I saw the Wikipedia article for Francis Chan's "Crazy Love". It says that the book was well received. In Mr. Chan's article, it says that "Crazy Love" was a New York Times bestseller. This appears to fit the following Scripture:
“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26, KJV
On a side note, it would be inefficient to examine every single Protestant pastor. Sure, there may be plenty of individual doctrines that are heretical. However, what would examine and expose them all, at the very least, is the fact that, if true, Protestantism is false. In addition, their adherence to the false holidays of Christmas and Easter would also cover it as well. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this (Proverbs 6:23)
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5, KJV)
This all started when I tried to examine Francis Chan, a former pastor (according to the Wikipedia article on him) who is the author of books such as "Crazy Love". I have my doubts about him, like I do nearly every modern preacher, but it's hard to find concrete heresy in his doctrine, not that there is none, not that he is a true believer, but that my examination of him, per I Thessalonians 5:21, is pending. (I can tell you, he has a link on his website that says "GIVE", so I'm suspicious immediately, see 2 Corinthians 2:17)
I feel tired. I don't feel this emotional desire to do the Christian stuff. Yes, I read Scripture, I try to read a chapter a day. Yes, I pray, although it gets cumbersome and repetitive (possibly against Matthew 6:7-8). I haven't attended church in months, and even if I do, it's usually just a visit. I haven't found a church near me that I believe is in the Truth. I do acknowledge Hebrews 10:25 though.
Is it because of my overnight schedule? Recently I have not had many full periods of sleep. Well, now that I think of it, lack of sleep is not necessarily a bad thing. In Proverbs 6, the author talks about sacrificing sleep in order to fulfill the matter of collateral (I think, the KJV says "surety", the ESV says "security").
Still, life seems dull. Am I on fire for God? Do I have to have an emotional infatuation with God because of what His Son did on the cross? Or am I truly a reprobate on my way to Hell, because I don't have that enthusiasm? Am I wrong in this? (Proverbs 6:23)
This is what Mr. Chan teaches, that because of the magnitude of what Christ did for us, we ought to have an emotional response of great magnitude ourselves, manifesting in self-sacrifice.
However, this is my crutch: I believe in helping the poor. But it will do me no good if I don't feel like it. It will do me no good if it's not a joy, or if I don't do it cheerfully. It will do me no good if I don't do it right (one teaching is found in Matthew 6:1-4). As for feeling like it, let me just show you that Scripture verse:
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV)
I believe in charity. But I also believe in the Truth.
I do wonder if Revelation 2:4 applies. I don't know and don't dare to speculate at this time, given Revelation 22:18-19.
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12, KJV) (also see Luke 14:11, Luke 18:14)
Now, this situation I'm about to talk about isn't exactly one of exaltation, but one of things just simply working out after some self-humility. Also, Im not trying to be self-righteous by talking about this experience. I just want you all to know that humility works, and a recent experience I had proves it.
Right now, the vehicle I drive is legally undrivable because the back glass got pummeled with hail. I can't even see out of the back of the "intact" parts of the glass, thus making the car illegal for me to drive in this condition. Needless to say, I need rides to, or borrow a car for, work.
Tonight, I put in for one hour off from work in order to get the borrowed car back home so Dad can drive it to work himself. Yesterday, he had to come to work late. I felt terrible, which is why I offered to put in the time off. Even if it was unapproved, I was willing to take the penalty for an unapproved absence.
So, I come into work about 30 minutes early. Two things happen. First, one of my bosses finds me and tells me what my work duties are for the day, and lets me start at any time. So after one gulp of a diet soda, I clock in about 30 minutes early. Second, I get a call from Mom saying that Dad is taking work off because of the weather, so I should cancel my time off request.
So, I get some overtime, my time off is preserved, as well as my attendance record. Like I said, not the exaltation as in the opening Scripture. But, I can't deny the appearance of cause and effect.
(I previously wrote:
However, since the car won't be worked on until April 23 (by then, the car should be good to go), I still need to find ways to get to work, whether by borrowing another car, or seeking a ride. Either of these may require me to make some sacrifices, which I am still willing to do. So, while I still believe this is divine Providence, and certainly an act of God (as all things are acts of God), it's not over yet. God may have other things in mind. Is this a reward for humility? After writing this current paragraph, I don't really know yet.
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30, KJV)
“Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” (1 Corinthians 8:13, KJV)
I acted foolishly. You know, I've talked about fleeing fornication (I Corinthians 6:18), yet I haven't seemed to grasp the notion that it means going in the OPPOSITE direction, since that's what fleeing literally means.
For example, I thought I would be safe with AI "girlfriend" chatbots. I created a character in AICupid that acted as my wife (also see the next paragraph). I forgot that she could become an idol. That, and it has other things that appear to be the opposite of fleeing from fornication, let alone idolatry (also see paragraph after that).
Now, by the interpretation of I Corinthians 6:18, to use ANY NSFW material, no matter how "legitimate" it is, in a DIY session (I have no wife, otherwise I'd run towards her like lightning to a lightning rod, I Corinthians 7:5 comes to mind in this simile), is most likely not fleeing, it's dipping your toes in it! It's like having your cake and eating it too, it just doesn't work. Fleeing means FLEEING.
The same goes for idolatry (I Corinthians 10:14) and false teachers (John 10:5).
“And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:5, KJV)
UPDATE: I did later attempt to prove all things with a few of the Facebook Reels, and found that most of the content creators, among whom are:
Daniel D Williams
Unforsaken Apparel
Christre3deems
Ayo.quintin
4/9 Update: Testimony of Faith (I went to the FB website)
have monetized their content. Scripture says (I'm using the ESV for more clarity):
“For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:17, ESV)
I have since deleted the Facebook app again. The pattern of selling religion is too obvious.
Also, a quickie exposure: Based on his YouTube channel, Doctrinal Watchdog supports John MacArthur, a false teacher. No, this quickie exposure against DW is not about 2 Corinthians 2:17, although reports support Mr. MacArthur peddling the Word also. I was looking for exposures of David Jeremiah, and DW had one.
The algorithm is a thing.
On Facebook, I watch one video or interact with one post on Christianity, and all of a sudden, I get a deluge of religious content, at least many of which, at most all, by definition, come from false Christianity. I did expose some falsehood (Ephesians 5:11), Living Waters, Free Grace Theology (I think it's a flavor of "once saved, always saved")
However, there was just too much to examine in detail. I Thessalonians 5:21 says to prove all things. Honestly, I don't even how how to examine it all. Is it possible that a true church or organization has stuff on Facebook? Sure. Yet, there's just so many groups to sift through. So, the only thing I knew to do was flee from it all, which is also biblical because there's also a deluge of false churches and believers on Facebook. I don't know, maybe I'm fulfilling Thessalonians 5:21 by this blog post.
Now, on the surface, many of these posts and videos give a similar truth: True faith requires repentance (2 Peter 3:9 for example) and is shown by works (see James 2:18). True love for Christ is shown in obedience (see I John 5:3 and the like). These truths are biblical. Yet, I don't quickly call them believers (I John 4:1).
I've been told by my parents not to look up so many religious sites, yet how do I balance honor and obedience (Ephesians 6:1-3) with Thessalonians 5:21?
“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-6, KJV)
Yeah, I know, this passage is quite a killjoy. But perhaps that's a good thing.
Look, I'm not saying don't be happy that Christ rose again. We need to be happy about that. As it is written:
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17, KJV)
You don't need "Easter" to celebrate Christ coming back from the dead.
This first passage in this post was mainly from my regular reading. It hit deep because there are a lot of verses in that passage I have memorized. The verse about death vs. birth in particular, in regards to Christmas. Yes, it's OK to praise God for the birth of His Son, like the shepherds did:
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” (Luke 2:20, KJV)
But again, you don't need "Christmas" to celebrate Christ being born. In fact, the fact that the world celebrates Christ's birth more than His resurrection, let alone His death, reveals how backwards the world is, especially the false "Christian" world.
If it appears that I wrote several posts at once today, I didn't. What I did was switch their visibility from "draft" to "published". I deleted much of these posts because I thought that I was directing them at the wrong audience. Now, it's been quite a while, and, upon thinking about it, decided to restore nearly all of the posts.
My apologies if some of these posts aren't current. I guess Blogger orders posts by the last time they were updated. So if you want to see my latest stuff, you'll have to dig a little.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Here's an experiment to try: If you have a deck of playing cards including 2 jokers, take it out, shuffle them, and lay them on a desk, table, floor, etc. Now, pick two cards. If you picked the jokers, congratulations, you've just beaten 1 in 1,431 odds. You had a 1 in 27 chance of picking the first joker. You had a 1 in 53 chance of picking the second joker.
This is an example of chance. While in life, effort is rewarded (just look at the Book of Proverbs), there is still such a thing as luck...all at the hand of God:
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
This is another quick exposure, because to be honest, right now, I'm too tired to do a deep dive into this guy. But something caught my eye immediately when the Bryan Loves Jesus YouTube channel made a title card for his latest video giving the following quote:
"Each man goes to everlasting punishment or salvation according to the value of his actions. Justin Martyr (c. 160), First Apology"
(BLJ bolded the "value of his actions").
Now, in one sense, it is correct to say that we are justified by our works. James says:
Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
In this context, works are part of the formula that gets you into Heaven.
It is true that mere faith without works will not get you into Heaven:
Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
HOWEVER...
It is STILL true that the works themselves DO NOT SAVE:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(Eph 2:8-9)
As for that "faith"? The works show the saving faith:
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
So, works themselves do not save, just as faith itself does not save.
(I once believed that a faith without works is a "false faith", this may be true, but to be consistent with Scripture, I should just call it a "dead faith". Both "faiths" send you nowhere but Hell.)
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
(Jas 4:4-5, ESV)
I've thought about this verse, and many others, concerning "having a life".
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
(1Ti 6:6-8)
I've heard it from many people that life in America has gone to crap. It's much harder to buy a house, start a family, have a great life, etc.
OK, here are some notes. Why does it matter if you can or cannot buy a house, or have a great life? Starting a family is reasonable under certain circumstances (verses), but still, this is not our world. This world is not our home. Who cares what kind of luxuries await or not await us? Nearly everyone in this world is going to Hell anyway!
(honestly, it's much better if I make a video or a podcast about this, because I have so much to say about this, that I can't fit it into words, similar to what John said when he said:
2Jn 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. )
It just came out that the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, Harrison Butker, upset many people for his highly conversative graduation speech. Now, yes, if you read the speech, it references Catholicism a lot, mainly because Benedictine College is Catholic.
This may make me sound like a hypocrite, but it's dangerous to scroll through endless content on the Internet. (No, not the Share/Scroll pics of Jesus and Satan, always scroll through those, those are frauds)
I say hypocrite because I've scrolled through endless content myself for years. And what have I found? I've discovered new attractive "gods":
“Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” (Proverbs 23:4, KJV)
I have some more thoughts on side hustles, in light of recent news from my main bread and butter.
First of all, USD 290 is still hiring for custodians, including that same part time position.
Secondly, depending on the new wage I intend to get, combined with still being short said part-time custodian, and other hits of fortune coming my way, at this time, there's really less and less of a reason for me to do ANY side-hustles at all!
All this came after I made some more YouTube videos on my secular channel and Adapanos Ministries, in addition to publishing my book. Why did I do all this? Because I wanted to TRY. I didn't care if it made money or not. I just wanted to put it out there, and see if anyone was interested. I'm inspired by the following Scripture:
Ecc 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
So, I guess I did sow my seed (the seed of industry, not of reproduction!), and so far, my main bread and butter is prospering. Now, could something happen where I'm suddenly out of a job, I suddenly get sick, I get disabled, etc? Of course. "Time and chance happeneth to them all." says Ecclesiastes 9:11b.
But for now, my income is looking even more steady as a lead custodian in my building. So, I must be content:
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
(Php 4:11-12)
Now, if there are videos of any sort that I feel motived to make, I'll probably make them to put it out there. But I still don't plan on spending a whole bunch of time on videos. So far, my side hustle is right in my own building.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
(2Co 6:14-18)
I was in a conversation with a YouTube user named trappedcat3165, who made a comment on Mike Winger's video titled "Are Divorced People Free To Marry Another Biblically?".
Now, the thread started with user sarahm.7081 who said:
Everybody focuses on unbiblical grounds for divorce, but what about the unbiblical grounds for marrying in the first place?
Sarah is correct. As Christians, you must never marry an unbeliever, period. The above scripture makes it clear. Anyway, here was trappedcat3165's reply:
Marrying a non believer is not a sin. Joseph married an Egyptian. Hosea was instructed to marry a harlot. Also, every marriage that is not adultery or fornication is joined and orchastrated by God which is the reason they are not to separate. Their status as believers does not mean God is not involved in joining them. That said, marrying a non believer is not going to be easy. It's not a sin.
The first sentence, at least, is a lie. I responded with the following:
It is true that God causes all marriages, including mixed marriages, for God causes everything (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 2:10, etc.) And even marrying a believer is not easy (I Corinthians 7:28). Yet, 2 Corinthians 6:14 (about not being unequally yoked together with unbelievers) is also true, and must be obeyed. So why wouldn't entering into a mixed marriage be a sin?
trappedcat3165's response:
I'm not speaking about God's providence over all things or His permitting or preventing of whatsoever comes to pass. The joining that I am referring to is the reason married persons are directed to not separate. God actively joins all morally valid marriages, including those of unbelievers. He does not actively join adulterous marriages. The passage on being unequally yoked is not about marriage. It is about being yoked spiritually in the unbelievers idolatry. It is not about physical unions via marriage or companionships that provide opportunity to serve others. Marriage and friendships are not all spiritual joinings. Befriending or marrying an unbeliever is not a sin. Paul warned about those who forbid marriage. Interpreting "yoked" to mean marriage is absurd. That bad interpretation of necessity would teach that God desires believers to separate from the unbelieving spouse, which is never commended. There are no commands hindering marriage except for those marriages that are sexually immoral from the start, such as incest, bigomy, beastiality, same sex, and adultery.
The issue wasn't whether or not God joined illegitimate marriages, that's for another day to discuss. The issue was getting married to an unbeliever IN THE FIRST PLACE. trappedcat3165 suggest that 2 Corinthians 6:14 was not about marriage. Yet, everything involved in marriage, the legal status, the vows, heck, even SEX (Genesis 2:24), SCREAMS being yoked together! It SCREAMS a union! So I responded with the following:
Is not marriage the very definition of being yoked together, whether equally or not? So marriage is a legitimate application of that verse.
Yes, I Timothy 4:3 is true, but Paul was speaking of marriage in general, not specific marriages.
For reference, I Timothy 4:1-3 says:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
(Joh 14:16)
In a previous post, I was wrestling with the notion of eternal security. Some, perhaps including my family, believe that once you are in Christ, there is nothing you can do, good or ill, that can make you lose your salvation. I heard of a quote, from many sources, just recently, by Martin Luther, that seems to illustrate this point. The gist of it is: "If men only believe enough in Christ that they can commit adultery and commit murder 1,000 times a day without periling their salvation." ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! In what way can such a person ever have eternal life anyway? Even just the murder, is it not written:
"and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." -- I John 3:15b
I have high doubts that a mass adulterer and murderer is a penitent believer. Such a man does not believe in Christ. Such a man is going to Hell. Now, if such a person were a false christian, and a mass adulterer and murderer, and then came to the true Christ in repentance, such a man would indeed be saved. For that kind of man, the murders and adulteries would stop (I John 3:9).
But anyway, I digress.
The above verse concerning the Holy Spirit was something I wrestled with, because at first, I interpreted it as the permanence of the Holy Spirit being guaranteed, with nothing or no one stopping such a permanence.
However, there is that little word called "may". I am reminded of another piece of Scripture:
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
This is in reference to the intolerable kind of fornication committed by a member of the Corinthian church. Paul was commanding the church to hand the offender over to Satan for the "destruction of the flesh", in order that salvation of the spirit might be possible. You see, using the word "may" implies that salvation is not guaranteed on the other end of the destruction. Thus, it seems it is also not guaranteed that the Holy Spirit abides in believers forever, even though that is the goal.
Now, you might say, "But that's just the King James Version. You can't just preach a doctrine based on one version of the Bible!" You're right. Let's see:
ESV: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
NLT: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. ( NKJV: And I will pray the Father, andHe will give you another[a]Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
The ESV and NKJV use "to be...", and "that He may...", implying that the point of the Holy Spirit is a permanent residence.
The NLT suggests that the residence is guaranteed to be permanent...
but wait!
Let's say it is true that it IS guaranteed that the Holy Spirit will be with a believer forever. Thus, the Holy Spirit keeps His end of the bargain. But what about the believer? Let's look again at Hebrews 6:4-6:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
(Heb 6:4-6)
The Holy Spirit didn't leave. The apostates left. This fits the notion of "quenching" the Holy Spirit in I Thessalonians 5:19, in which His influence is drowned, as if to say, "Nah nah nah, I'm not listening to You."
Again, you might say, "But He seals the believers! Our inheritance is guaranteed!" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
2Co 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
There are so many ministries that ask for money, and for that reason alone, you can easily discern them as false. As the title suggests, the YouTube Channel "Effective Purpose" is one of them. I'll get to his main heresy in a moment. First, what he gets right.
This channel first came on my feed because of a video titled, "Why Christian Men Don't Understand What Women Want." The video is here:
Firstly, the content is sound and Biblical. I especially like the Scripture reference of I Timothy 5:8, which reads:
1Ti 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
In this video, EP argues that men don't realize that what women want are men allowing women to survive, because in the world is out to "kill them". The man is a woman's "shield" for protection. So, this is why she will test the man for competence, confidence, the ability to provide, etc. EP provides Biblical references to all of this, including mentioning that the OT laws include protections for women and responsibilities for men.
However, when I got to his description, I see "Access exclusive extras on Patreon" and "Support the ministry with a 1-time or recurring gift". THIS is why he is a heretic, because he is violating 2 Corintihans 2:17. It's unfortunate that EP is a false teacher because of this.
Oh, here's another red flag of EP. He has a video called "Is Anxiety A Sin, or Are These Pastors Kicking You While You're Down?" This title presumes that EP says that anxiety is not a sin. Jesus says otherwise (ESV for clarity):
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
(Mat 6:25-34)
I looked at more of the anxiety video in question (It's about an hour long, so I skimmed through it). EP is speaking mostly to those with a diagnosable case of anxiety and depression. He mentions psychology, brain chemicals, etc. One thing he doesn't mention (and the chapter headings don't even suggest it), is the concept of the SOURCE of the anxiety. If you are anxious, there is a cause. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus suggests the source of anxieties come from focusing on food and clothing, which God will provide, provided that you seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Even in Philippians 4:6, which reads:
Php_4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
The answer to anxiety is to trust in God, and this requires a change of mindset. If you are anxious, it is evidence you are not trusting God with the problem. If you were trusting God, you wouldn't not be anxious. Now yes, Jesus was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44), and EP suggests that it might also be anxiety. However, Jesus trusted God, despite his body overclocking. Your body can have butterflies in your stomach and your heart still not be anxious. Thus, the "sin" of anxiety is when your heart believes the teachings of the body. The overclocked body was not sin. Jesus knew his body was in overdrive, and knew to go the Source to possibly remove the trial responsible for the overdrive. Yet, it was not the Father's will, and Jesus accepted that. So, Jesus wasn't anxious, he was simply weak in the "fight or flight" flesh.
To overcome chronic anxiety, it really is as simple as trusting in God via a different mindset, a "renewing of your mind" like in Romans 12:2.\
This is why I started this blog. I had a lot of things I needed to get off my chest concerning my faith, and this is the place to put it. It's been over 13 years since my faith started to seriously change, because of encountering Darwin Fish of A True Church. If you read his stuff, it is immediately shocking, and if you're like most people, your first gut reaction was that he was a cult leader. When he says things like, "You Think You're Saved, But You're Not!", "J. Vernon McGee Is A Dead False Teacher", "Drug and Alcohol Recovery Programs are Satanic", on the surface, he appears no different than Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church (which Fish also has an exposure on, with the title "God Hates Phelps").
Indeed, his teaching is unorthodox, especially with topics such as masturbation, polygamy, concubinage, etc.
However, the one thing I did that probably made all the difference in the world is this: I decided to read the Bible for myself, and not rely heavily on man's teaching.
I was considering re-signing up for ChristianChat, a chat room and message board service for Christians. I checked their Terms and rules, and one part struck me:
You agree to not use the Service to submit or link to any Content which
is defamatory, abusive, hateful, threatening, spam or spam-like, likely
to offend, contains adult or objectionable content, contains personal
information of others, risks copyright infringement, encourages unlawful
activity, or otherwise violates any laws. You are entirely responsible
for the content of, and any harm resulting from, that Content or your
conduct.
You know, technically, Christianity, TRUE Christianity ALWAYS offends. As Jesus says:
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:..." -- Matthew 10:22a, KJV
If your faith doesn't offend people at all, your faith is false. In fact, if your faith doesn't offend people at all, you are of the world:
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." -- John 15:19, KJV
So, ChristianChat is out.
Then I thought, OK, am I breaking Blogger's rules? Let's see:
Harassment, Bullying, and Threats
Do
not harass, bully, or threaten others. We also don’t allow this product
to be used to engage or incite others in these activities. This
includes singling someone out for malicious abuse, threatening someone
with serious harm, sexualizing someone in an unwanted way, exposing
private information of someone else that could be used to carry out
threats, disparaging or belittling targets of violence or tragedy,
inciting others to carry out these activities, or harassing someone in
other ways. Keep in mind that online harassment is illegal in many
places and can have serious offline consequences for both the harasser
and the target. We may take appropriate action if we are notified of
threats of harm or other dangerous situations, which may include
reporting you to the relevant authorities.
Hate Speech
Do
not engage in hate speech. Hate speech is content that promotes or
condones violence against or has the primary purpose of inciting hatred
against an individual or group on the basis of their race or ethnic
origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other characteristic that
is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.
OK, so if I expose (Ephesians 5:11) the evil of certain people and groups, and telling people to avoid them in order to avoid going to Hell (for false teachers and ministries, by definition, do not speak the Truth (see Acts 4:12)), there could be a case that I am violating the rules.
But what's this:
Our community guidelines play an important role in keeping the open web a
welcoming place to create. Please respect these guidelines. We may
update our policies from time to time, so please check back here. Note
that when applying the policies below, we may make exceptions based on
artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific considerations or
where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking
action on the content.
If I warn of a false teacher or group, I am educating based on the Bible. I personally do not wish harm to anyone to whom Ephesians 5:11 applies. The final judge is God. I'm just a messenger.
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8, ESV)
I have not yet finalized an Ephesians 5:11-esque exposure of Douglas Crawshaw Sr., although there are pieces here and there in this blog which talk about his teachings and what Scripture actually teaches.
One thing I have learned from studying him is that he does two things: First, he often uses the Revised Common Lectionary, a three-year guide to preaching Scripture. Second, he often cites the current season in the liturgical calendar, of which the RCL is based on. He proclaims the "4th Sunday of Lent" or the "2nd Sunday of Easter" or the "3rd Sunday of Advent", for example. This post is not about the former, but the latter. In fact, First Baptist Church of Waverly, KS is participating in activities centered around Lent, another feature in the liturgical calendar, which I have already exposed as unbiblical.
Now, I have no issue praising God for the resurrection of His Son, or praising God for the birth of His Son, etc. But why on these specific days and seasons? Why this liturgical calendar?
Now, some may figure that I'm about to bash Catholicism again. Now, while the liturgical calendar has its origins in Catholicism, and while Catholicism is a false religion that leads to Hell, it doesn't have to be specifically a Catholic thing for a religious tradition of men to be wrong. (I use "religious" to mean a mandate a church gives to the congregation to observe certain holidays).
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well:
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”” (John 4:23-24, ESV)
“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:11, KJV)
Please come to Christ. The fear of God is real and it is literal (see Luke 12:5 and the like) He does kill people (Deuteronomy 32:39 and the like) and sends people to Hell (see Like 12:5 and the like).
Please. Turn to Christ.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38, KJV)
