Before I get into some kind of rambling state, I want to thank any of you saints out there who pray for me. I am not a man who spends great lengths of time in prayer or covers a wide breadth of needs. Praise the LORD there are those of you out there who do pray for me; thank you.
I have a request for you "prayer warriors" as I have heard people called. Please pray for the persecuted church if you are not. I have a map on the wall that shows countries where the local government and/or other groups are hostile to Christians in red. There are many, maybe something like 57. The saints in those countries are in need of much more prayer than I give them on average for certain. For safety. For the spreading of God's Word. For the pouring out of His spirit. For His will to be done, above all.
I had a thought about people in those countries tonight. I thought it must be difficult to be a Christian under such oppression. But then again, read the New Testament. Hard or not, Christianity spread like wildfire as the apostles and other disciples of Christ spread the gospel. When you have a firm grip on the truth of the gospel, what's going to stop you? Persecution? Death? Hardly.
Then I had a thought about people in America. I thought it must be difficult to be a Christian here as well. Instead of facing real persecution we face real temptation, everywhere we turn and on everything we turn on. Its insane. But that hardly seems comparable to what brothers and sisters across the Atlantic face. Its a different kind of struggle.
But then it struck me.
In hostile countries, the Christian may face a difficult life, but its pretty easy to know that the Christians their truly follow Christ -- being a "lip service, in name only" kind of "Christian" in that environment would be downright stupid. When you claim to follow Christ in those countries, the sanity check can't be tough.
In countries like America, its really easy to put a Jesus sticker on everything. Its really easy to subscribe to some watered down version of Christianity where you can live however you want and call yourself a Christian. Never mind what that pesky Bible says. When we claim to follow Christ here, I think we really need to test ourselves often to see if we're in the faith -- and do a good job of it.
If there was anywhere someone could think they are a Christian yet not be one, its in America.
Grace and Peace
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Crabby Old Man
A co-worker posted this:
What do you see nurses? . . . . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . . when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man . . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . . lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am. . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . who love one another.
A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons . . . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . . and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . . open and see.
Not a crabby old man . . . . Look closer . . . . see ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.
Grace and Peace
What do you see nurses? . . . . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . . when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man . . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . . lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am. . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . who love one another.
A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons . . . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . . and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . . open and see.
Not a crabby old man . . . . Look closer . . . . see ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Complacency
I think I was getting a little too comfortable yesterday evening -- a little too complacent. I was laying in my comfortable big foam bag talking to God with a warm blanket on top of me and a soft pillow under my head. I was safe inside my apartment with no fear of someone breaking in to harm my family or steal our things. I wasn't worried about stray bullets coming through the window or wall. I wasn't worried about whether it would rain tomorrow, how cold it would be, or if I would make it to the food line on time. I wasn't worried about having enough to eat. I wasn't worried about my sick or dying child or wife. I wasn't worried about finding a job before the bank foreclosed. I wasn't worried about getting beaten by my spouse. I wasn't worried about someone sneaking in my room to abuse me. I wasn't worried about a lot of things.
Well, that's good. We shouldn't worry. But more important than what we should or shouldn't do is why. When one's biggest problems are what to eat, what to wear, what to watch, what to read, what to do, and so on -- and not one of those things is a problem, despite what many children and some adults will say -- it seems very easy to get the reason for not worrying wrong.
One with a comfortable life could say "God gave me this great life with many blessings in it. Thank you God!" Rightfully so. We should give thanks to the LORD for all that he gives us. But the question also follows for that person, who or what are you trusting? The gifts or the giver?
Shame on us if we ever trust the gifts more than the giver.
Even if one had to lay on the dirt floor, with no pillow and no blanket, in a bad part of town, in a war-torn and famine-ravished country where the government physically persecutes Christians, with a cancer ridden spouse and child -- that person still needs to put their trust in God.
God reminded me of that this morning through pictures of the earthquaked riddled country of Haiti. So many destroyed buildings. So many people hurt or killed. Pictures of adults covering the crushed bodies of dead children. A father holding his dead daughter in his arms. People wailing because of the loss they are facing. These are hurting people in need of help. What little many had has been taken and thus they must depend wholly on God to see them through this difficult time and provide for their needs.
Thank you God for always providing for your children, but thank you also for opening our eyes to the reality of the broken world in which we live. Thank you for reminding us that when we are greatly blessed, materially, spiritually, or any-other-ally, we also should be a blessing to others.
Its so easy to fail into a pit and let trust in God waiver as our lives move toward either extreme -- either by falling into a pit of despair because of terrible circumstances or by falling into a trap of lukewarm complacency because of comfortable living. We must always remember that the Word says to be content with what we have, not to be content because of what we have.
Grace and Peace brothers and sisters. Please pray for quick and overwhelming relief support, as well as opportunities to open up and be taken to share the gospel with the lost in that country.
Well, that's good. We shouldn't worry. But more important than what we should or shouldn't do is why. When one's biggest problems are what to eat, what to wear, what to watch, what to read, what to do, and so on -- and not one of those things is a problem, despite what many children and some adults will say -- it seems very easy to get the reason for not worrying wrong.
One with a comfortable life could say "God gave me this great life with many blessings in it. Thank you God!" Rightfully so. We should give thanks to the LORD for all that he gives us. But the question also follows for that person, who or what are you trusting? The gifts or the giver?
Shame on us if we ever trust the gifts more than the giver.
Even if one had to lay on the dirt floor, with no pillow and no blanket, in a bad part of town, in a war-torn and famine-ravished country where the government physically persecutes Christians, with a cancer ridden spouse and child -- that person still needs to put their trust in God.
God reminded me of that this morning through pictures of the earthquaked riddled country of Haiti. So many destroyed buildings. So many people hurt or killed. Pictures of adults covering the crushed bodies of dead children. A father holding his dead daughter in his arms. People wailing because of the loss they are facing. These are hurting people in need of help. What little many had has been taken and thus they must depend wholly on God to see them through this difficult time and provide for their needs.
Thank you God for always providing for your children, but thank you also for opening our eyes to the reality of the broken world in which we live. Thank you for reminding us that when we are greatly blessed, materially, spiritually, or any-other-ally, we also should be a blessing to others.
Its so easy to fail into a pit and let trust in God waiver as our lives move toward either extreme -- either by falling into a pit of despair because of terrible circumstances or by falling into a trap of lukewarm complacency because of comfortable living. We must always remember that the Word says to be content with what we have, not to be content because of what we have.
Grace and Peace brothers and sisters. Please pray for quick and overwhelming relief support, as well as opportunities to open up and be taken to share the gospel with the lost in that country.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Motivation
You know before I came to Christ I thought there was something screwed up with "religion". I guess I still do, because I still maintain that Christianity is not about a religion, but a relationship with God.
What I thought was stupid was the whole system of works. You see, at this time, I didn't know the gospel of Christ. I figured everything, Christianity included, was about works righteousness. We live our lives and then we are judged to determine our eternal destination and what rewards or punishment we receive, based on what we do in life and how we measure up to God's standard.
Why I thought it was is stupid is the motives seemed all wrong. Either I'm avoiding bad things that I really want to do, and maybe doing things I might not really want to do, because I fear hell. Or I'm doing that because I desire riches in heaven. Fear and greed. Two ultra-powerful motivators if you ask me. But they suck!
It was only until after I came to know Christ that the truth was made known to me. I do not follow God's law out of fear or greed, but because I love God. His word says that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God. And that is not something that should be driven by fear, or greed, but love for God and love for our neighbor (which is a way to show love for God!). What once seemed like a requirement while I was dead becomes a joy now that I am alive. Praise the LORD for that simple and beautiful truth!
Grace and Peace
What I thought was stupid was the whole system of works. You see, at this time, I didn't know the gospel of Christ. I figured everything, Christianity included, was about works righteousness. We live our lives and then we are judged to determine our eternal destination and what rewards or punishment we receive, based on what we do in life and how we measure up to God's standard.
Why I thought it was is stupid is the motives seemed all wrong. Either I'm avoiding bad things that I really want to do, and maybe doing things I might not really want to do, because I fear hell. Or I'm doing that because I desire riches in heaven. Fear and greed. Two ultra-powerful motivators if you ask me. But they suck!
It was only until after I came to know Christ that the truth was made known to me. I do not follow God's law out of fear or greed, but because I love God. His word says that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God. And that is not something that should be driven by fear, or greed, but love for God and love for our neighbor (which is a way to show love for God!). What once seemed like a requirement while I was dead becomes a joy now that I am alive. Praise the LORD for that simple and beautiful truth!
Grace and Peace
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The History of "Christianity"
I'm reading a book called The History of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez. This is from the 16th century into the 20th century. I'm about halfway through the 16th century right now.
I think the book should be called The History of "Christianity" instead. I'm not knocking the book. I'm knocking a lot of the actions in the book that don't seem to have a lot to do with following Christ, but rather have a lot to do with politics, money, power, needless war, and so on.
So, I will rant using no words of my own.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. (Matthew 15:6b)
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. (2 Timothy 2:14)
You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. (Exodus 20:17)
End rant.
No wonder the founders of this country wanted church and state separate. And yet, that only trades one set of problems for another. Stupid devil. Stupid, clever clever devil.
Back to reading. For what its worth, out of all the groups I've read about so far, I like those Anabaptist guys. Not the violent revolutionary ones, but those later ones that ended up becoming known as the Mennonites. Maybe that's because they weren't killing anybody.
Grace and Peace
I think the book should be called The History of "Christianity" instead. I'm not knocking the book. I'm knocking a lot of the actions in the book that don't seem to have a lot to do with following Christ, but rather have a lot to do with politics, money, power, needless war, and so on.
So, I will rant using no words of my own.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. (Matthew 15:6b)
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. (2 Timothy 2:14)
You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. (Exodus 20:17)
End rant.
No wonder the founders of this country wanted church and state separate. And yet, that only trades one set of problems for another. Stupid devil. Stupid, clever clever devil.
Back to reading. For what its worth, out of all the groups I've read about so far, I like those Anabaptist guys. Not the violent revolutionary ones, but those later ones that ended up becoming known as the Mennonites. Maybe that's because they weren't killing anybody.
Grace and Peace
Friday, January 8, 2010
Gospel Swap
I've recently gotten more into a TV show that I've seen now and then in the past. Wife Swap. Wives (generally, maybe always, moms) change families for two weeks. The first week, the new wife is supposed to follow what the old wife did. The second week, the family is supposed to follow what the new wife does. Of course, to make interesting television with conflict, the families are at opposite ends of some spectrum.
What I have noticed quite often on the show is that the wife, or the whole family, often has their own gospel. Now I can't ever judge a person's heart and motivation, especially based on what I see on an hour show, but it seems quite clear that many have decided life is totally about saving money, or spending money, or overindulging children, or making slaves of children, or educating children, or avoiding children, or working, or being lazy, or about a million other things.
And in those particular lifestyles, it is easy to see evidence of our sinful fallen nature. You see it in the need for control, in the greed, in the vanity, in the pride, and so on.
Then you have the super moms now and then. The ones that don't get wrapped up the world and take excellent care of their children, loving them, nurturing them, teaching them at home, being silly with them, and so on. They are the heart of a functioning family that has nothing but love to share.
And in those particular lifestyles, it is also easy to see the evidence of putting to death our fallen nature for something greater. You see it in the family's balance, in giving, in humility, in listening, in apologizing, in forgiving, and so on.
I admire the super moms that caught my attention. I think they're great, because they remind me of my own wife. While I can't rightly say what all the super moms on the show believe, from their profession, a fair number are Christ followers. So praise God for all wives and mothers that know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus! Thank you for them!
And may all others come to know the Lord Jesus and discover the joy of the gospel of Christ and put away the false gospels of the world, and, thus, the devil.
Grace and Peace
What I have noticed quite often on the show is that the wife, or the whole family, often has their own gospel. Now I can't ever judge a person's heart and motivation, especially based on what I see on an hour show, but it seems quite clear that many have decided life is totally about saving money, or spending money, or overindulging children, or making slaves of children, or educating children, or avoiding children, or working, or being lazy, or about a million other things.
And in those particular lifestyles, it is easy to see evidence of our sinful fallen nature. You see it in the need for control, in the greed, in the vanity, in the pride, and so on.
Then you have the super moms now and then. The ones that don't get wrapped up the world and take excellent care of their children, loving them, nurturing them, teaching them at home, being silly with them, and so on. They are the heart of a functioning family that has nothing but love to share.
And in those particular lifestyles, it is also easy to see the evidence of putting to death our fallen nature for something greater. You see it in the family's balance, in giving, in humility, in listening, in apologizing, in forgiving, and so on.
I admire the super moms that caught my attention. I think they're great, because they remind me of my own wife. While I can't rightly say what all the super moms on the show believe, from their profession, a fair number are Christ followers. So praise God for all wives and mothers that know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus! Thank you for them!
And may all others come to know the Lord Jesus and discover the joy of the gospel of Christ and put away the false gospels of the world, and, thus, the devil.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Change
I'm not much for politics, but I remember the mantra when Obama was running for office. "Change! We need CHANGE!" Well I know a bit about change. Obama has nothing on the LORD when it comes to it.
I pulled a file off an old hard drive tonight that listed my beliefs, or, more precisely, what used to be my beliefs less than 2 years ago. Let me highlight a few of them that were highly in error. We'll pick the top 5:
FALSE BELIEF 1: "I put faith in God, not in books, or, more precisely, not in the men responsible for the books we have today. I believe that texts written ages ago, by men, interpreted, by men, translated, by men, included or excluded from larger collections, by men, are not that reliable. I believe that it is a moot point whether any anicent text was divinely inspired or not. There have been numerous years in which numerous people could have twisted the original meaning, unintentionally, or, even worse, intentionally."
FALSE BELIEF 2: "I believe that many religions that worship God worship the same God, or aspects of God. I believe you can call God Allah, Jehovah, Christ, Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva, Ahura Mazda, or Bob, and be talking about the same God."
FALSE BELIEF 3: "I believe there are many paths to paradise, not one true and exclusive one. I choose to excercise my God-given free will to purposefully not decide to follow a specific religion that claims to be the one and only path to paradise."
FALSE BELIEF 4: "I believe that Jesus Christ could be the son of God (Christianity). I also believe that Jesus Christ could be a prophet (Islam). I also believe that Muhammad could be a prophet (Islam). I believe that Jesus Christ could have came to the Americas later (Mormonism). I believe that we could be reincarnated (Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism)."
FALSE BELIEF 5: "I believe that, at least in this life on Earth, I will never know which of those, and which of many other core beliefs of various religions, is true and which is false. I believe guessing is not a good idea. I believe professing to believe something I may not truly believe is not a good idea, whether it would happen at random, to conform, or out of fear. I am a mere mortal and cannot possibly know which is correct and which is not; therefore, I feel it is better to acknowledge the possibility that anyone COULD be right, and, also, that NO ONE may be right."
Wow.
Its amazing to look back and read that. I sound like what the unbelieving world sounds like. The world that considers all systems equal and valid. The world that says we can't know absolute truth. The world that says there are many paths to God. The world that hates the Christian worldview.
So, before, I continue, let me clear a few things up regarding the above:
CORRECTION 1: The Bible is the authorative written word of God, recording creation, the fall of man, the promise of a savior, the fulfillment of that promise through the birth, life, death, resurrection, and asencion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a look into the future at the final restoration of God's creation.
CORRECTION 2: Many religions may worship the same God, but only Christians worship the true and living God. Any religion who denies the person, work, and deity of Jesus Christ does not worship God, but some other false god.
CORRECTION 3: Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. Period.
CORRECTION 4: Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He is not a mere prophet. Muhammad is certainly a prophet -- a false one. So is Joseph Smith; thus, Jesus Christ also did not come to the Americas after his resurrection. There is no reincarnation. We are born, we live on earth, our bodies die, and we face judgement. There are no second chances. Make your choice now to reject or accept Jesus as savior and Lord; today is the day of salvation!
CORRECTION 5: There is an abundance of evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. Many are blind to it, as I once was before God drew me to Him and showed me the truth. Absolute truth is knowable, and the truth is that all need Christ.
Now THAT'S change. The LORD did an amazing work in my heart and mind.
Also amazing is the timing of that great and wonderful work. After many years of not caring much about truth at all, I decided to write down what I believe. Mostly as an exercise for myself. But that was about it. No big epiphany. No new worldview. Just a little bit of effort to think about what I actually thought. And it was from that moment on that little seemingly unconnected events in my life all began to work together in beautiful unison that led me to the LORD, until one day in desperation I cried out to Jesus, who saved me and gave me a completely new heart.
Praise God for his love, patience, and guidance! Praise my brothers and sisters in Christ for their many prayers for my salvation!
Grace and Peace
I pulled a file off an old hard drive tonight that listed my beliefs, or, more precisely, what used to be my beliefs less than 2 years ago. Let me highlight a few of them that were highly in error. We'll pick the top 5:
FALSE BELIEF 1: "I put faith in God, not in books, or, more precisely, not in the men responsible for the books we have today. I believe that texts written ages ago, by men, interpreted, by men, translated, by men, included or excluded from larger collections, by men, are not that reliable. I believe that it is a moot point whether any anicent text was divinely inspired or not. There have been numerous years in which numerous people could have twisted the original meaning, unintentionally, or, even worse, intentionally."
FALSE BELIEF 2: "I believe that many religions that worship God worship the same God, or aspects of God. I believe you can call God Allah, Jehovah, Christ, Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva, Ahura Mazda, or Bob, and be talking about the same God."
FALSE BELIEF 3: "I believe there are many paths to paradise, not one true and exclusive one. I choose to excercise my God-given free will to purposefully not decide to follow a specific religion that claims to be the one and only path to paradise."
FALSE BELIEF 4: "I believe that Jesus Christ could be the son of God (Christianity). I also believe that Jesus Christ could be a prophet (Islam). I also believe that Muhammad could be a prophet (Islam). I believe that Jesus Christ could have came to the Americas later (Mormonism). I believe that we could be reincarnated (Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism)."
FALSE BELIEF 5: "I believe that, at least in this life on Earth, I will never know which of those, and which of many other core beliefs of various religions, is true and which is false. I believe guessing is not a good idea. I believe professing to believe something I may not truly believe is not a good idea, whether it would happen at random, to conform, or out of fear. I am a mere mortal and cannot possibly know which is correct and which is not; therefore, I feel it is better to acknowledge the possibility that anyone COULD be right, and, also, that NO ONE may be right."
Wow.
Its amazing to look back and read that. I sound like what the unbelieving world sounds like. The world that considers all systems equal and valid. The world that says we can't know absolute truth. The world that says there are many paths to God. The world that hates the Christian worldview.
So, before, I continue, let me clear a few things up regarding the above:
CORRECTION 1: The Bible is the authorative written word of God, recording creation, the fall of man, the promise of a savior, the fulfillment of that promise through the birth, life, death, resurrection, and asencion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a look into the future at the final restoration of God's creation.
CORRECTION 2: Many religions may worship the same God, but only Christians worship the true and living God. Any religion who denies the person, work, and deity of Jesus Christ does not worship God, but some other false god.
CORRECTION 3: Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. Period.
CORRECTION 4: Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He is not a mere prophet. Muhammad is certainly a prophet -- a false one. So is Joseph Smith; thus, Jesus Christ also did not come to the Americas after his resurrection. There is no reincarnation. We are born, we live on earth, our bodies die, and we face judgement. There are no second chances. Make your choice now to reject or accept Jesus as savior and Lord; today is the day of salvation!
CORRECTION 5: There is an abundance of evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. Many are blind to it, as I once was before God drew me to Him and showed me the truth. Absolute truth is knowable, and the truth is that all need Christ.
Now THAT'S change. The LORD did an amazing work in my heart and mind.
Also amazing is the timing of that great and wonderful work. After many years of not caring much about truth at all, I decided to write down what I believe. Mostly as an exercise for myself. But that was about it. No big epiphany. No new worldview. Just a little bit of effort to think about what I actually thought. And it was from that moment on that little seemingly unconnected events in my life all began to work together in beautiful unison that led me to the LORD, until one day in desperation I cried out to Jesus, who saved me and gave me a completely new heart.
Praise God for his love, patience, and guidance! Praise my brothers and sisters in Christ for their many prayers for my salvation!
Grace and Peace
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Knowledge Is Not The Problem
Sometimes it seems as if people just need to be educated. "Let's just go tell people what the Word of God says because they don't know -- and then they'll come to Christ and all will be well for them." That could come from the mouths of anyone in any mission field, whether its some far away country, the local streets, at work, or even from one preaching from the pulpit on Sunday morning.
It's not true. The problem is not education. Sure, for some, that is part of the problem, but it is not the real problem. Knowledge is never a guarantee that someone will do the right thing.
Consider the following:
- People know that smoking is bad for them and causes lung cancer. How many people continue to smoke?
- People know that drinking too much destroys your liver and impairs your judgment. How many people still drink way more than they should? And how many also stupidly get into a car and drive away after doing it?
- People know that illegal drugs are insanely addictive and cause all kinds of problems. How many people still get into drugs?
- People know what STDs are and how they get transmitted. How many people still get invovled with fornication and adultery?
- People know that talking on the phone while driving, or eating, or drinking something, or screwing around with something else, takes focus away from controlling the vehicle. How many people still do one or more of those at once?
- People know that eating crap food their entire lives increases the health problems they will have later in life. How many people still eat garbage and way too much of it?
This list of examples could go on for a while, but the point is made.
Education is not enough. People know things intellectually, but it seems that they just don't believe them or believe them and don't care.
The same goes for the truth. People need to hear the truth. However, there are many in the world who have heard the truth and reject it because of one excuse or another. Hearing and believing are not enough though. People can believe the truth and still not care enough to do anything about it. However, all choices that leave a person in darkness are bad choices and lead to death.
Rather every must:
- Know the Word of God
- Believe the Word of God
- Obey the Word of God
Put that way it doesn't seem that hard does it? We really are a stubborn and stiff necked people. Thank God for his incredible patience and desire that none should perish! Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross.
Grace and Peace
It's not true. The problem is not education. Sure, for some, that is part of the problem, but it is not the real problem. Knowledge is never a guarantee that someone will do the right thing.
Consider the following:
- People know that smoking is bad for them and causes lung cancer. How many people continue to smoke?
- People know that drinking too much destroys your liver and impairs your judgment. How many people still drink way more than they should? And how many also stupidly get into a car and drive away after doing it?
- People know that illegal drugs are insanely addictive and cause all kinds of problems. How many people still get into drugs?
- People know what STDs are and how they get transmitted. How many people still get invovled with fornication and adultery?
- People know that talking on the phone while driving, or eating, or drinking something, or screwing around with something else, takes focus away from controlling the vehicle. How many people still do one or more of those at once?
- People know that eating crap food their entire lives increases the health problems they will have later in life. How many people still eat garbage and way too much of it?
This list of examples could go on for a while, but the point is made.
Education is not enough. People know things intellectually, but it seems that they just don't believe them or believe them and don't care.
The same goes for the truth. People need to hear the truth. However, there are many in the world who have heard the truth and reject it because of one excuse or another. Hearing and believing are not enough though. People can believe the truth and still not care enough to do anything about it. However, all choices that leave a person in darkness are bad choices and lead to death.
Rather every must:
- Know the Word of God
- Believe the Word of God
- Obey the Word of God
Put that way it doesn't seem that hard does it? We really are a stubborn and stiff necked people. Thank God for his incredible patience and desire that none should perish! Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross.
Grace and Peace
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