Is being a Catholic the SAME as being a Christian?

"All people bleed, but not all people are bleeding."
"Everything for sale in the toy store is a toy, but not all things in the toy store are toys."

Those are just two things that I can think of off the top of my head to confuse you.
If you weren't confused, good, because they're only sensible.

But there are people out there who are NOT sensible.

Bible Nuggets 4 - Works without Faith

Today's question is so preposterous that my head almost popped off!  Let's see if you can see what's wrong with this question before you read my response...

Question:  Pastor Keith, I believe that works are SO ESSENTIAL to our walk with Christ that I can't think about anything else.  All I want to do is feed the hungry, give a cool drink of water to anyone who is thirsty, clothe the poor, visit those in prison, tend to widows, fight for social justice, and pretty much just get involved and do anything I can to help those who are so marginalized that I need to do something or I tend to lose sleep over it!  What more can I do?

Answer: Whew.....

Starting a new church?

Anyone who has been following me, either here on this blog or in the flesh can tell you in no uncertain terms, that I am (justifiably) sick, tired and disgusted by almost every single church/denomination in existence.

Why could I possibly be sick, tired and disgusted?  Let's start with false teachings, fleecing, poor teachings, poor understandings, altar calls & false tongue speaking, just as an example.

For years I've been told over and over again to start my own church, but as with all things, if I don't feel lead to do something by God, I'm not doing it.  For proof of that, I still have not released my book yet.

So with that said, I'm putting together this blog post in an attempt to help you decide whether or not a church that I would set up, would be more in line with what YOU believe to be TRUE and not what some wayward soul, who only wants your money would set up.

Please take a moment and ponder these statements:

Christianity needs to change?

Did you read the subject without the question mark?
If you did, you're not alone, but you're in a lot of trouble.
Good thing you're here, let me help you out!  :)

There are 3 types of people in the world:

1. Christians who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God
2. christians who believe the parts of the Bible they want to believe
3. Everyone else

Are you a Christian or a Disciple?

WARNING: God's Word has been known to be offensive to those living outside of God's perfect Will.  Read to your own edification!

QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS

Do you call yourself a Christian?

Why?

Does Jesus tell you anywhere in Scripture to "Go out and become a Christian"?

Did you know that the word "Christian" can be found only 3 times in the whole Bible...?

And 2 of those times, it's used in a discussion surrounding suffering or death!

Yet many of you will use that "title" alone in order to describe yourself.  Something that you either deem as a badge of honor, inferring your rebelliousness to the world at large or simply just to show people how "good" or "righteous" you are...

But I'm here to tell you today, that Jesus Himself was more concerned about DISCIPLESHIP than He ever was about you attending church, joining a religion or making up or following your own ways and practices, thanks to what the United States calls "Religious Freedom".

Agendas, Propaganda and Lies... Oh my!

NOTICE: As I referenced in my last post on the subject, this is my second (and hopefully final) post regarding this particular issue.  

Next, I'm putting this at the beginning of this post, because those of  you with ADD might not make it all the way through.  There is no hate of any kind contained within this post.  Twist and turn all of my words if you'd like, but you're not going to get away with saying that my words or my intent are hateful.

Bible Nuggets 2 - Who are the "Sons of God"?

Pastor Jeff and I like to say that "The Bible is an inexhaustible supply of information"... We refer to it as inexhaustible, because no matter how often you read it and no matter how much you study it, if you're reading it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from time to time He shows things to you that you've never seen before!

Christianity in America - What happened?

Here in the United States, we take stands on all sorts of things...

We want to know what chemicals are in the food we eat...

We want to know if our chickens are caged or free range...

We want to know if the fish we eat comes from a sustainable species...

We want to know what country our coffee comes from...

We want to know where our President was born...

Americans can't help but want to know everything; after all, we're not stupid, right?

Then why don't you want to know about all of the POISON that's included with your religion?

Look, I personally don't care for Obama any more than anyone else in this country right now, but look at contender #2, Mitt Romney (who has publicly claimed membership within the Mormon church). Do you not realize that Mormons believe that God is an alien from another planet, that used to be a regular man? Do you not realize that Mormons believe that Jesus (our Lord and Savior) is the brother of Satan? Do you not realize that Mormons baptize their DEAD? Jesus said that you can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless you are born of water (natural birth) and of the Holy Spirit (making a decision to accept the atoning sacrifice of the blood of Christ). How can you accept something after you're dead?

If America actually sat down and took the time to look into these religions, they wouldn't vote for EITHER of these 2 men. If that happened, for the first time in our history, we'd elect one of the little guys, instead of the candidates with all the money for television commercials.

So why is it that we care so much about the chicken that's about to be slaughtered, so that we can have chicken nuggets, but we can't spend the time to find out the whole truth behind God and creation?

We're about to vote on whether or not to place someone who claims to be a Christian, but acts like a Muslim or someone who claims to be a Christian but is actually a Mormon. God says that we shall know them by their fruits, so in that context, I would say that I don't know either of these candidates as Christians.

So all of you non-practicing Catholics... There's a reason you're not practicing... I'm guessing that God's got other plans for you. Why practice a religion that's steeped in Pagan rituals? Why practice a religion that changes with the wind? God says that He does not change, so how can we call Catholics Christian?

Episcopals? Seriously? They've undergone such drastic changes over the past 30 years that nobody with half a brain even considers being one any more.

Liberal Christians? They love to say that if Jesus "was around today", He'd be a liberal. Really? Is this the same Jesus that said:

Matthew 10:34 - "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."

Revelation 3:16 - So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

It's no wonder that Atheists make such fun of Christians. So many leaders within Christianity will try to convince you that whatever they have to say is truth. They'll do everything that they can to prove to you that they're right. All I want to do is prove to you that God is right. Not me, God and the Bible.

So pick up that cup of Fair-Trade coffee and grab a Bible and start reading. You'll be amazed to find out that all of your misconceptions about God and the Bible are unfounded.

And BTW, this is not an "anti-anybody" blog post. As far as I'm concerned, God is in charge of who gets elected and who isn't (see Daniel 2:21 & Romans 13:1-2 for my reasoning). This is a wake up call to all of the people in this country who claim to be Christians, yet they have no clue who God is. Read Luke 14:25-33 and see if you're really who you say you are. Trust me, you can fool most of the people around you, but you can't fool God.

Matthew 7:21-23 - "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"

Episode 14 of Biblically Speaking covers our individual responsibility as Christians, in reference to voting. In light of the GOP convention in Tampa this coming week and the impending 2012 Presidential election, I highly recommend you give it a listen.

Should new Christians Witness?

While I'm sure that this is going to be a hot-button issue, it's something that I believe needs discussing.

Should a babe in Christ share their faith (or witness) to non-believers? And even better, Should a babe in Christ offer Spiritual guidance to other believers?

Jesus calls upon us to "go into all the world", but did He mean for new believers to do this too? Some would argue that since He didn't place any restrictions on this, then the answer is simply, "Yes". While I believe it's essential that we keep everything Biblical, we also need to look at the mechanics of this too.

Would a University hire a 6 year old to teach Quantum Mechanics? No? Okay, why? Certainly they've been taught how to add and subtract. Certainly this math is easily figured out too, right?

Would a software company hire a 12 year old to teach classes to people, who wanted to learn how to use their software? Not in the real world they wouldn't. Why? Well, for starters, I don't know ANY 12 year old's who could do this effectively. Sure, they may understand how the software works, but should they really be in a position to teach it to adults?

I could give example after example about what makes a good fit and what doesn't, but I think you understand what I'm trying to explain. New Christians are called "Babes in Christ" and Babes require multiple feedings a day, they stick their fingers in things they shouldn't, they put things in their mouth that don't belong there (especially their foot), so they're not really in any position to "feed" other babes (or anyone else for that matter).

Biblical support?

Deuteronomy 11:2 - Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the LORD your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm ---

And just as important an issue, is the issue surrounding new Christians who would profess to know and understand the answers to things that "fathers" don't even know the answers to. I'm dealing with this one person right now, who's been a Christian for about 2 years, but they have no idea that they're a babe. NONE. They go out of their way to answer everyone's questions, even though they should be SILENT and sit back and listen and learn. It's not that they should be silent because they're a babe, they should be silent, because they don't realize that they're giving out the wrong answers to questions that actually have "correct" and "incorrect" answers. They should keep silent, because they ask questions that reveal their "babeness", yet they would speak as if they know it all and are in a position to offer Spiritual guidance to others that may be further along in their growth than they are.

Biblical support?

2 Corinthians 12:14 - Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to prevent the Gospel from being shared and I'm certainly not trying to prevent you from exercising the Great Commission either. All I'm trying to do is to appeal to your conscience, that there are some things that little children are better at, than babes and there are some things that young men are better at than little children. Which of course means that there are some thing that fathers are better at than young men. And not just "better at", but assigned to do by God!

Pride keeps us from revealing where each of us are in our walk. Our flesh doesn't want to believe that we're a "babe", but instead believe that we're fathers. We're not called to be boastful or prideful. We're not called upon to take jobs or responsibilities that we're not "called to do". This is one of the primary reasons that our churches are so broken. First they're full of Elders who are babes in Christ and secondly, they're run by Pastors who have lots of "school knowledge", but have no Spiritual Discernment.

I pray that if you're reading this and if this sounds even remotely familiar, that you pray over what I've shared with you today and you stop what you're doing. God doesn't share the Glory with men, EVER. If you'd stop trying to puff yourselves up and humble yourself before God and men, you'd be walking with God the way He expects you to and not the way that you want to...

Instead of seeking your own personal self satisfaction, you should be humbling yourself before someone more mature in Christ than yourself, to learn HOW to properly share your faith. It'll be the difference between the false teaching that "God has a wonderful plan for your life" and "Let me tell you about God's plan". If you see those two examples as the same, then that should stop you in your tracks. They're not the same. Not even close.

All children (especially babies), need to be taught things, whether it's about not drawing on walls or not sticking a fork into a light socket. Witnessing is no different. Your inability to know the difference between right and wrong can wind up being the difference between having a successful witnessing encounter and one that forever scares someone away from God.

Reaching Millions with the Gospel

Here's a question I received a couple of days ago.

Question: I see hundreds and hundred of mainstream education sites that offer training on thousands upon thousands of things and they're able to reach millions of people and help them. They have training videos, an audio series and all sorts of printable things for people to learn from. Why can't we do that only with facts and the truth and not godless fairy tales?

Answer: I completely understand your question!

Since I became a Pastor, I have diligently relied upon the Holy Spirit to guide me in all that I do. Having a Discipleship Ministry has got to be one of the most "Glorifying to God" things you can have. Since establishing SilverWorks, we have (miraculously) gotten a couple of thousand followers, of which only a couple of dozen have requested direct Discipleship.

It may or may not surprise you to know, that there are very few people who would call themselves Christian, who actually care about God's Word and would instead prefer to believe what they've been taught. Even today, I received an email from a brother, who was wondering how to communicate with someone 25 years older than them, on how to correct their false teachings / false beliefs.

If only I could reach millions of people who would prefer to be Disciples instead of Christians...

Of course that doesn't even begin to count up those who would call themselves Christian and be living a life completely in anathema to what they claim to love. How many would call themselves Christian, yet have no fruits to show? How many would call themselves Christian, yet they would love sex, pornography and self-pleasuring more than desiring to have intimacy in their relationship with God? How many would use vulgar language in the same sentence as the Lord's name? How many would call themselves Christian, yet ponder rape or raping? How many would call themselves Christian, yet murder their own children instead of relying on the Lord to care for them? How many would call themselves Christian, yet teach things to people that are lies and clearly twisted Scripture instead of allowing God to "Say what He means and mean what He says?" How many would call themselves Christian, yet be more concerned with money than their relationship with God? How many would call themselves Christian, yet place more emphasis on being loved by the world than by being loved by Christ?

Romans 6:1-6 - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

If anyone needs that much Grace, then I would question whether or not they've placed all of their faith and all of their trust in God. Because if they're that far off the mark, I could only wonder how much they're depending on the Blood of Christ to save them. It had better be a lot!

If only I could find millions of people who would prefer to be Disciples instead of Christians...

What a joyous day that would be!

Are Demons real and are Demons here today?

Today I would like to bring to you both a story and a small teaching.

It's important that I make it abundantly clear, that this teaching is not something for you to build doctrine upon, it is however something that you need to know, because most Pastors either can't or won't teach this to you.

Last month, in the middle of the night, I was awakened from a sound sleep. I opened my eyes looked around (in the dark), intently listened for strange sounds and I saw and heard nothing. So I went to roll over and go back to sleep. That's when I realized that I was unable to move.

My immediate reaction was to panic, I struggled to move both my arms and my legs, and while I could technically "move them", I was not able to control them. It was as if I was being restrained! The only problem, was that I could neither see nor feel anyone or anything restraining me, I just couldn't move.

I strained and strained, struggled and wiggled. I tried everything I could, in order to just "change" my position. That's when I had a thought, I wondered if I was dreaming. I was most certainly NOT dreaming.

After what must have been 2-3 minutes in this panicked state (it felt like forever), I had a thought. I had from time to time read about or heard about "demonic forces", but never gave it much thought. From my experience, only crazy people actually had "encounters" with demons. So after thinking that it might be possible that I was "under attack", I called upon the Lord and in that very instant I was released! I jumped out of the bed (just to further prove to myself that I wasn't sleeping) and I went downstairs, walked outside and got some fresh air and began to thank God for His love and His Grace. I went back inside and went back to bed. The next day, as further proof that this had actually taken place, both my arms and my legs were red and sore. So sore that I could hardly move them. It was as if I had gone to the gym and instead of working out for an hour, I had done it for 6 hours! There was no doubt that all of this had happened.

About a week later, the same thing happened again, except this time I "felt like" I was able to deal with it a little bit better. I didn't panic, I didn't struggle, I just laid there (of course I tried to move, but was restrained). Except this time, I was able to "sense" something, that I wouldn't have been able to the first time. I could sense that this was the SAME demon attacking me again. So like I said, I laid there, patiently and quietly. As I laid there, I wondered silently to myself, "What does he want? Doesn't he know that there's 'No Vacancy' here?" In case you are not aware, once you have the Holy Spirit indwell within you, there's no "room" for an evil spirit too.

So after a minute or two of silent thought, nothing was happening. I couldn't help but wonder what it could want (can you blame me?). So I let another minute pass and I called upon the name of the Lord and again, this evil spirit departed and I had complete control of my limbs back again.

The very next day, I contacted Pastor Jeff (Who you may know from our Discipleship Series) and I recounted both of these experiences to him, in order to get his advice on this matter. I waited to ask anyone about this, because I wanted instead to get my answers from God directly. So after having waited and then having been attacked again without answer, I went to Jeff and asked him for his direction.

We spoke for more than an hour about his personal experiences and the experiences of others. We talked about "Medical theories" and some other worldly views on the matter. Apparently what I had experienced is very similar to many 1,000's of attacks that take place every single day.

A couple of days later, I received the phone call, telling me that my mother had passed.

A couple of days after that, I went back to God (yet again), and asked Him why He had permitted for me to be attacked. Finally God responded and said to me, "The demon that attacked you, is the demon that has been within your mother for the past 40 years". I was both shocked and at the same time, not even remotely surprised. I had always suspected that my mother had something wrong with her, I just didn't know what.

To have God reveal this tremendous event to me blew my mind. To be able to finally comprehend what had been going on in my life for the past 40 years was an amazing revelation for me.

So let's fast forward again, to this week!

Monday morning, 7AM, my "visitor" is back. Or at least that's what I thought! Same thing happened, rudely awakened, restrained and since I've had this happen twice before, I just laid there, quietly waiting. Except this time, there was something markedly different. I don't know how I know, but I know that this is another demon! There was just something different about this visitor.

So just as before, I waited a couple of minutes, silently. I just can't help but want to know what they want. Although I'm not going to ask. If they decide to tell me, I'll listen, but even then I'm not sure that I'd believe what they had to say anyway. In any event, I wait and nothing happens, so I call upon the name of God and they leave me.

So now I go to God and ask Him, "What's going on Lord? Why are you permitting me to be attacked by demons?" I was immediately answered with, "The first demon that visited you was looking for a new home. This new demon is looking to destroy your family!" He then told me one other thing that I'm not willing to reveal at the moment. I will however tell you that this demon is currently possessing another family member and is also looking for a "new home".

So this time, I immediately contact two Pastors that I trust with information like this. First, I contact Pastor Beau (who you also may recognize from our Discipleship series). I can't help but feel that fellowship regarding these issues is critical. I just know that keeping this to myself is wrong. Remember, everything that God lets happen is designed to bring Glory to Him. So if I keep quiet, who gets glorified? Nobody.

So I filled Beau in on the first two "visits" and then catch him up. Of course Beau is not surprised to hear this information, as the devil always wants to kill, steal and destroy. That's what he does! (John 10:10).

Before I called Beau, I did some homework. I went through Luke 11:24-26, Mark 9:14-29 and especially 1 Corinthians 12:10 & 1 John 4:1. It was critically important to me, that I allow all of what God has to say on this matter deeply abide in me. If only more Christians would seek to be Disciples, we'd have far more people walking with God than we do today.

So I spoke to Beau and got his input. He was adamant about Mark 9:29 and since he was already in the middle of a fast, he promised to be in prayer over this evil spirit for me and my family as well.

So fast forward (and long story shorter), I asked both Jeff and Beau a question. You see, God doesn't say a whole lot about dealing with these kinds of issues. Yes, what He does say is great, but there are not a lot of details. So I asked both of them how they felt that 1 Corinthians 12:10 applied in this situation. I wanted to know if they believed "Discerning of spirits" had anything to do with "evil spirits". They both said multiple things about that passage, but they both agreed that YES, that gift is expressly covering my issue as well.

They both told me that I have been gifted with this ability to, "have a peek behind the veil". Just for clarity, I did speak to each of them separately, neither knowing what the other said. The fact that they were both giving me the exact same information was 100% confirmation for me that I was doing the right thing(s).

So I (like so many before me), asked them WHY in the world would God give me this gift?? You see, even though Paul teaches us to "desire gifts", I have never really thought about having any. I always felt that if God needed to gift me with anything, that He'd do it, regardless of whether I wanted something or not. They both told me to just keep in prayer and total reliance on the Holy Spirit. Which is what I would have done anyway.

They also reminded me, that God gives us gifts and sometimes they're only given to us temporarily! I can't even begin to tell you how many "phony faith healers" are out there, who were able to be used to heal one person, then started a "healing ministry" and then never had the gift again. Yet they keep at it, ACTING like they're running around with the permanent gift of healing.

In any event, here I am today, writing to you about my experiences for one critical reason...

I don't want you to be fooled. Demonic forces ARE present today. Many believe that the only demons that are around today are in movies with Catholic priests! And many more believe that, "the only demons we have is the sin inside of each of us"! These are both untrue. I do not want you to be fooled nor ignorant!

Intimacy with God is so critically important, yet it seems to be almost non-existent and untaught today in churches. If you have no intimacy with the Holy Spirit, I would question if you're a Christian or a Cultural-Christian. I recently came upon that term, "Cultural Christian" and thought it was wonderfully descriptive. How many show up at church on Sundays, only to be interested in how quickly they can go home? How many show up, only to show the other members of their church "just how holy they are", just because they showed up?!

There are far fewer Disciples than there are Christians.

Have you ever wondered why?

If you have, you're in the right place!

A few days ago, I took a poll from a group of Christians and 100% of those that voted said that they know Demonic Possession still takes place. Half of them had first hand experience. If you're not in that 100%, please allow this teaching to encourage you to believe all of what God has to say in the Bible. He's never let me down, He can do the same for you too!

Why did Angels minister to Jesus?

I often share questions I get from other people here in my blog, because I feel it's a waste to not share them with others who may struggle with the same questions.

Question: What does it mean angels came to Jesus and ministered to him? (Matthew 4:11 & Mark 1:13)

Answer: Well, I suppose if you put it in context, Jesus is God and He created the Angels to serve Him and His every purpose. After 40 days in the desert, I would suppose that since He's fully God and fully Man, that He may have needed some "tending to" or ministering. Or to put it simply, they FED HIM! Could you imagine how weak and hungry He must have been?

I try to tell people all the time, that MINISTER should be EQUAL to SERVANT. As a Minister or Pastor, it is our responsibility, indeed OUR JOB, to serve the sheep. Think about it. Pastor is basically Latin for Shepherd. What do Shepherds do? They continually find the best green grass for the sheep to feed on and protect the sheep from wolves and other potential disasters like keeping them away from cliffs and sharp rocks. No matter how you look at it, it's the Shepherds job to SERVE the sheep.

Matthew 20:28 - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

It's only through reading and understanding God's Word that we can truly understand what we should be expecting from our Ministers. Bright white teeth and a wind-tunnel tested hair-do are not requirements of a good Pastor...

I hope you found this helpful!

Predestination - Biblical Fact or Fiction?

Today I was presented with a question I get once in a while, from Christians who are starting to grow in their faith. Many people have such difficulty with the concept of "predestination" that they simply believe that it's not true.

Question: I hear about predestination from time to time and I just can't wrap my head around it. How can everything we do or say be predestined to happen before we actually do or say it? Wouldn't that mean that I don't have the ability to make any decisions, because they've already been made for me? I'd much rather believe that I'm in control of my destiny. The other problem I have, is because I don't really know too much about this subject, I can't really discuss it with other people, so instead I've chosen to stay away from it altogether. Can you help?

Answer: Sister, while I can appreciate your "fleshly need" to believe that you need to be in control of everything that happens in your life, the simple fact of the matter is that God is in control of ALL THINGS, not just the things you'd like for Him to be.

The idea about predestination is actually quite simple and entirely Biblically accurate.

God tells us (through His Word), that He knows the ending from the beginning...

Isaiah 46:8-10 - "Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'

As far as predestining whom gets Salvation and who burns for all eternity, that is also very simply derived from Gods Holy Word.

Romans 8:29-30 - For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

John 18:9 - that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none."

Romans 9:11-12 - (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger."

But you are wise to want to keep away from this issue of predestination. Greater men than I have spent hundreds of years arguing and debating this exact issue. If only they'd read the Bible without interpreting it, they could have been praying together instead of planning the others demise!

Hope this was helpful!

Should a small child share the Gospel with their dad?

God's been keeping me mighty busy lately, with lots and lots of questions.

Today's question comes from a divorced sister with a 10 year old son.

NOTE: This question has been modified from it's original form in order to protect sensitive information.

Question: I have a 10 year old son. I had him before I was a Christian, I considered myself an Agnostic at the time. Well I came to the Lord about 2 years ago and up until our son was 9 years old his father, who is a very devout Atheist, was not involved in his life at all.

My son, who is a Christian, is constantly witnessing to his dad whenever they are together. While I have not yet shown him how to witness, he is talking to his dad about Christ anyway.

My ex had our son with him last week and my son told me when I got him back yesterday that his dad yelled at him to stop telling him about Jesus because he doesn't believe it and since I told him that he couldn't discuss Atheism with our son, then our son wasn't allowed to discuss Christianity with him.

Needless to say it upset my son as he wants his dad to be saved which leads me to my question.

Children are supposed to honor their father/mother. I am showing him how to witness and his father told him he cannot witness to him. But God says to witness.

Where is the line? How should I advise my son? I don't want him to dishonor his father at the same time I don't want him to dishonor God but also he should be able to have fun with his dad without always feeling like he should witness. They should both be able to enjoy their time.

Answer: First of all, your son is 10 years old. As wonderful, smart and loving as he might be, he's only 10 and is obviously being driven by emotion. Your son is probably scared senseless over the fact that his father is on the road to hell. So to say that, "My son is a Christian" is not really supportable at this age and will only be determined once he is not only above the age of accountability, but also by time itself. At best, you could say that your son is "walking in the statutes that you have set". Only time will tell if your son truly and adequately understands the how's and why's of his Redemption and the Atonement that Jesus offers.

The Bible does however offer us some insight, as to how to handle this situation you're dealing with.

First of all, I know you've only been a Christian for a short time, but there is something you should know about Mark 16 before we continue. Verses 9-20 DO NOT APPEAR in the oldest copies of the NT texts that we have. While the information contained in those verses is not technically wrong, it's argued that perhaps they are not written in the inspired way that the rest of the Bible is. I believe that knowing this is important, because when you're in a position to either evangelize or apologize with a non-believer, it might be a good idea to steer clear around those 12 verses and use others to make your case. Again, I'm not saying those verses are "wrong", but the Great Commission outlined in Matthew (which we know is reliable) is markedly different in one big respect. We tend to hang on the "every creature" wording revealed in Mark, when Matthew says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations". There's a huge disparity between "every creature" and "all the nations". The Greek word being used there is "ethnos" which literally means "nations". A more thorough study of the word ethnos, also reveals it's usually used to refer to "Non-Jewish Tribes or Nations". Not the "every creature" that's depicted in Mark. All I'm saying here, is if one day we find a whole bunch more texts and those 12 verses are still missing in Mark, it may finally be decided that they should be removed. Of course if the inverse happens, then we can thoroughly and completely embrace those verses. Either way, I'm praying that the Rapture happens sooner than the time needed to find more scrolls! For more information on the Mark 16 issue, go to this link at the CARM website. (In other words, I'm not making this up.)

So with that out of the way, now we're tasked with "What did God intend for us to understand in regards to the Great Commission"? Were we to go to every nation and convince "the powers" (or rulers) to be baptized? Or were we told to go to every single human being, one at a time? I don't know, so I'm hedging my bets and desiring to do both.

As a matter of fact (and a little off topic), one of our Ministers (Pastor Jeff), will arrive in the Philippines tomorrow, in order to help set up a Birthing Center in a city that is extremely far away from the nearest hospital. Infant mortality is off the charts in this particular area of the country. In any event, most Filipinos are Catholic and Pastor Jeff has become personal friends with the Mayor of this city. God willing, the Mayor will be open to the true message of the Gospel and not what the Catholic church has fed him his whole life. If we can change the leaders we put in place, we can change the people. This has already happened in the USA, under Presidents such as Wilson and Roosevelt. The only problem, is they caused us to begin moving further away from God, not closer.

So back to the question at hand, "Should the 10 year old son obey his father in reference to talking about God or should he press on because the Bible tells him so?"

One of the problems we have, is the MISINTERPRETATION of the 5th commandment. Honor is not a synonym for OBEY. It's a commandment to bring HONOR to your family by your actions. There are times (many as fate would have it), that God would PREFER that you DO NOT OBEY your father.

Ezekiel 20:18-19 - But I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;

Like I said earlier, your son is 10. He's still below the age of accountability. As such, he can not possibly comprehend anything beyond an emotional level or "how he feels about it"... If he could, you could point him to 1 Corinthians 1:18.

1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

But no matter how you slice it, your son has already:

• Discussed God and the bible with his father
• Shared the Gospel with his father (albeit against his wishes)
• Been yelled at for his troubles

Your son already approached the line, crossed it and then crossed it some more...
No matter how much your son loves his father, that love will not affect any conversion...

Perhaps you can explain to your son, "Salvation is a choice sweetheart. Just as I have made a choice and just as you will one day hopefully also make a choice, daddy needs to make the choice to accept it ALL BY HIMSELF. You can't save your daddy, only Jesus can. We just need to place all of our trust in Jesus and we can pray that daddy will one day make that choice for himself."

As for the thing about your son being below the age of accountability, it's kind of a parallel to one of the unbiblical practices within Catholicism. The Catholics believe that their baptism at birth somehow offers them their Salvation, even though Acts 22:16 makes it clear that YOU MUST CHOOSE TO DO SO. Neither an infant nor a young child is able to make the comprehensive choice necessary in order to affect them being "born again". A child can no more understand the concept of "free-will" than they could about how dirt is "made". Only God knows that. HE MADE IT! Besides, I know some 50 year old men who still don't understand that their Salvation is a FREE GIFT FROM GOD. They think they have to earn it somehow...

As for what the age of accountability is, is a matter not easily put in numbers. Jewish tradition places that age between 12-14 years old, while the law in the United States says it's 18. While the age that a child truly can comprehend these things is certainly different from child to child, I think it's safe to say that there aren't many 10 year old's who have REALLY been saved at that age. Every time I hear someone say, "So I received Christ at the age of 4 and I was baptized when I was five. Mom says that I went into the church afterwards and then read from the book of Revelation and then explained it to everyone, it was a real miracle!", so every time I hear these outrageous stories, I roll my eyes. Someone lied to this poor kid and now he's passing it along as fact. Anyway, you're his mom, you'll KNOW when he's truly comprehended it all and when he's been saved. For now, all you can do is raise him right, train him in God's ways and pray that he too makes this LIFE ALTERING CHANGE.

I pray that you can appreciate this answer, knowing that I don't believe it's necessary to always give "baby answers" to real issues that people have to deal with in their life. In other words, I'd rather have you think and reflect on God's Word than to have you walk away smiling, all happy and proud of yourself.

Is a Catholic Bible worth using?

In my soon to be released book "But is it Biblical?", I have an entire chapter on "choosing a Bible".

What I do, is point out actual language from a selection of Bibles and show you the how's and why's of which Bible(s) you should use and for what purposes. I also go out of my way to warn you against certain Bible translations.

Today's question comes from a young woman in Pakistan that recently converted to Christianity! God Bless her!

Question: I've been reading the Bible (Catholic Version), is it reliable and okay to read it? Is there any difference in teachings or the words from other versions of the Bible? I've been researching,and I found out that the Bible was adulterated and changed with the passage of years and the Jews have changed the Word of God in the Bible, is it true? Is there any reliable version of the Bible that has been 'unchanged' and same when it was first written. I'm using the NRSV Catholic Bible, just for your reference. Also, I heard that the NIV is bad to read, but I heard a lot of people use if because it's easy to read. Is it good too?

Answer: I'd be remiss if I didn't at least tell you something about that Bible you have in your possession...

It contains books that not only Protestants and Jews don't agree with, but they haven't agreed with them since the early 1st century.

For example, the books of Tobit and Judith don't exist in a "proper Bible". Neither does the "book of Wisdom" for that matter.

My advice to you, if you have the ability to, is find one of these Bibles: NKJV, KJV, NASB, ESV (and in that order as the ESV is a worst case scenario). Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light", reading this Catholic Bible may make you find yourself questioning certain basic things like Salvation, Grace & Freedom in Christ. Needless to say, it is not considered "reliable", as you had asked...

As for the NIV issue, I cover this quite thoroughly in my book. I've had some quite heated discussions with people regarding the NIV as well.

From my perspective, any Bible that goes out of it's way to LEAVE THINGS OUT or change Scripture in such a way as to weaken it or make it seeker friendly, is a Bible to avoid.

Missing Verses from the NIV:

Matthew 12:47
Matthew 17:21
Matthew 18:11
Matthew 21:44
Matthew 23:14
Mark 7:16
Mark 9:44
Mark 9:46
Mark 11:26
Mark 15:28
Mark 16:9-20
Luke 17:36
Luke 23:17
John 5:4
Acts 8:37
Acts 15:34
Acts 24:7
Acts 28:29
Romans 16:24
PLUS MORE!

So how many missing verses does a Bible have to have, in order to consider it rubbish?
I say *1*...

And then there's MAJOR issues like 1 John 5:7...

NIV - For there are three that testify:
NKJV - For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Why did the NIV leave more than half of verse 7 out, and why oh why is there a CRITICAL teaching missing here?

Another big thing, is the NIV only mentions the "Blood of Christ" about 80 times, while the NKJV & KJV reference it more than 100. Most of the NIV readers I meet and speak to in my Ministry are completely clueless, as to the redeeming nature of His Blood.

There are more than 60,000 words missing from the NIV. Which words are missing, that would further your maturity in Christ? Do you know?

I've been using this example to try to make people understand WHY Bible choice is so important:

If you've got a glass of water and there's one small drop of POISON in it, will you still drink it?

I teach every week on my show, "Be like a Berean... Never believe anything I tell you, LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF and be CONFIDENT that what you have learned is TRUE. Not because I said so, but because God said so..."

Special Show: Freedom in Christ

Most Christians throughout the USA have been mis-taught again and again regarding "what's not good for you". Most Pastors get scared when they're surrounded by a group of people, who are all at different STAGES in their walk with Christ, so those people never get taught properly.

Just like a baby, we teach new Christians "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle" (Colossians 2:20-23), in order to protect the "young Christian" from getting hurt. But what happens when that child starts to GROW UP? So many Christians never learn, nor are they ever ENCOURAGED to GROW UP, or in this case GROW IN CHRIST.

This week on our special edition of "But is it Biblical?", we're going to teach you about the "4 stages of your walk" and we'll also help you to better understand what it means to have your Freedom in Christ. Please join us, you will be blessed.

The show will be broadcast live on 4/5/2012 @ 10PM Eastern / 7PM Pacific.

Please watch the right side of this Blog for the link to the show or visit www.butisitbiblical.com.

Addendum 2/8/2021: DIRECT LINK to the show!  Enjoy!

Liar, liar, pants on fire...

So I was reading an article this past Friday, that brought something to my mind that I had never considered before. In the USA, we refer to Jews as a minority, Muslims as a minority, Hindus as a minority, but not Christians. Here in the United States, Christians are considered the majority, so guess what... Christians aren't protected from hate crimes. Christians are also not considered in new legislation that's designed to protect minorities. Makes sense when you think about it like that, right?

Now let's put this all into perspective...

In my soon to be released book, "But is it Biblical?", I detail the fact that MOST people who call themselves "Christian" will find themselves victims of Matthew 7:23. Not because they "did something wrong", but because they didn't do something "right"! God tells us to put Him FIRST in all things (Luke 14:26-33).

So let's start here, Jesus says that there are things you must do in order to be His disciple, they are:

• To hate your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also
• Anyone who bears his cross and comes after Him
• Whoever of you that forsakes all that he has

Do you see what Jesus is saying there? The first thing He's saying, is that you should "hate everything in comparison to how much you love Him", up to AND INCLUDING your own life! Think that's a little harsh? Then maybe you should think about what it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19. Paul says that "your life is not your own" and that "you were bought at a price"! If you don't "feel this way", then you are NOT His disciple.

Next, He's saying that you should "bear your cross and come after Him". What does that MEAN? Does it mean you should be "hung on a cross"? NO! It means that if you've taken the time and cared about what's contained in God's Word, you'd know that there are only 3 places IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE that mention the word "Christian". Twice it's used in passing, the last time, it's used to indicate SUFFERING (1 Peter 4:16). So if you believe that God wants all Christians to be rich, happy, joyous and overflowing at the seams with material possessions, then perhaps it's time to get back to "The Book"... If you're not ready willing and able to "BEAR THAT CROSS" and "come after Him", then you are NOT His disciple.

Finally, Jesus says, "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has". Well what does that mean? Does it mean to "give away all of your possessions"? Not really. Does it mean that you "shouldn't have any possessions"? No, not really. What Jesus is saying here, is that "you should be WILLING TO give up everything, including family, friends AND your possessions, in order to "bare your cross and come after Him". How will you be able to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature", if you're not willing to leave it all behind? What's wrong, feel that's too much to ask of anyone? Again, if you're not willing to "forsake all", then you're NOT His disciple.

Okay, so now that some of you have had an embolism from what I just wrote, allow me to pose a question. Jesus never mentions "becoming a Christian", He talks about "being His disciple". Instead of concerning yourself with discipleship, you've instead concerned yourself with "taking His name upon yourself and calling yourself a "CHRIST-ian".

So the question I would ask you, is this: If the only inward or outward sign about your relationship with the LIVING GOD is to "use His name in vain", then what kind of disciple are you? Do you find yourself in line with those bullet-points from above? If you do, then that's great, but more than 90% of you reading this will not.

** Please let me be clear... I am NOT talking about "Salvation", which is clearly a FREE GIFT from God (Romans 5:12-21). I'm only speaking about Discipleship and the "claim of being a Christian". **

** Also, let me clear up one more thing... There is nothing you can DO, in order to EARN your way into Heaven. God does not want you to leave your families, friends, jobs, etc. The point of what I'm saying is about having that intense, overwhelming LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, with that desire in your heart to FOLLOW HIM! (Matthew 4:19, Matthew 8:22, Matthew 16:24, Matthew 19:21, Mark 2:14, Mark 10:21, John 1:43, John 10:27, John 12:26 & MORE **

So now the question is, "If I'm not a disciple of Jesus, then what am I?" Now THAT'S a great question!

Allow me to offer you a couple of suggestions, as to what "title" you should give yourself...

1. Let's say something is BLUE, but it's not "perfectly blue", you'd call it "BLUE-ish". Maybe you should call yourself "CHRIST-ish"?
2. Let's say that you're traveling NORTH, but not "perfectly north", you'd say you were going in a "NORTH-erly" direction. So maybe calling yourself "CHRIST-erly" is for you?
3. What if you were trying to describe something that was PINK, but not "purely PINK"? Perhaps you could describe it as "PINK-ey". You might call yourself "CHRIST-ey"?

Are you seeing what I'm trying to tell you here? I'm trying to show you that by calling yourself something that you're not, YOU ARE GIVING CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE A BAD NAME! The only good news here, is that God said that you would be responsible for this! (Luke 21:17)

So are "CHRIST-ians" the majority within the USA? NO WAY. How do I know? Great question!

Not only did Jesus detail who is and isn't a "disciple", but God goes out of His way to help US figure it out, all through the Bible.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

Matthew 7:15-20

Romans 8:8-11

Romans 10:8-13

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

1 Corinthians 11:27-34

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

2 Corinthians 13:5

Galatians 1:6-9

Hebrews 2:1

Hebrews 10:26-27

1 John 2:24

Revelation 3:3

Like I said, these are only a FEW of the HUNDREDS of things that are literally spread out all over the Bible! God gave us every ability to be able to tell who is and who isn't. And it's even more exciting to know, that God even gave us the ability to determine if WE ourselves are disciples or not.

So what do ya think? Are you CHRIST-ey, CHRIST-erly or are you a bit CHRIST-ish? Either way, like I say throughout my discipleship radio series, "90% of the people who think they're Christians are going to be pretty shocked when they stand before God and He tells them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"...

Are you really denying yourself?

Are you really hating yourself?

Are you really ready to leave it all behind?

Are you really putting God first in all things?

Are you really up for being an actual disciple of Jesus?

I'm betting you're probably not, but I'm hoping and praying with every ounce of my being that you are!

Women and Adultery...

Today I came across a great question and decided that I should share this question and teaching with you. I slightly modified the question to better suit the format of my blog:

The Question:

Many men struggle with the issue of pornography, and in general, this struggle is well known. There's a struggle most women face that is not nearly as well known, and it is not nearly as "clear-cut" as to whether or not it is sin. Personally, I tend to think that if it takes away from God's glory or if there is any question as to whether it is right or wrong, it is probably best to abstain altogether. The specific struggle is masturbation (regardless of how it is performed) for sexual pleasure.

I know of a handful of professing Christian women who struggle with masturbation and there doesn't seem to be any clear "Thou shalt not" in the Bible. I believe it is wrong because it is likely to cause difficulty within the marriage union, but I am trying to defend my view to someone else, I'm not entirely sure how to defend it biblically.

This issue has never been addressed outrightly by most Pastors that I know of, and the issue only seems to come up within circles of women.

The Answer:

I am most definitely one of those Pastors who DOES address this issue...

As a matter of fact, this weeks show is on "Marriage & Relationships", so I'm thrilled that you brought up this topic, because now I will make sure to discuss it! (if the direction of the show and the Spirit leads)

As for your Biblical answer, there couldn't be any better of an answer than what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 - All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Allow me to restate:

All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? Flee sexual immorality. he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

We must always remind ourselves that "all things are lawful"! Paul tells us elsewhere that if it's not a sin to us, then it isn't a sin (See Romans 14:14 & Titus 1:15). The key here, is if you feel that you need to pleasure yourself, what kind of pride are you displaying? (See 1 John 2:16) If you are truly a Christian and you indeed have the indwelling Holy Spirit within you, you would know that it's sinful. Paul hammers this point home in the very next chapter!

1 Corinthians 7:8-9 - But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Paul was no dummy, he knew full well, that the fallen nature that is within each of us has a tendency of getting in the way of our relationship with God (See 1 Corinthians 7:28).

One of the things that bothers me today, is that there are a great many younger women out there (25-40 some-odd years old) that have made a decision NOT TO MARRY, but not for Paul's reasoning (See 1 Corinthians 7:29-33). They decided not to be married, because they either don't want to be told what to do (by a man) or because they're concerned about giving up their personal freedoms in favor of marriage or they're concerned that their husband will somehow abuse them. While these things are certainly valid to be "concerned about", placing these fears above God, makes them more powerful than God. Did you not learn that God has not given us the Spirit of Fear?

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Be lead by the Spirit in all things and God will lead you to whom HE would have you marry! Amen?

But as for women and masturbation, just remember that the "flesh is dead" and you can not perfect it. If you truly have the Holy Spirit within you, then He will change you... I guarantee it! (I did a teaching on "not perfecting the flesh" and it can be found HERE, for those who are interested.)

As you can plainly see, many of the answers to your questions can be found within 2 simple chapters. I would encourage everyone to re-read these chapters and passages and to always be like a Berean when anyone comes to you with Biblical advice!

I hope you find this quick study helpful and I pray that this week's show (which is going to be hugely controversial) goes over beautifully and brings much Glory to God!