Kingdom Keys Blog

Addressing False Doctrines

Thu, 27 May 2010 20:11:00 GMT

Sometimes, it is important to mark certain people who cause divisions contrary to the gospel. Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. The Amplified version says to “be on your guard” and “avoid them”. I believe that it is appropriate on some occasions to specifically name names when a teaching is so blatantly wrong that it is damnable. That’s why I don’t hesitate to state bluntly that Carlton Pearson is a false teacher that should be avoided. I believe it is accurate to call him a heretic.

   Other times, I am more hesitant to call names, and other times, we address false teaching while refusing to name names. Let me explain this as best as I can. Sometimes, we will mention the name of someone teaching some things that are clearly false, but stop short of calling him a “false teacher”. That’s a bit paradoxical, though, because an argument could be made that a person who teaches false doctrine is a false teacher. However, sometimes, a preacher is just off in some areas, and right for the most part. And, sometimes, he just doesn’t go far enough in his teaching, making it a false teaching that would be okay if he included the whole truth. An example of this is when Joel Osteen exhorts people to be the best you that you can be, but fails to explain that that must be after repentance.

   Another is Rick Warren. I don’t consider either Joel Osteen or Rick Warren to be a heretic. “Heretic” is a strong word used to describe one who has become factious and schismatic, deviating from the truth and repugnant to the established faith. It’s a word that is sometimes used carelessly and maliciously by preachers who don’t like what someone is teaching. It’s not uncommon for a minister that hates the teaching of faith, healing, or prosperity to label those who teach those things as heretics. That is clearly wrong and “over the line” to throw out that label without good reason.

   Jesus warned us strongly against speaking contemptuously and insultingly to a brother. (See Matthew 5:22) I could get into more specific details about the areas of “false” teaching that are proclaimed by Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, but that is not the main point of this blog. My point here is to say that I wouldn’t call them heretics. Some people would call them heretics. But, some people would call me a heretic. We have to be very careful in marking people.

   With all that in mind, it is definitely not inappropriate to address false doctrines without mentioning specific names of the ones teaching them. But, that presents a problem I will address in the next blog.

The Big Shot

Wed, 05 May 2010 12:56:00 GMT

    We learned from a news report that the Obama administration is plotting to overthrow Netanyahu in Israel. I don’t think we have had a President since Israel became a nation in 1948 that has been so hostile to Israel. In Zechariah 2:8, God said of Israel, “for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” So, it appears to me that Obama is poking his finger in God’s eye, so to speak. There are unpleasant consequences for doing that, just as there would be unpleasant consequences if you went around poking someone in the eye.

   Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. In other words, pay homage to the Son of God. Love what He loves and hate what He hates. You don’t take one position after another after another that is contrary to the position of the Son of God without paying a dear price. Obama may be an arrogant and proud man, which he obviously is. He may think he has arrived at the highest pinnacle of glory that a man can reach on this earth, but as an old song says there’s a bigger wheel than you. Here are some of the lyrics to that old song:

   If you think that you're a big, big shot
   And everything you do is a whiz
   Just remember brother that everything you've got
   Is not yours, remember it's His.

   There's a big wheel, there's a big wheel
   He's a whole lot bigger than you
   There's a big wheel, there's a big wheel
       He's a whole lot bigger than me.

          Of course, when it’s the leader of the nation, it is a matter than affects us all. What Obama does as President is representative of the nation, and that is serious. It’s not just a matter of him invoking the judgment of God on himself. He is calling for the judgment of God on our nation because the majority of the people elected him to represent them. Then, in addition to that, you have a nation full of preachers, most of which won’t lift a voice to declare the truth to their congregation regarding the issues of the day.

   About 4,000 innocent precious lives of unborn babies were snuffed out today, and 300,000 pulpits are silent. TV networks make a mockery of Christians and the Christian faith and Christian values in show after show, and 300,000 pulpits are silent. Christians morality cannot be taught in public school classrooms, prayers can’t be offered at high school football games anymore, Jesus can be dishonored while the Muslim religion is accommodated, and 300,000 pulpits are silent. Pornography has become an eight billion dollar business, and the Internet is flooded with porn, while 300,000 pulpits are silent. Rock music fills the airways and pollutes our children’s minds with music that legitimizes rape, murder, satanic worship, and other perversion, and 300,000 pulpits are not only silent – many preachers pattern their worship services after the rock music of the world. The state promotes lotteries that prey on the poor people among us more than anyone else, and 300,000 pulpits are silent.

   Put a post up on Facebook about being the salt and light of the earth, and you will likely get numerous responses from “Christians” who chastise you for being judgmental and “unloving”. Why will they do that? Simply because they have attended churches that had a silent pulpit on what it means to be salt and light. Therefore, they have a skewed mindset regarding Christian involvement. And, the average Christian is a wuss when it comes to standing up for the truth. But, it’s mainly because 300,000 pulpits have failed to produce anything else.

Humanism All Around Us

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:37:00 GMT

I cannot comprehend how the mind of a liberal operates. One of our listeners said that being a liberal is a mind-disorder. I tend to believe that is true. Ann Coulter said that if Democrats had any brains, they’d be Republicans. I’m not convinced that it is necessarily true that they would be Republicans, but I do believe that liberals have no heart for truth and don’t think like a logical and reasonable person would think.

   I’ll give you an example. I have corresponded on numerous occasions with the editor of the local newspaper. He, in fact, has been very kind to me and has permitted me to submit numerous editorials for publication in the paper. Much to my surprise, I even crossed paths with him on a Gaither Homecoming cruise ship. And, he has made some statements that indicated that he has reverence for God. So, I didn’t think of him quite the same as I do most liberals.

   However, leave it to a liberal to show his illogical mind-set. I quizzed him about a liberal writer whose editorials are published in the paper twice weekly. I was bothered by a statement that indicated that honesty was all in the eye of the beholder. Since the liberal writer had made many statements that were clearly not true, regardless of your political bent, I asked the editor to assure me that he didn’t equate my commitment to honesty and integrity to that writer’s. He assured me that he doesn’t view either of us as being any different in that department than the other. One person’s honesty is another’s flim-flam, he said.

   That is nothing but humanism. Humanism says that truth is up to each individual, and that there is no standard, or plumb-line, with which to gauge truth. That explains why liberals can totally ignore truth and factual statements to continue their pursuit of their godless and anti-Biblical agenda. Although it explains it, it doesn’t make sense. But, at least we know that the statement is true that it takes no brains to be a liberal.

Pro Choice

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:28:00 GMT

I interviewed Gubernatorial Democratic candidate Bill White Friday morning on the radio. He’s a typical liberal. Liberals don’t like to tell you their actual blunt positions on certain issues. They also like to talk in generalities, hoping you will accept that and get on their bandwagon without asking for specifics to the generalities. When I asked him to explain why we need to replace Rick Perry, he said because we need to move forward, that he knows how to get things done, Rick Perry has spent 26 years as a state employee, and it’s time our state moves on. That’s similar to someone saying we need to elect him because we need “change” and saying things like “Yes, we can”. Change to what? Yes, we can what? The state needs to move on to what? How does 26 years employed by the state tell us anything about a man’s qualifications or lack thereof, and what is in that statement that convinces anyone that a new guy would be better based on that alone?

I would have a hard time being a liberal even if I believed their positions were correct on the issues because it is evidently part of their DNA to lie. When I asked Mr. White if he supported abortion, he answered by saying he was “pro-choice” and cared about health decisions that were personal to women. Pro-choice is a misnomer because liberals are not pro-choice on very many things. They aren’t pro-choice in regards to allowing you to reject the socialistic Obamacare approach to health care. They aren’t pro-choice in regards to public prayers. And, they aren’t in favor of allowing an unborn baby to choose life. Babies struggle to live when the womb is invaded by an abortionist. And, health decisions are almost never the factor in deciding whether or not to kill an unborn person.

If I couldn’t be honest with the facts in arguing my position, my position wouldn’t be worth defending.

Christians In Politics

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:22:00 GMT

The task of educating people about the importance of Christian political involvement seems to be overwhelming. So many Christians take the attitude that government is evil and that we are not of this world. They think that we are just supposed to focus on praying, though they do little of it, and they think we are “off base” to think that any good could ever be accomplished by trying to change things other than through prayer alone.

Without Christian involvement in the process, we cannot expect to get any Christian person with Christian values in office. Life is better and the freedom of religion and religious expression is greater when righteous people are in positions of authority. The Bible says when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. It also says in the same verse that when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.

We are working daily to get a Biblical worldview into listeners’ thinking. It is a daunting task mostly because preachers don’t preach much about a Biblical worldview, and most Christians allow their children to be brainwashed in secular humanism by letting the ungodly system capture their children’s minds.

If most people in the church knew how far from a Biblical mindset they really are, they would understand why the devil has little fear of the average church member.

Fatalism

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:09:00 GMT

People are still upset about what our Congress and President have done to our country this week. I only hope they stay upset long enough to vote in November, and vote some bums out. I’m plenty ticked off about it, as you can easily tell if you listen to me between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. weekdays. Not only has this President set his face like a flint to pursue socialism for this country, he has also stuck his finger in God’s eye.

   Israel is called “the apple of God’s eye”. B. Hussein Obama has decided to chastise Israel and make demands that they stop building in their own capital city. His administration has decided to publicly announce that Israel is the problem in the pursuit of peace. He has done much in the first year of his Presidency to invoke the judgment of God. Thomas Jefferson said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever." I believe that God’s judgment cannot be postponed much longer.

   Something, though, that concerns me as much as the leadership of this country doing what they are doing is the things that Christians say. Some say that we are to submit to everything the government does regardless of what it is. They base their philosophy on a misunderstanding of Romans, chapter 13. Then, others say “Remember God is in control.” By saying that, they mean that nothing could happen without it being God’s will and plan. They say, “We don’t understand it, but God is in control.”

   If God is ordaining and planning everything that is happening, we don’t need to educate ourselves, or work for good candidates, or speak out against evil, or even vote. This is called fatalism. Look it up in the dictionary. It is a doctrine that all events are predetermined by fate and are unalterable. If our Founding Fathers had believed that, we would have never had this country with all its freedoms that are so much in jeopardy right now. If you really believe that, why do you bother to try to get people to receive the Lord. The belief is that it’s all predetermined and unalterable, anyway. (Sadly, by the way, some Christians erroneously believe that regarding salvation.)

   If we all believed that we should submit to everything the government decides without resistance and if we all believed in fatalism, we would lose this country and all its freedoms quicker than is happening. I would be interested in your response to these thoughts. Go to the home page and click the contact button to respond from the web page.

Did Ronald Reagan Predict Obamacare?

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:26:00 GMT

Here is a quote from Ronald Reagan: “Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program. One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can't afford it.”

Well, we saw it happen Sunday night, didn’t we? The minority of people who wanted this government take-over of health care that we are witnessing are supporting it under the guise of “medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it”. We have seen a sad day in America. The flags should really be flown at half-mast because something has died. Or, perhaps they should be flown upside down because the country is becoming distressed.

Some people are threatening to quit paying taxes because of the bill that will now funnel more tax-payer money to aborting babies. What do you plan to do at this point? Your thoughts are invited. Respond to this blog by going to our home page and clicking the contact button.

Faye Hardin

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:47:00 GMT

I heard Faye Hardin at Lighthouse Church in Amarillo on Thursday evening. During her talk, she said that Obama would be brought down. I also got an e-mail from a friend that related what a fellow from Canada said about Obama. He had predicted that within 6 months of Obama’s Presidency, the American people that elected him would realize what a mistake they had made. He made another prediction. He says that Obama will leave office before his term is over. How? He thinks that perhaps, the Democrats themselves will either figure out a way to remove him from office or render him a lame-duck, one-term President. These are interesting statements. I think it would be wonderful if the elections of 2010 reduced the Democrats to the minority Party in both houses of Congress, and then if the remaining Democrats began to loathe Obama so much that they wouldn’t support him on any of his agenda. That’s a best case scenario, in my opinion. If they concoct a plan, such as the illegitimacy of his birth the natural-born citizen issue, to remove him, that wouldn’t help the country to have to put up with goofy Joe Biden. Whatever happens politically, let’s pray that God will render him of no effect in order to save the country and preserve freedom. What do you think? Reply to the blog by going to our home page here and clicking the contact button.

Obamacare

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:23:00 GMT

I was talking again about the Obamacare health bill fiasco this morning on the radio. Republicans are planning to propose perhaps hundreds of amendments to basically bog the bill down so it won’t get passed. Democrats are trying all sorts of maneuvers to ram it through. They hope to get it done this week before Congress gets ready to leave town for the Easter break. Can the Republicans stop it? I don’t know.

But, I do know that God rules in the affairs of men, and He can intervene from Heaven to put restrictions on the efforts of wicked people. One of our callers this morning brought up the Scripture regarding Jehoshaphat and his overwhelming odds. Enemies were coming in great numbers to destroy him. But, when the people of God began to sing and praise the Lord, God got involved and the enemy turned on each other. A great victory was wrought because of God’s response to the people praying and praising.

So, we have a part in this. The power available to us is greater than the Republicans have. The power available to us is greater than the Democrats. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. This evil socialistic health care bill hasn’t gotten rammed through yet, after a year of haggling by the Congress and the President. So, let’s be encouraged by that and get busy putting roadblocks in the way of ungodly politicians by engaging in the spiritual warfare through prayer and praise.

The Blessing Of Grandbabies

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:41:00 GMT

What would you write on your blog if you just found out today that another grandbaby was on the way? Well, that’s the top news item of the day for us. I didn’t talk about it during the news and views program this morning because I didn’t know about it then. But, I’ll tell you this – this grandpa thing is pretty neat. I had to wait a lot of years to have this joy in my life. That doesn’t mean I’m old, but life is really good at this stage.

I told Nathan many times through the years that I had to wait 39 years to meet one of the most significant persons in my life. (He was born on my 39th birthday). I had to wait 57 years to meet another of the most significant persons in my life – my granddaughter Liviya. But, before my 60th birthday, I will get to meet another. Sometimes, I tell Nathan about someone from an earlier generation that I knew. I’ll tell him that he missed out on knowing some great people. But, Oh how wonderful and how great is our God to allow us the privilege of getting to know some of His great ones that are coming along now.

Why not stop a moment to give Him praise and thanks today for your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, if you are in that stage of life?

Is Fishing Harmful?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:48:00 GMT

With each passing day, the government controls more and more of our lives. Apparently, Obama is about to issue an executive order to ban large parts of recreational fishing. It’s considered harmful to the resource. "Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy" is the title of a document that has been created by some wacky people. Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean. What will Obama think of next, or what will someone who has Obama’s ear think of next that restricts our lives still further?

If the federal government isn’t enough control over us, it has been quite unpleasant to deal with the local city government. You’d think that folks who live in the same city with us would have the same loathing of government control of every aspect of our lives as we do. Not so. My experience since starting a church in Amarillo is that local bureaucrats have the same kind of mind set. After considerable hassle in regards to remodeling and getting everything worked out to their satisfaction, now we have to make changes to our elaborate expensive sign. Never mind that you spend a big chunk of money buying the equipment and software necessary to make your sign displays do all sorts of things to attract attention, the city passed an ordinance that forbids us and many others from using many of the features of our signs. Of course, it’s all in the name of safety. What we call “attracting attention” is what they call “distractions”.

Have you noticed that every time a government worker or politician slaps more restrictions on your life and takes more of your freedom away that it is for the “public good” or “for the safety of the environment”? They evidently have it within their power to do just about anything they want. Perhaps, you and I should be sure to thank God today for the freedoms that we still have. I have a feeling that next month and next year, we’ll have less freedom than we do today. At least for now, I can still spout off about it. I suppose that someday they’ll figure out a way to stop us from doing that, too.

Tuesday 03/09/10

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:11:00 GMT

I heard Glenn Beck talking about two aspects of “lies”. At one level, we have politicians and governmental leaders who lie to us. Mr. Beck illustrated with video proof that we were lied to by Nixon and Clinton in the past, and by Pelosi, Reid, and Obama in the past few months. The lack of honesty and integrity leads to all kinds of speculation and conspiracy theories regarding our government, some of which are quite outrageous, such as believing the government of the United States participated in and planned for the murder of thousands of our own citizens in the 9/11 attacks. People who believe that are often called “9/11 truthers”.

Another aspect of “lies” is people who believe the lying politicians, utterly ignoring the obvious lies of the people in powerful positions that influence our lives. When people such as Pelosi, Reid, and Obama can blatantly lie and be believed by people, they can do awful things to the country without being held to account.

Shakespeare said, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” How sad it is that people so frequently refuse to be true to their own selves because they believe in a political agenda. So, they become willfully blind, and support corrupt people. It is also sad that people in the church often lie to themselves and hold to beliefs that aren’t in agreement with Scriptures. Let us be people committed to truth. Jesus said that if we would continue in the Word, we would know the truth, and the truth would set us free.

Monday 03/08/10

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:57:00 GMT

I read from an op-ed piece of Leonard Pitts on the radio this morning that all groups have their extremists. His position is that moderate Muslims are periodically required to keep denouncing the radical terrorists, but that conservatives rarely denounce the radicals on the right wing fringe.

   Have you ever noticed that liberals, like Mr. Pitts, have difficulty telling the truth? I asked on the air this morning for someone to call and give me even one example of a Muslim ever denouncing the radical Muslim terrorists who kill people. Since this happens frequently, there are ample opportunities for them to denounce it. I pay pretty close attention to the news every day, and I’ll have to admit that I missed it when the moderate Muslim denounced the terrorists. And, to say they are “required” to denounce them is quite a stretch of credibility. Required by whom?

   On the other hand, we conservatives have denounced crazies on the right wing fringe many times. It doesn’t take us any longer than it takes to get back on the air to denounce someone who kills an abortionist, or who advocates some type of violence. I have recently been quite vocal in denouncing the folks on the right who promote the idea that our government deliberately planned and arranged for our fellow citizens to be killed on 9/11.

   Liberals are not only wrong in their positions. They are typically deceitful and dishonest with their so-called facts. Sometimes, I don’t know if they are so deceived that they believe their canard to be the truth, or if they very well know the truth and are just straight-up bald-faced liars. For some reason, Nancy Pelosi came to mind when I wrote that last sentence.

Friday 03/05/10

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:01:00 GMT

The primary election is over, and there were a few disappointments. But, there were some good things that happened. I preached a sermon last Sunday about the importance of being involved in more than just voting. I emphasized getting involved in the Precinct Conventions, which follow the election on the same night.

Several of the folks from our church did indeed follow my exhortation to get involved and attended their first ever Precinct Convention. Several of these are now going to attend the County Convention later this month, and I’m excited to see them get involved in this level of influence in the political process. As a matter of fact, my son-in-law, Rory Gallagher, attended his first Precinct Convention and found only two others there. He has now become the Precinct chairman of his precinct. (Way to go, Rory). If we can keep educating people and stirring people up to involvement in various ways, we can make a difference, and that’s what I long to do in my life. I want to make a difference. When the day of my departure from this life comes, it would be a wonderful thing if it could be said of me, “He made a difference.”

I’m just not one geared to sitting back. I cannot picture me being retired from the ministry and involvement in some way, working to change things for the better as much as I can. It doesn’t compute with me to think of “giving up” or “sitting back”. I can’t let George do it. I must be active and vocal. I hope you have a similar passion.

Monday 03/01/10

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:42:00 GMT

This afternoon (March 1, 2010), I will draw 2 names from those of you who have read the blog and entered your name for the tickets to the upcoming Gaither Homecoming concert in Lubbock. They will be in concert there on May 1st. Get your name in TODAY for a better chance of winning. I will begin announcing tomorrow that I have the tickets and will allow the radio audience to enter their names. Your name will be retained, if you don’t win this drawing, for the drawings on the radio. Call us at 359-8855 or toll free at 1-800-525-5737, or respond at the contact button on this website, or send an e-mail to kjrt@kingdomkeys.org.

I hope everyone reading this blog will participate in the precinct meetings which follow the primary election a few minutes after the polls close on Tuesday. At the precinct meeting, you can vote yourself in as a delegate, or vote someone else in who thinks like you do. It’s usually not hard to get voted in as a delegate. Although hundreds of people vote in a precinct, often there aren’t more than a dozen or so at the precinct meeting. Delegates and possibly alternates get the opportunity to go up to the next level of participation in the governmental process. When you see those delegates on the floor at the Party’s conventions, remember they started at the precinct meeting.

In the precinct meeting, you can introduce resolutions which could become a part of the Party platform. Ask some friends or neighbors who are in the same precinct to attend with you and take it over so you can exert influence in the Party. Feel free to call me if you want to ask for additional information on the precinct meetings. It’s a way to do more to influence government than just voting.