Posted on 02/06/2011 6:07:26 AM PST by pastorbillrandles
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.(2 Timothy 3:1-5)
There is a frightening phenomenon that I have observed lately. I have been seeing the unhappy spectacle of young people, between their teens and early thirties, reared in the evangelical subculture, yet denying Christ.
They don’t consciously do it, I have no doubt that they don’t realise that they are denying the Saviour, but indeed they are, and in many cases with a vehemence!
The watershed for these young people is the acceptance and rejection of homosexuality.Through a distorted concept of the civil rights movement of the 1960′s , Homosexuals are now considered to be the new victims of oppression, and those who would in any way judge it as evil are now the new bigots.
In fact, we have come to the point in our post christian, paganized culture, where it is not even enough to ‘tolerate’ homosexuality, the pressure is on to become advocates of it, to champion it, and there is a new freedom for people, to hate and demean anyone who would dare call it into question.
The age group I mentioned at the beginning of the article, teens through early thirties are perhaps vulnerable for a number of reasons;
It is they who have been for the most part deliberately propagandized through our public schools, to develop ‘sensitivity’ to homosexual issues, and to question even their own sexuality, long before they have even entered puberty.
Anti bullying campaigns, and whole school days of self-imposed silence in solidarity with ‘Gay’ students have been invented by “gay activists” in order cast homosexuality into a kind of victim status, thus tapping into the natural sympathy and sense of fair play of the young.
Thus to this generation, interaction with and acceptance of homosexuals is an easy bona fide, a way to assert that ”I am compassionate, open minded, unprejudiced and much more loving than the traditional christian church”.
This is how they deny Christ. In the name of “being loving”, and “understanding” they repudiate the revelation of God given to us through Jewish Prophets and Christian apostles, without a second thought.
Our Christian sexual mores are not mere constructs of uptight pastors,priests or rabbis, they are a revelation from God!
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh…and what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder”.
Man didn’t originate the above, that is God’s definition of marriage. Jesus cited it as being “from the beginning“, the original intent for marriage.
That revelation from heaven caused a moral earthquake in the ancient world, transforming paganism’s exhausted, debauched, rotting societies, offering a wholesome life affirming alternative. Here is how columnist Dennis Prager,who happens to be a practicing Jew describes it,
When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah’s prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around sexuality were stymied in their development. The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism and later carried forward by Christianity.
This revolution consisted of forcing the sexual genie into the marital bottle. It ensured that sex no longer dominated society, heightened male-female love and sexuality (and thereby almost alone created the possibility of love and eroticism within marriage), and began the arduous task of elevating the status of women.
But this generation dismisses that for the most part. For the cheap “holier than thou” feeling of compassion, sophistication and solidarity with an oppressed minority, ”christian” young people align themselves with the cause of homosexual marriage, at the expense of those who seek to proclaim the Word of God to this generation.
This is how they deny Jesus, and don’t even realise it.They repudiate his teaching on a very important subject, they side with a world in rebellion against God’s moral order. They don’t realise it in fact they actually believe they are being more merciful and Christlike than other christians.
Sides are being taken in this culmination of the cosmic struggle between Righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, the truth and the Lie, and neutrality is impossible.
I think we need to reach our own young people because they don’t seem ready to stand for Jesus at the point where the world most resists Him.
They are confused about what Love is, but arrogantly believe they are more sophisticated and compassionate than the whole of the christian church through the centuries.
I could not have said it any better. It is our commission as Christians to bring unbelievers to Christ. At times, however, we must realize that we are casting pearls before swine and must shake the dust off of our sandals and move on. When we reach that point all we can do is tell the unbeliever not to take the Mark. Hopefully, he will remember it after we are gone.
All too often I think people expect an earthshaking event to bring faith into their lives. I personally think faith that grows naturally and slowly over many years is strongest. Its a blade of grass vs a tree.
great quote.
re: “If god is real, why does he refuse to prove it? I’ve been looking for proof for over 50 yrs,, nada, nothing. Kinda like Obama and his birth certificate. Why not just show up and prove it?”
MrPiper, I submit to you that God has given proof of His existence time and time again. First, there is the magnificense of this universe we live in - it either got here by creating itself out of nothing - or, Someone created it out of nothing.
Second, God entered time and human history as a infant, lived among us, taught us about His love, performed many miracles to show He was who He said He was, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead.
Third, the witness of millions of believers for over two thousand years - and, yes, the same can be said of other faiths - but, there is not denying the impact Christianity has had on the world and especially western civilization.
Fourth, there is the written witness of the Bible that has withstood the test of time and scrutiney. It has demonstrated itself to be archologically compatable with history, the texts we have are reliable, and able to change the hearts of people.
You seem to think that the existence of evil disproves God - but, you must remember that unless God gave us the freedom to choose or reject Him - then, we would just be robots. We are the ones who choose to do evil - not God. So, at least put the blame where it belongs.
The funny thing is that I’ve found my greatest sense of inner peace since I sincerely started praying for those who hate us most. I can’t show them the light but I truly do hope they find it on their own.
mr piper- I was a bit harsh- There certainly is no shame in doubting, as everyone does doubt- Even Thomas, who walked with Christ- witnessed Christ’s miracles first hand, witnessed the Ressurected Christ, doubted- Chjrist didn’t rebuke Thomas for doubting-
Thomas Finally Had the breakthrough ‘Aha’ moment when he let go of his doubt, and Saw Christ for who He really was- He met Christ as God for the first time- up until that poiuint, Thomas had let his doubting nature rule his life, and he refused to beleive Christ was God- refused to beleive the miracles, refused to bleeive the witnesses of the many who saw Christ and beleived-
IF you truly want to meet Christ- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to you- Ask Him to remove the viel that prevents you from Seeing Christ, and TRUST that The Holy spirit will do so no matter howl ong it takes- He WILL remove that veil IF you stay true to your faith that He will do so- Just know that the Evil one will do everythign in his power to prevent you from holdign onto that faith and cause you to give up in hopelessness- but if you stay true to this glimmer of faith- You WILL find God to be quite true to His word and will get more than enough confirmation of His existence and reality in your daily life on a personal level that you would never had received from simpel personal witness of miracles- Gos is so much more than a magician who does our bidding whenever we demand it- move beyond this demand, and you will find a God who loves you and has been waiting all this time for you to shed the doubt and take the leap of faith that we ALL MUST take befiore He reveals Himself to us.
Psalm9:9
And the Lord is become a Refuge for the poor: a Helper in due time in tribulation. 10 And let them Trust in Thee who know thy name: for thou Hast Not Forsaken Them that Seek thee, O Lord."
Many years ago I asked God if He really existed where I would know that I know. I worked in lower Manhattan. I asked this for real and reminded God on a commuter train. I went to do my daily work rounds. I took a break in a Lobby of a building. Sitting in area where people could sit. Well as I sat I heard a rush of a wind and a paper floating on the air slowly before my eyes like an unseen hand waving this paper to get my attention. It landed slowly going back and forth in between my feet like it wanted my undivided attention. There it was before me. I picked it up. I started to read believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptised to be saved. It was a tract from a pentocostal church in Brooklyn NY. I said this prayer before on this tract but I said it again. Later after work in this building I went downstairs to the subway for the commute home. As I was on the subway platform a Man in a clerical clothing came behind me. He told me God wants me to talk to you. He told me things he did not know about me. He told me to believe and live for Christ. I asked should I leave the Church that I go to he said know it's the main branch of Christianity. To make a long story short he was from a Pentacostal church in brooklyn the same church in the tract paper. I did not divulge this to him that was between the good Lord and my self. Now for you to know.
Let go and let God. Do not give up hope. Really ask and you shall receive.
Praise Jesus!
Amen! Amen! - Amen means So Be It!
Have you EVER looked at the workings of the human body???
The way that the ear nose and throat are interconnected, and that one affects the other.
Ever wonder at the intricacies of the human heart, and how it "just developed" from nothing?? Cells randomly formed into a heart. Not just any old heart, because the heart of a cheetah won't work in a human, nor will a giraffes, nor a dogs, nor a goats, nor an elephants, nor a horses, nor...
Did you ever marvel at a kidney and how it functions?? And how it randomly "just developed". How, when working properly, detoxifies the body. And yet, not only is it different than an animals kidney, seldom is it the same as another persons. Blood type has an effect, tissue type, and a series of other things that seperate it from millions of other peoples'.
Ever look at the human brain??? With all of our great knowledge, we have YET to make a computer that can do everything that the brain can do. And yet, the brain, with no outside influence, created intself, from basic cells.
Each individual part of the body each did this. ON ITS OWN. With no outside input or design.
Now whats really amazing, each PART of the body works together making up the WHOLE body. The BODY being the most intricate machine ever developed, and yet each part randomly evolved on its own, to work a specific function, that is seperate from another parts, but seemlessly fits and works together.
Whats even more amazing is that EACH body part "evolved" at exactly the same time. Without the brain the body couldn't function. Without lungs the body couldn't function. Without kidneys the body couldn't function. Without a heart the body couldn't function. Its all or nothing.
Speaking of all or nothing. Each part has to evolve instantaniously. Without being fully developed an eye is useless. The brain, without being fully developed is useless. Same with the kidneys. And so on.
Not only does the body need all those parts to "evolve" at the same time in order for the body to work, each PART has to evolve IN FULL in order for it to work.
Now take into account what all is involved with the human body "evolving" and multiply that 1000's of times over with every type of animal and insect.
Agreed.
If you give your children to Caesar to be educated, don’t be surprised when they come home Romans.
1) that these problems are insurmountable
They are insurmountable. Why?
Answer: Because simply by attending collectivist, socialist-funded, godless, government owned and run schools, that are supervised by the voting mob ( comrade committee "school boards") children **will** become comfortable with collectivism, socialism, government ownership and management of their lives, and learn to submit to the voting mob. And..They **WILL** learn to think godlessly in these so-called schools, or at least to compartmentalize their faith. They must simply to function at all.
Since the above is the **fundamental** structure of the government schools the only way to fix it would be to have non-collectivist, non-socialist funded, non-government owned and run, GOD-CENTERED, and individually parent-teacher-principal supervised education. Huh?...Isn't this the very definition of **private** education?
2) her blanket condemnation that all public schools are horrible and without redeeming value
There is NO redeeming value in teaching children to be comfortable with collectivism, socialism, government ownership and management of a social service, voting mob comrade committee supervision of one's mind and soul, and GODLESSNESS! And...**ALL** government schools ( The good, the bad, and the ugly) are collectivist, socialist, godless, government owned and run, and supervised by the voting mob comrade committees ( "school boards")
3) her sweeping, blanket condemnation of conservatives and/or Christians who teach in public school.
Yeah! I do condemn those people who would teach children to think godlessly, and be comfortable with collectivism, socialism, government ownership and management of their mind and soul. **ALL** government schools do this. Yeah! Blanket condemnation fits. What should be the appropriate response in doing this to children? Huh?
She doesn’t just question Christians motives for teaching in a public school - she KNOWS their motives: she says we are all greedy, hypocritical, and liars.
I have made no comment about "motives". I have commented on the obvious conflicts between Christian belief and supporting and upholding the godlessness found in the government schools.
Regardless of motivation, if Christians attempt to sneak in a little Christian belief into their classes, which by law are godlessly secular, they **WILL** teach the children that Christians are sneaky and too timid to boldly teach what the teacher knows to be true.
Regardless of motivation children will eventually figure out that Christian belief can NOT coexist with the godless worldview that is taught in the government schools. The two worldviews, godless and God-centered, can not occupy the same time and space in the classroom or textbook. The children, on some level, will conclude that the Christian teacher is a hypocrite that is willing to sell their beliefs for a pay check, pension, and generous vacation time. It does not matter what the "motivation" of the Christian teacher is.
Further, wintertime chooses to be needlessly hostile toward any Christian or conservative who is a “government” school teacher.
Hostile? What should the appropriate response be to people who teach children to think godlessly? ( And...To keep a job in a government school this **is** what is done!) What should the proper response be to those who teach children to be comfortable with collectivism, socialism, voting mob comrade committees ( school boards),government ownership of their very minds and souls?
but I am defending the motives and the right of conservatives and Christians who try to improve and make a positive difference within public education.
As for motives, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
If a Christian has kept his job in the godless government schools, and has not yet been fired, then he is supporting, upholding, and promoting the worldview of godlessness.
this has not been proof read. I am in a rush.
There may yet be a happy ending... I threw away the faith of my family in the midst of a brilliantly misspent yoot. Virtually every single bit of it.
Yet, when my debauchery and lawlessness resulted in the inevitable result thereof, It was the principles of that faith, long disregarded, that anchored me in a tempestuous sea of my own creation...
Do not be too quick to throw away the cause of our next generation- many of the Father's most effective soldiers bear the scars of the world. They are the most effective, because they know the difference most intimately- having experienced the dark side and having survived, by the Grace of God Himself...
They cannot see because they will not see.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Jesus
The atheist says there is no God and I hate him
[[If a Christian has kept his job in the godless government schools, and has not yet been fired, then he is supporting, upholding, and promoting the worldview of godlessness]]
You knowe, I used to htink this exact same way about Christians workign in secular places, or TRue Christians in churches that don’t preach the full gospel- but my eyes were opened when someone said (after I made a comment similar to yours) ‘You NEVER know hwere the Spirit listeth’ (wherer the spirit is goign to work and when or how)- it could be that some young person is watchign the difference of the true Christian, and the Spirit is workign in the young person’s mind right now as we speak becuase of the Christian example of teacher of church goer’
Remember, Even Christ and the Disciples ‘worked on Sunday’, and they certainly were not supporting a secular ideology in doing so- The Holy aspirit works wherre He will, when He will, and is not subject to our ideology or ideas about where the proper places are for Him to work- He’ll even work in Crack dens where a Christian building janitor might do nothing more than mop the floors with a cheerful attitude that makes the adddict go ‘Hmmm- what is it that makes this person so different?”
If god is real, why does he refuse to prove it? I’ve been looking for proof for over 50 yrs,, nada, nothing. Kinda like Obama and his birth certificate. Why not just show up and prove it?
He did. Blood was the used for the remission of sin, a lamb with no blemish. Jesus is the Lamb of God, died on Calvalry for remission of all mankind’s sin, was raised again on the third day.
He’s coming back.
I pray for you that the Holy Spirit who is still on earth, for a time, speaks to your heart.
>> If god is real, why does he refuse to prove it?<<
Watch as how He protects Israel in the coming months or years and you will see the proof. In fact, you may want to read Isaiah 19 to see what He said about what will happen in Egypt.
Our education system began with the purpose of teaching children to read the Bible in Latin,Greek, and oftentimes in Hebrew—Entering College— or the University they were required to know Greek enough to translate some of the classical ,secular works—and/or the Bible. The purpose was to train up men as capable of leading a church as a business.
the idea of teaching mans duty to God —and to their fellow man was written in their charters and goals-and students expected to be able to give a ready defense at any time.
The twice passed Northwest Ordinance did not separate nor discriminate against Religion,Morality,or Knowledge but declared all three necessary to good government,and the happiness of mankind.None of this I learned when a ward of the public school system.However much time God gives me to
speak—I will speak Until we the American people start talking to each other and determine we will NO longer be silent—the enemy will win in America.I pray for anew awakening -and that God will find me a worthy voice to speak HIS Gospel.
While there were examples of public education in early American, I suspect that Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers, when it came to education, had in mind their **own** educational experiences: home, tutoring, dame schools, small one room schools organized by parents, small home based academies for final preparation for college, apprenticeships or college for young teens.
The progressive, Horace Mann, Prussian-style, modern system of government schools did not come about until the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
Our Founding Fathers would be horrified to see our modern collectivist government schools.
Great post mountn man. The christian church, for the most part, departed from the truth when they abandoned the Ten Commandments, especially number three and four. What you have now is a movement full of vain people, trying to worship on the day NOT set apart for doing so, wondering what happened.
“Why not just show up and prove it?”
He will. Then it will be too late. Forced repentance isn’t repentance, and forced obedience isn’t God’s desire from man.
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