You know one way Satan tries to separate man from God and keep him there? By getting right between the word of God and man. When we've got God's word wrong, we just ain't right, and Satan likes it that way.
So how does it do it? I think a few ways:
1) He tries to get man to disbelieve it. That's right, if we don't believe what the Bible says, we're sunk. "There is no God, that's just all made up." "Jesus isn't the only way to be saved, I have my way, you have your way, he has his way, and she has his way; we're all good." "I'm not a sinner, I don't need Jesus." "I'll get to heaven by doing good works and making myself right with God." All these come from the mouths of people who deny the truth of the word, and anyone espousing these beliefs is in great trouble . They need to come to know the light and the love of Jesus Christ, which is written of in the very word that they deny.
2) He tries to get us to neglect it. So maybe we know Jesus came to seek and save what was lost and we've said the "sinner's prayer" and we go to church most of the time and we tell people about the Lord once in a while. We're good, yeah? Maybe. For now. But if we don't get into God's word regularly, we're going to be in deep trouble. How can we put on the full armor of God if we don't know where the armory is? How can we test things against scripture if we don't know scripture? How can God's word get into us if we don't get into his word? Letting the Bible sit dusty on the shelf isn't going to help us when the temptations come, when trouble comes, when we have doubts, when we have fears, when we don't know which way to go. God gave us a wonderful book, a manual for life. Its on us to open it up and read it.
3) He tries to twist it. "Oh, that's not what such and such means...abortion really isn't wrong." "Oh, that's not what this and that really says...men can have sex with each other as long as they really love each other and our committed to each other." "Oh, that's not what scripture is talking about...Jesus died so that everybody could go to heaven whether they believe in him or not." What I really want to know is this: Do people who twist scripture like this really believe the snake oil they're selling? Or do they know deep down that they're just making up a bunch of crap and feeding it to people? I'll venture a guess and say its the latter.
What do those few ways produce?
Non-Christians, apathetic Christians, and fake Christians. Are the last two any better than the first? I think worse.
You need to get God's word into you more. I need to get God's word into me more. Period.
Grace and Peace
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
What Would Jesus Do
I saw this bumper sticker or t-shirt or something a while back that I thought was pretty stupid. "Jesus Would Recycle". What?! Where in the world did someone get that crazy idea? It certainly wasn't from the Bible!
Jesus came to earth to reconcile God with man and die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins so that those who follow him would have everlasting life. He had a specific purpose in his first coming. He came. He fulfilled it.
Jesus didn't seem concerned with petty things like overthrowing the Roman government that was oppressing the Jews and would later persecute the early Christians, despite what the man-made expectations of the Messiah were at that time. So I doubt he would have much to say on whether we recycle or not!
Help take care of the planet if you feel that's what you should do, as long as it doesn't become more important than God. But don't turn an environmental cause into a gospel. And don't belittle the name of our Lord and Savior by slapping it on man-made efforts.
Jesus came to earth to reconcile God with man and die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins so that those who follow him would have everlasting life. He had a specific purpose in his first coming. He came. He fulfilled it.
Jesus didn't seem concerned with petty things like overthrowing the Roman government that was oppressing the Jews and would later persecute the early Christians, despite what the man-made expectations of the Messiah were at that time. So I doubt he would have much to say on whether we recycle or not!
Help take care of the planet if you feel that's what you should do, as long as it doesn't become more important than God. But don't turn an environmental cause into a gospel. And don't belittle the name of our Lord and Savior by slapping it on man-made efforts.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Abortion Is Murder, Period
A fellow employee posted this at work in response to a thread where folks were discussing that they agree abortion is wrong but don't feel they should tell a woman what she should do with her body. He is dead on.
Everyone has a choice, it is called abstinence. Once you choose to get it on with someone your choices have gone out the window, and you need to take responsibility for your "CHOICE". Abortion is murder, plain and simple and every action has a consequence which in the case of sexual activity is possibility of pregnancy. People try to rationalize the idea that it is about a woman's choice for her body, if she really cared that much she would have waited until marriage to become active in the first place, because that is the way it is supposed to be done. We have just been dumbed down as a society to accept the fact that sex with anyone is an accepted and encouraged thing. That is giving into our lustful human nature, nothing more. Sex isn't solely for enjoyment it is much more than that and any woman or man who has been cheated on can attest to that fact as it as been described as "ripping someones heart out". God is the one who knits us together in our mother's womb and he chooses when that womb will open or be shut up. Just because someone doesn't believe they are doing something wrong doesn't mean it isn't. There are organizations that were founded to educate women who are considering or have had abortions to hear stories of others who have already done it and how it really makes you feel inside and the struggles that occur afterwords. Also there is a natural version called a miscarriage and I've heard that isn't very pleasant for the mother either. If life doesn't start at conception why do they warn mothers about the use of alcohol/cigarettes on how it could affect a development process of a fetus and what could happen to the eventual baby?
I agree with the statement that every baby that is conceived will eventually develop into a person barring a miscarriage, so by that definition life starts at conception and just because we can't fight for ourselves at that stage or any other doesn't mean we aren't alive then. Lets apply that logic that it isn't murder to a current situation. Steve McNair couldn't defend himself while sleeping on the couch when he was shot in the head and chest 4 times, so he must not have been alive. Does that sound right to anyone?
The whole "don't tell me what to do with MY body" argument is stupid. We're talking about not just one body, not just one person, but two. When one person willfully kills another innocent and defenseless person, its murder. Period. It's against God's law. It should be against man's law, but, sadly, yet expectedly, it's not.
Grace and Peace
Everyone has a choice, it is called abstinence. Once you choose to get it on with someone your choices have gone out the window, and you need to take responsibility for your "CHOICE". Abortion is murder, plain and simple and every action has a consequence which in the case of sexual activity is possibility of pregnancy. People try to rationalize the idea that it is about a woman's choice for her body, if she really cared that much she would have waited until marriage to become active in the first place, because that is the way it is supposed to be done. We have just been dumbed down as a society to accept the fact that sex with anyone is an accepted and encouraged thing. That is giving into our lustful human nature, nothing more. Sex isn't solely for enjoyment it is much more than that and any woman or man who has been cheated on can attest to that fact as it as been described as "ripping someones heart out". God is the one who knits us together in our mother's womb and he chooses when that womb will open or be shut up. Just because someone doesn't believe they are doing something wrong doesn't mean it isn't. There are organizations that were founded to educate women who are considering or have had abortions to hear stories of others who have already done it and how it really makes you feel inside and the struggles that occur afterwords. Also there is a natural version called a miscarriage and I've heard that isn't very pleasant for the mother either. If life doesn't start at conception why do they warn mothers about the use of alcohol/cigarettes on how it could affect a development process of a fetus and what could happen to the eventual baby?
I agree with the statement that every baby that is conceived will eventually develop into a person barring a miscarriage, so by that definition life starts at conception and just because we can't fight for ourselves at that stage or any other doesn't mean we aren't alive then. Lets apply that logic that it isn't murder to a current situation. Steve McNair couldn't defend himself while sleeping on the couch when he was shot in the head and chest 4 times, so he must not have been alive. Does that sound right to anyone?
The whole "don't tell me what to do with MY body" argument is stupid. We're talking about not just one body, not just one person, but two. When one person willfully kills another innocent and defenseless person, its murder. Period. It's against God's law. It should be against man's law, but, sadly, yet expectedly, it's not.
Grace and Peace
Monday, July 13, 2009
God Working Through What's Broken
Something popped into my head, which I will write about in a minute. But first, some background. God often uses broken people to accomplish his purposes. Any doubt? Look in the pages of his word. Moses. Rahab. Jacob. David. Matthew. Paul. Where these people not used by God? They were certainly far from perfect. Murderer. Prostitute. Trickster. Adulterer/murderer. Tax collector. Persecutor. Look around in different churches at people who had a lot of sin in their lives or were victims of tragedy -- God uses such people all the time to bring help and healing to both the ensnared and the hurting.
There is no doubt that God uses broken people.
Another phrase popped into my head regarding what someone said regarding their non-christian church: "The people aren't perfect, but the church is". Bunk. Bunk for that church, bunk for any local Christian church. Period.
We're in a broken world filled with broken people, and from that come a lot of broken churches. True, there is really only one church made from the body of believers in Jesus Christ. Some of the members of Christ's church attend a Lutheran church, a Methodist church, a Baptist church, a Pentecostal church, and so on. No doubt some of the members of Christ's church even attend a Catholic church, a Mormon church, a Jehovah's Witness church, etc. Yes I realize what I just said. Calm down. We don't know the hearts of all people all around the world. I said some.
My point is we're one church yet we don't seem to function that way. We've got new zealous spirit filled believers off in the weeds and they don't even know it yet. We've got solid Christ followers across many different denominations whose leaders foolishly quarrel over disputable matters. We've got new converts in parts of the world that just first heard about Jesus and don't know about all this division (how fortunate for them!).
We're one church, one body, united with one purpose, spread across a broken mess.
Yet God can use that. He's God. He's pretty good with the whole "take the mess you silly men have made and pull something good out of it" thing.
There's probably a believer in every church denomination/style/flavor/whatever that has genuinely come to Christ through God's work in them through that particular church. You can't put God in a box and say he only works through A, B, or C. Its about individuals and God, not some particular man-made group and God.
There are those who have been saved while stoned and listening to songs about giving their souls to the devil (realizing that's a bad idea and they don't really want to do that!). There are those who have been saved through the false preaching of bona fide heretics on television. There are those who have been saved through their immense efforts trying to prove Christianity false and realizing its not.
Don't tell me God isn't big enough to work through whatever mess we've made of things to draw us to him.
Grace and Peace
There is no doubt that God uses broken people.
Another phrase popped into my head regarding what someone said regarding their non-christian church: "The people aren't perfect, but the church is". Bunk. Bunk for that church, bunk for any local Christian church. Period.
We're in a broken world filled with broken people, and from that come a lot of broken churches. True, there is really only one church made from the body of believers in Jesus Christ. Some of the members of Christ's church attend a Lutheran church, a Methodist church, a Baptist church, a Pentecostal church, and so on. No doubt some of the members of Christ's church even attend a Catholic church, a Mormon church, a Jehovah's Witness church, etc. Yes I realize what I just said. Calm down. We don't know the hearts of all people all around the world. I said some.
My point is we're one church yet we don't seem to function that way. We've got new zealous spirit filled believers off in the weeds and they don't even know it yet. We've got solid Christ followers across many different denominations whose leaders foolishly quarrel over disputable matters. We've got new converts in parts of the world that just first heard about Jesus and don't know about all this division (how fortunate for them!).
We're one church, one body, united with one purpose, spread across a broken mess.
Yet God can use that. He's God. He's pretty good with the whole "take the mess you silly men have made and pull something good out of it" thing.
There's probably a believer in every church denomination/style/flavor/whatever that has genuinely come to Christ through God's work in them through that particular church. You can't put God in a box and say he only works through A, B, or C. Its about individuals and God, not some particular man-made group and God.
There are those who have been saved while stoned and listening to songs about giving their souls to the devil (realizing that's a bad idea and they don't really want to do that!). There are those who have been saved through the false preaching of bona fide heretics on television. There are those who have been saved through their immense efforts trying to prove Christianity false and realizing its not.
Don't tell me God isn't big enough to work through whatever mess we've made of things to draw us to him.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Luther's 95 Theses
I have known of some of the teachings of the Catholic Church for some time and that many of them were bogus and based on tradition rather than Scripture. I learned about Luther's 95 Theses back in grade school and later since coming to Christ heard various pastors talk about them and websites refer to them.
But until tonight I never read them. I found them here:
http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm
An interesting read if you take the time.
Until I read them I thought there were actually 95 different points he made, but its reall a few major points in 95 sentences.
But until tonight I never read them. I found them here:
http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm
An interesting read if you take the time.
Until I read them I thought there were actually 95 different points he made, but its reall a few major points in 95 sentences.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
State Of The Heart
Some people have these great testimony stories about how Jesus saved them from this awful life of crime or drugs or violence or all of the above. He pulled them out of this deep dark pit and turned them completely around. To outside observers that barely new these people there was an obvious and dramatic change. There is no question that something happened to them to dramatically alter their lives.
Not so with myself and a number of others.
I'm not saying that Jesus didn't rescue me out of just as dark of a pit, but I'm saying that the casual outside observer standing at a distance might not have a clue about it.
The reason? My life was pretty good before coming to Christ and its pretty good now -- by the world's standards. I loved my kids very much then and now. I love my wife very much then and now. I had a good job then and now. I drove a decent car then and now. I wore close to the same clothes then and now. To the world, nothing is that different. I just "got a little religious or something".
Understandable.
Its understandable because the world can't see inside my heart. There was some pretty unpleasant stuff in there that I don't really want to post. Its gone now, replaced with a love and focus on Jesus Christ. Praise God for that! Sure, sometimes dark things creep back into it, but I now have the power to resist it, instead of being a slave to it.
I heard Brian talking about just this thing and was so happy to hear him talk about others with the same story. Life looks grand from the outside, but just ask these guys where their hearts were at.
Its also understandable because the world wouldn't call any of the activities I used my time for sinful. Of course not, the world doesn't like that word sin. But there is no way to sugar coat it. My attitude was "Thanks God for this great life -- I'll just go blow all my time trying to enjoy myself; after all, you just want me to be happy." What bunk. What a lame excuse for being selfish, ignoring God, not caring about others, and teaching my children, without thinking about it, that life is all about how much fun you can have before you die.
Thank God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for saving me from such madness now, while my children are still so young. I pray that they grow up to be strong Christians.
Grace and Peace
Not so with myself and a number of others.
I'm not saying that Jesus didn't rescue me out of just as dark of a pit, but I'm saying that the casual outside observer standing at a distance might not have a clue about it.
The reason? My life was pretty good before coming to Christ and its pretty good now -- by the world's standards. I loved my kids very much then and now. I love my wife very much then and now. I had a good job then and now. I drove a decent car then and now. I wore close to the same clothes then and now. To the world, nothing is that different. I just "got a little religious or something".
Understandable.
Its understandable because the world can't see inside my heart. There was some pretty unpleasant stuff in there that I don't really want to post. Its gone now, replaced with a love and focus on Jesus Christ. Praise God for that! Sure, sometimes dark things creep back into it, but I now have the power to resist it, instead of being a slave to it.
I heard Brian talking about just this thing and was so happy to hear him talk about others with the same story. Life looks grand from the outside, but just ask these guys where their hearts were at.
Its also understandable because the world wouldn't call any of the activities I used my time for sinful. Of course not, the world doesn't like that word sin. But there is no way to sugar coat it. My attitude was "Thanks God for this great life -- I'll just go blow all my time trying to enjoy myself; after all, you just want me to be happy." What bunk. What a lame excuse for being selfish, ignoring God, not caring about others, and teaching my children, without thinking about it, that life is all about how much fun you can have before you die.
Thank God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for saving me from such madness now, while my children are still so young. I pray that they grow up to be strong Christians.
Grace and Peace
Born Again
Are you a Christian? Are you born again?
If the answer to the first question is yes, then the answer to the second question must have been yes for the answer to the first question to be correct. You can't be a Christian without being born again, for this is what the Lord Jesus Christ said:
"Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Okay, no problem. Wait, what's that mean?
The Lord clarified:
"Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
Okay, no problem. Wait, what's that mean?
Some people say, baptism. I don't think so. Jesus didn't say baptism. He didn't. Numerous passages about being saved by grace through faith don't square with the baptism being necessary. The salvation of the thief on the cross doesn't square with the baptism being necessary.
Some people say, natural birth. I.e. being born of water indicates natural birth and being born of the Spirit indicates spiritual birth. I thought this for some time, but I don't think so any more.
Recently I have been turned on to the idea that the two go together and describe two aspects of the spiritual birth. Being born of water and the Spirit most likely refers to the spiritual cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ. When we are saved, our past sins our forgotten -- we are washed clean. We also receive the Holy Spirit and gain the ability to be and do what we could not all on our own.
I don't know Greek, but I read that the Greek grammar in this passage indicates that "being born of water" and "being born of the Spirit" should be thought of as one thing. Not water first and Spirit later, but "water and the Spirit" all together. That seems to square.
So how do we become born again? Though our own devices? Absolutely not! It is through the spiritual regeneration brought by genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
If you're not sure if you're born again, ask yourself if Jesus Christ is lord of your life. That means he's in charge and first. Its easy for one to say he accepts Christ as Savior without ever acknowledging him as Lord. That's a dangerous position to be in. If one says he is saved, there should be evidence of a changed life, for when we admit we're sinners, repent, and throw our lives to Christ, we get a new heart, we become new creations, and he leads the way from that point into eternity.
Praise God!
If the answer to the first question is yes, then the answer to the second question must have been yes for the answer to the first question to be correct. You can't be a Christian without being born again, for this is what the Lord Jesus Christ said:
"Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Okay, no problem. Wait, what's that mean?
The Lord clarified:
"Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
Okay, no problem. Wait, what's that mean?
Some people say, baptism. I don't think so. Jesus didn't say baptism. He didn't. Numerous passages about being saved by grace through faith don't square with the baptism being necessary. The salvation of the thief on the cross doesn't square with the baptism being necessary.
Some people say, natural birth. I.e. being born of water indicates natural birth and being born of the Spirit indicates spiritual birth. I thought this for some time, but I don't think so any more.
Recently I have been turned on to the idea that the two go together and describe two aspects of the spiritual birth. Being born of water and the Spirit most likely refers to the spiritual cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ. When we are saved, our past sins our forgotten -- we are washed clean. We also receive the Holy Spirit and gain the ability to be and do what we could not all on our own.
I don't know Greek, but I read that the Greek grammar in this passage indicates that "being born of water" and "being born of the Spirit" should be thought of as one thing. Not water first and Spirit later, but "water and the Spirit" all together. That seems to square.
So how do we become born again? Though our own devices? Absolutely not! It is through the spiritual regeneration brought by genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
If you're not sure if you're born again, ask yourself if Jesus Christ is lord of your life. That means he's in charge and first. Its easy for one to say he accepts Christ as Savior without ever acknowledging him as Lord. That's a dangerous position to be in. If one says he is saved, there should be evidence of a changed life, for when we admit we're sinners, repent, and throw our lives to Christ, we get a new heart, we become new creations, and he leads the way from that point into eternity.
Praise God!
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