Bereans:

During the recent controversy generated by Alistair Begg's pastoral advice to attend a transgender "wedding" and take a gift, he addressed his congregation to explain and defend his actions. In his response, he made the statement that he is "not a product of American fundamentalism," but that he comes from a background rooted in "British evangelicalism."  Many people have asked what the difference is, or have wanted to know what he really meant by that statement.  In the video link below, the host defines the differences between these two concepts and explains how this statement was meant to be a disparaging remark against those who disagreed with his counsel.  It is a good, concise lesson in church history, and provides a timely warning about the fruits of so-called "British evangelicalism."

Difference Between American Fundamentalism and British Evangelicalism
https://youtu.be/GtmM8wIjAWE?si=rsGES3GsnUFCaiBn

I would also like to warn that being faithful to Scripture is not American, British, or associated with any other ethnic distinction.  It also doesn't matter where a person comes from when he stands for the truth.  God is looking for faithful, bold, courageous men and women who stand on the timeless truths of His Word, regardless of what the culture may be doing.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

Remember the Asbury Revival?  It’s been a year since the beginning of the Asbury “revival” in Wilmore, Kentucky.  Last year, from February 8th to February 24th, up to 70,000 people visited Asbury University’s chapel to experience what they called an “outpouring,” an “awakening,” or a “revival.”  This supposed outpouring of the Holy Spirit had everyone talking for awhile. Many of you asked my opinion of it, and I wrote a Being A Berean blog post on the topic of what makes a revival genuine.

Now that a year has passed we can begin assessing whether this was really a work of God.  The following article was written by someone who was caught up in "revival" movements.  I mostly appreciate his emphasis on the need to be actively involved in the regular preaching and teaching ministries of a healthy local church.  This is God's ordained and ordinary means of grace.  See Hebrews 10:24-25.  As a person who was raised in churches that had annual "planned" revivals, I've seen firsthand how such tactics are man's attempt to "stir up" enthusiasm, and how the excitement quickly fades.

https://slowtowrite.com/what-happened-to-the-asbury-revival/

May we be committed to finding our joy and excitement through the regular ministries of Berean Covenant Church.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

There is a lot of talk in the news this week about immigration and attempts to make it easier for illegal immigrants to cross the border and seek asylum in the U.S.  Some observers are predicting as many as 3 million people will attempt to cross the border in the next month.  This has been an ongoing problem and is now the number one issue in recent polls of voters.  An astute observer might ask, "Why are some people so determined to allow others to break the law and enter our country?"

I don't normally like to spend much time on conspiracy theories, but I'm going to bring this one up because of the spiritual implications and the fact that those advocating for it have been pretty open about it.  I really don't think it fits in the category of "theory" anymore when its proponents do not hide what they are trying to do.  The reason it's still referred to as a conspiracy theory by the media is because they don't want us talking about it out loud or acknowledging it for what it is.

In short, the Great Replacement Theory is the attempt to reduce the influence of the population that has mostly "Christian" values by replacing them with people who have anti-Christian values.  At a more sinister level, replacing them with people who will vote for politicians who use their power to fundamentally change our government and culture into a thoroughly secular, godless, and socialist system.  The way they are doing that is to encourage large numbers of illegal migrants to come across the border and settle here.  How does that help them?  New immigrants typically vote Democrat, and often come from socialistic countries.  They are enticed to vote for progressive Democrats through promises of the government providing for all of their needs.  Of course, when people come here penniless and destitute, they are vulnerable prey to vote for politicians who promise them free handouts.

By "importing" an overwhelming crop of new voters, socialist progressive politicians will be able to remain in power and enact their godless, radical agenda, particularly in the areas of perverse sexual freedoms, abortion, and the climate religion.  One other problem liberal progressives have is that their loyal voters constitute the demographic that aborts the most children and embraces the sexual perversions associated with low birth rates. In other words, liberal, progressive socialists reproduce at a much lower rate than conservatives, therefore, they must find new voters to "import" if they are going to maintain electoral power.

That's the Great Replacement Theory in a nutshell.  It's real. It's designed to destroy you.  Don't buy into the lies that Christians are required by God to welcome the foreigner.  Those passages were written to national Israel, not Christians in America or other countries.  Yes, we are called to be kind to and help the alien and stranger, but those passages have nothing to do with a nation's right and need to protect its borders.

The first article below is over a year old.  I've been saving it for the right time, and that is now.  I should also warn you to be discerning when searching for this topic on the internet.  The search engines are blocking truthful information about this and only listing articles that try to associate those who speak against it as being racist and xenophobic (afraid of foreigners). It's best to go to Christian and conservative sites and search on their archives.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2022/11/18/schumer-amnesty-comments-on-population-growth-n2616092

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-great-replacement-electoral-strategy

You can rest assured that the enemies of Christ, particularly the proponents of abortion and the religion that worships the state as god, will do everything they can to dilute the influence of Christianity in our culture because of their hatred for Christ (John 15:18-25).  Be on your guard against all the crafty schemes of Satan (Genesis 3:1) and the men who are his children.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

My time this weekend has been completely devoted to hosting our second round of Fundamentals of Biblical Counseling training.  It's been a wonderful privilege to provide training to equip believers minister the Word in soul care to one another.

 Since this has consumed my time this weekend, I have not had the bandwidth to research and properly prepare a Being A Berean.  So...I'm going to "cheat" and attach a recent sermon from John MacArthur that you should find very edifying, eye-opening, and encouraging.  It was recommended by a dear and trusted church member.  After Trudi listened to it, she also told me how good it was.  

Even though I couldn't prepare my own fresh content, I decided you won't be lacking if you can hear something that directs your thoughts heavenward to the ongoing, everlasting worship of our eternal God!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6CfggHRUQA
or
https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/21814

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

The current topic for our monthly men's study is pride, particularly our desire to define our identity as we choose to define it.  We want to make ourselves in our own image.  This week we memorized Ezekiel 28:2, which was part of God's rebuke to the king of Tyre, who thought he was a god.  In this passage, God rebukes him by saying that "you make your heart like the heart of God."  This means that he viewed his own thoughts and feelings about himself (his heart) as being on the level of God's heart. He thought his heart was the final say, and the highest authority in his life.  As our culture would say, he "followed his heart." The Bible says that "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7; see also Proverbs 27:19).

This nearly ubiquitous advice of following your heart is a form of idolatry that actually is rooted in elevating yourself to God's level. You think that what you desire is ultimately what matters most.  You think that you know what's best and that you know the best way to go about getting it.  This is where identity comes in.  We start finding our value in our goals, desires, dreams, and ambitions.  We try to define ourselves by what we become, or by what we do, or by what we want.  God says our identity must be found in glorifying the One in whose image we are made (1 Corinthians 10:31).

A sad example of this was seen in the recent death of the actor Matthew Perry.  If you followed this story, the millennial generation was really hard hit by his tragic death, despite a long, slow, predictable demise. I watched an interview with him from a few years ago in which he candidly revealed what was going on in his heart.  He said that growing up in a home with celebrity parents was hard because people were always looking at his mother and father. As a small child standing next to his parents with cameras clicking, he said that he desperately wanted people to pay attention to him, not them.  He stated that he learned to be funny and make people laugh because it made him the center of attention.  He then admitted that anytime he did not get laughs or attention on an almost daily basis, he would turn to alcohol and drugs. His idol was attention and the praise of men.  Sadly, his idol carried him to his death. The following Fight for Truth podcast covers some of the Matthew Perry story from a biblical perspective.
https://youtu.be/0o_gd3PXvl0?si=NeWbSoOrf95JFrvn

This article addresses the rampant use of drugs by teens.  I believe that drugs are their means of escape from the reality that they do not actually get to remake themselves and the world in their own image. Teens are being fed the lie that they can be what they want to be and do what they want to do.  In other words, they can be their own gods.  Yet, reality hits them in the face when everyone else around them wants to be their own god, too.  All these competing agendas end up clashing and no one is satisfied.  Their dreams come crashing down, so they try to escape their reality by turning to drugs.  It's an extremely sad existence.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12017947/Teen-mental-health-crisis-laid-bare-students-use-cannabis.html

When a person's faith is in God, then he is free to live as God intended man to live.  A believer will find his identity in the God who made him.  This is true freedom, and it takes away all incentives to escape reality through drugs and other attempts to deny reality or define ourselves in our own image.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

The percentage of the American population that is on prescription medication for depression continues to rise.  The news media and politicians like to refer to it as an epidemic, using the same terminology that describes a virus or disease that can attack anyone at random.  But is this a good comparison?  Is depression truly a disease? And why is the number of people who are "diagnosed" with it so high and continuing to increase?

January is often associated with depression because so many people feel sad and alone following all the activities and celebrations of Christmas and New Year's.  In my New Year's Eve sermon, I referred to depression in the context of being associated with the things people choose to dwell, or think, upon (Philippians 4:8-9).

The following clip from a recent Wretched Radio podcast explores some of the "causes" behind depression from a biblical perspective. This information may be new to you, and will probably contain some statements and claims that you may find shocking, or that you may question.  I encourage you to look up the Scripture Todd Friel references and to ask yourself whether you have formed your opinions about depression from secular messaging or from the Word of God.

https://youtu.be/n97yuUicZX0?si=GucKYn5AgnPuwdbW

I plan to address depression and other biblical counseling topics in future posts, so be on the lookout for those topics.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

We often hear the enemies of the church scolding Christians to stay out of politics.  They argue that we should check our faith at the door and that our beliefs should not influence our voting or civic views.  Of course, they push this philosophy because it suits their purposes by removing any opposition to their wickedness.  What they don't acknowledge is that their belief system influences their voting and civic views, as well.

All of us--Christian or not--are motivated by how we interpret our world.  We often refer to this as our worldview.  Christians believe that God created the world and everything in it (including mankind), and that He set the rules for how all of us should relate to Him and the rest of creation.  If you faithfully hold those beliefs, you cannot possibly avoid having those beliefs impact your politics.  The government exists to protect the innocent and punish evildoers (Romans 13:1-7).  All laws are moral because they make a declaration about what the government determines is good and what is evil.

A Christian living in a country that allows civic participation in government, such as voting, will bring his or her worldview into the voting booth and will be obligated by conscience to vote for candidates and issues that uphold what God's Word says is good and right.  Yes, the issues are often varied, and we have to choose the lesser of two evils, but we are still making that choice based on what has informed our worldview.

The following article has some good points to make about the birth of the King of kings and how Jesus' incarnation impacts politics.
https://wng.org/opinions/what-hath-bethlehem-to-do-with-washington-1703733384?mkt_tok=NzEwLVFSUi0yMDkAAAGQVG84D3Fv9-V06BZZDD1nXBP2zGktygDnoxqz7KkWmmYFzwKI4SnPud1FouRO76_aAU6OQSs7YGediKVJ72tWyCeNAAPAayKY1PxZOXbzO9aA 

Grace and peace to you, and may the Lord bless you and keep you in the new year!

J.W.

Bereans,

For this Christmas Eve post, I'd like to share the following excerpt from John MacArthur's Christmas message to The Master's University alumni.







The child in the manger that night was the Lord of all, and we must glorify Him as such.  For the believer, Jesus is the person that must be the center of all you do.  This Christmas, I pray that the Lord's rule and reign in heaven, and His impending return would dominate your thoughts of Him, much more so than the sentimentality of a baby in a manger.

I wish you many spiritual blessings in Christ this Christmas.

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

Our congregation has had a lot of sickness lately, from short-term to long-term illnesses, and from ER visits to planned surgeries.  We know the Lord is our Great Physician and that one day all sickness will forever be a thing of the past! (Revelation 21:4).  Even though we know sickness and suffering will be gone one day, we still have to deal with it in the present.  One of the best ways to respond to sickness and suffering without sinning is to always keep before us that God providentially uses sickness and suffering in the lives of saints for His purposes, and a primary purpose is often our sanctification.  When we trust that He is working all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), then we can face sickness and suffering with a higher view in mind than simply the present.

I came across this Puritan prayer that I had saved some time ago.  Unfortunately, I can't find the reference, so please forgive the lack of citation.  If any of you happen to know the source, please send it to me and I'll cite the author.  Regardless of who wrote it, I think it has a lot to offer to those who are sick or suffering.

Sanctify My Sickness
Loving Father, if it be your blessed will,
     remove this sickness from me and
     restore to me my former health,
that I may live longer to set forth your glory
      and be a comfort to my friends who depend upon me.
And then Lord, you shall see
     how religiously and wisely I shall redeem the time,
    which so far I have so poorly and profanely spent.
That I may be delivered from this pain and sickness,
     direct me, O Lord, I ask, by your divine providence,
           to such a doctor and helper by whom,
           through your blessings upon the means,
           I may recover my former health and welfare again.
And, good Lord, as you have sent me this sickness,
      would you likewise send your Holy Spirit into my heart,
     so this present sickness may be sanctified to me.
May I use it as your school
     to learn to know the greatness of my misery
    and the riches of your mercy.
I renounce all confidence in myself,
and I put the whole trust in your all-sufficient merits.

May the Lord use this prayer to help you in times of sickness and suffering now and in the future.

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

Over the past couple of years, and especially the past few months, the extent of the liberal/progressive takeover of our educational institutions has been exposed.  While many Christians have for years lamented the left's liberal influence in the education system, few of us truly understood the depth of the indoctrination.

Congressional testimony this past week revealed that three presidents of the top universities in the nation refused to state that students on their campuses would not be allowed to call for the extermination of Jews.  They made excuses about "free speech" and refused to give direct answers.  You have to wonder who they fear so much that they won't call such blatant evil what it is?

The enemies of God know that if they can influence young minds while they are still immature and foolish, they will have gained a tremendous advantage at advancing their agenda.  (See Proverbs 1:22, 32).  The Bible warns that foolishness comes with being young, and it is driven out only by seeking wisdom in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 14:15-16; 1:7).

We are thankful that we have Christian educators in our congregation and in many other like-minded congregations across the nation.  They need our prayers as they stand for truth against the onslaught of administrators, fellow faculty, and students that oppose the truth.

Two of the three articles below address the problem of liberal, anti-God administrators.  The third article highlights a professor who is standing his ground for the truth.  Please pray for Christians in our education systems, whether it be students, faculty, or administrators.

University Presidents Refuse to Condemn Students Calling for Extermination of Jews
https://wng.org/opinions/the-moral-rot-starts-at-the-top-1702038803?mkt_tok=NzEwLVFSUi0yMDkAAAGP6RWB1VM2xNvHhr41XqiAAY-QHC3DkjA6Ze7ytO2ExSO3pb34dTJ7354lg3DEe5P6nyRv9VEUDDTkV3GOTJ5ZpjpjfVOpysCrkrXLQJ-Bfa7f

Teachers Union President Speaking with Demonic Voice
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/benbartee/2023/07/21/watch-teachers-union-president-seemingly-channels-demon-speaks-in-tongues-n1712699

Professor Taking a Stand for Truth
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/college-professor-stopping-campus-going-woke

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

This week I'm sharing some good news of Christians who have taken a stand against the spirit of antichrist and won (1 John 2:18)! We should take courage and be emboldened by their witness, just as the account of Stephen, the first martyr should encourage us.  In both examples, the opposition was fierce, and the opponents were determined to intimidate them into silence because of their stand for righteousness (Matthew 5:11-12).  I'm thankful that the Lord has given each of these women the opportunity to state their case before a watching world that needs to hear the truth proclaimed without apology.

Finnish Lawmaker Wins Her Case that Quoting the Bible Is Not Hate Speech https://www.foxnews.com/world/finnish-lawmaker-wins-second-hate-speech-case-quoting-bible

Mother Confronts School Board Over Indoctrinating Children with Woke Policies
https://redstate.com/videos/2023/09/26/hero-mom-confronts-school-board-n2164332

May we all be ready to make a defense of the hope that lies within us, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

Happy Thanksgiving!  I pray that your celebrations of this uniquely American holiday have been Christ-centered and refreshing to your souls.  As Christians, we are always to be giving thanks to God (1 Thessalonians 5:18) as the One in Whom we live, and move, and exist (Acts 17:28), so this holiday is one time each year that we can be above-and-beyond thankful!

As Thanksgiving ends, most people begin their Christmas shopping.  It seems almost impossible to escape the anti-God agenda that has overtaken almost every corporation in America. The "Pride" group has made a very calculated, deliberate attempt to intimidate corporations into funding and promoting their evil agenda, and weak, greedy corporate executives lacking a biblical worldview caved like sand castles hit by an ocean wave.  Of course, we should expect nothing less from those who have no fear of God and are consumed with the fear of men.

These companies have proven that they have a greater desire to promote the culture of death than to promote any type of Christian values.  They are glad to take your money and then donate a part of it to pay for minors to have abortions or to have their bodies mutilated and sterilized.  While most all large corporations take part in these evils, some are more egregious than others.  For instance, despite widespread backlash and decreasing sales over selling transgender clothes for children, Target has rolled out a homosexual Santa Claus for this year's lineup of toys!

For several years, Trudi and I have deliberately avoided those companies that we feel are the worst.  We prefer to shop at local stores, and to avoid the ones that are most in-your-face with the agenda.  We have not set foot in Target for seven years, ever since they were the first store to allow men in women's rest rooms and dressing rooms.  Two weeks ago, I walked into PetSmart to get dog food, and a large banner right inside the door was advertising a new furniture line from their new corporate partners...two well-known interior designer homosexual men featured in an all-too-close pose.  Yes, apparently, in the minds of their corporate executives, carrying furniture with pictures of men cuddling will sell more pet food.  This week, I bought our dog food at Petco.

I encourage you to consider where you shop.  This is a matter of conscience, and I certainly do not judge anyone for shopping at some of these places.  In fact, I had to go to one of the stores I don't like to shop at a couple of weeks ago because both of their competitors were out of something I needed right away, so I understand that it's not always possible to do so.  However, if your only reason for shopping at some of these places is because you "like" the store (whether online or a physical store), or that it's convenient, I encourage you to consider that there may be other factors to take into mind when making a shopping choice.

Choosing where to make your purchases may be less convenient, and sometimes a little more costly.  However, remember that a portion of each dollar you spend at these businesses is being spent on activist groups and being donated to elect politicians who, when they get enough power, may be the people who will one day take away your freedoms, or even jail you if you do not submit to their cause (Matthew 5:11).  The following is a list of five of the businesses you'll most want to avoid.  It also has some suggestions for alternatives.

https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2023/11/23/5-woke-companies-youll-want-to-avoid-when-shopping-this-holiday-season-n2166653

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

This week's elections in several states were exceedingly disappointing. In Ohio, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that removes any restrictions on abortion.  This overturned several laws the state legislature had passed to protect children.  It even specifically outlaws any attempt to inform parents when a minor has an abortion. This was in a state that is very "conservative" in its regular voting patterns.  Additionally, in very conservative Kentucky and moderate Virginia, pro-life candidates were defeated as their liberal opponents attacked their pro-life stances.  All of these losses follow very similar losses in the 2022 elections, as well.

The sad reality is that the sacrifice of children for the sake of convenience has been embraced by our society as a whole.  We have a thoroughly secularized culture that hates God and embraces the culture of death (Psalm 109:5).  A shocking portion of the population considers the "right" to kill an unborn child as the number one issue that determines their vote.  Further, politicians are embarrassed and afraid to speak the truth about what abortion is, so they don't even attempt to fight back for fear that they might offend someone.  The reality is that they do not fear God, but fear man instead (Proverbs 1:7; 29:25).

Below are two links that help put some perspective on this. First is a Matt Walsh video that hits the nail on the head about the state of the country and the political messaging around abortion.  It's very insightful, but he does use a couple of coarse words.  The second is an opinion piece from World Magazine that deals with why Americans would approve of this barbaric act. Hint...it has more to do with sex than it does with children.

Matt Walsh on abortion and elections
https://youtu.be/lRaBjjBL3wA?si=7W3xSxWmVRkkqX49

Americans Love Sex More than Life
https://wng.org/opinions/americans-love-sex-more-than-life-1699497374?mkt_tok=NzEwLVFSUi0yMDkAAAGPU3mkHExYTzk8Eu-_ADdLKY8d8fQ423e2FLarDZ9R79kugfXMRv2Q4195N_sLLrcMH2BAUZ55AwJknNUXjTM0CGLXpWyDD9S25Luo5uliXbfA 

Pray for our country and for the lives of the innocent.  God hates the sacrifice of children (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 19:5; Ezekiel 20:31).  These are dark times that are getting darker.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

My time to write is limited this week, so I'll let my links do most of the "talking" for this blog post.  In short, something unsettling that I've been observing for several years is how many so-called "conservatives" are holding on to a conservatism that is devoid of Christ.  An Alisa Childers podcast that I listened to this week labeled these people as "Christless Conservatives." These "conservative" politicians, influencers, and media personalities identify as conservatives and they gladly court conservative voters, but they are not Christian.  Many Christian leaders have formed alliances with these Christless Conservatives, and I think this is problematic.

Usually, the Christless Conservatives give lip service to "family values" or "Judeo-Christian values" while embracing homosexuality, abortion, legalized marijuana, and other issues that Christ Himself will judge as sin.  In fact, some of the most prominent names among these are homosexual (Dave Rubin, Guy Benson), atheist/agnostic (Jordan Peterson), or belong to non-Christian religions (Ben Shapiro, Vivek Ramaswamy). Christians should be discerning regarding our alignments and support (2 Corinthians 6:14).  People who openly embrace and promote sin are not our allies and they should be kept at arm's length (Job 34:8; 1 Corinthians 15:33).

In addition to Alisa's podcast, back in the summer, Allie Beth Stucky and Steve Deace recorded a podcast that covered the same type of topic, though they did not use the term "Christless Conservatism."  These are two of the best genuinely Christian commentators and influences in the media.  I always appreciate their insight, and especially Steve's depth of knowledge of American politics.  (In the podcast, they refer to the "Log Cabin Republicans," which is an organization of homosexual Republicans seeking to influence the party toward acceptance of the homosexual agenda.)

We cannot be naive about the motives of many people who claim to be on our "side" in the fight against this evil world system (Matthew 10:16).

Alisa Childers podcast:  Christless Conservatism
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yzwobAsAg&pp=QAFIAQ==

Allie Beth Stucky podcast with Steve Deace
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4UskMYYVdX8b2ZAvF3b5EF?si=HKDjI4mrSbq_fv6DZRmhzA

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans,

Obviously, there is much public discourse about the situation between Israel and the Palestinians.  The amount of hate coming from young people who have been brainwashed in schools and college campuses is appalling.  Their approach is rooted in Marxism, which divides all people into the oppressor class and the oppressed class.  Marxist ideology teaches that the oppressed is always justified in whatever means it uses to fight back against the oppressor.  In this case, they see the Palestinians as the oppressed and Israel as the oppressors, therefore, they excuse any tactics the Palestinians use to bring down Israel.  The same logic was used for the BLM riots, Antifa riots, Occupy Wall Street riots, the civil disruptions being caused by the environmentalist activists, and so much more.  They classify homosexuals, transgenders, and women seeking abortions as oppressed, so they justify them using any means necessary to further their cause.

Marxist thinking is obviously anti-God.  Its basic premise for changing the condition of the oppressed is that the end justifies the means.  It does not see all men and women as being of equal worth because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).  Marxism is based on evolution, which holds to the survival of the fittest, and urges the oppressed to become the fittest by eliminating the oppressor.  Ironically, this logic was also used by the Nazis.  Hitler argued that the rest of Germany (at the time deep into the Great Depression) was being oppressed by the Jews, who he claimed had made themselves rich by profiting off the average German citizen.

I can't possibly cover all I'd like to in this post, but we can start with the fact that murdering civilians, beheading babies, and kidnapping hostages is never justified for anyone under any circumstances (Exodus 20:13; 21:16).  I'll also add that Israel did not "take" the land, but it was theologically given to it by God (Genesis 12:6-7 and many subsequent passages) and politically given to it by the United Nations in 1948.  Further, the people of Gaza democratically elected Hamas for their leadership beginning in 2006, so they are not "innocent" regarding the current situation.  In fact, the reputation of the people of Gaza is so violent that even other Arab and Muslim nations are refusing to accept them as refugees. (https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/jordan-will-not-open-borders-to-refugees-fleeing-gaza-as-king-warns-middle-east-on-brink-of-abyss-5513202)

Again, there is much more, but I wanted to give you some facts to help you see the situation through a biblical lens and that you can use to refute those who have believed lies.  I'll leave you with some Scriptural thoughts that I copied from a friend this week.

Why Does Israel Matter?
Did you know that the time clock of the return of Jesus Christ isn’t based on America’s timeline? It’s based on what is happening in Israel.

Did you know Jesus wasn’t a “Christian” ? He was a Jew. He celebrated and kept the Jewish holy days and customs, as well as the feasts of the LORD. He didn’t come to eradicate the Torah and writing of the Prophets / Old Testament. He came to fulfill the prophecies that were written in them.

When Jesus returns, He isn’t returning to the United States. The Bible says He is going to plant His foot down on the Mount of Olives and go through the Eastern Gate, which is currently sealed off with 16 feet of concrete. A cemetery was also placed in front of that gate because touching the dead makes a Jew considered unclean and unable to enter the Temple, which is considered Holy. The Word of God says He will return there and from there He will rule and reign for 1,000 years.

The final battle isn’t going to be on U.S. soil. It’s going to be in the Valley of Megiddo, in Israel. The Bible says as the nations wage war against Israel Jesus will come and destroy His enemies with the breath of His mouth (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

God did not replace the Jews with Christians as some believe. We are actually grafted in with them as you would graft a wild branch into an existing tree.

The Word of God says:
“When you touch Israel, you touch the Apple of God’s eye.”  - Zechariah 2:8
“He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The LORD is thy keeper.”  - Psalm 121:4
“I will bless those that bless you and I will curse those that curse you.”  - Genesis 12:3

We are also commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122.

ISRAEL matters.

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

This past Sunday I mentioned that a significant emphasis at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) annual conference that we attended last week was a biblical critique of the newest fad in secular counseling: Trauma-Informed Care. Trauma-Informed Care (or
Therapy) has generated a lot of buzz in the world of psychology, but it is simply another iteration of man trying to solve man's problems with man's worldview.  Just like all the other secular theories of psychology that have come before it, this one will also fall by the wayside someday, only to be replaced by a new method.  Unfortunately, it will do much damage before it is replaced.

The sad reality is that apostate and doctrinally weak churches are often the means by which the secularists spread their falsehoods.  Many church leaders often adapt the world's methods and attempt to "Christianize" them by adding Bible verses or Christian teachings to them.  However, the core philosophies of these methods undermine the authority and sufficiency of Scripture by claiming that we cannot properly address a person's mental needs without special secular knowledge.  Applied to counseling, they teach that only the "trauma" specialist can be equipped to deal with a person's unique "trauma."  However, Scripture itself claims that it has everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  Sadly, even churches in our own area are already promoting this type of Christianized secular therapy.

We should also note that this secular counseling method also redefines "trauma" with a much broader definition than what Scripture, or even society in general, has traditionally defined as traumatic.  Of course, the more things they include as "trauma," the more people will need the trauma specialist to help them overcome their trauma.  You can see where this is going. I'll share more on this in a future post, but for now, I'll give you a couple of links to podcasts that will help you understand the Bible's perspective on trauma-informed care.  (The interviewee, Dr. Ernie Baker, was one of Cheyne's and my professors at The Master's University.)

https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/podcast-episodes/discerning-trauma-informed-therapy/

https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/podcast-episodes/engaging-trauma-biblically/

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

Last week I covered some of the motives behind the left's abortion and population control agenda.  This article exposes more of the bitterness and hatred they have toward human life itself, referring to people made in God's image as "weeds."  Remember, since God is the Author and Giver of Life (John 1:4; Acts 3:15; Acts 17:25; Psalm 36:9), Satan hates all life and wants it corrupted and destroyed.  Do not be fooled when these people tell you that they want to help the poor, or that they value "women's rights," or that they are concerned about overpopulation.  The bottom line is that they hate life and the God of life.

https://nationalcenter.org/project21/2022/07/14/eliminating-human-weeds-at-the-root-of-anti-birth-measures-by-rasheed-walters/

As believers, we must always look beyond the surface of what the enemy is doing.  They are always motivated by their rebellion against the Creator.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

Those who hate God, by their very definition must hate life.  I say "by definition" because God is the author and giver of life. He is not a dead god (Psalm 135:15; Isaiah 31:7; Habakkuk 2:18-19; 1 Corinthians 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), but the "Living God" (Deuteronomy 6:26; Psalm 42:2; Jeremiah 10:10; Daniel 6:26; Matthew 16:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 10:31).  Satan, and those who follow his worldview are obsessed with death.  They love death, they venerate death, they "idolize" death because they are children of death.  They are opposed to the God of Life because they are enslaved to their sinful rebellion against Him.

Satan loves death because it is the opposite of God's character. He led our first parents to rebel against God's one command, fully knowing that the penalty they would pay was death (Genesis 2:16-17; Romans 6:23).  It should be no surprise then, that the children of the devil have a worldview that leads to death.  Many conservative commentators have begun referring to this as the culture of death.  Their unofficial "religion" actually believes that man is the problem, and that death is a good thing because it leads to fewer humans.  They embrace abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, and "green" energy all because they lead to more deaths, or population control.

Until recently, they hid their agenda because they knew it would not be popular to state the underlying reasoning.  However, many of these "progressives" are letting the mask down and actually admitting that they desire to control the population.  Many observers are attempting to expose the evil agenda behind the culture of death.  Since this week started the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils to end abortion, I am sharing some of the most telling links.

This first article contains a clip from a speech Tucker Carlson gave recently.  As I mentioned in a previous Being A Berean, Tucker has begun reading the Bible through and has been sharing some of the truths he's been learning on his Twitter (X) page.  Though he still has some unsound theological positions, one thing he's learned from the Old Testament regards the frequency by which ungodly civilizations turned to child sacrifice.  Child sacrifice and abortion share the same basic heart motivation of being self-centered and see other human beings as an impediment to one's own self-fulfillment.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/michaelcantrell/2023/09/26/tucker-carlson-drops-massive-truth-bomb-about-abortion-n1730034

Vice President Kamala Harris, in a fundraising speech, let it slip among a "friendly" audience that she and her party favor population control.
https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/07/15/freudian-slip-gaffe-queen-kamala-harris-say-u-s-must-reduce-population-to-improve-air-quality-n776930

The final article for this week highlights the Democrat party's embrace of policies and positions that lead to and promote death, instead of life.
https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2023/01/26/democrats-are-the-party-of-death-and-their-lies-about-abortion-continue-to-prove-that-n694280

I've got some more that I'll probably share next week.  As you read the news this week, be on the lookout for statements and actions from our political, social, and religious leaders that embrace the philosophies of the culture of death.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

I've been saving up several items related to the climate change religion, so I'll just put them all in this post.  First, let me remind you that the climate is always changing and has done so since the Fall.  God's punishment of sin is what brought about changes in the climate, and they will continue until the millennial kingdom.  

I'll list just a sampling of climate changes we know from history, and they all occurred before the invention of the internal combustion engine or factories.  There was an Ice Age caused by global cooling.  The Ice Age ended by global warming.  Ancient cities with trees and vegetation have been discovered under the sands of the Sahara Desert. They are gone because the climate of North Africa changed.  Ancient Chinese writings claim their explorers sailed around the Arctic Ocean, meaning that it was ice free at the time.  When European explorers discovered Greenland, they named it so because it was...green!  Today, Greenland is almost totally covered in ice, because...you guessed it...the climate has changed and is cooler there.  There was a period of global cooling from the 16th to 19th centuries called the "Little Ice Age," which also came to an end by...global warming.  The most powerful hurricane ever recorded (including having the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded) hit the Florida Keys in 1935, when there were only a fraction of the number of automobiles on the road today, with none of them being SUVs, yet every hurricane today is called "catastrophic" and is blamed on climate change.

I'll remind you that a chief underlying reason climate change has become the "religion" that it has is that men have rejected God's laws, so they need to replace them with others that they can keep.  Men have openly discarded God's commandments regarding murder, adultery, lying, etc.  However, they still need a way to make themselves "righteous" or "virtuous."  They need to make Christians the "bad guys" and themselves the "good guys."  So, they elevate the worship of the created order (Romans 1:18-24) and set rules by which they can be declared virtuous, such as recycling, not using fossil fuels, and promoting green energy.  But it's all just a fool's game.  God does not declare those things as sins.  God will judge based on His law, not man's laws invented to redefine what is righteous and what is sinful (Isaiah 5:20).

Here are a few items that expose the futility of the "green" energy, climate change religion:

• https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/nobel-winner-refutes-climate-change-narrative-points-out-ignored-factor-5486267?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2023-09-10&src_cmp=mb-2023-09-10&utm_medium=email&est=KHQJLjtBFsediAY/NC4QlmOCcMwENVp1fXAgCw8yVGg3XHuBubtjttQGiKCqcXuHMg==
• https://www.foxnews.com/auto/electric-vehicles-heavy-parking-garages-report https://www.theepochtimes.com/fuel-costs-of-electric-vehicles-overtake-gas-powered-cars-study_5017783.html?utm_source=share-btn-copylink
• https://redstate.com/brandon_morse/2023/07/26/democrats-are-trying-to-make-climate-change-the-new-covid-n782184

Christians, don't be fooled by this destructive tonic that distracts from what God has said is truly evil and what is good.

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

One of the most insidious battles taking place in our society today is the effort to undermine biblical femininity.  The "culture of death" not only strikes in the blatant forms of abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, and euthanasia, but it also seeks to destroy God's plan for women.  The many forces behind this are demonically influenced, but they are motivated by greed, pride, self-centeredness, and hatred for God's created order.  They want to radically reinvent the roles of men and women in society because they hate God's design. (See Genesis 3:16b; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Peter 3:1-7.)

Matt Walsh, the creator, producer, and moderator of the film What Is A Woman?, in one of his podcasts this week exposes some of the messages young women are being bombarded with, particularly from so-called "influencers" on social media.  While Matt does not offer any biblical solutions, he nails it in describing the problem.  These shallow, narcissistic women are openly celebrating their divorces, childlessness, and freedom to do as they please without encumbrances such as husbands or children.  They openly encourage young followers to embrace their lifestyles.  Behind them are corporate interests who want young women in their work forces to make up for the lack of children brought about by abortion and homosexuality.  What you see and hear will make you both sad and mad.

One other aspect of this that is already having enormous ramifications is social and political.  Women who remain single overwhelmingly identify as liberal and vote over 70% with the Democrat party, which officially champions all lifestyles opposed to the family as God established it.  Studies are increasingly showing that girls who can be convinced before they are in their early twenties that marriage and childbearing are bad and that being aggressively independent is good will likely hold to those views for life, and will have a higher probability of identifying with sexually deviant lifestyles.  Apart from God's grace, they will be permanent "recruits" for liberal political and social causes and will use their money and activism to support those causes.

If you are a parent of young girls (and boys, too), arguably the most dangerous thing you can do at this time in history is allow them access to social media.  The overwhelming majority of these "influencers" are wicked, angry people who delight in making others miserable with them, and they have millions of followers.  (See Romans 1:28-32.)

Matt Walsh:  A Life of Selfishness Leads to Misery
https://youtu.be/l0CxukpQUTo?si=3-IgzSrdkVRUqqFe

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans:

On the heels of my post last week about the current U.S. government pressuring other sovereign nations to accept and promote the sexual anarchy agenda, there is updated news this week about a story that's been developing over the past few years. This one involves Finland, the newest country to join NATO, which is America's most important military alliance.  A woman in the Finnish legislature is being prosecuted for hate crimes.  And what was her alleged crime?  She quoted the Bible verbatim.  And why is that hate speech?  The passages she quoted involved calling homosexuality a sin.  The article below explains her situation.

If she loses this case, it will have massive implications across the western world.  In essence, the Bible itself will be declared as something "hateful" that needs to be banned from public discourse. Throughout our nation's history, all the way up until this administration, the U.S. has put diplomatic pressure on countries that did not protect the religious freedoms of its citizens.  Now, under the Biden administration, countries that prosecute and persecute Christians for simply quoting the Bible are rewarded by being welcomed into our closest military alliance.  No pressure or punishment for violating the rights of Christians for quoting the Bible.  And all this is in a country that was one of the earliest to adapt the truths of the Reformation!

But this should come as no surprise to us.  Jesus said, "“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also" (John 15:20-23). Further, in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).

https://thefederalist.com/2023/09/01/newest-nato-country-escalates-prosecution-of-christians-for-quoting-the-bible/

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

Over the past several months it's been a blessing to have Praise Happy Qongwani in our worship services and church activities. Praise came from his home country of Malawi to participate in a program in which the U.S. Army provides officer training for foreign armies.  In God's providence, He has used this program to bring several people our way, allowing us to minister the gospel to unbelievers, or to minister the Word and be a church home-away-from-home for believers, such as Praise.  He has now graduated from his training program and leaves on Saturday, Sept. 2 to return home.  He sends his thanks to the church for welcoming and supporting him, and we wish him Godspeed.

Sadly, I learned that Malawi has canceled plans to send another officer to train here in his place. The reason is because the U.S. Army, under the direction of the Biden administration, is pressuring foreign countries to adapt the sexual anarchy agenda (which is how I prefer to the LGBTQIA+++++ movement) by threatening to withhold funding from those countries that do not implement key policy changes in support of this agenda.  Malawi is one of the most "Christian" nations in Africa, not in name only, but in practice.  It's population has one of the highest percentages of evangelical, Protestant Christians in all of Africa. Malawi's government is not bowing the knee to the perverts in the Biden administration, and they are paying the price financially and diplomatically.

Upon the heels of learning that last week, I saw an article confirming everything Malawi is experiencing.  The article below describes some of the sick, perverse things our State Department is spending our tax dollars to promote in foreign countries that are opposed to this agenda.  They are going out of their way to "stick a finger in the eye" of other nations to make a point that the cause of sexual anarchy is the highest priority to our government.  These actions are sickening to the core, and they are being undertaken by wicked, deluded people who give "hearty approval" to others who practice wickedness (Romans 1:32).

Pray for our leaders, pray for nations like Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Poland that their leaders will maintain the courage to resist these evil pressures from our government.  Pray for the judgment of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous (Psalm 9:7-10).

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2023/08/29/woke_diplomacy_is_not_americas_most_popular_export_975361.html


Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans:

The first persecution of the church, as recorded in Acts 4, has been the subject of my most recent sermons.  That persecution arose from the religious and civic leadership of the Jews (which was the same governing body, the Sanhedrin).  Peter and John were jailed, interrogated, and threatened with punishment if they continued to preach or teach in Jesus' name.  Their response was to do what was right in God's sight, not men's (Acts 4:19-20), which meant that they kept right on preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus.

Today, the civic leaders of the western world, and the false, apostate churches are once again threatening the true body of Christ--the remnant--to shut up.  They want no part of Jesus. They want to make themselves in their own image and do as they please.  The true church must be ready to stand with Peter, John, and the early church and say "no" to their lies.  We must keep right on preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus.  It is the only name given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

I've been saving these articles for a little while, so they're a couple of months old, but still very relevant.

First is an example of apostate church leaders betraying their own people who try to stand for truth:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/church-leaders-mostly-silent-after-teen-who-opposed-transgender-ideology-suspended-from-catholic-school/ar-AA1a3j51?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=4a191aa0f5794876b4fa7b3377c14b04&ei=55

Next is an example of government actions to silence churches, even in conservative "red" states:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/anti-religious-bigotry-nebraska-dems-bill-would-ban-kids-vacation-bible-school-church-youth-group

Finally, one church is taking a bold step to have all of its members sign a pledge that they support and will uphold the Bible's definition of biblical sexuality.  (I'm not advocating that every church do this. My understanding is that this church had gotten "lax" in its membership requirements over the years, before their current pastor was hired. Their current pastor is Heath Lambert, who is the past Executive Director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.  I trust that he and the elders at First Baptist Jacksonville believed this step was necessary to help "separate the sheep from the goats" in the church.)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11699405/Megachurch-orders-members-sign-new-anti-LGBTQ-pledge-adhere-biblical-sexuality.html

Let these articles serve as warnings of the times we face and make us wise regarding the tactics of our enemies.

Grace and peace to you,

J.W.

Bereans,

It's fascinating how the most often asked questions I get change over the years.  Of course, there are theological questions that are staples, such as, "Why did God allow sin?" and "Why didn't God just start over after Adam and Eve sinned?" and "Who do you think the Nephilim are?" Some of the questions I get asked are very short-lived, related to a particular "hot topic" in the news. Still other questions have more "staying power" and get asked for quite awhile.

I think that the question I've been asked the most over the past three years is, "What do you think of 'The Chosen'?" I've even had a couple of occasions where someone I just met asked me this question (upon learning that I'm a pastor).  I'll start by saying that I have not watched a single minute of it.  That's not to condemn anyone that has.  We watch very few movies or TV.  For the past year, we've mostly watched dog training videos on how to train an American Bully!  I'll say next that the most disturbing things I've heard about this series is that many churches and small groups are using the series for their "Bible study" time.

While the idea of using it in place of a Bible study is a "no brainer" for a Berean, there are still some honest questions that many believers might have about the value of watching it, and some very respectable theologians have differences of opinion.

I'll give you my three main problems here:

     1) I believe it violates the second commandment forbidding the making of graven images of God (see Exodus 20:4-6)

     2) It has some theological errors that can lead people astray

     3) For the sake of making a cinematic drama, it takes "artistic license" by adding dialogue, names, and events that are not in Scripture, which leads to confusion among the unlearned about what the Bible actually says and does not say.

I may post more on this later, but for now, this video gives an example and explanation of some of the theological errors to which I refer.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji9g062ThzQ

The bottom line is that the best way for us to know what God says is to read and study Scripture itself.

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.

Bereans,

So often we begin to believe that all it takes for people to believe the gospel (or even basic truths) is for them to hear the facts.  We think that the problem is that the truth hasn't been presented in a convincing way.  Therefore, we begin to believe that it is up to us to find the best data and deliver it in the most persuasive manner, and voila, the person will embrace the truth!

Well, not only is that way of thinking man-centered, it is also not God's way.  In fact, not only does that method of persuasion not work, it is much more difficult than the way God designed it to be.  The Apostle Paul is clear that the gospel is not embraced by logic, because the logic of God is foolishness to the world (1 Cor. 2:6-16).  Scripture also tells us that man's purposeful embrace of lies only results in delusion (Romans 1:18-32).

It is not up to us to be clever or persuasive or to simply present facts (1 Cor. 2:1-5).  Faith is a gift of God that comes through the hearing of the Word of God (1 Cor. 1:18-21; Rom. 10:17; Eph. 2:8).  The power of the gospel and the belief of truth comes as a gift of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God (Rom. 1:16).  It is the Word that is living, active, and powerful (Heb. 4:12).  So, our job is simply to present the Word of God to others, and let it do the work.  Yes, we may have to help explain it, but that is a far different approach than thinking that it is up to us to do the convincing through facts.

This 10 minute video below contains some fascinating footage of an interview with one of the most well-known political figures in American.  I'm not going to spoil it, but in it you'll see clear evidence that it is the Spirit of God working through the Word of God that begins to change hearts and minds.  (I'm not saying this person is a believer yet, but God is clearly working on his heart through the reading of the Word.)  I pray you're encouraged by this video, and reminded that your main job is to introduce others to the Word of Truth, then let it do its work!

Video link: https://youtu.be/0MKgsXTRU-4

Grace and peace to you,
J.W.