Voice of Truth - Christian Basics

Today, let's take a short look at the basics of a Christian life.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
16Rejoice always;
17pray without ceasing;
18in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not quench the Spirit;
20do not despise prophetic utterances.
21But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22abstain from every form of evil.

Here we are given a brief summary of priorities for successful Christian living. Rejoice always even in the hard times, because God is in control. Pray regularly and God will speak to you. Give thanks for everything because it all belongs to God. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Notice these are all God's will for you. Don't quench the Spirit. Don't let sin quench the Spirit, because we are to be controlled by the Spirit. Don't despise the proclaiming of God's Word from the pulpit. Don't despise the reading of God's Word. But make sure we are testing all these things against God's Word. Uphold that which is found to be good, rejecting what is found to be unbiblical. If we are not living up to this list, the time to start is now. Have a great weekend and Rejoice, it is the will of God.

Voice of Truth - McLaren

2 Peter 2:1 - But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.

From time to time I will try to point out false teachers and false teachings. We are to be on the lookout for false teachers, who look to lead us astray. Today I would like to look at a person who was featured in the religion section of the newspaper, Brian McLaren. McLaren is a leader in what is known as the Emerging Church. The Emerging Church is a loose connection of churches who are seeker friendly. They seek many to ways, sometimes radical, to reach people. Some are good teachers, McLaren is not. Here is what McLaren teaches about Jesus, "Jesus comes then not to condemn (to bring the consequences we deserve) but to save by shining the light on our evil, by naming our evil as evil so we can repent and escape a chain of bad actions and bad consequences to forgiveness, and so we can learn from Jesus the master teacher to live more wisely in the future." McLaren, Brian, A Generous Orthodoxy, Page 96.

Wow, no sign of the cross or sin mentioned anywhere. Let's look at 1 Peter 2:24, and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. Jesus did not come to save by shining light on our evil. He came to bear our sins and die on a cross for those sins. To deny the purpose of the cross, is to deny the atoning work of Christ on the cross.

He apparently also has a problem with what the bible says too, "For too many people the name Jesus has become a symbol of exclusion, as if Jesus' statement 'I am the way, and of the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me' actually means, 'I am in the way of people seeking truth and life. I won't let anyone get to God unless he comes through me.'" Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy, Page 70.

Yet another person teaching Jesus is not the only way. I prefer to rely on the word of Jesus, not the word of Brian McLaren. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what McLaren teaches.

My goal in this is to point out false teaching. If you agree or disagree go online on post your thoughts. Apologetics is something I enjoy greatly, so this will probably be a semi-regular post. I feel it is important to discern false teachers in our midst, so that none will be led astray. I was listening to and reading several false teachers after I was saved. It took a long time for someone to point it out to me. Hopefully this will help someone who is being misled by a false teacher.

Voice of Truth - Memorial Day

Now that it has past, let's think about Memorial Day. Here is a list of the numbers who have died for our freedom.

American Revolution - 4435
War of 1812 - 2260
Indian Wars - 1000
Mexican War - 1733
Civil War - 214938
Spanish-American War - 385
World War I - 53402
World War II - 291557
Korean War - 33741
Vietnam War - 47424
Gulf War - 147
Iraq & Afghanistan - 4083

Saviors on a cross - 1
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So let us remember those who have given all for our freedom, including the One who died for our eternal lives. Let us also remember those who have been wounded in the battle, including the One who by His wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 - But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Let us pray for the families who have sent away a loved one who did not return alive. As we do remember the One who was sent away to die. But death could not defeat Him and He returned home to the Father. JESUS.
Romans 8:34 - Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.

Never forget the brave men and women who died for our freedom. But more importantly don't forget Jesus, the epitome of sacrifice. Jesus who saved us when no one else could. Give thanks to our Heavenly Father who sent Jesus, in whom He is well pleased.

Voice of Truth - doers of the word

I appreciate the comments and e-mails I received yesterday. Today's post is a response to some of the comments I received. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.". Are we being doers of the word? We are commanded to obedient to God. Back when pastor John was doing this e-mail, God began to work on my heart. I was strongly being led to do this. I did not understand why at the time, because we had someone doing it already. All along the way I kept praying about it and talking about it. I approached Andy about doing this a couple of weeks ago, with the idea of someone adding a blog. I had no idea the person adding a blog would be me. One day while studying online, God led me to a site that said "how to start a Christian web blog". Once again I realized God was telling me I needed to do something. Is God telling you that you need to do something? If He is, don't wait for someone else to do what He has placed on your heart. I hope this ministry blesses you from time to time. But I am sure that there are many ministries yet to be started. Do you have a ministry God has placed on your heart? Have you let a ministry opportunity die in your heart? Now is the time to step out and be a doer. We need faithful men and women to minister to a continually deteriorating world. If you feel you can't do it on your own, share what is on your heart with someone. Maybe, God wants that someone to be in ministry with you. Share it on the online blog. God may be placing the same vision on more than one heart. What has God placed on your heart?

Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter killed in accident

Below is the AP article. Let's be prayerful for the family and thankful for our children.


Daughter of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman hit, killed by car
Associated Press - 5/22/2008 5:00:00 AM
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NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

McPherson said no charges are expected. "It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."

Voice of Truth - thought of day

As you can see, the "Thought of the day" has returned. This is Jason Taber and I will be writing this on behalf of the men's ministry. I will make an effort to get this out Monday through Friday mornings. I will be renaming this Voice of Truth to correspond with a new idea I have. I have started a web blog named Voice of Truth, where this email will be posted. Anyone can go to the website and respond or comment on the post. Many things will be on there besides the thought of the day. Please pass the website along to anyone who may be interested. I want to see people interact on the blog. Also, if anyone has a wife who would like to write a column for women, let me know.

Here is the website: www.fbjasper.blogspot.com - please check it out.

For today I will leave you with this 1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.". This is a challenge I give for men not to be passive. We need to fight the good fight. It is time for the men to step up and be leaders. Men have forced the women into the lead, by our lack of fighting the fight.We need to reject passivity, lead courageously, accept responsibility and expect God's reward.

Downpour - Salvation

What is salvation? I cringe when I think what it has become in our churches today. No one is saved by simply repeating a prayer. Salvation is a heart and life change. It is not solely a head knowledge. We must repent and give our lives to Christ. Asking Jesus to come into your heart is not a way to salvation. Romans 10:9 reads, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;". It saddens me to hear a preacher say it is easy, all you have to do is walk down the aisle and say the sinner's prayer. That is not salvation, that is heresy. That is not The Gospel, it is a gospel which is false. Preachers need to stop tickling ears, and start preaching truth. There is no salvation in baptism, good works, or experiencing God. I hear people say they know they are saved because they have experienced God, but their lives are no different than they were before. If you truly experience God as a believer, your life will never be the same. It is not a warm fuzzy feeling you get inside. It is a change of heart. It is God working in you and replacing your heart of stone. Let's make sure we are following Romans 10:9, and not some human made formula for salvation.

Downpour - Josiah

After reading the account of king Josiah, it raises many questions in our lives. After reading God's Word for the first time, he tore his clothes because he realized the sins being committed. Do we take sin that seriously? When was the last time we fell to our faces and cried out to God for our sins and the sins of our nation? Has sin become so rampant that we do not see it for what it really is? Sin does separate us from God, and there is no bridge we can make to cover the distance. No amount of works will ever get us there. Only accepting the work of Jesus on the cross can wash our sins. For revival to happen, we must understand the blackness of our sin. We must turn from that sin. A change must take place in our hearts. The sin that we used to love, we must now hate. If we still have love for that sin in our hearts, we have not truly let go of it. God can help us let go of our love for our sin. Will Satan still tempt us with that sin? Absolutely! But if we have rid the love of it in our hearts, turning from temptation will be much easier. God spared Josiah's generation from His wrath because of sincere repentance. God will likewise honor our repentance, if it is sincere. If you have asked God to show you your sin, you must now repent of it. Repent and be amazed at what God will do in your heart.

Downpour - Revival

What is revival? First, it is a return to the Lord. To return to the Lord, you must have first turned to the Lord. Revival is for believers, who are in a dry spell spiritually. Every believer will go through dry spells. Revival is a renewal of the passion we once had for the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "and My people humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.". Revival is not something we just ask for and receive. Revival requires action on our part and then God will respond. Revival will not take place, no matter how hard we try, without the working of God. As we look at Hosea 6:3 and think about Him coming to us like showers, it is more meaningful if we first look at Hosea 4-5. Chapters 4 and 5 are God's case against Israel. As you look at these chapters, notice how much the description of Israel looks like our land today. Hosea 4:1-2 reads, "Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.". We must first realize how sinful, and how far we are from God, before we can seek revival. As we seek to bring revival to ourselves and our churches, lets ask God to show us our sins.

Mormonism

Do you know what Mormonism teaches and what they believe? Here is a few of their unchristian teachings and beliefs.

-God used to be a man on another planet

-God the Father has a body of flesh and bone

-God the Father has a Father

-God came down and actually had sexual relations with Mary to form Jesus

-good Mormons can become gods and eventually rule their own planet

-Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers

-the book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible

-Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins

-good works are required for salvation

-one must accept Joseph Smith as a prophet of God to be saved

-hell is a temporary place and is not eternal

These are just a few of the Mormon views that are not biblical. Be prepared for these false teachings when they come to your door. 1 Peter 3:15 calls for us to be prepared to give a defense. Are you able to defend the Christian faith against these claims?

Welcome

Welcome to the Voice of Truth blog. This blog will be the home of the Thought of the Day, a post for the men's ministry of First Baptist Church. The future goal will be to have more authors posting on this blog. Content determined to be inappropriate will be removed. Thanks and God bless.

Jason