By Terry Loving
PLEASE NOTE: THIS POST IS NOT A “STAND BEHIND PHIL” POST. I STAND FOR AMERICAN’S HAVING FREEDOM TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD PUBLICALLY WITHOUT REPERCUSSIONS. Our society is rapidly changing, and we must be careful how we cry out for censorship – whether we agree with what is said or not.
… “just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” Romans 9:33
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“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 New American Standard Bible
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“The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully. It makes a soul that has long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek and obedient. Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off by this sword. It will discover to men their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are moved by, the sinful ends they act to. The word will show the sinner all that is in his heart. Let us hold fast the doctrines of Christian faith in our heads, its enlivening principles in our hearts, the open profession of it in our lips, and be subject to it in our lives.” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
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More and more our society is moving towards hatred of the Word of God. Christians who uphold Biblical principles they strive to live by are under attack for their lack of so-called political/Biblical correctness. Publically speaking out against the very sins that God Himself speaks against is a sure way to incur the wrath of those who pick and choose what Scriptures they find more palatable – and of course, anger from those who don’t believe in God at all.
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Jesus said in Matthew 10:34
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Further:
Luke 12:52
“From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.”
Luke 12:49
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
Luke 12:53
“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
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The above Scriptures clearly state that “peace on earth” was, and is not the intended purpose of the Gospel of Christ. “The bringing in the gospel dispensation would occasion desolations. Not that this would be the tendency of Christ’s religion, which is pure, peaceable, and loving; but the effect of its being contrary to men’s pride and lusts.” Luke 12:51
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Because the Gospel is contrary to the lifestyle of the world, it will be rejected and despised. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is “living,” and “active.” If it were not, the heart of man would not be convicted by it. Therefore, whenever a Christian speaks the Word of God to a non-believing public, he or she will be hated – but also forewarned that this would be so:
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18
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Christ Divides Men
49“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
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Believers and non-believers will be at odds. Light and darkness will oppose one another. Not only will this take place in the world, but within our very own families.
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“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” New American Standard Bible John 3:20
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When Jesus walked the earth, He had followers and opposers. Many people loved Him, and others hated Him to the point of killing Him. What did He do wrong? He healed the sick, fed multitudes, raised the dead, imparted comfort from God’s Word, associated with and loved those who society cast aside – really, what did He do wrong? Nothing!
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What those who opposed Him accused Him of was His proclamation of equality with God the Father:
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 New American Standard Bible
The Jews were appalled, for this declaration in their eyes amounted to blasphemy. This was more than they could stand. Something had to be done – and death was the solution.
No one in our present society has ever met Jesus. So what has He done to cause such hatred towards Him today? Nothing!
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Our Lord carried out His purpose on earth, bridging the gap between sinful mankind and a Holy God – He spoke the Words that God gave Him to show man a better way to live, and the only way to die – in Christ – in order to be with Him forever. Obedience to the Word of Life brings salvation, eternal life with Christ – who wouldn’t want to embrace this and much more – even in the midst of our suffering on earth for the cause of Christ?
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Well, those who choose to live the opposite of Scripture, who seek their own way, reject the “narrow way” in favor of the “broad way.” Whenever the Word of God is spoken, it is like a mirror held up to our faces and we see deep into our souls what we really are. If you do not like what you see – convictions of the heart – you will strive to make changes if your heart is receptive to the living Word of God. Otherwise, you will reject it and persecute those who speak out boldly upholding their convictions that Jesus is the Son of God – and the Way to eternal salvation. Obedience to the Word means life change, which many reject.
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What the world does not understand is the fact that Christians are commanded to speak the Word of God and not be ashamed:
“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
There is a severe price to pay for disowning our Lord:
“But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
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“Verse 38. – Our Lord here looks onward to the day of judgment. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me. “Whosoever:” the word includes all, whatever their position or circumstances may be. “Shall be ashamed of me;” that is, shall deny my faith, or blush to confess me here. Of him shall the Son of man be ashamed; that is, Christ will despise him, when he shall appear with power and great glory, in that sublime majesty which he gained by his death upon the cross. In this adulterous and sinful generation. It adds to the disgrace of being ashamed of Christ that the shame is manifested in the presence of the base and the worthless; and therefore our Lord exhibits the contrast between the mean and contemptible people in the presence of whom men are ashamed of him here, and the magnificent assemblage in whose presence he will be ashamed of them hereafter. The cross of Christ appeared to the great body of mankind to be shameful and contemptible. To the Jews it was a stumbling-block, and to the Greek’s foolishness. Hence vast numbers, whether through shame or fear, did not dare to confess it, and still less to preach it. And therefore it is that St. Paul says (Romans 1:l6), “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.”
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1 Corinthians 1:18
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
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“Inclusiveness.”
“A key word in today’s society is “inclusiveness”. We are told that we should accept “alternative lifestyles”, accept all sorts of behavior that used to be considered unacceptable. Those who are considered unwilling to do so may be required to receive “sensitivity training”. The watchword is “tolerance”. Some have almost made a god of tolerance. Yet we find these same people can be quite intolerant of any viewpoint that does not tolerate every kind of behavior. Any deviation from the standard of tolerance is considered intolerable, and there are efforts in many countries, including ours, to make it illegal. In parts of Canada, for example, it is now illegal and punishable by law for anyone simply to repeat what the Bible says about certain forms of behavior.”
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“Jesus was never tolerant of evil. He reached out to the sinner in love, but he hated sin. When a woman was found in adultery, Jesus did not say, “Your lifestyle is fine”. He said, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). In his Sermon on the Mount and in other teachings he insisted on a very high moral standard. He denounced the religious leaders of his time, saying “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites” (Matthew chapter 23).
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“Scripture teaches that those who do certain kinds of acts, and live in certain kinds of ways (including impurity and sexual immorality), will not inherit the kingdom of God and will incur God’s wrath (Ephesians 5:5-7; Colossians 3:5-6; Galatians 5:19; see Romans 1:18-32; Revelation 21:8). It tells us “do not be partners” with such people (Ephesians 5:7). Jesus will come again “in blazing fire” to “punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7,9)..
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Where many today teach tolerance of every conceivable kind of behavior, Jesus drew a sharp line of division. He said that some behavior is sinful and should not be tolerated. He said that some things are good and some things are evil, and the evil cannot be tolerated or accepted. I believe we urgently need that line of division today. http://www.scriptureinsights.com/Divide.html
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“13Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 15but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”
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Ezekiel 3:16-21 ESV / 13 helpful votes
“And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
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“The Lord told the prophet he had appointed him a watchman to the house of Israel. If we warn the wicked, we are not chargeable with their ruin. Though such passages refer to the national covenant made with Israel, they are equally to be applied to the final state of all men under every dispensation. We are not only to encourage and comfort those who appear to be righteous, but they are to be warned, for many have grown high-minded and secure, have fallen, and even died in their sins. Surely then the hearers of the gospel should desire warnings, and even reproofs.” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
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New American Standard Bible
“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
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“In a recent edition of GQ, the patriarch of the “Dynasty” spoke out concerning his views on sin, and the result has been a media buzz and outcry from GLAAD denouncing his statements. In what now might appear as an attempt to stir up controversy, GQ asked the A&E star of Duck Dynasty about his views regarding sin. In response, Phil, who has referred to himself in the past as a Bible-thumper, responded unsurprisingly by quoting the same Bible he claims to regularly thump. Phil, in response to the question on sin stated, “start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.” He continued on to state, “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolators, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers – they won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
” 9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1Corinthians:6-11
IS THIS NOT AMERICA – The land of “Free speech?” “Religious freedom? Protected by our Constitution??????
“The comments made by Phil, drawn out by GQ’s Drew Magerty, caused GLAAD to almost immediately cry foul, however the large christian population and viewership appears to be twiddling their thumbs and watching the entire fiasco play out. GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz in speaking to the press lashed out in response to Phil’s statements accusing Phil of misquoting the Bible and attempting to perpetuate “myths” and “lies” concerning the homosexual and wider LGBT communities.”
There was no misquoting the Bible by Phil. Many view the Bible as of book of “myths” and “lies” to support their ungodly way of life. Drew Magerty asked Phil questions that pertained to his faith, and Phil did what the Bible says we should do when confronted with our beliefs: 1 Peter 3:15-17
New American Standard Bible
“13Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 15but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
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IS THE WORD OF GOD OFFENSIVE???? Only to those who despise hearing what thus saith the Lord
New American Standard Bible
“To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.” Jeremiah 6:10
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/huckabee-weighs-in-on-duck-dynasty-controversy/
Huckabee weighs in on “Duck Dynasty” controversy
“What we’ve seen is that there is a new level of bullying of the part of these militant activist groups,” said Huckabee, a former pastor and 2008 presidential candidate, said on “Fox News Sunday”. “I think it has come to a point in our culture where political correctness has made it so that if you want to take a point of view that is traditional, that holds to steadfast, old fashioned biblical Christian values, which are also, by the way, values of traditional Judaism, and even Islam, that somehow you’re supposed to just shut up and keep that to yourself. But if you want to advocate for same-sex marriage, we’re supposed to be very tolerant.”
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John 3:19
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
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Duck Dynasty: Phil Quotes Bible, GLAAD Cries Foul, Christians Silently Twiddle Thumbs
“The announcement of Phil’s suspension from the show does not appear as of yet to have been met with any significant outcry from christians who at least presumably believe in the same Bible that Phil referenced in his statements, and no such cry has come from viewers either. It remains to be seen whether significant support for Phil will be shown by viewers or the wider christian population at large.”
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Other networks eager to air ‘Duck Dynasty’
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Network quiet amid petitions calling for boycott over ‘Duck Dynasty’ move
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Pedophile support group seeks ‘truth and dignity’ – Want same rights as homosexuals
August 2, 2013 (Renewamerica.com) – Who could’ve seen this coming? Well, those of us who can see the “logical” end results of the radical homosexual movement, that’s who. With homosexual activists on the march throughout our government, military, schools and society in general, many of us have warned that their push for special “rights” would – besides trample on the freedoms of speech, religion and association of those who oppose them – inevitably lead to demands by other sexual deviants, like pedophiles, for their own societal affirmation.
Jack Minor, in his column titled “Pedophiles want same rights as homosexuals,” wrote: Using the same tactics used by “gay” rights activists, pedophiles have begun to seek similar status arguing their desire for children is a sexual orientation no different than heterosexual or homosexuals.
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WOE UNREPENTANT AMERICA!
“Our nation is walking in darkness, and it’s getting darker by the minute.”
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