Tag: Christianity

Charleston Church Shooter reminder

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gun not problemrace arrest  Within a few hours after hearing about the tragedy in Charleston, S.C. some were asking, “Pastor will you be making a comment in your blog?”  Replying in the affirmative I said that it would be a couple of days so that we would be able to learn the real facts first.  Don’t you wish our President would have done the same?

Once again Obama was quick to use a crisis to stir racial strife and in general division among various groups of people while calling for confiscation of guns instead of proclaiming compassion and promoting healing in the fashion of previous Presidents.  Most likely he felt he had to rush out to the video cameras because he was afraid the actual facts will get in the way of the agenda he has been pushing.  Time and again, the facts prove to be vastly different from what Obama purports them to be but he doesn’t really care because he knows that most of his followers will blindly follow whatever he tells them and ignore the truth when it does come out at a later point in time.

  • Church was apparently a “gun-free zone”
  • Shooter sat in bible Study for nearly an hour before he started shooting people
  • Shooter reportedly reloaded 5 times
  • Al Sharpton was quickly dispatched (to stir up strife)
  • Drug user – another killer on psychotropic drugs.  Suboxone is a habit forming drug that has been connected with sudden outbursts of aggression.  It is also used to treat opiate addiction.
  • Common thread in these incidents isn’t race, it is godlessness

Although Al Sharpton was quickly dispatched to promote racism and bigotry in Charleston and to stir up as much strife as possible (it is his M.O.), there were others who came together in an effort to promote healing and unity and to comfort the broken-hearted.

Founders’ Bible article Ezra 8, page 715. Excerpt from President John Tyler: “When a Christian people feel themselves to be overtaken by a great public calamity, it becomes them to humble themselves under the dispensation of Divine Providence, to recognize His righteous government over the children of men, to acknowledge His goodness in time past as well as their own unworthiness, and to supplicate His merciful protection for the future.”

At the bond hearing  the Judge said, “Charleston is a strong community we have big hearts….”  He also stated words to effect that we must find it in our hearts to help all the victims of this crime, including those in Dylann’s family who were not a part of that crime or accessories to it in any manner.

One relative of one of the slain victims said, “Hate must not win” and another said “I forgive you” and another “I don’t understand, we reached out to you”  but also expressed a forgiving heart.  They were wonderful representatives of a wonderful church which is obviously truly following in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ.

I have no doubt that the late Reverend Martin Luther King would be ashamed of this President but proud of the slain victims and their families.  They are over-comers and the blessed ones of God.

Pastor Ward

Christian religion is the established religion of America

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pray

What This Supreme Court Justice Ruled About Christianity in 1799 Isn’t Taught in Public Schools Today, but it should be.
http://conservativetribune.com/supreme-court…/…

Samuel Chase was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and served on the U.S. Supreme Court. While not as famous as some of his contemporaries, he’s still important for a number of reasons.

One of them, a ruling in a 1799 Supreme Court case, will drive liberals nuts. Needless to say, you’re not going to hear about this ruling in public schools.

Back when Supreme Court justices would also serve on lower courts, Chase would write the opinion for the Massachusetts Supreme Court case of M’Creery’s Lessee v. Allender.

The case involved whether an Irish immigrant by the name of Thomas M’Creery had become a naturalized U.S. citizen and whether he was eligible to leave his estate to a relative in Ireland.

“Thomas M’Creery, in order to become … naturalized according to the Act of Assembly … on the 30th of September, 1795, took the oath … before the Honorable Samuel Chase, Esquire, then being the Chief Judge of the State of Maryland … and did then and there receive from the said Chief Judge, a certificate thereof. … ‘Maryland; I, Samuel Chase, Chief Judge of the State of Maryland, do hereby certify all whom it may concern, that … personally appeared before me Thomas M’Creery, and did repeat and subscribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian Religion, and take the oath required by the Act of Assembly of this State, entitled, An Act for Naturalization,’” Chase’s opinion read.

Not only that, in another 1799 case — Runkel v. Winemiller — Chase opined that Christianity was America’s established religion.

“Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people. By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty,” he wrote (H/T WND).

Chase’s words are generally ignored by liberals, and for good reason. It completely destroys their myth of church and state separation.

However, that does not mean we can’t remind them of Samuel Chase’s bold statement about Christianity’s place in American life, especially since he was not the only signer to assure us of the significance of the Christian religion in the formation of these United States.

Sadly, too many Christians are ill-informed of the truths surrounding the development and formation of this great nation.  The progressive/liberals fear Christians being properly informed as they know in their heart-of-hearts that could completely upset their godless, self-empowering agenda but God will not be mocked.  God is the one responsible for the quick rise to greatness America was able to achieve and victories in spite of incredible odds, and now, in America’s collective turning of its back on the Creator we have set ourselves up for a great destruction.  In a fashion similar to the way in which He punished Israel in the past for breaking covenant with Him, He may use a nation “more wicked than ourselves” to inflict punishment.

Perhaps it is not too late for 2nd Chronicles 7:14

But

The time is NOW

– Pastor Ward

Stand up and Stand Strong

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sin

A word of encouragement to our pastors, who, now more than ever, are on the front lines of the culture war given the assault on marriage and religious liberty.

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, a lesser-known hero of the War for Independence, was a pastor and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1775, he preached a sermon on Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Pastor Muhlenberg closed his sermon with these words:

“In the language of Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight.”
He then removed his clerical robes and revealed to the congregation that he was wearing the uniform of an officer in the Continental Army.

Pastor Muhlenberg’s example of a man of God fighting for our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should give increased fervor and devotion most especially to those who lead us in the fight for faith, family and freedom.

Like few times in our nation’s history, this is a time to fight for the values we cherish!   — Gary Bauer

Our  country, America, has been slipping further and further away from the God of the Bible — the foundation that our nation was built upon.

A couple years ago, America’s prophet, Billy Graham, compared America to the ancient city-state of Nineveh.  Billy Graham has provided spiritual counsel to every President from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush.

When the prophet Jonah finally traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s warning, the people repented and avoided judgment.  There was also another prophet who went to Nineveh with a word of warning.  We tend to forget about him.  When that particular prophet went to Nineveh they did not listen to him and the punishment which had been previously deferred due to national repentance came upon the people.

young uncle sam

If anyone wonders whether the founding fathers thought the federal government should define marriage and not the states, and whether it should interfere with our religious beliefs, here is what Thomas Jefferson thought:

Thomas Jefferson letter to Samuel Miller

Date: January 23, 1808

I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from inter-meddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the States the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in any religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the States.

albert Einstein

In many ways America is like ancient Nineveh.  The wickedness of Nineveh was such that God said that it was recognized in Heaven, “The sin of Nineveh has come before Me,” and I believe that America is at such a state with over 50 million babies aborted.  The Abortion Ruling was an unjust decision which stripped away state’s rights regarding the issue.  The SCOTUS ruling regarding Same Sex Marriage was merely another move by unjust judges stripping away State’s rights and imposing their immorality without regard to the Constitution or the majority of the American people’s opinion or their deeply held religious views.

Following the SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage Obama gave a speech in which he proclaimed that Americans have to change their deeply held religious views and he then encouraged the Gaystapo to “help” make that happen.  “Shifts in hearts and minds is possible,” said the wannabe totalitarian dictator, “and those who have come so far on their journey to reach back and help others to join them.”  {small wonder, then, that so many on the left looked to him as their messiah – see my book “The Antichrist of Our Time” for documentation or do your own google-search}

Sorry, but we mere humans cannot change what the word of God says.  God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  What He has called sin He still calls sin and He has proclaimed that those who refuse to stop their sinful practices will find themselves barred from entrance into His kingdom.

Heaven is not like a certain world-famous fast-food place; you don’t get it your way, you get it God’s way and that is the only way you can get it.  Even though He offers salvation freely to all, we still have to approach Him on His terms, not ours.

It is in times like this that we need to strengthen ourselves by reading and more carefully studying the book most hated by liberals which was penned by their greatest enemy whom they can never defeat.

1 Peter 1: 19-21  And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Morals   Justice Thomas

— Pastor Ward Clinton

What kind of Fruit do you have?

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By simple definition a Christian is a follower of Jesus The Christ—the Son of God who came in the flesh, died, and was resurrected. The Bible speaks extensively about the subsequent lifestyle of believers—what it calls fruit. For example, we read about “the fruit of the Spirit”:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24, emphasis mine)

This wholesome fruit stands in contrast to “the unfruitful works of darkness”:

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. (Ephesians 5:1–12, emphasis mine)

The fruit of the Spirit is often a telltale sign that people are living out their Christian lives as a tribute to the Lord who redeemed them from sin and death. But even so, identifying godly believers can be difficult. The book of 1 John speaks extensively about how to identify those unbelievers. Essentially, it is those who continue, by God’s definition, to live evil lives even though they claim to follow Christ.  The book of 1 John was written by one who actually walked and talked with Jesus while He walked this earth.

pc vs morals

Jesus is Returning for those who love Him

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“God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), “They are everyday doing that which is provoking to Him, and He resents it, and treasures it up ‘against the day of wrath.’ As His mercies are new every morning towards His people, so His anger is new every morning against the wicked, upon the fresh occasions given for it by their renewed transgressions. God is angry with the wicked even in the merriest and most prosperous of their days, even in the days of their devotion; for, if they be suffered [permitted] to prosper, it is in wrath; if they pray, their very prayers are an abomination. The wrath of God abides upon them (John 3:36) and continual additions are made to it.” (Matthew Henry, Electronic Version, E-sword)

“If He turn not, He will whet His sword” (Psalm 7:12) “What blows are those which will be dealt by that long uplifted arm! God’s sword has been sharpening upon the revolving stone of our daily wickedness, and if we will not repent, it will speedily cut us to pieces. Turn or burn is the sinner’s alternative.” – C.H.Spurgeon

The destruction of the person at odds with God is assured; however, practically everyone is aware of the “grace note”. God takes no pleasure in the destruction of those deemed wicked. Therefore, even in the midst of the threatening of the wrath of God upon disobedient persons He holds forth the possibility that with repentance the reconciliation between man and God can take place.

“In Adam all die” (1st Corinthians 15:22)

“For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man.” (1st Corinthians 15:21)

“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)

“Sin is man’s declaration of independence of God” – Anon

“Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God.” – ibid

“Before God can deliver us we must undeceive ourselves.” – St Augustine

“True repentance is to cease from sin.” – St Ambrose

“Born once, die twice; born twice, die once.” – Unknown

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Alright, then, have it your way.’” – C. S. Lewis

pc vs morals

The Christian Ideal, part 2

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last days

Theologians whom I have a good deal of respect for have spoken of a point of grace to which all Christians are called to abide in that is as high above ordinary Christian living as ordinary Christian living is above the strictly secular state.  Some of them did not openly subscribe to John Wesley’s way of understanding of the holy Scripture but they still acknowledged, in their own way, that all Christians are called to holy living in this life in the pursuit of purity which honors our Savior.

Generally speaking, Christian dominion in the west has largely become a mass of pagans masquerading as Christians.

Pagans who are openly pagan seem to be more aware of those Christian’s spiritually powerless condition than they are and, of course, the pagans gleefully use every opportunity to cast all of Christendom in a bad light.  Therefore, it is all the more important for all Christians to check themselves and make sure we are correctly connecting to the power which is found with the Spirit of God and pursuing purity which is our high and holy calling.

Most low-level Christians (Pagans masquerading as Christians) have no idea that they have lost their moorings, are not connected to the power source which can make them godly, and are drifting further and further away.  Attempts to warn them often illicit hostile reactions rather than repentance.  We find that there is a tendency towards the worse a person becomes, spiritually speaking, the less he tends to be aware of that fact.  It is not unlike when frostbite and the process of freezing to death begins to settle in that the feeling of warmth replaces the uncomfortable sensitivities.  Many a person who has frozen to death has been found to have tossed aside most of the protective gear and clothing shortly before death occurs.

God sent warnings to America and her Christians via the 9-11-2001 attack and for a brief moment He seemed to have gotten our attention.  For the most part, it lasted about three weeks.  There have been a few more warnings since.  Judgment is coming upon us if there is not a real, genuine repentance and Awakening.

It appears that we have completely lost our moral compass and, unless we find it, we are going to lose our civilization; we are well into losing our civilization already.

Alarmist?  I hope so but I fear not.

  • Pastor Ward Clinton

The Christian Ideal

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last days

The true Christian ideal is not to be happy but to be holy – A. W. Tozer

We must learn that God is holy.  If we are to experience the manifest presence of God’s glory, we must repent.  When Isaiah saw he glory of God in the Temple, he was driven to brokenness, confession, and repentance.  Too many in the West desire to know the manifest love of God without the manifest holiness of God.  We have lost the message of repentance. – Sammy Tippit, “Fire in Your Heart”

“We must learn that God is holy” if we hope to experience the full measure of God’s presence possible during our tenure in this life.  There is a popular level of Christian living that fails to comprehend the level of Christian living promoted as possible, and preferred, in the 15th Chapter of John.  Completely committed Christianity is the type of Christianity that is fully abiding in Christ and it is quite commonly called consecrated Christianity although, unfortunately, it is an experience that is not quite as common as it should be.  The cause of Christ suffers as a result of that fact.

Theologians whom I have a good deal of respect for have spoken of a point of grace to which all Christians are called to abide in that is as high above ordinary Christian living as ordinary Christian living is above the strictly secular state.  Some of them did not openly subscribe to John Wesley’s way of understanding of the holy Scripture but they still acknowledged, in their own way, that all Christians are called to holy living in this life in the pursuit of purity which honors our Savior.

Thomas Brooks, English Puritan: “Ah, sirs, holiness is a flower that grows not in Nature’s garden.  Men are not born with holiness in their hearts, as they are born with tongues in their mouths: holiness is a divine offspring: it is a pearl of great price, that is to be found in no nature but a renewed nature, in no bosom but a sanctified bosom.”

The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of the Spirit of God. – Blaise Pascal

The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness.  God’s one aim is the production of saints.  He is not an eternal blessing machine for men; he did not come to save men out of pity; he came to save men because he had created them to be holy. – Oswald Chambers

When God purifies the heart by faith, the market is sacred as well as the sanctuary. – Martin Luther

It is time for us Christians, to face up to our responsibility for holiness.  Too often we say we are “defeated” by this or that sin.  No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient.  It might be well if we stopped using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress in holiness.  Rather we should use the terms obedience and disobedience.

-Pastor Ward Clinton

A Great Awakening is Needed

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last days

Our situation is not yet hopeless, but it is quickly approaching that point.

Oh?   I’m supposed to be preaching “Positive Mental Attitude”?

Funny…That is NOT what God told me to preach.  I was instructed, as was every other preacher who was actually commissioned by God, to preach His Scriptural truths, not what man wants to hear. (Unless that man actually desires to hear from God.)

If you do not like it, then you may call “1-800- TELL GOD” and see what that gets you.

(Be forewarned: you might not like His response, but He is God; you ain’t.)

J.C. Ryle listed seven characteristics of the messengers during the Great Awakening of the eighteenth century:

  1. They taught the supremacy of Holy Scripture.
  2. They preached the total corruption of human nature.
  3. They taught that Christ’s death upon the cross was the only satisfaction for man’s sin.
  4. They preached the doctrine of justification by faith.
  5. They taught the universal necessity of heart conversion and new creation by the Holy Spirit.
  6. They spoke of God’s eternal hatred against sin and of God’s love for sinners.
  7. They preached that there was an inseparable connection between true faith and personal holiness.  They never allowed for a moment that any church membership or religious profession was the least bit of proof of a man being a Christian if he lived an ungodly life.

These awakeners continually cried, “No fruit, no grace.”

We must learn that God is holy.  If we are to experience the manifest presence of God’s glory; we must repent.  When Isaiah saw the glory of God in the Temple, he was driven to brokenness, confession, and repentance.  Too many in the West desire to know the manifest love of God without the manifest holiness of God.  We have lost the message of true repentance.  Now the church in the West is the sleeping Giant.  Alarms have been sounded but there seems to be no great or even general awakening; if it doesn’t begin soon the giant may die in its sleep.

Let us pray

Satanic weapon

Find a Good Church

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last days

Just because you attend a church doesn’t make you a good Christian any more than driving a car makes you a good driver, but we don’t blame the car, so why do we blame the Church?

It is not quite enough to know God and Jesus…we must also know and engage the Holy Spirit in our life.  He will empower us to live Godly in this world and thereby we honor the Kingdom of God.

If your current church is part of the popular theological tradition that says that all believers sin every day in thought word and deed then I have a question for you.  How is that any different than the devil?  It is time for all Christians to engage the third Person of the Trinity because He is the power that enables us to live Godly in the here and now.

God commanded that we live holy; Holy Spirit empowers us to obey that command.  If your pastor claims holy living is not possible during this sojourn on earth then it is time for you seek out a pastor who knows and is showing the way to connect to the power that can make you godly; your unsaved friends and family members are desperately looking for that kind of completely committed Christian.  Be one.

Godly Power

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last days

Life “de-powers” us. It saps our energies, depletes our courage, drains our patience. People–pressures get us down; problems stir us up; physical ills distress us; worry over people we love disturbs us.
We all need strength—strength to think clearly, love creatively, endure consistently; strength to fill up our diminished reserves; supernatural strength that flows from a limitless source, quietly filling us with power.
I want you to meet Someone who can provide that kind of strength. He is willing to listen to us and understand, He will encourage us to talk until we know what we really want to say. He will probe to the nub of the issue of our fears and frustrations with X-ray discernment and wisdom, and will help us to see any confusion in our thinking or distortions in our emotions. He not only can lead us to the truth about ourselves, but possesses the power to help us act on what He guides us to be, say or do. He has the power to heal our painful memories, sharpen our vision of what is best for our future, and enlist us in a purpose that’s big enough to fire our imaginations and give ultimate meaning and lasting joy to our daily living.
That’s a tall order. No loved one, friend, psychiatrist, psychologist, pastor, or social worker can meet all of these qualifications. But there is One Who has all of these qualifications—and much more.
He alone has the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence to give us the kind of help we need. He can help us with our problems, relationships, and decisions, for He knows everything. He is with us always, for He never sleeps. He has all power to give us the gift of primary faith as well as pertinacious faith, guidance for our daily lives, conviction and courage to face the future unafraid.
Who is this? A Person spelled with a capital “P.” He is a Person in the Trinity. He is the Holy Spirit.
We celebrate Pentecost and remember the time fifty days after Passover when Jesus’ disciples and followers received the power of the Holy Spirit. (read Acts, chapter 2). There is no greater need in your life and mine and in the church throughout the world than for a contemporary Pentecost. We confess with John Oxenham,

Not for one single day,
Can I discern the way,
But this I surely know—
Who gives the day
Will show the way
So I securely go.

The Holy Spirit is the Greatest Counselor in the World. The word, “counselor” may not be the first word that comes to your mind when you think of the Holy Spirit. For many, the Holy Spirit is the least known and understood Person of the Trinity.
Jesus used this propitious word, “Counselor,” to declare what the Spirit is meant to be in our lives. – Lloyd John Ogilvie

I do not want to be two-thirds of a Christian – I desire and need to have the Spirit of God engaged in my life to make me wholly Christian; a properly empowered Christian.