Thursday Book Review – A Pamphlet

Shall We Accept the Pope’s Invitation to Unite with the Roman Church? H. A. Ironside 

This pamphlet was recommended by Excatholic4Christ, our brother in Christ. I’m so thankful he did, it’s an excellent read! In the short pages you’ll get a mixture of scriptures, church history, a clear explanations of what makes the church the Church, and a refutation of ecumicalism. 

I think this is a double recommendation, friends, as I’d like to recommend this pamphlet AND my dear brothers blog. His perspective, and ministry, have been a tremendous blessing to me. I hope you will check out his posts, and this pamphlet.

I recommend the pamphlet to anyone who wants to better understand ecumenicalism and the dangers therein. As always, beloved, be good Bereans and study to show yourself approved! 

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Twisted Tuesday – What We Deserve

There is a pervasive lie that is constantly, boldly proclaimed from pulpits all over America. You hear it every time you turn on Christian TV. You find it typed in a million different ways throughout social media. What is this lie? The lie is that what you, and I, really deserve…no…what God owes us…is happiness.

This lie is a falsehood of the worse kind. It plays on humanities most deprived instincts, at the same time refuting everything the Bible says about mankinds wickedness.

What is the truth? That you, and I, deserve to be judged by a righteous judge whom we have sinned against. You see, friends, we have turned what is good evil and what is evil we have made good. If God is a righteous judge full of justice then the only thing He can do to law breakers is to convict them. When we disregard the miraculous blessings God has given by believing the lie that all is owed us, all we’ve received is deserved, we steal the glory from God rather than freely handing it up to Him in awestruck wonder.

I’ve heard it put in this way as an example: How do you feel when a man kills another man? He should get retribution right? What if a man cruelty beats a woman to death? That’s worse, is it not? What if a man sexually abused a child, then buries her alive? This happened in Florida, I believe, several years ago. People didn’t cry for justice alone, they cried out for severe punishment against this man who sinned against an innocent, defenseless, child.

Do you see how the act of murder feels far worse when it is committed against innocence? However, when we sin against a perfect, righteous, God we think we deserve…happiness? What then, if we commit a life of sin against God, rejecting the very Son He sent to pay the debt we owed for that sin? Do we still deserve happiness?

No, brethren, we deserve eternal damnation. There is no such thing as a good person. We are all wretched, wicked human beings in the hands of a just God. When we tell the world that they deserve to be happy, and that saying a quick prayer will garner them that happiness, along with health and wealth, we have blasphemed the name of God. He is not a genie in a bottle, He is the righteous, sovereign, judge.

What good have we gained if we have the love of the whole world, but have damned them all to hell? Do we so desire the approval of man that we are unwilling to warn of the destruction to come?

This is not to say that we, who have heard the true gospel and have converted and been saved, are not happy. The joy, awe, and peace the Father gives is, on its own, more than we deserve. Add to this salvation, justification, sanctification, prayer, study, fellowship, and worship…why would the believer not be in a constant state of joy? From grace to grace, as our minds can comprehend what’s been done for us we also understand how wretched we are and how little we deserve it.

This is the difference between the spoiled child demanding blessings from their parents, and the servant who cherishes the kind words or thankful smiles they received from time to time.

How does this American Gospel of happiness, health and wealth play out in third world countries? How will you tell those who are starving, living in trash heaps, or eating dirt cookies that they deserve to be happy? They just need to be a little more positive, think happier thoughts, right? No, this lie only applies to those who are in wealthy countries. We need to seek the full counsel of God’s Word, so that the doctrines of demons do not become our doctrines. This is why I extol you, beloved, be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

The Heavens Declare – Uranus

Today, in continuing with our series through the Solar System, we’re going to discuss the odd ball in the neighborhood. Every family has one, and our Solar System is no different. Uranus is that crazy aunt who always does the exact opposite as everyone else in the family. When no one was looking, she slipped you chocolate before the turkey was done on Thanksgiving. We’re going to discuss what makes Uranus so strange, how it disputes evolutionism, and what God’s purpose was for creating it.

Unlike the other planets, Uranus has its poles on the side, not the north and south because it leans so far. Due to this tilt, Uranus is the only planet that doesn’t orbit the Sun like a spinning top, instead, it rolls around the Sun like a ball. It’s this tilt that makes Uranus such an odd ball, but there are other anomalies as well. All the other gas giants give out more energy than they take in, but not Uranus. It also has almost a perfect orbit around the Sun, and is the closest planet we have to taking a completely circular trip, taking a whopping 84 years. It has over two dozen moons, which all orbit around its equator, making their rotation just as strange as the planet itself.

How does Uranus create problems for the secular models of the Solar Systems creations? To start with, Uranus has a magnetic field. It’s strength was predicted two years before it was discovered, not by a secular model, (those were all way off) but by a bible believing physicist, Dr. Russel Humphreys.  Dr. Humphreys used the logic he found in the Bible to make his predictions, which shuts down any evolutionist who claims creation scientists do not make predictions. As I mentioned before it does not give out energy like the other gas giants, which is strange as they were all supposedly created at the same time out of the same material. Another way Uranus refuted evolutionary models is with its tilt, which can not be explained even by asteroids hitting it and turning it over. There are no models which can correctly explain Uranus’ strange behavior.  Uranus has the strangest moon in the Solar System as well, Miranda. It is a small moon, in fact, it is too small for the evolutionary models to suggest that it was hit by five separate asteroids. Most secularists admit that the problem with Uranus is it’s moons, Miranda included, as all the models used to explain why it is tilted, are disrupted by the orbits of its moons.

What was God’s point in creating Uranus? To show His creative genuis, and to throw a giant wrench in the evolutionary cogs. Uranus is a beautiful example of God’s sovereignty over all the universe. Beloved, God knows the end from the beginning, and He inspired men to write down the creation of the universe accurately. You can trust God’s

Word, so be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

 

Hymns from the Past – Amazing Grace

A-maz-ing grace! How sweet the sound–
That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears re-lieved;

How pre-cious did that grace ap-pear

The hour I first be-lieved!
Through man-y dan-gers, toils and snares,

I have al-read-y come;

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has prom-ised good to me,

His word my hope se-cures;

He will my shield and por-tion be

As long as life en-dures.
And when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mor-tal life shall cease,

I shall pos-sess with-in the veil

A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun refuse to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shin-ing as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

Thursday Book Review : Not a Book

We made it home safely friends! It was a beautiful drive, and it was made even better by what I want to review today.

Sorry, it’s not a book though. It’s just as educational, and fascinating, as any of the books I’ve reviewed. The church fathers of the reformation, before and after, on Amazon Prime! These documentaries will edify you, brethren, as you watch the courageous acts of those who went before us.

The best part is that you can download them, so I was able to watch them without internet. If you’re a student, like my husband, you get Amazon Prime free for 6 months then half off from then on out.

If you don’t have Amazon Prime I still highly recommend looking into the lives of men like Calvin, Luther, Mueller, Spurgeon, and Knox. As always, beloved, be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved! 

Be a Living Sacrifice

Friends this Wednesday, like last Wednesday, I want to encourage and edify you. We’ll return to testimonies soon, I promise. First, I want to continue in the same flavor as last Wednesday’s post.

In regards to recent behavior within the body of Christ, I want to remind you all that we are to be a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God.

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     “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans‬ ‭12: 1-5

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Beloved, let us never forget that we have a race to run, a good fight to fight. We need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The world has many distractions, and we tend to mimic the distractions we become emerged in. This is why we need to be careful what we watch, what we listen to, and what we waste spend our time on. Run the race toward the Celestial City, away from the City of Destruction. Fight the good fight against sin, let the Holy Spirit so work in your life that you, yourself, become a living sacrifice unto the Lord. After all, what does light have to do with darkness? Walk in the light, beloved!

Paul Washer explained once that when we feel the desire to let our minds wander, yet pull our thoughts back and listen to God’s Word, we are loving God with our minds. That needs to ring true in all that we do, say, or watch. It’s harder to fall into the temptation of sin if our eyes are focused on God’s righteousness, rather than worldly things.

I wish I could write to you more about this, brethren, but I’ve had to quickly write out my thoughts while preparing for another long trip. As many of you know, we travel full time for my husbands work. This means we make it home far less than we would like. We’ve been blessed with an opportunity to make the 16-hour track home, as you read this we’ll already be on our way to good food, family, and fellowshipping with our home church.

I have not done this subject justice, however, there are so many brothers and sisters here, strong in the faith, who can expound the issue. If that’s you, please feel free to add to what I’ve written for the edification of the saints. As always beloved, be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

 

Twisted Tuesday – Replacement Theology

Let Everyman be a liar and Gods Word true.

Has God transferred His promise from Israel to the Church? This is a strange viewpoint held by many throughout the history of the Church. It was probably an easier sell before Israel became its own nation again. For me, the answer is clear. God means what He says, He keeps His Word, and He knows the end from the beginning. 

Had God wanted the promises He made to Israel to really be promises for the Church than He would have said so. Gods plan for the Church is separate from His plan for Israel. This is clearest when we look at the women often compared to both. Israel is often seen as the woman giving birth. The Church is always dipected as a virgin bride. Two separate groups of people with distinct roles. 

Why is this important? Any thought that leads to God being a liar, or in error, is a direct affront against His sovereignty. We need to be careful when we muse about different ideas and opinions to take the whole counsel of Gods Word. This is why I extol you, beloved, earnestly, to be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

The Heavens Declare – Saturn

Saturn-Timelapse-29-Years

In continuing with our series through the Solar System, today we’re going to talk about one of the most stunning creations in our night sky; Saturn. As before, we’ll talk briefly on the planet, how it refutes secular models, and God’s purpose in His creation.

Saturn is the second largest planet, and is completely gaseous like Jupiter, making it impossible to land on. One reason Saturn is such a beautiful sight to behold is the rings orbiting its equator. These rings are anything but ordinary, as some pieces in the rings are as small as dust and others are large boulders, and some are even braided. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 500 m/s, and it takes a little over 10 hours to complete a rotation. It takes 29 and a half years, however, to make its way around the sun. There are 62 known moons orbiting Saturn, and they often give evolutionists more trouble than even the planet does, as we’ll discuss.

Saturns-Northern-aurora-in-motion

What problems does Saturn cause Evolutionism? Saturn and Jupiter cause the most problems to secular models by being impossible. Based on current models these two giants should have migrated into the sun within 100,000 years of creation, an issue labeled the ‘migration problem’. Now logic would reason that if two planets, holding 92% of the mass of our Solar System, disprove your model then your model is wrong. However, it gets worse for secular astronomers.  Saturn, like other gas giants, emits 2.5 times more energy than it receives from the Sun. Saturns magnetic field also disproves secular dynamo theories, by having an internal, symmetrical magnetic field. These two points show that Saturn can not be old, cold, and dead.  If Saturn was 4.5 billion years old it would no longer have a magnetic field, and it would no longer be able to put out so much energy. If that wasn’t enough, Saturns moons, like Jupiter’s moons, cause a great deal of trouble for secular models.

Titan is the second largest moon in our Solar System and is the only moon in it that has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is made of nitrogen and methane, which caused secularists to assume the satellite would be covered in a global ocean of ethane and methane. This is because sunlight destroys methane, and if Titan is billions of years old it must have created a very large amount of ethane through that process. Unfortunately for secular models, there are only a few small lakes of ethane on Titan. Without a source of methane renewal, billions of years would render Titan old, cold, and dead. Evolutionists have speculated that the methane came from the unprovable, unobservable ‘Oort cloud’. We’ll talk more about the Oort Cloud when we get to the end of our Solar System. Enceladus is another moon of Saturn that has caused trouble for evolutionism. It has massive fountains on its south pole, which has sprayed the other moons around it with ice and snow. This activity would not be possible if this moon was 4.5 billion years old.

Saturn has a beautiful show of rings, dazzling all those who have seen it. What was God’s purpose in creating this masterpiece, its rings, and moons (which includes dancing moons that switch orbits with one another every four years)? The heavens declare God’s glory, Saturn is no exception.

I hope as this series continues, you all see a pattern of creation; that God has created the universe, and that secularists have no way of explaining creation without God. There are a lot of confident atheists today who claim ‘science’ has refuted the existence of God. When you shuffle through the facts and details of evolutionism you find something very different than whats being taught, you find assumption, opinions, and guesswork. Beloved you can trust Gods Word, so be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

 

 

Purposeful Apologetics

Beloved, do you know what apologetics means? When I first heard someone claiming to be an Apologetic I thought it meant they were apologizing for Christianity. The word actually comes from the Greek word apologia which means “speaking in defense.” All Christians should consider themselves Apologists if they have ever spoken in defense of the hope they have.

Unfortunately, some Christians do not defend the faith purposefully, and without meaning to can do more harm than good. I’ve found the same to be true in many roles in life, such as parenting. If we are not being purposeful parents, thinking clearly and laying out standards and boundaries for our children, they can become confused. When we found out I was pregnant my husband and I set about deciding how we wanted to parent. That purposeful parenting has helped ensure we’re both on the same page and has given our daughter stability and confidence.

I am also a purposeful wife, and like Proverbs 31 depicts so elegantly, I am purposeful in how I run our household. My husband is a Respiratory Therapist, he is purposeful in everything he does at work, with that he is also a full-time student and is able to better balance his school work with his home life and work life. When we fellowship with members of the body of Christ we are purposeful to edify and not tear down. The same needs to be said when we evangelize the lost, our apologetics must be like a well thought out essay.

Today is a day of 144 characters, short, pithy social media posts, written to a generation who typically only reads the title of articles rather than the article itself. How do we give good apologetics to a hashtag crowd? We do it with purpose, we do it in love, with kindness, and mercy towards the lost. There is so much more to apologetics than who’s right and who’s wrong. Christianity is the religion of freedom, for the opening spiritually blind eyes. When Christ told the Jews in John 8:31-33 that if they continued in truth the truth would set them free they were confused. They answered that they were not enslaved to anyone.

This is the attitude of the world, they do not know they are enslaved to sin, they do not know where the depression, anxiety, self-hatred, anger, and fear of death come from. When we tell others about God’s law and about Christ’s sacrifice, we need to remember these two important factors;

1. Only the Holy Spirit can draw someone to repentance and He blows where He wishes.
2. Christianity is not on the line, right and wrong is not on the line, the souls of the lost are on the line.

A purposeful Apologetic is a loving, thought-provoking, instructive, kind message given from a prayerful believer to a non-believer in all meekness and humbleness at heart. I encourage you, brethren, do not hide behind a lack of knowledge or experience, equip yourselves, for the warfare is not flesh and blood but against powers and principalities in high places. As always friends be good Bereans and study to show yourselves approved.

Rare Second Post – EXIT

Hello beloved, I’m doing the rare second post today to share this amazing video from LivingWaters with Ray Comfort. It’s extremely powerful, if you’ve suffered from depression or if you have friends or family members that do, please watch and share!