Drop zone delta

By Jim Torres “Towers”

Someone once told me, why you’re only preaching to the choir when you write your little articles! Well it just so happens that is my intent, since non-believers are in another category altogether and don’t know any better than to live like they do – apart from God. Often they do so not knowing anything of the Bible or not wanting to know. Some even deny the very existence of God.

In this writing, I feel called to address those who call themselves Christians, both “born again” and “carnal.” First of all, some so-called Christians make those of us who truly believe look bad in the eyes of the world. You and I know that the church is nothing more than a hospital for sinners seeking healing and hope. It is made up of diverse people from all walks of life, all with different agendas and baggage. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell a mature one from a babe in Christ. Some never get beyond their initial revelation.

Did you ever notice that we as a whole have a tendency to go over the same old ground again and again? We’ve made bible classes a social meeting place with coffee and donuts, coupled with mindless chatter and going nowhere. We go over the same old grind over and over and over again, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Our lives have become shallow and self serving. The Apostle Paul said that most of us who have sat under a bible teacher should by now be ready to go out and teach others, and we should stop drinking spiritual milk and begin eating spiritual meat – as it were.

There comes a time in every believer’s life when we have to make hard decisions. Do we continue on the same old treadmill or do we stand and minister to the lost and hungry? Do you know enough scripture to make a difference in other people’s lives? Only then can you speak with authority about spiritual matters. To that you might answer, “But I live a clean moral life and walk circumspectly.” But so do many Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses and Catholics – while not knowing the unadulterated Word of God.

There is much to be said about spiritual issues, especially in these latter days when there is so much controversy, varied opinions and books being churned out for public consumption. The book racket is becoming a lucrative business with church leaders going over things that we should already know from having read the bible. That isn’t to say that we can’t learn or get better insight into the mysteries of God, but if we neglect the Holy Scriptures we do ourselves a disservice.

The more we study Scripture the closer we draw to God our Father and His Son. We begin to see and understand the deeper things of God. The Bible is chock full of pertinent information for the believer. The Bible says, “Study to show yourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of God.” Yet many neglect reading it, thus leaving us in stunted growth.

For example, did you know that in the book of Genesis there is a verse (1:26) where God the Father says, “Let US make man in OUR image and in our likeness.” Who is He talking to? He’s talking to another person! That alone should tell us in no uncertain terms that God is Deity.

As you apply yourself to studying the word of God you will begin to see things in a different light, and a whole new perspective will open up to you. Do you want promises? The Bible is full of them. Do you need assurance of salvation? It is there too. Do you need courage? It is there.

One lifelong Christian woman in a bible class asked if her child, who died in infancy, was in heaven with God the Father. In the book of Psalms David declares that his child is with our creator God. And that although his prayers couldn’t keep him from dying, he one day would see him in heaven. There are other references to that question. Yet because she failed to know God’s word, she suffered with that question for years. Sadly though, the scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” She should have known this by now by having studied the Bible.

Another deep question that is answered in the Bible is, “How can a man be held responsible for what he doesn’t know?” My bible says he won’t be. Take for example a person in the jungles of Borneo who has never heard of Christ. Did you know that the bible tells us that a man will be judged according to the light that is in him? However, it is still our God-given responsibility to share the good news of the Gospel with everyone, everywhere.

The Bible says God is love, but how can he then condemn the pre-dispossessed He created, if that be the case? In this pre-destination controversy, how can we be so arrogant as to think we are better than anyone else? God is no respecter of persons but is not willing that any should perish. Everybody ever born is written in the Book of Life. But, if a person persists in denying God and his Christ they have sealed their doom and their name is removed from that same Book of Life.

The Bible also says that the Lamb’s book of Life is for those who have acknowledged Christ as savior. I sincerely hope your name is written there. If it’s not, then make sure it is just by asking in your own words for God the Father to forgive you your sins, and decide to follow the teachings of Christ and asking Him to intercede for you. Then learn more about this wonderful salvation and promises through reading of His word in the Bible. “The word of God is of no private interpretation but was inspired and written by Holy men as God revealed it to them.”

All of these things taken together make the word of God come vibrantly alive and will be encouraging to us. Thus, we should all grow up, arm ourselves with Scripture and join in the battle for men’s souls.

You may not see things exactly the way I do, but one thing is certain, Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem us so that we could have fellowship with the Father and remain with Him forevermore.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

Link to story Christianity Today

A decorated soldier who has worked for the U.S. Army Special Forces for 11 years is being kicked out after he stood up for a young rape victim and his beaten mother in Afghanistan, it is claimed.

Sergeant 1st Class Charles Martland, 33, was serving in the country’s war-torn Kunduz Province in 2011 when he apparently learned an Afghan police commander he had trained had raped a boy.

He and his team leader, Daniel Quinn, confronted Officer Abdul Rahman – who had also allegedly beaten the 12-year-old’s mother for reporting the sexual assault – and ‘shoved him to the ground’.

Despite Rahman walking away only bruised, Martland and Quinn were disciplined. The Army reportedly halted their mission, put them in temporary jobs, and then, finally, sent them home.

Upon their return, Quinn quit the Army and secured a job on Wall Street, Fox News exclusively reports. However, Martland, from Massachusetts, launched a fight to remain a Green Beret.

But now, the dedicated soldier has been ‘involuntary discharged’ from the Army following a ‘Qualitative Management Program’ that was apparently carried out in February this year.

An Army spokesman refused to confirm the details of Martland’s discharge for privacy reasons.

However, several army officials – and politicians – have expressed outrage at the verdict, which they believe was made due to the negative mark on Martland’s record from the January 2011 incident.

One of the soldier’s ex-teammates, known only as Casey, told Fox that if he was a commander, he would have given Martland ‘an award’ for confronting Rahman and ‘saving the [rape victim’s] life’.

 Outrage: However, several army officials – and politicians – have expressed outrage at the verdict. The January 2011 incident happened in the Kundux Province (pictured in April)

Meanwhile, Congressman Duncan Hunter, who has written to Defense Secretary Ash Carter about the verdict, said: ‘It’s sad to think that a child rapist is put above one of our elite military operators.

He added: ‘Sergeant Martland was left with no other choice but to intervene in a bad situation. The Army should stand up for what’s right and should not side with a corrupt Afghan police officer.’

In his letter, Hunter, a Republican representative from California, said the Army’s decision to discharge Martland had left him ‘dismayed’.

He told Cater of the dispute involving Martland, Quinn and Rahman: ‘To intervene was a moral decision, and SFC Martland and his Special Forces team felt they had no choice but to respond.’

Former NFL defensive end Tim Bulman has also expressed support for Martland, whom he was friends with as a child, telling Fox: ‘You would want him in your corner and protecting our freedom.’

Prior to the 2011 incident, Martland and Quinn had trained up Rahman, armed him and even paid him in dollars, it is said. However, they had a problem with him and other Afghan police recruits.

According to Fox, the two Green Berets and their teammates had started hearing reports of cops in the country carrying out rapes.

When they confronted Rahman about claims that he had raped a young boy and beaten up the child’s mother, the officer ‘laughed about it, and said it wasn’t a big deal,’ Quinn told the site.

The two soldiers then shoved Rahman ‘to prevent further repeat occurrences’, Quinn said.

After Rahman formally complained, Martland and Quinn were flown out of the province and placed in temporary jobs in another location in northern Afghanistan – before finally being sent home.

Last year, Martland, who grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, and played football for Florida State University, was listed as a runner-up for the Special Warfare Training Group Instructor of the Year.

According to another former teammate, who wished to remain unnamed, the soldier saved the lives of some of his colleagues during his time in Kunduz Province by leaping in front of Taliban bullets.

Martland’s ‘involuntary discharge’ will take effect by November 1, it is reported.

Source

By Jim Torres “Towers”

Four in ten Americans and 77% of Evangelical Christians believe we are now living in the end times. I’ve been saying that for over forty years. During those forty some years such exclamations were falling on deaf ears. American society was just beginning to crumble and hardly anyone took notice. At the time I was living in Hollywood, California pursuing a career in the movies. Those were the turbulent days of drugs, sex, and rock and roll. I had only been a Christian for a few years but still I recoiled at the blatant in your face sub-culture that was brewing. Having been out in the world, as it were, I knew these things existed but my God, you kept such shameful things in the closet! Now, it was just beginning to be in your face.

I tried to live in Hollywood twice but couldn’t adapt to the moral rot. The first time wasn’t so bad, but even then it was getting crazy out there. At first there were only a handful of fruitcakes on the streets hoping to be noticed. I coped with it as best I could and figured they were just needy people. Today, night time on Hollywood and Vine has become a three ring circus. All constraints have been loosened. It is becoming a living nightmare, a virtual hell on earth. It was as if all the looney bins had been opened across the country and all of the inmates ended up in Hollywood. Could it be that our Creator has given these people over to reprobate minds? That seems to be the only logical explanation.

Today, forty years later there are no constraints and everybody is doing their own thing everywhere across the country. Closets are no more. Scoffers abound everywhere. Nothing is sacred anymore. Everything is out in the open and people with their tongues sticking out and twerking are everywhere making fun of those more straight laced. More often than not they poke fun at Christians as well. Maybe we’ve got it coming from our many years of apathy, slick money hungry so-called televangelist’s shenanigans and downright hypocrisy.

Every big city in the USA is teeming with violence. Police officers are hard pressed to make the right decisions when so many people are against the law and moral absolutes. If you take the time to read between the lines or follow the trails of some of the individuals shot and killed, they usually lead to previous arrests of the perps, and often their predisposition to a life of crime. They more often than not have an extensive rap sheet. And so, we have a subculture of hard core criminals and thugs. Having said that, some policemen are taking things too far, shooting first and asking questions later, but who can blame them for fearing for their lives?

The present generation is devoid of role models and everyone does as he or she pleases. It’s Sodom and Gomorra all over again. What are right thinking individuals to do? All too often we Christian believers hide behind the walls of the church with like-minded brethren, cowering in fear. Believing that we will soon be rescued by the rapture of the church we often smirk confidently when confronted by these stark realities. Suppose we also have to go through still darker times? Are you ready to face them with resolve and conviction?

Are you a shirker, a phony or a hypocrite? I hope not. Considering the things mentioned these must be the end times, what with all the apostasy going on in so many churches. Even the Laodicean church wasn’t as bad as what many of the churches in the United States have become, and Jesus said of them, “Because you are neither hot nor cold I will spew you out of my mouth.” The American church is in freefall. They don’t want to heed any warnings nor can they see the signs of the end times developing before their very eyes. There is no sense of urgency, no looking skyward, no expectation of Christ’s return for his own, and no anticipation of participating at the marriage supper of the lamb. Life here is too sweet with no one to answer to.

Many other carnal Christians donate money only out of compulsion to gain God’s favor in the form of yet more financial gain. Did you ever notice that only the huge churches that promise “blessings” are growing by leaps and bounds? Yet these same churches never preach about repentance or sin. Homosexuals with no inclination to repent of their putrid lifestyle lead the music ministry. Many have become glutinous individuals, eating sumptuous delicacies with their finger tips and sucking the juices from off them, their bellies hanging over their belts. Gossip, jokes and one-upmanship is the name of the game in many churches today. Biblical prophecy is frowned upon in most churches yet the New Testament tells us that prophecy is of utmost importance.

God doesn’t delight in wimpy, self-absorbed and fearful fruitcakes. Cowards will have to answer to Almighty God for their apathy and fearfulness. Although we can fool others, we can’t fool God with our self-made piety and speech. The scriptures say that “judgment will begin in the house of God” and God doesn’t lie, and that judgment may happen sooner than we dare think.

Knowing that God can save to the uttermost, and although our country may be doomed, maybe we can still be able to snatch some from the wrath of God which is soon to come in the form of the Tribulation period.

We believers in Christ and the God of the bible must be courageous. We must quit being shrinking violets. Nobody respects a wimp or wishy-washy person. We should know what we believe, tell others about God’s great salvation and do it out of concern and love for a dying world for Christ’s sake. This requires taking risks, but it’s well worth the effort just in knowing you’re doing the right thing. That’s what God intends for us to do. Doing so draws us closer to God as well. We are to be co-laborers in His harvest field in which humanity is overly ripe and even rotting in the fields of life. We, the church of God, must repent for our apathy, fearfulness, misplaced trust in money and outright hypocrisy.

“You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

Prayer to open the Kansas State Legislature in 1996.  Has the country gotten better or worse since then? Notice the reaction from the Democrats on this, why such animosity to what is clearly The Truth!

The response to this was immediate: A number of the Legislature walked out during the prayer in protest. House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (also a Democrat) asserted that the prayer “reflects the extreme, radical views that continue to dominate the House Republican agenda since right-wing extremists seized control of the House Republican caucus last year.” Rep. Jim Long, a Democrat from Kansas City, said that Wright “made everyone mad.”

In six short weeks, the Central Christian Church had logged more than 5,000 responding calls, with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church received requests for copies of the prayer from India, Africa and Korea:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today and ask Your forgiveness and
to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, “Woe on
those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we have done. We have
lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have
endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle. We have exploited
the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called
it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We
have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists
and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and
called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political
savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it
freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our
forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin
and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent
to direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son, the
Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

By Geri Ungurean

Writing usually comes easy to me.  Not so with this article. You see, I believe that the Lord wants me to be vulnerable, and to step out in faith. I believe that He wants to use me to help others.  I pray that this will glorify the Lord and will help others who are bound by the lies of the evil one.  I pray that this will bring reconciliation and peace with God to those who are in chains.

I’m going to tell you a story about me, of which I’m not proud; but it is part of my life, and the Lord has used it to shape and mold me. It happened ten years before I met the Lord Jesus and was born again in 1983.

I sang in a band in Washington, D.C. for a living back then. I had been brought up in the synagogue, but my family was more secular in their beliefs; especially my mom. I had been dating a fellow whom I thought really cared about me. I got pregnant, and soon found out that the man I was dating, was not interested in a serious relationship. When he heard about my pregnancy, he told me to take care of it. Then I never saw him again.

I didn’t want to take care of it.  I wanted to have the baby. I began searching for a home or somewhere I could go, where they would actually help me to have my baby and get me on my feet.  I didn’t know about churches, being a Jew. I would wind up at counseling centers, but they were not able to actually help me. They just talked to me. One counselor told me to tell my parents.  At that point, I knew that I needed to go to my mother and tell her.

When I told my mom, she very calmly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you to take care of it.” There it was again — that phrase that went right through me. Take care of it; first of all, what did that mean, and secondly, why call my baby an it?

I told my mom that I wanted to have the baby. That’s when she exploded. She yelled at me and told me that if I had this baby, that I was not welcomed in their home ever again. I didn’t realize this at the time, but this was happening the same year as Roe Vs. Wade was enacted. Abortion had become legal on demand. My mom knew this.

My mother took me down to the abortion clinic. A counselor spoke with me and asked if I had any questions. I had many. What did my baby look like right now? The answer was “Just a clump of cells.”  I asked how a clump of cells could be the beginnings of a baby. She told me that it was not a baby. I said that I had to think about this more. My mother was furious, and didn’t talk to me on the way home.

When we did get home, my mother said that she was going to give me a choice. Either I have the abortion, or never see the family again.  I cried the whole night. I felt like I was not in control of my life. I was sad and angry. The next day, my mother took me back down to the clinic.

I was in the procedure room, when a doctor came in and introduced himself. I told him that I still wasn’t sure that I wanted to do this. He rolled his eyes as he looked at the nurse.  But then he said for me to just relax. He said that it was the best thing that I was doing.  I was shaking. He began to gather his instruments and they had a sheet over my middle. I got up and ran, crying hysterically.  I saw my mother and she was very angry. I went back in and allowed the abortionist to do his job.

My mom never told my dad what had happened. I’m pretty sure that she knew that dad would not be in favor of abortion.  I wanted to die. I felt like a murderer. I was preoccupied with how I would die. It was the darkest time of my whole life.

Years went on, and I got married and had kids. Then, in 1983, after the suicide my sister in law, I met the Lord Jesus Christ through a Christian couple who had baked food for us during the time of the funeral. I believed I was saved, but the memory of the abortion haunted me day and night.

I remember a pastor speaking on the horror of abortion and how the Lord hated it. I felt a sinking feeling inside, as if perhaps I wasn’t really saved. I kept thinking to myself “How can the Lord think of me as His own, when I had done something so reprehensible. I couldn’t get this out of my mind.  I wanted to tell someone, but I couldn’t run the risk of them kicking me out of the church. I was convinced that I had committed the unpardonable sin. I was also convinced that no other woman in that church had ever done something like this.  I hated myself.

This went on for years.  I read the Bible every day.  I read verses like this:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

I would think to myself that I did confess this awful sin to Him, and according to His Word, He was faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me. I would suddenly feel like I had the victory over this, but soon that guilt would return, and I would be back in that dark place.

I had nightmares about my baby. I knew that he was with Jesus, but in my dreams I was trying to find him. I just wanted to hold him.

Then I heard a pastor speak on abortion having at least two victims. The baby and the mother, and even sometimes the father.  I felt as if God Himself was speaking directly to me. The tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened to this godly man. He talked about repentance and forgiveness, and how God was waiting for those affected by what they had done, to come to Him so that He could forgive them. That day, the Lord freed me from the nightmare of what I had done.

I began writing letters to the editor about abortion. I didn’t speak of my abortion, but I spoke truth about the babies who were being slaughtered. I wrote that these little ones were not clumps of cells.  I would always get nasty rebuttals from the pro-death camp, but I didn’t care. I felt like the writing of the letters was a ministry of sorts. I needed to speak out for the babies!

We became part of a Baptist church where we placed hundreds of tiny blue and pink crosses in memory of the aborted babies.  Still, I never talked about my abortion.

In the last few years, I heard of a group of women called “Silent No More.” These were women who had abortions and had been tormented over it. They wanted to speak out about this, so that other women who were agonizing over their sin would know that they were not alone. They also hoped that their ministry might help women who were contemplating having an abortion – to change their minds.

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, is part of that group. She is a lovely lady and her life is all about being part of the Pro-Life movement and Silent No More. She inspires me.

I love Pastor JD Farag, and hubby and I watch his prophecy updates each week. Last week, he spoke about the Planned Parenthood story which had just broken. Before he got into what he thought about the story, he made sure that if there were any women listening to him who had an abortion, he wanted to assure them that there is forgiveness at the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is so important for pastors to tell their congregations!

Did you know that studies have shown that the number of women in churches, who have had abortions, is just about the same as the women in the world? This shocked me at first. But then it confirmed the need for churches to minister to women who have done this in their lives — to lead them to the Cross for forgiveness.  The evil one constantly whispers his despicable lies to the children of God. He accuses us before our God day and night:

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10).

Are you a Christian woman who had an abortion, who still struggles with receiving God’s forgiveness?  Do you know of a sister in Christ who is going through an agonizing time over this?  Are you thinking of having an abortion or know someone who is? I pray that this article will be used by God to bring His forgiveness and mercy to those who are tormented by their sin. I also pray that anyone who is thinking of having an abortion will see the impact this sin has on a person for the rest of their life.

Did you know that the only unforgivable sin is to reject Christ and die without Him?  When the devil speaks lies to you, and tells you that you will not be forgiven, do this…..

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Satan has no power over you, child of God!  He is a liar and the father of them. He is the author of confusion.  Learn to say to him “Get thee behind me Satan!”

I was afraid when I first thought that the Lord wanted me to write this. I spoke to hubby about it. He was apprehensive too. We knew that this would open me up to possible attacks from unbelievers. We prayed about this. We both felt that it was worth the risk of backlash and ridicule, because writing this is glorifying to God.

God sent Jesus to the Cross, so that men and women could be reconciled to Him. Jesus paid the price for all of our sin. If He had not done that, we would die in our sins and all be bound for hell.  I believe that God wanted me to write this, because He wanted to tell the women who are being held captive by the lies of the evil one, that if you come to Him in repentance for the abortion and ask His forgiveness, He will forgive you!  And then He can use you in His battle for the lives of the unborn.

You can be Silent No More!

MARANATHA

grandmageri422@gmail.com

By Jim Torres “Towers”

Have you ever noticed that atheists, agnostics and homosexuals (often one and the same) respond vehemently to anything said by a Christian leader, particularly if he is evangelical. Their attacks often sound like highly intellectual rants by highly educated people but as the scriptures say, “Thinking themselves to be wise they became utter fools” in denying the existence of God. Another quote is, “The fool has said in his heart – there is no God.” How true.

These people seem to think they created themselves! At the very least they have no idea how they came to be here. My goodness, everything we touch, see, feel and smell tells us that there is indeed a creator and a loving one at that. He hangs this multi-trillion pound ball and it spins in mid air. Then He covers it with clouds to rain on the crops for food to feed ourselves. Atheists and other pseudo intellectuals can’t even make a glass marble float in mid air, much less a drop of rain. Unlike meteors and some other heavenly bodies, this sphere is basically round and is just enough out of round to offset the earth in motion at the right speed and trajectory!

The sky is blue to keep us from ever becoming bored and at sunrise and sunset it gives us a beautiful panoramic painting of different hues that soothes the soul. Green vegetation and grass is also pleasing to the eye. What might it be like if the sky or grass was another color? Boooooring.

What keeps the oceans from washing across the globe – gravity? Yes, and where does gravity come from? I know, I know centrifugal forces. But who could have calculated the strength and sense of direction to balance things out – mankind? Ha!

Two little old ladies were talking about pollution and carbon monoxide. I was sitting nearby. I went over to them and asked, “Have either of you ever heard of photosynthesis?” One said, “yes” while the other said, “no.” Then I explained that vegetation converts carbon monoxide and other such gases into oxygen which, of course, we breathe. They were astonished and looked at one another in embarrassment. All of their gobbledygook was laid waste in one fell swoop.

We could go on and on about these poor lost souls and their manmade philosophies, but I’ll cut it short by asking them to give me a reason for their being. They have none. They don’t know where they came from (conceived in God’s mind) nor where they’re going (heaven or hell), much less why they’re here. When they go off on us Christian believers these so-called loving people do so with rage and anger. Even going so far as to stop up their ears! That tells me that they don’t want anything to do with their creator or his laws and advise. They demand to do their own thing without restrictions, men with men and women with women.

Only by the intervention of God in their lives can they have any hope for the future and freedom from anxiety and guilt. Let me add that you can’t philosophize with these people. The only thing we can do is drop scripture bombs on them with love and concern, give them over to God and pray for the best. “The knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom.”

Then there are people who would kill you and them just for adhering to our God Jehovah and His Christ. Islamists would also kill atheists, homosexuals, Christians and Jews. All other religions are anathema to them.

There is really no reason to care about either of these kinds of people except that they try to foist on true believers their brand of theology or atheism without understanding or care of understanding the hard truths we all face today. It’s a conundrum of the times where these two totally incompatible philosophies of life can come together as one against the written word of God. Yet the true Christian does care and tries to do something about it.

Meanwhile, carnal Christians go about their business as usual, making more money, making business deals, acquiring more things, going on vacation, getting divorced, etc. All of this while the world burns and convulses in pain and fear. After all, they are saved and on their way to heaven. And so they wait expectantly for the rapture. God help us!

I recently got on Facebook to promote my film “The Prophecies – 2016” as it is imperative to get the word out to garner contributors for my indiegogo spiel. Knowing that Christians and people that claim to be Christians have their own agendas, my spiel is aimed primarily at non-believers, knowing that they truly want to know what’s going on in this crazy world. I know this is true from my street ministry. The masses are becoming frantic in their search for answers. Why the earthquakes, why the drought, why the wars and rumors of war, the crime, the murders, Isis, the all out chaos. Why doesn’t someone do something!? And so I’ve expanded my outreach to my Facebook friends by quoting scripture and offering advice and prayer. Check me out on Facebook:   Jim Towers in Naples, Florida.

By the way:

While John B. is working feverishly on the website and the indiegogo spiel in England, I am forging ahead and lining up speaking engagements here closer to home. This has been no easy task, and I’m getting weary. But hey, somebody has to do it.

Nevertheless, I’m beginning to get endorsements from various prominent people such as Donna Bosn, founder and president of “He Knows My Name Ministries.” Also endorsing is Dr. Melvin Glenn, a world famous medical innovator, and others.

Meanwhile, I’m still looking for a professional cast and crew consisting of camera operators, lighting technicians, sound techies, grips and production assistants. Those interested should send a resume (and a head shot if you are an actor) to jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

YBIC Jim Torres “Towers”

jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

Would you read a book by an author who says the following?

“Jesus is a million times more vicious and vindictive than Pharaoh, Nero or Hitler put together”; that Jesus Christ is “not the Savior from sins”; that Jesus died “a failure and in vain and never saved anyone”; thus Jesus “is not even a good man but a liar, a rogue and a deceiving rascal”; that “Calvary is a farce, a travesty and a sham.”

Probably not right! The author of “The Shack” supposedly made those remarks and espoused them in a 2004 document, where he also rejected his evangelical faith and embraced universalism as well. That is the allegations of a former colleague and friend James B. De Young.

The take away from reading the various articles written on the bad theological message of the book is that so many Christians fail to read their Bible or understand what it is about. Without that study, they can easily fall for any heresy, or cult that passes their way. They don’t know how to discern bad theology from correct theology. Take my earlier post on cults such as the Jehovah’s Witness, William Branham (all the Churches that fall under his spell), etc. People have a hunger for the word, and when you’re hungry you will eat anything. In the Cults case it’s a message that is false, given by false teachers.

Eric Barger (Eric Barger Link) wrote about The Shack and had this to say;

Several chapters into the book, a most unorthodox version of the Holy Trinity is revealed. Young’s tale diminishes Almighty God from His rightful position as a supernatural being. Instead of speaking by His Word and His Spirit, He is morphed into a feminine figure, reduced to passing notes to those with whom she wants to communicate.

From my first glance at The Shack, it struck me that the idea of God in human form, even in the pages of a novel, is more than just theologically questionable. It is forbidden by several passages from both the Old and New Testaments, not the least of which is the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5). The Apostle Paul proclaims, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…” (Romans 1:21-23a)

Young’s “Papa” character insists that sin is its own punishment. This distorts the reality of Hell and discounts eternal retribution for sin.

– Readers of The Shack are told that Jesus is only the best way to know God – not the only way.

– The Shack teaches that, when Jesus went to the cross, God Almighty died there, too. This is a heresy known as patripassianism. (In our private conversation I challenged Young about this, but to no avail.)

– The Shack states that there is no structure or hierarchy within the Trinity and that the three personages of God are all equally subject to one another and to humans as well. I challenge fans of The Shack to open a Bible and try to make that square with the Scripture

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr (Dr Albert Link) wrote about the book and his conclusion was;

All this reveals a disastrous failure of evangelical discernment. It is hard not to conclude that theological discernment is now a lost art among American evangelicals — and this loss can only lead to theological catastrophe.

 The Shack is a wake-up call for evangelical Christianity. An assessment like that offered by Timothy Beal is telling. The popularity of this book among evangelicals can only be explained by a lack of basic theological knowledge among us — a failure even to understand the Gospel of Christ. The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.

Finally an Article recently in Charismanews (Charismanews Link ), which goes to the heart of the books main heresy, that of Universalism – that there are many paths to salvation not just one. It concludes with the following;

“So here we media people are faced with one of the greatest challenges in our nation’s history. Will God grant once again to us a revival and a new reformation of biblical truth to withstand the onslaught of the inclusivism and universalism of our day, represented by The Shack, or will we be overwhelmed by false teaching? Will we influence the church to become a “complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so we may no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness with deceitful scheming, but, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him, who is the head, Christ Himself” (Eph. 4:13-15)?

May it be said of us, in the apostle Paul’s words to other Christians struggling to discern the truth and live godly lives: “But you did not learn about Christ in this manner, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Eph. 4:20-21). Christian media need to be at the forefront of leading a new awakening.”

I urge readers to not blindly follow the lost into false teaching, You have the power to discern for yourself what the Bible teaches, don’t be confused and be as the Bereans who Paul sates;

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

Sources links.

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/1109-the-shack-william-p-young

http://www.ericbarger.com/death-of-discernment-barger.htm

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/27/the-shack-the-missing-art-of-evangelical-discernment/

http://www.charismanews.com/culture/50636-burning-down-the-shack-exposes-greatest-deception-to-blindside-the-church-in-last-200-years

I am sorry if I’ve offended anyone in my articles who is a true believer and a chosen one of God. Please forgive me if you are one of those. I am grieved that I have to rail against the brethren at times. After all, I’m not perfect either. Yes, I’m intolerant at times and call out deceivers and liars within the Christian family, particularly at this time in world history when there are so many signs of Christ’s return for His own. But somebody has to do it. I’d like to believe that I’ve been inadvertently following the admonition of the Apostle Paul to “Rebuke, admonish and correct the brethren who are in error.”

I realize that some new Christians can sometimes find themselves in error and need correction once in a while, but these newcomers should be handled with understanding and concern. I’ve discipled a few men in my time and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes it was even fun, though at times it could become very intense. Surprisingly enough, I found that some of the more sincere men were capable of grasping biblical truths immediately. At the same time I treat non- believers with kid gloves, love and kindness. Surprisingly, that’s what the scriptures ask us to do. Nevertheless with time running out we can’t disciple everyone, but we must share the good news of the Gospel as though it might be our last chance to do so.

Many dramatic signs of the times are developing at breakneck speed. Let me tell you about a couple of them. Scientist are finding a way to switch off the aging process, which means that people might be able to choose how long they live. In the book of Revelation there is a verse that alludes to this fact. “Things will get so bad that men will want to die but will not be able to do so,” which speaks of the Great Tribulation. But then again it may be that God our creator will turn death away from those who dared to ignore Him and the salvation offer. No one really knows.

Another sign you can read about is that “Virtual Reality Porn” is coming to a store near you. Did you ever think you’d see the day? These goggles and earphones will make it possible for a person to live out their wildest fantasies. The bad part about this is that 70% of young boys begin watching porn at the age of ten. Is it any wonder that we have so many sex maniacs roaming the streets today? This dreadful habit is like any other addiction, one thing leads to another which leads to another and finally ends in tragedy. And that can destroy a person’s life. We all know someone who’s been there. “In the last days people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.”

As if that is not enough evidence that the United States is on a downhill slide, there was a statue dedicated to Satanic worship being erected somewhere in Detroit in my home state late last night. The name of the satanic image is Baphomet. The loathsome creature is of a male body with goat’s head and horns, cloven hooves and sitting on a throne. There are a boy and a girl on either side of it looking up at the creature and admiring the evil thing. Hundreds of people were in attendance at the unveiling of it last night chanting, “Hail Satan.” Jex Blackmore is the director of the Satanic temple in Detroit.

With all this craziness going on we only have a short time left to snatch our loved ones and neighbors from the pits of hell, and we will be held accountable for not doing so. If you have no concern for others, then you may want to examine your faith. As Jesus’ half brother James puts it, “Faith without works is dead.” I know we are saved by grace alone, and that “We are saved by faith and not of ourselves it is a gift of God lest any man should boast.” But don’t let that be a copout for doing the right thing.

Maybe Satan has been cast down from his abode in the heavens and is deceiving, blinding and killing off as many human beings as he can, because he knows his time is running out. That’s what the book of Revelation says will happen in the End Times. In any case, something bad is just around the corner and then there will be a time of great mourning and repentance, even in the church. Frankly, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet! On the other hand, those who deny God and His only begotten Son will become even more rebellious. Chances are they will even kill Christians and Jews here in America and actually, as you know, that’s already begun around the world.

By the way;

I’m glad to report that a certain brother named John who lives in England is constructing a website for my evangelical movie “The Prophecies -2016” and paying for the hosting for three years as well! Three others are also jumping on board to help me in other ways. They obviously feel the way I do about the need to reach out to the lost and hurting before it’s too late to do so.

In the meantime, I am making preparation to promote this evangelical film (which is a call to repentance) on local media outlets by making personal appearances. One Christian program I’ll be trying to appear on is The Jim Bakker show. On that show I’ll be sharing some of my evangelistic experiences with the viewing audience, which is something I’ve never seen done on these shows. I can’t wait to tell the viewing audience about the big, bad, burly biker I led to Christ who died in a motorcycle wreck, went to the very gates of hell and couldn’t sleep after he came out of a coma… I’ll keep you informed.

I’ve also begun ministering to others on Facebook and am receiving good response with thank you’s, affirmations and such.

E-mail me to receive a synopsis of my screenplay “The Prophecies – 2016” – for free.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”

jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com

(Editors note: If you are or know crew members with experience as well, or for more information contact Jim T. “Towers” – jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com)

It wasn’t that long ago that Christians didn’t go to the movies. It was sinful. Today it is a rare Christian who doesn’t go, at least periodically. Most however watch movies on Net Flix so they won’t have to get up off the couch. For Young people it’s a night out with friends or significant other. In many cases Christians are a discriminating lot, and who can blame them? Far too many of today’s movies are complete trash and television is catching up to them quickly with their own putrid slime. And so, they must either expand their viewing habits or learn to live with uninspired football themed formula films.

Since Christian films have only just begun being made in earnest in the past ten years or so, there are many amateurs out there who don’t know what they’re doing yet they feel called to make them. These so called Christian films are often nothing more than morality plays and football movies are the worst offenders. These movies seldom if ever deal with real life, suicide, drug addiction, abortion, or real life current issues. All families today are affected by these things.

Movies have become a mainstay of society and have advanced technology to the point where sometimes it is hard to distinguish reality from theatrics. Often they lead the way in new technologies’ and often set the tone of our nations morality. Television is close behind in defining our world view with its bias left leaning News programs.

Mel Gibson, the seasoned actor, writer and director who made “The Passion of the Christ” is in my opinion a true artist. It’s too bad Mel doesn’t understand the meaning of repentance and of walking with Christ. It has been discovered that it’s the director and not the stars that make a successful movie. It is their individual director’s vision of the story that makes it come to life much like an artist with his pallet in hand.

All too often a movie that could have been good turns out to be a jumbled mess usually this is a result of too many cooks in the kitchen. The producers and actors see things differently and so they try to inject their two cents into the movie with a director who doesn’t know what he wants and we get to pay to view the results.

The whole world revolves around money and movie making is no different. The people who make movies are in it for the money. If they can get you to come to see their movie with sex scenes interspersed throughout then they will gladly give you what you want and more. These are uninspired people who are in it only for the money. But who doesn’t love money? Iran has recently made a professional move promoting Islam costing millions of dollars.

Political propaganda makes use of film to the uttermost. Nazi Germany used it to great effect during the Second World War making dozens of propaganda films.

I’ve had various setbacks in trying to get my evangelical film off the ground. But of course it’s because I’ve had strong opposition from the evil one because of its evangelical stance calling for repentance. After forty years in the movie business: if I don’t understand the medium then my life has been a waste, but I believe God has me in this business that I love, to serve warning to fellow Americans and others to repent and about the signs of the times. (It is aimed at the masses.)

In putting together my promo for crowd funding I chose to put together a montage of two second videos of various happenings around the world but primarily in the United States. In all there are about twenty. These would be cut into my personal appearance intermittently. In so doing I was appalled at what I encountered on the internet. Nothing is sacred anymore, not even human life.

Being a Born Again Christian for so many years I’ve more or less been sheltered from such things except when I’m out witnessing on the street. Little did I know what goes on behind closed doors and is only now beginning to take place out in the open as well! The vile things you can see human beings doing on the internet make a sane person want to vomit.

I can remember a time when ladies were feminine, at least in public. Today, many are just as bad as men and sometimes even worse – even out in the open. Men have always been one step up from being animals especially if they don’t know Christ. Being a man myself I expect this behavior from them and more. But when I see women acting like this I cringe and want to cry. There seems to be no sense of right and wrong. It’s like Sodom and Gomorra all over again.

Even Christians are being sucked up in the vortex of this madness in smaller things like failing to keep their word; and this with a self righteous attitude. There was a time when a man’s word was his bond but not today. They too lie and cheat and backstab the brethren at any opportunity, often just make a buck or to promote an agenda. You can hardly distinguish them from the worldly masses except that some are better dressed.

Today, many people seem not to understand what the word sin or even repentance is. At least not when you see them acting like wild animals on the internet. My hope is to reach out to those who are still open to the message of salvation before it’s too late. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; For men will become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to their parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of Godliness but denying it’s power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

I’ll be going on twitter soon and then it’s off to the races at Indiegogo the crowd funding website.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers”