Dear friends and readers,
In a world gone mad, where do we find our hope?
Most of the articles I write are either Biblically prophetic in nature, warnings of some kind about the way the church/world is headed---and once in a while I write something humorous.
But today, I simply want to share my heart and hopefully give some reminder of HOPE!
We live in a modern world that is being ripped apart from everything that we knew just a few decades ago. And yes, there have always been wars and earthquakes and floods, fires and violence. But what we are witnessing today vastly surpasses anything I have seen in my 3/4 of a century of life on this planet. We as Christians "kind of expect" these things by those "OTHER GUYS" in weird foreign countries---you know--somewhere else? But here in the good ole U.S. of A.? NEVER! I personally have never witnessed so much bias, ridiculous statements, extremism, obvious lies and malignant hatred that we now have coming to us every single night on the evening news.
Lots of us believe that the things happening today are signs of the very end times. Frankly I do myself. But also frankly there is ample evidence from the first century that the saints of those days fully hoped and expected the Lord to return in their own generation. After all, what could have been more terrifying and dangerous than life as a believer in a thoroughly pagan, violent Roman Empire?
BUT there is a huge difference between then and now and I believe that we do have more---far more evidence pointing to the Lords soon return than any other generation during the past 2000 years.
And in these things we CAN AND SHOULD find our hope!
First on my hit parade is that we are the only generation since the cross that saw (Well, us oldies saw---but history saw for the rest of you young folk) ---ISREAL BECOMING A NATION ONCE AGAIN ON MAY, 14, 1948! Prophesied many times over in the Bible. And it happened exactly as prophesied---to the inth degree!
This is not an article specifically about fulfilled prophecy so I will not list what I have explained before in article after published article. But many prophecies were exactly fulfilled as were literally dozens having to do with the scattered remnants of the Jewish people, now returning to their homeland. Also well over 100 prophecies at the first coming of Christ to this earth (NOTE:--some scholars put those as high as 300). I don't because some of what is claimed to be prophecy for that event, is pretty difficult to plainly see but the fact remains that over 100 were in fact fulfilled).
And we can see clearly, events unfolding that could indicate that world changing events prophesied in the Bible well over 3000 years ago, may well be on the immediate horizon.
All of these things give us hope for our own futures as believers. That, coupled with specific scripture promising the return of the Lord is ALL ABOUT HOPE!
So, as you turn on your T.V. tonight and witness political rage consuming the very air that we breath, remember that this to will pass. What is on the "OTHER SIDE" for us has zero politics involved. Zero terrorism. Zero bad health, Zero sorrow and Zero death.
Can you imagine?
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
Titus 2:13 "LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST"!
Friday, November 8, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
BEWARE---FALSE TEACHERS ABOUND!
Dear friends and readers,
False teachers are springing up every where. And so are accusations that followers of Christ are evil.
Have you noticed the marked increase in all of the following? As in, ever increasing persecution of our faith?
Attacks on the Bible, attacks of Christianity, on morality, truth, sexual purity, Biblical doctrine, and Godly teachers?
And let us not forget that in several countries of the world, not only are we hearing about more and more believers being martyred for their faith but also DETESTABLE forms of antisemitism are once again on the rise.
If you are a traditional Christian--by that I mean one who still believes that the Bible is truly God's word. And you realize that our faith is based upon a Hebraic, Christian ethic, Still believe in traditional family values with one man married to one woman and raising their children in the ways of the Lord. If you still value the Ten Commandments and still believe that our Lord is coming back for us???
If all of that is the case then surely you have noticed a marked rise in false doctrine peddled for the sake of personal fame and money. False teachers who are deceiving multitudes of otherwise sincere people---many of whom have one GREAT BIG thing in common!
They have long since begun to rely on others to TELL THEM what the Bible says, rather than reading it for themselves! For people who do that, there are no checks and balances. "A fool and his money are easily parted"(NOTE--That is often stated as an exact quote but the idea originates from Proverbs 21:20 "A foolish man squanders" ---his wealth).
So are a fool and his faith soon parted when the Bible is not personally read!
At what point did we as believers become evil bigots? Hate mongers?And why? Because we are still teaching and discussing the very same Bible that goes back to Moses on Mount Sinai. Every single thing that we teach is right out of Gods word but unfortunately GOD HIMSELF has fallen out of favor with the paragons of Political Correctness. In fact, as has been the ever increasing popular trend since the roaring 60's, the stampede to declare God "dead" is at an all time high.
The Ten Commandments have somehow become not only bigoted but RACIST??? Would someone please explain that to me? The Bible itself archaic and false. The Trinity a false doctrine. The Rapture as nothing more than a figment of the imagination and anyone claiming that ONLY WOMEN ARE CAPABLE OF GIVING BIRTH has somehow become anathema to the vast throng of a corrupt ultra left wing "WOKE" establishment.
But then some folks also think that this is all new stuff. It isn't! Ever since there has been a satan, he has tried to destroy everything good that our Creator has ever done. In fact all the way back to the year 1605, the Bible as we know it as Christians has been under attack. On November 5th of that year, Jesuit Priests hired a man by the name of Guy Fawkes to assassinate King James of England in an attempt to keep his new English version of the Bible from being published.
Fortunately the attempt failed but various forms of that theme have continued throughout the centuries.
Now insidiously, false teachers are in abundance doing every thing they seemingly can to redirect peoples minds and hearts to fallacious "spiritual" trends that bear little if any resemblance to what the Bible actually says. And since it tickles the ears, people are gobbling it all up at the possible expense of their own salvation. And opening their wallets and purses in staggering amounts to make possible the rise of MEGA churches. NOTE: Not all huge churches are bad but the problem is that ever increasingly people cannot seem to discern the difference between a Bible based work of God---and a program based work of man.
I have written article after article about the dangers of false teachers but few seem to listen or take heed to this Biblical warning.
We are told clearly that false teachers will arise. AND HERE THEY ARE!!!
We are warned!!! False Prophets (Matthew 7:15), False christs and false signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24), false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:26), Savage wolves among the sheep (Acts 20:29), and false teachers?? At least 50 mentions in scripture of false teachers or teachings.
Not only are false teachers dangerous to their students but also--in the long run to themselves. James 3:1 "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement"! When I teach my congregation or my readers, I am constantly checking my Bible to insure that what I am saying is not misquoted in the slightest way. Why? Because that would be dangerous for me. AND YOU!
Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the Lord Himself "Gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers"! So how do we know a true teacher from a false one? Ephesians 4 goes on to tell us because a Godly pastor and teacher should always EQUIP THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF MINISTRY, FOR EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, till we ALL come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God!
How do we know true from false? IF IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT JESUS---it is probably false!
We are warned further in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables"!
The definition of a "FABLE" is "A fictitious story, meant to teach a moral lesson but it is a myth, a legend or a falsehood"!
2 Peter 2:15 goes on to give us instruction by telling us the marks of a false teacher; "THEY ARE LIKE BALAAM". "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;---These are wells without water, clouds carried by the tempest, for whom IS RESERVED THE BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS FOREVER"!
Further, they speak great and swelling words of emptiness, they pervert Christian liberty, they turn themseleves--and turn away other people from the faith.
Folks this is not funny stuff---it is dangerous stuff. Many people are being mislead today by false teachers. By false doctrine.
The ONLY WAY to know for certain that you are not being deceived is to keep your Bible open on your lap and compare what you are being taught to what the Bible actually says.
That is not being judgmental. That is wisdom. GODLY WISDOM!
God bless you all today,
Pastor Rance.
False teachers are springing up every where. And so are accusations that followers of Christ are evil.
Have you noticed the marked increase in all of the following? As in, ever increasing persecution of our faith?
Attacks on the Bible, attacks of Christianity, on morality, truth, sexual purity, Biblical doctrine, and Godly teachers?
And let us not forget that in several countries of the world, not only are we hearing about more and more believers being martyred for their faith but also DETESTABLE forms of antisemitism are once again on the rise.
If you are a traditional Christian--by that I mean one who still believes that the Bible is truly God's word. And you realize that our faith is based upon a Hebraic, Christian ethic, Still believe in traditional family values with one man married to one woman and raising their children in the ways of the Lord. If you still value the Ten Commandments and still believe that our Lord is coming back for us???
If all of that is the case then surely you have noticed a marked rise in false doctrine peddled for the sake of personal fame and money. False teachers who are deceiving multitudes of otherwise sincere people---many of whom have one GREAT BIG thing in common!
They have long since begun to rely on others to TELL THEM what the Bible says, rather than reading it for themselves! For people who do that, there are no checks and balances. "A fool and his money are easily parted"(NOTE--That is often stated as an exact quote but the idea originates from Proverbs 21:20 "A foolish man squanders" ---his wealth).
So are a fool and his faith soon parted when the Bible is not personally read!
At what point did we as believers become evil bigots? Hate mongers?And why? Because we are still teaching and discussing the very same Bible that goes back to Moses on Mount Sinai. Every single thing that we teach is right out of Gods word but unfortunately GOD HIMSELF has fallen out of favor with the paragons of Political Correctness. In fact, as has been the ever increasing popular trend since the roaring 60's, the stampede to declare God "dead" is at an all time high.
The Ten Commandments have somehow become not only bigoted but RACIST??? Would someone please explain that to me? The Bible itself archaic and false. The Trinity a false doctrine. The Rapture as nothing more than a figment of the imagination and anyone claiming that ONLY WOMEN ARE CAPABLE OF GIVING BIRTH has somehow become anathema to the vast throng of a corrupt ultra left wing "WOKE" establishment.
But then some folks also think that this is all new stuff. It isn't! Ever since there has been a satan, he has tried to destroy everything good that our Creator has ever done. In fact all the way back to the year 1605, the Bible as we know it as Christians has been under attack. On November 5th of that year, Jesuit Priests hired a man by the name of Guy Fawkes to assassinate King James of England in an attempt to keep his new English version of the Bible from being published.
Fortunately the attempt failed but various forms of that theme have continued throughout the centuries.
Now insidiously, false teachers are in abundance doing every thing they seemingly can to redirect peoples minds and hearts to fallacious "spiritual" trends that bear little if any resemblance to what the Bible actually says. And since it tickles the ears, people are gobbling it all up at the possible expense of their own salvation. And opening their wallets and purses in staggering amounts to make possible the rise of MEGA churches. NOTE: Not all huge churches are bad but the problem is that ever increasingly people cannot seem to discern the difference between a Bible based work of God---and a program based work of man.
I have written article after article about the dangers of false teachers but few seem to listen or take heed to this Biblical warning.
We are told clearly that false teachers will arise. AND HERE THEY ARE!!!
We are warned!!! False Prophets (Matthew 7:15), False christs and false signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24), false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:26), Savage wolves among the sheep (Acts 20:29), and false teachers?? At least 50 mentions in scripture of false teachers or teachings.
Not only are false teachers dangerous to their students but also--in the long run to themselves. James 3:1 "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement"! When I teach my congregation or my readers, I am constantly checking my Bible to insure that what I am saying is not misquoted in the slightest way. Why? Because that would be dangerous for me. AND YOU!
Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the Lord Himself "Gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers"! So how do we know a true teacher from a false one? Ephesians 4 goes on to tell us because a Godly pastor and teacher should always EQUIP THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF MINISTRY, FOR EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, till we ALL come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God!
How do we know true from false? IF IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT JESUS---it is probably false!
We are warned further in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables"!
The definition of a "FABLE" is "A fictitious story, meant to teach a moral lesson but it is a myth, a legend or a falsehood"!
2 Peter 2:15 goes on to give us instruction by telling us the marks of a false teacher; "THEY ARE LIKE BALAAM". "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;---These are wells without water, clouds carried by the tempest, for whom IS RESERVED THE BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS FOREVER"!
Further, they speak great and swelling words of emptiness, they pervert Christian liberty, they turn themseleves--and turn away other people from the faith.
Folks this is not funny stuff---it is dangerous stuff. Many people are being mislead today by false teachers. By false doctrine.
The ONLY WAY to know for certain that you are not being deceived is to keep your Bible open on your lap and compare what you are being taught to what the Bible actually says.
That is not being judgmental. That is wisdom. GODLY WISDOM!
God bless you all today,
Pastor Rance.
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