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Brian McLaren’s view of hell?????

Way of the Master Radio aired an interview of Brian McLaren, exposing some of the beliefs and theologies from Brian McLaren and the Emergent Church. I've read some of Brian's books, however, have never accepted some of the ideas that stem from his writitngs! I would encourage anyone out there to be a "Good Berean" (Acts 17:10-12) and examine Brian McLaren under scripture as you listen to the April 20th Way of the Master Radio program...and feel free to comment! http://www.wotmradio.com/page/6/ you may have to scroll back to previous posts as this link will be moved back a day, everyday! Remember your looking for April 20th!

Newly added to this post...A very confused Brian McLaren describes a very confused understanding of Kingdom Theology. We visit the Land of Os and the Land of Confusion: Dr. Os Guinness comments on Brian McLaren. April 27th 2006 http://www.wotmradio.com/ Have fun with this one fellas!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe

Airport Books...

Here is a list of some of the best book titles from the airport store. All of the religious, self-help variety. Yes, these are real.

Fasting Made Easy (Really? Somehow easy doesn't seem to fit with the whole fasting thing)

One Minute Pocket Bible (For people on the go)

The Prayer that Changes Everything: The Hidden Power of Praising God. (This is sort of a wildcard prayer, I guess)

One Minute Prayers (For your ADD friends)

You're Late Again Lord: The Impatient Woman's Guide To God's Timing

Be A People Person (SCARY Cover)

The Diet Code: Revolutionary Weight Loss Secrets From Da Vinci and the Golden Ratio

Real Life Real Love: A Marriage Guide (Written by a Catholic Priest???)

Another Secret Message of Jesus?

Brian McLaren may be one of the most controversial figures in evangelical Christianity today. Though many pastors and thinkers have referred to his writing as “refreshing”, even “compelling”, his detractors have decried him on blogs and from the pulpit as “misguided” or worse, “heretical.” Known famously, or infamously, for his “generous orthodoxy”, McLaren’s views have found him favor with a group of like-minded Christians who loosely call themselves the “emerging church”, while setting him at odds with many self-described fundamentalists. Now Brain has arrived again with what he considers to be the culmination of all his thinking and writing, his most recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus.

Not too sure what to think about all this secret message stuff? With all of the Gospel of Judas and other claims concerning Christ...we have another secret message of Jesus? I've read a couple of books from Brian and enjoyed them! Not too sure that I agree with everything he says, but his books are challenging and from a different point of view! So what have your experiences been with Brian McLaren's material? What about the "Emerging Church?" What about their evengelism methods? Has McLaren really stumbled onto something secret that no one else has figured out in the last 2000 years? Or is his title another way to sell his book to the "DiVinci disciple" society, who believes all these hidden things of Jesus Christ because someone who's initials start with Dan Brown, wrote a book? Well, I must go for now, however, I am interested in hearing your opinion!


Way of the Pastor,
Joe

WHAT TO SAY TO A SKEPTIC?

With Easter on the horizon, I thought that some of you would enjoy this article I found at www.focusonthefamily.org concerning the "empty tomb!" Check it out!

Let’s take a look at the top three arguments people use — along with some solid answers.
“Maybe Jesus wasn’t really dead, and He just rolled away the stone himself.”
Right. A man who has been beaten, tortured and mutilated for hours is going to lie unattended for two cold nights in a tomb and suddenly find the strength to roll away a 2-ton rock, fight off all the Roman soldiers guarding it, then show up convincing everyone that He has a glorious resurrected body. That would be pretty hard to believe.
And while we’re talking about His body, let’s not forget the blood and water that flowed from His side when the soldier speared it on the Cross. If He were alive, the wound would have spurted red blood. But in a dead body, the blood separates into massive red clots and watery serum, just as John described it. (See John 19:34.)
“Maybe the disciples moved Christ’s body.”
Hmmm, let’s consider the facts: A group of men who have dedicated their lives to a teacher who insisted on truth and honesty are suddenly going to turn into liars and swindlers. And each of these self-seeking no-goods will be willing to face poverty, incredible hardship, torture and even death to perpetuate that lie. Not a chance.
Then there are the Roman soldiers. Considering that they were the best fighting machines in the world, it’s not likely that the disciples could overpower them and knock them all out. But even if they could, why didn’t they hurry and race off with the body before the soldiers came to, instead of painstakingly unwrapping all of the burial clothes and neatly folding the facecloth before making their getaway?
“OK, so maybe the soldiers stole the body.”
Hardly. Think about it: The very people who have been assigned to make sure that Jesus’ body isn’t moved decide to move it. What a neat practical joke to pull on their superiors. Of course, it would mean their execution for becoming traitors, but what’s a little death for a laugh or two?
• • •
While we’re looking at evidence, let’s not forget that His resurrection was something Jesus had predicted time and time again. Then, of course, there were all those Old Testament prophecies.
Once we’ve looked at all the facts and carefully examined the arguments, we would need more faith to believe that Jesus did not rise from the grave than to believe that He did.
Copyright © 2006 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

So there it is. Let me know if this article has been helpful for you!

Way ofthe pastor,
Joe

Does God Exist?

I came across this on www.wayofthemasterradio.com the other night and I have not stopeed listening to it since. Seriously if you have a few moments to spend listening to this debate...I promise you that you will be better off for doing so. Todd Friel from Wya of the Master Radio and also Talk the Walk Ministries found at www.ttwministries.com. did an amazing job presenting the gospel to around 200 athiests. He debated against an individual named Dan Barker who...get this... was on staff with Benny Hinn as a Evengelical Pastor. Yeah, this guy was a born again christian preacher performing healings and doing the whole church thing....and is now an Atheist? Please if just give this debate a few moments of your time and equip yourself with the tools neccesary to make an Atheist backslide!
Click here to listen to the Atheist Debate held just last week on April 3rd at the University of Minnesota.

Please respond back and let me know your experience after listening to this debate!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe

The O'Reilly Factor - Wednesday, April 12

The O'Reilly Factor - Wednesday, April 12 Kirk will be on The O'Reilly Factor on Wednesday April 12th. Please be in prayer for him. You can watch The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News at 8pm, 11pm, and 4am Eastern, 5pm, 8pm and 1am Pacific.

What Do You Think?

I was sent this article and wanted to see what you all think. I found it crazy how easy people are accepting this piece of work as Scripture? At this time I have found no comments on this subject by any Christian organizations stating their response...I will update as updated!

So here it is from National Geographic Magazine

Lost Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him

He is one of the most reviled men in history. But was Judas only obeying his master's wishes when he betrayed Jesus with a kiss?
That's what newly revealed ancient Christian text says.
After being lost for nearly 1,700 years, the Gospel of Judas was recently restored, authenticated and translated.

The Bible's New Testament Gospels-- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- depict Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, as a traitor. In biblical accounts Judas gives up Jesus Christ to his opponents, who later crucify the founder of Christianity.
The Gospel of Judas, however, portrays him as acting at Jesus' request.
"This lost gospel, providing information on Judas Iscariot -- considered for 20 centuries and by hundreds of millions of believers as an antichrist of the worst kind -- bears witness to something completely different from what was said [about Judas] in the Bible," said Rodolphe Kasser, a clergyman and former professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Kasser, who is regarded as one of the world's preeminent Coptic scholars, led the effort to piece together and translate the Gospel of Judas. The National Geographic Society and the Waitt Institute for Historical Discovery funded the project, and it will be profiled in the May 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine.
For the whole story click the link below:
Click here: AOL Research & Learn: National Geographic - Lost Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him

So how do we defend this? What does the Bible say about these claims? How does this change or not change how oyu view the Bible? Let me know!

You can also catch a piece of video shown on Nightline tonight http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/

Watch Way of the Master

Check your local listings for the T.V. Show "Way of the Master" or go to http://www.tbn.org/index.php/2/4/p/158.html to see this weeks schedule. I highly recommend that you watch this program! If you like reality t.v.- this is "reality evangelism t.v." Post and let me know if you get a chance to catch an episode!

How to Witness to a Jehovah's Witness- By Ray Comfort

I rushed down the stairs to the sound of a barking dog and our doorbell. When I opened it, two well-dressed young men stood in front of me. I greeted them with a warm, "Hi," to which one of them asked in perfect English, "Do you know of any Spanish speaking families around here?"
"Next door there is a Spanish speaking family. Across the road there is an Indonesian family, then an India, then English, and I am Chinese. Do you want to see a picture of me on a cruise?"
They politely said they did, so I quickly opened my wallet and showed them a picture of Tom Cruise with the word, "ME," on his forehead. They laughed.
"So what are you guys selling?"
"Nothing."
"Are you Mormons?"
"No."
"Jehovah Witnesses?"
"Yes."
"Tell me this. I have a knife in my back. I have three minutes to live. My blood and life are draining from me. I know I'm dying. What are you going to say to me. How can I enter the Kingdom?"
They looked at each other. Then back at me. There was dead silence. It was obvious that they didn't know what to tell me.
"Come on guys. I'm dying. I have three minutes!"
One of them said, "I don't know. There's lots you have to do." The other one echoed, "Lots."
Then the first said, "You have to learn. You have to gain knowledge . . . "
"What about the thief on the cross? What knowledge did he get? How could he learn anything? He couldn't turn the pages of a book--he was nailed to a cross. He probably couldn't read anyway. Yet Jesus said to him, 'Today you will be with Me in Paradise.'"
"We have to go now."
"Come on guys. This is important. I want to know how to enter Jehovah's Kingdom. What are your names?"
"Jonathan."
"Javier."
"Do you consider yourself to be good people?"
"Um . . . yes."
"Have you ever told a lie?"
"Yes."
"What does that make you?"
"A liar."
Javier said he had stolen and then became very quiet. Jonathan said that he had never stolen, blasphemed, or even looked at a woman with lust. Never.
"Are you gay?"
"No."
"The reason I haven't done that is because I was born into the truth."
I explained, "We have to face a perfect Law of the Day of Judgment and nothing you and I do can save us. Only the blood of Jesus. He died for us. He took our punishment upon Himself, and now God can save us through His mercy. That's why the thief was saved. He didn't do anything to save himself because he couldn't. Only God's mercy and grace can save us. The Bible says, 'For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works least any man boast.' 'Not by works of righteousness that we have done has He saved, us, but according to His mercy.' Revelation 21:8 says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. That why you need Jesus Christ, to wash your sins away. The moment you repent and trust Him, God will forgive you and grant you everlasting life."
"But we are doing what Jesus did."
"Did He go door to door?"
"Yes. He went around preaching the gospel."
"But the gospel you are preaching is different than the one He preached. The Bible says that there's nothing you and I can do to merit Jehovah's favor--to earn everlasting life. We are saved by God's mercy. That's how the thief on the cross could be saved. We are not saved by doing anything."
"Does that mean I can believe in Jesus and then run around lying and stealing?"
"No. That's hypocrisy, and no hypocrite will enter the Kingdom. You have to repent and trust Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, and not try and bribe Jehovah. I do good works and preach the gospel not to be forgiven. I do it because I am forgiven, and the difference is life and death, Heaven and Hell. Thanks, guys, for talking to me."
"Thank you."
There were no arguments about the deity of Christ because I made sure the conversation didn't go in that direction. It's important to remember that Jehovah Witnesses see Christians as misguided "Trinitarians," while they see themselves as protectors of Jehovah's glory. So they are going to be incredibly stubborn about the issue of Jehovah sharing His glory with another.
When Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven," (Matthew 16:17). So I believe that the best way for anyone to find out who Jesus is, is for God to reveal it to them. If I had started quoting Bible verses to make some point about Jesus being God--"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16, italics added) or "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," (John 1:1, italics added) they would have started quoting back, and then they would have fallen back on the argument that they have the only true translation. Jehovah's Witnesses also deny the existence of Heaven and Hell. They believe in annihilation, and that the Kingdom of God will come to this earth and be set up for a thousand years. Christians can't even agree on issues of prophecy, so I deliberately stayed away from it.
All I did was hold up the truth against error and left the results in the hands of God. Charles Spurgeon said, "I have heard it said that if there is a crooked stick, and you want to show how crooked it is, you need not waste words in description. Place a straight one by the side of it, and the thing is done directly."
All religions have their roots in idolatry. They have a wrong understanding of the nature of God and His righteous requirements. When you look closely at their beliefs, it becomes evident they are made up of the fruitless branches of self-righteousness. They think that they can bribe God with their works. Like the Jews of whom Paul spoke--they go about to establish their own righteousness, being ignorant of the righteousness which is of God (see Romans 10:3). The Law puts the axe to the root. It reveals a perfect righteousness and kills hope of self-salvation. It shows the self-righteous person that the leap he is trying to make to Heaven is infinitely beyond his reach.
I had noticed that Javier had been nodding in agreement at what I was saying. When he asked for my name again, I looked directly at him and said that they could come back any time. We shook hands and we left on good terms. I came away feeling really good because I had avoided doing what the Bible says not to do--to argue:
"But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:23-26)