Saturday, July 6, 2013
Planned Parenthood reports record year for abortions
In its latest annual report for fiscal year 2011 to 2012, Planned Parenthood reveals that it performed 333,964 abortions in 2011 – a record year for the organization.
According to annual reports, the organization performed 332,278 abortions in 2009, 329,445 in 2010, making the total number of abortions in three years to 995,687.
Planned Parenthood reported receiving a record $542 million in taxpayer funding, according to a Susan B. Anthony List analysis of the report, in the form of government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements. The amount is 45 percent of Planned Parenthood’s annual revenue.
“While government subsidies to Planned Parenthood have reached an all time high, so too has the number of lives ended by this profit-driven abortion business,” SBA List’s President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “Destroying nearly one million children in three years is not health care and does not reflect a concern for vulnerable women and girls.”
Contraceptive services at Planned Parenthood have dropped by 12 percent since 2009, and cancer screening & prevention services have dropped by 29 percent.
Presidential Tweet Morality
Presidential Tweet Morality – James White
James White reflects on President Barack Obama’s “#LoveIsLove” tweet and what it means concerning where we are as a nation in light of God’s word:
I guess we live in a day when ethics and morality are discussed in 140 character snippets. Fitting, for the level of dialogue.
I should not be shocked that those who think that man is nothing more than the random chance accident of cosmic forces, the result of atoms bouncing off one another in a cosmic soup of chaos, do not exhibit a deep interest in transcendent meaning or life-guiding morality. If you are not created, you are your own creator; if you are your own creator, you get to decide what is right, what is wrong, what has meaning, what does not. Who cares about those who came before you? They were not as technologically advanced as you anyway, right? Can anyone who lived their lives without even touching an iPad really have any insight into life?
Good News For Gays
Good News For Gays – Our Condition, What Is Love? & What About My Feelings?
Posted by Jason Delgado on Jul 1, 2013Reforming Baptist blog with a timely post that addresses three main points:
1. We are all sexually broken
…how do you argue from a book that these people don’t think is authoritative? How do you show them that their sexual preference is sinful and unnatural? First of all, the Spirit of God has to convince them of that, second of all, you need to frame the context in the gospel because it’s the power of God unto salvation. Quoting verses isn’t good enough, you need to give them the good news while you explain to them their own brokenness. Yes, the gospel has the power to save people from homosexuality, even if it doesn’t completely eradicate their same sex attraction.
2. What is love?
If love is a human right, then who granted that right? Rights are derived from someone or something with greater authority than the one with the right. Who or what is greater than humanity that has granted that right? If you’re honest with yourself, either all the talk about rights, love and marriage are totally meaningless or they get their meaning from God. 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
Love is an attribute of God and therefore it finds its significance and rightful expressions as God dictates and demonstrates. God says of love that it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth (I Cor. 13:6). Jesus said that God’s Word is the truth (John 17:17). So, to say that you “love” someone of the same sex in a sexual way is not love as God defines it. It is a distortion of love.
3. What about my feelings?
What you practice reveals what controls you and who is your Master.
But the gay person might say: “I’m gay, I cant help it, I’m born that way!”
Our response should be: “I know, but you can be born again a different way!”
We were all “born that way” as Lady Gaga sings.She’s part right and yet tragically wrong. She doesn’t take into account of the fall and its effects and certainly offers no hope of salvation except to just embrace one’s fallen condition as the way God made us – which is a lie.
But the gay person might say: “I’m gay, I cant help it, I’m born that way!”
Our response should be: “I know, but you can be born again a different way!”
We were all “born that way” as Lady Gaga sings.She’s part right and yet tragically wrong. She doesn’t take into account of the fall and its effects and certainly offers no hope of salvation except to just embrace one’s fallen condition as the way God made us – which is a lie.
A Prayer for Pilgrims based off Pilgrim's Progress
A Prayer for Pilgrims
"As I walked through the wilderness of this world,
I lighted on a certain place where was a den ..." (John Bunyan)
A Burdened Sinner
1. Lord, we pray for those now burdened
'Neath the weight and guilt of sin,
Those who read Your Word and tremble
As conviction grows within.
Father, help us point to Jesus,
Those who flee the coming wrath,
That they find the gate and entrance
To the cross, Salvation's path.
The Slough of Despond
2. Lord, we pray for those now sinking,
Doubting in the mire of sin,
Though alone they vainly struggle,
Help can bring them out again.
Father, send Your precious Spirit,
Lift them up on solid ground,
Point them to each Gospel promise
That their hope may soon abound.
Worldly Wiseman
3. Lord, we pray for those misguided,
Who have wandered from the path,
Led astray by Worldly Wisdom,
Now in danger of Your wrath.
Father, help us go and point them
Once again to seek the cross.
With rebuke and firm correction,
Pull them from Destruction's loss.
The Wicket-Gate
4. Lord, we pray for those now knocking,
Searching for relief from sin,
May Good-Will meet them with favor
As they seek to enter in.
Father, pull them inside quickly,
Lest the Devil's arrows kill.
Fence them round with Your salvation
As they go to Calv'ry's Hill.
The House of the Interpreter
5. Lord, we pray for those inquiring
At the House of Your blest Word,
Take them through each room and teach them
Then apply what they have heard.
Father, send Interpretation,
By Your Spirit make them wise.
Brightly shine illumination
On the truth before their eyes.
The Cross
6. Lord, we pray for those now standing
Near the cross and empty grave.
Lord, again show forth Your mercy,
Graciously reach down to save.
Father, loose from them their burden,
Take the guilt and curse of sin,
May it fall and roll and tumble
Never to be seen again.
The Hill Difficulty
7. Lord, we pray for those now climbing
Difficulty's steep ascent.
Help them overcome each struggle,
Though their strength be nearly spent.
Father, help them not to cower,
Veering to the left or right;
Strengthen them to face each trial
Pressing forward to the height.
The Pleasant Arbour
8. Lord, we pray please, keep us watchful
In Your Arbour as we rest;
Lest the Roll of Your assurance
For a time fall from our breast.
Father, come and keep us wakeful,
Wipe the dulling sleep away;
Lest the night soon overtake us,
Let us journey while it's day.
House Beautiful
9. Lord, please guide each wand'ring Pilgrim
Often to Your place of rest;
Bring them to Your House of Beauty,
There, their souls refresh and bless.
Father, may they find instruction,
Pleasant discourse of Your grace.
Fit them with Your Spiritual Armor
For the battles they must face.
The Valley of Humiliation and
10. Lord, we pray for those descending
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
Into Valleys deep and dark;
Light their pathway, Guide their footsteps,
Give them courage to embark.
Father, as they fight the battle,
Facing Satan, fear, and sin;
Help them, Lord, to rise when fallen,
By Your grace the vict'ry win.
Vanity Fair
11. Lord, we pray for those now passing
Vanity's alluring Fair.
Keep them from the world's temptations;
Sanctify them as they're there.
Father, help them to be Faithful,
Though the world would make them bend,
Pressured hard by persecution;
Keep them safe until the end.
Doubting Castle
12. Lord, we pray for those imprisoned
By Despair, who lie in grief;
Locked in Doubting Castle's dungeon,
Stripped of hope and its relief.
Father help them to remember
In Your promise is the key;
Now unlock the door that bars them,
In the Gospel, set them free.
The Delectable Mountains
13. Lord, we thank You for the Mountains
Where You bring Your flocks to feed;
Guided by Your watchful Shepherds,
We find truth for every need.
Father, give us words of Caution,
Help us see Immanuel's Land,
Keep us from the cliffs of Error,
Make us on good ground to stand.
The Flatterer and
14. Lord, we pray please teach Your trav'lers
Enchanted Ground
Of the Flatterer to beware,
Set them free and then chastise them
If they fall into his snare.
Father, help them not grow drowsy
As they cross Enchanted Ground;
Stir their souls with lively discourse
Of the precious grace they've found.
The River
15. Lord, we pray for those now crossing
Through the River, death's cold tide.
Help them through its flowing current,
Bring them safe on Canaan's side.
Father, send Your hosts to greet them,
Bear them up before Your throne,
Sound the trump of celebration,
One more Pilgrim has come home.
The Gate to the Celestial City
16. Lord, we pray for ev'ry Pilgrim,
Final entrance we'll not miss;
For beside the Gates to Heaven
Lies a way to the Abyss.
Father, fit us for Your kingdom,
From the greatest to the least,
Clothe us in Your righteous garments
For the coming wedding feast.
WORDS: Ken Puls, June 4, 1993
MUSIC: Ken Puls, June 4, 1993
TUNE: BEDFORD'S JAIL (8.7.8.7.D.)
THEME:
Prayer of Intercession for those on the Christian journey
This hymn is a prayer of intercession for those who are at different stages and places in the Christian journey, based on Part 1 of John Bunyan's allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress. The tune is named BEDFORD'S JAIL after the prison in which Bunyan wrote his classic work.
Words and Music ©1998 Kenneth A Puls
Friday, July 5, 2013
Have you ever wandered about the greatest of the early Churches of Christ
The History of the Church of Ephesus in Time-Lapse Photography
byAllen Webster
Modern photography is amazing. With one lens, a photographer can zoom in on an object far and make it appear near. Then he can put on a wide-angle lens and get the big picture from close-up.
Time-lapse photography is one of the most interesting methods. Every night, the weatherman shows how clouds advanced over our area with satellite pictures. Though seeming to be in continuous motion, they are actually taken by time-lapse every half-hour or so and placed in sequence. You may have seen a flower photographed in this way and made to appear to sprout before your very eyes. If one had watched constantly, the changes were taking place so slowly that they would not have been noticeable.
What about applying time-lapse to history? Let's look at the church of Christ at Ephesus.
PICTURE #1: SPROUTING - A.D. 52.
On Paul's second mission tour, he visited Ephesus after leaving Corinth, and evidently planted the church there (Acts 18:19). Ephesus means desirable, and in many ways it was a desirable place to live. It was thought to have been founded by the Amazons about 2000 B.C. and was located in west Asia Minor, near the sea. This first glimpse is of sprouts just cracking open the ground.PICTURE #2: WEEDING - A.D. 54-56.
On the third preaching journey, Paul spent between two and three years teaching in the city (Acts 19:8-10). He spent his time weeding out false doctrines and pagan practices. Ephesus derived its greatness from two sources, commercial trade and religion. During the Roman Period it was a center for the mother goddess worship, known to the Greeks as Artemis and to the Romans as Diana. Diana is a beautiful name, and one might suppose that Diana would be a beautiful goddess. To the contrary, Diana of the Ephesians was a short, squat, repulsive-looking character covered with many breasts which emphasized fertility. It was believed by the superstitious Ephesians that Diana fell down from heaven. The magnificent temple of Diana took more than a century to construct. It was built about 400 B. C. and burned the night Alexander the Great was born. Immediately rebuilt, it could accommodate 24,500 persons and is reckoned as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Worship in the Temple was comprised of the burning of incense and the playing of flute music as a result of which the people reached an emotional frenzy in which shameless sexual orgies were engaged (Marlin). These immoral practices of the priestesses and the merchants hawking silver shrines made it a difficult place to preach the Gospel. Nonetheless, this teaching in the school of Tyrannus was so successful that those who practiced magical arts brought their books and burned them (valued at 50,000 pieces of silver) (Acts 19:18-20). The sale of silver shrines began to fall off, and the silversmiths caused uproar (Acts 19:26-41). After this was settled Paul left for Macedonia. It was during this stay that he wrote 1 Corinthians. It is now a well-groomed garden - the church even has elders.PICTURE #3: NURTURING - A.D. 57.
Paul stopped on the nearby island of Miletus and made his farewell address to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20). Their mutual love is evident as these tenderhearted men weep because they will see Paul's face no more. Their desire to depart with prayer gives evidence of their spirituality. The picture now is of a church that has been carefully nurtured to the point of strong health.PICTURE #4: WATERING - A.D. 62.
About a decade after the church had been started, Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesians commending their faith and love. A careful reading of this epistle shows that they had done well. They appeared well organized and busy. During these early years they had been growing, expanding and doing the will of God. He commends their sincerity (Ephesians 6:24). Teaching is to Christians what watering is to plants - necessary and strengthening (1 Corinthians 3:6). Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3-4), Acquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:25), and Apollos had all spent time watering the Ephesian church. It should have been one of the most thoroughly instructed of all the first-century congregations. The picture now is a well-watered and self-sufficient church.PICTURE #5: PRODUCING - A.D. 66.
A few years later, in all probability very soon after the beginning of the Jewish war, tradition says that the city became the home of the Apostle John. This may or may not be true, but circumstances make it possible, if not probable. He was supposed to have taken Mary, the mother of Jesus, there to live (cf. John 19:26-27). This picture is of a church faithfully serving their Lord and producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-23; John 15:1-3).PICTURE #6: WILTING - A.D. 96.
It was probably during the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) that John was banished to Patmos. He was released and died during the reign of Trajan according to Iraneus (an early church historian). Tradition relates that at a very old age John, too feeble to walk, would be carried into this church's assembly and would admonish the members, little children, love one another. During this period the Lord gives His assessment of the Ephesian church through the apostle John (Revelation 2:1-7). He compliments them on their works, but has found a disease in the plant. They have left their first love (Revelation 2:4). He commands immediate action - repent, remember, repeat (the first works) (Revelation 2:5).PICTURE #7: DEAD - A.D. 200.
We have no way of knowing whether they corrected their problem and later were poisoned by some false doctrine, but, sadly, the church died sometime during the second century. It evidently passed into apostasy as it is known in later centuries as a leading city for the councils of the early Roman church. The picture now is of a dead plant, brown and dried up.Time-lapse photography is interesting. What if the church where we attend had been historically photographed? At which stage would we now be? The ending does not have to be a sad one, the Lord's vineyard need never die. He will come one day and transplant His faithful vineyards over in the land when the tree of life and the Rose of Sharon continually bloom.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Hebrew Roots movement...the Judaizer Heresy for kids!
I was asked to briefly describe the Hebrew Roots movement (which is big in my birthplace of St Louis)...and I said, "Well its the Judaizer Heresy from Galatians chapter 1, but dumb-ed down for youth group kids that don't know their Bibles well enough to know the difference between Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy."
More simply, if the Hebrew Roots movement was correct in their beliefs (covenant faithfulness, obedience to the OT Law, following Jewish feast days and festivals, rejection of Christmas and Easter that honor and worship Christ, and the rejection of the Trinity - oh, yeah they don't believe Jesus is Yahweh) then that means God gave you the Law, knowing you couldn't keep it and instead of Jesus fulfilling the Law for you and you being saved by His righteousness - like Christianity teaches - then you get to burn in Hell forever because you are not Holy, Blameless, or Perfect like the LAW demands that you have to be. But don't worry all of your Hebrew Roots friends will be in Hell with you to keep you company.
Gentile (or goyim) never, ever, ever meant - "those outside of the covenant," buy a Hebrew dictionary, heretics, before its too late.
You are not a "10 tribe Northern Israelite" (moron!) get blood work done your not even Jewish, also Ephraim is just 1 of the 10 tribes of the North, he is not the epitome of the whole of the 10 tribes.
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