LOST IS NOT JUST A TV SHOW

We use the word “lost” very loosely. “I’ve lost my keys!” “Who is that loser?” “My meaning was lost in translation.” We mean something is misplaced. Someone is outside our circle or clueless. Something just ain’t right. It’s not in its place.

LOST, the TV series, focuses on a group of people thrown together by a tragic crash and trying to cope with their situation and each other. This is the proverbial “men on a life raft” situation; only there is no good solution—only more questions.

Do we realize that every day, every man, woman and child lives in a situation and is trying to cope with it? The situation, the condition, is called being lost. They are misplaced. They have wandered away from the Great Shepherd. They are outside the boundaries of God’s plan for their lives. They do try to cope in the land of the lost. Enjoying material possessions, family, pets, extreme sports, hobbies, even religion does not assuage the guilt of sin and rebellion against a loving and holy God. Their situation is hopeless. Unlike the LOST cast, who head for their air-conditioned, rented condos in Hawaii when the day’s filming is done, lost people wake up everyday to the same emptiness gnawing at their soul. It may glitter on the outside but it is not pretty on the inside.

Whether you look into the eyes of an earthquake victim or into the eyes of a smug Hollywood starlet, you see the same emptiness; the same lack of hope--the lostness. We think we can handle this; we can cope successfully with our lostness. We can help the earthquake victim. We can keep our reputations clean. We can do whatever is required by a god we have hitched our hopes to. It will be OK; only it won’t be. There is no earthly rescue on the way.

But “the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light shined” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in darkness.” A shaft of divine light has pierced the darkness of humanity’s hopeless, lost condition. The hopeless have hope; the lost can indeed be found. Those outside are invited inside. The misfits can fit. By God’s grace, we can all be made right through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Light.

Do you carry the light to those around you? What about to those who are as far away from you as it is possible to get--right over there on the edge of the map? Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary is training warriors who will lead the way to islands of lostness; who will “preach the gospel to the poor; heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to captives, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1-2). Every human being living outside of Christ is lost and it is dark out there. Let’s go find them and bring them home.

DR. ERGUN CANER
President & Dean
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

The (Haiti) “mission” – the second greatest human activity on earth!

Could God have prevented any and all disasters mankind has endured and suffered – the answer is yes.

While the money, labor, and rescue teams pour into helping those in need – let us (believers) take a step back and remind ourselves of what God’s word tells us. Sin has an affect not only on mankind, but the whole creation.

The goal of the church has never been missions – in fact the goal of the church is worship. Worshipping God will be eternal, not missions. When all is said and done, when Christ returns, missions will be a thing of the past; every knee will bow and know Him; some as Savior, others as Judge. The folks in Haiti, and the rest of the world - need to know this.

The reason missions exist in the first place, is the fact that men (the nations) do not worship God. If one has no passion for glorifying God, the name of Jesus Christ, our place in Haiti or anywhere else in the world will be in vain. Psalm 96:3 - “declare his glory among the nations” is our mission. The folks around the world know many gods, and worship many things that the hands and minds of men have created. But the creator of the heavens and earth, the sovereign God of all nations and peoples; needs no man! (Acts 14:25).

John Piper writes – “the difference between the true God and the gods of the nations is that the true God carries and the other gods must be carried.” In essence, only the True God serves, false gods are served. Don't think you are ever doing God a favor - you cannot do that. What we can do is worship Him, then be on "mission"; not the other way around.

Let us delight ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) and worship Him for who He is! Let His name be proclaimed in Haiti at this time. Let all the nations know that what has to be done now in Haiti or anywhere else in the world, is nothing compared to what Christ has done on the cross; a victory that is eternal, a victory no man, search dog, or any army could have ever accomplished.

Yes, God does have a “goal” – that His son’s name be exalted and honored among all peoples of the entire world (Mark 9:37).

The folks of Haiti do need humanitarian help, but only the kind that comes with an encounter with Christ, lest it be a passing “mission” of irrelevance, void of any true worship. There is no hope found in any other.

We must remember that even the fool and God’s enemies may have compassion on those in need – but only a (God) Christ centered compassion sheds tears of anguish over those who reject Christ and those who will eventually drink from His eternal cup of wrath. Let our passion for mercy and our compassion for human suffering, never be detached from exalting Jesus Christ.

Any "charity" that does not - is passing away and really contains no True hope for anyone.

Even "young" folks know crap when they hear it, thank God!

"Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be" by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

DeYoung writes:

"I know that some in my generation have a hard time with truth claims. But I'm convinced that there are just as many of us--Christian and not--in our postmodern world who are tired of endless uncertainties and doctrinal repaintings. We are tired of indecision and inconsistency reheated and served to us as paradox and mystery. Some of us long for teaching that has authority, ethics rooted in dogma, and something unique in this world of banal diversity. We long for Jesus--not a shapeless, formless, good-hearted ethical teacher Jesus, but the Jesus of the New Testament, the Jesus of the church, the Jesus of faith, the Jesus of two millennia of Christian witness with all of its unchanging and edgy doctrinal propositions."

"Emerging Christianity" has a big problem, even if it does ask some good questions; the answers it provides are found in places other than God's word - usually one's imagination or "we" just cannot know Truth with any certainty.

Who do you think benefits from such an approach? God or God's enemy?

God is not interested in confusion, in fact, it is the utter clarity of God's word that offends those in rebellion. That, dear reader, is a timeless Truth - not a mystery.

The coming out party

Some of us may have friends who are self professing Christians, announce one day they are are "gay." They will tell you they've know it since the were "like" six years old, and they still love God and will serve Him and tell others about Christ.

The argument seems to be, the younger one realizes they are sick in sin, then it really can't be sin. Perhaps it is just the way God made them?

They may say that no man or church will ever keep them from loving Jesus and serving Him.

What does God say about those who profess a sincerity in following Him, but do not keep His commandments? 1 John 2.

They may say they have prayed for years, asked forgiveness for many sins, fasted, and yet they remain gay.

What does God say about giving up and accepting (and in this case - celebrating) the sin in our lives? How long is long enough?

They may say - I am one of the "whosoever", and Jesus loves me the way I am - gay.

If Jesus loves us just the way we are - why does he command repentance (a 180 degree turn)?

They may say that no church should tell others how they are to be before coming to Christ.

Guess what "gay Christian" is doing now? He or she is attacking the church, blaming the church for proclaiming what God has already set forth - a Holy standard. Surly there are bad churches everywhere, but this argument is silly. A true church is obedient and under the authority of God's word; the gay christian (and or nominal christian) wants to be a christian without the obedience and authority all Christians share; God's word.

Just how far will folks go to justify their sin? When God's grace is being withdrawn, the depths are unimaginable and the gay christian coming out parties will be on the increase.

Don't miss the signs folks, you cannot love anyone into the Kingdom of God; their minds must be transformed. We must repent and believe, and "we" means everyone!

Myths and misconceptions about marriage

Ever wonder why you don’t hear gay and lesbian leaders lecturing people, “You ought to stop shacking up and get married” ?

Answer is - The homosexual advocates want marriage as an option, not as a norm. But if it’s not a norm for them, then it’s not going to be a norm for anybody else.

Please read this excellent artice by Alan Wisdom of the IRD.

Rediscovering Marriage

Brit Hume's shining example: the darkness will always hate the Light

Washington Post columnist Tom Shales’ recent article on Brit Hume’s comments is a shining example of exactly what is wrong with a liberal minded culture.

Liberals in general, have been stuffing our nation’s youth with the False idea that absolute Truths do not exist. Perhaps Mr. Shales is just another “victim” of such a crappy education? I doubt it. God’s sheep hear His voice, those who have another father, do not.

Tom Shales writes – “Noting that Woods has referred to himself as a Buddhist, Hume knocked his fellow "Fox News" panelists for mortified loops when he dissed about half a billion Buddhists on the planet with the remark, "I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith."

It sounded a little like one of those Verizon vs. AT&T commercials -- our brand is better than your brand -- except that Hume was comparing two of the world's great religions, not a couple of greedy communications conglomerates. Further, is it really his job to run around trying to drum up new business? He doesn't really have the authority, does he, unless one believes that every Christian by mandate must proselytize?

1. Either Christianity is True or it is not. Yes, “one brand” is True and the other is False.

2. Yes, it is every believers “job” to tell others about Jesus Christ. To do otherwise, would be like watching a man burn while holding a perfectly functioning fire hose.

3. Yes, a believer does have the authority and commission to “proselytize.” That authority, by the way, comes from our creator.

What is most ironic, if not moronic, is Tom Shales’ entire column is his own attempt to “proselytize” his readers to think like him; specifically convince us that all faiths are True, and the similarities in one’s faith are more important than the differences. You will please notice, he does NOT tell his readers why his view would be more logical or more reasonable. It is, as he states, just plain wrong to offend a "majority" or large number of folks, by telling them what they believe is untrue.

If what I believed was false and had eternal consequences, I'd want to know, and not a small number of Buddhists have as well. They are now believers - in the Truth (Christians).

Tom Shales demands an apology from a man who spoke the Truth – why? If Christianity is false, if Jesus Christ was not God in flesh and God’s word is not absolute truth – give us the reason why, and why we should believe you - Mr. Shales.

Tom Shales knows very well he is unqualified for such an endeavor – by the mere fact he would have to explain away two-thousand years of history. Both Jesus’ followers and His enemies attest to the fact the tomb was empty, is just one tiny obstacle.

You see, Christianity is the only faith that is True; history, science, and archaeological evidence keep giving men more and more evidence. I ask you - how much evidence do you need?

Indeed – there is something about that name “Jesus”! In fact, the Tom Shales of the world, their very own reaction, is what Jesus Christ said it would be – unbelief.

...and that my dear reader is why folks go to hell for eternity, not a lack of reasonable logical evidence!

Who do you really trust?

Here we believers are, in 2010, a time when technology can bring the words of God to almost anyone seeking - yet the number of Christians who actually read the Bible is very few. It should be noted, many folks across the world, put their very lives on the line to obtain the Bible or to simply distribute it to others. It remains the best selling book of all time, simply because it IS the power of God to transform lives – but do we really believe that?

Sadly some folks will spend hours or even days searching the words of scripture for that little snippet, that one verse, that will make their life or current situation better (a better marriage, a new car, more money, or just plain happiness). In other words, the Bible is fast becoming a “self- help” book, and we are the center of attention – not God.

Understanding what the Bible is not - may help:

It is not a moral code of do’s and don’ts.
It is not a tool to be used in a self improvement program.

You know when folks usually realize this? A time of utter crisis; death of a loved one, sickness etc... Matters of eternity spark agonizing questions for all people in crisis.

God’s word tells us the Truth about Him, ourselves, and our world. It is God, not man, which redeems, reclaims, and re-builds His family. God is always on His throne, and never for a moment not in control. He is the only thing worthy of such an eternal trust.

Take up and read – you will find Jesus Christ at the very center of both the Old and New Testaments! It is for both believer and pagan – without its Truths, there is no hope for sinner or saint.

PS "What are you doing for Jesus"? is not the gospel. What Jesus did for you – is!

Y2K10 mission statement

I have come to realize something over the years (I have a hard head) - I must cease attacking those outside the church and simply proclaim the Gospel. I have been wrong in the past to think lost folks would or should act saved, know their error, or behave in a manner which brings glory to God. My mistake, and my error. These folks are lost, they need the same thing I have received - the cleansing blood of Christ.

The greater threat to our faith comes from the seething, hateful, unbiblical, arrogant anti-Christ walls of Liberal Christianity. It is these walls I will fight to tear down so the Truth will expose and change others. Liberal Christianity is another gospel, and the pulpits are filled with men and women spewing untruths in the name of Christ.

False religion is the greatest evil on earth, I won't soon forget this.

Vt. Judge: Birth Mom Must Transfer Custody Of 7-year-old Daughter To Former Lesbian Partner

Vt. Judge: Birth Mom Must Give Child To Ex-partner




Fact: Virginia’s state law and constitution expressly ban enforcement of any right or order arising from same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. Despite this, failure on Miller’s part to turn Isabella over to Jenkins would place her in contempt of the Vermont court and likely result in a warrant for her arrest.



"Unrefuted testimony has shown that for the last five years, Janet has neither attempted to phone nor write Isabella. She has never sent Isabella a card of any kind for any occasion. Janet has refused to attend Isabella’s Christmas plays, because she does not want to be around a Christian environment. She has also said that it is not in Isabella’s best interest to be raised in a Christian home."

And the wages of sin continue to wreck havoc on our children. To all you people who support the oxymoron "gay marriage" - God is against you!

Dear Pastors

Enough is enough.

Loose the worldly, political, save the world, make the world a better place nonsense! God has not fallen off His throne and has never for a split second lost control and has never been "consumer" driven.

God's word has never needed men (you dear pastor) to give it meaning. If you get confused, don't pull out the "Jesus said..." dance (only the red letters in your Bible) - they carry no more authority than the black lettered words you choose to ignore and distort. They both have the same author.

Stop preaching "What would Jesus do.." and start preaching "what Jesus did" - the gospel!

The gospel is sharper than any intellectual, moral, scientific, or philosophical sword you could possibly use. Don't be afraid that is it the most dangerous weapon in human history; it was specifically designed to be. Stop relying on inferior methods. (1 Cor 1:25).

If you desire to change the world, culture, lives, and behavior, preach the gospel. To do anything else in its place, is disobedience and utterly worthless.

PS. God is not pleased with your man made worldly declarations of inter-faith unity, common ground moral causes, nor your so called "world peace" plans. All such things are but a lie, a worldly lie, that await God's judgement.

Our God knows his enemies, he does not mistake them for friends, nor treat them as such. He regards iniquity as a trespass, and therefore he has not broken down the bounds of law, nor the hedges of right: there are trespasses still, and God perceives them, and notes them down, and such as go on in their trespasses are trying his longsuffering and provoking his justice. God sleeps not, neither does he wink at human sin, but calls upon all men everywhere to repent.

And it is clear too that God has the power to smite those who rebel against him. Dream not of natural laws which will screen the wicked—"He shall wound the head of his enemies." They may lift up those heads as high as they please, but they cannot be beyond the reach of his hand. He will not merely bruise their heels, or wound them on the back with blows which may be healed, but at their heads he will aim fatal blows, and lay them in the dust. He can do it, and he will.
- Charles Spurgeon

What "another gospel" sounds like....thanks to the UMC bishops.

Update: Please read this post on the same topic - Methodist Bishops wrong again


God’s Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action
A Pastoral Letter from the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church.

"Because God’s blessing, care, and promise of renewal extend to all of creation, we can speak today of “environmental holiness” as well."

"As people in the tradition of John Wesley, we understand reconciliation and renewal to be part of the process of salvation that is already underway. We are not hemmed in to a fallen world."


1. We as your bishops pledge to answer God’s call to deepen our spiritual consciousness as just stewards of creation. We commit ourselves to faithful and effective leadership on these issues, in our denomination and in our communities and nations.

2. We pledge to make God’s vision of renewal our goal. With every evaluation and decision, we will ask: Does this contribute to God’s renewal of creation? Ever aware of the difference between what is and what must be, we pledge to practice Wesleyan “holy dissatisfaction.


3. We pledge to practice dialogue with those whose life experience differs dramatically from our own, and we pledge to practice prayerful self-examination. For example, in the Council of Bishops, the fifty active bishops in the United States are committed to listening and learning with the nineteen active bishops in Africa, Asia, and Europe. And the bishops representing the conferences in the United States will prayerfully examine the fact that their nation consumes more than its fair share of the world’s resources, generates the most waste, and produces the most weapons.

4. We pledge ourselves to make common cause with religious leaders and people of goodwill worldwide who share these concerns. We will connect and collaborate with ecumenical and interreligious partners and with community and faith organizations so that we may strengthen our common efforts.

5. We pledge to advocate for justice and peace in the halls of power in our respective nations and international organizations.

6. We pledge to measure the “carbon footprint” of our episcopal and denominational offices, determine how to reduce it, and implement those changes. We will urge our congregations, schools, and settings of ministry to do the same.

7. We pledge to provide, to the best of our ability, the resources needed by our conferences to reduce dramatically our collective exploitation of the planet, peoples, and communities, including technical assistance with buildings and programs: education and training: and young people’s and online networking resources.

8. We pledge to practice hope as we engage and continue supporting the many transforming ministries of our denomination. Every day we will thank God for fruit produced through the work of The United Methodist Church and through each of you.

9. We pledge more effective use of the church and community Web pages to inspire and share what we learn. We celebrate the communications efforts that tell the stories of struggle and transformation within our denomination.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth - Romans 1:16

These bishops are ashamed of the gospel of Christ!

When did alleviating the sufferings of humanity caused by poverty, disease, oppressive work conditions, society's injustices, civil rights abuses, etc.... save one soul?

A "fix the earth" theology is a damnable heresy. When Christ returns He will be looking for those with FAITH, not some small asinine carbon foot print! (Luke 18:10). Utter shame on these bishops.

What matters to God, is that we repent of our sins and believe the gospel, and at the very center is the cross of Christ.

Galatians 1:8- As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

United Methodist Jim Winkler - Scripture twisting again

United Methodist Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society and a man who spends much time fighting for abortion rights, has written an article regarding the National Health care debate - "Word from Winkler — Congregational malpractice."

Mr. Winkler's views here should be a chilling reminder of the terribly un-biblical direction much of the United Methodist's church leadership is headed; human dignity is being stressed over human depravity. Winkler isn't concerned folks get proper health care as much as he is interested in making the message (the very Gospel) of Jesus Christ acceptable to worldly men.

Winkler and many others in the leadership of the United Methodist Church (of which I am a struggling member) will unashamedly resort to scripture twisting reaching gymnastically proportions. Case in point, Mr. Winkler states the following:

The provision of health care for all without regard to status or ability to pay is portrayed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:24-35). In a conversation that began with the question of how one might obtain eternal life, Jesus asserted that one must love God and one’s neighbor. In response to the next question as to who one’s neighbor is, Jesus told of a Samaritan, an outsider, who coming upon a wounded traveler, provided him with health care. Jesus described the duty to provide health care as owed regardless of the merit or ethnicity of the person in need, and owed to the limit of one’s economic capacity. By the way, this is from #3201, “Health Care for All in the United States,” 2008 Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church.

The parable of the Good Samaritan begins with a question posed to Jesus by a Scribe (a legal expert in the law); one of the religious elite usually accompanied by a few Pharisees as well. The only groups of people Jesus confronted head on with their self righteousness; a character flaw, by the way, not an health care issue.

Notice Jesus' words to him after he had answered - "Do this and you shall live." Isn't this the promise of the law? Keep the law and you will live. Problem is, no one can keep the law, we all fall short of the divine standard, which should have made this scribe drop to his knees with a confession of guilt. Instead he tries to justify himself (v.29). Winkler misses this on purpose!

The Pharisees, scribes, Sadducee's etc... had consistently demolished the true meaning of God's word. In fact, they were the "spiritual gate keepers" during this time, and had little concern for God's truth. You will remember - their hate for the Truth ultimately tacked Jesus to the Cross!

Winkler may think defending "health care" reform is a virtue, but he is as far from the Truth as were the religious elite of Jesus' day.

Make no mistake - nothing is more evil than false religion. Winkler and many others may attempt to cloak themselves in robes of biblical truth, but are nothing less than missionaries of self righteousness.

When was the last time Winkler addressed the world's unbelief? as if a government run health care law was more important? When was the last time Winkler and his co-horts trusted the holy spirit and not worldly devices?

The scribe would have believed the wicked, especially the Samaritan, were to be hated because they were God's enemies. Winkler refers to the Samaritan as an "outsider" attempting to make a very subtle point that the "outsiders" of our modern day are those without health care, poor, or hungry. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Winkler would have been Truthful and scriptural if he said the "outsiders" were the broken hearted sick in sin. The very folks Jesus came to save and the very folks this scribe would have kept out. Jesus used the Samaritan for good reason, the scribe would have rather died than even touch the dirt of Samaria. This parable is about the spiritual condition of the scribe, not a lesson in health care.

Helping those in need is every Christian's privilege. Notice also the Samaritan used his own money, about two days of wages, and showed mercy without a "law" commanding him to do so. Yet the scribe had the law, and the Samaritan did not. According to Winkler, if your a Christian, you would (must) support state run "charity", that which takes, not freely gives, from some folks and gives to others. This is the exact opposite of what true biblical Christianity teaches.

[Please recall in Acts 4 - Ananias and his wife Sapphira]. God desired free selfless and sacrificial giving, not an outward act whereby they wanted to "look like the church" but were in reality a heart filled with deceit. I wonder how Winkler would address this topic. I bet he would have had no problem at all accepting Ananias and his wife's contribution; not as Peter's rebuke of asking them why Satan had filled their hearts! That wouldn't be very pragmatic and some other "christian" may be "forced" to go without health care or even food! In short, their 'gift' would be welcomed by Winkler as I see it.

Winklers last comment is worth noting "Any congregation that doesn’t seek health care for all of the uninsured should be sued for malpractice!"

Winkler is indeed living by the law as ignorantly, hypocritically, and absorbed in a satanic self righteousness that is only perhaps exceeded by the "religious elite" of Jesus' ministry.

I would ask Mr. Winkler what the Bible says about suing another brother or sister, but a man who defends the murder of the unborn is probably not particularly interested in anything that God's word says that exposes his twisted theology.

Winkler and men like him "have their reward in full" (Matt 6:2). I pray they are exposed and refuted as often as their mouths speak lies. I also pray they repent.

The scriptures are clear - Winkler's theology is a "tare" in the church, and they are accursed anti-Christs which must be exposed.
Galatians 1:8-9
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.



HT: Eternity Matters "Another reason it's hard to stay in the Methodist Church"

On the first day of Kwanzaa...

A new handy reference guide about the history and true purposes of Kwanzaa! With nearly 20 different sources used in research, learn what is revealed about Kwanzaa. Examine each of the following revelations with more to come in the book:

• 
  Find out how Kwanzaa was created not only to replace Christmas, but to become an alternative religion for Black people only
• 
  Read about the creator of Kwanzaa, Maulana Karenga’s hatred of Christianity and other religions he considers Eurocentric
• 
  Discover how Kwanzaa’s rituals as practiced are but imitations of ancient African religious rites
• 
  Learn in detail how Kwanzaa compromises biblical teachings for the Christian
• 
  Examine the bigotry and Black separatism behind the practices of Kwanzaa under the guise of community unity