News & Commentary

See below for what's new on this site, commentary on current events, and other news items. Updated: 10/3/07

New on this site - Comment on Current Events - Other News Items

Searching For Church
A Journey Through Time and Place

From the NTRF.org site:

Is a church without a building really a church?

Filmmaker Gary T. Smith masterfully overviews the 2000 year journey God's people have made from living room to basilica and now back to the living room.

Filmed on location in Russia, England and America.
Runtime: 30 minutes

Join Gary T. Smith as he travels from America to Europe, across Europe to the edge of Asia, and back to America in search of an answer to the question, "What makes up a New Testament type of church?"

From ancient Israel to modern day America, you'll hear how the church got started, how it changed from its simple beginnings, and you'll find out what's happening to help it return to a simpler form of church meeting.

Learn more and order this dvd at this NTRF.org page

NTRF.org teaches people how to be the church in peoples' homes. Their theology is Calvinist and their eschatology is preterist. I hold different views on both of those topics. Jim B.

The World System Must be Destroyed

First posted on blog January 29, 2006

There is a very important parallel between the world system and the “flesh”. Just as the “flesh” must die because it cannot be dressed up or improved or perfected, similarly, the World System is destined by God for destruction. The World System cannot be dressed up or improved or perfected, but must be destroyed and replaced by the New Heaven and New Earth.

Just as mystical religions and psychological techniques are man’s attempts to try to perfect his “flesh” and to conjure up the fruit of the Spirit apart from the Spirit of God, similarly, the religious and political and economic agendas of this world are driven by man’s fleshly attempts to build his Babel and its Tower and create his Heaven on Earth.

Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are called to trust in Him to make us that New Creation now and give us our resurrected bodies on that Day. We are called to have New Testament priorities for being in this world but not of this world; to rescue people out of this world system rather than trying to reconstruct this world system; to look for that Blessed Hope of Jesus’ return; to have our hope in heaven, not on this earth; and to look to that eternal City and that eternal love relationship with our God.

Note: The Bible teaches that God, Himself, will judge and destroy the world system. Followers of Jesus Christ are called to proclaim the Good News, to do good to all men, to love everyone, and to suffer at the hands of the evil system. Propaganda in the media often portrays crazed religious types who try to do evil to "bring about Armageddon". This misrepresents what the Bible teaches and what Biblical Christians believe. (2/10/08)

Michael White's forum on Dispensationalism, Pre-Millenialism, & Pre-Trib Rapture

On the procinwarn.com discussion board

Discuss with this brother issues relating to these topics - Agree or Disagree... in love!

Dispensationalism Defined

Political Celebrities Among Evangelicals

Is Mike Huckabee the latest celebrity being promoted to draw the allegiance of professing Christians?

What is Huckabee's relationship with Rick Warren?

What is Rick Warren's plan for the earth?

What is Huckabee's relationship with John McCain?

How will George W. Bush be used among Evangelicals after he leaves office?

How do all these things draw Christians away from a pure devotion to Jesus Christ?

The Foolishness of Preaching

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Good Samaritan or Tower of Babel Vision?

How shall we discern the difference between doing good to others as a "Good Samaritan" out of the love of Christ versus pursuing a worldly crusade for a Tower of Babel vision?

The World Christian Movement

"You can change the world for God's new age" ????

Should we expect the world to get better and better?

Lucifer, the Garden of Eden, & the Tower of Babel

Four Ways Christians Are Deceived

"I have a VISION!" "Achieve your DREAMS" ???

Thigmotropism in Sierra Leonean Plants

Temitope Peters Adewole

Video by Jim Scott

Six Year Separation

From a Violent Husband and then a Miracle

A Testimony of Jesus Christ in the Life of Patty of Gig Harbor, Washington State, USA

ACSI

Association of Christian Schools International Adds Spiritual Formation and Promotes Contemplative Authors

Source: Lighthouse Trails (posted on this site 1/28/9)

Another Adventure in Sierra Leone

Upcoming House Church Workshops

Gatineau Quebec Canada House Church Workshop
April 26, 2008

North Carolina House Church Workshop Smithfield (Raleigh area)
February 8-9, 2008

Registration info at NRTF.org

Two African Princesses...

... and an Amateur Interviewer.

Mari is Temne and lives in a village in northern Sierra Leone. Christianna is from Skokomish, Washington State, USA, and is translating using Krio, Temne, and English. The amateur interviewer is Jim Baumgaertel.

Video by Jim Scott

Rethink Conference

Schuller and Christian Leaders Gather to Help Bring About Interspiritual Dream [Tower of Babel - world religion]

Rethink Conference: Crystal Cathedral, California

January 17, 2008
From Lighthouse Trails [posted on procinwarn.com 1/18/07]

"Robert Schuller once said: "Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we're all doing God's work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we're laboring hand in hand to repair the breach." He made that statement in his 2001 biography, My Journey (p. 501), and today he has taken a giant step forward in seeing his dream of an all all-inclusive spiritual body come true. What's more, Christian leaders and organizations are helping to bring it to pass.

"Today, the Rethink Conference at Schuller's Crystal Cathedral began. This three day event is hosted by Schuller and popular emerging futurist Erwin McManus.

"In addition to McManus, the Rethink Conference has several other Christian leaders speaking: Gary Smalley, Henry Cloud, Chuck Colson, and Kay Warren, [George Barna, Lee Strobel] to name a few. While the speaker list includes several names outside the Christian camp (Larry King, George Bush Sr., Rupert Murdoch, etc.), a majority of the speakers, both Christian and non-Christian, are proponents mystical spirituality. The reason this is important to know is because Schuller's vision of an all-inclusive global religious body cannot happen without mysticism. It is in fact the vehicle through which Schuller's dream will occur."

See the rest of this article.

Lucifer, the Garden of Eden, & the Tower of Babel

Four Ways Christians Are Deceived

Confronting "Motivational" Training Programs

Link between Contemplative & New Thought Movements:

Brother Lawrence

Posted 1/16/08 updated 1/19/08

See the quote from New Thought Movement page by Alan Anderson:

"Using the title of a famous book by Brother Lawrence, New Thought is "the practice of the presence of God," but unlike conventional mysticism, which emphasizes contact or union with God for its own sake, New Thought adds to this most important side of mysticism, the practice of the presence of God for practical purposes. To those who object that one should not use God, New Thought replies that there is nothing but God to use, and/or that God wants us to have the best in all aspects of living, that God constantly offers this to us, and that in accepting it we are living as God wants us to live."

Both the Contemplative Spirituality Movement and the New Thought Movement are rooted in mystical paganism.

Link to New Thought Movement page

The Emergent Church Movement & Contemplative Spirituality

What is the New Thought Movement?

Flash - Praise Report

Bob near Spokane has trusted in Jesus and his wife is full of gratitude to the Lord after a very hard 25 years. Reported by a friend who knows what it's like to despair. (1/13/08)

Mark Driscoll Rejects McLaren But Embraces Contemplative

Since last Fall, when Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, denounced some of the teachings of emerging church leaders Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt at the Convergence Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, his talk has been the topic of many discussions across North America. People feel that such a denouncement by someone who had a role in the start up of the emerging church is very noteworthy. (1)

However, while Driscoll has placed himself in what he considers a more conservative and a biblical form of the emerging church, evidence shows that when it comes to the driving force behind the emerging church - mysticism - Driscoll embraces the same spiritual technology as McLaren and Pagitt.

A "Recommended Reading List" on Driscoll's website shows that Driscoll resonates with contemplative and emerging church leaders who teach and adhere to eastern-style meditation.

Some may feel that a disclaimer on the site releases Driscoll from any connection. The disclaimer states that "Mars Hill Church does not endorse every thought, idea, principle, and/or method of every single title or author on this list," but says the books are "good for those who read with discerning minds as they worship God in spirit and truth.... Our heart in having this list is to help people live for Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him as they are reaching their city with the gospel." Unfortunately, several of the titles are not at all "good for those who read" them, will not help them in their "worship" of God, and rather than help them "grow in their relationship with Him" will point readers toward a mysticism that runs contrary to biblical truth.

A complete list of the recommended books (about 85 altogether) has several titles in question (about 1/4 of the list). For instance, Driscoll includes three books by contemplative/centering prayer advocate Larry Crabb. In Crabb's book, The Papa Prayer, his propensity toward the mystical is quite obvious (see our report on this book). Crabb is a spiritual director for the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors). A statement in the AACC Code of Ethics shows how it is influenced by contemplative pioneer Richard Foster:

Although rooted primarily in an orthodox evangelical biblical theology, this Code is also influenced (according to the paradigm offered by Richard Foster) by the social justice, charismatic-pentecostal, pietistic-holiness, liturgical, and contemplative traditions of Christian theology and church history. (p.3, American Association of Christian Counselors, Code of Ethics)

See the rest of the article at the Lighthouse Trails site

Vida En Cristo

Nathan & Julissa Cedarland's new site

Gospel from the
Heart of Africa

The Ministry of Temitope Adewole (Peters) from Nigeria in West Africa

gospelfromtheheartofafrica.com

Watch us driving through Freetown in Sierra Leone. Video by Jim Scott.p>

See Below

Nathan & Julissa & Eva update

Back from West Africa

12/10/07 updated 12/12/07

Our Trip to Sierra Leone - Photos & Videos by Jim Scott

Videos: London from Jubilee Bridge - Rogbere Market - Rain

By the grace of God, Jim Scott and I returned this last Sunday evening. It was an indescribably wonderful ten days with Steve and Patti and the children.

Thank the Lord our six suitcases made it to Sierra Leone and we delivered all the gifts. Everyone was so appreciative.

We had wonderful fellowship with Peters, Quintin, Gladys, Foday, Williams, Freeman and many many others.

We appreciated Brother Quintin's hospitality to enjoy his farm and we pray for eternal fruit from his service.

Brother Peters has become such a close friend to us and we pray for him and his fiance in Nigeria and his ministry of the Gospel.

We were invited three times to the Temne village of Rotaprr for dinner and discussion.

Between sister Patti and Gladys and village elder Andrew we ate well: squirrel stew, monkey stew, crab stew, lots of rice with wonderful spicy red sauce, boiled cassava, roasted cassava, cassava leaf stew in palm oil, oranges we squeezed with our hands and drank, bananas, so much more.

We had many adventures in Freetown, including when the truck broke down on the way out after dark. Young brother Williams rescued us and took us to his extended family's home. Steve and Jim Scott and I slept in the same bed under a mosquito net. It was a long night. The next day we enjoyed nine hours of heart to heart discussion waiting for the truck to be fixed.

We were blessed to hear Steve teach the Bible several times, witness to the unsaved, and disciple believers. We took part in the Sunday morning meeting of the saints on the porch of the Phillips' home with the brethren and a number of people from the village. We sang many hymns and songs to the Lord Jesus, including the Krio chorus, "Tell God Tenke".

We thank the Lord, we praise the Lord. We are grateful for the participation of many in this expression of love to the Phillips and the brothers and sisters in Sierre Leone.

Jim Baumgaertel

Gospel for West Africa

My Jesus I Love Thee

I love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, and praise Thee as long as Thou lendeth me breath;

and say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow; if ever I loved Thee, My Jesus ‘tis now.

Adoniram J. Gordon

Among the beloved Hymns sung at Belmont Terrace

Multi-Level Marketing

Push is on for Global Religion to Worship the Earth
Campaign has been building since the late 80s (3/11/07)
On the other hand, the push started in the Garden of Eden. The attempt to merge Evangelical Christians into this Earth Religion is intensifying.
Chuck Smith's System Rejects Purpose Driven Movement