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Pastor Saeed Abedini, a former American hostage who was held for three and a half years in an Iranian prison for his Christian faith, said on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 that Muslims started a war on Christianity with the terror attacks. Abedini said that although most Christian pastors do not want to say it, Islam is a satanic religion that leads people astray. "Fifteen years ago the shape of the whole world got changed forever and war between Islam and Christianity started by Muslims again," [sic] Abedini wrote in a Facebook message on Sunday.

Many of us are satisfied with echoing Christian jargon and subsisting on a spiritual diet of milk instead of growing spiritually. Strong growth requires a healthy diet. It requires what the apostle Paul called “meat.” We need the discipline of study, the discipline of prayer, the discipline of service. Most of us require being disciplined under the authority or tutelage of another. Self-discipline is merely the extension of discipline learned under another. It does not come by magic. If you desire to break out of the plateau on which you are paralyzed, then it is imperative that you get under...

September 14, 2016 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Reading 1 Nm 21:4b-9 With their patience worn out by the journey,the people complained against God and Moses,“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,where there is no food or water?We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,which bit the people so that many of them died.Then the people came to Moses and said,“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”So Moses prayed for...

Millions of children in the United States begin piano lessons. I was one of them. At age eight, I embarked on a musical career that featured a blazing start and a whimpering finish. My teacher introduced me to the magic of the keyboard with the first lesson of the first volume of the ancient and venerable John Thompson instruction series. The first lesson was simple. So was the entire first book. I raced through it in what I was sure was record time. In a matter of weeks I finished Volume I and began Volume II. Five years later, I...

Is the Jesus of Mormonism the Jesus of the Bible? Aaron Shafovaloff Published on Jul 16, 2016 James White dialogs with Alma Allred. James White is a Christian apologist and founded Alpha and Omega Ministries (http://www.aomin.org/). Alma Allred is a Mormon apologist and an LDS Institute teacher (http://byteline.blogspot.com/). This event took place on July 15, 2016. It was organized by Christ Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City (http://www.gospelutah.org/). A special thanks to Jason Wallace.

The Stages of Sin from St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Fasten Your Seatbelts! Msgr. Charles Pope • September 12, 2016 • Saint Bernard of ClairvauxThere are times when one reads something from one of the saints and is stunned by the tremendous insight, the piercing analysis, like a surgeon’s scalpel dividing diseased from healthy tissue. Such was my experience recently when reading a passage from St. Bernard of Clairvaux.In this passage, Bernard analyzes the descent into the increasing darkness of sin experienced by those who refuse to hear the call to repent. I would argue that it applies not...

"Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth" (Eph. 6:14). Truthfulness is the best defense against Satan’s lies. The first piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth. Roman soldiers of his day wore a tunic, which was a large square piece of material with holes for the head and arms. A belt kept the tunic from flying loosely and getting in the way in the midst of battle. The phrase "having girded your loins" was commonly used for gathering up the loose material of one's tunic or robe when preparing for battle or...

“Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Peter 4:7). Spending time with God in prayer is another crucial element in walking by the Spirit. During my regular times in the Word, I often don’t know where Bible study ends and meditation begins, or where meditation turns into prayer. My devotions are definitely a seamless process in which I read Scripture, meditate on it, and pray that God would help me understand it. I’m sure that many of you have had the same experience. It ought to be like that for any believer who is...

September 13, 2016 Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31a Brothers and sisters:As a body is one though it has many parts,and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,so also Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body,whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. Now the body is not a single part, but many. Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it.Some people God has designated in the Churchto be,...

The Urgent Call of the Cross Dr. Brian Kopp 9/12/2016 Many of us are suffering right now. It’s recent and sudden, and happening in ways we never anticipated or imagined. Steve Skojec has heroically shared with us his incomprehensible crosses. The family discord, this falling away between family members and among otherwise close friends, the many cancers, diseases, catastrophic accidents and job losses, the persecutions, both wet and dry, the malfeasance among many of our highest shepherds, all this and more is bewildering and overwhelming. Everyone who has a deep Faith and a spiritual awareness right now feels the palpable...

"Take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm" (Eph. 6:13). Spiritual warfare isn’t as much a frontal attack on Satan’s domain as it is the ability to resist his advances. Spiritual warfare has become a popular topic in recent years. Books, tapes, and seminars on the subject abound, but there is still much confusion. Some say we must rebuke and bind Satan to thwart his power and influence. Others say we must expel demonic spirits through "deliverance ministries." Still others encourage us to...

“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). We must focus on God and His Word as we begin to walk by the Spirit. Paul’s directive to the Galatians in today’s verse may sound like an impractical platitude. But to the apostle this command was a foundational truth for how all Christians should live their daily lives. The Greek for “walk” could be translated, “keep on continually walking.” Life transpires one day at a time, and believers should routinely take each day one step at a time. In walking by the...

Let us examine some of the guidelines Paul gives in Romans 14 for dealing with those who are weaker in faith. The first rule of Christian love is that we receive others who are weaker in faith as brothers and sisters. Every Christian is a servant of Christ. Christ is his master and judge. I am not to judge those who are Christ’s. A second principle of Christian liberty is that a person should not be forced to act according to another person’s conscience with respect to “matters indifferent.” This rule presupposes that Christians are at various levels of personal...

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). Don’t confuse prisoners of war with the enemy. Sometimes in the heat of battle we might lose perspective on who the real enemy is. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggle isn't against sinful people, but against the evil system and the supernatural forces that influence their attitudes and actions. In his assault on the kingdom of God, Satan has assembled a highly organized army of...

“‘“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances”’” (Ezekiel 36:27). The Holy Spirit has always led and will continue to lead believers to know God’s will. One of the Spirit’s most practical ministries is to help believers know and follow God’s will. Ezekiel 36:27 plainly indicates that the Spirit has always been available to lead God’s people. And Isaiah reminds us, centuries before Ezekiel’s time, that the Lord “is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, who caused His glorious...

September 12, 2016 Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Cor 11:17-26, 33 Brothers and sisters:In giving this instruction, I do not praise the factthat your meetings are doing more harm than good.First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Churchthere are divisions among you,and to a degree I believe it;there have to be factions among youin order that also those who are approved among youmay become known.When you meet in one place, then,it is not to eat the Lord’s supper,for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,and one...

September 11, 2016 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 32:7-11, 13-14 The LORD said to Moses,“Go down at once to your people,whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,sacrificing to it and crying out,‘This is your God, O Israel,who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’“I see how stiff-necked this people is, ” continued the LORD to Moses.Let me alone, then,that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume...

Living According to God's Word You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. (Psalm 119:65) David was a man who basically lived by grace (that is, by depending on the Lord to work in his life). Consequently, he trusted in the word of God ("the word of His grace"- Acts 20:32). David lived according to God's word. Psalm 119 bears substantial testimony of what can happen when one lives in this manner. "You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word." The strategic phrase ("according to Your word") has two implications:...

Cardinal Maradiaga has condemned military action against ISIS.

"Stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). Satan wants to render you ineffective for Christ. In 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul says, "A wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." That's typical of spiritual warfare. The more opportunities you have to serve Christ, the more adversaries you'll face. That's because Satan seeks to hinder your spiritual service. Often seminary students ask me if ministry becomes easier over the years. In one sense it does because you learn better study skills, time management, and the like. But in a greater sense it...