Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church

99 Percent

What you'd get if 99 percent were good enough:

No phone service for 15 minutes each day.

 1.7 million pieces of first class mail lost each day.

35,000 newborn babies dropped by doctors or nurses each year and

Twelve babies would be given to the wrong parents this year. 

200,000 people would get the wrong drug prescriptions each year

Two Million documents would be lost by the IRS this year.

315 entries in Webster’s Dictionary would be misspelled.

291 pacemakers would fail today.

5.5 million cans of soda pop would be flat today.

880 thousand credit cards would have the wrong information on the magnetic strip.

There would be a major plane crash every two days.

Three million defective tires would be shipped this year.

Over three million books would be shipped with the wrong book cover.

307 incorrect medical procedures would be performed each year. 

90 thousand defective phones, tablets and computers would be sold each year. 

2 million people would die from food poisoning each year.

No one would be in heaven.  For not even 99 percent goodness is good enough for heaven. 

Just one sin will send us to hell.  We are in big trouble…..if not for Jesus.  The perfect Son of God, who knew no sin became sin for us that we might have His righteousness applied to our lives.  Jesus traded places with us. 

Jesus was not satisfied with 99 percent of humanity.   Remember He left the ninety and nine to seek that one sheep who strayed away.   He is not willing that any should perish.  He died to save all of us. 100 percent of us from the most innocent child to the most evil person.  But you have to trust Him and believe on Him.  99 percent will not save you.   Only 100 percent trust in Jesus Christ will save you! 

King Asa gave 99 percent trust in God.  2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. King Asa did not fully trust God so he would have fighting instead of peace.  So it is with us.   If we just give Jesus 99 percent of our lives we will not have peace in our life.  He wants our hearts perfect toward Him. He wants 100 percent of us. 



The Terrific Twelve

Last week we looked at that NRA “No Religion At All” segment of society that is growing every day.  They have left the church because of their liberal values.   But let’s just face it….. the Bible calls for……conservative values! Here is the Bible’s conservative agenda.  There are twelve points.  I call these the “Terrific Twelve Biblical Values” since twelve is a Biblical number. 

1.  Jesus is the only way to know God according to the Bible.  But the Bible doesn’t force or require anyone to follow Jesus.  You are free to worship however you want.  But be prepared to pay the consequences!

2.  Marriage is between a man and a woman in the Bible.  Homosexuality is an abomination according to the Bible.  Nuff said.

3.  There are borders, walls and nation states described in the Bible. (And in the world there always will be!) Nimrod tried a world community once and that didn’t work out very well did it?  Remember the Tower of Babel?

4. Education is to teach conservative moral values and basic learning skills according to the Bible.  (No politics or hidden agenda’s)

5. Militaries are to be strong and well trained according to the Bible.  Every nation in the Old Testament had a ready military.  God knows that the only way that fallen, sinful people can get along is if everyone has a big stick. 

6. You should be prepared to defend your family according to the Bible.  Jesus said get a sword if you don’t have one. 

7. According to the Bible you are required to take care of your family’s needs.    A man who won’t take care of his family is worse than an infidel.

8. We should respect the rights of others and the laws of the land and be a good citizen according to the Bible.   You should respect those in authority over you as long as they obey God’s moral laws.  If they do not we have “to obey God rather than men.”

9.  And if you disobey those laws expect the government to come down hard on you.  Righteousness and civility are common basic ideals of citizenship in the Bible.  But you should always again remember to “obey God rather than men.” 

10.  The Bible is for free speech!  According to the Bible, anyone can write or say whatever they want as long as it is the truth!  No one in the Bible was ever silenced or jailed for criticizing Jesus, the church or Israel.  But Jesus though warned that His followers would be persecuted and they were to be prepared to be silenced and even jailed for preaching Jesus.  He simply said pray for those who persecute you and don’t fight back.   (God shut a few of His critics up for what was considered blasphemy!  After all He is God and we should know better.  He always is right.) 

11.  You should take care of your own needs if you are able bodied according to the Bible.  A man who won’t work shouldn’t eat.  Pretty plain.

12.  You should have your own property and respect others property according to the Bible.  No…. the church in the book of Acts was not communal.  It was individual property holders and independent home owners who contributed to the welfare of the church.  Paul said to go and eat in your OWN HOMES…. to the church at Corinth!

How do we get the NRA, (“No Religion At All”) back?  Pray that they mature in thought, in actions, in choices and love and grow toward Jesus!

NRA

What is the fastest growing religious segment in the world?  Is it Islam…Nope.  Roman Catholicism?  Nope.  Is it Hinduism?  Nope.  Is it new age philosophies?  Nope.  The fastest growing religious segment in the world is…..NRA.  Nope…not the National Rifle Association.  It called “No Religion At All.”  Millennials are those who were born between 1981 and 1996 are the leading proponents of “No Religion At All” but not the only ones.  Gen X…. those born between 1965 and 1979 are quickly falling into that category. 

They as a whole, have fallen prey to the Marxist, socialist agenda and in the philosophies of sharing the wealth at any cost and push hard against those who disagree with them.  The socialist agenda has fallen into disagreement with the conservative principles of the Bible.  So, naturally these NRA‘ers drop out of church.

If millennials and Gen X’ers quit church over socialist philosophies then it’s no wonder church attendance is down nationwide in America. 

How do we get them back?  Hopefully as they mature and come to a more seasoned approach to life and conservative Biblical values they will come back.  They will figure out eventually that there are no free rides!  Even salvation in Jesus Christ isn’t free.  God purchased it for us by sending His only begotten Son.  It was His Son who paid for our sin debt to God.  Therefore we receive salvation as a free gift….. fully paid for by Jesus Christ. 

A pastor asked his seven year old grandson “what is the difference between a liberal and a conservative?”  The grandson replied.   “I don’t know papaw.” The grand father said “A liberal wants you to give him something for nothing and a conservative wants to work for it.  Now which are you son?”  the grandson quickly responded “I’m a liberal papaw!” 

As children we are used to being provided for by our families until we reach adult hood.  Fiscal and moral responsibility is something we learn as we mature and get older.  We learn that we are responsible for our own selves.  If we want something we hopefully learn to pay for it ourselves.  And if we do wrong we ought to learn that we also pay for it ourselves.  Some though sadly, never mature and stay in debt both financially to creditors and morally to society and to God. 

But as we learn fiscal and moral responsibility we also are learning that the principles of the Bible also call for individual responsibility and Biblical morality.

So if Jesus tarries….. fiscal and moral responsibility will lead some of the “NRA’ers back to church. This is our hope and prayer!  I pray they don’t wait too long. 

take care of his family is worse than an infidel.

Dealing With Wrath

Many years ago a senior executive of the then Standard Oil Company made a wrong decision that cost the company more than $2 million. John D. Rockefeller was then running the firm. On the day the news leaked out most of the executives of the company were finding various ingenious ways of avoiding Mr. Rockefeller, lest his wrath descend on their heads.

There was one exception, however; he was Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company. Bedford was scheduled to see Rockefeller that day and he kept the appointment, even though he was prepared to listen to a long harangue against the man who made the error in judgment.

When he entered the office the powerful head of the gigantic Standard Oil empire was bent over his desk busily writing with a pencil on a pad of paper. Bedford stood silently, not wishing to interrupt. After a few minutes Rockefeller looked up.

"Oh, it's you, Bedford," he said calmly. "I suppose you've heard about our loss?"  Bedford said that he had.   "I've been thinking it over," Rockefeller said, "and before I ask the man in to discuss the matter, I've been making some notes."

Bedford later told the story this way:  "Across the top of the page was written, 'Points in favor of Mr. _______.' There followed a long list of the man's virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on three separate occasions that had earned many times the cost of his recent error.

"I never forgot that lesson. In later years, whenever I was tempted to rip into anyone, I forced myself first to sit down and thoughtfully compile as long a list of good points as I possibly could. Invariably, by the time I finished my inventory, I would see the matter in its true perspective and keep my temper under control. There is no telling how many times this habit has prevented me from committing one of the costliest mistakes any executive can make -- losing his temper.   "I commend it to anyone who must deal with people."   

I think we should always err on the side of grace.  When God was angry at me and you over our sin He simply had the word “grace” written over us.  Saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.   I commend grace to anyone who has to deal with sin…...and that’s all of us!  I hope we all are saved by grace and none of us will have to face God’s wrath.  



Progressing?

I have read several of these quotes recently….…”We are finally progressing as a society in the United States.”   Well let’s see how much we are “progressing.”

A former Vermont utility executive just recently became the first transgender candidate (and definitely not the last) from a major political party to be nominated for governor.   We elect a governor who can’t even decide what sex he or she was or is….. and they are going to make decisions that affect a whole state?

“Revoice”….. a movement to get churches to accept homosexuality and same sex attraction in the church is gaining momentum and approval among many denominations.   It’s coming to your denomination and in fact it’s already there you just haven’t heard about it…..yet!

There is a movement to get rid of all national borders, sovereignty, patriotism and constitutions.  There are 350 million people in the US and 7 billion people in the world.  If each day there are thousands willing to risk their lives to sneak in to the United States with borders…. how many of those 7 billion will come to an America without borders?   How will we pay for them? And what will America be like? 

America is a Constitutional Republic but socialism is now being openly preached and lauded from political candidates and a majority of people are supporting and even praising it!  Haven’t we learned anything!!! (See Cuba, Venezuela, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union and many, many more examples of the tragedy of socialism for a society.)  Just one of many examples of socialism they expouse is that they want to give free Medicare and college tuition for all.  It will only cost 32 TRILLION!!  It took us 242 years to get to 21 trillion is debt!  There is no possible way to pay for this…none whatsoever! And it’s not even counting the open borders and all of those people that will pour in.  Don’t people fact check? Don’t they read history? Sadly no.

Abortion is once again gaining momentum and is continuing unabated.  Chelsea Clinton said “abortion has brought trillions into the economy.”  Really??  Abortion has actually taken some brilliant minds and leaders out of our economy.  Those that were never born, whose minds and abilities might have generated trillions.  Without them we have cost our society in terms we will never fully grasp. 

There is a marked increase in violence, anger and uncivility against those who have conservative political viewpoints.  ANTIFA groups recently threatened to kill conservatives.   Conservatives have been shouted out of speeches and restaurants.   There are riots and near riots on college campuses when conservatives come to speak.  Prominent people are calling for the bullying of conservatives wherever they find them. 

There is a continual growing intolerance of Bible believing Christianity.  Christian beliefs, prayer to Jesus and the teachings of the Bible are not welcome on our college campuses, public buildings or in the public arena in America.  90,000 Christians are martyred each year world-wide and it’s growing.

Free speech is already over.  You cannot publicly express the opinion that homosexuality and same-sex marriage is a sin, Islam is evil, global warming is a farce, abortion is murder, and guns are our second amendment right.  God help you if you say you like Donald Trump.  For these offenses you will lose your income, your business, your career, and even receive death threats!

Speaking of offenses….now everything is offensive. If it someone makes a person accountable for their sin and they might feel conviction about it…… the just say have to say “I find that very offensive.”  It shifts the blame to your accuser they become the bad guy.   Wow…. John the Baptist was very offensive to Herod wasn’t he?  Jesus was a real bad guy, He offended the Pharisee’s a lot. 

Everything is racism.  If they can’t get you on something backed by facts then just call you a racist.  It works every time.  If you are white you are automatically a racist.

How are we progressing so far?

We have a day approaching that will be very much like the sinking of the Titanic. It will be unexpected and not prepared for by millions of people. It will catch those of this world off guard and unaware. It will be like a punch in the gut that takes away your breath and knocks you down. Some think that their lives are unsinkable. They will be just as bad off as those on this ill-fated ship.  Yes, we are progressing, progressing toward a day of unthinkable judgment upon this world.  Please read Revelation 6:12-17! 

 The Devil Made Me Do It?

True story. A Christian Pastor --we’ll call him Steve-- was traveling recently by plane. He noticed that the man sitting two seats over was thumbing through some little cards and moving his lips. The man looked professorial with his goatee and graying brown hair, and Steve placed him at fifty-something. guessing the man was a fellow-believer, Steve leaned over to engage him in conversation. "Looks to me like you're memorizing something," he said. "No, actually I was praying," the man said. Steve introduced himself. "I believe in prayer too," he said. "Well, I have a specific assignment," said the man with the goatee. "What's that?" Steve asked. "I'm a Satanist and I’m praying for the downfall of Christian pastors." "I would certainly fit into that category, I’m a pastor." Steve said. "Is my name on the list?" "Not on my list," the man replied. 

I don’t know if Satan even has a list and if he does I hope I’m on it not because of me but because I preach the word of God precept upon precept.  But you know I think the devil is given much more importance than he deserves.  We make Satan as powerful as God sometimes. 

Satan was cast out of heaven and is now the prince of the power of the air and the ruler of this world.   But He is not Lord of the earth and He is not Lord over mankind.  He has great power but he is not all powerful.  He has great wisdom but he is all knowing or omniscient. 

Michael Horton wrote this…… “When Jimmy Swaggart defied the orders of the Assemblies of God to refrain from preaching for one year, he assured the public that he was free of moral defect, for, he said, Oral Roberts had cast out the demons from his body over the phone. Oral Roberts confirmed Swaggart's report, insisting he had demons and their claws deeply embedded in Swaggart's flesh. Now that the rascals were gone, Swaggart and Roberts asserted, Swaggart could get on with preparing the way for Christ's return. Evidently, personal responsibility for sin can be dismissed by blaming it on an external force. Yet Flip Wilson's famous quip, "The devil made me do it" is hardly comedy when we're talking about the biblical view of sin.

For these evangelists, even personal sins can be attributed to the bad god, since he is, after all, sovereign over this earthly realm as the good god is relatively in charge of the spiritual domain. Here again, then, is the echo of the Gnostics of old. When that heresy was revived toward the end of the medieval period, they made the devil almost the equal of God! In this way, the problem of sin is replaced with the problem of Satan. It is facing Satan, not my own sin and rebelliousness, that becomes the great task of the Christian life. I'm not the problem -- the Devil is!” 

The Bible says in James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin….”  Sorry but we have to point the finger to ourselves when we sin and not anyone else.  We alone are to blame for all of our sins and shame not Satan.  Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.



Today is August 8, 2018.  8-8-18.  I remember the dates 10-10-10 and 11-11-11 and 12-12-12.  What does that mean?  Absolutely nothing.  But according to Bible Study.org “the number 8 in the Bible represents a new beginning, meaning a new order or creation, and man's true 'born again' event when he is resurrected from the dead into eternal life.

Like the Old Testament Passover lamb, Jesus went to Jerusalem on palm Sunday when technically he was selected as the Lamb to take away man's sins on the Hebrew day of Nisan 10 (April 1, 30 A.D. - John 12: 28 - 29). He was crucified on Nisan 14 (Wednesday, April 5 in 30 A.D.). His resurrection occurred, exactly as he stated, three days and three nights after he was buried, which was at the end of the weekly Sabbath day that fell on Nisan 17 (seventeen symbolizes victory). Nisan 17 was also the eighth day, counting inclusively, from the time Christ was selected as man's sacrificial Lamb. All this bears record of Jesus' perfect sacrifice and His complete victory over death.

Boys were to be circumcised on the 8th day. The number 8 symbolizes circumcision of the heart through Christ and the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Romans 2:28 - 29, Colossians 2:11 - 13). Those in Christ are becoming a new creation, with godly character being created by the power of God's Spirit (2Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10; 4:23 - 24).”

After the 7 weeks of the spring harvest, the next day, the 50th day, is Pentecost. This day is also the eighth day of the seventh week. This 8th and 50th day combination pictures the first resurrection when the saints will be raised from the dead and made immortal (1Corinthians 15:20 - 23, John 3:3 - 12, Revelation 20:4 - 6). After the 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles there is an 8th day, called the Last Great Day.

The number 8 is interesting and it reminds me of the number of the anti-Christ in the Bible.  The Beast as he is called in the book of Revelation.  His number is the number of a man and his number is 666. 

The number is referred to in Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

I now quote from “God Questions.org” on the meaning of 666.   “The meaning of 666 is a mystery, and it appears that the apostle John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intended it to be that way. Calculating it, John says, requires “wisdom.” Some, using gematria (assigning a number value to each letter of a name or word and then combining the number values to arrive at a total number), have identified the Antichrist as various people in world history. Virtually any name can add up to 666 if enough mathematical gymnastics are employed.

 Six hundred, sixty-six will somehow identify the beast, but precisely how 666 is connected to the beast is not the main point of Revelation 13:18. The Bible often uses the number 7 to refer to God and His perfection. Traditionally, 6 is thought to be the number of man, created on the sixth day and always “falling short” of God. The beast/Antichrist will strive to be like God. He will likely even claim to be God. But, just as the number 6 falls short of the number 7, so will the beast/Antichrist, with his “trinity” of 6’s, ultimately fail in his effort to defeat God.”



Baptism

Rena was 3 years old when she went to her first baptismal service. It was new for her and a bit mystifying. As events transpired, she looked up at her father with surprise in her eyes, “Daddy, he pushed that guy under the water? Why did he do that?” The father tried to quietly answer her question during the service; but his answer did not satisfy little Rena. So when they got home he attempted a fuller explanation. “Well people do bad things; and they are being baptized to let everyone know they are now going to be good. The water symbolizes Jesus’ washing people’s sins away. When they come out ‘clean,’ they are going to try to be ‘good.’” Rena thought about that for a moment and then asked the simple question, ‘Why didn’t Pastor Bob just spank him?’

The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

A drunken man stumbles across a baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river. He proceeds to walk into the water and stand next to the old country preacher. The minister notices the old drunk and says, “Mister, are you ready to find Jesus?”

The drunk looks back and says, “Yes, Preacher: I sure am.” So the minister dunks the fellow under the water and pulls him right back up. “Have you found Jesus?” the preacher asks.”No, I didn’t!” said the drunk.

The preacher then dunks him under for quite a bit longer, brings him up, and says, “Now, brother, have you found Jesus?”“No, I haven’t, Reverend.”The preacher now holds the man under for at least 30 seconds this time, brings him out of the water, and says in exasperation, “Man, have you found Jesus yet?”

The old drunk wipes his eyes and says to the preacher, “Preacher are you sure this is where he fell in?”

I was baptized on the date July 18^th, 1970 by Jimmy Grayson, pastor at Inez First Baptist Church.  48 years ago.  I barely remember the experience but I remember the excitement!  I was so happy to do my first act of obedience to my Savior Jesus!

I’m not going to debate baptism.  But it is as all evangelical Christians agree, very important and is in fact our first act of obedience to the Lord.  I will never forget the excitement of the day that I proclaimed to the world that I am following Jesus!



Ignoring The Inevitable

In 1982, "ABC Evening News" reported on an unusual work of modern art--a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gunbarrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next hundred years. The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shell's path! They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn't happen during THEIR minute in the chair.

Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn't dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. Foolishly they ignore the risk of the inevitable self-destruction that comes with death as certain as that shotgun will eventually go off.

"You don't go look at where it happened," said Scott Goodyear, who started 33rd [speaking of race-car drivers who have been killed in crashes at the Indianapolis 500]. "You don't watch the films of it on television. You don't deal with it. You pretend it never happened." The Speedway operation itself encourages this approach. As soon as the track closes the day of an accident, a crew heads out to paint over the spot where the car hit the wall. Through the years, a driver has never been pronounced dead at the race track. A trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Racing Museum, located inside the 2.5-mile oval, has no memorial to the 40 drivers who have lost their lives here. Nowhere is there even a mention.

People do not like to talk about, think about or plan for the inevitable fact of death.   I think it’s because people in general know deep in their hearts they are under the judgment of God.  Hebrews 9:27 “It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment!”    Death is not popular.  Even though thousands commit suicide each day.  That’s the oxymoron isn’t it?  Even people who commit suicide will not usually talk about it or even think much about it…they just do one day do it. 

I hear people say all the time the Bible is a book of love.  No, it’s not!  It’s a book of judgment and redemption.  God does love the world so much that He sent Jesus Christ to save sinful men, women, boys and girls on their way to hell!  The question is at death….will you be judged for your own sin and declared guilty?…..or is the judgment for your sin, placed upon Jesus, so you are declared innocent?

That’s what the Bible is all about.  The judgment of sinful man…… that God provided salvation for through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.   

Enemies Without a Cause

In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor. "No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend." "My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have." "What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon." And he did. Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend. 

A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."

Jesus said in Luke 6:35 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”

Notice that Jesus didn’t say to quit doing the good you are doing that makes your enemy your enemy.  He didn’t say to compromise the truth to make your enemy feel better about you.  He didn’t say to join your enemy in his evil.  He said that we would have enemies if we followed Him because mankind is against the truth of the word of God. 

There is only one truth and that is God’s truth.  We all have different opinions about many things.   Our opinion becomes evil when it opposed the truth of God.   That’s where God’s enemies come from. They oppose the truth of the gospel and the truth’s in the Bible. 

John 15:25  “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”  While we must agree on the gospel and the basic truths of the Bible, you can’t possibly agree with everyone on everything else.  We have different likes in music, food, activities and on and on. 

You might have an enemy because they don’t like your favorite sports team.  You might have an enemy in the family because of jealousy.  Make sure your enemies are enemies without a cause.  Make sure you are not the jealous one or the one angry because someone is a Duke fan and not a UK fan.  Make sure those that hate you don’t hate you because you are hateful. 

Pastor Jack Ward is on facebook under the name “Jack Ward” and iTunes under “Tomahawk Missionary Baptist.”  Hear Pastor Jack each Sunday Morning at 10:30 Am on WSIP FM 98.9.    Check out the website tomahawkmbc.com



Sign Of The Times

Southern Baptists elected a president J. D. Greear, who has been endorsed by Steven Furdick, Tim Keller, Mark Dever and David Platt. These are all cultural Marxists. What is a Cultural Marxist? It is a revolutionary leftist idea that traditional culture and values are the source of oppression in the modern world. Traditional culture is to blame for the oppression of minorities, LGBT people, border crossers, the poor and animals. Traditional culture is responsible for gun violence and anything and everything else that is harmful in their view. They insist upon political correctness, and make perpetual attacks on the nuclear family, marriage, patriotism, Biblical truth and morality and law and order. They blame free enterprise, capitalism, white males, the constitution and conservative Christians for every cultural evil.

They have coined the term “woke.” What they are trying to do is wake people up to their cause of a cultural Marxism takeover of our nation. The idea comes from the Frankfurt School of Thought. I urge you to google that term some time.   You will be surprised, maybe even shocked that this is happening to our nation and it will all make sense to you then. 

The Devil knows that his time is short.  So, he is working his deadly schemes behind the scenes and in the heart of unconverted church leaders.  He has managed to plant unsaved people in church pulpits all across our land.  He has put unsaved preachers, pastors, seminary professors, and denominational leaders in every denomination in our country.  How else can you explain the promotion of Cultural Marxism, LGBT people as church leadership and the open acceptance of Islam by church leadership? We are in the day of “Reprobate Minds” described in Romans 1:28 with a “form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” of 2 Timothy 3:5

Cultural Marxism has been coming to my denomination for a long time but the Bible believing conservatives in the denomination held it off until now. I am very, very concerned that the world’s largest Christian denomination that long stood for basic Biblical truths and inerrancy of the word of God has finally begun it’s decent down the slippery slope of ecumenicalism, one world religion and paganism as prophesied in the word of God. Jesus said “be not deceived” three times in Matthew chapter 24 when talking about the signs of the times.   I’m afraid the Southern Baptist Convention has been sorely deceived and God is not pleased with us right now.

 The Flesh

John Mason Brown was a drama critic and speaker well known for his witty and informative lectures on theatrical topics. One of his first important appearances as a lecturer was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brown was pleased, but also rather nervous, and his nerves were not helped when he noticed by the light of the slide projector that someone was copying his every gesture. After a time he broke off his lecture and announced with great dignity that if anyone was not enjoying the talk, he was free to leave. Nobody did, and the mimicking continued. It was another 10 minutes before Brown realized that the mimic was his own shadow!

Was Brown's shadow real? Of course. Does a shadow have the power to control a person's actions? Of course not. It can only mimic us. But in Brown's case, his shadow did take control momentarily. Why? Because he allowed himself to be so distracted -- "addicted," if you will - by it that he completely forgot what he was supposed to be about. That's a pretty good description of the sin nature we carry within us as redeemed people. It can cause havoc, even though it has been made powerless by our identification with Christ.  Taken from “Today In The World” 1992

We cannot understand why we are so captivated by sin until we realize we still have a sinful nature called the “flesh.”  We won’t be shed of our “flesh” until we leave this world either through death or hopefully the soon rapture of the church.  .  It always wants it’s own way. It is very selfish. It wants and wants and wants.  The “flesh” is powerful it will figure out a way to get what it wants.  It has no concern whatsoever about your walk with Christ.  It wants no part of holiness and righteous living. 

Paul had to battle his flesh just like we all do.  Romans 3:18-19 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.    It is a battle.  But the best thing is you never have to lose to the “flesh.”  Why? Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.  You already have the victory. 

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Victory over our sin nature and the “flesh” is assured when we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Your faith has declared you the winner over the “flesh.”  So just declare to your “flesh” …..I don’t need you…I just need and only trust in Jesus.  1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

LONGEVITY

In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite's primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target. But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.

And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth.'" The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.

So, it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.   Two of my favorite passages on this.  Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Don’t quit just rest and refresh and get going again.    Jesus said in Mark 6:31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while to come apart and rest.  If you don’t come apart you will come apart. 

Passing The Test

It is at this time of year we think of graduation ceremonies which by the way should all be over by now.  Congratulations to all of those who have passed the test and graduated.

Some of you are considering furthering your education.  If you think the SAT tests are tough, don't bother applying to the University of Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt. Though the ancient school has been graduating students for more than a thousand years, the qualifying exam is far more challenging than any devised by the Educational Testing Service. Each year, every incoming freshman is required to recite the entire Koran from memory. The text of this Islamic holy book is nearly as long as the New Testament and takes three days to repeat. But every one of Al Azhar's 20,000 students has passed the test.

"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood in front of him about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked piles of exams (the professor had plenty of time to stack the mountain of papers while he waited) It was clear that the professor had waited only to give the student a hard time.

 "Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," the professor gloated, "Your exam is an hour late. You've failed it and, consequently, I'll see you next term when you repeat my course." The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"   "What?" replied the professor gruffly, annoyed that the student showed no sign of emotion.   The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name is?" "No", snarled the professor.

 The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I didn't think so", as he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his test neatly into the center of the stack, let the stack fall burying his test in the middle, turned around, and walked casually out of the huge lecture hall. 

God gives us only one test for eternal life.  He only has one requirement to pass the test and to graduate with honors. 

1 John 5:12  “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

Have you already passed God’s test? 

 Face To Face

The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us more than 6,000 gospel songs. Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!" One of Miss Crosby's hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to herself. 

Kenneth Osbeck, author of several books on hymnology, says its revelation to the public came about this way: "One day at the Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by D.L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, 'There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul's poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.' She then recited while many wept, 'Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; but oh, the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King! And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story--saved by grace!'" At the age of 95 Fanny Crosby passed into glory and saw the face of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

There are pretty faces and there are faces not so pretty.  But everyone has a face.  The face of someone you love is unforgettable.  That face means so much to you.   A person’s face is that person to you.  It’s how you identify them.  It’s how you know them because you talk to the face.   You read their emotions through their face.  You kiss the face of your loved ones. 

Can you imagine seeing the face of Jesus!  It will be the most loving, kind, and beautiful of all faces! And He will see your face it will be a face to face meeting when we see Jesus.  You won’t be bashful, you won’t be ashamed, you won’t turn away and you won’t be afraid at all.  You’ve heard of the wonderful, glorious meeting of two people who have loved each other for many years and have talked to each other but have never seen each other face to face.  One was blind or they may have lived many miles apart for one reason or another. 

There is no meeting like the meeting we will have when we see Jesus face to face!  Remember the old hymn…Face to face with Christ my Savior.  Face to face what will it be?  When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me.  Face to face I shall behold Him far beyond the starry sky.  Face to face in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by.

Will you see Him face to face?  You will if you have trusted Him and your Lord and Savior!

Who Is Your Star-Lord?

Major Dalton has this story…..”When the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy meet for the first time, neither group knows the others allegiance. During the battle, Dr. Strange realizes that both teams may be fighting for the same cause.

Have you noticed that, in both the Marvel universe and ours, what we serve changes how we live. Allegiance direct actions. So Dr. Strange asks Star-Lord to declare his:

Doctor Strange: “Let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?”

Star-Lord: ” What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, Jesus?”

Well, the answer is actually, “Yes!” Sometimes life imitates art. Other times it is the other way around. Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord, appeared on the February issue of Vanity Fair. In the interview, Pratt shares the story about a night that changed his life. He was sitting outside a grocery store. He was waiting on some older friends who were inside purchasing beer for a party when a stranger walked up to him; “You going to go party. . .Drink and do drugs? Meet girls, fornication?” Pratt responded “I hope so.”

Let’s just own it. Everyone has a master. You, me, and a young Chris Pratt sitting outside a grocery store waiting on friends to by him beer. He was serving a master of pleasure and self. It is a relentless master, never satisfied, always hungry for more.

In the interview, Pratt explains what happened next:

It should’ve made me nervous but didn’t. I said, ‘Why are you asking?’ He said, ‘Jesus told me to talk to you . . .’ At that moment I was like, I think I have to go with this guy. He took me to church. Over the next few days I surprised my friends by declaring that I was going to change my life.

Ultimately, you may serve many different people, a boss, a coach, a parent. But you can only have one master. And this subjection will change how you do battle in this life. And if you want to change your life, change your master. Pratt became a follower of Jesus that night and that faith has been a principle part of his life, a very successful and fulfilled life.

So Jesus is Star-Lord’s master. Is he yours?”

Are You Prepared?

William A.V. Cecil owns the largest private home in America, the Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. He used to go to the estate every day to make sure every detail was done right. When he left one area, employees would get on their two-way radios and warn people in the next area he was coming so they could be at their best.

Didn’t Jesus tell some stories that make the same point? It is best always to be ready when the king or master returns.

There's a Savior in yonder glory I have loved for many years,

He has cleared my guilty conscience and has banished all my fears.

He is coming in a moment in the twinkling of an eye,

And no time will be allotted for you to utter one good-bye.

No time to kiss the husband or embrace the loving wife,

If they are but united in the bonds of holy life.

Are you ready, Christian, ready, for shout and trump and voice?

Will His coming make you tremble or cause you to rejoice?

Are you walking, talking with Him daily, taking Him your care,

Do you live so close to heaven that a breath would waft you there? 

At the height of WWII, Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. Yet he continued to urge fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians, believing that Hitler was the Antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, "Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing." Bonhoeffer replied,  "If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I'll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it's finished." 

Matthew 24:44.  Be ye therefore ready, in an hour ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

How many of us are not ready?  We are not serving the Lord.  We are not giving glory to His name.  Yet we expect to waltz right up to heaven when we leave this world.  I’m not saying that salvation is by any works on our part.  Salvation is a free gift of God’s matchless grace but our faithfulness to Him will be tested and tried by fire.  

How will your faithful Christian life stand up to the fiery test of our Lord Jesus?

Anger

In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game. But what happened that day was anything but routine.

The Orioles’ John McGraw got into a fight with the Boston third baseman. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well.   All because John McGraw lost his temper.

The 18th-century British physician John Hunter, who was a pioneer in the field of surgery and served as surgeon to King George III, suffered from angina. Discovering that his attacks were often brought on by anger, Hunter lamented, “My life is at the mercy of any scoundrel who chooses to put me in a passion.” These words proved prophetic, for at a meeting of the board of St. George’s Hospital in London, Hunter got into a heated argument with other board members, walked out, and dropped dead in the next room.  John Hunter lost his temper, he lost his life.  Actually you don’t lose your temper…you find it!

“Be ye angry and sin not”  Ephesians 4:26  How can you be angry and sin not?  Anger never does us any good.  It is never constructive unless…..you get angry at sin!  You can get angry at innocent people that are being abused by others sinful actions.  Jesus got angry and cleared the Temple money changers out with a whip.  But Jesus never got angry about what anyone did or said about Him.  So next time don’t count to ten when you get angry about what someone does to you….don’t even count to one!  Don’t get angry at all when someone does YOU wrong.  

Dr David Seamands put it this way…..”Anger is a divinely implanted emotion. Closely allied to our instinct for right, it is designed to be used for constructive spiritual purposes only. For example the person who cannot feel anger at evil is a person who lacks enthusiasm for good. If you cannot hate wrong, it’s very questionable whether you really love righteousness.”

Moronic Minds

If you were a senator would you let a warped ideology that legitimizes decapitation, stonings, rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, execution of homosexual’s, it teaches children to kill Jews, has a record of horrible treatment of women and a number of other abhorrent human rights atrocities…….. Freely practice these things in your country? I don’t think so.  

Yet all of these appalling acts are frequent in one particular part of the world, the Islamic world. Radical Islamists will openly cry out “Allahu Akhbar,” before committing a terrorist attack, or any of the other human rights violations aforementioned, as if their God would be pleased with their barbaric actions.  They want to come to our nation and establish their barbarism your town.  And to the dismay of most of us they are defended by many American’s who are as warped as the barbarians they defend. 

Recently an American Senator called those who would were warning congress about Islam coming to America as “Islamaphobe” and “Anti-Islam.”  He actually believes along with other congressmen and activists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, the rhetoric that Islam is a religion of peace.  What has Islam ever done to facilitate peace anywhere in the world?  No Nobel prize winners.  It has not led any peace initiatives.  The word “freedom” to them means they are free to force all to submit to Shariah.  What is Shariah?  Go back to the first paragraph.  It is the law of Islam.  Islam even means “to submit.”    Yet many in our nation ignorantly support their cause. It’s Roman’s 1:28.  We been given over to “rebrobate minds” which actually means “moronic minds.”  Some of our lawmakers and activist’s are “morons.”  If you elected them what does make you? 

Of course, we love the Muslim people.  But we must call out any religion that does not glorify Jesus Christ.  We must correct any religion that preaches another Jesus as the apostle Paul warned us about.  The Jesus of false religions is just a good man and a story teller that got himself killed.  The Jesus Christ of the Bible is the Son of the living God!  He is the creator and sustainer of the universe.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord!.  He is the ONLY way to salvation.  In fact “there is none other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved.” 

God has turned us over to have moronic minds because we have not repented of our sins, we have not turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and we allow other religions to usurp the Lord Jesus Christ.  So God as He did with Israel, is allowing invaders to come into our land and infiltrate our churches and destroy our values that we hold so dear.