Victoria’s Secret: Keep her secret!
Two of us started at each end of the mall passing out our literature on how Victoria’s Secret has gone too far by displaying porn in their windows. Then a group of 4 with a paper banner set up right in front of the store and began to preach about how Victoria’s Secret has gone too far with their displays. After preaching for 5 minutes, security came and the first group was escorted out. The second and third group were kicked out under threat of arrest.
Finally Adam and I were the last two left. We went into Victoria’s Secret and asked to speak to the manager. We told her we didn’t have a problem with the store, or with underwear! We just didn’t like the display and asked if there was some way she could change the clothing on the mannequins, especially for the holidays with so many families going past. She said she could not, but that we should call corporate. After leaving the store, Adam went up stairs to preach and I started passing out the rest of the literature.
We hope to go in and speak to the manager again and bring her a letter asking to keep the displays clean. Not displaying “soft porn” in the mall for everyone to see. Pornography destroys thousands of marriages and families (I encourage you to see Fireproof, if you haven’t already!) soft porn is still porn, and God would be disgusted with Christians walking by and not even thinking twice about it. America has been so brainwashed and desensitized that they don’t even care anymore. They don’t care if naked women are displayed in their store windows, or if the innocence of their children is taken, or if their sons and husbands are caused to sin as they lust after these women. The Bible says if you lust after a women, you’ve commited adultery in your heart. It’s not about the product, it’s about the display. Don’t just keep walking by….
CALL MAYFAIR MALL MANAGEMENT: (414) 771-1300
CALL VICTORIA’S SECRET: (414) 476-4090
Add comment December 25, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Obama’s church choice likely to be scrutinized
To read the article click here:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131ap_obama_church_choice.html
My Letter to the Editor:
There is a wave of excitement in Washington DC over which church Barack’s family will attend during his time as President. Churches in America need to wake up and stop being so star-struck. They each have their two cents to put in over the issue, with their opinions of why their church would best suit the President- elect. I groan at the thought. If Barack Obama were to attend my church, the first question I would ask myself is “What’s wrong with my church?”
Obama has admitted to being pro homosexual, pro abortion and pro everything anti-Christ. Any church he’d go to would be the same. For these Pastors, having Obama worship with them would be a complete ego trip. The article “Obama’s church choice likely to be scrutinized” states that Pastors of D.C. congregations wouldn’t change what they preach just because they have the First Family sitting in their pews. And that’s good. A church shouldn’t change just to make it’s congregation happy. But if the church is preaching heresy, then it should change, because its members are being led down a path going straight down.
I would encourage any Pastor who wants the Obamas as part of their congregations to re-think their motives. The Bible says that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9) and that those who lie with mankind as with womankind are abominations (Leviticus 18:22). Obama has made it clear that homosexuality is OK with him countless times, and any Pastor who would be proud to have a President who thinks this way in his church, needs to do some serious self evaluation. I never supported Bush, nor will I support Barack Obama. One after another they blaspheme God, and disobey His commands. I pray that America will begin to realize this and wake up to the truth.
Add comment December 1, 2008
America’s Plastic Pastor
Joel Osteen, 45, is an American best-selling author and senior pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. His Christian ministry reaches over 7 million broadcast media viewers weekly in the United States and untold millions more in over 100 nations around the world. Joel Osteen’s first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004. In December 2006, he was named one of the year’s “Ten Most Fascinating People” by Barbara Walters. Presidential candidate John McCain has described Osteen as “inspirational”. Tonight, after passing out tracts to the hundreds going in to see him speak, I, along with two others, acquired free tickets. Interested to see what he had to say, we went in.
Soft piano played in the background as Osteen continued to speak of God’s love, how “God is bigger then any mistake you’ve made….” and that “God is not mad at you, He’s madly in love with you.” The crowd broke out into applause and hundreds shouted in approval.
Sadly, however, the crowd was peppered with lesbians, homosexuals and other such people dealing with major sin. But Osteen, as the most famous pastor in America, didn’t feel the need to address sin. On Larry King Live, he responded to a question about Jesus and people being sent to Hell by saying that he doesn’t judge people. Only God knows people’s hearts, so it’s not his place to say whether or not Jesus is the only way, or who God will send to Hell.
When he shared his testimony to the awe struck crowd, there was no mention of sin, or repentance. It was all about how he got to where he was today. The closest he got to confronting sin was his statement on God being bigger then our mistakes.
After about an hour of his mushy motivational speech, we had enough and we went out. We got to witness to a guard at the door about how Osteen shies away from confronting sin and speaking about anything more than how God wants to bless you, and how you just need to think good thoughts and God will make that true for you.
Unfortunately, so many people follow after him. Getting a watered down message of what cannot even be called the Gospel of Jesus. The evil thing is, what he’s saying isn’t all that bad, but he’s leaving out the important stuff. The core of Jesus’ message. Yes, God loves us. But he wants us to stop sinning and live for Him. And this is where Osteen fails.
1 comment November 24, 2008
Response to Islam: Was Jesus Crucified?
Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet from God, and the Messiah, but that He was not the Son of God, or a diety of any kind. Muslims also deny that Jesus was crucified and died for sinners, to set them free. The dialgue begins by the Muslim quoting a verse from the Qur’an:
“And their (Jews) boasting: ‘We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they (Jews) killed him not, nor crucified him.” Surah 4:157
“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 1:9
“Do you still believe that he died on the cross?” The Muslim asks the Christian. “Yes, Christians believe he died and was then ressurected.”
People saw him dying on the cross, his disciples saw him and then when they went to the tomb and found it empty they were astonished! Then they ate and drank with him and were with him for 40 days before he ascended into heaven. In the dialogue, the Muslim asked the Christian if he gave more heresay to Jesus’ words, or the apostles. The Christian answered, “Jesus”, but failed to understand that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that all of the Bible is a reliable source. The muslim goes on to quote Matthew 27:46 and Luke 22:43. In the latter verse, Jesus is praying to the Father as His disciples wait and He prayes in verse 42 saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” and then in verse 43 it continues “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” The muslim tells the Christian that an angel of the Lord was sent to comfort and reassure Jesus that God was going to answer his prayers. However, he is reading into the verse. It never says anything about God answering His prayer. He simply sends an angel to strengthen Him. God the Father had a plan to fulfill, and Jesus, though his flesh cried out against it, knew it had to happen that way. Jesus said “….not my will father, but Thine be done.” The Father willed for Him to die on the cross, because it was His will to create a way for man to be saved. Jesus had to suffer a punishment (the punishment of death) that we owed, so that through Him we could be saved.
Several verses are brought up against sacrifice (Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6…) to attempt to prove that God was opposed to sacrifice, and therefore would spare Jesus from that kind of death. However in Revalations 13:8 it refers to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, showing us that God had a plan of salvation for mankind since the world began. That Jesus’ blood was shed for us since the foundation. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” This was the first blood sacrifice as a covering for sin, a picture of what Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, would do when he died and was raised from the dead to take away our sins. Acts 2:23 states “… Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain … .”
The Christian brings up, in Luke where Jesus says that he would suffer and rise from the dead the third day (Luke 24:46). The muslim starts to grasp at other verses and twist them to fit His beliefs. He quotes Paul in 1 Corinthians as saying “…I die daily,” to show the Christian that the word dead, or die cannot be taken literally, and that it simply means to suffer. The muslim also brings up that the soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs. This was a fulfillment of a prophesy that His bones would not be broken, just like that Lamb that is sacrificed during the passover. “Can we rely on these soldiers for pronouncing him dead?” Why not? He says Jesus himself said he did not die. Matthew 12:40 tells us of Jesus speaking to the Pharisees saying “For as Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The Muslim says that since Jonah was alive in the whale, Jesus was alive in the grave. Jesus never said that. He was comparing the three days and three nights in the earth, with Jonah’s time in the whale. It was a story the Jews were familiar with and He was using it as a comparison.
In the dialogue the Muslim quotes verses speaking of the ressurection of the Christians at the end. Not the ressurection of Jesus. Jesus’ ressurection from the dead was a special thing. So the verses quoted don’t even apply. The muslim also uses verses he doesn’t agree with to make his points. “And when they had spoken he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said onto them “Have ye here any meat?” The muslim uses this verse to prove that he was not ressurected because he wanted to eat, and ressurected bodies don’t eat. However in the same verse, he shows them the holes in his hands and feet from being crucified.
The Muslim tells the Christian that Paul was considered the be a babbler by the Jews, because he preached that Jesus was God and the Jews only believe in one God.
(John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word, is Jesus. He was considered to be God.
The Muslim picks and chooses verses he likes, and just twists them to fit his beliefs. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus was crucified and died for our sins, that it was God’s plan from the beginning, and anyone can twist and stretch to make it fit right for them, but you can’t change God’s plan, and you can’t change the truth.
1 comment November 18, 2008
Response paper to ‘The Basis of Morality’ by Tim Madigan, Philosophy Now
In his article, the Basis of Morality Tim Madigan bring up three main points which I will respond to in this paper. He begins his article by arguing that the existance of a god is something that’s taught to us from the time we’re little. Thus many times, people don’t doubt the existance of a god and use the arguments they grew up learning. He says that if people began searching for answers themselves, they’d find some serious flaws in the arguments they’ve heard all their lives, to justify what they believe in.
How Do We Know the Law Giver Exists?
Tim Madigan says that none of the arguments that people use are valid or persuasive in proving the existance of some sort of a higher power. We are not able to pull God out of the heavens, as most skeptics would like, however there are ways to prove God’s existance to anybody willing to hear. His existence is manifested in the world around us. To begin with the presupposition that God does not exist is major intellectual dishonesty. He jumps straight to the fact that if God cannot be proven, then He must not exist. He then goes on to quote Charles Darwin as saying that most of the existance for God is proven from a deep inward feeling and conviction.
Part of God’s existance is proven through personal experience and feelings, however, he can be shown in many other ways. If you study the Bible honestly, you will see that it is a book that can be trusted to be the word of God. Historically it has been shown to be correct. “Finally,” he says “even if one could prove God exists, this alone would not be sufficient to justify the claims that his rules should be obeyed.” This brings us to his second point.
If God Does Exist, How Do We Know That He is Good?
The God of the Bible in known as being a loving God but also as a hateful, destructive, God. “Why did God allow Satan to torture and destroy all that Job, a faithful servant of God, have?” Tim asks in his Philosophy Now article. There are places in the Bible where God could seem like a hearltess God. However, he had purposes to fulfill and the civilizations he destroyed were people who had rejected him and hated his laws. God, being the creator of mankind, also has the ability to destroy. He doesn’t owe us anything. Assuming the God of the Bible exists, all throughout the Bible he has an overwhelming love for mankind and a desire to see them saved from destruction, sending his only son to pay the penalty that we deserved: death. God is not merely a being who tortures mankind for pleasure, nor does he destroy them for no apparent reason. Each and every time he has a valid purpose for his actions.
Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”
Psalms 145:8-9 “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Tim Madigan quotes A.C. Ewing as saying “Without a prior conception of God as good or his commands as right, God would have no more claim on our obedience then Hitler or Stalin except that he would have more power then they did to make things uncomfortable for those who disobey Him.” The fact is, He is God. He created us, He holds our lives in His hand. He created us for a purpose (to glorify Him and live for Him) and if we disobey and rebel against Him, He says he will punish us for that. The evil in this world is not an excuse to deny the existance of God. Could God be good without an evil to compare it to? Would he then be truely good? God does not cause the pain and suffering, He simply allows it to take place.
Must We Follow These Divine Rules Out Of Compunction?
If God is who he claims to be all throughout the Bible and if He is good as His Word claims He is, then there is valid reason to believe that we will and should be punished for our sins, and that this is a just punishment. If we are all a random product of Evolution, how can Tim Madigan claim that our morality is somehow natural? We are all naturally sinful. Leave a child to himself and he will want to steal, and lie and cheat. The child won’t naturally do good. He uses an example from De Waal’s book Good Natured, to show how we could’ve evolved with a natural morality. He talks about how apes will take care of members of their group that are disabled, and how if such a closely related species is like this naturally, then why can’t we be? Man fell, animals didn’t. The Bible never talks about animals being fallen creatures like man was after Adam sinned. Animals never needed a savior to die for them. Man is on a different level. The Bible says in Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
God gave man an ultimatum. Either you obey Him and live for Him and go to heaven when you die, or you reject Him, sin against Him and when you die you go to Hell. God hates sin, and therefore when someone sins against Him He punishes them for that. God’s laws are good, so why shouldn’t we obey them?
“That’s right, well my God is bigger than your stupid theory.” -Jason Storms
Add comment November 12, 2008
Join the BOYCOTT Against Hallmark for its ’same-sex couple’ Cards
Repent America (RA) has joined a nation-wide boycott against America’s largest greeting card company for aligning itself with liberal activists who want to redefine morality and the institution of marriage. Several pro-family groups initiated the boycott against Hallmark Cards, Inc. after the company introduced new greeting cards aimed at “congratulating” homosexuals who enter into so-called “gay marriage” contracts and “civil unions.”
According to an 8/21/08 news story from the Associated Press, Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Kolell said the company introduced the pro-homosexual cards in an attempt to be “relevant” to as many consumers as possible.
Yet the Bible states in Isaiah 5:20:
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (KJV)
It is likewise clear that God is the Author of marriage, and His design is expressed very clearly in the New Testament by Jesus Christ, who declared in Mark 10:6-8:
“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.” (KJV)
Despite these warnings in Scripture, Hallmark now offers cards that celebrate homosexual “marriage.” The cards use various forms of clear homosexual symbolism, including rainbow-colored hearts and an image of two tuxedos, side-by-side.
This is not the only way that Hallmark endorses homosexual immorality. According to the Associated Press, the company also distributes cards designed to “show support” for homosexuals upon their “coming out,” which is a slang term referring to one’s initial declaration of their homosexual perversion.
Despite claiming they want to appeal to as many people as possible, the decision-makers at Hallmark clearly have no problem offending millions of pro-family Americans who know the Bible declares in Proverbs 14:34:
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (KJV)
This is a defining moment in the war over marriage and the family as an enduring institution. Rather than broadening its customer base, Hallmark is choosing sides in the culture war – - against Biblical morality. After all, endorsing homosexuality is an offense to God, and it is an offense to Bible-believing Christians everywhere.
Hallmark says their move was a result of “public demand,” rather than political pressure. But what if a significant portion of its customers demanded Hallmark discontinue their promotion of homosexuality? Would they reverse course?
Hallmark’s annual revenue last year was over $4 billion, prompting Policy Analyst Alex Mason to ask, “What if hundreds of thousands of Americans decided to take their business elsewhere because of the company’s pro-homosexual actions? Would the ‘gay marriage’ cards make up for the lost revenue from pro-family Americans who buy other brands?” He answered, “I doubt it.”
No matter what kind of reaction Hallmark has to a boycott, Mason believes Christians are called to take moral stands and to confront immorality in the culture whenever possible.
Mason said, “Jesus commanded us to be ’salt and light.’ That’s why we’re calling on Christians to draw a line in the sand and refuse to do business with Hallmark unless and until they drop their pro-homosexual cards from their line of products.”
TAKE ACTION:
By signing Repent America’s SECURE petition, your name and contact data will be compiled with many others from all over the United States who are opposed Hallmark’s pro-homosexual cards. The list will be forwarded to Hallmark Chairman Donald J. Hall along with the verses above and an admonition to stop endorsing homosexual immorality.
To sign this petition now, click here:
http://familypolicynetwork.net/petitions/repent/to-hallmark/
Thank you for your support. Let’s pray together for Hallmark to do the right thing and pull these cards from their shelves.
Add comment October 24, 2008
New Testament Survey (Faithful Soldier 2008)
New Testament Survey
Matthew
Matthew was an apostle, and he wrote this book around 50 A.D. during the early years of the church and was written for the Jews. At this time, may of the Christians were Jewish converts. Matthew shows the Jews that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that was prophesied about. He quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel does, to show where Jesus fulfilled the prophecies. Matthew uses ways of speaking that Jews would have been comfortable with. In the first 2 chapters, Matthew talks about the lineage, birth and Jesus’ childhood. From there, the book goes on to discuss His ministry. The book of Matthew really shows how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
Mark
The Gospel of Mark was thought to have been written between 57-59 A.D. Mark wrote to Christians who had heard and believed the Gospel and he wanted them to have a biographical story of Jesus that would strengthen their faith in the midst of persecution. This Gospel is unique because it talks about Jesus’ actions more than His teaching. It’s written in a simple way moving from one point of his life to another. It doesn’t begin with a genealogy like Matthew does, because the gentiles didn’t care about the lineage of Jesus. After Jesus’ baptism, Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee and called the first four of His 12 disciples. Then come the record of His life, death and resurrection. The book of Mark isn’t just a collection of stories, but written with the purpose of revealing that Jesus is the Messiah, not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles.
Mark 12:33 “Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself”
Luke
The Gospel of Luke was likely written between 58 and 65 A.D. and is the longest and most thorough of the other three gospels. It also talks about Jesus’ humanity more than the other gospels. Luke begins by telling us about Jesus’ parents, the birth of His cousin, John, Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and the genealogy of Jesus through His mother Mary. Jesus’ love is shown in His ministry through His parable about the prodigal son, etc.. His followers are encouraged to count the cost of following Him, and at the same time His enemies seek His death on the cross. Finally, Jesus is betrayed, sentenced and crucified. But then after 3 days He rises from the dead!
Luke 3:16, “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John
This book is thought to have been written around A.D. 85-90. Besides trying to strengthen Christians through His writings, John also attempted to shoot down a false teaching that was springing up, that Jesus was not God in the flesh, but rather a human, on whom the spirit of God came down at His baptism and left Him at the crucifiction. John’s Gospel introduces Christ, not from His birth, but from the beginning of time as “the Word” and as a diety who was involved in creation and who later becomes flesh, that He might take away our sins as the spotless and blameless sacrificed lamb.
John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
the Acts
Acts was written between 61-64 A.D. by Luke. The book of Acts has a total of twenty-eight chapters and it’s main purpose was to give the history of the Christian church and to equip the church to reach people. Although many were used to preach and teach the Gospel, Paul, who was previously named Saul, was the most influential. Before he became a Christian, Paul persecuted and had Christians killed. After his conversion he went to the ultimate extreme of loving God and preaching his word with power. In this book the main emphasis was in Acts 1:8, when the disciples were told by Jesus to wait until they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit from on high to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Romans
The Book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul around 57 A.D. and can be divided into four sections: The main theme of the letter is righteousness. First, through the Holy Spirit, Paul condemns everyone because of their sinfulness. He shows his desire to preach God’s Word to the people in Rome. He points out that God does not expect us to be perfect when we come to Him, but that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We need to live our lives as a living sacrifice to God.
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Corinthians
This book was written by Paul to the church in Corinth about 55 A.D. The believers in Corinth were dividing into groups loyal to certain religious leaders. He encouraged them to detest sin, because they were allowing a lot to go on in the church, and encouraged them to deal with the sin. Paul told the Corinthians that it would be better to be taken advantage of than to damage your Christian testimony. Paul gave the Corinthian church instructions on marriage and celibacy, food sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts and the resurrection and the freedom we have as Christians.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
2 Corinthians
This book was written mainly by Paul and possibly in part by Timothy around 56 A.D. once again to the church in Corinth. He brings up many of the themes discussed in his first letter to the church. There are a few things we can take from this letter and apply to our lives today. The first thing is stewardship. Not only of money, but of your time. The Macedonians not only gave generously, but “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” 2 Corinthians 8:5. In this chapter it is stressed that in the same way we should give all that we are to God. Not only our money.. God doesn’t need our money! But all that we are.
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Galatians
This book was written by Paul anywhere between 48 and 55 A.D. Paul encouraged them to stand fast in their freedom and to not get entangled in the mosaic law and all the old customs of the Jews, but to be new creatures in Christ, as the flesh was crucified with Christ.
Galatians 2:16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Ephesians
This book was written by Paul about 63 A.D. to the Christians in Ephesus. Paul wrote this book for Christians who wanted to be mature in their faith. In the Book of Ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into who we should be in Christ. It will help the believer to fortify himself so he can serve God. Doctrine takes up the greatest part of the book.
Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Philippians
This book was written approximately 61 A.D. by Paul to the people at Phillipi, where earlier the Philippians jailer and his family had converted to Christianity and now the church was well established. This letter was to thank the church at Phillipi for a gift of money which was brought to Paul by Epaphroditus, one of the members of the church. This is a letter written to a group of people close to Paul’s heart, and comparitavely little is mentioned about doctrinal error. The book is also about Christ in our life and mind, Christ as our goal, strength and joy. It was written from the apostles jail cell in Rome about 10 years after he first preached in Phillipi.
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”
Colossians
Paul was the main writer of this book, however, some credit is given to Timothy. The book was written between 58 and 62 A.D. It addresses every area in Christian life, from each person’s individual lives, to work, family and the way we should interact with other people. The main message of the book is that Jesus should be sufficient and that He meets our needs for every area of our life. The book was written to defeat heresy that had arisen in Colosse that endangered the existance of the church. Paul was dealing with a defective view of Christ and also disputes circumcision and other Jewish tradition that was creeping back into the church.
Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
1 Thessalonians
This book was written primarily by Paul and possibly also Silas and Timothy about 50 A.D. The church in Thessalonica had some misunderstandings about the return of Christ, so Paul was clearing it up. He also gave instruction on holy living. The first 3 chapters Paul talks about how he wants to visit them, but is not able to and Paul expressing his care for them. Then he goes on to speak about living a holy christian life, and clearing up misconceptions about the return of Christ, telling them that the people who died in Christ will also go to Heaven with Him when He comes back.
1 Thessalonians 3:7, “Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.”
2 Thessalonians
This book was written by the same people as 1 Thess. about a year or two after the first letter was written. The church still had some misconceptions about the return of Christ and believing that He had already returned, had stopped their work. They were also being persecuted and Paul was comforting them. He encourages them to stay firm and stay away from idle men.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with powerful angels.”
1 Timothy
The Book was written about 64 A.D. by Paul to encourage Timothy in his overseeing of the church in Ephesus and also other churches in Asia. The book is known as a leadership manual for church organization. He told him to be careful concerning heresy, but the majority of the letter focused on pastoral conduct.
1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
2 Timothy
This one was written in 67 A.D. to encourage Timothy once again. Paul, imprisoned, lonely and feeling as if his life was drawing to an end, used his time to encourage Timothy and all the believers to stand strong, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. He tells Timothy to remain passionate in his service to Jesus Christ and to avoid ungodly things and flee from anything that is immoral. It’s easy to get side tracked in Christian life and Paul really stresses how imporant it is to keep our eyes on the goal.
2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Titus
The Epistle to Titus was written by Paul in approximately 66 A.D. This is one of the books known for it’s pastoral instruction, along with the Timothy’s. It was written to encourage Titus, who was overseeing a church in Crete, a church that Paul had founded during one of his journeys. The island of Crete was inhabited by natives and Jews who did not know the truth of Jesus. Paul felt the need to follow through with Titus and encourage him.
Titus 1:5, “I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you.”
Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.”
Philemon
This letter was written in approximately 60 AD and is Paul’s shortest letters. It speaks on the subject of slavery. Philemon was a slave owner who had a church in his home. He had heard Paul’s preaching and was saved, but at that time, his slave Onesimus had run away and was with Paul, and in the mean time had converted to Christianity. But he was still property of Philemon. Paul was writing to smooth out the return of Onesimus to Philemon and encouraging Philemon to view him as a brother in Christ and not as a slave. The early church did not condemn slavery, but it laid a foundation for a new type of relationship between owner and slave.
Philemon v. 16, “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews is unknown, however people think it to have been Luke and it’s thought to have been written around 65 A.D. The book was written because many Jewish believers were slipping back into the Jewish tradition to avoid persecution, and the writer was encouraging them to hold strong in the faith and continue in the grace of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the rituals done by the Jews were shadows of things to come, and in Hebrews it’s stressed that those old rituals and traditions are done away with and that Jesus is so much better than anything religion has to offer, and it’s nothing compared to Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 2:3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…”
James
This book was written by James around 45 A.D. and was written in response to the churches over-interpretation of Paul’s letters, to the extent that they were doing away with all social morality, legalism, and secular law. This epistle was directed towards Jewish Christians all over. James emphasized that good actions will naturally come from those who are filled with the Spirit and put their faith in Jesus Christ, and questions whether or not those who are not showing fruit are truely saved. He compares and the difference between worldly and Godly wisdom and tells us to turn away from evil and draw close to God.
James 1:2-3, “Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow”
1 Peter
Written between 60- 65 A.D. by the apostle Peter, this book shows how through the persecution and tribulation, we must rejoice in Jesus Christ. He says to count it a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ as our Savior suffered for us.
1 Peter 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
2 Peter
This book was written between 65 and 68 A.D. Peter was alarmed that false teachers were working their ways into the chruch and he encouraged Christians to refresh their memories and to stimulate their thinking and become mature in the faith so that they could withstand these false teachings. Peter encouraged them to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The word knowledge occurs at least 13 times in the book of 2 Peter.
2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
1 John
1, 2 and 3 John were written by John between A.D. 85-95. False spiritual teachers were a big problem in the early church. Because there was not a complete New Testament that believers could refer to, many churches fell prey to heretic who taught their own ideas and advanced themselves as leaders. John wrote this letter to set the record straight on some important issues, particularly concerning the identify of Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2 John
This letter was written about the same time at 1 and 3 John, 85- 95 A.D. 2 John sends a warning to the church about decievers teaching a messed up doctrine of Christ and who believed that Jesus’ resurrection was spiritual and not of the flesh. John was very anxious that believers understood that there were false teachers and encouraged them to have nothing to do with them.
2 John v. 8-9, “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and Son.”
3 John
This book was written by John between 85 and 95 A.D. to encourage Gailus in his hospitality to John’s messengers who were going place to place, to warn about a man who had taken over one of the churchs in the province of Asia and was behaving in a way contrary to that which the apostles stood for, and to commend the example that Demetrius was being to all.
3 John v. 11, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
Jude
The book of Jude was written by Jude between 60 and 80 A.D. After warning about how to avoid false teachings, he advises us in how to succed in spiritual warface. He speaks a lot about the end times and the false teachers that will arise, and how there will be tares in the wheat, and false Christians in the church, and tells us to contend for the faith.
Jude v.18-19: “In the last days there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
Revalation
Revalation was written between 90 and 95 A.D. by the apostle John. This book is filled with mysteries and things to come. It is the final warning that the world will end and judgment is going to happen. It gives us a tiny glimpse of Heaven and all of the glories awaiting those who endure until the end.
Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
Add comment October 21, 2008
Bible ‘Contradictions’ (Faithful Soldier 2008)
Bible Contradictions
Stephanie Charpentier
Is God good to all or only to some?
(Psa 145:9) The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
(Jer 13:14) And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
First we need to look at the context of Psalm 145:9. From reading just that verse on it’s own it looks like God is merciful to everyone, no matter what. But a few verses down, it says “…The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.”
Now let’s see how this relates to Jeremiah 13:14. First we must look at the preceeding verses. Verse 10 says “…This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.”
God was speaking through Jeremiah to Israel about their rebellion against God.
God blesses those who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy.
“The most common mistake of all Bible interpreters, icluding some critical scholars, is to a read a text outside it’s proper context….” – Bakers
Is God a god of war or of peace?
(Exo 15:3) The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
(Rom 15:33) Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
In Exodus 15:3 we see God as a warrior. The context is the destruction of the Egyptian Army. They had enslaved the Israelite nation for years and God was delivering them out of the hands of the Egyptians. Romans on the other hand, is saying that He is a God of peace. And He is. But He, being God has plans to fulfill and the destruction of an evil army, to deliver His people, is not a contradiction to the verse in Romans.
How many stalls and horses did Solomon have?
(1 Kings 4:26) And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
(2 Chr 9:25) And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
Concerning the number of stalls, we need to read this question more closely. It would seem that in 1 Kings, we are told how many horses Solomon had for his chariots — 40,000 horses. In 2 Chronicles, we are told how many stalls he had in which to keep his horses and chariots — 4,000 stalls. So he had 4,000 stalls, 10 horses in each stall, totalling 40,000 horses. It may also be however, that is was simply an error in the text.
“…Genuine mistakes have been found- in copies of the Bible text made hundreds of years after the autographs. God only uttered the original text of Scripture, not the copies.” – Bakers.
Who was the father of Joseph?
(Matt 1:16) And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
(Luke 3:23) And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.
Joseph’s mother was originally the wife of Heli, but then he died without having children. Jacob then took the widow as his wife, and she had Joseph. So, while “Jacob begat Joseph”, legally Joseph was the son of Heli. Both were descendants of Zerubabel, and apparently Jacob was the nearest kinsman to Heli willing to fulfill the Levirite duty. Matthew follows the natural line of descent, while Luke follows the legal line of descent.
“Occasionally Biblical writers express the same thing in different ways, or at least from different view points, at different times stressing different things.” -Bakers
How many men were at the tomb?
(Matthew 28:1) In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
(Mark 16:1) And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
(John 20:1) The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
“Assuming divergent accounts are false. Because two or more accounts of the same event differ, does not mean that they are mutually exclusive.” and “An infallible mathematical rule easily explains the problem. Where there are two there is always one.” -BAKERS
Add comment October 16, 2008
Philadelphia Outfest 2008…
“If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.“
Leviticus 20:13
Today found Repent America downtown Philly at the yearly homosexual pride event, Outfest. Hundreds of homosexuals roam the streets among the booths and tables and stages, hand in hand. We set up two different preaching locations on two different streets. We had gospel banners and sexual purity signs.
We love these people, and that is why we come out and witness to them. God commands us to preach the Gospel. We love them, and so we tell them the truth. The Bible commands that we repent and turn from our sin.
The whole day was pretty calm. We had about 12 police and civil affairs officers with camera crews at each location. We didn’t ask them to be there, but they felt the need to protect us and escort us every move we made. We got to talk to a lot of homosexuals. I spoke with a woman for about 40 minutes about how God detests homosexuality and how she needed to turn from our sin and learn to fear God. She came under a lot of conviction. Then as I was passing out tracts a homosexual man came up to me and after yelling at me about Repent America he started shoving me and telling me to get out of his face, and then another man came up and spit at me.
We passed out a ton of literature. It was going out very well. I passed out about 10 or 12 packs of the “This was your life” tract.
At 4, as we were getting ready to go, we decided to take our banners and signs, and with Robert playing guitar, walk down the middle of the busiest road of the festival. As soon as the police found out they started telling us we could not, for heath and safety reasons. James, a very outspoken homosexual who we see at every pride event started getting very angry saying “They can’t do that! They can’t walk down the street!” And blocked our way as we tried to walk down the street. The police threatened him, but when he didn’t move they didn’t do anything about it. Instead they turned on Michael and said that there was no way they would let him do that. I was videotaping, and followed him as he started to walk.
A lesbian cop stepped infront of me, blocking my way and then turned around and yelled at me and said if I kept shoving her she would hand cuff me and arrest me. I never shoved her, but then she started to push me and pull on my back pack. So then I went around the other side. There was people everywhere, and police all around Michael, pressing in on every side. I was still filming and one of the women cops with a video camera shoved past me and suddenly she grabbed my arm and twisted it hard. She left red marks on my arm… That camera died, so I grabbed another one and kept filming. They kept blocking the way. Soon it was only Jason, Michael and I standing there surrounded by cops and homosexual festival goers. They never let us go down the street, and kept blocking us. So we ended up walking down the alley and we were escorted to our car by the swarm of police.
6 comments October 13, 2008
Saturday Night at a Strip Club
Last night, about 7 of us from Faithful Soldier and Repent America director Michael Marcavage went to preach at a Philadelphia strip club, the Show & Tel, at about 9:30 pm. We used out sexual purity signs, which said things like “Flee Sexual Immorality!” and ones with explanations of what love is and isn’t. Caleb and Michael preached to the crowds of men going in for bachelor parties, groups of friends, also including women. It was a filthy, disgusting, vile place. I felt so sorry for the men going in and for the women working, who are treated like a piece of meat, made for nothing more than being a sexual object for perverted men to gawk at.
Soon after we got there, the owner came out with several employees and started mocking us and and laughing at us. He asked us girls if we wanted jobs there and said some other filthy things. It just showed us how little he respects women. We turned a few people away, saw a woman go in to work, and saw conviction on the face of many others. “I’m MARRIED!” Some of the men yelled at us, showing us the ring on their finger. We also preached to the bus drivers bringing loads of people here. “I’m only the driver!” One guy said. He told us he agreed with our message, but moments before he walked out of the club with a stack of porn magazines on a free rack inside the door.
Then some of the club employees came out with a hose and started “washing” the sidewalk where we were standing, “accidentally” spraying us, and washing the car we were standing next to. The police came and didn’t do anything about them spraying us. About 10 cops showed up. Michael did file a complaint with them about the guy with the hose. They also almost arrested Caleb for preaching. We left there around 11:20, but a lot of people saw our message and I talked to a slightly drunk woman for a while who said she agreed with our message, and that she was going to go in to get her friends out of there because it’s a horrible and disgusting place.
The police would not let us stand on the sidewalk infront of the building because that’s where the customers park, and they said we were blocking the business. We aren’t sure, but we’re going to look into it and see if there is a law against parking on the sidewalk. We asked Sgt. Mapp but all he said was “Hey, look, they’ve been doing this for years. They have a business to run. You don’t expect me to walk up and down here ticketing every car that’s illegally parked.” We left at about 11:20…
I will try to upload pics, and an update concerning the parking laws soon. Please pray that people will be ashamed of their sin and realize how they are ruining themselves, their marriages, and their lives.
7 comments October 13, 2008
