Tag: Bible

Pastor’s Notes – July 16th, 2021

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

Predestination:

 

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?  and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”
– Romans 10:13-14 –

Calvinism/Reformed Theology is sweeping through churches these days, but it will not sweep through River Westlake Baptist Church, because we understand that Calvinism/Reformed Theology is “ANOTHER GOSPEL.”  God does NOT predestinate approximately 85% of humanity to hell fire with no chance of salvation from their sins.  That is a Satanic belief. 

One of the many Calvinist/Reformed problems is their misunderstanding of the concept of Predestination.

When Paul is speaking to the Ephesians about them being predestinated, nothing Paul is saying is wrong (of course).  The problem arises when Calvinist/Reformed people think that this predestination that Paul speaks of is only for the Ephesians.  Everything Paul spoke to the Ephesians is true, but it also applies not only to the saved Ephesians, but to everybody else also.

Ephesians 1:4-5: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

Those saved Ephesians WERE chosen and predestined “to be holy and without blame before him in love.”  And they WERE “predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,”  but so was everyone else that has ever lived.

Here is the problem:  Being predestined for something doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  We are ALL predestined to be reconciled to God.  Every single person ever in history, and every single person living today, was predestined or chosen to be “IN HIM,” and “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”   But that doesn’t mean that we are going to be.  Most people will not “be holy and without blame before him in love.”  Why?  Not because they weren’t predestined, because they were, but because they do not BELIEVE who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  We get saved from our sins by our belief.

We were CREATED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  We were PREDESTINED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  But sin broke that fellowship with God, so now God commands us to be reconciled to Him, though Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

There is a massive misunderstanding about being PREDESTINATED.  Calvinists/Reformed people think the “Predestined” are only THEM; only certain people.  God has chosen and predestined us ALL “to be holy and without blame,” but that doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  Just because something is “predestinated” doesn’t mean it is going to happen.  We either choose to believe on Jesus or we choose to reject Jesus,  We were all predestined to believe, but many, to their shame, choose not to believe.

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – July 23rd, 2020

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

 

Pastor’s Notes – Don’t Panic.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:33 – 

Why is there so much disinformation about the coronavirus, masks, children spreading the virus, the “second wave,” infection numbers, social distancing, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc…? 

Not MISinformation, but purposeful DISinformation?

There is now no doubt that there is a campaign in effect to intentionally spread wrong information and contradictory information to the general public on a daily basis.

How can so many different factions be united in their misinformation campaign?

Who is the “leader” of this campaign that coordinates the dissemination of the disinformation?

As always, we can look to God’s Word, the Bible for answers. John 8:44 tells us “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Satan is jealous of God. Satan wants to destroy the order that God has set in place and replace it with his demonic order, so Satan uses his willing compatriots in the media and politics to spread his lies and confusion. There is no great master plan; the master plan is to destroy God’s plan and institute Satan’s own will. Remember, Lucifer got kicked out of heaven for wanting to be equal to God: “I will be like the most high.” (Isaiah 14:14).

So Satan’s lies manifest in various forms. Satan wants HIS plan to be in effect, which is the exact opposite of God’s plan. Right now this manifests in a thing called coronavirus. Satan’s lies also manifest in abortion, socialism/communism, destruction of the family, lawlessness, militant feminism, homosexuality, racism, drug addiction, drunkenness, covetousness, sexual promiscuity, false gods, and the list goes on and on.

When we apply God’s Word to the situations we see today, it becomes clear.
1 Corinthians 14:33: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” God is so gracious that He has given us the truth in His word. The Bible was written over the span of about 1,500 years, but it can, and should, be applied to the situations we are living through RIGHT NOW. But you have to know God’s word to apply it.

At River Westlake Baptist Church, we will dive into God’s word and apply it to what is happening to us today. It will be very clear to you too! Praise God.