SIPEDO and YOU

While I was shopping today, I got a phone call from my pastor.  We hadn't had a chance to chat in while, so he was just checking in.  Then I heard a shriek come through the phone, like that of the most horrible thing in the world.  He regained his composure and told me "RAY BOLTZ IS GAY".

I was like "get out of here", he was married and had 4 kids and was at the top of the Christian charts with multiple awards for many years.  I had just seen him singing "THE ANCHOR HOLDS" .

Unlike southern gospel singer KIRK TALLY, who sees being gay as "my cross to bear", Boltz has come out, and is doing a concert at the gay church in Washington this coming Sunday.

In an article published on Sept. 12 in the Washington Blade, Boltz said that he had come out to his family 4 years earlier.

This has been a blow to many people who revere the work, and the man that has given us such great songs such as THANK YOU, THE ANCHOR HOLDS, WATCH THE LAMB, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE LAMB.

Boltz is working on a new album and resides in Fort Lauderdale.

Does this shake your faith a little?  Should churches quit using Ray's material?  Or is the message in the music able to be separated from the message of the man?

This has been circulating for many years now.

If was originally spoken on September 1, 2000 and was read into the US Congressional Record on September 20, 2000.

It is worth posting and worth circulating again and again and again.

 

This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at  Roane County High School , Kingston , Tennessee , by school Principal, Jody McLeod

"It has always been the custom at  Roane County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country."

Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it "an  alternate lifestyle," and if someone is offended, that's OK.

I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, "safe sex." If someone is offended, that's OK.

I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a "viable! means of birth control." If someone is offended, no problem...

I can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and involve students in  activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess "Mother Earth" and call it "ecology."

I can use literature, videos and pr esentations in the classroom that depicts people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as "simple minded" and "ignorant" and call it "enlightenment."

However, if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to ask HIM to Bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated.

This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical.  Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except GOD and HIS Commandments.

Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical... I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression.

For this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and refrain from praying at this time.

" However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank GOD and ask HIM,in the name of JESUS, to Bless this event, please feel free to do so.  As far as I know, that's not against the law----yet."

One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray.

They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer's Box!

The only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme Court of  the  United States of America- the Seat of "Justice" in the "one nation, under GOD."

Somehow,  Kingston ,  Tennessee Remembered what so many have forgotten. We are given the Freedom OF Religion, not the Freedom FROM Religion.

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Have you ever heard that?  Or have you heard someone say "I can't believe that a loving God would send someone to a Hell".

How hard is it to believe that a loving God would send unrepentant criminals to hell?

If we have jails for people who lie, steal, cheat, kill and other things, then why is it so hard to believe that God created a hell?

I've blogged that no-one is beyond Redemption.  I have also stated that there are those who are beyond restoration.  Not in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of man.

I believe that you MUST forgive EVERYONE for EVERYTHING, no matter what.  That does not mean that you let your brains fall out and let that convicted child molestor around children.

Mark Lundsford MUST forgive John Couey.  It is not an option, it is a requirement, not of man's law, but of God's.  If he refuses to forgive, then he is beyond redemption and restoration.  That is the bottom line.  However, Mark does not have to FORGET.  That would be stupid.  Will Mark forgive?  I hope so.  Will he forget?  I hope not.

In the same manner, we MUST forgive one another for anything and everything.  It does not matter what the crime is.  It does not matter what your feelings are.  If you hold resentment and unforgiveness inside, you are holding yourself prisoner.

Now it's time to hear from those who would misconstrue what I have just posted.  Good luck!

Last week, a young man named Jordan succumbed to a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma.  He was to be twenty one years old yesterday.  Jordan fought hard.  This young man loved basketball, where he played on a college team near Greenville, SC.  He was a member of a youth group at a church where I was once the youth director.  His family prayed hard, hoping for a miracle, but the miracle they wanted never happened.  They had a celebration of life service for him this past Saturday.

This past Saturday, another man named Jim succumbed at the age of 63 to a 15 month battle with another form of Cancer.  He played guitar at the church where I am currently the music director.  Weak from the disease, he played the guitar for the last time on August 17 with our church band.  Always dedicated, and up until he passed was waiting for that last minute miracle, always expressing his faith in God.

Today, I sit at my computer, not knowing what will be next for me.  I have my own health issues that cause extreme pain, and are preventing me from working full time.  This is a burden physically, and financially. I am hoping God will work wonders for me, but to date, nothing has happened, and my diagnosis still remains the same.  I hope and I pray that "miracle" will come, but nothing so far.

All three of us, Jordan, Jim and Myself have kept faith.  Two of us have succumbed.  I have not been so fortunate.

There are days when I just want to give up.  There are days when I give God the ultimatum to either heal me or take me.  He does neither. So much for giving God ultimatums.

There are days when I want to curse God.  There I days when I want to send Jesus back to the cross and re-crucify him.  Why isn't God answering the prayers of His people and healing those who follow hard after Him?

In all of this, I still cannot reverse my faith.  I know that I have to trust God.  I know that circumstances will come that will make me strong.  I know that I am a very small part of a very big picture.  Many will affect the lives of a few, and a few will affect the lives of many.  Which one am I?

What would you do?  Some of you are in similar circumstances, or know someone who is.  What keeps YOU going?  What keeps THEM going?  How do YOU and THEY keep the faith from going in reverse?

Have you ever heard of LIMBO?

In the Bible, Jesus speaks of a real place called Hell.  In fact, he spoke more of hell than he did of heaven.  He said it was a very bad place, and was just as descript as about it as heaven.

There are many Christians who do not believe in hell, but they say they believe the Bible.  So, if there is NO Hell, why does Jesus speak of such a place?

There are a couple of other places that the Catholic Church allows that are never mentioned in the Bible.  One is called Purgatory, and the other of all places is called Limbo.  Yes, Limbo.  No, it's not a dance.  It is supposedly a real place.

In Roman Catholic theology, Limbo is a hypothesis about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being ASSIGNED to thell of the damned, also known as gehenna.  Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Catholic Church.  Some theologians from Medieval periods described the underworld of hell divided into four parts.  Hell of the damned (gehenna), purgatory, limbo of the fathers, and limbo of the infants.

Is this confusing for you?  It sure is to me.  I don't get it.  How could anyone conceive of such a notion?  Apparently it grew out of Catholicism.

Would you care to dance?

I pulled this off of a website, http://www.carm.org and I am posting it here.

I think people of faith could learn a lot from this article.  Maybe even northton could learn a little from it.

I have highlighted parts of the points that stuck out to me.

1. Labeling Atheists
   1. Some Christians have labeled atheists as evil, stupid, devil-worshippers, or morally void. Though there may be some atheists who fit these categories (as would many in the general population), atheists are not categorically evil, stupid, devil-worshipping, degenerates with no morals. Many of them are fine citizens, honest, caring, loving, and patient. For a Christian, or anyone for that matter, to make a blanket statement about atheists in a derogatory manner is wrong. It is the same thing atheists sometimes do when they accuse Christians of being irrational, psychotic, or stupid. Such accusations have no place on either side of the argument of truth.
      

      Generally speaking, atheists are not stupid. Many of them have thought through their position over a long period of time and arrive at conclusions after much thought. Some were raised in religious homes, have seen what religion has to offer, and have rejected it. Of course, I think that atheists have drawn incorrect conclusions about God, but it doesn't mean they are dumb. Some atheists have presented very cogent arguments against the existence of God, which need to be addressed.

      So, just because someone believes in God and encounters someone who doesn't, that does not mean that either side is stupid.  Labeling and name-calling have no place in the discussion.

2. Ignoring Atheists' Questions
   1. If you were standing on a railroad track and a train was heading your way, closing your eyes and ignoring the locomotive will not make it go away.  If an atheist asks a question and you ignore it repeatedly, it would be fair for him to conclude you were incapable of answering the objection.  Of course, this does not mean you have to always answer everything because dialogue flows both ways.  But, it is important that you face issues.  If you don't have an answer, admit it. That's okay.   It doesn't mean you are wrong.  It means you don't have an answer.  Go study and get an answer and get back to him.
3. Stating that Atheism is a religion
   1. Atheists will repeatedly tell you that they are not in a religion. A religion almost always is defined to include belief in a deity of some sort. Atheism is non-belief in a deity. It isn't necessarily a "belief that there is no God," (though it can be)but is "not believing either way."
      

      To label an atheist as a religious person is to put up a roadblock to effective communication. It would be like someone saying to a Christian, "You believe in a mean, tyrannical being who likes to torture people." The Christian would simply roll his eyes and think that the person doesn't know what he's talking about. So, how much effective conversation could there be in either instance?  Not much.

4. Stating unsupportable facts
1. No one has all documentation for everything they say.  It is not reasonable to require proof from an atheist on everything said.  Nevertheless, if you are going to state a fact or two, it is good to have the documentation at the tip of your tongue -- at least occasionally, of have access to it.  It adds to your credibility.  Of course, you don't have to document everything, but if you have some illustrious fact to use, try and have it documented. Never admitting when you are wrong
5. 1. Pride is a harmful thing.  It caused the fall.  It ruins marriages.  It leads to anger and self-righteousness.  It has no place in the Christian's life.  Never admitting you are wrong is being prideful.  If an atheist, or anyone, proves you wrong is something, be kind and courteous.  Admit you made a mistake and go on.  Everyone makes mistakes, even atheists.  There is nothing wrong with admitting an error.  It no more proves you are wrong about Christianity than being wrong about the color of a boat means boats don't exist.  But, if you never admit when you are wrong, you will not be able to convince anyone in a discussion of your position.  You will simply lose the respect of the one with whom you are debating.

Did you know that one religion believes we are a lost tribe of Israel, and so are the people of the U.K. ??  It's called British Israelism.  I cut and pasted the following.  Read slowly, it's pretty confusing, but that's because it's pretty lame.

The main evidence for British Israel is determined through the identification marks listed in the Bible, which proponents claim strongly apply to Britain and America. Among them are that 12 tribed Israel will lose all trace of her lineage (Isiah 42:19, Hosea 1:9), Israel will be a great and mighty nation (Genesis 12:2, 18:18, Deuteronomy 4:7-8), named "Great," i.e. Great Britain (Genesis 12:2), will be a blessing to other nations (Genesis 12:2-3), that they will become many nations (Genesis 17:4), that their descendants will be Kings and rulers (Genesis 35:11), that they will keep the Sabbath (Exodus 31:13), that they will be a missionary nation (Isiah 49:6, 66:19), rule over others (Genesis 27:29, Deuteronomy 15:6), become envied and feared (Deuteronomy 2:25, 4:8, 28:10), that they will lend to other nations (Deuteronomy 15:6), that Israel will inhabit the isles of the sea (Isiah 24:15), that Israel's new home will be northwest of Eretz Israel (Isiah 49:12), and that it would spread abroad (Gen. 49:22).

I know some of you read the Bible, and have even studied it.  I have some software called Bible Explorer that I use mostly.

I know some of you have read the Bible, but have only read PARTS of it.

Some of you have read the whole thing, and you put it away.

Some have never read it, yet somehow they claim to be authorities on it.

I know that some churches, which I choose not to name, actually discourage reading the Bible, teaching that only the ordained are qualified to read it and interpret it.

Politicians routinely use parts of the Bible in their speeches, but it is all too often out of context.

So, DO YOU read the Bible?  Not just in the past, but do you routinely read it?

It might be worth picking it up again.

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Ignited Church in Lakeland, pastored by Stephen Strader invited Todd Bentley for some services a couple months ago.  Bentley is from Canada, and when you look at this guy, you might be scared if you ran into him on the street.  People are coming from all over Florida and the world to wherever this group can find a place to meet.  The church building is too small to handle the crowds, so they have occupied local facilities that can accommodate the crowds.  Interesting note, Ignited Church was once Carpenter's Home in Lakeland  and the building was sold to Without Walls, and now that building is back up for sale.  Maybe they should buy it back, it seats around 10 thousand.  Just a thought.

Anyway, back on track.

People are coming for healing.  I believe some are receiving healing, but many more are not.  I was in the local Kangaroo store yesterday wearing my I Love Jesus hat, and the clerk asked me if I had been to Lakeland yet.  I have not.  She proceeded to tell me that she and her husband took their granddaughter there for prayer the night before.  The prayer team prayed for her, the growth around her neck associated with her Thyroid condition, according to them decreased in size.

I have watched pieces of this "outpouring" on line, where people who claim to have faith that they will be healed come up to Todd and exclaim that they have already quit taking their medications.  I don't know if that is faith, or if it is stupidity.  I recall going to see Oral Roberts as a child for a healing crusade in the Detroit Area.  People came forward for the prayer of healing.  Oral Roberts was very clear and admonished people to keep taking their medications and check with their physicians.  Oral Roberts has wacked out quite a bit over the years, but that advice stuck with me, and every "healing" ministry needs to take that advice.

I am skeptical about such things citing the Revival at Brownsville near Pensacola where 20/20 did stories on the woman who jerked around in the choir and they said that was the Holy Spirit.  Then there is what has been called the Toronto Blessing where people laughed uncontrollably and some even barked like dogs, and people said that was God.

Then the appeals for money are a definite turnoff.  I've always been taught that if you are doing God's work, then God will provide.  I feel that those who spend more than a moment on an appeal for financial support are missing the mark.  Doing God's Work = God Provides.  If you have to beg for money to keep going, I assert that you are not doing God's work.

As I have watched online on GODTV parts of the "Florida Outpouring" as it is being billed, I can't help but wonder if this really a move of God?  As I see Todd Bentley with swift action direct his hands, thrusting them towards peoples midsections, or wherever they are ailing, and watching them fall down?  They call the falling down part being "slain in the spirit".
If I'm correct, and I think I am, the only ones in the Bible to be slain by the Spirit were Ananias and Saphira, and they were struck dead (slain) for lying to the Apostles.  I fail to see the significance of the falling down.  I believe it is usually intentional. I know there are those who will say that when the power of God is present, it is so overwhelming that all one can do is fall down in the presence of a Holy God.

I grew up in a pentecostal church, in fact the same denomination as Ignited Church.  I left that denomination because of the over emphasis on the non-essentials, like speaking in tongues.  Like I said, I believe God heals, I just don't think he makes a spectacle of it.

Is it an outpouring of God's healing power?  Or is it just a show?

I believe there are lots of people who are sincere about it, but my gut feeling says, watch out!  God is not mocked.

I plan on attending one of these nights.  I plan to simply be a spectator.  Maybe I'll be proved wrong.  Then again....

I have often wondered why Atheists continue to live out their lives?
They do not believe in any kind of superior being, yet they continue to work, eat, have families, etc...

I'm not opposed to Atheists living out their lives, but if there is no God, what's the point?
You life is meaningless anyway, and if you do happen to attain some sort of notoriety in your life time, it will be forgotten anyway as history is written and re-written.

If there is no after-life, why try to do good in this life.
I know many Atheists and Agnostics who live good, clean, moral lives, highly ethical and intelligent.  But why?

Could it be that God is truly real, and Atheist or not, God has written a law on the hearts of everyone.  We know what is good and what is evil.  Regardless of your heritage, everyone knows what is right and what is wrong.

But still, if there is no God, then eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

I cut and pasted this from CNN.

The Bible speaks of the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible also states that it will not occur until the message of Christ has reached every tribe, tongue and nation.

Are we on the verge of the Second Coming of Christ.? IF I am to believe this article, and the Bible, we are very close. Sooner or later contact will be made with all these tribes, and the message Christ will reach them. They will then have to make the decision to accept Christ, or reject Christ. Read On

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JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- The National Indian Foundation says one of Brazil's last uncontacted Indian tribes has been spotted in the far western Amazon jungle near the Peruvian border.

Indians are photographed during an overflight in May 2008, as they react to the overflight at their camp.

The Brazilian government foundation, known as Funai, said Thursday the Indians were sighted in an Ethno-Environmental Protected Area along the Envira River in flights over remote Acre state.

Funai said it photographed "strong and healthy" warriors, six huts and a large planted area. But it said it was not known to which tribe they belonged.

The tribe sighted recently is one of the last not to be contacted by officials. Funai said it does not make contact with such tribes Indians and prevents invasions of their land to ensure their autonomy.

Survival International said the Indians are in danger from illegal logging in Peru, which is driving tribes over the border and could lead to conflict with the estimated 500 uncontacted Indians now living on the Brazilian side.

There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, most of them in Brazil and Peru, the group said in a statement.

"These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," Survival director Stephen Corry said.

"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct."

Over the years we have misinterpreted what the word "WORSHIP" means.  In the Bible, worship is associated and equated with sacrifice.  How is that we call our gatherings on the weekend "worship" services.  Are we actually sacrificing anything more than an hour or so of our time?  What we do on Sunday morning in this country is Praise, it is not worship.  That's for us as Americans, and others who are free to practice their religion in their own way in other countries.  If you want to know what "WORSHIP" really is, a glimpse of it can be seen on http://www.persecution.com , the official website of Voice of the Martyrs.

I know, I know, it might seem like I am splitting hairs on this one, but, we need to be clear about what we are talking about.  Now, if you had to hide to praise your god for fear of being imprisoned or even killed, I would call that sacrifice.  I would call that worship.

As far as the music goes, there are some hymns out there being sung that are not biblically based.  In my church where I am the music director, we use a wide range of music from classical to hip hop.  Every song we use has a biblical message, but all are designed to give praise to God.  But worship?  I reserve that for when we are REALLY persecuted for our faith.  Until then, I'll call it praise.

I think a life of worship is possible, and what it means is that you totally surrender your will to the will of God.  That means your life, your finances, your family, your possessions, how much more shall I list.  When you are ready to do that, then you are a worshipper.  Most of us are a long way from attaining that, in the meantime, give praise, the worship will come.

I realize some will take issue with me on this one, that is okay, but when Abraham was with Isaac, he told those with him, stay here, while my son and I go to worship.  Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son.  It was worship.  God was testing his obedience.  We have it easy in this country.  So, Praise Be To God, and may I present my life as a living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.

I  posted recently  on another Blog that the Great Prostitute (WH0RE) of Babylon may be a conglomerate of world religions, possibly with the Catholic Church as the centerpiece.

I had a conversation with my pastor last night, and he gave me another perspective.

Is it possible that the Great WH0RE mentioned in Rev. 17 and 18 is the United States?  Have gone so far downhill that we fit that description?

I haven't bought the idea yet, but it has made me think.
Who buys all the worlds garbage?
Who has more Halls of Fame than any other country?
Who buys more alcohol?  Tobacco? Gasoline?
How fat are we?  How about porn?  Drugs? How about telling the truth?

Here, read those two chapters I've included here, and see if you see any similarity?
Chapter 17
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication." 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY,BABYLON THE GREAT,THE MOTHER OF HARLOTSAND OF THE ABOMINATIONSOF THE EARTH.6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.7 But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. 12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful." 15 Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth."

Rev 17:1-18 (NKJV)

Chapter 18

1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day--death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' 11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' 19 They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."

Rev 18:1-24 (NKJV)

In my Sunday night church, we have been studying the books of 1 and 2 Timothy.  In the 3rd chapter of 2 Timothy, is the following.  See if any of it sounds familiar to you.
I have included the whole chapter for context purposes.  For more, got to biblegateway.com if you don't have your own Bible.

Chapter 3

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 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, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres (the magicians in pharaohs court that duplicated Moses' turning his staff to a serpent) resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Tim 3:1-17 (NKJV)

There are many people who appear to be good and godly, yet they deny who God really is.

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Nothing I can ever do can please God.
But one did do something that was the only acceptable sacrifice,
and because of that sacrifice,
we can reveal the face of God.
Too bad I'm not good at it.
In fact, I'm horrible at it.
There is nothing about me that is good or righteous.
I have lied, I have cheated, I have stolen.
I have been angry with my brother, I have looked upon the opposite sex with lust.
I have looked upon other men's wives with envy.
I have used the name of the most high God without His permission
and have not given Him the 7th day
I have placed other gods as the priority in my life
I have worshiped the graven images of money
I have denied the one true God.
I am a worker of iniquity
I am a man of unclean lips
That's why I am so grateful
God uses whom He chooses
and He chooses whom He uses.
God, Forgive me, for I have sinned
I have missed the mark
I deserve an eternity apart from God
But, He says:
"NO, I have another plan".