This Was Your Life!!

Mary Did You Know?

I found this very powerful video online at a website called, Jokes and Jesus. The video is made up of clips from the movie The Passion of the Christ put to the music of "Mary Did You Know." Seeing as how this is the Christmas season and everywhere you look you see nothing but commercialism, I thought I try to put Christ back in Christmas with this very powerful video so everyone can truly remember not only that Jesus is the reason for the season but also WHY He is the reason for the season.

The Christmas Story

We pick up the story shortly after Mary & Joseph arrive in Bethlehem,

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were very afraid.
And the angel said unto them; Fear Not: For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying; Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels had gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another; Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:7-20

Now watch the video below to see what our Savior went through so that those who believe in Him and repent of their sins might receive the gift of eternal life!

May you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Love in Christ

Rob

TWAS THE MONTH BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Seeing as how celebrating Christmas in our country is so offensive and will probably soon become a crime, but its okay to celebrate Ramadan or Hanukkah or whatever other holiday might come along, I thought I'd share this little tidbit with everyone.

Enjoy


*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?"
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many."
"And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."
"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved."

Matthew 24:3-12

When I look out at our world today it seems to me that we are very close the the return of our Lord. When you look at what Jesus told His disciples in the above passage, you can really see these things coming to pass today.

In this passage Jesus mentions 3 things we need to look out for and they are the following:

• Increased Deception


• Increased Conflicts


• Increased Lawlessness

First - We see an increase in deception: There are many today posing as Christian leaders who are leading many people astray with false doctrines and false prophesies. One person who comes to mind was a guy, just this year, by the name of Todd Bentley who was leading something called the Lakeland Outpouring right here in Florida.

He talked about having a spirit guide/angel called Emma. He also talked about speaking with Jesus. He claimed to have the gift of healing. Yet when all was said and done, instead of glorifying the name of Christ, he had inflicted a great amount of harm against the name of Christ in the eyes of the world. He ended up divorcing his wife thereby hurting his family not to mention all his deceived followers. Yet the most amazing thing to me is that there are still people who defend him saying what a great man of God he is.

"See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many... And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many." Mt. 24:4-5, 11

As far as I'm concerned, there was never anything Godly about Todd Bentley or his ministry - ever. He never preached about sin and repentance, instead everything with him was self centered. In fact if you watch some of his video's on You Tube, you'll never see him open a Bible. He never warns the sinner about a hell to avoid; instead, he preached another gospel. Instead of patting this false prophet on the back, his followers should have been calling him out and rebuking him so that he might repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness.

That the church would put forth a charlatan such as this and line up behind him as one of its leaders, just shows the sad state of the Christian church today. If Johnathan Edwards or Charles Spurgeon could see this they'd roll over in their graves. Today's church is, unfortunately, no longer morally grounded on the Word of God. Instead, like a wicked generation it seeks after signs and wonders and none will be given it.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance too their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2Tim 4:3-4

This is the Deception that more and more churches are falling for today.

Second - Increased Conflicts: We see an increase in conflicts world wide. I was listening to a recent sermon by John MacArthur and he had some great statistics showing how conflicts are increasing around the globe over time:

Historians have recorded all significant conflicts and grouped them as follows:

1. 70 Major Conflicts before Christ


2. In the first 1000 years after Christ there were 50 major conflicts.


3. 500 years after that, there were 100 major conflicts


4. 300 years after that, there were 250 major conflicts


5. 200 years after that, there were 500 major conflicts


6. In the last 4 years there have been 20 major conflicts

As you can see, the history of man has been marked by constant conflict and as time goes on things just get worse and worse. I think Pastor MacArthur puts it best when he says, "the only peace you can find in man's history is when he stops to reload."

Third - Today we definitely see in increase in lawlessness. Man in his infinite wisdom took God out of schools back in the 1950's and today we are reaping the rewards of what we've sewn.

Today we have generations of kids who are completely disrespectful to anyone in authority and fewer and fewer of them know who the true God of the Bible really is. We have legalized the inhumane murder of the innocent unborn and called it "freedom of choice." Like Genna Jessen said, "if the rights of women are so important than what about the rights of the baby?" Unfortunately today, the blood of millions of innocent babies is on our hands, and we wonder why God is removing His hand from our nation.

Then instead of recognizing the homosexual lifestyle for what it is - an abomination against the Lord, we have instead legitimized it by calling it an "alternative lifestyle." Yet God tells us in Romans 1:18-32 that not only has He given them over to these degrading passions and a depraved mind but even those who approve of this practice are worthy of death.

Everything in this generation today is backwards. Today we call evil, good and good, evil. When you have your very own courts of law twisting the Constitution to make it say that which was never intended just to suit a small minority of people you know we're in trouble. It's because of this continued confusion that I feel the Lord will be returning very soon.

TERRIFYING WORDS

I found this quote from Ronald Regan and thought I'd share it with you. It is a gem.


"The most terrifying words in the English language are:
I'm from the government, and I'm here to help"

....Ronald Regan

BAR STOOL ECONOMICS

This is a neat email I received from my father which really explains what's going to happen to our income over the next few years as Obama begins to spread your hard earned money around.


BAR STOOL ECONOMICS

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for
all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go
something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay
nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar
every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one
day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers, he said, I'm going to
reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes
so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for
free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How
could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his
'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the
sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the
bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's
bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the
amounts each should pay.!

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid
nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25%
savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22%
savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16%
savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the
men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20, 'declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a
dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10
back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't
get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the
nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to
pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't
have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get
the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack
them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In
fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is
somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

The Best The Black Church Has To Offer

Thought you might like to hear Obama tell you in his own words that Jeremiah Wright "represents the best of what the black church has to offer." Remember, Obama sat under Wright's teaching for 20 years.

Opponents to Marriage Amendment Playing Dirty

Our opponents are desperate and are now playing dirtier than ever because we are closer than ever to victory. The new Mason Dixon poll out today shows that we are gradually gaining steam and have moved from 55% to 57%. But we are still not at the 60% needed for a victory protect marriage in Florida on November 4th. And because we are within striking distance the opposition has become more desperate than ever because even their own phony scare tactic messages are not working. So they are resorting to anything goes -- below the belt campaigning. The hostility from the oppostion is showing absolutely no regard for the law, the rules, or fair play. Here are some examples of what we are facing: 1) Destruction of Campaign Signs and Personal Property: Around the state, reports are pouring in that our opponents are trespassing on private home yards to steal and deface yes2Marriage.org signs. Hundreds of our YesOn2 yard signs have suddenly disappeared in the night. A Miami woman reported to us that her car was keyed all around where she placed a bumper sticker. An Ormond Beach family had feces smeared and dumped on top of their yard sign. In North Florida, a bill board was vandalized and defaced and had to be replaced. 2) Filing Frivolous Complaints: The Red and Blue committee has filed bogus complaints against us with the Florida Elections Commission, saying we are “hiding secret money” and violating the rules regarding election laws. Do you think it is just coincidence that only days before this election they decided to start whining and complaining about Florida Family Action, a group that has been operating legally now for the past 4 years of this campaign? 3) Outright False and Fraudulent Claims in TV Ads: In every single one of their TV ads they say that the marriage amendment is “government interfering with your private life.” What??? This is a citizen’s initiative where three quarters of a million Floridians placed this matter on the ballot so that the people can stop the government and activist judges from redefining marriage. Their TV ads are filled with lies, scare tactics and outright fraud. 4) Media Bias that is Stunning and Unprecedented: The bias in the media we have seen is simply unbelievable. All sense of fairness and objectivity is out the door. We announce the endorsement of the entire Florida Catholic Bishops in favor of 2 and not a single daily newspaper covers the story. Not one! But our opponents just sneeze and or file a frivolous complaint against us and a major story appears in every single daily newspaper. Every one! 5) We Are Being Outspent Three to One: In the last reporting cycle, over 75 percent of our opponents’ money is coming from outside of Florida, from special interest groups trying to tell us how to define marriage in this state. We must have a final surge of funds to compete with our opponents and respond to their deceptive messaging. But despite their huge cash and liberal media advantage, we are on the verge of winning! That’s why they are resorting to such desperate and dirty tactics. We will not be deterred, but we must reach even more Floridians with our message -- and to do that we must have a final surge of funds to compete with our opponents and respond to their deceptive ads. Friend, I am asking personally for your help in the final days before this vote. Campaigns will come and go. But it is perhaps once in a lifetime that we get the opportunity to preserve a human institution as important as marriage. This is truly our moment in history. I personally just want to wake up on November 5th and be able to look myself in the mirror and be called “faithful.” Would you prayerfully consider making one final contribution to this historical effort today to help us ensure victory right now with our secure online paypal HERE? Even this close to the election, we can still immediately purchase the following tools. 1) Television Ads: A $900 gift can buy 1 TV ad reaching about 40,000 people. Our ads are airing now in planned markets but we need to immediately place them in other markets also. 2) Targeted Radio Ads: A $100 gift can buy 3 radio ads reaching 200,000 people. We have ads running in South Florida but need to increase the reach around the state in strategic areas. 3) Automated Phone Calls: A $30 gift can buy 600 automated calls to Florida undecided voters. These calls can be turned around in hours after we receive the funds for them. As you know, Florida has a history of close elections and it appears that this election for the marriage amendment will be no different. Your participation could very well make the difference between victory and defeat here in Florida. I would be happy to provide you with any further information or answer any questions in writing, by phone or in person. Thank you for considering this important request for assistance. Sincerely, John Stemberger PS - Your gift might be the one that puts us over the top in this razor close vote to protect our children by protecting marriage. Give online HERE: PSS- If you can not give financially but can volunteer your time we need help in every county with phone banks, posting yard signs and sign waiving in front of precincts for early voting and on election day November 4. Contact your local county leader HERE:

Abortion Survivor - Gianna Jessen

For those of you who are interested in the fight against abortion, check out the strength of this wonderful woman who survived abortion and now speaks out against it while honoring God with her life. This is her story.

Obama and the Murder of the Innocent

Today, my wife had me listen to a Focus on the Family program which featured a very special guest. She is an abortion survivor who became a Christian and now goes around the world proclaiming the evils of abortion. Her name is Gianna Jessen and she says that because of her attempted abortion she now has the "gift of cerebral palsy."

Just remember folks, when you vote on November 4, Obama voted 4 times, that's right, I said 4 times against legislation that would make it illegal to provide medical care to babies that survive a botched abortion. The liberals talk about the mother's rights, what about the baby's rights

There is a well written article by Jill Stanek of World Net Daily entitled: Gianna Jessen: Above Obama's pay grade. Just click the link to read the article. In my next post I'm going to post a couple of videos from YouTube of Gianna telling her story. It is unbelievable and I think you'll be very moved.

God bless

Rob

Yes 2 Marriage Amendment

This coming election there is a very important amendment for all Florida voters to consider and that is the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment also known as Amendment 2

There are many lies being told through false advertising by the homosexual lobby claiming Amendment 2 will invalidate domestic partnerships and deny benefits to seniors. By deceiving voters, a group called, Florida Red & Blue hopes to overcome support for the marriage amendment.

Amendment 2 is about marriage and only marriage. It is not about domestic partnerships, denying benefits to seniors or civil rights. This amendment will take the traditional definition of marriage - between one man and one woman - from our state law and put it under the jurisdiction of our state constitution. This will prevent socialist, activist judges, in the future, from redefining marriage in our state. The homosexual lobby is trying to say this is not necessary because we already have 4 different laws on our books regarding marriage. However, as you've seen, lawyers and the courts can easily twist the law to suit their own ends. Just take a look at what is happening in California, Massachusetts and most recently in Connecticut. These states also had laws on their books but are now forced to recognize homosexual marriage because the courts in those states over ruled the will of the people.

As James Smith says in the October 16, 2008 edition of the Florida Baptist Witness,

"This is not an academic, esoteric debate. The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment (also known as Amendment 2) is Floridians chance to settle the definition of marriage in our state before a few judges decide it otherwise."

Here is how Justice Richard N. Palmer of the Connecticut Supreme Court reinterpreted their marriage laws,

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitable to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice. To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."

Smith finishes his column by saying, "For those who doubt it is necessary to protect the definition of marriage in the state constitution, the ramifications of these decisions can be seen in Massachusetts where children are being indoctrinated with homosexual propaganda in public schools - even against the wishes of their parents - because the state is now required to allow gay marriage."

Folks, on Nov 4 when you go to vote, be sure to VOTE FOR Amendment 2. The future of our state may very well lie in the balance. See the poster below for some additional info. (Just click on the image to view a larger size.)

God bless

Rob

The Foreknowledge of God

One of God's attributes that we recently studied a couple Wed nights ago was the Foreknowledge of God. When we hear the term Foreknowledge we generally take it to mean "knowledge beforehand." But is this what the Bible means when it talks about the Foreknowledge of God??

The Foreknowledge of God has been a term that has been consistently misused by many folks in the Christian community who deny the election and predestination of God's saints. These folks are known as Armenians and they believe that God looked down the corridors of time to see who was going to accept Jesus as their Savior and then the Father would choose them unto salvation. In other words, He looked into the future and if He saw a person come to saving faith, then He would predestine that person to be saved, base on foreknowledge of that person's faith. On the other hand, if He sees that a person will not come to saving faith, then He does not predestine that person to be saved. But is this truly what the Bible teaches? Are their any flaws in this argument according to Scripture? In this post we're going to take a closer look at God's foreknowledge and see what the Bible actually teaches about this great and controversial doctrine.

One of the primary passages used by Armenians when talking about God's foreknowledge is Romans 8:29-30 "For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."

The problem with using this passage to argue that God looked into the future to see who was going to accept Christ is that it is not talking about a "fact" that someone would believe. Instead it is talking about the fact that God knew persons, ("those whom He foreknew"). Usually when Scripture speaks of God's foreknowledge or God knowing someone it is speaking of an intimate knowledge, an intimate love such as a father to a son. Lets take a closer look at how the word "Knew" is used in Scripture.

How The Word Knew Is Used In Scripture

When the Bible talks about God knowing someone it is usually a personal, relational knowledge that is spoken of. In his book Systematic Theology Wayne Grudem states it very clearly:

"God, looking into the future, thought of certain people in saving relationship to Him, and in that sense He "knew them" long ago. This is the sense in which Paul can talk about God's "knowing" someone, for example, in 1Cor. 8:3: "But if one loves God, one is known by Him." Similarly, He says, "but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God..." Gal 4:19. When people know God in Scripture, or when God knows them, it is personal knowledge that involves a saving relationship. Therefore in Romans 8:29, "those whom He foreknew" is best understood to mean, "those whom He long ago thought of in a saving relationship to Himself." The text actually says nothing about God foreseeing that certain people would believe, nor is that idea mentioned in any other text of Scripture."

We see this same principle applied in Mathew 7:22-23 when Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount says: "On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." Of course Jesus knows who they are but what He's saying here is that He never had an intimate, saving relationship with them. So when people know God in Scripture, or God knows them, it is personal knowledge that involves a saving relationship.

Did God Choose Us or Did We Choose God??

Another problem I see with the Armenian definition of Foreknowledge is that it makes man sovereign over God in the matter of his salvation. This is a very dangerous premise. Under this view man is the one who decides to choose or not choose God first which then makes God obligated to save those who choose Him. Talk about turning the order of things upside down. Paul is quite clear about this in Romans 9:15-18 when he says,

"For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." Sounds like its all of God to me.

Scripture nowhere teaches that any man ever has anything to do with his salvation. Scripture never teaches that the fact that we would come to believe in Christ is the reason God chose us. Just taking a look at Eph 1:4-11 I see nothing there that even remotely suggests that man has anything to do with his own salvation. All we see there is v.4 - "He chose us," "according to the kind intention of His will. v.6 - "To the praise of the glory of His grace," which He freely bestowed upon us," v.7 - In Him we have redemption..." and on it goes right through the end of verse 11. There is nothing in this whole passage of Scripture that has anything to do with the will of man. If man had any part to play in his salvation, don't you think Paul would have said something about that at least once?

So in conclusion I think its safe to say that election, based on God's foreknowledge of our faith is incorrect. The reason for election is simply God's sovereign choice according to the good pleasure of His will. Calvinists call election Unconditional because it is not based on anything in us that makes us worthy to receive His grace. So if you are a Christian today, give praise to your Heavenly Father who chose you because He KNEW you before the world began.

God bless,

Rob

He Makes Me Proud To Be An American

Folks, the video below says it all when talking about how most of our troops feel about Hussain Obama. In his video, Dear Mr. Obama, this Marine who goes by the handle, "weneedmccain", speaks his mind about why he's voting for John McCain. My hat is off to him and all those who have fought for our country, in every war. Thank you and God bless you all.

We must realize that it is because of these brave men and women that we sleep easy at night; that our children are safe and the fools on the left have the right of free speech which they abuse by putting down those who procured their freedom.

I wish everyone could see this video. Enjoy!!

Rob

Newt is Worried And So Am I

After hearing the Obama acceptance speech and reading some comments from bloggers around the country I can't help but feel that if he gets in, we will be in grave danger. We will literally be giving our freedoms away. I read one post last night where some liberal (blind Obama supporter) wrote that he agreed with Maxine Waters when she said, while grilling the president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister;

"And guess what this liberal would be all about; this liberal will be about socializing … uh, um..., "Would be about, basically, taking over, and the government running all of your companies. …"

Do you get what she's saying here??? She wants our inept and corrupt govt. to run American businesses!! And then you have Pelosi, Obama and other democrats running around trying to drum up support for the fairness doctrine. This will effectively squelch freedom of speech for anyone who has an opposing viewpoint to theirs. This will end most of talk radio - Rush, Hannity, et al.

It is just amazing to me how there can be so many mindless people on the left who are just willing to give up all their rights and freedoms to the government. Take a look at the video below and see what Newt has to say about America today. He is right on the money.




Just in case you think our security will be ok if Obama becomes president, check out what he plans to do with our military and nuclear weapons development if elected.



I'm telling you folks, pray hard that God will have mercy on our nation and prevent Obama from becoming president, or the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as we know it may be over.

God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 19

Conclusion

And here in part 19 we have the conclusion to the film The Gospel of John. What a great depiction of this great Gospel. I hope this film was a blessing to you and moved your heart.

If you are not a Christian, my prayer for you is that you would think very deeply on the teachings you witnessed here in this film. It is very important that you realize you're a sinner in the eyes of the Lord and you do need the Savior. If you should go to sleep tonight and have a heart attack, are you sure you know what would happen?? If you don't have Christ, you won't have life but eternal death and punishment.

Jesus said it Himself, "Truly, Truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

So how does one become born again? First and foremost you must realize that you are a sinner and have offended God by breaking His commandments. You then need to repent of all your sins - This means to turn completely 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and ask Jesus to forgive you. You need to move off of the throne of your heart and allow Jesus to take His rightful place there and you need to live your life for Christ. Is this easy? No not at all, especially in our culture today. However, the rewards are eternal!!

If you need to review this film a couple more times, by all means do so. You may also want to get a copy of God's Word, the Bible and follow along. The translations I recommend are the ESV, NASB, NKJV and KJV. Then pray for God to reveal Himself to you in this film so that you too may become born again into His kingdom.

God bless you all.

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 18

HE IS RISEN!!!

Here in part 18 is the greatest joy of all Christians everywhere. Christ defeats death and as a result, all those who repent of their sins and believe on Him will have eternal life.

Praise God

The Gospel of John - Part 17

THE CRUCIFIXION

Without a doubt, the greatest crime ever committed by man. But praise Jesus for allowing Himself to go through this for the sake of His elect.

The Gospel of John - Part 16

Part 16 begins in Chapter 18 with the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. From there He is brought before Annas who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas the High Priest. We also see Jesus' prophecy of Peter's denial come true.

Jesus is next brought before Pilate and Jesus makes one of His famous statements in verse 36, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews."

Chapter 19

Pilate then has Jesus flogged and the soldiers ridicule Him and put a crown of thorns on His head. Here we also see Pilate giving the crowd a choice to set one prisoner free. The crowd screams for Barabbas who was a murderer. Then they yell for Jesus to be crucified.

God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 15

Part 15 runs from John 16:16 - 18:7. It opens with Jesus telling His disciples that He will only be with them a little longer; that He is going to the Father. Jesus explains further that He has come from the Father and tells them in verse 33, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Chapter 17

Part 15 then moves into John 17, known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. This is one of the great doctrinal chapters in all of Scripture. There is a vast amount of Reformed Doctrine in this prayer where we learn that Jesus did not come to save every person in the world but only those the Father chose out of the world.

Praying for His disciples, Jesus says in verse 9, "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." And again in verse 20 Jesus prays, "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word..."

Chapter 18

Part 15 concludes with Jesus and His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane and Judas bringing the Roman guards to arrest Him. And so begins the greatest crime in all of history.

God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 14

Part 14 encompasses all of chapter 14, all of chapter 15 and the beginning of chapter 16. There is a lot of theology in this section. Jesus has much to say about Himself and the Helper He is sending - the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 14

This chapter starts off with Jesus telling the disciples that He is the only way to heaven. This one statement alone is what makes Christianity so exclusive. It is why the world, with its self righteous doctrine of tolerance, hates Christians and calls us narrow minded. In verse 6 Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Unfortunately many in the church today feel that since we are in the new covenant we don't have to worry about God's laws anymore. But Jesus disagrees as he says in verse 15, "If you love me , you will keep my commandments." So we are to keep His commandments, not to gain salvation, but if we are saved and truly love the Lord our desire should be to obey His word.

Chapter 15

In this very important chapter, Jesus makes another of His "I AM" statements. Here, in verse 5 He says, "I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Then in verse 12, Jesus reiterates His great commandment, for us to love one another.
We also see a bit of the doctrine of election here in verses 18-20 when Jesus tells His disciples, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you; 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

Truly some great teaching from our Lord in this portion of Scripture.

Enjoy

Rob


He goes on to tell them that they will be persecuted saying

The Gospel of John - Part 13

Like part 12; part 13 follows the complete chapter of John 13. This is the famous story of the Last Supper. In this part we see Jesus wash the disciples feet. This lesson is to teach them, and all of us, that we are not to be proud and think we are above even the most menial tasks. If the King of the universe can do the lowliest task, such as washing His disciples feet, then we too should be willing to serve others at whatever cost. This is what is pleasing to the Lord.

Next we see Jesus expose who it is that is going to betray Him. After Judas leaves He gives the disciples a new commandment. He tells them, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples. If you love one another." - verses 34-35.

Part 13 ends with Jesus telling Peter, "Truly, Truly I say to you the rooster will not crow, till you have denied me three times."

God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 12

Part 12 is the entire chapter of John 12. Here in part 12 we see Mary anoint the feet of Jesus with oil and then wipe them clean with her hair in verses 1-8.

In the next scene we witness Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. When the people heard He was coming they met him with palm branches crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel." - verse 13. It is this passage of Scripture where we get out observance of Palm Sunday.

Later, Jesus tells Andrew and Philip, "Whoever loves his life will lose it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." - verse 25. Jesus it telling them that we must not hold onto, and be consumed by the temporal things of life in this world because they only lead to eternal death. Instead we must focus on following and serving Christ that we might share in His glory and obtain eternal life by His work.

Part 12 then concludes with Jesus telling the Jews that He came into the world as light and not to judge the world but to save it. - verses 44-50

God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 11

John 11:17-57 - Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. One of the greatest scenes in all of Scripture. Nothing more need be said.

Enjoy

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 10

Part 10 begins in Chapter 10:1 with Jesus reiterating to the Jews, two of His "I Am" statements. First, that He is the Door, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the Door of the sheep" - verse 7 and again in verse 9 He says, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me he will be saved..." Then in verse 11 Jesus tells the Jews, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Later Jesus is in the temple during the Feast of Dedication when he tells the Jews, "I and the Father are one." - verse 30. To the church today this doesn't mean much but what Jesus is saying here is that He is God. The Jews certainly knew what He meant because they picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy.

Part ten then concludes with the beginning of the story of Lazarus which we'll see in the next part - part 11

Enjoy and God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 9

Here in part 9 we have the complete story of Jesus' healing of the blind man. If you're a TurningPoint member you're aware the Pastor David has been preaching through the Gospel of John. It wasn't long ago that he preached on this very passage.

If you recall, Jesus' disciples ask Him in John 9:2, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" We learned that the answer was neither; instead he was born blind so that, "the works of God might be displayed in him." - verse 3.

From there we see the Pharisees grill the blind man and try to get him to call Jesus a sinner because He healed him on the Sabbath. But the ex-blind man gets fed up with this and I believe is moved by God when he says to them in verses 30-33, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."

Enjoy this incredible passage of Scripture. God bless.

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 8

Part 8 takes place between John 8:9, where Jesus finishes up with the woman accused of adultery and ends in John 8:59 after declaring that He is "I AM"

This part is filled with so much deep theology I encourage you to watch it a couple of times and really meditate on what Jesus is saying. For example in verses 12-13 Jesus again confronts the Pharisees and tells them, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

Of course later, while speaking to the Jewish crowd He tells them, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

And of course, probably one of the most famous parts of Scripture when Jesus tells the crowd that He is God - I AM!! verse 58

Enjoy this part and God Bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 7

Part 7 picks up at the end of Chapter 6 after many of Jesus' disciples desert Him. Here we see Jesus ask the Twelve if they want to leave also. Peter answers in verses 68-69, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God."

Chapter 7

Opens with Jesus going secretly to the Feast of Booths. He begins teaching in the temple and is confronted by the Pharisees. In verse 19, Jesus accuses them saying, "Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?"

Then we see the Pharisees send officers to arrest Jesus but because His time had not yet come they are unable arrest Him. At the end of Chapter 7 we see the Pharisees confronting the officers and asking why they did not arrest Jesus. The officers said, in verse 46, "No one ever spoke like this man!"

Chapter 8

Part 7 ends with the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees bring her to Jesus to try to trap Him. They say that the law of Moses says she should be stoned to death. Jesus stops them cold when He says in verse 7, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

Enjoy

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 6

Part 6 begins in Chapter 6:16-21. This is the miracle when Jesus walked on water. After feeding the 5000, Jesus goes off to pray and the disciples get into a boat and head for Capernaum. Jesus then comes to them in the night, walking on the water.

In the second half of the video, Jesus proclaims to the crowd that He is the Bread of Life. In verse 44, Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

Jesus then tells them that they must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood in order to have life. This of course causes much grumbling among the Jews.

Then again in verse 65 Jesus reiterates what he said in verse 44, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

Can anybody see the doctrine of Election here?? Salvation is all of God and none of us.

God bless and enjoy

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 5

In this part Jesus continues to explain who he is to the Pharisees and to condemn them. If you're following along in your Bible this is in chapter 5:30-47.

Chapter 6

The video then moves into chapter 6:1-15. This is the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000

Enjoy and God Bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 4

Here in Part 4 we pick up where we left off with the woman at the well and the Samaritan's in Chapter 4.

The video then picks up in John 4:46-54 which is the story of Jesus healing the Roman official's son at Capernaum.

Chapter 5

After healing the official's son, Jesus heads to Jerusalem where he heals the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. We then see the Jewish leaders question the man because he had been healed on the Sabbath.

Part 4 ends with Jesus explaining to the religious leaders the authority of the Son.

God bless

Rob

Global Warming Update

Sorry to interrupt the Gospel of John series but I just couldn't pass this up. We have another update that blows away the Gore-bull Warming hysteria. Check out this link on how Alaska is freezing this summer. Its due to be the coldest summer on record. After reading the article be sure to read the comments below. It seems, not to many people are jumping on the Goreology bandwagon.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming : )

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 3

This part opens up in John chapter 3. In verses 1-21 we see Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and Jewish ruler. Here Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

And of course from there Jesus tells him what is probably the most famous verse in all of Scripture, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Next in verses 22-36 we witness John the Baptist exalting Christ to his followers. John's disciples come to him complaining that everyone was going to Jesus to be baptized. And is verse 30 John explains to them, "He must increase, but i must decrease."

Chapter 4

The second half of the video focuses to the famous exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well. Here Jesus tells her about "Living Water." The woman confesses to Jesus that she knows the Messiah is coming. And Jesus reveals to her in verse 26, "I who speak to you am He."


Enjoy and God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 2

In part 2 we see Jesus calling 3 of His disciples, Peter, Phillip and Nathanael,(John 1:43-51).
In this part we also see the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle - turning water into wine, (John 2:1-11).
Part 2 concludes with Jesus going to Jerusalem during Passover and ends up cleansing the temple by driving out all the vendors and their animals and tuning over the tables of the money changers, (John 2:13-22)

Enjoy - God bless

Rob

The Gospel of John - Part 1

I've always wanted to see the movie The Gospel of John but just never got around to it. So I went to YouTube and typed it in and wouldn't you know it, there it is for all the world to see. Its broken up into 22 ten minute parts, so what I've decided to do is post one part each night until all 22 video's are here. Then all you've got to do is come to Raised By Grace and you can view each video until you've seen the whole movie.

It has really been a blessing to watch and is very powerful. If you love the Lord Jesus as much as I do, I think you'll really enjoy the next 22 days. And whenever you feel like you need some uplifting teaching from the Lord, you can just come back here and enjoy seeing the Gospel come to life right on your computer screen.

Here in part one we are introduced to the fact that Jesus is God "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1) Here in part 1 we also meet John the Baptist.

Enjoy and God bless

Rob

The Touch of the Masters Hand

I've always loved this song so when I saw this video on YouTube I just had to post it here. Great message about how God, (The Master) comes and changes our lives from corrupt sinners to glorified saints. But without His hand in our lives we are nothing, John 15:5. You can make the video as large as your screen by clicking the middle tab in the lower right corner underneith the words "YouTube."

Enjoy

Rob

This is a devotion I stumbled upon written by Dr. John Piper from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minn, MN. If you've ever heard John Piper preach or read any of his books then you're well aware of his heart and passion for God. If you haven't read "Desiring God," you should really read this book, it truly is amazing. You don't even have to buy it, you can read it for free by clicking on this link

But before you run off and read Desiring God, take a look at this devotional by John Piper. I think you'll find it a true blessing.

Enjoy.

God is the Gospel

John Piper

Have you ever asked why God’s forgiveness is of any value? Or what about eternal life? Have you ever asked why a person would want to have eternal life? Why should we want to live forever? These questions matter because it is possible to want forgiveness and eternal life for reasons that prove you don’t have them.

Take forgiveness, for example. You might want God’s forgiveness because you are so miserable with guilt feelings. You just want relief. If you can believe that he forgives you, then you will have some relief, but not necessarily salvation. If you only want forgiveness because of emotional relief, you won’t have God’s forgiveness. He does not give it to those who use it only to get his gifts and not himself.

Or you might want to be healed from a disease or get a good job or find a spouse. Then you hear that God can help you get these things, but that first your sins would have to be forgiven. Someone tells you to believe that Christ died for your sins, and that if you believe this, your sins will be forgiven. So you believe it in order to remove the obstacle to health and job and spouse. Is that gospel salvation? I don’t think so.

In other words, it matters what you are hoping for through forgiveness. It matters why you want it. If you want forgiveness only for the sake of savoring the creation, then the Creator is not honored and you are not saved. Forgiveness is precious for one final reason: it enables you to enjoy fellowship with God. If you don’t want forgiveness for that reason, you won’t have it at all. God will not be used as currency for the purchase of idols.

Similarly, we ask: why do we want eternal life? One might say: because hell is the alternative and that’s painful. Another might say: because there will be no sadness there. Another might say: my loved ones have gone there and I want to be with them. Others might dream of endless sex or food. Or more noble fortunes. In all these aims one thing is missing: God.

The saving motive for wanting eternal life is given in John 17:3: "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." If we do not want eternal life because it means joy in God, then we won’t have eternal life. We simply kid ourselves that we are Christians, if we use the glorious gospel of Christ to get what we love more than Christ. The "good news" will not prove good to any for whom God is not the chief good.

Here is the way Jonathan Edwards put it in a sermon to his people in 1731. Read this slowly and let it waken you to the true goodness of forgiveness and life.

The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption. He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls. God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory. They have none in heaven but God; he is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they are to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God, he is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem; and is the ‘river of the water of life’ that runs, and the tree of life that grows, ‘in the midst of the paradise of God’. The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will forever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another: but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in anything else whatsoever, that will yield then delight and happiness, will be what will be seen of God in them (The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999], pp. 74-75).

Savoring God through the gospel, with you,

Pastor John

Doctrines of Grace - Irresistible Grace

Hello again, my apologies for not posting the Doctrines of Grace for a while. We took a couple weeks off, one to have the Lord's Supper and another because Pastor David decided he wanted to preach a message instead. That got me out of the routine and I got quite busy so I do apologize and we'll pick up with the doctrine of Irresistible Grace now.

The doctrine of Irresistible Grace states that Saving Grace accomplishes what God intends to accomplish by it; that the grace of God is so powerful it can and does Overcome our natural Resistance to it.

A better term for Irresistible Grace is Effectual Calling because its effect is to save the elect. In other words, Effectual Calling is supremely exercised in God's call to His elect. The saving outcome of God's effectual calling is clearly taught in Scripture:

Rom 8:29-30 - "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."

2Tim 1:9 - "...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began."

Lets take a closer look at this passage of Scripture. First, the word "foreknew" is a Greek word which literally means to "know intimately." So, before the foundation of the world, God already knew His elect intimately.

Next, to predestine means to pre-determine. So, God already chose those whom He was going to save. Then as they go through life, at God's specific time, He calls them. Many today in American Christianity will complain that this negates man's free will. Well actually it does just the opposite. In our fallen state, using our free will, we will always turn away from God because we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Eph 2:1 Instead, think of God's calling as a removing of blinders. I heard a great example of this once that may help to clear this up a bit.

If you saw a dozen people running down the road toward a pit of fire and they all had blindfolds on wouldn't you try to warn them? Suppose you call out for them to stop and you tell them they're heading for a pit of fire. They in turn tell you, 'no no, we're heading for the beach, we can feel the nice warm sun just ahead.' Now how do you convince them? If you grab one of them and remove his blindfold so he can now see what's ahead, he'll stop dead in his tracks and turn a different way. Now, would you call that interfering with his free will or saving his life? The same holds true when God removes the blinders on our hearts. He shows us that we have sinned against Him and that we need to repent and believe on Jesus in order to avoid the wrath to come - the fire pit ahead.

Some Clarification:

1) Though Irresistible Grace refers to God's call which always leads to salvation, it does not mean that God's common grace cannot be resisted.

2) Apart from Irresistible Grace, man always resists God's demands of obedience and offers of mercy - Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit..."

R.C. Sproul puts it this way: "The history of man is a history of resistance to God's grace."

Irresistible Grace as it relates to Regeneration:

The effectual calling of God is to be distinguished from a General Conviction or Persuasion that may attend the hearing of the Word of God which does not result in salvation. This is illustrated in the statement by Jesus in Matthew 22:14, "Many are called but few are chosen."

This effectual call of God and regeneration of the spirit is best illustrated in the Old Testament in Ezekiel's valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 and in the N.T. by Christ physically raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11.

1) "Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord." Ezk 37:4 = Effectual Calling

2) "I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord." Ezk 37:5-6 = Spiritual Regeneration

3) Jesus cried, "Lazarus, come forth." = Effectual Calling

4) Lazarus was raised from the dead. = Spiritual Regeneration

A Closer Look at Regeneration:

If there is one point that divides reformed theology from other theological perspectives it is the question of the relationship between regeneration and saving faith. The most common view today is that Faith precedes Regeneration: In other words if you believe, you will be born again. Or you may have heard it put this way: "Just believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved." This thinking, however, is backward and is actually contrary to what Scripture teaches.

The Biblical teaching and the Reformed view state that Regeneration precedes Faith: In other words, if you believe, its because you've been regenerated. And if you think about it, salvation must be this way because in order for us to realize we're sinners and come to the Lord in repentance and faith we must first be raised from the dead because the Bible teaches that we are spiritually dead by nature. Writing to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul tells them in, Eph 2:1 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins..." Also see Romans 3:10-12

The primary issue relates to the Extent of a lost man's true condition:
1) Is he sick or is he dead in sins? (Eph 2:1-3)
2) Is he free or is he in bondage to sin? (Gal 4:3)

The Depravity of the human heart necessitates regeneration preceding faith since man is dead in sins and in bondage to sin and blinded by the adversary:
Jesus says in John 6:44 - "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." Do you notice who's doing all the action here?

Paul gives us the order of salvation in Eph 2.

1) We were dead. (verses 1-3)
2) We were made alive. (verses 5&6)
3) We believed. (verse 8)
4) We were prepared beforehand (predestined). (verse 10)

Without the Effectual Calling of God in his soul, a person will never desire to come to Christ. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1Cor. 2:14

Regeneration is monergistic; it is the work of God alone, because He alone has the power to change the disposition of the heart. Why is this so hard for man to accept?? Because in our pride and arrogance we feel there must be something we have to do to help in earning our salvation. This is what makes other religions so palatable. They play right into man's pride by telling him that salvation is part God and part man. "If you live a good life, help 20 little old ladies across the street and work in a soup kitchen once a month and believe in God, you'll get to Heaven." Although these are good things, we are to do them in honor of Christ and the great gift He has given us.

Salvation is not 90% God and 10% you. Its not even 99% God and 1% you. Actually, and not to offend any one, salvation is 100% God! Period. The greatest work you can do is to believe in God. And who gives you belief? - God.

Until next time, God bless

Rob

Heyward Sings National Anthem at Orlando Magic Playoff Game

I was perusing Riverbend's website tonight when I saw a story there called "A Big Hit." Its was all about our very own Heyward Evans singing the National Anthem in front of 17,400 fans at the Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors playoff game.

I thought, 'I'll bet he was great, I wish I could have heard him.' Then I thought, 'maybe someone video recorded him and put it on YouTube.' And guess what, someone did. So, for all of you who would like to hear Riverbend's worship leader sing the National Anthem just click the video below.

View This Video If You Dare!

I was on the website called GodTube.com when I came across the following video. Its a sermon given by a young preacher, Paul David Washer, at a youth conference in 2002. He is right on the money. If you want to hear what true Biblical preaching really is, give this video a look.

I can only promise you one thing. If you're used to and enjoy the watered down, feel good about me, fluff gospel proclaimed from the pulpits of most American churches - get ready to be offended. For those of you, like me, who enjoy real Biblical preaching, you'll enjoy this. Its about 50 minutes long so grab yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back and prepare to have your conscience pricked. I wish every church in America could see and hear this video.

God bless

Rob

Global Warming Update

Have you seen the latest update regarding the Global Warming debacle?? The brilliance of our scientific community is exposed again for all the world to see.

As I posted in my article entitled "What Global Warming?" back in February, our esteemed scientists are now claiming that we are headed for an ice age and not global warming at all. You can check out the latest story here.

Hmmm, I wonder if the ice age scientists are now screaming because all their funding has been drying up due to Al Gore and the global warming crowd?? After all this is all about political agenda's fighting for government money - which by the way, you fund with your tax dollars. Isn't that nice!!! We actually pay for these loony's with Phd's to come up with these crack pot theories so they can ram rod them down our throats, get the gullible populace to believe it and increase our taxes to pay for further research on unfounded and unproved theories. Amazing!!!

Folks, don't pay any attention to these wacko's. The earth is many thousands of years old and these guys are basing their conclusions on evidece of only a hundred or so years. They have no clue as to the different cycles the earth goes through and this is evident by their inability to find the supposed missing link to prove evolution, their inability to know how old the earth really is, and their inability to know whether the earth is cooling down or heating up.

They're just trying to get their political agenda forced into our school systems to indoctinate our youngsters to believing this false, man made religion as fact. That way, when these gullible school children become adults, they'll grow up to be gullible politicians and they'll desire to continue feeding money to these programs. So to do so they will pass laws that further increases the money stream for this fallacy, at our expense.

So as I've mentioned in my last post, the words of God in Chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians are quite apprapoe for today's scientific community, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the foolishness of what we preach to save those who believe. ...For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ...But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ...Therefore, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Trust the words of Jesus, when He said, "Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Praise God that He is in control of all things and not man.

God bless,

Rob

Upside-down, Inside-out and Backwards

Have you looked around and considered our culture lately?? Have you ever given any thought to how convoluted our culture really is? Have you noticed, how today, everything seems to be upside-down and backwards? Just think about for a minute - Good has become Bad, and Bad has become Good. One of the big slang terms of the 1960's and 1970's was the word "cool." When something was cool, that meant it was amazing or good. Then the word "hot" began to come to the forefront and had about the same meaning as cool.

But today we have a word that has replaced both of those words and that is the word "Bad." Today, when something is good, they use the word bad. For example, you might buy a new car and your kid may see it and say something like, "Wow, how fast will that bad boy go?" Why not good boy? Because in our culture today, good is bad and bad is good. Everything is upside-down.

It wasn't too long ago that people would actually try to live a moral life. If someone was doing drugs, drinking, having sex before marriage, people would say, "that's bad" where bad really meant "not good." But now, in our twisted culture, these things are looked upon as being good.

The Bible says this: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!" Isaiah 5:20-23

God's warning is pretty clear here. Is it any wonder that He is removing His hand from our backwards, upside-down and inside-out culture? We think we are so smart today, that we are so wise. God says just the opposite: "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1Cor. 1:19-20,25

So if you want to be considered good, then go do drugs, drink alcohol, have pre-marital sex and lead a perfectly immoral life and you will be called a good person by the worlds standards. In today's culture its not rebellious to do drugs, its not rebellious to have sex before marriage, its not rebellious to be a homosexual, have an abortion or get divorced. But if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, then you will be considered bad in the eyes of many. You will be considered narrow-minded, bigoted, a homophobe, insensitive and just plain out of touch with reality. And your message of hope, salvation and eternal life will be considered offensive. So, here's what it all boils down too: If you really want to be bad in today's culture. If you really want to lead a counter-culture revolution like they tried to do in the 60's, all you have to do is be a follower of the one who is truly good, Jesus Christ. In today's culture, that's considered rebellious.

Want proof?? I challenge anyone who considers themselves to be a true Christian to try this. Next time you go to the store, instead of wearing a tee shirt with your favorite sports team on it, or your favorite rock band, try wearing one with the big bold letters of JESUS on it. Just watch the stares of shock, disbelief and animosity you'll receive. I actually did this once. I had one of my JESUS tee shirts on and went to pick up some Chinese food for dinner. I had just been hanging around the house so I didn't even think to look at what shirt I was wearing. When I was standing at the register paying my bill, there was an elderly couple on the other side of the room. The husband kept whispering to his wife and shaking his head while giving me stares that if looks could kill, I'd be dead today. I mean, the way he glared at me you would have thought that I called his wife some offensive name. You talk about feeling uncomfortable - Wow!

Amazing isn't it?? Its ok for people to wear shirts with the name of their god's on them - Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, Metallica, Rolling Stones et.al. But just try to wear something on it with the name of the One True God and watch out. I'm convinced that if you're a Christian, it won't be long until your freedom of speech is taken away and you'll be thrown in jail just for mentioning the name of Jesus. His name will be considered hate speech. And if you think I'm kidding, believe me I get different Christian news letters from Christian legal organizations and they are constantly in court, fending off the advances or the homosexual agenda, which is to basically do away with Christianity altogether.

But don't worry, Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Jesus also said, "...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10b. So, you don't need drugs, you don't need alcohol and you don't need to live a sexually immoral lifestyle. You don't need to chase after the empty things this world has to offer to make you happy. Just follow Christ, only He can give you a life worth living, now and throughout eternity.

God bless

Rob

So You Think Obama Is A Christian??

Obama contends belief in Jesus Christ not necessary for salvation

There are many people today in America who have been utterly deceived by the false claims that Barak Obama is a Christian. In a speech he gave recently he said that he believes he can have everlasting life because Jesus died for his sins. But he went on to claim that he also believes that Jews and Muslims who live a good moral life can also be considered children of God.

What Bible is he reading??? If good moral living can get a person into Heaven, then Jesus died for nothing. If we can get into Heaven by being good people, then why would we need a Savior??

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians said, "For by Grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast." Eph. 2:8-9

Hmm, sounds to me like being a good person has nothing to do with salvation. Its a gift! If you pay one penny for a gift, then it is no longer a gift is it? And since we need a Savior, there is only one person that fits the bill and Scripture makes this quite clear. I wonder if "Pastor" Wright or Obama have ever seen or heard these words:

Jesus said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me. " John 14:6

The Apostle Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit said, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

Obama is a lying politician and is saying anything he can to get as many votes as he can. If you believe that he is really a true Christian, you better open your eyes. No one could sit under "Pastor" Wrights indoctrination for 20 years and come out unscathed; not hating white people and hating America. Anyone who truly believes in what the Bible teaches and seeks to honor, love and obey Jesus Christ, certainly would not have spent 2 minutes in that church listening to his filth.

I believe under all that rehtoric of "hope" and "peace" lies a very angry Muslim who is ready to try to get all us infidels under Muslim rule. Watch out America, if he gets in office there will be dark days ahead. May the Lord have mercy on our nation. Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - He's the one and only way to eternal life.

God bless

Rob