Firearms Refresher Course

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.” Consider the following a FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE:
 
1.  An armed man is a citizen.  An unarmed man is a subject.
 
2.  A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
 
3.  Colt:  The original point and click interface.
 
4.  Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control.
 
5.  If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
 
6.  If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
 
7.  Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.
 
8.  If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any.
 
9.  Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
 
10.  The  United States Constitution (c)1791.  All Rights Reserved.
 
11.  What part of ‘shall not be infringed‘ do you not understand?
 
12.  The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
 
13.  64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
 
14.  Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians.          
 
15.  Know guns, know peace, know safety.  No guns, no peace, no safety.
 
16.  You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
 
17.  911:  Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
 
18.  Assault is a behavior, not a device.
 
19.  Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.
 
20.  If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
 
21.  Only a government that is afraid of it’s citizens tries to control them.
 
22.  You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.
 
23.  Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don’t make more.
 
24.  When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves.
 
25.  The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
 
26.  To enslave a nation you must first confiscate all guns. (Adolph Hitler, 1936)

A Crowd Ain’t a Church

I received the following from Pastor Ken Blue of the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Washington. What do YOU think about it?

A guest speaker said, “A crowd ain’t a church“. I wonder what his intent for that comment was. Do crowds intimidate him? Is he opposed to promotions that might bring a crowd? Is he jealous of those churches that have a crowd?

Certainly, not every crowd constitutes a church; but every church should want a crowd.   Every pastor [along with every church member - me] should do everything he can to attract the largest crowd he can get. Then he must preach the gospel to them and [see] as many saved as he can. Common sense dictates, the greater the crowd, the greater the chances you will reach someone for Christ. A crowd may not glorify God, but neither does an empty building.

Jesus gladly preached to the crowds. He wasn’t fooled by them, nor was He foolish, thinking they were unimportant. The Lord instructed His servant to, “…Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23.

If we think the lost man will come to our church because of our alliterated outlines, our King James Bible, and our independent stand, we are mistaken. These things are imperative for us, but they will not attract a lost crowd. I can hear someone say, “I don’t believe crowds are important.” I say to you, “If you had one, you would believe it.” May God help us to be wise enough to know how to attract a crowd, and give us the message needed to reach them for Christ.

1.   We should do all we can to reach people for Christ
2.  We should thank God for those we have
3.  We should never become complacent

So what say you? Is this a point well-taken, or would “doing everything we can to attract the largest crowd” be considered a cross into compromise? I believe it to be a point well-taken…how ’bout you?

Apes and Their Rights

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s parliament voiced its support on Wednesday [June 25th] for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.

Parliament’s environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

“This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity,” said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project. (You can read the rest of the article here if you’d like…)

Now it is expected that this will become law in all of Spain, and on the Great Apes Project [or GAP] website, this action is already being touted as a “victory”. Oh, and BTW: Here’s part of what GAP’s “Declaration on Great Apes” says, “We demand the extension of the community of equals to include all great apes: human beings, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orang-utans. The community of equals is the moral community within which we accept certain basic moral principles or rights as governing our relations with each other and enforceable at law. Among these principles or rights are the following: 1. The Right to Life, 2. The Protection of Individual Liberty, and 3. The Prohibition of Torture.”

Well sure, apes ought to enjoy the right to life…just like all our unborn babies in this country and in this world…oh wait, many unborn babies DON’T have that right that’s being extended to apes.

Okay…but apes do deserve their individual liberties protected…I mean, after all, their forefathers mutually pledged to each other their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor for their nation, and many of them shed their own blood for freedom…oh wait, wrong species! Hmmm…I wonder if apes think the 2nd Amendment is unconstitutional…?

No, I don’t think apes should be tortured either, but I think they now ought to have the right to get and hold down a job and pay taxes instead of “freeloading” on the zoo-welfare system! I mean, if apes are “that much advanced”, have them GET A JOB! Oh wait – we don’t really push that “agenda” here in our country. So I guess if we see many more apes with no jobs coming to our country, the welfare rolls will swell that much more. I know, let’s just tax “the rich” and corporations, and we can also sue fast-food restaurants.

What’s wrong with this picture??? How far has man removed himself from God? Have we forgotten Genesis 1:26, ”And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Man, made in the image of God, is a higher being than any animal. There were no animals created in the image of God, and no man evolved from any ape! That’s not boast or brag, that’s just BIBLE! Ah but wait, I’m supposing the Bible would have to be held as God’s Word and believed…but this won’t be when man is far removed from God!

B.U.S.Y.

I don’t mean to be writing about the devil all the time, but here lately in these last three posts, the deceiver and father of lies has been the subject…

The following is a story you may have read before, but it needs to be read again or for the first time. As you read it I pray you ask yourself, “Lord, is this me“?

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep the Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the Truth. We can’t even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can’t gain that intimacy with Jesus Christ.”

“This is what I tell you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!”

“How shall we do this?” shouted his angels.

“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.”

“Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-Biblical, contradicting music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.”

“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.”

“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don’t let them go out in nature to reflect on God’s wonders. Send them to Amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead.”

“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion. Let them be involved in soul-winning, but crowd their lives with so many good causes that they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.”

It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy, and rush here and there.

Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge. How about this definition of “busy”:

  B – Being
  U – Under
    S – Satan’s
Y – Yoke

Satan’s Strategy – Part 2

We continue with our briefing on Satan’s strategy against God’s churches and the people of God.

Remember what 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.

We should know something of our enemy before going into battle. 1 Peter 5:8 is a warning to every Christian soldier to be sober-minded, to not be distracted from keeping your watch, to be awake to the wiles and the power of the evil one, and to be on guard!

In part 1 we covered two of Satan’s strategies: he tries to cause DISCREDIT of God’s Word and he tries to cause DIVISION among God’s workers. Let’s press on with the briefing.

STRATEGY #3: Satan tries to cause DISSATISFACTION toward God’s will

Did you know that the devil wants to get your mind on PLEASURE, POPULARITY, and PROSPERITY so much that you’ll become dissatisfied toward God’s will? Here are some things the devil will say to cause dissatisfaction in you toward the will of God:

PLEASURE – “I know its Sunday…but wow! It’s a beautiful day! Spend it with the family. Go out to the lake and take some “me” time…you deserve a break today…God will understand…you’ll be in church next week! OR: “Wednesday…to church??? You’re just too tired to go to the prayer meeting! You can pray right here…in your bed…in front of the TV…God will understand! [You get the idea, right]

 

POPULARITY – “Why, you’re ‘some-body’ at work…you’ve got ‘responsibility’…you can’t go around witnessing to ones who work for you…I mean, what will they think?” OR: “Think of your ‘reputation’ around your ‘friends’…They’re going to call you names, make fun of you, and dump you because you spoke up for Christ!”

 

PROSPERITY – “You’ll never get rich tithing and offering unto the Lord…you can do that ‘after’ you have some money.” OR: “Missionaries are just ‘moochinaries’…it’s not your fault they went to a place where the dollar lost much of it’s value…anyway…how are YOU going to ‘get ahead’ if you keep giving offerings for those ‘moochinaries’?”

 

The devil’s a creep, but he knows what he’s doing! He’s employing his time-tested strategies to do his best to get you dissatisfied with God’s will! But the Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17, “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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

 

STRATEGY #4: Satan tries to cause DEADNESS in God’s Worship

 

Just think about when you’re in church. You’ve devoted to God that time to be in His House, to hear a message from His Word, and to have the opportunity to be changed by His Spirit. But how many will lose that devotion throughout the services as they look forward to getting out of there and their mind gets to wandering…That’s just Satan’s strategy!!!

 

You see, through the week Satan has had a ‘field-day’ with polluting your mind:

T.V., pornography, ungodly music, and gossip…

 

NOTE: I’m not against TV, but I am against the misuse of TV in our homes! The television is still one of the best “real-time” mediums we have for what’s going on around us…but with that said: The television is one of the greatest time-wasters and pollution-carrying mediums we have…and the computer’s not far behind!

 

Television is not wrong – if used properly! “Well, I don’t have cable or satellite, preacher…” Yea, but those DVDs you watch and those rabbit-ears you use still can be used by the devil to pollute your mind!

 

TRY THIS:

–When you sit down to watch something, everyone take a piece of paper and write 3 columns with the headings: CURSING & PROFANITY / NAKEDNESS / DISRESPECT & DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS

 

Every time any of these occur, make a mark…then, compare notes with each other…you’ll see how many times just these 3 things occur AND you’ll see what you’re catching [or missing] verses what you’re children aren’t catching…but really are!

 

ALSO: keep a time-log for 1 week of how much TV you consume verses how much Bible-reading you do…

“But I have a hard time reading, preacher…” I wonder why!

 

Through the week Satan has had a ‘field-day’ polluting your mind causing a DEADNESS in God’s Worship!

 

Finally, there’s one other strategy Satan uses that I want to mention in our briefing that you need to know about…and it very well may be THE BEST strategy at Satan’s disposal at this time…

 

Strategy #5: DEPRESSION

 

The following illustration says it well:

          “It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection; each tool being marked with its sale price. They were a treacherous lot of implements…Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Deceit, Lying, Pride, and so on.

          Laid apart from the rest was a harmless looking tool, well-worn and priced very high. “What is the name of this tool?” asked one of the purchasers, pointing to it. “That is Discouragement”, replied the devil. “Why have you priced it so high?” “Because it is more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with my other tools. Once I get inside, I can make him do what I choose. It is badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since very few people know that it belongs to me.”

 

I know this is “easy preaching, hard living“, but don’t let Satan discourage you in anyway! If you are God’s child the victory has already been won – we’re on the winning side! You must keep your faith on the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. If you do, the devil won’t have a chance to discourage you, even with his best tools or his best strategies!

 

BE PREPARED AND KNOW YOUR ENEMY BEFORE GOING INTO BATTLE!

 Our briefing is concluded, soldier.

Satan’s Strategy – Part 1

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5:8

There was a famous Chinese General about 500 years before the Lord’s birth named Sun Tzu. He was a powerful and successful General, but what he’s most noted for is a series of papers he wrote on military strategy which have been compiled and translated into a book entitled, “The Art of War”.

Strategists all over the world still read this book. Militaries still incorporate principles from this book. I also think it interesting to note that some of Sun Tzu’s writings from this book became the philosophical basis of what is now know as Asian Martial Arts. 

I tell you all this because it was Sun Tzu who taught the following principle in “The Art of War”: “Know your enemy before going into battle”.

Brethren, the life of a Christian IS a battle: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Eph 6:10-11.

 

We should know something of our enemy before going into battle! 1 Peter 5:8 is a warning to every Christian soldier:

–Be sober: Don’t be drunken – don’t be distracted from keeping your watch – be sober-minded – be smart!

–Be vigilant: Be awake to the wiles and the power of the evil one – be on guard! And how can you be? “KNOW YOUR ENEMY”!

–Why do I need to know my enemy?

As a roaring lion he walks about, seeking whom he may devour! Do you think he wants to devour you? No? Then you don’t know your enemy!!!

 

Any good army needs to be briefed on strategy…may this post brief you on “Satan’s strategy”. My desire is for you to know your enemy before going into battle! I truly believe many fall prey to the devil because they just don’t know who they’re really up against.

 

I’m going to take you back to the “Book of Origin” or the “Book of Beginnings” – GENESIS – for our briefing on Satan’s strategy…he’s had the same plan ever since the Fall of Man, so not much has changed.

 

Gen 3:1-5, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (vs2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (vs3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (vs4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (vs5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

 

STRATEGY #1: Satan tries to cause DISCREDIT of God’s Word

 

In verse one, the devil plants doubt in God’s Word, producing a discredit to what God says!

“Yea, hath God said” / “Can God really be trusted” / Is God’s Word a credible source after all?”

 

It’s not wrong to have questions about God’s Word, but it’s a strategy of Satan to question the validity of God’s Word! Be very, very careful when you hear or read these phrases from someone:

“A better rendering of the text should say this…”

“It would have been better if the Bible had said…”

Really? How do YOU know what would be a “better rendering”? It’s the strategy, “Yea, hath God said”!

 

Don’t allow Satan to cause any discredit of God’s Word in your life. God has said, He is truly credible, and He can be trusted!

 

STRATEGY #2: Satan tries to cause DIVISION among God’s workers

 

A great example of this is when the devil tried to implement this strategy in the Church at Corinth: 1 Cor 1:10-13, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (vs11) For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. (vs12) Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. (vs13) Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”

 

What was going on in the church at Corinth is the same thing that goes on in many Independent Baptist churches today!

Contentions – debating, strife, quarreling, can’t get along!

Clicks – cell groups forming within the congregation!

Clicks breed jealousy, division, pride, and a haughty spirit (see again 1 Cor 1:12)

 

If folks in the same church can’t get along with each other – if there’s debating, strife, and quarreling – AND if they splinter off into little “cell-groups” or clicks, then they didn’t know their enemy! Satan has implemented his strategy that will “tear us up” in the battle!

 

Battles have a funny way of bringing an army and a platoon of soldiers together. While engaged in the battle, those soldiers begin looking out for one another and bearing one another’s burdens. The battle cultivates within them a caring attitude for their comrade at arms. A “battle-worn” platoon, many times, will be a unified platoon. So why isn’t it like that in churches?

 

Stay tuned…our briefing is not over. There’s more to know about YOUR ENEMY! Part 2 will be on the way.

BE PREPARED AND FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!