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What is Your Authority for Knowing Truth?
One of the most important decisions anyone makes in this life is choosing which authority to trust for their eternal destiny. We can be wrong about a lot of things in this life and still survive, but if we are wrong about which authority to trust for our life after death, we will pay for that mistake for all eternity. As ambassadors for Christ, we must ask people if they have a reliable source for discerning truth from error. Has that source ever been wrong before? Is it possible for that source to ever mislead or deceive people?
Since every religion has an authority, and every person has an opinion, we need to ask people about their source for truth when we share the Gospel. Some will say their authority is a person, a book, a religion, a spirit, or their own understanding. Some will say they rely on their popes, rabbis, religious leaders,
religious traditions, human reasoning,
church history, church fathers,
or Google. Any of these sources might be right some of the time, but there is only one source that is right all the time. Our holy and omniscient God has never been wrong, and He has given us His Word as our only infallible source for truth. Scripture's supreme authority is established by its divine origin. There is no higher authority than our almighty God and creator.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). In other words, Scripture is our supreme authority for knowing truth and correcting all that opposes it. Every word was breathed out by God, who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). Because of this, His inerrant Word must be the standard by which we discern truth from error (1 John 4:6). We also know that Scripture is sufficient to function as the sole infallible rule of faith, because it does not refer us to any other rule of faith. Everything we must know, understand, and believe to be saved is found in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:14-16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Therefore, after considering any other source for truth, we must ask, "But what does the Scripture say?" (Gal. 4:30).
No other source for truth can do everything that Scripture does. It brings conviction, gives wisdom, produces faith, refutes error, and can be used as a sword to slay the devil's lies. For everyone who believes Scripture, it converts, saves, frees, guides, reproves, trains, corrects, sanctifies and equips for every good work. Therefore, we must use it to test the veracity of all of the following:
The teachings of men (Acts 17:11)
Religious traditions (Mark 7:7-13)
The spirits (1 John 4:1)
Church fathers (Acts 20:29-31)
Wisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5)
Your own understanding (Prov. 3:5)
Why would anyone who is earnestly searching for the truth look anywhere other than the Lord Jesus, who is the personification of truth, who came into this world to testify to the truth, and whose Word is truth (John 14:6, 17:17, 18:37). Scripture is what God says; religion is what man says
God says. Therefore, we embrace Scripture as
The Supreme Authority for Truth.
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The Real Tragedy of Notre Dame
While it was tragic to see such a historic national landmark destroyed by fire, the greater tragedy has been the millions of lives that have been destroyed for eternity by the false and fatal gospel embraced by Notre Dame. The fire not only burned icons of Mary, but also statues of demons called Gargoyles.
The Cathedral also hosted fake relics: one said to be the crown of thorns worn by Christ and another said to be a piece of wood that was part of His cross. How tragic it is to see Catholics venerate fake relics of Christ, while paying little attention to His infallible, inspired, authoritative Word that brings forth life to those who believe it.
For over 800 years, the Cathedral has been a place where Roman Catholic priests have committed the most serious sin of idolatry by lifting up a wafer to be worshipped as the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ and then presenting it on an altar as a sin offering to God. The priests believe they have the power to call the Lord Jesus down from heaven to be transubstantiated into wafers to be eaten by Catholics who do not know what the Scriptures teach.
The
Christian News Network interviewed Mike Gendron on the burning of Notre Dame and the bloody history of Catholicism in France. Hundreds of thousands of Protestants, who had been set free by the Word of God, were slaughtered and murdered by Roman Catholics carrying out the orders of their popes. You can read the article
here.
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The Compromise and Fall of Francis Chan
Francis Chan, the founder and former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California, is now a well-known author and conference speaker. Despite his solid theological educational background, he is highly compromised in many ways, and not just because he regularly shares the stage with heretics such as Benny Hinn, Todd White and Mike Bickle. Chan aims to be a people-pleaser. It's understandable that a man in the flesh would desire the praise of other men, but God dislikes this attitude and the Apostle Paul warns against it (Galatians 1:10). "Woe to you when men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).
An article from
Reformation Charlotte
reports that Chan is no stranger to ecumenism. "In 2003, Mike Gendron, a Christian apologist best known for his polemics and evangelistic resources for Catholics, was invited to speak at Chan's church. Gendron, a man who knows and loves Catholics enough to speak truthfully about the serious and damning theological errors they hold to, spoke to Chan's audience truthfully about the errors of purgatory, Mary, and the Eucharist, and then explained the biblical way of salvation. This prompted Chan to rebuke Mike Gendron in front of the entire gathering, stating that it 'was a mistake' to host Gendron.
Chan's obvious discontent with biblical truth shows that he is not only theologically inept and lacks serious discernment, but that he also seeks to not offend man, effectively offending God much worse. In his never-ending crusade to please the world, Chan continues to praise well-known, well-liked heretics while throwing solid men of God under the bus. Chan knows that men like Gendron are less popular with the world and the culture because they see the truth of Scripture as black and white, without compromise."
Recently, Chan removed his shoes and invited a Catholic priest to pray over him. Later he declined to give the Gospel to a Catholic because "the Holy Spirit doesn't want me to."
See video here.
As the attacks on the exclusivity of the Gospel continue, it is of utmost importance that we stand firm on the sure Word of God and not the shifting sand of Christian personalities.
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Biblical Responses to Statements by Catholics
Statement:
The Catholic Church does not submit to Scripture alone for its authority. "Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together...they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls"
(CCC, para. 95).
Response: The Word of God and the Spirit of God are all that is necessary for the salvation of souls. Peter wrote: "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). James said: "In the exercise of His will He (God) brought us forth by the word of truth" (James 1:18). Paul declared: "God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). "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" (Eph. 1:13).
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Letters to Edify and Encourage the Saints
Hi Mike,
We are in need of your advice and God's wisdom concerning our dear son and father of two. He and his wife have decided to convert to Catholicism. He grew up in a loving Christian home where Christ was at the center of our lives. He made a profession of faith early in life and has served God faithfully. We are shocked and sickened to see him now take this path. We have been trying to talk with him and share Scripture with him, but it's as if he is under a deceptive spell. Of course, we've been in constant prayer for him, too, because it is a spiritual battle. What else can we do? Thank
you for any words of advice. Name withheld.
Dear Concerned Parent, One of the greatest mysteries in life is how anyone could come to the knowledge of our Great God and Savior and then depart from Him. I am sorry that your son has departed from the faith that he once embraced and has drifted into apostasy. Every time we hear of a Protestant becoming Catholic, it is never because of Scripture but is always because they have been influenced by the early church fathers, who also became apostate. No one ever joins the apostate church of Rome because of Scripture. Encourage your son to contrast the teachings and traditions of Rome with the supreme authority of Scripture. My
loving discussion with you and an open Bible. We will join you in prayer!
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Former Catholics for Christ Conference in May
Join us for the
Former Catholics For Christ Conference
, May 17-19 at Southern View Chapel, 4500 South 2nd Street in Springfield, IL. T
he conference goal is to reaffirm the purity and exclusivity of the Gospel and to reveal the growing threat against
Christianity. The four speakers will discuss four of the most important
doctrines of the Reformation: Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solo Christo, and Sola Gratia. The speakers include Rob Zins, Mike Gendron, Tim Kauffman
and Cecil Andrews. Together they will "encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9).
The conference is free, but you must
register here
.
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30th Anniversary Cruise and Conference
There are only three cabins remaining for our exciting Bible Conference and Cruise, scheduled for June 5th through the 16th. The cruise will depart from Cape Liberty, NJ with stops in Newport, RI; Portland, ME; Bar Harbor, ME; Boston, MA; and Kings Wharf, Bermuda. For more information click here, or email us at [email protected]. To reserve your stateroom, call Celebrity Cruises at 888-727-4907 and give them our Group ID Number: 5469210.
Prices start as low as $799 for an inside state room.
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"Unplanned" May Encourage You to Pray!
After seeing the current heart-wrenching movie
Unplanned, we left the theater with a greater resolve to pray to our Sovereign Lord to stop abortions in America. The movie is based on the true story of Abby Johnson, who goes from becoming the director of a
Planned Parenthood abortion clinic to becoming a pro-life advocate after witnessing the brutality of an abortion.
Unplanned does not have good theology and misses a great opportunity to present the Gospel at the end. In the scene, Abby asked her husband (who are both Catholic) if God could forgive her for her sins, and her husband said "yes". However, he did not tell her that forgiveness can only come through the Lord Jesus by repenting and believing His Gospel. The movie ends with the closing of the
Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Bryan, Texas, that at one time had performed the greatest number of abortions in America.
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May we all glorify our Lord Jesus Christ by sharing His Gospel within our circle of influence and beyond!
Mike & Jane Gendron
(817) 379-5300
2829 Veranda Lane, Southlake, TX 76092
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