Author Archives: Delight in Truth

Apr 30 2013

California, the Progressive State

I understand that California is a progressive state, but some of its progressive moves simply defy logic.

Thanks to my friend Gabe Bogdan, allow me to illustrate.

Imagine your 4th grade daughter coming home crying because a couple of boys at school were using the girls bathroom at the same time as she was using it. Or that the opposing girls soccer team has a few boys on it and her team lost by a landslide.

You call the school to complain and the answer you get is that such is the law of the land. The school informs you that it must respect gender identity regardless of biological identity. If a boy feels he is girl inside, he must be allowed to use the girls locker room and bathroom, for example.

Such would be the outcome if assembly bill 1266 is legislated. Rep. Tom Ammiano who represents San Francisco has introduced this bill into the legislature, turning upside down the God-ordained law that He placed in our hearts.  The bill was read yesterday for the second time in the assembly, and will soon be read again.  Progressives will stop at nothing in their quest to suppress the truth as Paul tells us in Romans 1:18.

The question is why is there such a push to externalize sin?

This is nothing new after all.  This exact thing was happening in ancient Israel as they were practicing idolatry and homosexuality.  The prophet Isaiah prophesied against the progressives of that time using stern warnings. He identified their sin and the fact that they were proud of their sin…

“For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them!” Isaiah 3:9

Delight in Truth feels that underneath this progressive movement there is a desire to get the religious establishment and if possible the Church to approve of alternative lifestyles.  This is happening because those who practice the LGBT lifestyle know deep-down inside that this is a rebellious state against God, and they are trying to gain some moral approval from the Church.

They are succeeding with some parts of the apostatic church.

True believers however, will not relent in their faith and biblical stance. We will continue to represent biblical truth, despite the labels.

We will continue to be in the world but not of this world.

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Apr 29 2013

Open Rebellion Toward God

The fact that Washington Wizards center Jason Collins is the first active professional sports figure in American history to “come out” of the closet and declare he is gay is a major news story.  I guess.

But not nearly as major as ESPN analyst Chris Broussard (a good analyst, may I add) serving up a biblical commentary on the matter, ON LIVE TV!

ESPN knew that Broussard is Christian and set him up against an openly gay analyst to discuss the case… and Broussard did not disappoint.

Here is what he said:

“…you can’t live an openly homosexual lifestyle or open premarital sex between heterosexuals.”

“If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, the Bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that that’s a sin.  If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and Jesus Christ.”

“As a Christian, I don’t agree with homosexuality. I think it’s a sin,” said Broussard. “There are a lot of Christians in the NBA, and just because they don’t agree with that lifestyle, they don’t want to be called bigoted and intolerant.”

I am glad he did not delineate difference between sin.  Homosexual practice or premarital sex practice is sexual sin and unacceptable in the eyes of God.

I admire the fortitude that Chris Broussard had to stand up for biblical truth in this culture of acceptance of sin.  I expect a major backlash against his comments.  He will be called a bigot, a homophobe, a hater, and all kinds of negative words to describe the fact that he believes the Bible.

ESPN did this to increase their ratings at his expense, as he will now suffer because he stood up for his faith.

It remains to be seen if Chris Broussard will still have a job tomorrow.

The Bible is clear on the issue of living in sin.  Those who are children of God cannot persist in sin:

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9

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Apr 27 2013

The Unborn Baby Displays Life

Did you know that the unborn baby…

  • has a beating heart at week 6?
  • starts spontaneous movements at weeks 7-9?

Did you know that later in pregnancy the unborn babies…

  • like to stretch
  • yawn
  • suck their thumb
  • play with their hands and feet
  • play with the umbilical cord, even wrap it around themselves (not fun for the delivery team)
  • exercise their breathing
  • go to sleep, wake up, listen to their mom’s voice and other voices and music in the environment
  • drink amniotic fluid

Did you also know that during an abortion procedure the baby…

  • attempts to withdraw from the suction canula and the forceps of the abortionist
  • opens her mouth and screams a silent scream as her limbs are torn from her body

Did you know that…

  • abortionists have said that the baby is just doing a reflexive yawn during abortion and they cannot feel pain
  • there is ultrasound guided abortion, where the abortionist is literally using imaging to precisely target (hunt) the baby
  • ultrasound during abortion has documented that the baby fights for his life during abortion

Did you know that abortion is the taking of life?

The unborn baby displays life at its fullest.

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Apr 26 2013

Intolerance by Progressives in American Schools

Picture this.

You are a 14-year-old honor student in your German high school class.

Through circumstances beyond your control the class discussion turns to the issue of religion and homosexuality.

You are a gospel and Bible-believing Christian, and during the course of the discussion you state your view that homosexuality is wrong.

As a result of your statement you receive a three-day suspension.  Because you are intolerant.

This is exactly what happened at Western Hills High School in Texas.  Student Dakota Ary was suspended for stating his view on a subject that perhaps should not even have been discussed in a German class.

He faced the possibility of missing lectures, tests, and a football game.

What would you do?

His family reached out to the Liberty Counsel for legal representation, and after a meeting with the lawyer, the school district rescinded the suspension. The school had no comment when contacted by the Christian Post.

This story paints a disturbing picture in our schools.  We know that our colleges are infiltrated by anti-Christian, anti-American, atheistic faculty, but now it appears that our high schools are following suit.

The Liberty Counsel said that they are seeing this happening across the country, as the progressives pushing the gay agenda are becoming increasingly intolerant toward people who do not agree with their lifestyle.

The very people who preach tolerance are the most intolerant when it comes to differences based on morality, or when the name of Jesus is mentioned.  They are perfectly okay with mentioning “god.”  No one is upset with a generic “god.”  But watch out if you bring to the table Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible…

Delight in Truth has previously pointed out that with respect to homosexuality and gay marriage the battle in society has been lost, but Christians must continue to be a voice for the truth.  We must also continue to stand up for our constitutional rights to practice our faith, and hold to our opinions which are grounded in the Bible.

This is how can continue to shine a light in dark world.

Apr 25 2013

A Blood Washed Iraq: Update From Narcis

Narcis and his family have moved to a very hostile environment to extend the Kingdom of God in that place.  Keeping specific names of cities censored for their safety, here is an update from them:

Temperature Rising

As we move into the Spring the weather steadily increases in Iraq.  We’ve already hit quite a few 90+ degree days this month and it will only increase from here on in.  The temperature is also rising in a couple of other ways.

There have been widespread protests in Iraq over the last 4 months or so between differing sects and political parties.  This has unfortunately caused violence in the forms of shootings, roadside and suicide bombings.  At least hundreds have been killed!  This tension has recently taken a turn for the worse when …, a city just an hour south of us became one of the focal points of the uprising.  Prompted by certain acts of violence, government officials fired on protesters a couple of days ago, killing dozens and wounding hundreds.

What seemed to be happening only in the distant southern part of Iraq now seems to be getting closer to the north.  This is raising fears in many, that with similar sectarian uprisings in Syria and previously other places, these events might invite radical parties to join and devolve into a revolution.  However, as these temperatures rise, one thing is certain.  Our God is an All Consuming Fire and Jesus the Life Giving Spirit still holds the office of Baptizer in the Holy Ghost and Fire!

We believe this region is in the cross-hairs of God’s end-time purposes of filling all things with His Son, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

What’s Been Happening 

F… and I just arrived back home a few days ago from a trip to Baghdad.  It was wonderful being with brother A W, he and his church are a real source of divine life, presence and relief to Baghdad and Iraq.  We were also able to minister in one of the local churches and meet with several of the Pastors from Baghdad to discuss what we might do together towards building the Church and advancing the Kingdom there.  After hearing about the planned House of Prayer and Mesopotamian School of Ministry, they asked us if we would be willing to do something similar with them in Baghdad.

We are praying about how we can partner with them in facilitating a network of prayer for Revival along with training that we can do via modular courses and in various other ways.  On the home-front, we are still working to get registered in the North and finding a location that would suit our needs.  At this point we still need a financial push to be able to do so.  Please let us know, if you or someone you know would be potentially interested in sponsoring this project for Jesus’ Glory!

Getting Involved

One of the things we feel in our spirits as a team, is that God is going to draw more and more attention to the Middle East in these coming days and years.  The same principalities that opposed Daniel in this region are still around, working their best to deceive the nations and sweep literally millions into a Christ-less eternity.  One of the ways we would love your involvement is in the place of prayer.  We host different “prayer sets” for the region and would more than welcome anyone (preferably a few at a time), that would want to stream in with us and join in agreement for God’s manifest Glory in Iraq and beyond.

If you think of us, please pray for God’s tangible abiding presence, grace, wisdom and favor, signs and wonders, and souls souls! If you are interested in learning more about that please email me back and we can contact you back and see how we can connect.  Thank you all precious saints of God for loving Jesus and doing His will.  We are so grateful for all of your friendships, prayers and support and pray that God would deeply mark you all with His precious Life, Death, Burial and Resurrection Glory!

Apr 24 2013

Scientific and Medical Facts Found in the Bible (part 3)

Read part 1 (here) and part 2 (here)

Again, the Bible is not a scientific book, but the truths it contains are inspired by the One who created the physical laws that govern our universe, and the One who understands every medical aspect of our bodies.

In a moment of stunning revelation the writer of Job understands a physical concept thousands of years before it was defined: that air has weight.  He states in Job 28:25 “he gave to the wind its weight.”

Air is made up of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% carbon dioxide and other gases.  Combined, these have a weight of 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level. There are also gases that weight much less than air, hydrogen and helium being examples.

How is it possible that someone thousands of years ago would have the insight to write down such a concept if it wasn’t for divine inspiration?

As for the Second Law of Thermodynamics it is found in the Psalms.  This law states that any system is headed for entropy or disorder unless energy is applied to it to prevent disorder.  In other words, breakdown towards equilibrium is a continuous universal process.

Here is what Psalm 102:25-26 says:

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.”

Thousands of years before we understood the biologic basis of infectious disease, God instituted the concept of quarantine in ancient Israel in His Law. Long before we discovered pathogens like bacteria, fungi, viruses, prions and mycobacteria, as the transmissible agents that cause infectious disease, God commanded a critical process for prevention of these diseases in Leviticus 13:45-46

“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.”

But skeptics will not listen to such arguments.  They would rather falsely accuse God of instituting slavery and committing atrocities throughout the Bible.

to be continued…

Apr 23 2013

How Progressive Christians Support Gay Marriage

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Delight in Truth follower Mr. Propeller-head (here) brings to our attention how badly the Word of God is twisted by the progressives who try to find biblical support for gay marriage.

In an article on Patheos (here), a large forum on faith discussion, the Rev. Eric Smith out of Vanderbilt Divinity School, an ordained minister serving in the church and a PhD candidate in Biblical Interpretation wrote an article in support of gay marriage.

I will paste here his first point to show how pathetic the argument is:

“There is no normative Biblical marriage. The Bible contains marriages between one man and one woman. But it also contains lots of other kinds of marriages—between soldiers and captives, a woman and her dead husband’s brother (seriously), between rape victims and their rapists, and, of course polygamy. In fact, if there is one major Biblical normative type of marriage, it is polygamy. Because of this, any claims that God’s plan is for marriage to be between one man and one woman will run into serious problems—namely, that it is not supported by the Biblical evidence.”

This is a PhD in Biblical Interpretation!

Here are a few of the comments:

“…the bible says that with God *ALL* things are possible…so if *ALL* things are possible, why is it wrong for two people to love each other and want to be in a monogamous, committed relationship…even if they’re the same sex? Surely not EVERYONE was meant to populate the earth…otherwise, we’d be so overcrowded that we’d have all been done in long ago with not enough resources to support us all.”

“…like Eric says, “the Bible needs interpreting.” The moral-ceremonial distinction is an interpretive lens through which you read Scripture; it does not come from Scripture itself.”

“One of the best articles I’ve seen written yet. Thank you!”

You are not alone if you feel a holy anger under the category “be angry and do not sin” when you read such scriptural deformity.

The progressives will have us believe that God didn’t really mean what He said when He said that “man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Gen 2:24

Do you remember who was the first to say “did God really say…?” Today the Rev. Smith is telling us “did God really mean…” for marriage to be only between a man an a woman?

Eerie in likeness to Satan’s approach.

The progressives of His day also challenged Jesus to allow them to break up the family unit in Matthew 19 and Jesus clearly tells them that God did not intend for that to happen, because in the beginning it was not so.

Be shocked how today’s so-called Christian progressives are reinterpreting Scriptures toward their own destruction.

2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”

Apr 22 2013

John Piper on “Once Saved Always Saved”

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“Once saved, always saved” has become an evangelical cliché which grossly misrepresents the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It has unfortunately been used by immature Christians and perhaps even unsaved “Christians” as a license to sin.

Here’s what John Piper has to say about the subject in his book Future Grace (via Delight in Truth friend Gabe Bogdan):

“A few years ago I spoke to a high school student body on how to fight lust. One of my points was called, “Ponder the eternal danger of lust.” I quoted the words of Jesus–that it’s better to go to heaven with one eye than to hell with two–and said to the students that their eternal destiny was at stake in what they did with their eyes and with the thoughts of their imagination…

After my message… one of the students… asked, “Are you saying then that a person can lose his salvation?”

…This is exactly the same response I got a few years ago when I confronted a man about the adultery he was living in…

I pled with him to return to his wife. Then I said, “You know, Jesus says that if you don’t fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, you will go to hell”…

As a professing Christian he looked at me in utter disbelief, as though he had never heard anything like this in his life, and said, “You mean you think a person can lose his salvation?”

…So I have learned again and again from firsthand experience that there are many professing Christians who have a view of salvation that disconnects it from real life, and that nullifies the threats of the Bible, and puts the sinning person who claims to be a Christian beyond the reach of biblical warnings.

I believe this view of the Christian life is comforting thousands who are on the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13)…

The main concern of this book is to show that the battle against sin is a battle against unbelief. Or: the fight for purity is a fight for faith in future grace.

The great error that I am trying to explode is the error that says, “Faith in God is one thing and the fight for holiness is another thing… The battle for obedience is optional because only faith is necessary for final salvation.” (John Piper, Future Grace pg. 330-331 and 333)

It is a grave error to separate obedience to the Word from an initial conversion type event. Disobedience, lack of striving for holiness, and lack of perseverance in the faith may be indicative that the professing Christian is not saved.

Apr 19 2013

How a Life Was Saved

The Boston Marathon bombing victim in the photo above is Jeff Bauman.

The man who saved his life is a peace activist named Carlos Arredondo.

I will make a few medical remarks so that Delight in Truth readers can understand the gravity of the situation in the photo above.  I could not publish the bottom half of the photo because it is extremely graphic, as the victim’s legs are no longer attached to his body, but it is available all over the internet.

In the absence of trained medical personnel immediately available, Carlos instinctively did the right thing in pinching what appears to be the victim’s popliteal artery.  This is a large artery that runs in the back of the knee.  It is the size of one’s pinky finger, and one’s entire blood volume may be lost in a matter of a few minutes via this vessel.

By the time 40% of one’s blood volume is lost in a trauma setting, shock ensues and mortality is very high.

As an anesthesiologist, my professional guess is that Jeff lost at least 25%-30% of his blood volume in this injury based on the pale color of his face, the severity of his injury (not shown) and the unfocused gaze in his eyes.

The fact that Carlos Arrendondo clamped the bleeding popliteal artery ensured that Jeff did not lose the additional blood which would have put him in the “greater than 40%” blood loss category.  That would have probably led to his demise or permanent organ damage.

Quick decisive action saved a life.

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Apr 19 2013

On the Day of Silence, Speak the Gospel!

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April 19th. Day of Silence.

Today is a day of activism in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, when students who subscribe to this lifestyle and their allies will refrain from speaking the entire day at school.

It’s an act to show they are being suppressed, discriminated, bullied and hated for what they label as their natural orientation.

How should a Christian handle the silent treatment from your fellow students?

It is important to realize hate is a sin, so we are forbidden from hating, bullying or discriminating against anyone.

The most logical response for a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit is to speak the Gospel.

Tell them that Jesus loves them and that God put a natural law in their heart that convicts them of their life style. The inner struggle they have is precisely a result of this law.

I believe the reason so many GLBT folks are trying so hard to win the approval of the Church for this lifestyle is because deep, deep down they are struggling with the morality of their lifestyle. They are trying to somehow win support from the ultimate moral authority, God, so they appeal their case to the closest surrogates, us, the Christians.

God may use us to respectfully convey some moral conviction for an unnatural alternative lifestyle.

When they call you a bigot, a backwards idiot, and other names, respond in love and in truth. Shine the light on the Word of God as the reason you hold to your beliefs and reject any anti-gay label.

The truth is out there.

The truth is in every man’s heart according Paul in Romans 1.

The suppression of truth must end for salvation to arrive.