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Test All Things Pt. 3 – Wimpy Christians & The Culture War

A respected Southern Baptist pastor and author says “wimpy” pastors and laypersons are the reason Christians are losing the culture war.

Why are many Christian leaders silent when religious freedom comes under attack? That question was raised Tuesday evening by Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly and posed to Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas and author of How Can I Know: Answers to Life’s 7 Most Important Questions.

“I think one reason is a lot of Christian leaders have the wrong idea about Jesus,” Jeffress replied when asked the question. “They see Jesus as this little, wimpy guy who walked around plucking daisies and eating birdseed and saying nice things, but never doing anything controversial. The fact is, Jesus did confront his culture with truth — and he ended up being crucified because of it.”

The Dallas pastor chastised pastors who shy away from controversy.

“Wimpy pastors produce wimpy Christians — and that is why we are losing this culture war,” he emphasized.

These are indeed some bold, and hard hitting, comments. But are they true? Are Christians wimps for not participating in the culture war? Has Christ called his church to go to war with the culture? Did Jesus go to war with the culture?

First, to set the record straight, there are many pastors going to war with the culture, and are even willing to be led in the culture war by false teachers, such as, the historical revisionist, David Barton, Glenn Beck, the Mormon, Roman Catholics, and even “Word of Faith” & New Apostolic Reformation” heretics. So it wouldn’t be accurate to claim that pastors are not engaged in the culture war. Mr. Jeffress might not like the amount of people involved, but he should be realistic in his observation, because the majority of Western society holds to a secular world-view; thus out numbering those who still hold to traditional Christian morality.

Nevertheless, Mr. Jeffress’ statements should be challenged.

Did Jesus, in fact, go to war with his culture, by trying to compel the Jews to keep the Old Covenant law? It is true that he rightly accused the Jews, and even the leaders, by telling them that none of them keeps the law, and that they even nullify the law by replacing it with their own traditions (John 7-19, Matthew 15:3-9). But was it the law that Jesus was telling the people to obey? Jesus did not command the Jews to do a better job at keeping the law. Instead, he told them to do “the work of God”, which is to “believe in Him whom He [God] sent… Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life” (John 6:29-48). That was Jesus’ messages, and that is what he confronted his culture with, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Nowhere can it be found in the gospel, or even the epistles, where Jesus is commanding the people to do better at keeping the law. Instead, he shows the people their lost and sinful state, by showing them how they have always broken the law, and cannot keep the law, because of their sinful heart. This was made evident when he said “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:18-30). Sinful man, even orthodox Jews, cannot live up to this standard “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). That is why Jesus said “You must be born again”, because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (John 3:7, 2Corinthians 5:17).

Did Jesus tell his Apostles to fight a culture war, when he commissioned them after his resurrection? No, instead, he told them to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 19:20). None of Jesus’ commands to his disciples had to do with fighting for control of the world’s culture. Instead, his commands were centered on salvation from sin, and from a world that is mark for destruction, and that is what the Apostles preached, saying “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead”, and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 30:31, Acts 16:31).

Is Christ’s church engaged in war of any kind? Yes, the church is, in fact, engaged in, and called to a war. But it is not a war against the culture, because “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh”, and the war for the culture is a war against people, for control of a nation, which is not what Christ commanded the church to do (2Corinthians 10:3). Yet, “from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Christ church, therefore, is engaged in a spiritual war “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10). These opposing forces wage war on the truth, which the church is called to contend earnestly for, by refuting the heresies of false teachers. This war is fought by abiding in the truth, and by “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 6:14-18, Jude 1:3-4).

Many false teachers fight against the truth, by teaching the church, and the world, to do things in Christ’s name that Jesus never commanded, and the church must expose their lies, and “mark those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which they’ve learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17-18). “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage”, but Christ church must “remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit (Jude 1:16-19). Jesus also gave this warning when he told his disciples to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:13-20).

Therefore, Christ has called his church to engaged in a war, but it is not a war for the culture, which is doomed, according to Scripture (Acts 17:30-30, 1John 2:15-17). Instead, the church is engaged in a war for the truth of who the true God is, and for the truth of the true gospel of salvation, because many false prophets are in the world, and they are leading the world to obey false gods, false Christs, and false gospel (1John 4:1-6, 1John 5:19-21). Some are even telling the church that Jesus wants them to take charge of the culture through civil law, or through bringing about world peace in his name, even though Christ has already said “do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.'” (Matthew 10:34-36). The hatred, and lack of peace, is directly linked with the world’s hatred of Christ, “because he testified of it that its works are evil”, and the church must do the same, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 7:7, John 16:8).

Those who are not willing to follow Christ’s commands to engage in this spiritual warfare are fearful. This is because they fear sinful man more than God, who is able to kill, and send those who disobeyed him to Hell, and the “Lake of Fire” (Matthew 10:29, Revelation 21:7-8). Those are the true wimpy Christians, who will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven, just as those who have told lies in Christ name (Revelation 21:7-8). That is why the Scriptures says “…all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone…” (Revelation 21:8). “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 1:12-13). To take the Lord’s name in vain, by telling people that God wants them to do certain things that he never told them, is not a small matter, “for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

Christians who fight in a war, who have not been commanded by God to do so, are fooled into waring against the very people that Christ has commanded them to preach the gospel to, so that they will repent, believe the gospel, and be saved, from their sins, and from this evil world. Believers are called to “set their minds on things above, not on things on the earth”, because “no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (Colossians 3:2, 2Timothy 2:4). The church’s war is centered upon salvation, and upon making disciples. Christ does not burden his people with the hopeless cares of this world, that is ruled over by Satan, who is “the god of this world” (2Crointhians 4:4, John 16:11, Revelation 12:12). Instead, he says “I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. ‘ He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’, as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:24-29).

Revelation 22

12   And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13   I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14   Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15   For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16   I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17   And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18   For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19   And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20   He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Slavery: A Global Investigation

slavery

The following link entitled “Slavery: A Global Investigation” is a documentary about an investigation of modern-day slavery throughout the world, including the United States. The film includes first-hand accounts of men, women, and children, who have been kidnapped, and forced to work as slaves.

Crackdown on Liberty Pt. 12 – Gun Control

Guncontrol

USAToday.Com –

The author of a report on Australia’s sweeping gun reform program that was instituted after a mass killing in 1996 says the United States would have many fewer deaths by dramatically decreasing the number of households with guns, the Sydney Morning-Herald reported.

The National Firearms Agreement — reached among the political parties less than two weeks after a gunman killed 35 people and injured 23 at a Tasmanian seaside resort — cut firearm homicide by 59% over the next two decades and firearms suicide by 74%, the report showed.

The law banned semiautomatic and automatic rifles and shotguns and put in place a mandatory buy-back program for newly banned weapons.

The buyback led to the destruction of 650,000 guns, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

In August, following the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who instituted the NFA, wrote in the Melbourne daily The Age that the United States should follow in Australia’s footsteps.

“Australia is a safer country as a result of what was done in 1996,” he wrote. “It will be the continuing responsibility of current and future federal and state governments to ensure the effectiveness of those anti-gun laws is never weakened. The U.S. is a country for which I have much affection. There are many American traits which we Australians could well emulate to our great benefit. But when it comes to guns we have been right to take a radically different path.”

Andrew Leigh, as an academic at the Australian National University, published research in 2010 on the NFA and found that the gun buyback program lowered the proportion of Australian homes with guns from 15% to 8%.

”Our gun buyback took about a fifth of our guns out of circulation but it approximately halved the number of gun-owning households,” Leigh, who is also a Labor party MP, said, the Morning-Herald reported. ‘If the U.S. could dramatically decrease the number of households with guns, it would have many fewer deaths.”

Would the unarmed citizens of Australia agree with this assessment? To hear their opinions on this matter, click on the link entitled “Australia Protests Gun Ban Wake Up American Your Next“.

A 2011 study by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center of the Australian program noted that while 13 gun massacres (involving the death of 4 or more people at one time) occurred in Australia in the 18 years before the NFA, resulting in more than one hundred deaths, there had been no massacres since.

READ: The full report on the Australia gun buyback program

Leigh said that he does not foresee any retreat from the policy by major parties, although the Australian Party has vowed to fight for shooter’s rights if it gains seats in the Senate next year.

Australian native Rupert Murdoch, who is now a U.S. citizen, has strongly echoed the calls for new restrictions on automatic weapons, citing the Australian example.

After the Sandy Hook massacre on Friday, Murdoch wrote on Twitter: ”Terrible news today. When will politicians find courage to ban automatic weapons? As in Oz after similar tragedy.”

That, says the Morning Herald, prompted a none-too-subtle comment from Australian Liberal Malcolm Turnbull about Murdoch’s U.S. cable network. “I suspect they will find the courage when Fox News enthusiastically campaigns for it.”

In his 2010 report, Leigh wrote that there were several important factors in assessing the extent to which the result of the Australian gun buyback program could be extrapolated to other countries.

Among them:

Australian borders are more easily controlled than in countries that have land borders;
Australia’s government in general and its policing and customs services in particular are highly organized and effective;
The NFA had an extremely high degree of political support and was quite competently executed;
The buyback was accompanied by a uniform national system for licensing and registration of firearms.

FoxNews.Com –

President Obama on Wednesday tapped Vice President Biden to lead an administration-wide effort looking at gun control and other measures in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting last week.

“The fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing,” Obama said.

The move marks the first concrete step by the White House toward crafting new firearms restrictions. The president did not announce any major policy decisions on Wednesday, but said the task force of Cabinet officials and outside organizations led by Biden would submit legislative proposals to him no later than January.

Some lawmakers, in the wake of the tragedy, have called for a broad-based response, looking at everything from mental health to school security to American culture. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., in a call soon joined by others, proposed a national commission examining the entertainment industry and particularly video games.

Obama and top administration officials suggest the response to the Newtown, Conn., mass murder could include a range of recommendations. But the focus, given the debate that has accelerated on Capitol Hill in recent days, is likely to be gun control.

The president said Wednesday that he chose Biden to lead the task force in part because of his role in crafting the 1994 assault-weapons ban. Obama spoke favorably of the ban, as well as proposals to strengthen background checks and ban high-capacity magazines. The president tried to walk a line between assuring Americans that gun rights would largely be protected, while making the case for some new restrictions.

“The fact is the vast majority of gun owners in America are responsible,” he said. “But you know what — I am also betting that the majority, the vast majority of responsible law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war.”

Obama said he would use “all the powers” of his office to prevent more tragedies. “We won’t prevent them all, but that can’t be an excuse not to try,” he said.

Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the administration will craft proposals for Congress to consider over the next few weeks. He said a “strong” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also important.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that Obama is “actively supportive” of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s, D-Calif., push to bring back the assault-weapons ban. He also said the president supports closing the so-called gun show loophole.

Gun-rights advocates have started to push back on the swift call for more firearms regulation. The National Rifle Association, after remaining silent in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, released its first — albeit brief — statement on Tuesday, and announced it would be holding a major press conference on Friday.

The White House sees some urgency in formulating a policy response to the shooting, even as Obama and his top aides are consumed with averting the looming fiscal crisis before tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January.

As many pro-gun lawmakers have called for a greater focus on mental health issues and the impact of violent entertainment, aides say Obama also prefers a holistic approach.

“It’s a complex problem that requires more than one solution,” Carney said Tuesday. “It calls for not only re-examining our gun laws and how well we enforce them, but also for engaging mental health professionals, law-enforcement officials, educators, parents and communities to find those solutions.”

Still, much of the immediate focus after the shooting is on gun control, an issue that has been dormant in Washington for years. Obama expended little political capital on gun issues during his first term, despite several mass shootings, including a movie theater attack in Aurora, Colorado, in the midst of this year’s presidential campaign.

The White House has begun to signal that Obama may be more proactive on gun issues following the murders of the elementary school youngsters, ages 6 and 7.

The policy process Obama announced Wednesday was expected to include input from the departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The heads of those agencies met with Obama at the White House on Monday.

To learn about the affect of stricter gun control laws in Washington D.C., click on the link entitled “Gun Control Made For Higher Crime Rates“.

To learn about the affect that banned firearms is having in South Africa, click on the link entitled “South Africa Gun Control And Crime Rates“.

Related article: “After Obama win, U.S. backs new U.N. arms treaty talks“

Glenn Beck Defends Gay Marriage

Glenn-beck

HuffingtonPost.Com –

Glenn Beck has reiterated his surprisingly lenient stance on same-sex marriage in a new interview.

In a conversation with Penn Jillette, Beck stopped short of endorsing marriage equality, but nonetheless argued against government involvement in personal affairs.

“Let me take the pro-gay marriage people and the religious people,” he said. “I believe that there is a connecting dot there that nobody is looking at, and that’s the Constitution.”

He then noted: “The question is not whether gay people should be married or not, the question is why is the government involved in our marriage?”

It’s not the first time the author and former Fox News host has expressed a less-than-rigid view of same-sex marriage. In 2010, Beck told Bill O’Reilly that he didn’t believe allowing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples to tie the knot posed much of a threat to the country.

Beck even quoted Thomas Jefferson in his argument: “If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?”

2Timothy 3

1   This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2   For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3   Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4   Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5   Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Psalm 1

1   Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2   But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3   And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4   The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5   Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6   For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

War on Consciousness Pt. 26 – The Collective Salvation of the Superior Group

Worldview Weekend Radio –

On todays program Brannon discusses the dangers of collective salvation, group consensus, existentialism and how the false church in Nazi Germany embraced these ideas and how they are being embraced again by a rising, global, false church. Martin Heidegger was the First Nazi Rector of a German University. Martin Heidegger was influenced by Søren Kierkegaard and Kierkegaard also influenced the false church with his belief in subjective truth. Heidegger promoted deconstructionism in Germany and when he joined the Nazi party he aided the Nazi party in teaching the idea of community and collective salvation to the false church in Germany. Heidegger helped to indoctrinate the church in both existentialism and the idea of collectivism, group consensus, and denial of the value and worth of the individual. These philosophies helped to lay the foundation for the Nazi holocaust. How have postmodernism, existentialism, and collective salvation come into the modern church today? What serious consequences could result in todays world from these dangerous philosophies? How do the New Religious Right and Religious Left embrace group consensus and collective salvation albeit in different forms?

To listen to the program, click on the link entitled “The Collective Salvation of the Superior Group“.

Another influence from the grave is the writings of Jane Lead. Particularly her 1679 prophecy of the “Philadelphian Church“, which has been adopted, in part, by the New Apostolic Reformation, the Latter Rain Movement, the Vineyard Movement, and IHOP. The key character traits of these two movements is the emphasis on the importance of collectivism through, around-the-clock, group prayer meetings for the purpose of coming under the control of the Holy Spirit, whom, they claim, desires to use them to perform signs and wonders on a scale so great that it would convert the world to Jesus Christ, and also cause Christ to return to the earth through their elite church, which would also become gods, and would be so powerful that the earth would be restored by the power of this elite church.

This experienced-based, false church, as seen with IHOP, has no tolerance for sound doctrine, and instead, desires to know God through the senses, apart from Scripture, and seeks after signs and wonders, because the gospel of Christ isn’t enough for them, and adherents to the written word of God are even seen as those who follow dead religion. This perspective automatically causes this elite church to see the true church, that desires to follow the God of the Bible, rather than the strange doctrines, and practices, derived from experiences , as false, dead, and as salt that has lost its savor. Nevertheless, it is the wicked generation that seeks after a sign, and refuses to seek, and obey, the written word of God.

Matthew 16

1   The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2   He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3   And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4   A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Psalm 119

1   Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2   Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3   They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Psalm 1

1   Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2   But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3   And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4   The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5   Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6   For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

What is required of the church during this time of promoting the fallacy of group consensus, and collective salvation, is to abide in Christ, which means we must study God’s word, meditate on it day and night, and most of all, obey it, even in the face of persecution and death (John 15:3-5, Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 119:1-8). Just as Noah was the only one preaching, and standing up for the truth, in the midst of his wicked generation, before the flood came, and destroyed the old, proud, world, with its great numbers , who were sure of their collective movement of lawlessness, so the church of Jesus Christ must stand in this evil day, against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, by standing up for the truth of who God is, and the truth of the gospel (Ephesians 6:10-13). This is done by preaching the gospel to the lost, making disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey everything that he has commanded those who follow him, and by contending earnestly for the faith, once delivered to the saints, by 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 (Matthew 28:19-20, Jude 1:3-4, 2Corinthians 10:4-5). Christ’s command to his church is to put on the whole armor of God, so that they are able to stand for the truth in the midst of this wicked generation (Ephesians 6:10-18, 1Peter 1:8-20).

The church must be willing to stand for the true God, and the gospel, when it is vastly out numbered (Matthew 10:16-40, Matthew 24:9-13). It must be willing to stand up, by the grace of God, under persecution. Christ church must be willing to be rejected by this sinful world, and separated themselves from the false prophets who are promoted by the mainstream Christian media (Luke 6:26, Matthew 5:10-16). It must separate itself from the ecumenical practices of the New Religious Right (2Corinthians 6:14-18, 1John 2:3-6, 1John 5:18-21).

The power of God in the church is its witness of the gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit, which they have been given in their mortal bodies, to show that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that they are able to stand firm until Christ returns (Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 3:14-21, Corinthians 4:5-7, Zechariah 4:1-6, Hebrews 10:35-38).

The church began its mission of gospel proclamation through signs, and wonders, confirming their witness to be from God (Mark 16:17-20, Hebrews 2:3-4). The church has no more need for signs, and wonders, now that the fullness of their faith has been revealed by the written word of God (1Corinthians 13:8-13, James 1:21-25, 2Timothy 3:14-17). Now they must shine as lights in these last hours by their faith, through preaching the gospel, and through the sign of boldness in martyrdom (Daniel 12:3, Daniel 12:7-10, 2Timothy 4:1-5, Revelation 12:10-12). Signs, and wonders, are no longer needed by the true church to affirm their righteousness to the collective, superior group, because they are the just, who live by faith in God’s written word, which promised them resurrection to eternal life, when Christ returns, and judges this world in righteousness (2Thessalonians 1:3-12, 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, Isaiah chp. 26).

Crackdown on Liberty Pt. 11 – NSA Electronic Surveillance of Everyone

william binney

Wikipedia.Com –

An electronic surveillance program, whose actual name is currently unknown, was implemented by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks. It was part of the president’s Surveillance Program, which was in turn conducted under the overall umbrella of the War on Terrorism. The NSA, a signals intelligence agency, implemented the program to intercept al Qaeda communications overseas where at least one party is not a U.S. person. In 2005 the New York Times disclosed that technical glitches resulted in some of the intercepts including communications were “purely domestic” in nature, igniting the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy. ^[1] Later works, such as James Bamford‘s The Shadow Factory, would describe how the nature of the domestic surveillance was much, much more widespread than initially disclosed. In a 2011 New Yorker article, former NSA employee Bill Binney said that his colleagues told him that the NSA had begun storing billing and phone records from “everyone in the country.”^[2]

Continue Reading…

RT.Com –

“‘Everyone in US under virtual surveillance’ – NSA whistleblower“

The FBI records the emails of nearly all US citizens, including members of congress, according to NSA whistleblower William Binney. In an interview with RT, he warned that the government can use this information against anyone.

Binney, one of the best mathematicians and code breakers in the history of the National Security Agency, resigned in 2001. He claimed he no longer wanted to be associated with alleged violations of the Constitution, such as how the FBI engages in widespread and pervasive surveillance through powerful devices called ‘Naris.’

This year, Binney received the Callaway award, an annual prize that recognizes those who champion constitutional rights and American values at great risk to their personal or professional lives.

RT: In light of the Petraeus/Allen scandal while the public is so focused on the details of their family drama, one may argue that the real scandal in this whole story is the power, the reach of the surveillance state. I mean if we take General Allen – thousands of his personal e-mails have been sifted through private correspondence. It’s not like any of those men was planning an attack on America. Does the scandal prove the notion that there is no such thing as privacy in a surveillance state?

William Binney: Yes, that’s what I’ve been basically saying for quite some time, is that the FBI has access to the data collected, which is basically the emails of virtually everybody in the country. And the FBI has access to it. All the congressional members are on the surveillance too, no one is excluded. They are all included. So, yes, this can happen to anyone. If they become a target for whatever reason – they are targeted by the government, the government can go in, or the FBI, or other agencies of the government, they can go into their database, pull all that data collected on them over the years, and we analyze it all. So, we have to actively analyze everything they’ve done for the last 10 years at least.

RT: And it’s not just about those, who could be planning, who could be a threat to national security, but also those, who could be just…

WB: It’s everybody. The Naris device, if it takes in the entire line, so it takes in all the data. In fact they advertised they can process the lines at session rates, which means 10-gigabit lines. I forgot the name of the device (it’s not the Naris) – the other one does it at 10 gigabits. That’s why they’re building Buffdale [database facility], because they have to have more storage, because they can’t figure out what’s important, so they are just storing everything there. So, emails are going to be stored there in the future, but right now stored in different places around the country. But it is being collected – and the FBI has access to it.

RT: You mean it’s being collected in bulk without even requesting providers?

WB: Yes.

RT: Then what about Google, you know, releasing this biannual transparency report and saying that the government’s demands for personal data is at an all-time high and for all of those requesting the US, Google says they complied with the government’s demands 90 percent of the time. But they are still saying that they are making the request, it’s not like it’s all being funneled into that storage. What do you say to that?

WB: I would assume that it’s just simply another source for the same data they are already collecting. My line is in declarations in a court about the 18-T facility in San Francisco, that documented the NSA room inside that AST&T facility, where they had Naris devices to collect data off the fiber optic lines inside the United States. So, that’s kind of a powerful device, that would collect everything it was being sent. It could collect on the order over of 100 billion 1,000-character emails a day. One device.

RT: You say they sift through billions of e-mails. I wonder how do they prioritize? How do they filter it?

WB: I don’t think they are filtering it. They are just storing it. I think it’s just a matter of selecting when they want it. So, if they want to target you, they would take your attributes, go into that database and pull out all your data.

RT: Were you on the target list?

WB: Oh, sure! I believe I’ve been on it for quite a few years. So I keep telling them everything I think of them in my email. So that when they want to read it they’ll understand what I think of them.

RT: Do you think we all should leave messages for the NSA mail box?

WB: Sure!

RT: You blew the whistle on the agency when George W. Bush was the president. With President Obama in office, in your opinion, has anything changed at the agency, in the surveillance program? In what direction is this administration moving?

WB: The change is it’s getting worse. They are doing more. He is supporting the building of the Buffdale facility, which is over two billion dollars they are spending on storage room for data. That means that they are collecting a lot more now and need more storage for it. That facility by my calculations that I submitted to the court for the Electronic Frontiers Foundation against NSA would hold on the order of 5 zettabytes of data. Just that current storage capacity is being advertised on the web that you can buy. And that’s not talking about what they have in the near future.

RT: What are they going to do with all of that? Ok, they are storing something. Why should anybody be concerned?

WB: If you ever get on the enemies list, like Petraeus did or… for whatever reason, than you can be drained into that surveillance.

RT: Do you think they would… General Petraeus, who was idolized by the same administration? Or General Allen?

WB: There are certainly some questions, that have to be asked, like why would they target it to begin with? What law were they breaking?

RT: In case of General Petraeus one would argue that there could have been security breaches. Something like that. But with General Allen – I don’t quite understand, because when they were looking into his private emails to this woman.

WB: That’s the whole point. I am not sure what the internal politics is… That’s part of the program. This government doesn’t want things in the public. It’s not a transparent government. Whatever the reason or the motivation was, I don’t really know, but I certainly think that there was something going on in the background that made them target those fellows. Otherwise why would they be doing it? There is no crime there.

RT: It seems that the public is divided between those, who think that the government surveillance program violates their civil liberties, and those who say, ‘I’ve nothing to hide. So, why should I care?’ What do you say to those who think that it shouldnt concern them.

WB: The problem is if they think they are not doing anything that’s wrong, they don’t get to define that. The central government does, the central government defines what is right and wrong and whether or not they target you. So, it’s not up to the individuals. Even if they think they aren’t doing something wrong, if their position on something is against what the administration has, then they could easily become a target.

RT: Tell me about the most outrageous thing that you came across during your work at the NSA.

WB: The violations of the constitution and any number of laws that existed at the time. That was the part that I could not be associated with. That’s why I left. They were building social networks on who is communicating and with whom inside this country. So that the entire social network of everybody, of every US citizen was being compiled overtime. So, they are taking from one company alone roughly 320 million records a day. That’s probably accumulated probably close to 20 trillion over the years.

The original program that we put together to handle this to be able to identify terrorists anywhere in the world and alert anyone that they were in jeopardy. We would have been able to do that by encrypting everybody’s communications except those who were targets. So, in essence you would protect their identities and the information about them until you could develop probable cause, and once you showed your probable cause, then you could do a decrypt and target them. And we could do that and isolate those people all alone. It wasn’t a problem at all. There was no difficulty in that.

RT: It sounds very difficult and very complicated. Easier to take everything in and…

WB: No. It’s easier to use the graphing techniques, if you will, for the relationships for the world to filter out data, so that you don’t have to handle all that data. And it doesn’t burden you with a lot more information to look at, than you really need to solve the problem.

RT: Do you think that the agency doesn’t have the filters now?

WB: No.

RT: You have received the Callaway award for civic courage. Congratulations! On the website and in the press release it says: “It is awarded to those, who stand out for constitutional rights and American values at great risk to their personal or professional lives.” Under the code of spy ethics – I don’t know if there is such a thing – your former colleagues, they probably look upon you as a traitor. How do you look back at them?

WB: That’s pretty easy. They are violating the foundation of this entire country. Why this entire government was formed? It’s founded with the Constitution and the rights were given to the people in the country under that Constitution. They are in violation of that. And under executive order 13526, section 1.7 – you can not classify information to just cover up a crime, which this is, and that was signed by President Obama. Also President Bush signed it earlier as an executive order, a very similar one. If any of this comes into Supreme Court and they rule it unconstitutional, then the entire house of cards of the government falls.

RT: What are the chances of that? What are the odds?

WB: The government is doing the best they can to try to keep it out of court. And, of course, we are trying to do the best we can to get into court. So, we decided it deserves a ruling from the Supreme Court. Ultimately the court is supposed to protect the Constitution. All these people in the government take an oath to defend the Constitution. And they are not living up to the oath of office.

To watch the video of the interview with William Binney, click on the link entitled “NSA Whistleblower: Everyone in US under virtual surveillance“.

Changing Laws Pt. 13 – URGENT: U.S. Senate Vote on UN Treaty Tuesday December 4th

Action Alert

ParentalRights.Org –

URGENT: Senate Vote Set – Call Now!

We have just received word that the U.S. Senate will hold a straight up or down vote on Tuesday, December 4, on whether or not the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). If 2/3 of the senators present vote yes, the United States will ratify this UN treaty. ParentalRights.org does not oppose the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We do not oppose the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We appreciate that these laws safeguard the rights of parents whose children have disabilities. But we oppose the CRPD for the simple principle that Americans should make the law for America. It is wrong for the United States to ratify a United Nations treaty that will give up our sovereignty to unelected, unaccountable UN bureaucrats. We have been told that the pro-CRPD side is waging one of the most aggressive, organized lobbying campaigns ever. The U.S. State Department and Obama Administration officials are pressuring individual senators to support the CRPD. It is crucial that senators on our side hear from you, your friends, your family, and from anyone who opposes giving the UN power over our nation, and over our precious children and family members who have disabilities. Please call your two U.S. Senators today, tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday. You can reach them through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or you can find your Senators’ phone numbers by clicking on your state at “PartentalRights.Org“.

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Religious Intolerance & Blasphemy laws Pt. 13 – Pakistani Court Ordered Police to Withdraw Blasphemy Charges Against Christian Girl

NYTimes.Com –

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani court ordered the police to withdraw blasphemy charges against a Christian teenager on Tuesday, lawyers said, bringing an end to a contentious case that had gripped the country and sown fear in its Christian minority population.

The girl, Rimsha Masih, who comes from an impoverished family of sweepers, was arrested in August after Muslim accusers said she had been holding a burned copy of the Noorani Qaida, a religious textbook used to teach the Koran to children.

Relatives and human rights workers have said that the girl, 14, has Down syndrome and should therefore be exempt from the blasphemy laws.

On Tuesday, Justice Iqbal Hameed ur Rahman, who heads the Islamabad High Court, stated in his judgment that there was no evidence for the charges against Ms. Masih. In his 15-page judgment, he urged extreme caution in matters related to blasphemy and criticized the practice of fake blasphemy accusations against non-Muslims.

“The case against Rimsha Masih is finished,” said Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, one of her lawyers. “Justice has been served.”

Continue Reading…

Aftermath of the 2012 Election ~ By Chris Pinto

Noise of Thunder Radio –

Chris speaks about returning from his 9 days of filming in the U.K. and weighs in on the presidential election. Why did Obama win? And what does this mean for the Church in America? Also discussed is an article by Brannon Howse on the role of the New Religious Right in the election results. Is God judging America because the Church has compromised the Gospel on behalf of political conservatism?

To listen to the program, click on the link entitled “ELECTION 2012 – WHAT HAPPENED?“.

Noise of Thunder Radio –

Chris continues his discussion of the recent presidential election, sifting through the “wreckage” of what happened with the hope the Church had that Obama would be ousted from office. Is it possible that our situation in America parallels that of the prophet Daniel and ancient Israel? Daniel’s prayer to God on behalf of his nation provides powerful lessons and insights that we can consider as believers today.

To listen to the program, click on the link entitled “ELECTION 2012 – THE AFTERMATH“.

The IHOP Murder Case

The International House of Prayer (IHOP) is no stranger to the media, as seen in this CBN interview entitled “IHOP Revival: Kansas City“. It is also no stranger to controversy. Nevertheless, the recent events has depicted the IHOP cult in a much darker light, as seen in the article below.

Kansas City Star –

A clearer picture began to emerge Thursday about Tyler Deaton’s role at the International House of Prayer.

Deaton’s wife, Bethany Ann Deaton, was found dead in a parked van Oct. 30 at Longview Lake. Authorities initially believed she killed herself, but a week ago a man told police that he had killed her at the order of Tyler Deaton, who has been described as the charismatic leader of a religious sect.

The man who confessed to the killing, Micah Moore, a member of Deaton’s group, has been charged with first-degree murder. Deaton has not been charged. Prosecutors have acknowledged that he is under investigation.

Deaton’s group came from Texas to be part of the International House of Prayer, based in south Kansas City.

On Monday, Allen Hood, the president of the International House of Prayer, said in a statement that Deaton led his group independently and operated under a “veil of secrecy,” though members attended a school operated by IHOP. The statement also made reference to the group’s “disturbing religious practices.”

But a handout and website posting shows that as of Nov. 4 — five days after Bethany Deaton’s death — Tyler Deaton was a “division coordinator” on the administrative team of International House of Prayer friendship groups. The position is unpaid, according to another person who holds the same position and attended three recent meetings with Deaton.

Continue Reading…

For more information on the IHOP murder, click on the link entitled “Parents look for answers in nurse’s death“.

IHOP is part of a religious movement called “The New Apostolic Reformation”. It is an experienced based religion that is more “new age” than Christian, because its doctrine and practices built upon Roman Catholic doctrine, and mysticism. To learn more about the roots and history of this movement, click on the link entitled “New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Latter Rain“. To see the present day activity of the New Apostolic Reformation, click on the link entitled “Kundalini Warning“.