The gospel can be found if you look at road signs. We need to be saved because Hell has a No U-Turn sign on it. You are there forever. The lost man needs to STOP and see his sin. Jesus's sign is ONE WAY. The devil's sign is DEAD END. The way a Christian lives for God is to YIELD. God says He will lead so DO NOT PASS. The Christian life is one where God says in Philippians that God hath begun a good work in you. God will keep working on his children, conforming them to his image. That means there is CONSTRUCTION AHEAD.
Imagine if you had cancer but didn't know it. Imagine there is only one cure. Imagine if you neglect or reject the cure you will die at any moment.
You find out the cure is locked up where no one in the world can obtain it.
Imagine I had found a way to bring the cure to you.
Would you at the very least research this cure? Be grateful for the people who sacrificed to bring you the good news?
Jesus is the cure once you know you are sick. The law sheds light on your sin.
Get convinced of the disease. Then you will want the cure.
Jesus saves anyone who knows they are lost.
The catch is men don't want to admit they are lost. That means they might have to stop and ask for directions.
Even if it means their eternity.
That is sad and foolish.
How are you? Are you willing to make sure you have the real directions to heaven?
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Are we talking about the same Jesus?
I love my 4 children. I also have learned some new terms for things I had become familiar with. Popcycles in our house are known as opcorns. They eat GRARNOLER bars, not granola. Toaster struddles are called toaster guthers. Wal Mart is WEHRMERT. And the man who paved the way for the Lord Jesus Christ is John the Bapsmith. My son Zechariah calls Elijah "Guys" and Josiah he calls "Sy-EE". Bottles are bahbahs.
My sons have a special language, but even though they say things different, they are talking about the same thing.
This is not so in most churches today.
The Bible says salvation is repentance and faith. If you talk to a catholic they will say yes, it is repentance and faith. You will say you need to receive Jesus Christ and they will say yes they did that. You can ask if they know where they will go when they die. They can say for sure they know where they are going. They believe Jesus is God.
What is the problem?
In these examples, they have the same names for biblical terms, but they fooled you. They have different definitions.
Here are the basic catholic definitions.
1. Repentance = penance
2. Faith = Works based "faith"
3. Receive Jesus by faith = receive Jesus in the wafer
4. When they die = go to purgatory.
5. Jesus is God = Jesus is God, equal to Mary is God, and both share in my salvation.
This is where the confusion lies. They say the same words but mean something completely different. If you don't know that, you will forever think that Catholics are Christians and that us who try to convert Catholics are mean and offensive.
We care enough about Catholics to tell them the truth.
There is no salvation in the Catholic Church. Their different definitions are damning definitions.
In fact, they teach that it is only through their church that there is any salvation. I teach the Bible where Jesus says he is the only way to salvation. I say salvation is a person, not a prayer or performance. HE THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE says the Bible. I say salvation is in a person, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, not in a pew of church membership, not in a pool of baptism, not in a Priest, not in Purgatory.
Ever see any Catholic concerned enough about your soul to try and convert you to their religion? Or do they only want to win an argument? Try that one on for size. They are offended by us actually believing and acting on what we "believe". They literally believe "We are the WAY" (ie the Catholic Church) not "I am the WAY" (The Lord Jesus). They are wrong, and there is no hope in the Pope. But my point is if they only believe that "WE" are the way, and they never bother to tell you that "false truth that would be true in their eyes" how even colder they truly are!!!! If you don't truly believe that lie that your church is the only way, GET OUT! If you do truly believe that lie and don't act on it and tell the whole world we are all going to Hell because we don't go to your CHURCH, what kind of selfish hateful person are you? You literally, if you are Catholic, go to a church that teaches 1. If you are not Catholic you are going to burn in Hell. 2. If you are catholic you are going to burn in Purgatory. And this is appealing, why?
You can't give what you don't have. If you don't have the truth, you aren't going to go out and tell people that you have the only way to heaven.
Catholics believe that even if they don't know what they believe. However I am a Baptist. And in my BAPTIST CHURCH there are LOST Baptists and SAVED Baptists. Being baptist doesn't save, but if you are saved you want a GOOD PREACHING AND TEACHING CHURCH. Jesus is the trump card in this game of life. The Catholic church teaches church tradition, Mary, the Pope, church doctrine, etc are all above the Bible and what Jesus says.
That is blasphemous.
There is no salvation in the Catholic church, and if you have any ancestors, like I do, in that church, they are not right now burning in purgatory.
They are burning in Hell.
They will never be let out, and the families are still paying money to the church that lied to them and damned their souls to get their loved ones out by paying money for masses etc.
That is the ultimate double-cross.
God hates religion. We need not worry about being offensive. Love people enough to tell them the truth.
And if you are catholic that is why I wrote this.
I don't even know you but God loves you enough to warn you to turn around, jump ship and get on the right one. The Jesus Boat is the only one heading for destination Heaven.
The rest are of the S.S. Hell Bound Cruise line.
Get off now. And get saved.
Born again. Not at baptism like Catholicism teaches.
But by faith and repentance. Jesus saves. He delivers from hell, a sinful lifestyle, and dead and damning false religions.
Get out at once.
My sons have a special language, but even though they say things different, they are talking about the same thing.
This is not so in most churches today.
The Bible says salvation is repentance and faith. If you talk to a catholic they will say yes, it is repentance and faith. You will say you need to receive Jesus Christ and they will say yes they did that. You can ask if they know where they will go when they die. They can say for sure they know where they are going. They believe Jesus is God.
What is the problem?
In these examples, they have the same names for biblical terms, but they fooled you. They have different definitions.
Here are the basic catholic definitions.
1. Repentance = penance
2. Faith = Works based "faith"
3. Receive Jesus by faith = receive Jesus in the wafer
4. When they die = go to purgatory.
5. Jesus is God = Jesus is God, equal to Mary is God, and both share in my salvation.
This is where the confusion lies. They say the same words but mean something completely different. If you don't know that, you will forever think that Catholics are Christians and that us who try to convert Catholics are mean and offensive.
We care enough about Catholics to tell them the truth.
There is no salvation in the Catholic Church. Their different definitions are damning definitions.
In fact, they teach that it is only through their church that there is any salvation. I teach the Bible where Jesus says he is the only way to salvation. I say salvation is a person, not a prayer or performance. HE THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE says the Bible. I say salvation is in a person, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, not in a pew of church membership, not in a pool of baptism, not in a Priest, not in Purgatory.
Ever see any Catholic concerned enough about your soul to try and convert you to their religion? Or do they only want to win an argument? Try that one on for size. They are offended by us actually believing and acting on what we "believe". They literally believe "We are the WAY" (ie the Catholic Church) not "I am the WAY" (The Lord Jesus). They are wrong, and there is no hope in the Pope. But my point is if they only believe that "WE" are the way, and they never bother to tell you that "false truth that would be true in their eyes" how even colder they truly are!!!! If you don't truly believe that lie that your church is the only way, GET OUT! If you do truly believe that lie and don't act on it and tell the whole world we are all going to Hell because we don't go to your CHURCH, what kind of selfish hateful person are you? You literally, if you are Catholic, go to a church that teaches 1. If you are not Catholic you are going to burn in Hell. 2. If you are catholic you are going to burn in Purgatory. And this is appealing, why?
You can't give what you don't have. If you don't have the truth, you aren't going to go out and tell people that you have the only way to heaven.
Catholics believe that even if they don't know what they believe. However I am a Baptist. And in my BAPTIST CHURCH there are LOST Baptists and SAVED Baptists. Being baptist doesn't save, but if you are saved you want a GOOD PREACHING AND TEACHING CHURCH. Jesus is the trump card in this game of life. The Catholic church teaches church tradition, Mary, the Pope, church doctrine, etc are all above the Bible and what Jesus says.
That is blasphemous.
There is no salvation in the Catholic church, and if you have any ancestors, like I do, in that church, they are not right now burning in purgatory.
They are burning in Hell.
They will never be let out, and the families are still paying money to the church that lied to them and damned their souls to get their loved ones out by paying money for masses etc.
That is the ultimate double-cross.
God hates religion. We need not worry about being offensive. Love people enough to tell them the truth.
And if you are catholic that is why I wrote this.
I don't even know you but God loves you enough to warn you to turn around, jump ship and get on the right one. The Jesus Boat is the only one heading for destination Heaven.
The rest are of the S.S. Hell Bound Cruise line.
Get off now. And get saved.
Born again. Not at baptism like Catholicism teaches.
But by faith and repentance. Jesus saves. He delivers from hell, a sinful lifestyle, and dead and damning false religions.
Get out at once.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The Wrath of God
The 2 sided coin of the gift of salvation are 1. Biblical Repentance and 2. Saving Faith. If you don't have faith in what Jesus did on the cross and look to him for salvation, you merely switched addictions or you gained self reliance or self righteousness as you turned from a life of "crime". A clean life doesn't save. Yet, if truly got saved, you had a one-on-one confrontation with the God of the Universe and you will be forever changed. Like someone who met a mack truck one on one. Everyone would know you were different from that moment on. That leads to a holy life, one not sinless but one where you SIN LESS because your taste buds are changed. Before I was saved I enjoyed going to bars, listening to rap music and heavy metal like Metallica and the Beastie Boys and Iron Maiden and Nirvana. I enjoyed Marlboro Ultra lights at bars and Budweiser and cigars. I was into fornication and hooking up and pornography and my mind was a constant cess pool of fantasy and indulgent and it never let up always wanting more. I hated those Christians who seemed to not have a life. I was a man of science and thought Christians were the dumb ones. Looking back, I was the one who needed a life and was blind and foolish.
I am saved now. 11 years ago Jesus became real to me and delivered me from many sins immediately. For example I haven't touched a cigarette in 11 years. That is nothing to brag about but it is from God making me a new creature. The drinking gradually went away at least 7 years ago when I truly saw the truth about what God says about alcohol. Other sins were gone for long stretches but would resurface during extreme times of stress when I was not trusting God and turned back to my old ways. These times I saw the grace of God and how long suffering he is and I learned from my falls. Each time it seemed like the pressures of life would grow and it would take more to get me to give in. Now I have seen God even turn the corner with those stubborn habits and addictions that seemed to creep back. I know I need to be sober minded and watchful, but I also know the real living God more and more.
Recently at our church we had 2 wonderful sets of messages. The first set was from Pastor Marvin Smith from Dodge City Iowa. He did a spiritual warfare conference. That was on Monday April 8th through the 10th. Writer and Pastor Bill Grady preached our past Sunday on April 14th on Acts 27 and the Holocaust at night. You can listen to them on Oldtimebaptist.com on our Old Time Website. I also recommend Bill Grady's books (I believe you can find them at amazon.com) What Hath God wrought! and How Satan turned America against God. Deep and good stuff!!!!
The other 2 sided coin is who God is. 1. He is a God of love. 2. He is a God of wrath. He is a God of judgment and a God of mercy. He is the God of Heaven but also created hell. He is a loving God but a jealous God. He is a just God but a forgiving God. A guy today responded to my tract I offered him that we will all get forgiven. That is not so. Forgiveness is only available at the Cross where the 2 sides of God meet. Today we reject the negative side of God and create a Jesus in our own image. There is no fear of God because the God we re-made is too warm and cozy to fear. When I watched the Bible series on TV, the Jesus they projected was too effeminate to punish sin or put any fear in anyone. Like a loving but stern earthly father, Jesus is to be respected and loved. He is to be revered and we are to worship him and realize he has the power to cast us into hell and the love to save us from hell.
We don't have both sides down. These messages likely push one side intentionally. In America the love of God has been pushed so far that almost everyone in America, Obama included, thinks they are on good terms with "The man upstairs." That man upstairs is just as fictitious as the man in the moon. His name is Holy, wonderful, amazing, and invokes fear and worship in our heart of hearts.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.
DO YOU KNOW HIM?
DO YOU FEAR HIM? YET LOVE HIM? DO YOU GIVE HIM YOUR WORSHIP?
HE IS GOD.
IS HE YOUR GOD?
I am saved now. 11 years ago Jesus became real to me and delivered me from many sins immediately. For example I haven't touched a cigarette in 11 years. That is nothing to brag about but it is from God making me a new creature. The drinking gradually went away at least 7 years ago when I truly saw the truth about what God says about alcohol. Other sins were gone for long stretches but would resurface during extreme times of stress when I was not trusting God and turned back to my old ways. These times I saw the grace of God and how long suffering he is and I learned from my falls. Each time it seemed like the pressures of life would grow and it would take more to get me to give in. Now I have seen God even turn the corner with those stubborn habits and addictions that seemed to creep back. I know I need to be sober minded and watchful, but I also know the real living God more and more.
Recently at our church we had 2 wonderful sets of messages. The first set was from Pastor Marvin Smith from Dodge City Iowa. He did a spiritual warfare conference. That was on Monday April 8th through the 10th. Writer and Pastor Bill Grady preached our past Sunday on April 14th on Acts 27 and the Holocaust at night. You can listen to them on Oldtimebaptist.com on our Old Time Website. I also recommend Bill Grady's books (I believe you can find them at amazon.com) What Hath God wrought! and How Satan turned America against God. Deep and good stuff!!!!
The other 2 sided coin is who God is. 1. He is a God of love. 2. He is a God of wrath. He is a God of judgment and a God of mercy. He is the God of Heaven but also created hell. He is a loving God but a jealous God. He is a just God but a forgiving God. A guy today responded to my tract I offered him that we will all get forgiven. That is not so. Forgiveness is only available at the Cross where the 2 sides of God meet. Today we reject the negative side of God and create a Jesus in our own image. There is no fear of God because the God we re-made is too warm and cozy to fear. When I watched the Bible series on TV, the Jesus they projected was too effeminate to punish sin or put any fear in anyone. Like a loving but stern earthly father, Jesus is to be respected and loved. He is to be revered and we are to worship him and realize he has the power to cast us into hell and the love to save us from hell.
We don't have both sides down. These messages likely push one side intentionally. In America the love of God has been pushed so far that almost everyone in America, Obama included, thinks they are on good terms with "The man upstairs." That man upstairs is just as fictitious as the man in the moon. His name is Holy, wonderful, amazing, and invokes fear and worship in our heart of hearts.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.
DO YOU KNOW HIM?
DO YOU FEAR HIM? YET LOVE HIM? DO YOU GIVE HIM YOUR WORSHIP?
HE IS GOD.
IS HE YOUR GOD?
Why ReInvent the Wheel?
Today in America, 3 were killed and hundreds were injured in 2 bombings at the Boston Marathon. Today reminded me more of the Boston Massacre than anything. We might not know the exact reasons, but the Bible says in the last days perilous times shall come. We just don't know how long they will last. Maybe a year, maybe a decade. But just like the marathon, people will be running to and fro, enjoying life and seeing their goals in sight, and WHAM. It is over. Their goals won't include God, and will be goals like retirement, or a job promotion, or greater victory from the liberal front or saving the spotted owls (which taste almost as good as bald eagle on rye) or fighting for our rights to party til we puke. God says consider the end and God says our goals are vain if we don't seek his will first.
America is an insane asylum run by the inmates, and it is our government who should get all the credit for creating a loony land fit for a comedy show. My wife was sent a forward today and it is below. I can't improve on it so I will just give it to you. Enjoy! And if you are not from America and reading this, know I am not just whining and murmuring for nothing. We have it good in America still, but we are merely riding on the fumes of past blessings when God was at the forefront of our country. I desperately cry for America to wake up and get back to the book. Americans were excited to watch a TV miniseries called the Bible, but surprisingly it was not very biblical and most offensive was it falsely featured Jesus as the long haired 95 lb weakling white boy. Jesus was a Jew and Jesus lived 30 years as a carpenter. Hard labor. If you know any men who work construction for a living they will not look like the Hollywoodized Jesus. Jesus was a man, ladies and gentlemen. The average church doesn't get that and they want a Jesus they can push around. That my friends is not the God of the bible. He is a God of love but also one to be feared. America doesn't fear God because it's church members don't fear God.
But ok America, keep running the race your way. It is working out wonderfully, isn't it? If God wasn't merciful today, hundreds could have died in the bombings. God yet again is keeping his protective hand on us, waiting for someone to start paying attention.
Here is some food for thought on America that was sent to my wife. Realize the founders were only "Geniuses" because they had the wisdom of God because they believed that Book and used the Bible to create a nation.
-------------------------------------------------------
Food for Thought
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally ...you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the only school curriculum allowed to explain how we got here is evolution, but the government stops a $15 million construction project to keep a rare spider from evolving to extinction ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor or check out a library book, but not to vote who runs the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gives 20 F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If, in the largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a woman in a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more ...you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If a seven year old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher’s "cute," but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of addicts are left in filth and drug infested “homes”... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing and free cell phones ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government's plan for getting people back to work is to incentivize NOT working with 99 weeks of unemployment checks and no requirement to prove they applied but can’t find work ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more "safe" according to the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you are offended by this article, I'll bet you voted for the idiots who are running, and ruining our great country.
America is an insane asylum run by the inmates, and it is our government who should get all the credit for creating a loony land fit for a comedy show. My wife was sent a forward today and it is below. I can't improve on it so I will just give it to you. Enjoy! And if you are not from America and reading this, know I am not just whining and murmuring for nothing. We have it good in America still, but we are merely riding on the fumes of past blessings when God was at the forefront of our country. I desperately cry for America to wake up and get back to the book. Americans were excited to watch a TV miniseries called the Bible, but surprisingly it was not very biblical and most offensive was it falsely featured Jesus as the long haired 95 lb weakling white boy. Jesus was a Jew and Jesus lived 30 years as a carpenter. Hard labor. If you know any men who work construction for a living they will not look like the Hollywoodized Jesus. Jesus was a man, ladies and gentlemen. The average church doesn't get that and they want a Jesus they can push around. That my friends is not the God of the bible. He is a God of love but also one to be feared. America doesn't fear God because it's church members don't fear God.
But ok America, keep running the race your way. It is working out wonderfully, isn't it? If God wasn't merciful today, hundreds could have died in the bombings. God yet again is keeping his protective hand on us, waiting for someone to start paying attention.
Here is some food for thought on America that was sent to my wife. Realize the founders were only "Geniuses" because they had the wisdom of God because they believed that Book and used the Bible to create a nation.
-------------------------------------------------------
Food for Thought
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally ...you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the only school curriculum allowed to explain how we got here is evolution, but the government stops a $15 million construction project to keep a rare spider from evolving to extinction ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor or check out a library book, but not to vote who runs the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gives 20 F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If, in the largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a woman in a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more ...you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If a seven year old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher’s "cute," but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of addicts are left in filth and drug infested “homes”... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing and free cell phones ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government's plan for getting people back to work is to incentivize NOT working with 99 weeks of unemployment checks and no requirement to prove they applied but can’t find work ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more "safe" according to the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you are offended by this article, I'll bet you voted for the idiots who are running, and ruining our great country.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
RxOlogy
America we have a problem.
I am a pharmacist, but probably would make a better physician. I am good at diagnosing the problem, weak at fixing it.
We have a problem. Is there anyone who can't see it? Is there anyone who thinks things are getting better and better and the best is yet to come? I mean, anyone besides Obama think that?
Those of us who are sobered up these days see there is something majorly wrong. And we aren't even looking at North Korea. We aren't even discussing World War III coming soon. America could not be going down a worse path if Hillary Clinton were in office and Jody Arias was her VP.
America has a problem because there is a problem in the churches. The world reflects the church. Pastor Coulson (the one from Canada) said the reason that God raised up Hollywood is there are so many actors in the church. The hope is not in Obama moving to Singapore or North Korea launching a timely missile to the nearest White House it can find. The hope is not paying off the national debt. The hope is not in saving the planet and stopping pollution. The hope is not curing cancer or curing AIDS. The hope for America if there is one, and for the rest of the world for that matter, is for the churches to come alive and repent and wake up and see that if they were truly alive they would burn for the souls of men and they would hate sin and they would affect the world around them. Instead the world affects the church and we continue to sleep on.
If Jesus is the Prince of Peace why do so many Christians need anxiety meds and alcohol and yoga and Buspar and sleep aids? My wife is on Pintress on line and you basically pin things you enjoy or want to share with others. She pins birthday decorating ideas, and recipes and decorating things and scripture signs. One good pin said, something like "The Bible is meant to be bread to eat daily not cake for special occasions". Well today, my friend's wife, a guy who was in my wedding, who is a youth pastor, and would preach on the streets with me in Niagara Falls, posted a recipe for a drink that used Malibu RUM in it. God is against drunkenness and when you have the leadership now promoting SIN there is a problem!! Old Time Preacher Billy Sunday said beer and liquor are fine in their place, but their place is in hell.
If Jesus said I came to give them life and life more abundently, why are so many Christians on Prozac? Why are so many Christians on anti depressants? You are telling me that Cymbalta and Lexapro and Zoloft and Paxil bring more joy than Matthew Mark Luke and John?
Jesus delivered the oppressed and those with a devil. We would rather take psych meds? We would rather send them to a shrink who needs his own shrink?
How did we survive 100 years ago without meds for ADD/ADHD? What did kids do? Well, back then they did better in school. Hmm, maybe kicking God out of the schools has a bit to do with it. We don't need ADD MEDS. We need to ADD-GOD to school.
America's Christians (well maybe as I stated before now don't even hold to that standard) don't smoke or drink. In many circles you don't do a few externals and put on a suit and you are saved and ready for bible college. Yet we are just as addicted to the world. Addicted to sugar, to our cell phones, to our junk food, to our sweets. We can't fast because we go into shock 12 hours without our high fructose corn syrup. We can't keep up with God because we get winded because we are so out of shape. We can't hear God because we are always on our gadgets. We don't need God because we have good insurance. We don't want God because we are having too much fun in the world.
The world's ways don't work. If you are addicted to heroin, you go to a doctor now and they give you a prescription for the just as addictive Suboxone Film tabs. 1 film 3 times a day and see me again in a month. You go to the pharmacy for your drugs now instead of an alley way. Same addictions but now it is legal. You don't want your new baby, well if you wrap it in a towel and suffocate it and leave it in the laundry hamper you are charged with murder. The same baby is just in a different environment 6 months earlier but if you take your baby you are carrying to a state licensed doctor he can legally chop up your baby or poison your baby or suck out your baby and he gets a salary for that and is a respected medical professional. God calls him a sick murderer but Obama thinks he is a wonderful man.
The world is an insane asylum run by the inmates.
That is no surprise.
What is though a shock is how much the church now resembles the world. Just 200 years ago, America looked a lot like it's churches. We need to turn it around, before the whole thing comes crashing down.
We need to fast for America. But first we need to wake up, get off our addictions, and truly see we may call ourselves Christians but we have far too much of the world in us.
If you doubt that, just go ask your pharmacist the next time you need a refill on your meds.
I am a pharmacist, but probably would make a better physician. I am good at diagnosing the problem, weak at fixing it.
We have a problem. Is there anyone who can't see it? Is there anyone who thinks things are getting better and better and the best is yet to come? I mean, anyone besides Obama think that?
Those of us who are sobered up these days see there is something majorly wrong. And we aren't even looking at North Korea. We aren't even discussing World War III coming soon. America could not be going down a worse path if Hillary Clinton were in office and Jody Arias was her VP.
America has a problem because there is a problem in the churches. The world reflects the church. Pastor Coulson (the one from Canada) said the reason that God raised up Hollywood is there are so many actors in the church. The hope is not in Obama moving to Singapore or North Korea launching a timely missile to the nearest White House it can find. The hope is not paying off the national debt. The hope is not in saving the planet and stopping pollution. The hope is not curing cancer or curing AIDS. The hope for America if there is one, and for the rest of the world for that matter, is for the churches to come alive and repent and wake up and see that if they were truly alive they would burn for the souls of men and they would hate sin and they would affect the world around them. Instead the world affects the church and we continue to sleep on.
If Jesus is the Prince of Peace why do so many Christians need anxiety meds and alcohol and yoga and Buspar and sleep aids? My wife is on Pintress on line and you basically pin things you enjoy or want to share with others. She pins birthday decorating ideas, and recipes and decorating things and scripture signs. One good pin said, something like "The Bible is meant to be bread to eat daily not cake for special occasions". Well today, my friend's wife, a guy who was in my wedding, who is a youth pastor, and would preach on the streets with me in Niagara Falls, posted a recipe for a drink that used Malibu RUM in it. God is against drunkenness and when you have the leadership now promoting SIN there is a problem!! Old Time Preacher Billy Sunday said beer and liquor are fine in their place, but their place is in hell.
If Jesus said I came to give them life and life more abundently, why are so many Christians on Prozac? Why are so many Christians on anti depressants? You are telling me that Cymbalta and Lexapro and Zoloft and Paxil bring more joy than Matthew Mark Luke and John?
Jesus delivered the oppressed and those with a devil. We would rather take psych meds? We would rather send them to a shrink who needs his own shrink?
How did we survive 100 years ago without meds for ADD/ADHD? What did kids do? Well, back then they did better in school. Hmm, maybe kicking God out of the schools has a bit to do with it. We don't need ADD MEDS. We need to ADD-GOD to school.
America's Christians (well maybe as I stated before now don't even hold to that standard) don't smoke or drink. In many circles you don't do a few externals and put on a suit and you are saved and ready for bible college. Yet we are just as addicted to the world. Addicted to sugar, to our cell phones, to our junk food, to our sweets. We can't fast because we go into shock 12 hours without our high fructose corn syrup. We can't keep up with God because we get winded because we are so out of shape. We can't hear God because we are always on our gadgets. We don't need God because we have good insurance. We don't want God because we are having too much fun in the world.
The world's ways don't work. If you are addicted to heroin, you go to a doctor now and they give you a prescription for the just as addictive Suboxone Film tabs. 1 film 3 times a day and see me again in a month. You go to the pharmacy for your drugs now instead of an alley way. Same addictions but now it is legal. You don't want your new baby, well if you wrap it in a towel and suffocate it and leave it in the laundry hamper you are charged with murder. The same baby is just in a different environment 6 months earlier but if you take your baby you are carrying to a state licensed doctor he can legally chop up your baby or poison your baby or suck out your baby and he gets a salary for that and is a respected medical professional. God calls him a sick murderer but Obama thinks he is a wonderful man.
The world is an insane asylum run by the inmates.
That is no surprise.
What is though a shock is how much the church now resembles the world. Just 200 years ago, America looked a lot like it's churches. We need to turn it around, before the whole thing comes crashing down.
We need to fast for America. But first we need to wake up, get off our addictions, and truly see we may call ourselves Christians but we have far too much of the world in us.
If you doubt that, just go ask your pharmacist the next time you need a refill on your meds.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The Rx Files
I am a pharmacist by trade. That is my career, evangelism is my calling.
What is humbling and exciting is I see how the two go hand in hand. The lessons I learned in pharmacy inspired what I see are great solutions for the weak evangelism and lukewarm churchmembers in this final period before Jesus returns.
The Bible says there will be a great falling away before his return and this world is going to get more and more insane. The world wants to stay in denial, the world wants to live oblivious to eternity, and the world wants to be left alone as they all head in the same direction, like lemmings off a cliff of destruction. The Bible is the history book of the universe and it is a book to love and a book to be obeyed. You cannot obey the spirit of it's commands without the author himself, but that is the beauty of Christianity. The Bible is alive, and if you move toward it's truths and let it judge you, and then just open your heart to it's eternal promises and fear it's eternal consequences of rejecting or neglecting it, then the author himself literally moves in to stay, gives you everlasting life for FREE, and wants to live through you to experience the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE in a REAL and tangible way. Who wouldn't want it? Apparently most of the world, because billions are trading the true and living God you give your life to for false, dead religions of man that you sell your soul for.
I am nothing special but my God can beat up your gods!!! Whether it is the worshipped Popes (who are just the Roman Caesars of old who claimed to be God on earth, but wearing new uniforms), Allah (who is nothing but the moon god idol that Mohammad chose to represent his false religion), the book of Mormons (filled with contradictions, events, and claims easily proven false), the Watchtower of Jehovah Witnesses (which teach that the male, Jewish 144,000 virgins are instead the founders of the JW movement and the only ones going to heaven and the only ones who have the truth to give their members--- yet the 144,000 JW's generation have almost all died off and that means the movement will cease to exist because it's "official members" will no longer be there to teach and direct them!!!), the blind faith of humanism (which teach man is getting better and evolution is true, despite the fact that there is not one shred of evidence evolution is true unless they steal micro-evolution evidence which creationists already believe in! i,e, 2 big dogs came off the ark and "mico-evolved" to all the dogs you see today. Yet that is not "evolution", ie, soup to dogs and the big bang, and every small dog is a loss of genetic information. No mutation is ever a gain of information! Carbon and radiometric dating are flawed and they select the dates that fit their theory!), and so on.
This world has no clue what the truth is. Americans stopped thinking the day we got the remote control. The bible says these are the last days, but as Leonard Ravenhill said, "We just don't know how long they will last." At any moment World War III can break out and at any moment North Korea can send millions into eternity! Is there not a cause? The Bible asks, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
That is what brings us back to pharmacy lessons.
Here are some things to keep in mind about salvation. Most Americans (and most of it's converts worldwide) are still lost but have a HEAD KNOWLEDGE and think they are saved. Sadly, I heard Rick Warren's 27 year old son committed suicide this week. Rick Warren is a mega church pastor but he is the blind leading the blind. I think his son was a tormented soul and really is a good example of today's Christianity. He thought he was saved but he was so depressed he figured he would just end it and go to heaven. True Christians can get discouraged, but what I see here is he never met the true and living God because his father teaches a false gospel of works and accepts false Christs, and has a shallow easy believism sort of doctrine. His son tried all kinds of secular treatments and meds and modern methods and none gave him any hope. That is sad, but that is typical Christianity today. It does not deliver as promised and when the challenges of life hit, it is not going to get the average Christian to weather the storm. It is paper fire and the ease of American life has us comfortable around it's false heat. If you have been inside your house heated to 72 degrees and you have a nice sweater on and a cup of hot cocoa and your latest TV show on, you can sit by your electric fireplace and look at the flames and feel the illusion of warmth. Someone who has been in a blizzard and had their jackets blown right off of them and on the verge of frost bit, and facing hypothermia has a different response to a fake fireplace. It doesn't matter how inviting the fire looks, it will not provide any restoring heat and the flame will not help anyone trying to get warm from the storm.
From a pharmacy perspective, here is a bit of what is going on.
Jesus is the cure.
The disease is sin.
The cure saves from hell and sin.
The consequences of neglecting the cure or rejecting the cure are hell and continued sin.
A wrong Jesus won't save just like the wrong medication dispensed won't save.
The wrong duration of treatment won't help. A 5 hour IV that is stopped after 5 minutes won't do anything. A 5 minute gospel presentation when during the great awakening heard hours and hours of preaching on the wrath of God and the holiness of God is one reason why men today aren't truly being cured. They have the head knowledge but they never met the true and living God for themselves because they weren't exposed to the cure long enough for it to do anything. It takes human nature to really fall under deep conviction to bring true repentance. Head knowledge is appealing because people think they are now saved but their sins are not dealt with.
Knowing all about the cure but leaving it in the bottle is not going to help. People all over believe in Jesus, the cure. They know what he will do. Yet they never opened the bottle and absorbed it in their lives. If heart medication never enters the heart it won't do anything. Most Americans still have Jesus in the bottle in their medicine cabinets.
If not convinced of the disease Jesus becomes an experimental flu shot people get just in case. The preachers of old convinced of the disease using the law and wrath of God to expose the sinner's condition.
Wrong route right drug doesn't help. Someone who swallows instead of injecting their insulin won't benefit because the drug molecule is too large to be absorbed. Likewise, the right Jesus but not taken the right way won't save. Jesus saves and give the gift of eternal life to all who repent and believe the gospel. The wrong "route" is just "Pray and Ask the Lord to Save you."
Right diagnosis but given the wrong drug won't save. False Christs, like the Catholic Christ, the Mormon Christ, the book the Shack's Jesus, etc are like given the wrong medication. It will not save no matter the dose.
Getting the right IV but getting one contaminated with poison will give the patient more than likely more harm than good. Today's mega church new evangelical Rock and Roll churches are doing that. They have the cure mixed in with a whole lot of poison. And the poison comes sugar coated as well.
A false gospel and false Christ inoculates someone to the real gospel just like a flu shot. A flu shot is a false version of the real thing. When exposed to the real bug, the body is trained to automatically fight off the real thing because they were first exposed to the false. That is a good way to describe what is going on in America. Most Americans refuse salvation because "I already did that!" What did they do? Simply get exposed to the false Jesus the flu shot.
Folks, we have our work cut out. The laborers are few but we need to get back to the true gospel and start getting the word out. And work on the false doctrines that have most of America still lost in their sin and the church asleep in the pews.
What is humbling and exciting is I see how the two go hand in hand. The lessons I learned in pharmacy inspired what I see are great solutions for the weak evangelism and lukewarm churchmembers in this final period before Jesus returns.
The Bible says there will be a great falling away before his return and this world is going to get more and more insane. The world wants to stay in denial, the world wants to live oblivious to eternity, and the world wants to be left alone as they all head in the same direction, like lemmings off a cliff of destruction. The Bible is the history book of the universe and it is a book to love and a book to be obeyed. You cannot obey the spirit of it's commands without the author himself, but that is the beauty of Christianity. The Bible is alive, and if you move toward it's truths and let it judge you, and then just open your heart to it's eternal promises and fear it's eternal consequences of rejecting or neglecting it, then the author himself literally moves in to stay, gives you everlasting life for FREE, and wants to live through you to experience the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE in a REAL and tangible way. Who wouldn't want it? Apparently most of the world, because billions are trading the true and living God you give your life to for false, dead religions of man that you sell your soul for.
I am nothing special but my God can beat up your gods!!! Whether it is the worshipped Popes (who are just the Roman Caesars of old who claimed to be God on earth, but wearing new uniforms), Allah (who is nothing but the moon god idol that Mohammad chose to represent his false religion), the book of Mormons (filled with contradictions, events, and claims easily proven false), the Watchtower of Jehovah Witnesses (which teach that the male, Jewish 144,000 virgins are instead the founders of the JW movement and the only ones going to heaven and the only ones who have the truth to give their members--- yet the 144,000 JW's generation have almost all died off and that means the movement will cease to exist because it's "official members" will no longer be there to teach and direct them!!!), the blind faith of humanism (which teach man is getting better and evolution is true, despite the fact that there is not one shred of evidence evolution is true unless they steal micro-evolution evidence which creationists already believe in! i,e, 2 big dogs came off the ark and "mico-evolved" to all the dogs you see today. Yet that is not "evolution", ie, soup to dogs and the big bang, and every small dog is a loss of genetic information. No mutation is ever a gain of information! Carbon and radiometric dating are flawed and they select the dates that fit their theory!), and so on.
This world has no clue what the truth is. Americans stopped thinking the day we got the remote control. The bible says these are the last days, but as Leonard Ravenhill said, "We just don't know how long they will last." At any moment World War III can break out and at any moment North Korea can send millions into eternity! Is there not a cause? The Bible asks, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
That is what brings us back to pharmacy lessons.
Here are some things to keep in mind about salvation. Most Americans (and most of it's converts worldwide) are still lost but have a HEAD KNOWLEDGE and think they are saved. Sadly, I heard Rick Warren's 27 year old son committed suicide this week. Rick Warren is a mega church pastor but he is the blind leading the blind. I think his son was a tormented soul and really is a good example of today's Christianity. He thought he was saved but he was so depressed he figured he would just end it and go to heaven. True Christians can get discouraged, but what I see here is he never met the true and living God because his father teaches a false gospel of works and accepts false Christs, and has a shallow easy believism sort of doctrine. His son tried all kinds of secular treatments and meds and modern methods and none gave him any hope. That is sad, but that is typical Christianity today. It does not deliver as promised and when the challenges of life hit, it is not going to get the average Christian to weather the storm. It is paper fire and the ease of American life has us comfortable around it's false heat. If you have been inside your house heated to 72 degrees and you have a nice sweater on and a cup of hot cocoa and your latest TV show on, you can sit by your electric fireplace and look at the flames and feel the illusion of warmth. Someone who has been in a blizzard and had their jackets blown right off of them and on the verge of frost bit, and facing hypothermia has a different response to a fake fireplace. It doesn't matter how inviting the fire looks, it will not provide any restoring heat and the flame will not help anyone trying to get warm from the storm.
From a pharmacy perspective, here is a bit of what is going on.
Jesus is the cure.
The disease is sin.
The cure saves from hell and sin.
The consequences of neglecting the cure or rejecting the cure are hell and continued sin.
A wrong Jesus won't save just like the wrong medication dispensed won't save.
The wrong duration of treatment won't help. A 5 hour IV that is stopped after 5 minutes won't do anything. A 5 minute gospel presentation when during the great awakening heard hours and hours of preaching on the wrath of God and the holiness of God is one reason why men today aren't truly being cured. They have the head knowledge but they never met the true and living God for themselves because they weren't exposed to the cure long enough for it to do anything. It takes human nature to really fall under deep conviction to bring true repentance. Head knowledge is appealing because people think they are now saved but their sins are not dealt with.
Knowing all about the cure but leaving it in the bottle is not going to help. People all over believe in Jesus, the cure. They know what he will do. Yet they never opened the bottle and absorbed it in their lives. If heart medication never enters the heart it won't do anything. Most Americans still have Jesus in the bottle in their medicine cabinets.
If not convinced of the disease Jesus becomes an experimental flu shot people get just in case. The preachers of old convinced of the disease using the law and wrath of God to expose the sinner's condition.
Wrong route right drug doesn't help. Someone who swallows instead of injecting their insulin won't benefit because the drug molecule is too large to be absorbed. Likewise, the right Jesus but not taken the right way won't save. Jesus saves and give the gift of eternal life to all who repent and believe the gospel. The wrong "route" is just "Pray and Ask the Lord to Save you."
Right diagnosis but given the wrong drug won't save. False Christs, like the Catholic Christ, the Mormon Christ, the book the Shack's Jesus, etc are like given the wrong medication. It will not save no matter the dose.
Getting the right IV but getting one contaminated with poison will give the patient more than likely more harm than good. Today's mega church new evangelical Rock and Roll churches are doing that. They have the cure mixed in with a whole lot of poison. And the poison comes sugar coated as well.
A false gospel and false Christ inoculates someone to the real gospel just like a flu shot. A flu shot is a false version of the real thing. When exposed to the real bug, the body is trained to automatically fight off the real thing because they were first exposed to the false. That is a good way to describe what is going on in America. Most Americans refuse salvation because "I already did that!" What did they do? Simply get exposed to the false Jesus the flu shot.
Folks, we have our work cut out. The laborers are few but we need to get back to the true gospel and start getting the word out. And work on the false doctrines that have most of America still lost in their sin and the church asleep in the pews.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Length of Treatment
I wanted to tackle my earlier post from a pharmacy angle. The previous post talked about shortcuts to salvation and how in the great awakening times, there was a different result where the world around them was affected. Today hundreds get "saved" at the last great evangelical event and there is no impact on our society. Muslims continue to take over and dominate and their presence is increasing and so is their influence. They use the same strategy they used for thousands of years --they infiltrate, populate, and annihilate. George Bush calls them a religion of peace, but that is a lie. The moderate luke warm Muslims are the majority in America because just like the Christians, they love the pleasures of this land more than God and you don't truly see their faith in action. Real Muslims are just obeying the Koran and they will cut people's throats, blow themselves up, and crash into buildings because they are just living out their faith. Recently not in America of course, a man said that "Jesus was the greatest prophet". I believe he said it to his Muslim Barber. The Muslims retaliated and burned and pillaged the neighborhood for days. The police said to let them just vent and basically excused their actions because they were offended. Christians, we put up with everything and anything. People blaspheme Jesus in our presence all the time. Do we love him enough to say anything? You don't have to be a jerk, but say, excuse me that is my Lord you are talking about. Do you know you will have to give an account to God for everything you ever said?
The Muslims are taking over the world, and will take over America. The Christians are too ashamed, and too compromised to do anything. What will it take? A nuclear bomb stamped Made in Korea to shake us up?
The other day I was giving out tracts in Wal Mart and handed them to 2 guys. Later they were in my line and I started talking with them. I am nothing, but it was neat, because they turned out to be 2 Buffalo Bills professional football players. The tight end, and a running back. I was able to witness to them a bit, and after gave the one my website info. Later God put this though on my heart -- how many Christians would be more interested in getting their autographs vs. witnessing to them? Hell is a real place and there are only 2 kinds of people, saved and headed for hell.
The problem with the evangelism today I think we can look again at medical. If I have cancer they may hook me up for chemo for a 4 hour IV and I have to go multiple times for several weeks. If I leave the IV after 5 minutes, I may have received the right cure but it wasn't given long enough to work. If I only go through 3 correct treatments, but the treatment is supposed to be 16 treatments, I never completed treatment. Likewise, if I am teaching the right doctrine in my evangelism, salvation is faith and repentance, but my converts only received 5 minutes of presentation when the men of old received the same medicine for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, is there any wonder why our converts seem to not get cured of the sin disease?
Again, that is why I think the best strategy today is to incorporate all these truths ---1. The Right Cure Jesus 2. Administered the Right way -- Faith and Repentance 3. Given at the Right dose --- whatever exposure it takes for someone to be genuinely saved and not live half in the world and half church 4. rightly convinced of the disease thru the Law of God as a schoolmaster 5. with proper explanation of side effects (temptation, tribulation, and persecution) and true benefits of the curb (new desires new direction new creature, and saved from penalty of sin, and being saved from the power of sin) and consequences of the disease (Hell in the lake of fire).
Hence, today I think the potential converts need a 5 week bible study first, grounding them in the doctrines of creation, the Real Jesus, the law and holiness of God, the false Christs and false religions out there and true biblical salvation. Instead of our 5 minute presentations.
And if we start looking at cures instead of decisions, we could better evaluate our methods.
The Muslims are taking over the world, and will take over America. The Christians are too ashamed, and too compromised to do anything. What will it take? A nuclear bomb stamped Made in Korea to shake us up?
The other day I was giving out tracts in Wal Mart and handed them to 2 guys. Later they were in my line and I started talking with them. I am nothing, but it was neat, because they turned out to be 2 Buffalo Bills professional football players. The tight end, and a running back. I was able to witness to them a bit, and after gave the one my website info. Later God put this though on my heart -- how many Christians would be more interested in getting their autographs vs. witnessing to them? Hell is a real place and there are only 2 kinds of people, saved and headed for hell.
The problem with the evangelism today I think we can look again at medical. If I have cancer they may hook me up for chemo for a 4 hour IV and I have to go multiple times for several weeks. If I leave the IV after 5 minutes, I may have received the right cure but it wasn't given long enough to work. If I only go through 3 correct treatments, but the treatment is supposed to be 16 treatments, I never completed treatment. Likewise, if I am teaching the right doctrine in my evangelism, salvation is faith and repentance, but my converts only received 5 minutes of presentation when the men of old received the same medicine for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, is there any wonder why our converts seem to not get cured of the sin disease?
Again, that is why I think the best strategy today is to incorporate all these truths ---1. The Right Cure Jesus 2. Administered the Right way -- Faith and Repentance 3. Given at the Right dose --- whatever exposure it takes for someone to be genuinely saved and not live half in the world and half church 4. rightly convinced of the disease thru the Law of God as a schoolmaster 5. with proper explanation of side effects (temptation, tribulation, and persecution) and true benefits of the curb (new desires new direction new creature, and saved from penalty of sin, and being saved from the power of sin) and consequences of the disease (Hell in the lake of fire).
Hence, today I think the potential converts need a 5 week bible study first, grounding them in the doctrines of creation, the Real Jesus, the law and holiness of God, the false Christs and false religions out there and true biblical salvation. Instead of our 5 minute presentations.
And if we start looking at cures instead of decisions, we could better evaluate our methods.
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