Friday Night Notes

better late than never...

After a 12 hour workday, it was time for street evangelism. Unfortunately, the extra hours spent at work cut the amount of time spent actually on the street. My pastor and brother Laz were already out preaching when I caught up to them (more than an hour late).

Since I was out too long, I actually have very little to say about the street preaching tonight. The "tribal drums" were out again... the women were poorly dressed... the speech was hard and filthy... drunkenness was rampant... immorality was all over...

"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17)

Pretty much sums up my country I'm afraid; the wicked abound, and most have forgotten the Lord their God.

The highlight of my night: I preached to Pierre McGuire (former NHL coach), Bob Mackenzie (NHL hockey columnist with TSN), and Nick Kypreos (former NHL hockey player). Tomorrow is the NHL entry draft and it is taking place in town. All three of these guys were probably out having a few beers before getting to work on covering the draft for their respective sports networks. Anyway, as a hockey lover, preaching to these guys brought a smile to my face.

Well, now I'm exhausted, so I'm off to bed. Good night dear readers, have a good weekend, and especially, a great Lord's Day.

Rand

Pope Peter

still wondering how he got that title...

881 The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head." This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.

After TRADITIONS, the institution of the papacy is by far the most serious heresy of Romanism. You will notice, from the above quote, taken from the "Roman Catholic Catechism", that Romanist believe in a "top dog" of the church named the Pope. You will also note, that apparently, the apostle Peter was the first Pope in church history. Not once does the Bible ever refer to the apostle Peter as "Pope Peter I", but that sure didn't stop heretics from finding Bible verses they could misinterpret to fit this false teaching.

In confession 881, a Bible scholar will notice that two Bible verses are alluded to, in an attempt to legitimize the statement. The two verses are:

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

Problem is, of course, these two verses do not teach that Peter was a pope. The Romanist, here will object, saying: "clearly the Lord Jesus Christ says that He will build his church on Peter; clearly the Lord gave Peter unique authority in giving him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose souls!" But you see, this interpretation is foolish.

First, we need to keep the Greek in mind when reading verse 18, because the Lord is making a play on words. The name Peter (Petros) means "a small stone, a piece of rock, or a pebble", and the Greek word for rock (petra) means "a mass of rock". You get it? The Lord was saying: "Thou art "a little pebble" and upon this "mass of rock" I will build my church. So, what is this "mass of rock"? Is it Peter? No, no. If the Lord was indeed saying it was Peter, then he would have simply said: "Thou art Petros and upon you Petros I will build my church." But that isn't what the Lord Jesus Christ said; he changed the word from Petros to petra. The "mass of rock" is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, he was referring to Himself. This is in accordance with the plain teachings of Scripture:

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)

"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)

And yes, the Greek word for Rock in the above verse, is "petra", the "mass of rock".

Now what about these keys to the kingdom of heaven... did the Lord give Peter the authority to determine who will be going to Heaven and who will not? Uh... no. To understand what these "keys to the kingdom of Heaven" is, let's turn to the Scriptures:

"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13)

"Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered." (Luke 11:52)

How did the scribes/pharisees/lawyers "shut up the kingdom of heaven"? How did they take away "the key of knowledge"? By sitting in the Temple in Jerusalem and ruling as spiritual leaders? No. They shut up the kingdom and took away the key of knowledge by refusing to teach the people the commandments of God; replacing God's decrees with their TRADITIONS (funny how history has a way of repeating itself).

So, what are the keys given to Peter? What is it exactly that Peter would use that would bind and loose things on Earth? The Gospel my friends, the Gospel. Not the whims of any apostle or prophet or "pope" for that matter, by the preaching of the Gospel, faithful souls/philosophies/doctrines will be loosed, wicked souls/philosophies/doctrines will be bound.

It is also noteworthy that the "power" to loose and bind is not only given to Peter, but to all the apostles:

"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 18:18)

"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20:23)

And it is with this point that I conclude: PETER WAS NEVER A POPE. He was an apostle and a pillar of the early church; the same could be said of the apostle John, Paul, Barnabas... etc. Peter never referred to himself, in any of his epistle, as a pope; he identified himself as an apostle, nothing more. To make anything more of Peter is to add to Scripture, and I thank my lovely wife for reminding us of the following Scripture:

"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Sadly, as we have seen in my previous post, Romanism has no problems with adding to God's Word, and that it why Romanists are both liars and heretics. They must repent.


Rand


N.B.: a few more problems the teaching that Peter was the first pope:

-he was married (Matthew 8:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5)
-he refused to be worshipped (Acts 10:25-26). So much for kissing the pope's feet.
-the Lord used the apostle Paul to establish more local churches than Peter; so much for Peter being the chief "rock on which the Lord would build his church".
-it is questionable that Peter was ever in Rome (no record of it in Scripture).

Labels: Romanism

Traditions

and so, we begin...

80 Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other.

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.


Behold, the source of all Romanist heresy. These two quotes were taken, word for word, from the "Catechism of the catholic church". It is what I was taught in the days when I was a Romanist, and it is what they continue to teach today. What are these "sacred traditions"?

1- Fourteen to Fifteen apocryphal books
2- The writings of the Greek and Latin "church fathers"
3- The collection of "church" council pronouncements
4- All papal decrees

According to Romanist doctrine, the four classes of "church tradition" listed above, compliment and are in harmony with the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. The problem is, of course, they do not, as we will be looking into over the next few days.

Extra-biblical traditions are clearly condemned in the Bible; both in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament:

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." (Deuteronomy 4:2)

"Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (Mark 7:5-9)

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

Oh! I can hear my Romanist counterparts screaming right now: "what about 2 Thessalonians 3:6?"

"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

Ah! yes! the situation here, of course, is defining what these traditions which the saints at Thessalonica received from the apostles. So let see now, do we, for instance, ever read of Paul going to Mary (Jesus' mother) to make requests through her unto God? Do we ever see any of the apostles use objects in their worship of God? Do we ever see the apostles recognize Peter as the pope? The answers to these questions: no, no and no. The traditions spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 are the teachings and practices we read of in our Bibles. Paul did not write one thing, only to practice something different.

The only and final authority for all matters of faith and practice is the Bible, the Word of the Living God. Plus nothing.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The verse above is crystal clear. The Greek word for PERFECT, means complete. The man of God is COMPLETE and throughly furnished unto all good works. Zero need for anything else. When God says COMPLETE, it means 100%.

This is what born-again saints often call Sola Scriptura (Scripture Only). This is the foundation of a true saint of God. When the foundation is built on anything other than the Bible, it is false religion and is cursed. When a foundation is built on the Bible plus other teachings, the Truth becomes a lie, and once again, we end up with a cursed false religion; this is the chief sin of Romanism.

Romanist, you have been deceived and are walking in the wicked traditions of men, repent and be converted unto God that your sins may be blotted out.


Rand

Labels: Romanism

Friday Night Notes

paganism is back...

Brother Laz and I were out for our customary Friday night street preaching. I spent a huge part of the 3 hours we were out preaching, since Brother Laz was stricken with a bad case of "the nerves". You see, the street where we usually preach was full of musicians and beggars, so we had to find another spot from which to preach. I'm afraid the different environment was a psychological obstacle for my poor friend (funny... wasn't too long ago, such things would have gotten me all flustered). It took a bit of time, but he conquered his fear and did some pretty good preaching; he actually had a sermon prepared and delivered it well.

The marketplace was again full of revelers who didn't care much for the Gospel; sadly, the street musicians (if you call the noise they were making music) had a far bigger appeal.

I took a moment to look at a particular group tonight who were out with these "tribal drums". They banged loudly on those things while a woman danced lasciviously in front of them. Large numbers of people stopped and enjoyed the show, some of them dancing along to the beat... and that's when it came to me:

-"Absolute paganism."

The show they were putting on tonight was the EXACT same wicked nonsense heathen tribes in the middle of the Amazon, or Africa indulge in. There it was, right in front of me: a group of "musicians" with piercings and tattoos all over their bodies, playing dark beats to incite lewdness. Poor Canada, how far down we've fallen. How did it come to this? Easy:

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient." (Romans 1:28)

Despite this sad realization, I did have a few good moments tonight. My first was when a young man walked by me and asked me what God's name was. Now having visited, on several occasions, the so-called "Jehovah's Witnesses" when I was seeking the Truth, I knew that this young man was a JW and was trying to set me up. You see, the WatchTower instructs it's followers to ask "what is God's name?" so that they can teach that God's name is Jehovah, and that ONLY Jehovah is God, denying the Trinity. So this is how I dealt with the young man:

-"My friend, God's name is Jesus. The name that is above all names, as stated in Philippians 2:9, is Jesus' name, and pure logic dictates that the highest name, goes to the Highest Person, and you can't get any higher than God."

He just shrugged and walked away. The Lord be merciful to him, as he was with me.

A second high point came as we were walking about with our Gospel's signs. I was walking by a Resto-Bar patio when a man waved his hand at me from his table. He and his friend walked up to me and asked for a Bible tract that I had in my hand. I gladly gave him one.

-"What are you doing out here tonight? You trying to get people in the Catholic church or something?" he inquired.

-"Nope," I answered, "just trying to get people to read the Bible and to be saved in Christ Jesus, my friend."

-"Argh! I don't have a Bible," he added.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out a pocket-sized Gospel of John and handed it to him.

-"There!" I replied, "that'll get you started."

We then had a small chat about our ministry and the importance of the Bible. It was good. The fellows name was Peter and his friend was Brian. Please pray that the Lord will cause these men to seek God's face.

And finally a third high: I handed a French Gospel of John to one of the bakers who were hard at work preparing the bread that would be sold tomorrow morning. We were preaching very near the bakery tonight, so when the young man saw me walk by with a Gospel sign, he politely asked me to stop walking so he could read what I was carrying. The man was French and my sign was in English, so I played the translator. He thanked me and accepted a Gospel of John. Pray for this man also.

So all and all, the city is still quite an ungodly place, but there is hope, sweet hope...

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." (Lamentations 3:26)


Rand

Romanism Reloaded

let's go a little deeper...

For some time now, I've been desiring to start a small series of posts refuting the heresies of Romanism (aka Roman Catholicism). I've been putting it off because, just like the real world, the Net is bustling with Romanists who don't take too kindly to being told that they are wrong and in the sin of idolatry. The result? My comment box gets full of Romanist nonsense which I then feel obliged to answer and before you know it, I'm wasting hours dealing with people who are quite content in their idolatry and have very little time for the Bible (you can check out my comment box on my former site, and it's equivalent on this site for examples, I won't even go into some of the quacky e-mails I got). These endless and useless babblings have made my posting this series quite unappealing.

All this being said, in the next few days I will begin my series, refusing to let unrepentant Romanists from keeping me from fulfilling Jude 3:

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

Before I begin this series though, there are a few things I would like to point out, in an attempt to curb some pointless "comment box babblings":


1- My general view on Romanism is summarized in this post. If you can't stand reading it, then you will absolutely detest reading my series. Better to stay away.

2- I KNOW Romanism. I KNOW it academically, I KNOW it practically. As a French Canadian, I was baptized as a baby, took my First Communion in grade 1, and did my Confirmation in grade 6. I went through 13 years of Romanist schooling; in those 13 years, I studied 16 semesters of Romanist Catechism. After my conversion to the Christ of the Bible, I further studied Romanism (this time, with a more critical mind), in order to gain assurance that leaving this faith was "the right thing to do".

3- Most of my family members (more than 75%) are Romanists. So before charging me with being hateful, or prejudiced against Romanism, bear that in mind; just like any man, I love my family.

4- While I welcome favorable and unfavorable comments, there are boundaries that must be respected. I have posted clear guidelines in my commenting rules. Obedience to these rules are NOT optional, especially in controversial posts such as I will be posting soon.


I truly hope that my series on the heresy of Romanism will be an eye-opener for God's elect that are still lost in so-called "Roman Catholicism", as I hope it will be informative to God's people in general. I will probably begin in a few days (I'm really busy!!!), so stay tuned.


Rand

Labels: Romanism

That's it! I've had enough!

buh-bye Bill!!!

I've had it with Hotmail. For months now, I've been vexing my soul with those ungodly ads for dating services in which immodestly dressed women are put up for show like meat for perverts to lust over. So, in my attempt to live up to Job's standard:

"I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" (Job 31:1)

... I'm leaving Hotmail and going to Gmail. Gmail offers far more inbox space (over 2000 Mb instead of 250 Mb) and has absolutely no advertising; so no more half naked women on the side of my e-mails!

I've already updated my e-mail link in my sidebar. I will be keeping an eye on my Hotmail account for a couple of weeks, but please update your address books, since I will be phasing out my Hotmail account very soon.

Thanks for your cooperation,


Rand

Hypocrisy

terrible...

"Pity me, and cry mightily unto God on my behalf. It is shocking if you knew it, to think what a difference there is betwixt my sermons and my own inward life." (John Brown of Haddington)

These words, spoken by the famous Presbyterian minister, pretty much sums up my Christian walk... and I hate it. You have NO IDEA how many posts I have written on this blog, how many sermons I have preached, how much counsel I have given that I myself just can't seem (or just don't care) to live up too. This, to a certain degree, is hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy: The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess.

Now the Faith, I have. So in that sense, I'm no hypocrite. But that little "v-word" in the definition above, that's my problem; that's where we find Rand "the hypocrite". What exactly makes Rand a hypocrite?


"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37)

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:2-4)

"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." (1 Timothy 6:6-11)


These verses are just a few examples of near total failures in Rand's life; to his shame. I will not make any excuses, nor am I looking for anyone to make excuses for me. The fact of the matter is we Christians are called to godly obedience. We are not called to SAY one thing and DO the other. I need to shape up.

So, why am I making this public confession? I blog, preach and teach a several matters of faith and the last thing I would want you, dear reader, to think is that I have somehow attained unto some high level of spirituality. The Lord has been extremely gracious to me when it comes to understanding His holy Bible, and for the ability to share this knowledge with others, but how I lament the lack of spiritual progress I have made with all this knowledge.

Friends, pray that I attain unto this charge:

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." (James 1:22-24)

Sincerely,

Rand
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24)

Back!!!

well??? did you miss me?

Just got back from our church Bible camp. Five days and four nights of prayer, bible study, testimonies, Christian fellowship, Scripture memorization... etc... etc. It was good. I was really challenged by some of the sermons to get my act together and start living a more disciplined life; to, as one of the preachers mentioned, "pour myself out COMPLETELY for the cause of Christ."

I'm going to make a request for copies of the audio tape recordings of the sermons, and I hope to have them put up on here in a couple of weeks. So for those of you who like the audio sermons, just stand by.

Our return to civilization was an eventful one. We just bought our first minivan (we actually bought it last week, but we just picked it up). It is a 2001 Chevy Venture, and I must say, I'm quite pleased with it's look and feel. I am also enthrawled with all the cool gadgets like power windows, cruise control, and the side door that opens with the press of a button (I know... I know... small things amuse small minds).

So now, it's back to the old grind. Visit my parents today, church on the Lord's Day, work (and probably piles of it) on Monday. Oh! and if you are all good, I promise plenty of blogging over that period of time.

Later!


Rand

Going... going... gone!

time for camp...

Well, A Form of Sound Words will be silent this week since we are headed to our church family camp. It should be a blessed time.

Pastor David Dickerson, of Peachtree Baptist Church will be our guest speaker for the week; from what I hear, he is a truly gifted speaker. I will try to have all his messages taped, so that I can post them in a few week's time.

Anyway, I'm going to have to keep this short, we are actually leaving... like... right now!

Have a good week in the Lord,


Rand

Ps: I have set the moderation feature on my comments box. In other words, if you comment, your post will not show up until I come back. Sorry about that, but there are always trolls lurking in here, and I wouldn't want to come back to find links to pornography, foul language, and other material that I don't care to see part of my blog.

Friday Night Notes

still no power...

In our prayers of late, my pastor and I have been asking for power, as in the power of God. In other words, when we go out street preaching, that our preaching wouldn't just be noise in the background of downtown, but that it would have a favorable impact on our hearers. Sadly, I must report that the answer to our prayers, at least for now, was a clear: "no."

After the very first half hour of preaching, my pastor whispered in my ear:

-"They're hard tonight."

-"They're always hard," I replied.

-"Yeah, but they are REALLY hard tonight," he added.

And he was right. The hard speech, the hard looks, the mockery, the reviling... we got it from every side tonight. My pastor was even pushed around and had glass of beer thrown at him (a great and brave 25 year old man took on my 60 year old pastor... what courage...). After 3 hours of this nonsense, it started raining so we took off.

It wasn't all bad though (just mostly... LOL), I did meet up with some of my work colleagues. It was pretty funny, I caught one of them totally off guard. He was walking by me and like so many others he was trying hard not to make eye-contact with the street preacher, but then I called out his name... he must have jumped 3 feet in the air! (LOL)

I could tell the situation was making him very uncomfortable so I didn't keep him. He just said something to the effect that he was approving of what I was doing and wished me a good weekend.

The other colleagues I met up with were in a group, and I doubt they were up to any good. Anyway, one of them, who consequently was on my hockey team, saw the sign but didn't look at who was carrying it. He, of course mocked it, while the three others, who saw me holding the sign just kept quiet in their embarrassment. None of them spoke to me, so I just let them go. I do get the feeling that there will be some questions coming my way when I make it back to work; may the Lord help me be a witness to these poor lost souls.

The aggravation of the night (other than the beer incident) : A young woman, barely dressed, walked up to me to tell me that she HAD BEEN a Christian but that now she was a Buddhist, and that was all okay "because it's all the same god anyway". Well, I couldn't let that nonsense go so I tried reasoning with her that the god's of different faiths were different and that her position could NOT be maintained if she actually cared to find out anything about the faiths in question.

She then explained how she knew she was right and that I was wrong because "this book she was reading explained it all". The book was Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply. I explained to her that she was wasting her time reading a book that twisted Biblical Truths to fit a fictional, blasphemous storyline.

She then asked the BIG QUESTION:

-"So like, you think I'm going to Hell?"

-"Yep," I answered

-"But the Bible doesn't say I am," she affirmed.

-"Oh yes it does!" I replied.

I then told her that Jesus was THE WAY, THE LIFE AND THE TRUTH, and that NONE go to the Father except by Him.

-"The Bible doesn't say that!" she again affirmed.

I flipped out my pocket KJV, turned to John 14:6 and put it to her nose. She read it once. She read it twice. The third time, she read it aloud starting with "wait a minute... wait a minute..." As she read, she kept shaking her head, in disbelief and in rejection. She then affirmed to me that there were verses in the Bible that contradicted John 14:6. When I asked: "Where?", no answer was forthcoming.

Her language, at this point, had taken a filthy turn, so I pulled the plug on the exchange, and she didn't take to that too well. Of course, then the cursings came and the "if you were really a Christian you'd listen to me... blah blah blah. I suppose anything is possible, perhaps the Lord will convict this young woman with John 14:6 over the next few days, but I have to tell you, tonight, her heart, like those of the multitude in the marketplace, was one that was made of stone.

Anyway, that was our night of preaching. Thanks be to God to have kept us safe, and for three solid hours of evangelism for his honour and glory.

Good night, and have a good weekend, dear readers,


Rand

About yesterday

absolutely awful...

Another terrorist attack yesterday on innocent civilians.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again...


Rand

Audio Rand

as promised...

Well, here's your chance to get a good laugh at my French accent and the good old Canadian "eh?".

I've just posted two more audio sermons from my church. This one is the continuation of a series my pastor just started on the book of 2 Peter, and this one, is from acting-pastor Rand (LOL). I have been, for some time now, preaching through the book of 1 Timothy (once a month on the Lord's Day evening service). The sermon I just posted is the first one I recorded and it is on 1 Timothy 5:19-22 (because that's where we're at).

I hope you enjoy the audio sermons (both of them... hee hee!).

Take care,


Rand

The foolishness called Baha'i

it's all about using your head...

A few weeks ago, I received the following e-mail at my workplace:

This is an invitation to all who are interested in an hour of social-devotional session at "Rand's workplace". The aim is to promote religious and cultural harmony amongst all people. The program will be a friendly one during which prayers from different religions is shared, discussions welcome and fellowship encouraged. Small refreshment would also be served!

Though the e-mail didn't mention it, I knew EXACTLY what it was all about... Baha'i! If you've never heard of it, Baha'i is a faith which believes:

1- that God can be made known to man through manifestations that have come at various stages of human progress; prophets include Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha Allah.

2- in the unity of all religions, in universal education, in world peace, and in the equality of men and women.

3- in one international language and one international government.

4- simplicity of living and service to the suffering.

Put simply, Baha'i can be summarized with this statement: "let's all get together and get along!"

Sounds harmless enough doesn't it? Yet, it is quite harmful. You see, Baha'i lacks one important element to make it a righteous faith. The one element? Truth. Consider this example:

A man walks on the beach on a lovely summer morning, under a beautiful, cloudless sky. He meets up with a friend and declares: "What a beautiful day! Look at that beautiful blue sky!"

To this, his friend replies: "It is indeed a beautiful day, but the sky isn't blue, it's green!"

Another man walks by and overhearing the conversation, adds: "Are you fellows blind? The sky isn't blue or green, it is a soothing yellow!"

A great dissention begins between all three men and that's when a fourth man shows up on the scene and says: "Gentlemen, gentlemen! let's not argue, you are all correct. The sky is blue, green and a soothing yellow! It all depends on how you look at it."

Now friends, on a cloudless summer morning, what colour is the sky? It is of course, blue. If anyone came to you and said it was any other colour, you would think he was either colour blind or he was just trying to irritate you. Now what of the fourth man in my example. Could the sky be blue, green and yellow all at once? OF COURSE NOT! The man who takes such a position is either stupid, or he thinks the three other men are stupid enough to believe that the morning sky is multi-coloured.

This is the foolishness of Baha'i. It tries to bring together different faiths by confessing that all of them are true, or at least, partly true. The problem of course, is that the tenets of various faiths are different and are often (if not always) exclusive. Just consider these three examples:


1- God:

Hinduism: Three main impersonal gods, and millions of lesser gods..
Christianity: There are three persons in one God. All of the same substance and nature, co-equal and co-eternal.
Islam: One impersonal God.

2- Jesus Christ:

Hinduism: Not God. Not the Son of God. One of the many sons of God.
Christianity: God and the Son. 2nd Person of the Trinity. He is 100% God and 100% man. He was/is the only sinless man.
Islam: Not God. A mere man who was beneath Mohammed in importance. He did not die for man’s sins.

3- Sin:

Hinduism: There is no absolute good or evil.
Christianity: Sin is breaking the Laws of God. All men have sinned. The penalty of sin is eternal physical and spiritual death.
Islam: Not following the commandments of Allah, and Islamic Law.


And there you have it! The three men arguing about the colour of the sky. The three major faiths in the example above are definitely NOT seeing the same thing on many key matters of faith, so how can it be that Baha'i will bring all them around into one? How is it that all are right and good according to the Baha'i when it is clear that the stand of one is opposite to the others?

NONSENSE!

When someone says they believe in everything, it means they believe nothing. If Christianity is right, then Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism...etc... are all wrong; just as if the sky is blue on a clear summer morning, it isn't green or yellow.

Do I think the leaders of the Baha'i movement are stupid? No! I think that many who follow Baha'i are stupid, but not those who have engineered and continue to promote the faith. You see, Baha'i very deceptively takes advantage of people's ignorance. Most people don't have a clue of the differences between the various world faiths (most a willfully ignorant), and so when Baha'i shows up with catch phrases like: "religious and cultural harmony amongst the people", well, it sounds pretty good to them. And once they are hooked in, well then comes the teachings of the Bab and Baha Allah, which are teachings that are rejected, in varying degrees, by all world faiths.

Now you look around my blog... all my cards are on the table. There is no deceit here. My faith is spelled out in no uncertain terms. I am a Christian fundamentalist. No Islam, no Hinduism, no Buddhism. Why? Because these faiths are opposed to my faith in their tenets and in their practices. If you are a Christian, have no part of Baha'i. The Bible is all too clear:


"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)


Friends, Baha'i is a wicked, deceitful, false religion... keep yourselves from it.


Rand

TGIM ! ! !

Yay! back to work...

No, the title isn't a mistake. I am really saying: THANK GOODNESS IT'S MONDAY! (LOL)

To call this last weekend busy is the understatement of the year. With a full day of street preaching, a fast, a solemn assembly, a full day of sermon/Sunday school preparation, giving the Sunday school lesson and preaching the evening service... well... this weekend was a busy one. I would dare say my workweek is no where near that busy!

While busy, I must say it's been a blessing. As you can see, all that work was God-oriented and therefore, profitable. That being said, I am glad tomorrow is Monday, where I can just go to work, run my sample analysis on the mass spectrometers and breathe.

I will try hard to put together a couple of bible-posts in the next few days before I head off to church camp next week. And if you are all real good, I may even post the sermon I preached tonight in MP3 format so you can all hear how funny I sound (hee hee).

Later!


Rand

"Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

Fasting, praying... and a whole lot of preaching!

smoothest Canada Day yet...

With all the terrible sin going on in Canada, and the terribly weak testimony of the church, my pastor opted to get REAL SERIOUS in petitioning God for His favour: he has called a "solemn assembly."

For those of you unaware of what a solemn assembly is, check out Joel 2:15-17:

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?"

So a fast was declared for all of Friday and it would be capped by a prayer meeting in which we would ask the Lord for a revival of grace and truth. I have to admit, I was concerned. I'm not exactly a big, tough guy who can go days without food, so the prospect of doing open-air evangelism for 7 hours in the sweltering heat with only a bottle of gatorade to sustain me, was a bit of a test of faith. Anyway, the test was passed: we completed our day of preaching, and had a marvelous time of prayer afterwards.

Now, let me say a BIG THANK YOU to all you who have supported me through prayer, it's been a good day of preaching and I credit it to God's grace, through your petitions. This Canada Day was by far the smoothest one I preached through. No one harassed us (not overly anyway), no one tried to keep us from preaching, no violence whatsoever, and for the most part, we had favour with the people and with the authorities.

The Lord gave us a great spot from which to preach, and thousands heard and the read the Gospel. I can't say a spiritual awakening happened (I'm afraid Canada is as ungodly as ever), but who knows what marvelous things the Lord may yet work through our evangelism.

I did receive a lot of praise and blessing from Christians and even a couple of Romanists who were out celebrating, which I must say, I'm not really use to. I have gotten so accustomed to being reviled, all these good and comfortable words today had me muddled. While I don't want to sound unappreciative of their kindness, I must say, these people were somewhat of a disappointment to me. Why? because rather than weeping for the wickedness of the land and offering up prayers for it's healing, they were out partying with the ungodly. They were wise enough to see that what we were doing was right and godly, but they themselves, well, THEY WERE OUT PARTYING.

My final impression: I realized Canada most likely has a lot more Christians in it than I originally thought, the unfortunate thing is that most of them, quite simply, just aren't "moving". They are spiritual sluggards and the love of the world has made them of hardly any profit to God or His cause. But here is the hope: what if God grants us our revival...


Rand