The Elijah Project

Welcome to the Elijah Project Blog. 

 I’ve had so many people who want to know what it’s like to just "live" a Christian life day to day.  I never thought about it but I must say, it isn’t all a bed of roses, especially if you’re going to "fight the good fight" and you’re out there in daily spiritual warfare.

Many people are complacent and content to just sit and do nothing.  They have no prayer life other than at meals, they have very little knowledge of the Word of God and rarely, if ever couple their prayer with fasting.

I have been asked several times to help others understand how I extract information from the Word of God in order to present it on The Elijah Project main site.  That has been a difficult request for me to honor.  I had one young man state he would love to see what goes on in the mind of a "preacher" from day to day.  I believe God DID give the preachers a different mind on things, but we’re all still tempted and tried;  we face tribulation and persecution; and we have spiritual struggles from time to time.

It is my wish that I can give you a glimpse into some of the things that affect me from day to day and by doing this, perhaps I can encourage you along the way.

Pray for me as I try to place my thoughts on the Word, the world, the bible, faith, and life in general for you to read.  I’ll try to write as often as possible and I’ll try to maintain at least a weekly post, but I can’t promise that will happen!

  Keep checking back, perhaps I can encourage you from time to time and keep you informed of current issues.

"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.   
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Matthew 7:17-19 

We have a new President but do you know him?  Do you know what he believes?   What do you really know about him?  Did you vote for him because he claimed to be Christian?  Did you vote for him so your pocketbook would be full?   Did you vote for him because you thought he was more charismatic than anyone else?

I had a conversation this week with a friend from Canada.  he asked me "Well, how does it feel to have the Messiah" as President?  I was horrified!   The perception in the rest of the world seems to be much the same.  They believe Americans are looking to Barack Obama to bring World Peace, and to usher the country into an era of "acceptance and tolerance" for everyone and every belief.  I’m not sure about you, but it seems to me that with every passing election, we are preparing the way more and more for THE man of sin to enter.    Read more at the teaching pages:  http://www.elijahproject.net/directory.html

 So have you read anything at all on Mr. Obama?  Our new President Obama held an interview in 2004 with Chicago Sun-Times reported, Cathleen Falsani.  Below are a few excerpts from that interview:

Concerning Jesus:

FALSANI:
Who’s Jesus to you?

(He laughs nervously)

OBAMA:
Right.

Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.

FALSANI:
Is Jesus someone who you feel you have a regular connection with now, a personal connection with in your life?

OBAMA:
Yeah. Yes. I think some of the things I talked about earlier are addressed through, are channeled through my Christian faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Concerning the Power of God

FALSANI:
Checking for altruism?

OBAMA:
Yeah. I mean, something like it.

Looking for … It’s interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I’m talking to a group and I’m saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I’m just being glib or clever.

FALSANI:
What’s that power? Is it the holy spirit? God?

OBAMA:
Well, I think it’s the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience.

On Bible Faith – Heaven and Hell

FALSANI:
The conversation stopper, when you say you’re a Christian and leave it at that.

OBAMA:
Where do you move forward with that?

This is something that I’m sure I’d have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell.

FALSANI:
You don’t believe that?

OBAMA:
I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

FALSANI:
Do you believe in heaven?

OBAMA:
Do I believe in the harps and clouds and wings?

FALSANI:
A place spiritually you go to after you die?

OBAMA:
What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.

When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I’ve been a good father to them, and I see in them that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they’re kind people and that they’re honest people, and they’re curious people, that’s a little piece of heaven.

Concerning Sin

FALSANI:
Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA:
Yes.

FALSANI:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

FALSANI:
What happens if you have sin in your life?

OBAMA:
I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment.

Read the entire interview here:  http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2008/11/obamas_fascinat.html 

Given President Obama’s answers and the explanations of the faith, compare it to yours.  What do YOU believe?  

Do YOU believe Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven?  What does the bible say?

Read Acts 4:12  "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. "   John 8:24:  "…for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.",  John 14:6:  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Do YOU believe sin is "being out of alignment with"  YOUR values?  What does the bible say about "your" values?

Jeremiah 17:9  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Do YOU believe the Holy Spriit is "…the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience."?  What does the bible say?

John 16:13:   "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."  

Do YOU believe abortion is ok and that life doesn’t begin until after a baby is born?  What does the bible say?

Leviticus 17:11   "For the life of the flesh is in the blood:…"

 Do you know what flavor of religion President Obama really supports?  Would you stay in a church for 20 years under a pastor that preaches things such as those found here (WARNING!!!! MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO YOU!):    http://hotair.com/archives/2008/03/13/video-jeremiah-wright-and-god-damn-america/   

Do you know where President Obama stands on abortion?  Do you support this?:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NN4TKrViNE  

So what change did you really vote for?    Here … This might help you understand:   http://www.citizenlink.org/Stoplight/A000009104.cfm 

UPDATED:  Check out this link:       http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1150540,CST-NWS-faith08.article     Now…what was that comment about "Lipstick on a Pig"?

This next link pretty much sums it all up:  http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12745.htm 

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The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.     Proverbs 16:4

Several people have expressed a concern about a particular local church that is now teaching evolution as fact.   It is rumored that evolution is the process by which God created all living things.  Friend, hate me if you will, but IF and I do want to emphatically stress "IF" evolution is being taught, then it is PURE 100% HERESY.

It is not my desire to alienate or hurt anyone either by accusation or by doubting their word so please allow me to make a comment or two on the matter.

The people who talked with me concerning the subject are reliable and trustworthy and I have no reason to doubt what they say is true.  MY issue, however, is that I DO NOT tend to believe rumors (even from trustworthy sources), or gossip until I have either proven them to be true or dispelled them.  Please understand, I’m not calling anyone a liar or saying they have fabricated anything.  I do know that perhaps sometimes we ALL (myself included) miss some critical information that is needed to piece together the puzzle.   Ok…enough of my rambling.    Here is my definite stance on all such matters that I hear "through the grapevine".

1 Corinthians 13:4-6  "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;…"

1 Thessalonians 5:21  "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

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Let me address the issue (not the TOPIC).  

Again, let me stress the "IF" statements…..

"IF" evolution is being taught as fact in ANY Christian church, then the leaders of that church are in SERIOUS HERETICAL ERROR.  It is heresy:  Nothing more – nothing less.

"IF"  the congregation buys into the evolution theory and believes it, then the congregation itself has been gravely deceived and are as wandering sheep without a true shepherd over them.

"IF" the congregation DOES NOT believe in evolution BUT chooses to sit idly by, doing or saying nothing while it is taught:  That congregation is in serious error and is just as guilty of promoting heresy as the heretic teacher who teaches it.  Friend, I can assure you of this one thing:  IF any congregation says they have the Word of Truth in them and they WILL NOT stand together against clearly heretical teaching such as evolution,  then that congregation DOES NOT have the truth they say they have!  Those who champion the truth of the bible would NEVER stand by and allow deceit and lies to be taught.

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Do my words seem harsh?  Do you believe them to be without love?   Would you let your children sit under a teacher who claimed that Jesus was evil and that Satan is actually the good one and was creator of the earth?  Would you?  What would you do to stop it?   Would you sit and do nothing or say nothing if someone attempted to teach that lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, fornication, strife, etc. were all good things?  Would you?

Why then would anyone sit and listen to someone teach evolution as fact? 

My clear thinking on the matter is this:   IF you REALLY believed that what was taught was wrong, why do you remain there?  I believe there is more to the story than what I’ve heard.

There are usually 3 sides to every story:  Side 1, Side 2 and The Truth.  I think I’ll choose "The Truth".

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I’ll post more when I gain more details.

Not so long ago, I left a church that had began to turn inwardly with cliques, private (although unspoken) social circles and exclusionary attitudes.

I recently watched that same church shun, turn away from and ignore others who had previously attended their church.  What a shame.  What a black mark on the name of Jesus and upon Christianity!   Are we so small-minded, emotionally and intellectually immature in the church today that we can’t love those with whom we have problems (whether real OR perceived)?  Tragically, I have seen this many times over the years.  Churches without good solid foundational teaching from the Word of God tend to turn to themselves for social comfort and in so doing, anyone outside their "circle of friends" is considered an outcast, an outsider and worst of all, a backslider from the faith.  It is indeed shameful when churches turn to this mindset.   The Apostle John said this one best:  1 John 4:20-21  "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."  

Many church cliques try to get around this scripture by stating "well, that person wasn’t my brother (or sister)".  How unfortunate for them since there are MANY other scriptures pertaining to this matter.  I don’t have time nor space to list them all but here are a couple:

Speaking of a multitude of sinners, Jesus said:  Matthew 12:48-50  "But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

After the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus asked a question in Luke 10:36-37  "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

Now for the one they can’t deny even if they wanted to:  Matthew 5:43-48  "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

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I had an elderly woman that had been in church for a very long time, make a shocking statement after learning that I was working with a particular ministry that deals with the homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, homosexuals, etc. 

She got this look of disgust on her face and stated "Oh God, they have those "street people" over there".  

I guess somehow over the years, she must have missed these scriptures:

Mark 12:31  "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

Luke 5:32  "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Apparently, "street people" aren’t worthy of salvation……?

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May the Lord have mercy upon those who have lost the meaning of Christianity and true Godly Love!

I was reading some statistics on foundational Christian beliefs and was horrified at the results!  The study was conducted and published by Barna Research.

Look at the following facts.  If they don’t make you weep for the sins of a nation, I’m not sure what might actually move you.

• Only 32% of all people who claim to be Christians, believe there is an "absolute moral truth". 
• The average born-again, baptized, churchgoing person has embraced elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, Unitarianism and Christian Science—without any idea they have done so.  There is such a lack of foundational biblical doctrines that religions of all types have crept in and corrupted the Christian faith.
• Only 35% of Christians believe Jesus Christ was absolutely, 100% sinless.
• 34% believe the bible is TOTALLY inaccurate and full of errors.
• Only 32% believe Satan is real.
• 57% believe GOOD WORKS will earn you a path to heaven.
• 81% believe that one becomes "saved" or "born again" simply by repeating "the sinner’s prayer".  They state that nothing else is required other than repeating the prayer (ie. no repentance, no lifestyle changes, etc).

The one that disturbs me the most is that only 35% believe Jesus was sinless.   They in fact, believe that Jesus was "just like the rest of us" when it comes to temptation—fallen, guilty, impure, and many believe He Himself was in need of a savior.  Some denominations are teaching that Jesus Himself had to be "born again".  Some even go as far as to say that Jesus went to hell and was "born again" in hell (Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and others).  Friend, it just doesn’t get much more blasphemous or heretical than that.

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These things are the direct result of something I’ve been warning against for 20 years.  The church has all but removed their knowledge, sound doctrine and education of the Bible and has exchanged it for "experience".  I heard a lady in Sunday School less than one month ago, proclaim "You can’t get any more real, than personal experience".  She went on to say that personal experience is the one factor that is above all others.  Dear ones, if you believe those statements, then you have already denied the clear Word of God!   Walking by faith and not by sight has nothing to do with "personal experience".  Jeremiah told us that our heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!  Experience can mislead you and deceive you!  I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone place what they "feel, think or believe" above the written Word of God!  THIS SHOULD NOT BE!  If what you do on Sunday Morning is wrapped up on what you "feel", then you are in error!

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In that same survey as cited above, Christians were asked to quote their favorite verse.  The MAJORITY of responses was "God helps those who help themselves".  THIS ISN’T EVEN A BIBLE VERSE!   It is not found anywhere in the Bible AND it clearly contradicts the clear teaching of scripture!  Romans 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  If you could "help yourself", you wouldn’t need a savior and you would have been RIGHT (helped) A LONG TIME ago!  Examine more facts.

• Abraham, Old Testament Prophets, Death of Jesus, Day of Pentecost.   When presented with those choices, less than 33% could place them in chronoligical oder!
• Mose in Egypt, Isaac’s Birth, King Saul’s death, Judah’s Exile.   More than 1/2 could not place these in order.
• An astounding 1/3 could not identify Matthew as being an Apostle.
• Bible literacy in churches averages 14%.  Bible literacy in homes that did not hold to biblical beliefs was at 28%.  THAT is a shame when the world knows more scriptures than the church

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So whateve happened to good, old-fashioned SOLID Thelogy?

Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned historical exegesis?

One writer said of modern day beliefs:  "Christian faith is not being built on the firm foundation of hard-won thoughts, ideas, history, or theology. Spirituality is being built on private emotional attachments."  I’m inclined to agree with him.

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I believe the problem MUST be addressed from the pulpits and from Christian leadership.  Leaders need to recognize the problem, then DO something about it.  

How do you recognize the problem?  BY KNOWING YOUR SHEEP!  Evaluate them!  Ask Questions!   "Do you believe Jesus was sinless?", "Can you describe repentance?",  "Do you believe the bible is true and reliable?"  The answers would shock some leaders, however, it will give expose areas in which their congregation is weak.  We MUST get back to TEACHING the Word of God, rather than handing people a sweet morsel or two each week.  Taking our theology from bumper stickers just won’t cut it!

Leaders need to begin teaching the bible, book by book, verse by verse IN THEIR HISTORICAL AND GRAMMATICAL CONTEXTS and they must expound upon their SPIRITUAL APPLICATION! 

Leaders MUST expose and correct unbiblical doctrine and philosophy that has crept into the church! 

We have got to stop acting like a bunch of "know-it alls" when it comes to the gifts of God.  Either God called pastors or he did not.  Either he called teachers or he did not.  Why then, is it so hard for the church to CAST ASIDE personal opinion and recognize a God-Called man?   Let’s get back to the place where we can recognize and UTILIZE GOD GIVEN MINISTRY in the church!

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2 Timothy 4:3   "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;…"

Unfotunately, we’re in that time.  Pray for your pastor, your leaders and for the eyes of our fellowservants in Jesus Christ to be opened!