Voice of Truth - Mockers

“A person who believes that Elvis is still alive is very unlikely to get promoted to a position of great power and responsibility in our society. Neither will a person who believes that the holocaust was a hoax. But people who believe equally irrational things about God and the bible are now running our country. This is genuinely terrifying.” Sam Harris

This is a quote from one of the top atheists in the world. He is a part of a group of 4 atheists known as the Four Horsemen. These four gentlemen are flooding the book market with anti-christian books.

2 Peter 3:3-9, 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."

5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

There are going to be scoffers and mockers among us. In the days ahead, I believe you will begin to see much more of this. It is a time when we need to place special emphasis on the values we are teaching our children. Our colleges and universities are full of men and women who share the opinions of Mr. Harris. They believe that there is no place for religious discussion in intellectual institutes. Students who stand up for their religious beliefs are being harassed by their professors. We must press on. Judgment of these belongs to God. He is reserving a day of judgment and destruction for all ungodly men. And as hard is it must seem, we must pray for those who mock our Lord and our beliefs. Because God would wish that even they come to repentance. Let's also pray for the Christians who are willing to stand and refute ungodly men in the public square. And the question I have for you is this. Are we as a church ready to stand firm against ungodly men and ungodly practices? If we are, I can bring forth areas where we can be active as a church. The time is at hand for our churches to take a stand.

Voice of Truth - Fellowship

Acts 2:41-47

41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47praising God and having favor with all the people And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Unity of the body is one of the greatest forms of evangelism. Look at verses 46 & 47. They were continuing with one mind and fellowshipping together. The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Unbelievers quickly pick up on whether the members of a church are unified or not.

Much of what I write about comes from personal experience. Today I want to share a little on fellowship. A few months ago a few families decided to start a weekly Sunday fellowship after church. I enjoyed the idea from the beginning. Although, I did not realize the effects this Sunday fellowship would have. For me the rewards have been tremendous. This form of fellowship has allowed me to make bonds that would never have developed just from seeing someone at church. Fellowshipping at church is good, but does not compare to the fellowship you get in a home setting. I have come to know people on a much deeper level. I have been able to share in others joys and sorrows. I have made friends that I can ask for help and who will also hold me accountable. An amazing thing has happened. Others have seen the love we have for one another and want to be a part of it. Some weeks we have trouble fitting everyone in the host house. My challenge to you is this, if you are not part of a regular fellowship, start now. The blessings you will receive are more than you can imagine. Start a group or ask if you can join a group.

Thank you to all in my weekly fellowship who will be reading this. It has been through your support and encouragement that I undertook this blogging adventure. Thanks for the joy and laughter you have brought to my life. Yes, Christians are allowed to have fun.

Voice of Truth - Pew Research Survey

Check this out. 57% of Evangelical Protestants believe there is more than one way to eternal life according to this survey by Pew Research Center.

Why is this the case? I believe there are many reasons. Too many churches aren't teaching the whole bible. There is a lot of feel good Gospel being preached. Churches are so sensitive to numbers building, they are preaching what draws people in. They can't preach on sin, it might scare somebody off. Jesus is no longer God, but an accessory to their lives. If they just add Jesus they can have their best life now. Unfortunately, their best life probably will be now. When they die it is going to get drastically worse, because they don't know the real Jesus.

I also think numbers in surveys such as this are misleading. Many people categorize themselves Christian, who are truly not. To believe there is more than one way, one must have serious flaws in their understanding of Jesus. Jesus clearly states that He is the way. He did not say that He was one of many ways.

The American church in general has become too influenced by our culture. Most Protestant churches are becoming more liberal by the day. Same sex marriage, female pastors and abortion are now acceptable because we don't want to offend anyone. Once they deny the bible in these areas, it becomes easier to deny it in other areas. The deity of Christ is usually the next thing questioned. Or they come up with these groups like the Jesus Seminar. The Jesus Seminar is a group of so-called biblical scholars, who go through the New Testament and vote if Jesus really said what the bible says. It is time the American church stops being influenced by our culture and starts influencing our culture. We are called to be salt and light. We have allowed our culture to put a basket over our lamp. It is time for us to remove the basket.

Lastly, I think churches have strayed from biblical discipleship and church discipline. We are not properly teaching believers biblical doctrine. We constantly keep them on milk and never move them towards meat. They are very comfortable with the milk. God may be pushing them towards meatier subjects, but the church is not stepping up to teach it. We also have church members openly living in sin and many churches no longer discipline them. I got married oddly enough as a result of church discipline. My wife and I as new unmarried believers were living together. Lovingly we were told if we were going to live together we needed to be married. We set a date and got married. We need to return to biblical church discipline. If it requires removing someone who is divisive and unrepentant we need to do so.

Titus 3:10-11 - Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 - I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

Church let's stop doing what is politically correct and start doing what is biblically correct. The church is not a social club. The church's main priority is to bring glory to God. Too many churches are bringing shame to His name. It is time to proclaim the truth, Jesus is the only way.

Voice of Truth - Repentance

Today I want to share what God has been placing on my heart this week. There are 3 groups at our church doing the Downpour study by James MacDonald. This weeks lesson is on repentance. Repentance is described in the study as recognition of sin for what it is, followed by heartfelt sorrow culminating in a change of behavior. God has placed many things on my heart as I have gone through this study. First, is my own need to repent of my sins and turn to God. Second, is to use this blog today to make a call to repentance. I was not sure exactly how to accomplish this. Yesterday, while doing the daily study, I felt led to call for a time of repentance on Sunday. I know there are people from several different churches who read this blog. I am asking for anyone who has a time of invitation, to come to the altar at that time to repent. I believe if we come to truly repent on Sunday, God is going to move in the hearts and minds of His people. It would be great to see the altar full of people repenting. Let me also add, there are many one another commands in the bible ( love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another...). You can't do any of these commands on your own. It requires at least one other person. If one of the sins you are repenting of was against another brother or sister, correct it on Sunday. Find that person and bring them to the altar with you. Share this with your Downpour classes, your Sunday school classes and anyone else you can think of. If we come in true repentance, maybe we will see a true downpour. I will give some verses on repentance because I like to always include scripture in these blogs.

Matthew 4:17, - 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Acts 17:30, - 30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

Acts 3:19, - 19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Pray for God to reveal any area in which you need to repent before Sunday. I will be at the altar. Hope to see you there.

Voice of Truth - Garden of Gethsemane

Hopefully today's blog will get some people thinking a little bit. The sermon at First Baptist Sunday touched a little bit on the Garden of Gethsemane. That is where I would like to go today. As I have studied these passages, my views have changed from what I have heard preached and have been taught. Let's look at the verses as they appear in Luke.

Luke 22:39-46, "39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,46 and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

In verse 42 Jesus prays "remove this cup from Me.". The question is, what is this cup? Most of the sermons I have heard in my life say that Jesus was referring to his upcoming torture and crucifixion. Was Jesus so worried about those things that He sweat blood? I think probably not. Throughout history, cases are recorded of Christian martyrs singing hymns and praising God while being martyred. Some of these were burned while tied up. Are they greater than our Lord Jesus? Definitely not. If these brave Christians endured with a smile on their faces, how could Jesus be so distressed that He sweat blood? Well I think the cup is of God's wrath. Let me explain what I mean. Jesus had spent every second, at that point, in complete union with God the Father. But the time was coming when He was to bear our sins. Jesus knew what was going to happen on the cross. As the weight of our sin was placed on Him, the Father could no longer look upon Him because of our sin.

Matthew 27:46, "46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

This is why Jesus was so distressed. The Father could no longer look at the Son, and He was to receive the wrath of God. This is gut wrenching for me to think about. The perfect communion between the Father and Son was severed, for just this brief moment in time, for my sins and yours. Jesus was so distressed that He asked the Father if there was anyway to remove this cup. But there was no other way. It took Jesus, fully man and fully God, to bear the wrath of the Father. He was the only spotless sacrifice. And here is the last thing that brought him distress.

Isaiah 53:10, "10 But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand."

Think about the first part of this verse. It pleased God to crush Him. Oh how much more this all means than physical beating and crucifixion. The father crushed His only begotten Son. The spiritual separation was unbearable for our Savior. All I can say is thank you Jesus. After what He did for us, how can we refuse to follow His lead in our lives? This is why every time I hear a preacher say Jesus was upset about the physical pain to come, I just sit back and think no my Savior is greater than that. The physical pain was great, but nothing compared to the wrath of the Father.

Voice of Truth - Marriage

I am going to be a little selfish today. I am actually writing this a day before you read it. Today, June 19th is my 4 year wedding anniversary. I want to use that to tie into what was preached at First Baptist on Sunday. He preached on divorce and how it is no worse a sin than any other. And not to let that sin keep someone from being remarried. This is my second marriage and I have been truly blessed this time around. I may not be saved at this point, if not for me finding my wife. If you are divorced and reading this, don't give up on marriage. God can use any situation for His glory. Even our sinful pasts, He can turn into something wonderful.

Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,"

This verse is used all the time, but we don't really think about it. I have not done a good job loving my wife, as Christ has loved the church. We need to show sacrificial love everyday, not just when we feel like it. Do we really sacrifice to show love to our wives? Sacrifice is not only the giving of our lives. Sacrifice is in every area of our lives. Christ did more for the church than I can ever do for my wife. But just like every other aspect of our lives, we must strive to become more like Him daily. Thanks for sharing a little into my life. And as I look back at the last 4 years, I know I can and need to do better. May Christ be an example for all of us.

Voice of Truth - Seeker Friendly

I want to look at a term that has been used a lot lately. Seeker friendly church is a term used to describe a church that includes many different things to draw people in. Some things include: bookstores, food courts, bowling alleys, Starbucks and the list goes on and on. The idea is to get people to church and then maybe they will hear the gospel and turn to God. Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church was one of leaders who started this movement. He now admits this approach is not working as well as he thought. It has worked great at drawing huge numbers to church. But they are not reaching the lost. What does the Bible say about this?

Romans 3:10-11, "10as it is written,
THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;"

Most of us are familiar with verse 10. Verse 11 says there is none who seeks for God. These churches are bringing people in, but the problem is God is not drawing them. As a result, they don't understand the gospel even if they hear it. If no one seeks for God, how does anyone come to know Christ?

John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

The Father draws us to Him. This is not a popular position and many will probably disagree with it. That is okay. Many take credit for their choice to follow God. In my opinion that lessens the grace of God. It becomes something you did, and not something that God has done in you. If not for the work God did in me, I would have never realized my sins. I would still be lost in my sins. It truly makes me more thankful to God to know He drew me. It also makes me want to serve Him more.

What does this mean for our churches? We need to worry less about programs and amenities. We need to focus more on reaching those God is drawing. We need to find where God is working and join Him there. The best place to reach those people is not in our church building, but out in the world where they live. Let's be churches who are known for our love of Christ, not by the programs we offer.

Voice of Truth - California

Romans 1:24-27, "24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

Well these verses are ringing true in California. On Monday, same sex marriage became legal in California. There still is the possibility that this can be changed. Voters in California will have a chance to vote on the issue. Let's start praying now that the voters will change this ruling made by the courts. It may not seem important in our area, because it is so far away. However, the California ruling is different than the Massachusetts ruling. In Massachusetts you must be a resident of that state in order to get married there. In California they are letting anyone from any state get married there. So now, a same sex couple from Indiana can get married in California. They then can come back home and sue the State of Indiana to have there marriage recognized here. If this ruling holds up, we will begin to see lawsuits all over the country. Christians have jumped into this battle a little late. We must address this issue. And we must do it with love.

Voice of Truth - Leaving A Church

I was reading an article yesterday by Gail B. Houston in Focus On The Family magazine. The article is about switching churches. I thought it was an interesting article. Today it seems like Christians are changing churches at an unprecedented rate. And current polling shows that is the case. Here is 4 poor reasons she gave that people use for leaving a church;

Things in the church are changing, and I don’t like it. Your pastors recognize that the world and the church globally are changing, and they want to stay relevant. As your church adapts, it is critical to realize what is biblical and what is cultural. Your pastors feel they can give on some cultural issues, but they also believe in holding the line on fundamentals.

I don’t like the music anymore. Drums and electric guitars moved into spaces where pianos and organs traditionally ruled. A good way to look at this issue is to realize that, in a church of 400 people, if you have the music the way you want it on one Sunday every 7.7 years, then you have had your turn. Let others enjoy their turn as well. Music style should never be more important than relationships.

An unresolved difference of opinion or hurt feelings. The church is a living parable on forgiveness, mercy and grace for a watching world. How we treat one another speaks loudly. The Bible is clear on dealing with problems: Go first to the person with whom you have the problem and try to resolve it for your own good, his good and the good of the church.

Another church has more to offer me and my family. If your church is lacking in an area, pray to be able to fill the space or for God to send someone who is able. Make the shift from consumer to producer.

To me it looks like all 4 reasons come back to self-centeredness. It seems that the me, me, me attitude of our culture has crept into the church. I will leave you with these verses from Colossians to think about. I think these verses should speak for themselves.

Colossians 3:12-14 - " 12 Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must [forgive]. 14 Above all, [put on] love—the perfect bond of unity."

Voice of Truth - Propitiation

Propitiation, what is it? First, here are some verses.

Romans 3:25
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

1 John 2:2
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Propitiation involves appeasing the wrath of God on an offending person and being reconciled to God. Some translations have replaced this word with other easier to read words. I don't think any other words can take the place of propitiation. Propitiation always refers to the work of God, not human made sacrifices. Romans 3:25 is the meat of the Gospel. Paul had previously told us we are all under the condemnation of God. And that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Then he tells us God has provided a propitiation, the blood of His Son on a cross. What a wonderful picture that is. He provided what human works and animal sacrifices never could. It is against God's nature to justify the wicked. We are all wicked, so God could not justify us. We all deserve hell. He sent a propitiation to save us. Jesus was the only way. This is the power of the Gospel, if we truly understand propitiation. And oh how much more we should worship and praise our Lord and Savior.

Voice of Truth - Johnny Hunt

Yesterday, Johnny Hunt was elected new Southern Baptist Convention President. Here is a recap of his first press conference as posted on Baptist Press.

Incoming SBC President Johnny Hunt concluded his first press conference during the dinner break. Following is a sample of what he said:

"We believe that there's a need for a radical change and radical leadership to turn the tide in our denomination. ... We've been declining as a denomination. You can't turn something around until you stop the tide in the direction it's going.

Hunt said one of his goals is "being able to inspire the younger generation that's coming behind me to buy in and then step up to the plate and support" the SBC.

"... I've had the opportunity to lead every church I've been in through transition to become a growing church. It would be my heart through the times that I can address our denomination ... to lead them and encourage them to ... embrace God's heart for the nations."

"... Instead of just constantly saying, 'Give to the Cooperative Program' or 'Tithe to the Cooperative Program,' I think what we need to do is show -- especially the generation behind us -- all that the Cooperative Program is doing, and spend more time showing what's happening overseas, showing who's being helped, showing who's being cared for. (People then will say), 'I want to give more to that source.'"

I am glad to hear many of his comments. The number of church members between 20 and 39 is very low. With men in that age range being even worse. This is true of most conservative, bible believing churches. Conservative Christianity is boring to most young men. I will admit I could not get excited about Christianity for at least a year after I was saved. Guys do not want to come to church and sing about love all the time. Unfortunately, the churches drawing young men today have strayed from the bible to do so. How do we reach young men? Not through marketing like many churches, some in our town, are doing. Two things I see and experienced that work; missions and evangelism. It wasn't until I went on a disaster relief mission trip, that I became fully engaged with being Christian. Men need action and a sense of accomplishment. What a feeling it was when I realized I could help clean up flooded homes and witness at the same time. We need to get men involved in these activities. What an opportunity we are missing right now, with so many flooded out in our state. God gave us a mission field in our back yards, but we are unprepared to harvest the field. Johnny Hunt has been strong in these areas. Let's pray for his leadership and for us to be willing to follow his lead.

Voice of Truth - Prayer

It has been a busy time for me lately. I have noticed when I am busy, I come up with a bunch of people and things to pray for. I have noticed my prayers becoming God I need this and God help out in this area. We are supposed to bring our prayers before God. Although, God is not our personal prayer ATM. "If I put in a few good works or acts of service, God should answer my prayers as I see fit". This is not how it works. Going through the Downpour study has made me look at God's holiness in a new way. This has made me think about my prayers in a new way. When was the last time you came to God in prayer and asked for nothing? When was the last time you came to God only proclaiming His holiness? It has been a long time for me.

Isaiah 6:3 - "And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.""

Psalm 29:2 - "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array."

Psalm 96:9 - "Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth."

Revelation 15:4 - "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."

This is just a tiny number of verses describing God's holiness. Take the time to look some of them up. I am going to set some time aside today just to honor God in prayer. I will not use any of this time to ask for anything. Will you make the same commitment?

Voice of Truth - Fruit of the Spirit

I was thinking yesterday about what my life should exemplify. I began reading in Galatians and I discovered some things.

Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."

I began to try to determine if I was walking by the Spirit. I knew the Holy Spirit was in me and guiding me. But was I truly following that guidance? What should my life look like if I was truly walking by the Spirit?

Galatians 5:19-21, "19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

After first reading this, I was somewhat confused. Was it saying that someone who commits these sins is lost? I knew that could not be right, because those born again still have sin in their lives. So I did some studying of the Greek, and found out the tense of the verb indicates a continual action. So this is referring to habitual sin in these areas. Those who still have habitual sins in these areas, plus many other areas, don't have the Spirit in them.

Galatians 5:22-26, "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires .25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another."

This is where it hits hard for me. Notice that fruit is used in the singular. This means we are to have all of these attributes, not just a few of them. Unlike the spiritual gifts we receive, where people are gifted in different areas. Every Christian should exemplify all attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. This was the ouch moment for me. This is where I realized I have some work to do. Do I show love to the person who does me wrong? Do I show joy at work, when I don't want to be there? Do I have patience with my kids in public? Do the lost see these things in me on a daily basis? These are just some of the things I asked myself. Now I ask you. Are you exemplifying the fruit of the Spirit?

Voice of Truth - Oprah

I was asked last week by e-mail to share my thoughts on Oprah. First let's look at few comments from one of her shows. During the show Oprah related, "I was raised a Baptist and we were too hung up on traditional ways. I was sitting in church and heard that God is a jealous God. I asked 'Why?' Come on-let's get over it!". With that being said take a look at Deuteronomy 4:23-24, "23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything He has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.". Oprah asked 'Why?', well because the Bible says so Oprah. Once you believe the Bible is something to get over, truth becomes subjective to your opinions.

She goes on to say, "One of the most important books I've read is Eric Buttterworth's Discover the Power Within You. In it he said "Jesus did not come to teach us how divine He was but to teach that divinity was within us." Later she said that "It (claiming exclusive Divinity) would make Jesus the biggest egotist that ever lived.". I don't even know where to begin with those statements. Most importantly I would say, if Jesus is not divine we are all going to hell. If He was not divine, then His dying on the cross was not enough to atone for our sins. Let's look at why He really came in John 6:38, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me.". What was the will of Him who sent Jesus? Look at 1 John 4:14, "We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.".

She also cut off a female audience member who said Jesus is the only way. Oprah responded, "Jesus can't possibly be the only way.". I think John 14:6 speaks for itself, "Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.".

It is sad how far she has fallen. As a child she was nicknamed "the preacher", because of the great number of bible verses she could recite. That goes to show it takes more than memorizing verses. We must also learn the truth of those verses. Oprah has teamed up with Eckhart Tolle, author of the book A New Earth. This book is on all the best seller lists. It is now become it's own religion. Oprah and Eckhart have online courses that people are flocking to. What they do is read into scripture what is not there. They turn Jesus into a new age guru. They are definitely leading people to the broad gate. What they are teaching is leading people to hell. Our country has become a country that worships at the alter of celebrity. We need to pray for these people.

Lord, I pray that you would turn Oprah from her false teachings. She has great influence that could be used for Your glory. Lord I pray that you remove the blindfold from the eyes of those following her. That they would move from the darkness to the Light. And if anyone who reads this that has been deceived by her teachings, you would convict their hearts. Lord I also ask that you give us discernment to recognize false teachings when we hear them. In Jesus name, Who is the only way, I pray. Amen

Voice of Truth - Comfortable Christians

Have we become comfortable Christians? We live in a country blessed with prosperity. Let's look at some facts. 19,000 people die every day of hunger, while we feed our animals better meals than most of these people eat. 1 million people die from malaria each year, when all it would take is a mosquito net to save many of them. Over 55,000 Christians are martyred each year for professing Jesus, while we make excuses as to why we can't even make church on Sunday. People are dying around us daily who are lost for eternity, while we have the Word of eternal life and do nothing with it. The family and marriage is being attacked, while Christians stand quietly and say nothing. What should we do?

Hebrews 13:11-13, "11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy of holies by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. 13 Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace."

It is time to go outside our church walls. It is time to go where the need is. It is time for us to meet Jesus outside of our church walls. Jesus is with the drunks, the addicts and the criminals. Jesus is where things are dirty and ugly. We need to meet Him there. Most people are not going to come to a church looking for Jesus. We have to go to the people and introduce them to Him. Are you ready to get your hands dirty? Are you ready to risk everything for Jesus? Or are you happy being comfortable?