Off the fence!
Since the arrival of The Passion of the Christ movie and the many subsequent sermons and editorial responses, I believe that this movie has "finally" pushed most fence-riding Bible Believing pastors off one side or another - few could stay in the middle on this one - unfortunately, I must say that from the ones I have heard from, most have appeared to have landed on the wrong side.

Me - Personally and Pastorally!
If any of you remember from one my earlier sermons on The Passion of Christ and how I applied Romans 8:28 to it, then I must tell you that it had a profound affect on my own personal life.  My support for the movie (not that there was any in the first place) has waned even more than I figured it could!  I was sure pushed off any fence I was trying to hang onto!

I am not one to be judging anybody else's pulpit or home, but for me, the direction of my preaching seems to have turned to 'doing the work of an evangelist in the Greater Commission' than being the modern pastor trying to "build a work trying to 'obey' the Great Commission" - a direction that most Baptists seem to be akin to following these days!!

Come on, folks - what's going on these days?  What are we doing supporting a movie that portrays the antichrist at the worst and the catholic Christ at the least - however, I do believe they are one and the same!  Are we so 'seared' with that 'image' of Christ drawn in 1941 that we can actually accept it now knowing what God truly thinks of that thing?

BB heads are stuck in the sand!
Bible Believers, what are we doing with all of these images of Christ, etc. in our video racks, bibles, bumper stickers and walls, etc.  It is throwing the 2nd commandment back in God's face, a commandment that Paul reiterates a number of times in the NT!

Supporting a "Good Witness"?  Come on, yer kidding me, right!
There are even some who have justified this movie as a great time to be a witness and that we should even be thankful it is out in the public as 'anything' about Jesus is good, etc!  Well, there is always a great opportunity to witness, but there are churches all over this country that preach and teach a false christ - have you sent them money to keep their 'talk of Jesus' going?

I can't believe what I have heard and read from some of our Bible Believing preachers these recent days!  We can justify anything in the name of Liberty, amen?  What has happened to the words in I Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT: all things are lawful for me, but ALL THINGS EDIFY NOT.

Idolatry in our KJB homes and churches!
God has shown me, in the Scriptures of course, how this movie has exposed modern day idolatry in our homes and churches - yes, even in my own PSR King James Bible Believing home.  The Book has brought out some things about 'images' that I had never considered before, let alone heard any preaching on it.  We preachers like to preach about the idolatry "out there" but until we see it in our backyard, does it really have any affect on those of us in or near the KJB pulpits!

Convincing convictions or just another irritation to the brethren?
And yet, for this personal and pastoral conviction / convincing, I have heard comments such as 'over-doing' my application; a knee jerk reaction, etc.  What has happened to 'any' amount of conviction these days when it comes to our 'walk' and our 'desire' to seek a closer fellowship with the Lord by throwing out some element of darkness from one's life - and seeking even more light from the Book!  It seems that even some Bible Believers get blinded by the light from that Book!!!

Where is the joy from the brethren about someone getting some darkness out of their lives!!!

Convinced to leave your church or join-up with the mega-church crowd!
It is a sad thing, but I see and hear from more and more KJB folks these days who are being convinced to leave their "used to be solid-on-the-issues" KJB churches or being convinced to be herded into these 'fast-growing' churches by modern false psychological homiletical preaching and ignoring the true issues brought about by preaching the word!
Jeremiah 10:21  For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.  But they think they are prospering!!!
Jeremiah 12:10  Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.    But they think it is nothing like a wilderness!

Fires of God's Jealousy!
Read Zephaniah chapter one and see how grateful we had better be concerning our secure salvation. Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

I tell ya, after reading that, I sure do realize that we had better be thankful for ALL that Jesus has done, otherwise we would all be in big trouble by now, if we would even be alive!

Note: The fire of God's jealousy was put onto His own begotten Son for us when He went to Hell; we should never forget that ...we had better take heed of these things and redeem the time while we still have time to redeem!

Folks, we just have to be getting closer and closer to the rapture because the Tribulation is looking closer each day!  Read the following verses and see if anything looks 'more common' now to you than ever before, either out in the world or sadly enough, within our own churches!

Jeremiah 7:1-11; 17-20; 23-34 ...  Alongside 34, also note Jeremiah 16:9  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.   Jeremiah 25:10  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

Jeremiah  11:11,14 (along with Proverbs 1:24-32; II Thessalonians 2:7-12)

For the world in general - Matthew 24:1-14

For the ones who outwardly reject God and have pleasure in doing so - Romans 1:24; 26; 28-32*

For the ones who are deceived in the churches - those with a form of godliness, but...  II Timothy 3:1-8; 12,13

You are developing "Itching Ear" syndrome; you are a prime candidate for a fable or two...
If you have grown spiritually with and within that Book, but are not 'changing' anything (or very little) on the outside, or if you are letting the trials of your faith get you down, then you can develop those deadly itching ears that will be 'seeking' to hear what you 'want to hear' so that you can finally 'enjoy' your religion instead of enjoying what comes with that truthful and close fellowship with the Lord!

They feel attacked when we preach about their  bigger church size, their financial growth, their fun, their 'toys,' the entertainment that they claim they 'grow from', their house projects that make it so 'fun' at home, their sports & activities that supposedly bring visitors in, etc.

1.  Jesus Himself made them mad - Mark 5:13-17
Jesus healed a man who was possessed of devils, and yet when He was done with him, the people saw that... - he was sitting, clothed and in his right mind: and they were afraid ...and they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts!!!

2.  Us common KJB Bible preachers, evangelists and pastors can make people mad - Paul & Silas - Acts 16:17-22
And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,  verse 19

3.  The common yet witnessing 'confident' Bible Believer makes people mad - Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego - Daniel 3:17-22
These three guys exhibited the strength of their faith in verse 17 and especially in verse 18.  Nebuchadnezzar full of fury heated the furnace 7 times more than it was wont to be heated - even cooked his own people (vs 22).

But, after his rage, Neb was astonied (terrified) at the working of the Lord, as our friends and family should be astonied at us when they see that even though our physical life may appear to be crumbling, our spiritual walk is strong!  They should still see a walk of righteousness, peace and joy from the Holy Ghost, and that ought to astony them to the obvious reality that the Book is real - that it truly DOES work effectually in those who believe!!!!

You can add the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians if you want; that is IF you are not letting the difficulties of today's physical earthly American life be a 'downer with all that is going down recently and more is still yet to come!'

As the world is taken away from us (family, finances, friendship and fellowship), we MUST hold up the shield of faith, HIS FAITH and quench the fiery darts of the wicked.   Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: Ephesians 6:16
I Peter 1:7-9  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Our bigger church brethren are getting mad at us little church brethren because something is happening across this country to our Bible Believing churches and some of us little piggies aren't buying it!

The temptation is coming to the little bitty church guy who:

• struggles week by week financially
• who can't get any new members with what & how he preaches
• who has to watch what sheep he does have so carefully that the friendly wolves don't get them
• who still preaches the King James Bible for what it says
• and who won't hold back when it comes to the 'issues of the day!'

These little churches won't last long this way, either - in fact, the Scriptures make it pretty clear that we are a dying group of folks.

What makes this all so wonderful?  Wonderful is its correct definition means to be Adapted to excite wonder; exciting surprise; strange; astonishing (astonishing meaning: To stun or strike dumb with sudden fear, terror, surprise or wonder; to amaze; to confound with some sudden passion).

What makes this all so horrible?  Define horrible: Exciting or tending to excite horror; dreadful; terrible; shocking; hideous;

In these modern days, more than ever before, we who stick to the Book are hearing the 'old prophets' preaching more and more lies (I Kings 13) - and we see their 'understudies' - their students - doing what their 'old prophet' told them and thus start what they think will work according to their own wisdom - and God's people...

THAT is what is so wonderful and horrible!  That is what is so strange, so surprising, so dreadful, so terrible, so shocking, so hideous - that KJBIBLE BELIEVERS LOVE TO HAVE IT THIS WAY!

There has been a church movement across this country in recent years whose teachings and techniques have now 'landed' in our Bible Believing churches - thus we see some of our churches growing quickly and yet we also see others dying just as quickly!

What are the big churches doing that is suddenly increasing their attendance and what are the small ones not doing that is preventing an increase of attendance?

These two churches have reshaped the way church 'is done' today.  There are a few main writings that have set this flame afire - The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren of Saddleback; Marketing the Church, by George Barna; and Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry, by Lee Strobel!

Churches all over the world are imitating the many methods promoted by these two churches.  These two churches have made it work, and their success is now being modeled by Protestant and Evangelical Churches - and now, by BIBLE BELIEVING CHURCHES!!!

And with the huge acceptance of the antichrist being portrayed in movie theaters around the world - by Bible Believers as well, it all too obvious as to what is going on here - and who is coming soon!

People are into spirituality, not religion...  Behind this sift is the search for an experiential faith, a religion of the heart, not the head.  It is a religious expression that downplays doctrine and dogma, and revels in direct experience of the divine - whether it is called the "Holy Spirit" or "cosmic consciousness" or the "true self,"

It is practical and personal, more about stress reduction than salvation, more therapeutic than theological.  It's about feeling good, not being good.  It is as much about the body as the soul... Some marketing gurus have begun calling it the "experience industry."

Congregants care more about a church's childcare services as its doctrinal purity; pay more attention to the style of music than the pastors [sermons.]

Baby boomers think of churches like they think of supermarkets, they want options, choices and convenience.

Protestant mega-churches have become the evangelical answer to Home Depot, marketing such services as worship, child care, a sports club, 12-step groups and a guaranteed parking place.