Faith vs. “Make Believe” - Comments (3)

Category: Articles,Doctrine
Author: John Malone
Date: 20th September, 2005 @ 05:20:37 AM

I think we are all guilty, at one time or another, of “make believe.” Another term for “make believe” is willing self-deception. I will admit to my own share, and perhaps then-some.

We are perverse creatures indeed! I don’t REALLY know why we elect to deceive ourselves into thinking things are such-and-such a way when clear evidence leads to a contrary conclusion, but THAT WE DO is something we simply need to discern, and deal with.
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Where’s The Radio Broadcast? - Comments (3)

Category: Behind the Lines
Author: John Malone
Date: 12th September, 2005 @ 12:21:26 PM

It would be pretty wearying to write the whole story of what happened to our radio broadcast.

In short, it got replaced with something more attractive to Wilkins Communications, despite our contractual provisions.

We were on 3 stations: Indianapolis (WBRI), Kansas City (KCNW), and Omaha (KLNG). We paid, through our local church, $7,000 per month for the first year, and then $5,500 per month according to a contract signed this May. Our contract was a revolving one, this time for six months until the end of October, with a provisional 30-day notice to terminate.

On August 24th, we received a fax communication that threatened to take us off the air August 31st unless certain payments – which were not all due, by the way – were made. The brother in our church responsible for payments offered to wire transfer funds, despite the wrongness of the charges. He was told by Mitchell Mathis, VP of Wilkins Communications that it did not matter: we were off the air.
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Phinehas: His Perpetual Legacy. - Comments (3)

Category: Articles,Doctrine
Author: John Malone
Date: 4th August, 2005 @ 12:23:46 AM

Numbers 25

1 ¶ And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2 And they (the Moabite women) called the people (Israel) unto the (sexually decadent) sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

3 And Israel joined himself (through sexual misconduct) unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang (crucify) them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
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With What Body Do “They” Come? - Comments (0)

Category: Articles,Doctrine
Author: John Malone
Date: 2nd August, 2005 @ 01:18:44 AM

This question is one of the scoffingly facetious ones cited at the {end of 1st Corinthians|1cor 15:35}, in the marvelous passage explaining the glorious future body of the resurrected/raptured believer.

The apostle explains – in the face of those arguing there is no resurrection – that there is a “natural” body, and there is a “spiritual” body. In fact, he is here pinpointing a distinction more subtle than common knowledge affords.

Stoic (asectic) influenced Greek thinking discussed the material world as distinct from and inferior to the spiritual world. Paul, on the other hand, brings more perfect knowledge to bear, and notes that there is a difference between the two natures of the Christian – the {Adamic (soulish)and the Christic (spiritual)|1cor 15:43-49} – and there is a corresponding difference between this body – the{ “body of this death”|Rom 7:24-25} – and the glorious one.
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The Key to “Right Division:” Israel - Comments (3)

Category: Articles,Doctrine
Author: John Malone
Date: 4th July, 2005 @ 12:30:13 PM

“Rightly dividing” – cutting straight – the Word of God is not merely a good idea, but {an exhortation|2Ti 3:16} and command {given in Scripture|2Ti 2:15} from the Lord’s {pattern servant|1Ti 1:15-16} to his {protege|1Ti 1:2}, and therefore to all who would follow the apostle in the ministry of God’s word.

The enjoyment of the Scriptures, which is much of the enjoyment of the Lord Himself, is unlikely when they are not “cut straight” or rightly divided.

It is no accident that the apostle paul was a {tentmaker|Acts 18:3} by trade. He undertsood the importance of a straight cut. Surely his tents were not patched together with duct tape! No matter how skillful a tentmaker was with a needle, the cutting of the tent material along the straight lines required by the tent design was essential to successful completion.
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About Beheading - Comments (4)

Category: Applied,Articles
Author: John Malone
Date: 27th May, 2005 @ 06:12:57 PM

The other night as I was driving home I heard “The Michael Savage” broadcast.

I am one of the people that likes Michael Savage, despite some unlikeable things about him, because he is a genuine person. In fact, he is my age-mate – as is Rush Limbaugh.

Michael (Weiner) Savage seems to have had early years like my own, hanging around the university way too long, and knowing far too many university professors.

As I was listening to one of his entertaining rants, he played the awful audio of the death of Nicholas Berg: a death none of us want to think about. You may recall that Nick Berg was beheaded by Arab militants last year. On one of my broadcasts I suggested to my listeners that Nick Berg was publicly beheaded not only for being an American, but for being Jewish.
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John 21, Peter, & the Pope - Comments (0)

Category: Articles,Doctrine,Roman Catholicism
Author: John Malone
Date: 16th May, 2005 @ 11:34:48 AM

Papal Dress and Relics
“Wearing golden vestments and clutching his pastoral staff, Benedict began the ceremony by walking into the area under St. Peter’s Basilica where St. Peter is believed to be buried, paying homage to the first pope and blessing the tomb with incense as a choir chanted.”

Misusing the Memory of Peter
“In one of the most symbolic moments of the two-hour Mass, Benedict was given his Fisherman’s Ring and a woolen pallium or shawl — both symbols of his papal authority. The ring is emblazoned with an image of Peter casting his fishing nets and was traditionally used to seal apostolic letters.”

Associated Press, Sunday, April 24th
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It’s likely I would never discuss the Pope if he did not claim to be Christian.
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