tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82553068658829095082024-03-14T17:19:55.350-05:00San Antonio Bible HeraldsA blog dedicated to discussing issues related to the Christian faith such as apologetics, books, articles, videos, etc.MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-7277389305435413032024-03-14T17:17:00.002-05:002024-03-14T17:19:03.552-05:00"Money, Money, Money, Money...Money!"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtGOT5aeoPa7RXbP9BSRu4mLUnkS8JgL-BaWHqo3OE6yBWSAHh2mqjRTtU6CTcyTFLldK7CjlDYBtaXIXHmD2Y4WAouM0N_tNJmVfnBDKZMyxFcb20TMqDMRFrjT1xa5_H5HoNGeIVB2kGRRqyzrXgAl8vBgkYS73qsMB_GvDakLFwjtbTxOPpWU2rkFI/s350/Show%20me%20the%20money.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtGOT5aeoPa7RXbP9BSRu4mLUnkS8JgL-BaWHqo3OE6yBWSAHh2mqjRTtU6CTcyTFLldK7CjlDYBtaXIXHmD2Y4WAouM0N_tNJmVfnBDKZMyxFcb20TMqDMRFrjT1xa5_H5HoNGeIVB2kGRRqyzrXgAl8vBgkYS73qsMB_GvDakLFwjtbTxOPpWU2rkFI/s320/Show%20me%20the%20money.jpeg" width="251" /></a></div>The federal government has just unveiled the annual farce that is called the federal budget. And guess what? No, it's not just that they want more money. That should go without saying. What is surprising about the new budget is that it calls for over $7 trillion dollars in spending. That may not mean much to many people simply because the numbers have long ago gotten so large, that we just can't even make sense of the figure.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>For a moment, however, think about that number. That is more than $3 trillion more than the highest previous budget before COVID. That budget, for fiscal year 2019, rose to just over $4 trillion in spending. One of the differences between the current proposal and that previous highest budget, is that the previous budget had a fairly large increase in defense spending. Why does that matter? Because the current budget includes a very modest increase or $9 billion (I say a "modest" increase because, although $9 billion is more than you can probably imagine, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the budget).</p><p>The lion share, by far of the current proposal goes to "social" programs. Those would be things such as social security, Medicare, food stamps, etc. This picture shows, in as clear a way as it has ever been shown, that our society, and liberals in particular, are rushing to socialize our country to an extent that it has never been done before. And, call me pessimistic, but I believe that they will largely succeed, and in not all that long a time period at that. Why? Because people want the government to continue to give them things. It is a well-known axiom that people want a free lunch. And with the current government continuing to offer them one, why wouldn't they take it?</p><p>Here's the problem, if it has not become obvious already. There is no such thing as a free lunch. During his state of the union speech this past week, President Biden continued to claim that this atrocious increase in government spending will be paid for by "corporations paying their fair share." Leaving aside the question as to whether corporations pay their fair share or not (hint, they do!), one is made to wonder if people who believe such things are truly thinking through what they believe. Sometimes we are almost forced to asked the question "were you born this dumb or did you study to become such"?</p><p>The reality, however, is that people are blinded because they have eyes that will not see and ears that will not hear. That was spoken in a spiritual context, but remember that such blindness and deafness affects all of a person's faculties and not just their spirits. Thus, they are incapable of seeing that those corporations that will be made to pay ever higher taxes, will simply pass the increasing cost of doing business on to those who buy their products. Therefore, a car will cost more, groceries will be more expensive, and going to the doctor will almost rate taking out a loan! This should be obvious, especially to those who are always decrying those "greedy corporations." If they are as greedy as liberals think, then it should not be surprising when they do the very things they are accused of doing.</p><p>What, then can we do to help solve this conundrum? Entrust ourselves, our children, and our society to the God of heaven. Pray for our nation and for our people, our families, our churches, and our institutions. Above all, remember that God is controlling everything that takes place. Biden and the other liberals are not, regardless of what they think, calling the shots. They are nothing more than an instrument in the hands of Jehovah to bring about His will. If that is the case, then why fret? Trust in the Lord for He will bring it about. <span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God (Psalm 43:5).</span></span></p><p><br /></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-54537936085053842662024-02-26T10:03:00.001-06:002024-02-26T10:04:18.665-06:00"They Do Listen!"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias7Yq5kD29ARMZkqgmk_fFxsxED-JBoFVYMMZuWP4x-_yDYsx5-dtxhWIf7PGyUnVG6C7tgbJV35fEiwf1R2MGdFTsgwhOMaCAcTEoTtUtQAJUcWLAncjTtR4FhG95B_8IpxxWEdtN-h1T4Cg5KCW2d5JM4KyqWbosMHhkhwBFKQhXHaLG_ihdgmmc_W_/s612/istockphoto-1385767484-612x612.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias7Yq5kD29ARMZkqgmk_fFxsxED-JBoFVYMMZuWP4x-_yDYsx5-dtxhWIf7PGyUnVG6C7tgbJV35fEiwf1R2MGdFTsgwhOMaCAcTEoTtUtQAJUcWLAncjTtR4FhG95B_8IpxxWEdtN-h1T4Cg5KCW2d5JM4KyqWbosMHhkhwBFKQhXHaLG_ihdgmmc_W_/s320/istockphoto-1385767484-612x612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of the issues that affects the church at all times and in every place, is the influence
that society has upon it. We often speak of the influence that the church
should have on society, but we seldom stop to think about how much the church
is being changed and, at times even molded in the image of the unbelieving world around it. It is important
to remember, as well, that Christians did not just appear out of nothing
and drop into the church. We all come from a particular environment, and that
environment, like it or not, has had, and to a certain extent continues to have, an
influence on us.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some, like the author of the book and those who agree with the premises
of the <i>Benedict Option</i>, have concluded that the best thing the
church could do is to practically remove itself from society and build its own
utopia. This utopia would essentially be a "mega convent" where
Christians could simply withdraw from society and live in the way that they choose to (presumably as Christians--what a concept!).</p>There are others who not only want to continue to be engaged
with society, but are of the mind that Christians need to work to bring about a
sort of kingdom of God on earth in the form of a "Christian" form of government. They believe that the church has a
responsibility to ensure that the institutions of man, particularly the
government, follow Christian teachings and also impose those teachings on
society as a whole (to be fair, to my knowledge no Christian group is calling for this to be done violently).<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nevertheless, perhaps the greatest influence on the church
comes from the liberal side of the ledger. These influences range from the idea
that God is "what you make of Him," to those who may be sincere but
are completely deceived into thinking that their particular view of
Christianity is the "compassionate" one. We may just want to stick
our heads in the sand and say that "who cares, no one listens to such
nonsense anyway." The problem is that, as the title of this article
suggests, they do listen and they listen a lot more than we think. If we were to dig deeper into the psyche of many within solid, orthodox churches, we would find that some of the ideas that they hold are amazingly similar to those ideas peddled by liberalism. This tendency is especially true among many of the younger members of our congregations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That tendency is why there are so many illiterate Christians in our
country today. They have been listening to preachers who tell them that the
ultimate end of Christianity is to make them feel good and grant them all
kinds of goodies. That message resonates with the younger generation, because many of them were raised by parents who have led them to believe that what they want and feeling good is what counts, often at the exclusion of any proper discipline and guidance. In the end, however, everyone who indulges such teaching will
be disappointed. And they will be disappointed because they have believed a
counterfeit Christianity that does not save and that certainly does not transform.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is essential for the true Christian to battle such
influences. Our homes (via the internet), our workplaces, and even some of our
churches are awash in such aberrant teaching. Pray to the Lord so He will not
only liberate those who are slaves to such thinking but also that He will
protect us from such influences. If are to be salt and light, we cannot loose our savor or hide the light!<o:p></o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-2395660937012756092024-02-17T09:31:00.000-06:002024-02-17T09:31:38.247-06:00How is God the Foundation of All Knowledge?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/db7oeM08Bw8" width="320" youtube-src-id="db7oeM08Bw8"></iframe></div><br />One of the ways in which we know that there is a God, is the fact that without Him man cannot know anything. It is because there is a God that we can understand facts, figures, and anything else. During a recent Bible study, we discussed the fact that the secular mind thinks of time as random. In other words, there is no rhyme or reason to time, events, actions; they just simply exist for no particular purpose and with no particular end. That is why evolutionary science so-called, is unable to truly know the truth about the origins of the universe and how it functions. Sure, scientist may know certain things about the universe, but they only know those things because there is a God who has provided order for the universe and Who, unbeknown to the evolutionist, has provided him the ability to know those truths. A totally random, purposeless creation would be impossible to understand simply because what is true today would no longer be true tomorrow. We see this reality in how scientists are constantly changing the age of the universe because to believe that the universe is random will necessarily result in random, unordered "knowledge." <p></p><p>As Christians we are not left at the mercy of random, unguided, impersonal processes. We have a personal God who is working within time to bring about His good purposes. Nothing that takes place is by chance. We don't have "luck," we know that all that happens is ordered by divine providence (Romans 8:28). This truth gives us great comfort as we face the difficulties of life. Not only do we know that what is taking place at any given time is ordained by God, but we also understand that the end of these events, and even life in general, is a glorious one in the presence of our Lord. We have hope, and knowledge, because we have a God who has given us hope and who is Himself a God of knowledge. With this in mind, we can live victorious lives that will be a testimony to His grace and love.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span> </span><span>"Truth itself is grounded in God. Truths are things we can discover, what philosophers call truth propositions, but they also have the properties of thought, but they can't be our thoughts because truth is what it is regardless of how we think about it. A good argument can be made that truths are divine thoughts and you can't have knowledge without truth and so in so far as truth depends on God, knowledge also depends on God."</span></p><p><br /></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-82569772983087862722023-07-11T10:24:00.001-05:002023-07-11T10:24:46.558-05:00Get Ready To Struggle!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNvQyI2ssaUQTVog-U0pLx8OvixCQTIfx8APrJPQvfbDCdIQrzZE1DdcI2-mj3ohGsiS6Inl1TljJgukV0i3fVFd3rwyxYxr8TEOUYkjRCVPogK0bOUkNFHPuYIocD64lnWuICLFf-RWvkQ0TFjhFB2zmkFcMYJn7nlg_QZRpNM_q0lCqnRqY04SqeVG38" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="408" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNvQyI2ssaUQTVog-U0pLx8OvixCQTIfx8APrJPQvfbDCdIQrzZE1DdcI2-mj3ohGsiS6Inl1TljJgukV0i3fVFd3rwyxYxr8TEOUYkjRCVPogK0bOUkNFHPuYIocD64lnWuICLFf-RWvkQ0TFjhFB2zmkFcMYJn7nlg_QZRpNM_q0lCqnRqY04SqeVG38" width="169" /></a></div>In 1960's China, "The Cultural Revolution" unleashed
untold violence and death on millions of Chinese who were considered traitors
to the cause of the Communist Party. In the wake of the "Great Leap Forward," which killed
by some estimates as many as 50 million Chinese and which was a great example
of an "oxymoronically" named campaign, Mao decided that there were too many
traitors in China's midst. The traitors, or counter-revolutionaries as Mao
dubbed them, needed to be excised from society for the good of the country.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To accomplish their end, Mao and the Chinese Communist Party
appropriated a term and turned it into much more than what it originally meant:
struggling. Thus, those who were to be opposed and labeled as
counter-revolutionaries and other traitors against the Mother Land were to be
struggled against. Struggling against the bourgeoisie, the intellectuals, land
owners, landlords (by now I'm sure you know all the communist buzzwords),
became the all encompassing activity of Mao's Red Guards--primarily young
students whose minds had been reprogrammed to see those classes as the enemy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fast forward to today's America in which we now have a new
kind of struggling. Many of you may not followed baseball or even like the sport.
But recently, Anthony Bass, a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, published a
short video in which he decried Target's and Bud Light's (for those of you who
have not heard of the controversies you can learn about them <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/31/target-may-have-lost-control-of-narrative-after-pride-backlash-consumer-research-expert/" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/bud-light-spend-heavily-marketing-dylan-mulvaney-controversy-report" target="_blank">here</a>) kowtowing to the LGBTQ++++ movement. Bass expressed
his opinion that Christians should be not only appalled at such behavior,
but outright condemn it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you can guess by now, Bass quickly made an about face and
turned tail when the forces of the leftist red guards "struggled" against
him. In a report the day after posting the video (which he has since deleted)
he expressed remorse for speaking the way he did and for making the LQBTQ+++
"community" feel unwelcome at the park (no doubt at the behest of his
corporate masters). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bass was but the latest in a long line of those who cave to
the pressure exerted by those who "struggle" against them. Many
others have also decided that it was best to turn tail, some justifying
themselves by saying that it is not worth the price that has to be paid or that
the results of their original actions would not be all that great. Better to
live to fight another day, they say.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is essential for Christians to understand that this is
just the initial salvo of what will become the true war for the soul of
Christianity. In China, struggling against the traitors to the revolution
brought millions more deaths on top of the ones experienced during the
"Great Leap Forward." But no matter, as long as Mao could secure his
place at the head of the country and the Communist Party, all was well. Today,
the "strugglers" want to ensure that all that is Christian is erased
from public places, the better to re-form society's face in their own
image, even if in the process society is laid waste. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Someone said recently that the only way that the woke
ideologues will be able to accomplish their ends is by destroying the family
and the church. If we give in, we will be the ones struggling and our struggle
will be a lost cause. If we don't remember that the God who controls all things
is on our side, we will meekly go into whatever ghettos, spiritual or physical,
are prepared for us. In doing so, our shame will be complete and the
church's soul will be lost!<o:p></o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-47215282965317127872023-06-17T11:50:00.000-05:002023-06-17T11:50:38.691-05:00When Life Has No Value<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wudJTsEl7qM" width="320" youtube-src-id="wudJTsEl7qM"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"One that I absolutely love...I mean I have to admit to
welling up several times while reading the book, about one who was an amateur
clown. And I think he was having...you were going to be administering his
assisted death, and I think you must've left the room or something or he left
the room and he came back dressed in his full clown regalia including a red
nose and you asked him what that was about and he said that he wanted to go out
laughing. And I thought that that was so charming...it's become socially
accepted now that people are having assisted death."</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We often think about life, what it is about, where we're going,
why we're here. Questions like these have troubled mankind almost since the
beginning of life on earth. And I say almost from the beginning, because we can
be sure that Adam and Eve knew exactly why they were here.</p><p class="MsoNormal">But as much as such questions occupy humanity's mind, the
answers that man has given to them have led to nothing short of abject despair.
Take the above quote as perhaps one of the best examples of this reality. It
was uttered by an interviewer in a Canadian show that was interviewing a doctor
that specializes in assisted suicide. In Canada, perhaps more than any other
country, assisted suicide has become not only accepted and common, but also
quite the tidy business for the quacks that engage in the practice (see the video above for one such case).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think about it for a second. Is there anything more morbid
and hopeless than creating an entire business model around the idea of killing
yourself? What level of complete hopelessness must a person have to come to the
conclusion that killing yourself is preferable than continuing to live? And
bear in mind that an increasing number of cases are not people who are
terminally ill or battling terrible pain, but many who are simply tired of
living and who can give a "good reason" as to why their lives should
be terminated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The doctor that was being interviewed goes on to say that
Ed, the person who was being euthanized, wanted to go out happy and that is why
he chose to wear his clown suit. You can see how society is increasingly making
of such deaths nothing more than another in its long lines of despicable
activities that should be celebrated and that are so
"courageous." It won't be long before everyone is required to look upon such heinous acts as good and praise worthy!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just think of what went through Ed's mind at the moment of
his demise. Imagine his surprise when he finally expires and finds himself in a
place of suffering and torment the likes of which we cannot even begin to
imagine! And all that while thinking that he was putting an end to his imagined
suffering here on earth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But what can be expected from a world that believes that we
are little more than cosmic dust? The end of our lives is little different than
the end of a fly's life. After all, we have evolved from the same stuff, in the
same way, and have the same value. Our lives are nothing but the sum of our genes bouncing around inside our bodies and leading to nothing transcendent or useful. Thus, it should not be surprising that our
lives can be ended in the same way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As one pundit once put it "things have become curiouser
and curiouser." And indeed, life in the view of the perverted thinking of
the unbeliever gets less and less important or valued with each passing day.
And this trend continues to happen and to expand because people who hold such beliefs
do not understand human nature. They fail to realize that man is irreparably
sinful and will do whatever he thinks will be to his advantage. As the saying goes, give sinners and inch and they'll take a yard.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That is the same tendency we see in the current trend of men "transitioning" to become women and participating in women's sports. People supporting
such actions were convinced that such men would never do anything like
"transitioning" merely for gain. Yet, we now see an increasing
number of cases where that very thing is in full display.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We would do well to remember, however, that as Paul told the
Athenians, many of whom had the exact same thoughts that many today have, that
God has "set a day when He will judge the world by that Man whom He has
appointed, and has given us witness in raising Him from the dead'' (Acts 17).
Who are we going to believe, man or God?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-27286633296497981392023-04-22T07:31:00.000-05:002023-04-22T07:31:00.536-05:00Give People What They Want<p style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 18.75pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZF2NCpGCB_ibpL-l6acCTG8UbM6FrZTToxoMAK5yvRGDOFmsOX0KQ90Z5riv71fY40UIjIW2axONikxc52VkwGDZn1kCNZt6bktVyipnWAzpj8yKPan6PG5nGAB8OXMiYqfDZGXRaSgbgVHcloXbQ1aHPV1pu3bFKS9Rz1LDJY0CvYaxbG2QrN41eAg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="474" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZF2NCpGCB_ibpL-l6acCTG8UbM6FrZTToxoMAK5yvRGDOFmsOX0KQ90Z5riv71fY40UIjIW2axONikxc52VkwGDZn1kCNZt6bktVyipnWAzpj8yKPan6PG5nGAB8OXMiYqfDZGXRaSgbgVHcloXbQ1aHPV1pu3bFKS9Rz1LDJY0CvYaxbG2QrN41eAg" width="320" /></a></div>Recently the Southern Baptist Convention expelled Saddleback Church, the church that Rick Warren founded, from its rolls. This action followed Saddleback's support for and ordaining of three women to be among its pastors.<p></p><p><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>You may remember
Warren as the author of one of the best selling books ever, <i>The Purpose Driven
Life</i>. In the book, Warren begins by saying that "this is not about
you" and then proceeds to make it all about you. Warren is one of the
founders, if we can use that word, of the seeker sensitive movement. Although
the movement was not an official, organized effort to reach the lost, it was a
technique that many evangelists and churches adopted in order to reach our
society. The idea was simply to use focus groups and other studies in order to
determine what exactly would be effective actions in order to get people to
become Christians (although getting to come to church is probably a more correct way of putting it).<p></p><p><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;">The primary idea
behind the seeker sensitive movement was to determine what people's "felt
needs" were and thus basically give them what they asked for.
One problem, though, since when does God ask us to provide people their
"felt needs"? Instead the Lord commands us to preach that it is
"He who will judge the world" and that we must "believe in the
Lord Jesus" in order to be saved. Nothing there about catering to what
people think they need. The lost, callous, spiritually dead soul does not want
the things that will make it alive. If we are going to give people what they
want, then we need to get out of the evangelizing business because faith and repentance is not
what they want. </span></p><p><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;">Getting back to the
ordination of women at Saddleback, that is little more than the natural
outgrowth of that "seeker sensitive, give them what they want"
attitude. The reasons Warren has given for ordaining women are laughable and
pathetic. If you're interested in hearing them, you can do so </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNo0HjmvhHM" style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">here</span></a><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;">. It is not surprising that
Warren would go down this path. If one is more interested in fulfilling
people's dreams and needs than in preaching the gospel then why not women
preachers? That is the same attitude that has led an increasing number of
churches to welcome homosexual officers and members without repentance. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Warren </span>valiantly<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> attempted to justify his actions by Scripture, and failed miserably. My
prediction, however, is that it won't be long before he gives up any effort to
justify his actions by Scripture and just goes on to take unscriptural actions
simply because it will be convenient and expedient. And when the basis of
your ministry is to give people what they want, it's impossible not to
eventually fall into all kinds of perversions of Scripture.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;">At a time when we've
been discussing how important rightly dividing the word is, Warren is a perfect
example of what can happen if we don't. Either we study, internalize, and obey
the Word of God or we go the way of the rest of the compromising church. It is high time to make that decision; "</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">if Yahweh is God, serve Him but </span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;">if Baal is God, serve him" (1 Kings 18:21).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.75pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-26670821686025065142023-04-01T07:03:00.002-05:002023-04-01T07:12:03.822-05:00Life's Setting Sun...Sinking Low?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIFg1l-pgdHyiCTWhydb35aDYlVbJUT0QyrgWhGkakZH8LS8iyxW0s5qhHZ_E74JqDrU99lfb4mkEYU7p3SPeEKjpSPWw3lu32xvucEFP2iN1qikvM78VLvvN76O4-i8avU9MmxqCkp_X38aa0JgxrZg017bFDSjvrSIKHaCK3U1GfwYr3aViNuwxGA/s612/Dawkins.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="612" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIFg1l-pgdHyiCTWhydb35aDYlVbJUT0QyrgWhGkakZH8LS8iyxW0s5qhHZ_E74JqDrU99lfb4mkEYU7p3SPeEKjpSPWw3lu32xvucEFP2iN1qikvM78VLvvN76O4-i8avU9MmxqCkp_X38aa0JgxrZg017bFDSjvrSIKHaCK3U1GfwYr3aViNuwxGA/s320/Dawkins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The famous song from which the title takes its name reminds
the singer that the sun of life, that is the spark that keeps us alive, sinks
ever lower as life moves on to its inevitable end. The song continues by celebrating
the fact that soon life will be over and the singer will be thrust into the
presence of the Lord where there will be joys everlasting. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would seem strange to the uneducated for anyone to be so
anxious to leave this life for the next. This desire, however, is not akin to
that of many of the early church fathers who often would not only desire to
depart and be with the Lord, as Paul put it to the Philippians, but also spoke
as though they were suicidal. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Rather, the idea is simply to emphasize the fact that, to
those who are in Christ, the end of this life is but the beginning of the life
that will see us without pain, without woes, and without care. The life to come
will be the life that all Christians live for. Without it, living here would
make little difference; to the contrary it would make life terrifying and
useless.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This last point came to my mind when I heard a portion of an
interview between Piers Morgan and famous atheist Richard Dawkins the other
day. Morgan asked Dawkins if he had any thoughts on the so-called "Isis
Bride." The woman was groomed to fight for Isis and is now back in the
United States awaiting legal proceedings. Dawkins said that he couldn't opine and the obvious fear on his
face was quite sad (it is ironic that Dawkins' motto is "There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Life.")</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why would Mr. Dawkins be so terrified about speaking about a
subject that he thinks may lead to him being targeted? He is afraid because his life's shadows are drawing long. He has no hope, nothing to cling to. In his
worldview there is nothing awaiting him but the cold, dark grave. Thus, he
wants to cling to his pathetic existence for as long as possible. I am reminded
of a professor whom I met some years ago. Also an atheist, he often spoke about
how he couldn't sleep much because he was afraid of dying in his sleep. Dawkins has previously spoken about not being afraid of dying because he will be "like the dinosaurs" without memory or existence. Unfortunately for him, we are not like the dinosaurs. We do have a mind and a conscience and that mind and that conscience are repulsed by the idea that there is really nothing to live for and that our existence will be snuffed out in a moment.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The unbelieving, and especially the atheistic world mocks
the Christian, calling him an intellectual moron who is easily led by the nose.
In that world's telling, Christianity is, as with religion in general, nothing
more than a crutch that leads people to live with some particular, senseless purpose. Yet,
as Sinclair Ferguson once said, "what do they think about when they're in the
dark?" </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Paul told the Thessalonian Christians that they did not have
to grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4). The fact is that the unbeliever can do no
other than grieve because they have no hope. The most unfortunate aspect of
their lives, however, is not only that they have no hope but that very few often
know it or even think about it (the rest don't care). Thus, it behooves us to be the light and the
salt that the world needs. Only then can the unbeliever begin to see the hope
that is only in Christ. Only then can that dark, cold, unforgiving tomb give way to the glorious light of the gospel of Christ!<o:p></o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-44828398648486761012022-11-25T09:38:00.002-06:002022-11-25T09:38:43.428-06:00One in Christ Jesus<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQp31_FJ66PxuLC8VnooCIMCGuYEoWEdDeVeFLBnQgfx__wUNASqpYm_nV06_tZJAKKpwYuuwV-wCZsWG7HRtDXxKI3atKUQfDh_Tohf5TUvNyHpkz5ykoqEuEqSbcwhlS8F_XIQJ3gVvSnKym_LVw3idD3jZzH2knEXPdkTUQCUd8bgofKMDI0NutNw/s300/One%20in%20Christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQp31_FJ66PxuLC8VnooCIMCGuYEoWEdDeVeFLBnQgfx__wUNASqpYm_nV06_tZJAKKpwYuuwV-wCZsWG7HRtDXxKI3atKUQfDh_Tohf5TUvNyHpkz5ykoqEuEqSbcwhlS8F_XIQJ3gVvSnKym_LVw3idD3jZzH2knEXPdkTUQCUd8bgofKMDI0NutNw/s1600/One%20in%20Christ.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>During a
recent "Conversations That Matter" podcast (listen to it <a href="https://youtu.be/up3sGjBh8TI" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">), the host played
a tape of a panel discussion during an "Acts 29" event in which
several black people, ostensibly Christians, discussed racism and their
experiences growing up. There were a number of things said that, depending
on your experience, where you grew up, and how you were raised, you may nod in understanding that they happened and sometimes, unfortunately still happen.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>All that
being said, it is a sad reality that all too often in our current climate, the
church gets infected by the attitudes and approaches to problems the world has.
It is not a coincidence that, just as our society is becoming more and more
permeated by the bogeyman of supposed racism, the church by enlarge has also
tracked after the world in appropriating this issue. The problem here, however,
is that whenever the church attempts to imitate the world, things never end
well.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Is the
church supposed to be different or not? What did Christ do for us if not bring
a complete transformation of our minds and our souls? Far too many think that
all that Christ did was save us (all too often not even understanding what
we've been saved from) and that He then leaves it up to us to "fix"
whatever problems we may encounter, whether with us or the world. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Getting
back to the podcast, it was clear by the things that the folks on the panel
said that they were convinced that there is some sort of dividing wall between
white and black Christians. The underlying, assumed "truth" was that
white Christians just can't understand what black Christians have gone through
and are therefore not in a position to unilaterally change the attitudes they have about
blacks. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It is
quite tragic that Christians are falling for such claptrap. Christ has
emphatically and unmistakably said that we have been transformed from our
heads down to our toes. Sure, we may still look the same physically, but
spiritually we are 180 degrees different to who we were when Christ redeemed
us. Either that means something, or it does not. There are many to whom that
reality means little. All that matters is how we think of race and social
issues or fill in the blank. To use again the metaphor about the wall, Christ
on the cross brought down the middle wall of partition, for us today as much as
for the Jews and the Gentiles then (Ephesians 2:13ff).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The
great irony in all of this is that, in their rush to make race and other
so-called social ills the central aspect of the church's mission, they have
made of the church an impotent institution that accomplishes little,
either socially or spiritually. While accusing the church of not being
sensitive to the social problems in its midst, they have confirmed in the mind of unbelievers the mentality they already have: the church is racist and full of
hypocrites. How can anyone expect that church to accomplish anything of lasting
value? How can such a church bring anyone to Christ, a Christ who in their
telling is impotent and more concerned about where you live than where you're
headed when your life is over?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let me
say in sum that I'm not calling for ignorance of the problems that afflict our
society. It is not a zero sum game. It is not choosing to care for souls or care for the
hungry, for example. But there is a principle that we must uphold. And that is that
the church is first and foremost about the saving of souls. What does it profit
a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul (Mark 8:36)? Are we
going to stand before the Lord on that great, final day and be accepted because
we involved ourselves in every single societal issue that came along? If that
is what we're trusting in then we will be sadly disappointed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It is
ironic that everyone is tripping all over themselves in order to be tolerant,
accepting, and to promote equity. Yet, much of that is done at the expense of
those who happen to be of the "wrong" skin color. Is there injustice today? Of course. But how is that injustice going to be resolved by making a whole class of people bear the guilt of their ancestors. There are many along the whole color spectrum that are either doing very well or are destitute. When we look
at people as we look at cattle, as an unthinking class whose only important characteristic is how they look, we will not be applying
the right medicine to the right ailment. And frankly, none of this is
Christian. This is the same idea that BLM, for example, pushes. If you find
yourself on the side of such a demonic institution, then you're in a very dark
place indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-79965943353754264362022-10-15T14:54:00.001-05:002022-10-15T14:54:30.358-05:00The Novelization Of Our Society<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcS-nOBwM_VHe4va8pyMx-CEQNkvs-xEDJ7qIDMqr6XR9TdQc4Lon3WhIBZbdSHg9aQXeYcnU5TfiTYHjgIoUcdsuZnutmt5cbCTRY_xK08amN-MedZwIs2VAEP_yTBKV5eMiKCqhPxuqjxAz-o-FrCdqr2nX51yQVyyfKQWxtJ_EFc8Z-LldLhyNJtQ/s325/1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="325" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcS-nOBwM_VHe4va8pyMx-CEQNkvs-xEDJ7qIDMqr6XR9TdQc4Lon3WhIBZbdSHg9aQXeYcnU5TfiTYHjgIoUcdsuZnutmt5cbCTRY_xK08amN-MedZwIs2VAEP_yTBKV5eMiKCqhPxuqjxAz-o-FrCdqr2nX51yQVyyfKQWxtJ_EFc8Z-LldLhyNJtQ/s320/1984.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It
is certain that all of us have heard quite a good deal about George Orwell's
eerily prescient novel "1984" and its uncanny predictions about the
world which at the time of his writing was decades in the future. I have
recently finished listening to the book and in truth some of the things it has to
say about society and how it would devolve into a mesh of contradictions are
amazingly accurate. One may be tempted to think that Orwell was some sort of
prophet, but it doesn't take a prophet to understand where the world is headed.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Recently,
Doug Wilson made a comment referring to CS Lewis saying that he was usually
right on point when describing man's motivations and what he saw was the future
of the race. Wilson also mentioned that it was not that Lewis had some sort of
crystal ball that allowed him to see the future, but rather that he understood
human nature. If one understands human nature, then it will become quite simple
to predict the direction society will take at any given moment in time. <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Bible tells us what human nature is all about. A few Sundays ago, our pastor
spoke about that very nature in reading Romans 3. There, Paul lays out the
evidence for man's corruption in sin. In the end, Paul says, the primary reason
for their corruption is the fact that "there is no fear of God in their
eyes." When the fear of God is absent, man becomes his own god and when he
is his own god then the downward spiral that we've been in can only accelerate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Getting
back to Orwell, the society that he predicted was one where everything was
basically the opposite of what people were led to believe. The Ministry of
Truth sought to basically erase history, by propagating lies. Winston, the main character in the
novel, would examine past issues of newspapers or books seeking where they
needed to be "updated." In other words, if Big Brother had predicted
something that actually didn't come to pass, for example, it was Winston's job
to edit the offending prediction and change it so it would say what actually
happened. Thus, what Big Brother said was made to look as though it was in fact
what actually came to pass. All editions of the documents that had the original
quote would then be destroyed being sent down the memory hole. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the same way, whenever Big Brother found the need to honor someone for being a
stalwart party apparatchik, one would be invented from whole cloth. As Winston
commented in the book, a historical figure could be made to exist today who
didn't actually exist in the past!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
couldn't help but think of this very thing as I read an article about how the
government is seeking to change the names of the military forts and bases that
bear confederate names. And, predictably, the person in charge of the effort,
in response to questions about the action, said that they are not seeking to
erase history. How's that for a lack of self awareness? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">History
is a pesky thing and facts, as Ben Shapiro likes to say, don't care about our
feelings. In time, all of this attempt at erasing history and eliminating
anything that could in any possible way offend will only create a society like
1984's: full of people sleepwalking with little purpose and no reason for
living. If it were not for the grace of God, we all would be headed in that
direction. Thank God for His unspeakable Gift!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-39233472951776727612022-06-10T08:20:00.004-05:002022-06-10T08:21:50.512-05:00Stand Up...The Right Way!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_Db1IvXtwbja2CAb7leFKHwVK5F0r4qtkYifSxAMW8-sWHUJIgot8_c92vp9nHQv4S-08mTmDYfN8ezvKY6iTib9rrZNP3JNxWSDpsleb54K0_P2i3ZyNP_9f1uU0E7-qYXvh84P636LiRMmh8v4_8giO41FydkFXq8OpI1yV91RzV56i7N297OMcg/s225/TB%20Pride%20Month.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_Db1IvXtwbja2CAb7leFKHwVK5F0r4qtkYifSxAMW8-sWHUJIgot8_c92vp9nHQv4S-08mTmDYfN8ezvKY6iTib9rrZNP3JNxWSDpsleb54K0_P2i3ZyNP_9f1uU0E7-qYXvh84P636LiRMmh8v4_8giO41FydkFXq8OpI1yV91RzV56i7N297OMcg/s1600/TB%20Pride%20Month.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>In the most recent Wednesday Thought, I mentioned that five
Tampa Bay Rays (a Major League Baseball team) players refused to wear a hat and
patch with logos that celebrate "Gay Pride" month. I also mentioned
that the players have been ostracized and called bigots for their action. Such
behavior, unfortunately, is all too common when it comes to our current state
of affairs. As long as you're on the "right" side of the ideological
divide, everything is okay and tolerance will be showered on you for whatever sins
you may commit. Once you cross that line, however, you will be lucky to keep
your physical safety, even for the minutest of infractions.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>There's is a greater issue here which can be missed if we
don't pay attention. It is essential that believers stand for the truth. It is
also essential, however, that we not only stand for the truth, but that we do
so the right way. What I mean is that we not only have to resist the forces
that are intent on forcing us to celebrate depravity. We also have to do so in
a way that clearly, unmistakably, and unashamedly does so and proclaim that we belong to Christ and that is why we do what we do.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I commend the players that refused to give in to the spirit
of the age. At the same time, however, they serve as a very good example of how
good intentions can go in the wrong direction in a rather unperceived way.
Notice what the players said as they received push back from the liberal
establishment: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt;">“It’s just what we believe the lifestyle
he’s (Jesus) encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold,”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2022/06/04/most-but-not-all-rays-show-their-lgbtq-support/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Adam previously told the Tampa Bay Times</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt;">. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">“But again, we love these men and women [</span><span style="font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">presumably</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> homosexual individuals],
we care about them and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.” He further
stated that "this is a lifestyle that maybe we don't want to live."</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You may have heard one of several messages (or maybe all of
them) where Voddie Baucham speaks about homosexual issues and the approach that
many preachers take when addressing the matter. Usually, Baucham says, such
preachers will go out of their way to say something similar to what the players
above said. Before the message the preacher believes will be controversial, he
has to provide a plethora of qualifiers lest he be "misunderstood."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The lesson for us here is that it is important to stand for
the truth of Scripture and to defend the gospel. It is also important to make
it clear why we stand for that truth. It is not just because we think that such
"lifestyle" is incompatible with the life that Jesus wants us to
live..."maybe." It is also, and even more importantly, because those
who do such a thing will "not inherit the kingdom of God" (1
Corinthians 6:9ff). If we say that we love those who engage in perverse behaviors
without making it clear that what they are doing is sinful and they must
repent, we make it all too easy for others to hear the wrong message.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By all means, let us love all people regardless of who they
are or what they do. Let us also love them enough to tell them that they are in
sin and that, if they persist in that sin they will inherit condemnation and
punishment. If you make such individuals believe that they are "welcome
here" they will think that you believe that their lifestyle is okay for
them, it's just not good for you. In a world that is increasingly blurring the
line between good and evil, it falls to the believer to clearly delineate that
line once again. If we don't do it, no one else will!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-44563830663522921092022-05-03T10:46:00.001-05:002022-05-03T12:17:02.518-05:00Depravity Goes Primetime<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuWXmPCYhnp30fzpNi4-_1_i5Ml4Zj-M5-fgHj2wNFjcsIORvXR7bnTNgVBUPXJcMHyslymSz10mzfwiLUzHSqDUFJ3nurxjcxW63vqqHwQShRGPwWjKBhMwcb3G3E8vN0dO3jcObgd8_cf179VBqJahjuDvnJwqpZbdWrLSYcjYz62FL4U540e9eJg/s300/Dont%20say%20gay.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuWXmPCYhnp30fzpNi4-_1_i5Ml4Zj-M5-fgHj2wNFjcsIORvXR7bnTNgVBUPXJcMHyslymSz10mzfwiLUzHSqDUFJ3nurxjcxW63vqqHwQShRGPwWjKBhMwcb3G3E8vN0dO3jcObgd8_cf179VBqJahjuDvnJwqpZbdWrLSYcjYz62FL4U540e9eJg/s1600/Dont%20say%20gay.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Recently, Jen Psaki, the White House
press secretary, was moved to tears when discussing the so-called Florida
Parental Rights bill. The bill prohibits school teachers in Florida from
discussing issues related to sexuality with children in grades K to 3rd. In
other words, children in the age group of around 5 to 8 will not be subjected
to listening to their teachers indoctrinate them about sexuality (which is
usually done by homosexual advocates). <span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fact that such a bill has to be
passed is problematic enough. But when people who are at the highest levels of
government in this country actually are reduced to tears because perverts are
not allowed to indoctrinate children into their deviant sexual habits, then we
have definitely reached the bottom of the barrel. How do you justify wanting to
speak to children about transexuality or homosexuality and how they may need to
explore their own sexuality? That time in a child's life is among the most confused for
children. They are constantly wavering from one thing to another because they
are exploring their environment, their own selves, and their place in society. It
is a time when they are most vulnerable to being influenced. Not only so, but children in that age group are not interested in the least about sexuality and issues surrounding that subject. The only interest that they muster comes at the behest of people such as the teachers protesting this bill who are not content with living their perversions quietly. They need to feel validated, even by the youngest in our society.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There has been a lot of talk among
Christian (especially evangelical) groups and individuals about what Romans 13
means and how it applies to us today. This has been especially true in the
context of the continuing COVID pandemic and the response that Christians
should have to the variety of mandates that have come from government. One
thing that is beyond question, however, is the fact that the government has
been ordained by God to protect the law-abiding (indeed to reward him or her)
and to punish the evil doer. Thus, in the current controversy in Florida, government
is not only within its rights, but also its God-given obligation to protect some of those who are the most vulnerable among us. The same thing could be said about the laws that are
currently being passed in various states seeking to outlaw abortion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our society is now one where lying
to people and leading them to destruction is preferable than telling them the
truth and somehow "offending" them. It is better, our masters,
including our president tell us to tell people that a man can become a woman
and that children should be castrated and mutilated than to tell them that such
actions will not only obliterate who they are, but will also lead them to the
very doors of hell. Truly the world has been turned upside down. Men have
always been depraved, but seldom in human history have they seemed to rush
headlong to perdition and obliteration with such zeal. Long ago Paul wrote that
a husband should love his wife as he loves his own body. "After all,"
said the apostle, "no one hates his own body, but cherish it and cares for
it..." (Ephesians 5:29). Our world has not only turned that on its head,
but it has done so with astounding proficiency! Truly, repentance must come or
the ire of God will be terrifying in its breath.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-32787368650506732102022-03-20T08:16:00.001-05:002022-03-20T08:16:40.808-05:00Who am I? Why am I here?<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kVov-nLO9hYaixvUBgohjpGSDeny_GvfI_FuKP0D75c6wfJa0_W2ExRMJBp4VyniEuSRC96f7hyHyYfCDRVYOMJOBq6Jj_nNLwY0ZzgGeyTnNoYDiwKmNh9zwVKbrAS98U-sk5f4vHUWt0H2Ii_MGdgr-QLwfl5k6UIMrbMSIEApXDt4_O4GP7SZ5w/s216/James%20Stockdae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="216" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kVov-nLO9hYaixvUBgohjpGSDeny_GvfI_FuKP0D75c6wfJa0_W2ExRMJBp4VyniEuSRC96f7hyHyYfCDRVYOMJOBq6Jj_nNLwY0ZzgGeyTnNoYDiwKmNh9zwVKbrAS98U-sk5f4vHUWt0H2Ii_MGdgr-QLwfl5k6UIMrbMSIEApXDt4_O4GP7SZ5w/s1600/James%20Stockdae.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>Thus famously, or infamously, said Admiral James Stockdale during a vice
presidential debate in 1992. Stockdale had been chosen by Ross Perot, the
independent presidential candidate, to run against George Bush the first and
Dan Quayle during that year's presidential campaign. Many analysts at the time,
blamed Perot for taking enough conservative votes away from Bush and giving
Bill Clinton the victory in that year's elections. Whether that was in fact
correct or not, we'll never know, but undeniably Clinton ended up winning the
presidency not with a majority but with a simple plurality. <span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, as history will attest, the coming
of Clinton to the highest office in the land marked, in a way it had not
before, the time when our society went literally down the tubes. Clinton would
be embroiled in a series of sexual scandals culminating in the famous Monica
Lewinsky scandal that nearly derailed his presidency. At the time, Clinton
became only the second president in US history to have been impeached. Although
he survived that effort, primarily because the senate was in Democratic hands,
his term in office will forever be stained by that sordid affair. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I bring this up because that era accelerated
the downturn that US society had been in since primarily the 1960's. The
"Me Generation" had begun to bring to the public mind the fact that
American public structure was coming apart at the seams. The war in Vietnam,
the drug culture, and the general attitude of the people of that era brought a
division to society that had not been present perhaps since the Civil War. The
biggest effect of all this was not so much in the political arena, though that
certainly was radically altered, but primarily in the sexual mores of the time
and the time that has followed. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since that time, sex has been at the
forefront of society in one way or another. Not that sexuality and sensuality
have ever been absent from the public's mind. But now sex began to dominate
mass media and to be constantly pushed from every possible outlet. The advent of
contraceptives made it easier for people to engage in sexual activity without
worrying about pregnancy. Later, with the Supreme Court's decision in the Rowe
vs. Wade case, people didn't even need to worry about contraceptives. Now, they
could simply go to the ironically named "parental planning" clinic
and simply terminate their pregnancy. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We then come to our own day, when sex is
being even more strongly pushed to the point where even schools are all in for
the sexual revolution. In San Francisco, for example the school board is seen
in a video obtained by a conservative news outlet, speaking about how the
schools will indoctrinate children in the perverse liberal sexual ethic. During
the course of the video, one person is heard saying that one of the questions
that the children will be asked is whether their physical characteristics, as
in their genitals, match the way they feel about themselves. In other words, do
their feelings about themselves match what their bodies are telling them. The
obvious implication is that, if the child feels differently, then what he or she
feels is much more important than what they look like. Do not believe your lying eyes, we could say!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Right thinking people look at these things
and are justifiably horrified. How can it be possible that anyone with an ounce
of common sense think that doing these things to children is anything other
than child abuse? Therein lies the issue. These folks are not right thinking
people. They are among those who are unregenerate and as such they will act
like it. In their corrupted and sin addled minds, such ideas are perfectly
logical. This is the same problem that leads people to think that the
cornucopia of perversions that they engage in somehow demonstrate their
freedom and virtue. In reality, all they do is show their enslavement to sin. It is also
the same problem that leads to our society's post-modern idea that there is no
such thing as absolute truth. There is a perverse logic here: if there is no
such thing as absolute, objective truth then whatever you feel is more
important than anything else. Thus, they kill an unborn child because they have some physical or mental problem with nary a thought of guilt while at the same time celebrating those with mental disabilities in programs like Special Olympics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The moral in all of this is that the church
has to be vigilant. We're swimming in a sea of depravity and the morals of the
people around us can very easily splash unto us. At the same time, we need to
understand that we must influence the world for good and not simply stand by,
as the quietists, hoping that just not being like them will lead them to the
truth. Let us say with Thomas "let us go that we may die with Him"
(John 11:16), but then follow through on that pledge, just like Thomas
eventually did, howbeit after one very big stumble.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-31120045001398571872022-01-08T11:39:00.000-06:002022-01-08T11:39:03.902-06:00Shut Up And Sing<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMDJEyk1Da0e7IXvMamAbLXqwzZiwnVOGplkxmVlumKNF_zUQH1D2za17ACkgMjrS8vFvzDn799BIHXbnFfQ8wHbmQ43yQiucyHFuoHEOaP8ZFDw58vp_8TwEtoSowV9YZTW2WoygMZMf/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMDJEyk1Da0e7IXvMamAbLXqwzZiwnVOGplkxmVlumKNF_zUQH1D2za17ACkgMjrS8vFvzDn799BIHXbnFfQ8wHbmQ43yQiucyHFuoHEOaP8ZFDw58vp_8TwEtoSowV9YZTW2WoygMZMf/" width="240" /></a></div>I have often pointed out that there are two
languages in the world: the language of the world and the language of the
church. The language of the church is gratitude. The language of the world,
however, is complaining. Time and time again the Bible, especially the New
Testament, exhorts believers to be grateful for all that God has done and
continues to do for His people. And time and time again, we are shown how the
world is constantly complaining about one thing or another. It is easy to see
the continual drip drip of complaining that the unbeliever engages in.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That being said, however, there is a real
problem within the church of Christ. And that is that the language of the
world, that constant complaining attitude, has filtered into the church to such
an extent that it is hard to distinguish where one ends and the other one
begins. All too often we hear Christians complain about their health, about
their finances, about this or that perceived slight, and on it goes. Rather
than taking to heart the repeated exhortations of the New Testament to not be
anxious, but rather to pray, we forget prayer and instead complain about what
we find ourselves incapable of influencing.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm sure you've heard, and may have said it
yourself, the parent that tells his crying child that if he continues to carry
on, he will give him something to cry about. Well, it may be that in the not
too distant future God will give us something to truly complain about
(although, of course, complaining even then will be sinful). It is obvious that
the world, which is always hostile to the church, is becoming more and more
emboldened in their hostility and disdain for the church. Not only are the
governments of the world and people at large becoming more hostile to all
things Christian, but even so called "Christian churches" are
increasingly becoming like the world in their mad rush to "win" them
over. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Compare all this to the apostle Paul. Of
course, Paul is what you would call the poster child of the suffering
Christian. In 2 Corinthians 11, he </span>catalogs<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> a litany of persecutions and
problems that he encountered in his work for Christ. The event that gives the
name to this column was one of those persecutions. During his missionary trip
to Philippi, he was arrested and imprisoned for casting a demon out of a girl.
While in the prison, having his feet in stocks, he and his companion, Silas,
begin to sing praises to God. And earthquake subsequently comes about that
changes the whole trajectory of the event, as Paul and Silas are released the
following morning. But the point of the whole event, though was the fact that
even in such a situation, Paul and Silas were found to be singing praises to
the God whom they knew had ordained the very troubles they were
experiencing. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In conclusion, what we as believers should
learn from this event is the fact that we truly need to "shut up and
sing." Rather than continue to complain and carry on because our TV (one
of five or six) doesn't quite have the pristine and clear picture that "we
deserve," or any number of other such silly issues, we should rejoice in
our salvation. We should rejoice and be grateful that God has seated us in the
heavenly realms with Christ. And we should rejoice that our lives and
everything that takes place in them is working to bring glory to God and to help us become more like Christ. Rejoice, for your redemption draws near!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-86630620532972297752021-12-05T06:30:00.000-06:002021-12-05T06:30:06.076-06:00"What is truth"?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J-jiqDPvpeuAgapPENJKmjSLZfCmSfQSb9zfh0Gl6mbgn5v7OCSiMovz7MjWB-TWAVbRuKGARJWRUePQODro1_1R_yYHoM383qmQJTFvq3GVoglO43Pc2S68MrgZWJeFZiTYwkVZih5O/s300/What+is+truth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J-jiqDPvpeuAgapPENJKmjSLZfCmSfQSb9zfh0Gl6mbgn5v7OCSiMovz7MjWB-TWAVbRuKGARJWRUePQODro1_1R_yYHoM383qmQJTFvq3GVoglO43Pc2S68MrgZWJeFZiTYwkVZih5O/s0/What+is+truth.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><b><span class="ydpd28ce655yiv6694791468ydp28f2a00atext"><span id="ydpd28ce655yiv6694791468ydp28f2a00aen-KJV-26823"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"</span></span></span><span class="ydpd28ce655yiv6694791468ydp28f2a00atext"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king
then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and
for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.
Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when
he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews" (John 18:37-38a).</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>The New York Post
reported recently that the brother of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo,
Chris, was involved in helping his brother conduct a cover up of his sexual
harassment escapades. The report claimed that Chris, who is the anchor (now
suspended) of his own show on CNN, used his position and his professional
contacts to try various tactics to help his brother weather the scandal.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the report of 1
December, a number of individuals are quoted, from both CNN as well as some of
the women who came forward to accuse Cuomo, saying that Chris should resign
because he "has lost all journalistic integrity" and that </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“anything short of
firing Chris Cuomo reflects a network lacking both morals and a
backbone.” The report continues by saying that Chris's contract, which was
valued at $6 million a year, had been renewed earlier this year. That contract,
and indeed Chris's future career, was in doubt in light of these allegations (I
should mention here that many are the anchors and news reporters who have been
"rehabilitated" by the networks after such scandals).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
could not help but think about this and the utter hypocrisy and blindness of
many of those who are accusing the Cuomo's of lack of morals and the like. As
Al Mohler reminds us often in his <i>Briefing</i>, whatever worldview you hold
will dictate how you conduct yourself and what you will think. And the vast
majority of the folks who are complaining about the Cuomo's are people whose
worldview is a godless one that considers morality a malleable thing used in
whatever way is expedient to bring about their ends. In a very real way, the
old adage "the ends justify the means" is the guiding light of such
individuals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
takes an amazing level of chutzpah to live as though there is no God and
to believe that we are nothing but an accident, while at the same time holding
others up to some sort of manufactured moral standard. You can be sure that
those who are so adamant at condemning those who are engaging in sexual
harassment today (and rightly so, I might add), will at some time in the
future, jettison that outrage if it becomes convenient to do so. And you can't
blame them (you could, but stay with me here). When you believe that there is
no such thing as an objective standard of morality, right and wrong are simply
identified with whatever society thinks is right and wrong at the moment. That
is why it is so brainless for such people to complain about what our forefathers did that
today's generation finds objectionable. After all, if their society dictated
that slavery, to cite the most egregious example, was right, how can they now condemn it? Idiotic, to say the least!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.15pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the reason why, in spite of all that secular society attempts to say and do,
Christianity is the only rational way to view the world. It is the Christian who
has a rational, logical way to view the world. And he does so, not because he </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">is</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">somehow better or more intelligent than others, but because the God he
serves is a logical, rational God. In fact, it is the God of the Christian who
invented reason and logic. Without God, nothing makes sense and everything is
relative. The secularist is right when he says that everything is devoid of
sense and order if indeed we're just random products of unthinking evolutionary
forces. Thank God that he does not know whereof he speaks!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-55423223876207242312021-11-20T09:53:00.001-06:002021-12-05T08:17:02.195-06:00The Right To Be An Idiot, Part 2<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju12ML3zGI9jPASVxwDhGgOlhnmV-xMKZFlP_8rwlnn4FZVnvViYCDPx1IOoWBwJ2RzloOKnI-YQDOdHQOVfAzd5qyOHXmf6GAq6ZD5LYSB8Wdbm_1oUAbMdemY8V2YH0ZkXNK5fjY6YGG/s272/Idiots.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju12ML3zGI9jPASVxwDhGgOlhnmV-xMKZFlP_8rwlnn4FZVnvViYCDPx1IOoWBwJ2RzloOKnI-YQDOdHQOVfAzd5qyOHXmf6GAq6ZD5LYSB8Wdbm_1oUAbMdemY8V2YH0ZkXNK5fjY6YGG/s0/Idiots.jpeg" width="272" /></a></div>The other day, during one of his show's
podcasts, Ben Shapiro used the phrase "doubling down on stupid" in
describing what many leftist commentators and politicians are doing. He said
that in the context of what many Democrats and their apologists in the media
are doing in trying to justify the recent losses by Democratic candidates in
several elections. Just to give you a couple of examples of the fare you will
find in the various news outlets as they attempt to justify the unjustifiable
are the following.<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span><a name='more'></a></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joy Reid, a reporter on MSNBC, claimed that
Virginians were demonstrating their support of white supremacy because they
voted for a candidate (the Republican now governor-elect) who was a "Trump
crony." In addition, a guest on her show accused the lieutenant
governor-elect, who is black, of being nothing more than the black face of
white supremacy. You see, to the left, if you're not a "progressive"
(few terms have been more misused than that one) then something is wrong with
you and you're some sort of white supremacist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nicole Wallace, a co-worker of Reid, also
engaged in the same white supremacy blather in order to try to explain the
shellacking that Democrats suffered. Such individuals find it impossible to
understand that people don't like to be patronized or that they don't
appreciate politicians who support their children being taught that they are
somehow of deficient character simply because their skin is white. It doesn't
dawn on these elites that continuing to call the people who make it possible
for their jobs to exist racists, and worse, is not a good way to guarantee
their continued support.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Along comes the extremely
"qualified" secretary of transportation to trump (pardon the pun) all
other geniuses with his amazingly insightful comments. In a press conference
recently, the man who spent over two months on "paternity leave" told
a reporter that he was shocked that people found it strange when he claimed, in
effect, that highways are racist. In his telling, some highways were built to
divide white and black neighborhoods. Overpasses were built low so buses
carrying black and Puerto Rican kids could not pass under them. It doesn't seem
to occur to our amazing secretary that, first even if that is the case that was
done decades ago and such efforts no longer exist; and second, the same roads
used by those kids are used by every other kid who lives in the neighborhood or
who has to travel those roads. And the roads will not keep anyone from driving
on them based on what the color of their skin is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Getting back to Mr. Shapiro, he is not a
Christian. He is a practicing Jew who, although he has had a number of
prominent Christians on his show (John Macarthur perhaps the most outstanding
among them), has yet to change his religious outlook. Nevertheless, he is an
example of how common grace can give some unbelieving folks more clarity of
mind than others. In pointing out the obvious nonsense that the left engages
in, he has done us a favor. Remember, these are the folks, in increasing
numbers, who are controlling most of the levers of power in our society. Media,
education, government are overwhelmingly controlled by people whose political
outlook and worldview are godless and Marxist. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you call yourself a Christian and you
support such behavior or vote for such individuals, then all I can say is shame
on you. It would take an amazing lack of discernment to offer support to such
shenanigans. If anyone reading this thinks they can make a case for commending
such conduct or worldview, then I'd like to hear how they manage to justify
such commendation and support!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-17540624628362183762021-10-17T08:29:00.000-05:002021-10-17T08:29:09.518-05:00 The Right To Be An Idiot<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OPKIE1NGtllwynDnhZoMIjY6Wfwc1iolOzNPz4fYI4I0VzSiVehq9A3pKFBBD-CIsxtxBOnKWgwLIu8zAmrEBJktNRA3j9gOCNL0nKQfGyOwkOBMGslZ2KpjFvw1QTFddvI857Ag0Xkh/s357/You%252BHave%252Bthe%252BRight%252Bto%252BRemain%252BStupid%252BFunny%252BTin%252BUs%252BMade%252BNovelty%252BWall%252BD%2525E9cor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="357" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OPKIE1NGtllwynDnhZoMIjY6Wfwc1iolOzNPz4fYI4I0VzSiVehq9A3pKFBBD-CIsxtxBOnKWgwLIu8zAmrEBJktNRA3j9gOCNL0nKQfGyOwkOBMGslZ2KpjFvw1QTFddvI857Ag0Xkh/s320/You%252BHave%252Bthe%252BRight%252Bto%252BRemain%252BStupid%252BFunny%252BTin%252BUs%252BMade%252BNovelty%252BWall%252BD%2525E9cor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Examples of the continuing insanity
of our society can be seen all around us. It is nearly impossible to turn on the
TV (or whatever you use to stream news and programs these days) without hearing
some story about how this or that celebrity has come out, or said some stupid
stuff 20 years ago and will now be fired for it, or any number of such
idiocies. If one didn't know better, one would be tempted to think that our
culture's national pastime is to spend their time researching everyone else's
lives to find something that is "racist, homophobic, sexist" etc.,
etc., etc.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What motivates this rant, however,
is not relegated to the leftist side of the arena. How many right-leaning
people have you heard say or, more likely, post some sort of meme or article
about the evils of COVID vaccines. To hear some tell it, the vaccines are
loaded with poison or some other nefarious substance or, as has been heard from
some quarters (no doubt the looniest among them) that they contain some sort of
liquid chip that will be implanted in their recipients that will give the
government control over the individual. As can be guessed by now, many are
claiming that this is the "mark of the beast."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ibram X Kendi is, by all measures,
and intelligent man. Intelligence, however, does not guarantee that someone
will have even a modicum of common sense. In a recent interview, Kendi claimed
that Jesus was a "revolutionary" that came, not to give His life for
the sins of the world and certainly not to save sinners, but to create social
upheaval. In Kendi's telling, Jesus was one of the original Marxists who came
to bring equality; but just not any equality, but the equality that effectively
places those "oppressed races" in charge of society. Kendi and those
who share his philosophy, believe that the only way that the egregious faults
of our "white supremacist" society can be addressed is by giving power
to the oppressed masses (who are of minority race status, of course).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One may look at the landscape of
such "moronity" and want to silence such nonsense. It is hard to pick
up a paper, hear a newscast, or read a magazine when every other story deal with
this or that oppressed or marginalized group. If it is not something about
race, it's about sexuality. If it is not about sexuality, it's about white
supremacy. It's enough to make one's head spin. But we cannot give in to the
urge to silence those voices. That is exactly what the great majority of people
who hold such views would want to do with those of us who do not. People have a
right to be idiots, so long as they don't infringe on the rights of others. A
person can say all the stupid stuff that I just mentioned Kendi said, and he
has an absolute right to say it. To paraphrase the biblical writer, "let
those who will be wicked, be wicked still."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This tendency to want to silence the
other side is a product of the push by a very large segment of our society to
"protect" everyone within it. And the form that such protection takes
is to silence anything and anyone that disagrees with them. You think
homosexuality and transgenderism are sins, you must be silenced. You think
abortion is murder, you must be silenced. You think that your children should
not be subjected to "Trans reading hours" at their school's library,
you must be silenced. That segment of society long ago abandoned any pretense
to what they really want to do. They simply want to do it under the guise of
helping those who are vulnerable, presumably anyone who agrees with them. That
is why you seldom see them engage in any kind of meaningful debate. Things are
the way they say they are simply because they say so. Science is an absolute...until
it says something they disagree with. Thus, if science says that you must wear
a mask, then they are all for it. But if science says that gender is a fact
that cannot be changed, then they ignore the science and go their merry way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps the most important lesson to
be learned from all this is that, to the left and the perverse, no matter what
you do to accommodate their aberrant behavior it is never enough. You either
embrace it all or you will be tagged as a homophobe, a transphobe, blah, blah,
blah (how is that for redefining language!). Thus, if Christians think that
compromising a little here and there will somehow gain them favor with the
radicals then they are in for a rude awakening. Truth is a stubborn thing and,
regardless of how much people may try to deny it, you're either for the truth
or you're not. If you're not, then you will find yourself bouncing about with
little purpose and a life devoid of meaning!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-76975967741081354622021-09-11T09:35:00.001-05:002021-09-11T09:35:39.311-05:00Some of This and Some of That<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Philosophy, or the love of wisdom, has been with us since the dawn
of creation. Man cannot help but be an inquisitive creature who is constantly
attempting to understand the environment that surrounds him. Perhaps the
clearest example of this urge to know is the exploration of space. Nothing is
more challenging than understanding what is "out there." In the same
way, the quest to find God has occupied man's thoughts for all of his
existence. Some have sought to do so through the Scriptures, and rightly so. Others,
however, do so primarily through philosophy. It is this latter group that has
gone off the rails, albeit in many cases with good </span>intentions<span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Since Thomas Aquinas attempted to apply Aristotelian categories to
the effort to prove the existence of God, philosophy has dogged the Christian
and his defense of the faith. In our present day, people such as William Lane
Craig, make use of philosophy, in many instances discarding what the Bible has
to say about a particular subject, in an attempt to prove that God exists and
in order to try to win over the "scientifically-minded" unbeliever.
Craig goes so far as to point out that humanity supposedly did not begin as
Genesis tells us, God making man out of the dust of the ground and breathing
into him the breath of life, but rather the mythical Adam was the product of a
long line of "hominids" that evolved into the first humans. As the
saying goes theology matters. Craig's theology is man-centered (in his case the
philosophy of Molinism) and when theology is of that kind, it cannot but seek
to explain everything based on what man thinks rather than with the Bible first
and foremost.<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">==========================================================</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Recently, the Supreme Court allowed a Texas law restricting
abortion (which is really not restricting the practice as much as allowing
others to seek to financially punish those who violate the law) to stand. And
the outcry from those who approve of the murder of babies, the so-called
"pro-choice" crowd, was as shrill as it was predictable. It is
astounding that people would hold to a position that approves, and in many
cases celebrates, the murder of the unborn. The key to understanding how such
individuals are actively suppressing the truth of their actions, is their use of
language. Rather than "pro-murder" they are "pro-choice."
Rather than "the culture of death" they are the "my body my
choice" crowd. Of course, these are the same folks who don't think your
body is sacrosanct when it comes to vaccines (I’m not arguing pro or con when
it comes to mandates. I am simply pointing out the inconsistency; see
below). </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this whole debate is the
fact that the left, which is overwhelmingly pro-abortion often decries what it
sees as the pro-life side's "religious" beliefs in their stance.
That, they will say, is mixing religion and politics to an extent that is
dangerous and unlawful. Yet, when you read or hear the language coming from the
pro-abortion side, you will often be struck by the sheer religiosity of it all.
Take for example the dissent of justice Sonia Sotomayor in this latest case. In
it, she moans about how the Texas law violates the "constitutional
rights" to abortion and how this decision negatively impacts the "sanctity"
of the court's precedence. As Albert Mohler pointed out in his briefing, to the
left there are things that are holy. The simple fact is, however, that what
they consider holy is what defines a culture that values death and depravity
above all else.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the 19th century, slave owners convinced themselves that blacks
were not people in the strict sense of that word. Thus, this mindset allowed
them to enslave blacks and often treat them like animals. To be sure, there
were slave owners who were beneficent and kind to those whom they enslaved. The
terminology itself, however, tells the tale: those whom they enslaved. Today,
the abortion industry uses the same type of language to justify their abhorrent
practice. It is not a child; it is a clump of cells. It is not a living human
being but a growth growing in a woman's body who has the right to do with it
what she wants. None of the abortion-supporting people would argue that slaves
were not people. Yet, they claim the same thing when it comes to the unborn.
The inconsistency of the worldly mind is glaring and obvious to all who want to
see it.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">==========================================================</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is impossible these days to escape the debate about the COVID
virus and its repercussions for our society. Not only are we constantly treated
to everyone’s opinion, “expert” or not, but we are also bombarded by the
constant facts and figures about how many are getting sick, how many are
hospitalized, etc., etc. Seems that just about everyone is exhausted from the
constant barrage of information or misinformation concerning the illness, its
effects, and the cost to our society and world. The one issue that appears to
be gaining intensity rather than slowing down, however, is the debate about
whether vaccine mandates and other governmental measures to combat the virus
are strong-armed tactics to compel people who would otherwise not be vaccinated
to do so.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The language that is often used to describe whatever the other
side from your point of view may be is strident as it is scary. Just today I
saw the following photo (courtesy of a brother in the church) which must have
come from some sort of protest against the vaccine mandates (I don’t know where
the protest was or what it was all about, so I can’t explain it beyond that).</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNejB_OzzuykGJkqeFKffH8zguX61ZXvLByEeH89wFpbtEsTRc6vw3aZ9lrvCywEzI_D-QFZjRoRHa1Gt34lp2f4QcGS5nsUEl1QLzBD6U9vjSh_yju0xuZBEwwZKyNgotl0_XjVUvvuRx/s598/Nazi+Germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNejB_OzzuykGJkqeFKffH8zguX61ZXvLByEeH89wFpbtEsTRc6vw3aZ9lrvCywEzI_D-QFZjRoRHa1Gt34lp2f4QcGS5nsUEl1QLzBD6U9vjSh_yju0xuZBEwwZKyNgotl0_XjVUvvuRx/s320/Nazi+Germany.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The implication is that, if you comply with the government mandate
and get vaccinated, then you’re basically a spineless jelly fish who, had you
been living in the 30’s would have quietly complied with the dictates of the
Nazi party concerning their view of how society should work. I think it is
unnecessary for me to say that such a comparison is, at least at this stage,
ludicrous. To compare a vaccine mandate with Nazi oppression is to minimize
that episode of history and the unspeakable evil that it brought in the name of
national socialism. Furthermore, we have all kinds of mandates today about all
kinds of things, the most immediately obvious comparison being that we are
mandated to vaccinate our children if we want them to attend school.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Small pox, rubella, and a host of other diseases have been
practically eradicated by vaccines and the mandates that come with them. One
may argue that we should not have acquiesced to these either, but that is an
argument that, in light of the effects of the medications, would have little to
commend it. And none of those mandates created a government that is throwing us
into jail for refusing to comply. I can understand it if some folks have
misgivings about the vaccine because it has not been, in their minds, properly
tested. The issue here, however, is not a matter of prudence. The issue is that
many folks seem to think that taking the vaccine is akin to being subjugated
and becoming servile nothings that will give in to anything and everything. I
also understand the “slippery slope” argument. That, however, has to be
considered on its own merits and not used as an excuse for comparisons that
devalue the suffering of the WWII generation.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The bottom line in all this is that there are avenues for a person
to take if they don’t want to be vaccinated. The companies requiring the
vaccines could be sued, the courts could be appealed to in order to stay the
mandates, and so on. To protest against the mandates by comparing them to Nazi
oppression, however, is not only irresponsible and reckless, but also makes
light of the true suffering that countless millions underwent because of the
whims of one unhinged man and his sycophants. And that, my friends, is a real
tragedy.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-1538360171253405462021-08-28T10:41:00.001-05:002021-08-28T11:29:39.783-05:00 Taking an Eraser to History<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIc6XaRmckH-EQ4nPZgyWtKysrAAUc4xC58v3HT_ceKXupEiQ6wTAmkTJTUzPGVXgfAdMwBs4AFbLrWQ6-zfqKY4fwpfcURP02_S45bwHh9j4T0bVvhYCcADgU2PjmS7oRLFs4pH1FIFBY/s311/The+Son+sets+you+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIc6XaRmckH-EQ4nPZgyWtKysrAAUc4xC58v3HT_ceKXupEiQ6wTAmkTJTUzPGVXgfAdMwBs4AFbLrWQ6-zfqKY4fwpfcURP02_S45bwHh9j4T0bVvhYCcADgU2PjmS7oRLFs4pH1FIFBY/s0/The+Son+sets+you+free.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>I recently heard about a Spike Lee documentary about 9/11 that "removed interviews with conspiracy theorists." As I read that phrase, I was struck with the fact that this action is such a microcosm of our society and its insistence on erasing anything that may "hurt its feelings." To be clear, I am not a supporter of people who hold to such conspiracies as that 9/11 was an inside job or that George Bush caused the events that took place on that day in order to place us on a constant war footing. That being said, however, I am neither a supporter of this society's continuous attempt at silencing anyone who dares to contradict the party line.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;">The greatest danger of this tendency is that it does not restrict itself to opinions that are obviously wrong and misguided. If the censurers were interested only in censuring those who believe that 9/11 was an inside job, for example, then they would not be so insidious. The problem is that they do not stop there. The social network "warriors" want to silence anything that contradicts the party line. So, for example, anyone who may express misgivings about the COVID vaccine, is tagged with the label of one who is propagating "misinformation" (all too often, those who express those misgivings lend credence to the censurers by propagating nonsense such as "those who get vaccinated will die within two years.") You cannot simply hold an opinion contrary to the official line. No, you are an evil purveyor of dangerous conspiracy theories who must be silenced by the enlightened leaders of our technological sector.</div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;">The West's penchant for scrubbing anything in history that may be "hurtful" was clearly seen in the wholesale destruction of statues and monuments that took place last year (and that continues in one form or another to this day). Of course, there were many people in history who, although they may have performed great and heroic feats were, in their private lives, deplorable individuals. Nevertheless, to destroy the statues erected to them will not erase who they were and will not somehow magically make our society better. The moral fiber of our country is not dependent on this or that statue or monument. If it is true that the identity of a nation can be discerned by the ones it honors, it is equally true that we should be able to separate a person's honorable actions from their personal character. Too many seek to shine a light on the faults of those who have come before us, all the better to hide their own depravities.</div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;">In his book <i>How Shall We Then Live</i>, Francis Shaffer said that the barbarian hoards did not in the end destroy the Roman Empire. They simply accelerated and completed the destruction that the Empire itself had begun. It was its own decadence that led to the final undoing of the strongest empire the world had known. The perversion of Rome, a perversion clearly demonstrated in its treatment of Christians as just one example, led to an erosion of societal cohesion that eventually unraveled the Empire's ability to remain united. In the same way, we see in our own day the coming apart of our country and its people. We are increasingly becoming balkanized by a tendency to look at our own group as the only one that is "woke." </div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;">The only solution to this conundrum, as it is with anything else, is the unity that Christ brings. When Christ comes into a life, the individual tendency to look upon us and ours as the only truth dissolves in the knowledge that He is the truth. Our ability to see things clearly is restored. We are no longer dead and tone deaf to the truth. We are now freed to see the truth, to experience the truth, and to hear the truth. We no longer live "our truth." We understand that truth must comport to reality and that truth is something that is external to us. It is in Christ, and in Him alone that we are set free. Man thinks of himself as free. The more free he thinks he is, the more the grip of slavery is tightened. But "if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 18:36). Will you be free?</div>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-47822419319137143252021-08-14T11:50:00.001-05:002021-08-14T11:50:33.237-05:00The Irrationality of Atheism<p><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kINWt-IwTkY" width="320" youtube-src-id="kINWt-IwTkY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
nonsensical character of atheism is in full display all around us on a daily
basis. The idea that the universe has no purpose, that it all came about by
random chance (out of nothing, to boot!) and all on its own, that the process
of evolution is unthinking, unfeeling, and yet it accomplish what we see today
can only lead to one conclusion: in the words of John Macarthur "what kind
of idiocy is that"?</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
idiocy of atheism leads to all kinds of perversions and lunacy. Our demented
society has gone down the tubes at an astonishing rate. Think of the urge for
society to be "inclusive" of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle (I know, to talk
about a lifestyle when we discuss a group of people represented by such
disparate descriptions is incoherent, but that just comes to show how demented
society truly has become). Catering to a tiny percentage of our population has
become the sacred mantra of our age. It really is impossible to understand the
infatuation that our society has with this perversion. Is there any better
proof of the fact that our world has lost its collective mind?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
you watch and listen to the video above, think about the fact that you could
have been among those left to their own devices and believe such astonishing
foolishness. You could be among those who make it their purpose to convince you
that there is no purpose to our existence. Were it not for God's grace and
giving us a renewed mind, we too would be apt to believe such balderdash. Two
things come to mind in light of that fact: we need to be extremely grateful to
God for his mercy and we need to pray for those who are still in the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-69090678443380094472021-07-15T05:35:00.001-05:002021-07-19T12:39:55.119-05:00Sanctification and the Body<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); font-family: garamond, "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiJ7fsOwjKSx5Zg7NVk4zc4GE97vCeMREoXS-Uvb8su9sjI8-y_vKhFItlZQo5_TcCsDgXq6l2sZlFRWjmP65FNIshi7Js3CzorTVNFhX53qXQp_jYgo4fbXMy3hWOMTcBqHnhbR54vdj/s300/Sanctification.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiJ7fsOwjKSx5Zg7NVk4zc4GE97vCeMREoXS-Uvb8su9sjI8-y_vKhFItlZQo5_TcCsDgXq6l2sZlFRWjmP65FNIshi7Js3CzorTVNFhX53qXQp_jYgo4fbXMy3hWOMTcBqHnhbR54vdj/s0/Sanctification.jpg" /></a></div>In his
work on the sanctification of the believer, John Murray makes a point that is
far too often overlooked by the average Christian. He points out that sanctification is,
to be sure, an individual matter. God sanctifies each believer so that, as Paul
puts it in Romans 8, he can be molded into the image of His Son. The primary
point that Murray makes, however, is that in addition to being an individual
matter, sanctification is also a corporate one. God doesn't just sanctify the
individual believer, but he also sanctifies His church and in the process
utilizes that body to further sanctify each individual believer.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>This is
an issue that is seldom emphasized by the faithful. We all find it easy
to believe and think about our particular, individual sanctification. When it
comes to the corporate aspect of that sanctification, however, we often fall
asleep at the wheel. And this attitude usually comes about because the believer wants to
justify his lack of fellowship and the importance it holds, not only for
himself, but also for the other members of the body. This is especially true
for those who are "hit or miss" in the meetings of the church. If one
finds it so hard to gather with the saints on the Lord's Day and during the
mid-week meeting, it is not likely that he will be all that enthusiastic about
meeting at other times. This is often the product of a mindset that says "what's in it for me" rather than "what can I contribute to the growth and purpose of the body."<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We often
hear preachers admonish us about the importance of the corporate meetings of
the church. And rightly so. What is often missed, however, is that the meetings of the
church are not only to worship God, or to be accountable to each other, or to
gain strength in order to continue our journey in the faith. It is also to
encourage one another to ever increasing levels of sanctification. That is a
function that no other body or organism can accomplish. And, as mentioned above, not only do many neglect this
important function of meeting with the saints, but they also neglect meeting in
other settings. Those who are the most inconsistent in meeting during the
formal meetings of the church, are also those who are often missing whenever
the church meets outside those designated times.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Furthermore, if you
are among those who find it so easy to miss the gatherings of the church, then
bear in mind that you are sinning against the body and against God whenever you
absent yourself for reasons that do not rise to the level that would make it
impossible for you to meet. And remember also that hearing the warnings that
come from the pulpit and through other mediums and yet continuing to harden
yourself against them will eventually lead to God abandoning you to your own
devices. How often have we seen some who make it a habit to be hot and cold
eventually abandon the meeting altogether? More often than you think. Think
back on the folks that you have known through the years who are no longer at
the meetings. Chances are they began absenting themselves once or twice a month
and eventually left altogether. This process may take years or it may take months, but it will likely take place if carelessness about the body and our place in it marks our lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The moral
of this story is not just intended for those who are "on the bubble."
It is also for all of us. None of us are immune to the temptation to
"sleep in" on Sunday morning, for example. Probably all of us at one time or
another have missed the meeting of the church because we didn't feel like
going, or we decided to go on vacation and not seek a body of saints to meet
with, or a host of other reasons. At the same time it is essential to remember that being
at the meetings is not an end in itself; it leads somewhere: to fulfilling our
duty as a child of God in the sanctification of others. It behooves all of us
to watch ourselves and each other so that, what happens to many who fall by the
wayside will not happen to us. "What I say to you I say to all:
watch" (Mark 13:37).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /></div>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-17330865050559021042021-07-05T08:18:00.000-05:002021-07-05T08:18:31.462-05:00The Inconsistency of the Worldly Mind<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZE-opTRIKTNhON1k_zOK5I5s69PgTqR-RNvAuOexizQWoKbC7e7-gpNOrNiiV4NmsXORm0V9VPJhSrEMue6PPU8jY1gQxmenhakDdCzw4kj3d_3vv2q69qpIoWKoNfMsxVOOKIxp8Mbj/s225/Inconsistency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZE-opTRIKTNhON1k_zOK5I5s69PgTqR-RNvAuOexizQWoKbC7e7-gpNOrNiiV4NmsXORm0V9VPJhSrEMue6PPU8jY1gQxmenhakDdCzw4kj3d_3vv2q69qpIoWKoNfMsxVOOKIxp8Mbj/s0/Inconsistency.jpg" /></a></div><br />As I was walking into work one
morning this week, a thought struck me from seemingly nowhere (we know that there
are no such things as coincidences or totally serendipitous events; God ordains
all things for a particular purpose). I started considering the fact that the
human worldly mind seems to have little by way of consistency and coherence.
And by that I don't mean that people are unable to make cogent decisions or
think coherent thoughts. I mean that, without understanding it, humans will
hold to totally contradictory beliefs at the same time. <span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This fact is clearly demonstrated in
the abortion issue. There was a pregnant lady that was coming into work just
behind me. That got me to thinking that our society, at least for the time
being, still celebrates motherhood (although even that is all over the place sometimes)
as something that is good and pregnancy as a happy event. I'm sure most of you,
if not all, have seen the plethora of "gender revealing" events that
take place now a days. These are intended to be a revelation of the baby's sex.
This too is a demonstration of the inconsistency of the worldly mind: revealing
the baby's sex is a big deal while at the same time the idea that there is
anything as a fixed sex is ridiculed!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Getting back to the abortion issue,
one sees the celebration that often accompanies pregnancy and juxtaposes it to
the ease with which so many end the life of human beings in the womb. On the
one hand, great joy is expressed because a new life is coming into the world,
while on the other one of the most (perhaps the most) gruesome of all crimes is
perpetrated against a creature made in the image of God and unable to do
anything to help himself. It is hard to understand how such contradictory
thoughts can exist in the same mind. It is one thing for those who value life
to believe in its sanctity and to consider a pregnancy and birth blessed events.
It is another for those who have little regard for that life to at the same
time celebrate another birth. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The question one is forced to ask is, why? Why be
so joyful at another birth when one can look at life with such disdain and with
little regard.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
answer lies in the fallenness of humanity. The fall affected the whole of each individual
human being. Those who argue that man is capable, of his own accord, to come to
Christ for salvation ignore this fact. It is true that the body will die at
some point unless the Lord comes first. That is the most visible effect of the
fall and the curse that God placed on the whole of the human race. But to
ignore the fact that the mind, no less than the body, will also die and that it
is subject to the same curse as the body is to miss the whole point of the
curse. When we read Romans 1, we are struck by the fact that humanity, in its
rush to create gods in its own image, were abandoned by God to the basest depravity
and to the inability to understand much of anything aright. Thus, we witness how
humanity trips all over itself to affirm certain things such as transgenderism,
while at the same time celebrating the “sex of the baby.”</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Because
the mind of man is fallen, he engages in all kinds of illogical, irrational behaviors.
Because of that same fallenness, he believes things such as evolution and adamantly
holds on to the belief that there is no such thing as truth while at the same
time decrying those who do not see things the way he does. What can be more irrational
than to deny the existence of absolute truth while at the same time demanding
that everyone subscribe to that “truth”?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the end, the answer to the whole mess that man has created is the same answer
as to every other issue of human existence: the true God and His Christ. When Christ
comes into the soul, a whole new perspective, the right perspective, is
imparted to the mind of the redeemed. For the first time, the regenerated
person is able to see things for what they are, not for what he feels or thinks
they are. If you have been so redeemed, thank God that He did not leave you in
your ignorance. If not, seek Him while He may be found!</span></p><br /><p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-13549396451470840872021-05-18T18:04:00.002-05:002021-05-18T18:04:31.120-05:00The Sabbath (conclusion)<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENQY66jaZZ1tqDm8S9N2UxUxIIs2nHwqFJNBNg1YbuMZb1gW0huwObqYaOSMy7qS4vKXGlvY-YqPVyrLiwDznpWxMsYxTbY6lxuuosnkwnMFt7jqY7PyvrpiJXcpu6RSi_pfoEVZDiF_i/s259/The+Lord%2527s+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENQY66jaZZ1tqDm8S9N2UxUxIIs2nHwqFJNBNg1YbuMZb1gW0huwObqYaOSMy7qS4vKXGlvY-YqPVyrLiwDznpWxMsYxTbY6lxuuosnkwnMFt7jqY7PyvrpiJXcpu6RSi_pfoEVZDiF_i/s0/The+Lord%2527s+Day.jpg" /></a></div>It was Martin Luther who pondered
the question "Am I alone wise?" when he was asked whether he stood by
the things he had written concerning the church and justification by faith at
the Diet of Worms. He pondered the question, not because he doubted the truth
of Scripture, but because he understood that man is foible and is prone to
believe and think in ways that are contrary to the truth. He also understood
that there can be but one truth, not a variety of "truths"—the
current fad of our society.<span><a name='more'></a></span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I bring this up to say that,
considering the fact that for 2,000 years the church with near unanimity has
taught that the first day of the week is the Lord's Day, it is truly
dumbfounding how anyone could think that such is not the case. I have pointed
out in previous articles that history demonstrates without there being room for
any doubt, that the first day of the week has been observed by the church as
the day when it met for worship and as the "Christian Sabbath."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider the following facts. The
Lord rose on the first day of the week. No Christian doubts the fact that the
Lord's resurrection took place on the first day of the week. Every one of the
four gospels attests to the fact that this is so. The Lord appeared to his
disciples on that day and did not do so again until the eighth day after that
event: again, on the next first day of the week. This cannot be a coincidence!
Fifty days after the Lord's resurrection, the Holy Spirit came and fell upon
the disciples. It cannot be happenstance that this took place again on the
first day of the week. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first baptismal and corporate
service of the new church and the first observance of the Lord's Supper took
place on the same day the Spirit fell, on the first day of the week. I pointed
out in a previous article that the Scriptures in Acts tell us that the
disciples came together to break bread (an idiomatic expression used to refer
to the Lord's Supper) on the first day of the week. The collection for the
saints by the Corinthians was to take place on the first day of the week. Why?
Why do it on the first day of the week if they're meeting on the seventh day? No
other explanation could possibly make sense than that they met on that day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let me illustrate what I have said
to this point with a few quotations from several historical church figures.
They will demonstrate, if further proof is needed, that those who observe the
seventh day in the Christian era do so, not because they have evidence that compels
them to do so, but in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I
find the day spoken of by one of them as “The Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). Undoubtedly,
the day was changed: it was made the first day of the week in memory of the
Lord’s resurrection, instead of the seventh—but I believe the apostles were
divinely inspired to make that change, and at the same time wisely directed to
make no public decree about it. The decree would have only raised a ferment in
the Jewish mind…” J.C. Ryle</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“By
their actions, nevertheless, both our Lord and His apostles appear to commend
the first day of the week to us as the Christian Sabbath. It is not merely that
our Lord rose from the dead on that day: a certain emphasis seems to be placed precisely
upon the fact that it was on the first day of the week that He rose.” B.B.
Warfield</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
early Christians called their own day, for which they asserted preeminence and
exclusive obligation, “the Lord’s Day,” “the first day of the week,” “the eighth
day”; and, in their communication with the heathen, they came to call it, as we
have done in correspondence with ancient secular usage, “dies solis”—“Sunday.”
Archibald A. Hodge</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Those
who have come to the possession of new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath
(seventh day), but living in observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our
life has sprung up again, by Him and His death.” Ignatius of Antioch</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“We
celebrate the eighth day with joy, on which, too, Jesus rose from the dead.”
Epistle of Barnabas</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“On
the day called Sunday is an assembly of all who live either in cities or in the
rural districts, and the memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the
prophets are read…therefore it remains the chief and first of days.” Justin
Martyr</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“On
the Lord’s Day, Christians, in honor of the resurrection of the Lord…must avoid
everything that would cause anxiety, and defer all worldly business, lest they
should give place to the devil.” Tertullian</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
Lord transferred the sacred observance (from the Sabbath) to the Lord’s Day.”
Athanasius</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-83053657432216478202021-05-12T16:12:00.000-05:002021-05-12T16:12:20.522-05:00The Sabbath part III<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo5J6NwXZoF_yaFLWEhgDf-rE1G4E2GfuQid5nKaXFwM5HX2MTvTBQIdZO8pPqdvAhFpxj1msgS752_EGR79oV_6qMzCIU4nzGWTK4_oK7CXjC-MsQX0CNQn2Dw5NWR5GEGHWyS-2tC17/s299/Sabbath+and+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo5J6NwXZoF_yaFLWEhgDf-rE1G4E2GfuQid5nKaXFwM5HX2MTvTBQIdZO8pPqdvAhFpxj1msgS752_EGR79oV_6qMzCIU4nzGWTK4_oK7CXjC-MsQX0CNQn2Dw5NWR5GEGHWyS-2tC17/s0/Sabbath+and+man.jpg" /></a></div><br />In the continuing series regarding
the Sabbath, I have been examining issues relating to the observance of the Sabbath
by some groups today. Last time, I spoke of matters regarding why the Sabbath
observance of the seventh day of the week is no longer viable or valid.
Although the Sabbath has not been eliminated, it is now the Lord's Day or the
first day of the week. Its observance, however, is not of the same kind as it
was for the Jews. The first and most glaring difference, is that we are no
longer to execute anyone who does not refrain from work during that day. I also
introduced Covenant Theology and what it means for the Sabbath and its
observance.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>This time I would like to continue
to look at Covenant Theology. As I mentioned the last time, God's dealing with
His people throughout history has been in the form of covenants. There are
seven discernible covenants in the Bible. Last time I mentioned the covenant of
works established with Adam. There are also the covenants established with
Abraham, Noah, Moses, Aaron, David, and of course the covenant of grace between
the Father and the Son. Each of these covenants has a sign affixed to it.
Abraham's was circumcision. Noah the rainbow. Moses the Sabbath. Aaron the
priesthood. David the throne. And finally, Christ's is baptism. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each of these signs, as with the
Tree of Life in the garden, stood as witness between man and God concerning
what each party committed himself to doing. Take circumcision as one example.
The mark of each male's flesh was a reminder of the covenant that God made with
Abraham that his posterity was to inherit a land (it is interesting to note,
that God did not destroy Israel in the desert because of the promise He had
made to Abraham). There was also an unconditional promise God made to Abraham
that in Him all the nations of the earth would be blessed: this blessing was to
eventually come in the form of the Messiah. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">For our purposes, however, the main
issue is the Sabbath and how it stood as the sign of the Mosaic covenant. The
Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant of the kind "if you, then
I." In other words, if Israel obeyed the Lord, then the Lord would bless
Israel in every way. "You will be the head and not the tail"
(Deuteronomy 28:13). In the book of Deuteronomy, a catalogue of blessings and
curses are detailed based on whether Israel was obedient or not. The important
factor for us today, though, is that the Mosaic covenant is no longer active.
With the coming of Christ, that covenant was "nailed to the cross"
(Colossians 2) and is no longer valid. For anyone to seek to observe the
seventh day today is to go back to the "rudimentary matters of the
world" (Colossians 2:8). The Mosaic covenant was made with a specific
people, at a specific time, for a specific purpose. That purpose has been
fulfilled. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This has been, admittedly, a very
short treatment of a very important aspect of our faith. For those of you who
are interested in further study on Covenant Theology, I recommend </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Introducing Covenant
Theology </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">by Michael Horton (written from the Presbyterian perspective) and</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The
Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">by Pascal Denault (written
from, obviously, the Baptist perspective)</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next time, in our last
installment, I will provide a number of quotes from illustrious men of the
faith that demonstrate that the Jewish Sabbath is not for the Christian today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-40626180251799346832021-05-06T09:03:00.001-05:002021-05-06T09:03:42.870-05:00The Sabbath part II<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uPjX5K5JE0Oo5U48w4T5yAKSSnglmju1rKRLC0lqoNWzXJ7Fk60CG5LAou93-s_lRVcEbJVKpVMmPeLhQQNivdUPMZ6sYdT97FrihEw8k2YmEe4DUpXJBRIPHmjV0AVGCjIQEQPuQH2_/s225/The+Sabbath+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uPjX5K5JE0Oo5U48w4T5yAKSSnglmju1rKRLC0lqoNWzXJ7Fk60CG5LAou93-s_lRVcEbJVKpVMmPeLhQQNivdUPMZ6sYdT97FrihEw8k2YmEe4DUpXJBRIPHmjV0AVGCjIQEQPuQH2_/s0/The+Sabbath+2.jpg" /></a></div>Last time, I began discussing the
role of the Sabbath in the life of the Christian. I concluded that the handful
of "Christian" denominations that observe the Sabbath as still special,
in the mold of the Old Covenant, do so not because they are compelled by
Scripture to do so, but because they fundamentally misunderstand the role of
the Sabbath and the 4th Commandment within the Jewish Law and its repercussions
for the Christian. </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>This time I want to take a look at
the observance of the first day of the week and why it is that it has,
universally, been seen by the church as the day in which the church meets for
communal worship. I will also briefly begin to examine Covenant Theology and
why rightly understanding how God has worked in human history through
covenants, can help us distinguish what belongs to the Old Law and must remain
there.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the objections that is often
raised against Sunday and the church meeting on that day, is what I would term
an "all purpose" objection. And that is that the Council at Nicaea
supposedly "invented" Sunday because Constantine wanted to honor the
Sun god and other claims along those lines. Anyone who is even tangentially
familiar with church history will recognize this objection. The Council at
Nicaea has been blamed for everything from "making" Jesus into a God,
to hiding His supposed marriage to Mary Magdalene, and conspiring to suppress
other so-called "gospels." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here's the glaring problem with that
theory. It's not true! The Council at Nicaea did not "invent" Sunday
as the day of worship. All it did was to sanction the day which was already
being observed and expanded certain rights of the "clergy" concerning
that day and other issues related to their office. By the time Nicaea came
about in the early decades of the 4th century, the first day of the week was
far and wide the day when the church met. "And upon the first day of the
week when the disciples came together to break bred, Paul spoke until
evening..." (Acts 20:7). "On the first day of the week, each of you
is to put aside as he has prospered that there be no collections when I
come" (1 Corinthians 16:2). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These, among other scriptures,
clearly show that the first day of week was special to the early church. It was
not Nicaea that originated it! In addition to that Scriptural testimony (and
for the Christian, the Scripture will always hold sway), we have the witness
of, to mention but one, Pliny the Younger. Writing to emperor Trajan at the
beginning of the second century he wrote that the Christians "met on a
certain day of the week and sang hymns to Jesus as to a God." Guess what
day they met in: The first day of the week!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Allow me now, to introduce Covenant
Theology and its importance in the life of the Christian. When we examine the
Scriptures, we can clearly see how God has dealt with humanity in a series of
covenants. There are seven clear covenants that can be identified and which
began with the couple in the garden. Adam and Eve entered into a conditional
covenant with God concerning their obedience and their works in the garden. If
they obeyed and did the work God commanded them to do, they would live
eternally. Disobedience, however, would bring death. And the sign that stood
for the covenant (and every covenant, as we will see, has its own sign), was
the Tree of Life. The tree stood in the garden as
witness between Adam and God that they had entered into a covenant in which
both parties committed themselves to do something. Every time Adam saw the
tree, he was reminded that he had made a covenant with God and that he owed Him
his obedience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the next article I'll continue to
examine the various covenants and how they impact the church today and the
Sabbath in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255306865882909508.post-4183277379147154992021-04-27T07:28:00.000-05:002021-04-27T07:28:03.526-05:00The Sabbath and the Christian-Part I<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtYYezGMwciBmjZCod8-AkQf3uYKnLzw5hH8mBs9NU3uLzcFxyDGbpCHnO92h9HS9Aen-Eu9rokK85xtf9nBNa5O9IFxKno78CoosM5gq49kzJH-WT2CKhPTAsgQdWOXyQW1Hdwg3gbLH/s300/The+4th+Commandment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtYYezGMwciBmjZCod8-AkQf3uYKnLzw5hH8mBs9NU3uLzcFxyDGbpCHnO92h9HS9Aen-Eu9rokK85xtf9nBNa5O9IFxKno78CoosM5gq49kzJH-WT2CKhPTAsgQdWOXyQW1Hdwg3gbLH/s0/The+4th+Commandment.jpg" /></a></div>The Sabbath, which was instituted by
God for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai and forms part of the Ten Commandments,
is today still observed by a few denominations. These include some Baptists,
Pentecostals, and more visibly the Seventh Day Adventists. Why do these groups
do so? Is not Sunday the day that the church observes and on which it meets and
worships as a corporate body? And if so, when did that begin and how did it
come about?<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The observance of the Sabbath is one
of those things that should not be controversial, but nevertheless in some
quarters it is. It should not be an issue because, biblically and historically,
the first day of the week, Sunday, is the day that the church has universally
observed from its outset. The one thing that seems to give impetus to those who
believe that the Sabbath is still in effect for the people of God, is that the New
Testament does not explicitly state that Sunday is now the day of worship. One
thing should be pointed out here, however. Although Sabbatarians insist that
Saturday should be the day of worship, for the most part they neither observe
it the way that God demanded in the Old Testament, nor was the day originally
set aside as a day of worship (how many Sabbatarians abstain from any form of
work on the Sabbath?).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is interesting to note that the
Sabbath did not become what today we would refer as a day of corporate worship
until the time of the exile. It was during the Babylonian captivity that small
groups of Jews began to congregate to worship on the Sabbath. The absence of
the temple and the worship that took place there, made it impossible for Jews to
continue to carry out their temple duties and worship (which, by the way, took
place on a daily basis). In addition, in the post-exilic age when the Jews
returned to their land, the synagogue became an important focus of Jewish life.
This was not, however, the original design of worship for the Jewish nation.
Nowhere do we find that God commanded that the Jews come together to worship on
that particular day. Rather, the day was a day of rest to remember the fact
that God Himself had rested on the seventh day from His work of creation
(Genesis 2:1-3). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For a Christian today to say that we
must worship on the Sabbath, then, becomes a problem. This is due in part to
what I have already pointed out above. There are those who claim that, since
the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments, that the Christian is obliged to
keep it. However, this ignore the fact that the Sabbath is the only commandment
of the ten that is not a matter of the moral nature of God or man, but of an
outward activity that has a very specific purpose in the economy of the Jews.
Whereas the rest of the Ten Commandments address issues related to the nature
of God, man's relationship to Him, and his conduct toward other human beings,
the Sabbath commandment addresses and issue related to the performance of
particular actions that are not solely of a moral nature.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the next article I will address
the matter of the covenants and the place that the Sabbath held in the
particular covenant in which it is found. I will also discuss why today, and throughout
its history, the church has universally, with the few exceptions mentioned
above (I will not here discuss whether the groups mentioned are truly Christian
or not; that is a conversation for another day), has observed the Lord's Day as
the day of corporate worship. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>MikeThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611741320703303844noreply@blogger.com2