In thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified on a black Friday two thousand years ago, we went out on Thanksgiving evening to proclaim His victory over death, sin and Satan. It was a great opportunity to share the Gospel with shoppers as they waited in long lines for stores to open for black Friday sales. We asked hundreds of people what they were most thankful for and if they had ever received the greatest gift ever offered. What wonderful encounters we had with Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, Hindus and agnostics as we moved the conversation to the glory of Jesus Christ and his finished work of redemption. Jane and I, along with members from Grace Life Church of Dallas, gave away hundreds of Gospel tracts and then prayed for the imperishable seed of God's Word to find fertile soil in the hearts of the people we encountered. It is indeed a privilege and a great responsibility to follow Jesus as fishers of men. He was glorified each time we shared His Gospel of grace.

The ecumenical movement continues to seek the unity of apostate churches in fulfillment of the prophesied one-world religion. In a recent article by former protestant, Keith Fournier, who has been ordained as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, he said the two lungs of Christ's Church must breathe together again in the Third millennium as they did in the First Millennium. On November 12, the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of St Josaphat, a 17th century Eastern Catholic Bishop who poured himself out in imitation of Christ so that the Church would once again be one. Josaphat has been referred to as the "thief of souls". Fournier said this about Josaphat: "I propose that heroic man was in fact plundering hell itself! He said, "I pray daily for the full communion of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches because I believe it is the will of God that 'All May be One'" (John 17: 21). Read more.  

Pope Benedict's representative in the Jewish state of Israel had this to say: "Israel's existence has nothing to do with the Bible." The Vatican synod in 2010 declared that Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised land or a chosen people. "We Christians cannot speak about the Promised Land for the Jewish people", the synod's document said. "There is no longer a chosen people. The promised land cannot be used as a base for the justification of the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of Palestinians." Read more. What are your thoughts on this? Should Christians oppose the UN's resolution to establish a sovereign Palestinian state. Joel Rosenberg gives 22 things to consider on this important subject. Read them here. 

Dear Mike, I read the book, Preparing For Eternity and I think it is the best exposé on Catholicism ever written. I have always seen Catholicism as a cult and definitely not Christian in the slightest degree. What I want to find out is where I can get a detailed history of the very beginning of Catholicism. Obviously it did not start with Peter as the Catholics say. This religion is even more dangerous than Mormonism & Jehovah Witnesses because so many people think that Catholicism is Christian. In my 37 years of church attendance, I've only heard one sermon that exposed Catholicism. Why does the church ignore this when people are going to hell! M.R. Modesto, CA

We are often asked about the history of the Roman Catholic Church, when it started and how it became what it is today. Unfortunately, there are very few resources available that give an accurate history from an evangelical perspective. Recently I have been doing research on this subject in preparation for a message I will be presenting this month. 

It appears there were two major catalysts in the 3rd and 4th century that allowed seeds of apostasy to be planted in churches. The first occurred when churches abandoned the plurality of elders in favor of a ruling bishop. Ignatius taught that churches without a bishop had no authority to do baptisms or the Lord's Supper. This major change would pave the way for doctrinal error to enter the church with less resistance. It is much easier for the "Father of Lies" to deceive one ruling bishop when there is no accountability or correction from an elder board. Satan's strategy to destroy the church has always been to place falsehoods in the minds of ecclesiastical leaders. In God's providence and under His divine protection, some churches remained under a plurality of elders and refused to appoint a ruling bishop. They believed the proof of the Spirit's leading was not found in an office but in the lives of believers. The church can fulfill her divinely ordained mission only to the extent she functions according to the Master Builder's blueprint for His church.

The second catalyst occurred when churches no longer submitted to the supreme authority of God's Word. They rejected divine authority and began following traditions, opinions and philosophies of men. All the "church fathers" were embracing some false doctrine, some more than others. Even the so-called Apostolic Fathers of the second century were teaching the false gospel that baptism and martyrdom provided forgiveness of sin. The fall of the Roman Empire led to the rise of the Roman Church, as power was transferred from one institution to the other. At the time, some bishops sought to increase their authority and prestige by accusing others of false doctrine and seeking state support of their positions. They began exchanging the truth of God's word for superstitions, pagan traditions and destructive heresies. In 590 Pope Gregory filled the power vacuum as the Empire imploded. Gregory I organized a papal government to rule a decaying society. He enforced celibacy for the clergy, expanded the concept of purgatory and converted the Eucharist from a sacrament into a redemptive sacrifice with merit, both for the living and the dead. He approved the invocation of saints and martyrs and the use of relics and amulets to reduce temporal punishment for sin. Other unbiblical traditions developed, such as baptismal regeneration, infant baptism and a system of 7 sacraments for salvation. The church ignored Paul's warning that "evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Tim. 3:13). 

This entire message will be available on our web site in January. 

The pope has declared the entire Christian calendar is based on a miscalculation. In a new book, he claims that Jesus was born several years earlier than commonly believed. Christ's birth date is not the only controversy raised by the Pope. He also said that contrary to the traditional nativity scene, there were no oxen, donkeys or other animals at the birth of Jesus. Read more.

My good friend and brother in Christ, Cecil Andrews of Take Heed Ministry in Northern Ireland recently debated a Roman Catholic from Catholic Voices on The Sacrifice of the Mass. You can view the debate and read Cecil's article at this link.  

Scholars of religion in the United States have been using the term "nones" since the 1960s. According to the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, the term refers to people say they have no religion, no particular religion, no religious preference. Read more.

Most people don't know where they will spend eternity, yet the Bible tells us we can know for sure. Since there is only one way to heaven and many ways to hell, there is nothing more important in this life than knowing the truth about eternity. As we approach the season of exchanging gifts, the messages on this DVD may be one of the greatest gifts anyone could ever receive. The DVD has two PowerPoint messages entitled: Where Will You Spend Eternity? and Why Should Anyone Believe the Bible? Quantity discounts are available. Order here.