THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s one night stay in Morocco cost taxpayers over $600,000 in hotel and car rental costs alone.
Mrs. Obama traveled to the North African country with her daughters Sasha and Malia and mother Marian Robinson to promote her education initiative “Let Girls Learn.” She arrived in Morocco wearing a $1,750 designer dress and ended the night with a “lavish dinner” with Princess Lalla Salma and actress Meryl Streep.
Rooms were booked at three five-star hotels for the 24-hour visit, according to contracts signed off by the State Department.
Two contracts were signed for rooms at the Royal Mansour worth $50,000 and $10,073. The five-star hotel has a mother-daughter spa suite, promises its guests “wonder, luxury and unparalleled services,” and offers a “spiritual spa journey.”
The Hotel Sofitel Marrakech Lounge and Spa was also booked for Mrs. Obama’s trip, including contracts worth $200,000, $31,968, and $28,039. The Secret Service also stayed at the Sofitel for$133,493. A pre-advance visit cost $4,676.
Additional rooms were booked at the Pearl Marrakech Hotel, costing $24,934.
Renting a car and driver for Mrs. Obama’s visit cost $6,966, and other car service for Secret Service, the White House Military Office, and the White House Communications Agency totaled $122,173. In all, the contracts totaled $612,322.
Aside from hotel and motorcade costs, the Daily Mail estimates that flights for the trip totaled $300,000.
Morocco was the second stop on Mrs. Obama’s three-country visit. Obama first traveled to Liberia, and headed to Madrid on Wednesday to promote girls’ education.
People.com noted, “The exciting trip closely follows Malia’s graduation from Washington, D.C.’s private Sidwell Friends School.”
Michelle Obama ropes Moroccan girls into her 'Let Girl Learn' campaign with $100 million
Published on Jun 29, 2016
The United States on Tuesday announced the injection of more than $100 million to support programmes for the education of girls in Morocco on the sidelines of a visit of its First Lady, Michelle Obama to Marrakech.
The First Lady is on a tour to promote her "Let Girls Learn" initiative which was launched in March 2015.
The initiative brings together amongst others the Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps.
Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you need. – Leonard Ravenhill
There is no denying that our culture is centered around entertainment. But the church is designed not to immerse itself in the culture, but to be set apart from it. Church should be an escape from culture, not an alternative form of it.
The trend now is not only to be entertained, but to bathe yourself in the entertainment itself. The experience that many youth are drawn to in today’s culture is the techno music rave scene. Techno music comes in many forms, from House and Trance, to Jungle to Break-beats. But they all have one design in common–to induce a diabolically transformed state of mind through repetitive, beats and mantras. Much of today’s electronic music styles can trace their origins back to Goa, India, where the psychedelic bass lines and trance-inducing beats found their home in Hindu culture in the early 80’s.
In the video below, we can see Bellevue Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist church pastored by Steve Gaines, transforming what should be a week of intense study of Scriptures at Vacation Bible School, into a worldly concert that mimics that of ancient and modern Hindu culture.
Really, can you see much of a difference between Bellevue’s VBS 2016 performance, and that of the Hindu-inspired rave parties in the other videos? You might say, “well, the object of worship is different.” Is it? Really? While the song’s lyrics are nearly completely void of anything resembling Christianity, one can rest assured that regardless of the lyrics, the music in and of itself is designed to invoke worship, and it isn’t to Jesus Christ. At least one good difference is that most of the people gazing upon this travesty sat quietly and observed, rather than immerse themselves into it. In fact, at one point, in the original video, you can see a young kid get up and start to dance, while a parent quickly stands up and grabs him to sit him back down.
But there is no doubt that Bellevue has long been an icon of Laodicea. While seemingly completely apathetic to the drastic need to take the true Gospel message to the lost, they regularly indulge in pragmatic, number-building, money-raising forms of entertainment that, ultimately, line the pockets of those involved in this religion-industrial complex.
Below is commentary from John MacArthur at the Strange Fire conference, in which he was responding to the invasiveness of this kind of hypnotic music in the Church. He refers to it as “Pagan,” “this is what Hindus do,” and this is “the Kundalini Spirit. He also says that this has nothing to do with Christ or Christianity.
1 TIMOTHY 2:9-15-"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."
INSTEAD: "Wagner issued a sweet-toned appeal for tolerance, unity, and the oft-misunderstood notion of “Christian love,” a form of love that demands zero Biblical discernment. Regardless of the oozingly sweet “let’s just love on one another” appeal, though, the pursuit of unbridled ecumenical unity emphasizing doctrinal disregard is bonafide disobedience to Scripture."
The Southern Baptist Convention’s favorite maven of false teaching and one of LifeWay’s cash cows of illicit doctrine has just wrapped up yet another conference in which the zealous worship of the false god of “unity” was portrayed. Adding credence, via intentional lack of discernment, to the “HER” in heresy, femme fatale of the faithless Beth Moore was in attendance, aligning with newer, fresher forms of female-flung falsehoods.
This was Moore’s first involvement with this particular festival of falseness, the “She Rises!”conference. We know right off the bat that it was such a festival as it was hosted by pastrix Holly Wagner. Wagner is the “co-pastor” – alongside her obviously Biblically-obtuse husband Philip – of Oasis Church in Los Angeles. When you see “pastor” plastered under the photo of a woman, it’s sign number one that Biblical obedience will not be forthcoming.
The conference also included other completely off-the-orthodox-rails luminaries. Louis Giglio, Lisa Bevere, Sarah Jakes Roberts were noted, if not ignoble, speakers joining the SBC’s own revelation receiver Moore.
Of course, no conference is complete, either in heterodoxy or savvy millennial marketing appeal, unless some element of heretical Hillsong is involved. So Hillsong Young & Free provided presumably repetitive lyrical accompaniment to the goings-on in an event that lauds a decidedly different “Jesus” than one familiar to Scripture imbibing believers. Pastrix Wagner, by the way, is also a contributor for Hillsong.
In a “She Rises” conference blog, published in May, Wagner issued a sweet-toned appeal for tolerance, unity, and the oft-misunderstood notion of “Christian love,” a form of love that demands zero Biblical discernment. Regardless of the oozingly sweet “let’s just love on one another” appeal, though, the pursuit of unbridled ecumenical unity emphasizing doctrinal disregard is bonafide disobedience to Scripture.
The blog, penned by Pastrix Wagner, begins with the affirmation of a false premise. “We all know that unity is essential. “ The premise is false because it erroneously presumes that Christian unity is something we achieve by our undiscerning efforts, rather than something ensured by the Father as Christ prayed to Him in John 17.
Unity is not established by blindly joining hands with someone just because they claim to be a Christian. Just because they may laud the name of Jesus, we cannot, must not, and ought not automatically assume their “Jesus” is THE “Jesus” of the Christian Scriptures. The real Jesus warned us about this:
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:24
The greatest asset which the Christian, individually and corporately, possesses is the Gospel. It is the crux of the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” as Jude wrote. (Jude 1:3) We must contend for it.
But for Beth Moore, joining Wagner’s discernment-free festival, contending is simply not a task with which she’ll be bothered. Moore is much too eager to join with anyone and everyone that will buy her a plane ticket, write a nice honorarium check, and give her a spotlight on the stage. Oh, yeah, it’d be nice to set up a Beth Moore book sales booth outside the conference hall doors, too.
The anything for the sake of unity tenor of She Rises! is further explicit in Wagner’s blog.
A symphony is beautiful, not because all are playing the same instrument, but because each musician is playing the same song. If each musician played his or her favorite song, it would just be a cacophony of noise. Each is bringing a sound that contributes to the harmony which makes the song amazing.
Same in church.
We all want God’s blessings on our lives and our churches, and that comes when we walk in unity. Unity comes when we lay down our ego and our way and prefer the other.
That just sounds so pretty doesn’t it? It sounds even spiritual. And, perhaps it would be if everyone being orchestrated submitted to the same proper maestro – the actual Jesus of the Bible. If He were directing all these folks that seek faux unity, then faux unity would not be something we’d even be seeking – we’d all know it’s a function of His will, not our effort.
But Wagner doesn’t grant to Jesus – the real Jesus – the authority of orchestra maestro. That’s a job for every leader who must lead boldly, if not lovingly, by … wait for it … vision casting.
At a leadership gathering recently, I was asked this question: How do we create unity in our leadership teams, especially in teams of very strong people, when you have a lot of strong opinions?
As a senior leader, it is up to you to cast a compelling and clear vision. You tell everyone the ‘song’. It is your responsibility to give the big picture and the time line to reach it. When a vision is clear, it makes it easier for those who serve with you to follow.
The “senior leader,” a title self-clutched by Wagner, is not the only person responsible for the vision. The little people … err, the “team member” is also responsible. If you’re one of these folks, “you need to make sure you understand the vision” or, “the song” that the vision caster has queued up for performance.
But, understand, vision casting and vision obedience isn’t merely something in a team driven atmosphere, say, like putting together a conference of false teachers. Oh, no. Vision is for everyone.
And for all of us: God commands his blessing when unity is present. That means between our churches as well. We will all do things differently. If we waste time arguing over where we are different — the enemy wins.
There you go. This vision of unity is an across-churches, doctrine-less diabolical goal. While the Scripturally-astute reader will recognize in this the false idol of ecumenism, the thousands of Biblically-inept women who attended this conference were fed the false manna of ecumenism by scripture twisting “senior leaders.” And among them for her gala debut was the SBC’s own debutante of Biblical disregard, Beth Moore. (Makes you proud to be in the SBC, huh? Sarcasm font obviously implied.)
Much digital ink has been spilled across the discerning web-world in attempts to warn folks about the deleterious risk posed by Beth Moore. Her undiscerning participation in such a conference should not result is a shoulder-shrugging “so what?” response by anyone concerned about Scriptural obedience. Moore’s participation is evidence that she does not care about doctrinal distinctions, Biblical obedience, or reflecting responsible alliances to her followers.
Moore’s participation in this festival gave explicit approval to a full-steam ahead disregard for Scripture. Why? Because here’s what else the blogged prelude spelled out for the conference.
I heard someone say one time about our church…and they said it in a disparaging way “there are other ways to do church” well…duh! There are thousands — as many ways as there are churches.
Some sing hymns -some don’t.
Some speak in tongues -some don’t.
Some say dancing is bad -some dance with passion.
Some say no drinking alcohol -some don’t care.
Some say women shouldn’t teach -some have women pastors.
Some are mellow — some are energetic
Some say there shouldn’t be instruments in church -some have full bands.
Some are full of Republicans -some are full of Democrats.
I could keep going, but why would we let these issues divide us? Wouldn’t the fact that we love Jesus and believe that He is the way to God be what unites us? We will never solve the big challenges on the earth as long as we let issues like these divide us! (Emphasis added)
Umm. Well. Gee. The Bible – particularly the New Testament “Jesus” part of it – is replete with Gospel-driven divisiveness. Christ Himself said He didn’t come to unite, but to divide. We’re given apostolic warnings about protecting His Gospel, standing firm on Truth, and not tarnishing the church with intentional alliances with evil influences. Paul told the Corinthians to do what he himself had done with certain blasphemers in the church – turn them over to Satan. (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20) Pretty harsh apostolic words that don’t speak well for the kum-ba-yah-ism of this conference, huh?
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:34-38
“Why would we let these issues divide us?” It’s rather simple. Because the real Jesus tells us to as we proclaim and defend His Gospel. His apostles tell us to. But commands to contend for the faith are insufficient for Wagner, and for Beth Moore, who eagerly united with others in lauding a generic “Jesus” who merely seems to ooze love and unity despite His “I have come not to bring peace” warnings.
This whole ecumenical movement is based on blurring the distinct lines of doctrine while preaching a false message of God loves everybody with no corresponding concept of divine justice. There is no faith without the Gospel. There is no Gospel without doctrine. And there just is no regard for “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1) in these diabolical waves of ecumenism.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. G.K. Chesterton
There are many in the church today, standing in pulpits, as Moore & Wagner wrongly do, sitting in pews, and leading whole denominations who, by their blatant associations with falsehood, are screaming at us that they simply have no convictions.
But if you are a Bible-believing Christian following the authentic Jesus of Scripture, the very gift of your faith lies on the convictions He has given you.
“Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17
"Holly and her husband, Philip, co-pastor the Oasis Church – a growing, relevant, multi-cultural, multi-generational church located in Los Angeles. She is the founder of GodChicks. Holly and Philip have taught many relationship seminars around the world and are committed to healthy marriages, especially their own! She has written several books, include: “GodChicks”, “Daily Steps for GodChicks”, “WarriorChicks”, “Love Works” and releasing this summer “Find Your Brave”." __________________________________________________ 1 Peter 3:1-22 - Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; (Read More...)
Colossians 3:18 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
1 Peter 3:7 - Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Ephesians 5:21 - Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Ephesians 5:22 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:19 - Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.
1 Peter 3:5 - For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
1 Timothy 2:12 - But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Ephesians 5:33 - Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband.
Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 3:1-7 - Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; (Read More...)
Ephesians 5:21-33 - Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
It recently came about that Donald Trump had finally given his life to Christ. In the words of James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family,
I don’t know when it was, but it has not been long, and I believe [Donald Trump] really made a commitment, but he’s a baby Christian.
Now, Dobson is offering some “clarification” on Trump’s conversion to whichever Christianity it is he has converted to. Apparently, it was the Prosperity Gospel heretic, Paula White, who led him in this fruitless conversion. The megachurch pastrix told attendees at a recent Trump rally that Billy Graham had “prophesied over” Trump, declaring that he “loves God.”
“Only the Lord knows the condition of a person’s heart. I can only tell you what I’ve heard. First, Trump appears to be tender to things of the Spirit. I also hear that Paula White has known Trump for years and that she personally led him to Christ.
“Do I know that for sure? No. Do I know the details of that alleged conversion? I can’t say that I do.
“But there are many Christian leaders who are serving on a faith advisory committee for Trump in the future. I am among them. There are about 45 of us that includes Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, Ben Carson, James Robison, Jerry Johnson, and many others whom you would probably know.
“We’ve all agreed to serve. How will that play out if Trump becomes president? I don’t know. It is a good start, I would think.
“If anything, this man is a baby Christian who doesn’t have a clue about how believers think, talk and act. All I can tell you is that we have only two choices, Hillary or Donald. Hillary scares me to death.
“And, if Christians stay home because he isn’t a better candidate, Hillary will run the world for perhaps eight years. The very thought of that haunts my nights and days. One thing is sure: we need to be in prayer for our nation at this time of crisis.”
(On) This conversion President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore, offered the following commentary on this revelation:
This “faith advisory board” that Dobson speaks of in his statement is the same “faith advisory board” that former SBC president, Ronnie Floyd, is currently serving on. The divide among Southern Baptists is growing at a ferocious rate. On the one hand, you have the center-left leaning New-Calvinists and Moore-ites, who ruthlessly oppose anything and everything Donald Trump, at the expense of anything–and on the other hand, you have the Falwell tribe, who have more than compromised the name of Jesus Christ and the Gospel for the sake of political gain, including promoting false teachers, and false converts, because they’re “afraid of Hillary.”
“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” – Mark 3:25
This ridiculous claim that Donald Trump has been led to Christ by someone who has no idea who Christ is, while posing for pictures in front of Playboy Magazines with Liberty University President, Jerry Falwell, misquoting and twisting Scripture for self-gain, and speaking of speaking new-age false teachers as his primary spiritual mentors, is a prime example of why the professing Church, and our nation, is under the judgment of God.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:15
On August 23, 2007, RANDY AND PAULA WHITE, co-pastors of Without Walls International, a charismatic megachurch based in Tampa, Florida, announced that they were divorcing after 17 years of marriage. The couple blamed the two different directions their lives were going (“Interruption during Megapastors’ Divorce Announcement,” Tampa Tribune, Aug. 23, 2007). That is not a biblical reason for divorce. Christ gave only one legitimate cause, and that is fornication, yet the two said “the split involves no third party on either side.” If they are going in two different directions, that is sin on both their parts. God says the wife is the husband’s help-meet and she is to be the keeper of the home (Titus 2:4-5), and the husband is to “dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7). Randy has spent months commuting to Malibu, California, where he has a beachfront home. Paula, a preacher and motivational speaker, makes many speaking trips to San Antonio, where she recently purchased a home and is “oversight pastor” to the Family Praise Center. She also travels frequently to New York City where she has a Trump Tower condo and leads monthly services at New Life by Design Empowerment Center. This is open disobedience to God’s Word, which forbids her to be a preacher or a pastor (1 Timothy 2:12). And this is not the first divorce for the two charismatic preachers. They have four children from previous marriages. In reality they are sinning against God’s Word while pretending to be undergoing a “trial” and to be victims of circumstance, and this, sadly, is typical for charismatics today. When Paula appeared on Carman’s show on Trinity Broadcasting Network on September 12 and 13, 2007, she was greeted with loud applause. She told the enthusiastic crowd, “Some of the greatest development in the men and women of God ... were those in adverse situation, those in opposition. ... You can either gravitate and put your hand to the plow and say, ‘Okay, God, I don’t get this one; I don’t even like this one. But still what do You have to say to me? I will not be moved.’” Joseph and Job could say things like that and take a stand on simply trusting God in undeserved adversity, but when you are suffering for your own sin and rebellion to the Scriptures that is an entirely different story! “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?” (1 Peter 2:20). An article in the Tampa Tribune in May included statements by former Without Walls staff members who testified that the Whites have shifted their focus to money and fame. They preach a charismatic prosperity message and live lavishly. Their home in Tampa is valued at $2.22 million and the condo in New York, at $3.5 million. By 2011 Without Walls International was truly “without walls” as the huge property in Lakeland was under foreclosure for non-payment. In 2012 Paula White was appointed senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, following the death of Zachery Tims, who was found dead in a hotel room in New York City under suspicious circumstances. In July 2012, Randy White returned as “bishop” of Without Walls in Tampa after “overcoming drug addiction and a suicide attempt” (Charisma, July 9, 2012).
