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Posts Tagged ‘emergent church’

Apostasy from within…

Posted in Church Falling Away, End Times Prophecy, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , on September 24, 2018|

Matt Ward put together a great article on Rapture Ready about a trend he has been tracking over the last two years or so.  It is a lengthy article but worth ready till then end.  I have felt the same “Schism” forming as well as the new negative connotation of being a “fundamentalist” or “evangelical”.

It reminds me of one of the letters from Jesus to the churches in Revelations when he says “…for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Revelation 3:7-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Which also reminds me of the next letter and a wording nuance within the NKJV to the “Church of the Laodiceans”, not the “Church in” but “of”, that is why later in verse 20 He says “I stand at the door and knock…” its not His church but theirs.

Revelation 3:14-15 New King James Version (NKJV)

14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

Read his entire article, he really gets to the heart of the matter summarizing the true issue and how opposite it seems to the words our dying world needs to hear like:

The pertinent issues now are not salvation issues, or issues related to sin or repentance, and certainly not anything to do with eschatology or the imminent end times, but LGBTQ+ issues, immigration issues and family border-separation issues. It is about the “evils” of white-dominated evangelical Protestantism; it is about helping the poor. It is about social justice, the feel-good gospel of salvation through works, not faith. These are the issues that count – not sin, repentance, the love of God for a desperately lost world, or the quite obviously approaching time of His wrath.

Remember, the darker it gets, the brighter and farther our little light shines!

Maranatha, Lord come quickly!

myblessedhope

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Schism :: By Matt Ward

Published on: by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles, Matt Ward

Modern-day Christianity seems to be approaching a point of no return. There appears to be a concerted effort, long since underway but now rapidly speeding up, which has the very specific aim of delegitimizing biblical Christianity. Much of these efforts are coming from within the church.

Men and women we once perceived as being Christian brothers and sisters, now seem to view themselves as traditional Christianity’s greatest enemy. Christianity, as we have known it, would seem to be on the brink of schism.

If you are a Christian who holds a literal view of the interpretation of scripture, and especially if you hold to a futurist, pre-tribulation view of eschatology, then you find yourself dead center in the crosshairs of a movement that is becoming increasingly vitriolic. You are also very much in the minority. The acrimony, the bitter and caustic attacks, are not even hidden or shrouded anymore; they are out in the open for all to see.

These are, I know, harsh words. Yet I have stood back and watched patiently over the last two years; and what I have seen has with equal measure surprised and shocked me. I waited and waited before writing this article, as I wanted to be absolutely sure that what I was witnessing was not just a momentary spasm of anger or frustration. I wanted to be sure that what was emerging was a new fixed pattern of behavior.

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The Silence Is Deafening

Posted in Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Days of Noah, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2014|

Great commentary this week from Grant.

I think all of us that are trying to remain watchful feel and hear the deafening silence in both our churches and society today.

I remember when I first started studying prophecy, you had to really search to find the articles corresponding to scripture.  I use to make lists of them on my blog here to help others find them as they were hard to find sometimes.  But I finally stopped a year or so back as they just became too much, I would have 3-4 pages of articles every couple of days.  Today it is even greater.  You can hardly pick up any news publication without seeing something that relates to end times prophecy.  It is truly all around us and can be overwhelming…

Remember, the darker it gets, the brighter and farther our little light shines!

Maranatha, Lord come quickly!

myblessedhope

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The Silence Is Deafening

By Grant Phillips

I’ve heard of the silent majority most of my life. They have resided in the churches, the neighborhoods, and the workplaces. I’ve met them in the restaurants, in the shopping centers, and at family reunions. The problem is they aren’t as noticeable as they once were. Their numbers are dwindling, rapidly.

The voices of celebration are getting louder and louder.

“When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!” But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.” Exodus 32:17-18 (NLT)

While we, the silent majority, sat back and said nothing, Satan sneaked in the back door with a whole bag full of surprises. Now we stretch and yawn while looking around us, thinking, “What happened?”

Actually, I’m not sure there ever was a silent majority.

“Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.” Exodus 32:21-25 (NLT)

Obviously the majority were the evil people Aaron kowtowed to. Aaron was later to be the first of the Levi priesthood, the high priest at that, but at this time he was a sniffling coward, especially when compared to his brother Moses. Not only was he a spineless coward, he was also a liar. He was willing to trade what he knew was right in the eyes of God to participation in sin to appease the people. He didn’t want to “make any waves” in other words. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but why “rock the boat.” Let’s just please everybody. My goodness, don’t offend anyone!

I think Joshua would have stood up against them, but he was half way up the mountain with Moses. Surely there were many others who knew it was wrong to be worshipping a golden calf and dancing naked in the streets, but no one said a word.

Fast forward to the 21st century and guess what is happening today? People are dancing naked in the streets while worshipping the golden calf of greed, homosexuality, sexual escapades, entertainment, wealth, watered-down religion, and a continuing on-going list of putrid festered sins against God.

Almighty God miraculously delivered the Israelites from Egypt and did nothing less miraculous in delivering this United States of America from her enemies over the past 200 plus years. Are we grateful? How grateful is a child that is spoiled all their life? Don’t they normally turn out being ungrateful brats, even hating their own parents? We have forgotten that our blessings have come from God, not the work of our own hands. Maybe that is why we no longer want anything to do with God in this country. We’ve kicked Him out of our schools, our courts, our military, our government, our entertainment, and even our homes.

In my opinion, we are the most blessed country this earth has ever seen. We have been blessed not just spiritually but materially in ways that make other countries jealous. Even our poorest of the poor are rich in the eyes of others in some third world countries. Are we grateful? Many of our people are grateful. Many have given their lives because they were grateful.

Believe it or not, even today, many still realize that we have been blessed for one reason. That reason is that we started out in the beginning worshiping the one and only true God, our Creator. We acknowledged the second person of the Godhead as Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Even those who did not place their faith in Him still respected Him and His people. That crowd is dwindling fast.

Satan has attacked us from Hollywood to Washington D.C. He has thrown every tempting vice possible our way, and we have succumbed to his temptations as did Adam and Eve. Sadly, only a few have spoken up for Christ over the last several years. Satan’s crowd has been able to throw their garbage at us with very little resistance on our part.

I can remember when Jesus Christ was glorified from most of the pulpits and pews of America. Now, He is vilified. Most of those great warriors of God have gone on to be with our Lord. Few remain. Most of the churches now are social centers used primarily for politically correct, feel-good, fuzzy, tingly, give me goose bumps pep rallies for rebellion against God.

The world is now telling the church what it should preach. We are never to offend anyone, but how can that be? The Gospel is offensive. So what do we do? We stop preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We should never address sin. So what happens? Sin runs rampant, not just in the back alleys, but in the churches.

We should never say there is just one way to God. We should say there are many. We just pick the one that suits us best. Now what? Mass confusion is the result with the masses going to hell, because the church desires more to be politically correct than Biblically correct.

It is my opinion that Christ’s return must be very close. None of us know when, but He did command that we watch for the signs of His return. They are here, now. They are all around us. They are multiplying and intensifying as we draw closer to our Lord’s return.

Jesus says in Luke 18:8, “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” I believe He is referring specifically to His Second Coming at the end of the seven year Tribulation, but we can see true faith in God diminishing rapidly even now.

As the clock ticks down to Christ’s return, we who know Him as Savior and Lord need to speak up, loudly and clearly. I realize that fewer and fewer are listening, but it isn’t our job to make them listen. It is our job to speak. Let us boldly tell them about the Good News, the Gospel. Let us warn them that He is coming soon. Many will laugh and mock, but some, when in Heaven, will thank us for speaking out.

The silence from the Church has been deafening too long.

 

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

 

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Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.

In Romans 10 Paul lays out how salvation is open to all, Jew and Gentile.  He writes:

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” – Romans 10:4-5

What he is saying is now it is not about works or how closely to a “T” you follow the law.  But that it is through God’s gift of grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is really that simple, and yet a hard step for some of us.

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

Christ is the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14), through faith in Him you will be saved.  It is the only “works” that God requires for eternal salvation.

It is The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To learn more check out the following link.

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Israel is not Legitimate…a great deception.

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2013|

It is astonishing to see people deceived and the deception spread.  We have seen what happens when our world detaches from the truth/reality, God’s word.

When everything is relative and a different shade of gray, black and white thinking is discouraged and punished until it is like a scarlet letter, and dare I say called “un-caring” and evil.

We are living in an “Up is Down”, “Black is White” (or not even White but a shade of gray), and “good is evil” world.

God said we would see these times, and when we did we were to look up, and lift up our heads for our salvation draws neigh!

Maranatha, Lord come quickly!

myblessedhope

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Jan, 14, 2013

Israel is not Legitimate

Just as Barack Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage last year, calculating that the time was now right culturally, so too do Israel haters now feel emboldened to put their hands tightly on the lever of the hangman’s scaffolding.

An article this week from Jerome Slater from the Christian Science Monitor was quite instructive.

Many of us pro Israel activists have asked for a long time, “Why didn’t Israel get credit for pulling out of Gaza? After all, now it can’t be said they are ‘occupying’ the Strip anymore.”

Slater has answered that for us: It doesn’t matter.

By Slater’s reasoning—which is leftist worldview—Israel is still occupying the Gaza Strip, since the IDF maintains a perimeter presence. This of course is because Hamas (and, presumably, the larger Palestinian population, since they elected the terror group) likes to murder Jews. Yet, again, notice the chilling irony:

Israel no longer occupies Gaza, except that it does.

This passes for reality in 2013.

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Steady…

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , on December 6, 2012|

This is a good reminder that we should not be fearful or fret these days we live in, these last days.  It is human nature to fret and be fearful but that is exactly the reason God revealed what these days would look like to us through prophecy in His word.  He tells us not to worry that these thing must come to pass before the end can come.

Our attitude should instead be joyful and exhilarated.  We can’t stop what is going to happen and neither can any force on earth.  Only God can.  His will will be done.  That is what our prayers and thoughts should be focused on, God’s will!  Not on specific events or things we want to occur.  We need to be actively praying for God’s will to be done and asking what little part if any He would like us to play in advancing His will.

When you take that perspective, this world looks a whole lot different.  God said it, so you can count on Him doing it!  He is our Rock and His Son our Savior!  God needs us to be calm as things get worst.  You will be a beacon to the lost as they scatter to and fro.  And hopefully we can plant the seed that will save them from the coming tribulation or more importantly the lake of fire.

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Dec 3, 2012

Steady

by Jim Fletcher – Israel Watch

I’m working, and not watching the UN speeches regarding the Palestinians’ bid for nation status. I am however monitoring social media, and the reactions from pro Israel folks who are rightly revolted over the unjust speeches, and in the growing discomfort with a legitimized Palestinian entity.

We should not worry, though.

A few weeks ago, while driving near the Golan Heights, I saw one of what I believe were 2-3 tanks Israel had at its disposal during the harrowing months following the declaration of statehood in 1948. No matter how you or any revisionist slices it, the young Jewish state faced overwhelming odds in struggling to survive. (Footnote: the aforementioned tank sits under some trees on a kibbutz, a cool reminder of those momentous days.)

I submit that we are looking at similar odds now, but our perceptions are skewed.

Certainly, the international community—cowardly and immoral as it is—not only will cave to bizarre and unjust Arab demands, but the community actually likes the inversion of the truth, since it participates in it. Global media, political operatives, and religionists fall over themselves in efforts to advance evil in our world.

That’s exactly what they’re supposed to do.

God told us a long time ago pretty much exactly what’s going to happen. Why are we shocked and saddened to see these days arrive? If the Word of the Lord is true, it had to be this way.

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Not Sent by Heaven

Posted in Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, One World Religion, tagged , , , , , , on November 23, 2012|

This is an amazing article that really went straight to my heart.  He does an excellent job at removing the veil of deception from the emergent movement and showing how un-Christian their actions really are.

It is evil and makes me sick to my stomach when ever I read or hear it.

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Gary Burge: Not Sent by Heaven

by Malcolm Lowe
November 9, 2012 at 4:45 am

One wonders whether Wheaton College believes that such programs befit a respectable teaching institution…. Burge’s comparison of himself with Jesus is preposterous and absurd.

While most Evangelical Protestants are generally friendly to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, there is a small band of Evangelical pastors and professors who want to line up all Evangelicals unilaterally on the Palestinian side. The most egregious example may be Anglican vicar Stephen Sizer, whose has chummed up with the likes of Naturei Karta and Iranian President Ahmadinejad. But Gary Burge probably wields the greater influence.

As “Professor of New Testament” at Wheaton College, where he has taught since 1992, Burge has taken whole generations of Evangelical students to such places as the Bethlehem Bible College for one-sided indoctrination in the Palestinian “narrative.” That is, the students are bombarded with typical Palestinian complaints about Israel. Encouragement to investigate the veracity of those complaints is lacking, let alone the history of Palestinian aggression against Israelis and the corruption and misrule of the Palestinian Authority.

Will those unfortunate students be able to cause Israel much harm? Maybe not. The harm done to impressionable young minds is another question. One wonders whether Wheaton College believes that such programs befit a respectable Christian teaching institution.

In March 2012, Burge was back at the Bethlehem Bible College to lecture at the so-called “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference. The very title of the conference betrays its misleading agenda. The idea was to underline that today if Mary and Joseph tried to visit (more…)

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The emergent chruch…we will know them by their fruit!

Posted in Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 23, 2012|

With the acceleration of end times events we are seeing the emergent church taking a bolder stance.  No place can this be seen clearer than support for Israel, God’s chosen people.

Matthew 7:15-17

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

We will know them by their fruit!

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Nov 19, 2012

The Six-Week War

Now that the death cult Hamas has decided to go out Bonnie and Clyde-style, word comes that Israel’s leadership is preparing for a two-month engagement. Let us all fervently pray that they completely destroy the terror entity that has plagued the region (including the Palestinians) for a quarter-century.

Others are writing very good reports on the fighting thus far—hundreds of rockets have landed in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem! The Hamas stockpiles are such that until the IDF gathers its full strength, some damage will be done. I left one friend’s home in Jerusalem last week to travel to another in Efrat, and I passed the Gush Etzion turn.

At least two rockets landed in Gush Etzion yesterday, with other reports that they landed in Jerusalem as well. You can’t imagine how small the country is if you haven’t been there. Imagine driving from Richardson, Texas, to Plano. Culver City, California, to Glendale. Washington D.C., to Silver Spring, Maryland.

What I want to spotlight this week at “Israel Watch” is the unfolding propaganda war, equally vicious and important. Within 48 hours of the terror war launched against Israeli civilians by Hamas, Israel’s tiny window of goodwill began to predictably shrink. Among those leading the charge—and I find this repulsive and ghastly in the extreme—are religious leaders in the West.

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The War on Bible Prophecy, Part 486

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2012|

This is the prophecy that weighs on my mind and heart the most recently.  I have to constantly ask for the Lords aid in lifting this worry/concern.  It grieves me greatly to see so many being mis-led and deceived.

I find myself constantly checking and double checking the background/core beliefs of any “new” author I hear of or are recommended.  It is a minefield out there.  Some days I just want to throw up my hands and say “Lord, where do I turn for help and understanding?”  And I always hear the same response, “My Word.”

It is really the answer.  Anything man has touched can be corrupted but God’s Word, His Son, and His Word are true and everlasting.  It is easily said to rely on “His Word” but sometimes we need a little help interpreting what it all means or lack the patience to stick with it as long as it takes for its meaning to be revealed.

I agree with Jim on his statements below.  We really need to be very guarded with what we believe, taking everything back to God’s Word for validation.  We need to look before the surface to see what their core beliefs are.

This is a fight that needs to be fought to help protect our children and wake folks up from the rampant deception of this world.  It is a hard fight, but we must lean on the Lord.

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Jun 4, 2012

The War on Bible Prophecy, Part 486

That’s tongue-in-cheek, of course—barely. I’ve written before about what I am calling the “War on Bible Prophecy,” and the truth is, I could write about it endlessly, because it is so pervasive in American evangelical circles today.

Never thought you’d read a statement like that, did you?

I didn’t, either.

This is not a mystery. The future scenario outlined by God in Genesis 3—the enmity between the woman and her Seed, and the serpent and his seed—is clearly played-out today, as the world loathes both Israel and the Messiah.

So then, a key battleground in this long war against Israel is the current direct attack on Bible prophecy.

In his book, The Emerging Church, Dan Kimball makes the following statement:

“The basis of learning has shifted from logic and rational, systematic thought to the realm of experience. People increasingly long for the mystical and the spiritual rather than the evidential and fact-based faith of the modern soil.”

A couple points. Those young people today who are leaning in this direction are doing so because Dan Kimball and his friends are pushing them in that direction with their mystical teachings. Secondly, his comment of course is heavily biased; there are also plenty of people left who will respond to that approach that Emergents so hate, the “evidential and fact-based” apologetic that worked so well the last 2,000 years, between the time of Christ and the apostles…and Dan Kimball.

At a Catalyst Conference in March, 2011, speaker Christine Caine said, “God is still in the miracle business today.”

He certainly is, but the problem for Caine and her friends in Emergent is that they so dislike the eschatology of their parents and grandparents that they are ignoring the biggest miracle in our world today: the fulfillment of predictive prophecy, centered around of course Israel.

Emergents (Caine might dispute that she is Emergent, but the fact is, she pals-around with tons of them) hate Bible prophecy because it pushes against their own understanding of prophecy: man can save himself and is carving-out a glorious future.

This latter view is in direct contrast to the biblical view, which is crystal clear: the Savior must return to prevent man from destroying himself. Of course, if you are a Purpose-Driven pastor or follower drunk on your own accomplishments, this is a hateful view!

Let me digress just for a moment, and attempt to show you what we are up against, in the battle for the hearts and minds of young people—all of whom could find the freedom they so long for, in the God of the Bible.

Brad Lomenick, who leads the Catalyst team (www.catalystspace.com), periodically lists people he’d love to meet. A few months ago, he published another list, and added a list from his assistant, Michelle Hoeft. Among the folks they’d love to have dinner with:

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