JOEL 2 GENERATION

Such powerful words from one of the lines in the famous Keith Green song, "Make My Life A Prayer to You" (1978) -  LINK This song changed my life - I became a Christian in January 1984 which I just realized was just over 40 years ago. I listened to Punk Rock and New Wave Music. (and thankfully, there were Christian bands like Undercover, The Altar Boys and the Lifesavers that played music that I liked!) What prompted me to write the post has been a recent barrage of Christians and even those considered "leaders" in the Body of Christ advocating, posting about and modeling incredible compromise in their lives - from addiction to alcohol, to immodesty, to the use the foulest language, to unBiblical divorces and remarriages. I am also thinking of men and women who had held to Biblical truth who today believe and teach not only false doctrines but even heresy. I think of others who have abandoned their faith altogether.  I am sure back in 1984, Christians were living th

I've entitled this blog post after the name of a fairly well-known Christian book written by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman that came out back in 2008.  I listened to Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings for several years when they were doing "The God Journey" podcast together.  At the time I was listening to the podcast, I heard a lot of reasons that people were leaving churches. I heard about different levels of abuse and control and manipulation. A lot more of these dynamics are coming to light and clearly the Lord is doing something across the Body of Christ to expose and reveal a lot of unhealthy dynamics in churches and ministries. For reasons I've detailed elsewhere, the Lord led my wife and I clearly in the direction of house (or house-sized) churches which we had been leading for many years, and are now almost exclusively focusing on energy on. "Houses of Fire - A Strategy to Bring in the Harvest" -  LINK "Houses of Fire (a.k.a. House Churches) i

I had a convicting thought (thoughts) as I was re-reading Philippians over the past few days. After my message last week on "Death to Self and Living a Life of Humility"  LINK , I had to go back and edit the message (deleting stuff) and adding an Addendum at the end (about 12 minutes) explaining how I let the "sin in others become the sin in me" (to use use a well-known expression from Dan Mohler). While comparing and contrasting the lives of Kanye West and the Catholic nun Cabrini in an appropriate way I believe, I kept going and started naming some other names and being hyper-critical of other ministers and ministries. And it wasn't/isn't that the points I was making about these other ministries wasn't/isn't true. It was that I was NOT speaking about their errors/excesses in the right way. While criticizing their self-exaltation, I was doing so with an elite spirit (PRIDE), all during a sermon on the topic of dying to self and humility. Ugly stuff.

  I wonder if Kanye got the correct "Sign-Up Sheet" when he professed his Christian faith back in 2019. He surely doesn't understand Christianity in 2024. The Catholic nun Cabrini (1850-1917) did get the Biblical "Sign-Up Sheet" and lived a life of radical surrender. The recent movie about her life is a MUST SEE and will inspire any who watch it! No two Christians could be more different than Kanye and Cabrini. Many Christians today are not getting the original "Memo" that Jesus and His Apostle gave to people in the 1st century.  In this podcast, I talk about these foundational Christian teachings/foundations. The Christian life begins with us dying to ourselves and proceeds with a focus on humility before God and towards one another.  LISTEN HERE https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/joel2generation/episodes/2024-04-07T10_40_24-07_00  #deathtoself #selfdeath #humility #kanye #cabrini #kanyewest #francescabrini

JOHN 20:1 - Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance . 

As I am now in the middle of DAY 40, I wanted to write something INSPIRATIONAL as we go forward. Let's purpose to RESET things in our lives. Let's set some new goals. Nothing you want to do or to become will be any easier than if you start NOW! Dream big. Go after something NEW. Something you haven't done before. Something BEYOND what you think you can do.  I think of my daughter and son-in-law are doing in June - they are RUNNING a full marathon (26.2 miles) - something neither of them have ever done. I ran my first marathon at 49 years old. We are all living way below our God-given potential.  So, let my blog post today INSPIRE. I am inspired to go forward spiritually and physically with an expectation for growth and transformation. For such a time as this... LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/30/holy-week-lent-2024-day-40-holy-saturday-my-final-fasting-day/

The earliest Christians wrote a LOT about the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. They emphasized an aspect of the atonement that many conservative Protestant Evangelicals often overlook, which is largely due to the effect of the work of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury named Anselm (1033-1109). If there was one word, one concept that captured the theological minds of the earliest Christian theologians and apologists it was the word, RANSOM. I don't entirely know how to disentangle the "pollution" that Anselm mixed into Western Christian thinking about the atonement. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians, as well as the Church of the East do NOT incorporate the concepts that Anselm INTRODUCED into Western Christianity - both Roman Catholic and Protestant. I know that early Christian writers such as Tertullian wrote about the atonement in terms of penal substitution, but he doesn't go nearly as far as Anselm his Satisfaction Theory of the atonem

NO, the word Easter is NOT pagan. I dealt with this topic the past week. If you'd like to hear the sermon, check it out here. Preparing for Easter or Resurrection Day -  LINK But it is true that the universal and earliest name for Easter was Passover ( Pascha in Greek). And most of the world's languages refer to Easter as Passover in their languages (i.e. French, Italian, Spanish, etc.) Here's today's blog post. LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/28/holy-week-lent-2024-day-38-passover-easter-easter-passover/

Somehow I am getting sent articles from the Patheos Blog from their category entitled "Progressive Christianity" - who knows, maybe a former conservative Christian friend of mine whose drifted into apostasy wants to help 'enlighten' me!? What is abundantly clear from the articles that are getting sent to me, is that " Progressive Christianity" gets every single issue they weigh in on wrong! Every single one - no exceptions! The actual Apostolic Christian position differs from today's "Progressive Christian" position on every single issue. Even on a issue like concern for the poor, which superficially looks like they would be in agreement, the way they would address the issue would be so diametrically opposed as to constitute a disagreement. In short, "Progressive Christianity" actually advocates immoral approaches to dealing with poverty. What deception! Jesus and His Apostles would not have considered "Progressive Christianity&

In my Holy Week readings, what is really standing out to me is the "severe critics" who Jesus has had to deal with while teaching in the Temple. These critics were the religious leaders of His day. They were the "Biblical" ones. They were the ones people looked up to for guidance and inspiration. Today is no different. We may expect critics from OUTSIDE the faith, but in fact, some of the most diabolical ones are those with WITHIN THE CHURCH. Is my use of the word, "diabolical" too strong? Possibly, but many of the critics are actually doing a lot of good work. So-called "discernment ministries" who have provided an amazing service helping others to assess false and/or distorted teachings. But some of them have become "severe critics" - and what is revealed is not their "discernment" and/or their "rightly dividing the Word", but rather it is their UNBELIEF, and unbelief is sin! That is what is so diabolical about it

We've all heard the phrase, "finishing well". I noticed something in my Gospel reading this morning that I've never noticed before. Luke 20:1-40. Jesus knew He was entering into the hardest week that anybody has ever had to endure. The saddest. The most painful. No week has ever been lived that was worse than the one Jesus was facing. And HE KNEW IT TOO!! And yet, what was Jesus doing? We see that he was "daily" teaching in the Temple! Not throwing a pity party! Not lounging at the 'J-Town Day Spa' resting up for what would be the most physically tortuous week of His life!  He was entirely ON POINT. He was in modern terms, "finishing well". Doing what He always did once His ministry was commissioned and began. He was teaching the Kingdom message - a message that would only be made applicable with what He would accomplish later in that week. I am challenged deeply by the way He faced the most difficult of any circumstances that were ever fac

We as a community are taking each day of Holy Week to consider the things that happened day by day. I was reminded that on Monday, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. I can imagine the things He was weeping over - how many of His own people were still rejecting Him as the Jewish Messiah, knowing that He was the ONLY WAY that they could be saved from their sins. What should we be weeping over today when we consider America? (or whatever country we come from) Abortion? The slaughter of MILLIONS of innocent lives in the past one hundred years! The explosion of child sex trafficking. Addictions? Sexual insanity? Homelessness? The breakdown of families? Violence and crime? Christians losing their faith? The millions of people who are currently lost without Jesus with no hope for eternal life? The list goes on and on. It seems we need to be doing some more weeping! For such a time as this... LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/26/holy-week-lent-2024-day-35-monday-of-holy-week/

The earliest Christians knew things we need to re-consider today. Eating too much food leads to health problem - something they wrote about in AD100! LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/21/lent-2024-day-32-wisdom-from-the-ancients/

The week of weeks is coming up. Known affectionately as "Holy Week", it is THE WEEK wherein ALL Christians in the early church fasted. No exceptions. And yet today, it is rarely a week wherein Christians actually fast - as many Lenten practices are a far cry from being Biblical fasting. So, let's prepare to fast. Jesus said we would fast, and if there was ever a week wherein you should be fasting, Holy Week is that week.  For such a time as this... LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/20/lent-2024-days-29-30-31/

Even as today is a non-fasting day (Sunday), I am was reflecting yesterday on the Lenten fast - a time to re-assess how I am personally doing. As we move into the final 2 weeks, starting Monday, I want to remain focused. I want to keep my commitment level to focused prayer high. My spiritual goals before me. Some further thoughts... LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/17/lent-2024-day-28-remaining-focused-with-the-finish-line-in-sight/

Was/is this the greatest spiritual warfare prayer in the history of the Church? Of course, this debate will never be settled, but no one who knows Church History would ever not include this great prayer/declaration by one of the most successful apostolic church planters in the history of Christianity.  Patrick KNEW that the powers of darkness were real and he and his disciples used the weapons that God has given us to oppose the kingdom of darkness, to set captives free, to overcome the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11), and to ultimately see thousands of churches planted and millions of souls saved. (I am thinking not just of the impact in his own lifetime but throughout the centuries since then).  As St. Patrick’s Day is approaching, let us all pray/declare this today as we are truly facing evil that is unlike any other time in our lives. For such a time as this… THE BREASTPLATE OF ST. PATRICK  (AD433) I ARISE TODAY  Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through

Watch the full documentary for free at brokentruth.com #epidemicoffraud #brokentruth  

Setting aside the millions of Americans who will be getting drunk and being debauched in St. Patrick’s honor this coming weekend, who obviously know NOTHING about him, others seem to know next to nothing. In fact, most of what Christians have heard about St. Patrick amounts to Fake ‘Theological’ News. Different Christians want to claim him as their own, the Roman Catholic Church being the loudest voice. There have been a growing number of other Christians in recent years claiming to be “Celtic” and/or seeking to recover Celtic roots or Celtic ‘spirituality’. Sadly, much of that is distorted and often infused with New Age beliefs and ideas. Other historical revisionists will look to the Celtic Christians to justify other ideas/agendas – such as radical feminism and even environmentalism. So, who were the original Celtic Christians?   And who was St. Patrick , the Apostolic pioneer who sparked that entire movement?  The following summary of his life is primarily taken from two books abou

As St. Patrick's Day approaches, I thought we could do a few posts about the life and ministry of one of Church History's greatest apostolic church planters.  What was the story about snakes in Ireland? That is included in today's post. And it included fasting.  LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/14/lent-2024-day-25-st-patrick-and-fasting/

One the theological lies I believed for years was that Jesus actually didn't say the words, "and fasting" in Mark 9:29. Pastors, Biblical scholars, NT textual critics and even my Bible school and Seminary professors all perpetuated this "fake news". Thankfully, I was able to reassess the actual evidence from Church History and that evidence supports that the original words of Jesus did in fact include "and fasting". For such a time as this... To read for yourself and to assess the evidence... LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/lent-2024-day-24-but-jesus-didnt-say-by-prayer-and-fasting/

We can/should expect that in a time of fasting and prayer that God will speak to us. Today was that kind of day. I am really encouraged. And challenged.  To read more:  LINK   https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/lent-2024-day-23-a-day-of-revelation/

Before I explore in this blog post the concept of "Kingdom Distancing" , I want to review the unBiblical responses of millions of Christians during COVID. Back in 2020, a well-meaning Charismatic Christian wrote this for Charisma Magazine:  “ God’s assignment is for you to be in your home , using your Social Distancing, and washing your hands.” This author was/is WRONG! It was NOT God's assignment to stay at home and to socially distance. It was His assignment during COVID and it won't be His assignment for His people in the next "pandemic" either! I won't argue with washing our hands as that is just always a good hygienic practice! I have written several blog posts about Christians not gathering in person, doing "Zoom Church" and staying at home during a so-called "pandemic". 1. this "Christian" author is simply wrong (and presumptuous) #go2people - LINK  - https://joel2generation.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-unbelief-is-asto

To most Protestant Evangelicals surprise, Queen Esther does mention the Name of God and prays in the Book of Esther .  Unfortunately, not following the right textual families for our Old Testaments today, has left many Christians (and Jews) in the dark. For such a time as this... To READ Queen Esther's Prayer LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/09/lent-2024-day-22-purim-surprises-part-2/

On my other blog, I entitled this blog post "Purim Surprises - Part 1" because what you will read should surprise you. If you are like me, you were told that God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther.  And so it was shocking when I discovered that the Septuagint (LXX), which was the Bible of the Early Christians and for all Jews until the Rabbis re-translated the Hebrew Bible in the 2nd Century AD into 3 new Greek translations, actually has God's Name multiple times in the Book of Esther. As to why the Rabbis would have tampered with the Hebrew Bible, we may never know. We know the Rabbis made changes to Messianic prophecies, to references to the Gentiles coming to the Lord and that they also altered the chronology in Genesis to remove 1500 years. All of that was to counter the Messianic claims of Jesus and a growing Christian movement that was effective in winning Jews to Christ. But why tamper with the Book of Esther ? Surely a mystery.  Thankfully God has preserved fo

Today is a milestone. Day 20 of the 40-Day Lenten Fast. It marks the 1/2 way mark. It is time to consider where we've been and refocus upon where we are going. To be honest, it can and does get a bit monotonous in a long fast. Some days seem great. Others not so great.  As with anything in our Christian lives though, let us reflect. Let us reconsider. Let us evaluate.  That is what I am doing on Day 20! Read here: LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/07/lent-2024-day-20-1-2-the-way-there-a-day-of-reflection/

Fasting should be a time of theological reflection and that has been the case the past couple of days. I am eternally indebted to the work of the late Dr. Michael Heiser, whose books UNLOCKED for me the meaning and message of the Old Testament. And yes, I can confidently say that before his work, I greatly misunderstood much of what I was reading in the first part of my Bible! If you have not read Dr. Michael Heiser, I would recommend reading his books in the following order: 1. SUPERNATURAL - What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World and Why It Matters 2. THE UNSEEN REALM - Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible 3. REVERSING HERMON - Enoch, the Watchers & the Forgotten Mission of Jesus 4. ANGELS - What the Bible Really Says about God's Heavenly Host 5. DEMONS - What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness To read my blog post today: LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/06/lent-2024-day-19-theological-thoughts/

Yesterday I responded to a Christian leader who was disparaging fasting as something that he believes actually stirs up the flesh and carnal desires in people rather than serves to suppress them.  Today, I quote a Christian leader who contends just the opposite. And they know each other ironically.  As for the consensus view throughout Jewish and Christian history, the latter voice wins hands down. To read: LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/05/lent-2024-day-18-fasting-for-freedom/

If only I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me? Isn't fasting something extreme? Isn't it dangerous?  Have extremists throughout history used fasting? Yes.  Haven't some cults been into lots of fasting? Yes. Hasn't it been misused/abused by certain Christians/Christian groups? Yes. BUT I'LL ADD ANOTHER QUESTION: Haven't most Christians throughout history never fasted at all, ever? Yes. Today, my blog post is a short response to a recent Christian leader who effectively was disparaging the practice of fasting, due to the way it can be misused. LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/04/lent-2024-day-16-isnt-fasting-extreme/

I am going to share a short excerpt from today's post and then you can read more at the link below. "So much of the Body of Christ in this hour is polluted, is asleep, was/is unprepared (as is evidenced by the past few years). May God continue to speak to us the way He spoke to Elijah – that today there are MILLIONS globally who have stood in faith, who have not cowered in fear, who did not subject themselves to the diabolical strategy of shutdowns, so-called ‘vaccines’ that were neither “safe” nor “effective” but resisted the relentless pressure from so many sources (that included their family members!) – in short, who have not bowed their knees to the modern Baal system. YES, IN HINDSIGHT IT IS CLEAR THE COVID SHAM WAS A MODERN-DAY MANIFESTATION OF THE BAAL SYSTEM. DECEPTIVE. DEMONIC. LUCIFERIAN." To read more: LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/02/lent-2024-day-16-fasting-in-elijahs-life/

A common belief amongst Christians is that if you are fasting, do anything and everything to hide that fact. Where did this idea come from? Is this practically possible?  To learn more:  LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/lent-2024-day-15-didnt-jesus-want-us-to-hide-our-fasting-from-others/

It seems like the early church faced a similar dilemma - a growing laxity within the church which resulted in lifestyles that did not include fasting. Tertullian addressed this - to read more: Link https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/lent-2024-day-15-more-insights-from-early-christianity/

You would think after what the doctor in my following blog post says about fasting that everyone would want to incorporate it into their lifestyles.  Sadly, that is not the case. A large percentage of health problems in our modern world are related directly to obesity rates and in particular are metabolic in nature. Fasting is an ancient practice that  Why doesn't every doctor in the world shout these truths from the rooftops? Because they are incentivized to push pharmaceutical solutions for each and every problem. On a more cynical and conspiratorial side, most doctors are "programmed" by a worldview and a system that hinders many of them from seeing what the doctor I am citing is advocating. I am sure she would be dismissed as "out of the mainstream" and/or "fringe".  But our health problems just continue to increase...talk about deception! How is fasting 'miraculous' for our health? Read and see: LINK https://keto4christians.wordpress.com/2