None of us really knew in 2016 who Donald Trump was. Evangelicals generally did not read tabloids. I never saw one minute of The Apprentice in the 15 seasons that it was on. I don't think I heard the word Ivanka until 2015....but after the new president tried to con us with a fake Obamacare repeal and replace bill in March of 2017....I thought I better see who this man is. I've read seventy books on him in these three years. I'm stuck on seventy because of the virus but I have a couple on the way....and I'm rereading the ones on Trump and Russia. Conclusion? This man has not changed one iota in a half century. He has lied his whole life.....and conned and cheated his whole life. He has no empathy for anyone....and no conscience. He is definitely never ever to be trusted. When you see who he is you can see how he just smoothed right into that 2016 campaign. The result? He neutered evangelicalism....and destroyed talk radio and conservatism.
The Apostle John....writing to believers....in the fourth chapter of his first letter....wrote this...."Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." When John writes..."every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God"....he's not pointing to people who just puts words together along these lines....but he's describing people who obviously understand and believe the full doctrine of Jesus Christ. So when Donald Trump reads a statement that his speech writers give him....it means nothing. The Apostle went on to say that there was already a spirit of antichrist in the world....and that...."they are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them." Yes....the world....in this case multitudes in America including many if not most evangelicals....listens to him....to Donald Trump....and accepts him. John summarized this passage by acknowledging that there is both...."the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Can you honestly say that you have tested this spirit of Donald Trump? If so...have you tested him by the Word of God....or by your 401k statement?
...............................................................................
PASTORS AND DONALD TRUMP
The following is a portion of a post from last November....six months ago....under the above title. It's still there....so I'll only leave this here for a little while. I'm certain that some will be upset because I don't seem to be very loving concerning pastors. To explain my words here let's both of us turn the situation around. You....or I....are a pastor. Is it what we would want that no one in our congregation ever does anything but unconditionally honor us? Would you feel that you are anointed so no one can ever tell you that you may have gone off course? I know I wouldn't....and I don't think that you would either. These are just men....susceptible to the same cultural and societal influences that you and I are....particularly on a large scale that sweeps over the entire country. This is a weak church age. If you would know what preaching was like in church ages in the past....you would see and maybe weep over what our preaching is today....and this doesn't even include the Joel Osteen type of apostasy sweeping over the church. Maybe I didn't write this as lovingly as I should have....but our overall discernment is in ICU. Make America Great Again and the man behind it more than anything took that discernment away.
"Thus says the LORD, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind. and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD......Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD....and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream....and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought....nor cease to yield fruit'." (from Jeremiah 17)
Pastors....will you wake up yet....you like to tell everyone how you trust God....why then don't you also trust His warnings.....if you even bother to consider them? So many of you....Franklin Graham as an example....defend Donald Trump....instead of God's half century plus of warnings to us as a nation....his own father's warnings to us. Are we as this president says...."one glorious nation under God"....well are we....please answer that....an America whose "best days are ahead of us"....that is going to keep on...."winning winning winning".....that's what he says at every rally....to people in your congregation....who you are responsible for? Would you please at least consider that these may be the ravings of a false prophet....and that you may have been taken in? This as a profane man....and an arrogant man....who lies as naturally as he breathes. Oh but you say....he is a Jehu....a Cyrus to Israel? That's your excuse for overlooking who he is. Look around....he has no loyalty to anyone. You have the responsibility of these souls in your congregation....and are failing miserably in preparing them for that which God has explicitly warned us. Fall on your knees as you may have at one time....and pay attention to what God warned us of....and not Rush Limbaugh and his..."talent on loan from...GAWD"
The Apostle John....writing to believers....in the fourth chapter of his first letter....wrote this...."Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." When John writes..."every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God"....he's not pointing to people who just puts words together along these lines....but he's describing people who obviously understand and believe the full doctrine of Jesus Christ. So when Donald Trump reads a statement that his speech writers give him....it means nothing. The Apostle went on to say that there was already a spirit of antichrist in the world....and that...."they are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them." Yes....the world....in this case multitudes in America including many if not most evangelicals....listens to him....to Donald Trump....and accepts him. John summarized this passage by acknowledging that there is both...."the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Can you honestly say that you have tested this spirit of Donald Trump? If so...have you tested him by the Word of God....or by your 401k statement?
...............................................................................
PASTORS AND DONALD TRUMP
The following is a portion of a post from last November....six months ago....under the above title. It's still there....so I'll only leave this here for a little while. I'm certain that some will be upset because I don't seem to be very loving concerning pastors. To explain my words here let's both of us turn the situation around. You....or I....are a pastor. Is it what we would want that no one in our congregation ever does anything but unconditionally honor us? Would you feel that you are anointed so no one can ever tell you that you may have gone off course? I know I wouldn't....and I don't think that you would either. These are just men....susceptible to the same cultural and societal influences that you and I are....particularly on a large scale that sweeps over the entire country. This is a weak church age. If you would know what preaching was like in church ages in the past....you would see and maybe weep over what our preaching is today....and this doesn't even include the Joel Osteen type of apostasy sweeping over the church. Maybe I didn't write this as lovingly as I should have....but our overall discernment is in ICU. Make America Great Again and the man behind it more than anything took that discernment away.
"Thus says the LORD, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind. and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD......Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD....and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream....and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought....nor cease to yield fruit'." (from Jeremiah 17)
Pastors....will you wake up yet....you like to tell everyone how you trust God....why then don't you also trust His warnings.....if you even bother to consider them? So many of you....Franklin Graham as an example....defend Donald Trump....instead of God's half century plus of warnings to us as a nation....his own father's warnings to us. Are we as this president says...."one glorious nation under God"....well are we....please answer that....an America whose "best days are ahead of us"....that is going to keep on...."winning winning winning".....that's what he says at every rally....to people in your congregation....who you are responsible for? Would you please at least consider that these may be the ravings of a false prophet....and that you may have been taken in? This as a profane man....and an arrogant man....who lies as naturally as he breathes. Oh but you say....he is a Jehu....a Cyrus to Israel? That's your excuse for overlooking who he is. Look around....he has no loyalty to anyone. You have the responsibility of these souls in your congregation....and are failing miserably in preparing them for that which God has explicitly warned us. Fall on your knees as you may have at one time....and pay attention to what God warned us of....and not Rush Limbaugh and his..."talent on loan from...GAWD"
