Did Ancient Extraterrestrials Visit Earth?

By Robert Velarde

In the beginning, ancient aliens visited planet Earth, significantly influenced human history, and possibly even engineered human life to evolve. Furthermore, as a result of ancient alien visitations, history is replete with clues regarding these alien astronauts.

Flying saucers and little green men may seem the stuff of 1950s B-movies, yet ideas like the ones just described are gaining momentum not only in popular culture but also in some scientific circles. In the 2012 motion picture Prometheus, director Ridley Scott touted the concept that aliens visited Earth and seeded human life on it.1 The more lighthearted adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), also gave direct nods to alien involvement on Earth, while the older film, Stargate (1994), made a direct connection between Egypt and ancient aliens, and the seminal film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) involved aliens in the development of human intelligence.

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Conforming to the Image of Christ

The obvious fact that we all sin can create an atmosphere of false security among us, leading us to accept with ease the idea that sin is so commonplace that we ought not to be too bothered by it lest we surrender our mental health to a self-deprecating neurosis. Yet in our desire to console ourselves and maintain a good self-image, we may push to the back burner the mandate of God, “Be you holy, even as I am holy.” Evangelical Christians are most vulnerable to succumbing to this distortion. We stress the fact that our justification is by faith alone and insist that our righteousness is found in Christ alone. Though these assertions are true, it is equally true that the faith by which we are justified is a faith that brings forth fruit in our lives. The slogan of the Reformation was that we are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. The instant true faith is present in the heart of the believer, the process of sanctification begins. Change begins at once. The Christian begins to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are becoming holy. If we are not becoming holy, then Christ is not in us and our profession of faith is empty.

  Passages for Further Study 1 Peter 1:15–16 1 Timothy 2:8 Resource: Ligonier.org

Statism

In a post-Christian world, people who have rejected God often make an idol of the state, and the state often encourages such dependence. The twentieth century witnessed the rise of a particularly despotic form of statism in countries from China to Russia to Germany. What dangers do we face when the state attempts to replace God? In this session, Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. discusses the dangers of statism and the way Christians should respond when they find themselves in a nation where statism has gained ascendancy.

Resource: Ligonier.org

Women to be Elders and Pastors

Egalitarians say that Gal. 3:28 allows women to be elders and pastors

by Matt Slick

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus," (Gal. 3:28).

The egalitarians often quote Galatians 3:28 in their arguments to justify that women can be pastors and elders. Their reasoning is that since the verse says that there is neither male nor female in Christ then the offices of elder, bishop, pastor, etc., should not display gender differences since there is neither male nor female.
The problem with this interpretation is that the context of Galatians 3:28 is dealing with salvation and not church office qualifications. Contextually, Paul says in Galatians 3:24 that we are justified by faith and that we have been clothed with Christ (v. 27). In 3:29 he speaks about our belonging to Christ. So, there is nothing in the context to signify that women can be elders or pastors.
A closer look at Galatians 3:28 will reveal that Paul is showing there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. This is important because the Jewish people understood the Messiah was coming only for them (Matt. 15:24). Paul negates the distinction of nationality regarding salvation as he also negates the distinction of slave and free, male and female. He says, "you are all one in Christ Jesus."

In Christ

The phrase, "in Christ," occurs 90 times in the New Testament. It is used to designate those who are saved. The Bible uses the phrase, "in Christ," to tell us that we have redemption (Rom. 3:24), are all live to God (Rom. 6:23), have escaped condemnation (Rom. 8:1), are approved before God (Rom. 16:10), are sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2), are made new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17), are God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10), have been granted grace (2 Tim. 1:9), and have obtained salvation (2 Tim. 2:10). There are many more, but this will demonstrate the point well.
As we see from the above paragraph, the phrase, "in Christ," is a designation of our relationship with God through the person of Christ. We are in Christ. Consider 1 Cor. 15:22 which says, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."
So, Galatians 3:28 is not about women in ministry but about those who are "in Christ"--those who are saved. Therefore, it does not support the idea of women elders were pastors.

Keeping a Pure Conscience

By John MacArthur

John gives practical, biblical advice on how to sharpen the divinely-implanted tool for Christian growth—your conscience.

Through the years I've been a pastor, I have watched our culture unravel in its addiction to corruption. People are enslaved to sex, numb to violence, and terminally self-consumed. The rapid increase in the pervasiveness and openness of sin is paralleled by a decreasing sensitivity to conscience. And no wonder. People are trained to ignore their guilt—and yet their drowning in it.

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Did God Choose Us before We Repented?

Peace

By John MacArthur

Shalom is a word that is a very large and all-encompassing word, and in essence it means this: a wish for completeness; or a wish for contentment; or a wish for fulfillment, or satisfaction, or blessing; or maybe well-being works; a wish for prosperity on all levels. In other words, it is a desire that all that is good would flow into your life.

600th Post! The Single Most Important Thought You Can Ever Think

Your Sin Will Find You Out

Just ask me.
Proverbs 6:27 (ESVUK)

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
    and his clothes not be burned?

Oldest Biblical Text Since Dead Sea Scrolls

American and Israeli archaeologists and researchers have announced that they have deciphered what they believe is the oldest biblical text discovered since the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.
“This is a really big discovery,” Pnina Shor, curator at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said during a press conference on Monday.
The charred 1,500 year-old parchment had been discovered in 1970 among the remains of the ancient Ein Gedi synogogue, located on the shore of the Dead Sea. David had once sought refuge in the caves of Ein Gedi when he was being hunted by King Saul.

Responding to Same-Sex Marriage

by STR.org

Today, we’re going to take a look at a controversial policy issue. As Christians, we believe it’s our responsibility to stay informed about our faith and understand how our views translate into not only our personal lives, but also our culture and government. One of the most debated topics in our country is same-sex marriage, and we think there’s a respectful, loving and logical way to address the subject. So that’s what we’re going to do.
Before delving in, there are a few things we need to consider.
First, is the language we use. We are addressing same-sex marriage, not gay marriage. The government isn’t concerned with sexual preference. It cares about gender.
Where marriage is defined as a man and a woman, there is no “ban” on same-sex marriage; there’s simply no legal provision for it.

Saved From 27 Years of Homosexuality

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

It is a reoccurring view in every generation. Many people believe they must clean themselves up before they can follow Jesus, or they think that they have to do many things in order to be acceptable or follow rules to earn their salvation.

But the underlining word here is regeneration. Their understanding is that they are capable of cleaning their souls themselves. There is no way that you and I can be clean on our own. Not without the help of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can cleanse us. It is by only Him that we can regenerate. And we can only regenerate if there has been a transition from death to life. Something has to die first in order to regenerate. But nothing can on it's own come back to life naturally. One life can die and another can be born. That is why Jesus refers it as being 'born again.' One life dead, another borne.

The Pursuit of Happiness

It's a silly idea what American's call their constitutional right for "The pursuit of happiness." It's just something you can't reach. Only being in the presence of God will give your soul rest and a sense of completeness and peace. The only satisfaction your soul will find is by God. God calling you to surrender your sense of what I would say is entitlement to "the desires of your heart" and letting Him take control of your life. Yes, control. Not in a robotic sense. But control in the sense of allowing Him to be master of your life. Not you, because you are incapable of controlling the future. For tomorrow is not known and it could change at an instance.

How to Distinguish the Holy Spirit from the Serpent

From Sinclair Ferguson July 03, 2015

How do we distinguish the promptings of the Spirit of grace in His guiding and governing of our lives from the delusions of the spirit of the world and of our own sinful heart? This is a hugely important question if we are to be calm and confident that the spirit with whom we are communing really is the Holy Spirit.

Kundalini Awakening

Worship of the Serpent

Kundalini (Sanskrit kuṇḍalinī, "coiled one"), in yogic theory, is a primal energy, or shakti, located at the base of the spine. Different spiritual traditions teach methods of "awakening" kundalini for the purpose of reaching spiritual enlightenment. The Yoga Upanishads describe Kundalini as lying "coiled" at the base of the spine, represented as either a goddess or sleeping serpent waiting to be awakened. In modern commentaries, Kundalini has been called an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force, or "mother energy or intelligence of complete maturation".

Happy Canada Day! - Respond Rationally and Respectfully

The Birth of Transableism

The Birth of Transableism: Why Our Culture Bites Absurd Bullets

OTTAWA — When he cut off his right arm with a “very sharp power tool,” a man who now calls himself One Hand Jason let everyone believe it was an accident….

His goal was to become disabled.

Read more at STR

Why Did John Baptize People?

I was wondering why, seeing as baptism was not performed in Old Testament times, John the baptist started to baptize people to symbolize their repentance. I know in the New Testament Jesus instructs people to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but John came before Jesus. John’s baptism was an adaptation of the mikvah, or ritual immersion bath, that had been part of Jewish life for generations and symbolized a spiritual cleansing. It was part of the preparation for undertaking a new beginning. Jewish men took a mikvah each Sabbath in preparation for the new week. Women took a mikvah after each monthly period as a spiritual cleansing. On Yom Kippur the High Priest took 7 mikvot (plural of mikvah) during the ceremonies in preparation for entering the Holy of Holies. Jesus came to John for a mikvah at the beginning of His ministry. The reason John had people take a mikvah was to show that they had changed their minds (repented) about their need for a Savior and were taking a new direction regarding their salvation. No longer would they focus on keeping the Law but would look instead to the coming redeemer whose arrival John was announcing. Today, baptism is no longer an act of spiritual cleansing in preparation for a new direction, but a public declaration that the spiritual cleansing has already happened and the new direction has been taken.

Why Did Jesus Come?: Satan's Side of the Story

As you know, Satan is known as "the prince of this world." He rules the nations. But let's rewind to just before Christ was born....

 And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Revelation 12:4 (ESV)

Satan was precious to God. God called him "Morning Star, son of Dawn." He was the chief angel. So close to the Father. But he became jealous and full of pride (Isaiah 14:13-14). Now, we look at the time Jesus came. He was the promised King to rule all nations. Satan is ruler of the world but now the heir was about to be born. His power and position is threatened by this child and his mother. Woman who Satan deceived will be the vessel in which man will be given power to stop Satan in spreading his lies. A man will be born with power to be blameless and untouchable by sin. This man will also be the new ruler of all the nations. And Satan will do anything to make him fail because he wants to be the one on the throne. Satan has been called "the father of lies," and we expect him to do just that because every word he says is a lie! He tempted Jesus just as he tempted Eve.

Imperfection

...."Imperfection" is really in the eyes of the beholder. For example, a sphere would not be perfect if it had any pock mark upon it. Nonetheless, our planet (a sphere) would be less perfect if it did not have the Grand Canyon (a pock mark) to explore. So, in sum, it seems to me from a Biblical perspective that our perfect God created imperfection simply because it was the perfect thing for Him to do. But it doesn't stop there -- He also chooses to save us from sin through His Son Jesus. In most religions, man must sacrifice his prize possessions to bless God. In Christianity, God sacrifices His prize possession to bless man. - See more at: http://www.godcontention.org/christian/if-god-is-perfect-how-did-he-create-imperfection#sthash.AqZzjtoT.dpuf


[Atheists] have little problem with offering challenges to the infinite God, judging Him according to their own understanding, and then pronouncing to everyone why God can't exist--according to their reasoning.
They think they are wise enough, logical enough, and experienced enough to justify denying God's existence.  They resist the truth to the point of their own destruction.


Matt Slick, CARM.org

Reality & Morality Redefined

Atheists are taking a great responsibility on themselves to redefine the world....and to redefine morals. Ultimately reality.

The False Promise of the Prosperity Gospel

The False Promise of the Prosperity Gospel: Why I Called Out Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer
Huffington Post Article by Pastor Rick Henderson

My Comment

Francis A. Schaeffer would call it personal peace and affluence.

I've listened to their sermons. Osteen has a good heart but not very strong with hermeneutics. He admits he's not that good. So I'm more against what he preaches than him as a person. Every preacher lacks something. Meyer is biblical on most things but shouldn't be labelled as "Pastor." The heart may be in the write place but that doesn't make them teachers. If you need life principles there are alternatives in your community or if not, I could suggest Charles Stanley.

Women Don't See Their True Value

Women don't sell yourselves cheap. If you're living with your boyfriend you are saying that you are not worth it. What is the man's intention if he doesn't commit to making vows to be with you the rest of his life? It's just like a test drive. He first wants to see if it's comfortable and then decide later. He doesn't really plan to marry you. If he really wants to be with you then he should poor out his earnings to show that he will provide for you. He should in the first step buy you a ring to show that your precious to him and he's willing to put down his life to be with you.

Embracing the World

Martin Luther declared that a new Christian must withdraw from the world for a season, but upon reaching spiritual maturity he must embrace the world as the theater of redemptive activity. His message was, “Away with the cowards who flee from the real world and cloak their cowardice with piety.”


Perhaps the greatest need for our day is the need to market Jesus Christ. The church must become expert in marketing, not in the slick Madison Avenue style but in an aggressive, yet dignified way. The marketplace is where we belong. It is where needy people are found. It is not enough for the church to hang a welcome sign on her door. We dare not wait for the world to come to us.


God never intended the Christian community to be a ghetto. The church is not a reservation. Yet the pervasive style of modern evangelicalism is that of a reservation or a ghetto. We can argue that it is the secularist agenda to put us there and keep us there. But such arguments won’t do. We are there because it is safe and comfortable to be there.


The secularist hates the light and is quite willing to offer us a bushel for it. Shame on us when we buy custom-made bushels and willingly place them over our candles. To hide the light or to restrict it to a reservation is to do violence to the gospel and to grieve the Holy Ghost.


-R.C. Sproul