American Christmas

American Christmas was at my house this year.

We intentionally kept this day as an American Christmas not about the birth of Christ, but as an American celebration, much like the 4^th of July. We had a Christmas tree, and lights, no manger scene though or anything to confuse this twisted and humanistic holiday filled with myths, with Christs true history and purpose.

With the exception of praising God for our meals, this holiday was a success.

We opened presents, ate dinner, and had a great time playing with kids and grand kids.

Now some may ask... “What was he doing?”

And I'll respond that... I was separating a time that many mix, blend, and loose sight of what they “claim” is important to them.

Yes, I have heard many in the church claim that Christ is of utmost importance during American Christmas, and have been to their houses and seen that Yes they truly do have a manger scene in their front lawn or house. But they also have the cultic things dabbled there also such as a Tree, lights, Angels (blue-eyed blonde haired and female), Reindeer, Santa, Elves, etc...

If you think this a small matter, I believe you are mistaken.

If you think I am getting legalistic, you are wrong.

This reminds me of how Israel used to worship the Lord, and in the same day also worship Baal and the other gods in the high places.

Can a Christian celebrate Christs birth on Christmas and keep it biblical?

Yes, definably.

But even if it is, and parents are teaching their kids the biblical perspective on this day, they still see the advertizing, the branding of Santa, and all the Myths, side by side with Jesus, and it looks like Jesus is competing with Santa.

And if you give gifts to the kids for Christmas, you are confusing them again with American Christmas and NOT the birth of Christ. What does giving of physical gifts have to do with the Birth of Christ? Nothing, but it has everything to do with either Santa, or the American version of a Nativity where 3 Kings gave the baby Jesus gifts.

But although there were 3 gifts given, it is an American assumption that there were 3 wise-men, and it was NOT on the night Jesus was born, nor was there an in-keeper mentioned...

Small beans some may say, but is it that most professing Christians, do not know these simple things, they rather believe a “holly-wooded” version. Why not the truth?

Well that brings me to mention that although we celebrated an American Christmas, we here at the Adams household will be celebrating “Christs Birth” in January.

We will be having a day of Readings, Singing Praises, Praying, a Chronological explanation of what the Bible states about Jesus birth and youth, and a feast to celebrate the reminder of Christs birth.

There will be NO confusion involving gift giving, holiday lights, mythical characters etc... Just a biblical celebration.

It is NOT for us to say...

Back and forth it seems to go...
Over and over people declare other people saved...
Last week it was on Jeremy Camps Facebook page...
Claimed 12,000 were saved at concert...
Another friend claims a 4 yo is saved...

Men don't declare men saved!!!
That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

What harm is there in it?
Click on the link below and see... in the 1st sentence the word "saved" is used.

South Carolina Preacher Charged With Kidnapping, Rape

Here is a hypothetical scenerio...

Suppose a professing Christian (Pastor or Layman makes no difference in this) who it is noted that they have been seen coming out of a strip bar, more than once and stops by the liquor bar many times...
Suppose that someone says that they have suspicions about his salvation...
And that the Church should confront him on this...

The typical response will be, you cannot say that he is not saved.
He prayed the sinners prayer several years ago at the revival, and if he said the prayer then he is saved, he is just carnal.

But notice, They tell you that you do not have authority to say that someone is unsaved, but they claim authority to declare them saved themselves, setting up a double standard.

I heard a famous preacher say...

I heard a famous preacher say...

“You came here tonight and the Lord is merciful. He will forgive your sins tonight – He will forgive your past sins, your sins of today, and your sins for tomorrow.'

I thought, isn't that nice?

Can you imagine going up to a judge and the judge says, “You've been charged with stealing a lady's purse, did you steal it?”

“Yes,” replies the man, .”It had $100 in it.”

“Are you sorry?” the judge asks.

“Yes I'm sorry,” answers the man.

“Well,” the judge says, “You're forgiven. I forgive you for all the purses you've stolen in the past... all you've stolen today and all the purses you'll steal the rest of your life.”

Wouldn't that be insane?  - - Leonard Ravenhill - -

Why wait???

Why would one in their thinking want to wait until they die to accept Christ.
Why would they want to forfeit all those previous years of blessings from Christ?

Weighed in the balances and found wanting...

I posted a quote on my facebook :

Christianity has not been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
It's being tried, found difficult, and rejected! - - Leonard Ravenhill - -

 And I had a friend reply:
"thats because many christians don't obey jesus two most important commandments "love God and each other..." maybe if we Christians actually obeyed his commandments to love instead of judging everyone elses life people might want to join us instead of reject us."

So I replied back:
" Perhaps I should have posted a more complete quote.
It was:
“Before Elijah called down the fire, he rebuilt the old altar.
We don’t want to go back to old altars, to old vows, to old commitments.
We always try to make new things.
...God knows they’ll be brought down in a few weeks!
Christianity has not been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
It’s being tried, found difficult, and rejected!
It’s too tough.
There’s no part-time service.
“Leave all and follow me.”

(By the way, those 2 commandments are a summary of the 10 commandments, in obeying the 10 commandments we will Love God and each other)
People who don't obey Jesus two most important commandments "love God and each other..." are just demonstrating that they are not followers of Christ (Christians), if they follow Christ, than they will be obeying, and striving to obey each time that mis-step. It is a visible condition of the type of fruit that are bearing if any.

And yes that is a judgment.
And yes it is biblical to judge. But Jesus warns as you judge, judge yourself first, if you are also producing bad fruit, then don't point out others bad fruit. But Jesus does continue in the same statement: “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:5 ESV)

Jesus is not denying that your Brother has a speck, or that it does need to be taken out, nor that in order to do this, you must first judge if what you are seeing is a speck in the first place.

“Judge not” is one of the most mis-quoted and mis-understood verses.
Because it is almost always, as close as 100% as you can get, quoted in part, and NOT in whole, therefore it is ripped out of context and bent like a train wreck.

However, when, and I say when and not if, because I believe most forget, or disregard, or just ignore to look at ourselves first, and therefore make hypocritical judgments, and when the world sees hypocritical judgments they see hypocrites, and want nothing to do with hypocrites.

But a SECOND POINT that nullifies the Arminian assertion you made, “people might want to join us instead of reject us” is that even though one may make a “righteous judgment” the world, because of their love of their sins, will deem the righteous judgment as hypocritical!

The devil provides millions of paths to detour people from the truth. It really does not matter if they see hypocrites in the church or not, they will have a thousand other “rabbit trail” excuses, such as “I don't have time” or “I went when I was a kid, I don't need to go as an adult” or “all they want is money” or “they are too goody-2 shoes” etc...

Interestingly enough, I have heard many use something like the “they are too goody-2 shoes” type of excuse, indicating that they love their sins, they know their love of adultery (pornography or current living with their boy/girl friend will judge them to be the hypocrites), booze, lying etc...

Many do not see the hypocrisy within the church, but they have seen, people who go to church, perhaps a relative, friend, or co-worker, living righteously. They see also that when they got out to party, that these people living righteously decline to party, and they get jealous and instead of admitting that their christian friend is just living what he/she believes, they slam it and start with the “bible-thumper” name calling.

In conclusion, what many see are not “true Christians” but they see the many “rocky ground” hearers and the “tares among the wheat” hearers calling themselves Christians, but when they do see the “good soil” hearers, they still reject the Gospel and want nothing to do with Christ.

Unfortunately most of the churches in America have created the perfect “thorny ground” and are calling it and all in it wheat, when it is not the case. They use many carnal means to gather to themselves a big harvest and hope that when it goes to market, there will be ignorance and tares will pass as wheat or bad fish will not smell and will pass as good fish.

The church that the world wants to join is the carnal church that accepts them and their sins, and will not read the demands that Christ makes.

That is what they find difficult and reject. They want their ears scratched, so they look for a “scratching church” and there are many of those. But the church has no business to scratch itching ears, it has a responsibility point out that what tickles their ears, is evil, and that they are commanded to repent and to obey. And that is what they do not want and why they do not want to join a “real church”.

Then the friend replied that "no one obeys Christ"

To which I responded:
That could get technical...
But when one is regenerated (born-again) they do obey Christ!
Do they obey perfectly? No.
But a christian if, ... if they are truly regenerated, does indeed have a new nature, a new desire, one that follows Christ.

Does that nature struggle with the flesh and sin...?
Yes.
But if... if they are one of Christ's sheep, then they can only stray as far as He allows and He (the good Sheppard) will come for us and put us back on his path, in His pasture.

The Church in America...

The Church in America has never had more equipment as it does today...
And yet it never had less power as it does today.

Reversed (Regenerated)

Can it be true?

Earthquake

Begging for Christ or Twisting for cash.

I was stopped at an intersection a few hours ago, and behold... hear he came with bucket in hand and a big smile on his face. He said something to the effect "want to help our Christian cause?"

To which I replied, "You know as Christians we should be giving TO the community rather than taking FROM it." To which he replied that they were giving to the community, helping drug addicts and such.

As I attempted to ask another question, he started rattling off some bible verses, and ended with (Matthew 9:37 ESV) “... The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; "


Which I responded to him that that verse in Matthew is NOT referring to getting a harvest of money for the poor, which he had just said it did. I told him that the passage was referring to the harvesting of souls, which he declined. He was convinced that it was a verse to use to beg for money.

I told him that they were twisting Scripture as I drove away (green light).

This is so typical of American, moralistic Christianity.
I sincerely wonder that if they are twisting the Scriptures so... then just how much of a non - gospel are their recipients getting?

Removal of Commandments... How ironic !!!

Remove the "10 Commandments"!!! I read about it all the time - From secularists & Christians. *** But what the secularists have done - the Christians have done to doctrines, Same arguments, Same results....

Remove the "10 Commandments"!!! I read about it all the time - From secularists & Christians...
I get emails and see articles all the time,from "concerned Christians" who oppose the taking down of the 10 Commandments in government buildings and schools.

And I hear from them about things like just how bad society is because of it, and see their statistics, their analogies of how crime is out of control, how kids have no respect for the law, etc...

Yet how ironic...
Most Churches never have a sermon series on the 10 Commandments.
To most Churches, all but the current one I am going to, the 10 Commandments are a Sunday school subject for children.

In fact, out of thousands of "Christians" I have met over the last 5 years of evangelizing, only 2 have known all 10. And they were not Pastors, and I have witnessed to many "Pastors" on the streets. I literally made a T-Shirt that offered people $20.00 if they could name them. I have never had to pay the $20.00 even once... But with the T-Shirt did get the opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

But oh, how they will fight, rant, and carry on for the right to have on display 10 of something they do not know themselves, but is more of a right to display a tradition, as opposed to displaying what is in their hearts.

Which brings us to not only do many, many Pastors and professing Christians not know the 10 Commandments, but they do not want to teach or talk about them.
Why?
Because, they are a path to Doctrines... That almost forbidden word, just as the Commandments are made forbidden in secular society, Christians have made Doctrines to be as irrelevant to Christianity as the 10 Commandments are to the separation of Church and State.

How ironic that as many can see and point to the loss of the 10 Commandments to being a detrement on society and having people fall away from being law abiding citizens... They cannot see that loss of doctrines has brought about a Church in America that has fallen away from being one of biblical believers, to one of universalism.

And I can tell you that universalism is big time in "Christian churches".

Their excuse is that doctrines divide, and we don;t want to exclude anybody.
Which is completely diametrically opposed to Scripture...

(Galatians 1:6-7 ESV)
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. "

A different Gospel, a different Doctrine, a different message and the understanding there of.
But many, many are told it matters not!
Yet The Holy Writ shows different...

Does doctrine divide, yes and it should. We are called to teach the Gospel of Christ, and if it divides and separates those who want to hear other things, things that are not Christ centered, but tickle their ears, then it is good to separate, and have Holy division.

Separate, that is part of the call Christians are to be, we are to be Holy.

Old Church Youth up to the same...

My, my, my... “look!”

Declares LWC youth-ministry... “We are just like the world!”   Congo Wars

But, LWC is like so much of the typical American church, declaring to the world, NOT “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17 ESV)... But rather declaring a changed, new and politically correct, non confrontational message... “Come and join us for fun and games, look we are not that different from you. Sure we may slip in a little about Jesus, but it won't take long, and then we'll get right back to fun and games.

I am reminded of an experience shared by a Brother who has traveled the world in his ministry... He was in Africa, and in the building there were some teens having a discussion that was getting louder and louder... it grew quite heated...

Now being used to American boys he assumed it was about something like which sports team was better or was the X-Box better than the Nintendo...

But it was not... it was about whether Johnathan Edwards view was more Supralapsarianism or Infralapsarianism. ( SUPRALAPSARIANISM is the view that God, contemplating man as yet unfallen, chose some to receive eternal life and rejected all others...  INFRALAPSARIANISM (also known sometimes as "sublapsarianism") suggests that God's decree to permit the fall logically preceded His decree of election. )

“Theology!” These were teens in Africa, a country that most American Christians feel they need to send missionaries to... Yet their teens are not only debating Theology, but are excited to do so..

And here in the “supposedly” christian nation, the vast majority of our teens are having their intensity focused on “dodge ball”, and transforming the main wing of a Church into an “all out battle zone!”

Nothing mentioned about God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit, but just a mention that church is where they will meet, and that they get to turn part of the church into a all out battle zone! And that they highly recommend for students to prepare themselves for battle! (but they are NOT talking about a Christians battle here)

Wow! This may sound like I am trying to rain on their parade (circus), but I used to be part of shams like this. I only write in concern. I have net some of our older youth now, on the streets, and some are Atheists, some are Agnostic, and some although declaring they believe, are outwardly living sinfully.

I used to be part of these fun and silly and Pizza circuses that are so popular.

This is why I would not let my grandchildren go to 99% of so called church youth groups in this country. They generate excitement about a secular event, not excitement about Gods Word, but excitement about a secular event (their draw card),then they plan a party around it with food and games, then they will slip in a little message about God and try to guilt some kids into raising their hands to accept Jesus (as if He was the one who needed accepting), and then they can get back to the real reason they came... Fun and games... And then the leaders can report on Sunday that they had kids they led to the Lord...

Think I exaggerate? Watch how the kids gather for prayer time, and then watch the excitement and gleam in their eyes when they are dismissed to get back to playing war games, how they run, yell, and scream...

I am speaking of the majority here if not all, there may be some whos parents have read Scriptures with them every night and do have a focus on Christ over worldly things or maybe a child who does not have parents who attend church and read to them, but none the less, are excited about God.

Although it may not seem so, I write this out of concern not malice... I see a trend that is just continuing on a bad course.