Archive for June, 2008

Published by admin on 27 Jun 2008

Where are all the prophets?

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.” Jeremiah 8:11

Where are all the prophets today? Is there nothing gone awry in the Kingdom of God in America? Has the lost world cleaned itself up so that we no longer have any sin we must condemn? We all know the answer to both of these questions is a loud, resounding, No!

Yet where are the voices of our prophets? I listen but I don’t hear their cries. Oh, yes, there are voices. But they are the voices of scared preachers speaking only what they are allowed so no one will be ‘offended,’ rock star ministers in coliseums smiling and promising prosperity to all in the name of the Lord, and self-help gurus whose Bible is but window-dressing for their real love: signing books and hearing praises from the masses. Yes, there are plenty of these voices.

But where is our Jeremiah, Isaiah, or Jesus, speaking with fire and calling God’s people and the world into account for their ever-mounting sins? Flip through the TV channels, the radio stations, and the book aisles-where are they? Tour the pulpits of our mega-churches, our contemporary churches, and our seeker-friendly churches–have they all run away? When was the last time your pastor spoke on a controversial subject, challenged the traditions of men, or railed against the sins of the church and the culture? In most cases it’s been a while I bet.

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America, Church, Evangelism

Published by admin on 23 Jun 2008

That’s Your Interpretation: Can anyone really understand what the Bible says?

Perhaps you’ve heard this before. You are trying to share with someone (Christian or non-Christian) something that the Bible teaches. You say, “The Bible says so-and-so…” Their reply amounts to quick stiff-arm: “Well, that’s your interpretation.”

What the person is trying to communicate to you is that they doubt that the words of the Bible can be understood with any certainty so many years after they were written, and you can see their point. It seems like everybody has their ‘take’ on what the Bible says or doesn’t say. With all these ‘opinions,’ maybe there is really no way to tell for sure.

However, is this really true? Is it impossible to understand what the original Biblical authors meant? Although I grant you there are some things in the Bible that are difficult to understand, I submit it is not only possible for us to understand its central teachings about God, Jesus, and right and wrong, but fairly easy. You do this, not through some super-spiritual, insider-only set of guidelines, but just like you would understand any other form of communication in your day-to-day life. Let me give you an example.

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Apologetics, Bible, Defending Your Faith, Interpretation, Truth

Published by admin on 13 Jun 2008

Oprah Winfrey and Evolution: A Surprising Connection

A Christian should never compromise the Bible’s teaching. It’s a dangerous game. We should only change our views of right and wrong, truth, Jesus, and God, when, comparing scripture with scripture, we become convinced we have been wrong in our convictions about what the Bible teaches.

We should especially be leery of changing the Bible’s teaching because of what someone outside of the Christian community tells us, especially when it violates the rule previously given-that is, when the Bible itself does not lead us to that conclusion.

When we violate this rule and compromise with man on the meaning of the Bible, we can unwittingly open a spiritual and moral Pandora’s Box, one which could cause great and unforeseen destruction before we can close it again.

An Example Before Our Eyes

When you compare scripture with scripture, the Bible does not teach molecules-to-man evolution, millions of years of human history, or the Big Bang (among other tenets of evolutionary theory). The Bible gives us a specific history of the world: God created all Continue Reading »

America, Bible, Church, Creation/Evolution, Genesis, Oprah, Science

Published by admin on 08 Jun 2008

Why me God?: Why God sends trials to those He loves

I was 25 when it all fell apart. Raised in a poor family in Virginia, I had pulled myself up by my bootstraps and should have been on my way to the top. Six years before I joined the Air Force to escape my hometown, the town that held so many years of bad memories for me. I worked hard while in the service: I won awards, was promoted early, and worked my way through school. The day I left for home was the day I graduated from college! I was proud and wanted to go out and earn my fortune and never look back. But, apparently, I wasn’t the only one with a plan.

My first job was with a rich, shrewd businessman named Bob. Bob hired me to do sales for his company and managed to get me to sign all sorts of employment agreements. When Bob was done with me, I was bound by all sorts of legal agreements-bottom line: leaving Bob would be a costly affair.

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Evangelism, Salvation, Suffering

Published by admin on 02 Jun 2008

20 Things to Remember in a Time of Trial

Like many of you, I’m sure, I struggle to find peace in my life. It seems like no matter how ‘good’ things are going, my mind finds a way to worry or be anxious. The other day I jotted down some of the things that have helped me over the years to get my life in the right perspective. After I wrote them down I prayed through the list twice and asked God to make these principles active in my life and grant me peace. It really helped. Maybe they will help you too.

  1. No one has any power over your life but God. Not your boss, or your husband, or your wife, or the government, or the company, or the cancer. The immense, overwhelming, never-dying God has your life in His hands.
  2. God is in the future now working good for you. You are worried about tomorrow because you can’t control it. The Lord has no such limitation and is already working things to bring good for you. He won’t tell you what; you just have to trust Him.
  3. God will be there tomorrow when you get there. You’ll need help tomorrow, like you need today. And the Father will be there, active, involved, engaged in whatever He has for you on that day. Continue Reading »

Christian Encouragement, Suffering