Translate

Monday, April 10, 2017

MASSIVE U.S. INVASION OF SYRIA HAS ALREADY BEGUN~TRUMP CAPITULATES TO DEEP STATE GLOBALISTS IN WHITE HOUSE

MASSIVE U.S. INVASION OF SYRIA 
HAS ALREADY BEGUN 
 US Forces Pouring Into Syria As Massive War Looms 
 Published on Apr 9, 2017
Thousands of troops, Marines, Artillery, Special Forces, already in Syria.
 McMaster Calls For Toppling Assad As Troops Mass 
 Published on Apr 9, 2017
McMaster manipulating intelligence reports, wants massive ground war in Syria.
 Deep State Military Hijacks White House 
To Launch War In Syria 
 Published on Apr 9, 2017
McMaster has been manipulating intelligence reports going to Trump, doing this at the behest of Petraeus, McMaster was part of Petraeus’ inner circle.
 

LETTER TO CONGRESS: TRUMP PLEDGES TO TAKE "ADDITIONAL ACTION" IN SYRIA~DEBATE ON SYRIAN ATTACK

 Letter to Congress: Trump Pledges to Take 'Additional Action' in Syria
LETTER TO CONGRESS: TRUMP PLEDGES TO TAKE "ADDITIONAL ACTION" IN SYRIA 
 'I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States'
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
In a letter to Congress Saturday, President Trump said his administration would take “additional action” following military strikes in Syria over alleged chemical weapons use.
“I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. The United States will take action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests.”
Watch: Russia Warns Of All Out War As MSM Attacks Official Story Doubters
 Deep State Military Hijacks White House 
To Launch War In Syria 
 Published on Apr 9, 2017
McMaster has been manipulating intelligence reports going to Trump, doing this at the behest of Petraeus, McMaster was part of Petraeus’ inner circle.

DEBATE: Syria Strike – Genius or Lunacy?

Masterstroke or hypocritical idiocy?

 Paul Joseph Watson debates Bill Mitchell on whether the attack on Syria 

was a master stroke or a dangerous escalation.

 

TURNSTILE CHURCHIANITY

TURNSTILE CHURCHIANITY
BY MICHAEL HALL
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
I can’t remember when I last went to a baseball game.  I love sports and always enjoyed a day at the ballpark, except for the overpriced concessions.  As you would walk up to the ticket taker at the turnstile there was usually someone there with one of those handheld clickers that they used to count how many people came through the gates.  I always thought it was redundant but maybe it was their backup system.  But their desire behind was to get as accurate a count as possible for their attendance records.  The numbers are what mattered.
The seeker-driven church is no different.
They always talk about intentionality and purpose.  Well, with intentionality,  they removed the Law which convicts the unregenerate of their sin and the true gospel, the purpose of which is to save sinners.  They have replaced the Gospel with a man-made good news story full of life principles.  The pastors predetermine what the message will be about, say church cliques, and cherry pick verses to support their message, like Paul confronting Peter in Galatians when Peter separated from the Gentiles because of the Jews visiting from Jerusalem.
It’s a numbers game to them.  They really do mean “come as you are” and they don’t care much what state you’re in when you leave, as long as you keep coming back with your money.  They don’t care what happens the rest of the week.  They don’t care much about correcting false teaching.  If they talk about Jesus, any Jesus, let’s invite them to the church and get a crowd.  They actually disparage anyone in leadership from posting discernment articles.  It’s not how they do church.  But it’s perfectly alright for leaders to make excited posts about the upcoming episode of that wholesome family entertainment show Game of Thrones.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? – Romans 6:1
The issue is that they change this verse from a question to a declarative statement: What shall we say then? We should continue to sin so that the unchurched can feel more comfortable and that maybe they stumble upon Jesus in the process.
When you are with the leaders of these churches the arrogance and self-righteousness is palpable.  It is all founded in their size of their church.  They completely believe the size of the crowd, the total amount of people who have an emotional response to an emotional appeal, and baptisms are evidence that God is blessing them.  The money, especially, that flows into the church is the cherry that ices the blessing.  How do we know that the growth may be a deception allowed by God to deceive those who believe they are doing God’s work?
So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  -Matt 15:6b-9
They mock churches who continue to sing old hymns from old hymnals in old churches by calling them stuffy and stale.  What they don’t understand is these churches are redundant.  You’ve attended one and you won’t find much difference in another.  In their desire to called cutting edge they have become cookie cutter churches.  In their vision to be relevant to the culture, they have become irrelevant to the cause of Christ and His gospel.  No amount of gimmicks like Easter eggs dropped from a helicopter will add one jot or tittle to the effectiveness of God’s written Word and the power contained within those pages.  Man cannot improve on what God has established and ordained.
They are blinded by numbers, like the Boston Red Sox during the phony sellout streak a few years ago.  But they have become sellouts of a different kind.  They have sold out the One who died for them for the fool’s gold of church growth.  Maybe this paraphrase from Matthew 7 fits:
“Lord, Lord, didn’t we complete the Purpose Driven Church and Life agenda?  Didn’t we apply Andy Stanley’s unchurched principles in Deep and Wide?  Didn’t we perform smoky rock shows and share lots of relevant speeches that didn’t offend the unsaved  so they could come feel comfortable?  Didn’t we change Your gospel so it would be received better, because, let’s face it, it was just too offensive?
The number of clicks coming through the doors and turnstiles is all that matters.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. -James 4:4

THE IRRELEVANT CHRISTINE CAINE...A DINGO ATE MY LEGACY?

 
THE IRRELEVANT CHRISTINE CAINE...
A DINGO ATE MY LEGACY? 
BY BUD AHLHEIM
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
“ … in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.  2 Peter 2:2
In Revelation 2:20, Christ chided the church of Thyatira in no uncertain terms.  “I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.”  Today, though, it isn’t just a single church tolerating just a single “prophetess;” it’s a large swath of the evangelical church embracing a legion of false teaching sirens, none of whom are actually named Jezebel.
One, in particular, is Christine Caine.
She is one of the sorts about whom Peter warned readers in his day, a warning which applies no less directly to us today.  A word-faith charlatan from the prosperity millennial cult of Hillsong, Caine is driven by greed and … and she tells us as much.  (For more on the many problems with Caine, see HERE or HERE or HERE)
Christianity Your Way … err, I mean, Christianity Today  … featured an interview by Ed Stetzer with Caine.  Stetzer, as you may know, departed the leadership of Lifeway for the “Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College.”  Distinguished or not, Stetzer is probably the ideal goateed ecumenist to fill such a position. Graham was no stalwart for Biblical and Gospel integrity, to be sure. (This is not, btw, a random, baseless slur against the aged evangelist; you can examine for yourself Graham’s egregious ecumenical, doctrine-disregarding alliances in the must-read book Evangelicalism Divided by Iain Murray.)
Stetzer interviews Caine about “Her New Partnership with The Wheaton College Evangelism and Leadership Graduate Program.” This, perhaps, provides us ample discernment fodder regarding Wheaton’s doctrinal integrity as well.  It allows known heretics in its graduate program, a program being administered under the evangelically-hallowed name of Graham.
The article features two questions.  Here’s the first:
“Why did you decide to enroll in our program?”
And here’s what “the Bible is obviously nonauthoritative because I’m an ordained pastrix” replied …
“For many years, I’ve wanted to do this. When I was in Bible school nearly 30 years ago, I remember reading something from Billy Graham. He wrote that one thing he had wished was that he had spent more time studying. For the last 30 years, I’ve been on the road full-time. I’ve had the privilege and the honor to be across every stream of Christianity in over 60 countries around the world, and have seen God do amazing things.”
Because of her jet-setting for an “other” Jesus lifestyle, disregarding clear commands of Scripture by usurping the gender-specified guidelines of God for ministry, Caine has zero concern for any notion of doctrinal allegiance.  She said so, but she’s just been so busy.  She’s been across “every stream of Christianity,” a task one cannot do and remain faithful to apostolic commands to avoid those with “different doctrine,” (Romans 16:17-18) unless, of course, YOU happen to be the one with the different doctrine. Which is precisely who Caine is. The “abide in my word” believer (John 8:31) pondering who Paul means when he said, “avoid them” would, upon looking up the word “them” in a modern apostolic dictionary, find a picture of Caine as a suitable example of charlantanry.
No, Caine cares nothing for doctrine.  She was catapulted into the ministry by help from Hellsong …err, I mean Hillsong … and was ushered to the charismaniacal, prosperity gospel spotlight by none other than the queen maven of prosperity heresy, Joyce Meyer, whom Caine refers to as her “spiritual mother.”  Caine has preached at Bethel Church; she has preached at Passion Conference with pal Louis Giglio and the “I’ve Got Zero Discernment” John Piper.  She’s endorsed the circle-praying, witchcraft-borne heresy of Mark Batterson.  She preaches at conferences
and pals about with numerous Scripturally toxic types such as T.D. Jakes, Steven Furtick, Rick Warren, Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Robert Morris, and Paula White.  She participated in the “we disregard doctrine cuz we just loovvvveee jeeeezuzTogether 2016 ecumeni-fest, along with gobs of other charismaniacal false teachers and … oh yeah, the chief apostate of the Tiber, the pope.
“I’m 50, and I knew that when I hit 50 I would be thinking more about legacy rather than how much I am doing today.”
Did Peter happen to mention “greed” as a feature of false teachers?
Oh, yes, yes he did.  Caine is driven by the prideful greed to establish her “legacy.”  An authentic believer, much less one who was an authentic minister – and Caine simply, Scripturally, cannot be the latter – would have no concern for their legacy.  Being properly guided by the Spirit-illuminated Truth of God’s Word, being sanctified in and by that Word, we who genuinely belong to Christ can echo the words of John the Baptist: “He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30)  We can affirm fully Paul’s “not I, but Christ” pronouncement to the Galatians.  (Galatians 2:20)
Christ is the focus. His Gospel is the message. His legacy is what matters.  Ours?  Not in the least.  But for Caine, who has spent 30 years in “the ministry,” her preeminent concern isn’t about Christ, or the Gospel, or the Kingdom of God, or about thinking on things above, not things below. (Colossians 3:2)  Oh no. For Caine, what matters is her legacy. The “it’s all about you” prosperity message that she hurls at her fandom translates to an “it’s all about me” motivation for ministry.  Christ is a means to her ends.
“If I am going to be able to speak into the next generation, then I need to understand theologically some of the things this generation is wrestling with culturally. … If I don’t do this, I’m going to become irrelevant.”
Sorry Christine, to the authentic body of Christ, you ARE irrelevant. And you are illegitimate. And you are dangerous. If you were spreading the message from the narrow path, you’d know that what the culture is dealing with is completely inconsequential.  To speak relevantly – for the purposes of the Kingdom of God – requires just one thing: the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  God is immutable; so is His gospel.  If Caine had “understood theologically” – and especially salvifically – the actual, Scriptural gospel, she’d know this.  Her forlorn anxiety over becoming irrelevant would be absent.
“I keep thinking that it all doesn’t feel right.”
She’s talking about how, in thirty years of “ministry,” the culture’s attitudes about “sin, repentance, and salvation” have become skewed.  But, true to the “it’s what I feel” spirit of post-modernism, Caine bemoans the change because of a feeling she has, not because of the fact that God’s Word tells us something rather explicit about the world “in the last days.”
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”  2 Timothy 3: 1-5
Of course, coming from the wide path as she does, Caine is – as a legacy-driven “lover of self” – incapable of gleaning Scriptural truth and comparing it to what’s actively going on in the world. Those who are biblically informed are not in the least surprised in the cultural attitude shift, nor does it cause us angst.  Instead, it’s evidence of God’s hand of judgment at work.  See Romans 1 for more.
“I have maxed out my own understanding and knowledge, and I really want to be in a place that will challenge me intellectually, but still in an environment that is full of heart, full of spirit, and has a commitment to evangelism.”
Maxed out your knowledge? Really? On the one hand, Caine is either confessing her own obvious inadequacies to be engaged as a “minister,” or, on the other hand, she’s gratuitously back-slapping herself for how extensively she’s pushed her neurons to garner all the knowledge she can about God and His Word. She wants to be, she must be, in a place that “will challenge me intellectually” because she’s exceeded the level of even her own genius. Too bad she doesn’t know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Proverbs 1:7)  and that God freely gives wisdom to those of His who ask, (James 1:5) but He doesn’t give it to those with an “other gospel” touting an “other Jesus.”  For those doing that, wisdom won’t come, rather something far more legacy-destructive is Biblically assured …”But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”  (Galatians 1:8)
What Caine’s “I’ve maxed out” statement means, besides sounding like an anxious, apostolically-accursed Aussie’s fear that “a dingo may eat my legacy,” (and thus cut off my future gig income and book royalties)  is this: Caine knows not the Scriptures. Jesus phrased it this way for the faithless Pharisees: “Have you not read?” (Matthew 19:4)  And we know that for this false teacher, Scripture is – like Jesus – just a means to her ends. Her false gospel isn’t derived from thoughtful, prayerful study of the Word, nor is her theology the result of having been taught “what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1)
Caine hasn’t maxed out her knowledge, for knowledge starts with a right understanding of God. What she has maxed out, perhaps, are novel ways to twist God’s Word for her legacy-building efforts in order to remain deceptively, relevantly cutting-edge, able to entice those among the “deceived and being deceived.”  (2 Timothy 3:13) For the authentic believer, though, it is impossible to delve the depths of Scriptural truth and “max out.”  To continue study – a noble desire, indeed – does not require advanced degrees from academically elite, though theologically inert, universities, even those laden with lofty evangelical monikers.  It merely requires continued, prayerful study of God’s unfathomable truth in His Word.
“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” Charles Spurgeon
“Ed: We are also launching a partnership with Propel, so women who are in relationship with Propel can be a part of our program. What do you hope they might gain?”
Propel Women is one of the “ministries” that keeps Caine globetrotting for her false Jesus as she desperately seeks to keep the metaphorical dingo of irrelevancy from eating her must-have legacy. Caine replies to Stetzer’s second question by lauding a “good side of the feminist revolution” saying that “…it got women out of the home and into the marketplace, where the harvest is. [Matthew 9]”  But she is quick to point out that “these women aren’t necessarily equipped.”  While she doesn’t say so, if Caine’s idea of being “equipped” is equivalent to more women becoming ordained “ministers” like her, then equipping won’t matter.  The Lord will not bless disobedience to His Biblical commands. Thus, Caine herself, acting beyond the bounds of allegiance to Scripture, is not duly equipped either.  But then, no charlatan ever is, whether they’ve “maxed out” or not.
“What does it mean to be salt and light in the midst of a dark world as we, as women in leadership, are contending with different issues in society?”
No doubt, while Christ expects His sheep to be in the world, not of it, the “contending” to which Caine speaks is issues based, not Gospel based.  One may infer the increasingly popular strains of the social justice gospel wafting from Caine’s words.  While believers are faced with many different issues, our response to them is driven by faith and guided by the Word.  And it is that faith for which we contend (Jude 3), not noble goals of solving the ills of the world.  The Scripture, nowhere, teaches a social justice gospel.  Jesus came proclaiming the gospel, not a solution to social ills.  Believers contend for the faith and proclaim the Gospel.  God orchestrates all things to His glory through these means.  Jesse Johnson, writing in Right Thinking In A Church Gone Astray, makes the point, “Make no mistake – appeals to pursue social justice ends through ecclesiastical means are often in conflict with the Great Commission.”  (Emphasis Original)
“We’ve got to rethink a lot of things when it comes to our witness in the world.”
This notion that we’ve got to contextualize the gospel to make our witness relevant to an increasingly depraved, and changing, culture is post-modern hogwash that has the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) giggling with impish glee at the utter faithlessness of professing “Christians” who swallow it.  What we need isn’t a rethink of our witness, but a refocus on the Word.  To the extent that it’s implemented, the Christian witness is alive and well on planet earth, because it is driven by a proclamation of the one singular, saving Gospel. The state of the unregenerate first-century soul is absolutely no different that the state of the unregenerate twenty-first-century one.  Each stands “condemned already” (John 3:18) in desperate need of God’s grace, the power of which is divinely bestowed through the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:16)
Far from rethinking “our witness in the world,” genuine believers of the Scriptural Jesus of the Scriptural Gospel – a category absent the membership of Caine and her prosperity gospel – must confront the world with God’s clear, absolute Truth in a loving, but unvarnished (i.e., un-contextualized) manner.  The late Francis Schaeffer put it pointedly in the 1984 work, The Great Evangelical Disaster.
“Truth carries with it confrontation.  Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.  If our reflex action is always accommodation regardless of the centrality of the truth involved, there is something wrong.  Just as what we may call holiness without love is not God’s kind of holiness, so also what we may call love without holiness, including when necessary confrontation, is not God’s kind of love.”
Believers must be willing to proclaim the full Truth of the Scriptural Gospel to the world, not engage it with the coddling apparatus of a watered-down, contextualized, and easy-to-digest, but no less damning, gospel.  Caine’s gospel is, of course, no gospel at all, but a heresy that is all too popular, all too embraceable, and, increasingly, all too prevalent in what is called the “church.”
Caine is a wolf – or, perhaps, a dingo – in sheep’s clothing, more concerned with establishing for herself a relevant legacy than with proclaiming the glory and gospel of the risen Christ.  But this comes as no surprise from Caine and those of her ilk who are, as Paul reminded Titus, insubordinate to the clear teaching of Scripture, being eager for “shameful gain” by teaching “what they should not teach.  (Titus 1: 10-11) They must be avoided. (Romans 16:17-18)  Pay close, close attention, as well, to those willing to embrace such wolves, for they too are serving to usher souls down an exit ramp from the narrow path and to keep those on the wide path firmly entrenched in its deceptions.  (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus warned the Jezebel-tolerating church of Thyatira, promising His judgment on her wickedness and on those who tolerated it.  But for those “who do not hold this teaching” He exhorted them to “hold fast what you have until I come.”  And what they had was Truth … His Truth.  (Revelation 2:18-29)  We have that Truth too.  Let us beware the popular, relevant, legacy-building charlatans and “contend for the faith.”  (Jude 3)

 

RICK WARREN: THINKING LIKE A PAGAN & A "THEOLOGY DISSING" JESUS

 
RICK WARREN: THINKING LIKE A PAGAN & 
A "THEOLOGY DISSING" JESUS
BY BUD AHLHEIM
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
Remember how Jesus, when He came to earth as the Incarnate Son Of God, actually became a vile, depraved sinner so that He could adequately reach sinners in a relevant way with His Truth? Or that time the thrice-denying Peter answered Jesus’ thrice-offered query, “Do you love me?” in the negative, but only so he could do effective ministry among Jews who didn’t love Jesus either?  Or how about that story of the post-Damascus Road Paul who decided to forsake his apostolic calling and return to living as a self-righteous pagan so that he could reach pagans with the Gospel?
Don’t recall any of these things?  Hopefully, you don’t. I certainly don’t. But according to the “pastor” of the purpose gospel, Rick Warren, it’s this sort of Scripture-denying, command-disobeying tact believers must take in witnessing for the goal of church growth. The mega-church, mega-pastor – who obviously doesn’t focus on being “Mega-Scriptural” – touted this in a recent Pastors.com article, How To Understand How Unbelievers Think.
This stellar example of Biblical obtuseness on the part of Warren comes only days after the “quick, delete that” Tweet by his doctrinally-inept Saddleback Church.

Nice, huh? Just the perfect message to appeal to the post-modern, feelings first, experience seeking, “who are you to judge” mindset.   It’s the ideal sort of seeker-friendly message that might bring in pagan crowds, and just in time for Easter, too.  Surely they’ll think, “Wow! A church that doesn’t focus on ‘theology’ but is interested in ministry first! And you know what ‘ministry’ means? It means it’s all about me!   It should really be called “Minister-ME!’   And, just like Saddleback says, it’s what Jesus did! Yaaay!”

Saddleback received duly-deserved social media scorn from many and subsequently deleted the tweet. But notice something. While they deleted the tweet, they didn’t comment on it. No apology was proffered. No explanation of “that’s not really what we meant.” No confession that it was inaccurate, inappropriate, and posted in error. No “we’re counseling the person who erroneously posted on our behalf.” In effect, Saddleback offered no visible expression of repentance for proclaiming an arguably blasphemous view of Jesus.   But, that’s Saddleback, and that’s quite accurately the “other” Jesus of Saddleback. He’s one completely foreign to the pages of God’s Holy Word yet one who perfectly fits the “YOU-ology” touted by Warren.
But, a week or so after the “Jesus dissed theology” tweet, Warren came out with his “think like a pagan to witness to pagans” article. As with the deleted tweet, his article is an exercise in Biblical ignorance with more than a whiff of intentional Scriptural disregard – it includes not a single reference to Scripture, btw – but is replete with what an apostle would call the “wisdom of the world.” (1 Corinthians 3:19) It sounds more like it was written by a guy at the top of a get-rich-quick pyramidal marketing scheme than a guy genuinely concerned with obedience to, and proclamation of, the Truth of God in His Word.   But then that does fit the Warrenology modus operandi, does it not?
Warren, who – I could imagine – drives around (or is chauffeured around) Southern California with a “Honk If You Love The Pope” bumper sticker in some eco-friendly, steward-the-environment, “this’ll attract the millennials” electro-car, initiates his article with a chiding of churches for their sufficiently offensive-to-the-unchurched advertising. After all, for Warren the pastoral sales mega-coach, church isn’t what Jesus is building (Matthew 16:18) – not a body comprised of authentic believers given Him by the Father (John 17:24) – it’s what you, too, can create if you’re savvy, committed to success, know your purpose, and “subscribe to my Build Your Own Mega-Church The Warren Way” training program.
Because I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, I think like a Christian. I don’t normally think like an unbeliever. Worse than that, I tend to think like a pastor, and that’s even further removed from an unbeliever’s mindset! That means I must intentionally change mental gears when seeking to relate to non-Christians.
If you look at most church advertising, it’s obvious that it was written from a believer’s viewpoint — not from the mindset of the unchurched.
When you see a church ad that announces, “Preaching the Inerrant Word of God,” what group of people do you think that ad appeals to? Certainly not to unbelievers!
How absolutely egregious! That a church, which is supposed to be made up of genuine, Spirit-regenerated believers, would dare cater to genuine, Spirit-regenerated believers!  How appalling!  What are they thinking? That’s no way to reach pagans, fill your pews (and your coffers), and build your non-profit, multi-campus empire for Geeeezzzzuusss.
No, no, no.  Rick, you do not “think like a pastor,” at least not one that could be remotely identified by even the simplest New Testament attributes. (I’m thinking of “Preach the word” – 2 Timothy 4:2 – or “teach what accords with sound doctrine,” -Titus 2:1- for example.) Rick thinks he thinks like a pastor, but he promotes like a self-serving carnival barker on a late night infomercial. His theology-free Jesus is merely an example that confirms this. But, so far as those “deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13) are concerned, Warren is at the pinnacle of the post-modern idea of “church.”   If you want a “pastor” who’ll twist the Scriptures to make you feel good, grant you absolution for an offensive to Scripture, repeat after me prayer, and coddle you with a “no need to repent” message from his folded, spindled, and mutilated Bible, then Warren is your pope.
I’ve often heard pastors complain that unbelievers are more resistant to the Gospel today than in the past. I don’t think that is necessarily true. More often than not, resistance is just a response to poor communication.
The problem is that the message isn’t getting through. Churches need to stop saying that people are closed to the Gospel and start finding out how to communicate on their wavelength.
No matter how life-changing our message is, if we’re broadcasting on a different channel from the unchurched, it won’t do any good.
What? People are resistant to the Gospel?   The message is not getting through? Folks are “closed to the Gospel,” despite how “life changing” it is?  Really?  How can this be?  What do we do?
Fret not, because Warren the wonder Word-twister understands your problem. You need to “communicate on their wavelength.” You have to “broadcast” on the channel of the unchurched. You need to change channels, and for that, you have to change your message. (There’s a verse somewhere, I think, about tampering with God’s message … Oh, yes. Here are two. Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19 oughta suffice. Check them out on your own.)
The abide in my word believer (John 8:31) will understand immediately why the message isn’t being received.   The dead can’t hear. They can’t see. They can’t answer a call. They can’t reach out for the life preserver. They can’t understand spiritual things. They are dead. And nobody’s knocking on the door of their dead hearts. But that’s just going by the Book.  (See Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 2:14, for further details on being spiritually dead.)
To go by Warren’s book, though, altering the message is the super secret way to ensure post-modern mega-church success and is a surefire method to get pagan posteriors planted in your plush pews. And the way to do that?   Think like a pagan.
How do you learn to think like unbelievers? Talk to them! One of the greatest barriers to evangelism is that most believers spend all their time with other Christians. They don’t have any non-believing friends. If you don’t spend any time with unbelievers, you won’t understand what they’re thinking.
Frankly, based on what comes out of Warren’s Saddleback bloviating, he’s one of the “greatest barriers to evangelism” himself.  When you promote a false, it’s all about you Jesus, you’re touting an “other” gospel that doesn’t save and is apostolically anathematized. (Galatians 1:9)  When you tell a believer to think like an unbeliever in order to reach the unbeliever, you’ve taken upon yourself the presumed ability to save.
But, Scripture makes pretty clear that “salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) Even before the wrongly- conceived, “theology-dissing Jesus” of Saddleback’s deleted tweet archives became the incarnate Son of God, the last book of the Old Testament tells us that it is God who does the work of salvation.   “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.” Malachi 1:2
Telling a believer to think like an unbeliever flies in the face of not only the ministry of Jesus, of Peter, of Paul, and of the entirety of the New Testament, but it’s also usurping specific apostolic commands which instruct us otherwise. We are never told in Scripture to mimic the thought processes of the pagan, even if for the noble goal of witnessing to them. Instead, we are told “we have the mind of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 2:16)  to think on things above not on things below (Colossians 3:2), to hate the things of this world, which would certainly include the depraved “thinking” of the world (1 John 2:15) and, from Paul, we are even given a list of things to “think about,” (Philippians 4:8) none of which would land on the “top ten list of things pagans think about.”  Telling believers to think like pagans is telling them to engage in sin.
We are told, commissioned, to proclaim a paradoxical Truth to the pagan – that God sacrificed His own Son to save man from God.  We are to proclaim this “you must be born again” message (John 3:1-8) to the pagan whose spiritually darkened, dead soul cannot apprehend it – apart from the sovereign, illuminating, regenerating, faith-gifting work of God. He saves, we merely proclaim. We cannot so twist God’s Gospel to make a Jacob out of an Esau, but we are to faithfully proclaim the Gospel so that God can save the “Jacobs” He has chosen from before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)
But, if you just want to build a super successful non-profit business enterprise wrongly called a “church,” following Warren’s “think like a pagan” marketing plan makes sense. The five points of Warren, which put the mega-church mogul on his own way to ecumenical stardom, are drawn from savvy marketing wisdom, not from Scriptural truth. Using Warren’s unbiblical methods may gain you a club member, but those souls will be not a step closer to the pearly gates.
“I began Saddleback Church by going door to door for 12 weeks and surveying the unchurched in my area. I wrote down in my notebook five questions I would use to start Saddleback:”

Warren’s five points for mega-church mega-growth to achieve evangelical glory isn’t remotely Biblical.  In fact, doing a simple cut and paste maneuver to it would hardly cause one to think the questions were even about “church.”  Replace the word “church” with “social club,” “country club,” “society,” “alliance,” or any other organizational community structure and the responses given would likely reflect a negligible difference.  Why?  Who wouldn’t want to go to a place that caters to their express needs, wants, and desires?  But church ain’t Santa Claus and the unregenerate don’t need coddling; they need the Gospel.
But, by calling it “church,” it simply caters to fallen man’s innate need to worship and assuages his natural proclivity to be legalistic.  I’m going to church so God’s gotta be happy.  Such behavior may be culturally acceptable and superficially rewarding, but adherence to a false gospel doesn’t gain one points for glory.  Instead, Scripture says those who do such things are “merely storing up wrath.” (Romans 2:5)  Instead of hoping drops of Truth rub off on the legalistic, but unregenerate church goer, Christ has chosen to build His church by first saving souls.  The Spirit-regenerated believer is given something that Warren’s method cannot provide, nor does it even ask for – genuine repentance and faith that is evidenced by fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and good works (James 2:17).
We don’t need to think like a pagan to share the Good News.  While it will be summarily rejected by most – after all, the road is wide that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14) –  the Gospel is the only mechanism by which God saves. (Romans 1:16)  The proper goal for the believer – and for the church – is never numerical growth.  The proper, biblical goal is faithfulness. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
But for Rick Warren, and those who promote his theology-dissing Jesus (this is a false Jesus …) and his unbiblical, market-driven, do-it-yourself, build-a-church techniques (and this is an unbiblical tactic), we have been given a simple, apostle-approved, command.  “Avoid them.” (Romans 16:17-18)
[Contributed by Bud Ahlheim]
For more on the dangers of Rick Warren, see HERE.
 

CALIFORNIA DECLARED SANCTUARY STATE; MUSLIMS REJOICE

CALIFORNIA DECLARED SANCTUARY STATE; 
MUSLIMS REJOICE 
BY REV. AUSTIN MILES
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
The creases of grief etched in his face could not be concealed. Normally cheerful, he ran a men’s clothing shop in a mall in California. Expressing concern while asking about it, “Alfred” said he had just received a phone call informing him that his best friend in Egypt had been murdered, thrown to his death from the window of his apartment to the concrete below. All in the name of Jizah, or, Dhimmititude.
These are the’ taxes’ forced against non-Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence and as a coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam. It is the Islamic version of the Mafia’s ‘protection’ racket, where you pay to ‘protect’ your place of business from destruction and vandalism from roaming thugs.
The friend’s Jizah, or protection taxes, became higher every month until the Muslims were demanding everything he earned in his business. They were prepared to strong-arm him into compliance. He finally called the police who came to the apartment, sided with the Muslim mob and helped throw him out the window.
This is what it is like for non-Muslims living under imposed Sharia Law, which they are determined to implement in any county they enter. This is the goal. And enter they do with the Soros sponsored Democrats making certain all doors are open to them.

Presenting themselves as “refugees” They manage to cross borders” that are no longer borders due to lax immigration laws. Once in, they immediately set up shop and prepare to commit Jihad, killing citizens from within to frighten and drive them into compliance with THEIR rules. There is not even a question of them assimilating into the culture of the country they crash. The goal is to transform any country they enter, into Islamic rule, dragging it from modern society back to the Stone Age.
It is all about conquest, never assimilation. They enter a country to take it over. And the George Soros Democrats have viciously attacked President Donald Trump’s ban on further entry of Muslims into the U.S. until they are fully vetted, which is reasonable. This is not only common sense, but essential for the safety of our country.
Soros wants all borders open so they can come and go as they please. It is a ploy to weaken our country, the only country standing in the way of The One World Order.

When President Trump proposed the banning of Muslim entry into America, the Democrats yelled that this was “Discrimination.” Well duh! You bet it is and for good reason. Think San Bernardino, Orlando, 9/11, Ft. Hood, and dozens of other attacks from within that show it is good sense to discriminate. As the late Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust but verify.”
When a specific identifiable group has a tenancy to do certain things, then it is good sense to look at that group with suspicion. Yes there are very good people in any group, but the number who are not is the concern as the group itself seems to be so inclined.
Stereotyping? Perhaps. Philosopher David Hume details principles which determines the formations of conclusions: He writes: “Our conclusions from experience carry us beyond our memory and senses and assure us of matters of fact, which happened in the most distant places and most remote ages; yet some fact must always be present for the senses or memory, from which we may first proceed in drawing these conclusions.

“We can assign all our conclusions from experience. The principle is, CUSTOM or HABIT. For wherever the repetition of any particular act or operation produces a propensity to renew the same act or operation without being impelled by any reasoning or process of the understanding; we always say, that this propensity is the effect of Custom.”  David Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.
California Now Declared a Sanctuary STATE
Governor Moonbeam of California, this past week, ruled that his entire State of California is now declared to be a Sanctuary State. How’s that again? This means any illegals from anywhere are free to come into this state, enjoy its benefits paid for by taxes, and not risk arrest for being here illegally. Many get away with crimes without punishment.  California has always been flaky but this is way over the top.
Then this week your columnist received a press release from Senator Dianne Feinstein proclaiming that she is introducing a bill to “rescind Discriminatory Order on Immigration, Refugees.” Here is her statement to the Press:
“President Trump’s discriminatory executive order isn’t about strengthening our national security. It ‘s a transparent effort to fulfill his campaign promise to implement a ‘Muslim Ban.’

“These divisive policies alienate our allies in the Muslim world and fuel anti-American sentiment by sending a message that the United States is out to punish one religion.
“To say that someone who comes from a particular country or is a member of a particular faith is barred from this country is contrary to our founding principles and will do nothing to make us safer.”
Of course, all the dem senators are backing and supporting her bill while George Soros grins.
Has California lost its mind? Something can never be lost that was never possessed.

MARYLAND LAWMAKERS VOTE TO LOCALLY PROTECT PLANNED PARENTHOOD IF CONGRESS CUTS FUNDING

 
MARYLAND LAWMAKERS VOTE TO LOCALLY PROTECT PLANNED PARENTHOOD IF CONGRESS CUTS FUNDING 
BY HEATHER CLARK
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Lawmakers in Maryland have voted to protect local funding for the contraceptive and abortion giant Planned Parenthood in the event that Congress federally defunds the organization.
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan decided not to veto H.B. 1083, but would not sign the bill either, allowing it to simply become law by his inaction.
“The Department [of Health] shall, to the extent permitted, subject to the limitations of the State budget … ensure access to and the continuity of services provided by family planning providers that were family planning providers in the program as of December 31, 2016, and were discontinued as recipients of federal funding under federal law or regulation because of the scope of services offered by the provider …,” the bill reads in part.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the legislation would provide an estimated $2.7 million for the nine state chapters of Planned Parenthood should Congress defund the organization.

“If the federal government eliminates Planned Parenthood, someone’s going to have to step up and it might have to be the state,” Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said.
But Maryland Right to Life had organized a letter-writing campaign to urge lawmakers not to fund those that kill unborn children.
“Stop legislation to fund Planned Parenthood—the largest provider of abortions in Maryland and in the United States with over 300,000 abortions performed annually. Abortion deliberately kills by violent means, a genetically unique innocent human life whose heart is beating 18 days after fertilization,” the template correspondence read in part.

Nonetheless, the bill passed the House 90-54 and the Senate 32-15. Because Hogan chose not to veto the legislation, it will go into effect July 1.
Planned Parenthood of Maryland President Karen Nelson cheered the development.
“It’s incumbent on all of us to keep up the fight for women. No state should have to step in to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has access to care,” she said.
As previously reported, according to the organization’s annual report, Planned Parenthood performed 323,999 abortions nationwide during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The figure accounts for at least one-third of all abortions nationwide, when compared to statistics released in November by the Centers for Disease Control.
Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms as it is not licensed to operate mammogram machines, and its annual report outlined that fewer than 700,000 women received services surrounding cervical cancer screenings (pap smears for women who have been sexually active), equating to just seven percent of its services, while STD testing and contraceptives accounted for 76 percent of its services.
Planned Parenthood has not released its 2015-2016 report for unknown reasons, which has raised questions and red flags for some pro-life groups.
In February, thousands of women nationwide took to the streets to call for the defunding of the organization.
“They do not have mammograms. They do not provide prenatal care. They do not provide pediatric care, so it is not comprehensive healthcare for women,” participant Delia Laux of Virginia told reporters. “Planned Parenthood will say, ‘We’re not using that money for abortion. We’re using it for other services.’ The fact is money is fungible.”