Tag: Gateway Church Dallas

When Fascists are allowed to steal your history they are redirecting your destiny

public disorder is neither left nor right - it is up or down

At first, Confederate monuments were their targets

Reuters: U.S. cities step up removal of Confederate statues, despite Virginia violence | AUGUST 15, 2017

WTOP.com: Charlottesville mayor seeks removal of Confederate monuments, calls Lee statue ‘magnet for terrorism’ | August 18, 2017

Fox 5 DC: Virginia governor encourages cities to take down Confederate monuments
| AUG 17 2017

Newsweek: STONE MOUNTAIN CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL IN GEORGIA HAS TO GO, DEMOCRAT GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE SAYS | August 16, 2017

Atlanta Patch: Remove Confederate Carving On Stone Mountain: Atlanta Lawmaker | August 16, 2017

Los Angeles Times: New Orleans is tearing down its Confederate monuments, but the South has plenty of others | April 24, 2017

Next, the fascists demand removal of presidential monuments

The Daily Caller: It’s Time To Blow Up Mount Rushmore | August 15, 2017

The Washington Times: Chicago pastor urges mayor to remove George Washington statue, rename park over slavery | August 16, 2017

RT.com: Get rid of Washington and Jackson, Chicago pastor demands | August 16, 2017

Amusement Park Operators Fall for Intimidation Tactics

Fox News: Six Flags Over Texas removes Confederate flag, reversing earlier decision | August 18, 2017

Voices of Wisdom Warn Against Historical Revisionism

CNN Politics: Trump: Taking down Confederate memorials is ‘changing history’ | August 15, 2017

Washington Examiner: Predominately black group wants to protect Dallas Confederate statues: Report | August 15, 2017

CBS DFW: Predominantly Black Dallas Group Forms To Protect Confederate Monuments | August 14, 2017

The Lutchman Report: NAACP Leader Just Broke Her Silence On Confederate Monuments, Sets Media ON FIRE | August 18, 2017

Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says of the destruction of monuments, “I think it’s all senseless. All senseless. We’re 108 years in as NAACPers and we might think things would improve, but they do not. You know we still have this factor about black and white. What does that have to do with it? I bleed red blood.”

“You know that’s history. That was in that point in time. You can’t eliminate what history is. So I disapprove with young people pulling down those statues,” she said.

Black Christian News Network One: Black Former Dallas Council Member Sandra Crenshaw Says People Calling for Removal of Confederate Statues Are “Cowards” | August 14, 2017

Outcry from Across the Nation against our History

Washington Examiner: Petition asking Trump to recognize Antifa as terror group reaches threshold for White House response | August 20, 2017

WhiteHouse.gov petition: Officially declare Antifa a Terrorist Organization | February 7, 2017

My Opinion

Six Flags removed the Confederate flag at the behest of a minority of Americans who deem that banner ‘offensive’. Following this line of reasoning, I suggest Six Flags Over Texas remove the Spanish and Mexican flags also. Back in 1836, Texians and Tejanos alike thought those two so offensive that they fought Mexico for independence and won.

Following this line of reasoning, I suggest Six Flags Over Texas remove the Spanish and Mexican flags also. Back in 1836, Texians and Tejanos alike thought those two so offensive that they fought Mexico for independence and won.

Three Flags Over The State of Political Correctness – There! Wasn’t that easy?

staples-easy-button
Wasn’t that easy?

I am thankful God left all the history of his children in tact, as recorded in the Bible. He left the good, the bad, and the ugly for all to see and know.

No, further historical revisionism only draws us more deeply into the spiritual quagmire into which Satan has drawn us. The real answer is national repentance. Before. It’s. Too. Late.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

President Trump Inundated With Attacks – A Call to Prayer

For the record, businessman Donald Trump was duly elected to the office of President of the United States of America. Even before taking the oath of office on January 20, 2017, enemies in the form of fake news, Democrat skulduggery, and establishment Republican push back seem to labor in concert to defeat the agenda of President Trump. The most insidious enemy of this president is the establishment political machines of both parties.

Yesterday evening, August 3, 2017, a double rainbow appeared over the White House following a storm.

double rainbow over white house 8-3-2017.png
Barack Obama bathed the White House with a fake rainbow to celebrate his promotion of homosexuality. But God did not create the rainbow to celebrate evil.

After Noah’s ark came to rest on the solid ground and Noah’s family were safe from the great flood, God made a covenant with Noah, his family, and all his descendants. We pick up the post-flood story in Genesis chapter 9, verses 12 through 17 [NLT].

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”

The political storm isn’t over and God’s promises are sure. Evil forces have been chipping away at the very foundations of the Republic from the beginning of our existence as a nation. We are in a spiritual war that culminates before our eyes. Has this war on freedom hit its zenith? By no means.

Now the good news: President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people.

What can we do? By ‘we’, I mean God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians.

  • Let’s not forget God is on his throne and prayer changes things
  • Know that the rainbow is not Satan’s banner of triumph, it is God’s way of reminding us of his unbreakable covenant with us.
  • Pray fervently for God to pour out his spirit on America to awaken and encourage the people of God to engage the enemy in spiritual warfare.
  • Put on your spiritual armor of God | Ephesians 6:11
  • Pray for all in authority from local governments to the White House, Supreme Court, and Congress. | 1 Timothy 2:2
  • Submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. | Romans 8:14
  • Expect great outcomes from our unified prayers. | Jeremiah 33:3
  • Instead of cursing political opponents, pray for them. It was this solemn action that delivered Job out of his dilemma. | Job 42:10

If you are not a God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian, you can become one. In an instant of time. Follow these steps.

  • Confess your sins. | Romans 3:23
  • Accept this truth: God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for your sins to atone for them. | Romans 5:8
  • Call on the Name of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. Believe in your heart that God forgives you and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.| Romans 10:9-10

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Your Congregation: Is it a CULT or a CHURCH?

As my wife and I left church Saturday evening, I recalled how mainstream religious leaders in Jerusalem accused the Apostle Paul of being a member of a cult called The Way.

Your-Congregation-is-it-a-Cult-or-a-Church.png

Without a doubt, followers of The Way caused quite the stir throughout the Middle East and Asia. It was said of the followers of The Way they “turned the world upside down”.

Our Dallas Campus of Gateway Church is but one of five substantial satellite congregations linked by video to the ‘mother ship’ in Southlake, TX.

This is not our first experience with a mega church. We were members of Church On The Rock (COTR), the original ‘mother ship’ of a movement out of which amazing ministries were spawned. Headquarters for two of those ministries, Global Advance and Christ for India, are here in Rockwall, Texas.

Traditional church leaders and skeptics labeled us a cult. Were the accusations a product of ignorance or jealousy? Regardless, it was an accusation that warranted a response.

Lake Pointe Church is a mega church with satellite campuses and a global outreach. Is Lake Pointe a cult?

How about Prestonwood Baptist Church or the First Baptist Church of Dallas? These all substantially impact populations around the globe.

Pastor Larry Lea was exasperated. In round numbers, 11,000 souls were coming to our little church building in Rockwall every Sunday. There were five Sunday services to accommodate everyone. We had over 700 home group leaders to assure individuals were never without a personal connection, yet thousands came in one way as thousands went out another.

Local gossip wags and some news people accused us of being a cult.

This moved him to ask us the question: “How can you tell the difference between a cult and the church?”

The answer: “A cult is very easy to get into and very hard to get out of. The church is hard to get into and easy to get out of.”

Sadly, end times prophecies unfold before our eyes as atheism and hedonism attempt to suffocate all things Christian including constitutionally-protected freedoms of thought, worship, and public expression. This is the bad news.

Here’s the Good News: Jesus is Lord and God is still on his throne. Actually, all the evil happening is good news because it signals the second coming of Messiah. All the stuff happening now was foretold long, long ago. How in the world is this good news? It’s good news because you can confidently trust your Bible as the Word of God.

To be an effective member of a good church you must be willing to put forth the effort. If you are seeker-sensitive, looking for someone to hold your hand as you rehearse your somebody-done-me-wrong song, good luck with that.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

 

Diversity – I don’t think this word means what you think it means

E Pluribus Unum – National Motto adopted 1776

e pluribus unum
Latin: Out of many, one

Diversity – Politically-Correct Term

A reasonable translation of diversity is ‘many out of one’.

One synonym for diversity is difference. Compare with an antonym for unity: difference.

Many out of one is the antithesis of out of many, one.

Power Shift

A fundamental principle of democracy is majority rule. The diversity phenomenon deconstructs this vital principle as it shifts power from the majority to one or more minority groups.

Forgotten History – Revisionism at Work

Proponents of diversity reach back into history to say we (implying contemporary white people) murdered millions of Native Americans. These same historical revisionists say that we white people of today who live prosperous lives got to this point on the backs of slaves.

Is it helpful to know it was white Christians who ENDED slavery in America? All the while, why do we conveniently forget that it was Muslim slave traders who sold west Africans to the slave business owners? Yes, Muslims put them into slavery; Christians brought them out.

Is it helpful to know native Americans routinely conquered neighboring native American lands and killed the former owners?

Divine Truth

Of even greater importance are the Biblical truths upon which America became the greatest nation in all history. What Biblical truths?

“‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live. The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.” Ezequiel 18:19-20

Regardless the sins of my parents and grandparents, I am not responsible for their sins. I owe no one an apology for what sins of commission or omission God may lay to their accounts.

Furthermore, Native Americans of today, descendants of their forefathers who may have been mistreated by my own ancestors, have no claim on my property for reparations.

Episode 003: Bishop T.D. Jakes with Bill Hybels and Heather Larson from The Global Leadership Summit Podcast in Podcasts. Open with iTunes. Download iTunes here: itunes download button

Bill Hybels and T. D. Jakes appear to ignore the principle of forgiveness. One who does not forgive the sins of others himself will not be forgiven by God.

Unity of purpose is essential to our survival as a nation. The diversity movement is a tool of leftists who despise all America stands for.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

facebook symboltwitter-bird-blue-on-white

Transgender aka Gender Identity Disorder – The Definition of Terms Matters

definition of transgender

First ever data on US transgender surgeries reveals huge surge in demand: Rate of operations skyrocketed 20% in 2015

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4529182/Data-transgender-surgeries-reveals-surge-demand.html#ixzz4hoD1v5S6
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Gender Identity Disorder: An Emerging Problem for Pediatricians

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/571 

Gender Identity Disorder in Children and Adolescents

http://66.199.228.237/boundary/SA/SA_Chapter.pdf#page=401

High rates of suicide and self-harm among transgender youth – 2016

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160831110833.htm

CDC – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health: Suicide

https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm

All authority comes from God, not the Supreme Court, not any political party – strictly from God.

If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense. – Leviticus 20:13 NLT

In this church age of grace, we tend to take a more lenient approach to sin. The psychiatric view of the LGBTQ-whatever matter is a clinical diagnosis of mental illness. One could argue the interchangeability of sin and mental illness.

Scripture says, “The person who sins is the one who will die.” This is in the context of one person sinning, meaning an entire family or population or ancestry shall be held culpable for the sinful acts of an individual. Naturally, the double ‘whammy’ to homosexual activities is all voluntary participants will die.

There are revisionist, liberal theologies that overlook God’s  imperatives even to the point of appointing avowed homosexuals as church leaders. A growing number of religious writers and speakers say practicing homosexuals who profess faith in Jesus Christ can and will go to heaven. Such tread on very thin ice. In fact, I would go so far to say, they are wrong. Dead wrong.

To be fair, I set aside my own opinions and look into the Bible for God’s point of view. Scripture specifically addresses this issue of homosexuality and heaven in Romans 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:9-11.

We do no good to any person or persons whose behavior imperils their eternal life by coddling them, by creating special classes of people, or by affirming their sin or mental disorder.

Just as disobedient children must be lovingly and directly confronted with the truth, so it is with those who adopt so-called LGBTQ-whatever ‘lifestyles’. If you truly love such people, would you leave them to an eternal hell or draw them to an eternal heaven where the weather is always much better.

John White
Rockwall, Texas

The Evidence is Self-Evident

eric metaxasThe rumors of God’s death back in 1966 were premature. Eric Metaxas, a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Large for the King’s College in New York City, discusses the basics of the universe in the context of intelligent design, all within a five-minute time frame.

Atheistic scientists argue there is no center to the universe. Is this rational?

In a NASA podcast in which Diane Fisher of the New Millennium Program interviews Dr. Marc Rayman, a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the question of the center of the universe is the discussion topic. Rayman states, “Now we know that not only are we humans not at the center of the universe, but there is no center of the universe!”

Dr. Rayman uses an analogy of an inflatable balloon to support his theory. I forego quoting him. You can read the transcript yourself. If you can accept his analogy and believe there is no center to an inflatable balloon, it’s probably best you search for something else to read.

Rayman’s interesting unscientific belief that there is no center to the universe we shall now compare to other science that offers rational thoughts on our topic of the center of the universe.

From the Institute for Creation Research: “In contrast, creation cosmologies explain the data better by starting from biblically-based axioms: the cosmos has a unique center and a boundary for its matter, beyond which there is at least some empty space; and on a cosmic scale of distances, the earth is near the center.”

A movie titled IS GENESIS HISTORY features notable scientists who address the issues of creation, evolution and the age of the earth. View the official trailer. From the movie’s website, “Is Genesis History? features over a dozen scientists and scholars explaining how the world intersects with Genesis. From rock layers to fossils, from lions to stars, this fascinating film will change the way you see the world.”

The movie can be viewed on demand, purchase a DVD, or view it on Netflix.

As someone who believes there is a definite center to an inflatable balloon, I personally recommend viewing the movie.

Soli Deo Gloria

John White
Rockwall, Texas

Global terrorism – What are we fighting?

Perhaps a better question is, who are we fighting.

Is murder, even mass murder, a new thing? How about lies and corruption – are these global terrorismmodern-day evils? By no means.

May I introduce you to the coordinator behind global terrorism? His aliases are many, but in every nation and culture, he is known as the Devil, Satan. From here on I use the two names interchangeably.

The most reliable history book and at the same time the most reliable biography of the Devil is the Bible.

In John 8:44 Jesus describes Satan’s character thus: “[The Devil] was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The prophet Isaiah wrote on Satan’s origin in Isaiah 14:12-15.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

What is Satan? In Genesis 3:1 where he tempts Eve, he is called ‘the serpent’. Strong’s Concordance, Hebrew 5175 describes Satan as someone who hisses like a snake, a whisperer.

To get to the point, I’ll forego detailed records of Satan’s heinous acts recorded in the Bible. Suffice it to say Satan is the father of lies, murder, and rebellion and is, therefore, the spiritual father of all who follow him.

As recorded in 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is continually on the prowl to devour people.

Global terrorism isn’t germane to a people group. The entire world population can be classified into two distinct groups: children of Father God or children of Satan.

I’ve given you all the bad news. Here’s the good news. Jesus the Christ came to earth to deal with all Satan has done. 1 John 3:8 says, “But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.”

Forget about Homeland Security and the TSA. Don’t bother to send out search parties to find him. There is nothing about Satan’s appearance that warns you of his nature and his evil plans. Scripture tells us he can even appear as an angel of light.

Muslims, in general, are not the problem. Satan is the problem. Disobedience is a bigger problem than Satan himself.

The NSA-Homeland Security-TSA-FBI-CIA nexus is powerless to stop Satan. Only the children of God have authority to deal with terrorist number one.

That word ‘destroy’ you read from 1 John 3:8 means to loosen, un-loose, un-do. The role of believers in Jesus Christ is to set free those who are captive to Satan’s lies and deception. We can drop bombs from now until the Second Coming, but if the perpetrators of global terrorism do not experience a revelation of the person of Jesus Christ, the war goes on.

Not for a moment do I suggest we drop armed defenses. On the contrary, I encourage you to be prepared to defend yourself and your loved ones by the most effective means at your disposal. I applaud President Trump’s bold attacks on Muslim jihadists wherever he finds them.

The point is, only the Prince of Peace can bring lasting peace to the world. Your enemy is Satan; your salvation is in Jesus Christ.

John White
Rockwall, Texas