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By Admin, August 5, 2010 9:51 am

Posted by Pastor Charles Moore

Al Mohler gives some helpful commentary on the Proposition 8 decision.

The importance of the decision handed down yesterday by U. S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker in California’s Proposition 8 trial will be difficult to exaggerate. Proponents of same-sex marriage immediately declared a major victory — and for good reason. The editorial board of The New York Times declared the verdict “an instant landmark in American legal history,” and so it is, even if later reversed upon appeal.

Judge Walker’s decision is sweeping and comprehensive, basically affirming every argument and claim put forth by those demanding that California’s Proposition 8 be declared unconstitutional. That proposition, affirmed by a clear majority of California voters, amended the state’s constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In one brazen act of judicial energy, California’s voters were told that they had no right to define marriage, and thousands of years of human wisdom were discarded as irrational (click HERE to keep reading).

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By Admin, July 28, 2010 3:01 pm

Al Mohler on the growing trend for Christians to marry outside the faith.

Statistics indicate that a growing number of Americans are marrying someone from outside their own religious commitments. Is this a trend we should encourage? Not if you are committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The statistical trend is clear enough, but the question is more complex than may first appear. The Washington Post reported on June 6, 2010 that 25 percent of American households were mixed-faith in 2006, according to the General Social Survey. That represents a significant increase from the 15 percent of such households in 1988.

But, what does mixed-faith mean? It could mean the mixing of relatively similar Christian denominations, or it might mean the mixing of two very different systems of belief. [Click HERE to read on]

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By Admin, April 10, 2010 9:33 am

posted by Pastor Matt Rouse

This morning at our men’s breakfast, we talked about the husband’s role as prophet, priest, and king to his wife.  We traced the theme of these 3 offices from Adam through the Old Testament and finally to Christ and focused on this thesis: The husband is to be the head of the wife (1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-33) (i.e., prophet, priest, and king) by putting the wife in the cross-hairs of the cross and the Gospel of grace, repentance, and forgiveness that flow from it.

We concluded with the following three points:

1. The husband as prophet: If a prophet speaks God’s words, the husband as prophet is to speak God’s words to his wife. Specifically, he speaks the words of the Gospel of grace and forgiveness into her life.

2. The husband as priest: If a priest is one who serves God, especially by interceding on another’s behalf, the husband as priest is to pray for his wife.

3. The husband as king: If a king is to rule and provide a defense, the husband is to rule/lead by setting an example of the repentance, grace, and forgiveness of the Gospel to his wife.

Concluding quote from Tim Keller:

“The key to a marriage is simply reenacting the gospel to each other. You can talk about communication skills or other stuff, and they’re all good, but basically knowing how to forgive and knowing how to repent… If you both can forgive and repent, it doesn’t matter how different you are, you’ll be okay. Two Christians who are married [can make it], no matter how incompatible… if you can repent and forgive.”[1]

Resources for Further Study:

1. Water of the Word: A collection of prayers by husbands for wives.

2. The Husband as Prophet, Priest, and King by Bob Lepine.

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By Admin, February 17, 2010 7:00 am

#10. “Knowing Each Other” from The Intimate Marriage.  Robert Rothwell explains why this teaching session made #10:

At the root of all marital problems is the failure to know one’s spouse and how to communicate with him or her. I love this lecture from R.C. because it is such a helpful reminder of the importance of getting to know one’s husband or wife even after we are married so that we can serve our spouses more lovingly and faithfully. It is an excellent lecture for newly married couples and for those who have been married for decades.

You can watch this lesson by clicking HERE.

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By Admin, January 27, 2010 5:00 am

posted by Pastor Charles R. Moore

You may or may not be following the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case.  You should!  This case in federal court (U.S. District Court, Northern Division) is a challenge to the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8.

If you’re unfamiliar with Prop 8, it amended the California state constitution so that marriage in the Golden State is specifically defined as only between a man and a woman.  Though the California Supreme Court had opened the door to same-sex “marriage” in our state, more than 7 million Californians in November 2008 voted to restore the traditional definition of marriage.  In May 2009, the state Supreme Court held that Prop 8 had been lawfully enacted.  That determination by the state court is now under scrutiny in federal court because of this lawsuit, which is being spearheaded by a well-funded organization representing as plaintiffs two same-sex couples in our state.

The stakes in the Perry case are high.  Whatever the outcome, it will likely advance to the United States Supreme Court.  If Prop 8 is ultimately overturned, marriage laws in 45 states will likely be nullified, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will be in jeopardy.

What most concerns me about the Perry case is not that the citizens of our nation are embattled over the rights of homosexuals to marry.  We have known of this significant divide for some time.  My distress comes from how the plaintiffs in the case are currently attempting to prevail in court.

As far as I know, this is the first marriage case in American history where a judge has allowed the thoughts, motivations, and personal religious beliefs of people to be put on trial – to be investigated for “improper” intent.  It is happening.

On January 20, attorneys for the plaintiffs submitted evidence of the “improper” influence of Baptists, Catholics, and other significant religious communities that supported traditional marriage.  As though there were no First Amendment in our land, the court allowed these lawyers access to the internal records of churches – including private communications between and among church members.

For any American, of any political or moral persuasion, this should be chilling.

The proponent of a voter initiative was forced – under penalty of perjury – to defend his personal political and religious beliefs!  That alarming strain of interrogation seems to me more like Nazi Germany than America.

When the supporters of traditional marriage get their chance in this case, they will labor to demonstrate to the court that the voters of California have rationally determined a legitimate definition of marriage.  Much of their argument will center on natural childrearing, and we as evangelicals hope and pray that the courts in our land will preserve marriage as we believe God has prescribed it for our good and His glory.  At this point in time, that is the expressed will of the majority of Californians.

That being said, I would call upon all who support “gay marriage” to consider the danger for all of us when religious liberty is threatened for any of us.  It may seem expedient to silence the voice of the church in order to advance a political cause, but at what cost to a nation that values “liberty and justice for all”?

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  It’s still the law of the land, I think.

Follow the case!  Pray.  Love everyone, even those with whom you disagree.  Share the wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus Christ with the person least likely to receive it.

And trust our sovereign God (Proverbs 21:1).

Pastor Charles