“How can I be saved?”

There will always be charlatans and wolves and false teachers in this world, trying to get you to cross over the bridge of compromise and join them. From the beginning of time, there has been a LIE and a TRUTH available for ALL to choose. But time is running out, and there is only One way, One truth, One choice…. to save you from an eternal darkness you cannot see or fathom. What you choose in this lifetime will determine your eternal destination. It is the most important decision you will ever make. Will you be saved?

Question: “How can I be saved?”

Answer: This simple, yet profound, question is the most important question that can be asked. “How can I be saved?” deals with where we will spend eternity after our lives in this world are over. There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny. Thankfully, the Bible is abundantly clear on how a person can be saved. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved?
We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

How can I be saved? Saved from what?
Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html#ixzz3XL6hmmLP

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Spiritual Help for those Harold Camping Deceived

By now it’s very clear that the rapture did not occur on May 21, and we all know for sure that Harold Camping has misinterpreted the Bible. Here is some help for those who have been deceived…

Here is some advice for those who believe that the 21st of May 2011 is actually going to be the rapture. We hope that you consider this advice carefully:

1.Be prepared to accept that you are wrong. Many others have claimed to know the end of the world before now, and obviously they were wrong. They too misinterpreted Scripture, so if the rapture does not occur on the 21st of May 2011 then you will have joined their ranks. This will be a blow to your ego and some will find this failure very emotional. The best course of action is to prepare to be humble.

2.Don’t let this failure destroy your faith. The Bible was not wrong, you just interpreted it incorrectly. Harold Camping and his complex string of assumptions and fact fiddling has failed you, God’s Word has not failed you.

3.If you are (were) not raptured on the 21st of May 2011, don’t panic. It is not because you are a bad Christian, it is because the date is wrong. You’ll find it hard to believe that something you held with such ardor and faith is erroneous, and so you will be prone to blame yourself. Don’t fall into the trap of self condemnation, read Romans 8:1.

Read more here:

…Epic Fail
http://www.cultwatch.com/HaroldCamping.html

[HT: Spiritual Research Network]

Related:

Camping remains silent, while the world offers comfort to his followers
http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/149780/20110522/doomsday-harold-camping-followers-rapture-what-now.htm

Calvary Bible Church extends hope and love to Doomsday prophet Harold Camping’s followers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh64X2up01k

What now for Harold Camping’s followers after failed rapture?
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/what.now.for.harold.campings.followers.after.failed.rapture/28025.htm

Help for Harold Camping Followers
http://pureprovender.blogspot.com/p/help-for-harold-camping-followers.html

False Prophet Once Again A Public Clown
http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/false-prophets/false-prophet-once-again-a-public-clown

The May 21 Fallout…
http://billrandles.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/the-may-21-fallout/

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Leading the Sick and Thirsty Sheep to Muddy Streams

The MB Herald recently recognized the issue of mental health in an article entitled “When mental illness arrives in the pews.” The article was about a new ministry for those with mental illness that was going to be offered at Evergreen Heights Christian Fellowship in Simcoe, Ontario.

Starting in fall 2008, the Evergreen group meets once a week. They are using Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, to guide and direct their discussion. Another resource they find useful is a mental health self-help program called The Living Room, which is also being used by Highland (MB) Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C.

The word is out – when mental illness arrives in the pews of MB churches, church leaders and volunteers are finding ways to provide the support that is needed. Places like Evergreen Heights are leading the way.—SC

–Evergreen Heights responds to mental illness
(http://www.mbconf.ca/home/products_and_services/resources/
publications/mb_herald/mb_herald_april_2009/people_and_events/
evergreen_heighs_responds_to_mental_illness/)

Evergreen Heights Christian Fellowship (www.evergreenheights.org), a Mennonite Brethren Church, is also a Purpose Driven church. Not only are they leading the way by ministering to those with mental illness, which is admirable, they are unfortunately doing so the contemplative way by using Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Sadly, this is not based on biblical counseling methods, but rather on contemplative interfaith methods. As has been revealed here, it also draws from many different streams of spirituality.

To begin with, the mental health self-help program they are using called The Living Room (www.livingroomsupport.org) is also used by another Mennonite Brethren church in British Columbia called Highland Community Church (highlandcommunitychurch.blogspot.com). (This church incidentally links to several contemplative ministries as well, for example: cathyhardy.blogspot.com and http://www.soulstream.org.)

Another issue of concern is the fact that The Living Room links itself to interfaith organizations, such as NAMI Faithnet, Pathways to Promise: Interfaith Ministries & Mental Illness (www.pathways2promise.org/) and Mental Health Ministries. The latter (found @ http://www.mentalhealthministries.net) has the following description on their website:

The focus is on spirituality and mental illness rather than a particular faith tradition. A distinction is made between spirituality and religion. Spirituality springs from a belief system that gives meaning to our lives. It grows out of our experience rather than doctrine. Religion, on the other hand, refers to a faith community grounded in a set of beliefs, practices and a shared history such as churches, mosques, temples, etc.
-www.mentalhealthministries.net

Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37,38)

How can His bride, the Church, be leading the mentally ill to the pure living water found only through Christ, if they are also encouraging them to drink from the muddy streams of self-help and contemplative spiritual disciplines and Roman Catholic mysticism, in a mixture of spirituality campatible with other faiths?

Would a good shepherd lead his sick and thirsty sheep to muddy water?

Update: For more up to date reviews of the MB Herald, see Menno-lite.

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