Biblical Christianity: Why ALL Religions Don't Equate

There are many "religions" who claim to be Christian; Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics, and even some equate Islam to Christianity.  Why?  The main rationale is "Well, we all worship basically the same God."  But do we?  Furthermore, do we worship the same way?  Let's look at this issue a bit closer today.  Keep in mind that I have good friends who come from these religions I have mentioned, so I am simply going to show why Biblical Christianity is the truth and the ONLY way to Heaven and God.  I will not get ino name calling, etc. just dispelling some light on what seems to be a foggy subject.The Christian Bible is an accurate portrayal of what happened to real people in real places, carrying out real events, in history. But why is history so important in Christianity? Why is it so important that the facts in the Bible really happened? The answer is, that is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions and their sacred books. The other religions are based on rituals, superstitions, philosophical principles, the teachings of men who never claimed to know the truth, myths and legends. By contrast, Christianity is based on real historical events involving real people. It is not how much faith we have in something that is important but the integrity of the object we are placing our faith on.  
"Sola Scriptura" means Scripture alone.  Christians believe the Bible is the only authority to guide the believer in his faith and life.  Roman Catholics rely more on the Catechism and the traditions of the Church, placing it on equal to greater authority to the Bible. 
Jehovah's Witnesses came to be in 1872 by their founder, Charles aze Russell.  Russell claimed that the Bible could be only understood according to his interpretation. Jehovah's Witnesses (JW'S) rely on the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tact Society to guide them.  In addition, the JW's use the New World Translation of the Bible.  Because they do not believe in the trinity, all wording regarding Father, Son, and Holy Spiritis changed.     In fact, The Jehovah's Witnesses vehemently portray the doctrine of the Trinity as pagan in origin and that Christendom, as a whole, has bought the lie of the devil. Along with denying the Trinity is an equally strong denial of the deity of Christ, the deity of the Holy Spirit, the belief in hell, and eternal conscious punishment in hell.  The JW's say God has no son, as Jesus and Michael (the arch angel) are the sme.  "Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man," (The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284.)  Further beliefs regarding Jesus, "Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh," (Reasoning from the Scriptures,).   "Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake,"  (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 89-90. 1985, p. 306.) 
Other teachings of JW's include, "Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God," (The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197.)  "They claim to be the only channel of God's truth," (The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19.)   "Only their church members will be saved," (The Watchtower, Feb, 15, 1979, p. 30.)  "Good works are necessary for salvation," (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150, 152.)   "The soul ceases to exist after death," (Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.)  "There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished,"  (Let God be True, p. 79, 80.)   "Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witness go to heaven," (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121.)  "Only the 144,000 Jehovah's Witness are born again." (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681.
"Only the 144,000 may take communion."  "The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used", (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 90-92.)

Mormons
How it began...
Joseph Smith Jr. stated that he was disturbed by all the different denominations of Christianity and wondered which was true. In 1820, when he was 14, he went into the woods to pray concerning this and allegedly God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and told him not to join any of the denominational churches.

Three years later, on Sept. 21, 1823, when he was 17 years old, an angel called Moroni, who was supposed to be the son of Mormon, the leader of the people called the Nephites who had lived in the Americas, appeared to him and told him that he had been chosen to translate the book of Mormon which was compiled by Moroni's father around the 4th century. The book was written on golden plates hidden near where Joseph was then living in Palmyra, New York. Joseph Smith said that on Sept. 22, 1827 he received the plates and the angel Moroni instructed him to begin the translation process. The translation was finally published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon. Joseph claimed that during this translation process, John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him to accomplish the divine work of restoring the true church by preaching the true gospel which, allegedly, had been lost from the earth.
 The Book of Mormon is supposed to be the account of people who came from the Middle-East to the Americas. It covers the period of about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. It tells of the Jaredites, people from the Tower of Babel who came to central America but perished because of their own immorality. It also describes some Jews who fled persecution in Jerusalem and came to America led by a man called Nephi. The Jews divided into two groups known as the Nephites and Lamanites who fought each other. The Nephites were defeated in 428 A.D. The Lamanites continued and are known as the American Indians. The Book of Mormon is the account of the Nephite leader, Mormon, concerning their culture, civilization, and appearance of Jesus to the Americas.
After the publication of the Book of Mormon, Mormonism began to grow.
According to Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible (History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 461).
Do Mormons (or LDS) believe in thetrinity?  No.  The beliefs are pretty straightforward, here is what LDS' believe, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormons, teaches that God the father used to be a man on another planet, that he became a God by following the laws and ordinances of that God on that planet and came to this world with his wife (she became a goddess), and that they produce a spirit offspring in heaven. These spirit offspring, which includes Jesus, the devil, and you and me, are all brothers and sisters born in the preexistence. The preexistence spirits come down and inhabit babies at the time of birth and their memories of the preexistence are lost at the time. Furthermore, faithful Mormons, who pay a full 10% tithe of their income to the Mormon church through Mormon temples, have the potential of becoming gods of their own planets and are then able to start the procedure over again."
Also, "One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation," (Miracle of Forgiveness, by Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206).  "A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
"Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions)," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247). "Good works are necessary for salvation" (Articles of Faith, p. 92).  "There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God". (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188).

Roman Catholicism
I don't need to spend a lot of time here, as I blogged on this already.  Here is a little on RC's.   As far as Sola Scriptura, RC's believe "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God . . ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 97.) 
In a nutshell, [according to Slick, M.] "Being a Christian does not mean being a member of the Roman Catholic Church. It means being a member of the body of Christ which is accomplished by faith and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. It means that you do not add your works to His work. Sincerity doesn't forgive sins. Membership in a church doesn't forgive sins. Doing works of penance doesn't forgive sins. Praying to Mary doesn't forgive sins. Forgiveness is received in the faithful trust and acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. You must trust Jesus, God in flesh, for the forgiveness of sins, not a man made ritual and certainly not the catholic saints. Even though Roman Catholic Church affirms the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and His physical resurrection, it greatly errors in its doctrine of salvation by adding works to salvation.". The RC's also do away with the second commandment so as t allow for the worship of saints, Mary, the Pope, statues, etc. (thus they split the tenth into two separate commandments, allowing for ten).

Islam

Began in 610 ad, when Mohammad heard fom the angel Gabriel, sent by allah, ina cave.  Muslims do not believe in the trinity, rather the quran states, "There is only one God" (5:73; 112:1-4). "God is called Allah by Muslims" (5:73).   Salvation is ONLY for muslims, "Allah will judge all people on the day of judgment". (3:30; 35:33-37; 99:6-8). "If your good deeds exceed your bad deeds, and you believe in Allah, and sincerely repent of sins, you may go to heaven (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9).

"There is an eternal hell for those who are not Muslims, not practicing Islam, and not of the truth faith" (3:77).  "Jesus was a great prophet but not the son of God (9:30), is not divine (5:17, 75), was not crucified" (4:157).
As far as Sola Scriptura, muslims believe the Qur'an (Koran, Quran) is the Holy Book of Islam and the religion's most sacred writing. Muslims consider it the actual word of Allah and not the word of Muhammad to whom it was given. Muslim tradition states that the angel Gabriel visited Muhammad and gave him the words directly from Allah. These words were Allah's words of wisdom, truth, and commandments to His creation. The Qur'an (which means recitation) was revealed in the Arabic dialect used by the Quraish tribe of Mecca of that time. This dialect became the formal Arabic of the Islamic nations due to the distribution of Qur'anic scriptures throughout the Islamic empire. In the Arabic the Qur'an is poetic in style with rhymes, meter, and shifts in line lengths. Those who speak the language say it is a beautiful work.  
For more in depth study on the Moon Cult of Islam, see CARM http://carm.org/religious-movements/islam/what-islam

Jesus is very clear on His being God's Son, a member of the trinity, and the ONLY means by which one is saved and going to have access to Heaven (read John 3, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9-10, 13....)  Biblical Christianity holds that salvation is accessible by ALL people, equally, through belief in Jesus Christ and study of and obedience to the Scriptures.  It is not by works, lest any man should boast.  Christ paid our debt on the cross, that was the final work of atonement.  We, as God's creation, need only believe on Him, be baptized and walk in faith!  It is not always easy, we will face trials and troubles in this life, but by faith that we are saved, God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit (which is received and indwells the new believer once one accepts Christ as Saviour).   The greatest differences among all the others from Biblical Christianity is we believe, read, and accep the Bible only as our source for truth, guidance, instruction, and knowledge of God.  

In closing, no, not all religions are simiar, equal, or ending one in Heaven.  It is important to understand ths, as if you are seeking eternal life in Heaven Biblical Christianity is the one you want to study.  Jesus, the Son of God, is THE way, THE truth, and THE life, no man comes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6).  No other religion believes or teaches this, though many claim to know of Jesus.  No matter wh you are, where you're from, what religion you belong to, or what you have done in your past, Jesus is available to you right now.  Ask Him to forgive you of your sins (this is called repentance, cts 2:38) you will receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit!  Ask Him to guide you the rest of your life, and help to lead you in righteousness.  Get a Bible and get to a church or fellowship with believers.  I can help you get a Bible and am available anytime to help you grow in your walk. 

God Bless You,
Pastor Aaron
(315)520-3152
reverendamathews@yahoo.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/His-Truth-Ministries/185597828134449?ref=ts 

Israel or Palestine....?

There is a great deal of hatred toward the nation of Israel and the apple of God's own eye - the Jews.   There are a couple of very wrong and dangerous views toward the nation and her people; first, you have replacement theology and, second, the Palestinians have the right to even a square inch of land in Israel.  Replacement theology is a belief held by some that the New Testament church has replaced Israel, and all Old Testament covenants between  God and His people no longer apply to them, but to the New Testament church.

I need to begin clearly boldly and standing firmly on the Word of God.  There is neither a Palestine in Scripture, nor do the people have any right to the land of Israel- Not today, Not ever.  "Palestine" means in the Hebrew, "Land of the Phillistines".  If you have read Scripture, you will note the Phillistines are both the enemies of Israelites/Canaanites and they are Arabs. The only reference that could even be viewed is in regard to the Phillistines, who lingered in the Southern tip of Israel.  So, then, how did Palestine come to be?  

First, it is important to start at Genesis - THE VERY BEGINNING!  According to the Book of Genesis, the land was promised by God to the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac, and to the Israelites, descendants of Jacob.  God handed the patriarchs and their seed the title deed to the land of Israel.  Also worthy to note, Israel was also known as Canaan.  We read in Genesis 15:6-11,"⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.⁶ And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.⁷ And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. ⁸ And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹ And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰ And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
 ¹¹ And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away."  

Let's look at the Biblical borders of the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I will quote the Bible to minimize error or bias, ok?   Genesis 15:18 says, "¹⁸ In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."    Exodus 23:31-32, "³¹ And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee." ("The River" is the Euphrates.)   In Numbers 34:1-  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ² Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) ³ Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: ⁴ And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: ⁵ And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. ⁶ And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.
 ⁷ And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: ⁸ From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: ⁹ And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.¹⁰ And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham: ¹¹ And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the order shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: ¹² And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. ¹³ And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:"  Duteronomy 1, "
⁶ The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:⁷ Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.  ⁸ Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them."

While Israel was dormant for about 2,000 years after the Babylonian captivity, it rebirthed as a nation May 1948.  There was another struggle, the Arab-Israeli or 6 day war, which occurred from June 5-10, 1967.  It was fought between Egypt, Jordan, Syria (known at the time as the United Arab Republic), and Israel. This resulted in Israel  becoming under it's own leadership and governance.

Palestine was never even a nation, so how did it become so prevalent in the news today?
     "Many authorities have addressed the misconceptions surrounding the word Palestine. The name derived from "other migrants from the northwest, the Philistines. Though the latest arrivals, and though they only exercised control over the whole country for a few uncertain decades, they had been the cause of its name of Palestine. These Philistines were an Aegean people, driven out of Greece and Aegean islands around about 1300 B.C.E. They moved southward along the Asiatic coast and in about 1200 attempted to invade Egypt. Turned back, they settled in the maritime plain of southern 'Palestine', where they founded a series of city-states."
     "In other words, it appears that Palestine never was an independent nation and the Arabs never named the land to which they now claim rights. Most Arabs do not admit so candidly that "Palestinian identity" is a maneuver "only for political reasons" as did Zuheir Muhsin. But the Arab world, until recently, itself frequently negated the validity of any claim of an "age-old Palestinian Arab" identity." (The Palestine Myth)
     "The PLO was formed in Egypt, supported by the Arab League as an umbrella organization for anti-Israel militant groups. In 1968, Arafat’s Fatah joined the PLO and eventually dominated it. Over the decades, the PLO carried out thousands of attacks against Israelis and others around the world, including the first airplane hijackings." (The Israel E-Book)

The name "Palestine" is summed up to be a slap in the face of Israel.  It was so named by Roman emperor Hadrian, in 135 ad,  to incite rage in the Israeli people.  Palestinians, One of the first Christian uses of the term Palestine is found in the works of the Church historian Eusebius, who lived in Caesarea. He wrote around 300 A.D., as the Roman persecution of Christians was ending and the Emperor Constantine began to accept Christianity as legal. Eusebius did not accept Hadrian’s designation of Jerusalem as Aelia Capitalina, but he did use Hadrian’s term Palestine. Eusebius considered himself to be one of the bishops of Palestine. Thus, the anti-Israel, anti-Christian name of Palestine was assimilated into the Church’s vocabulary as the Byzantine Empire was being established.Arabs in the area coined "Palestine" are nothing more than squatters, and the worldfront, through bogus "peace treaties" are giving the squatters more and more rights.  These squatters are violent, calculating, and refuse to stop invading Israel's borders until they take the land over.  Today, the leader of Egypt plans to take Jerusalem as it's capital.  The divying up of Israel has got to stop.  The Lord Jesus Christ is not coming to rule and reign from Palestine, but Jerusalem.  The use of the term "Palestine" today is merely for propoganda tactics by the liberal media. 

The Bible tells us "Whoever blesses Israel shall be blessed and whooever curses Israel shall be cursed." (Genesis 12:3).

I could write a book on this!  If you are interested in this topic, contact me anytime and we can discuss it more....

God Bless,
Pastor Aaron
reverendamathews@yahoo.com

A Suitable Mate

What does it mean to have a "righteous relationship"?   The Bible discusses every aspect of the human, emotional, and interactive experience. God also made sure to let men and woman know exactly what He views as right and wrong. 

What is the proper relationship we are to have with others?  What is a "suitable mate"?  

Genesis records in the second chapter,
     "²⁴ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

See, the three verses prior further describe the nature of the relationship between the husband and wife, namely as a couple,
     "²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²² And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  ²³ And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

Before I progress on the topic at hand, look for a moment at verses 21 and 22 with me.  Did you ever stop to think why God chose to use a "rib"?  Might I suggest a theory?  I have held for years that He chose the rib out of consideration of equality.  Not to say a liberal ideology of equality, but that ALL men are created equal.  If He chose a bone from Adam's head, it might imply that he was above the woman - a dominant position.  If God placed in the woman a bone from man's foot, it might place Adam at the subordinate level to woman.  Recall, we are to submit to each other, husbands to wives and vice versa.  

Coming back to our discussion, Jesus reiterates to the Pharisees in the nineteenth chapter of Matthew, 
     "³ The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? ⁴ And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,⁵ And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? ⁶ Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 

So, then what is not considered a suitable mate or relationship? 
    
1 Corinthians 6:9,18-20,
     "⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,¹⁸ Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. ¹⁹ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

Leviticus 18:22,
     "²² Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

Leviticus 20:13,
     "¹³ If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Romans 1:24-32,
     "²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Romans 8 further states,
     "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of ighteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ¹⁵ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

Fornication, Adultery, Sexual Immortality

Adultery

Illicit intimate sex between one man and one woman whereby the offender (the Adulterer) is currently Married.

Fornication

Illicit intimate sex between one man and one woman whereby the offender (the Fornicator) is currently NOT married.

Sexual Immorality
 Sexual immorality is rampant in our culture as morality is being loosely defined (and redefined), encouraging many to engage in sinful behavior. This makes a clear definition difficult to pinpoint.  This, thanks to the liberal agenda, now includes pornography, homosexuality, bisexuality, group sex, sexting, bestiality, the list is endless.  

Today, there are stories in my local news where older men were pleasuring themselves in a public space at a ritzy golf club.  Another series of stories over the past 24 months have innumerable accounts of kids, as young as 8, having sexual relations in the classroom while peers watch.  It's not right, nor is it permitted by God. 

There is hope for people who engage in homosexuality, adultery, fornication, sexual immorality, or any other perversion.  As with any sin, one needs to repent.  This is to stop the sin, turn away, and seek God's forgiveness.  We need to be honest about all of our thoughts, feelings, and actions before a Holy and Just God. 

Because immoral society or the liberal agenda defines something as "ok" or"normal" doesn't mean it is.  We need to look to the Bible for all of life's issues, it is our moral compass, our owner's manual. 

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


God Bless,
Pastor Aaron Mathews

Abortion - Speak For The Unspeakable

There has been a great deal of debate over the years as to whether abortion is wrong, immoral, criminal, or a viable solution to the "problem" of pregnancy.   While the material covered in this blog is detailed and quite disturbing, I wanted to bring it to my readers, as I see a great deal of poor legislation being passed and upheld in the news everyday.  These truly are perilous times we currently live in.  Read on, see what public information I have gathered, then decide for yourselves, "Will I Speak Out For Those Who Cannot Yet Speak?"


Types of Abortion Procedures

SUCTION
This is the most common method of abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. General or local anaesthesia is given to the mother and her cervix is quickly dilated. A suction curette (hollow tube with a knife-edged tip) is inserted into the womb. This instrument is then connected to a vacuum machine by a transparent tube. The vacuum suction, 29 times more powerful than a household vacuum cleaner, tears the fetus and placenta into small pieces which are sucked through the tube into a bottle and discarded.
       Note:  There is one more step that creates a new category of the suction procedure,
                  it is then called the DILATION and CURETTAGE, which adds  This  
                  method is similar to the suction method with the added insertion of a hook
                  shaped knife (curette) which cuts the baby into pieces. The pieces are 
                  scraped out through the cervix and discarded

DILATION AND EVACUATION
This method is used up to 18 weeks' gestation. Instead of the loop-shaped knife used in D&C abortions, a pair of forceps is inserted into the womb to grasp part of the fetus. The teeth of the forceps twist and tear the bones of the unborn child. This process is repeated until the fetus is totally dismembered and removed. Usually the spine must be snapped and the skull crushed in order to remove them.

SALT POISONING (aka SALINE INJECTION)
Used after 16 weeks (four months) when enough fluid has accumulated. A long needle injects a strong salt solution through the mother's abdomen into the baby's sac. The baby swallows this fluid and is poisoned by it. It also acts as a corrosive, burning off the outer layer of skin. It normally takes somewhat over an hour for the baby to die from this. Within 24 hours, labor will usually set in and the mother will give birth to a dead or dying baby. (There have been many cases of these babies being born alive. They are usually left unattended to die. However, a few have survived and later been adopted.)

PROSTAGLANDIN CHEMICAL ABORTION
This form of abortion uses chemicals developed by the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Co. which cause the uterus to contract intensely, pushing out the developing baby. The contractions are more violent than normal, natural contractions, so the unborn baby is frequently killed by them -- some have even been decapitated. Many, however, have also been born alive.

HYSTEROTOMY (CAESAREAN SECTION)
Used mainly in the last three months of pregnancy, the womb is entered by surgery through the wall of the abdomen. The technique is similar to a Caesarean delivery, except that the umbilical cord is usually cut while the baby is still in the womb, thus cutting off his oxygen supply and causing him to suffocate. Sometimes the baby is removed alive and simply left in a corner to die of neglect or exposure.

PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION
This involves five steps. 

1. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's legs with forceps.
2. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
3. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
4. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull.
5. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

God DOES NOT APPROVE of this!  The Bible is very clear about this.  God is a LIVING God, the giver of life.  He knows each one of us before we were in our mother's womb! 

Job 31 says,
   "¹⁴ What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? ¹⁵ Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?"

Psalm 139,
    "¹³ For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
    ¹⁴ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy  
    works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

A FEW STATISTICS (2012)

On average, women give at least 3 reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner (AGI).
Only 12% of women included a physical problem with their health among reasons for having an abortion (NAF).
One per cent (of aborting women) reported that they were the survivors of rape (NAF).In 2008, approximately 1.21 million abortions took place in the U.S., down from an estimated 1.29 million in 2002, 1.31 million in 2000 and 1.36 million in 1996. From 1973 through 2008, nearly 50 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. (AGI).
In 2008, the highest number of reported abortions occurred in New York (124,867), NYC (89,469), Florida (86,817) and Texas (81,366); the fewest occurred in Wyoming (≤4), South Dakota (848), North Dakota (1,386), and Idaho (1,481) (CDC).
The 2008 abortion ratios by state ranged from a low of 59 abortions per 1,000 live births in Idaho (Wyoming had too few abortions for reliable tabulation) to a high of 732 abortions per 1,000 live births in NYC (CDC).
The annual number of legal induced abortions in the United States doubled between 1973 and 1979, and peaked in 1990. There was a slow but steady decline through the 1990's. Overall, the number of annual abortions decreased by 3.7% between 2000 and 2008, with temporary spikes in 2002 and 2006 (CDC).
The US abortion rate is similar to those of Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden but higher than those of other Western European countries (NAF).
In 1998, the last year for which estimates were made, more than 23% of legal induced abortions were performed in California (CDC).
In 2005, the abortion rate in the United States was higher than recent rates reported for Canada and Western European countries and lower than rates reported for China, Cuba, the majority of Eastern European countries, and certain Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (CDC).
Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended; about 4 in 10 of these are terminated by abortion. Twenty-two percent of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion. (AGI).
In 2008, 84.3% of all abortions were performed on unmarried women (CDC).
Women living with a partner to whom they are not married account for 25% of abortions but only about 10% of women in the population (NAF).
Women between the ages of 20-24 obtained 33% of all abortions in 2008; women between 25-29 obtained 24% (CDC).
In 2008, women aged 20-29 years had the highest abortion rates (29.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 20-24 years and 21.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 25-29 years) (CDC).
50% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all U.S. abortions and teenagers obtain 17% (AGI).
In 2008, adolescents under 15 years obtained .05% of all abortions, but had the highest abortion ratio, 821 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC).
47% of women who have abortions had at least one previous abortion (AGI).
Black women are more than 4.8 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.7 times as likely (AGI).
The abortion rate of non-metropolitan women is about half that of women who live in metropolitan counties (NAF).
The abortion rate of women with Medicaid coverage is three times as high as that of other women (NAF).
37% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 28% identify themselves as Catholic (AGI).
At current rates, nearly one-third of American women will have an abortion (AGI).
The number of abortion providers declined by 11% between 1996 and 2000 (from 2,042 to 1,819). It declined another 2% between 2000 and 2005 (from 1,819 to 1,787) It has remained stable between 2005 and 2008 (1,787 to 1,793). (AGI).
Forty-two percent of providers offer very early abortions (during the first four weeks’ gestation) and 95% offer abortion at eight weeks. Sixty-four percent of providers offer at least some second-trimester abortion services (13 weeks or later), and 20% offer abortion after 20 weeks. Eleven percent of all abortion providers offer abortions past 24 weeks (AGI).
Most abortions in the USA are provided in freestanding clinics; in 2005, only 5% occurred in hospitals, down from 22% in 1980, and only 2% took place in physician's offices (NAF).
In 2008, 84.6% of abortions were performed by curettage (which includes dilatation and evacuation). Most curettage abortions are suction procedures (CDC).
Medical abortions made up approximately 14.6% of all abortions reported (CDC).
Ninety-six per cent of the more than 140,000 second-trimester abortions performed annually in the USA are accomplished by the technique of dilation and evacuation (D&E) (NAF).
In 2005, 57% of abortion providers, or 1,026 facilities, provided one or more types of medical abortions, a 70% increase from the first half of 2001. At least 10% of nonhospital abortion providers offer only medication abortion services (AGI).
In 2005, an estimated 161,100 early medication abortions were performed in nonhospital facilities (AGI).
Medication abortion accounted for 17% of all abortions in 2008 (AGI).40% of minors having an abortion report that neither of their parents knew about the abortion (AGI).
The U.S. Congress has barred the use of federal Medicaid funds to pay for abortions, except when the woman's life would be endangered by a full-term pregnancy or in cases of rape or incest (AGI).
17 states (AK, AZ, CA, CT, HI, IL, MA, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) do use public funds to pay for abortions for some poor women. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds (virtually all from the state) (AGI).  
    Stats from the CDC, Guttmacher Institute (AGI), Planned Parenthood

So, What Do We, As God's People Do?

Proverbs 31 says, in verse 8, we are to speak out for those who are not able to speak for themselves.  I would say this is certainly the case for the not yet born, wouldn't you agree?  As believers, we need to be bold and stand against that which God opposes and be strong in taking a stand for what He loves and approves of.  He is our Holy God, and we are to be His hands, eyes, ears, and mouthpieces until He calls each of us home.  I encourage you to take a stand against the murdering of innocents.  Speak out for those who are not able to do so themselves...

Thank you, and may God Bless you all...
Pastor Aaron  

KJV Verses from  http://www.biblegateway.com/