A Christian Response to Political Promises

Last evening I watched most of Senator Obama's speech. In that speech, he was constantly advocating change and focused on all the benefits we would get if he was elected. I am sure that a new set of promises will be made this week by Senator John McCain. What should our response be to these speeches of almost unlimited promises? Also, what should our response be to the suggestion that together we all have something on the inside of us that if we pull together we can make it all happen? Last night Obama specifically said the election was not about him; it was about us.

I think the Christian should not focus on what is personally good for him but what will bring the most glory to God. The emphasis needs to get off us and on to the King of Kings. In the next Presidential term, perhaps three Supreme Court Justices will have to be appointed. What brings the most glory to God; Justices that will stand against Roe v. Wade or those that will insure its continuation making baby killing legal for decades to come? The answer should be obvious to the true believer.

Also, the concept of us all having something on the inside that will help bring this all about if we pull together is coming very close to New Age thought. New Age can be defined as when man becomes aware of his inner power and divinity. However, there is something even more dangerous; New Thought is movement that tries to merge classic occult concepts with Christian terminology. I recommend every believer get a copy of For Many Shall Come In My Name by Ray Yungen which explains these concepts and their infiltration into our culture.

May I suggest, that our motto should not be "yes, we can;" but "yes, He will," according to His Perfect Word. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Necessity of Bible Doctrine

Too many people hear the word "doctrine" and envision boredom and dead formality. However, the necessity of having correct doctrine can help eliminate errors such as that occurred in Lakeland with Todd Bentley. Again it must be stressed that it is not my intent to harm Mr. Bentley; only that we learn from his experience. We need to pray for him and his family. Many extra Biblical events were occurring in this "revival:" leg drops, kneeing stage IV cancer victims, "signs and wonders" that were not Biblical and a lack of verification of supposed miracles. Anyone that mentioned these facts was seen as opposing the Holy Spirit and bringing danger to their soul by doing so. A personal example speaks to this concern. I personally know a man that was intent on receiving an impartation of the "Lakeland anointing." This man professes to be a Christian yet relies on impressions and the voices he hears to determine his doctrine. For example,he believes that if someone wrongs him, they cannot be healed without apologising to him first because that is what the voice said to him. Despite my best efforts, "he knows what he has heard and it is his truth." You will find it difficult to convince someone of Bible truths when experience is viewed as the ultimate source of revelation. Once the Bible is departed from, only imagination serves as a boundary to what people will call "God." Let us adhere to the Bible as our sole source of revelation. It is safe and Godly to do so.

John Arnott of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (center of the "laughing revival" and "river" movement) wrote the following on his web site on August 17, 2008 referencing Todd Bentley:
"I am working now with Bill Johnson and Che Ahn to listen to each person who is close to the situation in order to give godly counsel and confront the presenting issues in God’s love. We are all receiving many phone calls and reading much correspondence about all these matters at the moment. Some of it is quite hopeful and some of it is not. However, I believe that God can break through. We all want to provide any help we can to preserve the fruit of this outpouring. We are doing this for several reasons. First, we love the Body of Christ and the work God does through times of revival. We care very deeply about the impact of the church’s leaders and role models on the body of Christ and the world. We also care about Todd and Shonnah, the Fresh Fire Ministries staff and all who have been a vital part of the Lakeland Revival. They are our friends.

Todd has chosen to do something that is wrong according to Scripture, and his timing to announce it was equally inappropriate. Everyone is asking, "What happened?" "Why didn't anyone see this coming?" We are making the answers to those questions a matter of prayer, and are as shocked and saddened by what has just happened as you are. Furthermore, it has now come out that there has been some inappropriate behavior, both with excessive drinking and also with a female member of his staff. Please don't jump to conclusions or assume the worst, but this behavior is wrong before the Lord."

I would suggest that much of this could have been avoided if the Bible was the sole source of revelation. The Reformers had the cry of sola scriptura ("Scripture alone")and now more than ever in this great age of deception, it needs to be ours also. It will prevent a lot of problems.

The Need of Separation

Has the American church lost the desire to separate from evil? Has the desire to be relevant resulted in being ashamed of the Gospel? I think it is time for the true church to go back to the practice of separation. No; this is not a call to live in a convent or a military compound. We are to separate from evil yet live close enough to it to be a witness to the saving power of the Gospel. You can't be a witness unless you are around those that need the witness. However, in being that witness we are not to compromise the message that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. We are not to participate in "Interfaith services" where Allah is prayed to; we are not to stand in agreement with those that deny Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. We are to reject what is called "New Age" Christianity because it is neither. John Calvin said the following regarding separation:
"We must be made holy, we must be cleansed from pride,worldliness, and self-will, in order that we may do what is right and just,that is, submit to God’s will when he chastises us; and when this submission or righteousness takes place, then correction produces a peaceable or a blessed fruit, that is, such an effect, or such a blessing, as peace or happiness."
Regarding the difference between a Christianity that is genuine versus one that is nominal, Charles Spurgeon said:
"THE man who is righteous before God has a way of his own. It is not the way of the flesh, nor the way of the world; it is a way marked out for him by the divine command, in which he walks by faith. It is the King’s highway of holiness, the unclean shall not pass over it; only the ransomed of the Lord shall walk there, and these shall find it a path of separation from the world. Once entered upon the way of life, the pilgrim must persevere in it or perish, for thus saith the Lord, “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Perseverance in the path of faith and holiness is a necessity of the Christian, for only “he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” It is in vain to spring up quickly like the seed
that was sown upon the rock, and then by and by to wither when the sun is up; that would but prove that such a plant has no root in itself, but “the trees of the Lord are full of sap,” and they abide and continue and bring forth fruit, even in old age, to show that the Lord is upright. There is a great difference between nominal Christianity and real Christianity, and this is generally seen in the failure of the one and the continuance of the other."

Let us examine ourselves, our doctrine and our practice to determine if we are in obedience to 2 Corinthians 6:17: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you...." The William Burkitt New Testament says of this verse:"Learn hence, That God expects and requires his saints should make a separation from all uncleanness, but especially from the uncleanness of idolatry. God expects a separation from us, from all unclean courses, from all unclean company, from the presence and appearance of all uncleanness, from communion with idolatrous churches, and from communicating with what is sinful in the truest churches of Christ upon earth."

We need separation; we don't need seeker sensitive services. We need separation; we don't need another signs and wonders conference with extra Biblical teaching. We need separation; we don't need another book about our "purpose" or "our best life now";we need separation, period.

Our Own Downgrade Controversy

American evangelism is slipping farther from the truth as new "downgrades" occur almost daily. By "downgrade" I am referring to the Gospel being reduced from its sacrificial requirements to bring glory to God to it being all about the creation. The emphasis has been changed from the Sovereignty of God to the supremacy of man. The words of Charles Spurgeon written in August 1887 could have been written last week:

NO lover of the gospel can conceal from himself the fact that the days are evil.We are willing to make a large discount from our apprehensions on the score of natural timidity, the caution of age, and the weakness produced by pain; but yet our solemn conviction is that things are much worse in many churches than they seem to be, and are rapidly tending downward. Read those newspapers which represent the Broad School of Dissent, and ask yourself, How much farther could they go? What doctrine remains to be abandoned? What other truth to be the object of contempt? A new religion has been initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching. The Atonement is scouted, the inspiration of Scripture is derided, the Holy Spirit is degraded into an influence, the punishment of sin is turned into fiction, and the resurrection into a myth, and yet these enemies of our faith expect us to call them brethren, and maintain a confederacy with them! At the back of doctrinal falsehood comes a natural decline of spiritual life, evidenced by a taste for questionable amusements, and a weariness of devotional meetings. At a certain meeting of ministers and church-officers, one after another doubted the value of prayer-meetings; all confessed that they had a very small attendance, and several acknowledged without the slightest compunction that they had quite given them up. What means this? Are churches in a right condition when they have only one meeting for prayer in a week, and that a mere skeleton? Churches which have prayermeetings several times on the Lord’s-day, and very frequently during the week, yet feel their need of more prayer; but what can be said of those who very seldom practice united supplication? Are there few conversions? Do the congregations dwindle? Who wonders that this is the case when the spirit of prayer has departed? As for questionable amusements—time was when a Nonconformist minister who was known to attend the play-house would soon have found himself without a church. And justly so; for no man can long possess the confidence, even of the most worldly, who is known to be a haunter of theaters. Yet at the present time it is matter of notoriety that preachers of no mean repute defend the play-house, and do so because they have been seen there. Is it any wonder that church members forget their vows of consecration, and run with the unholy in the ways of frivolity, when they hear that persons are tolerated in the pastorate who do the same? We doubt not that, for writing these lines we shall incur the charge of prudery and bigotry, and this will but prove how low are the tone and spirit of the churches in many places. The fact is, that many would like to unite church and stage, cards and prayer, dancing and sacraments. If we are powerless to stem this torrent, we can at least warn men of its existence, and entreat them to keep out of it. When the old faith is gone, and enthusiasm for the gospel is extinct, it is no wonder that people seek something else in the way of delight. Lacking bread, they feed on ashes; rejecting the way of the Lord, they run greedily in the path of folly.

Thank you NBC

During coverage of the Olympics, NBC did its audience a favor in the manner it covered the winner of the Gold Medal in diving from Australia. Yahoo Sports reported:
"Diver Matthew Mitcham, the only openly gay male athlete in the Beijing Olympics, won gold in the 10m platform. He beat Chinese favorite Zhou Luxin by 4.8 points, preventing China from sweeping gold in diving events. Mitcham is the first Aussie to win diving gold since 1924, but that's not the only thing that makes him a trailblazer.
He is hardly the first gay athlete to compete but he is one of the first to be out while competing. Mitcham stated:
“Being gay and diving are completely separate parts of my life. Of course there’s going to be crossover because some people have issues, but everyone I dive with has been so supportive."
UPDATE: NBC did not mention Mitcham's orientation, nor did they show his family and partner who were in the stands. NBC has made athletes' significant others a part of the coverage in the past, choosing to spotlight track athlete Sanya Richards' fiancee, a love triangle between French and Italian swimmers and Kerri Walsh's wedding ring debacle.
There are not many opportunities to pat the networks on the back these days, however this was one occasion where we should tell NBC "thanks!"

Abortion Is Still An Issue

Onenewsnow.com reports that some Catholics are upset over Obama the infanticide (my words not Onenewsnow.com) candidate's selection of pro-abortion Catholic Joe Biden as his Vice-President hopeful:

The Roman Catholic group, Fidelis, says Barack Obama's selection of pro-abortion Catholic Joe Biden to be his V.P. running mate "is a slap in the face to Catholic voters" and poses a major challenge for American Catholics.

In a press release sent out overnight, Fidelis president, Brian Burch, declared that Barack Obama has "re-opened a wound among American Catholics" by picking a pro-abortion Catholic politician like Joe Biden.

According to Burch, the American Catholic bishops have made it clear that Catholic political leaders must defend the dignity of every human person, including the unborn.

" Sadly, Joe Biden's tenure in the United States Senate has been marked by steadfast support for legal abortion" he added.

During the recent Democratic primary campaign Biden said: I am a long-standing supporter of Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose."

Burch notes that in 2004, John Kerry's support of abortion sparked a nationwide controversey over whether Catholics who support legal abortion can receive communion.

Burch says "now, everywhere Biden campaigns, we'll have this question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic can receive Communion."

"Senator Biden is an unrepentant supporter of abortion in direct opposition to the church he claims as his own. Selecting a pro-abortion Catholic is a slap in the face to Catholic voters," said Burch.

According to Burch, "The American bishops have instructed Catholic voters to consider many issues, but have characterized the defense of human life as foundational and have explained that the issue has a special claim on the conscience of the Catholic voter. This means that a political candidate like Biden, because of his strong support for abortion rights, forfeits any claim for support despite his views on other issues like health care and the economy."

I think that the pro-abortionists should be denied communion; anyone on their way to hell should be denied communion. Abortion is an issue this election because God's people are going to make it so. The time to stop the murder of innocent children has long past; now is the time to act. Stop the killing!

Tell Hallmark "No Thanks"

The Associated Press reports:

"The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions.
The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.
"It's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can," Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said.
Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., has no plans to enter the market, saying its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships."

Tell Hallmark that you will be shopping for your cards elsewhere. In fact, this would be a great time to visit your local Christian bookstore to do your card shopping. Support those businesses while you still can that have Christian values as their foundation.