Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

World Vision Cries Reform
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsLighthouse Trails
Categories: Apostasy;Contemporary Issues

According to a recent article by Christian News Network (CNN) titled “World Vision Under Internal Reformation After Support of Homosexuality?,” World Vision appears to be taking measures to “reform” the organization after their recent decision and 48-hour reversal to employ homosexual couples. Since that happened, according to the article, World Vision has lost 10,000 child supporters (equaling over 4 million dollars annually). According to CNN, “World Vision is asking board members to formally affirm a statement that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

CNN also reports that some board member changes are taking place at World Vision as well:

Jacquelline Fuller, director of corporate giving at Google, and John Park, another Google employee, left the board after the dust-up. Three other board members rotated off due to term limits. Rich Stearns [WV president], whose salary is reportedly near $400k per year, remains as president despite some initial talk that he could be fired for the controversy.

While such reforms may appear to be commendable signs that World Vision wants to be seen as a Christian organization after all, something the CNN article says reveals that World Vision’s reforms may not produce the “fruit” they appear to be wanting to create. The article states that the new board members will include Leith Anderson (president of the NAE) and Jerry White, president emeritus of the Christian ministry Navigators. Both Jerry White and Leith Anderson have been the subject of Lighthouse Trails articles because of their roles in the emerging “new” spirituality. And most likely, they will bring their views to the newly formed board at World Vision.

Leith Anderson, former pastor of mega church Wooddale Church in Minnesota, is discussed in Roger Oakland’s book Faith Undone. Oakland, in showing Anderson’s role in helping to form the emerging church in the 90s, states that, “Anderson says that the Word of God is still being written, and today’s experiences can dictate what that Word is.” Anderson says:

The old paradigm taught that if you had the right teaching, you will experience God. The new paradigm says that if you experience God, you will have the right teaching. This may be disturbing for many who assume propositional truth must always precede and dictate religious experience. That mindset is the product of systematic theology and has much to contribute … However, biblical theology looks to the Bible for a pattern of experience followed by proposition. The experience of the Exodus from Egypt preceded the recording of Exodus in the Bible. The experience of the crucifixion, the resurrection and Pentecost all predate the propositional declaration of those events in the New Testament. It is not so much that one is right and the other is wrong: it is more of a matter of the perspective one takes on God’s touch and God’s truth.

This minimization of doctrine and exaggerated emphasis on experience is typical of contemplative/emerging teachers. As well, in an interview with Leith Anderson, Anderson’s ecumenical propensities show through when he states:

[I]n neighborhoods people who are Catholic and Presbyterian and Lutheran are praying together. They go to Bible studies together. And an amalgam of all kinds of religious ideas has taken hold of the grass roots. Whereas denominational leaders are increasingly saying, “Well, we’ve got to stand for our distinctives.” … Well, those denominational leaders are going down the wrong path!  (source)

And in a PBS profile of Leith Anderson, Anderson says:

I think that around the world there is a great deal of fear. I think war and terrorism and other issues have made people frightened and that has often driven them back to their social, ethnic and religious roots. And that has distanced people more than it has brought them together. What I would desire and hope for is that we would find our common ground, be able to be respectful of our differences, and be able to fairly hear one another in terms of what are our beliefs, and persuasively speak on behalf of our beliefs.

We find it ironic that World Vision has brought in the services of Leith Anderson when it was this idea of ecumenism and “common ground” that got World Vision into trouble in the first place. As journalist Paul Proctor explains in his article “Relationships and Religious Agendas,” a terrible breach in biblical integrity has occurred in the Christian church for the sake of relationships and unity at all costs:

Having now put so great an emphasis on our relationships with one another and the results we covet, no longer do we turn to the Bible for answers to the issues of life, instead, allowing the counsel of the compromised to compel us along with their practical advise and benevolent ventures, assuming they are anointed and appointed by God to do so. It is a sweet seduction with eternal consequences and a spiritual short cut for the shortsighted and undisciplined.

Scripture is clear that we are to let our yes be yes and our no be no, and there is a special judgment for those who name the name of Christ but are lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). It should be noted that Leith Anderson was also among those appointed by the present White House administration for the interfaith advisory council. But this shouldn’t be too surprising as World Vision has strong ties to the US government. According to the CNN article, World Vision “received nearly $179 million in grants of food and cash from the U.S. government and other agencies” in 2013.

Anderson, president of the National Evangelical Association, was also one of the signers of a document named “A Common Word Between Us and You,” which was an evangelical response to a Muslim document asking for “common ground” to be recognized between the two religions. While a number of popular evangelical leaders also signed the document (Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Robert Schuller,Bill Hybels, Richard Cizik, and Jim Wallis), these leaders, including Anderson, appeared to be ignorant of the fact that the Muslim document  contained a rebuke and an Islamic warning as Mike Oppenheimer explains in his article “Chrislam – The Blending Together of Islam & Christianity.”

As for World Vision’s decision to bring aboard the Navigator’s president emeritus, Jerry White, the Navigators (NavPress) has become one of the leaders in bringing in contemplative/emerging spirituality into the church over the last 15 years (see links below). White was international president of The Navigators from 1986 until 2005. While we cannot say whether White knew what was happening at The Navigators regarding the shift toward the emerging church, if he did not know, then this was a serious lack of discernment at the highest leadership level and could repeat itself when he becomes a board member of World Vision. As an example of this, in 2007, Lighthouse Trails wrote an article titled “CMA (Christian Management Association) Goes Contemplative,”  where it was reported that Jerry White was at that time chairman of the board of directors at CMA (today he is not chairman but is still on the board). Our article explained:

CMA is promoting contemplative/emerging spirituality. In their recommended books section, they include several contemplative/emerging authors: Ken Blanchard, Bill Hybels, Leonard Sweet, Dan Allender, and Daniel Goleman (author of The Meditative Mind). Goleman, a staunch proponent of mantra meditation sees meditation as a common ground between all the world’s religions, and his book is a type of manual on the basics of mysticism. . . .

On March 12-15, CMA will be presenting their 30th Annual Conference in Palm Springs . . . Workshops will include Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) and other workshop speakers include Nancy Ortberg (wife of contemplative John Ortberg), and Phyllis Hendry (President of Lead Like Jesus) . . .

Articles in CMA magazine back up the association’s affinity with contemplative. One article called “The Soul of a Leader” talks about being intimately connected to God through spiritual disciplines and recommends Richard Foster, emergent Tony Jones, and Dallas Willard as authors to read.

Some may be wondering how World Vision came to the place where they decided to begin employing homosexual couples. Such a radical shift away from orthodox Christianity didn’t happen over night. As Lighthouse Trails has reported on numerous occasions, World Vision has been engaging with the emerging church for a long time. For instance, in 2006, we wrote:

In the Summer 2006 issue of World Vision’s magazine Child View, there is a full-page article by emerging church leader, Brian McLaren. . . . We contacted Jocelyn Bell (of World Vision Canada) who is an editor for Child View and was involved with the McLaren article. We shared our concerns with her about McLaren being in the World Vision magazine, relating to her specific information about McLaren’s theology. Ms. Bell responded with, “We don’t have a problem with Brian McLaren’s viewpoints.”  . . . Bell also told us that a weekly devotions group, which includes World Vision leaders and workers, was currently studying McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy. Ms. Bell told us that World Vision represents both Evangelicals and Protestants as well as Catholics. We asked her if it also included New Age Christians, of which McLaren is in that group. . . . Unfortunately, World Vision’s connections to contemplative/emerging do not stop with their promotion of McLaren. They also have a seat on the Board of Directors of the very contemplative Spiritual Formation Forum (Richard Foster and Dallas Willard) and are a Ministry Partner of the contemplative/emerging promoting Church Communication Network (originators of the Be Still project).

Another highly significant indicator as to where World Vision is heading came out in 2010 with the release of the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian state film With God on Our Side. Steve Haas,  a VP of World Vision, was one of the strong proponents for the film, which was “aimed at changing the end-time views of evangelicals and the theology that says the Jews are God’s chosen people and have a divine right to the land of Israel," said Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries. And in a video clip on the Internet, you can watch Steve Haas talking in Israel to anti-Israel activist Steven Sizer. Haas talks about the financial support that World Vision has given through their program called Palestinian Church Engagement Initiative (PCEI) to help the Palestinian cause. We wonder how many World Vision donors realize that their donations have gone to hurt Israel.

World Vision is trying to reverse some of the damage they have incurred when they made their pro-homosexual announcement recently. Thus,  some of the more “liberal” board members have left, with it looking like to the average Christian that they are replacing them with traditional evangelical Christians. While their testing of the waters to see how the church would accept their homosexual employee policy didn’t come out too well, rest assured that World Vision is not making any true reform. They are merely taking a few steps back and waiting until the time is right. Richard Stearn’s (the president of World Vision) book The Hole in Our Gospel proves that the organization is not about biblical Christianity. According to a book review we posted, Stearn’s book  “is the newest danger to come against true Believers in the Church Age. It promotes a false gospel within a socialistic philosophy. It fails miserably in its hermeneutic, is ecumenical in focus, promotes human performance as a method of pleasing God, and believes people on earth can do good to ‘usher in the Kingdom.’”

So while World Vision is crying “reform” right now, and most likely this will be the story that the media, both secular and Christian, will pick up and run with, the real story behind the scene is that World Vision is part of the “new” spirituality/New Age “Christianity” that will help usher in the greatest deception this world has ever seen. And countless Christians’ tax-deductible dollars will help finance it.

Redemption
Jul 6th, 2014
CommentaryDr. Harry Ironside
Categories: Bible Salvation;Exhortation

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things . . . But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot . . . Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21)

The word “redemption” is one that runs all through the Bible; in fact, we can say without any suggestion of hyperbole that it is the great outstanding theme of Holy Scripture. This important truth runs through the Book like the proverbial red strand that, we are told, runs through the cordage of the British navy. Everywhere, from Genesis right on to Revelation, you find God in one way or another presenting to us the truth of redemption—redemption in promise and in type in the Old Testament; redemption in glorious fulfillment in the New Testament.

THE MEANING OF THE WORD
What do we mean when we use the term “redemption”? Ordinarily, and in Scripture too, the word means to buy back, to repurchase something that has been temporarily forfeited; or, it means to set free, to liberate, as we speak of redeeming one from slavery; or, it means to deliver, as to redeem one from some grave danger.

Back in Israel in olden times, if a man fell into difficult circumstances, found himself burdened with debt, he might mortgage his entire property, and if that was not enough to satisfy the claims of his creditors, he could even mortgage his own strength, and ability, his own physical powers. He could sell himself into a kind of slavery until his debt was paid. Sometimes, he found himself hopelessly thus enslaved. Scripture says, however, “After that he is sold he may be redeemed again” (Leviticus 25:48). One of his brethren may redeem him, or, if he is able, he may redeem himself. It would be almost impossible in most instances for anyone to redeem himself. Probably, the only way would be if he suddenly fell heir to some vast estate. But on the other hand, if he had a rich relative who cared enough for him to undertake to meet the liabilities and discharge them, he might thus be set free.

THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER
The one who did this was called a kinsman-redeemer, and he was a wonderful type of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word is goel. He comes before us in Scripture long before the time of Israel. Even in the book of Job you read of him. It was the goel of whom Job spoke when he said, “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25).

Then one may, as I say, have forfeited his property. Well, some wealthy one could come and pay off the mortgage and thus redeem the property. We are used to such transactions today, and we attach that meaning to the word “redemption.”

Now, in thinking of man, we know he is a sinner, sold under judgment. It was his own fault. God says in His Word, “Ye have sold yourselves for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money” (Isaiah 52:3). It is not possible for any man to redeem himself from the sad condition in which he finds himself because of sin, but that is why we need a kinsman-redeemer who is more than man, one who is divine as well as human.

REDEMPTION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
When we turn to consider this subject of redemption in the New Testament, we find it presented in three different ways: first, redemption from judgment. That is redemption from the guilt of sin, which is through the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ. But that is not all. It is not only the will of God that we should be redeemed from the judgment due to sin, but Scripture also has a great deal to say about redemption from the power of sin, so that we might be redeemed from those evil habits and unholy ways which at one time held sway in our lives. This redemption is through the indwelling Christ, through the risen Christ working in the power of the Holy Spirit, who makes Christ real to His people down here.
And then Scripture speaks of a third aspect of redemption: the redemption of the body. I have been redeemed as far as my soul is concerned if I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am daily being redeemed from sin’s power if I am walking in subjection to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But though I am thus redeemed in measure, I am made to realize every day that this very body of mine is often a hindrance instead of a help in regard to my practical deliverance; but I am looking forward to the time when the body itself shall be redeemed and made like unto the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then I shall be redeemed from the very presence of sin and from all the evidences of its corruption.

THE JEWISH FEAST OF PASSOVER
Here in the first Epistle of Peter, the apostle carries our minds back to a wonderful event that took place in the land of Egypt centuries before, that event which the Jewish people to this day celebrate annually in the Feast of the Passover. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, suffering under Pharaoh’s cruelty, and God, you remember, said, “I am come down to deliver them”  (Exodus 3:8), and He told Moses of something that was to take place whereby, He says, “And I will put a division [or literally, a redemption] between my people and thy people [the Egyptians]” (Exodus 8:23). That redemption was made by the blood of the passover lamb; and it is to this that the apostle Peter is referring typically in his first Epistle when he says, “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [empty behavior] received by tradition from your fathers [ancestrally handed down]; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1: 18-19).

The blood of the lamb shed so long ago was God’s picture of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed on Calvary’s cross fifteen hundred years later, but to which we now look through the mists of nearly two thousand years. How can that blood avail for our redemption today? The blood had to be sprinkled of old on the actual lintel and door posts and then they were safe inside. It is centuries since Christ has died. In what sense, then, can we be made secure from judgment through the blood that He shed so long ago?

FROM THE LINTEL AND DOOR POSTS TO THE HUMAN HEART
We read in the Epistle to the Hebrews of having our hearts sprinkled by the blood of Christ. How is that blood applied to our hearts? Through simple faith. In the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 3, after dwelling on the lost condition of all men by nature and practice, the apostle says in verse 23 and on, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” and then adds:

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:24-26)

What is he telling us? That the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is all-availing, that it is sufficient for all men everywhere, that it settled for the sins of all men in past ages, who looked on to the cross in faith, and it settles now for all in the present age and in all the years to come, who look back to that cross in faith—”through faith in his blood.”

In other words, when we trust the One who shed His blood at Calvary, then we are numbered amongst those who have redemption through the sacrifice that He offered, and that means that we are secure forever from the judgment due to sin, just as Israel, sheltered beneath the blood of the passover lamb, was secure from the judgment that was to fall upon Egypt, for God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). So today, we who put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are redeemed from the judgment that is hanging over this poor world—the judgment that sin deserves. And so we can enter into the meaning of that Scripture which says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

WHAT DOES YOUR SALVATION DEPEND UPON?
Some of you have only lately come to Christ; you have not known the Lord very long. Oh, I beg of you, do get this clear. Your salvation, your security from judgment does not depend on anything that you can be or do. It depends upon the work that the Lord Jesus did for you when He suffered in your place upon the tree, and you enter into the good of that redemption through faith in Him. When Satan comes to tempt you, when you discover things in your own heart that you did not realize were there, just meet him with this: the redemption that is in Christ Jesus has settled everything, has made me free, has given me deliverance from the judgment of a holy God.

The believer is said to be redeemed from the curse of the law. He was exposed to that curse because of sin. God has declared, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). We have failed; we have broken God’s law; we are under that curse. But our Blessed Redeemer was made a curse for us, as it is written, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Redemption guarantees our safety from judgment.

REDEEMED, BUT DISOBEDIENT
When we turn to the Epistle to Titus, we have another aspect of redemption. In chapter 2, verses 11-14, we read:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

It cannot be too often insisted that salvation is not of works, that no works of ours could avail for our redemption; but here in this message we have another side of the truth emphasized, and that is that our blessed Lord not only died to redeem us from the judgment due to our sins, but He died to redeem us from all iniquity, that is, from all lawlessness. And sin is lawlessness. He died, as Mrs. Alexander’s beautiful old hymn put it, not only to save our souls, but “He died to make us good.” The Gospel has not accomplished its purpose if it only frees people from judgment. It has not completed its work until it presents every believer in the glory, fully conformed to the image of God’s blessed Son.

We have been called to holiness, to purity of life, to uprightness of behavior, and if any of us who profess the name of Christ are playing fast and loose with unholy things with worldliness, with carnality, with impurity, with things that defile these temples of the living God, these bodies in which the Holy Spirit dwells; if we are in any way living so as to bring dishonor upon the name of the One who died to save us, we are just to that extent thwarting one of the purposes for which Christ died. He died to redeem us from all iniquity. Here the word “redemption” is used in the sense of deliverance. He died to deliver us from all iniquity, to draw us away from evil things that peril our Christian experience and that would wreck and ruin our lives.
Redemption was illustrated in a stirring news article that appeared in our daily papers recently. Many read the story of those men shipwrecked in the South Pacific in connection with the world war. A number of them were huddled upon a raft and only one of them was able to swim, and he a big, burly black man. When those sailors saw nothing but death and despair before them, this black man sprang into the sea and towed that raft as he swam for over six miles through shark-infested waters, until he brought them all to a place of safety. That was redemption, and that man was a redeemer.

WHAT OF GOOD WORKS?
Our Lord Jesus not only risked His life but gave His life, not only to save us from judgment, but also to “redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Dear young Christian, I beg of you, do not allow yourself to be careless as to this aspect of redemption. Do not be content to know that you have trusted Christ as your Savior from hell, and forget that you are called upon to live a heavenly life here upon this earth. Do not be content to say that at a given time or at a certain meeting you went into an inquiry room and told the Lord Jesus you would trust Him not only as the Savior of your soul but as the One who is to be Lord of your life, the One who died to redeem you from everything that is unholy.

We read, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). Do not let it ever be said of you that you are not concerned about good works, and do not ever tell people that because salvation is not works, it does not matter what kind of lives they live. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).They cannot see your faith, but they can see your works, and if your life is not in accordance with your faith, they will soon realize it and will put you down as a fraud and a hypocrite, and instead of your influence being for good, it will be for evil.

“THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING”
James says in his Epistle, “Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). You cannot show your faith without works, and so in that sense faith without works is dead. Justification is by faith, absolutely without works, but the same scripture that tells us that, puts emphasis on our works as the evidence of our salvation. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 2, we read:

"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." (vs. 8-9)

But Paul immediately adds, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (vs. 10). This is our practical redemption. If one Scripture tells me that “this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15), another Scripture says:

"This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works." (Titus 3:8)

Our Lord Jesus, the living Savior, has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, in order that as we walk in the Spirit we may find this practical redemption from the power of evil in the life.

WE GROAN AND TRAVAIL
But there is a third aspect of redemption, and that is brought before us in the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. In verses 22-23, we read:

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

“We ourselves groan within ourselves.” Of whom is he talking? Christians. Groaning Christians? Yes! Oh, I thought Christians were always happy; I thought they were always shouting and singing! Well, you have a lot to learn. Thank God, it is possible to joy even in the midst of sorrow, and Christians have their griefs and sorrow and trials. But they have a wonderful Savior to carry them through those trials—One to sustain and help them in every hour of distress.

One of our chief causes of groaning is that of physical infirmities, and that is what the apostle is talking about here. In our unconverted days our groaning was caused by our sins. We cried out in pain as we longed for deliverance. Then we were groaning in bondage. Now as Christians we groan in grace, because of physical infirmities that are often such a hindrance in our lives. Perhaps you were just getting ready to go to prayer meeting one night. (I hope you love the prayer meeting.) But you did not get there. You were preparing to go, when suddenly you came down with such a sick headache that you had to stay at home. When others were gathered for prayer and praise, there you were, lying on the couch sniffing at camphor, and you were saying to yourself, “What a wonderful day it will be when I get a new body and a new head that will never ache.” Well, that is what the apostle means when he says, “We that are in this tabernacle (body) do groan.” We are so often hindered by physical weakness, but we are looking on to the day of the redemption of the body. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit, but we are looking forward to the full “son placing,” for that is what the word “adoption” means. Then we shall be fully conformed to the Son of God.

“FOR OUR CONVERSATION IS IN HEAVEN”
When will that be? That “redemption of the body”? In Philippians, chapter 3, verses 20-21, we read, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body.” He is drawing our attention to that wonderful event which should now be the hope of the Christian, and I am thinking again of you young Christians. He wants you now to get before your soul as the lodestar, the blessed hope of the Lord’s return. The One who died for you on the Cross is coming again, and He is coming to receive you to be with Himself. He could not have you there in the glory as you now are. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” So in order that you might be suited for the place to which He is going to take you, He will give you a new body, a glorified body; and when you receive that, you will be fit for a place in the Father’s house.

He said before He went away, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). And we learn from other Scriptures what will take place in order to prepare us for the Father’s house. The first Epistle of the Thessalonians, chapter 4, is a wonderful passage as to this. It says:

"The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." (vs. 16-17)

That is the time when the body will be changed, and our redemption will be complete. Already we have the redemption of the soul; we have been redeemed from judgment. We are experiencing day by day, as we walk in obedience to the Lord, practical redemption, redemption from the power of sin. When our blessed Savior returns, our redemption will be complete—spirit and soul and body will be fully conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Queen of All
Jul 6th, 2014
CommentaryRoger Oakland - Understand the Times, International
Categories: One World Church;Contemporary Issues

It was a highly newsworthy item. Secular news agencies around the world reported on this very religious matter. A rift between Roman Catholics and Anglicans was soon to come to an end.

A document titled Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ was finally published after six years of discussion. Centuries of Anglican dissent over the Roman Catholic view of Mary would soon be history. According to an article titled “Anglicans invited to take Catholic view of Mary,” a major step towards reunion with the Mother of All Churches was about to be accomplished. Quoting from the document:

"There is no continuing theological reason for ecclesial division" over the role of the Virgin Mary. "We do not consider the practice of asking Mary and the saints to pray for us as communion dividing," it says. The document also describes private devotions inspired by apparitions of Mary as "acceptable”

But there was more. The document stated that the infallible dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption – the teachings that Mary was herself conceived “without sin” and that on death she was “assumed” body and soul into Heaven – are consistent with the teachings of Scripture. [2]

The article said that the Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ document was not intended to be authoritative but to be the basis for discussion. The authors of the document admitted openly to the hope that the Roman Catholic Church and Anglicans will recognize a “common faith” concerning Mary.

The article also reported that Catholic Bishop Malcolm McMahon, a member of the committee that drafted the document, said that “Mary need no longer be considered an obstacle to unity between Anglicans and Catholics. He said, “What we have done is put down a paving stone on the road to Christian unity.”

Speaking of Christian unity, we hear a lot about this subject these days. Especially since Pope Benedict XVI came on the scene as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He announced that unification of Christianity is a priority. But as one can easily see, unity when the Roman Catholic Church is involved means embracing Roman Catholic dogma and tradition. If the Anglicans are willing to embrace “Mary” as the mother of the one true church, what about other denominations. Are there any signs this could happen?

The answer to that question should be evident. In case you have not read it, check out - Time magazine, March 21, 2005. This is what you will read on the cover: “Hail Mary – Catholics have long revered her, but now Protestants are finding their own reasons to celebrate the mother of Jesus.” Then flip over to page 61 and read the subtitle: “She was there at the Cross. Yet Protestants seldom talk about Jesus’ mother at Easter – or at most other times. But they are starting to now.”

So, I would like to make a prediction based on current events and the facts. Anglicans have already joined arms with Roman Catholics to embrace an extra-biblical “Mary.” I don’t think it will be too much longer when more of the “separated brethren” sign a pact with Rome and come home as well.

MK Yogev: We Have to Respond Strongly
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Motti Yogev warned against a loss of intimidation on the part of the State of Israel.

“If Israel does not respond to its enemies from within and to its enemies on the outside, it will lose its intimidation factor, which will invite further enemies to attack us… We have to prepare forces and severely and precisely retaliate by means of our aerial forces, while we decide whether or not to send land-based troops to the front lines. We have to respond in order to protect the southern communities, as well as Tel-Aviv,” Yogev said.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Weekend’s tremors part of normal cycle of seismic activity
“It appears from the signs that we have now that this is the start of an earthquake crisis,” Mouin Hamzeh, the secretary-general of the National Council for Scientific Research, told The Daily Star.  

5.7 quake hits NE Japan: USGS
A 5.7-magnitude quake hit off the coast of northeast Japan Saturday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.  

3.3 Magnitude Earthquake Reported Near Perry
GARFIELD COUNTY, Oklahoma - The United States Geological Survey reported a 3.3 magnitude earthquake in Garfield County Saturday evening.  

Light quake rattles nerves in Southern California
A small earthquake rattled nerves and jostled store shelves in and around the Southern California community of Big Bear Lake on Saturday.  

Isis chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears in first video
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamist militant group Isis, has called on Muslims to obey him, in his first video sermon. Baghdadi has been appointed caliph by the jihadist group, which has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria. The video appears to have been filmed on Friday during a sermon at the al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul, northern Iraq.  

Kenyan coastal region of Lamu hit by deadly attacks
At least 29 people have been killed in two deadly shooting attacks in Kenya's coastal districts, the interior ministry has said. Witnesses said heavily armed men raided a trading centre in the village of Hindi, in Lamu county, and a police station in Gamba, Tana River county, overnight on Saturday. The Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab said it was behind the killings.  

Barrage of rocket fire hits South amid calls for Gaza operation
A barrage of rocket fire hit southern Israel on Sunday afternoon amid calls from within Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition for a wide-scale mission in the Gaza Strip. The Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council area was battered with ten rockets from Gaza. Residents of the communities in the Sha'ar Hanegev area were instructed to remain in fortified shelters.  

Israel skeptical of Iran nuclear deal by deadline, pledges to help Jordan push back ISIS
Israel does not expect world powers to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by a late July deadline, a government minister said on Friday, accusing Tehran of maintaining a "hard line" at talks under way in Vienna. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz spoke on the second day of what could be the final round of talks aimed at ending a decade-old international dispute over Iran's nuclear program that Israel sees as a threat to its existence.  

Neoguri a Dangerous Typhoon With Japan a Likely Target
Typhoon Neoguri is rapidly intensifying and will likely become a super typhoon as it moves northwest over the warm open waters of the western Pacific. Anyone in Japan and even South Korea will have to watch this storm and pay close attention to the track.  

CEO Of One Of The World's Largest Energy Majors "Sees No Reason For Petrodollar"
The USA is fast running out of friends to support its 'exorbitant privelege'. Having alienated the Germans over NSA-eavesdropping, 'boomerang'd the Russians into de-dollarization, tariffed and quantitatively eased China into diversification, and finally 'punished' France into discussing the dollar's demise; it appears no lessor person than the CEO of Total (the world's 13th biggest oil producer and Europe's 2nd largest), believes "There is no reason to pay for oil in dollars." Clearly, based on Christophe de Margerie's comments, that we have passed peak Petrodollar.  

Major victory for Ukrainian forces in area held by rebels
Government forces made a major advance Saturday in a nearly three-month fight against pro-Russian militants, raising the national flag back over the town of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine.  

Suicide Blast at Saudi Intel Office
Saudi officials say two al-Qaida militants trapped inside an intelligence ministry building blew themselves up Saturday after being surrounded by security forces.  

Merkel to undertake seventh visit to China
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will embark on her seventh visit to China this weekend, accompanied by top business leaders and officials, who continue to remain optimistic about boosting bilateral economic and commercial ties between the two countries.  

N. Korea leader directs island assault drill: report
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un warned the South would "regret bitterly" any incursion of their disputed sea border as he directed a large-scale mock assault on an island, state media said Saturday.  

Lapid: We will not be Silent While the South is Being Shot At
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Finance Minister Yair Lapid spoke on Sunday at the government’s weekly meeting, about the onslaught of rockets being launched at the south of the country.

Lapid said that “Firstly, Hamas needs to know that we will not be silent while the south is being shot at. All of the efforts of the IDF and the State of Israel will be engaged should silence not be returned to the south. This is insufferable and we will not endure it.”

ISI Leader Al - Baghdadi in First Public Sermon
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A video released Saturday showed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Sunni Islamist ISI, giving his first public sermon in the mosque of Mosul. After seizing large areas of Iraq and Syria, al Baghdadi announced the establishment of the Islamist State with himself caliph. In his sermon he said all Muslims must obey him. The video termed him Caliph Ibrahim.

Hamas Against Abbas Participation in Haaretz Conference
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Hamas organization has demanded that Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, rescind his agreement to participate in the Israeli news agency Haaretz’s conference, slated to take place this coming Tuesday, in Tel-Aviv.

A source within Hamas said Abbas was “Not to abuse the emotions of the ‘Palestinian’ nation, especially following the murder of the youth, Muhammad Abu-Khdr.”

Deputy Education Minister: Restraint is a Scandal
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman

Flash 90

Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman (Jewish Home) said on Sunday that he agreed with comments by Be'er Sheva Mayor Rubik Danilovich, who criticized the conduct of the government over its weak response to the rocket fire from Gaza.

Danilovich had said earlier on Sunday that the government would have responded with much more force had the rocket fire targeted Tel Aviv.

"I totally agree," Wortzman, himself a resident of Be'er Sheva, told Arutz Sheva. "One million citizens have become hostages of Hamas and the government responds weakly. What is happening here is unacceptable. Hamas must understand that it will not pay off for it to continue firing rockets.”

"The role of the state is to protect its citizens and at the moment it is doing so feebly,” he continued. “People are not willing to accept this reality. Our children’s routines are interrupted, they live in fear. Children are not our soldiers.”

"They say that restraint is discretion. That’s not true,” said Wortzman. "Restraint is a scandal and a disregard for citizens. It's that simple.”

He called for a serious military campaign on Gaza, adding, “A policy of targeted killings is required. It’s unthinkable that Hamas leaders will go on with their regular routines, Gaza families will go on with their regular routines, while children in Sderot, Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon and Eshkol will live in fortified rooms. A sovereign state cannot abandon its people. "

Asked if he agreed with Danilovich’s remarks that the government’s response would be much harsher if rockets were fired on Tel Aviv, Worzman replied, "Unfortunately I have to agree with him. I feel the rocket fire on the south is not shocking enough and not rushing the cabinet into immediate action. I turn to my friends in the Likud and ask, ‘Where are you? Where is the Prime Minister?’ It’s his responsibility. Millions of people are suffering here."

The Home Front Command and IDF announced earlier Sunday that a total of 110 rockets have hit Israel over the past five days, bringing the total this month to 135.

Of those, 21 were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Several ministers and MKs have called for Israel to retake or attack Gaza and institute a "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism over the weekend.

Deception
Jul 6th, 2014
Thought For The WeekW. A. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Warning

Deception has always been an effective weapon and is deadliest when used in the field of religion. Our Lord warned against this when He said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” These words have been turned into a proverb known around the world, and still we continue to be taken in by the wolves.

There was a time, even in the twentieth century, when a Christian knew, or at least could know, where he stood. The words of Christ were taken seriously. A man either was or was not a believer in New Testament doctrine. Clear, sharp categories existed. Black stood in sharp contrast to white; light was separated from darkness; it was possible to distinguish right from wrong, truth from error, a true believer from an unbeliever. Christians knew that they must forsake the world, and there was for the most part remarkable agreement about what was meant by the world. It was that simple.

The whole religious picture has changed. Without denying a single doctrine of the faith, multitudes of Christians have nevertheless forsaken the faith. Anyone who makes a claim to having “accepted Christ” is admitted at once into the goodly fellowship of the prophets and the glorious company of the apostles regardless of the worldliness of his life or the vagueness of his doctrinal beliefs. We can only insist that the way of the cross is still a narrow way.

Deceit, Delusion, and the Destruction of America
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsKjos Ministries
Categories: Commentary;Contemporary Issues

An article in the Russian Pravda titled “American capitalism gone with a whimper” has been spreading a somber view of America. Unlike it’s old Soviet-era namesake, this new Pravda may actually be telling the truth. Most of this message can be verified, as you will see in the links and facts that follow these excerpts:

“…the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple…. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was…. Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

“First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture…. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their ‘right’ to choke down a McDonald’s burger… than for their constitutional rights….

“Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches… were for the most part little more than Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more than happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the ‘winning’ side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another….

“The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. … His spending and money printing has been record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more than another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe….

“These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters.

“The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.”

Obama didn't lie when he promised CHANGE. He just didn't define it. Nor did he explain the basis for his HOPE. Today, with a bit of hindsight, the fog is lifting and we see the immediate future more clearly. Both words imply a shift away from the foundational truths and values of America. As Communist nations have determined, man's hope must rest in a useful worldly vision, not in the disturbing distraction of the Biblical God or other-worldly heaven.

Today, CHANGE and HOPE point to a New World Order -- a virtual utopia where the masses would eventually enjoy peace, pluralism, parity and the promise of universal welfare. Both slogans serve as bait to draw the masses into a web of deception.

Apostate Presbyterians Vote to Allow Homosexual Marriages By 3-1 Ratio
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsBy Editors at Christian News Network
Categories: Apostasy;Contemporary Issues

DETROIT — The 1.8 million-member Presbyterian Church (USA) voted Thursday (June 19) to allow homosexual ‘weddings,’ making it among one of the largest religious groups to take an embracing step toward openly supporting homosexuality.

By a 76-24 percent vote, the General Assembly of the PCUSA voted to allow their pastors to perform homosexual “marriages” in states where they are considered legal. Delegates, meeting in Detroit this week, also approved new language about marriage in the PCUSA Book of Order, or constitution, altering references to “a man and woman” to “two persons.”

This change will not become church law until a majority of the 172 regional presbyteries vote to ratify the new language. But given the lopsided 3-1 ratio of the vote, approval is expected.

Homosexual activists within the PCUSA rejoiced at their victory, which was remarkable for its margin of victory after multiple years of razor-thin defeats.

'Islamic State' Leader Makes First Public Appearance in Iraq
Jul 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi makes his first appearance in Mosul's Great Mosque

Reuters

The elusive head of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) - which recently declared an "Islamic State" in regions under its control and called on Muslims throughout the world to accept him as their leader - has appeared in public for the first time.

Dressed entirely in black - a reference to his claims of direct descent from Mohammed, the founder of Islam - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a sermon in the city of Mosul, which was recently captured from the Iraqi government by Sunni rebels led by his own forces. 

"The mujahedeen have been rewarded victory by God after years of jihad, and they were able to achieve their aim and hurried to announce the caliphate and choose the Imam", he said referring to himself, according to a translation by the Guardian.

"It is a burden to accept this responsibility to be in charge of you... I am not better than you or more virtuous than you. If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God."

An unnamed senior Iraqi intelligence official told the paper that the man, who does bear a resemblance to the few previous pictures which exist of Baghadadi, is indeed the ISIS leader. 

Al-Baghdadi has avoided making public appearances, mindful of the fate of his predecessor and leader of the "Islamic State of Iraq", Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by US forces in part after his penchant for public appearances helped intelligence forces track him down.

The ISIS leader himself - who has declared himself a "caliph", or Islamic leader, - has a $10 million bounty on his head.

Despite that, analysts say he had little choice but to make the public appearance. His declaration of a "caliphate" or Islamic state was criticized by many rivals, both for his haste in doing so and for disobeying Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was opposed to the idea. Others criticized his reticence to appear before the people he was claiming to rule.

His appearance is being seen as a show of confidence and strength; indeed the fact that he was able to make such a public appearance at Mosul's Great Mosque, in front of scores of worshippers in what was once Iraq's second city, was an effective demonstration of how secure Islamist forces there feel despite the Iraqi government's promises of a counterattack.

As part of its consolidation of power in the area, ISIS members reportedly demolished at least 10 Shia Muslim shrines, which they consider to be forms of idolatry.

"He had declared himself caliph, he couldn't hide away. He had to make an appearance at some time," Middle East expert al-Tamimi  told the Guardian.