Month: March 2014

Church · Church Reviews

Update for White Stone Christian Fellowship in Payette

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

wscf1

 

 

 

 

 

I went to their men’s breakfast Saturday the 28th. I had a great time. Unlike some breakfasts I’ve been to, I actually spent most all of my three hours there talking theology with the other men. The time we weren’t talking theology, I was confessing sin and asking for prayer, or eating some very good grub. If you are ever around the area of Payette when they are having a men’s breakfast I encourage you to go and fellowship with them.

Church · Church Reviews

We visited Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Ontario, Oregon on 03/30/14

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

lutfront

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Ontario, Oregon on 03/30/14

  1. How approachable/welcoming, is the Pastor before and/or after the service? The Pastor was friendly and spoke to us after the service.
  2. How friendly is the congregation? The congregation was very friendly.  They made sure to talk with us for a moment.
  3. How many congregants were there? There were approximately 50 to 70, the congregation was mostly older folks.
  4. How do they take the offering? Offering plates.
  5. Where are they located? They are at 208 SW 1st Ave. Ontario, Oregon 97914.  Their phone number is (541) 889-5458
  6. How is the service broke down between, prayers, worship, and sermon? It is harder to break this down because the service was mostly liturgical.
  7. What is the condition of their facilities? The facilities were in good condition for their age.  I really appreciated the stained glass windows, the Cross, and the fact that it was evident this is a Christian Church and not a rec. center.
  8. What is the preaching style of their Pastor? The sermon was expository.  It was on John 9:1-41.  The Pastor did a pretty good job of opening up the scripture to the congregation.
  9. Do they use a specific translation of the Bible, or prohibit any translations, if so why? I didn’t notice which one they used.
  10. Do they have a web page? They do, and here is the link; http://pilgrimlutheran.net/  If so, is there a clear, orthodox, confession or statement of faith? There was, but it is pretty simple, they are a Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod.  If you need help with that just look up Lutheran and Missouri Synod.  Some points of interest are that they have a rich faith history.  You can look up Martin Luther the Reformer and the 95 Thesis.  They are Paedobaptists.  They also believe in consubstantiation for the elements of communion.    Overall we had a very nice time of worship with them.

pastor3
lutside

Uncategorized

Repentance, granted by God.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Repentance granted by God

dark

 

 

 

 

 

So imagine you are in a dark room.  You have two actual options to choose from.  You are only aware of one.  The one you are aware of is in front of you, dimly lit.  The other, is covered under a black box.  You are not aware of its existence.  How can you choose an option you are not aware exists?  If you are a slave to sin, and not regenerate, you are like the person in the dark room.  You choose what you have chosen, and you do it over and over again.  If you are going to be saved, God makes the other option evident to you.

heaven or hell

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is as if, He removes the box, and shines a bright light on the other option.  In so doing, you realize it is far superior.  The other actual option you were reveling in is realy like; vomit, feces, and maggots.  In revulsion you cast it down.  You vigorously whip your hands back and forth in disgust.  The realization of what you had once loved, and called good, is so disgusting, in light of the truth, that you can’t believe you loved it.  You flee to the truth of God, as fast as you can, with reckless abandon, throwing yourself at the foot of the cross, seeing it’s beauty for the first time.

Church · Church Reviews

We Visited West Valley Free Methodist Church in Fruitland on 03-23-14

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

westvalley

 

 

 

 

We visited West Valley Free Methodist Church of Fruitland on 03/23/14.

  1. How approachable/welcoming, is the Pastor before and/or after the service? The Pastor greeted us in the Sanctuary and was friendly.
  2. How friendly is the congregation? The congregation was friendly.  Only a couple of people talked with us or greeted us besides the Pastor.
  3. How many congregants were there? There were approximately 80 to 110 in the 11 O’clock service.
  4. How do they take the offering? A bag was passed.
  5. Where are they located? They are next to Schwan’s in Fruitland at, 100 E 1st St Fruitland, ID 83619.  Their phone number is (208) 452-3460
  6. How is the service broke down between, prayers, worship, and sermon? It seemed to be approximately 5% prayer, 5% announcements, 40% worship, and 50% sermon.
  7. What is the condition of their facilities? The facilities were above average for the size of their congregation.
  8. What is the preaching style of their Pastor? The sermon was topical.  It was about marital love and how to stay in love as opposed to just falling in love and then out of it.  The sermon was pretty good.  Pastor Doug tied the gospel in.  He explained how love is a decision, and an action.  He made a point of calling love a verb.  He spoke of Christ’s sacrificial love and how we should consider others above ourselves.  His scripture passage was Philippians 2:3-8.
  9. Do they use a specific translation of the Bible, or prohibit any translations, if so why? They mostly use the NIV.
  10. Do they have a web page? They do, and here is the link; http://www.westvalleychurchfm.org/  If so, is there a clear, orthodox, confession or statement of faith? They have a beliefs page.  It appears orthodox.  I was hoping for a more detailed confession of faith.  They are Wesleyan/Arminian.  Here is the link from their page; http://www.westvalleychurchfm.org/devotional/
Theology

The mark of the beast, the law of Moses, and Islam.

Bob Snyder1 Comment

Has anyone else noticed this similarity and wondered about it?

     I noticed a similarity between (Deuteronomy 6:8 NASB) “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” and 1 (Revelation 13:16 NASB) “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,” Has anyone else noticed this similarity and wondered about it?
I know that satan seems to be mocking God in His triune nature with the 2 unholy trinity of the false prophet, satan, and the anti-christ.picture-of-antichrist

I know that satan is a created being and so are the members of the unholy trinity, as such they are subject to God. They can only go as far as He allows.
The similarity between the two verses seems it could be another instance of defamation against God. God gave the law to Moses and Israel for their good. It was later used by them as a means to an end. It became a works righteousness system. They thought by obeying in their deeds they would please God. There is a religion today that is a works righteousness faith and a totalitarian replacement government all rolled up into one, and their eschatology interestingly resembles ours. Except their Christ figure is our anti-christ.
If you guessed islam, you are correct. That is the faith I am talking about. If you are not muslim and you live in a muslim land you already have trouble doing business and buying food. I wonder what a future islam would look like if it were world wide and influenced by the cultures it conquered?muslims

A world system and a religion combined, in complete tyrannical control. They already kill Christians and Jews for their god. What would a secularized and modernized islam look like? Just random thoughts from Bob.

1 http://carm.org/what-biblical-numerology
2 http://www.gotquestions.org/unholy-trinity.html