THE OLD CROSS AND THE NEW by A. W. Tozer

All unannounced and mostly undetected there has come in modern times a new cross into popular Evangelical circles. It is like the old cross but different. From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from this new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique--a new type of meeting and a new type of preaching. This new evangelicalism employs the same language of the old, but it's content is not the same and it's emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it mean't the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing baudy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new one can be received. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level.  Whatever the sin mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing that the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self respect. The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public. The philosophy behind this kind of thing may be sincere but it's sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent ending of a human being. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It struck cruel and hard and when it had finished it's work, the man was no more. The race of Adam is under death sentence. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to the newness of life. That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of the hearers. In coming to Christ, we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. the corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

We who preach the Gospel must not think of ourselves as public relation agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, or the world of modern education. We are not diplomats, but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. the life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Simply, a man must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on and forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Having done this let him gaze upon the risen Savior and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a
new life along with Christ.

Dare we tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the old blueprints or altar the pattern shown to us in the Mount? May God forbid! Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PRESENT DAY CHURCH by A. W. Tozer

The Christian conception of God in these current years is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God and actually to constitute for professed believers  something  amounting to a moral calamity.

With the loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence.

The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited, constitutional monarchy. The king is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions.

The doctrine of the Spirit as it relates to the believer has over these past decades been shrouded in a mist such as lies upon a mountain in stormy weather. A world of confusion has surrounded this truth. This confusion has not come by accident. An enemy has done this. Satan knows that Spiritless evangelicalism is as deadly as heresy, and he has done everything in his power to prevent us from enjoying our true Christian heritage.

If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity. The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.

Almost every day of my life I am praying that “a jubilant pining and longing for God” might come back on the church. We don’t need to have our doctrine straightened out; we are as orthodox as the Pharisees of old. But this longing for God that brings spiritual torrents and whirlwinds of seeking and self-denial----this is almost gone from our midst.

Christian Psychology by Anonymous

Christian psychology

 is a very tender subject indeed - because as much as many people need help in the area of the soul - and MANY people do - it is the one area where new age philosophy is most easily "mixed into the baking dough" so to speak. A humanistic and secular world view is very quickly developed if one goes down this route (I am a Christian therapist myself and I've had to renounce practically ALL of the teaching I received on secular schools and examine carefully the Christian teachings as well).
Anyway, read these words by Dave Hunt and consider how subtle deception can creep into well meaning teaching and attempts to help others - and how much of what is preached in churches today is actually "self help" for the mind and soulish realm seasoned with quotes from the Bible to make it "Christian":

"Christian psychology says that we do need such help, that the Bible doesn't have all the answers we need, that prayer, repentance, being filled with the Holy Spirit and other biblical remedies are not enough because there are psychological problems that require something more. Does it not seem a bit odd that God has apparently inspired the likes of Freud, Jung, et al. with "truths" unknown to the apostles and prophets and all of the leaders in the entire history of the church? No, we are told reassuringly, this is not to be considered strange at all. What we need to understand is that "all truth is God's truth." This specious phrase is invoked whenever questions are raised and is generally accepted without further thought.

The question of what is meant by truth is seldom asked. Are we talking about scientific facts involving the brain and body, or about God's truth involving the soul and spirit? Jesus said, "Thy Word is truth ," not part of the truth. Psychology pretends to deal with the soul and spirit (it actually claims to be a science of mind ), a subject upon which God has spoken with finality and about which He claims to have communicated in His Word the whole truth . There are no parts of this truth missing from the Bible and left in limbo to be discovered by godless theorists. To suggest that there are is to contradict the clear testimony of Scripture and the consistent teaching of the church since the beginning, a church that got along very well without psychology until its very recent introduction into secular society and from there into the Christian realm.

As soon as the door was opened for the "truths" of psychology to shed further light upon Scripture a subtle process began. If "all truth is God's truth," and psychology is part of that truth, then it has to be given equal authority with the Bible. Of course Christian psychologists deny this. In all sincerity they assure us that no psychological theory will be accepted that contradicts the Bible; but in actual practice "psychological truth" is imposed upon the Bible and becomes the new grid through which the Bible is to be interpreted."

WHAT'S WRONG WITH RELIGION ANYWAY? by Steve Shipley

I don't understand this saying I see on Google+ and Face Book: "It's not about religion, it's about relationship." It's actually nonsensical and untrue. Yes, it's about relationship, but it's also about religion.  Jesus didn't just call us to be His son or daughter and sit there doing nothing. Religion is the order of things that put us in the center of His will. The World dictionary defines religion as: " belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny" If religion is "belief in, worship of, and obedience to" Jesus Christ, then that is what a believer should want. He or she should desire this religion, or perhaps many today do not want to be bothered by such a commitment. Perhaps they want to call Jesus a friend, but not their Lord.
Religion , in the context of Holy Scripture is NOT a bad thing. It is not a dirty word or something to be disdained, but rather,  something to be embraced. Paul exhorted believers, "Let everything be done decently and in order", and that is what religion brings. What it really comes down to is man's disdain for rules and regulations. It was once said that the national anthem to hell is, " I did it my way". No silly commandments or rituals for them.  No Church or organized doctrine. They will carry their personal little Savior around in a box and make Him fit their schedule and their needs.
Sorry, but God ordained Religion. Yes satan has perverted it, but that doesn't give us the right to ignore God's religion. The Ten commandments, the Lord's Supper, baptism,  corporate worship, washing one another's feet, feeding the poor and helping the needy is all a part of Biblical religion. Can you do that from your sofa watching football on Sunday?
Be very careful the next time you want to chuck out religion. It IS about relationship, but my relationship with Christ leads me to practicing religion.

DIGGING UP WELLS by Steve Shipley

Genesis 26: 15-18 gives us the account of how Isaac dug up the wells of his father, Abraham, that had been clogged with earth by the Philistines. As his servants unstopped each well, they found springs of water.

Modern day Philistines have infiltrated the Church and clogged up the faith of our fathers with all kinds of dirt; humanism, psychology, easy believism, self centered health/wealth message, and a watered down seeker ( sinner ) friendly gospel. Lost deep beneath this mess are springs of living water and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, where the Holy Spirit still calls men to repentance and to the cross of Christ!

So where are the Isaacs of today? Where are men and women of God who will say "NO" to the compromise we are seeing in most churches across this nation? John the Baptist would not be allowed in today's pulpits. For that matter, neither would Peter, James, John, or Paul. They've already replaced the King James version of the Bible in most churches with newer, watered down translations, because the KJV is too offensive and harsh!

Sure, these new churches are full, but full of what? Clogged up with dirt!

At one church I attended, the Pastor told me that I needed to get in touch with my feminine side. At another, they gave a call for salvation, but never mentioned anything about repentance or the cross of Jesus. I've heard countless sermons filled with psychology ( a humanistic religion ), lightly peppered with scripture ( usually taken out of context ) and nary a mention of the precious atoning blood of our Savior!

If Martin Luther were here today, he would have to nail 95 more thesis to the doors of our "purpose driven" assemblies! Billy Sunday would still preach from a tent, because his "fire and brimstone" words are outdated and may hurt someone's feelings.

The Christian bookstores are filled with dirt. Christian television is filled with dirt. Churches are filled with dirt. We need somebody with a big shovel, or maybe even a bulldozer to dig up the dirt and reveal the "faith of our fathers".

The God of Isaac is still on the throne, but where are the Isaacs of God?

WHY I ONLY READ THE KING JAMES BIBLE by David Stewart

Why I Only Read the King James Bible?

By David J. Stewart

"I am the LORD, I change not." -Malachi 3:6

God is immutable (unchangeable).  God does not change!  God's Word is unchangeable too.  In Matthew 24:35, the Lord Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."  We read in the Old Testament, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89).  The last word of Revelation existed in heaven before the first word in Genesis was ever written.  Jesus is the Living Word; the Bible is the Written Word.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).  "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).  Jesus also said in Matthew 4:4, "...Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  If I am to live by "Every Word" of God, then I need an "Every Word" Bible!!!  Since all of the hundreds of bibles on the market don't say the same thing (and they don't agree), then they CANNOT ALL be God's Word--no way!  God only wrote ONE BOOK!

I've been amazed for years now, how God-fearing Believers can recognize false religion but fail to detect false bibles.  We can recognize counterfeit dollars, but not counterfeit bibles.  Folks! God never changes!  Why then are we so ready to accept changes to God's Word in the form of different Bible versions?  The Authorized King James text has faithfully served the body of Christ for almost 400 years.  During this time, and during its translation, Satan has viciously and relentlessly attacked it.  I now hear Christians attacking it too!  I've heard preachers and lay people say things like, "it's too hard to read" or "it doesn't properly reflect the true meaning of the original Greek."  These are poor excuses.  Do we rewrite Shakespeare?  Of course not!; rather, we study Shakespeare in the beauty in which it was written.  The Authorized 1611 King James Bible was translated in the most beautiful period of English literature; It is ridiculous to water it down to the silly so-called "translations" which we have available on the market today.  They are mistranslations!  

The issue about the original Greek is really irrelevant!  Do you know why?  Simply because you and I were not there!  I cannot prove anything to you from history, and you cannot prove anything to me.  There are so many theories and "so-called proofs" that it is ridiculous.  Prove to me that Julius Caesar ever existed!  You cannot.  Prove to me that Alexander the Great existed!  You cannot.  Can I prove to you that Jesus ever existed?  No I cannot.  I can show you the Bible (which alone is enough proof for me), but you may not believe me.   Now I believe that Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great really existed.  Why?  Because of the historical evidence available.  Howbeit, you cannot PROVE to me that these men ever existed--I must accept it by faith, based on things I see and hear today.  Likewise, a person believes the Bible "by faith."  You see, everything we believe about history is "by faith." 

 I once witnessed to a Jehovah Witness; He was a gentleman and new his religion well.  We began to discuss the King James Bible verses his "New World Translation."  He said that his bible had originated from much more reliable manuscripts than the King James (from the same corrupt source as the New International Version by the way--Wescott and Hort).  To make a long-story short, we never could make it past that key stumbling block--the Bible!  He failed to recognize God's Word.  He wanted to argue over the Greek.  Which Greek?  The corrupt Greek out of Alexandria Egypt?  Or the trustworthy Greek out of Antioch Rome?  I couldn't convince him of anything.  Listen, there are Greek manuscripts galore, including the corrupted manuscripts that the Roman Catholic religion uses; thousands and thousands of manuscripts.  

What I am saying ladies and gentleman is that we do NOT need a knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew to accurately identify God's Word today.  God promised to PRESERVE His Word for all generations, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shaltpreserve them from this generation for ever" (Psalms 12:6,7).  God promised to preserve His Word!  Just how pure is God's preserved Word?  We just read the answer in Psalm 12:6, "...as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."  The process of refining precious metals (such as silver and gold) involve heating the metals up until the impurities separate.  The more this process is repeated, the purer the finished product.  God said His Word is as pure as silver refined SEVEN times--now that's pure!  Don't you tell me that we don't have God's Word today!  Don't try to tell me that my grandmother would have needed a PHD (post-hole digger) to understand the Bible.  No sir!  The King James Bible has been tested and reads just fine at a 5th grade reading level.  My mama didn't need a degree in Greek or a diploma from some university to know that the King James Bible is God's preserved, inerrant, inspired, infallible Word.  Phooey on all these nuts talking about the Greek.  We read in Luke 7:35, "Wisdom is justified of all her children."  God's Children, Who are living to win souls to Christ, recognize God's Word.  The snide remarks and attacks against the KJB text are unfounded.

We must remember that the Bible is a spiritual book and is understandable only to those who are led by God's Spirit.  It is not possible for the natural man to understand it...

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1st Corinthians 2:14).  

;hence, paraphrasing or simplifying it will do no good.  The Bible is not supposed to read like a fairy tale--Peter said, "...for we have not followed cunningly devised fables" (II Peter 1:16).  The words of the Authorized King James Bible are not laborious to me, they are beautiful and full of God's power.  Even the world knows it--the Authorized King James has been listed on Norton Anthology's list of "the world's best literature" for decades.  

 I ONLY read the King James Bible because it is the ONLY translation that upholds the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the blood of Christ, etc. etc.  Never bible versions muddle, change and DIMINISH the deity of Jesus (that He is God Almighty).  The new versions have come up with some dangerous changes to the scriptures.  The Lord God gives us stern warnings about changing His Word--

Revelation 22:18-19, "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."

Deuteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

Look at this change in the NIV:

John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son...

The authorized King James says,

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son..."

In this instance, the NIV changes the scriptures by saying that Jesus is God's "one and only Son" instead of saying, "his only begotten Son."  This change causes a contradiction in the word of God because God has more than one son according to both the King James (Genesis 6:2, Job 1:6, John 1:12) and NIV (Genesis 6:2).  God has many adopted sons, but only one "begotten Son"--Jesus, the only begotten Son of God.  It is a wicked sin for anyone to remove the word "begotten" from John 3:16.  As I told one Lutheran minister not long ago, "Any bible that does not have the word "begotten" in John 3:16 is going straight into my garbage pail."  God only wrote ONE Book, not 400.  The English speaking language hasn't changed that much in the last 400 years.  It's all about filthy lucre--money, money, money!  Just as some evil people prey upon children with their cigarette adds to make a buck, so do evil people pervert God's Word into a watered-down-mess to make a buck.  It is a shame, it really is!  

By the way, the word "Godhead" has been removed from the NIV as well.  So wicked!

I do not buy the line that the inerrant word of God is found only in the originals (which nobody has by the way).   I know that God has the power to preserve His word and that he wouldn't leave us out in the dark with an "imperfect" translation.  In the authorized King James Version, God assembled and moved with His Spirit; a team of some of the world's best 48 scholars to translate His word into the world's most popular language, English.  Also consider this--Jesus and Paul continually quoted Scriptures from the Old Testament.  These quoted Old Testament Scriptures were NOT from the original manuscripts; these Scriptures were learned and quoted from COPIES.  So is the New Testament inspired as well as the Old Testament?  Of course it is.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2nd Timothy 3:16).  

The complete translator's notes of the Authorized King James scholars are not included in today's publishings.  This is unfortunate because these notes say a lot about these men-- they were humble, they loved the word of God, and they loved the King.  They were berated by the Catholic religion and they desired a translation for the common man (who was kept in darkness).  Some of the translators where killed for their faith.  This Book was forged in blood, sweat, and tears.

I've heard folks make a big to-do about the italics in the Authorized KJV.  Well, unlike many of today's translators, the authorized KJV translators were ethical enough to let us know which words they had to add in translating.  They did this in order to give us the true meaning of the original text (these are the words in italics in the KJV).  There is something called "transliteration."  It simply means that you MUST follow certain rules of grammar when translating from one language into another.  For example: Charles Russell (founder of the "Jehovah Witness" false religion) was taken to court in Canada.  The case for the lawsuit involved Russell's "New World Translation" of the Bible.  Russell perverted it.  He arbitrarily decided to add the article "a" into John 1:1.  Whereas the King James Bible said that Jesus "was God"; The New World Translation said that Jesus was, "a god."   Charles Russell lost this case in court.  You can't just go rewrite something any ole way you feel like it.  Basically, Charles was an idiot.  Today, the Jehovah Witnesses' try very hard to distance themselves from their goofy founder.  He was also taken to court by the Department of Agriculture for fraud.  He was selling seeds, claiming they were special and would yield 5 times the normal harvest.  He lost in court of course, again (read "Kingdom of the Cults" by Walter Martin for more).  The King James Translators went through the necessary trouble of identifying which words they added; That's real scholarship and integrity!!!  Thank Jesus for those godly men.  

Here's why I believe a lot of weak Believers are falling for these other perversions of the Bible--There's an epidemic of "so-called-Christian" books on the market today!  An epidemic of "so-called-Christian" radio!  An epidemic of "so-called-Christian" TV.  Sadly, many folks have been INOCULATED from Christianity.  The doctors gives you an inoculation shot to keep you from getting the real thing.  He gives you just enough of the DEAD virus, to prevent you from getting the real thing.  Satan has succeeded in inoculating people from the truth.  I believe this is why most of God's Children are ignorant on this matter.  Satan gives us a bare minimum of the truth, and a whole lot of mumbo-jumbo which does nothing for us spiritually.  These "daily devotionals" give us just enough to make us feel like we've had our walk with God for that day.  This is a big part of what is wrong with America today.  We've got too many "so-called-Christian" TV and radio shows keeping people from their Bibles.  There's too many "so-called-Christian" magazines and books that are steering people's minds and hearts away from God's Empowering Word.  The great preacher Dwight L. Moody once said, "Most people have just enough religion to be miserable."  This is so true!  Have you been inoculated from the truth?  Turn off the TV, the radio; Put down the magazine, pick up your Bible.  

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2nd Timothy 3:5).  

Basically, the average Believer today is ignorant of the Bible; The unsaved are woefully ignorant.  It is this ignorance of the Bible which has led to the acceptance of wolves in sheep's clothing sneaking into our churches.  Let's not accept the premise that the tried and true Authorized King James is somehow outdated and is to be replaced by dozens of new translations.  People have been getting saved by reading the King James Bible for a long, long time.  We know that it contains the Word of Life whereby we live and grow.

It is becoming more and more difficult to find Believers Who uphold the King James Bible.  People are being confused concerning God's Word.  Which one is it?  Satan knows that many newborn babes in Christ are not receiving the real milk that they need in order to grow spiritually.  Satan purposes to create doubt, confusion and uncertainty in the lives of people.  The Bible teaches that God is NOT a God of confusion...

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (1st Corinthians 14:33). 

This whole matter of counterfeit bibles is of the devil.  Satan is the true source behind the NIV, ASV, NKJV, etc, etc.  New converts need God's Word, the King James Bible; not a watered-down variation.   Their growth is dependent upon learning and memorizing the Bible.  Have you ever tried to memorize the NIV?  There's just no motivation to memorize it.  On the contrary, the King James Bible grips your soul and begs to be in your heart and mind (if you love the Lord); One can't help but to memorize it's precious Words and doctrines.  The proof is that I've yet to meet one single NIV boasting Christian who could quote me a single verse word perfect from the NIV.  If they exist, I haven't met one.  I've come to notice that the folks who love their Bible's the most are King James folks.  When I was a boy; I remember my mother used to sleep sometimes times with a King James Bible clutched in her arms.  How many NIV folks love their Bible that much?  Come to think of it, how often do you see someone faithfully carrying their NIV.  The devil figures that if he can't kill the babes, he'll do the next best thing--stunt their growth.  The NIV is BAD news folks!  Read the King James!!!  

ENEMIES OF THE CROSS! by Steve Shipley

The Apostle Paul warned the church, with tears, about those who are "enemies of the cross" in Philippians Chapter 3. In verse 19, he explains that these individuals have prominent characteristics that stand out and reveal who they really are. Christians today would do well to examine these and be on the watch for these enemies of the cross of Christ.

NUMBER ONE: "Whose god is their appetite."  Those who truly believe in and follow after the cross of Christ give up their own desires and surrender all that they are and all that they have to Jesus and His kingdom. An "enemy of the cross" has only the desire to fill his belly, his pockets and to satisfy his temporal need. Remember that only one disciple betrayed the Lord Jesus and why? For his own prosperity......for money.

NUMBER TWO: "Whose glory is their shame." The Bible says that our righteousness is as filthy rags, yet those spoken of by Paul in this verse glory in the shame of their own works. They will tell many stories of their great faith and the works they have done. A friend of the cross lifts up only Jesus. John the Baptist had it right when he said, "He ( Jesus ) must increase and I must decrease.

NUMBER THREE: Who mind earthly things." The message of many so-called Bible teachers today is on how to get rich or how to be a success in this life. This is a message opposite of the one taught in the New Testament. Peter tells us that all in this life will melt away with a fervent heat and the works thereof burnt up. They conveniently neglect to remind you that this world is not our home, and we shouldn't get too attached or store up treasures here that moth and rust destroy. Instead they teach "seed faith", where you give to get back. This concept is hard to distinguish from the selling of indulgences by the Roman Catholic church. It's akin to bargaining with God.

We must always be careful of the message AND the messenger! If the cross of Christ is not the centerpiece of all that is said and done, you may be listening to or you, yourself become an "enemy of the cross."