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I was rather surprised by a comment stating that apologetics do more harm than good to the Christian faith. My first thought was, yes, those who do not want their views and positions analyzed against scripture dislike apologetics. False teachers say things like …..”Touch not God’s anointed,” or “Judge not”. While we cannot judge anyones salvation, we can judge what they are teaching against the Word of God. To not do so, is very dangerous indeed.
Here is a thought from CARM in the introduction of their site.
As the Christian faith is attacked more and more in schools, the media, movies, print, etc., it is vital that Christians learn why their faith is defensible, logical, and evidential. CARM stands on the truth of God’s word and God’s truth can easily be defended just as false secular system can easily be refuted.
Here is the beginning of an article:
There are several reasons why we need apologetics.
The first and most obvious is because we are commanded to defend the faith: 1 Peter 3:15 says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Second, we need apologetics because it helps Christians know their faith. This is something that is sadly lacking among believers. Most don’t know much about their faith, let alone be able to describe the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, His physical resurrection, or even to tell the difference between justification and sanctification. Apologetics helps to define and defend what the truth of the gospel is.
Read Entire Article HERE for all eight reasons.
I have a great deal of respect for godly leaders, teachers, and preachers who say things like , “Compare what I am saying against the Word of God. Check to see if what I claim is true. I am not infallible, but God’s Word is always truth. Interpret a verse in context to it’s passage or chapter.”
Acts 17:11. The Bereans listened to what Paul and Silas were preaching and they “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
Knowing God’s Word takes prayer, commitment and study on your part. These are the times when Satan knows his time is short and is he is burning the candle at both ends to deceive all of mankind, even believers. He is convincing the unbelieving world that God and sin do not even exist. Confessing Christians weak in their faith will fall away because they do not even know what their Bible says. They do not read it! Worse… they think that they are above being deceived.
Put on the armor of Ephesians 6. The armor is God’s truth in His Word. Do you know His Word? Do you know how to deflect the flaming arrows of the evil one? Are you prepared for battle?
There is power in God’s Word but first you must read it. Let God speak to you through it and then actually apply the principles to your life and walk in obedient faith that God will help you conform through the Holy Spirit. This is not something that we can accomplish on our own. If you do not rely on the Holy Spirit you will not be clothed in Christ and you will fall.
There was a flyer on my door yesterday left by a Jehovah’s Witness. It contained a statement, “Each year, Jehovah’s Witnessses mark the simple anniversary of Jesus’ death with a simple ceremony.”
JW’s deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the trinity, the deity of Jesus, and his bodily return. Are not all of these the basic biblical teachings of the Christian faith? If you actually talked with a JW how would you fare handling scripture? Could you explain your faith and then find corresponding scripture to verify your Christian position?
Can you defend your faith to others? If not..why not?
My mother told me one day that she had truly enjoyed listening to a preacher on TV. So much had she enjoyed this speaker she was going to order some his DVD”s….
“Okay mom,” I asked, “who is this preacher?”
She replied, ” Charles Stanley from TBN.”
My heart sank. TBN. But I watched one of his broadcasts and it was very good indeed. The problem…the vehicle, the sponsor, the network. It is replete with false teachings.
Later, I ran into a similar situation. A brother blogger sent out a blanket email that a well-known prophecy scholar was selling one his DVD’s on GodTV……GodTV!!!…on an end-time special…..which encluded two (tagged) well-known false prophetic teachers. This email was sent out to many of us because of concern that a leading speaker was lending credence to the other false teachings.
I contacted the prophecy scholar with my concerns about this affliation with GodTV and this was the response from his ministy team.
Thank you for your email. ***** is proclaiming the truth where it would otherwise not be heard. There are two ways to look at this situation. What better way to expose false teaching then (sic) to teach the truth.
Thank you for your email. ***** has not changed his faith in Jesus.
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But here is truth:
Yet, God’s written word commands,
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but expose them (Ephesians
5:11).
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The statement, “What better way to expose false teaching than to teach the truth,” is not biblical when ones teaches right alongside the false. It is the same as endorsement. How does the new or baby Christian know that one teacher on the same show is correct and other incorrect?
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Reading the following article has helped me deal with the aspect of blending false and true teachings.
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Here are some excerpts from Steve Camp’s blog Audience One, ” A Weapon of Mass Instruction.”
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The church’s responsibility before God as the “pillar and support of the truth” is to guard and proclaim the truths of Scripture. Consequently, the most severe crime against God is to mishandle His revelation, thus portraying a false, idolatrous image of Him to the world.
We see this in our own day. For example, the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) carries on its programming schedule some orthodox teachers (i.e. Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers, James Kennedy, etc.), and features also those who are unorthodox: the word/faith movement (Kenneth Copeland, Crefflo Dollar, etc.); or those who deny the Godhead–the Trinity (T.D. Jakes; Phillips, Craig and Dean); and/or those who “huckster the Word of God for profit” in order to generate more money for themselves (most everyone else on their programming schedule). The danger is, when you constantly publicize a mix of the genuine with the counterfeit it blurs the lines of sound doctrine and tends to anaesthetise the listener of discernment. Even those orthodox teachers, as mentioned above, end up unwittingly supporting the very thing they all oppose biblically. The listener enjoying the program most likely sends the lion-share of their support money not to the Bible teacher of the individual program, but to TBN.A And if they have been “ministered to” by that program, they may even call TBN (per their toll free number) for spiritual counsel, prayer and direction. You forfeit on both counts: pragmatically–most of the “love gift” goes to the network; and spiritually–you have placed the members of your listening audience under the spiritual counsel of a phone operator. What would brother Spurgeon be saying about now?
The honest question has to be asked: can a unsound biblical vehicle like that one be spiritually profitable at all even if some of the time they get it right? Don’t be fooled; it’s not just another televsion network you can buy time on to promote your program. It is a well crafted “philosophy of ministry” with a very specific agenda that does not measure up with the Word of God. I agree with Dr. MacArthur when he has said on many occasions, “TBN has done more harm to the gospel than Jerry Springer. For a false representation of God is more damaging than a true display of sin.” I fully agree with his insigthful words. Methodology matters; and just as important, the “who” you partner with in the work of the gospel as well.
The motives, the methods, the messengers, the money and the message. That is why Scripture must be treated with reverence and care because it is the self-revelation of God. It is from Scripture alone that we know who our Lord is and the fullness of His worth and works. We study God’s Word to know our Lord. It is not so that we may have sermons to preach, songs to sing, testimonies to tell, but it is chiefly to know Him. And out of the depth of that knowing to make Him known.
I myself have come to the point that I will not endure any false teachings or anyone who turns a blind eye to it. We are told in scripture that in the last days the church will not hold to sound teachings. How sadly evident this is today.
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Also of interest …this about Rick Joyner
America used to be a country founded on Christian principles. But as time passes, we have become a nation obsessed with material goods, amassed wealth and unpayable debt. Lately, questions have arisen in my mind. How can a godly nation be a superpower? Are not the characteristics of a Christian humility and meekness? Are not we to be poor in spirit, merciful, and peacemakers? Are not we to be the persecuted? Does this sound like the United States? No, I think not. Are we truly a blessed nation, under God? Where is the Lord Jesus Christ in all of this? He isn’t.
The average American’s first inclination in the morning is to open the newspaper or website to check the stock report or to see which store has the best price on cell phones. Who opens their Bible first thing in the morning? Who starts their day with a prayer of repentance from yesterday’s sins, cleansed from the power of God’s forgiveness and grace?
These are not times to relish as the sound of despair rise up in families, businesses and communities. However, these are times to reflect on what our values truly are and how we can start living for Christ instead of ourselves.
If you know Jesus Christ, are others seeing your faith today or are they seeing your unbelief? If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, He may be calling out to you. God knows our weaknesses and strengths. He knows all. He knows your breaking point and what it takes to make you turn to Him. The times I have felt the closest to the Lord, is when I am despairing, crying out to Him and on my knees in prayer. What does it take to drive you to your knees?
Those who have perpetrated evil and stolen from the unsuspecting populace may be used by God to force you to make a decision about what rules your life. Money or holiness? The world in is control by “the evil one” according to 1 John 5:19. When we are unregenerate and not filled with the Holy Spirit we are easily seduced by the world and all it has to offer. The world system influences all our thoughts and deeds and infiltrates our walk with the Lord. The remedy is to walk in faith knowing that we will be tempted but that God will always be faithful to us by not giving us more than we can bear. [1 Corinthians 10:13]. If we resist the evil one God promises that the devil will flee from us. [James 4:7]
If you do know Jesus Christ, have you been a Bible reading, praying Christian, or have you been a wandering complaining Israelite, more concerned about the variety of food in your diet, unhappy with daily sustenance provided by God? Are you more concerned about blessings instead of obedience to God’s Word? The reason I ask this, is because the Israelites were indeed blessed by deliverance from captivity and daily bread, but this did not create faith. In fact they rejected the blessings God gave them by saying, “Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt.”
Studying the Bible has shown me that my priorities were all out-of-whack, and any financial problems I currently have are of my own making. God never promised to make life easy for any of us. He did say He would supply all our needs. I guess this is where man likes to deviate. Man wants more than food, shelter and clothing. These are blessings we can count on when we truly walk in faith.
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OPPRESSION PREDICTED IN SEALS
I have read two books “Earthquake Resurrection” and “Then His Voice Shook The Earth”, by David W. Lowe who interprets the meaning and timing of the seals differently than the majority of the Bible prophecy scholars.
According to his biblical research, the seals one through five have already been opened. This makes so much more sense to me than other interpretations. But I want to focus on the third seal for this article.
The object being held in the riders hand has been translated as a scale because of the reference to food in the next verse. But the word zugon can also be translated as a yoke. This is what changes the whole interpretation.
Read this from “Then His Voice Shook The Earth”:
“A clue about what type of bondage this seal represents is found within Revelation 6:6. The voice heard speaking about the rider and balance scale in its hand mentions the cost of the staples of life: wheat, barley, olive oil and wine. Thus it can be concluded that the meaning of the symbolism of the third seal is a spirit of financial bondage and oppression that was sent out into the earth. Some possibilities of the kind of financial oppression that this horse and rider represent, based on the message that emerged from among the four living creatures, include:”
1. Price controls on the necessities of life, such as food.
2. Inflation and hyperinflation in the price of goods.
3. Scarcity of the necessities of life due to controls on production.
4. Efforts by governing authorities to exercise control over the value of currencies.
5. Efforts by governing authorities to expand or contract the supply of money.” {1}
Looking at our current world financial situation, through this biblical interpretation of the third seal, opens our eyes to the truth. This has been a long time coming.
Evil against mankind is allowed by God. The brothers of Joseph plotted and devised his demise by selling him into slavery. David was exiled. Jesus was betrayed and rejected by his own people, and crucified. And in Revelation, the first four seals reveal that the riders were given power to unleash the judgments, to kill, cause famine, and oppress.
Even though Joseph was a slave, oppressed and treated unjustly, he never lost faith or complained. Ever. Even in the worst of situations he glorified God. Joseph did not yet know that his deliverance was near. His suffering was training for his leadership under the pharaoh.
Are you suffering and cannot understand the circumstances that you may find yourself in today? Will you use this opportunity to trust God to supply your needs? Is your suffering a form of training so that you will be able to help others somehow in the future?
We find the same uncomplaining humility in Moses. When the people were enslaved by the Egyptians, they cried out to God. God heard them, so He sent them Moses. They were delivered from slavery and given manna to eat while they were traveling.
This heavenly bread was dispersed one day at a time. Why? To increase the faith of the people. They were not allowed to store it. It spoiled if they tried . They had to trust God on a daily basis to feed them. We need to read the Word of God on a daily basis to feed ourselves. We need to ingest the word and live it. Believe it. Obey it. Share it with others.
So are you are looking at your circumstances through the eyes of the grumbling Israelites, full of ingratitude? How about looking at our current situation through the eyes of Joshua and Caleb. They were not afraid of the giants in Canaan. Why was their perspective so different from the others? Easy. They believed in God’s promises.
Are you going to raise your fist toward God because of hard times? Are you going to wonder how God can treat you this way? Are you going to grumble against God because of your circumstances? Have you been praying all along or have you just started praying as a last resort?
Today Jesus Christ is our deliverer. In fact, when we believe in Him, we are already delivered. Yet we struggle with unbelief. So how should we act? We should not complain as we wait for our deliverer and trust in His promises.
I see many people, Christians included, blaming society, political parties, anyone or anything for what is happening to our economy today. But isn’t it easy to blame our leaders? If we were to turn to God instead of turning against others, would our world be different today? Our greatest enemy is the same enemy of the Israelites. Unbelief and lack of trust in God. We can only know His promises by careful study of His Word.
What promises should we be clinging to in this time of need, financial bondage and oppression?
Isaiah 41: 10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Matthew 6:30-33
“…O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
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Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances (G2218) in his hand.
Strong’s G2218 – zygos
1) a yoke
a) a yoke that is put on draught cattle
b) metaph., used of any burden or bondage
1) as that of slavery
2) of troublesome laws imposed on one, esp. of the Mosaic law, hence the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable ‘yoke’; yet even Christ’s commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept
2) a balance, pair of scales
“From the first century until the present, a spirit has been at work to wreak havoc on the economies of the world. Injustice, oppression, and inequity are the goals, and the tools have been governments who have implemented unsound economic controls and unjust taxation through their laws.The underlying reason? Greed. The love of money and the desire to accumulate wealth no matter the cost. That is the spirit symbolized by the black horse and rider, holding a yoke in his hand to represent bondage and oppression of the people.”
David W. Lowe {2}
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Then His Voice Shook The Earth… by David W. Lowe
{1} pgs. 106 – 107
{2} pg. 109
From LocalPaster
Please pray for these young people. They are being demonized.
DiscernIt 
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