part 3 of Sharing the Gospel is coming!

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Sharing The Gospel Part 2

In my previous post we discussed how Jesus used the 10 commandments to show the rich ruler how he had fallen short of God’s glory. We also saw how the commandments are called a tutor because it shows us that we have broken God’s law. God is a just God.

Perhaps you think that God is good, and will therefore overlook your sins. But it is His goodness that will make sure that murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, etc. receive justice. He would be a corrupt Judge if He turned a blind eye to injustice. We need to communicate this truth to people. It is the reason why we need a savior.

I want to give a short example of how we can communicate this to people. Here we go.

Lets say I meet one of my co-workers the water cooler.

Wes: Man did you hear that tragedy at Virginia Tech?

Bob: Yeah that was crazy those poor people

Wes: Man do you ever think what happened to those people after they die?

Bob: It has crossed my mind they are probably good people:

Wes: When you die where do you think you are going to go:

Bob: I am a good person I am definitely going to heaven if there is one.

Wes: Thats great can I give you a little quiz?

Bob: sure

Wes: Have you ever told a lie?

Bob: Well of course I am human hasn’t everyone lied.

Wes: Of course we all have what would that make you?

Bob: I guess that would make me a liar.

Wes: Have you ever stole anything even if the value was nothing like a pencil or change from your mom’s purse when you were young?

Bob: Well when I was a kid I stole stuff from the local grocery store. Nothing Big though.

Wes: what would that make you?

Bob: Ouch. I guess a theif.

Wes: Bob have you ever used God’s name in vain?

Bob: Yes

Wes: God calls that blasphemy.

Wes: Bob have you ever looked upon a women with lust?

Bob: Geez I am not dead am I?

Wes: Jesus in Matthew 5 says even if we have looked upon a women we have committed adultery in our hearts.

Wes: Bob You are in serious trouble. According to God’s word in Revelation 21:8 it says the following: All liars, adulteress, blasphemers and thieves will be thrown into the lake of fire.

(This portion is taken from one of my bible tracts from www.livingwaters.com)

The Bible says that God will punish all murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, adulterers, etc. He will even judge our words and thoughts. On Judgment Day, will you be found to be guilty or innocent of breaking His commandments?

Perhaps you think that God is good, and will therefore overlook your sins. But it is His goodness that will make sure that murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, etc. receive justice. He would be a corrupt Judge if He turned a blind eye to injustice. Have you kept the Commandments?

The Bible says that the Law is perfect. It commands you to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Are you perfect (in thought, word, and deed)? Will you make it to Heaven? You may say that you are still good, but God says you're not (see Psalm 14:2-3). So one of you is lying, and the Scriptures tell us that it is impossible for God to lie. Remember that all liars will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). God's Law demands justice, and the penalty for sinning against Him is death and Hell. Listen carefully if you want to live.

God Himself made a way where His justice and His goodness could meet. We broke the Law, but He became a man to pay the fine. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Law. God can forgive us and grant us the gift of everlasting life! But you may still think that you can (from now on) keep the Ten Commandments. But isn't it true that the best of us have lied, stolen, lusted, hated, failed to love God above all else, and failed to love our neighbor as ourselves?

How can we then, live a "good" life if we have already sinned against God? At best we are reformed liars and thieves . . . but still Lawbreakers. Think of it this way - would you sell one of your eyes for a million dollars? Would you sell both for $50 million? I'm sure you wouldn't. Your eyes are priceless, yet they are merely the windows of your soul. What then must your life (soul) be worth? With these thoughts in mind, what would be a fair price to pay for everlasting life? It is utterly without price. Yet, if we trust in our own goodness to enter Heaven, we are saying to God, "I should enter Heaven because I have done good - I have earned my way in."

Imagine if you wanted to give me a brand new (very expensive) car, but I said, "I can't take it! I feel embarrassed receiving such a gift . . . here's 10 cents for it." I'm sure you would be very insulted by such a pathetic offer of payment. Besides, if I pay for it, it is no longer a gift, it's a purchase . . . it's mine by right.

When we talk of entering Heaven by being good, by trying to keep the Ten Commandments etc., we are tossing God 10 cents of "self-righteousness," which is a terrible insult to Him, in the light of His sacrifice. The only thing we can do is humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and receive the gift by trusting Jesus Christ alone. Almighty God demonstrated how much He loves you when Jesus suffered for you on the cross. If you want to trust in your own goodness, then you are saying His agonizing death on the cross was in vain. The Bible says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." You cannot earn a gift.

When Jesus said to "believe" on Him, He was saying we should have faith in Him, in the same way you would trust a parachute to save you when you jump from a plane. You don't merely believe in the parachute - you put it on. Please don't "jump" without Jesus. If you die in your sins there is no second chance. God will give you justice, and you will end up in Hell forever. Any troubles you have at present are dwarfed by the trouble you are in with your Creator. His wrath abides upon you (John 3:36). God doesn't want you to go to Hell. Neither do you want to go there, so confess your sins to God right now, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. Then read the Bible daily and obey what you read. (See John 14:21). Your obedience to God is the proof of your love. Have faith in God, He will never fail you.

Pray something like this:
"Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them). This day I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He is the only way for me to be saved. He is 'The way, the truth, and the life.'" Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Of course you can conform this style to your own but it is a great start if you have never really known how to share your faith. I would highly recommend a book by Mark Cahill called “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven”.

I still have one last thought on sharing the Gospel message that I will address tomorrow.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Sharing The Gospel Part 1

Jon Courson writes: The greatest joy in the world comes from seeing someone:

For whom you’ve been praying,
With whom you have been sharing,

to receive Christ.

I want to examine each one of these statements Jon makes.

Our witnessing begins on our knees.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:2-6
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone.

We need to be praying that God will use us as instruments to share the Good News with people. Not only should we be praying that God uses us in a mighty way but we should be praying for those who will hear the Word and pray that they repent from their sins. Every morning when we get up as our feet are hitting the floor we should be asking God to use us today for His kingdom. God please put people in my life today that need to hear your Good News. Let the Holy Spirit guide my words, let me love those who need to hear from You.

Sharing the Good News

In Acts 1:8
We are commanded by Christ to share the Gospel to Samaria, Judea and the ends of the earth. He is saying wherever we go we should be sharing the Gospel message with those who will listen.

I have heard this repeated many times it goes something like this: Preach the gospel at all times and use words if necessary. There is some value to that statement but tell me how do people who I have just met see that I am a follower of Christ. If I am on a plane flight to Arizona I have about 45 minutes to share something about Jesus. It’s going to be a little hard to live my life as an example to the person I am sitting next too.

Secondly, it is not MY actions that change anyone. It is the WORD of GOD!
Hebrews 4:12 tells us

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
My actions only verify what God’s word says. It is Gods word that pierces the heart.

Being a Witness

What is the difference between witnessing and sharing you may ask. Witnessing is how I live my life that is an example of Christ in it. This comes into play when I share the Message with co-workers, family members, friends. I share the word then I live it out. In Thesonalica if Paul, Silas and Timothy had preached God’s word then went down to the local tavern and were getting drunk and picking up on women would their sharing have meant anything? Of course not. Our families and friends are going to be taking a close look at our lives and see if Christ is really leading them. If we are hypocrites then or sharing of Jesus is meaningless. We need to marry both together our sharing with our witnessing.

How to witness like Jesus.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Lets take a look at the encounter with Jesus and the rich ruler and see how Jesus shared and witnessed to him.

Lets read from Luke 18:18-22

18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

In the first two verses Jesus address that no one is good but God. But what is the first thing someone who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ says on how they are going to get to heaven. I am good. But Christ said no one is good. God’s word is so great it answers the wicked who think they are good. He then takes the rich ruler through the commandments to show him his sin. The commandments were given to us to show that we have fallen short of God’s glory.

Jesus uses the law to show him that he is not good?

In Psalms 19:7 the Psalmist writes:

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Paul also writes in Galatians 3:24 that the law is a tutor:

24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

I will continue this thread in my next blog and give an example of how to witness in a real life scenario. I will then give the 6 items we must communicate if we want to be effective in our witnessing.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Is The Bible True

The battle of ideas continue. If someone asks you how you know the Bible is true how do you respond to them? Because it just is? Or do we have clear evidence of it’s validity and authority? I was doing a Bible study a few years ago and one of the questions that was brought up is how do we know the bible is true? Well instead of re-writing the wheel I found a great article on the web that outlines 7 key points:

The Proper Cure for the Disease
Archeological Evidence
Historicity of Jesus
Scientific Evidence
The Bible’s Uniqueness and Unity
Prophetic Evidence
Survival in the Face of Persecution

Here is the entire article from http://www.godandscience.org

The Proper Cure for the Disease
John Warwick Montgomery tells us a parable:
A great king (God) had a son (mankind) who had grown up out of contact with his father. While journeying in a distant province the son fell seriously ill. The doctor accompanying him (reason) was incapable of treating the disease, but the king, learning of his son's plight, sent instructions (the gospel) for the healing of the boy. However, the king's numerous enemies also discovered what had happened, and they likewise sent remedies - purporting to come from the king - which were actually poisonous (non-Christian religious and philosophical options). The son's solution to this dilemma was to evaluate the remedies by three tests: first, what each remedy revealed about his father (comparison being made with the likeness to the father possessed by the son himself); second, how accurately each remedy pictured the nature of the disease; and thirdly, how sound the various curative methods appeared to be. With the help of the doctor, the son finally made his decision in terms of the remedy that best satisfied all three tests. (1)
Montgomery proposes three tests. The first test is "What each remedy revealed about the son's father." Evidence from the creation (2) strongly argues for the existence of a god who is personal, powerful, eternal, wise, and moral. The Bible declares all of these attributes of God.
Montgomery's second test is "How accurate each remedy pictures the nature of the disease." Many of the liberal and humanistic religions stress the basic goodness of man's nature. They say corruption comes from society. This goes contrary to the facts of history and logic (see 'People are Basically Good' - Proof to the Contrary). History reveals that man is not basically good; he is basically selfish and sinful. The liberal view is also illogical because society is a group of individual people. To blame the situation of the world on society is to blame it on people. This is exactly what the Bible teaches: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Montgomery's third test is "How sound the various curative methods appear to be." If God has revealed Himself in propositional form, that revelation would have certain properties due to His infinite knowledge and moral perfection:
1. It would be entirely true - His infinite knowledge would prevent errors and His truthfulness would keep Him from deception.
2. It would be a coherent unity, therefore not self- contradictory.
3. It would contain God's will for man, and provide the motivation to live according to that will (3).
God has revealed Himself in the Bible without error. The Bible itself claims this inerrancy (2 Timothy 3:16-17 (4); Matthew 5:18 (5); etc.). Let's look at some of the proofs for the Bible's claim to be the infallible word of God.

Archaeological evidence
The first proof we have testifying to the reliability of the Bible is the archaeological evidence. Nelson Glueck, a respected Jewish archaeologist claims: "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical reference ." (6) The liberals made wild claims against the Bible a hundred years ago but now they are silent. This is not true of other religions. The Mormon claim for inspiration of the Book of Mormon has been categorically condemned by the Smithsonian Institute because of the fallacies shown by archaeology; this is not so with the Bible. A.N. Sherwin-White, a respected classical historian at Oxford says about the book of Acts, "For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming...any attempt to reject its basic historicity even in matters of detail must now appear absurd." (7)

Historicity of Jesus
A case in point is the historicity of Jesus. Although many atheists state that Jesus never lived, He is mentioned by many contemporary, non-Christian historians. Let us look at the evidence.
Flavius Josephus, a first century Jewish historian wrote of Jesus and the Christians:
"so he [Ananus, son of Ananus the high priest] assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before him the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others (or some of his companions) and when he had formed an accusation against them, he delivered them to be stoned." (8)
Other Jewish rabbinical writings, including Rabbi Eliezer and writers of the Talmud, talk about Jesus and his miracles. Surprisingly to many atheists, they never denied that miracles took place, but attempted to explain them as a result of evil (9). More information about Jesus in the Talmud can be found at Jesus Christ In The Talmud.
Cornelius Tacitus wrote about Jesus and the first century Christians in his Annals (a history of the Roman empire):
"Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus." (10)
Thallus, a Samaritan historian, wrote ca. 52 A.D. attempting to give a natural explanation for the earthquake and darkness which occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus. Mara Bar-Seraphon wrote a letter to his son in 73 A.D. which tells of the deaths of Socrates, Pythagoras, and of Jesus, "What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king?...Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given." Jesus is also mentioned by Phlegon, a first-century historian, Lucian of Samosata (in The Passing Peregrinus), and Plinius Secundus, (Pliny the Younger).
Scholars have made statements such as, "no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus ." (11) The latest version of Encyclopedia Britannica says in its discussion of the multiple extra-biblical witnesses:
"These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries." (12)
Even the atheist H. G. Wells spoke of Jesus, "...one is obliged to say, "Here was a man. This part of the tale could not have been invented." (13)

Scientific evidence
Recent scientific evidence is adding to the evidence supporting the reliability of biblical chronology from the scriptures. This study demonstrated the reliability of the Biblical record regarding the Egyptian plagues and demise of Jericho.

Drs. Hendrik J. Bruins and Johannes van der Plicht reported in the prestigious British journal, Nature (14), that the destruction of Jericho was dated to 1580 (+/- 13 years) B.C. (using 14C dating). This date is significant, since several archeologists have insisted that Jericho was destroyed by the Egyptians between 1550 and 1300 B.C. The recent study discredits the Egyptian theory, since the date is much too old.

What is even more exciting is that scientists, using 14C dating and tree rings, have found evidence of a volcanic eruption from the Aegean island of Thera, which recently has been dated to 1628 B.C. (15). This would place the eruption at 45 years prior to the destruction of Jericho, at a time which coincidentally corresponds to the time of the plagues the Lord unleashed upon Egypt. Check out Exodus 10:
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. (Exodus 10:21-22)
Even the researchers commented that the 45 years difference in events was "rather striking."

The Bible's Uniqueness and Unity
The next proof is the Bible's uniqueness and unity. The Bible was written by over 40 authors who came from just about every walk of life conceivable, including fisherman, kings, a butler, priests, and a tax collector. The 66 books of the Bible were written over a 1,500 year span in three languages on three continents with one theme and no contradictions. C.J. Sharp captures this miracle well:
• "If a fragment of stone were found in Italy, another in Asia Minor, another in Greece, another in Egypt, and on and on until sixty-six fragments had been found, and if when put together they fitted perfectly together, making a perfect statue of Venus de Milo, there is not an artist or scientist but would arrive immediately at the conclusion that there was originally a sculptor who conceived and carved the statue. The very lines and perfections would probably determine which of the great ancient artists carved the statue. Not only the unity of the Scriptures, but their lines of perfection, suggest One far above any human as the real author. That could be no one but God (16)."

Prophetic evidence
Yet another reason Christians believe God is the ultimate author of the Bible is the predictive prophecies in the Bible. This aspect is unique to the world's religions because if one predicts something will happen and it does not, they are proven to be phony. The Bible is literally filled with detailed prophecies that have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. Here is a list of 85 Messianic prophecies (click here for a more complete list) along with their fulfillment through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus:

Click Here for the list

Although some of these prophecies are vague and could have been deliberately fulfilled, many are very specific: 16. Place of birth (Micah 5:2). 17. Date of birth (Daniel 9:25). 18. Manner of birth (Isaiah 7:14). 62. Manner of death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16 prophesied before the invention of crucifixion). 76. Piercing in side (Zechariah 12:10). 78. Burial (Isaiah 53:9).

The Bible made several prophecies of the complete destruction of cities. Many of the cities it said would be rebuilt and several it claimed would never be rebuilt - The Bible is 100% accurate in both categories as archeology shows. One amazing example is the city of Tyre. Ezekiel 26:3-5,7,12,14 and 16 (17) predict:

1. Nebuchadnezzar will take the city.
2. Other nations will participate in the fulfillment.
3. The city is to be made flat like the top of a rock.
4. It is to become a place for spreading nets.
5. Its stones and timber are to be laid in the sea.
6. The old city of Tyre will never be rebuilt.

History records that Nebuchadnezzar took the city but the people escaped out to an island. Later Alexander the Great took the Island off the coast by taking the old cities rubble and throwing it into the sea making a land-bridge (this caused the old city to look flat like a rock due to the scraping of the material). The old city is now a place for fisherman but no city has been planted there even though there is an excellent water supply to support a major city.

Survival in the Face of Persecution

A final indicator of the reliability of the Bible comes from the lengths disciples of Jesus went through to proclaim the gospel. In spite of extreme persecution, people were willing to die for Jesus, who predicted the persecution of the church:
"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name." (Matthew 24:9)

An example of fulfillment of this prophecy came at the hands (and writings) of Pliny the Younger as governor of Pontus/Bithynia from 111-113 AD. He wrote to the Emperor Trajan regarding the early Christian church, their devotion to Christ, and how he persecuted, tortured, and murdered them:
"They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god... Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.... Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished." (22)

Pliny readily admits that they "were denounced to me as Christians" ("they will deliver you to tribulation") and executed ("and will kill you") just for "the nature of their creed" ("on account of My name."). This is a chilling fulfillment of prophecy, which testifies that early Christians knew the truth of the gospel and were willing to die for it.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Life Without TV - Almost

It has been a year now without having cable or satellite TV. I can honestly say I have not missed it at all. The decision for us to cancel our cable subscription was decided when my oldest boy started rolling his eyes and stomping his feet when I asked him to do something. I thought to myself where in the heck did he see that? Well one afternoon they had the Disney Channel on and there was a girl on the TV (Raven) who stomped her feet and rolled her eyes at her father. That was the deciding factor!

Not only that but I was frightened by my possibility of my kids seeing some of those late night advertisements such as “girls gone wild”. The last thing I want for my 3 boys is to be exposed to some soft core pornography. It is frightening when I read the statistics of kids who have been exposed to this garbage. On a side note if you have children and the web I highly recommend getting internet filter software TODAY. We are under attack.

I have been able to do so much more reading (especially the bible) and so much more studying the things of God then sitting in front of the TV. I am not feeding my mind any kind of garbage that the secular world is trying to push on us. I get all my news and knowledge from the sources I choose to view through the web. I have seen a huge difference in my personal life without TV. I am not saying this is for everyone but if you lack time maybe you can give up the TV for a few months and see how it goes.

Now we are not complete nerds. We do have a big screen TV that is connected to my computer and we have lots of family entertainment we get to watch. The boys have Veggie Tales, Disney Movies, Wiggles, Bob the Builder etc... But we get to control exactly what they get to watch and how much time they get to watch. I can review the movies and if there is something I don’t like we can remove it. A good example of this was Happy Feet. It is a story about a penguin who had some extreme leftist/anti-religious undertones to it. The kids are also able to play some video games on it that are rated E for everyone.

I am trying to get the WORD of God in me and my family and less of the world in us.

The Psalmist writes: In Psalm 119:11

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

UUCB - There Is No Truth

Wow, I knew the unitarian church was an APOSTASY but this is absolutely frightening. I think Oprah would really enjoy it though. Take a look at their “vision” statement:

UUCB VISION STATEMENT

Here is the kicker statement.

WELCOMING CONGREGATION
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley is a church that welcomes a diversity of people. We are intentionally welcoming to people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. We have completed the curriculum, "The Welcoming Congregation," to consciously examine homophobia, heterosexism and what it means for heterosexual people to be allies to people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, and we are an official Welcoming Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The Welcoming Congregation/LGBT Committee at UUCB is the focal point for community building and social action for LGBTs and straight allies. Unitarian Universalists actively honor the worth and dignity of all people. You are welcome in our community!

And if you want to see even more twisted truth check out this video. They exemplify the new movement of the Emergent Church. This is what Christianity is moving towards and I am so frightened by it. We are to accept everyone’s own individual truths. Forget OBJECTIVE TRUTH it is meaningless and we can never know it. I never hear the word of Jesus!

I really like their RAINBOW scarfs.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Pity Party - One Of Those Days

This has been one of those days. My cell phone got suspended for not making a payment (I did it over the phone over a week ago but I hung up before I go the confirmation code). My boss told a group of us that he expects us to spend the next 2 weeks spending 18 hour days working on this project (Sat and Sun). I had someone call me stupid and ridiculous because of something simple I asked of him. I feel overwhelmed with so much on my plate that I just don’t have time to do everything that needs to be done.

SOOOOO, I have a pity party with me, myself and I thinking in my mind how great it would be just to run away from it all. I had thoughts of just wishing Jesus would come back and end this day for me.

Finally at 3:15 I get to go to lunch and as I was leaving my office I grabbed my bible and my ipod and headed for the elevator. I hit shuffle on my ipod and one of my favorite songs comes on. Rise Up from Third Day. All I can say as I listened to the words and how much God loves us and cares about us my pity partied ended. I think about what he has done for me and I am so pathetic.

We (I am speaking to myself here) are so fast to forget that Christ has taken my shame upon that cross. My selfishness, my sins, my pride He paid my debt and I don’t even deserve it. I prayed and asked for forgiveness and was blessed with my daily bible reading through 1 Kings 17:12-16. God provides so much for us.

12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’”
15So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

He simply provided me with a song that cheered my heart then blessed me with this account of how He provides for us. He is willing to take our pains.

Here is a snippet of the lyrics in Rise Up by Third Day.

You’ve tried so hard to make it on your own
That your heart has come undone
So I am here to prove that I alone
Have the power to overcome

Don't let your heart be troubled
This world will never keep you down
It will never keep you down

So rise up, my friend
No, this will never be the end
So rise up, my friend
And live again

I didn’t want you to feel this way
It's not what life was meant to be
And so for you, my friend, I’ll take your shame
You can give it all to me

All Glory, All Honor, All Praise go to Jesus who has given us His all. Thank You Lord.

Wes
Galatians 2:20

Gospel According To Oprah

Do you think Oprah is going down the path of the narrow or wide gate. Matthew 7:13-15

13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Take a look at this video from the Oprah show. Again the world tells us one thing but the true and living God has another way.

Unfortunately Oprah’s idea that all religions lead to heaven is blatantly wrong. Anyone with a cursory understanding of the major world religions knows this statement is false. Let’s listen to what Jesus said himself. John 14:6 Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life and nobody comes to the Father accept through Me.

I would have loved for the lady who tried to speak up to have quoted this verse and see what Oprah would say about it.

We could spend days on Oprah’s blasphemous theology. She is going to be held accountable for these kind of statements to her millions of viewers.

Wes
Galatians 2:20