November 26 Show: No Lectionary Needed

Emergent Methodist Tony Jones is frustrated during the holiday season due to the required topics set in the Methodist Lectionary. For those unfamiliar with denominational verbage, a lectionary is publication that gives pastors specific subjects to preach on during the calendar year. It includes things like prayers, scriptures, meditations, stories and sermon notes to incorporate into their messages.

Tony Jones wrote on his blog: "This Sunday marks the beginning of Year A in the The Revised Common Lectionary.  So here we go again.  We get texts from Isaiah and the Gospels, about John the Baptist and the Second Coming.  And once again we’ve got to preach the immanent advent of the Christ.  “He’s Coming!” we preach, pray, and sing. But is he?…  What I am asking is, How long will people believe us? We preach the advent of Christ every Advent, and I just wonder how long until the parishioners start thinking that we’re the Preachers Who Cried Wolf."

This attitude of ridicule against the teaching of the Christian's expectancy of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ has become the predominant attitude in the visible church during this unprecedented time of apostasy. The emergent church that has caved in to the pressure of the culture to be worldly and relevant lead the pack of scoffers saying, where is His coming?

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."- 2 Peter 3:3-4

The apostasy in the church coincides with the moral decline of the entire world. Jesus told us that the times of His return would be like the days of Noah and of Lot when mankind had turned his back on God. In Noah's day, the corruption was global and so was the judgment. In Lot's day, the corruption was localized and so the judgment was local. In these last days when God is about to judge the entire world and pour out His wrath on the sons of disobedience, the corruption must again be world-wide. And as He did for Noah and Lot, He first gets His own out of the way before pouring out His wrath. The cup of His wrath is almost full.

The most important question God asks us is "wither thou goest?" What direction are you headed in? Are your feet planted firmly on this terra firma, like Lot's wife who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt? Or are you looking up waiting for your Savior from heaven? The attitude of our hearts will determine whether or not we escape the time of His wrath.

Luke 17:2 " Remember Lot's wife." 

November 19 show - Catholics and the New Apostolic: similar claims

[Last night's show suffered from technical difficulties - so sorry about that - we're working on that.]


The New Apostolic Reformation headed up by C. Peter Wagner that encompasses the new so-called prophets and apostles share a trait with the Roman Catholic Church. They believe they are the purveyors of progressive revelation from God. Like Catholicism, they seem to have an evolving faith that changes on the whim of the leadership. Both groups claim apostolic authority in their collective Gnosticism. But isn't that Canon of Scripture closed?

The little chapter of Jude that seems to have been divinely placed right before the book of Revelation says in verse 3, " I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

So according to the Bible, the faith was complete and delivered to the saints in the first century. Although there had been progressive revelation from God since Moses first wrote the Pentateuch, the Canon was complete with the final writing of the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos. And he finished that final book with this warning:

"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book." - Revelation 22:18

Jesus warned the churches in the book of Revelation to hold fast to Him until He comes. He commended the church of Ephesus for their stand against those claiming to be apostles: "And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars" - Rev. 2:2 

That should be cause to pause for the Vatican or today's so-called apostles/prophets. I don't think it is a coincidence that today we have a flood of men and women claiming the prophetic office. The New Testament shows that God used to speak to the people by the prophets but now speaks to us by His Son, the Logos, the Word, who have given us His Word and promised the Holy Spirit's guidance into its interpretation to those who are of His Spirit.

"GOD, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son" - Hebrews 1:1-2a

Yet the Catholic Church with their claim to apostolic succession from Peter have presided over the evolution of dogma and doctrine for centuries. Right now there is a petition going around the parishes in America to ask the pope to give Mary even more authority in the church. The petition wants her new title to be "the Spiritual Mother of all peoples" and claim by doing so that would promote ecumenism. The new marian title makes her officially co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate - robbing Jesus of all His attributes.

I read part of the Jack Chick tract on the air a couple of weeks ago called, "Why is Mary Crying?" Well, we now know why she is crying - because Catholics are turning their devotion away from Christ and over to her. Even the Orthodox Church has gotten in on the act. Flocks of Catholics and Orthodox are flocking to Windsor, Ontario to see an Orthodox woman's statue of Mary that is supposedly weeping oil. Wake up folks, she's weeping at your idolatry!

The chaismaniacs also give their people new things in order to attract sign seekers. Patricia King, host of Extreme Prophetic, is now offering a soaking cd called "Orbs of Light" that is just meditation music popular in the New Age movement. These orbs are supposedly divine visitations yet they stole that from the occult that has been following spirit orbs for a long time.

The timing of these things are just more signs that Jesus' return is so very near. Maranatha!

November 12 show - Debating Catholicism

Debating Roman Catholic doctrines using the 'church fathers,' ecumenical councils, and various creeds is a mental exercise between puffed up know-it-alls on both sides of the issues. There are never any winners since both sides in the cock fight claim victory. I played a clip on today's show of a Protestant and a Catholic apologist arguing over sola-scriptura. In the beginning of that Youtube video, the Catholic boasted that he won the debate hands-down. He admitted that the highlights he gathered in the Youtube were the slam-dunks he was able to land and that, no doubt, his opponent would choose a different set of clips for his own highlights video. You could hear the cheers of the Catholic side of the battle of words at the end.

What many Protestants don't understand, if they have never been a Catholic, is that the every-day Catholic sitting in the pew simply never heard of the doctrines their own church teaches. Rome has dummied down the people. Catholics have turned over those 'higher things' for their hierarchy to handle; all they need to do is be faithful to attend mass and do the day-to-day requirements. Debates with Catholics don't seem to reach the real life of a Catholic which consists of mysterious rituals, spooky atmosphere of incense, candles, statues and the tabernacle, monstrance and host.  

A Catholic lives a life of fear, never knowing whether they will be good enough to enter into heaven. They were taught growing up that if you commit a 'mortal sin' you will go to hell unless you can get to a confessional first and do the prescribed penance. Then you're good to go until you commit another one - then you better hope you don't die before you can get back to that little box of absolution. (Venial sins just get you in Purgatory.)  If a Catholic - even the pope - claims to be saved with the assurance of heaven, according to their church, they are guilty of the 'sin of presumption.'

I would love to see Protestant scholars direct their efforts to rescue Catholics from their bondage instead of academic exercises of prowess that sheds more heat than light. One winner I point to in this radio program is Jack Chick, the cartoonist so many orthodox Christian scholars love to belittle. His little cartoon booklets don't beat around the bush or speak with $3.00 words. You can google the cartoon booklets I mentioned and see for yourself what a punch they pack.

The first one I mentioned is "The Death Cookie," that shows how the worship of the host as if it were God (eucharistic adoration) is idolatry. It is used by church authority to blackmail the 'faithful' because the church teaches that it is the method of receiving Jesus into your life by way of the belly and out the usual course. If you defy the church and can't get to the host, you have been cut off from Jesus himself. They hold Jesus hostage. 


The other cartoon I spoke of is "Why is Mary Crying?" It documents the Roman Catholic view of Mary as the Queen of Heaven and proves it to be a pagan practice. The true Mary is being slandered by such false claims about her and this little tract really gets to the nitty gritty. 


Chick tracts may not be 'politically correct' in some Christian circles because it doesn't mince words. But when it comes to setting the captives free, they bear a lot more fruit than so-called scholarly debate.

November 5 show - TBN Praise-a-Thon Week of Fleecing

All week TBN has been doing their semi-annual Praise-a-Thon, utilizing the slickest pitch men they can find to twist scripture and bully people to donate money. TBN must be having some difficult times during this economic crisis in America -- enough so to ask one of the worst con-men on television to perform his money-raising magic: Mike Murdock.  Murdock preached on the necessity to give in order to get and lifted up the desire to get rich as something godly, when such a desire is evil according to Scripture.

"But they that will be rich fall into is a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." - 1 Tim. 6:9

 Murdock told his mostly African-American audience in TBN's studio to stand if they want to be millionaires and instructed them to give $58 per month and double it for those wanting millions. He also told them to stroke and kiss their Bibles as if doing so would make their greed a reality: a very superstitious act.

On my radio show today I played a clip of TBN's former pitch man, John Avanzini, conducting a similar superstitious trick, instructing people to rub a black stone he gave them and to activate it with the American Express or Visa.

TBN also used their regular money preacher, Clarence McClendon, an adulterous womanizer who left his Christian wife, trading her in for a younger model, to pump the people up to part with their cash. He told them he had created the atmosphere needed if they call right now that would multiply their seed to receive more money back. He cautioned them not to think before they call, just act, because thinking destroys the anointing. At that moment of the 206 phone lines available, all of them became busy.

It appears that TBN has lost most of its former donors who have tried this give-to-get scheme and have seen that indeed it is a scam. Only new believers or people who want to get-rich-quick without having to work for their money still fall for the seed-faith heresy.  People who buy lottery tickets or look for government hand-outs might be compelled to try it, but they won't stick around long. TBN's in big trouble.  Murdock gave one empty testimony after another about how God sent him people buying him clothes and cars as he preached his lust for money message. The subtle message to his victims is that they too can get riches for nothing as long as they too find some angle they can preach on and start their own non-profit enterprise. After all, who's going to give them handouts if they are making an honest living, working a 9 to 5 job?

I love the way the late Walter Martin used to put it: "Vote with your checkbook." Quit supporting crooks and con-men! But don't go to the opposite extreme and fail to support worthy ministries or to lend a hand to the poor - especially if they are brothers and sisters in Christ. That would be an equal error.