Because Of Mary We Have A Savior

[Email From A Catholic] I just read an article you wrote about our Lord’s Mother. Did you ever stop and think that Jesus might be offended when you talk negatively about his mother. Because of her we have a savior. You would be wise to know the subject you are speaking about, before you speak about it. You obviously know nothing about Catholic teaching. I pray to God to open your eyes and your mind to know the fullness of Christian Truth that IS the Catholic Church.

Your denomination came from a sinful man. Mine came from Jesus by way of Mary. Please study the Catholic faith fully without all the lies told to you by men of you faith. Then you will come to the Catholic Church were you will be welcomed by me and countless others. Jesus started 1 Church,”Upon this Rock I will build my CHURCH”. Not Churches’. Think of Mary this way, Eve brought Sin into the world, Mary brought Salvation into the world. Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant. We DO NOT worship her. But we absolutely LOVE her. Nothing wrong with that….Catholics got it right since 33AD. God Bless You and Good Luck finding your way home.

[Bible Answer] You didn’t read our teachings on Mary very carefully. If you did, you should have noticed that, often it is stated that the Mary of Catholicism is fabricated. She is mythical. She doesn’t exist. She was invented and evolved over the centuries into the present sinless and sovereign Queen of heaven, mediatrix of all graces, the way to God, “our life, sweetness and hope,” etc., to whom misinformed people pray. The real Mary of the Bible is totally different. Hence, we are not attacking the real Mary, the mother of Jesus. We are doing her no injustice nor are we offending the Lord Jesus by showing what the Bible says about the real Mary and contrasting that with the fabricated Mary of Catholicism. Did you know that the Lord Jesus publicly rebuked a Catholic-like woman in his day who was exalting Mary because she gave birth to Jesus and nursed him? Read this carefully for yourself and adjust your beliefs for your own good:

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27,28)

That is a crushing blow to the foundation of Catholic Marian teaching. She is wrongly exalted solely because she gave birth to Jesus. Jesus refuted that concept. QUESTION: Do you really know what the Catholic Church teaches about their Mary? Do you know what Pope John Paul II believed and taught about his Mary?

Our beliefs about Mary, etc. are all found in the Bible. You can verify them all easily in your own Bible. If you don’t have one, please get a Bible, read it carefully for yourself and change accordingly. Your eternal destiny hinges on what you do with its message. I hope I’m wrong, but you seem to be a person who doesn’t want to be bothered with truth. Your mind is made up and you are comfortable believing what you have been taught even though it is condemned in Scripture. You think, because you were taught, that the Catholic church was founded in 33AD by Jesus that it really was. That is not true. It is impossible since the teachings of Catholicism evolved over the centuries (rosary, scapular, etc.) and the Bible declares a totally different message about Blessed Mary, salvation, forgiveness of sins, baptism, etc.!The Bible is truth. Any teaching which deviates from the Bible is dangerously wrong, especially if it is related to eternal life.

You must not know that I am a former Roman Catholic. I wanted to stay a Catholic, but changed because of the Catholic Bible! By reading it, I was surprised by the truth. I discovered God’s way to get forgiven is without going to the priest and confessing my sins to him, as I had wrongly been doing for years. See Luke 18:9-14. I was set free from my sin addictions when I humbly repented and committed my life to serve God. To do it God’s way is perfectly safe. It can’t be wrong to go by the Bible alone, which is final authority (2 Tim. 3:16,17). You can have the same wonderful experience, by simply believing what Jesus said and obeying it! Especially note Lk. 18:13,14. Remember this: The focus for salvation is always on JESUS – never a denomination, sacraments. Mary, etc. You have been taught wrongly as I too was. BTW, I tried to publicly debate the well-known Catholic apologetic spokesmen (and bogus Catholic heroes of our day) to no avail. I believe they are afraid to deal with the truth I would present! Remember Luke 11:27,28.

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Spiritual Wolves

The wolf resembles a German Shepherd dog in appearance and such a wild animal is mentioned throughout the New Testament, but never in a good way! How could such a popular wild animal, which some are enamored by in our day, be described in such a spiritual manner? The answer is simple if one knows a child of God (a Christian) is likened unto a sheep (Jn. 10:27; etc.).growling wolf Since wolves kill sheep, then such spiritual wolves can be fatally dangerous to Christians! So who or what should Christians be aware of in this sense? Jesus warned:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them …. (Mt. 7:15,16)

False prophets are D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S camouflaged hungry killer wolves.wolf in sheep's clothes They are camouflaged to hide their true identity and to deceive. They are ferocious spiritual wolves, which come to Christians! They are aggressive and deadly, as they present themselves as Christians and try to extend their influence to them. They can use Biblical terminology, speak of holiness, eternal life, etc.! Just like hungry wolves in the natural which are looking for a meal will go to sheep in a field, spiritual wolves (false prophets) will go to Christians for their own benefit!

They prey off of Christians! Jesus’ description shows that false prophets are not harmless!We need to know who they are because they can potentially destroy a Christian’s spiritual life. We must be able to spot them to be protected from their lethal influence.

Savage Spiritual Wolves Were Coming After Paul Leaves

Paul warned the elders at Ephesus:

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. (Acts 20:29)

Just like the Lord Jesus said, Paul stated spiritual wolves are dangerous by the usage of the term savage. They were also going to come to the sheep! They are looking for and hunting sheep! So just as the devil prowls around looking for sheep to devour (1 Pet. 5:8,9), the false prophets do the same! Paul’s warning, though disturbing, was important. It would help keep Christians be on their guard.

False Prophets Are Spiritual Wolves

We can identify false prophets by their fruit. Since false prophets claim to be Christians, but are not, they will lack the common fruit which accompanies a Christian. Among other things their gospel is different. See 1 Cor. 15:1-4 cf. Gal. 1:8,9. The following is also what true prophets teach:

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)

What that means and doesn’t mean is revealed in other Scriptures and by comparing them. In brief, it excludes water baptism for the forgiveness of sins, Mary as a mediator, confessing sins to a priest, etc. The focus is on JESUS and not another. Grace is related to holy living (Titus 2:12), not a license to sin (Jude 3,4). Acts 10 shows Cornelius and the others were saved instantly and weren’t even led through the sinner’s prayer by Peter, nor given the Romans Road nor did he ask Cornelius if he thought he was a good person!

Spiritual Wolves Are Addicted To Sin

Since spiritual wolves are not Christians, like all other unsaved people, they too are addicted to sin. That is one of the clearest ways to know them by their fruit. So if a teacher says a Christian sins all the time, then he just admitted that he is addicted to sin too. A true Christian is described here:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

Spiritual wolves are not, in the present time, walking free from sin addictions! That is part of their bad fruit by which we can identify them. Jesus also mentioned wolves in a different way:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Mat 10:16)

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:3)

The physical danger reflected from those verses is explicit. Serving God will bring trouble and persecution. For some it was an early death. To spiritually survive, the Christian must be both shrewd and innocent. spiritual wolfThat includes avoiding spiritual wolves, while continuing to follow Jesus. We must endure to the end to be saved (Mt. 10:22). Reaping eternal life (Gal. 6:8,9) doesn’t come easy or apart from the Christian exerting effort (Lk. 13:24) to hold on to what he has (Rev. 3:11) and to keep himself from idols (1 John 5:21). We must run our spiritual race with perseverance as we watch for the spiritual wolves, and other dangers, to come.

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The Lowly Sparrow

The lowly sparrow is a small brownish bird with stripes. They are widespread throughout Europe, Russia, the Middle East, India, North America, Mexico and Central America. sparrow
It is not a highly valued bird as some are. In Jesus’ day you could buy two sparrows for one penny! God in the flesh mentioned such a bird as that—one that is very common and inexpensive—to make a very important spiritual truth. Jesus’ teaching about the sparrow was given to comfort and inform the disciples. Jesus was sending out his spiritual family (the disciples) to preach the gospel and warned them of forthcoming problems and dangers, including persecution to death:

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. (Mat 10:27-33)

In contrast to what many think, to preach the real word of God can result in the preacher being arrested, beaten and even killed. dead sparrowSuch can be easily verified in the New Testament with the Twelve (Matthias being the replacement for Judas Iscariot) being arrested, beat bloody and threatened. Paul was treated the same besides being pursued, chained, locked in prison, stoned, etc. Stephen and Antipas were martyred in different locations and at different times (Acts 7:59,60; Rev. 2:13). Hence, it takes courage (Heb. 3:6) to be faithful to God, not to conform to the ways of this world, to proclaim the Biblical message, etc. Knowing all of that and much more, the Lord Jesus gave his lesson about the timing of one’s physical death linked to the sparrow.

Since God controls the timing of death for even sparrows, and Christians are much more valuable than many sparrows, we Christians will not die before God allows such to happen. That truth can be very comforting, especially when physical death seems imminent.

Having said that, please know also that God put a hedgeof protection around Job and his household and they were shielded from the devil until God removed it. Only then was the devil able to kill all 10 of Job’s children in a single day (Job 1:18,19) along with sending other paralyzing calamities! None of that implies Calvinism though, for yet other verses show we can add years to our life by the choice of obeying God and fearing him:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. (Prov 3:1,2)

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. (Prov 4:10)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Prov 9:10,11)

The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. (Prov 10:27)

Remember these truths the next time you see a lowly sparrow.

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The Queen of Heaven is Biblical as…

Is there a real female goddess—maybe even one who has cohabited with God the Father and produced billions of spirit children, as Mormonism teaches? If there is a Mormon God the Mother like that, then wouldn’t she also be Queen of Heaven? jesus and maryDon’t the Catholics call their fabricated Mary, Queen of Heaven and teach she is co-reigning from the throne in heaven with Jesus? Don’t witches worship a female goddess? Finally, don’t some modern Bible translations like the Inclusive Version and Today’s New International Version gender neutralize the Bible – removing the masculinity of God and implying the possibility of a female deity and again a possible Queen of Heaven?

What a shock it is to learn that the term Queen of Heaven is actually cited in the Bible! However, such is never used in a good way! It is mentioned like Aaron’s golden calf (Ex. 32), which stumbled the Israelites into idolatry.

The Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah

Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame? (Jer 7:17-19)

The term Queen of Heaven is found in the Bible, but certainly not in a way which is favorable. Just on that basis alone, the Queen of Heaven is shown to be a pagan goddess and stumbling stone for the Israelites. That passage should also be enough to cause Mormons, Catholics and others to consider the possibility of lethal error in their theology!

The Queen of Heaven Test

If you don’t stick close to the Bible you will be deceived. The following event is proof that one can NOT gauge the correctness of a past act on the basis of how things are in the natural. The Israelite women, in Jeremiah’s day, formerly turned away from committing idolatry with the Queen of Heaven, but went back into sin again because events in the natural got worse:

“We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.” The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?” (Jer 44:17-19)

In their case, they were still suffering under sword and famine because of their past wicked and detestable actions (Jer. 44:22)! To obey God is always the right action, regardless the repercussions. The test of this life centers around that.

More Truth About The Queen of Heaven

To believe in any female figure called the Queen of Heaven, or likened to such, is spiritual ignorance. queen of heavenThe Bible is very clear that God is masculine and there is no female goddess with him. The most detailed account of Heaven is found in Revelation. There we do read of a queen, but not as some might think:

Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, “I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.” (Rev 18:7)

The context shows that verse refers to Babylon the Great! So, there is no Biblical evidence of a Queen of Heaven in a good sense, but only in an idolatrous sense. It is also fitting that the Catholic Church would adopt that same title for their fabricated Mary, whom they teach as sinless, ever virgin, co-redeemer, mother of God, mother of the Church, etc. With their mythical Queen of Heaven, the Lord Jesus has a serious rival, who in some cases is actually superior to him! The real mother of Jesus, was blessed, but she certainly is NOT our refuge nor the way to God, as Roman Catholicism proclaims through their endorsement of the Fatima Marian visions! To believe in the mythical Queen of Heaven presented by Mormonism and/or Catholicism shows you have also been religiously deceived about eternal life too! See LDS Counterfeit Eternal Life and Eternal Life and Catholicism. The truth is eternal life is a present tense instant possession (Jn. 6:47; 1 John 5:12), but only for those who have the Biblical Jesus of Nazareth as their personal Lord and Savior. Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:68) and, among other things, stated that eternal life is given in the age to come (Mark 10:30)! Unashamedly follow Jesus here and now to be his sheep (Jn. 10:27). If you are a Christian now, keep sowing to please the Spirit and don’t give up to reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8,9). God bless you.

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Are You A Good Person

In our modern day when the 1 Cor. 15:2 gospel is opposed and Christian counterfeits are reigning supreme as spokesmen and teachers, one of the popular evangelism questions (made that way by Ray Comfort) is, Are you a good person?are you a good person Along with the Romans Road gospel presentation and the Four Spiritual Laws, the are you a good person question was never used during Christian evangelism in first century Christianity, as shown by the book of Acts! (In fact, neither were the Romans Road or the Four Spiritual Laws!) That alone should show that question is not the gold standard when sowing the gospel seed in evangelism!

Furthermore, the are you a good person question even has some professing Christians thinking they are not a good person! That is horribly disastrous to the holy image of Christianity and is similar to the once saved always saved distortion of the Apostle Paul as the worst of sinners. The word of God is clear that the person who possesses eternal life (a Christian) is likened unto a good tree (Mt. 7:17,18), a good fish (Mt. 13:47-50) and a good person (Mt. 22:9,10)! If one isn’t a good tree, a good fish and a good person, as described by Jesus, the only other spiritual choice is to be identified as a bad tree, a bad fish and a bad person (or hell bound person)! NOTE: That is Jesus’ teachings not mine. I’m only clarifying what the true God and eternal life taught. That means if a Christian was asked, Are you a good person, he should answer, without hesitation, in the affirmative. The real Christian is a holy person (Rom.6:19; Rev. 20:6; etc.), who is unashamedly following the Lord Jesus (Jn. 10:27) here and now. He is obeying Jesus (Heb. 5:9).
good person and bad person
Another flawed aspect of the Are you a good person evangelism is the usage of the 10 Commandments to reveal one is sinful! Using it does have some merit, but it is still flawed and far from the best way to reveal a person needs salvation. Why? Among other reasons drunkenness (a major problem in our day) is not condemned in the 10 Commandments! Furthermore, we are not under the Saturday Sabbath command, as Israel was, when they were given to Moses.

Use 1 Cor. 6:9,10 For
Are You a Good Person

A much better way to show a non Christian that he is not a good person is to simply show him 1 Cor. 6:9,10. I have personally opened my Bible and shown many people that passage to help them quickly realize their true spiritual state before God. Such people cited there are unrighteous and in their current spiritual condition will not inherit the kingdom of God. Here it is:

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9,10, NASB)

After that revealing passage is read, with the non Christian/s reading along, then the soul winner can give them the one and only remedy for their horrible condition, as cited in 1 Cor. 6:11:

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Mt. 5:28,29 and
Are You a Good Person

Mt. 5:28,29 is also a good verse to show the lustful, that he is an adulterer in the eyes of the Lord and that form of adultery will drag him to hell too. Hence, it is impossible to be lustful and be a Christian simultaneously!

In our Catholic compromising day, it may be good to mention that Blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not cited in verse 11 (or in any Scripture) as being the means for salvation or even along with the Lord Jesus! We don’t first go to Mary to get to Jesus. Also, all 100% of our trust is to be in the Lord Jesus as we follow and obey him. That leaves 0% trust in being a church member or anything or anyone else.

Dear reader, in light of 1 Cor. 6:9,10 and Mt. 5:28,29 are you a good person NOW? If not, you remain devoid of eternal life, as you travel down the broad road to hell. You are in the greatest danger that exists and the only way to escape is by repentance towards God and faith in Christ Jesus (Acts 20:21).

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The Michael Phelps Story

Michael Phelps has dedicated his earthly life to swimming and has become so successful that he has won more gold metals than any other athlete ever! His unique earthly distinction as being The Greatest Olympic Athlete of All Time came at a great price:
Michael Phelps kickboard

In peak training phases, Phelps swims minimum 80,000 meters a week, which is nearly 50 miles. He practices twice a day, sometimes more if he’s training at altitude. Phelps trains for around five to six hours a day at six days a week.

He has spent years in strict training and practice with his orange kickboard nicknamed Big O to prepare his body to win 18 gold metals! One source said:

Nothing symbolizes the tedious, taxing, interminable work of practice like the kickboard. It’s put away when it’s time to race, but it’s essential equipment during training. You can’t become a great swimmer without a great kick, because the demand on the legs is immense.

At 6’4″ and only 165 pounds, his bodily exercise and 8,000 to 12,000 calorie diet, (including pizza and pasta) has yielded solid muscles and lungs:

Phelps recently added a weightlifting regimen to his dry-land work, which is evident by his ripped six pack abs and body. He lifts weights 3 days a week, preferably on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, Phelps prefers bodyweight exercises like pushups and weighted pull-ups for muscular strength and endurance.

Michael Phelps Has Earned A Crown That Will Not Last

Believe it or not, nearly 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul wrote about the Olympic games and strict training. What he stated directly relates to Michael Phelps and other athletes of our day, who envy him:
Michael Phelps GOLD Metal winner

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (1 Cor 9:25)

Michael Phelps’ temporary crown and glory are like the flowers of the field, which will soon fade away (1 Pet. 1:24) as it has for other athletes of the past! His young uncertain life of 27 can abruptly end at anytime—then what? One day he will leave his gold metals and fame behind, as he enters eternity. Will Michael Phelps be ready for that inevitable event. His approaching death gets closer every second! At the Judgment before God no athletic accomplishments, for anyone, will mean anything. Hence, they are not really important. The Apostle Paul continued on:

Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Cor. 9:26,27, NKJV)

Paul was in a spiritual race and fight, but not to be the best athlete. His battle was for God’s truth to be protected and spread as far and as wide as possible. He had weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left (2 Cor 6:7), but they were not the weapons of the world (2 Cor 10:3,4). He also knew he himself could become a castaway and be disqualified for the prize, even after preaching to others (1 Cor. 9:27)!

Paul Trained For a Crown Which Will Last Forever

Paul exalted training in godliness and being faithful to God. He was striving for a different type of crown, including the crown of life and crown of righteousness. His goals and strict training, therefore, were much higher and different than any Olympian athlete:

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Tim 2:3-5)

QUESTION: What are your life’s priorities? Are they Bible-based and in accord with God’s will? If not, now is the time to make vital changes, which will benefit you throughout eternity. Your SOUL is your most valuable possession and to be wise you must put God’s word into practice (Mt. 7:24). Make your life count for God and don’t waste it as many well known people have, including Elvis Presley.

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Baptist Beliefs And Practices

Have you ever noticed the double message the once saved always saved people have? That includes the Baptists. It is glaringly obvious once your eyes are opened to their Baptist beliefs and practices.fan into flame One example involves a Baptist pastor named Jack Schaap (54) and his adultery with a teenage girl, who was 16 at the time:

The church said in a news release that Schaap committed “a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor,” the Associated Press reports.

Another source got more specific about the sin he committed:

The board of deacons announced Schaap’s dismissal Tuesday for sinful behavior that involved adultery and physically inappropriate behavior, The Hammond Times reports.

Once Saved Always Saved Double Message

How consistent is it for the mega First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana to dismiss Jack Schaap from his position as pastor?
Let’s examinefan into flame Baptist beliefs and practices, which should align consistently, but dont! All eternal security proponents wrongly believe that all sin is of the same degree from a misuse of James 2:10. Since that is their belief, then why are they singling out Jack Schaap’s adultery? According to them, his adultery is no worse than worry, unthankfulness, not being completely humble and gentle, etc.! Also, according to their Baptist beliefs of once saved always saved, Christians are all sinning all the time and the Apostle Paul himself was the chief of sinners, based on their abuse of Rom. 7:14-25! Hence, because the whole Baptist congregation believes they are all sinning all the time and there is no greater or lesser sins, then that makes the whole deacon board, and other pastors, just as guilty as adulterous Jack Schaap! None are more pure or impure than the others, based on their doctrine!

That’s enough to prove there are problems, but there is even more evidence! The Baptist belief of once saved always saved also states that all future sins are already forgiven before they are committed and God can’t see them anyway, according to their sinister version of imputed righteousness. So what’s the big deal! Now Jack Schaap really isn’t guilty of any sin! What sin? God didn’t see any sin! If God can’t see a sin, then the once saved always saved Baptist people shouldn’t be making a big deal about it!

Questions

  • Why is the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana setting apart adultery as being worse than other sins?
  • Wasn’t grace changer, Jack Schaap already forgiven before his vile wickedness with the girl was committed?
  • Since God can’t see his adultery (or any sin committed by any person once saved), then why should the deacons or any other Baptist make an issue out of this sin?

Three Ways To Commit Adultery

The truth is there are three ways to commit adultery and all three ways are just as condemning (and will drag one to hell just as fast) as the others! The three ways are through a physical union, lusting and through a marriage not recognized by God (a divorce and remarriage).  That makes at least the vast majority of the entire Baptist congregation guilty of adultery too, and not just Jack Schaap!

Folks, the Baptist beliefs and practices are in definite conflict with each other! Baptist beliefs and practices are not consistent. They have a double standard and will teach or practice things which are convenient at the time, even if not consistent with their core beliefs! Once saved always saved proponents are so blind they don’t readily notice these conflicts! Such contradictions alone are a clear and definite sign that Baptists are embracing doctrinal error, and in this case they are related to eternal life! The most destructive bit of evidence comes from the Scriptures themselves. The Bible, clearly and repeatedly, reinforces a conditional security for the believer. There is NO eternal security and the believer in Christ must endure to the end for salvation’s sake (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; etc.).

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Fan Into Flame

There is no question that the true Christian race is not a bed of roses! In fact, Jesus taught it is difficult (Mt. 7:14, NKJV) or hard (NRSV) depending on the English translation one consults. The many spiritual casualties are undeniable proof as well, but there is more, such as what is implied when Paul told Timothy – fan into flame the gift of God. Paul wrote:
fan into flame

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Tim 1:5-7)

That is vivid imagery that Timothy, at that time in his Christian life, was cooling off spiritually! That shouts out what Paul was conveying — DANGER, WARNING, YOU ARE BECOMING LUKEWARM. Paul knew it was happening. Since 2 Timothy was Paul’s last epistle before his martyrdom, the timing is perhaps decades after Timothy was previously on fire in that regard! The constant spiritual battle seemed to be taking a toll on Timothy. He himself, a preacher of the real gospel, was under attack. It was NOT the typical sin unto death, as cited in 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Rev. 21:8; Eph. 5:5-7; etc., which Paul was referring to, but it would still be spiritually fatal even for a true preacher!

Paul reminded Timothy of his godly mother and grandmother and mentioned Timothy’s saving faith was like theirs. In spite of the fact that Timothy had a genuine gift of God and a sincere faith, he was still cooling off and that was dangerous! Verse 7 names what was adversely affecting Timothy at that point. He was timid. Even being timid (or fearful) in the way Timothy was, could prove fatal! What a surprise for people to hear in our day with preachers like Joseph Prince, Charles Stanley, and many others, teaching a clear license to sin and distorting the image of a Christian as allowing for adulterers, liars, thieves, drunks, slanderers, greedy, etc. Paul was a true grace teacher, but totally unlike the kind of our day! So, what were Timothy’s spiritual gifts? The answer is found in this verse:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Tim 4:13,14)

Timothy had the gifts of reading Scripture, preaching and teaching, yet he was becoming timid and that caused godly concern. Paul told him to fan into flame his gift. It was Timothy’s responsibility to do that and his decision would affect others spiritually besides himself! Especially someone involved in spreading God’s word must be faithful to preach the actual message, and continue declaring it, regardless the consequences. Others need to hear the true life-giving gospel before salvation can come (Rom. 10:13,14). Someone must spread it. There must be a sower of the seed, before a harvest comes. Hence, the devil will surely attack the soul winners and teachers from sowing. It is still the case today! Gal. 6:9 shows the vital necessity of continuing:

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal 6:8,9)

Gal. 6:8,9 is a clear definite unambiguous salvation passage, but almost never mentioned in our day, because it destroys once saved always saved! To reap eternal life, the Christian must not give up sowing to please the Holy Spirit. Timothy had to overcome his timidity to fan into flame his gift. He could do that through God. If you are like Timothy was in 2 Tim 1:7, fan into flame the gift within you! Do it for yourself and others, who can benefit by your gift. Fan into flame the gift within you!

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100 Pound Hail Stones

Before the bodily return of the Lord Jesus to earth, our age will be filled with outlandish wickedness, deception, war, supernatural miracles, plagues from God, suspense, etc. That spells big trouble for that generation! The unique sufferings then will come from various areas, including 100 pound hail stones! hail stone damage big hail stoneWe can only surmise the massive damage 100 pound hail stones will create upon impact in light of what happened in Vivian, SD on July 2010, when the world record hail stone smashed its way down. It was a 1.93 pound (8 inch in diameter) hail stone. During that storm hail stones penetrated roofs, car windshields and put coffee can size dents in the ground! (See pictures.) Imagine hail stones 50 times that size crashing down on buildings and roads, and especially on people! 100 pound hail stones will be like mini bombs, which rip and pulverize whatever they hit. Such is coming to our planet and are sent from God:
hail stone windshield

And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Rev. 16:21, NASB)

God has sent destructive size hail down in Moses’ day as a Judgment on Egypt (Ex. 9) and on the Amorites in Joshua’s day:

As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. (Josh 10:11)

In Hag. 2:17, hail was an attempt by God (along with blight and mildew) to bring backslidden Israel back to the Almighty:

“I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,” declares the LORD. 

Again, we learn that God controls the weather, and has used adverse conditions to prompt sinful people to repent, if they are willing. God wants the backslider back! Getting back to the time of the 100 pound hail stones yet to fall, several verses before that event the Lord Jesus said:

Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed. (Rev 16:15)

That implies not all will be spiritually awake! In the Parable of the Ten Virgins all ten virgins fell asleep (Mt. 25:5). Only 50% were still known by the Lord when he did arrive. The other 50% fell away and were no longer known by the Lord in the way of salvation. Jesus said to them:

But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Mat 25:12,13)

Jesus didn’t say to the 5 foolish virgins, I never knew you as in Mt. 7:23, because they were previously saved! Dear reader, are you keeping watch? Is your lamp still burning? If you have eternal life now, guard it. Remember Rev. 3:11 and 1 John 2:24-26.

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Flee These Things

The word translated flee, in the Greek means: run away; shun; escape. That is God’s advice about certain things and it is, as always, to your major advantage to obey his directives. Specifically, they are persecution, sexual immorality, idolatry, the desire to get rich, and the evil desires of youth:
flee sin

When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. (Mat 10:23)

That is a simple, but important, truth for the Christian. Why? Because all who live godly will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). That means Christians will be persecuted. The godly Apostle Paul was severely persecuted and fled persecution when he could (Acts 17:10; etc.). Next, we are told:

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Cor 6:18)

Sexual immorality is different from other sins because it is a sin against one’s own body. For a Christian that means it is a sin against the temple of God itself. In the same epistle Paul wrote:

If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Cor. 3:17, NKJV)

To stay saved, a Christian must avoid sexual immorality! Similar to that is the sin of idolatry:
flee idolatry

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (1 Cor 10:14)

Idolatry is another sin which will exclude a saint from the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9,10). Greed is included in idolatry (Col. 3:5). That truth is also related to this passage:

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Tim 6:9-11)

Timothy was warned about the lethal dangers of wanting to get rich. Paul knew of some former Christians, who wandered from the faith over that satanic temptation. Some even murder others to get rich like Kenneth Konias, Jr. Next we are warned to:

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim 2:22)

Timothy was a youth at that point and had unique temptations to especially flee from. As in 1 Tim. 6:11, he was also told to pursue righteousness, faith, love, etc.

The Devil Will Flee From You

If you walk pure before God, remain submitted to God and fleeing the above, the devil will actually flee from you!

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Sin is still the issue and in Christ you can live holy and make your life count for God here and now. God bless you.

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