Articles

The Wake-up Herald

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. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:11-14

By Jim Jester

Sometimes I get into conversation with well-meaning people concerned about the dreadful condition of the church and our country. I may say things like, “God is a God of judgment” or, “Jesus did not die for everybody” or, “God hates certain things, or even certain people.” Some will come back with a Bible verse taken out of context and say, “Don’t be so negative” or, “You are so divisive” or, “We are not to judge.” This was the case recently with a Sunday school teacher; so, I wrote back:

Electricity does not flow unless there is a negative and a positive. We need both; so I will be positive now. As a young Christian I was Arminian in my theological persuasion, I rejected all five points of Calvin (T.U.L.I.P.). But as time went on I became more of a Calvinist than an Arminian because God is sovereign – He chooses, not us. We only choose to serve Him. We cannot have it both ways, as I once believed, that God was for me and I chose to accept Jesus; therefore His vote and my vote made a majority.

I had always wanted unity in the church, but this conflict in doctrine has been struggled over by greater minds than mine. Men like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Arminius were not able to unite the Christian world. Since Luther posted his Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church, the debate has continued for centuries. I knew that according to Genesis 3:15 there would always be conflict in the world, but why not have unity and peace in the church?

by Pastor Don Elmore

December 1, 2013

Scripture Reading:  Exodus 20:1-3

Sandy Hook is nothing more than a big….no not a big, but a massive hoax—a false flag.  Just like all the others:  Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; The Lusitania; 9/11 destruction of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon; Aurora Movie Theater shooting; Boston Marathon bombing; JFK assassination; Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting….it doesn’t hold up when you investigate it.

by Pastor Don Elmore

November 17, 2013

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 41:8-10

It was over twenty years ago while I was teaching high school math; when one of my math students asked me a question.  It was during lunch time and we were both in my math room munching on the lunch they we brought from home.  She asked:  “Have you read Peter Marshall’s book, “The Light and the Glory.” I knew a Peter and Catherine Marshall; Peter was the Senate Chaplain and his wife was a best-selling author.  But this was co-authored by their son.  I answered, “No.  I was not aware of the book.  What is it about?”  She answered:  “Well, we are using this book in Sunday School class.  It tells about the Pilgrims and how God performed all the miracles for them.”

That piqued my interest.  I hadn’t heard of “all these miracles” that God performed for the Pilgrims in the early days of our nation.  So, after I went home I bought the book.  I read it and was fascinated. 

That fall we had our Thanksgiving meal at our house.  I mean the church’s first Thanksgiving meal; which is, of course, around two weeks before the real Thanksgiving Day celebrated by our nation.  We started celebrating it because why noted a lack of the correct motives in celebrating it with family and friends.  It wasn’t supposed to be a social event and a sports day, but a religious service.  God was to be thanked for His kindness and goodness towards us in giving us a good harvest.

The Wake-up Herald

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. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:11-14

The Wake-up Herald

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. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:11-14

by Pastor Don Elmore

November 3, 2013

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:4-6

I was brought up as an Arminian; i.e. a man who chooses God.  I never heard the words election used in the Bible.  I could have read the words, but had no idea what it meant.  When I was about 21 years old, I read a religious newspaper that taught “Calvinism.”  They actually were proud and emphasized what John Calvin taught; and I was surprised to learn that is what most American churches taught and believed two centuries ago: the “TULIP doctrine”: 

Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance and preservation of the saints (Eternal security)

Compared with the Calvinistic five points is the Arminian position:

by Pastor Don Elmore

October 27, 2013

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:40

This verse is given as the verse which is used as the one which the Universalist uses to fleece our people into giving part of their money to them in order to think that they are doing this for Jesus Christ.  Look at these recent examples:

The Truth About Halloween
By Robert McCurry

Excited children masquerading as witches, ghosts, goblins, demons, and other grotesque characters skipping through the neighborhood knocking on doors chanting "trick or treat" while holding out a sack in which one is to drop a piece of candy or other goodies ... the party at school, or church, or Sunday School where they bob for apples, tell fortunes, or go through "haunted houses"... decorations of jack-o'-lanterns, witches on brooms, and black cats with arched backs ... It's "Halloween"--one of the strangest days of the year.

Are Halloween activities really just the simple, innocent holiday fun most people believe them to be? Where did this holiday originate? Why is this holiday celebrated?

History provides the answers. Though it was the Roman Catholic Church who designated the October 31st date as All Hallows Eve, or "eve of the holy ones" day, in prelude to their November 1st All Saints' Day, it was earlier pagan peoples who gave the annual holiday the sinister meaning and traditions it still holds.

"The American celebration rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs which can be traced in direct line from pre-Christian times. Although Halloween has become a night of rollicking fun, superstitious spells, and eerie games which people take only half seriously, its beginnings were quite otherwise. The earliest Halloween celebrations were held by the Druids in honor of Samhain, lord of the dead, whose festival fell on November 1st." 

"It was a Druidic belief that on the eve of this festival, Saman [Samhain], lord of death, called together the wicked souls [spirits] that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals."