Calvin vs. Rome

THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION:
I read a most interesting and encouraging account of Jean Calvin today in a book I am reading aloud to my children. In “Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation” we were told of a debate that took place between Calvin and several Roman Catholic Priests. After three days of being lectured and rebuked by the Roman Catholics and finally being accused of not knowing the teaching of St. Augustine and the Early Church Fathers, shy Calvin rose to speak. Using not a single note he quoted verbatim many works of the early church and of St. Augustine that proved the exact opposite; it proved that the teachings of the Reformation were, in fact, the teachings of the early church and that Rome had departed. A most interesting, well quite frankly, miraculous thing occurred. The Spirit did His work. The following blog captured what took place. http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Pipes-Psalms-Hymns-Re…/…/193036752X
“Having completed his extemporaneous discourse, Calvin sat down, and a hushed silence fell on all present. Even those who understood very little of what had been said sensed that the direction of the debate had shifted.
There was not a single word of rebuttal. ‘No one wanted to expose himself, not even Mimard [who made the charge] or Blancherose, the spokesman.’ History records that in the moments following, a Franciscan friar, Jean Tandy—noted as a capable preacher who had denounced the Reformers from his pulpit—spoke, his words filled with emotion:
“It seems to me that the sin against the Spirit which the Scriptures speak of is the stubbornness which rebels against manifest truth. In accordance with that which I have heard, I confess to be guilty, because of ignorance I have lived in error and I have spread the wrong teaching. I ask God’s pardon for everything I have said and done against His honor; and ask the pardon of all
of you people for the offense which I gave with my preaching up until now. I defrock myself henceforth to follow Christ and His pure doctrine alone…”  http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2006/03/calvin-in-dialog-with-catholic.html
Following this, some 200 other priests were converted to Christ and left the Roman Catholic church to join the Reformation. This was a most encouraging account to read. It also struck me as further evidence of the darkness of our day. The fact that, up until five years ago, I could sit for OVER TEN YEARS in a so-called PROTESTANT CHURCH and NEVER ONCE HERE THIS MAN’S NAME or the names of any other reformers demonstrates to me the darkness of the age. But, stories such as these show me that God’s light shines brightest IN THE DARK.
SDG! GLORY TO GOD!

Please Consider Great Ministry. Biblically Faithful

http://intriumph.org/90-days-to-triumph/

No Compromise Radio – Francis Chan’s crazy love for Mike Bickle

Guest Post: Blurring the Lines: If Sola Scriptura is unclear what will come through the gate?

Blurring the Lines

Written by: Nancy A. Almodovar, PhD

If Sola Scriptura is unclear what will come through the gate?

The Apostles Creed drew the first line based upon Scripture which summarized the beliefs which must be held to be called a Christian.

At Nicea the line was drawn to further clarify who was a Christian and who was not in dealing with the Deity of Christ: Jesus is both equally God and Man.

In the days of Athanasius the line was dug even deeper: Jesus is God and Man, co equal, co-eternal, Very God of Very God.

At the Council of Orange that line was placed in permanent ink: This is what you must believe to be a Christian.

In today’s religious world, filled with a mix of enthusiast prophets and their false visions alongside the pseudo-calvinist who prefers to pick and choose what to believe at the schmorgasboard called evangelicalism, there is no longer any line. Gandolf said it best: This far and no farther. How far do those who hold to orthodox Christianity remain silent as the enemy routes the camp and pillages the faithful of their assurance and faith? How long do we permit the blurring of lines?

When the reformation occurred the Lutherans, Dutch, Swiss, French, Hungarian, British and Irish Reformers drew the line in the sand again: This must be believed in order to be a true Christian. Somewhere the guards began to fall asleep. They began to permit those with a history of visions and dreams to help “inspire” them onto a deeper walk with Christ. Slowly the mystical practices of the Romanists like Madam Guyon and Brother Lawrence were taught as ways to holiness and perfection. Then came the decisionalists and their free will which eventually led to a God of their own making who didn’t know the future and was subjected to His creatures. These lines which had marked out the true Church from the false began to be erased. The people clamored for popular preachers and teachers, kings of their own instead of The King of kings. They cried for their stew just like Esau and sold their birthright.

However, some of the old guard stood firm and fast refusing entry into the cities of refuge, the Confessionally reformed churches. So, the deceiver switched tactics. No longer wishing to erase the lines, which always alerted the faithful to defend the walls, they decided to blur them. Why not take on some of the language of the citizens and dress up like them in their books and on their videos. Why not look like them, talk like them, worship in a similar manner with a little more excitement added in. So they took the name of the most famous reformer and clothed themselves in sovereign election, irresistible grace and perseverance and declared themselves citizens of the king but from a far off country. Disarmed the citizens let them in the front gate welcoming them as brothers and sisters of the Reformation but from some long-lost family line. The deception had blurred the lines and they were in.

Over the next few years they spent their time teaching their form of Christianity and placed the Scriptures, formerly the only rule of faith and life, aside for some personal visions and dreams and messages from the King that they could hear in their hearts, for who can judge what is in your heart? After all, only God knows what is there. Slowly, the Book which had guided the citizens of the city of refuge was put away for a more contemplative way of the master. As the pseudo-citizens offered morsels sweet to the taste, some citizens were deceived and ate, forsaking their teachers from the past such as the Heidelberg and Westminster Catechisms. But soon, that which was sweet became bitter. Something was wrong but because they no longer looked to that old dusty book they simply asked for more morsels hoping the sweetness would assuage that bitterness.

Then the time came for these foreigners, now called fellow citizens to exact the fullness of their plan. They began to bring in their pets. But they were not pets they were timber wolves who teeth were set to destroy. They were wolves looking to devour even the elect in the city and tear their assurance to shreds, their teeth sharpened to sink into any defender against them.

But God had not left these citizens. Knowing the attacks would come, there were those who had once lived in the cities outside of the reformed and had been converted, granted citizenship in the City of Light, who were aware of the tactics of the enemy and would know from a single bark whether it was simply a pet or a timber wolf. As the Pseudo-calvinists began to bring in their pets, the Ex-Outsiders recognized the sound, the taste and the smell of that which would attempt to slaughter the citizens. They warned, they fought, they pleaded. No longer would the lines be blurred.

The citizens would be awakened again, their eyes opened to the danger, and the lines redrawn along the ancient paths. God would not have His Bride slaughtered or destroyed. He had promised the very gates of Hell would not prevail and would protect and preserve Her throughout all the ages.

The battle is fierce and each generation must sharpen the line between the true citizen of the Kingdom of Light and those whose father is the father of lies and dwell in the kingdom of darkness. The lines must not be blurred and therefore, each generation must again clear the path so that they may:

“Stand by the roads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way is; and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Jeremiah 6:16

Time to dig in and draw the line to the ancient path of God’s Word truly being the sole, unique, and only revelation of His will for our lives. It is time, brothers and sisters, to once again clarify what we believe and where that line is. Time to stand up and say, while defending the line: This far and no farther. I pray, God grant His children the strength and grace to hold the line and that He will give sight to those He wills. His children may take solace that He will send faithful guards who will hold the line and not blur it for His children.

Trust His promise to: establish you and guard you against the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

Guest Post: Only Eat From The IHOP That Serves Pancakes: A Warning From One Who Has Been There

Guest Post from a dear sister, Dr. Nancy A. Almodovar.

I wrote this article a few months ago when I heard that Chan would join IHOP in a youth conference.  But some of you may not know what IHOP is about.  Read on:

IHOP, NAR and PTSD

Ever have one of those days?  What about one of those weeks?  Well, this week was, indeed, just one of those weeks which I had hoped would never come.  Unfortunately, or is it fortunately, it did.  What happened this week catapulted me back into a world I had sooner liked to have forgotten.  However, finding it within Calvinistic circles, and even within some Reformed, and yes even amongst our URC-NA and Can-Ref women’s groups in particular, has caused me to take up the gauntlet in this fight.  And fight it is.  It is the age-long battle between Truth and Lies.  However, because it is found amongst my dearly loved Reformed Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it has broken my heart.

No, not IHOP the pancake franchise.  Rather, it is the International House of Prayer  (IHOP) located in Kansas, MO.  This is the citadel of all that is called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).  It is the central hub from which prophetic words are “heard” from God for the use of His church and the place where new prophets and apostles are trained in the various extreme charismatic gifts such as “words of wisdom”, “words of knowledge”, power worship, interpreting of dreams and visions and  gaining deeper knowledge of the Bridegroom and his various armies (i.e. Joel’s Army, David’s Warriors, etc.)  Indeed, this is not your local House of Pancakes but a place which spreads a false gospel faster than butter melts on hot French toast.

But what is PTSD?  Well, I have restructured that term to fit with many of us who have come out of the Pentecostal/charismatic/prophetic-apostolic/word of faith/deliverance teachings and ministries.  It is Phony-Theological-Sham-Detector.  It is the small alarm that rings when those, whom I call “Ex-A’s” (Ex-Arminians) begin to hear teachings within our beloved confessional community which sounds vaguely familiar to one of the false teachings/ministries from which we were rescued.  It is that alarm which sounds off that something is just not right.  However, before I begin to share who and what is promoting the teachings of IHOP/NAR, it would be prudent of me to share what it is that they believe and promote.

IHOP began with C. Peter Wagner and several modern day self-proclaimed Apostles to the church.  These were men and women who had a special anointing for church planting as well as prophetic gifts to interpret visions, dreams and other various messages of God outside of the Written Scriptures.  These men and women took the titles of Apostle and Prophet and began to work amongst various Pentecostal and charismatic churches which focused on the gifts of what is called the Five-Fold ministry (Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher).  This is not new as the Irvingites in the 1840’s also believed God would restore these five-fold offices to the Church in the last days (see BB Warfield’s Counterfeit Miracles for the history on the Irvingites and their connection with both Pentecostals and charismatics).  It was Wagner and his group’s view that they were to “establish the prophetic and apostolic around the world.” . . . “You see I prophesy over you a new dimension, and I just speak by the Spirit of God and the Lord said I’m raising up a new leadership in the earth and the Lord said “Truly there is a leader shift taking place and I’m moving my leaders into new positions and into new anointings.”[1]  Further, the founders stated, through “prophetic revelation”, “We are in a season of great transition.  Transitioning out of old doctrine, old structure, religious mindsets and religion…for the last two thousand years, the Church has been a religious movement and now, suddenly, we will be saints.”[2]

Wagner “prophecied” further saying ““For I break off the limitations that have tried to hold you back and have tried to hold back your gift and have tried to hold back your church, I begin to break the limitations through apostolic and prophetic release,” so the Lord said. “Get ready, I’m shifting you, I’m moving you into a new grace. For all over the earth there is a new breed being raised up. There was a new leadership coming into place and many men and women are taking their place in leadership and the apostles are rising and the prophets are rising and even the elders of the local churches are rising into a new dimension of grace to begin to release that which is not been released in generations.”[3]  To the leaders of IHOP God is restoring the offices of Apostle and Prophet and the Church is to follow them as they followed Christ’s Apostles and the prophets of old.  They have taken upon themselves offices of the Church which are no longer needed because of the close of the Scriptures and end of all special revelation.

The leaders of this movement within the charismatic world are C. Peter Wagner (who has been invited to many groups to help with church growth), Dutch Sheets, Cindy Jacobs, James Goll, Mike Bickle and Dallas Willard (of the Spiritual Formations movement).  Each believe themselves to be a Prophet who mediates between God and His Church and that because they are of the highest order of Prophets they are also Apostles through whom God reveals many things and whose mission it is to usher in the Kingdom of God.

In 2002, while vacationing at a charismatic retreat center which my husband and I visited annually, we began to be further “trained” and “groomed” for the “prophetic ministry” we were told God had called us to.  One older woman came over to us during one of the “altar calls” at the end of the service and said to me that she had been commissioned by Mike Bickle, head of IHOP, to search out those who had a latent prophetic gift and impart to them the spirit of prophecy which he had in order to raise up an army of prophets to usher in the Kingdom of God and bring about the Manifest Sons of God.  She then laid hands on me as I lay on the floor, speaking in tongues and proceeded to impart the spirit of prophecy on me.  Nothing special happened, no flashes of lightening or shivers down my spine.  However, the next evening service the assistant Pastor from our church came over and began to teach me how to “move in the prophetic”.  I was to lay hands on other people who were up at the front for prayer and just let the “anointing flow” and tell them whatever first “popped” into my head because that was God speaking prophetically through me to them.  I was to become their mediator and let them know either their prayer was answered, or what direction to take in their life.

When my husband and I returned home, the grooming continued under this pastor’s tutelage.  Each week he would train me how to “keep the anointing” and how to function under its power.  He would teach me how to interpret dreams for others while also understanding visions I was having myself.  I was being molded in the pattern of the IHOP prophets and prophetesses.  However, this was not as wonderful as I was told it would be.  Night after night I had nightmares which I could not shake off.  Then during the day while going about my tasks I would see “things” that no one else could see.  To this day I still have not received an adequate answer as to what was really happening.  Was I imagining them?  Was I seeing them because I was told I would be able to discern the spirit realm and so my mind was playing tricks on me?

For the next year I went out to churches to speak at their women’s groups.  After delivering sermons the women would be called up to be prayed for individually.  Laying on of hands was usually proceeded by me sharing with them either something I was “seeing” or “hearing” from God regarding some aspect of their life or spiritual well-being.  So many times I gave “words” from the Lord to these women even down to prophesying the gender of their child or who was coming into their life.  It was always “Peace. Peace”, just as the false prophets of old never warned about judgment from the Lord only peace and well being, prosperity and health.  During this time of “training” we even received special “words” from the Lord including one woman who called us on the phone to give us a prophetic utterance.  None of which ever came true.

In 2003, just as we were heading out the door to vacation once again at our favorite charismatic retreat center, we both grabbed for a book to read.  My husband, one on the history of the Reformation and I, well, the providence of God led me to JC Ryle’s Old Paths.  The next morning as we were reading, my husband in the woods and I inside the cabin, the door flew open and my husband said, “Have you heard of Jan Hus? Or Wycliffe? Or Luther?  Or justification by faith alone?”  At that moment, all the lessons my father had tried so hard to instill in me from the Scriptures came flooding back, along with the words I was just reading from Ryle on Justification by Faith Alone.  From that moment on, we began to question everything.  Everything!  Every single doctrine we had been taught, from tongues to dreams, from visions to interpretation, from words of wisdom to worship warfare and the Bridal Paradigm.  Everything we had learned under the IHOP teachings, their books and videos, and from those who had come to “train” me in the prophetic, we began to question….and question with zeal.

This is where, now, this article becomes very difficult to write.  I wrote in my book, A Modern Ninety-Five, (a book with a series of questions that developed as God was reforming us), that I am not angry because I believe that they too are deceived through these teachings.  However, it behooves those who have been on the battle field, fighting against error and heresy, if we see it entering the camp of the godly, to warn against such subtleties and expose them immediately before the poison hits our loved ones and fellow soldiers of the Cross.  This week was one spent in prayer with tears as my heart broke knowing that many among my Reformed brothers and sisters, and especially the sisters in their desire to study together, have, unknowingly and unwittingly, brought in the serious errors and heresies I described above.

What are those specific errors/heresies?  What does IHOP teach other than charismatic ideals?  Here is from their website what they “affirm”:

The Bridal Paradigm:  This is a teaching which deals with the emotions of Jesus as our lover and Bridegroom.  While they do not advocate “dating” Jesus, many of their followers, along with churches involved, do indeed have special “rooms” in their churches for “intimate prayer” complete with bed and music.

The Tabernacle of David:  This is an end-time prayer movement offshoot (from their regular Prayer Movement) that states it will be worshippers, dancers, singers who war through worship which will usher in the International Kingdom of David and where all nations will be subjected to Christian rule.

Intimacy with God:  Teaching their followers that God is “in love” with His People (as in eros love, along with agape love).  Their teachings stem from the Song of Solomon which they believe is a metaphor of God speaking to His Church and when it says “kiss me with the kisses of your mouth” that is metaphor for Jesus imparting special revelation to His people.

The Use of Prophecy:  Teaching that an army of prophets will help to usher in the Kingdom of God internationally, they equate this prophecy from God as secondary to the Written Word.  This sounds just fine and as if they are trying to separated the two types of prophecy.  However, would we ever say that God’s prophesies are lesser than others?  No.  All of God’s Word is His Word and is to be obeyed by all His people.  They say that they are “personal” or “local church” words from God and not meant for everyone.

The Latter Rain:  IHOP has changed the traditional teaching of this which marked the activities of the Azusa Street Revival as historically the outpour from God of the “latter rain” and state that this will happen just before the coming of Christ.  However, if you read the lyrics to the music by those following and espousing IHOP’s teachings, many believe the Latter Rain to be occurring now.

Joel’s Army:  The teaching that there will be a large group of prayer and prophetic warriors who will involve themselves in the political realm to usher in the Age of the Kingdom of God.  Two popular politicians who are deeply involved in this are the former governor of Alaska and the current governor of Texas.

Manifest Sons of God:  This movement within IHOP states that there will be a sect within the Church who will live above the rest of Christians in a realm of pure sanctification and will not sin.  The remainder of the church will be “manifested to be sons of God” after the return of Christ.

The Anointing:  The best way to explain what this teaching espouses is to use the term “Gnosticism”.  One who has this “anointing” is above other Christians because they know the “deeper things of God” and have a “closer walk” with Jesus.  Those with the “Anointing” can speak directly to God and also hear from Him directly.  They are part of the “inner circle” of believers who are heads and shoulders above other believers because God reveals the “secret things” only to them.  They have worked hard to gain the anointing:  fasting, prayer, evangelism, worship and warring worship, marching with banners while the contemporary music plays, demanding demons to leave and taking over “strongholds” in the “spiritual realm” so that God’s Holy Spirit is not “hindered”.  If they did not do this, then God would not be able to move amongst them during worship.  This is a teaching that garners and bolsters pride and arrogance, creating two classes of Christians:  those WITH the “Anointing and those WITHOUT it.

As to the doctrine that IHOP teaches with regard to salvation, they are Arminian.  This means that they believe God’s grace is given to everyone and every man a measure of faith that needs to be used in saving trust in Jesus Christ by their own will and volition and then they are “born again”.  They also teach that one person who at one time was born again can lose their salvation and be eternally lost at the end.

As sad as these teachings are, they do not compare with the sadness in my heart for those who are flocking to IHOP recently and involving themselves and those who listen to their sermons, read their books or attend their churches.  However, the calling out of specific teachers of false doctrine is neither unloving nor unbiblical.  Both the Apostles Paul and John did just this as they warned against false teachers trying to sneak their way into the true churches.  This teacher has become very popular amongst those just coming into the Calvinistic doctrines of Grace and now, from what I have heard, has even made it into some of the book study groups in our own URC and Can-Ref churches.  He is none other than Francis Chan author of Crazy Love and the Forgotten God.

It was announced recently that Francis Chan will be a key speaker at the IHOP  One Thing Conference in December 2013.  It is with tremendous sorrow that I must plead with those who have been reading his material, listening to his sermons, to be very cautious and discerning.  To work hand in hand with IHOP is to join in fellowship with those who deny the true faith, who reject the Gospel of Grace, the Sufficiency of Scripture, the end of the offices of Apostle and Prophet, and make themselves the mediators between God and His People.  This latter aspect alone should be sufficient to make churches remove his books from their shelves or at least move them over to the “Bad Theology” section.  But even more, the stealing of Christ’s Office as High Priest and therefore Mediator and claiming it to belong to false prophets and apostles, is an indirect usurpation of something that belongs solely to Jesus Christ our only Savior.

In close, I wish to share a bit of wisdom which my father shared with me many years ago, “Nancy,” he said, “the devil will never come at you in a red suit, with pitchfork in hand, and a pointy tail.  No, he will come in with a half truth so that he can worm his way right into a good group of believers.  He won’t barge through the door saying, ‘Hey, I’m Lucifer.’ But will instead give you a half-truth to distract and deceive.”   Over the years I have learned that it is not the blatant teachings of IHOP that good reformed Christians will fall for.  So, in order to destroy from within a fellowship of churches that has fought long and hard to retain fidelity to God, His Scriptures, our Confessions, Catechism and Creeds, Satan will come in through a teaching or teacher who espouses much of what we believe and present a half-truth.  It is my hope and prayer that you will remember the wise words of those who came before, that a half-truth is still a lie.  A lie still comes from the pit of hell even if it looks or acts like the truth and a lie will still destroy.  The only thing remaining is to expose the lie and those who espouse it or join hands with it and warn our brothers and sisters encouraging them to stand against the “wiles of the devil” even if it comes in the cloak of a self-proclaimed Calvinist.

Almodovar, Nancy A. A Modern Ninety-Five: Questions for Today’s Evangelicals. Kindle Edition ed. Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2008. Location 1092-1095 e-book.

Freed, Sandie. Get the Anointing Out of the Box. n.p.: Elijah List, 2006.

[1] Nancy A. Almodovar, A Modern Ninety-Five: Questions for Today’s Evangelicals, kindle edition ed. (Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2008), Location 1092-1095 e-book.

[2] Sandie Freed, Get the Anointing Out of the Box (n.p.: Elijah List, 2006).

[3] Nancy A. Almodovar, A Modern Ninety-Five: Questions for Today’s Evangelicals, kindle edition ed. (Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2008), Location 1103-1108 e-book

Moralism Won’t Help

As I’ve continued to watch the decline of the visible church and our nation, it seems to me there are many who sadly believe its moralism versus secularism, therefore they are willing to compromise the gospel in an effort to attain what they think has been lost in America. However, that is a dangerous and damning error because the Lord didn’t come as a mere moral example to follow. Christ came to save His sheep from the wrath to come and to gather for Himself a people to worship Him in Spirit AND IN TRUTH. So as I see it, there is humanism, moralism, and Christianity. The first two still being dead in their sins against God and under His wrath, the latter clinging ONLY to Christ as their hope of salvation. I encourage each of you to truly examine yourself not against a secular backdrop and pronouncing yourself righteous because you “follow Jesus moral example” rather examine yourself against His perfection and repent of all self reliance clinging ONLY to the righteousness of Christ. Proclaiming the pure unadulterated gospel of Christ to a dying world of humanists and moralists.

Today I Met A Hero…continued

The testimony below is shared in order to bring praise to my King for yet another instance of His great grace, mercy, and faithfulness to His children.  Today, I ran into my dear brother in Christ, Joe, and stopped to say hello.  There has been much that has taken place in this man’s life that he is far more qualified to share than I, but briefly, I just have to share these things I do know as they are so tremendously encouraging and I believe he would have no problem with my doing so to bring glory and honor to our King.  I first ask that you read the following that I penned a few years ago after meeting this man and his family.

 

Today I met a hero!  As some of you know my church’s community outreach center TouchPoint Ministries hosted a luncheon today for The Hope House, a local abortion alternative clinic and housing center for homeless mom’s trying to choose life for their children.  It was my great honor to be asked to bring a message today and as the great God I serve works, he allowed my path to cross with a brother in Christ who has an amazing story to share. I was able to ask him if he would be willing to come and speak at our luncheon.  He said that he had just got up from his knees telling the Lord he would share his story when the phone rang and the invitation to speak at our banquet came in.  That is our AMAZING GOD!

His wife, Heather, was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 3 tongue cancer.  They had been married only a few short months when this vibrant and beautiful 28 year old daughter of Christ became ill.  Early into their research phase trying to discern God’s course of action for their lives, they discovered that He had blessed them with a child.  Heather was immediately told that her cancer was far too aggressive for her to put treatment on hold for 9 months and that if she desired to save her life she must end the life of her child.

To which Heather’s immediate response was, “My God is a big God and if He has placed this child in my womb, then He has a plan for this child.”  Heather lost 32 pounds during her pregnancy as their precious baby boy pulled all the nutrients from her body for himself.  In the end she was unable to eat or drink as the tumor had grown.  Placed on a feeding tube she sustained life for her son until he could safely be delivered.  She was given approximately nine months by our Lord to be with her son, most of which was spent in the hospital, and then our Lord took her home to glory!

Joe shared with us today that in Heather’s Bible she had written the following: (I’m paraphrasing because I didn’t think to write it down)

“Lord, thank you for giving me the testimony I never had.  I desire that my testimony be used to save thousands of babies’ lives, but if only one is saved then the sacrifice is worth it.”  She often wrote prayers of thanksgiving in her journal  thanking Christ for the suffering He endured for her that enabled her suffering not be more than it was.

 

In a culture and society that tells women that babies are “punishments” if they are in bad timing with their own “plans for life”, Heather stands as a beacon of light to the world.  She stands against the tide of this world that teaches that self love is greater than selfless love.  She stands as a testimony to Jesus Christ and today she is rewarded for her faithful service to the King.  Her son, Heath, celebrated his 1st birthday yesterday and it will be amazing to see what plans the Father has for this precious child.

 

When I think of Heather Kerns, I think of this passage: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”   John 15:13

 

Heather, you are my Hero, good and faithful servant of God.

 

Now, to continue with this wonderful and amazing testimony of our God’s goodness, I have to share that the Lord provided Joe with a complete scholarship back to school just shortly after I met him and penned the above.  I have also, since this time, been moved by the hand of God to a new fellowship and during my time there we had been visited by the director of our local Abortion Alternatives Clinic to seek prayer for the ministry and himself because he was stepping down from the position after over twenty years and we all wanted to seek God with regard to who He might want in this position.  Well, upon running into Joe tonight and asking how things were going since his leaving college in terms of finding a job I was completely overwhelmed when he shared with me that God had provided him the position of director of the local Abortion Alternative Clinic.  The very clinic which our church was praying for and the clinic right here in the community where he and his wife heather, in my opinion, have made a tremendous impact and brought glory to the name of our Lord.  I am just so excited by this that I simply had to write an update to this blog and share this wonderful news.  I also ask my brothers and sisters to rejoice with us and to be in prayer for Joe, the clinic, and of course, all the babies and families out there affected by the atrocity of abortion.  May God be glorified as our brother Joe seeks to save the lives of unborn children.  Joe, you too, are a hero and a dear brother in Christ. You and your precious family are in my prayers.

 

 

 

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Resistance is Futile