TROUBLING QUOTES FROM CHRIST-DENYING,
“EMERGING CHURCH” LEADERS
Bastion for Spineless Moral Cowards
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalms 89:34
The so-called emergent or emerging church is a bunch of moral pansies who refuse to believe, embrace, and to obey the absolute truth given to us in God’s written Word. These moral cowards want to converse about it or explore it, but God forbid that anyone get literal or absolute. They stand for nothing except their own self-serving agenda which is pure rebellion against God. They are definitely ‘light in the loafers’ as the saying goes. Oh, and you can tell them I said so!
***Every Emergent Church leader I’ve ever heard speak sounded and seemed effeminate, and so I call them the ECP’s which stands for Emergent Church Pansies. Not only are they physically and verbally effeminate, their vague, questioning methods are sissy-fied. They are slick, slimy, and and spineless as they stand for nothing. The Bible tells us that effeminacy is a sin that will send one to hell (1 Corinthians 6:9). God created MEN to be masculine and therefore for a man to manifest feminine qualities either morally or physically, is an abomination to Him.
No apology for pointing out the obvious feminine nature of these guys. I never said they are gay but pointed out that they ARE “effeminate” which is a Bible word and a sin (1 Cor. 6:9). It would not be a surprise if it comes out that some of them are gay. A man doesn’t have to be manifestly a sodomite. God says if a man is even “effeminate” that he is hell bound, period (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
These guys are blinded due to the rejection of the LORD who must be approached on HIS terms and no other. He gave us HIS terms in HIS Word which these guys reject as divine, final authority.
“And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” Luke 6:39
They sound like reasonable people while they are reasoning away non-negotiable, divine truth. Who shall we follow?
These godless wolves prey upon young people who are naive but don’t know it yet. They prey upon the younger generation because they are easily beguiled.
Any leader or local church connected with emergent church leaders via their books, CDs, DVDs, radio programs, websites, or otherwise, should also be marked as a vile wolf who has insidiously crept into the church to deceive and lead to damnation precious souls! There IS a conspiracy among false leaders! Wolves operate in packs. Wake up or perish! Be not ignorant, gullible, stupid, or naive or you will perish!
“Conspiracy” is not a theory but rather a divine revelation! “Conspiracy” is a divinely-given truth, a reality, and a fact of life:
“There is a CONSPIRACY of her prophets (apostate leaders) in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have DEVOURED SOULS; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. 26Her priests (leaders) have violated my law (Word), and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27Her princes (leaders) in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to DESTROY SOULS, to get dishonest gain (greed mongering hirelings).” Ezekiel 22:25-27
Virtually all new “churches” such as community churches, emergent or emerging churches, communal fellowships, seeker-friendly cult churches, all missional churches, and otherwise are totally apostate. They are led by spineless moral cowards who call themselves pastors but have rejected the divine revelation of Jesus Christ and His truth given us in Holy Scripture. These are the wolves Christ and His apostles so often warned us about. Beware!
Quotes from the Vile Emergent Wolves
“We do not think this [Emerging Church Movement] is about changing your worship service. We do not think this is about…how you structure your church staff. This is actually about changing theology. This is about our belief that theology changes. The message of the gospel changes. It’s not just the method that changes.” –Tony Jones (“A New Theology for a New World.” A workshop for the 2004 Emergent Convention in San Diego)
“I must add, though, that I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts.” –Brian McLaren
“I now believe that GLBTQ [Gay, Lesbian, Bisexuals, Transgender, and Queers] can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (as least as much as any of us can!), and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state.” –Tony Jones
“I am not sure I believe in God exclusively as a person anymore either…. I now incorporate a pantheistic view, which basically means that God is ‘in all,’ alongside my creedal view of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.” –Spencer Burke (A Heretics Guide to Eternity, p. 195)
“I don’t think we’ve got the gospel right yet….I don’t think the liberals have it right. But I don’t think we have it right either. None of us has arrived at orthodoxy.” –Brian McLaren
“God is going to judge the life and repair, and restore and heal the life of everybody in the same way.” –Doug Pagitt (in an interview with Todd Friel on Way of the Master Radio)
“Ask me if Christianity (my version of it, yours, the Pope’s, whoever’s) is orthodox, meaning true, and here’s my honest answer: a little, but not yet…To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall…But we keep seeking.” –Brian McLaren (A Generous Orthodoxy, p. 333)
“The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can’t be put into words. Language fails. And if we do definitively put God into words, we have at that very moment made God something God is not” –Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis, p. 32)
“Ultimately, I hope Jesus will save Buddhism, Islam and every other religion, including the Christian religion, which often seems to need saving about as much as any other religion does.” –Brian McLaren
“God has an incredibly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus believes in me. I have been told that I need to have faith in God. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that God has faith in me.” –Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis, p. 134)
“Stop looking for some objective Truth that is available when we delve into the text of the Bible.” –Tony Jones
“What we know means nothing. What we live means everything.” –Barry Taylor (from a talk at Capo Beach Calvary in San Juan Capistrano, California). (In response to this, contrast Taylor’s words with Jesus’ in John 8:32 and Paul’s pattern of starting off with doctrine in his letters to the Romans, Ephesians and Colossians before talking about how to live. Right actions follow right beliefs. That is the pattern set up in the Bible).
“The church has been preoccupied with the question, “What happens to your soul after you die?” As if the reason for Jesus coming can be summed up in, “Jesus is trying to help get more souls into heaven, as opposed to hell, after they die.” I just think a fair reading of the Gospels blows that out of the water. I don’t think that the entire message and life of Jesus can be boiled down to that bottom line.” –Brian McLaren
“Emergent doesn’t have a position on absolute truth, or on anything for that matter. Do you show up at a dinner party with your neighbors and ask, ‘What’s this dinner party’s position on absolute truth?’ No, you don’t, because it’s a non-sensical question.” –Tony Jones
“Well, for our community, this [living an environmentally conscious life] isn’t rooted in the fact that it’s gaining steam in popular culture. It’s always been rooted in the very nature of God. The central Hebrew prayer, Deuteronomy 6, says, “Hear O Israel the Lord your God, the Lord is One,” so we live with awareness that all of reality is one. [How does he get that from this passage? He sounds like a pantheist.] We are connected with all things everywhere, and I would argue that in the last couple hundred years, disconnection has been the dominant way people have understood reality. And the Church has contributed to that disconnection by preaching horrible messages about being left behind and that this place is going to burn [Uh, yeah read 2 Peter 3:7ff Rob.]–absolutely toxic messages that are against the teachings of Scripture, which state that we are connected to God, we are connected to the earth, we are connected to each other. When any of those connections fracture, the whole thing starts to fall apart. Your relationship with God is tied into your relationship with the soil. Go back to Genesis.” –Rob Bell (Relevant Magazine, “Rob Bell Tells it like it is,” January/February edition, 2008)
“Let me offer 10 suggestions for reclaiming the Bible for contemporary readers…Drop Any Affair You May Have with Certainty” –Brian McLaren (Adventures in Missing the Point, p. 81-84)
“We should consider the possibility that many, and perhaps even all of Jesus’ hell-fire or end-of-the-universe statements refer not to postmortem [after death] judgment but to the very historic consequences of rejecting his kingdom message of reconciliation and peacemaking. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 67-70 seems to many people to fulfill much of what we have traditionally understood as hell. ” –Brian McLaren
“For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the life beyond this one…” –Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis, p. 147)
“When I say I’m a universalist, what I really mean is that I don’t believe you have to convert to any particular religion to find God. A I see it, God finds us, and it has nothing to do with subscribing to any particular religious view.” –Spencer Burke (A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity, p. 197)
“I’m writing with the assumption that most of you who are reading this book have concluded what I have: Preaching doesn’t work…preaching, as we know it, is a tragically broken endeavor….The value of our practices—including preaching—ought to be judged by their effects on our communities and the ways in which they help us move toward life with God.” –Doug Pagitt (Preaching Re-Imagined, p. 18, 19, 28)
“[In Yoga] it’s not how flexible you are, it’s not whether you can do the poses, it’s not how much you can bend yourself, it’s can you keep your breath [breathes in and out] consistent [breathes out] through whatever you are doing. And the Yoga Masters say this is how it is when you follow Jesus and surrender to God. Is it’s your breath being consistent. It’s your connection with God regardless of the pose you find yourself in. That’s integrating the divine into the daily.” –Rob Bell (transcribed from his sermon on breathing)
“What’s more, I’m not sure I believe in God exclusively as a person anymore either….I now incorporate a pantheist view, which basically means that God is ‘in all,’ alongside my creedal view of God as Father, Son, and Spirit….As I see it, we are in God, here on earth. This is how our relationship is defined. God does not just have to be reached up to; he is hear as the surrounding Spirit.” –Spencer Burke (A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity, p. 195)
“…my point in all this is that the doctrine of the Trinity is still on the table. Some people, it seems to me, would like for us to no longer debate certain ‘sacred’ doctrines — the Trinity, the nature of Christ, the nature of scripture, the nature of marriage etc. And these persons tend to get very jumpy when emergent-types discuss these sacred doctrines, especially in books and at conferences that are being taped. ‘This is dangerous,’ they say.” –Tony Jones
“Repentance is what happens when your eyes are opened and you see what has already been done. ‘I’ve missed it, and now I see it’.” –Rob Bell
“Anytime someone makes you feel guilty about how you are living, that is part of the old system (pre-Christ).” –Rob Bell
“And so these first Christians passed on the faith to the next generation who passed it on to the next generation who passed it on to the next generation until it got to us. Here. Today. Those who follow Jesus and belong to his church. And now it is our turn. It is our turn to step up and take responsibility for who the church is going to be for a new generation. It is our turn to redefine and reshape and dream it all up again” –Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis, p. 164)
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My Journey Into and Out of the Emergent Church
By Jason Carlson
The growing influence of the so-called emergent church movement has generated much interest and debate in recent times. As a columnist for the Christian Worldview Network, people often ask me for my take on the emergent church movement. Thus, the purpose of this article is simply to offer my humble perspective on the emergent church movement, based upon my unique firsthand interactions with many of its leaders, many of whom I count as friends in-spite of my disagreements with them.
My initial entrance into the emergent church conversation came about six years ago while I was a student in seminary. One of the key figures in Emergent, the official title of the organization that is the primary voice for the emergent church movement, Doug Pagitt (Pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis), is a close friend of mine. Doug had a profound influence on my life during his time as my youth pastor when I was in high school. Between my years in youth group and my entrance into seminary, Doug became intimately involved with many of the key movers and shakers who would eventually form the organization, or “generative friendship” as they call it, which is now Emergent. During these formative years of Emergent, actually back then it was called The Terra Nova Project, Doug invited me to many of the early gatherings of this group, it was at these events where I was introduced to and spent much time with people like Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Pagitt and others.
During my interactions with my friends from Emergent, I was challenged both intellectually and spiritually through what I encountered, and I was really forced to wrestle with what I believe and hold dear. Over the course of about three years of fairly regular interaction with members of Emergent and participation in many of their gatherings and events, I became increasingly concerned over what I believe are serious deviations from biblical truth taking place within the Emergent “conversation” (how they refer to the movement). Many other commentators have drawn attention to these dangers within Emergent, but here are some of the key errors that I observed, errors that eventually led to my disengagement with the movement:
– A highly ambiguous handling of truth.
– A desire to be so inclusive and tolerant that there is virtually no sense of biblical discernment in terms of recognizing and labeling false beliefs, practices, or lifestyles.
– A quasi-universalistic view of salvation.
– A lack of a proper appreciation for biblical authority over and against personal experience or revelation.
– Openness to pagan religious practices like Hindu Yoga and incorporating them into the Christian life and Christian worship.
– Openly questioning the relevance of key historical biblical doctrines such as the Trinity.
– An uncritically open embrace of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
– An unbridled cynicism towards conservative evangelicalism and fundamentalism.
– A reading of scripture that is heavily prejudiced towards a social gospel understanding.
– Little or no talk of evangelism or saving lost souls.
– A salvation by osmosis mentality, where if you hangout with us long enough you’re in.
– And many other things that I won’t get into…
Needless to say, today I no longer actively participate in the Emergent conversation. While I do maintain my friendships with many people involved in Emergent, I cannot openly participate in or support this movement due to my spirit’s uneasiness with the errors I listed above. I am not ashamed to call the people I mentioned above my friends, but friends don’t always have to agree; and sometimes the best thing a friend can do is to point out the error in the other’s ways. So, for now you could call me a friendly critic of Emergent.
How did I make it out of my time in Emergent to return to a solid Christian worldview? I owe it all to my parents who raised me with a deep appreciation and respect for God’s word and the truth it reveals. For as far back as I can remember, my parent’s trained me in a biblical Christian worldview. I was taught from a very young age to test all things by God’s word and I was regularly exposed to the writings and teachings of great Christian apologists and theologians like Josh McDowell, Norman Geisler, Ken Ham, and Walter Martin. Through reading solid Christian scholars and attending numerous high quality Christian worldview-training conferences, like Worldview Weekend, I was equipped with the tools I would need later in life to discern truth from error.
Parents, you cannot take lightly the influence that a godly, biblically based upbringing can have on your children! Each generation will be faced with their share of trials, tribulations, and errors which threaten the integrity of the church, but when our young people are raised up with a firm foundation in God’s truth, they will be able to discern truth from error and will have the tools they’ll need to overcome any challenge to their faith.
If you would like more information on Emergent and the emergent church movement from a solid biblical perspective, I would highly recommend D.A. Carson’s excellent book, Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church.
“Throwing Our Future Church Leaders to the Wolves”
Jim Brown
An estimated 25,000-30,000 young people are expected to attend “Student Life” events with their church youth groups this year in twelve different locations across the U-S. Headlining the 2006 tour are worship leader Charlie Hall, the drama team “All Things to All People” and Los Angeles pastor and author Erwin McManus, a leader in the Emergent Church movement.
But before you pay to send your teenager off to one of the Student Life conferences, be aware that Emergent leaders such as McManus, Leonard Sweet, Andy Crouch, Brian McLaren, and others are pushing liberal theology under the guise of “postmodern” Christianity. The movement assails absolute truth, the inerrancy of Scripture and justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and instead embraces spiritual relativism and mysticism. Sound like something you want your son or daughter dabbling in? This “New Kind of Christianity,” as McLaren calls it, is distorting the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler has said “When it comes to issues such as the exclusivity of the gospel, the identity of Jesus Christ as both fully human and fully divine, the authoritative character of Scripture as written revelation, and the clear teaching of Scripture concerning issues such as homosexuality, this movement simply refuses to answer the questions.” Yet, the movement continues to gain traction among undiscerning believers young and old, as well critics of traditional evangelicalism.
In an interview with www.freshministry.org, McManus was asked what advice he would give preachers that want to minister in the postmodern age. He responded by saying, “First, The sermons that are changing the world are the ones where the pastor is real–sharing his journey with the congregation. Second, stop preaching sermons and start telling stories. Third, Break through the pressure to be a great preacher and become a great leader.” In other words, away with sound doctrine if it’s not culturally relevant or entertaining to your audience.
Perhaps more troubling, McManus endorsed Gregory Boyd’s book “Is God to Blame.” Boyd is a leading proponent of open theism, which denies God knows all of the future. In the book, Boyd argues that Almighty God suffers from self-imposed limits on His power. At the very least, it’s apparent McManus is willing to tolerate a heretical view that undermines the doctrine of Christ’s Atonement and the authority of Scripture.
One has to question why Student Life would feature McManus at its popular conferences and why any youth pastor would wittingly allow his youth group to sit under an Emergent pastor’s teaching. I think the answer can be found in II Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Christian young people need sound doctrine to grow in Christ and reach a lost world for Jesus, not a “postmodern” or culturally relevant gospel.
LINKS EXPOSING THE EMERGENT CHURCH MOVEMENT:
The Church is Changing, What is Emerging?
Emergent Church Leaders: Wolves in Shepherds’ Clothing!
http://www.apprising.org/archives/2005/11/emergent_church_3.html
http://www.erwm.com/TheNewSpiritualFormation.htm
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/EmergingChurch.htm
http://www.studentlifetour.com/index.php
Jim Brown is an education reporter for American Family Radio News. His stories appear frequently at www.agapepress.org and other Christian websites. He can be contacted at jimbrown@afa.net.
ROB BELL is a WOLF! Marked!
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From Apprising.org
Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism
This time we live in is marred by the false philosophy of postmodernism, which is more deeply entrenched within the gates of Christendom than most realize. Circa 2000 mainstream evangelicalism made the ill-fated decision to embrace the sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult operating within the Emerging Church aka the Emergent Church.
Sadly, the EC—headed by, among others, its trinity of apostates, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Dr. Tony Jones, the progressive “theologian in residence” at Solomon’s Porch—would prove to be a Trojan Horse literally filled with heresy.
One of its most pernicious teachings was corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), Roman Catholic mysticism “discovered” by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, now spread within the heart of evangelicalism as supposed Spiritual Formation with an assist from his spiritual twin Dallas Willard,
This spurious CSM was a core doctrine in the EC right from its slithering into the mainstream circa 2000. In fact, this was all a part of the plan of Druckerite Leadership Network to move away from sola Scriptura to man-centered dominionist theology. This CSM has horribly corrupted the younger sectors of the visible church.
No longer do they practice the proper Christian spirituality of sola Scriptura; instead, so-called “spiritual disciplines” of CSM have convinced them they are receiving direct revelations from God. From years of studying mystics of all stripes I can tell you their perceived revelations then trump the texts of Holy Scripture for them.
In other words, rather than testing these experiences by God’s Word, now these practitioners of CSM are instead using their feelings to interpret the Bible through what they think God is saying. I’m telling you, the tragic fact is, the mainstream of professing Christendom is rapidly devolving into all kinds of silly superstitions.
Articles
What is the difference between a “Textus Receptus Man” and a “King James Man?”
It’s not so much about King James. It’s about the manuscripts from which it was translated. The Received Text, or Textus Receptus.
From “The Answer Book” ©1989 Samuel C. Gipp.
QUESTION: What is the difference between a “Textus Receptus Man” and a “King James Man?”
ANSWER: A “TR Man” gets his manuscripts from Antioch and his philosophy from Egypt.
EXPLANATION: Under Question #8 concerning Alexandria and Antioch it was pointed out that we derive two things from each of these locations. We derive manuscripts and an ideology through which we judge those manuscripts.
From Alexandria we receive corrupted manuscripts, tainted by the critical hand of Origen. We also receive an ideology that believes the Bible to be divine, but not perfect, not without error.
From Antioch we receive the pure line of manuscripts culminating in what is known as the “Received Text” or Textus Receptus. We also receive the ideology that the Bible is not only Divine, but perfect, without error.
1. Most Bible critics do not believe that the Bible is perfect (The Alexandrian Ideology). They usually also accept the Alexandrian manuscripts as superior to those of Antioch.
2. A King James Bible believer accepts the Antiochian manuscripts or Textus Receptus as superior to the Alexandrian. They also accept the Antiochian Ideology in that they accept the Bible as infallible and do not believe it contains any errors or mistranslations and that it cannot be improved.
3. A Textus Receptus man also accepts the Antiochian manuscripts or Textus Receptus as superior to the Alexandrian. But a Textus Receptus man accepts the Antiochian manuscripts yet he views them with the Alexandrian Ideology.
He does not accept any translation as perfect and without error. He generally feels that the King James is the best translation but can be improved. He usually stumbles at Acts 12:4 and states that it is a mistranslation.
This contradiction is NOT the result of a bad or dishonest heart so much as it is the result of a bad education. Most Textus Receptus men have been taught by others who have been deceived into accepting, unconsciously, the Alexandrian Ideology.
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Abiding
David’s Farewell Prayer [podcast]
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:13
May God bless His people, in their times of tribulations, to find comfort, guidance, with Holy Scripture, and may they find His peace during seasons and transitions.
The most famous biblical farewell is Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17:1–26, where He commits His disciples into the Father’s care before departing.
Classic Farewell Blessings
- The Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26): “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
- The Pauline Benediction (2 Corinthians 13:14): “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”
- God’s Promise (Jeremiah 29:11): “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
At the end of his life, David prayed to God for His kingdom and people. One source notes the following:
“King David’s life is defined by extreme highs and devastating lows. Rising from a humble shepherd to an unbeatable warrior-king who established Jerusalem, he suffered catastrophic personal failures, including his adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of Uriah, and tragic family calamity that culminated in his son Absalom’s rebellion.”
At the end of his life on earth, David, the man after God’s own heart, prayed.
Of this magnificent kingdom prayer of David, one source notes the following:
“King David’s famous prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 (King James Version) is a profound declaration of God’s absolute sovereignty, majesty, and ownership of all creation. Spoken near the end of his life, it serves as a prayer of thanksgiving and dedication for the materials gathered to build the Temple.
Summary of Key Verses (1 Chronicles 29:10-19 KJV)
- Verses 10-13: David blesses God, declaring His greatness, power, and glory. He affirms that God owns all things in heaven and earth, including riches and honor.
- Verses 14-16: David expresses humility, noting that all gifts come from God and that human life is short and temporary.
- Verses 17-19: He prays for the people’s continued devotion and asks for Solomon to have a “perfect heart” to keep God’s commandments and build the temple.”
1 Chronicles 29
David Prays in the Assembly
10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.
18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.
21 And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:”
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Articles
Water Baptism: Understanding It [study guide]
“Repent and be baptized.” Acts 2:38
Water Baptism (PDF)
(Duplication encouraged. An open King James Bible should accompany your study of this topic. Carefully, prayerfully study each verse given in order to answer each question correctly. Print this document out and pencil in the answers in the blanks provided. It may be best to cut and paste it to your word processing software and then print it out. Your life in Christ will be enriched forever as you embrace and put into practice His Word.)
Water baptism is important. Every believer should understand and be water baptized. Yet water baptism does not save – but is only for those already saved. The blood of Jesus saves – upon repentance and faith. In short, water baptism symbolizes/illustrates the life in Christ we now have – where daily, we are dying and buried and risen in new life with Christ. Concerning water baptism, one disciple writes: “We must faith thru many mini-daily-baptisms in which we are immersed into calamities and the old self is drowned.”
SATAN wants people trusting in water and not the BLOOD of Jesus. Beware. We are saved by the blood of Jesus – water baptism is for those who have already repented and believed upon Jesus Christ. It’s an outward profession of the inward work of regeneration God has already done! (Titus 3:5-7)
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS NO REMISSION.” Hebrews 9:22
ANY person who claims sinners are justified by water instead of the BLOOD of Jesus, is an antichrist.
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:9
Salvation should never be complicated.
We are saved, justified by grace through faith.
Can you find the word water in the following passage? No.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Thief on the cross. Philippian jailer. Acts 16:30-31; Faith. Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-9.
Raised to New Life with Christ
“Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” 1 Corinthians 11:2
The LORD seems to have given His New Testament church 2 ordinances: 1. Water baptism – to depict our own death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, and 2. Communion – where we are brought into remembrance of our LORD’s death – broken body and shed blood – which alone redeems us.
Note in this passage below that no water is even mentioned and yet this is exactly what water baptism is symbolic of:
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3-4
WATER BAPTISM: What it is and what it’s not. In some cases, water baptism has become a ritual among those who are a part of the visible, apostate church world. In those circles, water baptism seems to be a type of right of passage in a fleshly way. Water baptism is useless unless it’s connected with Christ, that is, in His redemption – death, burial and resurrection. He alone redeemed us and yet, He calls us to deny self, and allow Him who is the resurrection and the life to raise us upward (John 11:25; Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, etc.). Water baptism – going down under that water – is meant to be the symbolism of dying, being buried, and being raised up into a new life with Christ who is “the life” (John 14:6). The old man is dead and buried! See Colossians 3:3, and read Romans 6:3-4. Water baptism was never intended to become a ritual but rather the symbol of that which begun at the instant Christ saved us. The crucified, dead, buried, and raised up life comes at the moment Jesus saves us, We are dead and He now lives in us as Redeemer, Ruler and King, Savior, and Friend. The life of the crucified believe is symbolized at water baptism (Galatians 2:20). Water baptism is a representation of what is to be a life lived allowing Christ to reign in place. It’s symbolic of the daily cross! – Where Christ alone reigns supreme!
Water baptism saves no one. No, it’s merely a picture of your life now that Christ saved you – your personal daily death, burial, resurrection (2 Corinthians 4:10-12, etc.). God saved you the moment you repented and believed on Jesus (Acts 20:21, etc.). And now He’s ordained that you “walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
“Water baptism symbolizes your spiritual identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The water does not itself join you to or identify you with Christ. It is only a symbol. It’s not even a requirement yet important due to the importance of what it is representative of. Water baptism is not a law like circumcision was. It is not essential. The thief on cross next to Christ was never water baptized but he was baptized in spiritual fact.”
One of the main points here on topics like this is priority, putting the first things first and not adding to what is essential to salvation. And yet it is biblically accurate that water baptism should be put forth as something Jesus commands, because He does.
Beware of the baptismal regeneration heresy. A thorough reading of the New Testament Scriptures reveals to us that water baptism saves no one. Saying people are saved by being water baptized is just another fake salvation – another excuse not to have to repent, lay down the life in this fleeting world, deny self, take up the cross daily and follow Jesus – on His stated terms, right? Sinners are in darkness and the unrepentant love to hear that they are not required to repent which means to change course, to give one’s life up to the LORD who made us all.
So “saved” doesn’t mean saved in Acts 16:31? Where O Where is the water? The water baptism didn’t happen till after the jailer and his family were “saved” (Acts 16:33). “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:30-31
“By faith” appears 37 times in the Word of God. “By water” appears 4 times.
Without what is it impossible to please God? Faith or water?
“But without faith it is impossible to please him.” Hebrews 11:6
Is salvation “by faith” in the only Redeemer, or by water? Water baptism is totally futile, a 100% complete waste without being first saved by Christ through FAITH (Romans 3-5; Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.).
“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, IF thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:36-37
When the Ethiopian eunuch asked to be baptized in water, Philip told him he had to believe on the LORD Jesus Christ first – as a prerequisite! – “IF THOU BELIEVEST WITH ALL THINE HEART, THOU MAYEST.” Also…. many of the fake “bibles” removed Acts 8:37. The devil is a liar!!!! Let’s use the King James Bible saints!!!! Let’s trash satan’s corruption.
Recently I had an in-depth conversation with a man who was over emphasizing water baptism and after a lengthy discussion he said he’d “said enough.” To him I wrote:
“You’ve certainly told me enough and showed you are misled by what you’ve stated. And you claim it came by revelation. It sure didn’t come from divine revelation.”
REPLY:
“Notice how you lifted Acts 16:33 out of it’s context. WHAT came BEFORE the water baptism and without which the water baptism was futile?
‘And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.’ Acts 16:30-33
Christ saves by faith not water. Water baptism is only effectual if the person is first saved by the blood through faith.
‘Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;’ Romans 3:24-25
Of course water baptism is important but it’s not the essential, believing is.
Satan’s agenda is to remove the focus from Christ and His blood without which there is ‘NO remission of sins’ (Hebrews 9:22). That’s what we see here.
Those who like to focus on the water do so because they are moral cowards who refuse to truly repent which is something that must occur in their hearts.”
The thief on the cross was not water baptized, yet Jesus told him “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Water baptism is only for those already saved. Here’s a New Testament example of how these disciples were first saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, only then were they water baptized.
“For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.” Acts 10:46-48
The only value that water baptism has is in identifying you with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
One disciple wrote:
“The only way to promotion is by demotion. Are you today seeking a demotion? Do you want self to be advanced, enhanced, prominent, recognized, satisfied, aggrandized, indulged, promoted, noticed, or applauded? Or do you want self demoted, crucified, and killed to all these worldly things?”
Perhaps loving obedience and gratitude to the Lord should be the foundational motives for the believer being water baptized. When a person genuinely repents of his sins and receives Jesus Christ, He is then under the command of a new Master. He is no longer a member of Satan’s kingdom, but rather has been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). His past sins have been completely washed away by the blood of Christ, and God has called him by name to serve Him in sincerity and in truth (Romans 3:25; 1 Cor. 5:7-8).
Jesus commands all of His disciples to be baptized in water. In demonstration of our love for Him, every believer should obey and follow the LORD in water baptism. He says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
1. As seen in Scripture, what does the actual act of being water baptized consist of – in the literal sense? Acts 8:38 Please read this verse in the King James Bible and check one of the following.
_____ splashing with water
_____ sprinkling with water as an infant
_____ fully submerging the body under water
Notice that Philip and the eunuch “went down both into the water” (Acts 8:38). The English word “baptize” comes from the Greek word BAPTIZO which means to dip, submerge; to make whelmed, fully wet. Baptism is a burial.
Water baptism should always be in actual water and not sprinkling or pouring water on the new believer being baptized. This is because of what it represents; not a mere sprinkling but rather a whole immersion, a going under and being completely whelmed – representing being now dead, buried, and raised up.
2. Read 1 Peter 3:21 closely. Note here that water baptism does not cleanse one from the “filth of the flesh (sin).” Trust in that which baptism is a “figure” of, does cleanse from sin and save the soul. The word “figure” is the key to understanding this verse. Read it again. Being dipped in water does not save the soul. What saves the soul is faith in what water baptism is figurative or symbolic of – the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Water baptism merely answers to the already blood-washed conscience of the Believer. It is an outward testimony of the inward work of God in making the repentant person completely new from the inside out (2 Cor. 5:17-18).
Christ must reign in the daily life of every believer and He is “Holy, holy, holy” and so sinfulness must be put away so that the believer can spring forth into the fullness of Christ’s resurrection life (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Baptism in water is the figure of this process. It’s a death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is symbolic of death to the sinful nature and resurrection into a life lived in the nature of Jesus and out of God’s abundant grace which fills the believer’s heart.
3. Did Jesus submit Himself to water baptism? Matthew 3:13-16
_______YES
_______NO
Water baptism was practiced by the Son of God.
4. How old was Jesus when He was baptized? Luke 3:21-23
____________________________________________________
Notice here that Jesus was a full grown adult when water baptized. Only those who are of age to understand and partake of the salvation of God are candidates for water baptism. Infant baptism or sprinkling is un-scriptural.
5. Did Jesus’ disciples practice water baptism in their ministry? John 4:1, 2
_______YES
_______NO
Jesus’ disciples and the early Church believers water baptised all new converts.
6. Jesus sent His disciples forth to “teach all nations.” What else did He command them to do? Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16
____________________________________________________
Mark 16:16 does NOT say “he that is not baptized shall not be saved.” No Jesus says “he that believeth not shall be damned.” He put the essential on believing, not water baptism. Here are Christ’s words: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). The believing is the essential, not water baptism, otherwise Jesus would have said “he that believeth and is not baptized shall be damned.” He did not.
7. In what names did Jesus command His disciples to baptize? Matthew 28:18-19
____________________________________________________
The name of Jesus Christ equals the authority of Jesus Christ.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38
Here in Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus authorized baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When Scripture speaks of baptism in Jesus’ Name, it is referring to baptism by His authority. So, some disciples safely perform water baptism by saying: “You are now being baptized in the name, in the authority of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.” Does this not cover all basis? I think so.
8. What were the three fundamental New Testament experiences preached and practiced by the early Church? Acts 2:38
A.____________________________________________________
B.____________________________________________________
C.____________________________________________________
9. Has God changed since Acts 2:38? Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8
_______YES
_______NO
Note that God, by the mouth of Peter, commanded the new believers to “Repent and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38).
10. What experience did the three thousand new converts partake of when they received the Word of God that Peter preached? Acts 2:41
____________________________________________________
As was clearly understood by the early followers of Jesus, the first step in discipling a new convert is to baptize him in water. This is the Lord’s first commandment to new believers. God seals the faith of the new convert at the time of water baptism. The new believer makes a statement of trust toward God in his water baptism experience and is confirmed in the faith by the Holy Spirit through this New Testament practice.
11. After Phillip preached the Gospel, what did the believers at Samaria do to openly declare their faith in Jesus? Acts 8:12
____________________________________________________
12. After Philip preached Jesus, what was the Ethiopian eunuch’s immediate question? Acts 8:35, 36
____________________________________________________
The Ethiopian eunuch had obviously made a heart-felt decision to believe on Jesus. He instantly desired to be baptized in water to exhibit his new found faith.
13. What did Philip tell the eunuch that he must do before he could be water baptized? Acts 8:37
____________________________________________________
The Bible only authorizes water baptism after the born again experience. Philip told the eunuch that the prerequisite for water baptism is to be born into the kingdom of God by personally receiving Jesus Christ. Here is another proof that the early Church disciples only baptized those who had already received Jesus.
God set forth as a pattern in the first century Church, believers who were zealous to baptize new converts in water. This solidifies the new converts’ faith in Jesus. Water baptism is the first command given to the new believer, and is therefore the responsibility of the members of the Body of Christ to see that every new believer is baptized.
14. What did the apostle Peter “command” the new Gentile converts to do after they had believed on Jesus and also received the gift of the Holy Ghost? Acts 10:43-48
v48 __________________________________________________
15. What did Paul and Silas do to the Philippian jailor who believed on the Lord after the jailbreak? Acts 16:25-34
____________________________________________________
Note that Paul and Silas baptized these new believers without delay and in the middle of the night. This very act makes two authoritative statements: (1) If at all possible, disciples should water baptize new converts immediately following their salvation experience, and (2) The apostles counted water baptism very important, it was an integral part of the Gospel they preached and administered.
16. When “many” of the Corinthian’s “believed”, what followed? Acts 18:8
____________________________________________________
17. As followers of Jesus what are we baptized into? Romans 6:3
____________________________________________________
To the believer the water grave signifies that the time of living after the sinful nature of the flesh is over. This burial represents death to the nature of sin and resurrection into the life of God. Jesus Himself was baptized to signify His own death, burial, and resurrection. The follower of Jesus in like manner is to be baptized, signifying death to the old man and resurrection into the new nature of God resident within him. Sin lost its power at Calvary, and loses its dominion over the believer when he identifies with Christ in water baptism. In water baptism, the believer identifies with Jesus. All true disciples are crucified with Christ and water baptism is the marked beginning of this state of existence (Gal. 2:20, 5:24; Rom. 6:11). It is his announcement to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus.
18. What is the believer to “walk in” after God raises him from the dead? Romans 6:4
____________________________________________________
Beloved, God has called you to “walk in newness of life.” The believer must be “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Water baptism is so very important because it introduces the new believer into the life to which God has called him – a life of death and resurrection. The old person and his deeds are dead. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The disciple is to live separate from sin. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God” 2 (Corinthians 5 :17,18).
19. What are two reasons that we are to be “crucified” with Jesus? Romans 6:6
A. __________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________
Water baptism is a public announcement of your decrease and His increase (John 3:30). God can only raise up those things that are dead. To resurrect is to raise to life again – to cause something or someone once alive to live again. One must die to the things of this world to live in the resurrected life of Jesus. This is a must if one will be His disciple (John 12:24-26). To live in the resurrection life of God one must be dead to the sins of the flesh. The definition of being “dead” to sin, is living life as if sin didn’t even exist in the sense that one is separate from it – you do not partake of it in spirit, soul, or body.
Water baptism is the beginning of the life lived after the Spirit instead of after the flesh. It’s a heartfelt broadcast to the Lord, the world, and the devil that you are now going to be true to the Most High God by living in holy conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. At the moment of baptism God imparts a sufficient measure of grace to enable the believer to walk out his new life in Christ.
20. Why do you personally believe that baptism in water is so important in God’s eyes?
____________________________________________________
God has saved you and has set you apart to live after His nature that He has imparted to you (Rom. 6, 8). You are a new creature in Christ Jesus and God requires that you make this known (Matthew 10:32, 33). Jesus was fearless and unashamed when He came to the earth to do His Father’s will and die for the sins of the world. He requires that His disciples be bold and unashamed in testifying of His work of redemption. Water baptism should be the first act of obedience rendered by the disciple of Jesus.
21. What does Jesus do for all who “confess” Him before men? Matthew 10:32
____________________________________________________
22. What does Jesus do to all those who “deny” Him before men? Matthew 10:33
____________________________________________________
Water baptism is an open declaration of one’s identification with and faith in Jesus. Water baptism is generally the new believer’s first act of confession before men. It should be the personal and spoken testimony of the believer about to be baptized. The new convert should be given time to give account of his born again experience and God’s work presently in progress in his life.
IF YOU HAVE NOT YET BEEN WATER BAPTIZED, OBEY THE LORD BY ARRANGING A TIME AND PLACE TO PUBLICLY TESTIFY OF YOUR NEW LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST BY BEING BAPTIZED.
ASSIGNMENT:
In 250 words or more, detail the ways that the Word of God should be incorporated into the daily life of the believer. (Tips for your essay’s content: study, performance, prayer, warfare, proclaiming, meditating upon, memorizing, etc.) Search the Scriptures as your source for this essay and use Scripture and references to validate your statements. Begin with deep and prayerful meditation on God’s Word. Write your essay neatly and in an organized manner.
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION: Matthew 28:19
It would be very advantageous for you to cross reference all of the Scriptures in this study. For example, pencil in each topically similar verse into the margin next to the corresponding verses on this same subject. Write out these verses with references on index cards – make it a priority to carry and post them where you will study and meditate upon them. These two measures will build in you a wealth of truth on each topic. This will help you to retain and become resourceful in the Word of God – ready to be used of Him. Capture the knowledge that you have learned, don’t let it slip away from you.
Capitalize on your efforts. This is preparation in earnest (2 Timothy 2:21).
STUDY GUIDES
Evangelism
Holy Word of God
The Blood of Jesus
Holy Ghost Baptism
Water Baptism
The Believer and The Word
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