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CrossTV

Dr. Voddie Baucham delivers both a strong rebuke of the Pagan ideas that have infested the church regarding the family, parenting and marriage, and gives sound Biblical advice on the right things to do.

To listen go to: Child Training-Dr. Voddie Baucham 49 min.

White Horse Inn

This image was featured yesterday on the front page of the Canton, Ohio newspaper, the Repository. Here’s the story.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

–I John 2:15-16

The big emerging promoter, Youth Specialties, is offering a guided imagery devotion in their newsletter that has the Son of God hunkered down in the corner of your bedroom, waiting to talk to you.

You can hear the audio here and read the full transcript. Delving into the realm of the imagination to “visualize” Jesus is a fast track to spiritual deception. Author Warren Smith tells us how he had a Jesus of his own imagination as well. He was deceived by an angel of light as he tells in his autobiography, The Light That Was Dark. Another former New Ager, Will Barron, tells of having his own Jesus who would appear to him and converse with him.

We encounter the Lord in His Word, not through our vain imaginations. The King of Kings does not hunker down in anyone’s room. He sits at the right hand of God, our risen, ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ. We worship Him and pray to Him because He alone is worthy to be praised and glorified, not because we want someone to talk to so we can feel better about ourselves.

The mysticism promoted by the emerging leaders and teachers can lead to spiritual deception for young people who have never been taught the dangers of this kind of thing.

Paul Washer is here in Milwaukee for the VCY America Rally. It will be aired live on VCY America Radio Network and streamed online beginning at 7pm Central time. The Northland Witness, a musical group from Northland Baptist Bible College, will be starting the rally and Paul Washer will speak after that. This is a rally with a youth emphasis, and parents were encouraged to bring young people to hear Paul’s message, Living Pure in an Impure World. Tune in live at our VCY America Website at 7pm Central Time. (Click on Listen Live.) I am praying that the Lord will bring just the right young people who need to hear a timely message on what it is to live for Jesus in a very dark world.

CD’s of his message will be available through VCY America beginning next week by calling 800-729-9829. The cost if $5. You can also order by writing to VCY America Radio, 3434 West Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53208.

**We apologize for the truncated version of Paul’s message that was streamed on the network. Due to the rally going longer than expected, the network returned to regular programming at 9pm before Mr. Washer was finished. The complete message will be available on CD. We praise God for the 700 souls there last night and the obvious moving of the Holy Spirit among those who attended. It was a powerful message from God’s Word.**

This article from Christian News Today reports that more college students are walking away from their Christianity. You have to wonder how firm a grasp these young people had on what following Christ entails if they could trade the risen Lord Jesus Christ for booze and sex. I often hear people say that they “rededicated their lives to Christ” after years of living in the world. Sometimes I think what really happens is that these young people eventually repent of their sin and are converted, in fact, for the first time. The false conversions of evangelicalism abound today because there is such a lack of sound teaching in many churches. That’s why young people can casually talk about trading God for the life of a pagan in college and then return to faith.

I am not saying that Christians cannot backslide for a time, but I do know that once soundly converted, to go back to the vomit of the world as an active choice is to openly shame the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 6:4-6 puts it this way:

Those are sobering words from the Lord. Those who take lightly this, “I’m going to ‘take a break’ from Christianity to experience college life’” are in spiritual peril. Few pastors are warning that there is no return to the City of Destruction for those who have set out on the narrow road to the Celestial City. We cannot have it both ways. It is Jesus Christ, or the world. There is no third way. Joshua 24:14-16 puts it in these words:

Just a reminder that the Anchored in Truth Reality Check Conference is being streamed live. Don’t miss some of these powerful messages geared to young people and their parents. They have an overflow crowd. Praise the Lord.

(They are on a break for the next few hours and the preaching begins again at 7:00 PM Eastern time.)

The youth conference sponsored by Anchored in Truth Ministries (Pastor Jeff Noblit) will be aired live on the Internet. If you want to hear some hard-hitting Bible teaching (Paul Washer will be there) and many powerful biblical messages directed to Christian young people, you can listen here at the Anchored in Truth website beginning Friday, the 28th of December. They actually are now into overflow arrangements due to the incredible interest in this conference! Praise the Lord.

On Monday I will be doing a somewhat unusual Crosstalk program. It is no secret that we’re living in a time of rank apostasy and false teaching. Things seem to be getting worse by the day all around us. But through all of this, God has His true Church, His bride who truly loves Him and looks for His appearing. I can’t think of anything more important right now than to encourage fellow believers to draw close to the Savior. Just as a child draws close to a parent when danger is close by, we need to walk as near our Lord as possible in these incredible times. There are spiritual attacks from the enemy on every hand, and the old evil foe rests not, day or not, to try to take our faith from us. But through this dark world, we have the hand of our Savior holding us tightly, leading us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

I will be reviewing a new biography tomorrow of Frances Ridley Havergal entitled, Ever, Always, All For Thee. This beautiful biography, written by Pamela D. Bugden, details the life of a woman whose love for Jesus had a vast impact on the world of her day. 128 years after her death, she being dead, yet speaks through her rich devotional writings and her hymns. Frances Ridley Havergal saw the compromise and complacency in her day. She also saw lack of commitment among those who professed to know Christ, and she exhorted believers to draw near to the Lord, to take time in His presence to get the strength needed to face the spiritual battles in their lives.

I believe the message of this dear sister in the Lord is extremely important today. We are not equal to the task of standing for Jesus in this dark hour if we haven’t spent time with Jesus Himself. Discernment websites will give you information, but they will not give you spiritual power in your life to live for the Lord in the midst of deception. Books against the emerging heresy, the growing New Spirituality, and all the other lies of the enemy are useful and needed tools, but they cannot apply spiritual armor to readers. Only time alone with the Lord and His Word can supply the strength we need for the battle.

Much prayer has gone into this program, and, amidst all the rebellion, it is my hope that it will result in a renewed seeking of the Lord for listeners, Then, when we are properly girded for the fight, we need to go out and contend for the faith, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (II Corinthians 10:5)

Join me for the Crosstalk program, Monday, November 26, at 2pm Central Time at our website or listen to the archive later. You can read a brief excerpt of Havergal’s here, on the incredible power of a moment, consecrated to Jesus Christ. I hope to post more of her writings on the All for Thee site in order to get some of her writings on the web. Her writings are nearly all out of print now, sadly, but I am engaged in a project that, Lord willing, will bring some of them back to the Christian public. You can pray for the Havergal Project.

Frances Ridley Havergal is author of numerous hymns including her famous consecration hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be”, “Like a River Glorious”, “I am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus”, and this one!

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus nameth must be on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own life blood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, victory is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band,
In the service royal, let us not grow cold;
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, Thou wilt keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

The featured photo is taken from Michael Jackson’s music video of his smash hit single, “Thriller” from the LP by the same name. In an apparent wave of nostalgia for sin from the 80’s, the Free Chapel in Gainseville, Georgia staged a Michael Jackson Thriller dance for worshipers on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago. Yes, evangelicals have come a long way from singing “The God of Abraham Praise” in worship on Sunday morning. You can see the YouTube video here of the dancers. (The Michael Jackson character is in the middle in red.) The dance starts around 38 seconds in. If the, um, pastor is looking for musical suggestions, perhaps Highway to Hell by AC/DC or even Hells Bells might make a good offertory. For the anthem, maybe Woman in Black and as a closing hymn, Losing My Religion would round things off rather well.

The entire scene reminds me of a haunted house—the house of God turned into a haunted house. This is the logical end of man-centered churches and anthropology posing as theology.

Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society was the guest on Crosstalk today. We talked about what has happened to the biblical Gospel in churches today and how the Gospel should be presented. We also talked about the upcoming Reality Check Youth Conference at which Paul is speaking, coming up December 28-30 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More information is available at the Anchored in Truth website under “conferences”.

Apparently finding God in His Word is no longer enough. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is inviting emerging church guru Dan Kimball to address a youth ministry conference. This is the same Kimball who had his book, The Emerging Church, forwarded by neo-liberal heretic Brian McLaren. Brian McLaren does not believe in a literal hell or the substitutionary atonement of Christ and believes that monogamous homosexual relationships are A-Ok. (See McLaren featured at the “gay” Open Door Community Church in Arkansas. Scroll down on the last link to see “Pastors” Randy and Gary snuggling up together.) Does the LCMS feel any longer that spiritual affiliations are important? They would not allow a conservative Baptist or Reformed pastor in the door to preach, but they are allowing Dan Kimball who asks gay-supportive, substitutionary atonement denying Brian McLaren to write a forward for his book, to tell them how to reach youth? Is the Holy Spirit so absent in church now that they are reduced to asking men like Kimball how to conduct ministry?

Kimball supports the stampede back to mysticism with labyrinths, eastern-style meditation and Lectio Divina. He leapfrogs the Reformation and tells us we need to go back to the Desert Fathers to learn how to experience God. I somewhere missed that section of the Book of Concord where it tells us that we meet God in the silence and our imaginations. Emerging church authors and leaders routinely dismiss the Reformation and its biblical Solas as irrelevant. “We are in postmodern times now. That’s outmoded modernity. Everything must change now. Re-imagine church. Redefine the Scriptures as narrative instead of Divine fiat. Who ever said Scripture Alone was true anyway?” Having researched the emerging church for years now, I can say authoritatively that they are waging the biggest assault on Scriptural authority than we’ve seen in the last 100 years.

The thought of bringing emerging church guru, Dan Kimball, into the LCMS to teach ought to be ringing alarms bells at the headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. Oh, wait a minute. Those are the same people bringing Dan Kimball in. Looks like it’s time for another Reformation, this time in the Lutheran church.

**I interviewed Pastor Bob DeWaay on Crosstalk today regarding the emerging church. The interview should be up shortly at the Crosstalk website. Dan Kimball claims that he, unlike some other emergents, is orthodox and doesn’t reject the substitutionary atonement, the doctrine of hell, etc. Can you explain why he would have McLaren then forward his book? McLaren believes in neither hell nor the substitutionary atonement. Further, Kimball allows his essay to sit alongside 24 others in Emerging Manifesto of Hope where Samir Salmonovic calls for inclusiveness with other faiths and claims that we can find the gospel in other world religions. Dan, either rebuke these heretics and get out of there or admit you are one of them. You can’t have it both ways. Regarding the LCMS, I am personally calling on Dr. Jerry Kieschnik to withdraw his synod’s invitation to Dan Kimball or admit to having a man keynote an LCMS symposium who is yoked to heretical teachers. Don’t talk about Reformation Day this October 31 unless you are prepared to fight for truth in your own time and denomination.

December 28-30, the Reality Check Youth Conference is being held, sponsored by Anchored in Truth Ministries. Paul Washer and several other excellent Bible teachers will be leading this event. Unlike many youth conferences that are big on fun and shallow on Bible teaching, this conference is big on Bible teaching and the enjoyment centers around the study and preaching of the Word of God. And by the way, word has it the kids also have a lot of fun!

I am excited about this conference and pray that many families will be able to bring their young people. This is a family centered youth event. Peer packs running wild outside of parental supervision are not part of this conference. Rather, young people are challenged, along with parents, to love the Lord, study His Word and grow in their faith. Here is a link with more information.