Challenging Sermon, Masonry, & a Provacative Commentary by Ben Stein

While the Nations Rage
I think I'm posting. I hope I'm posting. Dear Jode might think I've forgotten about this post this so I better be posting. Here are a few things I've sent out via email that perhaps would be read (by Jo, of course ;) if posted on the blog.

Today for devotions, I knew I needed some encouragement. What I got was not only encouragement but a challenge...the kind of challenge that I daily need reminding of, and that I need to have accountability for. Just as I am praying for the Lord to change my heart and grant me greater faith to choose Him above that which frightens, depresses, and otherwise temps me to turn "e-orish," may He also bless and challenge your hearts with this awesome sermon from the Word (another by Jon Courson).mms://65.117.84.168/topical/T347.wmaIf that doesn't work, try the following steps:1) Go to http://www.joncourson.com 2) Click on the side bar entitled, "Miscellaneous Teachings"3) Scroll down to the following and click: 01-02-00 T347 Achieving Your Destiny Numbers 13-144) Be blessed.

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Background:
A friend of mine recently joined the Masons, and I was rather freeked out. I'd been interested in finding out more about this secret society, of which I had great misgivings, even before learning of his decision to join. Below is a lot of info. that I amassed. It is important that we as Christians know the truth about what so many men join simply b/c they claim that it is a place for "brotherhood." Lord, make our church the truth place of brotherhood and sisterhood, where our allegience is to Christ as head and one another as brothers and sisters.

Here's some of the info. that I've amassed thus far. I've read all of the links below and found them very informative and helpful. As I discover something, it seems to bring up new questions which leads me deeper in my quest for understanding. Hope you find this info. as helpful as I have.

In Christ alone,
ang

Info. on Masons:

Extensive Commentaries on Masonry by Christians:

http://www.withoneaccord.org/store/SecretSins.html
http://www.ephesians5-11.org/
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-nwsl/crn0004a.txt

Ex-Masons for Jesus (Some great testimonies):
http://www.emfj.org/

Sermons about (amid a list of other sermons: see Stuart Crane's teaching on the Masonic Order 1 and 2):
http://server.firefighters.org/catalog/1998/00132.mp3

http://www.religion-cults.com/Secret/Freemasonry/freemas2.html

Description and personal opinion of theWorld Religionsand 101 Cults and SectsDenominations, Traditions, BranchesThe Occult, Freemasonry, New Age... FBOs, Mind Sciences, Ku Klux Klan...
J. Domínguez, M.D.

Main Objections to Masonry:
1) You swear in the name of a "god" but you are not able to profess ultimate allegence to Jesus Christ
2) Blood Oaths--although supposodly allegorical, they are still oaths that are taken very seriously
3) EXTREME Secrecy
4) Extensive power wrought in alligning self to people believing in all sort of "gods," including many extremely involved in the occult at the higher ranks of masonry: agendas found in their magazines
5) Occultic rituals and symbols--including a reinactment of a fellow--Hairam Abiff) who they "put to death" and ressurect--a mockery of Jesus Christ (Teaching salvation on the basis of imitating Hiram Abiff constitutes rejection of Jesus Christ); use mystical writings of Kaballah; Baal symbols; Egyptian emblem of male fertility; pentagram; etc.
6) Much more...

Exerpt from Ex-Masons for Jesus:
In these days, the words of Paul, Jude and other apostles who warned believers to stand firm, reverberate loudly. The church is under attach from without, from within, and sometimes even from the pulpit. Many congregations have been infiltrated and compromised. The most cohesive group of infiltrators the church has ever seen are the Freemasons. They work behind the scenes to subvert the Gospel, and in fact, meet in secret to teach salvation on the basis of another savior. We know this to be the fact, because we were members of the organization. We were Freemasons.
Masons are sworn to secrecy, not once, but three times, before they participate in the ritual in which Hiram Abiff willingly dies, is buried and then raised from the grave. At the conclusion of the ritual, those in lodge are told to imitate Hiram Abiff so that they can get into heaven. When the fact that all of the men who participate in the ritual do not claim to be Christians is considered, this is seen not only to be a mockery of the death, the burial and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, but a clear statement that faith in Jesus Christ is not required to get into heaven. We are deeply grieved that we have participated in this falsehood and were taken captive by such heresy. God, in His mercy saw fit to lead us out of Freemasonry and following our repentance, He has cleansed us from unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9) He has released us from the ungodly oaths we took in the lodge. (Lev. 5) We are not the only ones to leave the lodge; others men continue to renounce Freemasonry. Some of them are bold enough to speak truth about the lodge, while others are so spiritually wounded from the experience that they remain dysfunctional for some time. A few former Masons continue to defend the lodge, due to fear and spiritual bondage.
Many of those who are currently involved in the heresy of Freemasonry claim to be Christians. A significant number became Freemasons before they became church members. Some of those men have infiltrated the church and by claiming that Freemasonry is not a religion, have taken many captive by a hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on the teachings of a corrupt world system, rather than on faith in Jesus Christ.
Since Freemasonry teaches salvation on the basis of imitating Hiram Abiff, rather than faith in Jesus Christ, it seems absurd that a pastor would condone Freemasonry, let alone defend it, or actually embrace it. Yet that is what has happened in these last days in more congregations than we can count. Apostasy is widespread today.
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The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning CommentaryHerewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of Peopleand Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often askthe checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either.Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have brokenup? Why are they so important?I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about TomCruise's wife.Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive?Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.Next confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not botherme even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmastrees. I don't feel threatened. I don' t feel discriminated against. That'swhat they are: Christmas trees.It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me.I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebratingthis happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yardsaway.I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christianslike getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in Godare sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the conceptcame from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.Or maybe I ca n put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understandHim?I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from andwhere the America we knew went to.In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intendedto get you thinking.Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson askedher "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "Ibelieve God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.And b eing the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expectGod to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think itstarted when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently)complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shaltnot kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehavebecause their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem(Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he'stalking about and we said OK.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don'tknow right from wron g, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, theirclassmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I thinkit has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world'sgoing to hell.Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfirebut when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice aboutsharing.Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace,but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.Are you laughing?Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your addresslist because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of youfor sending it.Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what Godthinks of us.Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one willknow you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complainabout what bad shape the world is in.Gratitude Is A Memory Of The Heart--French Proverb

Lots to chew on. Maybe next time I'll actually comment on life as I know it--lots going on at my work with emancipated foster youth. Keep us in your prayers. We NEED God's wisdom.

Much love,
angie