ON JUNE 14, 2013 MEMOIR OF A JEWISH, AMERICAN CHRISTIAN, VOL. 1 WAS PUBLISHED ON CREATESPACE.COM AND AMAZON.COM
THIS IS AN INTRIGUING READ FOR ANY READER INTERESTED IN WHAT IT IS TO GROW UP JEWISH IN PHILADELPHIA, PA IN THE 1950'S. THE AUTHOR'S YEARS AGES 6-16 ARE SEEN THROUGH THE FILTER OF HIS ADULT CHRISTIAN FAITH.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
SATAN'S USE OF PORNOGRAPHY
Running with the Bulls
He was a pastor, a Baptist who believed in and preached the doctrines of grace. The church he served is not far from me, and on more than one occasion our paths have crossed. Today he sits in jail, charged with sexual assault against a minor. I don’t, of course, know if he is guilty or not. What I do know is that we will be seeing more and more of this as time goes on.
The devil is more crafty than any of the beasts of the field. He is crafty enough to know that just because all Christians know something is wrong, that he can still use that something. There are not, as far as I am aware, any Christians in favor of pornography. We all know it is a sin to consume pornography. If we succumb to that temptation, the devil is there to remind us of what we have done. We have sullied our marriage bed. We have embraced sexual immorality. We have dishonored someone’s daughter. We have distanced ourselves from our spouse. It is precisely because of these sins that the internet has been such a boon to the devil. Before the internet the consumption of pornography required real interaction with a live human being. You had to make the exchange with the clerk at the convenience store or the video store. You had to buy a ticket to the seedy theater. All the shame we feel was once public, and therefore potent but is now private and therefore weak.
The devil is content for us to feel this shame for at least two reasons. One, shamed Christians are likely porn for the devil. That is, it excites him, delights him, watching us, beloved of the Father, wallowing in our shame. The second reason is this- when we focus on the destruction wrought by looking at this website or watching that movie, we miss where we are going. It is a sin to alter our minds by injecting heroin, but the great evil is where it will lead, the sins of tomorrow whose path we blaze today. So it is with pornography.
Pornography disguises itself as a rabid ferret- fierce, destructive, but small, when it is actually a tyrannosaurus rex. What starts as immorality, the dishonoring of an unknown daughter of an unknown father, what starts as a small wedge in a marriage bed will and does become imprisoned fathers and husbands, and worse still, scarred little children who are more likely to continue the swath of destruction to another generation.
It’s a good thing to fight pornography by remembering the damage a ferret can do. But it’s a dangerous thing. Better to understand the nature of our enemy here. Would we not more earnestly flee if we knew our homes will blow up, and our lives will be ruined? Pornography is no cherry bomb; it’s an atom bomb. When we bring fire to our hearts, we light the fuse. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death (Proverbs 7:25-27).
He was a pastor, a Baptist who believed in and preached the doctrines of grace. The church he served is not far from me, and on more than one occasion our paths have crossed. Today he sits in jail, charged with sexual assault against a minor. I don’t, of course, know if he is guilty or not. What I do know is that we will be seeing more and more of this as time goes on.
The devil is more crafty than any of the beasts of the field. He is crafty enough to know that just because all Christians know something is wrong, that he can still use that something. There are not, as far as I am aware, any Christians in favor of pornography. We all know it is a sin to consume pornography. If we succumb to that temptation, the devil is there to remind us of what we have done. We have sullied our marriage bed. We have embraced sexual immorality. We have dishonored someone’s daughter. We have distanced ourselves from our spouse. It is precisely because of these sins that the internet has been such a boon to the devil. Before the internet the consumption of pornography required real interaction with a live human being. You had to make the exchange with the clerk at the convenience store or the video store. You had to buy a ticket to the seedy theater. All the shame we feel was once public, and therefore potent but is now private and therefore weak.
The devil is content for us to feel this shame for at least two reasons. One, shamed Christians are likely porn for the devil. That is, it excites him, delights him, watching us, beloved of the Father, wallowing in our shame. The second reason is this- when we focus on the destruction wrought by looking at this website or watching that movie, we miss where we are going. It is a sin to alter our minds by injecting heroin, but the great evil is where it will lead, the sins of tomorrow whose path we blaze today. So it is with pornography.
Pornography disguises itself as a rabid ferret- fierce, destructive, but small, when it is actually a tyrannosaurus rex. What starts as immorality, the dishonoring of an unknown daughter of an unknown father, what starts as a small wedge in a marriage bed will and does become imprisoned fathers and husbands, and worse still, scarred little children who are more likely to continue the swath of destruction to another generation.
It’s a good thing to fight pornography by remembering the damage a ferret can do. But it’s a dangerous thing. Better to understand the nature of our enemy here. Would we not more earnestly flee if we knew our homes will blow up, and our lives will be ruined? Pornography is no cherry bomb; it’s an atom bomb. When we bring fire to our hearts, we light the fuse. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death (Proverbs 7:25-27).
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
A Word of Welcome and Hope
For Prayer, Call 347-692-5520
Welcome to Bible Christian Church dedicated to Baptist reformed theology and the communication and teaching and preaching of the "Five Solas." No, this doesn't refer to operatic "solos." The Solas appeared in a document called The Cambridge Declaration in the 1990's and are as follows: By grace alone (sola gratia), by faith alone (sola fides), by Christ alone (sola Christos), by Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), and for the glory of God alone (soli deo gloria). These wonderful terms are useful and I believe even essential for defining our path of worship of and obedience to Holy Scripture and to Jesus Christ.
I'll be so happy to see you or to hear from you -- if you believe you are a sinner (I'm one too) and you are ready to repent and to follow Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth, in holiness and righteousness as He may lead, and for Him to become your Lord as well as your Savior, then please call and share with me the direction of your heart and I will encourage you and pray with you. He's a wonderful Savior and Lord - full of mercy, truth, faithfulness, justice, hope, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. And let's not forget about his perfect and encompassing love.
Our beautiful Jesus is calling to you today to repent and to receive Him. The Holy Bible says, "To as many as received Him, He gave the power to become children of God and to believe in His Name." (John 1:12) That's one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Won't you believe this humble witness, and repent right now and remain in prayer? Then give me a call and come to one of our Bible studies or services. God just wants to bless you and encourage your heart as you turn to him in your conversion, longing, and sorrow for your sins.
-- Pastor Jeff
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