Archive
In Uncertain Times, We Serve a Certain God
We are living not only in interesting times but uncertain times. Businesses are closing and laying people off until the Coronavirus pandemic is over. Then, there is a question of if they can reopen after it is over. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. People are called to shelter in place and enact ‘social distancing’. Workplaces are activating business continuity plans by having employees work from home. All of this is being done in the name of safety and in an attempt to protract the virus’s effect. Many are saying that they’ve never seen anything like this before. They are calling these times, unprecedented.
Though these times may be new to us, they are not unprecedented.
They have happened before. Our ancestors saw them with smallpox and the Black
Plague. While these times are new to us and may have caught us off guard, they
did not take God by surprise. (For more on this, check out my blog, “God and the Coronavirus”.) What is His message to us? We are not to be afraid for He is
with us. This message will only appeal to those who are with Him because those
are the only ones to whom it is true.
The Bible records many times in Israel’s history that the Lord had
to encourage His people in times of trouble. There were times when He told them
to ‘fear not for I am with you’. Other times, He merely demonstrated His power
to show His presence. One such time was the parting of the Red Sea, as
recounted in Exodus 14.
As the Hebrews marched from Egypt to the Red Sea, they later
learned that they were being pursued by Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. Fearful,
they approached Moses and asked why he brought them out there to die. “Were
there not graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the
wilderness?” Moses tried to comfort the people by telling them that the
Egyptians they feared today would never be seen again. Then the Lord told Moses
to command the people to go forward and to stretch out his staff and divide the
Sea. The Sea parted. The people crossed. The Egyptians drowned. That day, God
gained glory. The Hebrews feared the Lord.
Isaiah 7 recounts an attempted overthrow of Jerusalem. The Lord
had to comfort His people during the attack on the city, which was led by the
northern kingdom, Israel, and their neighbor, Damascus. The city was
surrounded. Supplies were cut off. King Ahaz was assured defeat was inevitable.
(Put yourself in their shoes. Can you imagine how you would have felt having
your city/town surrounded by an army that meant you harm, and no one was
willing to help you? Can you imagine the fear, the uncertainty? Even the king
felt defeated.) Isaiah went to King Ahaz and told him to be strong because the
Lord was with him and that he could ask for a sign. Adopting false humility,
Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. So, Isaiah gave him a sign anyway:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and
honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the
evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both
her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and
your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day
that Ephraim departed from Judah.”
The child was to be named Immanuel. The child’s name and presence
were physical proof that God was with them. He was fighting for them. What a
comfort this should have been to Ahaz.
Today’s believers have that same comfort. We have the Holy Spirit
living within us. He is God with us. Paul reminds us that “God has not given us
a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (1 Timothy 1:7).” Again
in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul instructs us not to worry or stress out over
anything, “but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
make [our] request known to God; and the peace of God will guard [our] hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.” (I’ll write more about God’s peace next week.)
History has shown time and time again that God has been there for His
people. He has protected Israel
though many have tried to eradicate her. The church still exists though many
have tried to bring about her demise. Nations have come and gone. Viruses and
plagues have come and gone. Disasters have come and gone. The one thing that
has remained constant: God, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He is Jehovah, the Great I AM. He is the Ancient of Days. He is
sovereign. He is in control. He is the Lover and Pursuer of our souls. He is a
God of grace and mercy. He is the same; yesterday, today, and forever. He does
not change. He will be with us. He is a Sure God in these unsure times. He is a
God of consistency in times that are ever changing.
Turn to Him. He is a sure bet. He is a firm
Foundation in unstable times.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 4
Fourth, there are signs that precede the Second Coming
A fourth reason the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events is that there are signs that precede the Second Coming but there are no signs that precede the Rapture of the Church. As stated in Point 3, Jesus said He would return like a thief in the night. A thief does not leave clues that he is coming to warn the people. Instead, he tries to make his approach as stealthily as possible, as not to get caught. Jesus’ return to get us will be without warning as He pointed out in Matthew 24:39 and 44. That is not to say that there are no signs that foretell when His return is near. In Matthew 24, Jesus gave many signs that will portend His return such as the increase in the number of wars and threats of wars, ethnic groups fighting one another, increase in disease and famine and earthquakes, the rise of many false prophets, and increase in lawlessness and a decrease in the love of many. Though these seem to be general signs, the things He wants us to know is that as the end of the world gets near, these signs will grow in frequency and intensity—like birth pangs on a woman in labor (Matthew 24:8).
According to the scriptures, there are some things that must first happen before the return of the Lord.
- The Great Apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Paul speaks of the falling away of the church. He spoke of this in his letters to Timothy and Titus but not to this degree. In this passage, he speaks of a “rebellion (ESV)” or apostasy (NASB). What is an apostasy? It is the desertion or departure from sound doctrine. The mainstream church will stop teaching sound doctrine but will teach things that appeal to the flesh of man. It will depend upon programs rather than prayer. It will have concerts and call it worship. It will replace anointed sermons with eloquent speeches. It will stop teaching about sin and the need for repentance. It will stop teaching that Jesus is the only way. It will stop teaching about hell and punishment. Instead, it will teach about the goodness of man and the love of God. It will have a form of godliness but no power.
- The rise of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Jesus will not return until after the Antichrist comes on the scene. Who or what the Antichrist is, no one knows. Some have suggested it may not be a person but a system. At any rate, until there is someone who is going to try to declare himself as the savior of the world, Jesus will not be back. Revelation 19 speaks of how Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire. As was pointed out in Point 1, something catastrophic must happen to facilitate his rise, where the nations of the world will cede to him their power.
- The Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-17). The Antichrist will force the world to take a mark of allegiance. This mark will likely be sold as a way to facilitate the transfer of money, the locating of criminals, and readiness of medical data. However, it will also be a mark of loyalty to the devil and his kingdom. Taking the mark will mean the forfeiture of your soul. It is how he will control you, track you, and maybe even torture you. What is the mark? No one knows. It has been suggested to be everything from a tattoo to a microchip. It will be placed in the forehead or on the right hand. You cannot travel without it. You cannot buy food without it. If you do not have it when stopped, you will be arrested. If you refuse it then, you will be killed. This is the means by which the Antichrist will establish a one-world economy.
- One world government. As stated before, the Antichrist will conquer the world through peace, then though the military that he will control. After whatever disaster happens that opens the door for him, he will persuade the world that he has the answers, and through smooth talk, he will get nations to give him their power, their military, and establish him as their leader. Once he has that, he will use that power to keep the people in line. He will be the supreme ruler with a bunch of potentates that will answer to him. As yet, there is no one world government, though the world seems to be headed that way.
- Attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). The prophet Ezekiel speaks of an alliance, believed to be between the Russians and the Muslims, who will lead an attack against the land of Israel. That attack will fail. The Bible says that God will fight for Israel. It will take seven months to bury the dead. If there is any prophecy the church believes may be fulfilled in our lifetime, it is this one. Even today, the Islamic nations are seeking to destroy Israel. They chant, “Death to Israel.” It will not happen. Israel will never again be invaded. She will never again be destroyed. The world is worried about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. It will not matter for it will not hurt Israel. God has promised. If Israel is destroyed, you can take it to the bank that there is no God. He has made an oath.
- Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). The Battle of Armageddon is the event that immediately precedes the return of Christ. It is at this battle that the Antichrist leads his army and the armies of the world into a final battle against the land of Israel, Jerusalem, in particular. He has already declared himself to be God and the Jews expel him as a blasphemer. It is after this even that he declares war on them. Much of Israel will be invaded (not destroyed). People will seek asylum in the Negev and Petra. The armies from the east will go to Israel to fight, not against the Jews, but against the Antichrist. Israel will be caught in the middle. The cause of this battle is unsure. It is believed that something will be discovered either in Israel or by Israel that will cause the Antichrist to sign a [false] peace treaty with them. It is likely he is going to invade them to take control of this resource. The Oriental army, numbering 2 million, will also invade seeking to gain control of it, as well as attach the Antichrist and his army. With all the weapons of war ready to level poor Israel, Jesus returns to save the day (Revelation 19:11-21). In their foolishness, they will have the audacity to turn their weapons on Jesus but it will futile because Jesus will destroy them all.
The Bible says that these things must come to pass before the Return happens. Therefore, we can rest assure that it is not soon. The same cannot be said about the Rapture. In my next post, I discuss the final reason why the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events: The Feast of Trumpets.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 3
3. He will come as a “thief in the night”.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour[a] your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.—Matthew 24:40-44
Have you ever heard a strange noise in the middle of the night and wondered what it was? Did you imagination start to run wild wondering if it was a burglar only to find out it was just the wind? Perhaps, you have been home when someone tried (or succeeded) in breaking into your home. Were you prepared? Did you know they were coming? Rarely, if ever, do thieve announce their intent to break in. They do not send a postcard saying, “Tonight, I will break in at three o’clock in the morning. Be sure to leave your valuables out where I can find them.” No, thieves usually take their victims by surprise. It’s what gives them an upper hand.
Jesus said when He comes to get us, it will be like a ‘thief in the night’. In verses 40-41, Jesus spoke of how two men would be working in the field: one will be taken and the other left or how two women would be working at the mill, one would be taken and the other left. This speaks of the suddenness of the Rapture. In fact, the term Paul uses for caught up or snatched away gives the connotation of sudden speed and force. The word, rape, comes from the Greed word used because of the amount of force often associated with it. Why like a thief in the night? Jesus is not going to announce when He is coming so people can play and ignore Him until the last minute when a time of worldwide prayer vigils start right before He returns. Using terminology from the news, why would God ‘telegraph’ what He is going to do to the devil and his team (not that they can be any resistance)?
The preceding verses speak of life going on as usual when suddenly everything changes. The verses say one will be taken and one left. Just like in the Rapture. Not everyone will go. There will be those who rejected Christ who will be left behind. There will be those who are religious who will be left behind. There will be those who thought they were saved but were not that will be left behind. This is why Peter exhorted the Believers to “make [their] calling and election sure’ (2 Peter 1:10). Those who are going to go are those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for their salvation (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Some have thought these verses referred to the culling that happens in Matthew 25. However, this seems to point to a different event because Matthew 25 speaks of everyone being taken and separated into sheep and goats in Christ’s presence. He speaks of how the angels will gather all people from under heaven and bring them to Him. He then will separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30), the true believers from the pretenders. The Matthew 24:40-41 passage, however, gives the impression that one is taken (caught up) while the other is left behind.
It happened suddenly and without warning. Like the five foolish virgins, the ones left behind who were not prepared. They thought they had enough time to get ready. This is why Jesus said ‘watch (pay attention, be alert) because we do not know the time of His return. People often put off turning to Jesus until tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Tomorrow may be too late. Look at the tragedies on the news. Tomorrow did not come for them. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Repent of your evil ways, put your faith in the work of Jesus Christ, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins—knowing that He will do it because the debt has already been paid on behalf of those who will believe.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events-Part 2
2. In the Rapture, Jesus does not come to us; we go to Him.
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Those who argue against a Rapture say that we believe that there are two Second Comings: a visible one and an invisible one. This is false. There is only one Second Coming and it will happen at the end of the age (more on that later). The text tells us that Jesus does not come to the earth but only to the upper atmosphere. He may not even enter the earth’s atmosphere but be in space. The Bible does not say. But it does describe His ascension.
In the opening chapter of the Book of Acts, it reads speaks of how Jesus gave His Disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit and the command for them to remain in Jerusalem until the promise was fulfilled. It goes on to say, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” So what happened? Did He float up into outer space or did a doorway into Heaven open up but the Disciples did not see it because their view was obstructed by the cloud? The same could be true of the Rapture. Somewhere, up above the clouds, Christ could be standing at the doorway of Heaven waiting to welcome us home.
Another picture of the Rapture is in the 4th chapter of the Bible in the Book of Revelation. John writes:
“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
There are a few things we can see in this passage. First, John writes, “after these things…” What things was he referring to? He had just finished writing a letter to the Seven Churches. It is believed that the Seven Churches represent the stages of the church age—going from a Church that loves Jesus to a church that is lukewarm. Sounds familiar? If this is the case, John may be hinting that at the end of the church age, the Rapture will happen. Second, there is a doorway in heaven and someone is standing in or at the doorway. Third, the voice was like the sound of a trumpet (same terminology used in Paul’s passage above). Finally, the voice says, “Come up here.” This could be Jesus’ call (shout) to us to come home.
Although some of this is speculation, one thing is certain. Jesus does not come back to the earth. His return to earth is chronicled in the 19th chapter of the Book of Revelation. We go meet the Lord in the air.
Who is God? Part III
One of the oldest questions ever asked since the creation of the universe must have been, “Who is God?” From the dawn of civilization, people have posited the fact that this creation must have a Creator. They understood that all this did not come from nothing. According to the Bible, this Creator made Himself known to His creation in the Garden of Eden. But because of man rebellion in the Garden, he has been separated, cut off even, from his Creator. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a testimony. Through over 40 writers on three continents over thirty-five hundred years, God gave His people a personal testimony of Who He is. Over the last two posts, we have discovered some of God’s self-witness: some of who God says He is. In this post, we will look at four more attributes of God—Creator, Judge, Love, and Triune.
Creator. He is the Maker, the Creator of all things, both the heavens and the earth, things seen and unseen. Genesis 1:1 tell us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Its companion passage, John 1:1-3 says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Colossians 1:16-17 adds, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Psalm 24:1-2 reminds us that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” When Job questioned God as why he was suffering, God asked him:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
Romans 1 accuses mankind in that we know God is the Creator but we (evil mankind) suppress that truth and come up with lies to explain creation so that they do not have to acknowledge Someone to whom they will one day give an account. Men would rather believe a lie and exchange the glory of God for foolishness. Believing and professing themselves to be wise they become foolish and futile in their thinking. They attempt to explain away God and creation with nonsense and even compel others to believe it.
Judge. As the creation, we must give an account to the Creator for what we have done with the resources (life, talent, treasure) He has given us. God will judge us based on those works. The Bible teaches that only that which is done for Christ will last. All the righteousness and works of the wicked are as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). God must punish sin or His justice is perverted. A Stalin or a Hitler or a Bin Laden should not inherit the same heaven as a Paul or a Timothy or a Billy Graham. If ‘good’ people went to heaven, the heaven would become polluted like earth. God will judge the wicked. They will suffer eternally because eternally is how long they’ll live.
The question has been asked, why would a loving God send people to Hell? The reason there is a hell in the first place is to punish the devil and his angels because of their rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15). The reason people will go to hell is because, since they share in the devil’s rebellion—rejection of God’s authority, they will share in his punishment.
God will judge us, His Saints, as righteous, not based on any work that we have done, but based on the work Christ did on the cross. Isaiah 1 says, “Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Love. Many know the phrase, God is love. Love is just one attribute of God. Yes, He loves us. It does not mean that He has some warm, fuzzy feeling for us but that He chose to act in our best interest whether we deserved it or not. His loves us unconditionally and He demonstrated it for us sacrificially. Unconditional love does not mean that God loves us just the way we are and we do not have to change. On the contrary, God loves us the way we are and because of His love for us, we will change for we are called to be confirmed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Conformation means change. He loves us just the way we are but loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He knows the plans He has for us. He knows what He made us to be. We are a love gift to His Son and God does not give junk gifts. Yes, He loves us. He saved us from ourselves and from a fate we rightly deserve. But love does not mean that God overlooks sin. It is not his will that any should perish but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. He made it possible for people to do that through His greatest demonstration of love—His Son, whom He sent to be punished for our sins so we can be rewarded with His righteousness.
Trinity. Of all of God’s attributes or characteristics, that of being three Persons in one is the most difficult to understand or explain. Three persons in one? Do Christians worship three Gods? No. Christianity is a monotheistic faith. We worship one God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” God is one in essence but manifests Himself in three different persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of them were present at creation (Genesis1:1-2, John 1:1-2). Each were present at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17). We are to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (not names). One God—three individual manifestations.
How can God be one in three? I believe the grandest illustration is man. In Psalm 8:5, the Psalmist writes, “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” The term angels, is Elohim, God. So the verse could also be interpreted, “You have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.” In Genesis 1:26, God said, Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness…” There are many ways we are made like God. We have the power of choice. We have emotions. We can think. We are self-aware. We know the difference between good and evil. But another way we are made like God, I believe, is our makeup. We are made triune beings—not to the extent of God, but we are soul and spirit that live in flesh. Paul alluded to this in Romans 7:
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being (spirit), 23 but I see in my members (flesh) another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
We believe in the Trinity even if we do not understand it. We pray to the Father through the Spirit (or in the Spirit) in the name of Jesus. We recognize that salvation is being reconciled to the Father through the Son and later indwelt by the Spirit. Jesus said in John 15, my Father and I will make our home in you. How will they do this? They will do it through the Holy Spirit.
This is just a short study on who God is. As someone pointed out, even throughout eternity, we will never fully understand God—mainly because we are the creation and He is the Creator—our minds will only understand so much and yet our God is so great!
Who is God? Part 1
One of the oldest questions ever asked since the creation of the universe must have been, “Who is God?” From the dawn of civilization, people have posited the fact that this creation must have a Creator. They understood that all this did not come from nothing. According to the Bible, this Creator made Himself known to His creation in the Garden of Eden. But because of man’s rebellion in the Garden, he has been separated, cut off even, from his Creator. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a testimony. Through over 40 writers on three continents over thirty-five hundred years, God gave His people a personal testimony of Who He is. Over the next few entries, I hope to share some of God’s self-witness, His personal testimony, if you will. This is by no means an exhaustive list but some of the more necessary attributes of God.
Eternal. God has always been and will always be. Try wrapping your mind around that. Aristotle said He is the uncaused Cause. He has no beginning. He has no end. He is self-existent. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2).” God could not be created because there would be something greater than Him. God’s power of being is within Himself. This is why He identified Himself to Moses as, I AM. He is. He is being. He is life. From Him comes all life. There never was a time when God was not and there never will be a time when God will not be. He is eternal. Because He breathed into us the breath of life, there will never be a time when we will not be either.
Holy. God is consecrated unto purity. God is set apart from His creation. He is the utter otherness, wholly different. He is absolutely pure and sinless. Habakkuk 1:13 starts, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong…” “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16).” There is none lik
e Him.
Immutable. When I ask people what this means, most of the replies I get involve God not being quiet or us not being able to ‘mute’ Him. Perhaps this speaks more of the effects of society on us with mute buttons on cell phones and remote controls rather than a vocabulary issue. Immutable comes from the Latin prefix “im” meaning not and “muta” meaning change. Immutable means God does not change like the wind. He is not like man who can be swayed with persuasive arguments or eloquent pleading or emotional leanings. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed (Malachi 3:6).” There are times in the Bible when God seems to allow Himself to be “persuaded” when all along He knew what He was going to do. Abraham with Christ regarding Sodom, Moses and God regarding the Golden Calf, Jesus and Bartimaeus, etc. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. That’s the blessing. Who wants to serve a God who is fickle–who is for your today and against you tomorrow? Who wants to approach a God whose mood you cannot predict?
Righteous. God is not fair but He is just. Fair means everyone gets what they deserve. If He was fair, we would all be burning in Hell right now. But, He is just. He is just because He treats us, not based on what we deserve, but based on His great love for us. In His justice, He will balance the scales. We live in a world where justice seems to be perverted. The righteous are mocked and mistreated and the unrighteous seem to get away with murder, literally. The scales will be balanced. We will be rewarded or punished based on what we did with the gifts and the life He gave us. The righteous will rewarded based upon how well we fulfilled the mission He gave us more so that how praised we were before people or how well known we were. I’m convinced that a person who is on their knees, in some room where no one sees them, praying for revival, praying for their nation, praying for their church, praying for the persecuted, praying for their national and spiritual leaders will get more accolades from God than someone who is on the TV leading ‘hundreds to the Lord’. Jesus praised the woman who gave two mites ($.01) more than the Pharisees who were praised for their great giving (Luke 21:1-4). I believe this will be the case because sometimes what we do is for show. Sometimes the work we do is with the wrong motive or the wrong heart. God’s judgment will be just because it will not be based upon what He sees but will be based upon God’s perfect standards and He revelation of our motivations.
No one’s mission field is too small or gift is too small or calling is too small. If you are called to be a parent, then raise your child the best you can in the fear and admonition of the Lord and your reward will be a great as that of any preacher. Martin Luther King, Jr. is reported to have said, ““If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Let the same be said of us of our work for Christ.
Not only will His judgments be fair but His rewards will be fair. Romans 8:18 says that “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” In the end, the scales will be balanced and we will see that it was worth it all.
Apologetics 101
The word, apologetics, sounds a lot like apologize. Though they both have the root word “defense” in common, they mean two entirely different things. Apologetics is the act of defending ones doctrine or beliefs. It comes from 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” The word, defense, is translated from the Greek words, pros apologia, which means an answer for or a defense of.
Let’s look in depth.
Answer for. There are times when someone may inquire as to what you believe and why you believe it. Why are you a Christian? Why do you believe that Jesus is God? How do you know Jesus was raised from the dead? What do you think your religion is the right one when there are so many? If God is so loving, why did He create Hell? People who want to know more about our faith may ask these questions or questions like them. We need to be prepared always to have answers for their questions. Jesus was asked many times about religion and His doctrine (John 4:1-26, John 14:5, Matthew 19:1-10, 16-26), yet He never shied away from honest questions and neither should His disciples.
Defense of. Jesus had said earlier that the devil was the ruler of this world (system). C. S. Lewis once said that Christians live in enemy-occupied territory. Because the world system is ruled by the devil and occupied by sinful humans, Christians will face persecution (John 16:33). Part of this persecution is the need to defend our faith against skeptics and mockers. Instead of dealing with inquirers, we are dealing with inquisitors. How do you know Jesus is the only way? What makes your religion the correct religion and makes everyone else’s religion false? How do you know there is a God? Why should I believe the Bible when it was written by a bunch of shepherds thousands of years ago? What difference can Jesus who lived two thousand years ago make in my life today? These are all questions that unbelievers and deniers of the faith will ask, not for information but in an attempt to expose us as frauds. Whether standing before mockers or kings, Christians should be able to give a coherent defense of what they believe and why they believe it. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:41-42, “Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord— Your salvation according to Your word. So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.” Later he writes, in verse 46, “I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.”
Argue with. Some in the faith believe that the word, apologia, not only means to defend or give answer to, but also to argue with. It does not. At least, not in the colloquial sense of “to argue” meaning to contend, combat, or strive against, as in a verbal tug-of-war. Christians are not called to argue with anyone to prove a point. You can present an argument, a logical statement of position, without arguing. The idea of defending the faith is so people can enter into the Kingdom because they can see that our faith is not an illogical, blind faith, but one of reason and evidence. You will never argue anyone into the Kingdom. At best, you will turn them off. At worst, you will fortify an enemy of the Cross.
The importance of studying.
God has called and commissioned us to be His witnesses. Part of being a witness is to be able to give an answer to questions that people have about a faith we claim to be so dear to us. In some regards, giving an answer or a defense is giving a testimony. People may be able to argue with facts but they cannot argue with a testimony (unless it is a false one). If you know Christ personally, if you have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, no one can argue with that—unless your life does not reflect it—then it is a false testimony. But if the testimony is real, what argument can a person give against it?
How do we present a cohesive answer or defense of our faith? Any lawyer will tell you that the key to a good defense (or prosecution) is preparation—knowing the ins and outs of the case and the law pertaining to the case. Similarly, a Christian is able to adequately defend him- or herself or to give an answer only by knowing the Word of God and knowing the God of the Word. We should prepare ourselves to give an answer or to defend what we believe, lest we either put Christ to shame or prove ourselves to be false witnesses of Christ.
This type of studying is often called, self-feeding, as compared to being fed. Being fed by others is easier, but studying God’s Word for yourself not only allows you to study what you want at your own pace, but it also allows you to get from the Word the interpretation and application the Spirit gives and not someone else’s. Then you truly own what you’ve learned because you got it directly from the Source (John 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16).
In conclusion, I believe the Apostle Paul said it best: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV).”
Learning to Live with Prosperity
Have You Learned to Live with Prosperity?
‘…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:11b-13
Many of us believe that if we were to win a million dollars, we’d be set for life (even though a million dollars isn’t what it used to be). We would pay off our debts and live off the interest. However, history has taught us that that would not likely be the case. Statistics show that most lottery winners are broke and/or in bankruptcy within 5 years after receiving a lump sum payment. This is likely due to the fact that once we receive the money, all reasoning go out the window. We think our money to be as endless as the sea. Instead of paying off our debts, we buy newer and bigger houses, new luxury cars, take trips, and maybe payoff a debt or two or give some to charity.
I believe this is one reason why God doesn’t bless many of us with wealth. He knows we do not know how to handle it. What would look like a blessing to some could turn out to be a curse to others. Many athletes, entertainment icons, and corporate moguls end up filing bankruptcy shortly after their source of funds dry up because they had not learned the most important principle of money management—to live within their means. Most of them, like us, are usually living either from paycheck to paycheck or living today on tomorrow’s paycheck. When those funds are exhausted, they find that there are still expenses due. Large houses require staff. Luxury vehicles often require expensive maintenance. Entourages need to be paid. Standards of living need to be maintained.
This is likely why I have not been granted much wealth. God knows that I would not have been a good steward of it. {I know better now.} Instead of using it to become debt free so I can be used unencumbered for the Gospel ministry, I would likely have used it to acquire more stuff. Jesus reiterates this truth. If we show ourselves to be faithful in what little we have been given, we show that we would be faithful in the much He would give us.
So how do we learn to live in prosperity? I believe the answer is two-fold. First, we need to ask God to change us so that we will not use His gifts foolishly but wisely. Second, we need to develop an action plan that we will commit to should we be blessed in such a way. We must commit to give at least the first 10 percent to our local church or to the Christian ministry that feeds our spirits. Next, we must to commit to putting a percentage into a savings or investment account. Set money aside for our children’s education. Finally, we list all our bills that we are going to pay off and commit to paying them off. Enjoy the remainder, if any.
Would we be faithful in using any windfall that God blesses us with wisely or foolishly? Are we wisely using the blessings we are currently given? If we take an honest assessment of ourselves, I believe we will understand why we do not have more than we do. But it does not have to stay that way. God does not hate the wealthy but He will not curse us with wealth if it will lead to our destruction. But if we will commit ourselves to Him, I believe it would be His good pleasure to bless us so we can be a blessing.
I believe this saying sums it up: “It’s not what you do with the million if fortune should ere be your lot, but what are you doing at present with the dollar and quarter you got.”
Is There Unfairness in God?
I was listening to a radio broadcast some time ago and I heard a person ask the host a question: Is God unfair in making people spend an eternity paying for sins committed in a finite existence? As I thought about this, I thought about the folly of the question (not the questioner). [He was actually asking a question that was posed to him.] My answer to that question would be this:
First, let’s set aside the fact that eternity has no timetable or measurement as we know it. Suppose you live 100 years and you sinned all of those 100 years then you die? Should you just spend 100 in torment? 200 years? 100 years for each sin? Then when you were released, where would you go? Since outside of Hell (or the Lake of Fire) is the Kingdom of God, that sinful person would then be released into a real hell. He or she would be forced to live an existence they resisted their whole life: living in an eternal worship service!
Secondly, the person who was released from torment would be released with the same spiritual deadness and rebellious nature that they entered Hell with. So when they come out, they would not be more God-honoring but likely more God-hating because of the eons of torment they had to endure. Setting aside the fact that God cannot be in the presence of sin, and that a sinful person cannot abide in His presence, would they then have a desire to worship God? They would more likely decide to go hang by the Crystal Sea than to abide in the presence of God.
Third, the original questioners premise was wrong. Hell was not created for man. Hell was created for the devil and his angels who rebelled against God. When we joined in their rebellion, we earned the right to join in their punishment. Since both angels and people are eternal in nature, the rebellious ones will spend eternity apart from the God who loved and created them.
Romans 9 asks the question, “Is their unrighteousness with God?” Paul answers, “Certainly not!” God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and compassion on whom He will have compassion. What that says to us is that God is not unfair in causing us to pay eternally for sins committed in this life but that God is gracious in giving us any way out of the punishment for the sins we have committed in this life. Instead of trying to find injustice in God toward us, we should be thankful to the justice He meted out to His Son on our behalf so that we would not have to spend an eternity separated from Him, which is the real torment.
God Bless America?
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.-Psalm 33:12
We all want God to bless America. This is the land that we love and we want to see it prosper. But I fear her days of prosperity are behind her. As we draw near these last days, I am reminded that people have mentioned that America does not appear to have a significant role. When I first heard this twenty years ago, I thought maybe they were misinterpreting something. Now as I look at the moral and fiscal decline of our nation I can understand why we will have no significant role in the world’s future evolution.
A few days ago a friend of mine remarked about how the fiscal decline of our nation is paralleling its moral and spiritual decline. How true it is. There are many places in the Bible where God states that obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings a curse. In fact, one of my favorite passages in the Bible is Exodus 32 where God promises to bless Israel so that all the nations of the world would be provoked to jealousy. Through this, He would win the nations back to Himself. However, because Israel refused to comply, God also told them in the Book of Deuteronomy of the calamities that would come upon them. Deuteronomy 28:15-69, in part reads:
“But it shall come about, if you do not [o]obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the [p]country.
17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed shall be the [q]offspring of your [r]body and the [s]produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 “The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all [t]you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
****************
43The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you will be the tail.
I believe there are a couple of reasons why this happens. First, because we remove God from our society, we also remove godly principles that make for a productive, operating nation. When we lose sight of God, we lose sight of fiscal responsibility and personal accountability. We are borrowing millions of dollars a day to keep our nation operational and sending millions of dollars in relief to other nations, yet our schools are in shambles, our roadway infrastructure is in need of an overhaul, our military is nearly depleted, and we have millions living at or below the poverty line. Our prisons are overcrowded. We are spending millions in earmarked projects studying things that have no value, essentially building thousands of bridges to nowhere. Why? We are doing this for the second reason: because we have, in effect, evicted God from this nation, He has evicted reasoned thinking from this nation.
Wisdom is gone. As Romans 1 tells us that because we ‘refused to honor God or be thankful to Him, He has allowed our thinking to become empty and our hearts became darkened (). We profess to have wisdom but in reality it is foolishness.’ If we look at our society we have put many Band-Aids on serious wounds thinking we are solving the problem. Like Israel and King Saul, we have elected officials based on their outward appearance but not on their character. We gave people fishes instead of teaching them to fish (entitlement programs). We pay our teachers little and tie their hands on discipline and wonder why our education system is lacking. We treat the people whom we call upon to serve and protect our nation worse than we treat convicted felons. Through entertainment media, we indoctrinate people against sin with videos of violence and programs of promiscuity and vulgarity. We curtail parents’ ability to discipline and teachers’ ability to discipline and wonder why they fight the police. And the list goes on.
Though Psalm 33:12 was original written to the Jews, it is applicable to us. If a nation honors the Lord and keeps His commands, it will be blessed. Our own history has shown that to be true. But once God came under attack with Engel v Vitale (which ended prayer in school), Abington School District v Schlemp and Murray v Curlett (which ended mandatory Bible reading), and later misinterpretations of “separation of church and state” policy, this nation has begun to go downhill fiscally and morally with the Vietnam War; entitlement programs; the free love movement; strike down of DOMA and the rise and “protection” of the sexual issues like homosexuality, pansexuality, and transgender identification; Obamacare; and the like.
God bless America? How about America bless God?
Cyber-Discipleship 