Greater Vision Baptist Church - June 13th, 2021 Sunday PM

I really enjoy attending Greater Vision Baptist church in Owensboro.  God's been good to my family.  He's greatly helped us in over the year-and-a-half since we started attending there.  It's a great church.  I would highly recommend this church to anyone in the Owensboro area who doesn't have a home church.  You will greatly be blessed.  Starting tonight, I'm going to be posting services from Greater Vision Baptist Church.  This service features Dr. Charles Keen from Ohio.  He was the visiting preacher.  I hope you enjoy it.

Maintaining a Proper Balance Between Biblical Doctrine and Love

 II Timothy 3:16 "For all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  

In many of today's contemporary churches in America, there seems to be a dichotomy where there are some that properly emphasize the importance of Biblical sound doctrine, but are lacking when it comes to love for the brethren in that local church or for the world that's lost and on their way to hell.  On the other hand, you have some of those religious institutions that label themselves as a church but their primary emphasis is on "love."  They may say they don't judge but they love people.  They say come as you are.  They don't want to emphasize Bible doctrine because doctrines divide.  Neither mindset is right in and of itself.  Yes, it's very important to preach and practice sound doctrine.  It's very imperative to be very Biblically correct.  However, what good will it do if you're doctrinally sound but lacking charity.  (I Corinthians 13:1).  The church isn't gong to travel very far in carrying out the Great Commission if we don't possess love for the sinner.  We have to have a burden for the lost.  We're to love them to the point to where we'll pray for them and desire for them to get their sins under the blood.  Also, we have a responsible as a church to lose those that are saints within the church as well.  I John 3:14 states that we know that we have passed from death to life if we have love for the brethren.  A church is a corporate body comprised of born again believers.  The brethren within the church need each other and need fellowship one with another to grow and to strengthen in their faith and walk with God.  You can't just view those that are in that church as just another number and another face.  That's the problem some of our more fundamental churches are lacking when it comes to the church loving one another and the church loving those that are without Christ.

When you read the Bible from cover to cover, you're reading a set of books in both the Old and New Testament within one book which is the Bible, God's Holy Word.  I will say when it comes to the English translation of the Bible, I believe God's preserved word is in the King James 1611.  It came from the original texts receipts.  None of the other modern-day English translations stem from the texts receptus.  Nevertheless, when one reads the Bible, you will see it is full of doctrine, or the teachings of the Bible.  It's a teaching about the creation of man, the fall of man, God's plan for redemption for mankind,  God's dealings with Israel and the nations in the Old Testament, etc.  In the New Testament you read the four gospels about the life of Jesus as he walked upon this earth.  You read about the death, burial, and the resurrection of Christ.  You read about the early church in the book of Acts, you read the different epistles of Paul regarding the church and how Christians ought to behave and conduct themselves.  There are also the pastoral epistles that give instruction concerning those that go into the ministry.  Then there's the book of Revelation which speaking about eschatology, or the end times.  As I just mentioned, the Bible is full of doctrine and it's very important every child of God knows the Word of God and what God expects out of every child of God.  Emphasizing doctrine is an absolute must.  You can't have a Biblical New Testament church without doctrine.  How can one know how to live the Christian life if they don't know what the Bible says.  God has a will, a purpose for everybody.  The only way we can know what God's will for our lives is to read the Bible and study His Word.  There's no other way that can be accomplished.  It has to be balanced with a true genuine love not only for one another in the church but for those in the world as God has given the church the task to carry out the Great Commission (Mark 16:15).  

I am aware of the passage of scripture that says in I Corinthians 8:1 that "knowledge puffeth up but that charity edifieth."  That is correct.  But that doesn't mean knowledge is important.  We just need to recognize as Christians that God gives us a brain to read and study the Word.  We are to use our minds to learn the Word of God.  However, we also must remember to give praise and glory to anything that's good about us.  All the talents we possess we must give glory and praise to God for them.  We have them because God endowed us with talents.  Therefore, anything good about us is from the Lord.  the Bible says that every good and perfect gift cometh from above (James 1:17).  We need to be cautious that we don't interpret I Corinthians 8:1 as saying that knowledge isn't very important.  There is also such as thing as false doctrine or false teachings.  We have plenty of those today in many mainline denominations.  When you read the New Testament you read about the early church and those that promoted false doctrine.  Some had added circumcision to salvation, for example.  There are some that teach in some of today's church the erroneous doctrine that you have to be baptized in water in order to be saved.  Teaching any other salvation other than salvation by grace through faith is a damnable heresy.  False doctrine will guide you down the wrong path and hinder your walk with God.  Correct, Biblical doctrine is very important.  It can be life and death.  Some Christians struggle today because of believing doctrines that are opposed to the Bible.  You have to know what the Bible says or you're going to go astray.

In summary, there has to be a balance of love and doctrines in our churches today.  Our churches are not going to possess the power they need if both are not in order.  I believe churches that are spirit-filled will have the love of God dwelling in them.  God is love.  He loves us so much that he gave us His Holy Word so we can know Him and how to live for Him.  The fact God gave us His word says how much he loves us.  We can't say we love with a Biblical love if we don't practice correct doctrine.  

Democratic Lawmaker Admits Biden "Infrastructure" Plan is Really About Climate Change

Biden Infrastructure Plan is Really About Climate Change 

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) was at a recent town hall meeting and admitted Joe Biden's infrastructure plan focuses more on climate change than the built environment.  In other words, the focus on the bill isn't about our nations' physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, canals, etc.  Instead it's about fulfilling the goals of the radical environmentalist movement instead of what the title of the bill supposedly says the legislation is about.  What deceit!  That's how our elected elite work in Washington, esp. the leftists.  Malinowski, who represents New Jersey's 7th district stated the infrastructure bills focuses on climate change and other items unrelated to building, roads, bridges, and tunnels.   The Republicans need to blow this out of the water and expose to the American people what this bill actually is.  It needs to go a step further than just mere criticism.

Malinowski's admission about the nature of the infrastructure bill comes at a time when the Biden administration is trying to strike a deal with the Republicans on this measure.  The Democrats' legislative agenda has hit a grinding halt after they passed their $1.9 trillion partisan bill this year.  If the Democrats aren't successful in passing this infrastructure bill, I'm sure they'll refer to the reconciliation process to pass their very expensive measure.  Republicans have rallied against this bill which spends less than one quarter on roads, tunnels, and bridges.  This bill definitely needs to be defeated.  The Democrats know their days are numbered and that's why they're feverishly trying to pass the left's agenda because their chances of remaining in power after the 2022 midterm elections appear to be slim.  Click on the above link to read the remainder of the story.

Donnie Swaggart's Letter to President Trump

This is a YouTube video where Donnie Swaggart, son of Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, recites his letter that he wrote to former president Trump prior to leaving the White House.  I want to clarify that this isn't a promotion of the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.  I know what happened back over 33+ years ago when it was revealed that Jimmy Swaggart was entertaining a prostitute at a Baton Rouge motel.  I'm not endorsing or supporting Swaggart's past actions.  I am posting this because it's about our former president and I was really moved in what he wrote in the letter to the former president.  This is about paying tribute to everything Trump was right about when he was president.  It's about giving credit where credit where credit is due.

I'm going to give you my insight about how I stand in regards to our former president.  I'm not going to review or critique what Swaggart had to say about Trump.  If anything, I'll add to it.  First of all, I've been registered to vote since 1989, when I turned 18.  Let me tell you what inspired me to register to vote when I turned 18.  It was the 1984 presidential election between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale.  I was very excited and enthusiastic about that presidential election.  I paid attention to it on the news that year at 13 years of age.  I had a strong fervent desire to vote in that election, but I couldn't because I was too young.  However, I was determined that year that as soon as I turned 18, I was going to register to vote.  Since that time I can honestly say to the best of my knowledge I don't ever recall a time I've ever missed a vote whether it be presidential, congressional, local, state, or special election.  I've always been serious about being at the polls when an election came about whether it was primary or general election.  I'm thankful for the God-given privilege to vote.  There have been numerous times I've written in candidates' name because I didn't trust either candidate on the Democratic or Republican side.  That's how important voting is to me.

I recall the 2016 election when probably at least 16 or 17 Republicans were placing their hat in the ring.  Many in the news media and political pundits thought Jeb Bush, former Florida governor and the brother and son of former presidents '41 and '43 would probably win the GOP primary.  I also remember Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was running for president.  Of course, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul weren't options for me because they were Senators serving in Washington.  I had no intention nor desire to vote for a politician in Washington.  I was so sick and tired of the phoniness I saw in the Republican Party and I knew that any politician already serving in Washington wasn't going to stand for our country if elected president.  However, when Trump fared well in the primaries, I was determined to vote for him in the general election but vote for Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, was running for president.  However, he dropped out of the race prior to the Kentucky caucus. (Kentucky had a caucus that year because Rand Paul was running for president and U.S. Senator).  Therefore, when we had the Kentucky caucus, I voted for Trump in the primary, because he was the only other option for me.  He was a businessman and political outsider.  He was the one person I desired to cast my vote for because I didn't want a professional Washington politician in the White House.  We've had enough of those.  In that election and. the 2020 election, I voted for Donald Trump in both the primary and general elections.

I am thankful for President Trump in defending our country over the course of 4 years.  He wasn't perfect, but he did a great job when you consider the constant barrage of criticism and ridicule from both the medial and the Democrats and Republicans.  He's had more courage than any other politician to stand for the values of God, Country, and the Constitution in many, many years.  Not only was he criticized and ridiculed on a daily basis, but he was ridiculed hour by hour as far as I'm concerned over the course of over 4 years.  Also, he had to endure the Russian collusion hoax, an impeachment trial over Ukraine, etc.  There were constant efforts to remove him from the White House in the last four years.  The media and our elected elite were looking for whatever they could find to discredit him and to remove him from the White House.  They literally hated Donald Trump.  I want to add the reason for their hatred of Donald Trump wasn't "Trump derangement syndrome" or his personality. There's only one single reason and that's because he stood in the way of the New World Order.  Any president that doesn't support the New World Order will be hated and opposed at every turn.  The establishment elite doesn't want a president that supports the slogan of God, country, and the Constitution.  The elites consider Christian conservatives as a government within a government and they must be silenced.  Big Tech has been doing just that in the past year.  He's the first president since Ronald Reagan to stand up for the values of our country.  All the presidents from George H.W. Bush to Barack Obama were politically correct.  He was a president that stood for American sovereignty, American manufacturing, and the greatness of America.

Here's a list of things I want to thank the former President for:  Thank you for being a friend to Israel, thank you for speaking at a Right to Life rally in 2020, the first president to ever do so.  Thank you for rebuilding our military.  Thank you for renegotiating treaties signed by past administrations that haven't produced anything good for the American people and have instead costed taxpayers probably trillions of dollars.  Thank you for supporting Christians not only in America and around the world.  Thank you for attending the funeral of the late Billy Graham in 2018, who once preached the gospel around the world.  Thank you for the tax cuts of 2017.  Thank you for the stimulus checks from last year due to many people losing their jobs as a result of the "global pandemic".  Thank you for not traveling around the world apologizing for America because you know America is the greatest country in the world and America is always there when another country is in need.  

I do want to thank you for everything that you did when you were right on the issues.  I voted for you on the basis of issues; not your personality.  I support you when you're right on the issues.  I don't worship you or make a god out of you.  But when you support the pillars that make America great such as God, Country, and the Constitution, I am for you.  Lastly, thanks for doing your part to the best of your ability to make American great again.

Biden Administrations Suspends ANWR Oil and Gas Leases

Biden Administration Suspends ANWR Oil and Gas Leases 

The Department of the Interior on Tuesday suspended all oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) which were approved during the Trump administration.  The department is notifying lessees that it's suspending oil and gas leases in the Arctic refuge, pending the review, whether the leases should be reaffirmed, voided, or subject to additional mitigation measures according to Interior Secretary Deb Halaand.  

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act initially allowed the area to be developed for energy purposes.  Prior to the bill, the area had been the subject of a decade-long battle for oil-industry access, according to Politico. The Biden administration placed a moratorium on the leasing program in January, reported Politico, until the legal deficiencies were determined.  

Gas prices have been rising steadily since Biden took office in January with the current prices rising 60 cents per gallon higher than in January, according to the Daily Wire.  

I believe the Biden administration's suspension of ANWR oil and gas leases is a payback to the environmentalist groups.  This is an all-out assault on the oil and gas industry.  Whether one likes it or not, our society is dependent upon oil and gas for the functioning of our society.  Stopping oil production and raising gas prices won't help the middle class.  Instead the middle class if feeling the pinch with the Biden administration placing a halt to Keystone Pipeline and suspension of the ANWR oil and gas leases.  Click on the above link to read the remainder of the story.

The Life of John Birch

To celebrate Memorial Day, I have posted a YouTube video about the Life of John Birch by G. Edward Griffin.  I hope you enjoy the video.

Senate Unanimously Adopts Amendment  

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Tuesday banned U.S. taxpayer funds from going to state-run labs in China after her amendment was unanimously adopted to "the Endless Frontier Act" which aims to help the United States compete with China with research and development.  This was on the same day that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins admitted in testimony before House Appropriations subcommittee that the NIH gave the non-profit group EcoHealth Alliance 3.7 million in taxpayer funds--$600,000 of which the group funneled to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is suspected to be the source of the coronavirus.  

The Congresswoman is also calling for an independent, scientific investigation into the origins of Covid-19.  One thing I will say and that is I don't believe the U.S. needs to be conducting business with China, esp. with what happened last year with the coronavirus "pandemic."  The U.S. doesn't need to be dependent upon China for anything.  Click on the above link from CNSNews.com to read the full story.

Cyberattack Shuts Down Top U.S. Pipeline

Cyberattack Shuts Down Top U.S. Pipeline 

The Biden administration says it's "all hands on deck" to restore a fuel pipeline that delivers nearly half of the fuel supply to the East Coast.  It's the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure.  The cyberattack shut down the Colonial Pipeline, is a 5500 network of pipelines which carries gas, diesel, and jet fuel from Texas to New Jersey.

Federal officials state an Eastern European organization known as "Darkside" appears to be responsible for the cyber extortion crime.  Former DHS official Elizabeth Neumann stated we have seen critical attacks on our infrastructure the last five years, but nothing of this magnitude.  She says she believes this foretells this is what life is likely to be in the future. 

Officials are hoping to get the pipeline up and running before shortages create a spike in prices.  Overnight, gasoline futures climbed more than three percent, the most since May 2018.

Franklin Graham's Thoughts on National Day of Prayer

Franklin Graham's Thoughts on National Day of Prayer 

Evangelist Franklin Graham, President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), called the nation to prayer today on the annual National Day of Prayer.  Graham said in a Facebook video post that he believes prayer is so important, esp. at this time in our country's history. He stated our country is in trouble and has been in trouble.  Graham said our nation has been in a downward spiral morally, spiritually, etc.  He stated our only hope is for Christians to pray and for God to intervene on our behalf.  

Graham is exactly on target.  America needs prayer like never before.  Without a divine intervention from God, this nation will go asunder.  To my knowledge, America has been coming apart at the seams in a major way since the hippie protest movement of the 1960's and the moral and spiritual condition of America has continuously deteriorated since.  As much as I'm for Christians being politically involved in the affairs of our country such as voting, attending events, or even running for office, America's problems won't be solved by the political process.  There are some things that can be done on a political level.  But there are many problems our nation faces in which there is no political solution toward.  Only almighty God can heal our land.  In closing, let's remember the famous scripture verse from II Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  That's the only promise we have in America.

Dr. Dobson Calls America to National Day of Prayer

Dr. Dobson Calls America to National Day of Prayer 

Dr. James Dobson, the former host of the program "Focus on the Family" is calling America to a national day of prayer which is tomorrow May 6, 2021.  "In 1952, the Congress passed a law which directed the president to set aside one day each year as a national day of prayer.  President Truman signed the bill into the law and thereafter issued a proclamation urging that 'all of us, in our churches, in our homes, and in our hearts, may beseech God to grant us wisdom to know the course which we should follow, and strength and patience to pursue that course steadfastly," according to Dobson.

Tomorrow Christians will join the U.S. together to call upon God for the sake of our country during the 70th annual National Day of Prayer.  Dr. Dobson, who is the founder and president of the of the Dr. James Dobson family institute stated he couldn't recall a time in recent history when the United States was in more desperate needs in God's intervention on behalf of our nation.  

Dobson's wife Shirley served on the National Day of Prayer Task Force for a quarter of a century.  Dobson was stating that it seems that the foundations of our country are crumbling, and our culture is embracing lawlessness and depravity.  Dobson was stating that one unmistakeable fact was that light always overcomes darkness.  He stated he believes the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will prevail and we have placed hope and trust in him to bring healing to our land.

If America ever needs prayer, it's now!  I pray that God will have mercy on our nation and not judgment.  That's what appears has been happening in recent events the past year.  Let's pray for God's mercy upon our land.  One thing I do know and that is darkness will not prevail and one of these days the present world as we've known will end.  One of these days Christ will come back and Satan and evil will be defeated.  We'll live in eternal bliss.  We just have to remember God's will isn't wrapped up in this present world. God bless and may the Lord heal our land.