"For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is God's powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile. " Romans 1:16CJB

Mardi Gras-Just Harmless Fun?

21 February 2012 By Leave a Comment

This comes via the website http://www.exposingsatanism.org and is from a tract by  Last Call Ministries in Shreveport, LA. They may be contacted at P.O. Box 4203, Shreveport, La 71134

Mardi Gras! The word conjures up all sorts of images in the mind. We think of parades, floats, masquerades, balls, beads, doubloons, parties, king cake and revelry. New Orleans Promises it as “the greatest free show on earth”, and it is considered by most to be a time of good wholesome fun.  

Pre- Christian Origin

Spring time pagan celebrations are the roots of the modern day Mardi Gras. Ancient Greek and Roman festivals involved sacrifice, drunkenness, lewdness, immoral sex and revelry. In the parade of the pagans, false gods are worshiped by exalting an image above the assembly. Pagan priests accompanied by the idol, shower the crowds with spring flowers, herbs, grain and coins. Both good fortunes, spells, and curses were shouted, including the calls to the idol god to grant favor and blessings.

On example of the gods is Pan. He is represented by a half animal, half man incarnation. He represents wanton lust and crudeness. In The Roman celebration “lupercalia” a fertility festival, the worship of Lupercus involved cross dressing and masquerading to promote sexual orgies.  Today the celebration of Centaur exalts the same spirit of revelry and wanton abandonment, drunkenness, homosexuality, nudity and brawling all still exist today.

What was once deplored by the church is now accepted. A blend of pagan rites , animism and church religion exist today.  In an attempt to convert the masses the church, the Catholic church, fixed the celebrated resurrection of Jesus (Easter) around the astrological event that “spring rites” celebrate. (the full moon of the spring equinox).  The fixing of Easter allows the unscriptural religious celebration of Lent and ash Wednesday to follow Mardi Gras.  Instead of resisting the ways of the pagans, The “church”  absorbed many of these festivals in hopes that it would convert the pagans. What we have today is a churchy world and a worldly church!!!  In French, Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. This is  a day to gorge and over indulge oneself before the seasonal religious practice of fasting, abstinence and denial. It is not surprising that the symbol for Mardi Gras is the “Bouef Gras”…… The fatten bull

Idolatry

The bull is the old testament symbol of Baal. 1st Kings 12:28 —- 19:18  Exodus 32.   Baal the bull is symbolic of strength and fertility. God condemns the production and worship of idols. Yet many in the church do just that, worship idols.  Exodus 23:13  ” And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.” Steeped in Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman fertility rites. Half of the parades celebrate and honor false gods. The rest promote sex and drunkenness.

Exodus 34:13-17   But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
Can we claim his lordship and still be involved in this demonized activity?  It is the same spirit that has contended against God for the souls of man since we were created. That same spirit,Satan, works to turn man away from Holy God, and towards these false gods. 

1st Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.                           

John I 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Scriptures that deal with these false gods:

Dianna  Acts 19:24-29  Hermes and Zeus  Acts 14:12  Aphrodite, Venus, Istar Judges 2:13 & 10:6

It is hypocritical to instruct Christ centered living to include pagan rituals. Christians who participate in Mardi Gras, fellowship with unbelievers and promote Godlessness, blessing every evil that opposes the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!  Humanism and universalism have a big time when Mardi Gras comes to town. 

Corinthians II 6:16-18  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

Christians should have nothing to do with evil 


Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate

John I 2:15-16  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

Ephesians 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 

Filed Under: Culture, Current Events, Mardi Gras, Paganism, The Expositor

Religion of Celebrities

29 November 2011 By Leave a Comment

Read Celebrity Religions from UPI.com

You may find this photo article interesting. So many in our society practically worship celebrities and I find it not only sad but ridiculous. In these photos and captions you will learn of the religious affiliations, or lack thereof, of 45 popular actors, musicians and media personalities. As I viewed the article I was reminded of the hypocrisy of many of these celebs, in that even those who claim to be devout in what they believe, they still find it okay to take on lewd or disturbing roles and assignments. Does it bother you when someone claims to be, say a Baptist, but commits to a movie role that involves profane language, extreme violence or graphic sex, or in some cases, a Muslim actor portraying a Christian or Jewish character?

You may also find it interesting how many of these 45 people belong to cults or are atheists; of the 45 examples, 8 of the people listed affiliate themselves with orthodox Christianity. The remaining 37 are a combination of various cults or false religions.

These are the people that many people, especially many young people, look at as role models, or, idols.

Filed Under: Celebrity, Cults, Culture, False Religions, Photos, Religion, The Expositor

Outrageous, yes. Lost, probably.

21 November 2011 By Leave a Comment

The outlandish, outrageous and shameful behavior of grown women, and young girls too, in their obsession with the Twilight movies and books…Repent and cry to the Lord for mercy…

Filed Under: Culture, Current Events, Films/Video, Mark Driscoll, Occultism, The Expositor

How to Confront the Culture

20 August 2010 By Leave a Comment

Editors note:In light of the 2 posts highlighting the easy-believism of Perry Noble and others this week, I thought it would be good to offer this scripturally accuarte teaching on confronting the culture.

by John MacArthur, Grace to You

Confronting the CultureAs a pastor in Southern California, I have the blessed privilege of mining the truth from God’s Word every week of my life. Doing that in Los Angeles only makes it more interesting, if for no other reason than the tremendous diversity of people, culture, and language here. When we take the gospel to our city, it’s amazing to watch God’s Word transcend the culture–and every false religion–to change lives. The message of salvation in Christ truly knows no hindrance.

If you think evangelism is a somewhat arduous task in that environment, you’re right. We face a culture that has rejected absolute truth and now considers it stylish to openly embrace and encourage degrading passions. The ecumenical, syncretistic spirit of the age recoils in horror at the exclusive claims of Christ. And popular, evangelical seeker-sensitive churches only make the task more difficult by refusing to confront sin in an effort to make the “unchurched” sinner comfortable.

Preaching today is clearly out of season (2 Tim. 4:2) and evangelism is difficult, but that’s nothing new. Paul faced worse challenges in his day. He faced an increasingly anti-Christian culture–there was no spirit of tolerance to shield believers from hostility. Still, he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ-a hard, uncompromising message of repentance. That is best illustrated in Acts 17:16-34 where Paul faced one of the most intellectually erudite and morally corrupt audiences ever–the philosophers on Mars Hill. [Read more...]

Filed Under: American Christianity, Culture, Evangelism, John MacArthur, The Expositor Tagged With: , , , , ,

Only in America

12 August 2010 By Leave a Comment

 

….could we witness a government and leadership so spineless, so lacking in decency and courage, that they would send and pay for the trip of a clergy of the satanic religion of Islam, that murdered over 3000 Americans, to a foreign land to  “discuss Muslim life in America and promote religious tolerance”….only in America! My 2 cents….I don’t give a rats tail if Muslim countries like us or not….and Muslims are as free as anyone in American to worship as they please and should have that freedom, in spite of the fact that Muslim countries around the world deny Christians the same freedoms. But…we shouldn’t be wimping out to their demonic system just because we are scared they may not like us or call us names. This is what happens when our government is runs by pansies, when a culture rots in it’s own selfishness, and when American Christianity thinks it knows more and has more sovereignty, than God Himself!

 

U.S. sponsors ground zero imam’s trip

WASHINGTON — The imam behind controversial plans for a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks is being sent by the State Department on a religious outreach trip to the Middle East, officials said. The department is sponsoring Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s visit to Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, where he will discuss Muslim life in America and promote religious tolerance, spokesman P.J. Crowley said. He said the imam had been on similar State Department-sponsored trips in 2007 and last January. "His work on tolerance and religious diversity is well-known," Crowley said. Crowley said the Obama administration has no position on Rauf’s mosque plans, which he called a local zoning matter for New York.

Filed Under: Culture, Current Events, Evangelicalism, False Religions, Islam, The Expositor

On-duty sheriff deputy to Christians: ‘There is no Jesus!’ Atheist officer shouts, ‘I am a non-believer,’ boots protesters from concert grounds

27 July 2010 By Leave a Comment

I wish I could tell you I have not seen things like this before, but I have. An incident similiar to this one in New Mexico occurred last year to friends of mine as they were lawfully street preaching in Vicksburg, MS.  These cases, and others like them, are shocking but believeable. Where are those who will stand for truth and righteousness?

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.”’They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.” Psalm 14:1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lVn3S_i9us]

Filed Under: Apostasy, Culture, Current Events, Evangelism, Films/Video, The Expositor

Compromising Truth and Practice

25 May 2010 By Leave a Comment

by Walter Chantry

Just before Jesus was taken up into heaven He told His disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Witnessing about who Jesus is and what He taught was to be cross-cultural. As His disciples faced new social and cultural changes, they were expected to hold fast to truth and righteousness so as to be bright lights of witnessing all over the world.

Today, rapid changes are taking place throughout the world in which we are to carry out the great commission. The world continues to be marked by men who are “lovers of themselves,” “lovers of money,” or “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3). Yet these tendencies of fallen human nature constantly discover new ways to manifest themselves in each society of the earth. There remains a critical need for Jesus’ witnesses to be counter-cultural where sin abounds.

So rapid are societal changes in America that few are even aware of the radical pressures brought to bear on Christians and their churches. In the last fifty years, even the sense of belonging to a community has largely disappeared. The attractiveness of rural areas draws Christians to want to raise their families where lovely homes can be built near fields and streams, but jobs are to be found in places sometimes hours away from such homes. At the same time, a “satisfactory” church may be found that is an hour or more of commuting in a different direction from the workplace.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Compromise, Culture, Evangelicalism, Walter Chantry
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