Many thanks to a reader who contacted me and pointed out this scripture passage. As she suggested, it gives us some excellent insights into the nature of evil - especially in the visible church - and how the Lord deals...
Continue ReadingInsights into Evil from Jeremiah 9:1-9 – Look out!Author: Jeff Crippen
I am the pastor of Christ Reformation Church in Tillamook, Oregon, arriving here in 1993. I have been a pastor since 1983 and was a police officer for 12 years before that. My wife and I have been married since 1971. Verla is a medical assistant at a local clinic and in our spare time we like to hunt, fish, and ride our motorcycle.
No One Can Call Jesus “Lord” Except by the Holy Spirit
1Co 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. There was deception going on...
Continue ReadingNo One Can Call Jesus “Lord” Except by the Holy SpiritThere are Many False Sheep and Shepherds and we Need to Say So
John 10:1-5 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. (2) But he who enters by the door...
Continue ReadingThere are Many False Sheep and Shepherds and we Need to Say SoMany Churches Teach a Roman Catholic View of Pastoral Authority
Mat 7:15-16 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (16) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? In this passage, the Lord...
Continue ReadingMany Churches Teach a Roman Catholic View of Pastoral AuthorityCovering Up the Evils of the Wicked is Forbidden by the Lord
Deu 13:8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. I wanted to talk some more in this post about this remarkable...
Continue ReadingCovering Up the Evils of the Wicked is Forbidden by the LordWhy is Our Default Tendency to Focus on “Fixing” the Evil Person Rather than Helping His Victim?
Deu 13:6-10 "If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other...
Continue ReadingWhy is Our Default Tendency to Focus on “Fixing” the Evil Person Rather than Helping His Victim?Beware the Typical Distortion of the Biblical Doctrine of Accountability
Heb 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping...
Continue ReadingBeware the Typical Distortion of the Biblical Doctrine of AccountabilityWe do Not Really Understand What it Means to “Bear One Another’s Burdens”
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. This is a verse of Scripture that is frequently quoted but almost never truly understood. The typical dealings of a local church with a victim of evil...
Continue ReadingWe do Not Really Understand What it Means to “Bear One Another’s Burdens”Reject the “Politician” Pastor
Job 32:21 I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person. Psa 5:9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with...
Continue ReadingReject the “Politician” PastorJust STOP Saying “We Are All Sinners” – STOP IT!!
1Co 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, (10) nor thieves, nor the greedy,...
Continue ReadingJust STOP Saying “We Are All Sinners” – STOP IT!!