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Nov 24, 2011

Light dispels the darkness.  In the middle of the night, you might have a hard time seeing the furniture around you.  You grope around trying not to bang into the table you know is somewhere around here. Your hands feel around and you might shuffle your feet to make sure you don’t trip on anything that might be lying around.  Yet, with just the light of a candle, you can see all around you.  Suddenly, your steps can be sure.  You can know that you are headed in the right direction and can step over and around any obstacle in your path.

In this passage of 2 Corinthians 5-6, God tells us that we need to recognize that we are new creations when we become Christians and receive Christ into our lives.  When we are told that the old is gone, it does not mean that we no longer have the same friends, the same job, the same family, the same problems.  We do - but we no longer need to see them same way as we used to.  We no longer need to approach them the same way.  We now have the Holy Spirit living in us and so we have the power and ability to change our ways: our relationships, our priorities, our sinful actions.

 However, God knows that most of us will not just overcome our old ways, so He leads us down the path – He shows us the way.  We choose whether we want to take His guidance or whether we prefer our ways.  So immediately after He tells us that we are new creations, we are told how we become these new creations: first, we reconcile ourselves to God by receiving Jesus who has been made sin for us though he had no sin; next we struggle with the difficulties and hardships that come our way because we are no longer the same people we were but have become new creations; then we change the way we relate to those who have not gone through this process.  Paul calls them “unbelievers” and tells us we should not be yoked to them and asks the question, “What fellowship does light have with darkness?” 

 God knows that we need others in our lives.  He created Eve because He knew that Adam needed someone to be with him (Genesis 2:18).  That hasn’t changed throughout history.  God created us as social beings, all of us needing someone else in our lives to enjoy life and to help us through it.  Marriage, Family and Friends are all structures that God gave us to support us through our lives.  However, He also knows that some people are better influences in our lives than others.  He knows that our first tendency will be to go to those whom we have always known, to whom we are closest.  Yet He also knows that if those same people have not gone through the new birth and become new creations, they are not able to guide us well.  When we go to them, we are asking the blind to lead the seeing.  We are asking the dark to show the way to the light.  This will lead us down the wrong path and many times to the light being extinguished.  We will be walking in the dark, unable to see the obstacle in our path and bumping into and tripping over them.  When believers are influenced by unbelievers, God tells us that we will go down the wrong way.

 This does not mean to be extreme and to stop relating to anyone who is not a believer in Christ.  This would mean we would have to take ourselves out of the world.  Besides, how do we bring our family and friends with us into salvation and eternal life if we do not relate to them?  What God is telling us is that we need to influence those who are in the darkness by shining our light upon them, but we need to be influenced by those whose light is brighter than our own.  If you are new in the faith, you will find these people in Bible-instructing churches (not all churches are Christ-centered and Bible-based, hence not all church-goers are walking in the light).  If you have been in the faith for a while, do not allow your old friends and your family to influence your decisions – even the smallest decisions and actions will be yours to account for in the Day of Judgment!  Instead, surround yourself with true, Spirit-filled Christians.  Let those people be the ones with whom you spend time, to whom you listen and from whom you receive testimonies and advise.  You are a new creation and you need to be supported in this life.  That support needs to come from someone walking in the light since you are now also in the light.  After all, what fellowship does light have with darkness?

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Nov 16, 2011

In 1 Sam 14, we read about a tremendous act of faith.  The Israelites, led by King Saul, are under attack by the Philistines.  The enemy is huge, undefeatable and seemingly unending.  In fact, the size of the enemy is so large that most of the Israelites are hiding under trees, in holes or in caves.  Some even turn to join the Philistines, recognizing that their fate is death or capture and so try to get on the Philistines good side.

Jonathan, son of King Saul, and his armor bearer see the same thing that everyone else does – an army that cannot be overtaken by human effort, but Jonathan recognizes that God can defeat this army, no matter how great it is.  He knows that God can defeat this army with another army that is as large as the enemy or with just a couple of men.  So he determines to go in and fight them himself.  He turns to his armor bearer and asks him to go with him.  As the two of them are approaching the Philistine army, Jonathan comes up with a plan.  The plan is risky and seemingly could end in death.  The plan is for the two of them to show themselves to the enemy and do whatever they are told but that when the enemy was near, they would fight.  The armor bearer’s response is that he will follow Jonathan with all his heart and soul.

How much love does the armor bearer have for Jonathan that he would give his own life and die with him?  How much faith does the armor bearer have in Jonathan that he would follow him wherever he goes, trusting that Jonathan would lead him well?  We know nothing about this armor bearer.  Was he big or small?  Black or white?  Young or old? God has chosen not to tell us any other information about this amazing man because He doesn’t want us to categorize him in anyway.  He wants us to see his actions and his heart and nothing else.

How amazing would it be if the church was filled with armor bearers for Jesus?! Imagine having a church filled with people who completely trusted Jesus in their daily battles.  We fight an enemy that is too great for us to overcome, one that cannot be defeated by human hands.  We look at the enemy and tremble and hide.  Do we love Jesus as much as the armor bearer loved Jonathan?  Are we ready to stand with Jesus even against an enemy that seems undefeatable? Are we ready to follow him no matter where he goes?  Even if it looks like certain death?  Do we really have faith that Jesus can do what he says he can and that he is leading us in the best way?  Do we believe that those steps of faith that Jesus is calling us to take, which seem foolish by the world’s standards, will be guarded by him as well as guided by him?

See what happened to Jonathan’s armor bearer.  Because he stepped out in faith and love and followed Jonathan with all his heart and soul, he was able to help his master overcome the enemy and showed the world how great his God is.  Let’s be Jesus’ armor bearer.  Let’s allow our love for him and our trust in him to overcome the fear we have and difficulties we might face.  By doing so, we will also get a glimpse of the greatness of God and in the process help our master overcome the enemy and be a witness to God.

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Nov 10, 2011

Jesus said, “I came not to be served, but to serve,” and he also said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”  We can all quote the following teachings that Jesus has given us:   “Turn the other cheek,” “The first will be last and the last will be first,” and “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  So why is it that I see so many Christians nodding their heads right now, while I see so few Christians living this out in their lives?

I have seen so-called Christians start fights because they felt they should be taken first, even though others were more in need.  I have seen these same Christians tell me how it’s all about God.  How is it that there are so many Christians that can say to your face that they love God and then they go out and show absolutely no love to another who is struggling.  There are always the excuses: “I’ve been waiting on line for an hour.”  “I’m struggling too.”  “They did the same thing to me last time.”  While all these justifications may make sense in this world, a true Christian isn’t basing their behavior on the logic of this world.  They should be acting upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, neither of which align with the logic of this world.

 If we do what makes sense in this world, we will more often than not find ourselves working against the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  Galatians 5:17 “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other…”  The flesh, the world and the god of this world (Satan) will always work in the logic of this world.  When we follow their logic, we will find ourselves opposing the will of God.

 Yet we also learn how to overcome this problem, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).  Also, we learn that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,“ (2 Timothy 3:16).  If instead of walking in the logic of this world, we walk by the Spirit and the Word of God (the scriptures), we will find ourselves doing the opposite of what we have normally done in the past. 

 The world looks at us Christians and sees a bunch of hypocrites.  They know we say that we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that the Holy Spirit empowers us.  Yet they do not see many Christians living out these truths.  I understand why they think this way because I have seen the same things.  If instead of taking care of ourselves, we actually remembered the price Jesus paid for us and how much we owe him, maybe we would find it much easier to live a forgiving and loving life.  Then maybe the world would stop calling us hypocrites. And maybe we would be pleasing to the One who has given us eternal life.

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Oct 31, 2011

Why is it that Christian teachers feel the need to emphasize everything but the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  Today specifically, I am talking about these teachers preaching about pre-destination and election or another part of the TULIP Calvinist theology.  Of course I understand the need to proper theology.  But is theology more important than God?  I hear these people speak more about their election than I hear them speak about the Grace of God, the sacrifice of Jesus or the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I wonder if these teachers recognize that the only ones they are speaking to are those who already agree.  The old saying that they are “preaching to the choir” is appropriate.  Has anyone come into the Kingdom because they found out about Limited Atonement?  I’m curious what they think good teaching looked like before Calvin. 

Don’t get me wrong – I am not anti-Calvin.  I grew up in a Presbyterian Church and so understand the importance of Calvin’s thoughts in the development of the faith.  I agree with some and disagree with others (Personally, my least favorite teaching from Calvin was his view of debt, but that is for another day).  My point isn’t to argue Calvinism vs. Arminianism.  It’s to argue for the teaching of the Gospel, the teaching of Justification (getting right with God) and Sanctification (growing in holiness – becoming more like Jesus), the teaching of the Trinity, being Christ-Centered, the Attributes of God, etc.  The list is so large of the things that will build the Kingdom and disciple believers that you can speak for years on these things and never have to repeat the same teaching twice!

The fact that most of the people in the United States are no longer Biblical Christians should be enough to cause every Christian teacher to preach the Gospel message every time they speak.  The fact that most of the people going to Christian Churches in the United States live no differently and look no differently than non-Christians should be enough to cause every Christian teacher to preach the difference between those who are being saved and those who are not.  Not enough Christians realize that we can either live by the Spirit or live by the flesh and that these things are opposites, incongruous and impossible to do at the same time.

If you are a Christian and you struggled with some of the concepts above, it is probably time to find a teacher who is more interested in growing your faith.  For those teachers who insist that they should continue to preach about your pet theological argument, I pray that you remember your calling to baptize them and teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.  Everything else is good, but not of first-importance.

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Oct 17, 2011

We're Back! Time to discuss Harold Camping's Judgment Day prophesy.

When we last left Mr. Camping, he was telling us that the true Christians (presumed to be his Family Radio listeners because the Church is no longer God's vehicle for salvation) would be raptured up on May 21 and that the unsaved would be suffering on this earthquake shaken world for the next five months until October 21. At this time, Judgment Day would arrive and destroy all non-believers (destroyed - not sent to hell - since according to Harold Camping, there is no hell).

When everything continued as usual on May 22, the world awaited his response to the experience that nothing changed over the past 24 hours. A few days later, we heard Harold Camping explain this experience the same way all false prophesies have been explained throughout time - it was spiritual:

“Indeed, on May 21 Christ did come spiritually to put all of the unsaved throughout the world into judgment. But that universal judgment will not be physically seen until the last day of the five month judgment period, on October 21, 2011.” - Family Radio Website

However, now Harold Camping is telling us something a little different. He has done this by redefining the Rapture. Historically, the Rapture is the next event in the Christian's future where, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, we are told that we will meet Christ in the air and our bodies will change from perishable to imperishible (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - note: a spiritual body is not a spirit, it is a body). Now Camping is telling us that the Rapture is just a marking of time for when no one else can be saved.

So we have come to the last week before Camping's Judgment Day and at The Ark Church, we will boldly stand up against Harold Camping and hold fast to the Bible. Camping's eisegesis of the Word of God has resulted in incorrectly prophesying the Rapture and the Judgment Day and has brought many of his listeners to financial, emotional and spiritual ruin.

In love, we at The Ark invite all Family Radio listeners to join us for services on October 22, Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday morning at 10:30. It is time that you who have been faithful to Harold Camping's false teachings come back to the Church that Jesus instituted and will be here until the day our bodies are taken to be with Him at the true Rapture. It is time for you to come back to the Church that awaits you with open arms. It is time to return to a family that can encourage you, keep you accountable and cherish you as you put your life back together from the obstacles that Harold Camping has placed in your path.

We pray for all of you who have been followers of Harold Camping and want you to know that you have a REAL Church home here.

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Dec 11 - Dec 19 , 2006

You can view the blogs during this time on Blogger (or e-Blogger) right here. You can read here my journal entries from our mission trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation.

 

May 7, 2006

Just having finished watching Flywheel with some of my church brothers and sisters, I found an interesting article on Hollywood and Christian movies. It looks like there's suddenly a lot of noise about Christ and movies lately.

Of course, with The Da Vinci Code coming out, there is much argument, understandably, from the Catholic Church, though I disagree with this Catholic Bishop's idea of bringing litigation. I think that would only make more people go see this movie - after all, part of the success of The Passion of the Christ was the amazing amount of pre-release press the movie got because of all the anger and resentment from non-believers.

So should we go see it or shouldn't we? I tend to agree with Barbara Nicolosi. I didn't buy the book, but borrowed it to read it - I didn't want to give Dan Brown a cent. I don't think I will watch the movie until it's available without having to pay for it, so that it doesn't make a cent in profit from me. I like the recommendation that Ms. Nicolosi makes - let's go see Over the Hedge instead.

Meanwhile, from my point of view, I look forward to seeing more movies that bring up God and Jesus, like Jesus Camp. I only wish that more Hollywood movies would present Christianity with more respect and more truth. Until then, I will continue to support movies like Flywheel, Time Changer and those from Cloud Ten Pictures and pray that other Christians will talk to Hollywood with their money - the only language they seem to understand. Then maybe they will begin to cater to our segment of the market instead of all those who are against us.

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April 6, 2006

Is it just me or are there more false teachers every day? I've mentioned the Jesus Seminar before in these blogs. Now I'll mention Bart Ehrman. Mr. Ehrman is a religion professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sounds impressive, huh? If I didn't know better, I would listen to him also. According to an article on Yahoo!, Ehrman, with Rev. Donald Senior, president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and "other experts on Christianity", spoke at the National Geographic Society's briefing unveiling the Gospel of Judas. (At this point, I can understand why Paul spent his life trying to teach the church the truth - there were so many false gospels out there, and it seems that a new one is being uncovered every day!)

In this "gospel", Judas apparently is the good guy - the only one willing to go out on a limb so that Jesus can be crucified. Unbelievably, Ehrman says, "He's the good guy in this portrayal, He's the only apostle who understands Jesus."

Has this "Christian expert" even read the Bible? Doesn't he recognize that the Bible has a very different view of Judas? Luke 6:16 calls him a traitor, John 13:2 says that the devil prompted him to betray Jesus, John calls him a thief and both John and Luke say he was possessed by Satan. Doesn't sound like a "good guy" to me!

He also says, "The idea in this gospel is that Jesus, like all of us, is a trapped spirit, who is trapped in a material body. And salvation comes when we escape the materiality of our existence, and Judas is the one who makes it possible for him to escape by allowing for his body to be killed."

Again, doesn't he know that God created the physical world, including our bodies, and called it very good? Doesn't he know that at the Resurrection, we will receive our bodies again, recreated and renewed? Jesus wasn't "trapped" in a material body, he came down specifically to be in it! What Ehrman is teaching is dualism, part of the false teaching called Gnosticism, which the Bible is constantly refuting.

Finally, Rev. Senior said the document revealed the diversity and vitality in early Christianity. I'm guessing he's no a big fan of Paul, who insisted that there is only the truth that he has taught.

Where are these guys coming from and how is it that they are always the people the press seem to quote?! If given the choice between Ehrman and the Apostle Paul, I'll choose Paul. I only wish that more articles would quote him instead of these guys!

March 30, 2006 An article from Reuters discusses a study done by the John Templeton Foundation that studied the effects of prayer on heart patients. The study, which claims to be the largest of its kind ever done, found that there was no correlation between prayer and the condition of heart bypass surgery patients. In fact, it found that those who knew they were being prayed for, actually had a higher rate of complications after the procedure.

I have read many studies about the positive effects of prayer in healing, but to be quite honest, I never paid much attention to them. I guess my thinking was, “Well, duh. Of course prayer helps!” So, I almost missed this article because of my usual lack of interest in this subject. That said, I’m glad I did read this because it gives us cause to think.

Why wouldn’t prayer work? Why wouldn’t God answer these specific prayers? Is God saying, “Don’t test me”? Or did it just happen to be that it was God’s Will that these specific people in the study not be healed?

I think the answer is actually obvious if we change our perspective on the subject. Instead of asking, “Does prayer make a difference?” maybe the better question is, “Should we be trying to find scientific evidence for miraculous intervention?” After all, someone going through heart bypass surgery is probably in bad shape to begin with. If prayer healed a subject, wouldn’t that be abnormal and hence placed in the category of miraculous? And if so, can miracles be scientifically evaluated when, by definition, a miracle is something that happens in spite of the normal, scientific, natural world? Maybe those miracles happened to people before they went in for the surgery.

My thinking on this is that it’s an interesting idea but an invalid test of prayer. The results of prayer aren’t always physically apparent and anyone who thinks that a spiritual discipline can be measured in scientific terms might not understand the reason for prayer. Prayer isn’t to ask the Genie God to give us something we want; it’s to grow a relationship with God. That can’t be measured by science.

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