Christianity – PaulThompsonBlog

I Am He

Posted on September 5, 2019Leave a comment

I’ve been preaching through the book of Isaiah for over a year and a half now. I have come to the forty-third chapter and the great news of the unchangeable Gospel is as strong as one can find anywhere in the sacred text of the Holy Bible, the only authoritative word to know God.

In the middle verses of this chapter Isaiah paints a word picture of all the nations gathered together and all peoples are given the opportunity to state their case on who their god is. He instructs those who have given themselves to false or strange gods to declare what their gods have done. He instructs those who are His people to declare what their God has done. He welcomes all to present their case so they might be justified and that their god gets to be fairly presented.

This is not something that the Almighty God is required to do, it is more that those who are blind or deaf to truth can see that their false gods are just that, impostures. It is a kindness from God to extend His mercy to those who have given themselves to the counterfeit.

This fabricated, propped up god, comes in many forms. Perhaps you have given yourself to one of the many pretend gods?

God has been kind to give a witness of Truth. He has given the nations a people who bear His name to advance His glory to all, the church. And of course He has given His only begotten son, Jesus the Christ, as described by the Bible, to stand as a witness of His glory to all nations. In Isaiah forty-three He also even shows his triune nature by revealing to the reader that there is one, and only one, God. He is identified by God as “My Servant” and He declares that “Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me.” (Isaiah 43:10-11)

That one phrase, “I am He”, is not to be missed or passed by so quickly.

In the New Testament when Jesus asked the Roman officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees who they were looking for, they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answers “I am He.” This alone is not that unusual, unless the reader keeps reading. The New Testament book of John records that Jesus said, “I am He” the Roman offers “drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:5-6).” This is a witness to the nations that this Jesus is unlike all others.

Whatever fake god you have been bowing down to has been exposed for the sham that it is. Only God can have this kind of impact on a people when He bears witness of deity. His eternal deity. Not a man who became God or earned the right to become a god. Not a god who was once a man. No, this eternal deity “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, by emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

This coming Lord’s Day I hope you will find yourself willing to examine truth without the fear of what men might say about you. The Magic Valley is blessed with many Bible believing, God fearing churches who will open their Bibles and preach this truth this weekend. Gather in one of those churches and be set free from the bondage of your sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as described by the Bible, and be saved from the idolatry of following a spoof. If you don’t have a church to gather in this weekend then consider gathering with Eastside Baptist Church, 204 Eastland Drive North, Twin Falls, Idaho.

On Monday, September 9, 2019 there is an opportunity to hear what several religions think about the person and nature of God. At 6:30 p.m in the Shields building room 118 on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho there will be an open forum discussion among many different religions about God. Come hear the difference. Learn that the god of Mohamad, the god of Joseph Smith, the god of Humanism, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are entirely different.

Come hear and see.

Ecumenical Universalism is not the same as Religious Freedom

Posted on December 4, 2017Leave a comment

Full disclosure: I was not personally present at the event I’m writing an opinion about…

What took place on Saturday morning in Twin Falls appeared to have been more of an ecumenical attempt of universalism that amalgamated pieces of many beliefs into essentially a castrated god of nothingness.

To speak up for religious freedom does not mean we put our gods aside and pretend we are worshipping the same god. When that happens you are not at a religious freedom rally, you are at an ecumenical worship service where every god but the God of the Bible is worshipped.

Religious honesty is needed today.

We can sit down at the table and dialog of our differences without compromising our convictions and setting truth outside the door.

Where I am an advocate of religious freedom for all, I in no way support or participate in universalism disguised as religious freedom.

As a pastor of a biblical ordered church, I do not support any event that is not intellectually honest or biblically true as a valid voice for true religious leaders.

I will be brief in my response to what was called a religious freedom rally at the Twin Falls City Park on Saturday, December 2, 2017.

Granted, again, I was not present…

Prayer cannot be mutually given to whatever god you want to say you are praying to. For example: if a Muslim man is praying to his god, Allah, the Mormon man cannot at the same time say amen or agree with his neighbor on whose God is being prayed to. If a Christian man is praying in the name of Jesus, the Mormon and Muslim must inquire if he means the Jesus of their books.

If a religious freedom rally is what you want with people of differing religions and you begin with prayer you have at that moment acted against your conscience by putting your religious freedom upon the alter of universalism. You have ceased being who you say you are and stopped believing what you profess to believe.

I’ll stand for religious freedom all day long. But I will not put my conscience aside to pray with someone to their god in hopes that my God will understand. In a day where religious integrity is needed most, religious leaders should be articulating with greater clarity.

This pastor preaches a Triune Godhead. No honest Muslim would ever join me in a prayer to this God. No honest Mormon would submit himself the the authority of this God. To do so, both would be required to repent of their worship of their current gods, unless they are secretly ecumenical universalist, like many other false professors calling themselves Christians.

Religious freedom is not what is celebrated at an ecumenical, amalgamated gathering, of confused religious leaders.

I suport religious freedom. I denounouce any other kind of false representations of misleading wolves in sheep’s clothing.

What Does A Church Do?

Posted on March 28, 2016Leave a comment

News of intentional attacks against non-Muslims in Pakistan on Easter Sunday and reports growing of the number of worshipers dead continues to climb leaves a mind of a follower of Christ in relative peace at a juxtaposition.

Especially a local church putting the final touches upon a building process. What does a church do? What is a right response? What is a fair reaction? Is it alright to rejoice in temporal things while others suffer bodily harm or even loss of life all together?

The weight of what the apostle Paul says “to live is Christ, to die is gain” causes one to ponder what really is important. (disclaimer note: where it is reported that the attack on Easter Sunday (3/27/16) in Pakistan was directed toward Christians, one needs a bit more help knowing what is meant with the use of the word “Christian”. At this point, we interpret it as we might with understanding that the media really doesn’t know the definition of the word or its proper use in reporting. Irregardless, a religious group was attacked by another religious group. I is right to weigh it as such with care.)

Here are some things I am processing through my mind this morning as the flooring in our new meetinghouse is being installed and news of 70 Christians dead and over 300 wounded begins to take center stage on world media outlets.

“Behold the kindness and severity of God…” (Romans 11:22) Look at His kindness and severity.
Be careful how we interpret His kindness (Is the installation of flooring the kindness of God?).
Be careful how we interpret His severity (Is it harsh of God when a loved one dies?).
Even though the landscape of the church in America is quickly changing, Christians in America have experienced a long season of peace.
Even thought few churches in the United States are marked like those in Pakistan were over the weekend, that reality is more the norm in most of the world.
Mourn when it is appropriate to mourn.*
Rejoice when it is appropriate to rejoice.
Refuse to live in fear.
Enjoy temporal events in light of eternity.
Endure hardships in light of eternity.
Pray for those in difficult situations for boldness more than removal of their hardships.
Ask God for strength when the hardship comes our way.

Today, this preacher will look with pleasure as floor covering begins on a temporal meetinghouse, godly sorrow for those suffering in Pakistan, and a sober reality that there is a growing hate for followers of Christ in our land and set my gaze to the kindness and severity of God.

After all, the book of Hebrews chapter 11 starts with a beautiful retelling of the kindness of God to give increasing faith to those who historically walked in the light of the favor of God and then closes with the telling of saints who suffer greatly in this world for their following of Christ. It is a chapter filled with an apparent juxtaposition much like today.

*edited for spelling/grammar

Michael Moore is Wrong (again)

Posted on December 17, 20151 Comment

No, Michael Moore, we are not all Muslim! We may be more rightly called Americans.

It is a wrong, illogical, and even an unconstitutional conclusion you have come to to assume this American a Muslim.

This American was once a hell bound sinner; but now, by the grace of God, is a born-again, follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, as described by the Holy Bible, not the Qur’an, Book of Mormon, Watchtower, or emotionalism.

No Muslim would say they are Christian and still be a Muslim. Nor do I argue it would be a helpful thing to ask them to do so.

No Christian will join your publicity campaign.

Just saying.

Helpful Islamic Terms (tBC016)

Posted on December 1, 2015Leave a comment

In today’s BridgeCast I give some helpful terms in regard to Islam and the cultural storm of money following the Thanksgiving observation.

In this day it may be helpful to have an increased knowledge of Islamic terms. When you read or listen to a ‘news’ report and a term is used that you’re not familiar with, find a good dictionary or reliable source to help give you a working definition of how that term is defined and used.

Allah: This is the only Arabic word for god. This makes translation of the bible into Arabic problematic. Not because there is not a word in Arabic for god. An Arabic speaking person reading the bible in his/her language would use the word allah when they read your English word ‘god’.

In an English speaking context, we have a general word ‘god’ and a specific word for Yahweh [‘God’]. Translators generally note this with a lower case ‘g’ and an upper case ‘G’.

The necessary duty for a believer is to have a working knowledge of the definition according to the doctrine (teaching) of the different faiths.

One of note here is that the god (Allah) of Islam and the god (Yahweh) of the bible are not the same gods. Yahweh reveals Himself as triune, Allah is similar (in definition) but in no way a triune being. This is important in knowing why a Muslim is confused when you refer to Jesus as Deity (God). To a Muslim, you believe in multiple gods.

There is more, but this is a start.

Jihad*: This is a struggle or effort in god’s cause. The great jihad is the inward struggle against the passions. The lesser jihad is a defensive or legal war, to protect the interest of Islam. It is mistakenly called holy war. Jihad is the Muslim obligation to strive to teach, explain, spread, and protect the message of Islam.

Caliphate** is a form of Islamic government led by a caliph (a ruler considered a politico-religious leader of the Islamic community of believers, and rules in accordance with Islamic law.)

A caliphate is political state without separation of religion and government ruled by a religious leader called a caliph. This politico/religious ‘state’ may or may not be recognized by the community at large as legitimate. In Islam, it doesn’t need to be recognized by others, they just are and do.

*4truth.net
**Wikipedia

Saratov Approach

Posted on November 12, 201319 Comments

It’s not often that I get a call from the local theater to be offered free tickets to view a movie they are playing. (This was actually the first time this has ever happened.) It was not unusual to talk to Kim at the Twin Cinema 12 in Twin Falls though. Twin Cinema has been willing to help with multiple things for me over the past 12 years. There was a season of time that Eastside actually rented space at the Orpheum in down town Twin Falls for several months while sorting out space needs for our weekly gathering. Then there were those Sherwood Baptist guys and their successful movies… Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous. Larry and Kim are always willing to help.

Kim called late last week and asked if I would be willing to come view this movie they have showing right now called Saratov Approach. Kim was quick to let me know that this was a movie about two Mormon missionaries who were kidnapped in 1998. Her request was simply to watch the movie, their treat.

Tonight, Renee and I walked into the Twin Cinema 12 on the corner of Kimberly road and Eastland just before the 5PM showing. I explained to the cashier that Kim left me two tickets to see Saratov Approach, she was eager to accommodate by pulling out the tickets Kim left.

Here are a few reflections on the movie.

The story itself (not addressing any of the spiritual conflicts between orthodox Christianity and Mormonism) was told with skill. The skilled cinematographers did their duty to capture my attention and hold it for the entirety of the movie, even with occasional poor acting by some of the secondary actors. I was emotionally moved by the plight of the kidnapped Americans. I felt for the young men and even related to some of the internal struggles of faith and hope. I was moved with compassion for their families, and even the kidnappers from time to time.

The movie did what I think the makers wanted to achieve; there was a likability and an endearment to the two Americans and their genuine care for people, even their kidnappers. I found myself from time to time relating in a strange way to the young men. I was moved to tears as I watched their parents struggle with hope, fear, and joy. This was a good reminder that there are risks to Americans who travel abroad.

I was in constant conflict with the spiritual content. Renee noted that the two Americans would quote from the bible or reference the New Testament as they spoke of spiritual matters and not the Book of Mormon. There was language of god and Jesus that was familiar; but in light of truth, it was uncomfortable. Mormon doctrine was revealed from time to time, but always in subtle, veiled ways. Especially in relationship to the various spiritual paths that men travel down and essentially leading to the same god. This was not a focal point of the movie, but I picked up on it from time to time. A few conversations between the kidnappers and the two Americans felt like an attempt by the director to bridge an emotional bond between the viewers and the kidnappers so that Mormonism appears to be Christian. This language is always complicated. Mormon doctrine is anything, but orthodox Christianity.

I think the movie accomplished telling the story. It was done with seriousness, laughter, fear, tension, shock, tears and relief. The story showed two men loyal to their belief, honorable to their families, and compassionate to their captors. The story, for the sake of a story, was good. I’m glad I went. I’m glad to know the story. I’m thankful to the Roper’s for their kind gift of the movie passes.

I was reminded of Albert Mohler’s recent comments in a lecture at BYU last month speaking as an orthodox evangelical Christian seminary president to a student body of Mormons… “I am not here because I believe we are going to heaven together, but I do believe we may go to jail together.”

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