ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND

Update: Rick Warren's Purpose Driven False Gospel
by Anne Kisly

This morning I read Roger Oakland's latest commentary titled, Rick Warren and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  The article discuss Warren's recent interview on the Roman Catholic channel, EWTN and the controversial statements made by a this very popular modern day preacher, a.k.a, "America's Pastor."  For me, that title alone should be cause for concern.  Though claiming not to compromise biblical truth, Warren's own words condemns him of deception.  

In a recent interview, Saddleback’s Rick Warren went on the Catholic Wordlwide EWTN channelA.  This interview is a clear picture that Warren preaches his Purpose Driven ideology, and not the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Vatican recently sent a delegation, about 30 bishops, from Rome to Saddleback, to talk about the "new evangelization", which Rick Warren claims he fully supports. 
Warren’s pastor-training programs welcome Catholics in a USA article posted on Warrens website:

“…Warren's pastor-training programs welcome Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women. “we have Catholic ‘purpose-driven’ churches … “I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won't try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?” (This evangelist has a ‘Purpose’” by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY, July 21, 2003)

In 2005, Warren’s Southeast Asia Purpose Driven node reported on the roll out of PD to Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines… Also in 2005, Catholic Online.com featured this press release: Purpose Driven Church “Goes Catholic”

The Purpose Driven Church will—for the first time ever—be bringing their evangelical message of living out God’s five purposes to a Catholic Church: Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois. …Each day’s session begins at 9 a.m., and will be delivered by Pastor Bret Schrock of the Purpose Driven Ministries. http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=1306

"There are Purpose Driven congregations in more than 200 different denominations and associations. Our desire is to work with denominations to strengthen their churches. Each church can maintain its own heritage and doctrinal convictions while cooperating with others on accomplishing the five purposes" (http://rickwarren.typepad.com/rick_warren/2007/05/seven_myths_abo.html )

“And, you know, growing up as a Protestant boy, I knew nothing about Catholics, but I started watching ETWN, the Catholic channel, and I said, ‘Well, I’m not as far apart from these guys as I thought I was, you know?” (Rick Warren, May 23, 2005, the Pew Forum’s biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life, Event Transcript) (Emphasis added)

By the way, Rick Warren does not look at Roman Catholicism as a false religion, but a true religion. Then again, Warren believes that there is truth in all religions.

I should probably state that I am not against catholic people who sincerely believe that Roman Catholicism is the one true faith. I don't hate Catholics. I desire that they come to BIBLICAL SALVATION and the TRUE CHRIST of the Bible.

What is the "New Evangelization" by the Catholic Church?  The New Evangelization targets Christians, to "come home" to the "true" church. It is a program designed to win the world to the Eucharistic Christ. 

Read more!

ARE YOU FEELING BATTLE WEARY?

by A.M. Kisly

Are you feeling battle weary? I have been. Have you ever experienced times in your life when there seems to be a battle on every side?   We sometimes experience great conflict in our lives.    Those conflicts can come from anywhere; in the home, in the workplace, with friends and neighbors…even within the body of Christ. 

As believers, the most difficult battles we face are spiritual. The Bible teaches there is a conflict between God and Satan for the souls of men and believers are in the middle of that conflict.

Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. We are to be strong "in the Lord and in the power of His might."  We are to, “Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  Ephesians 6:11
Read more!

The GOSPEL of MATTHEW: Ch. 8 – The MESSIAH and HIS KINGDOM MESSAGE:

By James Fire

The LORD Jesus Christ began His teaching ministry in the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter Five by going up into a mountain (MATT. 5:1) and sitting down; His disciples all gathered around to listen, as did the people who were hungry for a word from the LORD. Up until the time of John the Baptist and the LORD Jesus, there had not been a prophet in Israel for about four hundred years!

I find it interesting that the Holy Spirit found it necessary for Matthew to make note of this, that He went up into a mountain; one might wonder, 'Why was it important for us to know that Jesus went up to a mountain to preach? Why is it significant that He did this as opposed to going to a hill or a river or a lake?'

In Scripture, mountains are sometimes symbolic of kingdoms as we see here in the book of Daniel:

DANIEL 2:35
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Read more!

The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW: The MESSIAH and HIS KINGDOM MESSAGE - CH. 7

By James Fire

We have been taught that when examining Scripture, in order to seek out its truth and correct interpretation, we must always look at any given verse in the context of the passage. Sometime later we learned that not only is the context of the passage important, but the entire chapter, and not just the chapter, but the book. And of course, we must interpret any verse not merely in the context of the book in which it appears, but in the entirety of God’s counsel as recorded for us in the Holy Bible.

In other words, a balanced and proper view of any verse of Scripture is ultimately provided when one examines it in the light of all the other Scriptures. When we do this, apparent contradictions disappear; verses that we thought were contrary suddenly align themselves in harmony; Scripture that would have baffled us, informs us instead when we heed the entirety of God’s Word. It should be noted that wrong interpretations, false teachings, heresies and cults are established when there is overemphasis on certain verses, to the exclusion of others.

This is why as Disciples of Christ, our reading of Scripture should never be sporadic, but systematic; that is, reading through the Word, from Genesis to Revelation, and once done, start over. This same practice is recommended for the study of Scripture; one of the important hallmarks of a healthy church fellowship is one that is committed to expositional studies.

Read more!

The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW: Conclusion to Ch. 6:14-34 - The MESSIAH and HIS KINGDOM MESSAGE

By James Fire

We now conclude chapter 6 of the Gospel of Matthew, picking up where we left off previously in vs. 13. The LORD Jesus just finished laying out the model prayer for the disciples to pattern their own personal prayer after, incorporating worship of the Father, petitioning for His kingdom’s arrival, for our personal needs, forgiveness of sins, protection from evil, and a worshipful declaration of the glory of God as elements of prayer.

Once He finishes this lay out, He returns to a crucial point about forgiveness:

MATTHEW 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Why would the LORD reiterate this point? Perhaps because He knew that we would have difficulties in forgiving each other?
To forgive in this context is to allow dismissal, to forego any offense afflicted; when one wrongs another, they are indebted to them for the wrong-doing, and the offended party holds them until rectification is accomplished, but there are times when no apology is forthcoming and so rather than ‘holding a grudge’, we release them for their wrong against us personally.
What is significant is that when we harbor unforgiveness, it is we ourselves that are bound up by it, and not the one who committed the offense. This is spiritually dangerous for many reasons – for one, such unforgiveness can deepen into bitterness (HEB 12:14-15), resentment and cynicism in general. Another even greater reason is explained in our text above: “…neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Read more!

The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW: Ch. 6 - The MESSIAH and HIS KINGDOM MESSAGE

By James Fire

While the Beatitudes and Similitudes have been covered in Chapter Five along with more of the Sermon on the Mount, the Sermon preached by our LORD is far from complete; it continues still for another two chapters. 

Thus, this constitutes the longest, continuous teaching by Jesus Christ in Scripture (It’s interesting to note that Levi Matthias whose Gospel account we are now studying was a tax collector; this would mean he would be very skilled at dictation and likely wrote these discourses from the LORD on site while He addressed the people). 

We are about to begin Chapter Six now and there is much to cover.

The chapter begins with and maintains a warning against religious externalism and hypocrisy while also giving instruction on the proper method and purpose for prayer; also benevolence, fasting, forgiveness, service, and perspectives on eternal versus temporal values are considered.

We must remind ourselves that these teachings revolve around the central focus of the Kingdom of heaven, of which the LORD Himself is King; that is the Messiah of Israel. Yet these teachings are also in a profoundly spiritual sense applicable for the church as well, guiding and governing our attitudes and motivations through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
Without further ado then, let us begin the study.

Read more!