Following the Living Way - Jesus Christ

Now I'm a Little Freaked Out

2009-01-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a story (or you can just go the video here) about all these celebrities making promises to be better people now that Barack Obama is President. They list the changes they want to make, ranging from working with UNICEF to smiling more to driving a more fuel-economic car to being more green to freeing 1 million people from slavery in the next 5 years, and so on.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher pledge to be servants to our president. Another says he pledges to be of service to Barack Obama.

The celebrities together say "Because together we can, together we are, and together we will be the change that we seek". They also challenge the viewer, "What's Your Pledge?"

This stuff seems benign on the surface, but underneath there are some really disturbing things that (should) make you go "hmmm". One is that, as a YouTube viewer pointed out, no political figure should be given this much devotion. He's a sinful, fallen man like the rest of us. Yes, he has the potential to do a great job as President, but he's still just a man. We don't owe this kind of allegiance, this pledge of service to anyone except God. Had we been born in a monarchy, even our service to the king would have been secondary to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another is that the celebrities seem to expect that just because they have made these pledges, we all should too. Why? Because they're the celebrities and we're just peons? Because we should all be this trusting and optimistic about Barack Obama's leadership, one day into office? Because anyone who was anyone should have voted for Obama, and now that he's in office we just need to jump on the politically correct bandwagon?

The third disturbing thing is, as the WND article points out, why did all these people wait until now to make these pledges to be better? Why not last week, or last month?

The final point I'm going to make is that it's great to try and be a better person, as long as we realize that we are not the ones who define good and evil. A truly better person would recognize that God has authority over all. He is the Creator, we are the creatures. Sometimes our promises to be better turn out to be self-righteous assertions of our goodness, when we need to humbly realize that, as Jesus said, "No one is good - except God alone" (Mark 10:18).

The President's Secret

2008-12-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a story about something that President Bush has done over the course of his tenure in the White House: he's written personal letters to the families of every soldier that has died in the War on Terror. Not for publicity, not for a photo-op, not for the pollsters, but just because he believed it was his duty.

This President has probably been the target of the most vicious, most calumnious, most vitriolic, hateful speech in American history. It is disgraceful. And it says a lot about our society's lack of respect for those in authority, even when we vehemently disagree on some things. Say what you want about his policies, but hating the man himself is just wrong.

Persecution in India

2008-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a whole page of links describing different persecution topics in just the state of Orissa, India. Many Hindus there have launched numerous attacks on Christians. This shows us one thing loud and clear: Christianity must be making some inroads into that area.

The Hindus, especially the Brahmins, have a vested social and economic interest in keeping the caste system alive and well, but Christianity tells the truth about the caste system - that it's a big fat lie and we're all equal before God. And, the devil always responds with violence when his kingdom is being threatened. See the book of Acts.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in India.

Our New Game Relationality

2008-11-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well, for those of you who know us, you probably know that we created a board game. It has finally come out. If you are interested, you can order it here or to the right in the links section. Please pray that the Lord will use it for His purposes, to help people make better relationships decisions. Pray that He will enable us to get it into public schools (it is research-based and not a Christian game, although research is in accord with God's principles) and that it will really change some relationships in the US. Thanks!

Persecution in the Western World

2008-11-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

We cannot expect the West (Europe & N. America) to always be free from persecution of Christians, and I mean serious persecution not name calling. Why do I say something as "pessimistic" as that? Because that's what Jesus taught:

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Matthew 24:9

In my Bible I don't have a little asterisk next to the phrase "all nations," indicating that America is an exception.

Here are two stories about persecution of a church in Lansing, Mich., and a missionary in Vancouver B.C.

Note that the church responded with prayer and a reminder that its mission is to love people and proclaim the Bible. The missionary is in the hospital and presumably hasn't had a chance to make a statement. That is how we must respond - with love. That's why we need to be walking with the Lord every day, because naturally speaking, that love isn't going to come from us.

Voting Correctly

2008-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here's how to vote on Tuesday, or technically, here's what to do before you vote:

Do research.

Take a look at what the voting records of the candidates involved of every office you vote for, if possible.

Do not project your wishes and hopes onto a candidate. In other words, vote for who the candidate is, not who you want him or her to be. Look at the hard truth about the candidates. It's kind of like dating when you realize, I need to look at who the person really is and ask myself, can I live with that?

Repeat that last step again.

Pray.

Vote. If you get to vote at our church's polling place, you are a lucky person. They have free food!

"Expelled" and the right to be outraged

2008-10-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" yet? It's a fantastic presentation of how the evolutionist scientific "establishment" has treated the Intelligent Design arguments. Five stars, highly recommended.

Here is an article about how some of the atheists, including Richard Dawkins, a very vocal presenter of atheism ("The God Delusion" is one of his recent works), were upset at the movie. They felt the filmmakers had deceived them because the original title of the film was different; they believed that the premise or focus of the movie was misrepresented and thus, they, the evolutionists, were asked to be interviewed under false pretenses.

I don't know if Ben Stein's film company misrepresented anything to the evolutionists; I hope not. However, my question to the evolutionists is this: if we are all evolved from a single celled organism in the distant past, and there is no Creator or God outside of the system, from Whom we get our sense of morality, then this universe (closed system) is all we have, and science is the only true realm of knowledge. How, then, can you justify being outraged? To be outraged, you must examine what has been done to you (the observable action) and compare it with an invisible standard of what should have been done to you.

The question is, where did you get this invisible standard? How can you define what should have been done to you? Where, scientifically, does this come from? How can you hypothesize about it, test it, measure it, and repeat it? If you only have non-directed evolution to explain your existence, your brainwaves, your thoughts, then do you really have a right to claim that a moral injustice has been perpetrated by Ben Stein's filmmakers? Where'd you get your moral standard on which to base your claim?

If atheistic evolution is true, then all's fair in love, war and the evolutionary process -meaning the totality of life on this planet. Thus, if Ben Stein & his crew deceived the atheists, they had every right (according to atheistic evolution) to do so. Perhaps that's just part of the next stage in human evolution - deceiving others for profit or other motive. Who are the complaining atheists to stand in the way of evolutionary progress - even if that progress involves lying to the atheists?

The fact is, the atheists don't have a leg to stand on. To affirm atheistic evolution, they must deny the existence of an overall, intangible (or "spiritual") standard of morality, apart from the evolutionary process. (And if morality is just a part of the evolutionary process, then we should actually celebrate deviations from that morality, because deviations, in the form of mutations, are the way that evolution moves forward). Yet to justify feeling outraged, they must accept an overarching moral standard which should apply equally to them and to Ben Stein, and claim that Stein violated that standard by deceiving them.

In short, they're in a philosophical mess. And that's the point of the movie.

The Fairness Doctrine & The Dark Knight

2008-10-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here's an article about how one Senator thinks bringing back the Fairness Doctrine is a great idea. Even more disturbing is that the article mentions a poll in which 47 percent of Americans think the government should require stations to "balance" their on-air viewpoints with opposing ideas. This is a terrible, terrible idea. Why? Not just because it may end conservative talk radio (some of which isn't great anyway). But because who determines what is "balanced?" The government. That means fallible people with power.

This country was founded on the idea that the individual human being had the responsibility and the ability to make up his or her own mind about different ideas. When a newspaper column or a street corner preacher presented a viewpoint, the average citizen was expected to use some common sense and discernment to decide the speaker's believability. That is what is behind freedom of speech and freedom of the press - the authority of the individual person to think for himself. The Fairness Doctrine says "We, the government, don't believe that you, the citizens, have the right or the ability to discern truth on your own. So we are going to decide truth for you. We, fallible human beings, are going to tell you what balance is, and make sure that you are getting a 'balanced' view, based on our definition of balance."

This, friends, is one more step toward tyranny, where the government assumes power and authority over an area in which it is not supposed to have that authority - the ability to determine truth. Never forget that "the government" is just flawed human beings like you and me. It can only do so much.

And that brings up one reason why I didn't like "The Dark Knight" despite having eagerly awaited it for 3 years. The reason is that in the end, Batman decided that the citizens of Gotham were too stupid and too immature to handle the truth that Harvey Dent turned bad. Instead, he took the blame for Dent's crimes, allowing Gotham to believe a lie. The "self-sacrificing superhero" protected the "naive citizenry" from the truth.

And, the would-be enforcers of the Fairness Doctrine no doubt see themselves as the benevolent, enlightened "public servants" who "heroically" protect the naive citizens from such terrors as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The real tragedy is that 47% of the citizens apparently don't believe they can discern the truth for themselves, either.

Discipleship ingredients

2008-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Seth Barnes has a great blog today on the ingredients for discipleship. It's an important reminder to make it PERSONAL. Programs can't make a disciple.

Doesn't the financial bailout seem a little suspicious?

2008-09-24T10:17:00.001-07:00

That's what Joseph Farah believes. Check out his article here.

Yeah, it does.

Say What???

2008-09-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

"Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor."

These are the words of US Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn). You can read a short story about it here.

I've heard Jesus called a lot of things, but never a community organizer!

If that was His purpose, He obviously didn't do what He was supposed to do. Much of the community turned against Him!

Of course this is absurd. Jesus was motivated by one thing: doing the will of the Father. "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38). Jesus had no desire for earthly power. Jesus knew the world would hate him: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (Jn 15:18).

It's not a great idea, whether you are a Democrat ("What Would Jesus Drive?") or a Republican ("Jesus is for free markets"), to throw around Jesus' name to support what you think is a good thing. You're safer sticking to what the Bible actually says about Him.

Perhaps this is a good time to remember that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and that the more we follow Jesus, the better the chances that some people will hate us. That is to be expected. It is the false prophet whom everyone likes, because the false prophet just says what everyone wants to hear. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." - Luke 6:26.

"Basic Instinct" author converts to Christianity

2008-08-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Check out this conversion story - how awesome God is! How loving and how willing He is to accept those who reach the end of their rope and truly cry out to Him. There is no other god like this. Can you imagine "Allah" acting this way - receiving someone who, in desperation, cries out to Him (in faith, without the 5 pillars and enough good works)? What about one of the Hindu deities? The Mormon "Jesus" who died so that we could earn our way to heaven? Or any other man-made god?

No, this is the One who, when dying on a cross, heard a desperate thief say "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" and replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)

All it really takes to be saved is a heart that truly cries out to God in desperation. And He'll answer.

More Archaeological Confirmation of the Bible's Accuracy

2008-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Read Jeremiah 38:1 and then check out this story. The Bible is not just some kind of "Religious truth" or "spiritual truth" as in an allegory. It is TRUE, period. Yes, there is poetic and some symbolic language in the Bible, but its historical data is true. It is reliable and worth putting faith in. Isn't God gracious to give us His Word which stands firm in the midst of a chaotic world?

Son of Hamas Leader becomes a Christian

2008-07-31T14:17:00.001-07:00

Check out this article for the story. Pretty amazing. And, here is an article by Joel Rosenberg, who describes the multitudes of conversions to Christ taking place in the Muslim world. God's Spirit is doing something unprecedented and it is awesome to see. I wish the major news outlets would pick it up.

My Blog Seems to Be a Misnomer & Mediterranean Union

2008-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

OK, I have to admit. Every time I have posted recently (which is certainly a relative term given my frequency), it has not been on Christian living, or Christian doctrine. It has usually been on something in the news that seems to have prophetic significance, or could have significance in the future. I hope you don't see that as evidence of an unbalanced or disturbed mind (!).

So perhaps my blog is misnamed. Sorry about that. But it is fascinating to me that there is so much news out there that points toward future events like: a one-world government, a future world ruler, a mark that we all have to take for economic participation, government's continued intrusion into our personal lives, and more. This is an incredibly bizarre time in history, and, I believe, we are nearing what the Bible speaks of as the "last days".

Today's post is another in the same vein. If you read Daniel 9:20-27, you'll see prophecies given in the 500s B.C. that refer to the coming of the Messiah ("Anointed One"), followed by the destruction of the Jewish Temple, and a future, evil ruler to come after the Messiah. The key verses for today's post are 26 and 27:

After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

So Jesus, the Messiah, was cut off - as we know. Then it says, "the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." From the previous verse (25) we know that the "city" is Jerusalem, and of course the Jews would have referred to the Temple as the only "sanctuary." We know that the Romans destroyed the city and the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD (40 years or so after Jesus died). So the Romans are the "people of the ruler who will come". But who is the "ruler" who will come? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? The next verse, 9:27, makes it clear that he's a bad guy:

He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

What makes it clear that he's a bad guy is this "abomination that causes desolation." This probably refers to something absolutely blasphemous, evil and unholy introduced into the Jewish Temple. This has already happened once - there was an "abomination" set up by the Greek king Antiochus IV ("Epiphanes") - a pig sacrificed on the altar of the Jewish Temple in 168 B.C. Could that have been the abomination referred to by Danel in 9:27? I don't think so, because Jesus spoke of a future abomination in Matthew 24:15 - and Jesus lived after Antiochus. And Paul speaks of "the man of lawlessness" who will come, the man who "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thess. 2:4). That seems to be the abomination that Jesus is speaking of.

So there is this bad guy, predicted in Daniel 9, who comes from the "people who will destroy the city and the sanctuary".

In addition, in Daniel 2 and 7, the fourth kingdom has usually been interpreted by scholars as the Roman kingdom. Daniel 7:25-26 refers to an evil ruler from this kingdom. In Daniel 2:44, Daniel says that in the time of this fourth kingdom, God will set up His kingdom and crush all the others. So it seems, at least in my opinion, that: A) the Antichrist world ruler will be a Roman, or at least out of the Roman Empire; and B) there would be a Roman empire of some kind in the last days, for the Antichrist to come out of.

Now, I admit this has always bothered me when end-times people would equate the Roman Empire to modern-day Europe, because the old Roman Empire didn't just encompass modern Europe - it controlled the Mediterranean world as well. But, you have to check this story out.

Incredible, isn't it?

Now, something else that bothers me when I think about this is that in many ways, the United States shares the same cultural heritage, legal system, and many other social aspects as Europe. We trace many of our customs, especially legal ones, back to the Roman empire and the rebirth of classical Greco-Roman culture during the Renaissance. Should the US be considered part of the rebirthing Roman Empire, or not? I don't know.

Getting Closer to the End, No Doubt

2008-05-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Is Google trying to take over the lives of every human being on the planet? I mean, storing your medical records on Google's computers? Are you kidding me? It's bad enought that they're driving around in our neighborhoods snapping pics of our houses for their Street View.

Let's think this one through. Google agreed to cooperate with the Chinese government in prohibiting access to certain websites. Is there any doubt that Google will allow the US government access to all its files, searches, everything, when the time comes that the government demands it? If they haven't already, that is....

And then what are the Brits thinking? Creating human - animal mixed embryos?

As Chuck Missler once said, these issues of fertilization and creation of human life are near and dear to God's heart. If YOU created this universe, and created humans and animals to be separate, and you loved people and animals, wouldn't YOU be TICKED right about now?

God's wrath is part of His love. If He didn't care so much, He wouldn't be angry about this stuff. Now, I'm not God but the Bible is pretty clear about Christ returning in wrath to judge the earth. I think He's getting pretty ready to do just that, with this kind of behavior going on.

Today I read Isaiah 63:1-6. Compare that passage to Revelation 19:11-21. Both are pictures of Christ returning to judge the world for all its evil. It will look like He won't come back, but sure enough, He will. If you by some chance are reading this and haven't made peace with Him, do it today.

Indiana Jones & the Ark

2008-05-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

The new Indiana Jones movie is coming out, and you heard it predicted here that it....isn't going to be that good. I hope I'm wrong but the previews certainly don't look encouraging. And who really cares about a Crystal Skull anyway? I mean, the Lost Ark was pretty exciting, and Sean Connery was hilarious in the Last Crusade. What's this one got to offer? Sorry Shia LeBoeuf.

Speaking of Indy, the REAL Ark of the Covenant has been claimed to be in Ethiopia, among other places. I saw this article that the Queen of Sheba's palace has been found in Ethiopia. That sounds interesting, but obviously we have no idea whether the ark was smuggled out of Israel and into Ethiopia.

What we DO know is that there was a Queen of Sheba, that she visited Solomon, and she was blown away by his wisdom. We also knew that Solomon, as wise as he was, nevertheless thought he could be careless about following God's instructions. See 1 Kings 10-11. Things didn't turn out so well.

That is something for us leaders to think about.

I am a Joel C Rosenberg fan

2008-05-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Joel has written a number of good fiction books which have to do with possible ways prophecy could be fulfilled in the near future. Some are: The Last Jihad, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and his latest Dead Heat. I definitely recommend them.

Also, check out his blog: joelrosenberg.blogspot.com which talks about a lot of current events and how they could be prophetically significant. Very interesting.

Recently he was on the Glenn Beck show which was fascinating.

One of the most interesting prophetic signs is that Russia has made an alliance with Iran, which has apparently never happened in history. Ezekiel 38 talks about such an alliance, with a coalition of Russia (Gog), Iran (Persia), Libya (Put), probably Sudan (Cush) and others invading Israel. Isn't it amazing that today, radical Islam and Russia's attempts to pacify the Muslims could cause this scenario to actually play out? But it's not amazing when we remember that God knows it all...

The Islamic View of Jesus

2008-01-14T09:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a story about a movie showing in Iran, about the Islamic view of Jesus - namely, that he was a prophet of God but did not die on the cross (Judas supposedly died in his place). Supposedly this Jesus will return with the Islamic Messiah ("Mahdi") at the end of time.

A few thoughts...

Paul said that it was "of first importance" that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve." (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

He also said that if anyone preaches a different gospel than this, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

He also warned about being led astray from sincere and pure devotion to the real Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

And, of course, Jesus warned about false Messiahs and false Christs (Matthew 24:4-5).

Finally, Revelation certainly speaks of two figures coming at the end of time. The problem is, one is the ANTI-Christ, and the other is his false prophet (Rev. 13). Doesn't this sound like it could be the Islamic "Jesus" coming back with the Islamic Mahdi? Millions if not billions will be deceived by them.

It is very sad that so many people are deceived by Islam. The Muslims cannot believe that God could have a Son, and if He did, He certainly would not have died a horrible death. They believe God would have rescued him. But they don't see the links between the Old Testament sacrifices and the sacrifice of Jesus. And, sadly, they are taught that the Bible has been changed over and over by the Jews and Christians, so they won't believe the New Testament when it explains why Jesus died.

Pray for them.

The Tower of Babel & Mankind's Current Enterprise

2007-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest article for the church newsletter.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4)

This is a very peculiar story. At first glance, it seems almost silly that God would want us to know this information, and that He would take space in His Word to describe this scene. What could a tower built thousands of years ago have to do with us, aside from describing the origin of different languages? Actually, I believe this is a story that is even more relevant to us than to people in past centuries.

The “whole world” at this time consisted of the descendants of Noah, the only survivors of the Flood. But we should not underestimate how many people could have been involved here – this incident took place in the time of Peleg, the great-great-great grandson of Noah, and according to Genesis 10 there were many people on the earth. Yet all of Noah’s descendants knew the same language and speech.

God had commanded the descendants of Noah to spread out over the earth and fill it. Instead, they gathered together in the plain of Shinar. This is the land of Babylon (modern-day Iraq). In the Bible, Babylon is the city of evil, the city of man’s rebellion against God, the city representative of a proud and evil world. In Revelation, Babylon is the evil city at the end of history that rules over the whole world. The location here in Babylonia should alert us to the fact that something bad is going on.

The people decided to use baked bricks instead of stone to build this tower. The text seems to imply that this was a new technology for them. They decided to use their newfound knowledge to build a city, and the architectural masterpiece of the city would be a tower that reaches to the heavens. Did they think they could reach God? Or was this some astrological method of worshiping the stars (which many pagan peoples did)?

Whatever the specific spiritual purpose of the tower was, the overall purpose of the city and tower was to “make a name for” the people, and to prevent their being scattered over the earth. This was a project of arrogance, designed to show how strong and smart they were, and a project of rebellion which (they believed) could keep them from having to obey God.

So, Genesis 11 tells a story of:
1) The whole world of human beings united together,
2) with one common language,
3) using new technology
4) as the basis for arrogant self-expression,
5) and rebellious disobedience to God.

Does that sound like it relates to today’s world?

Many people, both religious and secular leaders, are talking about the incredible potential mankind has, the things we can accomplish together with technology, how we are “one world community.” There are, of course, many wonderful things that technology can do. But we who know the Lord’s Word know that all the technology in the world cannot fix the sin in the human heart.

Don’t ever fall for the lies stating we can all be “one humanity.” We are not one. Those of us who follow Jesus Christ are in opposition to those who follow this world’s ways. That’s not because we are elitists; it’s because we’re following One who does things completely differently, One who is opposed to the selfish pride of mankind. We want those who follow the ruler of this world to come over to God’s side, but God’s ways will always be opposed to sinful man’s ways.

Don’t believe the lie that we can create the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus Christ Himself will bring God’s kingdom to earth. We can get glimpses, or foretastes, of that kingdom through the Holy Spirit’s power, through experiences with God, through loving each other. But the full kingdom will come with Jesus, not because we make it happen. Sinful humanity, separated from God and refusing to come to terms with Him through Christ, will never build anything godly. That’s the lesson of the Tower of Babel, and it’s a powerful reminder to us living in this world.

Playing a Dangerous Game

2007-11-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Bible clearly predicts that all the nations will come against Jerusalem and be allied against her. Zechariah 12. What's so tragic is that the United States, a nation whose citizens used to know the Bible (Harry Truman referred to himself as "Cyrus" when he helped create the modern state of Israel), is following the same path as all the other countries of the world. Here's an article about how our President is calling for a Palestinian state including a major part of Jerusalem. I wish he would study Zechariah.

2008

2007-10-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Speaking as a private citizen, I think all Americans should investigate this Peter Paul suit against Senator Clinton. Click here for a trailer about the upcoming documentary.

Look down...way down

2007-09-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Check out the banner at the bottom of the page. Links to a convicting site from Ray Comfort about the movies and blasphemy. (I think that the Way of the Master is a good method to use when sharing your faith - as long as it's done in a loving spirit.)

Let's Try This Again

2007-07-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm going to try to keep up with this again, after a long long break.

Here is a story about a massive UFO sighting in England. It seems that we are getting a lot more of these UFO sightings around the world, and some are even caught on tape. There was a sighting at Chicago's O'Hare airport by some United employees in the past year.

How are we to think of this as Christians?
There are a few options.
1. Say that everyone who sees a UFO is nuts and hallucinating. While I'm sure plenty of people hallucinate, especially those under occult influence or alcohol/drug influence, there are too many stories in my opinion to apply this theory to everyone. I can't believe everyone who has seen one is on drugs or psychotic.

2. Say that these are real aliens.

3. Say that these are demons, attempting to fool people into believing they are aliens.

I passionately believe in number 3. Why?
-Demons are imposters of other beings, including angels and humans. Paul wrote that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Often demons will impersonate dead people as "ghosts" in order to deceive the unaware.
-These UFOs seem to defy the laws of physics in their movements. They seem more spiritual than strictly physical.
-Any true aliens would acknowledge the same Creator God as we would, the One revealed in the Bible.
-Many human-"alien" encounters reveal that these beings are evil.
-Often those who have experienced "abductions" have been involved in the occult in some way.
-Why would real beings from another planet, who must be able to travel at amazing speeds and possess superior technology to be able to disappear, reappear, etc. fail to be able to communicate with us, except with bizarre appearances, crop circles, etc.?
-Chuck Missler did a great series on aliens/UFOs, arguing that they could be related to the Nephilim (fallen angelic beings) of Genesis 6, and reminding us that Jesus said His coming would be like in the "days of Noah". Go to khouse.org for more info on this. I think he's pretty convincing on this topic (I don't agree with him on every topic).
-There is an excellent video out called "The UFO Conspiracy" (find it at Amazon.com) that discusses these phenomena in light of historical UFO sightings, demonic deceptions, and other relevant topics. It is very convincing and well done. I have a copy if you want to borrow it.

I just want people to know that Christianity has answers for these sorts of weird supernatural events. Many people will be deceived by these things, because they don't know the Bible. Friends, study your Bibles!

Hate Speech Law Will Eventually Cause Pastors to go to Jail

2007-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Not surprising - we've been seeing it coming for years. Here is an article about a proposed anti-hate speech law in the US House. If it passes, it looks like those people who say publicly that homosexuality is wrong, or read the Bible passages which clearly state it's wrong, will be in danger of jail time.

Persecution is coming to America and is already here.

North American Union update

2007-01-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here is an article about the conference between reps from the US, Mexico and Canada, apparently to discuss plans toward a North American Union. Check it out.

Persecution is coming...even in America

2007-01-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

It's true. Jesus and others prophesied persecution against God's people at the end of time. That includes the United States.

Here is an article by a Jewish rabbi warning Christians of the persecution that is headed our way.

We need to be strong in our faith and draw close to God. "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9).

France in Africa

2007-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Check this out.

http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53723

I love the line "did not want to create a crisis in Franco-American relations over a country regarded to have little strategic interest".

Like the Franco-American relationship is that great anyway. Yeah, it's worth sacrificing a few million people for. Oh wait, if they're in Africa, yes that makes sense. (Heavy sarcasm). Can you believe this?

Well, all I can say is that the Lord isn't a racist, and he isn't an Africa-hater. So he is not going to just wink and say "Well, that's how tough foreign policy decisions must be made."

So this will come back to haunt France and probably the U.S. too, at some point.

Surprising Statement in the Iraq report

2006-12-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Iraq Study Group report includes a statement about the Palestinian's "right to return" to their "homeland." You can see that story here.

Friends, I am sorry but there is no right to return. God promised that He would call Israel back to their native land. It was theirs to begin with. The United States cannot start thinking this way. But, I am afraid that we will think this way, because most Americans do not believe God's promises any more.

And this story is even worse. To sit down with Israel's sworn enemies, and to exclude Israel, is madness. It is madness driven by political expedience and by unbelief in the true God, the Judeo-Christian God. We have lost our moral strength so we are ready to capitulate to the bad guys. Unbelievable.

Ahmadinejad's Letter to Us

2006-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

Iranian president Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to the American people. You can read it here if you want to.

This is a man who can utter smooth, deceiving words with the best of them. There is so much that is disturbing about this letter.

Consider this prologue to his letter:
"O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers."

Sounds good, but there's one problem. Jesus Christ has already been revealed. Mahmoud is not talking about him, but about the one he is looking for.

When I took Islam in college, it was very clear to me that the Muslim Mahdi (Messiah) to come will be the Antichrist. Mr. Ahmadinejad's Messiah will indeed be that person.

"Both our nations are God-fearing..." he writes. The true God, however, is NOT the god of Islam. They are totally different.

His letter attempts to turn us against Israel, stating "What has blind support for the Zionists by the US administration brought for the American people?" He is appealing to our selfish nature, wanting us to ask the question, "Why should we support Israel?"

Friends, we support Israel because the restoration of that land to the Jewish people is a fulfilled promise of Almighty God, the true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God revealed in Jesus Christ. Our support for Israel is rooted in our Christian faith, not simply that Israel is a fellow democracy. This is something that I guess President Bush feels that he cannot say, but it is true. Christians know that God is a promise-keeping God, and that the restoration of Israel is a part of His plan. Does Israel do everything right? Of course not. But we support Israel's right to exist because God has said so.

It is the fallen world and Satan himself who oppose Israel's right to exist. Mr. Ahmadinejad is, in my opinion, a mouthpiece for Satan, the ultimate liar and deceiver, the one who can deliver flattering speech right up until he cuts your throat out. Do not believe what this man says. He is the liar.

"By smooth talk and flattery they decieve the minds of naive people." (Rom. 16:18)

This is the kind of guy who should make us ask, "Why does he want our troops out of Iraq?" Not for the sake of our troops and their families, I will guarantee that. It is because he has something up his sleeve for the region, and we are a major hindrance to that.

This just in: Here is an article with "smoking gun" evidence that Iran is helping to destabilize Iraq. Just like I said. Mahmoud is holding out one hand of "friendship" and in the other hand he has a knife, or, more likely, a thermonuclear weapon.

Great Article about Our Western Spiritual Condition & the War on Terror

2006-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

For a while now I have been wondering about the war against Islamic-driven terror. The Bible is clear that when God's people worship Him and obey Him, they have His protection, His help, and moral strength provided by Him.

"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. "
-Ronald Reagan, quoted on Sean Hannity's website.

This was presumably quoted during the Reagan presidency, twenty or more years ago.

Is it true today? Do we in the West have the will and moral courage to stand against Islam? Or has our apostasy bled us dry from said courage?

Read this article.

I agree with Kupelian. We are morally and spiritually in a total mess here in the Western world, and as a result I am concerned that our leaders don't understand the religious motivations of these radical Muslims, and the very real evil that is working through it all. How could many of our leaders understand? They themselves don't believe in a living, Personal God. They disagree with what much of the Bible teaches.

This war is a big neon sign with an unmistakeable message to the Western world: Return to the faith of your fathers! If you don't, disaster will result. That is the lesson of history and of Biblical history.

Euthanasia for babies

2006-11-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

A medical college in Britain is encouraging the public discussion of euthanasia for severely handicapped babies. The article is here.

Why are they doing this? Because they are looking at the financial and emotional difficulties that can happen to families who have a severely handicapped child. They are looking at the suffering of the child. They are looking at the current practice of abortion, as one professor said, “We can terminate for serious foetal abnormality up to term but cannot kill a newborn. What do people think has happened in the passage down the birth canal to make it okay to kill the foetus at one end of the birth canal but not at the other?”

What they are not looking at is the intervention of God to give strength to the family, grace where it is needed, and an ability to carry on. What do I know? I've never been in that situation. True. All I know is that God says "Don't murder" and "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

The World Will Accept Blessings but Not God

2006-11-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

"The world readily accepts Christian love, charity, and willingness to serve the needy. It just can't accept the source of that love. It wants the fruit of God's Spirit but transplants its roots into the soil of humanism."
-Berit Kjos

Yep. This is what our flesh does. The flesh will never serve God, but sure, it will take the blessings of God. It's kind of like Bill Murray's character in What About Bob? "Gimme gimme gimme I need I need I need I need."

There seems to be this theme in many writings today, that if we Christians serve enough, if we love enough, if we care enough, then everyone will accept Christ. Unfortunately, this is not a biblical idea. It places the responsibility for conversion on the Church's works, rather than on God and the person's will. The Church, or Christians, will never be good enough to get someone to convert to Christ. Only God can do that. But as we let Jesus live through us, we'll be loving.

It truly takes a miracle of God to break through the power of the flesh and show someone that they need to accept Christ.

Election

2006-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

I can't adequately express my disappointment at California voters. Let me get this straight. We do not want minors to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, drive (until 16) or vote. But yes, they can kill a baby and try to recover from that experience, all without parental permission? Even though there was an allowance for judicial permission when they are too scared to ask for parents' permission.

Just the thought of all the underage girls being subjected to pressure from the abortion provider, for the sake of money. MONEY. And don't let anyone kid you, that is what this is all about for most providers.

Let me suggest the book The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian. The abortion chapter is worth the entire price of the book.

God help us.

You Have the Power to Define Your Own Gender (in NYC)

2006-11-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is a story about New York City allowing people to define their own gender on their birth certificates. Yes, it seems New York believes that human beings have the right to choose whether they are men or women. This type of thinking is, according to one person, a "move away from American culture's misguided fixation on genitals as the basis for one's gender identity." (my emphasis)

I know there is a lot of background to the issue of people struggling with transsexualism, and the ways that medical science handles it. There's a good article here called "The Biblical Ethics of Transsexual Operations" about this from a Christian perspective. Some people have suffered a great deal.

Nevertheless, New York's answer to this issue is to allow human beings to define themselves, according to their desires. This is another example of our culture's proclivity to arrogantly assume the "right" to create our own reality. We have turned to worship ourselves, and we refuse to admit that there are external standards, a created order, realities with which we have no right to trifle. It is as Paul says in 2 Tim. 3:1-2, people will be "lovers of themselves." It's interesting that that characteristic is the first one listed among characteristics of "terrible times" in the last days. Those who worship and serve themselves believe that their desires should be able to rule supreme over any other reality. It is a terrible thing to be enslaved this way.

God's answer is always, "Turn to Me, learn the Truth, and I will set you free through My Power." In our culture's unbelief and arrogance, we will not turn to God, so we have to design "solutions" on our own.

With "solutions" like these, and tampering with God's created order, it really makes me wonder how long it will be before God ceases to withhold His judgment.

UPDATE: The NY Health Dept. finally figured out that this wasn't going to work, thankfully.

The North American Union?

2006-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Are we really moving toward an economic and yes, political union of the US, Canada and Mexico? As ridiculous and amazing as it may be, it sure looks that way. NAFTA got us started, and there are plans to build a superhighway of roads and train tracks through the middle of America. Here is a paragraph about it from the second article below:

There is also the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), or NAFTA Superhighway, construction on which is scheduled to begin in 2007 by public-private partnerships (a foreign corporation, Spain’s Cintra, has already signed a contract). This system, which will parallel I-35 running north from Mexico all the way to Canada, with a branch extending I-69 also going to Canada through Port Huron, Mich. TTC-35 will consist of six lanes for passenger cars, four for trucks, a rails system, lines for telecommunications, oil and natural gas pipelines, etc. Its size across has been estimated at four football fields; construction will result in the taking of over 500,000 acres of land from farmers and ranchers in Texas alone through eminent domain. This puts last year’s roundly (and rightly) condemned Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London, Conn. in a new light!

I would have thought this was all conspiracy-theory type stuff, up there with UFOs and Bigfoot (and you can see from my profile how seriously I take that stuff), but this seems real.

Here is one article about it.

There's another here.

You can also Google "North American Union."

What does this mean for Christians? It points further to a one-world leader or at least leaders of larger portions of the world. The Bible speaks of ten rulers handing over their authority to the Beast (Revelation 17:12-13).

Also, it reminds us that our kingdom is not of this world. Our permanent citizenship is in heaven. America is our temporary citizenship and is only a tool to be used for God, much like the apostle Paul used his Roman citizenship to advance the spread of the gospel (see Acts 22:25-30; Acts 25:11).

new blog

2006-11-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

You might be interested in my new blog which will be running parallel with this one.

horizonstudy.blogspot.com

I'm studying 1 Corinthians, along with the help of Gordon Fee. Please feel free to join in.

I'll still be working on this one as well.

Rob

Train Up A Child in the Way He Should Go...

2006-10-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

"A child who gets through age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using illegal drugs is virtually certain never to do so. The CASA survey and 12 years of my life devoted to understanding this problem lead me to this bottom line: America’s drug problem is not going to be solved in court rooms, legislative hearing rooms or classrooms, by judges, politicians or teachers. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables--by parents and families."

This quote is by Joseph Califano, the head of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

As Christian parents, we need to talk to our kids about drugs and alcohol. We can't just assume that because they're Christians, they won't fall into these traps. Even some in the secular world are realizing the importance of individual family guidance.

We've Missed Out on Some Great Pauline Thoughts

2006-09-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Reading some passages like Phil. 4:1, Col. 2:1-5, and 1 Thess. 2, I wonder how I've missed passages like these before. In reading Paul, we (at least I) always skim through these in order to get to the "meat" - doctrines about things like justification, spiritual gifts, the Christian's experience with sin, the antichrist; as well as some pastoral advice on how to deal with certain situations, requirements for church leaders, etc.

But God (and Paul) don't separate these doctrines from the relationships that Paul had with his fellow workers and the people in the churches. The above passages are also Scripture.

Selective reading strikes again!!!

Creation & Evolution

2006-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kirk for teaching us about the young-earth view of creationism. I had known about it for some time but he really led us in a great class the past 3 weeks (I've only made 2).

Check out www.icr.org. 6-day creationists are not stupid, they are not uneducated, and they are indeed scientists.

I'm no scientist, but I have a huge philosophical problem with evolution (actually I have many problems with it but this is the one I've been considering). I was thinking about the idea of natural selection. Of course, this is the process in nature by which the weaker animals die in some way, leaving the stronger animals to survive. A corollary term is "survival of the fittest." High school biology, right? The phrase "natural selection" states that this process is "natural" - that is, that it's what we normally find in nature. There is also an unspoken assumption that since it is a "natural" process, it is good, right, and normal. That somehow things will work out in the end, as long as the "natural" process is able to continue.

My wife's parents live on a pond. OK, it's a pond on a golf course. Anyway, the pond has ducks and the area around the golf course has coyotes. The coyotes sometimes eat the ducks. My mother in law gets sad about the eaten ducks. My father in law says "Oh, come on. That's just nature's way. They need to get eaten." In my father in law's attitude we find the above assumption, that since this is a "natural" process, it is good, right and normal. The weaker ducks get eaten.

No, I am not saying that we should be interfering in food chains everywhere in order to right the world. We can't do that anyway - we don't have the wisdom or power.

Yet, we find in the Scriptures that God tells His people to remember, regard, and care for the weak. "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble" (Ps. 41:1); "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves" (Romans 15:1); "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy..." (Psalm 82:3-4a).

These and many other passages (orphans and widows passages, for example, in the Old & New Testaments) show quite plainly that God is not into natural selection, at least as far as human beings are concerned. It is not "natural" to Him at all.

We human beings know this. It is in our consciences (unless we have ignored them for so long that we can't hear them anymore). Why else would we nurse a sick animal back to health? Why fix a bird's broken wing? Why save a freezing, abandoned pet? Why do we, watching the Discovery channel, have pity for the one antelope who, because of a hurt leg, will be the lion's dinner tonight? Deep in our souls we know that natural selection, survival of the fittest, is a perversion of what should be. It is a misrepresentation of God's nature, the God who loves every creature and did not form this world's creatures simply to watch them kill each other. My mother-in-law feels this love in her heart and knows that there is a true sadness involved with the death of the weak ducks. My father-in-law, I think, knows it but has forgotten it.

The environmentalists know this as well. Many don't believe in a God or in the Christian view of creation. Many would strongly uphold evolutionary theory as an origin for mankind. Then why do they work so hard to save creatures from extinction? In a truly natural-selection type of world, where mankind has risen to the top because of his intelligence and ability to create technology (abilities which arose by random mutations over a long period of time, according to evolution), then man should be able to do whatever he wants with other creatures. They are weaker. They cannot defend themselves against us. Yet that means that we are strong, we "deserve" to survive. We "deserve" to impose our (stronger) will on animals which are weaker than we are.

This is madness and the evolutionists know it. But this leaves them with a serious conundrum. If we are truly in a closed system, and evolution alone has produced mankind, then the logical result would be humanity's unchecked "right" to do what he wants to do with the rest of the (weaker) species. But the evolutionists intuitively know that there is a higher Law, a Law outside of this natural-selection world, a Law which tells us that we should not treat animals in this way. It is this Law that they want us to follow, and stop destroying other species. But where did this Law come from? Certainly not from the process itself. Oops.

Philosophically, then, natural selection stinks. It doesn't hold up logically. Of course, C.S. Lewis knew and wrote about this in his book Miracles. You should read it sometime.

Radical New Blog

2006-09-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Just discovered a new blog that I really like. www.sethbarnes.com. Check it out. He is a radically on-fire missions guy who has written a book on listening prayer. I'm sure I'll buy it and read it some time. Read his article titled: "Sports Are More Important Than Jesus." Of course he's being sarcastic. But so many parents make this mistake.

Great short interview

2006-09-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a great interview with Eugene Peterson about various topics. It's short, but poignant.
Click here for it.

He really has some insight into some of the American church's problems!

Pay Attention to Iran

2006-08-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Iranian President Ahmadinejad is not just a lunatic. He is incredibly dangerous.

If you haven't heard, this guy believes that Israel should be destroyed, that the Holocaust never happened, and that he is the one to usher in the "12th Imam" - the Messiah figure ("Mahdi") for Shi'ite Muslims. This 12th imam will supposedly reign for 7 years and then bring in judgment for all people. Ahmadinejad believes that he and his nation are to play a key role in all this.

By the way, the Muslim Mahdi will be almost certainly the same man as the Biblical Antichrist. They have it exactly backwards as to who's good and who's evil.

Take a look at this.
http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/2005/10/why-havent-we-seen-this.html

Interesting how his plan seems to be against the U.S. first and then Israel (judging by which marble falls into the hourglass first). Why hasn't this been reported in much of the media?

Now read this:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/media/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002984736

Has Mike Wallace lost his mind? I mean, maybe that's not good for a pastor to say, and maybe he was taken out of context. But to say that Adhmadinejad "couldn't have been more accommodating"? Has Wallace read what this man has been saying publicly for over a year? I think it's fair to say that the Iranian president has designs on taking over, or at least blowing up, most of the non-Islamic world. Well, watch the interview and see what happens.

Friends, I say it a lot, but now is maybe the only time you will get to make things right with God. Not Allah, but YHWH, the Living God, Jesus Christ. Come to Him who loves you and wants you to be with Him forever. Do it soon!

Do We Trust in Government Too Much?

2006-08-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to update my post from below ("It Really Is True") with another interesting article. This one is about using fingerprints as a method of identification and payment.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206424,00.html

The underlying idea behind what the Bible actually says about the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:16-17 is that people are willing to serve and worship the antichrist figure in order to survive. Biblically speaking, worship doesn't necessarily mean singing songs of praise to someone, but the Greek word latreuw means to prostrate yourself before someone. When we idolize money, we don't build a shrine to it or write songs about it, but rather we give it our allegiance, we choose to organize our lives around it, we do what it demands us to do. We prostrate ourselves before it, at least mentally, by willing to compromise more significant things (like relationships) in order to make money. We look to money to give us what we want. We say by our actions that money will make our lives satisfactory. This is disobedience of the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me." We usually conflate (or, one could argue, confuse) this command with the second, which prohibits making an idol and worshipping it. We therefore usually talk about worshiping another god as "idolatry". For this blog entry I'll refer to the breaking of the first or second commandments as "idolatry".

Of course, an idol can be anything, other than God, that we think will bring us the life we want, satisfy us, provide us with purpose, etc. (A false conception of God, such as the prosperity gospel's deity, can also be an idol.) When we prostrate before something and require that it give us what we need in life, that's idolatry. When we expect that the government will just hand us everything that we need in order to have a happy life, that is idolatry.

In Revelation 13:16-17, people are willing to swear allegiance to the one world dictatorial government and to its dictator. They do this so that they can survive - they can buy and sell things. They look to the dictator and government as the one who saves them and provides for them. They are willing to play by the rules laid down by this government in order to participate in necessary commerce. They commit idolatry in order to get the money they want.

People scoff at the idea of a "mark of the beast". But is it really far-fetched to believe in a universal, government-mandated implant chip or biometric system for economic and identity "security" purposes, accepted by most people in order to participate in the commercial system? Not really. The technology is here or almost here. The attitude of demanding that the government provide X, Y and Z as a "right" so that we can be happy, is certainly here. The need for foolproof, hackproof identification is also here. The global economy is here (read Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat). Really, all we're missing is a really evil dictator and a one-world government. OK, I admit that one might take some time. But almost certainly not as much time as we might think.

What do you think?

Our Thinking Matters

2006-07-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

The prospering of God's cause on earth depends upon His people thinking well.
-Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (p. 105)

Those of us who are pastors, and especially teachers, in the Body of Christ must devote a vast amount of time and energy to seeing that God's people think well. Ideas are crucial. False ideas about God and humanity are the primary weapon of the "father of lies".

Unfortunately, the many pressures of ministry often conspire to take away the pastor's time for meditation on the ideas of Scripture.

This is truly amazing - incredible!

2006-07-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is a story from CNN today about the find of a medieval book of psalms in Ireland.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/25/
ireland.psalms.ap/index.html

There is a quote in the story about how miraculous (yes, the expert used that word) this find is. First, that it was preserved in a bog for over a thousand years, and second, that someone spotted it before it was destroyed. The guy was using a bulldozer, OK? How did he see it in time?

The book was open to Psalm 83.

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

"Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you...

(Psalm 83:1-5). The rest is pretty interesting too.

The AP writer noted that Psalm 83 was about those who plot to destroy Israel.

I'm no prophet, but it seems like a very timely find. God still speaks today, to those who want to know and are willing to listen. I wonder if someone came to faith in Him as a result of this story.

Look at Psalm 83:16. Why does God defeat the enemies of Israel? So that people will see it, and it will be a big sign to them to seek God. He wants people to see the truth, that He is the real God, and to seek Him.

Does God speak in this way? Here is an interview with a photographer who found a Bible page, open to Genesis 11 (tower of Babel) in the rubble of the World Trade Center. It sounds like a legitimate story.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/30/ltm.09.html

The Land of Israel

2006-07-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Obviously there's a lot going on in Israel right now. This article really struck me today:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741121.html

It's about people are who moving TO Israel now even in the midst of war. It is really an amazing thing. It is very moving when you consider how God is drawing His people back to their land in fulfillment of prophecy such as Ezekiel 36 - 37. Of course, the full restoration, including the Holy Spirit, has not been given yet; the nation is still one of unbelief. But it will happen. Praise God for His faithfulness and doing exactly what He says He will do!

It Really Is True...

2006-06-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

(Updated 7-16-06)

OK, here's the deal. I'm not an alarmist, and there are a lot of bad eschatological (end-times) ideas out there. There is a lot of speculation. But check this out:

I first read about RFID technology in a book about Wal-Mart. The mega-company uses it to track their products in warehouses, stores, etc. It is very real and is not some speculative technology. It is a tiny chip that emits radio frequencies that give information to a computer.

Now read this:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/06/09/spain.club/

That's CNN, not the latest prophecy page (some of which are actually quite good, by the way). See Revelation 13:16-17. The technology is certainly available and it looks like a "sensible" option to those who are trying to prevent terrorism and identity theft. It is also being discussed as a way of tracking illegal immigrants. (http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/060531_rfid_chips.html)

Here is a very recent story about a hospital implanting patients to keep track of their medical records:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203730,00.html

Are these people getting the mark of the Beast? No. But the technology is there whenever that world dictator appears and decides to standardize the global economic system.

Friends, if you do not believe God's Word is true, please investigate it for yourself now. Grab a Bible and read about Jesus in the book of John. Read Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Mark. Read Revelation (a good commentary like Mounce's is helpful). Don't put something like this off, because we are seeing things rushing incredibly fast toward what Jesus referred to as a time "such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved..." (Matthew 24:21-22a). It's not a good time coming.

More from Isaiah

2006-05-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

"I am he; I am the first and I am the last."
-Isaiah 48:12b

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
-Revelation 2:17-18

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
-Revelation 22:13

OT-NT parallel

2006-05-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked.
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear."
-Isaiah 45:22-23

"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
-Philippians 2:10-11

Jesus is foreshadowed in the OT; we just need to know the NT well enough to see Him. I hope that's not news to anyone!

Back From Vacation

2006-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Not going to tell where we went, but it was a great time.

John 4:10 Jesus turns the conversation to spiritual things. This is where we need to have courage, and it's one of the times in the conversation where we're most likely to fail (ie., chicken out). It's not always easy to bring up something spiritual when you're talking about the mundane.

Notice that here Jesus starts talking about himself, in a way that will pique the woman's curiosity. He doesn't just come out and say "I am the Messiah," although he does later in the conversation. At this critical point in our conversations with people, one thing we can do is talk about our own experience. Often an event in our lives that is relevant to the present conversation can be a wonderful "bridge" between the mundane and the spiritual.

Or, asking questions can be a good conversation helper. Evangelist Bill Fay uses a series of questions including "Do you have any spiritual belief?" and "What do you think about Jesus?". Here's a link to his website: http://sharejesuswithoutfear.com.

Some Research on Da Vinci Code & Gospel of Judas

2006-05-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's great how many churches are using the Da Vinci Code book and movie to talk about the real truths of Christ. We recently let our congregation know about some resources for people with questions. I wanted to share them with you.

Focus on the Family's Da Vinci Code website:
http://go.family.org/davinci/

Here is a place you can order these great 100-page books debunking the D.V.C. and give them out to people. That's what we're doing here.
http://www.beyondbelief.com/a_dvquest.spl?sourceid=3105/

Josh McDowell
http://josh.davinciquest.org

Christianity Today - Why the Lost Gospels lost out:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/006/7.26.html

And here's Biola University's response to the gospel of Judas:
http://www.biola.edu/news/articles/060410_judas.cfm

I think the bottom line about why the gospel of Judas is getting so much press, besides the Da Vinci movie tie-in, is something that Ari Fleischer wrote about in his interesting autobiography. He said that the media is all about conflict. If there's no conflict, they'll try to start some. Or create conflict where there isn't any. Peace doesn't sell. So to spin the gospel of Judas as something that could "rock" orthdox Christianity is just a ploy to sell more papers or magazines or whatever.

How much less interesting would the gospel of Judas be if they just told the straight truth about it: we have other gnostic gospels; none of them even begin to compare in quality to the real Gospels; and there will always be people who revise history to make the bad guys look like the good guys. Now that's a story that, if printed, deserves to be buried in the back of the local paper. But if this "recent discovery threatens to overturn everything we know about Christianity" then, of course, that's front page material.

2006-04-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

From Charles Colson's book Being the Body:

"The true Christian...is not only to teach truth but to practice truth in the midst of such relativism," said Francis Schaeffer, and this will "bring forth confrontation--loving confrontation, but confrontation."

Yet confrontation is something most Christians seem to want to avoid. Not only because we want people to come to our churches, but because of our fear of offending and being rejected...

Conviction must precede conversion. You cannot present the gospel truth until you have also presented the fact of sin. Without this message we are simply offering our own brand of therapy. And therapy can only modify behavior. It is the gospel that transforms character.

The object is not to make people able to live with themselves; it is to make them able to live with God. Forever. (p. 209)

More from John 4

2006-04-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Verse 9: the woman, intrigued by Jesus' counter-cultural, loving behavior, asks him "Why are you talking with me?"

People notice. They notice how we treat them with love when others treat them like objects. Instead of thinking of someone as "the checkout girl" or "the guy in the drive thru window" we can go beyond that to see them as a real person. It's usually that we're so busy that we can't think of them as real people. Instead, they're just cogs in the machine of the store.

What if Jesus lived in our world today? He'd still be breaking those cultural molds by speaking to those whom we just ignore.

And he can break those barriers by speaking to 21st century people in the workplace. It's just that he has to use our mouth. We have to be sensitive to His leading so that we'll actually do it.

Evangelism from John 4

2006-04-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

John 4 contains many lessons on how Jesus did evangelism, at least in Samaria.

v. 4 tells us that Jesus went through Samaria, despite the animosity between Jews and Samaritans. Many Jews would travel around Samaria, just to avoid "those people." Jesus did not. As Christians, we must not avoid people just because we or others "don't like them."

v. 6 says Jesus was tired. How often God will use our ordinary humanness to get us in the right place. The dry cleaners, Starbucks, the grocery store -- all are potential places for God to use us.

vs. 7-9. Jesus broke his cultural conventions by asking the woman for a drink. What cultural conventions keep us from intervening in someone else's life? Silence in an elevator. Avoiding eye contact on the sidewalk. That kind of stuff.

Look at how Jesus started by asking for a drink - an earthly type of question. Then he moved on to spiritual matters, using a similar topic (well water & Living Water) to make it relevant.

More later...

Evangelism is a Discipline

2006-04-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Just read the chapter on Evangelism from Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Here are some great quotes from the chapter:

"Evangelism is to present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to sinful people, in order that they may come to put their trust in God through Him, to receive Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church." (p. 100)

"We need to learn that sharing the gospel is successful evangelism...conversions are fruit that God alone can give." (p. 103)

"So if God by His Spirit has changed your life, be confident of this: God has given you Acts 1:8 power. That means in ways and methods compatible with your personality, temperament, spiritual gift, opportunities, etc., you do have the power to share the gospel with people." (p. 104)

"Evangelism is a natural overflow of the Christian life...but evangelism is also a Discipline in that we must discipline ourselves to get into the context of evangelism, that is, we must not just wait for witnessing opportunities to happen...isn't the main reason we don't witness because we don't discipline ourselves to do it?" (pp. 106-7)

This last one really sums up what I've been convicted with. If we don't make an effort, it won't happen, and we'll look back and say "Why did I just let time go by without sharing?" But create opportunities (especially at the church), look for them everywhere, and God will use us.