U.S. At Odds With Harper On Abortion

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XXXChurch in Sin City

A book called Jesus Loves You…This I Know by Craig Gross and Josh Harper. Some of the chapter titles were “Jesus Loves the Broken”, “Jesus Loves Skeptics”, etc. But one that catches my eye is called “Jesus Loves Porn Stars”. He even makes T-shirts titled with Jesus Loves Porn Stars. To the unbeliever this would look like Jesus loves porn!
This is so silly! Why must we think that we have to be hip and relevant with the world in order to fish them into our churches? We're not trying to get people a part of another group. If they don't come to the Father in repentance, they are not saved. These guys should be preaching the gospel, not washing their dishes! Yes, I understand random acts of kindness.. but helping out the sex industry while we do it? We should be helping them by reading the gospel. Jesus didn't say Go out and make friends with all the nations! He said make disciples, and spread the good news of His resurrection! Where is the gospel? I have to say these guys are doing more than any of us by getting the name of Jesus out there. But they are putting a stain to His name. They are creating confusion.
I just hope that the true gospel is getting read and talked about behind those cameras. I don't wanna be misjudging these guys but this is what it looks like on camera and flowing from their mouths. If they truly love these women they'd clutch their heels and weep for them to repent. And they'd preach the Word to them.
I hope that these women get saved from the industry and into the loving arms of their Father in heaven. I'd just like to tell them or any other woman stuck in sexual immorality, whatever you've done, God will forgive you. Just give it up to Him. Please! Repent and trust the Saviour today.

Is Repentance a Work?

Reconciliation With God

Have we been taking this verse out of context? "If you seek you will find, if you knock, I will answer."

Read Luke 14 and the parable about the lost sheep. When the repented son comes to the father. He stops. But the father ran towards his son. When the sheep was lost, the shepherd went looking for him. There was rejoice when the last sheep was found, and a celebration when the boy was forgiven. God seeks a repented heart, not a decision that makes Him acceptable in one's mind as if God was made up in a man's mind. God justifies a sinner that falls on his face and begs for forgiveness of his sins. It's not about doing things like getting baptised and becoming a member of a church or how many years one has been at church. It's about God forgiving a sinner who has come to the Father out of a pithy cry for His forgiveness. It's a broken heart and not just an acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord. Many people can believe that the God of the Bible is the true God but never have repented. Many will cry out Lord, Lord, but will not enter the kingdom. It is a narrow gate. It is a narrow path. People may confess that they sin and know that they are sinners and whole-heartedly believe in Jesus with all their heart but will not see him seated at the right side of the Father.

One may trust Him and know His truth, but actually hate Him. A man must love God with all his heart, mind and strength. In comparison to his love for God he must hate his brother, sister, mother, and father. It's about the first two commandments because the other nine follow naturally. It's about denying self, hating what you are, and then taking up a cross. Being a Christian is not about having a happier or more prosperous life. It's not about giving money to the poor and feeding the hungry and making life better for everyone on earth. It's about living a crucified life. It's realizing that you can do nothing to credit to your account. You can't substitute or add to what Jesus did on the cross. When you "become" a Christian it is not about doing the sinners prayer, or making an alter call, or accepting Jesus into your life. It's a life totally given up. God runs to the repented heart. It's acknowledgement of sin and knowing that you deserve nothing.

There is no other God in history that is known as a loving God. Our God is a merciful God, a forgiving God. A man may think that he has done so many good things based on his own vindication. One may say, "I tried to live a good life." They tried to live by their own performance, their own works, their own righteousness. Before God created man, He had a plan to save us. (If I am at fault, if I am blaspheming, God will judge me justly). The love of God teaches us that God is just and God is holy. He is perfect. If all He does is forgive us, then He would compromise all of His integrity and character. Not only did He come to die for you, He came born as a baby and lived under the Law. He came down as a man, Jesus, to obey every will of God. According to the scriptures He kept the Law perfectly. He came to be our substitute under the Law. So He took very seriously to His task as our representative to obey every detail of the Law. His meat and His drink was to do the will of the Father. He did it perfectly. If God indeed was marking your indignities and iniquities in a book, how many marks would you have? If God turned over the book, how many marks would be there? If God had granted a person to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, then they have a blank page. God sees that page blank under your name on the basis of Jesus Christ.

Man gets the idea that there are conditions to get to heaven. For anyone to have the benefit of the perfect work of Christ contributed to them, the New Testament says that the benefit contributed to them is to have faith and faith alone in Him.

Even if you acknowledge the reality that God exists, that's not enough. Even the demons believe and they tremble. It's not enough to acknowledge that Jesus is able to redeem you. You have to rest in Him. You have to trust in Him. That means when you stand at the gates of heaven, you will not be able to say "I did this and I did that." You'll be able to say, "I did nothing. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law and I'm trusting in Christ and Christ alone. I rest in Him solely and in His righteousness and His atonement because there is nothing I can do to make restitution for my own iniquities." Therefore, the gospel for you will not be an abstraction but it will be the power of God for your salvation. The power is found in His word. The power is found in the proclamation and work done in Christ.

Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ."

Our Lord said, "He who puts his hand to the plow and turns back is not worthy of the kingdom of God." This message is so crucial. This message of God is so vitally important. It takes precedence over anything else that is intruding into your thinking. I urge you today as a personal message for you, don't put your head on your pillow tonight until you have put your trust in Christ, in His life, in His righteousness, and in His atoning death.

Where Does Fido Go When He Dies?

Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 3:21

The animal in the ground, the human up to heaven (we hope). Therefore, that is more of a reason to love your family pet since they won't be spending eternity with you. It may be possible for God to raise them to life in the new earth, but the bible doesn't mention this. It may be possible, but I don't think it's in His will. I remember praying to God about my last pet that died. But the more I learned about God in the Bible the more I laid it to rest in Him.

The Anecdote

by Ray Comfort, WOTM Ministries

The issue of modern evangelism chose to attract sinnners, the issue was of life enhancement. The gospel degenerated into; Jesus will give you peace, joy, love, fulfilment and lasting happiness. To illustrate the unscriptural nature of this very popular teaching, listen very carfeully to this important antidote. The illustration pivots on this teaching.

Anecdote
Two men are seated on a plane. The first is given a parachute to improve his flight. He's a little sceptical at first because he can't see how putting on a parachute can possibly improve a flight. After time he decides to experiment to see that the claim is true. As he puts it on he notices the weight upon his shoulders and he finds he has difficulty sitting up right. However he consoles himself with the fact that the parachute would improve the flight. So he decides to give the thing a little time. As he waits, he notices some the other passengers are laughing at him because he is wearing a parachute on a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they begin to point and laugh at him, he can stand it no longer. He sinks into his seat, unstraps the parachute and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart because as far as he was concerned he was told an out right lie.

The second man was given a parachute, but listen was he's told. He's told to put it on because at any moment he will be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He greatfully puts the parachute on, he doesn't notice the weight upon his shoulders, nor can he stand up right. His mind is consumed with the thought what might happen to him if he jumped without that parachute.

Let's analyse the motive and the result of each passengers experience. The first mans motive of the parachute on was to souly to improve his flight. The result of his experience was that he was humiliated by the passengers, he was disillusioned and somewhat inbittered against those people who gave him the parachute. As far as he is concerned, it'll be a long time before anyone gets one of those things on his back again.
The second man put the parachute on souly to escape the jump to come. And because of his knowledge of what would happen to him with out it. He has a deep rooted joy and peace in his heart knowing that he is safe from sure death. This knowledge gives him the ability to withstand the mockeritity of the other passengers. His attitude towards those who gave him the parachute is one of heart felt gratitude.

Now, listen to what the modern gospel says. It says put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give you love, joy, peace, fulfilment, and lasting happiness. In other words, Jesus improve your flight. So the sinner responds and in an experimental fasion puts on the savior to see if the claims are true. And what does he get? He gets temptations, tribulation, and prosecution. The other passengers mock him. So what does he do? He takes off the Lord Jesus Christ, he offended for the words sake, he's disillusioned, and somewhat imbittered and quite rightly so. He was promised peace, joy, love, fulfilment and lasting happiness. And all he got were trials and humiliation. As bitterness is directed on the so-called “good news.” As later aim becomes worse than the first; another inoculated and bitter backslider.

Peace and joy are legitimate fruits of salvation. But it's not legitimate to use these fruits as a draw card for salvation. If we continue to do so, sinners will respon with impure motive lacking repentence.
Now, can you remember why the second passenger had peace and joy in his heart? Because he knew that parachute was going to safe him from sure death.

Paul said: I have the joy and peace in believing because I know the righteousness of Christ will deliver me from the wraths to come.

Now, if we look on an incident onboard our plane, we have a brand new flight attendant. She's carrying a tray of boiling hot coffee. It's her first day and she wants leave a lasting impression on the passengers and she certainly does. Because as she's walking down the isle, she trips over a someones foot and spills all that boiling hot coffee on the lap of our second passenger. Now once the reaction of that boiling hot coffee hits his tender flesh, does he go “damn that hurt!” Mmhmm! He feels the pain. But does he rip the parachute from off his shoulders and say “stupid parachute!”? No. Why should he? He didn't put the parachute on for a better flight. He put it on to save him from the jump to come. If anything, the hot coffee incident causes him cling tighter to the parachute and even look forward to the jump.

Do Not Be Ashamed Of The Gospel

The Just Live by Faith
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgement of God, that those who practice such things rare deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

God’s Righteous Judgement
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgement of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honour, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and ido not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honour, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Romans 1:16-2:16 (NKJV)