Date: Saturday 3 March
Time: 2:00 PM
Venue: Perth Messianic Assembly, Dianella Church of Christ
Address: 68 Waverley Street
Location: Dianella, AU
Contact: Ross Clark - perthmessianicassembly@gmail.com -or- Mobile: 0421 398 215
Topic: The Messiah in the Hebrew Bible
Date: Sunday 4 March AM
Time: 10:00 AM
Venue: Perth - Nollamara Baptist Church
Address: 150 Hillsborough Drive
Location: Nollamara, AU
Contact: Pastor Roger Monasmith - Phone: (08) 93445900 / Tim Oates - toates@woodvale.wa.edu.au -or- Mobile:0422 935 154
Topic: The Three Messianic Miracles
Date: Sunday 4 March PM
Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Perth - Woodvale Baptist Church, 67 Woodvale Drive, Woodvale
Address: 67 Woodvale Drive
Location: Woodvale, AU
Contact: Kevin Vigus - kevin@wbcinc.org.au -or- Phone: 9309 4044
Topic: Testimony and Q&A
Date: Monday 5 March PM to Thursday 8 March PM
Time: 7:00-9:30 PM
Venue: New Life City Church
Address: 329 Orrong Road
Location: Kewdale, AU 6105
Contact: Angelina Eu Mobile: 0415402233 / Siew Yap - siewyap1@yahoo.com -or- Mobile: 0402298722
Topic: Highlights from the Book of Daniel
Date: Tuesday 6 March
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Venue: Bethany Baptist Church (Ministry House)
Address: 61 King Road
Location: Beechboro, WA
Contact: Rick Watkins - rwatkins7@aapt.net.au -or- Mobile: 0434-022-188
Topic: The Law of Moses and the Law of Messiah
Date: Wednesday 7 March
Time: 12:00 Midday
Venue: Harvest West Bible College (Limited to college members only)
Address: 79A Robinson Ave
Location: Belmont, Perth
Contact: Dr Ashley Crane - info@harvestwest@edu.au - Office: 08 9479 3443
Topic: Testimony including Ministry talk
Date: Thursday 8 March AM
Time: 10:00-12:15 AM
Venue: Perth - Subiaco Church Youth Centre
Address: Corner of Rowland Street and Barker Road
Location: Subiaco, AU (08) 9388 1030
Contact: Evelyn Tan - jetan88@hotmail.com
Topic: The Sequence of Pretribulational Events
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
'Very Religious' People Have Highest Level of Wellbeing
Interesting. According to a new Gallup report released Thursday (in which 676,000 people were interviewed), those who are highly religious have a higher wellbeing rating than those who are moderately religious or nonreligious. I'm not surprised!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Gospel of Mark Fragments Reportedly Found; Possibly Oldest NT Artifacts
If this is true, this is amazing! Read more here: http://global.christianpost.com/news/gospel-of-mark-fragments-reportedly-found-possibly-oldest-nt-artifacts-69778/
Friday, February 17, 2012
Home Church Gathering on the 17th of February
Last night we continued the series on the "End Times", looking at Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We discussed the purpose of the battle at Megiddo, it's historical significance and the binding of Satan, followed by the return of Jesus, his landing on the Mount of Olives and walking through the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. It was fascinating study, followed by a discussion of a recent article "Can You Be Deceived?" (of which excerpts are posted below).
Thursday, February 9, 2012
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"I read other books. The Bible reads me."
"If you have a Bible that's falling apart you'll have a life that's not."
--Adrian Rogers (three times elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, first elected to this post on a platform of biblical inerrancy, and under his leadership, the denomination shifted sharply conservative, firing liberal and moderate seminary professors).
"If you have a Bible that's falling apart you'll have a life that's not."
--Adrian Rogers (three times elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, first elected to this post on a platform of biblical inerrancy, and under his leadership, the denomination shifted sharply conservative, firing liberal and moderate seminary professors).
Shocking Article: "'Father' and 'Son' Ousted from the Trinity in New Bible Translations"
A controversy is brewing over three reputable Christian organizations, which are based in North America, whose efforts have ousted the words "Father" and "Son" from new Bibles. Wycliffe Bible Translators, Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and Frontiers are under fire for "producing Bibles that remove "Father," "Son" and "Son of God" because these terms are offensive to Muslims."
Concerned Christian missionaries, Bible translators, pastors, and national church leaders have come together with a public petition to stop these organizations. They claim a public petition is their last recourse because meetings with these organizations' leaders, staff resignations over this issue and criticism and appeals from native national Christians concerned about the translations "have failed to persuade these agencies to retain "Father" and "Son" in the text of all their translations."
Biblical Missiology, a ministry of Boulder, Colorado-based Horizon International, is sponsoring the petition.
The main issues of this controversy surround new Arabic and Turkish translations. Here are three examples native speakers give:
First, Wycliffe and SIL have produced Stories of the Prophets, an Arabic Bible that uses an Arabic equivalent of "Lord" instead of "Father" and "Messiah" instead of "Son."
Second, Frontiers and SIL have produced Meaning of the Gospel of Christ , an Arabic translation which removes "Father" in reference to God and replaces it with "Allah," and removes or redefines "Son." For example, the verse which Christians use to justify going all over the world to make disciples, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) reads, "Cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiahand his Holy Spirit" instead of "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Rev. Bassam Madany, an Arab American who runs Middle East Resources, terms these organization's efforts as "a western imperialistic attempt that's inspired by cultural anthropology, and not by biblical theology."
Third, Frontiers and SIL have produced a new Turkish translation of the Gospel of Matthew that uses Turkish equivalents of "guardian" for "Father" and "representative" or "proxy" for "Son." To Turkish church leader Rev. Fikret Böcek, "This translation is 'an all-American idea' with absolutely no respect for the 'sacredness' of Scripture, or even of the growing Turkish church."
SIL has issued a public response stating "all personnel subscribe to a statement of faith which affirms the Trinity, Christ's deity, and the inspiration of Scripture." However, in the same statement, which is similar to Wycliffe's, it claims "word-for-word translation of these titles would communicate an incorrect meaning (i.e. that God had physical, sexual relationships with Mary) [sic]," thus justifying substituting "Father" and "Son" in new translations. Calls and emails to Wycliffe and SIL to clarify their positions were not returned. Frontiers responded to calls with articles that critics have already dismissed as skirting omissions of "Father" and "Son" in new Bible translations.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/father-son-ousted-trinity-bible-translations-003300519.html
Concerned Christian missionaries, Bible translators, pastors, and national church leaders have come together with a public petition to stop these organizations. They claim a public petition is their last recourse because meetings with these organizations' leaders, staff resignations over this issue and criticism and appeals from native national Christians concerned about the translations "have failed to persuade these agencies to retain "Father" and "Son" in the text of all their translations."
Biblical Missiology, a ministry of Boulder, Colorado-based Horizon International, is sponsoring the petition.
The main issues of this controversy surround new Arabic and Turkish translations. Here are three examples native speakers give:
First, Wycliffe and SIL have produced Stories of the Prophets, an Arabic Bible that uses an Arabic equivalent of "Lord" instead of "Father" and "Messiah" instead of "Son."
Second, Frontiers and SIL have produced Meaning of the Gospel of Christ , an Arabic translation which removes "Father" in reference to God and replaces it with "Allah," and removes or redefines "Son." For example, the verse which Christians use to justify going all over the world to make disciples, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) reads, "Cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiahand his Holy Spirit" instead of "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Rev. Bassam Madany, an Arab American who runs Middle East Resources, terms these organization's efforts as "a western imperialistic attempt that's inspired by cultural anthropology, and not by biblical theology."
Third, Frontiers and SIL have produced a new Turkish translation of the Gospel of Matthew that uses Turkish equivalents of "guardian" for "Father" and "representative" or "proxy" for "Son." To Turkish church leader Rev. Fikret Böcek, "This translation is 'an all-American idea' with absolutely no respect for the 'sacredness' of Scripture, or even of the growing Turkish church."
SIL has issued a public response stating "all personnel subscribe to a statement of faith which affirms the Trinity, Christ's deity, and the inspiration of Scripture." However, in the same statement, which is similar to Wycliffe's, it claims "word-for-word translation of these titles would communicate an incorrect meaning (i.e. that God had physical, sexual relationships with Mary) [sic]," thus justifying substituting "Father" and "Son" in new translations. Calls and emails to Wycliffe and SIL to clarify their positions were not returned. Frontiers responded to calls with articles that critics have already dismissed as skirting omissions of "Father" and "Son" in new Bible translations.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/father-son-ousted-trinity-bible-translations-003300519.html
Monday, February 6, 2012
Home Church Gathering on the 3rd of February
Last night we continued the series on the "End Times", looking at the Tribulation. Occurring after the Rapture (most commonly known as pretribulationism, which is most consistent with Scripture). We looked at the purpose of the Tribulation, being, God's discipline of the nation Israel and judgement of the unbelieving, godless inhabitants of the earth, the role of the Antichrist and the rise of the Tribulation Saints. It was fascinating study, which generated a great deal of commentary... :)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
CAN YOU BE DECEIVED? - PART 2 [Excerpts] Continued...
Sixth, perverted and unbiblical views that forgiveness means we put up with and overlook everything, even ongoing sin and disgrace. The word "repentance" is being milked and used to justify all manner of evil. True repentance will issue out in biblical change (Matthew 3:8, Acts 26:20, 2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
Seventh, there is an enemy of our souls who goes about like a "roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is a master deceiver and we are called to put on the armor of God and confront his reasonings and errors and bring our thoughts into captivity and in alignment to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Albert Barnes says it so well: "Every power of thought in the heathen world; all the systems of philosophy, and all forms of opinion among men; all the purposes of the soul; all the powers of reason, memory, judgment, fancy, in an individual, were all to come under the laws of Christ. All doctrines were to be in accordance with his will; philosophy should no longer control them, but they should be subject to the will of Christ.... All the emotions and feelings of the heart should be controlled by him, and led by him as a captive is led by a victor.... The strongholds of philosophy, heathenism, and sin should be demolished, and all the opinions, plans, and purposes of the world should become subject to the all-conquering Redeemer."18
Eighth, the Scriptures predict there would be a departure from the faith because of seducing spirits and doctrines of demons and that people would opt for myths and fables over the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:1-4). Jesus warned of deception in Matthew 24:24.
Ninth, because we are being conditioned by our culture and television, we have lost the ability to blush. Everything and anything is paraded before us in the media as being permissible for our mental diet. Murder, immorality, shock radio, abuse, perversion - nothing is off-limits. Nothing shocks us or grieves us. Our culture is becoming satiated and dulled and we are affected. Young people are piercing, branding and mutilating their bodies. Some seek even vampirism as an option.
Some in the Charismatic world need still more frenzy, wilder manifestations and altered states of consciousness to satisfy and then they keep going back for more "anointings." They are spiritually and emotionally jaded. They are hooked not on heroin but on adrenalin. So many are addicted to emotions and emotional highs. Many burn out spiritually in their quest.
Tenth, we have become a culture of hero-worshipers and celebrity-seekers. Evangelical heroes and popular writers and speakers dictate, are given total allegiance and followed like rock stars. Like the Corinthians, we say we are of Paul and Apollos and Cephas (1 Corinthians 3:4). People have been led to believe that only the "biggies" carry the "anointing." And if you want "it" you've got to come to them to receive it. "Fresh," "Fire," "New Wine" and every other brand and flavor of anointing are available to the Christian consumer.
Eleventh, we have substituted entertainment and "television religion" for a growing and intense serving relationship in a healthy, well-balanced church. Being in the presence of growing Christians in a doctrinally sound church is a wonderful reality check needed by all.
Proverbs 27:17 forcefully reminds us: "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." To stay sharp, balanced and informed, one must take the words of Hebrews 10:23-25 very seriously and be a vital part of a vital fellowship. People have abandoned the church looking for a supernatural quick fix.
Twelfth, people have become "cliché-bound." They are gullible and become easily subservient if someone says, "God told me," or "the Lord said," or "the Lord spoke to me," or "the Lord impressed upon me." After all, who can argue with God? The Church finds itself drowning in a sea of subjectivism away from the safe moorings of the objective Word of God! "I feel" and "I sense" have come to replace, "It is written."
18. Albert Barnes, Barnes Notes on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregal Publications, 1975, pg. 886, italics in original.
19. Helmut Thielicke quoted in Uwe Siemon-Netto, The Fabricated Luther. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1993, pg. 139.
20. Peter Berger in the forward of The Fabricated Luther, op. cit., pg. 9.
Original source: http://www.pfo.org/deceived.htm
Seventh, there is an enemy of our souls who goes about like a "roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is a master deceiver and we are called to put on the armor of God and confront his reasonings and errors and bring our thoughts into captivity and in alignment to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Albert Barnes says it so well: "Every power of thought in the heathen world; all the systems of philosophy, and all forms of opinion among men; all the purposes of the soul; all the powers of reason, memory, judgment, fancy, in an individual, were all to come under the laws of Christ. All doctrines were to be in accordance with his will; philosophy should no longer control them, but they should be subject to the will of Christ.... All the emotions and feelings of the heart should be controlled by him, and led by him as a captive is led by a victor.... The strongholds of philosophy, heathenism, and sin should be demolished, and all the opinions, plans, and purposes of the world should become subject to the all-conquering Redeemer."18
Eighth, the Scriptures predict there would be a departure from the faith because of seducing spirits and doctrines of demons and that people would opt for myths and fables over the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:1-4). Jesus warned of deception in Matthew 24:24.
Ninth, because we are being conditioned by our culture and television, we have lost the ability to blush. Everything and anything is paraded before us in the media as being permissible for our mental diet. Murder, immorality, shock radio, abuse, perversion - nothing is off-limits. Nothing shocks us or grieves us. Our culture is becoming satiated and dulled and we are affected. Young people are piercing, branding and mutilating their bodies. Some seek even vampirism as an option.
Some in the Charismatic world need still more frenzy, wilder manifestations and altered states of consciousness to satisfy and then they keep going back for more "anointings." They are spiritually and emotionally jaded. They are hooked not on heroin but on adrenalin. So many are addicted to emotions and emotional highs. Many burn out spiritually in their quest.
Tenth, we have become a culture of hero-worshipers and celebrity-seekers. Evangelical heroes and popular writers and speakers dictate, are given total allegiance and followed like rock stars. Like the Corinthians, we say we are of Paul and Apollos and Cephas (1 Corinthians 3:4). People have been led to believe that only the "biggies" carry the "anointing." And if you want "it" you've got to come to them to receive it. "Fresh," "Fire," "New Wine" and every other brand and flavor of anointing are available to the Christian consumer.
Eleventh, we have substituted entertainment and "television religion" for a growing and intense serving relationship in a healthy, well-balanced church. Being in the presence of growing Christians in a doctrinally sound church is a wonderful reality check needed by all.
Proverbs 27:17 forcefully reminds us: "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." To stay sharp, balanced and informed, one must take the words of Hebrews 10:23-25 very seriously and be a vital part of a vital fellowship. People have abandoned the church looking for a supernatural quick fix.
Twelfth, people have become "cliché-bound." They are gullible and become easily subservient if someone says, "God told me," or "the Lord said," or "the Lord spoke to me," or "the Lord impressed upon me." After all, who can argue with God? The Church finds itself drowning in a sea of subjectivism away from the safe moorings of the objective Word of God! "I feel" and "I sense" have come to replace, "It is written."
18. Albert Barnes, Barnes Notes on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregal Publications, 1975, pg. 886, italics in original.
19. Helmut Thielicke quoted in Uwe Siemon-Netto, The Fabricated Luther. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1993, pg. 139.
20. Peter Berger in the forward of The Fabricated Luther, op. cit., pg. 9.
Original source: http://www.pfo.org/deceived.htm
Friday, February 3, 2012
CAN YOU BE DECEIVED? [Excerpts - part 1]
Why are Christians so gullible and so prone to deception? What could possibly be behind it?
First, because the foundation of the Christian life is belief. However, that we can believe the wrong things is made abundantly clear by the Bible. We must know what we believe and why and that we are believing the right things. We cannot just believe anything. Our objects of faith must be God and His Word, not mere men or wild claims. Dr. Bruce Bickel reminds us: "Too often what passes for unity is really compromise. It is better to be divided by truth than united in error."14
Second, the Christian is commanded to love. Love tends to be accepting and is willing to overlook. However, love that is not structured in truth is sentimentalism and is so wishy-washy it can be manipulated and led astray.
We cannot confuse love and emotionalism or love and feelings. Love is a commitment to truth and the highest good of others. Love does, as Scripture attests, "cover a multitude of sins."15 At times, that love means bringing a sinner back from the error of his ways.16 Love will not tolerate false teachings or lies which in the end hurt and destroy others. Biblical love insists on truth and true doctrine.
Third, we have a tendency to want to believe Christian leaders and Hebrews 13:7 indicates that generally we should. However the verse alerts us to be aware of their conduct as well. So it is not a blind following. Is the leadership we are following really modeling Christ and the Bible? Paul said we are to follow him "as he followed Christ." As commendable as it is to love and trust our leaders, we still have to be Bereans (Acts 17:11) and test all messages against Scripture. We do our leaders a great service by being mutually accountable. Leaders are vulnerable without the help and balance of others.
Fourth, we can be brainwashed by religious television and are being told that to question is "heresy hunting" or it is a "religious spirit" or "white cane religion" or a "Jezebel spirit" or worse. We are cowed by being threatened with the possibility of committing the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit even though we are just trying to be discerning. We should not be manipulated by a turning of the tables and a guilt trip laid on us for questioning heresy. We should not be in a church where there is no accountability or church discipline. In that setting, unrepentant sinners and autocrats are "above the law."
Regrettably, very little stress is being put on the gift of discernment.All Christians are called to be discerning. We must check things out (1 John 4:1-6).
Fifth, it is hard for us to believe or imagine that slick magazines such as Charisma could be peddling deception and that such wonderful ministries (as being advertised) could not be on the up and up. It is hard for us to believe that "Christian" bookstores could be part of the problem. It is hard for us to believe that all the money being made is the reason for the collusion (and the advancement of the wild and weird). It is amazing that books teaching occult doctrine are now being marketed as "Christian classics."
14. Bruce Bickel in the preface of Don Kistler, General Editor, Sola Scriptura. Morgan, Pa.: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1998, pp. xi-xii.
15. Proverbs 10:12, 1 Peter 4:8.
16. James 5:20.
17. Sola Scriptura, op. cit., pg. xii.
Original source: http://www.pfo.org/deceived.htm
First, because the foundation of the Christian life is belief. However, that we can believe the wrong things is made abundantly clear by the Bible. We must know what we believe and why and that we are believing the right things. We cannot just believe anything. Our objects of faith must be God and His Word, not mere men or wild claims. Dr. Bruce Bickel reminds us: "Too often what passes for unity is really compromise. It is better to be divided by truth than united in error."14
Second, the Christian is commanded to love. Love tends to be accepting and is willing to overlook. However, love that is not structured in truth is sentimentalism and is so wishy-washy it can be manipulated and led astray.
We cannot confuse love and emotionalism or love and feelings. Love is a commitment to truth and the highest good of others. Love does, as Scripture attests, "cover a multitude of sins."15 At times, that love means bringing a sinner back from the error of his ways.16 Love will not tolerate false teachings or lies which in the end hurt and destroy others. Biblical love insists on truth and true doctrine.
Third, we have a tendency to want to believe Christian leaders and Hebrews 13:7 indicates that generally we should. However the verse alerts us to be aware of their conduct as well. So it is not a blind following. Is the leadership we are following really modeling Christ and the Bible? Paul said we are to follow him "as he followed Christ." As commendable as it is to love and trust our leaders, we still have to be Bereans (Acts 17:11) and test all messages against Scripture. We do our leaders a great service by being mutually accountable. Leaders are vulnerable without the help and balance of others.
Fourth, we can be brainwashed by religious television and are being told that to question is "heresy hunting" or it is a "religious spirit" or "white cane religion" or a "Jezebel spirit" or worse. We are cowed by being threatened with the possibility of committing the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit even though we are just trying to be discerning. We should not be manipulated by a turning of the tables and a guilt trip laid on us for questioning heresy. We should not be in a church where there is no accountability or church discipline. In that setting, unrepentant sinners and autocrats are "above the law."
Regrettably, very little stress is being put on the gift of discernment.All Christians are called to be discerning. We must check things out (1 John 4:1-6).
Fifth, it is hard for us to believe or imagine that slick magazines such as Charisma could be peddling deception and that such wonderful ministries (as being advertised) could not be on the up and up. It is hard for us to believe that "Christian" bookstores could be part of the problem. It is hard for us to believe that all the money being made is the reason for the collusion (and the advancement of the wild and weird). It is amazing that books teaching occult doctrine are now being marketed as "Christian classics."
14. Bruce Bickel in the preface of Don Kistler, General Editor, Sola Scriptura. Morgan, Pa.: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1998, pp. xi-xii.
15. Proverbs 10:12, 1 Peter 4:8.
16. James 5:20.
17. Sola Scriptura, op. cit., pg. xii.
Original source: http://www.pfo.org/deceived.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
