Norma Justice Memorial

The Memorial Service at LBC for Norma Justice will be today (Saturday, 1/29/11) at 11am with a Luncheon to follow.

First Spock then Phil

2Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


The verse above makes an amazing claim.  It says that through knowing God in salvation, by His power He gives us everything we need for life and godliness.  Do you believe that?  Those "all things" would include a Holy Spirit within us, the crucifixion of our old man, and the promises and commands of Scripture.
 
However, many Christians do not believe that we have everything we need in life.  Emotionally, mentally, in counseling, many believers are following the world of popular psychology rather than digging into Scripture and/or seeking the counseling of godly people for their mental and behavior issues.  They have bought into the lie of Satan that God and Scripture are not enough (not sufficient).
 
In 1946 a man named Dr. Benjamin Spock turned the hearts of millions away from God with an anti-Biblical approach to childrearing.  He advocated that Mothers should do what they "feel" rather than conventional order and childrearing.  Spanking was taboo.  Children were encouraged to "act out" their anger rather than behave and God's Word was placed on the shelf as thousands of believers read his book rather than followed the Bible. 
 
We are a generation of "Dr. Phil's".  Even Christians have bought into the lie that the Bible, preaching, Biblical counseling, etc. is inadequate to meet their thinking, emotional, mental issues.  We have received the "labels" of psychiatry as gospel for why we do and think wrong.  We have sought the medication of drugging as the answer to why we are "imbalanced" rather than taking time through the Scriptural correction, godly advice, changed obedience, fasting and prayer, etc. to address the true reasons for our anxiety, depression, fears, and "baggage".
 
There are definitely time for "drugs".  Organic damage, true body disease, thyroid problems, etc. all lend themselves to the help of stabilizing drugs.  There are times when fears, depression, and anxiety have not been handled Biblically that a person becomes overwhelmed and truly imbalanced and drugs must be used temporarily for 6 months to a year to bring the chemicals in their body under control.  These imbalanced states escalate to the point of hopelessness, terror, and even suicidal thoughts.  In these extreme times, medication is necessary and vital to quickly bring the body and mind to a managable state.  When these extreme terrors are under control and the person can think reasonably clearly again however, they must seek a skilled Biblical Counselor to deal with the reasons for the anxiety as they gently under a Doctor's care wean slowly off of the medication.

I do not share this thinking from ignorance or arrogance, but from the position of a Pastor who has personal experience in these issues in dozens and maybe hundreds of counseling situations in the past 18 years.
 
Anxiety medication does not heal, it manages.  In many ways it "band-aids" the unresolved problems.  Mental illnesses that are not organic (accident or disease) like labeled bi-polar, manic depression, anxiety attack, etc. are labels placed on you in the world of psychology.  These are not viruses, cancers, or diseases that have diagnosis like a broken arm, a tumor, high blood pressure, etc.  Doctors are giving names to your symptoms but have no physical test to prove it.  There is no medical test for "chemical imbalance".  They have learned to use medication to control your body to calm itself, but this is not the same as taking a Bible and looking at verses to change your heart about improper fears and anxieties within.  Satan has convinced believers through popular opinion that the world of psychology is more athoritative on the issue than the God who made your body and wrote the Bible.
 
The life of psychology is a constant cycle of failed talks, drugs, treatments, clinics, programs, etc.  There is constant correction of medication, labels, and failed sessions.  Unsaved Doctors can never heal the issues of the mind and heart because they approach the treatment from Humanism and not God's thoughts.  Secular doctors councel from the perspective of either "God doesn't exist" or that "He is a general helpful crutch of "having faith".  They are not giving the Wisdom of the Word of an involved, specific, commanding God in your life.  God must deal with your issues through renewing your thinking in those "baggage" issues from God's Word.  It often takes a skilled Pastor or Biblical Counselor to get to the heart of your thinking, but when they do, you will change if you will obey the Word.
 
We must place our confidence again in God who has given us all things that pertain to godliness. Deal with your fears and anxieties with the Bible and a Pastor or godly Christan who knows the Word while they are small or they will get out of hand and you will be overcome with anxiety, fears, and depression.
 
We must reject Dr. Spock, Dr. Phil and return to Dr. Jesus.

"V" is for Victory!

I am so happy to report that the New Castle Land Use Dept. has reversed their decision and granted us a three year permit for our "modular" buildings.

This was a great surprise to us as we went to the meeting ready to please our (God's) case.  After some questions about dates, pulling files, etc., the Land Use Manager simply said that they would give us the three year permit and that it was an error on their side.  Amazing.

Many thanks to Councilwoman Diller, Councilman Dave Tackett, Sen. Hall-Long, George Haggerty, Dave Culver, and others who helped us in this process.

God is great and heard the prayers of His people!  Do you see it?  Do I see it?  Do we understand that God intervened in the hearts and lips of the right people to deal favorably with us? 

I am encouraged in faith not only by these permits, but the bigger matter of building the building we so desperately need.  The hour is here, God hears our prayers, the need is great, and God is on His Throne!  Amen!

pw

Urgent New Castle County Prayer Request

Dear LBC Family,


I ask each of you to pray and if you feel led to contact your council person or Delaware Senator over the following matter:

Since the week before Christmas, we have been going back and forth with New Castle County because they have denied renewing permits for our (2) Trailer/Modulars. As most of you know, these modular structures are of huge impact to our ministry. The allow for (3) Sunday School classes, our church office, King's Kids weekly children's program, Junior Church, Pastor's Prayer Partners, Senior Citizen events, Funeral dinners, Teen activities, video overflow of our services up to this point, and a host of other uses beneficial to our church, community, and to other churches that have used them.

I certainly understand the County's position in desiring to cleanup the temporary structures in our County, however, this comes at a terrible time for us as we seek with all our strength to build a new building. They are within their written ordinance writes as I understand it to refuse renewal, however, we are requesting understanding and common sense toward LBC in this time of moving forward in our plan to build.

I have called on area Pastors and churches to help us pray and influence this decision. WOEL 89.9 FM is running an urgent prayer request for us on the radio. Another Pastor is calling his former Senator to see if he can help the influence.

Today at 2:15pm we will meet with the Land Use Department and lay out our case. Up to this point, they have made it clear that they do not intend to compromise any on this issue. They will not renew our permits and we must get rid of the trailers immediately. Councilwoman Diller, Tackett, and Sen. Hall-Long have interviened to get us the "stay" until this meeting.

I ask you to urgently pray for the will of God in this transitional time of our church.  This is a political matter that could influence other churches and your voice will be heard by your council person or Senator.

pw

Harold Camping

Lately, more attention has been given to a deceiver named Harold Camping.  He is the President of Family Radio that plays very nice Christian music in this area.  I love the music, but it comes at the price of being taught heresy in his Open Forum radio call in show.  Recently, I received this email question and here is my brief response.  I do hope that it will warn any of you that may come in contact with Family Radio.

"Hi PW,


Have you ever heard of Howard Camp? I believe he does Family Radio Ministry from Oakland, CA. I was just wondering if he is considered “reliable” in Biblical knowledge.

Response:  Yes, his name is Howard Camping and he is a deceiver. He is fairly popular on radio and now TV and is totally steering people in many wrong doctrines. Among these wrong doctrines are:


1. He incorrectly predicted that the Lord would come in 1994, now gives the date May 21, 2011 as the rapture or end of the world – I’m not sure which.

2. He is a hyper, hyper, hyper Calvinist which believes only the chosen can be saved AND even if you believe on Christ and ask the Lord to save you, He may not. He says you should just say over and over and over “God be merciful to me a sinner” and hope it works. (very bad salvation doctrine)

3. Most recently he preaches that every church is bad and all Christians must Come Out of the churches. No church is good. Only organizations like Family Radio are good, so send your tithes to them.

4. He doesn’t believe Jesus died in his human lifetime for sin, but rather before the world was ever made, God crucified him in heaven.....so, the death on the cross was only a demonstration of what He had done earlier.

This guy is bad news and he is deceiving thousands who are weary of organized religion (church)

Pastor Tobe Witmer"

Why are all these people smiling?

As you look at this picture of President Obama sitting at a desk signing something, you may ask, "Why are all these people smiling and so happy?"  It is because our President is signing into law a document that says homosexuals can no longer be discharged from the military for openly practicing Sodomy.

This December 22nd, 2010 repeal was one piece of wicked legislature built on the wicked legislature of President Clinton's 1993 mandate which simply instructed homosexuals to practice their sin quietly.

President Obama said during the signing: “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie or look over their shoulder,”  Quoting the chairman of his joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, Mr. Obama went on, “Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well.”

No matter how much our leaders and country smiles and rejoices, God says that Sodomy is sin of extreme perversion, lust, uncleanness, vile affection, against nature, and unseemly.  It is an extreme sexual sin that is a consequence of a person or nation forgetting God.  Though all sin is wicked, homosexuality is revealed in Scripture as an exceeding wicked national sin that deserves the destruction of the Lord as He did Sodom and Gomorrah.

Romans 1:24-27 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence (payback) of their error which was meet.

Repealing "Don't ask don't tell" is nothing to smile about, but rather everything to weep about.  Beyond the terrible distraction that this will be to our military in everyday perverse situations, the greater harm here is a Country that once trusted God rejoicing in a lifestyle that spits on His holiness, His establishment of marriage, and the picture of Christ and the church.

Instead of conviction and shame for their sin that will bring repentance and salvation to perishing homosexuals, our country is glamorizing and commending the unrighteousness which will lead many to the lake of fire.  Instead of compassion that preaches repentance to lost homosexuals, our country is applauding the extreme sin that often drives them to a life of debauchery, sickness, disease, death of their body, and ultimately death of their soul.  For the sake of the repentance of perishing homosexuals, sin must be preached as exceeding sinful.

America is lost in sin and our only hope is national revival.  As Christians, we must not put our head in the sand and ignore such terrible and wicked steps of destruction such as President Obama's repeal.  We must be the pillar and ground of truth.  We must never be politally correct, but rather be Biblically correct and condemn Sodomy just as the Lord does.  We must cry in the streets, we must be burdened with our national sin, we must fast and pray for God to send revival.