Priesthood of all believers

Most Protestants today recognize only one mediator between them and God, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5). The doctrine of the “priesthood of all believers” was revisited and restored at the time of the Reformation. The veil has been torn and, through Christ, we have been given direct access to God, just like a priest of old. But, the “Priesthood of all believers” idea is not NEW to the New Covenant. R.J. Rushdoony said this: “It is a Protestant fallacy that ‘the priesthood of all believers’ is a ‘New Testament doctrine’ which came to light with the Reformation.”

Ex 19:5-8 says this, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.”

So God desired Israel to be to Him a kingdom of priest’s right from the beginning and they agreed. But notice what happened right after Moses brought the Ten Commandments to Israel and God displayed His great power. Right after He gives them the Ten Commandments we read, “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Ex 20:18-19) Instead being honored to be a "kingdom of priests" the Israelites were afraid of God and asked Moses to be their mediator.

Jay Rogers explains the result of Israel's decision to have a mediator between them and God, “God honored the people's desire to have a mediator by choosing Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel to minister to God in a complicated ritual of daily sacrifices. The Levitical Priesthood was established to do the work of the ministry and only Moses was allowed to come directly into God's Presence. The people were not even allowed to draw near to God and the elders could only worship at a distance. The God of Israel hoped that the drudgery of service in a ritualistic system of religion would cause the people to yearn for something more.”

Many people know the story about Israel wanting and choosing a king to rule over them to be like all the other nations. Most don’t realize they also chose a mediator to intercede for them. So Israel not only chose a king to rule over them they also chose a priest to mediate for them. But it’s always been God’s perfect will for God’s people to be a nation of kings and priests. Thank God He sent His son to make it possible for us, as it was meant to be, to again have direct access to the throne-room of God. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

By Grace Through Faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-9) It is important for us to see here that it’s not saying we are saved BY faith but, rather, we are saved by grace THROUGH faith. Not only that, even that faith is a gift of God. It is God’s grace that gives us the gift of faith. Because God is gracious, therefore wicked and sinful men are forgiven, reborn, sanctified and saved. It is not because of anything in them but because of a merciful, gracious, good and loving God.

As Charles Spurgeon said, “Grace… is the fountain and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of God's grace in us… Faith, which is coming to Christ, is the result of divine drawing. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs... Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men.”

Easy Victim Zones

What do the shootings at Virginia Tech, the sniper shootings in D.C. and Baltimore, the Amish and Columbine massacres, and all the public school shootings have in common? They all happened at gun-free zones. Law-breakers just love gun-free zones. They should be called “easy-victim zones.” In 2006 the Virginia spokesman Larry Hinkler said he was happy to hear of the bill’s defeat, according to the Roanoke Times. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus,” the Virginia Tech spokesman said. They might “feel” safe but they will not BE safe. I would feel a lot safer in a massacre situation if I had a gun. In the spring of 2005, a Virginia Tech student who had a concealed handgun permit was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class.

There would have been fewer murders had Virginia tech allowed students and faculty to arm themselves on campus which, unfortunately, was prohibited. As Dr. Patrick Johnston wrote, “Is it just me or does anybody else see the obvious connection between “gun-free zones” and murder? Harris and Klebold at Columbine High School… John Lee Malvo in Baltimore… Charles McCoy in Columbus, Ohio… United 93… Washington, D.C. – the city with the highest murder rate in the country and the strictest gun control laws. Hmmm… “Gun-free zones” and cold-blooded mass murder – any connection?” It appears that someone who is intending to murder is the only one who will ignore the “Gun-Free Zone” signs in front of schools. Gun control laws do not protect innocent people; they disarm innocent people. Law-breakers, apparently, break the law – how is a new law going to prevent them from carrying a gun when they’re breaking a law to use it in a crime in the first place? Again, just look at Washington D.C. – They have the highest murder rate in the country and the strictest gun control laws.

Gun-control laws cause more people to die. The best kind of gun control is to hold the gun steady and firmly as you aim it. Jesus said, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.” (Lk 22:36) Yes, that is the same Jesus that said, “…turn the other cheek.” The sword was the best offensive weapon available to an individual soldier - the equivalent then of a military rifle today. In the law of God it says, “If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.” (Ex 22:2-3) In other word, when someone breaks into your house at night (meaning you don’t know if he is a threat to your life) you are expected to use lethal force. At night, in the dark, you have no way of knowing if the intruder means to just rob you or to kill you. Jesus did not teach passivity. He is the same God who David wrote about when he said, “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle…” (Ps 144:1)

Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

God in our image...

When Moses was up on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments Aaron was gathering the gold jewelery from the people of Israel in order to make a golden calf. "And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” (Ex 32:4-5) What's interesting is that when he said "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord" the word Lord in the Hebrew is Yahweh. He was calling the golden calf Yahweh.

God makes us in His image and then we try and make God into our image. Man, in his rebellion, wants to make God into his own image. God form's us and then we, in idolatrous worship, form Him. Idolatry is so dangerous because once you create a god in your mind that you like and that you’re comfortable with, you will also create a moral standard to go along with him. What we do is create a god that likes the things we like and permits the things we want to do. A golden calf doesn't say, "Thou shall not commit adultery" or "Thou shall not bear false witness." So we create a god in our image and then create a moral code that we like.

One way to tell if someone is doing this form of idolatry is this... they will begin their sentence with “To me…” They will say stuff like, “To me God is like __________” (Fill in the blank with whatever you want.) Watch the following video clip from Way Of The Master ministry for an example of this:

Animated Music - This is pretty cool!

Resonant Chamber


Drum Machine

The First Prayer in Congress

The first Act of of the first Congress of the United States of America at Carpenters Hall Philadelphia was to pray and to order prayer to open all subsequent congresses. The Prayer was lead by Anglican Minister Dr. Jacob Duche. We should all pray this historic prayer together. The words are so applicable to today.

"Lord, our Heavenly Father, High and Mighty King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth; and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy we beseech Thee, on these American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor, and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring henceforth to be dependent only on Thee; to Thee, they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone canst give; take them therefore Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause; and if they persist in their sanguinary purpose, O, let the voice of Thy own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation, that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety prevail and flourish among Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Savior. Amen."

Bereans versus Modern Christians

In Acts 17:11 Luke compared the Bereans to the Thessalonians when he said they "were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." The Bereans were considered nobler for not just taking Paul and Silas' word for it. They actually studied the Scripture to find out if Paul and Silas were right or wrong. This is extremely important to understand because it is obviously commending the Bereans, in contrast to the Thessalonians, because while they listened to Paul and Silas with enthusiasm, they still checked what they were told for accuracy by comparing it with the scriptures. They did not just blindly accept what they were told. If anyone could of commanded blind submission to his teachings it was the apostle Paul. Paul could have rebuked the Bereans for not submitting to God’s appointed leader. Who did the Bereans think they were checking out the apostle Paul’s teaching? How could they interpret Scripture apart from Paul anyway? What arrogance! Why did they even bother going to Scripture when they had an apostle to listen to?

The noble Bereans used scripture as their only infallible standard for truth. The principle of Sola Scriptura is very firmly and clearly established in this text. Sola Scriptura is a Latin phrase meaning “by Scripture alone.” It proclaims the idea that only the Bible has the authority to bind the consciences of believers. “Protestants did recognize other forms of authority, such as church offices, civil magistrates, and church creeds and confessions. But they saw these authorities as being derived from and subordinate to the authority of God. None of these lesser authorities was deemed absolute, because all of them were capable of error. God alone is infallible. Fallible authorities cannot bind the conscience absolutely; that right is reserved to God and his Word alone.” (RC Sproul -Grace Unknown pg. 42)

In Revelation 2:2 the church of Ephesus is commended for being ones who had “tested” those who said they were apostles and were not, and “found them liars.” The Ephesians were applauded for “testing” (same word used for God testing Abraham in Hebrews 11:17) the apostles. How could the Ephesians have the audacity to test someone who appeared to have an apostolic anointing? Was it arrogance or was it wisdom? In many modern protestant churches you are sneered at and rebuked if you question the authority of the leadership. If you so much as question their counsel you are in rebellion to God. What a tragedy that the apostles wanted to be tested and some pastors condemn it. The bottom line is laid out in 2 Tim. 2:15 – “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” We have a duty to STUDY! Many Christians today use the phrase “my pastor says…” way more than they say, “the scripture says…” God is not looking for dumb sheep that blindly follow their leaders. He is looking for His sheep that diligently follow Him. We must show ourselves approved unto God. We must rightly divide the Word of Truth!

Butt Prints In The Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand,
or leave their butt prints in the sand."

author unknown

Katrina Going Cone Crazy

Here's my lovely little daughter Katrina being silly with some cones Levi got for his birthday. Isn't she cute?!

Postmodernism's Only Sin

"In postmodernism the intellect is replaced by will, reason by emotion, and morality by relativism. Reality is nothing more than a social construct; truth equals power. Your identity comes from a group. Postmodernism is characterized by fragmentation, indeterminacy, and a distrust of all universalizing (worldviews) and power structures (the establishment). It is a worldview that denies all worldviews ("stories"). In a nutshell, postmodernism says there are no universal truths valid for all people. Instead, individuals are locked into the limited perspective of their own race, gender or ethnic group. It is Nietzsche in full bloom.

Although postmodernists tend to reject traditional morality, they can still be very moralistic. They will defend their rights to do what they want with puritanical zeal. Furthermore, they seem to feel that they have a right not to be criticized for what they are doing. They want not only license but approval. Thus tolerance becomes the cardinal virtue. Under the postmodernist way of thinking, the principle of cultural diversity means that every like-minded group constitutes a culture that must be considered as good as any other culture. The postmodernist sins are being judgmental, being narrow-minded, thinking that you have the only truth, and trying to enforce your values on anyone else. Those who question the postmodernist dogma that "there are no absolutes" are excluded from the canons of tolerance. The only wrong idea is to believe in truth; the only sin is to believe in sin."

Gene Edward Veith, Jr Postmodern Times, pg. 195-196

Law is Inescapably Religious

"Law is in every culture is religious in origin. Because law governs man and society, because it establishes and declares the meaning of justice and righteousness, law is inescapably religious, in that it establishes in practical fashion the ultimate concerns of a culture. Accordingly, a fundamental and necessary premise in any and every study of law must be, first, a recognition of this religious nature of law.

Second, it must be recognized that in any culture the source of law is the god of that society. If law has its source in man's reason, then reason is the god of that society. If the source is an oligarchy, or in a court, senate, or ruler, then that source is the god of that system. Thus, in Greek culture law was essentially a religiously humanistic concept."
(Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law Vol. 1, p.4-5)

"New Truth"

"I cannot agree with those who say that they have 'new truth' to teach. The two words seem to me to contradict each other; that which is new is not true. It is the old that is true, for truth is as old as God himself" -- Charles Spurgeon

R.C. Sproul on the Holiness and Justice of God

Sproul on the Holiness and Justice of God Pt. 1



Sproul on the Holiness and Justice of God Pt. 2

Trust in God and do the right.

Courage, brother! do not stumble,
Though thy path is dark as night;
There's a star to guide the humble--
Trust in God and do the right.

Let the road be long and dreary,
And its ending out of sight;
Foot it bravely--strong or weary,
Trust in God and do the right.

Perish "policy" and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light;
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do the right.

Trust no party, trust no faction,
Trust no leaders in the fight;
But in every word and action
Trust in God and do the right.

Trust no forms of guilty passion,
Fiends can look like angels bright;
Trust no custom, school, or fashion,
Trust in God and do the right.

Some will hate thee, some will love thee,
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Turn from man, and look above thee,
Trust in God and do the right.

Simple rule and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward light;
Star upon our path abiding,
TRUST IN GOD AND DO THE RIGHT.

by Norman Macleod, 1857

Don't Worry!

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt 6:34) We are commanded by Christ to not worry about tomorrow. Most people don't realize that if they are worried about something they are sinning. Notice that He doesn’t say we would not have any trouble; He just said to not worry about tomorrow’s trouble because today has enough to deal with all by itself. God never promises to keep us out of trouble, only to bring us through it. He does not always keep us out of the fire but He is always with us in the fire. As Job said, “…he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Many people spend so much time dwelling on what might happen tomorrow and regretting what happened yesterday that they miss out on what God has for them today. If we bring yesterday's problems and tomorrow's problems into today we will be so burdened down with stress and anxiety that we will not be able to function properly in the present. As the saying goes, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift – that’s why we call it the present.” We have enough problems to deal with in one day than to deal with past “what was” and the future “what if’s”. Get out of the “what if” and the “what was” and trust in the “I AM.” "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Ps 46:1) Don't stress out, don't freak out and don't wig out; trust in the Sovereign God.

Daniel In The Kings Den Pt. 2

The next thing Babylon does enslave God’s people is to take the youth out of the home and put them in government schools. “Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.” (Dan 1:3-4) Nebuchadnezzar understood that a big part of enslaving a people is to train (or brainwash) their children.

The Babylonians destroyed the family unit by removing the children and putting them right into the government schools… (Sound familiar?) This is what happened to Daniel. He (and his friends) had been taken from his family and heritage and thrown right into CSU - Chaldean State University (I hear they had a great football team). Babylonians of Daniels time, and our time, understood the extreme importance of education. The Babylonians understood the truth of the proverb: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6) The only difference is that they change the phrase “the way he should go” to “the way we say he should go.”

Look at verse 5 of Daniel 1, “…They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.” Notice, for 3 years they would be absorbed in Babylonian knowledge, culture, history, language, and religion. At the end of that time they would enter the king’s service and be assured of high-level government positions. State schools lead to state slavery.... (More to come)

Daniel In The Kings Den Pt. 1

I want to give a short summary of the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel is extremely practical and applicable to us today Chapters 1-6 deal with Daniel the Saint - his life (practical). Chapters 7-12 deal with Daniel the Prophet - (similar to Revelation) There are so many similarities to Daniel's situation and ours in America. Daniel was part of a very small remnant in the middle of a pagan culture. From the time he was a teenager until he died around the age of 90, he served under pagan kings (he worked for the government). We always hear about "Daniel in the Lion's Den" but I want to quickly look at "Daniel in the Kings Den."

Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon in the summer of 605 BC. I want to look at 2 things: 1st – the way Babylon tactically tries to mentally enslave and pollute its captives. 2^nd, the way Daniel dealt with Babylon's tactics while remaining in Babylon.

The first thing Babylon does to seduce, corrupt and enslave God's People is attack the religion. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” (Dan 1:1-2) The first thing Nebuchadnezzar did to enslave a people was to attack their religion. Maybe he knew that where “the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." (2 Cor 3:17) Where the Spirit of the Lord is NOT, there is slavery. As Horace Greeley said, "It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."

The Babylonians understood… If you can take away their temple you can take their territory… If you can take away their religion you can take their rights… If you can take away their worship you can take their wealth… If you can take away their spirit you can take their strength… If you can take away their God you can take their government… (more to come)

Scarred Hands

This is a great illustration giving us a picture of Christ and how His scarred hands were the reason He could adopt us back into the family.

"William Dixon lived in England. He was a widower who had also lost his only son. One day he saw that the house of one of his neighbors was on fire. Although the aged owner was rescued, her orphaned grandson was trapped in the blaze. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety. His hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned.

Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died. The townspeople wondered who would care for the boy. Two volunteers appeared before the town council. One was a father who had lost his son and would like to adopt the orphan as his own. William Dixon was to speak next, but instead of saying anything he merely held up his scarred hand. When the vote was taken, the boy was given to him." —Neil Strait

Work to be done!

Here's a few good quotes reminding us of our need to stay busy. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Matt 9:37)

John Henry Newman: "Fear not that your life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning."

Will Rogers: “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”

Martin Luther, when once asked what his plans, for the following day were, answered: “Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

God Hates Some People

Many people have never heard this idea that the God of the Bible actually hates some people. It is, though, a biblical truth.

Psalm 5:5-6 says, "The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost HATE all who do iniquity. Thou dost destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit."

Psalm 11:5 says, "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul HATES."

Rom 9:11-13 "though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I HATED.”

Even the psalmist expresses this attitude when he writes, "Do I not HATE those who hate Thee, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against Thee? I hate them with the utmost HATRED; they have become my enemies" (Ps. 139:21-22).

So much for "hate the sin, love the sinner" in all situations. There is such a thing as a holy hatred. It is, though, a hate born out of love. If I love my kids I will hate that which is destroying them.