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December 27, 2005

INDIAN gods TALKING TO OUR GOD?

Filed under: Rick's Thoughts — Rick @ 11:41 am

1 – The centrality of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is critically important to the work of salvation. Without His death and resurrection there is no forgiveness of sins.

In Acts 4:12, Luke writes, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” You can talk with God in different languages. God saves in different languages, but He saves only one way: THE CROSS.

2 – When Jesus dialogued with Nicodemus, He said, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from or where it is going; so is every one who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:2,5-8)

One may not enter the kingdom of God by being born into Islam, Hinduism or any other ideology. The only way is to be born anew of the Holy Spirit, who testifies of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

3 – Theologians from India and other countries are infiltrating our seminaries to preach “another Jesus.” However, the Jesus of whom the Apostle John testified is very clear: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

There is no salvation outside of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His death and resurrection holds eternity for everyone. Do you believe this in your life?

4 – Perhaps you have believed those theologians and your life and ministry have no power and grace. When the John the Baptist began to announce the coming of the Messiah, Mark 1:14-5 tells us, “And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

Do you believe that through repentance you can be forgiven? If you repent today, God will forgive you and bless you abundantly in life and ministry. Do you repent of all heresy today which negates the centrality of Jesus Christ as the crucified and resurrected Son of God?

5 – Jesus Himself proclaimed salvation to one crucified beside Him. At the cross, when one of the two criminals asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom, the answer was,“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43).

Will you be able to reach paradise with Jesus Christ if you believe that Mohamed or an Indian god saves just the same as Jesus Christ saves? Think about that!

6 – This movement is within our seminaries teaching that someone from another religion such as Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism or another religion can access the God of Abraham. They are teaching that Indian gods such as Shiva or Devi can provide eternal life. Do they know who Shiva is? Can Buddha lead someone into eternity? Can Mohammed give you eternal life? IF YOU BELIEVE THIS AFTER CONFESSING YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, THEN, READ HEBREWS CHAPTER 6.

7 – Make sure you will choose carefully where to go for a seminary education. Make sure you will not leave your education in the hands of unbelieving, rebellious teachers who have nothing in them but lies. Make a good choice! Your future depends on it!!

Rick Bonfim
Edited By Betty McKinney

December 19, 2005

A PROPHETIC WORD ABOUT 2006

Filed under: Rick's Thoughts — Rick @ 11:49 am

I have been resting in the Lord waiting for a word about what is ahead for the year of 2006. Much will happen in 2006. Here are some of my thoughts about events which will take place in 2006:

1 – In January, Palestinians will have their first election in the Gaza Strip. The terrorist organization, Hamas, will be allowed to participate in those elections and can win. The question here is, “What happens if a terrorist group runs in a democratic election?” These elections will disrupt the thin peace in the Middle East and will bring much unrest. Expect the conflict to escalate and Israel to retaliate.

2 – On November 25, the Palestinian Authority opened the Rafah Terminal connecting Egypt’s Sinai with the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, as well as top officials from Jordan and Egypt spoke at the occasion. Expect much disaster to come from this event. Gaza will become a haven for Hamas and will strike Israel.

3 – At a conference in Tehran titled “A World without Zionism,” Iran’s new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the earth.” As atomic power is being developed in Iran, expect Israel to take action as it did in 1961 by destroying the nuclear plants in Iran.

4 – Al-Jazeera television has released portions of a video from al-Qaeda’s number two man, Ayman al-Zawahir. He called for oil installations to be attacked. In 2006, expect al-Zawahir to be captured and many from this terrorist organization to be found and destroyed. Even so, there will be a disruption of the oil supply in the world.

5 – Even though we already had the busiest hurricane season in years, expect a greater one to come in 2006. And yet, many lives will be saved because of the prayer and contrition which is affecting much of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Galveston, Texas was spared the fury of Hurricane Emily, but Katrina found Louisiana unprepared. Expect San Francisco to be hit by water and fire, for this city has rejected the Word of God.
Still, many saints from San Francisco will be spared and blessed.

6 – Expect the hand of God to be tight around the issue of abortion. Much will happen to prevent abortions in 2006 as legislation will be passed which will save many lives from this menace to our society. There will be more restraints against open abortion in 2006.

7 – Many signs involving nature, wars and dramatic events will occur in 2006 announcing
the coming of Jesus Christ. These signs will affect America and the world, but the greatest sign will be revival breaking out in America, with many coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior.

8 – There will be troop reduction in Iraq and much will happen regarding the effort to achieve peace in the Middle East. Iraq will continue to taste freedom and the people will prevail. Terrorists will find another front upon which to wage their extreme ideology. Our troops eventually will return home as heroes.

9 – From small churches to large ones, the Holy Spirit will continue the agenda of 2005,
bringing many to conviction. The Lord will continue to recruit young people filled with the
power of God to lead the church into revival. Many will be enrolled in seminaries all over this land. They will become part of the great army of revivalists that will usher in a great revival in America

Rick Bonfim
Edited by Betty Mckinney

December 4, 2005

THE BIBLICAL PROBLEM WITH HOMOSEXUALITY

Filed under: Rick's Thoughts — Rick @ 6:11 pm

THE BIBLICAL PROBLEM WITH HOMOSEXUALITY
Filed under: Rick’s Thoughts — @ 11:13 am

The movement to put homosexuals in the pulpit is relentless. We are all aware of church leaders who are convinced that homosexuals should be ordained. There are many opinions being voiced, but what does scripture tell us about this volatile issue?

1 – Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” In Genesis 2:22, we read, ″Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.” Finally, Genesis 2:24 tells us, “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Nothing here indicates that God created a man to be with another man, or a woman to be with another woman. God created two different beings, perfectly suited for one another.

2 – After Abraham earnestly prayed that God would not destroy the city of Sodom for their sins, God sent two angels to spend the night at Lot’s home. Genesis 19:3-5 says, “But he (Lot) insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.’”
After the men seeking homosexual relations tried to break down the door to Lot’s house, Genesis 19:11 says that the angels ”…struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.”
God dealt severely with the homosexual agenda then. The question is this: is God still against homosexuality? We do not see God striking all homosexuals blind. Does that mean He has decided to approve homosexuality?

3 – Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery.” If God condemns adultery between men and women, does He not also condemn sexual relations between persons of the same sex?

4 – Within the homosexual culture, we see men dressing like women and assuming the identity of women. However, in Deuteronomy 22:5, God declares, ”A woman shall not wear a man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”

5 – The Apostle Paul, who had more revelations then any other apostle, and wrote 14 epistles of the New Testament describes the progression into depravity in Romans 1:27, ”And in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”

6 – The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. See I Corinthians 6:9-10….”Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” He is not talking about heaven here; he is saying that the kingdom in this earth, the powerful truth of the gospel, cannot be inherited by one deliberately practicing homosexuality.

7 – There are four kinds of “homosexuals.” Of these only one is a true homosexual; the others are simply victims of life’s problems. The first is a nice, moral young man who is persuaded to go to a homosexual bar. Following his encounter with this environment, he begins to practice homosexuality. This is a case of demonic activity and possession by an evil spirit. Pray for him and he will be set free. The second is a man who has multiple and varied sexual encounters with anything and everything. He is a deviant, not a homosexual. The third is a young man who identifies strongly with his mother.

Due to the absence, neglect, or abuse of the father, he becomes like his mother. He is effeminate, in need of identity, but not a true homosexual. The fourth is the only real homosexual. This man’s father is a rebellious and militant homosexual, and the curse of the father becomes the son’s curse. He needs deliverance and healing from homosexuality, and he too can be set free.

8 – Finally, after saying that the effeminate, the adulterer and the homosexual cannot inherit the kingdom of God, consider what Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” God never condemns something as sin without giving us a way out. Paul says here, “Such WERE some of you,” indicating that transformation is possible.

The message of the homosexual agenda is that those practicing homosexuality were born that way and can never change. However, the Bible makes it clear that there is forgiveness, cleansing, healing and sanctification in Jesus Christ. Instead of suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), it is the mandate of the church to minister truth, deliverance, and healing to those suffering in the bondage of homosexuality.

Rick Bonfim
Edited by Betty McKinney