Month: March 2016

cultural · God · love · marriage · Uncategorized

What is a young man’s incentive to get married?

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What is a young man’s incentive to get married?

In today’s culture, there really is none.  Think about it.  Because of feminism, promiscuity, abortion, birth control, and unfair divorce laws, a man has no reason to get married.  For a young man today, he has women exercising their, “equality” by approaching him for promiscuous sex outside of marriage.  He doesn’t have to court them, or win their affections.  No, he just has to be attractive, and willing.  He doesn’t have to worry about becoming a Father either.  Birth control, and abortion have him covered there.  Why become a Father when he can remain a boy?  Not to mention what he witnessed growing up.  His own Father was never in his life, because of the divorce his parents put him through.  He only got to see his Father on the court appointed days.  His buddies that have been divorced tell him of how they have to pay alimony, lose half their retirement accounts, take all of the debt, lose half of their assets, and only get to see their children when it is convenient for their ex.  So if he can keep having all of the sex he wants without being married, or even in a committed relationship, why would he want to go through the rest of that trouble?  This is why we need a Biblical world-view.  This is one of the ways the enemy has engineered to take down our culture.  Our culture was based on God’s word.  This is one of the ways the enemy has decided to defile us, and mock God.

cultural · God · love · marriage · Repentance · Uncategorized

Become Lowly Servants.

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welove-christian-graphics1

The world is crazy. People are unstable, and unreliable. They are selfish, and self-centered. They don’t care what other people need. They don’t care about other people’s feelings. They only think about their own problems, and their own feelings. They don’t believe in loving other people more than they love themselves. They don’t believe it is healthy to do so. They don’t love Christ above all. People around them are only there as extensions of themselves. Their egos are tied up in them, and when they aren’t rewarded, it is easy for them to destroy the relationships they have, without care for the other people. I’m sick of seeing this, and hearing of it. Being a spouse, and a parent is not for your fun. If you are a spouse or a parent, it is not an option to cease. If you are a spouse, you made an oath to God, and your spouse, in front of witnesses. How on Earth could you justify destroying that, just because you aren’t happy? If you are a parent of a child, how could you mistreat your child because they are interrupting your, “time” or perhaps they don’t give you what you want. Well, duh! They aren’t there to complete you, or make you feel loved, or better. You are the parent for crying out loud. God has given you a job to do. Train them up in the way they should go. Teach them about God, and His word. Preach the gospel of the grace of Jesus to them. Love them more than you love yourself. Sacrifice for everyone around you. You are NOT THAT IMPORTANT!!! Become everyone’s servant. Wash some feet, lower yourself! All of the self-esteem, feminism, everyone’s a winner, sexual liberty, no fault divorce, birth control, promiscuity marketed to women as women’s lib, defilement of marriage by divorce, adultery, and gay marriage, euthanasia marketed as dying with dignity, abortion marketed as a women’s choice under women’s lib/feminism, porn turning men and women into objects, defiling gender that is God given as a gift for the procreation of image bearers of God, that was to be for His glory, and on and on and on… I’m tired… I’m disgusted… Haven’t we had enough of us? Haven’t we had our fill of this delusion? We need God. We need repentance. We need to be broken so we can see the vanity of it all. WE NEED TO HUMBLE OURSELVES AND REPENT. We need to become lowly servants. That is my rant for the day.  Like Paul when he said, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NASB)  We are the worst of sinners, I am the worst of sinners, you are the worst of sinners.

Bibles · Uncategorized

Used Book Store Find of the Month, a Winston Pocket AV KJV New Testament with Psalms.

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Every once in awhile I stop at our local used book store and look for goodies.  Today was surprised to find this little gem.
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I figured I’d write a little blurb about it, put some pictures up, and ask you, the reader for any information you might know about this interesting little New Testament.

The cover appears to be cowhide leather, with a perimeter groove, yapp style, with the words, “New Testament and Psalms” stamped in gold on the front.  On the spine it says, “New Testament” at the head and, “Winston” at the tail.

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It is about 3″ by 4 3/4″ and about 3/4″ thick.  The page edges are art gilt.  There is one purple ribbon marker.  The words of Christ are in red.  It is laid out in double column, verse format.  It has some colored pictures of art work in it.  There is a reading plan in the front, an article about the Lord’s Prayer in the back, and a list of Parables and Miracles.  It has plain white head and tail bands.  Here are a few of the pictures;
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Here it is compared to my Crossway ESV Verse by Verse Reference Bible,
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Please take a look at the rest of the pictures I took of it on my flickr page here.

I’m really interested in what you know about this particular edition, the publisher, the age of this edition, and any other things you might know about it.  There was no date marked on it or written in it by anyone.  From what I’ve read on the internet, it seems that it could have been made between 1890-1930, but that is speculation.  Thanks in advance and enjoy the pics.

evangelism · forgiveness · God · Repentance · sharing the gospel · Uncategorized

An Offer You Should Not Refuse.

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mafia
Hello, my name is inconsequential. My Boss has sent me to you with a message. You belong to Him. You are His property. He owns you. You are His person, and he is very angry with you. You have broken His laws. For that, He is going to kill, and punish you. It is not a matter of if, but when. It is a certainty. You will not escape it. My Boss will kill you. You will meet Him. You will bow to Him, and be judged for breaking His laws. He will punish you. You will bow to Him in this life, or the next. Because He is good, and loving, while you still breath my Boss makes you this offer, apologize, ask Him to forgive you, search yourself, see the truth, that you are not innocent, but you are guilty. Humbly bow down, and submit yourself to His rule. Serve Him. Believe in the work that His Son did on the cross to pay your debt to Him. If you become His servant, as I have, He will change you into a new creature. You will hate what He hates, and love what He loves. You will still die, but you will not be punished for eternity. Instead you will enter into rest. Because His Son endured the eternal punishment, He offers you grace, and mercy instead of giving you what would be just for Him to do. You will be in His glorious presence, and enjoy Him forever. This offer is only good for a short time. You have moments, days, years, or perhaps He will kill you right now…

Church · cultural · Uncategorized

The Church has Surrendered the Royal Law to the Secular Federal Government.

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church_21

An argument against socialism, undeclared socialism, and communism from a Christian perspective.

The Church has been robbed of one of it’s greatest joys, and duties.  Mark 12:31, “ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ”  Since we have surrendered this joyful grace and duty to secular government, we will not experience some of the fruit of the gospel the way our predecessors did.  

Think about the things that are done by the government, with tax dollars, allegedly on our behalf.  Here is a short list of some semi-socialised and socialised systems in America; public schools, universities, health care/hospitals, social security, disability, medicare/aid, housing subsidies, foster homes, nursing homes, and government jobs.  Before there was a large centralized federal government, the Church performed most of these functions.  If you were born in a hospital chances were that it was built, and paid for by the Church.  Education was a priority of the Church.  Schools and universities were started by Christians to train up men of God, for the service of our Lord.  Children were treated like spiritual beings, in need of the same gospel as their parents.  They were instructed in doctrine and theology.  They were catechised and experienced confirmation, before acceptance in the Church.  The most prominent building in the center of most towns was the Church, with its high steeple holding the cross aloft for all to look upon.  Orphans were taken care of by the Church.  Christians built, funded, and staffed orphanages, and sanitariums, to help those in need.  The hungry and needy came to the Church for help.  The Church taught people to put away money for themselves in their old age, and to leave an inheritance for their posterity.  The elderly were taken care of by their families.  People sought provisions from God, dispensed through His Church.  

The Church was blessed with the duty and ability to love their neighbor as themselves.  The joy they must have known, demonstrating God’s love and grace to His creatures in their state of need.  The fellowship they shared, the sense of community, the sympathy for the suffering, identifying with other humans in their sorrow, feeling and sharing together the human experience of the divine, ministering to the elderly and dying, all of this service flowing from hearts that have been regenerated by Holy Spirit, people in the newness of spiritual rebirth, obedient to God and their new affections, all testifying to the glorious work of His gospel on and in them.

All of this grace and love shown to those in need, brought their gaze tenderly upon Christ and His cross.  The faithfulness of the Church, worked out in their lives, gave them a glimpse of the gospel they had heard, but never known.  Being blessed in such a way, as to have been helped and provided for when in deep distress, grows a fondness towards God and His body.  People were brought into the communion of believers, as the Holy Spirit convicted them, in light of the goodness of God, demonstrated through His people.

Our current state is so much the worse.  We’ve attempted to alleviate the, “burden” of the Church with social programs funded by taxation.  We’ve removed God as our King.  We’ve taken Him from His throne and cast an idol to be placed upon it.  Human government on the throne, accepting our praises, worship, and our supplications.  We abide atrocities, in hopes of a morsel of provision, to be doled out for the loyal subjects, while waiting expectantly for our false gods to take care of our children, widows, orphans, sick, needy, and old.   Everyone one of us, isolated and in our own compartments, safely tucked away from the suffering of our fellow man. “It is not my problem, isn’t there a government program for that?” We cry out when we gaze up from our electronic distractions to see the plight of a poor unfortunate soul in need.  

Our reliance has shifted from the providence of God in His mercies, to the politburo.  The few political elite imagine new laws to solidify their reign, and foist them upon us, as new commandments to be followed without question.  What was once the domain of the Church is now being dictated by our new secular gods.  What is marriage? Who is my brother? What is tolerance? What is a right? Are all questions our world asks the government to answer.  We wait for them to rule from on high and give us answers.  People wait in lines the first of the month for their food, after receiving their unemployment, social security/disability, welfare, food subsidies, and so on, with nobody in particular to thank, just the nebulous government, who doles out just enough to get by and keep them enslaved.  We need to repent, and enter into the realm of politics and public service as we are called vocationally.  We need to be the salt and light in all arenas of public affairs.  We need not be afraid, but rather boldly proclaim the joy of knowing the Lord.  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 NASB

God · Theology · Uncategorized

Power in the Blood, or the Shedding of it?

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lamb

Some people think that the blood of Jesus contained within it the saving power of God.  They believe that it cleanses us from sin.  If this is true, how much do you use to cleanse you of a lie?  How much do you use to cleanse you of murder?  How do you apply it?  Do you pour it over your head?  Do you drink it?  Do you inject it?  What do we do in this day and age when we cannot find the physical blood of Christ?  Is it a mystical thing?  These questions should help us to see that it was the shedding of His blood that was the work of atonement expiating sin.  The blood was special because it belonged to the God-man Christ Jesus, but it isn’t some property of the blood that we must consume to cleanse us of our sin.  It is the effect of Christ’s work through the shedding of His blood that is of import.  If we deny the efficacy of His work and the adequacy of His representation, we deny the gospel.  Claiming that the blood, apart from Him is salvific because of its properties as God’s blood, imparts a carnal attribute of mortality to the immutably immortal nature of God.  Only by the hypostasis of the two natures do we have a salvific euaggelion (εὐαγγέλιον) or gospel.  To deny the hypostatic union, is to affirm the heresy of Nestorianism.

Book Reviews · Uncategorized

Soap Box Review of, “Audacious” from Beth Moore.

Bob Snyder2 Comments


As most of you know, I am a bit biased due to Moore’s sloppy ecumenism and claims of extra-biblical personal revelation. (some of that she has attempted to correct.)  That being said, I am not on a witch hunt, and I am not a heresy hunter.  I don’t run a discernment ministry site.  I simply review Christian books and Bibles, so people can make informed decisions before laying down their hard won sheckles.  

I could easily dismiss her book as a simple edit of her, “vision statement.”  She basically has just added two words to her old vision statement, and contrived a book around it.  Instead, I decided not to discount her offering based on my bias.  I should also let you know that I am not the target audience for a book like this.  I prefer more specific language and less color when reading a theological book. Before you get upset at me stating that her book is theological, perhaps you should consider that any study or writing about God is considered theological.  

There are feelers and there are thinkers, and I’m not saying that these two groups are mutually exclusive.  There is a spectrum, and we all think and feel.  Some of us are predominantly motivated by reason and thought, where others are moved more by emotions and feelings.  I am in the first category.  That, along with being a fortyfour year old male, and a Reformed Baptist, is why I am not the target audience.  If you are a woman who likes to get into someone’s personal life, thoughts, emotions, history, and you want to have a little information about God sprinkled in, then you are the target audience.  Feelers, aren’t so persnickety about precise language.  They understand the intent of the author who paints with their colors.  People who are on the other end of the spectrum, are concerned that the wrong ideas will be conveyed if the language is not precise.  We don’t want to be responsible for someone falling into heresy.  Our motto is, “If you can’t improve on the silence, then don’t say anything.”  In regards to theology it looks more like, “The Bible says it better, just read and quote the Bible.  If you must write a book, be sure that you are faithfully, accurately, and truthfully, expositing the word of God in a beneficial manner that edifies, and educates, the reader.”  If you aren’t doing that, stop writing.  

Beth Moore’s book takes 178 pages to express the Shema, or the Greatest Commandment of God’s word, and what could be said in one short blog article.  I would be glad to read 200 pages or more dealing with this topic if each sentence were valuable.  Moore’s book had very little of value to me.  She writes 178 pages by pumping up the word count, adding all of her quiche Mooreisms, out of context, sometimes misapplied scriptures, personal stories, and wordsmithing.  She does all of this without adding that much quality content.  It is a piece of fluff.  Some people may be encouraged by it if they care about all of Moore’s stories. On the other hand, if you want to learn about God, instead of Moore’s books, there are plenty of other worthwhile books to invest your time in.  It was a painful for me to push through and read.  I would have liked to have had a strainer to filter out the sound little tidbits, and discard the copious amounts of page filler.  This is my personal experience with her work.  If you enjoy her style then you will like this book as it seems to be more of the same.

  • ISBN-13: 978-1433690525