Tag Archive: Jesus Christ


Son of God ImageUnfortunately two of its most popular producers, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are practicing new age /Catholic mystics. May those planning on seeing this movie prayerfully consider researching it more before going.

More food for thought from The Berean Call,

“Astonishingly, the evangelical church is progressively sliding into idolatry as it turns from the Word of God to visual imagery. A goal of the American Bible Society is to put the entire Bible on video to accommodate our visually oriented generation (which has little interest in reading). The Jesus Film, a dramatic representation of the Gospel of Luke, has been the staple of Campus Crusade’s overseas evangelical efforts. The very Catholic movie The Passion of the Christ became a runaway box-office hit, largely due to the overwhelming support it received from evangelicals. Biblically conservative mission organizations such as Gospel for Asia are using Mel Gibson’s Hollywood production as part of its outreach program. Millions of The Passion of the Christ DVDs were purchased by evangelical churches for their Sunday schools, Bible studies, and small group meetings.

“Religious movies are on the rise (e.g., The Nativity Story, One Night with the King) as evangelicals “partner” with Hollywood and demonstrate that they are an eager and profitable market. One pastor, whose church bought out theaters for private showings of The Passion (which produced only “one conversion”) repented. He came under the conviction that rather than partnering with, his church was, in fact, “pimping for Hollywood.” As true as that may be, and as praiseworthy as his repentance was, if he doesn’t understand the serious nature (as explained above) of attempting to represent God’s Word in dramatic visual form, he is vulnerable to repeating the same error with visual idolatry.

“This is not a blanket condemnation of the film/video medium, but films cannot be used to present the Scriptures visually without becoming idolatrous. Not only are the images historically false (they are conjured up from the imagination of a screenwriter or director) but they must also conform to the mechanics of the medium (acting, cinematography, art direction, lighting, music, sound effects, etc.), which are designed to manipulate the senses and the emotions for dramatic purposes (see Showtime for the Sheep?, www.thebereancall.org a more detailed explanation).

“Biblical movies are just one trend among dozens that are contributing to weaning evangelicals off the Word of God and producing biblically illiterate Christians. This is especially true regarding our visually oriented youth. In the final part of this series, we want to give more extensive examples of movements within evangelical Christianity that are aggressively turning our next generation away from the Scriptures and toward an idolatry of experientialism.

“We serve a merciful God who can rescue a soul out of the darkest of circumstances but who will not support by His grace man’s religious ways and means in their attempts to serve Him. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah:55:8). To the degree that we deviate from His way, we are lapsing into idolatry. As Jesus explained, “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John:4:24).”

Follow Up Article: The “Son of God” Movie is NOT What We Think by Blogger- The Last Hiker

Three Legged StoolIn part 1 of Creation Navigation, the goal was to expose the root of what men call “Scientific Evolutionism”.  Knowing that the philosophy of evolution was birthed as a doctrine of devils and incubated in the hearts and minds of sinful men should be enough to keep its sales pitch locked outside of any reasonable man’s consideration. However, since there’s been such a massive propaganda movement over the last 300 years to give evolution a scientific veneer, it’s worth examining a few of its biggest scientific errors.  Part 2 will not explore every minute detail of evolution for one simple reason – it is not necessary.  It’s this author’s conviction that if someone does not have an adequate answer for the big picture pillars of their belief system, attempting to refute all the tiny details is irrelevant.

Take, for example, a cake.  What if two people come across a cake and one believes the cake was made by a secret factory run by ants?  The same person then desires to discuss his belief about the frosting being mixed and applied by an invisible herd of elephants.  If the man cannot provide adequate evidence for his primary belief regarding a secret factory, there’s really no point taking time discussing the probability of an invisible herd of elephants that manufactures frosting.  Forgive the simple (and silly) analogy, but I believe it makes the point.

Part 2 of this post will focus on the following three key scientific pillars or legs necessary for evolution to be a reality: time, chance, and mutations.  If even one of these legs can be shown to be contrary, then evolution cannot scientifically stand.  It is the goal of this post, however, to demonstrate that not only one, but all three legs are in direct opposition to “scientific evolutionism” and its underlying ideas.  Before starting, please consider carefully the following quotes:

Dr. Colin Patterson, who was senior paleontologist of the British Museum of Natural History, delivered a speech at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on November 5, 1981. He began by saying:

“I’m speaking on two subjects, evolutionism and creationism, and I believe it’s true to say that I know nothing whatever about either.

For over twenty years I had thought that I was working on evolution in some way. One morning I woke up, and something had happened in the night, and it struck me that I had been working on this stuff for twenty years, and there was not one thing I knew about it.

I tried that question on the geology staff in the Field Museum of Natural History [Chicago], and the only answer I got was silence. I tried it on the members of the Evolutionary Morphology Seminar in the University of Chicago, a very prestigious body of evolutionists, and all I got there was silence for a long time, and then eventually one person said: “Yes, I do know one thing. It ought not to be taught in high school.”

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of God, wrote,

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.”

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:18-25

Three Legs of “Scientific Evolutionism”

Leg 1 – Time: In an evolutionary sense, time is really the glue that holds everything else together.  Unfortunately, the darkened heart can be so easily fooled into believing anything is possible given enough time. There are many time issues with evolution, however one of the the main ones is connected to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In a basic sense this law states that matter/energy in a contained state becomes more wild and less stable over time. In other words, over time things wear out. This is a simplification, however true nonetheless. Energy is slowly wearing out.  For evolution to be true, time would have to work in its favor, however according to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, it’s one of evolution’s greatest enemies.

Leg 2 – Chance: For evolution to be a viable process, no intelligence could be possible. Those who originally embraced and promoted the philosophy of evolution as a science were mainly looking for a process that would be able to naturalistically explain the origins of the universe. If naturalism is the actual answer to this universe, then, strictly speaking, there would be no need for a intelligent Creator, and if there’s no intelligent Creator, then there would be no intelligence behind the process of evolution. Blind chance is the strict evolutionist’s replacement for anything intelligent, namely a Creator God. The problem here is that there are way too many things that mathematically and scientifically cannot function if chance is a main factor in the equation. The odds of everything in this world working properly to sustain life, let alone produce life are so astronomically high that they are simply impossible.  Sir Fred Hoyle calculated the odds of getting just the correct enzymes necessary for life (mind you, not life, just the enzymes necessary for life) by random chance to be 1 chance in 10 with 40,000 zeros after it.  Christian author and researcher, Dave Hunt, wrote,

“The astronomical odds make evolution mathematically impossible. Hoyle calculated that the odds of producing just the basic enzymes of life by chance are 1 over 1 with 40,000 zeros after it. By comparison, the odds of plucking a particular atom out of the universe is 1 over 1 with 80 zeros. Even if each atom became another universe, the odds of plucking a particular atom out of all those universes by chance are 1 over 1 with 160 zeros. One chance in 1 with 40,000 zeros after it just to produce the basic enzymes! But enzymes perform incredible feats, which fact further compounds the already impossible odds.” (http://www.thebereancall.org/content/evolution-or-gods-word)

Putting aside all the supposed fossil and biological evidence for evolution, if the math doesn’t add up, evolution just cannot stand. Random, mindless chance has absolutely no room in the explanation of the complex and symbiotic relationships that help maintain this universe. Ironically, any scientist seeking to prove that life came through random chance must do so using his intelligence. No successful research scientist begins a complex project deciding that random chance will govern his direction.

The other huge contradiction to the concept of chance is the scientific Law of Biogenesis.  This law basically states that life CANNOT come from non-life.  We could roll the dice for eternity and still not see the little plastic cubes grow legs and walk off.  No amount of chance can produce something that is scientifically impossible.

The “Chance” leg of evolution is neither mathematically nor scientifically possible!  

Leg 3 – Mutations:  This is arguably the most confusing, popular, and mystical legs in the philosophy of evolution. One popular, Sci-Fi movie starts out with this opening quote, 

“Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward.”  (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/X-Men_(film)

The most popular and mystical idea regarding evolution is wrapped in a mythical understanding of mutations. You can have trillions of year, but without some sort of vehicle or engine causing matter to change from the “simple” to the more complex, there would be no point to the story. The pop concept of mutations teaches that new information can be and is readily added to organisms causing them to evolve over unimaginably long periods of time.  In reality, this understanding of mutations is simply that, a popular sci-fi story. Scientifically, mutations cannot cause an increase of information. Instead, mutations are scientifically defined as either a loss of or rearrangement of the information already present.  Yes, some mutations might be beneficial to a local region, however, mutations never introduce new information to a creature’s DNA.   This popular idea of mutations is necessary for evolution to be a credible belief system, however it is neither observable nor biblical.

A quick reading through Genesis 1 makes it clear that God has set a permanent wall between each of the created kinds: plant, animal, and human.  The Bible uses the phrase “after their kind” ten times in Genesis 1. (Genesis 1:11, 12, 21, 24-25)  Creatures were not created to eventually change from one kind into another.  If the perfect God is the one who created, then why wouldn’t He create everything perfectly in the first place?  Most of man’s inventions evolve because men are not perfect.  Interestingly, even when considering man’s inventions, additions are almost never intended to change a product from one category to another.  No car designer hopes that his invention will be eventually changed into anything other than a “better” automobile.

Mutations never cause a gain of information within an organism, NEVER!  Over the last several years there’s been a new field of study called Information Sciences. Through their study there has been an observable and repeatable process defined by the following law- The Law of Information.  This law states that information, such as that which makes up a creature’s DNA, always comes from something or someone who has a great  amount of information.  Take, for example a DVD.  A DVD is packed full of information, but is produced by a machine that has a greater amount of information than the DVD.  That machine was designed and produced by a man that has even a greater amount of information.  A book is also a simple, yet proper example.  A book is filled with information, but is originally written by a person with even more information.  Information always comes from something or someone with a greater amount of information.  This directly contradicts the belief system of evolution.  In order for evolution to be true at any level, new information must be introduced from somewhere, yet this has never been observed.  And based on Genesis 1, it is this writer’s conviction that it never will.

Based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Law of Biogenesis, and the Law of Information, not to mention the mathematical and statistical laws mentioned above, evolution is not nor ever will be viable at any level.  It is nothing more than a metaphysical philosophy adorned in scientific jargon designed to intimidate and confuse the average listener.

Truly “Scientific Evolutionism” does not have even one leg to stand on!

One Final Question: Even though evolution is clearly not an accurate belief system or explanation of the origin of the universe, what makes the Bible the reliable source?

There are many reasons to trust the Bible as God’s Word, but taking into consideration the parameters of this article, the laws mentioned above are a great place to start.  Simply said, we have no reason not to believe God’s Word because all of the laws mentioned above are consistent with, not contradictory to the Bible.  Consider each law in light of the Bible.

1. The Second Law of Thermodynamics:  Matter in a contained state becomes more wild and less stable.  Although science has no satisfactory answer for the reason matter and energy are wearing out, the Bible addresses the issue and supplies a completely credible origin for corruption.  “And unto Adam [God] said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and has eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake…” Genesis 3:17.  “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:21-23.

2. The Law of Biogenesis: Life cannot come from non-life.  Although there is no evolutionary or scientific answer for the origin of life, the Bible clearly explains that the Living God is the Creator of life, creating living creatures.  (See Genesis 1)  “For as the Father has life in Himself; so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself…” John 5:26.  Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  John 14:6.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

3. The Law of Information: Information always comes from a greater amount of information.  Neither science nor evolution can answer where information originated from.  Logic would dictate that if information comes from a greater amount of information, then if one goes back to the origin we would find the Originator as the One infinite in information, that is to say the all knowing One.  The Bible is clear that God is the exclusive, all knowing Creator.  “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.” Psalm 139:2-4

4: Mutations:  Mutations cannot cause a gain of information, but rather produce a rearrangement or loss of information.  Observable science proves that mutations cannot cause a gain of information.  Yes, some mutations are locally beneficial, however none cause a gain of new information. No plant or living creature has ever been observed to be anything other than that which it was designed to be.  This “wall of separation” has been clearly designed by God Himself.  One such example is from Genesis 1:24. “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.”  (Also consider: Genesis 1:11,12, 21, and 25)

God’s Word has been tested and God’s Word can be trusted! 

THE TRUTH

OldRuggedCross_B&WRegardless of the physical facts of science, there is something much more pressing at stake, namely the destiny of men’s souls.  The True and Living God is not only the Creator of physical life, but also the One who created Adam and Eve in the image of God, giving each a living spirit that would last forever housed in perfect bodies.  Sadly, they stole their responsibility and privilege in hopes of reflecting their own glory.  They sinned against their Almighty Creator, rejecting His Word in favor of their own foolish thoughts, introducing sin and death into God’s perfect creation, eternally separating themselves from God.

All men since then have been born in separation, embedded with this same disillusionment of grandeur in the very fiber of their hearts and minds.  Men have desperately desired to be their own gods, seeking to destroy the very thought of the One True God.  Regardless of men’s continued predilection for perversity, God, in His great kindness and love, sent His only begotten Son to this darkened planet, a planet groaning from centuries of rebellion.  He became a man and never stopped being God, all to provide the opportunity for those seeking souls to be liberated from the shackles of darkness and death.  True light and life are offered in only One.  He is Jesus Christ. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12.

“Nor is there salvation in any other [than Jesus], for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12  

A Few Helpful Articles:

star-wars-logoAs a child I was literally mesmerized by the Star Wars movie series (IV, V, and VI).  I had watched them so often, I could literally quote almost every line from all three movies from memory.  My parents did not raise me in the New Age (New Spirituality) or any formal religion for that matter.  My temple was the theater and doctrine formed from the movie mysticism I chose to feed on.  I can say without equivocation that Star Wars was one of the greatest influences on my false understanding of myself and of God.

Sadly, the lies fed through the pop/entertainment culture today are even more seductive and influential in shaping the hearts and minds of this generation.  Watching movies is not like going on a roller coaster ride.  We should never, NEVER allow our children to be taken on a “ride” that will, in the end, lead them far away from Jesus.  I would never allow a child to get into a car with someone he didn’t know, so why would I allow him to take a mental-heartfelt journey with some godless movie, TV show, video game, toy, or book?

We are called to be active, not passive viewers, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, carefully discerning every message by weighing everything against the Word of God.  Tragically, too many  authors  intentionally design entertainment in such a way as to grow the old, selfish man, leaving viewers more satisfied by the world than with the God who loved them and died for them.  Then we wonder why our children have no interest in the True God and His Word.  

For a few of the many unbiblical concerns with Star Wars, I’ve included a Q&A from The Berean Call below.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 4

Related Articles:

God is not the God of the Force ~Dave Hunt

Is Jesus or the Force with You? ~Unity in the Truth Blog

Can You Believe in the Bible and Evolution (Audio Link) ~The Berean Call

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The Berean Call Newsletter 

Question: Our grandson and some of his friends from church seem to be obsessed with the Star Wars film series. They trade Star Wars cards and play Star Wars games. I don’t feel good about it but don’t know why. Can you give me some information?

Answer: I remember when the film Star Wars first appeared. Rabi Maharaj (the ex-guru whose story is told in Death of a Guru) and I went to check it out together. We sat there poking one another in astonishment as evidence piled upon evidence that this was pure witchcraft and Eastern mysticism and that its creator, George Lucas, knew exactly what he was doing.

The Force is obviously the “god” of Star Wars. One thought remained after the action had faded from the screen: “May the Force be with you.”  We saw that on T-shirts and bumper stickers. A whole generation began to believe in this impersonal Force that can be used to empower one to do magic feats but holds no one accountable, as does the personal God of the Bible.

This is the Force of witchcraft with a dark and light side: black magic and which magic. Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi were the followers of the “the old religion,” as one of Vader’s soldiers reminded him. The “old religion,” of course is “wicca,” or witchcraft. The Force with its Dark and Light side is amoral. There is no right or wrong, just alternative sides of the Force.

The “laser sword” which Luke Skywalker learned to use is a divination device (forbidden in Deuteronomy 18 and elsewhere.) which only a Jedi Knight can wield. To become a Jedi Knight one must be initiated into that altered state of consciousness through which one enters the occult world.

Luke tried unsuccessfully to use the “laser sword” with his own intellect and skills. So Obi Wan covered Luke’s eyes with a visor. Unable to see, Luke could instantly deflect the laser emanating from the little ball dancing about in mid-air because he “let the Force take over.” This is the altered state of consciousness which opens one to possession by evil spirits.

Obi Wan is a false “Christ.” After he gave his life to save his companions, he became Luke’s spirit guide, speaking to and guiding him from the spirit world of demonic power.

Luke could not destroy the Death Star with his high-tech spaceship and weapons. But hearing the voice of his spirit guide, Obi Wan whispering, “Luke, let the Force take over,” he went into his altered state of consciousness, the Force possessed and worked through him, and he destroyed the Death Star — which meant nothing because the Force was still in place with both its Dark and Light sides.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda was a yogi. He taught Luke that his mind was actually the channel of this power, and that he could do whatever he believed he could do — which Yoda demonstrated by raising Luke’s spacecraft out of the swamp with his mind. This is, of course, the witchcraft power of positive/possibility thinking and positive confession.

Luke went into the cave to do battle with Darth Vader. When he cut off Vader’s head the audience cheered. Then came a perfect Zen Buddhist twist: When the severed head was exposed, it was Luke’s own head. As the popular song goes, “I am you, and you are me, and his she, and all is on.” This is the pantheistic lie of Hinduism, that in fact you are God, you are the universe.  That has been experienced on drugs, in yoga or in hypnotic trance by millions, the state of so-called cosmic or unity consciousness.

Throughout the film, a large serpent was frequently seen giving its blessing by moving in and out of the frame, again a very subtle message.

Amazingly, when Vader was finally vanquished, he joined Obi Wan and Yoda in the spirit world of Ascended Masters. Such was his reward for playing the Dark side of the Force! These three comprise the unholy trinity that would continue to guide Luke!

There is much more, but hopefully this will convince your grandson and his friends that they are being led into the occult.

~Dave Hunt, The Berean Call Newsletter, May, 1998

Related Articles:

God is not the God of the Force ~Dave Hunt

Is Jesus or the Force with You? ~Unity in the Truth Blog

Can You Believe in the Bible and Evolution (Audio Link) ~The Berean Call

Eternal Freedom

 

God's love to peopleFreedom is the song all men long to sing. Yet too often freedom means free from the true God; free from His “constraints.” Sadly many will realize only after it’s too late that Jesus Christ is the only One who offers true, everlasting freedom. Deep down inside we believe we can somehow attain freedom to do what we want, yet this is an unattainable illusion. Too often we believe we can actually attain a level beyond servant hood, yet again this can only be done by deluding ourselves.

We will always be servants. We will always serve someone or something. The question isn’t whether or not we can ever be truly free to do what we want. The question is whether we can ever truly be free enough to follow the One we were designed to pursue. You see we were never designed to live apart from the One who created man. Currently men are shackled by their own selfish desires, yet they foolishly seek heavier irons all in the name of freedom, all the while making them more the slave to sin, self, and Satan.

Jesus came to make men truly free. Free to follow God. Free to leave self and pride behind. Free to love and worship God the way He intended all along. Freedom is the lover’s song and only the sinner saved from his eternal chains by Jesus Christ dying for his sins can know eternal freedom. Only the wretched man who humbles himself before the Almighty God will ever know what it feels like to truly be free, not free to run from God, but finally free to run to Him.

If you seek to be free from God, you already have it. If you seek to be free to follow the true and living  God, His invitation is for you. Perhaps today you would desire to once and for all be freed from the bondage of sin and selfishness. “Jesus answered them, Truly, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. If the Son [Jesus Christ] therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34,36 OldRuggedCross_B&W

Three Legged StoolThe Threefold Strategy

Yes, the sword is the principal offensive weapon, yet in any war a good strategy is arguably just as important as the chosen weapon. If an attack is poorly planned, even the best of weaponry may render the assault useless. Praise God this is only true for the physical realm! God’s Word will always accomplish what He desires no matter our poor planning. Nevertheless, our desire should always be to properly prepare our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The spiritual strategies vary throughout our walk with the Lord. There are times to move forward offensively in the power of the Spirit and other times to wait patiently on our Lord’s direction. However, in general, there is a threefold plan that should be taught to and demonstrated by every believer, one that will serve as the framework for every chapter in our walk with Lord. This strategy is much like a three-legged stool. If only one or two of the legs are employed, the believer will not have as firm a foundation as intended, leaving him and those he disciples at best anemic and at worst open to deceptive doctrines.

This overarching, threefold plan is essential to every believer’s growth and effectiveness in Christ and is revealed to us in Colossians 1. Here Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, instructs born again believers in the mysteries of Jesus, specifically Christ in us, the hope of glory. How fitting that this ever important strategy is found in one of Scriptures most beautiful passages regarding the amazing mystery of Christ, our great God and Savior, literally indwelling the hearts and minds of His children! In Colossians 1:27-28, the Lord wrote through Paul, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus…” Colossians 1:27-28

The threefold strategy for every believer is clear: preach, warn, and teach every man. Over the last several decades, many believers around the world have grown weak, choosing to embrace a man-centered, psychological, and social gospel instead of simply preaching and teaching Christ from the Word of God. Thankfully there are a few fellowships that have stood firm on the God’s Word. They do a good job of preaching and teaching Jesus, but unfortunately even many of these have chosen to ignore the other leg of the stool, not warning the flock of God in all wisdom. All three areas must be exercised for each individual believer and the body of Christ as a whole to be as healthy as possible.

  • Preaching Jesus: Truly our preaching should not simply be for doctrine’s sake. Doctrine is essential, but serves a higher purpose than itself. Doctrine is the framework of truth.  It serves as the proper paving stones that pave the godly road, ultimately leading its hearers to the Lord of true doctrine, Jesus Christ, the living Word of God! A person or fellowship that does not point men to Jesus is pointing them to men. To grow in Christ we must preach Jesus! “But you have not so learned Christ; if so be that you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus…” Ephesians 4:20-21
  • Teaching in all wisdom: Too often there is a temptation to embrace the world’s methods and patterns in teaching the flock of God. Sadly, there seems to be more and more pressure for the saints of God to regurgitate the pabulum of this sinful world. God’s wisdom is so far above man’s philosophies! Why should we feel such a need to apologies for the unadulterated Word of God?  We are called not only to preach Jesus, but lovingly and truthfully teach others the Word of God, being led by and leading others to eat from the hand of God, not this world’s feeding trough. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27
  • Warning every man in all wisdom: “Wisdom cries aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.” Proverbs 1:20-22. Even solid, Bible teaching churches too often seem to fall into the error of not warning the flock of the dangers of false teachers and heretical teachings. Some argue that we must simply focus on the truth, not worrying about the false teachers within the body of Christ. But Peter warned the saints of Satan’s desire to devour as many as possible (1 Peter 5:8), and Paul warned the Ephesian elders that grievous wolves would enter even among them, drawing away disciples after themselves, not sparing the flock (Acts 20:29). Many times the Treasury Department analogy is used to reinforce the importance of  focusing on the truth. While it’s true that those working for the Treasury Department must carefully study real US currency in order to detect counterfeits, it’s just as true that the same workers must know how the counterfeiters operate, i.e. make their bills, circulate them, etc. As believers we must study, know, love, preach, and teach the truth of God’s Word, but we are not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11) According to Colossians 1, we must warn the flock of God in all wisdom. Interestingly, many faithful followers of Christ are very concerned about warning the world of the Hell they are heading towards. Why is it that somehow we lose so much of that concern when it comes to the body of Christ? Should we not be more concerned for the body of the One who delivered us from death to life? Speaking of the body, consider a physical body that is unable to fight off infection properly. Certain cells in the blood spend all of their time identifying, mapping, and destroying enemies of the body, all to the goal of keeping it healthy. Why should it be any different in the body of Christ?

The Ultimate Goal: No Christian is called to preach, teach, and warn simply for the sake of preaching, teaching, and warning. Colossians 1:28 makes that clear. Learning how to utilizing all three of these facets is an essential strategy, requiring diligent dedication.  We are called to employ all three with the purpose of presenting every man perfect, that is to say, thoroughly furnished and mature in Christ Jesus. In reality when we only choose to employ one or two of the strategies revealed in Colossians 1:27-28, both we and the hearers lose out on growing in maturity as quickly as we should. We lose out on a closer and more intimate walk with our loving King! God wants His children growing to have a healthy and utter dependence (not independence) on our Lord and Savior, the Head of the body, Jesus Christ. Regardless of what’s popular in today’s professing churches, may we seek to faithfully feed the flock of God; preaching Jesus, teaching, and warning every man all because of our love for Jesus and a true love for His body!

OldRuggedCross_B&W“The loss, the rejection, the shame, belong both to Christ and to all who in very truth are His. The cross that saves them also slays them, and anything short of this is a pseudo-faith and not true faith at all. But what are we to say when the great majority of our evangelical leaders walk not as crucified men but as those who accept the world at its own value—rejecting only its grosser elements? How can we face Him who was crucified and slain when we see His followers accepted and praised? Yet they preach the cross and protest loudly that they are true believers. Are there then two crosses? And did Paul mean one thing and they another? I fear that it is so, that there are two crosses, the old cross and the new.

“. . . But if I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of self-assured and carnal Christianity whose hands are indeed the hands of Abel, but whose voice is the voice of Cain. The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it. The old cross brought tears and blood; the new cross brings laughter. The flesh, smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before the cross it bows and toward the cross it points with carefully staged histrionics—but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of that cross it stubbornly refuses to bear.”

A. W. Tozer, God’s Pursuit of Man (Camp Hill, PA: Wingspread, 1950), 53.

bible-verses-about-love

When You Read The Bible Through

The following poem by writer Amos Wells, emphasizes our need for thorough Bible study, remembering that “every word” is important But

“[Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”(Matthew 4:4):

“I supposed I knew my Bible
Reading piecemeal, hit and miss,
Now a bit of John or Matthew,
Now a snatch of Genesis,
Certain chapters of Isaiah
Certain Psalms (the twenty-third);
Twelfth of Romans, First of Proverbs
Yes, I thought I knew the Word;
But I found that thorough reading
Was a different thing to do,
And the way was unfamiliar
When I read the Bible through.

Oh, the massive, mighty volume!
Oh, the treasures manifold!
Oh, the beauty of the wisdom
And the grace it proved to hold!
As the story of the Hebrews
Swept in majesty along,
As it leaped in waves prophetic,
As it burst to sacred song,
As it gleamed with Christly omens,
The Old Testament was new,
Strong with cumulative power,
When I read the Bible through.

Ah, imperial Jeremiah,
With his keen, coruscant [shining] mind,
And the blunt old Nehemiah,
And Ezekiel refined!
Newly came the Minor Prophets,
Each with his distinctive robe;
Newly came the Song idyllic,
And the tragedy of Job,
Deuteronomy, the regal,
To a towering mountain grew,
With its comrade peaks around it,
When I read the Bible through.

What a radiant procession
As the pages rise and fall,
James the sturdy, John the tender
Oh, the myriad-minded Paul!
Vast apocalyptic glories
Wheel and thunder, flash and flame,
While the church triumphant raises
One incomparable name.
Ah, the story of the Savior
Never glows supremely true
Till you read it whole and swiftly,
Till you read the Bible through.

You who like to play at Bible,
Dip and dabble, here and there,
Just before you kneel a weary,
And yawn thro’ a hurried prayer;
You who treat the Crown of Writings
As you treat no other book
Just a paragraph disjointed,
Just a crude, impatient look
Try a worthier procedure,
Try a broad and steady view;
You will kneel in very rapture
When you read the Bible through.”

bible-verses-about-love

“Blest be the dear uniting love
that will not let us part;
our bodies may far off remove,
we still are one in heart.”

“Joined in one spirit to our Head,
where He appoints we go,
and still in Jesus’ footsteps tread,
and do His work below.” 

“O may we ever walk in Him,
and nothing know beside,
nothing desire, nothing esteem,
but Jesus crucified!”

“We all are one who Him receive,
and each with each agree,
in Him the One, the Truth, we live;
blest point of unity!”

“Partakers of the Savior’s grace,
the same in mind and heart,
nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
nor life, nor death can part.”

“Blessed Be the Dear Uniting Love”, Charles Wesley (1742)

God’s Love

1 John 3_16 Heart WatercolorJesus Came From Heaven To Earth,

To Pay the Price that I Deserve.

He Died and Rose on the Third Day. 

His Love is Great and His Truth the Way.

 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

 

 

 

Inside or Out?

Boy Reading the holy bible“It’s all inside” is a popular slogan from one American retailer.  Although it might sound good and maybe even help sell a few sweaters, in reality nothing could be further from the truth.  Is everything we need for life really inside?  Yes, our bodies have a variety of organs, most of which are inside, all working together to sustain our physical life.  So technically, we could say that without the stuff inside we couldn’t be physically alive. Yet there is much more necessary than what’s on the inside.

The body can only live several weeks without food and several days without water.  We cannot survive for more than several minutes without oxygen before brain damage will most likely occur.  Our ears are designed to capture external sounds and eyes to draw in light radiating from without, not from within. It’s as if the designer of the human body is carefully and repeatedly reminding us that even though our bodies are self-contained, they are far from self-sustained. We clearly need things from outside of ourselves, and although no one would disagree with this, the same cannot be said for the spiritual side of life.  Sadly, too many have been blinded by the misguided belief that all the answers we need for spiritual life are found within.

Growing up, I can recall numerous times being told that I must simply look within for my answers.  Over the years, so many movies, songs, video games, and teachings have delivered the same erroneous message, “If you want to know reality, begin by looking inside.”  I can’t remember ever stopping to ask one simple question – “How do you know?”  How is it that people know for sure they can accurately search within to discover the mysteries of eternity?  When asked this question, most might answer one of two ways.  The first is based on emotion, “It just feels right.” The second is based on a majority, “Many people I trust believe the same way.” There are numerous problems with both of these reasons. Just because if feels good, doesn’t mean it’s true, and just because many people believe something doesn’t mean it’s reality.

According to the true Word of God, men are not the answer.  There is nothing inside of us that will supply anything illuminating. Just as we cannot emanate physical light from inside, so it is that we are unable to find true spiritual light from within.

Carefully consider a few verses:

  • “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  Jeremiah 17:9
  • “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” Mark 7:15
  • “There is none good but one, that is, God…” Matthew 19:17
  • “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 3:19
  • “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

So if we cannot find the light from within, then where does one go to receive the true light?  

The answer is not found in where to go, but to whom.  To all who have ears to hear, this is what the Word of God says concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: 

  • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” John 1:1-5, 9,10
  • “This then is the message which we have heard of Him [Jesus], and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
  • “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, “I am the light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

BUYER BEWARE-

Not all claiming to be light are actually true light.  Jesus said of Satan that his ministers appear as servants of light, yet they lead people into further darkness.  There is light that is actually spiritual darkness.  Consider the following verses:

  • “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness…” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
  • “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6::23
  • “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44

Within is only darkness.  We cannot look within for answers on eternity anymore than I can look within to be physically fed or to breathe air.  Jesus Christ, the true light from Heaven, entered this dark world to bring the truth.  His light reveals our own sinful, rebellious nature and the true light of God’s judgment and justice.  Praise God, He also brought the light of His love and forgiveness found in the full and free sacrifice for all mankind found in Jesus Christ alone.  (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

May we humble ourselves and approach God’s true light, realizing that our complete and utter dependence is upon Him, not ourselves!