How Liberal Churches Are Like The Federal Government

Today I was considering the course our nation has gone… from being among the richest nation in the world to being basically owned by the Chinese.  Today I was also considering the course of various churches in our community.  They have gone from being Bible based with eternity and godliness being their focus…  to shallow speaking shells whose children are fleeing from them….

And I asked "why?"

Because both entities have made the same mistake. Both thought they were smarter than God and ignored His precepts.  Both have gone down a road that had an “unknown price”  to pay for it.  Both are now finding out the price for their choices.  Such is the way of sin…..

Consider…

"For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order : if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either."   II Thessalonians 3:10

Noah, the Movie

Well.... We went to see “Noah”, the movie...

You can read the truth about Noah in Genesis 6-9.

The producers of the movie chose blasphemy over scripture. Noah is depicted as a demented fellow who can't figure out what God wants from him. He looks like (and his family considers him) to be a madman.

Genesis 6 “13 Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood ; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 "This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 "You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top ; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 "Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven ; everything that is on the earth shall perish.”

Note that his instructions from God were specific and to the point. This torn fellow that cannot figure out what to do is a slander both on a godly man and the God who created him.

In the movie, rather than his sons taking wives on the ark... Shem gets a wife, Noah abandons Ham's prospective wife to be trampled (alienating Ham) and Shem’s wife has twin girls on the ark. This appears to allow for the other two sons to have wives and re-populate the earth (??) Noah, however, thinks his mandate is to murder his granddaughters to cause all of mankind to cease.

The Bible account is VERY, VERY different.

Genesis 6:18 "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark -you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.”

In the movie, Tubal Cain stows away on the ark for the duration with Ham’s help and tries to murder Noah while on the ark.  The fact of the flood and a few of the names are about all the story line has in common with scripture.

You expect Hollywood to ad-lib on a lot of gaps in dialogue etc. This time they chose to turn one of God's all-time favorite righteous people into little more than a madman. When God was speaking to Ezekiel He chose three men as the ultimate examples of righteousness… Noah was one of them. To make Noah into some sort of a murder- crazed psycho is blasphemy.

“even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20

They took what were very clear instructions given to Noah and had him groping around trying to figure it all out on his own. Note Genesis 6:22 “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

They avoided using the word “God” and instead used the word “Creator” and demonstrated a very aggressive agnostic and environmentalist agenda. The movie clearly presents the fact that God destroyed the world because of man… but it seems to be because of physical, environmental pollution. However in scripture, God said it was because of sin.

It was just very, very bad. A Bible believing Christian is going to be angry when he leaves. Far from simply using poetic license… they made a deliberate attempt to undermine what the text actually reveals. They also purposely smeared the integrity of a godly, righteous man.

The only good thing that I can see coming from this movie is providing a Christian the opportunity to correct the slander leveled against one the most treasured stories of scripture.

Hi I am glad you stopped by our blog. These articles are from an emailing that we did several years ago.   Today most of our work is on facebook

You can follow my personal page on Facebook by clicking on this link    ...  

  Jerry Blount 

You can follow the postings on the congregation's page by clicking on this link....   

Las Vegas church of Christ 

If you wish to worship with us....

Las Vegas church of Christ

709 Dora Celeste

Las Vegas, NM 87701

Our meeting times are

10am Sunday morning for Bible study.

11am Sunday morning for the worship service.

6pm Wednesday evening for Midweek Bible study.

If you wish to contact me...

yakipreacher@gmail.com

Be well 

Jerry Blount

The Family Needs Grandma

“The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers: not given to much wine, teachers of good things: That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Titus 2:3-5)

In this passage, Paul identified the role of Grandma as a key stabilizing factor for a successful home.
This is the last line of defense as mapped out by Paul… Grandma! Today this is compounded by the fact that now, in many cases, Grandma hasn’t known marital success or a “settled life” either. I was born in 1955 and graduated in 1973. I was the product of a happy home, as were both my parents.

The hoary head (gray head) is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.  Proverbs 16:31

 Previous to my generation, divorce was unheard of. When I married, my Grandma started in lecturing me, “In our family, we marry for life!” She was right… She died with the man she had loved all her life. My mother, her daughter, died with the man… (my father) whom she had loved all her life. My father loved my mother till the day she died. With my generation, that presumption has collapsed. There are fewer and fewer of us left.

Note from the following chart that I was not alone. This situation of crumbling marriages and fragmented families has been in a state of decline though out my lifetime.

Christians, Lies, and Forwarding Emails

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”  Matthew 12:36

Have you noticed that “most” of the email forwards turn out to not be true? Is “most” too strong a word?   I have become concerned over the last few years that many of the friends that I call “brother” will lose their salvation over the lies they carelessly forward on the internet.

Otherwise godly, conscientious people seem to feel no responsibility in passing on very damaging things about “this or that.”  For example how many Christians who don’t like our president will pass on every smear that comes their way… “hoping” it is true?

Consider this… A liar makes you into a liar when you blindly hit the forward button.

Then someone considers you trustworthy and thinks that you wouldn’t lie… So they hit their forward button and you  have made them a liar. This time it is because they trusted you!  Then someone trusts them and so on.

An Open Letter to the Boy Scouts of America

From an ex- eagle scout.

To whom it may concern:
I had to think a while before I wrote this letter. As I have gotten older, I have learned not to act rashly. I have now thought through what I must do, but do not wish to do.

I became an eagle scout in the 1970s. My mom hung the picture of our area wide “Eagle court of honor” in her hallway with pride until the day she died. When my sons came of age I encouraged them to becomes scouts. One of them also made it all the way to the coveted rank of eagle.

I had looked forward to my grandsons following the same course… and the privilege of sharing Scouting with them.

One of my fondest memories with my sons was at Philmont scout camp. We camped on the top of a mountain. The next morning we literally walked in the clouds as they rolled along the ground. Together we “touched the sky.”

I and my two sons swore the following oath as a prerequisite to our becoming scouts…(Each in our own generation)

Boy Scout Oath or PromiseOn my honor, I will do my bestTo do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;To help other people at all times;To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Let’s see, the final point… the punch line of the oath that we swore, and you still post today has young men swearing to be… “MORALLY STRAIGHT!” How do you define “straight?” Even the homosexuals define “straight” the same way I do. Let’s see they use the words “gay” and “straight.”

You still post this oath… Did I miss something?

When a Nation Boos at its Creator

Did you see the appalling display recently at the democratic convention?  If you didn’t you should.  There have been several attempts to downplay it… but the reality of the world in which we live was rather vividly exposed.

 If you have any respect for Christianity at all, you need to listen to this. HERE's the link...

In a nutshell the Democratic party leaders have long been embarrassed by many things that Christianity has to say. The scriptures have been downplayed and an atheistic amorality has been slowly taking its place for many years. This time around they tried to eliminate the last mention of God in their platform document.  They tried to do it behind the scenes without anyone knowing.
 The same convention that tried to “dump” God also sponsored an Islamic Junah…

One Christian’s thoughts on Chik-fil-a, Sodom & Gomorrah, and The Culture War Currently Underway in the USA.

Over the last month we have seen in dramatic terms how intolerant evil is of good.  One man spoke of his faith in the Bible as the Word of God, and the traditional God given definition of marriage.  There were immediate calls for boycotts etc. against the entire company because of one man’s faith in God.
Here is his initial statement, the "Chick fil a Anti Gay Statement":

“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”

Have you noticed how “intolerant” and vicious the “tolerance” movement is?  Have you noticed the vicious attacks that Christians regularly endure simply because they are Christians?  The fact is that the war between light and darkness has been going on since the Garden of Eden.

We have been an incredibly “blessed” nation as we have purposely submitted ourselves as a people to the God of heaven.  “In God we trust” has actually been the underpinnings of our society.

So… how does a “blessed” people become a “cursed” people?  Clearly if we embrace same sex marriage as we have already embraced infanticide we are one step further down the path to Sodom.

Sometimes we overlook the obvious.  This process of “blessed” to “cursed” has occurred many times in the history of the world. Israel was a “blessed” nation that became “cursed” multiple times.

Sodom was a “blessed” community as well. Consider Lot’s assessment…

Merry Christmas, Merry X-Mas, Christian Confusion & The Whole Nine Yards

Well, this year is a lot like most years.  Some are desperately trying to “put Christ back in Christmas”.  Some are trying to kick Christ out of everything to do with our civilization.  Some are so mixed up they don’t know which way to jump.

Sometimes I must confess I am the latter. Here’s my dilemma...  As a Christian, I am absolutely compelled to stand up for my Lord and Christianity in general.  However, what most people consider to be “Christianity” is not truly Christianity.  Ironically, those wishing to attack Christianity, often end up attacking Catholicism or some other denominational variant instead.
  
With Christmas in mind, let’s pick one example of confusion: The nativity scenes. . .

In recent years, there has been a full court press against the public display of nativity scenes.  Those attacks are intended to drive Christianity from the public spectrum.  Ironically anyone who has a respect for the Bible, is going to be loathe to defend the nativity scenes (regardless of the motives of those attacking them!). These same Christians (myself included) may aggressively wish to defend the fact that Christianity played a huge role in developing our culture, and it’s eventual success. 


Why can’t I defend the nativity scenes?   Let me count the ways. . .
1)  Angels over the manger. The angels appeared to the shepherds in the field.  Luke 2:8ff. The angels spoke to the shepherds.  Then, “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven,”  (Luke 2:15)  the shepherds went to the manger and saw it all. Were the angels around all this? You bet. Do I have a right to place them at the manger when the Word of God doesn’t say they were there?

2)  The three wise men.  How many wise men? The bible doesn’t say.  Many of the oldest traditions hold that there were 12.  (not three). It is thought that tradition has eventually settled on three wise men because of the three gifts.

Can a Christian Join AARP and Thereby Pay for the Homosexual Agenda?

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;" (Ephesians 5: 11)

Today’s mailing is going to be a little different subject matter than normal.  Many of our subscribers from outside the USA won’t be interested in this particular E-mailing.  The principle of joining organizations may be of interest, but AARP is more of a "USA question" about Bible application… sorry.

I keep getting questions about whether a Christian can join AARP with their very liberal social agenda.  Many Christians have been infuriated by their ultra-liberal lobbying efforts on social issues but believe that they simply “must” join because of the insurance programs, travel discounts, etc.

The American Family Association has started recommending to followers to cancel their memberships.  Here is a link to one such story.  

What You May Not Know About Christmas

Today’s article (see below) will allow a bit of a father’s pride to show through.  It was written by my daughter.  She had done her own research with the intention of drawing her own conclusions and explaining why she believed what she believed to her friends.  She then sent it to me to edit and criticize… I asked for permission to send it out on my “Jottings”

Christians that study scripture will rapidly find themselves in a dilemma.  What can we participate in and defend?  For example, only a light reading of scripture reveals that the nativity scenes pass on a sorely mistaken view of what actually happened the night our Lord was born. As the ACLU attacks their placement in public places with a view to attacking Christianity… Our dilemma is, how do we defend Christianity without defending what is not really Christianity?

There is a certain joy that comes with watching your children come of age and establish families of their own.  That joy runs even deeper as you watch them choose Christian spouses and then establish Christian families.

Yours in Christ,
Jerry Blount

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What You May Not Know About Christmas...

What does the Bible say?

I don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday- the reason being that the Bible doesn’t tell me to. Under the Old Law, God was very specific about the holy days He wanted observed. He told what event was to be remembered, what should be taught, how and when to observe the celebration. Today… we aren’t under the Old Law anymore (refer to Hebrews 8-10), and God radically changed the way worship occurs in the New Testament. The only way we are commanded to remember Christ with a ceremony today is the Lord's Supper which we observe every Sunday. (1 Cor 11:23-26, Ac 20:7). The New Testament church did not celebrate the birth of Christ in any special way. If Jesus wanted us to celebrate His birthday, He would have told us to celebrate it, when and how to celebrate it. God has given us all instruction about life and godliness in the scriptures (2 Peter 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s not my place to add in any religious holidays or observances that God didn’t command (Rev. 22:18).
 
 
When was Jesus born?

         No one knows the date Jesus was born! Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 describe Christ’s birth. December 25th, or any Roman or Hebrew equivalent is not mentioned! What we do know is that the shepherds were abiding in the fields, watching over their sheep at night (Luke 2:8), which wouldn’t be the case in December. “It's a well-known fact that December falls in the middle of the rainy season in Palestine, and the sheep were kept in the fold at that time of the year.”3 (Refer to Ezra 10:9-13, Song of Solomon 2:11, which show winter as the rainy season and shepherds could not be out on the cold, open fields at night with their sheep.)

Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

Today in lieu of my writings I am sending the declaration pasted below.  As you can see, several religious leaders of our country are now calling for civil disobedience as our government has begun trying to silence churches.  The writers included Orthodox, Catholic, and various evangelical groups.  In my estimation this is rather unprecedented.  Apparently 150+ people were involved in it. It was at 180,000 people by Sunday.  Today, it has grown to over 230,000.  It is very long… but it is very well done. You’ll be glad you read it.

You’ll read below of the government trying to force churches to participate in homosexual marriages, abortions etc. Their normal weapon is the IRS.  I personally believe that all churches would be better off if they weren’t tax exempt.  It just muddies up the picture when a church is beholden to the government for anything!

As you will see below, the government is now trying to use that exemption as a weapon to cow the churches into silence.   John the Baptist lost his head crying out against Herod’s adultery.  If we lose our tax exemptions over crying out on behalf of the unborn, the weak and the elderly…. So be it!

Yours in Christ,
Jerry Blount

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Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience
Drafted October 20, 2009
Released November 20, 2009

Preamble
Christians are heirs of a 2,000 year tradition of proclaiming God’s word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.
 

I Read the Health Care Bill

 I (like many) have been watching with growing apprehension the health care takeover that is brewing in Washington.  I think the thing that scared me the most was when it came out that it was 1100 pages… and that the guys voting on it were rushing so fast they hadn’t even read it!

That’s like a preacher preaching without using the word of God.  Today a lot of people preach that way… but it isn’t very bright.

Like you, I have seen a mountain of internet scare stories floating around regarding this bill. Those things often bring reproach on thoughtful people. When we forward things we need to be sure they are valid. 

For that reason, among others, I rarely forward articles, but this is  an exception.  This article that comes with the text from the bill. He says he has read it…. All of it.  I certainly haven’t! This article is a Christian’s reaction to this bill, so please read and consider this article in the light of Washington’s turmoil.

Here is a link to the bill everyone is fussing over if you wish to read all 1100 pages of it! There is an opinion poll beside it…. Only 14% of the people that read this were in favor of it.  You can participate in the poll beside this bill if you wish.

When you are through reading this article… you can take a one question poll on Obama’s economics performance also if you wish. . (After you vote, you will see a second page that shows the running opinion totals)

Let me be clear, I have not fully read this bill… I tried to and could not make heads or tails out of the silly thing.  It keeps on referring to this section or that.  It will take a specialist to implement. 

This Christian has read it, and he provides the text from the bill he is commenting on. 

Then, I have provided you a link above to the entire bill so you can cross reference his quote, and comments to form your own informed opinion if you wish.

One other sidelight.  I have added/expanded and updated my online library.  If you wish a one stop online Bible library… I have provided you with one.  You will find a good collection of Bible dictionaries/encyclopedia. You’ll also find a good collection of commentaries, and historical works.  It is the study library that I use.  

Enjoy!

Jerry Blount

I Read The Bill

by Tom Wacaster

I have listened with great interest and concern to the “pros” and “cons” of the impending health bill that has been drawn up by the House of Representatives.   Few, if any, of our representatives have actually read the bill in its entirety.   In contrast a growing number of concerned citizens have taken the time to download and examine this piece of legislation in detail.  I downloaded HR3200, and have spent a total of slightly more than ten hours reading the bill, page by page, and line by line.   I can confidently say that I have read the bill.  Having said that, there are some observations I want to make relative to a “political coup” that is presently underway in the very halls of our Congress. 

Why Open Your Eyes to Islam?

Living in our politically correct society, I have begun to fear the ignorance of most when it comes to Islam and it’s impending impact on women in our society.  Even the Islam that exists in this country is so sanitized that most do not realize what will happen if Islam gains a significant voice in our society.  The entire relationship of men and women will change.

Elijah once made an incredible proclamation in determining who had the right to be called, and worshipped as God.  “Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long {will} you hesitate between two opinions? If the Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.”  (I King 18:21) In a very similar and appropriate manner we amend Elijah’s obvious ancient choice.  If Jehovah is God, follow Him, but if Allah, follow him!

When your young adult wishes to date a Muslim, how will you respond? Do you know enough about Islam to respond?

Well, I have decided to share a growing body of material geared at not only defending against Islam but actually converting the Muslim to the mind of Christ.  You need this to demonstrate what Islam really means… especially to women. Many of the bizarre things that we see trickling out of that end of the world become clear when you actually see what is written in their books.

The bottom line is this: Islam is an invading hostile force in our society.  If has not affected someone in your family or neighborhood, it soon will.  I have concentrated on pulling the documentation right out of their holy books.

The dying words of Muhammad: 

"The Lord destroy the Jews and Christians!  Let his anger be kindled against those that turn the tombs of their prophets into places of worship!  O Lord, let not my tomb be an object of worship!  Let there not remain any faith but that of Islâm throughout the whole of Arabia .... Gabriel, come close to me!  Lord, grant me pardon and join me to thy companionship on high!  Eternity in paradise!  Pardon!  Yes, the blessed companionship on high!"

*To view all my jottings about Islam, visit my page, Islam vs. Christianity *