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Last edited by faith; 07-05-2005, 12:15 PM.

  • #2
    Consumer Christianity

    Consumer Christianity

    This is just so great! Very encouraging to see more & more Bible-believing Christians taking such a strong sound doctrinal stand. Amen & PTL!! God bless this author & God bless & be with all those who are doing the same! Glory be to God, who gives the needed strength. The Lord is using more & more pastors & believers to sound out the wake-up calls & send big red flags, so God's TRUE people can come out of this growing deception spreading so fast thru the churches. As they always say, a little truth mixed in with lies - lies outright or a distorting of the truth or using Scriptures more out of context to base whole new theories upon. So many false beliefs & false religions of this world have been started like that.

    Most knew the great apostacy was coming just as the Bible predicted it would. But, many have turned the other way when it came to it actually hitting. It wouldn't be a great apostacy, if it wasn't meaning that MANY would turn away from the true faith. If it happened all in one huge overnight move, barely anyone would fall for it. But instead it keeps building, rolling along, one false teaching added to another, little by little, until people have been enticed in and slipped. Been there, so I can relate as much as everyone else does. Thank God that He brings us out of it, dusts us off and gets us back on course. We're all far from perfect in these earthly bodies, so we need to truly rely on God's Word as our main authority. We all need to continue to read thru the Bible(versions closest to original as possible), while praying that God will give us HIS wisdom, not our own. Really let His words sink in our spiritual heart, and learn from them. What a blessing that is!! And definitely a very humbling experience for us all as believers.

    Now, just think on this: besides one disciple, John, who was exiled to an island, all the rest were martyred for their faith. Did they & the millions of true believers around the globe over the centuries all die in vain? Did they have to suffer so much persecution in this life before even that, with stonings, torturings, imprisonment, being ridiculed, etc etc...all for nothing? Do you think the populace in their time persecuted them or tortured them because they were preaching a comfy, cozy message of a new made of version of Jesus/God to fit the world's or carnal Christians moods at the moment? NO. Were they tortured or ridiculed for all their new fun entertainment they added to bring in new unbelievers to get saved? NO. Were they made fun of & marytred for their seeker-sensitive/market strategies to please the flesh of the people? NO, because the world doesn't have a problem with the church acting like the world, since the world LOVES it that way.

    Would many of the watered-down or pop-psychology services of today be the type that would build up true enduring spiritual strength in believers to take such a strong stand, knowing it would bring them almost certain outright persecution, prison, or death? NO. It's the truth taught PLAINLY, as Scripture says, that the disciples & many martyrs taught, thru thick or thin, regardless if it sounded harsh or encouraging at the moment. It was taught plainly and straightforward, BECAUSE OF THEIR GREAT LOVE FOR LOST SOULS. So, they went against the grain and preached God's truths instead of their own, instead of a more worldly satisfying message that could've saved them from persecution & death. But, they knew it was God they stood before, not man. So key.

    And they knew that HIS TRUTH,the HS, and His laws convict unbelievers of their sin. It's that very conviction of sin and need for Jesus, the Son of God as their only way to eternal salvation, only way to heaven, only way to God the Father, that brings people to Him. Only God knows the soul and when it's ripe for Him. God is so great!!

    On that note, thank God for all the churches, pastors, teachers, believers around the world who are letting God use them to take this most important stand at this very important time. It's not easy at all, but when you stand before the Lord one day, it will have been worth it. Just think - God put us all here "for such a time as this." Amen for that!!

    Looking up to Jesus & our heavenly home with you. And until that day we're called HOME SWEET HOME to heaven, let's ask God to use our lives to reach the world with the truth of His Word BECAUSE OF OUR LOVE FOR THOSE SOULS.

    The message & the once holier Christian environment became more & more watered down over time, a little here, a little there, then bigger steps...subtle enough to be deceptive, just as satan planned. Just deceptive enough to to fool the masses. That's why it's so easy for us all to be pulled in, at least for a little while, then God brings us out in time. PTL!! God is great & so worthy of our praise! See, churches & believers today are sadly doing exactly OPPOSITE of what God's Word commands us so rightly to do:


    Romans 12 Living Sacrifices
    1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
    1 John 2 Do Not Love the World
    15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.


    Enjoy that EXCELLENT newsletter! Another MUST READ. And in case you missed it, make sure to read A CLARION CALL TO THE MODERN CHURCH.
    Last edited by faith; 11-09-2005, 12:37 PM.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Consumer Christianity Part 2..

      Consumer Christianity Part II

      Comment


      • #5
        Re: Scriptures....

      • 2 Corinthians 4 Treasures in Jars of Clay
        1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.
        **On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

      • 2 Timothy 4
        2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
        **3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.


      • Jeremiah 5:30-31 "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?

        2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
      • John 3
        19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

      • 1 Timothy 6: Love of Money
        3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
        11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith.
        Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

      • Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
      • Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
      • Acts 8:20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
      • Psalm 37:16-17 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
      • 1 Timothy 4
        1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron
        Jude 1: 7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.
        They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. ..11Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error
      • James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
      • 1 John 2: Do Not Love the World
        15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
      • Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

      • Matthew 6: 24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
        Do Not Worry
        25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

        1 Corinthians 2:13-15
        13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:

        1 Corinthians 1:17-19 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel–not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
        Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
        18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
        the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
      • Last edited by faith; 09-18-2005, 07:57 AM.

        Comment


      • #6
        Re: Scriptures, pt 2

      • 2 Timothy 3 Godlessness in the Last Days
        1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God *Also read 2 Peter 2 on False Teachers and Their Destruction, that relates well to today.
        2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.
        .. they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed--an accursed brood! 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.


      • Jeremiah 14
        13 But I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD , the prophets keep telling them, 'You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.'" 14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in My Name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, 'No sword or famine will touch this land.' Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.

      • **John 15: The World Hates the Disciples
        18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than His master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates Me hates my Father as well.

        Isaiah 24:5-6 “The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.”

      • Isaiah 3:9 The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.

      • Matthew 7: The Narrow and Wide Gates
        13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
        A Tree and Its Fruit
        15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
        21"[B]Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'

      • **Psalm 73
        (VERY encouraging chapter!!! Make sure to read the whole chapter. Shows an overview of how God works with His children, and also with those that aren't His. It's interesting how today many churches are teaching a whole different teaching than what Scripture really teaches in WHOLE.)
        Last edited by faith; 09-18-2005, 07:28 AM.

        Comment


      • #7
        Re: Consumer Christianity

        Modernity's Assault on Truth

        by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
        Wednesday, March 16, 2005

        Throughout its history, Western culture has grappled with truth in a variety of ways. In its modern phase, Western culture sought to dominate truth, to wrest authority from the church and bring truth under its mechanistic and rationalized control, just as the engines of technology had gained control over the forces of nature. In its present phase, Western culture has moved to reject the very notion of truth and to embrace relativism, nihilism, and radical subjectivism.

        Modernity has given way to postmodernity, which is simply modernity in its latest guise. Claiming that all notions of truth are socially constructed, postmodernists are committed to total war on truth itself, a deconstructionist project bent on the casting down of all religious, philosophical, political, and cultural authorities. A postmodernist ahead of his times, Karl Marx warned that in the light of modernity, "all that is solid melts into air." It is precisely to this mission of vaporization that the deconstructionists are committed.

        In the wake of this project of deconstruction is left the debris of truth and virtue, order and structure, orthodoxy and heresy. As postmodern critic Matei Calinescu comments, "Even more difficult to defend in a pluralistic age like ours is the idea of an orthodoxy by whose standards we could decide whether this or that tendency is heretical or not. Our specific time consciousness, which has brought about the loss of transcendence, is also responsible for the present-day conceptual emptiness of the opposition between orthodoxy and heresy."

        All this would be tragic enough if such trends shaped the consciousness of the world, but not of the church. Yet to our shame, the modern secular worldview has wrought destruction within the church as well. The modern attempt to dominate truth has given way within sectors of the church to the postmodern rejection of truth itself. Indeed, in many denominations and churches, notions of orthodoxy and heresy have become "conceptual emptiness." The boundaries have vanished. The very possibility of heresy is dismissed in many circles within mainline Protestantism, and many evangelicals seem to have no better grasp of the moral imperative to honor the truth and to oppose error. Matters of truth and falsehood are not matters of moral indifference to the Christian church. We are to contend for the faith, and the love of the truth is an essential mark of the believer. An attitude of indifference, whether based in postmodern deconstructionist theory or simple epistemological apathy, is a scandal to the gospel and a looming threat to the church.

        Christians are called to love the truth and refute error, not in a spirit of pride and vindictiveness, but in a spirit of humility and faithfulness. Our responsibility is clear, as articulated well by Blaise Pascal: "It is as much a crime to disturb the peace when truth prevails as it is to keep the peace when truth is violated. There is therefore a time in which peace is justified and another time when it is not justifiable. For it is written that there is a time for peace and a time for war and it is the law of truth that distinguishes the two. But at no time is there a time for truth and a time for error, for it is written that God's truth shall abide forever. That is why Christ has said that He has come to bring peace and at the same time that He has come to bring the sword. But He does not say that He has come to bring both the truth and falsehood."

        The secularization of mainline Protestantism and the dominant theological academy is evident in the evisceration of the Christian truth-claim at the hands of theologians and church leadership. Virtually no doctrinal essential has been left untouched, no truth left intact, no creed or confession defended against compromise. Increasingly--in the name of pluralism, tolerance, inclusivity, and sensitivity--all that is solid appears indeed to melt into air.

        And yet the tragedy is not limited to mainline liberal Protestantism. The modern secular worldview is increasingly apparent within evangelicalism as well. An aversion to doctrinal Christianity has been growing for several decades, along with an increasing intolerance for doctrinal and confessional accountability. Evangelicals have embraced the technologies of modernity, often without recognizing that these technologies have claimed the role of master rather than servant.

        The ubiquitous culture of consumerism and materialism has seduced many evangelicals into a ministry mode driven by marketing rather than mission. To an ever greater extent, evangelicals are accommodating themselves to moral compromise in the name of lifestyle and choice. Authentic biblical worship is often supplanted by the entertainment culture as issues of performance and taste displace the simplicity and God-centeredness of true worship.

        Voices within and without warn of a crisis of truth among evangelicals. Theologian David Wells argues that modernity has left virtually "no place for truth." Sociologists have traced the increasingly secular message of evangelical preaching and the triumph of the autonomous self over theological concerns in evangelical piety. James Davison Hunter has traced and projected the pattern of "cognitive bargaining" by which the younger generation of evangelical intellectuals is increasingly forfeiting biblical orthodoxy in the face of academic hostility. A candid survey reveals even more ominous signs. Some evangelicals are embracing the radical subjectivity, perspectivalism, dehistoricism, and relativism of the postmodernist academy. In the name of a paradigm shift, the claim to objective truth has itself been forfeited by some evangelicals. Book and chapter titles such as Truth Is Stranger Than It Used To Be and "There's No Such Thing as Objective Truth and It's a Good Thing, Too" serve notice that postmodernism is not merely a problem external to evangelicalism.

        Indeed, evidence of the embrace of relativistic, subjectivistic, perspectival, privatistic, and constructivist theories of truth is widespread among evangelicals. In the name of narrative some have discarded propositions, and are thus unable or unwilling to make any statement of propositional truth. In the name of pluralism some have excluded the existence of absolute truth, and have thus abdicated the foundation of Christian truth, only to land in various relativisms. In the name of perspectivalism, some have rejected the unity of truth and embraced unconditional subjectivity. In order to gain distance from "foundationalism," many evangelicals have abandoned the foundation.

        Evangelicals are faced with a stark choice: either to join the postmodern descent into a truthless, foundationless confusion, or to stand with conviction on the truth of God's Word. Of course the glory of God can never be captured in propositional statements; but neither can it be denied that the God's glory is seen in the propositional form of Christianity's revealed truth claims. Christians understand truth to be more than propositional, but never less than propositional. Jesus died for sinners. He rose from the dead. And He is coming again to judge the world. Make no mistake--when those truths are reduced by postmodern anti-propositionalism, what remains is something less than biblical Christianity.

        _________________________________________________
        R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. For more articles and resources by Dr. Mohler, and for information on The Albert Mohler Program, a daily national radio program broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, go to www.albertmohler.com. For information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to www.sbts.edu. Send feedback to mail@albertmohler.com.
        http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblog...6/2005#1318311

        Comment


        • #8
          Re:Moralistic Therapeutic Deism-the New American Religion

          Moralistic Therapeutic Deism--the New American Religion
          Well worth the read, and especially as it gets to the last 1/2 of the article where it shows how it matches today's new & changing beliefs.

          Comment


          • #9
            Re: Deception, Delusion, and Discernment in 2005

            Great article! Love when the truth gets out and people take a strong stand on it. Then GOD is glorified all the more.

            To think we're alive in these very days that God's Word prophesied about...to actually see the world AND the church falling into so much deception, delusion, and lack of discernment. You look around and just shake your head, thinking...how can things be sooooo upside-down, but it's EXACTLY the way the Bible said it would be...and becoming more & more like Noah's day. Thankfully we know the silver lining coming ahead....Jesus.

            And thank God we always know the TRUTH OF GOD ALWAYS reigns and NEVER changes. God is great & so worthy of our praise!


            Deception, Delusion, and Discernment in 2005
            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Deception, Delusion, and Discernment in 2005--Jan Markell
            Olive Tree Ministries, Inc
            www.olivetreeviews.org

            Semi-Weekly Review of the News/Commentary - April 15, 2005

            As a part of my "Understanding the Times 2005" conference recently I
            shared a message on delusion in our generation. I am providing some
            brief paragraphs on it. All messages by Gary Bauer, Walid Shoebat, Q & A,
            and my presentation will be available in about ten days in tape or CD
            form. Why am I surprised at what is happening? What the Bible predicts
            comes to pass whether we like it or not. For the believer it is
            temporary bad news heralding the ultimate in good news: The King is coming.

            It is still troubling when we see that up is down, black is white,
            right is wrong, evil is good, good is evil, and everyone is doing what is
            right in his own eyes. Since the hoofbeats of the "four horsemen of the
            apocalypse" spoken of in Revelation can almost be heard, such events
            that stretch credulity will increase. Brace yourself.

            While I am refraining from commenting on Catholic theology, I still was
            not ready for the events surrounding Pope John Paul's recent death. He
            brought together almost everyone in the world. Iranian mullahs greeted
            their most bitter enemies at the funeral. Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus,
            "New Agers", Evangelicals, atheists, and more came together to honor
            this supposed "man of peace." It was a type and shadow of Revelation 13
            and 17--the coming "one world religion" which will do the same. I am
            not suggesting a pope will be the antichrist and I do not believe the
            Bible supports that.

            But there is something troubling when a few billion people laud a mere
            human being as the most influential man in the last one hundred years
            with press attention resulting in 35,000 stories and a TV audience of
            two billion. I do not think the world would stop and Fox News would air
            without commercial interruption if the president of the National
            Association of Evangelicals passed away. The delusion set in because of the
            longing for a "man of peace." "Peace, peace when there is no peace" as
            it says in Jeremiah 6. But the longing for peace is at an obsession
            level as forty nations equip themselves with weapons of mass destruction.
            So grieved was the world that a British newspaper called the pope's
            death "global calvary. His message was universal. No one can compare to
            him." A greater "man of peace" waits in the wings.

            It is strong delusion that puts extra pressure on Ariel Sharon and all
            of Israel because "now is the time to seize the opportunity for peace"
            since Arafat has passed and to remind Israel to "get off the land" no
            later than 2006. More delusion has America giving one of the most
            corrupt administrations on earth--that of Palestinian leader Mahmoud
            Abbas--$500 million dollars that will be spent on his cronies and himself, not
            his people. Rewarding terror, which is what this is, flies in the face
            of the Bush doctrine. It is strong delusion. Don't be surprised if
            Abbas gets the Nobel Peace Prize in the future though he has done nothing
            to promote peace nor will he ever. And while the Palestinians arm
            themselves with mortars and rockets, there is talk that Israel may be
            pressured to dismantle her nuclear capability.

            Deception reigns when America calls Saudi Arabia one of our best allies
            when in reality she is plotting our overthrow through the spread of
            Wahhabism in foreign and U.S. mosques. Also when political correctness
            allows Muslims to gain high office, even in Homeland Security as reported
            by my radio guest Paul Sperry March 19 (hear it on "Radio Archives" at
            my Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org. His book: "Infiltration: How
            Muslims are Penetrating Washington.")

            It is delusion and deception that prompts America to prop up the United
            Nations at the cost of $1 billion a year even when they have just
            pulled off the biggest scandal in the history of scandals, the
            "oil-for-food" debacle.

            Stories come into my office daily about the deception, lack of
            discernment, and delusion that have come into some of our churches today. Some
            are preaching a watered-down gospel with "anything goes." We don't
            offend and we don't divide. And we don't warn the sheep who the wolves are
            out there to stay away from. For some--but not all--essential doctrine
            is an unimportant leftover from days gone by. It's even destructive.

            At the same time, false theologies have gained a new stronghold.
            Demonstrating outside my conference were those with a sign saying,
            "Replacement Theology is Right!" That teaches that the Church is the new
            Israel. He could visit 90% of the churches in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area
            and they would all embrace that, so let 2,000 people who don't do our
            thing. The newest "pop theology" on the block is Preterism which teaches
            that all Bible prophecy is history: It happened in 70 AD with the
            destruction of Jerusalem.

            The World and National Council of Churches are doing everything in
            their power to crush Israel, to praise terror groups like Hezbollah, and
            not say a word against terror nations committed to destroying Israel and
            America. Good is called evil, evil good (Is. 5:20). All discernment has
            died and delusion taken over.

            Mysticism has come into the front door of our churches, not the back
            door. Practices that the Bible calls "divination" are welcomed in
            pulpits and are mainstream. Better raise up a "spiritual Better Business
            Bureau" because your spiritual health is at risk some places. (I talk
            about this in my video/DVD, "Mysticism: An Equal Opportunity Deceiver,"
            available on the Web site.) We are now "signs and wonders"-oriented and
            experience focused. No one is immune from the temptations of these new
            practices that really aren't new. They began in the Garden when Eve
            was tempted with occultic power to see into the future.

            Some Protestants are getting pulled into the Catholic celebration of
            Mary according to the March 21 issue of "Time" magazine. I never thought
            I'd live long enough to see that, frankly.

            For those who still have eyes to see and ears to hear (and not all do),
            these are "signs of the times." We should look up and know our
            Redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28). We know our King is coming. When our
            foundations rock, lean on the "Rock of ages." When everything from our
            church, to our nation, to our dollar becomes unstable, remember, "God is
            the stability of our times" (Isaiah 33:6). He never changes.

            As more people fall for lies because of the loss of discernment and the
            rise of delusion, stand for the truth. Great will be your reward in
            Heaven.

            To learn more about deception, consult my Web site,
            www.olivetreeviews.org, then to the category of "Spiritual Deception." The category of
            "Prophecy Watch" will also be helpful.

            Awaiting His return,
            Jan Markell
            You may pass on these items or have folks sign up on the "Home" page of
            the Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org. We update "Current Headlines"
            twice a day and you can access two years' worth of radio programming on
            "Radio Archives." Consult the Web site for listening options/stations.
            Advise us of e-mail address changes. Please remember us prayerfully
            and financially. Contact: Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove,
            MN 55311.

            RADIO THIS WEEKEND: Dr. J. Randall Price on the search for the Ark of
            the Covenant and Marcia Montenegro from "Christian Answers for the New
            Age." Listen live anywhere in the world, Saturday, 9 - 11 AM CST, and
            Sunday, 12 - 2 PM CST at www.kkms.com. We headquarter out of AM980
            KKMS in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. You can call in toll-free at
            1-888-332-5169.
            Last edited by faith; 04-15-2005, 05:00 PM.

            Comment


            • #10
              Religious News

              The Emerging Church
              Fascinating days we're in, that's for sure. Please stay AWAKE, ALERT, and CAREFUL with all the back-to-back fads, new teachings, etc., that are clearly more & more patterned off the world's/man's philosophies and teachings, market-driven, pop-psychology, etc. Remember, satan used Scriptures to try to tempt the Son of God of all things. How much EZier he can tempt man with Scriptures to bring Christianity into a true apostasy as is seen today.

              Keep looking up to JESUS, and reading thru the Bible in full as you are able, with as close to original version as you can get. And ask God to give you HIS wisdom, and the HS to lead you on. Best to stay HS-driven. And continue to give God the glory...what a precious humbling that brings our way. Take care. God bless & be with you as you follow GOD, the Father as your #1 Authority. PTL!


              Rick Warren Teams Up With New-Age Guru Ken Blanchard!

              Contemplative Prayer —Infiltrating Christianity and Saying, "All Paths Lead to God."

              The Death of John Paul II
              (I'm sure many of us hoped & prayed that sometime before the Roman Catholic's Pope died, that he would find a true relationship with Jesus as Lord & Savior alone. Remember Scripture shows "no one is righteous, not one". The Word of God says that ALL are sinners and in need of Savior - Jesus Christ the Messiah. Everyone needs to come to a true repentance and believing on Jesus w/a true heart faith, knowing He ALONE can save us from the eternal judgment of sin. Not anything ADDED, but ONLY thru Jesus, can we have an eternal relationship with our Father in heaven.

              There's no greater love, than having the unconditional love of God. Amen! And there's nothing greather than being forever sealed with the HS in us, making us God's children. Nothing else & no one else can assure us eternal salvation but Jesus Christ. To God be the glory. \0/ Here's the brief intro for the article at link above)...


              "John Paul II gained the whole world but..."

              Pope choice fulfills ancient (Roman Catholic) prophecy? Saint wrote of 'Glory of the Olive,' which relates to Benedictine Order

              Pope Benedict XVI--What Should We Think?
              So well said. Amen!

              Leaders call 'Emerging Church Movement' a threat to Gospel
              Last edited by faith; 05-16-2005, 12:03 PM. Reason: adding news

              Comment


              • #11
                Metaphysical Christians

                Church honors freedom to worship
                Metaphysical 'Christianity'
                Last edited by faith; 05-19-2005, 10:18 AM.

                Comment


                • #12
                  Emergent Church: A Dangerous Fad or Solid New Movement?

                  The Emergent Church: A Dangerous Fad or Solid New Movement?
                  --Jan Markell Olive Tree Ministries, Inc
                  www.olivetreeviews.org

                  Semi-Weekly Review of the News - May 18, 2005

                  If you're over age 35, your spiritual health may be at risk in that new "church movements" are focusing in on primarily "GenXrs." You may not have even heard of the latest, the "Emergent Church" or "Emerging Church." Many today are looking for a new "methodology," "new wave," or "new thing God is doing." I ask, "What is wrong with the old way?" Apparently just the Bible is no longer sufficient.

                  Some say the "Emergent Church" (EC) is the next step beyond the "seeker movement." Leaders! of the EC say they have answers for our generation even though it focuses on experience much more than the Bible. But leaders of the movement insist that in our fast-changing culture, something is happening. What was once a Christian nation with a Judeo-Christian worldview is becoming a post Christian, unchurched, unreached nation. There is arising in our midst new generations without any Christian influence, and thus we must re-think everything we have done with Christianity over many centuries. Part of what they say is true and their evangelistic fervor is genuine no doubt.

                  Defining the EC is a little bit like nailing jello to the wall, but here goes anyway. It relies heavily on mysticism, a great danger to believers of all denominations. Some leaders will tell you that you cannot know truth. An EC service will often meet in homes, and will rely on extra-biblical paraphernalia, extra-sensory images, sounds, smells of candles and incense, silence, mystical meditation, mak! ing the sign of the cross, touching icons, statues of saints, rosary beads for Protestants, liturgy, yoga-like deep breathing, contemplative prayer, and sacraments--all for a full sensory immersion with the divine. In other words, they are looking for an encounter with the Lord using all their senses. Worship is stressed, but some would say more than the Word.

                  They borrow liturgical practices from the Orthodox, Lutheran, and Catholic Church and heavily from the traditions and views of Catholic Church Fathers.

                  It would seem to me that if the Bible were being taught, the extra-biblical paraphernalia, extra-sensory images, sounds, smells, etc., would hardly be necessary, but maybe I'm make much ado about nothing.

                  The most visible leader is Brian McClaren whose book, "A Generous Orthodoxy" has caught on all over. In it he states that, "The Christian faith should become a welcome friend to other religions of the world, and not a threat." He states in the book that n! ot all people need to be Christians to follow Jesus. Some may be able to be "Buddhist or Hindu followers of Jesus." He also states that, "God is interested in not only saving us from consequences after this life but in saving us from injustice, oppression, greed, and war, in this life." He was uninvited as a speaker at the Kentucky Baptist Convention when leaders learned McClaren suggested that people could be saved without being Christians.

                  Others either in the EC movement or supportive of it include Robert Schuller, Richard Foster, Brennan Manning, Dan Kimball, Bill Hybels, Dallas Willard, Bruce Wilkinson, Eugene Peterson, John Ortberg, John Eldredge, Dr. Robert Webber, Tony Campolo, Rick Warren, and dozens of lesser-known people.

                  While the movement is ecumenical and attracts numbers and particularly youthful followers, it hardly seems biblical when so much involves the extra-biblical.

                  This is one of the topics on air this weekend. For more information, vis! it the Web site of one of my guests, Pastor Bob DeWaay, www.twincityfellowship.com and read his article "Emergent Delusion" (Critical Issues Commentary, March-April, 2005). You can hear sound bytes of McClaren and youthful EC members at an excellent Web site with much additional information at http://members.tripod.com/carla_b/em...ent/index.html. Also visit my Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org, then to "Spiritual Deception." Consider my newest video/DVD: "Mysticism: An Equal-Opportunity Deceiver" available on my Web site at "Our Products." It is also available through my print newsletter, "Understanding the Times." See Web site "Home" page. A Google search will also bring up dozens of additional resources.

                  Awaiting His return,
                  Jan Markell
                  You may pass these items on or have folks sign up on the "Home" page of www.olivetreeviews.org. We update "Current Headlines" twice a day on our site, and you can hear radio programming for the last two years under "Radio Arc! hives." Please report e-mail address changes, reporting old and new. Remember us both prayerfully and financially. Contact: Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove, MN 55311.

                  Comment


                  • #13
                    The East Seduces the West

                    The East Seduces the West --Jan Markell
                    Olive Tree Ministries, Inc
                    www.olivetreeviews.org

                    Semi-Weekly Review of the News/Commentary - May 20, 2005

                    Proponents of so-called "Christian yoga" are multiplying and becoming more vocal. The current "Christianity Today" on line, which is fast-becoming the organ of the "religious Left," has an article by author Agnieszka Tennant who says in her praise of "Christian yoga," "Christ in, stress out. Holy Spirit in, fear out. God the Father in, carbon dioxide out." She says that in her gym class near Chicago, "I use unhurried cadences of the air filling and leaving my lungs to lull my muslces and joints into daring postures. My body becomes a mountain. An ! eagle. A warrior. A cobra (oh really?). And at the end of the exercise, I lie down and become a corpse."

                    She should be writing for a science fiction magazine and not "Christianity Today."

                    But Tennant says, "I'm an evangelical and proud of it." She lauds Mark Noll of Wheaton College who has "pried open the collective evangelical mind" to such practices.

                    Tennant goes on to say that, "It bothers me that people demonize healthful exercise regimens and engage in fear-mongering among evangelicals. Leave that to "The New York Times." (NOTE: They love yoga, too!). She says, "Yoga has never had a negative influence on me. The three hours a week I spend doing yoga not only make me more flexible. It draws me closer to Christ. It's bodily-kinetic prayer. Give me five minutes of yoga and my mind immediately goes to the metaphor of God's spirit being omnipresent and as necessary as air."

                    She insists the Hindu gods behind yoga will never make it on to her mat. Maybe not! , but they will make it to millions of others who follow her glowing praise. She says yoga cannot snatch her away from God who has adopted her as a child.

                    There is an alarm over the rapidly-growing popularity of yoga, and "Christian yoga", that is spreading around the world. A popular video is propelling it titled, "Outstretched in Worship." Disciples of it say there is much to be gained from yoga even if some concepts are at odds with Christianity.

                    Daniel Akin, dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says "Yoga is rooted in Eastern mysticism and is incompatible with Christianity." He says the Bible holds ample opportunities for meditation.

                    A Christian who got out of that scene, Laurette Willis, said it left her vulnerable to "psychic influences" and opened the door to 20 years of involvement in the New Age movement. She says you cannot put a Christian spin on yoga and that "Christian yoga" is an oxymoron. And I suspect bCh! ristian yogab is coming to a church in your neighborhood.

                    Clearly the East has seduced the West, even in some Christian circles. Eastern influences are entering all branches of Christianity: Mainline Protestant, evangelical denominations, and Catholicism. It is an "equal-opportunity deceiver," the title of my latest video/DVD available at the Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org, then to "Our Products." You will also find Brian Flynn's new book, "Running Against the Wind: A Former New Age Medium's Warnings to the Church" and Ray Yungen's book, "A Time of Departing." All sound an alarm here.

                    Also visit the category on my Web site of "Spiritual Deception" for more stories on "Christian yoga" and related deceptions.

                    We talk about the deception of "The Emergent Church" on air this weekend. If you cannot pick up our program in your neck of the woods, listen live at www.kkms.com and click on "Listen Live", Saturday, 9 - 11 AM CST and rebroadcast Sunday, 12 - 2 PM CST. ! All programs are posted on our "Radio Archives" about 5 days later.

                    Such deception is but another "sign of the times" and discerning people should have a red flag appear. However, in today's climate which accentuates the death of discernment, many in the church are falling prey to all manner of seducing spirits. And when you see these things BEGIN to appear, "Look up and know your Redemption draws nigh" (Luke 21:28).

                    Awating His return,
                    Jan Markell
                    You may pass on these e-mails or encourage folks to sign themselves up on the "Home" page of our Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org. We update "Current Headlines" twice a day and you can listen to radio programming from the past two years on "Radio Archives." Please remember us prayerfully and financially. Contact: Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove, MN 55311.

                    Comment


                    • #14
                      Sanhedrin News

                      The Sanhedrin's Decision Regarding the Holy Temple, the Temple Mount, and Jerusalem

                      Wow oh wow!! You all, this is news we've all been waiting for. The signs of the times are sure getting bigger by the moment. Check this out! Always exciting to read such incredible news. And of course we knew this all was coming around the bend, but when we actually get to see DECLARATIONS by a newly reestablished SANHEDRIN on this - whoa! Now, that's pretty cool!! Looking up to Jesus, who is coming soon. PTL! \0/

                      BTW, when you go to link above and see the date of 28 Iyar 5765, that is as recent as June 6th, 2005. What exciting days we live in. Amazing to be alive in days like this, that so many longed to see. Here we are folks! Keep watching.
                      Last edited by faith; 06-08-2005, 12:52 AM.

                      Comment


                      • #15
                        Re: Sanhedrin elects leader - Rabbi Steinsaltz

                        Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz Elected to Head Sanhedrin
                        (Note: This was on Jerusalem Day - June 6th)
                        Last edited by faith; 06-08-2005, 10:07 AM. Reason: replaced with most updated news article

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