23. March 2011 by PawBill.

If you are like most Americans, you probably have not given a lot of thought to “spontaneous baptisms,” a recent Christian practice or “spontaneous beheadings,” an Islamic practice for disobedience against Allah or Sharia Law. 

This past Sunday my local church offered “spontaneous baptisms” in all six-morning services—three traditional and three contemporary.  Evangelical Christian churches are offering spontaneous baptisms as a way of enticing believers who have made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ but who have not been baptized for whatever reason, “to come on down.”  If you have an interest in learning more about  “spontaneous baptism, ” access Google for additional information and video on the subject.    

As J. Gerald Harris, Editor, of The Christian Index, wrote in his November 4, 2010, editorial on spontaneous baptisms: “Baptism is more than a religious ritual, some type of rededication or an opportunity to emulate something noble Christ did when He was immersed by John the Baptist.  It is a tremendously meaningful representation of an everlasting, life-changing, spiritual birth.”  

John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River at the beginning of His earthly ministry. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16 NIV). 

Islam does not have a tradition of water baptism.  Their tradition as supported by the Koran is one of beheadings and honor killings.  If an infidel will not convert, they should be beheaded.  Sharia or sacred Islamic Law is adamant when it comes to their religious practices or “doctrines.”   

Within Islam, if one converts from Islam to Christianity they are in danger of being disowned by their family and possibly being beheaded.  This is the “Sharia Law of the land” if you are living in a Muslim country; Sharia Law has not yet found its way to the shores of America where beheadings and honor killings are publicly condoned or openly practiced, but the “dark days” are coming, and they may not be far away. 

So which religion fits your understanding of a merciful God: One that offers spontaneous public baptisms or one that offers spontaneous public beheadings and honor killings?  You can leave the Christian faith and no one will really care, but a Muslim cannot leave the Islamic faith without grave repercussions. 

I am going to stand with Jesus Christ.  After all, He is the “True light of the world,” not darkness.  How about you? 

Comments to: billery@theindwelling.org or bt@northloopcottage.com.

Visit: www.twitter.com/closetchristian  Copyright © 2008-2011 by: North Loop Cottage LLC / NorthLoopCottage.com / TheIndwelling.org.   

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22. March 2011 by PawBill.

What do Christianity and Islam have in common?  While not trying to be too critical of either, the word “nothing” seems appropriate.

It is not the Gods they worship. Christians worship the God of the Holy Bible—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Muslims worship Allah, the god of Mohammad; the two are not the same although two offspring’s of Abraham, Isaac from his wife Sarah, and Ishmael, from Sarah’s maidservant Hagar, were both in the household of Abraham who worshiped the one true God.  Both were told that they would become great nations but not great nations who would worship the same God.  A careful study and comparison of the Holy Bible and the Koran (Qur’an) will reveal the Truth, if one has the Holy Spirit of the one True God.  

It is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible said: “I and the father are one” John 10:29 NIV;  “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” John11: 25-26 NIV;  “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well” John 14:6-7 NIV.  Jesus claimed that He and God were one. 

The Jesus of Christianity and the Jesus of Islam are the same person in name only. The Jesus of the Koran is not God, only a prophet.  The Jesus of the Koran will worship Allah as a believer and will do Allah’s beckoning in converting the world to Islam; when he comes he will deny that he was the Christ. 

The Jesus of Christianity will return to earth for His believers and to save the Jews.  The Jesus of Islam will return to earth, not for his followers, but to kill the Jews if they will not convert to Islam.

It is not the message.  The message of the Koran and Muhammad is a message of world conquest—the Jew must be wiped off the face of the earth and everyone who will not profess Allah at his coming will be executed by having their head removed.  There will be a judgment day for both; your earthly works will determine if you enter heaven if you are a follower of Allah but not if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. 

The message of Jesus Christ and Christianity is one of love, forgiveness and grace, and all who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will enter heaven through grace, not works done while on earth.  All who will not accept the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ—“He died for your sins, was buried and arose from the dead on the third day”—will not be martyred on earth by Christians, but they will face God at the great white throne judgment day and will then be cast into the lake of fire. Please read the twentieth chapter of the book of Revelation for details if you are so inclined and are in search of the Truth. 

The commonality of both religions is this: each has followers and disciples that are not following the “truth” of their religions.  There are those who profess Christianity who Jesus will condemn at His second coming because “they never knew Him.”  They knew about Jesus, but they did not actually know Him because they had not been born again.  In other words, they tried to pick and chose what they would believe about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.   

A true Christian must have confessed and accepted the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ and must have allowed the Holy Spirit of God to indwell and direct their walk in their new birth. There are many, maybe the majority of those who call themselves Christians, who have not truly met Jesus and have not walked in His Spirit. 

The true follower of Islam and Muhammad is the Jihadist (check out Wahhabism / Salafism in Wikipedia) who is living the truth of the Koran and Muhammad’s teachings—the Osama Bin Laden’s of the world, if you will.  Moderate Muslims are not following the true teachings of the Koran and Muhammad but follow oral traditions and teachings of the Hadith and other literature; those who are strict and faithful followers of Islam view them as infidels.   

Moderate Muslims are good people, but moderates do not have a scriptural (Koran) basis for their position.  Thus, Allah cannot be their god because they are not following the commandments of Allah and once the Caliphate and Sharia (sacred Islamic Law) are in place worldwide, there will only be “closet moderates” as there are “closet Christians” in today’s world. 

In America, Christianity and Islam can coexist peacefully (not really but let’s assume they can for this discussion since this is part of the “BIG” lie expounded and perpetuated by the ill informed in America’s press and those without Jesus Christ) and proclaim the truths of their beliefs in both their words and their writings. To ban Christian rhetoric and not Islamic rhetoric is inherently wrong, but this is what the President of the United States condones by his words, actions and in his support of the United Nation’s hate speech agenda.  

Violent hatemongering that endangers an individual’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot and should not be tolerated as a way of life for any group.  Unfortunately, American Christians have chosen to bury their heads in the sand and believe the “lie” of Islam and refuse to stand and declare the saving grace of Jesus Christ. 

An “Islamic moderate” is just a  “closet jihadist” who has not yet been embolden to accepted the “Glory of Islam” to come.  For those of you who have doubts, check it out at your local mosque. 

Those are my thoughts for today, what are yours? 

Comments to: billery@theindwelling.org or bt@northloopcottage.com.

Visit: www.twitter.com/closetchristian  

Copyright © 2008-2011 by: North Loop Cottage LLC / NorthLoopCottage.com / TheIndwelling.org. 

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9. March 2011 by PawBill.

I remember the first X-rated film I watched with my parents.  Actually, it was the first I ever watched. It was in 1969 and at the time I was twenty-seven years old. My wife and I had invited my parents to spend the weekend with us and going to a movie was something we all enjoyed. 

The X-rated film we watched was Midnight Cowboy and stared Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. I do not believe we knew what the picture was about, or we would have perhaps selected another show. According to Wikipedia it is the only X-rated movie to win an Academy Award; it received a Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adopted Screenplay.  In 1994 the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  There is no comparison between what you can see today in terms of nudity and foul language as compared to what you could have seen over forty years ago. 

At the time I recall uneasiness in watching some of the scenes with my parents sitting next to me, and I am sure my parents felt likewise. Since that time my wife and I raised two children, and we are now proud grandparents of five wonderful grandchildren.  The pornographic images and degrading language in movies and on television have grown more despicable since 1969, and America’s obsession with sexual immorality has allowed images to become available to younger and younger generations.  I guess I am still “old school,” but trash is trash no matter how it’s packaged or what the enlightened think.  I fear for my grandchildren and the “secular immorality” they will live under in their future years. 

What bothers me most, I think, is that at the time I considered myself to be a Christian, but I said nothing to stop or even condemn the coming onslaught of pornography and inappropriate language. My head was buried in the sand. Now, Christians over the years have, like the Pharisees of Biblical times in their self-righteous, established man-made “rules to live by” all in the name of God.  In my early childhood and Christian life informal rules existed: For instance, there was to be no card playing, no dancing, no drinking, no swearing, no working on Sunday and no exceptions.  In the final analysis, I should have been more outspoken over the years because pornography is sexual immorality and is still sin in God’s eyes. 

Jesus Christ came to set man free from the “do not” man-made lists.  “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch’?  These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.  Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” Colossians 2:21-23 NIV. 

The Christian should “clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love and let the peace of God rule in their hearts through the Holy Spirit’s presence” (paraphrased from Colossians 3:12-17).  They should be listening and walking in the power of the Spirit, not establishing their own self-righteous commandments that do not come from God. 

So, here is my point.  Christians should exhibit a standard of morality and decency above and beyond that of the people they live amongst.  There is nothing wrong with not viewing TV or movies that are inherently immoral.  A censorship campaign does not have to be launched; Christians just need to stop watching pornography and stop condoning it by their silence. 

When will enough become enough for the American Christian? People of other nations have a view that all Americans live the lifestyle portrayed by the actors they watch in American movies and on TV.  Do you want to be viewed as immoral by the rest of the world?  I know I certainly don’t! 

Encourage your church and pastors to get concerned about the immorality that has invaded the world and even infects many churches and their memberships.  If Christians will not speak out against immorality and quit living the immoral lifestyle themselves, then who will?   

Comments to: billery@theindwelling.org or bt@northloopcottage.com.

Visit: www.twitter.com/closetchristian  

Copyright © 2008-2011 by: North Loop Cottage LLC / NorthLoopCottage.com / TheIndwelling.org.  All rights reserved 

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1. March 2011 by PawBill.

“…The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me (Hebrews 13:6 NIV)?”

Christian, have you turned the other cheek lately?  Not your fatty butt cheeks made that way by your gluttonous life style, but your other cheek.  You know, the one Jesus talked about: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5: 39 NIV). 

This verse has intrigued me as I’ve read it over the years and entertained thoughts about bullies and just downright mean people in my mind.  I’m afraid I would be prone to strike back when confronted with actual physical violence.  How about you?  Verbal abuse, however, is another story. I can let the verbal roll off by laughing and smiling at the abuser or abusers; it makes them extremely mad when you respond that way.  I’m just joking, of course, but it does bring this to question: “Was Jesus really telling believers to accept physical violence and abuse?” 

What I’ve come to believe is this: Jesus is telling us to be better than those around us.  He gave His followers a standard to uphold and strive toward. If we lack forgiveness and confront evil with evil, how are we as Christians any better than non-believers?  A Christian’s “lifestyle” should be of such persuasion that the worldly would want to have the same peace and happiness shown by the Christian. Reacting as the heathen react does not set the Christian apart but only makes him conform to the evil around.  If you have to defend yourself from a violent confrontation, defend yourself, but have no malice or revengeful motives in your heart (my thoughts).

Considering today’s current events, this brings me to another aspect of “turning the other cheek.”   The American Republic’s very foundation, it seems to me, is being blatantly undermined by its own President, his team of CZARS, his association and support of communist and socialist organizations, and a people group of like-minded legislators who seek “their share” of a pie they did not make or bake.  At the same time these same people also view Christianity with skepticism and disdain. Given this environment, how should Christian’s confront or accept the Atheistic and Islamic challenges that present themselves in this period of adversity? Should Christians turn the other cheek?

Frequently, Christians turn the other cheek so as not to offend anyone by accepting and conforming to “political correctness” and in so doing, have systematically allowed their faith in the Trinity and themselves to be “slapped around” unmercifully in both the political and religious rings.  The Christian’s view on prayer, the Ten Commandments, and public Bible reading has been restricted through judicial actions in the name of “Separation of Church and State” which they, the Christian majority, allowed and condoned by their inaction. But still, how should the Christian respond in these times?

First of all, Christians should acknowledge the truth of their Christianity and defend their faith in Jesus Christ at all times—not by acts of violence but by their lifestyle of love, caring and action.  It is saddening that the vast majority of people that reportedly call themselves Christians are not.  They are Christians in name only. A true Christian can be identified by the following truths:

• They have believed the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ: “…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NIV).

• They have allowed the Holy Spirit into their life, and they have allowed the Holy Spirit to indwell their soul and spirit and lead in the holiness of God’s calling by willingly surrendering their self-will and relying upon this same Spirit for their direction in life. “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…” (Ephesians 1:13 NIV).

If Christians would only publicly profess and proclaim the two truths above, you would not find the rampant godlessness and immorality that exists in the world today.  It is the Christian’s lack of a testimony of what Jesus Christ has meant and done in their lives that makes the non-believer shun the gospel.

When Christians try to pay back evil for evil, the true message of Jesus Christ is lost and the Christian is no longer “salt and light” in a world so desperately in need of holiness and salvation.  The growth of Islam in America and across the world is a testimony to the Christians lack of a testimony and belief in their God in whom they have only given “lip service.”

True Christianity is shown in a lifestyle of love, forgiveness and morality.  To live and disciple “the lost” for Jesus Christ is a calling that can change the world.  You do not have to make yourself “good enough” by doing good deeds or works—building “Habitat for Humanity” homes with the Jimmy Carter’s of the world, walking old men and women across streets, and other feel good “stuff.”  Christianity does not call upon its believers to kill, hurt, or riot to make conversions or to “protect” the name of Christianity.  God is all-powerful and can protect His own name.

Yes, it is true that atrocities have been committed in the name of Christianity over the centuries, but these acts, other than the instructions to the Hebrews upon their entry into the Promise Lane, were not done at God’s command.  Men did acts outside the will of God.  You will not find jihad sanctioned in the Christian’s Bible as it is in the Islamic Koran so do not use Christianity’s past sins, committed by man in the name of God but not sanctioned by God, as an excuse for your non belief.

We are told that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, but this is not true. Muslims believe in a “singular” god they call Allah unlike the Christians who believe their God is a Trinity—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Thus, the Christian God and the Islamic god are not the same;  Muslims reject the Trinity of Christianity because they do no understand the nature of a personal God of love and forgiveness.

Christian, you must decide whom you will follow and who will be your savior.  If you decide to remain a Christian it is your duty to proclaim the gospel Message of Jesus Christ.   Muslims are not afraid to speak out in defense of their religion so why are you afraid to speak out in defense of yours? “For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV).

Proclaiming the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ is a confessing Christian’s daily “walk and talk” way of life and in my opinion, must be the Christian’s response of  “turning the other cheek.” May you begin to turn the other cheek before it is too late to stop the Islamic advance.

Comments to: bt@northloopcottage.com

Visit: www.twitter.com/closetchristian and www.spirit.theindwelling.org 

Copyright © 2011 by North Loop Cottage LLC.  All rights reserved 

Posted in Religious, About America | No Comments »