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Showing posts with the label John MacArthur

God, the Church, and Government

While the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has prompted many people to learn many things about it, we have also seen how certain American government officials who have contempt for God have not only made restrictions on human rights in the US , but also around the world . Churches in the US are being forced to decide between God and Government. Made at PhotoFunia People may be surprised to know that God has ordained government to enforce laws and protect the people. If you study on it a mite, you'll realize that the "you can't legislate morality" canard is foolish, because most laws are based upon morality. When governments act according to their purposes, the church and the state get along fine. When the state rejects God wrongly exceeds and claims power, we have problems. Prayer in schools is outlawed, Christians are told to shut up and stay out of government (apparently government is only for secularists now), teaching that evolutionism is a religion and its sci

Making Scripture Insufficient

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  This is one of those times when what appears to be a coincidence may be providential instead. Many of the past few posts have been about the authority of Scripture and how the Bible is under attack in one way or another. A short time later, I came across a two-part message on the sufficiency of Scripture that not only works with the other posts, but it is excellent by itself. Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos / Matt Banks The messages that prompted this article are by Dr. John MacArthur. They were preached in 1985 and by my reckoning are more important today than they were all those years ago. Christians need to read their Bibles. Although that is said frequently, many who profess faith in Christ are dismally lacking in knowledge and understanding of what Scripture says. God puts a strong emphasis on reading and meditating on the Bible because it not only helps us grow spiritually, but it imparts wisdom. Also, having the Word in your spirit gives wisdom for t

The Mysterious Magi

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen It's kind of sad that the manger scenes we have are wrong. Well, not exactly wrong, just...not exactly accurate. I had one of those barn things with figurines and three plastic wise men on camels. When I learned that the magi were not there to see the birth of Jesus and arrived much later (possibly even two years later), I put the figurines away from the manger scene and said, "They're on their way". Kind of difficult to include them in a Christmas celebration if you're going to be a stickler for historical accuracy, but that's just me. Adoration Of The Magi , Sandro Botticelli, 1500 We know the song about the "three kings of orient are", but who were they, really? There are a passel of traditions and opinions about them. The only reference we have to the magi (wise men) is in Matthew 2:1-12, but we can't justify the tradition of three  wise men on camels. Three gifts  are mentioned, but no camels (although that&

Is God Foolish?

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen People get mighty fond of their learning and intelligence, and usually detest being called ignorant or stupid. Humanistic philosophies elevate "science" (which is a philosophy in and of itself) to supreme authority and importance in matters of truth. Mankind as a whole looks down on God and considers his wisdom as foolishness. Quote miners may find the phrase "the foolishness of God" and use it to their own advantage. Inquisitive honest people may want to read the source, 1 Corinthians 1:25, and see that it means something completely different. Image credit: Morguefile / Plume Those who are wise in the eyes of the world arrogantly require God to do things their way, and fallaciously claim that if they cannot understand God's methods, he does not exist. What happens is that they become idolators, creating a false god that they can reference but has nothing to do with the true Creator God as revealed in the Bible. The wisdom of

Get Your Armor On!

There are many people who claim the name of Christ, fill their minds with garbage from enemies of God (that is, the world, James 4:4), then wonder why their Christian life is a shambles. I've seen social media profiles of people who call themselves Christians, and mayhaps have a religious movie or two in their profiles, say they like the Bible, and have a passel of entertainment sources listed that proclaim things in direct opposition to God's Word! Scripturally illiterate Christians have weak or nonexistent spiritual walks, and are actually a hindrance in proclaiming the gospel and defending the faith. Roman soldier image credit: openclipart What people don't realize is that we're in the middle of a war. You're either God's property or Satan's property, there's no middle ground.  1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us that Satan is on the prowl. People who are compromisers, don't know their doctrines, are unwilling to take a stand for the truth — they'r

Saturday Resource: Battle for the Beginning

With a resource like the one I am going to give you today, I am very glad that I posted that information last week about getting more information in less time . Because this week, I am all keyed up to offer you John MacArthur's "The Battle for the Beginning". Regular readers know that I am a Biblical Creationist and that I reject evolution. (In case you're curious, I reject it on its lack of science as well as believing what the Bible says.) I have stated on occasion how compromising the Word of God with man-made scientific philosophies causes all sorts of problems with other parts of Scripture that cause a need further compromise; a theological "domino effect". John MacArthur covers this, and more. He mentions some of the scientific errors in evolution. (Unfortunately, he touches on some items that I wish he had left alone, but I think they were hot items when this series was delivered in 1999.) My main concern is the authority of the Bible. Are you going