Opportunities missed

When I was working my last event (the Chitimacha Louisiana Open) I failed to take advantage of the opportunity to witness to a group of people. As I was standing there one lady mentioned that her Baptist brother-in-law told her she was going to hell because she was a Catholic.

The words came to me, but I didn't speak them. (God have mercy on me!) What I needed to tell her was that she was not going to hell because she was Catholic, and neither was her brother-in-law going to heaven because he was Baptist. The only way to heaven is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in your life. (Acts 4:12)

Neither belonging to any particular denomination, being baptized, nor partaking of communion is necessary for salvation. Salvation is the sovereign act of God in the heart of those who willingly come to Him.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(Romans 10:9-13)

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God's Great Plan - in Perpetuity

"God's Great Plan - in Perpetuity" is an excellent artical from the Christian Courier website, though I take issue with the last point.

In this artical, the author argues that the Holy Spirit has finished with the revealing of truth once the canon was closed. It is, true that the Holy Spirit is done inspiring men to write more scriptures. This is the revelation in perpetuity of which the author speaks. Therefore, such things as the Koran, the Book of Moron, and the many Papal Bulls issued over the years proclaimed as being later revelations are Satanic deceptions. (Gal 1:6-9)

However, to say that the Holy Spirit no longer informs us and aids our understanding of the scriptures, as the author contends, is simply non-Biblical.

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

and

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
(Ezekiel 36:26-27)

It is the sovereign act of God, the change of heart that allows us even the chance to act in a righteous manner.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
(John 3:6)

and

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
(John 6:63)

The true understanding of God's Word is spiritual, our "fleshly" natures and minds cannot grasp it. Only with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the quickening of our spiritual beings can we begin to understand the scriptures.

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
(Proverbs 2:3-6)

and

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the
holy is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10)

and

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
(Job 28:28)

All spiritual wisdom comes from God.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And I was with you in meakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (Isa 64:4)

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 2)

Spiritual things are only understood by those who are alive spiritually; those who have God's Spirit within them. His Spirit is alive and well and actively allowing God's children to understand His Word. Praise God!

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A Choice of Origins

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."

God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this, let's say we have a man making contest."

To which the scientist replied, "OK, great!"

But God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."

The scientist said, "Sure, no problem" and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God just looked at him and said, "No, no. You go get your own dirt!"


I was considering the truths behind this joke, what makes it funny. This is the problem athiestic scientists face today. Through evolution they believe they can explain the origin of man, and life in general. Life, they claim was developed from a sea of chemicals. Where did these chemicals come from? Interstellar dust. Where did the dust come from? The Big Bang! The Big Bang? Yes everything exploded on to the scene in a giant explosion! What exploded? Nothing. How can nothing explode? Well, everything was in the nothing so it had to explode. How did that nothing come to be, where did the everything in the nothing come to be? Uh, it was part of a prior universe that shrank to nothing...?

Choose:

In the begining God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

-or-

Billions of years ago, the elements that make up everything that will ever exist exploded out of nowhere and from nothing.

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The Cure for Pain

Here is a wonderful article, The Cure for Pain. It is the practical experience of the author of The Berean Blog, a favorite of mine to read.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

(The Berean Blog is also the source, where I found the link to the medical paper in the previous post. Thanks, Jim!)

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Medicine agrees with the Bible

Some (like practicing Muslims) deny the death of Christ Jesus by crucifixion; despite the overwhelming historical and medical evidence.

On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ is a medical paper reprinted from JAMA - The Journal of the American Medical Association dated March 21, 1986.

It's always best to assume the Bible is correct. Sooner or later, it is inevitably proven accurate.

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Resurrection Sunday

Matthew 28:1-20
(1) In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

(2) And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (3) His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: (4) And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

(5) And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. (6) He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (7) And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. (8) And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

(9) And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. (10) Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

(11) Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. (12) And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, (13) Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. (14) And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. (15) So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

(16) Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. (17) And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. (18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The church now typically meets on Sunday, the first day of the week, in commemoration of Christ's resurrection. (John 20:19; Acts 20:7) Also note; the stone was rolled away for our sake; so that the women, and later Peter and John could see with their own eyes the Lord had risen! (John 20:3-9)

I find it interesting, in this account, you can see the effects of God's power on two different goups. The guards and the women. These big strong guardsmen, when confronted by an angel, collapsed, paralysed with fear! (This is obviously no effeminate creature with soft feathery wings or some fat baby flying around with a harp or a toy bow.) The women were also afraid, but God had sent the angel to them, so that they could share the Good News with the disciples. In doing what they were told, the women met the Lord on the way. The guards, however, once they recovered, reported to the chief priests. The chief priests and elders, men who were well educated in the scriptures and should have understood what was really going on, made a choice. They decided to pay the guards a bribe, cash money and their lives. For falling asleep on guard, the penalty was death. The guards made a choice, they took the money and the promise that the elders would save them from the govenor. But they missed the chance at eternal life, they didn't meet the Lord.

Even some among the disciples doubted, we have the account of Thomas in John 20:24-29. Thomas catches a bad rap, he is done a diservice in these days. Thomas only wanted the same proof the others had. Still he missed out on a blessing;

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
(John 20:29)

He was not asked to accept these things on blind faith, he had the witness of his ten closest and best friends. How many things do we accept based on the words of one person, and often a stranger at that? For example, when you go get your car serviced, you very likely take the word of the cashier, or attendant, who is repeating the words of the mechanic, or even more likely is reading a form written by a mechanic and hasn't even spoken to the mechanic himself! Based on the words of this person, you're going to trust your life and your families life by driving that car.

The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
(Proverbs 14:15)

Even the Bible teaches blind faith is foolish. Look to the evidence. If these eleven men, followers of Jesus, stole his body and hid it, why would they have died proclaiming the Resurrection true, even under torture? Ten of the eleven did, the eleventh spent the last years of his life in prison. Men have and will die for the truth, but a group of men invariably fail to keep a lie quite over a mater of years, especially when they would be rewarded to confess the lie and suffer if they continue. Another thing, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that there were over five hundred witnesses that saw the resurrected Lord, and many were still alive at that point. Think about it; if you were trying to keep a secret, would you tell people to go question the witnesses? Would you trust nearly five hundred people to "keep up the story" if it wasn't true? There is more evidence, though if those guards could see an angel, see it move the large boulder out of the door of the empty tomb and yet not believe... It still requires faith, and faith is from God.

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The Old and the New

Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin
offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
(Leviticus 16:3)

Once a year, and only once a year, the High Priest of Israel was to enter in to the Holy of Holies. This was when he could intercede for the sins of the people before God. Jesus was a perfect sacrifice for our sins. He needed only to suffer, and be sacrificed once for all of our sins for all time. Does this mean that everyone is going to heaven? No. In order for Jesus sacrifice to be counted for you, you need to accept Him. By His sacrifice, He paid the debt for our sins; therefore we owe Him our lives.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
(Hebrews 9:28)

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Isaiah 53

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:1-12)

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Good Friday Reflection

This article, Good Friday Reflection on the blogs4God website, is an excellent explination of Good Friday. Adrian Warnock's UK Evangelical Blog, the post Why Good Friday? rounds out the comments from the above.

Thank's to The Berean Blog for pointing these out.

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E-Scrabble is closed

Hasbro has finally discoverd e-Scrabble and exercised their right under the copyright laws.

http://www.e-scrabble.com/desist.html

Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

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A Shameful Thing

It's sad to live at a time when my country's government no longer honors life and instead chooses to murder a helpless person by deigning her food and water. We need to pray to God that He changes the hearts of our nations leaders.

Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation

Admittedly this is nothing new; in Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Israel is commanded to not let their children "pass through the fire" as was done in the surrounding countries. Unfortunately they didn't pay heed to this, but then again neither do we in modern times. They sacrificed their children to a pagan fire-god. In these "modern" times we sacrifice our children to the god of convenience, abortion.

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Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

(Psalms 100)

This is a childhood favorite, from before I was a Christian. Let me point out verse one, "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands" is how it is rendered in the KJV. "Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth" is a more modern way of saying it. To me it always meant "Everyone, sing loudly to God from the heart, don't worry how it sounds to other people" :-)

Worship is God's gift to us. When we lift up our voices in worship and praise to God it stirs us emotionally. (It does me anyway.) God is all in all, He doesn't need our prayers, praise, or worship. His existance commands it! However, as with so many other things, we best prosper when doing the things God has designed us to do! Psalm 29:2

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Some True Bereans

Check out The Berean Blog and Dean and Laura VanDruff's Home Page these are some web sites of people who are true Bereans in the Acts 17:11 sense of the word!

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Crown Financial Ministries - True Financial Freedom

I had signed up for participation in a "small group" at church during the winter. Well I've ended up in a Crown Financial Ministries class. I'll see if I can suscessfully complete the course, though I believe I'm going to miss to many class days. Actually, though, as they seem to teach, it is truly all in God's hands.

One of the first things they teach is that the majority of us are idolators! No, they don't use the word, however if you serve money, or put your finances ahead of God, then you are an idolator.

"You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
(Matthew 6:24)

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
(Exodus 20:3-6) and (Deuteronomy 5:7-10)

You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry).
(Colossians 3:5)

All who worship worthless idols turn from the God who offers them mercy.
(Jonah 2:8)

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Fellowship is a blessing from the Lord!

And I have been truly blessed this evening! While I deeply miss the blessings of my home church; the Lord made it possible for me to go to the Sunday evening service at Calvary Chapel of Lafayette.

I try to visit Calvary Chapels when I'm on the road, because I know that they will teach God's Word. They don't pick a verse, or two out of context to support what the pastor wants to say. At Calvary Chapels, their main services consist of reading the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, in order and the pastor teaches the material there!

So what, you may ask. There are many advantages to this methodology. One, all the scripture is taught. Often a pastor has favored topics, such as evangelism, or encouragement; or he really dislikes certain topics, such as gifts and tithes, or sin and death. These preferences influence the sermons the pastor prepares and preaches, whether he realizes it or not. There is no picking and choosing involved when you're committed to book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse teaching!

Secondly, it encourages the congregation to read their own Bibles. When the people know what book, chapter and verse the pastor left off on, and they know he will pick up where he left off, they may more likely read ahead on their own; especially if they are asked to do so. I know that I find it more enriching to read ahead and attempt to anticipate the pastor's message. (He always points out things I didn't think about.)

Additionally, it makes it easier to check up on the teaching. It's hard to teach a verse out of context when you are reading them book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. :-) And we should always check out what anyone says in light of God's Word, no mater who they are.

Also, Paul recommends it. 1 Thessalonians 5:27 and Colossians 4:16


If you go to a true Bible believing church, challenge your pastor to start a verse-by-verse Bible study, or allow one of his assistants or deacons or elders teach one. He may become amazed at how God will bless this ministry. If you are attending a church that teaches other books instead of, or even along side of the Bible, be wary... Check all the teachings against God's Word (you should always do this) and if what is being taught is contrary to God's Word, then prayerfully consider confronting the pastor (in love!) and looking for a new church home.


In closing, please pray for Calvary Chapel of Lafayette and their pastor, Kevin Cox (who is also the pastor of Calvary Chapel of New Orleans), they were a blessing to me from God, and I pray that God will bless them greatly for His glory! I know that my pastor (David McGee) would be envious to hear about Pastor Kevin's two hour drives between the churches (Pastor David actually likes bad traffic, "a great time to spend in prayer with the Lord!"), but us normal folk... actually, Pastor Kevin sees blessings in it as well. I'm still learning this lesson. :-)

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Speaking the Truth in Love

If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
(1 Corinthians 13:1)

I had the chance to speak with someone, a while back, who had begun complaining about their situation. I first tried to recommend potential ways to solve the complaint, but these were all rebuffed. Instead of lovingly finding a way to change the subject or even correct the situation, I became frustrated and attacked with my sword. I cited Numbers 11:18-20, which while appropriate in some cicumstances, was not appropriate here. So I have finally made an appology.

Now the other side of speaking the Truth in love is also difficult, and something that I need to work on. The common example, is if you see that someone is driving toward a cliff, you shouldn't wave to them and say; "Have a nice day, all roads lead safely to a happy destiantion." No, in love you should try to get their attention and warn them off of that wide straight road that leads to destruction.

I know someone who goes to a Unity church. The Unity Church teaches the wide road. What was once a Bible-believing and teaching organization has become "seeker friendly". But just how friendly is it to the seeker, when you tell them that they need to find their own way? Is it friendly to join together in a group to all drive off the same cliff, together?

5 Basic Unity Principles

1. There is only one Presence and one Power active as the universe and as my life, God the Good.
2. Our essence is of God; therefore, we are inherently good. This God essence was fully expressed in Jesus, the Christ.
3. We are co-creators with God, creating reality through thoughts held in mind.
4. Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with god. Denials and affirmations are tools we use.
5. Through thoughts, words and actions, we live the Truth we know.

What God says about these 5 principles

1. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
   (Isaiah 6:3) (and many others)
2. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
   (John 3:16-19)
3. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
   (Genesis 1:1)
   
   And the LORD answered Job out of the tempest and said: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, for I will question you; and you teach Me.
   Where were you when I founded the earth? Declare if you know understanding.
   Who has set its dimensions, for you know? Or who has stretched a line on it?
   On what were its bases sunk? Or who cast its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
   Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it burst out; it came forth from the womb?
   When I made the clouds to clothe it, and darkness its navel-band; and I broke My limit on it and set bars and doors; and I said, You shall come to here, but no further; and here your proud waves shall be set?
   Have you commanded the morning from your days, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the wings of the earth; that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned like clay under a seal; and they stand out like a garment. And their light is withheld from the wicked, and the high arm shall be broken.
   Have you gone to the springs of the sea; or have you walked in searching of the deep?
   Have death's gates been opened to you; or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Declare, if you know it all!
   Where is this, the way light dwells; and where is the place of darkness, that you should take it to its boundary, and that you should perceive the paths to its house?
   You know, for then you were born, and the number of your days is great.
   Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress for the day of battle and war?
   How is it, the way the light is distributed; and how does the east wind spread itself on the earth?
   Who has cut a channel for the flood; or a way for the thunderclaps, to make it rain on the earth where no man is, a wilderness and no man in it; to satisfy the waste and desolation, and to cause the source of grass to sprout? Is there a father for the rain? Or who has given birth to the drops of dew? From whose womb comes forth the ice; and the frost of the heavens, who fathered it; the waters hidden like stone, and the face of the deep is captured?
   Can you bind the bands of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion? Can you bring out the constellations in their season; or can you guide the Bear with its sons?
   Do you know the limits of the heavens; can you establish their rulership on the earth?
   Can you lift your voice to the clouds, so that floods of water may cover you?
   Can you send lightnings, that they may go and say to you, Here we are?
   Who has put wisdom in the inward parts; or who has given understanding to the mind? Who can by wisdom number the clouds or who can lay down the jars of the heavens, when the dust is melted into hardness, and the clods cling fast together?
   Will you hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in dens, and sit in the cover of their hiding place? Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God and wander about without food? Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bear? Do you observe the calving of deer? Can you tell the months they fulfill; or do you know the time for their bearing, when they crouch and bring forth; they send out their pangs? Their sons are strong; they multiply with grain; they go forth and do not return to them.
   Who has sent out the wild ass free, or who has loosened the bands of the wild ass? To whom I have assigned the desert for his home, and the salt land for his dwellings? He laughs at the roar of the city; he does not hear the driver's shouts; he seeks out mountains for his pasture; and he searches after every green thing.
   Will the wild ox consent to be your servant, or spend the night by your feed-trough? Can you tie the wild ox in the furrow with his rope? Or will he harrow the valleys for you? Will you trust him because his strength is great; or will you leave your labor to him? Or will you have faith in him, that he will return your seed, and gather it to your grain-floor?
   The wing of the ostriches flap joyously, though not like the stork's pinions for flight. For she leaves her eggs to the earth, and lets them warm on the dust; and forgets that a foot may crush it, or the beast of the field may trample it; she treats her young roughly, as if they are not hers; for her labor is vanity without fear; because God has made her forget wisdom; and He has not given to her a share in understanding. At the time she lifts up on high, she laughs at the horse and its rider.
   Have you given the horse its strength: have you clothed its neck with a mane? Can you make him leap like a locust; the majesty of his snorting is terrifying? He paws in the valley and he rejoices in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons; he mocks at fear and is not terrified; and he does not turn back from the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin. He swallows the ground with quivering and trembling, and he does not stand still for the sound of the ram's horn. When the ram's horn sounds, he says, Aha! And he smells the battle from a distance, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
   Does the hawk soar from your understanding? Will he spread his wings toward the south? Or does the eagle mount up at your mouth, and make his nest on high? He lives and stays on the rock, on the crag of the rock and the stronghold. From there he seeks food; his eyes see afar off. And his young brood also sucks up blood; and where the pierced ones are, there he is.
   (Job 38-39)
4. So says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.
   (Isaiah 48:17)
   Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. The one following Me will in no way walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.
   (John 8:12)
   Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
   (John 14:6)
5. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone believing, both to Jew first, and to Greek; for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; even as it has been written, "But the just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4 For God's wrath is revealed from Heaven on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, holding the truth in unrighteousness, because the thing known of God is clearly known within them, for God revealed it to them.
   (Romans 1:16-19)
   

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An opinion on spiritual gifts.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
(1 Corinthians 12:7)

It seems to me, reading 1 Corintians 12 - 14, that the gifts are granted to every believer, and should still be active today. (Excepting Apostleship.)

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
(1 Corinthians 13:9-10)

This passage is often used to claim that the spiritual gifts ended with the closing of canon. I believe that this cannot be supported if it is read in the context of the whole chapter.

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Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies. Psalms 107:2

It has been an amazing morning so far; I missed my flight, then when I did get on a flight I had to go through the full security check, and finally (?) the soda I was going to take with me opened up in my jacket pocket! Praise God what a great day! No really!

I wanted to book a later flight on a different airline, but it was nearly $400 dollars more than the lowest price. While the company I work for pays for the tickets, they expect us to be reasonable… and if I were to book the more expensive flight they very well may have charged me the difference. Anyway, the flight I booked was due to leave Greensboro at 6:20 AM, this morning. I was certain that the e-ticket said 6:50 AM. So, not thinking that I really needed to be there a whole hour early, I missed the 6:20 AM flight. The helpful ticket counter agents booked me over to the flight that I preferred! Better yet, I was booked to the front row, bulkhead seat! (Arguably the best seat on the plane.) Well, because I missed my flight and got re-booked, I must have met a security risk profile, because my boarding pass was given a code that means I and my stuff have to go through the most stringent security checks. As I went to the security line, I saw that there was a long line. The TSA screener at the head of the line saw my coded boarding pass and said, “You’re lucky, there’s no wait for the full screening.” Finally, as I boarded the plane, the soda in my pocket let go. Ah, but the jacket… and the pocket are waterproof! Only a little leaked out and as I was in the first row, the flight attendant was able to help me by supplying plenty of napkins. :-)

The LORD has blessed me today, certainly not because of anything that I’ve done to deserve it. He has taken these bad breaks and turned them to good. I believe it is an example, if God can take these minor problems and turn them to blessings, how much more can He do with the “larger” issues we deal with in this life? Even if we do not see or understand the good, it is there.

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It's been a while

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted an update. I find it difficult to post while I'm on the road, especially when I'm on dail-up. (Road Runner has cut back to 10 hours of dial-up time per month, before they start charging outrageous fees.)

Anyway, I have uploaded a new photo album from my time at the 2005 Honda Classic in West Palm Beach, Florida. I don't have but a couple of days before I have to fly out to the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in Broussard, Louisiana.

Pray for me; that I might do a better job keeping the posts coming.

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God in a Bottle?

Then if anyone says to you, Behold, here is the Christ! Or, Here! Do not believe. For false christs and false prophets will rise up. And they will give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I tell you beforehand. Then if they say to you, Behold, He is in the wilderness; do not go out. Behold, He is in the inner rooms; do not believe. For as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.
(Matthew 24:23-27)

There is much in this brief passage, but one thing that Roger Oakland (who recently did some teaching at the church I attend) mentioned that I'd like to pass on is this. In Matthew 24:26 the greek word for "inner rooms" (or secret chambers in the KJV) is "tameion" which could be interpreted as dispensary, a place of storage, a container.

So, in this day and age, when some one says to you, "Come and visit Jesus in our church. His prescence is in the Eucharist which we store in a Monstrance, where you can worship Him." Don't believe it, it is a lie. And don't be suprised if there are claims of healings and other miracles, as Jesus Himself warns us of great signs and wonders that would even lead the elect astray, if it were possible.

Any reasonable study of the Bible will show that Eucharist Adoration is flatly idolatry. God does not need a preist to conjure Jesus in a bottle in order for us to have a relationship with Him. We need merely turn from our sins, believe that Jesus is our salvation from sin, and accept Him as Lord of our lives.

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Replacement Heresy

Amazingly, there seem to be people in this world who claim to be Christians, and even claim to read their Bible, yet somehow they believe that God is done with Israel!

The #1 most mentioned topic in the Bible, besides God Himself is ... Israel! Here is a link to the 2293 references to Israel according to Bible Gateway.

Some heretics teach that the Jews crucified Jesus, and that is when God transfered Israel's blessings to the Church. Heresy! And factually incorrect! The Romans crucifed Jesus. Israel would have stoned Jesus, except that the Romans had taken away their right to capital punishment. Still, that is not entirely the truth. My sin and your sin were the real reason Jesus was crucified. Nails didn't hold God's hands to the tree, His love for us did! No man took Christ Jesus' life, but He laid it down willingly, in order to pay the price that was required for you and me to have a relationship with a Holy and Loving God.

In Romans 11 Paul makes it clear that we Gentiles are adopted into God's people, by the grace of God. If some heretics claim that God (who does not make mistakes, nor change His mind; unlike Allah for instance) has broken His promises to Israel due to their (Israel's) evil deads, how then do they dare claim the Christain Church stands? Certainly it is heresy and a lie to claim that the Church stands on its own Good Works! Read Church history! Read Revelation 2 and 3!

So much evil has been done to the Jews in the name of this heresy! Repent, read and learn the richness of our Jewish heritage! (And no, I'm not Jewish by anything but adoption into the Church by the grace of God as a co-inheritor with my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, the Messiah and King of the Jews. )

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Be Berean

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
(Revelation 21:1)

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the apostle John records, among other things, the end of the world. Unfortunately, some translations failed to reconcile the language with the meaning. Here follows two examples from the King James Version, where the translators, unintentionally, have created a seeming contradiction.

But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
(Isaiah 45:17)

Here is Isaiah, the prophet of God, apparently saying the world will never end. The phrase rendered “world without end”, here in Isaiah is ‘ad ‘ôlâm ôlâm ‘ad (or something like that according to the Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). This could be more correctly translated as “from one end of eternity to the other”. It does not speak of the world, this earth, but rather Israel.

Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:21)

In this example, the Apostle Paul also appears to be proclaiming that the world will not end, in contradiction to the scriptures. In the Greek, in which Paul wrote, the phrase that has been translated as “world without end” is “aiōn aiōn” or literally “age after age”, figuratively “to the end of time”.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
(2 Peter 1:20-21)

The Bible is God’s word, infallible in its original manuscripts. The Dead Sea Scrolls have proven the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) to be true copies. The New Testament is so well documented that it just simply not in doubt as to the accuracy of its contents in the original languages. However human translators are imperfect and spoken languages change over time. If you want to learn God’s truth, then go to a church that teaches the Bible, and not just from the Bible. And if the church you attend teaches that the Bible is merely one book among many that inform us of God, then flee from that church as it is not Christian.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
(Acts 17:10-11)

Be Bereans; be like the Jews of Berea. Search the scriptures daily, check out what your pastor says. Check out what I say. Check out what the radio and television ministers say. If some one says, "the Bible says..."; go look it up! Find out for yourself and question everything, this way you will learn to divide the true from the false. If it is in your "denominational handbook" but it is not in the Bible, then it is time to lead a movement to bring your denomination back to God's Word.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1:8)

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
(2 Corinthians 11:14)

So, the next time you find a golden disk which claims to have the words of God on them, or some angel of light shows up and tells you that he's got the true scoop, don't believe it or him. And should some one else find some golden tablet, or have an angel of light appear to him and reveal "more" gospel, now you know that it is false and anyone who preaches these things is accursed.

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Word for today

23This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. 24Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. 27Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, 29so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

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Honkers

You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
(Leviticus 19:17-18)

I'm living in an apartment complex. One of the few things that bothers me is, when in the morning, good people come to give their co-workers a ride to work. They roll up and honk; not thinking about the 50 other people in the complex. They'd rather inconvenience everyone else, than get out of their car, walk a few steps, and knock.

While I was considering (stewing) just such an incident this morning, it occurred to me that I maybe guilty of the very same thoughtlessness in other areas of my life. Even while doing a "good" deed, I need to learn to be considerate and thoughtful of others.

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