False Christian teachings, trends….
This post contains a MLJ sermon on the sacraments wherein he clearly explains how they act as a sign and a seal. His illustration of a seal is easy to remember and to understand and will facilitate believers in having more value for the sacraments. MLJTrust provided a sermon overview and breakdown.
What is the purpose of baptism? Why did Jesus teach baptism after someone is saved? In this sermon on the sacrament of baptism (the second sermon in his series on the sacraments of the church), Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones walks through a topic sometimes debated even amongst believers. Baptism’s meaning, he says, is an outward illustration of the inward cleansing from the pollution of sin. Its purpose is not to cleanse from sin and regenerate because that would mean that people are saved through the work of baptism, something that Scripture clearly denies. So, what does it accomplish? Baptism serves as a sign and seal of one’s justification and remission of sins. And yet, he says, not everyone is eligible to be baptized. This teaching runs counter to the Catholic teaching on baptism….
The video of this post is by Pastor Sinclair Ferguson. In 5 minutes, he explains the unity of the Old and New Testaments by means of speaking of the covenants God made with men. In the process, he explained that since the fall, salvation has only been by grace. In other words, people who say, “Old Testament salvation is by law and the New Testament salvation is by grace,” seriously err. [That is, teachings like Dispensationalism, developed in the 19th century, are wrong when they propound two ways of salvation; and religions that believe they can earn their way to God, to heaven… are also wrong.]
The 9-minute video of this post is John MacArthur responding to the fall of Steve Lawson. Pastor MacArthur spoke about 9 minutes on numerous matters related to Lawson’s fall and the church.
…“It is impossible for a Christian to remain in continual sin due to sanctification.” This is a freeing truth. From the moment of conversion, the Spirit of Life dwells in the believer, and they cannot be subject to the carnal. Moreover, this is a promise for all Christians, not just a blessing that some receive and others don’t. And yet, the struggle against sin is still a daily battle for followers of Christ. To help the listener better understand, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that from the moment of salvation, Christians are dead to sin since they have been united with Christ and His life. The Christian spirit is alive to Christ, yet their bodies are still under the bondage and dominion of sin…. [From MLJTrust’s explanation of this sermon. They also provided sermon highlight points.]
London’s Metropolitan Police recently paid a $13,100 settlement to a Christian street preacher they arrested after her preaching angered a Muslim mob — the second such settlement the bobbies have paid her in two years. Hatun Tash, a former Muslim, “regularly critiques and debates the Qur’an and Islam at Speakers’ Corner,” a section of Hyde Park set aside for free speech and demonstrations…. Tash, director of the ministry Defend Christ Critique Islam (DCCI), has a YouTube channel with almost 700,000 subscribers. She claims to have seen “over 1,000 ex-Muslims” become Christians in Great Britain and to be “discipling many people” around the world.
This post contains a sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones from MLJTrust: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” With this question, the notorious persecutor Saul had a face to face encounter with Jesus. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones recounts this divine confrontation that transformed an enemy of the cross into a child of God. When culture screams for autonomy from God, the grace of God rips away the mask of cultural Christianity. Now, as one who is forgiven and at peace with our Savior, the Christian learns to be silent, to listen and to submit to Christ’s will. No one is saved as a family or a nation, but only an individual can be spared from the wrath of God by the conviction of sin and the forgiveness of the Savior.
This post contains the October, 2024 Newsletter from Proclaiming the Gospel, Mike Gendron’s ministry to Roman Catholics. He was converted after having been a practicing Catholic for 37 years. Since then, he and his wife have ministered to Catholics. This issue looks into the following topics from the scriptures: Do We Need a New Reformation? Why Was the Reformation Necessary? What Did the Reformation Accomplish? and the Pope Says All Religions Are a Path to God. There are also letters from readers and links to resources at his ministry.
In 2015, the Supreme Court foisted a great injustice on the American people: the legalization of homosexual marriage. The result has been a head-on collision of biblical truth and social norms. In the eyes of the world, telling the truth about homosexuality is officially hateful and bigoted. It may even come with legal consequences. Some Christians responded by bending to the culture’s pressure campaign and softening their views on homosexuality in the name of tolerance. …True believers do not have the liberty to withhold biblical truth because it has become unpopular.
Until we come to saving faith in Christ, we remain lost in the darkness of sin and condemnation. Today, Sinclair Ferguson reflects on the verses of Scripture that were instrumental in opening his eyes to the light of the world. [Ferguson talks about personal realizations that every born-again Christian experiences during his / her pilgrimage; these are worked in us by the Spirit via the word.]