Did God Create Evil

At an unknown college there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class every semester he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade and mock their statement of faith. One semester he asked the question, and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian. The professor asked, “Did god make everything, young man?” “Yes, he did, sir,” the young man replied.

The professor responded, “If God made everything, then God made evil, and if we can only create from within ourselves, then God is evil.” The student didn’t have a response, and the professor was happy to have once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth. Then another young man raised this hand and asked, “May I ask you something, sir?” “Yes you may,” responded the professor. The young man stood up and said, “Sir, is there such a thing as cold?” “Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven’t you ever been cold?” “The young man replied, “Actually, sir, cold does not exist. What we consider to be cold is really only the absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when HEAT IS ABSENT.”

The young man continued, “Sir, is there such a thing as dark?” Once again, the professor responded, “Of course there is.” And once again, the student replied, “Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the ABSENCE OF LIGHT. Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present.” Finally, the young man asked, “Sir, is there such a thing as evil?” The professor responded, “Of course. We have rapes and murders and violence everywhere in the world; those things are evil.” The student replied, “Actually, sir, evil does not exist. EVIL IS SIMPLY THE ABSENCE OF GOD. Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn’t like truth or love, which exist as virtues like heat and light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light.”

The professor had nothing to say…

Have you ever been stumped or trapped like the first student in this story? I have and it’s not fun. I much prefer being like the second student, be prepared and having quick answers. I find myself listening to lots of talk radio just so that I will be prepared when someone asks me some off the wall question or tries to trap me. I Peter 3:15 exhorts us to be prepared to give a ready defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness, and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

In sports there is a saying, “THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE”. This works well in sports because if you don’t give up any runs in baseball, points in football, buckets in basketball or any goals in hockey (note the blatant disregard for soccer here), then you can’t lose the game. Sometimes we think that we need to know how to explain the molecular structure of an atom to prove creation when all we really need to do is defend our beliefs in a quick, clear, and concise manner.

What are you currently doing to make a ready defense? How are your apologetics? Are you so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good?

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Nails In The Post

by
M.F. Cowdery

From the Civil War Era

There was once a farmer who had a son named John, a boy very apt to be thoughtless, and careless about doing what he was told to do.

One day his father said to him, “John, you are so careless and forgetful, that every time you do wrong, I shall drive a nail into that post, to remind you how often you are naughty. And every time you do right I will draw one out.” His father did as he said he would, and every day he had one and sometimes a great many nails to drive in, but very seldom one to draw out.

At last John saw that the post was quite covered with nails, and he began to be ashamed of having so many faults. He resolved to be a better boy, and the next day he was so good and industrious that several nails came out. The day after it was the same thing, and so on for a long time, till only one nail remained. His father then called him, and said, “Look, John here is the very last nail, and now I’m going to draw it out. Are you not glad?”

“Yes”, sobbed John, “the nails are gone, but the scars are still there.” So it is, with your faults and bad habits, you may overcome them, you may be degrees cure them, but the scars remain. Now, take my advice and whenever you find yourselves doing a wrong thing or getting into a bad habit, stop at once. For every time you give in to it, you drive another nail, and that will leave a scar on your soul, even if the nail should be afterwards drawn out.

We must understand that we cannot take the nails out of the post for forgiveness. Only Christ can remove the nails. We cannot work our sin off. The reality of sin is that there is always a consequence or in this case scars. Some scars are deeper than others and some scars take longer to heal.

Thank God that our Lord does not keep account of wrong doings. Christ’s blood wipes out all our sin thus removing the nails from the post. 1 Cor. 13:5 describes how love does not keep account of wrongs suffered. If God did keep a log we would never qualify for heaven based on our own righteousness. Instead He forgives and forgets.

Whenever you find yourself doing a wrong or getting into a bad habit stop at once. REPENT! Even thou our nails are drawn out, and our sins are forgiven, there was a price. Remember, THE NAILS DRIVEN INOT OUR LORD!

John 20:24-29. Vs. 27 Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.

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A Little on John Calvin

As I have started to really acquire a taste of biblical history I have noticed that there is only one person whose name you bring up in Christian circles that causes so much controversy it is almost, if not entirely, ridiculous. It is not Satan, Pontius Pilate or Judas Iscariot. It is not Muhammad or Joseph Smith. It is not most of the people you would think of. It is actually the name of John Calvin.

As I have, as most try to do at some point in their lives, tried to pinpoint my beliefs on every major doctrine in the Bible, I can say almost anything on different subjects and will be listened to and reasoned with. But, bring up Calvin and people can get almost violent. Some have tried to just say “I believe the Bible” but so do liberal theologians who would be far from believing Sola Scriptura. So there has to be some extra thought on the individual subjects in the Bible to pinpoint easily what someone believes without spending 4 hours on each subject. Such as, I can tell you that I am a progressive dispensational premillennialist and most know exactly what I believe on eschatology without having to enter an all day discussion on the topic. Which, by the way, would be enjoyable anytime if you would like to discuss.

So, whether we like it or not, there has to be some sort of quick response to soteriology when someone asks, even though most like to skate around the subject if not completely avoiding the topic altogether. I just find it interesting that if I were to tell you that I believe what Luther and Augustine taught on the subject or even what Athanasius believed on the subject most wouldn’t blink an eye. Say I am a Calvinist or I believe what Calvin said concerning salvation and the backlash and disgust will start to pour out. What’s amazing is that most do not even know what Calvin taught or have ever even sat down and listened to his exegesis of Scripture. I have been reading a lot about his background lately trying to understand more of who he was, as have I been reading on Martin Luther as well. My most recent book that I have been reading, The Unaccommodated Calvin, pointed out something that I didn’t know about the man and also should remind us all on some things about these reformers.

The book goes into detail that the reformers were just men who wanted to exegete Scripture and preach and teach it. They were not men out to start controversies and definitely not men who sat out to be called “Lutherans” or “Calvinists.” They actually would have both hated to be called either one of these. Remember these two men, Luther and Calvin, were deep in the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to simply know what Scripture said on different doctrines and dogmas held so closely by the Catholic Church. Most people think that Calvin set out to prove his five points on Grace, commonly referred to as TULIP. What’s interesting is that this acronym is a 20th century term, Calvin was born and died in the 16th century, and he didn’t even come up with the five points, the Synod of Dort did in 1618/1619 to refute the teaching of James Arminius. John Calvin died in 1564. These men, Luther and Calvin and other reformers, were not men out to “die for their cause” they were just exegeting Scripture, following in line of men such as Augustine, Jerome and Athanasius. They were preachers, preaching the truth at the danger of dying for it.

The other part that amazes me and surprises a lot of people is on the subject that gets most people up in arms is Calvin’s view on predestination and/or election of the saints. Guess what, Luther wrote many more volumes on this subject than did Calvin and Augustine and Jerome were the first to really fight against “free will” in the 4th and 5th centuries against Pelagius.

The reason behind this post is just to open our eyes to the early church fathers and also to the reformers. I am not here to promote Calvinism but just want people to calm down on their hate for a man that wanted to preach like Paul preached, Christ crucified. Most of the reformers were either fighting heresies or fighting for the truth. They were not out to put a “stamp” on history, they were ones that stood for truth and that truth is the Bible. So next time when you hear someone mention Calvin’s name, listen to see how they are responding to a man who loved God so much that most of his life was spent trying to be killed for his reformed beliefs against the Catholic church and understand that he was fighting for the same truths and absolutes that we hold so dear today.

When he was nearing his death he often had to be carried to the pulpit so he could preach and also asked that when he died only the initials “J.C.” be put on the tombstone in an uncommon place with no witness or ceremony. He was a humble man who loved the truth and yet many if they saw him today would spit in his face. May we remember those who went before us and study the truths that aren’t theirs, but God’s, in His Holy Word.

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Police vs. Paramedic

Last week I was caught in traffic behind an accident. Unfortunately there were injuries so that meant that there were firemen on the scene helping out before the paramedics arrived. Have you ever been in an accident or watched one? It is actually interesting how each department has it’s own function. I don’t know all the specific duties but it seems as though there are some general differences between the function of the policemen and the paramedics.

When the policemen arrive on the scene their main duty is to maintain order. A major part of that order is making sure that an accurate report is made of the accident. We don’t want street justice occurring at intersections across town. Basically the police report is going to take testimony from eyewitnesses of the scene. In essence the report is going to state who was the victim and who was at fault. Although final judgment is not made at the scene, that report is a major factor. The presupposition of the report is that someone is wrong and we’re going to find out who. With that being said the police officers try to take the reports without being prejudice or bias. This tends to create a cold and callous type of interaction. Like Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts ma’am”.

When the paramedics arrive on the scene their main duty is to bring aid to the afflicted. They don’t care who was at fault. Their main concern is who is hurt the worst and tend to the victims in that order. Because of the nature of their function they tend to be gentle and kind as opposed to cold and callous. They try to comfort the victims.

So what type of Christian are you? When a friend of yours blows it (it’s there fault) or something unexpected happens (not their fault) how do you respond. Are you like Job’s friend Eliphaz who told Job that he was getting what he deserved Job 4:8?

I know that true love must be confrontive at times. But what is your basic approach? Can a policeman be gentle and kind? Does he have to be so indifferent? Do you view yourself as the judge of the scene?

Read Matt 18:15-17. How would you title this passage? If you think of this passage as the Church Discipline” passage verses “Biblical Restoration” you may get an idea of where you stand. The point or the goal of the passage is repentance, restoration, and redemption. The goal is not to have someone depart from the faith.

So the next time you’re in a situation where you are at the scene of a personal accident. Ask yourself which function do you want to have. Ask yourself which function is appropriate.

Are you a policeman or a paramedic?

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A Man Named Mentor

According to Homer’s Odyssey, when King Odysseus went off to fight in the Trojan War, he left his son Telemachus in the hands of a wise old man named Mentor. Mentor was charged with the task off teaching the young man wisdom.

More than 2,000 years after Homer, a French scholar and theologian by the name of Francois Fenelon adapted the story of Telemachus in a novel titled Telemaque. In it he enlarged the character of Mentor. The word mentor soon came to mean “a wise and responsible tutor”—an experienced person who advises, guides, teaches, inspires, challenges, corrects, and serves as a model. –OUR DAILY BREAD

Second Timothy 2:2 describes spiritual mentoring, and the Bible gives us many examples like Timothy had Paul; Mark had Barnabas; Joshua had Moses; Elisha had Elijah.

Do you have one or more mentors? I was thinking about that question and I realized that I have been blessed with a few different mentors in my life. I met with and elder for three and a half years every Wednesday morning at 5am. He would primarily advise and guide me in regards to my bible study. In business I worked for a man for four years who mentored me in business affairs. I consider another man a mentor of mine in the area of business investments.

The two most influential men in my life have been my father and my pastor. My father has been a mentor to me in all areas of life from sports, marriage, spiritual, business, and much more. I could never say enough about how much my father has influenced me. My pastor began as my Dean of Men at TMC, and then he became my discipler, then a marriage counselor, then a friend and then my pastor.

Rarely do I make any decisions without seeking the counsel of almost all of these men. All of these men have helped me in my faith and my relationships. I consider myself very fortunate to have such wise counselors.

Do you have a mentor or mentors in your life? 2 Timothy 1:16 mentions a man named Onesiphorus who eagerly searched out and found Paul. Search out Godly people and asked them to spend time with you. Your mentors might have different strengths. Maybe you have music or sports mentors who are quite different than your spiritual mentor.

Remember God teaches each one of us so that we can teach others. Not only should you have mentors but also you may be a mentor to someone else.

Remember the beginning of the story? What a legacy Mentor left behind. He was so successful at providing wisdom and influence that to this day we call that process “mentor”. Why are you here? What is the purpose of your life? What legacy are you leaving behind? There is no greater legacy than that of a human life influenced by you.

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Where's the Beef?

This used to be the slogan of Wendy’s back in the ‘80’s when talking about these other burger joints that had hamburgers with less than satisfying amounts of meat on their hamburgers. I am asking the same thing with the Gospel that is preached to the world these days: Where’s the beef? The Gospel has been so watered down that you cannot tell the Gospel and the preacher from just a speech and a motivational speaker. The question is where do we put our trust? Do we trust the power of the Gospel or the persuasion of words? Power of God or power of psychology? It really comes down to God or man. Look at Paul’s words:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Why could Paul make this kind of statement? Because he knew the power of God’s word and believed in Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.

Yet today many of today’s “pastors” are looking for a better way to go around the gospel to make it more “meaningful” to the lost and more comfortable so that people are not turned off by the old and staunch words of our Lord. This leads to tickling the ears of the hearer and leads to the sad state of our church worldwide. I saw an interview with the hero of this watered down, motivational approach: Joel Osteen. He was asked if being a Christian was hard. He of course quickly responded, “No.” That should be the test for all of us not just Joel Osteen. We are told that the world will hate us (John 15:18); that we will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12); that Christ came with a sword and will separate families (Matthew 10:34). It IS easy to be a Christian if you never evangelize or never preach about sin or stand up against immorality. Of course that is an easy way to walk through this world, because you have become part of the world. But look to the warning that John gives those who are a part of the world instead of apart from the world:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15

And also James speaks out against it:

Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.
James 4:4

We need to put the “beef back into the burger” and start to preach out against sin: To love the sinner and hate the sin; To love the deceived and hate the Deceiver; To hate the lie and love the truth. Joel Osteen’s Christian life is easy because he admits he never speaks against sin and actually never even uses the term in his “sermons.” How can someone repent and be saved if they don’t know their sin and they don’t know what they are being saved from. Also, what will happen to these same people when their lives come across trials or when a great philosopher comes across their path and persuades them another way? How do we guard against this? Paul again tells us:

that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and {attaining} to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, {resulting} in a true knowledge of God's mystery, {that is,} Christ {Himself,} in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, {so} walk in Him, having been firmly rooted {and now} being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, {and} overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.

Colossians 2:2-9

Did you catch that? All our wisdom is found in Christ. Why? Because He is fully God! If you don’t lean completely on Christ for your wisdom, people can take you away with their persuasion. If you lean completely on Christ for all your wisdom, you will never be deceived by these philosophies and persuasive arguments. But those who are, will be the ones that Christ says, “Away from Me for I never knew you.” I don’t want that to be anyone that I came across and preached the Gospel to. I want to be like Paul and simply preach Christ crucified; may it be the same with you.

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Why I am Not a Preterist

Some might be asking, “What is Preterism?” Preterist means “gone by” or “past.” Preterists believe that that Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24 were all fulfilled before AD 70 in the destruction of Jerusalem. They would also take that Revelation was written in AD 68 to AD 70 instead of the traditional AD 95 that even early church fathers point to. My post will not exhaustively take on this widely debated subject but I just want to give you some of my problems with this way of interpretation.

The very first thing that I notice with Preterism is the way of commingled hermeneutics that make the reader decide when he wants to take a passage, or even different words, as literal or figurative instead of letting the passage really speak for itself.

In Donald Green’s article “A Critique of Preterism” he states the following:

One of the standard authors on biblical interpretation, Bernard Ramm, says, “The interpreter should take the literal meaning of a prophetic passage as his limiting or controlling guide.” Without denying the presence of figures of speech or symbols, Ramm emphasizes that the literal meaning of words cannot be abandoned simply because the interpreter is handling prophetic literature.

So what am I, Donald Green and Bernard Ramm pointing out? In Matthew 24:34, the Olivet Discourse, Jesus Christ says that, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The Preterist would say that means that according to Jewish generations, which is 40 years, that all these things will come to pass before 40 years has ended. Here is where I have problem with this interpretation. If they take this part literally then they must take all of the prophecies that were spoken of before being literally fulfilled as well. So they should take that there would have been a great falling away from Christianity (24:10); there will be many false prophets (24:11); there will be a great tribulation, like never seen before (24:21); the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky (24:29); the Son of Man will appear in the sky, then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (24:30). All happening on or before AD 70!

So does the Preterist believe that all these things have literally been fulfilled? No. They believe they have been fulfilled but all of them figurative instead of literal. The main point, the very point they rest everything on, is because Christ says, “this generation will not pass away.” They force all other things to fit into this one statement. Full Preterists are forced to even say that Christ’s parousia, His second coming, has already happened as well. This is plain and utter horrific hermeneutics.

If you look in the very next verse, Matthew 24:35, Christ says that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Christ uses the very same phrase, pass away, for the end of the age that He just used with “this generation.” Could it be that He meant that the generation He is speaking of is a more loose term speaking of those followers that are living at the time all these things take place? It seems more likely that this would be the case. When you take “generation” to mean just that, you can now let Scripture speak for itself instead of having to take all these things figuratively.

Think of it: Has the sun been darkened? Was there a great falling away? Was the destruction of Jerusalem a great tribulation like never seen before? Has Christ returned on the clouds with His angels? The answer to all these is, no. Many Preterists claim that Christ is on His throne now and it is, of course, a figurative throne and not a literal physical throne. Quickly take a look at this verse:

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Matthew 25:31

Did you notice it? When Christ comes again, THEN He will sit on His throne. Christ doesn’t reign on the promised throne at this time. But at His second coming then He will reign forever like the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16) promised.

Many early Christians were told to look for the second coming, to have hope in Christ’s return. Where is our hope if Christ has already come again and the Devil is bound? And how can you say that the devil is bound when it is obvious that he is still so rampant in this world and Peter actually says that he is still prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

There are so many points of Preterism that I don’t agree with but just wanted to give a short summary of them here to start a discussion or start us all on thinking of these things. Let Scripture speak for itself and know that it is best to start on the literal and then let Scripture tell us when it is supposed to be taken as figurative.

I look forward to the parousia and can’t wait to see my Saviour come on the literal clouds with His literal angels to call all the literal elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

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God's Will for Our Lives

Have you ever wondered what God's will is? Have you ever contemplated whether or not you truly are in God's will right now. Have you ever felt like you are standing outside of His will looking in, wondering how in the world you can be in the center of it? Ever come to a "fork in the road" concerning life, whether it is I career path to make or a ministry to join, and wonder how you know which one God wants you to take? I have faced this many, many times and find myself staring at the inevitable question once more. This time, the question does not just involve myself but my wife and potentially my kids. How do I know which road to take and how do I make sure the path that I am on is God lead. Three easy check points for truly knowing how to be in God's will.

1. This is the most important checkpoint. You MUST BE A CHRISTIAN! Now when I say a "Christian", I do not mean it in the loose, liberal, self-gratifying, all-inclusive way that the world uses it. I mean it in the strictest sense possible. A christian is someone that follows Christ. A servant of our living Savior and Master. A Christian is someone who has acknowledged their sin and need for a savior(they are going to hell), they have confessed with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, and they have believed in their heart, soul, and mind that Jesus died on the cross for their sins taking the penalty for our sins which is death and that He rose from the dead on the third day conquering sin and death and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. (Rom. 3:1-10, 23; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 16:31) Without this belief and devotion to Christ, stop here, you will not be able to be in God's will without doing so first.

2. You must be walking with God and all sin confessed. This is a continual and ongoing event. In order to commune with a holy, righteous, just and awesome God, we must be pure of heart and holy in stature. A daily conditioning of our body must be in order. I believe that this is just part of what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. When he declares that we need to "buffet our body and beat it into submission" and again the author of Heb. 12 when he stats "Therefore, let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us...". How can someone know the Will of God if he is not in harmony with God. The Bible declares that sin breaks our communion with our heavenly Father and therefore our relationship suffers. Have you ever gotten into a fight with a brother, sister, parent, or friend and then not speak for quit some time? It puts kind of a rift between you and the other person. How much more of a gap is there when we sin against our Holy Father and then not confess it? In order for us to be in God's will we must be living a holy, upright, and above reproach life.

3. Finally, knowing what God says in His word and then practicing it will allow you to be in His will. I believe that there are two pieces to His will: There is a Broad or General will that God has for every believer and there is a specific will that God has for each individual's life. The general will applies to every one and is consistent throughout. You can read what God has to say about this in several different passages. Starting with the great commission found in Matt. 28:18-20 you can see that one of our main goals as a Christian is to share the gospel and make disciples. This is a direct command from Jesus Christ. Another command that God has given us in His word is to "fight the good fight and run the race". Paul speaks of us "running the race with endurance" and "standing firm against ruler's of this darkness". (2 Tim. 2; Eph. 6; 1 Cor. 9:16-27) Our goal as believers is to stay true to his word and to finish the coarse that God has set before us. What is that coarse, you ask? It could be suffering. Paul pleads with us in 2 Tim. 2 (read the whole chapter) to "join with him in his suffering" for the sake of the gospel. Jesus tells the disciples that the world will hate you. "If it has hated me, it will hate you". Whatever the coarse, our main goal is to love and spread the gospel to those in need...Namely, everyone.

As for the specific Will of God for our lives, that is different for everyone. God directs each person differently but how we find that specific will for our lives is the same. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us a pretty good understanding of how to find God's specific will for our lives.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

A few things to note here: We are to trust God with EVERYTHING that comes in our path. We fall when we decide to trust in our own decisions and try to take matters in our own hands. I think all too often we go about our business OUR way and then turn to God when we have failed or need his help. The key here is to Trust God in everything and abandon our practice of leaning on our own deficiencies. If we do this then God, not us, will make our paths straight. Notice it says "paths", plural. I truly believe that God allows us to choose different paths within His will. In other words, He will make make whatever path that we choose straight as long as we are fully trusting in Him and leaning on His understanding and following His General Will. You could say that if we are in His General Will then we will be in His specific will for our lives. They go hand in hand.

So to recap, in order to find God's will for your life you must be a Christian that is walking with God and living a life that is above reproach. In so doing, you will be preaching the gospel and thereby running the race that has been set before us and allowing God to direct your steps because you are leaning on Him rather than your own understandings. The choices that you make will be aligned with God's choices because you are seeking His glory before your own. What a wonderful God that we serve, knowing that He has our very best in mind and planned out! May we always look to Jesus and Him Crucified!

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Quote

Just thought I would share a quote I saw over at Pyromaniacs from Machen:

If my idea of God were really mine, if it were one which I had evolved out of my own inner consciousness, I should attribute very little importance to it myself, and should certainly expect even less importance to be attributed to it by others. If God is merely a fact of human experience, if theology is merely a branch of psychology, then I for my part shall cease to be interested in the subject at all. The only God about whom I can feel concerned is one who has objective existence, an existence independent of man.
But if there be such a really and independently existent Being, it seems extremely unlikely that there can be any knowledge of Him unless He chooses to reveal Himself: a divine Being that could be discovered apart from revelation would be either a mere name for an aspect of man's nature – the feeling of reverence or loyalty or the like – or else, if possessing objective existence, a mere passive thing that would submit to human investigation like the substances that are analyzed in the laboratory. And in either case it would seem absurd to apply to such a Being the name of "God."

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Are You a Witness or a Wimp?

The persecution that we see as Christians in America is nothing compared to what we see in other countries, the persecution against our beloved apostles and early church fathers who have pleaded for sinners to repent and pleaded for the lost to look upon Christ. We recently had the opportunity to evangelize at a local community event and what surprised me the most is the amount of backlash I got for sharing the Gospel. The surprise wasn’t the amount of backlash but the lack thereof. The largest amount of backlash was a roll of the eyes or a “no thank you.” First thought for any Christian when they hear this is probably, “Well how did you evangelize? Did you talk about sin? Did you talk about hell? Did you bring humility to the proud and grace to the humble?” The answers to all these questions is an emphatic “YES!” The fact is that most that I talked to didn’t even know what God had done for them to replace His wrath upon their sin. They didn’t know what “repent” meant. They thought they were saved because they went to church or were baptized as an infant. When they heard what the Saviour did on the cross they were astonished and wanted to know more. I spoke to one middle aged woman who exclaimed that she had never spoken to a Christian!

What is our problem? We have people ready and wanting to hear and yet we sit down at night watching our T.V. or getting together with friends on the weekends talking and learning more about doctrine and theology and doing nothing with it. Who cares how much I know about the early church, the doctrines of Grace, or apologetics if I sit at home and just “pray” for the lost. I am not saying prayer isn’t important, for it is vital to God’s plan, but most cop out with prayer instead of action. Did Philip pray when the angel came and told him the following:

But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert.
Acts 8:26

The Scriptures don’t tell us he did, it just says that “He arose and went.” We have a country that allows free speech and yet we won’t even tell people about our Saviour who died on the cross while we were still in our sin, while we were spitting in His face, while we were giving Him vinegar instead of water, even though in return, He offers these same sinners the water which will forever quench their thirst.

Most will say, “I don’t know enough to share my faith, or I am too scared” Look at these two Scriptures and know you and I are without excuse:

And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Cor 2:1-5

For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God;
2 Tim 1:7-8

Do you believe in the power of the Spirit? Do you believe in the power of God’s word? Do you even care that people all around you are dying and going to hell? Do you want to watch those who are your friends and family burn and watch the worm eat them? I would hope the answer would be “NO.” Look at what will happen at the end of the age:

And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah. And of them also will I take for priests (and) for Levites, saith Jehovah. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Isa 66:20-24

I don’t know exactly what will happen at the end of our age but it seems as though there will be a time where we watch the unregenerate burn and watch the worm eat at their dead bodies. Next time you say you don’t know what to say or that you are too scared think of watching that loved one burn as they look into your eyes and ask you, “Why didn’t you share Christ crucified?”

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Holding On Too Tight to Tradition

I was asked this last week what I thought about “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” and if a Sabbath day was still in effect for us in the New Testament church. My first response was to see if the questioner understood what the Sabbath was meant for and even to the most rudimentary level, what day the Sabbath was actually on. After finding out that he understood the latter but not really the former I proceeded to quote Colossians 2:16,17

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day: which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's.

My thought is not to try and argue for why there isn’t a Sabbath’s day of rest anymore but the question from this gentleman was, “I have a friend whose church only meets on Wednesday nights, do you have an issue with this?” My first response being the good Southern Baptist that I am said, “Yeah, for some reason I do.” Then I told him I don’t know why it would bother me if I truly feel as though we as the New Testament church don’t follow under the rules that govern the Sabbath. Now, do I feel as though we should take a day out of our week for worshipping our Creator: of course. But tradition is the only reason we meet on Sunday. The apostles and the early church met every day, but especially on Sunday being that was the day of Christ’s resurrection.

What other traditions do we hold too tight of? I recently read on a church website that they don’t have Sunday school but have small groups on Sunday night instead. My first response? HERETICS! Wow, holding on too tight to tradition. What says we must have a time of gathering at 9am where we meet in our own age groups to learn more about the Bible? Nothing! But, I really do see the need and do love Sunday school but I have been too quick to judge when others have found other ways to minister to their congregation. We do have churches that hold so tight to their traditions that they would actually call it doctrine…ummm…oh yeah…the Roman Catholics. Way off target. Our only rule for judging whether something is of God or not is by His Holy Scriptures. We have Sunday school because we are told to edify the church, to long for the pure milk of the Word, to meditate on it day or night, to not turn to the right or left. So, Sunday school is another way to grow in our understanding of the Word of God. But Sunday school and other forms of worship that are loosely based on Bible should not become the blue print for how church is to be run while excluding all other forms of ministering to the body. So what if a church meets on Wednesday nights or has small groups on Sunday night or cancels Sunday school or has communion every week or every other week or once a month or has a worship band or just a pianist or a choir or uses the New International Version or the New American Standard or The King James Version. The question really comes down to this: Do you glorify God in all you do? Do you believe, truly believe, that it is by grace alone that you are saved and not by whether you only use The King James Version only or have Sunday school?

We really need to go back and understand what the reformers laid out for our focus: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Soli Deo Gloria (For the Glory of God Alone). Return to the roots of why we worship and gather together and understand, it isn’t the programs, it isn’t the time of day or actual day we worship, but WHO we worship and WHY we worship. May God always be shown glory in our worship services with all reverence and fear.

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God's Will For Our Lives

Have you ever wondered what God's will is? Have you ever contemplated whether or not you truly are in God's will right now. Have you ever felt like you are standing outside of His will looking in, wondering how in the world you can be in the center of it? Ever come to a "fork in the road" concerning life, whether it is I career path to make or a ministry to join, and wonder how you know which one God wants you to take? I have faced this many, many times and find myself staring at the inevitable question once more. This time, the question does not just involve myself but my wife and potentially my kids. How do I know which road to take and how do I make sure the path that I am on is God lead. Three easy check points for truly knowing how to be in God's will.

1. This is the most important checkpoint. You MUST BE A CHRISTIAN! Now when I say a "Christian", I do not mean it in the loose, liberal, self-gratifying, all-inclusive way that the world uses it. I mean it in the strictest sense possible. A christian is someone that follows Christ. A servant of our living Savior and Master. A Christian is someone who has acknowledged their sin and need for a savior(they are going to hell), they have confessed with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, and they have believed in their heart, soul, and mind that Jesus died on the cross for their sins taking the penalty for our sins which is death and that He rose from the dead on the third day conquering sin and death and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. (Rom. 3:1-10, 23; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 16:31) Without this belief and devotion to Christ, stop here, you will not be able to be in God's will without doing so first.

2. You must be walking with God and all sin confessed. This is a continual and ongoing event. In order to commune with a holy, righteous, just and awesome God, we must be pure of heart and holy in stature. A daily conditioning of our body must be in order. I believe that this is just part of what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. When he declares that we need to "buffet our body and beat it into submission" and again the author of Heb. 12 when he stats "Therefore, let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us...". How can someone know the Will of God if he is not in harmony with God. The Bible declares that sin breaks our communion with our heavenly Father and therefore our relationship suffers. Have you ever gotten into a fight with a brother, sister, parent, or friend and then not speak for quit some time? It puts kind of a rift between you and the other person. How much more of a gap is there when we sin against our Holy Father and then not confess it? In order for us to be in God's will we must be living a holy, upright, and above reproach life.

3. Finally, knowing what God says in His word and then practicing it will allow you to be in His will. I believe that there are two pieces to His will: There is a Broad or General will that God has for every believer and there is a specific will that God has for each individual's life. The general will applies to every one and is consistent throughout. You can read what God has to say about this in several different passages. Starting with the great commission found in Matt. 28:18-20 you can see that one of our main goals as a Christian is to share the gospel and make disciples. This is a direct command from Jesus Christ. Another command that God has given us in His word is to "fight the good fight and run the race". Paul speaks of us "running the race with endurance" and "standing firm against ruler's of this darkness". (2 Tim. 2; Eph. 6; 1 Cor. 9:16-27) Our goal as believers is to stay true to his word and to finish the coarse that God has set before us. What is that coarse, you ask? It could be suffering. Paul pleads with us in 2 Tim. 2 (read the whole chapter) to "join with him in his suffering" for the sake of the gospel. Jesus tells the disciples that the world will hate you. "If it has hated me, it will hate you". Whatever the coarse, our main goal is to love and spread the gospel to those in need...Namely, everyone.

As for the specific Will of God for our lives, that is different for everyone. God directs each person differently but how we find that specific will for our lives is the same. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us a pretty good understanding of how to find God's specific will for our lives.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

A few things to note here: We are to trust God with EVERYTHING that comes in our path. We fall when we decide to trust in our own decisions and try to take matters in our own hands. I think all too often we go about our business OUR way and then turn to God when we have failed or need his help. The key here is to Trust God in everything and abandon our practice of leaning on our own deficiencies. If we do this then God, not us, will make our paths straight. Notice it says "paths", plural. I truly believe that God allows us to choose different paths within His will. In other words, He will make make whatever path that we choose straight as long as we are fully trusting in Him and leaning on His understanding and following His General Will. You could say that if we are in His General Will then we will be in His specific will for our lives. They go hand in hand.

So to recap, in order to find God's will for your life you must be a Christian that is walking with God and living a life that is above reproach. In so doing, you will be preaching the gospel and thereby running the race that has been set before us and allowing God to direct your steps because you are leaning on Him rather than your own understandings. The choices that you make will be aligned with God's choices because you are seeking His glory before your own. What a wonderful God that we serve, knowing that He has our very best in mind and planned out! May we always look to Jesus and Him Crucified!

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Lie, Steal, Cheat and Swear

Are you a liar, stealer, cheater or swearer? I grew up for thirteen years without doing the big four but I must confess when I began to do them on a daily basis my life was changed. I discovered that the more I did them the better I felt and the closer to God I became. Let me explain.

My first spiritual experience began when I decided to “LIE” down each night and pray to God. I must admit for a few years my prayers sounded like something you would hear an eight-year-old asking Santa Claus. As I continued over the years I found myself praying more for the salvation of others more than anything else. While attending The Master’s College my prayers turned more introspective as I became more aware of my own frailties and a need for serious personal spiritual growth. By the time I graduated I began to keep a prayer journal and each night when I would lie down I would pray about every and anything. I love that time just before bed when I lie down and humble myself before the Lord my God my maker.

While attending college I majored in history in which required tons of reading. Unfortunately I was not a good reader nor did I enjoy the process. I began to “STEAL” time each day reading God’s word a few months into my first year at The Master’s College. Nothing has impacted my life more than being discipled by God through His word. As an adult it seems as though time is the most difficult thing to obtain in life. I make it a point to steal time everyday sometime during the day in God’s word. Sometimes I read first thing in the morning sometimes it’s the last thing I do at night and sometimes I pull off the side of the road and steal some time from life.

I love to “CHEAT” the devil out of victory. The devil’s schemes are all around us and each time we succumb to his empty philosophies we give him victory. The spiritual disciplines of a Godly man like praying and reading God’s word cheat the devil out of the joy of keeping man complacent. The spiritual acts of worship like serving in the widow; orphan and poor cheat the devil out of gaining a foothold in the lives of struggling man.

Finally when I was thirteen I remember asking the Lord into my life. I can picture that day like it was yesterday as I sat in my room begging for his grace and mercy. I knew I wanted the sweet taste of salvation but what I didn’t know was that there was a response to redemption. It wasn’t until a few years later while attending Basic Youth Conflicts that I realized a life with Christ wasn’t just about taking it was about giving as well. It was then that I realized that Jesus was not only the Savior but also the Lord. I began to SWEAR allegiance to Jesus the Christ, Master of my life. Each time I bow the knee before His throne I renew my vow to follow Him. I know now to fear the Lord, worship Him and swear by His name. I will not follow any of the gods of the peoples around me.

So you see it is a good thing to LIE, STEAL, CHEAT and SWEAR.

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I Digress

As I have spoken to some of my fellow bloggers and others that have read this last post on hand raising I need to make sure I come back and make sure that I make something very clear. I have worshipped with and seen many fellow believers who find it very natural to raise their hands during worship and I would continue to stand and worship and fight the battle hand in hand and step by step with no thought of them being “showy” or doing anything of what would be considered selfish worship. My post was written from a point of view of someone who has been continually told throughout my entire life that he is lifeless and dead merely because he doesn’t raise his hands during worship. Told that I am not filled with the Holy Spirit because I don’t raise my hands. Told that I was cold because I don’t raise my hands. Told that all his churches that he has been in are cold and unloving and don't know how to worship because we didn't raise our hands. This has been an inner fight my entire life, knowing that if I ever said anything against it, it would be seen as a harsh attack on brothers and sisters in Christ. My intent was not to “fire” at an “opposition” as it came across to many, but was merely an attempt to make sure we continue to look to Scripture to guide us in every thing that we do.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Cor 10:31

Or would be paraphrased by the reformers, “Soli Deo Gloria.”

I didn’t want people to look at this as an attack but realize it could easily be seen as that, I didn’t want it to be harsh, but it has been seen as that as well. I also know that if I was going to tackle this question at all it would always be seen in some way as an attack

So if you raise your hands during worship, I am not saying you are doing it out of selfishness or being showy, I am just asking you to examine the “why.” If you examine the “why” and you still feel as though the only reason you do it is because you are worshipping with fear, know that I would stand next to you and worship daily without any second thought. But also know as my hands are in my pocket or behind my back that my heart is reaching as high as heaven along with yours. Please take a second look at the post and understand it truly comes from a brother that does care for those around but truly is searching daily for the truth of how God commands us to stand for Him. Ravi Zacharias said it best; we as Christians are to conform to God’s Word and not expect the Word to conform to us.

Examine all things, hold fast that which is good
1 Thessalonians 5:21

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Got a Question?

This is what I used to think, because I thought I was funny, when I was a young Baptist growing up in the Bible belt when I saw people raising their hands in worship. I just never understood why people raised their hands in worship. I never understood why people would just stand up and raise their hands when everyone else was sitting down. Was this a way to put yourself on stage so all could see your “spirituality?” I would hope this wouldn’t be the reason but was always confused on why and how this practice started in worship. The only place we see this in the New Testament is in 1 Timothy 2:8;

I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing.

What does the passage say? It says that during prayer; we should lift holy hands, not during the singing of hymns and praise songs. I know that some will say that it is just natural to lift their hands or that they are reaching for the God’s hand like a child to a father’s hand. Some say are showing that they are “receiving” God’s blessings, through worship, by raising hands. Sorry to be such a conservative but I don’t see it in Scripture and what I see out of a lot of people is show more than love for the brethren. Now I can’t judge people’s hearts and most would consider me apart of the “frozen chosen” but I am not going to do something that isn’t laid out in Scripture. We are told to be apart of the body of Christ and to never consider ourselves more highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3) and we are to be lowly and meek (Ephesians 4:2), how is raising hands showing you are apart of the body? Isn’t it putting other’s eyes on you instead of the focus being totally on God?

I know that this will strike a nerve with a lot of people but I want to know why? Why do people raise their hands? Why only during singing? Why only during certain songs? Why not during the preaching? Why not during communion? Why not during church discipline? We are only told to do this during prayer, even David mentions raising his hands during supplications to the Lord (Psalm 28:2), but where does it stop?

I am really tired of people saying that I am not spiritual or that our church isn’t Holy Spirit filled because most of us don’t raise our hands during worship. What a joke. I am tired of people telling us that we are dead or dry because we don’t raise our hands, when those same people can’t even defend their faith or give me a reason I should believe on the blood stained cross that Christ was shed on. These same people (that lash out, not necessarily ALL hand raisers) care more about show than theology. I am told that I don’t love God because I don’t raise my hands and speak in tongues when no one has ever convinced me that either are biblical. I have an idea, start believing in Sola Scriptura and then we’ll have some common ground to start at; start with your emotions and I will show you pagan worship.

To obey is better than sacrifice
1 Samuel 15:20-23

Here is my disclaimer on this whole post. Don’t think that I think badly of those who like raising their hands or have something against “hand-raisers.” I just test everything to Scripture and want to know the reason people raise their hands when it isn’t in Scripture. I want everyone to know I love my brethren, and love those whom I don’t see eye to eye on with everything on Scripture. I just really get tired of being told because I don’t do something, in this case raising my hands, that my heart isn’t praising God.

Remember God cares more about the inside than the outside. I understand that the outside sometimes shows the inside, such as Moses being demanded to take off his sandals when he was standing on holy ground. I am not a Gnostic, but understand that God does call us to do certain things to show our heart (giving, evangelism, loving the brethren, and all the gifts of the Spirit) but raising hands during singing isn’t one of them.

Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Jeremiah 4:4


And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezek 11:19-20

The real question is where is your heart not where are your hands.

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Spiritual Warfare, Pt. 2

Seth and I were exchanging emails this week, and we both agreed that there have been some tough things to deal with over the last couple of days in our individual lives. Then he commented that it's possible that the enemy was trying to throw us off track for the upcoming time we will be gathering to witness at Maple Valley Days. Even after I had been thinking on the subject of spiritual warfare, I had not even connected these two thoughts as a possibility. The hard part is that cannot know for sure. But Seth's thought is a very real possibility.

Knowing that this battle is real, and the enemy is readily close, and that the work of God is always opposed, and that these forces that oppose are formidable and very strong, it requires that we understand the Biblical definition of what the battle is, and what the rules of engagement are.

The first passage that comes to mind when thinking about spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6:10-20. The phrase I want to focus on is in verse 11:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood..."

1) It is a struggle: While we should not fear these forces an longer, since we are in Christ (for greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)), nevertheless it is a struggle. And one we need to be constantly vigilant to engage in. We will discuss later what the Scripture ascribes and limits how we are to engage in this battle.

2) It is "our" struggle: There are very few believers that warrant the attention of Satan himself, personally. He is not omnipresent, so must focus his attacks one place/person/event at time. Knowing this, and knowing that he can and does dispatch demons to do his work in world, we need to remember that we cannot isolate ourselves and expect to have victory in this struggle. It is "our" struggle, corporately, as believers. Let us not think arrogantly that we have the strength in and of ourselves to engage successfully in this battle. If we often lose the battle with our own flesh on a daily basis, then we cannot expect to win a greater struggle with powerful, intelligent fallen angels who are greater than we are (Heb 2:6-7).

More to come....

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God's Sovereignty

When I think of God’s sovereignty I think of some of the most obvious ways we see His sovereignty in the Bible, such as His control over creation, salvation and man. I think of Romans 13 that tells us that we are to be subject to every governing authority because God has established them all. With the belief in God’s sovereignty the next logical train of thought is knowing that He is also the great Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. For if you believe that He controls all things it is only through Him that anything good comes in your life (James 1:17). The things that I love in the Bible and also in how God shows us who He is, is through revelation from His word and His people thoughts that are sort of “hidden.” Let me explain:

I was listening to Caedmon’s Call yesterday and they have a song on one of their old albums (Back Home) that had this line:

You made the seed that made the tree That made the cross that saved me

It brought reminders to me of other ways God’s sovereignty and providence are shown in the Bible. One was one that Justin brought to my attention and that is in the same passage that God is given the name Jehovah Jireh, by Abraham, on Mount Moriah, that by the way is the same place where our Christ was crucified (for another discussion that leads to amazing realities of God’s plan). The point was that as Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain God was leading up the ram that was to be sacrificed up the mountain on the other side. The same ram that led Abraham to give the name Jehovah Jireh to our God.

Think about the trees that God created knowing that those same trees were going to be the ones that Noah was going to use to build the ark to save his family and the animals from the flood that God brought. I could just see God protecting the trees from animals, weather and just other people from cutting them down. For God had a plan for some of these trees to be used specifically by Noah.

Many other examples are in the Bible to show how God was preparing His providence to His people because He controls all things. If we just started to grasp this we would understand that as we go through trials God has already been preparing His providence for us. How much more confidence would we have if we started to search for these things and trust in God when these trials happen? God even tells us that His Spirit is praying for us in ways we don’t understand. The Spirit is praying for us for trials that we don’t even know are coming, yet He does. And He not only knows they are coming but is preparing His providence for it.

Do we honestly trust God and His sovereignty? Noah did and so did Abraham; amazing men of faith of whom the world is not worthy. I pray that I start to really trust in God and know that He will truly provide my every need for He knows what is yet to come and controls all things.

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Spiritual Warfare, Pt. 1

Tony, Seth, Trevor (and maybe we'll draw Jason this time?!): Here is a subject the Lord has been impressing on me over the last couple of weeks; Spiritual Warfare. Interesting quote from Macarthur:

"During spiritual warfare, Satan's primary attacks target your thinking and emotions. If he can condition you to think and feel contrary to God's Word, he has won a significant victory. That's why he attempts to fill your mind with lies, immorality , false doctrine, and half-truths. He tries to blur the line between righteousness and sin. He clothes offensive sin in the blinding garment of entertainment. He puts it to music and masks it in humor to confuse you and deaden your spiritual senses." (emphasis mine)

I know we would all agree that Spiritual Warfare is real. The questions would be 1) "How would we define it?" 2) "What is it limited to?" 3) "What is our response as believers?" 4) (and true to Puritan thinking) "What is it not?". Contrary to the caricatures that the world portrays, like the picture above, we need to know about our enemy. Who he truly is, and how he operates so we can be prepared to Contend Earnestly.

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Number Your Days

Ps 90:12
"O teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Think on this: There is wisdom in contemplating and meditating on your own death. Psalm 90 is one of the oldest Psalms we have and it is a prayer of Moses. When have we ever asked the Lord to teach us to number our days? To be taught that this earthly life is limited. That it is brief. Firmly comprehending our death should and will have an immense impact on how we live our lives today. If we are able to number our days, then we can present a heart of wisdom to the Lord. What a prayer! Consider these thoughts:

Heb 9:27
"…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment"

Be prepared. There is only one way to be prepared for death, and that is through salvation that is found in Christ alone.

John 14:6
"I Am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me"

Once we are prepared, we are no longer to fear death.

1 Cor 15:54-57
"But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Spurgeon said that we are to live "life in such a way that any day would make a suitable top stone for life." Can you say that about your endeavors? What are we doing for the cause of Christ? Are even the mundane tasks done for His glory?

1 Cor 10:31
"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

May we take time to consider our death, that our lives may be lived in full for the glory of the Savior.

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Can't We All Just Get Along

Testing the Spirits

Since the beginning of the church we have been called to test the spirits, as described in 1 Jn 4:1. There have always been vain philosophies and false witnesses. The church has had periods where error was called heresy and the price was death! Although there may have been extreme examples of punishment for error it seems as though we have come full circle and a stand for biblical truth is considered divisive.

As the debates rage between the charismatic movement, the seeker friendly church, and now the emergent church we are faced with the challenge of discerning between the true church and the frauds.

Those who strive to defend the historical biblical Christian faith will be labeled as mean spirited and unloving or irrationally over reactive. Many local church members are caught in the cross fire as families and neighbors are divided between the battle of church philosophy.

Are these disagreements petty disputes of church philosophy or major doctrinal differences between what is true and what is heresy? In any case I keep hearing the statement that Rodney King made famous, “Can’t we all just get along?”

The idea is great, which is Christian unity but the debate is much deeper than that. The price for being wrong is not only death but an eternity in hell!

The bible is clear we are to “Contend Earnestly” for the faith. We are commanded by scripture to fight for truth. Defending the gospel should be our pleasure. Unfortunately the battle for truth is nothing new and we have been given fair warning of what is going to come our way.

Recently the assault on our faith has come in the form of pop culture and art. Through a book and a major motion picture the movie The DaVinci Code will create another blast on Christianity.

Some verses to meditate upon:

Spirits of Antichrist

I Jn 4:2-3 By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus is Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God and this is the spirit of antichrist.

3 Jn 9-10 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and he forbids those who desire to do so, and puts them out of the church.

Jer 29:8-9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name, I have not sent them, declares the Lord.

Jer 14:14 The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name, I have neither sent the nor commanded them nor spoken to them, they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.

2 Pt 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bring swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

I Jn 2:18-19 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

Church Warnings

Rev 2:9 (Church of Smyrna) the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Rev 2:13-15 (Church of Pergamum) some of you there hold to teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Some in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans

Rev 3:20 (Church of Thyatira) But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bondservants astray, so they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
A Call to Test the spirits

Rev 2:2 you cannot endure evil men, and you put to test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.

1 Thess 5:21 But examine everything carefully.

Titus 2:1;7 speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine, in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified...

1 Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith.

2 Tim 2:15-19 Be diligent as approved workmen, handling accurately the word of truth avoiding worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands.

2 Thess 2:2-3 … let no one in any way deceive you...

1 Pet 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence

Gal 1:8-9 Even though we, or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that, which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.…if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

Appointed for Battle

Phil 1:15-18 Some, preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

1 Cor 12:10 to some a distinguishing of spirits.

Prv 4:5-6 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you

Ezra 7:10 Ezra set his heart to heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel.

2 Tim 2:2 the things which you have heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Foolish World

1 Jn 4:4-6 …greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 Cor 1:18-21 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Cor 2:5 your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.


Conclusion

The unfortunate truth is that scripture clearly shows us that the assault of Christianity will come from within and from the foolish philosophies of the world. We must learn to be more discerning if the Church is going to remain strong. We must be willing to engage in difficult conversations with family and friends for the defense of the gospel.

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