LaVrai – The Truth

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Roderick writes at Theology Today:

Is there a difference between mere meddling & having real concern for those we are supposed to love, even to the point of NOT minding our own business? Perhaps the first place we see this notion of minding our own business comes in early on in the Bible:

Genesis 4:9
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

As you recall, Cain was using the “minding my own business” line to defend himself, but was Cain supposed to “mind his own business” when it came to the well-being of his brother?

Perhaps the most well-known account of this WRONG philosophy of “minding our own business” comes in the New Testament:

Luke 10:30-37

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

At the end of this passage, Jesus asks, “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” – Worded in our present discussion, it might be phrased, “So which of these three do you think was following the philosophy of ‘minding his own business’ & which loved his neighbor by caring enough for him to NOT mind his own business?”

Some modern examples of the fallacy of the “mind our own business” philosophy are played out when people see another person being beat up or perhaps even sexually assaulted & instead of doing anything about it, they keep on walking – “minding their own business”.

If it is this important to NOT “mind our own business” when it comes to the physical welfare of not only our brothers, but strangers, then what does the Bible say about the notion of “minding our own business” when it comes to our brothers & sisters being harmed spiritually?

Please read the full post at Theology Today…

The title of the blog post “Do You Look Like Jesus” is in reference to a commercial I see once in a while on the religious channel for TBN’s The Holy Land Experience. The commercial’s announcer blurts out, “Do you look like Jesus?” and then starts a pitch for folks interested in playing parts at the Holy Land. Above, is a photo from their official Web site of one such actor who they apparently think looks like Jesus.

I could prattle off about how ridiculous it all is — since no one living today, nor anyone living then, took a photo of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ for us to even begin GUESSING what HE looks like. I could go on about why these folks portraying Jesus always have long hair (and the disciples usually have shorter hair)… where did all of this nonsense come from? And how about some of these false christs we have today… you notice that they, too, take on this man-made image of our LORD?

As I was considering the serious errors of these man-made idols of Christ Jesus, I realized that it is actually quite possible for all of HIS people to actually look like HIM. No matter our skin tone, eye color, hair texture, height, weight, etc. — we can look like Jesus. The Holy Bible does indeed provide a superbly detailed description our LORD and KING.

If you haven’t caught on yet, I am not speaking of HIS physical appearance when HE walked in flesh and blood among the people some 2,000 years ago. I am speaking of the image HE left for HIS people to follow, so that we too, can resemble HIM… in character. For the LORD does not look at the outward appearance. It is the heart, the seat of our desires and intentions, that HE examines (Matthew 12:33-35; 15:18-20). So what kind of image did HE leave for us to take on? Read the rest of this entry »

At Theology Today, I came across this post asking Are You a Member of the WoF Movement? by Boyd Miller , in which the writer poses 7 questions to help one decide if they have been taken in by the name-it-claim-it wolves camping out in the church (yes, they are in the church, among the church, but most definitely not a part of the Church).

There were a handful of comments in which some folks proudly boasted that they passed the simple “test” while one reader defended the need for money and GOD’s view on wealth. Out of these, though, no one bothered to quote what I think are the most straight-forward and telling passages from the Holy Bible, GOD’s infallible WORD, about how the LORD’s people are to view money and wealth. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Remind Them Of The HOPE’ – One Day Soon The Earth Will Be Full Of The Knowledge Of The LORD

Even though we are Christians and we know in WHOM we hope, we all have our moments of weakness, the times when we let all the seemingly inexplicable craziness of the world cast down our spirit. It’s easy to get depressed or downtrodden when we look around and hear bad news after bad news — things that, quite frankly, most of us can’t get our heads around.

Sometimes, to me, it seems as if the wicked and rebellious wish GOD wasn’t real and that HE had no place in America. For them, that would be a time of rejoicing, not knowing that without HIS abundant grace, mercy and love we would all be in hell. Every single one of us. Some are ignorant, and some are very knowledgeable of their choices and desires, i.e., some truly know not what they do, but there are others who are well aware that they work for the devil.

And, despite the times when it may seem that evil is prevailing, I know the victory has already been won. When Christ Jesus was on that cross and HE said, “It is finished.” Satan was defeated once and for all. So no matter how the heathen rage and try to bring the evil imaginations of their hearts to life — it’s all in vain. Read the rest of this entry »

I really don’t like posting about this man so often, but he appears to be everywhere and, like I do with other prominent individuals, including our current president, I am often compelled to point out their lies and our errors when it comes to my faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Only Begotten Son of the Living GOD, our only means of salvation.

Barack Obama states that he is a Christian. Political experts and various theologians and prominent Christian figures also repeat Mr. Obama’s claim — that he is a Christian. Even in my church, people repeat the same lie — ignorantly, of course.

I am quite sick of it. Unless Mr. Obama has never been properly taught what Salvation through Jesus Christ is and what a saved individual believes, how they live and the choices they make — then he’s lying, purposefully deceiving us. I am not even addressing his stance on abortion. This is about a man who insists the he’s a Christian, that he knows Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I will be looking at two articles concerning Mr. Obama’s faith — interviews with his own words and explanations. One article was published in 2004, the other in 2008. Draw your own conclusions based on Mr. Obama’s words and the only source we have on Christianity — the Holy Bible.

But before I go forward, he are some basic definitions.

According to The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition via Dictionary.com:

Definition of A Christian – A follower or disciple of Jesus; someone who believes Jesus is the Christ or Messiah.

Definition of Christianity – The religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God. They believe that Jesus, by dying and rising from the dead, made up for the sin of Adam and thus redeemed the world, allowing all who believe in him to enter heaven. Christians rely on the Bible as the inspired word of God.

Definition of Holy Bible – The book sacred to Christians, which they consider to be the inspired word of God. The Bible includes the Old Testament, which contains the sacred books of the Jews, and the New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus.

Review: A Christian is one whose faith is Salvation in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Messiah and Only Begotten Son of the LIVING GOD. Christians believe the Holy Bible is the undeniable, totally true Word of GOD.

Facts about Christianity based on the only source on Christianity, the Holy Bible:

1. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

2. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth are revealed in the Holy Bible.

3. The Holy Bible was “written” by GOD at the hand of chosen men.

Questions:

What does the Holy Bible say about Jesus Christ of Nazareth? – Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Review: Jesus is the Son of GOD; Jesus is above all and everyone; Jesus is the source of Creation; Jesus is the express image of GOD; Jesus makes atonement for all sins; Jesus sits at GOD’s right hand in Heaven.

What does the Holy Bible say about Salvation? – Acts 4:12 … “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Review: Jesus Christ of Nazaretha the Only Begotten Son of the Living GOD, is the only means of Salvation; we can’t make it to Heaven, have Eternal Life, enter paradise, etc. without believing and confessing that Jesus Christ is LORD.

How does a Christian govern his/her life? – Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Review: Once we become a Christian, we put away the old things, thoughts and habits that separate mankind from GOD; Christians seek to live daily in righteousness and holiness, which is possible through GOD, the HEAD of our lives.

So, I believe I have explained the basics of Christianity and a Christian (and I mean basic). Now, we can go forward in examining what Barack Obama says about his so-called Christian faith and see whether it lines up with what we know and understand Christianity to be.

Let’s start with the excerpts from the most recent article, published June 12, 2008, on Newsweek:

Finding His Faith
So much has been made about Barack Obama’s religion. But what does he believe, and how did he arrive at those beliefs?

1. Always drawn to life’s Big Questions, Obama embarked on a spiritual quest in which he tried to reconcile his rational side with his yearning for transcendence. He found Christ-but that hasn’t stopped him from asking questions. “I’m on my own faith journey and I’m searching,” he says. “I leave open the possibility that I’m entirely wrong.” [That doesn't sound like faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth; if one doubts, he certainly doesn't believe and if he doesn't believe, he certainly doesn't know Jesus Christ of Nazareth].

When Franklin Graham asked Obama recently how, as a Christian, he could reconcile New Testament claims that salvation was attainable only through Christ with a campaign that embraces pluralism and diversity, Obama tells NEWSWEEK he said: “It is a precept of my Christian faith that my redemption comes through Christ, but I am also a big believer in the Golden Rule, which I think is an essential pillar not only of my faith but of my values and my ideals and my experience here on Earth. I’ve said this before, and I know this raises questions in the minds of some evangelicals. I do not believe that my mother, who never formally embraced Christianity as far as I know … I do not believe she went to hell.” Graham, he said, was very gracious in reply. Should Obama beat John McCain, he has history on his side. Presidents such as Lincoln and Jefferson were unorthodox Christians; and, according to a Pew Forum survey, 70 percent of Americans agree with the statement that “many religions can lead to eternal life.” “My particular set of beliefs,” Obama says, “may not be perfectly consistent with the beliefs of other Christians.”

This man has a way with words. — Do you notice that he appears to not believe what Jesus Christ says about Salvation and how one attains Eternal Life? Obama makes Christianity sound like an option, that works great for him, but may not necessarily work well for others — “It is a precept of my Christian faith that my redemption comes through Christ…” If you know Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you know that Salvation through HIM is not an option — it is the only way to be saved from GOD’s judgment — and that’s what the Holy Bible says in various passages. What book is Mr. Obama reading if not the Holy Bible?

In the article, Mr. Obama says he doesn’t believe his mother, who never formally embraced Christianity as far as he knows, went to hell. It would be a hard thing to confess about a loved one, but this is what Mr. Obama says about his mother earlier in the article:

Did Ann believe in God? Obama calls his mother “an agnostic.” “I think she believed in a higher power,” he says. “She believed in the fundamental order and goodness of the universe. She would have been very comfortable with Einstein’s idea that God doesn’t play dice. But I think she was very suspicious of the notion that one particular organized religion offered one truth.”

Based on this 2008 article, we read that Obama is not sure if Jesus Christ is the way and that agnostics, perhaps because they are “good,” have a place in GOD’s Kingdom.

Here are excerpts from a reposted 2004 interview by a writer for the Chicago Sun Times on Obama and his faith:

[CATHLEEN] FALSANI:
What do you believe?

OBAMA:
I am a Christian.

So, I have a deep faith. So I draw from the Christian faith.

… So, I’m rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there’s an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived.

FALSANI:
Have you always been a Christian?
OBAMA:
I was raised more by my mother and my mother was Christian. [This is interesting... 4 years later he says his mother was agnostic and didn't formerly embrace Christianity as far as he knows].

…

FALSANI:
So you got yourself born again?

OBAMA:
Yeah, although I don’t, I retain from my childhood and my experiences growing up a suspicion of dogma. And I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others.

I’m a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at it’s best comes with a big dose of doubt. I’m suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding.

I think that, particularly as somebody who’s now in the public realm and is a student of what brings people together and what drives them apart, there’s an enormous amount of damage done around the world in the name of religion and certainty.

…

FALSANI:
Do you pray often?

OBAMA:
Uh, yeah, I guess I do.

Its’ not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day, I’m constantly asking myself questions about what I’m doing, why am I doing it.

…

FALSANI:
Who’s Jesus to you?

(He laughs nervously)

OBAMA:
Right.

Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history. [Wow... so Jesus is a "wonderful teacher," a "historical figure" ... yet Christianity says Jesus Christ is very much more than that -- HE IS GOD.]

FALSANI:
Is Jesus someone who you feel you have a regular connection with now, a personal connection with in your life?

OBAMA:
Yeah. Yes. I think some of the things I talked about earlier are addressed through, are channeled through my Christian faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

…

FALSANI:
Do you think it’s wrong for people to want to know about a civic leader’s spirituality?

OBAMA:
I don’t’ think it’s wrong. I think that political leaders are subject to all sorts of vetting by the public, and this can be a component of that.

I think that I am disturbed by, let me put it this way: I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God’s mandate.

I think there is this tendency that I don’t think is healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them.

FALSANI:
The conversation stopper, when you say you’re a Christian and leave it at that.

OBAMA:
Where do you move forward with that?

This is something that I’m sure I’d have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell. [Um... that's what the Word of GOD says, that's what Jesus explained to his disciples, that's what the apostles wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.]

FALSANI:
You don’t believe that?

OBAMA:
I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity.

That’s just not part of my religious makeup.

Part of the reason I think it’s always difficult for public figures to talk about this is that the nature of politics is that you want to have everybody like you and project the best possible traits onto you. Oftentimes that’s by being as vague as possible, or appealing to the lowest common denominators. The more specific and detailed you are on issues as personal and fundamental as your faith, the more potentially dangerous it is. [So, he's saying he purposefully waters everything down so as not to offend anyone; but he also expresses again, that he does not know GOD, who indeed does have a place of eternal damnation for those who reject HIS Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth.]

…

FALSANI:
Do you believe in heaven?

OBAMA:
Do I believe in the harps and clouds and wings?

FALSANI:
A place spiritually you go to after you die?

OBAMA:
What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.

When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I’ve been a good father to them, and I see in them that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they’re kind people and that they’re honest people, and they’re curious people, that’s a little piece of heaven. [Mr. Obama expresses that he knows nothing about heaven... although Jesus Christ of Nazareth explains the after life for those who believe in HIM and those who reject HIM in the Holy Bible].

FALSANI:
Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA:
Yes.

FALSANI:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

FALSANI:
What happens if you have sin in your life?

OBAMA:
I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment.

Review: Based on these two interviews, one from 2004 and one from just this year, Mr. Barack Obama is NOT a Christian. He denies that Jesus Christ is LORD; according to Obama, Jesus Christ was a “wonderful teacher” and a “historical figure.” He doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of Salvation. Obama doesn’t believe that those who reject Jesus Christ go to hell. Mr. Obama expresses salvation through works and being “good” — the Holy Bible says we cannot earn Salvation, although we are rewarded for our works. But we cannot be considered a nominee, a candidate, if you will, for any kind of reward if we don’t attain the prerequisite — belief in Jesus Christ as LORD.

Mr. Obama may be a good person, a nice person — but he is most certainly not a follower, believer in or friend of the LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Matthew 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Jude 1:16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,[e] hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.