You Don't Need to Repent to Go to Hell!

Recommended sermon, by E. A. Johnston:

You Don't Need to Repent to Go to Hell!

Also recommended:

Sodom Did Not Have A Bible, But Your City Does! Part 1
Sodom Did Not Have A Bible, But Your City Does! Part2

Recommended Sermon for Sunday, March 23, 2014

Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Part 1
Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Part 2

Both sermons are by Rev.Paul Den Butter

Saving Those Damned Caholics, Part 2

Here is an excerpt from an article on the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory:

"Among the friends of God who enter the next life, there are some who loved the Lord with all their hearts during this life, and there are some who truly loved Him, but imperfectly, with a divided heart; they need healing and purification before entering Paradise, and they have a preparation to make. Divine Mercy created Purgatory to accomplish this purification. 'All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030).  But this is a family affair. We can help our sisters and brothers who find themselves amongst the poor souls. We can do so by our prayers, our sacrifices and our participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice...the least pain of Purgatory is greater than any pain of earth, no matter what they may be. The author of the Imitation expresses this teaching by a practical and gripping sentence: “There, he says, one hour in torment will be more terrible than a hundred years here of the most rigorous penance.” - from A Warning About Purgatory and the Next Life (Emphasis mine)
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 There is no such thing as Purgatory. This is one of the many myths taught by the Roman Catholic Church, which teaches that Jesus blood shed on the cross is not sufficient to save sinners. That after a believer has died, he or she must still suffer in purgatory to pay for the sins Jesus' blood couldn't wash away. Blasphemy!

The Bible says: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgement." - Hebrews 9:27

But while the doctrine of Purgatory is not true, the doctrine of hell is. In his classic gospel sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards says this about hell:

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengende; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."


Recommended reading:

Saving Those Damned Catholics! (my post)

Recommended sermon:

How to Benefit from a Funeral, by Dr. David P. Murray

What's The Difference Between Motivational Speaking and Biblical Preaching?

What's The Difference Between Motivational Speaking and Biblical Preaching? - christianpost.com

Here is an excerpt from this article:

"There are tremendous differences between "motivational speaking" and "biblical preaching." In America today, many churches offer one or the other. One approach leaves people "encouraged" in their emotions and in their "self-esteem." The other builds up Christians in the Gospel as the Holy Spirit applies the Scriptures to the hearts and minds of the hearers."
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This is a great article! Although I'm not a minister (never been one, never will be one!), I do link to to a lot of sermons on my blog (My Gospel Project). And I feel confident that the sermons I link to fall into the category of "Biblical Preaching," and not "Motivational Speaking!"

Here is an excerpt from a related article:

Why I Called Out Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer

"When I was a kid I could tell the difference between neighborhood kids who wanted to be my friend from the neighborhood kids who were my friends so that they could play with my toys.  Joel and Joyce are the latter.  They both teach a twisted form of Christianity that teaches obedience, giving and faith as a way to get things from God.  They are both products of what is known as the Prosperity Gospel and The Word of Faith Movement, or the Seed Faith Movement."

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Someone once said:

"Somewhere, like in Texas, there were preachers who preached it all, from Genesis to Revelation, without blinking an eye. I took great comfort in knowing that, even while I preached a pitiful, compromised, peeled-down gospel, that somewhere good old Bible believing preachers were offering their congregations the unadulterated Word, straight up!" (Source unknown)

If you want to do your own research into this topic, here are some "sermons" and "speeches" you can listen to (I took the liberty to give my opinion as to which are "Biblical Preaching" and which are "Motivational Speeches." Feel free to disagree!):

When You Need a Miracle...Wiggle, by Joyce Meyer (Motivational Speaking)

How to Be Successful, by Joel Osteen (Motivational Speaking)

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards (Biblical Preaching)

Compel Them to Come In, by Pastor Charles Spurgeon (Biblical Preaching)

How to Benefit from a Funeral, by Dr. David Murray (Biblical Preaching)

Why Persecution is Coming to the Church in America, by Pastor Kevin Swanson (Biblical Preaching)

For further study:

Preaching and Preachers, by Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones (very highly recommended!!!)
Are We Preachers or Witch Doctors? (very highly recommended!!!)

North Carolina Pastor Says Swanky $1.7 Million Home is 'Gift from God'

Lifestyles of Rich and Famous Laodiceans

Merry Christmas from My Gospel Project!

I don't believe in Santa Claus, and I think Christmas is at best a mixture of pagan and Christian traditions. But I do love to sing Christmas carols, I love to see the Christmas lights, and I especially love my Lord Jesus, the "Reason for the season!" So I want to wish my readers a Merry Christmas, and here is my gift to you:

The Johnny Cash Christmas Show from 1977

Recommended reading:

There's No Actual Debt Ceiling Right Now: Christmas Came Early in 2013

Recommended listening:

A Christmas Question, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Compel Them to Come In, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
2013 Christmas Conference: The Life and Ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, by Dr. Steven J. Lawson

Seven Ways for Christians to Love Their Neighbors Even When We Disagree

I'm not a "Fox News Junkie," and I don't "Watch it all I can." In fact, I seldom watch it (or go to their website foxnews.com). I guess you could say I stand to the right of Fox News!* (See Joseph Farah's article: Is Fox News Really Different?). Well, as I sat down this morning to eat breakfast I decided to click on foxnews.com just to catch the headlines.  And I came across a really neat article I wanted to share:

Seven Ways for Christians to Love Their Neighbors Even When We Disagree

Here is an excerpt from this great article:

"Welcome everyone to your church… The same Bible that talks about sin is equally clear about love. The church I serve as pastor includes people who are practicing homosexuals, as well as others who are struggling with same sex attraction to varying degrees. They sit in service next to single people cohabiting, people who watch porn, adulterers -- and the self-righteous religious people who look down on all of them. We all start in a bad place."
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The Bible says:

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you..." - 1 Corinthians 6:9,10

A Registered Nurse I used to work with many years ago shared with me a story about her experience with church. Her and her boyfriend attended a a very conservative Reformed church for the first - and most likely the last - time. After the service one of the elders came over to "welcome" them. But rather than making them feel welcome, he got right down to business.

He started asking about their personal lives. And once he found out they were not married - but in fact, were living together - well, he did his duty to make sure they knew they were horrible sinners and that living together before marriage was a terrible sin and they needed to repent and on and on and on.

And I remember talking with an elder of another church one time who told of a young woman who came to his church asking for help - her infant son needed diapers. His church turned her away - but not before giving her some advice on how she could tear up some old tea shirts and make diapers out of them!

Our Lord Jesus is clear: The Gate is straight and the road is narrow that leads to life (Matthew 7:13,14). And I'm not suggesting that church offices (elder, deacon, minister) or church membership or even holy communion be opened up and offered to anyone who walks into your church.

But visitors should be treated with kindness and respect and made to feel that they are genuinely welcomed into your church. If your minister is faithfully preaching the Word of God (such as Pastor Kevin Swanson in Why Persecution is Coming to the Church in America) this will be enough to discourage visitors who are just looking for a social club to be a part of, while opening the door for God's Holy Spirit to convert those sinners who came to your church "by divine appointment!"

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*I do like Austin Cunningham's video: The Girls on Fox News!

Recommended reading and listening:

Why Should You Welcome a Same Sex Couple to Your Church? (my post)
No Tips for Gays, by Priscilla Del Aguila
Russell Brand Hosts the Westboro Baptist Church

The Conscience of a Conservative Christian Blogger

Yesterday I watched the You Tube Video They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll (part 1).  I've seen it before, or at least an earlier version of it. But what really stood out this time was a comment about rap artist Eminem. It was said that Eminem "Wrestles with the ramifications he knows his songs have on his listeners."

Yes, I'm sure Eminem's songs do have "ramifications" on his listeners. Most of the stuff I've heard from him could have been written by Satan himself. And he will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for those "ramifications."

But as a "Conservative Christian Blogger," I also wrestle with the "ramifications" that my posts may have on my readers. I am not a minister (never been one, never will be one). And so I take a little comfort in the fact that I won't be held to the same standard as those who call themselves ministers (whether they have been called by God to that office or not!). The Bible says:

"My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."  (James 3:1).

But like Eminem, and all the rest of humanity, the words of my Lord Jesus applied to me as well:

"But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof on the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12:36,37).

I know a day is coming when I will give account of  "every idle word" I post on my blog. And like Eminem, I will have to give an account for the "ramifications" those "idle words" have on  my readers. I like to imagine 3 specific groups of people who may visit this site:

1. The first group is made up of true Christians. Those who love our Lord Jesus with all their heart, who look to him in true faith and trust in his shed blood on the cross as their only hope of salvation.  I like to think that, at least from time to time, people in this group will read something I post (or listen to a sermon or podcast I link to) and say "Amen brother! Well Said."

2. The second group is made up of both non-Christians and Christians alike, but are poles apart from my way of thinking. And when they read my posts, they roll their eyes and reach for their mouse to quickly move on to another web site.

3. The third group is made up of readers who may be emotionally unstable, or very very very angry - for whatever reason. And instead of finding the gospel of my Lord Jesus (by clicking on links like When Government tries to be God and Compel Them to Come In), these people get stirred up by my posts against abortion (Would it Bother Us More If They Used Guns?), against same sex marriage (Why Persecution is coming to the Church in America), against Catholicism (Saving Those Damned Catholics!), against Protestant religious leaders ( Billy Graham, Pope Francis, and the Doctrine of Total Depravity, What Do Dr. Tim LaHaye and Glen Beck Have in Common?), or our president (Is Obama the Anti-Christ? I Say Yes!), or whatever.

This third group concerns me greatly. I am not Amish. I am not a Quaker. But I am totally committed to non-violence. And I would hate to think of one of my readers going out and committing a "Hate Crime" or an act of violence against anyone because of something he (or she) read or heard on this site. My Lord Jesus said - and I have this quote posted on the upper right hand corner of my blog:

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

"Puff Graham Murray!"

The year was 1949. Evangelist Billy Graham - preaching against communism - said: "Either communism must go or Christianity must go!" Newspaper mogul William Randolph Heart heard this, was impressed, and sent a memo to his paper: "Puff Graham."  The rest is history.

Never mind his claim that his beliefs are almost the same as those of the Orthodox Roman Catholics, here is a fascinating excerpt from an interview with Televangelist Robert Schuller in 1997 (source):

Robert Schuller: "Tell me, what do you think of the future of Christianity?"
Billy Graham: "I  think everybody who knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the body of Christ...God's purpose is to call out a people for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, Buddhist world, the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus...and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us."
Robert Schuller (overjoyed): "What I hear you saying is that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and life even if they've been born into darkness and never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you are saying?"
Billy Graham: "Yes it is, because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world...that have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that there was a God."

Billy Graham (and Robert Schuller) have one view of the Gospel. Dr. David P. Murray has another -"Without Christ, You're damned!"  Please take some time to listen to this life changing sermon by Dr. Murray:

When Government Tries to be God, by Dr. David P. Murray

Also recommended:

Billy Graham and Rome, by Dr. Ian Paisley
Franklin Graham's Rock the River Abomination, by Pastor Ralph Ovadal

Jesus Said: "Go Ye Therefore and Preach the Gospel to Every Nation!" That Includes North Korea!

Recommended reading and Listening:

No Other Name! Satan REALLY Hates This Sermon