My Final Thoughts on the Presidential Race of 2008

First-God is still in control. We prayed for God to have His way, and He did. God has a greater plan than we can see and His will was done, even if we did not vote for the winner of the election.
Secondly, Congratulations to President Elect Obama. He earned this election, and he deserved to win.
Third, Christians in this country need to PRAY for our new President. We MUST ask God to Give President Elect Obama wisdom as he leads this country of ours-This is a BIBLICAL COMMAND-I Timothy 2:1-3
Fourth, as we pray, We need to ask God to change President Elect Obama's heart on the issue of abortion. The Bible says that that the heart of the king is in the hand of God (Proverbs 21:1) -God can change his heart and I pray that He does. We also need ask God to change the hearts of the people in this country and cause us as a nation to repent for this grievous sin.
Fifth, We as Christians, MUST-MUST lay aside our petty partisan differences and serve Jesus-WAY to many of us have demonized OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST because of the way they may have voted. THIS MUST STOP. WE MUST_MUST_MUST LOVE, regardless of political affiliation. Jesus is neither Democrat or Republican-He is GOD and HE DEMANDS THAT WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER-go back and reread First John if you need a reminder. When we allow ourselves to be divided by politics, we are being disobedient to the Command of God. This is not to say that we all must agree on every issue-Godly people can and will have disagreements on political issues, but we MUST STOP allowing these disagreements to to destroy our relationships in the Body of Christ.
Sixth, President Elect Obama is NOT the Anti-Christ, and Neither is he the Second Coming of Jesus. He is simply a man who needs our prayers and deserves our respect as the man who will hold the highest elected office in this country
Seventh, Some have said that Obama's election to the Presidency is proof that the America has rejected God. This is completely ridiculous-In many ways, America rejected God a long time ago, and had McCain been elected, we would still need to repent for the sins of the nation.
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest,
God Bless you all!
Compassionate Conservative

A Critique of Irresistable Evangelism

One of the required classes in the seminary I attend is Personal Evangelism. This class focuses on an evangelism approach known as "Servant Evangelism." "Servant Evangelism" is a method of evangelism in which Christians go out and serve people with the intention of bringing them to Christ." Servant Evangelism seeks way to "Be the hands and Feet of Jesus" to the world-Ministering to people's physical and felt needs with the intention of bringing them to Christ. It is based on Philippians 2-Christ "took on the form of a servant" and we must do the same. Servant Evangelism is a wonderful way to practically demonstrate the Love of God to a lost and dying world. Examples of Servant Evangelism include things like holding a free car wash, giving away cold water to walkers and runners on a really hot day, or Serving Hot coffee to passers by on a really cold day.
Irresistible Evangelism, written by Steve Sjogren with Dave Ping and Doug Pollack, is basically a treatise on Servant Evangelism.

Theme of Irresistible Evangelism

The Basic Theme of Irresistible Evangelism is this: We, as the body of Christ, must make Him Irresistible to the world around us. As Sjogren writes, "We are writing to people who are obsessed with portraying Christ and his love in ways that are so true and so compelling that they are irresistible. Not only do we believe that making God's message irresistible is possible and practical, we also believe that God has fashioned our hearts to receive his message." (page 12).

Sjogren goes on to say say that servant evangelism is the best and most effective way to make Christ's message Irresistible is through Servant Evangelism.

Strengths of Irresistible Evangelism

Sjogren, Ping and Pollack must be commended on several points. First of all, They are completely right that we should do everything thing we can to draw people to Christ, and serving others is a great way to do it. They should also be commended for pointing out that for the Gospel message to be effective, people have to see it lived out. If People do not see the Gospel lived out, they are much less receptive to hearing the good news of the Gospel. Servant Evangelism is one way to proactively live out the Gospel. Additionally, many of the suggestions they lay out are practical ways that people can demonstrate God's love to those in their communities.

Weaknesses of Irresistible Evangelism

In spite of these commendations, there are several jarring, glaring weaknesses with this book-Bad theology, as well as taking Servant Evangelism WAY too far in the wrong direction.

Bad Theology

1. First of all, the writers imply that every person that is served by Christians eventually will respond positively to the Gospel and place their faith in Christ. In fact, they use the term not-yet-Christians to refer to unbelievers. In their line of thinking, Once we show how cool Jesus is through our acts of Service, they will come to Christ. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Jesus will not always be considered "cool." While everyone responding positively be great, in reality, not all who are ministered to will actually place their faith in Christ. That does not mean that we should stop serving them, but it does mean that we must recognize that people still need to repent of their sins, and make the decision to follow Christ. There are some people that will just refuse to place their faith in Jesus Christ in spite of the love we show them.
2. Secondly, There is no mention of the fact that these "not-yet-Christians" are sinners who will not make it into heaven unless they repent of their sins and turn to Christ. This fact must give followers of Christ the impetus to work as hard as we can to live out and proclaim the Gospel to as many people as we can while we are still here on planet earth.
3. The writers of Irresistible Evangelism complain that traditional evangelism is too focused on warrior themes-"The traditional language of outreach is filled with images of Christians triumphing over the ungodly...Is it any wonder that they are resisting us? (pages 14-15; read the whole section entitled "Deja Vu"). The point is well taken to an extent-"Onward Cristian Soldiers" is probably not the best song to sing at an evangelistic service. However, The authors seems to have forgotten that much of the warrior imagery we use in Christianity is Biblicaly based. Paul talks frequently about being a soldier of Christ and putting on the "armor of God." How do the authors deal with these passages? Secondly, we are, whether we like it or not, in a war against the Evil One, and we MUST fight. Our fight is not against people (See Ephesians 6), but it is still a fight that we must be actively engaged in.
4. The biggest problem with Irresistible Evangelism from a theological standpoint is found near the end of the book. "One reason lots of people stay away from the church is that it's no fun. Too many people think that, when they choose to follow Christ, all of the fun will be over. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, one of our favorite sayings is "Where the Spirit of the lord is, there is fun!" (page 175). The saying at the end of the quote is referred to as "almost Biblical" earlier in the book (page 100). I'm sorry, but "almost Biblical" is non sensical-A statement cannot be partially Biblical and partially not Biblical-it is an either/or proposition. It is either Biblical or it is not. Simple as that. This "almost Biblical" statement (Where the Spirit of the Lord is, There is fun) Is not Biblical. While we should enjoy serving God, There will be suffering in the Christian life-Look at what Jesus said-"In the world you will have trouble" (John 16:31). Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the other early Christians who were tortured to death were not having fun while they were dying-Was the Spirit of God not there? Secondly, The idea that life is all about fun and pleasure is a completely Western philosophy that contradicts Scripture and will not work in places where being a Christian will almost certainly mean persecution and death. When we make Christianity all about having fun, we cheapen the message and end up preaching a lesser Gospel that God intends for us to preach.

Wrong Practices

Servant Evangelism is a great concept and one which more Christians need to be practice. However, Servant Evangelism can be taken WAY To Far. Two Glaring Examples of Servant Evangelism gone wrong, yet are praised in the book, are 1) A Pastor buying alcohol for patrons at a reggae concert, (page 61-63) and 2) Students handing out cigarettes to homeless people. (page 92-93). While the intention of serving people was good and should be commended, the means of service were horrible and ultimately crossed the line between Biblical outreach and Non Biblical methodology. There were and are certainly better ways to minister to people than to give them addictive substances (alcohol and nicotine) that do way more harm than good. For example, the Pastor could have bought food for the people he purchased beer for. The same goes for people handing out cigarettes to homeless people. Buying these people food would have been a much more effective way to share the love of Christ. Handing out Cigarettes only feeds an addiction that God desires to break. Giving them nutritious food serves them much more than feeding their addiction does.

Conclusion

While Sjogren, Ping, and Pollack should be commended for promoting Servant Evangelism, which is Biblical, They take the concept too far into unbiblical territory. That Plus the bad Theological Ground the authors place themselves on, make this a book I would only recommend as an example of servant evangelism gone bad.

Repentence

Father, it's me. I need to talk to You. Please her my Prayer tonight. Father As I read in Your Word, Daniel Chapter 9, I see an image of Your church here in America.
O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day... O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.*
Father, we have sinned against You. We have allowed the murder of millions of babies to be legaly sanctioned by our government while we, as Your Church, have done very little, by and large, to put a stop to this. I tremble as I remember Your Words- But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. **
We have destroyed the holy covenant of marriage, which You created before man ever sinned. You Created marriage to be between one mand and one women for life, and we have changed it to fit our own sinful lusts.
We have not been bold in taking the Good news of Jesus Christ to our world that is dying and on its way to hell-instead, we have allowed the world to infect us with unbiblical doctrine that is contrary to Your Word.
We are guilty of greed. We are not even giving You half of the bare minimum of what You ask of us. Statistics show that we, as a Church, give, on average, 3.8% of our income to You***-Your Word says 10% is what You require.****
We are guilty of placing politics ahead of Your body. We are guilty of judging our brothers and sisters in Christ because of the way they vote. We have often failed to recognize that our salvation does NOT come from a political party-It comes from placing our faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We have made our Political parties our idols, placing our faith in them, rather than Trusting You to do Your Work.
We are guilty of of not stepping out of our comfort zones and ministering to those who dont look like. You see that 11:00 am Sunday morning is STILL the most segregated hour in American life and it breaks Your heart.
Gracious, Holy, Righteous Father We need You to do a miracle in Your People. Cause us to fall on our faces and repent as a People for these sins and So many More. Please Forgive Us as a people in Your great mercy. I know we deserve Your Judgement and wrath, but please, in the midst of Your righteous Anger, remember mercy***** and remember that we are but dust.******
Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the {Church} which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy {Chruch} and thy people are called by thy name. *******
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

*Daniel 9:7-10
**Matthew 18:6
***http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=161
****Leviticus 27:30-Tithe in the Hebrew means One Tenth , or Ten percent.
*****Habakkuk 3:4
******Psalm 103:14
*******Daniel 9:17-19

Reverend Wright and the Gospel of Christ

I greet you all in the name of the Lord of the universe, Jesus the Christ. I am ecstatic that Jesus has called people to repentance, and through this repentance we must completely understand the goals of the kingdom of Christ. One of those goals is to have all races united in His kingdom. One of my favorite songs is the “Blood Song” by Kirk Franklin and Jaci Velasquez, which emphasizes that it did not matter what color Jesus was, but that His blood was red. The blood of Jesus Christ is what washes away sins, not His skin color. We must remember that any kind of racism is a sin, because God has created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27). I understand that I work from the premise of the Bible, because God’s word and ways are higher than those of men, and for those people who may not trust the Bible as God’s word than you may not like this message, because Christians are not familiar with any other way. My very good friend who I met this school year, James, has asked me to write about Barack Obama and the situation which concerns many voters in our great country; it especially concerns many conservative Christians. I understand that many people are concerned about Barack Obama’s pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Firstly, I am a black American who can give a detailed perspective of many older black Americans. I am a young seminary student, but I can give an account of what I have learned from my grandparents, and even from my parents. Secondly, I am from the Chicago land area and I can also give some insightful views of Pastor Wright. I will try to be as brief as I possibly can; I hope you all will be able to clearly understand what I have written. I also hope that you all will be able to fairly analyze Barack Obama and his former pastor.

Many older black Americans, specifically those who are from my grandparents’ generation, still have resentment which resides in their innermost being. Why do they have this resentment? I am glad you asked. They cannot forget the struggles of the Jim Crow days because those days formed their very own perspectives. No one can take away some one else’s experience; our experiences help to form us into the people we become. Our experiences do not dictate who we should become; rather they help to mold us into becoming the people we are now. It is very hard to forget the first twenty or forty years of one’s life of people promoting and teaching that one is not worthy because of skin color; segregation and racism helped to form the way my grandparents and my parents view life, even to this day. I do not even think that I, as a young black man, can completely understand the struggles of my grandparents’ generation, even that of my parents generation. I believe something which is worth remembering is that black grandparents, just like many grandparents, pass down their life stories to their children and their grandchildren. Therefore, I feel obligated to comment on the current race situation in America in regards to Reverend Wright. Reverend Wright preaches liberation theology. Most Christians do not respect liberation theology because it focuses on social issues without much consideration as to what else needs to be preached for the kingdom of Christ to be advanced upon the Earth. I think it is great that Reverend Wright has a passion to help people in need, but it is important not to forget the call to preach the whole gospel. The Lordship of Christ is to be preached in every pulpit, every Sunday. Now, without going into much detail about liberation theology, I would like to focus on the personality of Reverend Wright and that of many other black preachers. I am sure that many people know that most black churches are charismatic in worship and preaching and, in general, it has been so since the days of the slaves. The slaves were very influential in formulating the outlook, doctrine, worship, and the preaching of the modern black church. Reverend Wright’s comments that “God [should ] Damn America” are detestable. However, we must also remember that black churches are emotional. I would not have said what Wright has said, especially from the holy pulpit of God. Do I believe that God will judge America of its sins, including a final judgment of the sin of racism? I sure do. Our nation is one that is familiar with God and His commandments, yet we still cannot move pass skin color. This is a big problem. Our churches need to remember to focus on the entire gospel, but we should also remember that each culture has a different form of worship. Most Black worship styles are not similar to Caucasian worship styles. Reverend Wright, in many of his sermons, was reacting to America with great frustration because he believes that black people deserve much better than what they have received. As I alluded to earlier, older blacks continue to view life from the generations in which they were reared. Wright is one of those black Americans who view life in this way; it is very hard for these black people to forget or somehow tame their own perspectives to fit a “better” one, one which some Americans feel is more patriotic. I do not disqualify someone for criticizing our nation or calling for God’s judgment upon it. I do, however, believe that God will bring His judgment for other reasons than the ones noted by Wright. Racism is one reason which I agree with him on, and the way our nation treats impoverished people is another reason that God will bring his judgment upon America. We are to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. God calls us to always be merciful (Matthew 23). While all of Wright’s beliefs obviously do not keep with factual information, it is still important to understand his own background without jumping to judgment of his complete ministry. I will not judge his complete character based on a thirty second sound bite from the media, nor will I completely judge Barack Obama’s character on that of Reverend Wright’s distasteful comments. I simply mean for this message to help people to analyze and become cognizant of the fact that Americans can view life differently; they can criticize our nation, and still be patriotic. I criticize our nation, but that does not make me unpatriotic. I am judgmental in the hope that our nation will change for the better; many slaves took this same attitude. Slaves were not so much grumblers as they were doers. They understood their situations and wanted better lives for their children so they analyzed their situations and they sought to make an easier way for their descendants. It is important to note that they did not forget what they had experienced, because their experiences motivated them to achieve goals. Their experiences provided for them a way to remain humble while seeking for a more just society.

I am from the Chicago land area, and I have always disagreed with most of Reverend Wright’s views of the world and even his perspective of the gospel of Christ. The gospel is not simply a social message, but it is also a call for people to repent and to turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ does not only call rich people to repent, but poor people are also expected to repent, and this is the problem with the social gospel. Every human being will have to answer to God at His judgment seat (Romans 14). My many disagreements with Wright do not make me think that he is the anti-Christ, nor an American hater. Some people may disagree with me, but I am aware that Wright has been very critical of the black community as well. Does that mean he hates the black community? No. He likes to challenge people to think differently by including his emotionalism when preaching; emotionalism is not uncommon in the black church. My purpose for writing this is not for you to agree with Wright, but to analyze him fairly. I have heard many stories of racism from my grandparents who grew up in the “deep south” during a time of blatant racism. I will not forget these stories for as long as I live, and I will pass them on to my own children one day. Those stories of struggle with racism, with dogs being turned to attack my mom and aunts as they went into “town” to buy bread for their grandmother, as they were finally able to attend the white school which was located across the street from their house when schools were finally forced to desegregate, as my grandmother was told that education would not even help her succeed because she was black. These are just some memories that I have of stories that have been relayed to me, and I have many more. My prayer is that we, as Christians in America, will continue to take a stand against the evils which continually perpetuate any kind of racism, so that we can show the world that all people are accepted into the body of Christ, even those whom we disagree with in regards to certain doctrinal issues. The church must lead against all forms of sin so that the world will see what the kingdom of God is like when it is manifested through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. May the Lord who made the Heavens and the Earth keep you forever!

Introducing Bible Believing Yankee!

I have added someone to my blog. Bible Believing Yankee is a good friend of mine from the Midwest who attends seminary with me. He has an interesting take on the Reverend Wright controversy that I think you all need to pay attention to. While you may or may not agree with him, you do need to listen to what he has to say.

Random Thoughts, Politics, etc.

Hey everybody!

This post is mostly thoughts on Random subjects that are completely unrelated, except that I have have been pondering them.

Thoughts 1-6: on Politics

1. If John McCain wants to be President, he had better pick a strong social conservative as his V.P. Nominee- and no, I am NOT talking about Mitt Romney. Michael Steele would be a good choice, as would Mike Huckabee.

2. The infighting in the Democratic Party is ridiculous and it will destroy them.

3. For the sake of her party, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race.

4. The Jeremiah Wright controversy has been blown out of proportion. While what he said was wrong, and he should be condemned for what he said, he is not the only preacher to say something harsh about America from the pulpit. Conservatives need to let this go, and focus on the issues, not on Jeremiah Wright. More will be said later on this.

5. Obama's speech on Reverend Wright was very good-in fact, it was probably the best speech a politician has made since President Bush's speech after 9/11.

6. Conservatives (Esp. Christians) need to stop attacking Obama for things that may or may not be true. If I was to believe everything that has been said about Obama, the man would be the AntiChrist! "Obama's a Muslim!" "B. Hussein Obama" (Ann Coulter). "Obama's a racist!" "Obama is involved in the occult!" Instead we should focus on what really matters- his political positions on issues such as abortion, homosexual marriage, the war in Iraq, Israel, etc.

Thoughts 7-11 On Culture and religion:
7. My current favorite TV show is Super Nanny. I think it show what is really wrong with American Society- The Baby Boomers have taught my generation to believe that parents should not discipline their children. Consequently, we are raising a nation of spoiled brats. If i had ever talked back to my parents in the way the kids on that show do, I would not have gotten a time out-My time out would have been me hitting the floor. My parents were not abusive, but we knew not to cross certain lines, or we were gonna get it.

8. If you haven't been paying attention recently, Youtube Oprah and religion. and then pray. More will be said later.

9. The Boston Red Sox ring ceremony and Opening Day was amazing. It was great to see Bill Buckner back at Fenway. The man finally got what he deserved.

10. The Final Four was great, and kudos to Kansas, but Memphis should have won that game.

11. I Love Jesus-I really do. He has been so good to me!

The Most Dangerous Heretics in The Christian Church

I Apologize in advance for the length of this post. I've got a lot say here and I hope you find this informative and challenging.
The Most Dangerous Heretical Group in The Christian Church is the Oneness Pentecostal or United Pentecostal Church. The post will explain who they are, briefly describe what they believe, and explain why they are the most dangerous heretical group in almost all of Christianity.
Before I begin, Let me first say, that I come from a Pentecostal home church. I believe strongly in the continued ministry of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I completely reject Oneness Pentecostalism as a cult and as heretical. Please do not make the same mistake of so many that equates Orthodox Pentecostalism (Assemblies of God, Independent Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ, etc.) with these people. We have nothing to do with them, and we are NOT them.
Secondly, Everything that is stated about the doctrines of Oneness Pentecostalism is coming directly from a Oneness Pentecostal pastor who made these doctrinal statements during a debate with the President of a Prominent Southern Baptist Seminary in the Southeast. These doctrinal positions come directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. I was at the debate, and I took detailed notes, so I can be accurate with my representation of Oneness doctrine.
I. Who are The Oneness Pentecostals?
The Oneness Pentecostals are a denomination of Christians that claims about 14,000,000 members today in about 16,000 churches. Their History is briefly described here: In 1916, at a Pentecostal Meeting in Los Angeles, California, R. E. McAlister gave a sermon on Acts 2:38. In that Sermon, McAlister stated that Baptism could only take place in the Name of Jesus. This began the Oneness Pentecostal Movement. Eventually it moved from California East across the United States and now there are Oneness Pentecostal Churches around the World.
II. What Does Oneness Pentecostalism teach?
A. Most Basically, Oneness Theology denies the Trinity-They reject the concept of the Trinity, saying that God does not exist in three persons, but rather that God exists in one person with three offices, that of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As One of Their founders, Nathaniel A. Urshan, stated, "We do not believe in three separate personalities in the Godhead but we believe in three offices which are filled by one person." This rejection of the Trinity led to their split with the Assemblies of God in 1916.
1.About the Trinity, Oneness Pentecostalism makes these Claims: a.) That The original Church was not Trinitarian in view; b.) That the Trinity has its origins in ancient Greek Philosophy and Babylonian paganism, and was foisted on the Christian Church by the Roman Catholic Church, c.) That in order to receive salvation you must reject the Trinity-Those who hold to Trinitarianism are not saved. (To be fair, not every Oneness Pentecostal believes this- there are some who hold that Trinitarian teaching is heresy, but that this issue is a matter of doctrinal differences, but not one of eternal salvation. I will explain later why I believe that is a matter of salvation.)
2. Oneness Pentecostalism's rejection of the Trinity is nothing new. Their Theology on this issue is a modern form of two ancient heresies- Sabellianism, which stated that Jesus is all of the Trinity, and Modalism, which stated that The Trinity is God in three manifestations. Sabellianism was shown to be heresy during the four Councils and Creeds of Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451).
3. During the debate, I asked the minister how he deals with the passage is John 14:28 where Jesus states "My Father is Greater than I". His answer was that God's Spirit was Living in Jesus. God's Spirit was superior to the Flesh of Jesus' physical body-Therefore, Jesus could say that his Father was greater than He was. When asked about Jesus' cry on the cross, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?", He answered that as Jesus was dying, God's Spirit left the Physical Body of Jesus. (More on these statements later).
B. On Salvation, Oneness Pentecostals believe in Three step Salvation-Repentance (Which involves a Change of Mind, not simply confessing sins), Water Baptism in Jesus' Name (If you were not baptized in Jesus' Name you must be rebaptized), and Baptism in the Holy Spirit. If one does not do ALL THREE of these things, he or she is not truly saved.
C. Oneness Pentecostals also believe that they are the one and only true Church and that all others who hold to the Trinity are cults and therefore not the true church of God.
III. My Response to Oneness Doctrine
A. The Trinity- The Scriptures very clearly support the concept of the Trinity-God in Three Separate Persons-God the Father, God the Son and God The Holy Spirit- Each Co-equal, Co-existent, Co-eternal, and Of the same Substance.
Scriptures that point to the fact that they are separate from each other include, but are not limited to: Matthew 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Jesus was quite obviously not referring to himself because He was on earth. Similarly, In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says "Our Father which art (present tense) in heaven..." Jesus is not mistaken. He was on earth while the Father was in Heaven. If He was the Father, then The Father could not have been in heaven while Jesus was on earth.) Matthew 10:32- Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Christ is not schizophrenic. He is most obviously not confessing the Person to himself)
Jesus Prayed to the Father-Matthew 11, Mark 14, Luke 22, Luke 23, John 17, etc. He very clearly is not talking to Himself.
Luke 23 provides an example of where Oneness Theology directly contradicts Scripture. In Luke 23:46 Jesus says, "Father, Into Thy hands I commend my spirit" If God's Spirit had left Him, what was Jesus talking about? Jesus is differentiating between His Spirit and the Father. Oneness Pentecostals see no distinction between the Spirit in Jesus and the Father.
Several places in the Gospel of John (See John 5 and John 8 Especially), Jesus Says that the Father sent Him and He is referring to a person other than Himself.
John 14- Christ said He was going to the Father-He was not going to Himself
Also, How does a Oneness Theologian deal with the Voice of God that appears in the Gospels? On Three separate Occasions, The Father speaks from heaven to the World-At the Baptism of Jesus by John (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3), At the Transfiguration (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), and in John 12. If Jesus is the Father, how does the Father speak from heaven?
Additionally, look at the opening Blessing from Paul in all of His Letters-He Opens every letter the same way-"Grace unto You and Peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..." Paul is separating the Father and Son very Clearly while maintaining the divinity of Both Father and Son. We see from Jesus' own words that the Father is distinct from the Son, and yet Scripture Maintains that they are very clearly both God-See John 8:58, John 1:1, John 10:30, The reference to Jesus as the Lord throughout the Epistles, etc.
B. On Salvation-Scripture is very clear-Salvation is completely by Faith in Christ alone. Water Baptism is NOT a requirement for Salvation, and neither is Speaking in tongues. Both Water Baptism and Speaking in Tongues are not evil- in fact, they are both things that we see happening in Scripture. Baptism is not a requirement for Salvation- but it is something that is done in obedience to Scripture. If one does not have a personal trust in Jesus, no amount of water baptism or speaking in tongues will save them. Baptism and speaking in tongues are outward expressions of an already held inward faith. When one makes water baptism and Speaking in Tongues a requirement for salvation, they become works, instead of blessings of God. Scripture very clearly states: Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. II Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
C. Oneness is the group who is a cult, because they deny basic Bible Truths and distort the Word of God into something that it is not.
D. Back to the Statements made the pastor that I paraphrased earlier: One question that I was not able to ask at the debate due to time constraints was "If God's Spirit left Jesus at the Crucifixion, When did He enter Jesus-In Other Words, When did Jesus become God? Was it at the Incarnation, or was it at His Baptism by John, when the Spirit descended on Jesus (Oneness teaches that God dwells inside each believer when he is baptized in the Holy Ghost)? Either way, The Oneness Doctrine is in trouble. If Jesus was God at the Incarnation, and he ceased to be God on the cross as he bore our sins, then he died as a human, and not as the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God which took away the Sins of the World. If this is true, we have no real hope, because a mere man could not have died in our place. If we don't have the perfect sacrifice, we are all condemned to hell, because only a perfect sacrifice can wash our sins away. Also, if Jesus was not God even in death, there is NO WAY He could have taken the keys of death and hell from Satan.
If Jesus became God at the Baptism, and if He was sinless (as the Oneness affirm), than He was able to live perfect without God's help from his birth until he was baptized at the age of thirty. If Jesus could live sinless as a human, (that is, without being God, and without God's help), that means that we can live sinlessly on our own as well. If that is True, Then JESUS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD TO COME. Christ had to come because we could not, and cannot live, and will NEVER be able to live sinlessly by ourselves. It is ONLY Christ's sacrificial death that allows to live free from sin.
The Doctrine of the Trinity is vitally important because it deals with the very essence of Christianity-The sacrifice of Jesus for our sins on the Cross of Calvary. If Jesus was the Father, as Oneness Doctrine teaches, he could not have completed the work on the cross as God, because God cannot die. Christ had to, as discussed above, finish the work as God in the Flesh. If there is no Trinity, Jesus could not have finished the Work that His Father gave him to do. If Jesus is the Father, His work was incomplete and we have NO eternal hope. If God's Spirit left Him, He would not have been able to say “It is Finished (John 9:30).
IV. Why Oneness Pentecostalism is the most Dangerous Herectical Group in Modern Christianity.
The main reason I say this is that it can be very hard to spot a Oneness Pentecostal Church. To those who are uninformed and do not know how to spot them, they appear as if they are Orthodox. Two reasons they appear to be Orthodox: First of all, Many in Oneness Pentecostalism do a good job of hiding their doctrine from those who don't know. For instance, A Dear Friend of mine, here at my University, attended the local Oneness Pentecostal Church here locally for a year and a half before she found out that they deny the doctrine of the Trinity. When she found out, she left that church and is now attending a local Orthodox Baptist Church. She only found out that this church was Oneness because she was singing the old hymn "Holy Holy Holy" and someone told her that they do not believe that in the Trinity.
Another example is T. D. Jakes; Very few people actually realize that Bishop Jakes is Oneness Pentecostal. To many he is a major evangelical Pentecostal preacher. If you look at his church's Doctrinal Statement on the Trinity, however, it is very clear that He is a proponent of at least some Oneness Theology. "Three Manifestations of One God" is a Classic sign of Oneness Theology on the Trinity. (Truth be told, I didn't watch much of Bishop Jakes anyway- he is a big Prosperity Gospel guy, and I can't stand the Prosperity Gospel, but that is another Post entirely). Many Oneness Pentecostals hide their doctrinal positions, Unlike the Mormons or the Jehovah's Witnesses, whose aberrant doctrinal positions are well known.
Secondly, Oneness Pentecostals speak "Christianese" very well, and most especially "Pentecostal Christianese". They sound just like those who believe in the Trinity- they claim that the Bible is their only source of authority. They talk about Jesus as God. They preach repentance and baptism by immersion. They talk about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the Gift of Tongues being in operation. They promote personal holiness and modesty. If one does not pay really close attention, he will miss their heresy for all the "good things" they say.
The Bottom Line is that when You compare the teachings of Oneness Pentecostalism with the teachings in the Scriptures, Oneness Pentecostalism falls well short on matters of vital importance-They are WRONG on the Trinity and WRONG on Salvation, two of the most important doctrines in Christianity.
V. Why all of This Matters.
Some of You are asking, What is the big deal? Why does any of this matter, anyway?
We as Christians are called by God to “earnestly contend for the faith that was one delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3). The definition of contend, according to Merriam Webster, is 1): to strive or vie in contest or rivalry or against difficulties : struggle and 2): to strive in debate: argue. Therefore we must strive for the Truth of the Gospel against lies and heresies. If we are to do that then we must know what we believe and why we believe what we believe. If We do not defend the Truth, Lies will flourish, and ultimately the message of the Gospel will suffer.
The Trinity is a Vital Doctrine of the Christian Faith and we must defend it as the Fundamental Doctrine that it is.
What we believe matters, because what we believe affects what we do. Doctrine Matters-it defines who we are and what we believe as followers of Jesus Christ. Truth matters-Jesus said He is the Truth. We MUST Contend for Truth against Heresies.

Politics

I've got a question for those here who are smarter than I am- Why do so many prominent conservatives hate Mike Huckabee? And why were they so high on Mitt Romney? This has made zero sense to me over the last few months/weeks, as I read the comments over at Michelle Malkin's blog, and hear folks like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh blast Huckabee in the media and fawn over Romney. Can Someone explain this?
From my perspective, Romney came across as a snake oil salesman, a guy who is just a little too slick. He always seemed to have his finger in the air, trying to figure out which way the political wind was blowing. Huckabee, however seems to be a sincere Christian conservative on most issues. There are a few things I disagree with him on (Like his tax plan-I think it is impractical), but over all he is the guy that I would like to see in the White House.

As We come to this election, I think it is important to keep in mind what a friend of mine said a few months ago in a conversation. "We as Christians need to stop treating conservatives as if they are Jesus. Way too often we hold these men up on a pedestal and act as if they are going to take us to heaven. We must, as a Christian Community, realize that none of our political leaders are God and that they will make mistakes. We should hold them to a high standard to be sure, but realize that they are not God, which means that they do not have ultimate control."
Amen to that!
I think we sometimes think that "if it is conservative, it must be good, and if it is liberal it must be bad." Not necessarily. There are some fairly good, upright liberal Democrats and some conservative Republicans who are evil people. For example, in my home state, our current junior Senator is a Liberal Democrat. Do I agree with him on most issues? No, but I do think that he is a good man in a lot ways. When he ran for Senate in 2000, his opponent was a mayor from a prominent city who ran on a family values campaign. The summer after the election, this mayor was arrested (and later convicted) of child molestation-he is now serving almost 40 years. They feds found out about his abuse of children while wire tapping his office in a corruption case! So much for family values!
Another prominent Conservative poilitician who I would never vote for is the former Speaker of the House. There are a whole lot of conservatives who love the guy, and while I agree with many of his stances, I could never vote for him because of his personal life. Character should count for something and it does to ,e. While I am not expecting a President to be perfect, He needs to be a man of integrity and high moral standards if he wants to get my vote.

For Those who Say Women can't preach....

There's This!
In relation to the first paragraph of her post, Listen to these messages from David Nasser, Christian Author and Speaker.
They're kind of long, so you probably cannot get through them all in a single sitting but please listen to them. What Dr. Nasser said has been needed in the American Church for some time.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

I Love John Piper!

This quote is taken from John Piper's book, What Jesus Demands From the World.

Jesus' demands are for a lifetime. He does not demand a single decision to
repent or come or believe or love or listen. All these continue. The
transformation of repentace continues. Coming to Jesus again and again
continues. Believing in Him hour by hour continues listening to His Word as the
daily source of spiritual life continues. Jesus demands the engagement of our
minds and hearts every day of our lives.

Think on this today. Be Blessed!
Compassionate Conservative

Presidential Election 2008 Revisited

Hello again everybody!
I hope everyone had a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving Christmas and New Years. I certainly did!
This post is revisiting a post from last fall where I outlined the various candidates and what I thought of them. In that post I did not mention the man who I am now supporting-Governor Mike Huckabee from Arkansas. There seem to be a lot of conservatives who do not like him and who will not support him. The following are the reasons I "Heart" Huckabee :-)

1. Huckabee is decidedly pro-life:

I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional
amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of
life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I
believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.
I applaud the Supreme
Court's recent decision in Gonzales v. Carhart forbidding the gruesome practice
of partial birth abortion. While I am optimistic that we are turning the tide in
favor of life, we still have many battles ahead of us to protect those who
cannot protect themselves, and so it is vital that we elect a pro-life
President.
I first became politically active because of abortion, when I
helped pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do
whatever it legally can to protect life.
As Governor, I did all I could to
protect life. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are
the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction. To
me, life doesn't begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a
quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe
neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. Every child deserves the
opportunity to discover and use his God-given gifts and talents.
I am
opposed to research on embryonic stem cells.

2. Governor Huckabee is pro- traditional Marriage:

I support and have consistently supported passage of a federal
constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and
one woman.
As Governor of Arkansas, I led the successful effort to pass a
similar state constitutional amendment in 2002.
As Governor of Arkansas, I
led the successful effort to make our state only the third to adopt "covenant"
marriage.
Our true strength comes from our families.
I oppose any
attempt to weaken the Defense of Marriage Act.
I support and have always
supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as
a union between one man and one woman. As President, I will fight for passage of
this amendment. My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one
woman, for life.

3. Huckabee's Immigration Plan:

1. Build the Fence
Ensure that an
interlocking surveillance camera system is installed along the border by July 1,
2010.
Ensure that the border fence construction is completed by July 1,
2010.
2. Increase Border Patrol
Increase the number of
border patrol agents.
Fully support all law enforcement personnel tasked
with enforcing immigration law.
3. Prevent Amnesty
Policies that promote or tolerate amnesty will be rejected.
Propose to
provide all illegal immigrants a 120-day window to register with the Bureau of
Citizenship and Immigration Services and leave the country. Those who register
and return to their home country will face no penalty if they later apply to
immigrate or visit; those who do not return home will be, when caught, barred
from future reentry for a period of 10 years.
This is not a "touchback"
provision. Those who leave this country and apply to return from their home
country would go to the back of the line.
4. Enforce the Law on
Employers
Employment is the chief draw for most illegal immigrants
and denying them jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy.
Impose
steep fines and penalties on employers that violate the law.
Institute a
universal, mandatory citizenship verification system as part of the normal
hiring process.
Prevent the IRS and the Social Security Administration from
accepting fraudulent Social Security numbers or numbers that don't match the
employees' names.*
5. Establish an Economic
Border
Move toward passage of the FairTax.
The FairTax provides
an extra layer of security by creating an economic disincentive to immigrate to
the U.S. illegally.
6. Empower Local Authorities
Promote better cooperation on enforcement by supporting legislative measures
such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local
law and federal immigration officials.
Encourage immigration-law training
for police. Local authorities must be provided the tools, training, and funding
they need so local police can turn illegal immigrants over to the federal
authorities.
7. Ensure Document Security
End exemptions
for Mexicans and Canadians to the US-VISIT program, which tracks the arrival and
departure of foreign visitors. Since these countries account for the vast
majority of foreigners coming here (85 percent), such a policy clearly violates
Congress' intent in mandating this check-in/check-out system.
Reject
Mexico's "matricula consular" card, which functions as an illegal-immigrant
identification card.
8. Discourage Dual Citizenship
Inform foreign governments when their former citizens become naturalized
U.S. citizens.
Impose civil and/or criminal penalties on American citizens
who illegitimately use their dual status (e.g., using a foreign passport, voting
in elections in both a foreign country and the U.S.).
9. Modernize the Process of Legal Immigration
Eliminate
the visa lottery system and the admission category for adult brothers and
sisters of U.S. citizens.
Increase visas for highly-skilled and
highly-educated applicants.
Expedite processing for those who serve
honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Improve our immigration process so that
those patiently and responsibly seeking to come here legally will not have to
wait decades to share in the American dream. Governor Huckabee has always been
grateful to live in a country that people are trying to break into, rather than
break out of.
*This policy will be drafted to comply with the final federal
court decisions on this issue.

4. Most Importantly, Huckabee supports Israel:

I am a steadfast supporter of Israel, our staunch ally in the War
on Terror, the only fully-functioning democracy in the Middle East, and our
greatest friend in that region.
The United States must remain true to its
long-standing commitment to the Israeli people.
As President, I will always
ensure that Israel has access to the state-of-the-art weapons and technology she
needs to defend herself from those who seek her annihilation.

All of that being said, I do want to know what he thinks of the abominable two state solution put forth by our current President.

Huckabee's Tax plan has gotten a lot of press. I think the Fair Tax is a good idea in theory, but I am not convinced it would ever work in practical terms. His plan is outlined

here on his website.
I suggest that everone also watch Huckabee's interview with Jay Leno form a few weeks ago. In that interview He outline his tax plan in good specifics
The interview is found here.
These are the reasons why I support Huckabee.
For those who are interested in where the different candidates stand on the important issues here on this website.
The one issue that is not covered is Israel and if the candidates support a two state plan.
I hope this helps all of you who are will be voting ion the Primaries soon to consider who to vote for. Huckabee in 2008!
Peace and Love!
Compassionate Conservative