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Showing posts from March, 2017

The Sinner’s Prayer

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I’ve been faithfully doing evangelism now for twenty-three years. During that time I’ve used a variety of gospel tracts but prefer ones that include a salvation prayer at the end. Sometimes the Lord will lead you to approach people who don’t have time to talk but are willing to read something later. One day I stopped at a convenience store in Virginia and gave a tract to a young Russian woman working behind the counter. When I happened to stop by there again the next day, this woman thanked me for the tract. I found out she prayed a prayer like the one pictured here and gotten saved! Nevertheless, there are Christians opposed to leading people in a “sinner’s prayer.” One reason often cited is “it’s not in the Bible.” Yet we have other generally accepted traditions not specifically mentioned in Scripture. Sunday schools cannot be found in the Bible yet many churches have them. The same thing could be said about altar calls for salvation.  “Sinner’s prayer” critics seem to thi

An Open Letter to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

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Dear Mr. Jeffries, I was going to email this directly  to you  but your website allows that only from citizens within your district (I’m registered to vote in Virginia). That’s why this is an open letter. I’m a traveling missionary who previously pursued a music career and still keeps an eye on what’s going on with the recording industry. Nowadays, I follow politics more closely. I believe it’s important for Americans to know what their leaders in Washington are doing. Every day I pray for politicians like yourself to make wise decisions that will benefit our nation. Last week you commemorated the 20th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s death by displaying a picture of him on the House floor and claimed his life was “the classic embodiment of the American dream.” I can relate to you being a fan of the slain rapper since he came from your hometown of Brooklyn. For most of my life, I lived in Minnesota and grew to admire the success of Prince . Still, I never cared for

Hating Sin, Loving Sinners

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Some Christians detest the phrase “hate the sin but love the sinner” (or variations of it) claiming it’s unscriptural. While it may not appear verbatim in the Bible, many verses support that idea. One of the most obvious is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Another one is Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There are a few Scriptures about God hating certain individuals. Psalm 5:5 says, “You hate all workers of iniquity.” Proverbs 6:19 mentions the Lord hating “a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” I believe it’s more accurate to say God hates the actions of unbelievers.  Jesus said in Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be M

Heavenly Rewards

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Occasionally people ask what movies I’ve seen. The last one I watched in a theater was “Rogue One” even though I’m not a big “Star Wars” fan (a friend invited me and offered to pay for my ticket). In recent years, I’ve probably attended two or three movies per year. With rare exceptions such as “The Passion of the Christ”, I will not watch Rated-R flicks. It’s bad enough many PG-13 movies nowadays have an increasing amount of profanity. As a former employee of Billy Graham’s World Wide Pictures, I can appreciate good filmmaking. Sadly, most movies and Hollywood actors nowadays promote values inconsistent with Scripture. For that reason, I had no interest in watching last Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony. Oscars are often given to movies I consider trash (reminds me of the like-named character on “Sesame Street”). Other earthly awards such as Olympic medals don’t mean a thing from an eternal perspective. Of course, it’s nice to be recognized for artistic and athletic accompli