Gospel Living

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:6–9). Video: General Session 2 - Phil Johnson - Shepherds’ Conference 2017 from Grace Community Church on Vimeo . Audio: ( MP3 ) For more information, visit  shepherdsconference.org

30  And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.  33  With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34  He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. While it’s not the smallest of all seeds, the mustard seed is the smallest of all kosher seeds sown into the earth.  A large plant (from which we get everyone’s favorite condiment) sprouts from this seed, even though it’s only a tenth of an inch in diameter.  Similarly, the kingdom of God begins small, with the Word and the work of twelve, but it grows exponentially. ...

And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27  But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. A parable is a true-to-life story that metaphorically illustrates a spiritual reality.  It’s hard to believe that there would be a negative side to their usage, but that is exactly their context.  Rather than simply a creative outlet for Jesus’s instruction, He used them to hide truth from those rejecting Him. Jesus used smaller illustrations in His teaching in the past.  In the Sermon on the Mount, He called His disciples “the salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13) and t...

Let's start 2017 by renouncing false teaching from folks like Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, and Bethel Church. From  https://www.instagram.com/p/BLolXd0BMj_/

“ 21  And they went into Capernaum,  and immediately on the Sabbath  he entered the synagogue and was teaching.  22  And they were astonished at his teaching,  for he taught them as one who had authority,  and not as the scribes.” Though Jesus was raised in Nazareth, He travels northwest to Capernaum.  It’s along a major road, it’s larger, and it’s home to a Roman garrison, perfect for what will essentially become Christ’s base of operations in Galilee.  The location is optimal for the propagation of the gospel. People taught on the Sabbath in synagogue services, but the scribes typically did so by intellectually standing on the shoulders of rabbis and the corpus of tradition.  While deferring to experts may hint at humility, it is not so here.  They seek attention, even using it to take advantage of others.  Later, Jesus will warn, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greeti...

At the 2015 Bible Conference  at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Globe, AZ, Justin Peters highlights how the Word-Faith movement is anti-gospel and antichrist.  He shows clips from Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Paul Crouch, etc.  This is an adaptation of Peter’s presentation, “ Clouds Without Water .”

Phil Johnson #1 / "Why I Am a Ceasationist" / 2015 Bible Conference Globe, AZ Phil Johnson #2 / Beware the Greed Mongers

As I prepare to teach a class on Genesis 22, my mind is drawn back to the mess the History Channel's  The Bible miniseries made of the text.  Every detail was wrong, from Abraham's reaction to the age of Isaac to the animal used as Issac's substitute.  (It doesn't take a scholar to realize the difference between a ram and a lamb.) Besides Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who were some of the people who green-lit this 2013 debacle for the Christian community?   Below are some who appear on the series' proud page of praise .  They are quoted as stating that the series "reflects... the Holy Bible," "lets the Bible speak for itself, without commentary," and shines with "biblical fidelity." To be fair, it would be wrong to brand these men and women as false teachers for simply enjoying this bit of television cinema.  Not all of them teach from the Bible full-time. Even so, it would be equally wrong to trust any of them to properly understa...

Pastor Matt Slick published why we should avoid Joyce Meyer's teaching.  In short, he highlights the following from her teaching: Jesus stopped being the Son of God. Jesus was born again. Jesus paid for our sins in hell. Jesus went to hell in our place and was tormented. If you don't believe Jesus went to hell, you cannot be saved. We are called little gods. Joyce Meyer said she is not a sinner. The host of hell were literally on Jesus and were laughing. Joyce Meyer gets revelation knowledge. And, of course, there's the simple fact that Joyce Meyer is a preacher. In summary, she's a false teacher and a false prophet.   Check her out over at CARM .

Thankfully, TurretinFan collected the evidence against him in one massive post .  Because the post is so massive, below is an overview: Autobiographical Statements: Caner incorrectly states his full name on a number of occasions. Caner incorrectly states his biological and religious ancestry on a number of occasions. Caner incorrectly states his country of origin and time of arriving in the USA on a number of occasions. Caner inconsistently states his age of conversion and exposure to Christianity on a number of occasions. Caner incorrectly (?) states that he studied jihad in whatever was his home country on a number of occasions; the evidence is that he grew up in Ohio. Caner inconsistently states his language abilities on a number of occasions, and the evidence is lacking. Caner incorrectly states his attire of choice in high school, claiming the a-typical Western wear such as the keffiyeh, etc. while pictured wearing typical American attire. Caner incon...

John MacArthur on Identifying False Teachers http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130723 "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." -- Romans 16:17 , KJV Identifying and confronting false teachers is extremely unpopular today. But Scripture calls Christians to discern truth from error, providing guidelines for identifying and dealing with those who try to corrupt Christ's church with false doctrine. John MacArthur elaborates on this in the following audio. Governments recognize the necessity of protecting their citizens. The church should be even more vigilant against spiritual terrorists, especially in light of what's at stake—people's souls. The Strange Fire conference will equip believers to spot false teachers and their destructive heresies. For more information about Strange Fire, please visit the conference website http://www.tmstrangefire.org . In anti...

R.C. Sproul on The Montanists and the Nature of Special Revelation http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130611 The charismatic movement is a recent development in the history of the church, but its distinguishing belief is not. The idea of modern prophets who receive special revelation from God is nothing new. In the following video, R. C. Sproul discusses the Montanist movement of the second century. As he explains who the Montanists were and what they believed, consider the parallels between that movement and twenty-first-century charismatic theology. New revelation is old news. And whether intentional or not, it always amounts to an assault on the sufficiency of Scripture. The early church fathers properly brought biblical truth to bear on the errors of the Montanists in their day. In the same way, the Strange Fire conference is a necessary biblical response to the many errors that plague the modern charismatic movement. For more information about Strange Fire, please visit our...

Why Confront False Teachers? http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130507 The issue of false teaching and the question of how to address it is a present reality for every believer. Many Christians choose to respond with silence rather than incur the wrath of a world that demands tolerance. But is silence the best reaction to doctrinal error? In the following audio clip, John MacArthur examines Christ's confrontations with false teachers, how His example clashes with our polite society, and what it means to fight for the truth. As we look forward to the Strange Fire conference in October at which John MacArthur and several other outstanding preachers will follow Christ's example by confronting the errors and excesses of the charismatic movement. You can view this or any of our other Strange Fire media at the conference website. http://www.tmstrangefire.org In anticipation of the sold-out Truth Matters' Strange Fire Conference taking place October 16-18, 2013, we will...

The sons of Aaron…offered strange fire before the LORD…and fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. —Leviticus 10:1–2 In case you've missed the buzz, the announced 2013 Truth Matters Bible Conference has been stirring the hornet's nest.  John MacArthur contended for years against the charismatic chaos erupting in Evangelical circles.  Now, prior to the release of his new updated book on the subject, Strange Fire , his church will host a conference by the same name that exposes the present dangers of the movement.  Obviously controversial, this challenging conference will call us to consider whether our worship finds its grounding in Scripture, or in the experiences and traditions of men.  MacArthur anticipates criticism by answering whether his questioning something that benefits others is a loving act: Here's the release: The Lord calls His people to honor Him, to treat Him as holy. Leviticus 10 pictures the consequences ...

( Part 1 | Part 2 ) The first two posts of this series form an important foundation: we must rely on the truth the Holy Spirit revealed to us through His Word, lest we grow arrogant and embrace bold deception in the name of God.  If we lean on our own understanding of how God operates, we will fall.  If we grow unsatisfied with the Bible and seek words and visions, we invite spiritual destruction. Indeed, the light of Proverbs 30:6 dispels our confusion:     Do not add to his words,         lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. In total, we said we must avoid Bethel because it is spiritually dangerous, and we said there are two reasons for that.  The first reason we examined in length last week, that it promotes false doctrine , and we looked at the heretical teachings streaming from the pulpit to computers and MP3 players near you.  If you have not read at least that post, please do so now, beca...

One rapper's gutsy video captured the attention of the Christian webs.  "Fal$e Teacher$" dares to name names in an attempt to warn fellow believers of the proponents of the prosperity gospel; the dollar signs being an appropriate commentary in itself. Among those Shai Linne targets are Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Fred Price, Kenneth Copeland, Robert Tilton, Eddie Long, Juanita Bynum, Paul Crouch... you know, the TBN crew. Linne raps: "Don't be deceived by this funny biz, if you come to Jesus for money, then he's not your God, money is! Jesus is not a means to an end, the Gospel is He came to redeem us from sin, and that is the message forever I yell! If you're living your best life now you're heading for hell!" My,my, Shai, this is good. Seven-minute video on why Shai Linne wrote and raps "FAL$E TEACHER$". dsr.gd/12vZgGx — John Piper (@JohnPiper) April 7, 2013 (HT: CP ) Here's the ...

( Part 1 | Part 3 ) In the previous post , I argued that doctrine is not only unavoidable, the Holy Spirit wants us to grow in our knowledge of biblical doctrine.   Even so, I understand the many Christians who, burned by those intellectuals whose convictions were buried in seminary, believe avoiding deep theological study is the best salve for the injured soul.  They believe that you can feed only your intellect or your spirit, seeking a moving experience that is not necessarily meaningful, and missing the fact that God created both in union. As such, some of today's most popular teachers and preachers proceed with that foundation; books and sermons promising bigger and better experiences create many celebrity pastors.  However, upon this foundation a house of theology must reside, inside which a Christians find a spiritually environment that is not up to biblical code.  We will see this with our case in point --- Bill Johnson --- as we exami...

( Part 2 | Part 3 ) Doctrine and theology: sour words in the ears of many today, and with good reason.  Knowledge can puff up (1 Cor 8:1), inflating otherwise well-meaning Christians with hot air.  You probably even know someone seemingly more concerned with crossing the "t" in theology than showing the love of the cross.  Yet, God designed our hearts and minds to grow in doctrine ( instruction or teaching ), and we can't go far in our Christian walk without it.  Consider Jesus, who employed sound doctrine when His proper understanding and application of God's Word defeated Satan's temptation (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13).  He also chastised the poor doctrine or teaching of the leaders of Israel, saying, "Have you not read" (Mt 12:3, 5, 19:4, 22:31; Mk 12:10, 26; Lk 6:3).  He equated knowing Scripture to knowing the power of God (Mt 22:29).  His Great Commission includes the directive to make disciples and to teach them (Mt 28:18-19).  As...

I'm ashamed to say it, but one of my first thoughts with the unveiling of the new pope was, "Hey, wasn't he supposed to be black?"  And don't believe that to be such a strange thought. Prepare yourself for the prophecies popularized by the 2012 Thomas Horn and Cris Putnamthe book, Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope Is Here .   In it, they explore the alleged prophecies of St. Malachy, a 12th-century Catholic bishop with a decent prediction rate concerning the 112 popes who would follow.  Because Francis I represents the final pope of Malachy's prophecies, we should therefore expect the destruction of the Roman Catholic Church and the ascension of the Antichrist. In short, the book is psuedo-prophecies aimed at psuedo-spiritual, and Dave James at Herescope captures the reality of this book .  While we can conjecture as to whether events are aligning to a biblically-prophetic scenario, it is but an educated guess, as only the Lord knows the day and the hour.  T...

Would people still create false altars like they did in the Old Testament?  Would they seek experiences outside of Scripture?  Yep and yep.