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More Past Wisdom In the last issue we quoted words from the past by Klaas Runia for critics of our ministry. We now give another quote, from the same book (Reformation Today) that is just as pertinent today as it was 40 years ago… “When there is unbiblical teaching in our church, in magazines or in books or in Sunday School material; when from the pulpits or the seminaries we hear things which are contrary to Scripture and to the subordinate standards; then we may not be silent, but have to raise our voices in protest. The silence of evangelicals has done untold harm to the church! And the few who have raised their voices have often been given the cold shoulder by their fellow evangelicals (Ed. tell me about it!).” Professor Stanley Reid put it this way: “Not infrequently it has happened that some evangelicals, awakened to their position, have endeavoured to rectify the situation by taking action in the courts of their church, or have tried to warn the church by publication; but by and large they have gained little or no support from other evangelicals. The latter will devote large amounts of time to organise inter-denominational prayer meetings, or evangelistic campaigns, but they are unwilling to take a stand within the church for the crown rights of Christ, and they refuse to give any effective support to those who do.” How spot-on he is! At BTM we are compelled to speak out and try to guide the churches back to a Biblical path – but who wants to know? Even some who read our materials do so only in order that they might tear us down again. Yet, the core of our readership consists of genuine Believers who care greatly for their churches and for the truth. For this we thank God. Make no mistake, friends – a great deal of what passes for Christianity and Biblical teaching is false or superfluous. That is why so many charismatics leave their churches. But I am not referring to cults. I am talking about that ordinary little church around the corner with a sound pastor! I was at a wedding a few days ago, where the pastor, solidly reformed, gave an ordinary little sermon. And that was all it was, for it made concessions to unsaved people in the congregation, allowing them to think nicely of themselves. This ought not to be. Frankly, there was no real reason why the pastor should have married the couple, who, though nice enough folk, are both unsaved. Using platitudes, the pastor glossed over their unsaved state, and so did not preach the truth. This goes on everywhere and it is a shame. At BTM we teach what God says, regardless of stepping on sensitive toes. Our warning still stands – when the next big deception comes, many who now are ‘sound’ will fall. That is a promise. Their only defence is to think and act scripturally. Grit in the Teeth Ever been to Lanzarote and walked around the outer perimeter fence of the airport, along the beach path? Then you’ll know that you can watch the ‘planes come in and go out at very close quarters…so close that there is a warning sign about the hot back-blast caused by the jet engines. My wife and I stood well to the side of the engines as we watched one jet take off, with its back to us. There was a mighty roar and after a few seconds, our faces and bodies were whipped with millions of tiny bits of volcanic gravel, and our teeth were given a quick sand-blasting! Didn’t half sting! Like the other tourists we covered our faces and later tried to shake the gravel from our hair and clothing! Being on the side-lines of a cultish or bad church is just like that. Even if you do not take part, or think you can stay on the side-lines, you will still be affected by it. Some of the rot will stick, and the tiny bits you did not expect will whip into your mind and heart, causing your spirit to be tainted. We are told by God to come away completely from what is wrong, even if it carries the title ‘church’ with it. Bad churches should not be attended and we ought not mix with their congregations or be taught by their preachers. This is because even to listen passively is to condone what they say and do. Thus we become a part of their sin and disobey God in the process, Who tells us very clearly never to stay amongst those who sin. Many continue to attend any old church for the ‘fellowship’. Let me advise, strongly, that there can be no ‘fellowship’ in such churches. How can there be, when they are cultish or bad, and therefore condemned by God! Look at the list of churches in the beginning of the Revelation. In that list you will come across a stark lesson for us all…a pastor is condemned by God, not for any open heresy or anything we might call ‘bad’. No, he was condemned and given a stern warning by God simply because he had lost his first love!! How many of us can be added to that waning? Now, if God will severely judge and condemn a pastor who has lost his first love (but who is otherwise sound and good), what condemnation do you think God has for pastors who teach heresy or wrong practices? What about His condemnation for those who sit under such so-called ‘ministry’? They will all stand condemned! Do not look at life through human eyes. You are a Believer and are a new creature, so look at life through the eyes of Christ! See things as they truly are. Do not mix with those whose spirituality is tainted by sin and heresy. They can offer you no fellowship, only sin. Is this what you really want? As we have said many times before, it is better to be totally alone than to mix with sinful people, who, no matter what they call themselves, are followers of Satan if they do not follow God. Beware, my friends. (And remember that you are not really that alone. All around are Christians who have been left high and dry by former Christian ‘friends’ and ‘churches’. After their initial shock at finding out what some people are really like in our churches, they rally round and rely only on God. Then they find that they are in contact with genuine Believers…which is exactly what happened to us!) Continued Viciousness We need not worry about dwindling supplies of nasty folk…they continue to tell me how xxxx I am and how they wish I would get xxxx, or xxxx, or even xxxx. You might be surprised by how many of these expletives are expressed by people calling themselves ‘Christians’ (mostly of the charismatic kind)! Threats to my well-being also continue to flow in at times, from a variety of quarters. But, after reading of Paul’s experiences, what have I got to worry about, eh? Christmas I think there will always be Christian difference of opinion over Christmas and its significance, but it does not worry me unduly. The only activities commanded, or declared in such a way as to be equal to a command, in scripture, are baptism, and communion – the latter being aligned with what we know as Easter. This is because, as Paul said, if Christ did not arise from the dead then our faith would be, well, a bit of a folly. But there is nothing in scripture to specially celebrate the birth of Christ. So, enjoy it as you wish, but don’t impose your opinions on others as though they were scripture. Have a happy Christmas, then, whether you celebrate it or not…after all, there is precious little in this world to enjoy nowadays! Book Publication I am in the process of putting the finishing touches to a book, based on my PhD dissertation. The book is being revamped into a more readable style, because the original dissertation was academic. For this reason the formal title ‘Toward a Theology of Disfellowship’ has been made into ‘The Left Boot of Disfellowship’. It was a comment made by an ex-charismatic who cynically referred to the way he had been summarily got rid of from his local church, without just cause…and it is most descriptive! The book will elaborate on certain aspects of the original work and miss out others, to make it more easily readable, but it will leave the reader in no doubt as to what Biblical disfellowship really means. My publisher will be 1st Books of the USA, and the book will be available electronically over the Internet, and in paperback through bookshops, and via internet suppliers such as Amazon. We will keep you posted on the actual publication date. This book will be followed by a novel I wrote some years ago, but the book I am really looking forward to writing will be an historical novel based entirely on the Biblical account of David. It might even be divided into two separate ones. We shall see. Hopefully, readers will see this remarkable warrior-king in an entirely new light! This book will not be ready for at least 12 - 18 months, though. Meanwhile, my working week is packed solid, every day (really, Sundays are working days, too, in a sense!). If you would like to register your interest in ordering a copy of “The Left Boot of Disfellowship” please send an eMail to info@christiandoctrine.net. We will eMail further details on ordering nearer the publication date in 2004. RCC – Don’t be Fooled! We keep saying it, but so many Christians are being bowled over by papal deceit, it is worth repeating – ROME DOES NOT CHANGE!! No matter what Rome says, it remains the arch-cult of all time, a heretic of the top order. Recently the pope, in his dying days, reminded all Catholics of their ‘roots’ and that they must believe both Bible and Roman edicts! (Source: La Croix, Mardi, Sept 23rd, 2003). This very clearly adds to what scripture says and it is prohibited by God. Banned Rowan… Though so-called ‘archbishop’ (a title and role not found in scripture and a kind of Protestant pope!) Rowan Williams heads the Anglican church, he has been banned from giving communion in 350 of them, because of his recklessly pro-gay and liberal stance. (Source: Sunday Times, Nov 3rd, 2003). Supposedly a ‘master-pastor’, this man, by his heresy, is splitting the very church he claims to be head of. So, in which way is he a ‘pastor’? This might seem to be a step in the right direction, but the traditionals who have banned him do so on the basis of a coming ordination of women priests – other serious issues have been sidelined. I will say it again – it is better that the Church of England splits itself asunder. Then, maybe (and it is a big maybe) what arises might be true to God! Christians with Clay Feet Many Christians are afraid of scientists, and side with evolution. They do not have the guts of their convictions (if they have them at all) and thus show that they have no faith (trust) in God or what He says. Scripture teaches very bluntly that God made everything in one week. So why fight it? There are no proofs for evolution, and that is scientific fact! A very interesting thing has emerged from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: in a research project on clay, they have discovered that the components of clay provide the key to the formation of life! The researchers actually said that “this suggests that life could have sprung from clay, just as many faiths teach”. (Source: Reuters Oct 25th, 2003). What to Do A New Zealand Methodist church had a homosexual pastor foisted on them by their head office. The members objected in court, but the Methodist HQ argued that they hold the title and charter to the church. What should that church do now? The answer is very simple – do not attend the church! The false ‘pastor’ cannot operate without members! This could, in the present legal climate, bring the law against them, but so what? I would rather discriminate illegally and remain faithful to God in the matter. Muslim Violence There is a concerted worldwide attempt to silence arguments about Muslim violence. The recent ‘peace-talks’ between Israel and Palestine hardly got under way and then stopped abruptly. Why? Not because Israel did not bother, but because the several terror factions in Palestine derailed the process. They would not agree to a full cease-fire, which would have brought them great benefits. This proves what we have said several times before – that Palestine is not interested in peace. It wants the total eradication of Israel from the face of the earth, even if its own people suffer. Israel is continually characterised as the ‘bad guy’ when all it is doing is protecting its national security against the most vicious terrorists in the world…a world that cannot recognise terror even when it literally blows-up in its face! Israel has yet to meet God’s requirements before He will give them peace, or fully endorse their claim to Israeli land. So, there is no way that any Christian can support everything Israel does. Yet, because of the prophecies of scripture regarding Israel, we should be very cautious about condemning Israel as a whole. The Jews have NOT been cast aside by God forever, and will one day return to His favour. We may not, therefore, vilify Israel. Christmas Trees Some Christian writers insist that Christmas trees represent only one thing – paganism. But this is not the case: through the centuries trees have been decorated for a variety of reasons, not just pagan! It might surprise the reader to learn that the first Christmas tree lights were attributed to, guess who – Martin Luther! He saw the stars shining through a bare tree in the night (not Christmas) and took a small fir tree into his home, decorating it with candles, saying that it reminded him of the lovely stars provided by God the Creator. The first written record of decorated Christmas trees was in Strasbourg, possibly after Luther made his point. This became a German tradition and led to Queen Victoria making it a British tradition as well, quickly spreading to the rest of the world. Why? It had nothing at all to do with Romanism, paganism, or any other belief system. It was just a way of having a very pretty tree! It is certainly true that some pagans used trees in their worship, but I don’t know of anyone today who uses them for that purpose. As Christians, we can sometimes become obsessed with peripherals, making us oppositional when there is no real need for it. I have been just as guilty in the past. So, just bear in mind that whilst some pagans did use trees in godless worship, there can be other reasons why trees are decorated, and we should not get worked-up about it. I know Christians who put fairy-lights in their garden trees to light up the garden. Should this be banned, when their intention has nothing to do with paganism? Lots of people (including myself) use small trees and bushes to decorate the back garden and indoors. They might not be hung with baubles, but they are, nevertheless, decorations. Let us remember our freedom in Christ and not hang heavy burdens of guilt around our necks, when there is really no need to do so. (A detailed article will appear in our lists in the New Year). Also remember that some Christian writers only use a select few examples of something to support their theories. They don’t mean to mislead, but that is what they do. Why Our Taxes Must Go Up! Every single day, the UK pays the EU at Brussels, a massive £15 million!!! EVERY DAY!!! For that money we could build a new hospital every week or cut local council bills. Why are we putting up with it? Our taxes are spiralling upward so that we can give the money to someone else. Note also that because of the EU, we must allow illegal asylum seekers into our country and this is already costing us multi-millions. I attended a course last week on food hygiene, and the tutor said that thousands of illegals are working in our restaurants and cafes and food factories…and they are carrying deadly food-poisoning bacteria, including typhoid! Note that food-poisoning is rising sharply. Another sound source said that TB is going to explode across the UK because of illegals. This is not scare-mongering or anything to do with hatred for foreigners. It is genuine concern and anxiety for our nation and the decreasing freedoms we have. It is also a growing dislike for paying out colossal amounts on health bills we need not pay. I know that I make much of the asylum seeker thing – but somebody has to! The EU prevents us from acting wisely, but even if we could, I wonder if we would, because those with vested interests will still block any move to get out of the EU or to rid us of its crippling legal powers. Secret Islamic Force In my workplace we received notice of more legal empowerment for Muslims. Now, we may not discriminate against Muslims, but must employ them if we need staff and, when they are employed, allow them every tolerance for their religious observances. Muslims have to pray five times a day. Usually they go to a special place to be on their own, to be apart from the ‘infidels’. When I was in college, a whole room was set apart for just four Muslim girls, and they went five times during the lecture times, or at meal times. In a nursing home this would be ridiculous…the nature of the work demands a 24 hour attendance. We cannot allow a Muslim worker to just walk away for prayers! We cannot allow him or her to walk off to pray when a frail old lady needs feeding. There is also the business of allocated breaks. If a Muslim went off to pray five times he or she would exceed the break-times allowed to others. As my own Home Manager observed, this is positive discrimination against Christians, who do not have any special consideration for religious observances, not even Sunday. A Christian can be sacked for not working Sundays, or for wanting a decent workplace. But Muslims are to be welcomed with open arms, regardless of the problems they might bring. I read a newspaper report recently of a young girl who wore a Muslim dress and face veil, not because she was Muslim, but because she was not a Muslim! Her home is now surrounded by Muslim families and she was being victimised by them for walking around as any young girl does. So, to avoid discrimination by Muslims, she adheres to their dress code…all-black and hiding her face. This kind of thing is going on everywhere that Islam gets a grip on a locality. Non-Muslims are being made strangers in their own land! I hope you have noted in this short article, and in many other articles, that Muslim demands are making heavy inroads into British society and are causing changes in the law – changes that are against UK tolerance and freedom. In particular, Christian festivals and beliefs are being taken away in favour of pleasing Islam. This is but a step away from loss of freedom of speech against Islam, and it is bound to come, but who will stand against it? Not our government. None of what I say is about racism, or even against anyone’s freedom to hold to a false religion. What I am against is a religious body dictating to anyone else what they can say and do, or when it shuts up someone else from expressing a view on their beliefs. Charismaticism I often receive complaints from ‘Christians’ who say they have examined the Alpha course and find nothing wrong with it. I point out to them that I also examined it and found layer after layer of serious heresies. One of us is very wrong! Charismaticism is at the core of Alpha and one of its ancient cultic elements is Gnosticism – the claim to have a direct and secret source of power and information from God Himself, usually in opposition to what God has provided in scripture. This is really what is behind the ‘extra-Biblical’ claim of modern charismatics, that experience is greater than scripture, which, they say, is now superseded. Charismaticism also bears the marks of Zoroastrianism, for it strongly suggests a split universe – good and evil, and a Satan who stole the light from Christians. Hence they go around on prayer walks, etc., commanding Satan to leave territories and places. Lots of charismatics are also environmentalists/animal rights activists, and so trace their roots back to the heretic, Mani, who refused to kill or eat animals or even plants…mother earth needed protection and even respect. And those charismatics who preach a female God, or a God who is both male and female, take their cue from the early followers of Sophia. Many charismatics are also Monarchianists, believing there is more than one God. Listen to famed leaders such as Copeland and Benny Hinn, etc., and hear them tell us that there are at least three gods, or even nine, in one! They also teach that we can be sinless in this life, thus showing an affiliation with the early cult of Pelagianism. And the biggest cult of them all, Roman Catholicism, is a well-established part of charismaticism now. Need I go on identifying the many other cults and heresies within charismaticism, and therefore behind the Alpha course? Those who cannot see these influences in this worldwide movement, have absolutely no discernment whatever and I seriously question their claim to salvation. The Wrong Shoes Ever worn shoes that are fashionable or too small? They cripple! Before long you hobble about with cuts and bunions. You know you ought not wear them, but you continue to do so, because they are the in-look. Christians tend to be like that. They are hobbled and trussed by the latest in fashionable thinking and blindly follow, inwardly denying its validity or wishing it was not there. Perhaps many of you will not be surprised to learn that a large percentage of all Christians have doubts, not about God, but about the whole game that is today called ‘church’. They really do not want to attend prayer meetings, or the many services they ‘must’ attend. They don’t really, inwardly, follow this or that current theology. But they say nothing and so their attendances are a farce. They become spiritually crippled by their experiences. This is because their shoes simply don’t fit! Isn’t it about time that you spoke the truth and stood for scripture? Yes, it will have consequences, possibly quite dire. But, you cannot continue to wear the wrong shoes. Why suffer falsity for the sake of others? The day will come when you will be held accountable – what will be your excuse? Bible Theology Ministries ©November 2003 PO Box 415, SWANSEA SA5 8YH Wales United Kingdom Make a Donation to support the work of Bible Theology Ministries |
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