Exodus International: Where Do We Go From Here?‏

Hello Friends!

The recent Exodus International ex-gay scandal is receiving mixed reactions from various Christian evangelical leaders. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, current Exodus International President Alan Chambers announced the closing of Exodus International…

 

Exodus International: Where Do We Go From Here?

The closing down of Exodus International was apparently expected by many Evangelical Christian leaders. Early last year in 2012, Alan Chambers announced at a gathering of the Gay Christian Network:

“We’re Christians, all of us.”

Even before then, Exodus International was seeing a mass exodus of Christian ministries due to the leadership’s changing stance on ex-gay “reparative therapy.” Many leaders within Exodus International also began leaving once they realized the direction the organization was heading…

Robert Gagnon, an associate professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, called for Alan Chambers’ resignation from Exodus International at the time:

“Alan [Chamber]’s approach of providing assurances of salvation to those actively engaged in sexually immoral intercourse is a very different approach than Jesus’ and Paul’s warnings that immoral sexual behavior, among other offenses, can get one excluded from the kingdom of God and thrown into hell.” Gagnon believed that the actions of Exodus International would “leave such persons deceived by giving them a message of ‘peace and security’ when instead danger hangs over them.”

A day after the Exodus International closing, the ex-gay scandal has many Christian evangelical leaders respond. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says the closing of Exodus International is:

“something like a surrender to the cultural currents of the day.”

While he agrees with Alan Chambers on some points, Mohler says those in the LGBT community:

“will be further confused by the capitulation of Exodus International.”

Andrew Comiskey, board member for the Restored Hope Network, tweeted:

”How merciful of God to shut down Exodus, which under Alan Chambers leadership had completely veered off the course of its mission.”

Andrew Marin, president and founder of The Marin Foundation, actually celebrated Exodus International’s closing, saying:

“Over the past thirty-plus years Exodus had successfully permeated the Christian cultural consciousness that sexual orientation could be changed. This message has caused immeasurable harm to well intentioned LGBT Christians, as well as their parents, families and friends–all working under the illusion that with enough prayer, submission to the Lord’s will, reparative therapy or continual attendance to Exodus’ programs that same-sex attractions can be ‘fixed.’ … I could not have been more happy to see … Alan’s apology, and then bold and courageous decision to announce last night that Exodus International will shut down.”

Some of the responses were more contemplative. Mark Yarhouse, director of Regent University’s Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity, asks whether:

“there room in a diverse and pluralistic culture for a Christian ministry to retain its beliefs and values about sexuality and marriage while moving away from the expectation of change?” 

Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, says:

“We shouldn’t be offering cures or quick fixes, but Gospel.” 

Christopher Yuan, author of Out of A Far Country, apparently agrees with this stance since he claims Exodus International suffered from:

“a lack of emphasis upon biblical singleness, resulting in an over emphasis upon heterosexual marriage.”

The Holy Scriptures are very clear - Homosexuality is a sin:

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

However, let the true Christian not forget lest he become foolishly haughty and proud:

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God – 1 Corinthians 6:11

The Apostle John confronted the early Gnostic movement that was determined to mingle the pagan immorality of the ancient world with the teachings of Jesus Christ -- not unlike the current trend among professing "Christian" pastors and churches who are teaching "Gay Christianity."

 

Is it possible to live a life in open rebellion to the commandments of God and still be justified? What does John tell us in his New Testament epistle about those who live their lives that way? Should we embrace them as fellow believers? Or should we warn them that the Christ they follow is, in reality, an anti-Christ? 

 

With the message of love and tolerance being used today as the means for embracing immoral practices, what does it mean to respond to our “Politically Correct” culture with the love of God? The Lord Jesus Christ will forgive the truly repentant sinner:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness – 1 John 1:19

What do you think about Exodus International closing their doors and the ex-gay scandal?

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!


We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

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"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Rome’s New American Catholic Bible & Higher Criticism‏

Hello Friends!

Rome’s NEW AMERICAN BIBLE – St. Joseph Edition – written in the twentieth century, has been officially approved by the Roman Catholic Church. Incredibly, some of the commentaries in the "Encyclopedic Dictionary" reveal the true heart of Rome where the authority of the Bible is concerned. Where does the Roman Catholic Church stand on the subjects such as evolution and Biblical authority? And what is the number one book listed on her "INDEX OF FORBIDDEN BOOKS"? 

 

For Christians who are eagerly engaged in ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic system and its “Higher Criticism” – the answer to this question may prove quite surprising…

 

Rome’s New American Catholic Bible & Higher Criticism

What is the number one book listed on Rome’s "INDEX OF FORBIDDEN BOOKS"?

 

Answer: All non-Catholic versions of the Bible – primarily The King James Bible. In fact, it was Pope Paul IV who in 1599 listed the Scriptures under the Index of Prohibited Books.

 

NOTE: It is not pornography or the myriad of sinful ills in society of which Rome forbids its followers to abstain from first and foremost. No! Roman Catholicism is first and foremost forbidden to hold to any Scripture writings that do not conform to official, approved Roman Catholic teachings

.

Among other teachings, where does the Roman Catholic Church stand on the subjects of evolution or the authenticity of the Word of God?

 

Higher/Historic Criticism and Darwinism run parallel throughout history and were inspired by the Jesuit Order & the Roman Counter Reformation priesthood to attack and destroy the authority of the Bible as well as the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

 

Two significant factors to consider are:

 

1859 – Codex Sinaiticus was “discovered” as New Testament text – known as the conflation theory.

 

1859 – Darwin’s Origins of Species was published.

It is very important to note that theses two anti-Biblical texts were written and published in the same year. Is this just coincidence? It is highly doubtful when one understands the concept of revisionist history – the re-write of true, historical occurrences.

 

Other earlier dates of significance that would warrant further consideration when investigating Rome’s ecumenical tactics over the centuries are:

 

1656 – French author Isaac La Peyre’re wrote his book Men Before Adam (Prae-Adamitae) which referred to a pre-Adamic race of humans and was utilized to discredit the authority and historicity of the Word of God. To accept the theory that apes were the ancestors of men, as believed by some people, is to throw dirt on human dignity. A people who does not understand that he owes his existence to God Almighty, or who thinks that he is a product of "chance" must be pitied for having been hoodwinked into spiritual blindness in regard to the divine purpose.

 

Many people have been left in astonishment as to why the Roman Catholic Church, which claims to be the "Mother Church" of Christendom, should come all out to defend the theory of biological evolution which even the pagans themselves knew to be repugnant to the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Bible. In a Roman Catholic monthly magazine - CATHOLIC LIFE issue of June, 1964, a question was asked about the evolution of man and the answer was given as follows:

Question: "Is it sinful to believe that man is the culmination of a process of evolution from something like an ape or monkey?"

Answer: "No. It is not a sin. In fact it is a reasonable thing to do so. Biologists tell us that man's body, under the guidance of God, of course, has assumed its present form only after having undergone considerable changes in the course of millions of years. Man's soul is made directly by God and it is probable that the first man, Adam, came into existence when God created a human soul and infused it into a body which had evolved from some animal form like an ape or monkey. The Bible neither affirms nor denies the theory of the evolution of man's body, If you refuse to accept the theory, please do not base your refusal on any dogma of religion. There is nothing in revelation to confirm or deny the theory, which refers to man's body only, not to his soul"

It is a pity that those who claim to be the vicars of Jesus Christ and teachers of God's Word should show such a degree of ignorance of the Scriptures and be so wheedled into believing and relying on a secularist view of academic savants concerning matters of doctrine clearly revealed in the Holy Bible. Are Christians to be guided by the Scriptures or by faulty opinions of biologists? What authority of Scripture can the Roman Catholic Church cite to support her view that Adam came into existence when God infused a human soul into a body which had evolved from some animal form like an ape or monkey? How did that body without human soul come into being?

And was it through the same process that Eve, Adam's wife, came into existence? These are a few questions for which the Roman Catholic priests may further seek the opinion of biologists to get answers. To say that the Bible neither affirms nor denies the theory of the evolution of man's body is a manifestation of gross ignorance – and heresy!

 

The theory of evolution is diametrically opposed to the teaching of the Christian Faith found only in the Holy Bible – evolutionary thought is devilish and must therefore be condemned. An atheist professor was quoted by Dr. Morris to have stated:

"The whole history of evolution reveals and witnesses that there is no intelligence to back up the process. You cannot understand evolution and believe in God" – Dr. H. M. Morris, Ph.D. “The Bible and Modern Science”, THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (1951)

What more evidence does one need to know? Godlessness is the very core of the theory of evolution.

The Scriptures make it quite clear – the priests of God have grave responsibilities for what they teach and they must not mislead the people:

"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they (the people) should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts" – Malachi 2: 7

1678 – The doctrine of Higher Criticism was conceived by the Roman Catholic theologians Richard Simon & Dr. Alexander Geddes and called into question the plainest Scripture teachings on history and origins. The writings of Moses were dismissed as myths and faith in God’s Word was thrown out as untrue and incomplete. Confidence in the Word of God began to wane due to these gross apostate doctrines.

 

The Roman Catholic system’s efforts to suppress the truths of the 1517 Reformation has been generally successful. It is important to note that the Reformation officially began when Roman Catholic Priests began to read the Bible for themselves and found the true Word of God to be antithetical to Roman Catholic doctrine and took a firm stand against the false doctrines they once espoused. However, the false teachings of Rome have permeated through the religious systems of the world and Protestant churches are often not only accepting these teachings but also propagating them in their own seminaries and sanctuaries. There was a time when Protestants believed that God created the earth in six literal days. But like Rome, many have adopted the theory of evolution. Today, many Protestant churches have rejected the Flood and Creation accounts of the book of Genesis, referring to them as “myths”.

 

To further investigate these claims in greater detail, the following key “tools” were utilized by Rome to counter the Reformation and are still being used throughout the world – in a more subversive way today…

 

Negating Creation – The theory of natural selection has been accepted by the Catholic Church, whereas the Biblical Creation story has been called a heresy.

 

The Roman Catholic Church has officially negated the Creation account of the Bible. The official declaration by Pope John Paul II was heralded in the international press. TIME magazine carried the headline “Vatican Thinking Evolves: The Pope gives his blessing to natural selection though man’s soul remains beyond science’s reach. In the article, the Pope is quoted as saying:

“new knowledge leads us to recognize that the theory of evolution is more than a hypothesis.” –  Burke, Collins, and Kamlani, “Vatican thinking Evolves,” Time (November 6, 1996).

In 1999, Jesuit (SJ) Guy Consolmagno made an even more astounding comment during an interview with Elm Street magazine, stating that creationism is:

“a 19th-century heresy. The ancient Church fathers knew better than to interpret the Bible that way.” – Alison Rose, “Science of Heaven,” Elm Street (December 1999): 30

Elevating Tradition Over Scripture – Catholic doctrine places tradition in a higher position than Scripture.

 

The Catholic Church has, in the past, tried to prohibit the reading and distribution of the Word of God. In fact, Pope Paul IV listed the Scriptures under the Index of Prohibited Books in 1599. In 1462, Archbishop Adolphus broke up the printing establishments of Gutenberg and Schoeffer in order to prevent Bible circulation – Samuel Smiles, The Huguenots (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1868): 17.

 

When banning the Bible could not quench the Word, the Word was made void through the doctrines of higher criticism. The authority of man-made tradition was made more important than Scripture. The Church’s teachings that are in direct opposition to the plain “Thus saith the Lord.”

 

Even today, Rome has not changed this stance:

The fact that Scripture and Tradition belong together accounts for two rules that direct the way the Church approaches God’s revelation. The first of these rules is stated very simply by Vatican II in these words: It follows from what has been said that the Church does not draw its knowledge of all that God has revealed from holy Scripture alone. That is why both (Tradition and Scripture) must be accepted and respected with equal affection and honour. Secondly, the unbreakable bond between Scripture and Tradition accounts for the fact that for Catholics, Tradition is the context within which the Scriptures are interpreted, just as Tradition itself has to be understood and lived with reference to Scripture. – Bonaventure Hinwood, More Answers to Your Questions (Human & Rousseau, 1983)

Now if God commands me under pain of damnation to believe what He has taught, He is bound to give me the means to know what He has taught. What is this means? "The Bible," say the Protestants. But we Catholics say, "No, not the Bible, but the Church of God." – "An Open Letter To Non-Catholics," Our Catholic Faith Website.

Jesus Christ had a strong rebuke for those who chose to question the validity of Scripture:

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? – John 5:46-47

Making the Pope Infallible – The reformers fought against the belief that the Pope has absolute authority, but the Roman Catholic Church continues to spread this doctrine.

 

The infallibility and absolute authority of the Pope was another Catholic doctrine challenged by the reformers. Father Bonaventure Hinwood, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church, confirms this doctrine as follows:

It is obvious that the Church cannot fall into error in carrying out this service towards divine revelation. But if the Pope is the center and guarantee of this unity, and if he enjoys full authority in matters of faith and morals, then it follows that he, too, cannot lead the Church into error in matters concerning divine revelation.

There is only one body that carries the supreme apostolic authority in the church, and that is the College of Bishops in union with its head, the Pope. Thus whenever the Pope makes full use of his power as visible head of the Church, he acts as head of the Apostolic College. This is why Vatican I insisted that when the Pope exercises his supreme teaching authority, he is protected from error by that same infallibility which Christ willed for His Church. The Cardinals designate the new Pope. On the new Pope’s acceptance of this designation, he receives directly from Christ all the power necessary for the exercise of the papal ministry. These include the charisma of infallibility. – Bonaventure Hinwood, More Answers to Your Questions (Human & Rousseau, 1983).

That is akin to equating the Pope to God. In 1302, Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed this:

We define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff – Pope Boniface VIII, Papal Bull Unam Sanctam (November 18, 1302).

In 1894, Pope Leo XIII made this statement:

We have constantly sought during the whole course of Our Pontificate and striven, as far as it was possible, by teaching and action, to bind every Nation and people more closely to Us, and make manifest everywhere the salutary influence of the See of Rome… We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty. – Pope Leo XIII, Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae (June 20, 1894).

This doctrine of papal infallibility is strong evidence that the Roman Catholic Church is what/who the Bible refers to as Antichrist – the one man that will try to take the place of Jesus Christ during the seven-year tribulation period. The apostle Paul cited this type of pride as the Antichrist’s greatest crime:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

In Conclusion:

Many of those who followed the reformers did not continue the progress the reformers accomplished. Instead of pushing onward, studying Scripture and being vigilant against papal infiltration - such as the early Puritans and Pilgrims of the original colonial colonies - "modern" Christians in America have slowly allowed themselves to be taken over by Rome and her subversive rule.

 

This may be a surprise to many folks living today, but it was not a surprise to Henry Grattan Guinness, author of Romanism and the Reformation, who wrote this:

The Reformation of the sixteenth century, which gave birth to Protestantism, was based on scripture. It gave back to the world the Bible. It taught the Scriptures; it exposed the errors and corruptions of Rome by the use of the Sword of the Spirit. It applied the prophecies, and accepted their practical guidance. Such Reformation work requires to be done afresh. We have suffered prophetic anti-papal truth to be too much forgotten. This generation is dangerously latitudinarian – indifferent to truth and error on points on which Scripture is tremendously decided and absolutely clear.

Our reformed faith is thus endangered both from without and from within, and it can be defended only by a resolute return to the true witness borne by saints and martyrs of other days. We must learn afresh from Divine prophecy God’s estimate of the character of the Church of Rome if we would be moved afresh to be witnesses for Christ as against this great apostasy.

We feel constrained to renew the grand old protest to which the world owes its modern acquisitions of liberty, knowledge, peace, and prosperity. We recognize it as a patent and undeniable fact that the future of our race lies not with Papists, but with Protestants. Its leading nations this day are not Papal Italy, Spain, and Portugal, but Protestant Germany, England, and America.

Romanism is apostate Latin Christianity—not apostate Christianity merely, but apostate Latin Christianity – Henry Grattan Guinness, Romanism and the Reformation (Hodder and Stoughton, 1887): 8-9.

In spite of the rejection of truth by the formal churches, God has a special invitation for His honest, sincere children. The Lord Jesus Christ does not want His children to remain in this fallen state of Babylon:

Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues – Revelation 18:4

God also shows us through His Word, the Bible, that he wants us to use our intellect to make intelligent, informed choices about who we are to serve and how:

Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool – Isaiah 1:18

The 1517 Reformation drew a line between the Roman Catholic religious system and God’s true believers. And at the end of time on this earth, that line will again be drawn more clearly and distinctly than ever before - eternally. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

The Geneva Bible of the Protestant Reformation‏

Hello Friends!

Published in 1560, the Geneva Bible’s popularity kept it in print until 1644 – long after the advent of the Authorized Version (King James Version). It was an English Bible that met the needs of both clergy and laity. Although the Apocrypha is included in this version of God's Word, it has never been accepted or received as canonized Scripture text by Protestants. 

Perhaps the Geneva Bible’s greatest contribution was its commentary, which under girded the emerging practice of sermonizing and helped foster scripture literacy…

The Geneva Bible of the Protestant Reformation

Sixteenth century English Protestant scholars were determined to make the scriptures understandable to common people.

It is well known that a clergyman hopelessly entrenched in Roman Catholic dogma once taunted William Tyndale with the statement:

“We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”

Tyndale was so infuriated by such Roman Catholic heresies that he abruptly replied:

“I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”

The motto of the Protestant Reformation became Post Tenebras Lux – After the Darkness, Light. This motto meant that truth – light – was now piercing a dark world that had been taken captive to mysticism and tradition due to the lack of having access to the inspired Word of God – to read for themselves.

Queen Mary’s (1553–1558) persecution of her Protestant subjects caused many to flee the continent to avoid imprisonment – or execution. Geneva, Switzerland soon became a center for Protestant biblical scholarship. It was there that a group of the movement’s leading lights gathered to undertake a fresh translation of the scriptures into English, beginning in 1556.

 

The Geneva Bible was the first to feature many innovations in the field of Bible publishing:

• Text printed in readable roman type; 7pt. typ
• Division of the text into numbered verses
• Italic type used for words not in the original language
• Marks placed over the accented syllables to aid in pronouncing proper names
• Extensive textual and explanatory commentary placed in the margin
• Words/phrases displayed at the heads of pages to promote scripture memorization
• Maps and woodcuts illustrating biblical scenes included
• Sold in a variety of sizes so many people could afford a household Bible

The Geneva Bible accompanied English settlers voyaging to the new world. It is probable that the Geneva Bible came to America in 1607 and was used in the Jamestown colony. Thirteen years later the Pilgrims brought it with them on the Mayflower’s perilous voyage to religious freedom. The Geneva Bible stands as a landmark in the history of English Bible translation. 

 

For those of you interested in reading an excellent version of God’s Word, the 1560 Geneva Bible is an excellent resource. Bible collectors and anyone interested in the history of the English Bible will treasure this volume. Not to mention, it makes a priceless addition to the study “arsenal” of the serious student of God’s Word! 

We here at Encouraging Concepts highly recommend this excellent piece of Christian history - the Word of God

 

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Pope Francis: Even Atheists Are Saved?‏

Hello Friends!

The most recent heresy coming from Rome is nothing short of unbiblical and antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Pope Francis has ventured into brand new ecumenical territory. Now the Pope says that even unbelieving  Atheists are redeemed by Jesus Christ – in spite of their unbelief and lack of repentance – provided they do "good works." 

 

On May 22, 2013, the Huffington Post reported on a story and declared that this new controversy would likely “stir up old divisions from the Protestant Reformation, where salvation by grace alone was argued against Rome's doctrine of works salvation”. However, this is not at all surprising. 

Although the Vatican has since "clarified" that Atheists do indeed go to Hell, many Catholic apologists are scampering to cover for their pontifical ruler - as he believes that salvation is found only through the Roman Catholic Church. False doctrine continues to flow from Rome…

Pope Francis: Even Atheists Are Saved?

Pope Francis rocked some religious and atheist minds today when he declared that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists. During his homily at Wednesday Mass in Rome, Francis emphasized the importance of "doing good" as a principle that unites all humanity, and a "culture of encounter" to support peace.

Using scripture (out of context) from the Gospel of Mark, Francis “explained” how upset Jesus' disciples were that someone outside their group was doing good, according to a report from Vatican Radio.

“They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” And Jesus corrects them: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.” The disciples, Pope Francis explains, “were a little intolerant,” closed off by the idea of ​​possessing the truth, convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.” “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis said, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation”

Let’s take a look at this Scripture to see what (in context) it actually says:

Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side – Mark 9:38-40

In this passage Jesus Christ is clearly referring to His authority and belief in Him as Savior – nothing to do with good works! 

 

Not to mention the Bible declares that there is no “root” of goodness in anyone:

There is none righteous, no, not one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:10 & 23

Responding to the leader of the Roman Catholic church's homily, Father James Martin, S.J. (Society of Jesus) wrote in an email to The Huffington Post:

"Pope Francis is saying, more clearly than ever before, that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone. That's always been a Christian belief. You can find St. Paul saying in the First Letter to Timothy that Jesus gave himself as a "ransom for all." But rarely do you hear it said by Catholics so forcefully, and with such evident joy. And in this era of religious controversies, it's a timely reminder that God cannot be confined to our narrow categories."

The pope's comment has also struck a chord on Reddit, where it is a popular shared piece. 

 

And this from Reuters:

Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good, Pope Francis said on Wednesday in his latest urging that people of all religions - or no religion - work together. The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made his comments in the homily of his morning Mass in his residence, a daily event where he speaks without prepared comments. He told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus.

"Even them, everyone," the pope answered, according to Vatican Radio. "We all have the duty to do good," he said. 

"Just do good and we'll find a meeting point," the pope said in a hypothetical conversation in which someone told a priest: "But I don't believe. I'm an atheist."

Francis's reaching out to atheists and people who belong to no religion is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.

 Here is the full article from the Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/pope-francis-good-atheists_n_3320757.html

 

Closing Thoughts:

These quotes truly reveal the diabolical anti-Christian –  even anti-Catholic – Jesuitical doctrine which has been the driving force behind Rome’s counter-reformation over the centuries. Catholics must consider carefully where they place their eternal loyalty. It is a pity that those who claim to be the vicars of Jesus Christ and teachers of God's word should show such a degree of ignorance of the Scriptures and be so wheedled into believing and relying on a secularist view of academic savants concerning matters of doctrine clearly revealed in the Holy Bible. It is also interesting to note that the first Jesuit Pope Francis has recently appointed the first Jesuit Bishop - Michael Barber in Oakland, California on May 25th, 2013 (http://www.jesuit.org/blog/index.php/2013/05/jesuit-becomes-fifth-bishop-of-oakland-says-hes-inspired-by-popes-vision-of-church/).

Pope Francis is now working with the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II on advancing ecumenicalism. The Pope is also making statements that do not even agree with what the Church of Rome proclaims. And recently, the Pope Canonized 800 Beheaded by Muslims... But what about his concern for the 50 million Bible-believing Christians the Church of Rome has martyred simply for believing the Word of God over bowing the knee to this anti-Christian religious system? These issue cannot simply be ignored – the precious eternal souls of millions are at stake!

 

The Lord will hold these men accountable for their teachings and beliefs…

 

The 1517 Reformation drew a line between the Roman Catholic system and God’s people. And at the end of time on this earth, that line will again be drawn more clearly and distinctly than ever before - eternally. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)