WHAT'S IN A NAME?
There seems to be a new virus circulating around prosperity/word-faith institutions these days. It seems that the denizens of deficient doctrine no longer want to be called "Christians". As it was explained to me, this is so because the followers of Jesus Christ were first called "Christians" derogatorily by the unbelievers in Antioch. "And when he (Barnabas) had found him (Saul/Paul), he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called 'Christians' in Antioch", Acts 11:26(NKJV). As someone very close to me explained,"sons, citizens, friends, ambassadors would be okay . . . not a title thrust upon a group of folk by heathens".
So let me get this straight . . . because the heathen called you "followers of Christ"(which is what "Christians" means)you don't want to be known as "followers of Christ"?! I am severely tempted to make a very sardonic statement here, but I am going to resist. Just when I thought that I could not be amazed anymore by anything those who sit in these churches would swallow, I am slack-jawed again. A supposed preacher of God's infallible Word stands in front of a congregation of people (many of which have been honored by the title "Christian" for years), tells them that to be called a "Christian" a follower of the LORD Jesus Christ is an insult because the heathen came up with it . . . AND THEY APPLAUD IT !!!! This can only mean that: pigs can fly, a snowball can make it in hell and a one-legged man does stand a chance in a butt-kickin' contest!!!
I have said it time and time again that I'm not all that surprised by what these false teachers will say. What befuddles me is what their listeners will believe. Somewhere among these thousands of deceived people, I have to believe there was one person who went to his Strong's concordance, his Bible dictionary or even to his Webster's dictionary and looked up the word "Christian". Somewhere, one conscientious person went to the Scriptures and studied how the word, "Christian" is used in the Holy Writ. Some student of God's Word observed that the Apostle Peter used it positively and that none of the writers ever denounced it. Someone had to notice that it was only their guru who differed from all the fathers of this faith who embraced the term. What possible stain could be left on the word because it first fell from the lips of someone who did not believe in its root word? If a heathen called you "rich" would you reject that title? No, you'd say, "I receive that!"
I'm sure that I will receive vehement denials and harsh castigation for the following statement, but I believe it is true. This denial of the name that 2000 years of Christian (that's right, CHRISTIAN) history has venerated is the first step toward eliminating the name of Jesus altogether from the vocabulary and ultimately the theology of these prosperity/word-faith institutions. Time will tell. My plea to those of you to whom the Holy Spirit is making it clear that you are sitting under an apostate ministry is: FLEE! Please FLEE! Remember Lot's wife! Remember Joseph! Remember the Alamo!
In my book it is a privilege to be called a "Christian", no matter who came up with the word. What others may have meant for evil against us "God meant it for good . . ." (Genesis 50:20). "Sons"? "Citizens"? "Friends"? . . ."Tares"? Oops, the devil made me do it!
Keith
B.L.B.B!
(Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!)
Monday, February 26, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
SE HABLA LAS NOTICIAS BUENAS! THE GOSPEL IS SPOKEN HERE!
A little bird, a little pregnant bird, a little pregnant bird named "Lisa" told me that I decry the false teaching and false teachers out there; but I never point anyone to where solid Gospel preaching is found. Okay, point taken. Never let it be said that yours truly can't take a little constructive criticism.
So,if your out their and you are beginning to believe that, "hey, I think I am sitting under false teaching", here's a resource to find a solid Reformed church.
My friends over at Reformed Blacks of America have a national listing of solid Reformed churches. Here is their address:
www.reformedblacksofamerica.org/churches.php
For those of you in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend my own church:
ALL SAINTS REDEEMER. As a shameless plug I am including a draft of a brochure that I am currently working on:
READY FOR STEAK?
We invite you to a “steak” dinner served every Sunday morning at All Saints Redeemer Church. We are a distinct and overtly reformed community of believers. Our pastor, Michael Leach, by the grace of God preaches the unvarnished gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ and His atoning death for sinners like us. Straight with no chaser, period!
Here, you will find no self-flattering prophecies or false promises of health and wealth. Here, you will find only the faithful exposition of the Holy Bible which is the only true revelation of Almighty God and His will for His people. Here, man is not deified, but only the triune God is exalted and His sovereignty in every facet of life is recognized and worshiped.
Why Reformed?
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries was a declaration that the church of Jesus Christ had strayed from its “foundation on the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). The reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin fearlessly declared that Holy Scripture and Holy Scripture alone is the final rule for the faith and practice of Christianity.
We have witnessed a similar straying of the church in recent times. Men and women have risen to megastar status while denying the deity of Jesus, deifying man, promoting stark materialism, denying sin and twisting Scripture. All Saints Redeemer Church is one of a growing number of Bible-believing congregations that is saying, “enough is enough”! Jesus and Jesus alone is King of kings and Lord of lords! No flesh shall glory in His presence (Isaiah 48:11).
-Programs-
We have only three:
-Faithful preaching of the gospel, the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16-18; I Cor 1:23-24; I Cor 2:2; I Cor 15:1-8).
-Faithful administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38-39; I Cor 11:17-32).
-Faithful and loving church discipline (Matt 18:15-20; I Cor chps 5&6; II Cor 2:5-11).
-Goals of ASRC-
-Constant and persistent exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 2:9-11).
-Joyful obedience to the commands of
Almighty God (Psalm 119:10-12; 44-48).
-Promotion of the growth of God’s
people in the grace and knowledge
of Jesus (II Peter 3:18).
-Build true communion among the
saints of God (Psalm 133).
-The Bottom Line-
The Word of God is the sole self-revelation of God and His glorious plan for redemptive history.
At ASRC, we hold it to be just that. By committing ourselves to the veracity and reliability of the Holy Bible and the spiritual and true worship of God, we trust in the Holy Spirit for the sanctification and ultimate glorification of the body of Christ.
For further information about All Saints Redeemer Church:
-Please visit us on the web at:
www.allsaintsredeemer.org
-Services-
Sunday School 9:45am - 10:45am
Worship 11:00am
-Location-
We currently meet at:
American University for Biblical Studies
4468 Covington Hwy.
(The northeast corner of Covington Hwy @
S. Indian Creek Road)
Decatur, Georgia 30036
“But strong meat is for the mature,
for those who have their powers of
discernment trained by constant
practice to distinguish good from
evil”.
Hebrews 5:14
So there you have it. If you are ready to flee false teaching and are ready to hear the Gospel, you now know where you can find it just about anywhere in the good ol'
U.S. of A!
Keith
B.L.B.B.
(Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!)
A little bird, a little pregnant bird, a little pregnant bird named "Lisa" told me that I decry the false teaching and false teachers out there; but I never point anyone to where solid Gospel preaching is found. Okay, point taken. Never let it be said that yours truly can't take a little constructive criticism.
So,if your out their and you are beginning to believe that, "hey, I think I am sitting under false teaching", here's a resource to find a solid Reformed church.
My friends over at Reformed Blacks of America have a national listing of solid Reformed churches. Here is their address:
www.reformedblacksofamerica.org/churches.php
For those of you in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend my own church:
ALL SAINTS REDEEMER. As a shameless plug I am including a draft of a brochure that I am currently working on:
READY FOR STEAK?
We invite you to a “steak” dinner served every Sunday morning at All Saints Redeemer Church. We are a distinct and overtly reformed community of believers. Our pastor, Michael Leach, by the grace of God preaches the unvarnished gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ and His atoning death for sinners like us. Straight with no chaser, period!
Here, you will find no self-flattering prophecies or false promises of health and wealth. Here, you will find only the faithful exposition of the Holy Bible which is the only true revelation of Almighty God and His will for His people. Here, man is not deified, but only the triune God is exalted and His sovereignty in every facet of life is recognized and worshiped.
Why Reformed?
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries was a declaration that the church of Jesus Christ had strayed from its “foundation on the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). The reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin fearlessly declared that Holy Scripture and Holy Scripture alone is the final rule for the faith and practice of Christianity.
We have witnessed a similar straying of the church in recent times. Men and women have risen to megastar status while denying the deity of Jesus, deifying man, promoting stark materialism, denying sin and twisting Scripture. All Saints Redeemer Church is one of a growing number of Bible-believing congregations that is saying, “enough is enough”! Jesus and Jesus alone is King of kings and Lord of lords! No flesh shall glory in His presence (Isaiah 48:11).
-Programs-
We have only three:
-Faithful preaching of the gospel, the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16-18; I Cor 1:23-24; I Cor 2:2; I Cor 15:1-8).
-Faithful administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38-39; I Cor 11:17-32).
-Faithful and loving church discipline (Matt 18:15-20; I Cor chps 5&6; II Cor 2:5-11).
-Goals of ASRC-
-Constant and persistent exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 2:9-11).
-Joyful obedience to the commands of
Almighty God (Psalm 119:10-12; 44-48).
-Promotion of the growth of God’s
people in the grace and knowledge
of Jesus (II Peter 3:18).
-Build true communion among the
saints of God (Psalm 133).
-The Bottom Line-
The Word of God is the sole self-revelation of God and His glorious plan for redemptive history.
At ASRC, we hold it to be just that. By committing ourselves to the veracity and reliability of the Holy Bible and the spiritual and true worship of God, we trust in the Holy Spirit for the sanctification and ultimate glorification of the body of Christ.
For further information about All Saints Redeemer Church:
-Please visit us on the web at:
www.allsaintsredeemer.org
-Services-
Sunday School 9:45am - 10:45am
Worship 11:00am
-Location-
We currently meet at:
American University for Biblical Studies
4468 Covington Hwy.
(The northeast corner of Covington Hwy @
S. Indian Creek Road)
Decatur, Georgia 30036
“But strong meat is for the mature,
for those who have their powers of
discernment trained by constant
practice to distinguish good from
evil”.
Hebrews 5:14
So there you have it. If you are ready to flee false teaching and are ready to hear the Gospel, you now know where you can find it just about anywhere in the good ol'
U.S. of A!
Keith
B.L.B.B.
(Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!)
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Worshipin' With the Big Dogs!
With the plethora of pulpit pimps pilfering the populace today (sat that three times fast!) it's easy to forget that the "pimpees" share a lot of the guilt. I'm of the opinion that for many of the doctrinally challenged; it's not about who you worship, but who you worship with.
As a survivor of a prosperity church, I know from experience you can indulge in some serious star-gazing at a big name church with a big name preacher. Yes, you can certainly be the envy of your co-workers or classmates when you tell them on Monday morning: "Yeah, Deion Sanders was praying right next to me yesterday", or "Denzel and I wore the same tie to church last week."
Of course, after a while you get used to it and Diddy becomes just another church member. But you have to know that if you really want to get Uncle Joe to come to church all you have to say is "Beyonce' will probably be there Sunday". And in no time Uncle Joe is walking down the the aisle making a decision for Christ and helping to pay off the Bishop's new Gulfstream-5 jet.
Let's face it these preachers themselves are now celebrities. So when you drop the name of your Bishop/Apostle/god you can expect their fame to open a few doors for you. This all, of course, falls under the heading of "God's favor". Just say, "get ready, get ready, get ready" when ordering and receive two extra pancakes with your "Grand-slam Breakfast" at your local Dallas area Denny's. Tell 'em "T.D." sent you! (Just kidding!)
Beside the celebrity connection, if you are a business person nothing increases your bottom-line like an affliliation with the megachurch next door. Especially if you can get the Pontiff to endorse your business or even use your sevices for the club, I mean church itself. So what if the preacher can't spell "Bible"; every pimpee who needs a payday loan to pay the note on the Bentley that the Prophet told him God said was his, can get said loan from you! "And don't forget to use your 'New Birth Mastercard'. Tithe: $5000. Love Offering: $3000. Copyrights to new "Women Pastors Gone Wild" videos: priceless."
"Hey lonely lady, need tha' hook-up? Just throw on your best pair of "Apple Bottoms" and head on down to Greater Mount Carnal Christian Center this Sunday. We have 'em tall, dark and handsome. Some of them may even be saved! And if you make a 'mistake' and get pregnant, go ahead have that abortion. You'll never hear a word about it from us! Hey Adam, we didn't forget about you. You can find your "Steve" right here. After all, gay money is green, too".
I guess the reason that I have said all of this is to take some of the pressure off all of you who are trying to get family and friends out of places like these. Not everyone who attends these false churches is an innocent dupe, hypnotized under the preacher's charismatic spell. Many of them have reasons for being there that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ or Christianity. The whole "seeker-friendly" scheme is a farce, because no unsaved person seeks God in the first place. And those whom God has effectually called, even if their first stop is a false church like these, will grow weary of counterfeit christianity. He who has called them is faithful and will lead His sheep to green pastures (and I don't mean the one "pastored" by "Apostle" Collette Gunby!).
Keith
B. L. B. B.
(Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!)
With the plethora of pulpit pimps pilfering the populace today (sat that three times fast!) it's easy to forget that the "pimpees" share a lot of the guilt. I'm of the opinion that for many of the doctrinally challenged; it's not about who you worship, but who you worship with.
As a survivor of a prosperity church, I know from experience you can indulge in some serious star-gazing at a big name church with a big name preacher. Yes, you can certainly be the envy of your co-workers or classmates when you tell them on Monday morning: "Yeah, Deion Sanders was praying right next to me yesterday", or "Denzel and I wore the same tie to church last week."
Of course, after a while you get used to it and Diddy becomes just another church member. But you have to know that if you really want to get Uncle Joe to come to church all you have to say is "Beyonce' will probably be there Sunday". And in no time Uncle Joe is walking down the the aisle making a decision for Christ and helping to pay off the Bishop's new Gulfstream-5 jet.
Let's face it these preachers themselves are now celebrities. So when you drop the name of your Bishop/Apostle/god you can expect their fame to open a few doors for you. This all, of course, falls under the heading of "God's favor". Just say, "get ready, get ready, get ready" when ordering and receive two extra pancakes with your "Grand-slam Breakfast" at your local Dallas area Denny's. Tell 'em "T.D." sent you! (Just kidding!)
Beside the celebrity connection, if you are a business person nothing increases your bottom-line like an affliliation with the megachurch next door. Especially if you can get the Pontiff to endorse your business or even use your sevices for the club, I mean church itself. So what if the preacher can't spell "Bible"; every pimpee who needs a payday loan to pay the note on the Bentley that the Prophet told him God said was his, can get said loan from you! "And don't forget to use your 'New Birth Mastercard'. Tithe: $5000. Love Offering: $3000. Copyrights to new "Women Pastors Gone Wild" videos: priceless."
"Hey lonely lady, need tha' hook-up? Just throw on your best pair of "Apple Bottoms" and head on down to Greater Mount Carnal Christian Center this Sunday. We have 'em tall, dark and handsome. Some of them may even be saved! And if you make a 'mistake' and get pregnant, go ahead have that abortion. You'll never hear a word about it from us! Hey Adam, we didn't forget about you. You can find your "Steve" right here. After all, gay money is green, too".
I guess the reason that I have said all of this is to take some of the pressure off all of you who are trying to get family and friends out of places like these. Not everyone who attends these false churches is an innocent dupe, hypnotized under the preacher's charismatic spell. Many of them have reasons for being there that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ or Christianity. The whole "seeker-friendly" scheme is a farce, because no unsaved person seeks God in the first place. And those whom God has effectually called, even if their first stop is a false church like these, will grow weary of counterfeit christianity. He who has called them is faithful and will lead His sheep to green pastures (and I don't mean the one "pastored" by "Apostle" Collette Gunby!).
Keith
B. L. B. B.
(Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!)
A "Sin 2007" News Brief
Well, nothing new to report. The same old battle rages.
However, I have gained some interesting insights into sin's deceptions and work from Kris Lundgaard. In his book "The Enemy Within", Lundgaard exposes a very subtle trick of sin. He states: ". . . the flesh weakens conviction against sin by seperating the remedy of grace from the design of grace. The Scriptures teach nothing more clearly than that God's design in showing mercy is to make us holy people . . . God also provides a remedy for our lapses: His loving pardon gives us peace, so that we know that if we do sin, "we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense"(I John 2:1). The flesh works to make you forget the design (that you are saved to be holy) and think only of the remedy (if you sin you'll be forgiven). It preaches half a gospel (a twisted gospel) to us: "Go ahead and indulge - it's already paid for'".
This may seem rather obvious, but that's what makes it both such deception and genius on the part of sin. We can all too easily make the mistake of presuming on the forgiveness of God while neglecting His requirement that we be Holy as He is Holy. It's like using the "Get Out of Jail Free" card in a game of Monopoly. When we fall for this ploy of the flesh, however, we don't realize ( often until it's too late) that as Lundgaard says, "your heart is hardened by its deceitfulness (Hebrews 3:13) so that you are careless about sin. You will look at your life and think about how often you need forgiveness, and so come to think of it as something common". This is the height of presumption which is itself a great sin against God.
We would all do well to recognize that all sin is a strike at the holiness of God. Let's all pray for a hatred of our sin and a cherishing of the holiness, mercy and grace of our invincible God.
Keith
B. L. B. B.
(Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!)
Well, nothing new to report. The same old battle rages.
However, I have gained some interesting insights into sin's deceptions and work from Kris Lundgaard. In his book "The Enemy Within", Lundgaard exposes a very subtle trick of sin. He states: ". . . the flesh weakens conviction against sin by seperating the remedy of grace from the design of grace. The Scriptures teach nothing more clearly than that God's design in showing mercy is to make us holy people . . . God also provides a remedy for our lapses: His loving pardon gives us peace, so that we know that if we do sin, "we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense"(I John 2:1). The flesh works to make you forget the design (that you are saved to be holy) and think only of the remedy (if you sin you'll be forgiven). It preaches half a gospel (a twisted gospel) to us: "Go ahead and indulge - it's already paid for'".
This may seem rather obvious, but that's what makes it both such deception and genius on the part of sin. We can all too easily make the mistake of presuming on the forgiveness of God while neglecting His requirement that we be Holy as He is Holy. It's like using the "Get Out of Jail Free" card in a game of Monopoly. When we fall for this ploy of the flesh, however, we don't realize ( often until it's too late) that as Lundgaard says, "your heart is hardened by its deceitfulness (Hebrews 3:13) so that you are careless about sin. You will look at your life and think about how often you need forgiveness, and so come to think of it as something common". This is the height of presumption which is itself a great sin against God.
We would all do well to recognize that all sin is a strike at the holiness of God. Let's all pray for a hatred of our sin and a cherishing of the holiness, mercy and grace of our invincible God.
Keith
B. L. B. B.
(Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)