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Monthly Archives: August 2014

King David of Israel quieted his troubled heart by telling himself, “Heart, why art thou disquieted, hope thou in God. . . .”

We are foolish if we think that any government is to be the foundation of our hope. We are foolish too, to think that actual security can be had because, here in America, is a safe harbor.

The only Rock of ALL Ages is Jesus Christ, the Lord. In fact, the word teaches us that “Time and chance happens to us all.”

Since World War II, our nation has built prosperity upon the accumulation of national debt. Both political parties here grew to realize that enormous voting power lies in the federal purse. Thus our politicians have succumbed through the years to polls which reveal the selfish side of our national mind. The reason our southern borders have not been secured has to do with votes, not American security.

The reason that we as a people are not alarmed more concerning the national debt, the unraveling in the Middle East and the expansion and unification of pre-Christian uncivil brutality in the world has to do with the state of public education. Exponentially, education has turned against the very force which brought civil life into Western Civilization.

We have been the land of the free for a short time. The Bible teaches, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Only a short while ago, looking at all of history, the missionary outreach of Christianity – by Celtic monks reaching the Anglo-Saxon Britain, by Roman Catholic monks reaching into European Germanic tribes first; and before that with the Apostles reaching into their vast network, and before that with Jesus doing what He did in “the Holy Lands – the Western Hemisphere was “Christianized.”

To be “Christian” finally became a popular thought. A Christian was seen as a very good person. This thought remained in our land until public education changed that image. The 1960’s social revolution against “the establishment” began the change from Christianity being our norm to its outright rejection.

Christianity civilized the Western world. Education is set today on un-Christianizing us, and with this is the unraveling of civil life.

In one lifetime we have been changed from thinking that “Christian” and “good person” were synonyms to thinking that the many alternative mindsets to Christianity – which were still rejected as not capable of creating civil life on earth only a generation ago – uncritically, and solely be accepted.

To assert that the Mohammedan religion and holy book, for example, and the bloody history of its being established in the Middle East is related to what is called extremism today – that they are the same thing – can land a person in jail or be just cause for his public harassment.

To even think, for instance, that homo-sexual behavior is tragic rather than lovely, can bring a person into harms way.

Disagreement with the education – based norm of thinking today – with an “inclusion” mentality that does not allow disagreement or debate – is soon to be understood as a hate crime. And this is called by the intellectual all-mighty – though they are not – ignorance, bigotry.

We are back to the Dark Ages where witches were burned – and Joan of Ark, and Bible translators, and lots of other actually good people: all because we cannot agree: all because we know that the true fact of human history is that man has been the problem – causer; especially when rulers reign unchecked.

Government has done poorly on earth in creating a better world except when America and England were very Christian and very sure of right and wrong due to their general acceptance of Biblical values – Christian values derived from Bible study.

The fact that people from around the globe have wanted to come here means something. Immigrants more and more are saying, “Why is America changing?” Led by Leftist ideological leaders – which always gain control of education and try to control our thinking; America is no longer going to be “exceptional.”

Our children’s children will view as their “normal,” what they have been taught to think. At the same time some of our professors are noting that their students won’t think; that is reason over ideas, and chooses for themselves based on real understanding rather than the ideological dream of progress.

That the world would “progress” to its own destruction – Hell breaking loose in many places – is taught us in scripture. That humanity is in need of the God – bought salvation – is everywhere to be seen. Virtually all of the problems on earth need a God – touch for their remedy.

Personal salvation is a constant claim in Western history of those delivered from substance, your self (and other)-destructive habits. Lives turned around by an encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit – according to scripture – is the one bright hope for any who, as Jesus said, “are heavy laden.”

“Come unto me,” He promised: history records – consider the historic Christian hymns as backup to this claim – that Jesus is the Answer – the only Answer that has stood the test of time. To teach openly that success has been had by multitudes that turned to God for help; and to specifically state that Jesus will help any who turn to Him, is in danger of becoming illegal based on the intolerant view. It has become intolerable to preach Christ as “The way, the Truth, and the Life and that no man can come to the Father without Him.”

History is fast coming full circle to when Jesus was crucified for saying what we Christians must say. We must say it because of His love for the whole world, and His desire to save our lives from the destruction of the world, the flesh and the devil.

Life is short. When the “American dream” has been lost, it will be because government arose and concluded very much the same as the Bible claims, that humans must be governed so as not to hurt one another; so that people will be kind and sharing. According to the government today, the freedom we have enjoyed was not enjoyed by all; therefore, they will control freedom. But controlled freedom is not freedom and is rather that from which England and America had revolted.

Our children do not know this history and cannot, from the mindset which has been planted in them. They dare not think critically rather than ideologically.

Are we then hopelessly to watch peace in the world disappear? No! Jesus is the Prince of Peace. “Heart within me, hope thou in God:”King David spoke to himself in times as difficult as ours. But the times beg for Christian revival.

The best news is that “The Light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot put it out.” Difficulty serves us in that because God allowed freedom of will, our struggles ought to cause us to look up – to the god who is the Fountain of joy and gladness.

“Can anything separate us from the love of God,” asked the Apostle whose life-struggles were immense, and his answer was – “nothing can.”

The state of the world is that “The government is on His (Christ’s) shoulders.” Nothing is new under the sun, and nothing is new to the Son of God who offered Himself as our Ransom – from the world, the flesh and the devil. The state of the world today is the same as when Jesus left the earth: “While it is called today,” the scripture reads, “harden not your hearts;” that is, into our personal life difficulties the Holy Spirit comes; inviting us to be personally saved. The Savior, saves, and is the Son of God’s salvation – everyone’s “today” will end and perhaps soon, the today as “the acceptable year” about which Jesus spoke will end and the “day of vengeance” will be upon the face of the earth.

The state of the world today is that God has been longsuffering, not wanting any to perish. Surely when we see horrific suffering, our own facing job loss, sickness – some terminal; much of it life-changing; when we attend funerals do we think?

The question we all must face is: Will we stiff – arm God? Will we say, “No, God?” or will we say, “Yes” to Him? Will we receive Christ Jesus as our Savior He will give us everlasting life? Will we reject Him – and what is our option? There is no sure promise except His.

What is the state of your world, reader? Can you say, “I am His and He is mine?”

Buddy

We are fooled if we fail to understand that evangelism does not happen because we argue well.

It does not happen either, because our apologetics is masterful. As a falling tree cannot be heard unless there are ears listening. Any effort to further the kingdom of God into other’s lives is totally, utterly dependent on them being reached by the Holy Spirit.

For a revival to happen would we not be insanely ignorant were we to ignore that the vital energy of it all is the experienced presence of God. That Presence is the Holy Spirit making Himself manifest to us.

We can be vessels: we are supposed to be ambassadors of Christ; but we may as well try to put out a forest fire by blowing if we think that we can do anything at all – ANYTHING – except it is God who is communicating to those we teach, preach to, and otherwise try to help.

Jesus became the “Only Begotten” Son of God. He became in our likeness, but without the sin; and He gave Himself to take away our sin. He came to rescue us from being slaves of sin. (John 3:16)

Substance abuse is slavery to sin. Habitual sexual misconduct is slavery to sin. Cruelty of our own making and cruelty from others is slavery to sin. Jesus came to take our sin away.

We don’t have to read that “He came unto His own and His own received Him not;” to know that some men reject God. To do so, to reject God, is factual. God came into the garden seeking Adam. Jesus came into the world, as His word reads, to seek and to save us from certain destruction.

Unforgiven sin is not a light matter; especially because God searches every man’s heart with the express purpose of cleansing us from all our sin. If the Lord has not washed away all our sin, we will go into eternity stained, marked by our own wrong-doing . . . lost.

Before the foundation of the earth, we learn from the Bible, Jesus – the Lamb of God – was slain. He would come; “To seek and to save the lost.” As the Father had come saying, “Adam, where are you.”

From the Bible, we learn that Father God by the Holy Spirit draws upon us to respond to Him in an honest relationship.
We learn that Holy God reaches down into our unholy lives seeking our consent to take away our sin. Only fools say, “No God!”

Yes, life, and eternal life are the gift of God. Never possible could we earn the opportunity of life, of eternal life, of a cleansed heart, of the implant of God’s Self into us. This is called in scripture; God’s salvation; His sanctification; and we are given only the choice to receive Him and from Him or to refuse Him and go it alone.

Faith is built in us from our first coming to know Him; when we first received Christ Jesus the Lord, but there remains in this life the question as to how we will live through faith. What choices – in response to His persuasion – will we make?

God desires that we will become as a city on a hill – beacon of hope to others – as badly needed salt in this world. To be used of God in reaching others is a choice; actually many choices.

Renewed and revived Christian living is always as was our beginning with Christ; with listening and abiding in the Holy Spirit. God is no more reluctant to revive us than He was to come to us in our salvation experience. He actually invites us urgently, “Return to your first Love.” That’s HIM. (Revelations 2:4)

It was after His resurrection and through the aged Apostle John that Jesus said – to the churches– “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will open the door, I will come into Him and we will have fellowship.” God has never let our sins and failures stop Him from reaching out to us. Love, true love, His Love is like that.

Not infrequently we on our own make a mess of our lives. We also suffer because of other’s wrongdoing.

We would be unfit for heaven; we would re-create Hells like earth has seen prelude, unless we enter heaven spotless as was the Lamb of God who was slain before God began with creation.

Sin, our sin, never His, is not a problem God did not anticipate. Each human being would have their beginning on earth at birth but – and this is a mystery to us, not to Him – before we even entered our mother’s womb biologically, God knew us individually.

We are each His creation. We are not biological accidents. We live and move and make choices in our bodies; but, from the Bible we learn that “We live and move and have our being in Him.”
(Acts 28:17)

Along life’s way – throughout history – men have continuously come to believe that there is more to us than the eye can see. This conclusion comes to us logically; but un-clearly. But from God’s special revelation; from the Bible, we can learn that He has a plan for us, that it is good and not evil, that He desire to prosper and bless us. In the midst of life’s difficulties this scriptural promise should draw us to God.

Jesus taught a parable about a man who found a treasure in a field and then sold all he had to obtain that field. He was teaching about a field, mediocre to those who knew not its contents; but worth a life of earnings to who did and would find its worth.

That the Bible has questionable worth to some teachers is of no value to anyone. That it contains the “words of life” – according to those who have even died to make it available to us – according to the disciples of Jesus – according to successful ministries yet today; is a fact too blaring to be intelligently dismissed.

God desired “to bring many Sons/persons to glory: Jesus included me. My elder brother took me upon His cross. My elder brother taught me to pray to “Our Father.” He made us family.

We will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. Almighty, Omnipotent, God only wise.

Once Jesus said, “I am in you: you are in me, and we are one in the Father.” Mere eyes cannot grasp this glorious love. With our ears and our understanding we cannot fathom the generosity of God.

The Holy Spirit reveals to us that His awesome love; His desire is for us and has never been against us.

I want to see Jesus; He’s the one that died for me.”

Buddy