And The Answer Is....

Here is a question that begs to be answered by each of us as we prepare to leave our homes on Sunday. Why am I going to church today?

What would be your response?

posted by john d.

The Wolf As The Door?

"For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach." (Titus 1:10-11 KJV)

For the less Elizabethan inclined the CEV - Contemporary English Version - states, "There are many who don't respect authority, and they fool others by talking nonsense. This is especially true of some Jewish followers. But you must make them be quiet. They are after money, and they upset whole families by teaching what they should not."

Paul sermon to the Ephesians included this warning, " I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. Be on your guard!..." (Acts 20:29-31 CEV).

To place my posting of these biblical texts in the context of this blog you need to read Dr. John MacArthur's latest message titled 'Unholy Trinity' at the Shepherds Fellowship site which is available by clicking here .

Here are my thoughts concerning Dr. MacArthur's comments:

What can we do as orthodox, biblically sound Christians, to counter-act those heresies identified by Dr. MacArthur? Specifically what can we do as a church and as an individual believer in the Truth of the Word of God? Even when the pulpit preaches the Truth there are few that are paying attention and those outside can't hear it.

Even in our small community we have churches that are proclaiming the "health-and -wealth" gospel. There are locally available faith healers that can't heal; prophets who can't deliver on the message, etc. We have locally prosperity preachers who fleece the flock of Christ by offering everything now, contrary to Jesus' call to "taking up His cross". And there are those who preached a "works salvation" contrary to the Gospel of Grace and others who disdain the message of the gospel altogether by ordaining biblically unauthorized pastors. In our small town we even have a "Temple of Gaya" which worships the earth promoting hyper-environmentalism including it's twisted step-children such as the current climate change hysteria which is rapidly warping into population control.

So my question is, what can we, as individual biblical Christians, do to promote true Biblical Truth as evidenced in the Gospel of Christ? Can we do better than what we are doing now? How?

These are my thoughts, what are yours?

posted by john d.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?

One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

But the earth abides forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,

And hastens to the place where it arose.

The wind goes toward the south,

And turns around to the north;

The wind whirls about continually,

And comes again on its circuit.

All the rivers run into the sea,

Yet the sea is not full;

To the place from which the rivers come,

There they return again.

All things are full of labor;

Man cannot express it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor the ear filled with hearing.

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said,

“See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.

There is no remembrance of former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come

By those who will come after.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

posted by john d.