Sunday, December 23, 2007

A Devotion for our Lord's Day

"He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, 'What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him? Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.' For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him" (Heb. 2:5- 8).

When we look at the vast, seemingly endless universe and then think about the little dot we call earth in the middle of it all, we cannot help but wonder, "What is man? What right do we have to be so much on God's mind?"
David had an answer: "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels . . . crowned him with glory and honor . . . appointed him over the works of Thy hands . . . put all things in subjection under his feet" (Heb. 2:6-8). The writer of Hebrews was quoting one of the Psalms (Ps. 8:4-6) to show that God made man to be king.
David undoubtedly penned his psalm based on what God said in the beginning: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Gen. 1:26). God's original design for man in his innocence was to be king over an undefiled earth.
When God made Adam, who was pure and innocent, He gave Him honor and glory. God crowned man king of the earth: "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet" (Heb. 2:8). One day we again will be given the right to rule the earth, and all God's creation will be put under our feet.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Read Psalm 8 and offer it as your own praise to God.
For Further Study:
Read Daniel 7:18, 27 and note the extent of the saints' ultimate rule.

The Heidelberg Catechism, This Lord's Day week 51

Q126: What is the fifth petition?

A126: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; that is, be pleased, for the sake of Christ's blood, not to impute to us miserable sinners our manifold transgressions, nor the evil which always cleaves to us;[1] as we also find this witness of Thy grace in us, that it is our full purpose heartily to forgive our neighbor.[2]
1. Psa. 51:1-4; 143:2; I John 2:1-22. Matt. 6:14-15; Psa. 51:5-7; Eph. 1:7

Questions 24-26 from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. For your Family Devotion today.

Q24: How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?

A24: Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us,[1] by his word [2] and Spirit,[3] the will of God for our salvation.
1. John 1:182. John 20;313. John 14:26

Q25: How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?

A25: Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice,[1] and reconcile us to God;[2] and in making continual intercession for us.[3]
1. Heb. 9:282. Heb. 2:173. Heb. 7:25

Q26: How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A26: Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself,[1] in ruling and defending us,[2] and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.[3]
1. Psa. 110:32. Isa. 33:223. I Cor. 15:25

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? Rev. Charles J. Paul

December 25th is the traditional anniversary of the birth of Christ, but most scholars are unsure about the true date for Christ's birth.
The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25th was made sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in Rome. They had a specific reason for doing so.
Having turned long ago from worshiping the one true God and creator of all things, many early cultures in the Roman empire had fallen into sun worship. Recognizing their dependence on the sun's yearly course in the heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun god strength and bring him back to life again. When it became apparent that the days were growing longer, there would be great rejoicing.
The church leaders in Rome decided to celebrate Christ's birth during the winter solstice in an attempt to Christianize these popular pagan celebrations. For the most part their efforts failed to make the people conform, and the heathen festivities continued. Today we find ourselves left with a bizarre marriage of pagan and Christian elements that characterizes our modern celebration of Christmas.
Regardless of the pagan background of so many December traditions, and whether or not Jesus was born on December 25th, our goal is still to turn the eyes of all men upon the true Creator and Christ of Christmas. The light of the world has come. And the Christmas season and celebration presents the church with a wonderful opportunity to preach the good news--that men can be made righteous and have peace with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Should Women hold the office of Pastor? The Bible says NO..... Rev. Charles J. Paul

The following document is supported by Truth Matters.
http://www.gty.org/media/pdf/Role_of_Women.pdf

Is Your Church Part Of The "Milky Way"? Posted By Josh at JJ Bible Ministry

If I didn't know it, I would have thought Jeff was speaking directly about Lancaster County Bible Church, Lititz Grace, and others in my area of Pennsylvania.Thanks to Lane Chaplin for posting this.

Click Here for Video.......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9ivH1nsNU8&eurl=http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/

Virginity and Humility By Dr Phil Ryken

A friend has written with a seasonal quotation from Bernard of Clairvaux's sermons on Advent:

"Who is this Virgin so reverently saluted by the angel? and so lowlyas to be espoused to a carpenter ? Beautiful commingling of virginity with humility! That soul is in no small degree pleasing toGod, in whom humility commends virginity, and virginity adorns humility. But how much more worthy of veneration is she, in whom fecundity exalts humility, and child-bearing consecrates virginity.

His Story By Dr Phil Ryken

History is (of course) an essential category to use in describing the Bible. The Bible has a narrative structure. What kind of narrative is it? A theologically-annotated one (see previous post). Also, an historical one. It is not enough to say that the Bible is a true story, because stories can be true in different ways. We must also assert and defend the claim that the Bible is true history.That having been said, it should also be said that even calling the Bible "history" may not be sufficient in these post-modern times, because history itself is increasingly viewed as a perspectival enterprise. We do not have facts, only differing perspectives on what happened. In this context, it may be important to say that the Bible is divinely authored history that gives a God's-eye perspective of what happened. God doesn't have a point of view; he has a complete view.I also still want to say that narrative or story is a useful (if by itself incomplete) category for understanding the Bible. It reminds us that the Bible is unified, not simply because its propositions are logically consistent, but also because it tells one grand story of the one true God and his one people in history. Also, we ourselves are part of the story that the Bible tells. The term "history" is usually understood to refer to things that have happened in the past. But the Bible also tells us our story -- the story of what God is doing in the universe today, until the end of time.

Rick Warren Councils Jewish Leaders On How to Recruit Congregants

This story from the Christian Post is just mind boggling. It says:
"Megachurch pastor Rick Warren attended a large Reform Jewish gathering last week to share tips on how to build a community....
The “Purpose-Driven” pastor spoke to thousands of Jewish leaders Thursday night at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial convention in San Diego.
With the holiday season in mind, Warren urged clergy to take advantage of crowded events to publicize other programs so people can get involved in the community through smaller groups.
“There are some principles that apply regardless of our faith, if it’s Jewish or Christian,” he said at the convention....
After Warren spoke a few minutes at the podium, he sat alongside two popular Southern California rabbis for a casual talk about strengthening congregational life."
Am I missing something here? I've been working from the notion that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way of salvation and that we as the church are called to make disciples through the preaching of Christ Crucified for sinners. With that being the case, I don't see any freedom given by God in His Word for a Christian pastor to help Jewish synagogues recruit people.
Have I completely missed the boat here? Are non-Christians now saved? Is the only thing that matters to God is that people go to "A" house of worship regardless of whether it is Christian, Jewish, Muslim or 'other'?
How is what Rick Warren did NOT a complete betrayal of Jesus Christ?

Dark Ages Return Thanks to Emergent Heresy and Willow Creek

This short video is by Mark Van Steenwyk. He was one of the speakers at Willow Creek's "Ancient-Future Community" Conference.
This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7WCv-TZetg&eurl=http://www.extremetheology.com/pretty much says it all. The pastors at Willow Creek, rather than obeying the Bible and feeding Christ's sheep with the word of God are now telling Christians that they should become 'self-feeders'. What better way is there to 'feed yourself' than to join a monastic community?
Christianity has just reentered the dark ages.

Worship, Not Evangelism, The Most Important Task By Robert Reymond

Quoting Robert Reymond . . .
To worship God - that is the primary reason why the Christian should go to church. In today's church climate this is a radical idea. Nevertheless, Christians should go to church, not to evangelize, not to provide a comfortable "consumer-friendly" setting for the unchurched, not even primarily for the benefit which fellowship with other Christians provides, and definitely not just for lectures and devotionals, but in order to worship God. Christians should also understand that evangelism and the missionary task are not the most important tasks the church has.
Such efforts exist among the nations, as John Piper argues in his Let the Nations Be Glad, only because worship of the true God among them does not! ...
Anyone who will take the time to study the matter will have to conclude that worship in evangelical churches in this generation is, speaking generally, approaching bankruptcy. There is neither rhyme nor reason, much less biblical warrant, for the order of and much that goes on in many evangelical church services today. The fact of the matter is, much evangelical "worship" is simply not true worship at all.
For decades now evangelical churches have been conducting their services for the sake of unbelievers. Both the revivalistic service of a previous generation and the "seeker service" of today are shaped by the same concern--appeal to the unchurched. Not surprisingly, in neither case does much that might be called worship by Christians occur. As a result, many evangelicals who have been sitting for years in such worship services are finding their souls drying up, and they have begun to long for something else.
Accordingly, they have become vulnerable to the appeal of the mysterium of hierarchical liturgical services. This is why some today are "on the Canterbury trail" of defecting to Greek Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Others who have been simply spectators for years in their worship services are getting caught up in the people-involving worship of charismatic services. .
From:
A New Systematic Theology Of The Christian Faith

Hebrews 6 and the Loss of Salvation By John MacArthur



Does Hebrews 6:4-6 teach that a true believer can lose his salvation?

No. In that passage, the writer of Hebrews is speaking to the unsaved who have heard the truth and acknowledged it, but who have hesitated to embrace Christ. The Holy Spirit warns them, “You had better come to Christ now, for if you fall away it will be impossible for you to come again to the point of repentance.” They were at the best point for repentance–full knowledge. To fall back from that would be fatal.
Because they believe the warning is addressed to Christians, many interpreters hold that the passage teaches that salvation can be lost. If this interpretation were true, however, the passage would also teach that, once lost, salvation could never be regained. There would be no going back and forth, in and out of grace. But Christians are not being addressed, and it is the opportunity for receiving salvation, not salvation itself, that can be lost.
The believer need never fear he will lose his salvation. He cannot. The Bible is absolutely clear about that. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29; see also Rom. 8:35-39; Phil. 1:6; and 1 Pet. 1:4-5).
If you are in Christ, rejoice. Your salvation is secure forever.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Christian Life Center Puts Truth Matters on Notice.......

Note...... the following email was sent to Truth Matters to inform us not to email them any longer. We have been blocked. We can all see the blind eyes and hard hearts they have when it comes to talking about God's Word.

The day has come, to the heartbreak of the church, that when you come to a church with a biblical concern instead of the Senior Pastor talking with you about their doctrine, they block you from contacting them. We are truly living in the last days when men will no longer put up with sound doctrine. Rev. Charles J. Paul


Dear Sir,

This is to inform you that your email IP address & all email from Truthmatters.org is no longer being delivered to any user in our clconline.org domain. Any messages attempts will only result in connection drops.

If you make cotinued attempts to email this domain, your email server will be reported to email black lists and your servers will be denied delivery to most email servers globally.

I appreciate your cooperation in this matter,

Thank you,

Systems Administrator

Christian Life Center says '' This Will be the Final Email From them"

That's fine, Chuck. Our doctrine is solid as the Bible we base it on. Nevertheless, I do not wish to waste precious time debating non-absolutes...what's the point? We both know there's more important things to do than throw stones at one another...while we're busy "debating" non-essentials the world is dying and going to hell! Why do more to construct walls between churches bringing more division, thus destroying our message to the world? The Pharisaical attitude is the devil's (or do you not believe in him either?) greatest weapon in destroying the Church.

It may surprise you to discover that God is big enough to police his own Kingdom and doesn't need you or I running around playing "hall monitor." I'm sorry you disagree with our doctrine, that's understandable, but I'm more sorry that you see the need to play God's personal deputy. We aren't compromising the message of God's redemptive love, and the message is what matters.

We're doing what God has called us to do; we're happy with that; people are discovering God and experiencing His power in life changing ways; marriages are being restored; addictions are being broken; homes are being mended! The best proof of a changed life IS a changed life, and by the grace of God He is doing just that...

This will be the final email from me, or anyone else from CLC, you will receive.

Truth Matters Responds to Christian Life Centers Last Email to us.

Del,
Again you have evaded my last two emails. You seem to not want to discuss the Truth of God’s Word. You say that you are not compromising God’s Word. But in know way do you defend your position. As far as your comment about walls. Let me say if bringing the Truth of Scripture to a Pastor who is not teaching sound doctrine. Is looked at as putting up walls then I would suggest you take another look at your definition of walls.

We are Commanded in Holy Scripture where our Holy God’ Speaks to us. To Contend for the Truth. And also to expose error. So you must see that it is Holy Scripture that first disagrees with you. I am only the bond servant bringing the message.

Let’s look at your comment about a Hall Monitor. Remember the only person who does not like a hall Monitor is the person breaking the law he knows the hall monitor will enforce.

By you saying this is the last email I will receive shows me your unwillingness to discuss what truly does matter. And that is God’s Holy Word.

Truth matters will always be available to you and anyone on your staff. Should you ever want to discuss the Doctrines of God?

Rev. Charles J. Paul

"Better Things To Do" Then Contend For The Truth? by Rev. Charles J. Paul


As you can see from the email exchange below, Sr. Pastor Elect from Christian Life Center feels that it is not necessary to contend for the truth because "we have better things to do (thankfully)."


This is why God has so burned into my heart the need for a Modern Day Reformation.


That Modern Day Reformation will come to fruition when the truth of God's Word is taught to God's people. May God help us all that live and die on the hill of truth.

Pastor Del Smith Comments from Christian Life Center

In a message dated 12/21/2007 1:25:42 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, dels@clconline.org writes:

As Craig Groeschel says, “When you do something new to reach people for Jesus the Pharisees will attack with a vengenace. Do not worry when the Pharisees are attacking you; worry whey they are not!”

As before: ignore it and move on…we have better things to do (thankfully)!

Josh From JJ Bible Ministry Responds to Pastor Del Smith

Charles has given clear Scripture that backs him, while you have provided none. I would be very, very cautious of who you call a Pharisee. If what you are promoting is Biblically sound, then why is everyone hiding? Don't listen to me. Don't listen to Charles. Read your Bible. It's clear. Be like the Bereans. Charles is rebuking you out of love for Christ and for His reputation. If he did not love you, he would not say a word.

Josh
www.bloodtippedears.blogspot.com

TruthMatters Responds to Christian Life Center in Bensalem

The Following is a Response to the Posting below from CLC.

TO: David Cawston, Del Smith (Sr. Pastor Elect)
FROM: Truth Matters, Inc.

Apparently from this last email, there is not only a lack of doctrinal clarity at CLC but also a lack of understanding the roles of spiritual leadership.

My last two emails were intended for the leadership team who are attempting to steer CLC in a very dangerous direction. I find it very sad that I still have not received any response from the men leading this church. I have received two responses from the church secretary. So, it with that said that I take your lack of communication over this very serious spiritual matter as a sign of your ongoing lack of adherence to sound doctrine.
Truth Matters has attempted to warn you and encourage your repentance. Since you clearly are unrepentant, we will now do everything within our means to warn people of the false Gospel that is embraced at CLC. We will continue to pray for God’s mercy, grace and illumination of His truth upon your lives.

If at any time in the future, the leadership team of CLC would like to discuss these doctrinal issues, we will remain available to you.

Email from Christian Life Center in Bensalem

I wrote to you as Linda, your sister in Christ of which I believed we belonged to one body in Christ Jesus…..obviously you only think of me as a “secretary” and not someone equal to any type or form leadership or you in respect to scripture…..forgive me for even believing you had a heart and compassion for the body of Christ…..Chuck…..you are a very cold person….and your passion is towards judgement and not in love.
Chuck ….You make a lousy Holy Ghost.

May God have mercy on your soul, heart and mind….and may the grace of God forever be with you….hopefully melting your heart towards the body of Christ.

Goodbye
Linda