Do Not Set Your Mind On Fleshly Things

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." ~ Rom 8:5-8

How often today do we see these Word of Faith, Health, Wealth & Prosperity preachers doing exactly what this passage of Scripture tells us not to do. They whip their flocks up into a frenzie, into a hypnotic like trance, and convince them that it is God's will that they give as much of their money to them as possible. They tell their congregations that God will bless them a hundred fold above whatever they give. So these people belive it and rush to empty their wallets while these "preachers" go laughing all the way to the bank.

I often ask myself, "how can these people be so blind?" "How can they not see that these preachers are getting richer while they continue to get poorer?" I'm stunned to watch video's of this stuff and see these charlitans on TV just marching forward, unabated, chasing after material wealth so they can live according to the flesh - all in the name of Jesus of course.

Its amazing how much Satan has blinded the minds and hearts of so many in the Charismatic movement. It seems as if the whole movement is based on minds set on things of the flesh while claiming its all done in the name of Christ. It seems as if they make gods or idols out of everything. They chase after miracles, they chase after prophecies, they chase after money, they chase after health, they even chase after angels. They seem to chase after everything except the one true thing they should be chasing after - the Lord Jesus Christ. And, what's most frightening of all, as we get very near the Lord's return, is that their leaders seem to be getting more and more bold with their false doctrines, blatently stepping outside the bounds of Scripture and claiming things the Bible just does not say or completely denying things it does say. For example, many of them are running around and unashamedly claiming that we are little god's. Please find that for me in Scripture!

The thing I tell well meaning Christians when they ask me about these things is that the way of righteousness is a very narrow path. If you just stick with Scripture you'll never be led astray; you'll never go wrong. All this extra Biblical stuff is nothing more than doctrines of demons meant to empower man and deminish Christ. But I guess that's why people are so quick to abandon Scripture. They say it's dry or boing and they need something more exciting.

There's 2 things Scripture does that will benefit every believer:

1) Scripture makes sure that man is put in his place. It reveals man's sinfulness and how much he's fallen short of God's glory. It talks about the fact that there is no one who is righteous, no not one and that the wages of sin is death. Unfortunately, in todays fast food economy, people don't want to hear the truth about themselves. They'd rather heap up teachers who will tickle their itching ears and make them feel all warm and fuzzy about themselves instead of warning them to flee the wrath to come.

2) Scripture exalts Christ above all else. It reveals that all things were created by Him and for Him and that He is preeminent over everything including angels. What's so amazing about that? The amazing thing is that while we were yet sinners, dispising our very creator, He got up and laid down His crown and His royal robes and humbled Himself and became a man. He lived a perfect life in our place thereyby fulfilling the law of God for us. Then He willingly paid our fine by laying down His life on the cross and taking upon Himself the very wrath of God so that His righteousness could be transferred to our accounts and we could receive the gift of eternal life. Now that's an amazing Savior, that's an amazing Lord and King.

When we see these things in Scripture we should not feel exalted like we accomplished something great and now God owes us salvation. Instead we should be very humbled because we are so unworthy. We should stand amazed that the Master's love is so great for His elect that He would lay down His life for those who hate Him. And yet here we have these Word of Faith, H W & P preachers running around chasing after material things that will be here today and gone tomorrow. They chase after things of straw that will one day burn up in the fires of judgement. The sad thing is that there are so many who follow them to their own destruction. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Without a doubt we need to pray for those who are caught up in this finely weaved web of deceit. They somehow must have their blinders removed so they can see the truth, repent of their sin and turn to the only one who can save them - our great King Jesus. To Him be the glory!

The Beginning of Birth Pangs

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:4-8)

So do you think we are getting any closer to the end times? Major earthquake and Tsunami in Japan today. Major earthquake in Hati last year. Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Tsunami in Indonesia in December 2004. Four Hurricanes hit Florida in 2004. I think there can be little doubt by any discerning Christian that what is happening today are things clearly referenced in Scripture.

Without a doubt, the words of Jesus seem to be ringing true more and more with each passing year. And as frightening as these things can be in these last days, we must take comfort in knowing that God is Sovereign and in control. One of the greatest things about being a child of God is that we can always turn to Him in prayer when chaos breaks out.

As I write this, the nation of Japan is being crushed with a giant Tsunami and many aftershocks which continue to wreak havoc on that country. The number of people killed and injured won't be fully known for quite a while. My heart breaks for the people of Japan because it is not really a Christian nation and I truly fear for those who have been killed. May the Lord be glorified in this disaster by opening up avenues for the Gospel to go forth amid the destruction and may a great awakening happen throughout that whole country.

God's Sovereign Grace

I've recently been reading John MacArthur's book, "The Gospel According To The Apostles" and came across a great section on Irresistible Grace that I thought I'd share with you. Pastor MacArthur does a great job of breaking down and showing how salvation is through God alone and we can effect none of it. He states:

"Don't misunderstand; we are not idle in the process. Nor does saving grace force people to believe against their will. That is not what irresistible grace means. Grace is not coercion. But by transforming the heart, grace makes the believer wholly willing to trust and obey.

Scripture makes clear that every aspect of grace is God's sovereign work. He foreknows and foreordains the elect (Rom. 8:29), calls the sinner to Himself (Rom. 8:30), draws the soul to Christ (John 6:44), accomplishes the new birth (John 1:13; James 1:18), grants repentance (Acts 11:18), and faith (Rom. 12:3; Acts 18:27), justifies the believer (Rom. 3:24, 8:30), makes the redeemed holy (Eph. 2:10), and finally glorifies them (Rom. 8:30). In no stage of the process is grace thwarted by human failure, dependent on human merit, or subjugated to human effort. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:30-32). That's Grace.

Many people struggle with the concept of sovereign grace, but if God is not sovereign in the exercise of His grace, then it is not grace at all. If God's purposes were dependent on some self-generated response of faith or on human merit, then God Himself would not be sovereign, and salvation would not be wholly His work. If that were the case, the redeemed would have something to boast about, and grace wouldn't be grace (Rom. 3:27; Eph. 2:9)."

Speaking about being saved by grace, MacArthur continues by looking at God's actions in Ephesians 1: "Paul's central point was God's sovereignty in graciously saving the elect. He wrote that God chose us (v.4), predestined us (v.5), guaranteed our adoption (v.5), bestowed on us His grace (v.6), redeemed us (v.7), forgave us (v.7), lavished riches of grace on us (v.8), made known to us His will (v.9), obtained an inheritance for us (v.11), guaranteed that we would glorify Him (vv.11-12), saved us (v.13), and sealed us with the Spirit (vv.13-14). In short, He "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (v.3). All of this was the work of His sovereign grace, performed not because of any good in us, but simply "according to the kind intention of His will" (v.5,cf. v.9) and "according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (v.11)."

Wow! What an amazing God we serve. God bless.

Scriptural Response To False Teachers

I've been reading Walter Martins book, "Kingdom of the Occult." It is absolutely amazing to me how many cults have used the name of Jesus but twisted it to fit their own ideologies. There have been so many of these cults throughout the centuries its no wonder so many people are confused as to what to believe. Here are just a few of them:

• The Ancient Magick Jesus


• The Mystical Kabbalist Jesus


• The Jupiter and Mars Jesus


• The Full Moon Jesus


• The Masonic Jesus


• The Great White Brotherhood Jesus


• The Sleeping Prophet Jesus

And there are dozens more. I'm not going to get into them now or what they all believed. Just suffice it to say that the Jesus they believed in was not at all the Jesus of the Bible.

We as a church need to do a much better job at teaching the truth of God's word to people so they know who the real Jesus Christ is and why He came. So what should our response be when we come across the doctrines of false teachers or false religions?

Our response should be Scriptural.

Jesus Christ, in the true essence of His being, cannot be changed by man's whimsical or capricious desires. The doctrine of Christ's immutability, which refutes all of man's changes to his nature, is clearly laid out in Hebrews 1:8-12

But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

10 And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.”

God, the Father, addressed these statements to Jesus Christ, His Son. He quoted Psalm 102:25-27 directly applying these words to His Son. He was saying that Jesus created the heavens and the earth, He remains, He is the same and He will never fail. These facts, coupled with Hebrews 12:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever," give ample support to the immutability of Christ's nature.

When those within the cults, the occult or any false religion reinterpret Jesus, they directly contradict Scripture.

"A Christian who understands Christology, as grounded in the new Testament texts, should have no difficulty exposing the errors of man's twisted Jesus. There is only one true Jesus, so any "other Jesus" must be labeled false. (Galatians 1:6-9). In crafting their corrupted image of Him, these false teachers betray themselves and reveal that they know nothing of the Lord Jesus Christ." - Walter Martin

Although Christians differ on many lesser doctrines there are a few core doctrines that one must absolutely believe if he considers himself to be a follower of Jesus Christ:

1. There is only one God who exists and there are no others.


2. Jesus Christ has always existed from eternity past and always will exist.


3. Jesus Christ is God. He is the second person of the Trinity, wholly co-equal, co-substantial and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit


4. He became God incarnate on Earth through the miraculous conception of the virgin Mary and was declared Lord and Christ at His birth.


5. Jesus is the Christ, and no others can be "a Christ." He lived a sinless life. He vicariously atoned for our sins through His death upon the Cross. He rose from the dead in the same body as was crucified, yet it rose as a glorified immortal body. He ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the glory of God. He will personally return for His Church in the same manner in which He left.

The Bible explicitly teaches that no gods exist except the true and living God. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is one!" Isaiah added that no God existed before or after Him, "Before Me there was not God formed, nor shall there be after Me." (43:10). The psalmist expressed the same doctrine in Psalm 86:10, "You alone are God." Since occultists and false teachers often portray Jesus as one among many gods, then we can rest assured in the biblical testimony that there is only one God.

(Taken from Walter Martin's book, Kingdom of the Occult)

What is True Saving Faith

So you want to be a Christian? Maybe you feel you'd just like to give this Jesus thing a try and see if its for you. After all these "christians" seem to be having all kinds of fun in their big churches and their sure does seem to be a lot of money floating around. So, you think, maybe this Christianity stuff won't be to bad. It looks easy and even fun. Right? Wrong.

If you want to be a Christian. A true Christian. Not like the false teachers you see no TV. I'm talking about a real true born again believer, you must:
"Transfer the ownership of all that you are and all that you have to all that He is." - Steve Lawson

What does this mean?

It means, "your life is no longer your life, it is His life. Your time is no longer your time, it is His time. Your possessions are no longer your possessions they are His possessions. Your future is no longer your future, it is His future for you. Your treasure is no longer your treasure, it is His treasure."

You cannot buy these terms of peace with your money because you don't have enough money. Instead, it is purchased with the total complete surrender of your life to Christ." -- Steve Lawson

This is what true Christianity is all about. Are you ready?

Why Abortion Is Always The Wrong Choice!

Here is a great testimony from Rebecca Kiessling a woman conceived in rape. But praise God her birth mother was unable to get an abortion and so now Rebecca is able to be an advocate for Pro-Life and the saving of the unborn. See the video below as she gives a great and moving testimony.

NOTE: If you receive an error message while trying to view the video, double click on it and you can watch it from YouTube.

The Bible - The Mind of God

If you've never read the Bible, you really need to. Did you ever wonder what's in the Bible. If you'd like to know, just read it. The video below gives a great 2 minute briefing as to what is contained in the Bible.