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March 29th, 2020

3/29/2020

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​Dear brothers & sisters in Christ, 

This time of trial has caused some to be frightened while others may be bored, angry or depressed. But since it has been permitted by God, it is for our good. Trials build our faith and give us opportunity to be used as a testimony of God's grace. Keep praying and looking up! Our redemption draws near! 

I shared this with the men at our Bible study last year. I think it is appropriate for us today. 

"This sickness is not unto death." John 11:4 

"From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an "unto" within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord saith to the waves of pain, "Hitherto shall ye go, but no further." His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people. Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.
1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive. The God of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses; each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated, each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.
2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed, and to the grace apportioned. Affliction comes not at haphazard-the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured. He who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.
3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." A mother's heart cries, "Spare my child"; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation, that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of our tribulations."
-Charles Spurgeon 

Five Reasons We Worry
1.     We don’t trust God Isaiah 26:3, 1Peter 5:7
2.     We look at our circumstances & lose sight of the Lord Matthew 14:30,
3.     We forget He is always with us Hebrews 13:5
4.     We try to figure things out in our own wisdom  Matthew 6:31-33, Philippians 4:6
5.     We look to human help Jeremiah 17:5, Hebrews 13:6
 
Look to others and be depressed
Look to self and be distressed
Look to Jesus and be blessed
 
"Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me"
Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea:
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee--
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!
—Edward Hooper
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A Letter From Pastor Miller

3/21/2020

1 Comment

 
Dear loved ones in Christ,

I don't know about you, but I am missing having services and meetings a lot! I miss you all and pray that this virus thing will end soon. 

No doubt you have spent a great deal of time seeking to digest the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic. It is good to stay informed and to avoid the virus, but being obsessed with the news is not helpful or good for our spiritual health. Paul in Philippians 4:8 encourages us to think on things that are edifying and uplifting and that honor the Lord. The best thing we can do to calm our fears and uplift our spirits is to read God's Word, especially the Psalms. In the Psalms we find that our situation is not unique and that many of God's people have suffered similar things. They not only have survived; they have thrived and shared their testimonies on the pages of Scripture. 

Psalm 91 has long been one of my favorites, and the author's words fit with the current crisis that we are experiencing now. 

First, he declares the special relationship and trust he has in God in vs. 1-2: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." No one, but the believer in Christ can say this: The Lord is "my refuge", "my fortress", "my God" "in Him I will trust". 

In verses 3-10, he speaks of God's active protection. "He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge". These verses have often been claimed by servicemen in war, but it can be claimed by believers today as well. Not the words "pestilence", "evil" and "plague". You can properly insert "coronavirus" here. God will protect His children in times like these and at all other times. This is not a guarantee that we will escape the coronavirus, but that  He is in control. God will be right there with us in the midst of our trial. He may use it to punish the wicked, but for the saints, it is an opportunity to declare our faith and glorify the Lord (1 Peter 1:7). 

We see that even the angels are involved in our protection in verses 11-13. Note: Hebrews 1:14. 

The Psalm ends (vs. 14-16) with a reiteration that God cares for His own, that He answers prayer and honors those who trust Him in times of trouble. 

The bottom line is this: "God will take care of you!" 

Be not dismayed whate'er betide,
  God will take care of you!
Beneath His wings of love abide,
  God will take care of you!
God will take care of you,
Through every day o'er all the way;
 He will take care of you;
  God will take care of you!
 Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
  God will take care of you!
When dangers fierce your path assail,
  God will take care of you!
 All you may need He will provide,
  God will take care of you!
Trust Him, and you will be satisfied,
  God will take care of you!
 Lonely and sad, from friends apart,
  God will take care of you!
He will give peace to your aching heart,
  God will take care of you!
 No matter what may be the test,
  God will take care of you!
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
  God will take care of you!


Love & prayers for you all, 
Pastor Dan

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A New Church in Town Grows Space, Expands Ministries

7/13/2019

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The former Sacred Heart church on Northside in Virginia is now Grace & Truth Bible Church, which relocated from Aurora, where it was incorporated in 1988. 

VIRGINIA – After over 30 years in Aurora, Grace & Truth Bible Church has moved to a new location on the north side of Virginia. There were several factors that led to this relocation, but the main reasons were the need for more space, the availability of the former Sacred Heart Church building, and the desire to expand ministries already in Virginia.
Grace & Truth Bible Church was incorporated in 1988 as a non-denominational Bible church to share the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and to teach the Word of God. GTBC purchased the West End Liquor store in Aurora, converted it into a church, and has met there for the past 30 years.
A few years ago, we started a sister church in Virginia called Laurentian Bible Church. This congregation was meeting in the Alice Nettell community room but was looking for a permanent location. At the same time, GTBC had been considering an addition to the building in Aurora because it lacked a fellowship hall and Sunday school space. It was suggested that perhaps it would be good to combine the two ministries and look for a building in Virginia. This made sense since many of the congregants were closer to Virginia than Aurora and because there were already many ministries of the church in the Virginia area.
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Grace & Truth Bible Church is now located at 601 12th St. N. in Virginia.
So, the two congregations began looking at buildings in Virginia and considered two of them: the former Whole Foods Co-op building and the Sacred Heart Church. After many months of prayer and negotiations, the Sacred Heart building was purchased. It is a wonderful facility with a large auditorium, fellowship hall and commercial kitchen. It is exactly what was needed to continue current ministries and with room to grow.
Our beliefs: GTBC places a great emphasis on the clear teaching of Scripture. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, an inerrant, infallible and sufficient source of truth. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ apart from human merit, works or religious rituals. It is a gift offered to anyone who believes that Jesus paid for their sins through his death and resurrection.
Our ministries: In addition to our regular services on Sunday morning at 10 a.m., Sunday evening at 6 p.m., and Wednesday Bible study and prayer meeting at 6 p.m., we have many other outreaches.
For children, there is Sunday school at 10 a.m., Kids 4 Truth on Wednesday at 6 p.m., Vacation Bible School in June, and Summer Bible Camp for kids ages 8 – 12, and for ages 12 and up in July/August at Camp George E. Sigel on Lake Esquagama. There is also a youth group which meets on Saturdays.
For seniors, Grace & Truth has ministries at many senior care facilities in the area, including Edgewood Vista and Waterview Pines in Virginia. We also go to nursing home facilities in Aurora, Biwabik, and Eveleth.
For hurting people, 2B Free Addiction Ministry was started ten years ago to share the power of Christ to deliver people from addiction to drugs and alcohol. It has been a great joy to see people come to freedom by trusting in Jesus Christ and then following Him.
For those in other countries, GTBC believes in our responsibility to reach out to those without Christ everywhere. We help in the support of missionaries in Brazil, Mozambique, France, Canada, and the U.S.
We also host special events. Through the years we have held Bible and missionary conferences, biblical plays, sacred music concerts, prayer breakfasts, luncheons, and other special meetings.
The congregation of GTBC is excited to be in Virginia and hope to have a positive influence on the community and the surrounding area. For more information please check our website at gtbconline.com
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The Spiritual Side of Addiction

8/13/2018

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All my life-long I had panted for a drink from some cool spring that I hope would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. – Clara Williams

We know that there are emotional and physical causes for addiction to drugs and alcohol. But there is something else at the root of addiction which precedes the first drink or the first hit and that has to do with our relationship with God. We were born with an emptiness, a need that can only be filled by God himself. 

​ Mankind has tried a myriad of ways to fill that void. Some try money, success, and fame and others use drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or some other addictive thing in an attempt to find purpose and fulfillment in life. But this spiritual need for God can only be remedied by faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus put it this way, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” What a wonderful promise! Not only will Jesus fill that void within our soul, but our hearts will overflow with peace and joy. I have seen this occur again and again with those who have found freedom from addictions by faith in Jesus Christ.

Addictions directly affect individuals, their families and those around them.
2B Free Ministries was founded in 2009 to help people address the spiritual causes behind addiction. Since then, we have witnessed God work miracles in many lives.

Hallelujah, I have found Him whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings, thru His blood I now am saved. – Clara Williams

Here a few who would like to share their stories:
JACKIE: Hello, my name is Jackie. I had been on alcohol and medications for over 35 years. I had pills to wake up, to sleep, for pain, etc. When I couldn’t get prescriptions, I would get them from others. They were all controlled substances that I thought I needed. I felt terrible when I didn’t have them…I was addicted.
After the death of my husband, I was a mess mentally and physically. I cried out to God to help me, asked for His forgiveness, and prayed for healing to rid my body from all these medications. I held on to the Lord, and He was with me through it all. I started reading my Bible to get to know Jesus personally. 2B Free Ministries helped me understand my addiction problem and gave me encouragement to use the power that Jesus gave me when I trusted Him as my Savior. Today I am on no medications. I have a new life with my family. I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for setting me free. John 8:36: “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” I also want to thank my family, with whom God has blessed me, for all their love and support.

WARD: It may seem strange for me to say that the way to conquer addiction is to give up faith. However, this is what I did. When the thought I might be drinking too much struck me, I made a firm resolution to have only two or three drinks a night. Sometimes this worked. Next, I decided that only weekend drinking would be allowed. For a time, this too worked. When I again failed to stay consistently sober, and even while still drunk, I would pour out the remaining stash with full intention of staying straight once and for all. Needless to say, the liquor store clerk would grin and hand me my change a few days later. I have been sober a total of eight years to date. So, what did work? It was literally falling, unscripted, uncensored, and uncontrolled; collapsing helplessly before God, without pride, as a child before a loving parent. You see, I had to give up faith in myself and place my faith in God alone.

ANGIE: My story begins without Jesus in my thinking or life. Choosing to do what I deemed exciting at the time, I found myself addicted to meth, alcohol, and the many things that are attached to that lifestyle, not caring about others or myself. A person that cared for me suggested that we turn to God for help. I began reading the book of John in the Bible and found that I have a Savior in Jesus Christ. Starting to attend 2B Free Ministries and a Bible-believing church helped me to understand myself and my awesome God. He took away my sinful lifestyle and replaced it with peace, sobriety, and fellowship with others who will lead me to a better life. Psalm 34:8: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

BRIAN: (My wife) Amber and I have a similar story with others who have had a problem with drugs or alcohol. It wasn’t until I acknowledged I was lost and needed a savior that I understood my addiction was a choice. God didn’t choose this for me; I did. Jesus died on the cross for my bad choices; my sin.

AMBER: Like my husband, I heard that I had a disease or that it couldn’t be taken from me. They said to do steps every day or take medicine to help to stop wanting drugs, and I would get my life back. Funny thing is that I did need help. I admitted to God I couldn’t do it without him and believed he could take this from me. So, I asked God for help and kept asking him what to do. It was not a system of works that gave me freedom. It was God. Though I was saved when I was younger, it wasn’t until recently that I chose to follow him. The right choices where easy because I put God first and read his Word. He transformed my life, my family and others around me. People don’t even see the woman I used to be. I walk with him every day; I was made new in Christ.

AMANDA: I was raised with a long family line of alcoholism. I started at a young age and by the time high school came around I was drinking every day. I had totally given up my life to Satan. I had friends who tried to save me and get me to accept Christ. I would sneer and say, “I don’t need to be saved.” One day a lady in the Las Cruces homeless shelter explained that Jesus is with us always when we accept that he died for our sins and was resurrected. I could accept a friend. It just clicked with me. I was all alone in New Mexico and a friend is what I needed. For years I continued in my ways, but I started to get to know who Christ is and his life. My addiction took me to very dark paths of spiritual warfare. Yet I continued to search who God was. There were dark times where I wanted to give my life to Satan. I wasn’t strong enough to stop. I reached my end after years of drugs arrests and extensive mental illness. I cried out and said. “When I run off my cliff of addiction and lose everything I’m yours.” I kept my promise. Four months later I had lost everything for the last time. I threw my hands up. “Get me out of here!” Nine days later I was arrested, and I’ve been not only Jesus’ friend, but I made him my Savior (something I’ve never done before). That day was April 10, 2011. The spiritual warfare was bad in my last jail time, but I had the power of Jesus and was able to come out clean and white as snow. I have no mental illness or urge to use anymore. Christ is my King, my Savior, and my friend.

AMY: We all have specifics in our stories that have lead us down paths of destruction not knowing beforehand what lays ahead. We use and/or abuse because we are either trying to ease the pain or stress of someone who has hurt us or a situation to difficult to deal with in reality. We might think we can disguise or hide in our addiction or vice of choice from some horrible thing we have done wrong and just can’t deal with the consequences. From there, one bad choice begets the next bad choice. Then we find ourselves at a place of “HELP! I’m in a pit so deep I can’t get myself out!” You’re right, you can’t get yourself out and neither can another person. It took me a very (very) long time to get to that place of “HELP!” and I assure you that my only helper was through the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ alone who brought me out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. (Psalm 40:2) I was able to understand my need for salvation by getting to know who Jesus really is and the sacrifice of His death on the cross to forgive me of my sins. I began reading the Bible and seeking to spend time with other people who were believers as well. While I realized just how much of my sin nature was a heart issue, I was able to learn through scripture just how much God really loves me to have a plan for my life even while I am a sinner. (John 3:16) It doesn’t matter how big the sin (bad thing) you have done or even how long it has been going on. God wants every one of us to give it over to the One who came to take it for us because we cannot do it ourselves. It doesn’t take twelve steps – just ONE! Jesus Christ paid it all. Take the step or leap of faith or just fall. He is waiting to catch you.

I love the Savior You sent for me, To die on the cross at Calvary. On the third you were risen So I could be free from this prison.
​

Meetings for 2B Free are held every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the community room of Alice Nettel Tower in Virginia.
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Why the Resurrection is Important

4/16/2017

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​Why the Resurrection is Important
You seek Jesus… He is not here; for He is risen
 
During the French Revolution, somebody said to Talleyrand, bishop of Autun: “The Christian religion—what is it? It would be easy to start a religion like that.” “Oh, yes,” Talleyrand replied. “One would only have to get crucified and rise again the third day.
 
The resurrection of Christ is the most confirmed event in ancient human history. We know more about His trial, death, and burial than any other person, and we also have numerous eyewitness accounts of His resurrection. There are four detailed gospel accounts of the life of Christ. The message of the apostles was that Jesus whom they had crucified, God had raised from the dead. Add to this the testimony of Paul, the chief persecutor of Christians, who became the resurrection’s most ardent defender.
 
Furthermore, we have the empty tomb which had been sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers; the marked change in the disciples’ actions before and after the resurrection; the willingness of the early Christians to die for their faith, and the transformed lives of people up to this very hour. All these things and many more give ample reason to trust in the truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
In what ways is Christ’s resurrection important?
 
Without it, Christianity would not exist - 1Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
 
Do you remember David Koresh? He predicted that he would rise from the dead. How many Koreshians exist today?
 
William Lane Craig: “Without the belief in the resurrection the Christian faith could not have come into being. The disciples would have remained crushed and defeated men. Even had they continued to remember Jesus as their beloved teacher, his crucifixion would have forever silenced any hopes of his being the Messiah. The cross would have remained the sad and shameful end of his career. The origin of Christianity therefore hinges on the belief of the early disciples that God had raised Jesus from the dead.”
 
Without it, Christ’s claims are unreliable
 
He lied when He claimed that He would rise from the dead. Jesus always mentioned His resurrection when predicting His death. For example: Matthew 16:21   Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.                      
 
He lied about His ability to give eternal life.  John 6:47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. And at the tomb of Lazarus (whom He raised from the dead) Jesus said this: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”
 
He lied about who He was. In John 8:51-59 Jesus claimed to be God, claimed to be able to give life, and said He would rise from the grave three days after He was crucified. Everything He said hinged on His resurrection.
           
 
John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs: “Jesus claimed to be God; God doesn't lie, and Jesus said that He would rise from the dead on the third day.  If there was no resurrection of his literal, physical body from the tomb in which he was buried, then he is a liar and not God, and Christianity is false.  However, if Jesus did rise from the dead, then He proved his claim to be God, and Christianity is true.  It would indicate we should listen to him and not to some other. After all, no other religious leader has come back from the grave, but Jesus.”
 
Without it, we have no lasting hope.  1Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
 
No hope of the forgiveness of our sins. In Ephesians 1:7 Paul declared: In whom… we have the forgiveness of sins. But he also said: if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  The good news of the gospel is that Jesus died and arose for the forgiveness of our sins. The resurrection proves God accepted His payment on our behalf.
 
No hope of eternal life. In John 10:28, Jesus said this: I give them eternal life and they will never perish. And the most beloved verse in the Bible makes the same claim: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But a dead Savior can save no one nor can He give eternal life.
 
But if Christ did indeed rise from the dead as attested by the evidence of history and the testimony of countless people who have placed their faith in Him, then the resurrection is an event with enormous implications.
 
Jesus is the only way to God. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
 
Michael Green: “If Jesus is, as the resurrection asserts, God Himself who has come to our rescue, then to reject Him, or even neglect Him, is sheer folly. That is why Jesus is not, never has been, and never can be just one among the religious leaders of mankind.”
 
By faith in Jesus, one can have assurance of a home in heaven and eternal life. John 14: 3 I go to prepare a place for you… that where I am, there you may be also. 1John 5:13 Believe…  that you may know that you have eternal life.
 
Wayne A. Lamb: In the midst of a storm, a little bird was clinging to the limb of a tree, seemingly calm and unafraid.  As the wind tore at the limbs of the tree, the bird continued to look the storm in the face, as if to say, "Shake me off; I still have wings."
 
Because of Christ's resurrection, each Christian can look the experience of death in the face and confidently say, "Shake me off; I still have wings.  I'll live anyway."


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Be Ready Always

11/13/2016

1 Comment

 
No matter the outcome of the election on November 8th, we need to prepare our hearts and lives to share the reason for our hope for the future. It is not based on a political candidate or party, but upon the promises of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are our sure foundation amidst troublous times looking forward to the promise of eternal salvation in glory.
 
The future for believers in America may include suffering (1 Peter 3:14), but suffering righteously gives us an opportunity to share our faith. Remember what happened when Peter was asked about his faith during the trial of Jesus. He denied knowing the Lord! Peter did not want that to happen to His readers. They could be strong in the Lord - but they needed to be ready and not taken off guard like he was - bragged when he should have recognized his weakness, slept when he should have prayed, fought when he should have submitted, fled when he should have stood firm.
How many opportunities to witness for Christ have we missed, simply because we were not ready????!!!
 
Ready means sanctifying the Lord in our hearts first - we need to be abiding in the vine, walking with the Lord, being filled with the Spirit.
Ready means knowing how to defend our faith - we need to know what we believe and why we believe it - to know what a person needs to do to be saved and verses to back up our witness.
Ready means an attitude of meekness and fear - that we need to witness with humility toward men and fear toward the Lord.
 
Let us purpose in our hearts, right now, to be ready always to speak of Christ in these last days before He returns.
 
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel...
(Romans 1:15)
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Why No Outery?

12/31/2015

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​If a deadly disease was killing one out of ten of your family, friends and co-workers, you would probably be upset, outraged and clamoring for something to be done. But wait, there is already something out there killing our loved ones, friends and neighbors. Its name is alcohol, and nobody seems to care. A recent report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of premature death among working-age adults. It included the shocking news that one in ten working-age adults die from excessive drinking. Hello! Does anybody care? Or are you content to watch them die prematurely?
Early death from alcohol is only part of the problem. Add to this the broken homes, the lost jobs, the poverty, the neglected children, the spousal abuse, and the crimes associated with alcohol misuse – our prisons are filled with those who committed crimes under the influence. The cost of drunkenness to our society is unfathomable. Yet, the response to this human holocaust is deafening silence. We are constantly warned about tobacco and drug use but hear hardly a peep about alcohol. Why are there not daily stories in the media about the great danger of alcohol? No, instead we read stories that moderate use of alcohol is good for your health. These studies and reports are sponsored by the same ones who are making big money off the people it harms.  Why aren’t our leaders concerned, and why aren’t there demands to at least warn people about the dangers of drinking? Rather, we are bombarded by slick ads from the liquor industry targeting young people with the impression that happiness wondrously appears when alcohol is consumed. At the same time, they disguise the fact that alcohol may well destroy one’s life. And their little disclaimer “Drink Responsibly” is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. Big alcohol spends over two billion dollars a year in advertising encouraging people to drink. Alcohol sales results in billions of dollars of income for these companies while individuals and society suffer under its effects. 
The problems caused by drinking are readily apparent on the Iron Range where the bar long ago replaced the church as the primary social institution. Visitors are astounded with the number of drinking establishments in our towns. We all know families and individuals suffering because of alcohol. We all have a friend or loved one who has died prematurely from its use. I grew up in an alcoholic household and prayed every day that my dad would come from work sober. I witnessed the chaos alcohol caused in our home; the arguments, missed work, my mother weeping because there wasn’t enough money to buy food and pay the bills. By the grace of God, I came through that experience with an aversion to alcohol and a desire to help people suffering from it. People can be delivered from this killer. This Christmas season let us remember that Jesus Christ came “to heal the broken-hearted and set the captive free.” He died and arose to give us forgiveness of sin and a sure hope for the future. By trusting in him we can enjoy a life with meaning and purpose. My advice to young people is to never touch this deadly poison. And to those already held in its grip, please get help before you become a statistic. God has something better for you.
Dan Miller, 2B Free Ministries
​
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Son of God or Something Else?

3/23/2014

1 Comment

 
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 

If you haven’t noticed, the film “Son of God” is coming to a theater near you. It is the product of “new agers” Roma Downey and Mark Burnett devotees of false teacher Eckart Tolle. Tolle is also highly regarded and promoted by Oprah Winfrey. In his book, A New Earth (page 13), he writes: "You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge." With this kind of belief system, there is no need for forgiveness of sin, the substitutionary death of Christ or the gospel to save sinners. Yet, this movie is being touted as evangelistic! By the way, Downey also appeared on the Sci-Fi channel with psychic John Edwards seeking to make contact with her dead mother (a demonic practice called “necromancy” and strongly condemned in the Bible). 

These are not credentials for producing a true to Scripture, God honoring and evangelistic film, but they are good enough for Hollywood and for the evangelical community today! This film seems to be endorsed by everyone, from Rick Warren, to Calvary Chapel, from the Catholic Church to Liberty University. 

One blogger wrote: “This is huge. It is Ecumenical. Interdenominational. It is drawing the Olsteens, the Catholic Archbishops, the Warren camp. T.D. Jakes, etc. So many BIG NAME religious leaders (and false teachers) are putting money into it, and probably making a lot money out of it.”

Why is it that Christians are so easily taken in by this error? I think the problem lies in our desire for acceptance by the world, the longing for an easy way to witness, a lack of discernment, ignorance of Scripture, wanting to feel good and be entertained, etc… We want people to be saved, but unfortunately, that is not going to happen without the truth of the gospel being given; truth that people do not want to hear and truth that Hollywood will never give out in clarity! 

Witnessing is the true believer’s responsibility (Matthew 28:18-20) and that is what we need to be doing because: “How shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14). 

…because of false brethren secretly brought in… to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. 
Galatians 2:4-5
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Have you been inoculated against the gospel? 

12/30/2013

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No, I’m not speaking of a procedure performed by a doctor or nurse in a clinic. This one is more likely to be carried out by a clergyman in a church. The gospel of Christ (through which we can know our sins are forgiven and that we can have, as a present possession, eternal life - 1John 5:13) is the most wonderful message in the world. Jesus paid the debt of sin by His sacrificial substitutionary death on the cross (2Corinthians 5:21) and because He has risen, is able to give eternal life to all who trust in Him (John 6:47). But that message is only effective if the person recognizes their need and receives it by faith. 
The “inoculated” person feels that they are safe, not sick and have no need of the gospel. They are like the person who has received a flu shot and who feels that they are protected from influenza. 

How does this work? Sometimes it is like this: an individual is born into a religious home and are brought to the church to be baptized as an infant (though this is not taught anywhere in Scripture, it has become the tradition in many ritualistic churches). This initial baptism supposedly forgives original sin and makes the baby a child of God. Later the vows given by the god-parents are repeated by the child at his/her confirmation. Confirmation, therefore, serves as kind of a “booster shot” to the original one given at their baptism. So now the confirmant feels they are safe and secure for their sins were washed away by the waters of baptism and they have made their vows to God through confirmation. Sadly, their security is based upon their religious works, rather than upon Christ and His work of salvation. They have been inoculated against the gospel; the gospel has become of “no effect” or ineffectual for them.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 1Corinthians 1:17 

Now, when this person hears someone say that they need to be saved from their sins, they do not understand. After all, they have been baptized and confirmed – they do not need Christ; they do not need to be born again; they have been there and done that! Jesus described them this way: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). Unfortunately, the inoculated person is usually farther away from salvation than a drug addict or prostitute because the outright sinner is more likely to admit his/her lost condition. To lead such a “gospel resistant” person to Christ requires convincing them that they are lost sinners despite their religion. They are much like Nicodemus in John three, a religious Pharisee who Jesus had to convince that he needed to be born again. Likewise, Paul in Philippians three had to exchange his religious works for the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Other inoculated people include many who have gone forward in a church service; those who have prayed the sinner’s prayer, or asked Jesus into their heart, or made a commitment to God but have no real understanding of the gospel. They have done something external, but they have never really understood their sinful condition before a holy God, their inability to save themselves, and the truth that Jesus died on the cross to provide forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Gospel presentations must include an explanation of man’s condition (Romans 3:10, 23, 6:23) and God’s provision through Christ  (Romans 5:8, 1Corinthians 15:3-4, 2Corinthians 5:21, 1Peter 2:24, 3:18, 1John 4:10). Finally, the sinner must understand that salvation is received by faith alone apart from works (Romans 4:5, Titus 3:5, Galatians 2:16). 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 

Let me ask you this: Is your hope of eternal salvation based on your baptism, church membership and other religious works; or have you trusted Jesus Christ, His perfect work and His promise to save all who come to Him in simple faith? If so, you can claim this guarantee from God’s Word: 

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life 
(1John 5:13).
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Fundamentalist Snake Charming Especially for pastors and leaders...

10/6/2013

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Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1


Fundamentalist Snake Charming Especially for pastors and leaders...

Recently a good friend of mine, Bruce Oyen posted a warning about the use of alcohol.  It brought to mind the sad statistics I read last week regarding the use of alcohol among Christian pastors and leaders, much less their congregations. That, in turn, brought to mind the young men I have personally buried as a result of this scourge. This flashback evoked memories of the half naked and hungry children we shuttled into our Sunday School buses (when it was still socially acceptable to run bus routes) and the long trail of counseling and admonitions relating to the abuse, scandal, and destruction this scourge brings. That, in turn, evoked my last provocative thought:

Surely, any pastor who labors in the trenches must hate alcohol in his very soul. Notwithstanding all those debates about the wine at Cana, we all know that we are not comparing apples with apples when we use Cana to justify the modern use of alcohol. While we rightfully bemoan the effects of tobacco and second hand smoke, our duplicity is overwhelming and our silence is deafening.  And, those who insist that alcoholism is a disease must still admit that it is contracted on the lip of the glass, a glass we Christians complacently hand off to our children when they "come of age."  Alcohol is the scourge we refuse to see, exacting a horrific toll on the “church” and the world. It is another elephant in room, affecting a shocking number of families in our own Christian circles.
  • We do not see the consequences of this scourge because we refuse to see it. We prefer to close our minds to the daily toll this substance takes right before our very eyes.
  • We don’t see the danger, because we blithely think that our drinking in moderation will spare us (and our children for generations to come) from going down that same path. Yet the facts prove otherwise.  The flood waters may still be up river, but sooner or later they arrive and this dancing viper willstrike someone you love.  Pray to God that the first missteps of their downfall will not be at your hands.
  • We don’t see the danger, because to stand against alcohol is to be labeled as a legalistic vestige of a bygone era. Perish the thought that our legalistic fathers could have been lovingly warning us against the things they saw, firsthand!
  • Mostly, we choose to ignore this issue because we kowtow to a peer driven culture which professes tolerance to all (except those who would warn against evil). The thin veneer suggesting that our motives are evangelistic, is just that.  One can be as wise as a serpent without dancing with one.

The fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25), and few snares are as damning as alcohol.

It’s time we let our blood boil with a little more indignation instead of boiling with the inebriating bubbles that portend destruction. It’s time we stepped away from snake charming.

Pastor, when was the last time you warned your sheep about this scourge? Are you willing to face the truth about the use of alcohol among your sheep? 

The next time you think of those supposed snake charmers, ask yourself, “Who’s really charming whom?”

Take a few seconds and read Bruce Oyen’s blog on this vital subject.

For a good biblical treatment, read Bob Thompson’s paper on alcohol.
Wine and Strong Drink.pdf


See also:

Forty Percent of Evangelical Leaders Drink Alcohol


Moody Drops Alcohol Use Restriction for Faculty and Staff


Need an inexpensive and basic tract on this subject?


Posted at: http://mynewcovenantlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/fundamentalist-snake-charming.html
Composed by: James Steel
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