Avatar Josh

We Play The Whore....

2009-05-28T20:08:00.002-04:00

Take a few moments and think deeply about your spouse...
How much you love them...
care for them...
cherish them....
the intimacy you have with them...
Think of the deep rooted connection you have with them on a physical and emotional level.

Now the hard part....
Think of how you would feel if he/she unashamedly, brazenly, willfully went out and repeatedly cheated on you with another person, with out remorse...
The hurt..
The sorrow...
The anguish..
Anger..
Disappointment..

This is how God feels about each and everyone of us, when He so graciously gives us life, food, shelter, clothes, family, spouses, and all the other pleasures on earth, and we unashamedly turn our backs on Him, and turn to others and other things as the things we love instead of Almighty God.
The prophet Ezekiel preached the following to the nation of Israel, since they had prostituted themselves to other idols and repeatedly turned their back on God who had chosen them as a special nation for Himself, taken them out of captivity and given them a land especially for them, yet they spit it all back in His face.
This passage should truly sober us, if we realize we have done the same thing to God. We must turn from our adulterous ways, by repenting and putting our faith in Christ!

Ezekiel 16:4-43

# And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
# No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
# "And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'
# I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
# "When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.
# Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
# I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
# And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck.
# And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
# Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
# And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.
# "But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his.
# You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.
# You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.
# And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
# Also my bread that I gave you--I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey--you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD.
# And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
# that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
# And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
# "And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD),
# you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square.
# "You built yourself a high place at the top of every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry.
# You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger.
# Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.
# You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied.
# You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
# "How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,
# building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
# Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
# Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
# So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.
# "Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD:
# Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them,
# therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
# And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
# And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare.
# They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
# And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more.
# So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry.
# Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?

Really......?

2009-05-14T13:51:00.002-04:00

Last time i checked our nation was founded on Christian beliefs, with our forefathers holding to Christian doctrine and a belief in the God of the Bible! To say otherwise is really going against the whole point of why the United States was founded, religious freedom from the state run churches in Europe!
However, now we have things like the 'Hate Speech Act' that's going to say, it's a crime to say things like, abortion, homosexuality, and other religions(specifically Muslims) are wrong/sinful. When this directly goes against the Bill of Rights, that as Americans we have(had?) the right to free speech and of religion. I propose, that our government/country as a whole no longer wants freedom of speech or religion; but simply just tolerance, but only tolerance to things that don't step on other peoples' toes. America is no longer the land of the free, it's the land of tolerance and political correctness. Where the government and other religions are accepting until you say something they don't like, and then it is all of the sudden 'hate speech'!?

Jesus come quickly!
God, i pray for our country that strong Christian men will continue to stand up for the truth of the Bible, not backing down from the opposition, one iota. Lord, if these are not the end times yet, please bring a sweeping reformation to our country, re-establishing the morals of our Christian founding fathers, and the fear of God back to the hearts of Americans in this country. Our nation is not Bible saturated, it is Bible ignorant! Lord God, for the sake of 5,000 righteous men, will you not destroy our Sodom? That you may still save souls from Hell! God, please give our children, and our childrens children an opportunity to repent and turn to you! Lord, like Psalms 33:12 says,"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance." our nation has forsaken you, allow us to "Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." Isa 55:-7 God,"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb 10:31 Pleas Lord, grant us, our nation repentance, that we may again seek to honor, glory, praise you in everything we do, both individually and as a nation. That we may see your face one day, and not be under the wrath of God, but live with peace, hope, and love, because God is awesome, gracious, and merciful to those who repent and turn from their sins and follow him, likewise with our nation!

Lord help us!
Amen

2009-05-02T14:47:00.000-04:00

I don't play video games much anymore, but this is one i'm looking forward to :-)

Condemnation of Contextualization...

2009-04-23T10:13:00.005-04:00

"So, why is this so pervasive? For one thing, there are a lot of people in the evangelical movement, who really do want to be at home in a corrupt culture, and too many pastors are enthralled with the idea of being cool in the eyes of the world. To a very large degree, the whole notion of contextualization has been commandeered as an excuse for carnal minds who are overexposed to smut."

"Your doctrine is not really pure, if you yourself are not an example of reverence and dignity; if your manner is lude and profane, or if your lifestyle is characterized by the same tendencies that defines secular culture; then you are not a fit minister of the gospel and you ought to step down."
Phil Johnson- Shepard's Conference

Take a listen to this clip from Way of the Master Radio, is this your pastor? Is this your idea of how Christians should be reaching the world? See what the Bible says about that....

http://www.wretchedradio.com/download.cfm?pid=248

For Phil Johnson's Full Sermon
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=328091910172

This May Be A First...

2009-04-21T11:22:00.002-04:00

I am in awe of God and amazed at this girl who was interviewed on BBC, and played on the Way of The Master Radio show in this link.
http://www.wretchedradio.com/download.cfm?pid=266

This could be the first truly saved 13 year old i have ever heard of. Keep in mind, yes lots of kids can make professions of faith at almost any age, but the proof of genuine repentance and regeneration is in the fruit/actions of the professor's life. The Bible does not paint a different picture for different people on how someones life will change depending on age, race, sex, life situation(addiction, wealth, health, ect) except that there will be a radical change in ones life. The one major fruit that will be immediately evident is a zeal to evangelize to share the gospel with others. Next, is a insatiable appetite for God's Word. So i challenge you and any one else you know who claims to be a Christian for any lengthy period of time, are you as zealous and as bold, do you desire to read God's word, more then this 13 year old girl? If not, ask yourself why? examine your life, could it be that you have not yet truly repented and been regenerated by God?

Are You Ready....?

2009-04-01T07:35:00.002-04:00

One day, God may say to you, "'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" Luke 12:20

Do you know for sure you will go to Heaven when you die? What exactly do you rest on for your assurance of this?

If you are resting on the date and sincerity you prayed and 'asked Jesus into your heart', that you were sprinkled/baptized, your family(mom/father, ect.) were 'Christians'; none of these things are found in the Bible as ways to have assurance of your salvation and or going to Heaven when you die.

Here are a few verses from the Bible that are the opposite of the above mentioned things.
Read them and carefully consider how they effect you. This is the Bible, not my own words. This is not some personal interpretation either. There are correct hermeneutical ways of reading and interpreting scripture, for 2 Peter 1:20-"knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation" You can not read into what the text doesn't say and put your own meaning into it. So again, this is scripture and if these vereses are from the Bible, then this is God speaking, "Let God be true, but every man a liar.."Romans 3:4
Submit to the Word of God, and examine what you are holding on to as your assurance of salvation.

(Not by,'asking Jesus into your heart')
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:15

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"
Act2 3:19

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,"
Acts 17:30

(Not by Baptism)
"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."
Romans 4:2

"just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works"
Romans 4:6

"And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. "
Romans 11:6

"knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."
Galations 2:16

(Not by Christian Family/Born into Christianity)
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,"
Romans 3:21-25

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith."
Romans 3:27-30

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?*For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:" Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression."
Romans 4:1-15

If you want to know you will go to heaven when you die, please contact me; i would love to talk to you more about this. Do not wait! "Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near." Isa. 55:6

4 Lines

2009-03-06T08:56:00.004-05:00

Alright I've been meaning to share this illustration for some time now. I think it works well in conveying what true and false professions look like in peoples lives.
This is somewhat a parallel to the parable Jesus gives in the gospel of Mark, 4:1-20.

Some things to understand in the picture; the far left is the beginning black bars, that represent birth. next are the purple lines that represent when the person made a profession of faith/accepted Jesus into their heart. Following that, is the black bar stuck in the middle, this represents unexpected death, if you follow the lines over to the right, that would be the expected death(old age/natural causes) Now, note where each of the lines ends...Toward the top or bottom? The top would be Heaven and the bottom is Hell.

Now lets look at these 4 lines, you can follow along in the Bible as well as you can see how the Bible illustrates these lives in the lines i have drawn.

1. The first line is someone who is born, begins his/her life and at some point hears about Jesus, but decides Jesus is not for them, and continues their life unaffected, and no longer concerned about God or Jesus or his/her need for a savior. This person's line could also represent someone who hears about Jesus, makes a profession of faith, by asking 'Jesus into their heart' but the next day,week, month, year, ect.. decides that Jesus is not for them, and the go back to living their life again, never considering themselves to be christians.(this is an example of 'tattoo Christianity', you decide to get a tattoo one day, you wake up the next day, month, year, ect. absolutely hating the tattoo, oh well...you have the tattoo. Oh, you asked Jesus into your heart, too late you're a christian now. this is a false teaching by a very famous preacher) So, let's look at the life of this person..
A blip on the radar toward the beginning of their life, but it doesn't 'stick' and the person leads a 'flat line' rest of their life. When they die, they go to Hell. Also, suppose they die an unexpected death in the middle. They still go to hell, for being unrepentant, unbelieving.

2.Now, life number 2 is that of someone who is born, begins their life, and at some point hears of Jesus and accepts 'Jesus into their hear' as well, and begins to live a 'Christian' life, they go to church now and then, they are pretty good people, nice and friendly, caring, generous, ect.. But, they get ridiculed, and made fun of when they tell someone at work they are a 'Christian' Then, later down, they have some major financial problems, maybe they end up getting divorced. The person now, stops going to church, not as nice as they use to be, they view God as not 'in their life' anymore because of the things that 'God let happen' to them. They continue to live a rather 'normal' life by the worlds standards. Now, this person dies, and they would end up in Hell, and what if they died in the middle? Well, again they would go to Hell, because of their lack of genuine repentance, and because they did not persevere to the end, showing their lack for fruit, and their lack of genuine repentance.

3. This one is a little more tricky. This person is born, begins living their life, has a rough first twenty years or so, but then finds Jesus, and 'Accepts Jesus into their heart' and makes a profession of faith. They immediately begin to tell people about their new found 'faith' they are faithfully attending church, reading their Bible regularly, and this goes on for some time. However, things begin to change. They grow apathetic towards God, church, reading their Bible. So they think they are struggling or 'backsliding' so they re-dedicate their life, or decide to get back in church. Their life seems to get back on track. However, this is the pattern of their life, always falling into sin, sin becomes a constant in their life. They are pretty 'lukewarm' they believe in God, Jesus, acknowledge a lot of facts from the Bible, and maybe even involved at church, but the overall trend in their life never improves, they never really get 'on fire' for God. Constant sin of apathy, pride, anger, bitterness, never seem to diminish over their life time. Finally, they die, and end up in hell, why? You, say they 'accepted Jesus into their heart' they were sincere, when they did it.. The problem is their life never continued to show fruit of repentance. Sin was their habitual lifestyle. The argument of many today is that, 'Christians' can stray off the path, but as long as we get back onto the path one day we're fine. The problem with that is what if you die along the way, and you haven't gotten back on the path?(when in actuality they were never on the right path to begin with)?Again, the person would go to Hell. It's a scary fact that you look at many professing 'Christians' but you look at the pattern of their life, over a year, 5 years, 10 years.. Nothing changes still a slave to sin, but all along counting on God's forgiveness of sin, while they are wallowing in it.

4. Now line 4. This is a person who repents and believes, during his/her life. You see in their life a zeal/fire for God. A desire to obey God's Word. They are faithful in church, actively evangelizing, in God's word daily, fellowshipping with other brother and sisters in Christ. They are loving them, supporting them, caring for them. Their life is marked with continual striving to live holy lives. They are for the rest of their lives being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The person still struggles with sin like everyone else, the difference is they hate their sin, and strive to cut it out of their lives! This person dies, and they go to Heaven. Why? You see continual fruits of repentance in their life, for their whole life!

The Bible says Christians are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to Christ. We are to be holy as He is holy. That those who are saved will produce good fruit, will love the brothers and sisters of Christ. Will live in obedience to His commands, they will share the gospel. And finally, they will persevere to the end of their life.(Rom. 6:12-14,18,22, 1 Peter 1:15,15, Matt. 3:8,7:13-20, 1 John 2:3-6,9-11 Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, 1 John 2:19, Matt. 24:13)

I know as Christians we can not judge people's hearts, but we can look at a professing 'Christians' life and see their fruit or lack their of. You can see over time the pattern of someone's life. You can see someone's apathy, their sin. It is our job to encourage, exhort, rebuke, these people to repent and follow Christ, while they still can.

Lent...

2009-02-25T19:46:00.009-05:00

I wanted to preface this blog with, that this is not intended as a personal attack on anyone person or groups of individuals who hold to the tradition of lent, but what i have learned about it through scripture and historical readings.

It's that time of year again where a lot of churches(predominantly catholic, but most)prepare for the time of 'lent'

There seems to be a lot of good practical things that come out of it(denying self, relying on God more, ect.) However, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what lent is and isn't.
Firstly, the idea of Lent is no where in the Bible.
Secondly, it was not established by the early 'church'(early church as we know of it from the Bible and historical documents) It is an idea adopted by the catholic church from pagan ritual

"According to Johannes Cassianus, who wrote in the fifth century, “Howbeit you should know, that as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken, this observance of Lent did not exist” (First Conference Abbot Theonas, chapter 30). There is neither biblical nor historical record of Christ, the apostles or the early Church participating in the Lenten season.

Since there is no instruction to observe Lent in the Bible, where did it come from? A forty-day abstinence period was anciently observed in honor of the pagan gods Osiris, Adonis and Tammuz (John Landseer, Sabaean Researches, pp. 111, 112). Alexander Hislops, The Two Babylons, pp. 104-105, says this of the origin of Lent: “The forty days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, in the spring of the year, is still observed by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil-worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans…Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt…”
Copyright © 2009 The Real Truth

Yes, God uses the number 40 a lot in the Bible, but the time period associated with, and the practice of lent has nothing to do with the Bible!

The catholic church adopted this ritualistic time of fasting and and self-denial

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”

Ok, sounds nice on the onset but there are several things wrong with that...
Firstly, remember this is taken from a pagan tradition, the catholic church thought it would be a good thing for 'Christians' to do so to prepare for celebrating Christ's death and resurrection. Ok, so pagan devil worshipers prepare themselves for worshiping the devil/false gods, by fasting and such, so we should do it to, but we do it to worship the true God....How many times do we see that happen in modern 'christianity' the worlds doing this, we can do it to, we just have to put Jesus into it, and it's no more pleasing to God then the pagans worshiping the devil!
(Deut 12:31,32)

1."....the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be"
effective? am i the only one who has a problem with that statement?
If someone is truly saved they have all the preparation they need! They have been transformed by the renewing of the Holy Spirit, given holy affections that naturally and overwhelmingly produce an effective celebration, the fact that Christ died on the cross giving the ability for all those who repent and believe, to have the righteousness of Christ imputed to their account and being declared righteous before a Holy God, is more then enough for me to celebrate!!!

2."....One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart."
Um....I'm missing it again, i guess... Relive? am i going back in time, do i fall into a trance, and watch it on a big screen tv?(sorry for the sarcasm) The mystery is not about the death and resurrection, we know why that occurred; God is first and foremost sovereign, secondly He is Holy, Righteous, and just, thirdly, Adam & Eve sinned in the garden of eden, beginning the cycle of sin in man, causing our whole mind, body, and spirit to be forever sinful and corrupt. With this man is now hopeless unable to do any righteous thing to reconcile himself with God,(Rom. 3:23) and on top of that unable to even want to seek reconciliation with God
(Rom 3:10-18,Eph 2:1,5) apart from the drawing of the Holy Spirit. So there we have it, the only plan of salvation for man, was for God to send His son to die on the cross as a propitiation(a substitute) for our sin. In dieing Jesus bore the full wrath of God on himself in place of us! His resurrection from the dead(physically) gave the power over death. For us spiritually for all of those who repent and believe, now; as stated above, can have eternal life with the Father in heaven when we die, not having to endure the wrath of God in hell! Because, Jesus took that punishment for us! That's not a mystery!

3."...The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer,"
No way! purification comes by Christ's shedding of His blood on the cross for the remissions of sin,(Matt.26:28,Heb.Act.10:23) and regeneration by the Holy Spirit in a believes life when he repents and believes the gospel, that is justification by faith. This is a classic example of catholic 'works righteousness' we do some good thing(s) to become purified, doesn't work that way according to the Bible. When we are saved, the holy spirit begins the process of sanctification in us, our works or fruit that we do, come out of being saved,(matt. 3:8) we don't do works to purify/sanctify us first. The other half of that is that people who are truly saved do not need to be continually, "weaning men from sin and selfishness" Yes, we struggle with sin because of our flesh nature, but it is not a habitual lifestyle that the word, 'weaning' would imply. When someone is truly saved they are no longer slaves to sin.(Rom.6:6,11,17,18 Gal.4,7) Weaning would mean that it is something we are addicted to. Again, yes we all probably have some sort of addiction or another, but the difference between a lost person, and a saved one is, that a saved person is continually looking for sin and cutting it out of their lives, not just for 40 days, or once or twice a year when they actually go to church(Easter/Christmas) and feel guilty for how they have been living. Yet, they go right back to their old ways and habits, like a dog returns to his vomit, and a pig returns to the mire.
(2 peter: 2:22) So in that, a truly saved person does not need a set number of days before a holiday to try and be good, and try to deny themselves for that period of time, a true christian is already doing that everyday! The Bible says to deny yourself and take up your cross daily(cross does not mean your addictions or problems you have to deal with) it was the instrument of death, be willing to die for Christ!(Matt.16:24)

4."...by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”
Again, the desire to do God's will does not come from our 'purification, from good works' It only comes from the Holy Spirit once someone has repented and believed the gospel they are regenerated and given a new heart, that can and will desire to do God's will. Desiring to do God's will comes naturally to those who have been truly saved. Just as a baby wants to nurse, and crys by instinct, both a new and old christian will desire God's word, and to do His will! It doesn't have to be force and helped along by doing good things, to muster up the zeal to do God's will. The 'making His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts' is already happening on a day to day basis, we continue to grow in that, but it does not have to be helped along by a ritual for 40 days, the drive and desire comes from within from the Holy Spirit, only when someone has been regenerated

I wrote most of the rest of the blog before i wrote this paragraph, but wanted to stress the importance of this. The catholic 'church' is not the church of the Bible, or the early church of the apostles and disciples. It is a False church, with false doctrine, creating man made tradition, teaching it as doctrine(mark 7:7), with a view of how someone gets saved that is contrary to what the Bible teaches, and in that sending thousands if not millions of catholics who think they are 'christians' to hell!(Gal.1:6-9) They preach and believe a gospel contrary to God's Word, that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was good but not sufficient, that we have to add the cherry on the top of the ice cream sunday, and in doing so nullifying God's grace, and trampling the son of God under foot. That is works based righteousness/salvation, and clearly opposed in the Bible.(Rom.3:24-27)James 2:14-26, Rom.4:5) So make no mistake, when referring to the 'church' do not include the catholic line of pope's and such, Christ bride is not the Roman Catholic one, the catholic church is a whorish, hypocritical, blasphemous religion,(2 Tim.3:2-4, Rom.1:26-32,1 Cor.6:9,10, Rev.21:8, Jude 1:4) but it is not the bride of Christ!(Eph.5:25b-27) In that, traditions started and practiced by and held dear to them, should not be simply transferred over to Christianity, simply because them seem like good things to do. God does not want worship from idols brought into His church, He will not accept that type of worship, He hates it! So be careful, those of us who call ourselves 'christians' when we take up man made traditions instituted by false churches. We have been called out to be separate, says the Lord.(2 Cor.6:17) We should look, act and be different then the world, and not wanting to be associated with what we know to be false churches.

Mark 7:1-9
* 1.Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.
* 2.Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
* 3.For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.
* 4.When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
* 5.Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
* 6.He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
* 7.And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
* 8."For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men*--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
* 9.He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Matt. 6:16-18
* 16."Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
* 17.But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
* 18.so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Ten Indictments Of The Modern Church

2008-12-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

WE MUST PREACH REPENTANCE!!!

2008-11-20T22:41:00.001-05:00

The Preaching of Repentance

"Let every man understand that he will never have remission of sin while his is in love with sin, and that if he abides in sin, he cannot obtain the pardon of sin. There must be a hatred of sin, a loathing of it, and a turning from it, or it is not blotted out. We are to preach repentance as a duty. "The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent." "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." He that has sinned is bound to repent of having sinned. It is the least that he can do. How can any man ask God for mercy while he abides in his sin?

We are to preach the acceptableness of repentance. In itself considered, there is nothing in repentance deserving of the favor of God, but the Lord Jesus Christ having come, we read, "He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy." God accepts repentance for the sake of His dear son. He smiles upon the penitent sinner, and puts away his iniquities . This we are to make known on all sides.

We are also to preach the motives of repentance--that men may not repent from mere fear of Hell, but they must repent of sin itself. Every thief is sorry when he has to go to prison; every murderer is sorry when the noose is about his neck. The sinner must repent, and not because of the punishment of sin, but because his sin is sin against a pardoning God, sin against a bleeding Savior, sin against a holy Law, sin against a tender gospel. The true penitent repents of sin against God, and he would do so even if there were no punishment. When he is forgiven, he repents of sin more than ever, for he sees more clearly than ever the wickedness of offending so gracious a God.

We are to preach repentance in its perpetuity. Repentance is not a grace, which is only to be exercised by us for a week or so at the beginning of our Christian career. It is to attend us all the way to Heaven. Faith and repentance are to be inseparable companions throughout our pilgrimage to glory. Repenting of our sin and trusting in the great Sinbearer--this is to be the tenor of our lives; and we are to preach to men that it must be so.

We are to tell them of the source of repentance, namely, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Repentance is a plant that never grows on nature's dunghill. The nature must be changed, and repentance must be implanted by the Holy Spirit, or it will never flourish in our hearts. We preach repentance as a fruit of the Spirit, or else we greatly err."

Taken from: Spurgeon Gold" compiled by Ray Comfort, published by Living Waters.

Paul Washer: Deeper Conference

2008-11-09T19:19:00.002-05:00

In case the video doesn't work
Paul Washer:Deeper Conference

Warning: Biblical Content Ahead

2008-10-30T08:04:00.002-04:00

This is what God says about the elections.....

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
-Proverbs 29:2

Hence, both candidates are unrighteous, so the people will groan.(both democrats and republicans)

A Word From Spurgeon

2008-09-24T08:11:00.001-04:00

"And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."—Matthew 4:19

"I understand this, first, in this sense: be separate unto Christ. These men were to leave their pursuits they were to leave their companions; they were, in fact, to quit the world, that their one business might be, in their Master's name, to be fishers of men. We are not called to leave our daily business, or to quit our families. That might be rather running away from the fishery than working at it in God's name but we are called most distinctly to come out from among the ungodly, and to be separate, and not to touch the unclean thing. We cannot be fishers of men if we remain among men in the same element with them. Fish will not be fishers. The sinner will not convert the sinner. The ungodly man will not convert the ungodly man; and, what is more to the point, the worldly Christian will not convert the world. If you are of the world, no doubt the world will love its own; but you cannot save the world. If you are dark, and belong to the kingdom of darkness, you cannot remove the darkness. If you march with the armies of the wicked one, you cannot defeat them. I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church. Nowadays, we hear Nonconformists pleading that they may do this, and they may do that,—things which their Puritan forefathers would rather have died at the stake than have tolerated. They plead that they may live like worldlings, and my sad answer to them, when they crave for this liberty, is, "Do it if you dare. It may not do you much hurt, for you are so bad already. Your cravings show how rotten your hearts are. If you have a hungering after such dog's meat, go, dogs, and eat the garbage! Worldly amusements are fit food for mere pretenders and hypocrites. If you were God's children, you would loathe the very thought of the world's evil joys, and your question would not be, 'How far may we be like the world?' but your one cry would be, 'How far can we get away from the world? How much can we come out from it?' Your temptation would be rather to become sternly severe, and ultra-Puritanical in your separation from sin, in such a time as this, than to ask, 'How can I make myself like other men, and act as they do?"'
Brethren, the use of the Church in the world is that it should be like salt in the midst of putrefaction; but if the salt has lost its savour, what is the good of it? If it were possible for salt itself to putrefy, it could but be an increase and a heightening of the general putridity. The worst day the world ever saw was when the sons of God were joined with the daughters of men. Then came the flood; for the only barrier against a flood of vengeance on this world is the separation of the saint from the sinner. Your duty as a Christian is to stand fast in your own place, and to stand out for God, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh, resolving like one of old that, let others do as they will, as for you and your house, you will serve the Lord.
Come, ye children of God, you must stand with your Lord outside the camp. Jesus calls you to-day, and says, "Follow Me." Was Jesus found at the theatre? Did He frequent the sports of the race-course? Was Jesus seen, think you, in any of the amusements of the Herodian court? Not He. He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." In one sense, no one mixed with sinners so completely as He did when, like a physician, He went among them healing His patients; but, in another sense, there was a gulf fixed between the men of the world and the Saviour, which He never essayed to cross, and which they could not cross to defile Him.
The first lesson which the Church has to learn is this: Follow Jesus into the separated state, and He will make you fishers of men. Unless you take up your cross, and protest against an ungodly world, you cannot hope that the holy Jesus will make you fishers of men."

-'The Soul Winner', chpt. 14
C. H. Spurgeon

An Assistant of Satan!

2008-09-15T19:24:00.003-04:00

Ugh....
I'm sooo tired of oprah and all her new age religion.
Why on earth would anyone want to watch her...?

Theologgins for our Noggins..........

2008-09-15T11:20:00.007-04:00

Seriously...?
could this be a better example of the 'churches' sad attempt at being relevant!
Preach the Bible!!!!

Dr. Seuss Sermons

this is just ridiculous!!!

Radical Repentance

2008-09-08T10:20:00.001-04:00

Please, Please take a listen to these two sermons!
They could change your life, and view of your Christianity!

Repentance 1
Repentance 2

Thanks & Enjoy!

Can You Say Blasphemy?

2008-09-07T13:21:00.002-04:00

Joel Hunter the head pastor from Northland Community Church(Longwood, Fl.), praying the closing 'benediction' at the DNC. He at the end just gave credence and credit to all the other religions of the world, and put them on par with Jesus Christ! This man is a wicked pastor and is deceiving thousand at this church.

Can You Guess....?

2008-09-05T13:06:00.001-04:00

A Bullhorn Guy Response

2008-09-05T12:12:00.007-04:00

This is supposed, "turn or burn" evangelism?
BTW, My church would follow this type of evangelism...

Paul Washer: Mini Sermon Part 1, 2, 3

2008-09-03T20:46:00.004-04:00

The Pharisee Card....

2008-08-29T13:28:00.004-04:00

So why is everyone so quick to throw down the "Pharisee Card"?
to quote someone who called me ""..legalistic, judgmental, close minded "I'm right and everyone else is wrong and going to burn in hell" mentality. "
Lets take a moment and break down that statement.

1.Legalistic: By definition is a Theological term referring to adding any works to either salvation or sanctification.
Holding people who claim to be Christians to holy living is not legalistic in and of itself, however when you start saying things like, 'if you smoke, drink, get a tattoo, piercing, dont wear a suite, dont use the KJV version, ect." you are not saved. i think the bible stands to say you have crossed the line of legalism. are there other issues you could take with the drinking, smoking, tattoos, piercings? yeah, that's another topic post.
the book of James talks about how someone who has faith, will demonstrate his/her faith by his/her works. not that the works save them, but that because they are saved they do righteous works. in other words, its a 'faith, that works'. Chapter 7 of Matthew talks about a good tree(saved person) will produce good fruit, and can not produce bad fruit(live in sin) and a bad tree can not produce good fruit. The fruits of the spirit, the beatitudes are the marks of a Christian.(which all Christians have, just in different measures, like a newborn baby has all the parts of an adult, just in different scale)

2.Judgmental: mhh...again there are some verses that are most often taken out of context. The main one being, "judge not lest you be judged", and "take the spec out of your own eye before removing the plank from another's eye"(thats a paraphrase) The first is not referring to making assumptions on others salvation! Keep reading the verses after it, keep it in it's context. the other verse is not a, 'dont talk about other peoples sin, cause you sin too'. It's a, you don't rebuke someone on a certain sin, while you are struggling with that same sin. dont take the verse out of its context and apply it in a general use when it's not used that way.
As Christians we are to hold others accountable and we do judge others who proclaim to be brothers and sisters in Christ. The following verses are pretty clear here.
1 Cor. 5:11-13
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
1 Tim. 5:20
Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning(keeping it in context of after going through matthew18:15,16)
2 Tim. 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove , rebuke , exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3.Closeminded: I guess if someone who is a Christian is suppose to follow what the bible says, that would make them close minded. There is not a lot of room for personal feelings, and thoughts on what the bible says. Either you follow what it says, or you don't. Partial obedience, is total disobedience.
Eph. 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.
Gal. 1:6-10
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before , so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received , let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
We are suppose to strictly follow what the Bible teaches if we don't we are in danger of being "accursed"!
In a lot of the Paul's writings to the churches in the N.T. he talks about not being divided and being in unity. Though a lot of people now days are taking that idea out of context and applying it to everything.(specifically doctrine, and false preaching) People say we should not be divided over things we disagree on. Well what are the things we are disagreeing on? Are they secondary issues? Are they truly legalistic? Or are they a matter of what the gospel is, who God & Jesus are? If they are the latter, then these are not issues to just sweep under the rug, and kiss and make up. These are not issues we simply just 'unify in the name of Christ' on.
These are the hills to die on! These issues are what Christianity is at the core!
Christians should be "judgmental, close minded " when it comes to the gospel message, who God & Jesus are. These are just two issues that are at the core of what's heretical about the emergent church, seeker friendly church, and easy believeism.
People do not be fooled! You have no place to put your personal interpretation into scripture! when it comes to these issues,thats called (eisigesis)

Christians do not unify at the cost of correct doctrine!
you may find yourself in the position of hearing " Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them , I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." one day. Matt 7:22,23

Guitar Picture Time!

2008-08-05T16:59:00.005-04:00

I thought some of you guitar buffs would appreciate these,

My strat guitar build; Transparent red, Ash body, MIA(made in america) Fender Strat pickups, Warmoth pearloid pickguard, Squire 50's Re-Issue Neck with Rosewood fretboard, and Fender Decal.(pending trade)

My MIM(made in mexico) 96- Anniversary Fender Strat, 3-tone sunburst alder body, Maple neck/fretboard, GFS overwound pickups, fender custom shop tortoise pickguard,fender aged knobs

Another strat build; Squire 20th Anniversary Strat, Black Alder body, ceramic pickups, 70's large headstock with rosewood fretboard.(For Sale, being built, final pics will differ slightly)

Music Time

2008-07-23T14:00:00.002-04:00

So, i'm doing a little update.
I sold my Peavey Delta Blues 1x15 combo amp, and with that money,
I'm getting a new amp in the next couple of days!
I have major GAS(Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
Also getting a single 1x12 converted cab from a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

Maybe a possible trade with a guy for the best overdrive pedal ever(John Mayer uses this one)!(The last pedal I'll ever need, promise!!!)
Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer!(drools)

Awesome Sermon! Again!!!

2008-07-17T16:27:00.001-04:00

I would encourage everyone to listen to the following sermon.
Please do not let the title deter you from listening it.

Sermon Audio:Paul Washer

enjoy!

My Theological Worldview

2008-06-06T07:27:00.001-04:00

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Reformed Evangelical

You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die.

Reformed Evangelical

96%

Fundamentalist

86%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

71%

Neo orthodox

54%

Emergent/Postmodern

32%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

29%

Classical Liberal

18%

Roman Catholic

11%

Modern Liberal

What Is Monergism?

2008-05-16T12:56:00.000-04:00

Monergism: In regeneration, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ independent of any cooperation from our unregenerated human nature. He quickens us through the outward call cast forth by the preaching of His Word, disarms our innate hostility, removes our blindness, illumines our mind, creates understanding, turns our heart of stone to a heart of flesh -- giving rise to a delight in His Word -- all that we might, with our renewed affections, willingly & gladly embrace Christ. The Prophet Ezekiel inspired by the Holy Spirit asserted "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God." (Eze 11:19, also 36:26) The Apostle Paul said, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." (1 Thess 1, 4, 5). I.e. In regeneration the word does not work alone but must be accompanied by the "germination" of the Holy Spirit. And again "...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." (1 Pet 1:23)

The Century Dictionary defines it as follows:

"In theology, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent in regeneration - that the human will possesses no inclination to holiness until regenerated, and therefore cannot cooperate in regeneration."

It means that the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly comes to us through regeneration -- and if anyone says that this belongs to us by nature and not by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness, he/she ignores the teaching of the Apostles, for Paul says, "...Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved." and "...he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5) And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). or if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

It is in contrast to synergism which the Century Dictionary defines as

"...the doctrine that there are two efficient agents in regeneration, namely the human will and the divine Spirit, which, in the strict sense of the term, cooperate. This theory accordingly holds that the soul has not lost in the fall all inclination toward holiness, nor all power to seek for it under the influence of ordinary motives."

Taken from: Monergism.com

Discernment and the church

2008-04-25T13:53:00.002-04:00

I listened to probably one of the best sermons today on discernment, it was taken from the apostle Paul coming back to the Galatians's church, and seeing how they had fallen from teaching the doctrine of grace to the doctrine that the Judaizers had be teaching.

Please take a listen, you won't regret it! :-)

Steve Lawson's Sermon

Solemn Warning!

2008-04-14T10:39:00.002-04:00

This sermon is from Steve Lawson going through a portion of scripture warning the church about allowing metaphoric 'yeast' into the church and its teaching. Please take a listen.

Solemn Warning

or

Solemn Warning

thanks

Hebrews & Brotherly Love

2008-04-09T09:03:00.002-04:00

After studying the last chapter in the book of Hebrews(chpt. 13) It makes me upset when people misunderstand and twist things about Christianity. As Christians we WILL love our brothers, if we are truly saved. We will be hospitable, provide, and care for other believers.

This really does blow the legs out of the idea that 'Christians, shoot our wounded' No, we will certainly not do that to other brothers......if we are really saved. If this type of thing happens, it is most likely that the people doing so, are not really saved! Like 1 Cor. 5:10-13 says, we are to judge those who are within the church and hold them accountable, this is not being judgmental, especially if what another brother is doing/saying goes against what the Bible says! If you go to a brother with a just cause and they buck your rebuke, the Spirit is trying to convict them, and they don't like it, they don't want to submit to the Holy Spirit....most likely unsaved! A true believer does not have that attitude, there is a humbleness and meekness. A true brother will be eager to understand what he/she is doing wrong, and want to make it right! They will submit to council and rebuke. This idea of 'Christians, shooting their wounded' is just not true. It should really be stated as 'false brothers, shoot their wounded' I have never seen a church, for example, mine; that loves each other, like they do! any member of my church would lay down their life for another. I have been going their for about year and half, now i have never seen or heard of anyone doing this so called, 'shooting the wounded' in fact, just the opposite, they work to build up everyone. Now, this is not to say, that we have not had to practice church discipline. When someone refuses to submit to the authority of the Bible, and are living in unrepentant sin, then the ultimate step would be to dis fellowship that person(s) as Matt. 18:15-17
When a church is following what the Bible says, there is no need to 'shoot the wounded'

Awesome Sermon!

2008-04-07T14:47:00.003-04:00

Please, take the time and listen to the following sermon, you can download it below.
This is the great pastor Paul Washer

Awesome Sermon

or

Awesome Sermon

Thanks For Listening!

John Piper on Cancer/Disease

2008-04-07T13:58:00.003-04:00

This was a article from John Piper written while he was going through cancer

http://www.desiringgod.org

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

are you at the point where you can say "God, do to me, what ever seems good to you"-Steve Lawson

Watch out for that...........Deer?

2008-03-13T18:40:00.002-04:00

So, i have been in Chantilly, Va. just outside of D.C. for the past couple of days, at Northrop Grumman. I was waiting in the reception area, and out of no where a deer runs head first into the glass window! She is knocked out and slowly slides down the glass towards the grown, saliva all over the window and all! She laid on the ground for a few moments, but then jumped back up, and ran off! How crazy is that!? you don't see that everyday!

i'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight home, which doesn't leave for another 3hrs :-/
i'm so ready to get home to my wife!!!

What is 'Avatar' Josh.........

2008-02-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

So, ive been asked 'what in the world is this thing you call an 'avatar''?
Well, the company i work for does 3D virtual Worlds for training and simulation projects, mostly with the government. So...
An avatar is a digital representation of yourself in a virtual world that you control and interact with.
So... Avatar Josh is me in the virtual world, or in this case on the internet.
Hope that helps :-)

What Is Legalism.......?

2008-02-10T17:57:00.000-05:00

It's funny how people throw around a term that they have no idea what it means, they here it and it sounds good to use against someone who is spouting scripture. It is automatically assumed that someone saying something from scripture that is not well received, the person must be legalistic...not so!

Legalism is in fact a theological term, and is defined as...

1)Adding any work to earn salvation(titus3:5)
2)Adding any man made work for either salvation or sanctification(Matt. 15:9)

Legalism is a heresy! Do not tolerate it!

If i simply tell someone that what they are doing is a sin, and are commanded by God not to sin, or they are not doing somethings that is clearly commanded in the Bible, it is NOT legalistic for me to tell them so.

Are You A Christian.......?

2008-02-10T17:40:00.000-05:00

So, as today comes to a close i've come to the realization that a lot people i know are NOT Christians, like they think they are. Here is a quick test to get you thinking...
Note: As a Christian there are tests in the Bible that either we fail, or pass, there is no middle ground, just barely passing. Either it's an A or it's an F. Also, I am not saying that you are not a christian simply on the fact that you don't pass parts of this test, but that they are huge warning signs that someone needs to take seriously. Also, do not get upset, angry, offended at me, cause these are not my ideas thoughts, suggestions, or commands, but God's from the Bible!

1. Do you desire, and read your bible daily?

2.Do you desire to go to church, and attend on a consistent basis on Sunday?

3.Do you desire to fellowship, and fellowship with other believers?

4.Do you desire to share the gospel, and share the gospel regularly(with everybody!)?

5.Do you hate your sin?

If anyone feels that they need scriptural proof, i will be more then happy to post the Bible verses having to do with each of these areas.

Wheat & Tears

2008-01-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

I find it so very disheartening that in today's modern evangelicalism we have so many tears among the wheat. the people who confess to be followers of Christ yet preach and support the very opposite. This link contains a document that expresses that the God of the Bible, and the god(Allah) are the same, and should be recognized as the same god. Look at

A Common Word Between Us

Here are some key people who have signed in agreement with this document.

Rick Warren
Bill Hybels
Robert Schuller

9 Marks

2008-01-03T16:14:00.001-05:00

Here is a great website that gives some very usefull info on churches, and what a true church should be. http://www.9marks.org/

Here are what they have as the 9 marks of a good church...

The Mission of 9Marks

We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations. Our vision is simple: Churches that reflect the character of God. Our mission is to cultivate and encourage churches characterized by these nine marks:

1. Expositional Preaching
This is preaching which expounds what Scripture says in a particular passage, carefully explaining its meaning and applying it to the congregation. It is a commitment to hearing God’s Word and to recovering the centrality of it in our worship.

2. Biblical Theology
Paul charges Titus to "teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Our concern should be not only with how we are taught, but with what we are taught. Biblical theology is a commitment to know the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself in Scripture.

3. Biblical Understanding of the Good News
The gospel is the heart of Christianity. But the good news is not that God wants to meet people's felt needs or help them develop a healthier self-image. We have sinfully rebelled against our Creator and Judge. Yet He has graciously sent His Son to die the death we deserved for our sin, and He has credited Christ's acquittal to those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus' death and resurrection. That is the good news.

4. Biblical Understanding of Conversion
The spiritual change each person needs is so radical, so near the root of us, that only God can do it. We need God to convert us. Conversion need not be an emotionally heated experience, but it must evidence itself in godly fruit if it is to be what the Bible regards as a true conversion.

5. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
How someone shares the gospel is closely related to how he understands the gospel. To present it as an additive that gives non-Christians something they naturally want (i.e. joy or peace) is to present a half-truth, which elicits false conversions. The whole truth is that our deepest need is spiritual life, and that new life only comes by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus. We present the gospel openly, and leave the converting to God.

6. Biblical Understanding of Membership
Membership should reflect a living commitment to a local church in attendance, giving, prayer and service; otherwise it is meaningless, worthless, and even dangerous. We should not allow people to keep their membership in our churches for sentimental reasons or lack of attention. To be a member is knowingly to be traveling together as aliens and strangers in this world as we head to our heavenly home.

7. Biblical Church Discipline
Church discipline gives parameters to church membership. The idea seems negative to people today – “didn’t our Lord forbid judging?” But if we cannot say how a Christian should not live, how can we say how he or she should live? Each local church actually has a biblical responsibility to judge the life and teaching of its leaders, and even of its members, particularly insofar as either could compromise the church’s witness to the gospel.

8. Promotion of Christian Discipleship and Growth
A pervasive concern with church growth exists today – not simply with growing numbers, but with growing members. Though many Christians measure other things, the only certain observable sign of growth is a life of increasing holiness, rooted in Christian self-denial. These concepts are nearly extinct in the modern church. Recovering true discipleship for today would build the church and promote a clearer witness to the world.

9. Biblical Understanding of Leadership
What eighteenth-century Baptists and Presbyterians often agreed upon was that there should be a plurality of elders in each local church. This plurality of elders is not only biblical, but practical — it has the immense benefit of rounding out the pastor’s gifts to ensure the proper shepherding of God’s church.

In identifying and promoting these nine marks, we are not intending to lay down an exhaustive or authoritative list. There are other significant marks of healthy churches, like prayer and fellowship. We want to pursue those ourselves as well, and we want you to pursue them with us. But these nine are the ones we think are most neglected in most local churches today, with the most damaging ramifications. Join us in cultivating churches that reflect the character of God.

How Sad......

2007-11-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

I pray that God can open his eyes, and allow him to see the truth, and error in what he believes. Unless you repent and believe the gospel you are not going to heaven, that simple.

Rock Band.......At Last!

2007-11-21T20:44:00.001-05:00

Here shaun, this is a video of us all playing a song.
enjoy.....

Let The Count Down Begin!

2007-11-15T17:36:00.000-05:00

Create yours at BlingyBlob.com!

I Played......

2007-11-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Nov 1, 2007 9:55 am PT

I went to my local best buy today, and sure enough there was the rock band setup in the 360 area of the video games.

I watch a guy play the guitar for a while, then i had the chance to play the drums, and a couple other guys showed up and we played as a band. Here is my take on the game...

1. the drums feel pretty solid, if you've had previous drumming experience you might want to start on hard. The whole song is playing in the back ground while you play, and if you hear a note on the drums, and you are on a lower difficulty you instinctively want to play those notes, even though they aren't being shown.

2. the guitar feels good too, probably about the same weight at the les paul, maybe a bit lighter. none of the songs i played utilized the 5 lower buttons on the neck, but the regular 5 buttons seem a bit more sticky, or less springy then the GH guitars.

3. the vocals are pretty hard, you almost have to lead them, or i guess knowing the song already helps a lot.

i'm definitely gonna go back and play some more!

The Trinity and Jesus

2007-10-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, so i want to go through and investigate some of the views of the trinity and how Jesus is viewed as to his relation to the trinity and his deity. i would like to explore some of the various views of the trinity that are out there and see how they compare to what the Bible has to say about them. As well as seeing how Jesus fits into the trinity and how that view may effect his deity as some may believe.

First one i would like to explore....
1. The trinity is one God in three modes.
There is one God, there is no question there(Theism) however, the father, the son, and the holy spirit are one. God wears different hats, per say.

Lets take a look at the Bible, and what it has to say...
First lets start at 'the beginning' Genisis 1:26 "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
Many would say that God is talking to the angles, but if you look at the word used here for 'God' it is Elohim which is the plural form of El. God is talking to just himself? that doesn't make much sense. This is an obvious reference to the trinity. God the father talking to Jesus(the son) as well as possibly the Holy Spirit.
Now this brings an interesting point, that a lot of people would agree with this, but when asked about Jesus, they believe that Jesus is either (a. an angle, or b. they take the verse Colossians 1:15 'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.' stating that Jesus was created before anything written in the account of creation. However both if we look a little deeper into these ideas the Bible is very clear.(in reference to that verse, the term 'firstborn' does not mean that he was born chronologically(it can just not in this context) before anything else, it means that it is a term of preeminence in position or rank) and (c.Jesus was not fully God until he was baptized) Lets now look at version 'a'
After looking at Genisis 1:26, I skip the hundreds of references to Jesus being God and not an angle in the old testament, because there are too many. I will skip to the New testament. John 1:1-5
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

These are direct verses talking about Jesus being God, having all the deity of God the Father, but being God the son. the word 'Was' is used to show that it was before the existence of the world. Nothing in this world was made without Him, therefor He could not be created, He was responsible for creating! Next, look at John 1:4,5
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend[a] it."

John introduces Jesus as the light and life. Ok,now we move down a few verses to vs 14
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

John now goes back and refers to Jesus as the 'Word' again, in other words(no punn intended) God became flesh(Jesus) and dwelt among us, and we beheld Jesus's glory, the glory as of the only son of the God (the Father). This verse would show that Jesus is God, but not God the Father; they are two separate, but both fully God.
Skip ahead a few books and look at 1 John 1:1-3
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
"
OK, the writer of 1 John also now refers to Jesus as the Word. Jesus whom we have seen and felt with our hands, we are telling you this is the son of God, God became flesh(Jesus). I think it quite clear through these verses that Jesus was God ALWAYS, not just after he was baptized. The last verses i want to look at is Hebrews 1:1-14(i will only hit on the key verses)
"1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself[a] purged our[b] sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The Son Exalted Above Angels"

(ok, so in these verses the writer of Hebrews says that God the father who's Son is Jesus Christ made the world, and is the heir of all things, and being the physical form of God the Father, died for our sins, and is on the right hand of the throne. Jesus by His position is higher then the angels(note this does not say he is the highest of the angels, or is even an angel at all!)

5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:

“ You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?[c]

And again:

“ I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”?[d]

(God himself calls Jesus His son, not to any of the angels)

6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:

“ Let all the angels of God worship Him.”[e]

7 And of the angels He says:

“ Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”[f]

8 But to the Son He says:

“ Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”[g]

10 And:

“ You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail.”[h]

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:

“ Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?[i]

14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?"

These last verses all talk about how God did not 'do', 'say', 'ect'.- to the angels, but to his son.

As we look at the Bible, and investigate the context in which these verses are used we see that the trinity (Father,Son, and Holy Spirit)are all equally God, but three separate unique persons. As well after looking into just a few of the many verses the Bible clearly states that Jesus is not an angel, and nor was he created. As i study and learn i will continue to edit this and add more evidence to uphold the Biblical view of the Trinity and Jesus.
I hope that everybody who reads this will take the time and read their Bible and look into this matter of truth. It is of the up most importance to know your Bible and what it has to say on key Biblical truths and doctrine. May God bless you and teach you as you read His word.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot!

2007-10-17T15:32:00.000-04:00

BAM!!!!! so i got the GH3 Demo today!!!
here are a few screen shots, as well as me playing one of the songs....
more to come!!!

And now for the video.....

Rock and Roll....Here I Come!!!

2007-10-15T19:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so is anybody else excited for GH3(Guitar Hero 3-oct. 28) and Rock Band(nov. 23)? I recently bought a 360 a few months back, really just for the racing game Forza 2, but i got GH2 as well, and Lindsay and i have been hooked. i've beaten the game on easy, medium, and almost finished hard(i just have to get free bird) ok, so i know im not the best, and i'm sure shaun/brent you guys could probably kick my butt. Anyway, its so much fun playing with my wife, i highly suggest another lady out there to at least try to play with your husband/boyfriend. You may not be very good at first, you may feel dumb not doing wel, but your husband/boyfriend will greatly appreciate that you are playing with him, and not to mention its just fun spending time together doing something fun!!!

Anyway, back to rockin' out!!!

1st Blog Post.............Finally

2007-10-10T21:00:00.000-04:00