Mysticism is Dangerous and Unbiblical

I have received a few anonymous comments that are pro-mysticism and seem to think that I may be promoting "Christian" mysticism. Let me be absolutely clear: I do not endorse or support "Christian" mysticism or contemplative spirituality where we try to use man-made methods ( that are found nowhere in the Bible, I might add) to try to "reach" God. The Bible does not promote mysticism and/or using "centering prayers", the "Jesus prayer" or labyrinths or chanting or emptying the mind. You will not find this promoted in the Bible. In fact, practicing these eastern and new age religious techniques may lead you to have a "spiritual" experience, but you may quite likely encountering doctrines of demons and Satan who masquerades as an "angel of light". Let me be clear, having a "spiritual" experience while practicing these man-made methods does not mean that you are encountering the God of the Bible. In fact you may be encountering demons. The Bible clearly warns to not be of this world. We are not to dabble in ancient pagan techniques to try to reach God. When Nadab and Abihu offered God strange fire, he struck them dead. God is not pleased by using pagan techniques to reach him. Don't base your faith on experience. Base your faith on what the Bible says. God has revealed himself through the written word-The Bible. Many who practice this mysticism end up concluding that Jesus is not the only way to God, or God is all and in all. This is completely wrong and unbiblical.You cannot truly be a Christian and have eternal salvation if you don't believe salvation comes solely through Jesus and that Jesus is God.
Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."
John 14:6

In Matthew 6:7 Jesus tells us not to use vain repetitions as the heathen do.

Jesus taught us how to pray, and He simply spoke to the Father. This is the example we should follow.

When we base our faith solely on experience, this is not a faith that leads to salvation. Salvation comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17) not by experience.

For more information on the dangers of mysticism, click here.

Wake Up, Repent, Believe

I can hardly believe what I am seeing going on in so many of the "Bible" schools and churches these days (promoting mysticism (see previous post), new age ideas and practices, etc). What will the next generation of pastors be like if they are being taught to embrace practices like these (labyrinth prayers, etc)? I pray that there will still be men willing to be obedient to the Word of God and rise up as pastors as God appoints and leads them and that these pastors would reject these ancient mystical practices that are completely unbiblical.

If you are a Christian, please wake up to what's going on if you haven't already done so. When Jesus comes again, don't let him find you asleep.

And if you aren't a Christian and are not saved, I plead with you to not delay your decision any longer. You really don't know how much time you have left. Repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood and died for you so that you can be seen as blameless and righteous before God on judgment day and then spend eternity in heaven rather than in hell.

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Romans 2:4-5

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.2 Corinthians 7:10

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

I believe Jesus is coming again very very soon. Even so, Lord Jesus come.

MB Seminary Promotes Labyrinth Prayer

It is very late, and perhaps I should be studying for my 3 final exams coming up in the next 5 days, but I feel I must post about something that both angers and saddens me. I just read a blog from fortheauthor about the MB seminary in Fresno that offers a spiritual formation class where students "must be willing to try a variety of spiritual practices". Click here to go to the course outline.

Some of these practices include "The Jesus Prayer", "Labyrinth Prayer", and "Lectio Divina" and daily "Guided Meditation". These practices are man-made attempts to reach God. But through the Bible, God has already provided us with all we need to know about prayer and how to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. In fact, we aren't supposed to use vain repetitions:

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Matthew 6:7

Sure, these methods may be "spiritual" practices, but are they biblical? Definitely not. To say that anything "spiritual" is of God is ridiculous; clearly there are evil spiritual forces as well. The Bible is clear in Ephesians 6:12 that we are in a spiritual battle against spiritual forces of evil. The question is, which side are you on, and who are you fighting for?

Why does Richard Foster, a well-known contemplative professing-Christian, recommend we should pray a prayer of protection before trying these practices? He says to pray something like "All dark and evil spirits must now leave" on p. 157 of his book Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home.

Roger Oakland states the following about this:

"Nowhere in Scripture are we required to pray a prayer of protection before we pray. The fact that Foster recognizes that contemplative prayer is dangerous and opens the door to the fallen spirit world is very revealing. What is this--praying to the God of the Bible but instead reaching demons?" (page 99 Faith Undone by Roger Oakland)

Likely the devil is laughing at this-that Christians would purposely put themselves into a state where they could potentially reach demons (Remember 2 Corinthians 11 tells us that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness) , while God is probably grieving and angry as Christians attempt to use pagan methods to reach a holy God. Let us not forget that when Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to God, he killed them. God is a holy God, and it seems many people these days are lacking a proper fear for God.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11 "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."

Unfortunately, it seems many are being deceived and led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ by trying all kinds of man-made pagan techniques to reach God. We need to point out this error to warn others and also pray that people will realize this is not only unbiblical but dangerous. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict those participating in this and that they would repent.

Love Not the World

The past few days as I've been listening to some Christian radio program interviews and also some preachers speak on the internet, I've been hearing a recurring theme:

Love not the world nor the things in the world.

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever"
1 John 2:15-17


This one pastor in particular speaks about how most of today's self-professing Christians look, act, and speak just like the world. Click here to listen to a pastor challenging those who claim to be Christians. (Thanks morebooksandthings for bringing this pastor's message to attention.) Over the past few months, I've been especially convicted that I cannot love the things of this world, and as I continue to read God's Word, I find myself increasingly aware of the disgust and hatred God feels toward sin and how I also need to be disgusted by sin and not take pleasure in it and continually pursue righteousness.

Let love be without hypocrisy Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, Titus 2:11-12

In the past few months, I have found myself often putting on a cd and having to throw it out because I cannot stand to hear ungodly talk anymore. Same thing with movies: I find myself increasingly disgusted by even the "tame" movies as they are not speaking God's truth. I'm not trying to say that I've got it all together or anything- I'm constantly reminded that I am a sinner and I would never measure up to God's standards, but it's only by Jesus' blood that has covered my sins that I am able to stand before God on judgment day and not be condemned since I've accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and His payment for my sins in full. It doesn't matter if you've sinned once or a million times-it's still sin-and God cannot accept ANY of it.

Don't get me wrong; I'm NOT saying that we will be perfect and never sin once we are a Christian. The Bible is clear that Christians do continue sin on this earth. I'm also NOT saying that living a godly life is what gets you saved. Salvation is by grace alone-the Bible is clear on that. What I AM talking about is "the good fruits" that the Bible talks about, which is evidence a person is saved.

"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit."A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."So then, you will know them by their fruits."Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' Matthew 7:17-23

Here are some examples of what I mean by look, act, and speak like the world: Many Christians are dressing sensually as to draw attention to their bodies (I see this even in some church services I've been to), and although I have heard some pastors speak about this issue in youth groups and young adult groups, I don't think I've ever heard a Sunday morning message that addresses this problem. The church is to bring glory to God, not to glorify or draw attention to ourselves, and I know I have been guilty of this before too.

I often hear self-professing Christians use God's name in vain and other names God has given himself and also use characteristics of God, such as holy, in vain. I have been personally convicted of the latter and realize that I should no longer speak like this if I am truly one of God's children and want to please and honour him with my life. With the speaking like the world also includes telling inappropriate jokes, laughing at those jokes, gossiping, bragging, boasting, etc.

And with acting like the world, I mean loving money, pursuing worldly pleasures (drinking/partying, smoking, lusting, etc), desiring worldly status, having sex with a person before marriage, etc. And also, I notice that many self-professing Christians think like the world, and even if they don't practice these things, they agree with worldly ideas that are contrary to what the Bible says. For example, they believe homosexuality is not a sin, even though the Bible clearly says it is. Or they see nothing wrong with having sex before marriage, or they believe that God would never allow someone to go to hell, etc. If we are Christians, we need to be transformed. And evidence of having a repentant heart is that you are not only sorry for your sins, but you also turn from your sins and live a life no longer conformed to the patterns of the world, but instead you try to live according to God's commands and instructions he gave us in the Bible.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

If you claim to be a Christian, please examine yourself. The Bible is clear that those who are truly saved will show evidence of this through the way they live by continuing to repent of sins and striving to live a life honouring to God.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
2 Corinthians 13:5

Will Jesus Find You Ready When He Returns?

This was the last thing that I read before I went to bed last night. Jesus spoke these words warning believers to be ready for when He comes and that He should find His slaves alert. (I'm not sure if it is referring to His second coming or the rapture, but I kind of think it is referring to the rapture-let me know what you think). He talks about those who know Him and He will find asleep and not alert when He does come and how it will be worse for them than for unbelievers. But He will bless those who are ready for Him. So, as believers, we need to make sure we are alert and ready and looking for our Master's return. Don't let Him find you asleep when He comes.

Be in Readiness

35"Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.

36"Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

37"Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
38"Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
40"You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
41Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"
42And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
43"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
44"Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes
48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

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."54And He was also saying to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out.55"And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way.56"You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?Luke 12:35-56 (NASB)

10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.11Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Romans 13:10-11 (NASB)

Will Jesus find you ready when He returns?

Guard the Flock

I've heard some church leaders say that it's okay and even beneficial to learn church leadership skills from unbelievers. In other words, some people (including some pastors) think that pastors can benefit and learn leadership skills that they can use in church and can benefit their ministry from taking advice and guidance from non-Christians. One church that seems to apply this philosophy is Willow Creek. At their leadership summits, they invite speakers who are successful business men, but not necessarily Christians to share leadership advice. Check out an 8 minute clip from Bill Hybels speaking at the leadership summit about "expanding your learning bandwidth".

Once again, I want to be clear that I am not judging his heart; I am simply asking you to examine his teaching about the importance of learning as much as you can from as wide a variety of leaders as possible. I think this is important to examine because I personally know people who believe he is right about this and that we can and should learn church leadership skills from unbelievers. Here are a few of the comments Bill Hybels makes during the clip:

...claims he has learned “Invaluable leadership lessons from…"...“a Hindu Harvard prof”, “an Agnostic leadership researcher”

"who can you learn from?"

“is your learning bandwidth getting wider or narrower as you mature as a leader”

He then talks about, and in my opinion wrongly criticizes, a pastor who refuses to come to the summit and “protests” it due to Hybels bringing in a faculty member to the leadership summit that the pastor did not agree with.

“it’s my fiercest determination to keep putting faculty lineups together that make a portion of you get your underwear in a bundle” (laughter and applause)

“there are no accidents here friends, this is absolutely intentional” (referring to the speakers chosen to speak)

“we think you can separate wheat from chaff”

“take the good and leave the bad”

“at the end of the day, it’s all about learning leaders”

“I better expand my learning bandwidth so I can learn and grow and do the best job I can”

So, my question is...is this biblical? Can a pastor benefit and learn how to be a better leader by learning from a Hindu prof? I checked out my Bible about this. I didn't find any verse that encouraged pastors or shepherds of the flock to take advice from people who believe in a false god or in no god at all.

But, I did find a few verses about what shepherds (or pastors) should be like.

"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. "
Acts 20:27-31

I think this verse is saying that pastors (shepherds) have the responsibility to protect the congregation (the flock) and themselves (be on guard for yourselves) from people who speak things that are not of God (perverse things) that could draw people away from God to false teachers (wolves). It seems pastors should be careful who they take guidance from and also who they allow their flock to take guidance from. I think encouraging yourself and your flock to take advice from a Hindu professor is probably not protecting the flock. How can one be sure of his motives in sharing in a church? He may see it as the prime opportunity to attract people to Hinduism. Hybels says that he trusts those at the conference to "take the good and leave the bad". But this passage in Acts suggests that trying to protect the flock is part of the pastor's responsibility. He's not supposed to just pass that off and trust his flock to take care of themselves. Should the shepherd welcome potential wolves to come and "speak" to the sheep and leave the sheep to fend for themselves? I don't really think so.

Now, back to this whole "learning" thing. Increasing one's knowledge of God is talked about in the Bible as a good thing, yes.

"Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. " Proverbs 9:8-10

But what about increasing your knowledge of leadership to become a better church leader by taking advice from unbelievers...How can we possibly learn about the spiritual gift of leadership from someone who does not have the Holy Spirit? What useful advice could an unbeliever possibly have that a believer is missing out on? I argue that taking advice from these people actually does harm because they do not know the Spirit, therefore, they cannot understand God's ways and will teach things contrary to the Bible.

The gift of leadership is just that--a spiritual gift from God.

"Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." Romans 12:6-8

" But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

The Man of God and the Word of God

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3

The Bible has given us all we need to know so that we can be equipped for the work God has for us. ("that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work"). We don' t need to, and in fact are warned not to, go to unbelievers for spiritual advice (which includes leadership since it is a spiritual gift). Pastors, along with the rest of us, should look to the Bible and to the Good Shepherd's example to see how a shepherd is supposed to lead and protect the flock.

What Do You Think?

I was doing some more research on Nooma yesterday afternoon, and in the process, I came across a video criticism of Rob Bell that really angered me. In this man's critique, he did a mockery of a Nooma video and also used part of the Gospel of John video to mock Bell. In the Nooma video, Bell also uses mockery to criticize, but I don't think that gives us an excuse to use mockery in return. Both videos really angered me.

Interestingly, last night I was reading Luke 6, and it really spurred some thinking about judging people and using discernment.

Here's the problem I have:While I don't agree with some of Rob Bell's teachings, I don't believe that we are supposed mock people as a way to criticize them. I don't recall Jesus using mockery when he addressed people's sin. He always addressed the sin and condemned the sin, but not the person. I realize that when Jesus addressed the pharisees who thought they had all the answers and believed they were "righteous", Jesus did address them quite harshly (not too harshly though, obviously), but I think that was because he knew their hearts. Jesus was sinless and therefore had authority to address them in this way.

So, my question is...how do we discern (or "judge" so to speak) a person's words without "passing judgment before the time"? I could be wrong, but I think that we are supposed to compare what a person says and does to the Bible, and if it doesn't line up with what the Bible says, then we are not supposed to take guidance from them or associate with them if they claim to be believers. But, at the same time, we will be loving, and we will leave the judgment to God as to what is in that person's heart and where he will spend eternity. Here are some verses to consider:

"Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God."
1 Corinthians 4:5

"I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves." 1 Corinthians 5:10-13

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."Luke 6:37-38

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Luke 6:41-42

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. "Luke 6:43-45

Let me know your thoughts on this issue.

Nooma Examined-Faith in Ourself or Faith in Jesus?

Today I came across this video of a pastor's critique of Nooma and exposing some of the false teaching in it. I am not saying Rob Bell is not a Christian, but I am saying that we do need to test what we hear and see if it lines up with what the Bible says.

20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22

We need to be careful who we receive spiritual direction from. This short clip is excellent, and if you are into Nooma, you HAVE to watch this---it shows a clip of a Nooma video, and then a pastor speaks briefly about why some of the teaching is unbiblical. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Rob Bell suggests that when Peter went to meet Jesus on the water and started sinking, it was not because Peter doubted Jesus, but because Peter lacked faith in himself. I hope you see what's wrong with that idea....but if you don't, or are curious, watch this video.

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Living In Expectation

Today my husband and I attended a different church, (we are in search for a different church since we recently left a church for previously-mentioned reasons) and I was really blessed by the pastor's message. Being the first Sunday of Advent, his message was based on Simeon's expectation that, before he died, he would see the Messiah.

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32)

The pastor went through many passages of scripture that prophesied Christ's birth and also His second coming. He said that we need to also live in expectation that Jesus is coming again. This is exciting! And we need to be ready for when He comes by making sure we are following Him and living according to what the Bible says. At the end of the message, an elderly man went to the front to lead us in a closing hymn and said that he could be wrong, but he believes that some of those in the congregation, including himself, may very well witness Jesus's second coming because of the signs that we are living in the end days. Then we sang the hymn Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne. Here are the last few lines from this song that blessed me this morning:

"When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying, "Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee!"

And my heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus!
When Thou comest and callest for me;
And my heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus!
When Thou comest and callest for me."

Sometimes Life is Funny

This post doesn't have much to do with anything, but something kinda funny happened today so I will share it.

2 Christmases ago, I went and bought about 5 Christmas cds with songs about Christ's birth and first coming to listen to. Last Christmas I looked high and low for these cds, and I could not find them anywhere, but by the time I got around to thinking of buying some more, Christmas had come and gone. So, this Christmas I rushed to our local Christian bookstore since they were having a massive sale and I bought 3 Christmas cds for a total of $11--quite a deal! So, anyways, I was excited about this, and rushed home to start listening to some Christmas hymns and catch up on some much-needed house cleaning.

So, then during our house-cleaning, my husband and I come up with the idea to go through all of our cds and throw out ones that we purchased years ago that are not God-honouring and in the meantime organize our remaining cd collection. Well, you can guess what happened during this. Sure enough, I discovered my Christmas cds that I had bought 2 years ago and had disappeared on me sometime before last Christmas. So, now I have 8 Christmas cds. Oh well- At least I didn't buy the sames ones today as I had purchased two years ago. I guess now I have a good Christmas collection of music!

Good Christian men, rejoice,
With heart and soul, and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!

How to Know if You are Saved

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, or if you are unsure if you are saved, you need to read what the Bible says about how we can be saved from our sins and go to heaven, instead of being condemned to hell.

• Every person who ever lived on this earth, except Jesus, has sinned.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

(Referring to Jesus) "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

• There is a coming Judgment Day where all men must give an account of himself to God

“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7)

“…for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:10-12)

• The penalty of sin is death and eternal separation from God in hell

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5)

• But God Has Made a Way for Man to Be Forgiven and not Condemned!

God made a way for us to himself by sending his Son Jesus, God in the flesh, to pay for our sins.
There is only one God, with 3 distinct persons in the godhead-the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, yet all are the one God.

(Jesus said) “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30)

“And the Word [God] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

• We can be forgiven for our sins and saved from God’s wrath because Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross in our place

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11)

• But Jesus did not stay in the grave! He rose again and defeated death!

"... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... he was buried ... he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ... he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

"knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. "(Romans 6:9)

• Jesus is the Only Way to God

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

• We are Saved By Grace and Through Faith Alone (We are not saved by doing good works)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

• It is not good enough to just believe there is one God

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James 2:19)

So What Must A Person Do Then to Be Saved??

• You must admit you are a sinner

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. " Mark 2:17

• You must believe in Jesus (which means believing Jesus’ words and that salvation comes through Him alone and following Him).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

• You must confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9

• You must repent, which means to change your mind to obey God’s Word, turn from your sins, and try to live by God’s Word revealed through the Bible

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. " Acts 17:30

• You must receive Jesus

. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” John 1:12

• Then, if you have truly accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation, you will live differently

"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

• When we make our decision to follow Christ and believe, obey, and receive Him, we receive the Holy Spirit, which then lives in us, and seals us in Jesus, and continues to guide us and bring conviction to our hearts. The Holy Spirit also convicted us and drew us near to God before we even chose Him.

“knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6)

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” John 14:15-17

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:25-26

If you truly acknowledge and admit that you are a sinner, and if you believe in your heart that God the Father sent his sinless Son Jesus to die on the cross and He shed His blood to pay for your sins, and that He did not stay in the grave but rose again and lives, and you repent from your sins and will try to follow His words spoken to us through the Bible, and you receive Jesus into your life, and you believe the His words spoken to us in through the Bible, you are born again---a new creature, who will be separate from the world. If you are truly born again, you will no longer feel comfortable in your sins. You will repent of your sins and try to obey God's commandments. You will be separate from the world, and produce the fruits of the Spirit. You will have a love for the Lord Jesus. Also, if you are born again, you are a true child of God. And, God disciplines his children. And, you will want to share about the Lord Jesus to people who are not saved and will spend an eternity in hell.

(Jesus says) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. John 5:24-27

One day, Jesus is going to return from heaven and come for a second time!

"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him." (Revelation 1:7)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.Titus 2:11-14

If you have made a decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and commit yourself to Him, please email me or tell someone you know who is a Christian so that you can find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in your faith and be supported by fellow Christians and perhaps take the next step in your Christian walk by obeying Jesus's commandment to be baptized, which is a symbol of your decision to follow Him and your identification with Him in his death and resurrection.

Iran President-A Man of "Peace"?

Because my husband and I are still members of the mennonite brethren conference, we receive the MB Herald monthly, which reports on the going-ons regarding MBs. I'm not in favor of many things that are going on at many of the MB seminaries, and so I don't like to have my name attached with being a member anymore. However, we have not yet withdrawn our membership. In the November issue, I was shocked to see a picture of MCC (mennonite central committee) interim executive director pinning a dove, usually associated with peace or the Holy Spirit, onto the shirt of Iran President Ahmadinejad. If you don't know who Ahmadinejad is, well here are a few things you should know:

• Referring to Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

• He said in 2005 that the Holocaust was a "myth"
  

• Western powers suspect Iran of enriching uranium to build a nuclear weapons capability. Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

• President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran had reached the significant milestone of 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Experts say this could be sufficient to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb within one year, if Iran wanted to do so.

Is a man who wants to wipe Israel off the map, denies the Holocaust, yet says his nuclear programme is "peaceful", someone the MCC should be pinning a dove on? Is this man peaceful? Does he plan to promote peace? I agree that we are supposed to promote peace. Jesus does say "blessed are the peacemakers", but do we need to go so far as to pin a dove of peace on him?

He hates Israel and the Jews-God's chosen people. What was the MCC thinking when they had a representative pin a dove representing peace on this man, who hates God's chosen people? Was that really necessary?

Satan's Greatest Weapon

So, I just read a great blog on watchers lamp, which talks about Rick Warren's whole unity push. This sparked intense feelings for me, as I have heard this whole spiel from those me and my husband have met with to discuss some of these emerging church unbiblical teachings. They often throw the whole unity speech at us.

Rick Warren says, "As pastors, as shepherds of God’s people, it’s our job to protect our congregations from Satan’s greatest weapon – disunity" .

Watchers Lamp reminds us that the Bible says Satan's greatest weapon is NOT disunity; it is DECEPTION! Did Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God commanded them not to do, because she was disunified? No, she took it because Satan deceived her!

" And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13

The Bible says that those who cause disunity are those who are deceiving others by teaching false doctrine...And often they use good words and fair speeches...in other words, they are smooth talkers! It is not Bible-believing Christians who cause disunity by bring up teachings that are unbiblical. It is those who are doing the unbiblical teaching who are causing the disunity.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18

It is not disunity but DECEPTION that leads people astray from God's Word and corrupts our minds.

"For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:2-4

"The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10

The Bible is clear that deception, not disunity, is Satan's greatest weapon. And Satan's job is made a lot easier when those who are deceived are unified in their deception.

And therefore, do not be deceived!

The Former Things Will Pass Away

Wow, am I ever relieved to be home! My day this morning started with an hour and a half cramming study session for my english midterm. Then, I ventured outside to wait for the bus, and the biting wind gave me brain freeze. Was I ever happy to see that bus coming for me! So, I got to the university and went and wrote the dreaded midterm, which, I have to admit, did not go so well. At least, I sure didn't feel very good about it. I had a few moments of panic and then reminded myself that in an hour and a half this would all be over. Then I ventured back out into the cold to wait for my bus ride home. So now here I am.

And when I entered my warm home, I was reminded how blessed I am to have a heated, safe home. It's ridiculous how sometimes it takes a bitterly cold day to remind me of my blessings. As I felt the blast of heat when I walked into the door, I offered up a prayer to God for blessing me so much more than I deserve.

But, back to my first mention of how happy I was to see that bus come to rescue me from the cold...I was just thinking about how crazy this world seems at times. There is so much crime, sexual immorality, love of money, pride, presssure to "expand your knowledge", etc. And you can't turn the tv on anymore without seeing offensive material. It's like just about anything goes nowadays. It seems that biblical morals are going down the toilet, and it will likely get worse before the Lord comes again.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 1-7

But once again, I think of how one day Jesus is coming back for me to take me out of this sinful world! I was happy to see a bus come to take me out of the cold??? How much more relieved will I be when I see Jesus (!!!) coming for me to take me out of this present world!!! And, this old earth will all pass away, and I will be able to be with my Lord and God forever and ever and ever... and there will be no more sin, no more pain, no more tears.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 1:1-4

What a glorious day that will be for those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have repented from their sins. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior and have not repented, you need to make that decision. Please see one of my up-coming posts about what the Bible says one must do to be saved from an eternity in hell. It will be posted shortly.

Be Alert and Awake Out of Sleep

I just thought I should mention that I have read a good blog that explains how this contemplative spirituality stuff has entered the mennonite denomination in the form of labyrinths, the Jesus prayer, the Eucharist, etc.

Read that blog here

This emerging church/contemplative spirituality stuff is not only found in one denomination. You can find it in mennonite, mennonite brethren, baptist, alliance, pentecostal, evangelical etc . churches. This trend crosses denominational boundaries, which is partly why it's having such a widespread effect. (--- also Hindus, Buddhists, New-agers, and other religions also all practice the same meditation method that is being practiced in some Christian circles---that is also partly why contemplative spirituality is so dangerous and having such a widespread effect)

If you don't believe this has also entered the mennonite and mb denominations, you need (!!!) to read that blog called--- "Rogue" MB Bloggers

"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6

"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11

"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:2-3

Dalai Lama Willing to Break Tradition

I often skim bbc news to see what is happening around different parts of the world, and yesterday and today I've discovered a few articles related to the dalai lama and his deciding how to choose his successor.

Now, I'm not sure what all this means with respect to what's happening in the rest of the world's religions, but it is definitely interesting. The dalai lama has stated that there is
the possibility of himself naming a new Dalai Lama while he is still alive, a proposal he outlined in Japan last week, according to BBC news. He has also said ten years ago that if Tibet was still occupied when he died then his reincarnation would not be born under Chinese control but in the free world. (also from BBC news).

Click here to read this article.

As far as I know, traditionally, the Buddhist elite leaders choose, through visions and such, the successor for the dalai lama, who is a child born around the time of the lama's death. But like I mentioned before, the current dalai lama is willing to break tradition and perhaps hand-pick the next one. He has not mentioned, to my knowledge, whether or not the next one must be a child. But he has stated that the next one does not have to be Tibetan or Chinese...hmmm..interesting, I think. Could the antichrist also appear to be the reincarnated "dalai lama" for Tibetan Buddhists? Of course I don't know the answer to this, but I think all the buzz about this breaking tradition thing is interesting.

But, I have been reminded through God's Word that as Christians we aren't supposed to look for the tribulation, but for the "blessed hope", our Savior Jesus. So, therefore, I will leave you with this encouraging verse for us believers.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Yale Confirms High-Profile Names

I hope everyone in my neck of the woods is staying warm! And now that my face has finally thawed out, I can begin my post. As I mentioned in my last post, I emailed both Yale and Willow Creek to try to confirm whether, indeed, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren indefinitely signed this letter. I am pleased to let you know that I have received confirmation from Yale. While I appreciate their response, I am somewhat disturbed to find out that, without a doubt, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, along with all the other high-profile names DID sign this letter.

I know I shouldn't be surprised at this, but I have a hard time believing everything seems to be moving so fast. Believing Jesus Christ is God is "essential" (to steal a term from the emerging church "unity push") to our faith. To say we can love God together with Muslims is absolutely offensive, when the Islam religion rejects Jesus Christ as God.

Here is an excerpt from the email Yale's Associate Director of the Reconciliation Program sent me, addressing my questions of how they monitored the names on the letter, particularly Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, which was published as an advertisement in the New York Times on November 18. Here is part of their personal email response to my email:

"In answer to your inquiry, all of the high-profile signatories listed in the Nov. 18 New York Times advertisement, including Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, were added in response to a direct invitation from someone here at Yale Divinity School, or through invitation by a direct Yale Divinity School contact. This was verified through written and/or telephone confirmation in all cases. With few exceptions, all of the approximately 300 signatures presently listed on the Yale Divinity School website were similarly obtained...."We very much appreciate your concern for accuracy and integrity in these matters of such significance, and are working hard to ensure that nobody is publicly misrepresented in any way."

So, according to Yale, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren were directly contacted by Yale and they definitely signed this letter. I am going to pass this information on to some people in leadership in, which very recently became my "former home", church. We no longer attend there after meeting with the pastor to discuss these emerging church issues and his confirmation that they would not be withdrawing from Willow Creek Association and saw no reason to do so.

When the world's major religions (Christianity and Islam) start believing and agreeing that we all worship the same God, there will no longer be a need to evangelize. And, eventually, it is likely that those who do try to "convert" people to Christianity will be shunned and intensely persecuted even in the western world. It's already started to happen. And then, when the antichrist does come (and he will), he will be widely welcomed by a world who already believes we all worship the same God.

"Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down theirAsherim
--for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God--otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice," Exodus 34:12-15

I wouldn't dare even think of signing this letter that dances with this idea that the God of the Bible and the God of the Koran are the same, so we can share "a common love for God".

I fear God, not men.

Our God is a jealous God.

Are those who signed this letter trying to arouse the Lord's anger?

"Common" Love For God Between Christians and Muslims?

Dear Friends,

I recently left my home church that I had been attending for just over a year due to a few things. One of them being its membership in the Willow Creek Association and its support for WC's Leadership Summit. Today, I came across an article from the Christian Post that reported that Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, along with many other Christian leaders, have signed a letter as a response to a Muslim open letter. This letter calls "on the two Abrahamic faiths to love God and neighbors together." Now, as Christians we are to love others and even our enemies, definitely; no doubt about it. But to "love God together" is not possible because we do not serve the same God. Read the article from Christian Post here.

The entire letter and the list of all those who it claims have signed this letter can be found here at the official Yale website.

I have emailed both Willow Creek and Yale to try to determine if these men did, indeed, sign this letter, and if it is possible, someone had added their names without their approval. We shall see if I receive a response.


Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Christian leaders urged for an interfaith dialogue that moves beyond “polite” ecumenical talks between selected leaders. Instead, leaders of both faiths should hold dialogues to build relations that will “reshape” the two communities to “genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another,” the Christian letter stated."..."The letter’s main emphasis is the “absolutely central” commonality between both religions: love of God and love of neighbor. "

The Koran is clear that Muslims are to believe Jesus was ONLY a prophet. They deny that Jesus was God in the flesh. How can we possibly say that we share a "common love for God" when Muslims reject Jesus as God and Savior?? WE CAN'T!! We do not serve the same God. Allah and Jesus Christ are not the same!!

Jesus came to bring peace between men and God. If you read Matthew 10, Jesus is clear that the world WILL HATE us because of Him. In fact, Jesus said he will bring division and that he did NOT come to bring peace on earth. This is what Jesus said:

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:21-23)

"But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:33-34)

These are the words of Jesus, folks, not me. The Bible is clear about this issue. Case closed.

To Clarify "Meditation"

I just want to clarify what I mean by "meditation". First of all, I do NOT mean simply pondering what the Bible says and thinking about the meaning of a biblical passage. What I do mean, is the repetition of any word or phrase in order to empty one's mind. Jesus says this is something we should not do.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7

I hope this maybe clears up what I mean when I say meditation. It was evident that the "drumming meditation" was the use of a repetitive sound to "tune out" or empty one's mind, so to speak. The Bible tells us not to practice this type of thing, and to my knowledge, there is nowhere in the Bible that says this is something we should try. Here is a good article about this.
http://www.onetruthministries.com/MysticsMisuseofScripture.htm