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Mar 21 2014

To Wear a Symbol

A wire coat hanger.

What do you do with one? Perhaps hang your shirt, your pants, or even a coat.

But to wear one on a chain around your neck? What reason could one possibly have to wear the symbol of a coat hanger around their neck or as a picture on their T-shirt?

First of all, let me tell you who these folks are, who wear these things. They are the same vitriolic militants who wear T-shirts with the phrase “I HAD AN ABORTION.”

The coat hanger has become a symbol of death they are proud of. They wear it to raise awareness of the “need” for abortion. Legal murder, that is. They consider the legal decision of two parties (mother and abortionist) to take away the life a third-party (baby) a triumph!

The pro-abortion militants of the pre-1973 decision to legalize abortion would go to such extremes to abort babies, that they would resort to inserting a hooked wire hanger into the uterus to pull out the baby. These are being billed as the “desperation” abortions for which we have no statistics, only rhetoric.

The Washington DC group called The DC Abortion Fund is pushing this craziness to support the continued practice of murdering babies before they are born.

They are proud of this.

They are proud they killed their own babies.

They promote a culture of death, while God-fearing people promote a culture of life. And yes, the Bible is definitely a pro-life book. Consider this passage:

 “Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…” Deut 30:19

The reason why the militants of the DC Abortion Fund feel compelled to ensure that the practice of abortion continues is that they do not know the gospel. They do not understand the sanctity of life. They do not know the Author of Life as apostle Peter calls Him. They do not understand the value of life. They need to see that God gave Himself to die so that He may purchase life for us.

That is the heart of the gospel. The abortionist and mother who forsakes her baby need the gospel just like the rest of us.

Nov 29 2013

Black Friday: When Materialism Turns Into Idolatry

Another year, another Black Friday…

Delight in Truth's avatarDelight in Truth

Black Friday is the culmination of idolatrous consumerism.  Not because someone wants to shop for a discounted item, but because of the underlying demeanor in the build-up and unraveling of Black Friday.

I confess, I do not have much Black Friday experience…  Last year we made the mistake of going to the local mall on Friday after Thanksgiving sometime in the mid morning, only to turn back home because we could not find parking.   Apparently you had to be there before dawn to get in line.  There are places where lines form days in advance!  These people sacrifice the Thanksgiving holiday and a night in a warm bed for a terribly unpleasant shopping experience.

Why?  Because they will save $200 dollars on a deal?   The average amount spent by the average Black Friday shopper is less than $400, so will a $200 saving really make that much difference in…

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Sep 27 2013

Not of This World

NOTW.

What is the meaning of this phrase?  It is even the logo of a popular “christian” clothing line.

In the hours leading up to his arrest and murder, Jesus prayed His amazing high priestly prayer and uttered the following words:

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John 17:14 ESV

Jesus is praying for His disciples and the those who will believe in Him in the future.  He is praying for the body of believers who will make up His pure, undefiled church.

The things he says here are more than just a prediction, and they are not just a mere prophecy.  They are more than a guide, more than a teaching.

This is fundamental truth spoken by Jesus.

It was true 2000 years ago and it is true today. In fact, it is truer today more than ever. The two major pillars of the world system, government and mainstream media, both hate God and his principles.  This has been documented in multiple modern societies from those subscribing to Communism to free democracy. I have personally seen it in totalitarian communist Romania and freely democratic USA.

The world hates Christians because of Jesus. It is the message of exclusive salvation that is so repugnant to those who do not believe it. Jesus gave us His word, and as a result, the world hates us.

However, there are many tolerant folks who claim to be Christian who present a watered-down version of the Word of God.  The world loves them because they do not present a salvation message that is exclusively through Jesus. This acceptance by the world is in stark contrast with Jesus’s claim that the world hates us because of his word.

Be suspicious of any preacher of the gospel who is loved by the media, Oprah, etc and the rest of the secular world.

We are in the world, but not of this world.

Aug 19 2013

Simple Question, Is Abortion Morally Wrong?

Dear Delight in Truth readers, please glance at the above chart and be shocked.

Be amazed that professing Christians can hold neutral and perhaps even favorable views with respect to the abomination of abortion.

The Pew Research Center did telephone interviews in March/April 2013 with a random sample of 4,006 US adults and asked them various questions about controversial matters.  On abortion, 49% of Americans believe it is morally wrong with a few percentage points higher among women than men.

The statistics get interesting when broken down by race and religion (denomination of Christianity).

As expected, evangelicals (Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, some Reformed, nondenominationals) view abortion as morally wrong in high numbers.  But 25% of them still view it as morally neutral or right despite the fact that evangelical churches overwhelmingly preach the pro-life position.

The most disappointing statistic is among white mainline Protestants (some Lutherans, United Methodist Church, Quakers, Presbyterian USA, United Church of Christ, Episcopalians).  Some of these churches also accept pastors who actively practice the homosexual lifestyle.

The disregard for life has become an abhorrent disease in some of these apostate churches.

How are we better than those in China where a camera captured a 2-year-old girl getting run over by two trucks and 18 people skirted around her while she lay bleeding and flailing?  One may say that this a stretch of a comparison, but I can attest that the unborn baby opens her mouth and SCREAMS in pain as limbs are torn off during abortion, and abortion is no accident like the trucks running over the Chinese girl.

The apathy towards life is becoming more prominent as we are approaching the end of the age.  We are reminded by Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1 that teaching, doctrines, positions and propaganda that are against God (and His Spirit Who is the Spirit of Life – Romans 8)  will become increasingly common:

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons”

To have people who think of themselves as children of God while holding anti-life positions is nothing short of demonic.

May God awaken his true children to realize the precious gift of life.

Aug 6 2013

Treading on the Spiritual Edge

Moher Cliffs, Ireland

The Moher cliffs in Western Ireland (pictures here) are a stunning natural monument which attracts scores of daredevils every year.  Some of these adrenaline junkies walk or bike a tight path, sometimes less than a foot wide in order to satisfy the need for excitement knowing that they are inches away from death.

While only a few brave people will do in real life what the bikers in the photo are doing, there are many Christians who walk on the spiritual Moher Cliffs.   Spiritual disaster may be small step in the wrong direction because they are at the very edge of the cliff.

As Christians, we live in the world but we are not of the world.

When a Christian indulges in the things of the world, its philosophies, its entertainment, its pleasures, he is walking dangerously close to the cliff.  We are not called to see how close we can get to the edge without falling, but we are called to be hidden in Christ, far from the dangers of falling.  Hiding ourselves in Christ is the opposite of experimenting in the world.

Apostle John gives us a clear warning against flirting with sin and the things in the world in 1 John 2:

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The spiritual Moher Cliffs are the association with the world and its elements.   By walking these cliffs, the Christian comes dangerously close to falling in love with the world.

The only reliable solution is to flee sin and hide ourselves in Christ.

Jul 25 2013

John 3:18… Already Condemned?

Innocent until proven guilty.

That is one of our favorite clichés in the American system of justice.  Too bad it fits into the social media category #thingsjesusneversaid.

As in… there will be a judgement at the end of this age, the sinner will be on trial and considered innocent until the plethora of sins, misdeeds and crimes will be presented, and only then will he be judged and condemned.  Too bad that is not biblical.

In a twist that only a God who foreknows future events and who actually ordains them, John 3:18 reveals a shocking statement:

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Condemned already?

This verse poses two problems for the humanists who criticize biblical faith

1. It tells us that there is only one way to avoid eternal judgement.  There is only one way to avoid condemnation at the final judgement in front of the white throne: to believe in Jesus Christ now.  Such concept runs against the inclusivity of today’s modern humanistic thought.  The world hates us because we are an exclusive faith.  There are no multiple ways to heaven.  There is one Way and His name is Jesus Christ

2. Future condemnation is foreordained for those who do not believe.  How is it possible to condemn someone before his sins are even judged? They ask this question because they do not know God.  They do not acknowledge His infinite and timeless attributes.  At any point of our earthly time dimension, God knows all facts and events… past, present, future.  God reserves the right to condemn an unbeliever even before he commits sin. Understanding and believing such attributes makes sermons like “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” all the more effective.

 The message of the Gospel is best news for those who believe it and the worst news for those who do not.  Condemnation to hell, as abrasive as it sounds not only in the world, but even in lukewarm churches, must be part of any Gospel presentation.  Without it the Gospel is incomplete which makes the Gospel a false gospel.

Eternity has been sealed.  

Believers in Christ and His atoning work stand redeemed, and those who will not believe have already been condemned.

Jul 23 2013

Child Marriage is an Outrage

People say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

From the bride dresses to the ring on the girl’s finger, I will let this picture speak a thousand words.

The truth about Islamic child marriage is painful and it must be told.

In this case, THE TRUTH IS AN OUTRAGE!

Jul 8 2013

Newborn Blogging Vacation

Photo: Hello world! Amy Elise Prunean. May God bless her with eternal life!

Delight in Truth will be on a blogging vacation for a week or two in order to help take care of this precious addition to our family.  Her name is Amy Elise.  “Amy” means beloved and “Elise” is short for Elizabeth.

I can’t believe she is smiling at day 1!

Psalm 127:3  “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

Jun 18 2013

Spiritual Aspects of Drug Abuse (1)

There is a plethora of Scripture to show the spiritual implications alcoholism and drug use.

It is important to realize that getting high on a substance creates an opportunity to connect into a dark spiritual world, which can then lead to addiction and physical and spiritual slavery to that substance.

I encountered elements of the spiritual aspect of drug use for the first time when I was in medical school on my psychiatry rotation. I learned about a patient who heard a clear, distinct and oppressive voice while driving. This voice commanded him to floor the accelerator and not release it. The patient helplessly complied and eventually survived the inevitable crash.

Where did this auditory hallucination in the form of a voice come from?

It was the direct result of a cocaine binge.

Cocaine, along with amphetamines, belongs to a class of drugs called stimulants. These produce an unnatural flood of dopamine and other excitatory neurotransmitters in critical areas of the brain. The victim’s thoughts become highly erratic and disorganized, their speech is pressured, they become manic, and they undergo auditory and visual hallucinations which I postulate to be demonic in nature.

Following the manic high from the stimulant, a “crash” ensues which can last days.  Disturbance in sleep and appetite, nightmares, psychotic episodes, suicidal ideation and other similar things follow.

Why is it that the victims of drugs and alcohol withdrawal only experience frightening hallucinations?  Why not see and hear something beautiful, uplifting?  The answer lies in the dark spiritual bondage where these people find themselves.

The process of getting high opens a gateway to demonic oppression.

That is why apostle Peter is so adamant about Christians maintaining sobriety:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Peter understands that Satan has spiritual access to non-sober individuals.  Furthermore, apostle Paul writes down a searing message to those who practice “pharmakeia” (Gal 5:20) that is sorcery and witchcraft using substances to get high:

“I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal 5:21

Salvation is at stake here!  People who get high on drugs will not inherit the kingdom of God!

There is a clear divide between the physical world and the spiritual world.  But our sinful actions in this physical world can open doors into the spiritual world which can allow demonic oppression to enter the soul and take hold.  Addiction to drugs, alcohol and pornography are examples of the physical and dark spiritual amalgam.

to be continued…

May 31 2013

The Martyrdom of Apostle Peter

There is considerable evidence, biblical and extra-biblical, that apostle Peter was martyred for his Christian faith.

Jesus told Peter regarding his death in John 21:18-19:

“18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)”

This is one of the passages in the Bible which demonstrates that martyrdom for faith in God is an act of glorification of God.  If this brief conversation at the end of John’s gospel was the only one referencing Peter’s martyrdom, we would still be believe in the martyrdom of Peter because it is found in the Bible.

But there are also a number of non-canonical and historical accounts which mention Peter’s execution.

Peter was approximately 65 years old when he died in Rome, probably in 64 AD, possibly during the Neronian persecution in the months that followed the Great Fire of Rome.

Clement of Rome (d. 101 AD) who was likely ordained pastor (bishop/pope) by Peter wrote in his Letter to the Corinthians:

“Let us take the noble examples of our own generation. Through jealousy and envy the greatest and most just pillars of the Church were persecuted, and came even unto death… Peter, through unjust envy, endured not one or two but many labours, and at last, having delivered his testimony, departed unto the place of glory due to him.“

Christian writer Tertullian (160–c. 225 AD) wrote:

“Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority (of apostles themselves). How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood; where Peter endures a passion like his Lord’s“

Origen (185 – 254 AD) wrote in Eusebius, Church History III.1:

“Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards, as he himself had desired to suffer.”

According to this account, Peter did not deem himself worthy to die in the same manner as his Savior, but willingly endured an upside down crucifixion.

How did Peter end up in Rome during Nero’s persecution?

Apocryphal writings and church tradition say that Peter saw Jesus in a vision and Peter inquired “where are you going, Master?” to which Jesus answered “I am going to Rome to be crucified, again.”  Tradition says this is when Peter made the decision to go back to Rome and accept martyrdom.

We will look at the martyrdom and persecution of other apostles in upcoming posts.

to be continued…