Give Thanks

"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24.

On this Sunday take a moment to give thanks for many things but particularly the little things we may take for granted like having food,a place to live and the ability to worship as we please. Far too many people in this world do not have these "little" things.

Silence In the Media Regarding the Killing of Christians

24 Egyptian Christians murdered. It happened today(5/26/17), it was committed by a Muslim terrorist group (of course). The event was not really covered much on any of the cable news channels.
So this is the new normal?
Meanwhile, a Muslim in America gets their car windows smashed by a vandal and it's all over the news.
The terrorist group had the following to say about their actions--"God gave orders to kill every infidel."
Pray for the persecuted Christians in Egypt and around the world. Call your representatives in Congress and ask what is this country and the United Nations doing about these murderous attacks?
You may remember that close to 50 Christians were killed in two separate attacks at churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday.
The news link to the article on the attack today is just below the picture.

Attack On Coptic Christians Kills At Least 24 In Egypt

Gunmen attacked a bus that was taking Egyptian Christians to a monastery Friday, killing at least 24 people and wounding 27 more, according to local sources.

Believers, the World and Separation

"Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1Corinthians15:33.
The Bible has a lot to say about real Christians having close ongoing relationships with unbelievers. Those who read their Bibles know God is not in favor of it. You read about this throughout the Old Testament where God tells His people not to associate with people who walk contrary to Him. We also see this warning repeated in the New Testament.
To the non-believer or nominal Christian this may seem harsh and unkind. I would quickly add that I am NOT saying we shouldn't be polite, friendly,helpful and have casual conversations with co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances.
No, what I mean is that our closest friends,people we spend alot of time with and socialize with, should not be unbelievers.
Why? It's because we have been called out from this world. Although we are in the world, we are not to be "of this world."
We read in Romans12:2--"Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
This naturally raises the question, have you as a Christian gradually been "conformed to this world?" Are your interests and conversations basically no different from non-Christians?
If they aren't, then it is time for some serious changes on your part.
I think of something a high school teacher told me one time. He said: "In my many years of teaching I have seen plenty of good kids, good students, fall in with the wrong crowd and go right down the "tubes". You know, they start hanging with the delinquents and the next thing you see is they're doing drugs, skipping school, grades go down, really sad. But here's what gets me; I've hardly ever seen a 'bad' kid be elevated by his contact with a good student."
Now what was that quote at the top?
"Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Try this one from James4:4--"Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity (hostile or opposed) with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
There are similar quotes I could give about Christians and separation but you get the picture as they say.
In closing, I believe God has set this rule of separation because He knows our human frailty and our original sin nature.
Look at this as a loving Father trying to protect His children.

One More Quote From A.W.Tozer

If you are unfamiliar with A.W.Tozer, I would strongly encourage you to read his brief biography on Wikipedia as well as many of his quotes taken from his sermons and books. His quotes can be found on the website Goodreads. It will be a real blessing and encouragement to you.


“The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.”

So true! It is surprising how many Christians say their love for God has grown cold but will then admit that they don't spend time in prayer and Bible reading daily.
It is a joy to commune with Jesus through His Word and prayer. Don't let the cares of this world separate you from the most important relationship you will ever have!

The Beauty and Necessity of The Psalms

I am always surprised when I hear some Christians say they rarely read from The Book of Psalms.In not doing so they are missing out on something that can enrichen their devotional life.
Psalm means song but the psalms can be used as prayers.
For instance, you want a great prayer for forgiveness? Read Psalm 51. For protection? Psalm 91.Prayers of praise and thanksgiving? There are many but go to Psalms 144-150 for starters. It is not a stretch to say there are Psalms for most everything.
Consider the following beautiful Psalm, haven't we had times in out life when this Psalm would have been so appropriate to say?

Psalm 86, A Prayer For Those In Distress and Need.


Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
2
Preserve my life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
3
Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
4
Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
8
Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works.
9
All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
10
For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.
11
Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13
For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14
O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
15
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
16
Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17
Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me

The Falling Away Continues, Pt.2

"But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons." 1 Timothy 4
The following is taken from a recent Gallup poll, the text is from an article about it's findings. I personally am shocked by what I read. The departure from the truth of the Bible in America is far worse than I thought.
But then again, consider for a moment what this poll reveals and the state this country is in physically and morally.

"Fewer than one in four Americans now believe that the Word of God, the Bible, is the literal Word of God. That number is similar to the 26% who view it as “a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.”
The disbelief is record breaking according to the Gallup-polls four-decade trend that biblical literalism has not surpassed biblical skepticism. Even further, about half of Americans — a proportion largely unchanged over the years — fall in the middle, saying the Bible is the inspired word of God but that not all of it should be taken literally.
The gallup poll is evidence that the American education system, culture, and the cabal have infiltrated the youth and are actively swaying the populace of America towards unbelief.
However, what else the poll shows is that Churches in America are no longer preaching that the Bible is to be taken literally, rather the churches are teaching that you can cherry pick scripture. For that, God says in scripture that He will spit them out.
Astonishingly, the percentage defining the Bible as mere stories has doubled, with much of that change occurring in the past three years.
The Bible is the Word of God and culture is against the Bible, the majority of Americans are being swayed by icons of our culture and false teachers and preachers who have led the people astray."

Something To Think About On This Wednesday Morning

Read this bit of wisdom from A.W.Tozer, one of the giants of the Christian faith:


"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection."


Christians must read and study the Bible daily!

Old School Gospel at it's Best

If you need a Monday afternoon pick me up this is it. Old School Gospel (the best kind) by The Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir. Click on the picture to start the song.

JESUS CAN WORK IT OUT (SNS)

Cosmo Warriors w Diane Williams on lead singing JESUS CAN WORK IT OUT on SATURDAY NIGHT SING.

youtube.com

He Never Said It Would Be Easy

"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2Timothy2:3.
So after reading the passage above, one question comes to mind, have you been enduring any hardships recently as a result of your being a follower of Jesus?

Consider the following from the Gospel of John15:18 and 19--"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
I believe I might have told this story once before in one of my earlier posts but it bears repeating here. Years ago during the furor surrounding the film, The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, Gibson's co-star in three of his earlier movies had this to say about him (paraphrasing): "I didn't realize he was religious." This certainly isn't the kind of comment any professed Christian would want to hear.
Let me ask you this: Do friends, those you work with and acquaintances know you are a follower of Jesus? Have you been mocked, ridiculed or made fun of because of your faith? Is your speech and conduct "not of this world"? What I mean by this is that you don't engage in the gossip and unGodly conversation so common in society these days. Do you watch television shows and movies that you know a believer should not watch? Have you experienced criticism for spending time in prayer and reading the Bible?
If you find yourself on the wrong side of one or more of these questions some serious self-evaluation is needed.
As someone becomes more "of the world" they become more removed from the presence of Our Lord.Often times this worldliness starts very subtley and slowly grows. Before you know it, all a self-professed believer thinks they have to do to stay in God's good graces is show up at Church on Sunday. Anyone casually familiar with the Bible knows how wrong that belief is.
What is needed is to refocus on Jesus through prayer, Bible reading and fasting. Prayer and reading of Scripture must be done daily. Here is where you draw closer to Him and feel His presence. As you become accustomed to these "disciplines" you will find yourself looking forward to these moments during the day. I find it interesting when people tell me they don't always have the time to do this yet spend an hour or more at the gym.
In closing, living God's way and not the world's may very well bring hardship in this world but the benefits in this life and after are immeasurable.

The Falling Away Continues, Pt.1

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires."(2Timothy4:3).
Survey Says That 61% of Self-Described Christians Now Embrace Some "New Spirituality" Views.
The following is a most interesting article taken from the Christian Post. It is well worth taking the time to read. Too many Christians are oblivious regarding the deception that has been accepted by once Bible believing Christians.
"A new survey reveals the scope of influence of non-Christian belief systems on the mindsets of practicing Christians, with large percentages of them agreeing with ideas from other faiths and secular philosophies.
The research from Barna in cooperation with Summit Ministries released this week measured how much the central beliefs of other worldviews like "new spirituality," secularism, postmodernism, and Marxism have affected the beliefs of Christians about the world and how it should be.
Their "widespread influence upon Christian thinking is evident not only among competing worldviews, but even among competing religions," the survey report reads.
In a web-based survey conducted in March of 1,456 practicing Christians, researchers asked the sample if they agreed with several statements that are rooted in so-called "new spirituality." Sixty-one percent of them affirmed at least one of the questions.
Nearly 30 percent agreed that "all people pray to the same god or spirit, no matter what name they use for that spiritual being." About that same percentage of people said they believe that "meaning and purpose come from becoming one with all that is."
The influence of this spirituality has also seeped into the thinking of Christians on matters of ethics, with approximately one third believing in a form of karma. Thirty-two percent of respondents said they agreed with the statement "if you do good, you will receive good, and if you do bad, you will receive bad," which although not found in Scripture appeals to a sense of justice many have.
This research really crystallizes what Barna has been tracking in our country as an ongoing shift away from Christianity as the basis for a shared worldview," said Brooke Hempell, senior vice president of research for Barna, in the report.
We have observed and reported on increasing pluralism, relativism and moral decline among Americans and even in the Church. Nevertheless, it is striking how pervasive some of these beliefs are among people who are actively engaged in the Christian faith."
Because fragments and similarities to Christian teachings exist within other systems of thought, this poses a challenge.
Some may recognize and latch on to these ideas, not realizing they are distortions of biblical truths," Hempell noted.
"The call for the Church, and its teachers and thinkers, is to help Christians dissect popular beliefs before allowing them to settle in their own ideology."
The survey also presented statements rooted in postmodernism, secularism, and Marxism, asking Christians if they agreed with them. Those numbers were lower than those who agreed with "new spirituality." Still, overall, 54 percent agreed with some postmodernist views, 36 percent accepted ideas associated with Marxism and 29 percent said they believe ideas based on secularism.
More specifically, ten percent of practicing Christians said they believed the "secular" view that "a belief has to be proven by science to know that it is true." The postmodern statement "what is morally right or wrong depends on what an individual believes" resonated strongly with 23 percent of practicing Christians. Eleven percent of respondents agreed with the Marxist statement "Private property encourages greed and envy."
Demographically, men, often at a two to one ratio, were more open to these non-Christian worldviews than women in all categories. In about half of the survey's questions, Americans of color were more likely than white Americans to lend credence to non-Christian worldviews.
Millennials and Gen-Xers, who came of age in a culture under considerably less influence of the Christian faith, were eight times as likely to embrace non-Christian worldviews than were respondents from the Baby Boomer and Elder generations, the study found."
Paraphrasing here from Scripture: "When He returns, will He find anyone holding to the faith once delivered unto the saints?"

Something To Think About

As we say our prayers each morning we ask God to give us strength in the coming hours to think and act as believer's in Jesus should act.
At the end of the day, sometime before bed and before saying our nightly prayers, time should be set aside to self-evaluate how things went in our walk as Christians. With this in mind, I am sure for many, myself included, we will find that from time to time we have been guilty of being critical of others.
With this in mind, consider the words of John Wesley
“We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others.”
As Jesus is, and has been merciful to us, we should be merciful to others.

The Fate of All Nations Who Turn Their Back on God

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12.
With the purposeful misinterpretation of the separation of Church and State by those in America who desire to eliminate Christianity from the public square, as well as the rise in popularity of watered down and corrupted forms of Christianity, is it any wonder that this country is in the state of moral decay we now see it in?

Consider the following by French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville(1805-1859), after travelling throughout America he said this: "I sought for the genius and greatness of America in her commodius harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for greatness and genius in her public school system and institutions of learning and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
The kind of righteousness Alexis de Tocqueville describes hearing from the pulpits in the middle of 19th century America is now described as being rigid, discriminatory, intolerant and exclusive.Most Christian faiths and denominations have changed to fit a changing society instead of stressing the need for people to follow the unchanging Word of God.
Following the unchanging Word of God is the only way to achieve true peace and happiness in an increasingly stressful and uncertain world.
In closing: "our greatest need as a nation is for Bible belevers to take a strong stand on the Word of God and to live a holy life for His glory." A quote by Pastor Rockwood.
That means, walk the talk of your faith and witness to others as the occasion arises. It may be later than you think!

A Radical View of the Christian and Worrying

"Casting all you care upon Him: for He careth for you." 1Peter:5:7.
It would be safe to say that to varying degrees most Christians have worries and anxieties . This has become an accepted part of life. Countless self-help books have been published that say they will help the reader cope with the stresses of everyday life. For the Christian there is a solution and it is revealed right in the pages of their Bible. 
We see the quote above that tells us quite plainly what we should do in regards to worries and fears.
Another passage from Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
What the passage from 1Peter reveals is that we are to cast all discontent, despair, discouragement and suffering on Our Lord with the understanding that He has a plan for our lives and there is a purpose behind what we are going through.
Questioning and looking to secular sources for a way out shows a lack of trust and unwillingness to submit totally to Our Lord.
The logical question becomes: have you forgotten what Jesus has said in His Word?
In closing, I will give you a quote from Pastor Rockwood and it may be considered very radical when you compare it to today's increasingly watered down version of Christianity but he is correct in what he says: "Worry is not merely weakness; it is wickedness. It says God has abdicated. Worry is a sin against God and ourselves. Cast it on Christ and His cross."
Amen to that!

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Something To Think About

"Some parents say, 'We will not influence our children in making choices and decisions in the matter of religion!' Why not? TV and radio will! The press will! The movies will! Their neighbors will! The politicians will! The politicians will! We use our influence over so many things Shall we ignore our children in this most important matter?"
Author unknown

The above has become very fashionable with far too many parents in recent years. You only have to be minimally aware and observant of our culture to see what this "non-involvement" has wrought. More about this in future posts.
Those who hold to traditional Bible teaching know that you will be held accountable for everything you did, and didn't do.