Wednesday, March 30, 2011

WHY ISLAM IS...EVIL! ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE 2


GodThoughtsWired!             Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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WHY ISLAM IS...EVIL!

ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE 2
 "God loves Muslims just as much
as He loves Christians just as much
as He loves Hindus just as much
as He loves atheists. God loves
everybody, equally, all the time."

-pastor Brad's commentary

EVIL: "as opposed to good. God is good. Evil is "anti-good," "anti-God"(see Genesis 2:17Hebrews 5:14).
The Bible is clear,
"But let your statement be,
'Yes, yes' or 'No, no';
anything beyond these is of evil."

-Matthew 5:37
Indeed.  Lying is evil.  And yet, there are circumstances within Islam when lying is not only tolerated...but commanded. "Lying is not always bad...there are times when telling a lie is more profitable and better...than telling the truth. To this affect the prophet (Muhammad) says, 'He is not a false person who (through lies) settles conciliation..."-Afif A. Tabbarah, The spirit of Islam, p. 247.
Allah sanctions Lying (see surah 5:892:22516:106).

Muhammad santions lying: 
"That she heard Allah's Apostle saying,
'He who makes peace between the people
by inventing good information
or saying good things, is not a liar.'"
-Bukhari Hadith, 3:857

"An example of Islamic deception is that Muslim activists always quote the passages of the Quran from the early part of Mohammad's ministry while living in Mecca. These texts are peaceful and exemplify tolerance towards those that are not followers of Islam. All the while, they are fully aware that most of these passages were abrogated (cancelled and replaced) by passages that came after he migrated to Medina. The replacement verses reflect prejudice, intolerance, and endorse violence upon unbelievers." -Abdullah Al Araby, Lying in Islam
Incredibly, lying and Islam go hand in hand. Jesus warned that in the "age of delusion" religious deception would be so great that it would be difficult for even the "elect" to avoid being duped. I have no doubt that the god of Islam is very, very real, and that such a god is clearly taught in the Bible. His name? Satan.
"You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out your father’s desires.
He was a murderer from the beginning,
not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies."

-John 8:44
And anybody who would try and tell you that this isn't true...guess what?*
*For further study click on, The Islamic Anti-Christ.

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Monday, March 28, 2011

WHY ISLAM IS...EVIL ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE 1


GodThoughtsWired!                   Monday March 28, 2011
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WHY ISLAM IS...EVIL

ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

1

"God loves Muslims just as much
as He loves Christians just as much
as He loves Hindus just as much
as He loves atheists.  God loves
everybody, equally, all the time."

-pastor Brad's commentary

EVIL"as opposed to good.  God is good.  Evil is "anti-good," "anti-God"(see Genesis 2:17Hebrews 5:14).

"Who is the liar but the one who
denies that Jesus is the Christ?
This is the antichrist,
the one who denies the Father and the Son."
-1 John 2:22the Bible, bold mine
"Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is from God; and every spirit that
does not confess Jesus is not from God; 
this is the spirit of the antichrist
,
of which you have heard that it is coming,
and now it is already in the world."

-1 John 4:2-3the Bible, bold mine
"For many deceivers have gone
out into the world, those who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ as
coming in the flesh.  This is
the deceiver and the antichrist
."
-2 John 7the Bible, bold mine
One of the clearest and most concise teachings of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  "The word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us...He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God...And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (see John 1:14;Colossians 1:15Hebrews 1:3).

Equally clear, the Bible declares that any teaching that denies Jesus as the Son of God is "deception," "anit-christ," "evil" (see above, 1 John 2:224:2-32 John 7).
"For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son..."

-John 3:16the Bible, bold mine
"God, the Eternal, Absolute,
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten."
-Surah 112:2-3the Qu'ran,* bold mine
"They (Christians) indeed, practise falsehood.
No son did God beget..."

-Surah 23:90-91the Qu'ran,* bold mine
"Is it not that they (Christians)
say, from their own invention,
'God has begotten children'?
But they
 (Christians) are liars!"-Surah 37:151-152the Qu'ran,* bold mine
Why this series?  Because:
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil."
-Deitrich Bonhoeffer

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Welcome to the age of... "arrogant ignorance"


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Welcome to the age of...
"arrogant ignorance"

"But realize this, that in the last days
difficult times will come. 
For men will be...arrogant..."

-see 1 Timothy 3:1-7, bold mine

arrogant:  "having or showing an exaggerated opinion of one's own importance, merit, ability, etc; conceited; overbearingly proud.  Synonyms - presumptuous, haughty, imperious, brazen."
So far this year, I've shed more than my share of tears.  Whether it has been because of the response of some GodThoughtsWired! readers, or based on my "day-to-day travails" in the local church...there's no question in my mind that, "by definition," the "Age of Delusion" is an Age of "Arrogant Ignorance."
The Bible teaches us that:
"The 'Age of Delusion'  is the result
of  folks no longer 'loving the truth,'
therefore they 'believe what is false.'"

-pastor Brad's commentary,
see 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11
And if today is anything like yesterday...many "christians" around the world will dogmatically refute this...believing with all their hearts that their argument is with me.
"My eyes fail because of tears,
My spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is poured out on the earth
Because of the destruction
of the daughter of my people."

-Lamentations 2:11




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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

BEFORE THE SON


GodThoughtsWired!                 Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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BEFORE THE SON
"In the morning, O Lord,
You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order
my prayer to You and eagerly watch."

-Psalm 5:3

Typically favorite part of the day happens before the Sun.  Indeed, spending time with the Lord EARLY in the morning is often the best part of life for me.
"The Lord is with you
when you are with Him."
-2 Chronicles 15:2
God invited Moses saying,
"So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain."-Exodus 34:2
Many of my most profound experiences with God have been before the arrival of the day's light.  As always,  my model is Jesus,
"In the early morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house,
and went away to a secluded place,
and was praying there."
-Mark 1:35
And I can hear someone say, "But I'm not a morning person!"  And my  response? "It's not the time...I'ts the principle."
"So that He Himself will come
to have first place in everything."

-Colossians 1:18
So then, actually, my favorite part of ANY DAY is...
Before the Son.


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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK? 3


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WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK?

3

"The day of the Lord will come like a thief...

Since everything will be destroyed...

What kind of people ought you to be?

You ought to live holy and godly lives

as you look forward to the day

of God and speed its coming."

-2 Peter 3:10-12, bold mine


And another reader responded,
"I'm surprised by your ignorance pastor brad.
All of our "righteous deeds" are
like filthy garments in the sight
of the Lord.  READ YOUR BIBLE!!!"


This is a sad one.  Over the years, I've found this"misunderstanding" of the New Covenant to be  fairly prevalent.  Here, the reader is referencing the following Old Testament verse,

"For all of us have become like
one who is unclean, And all our righteous
deeds are like a filthy garment..."
-Isaiah 64:6
While it is most certainly true that under the Old Covenant"All of our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment," under the New Covenant we need to understand what Jesus meant when He said,

"For I say to you that unless your righteousnesssurpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

-Matthew 5:20, bold mine

QUESTION:  How can it be that those who will enter the kingdom of Heaven will have displayed greater righteousness than that of the scribes and pharisees?

ANSWER:  Our righteousness is not of the flesh (as the scribes & pharisees), but of the Holy Spirit that resides in all true believers (see Acts 5:32). 

New Covenant Christians live righteous lives by "walking by the Spirit and not carrying out the desires of the flesh" (see Galatians 5:16).  Paul eloquently describes this New Covenant process:
"But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh...
If you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the Law...
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit,
let us also walk by the Spirit."

-Galatians 5:16-25

Far, FAR, FAR! from our righteous deeds being like "filthy garments" in the sight of the Lord, the New Testament Christian is a NEW CREATURE! (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
A holy nation, a people for God's own
possession, so that you may proclaim
the excellencies of Him who has called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light...
now you are the people of God...
now you have received mercy....
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers
to abstain from fleshly lusts
which wage war against the soul...
Keep your behavior excellent..."

-1 Peter 2:9-12
And so we've come full circle.  The Bible says (if you disagree with what the Bible says, your disagreement is with God, not with me),
"Let us rejoice and be glad and
give the glory to Him, for the marriage
of the Lamb has come and
His bride has made herself ready. 
It was given to her to clothe herself
in fine linen, bright and clean; for the
fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints
."
-Revelation 19:7-8, bold mine
GLORY TO GOD!  Our "filthy garments" have become "fine linen!"
Do you see it?

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK? 2


GodThoughtsWired!                      Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK?

2

"The day of the Lord will come like a thief...
Since everything will be destroyed...

What kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives

as you look forward to the day
of God and speed its coming."

-2 Peter 3:10-12, bold mine


Today I would like answer the first of two important questions that arose from yesterday's  edition ofGodThoughtsWired!

One reader asked,
"What about the parable...of the weeds
where at the end-after they
are grown up they are separated?"
Well, let's take a look.  The Bible says,
"Jesus presented another parable to them,
saying, 'The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to a man who
sowed good seed in his field...
his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat... But when the
wheat sprouted  and bore grain,
then the tares became evident also... 
Allow both to grow together until
the harvest; and in the time
of the harvest I will say to the reapers,
First gather up the tares and bind them
in bundles to burn them up;
but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
-see Matthew 13:24-30bold mine*
This parable, and others like it, illustrate the very point I was making yesterday.  The true followers of Jesus Christ are among the "few" who are on the "narrow road" to salvation, while the "many" travel the "broad road" that leads to "destruction" (seeMatthew 7:13-14).  The "many" think they are saved, but are not (see Matthew 7:21-27).
Remarkably, Jesus tells us that both the "few" and the "many" ARE IN THE CHURCH TOGETHER! (see also, Revelation 3:14-22).  The true "bride of Christ" is "making herself ready" (see again, Revelation 19:7-8), and in the process of what the Bible calls "sanctification."  While the "many" or the majority of the church is in LaLaLand, deluded into thinking that grace is a license to sin (see Jude 4), and that "righteousness" (see Romans 1:5)+ plays no role n New Testament Christianity.
The Parable of the "wheat and tares" instructs us that Jesus alone has the wisdom and authority to separate the true "bride of Christ" from the "apostate church."
REMEMBER:  GodThoughtsWired! exists to make sure that when Jesus says to the MAJORITY OF THE CHURCH, "Depart from Me, I never knew you,"
...He's not talking to you!
                                                                  
*One reader suggests that I am "adding to God's word" by making bold, certain parts of the scripture that I would like to emphasize at any given time.  For example, John 3:16 begins, "For God so loved the world..."  If  I wanted to emphasize "love" I might write, "For God soloved the world."  To the accusation that I am "adding to God's word," all I can say is...REALLY?!
+Here in Romans 1:5 we have direct and clear instruction that biblical grace will ALWAYS result in the "obedience of faith."

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Friday, March 4, 2011

WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK? 1


GodThoughtsWired!                             Friday, March 4, 2011
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WHEN WILL JESUS COME BACK?

1
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."
-Ephesians 5:25-27
I hear an awful lot of teaching from prominent folks that say Jesus could come back at any time, butthat's not the way my Bible reads.  The above passage of scripture tells me that the Church that Jesus is coming back for will be "holy and blameless," not the "unholy whore" that best describes Her current condition (see James 4:4).
Many commentators would "correct" me by saying that "the "holiness" and "blamelessness" that Ephesians 5:27 is referring to is that which Jesus Himself provides" (technically referred to as "positional righteousness").  Ok...then why doesRevelation say,
"Let us rejoice and be glad
and give the glory to Him,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come
and His bride has made herself ready.
It was given to her to clothe herself 
in fine linen, bright and clean;
for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints.
"-Revelation 19:7-8, bold mine
"His bride has mader herself ready."  She will "clothe herself" with "righteous acts."
In addition, why would God inspire Peter to say,
"The day of the Lord will come like a thief... Since everything will be destroyed...
What kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day
of God and speed its coming."
-2 Peter 3:10-12, bold mine
Actually, I'm quite sure that God (through Peter) meant what He said when He admonished us with the following:
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you,
be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written,
'You shall be holy for I am holy.'"
-1 Peter 1:14-16, bold mine
The words "holy" and "holiness" are mentioned 602 times in the Bible.  174 of those references are in the New Testament!  The New Covenant didn't change God's holinessnor did it change the call of His followers to "be holy yourselves also in all your behavior."
REMEMBER:  Any teaching that portrays the character of God in the New Testament, as something different from that of the Old Testament is aDOCTRINE OF DEMONS! (See 1 Timothy 4:1).

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

UNITY...ACCORDING TO JESUS


GodThoughtsWired!                    Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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UNITY...ACCORDING TO JESUS

Understanding John 17

"I in them and You in Me,
that they may be perfected in unity."

John 17:23

One of the greatest delusions in the church today isthe quest for unity at the cost of truth (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).*  In John 17, the great "High priestly prayer of Jesus," the unity that Jesus desires for His church to experience is a bi-product of three things:

1.  Being kept in His name.  "Father, keep them in Your name" (John 17:11).

To be "kept in God's name" is to maintain a lifestyle lived in submission to the authority of the God of the Bible.

2.  Being kept from the evil one.  "Keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

To be "kept from the devil" is to live life in such a way as to keep oneself  unpolluted by the he world (see James 1:27).

3.  Being sactified in the truth of God's word"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth"(John 17:17).

To be "santified in the truth" literally means to be "set apart in the will of God."  And to be "set apart in the will of God," is to be "set apart  by the Word of God, the Bible."

Biblical "unity" is the result of:
"Being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love,
united in spirit,
intent on one purpose."
-Phillipians 2:2

There is no other "unity" that God sanctions...*

None.


*For a deeper study of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, clickhere.

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