4/1/15

Jesus' Resurrection and the Life of a Christian by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=10&article=951

Jesus' Resurrection and the Life of a Christian

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Is the fact that Jesus rose from the grave about 2,000 years ago really all that important to a Christian’s faith? What if Jesus had never risen from the tomb in which He was buried? What if He were in the grave today? Could we still be Christians if Jesus had never arisen?
Consider what the apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth about the resurrection of Christ. In a passage where he was writing about the reality of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time, he also mentioned Christ’s resurrection, saying, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Then, three verses later, he made a similar statement, saying, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (15:17). In other words, without Jesus’ resurrection, no one would have any hope of going to heaven. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith (cf. Romans 1:4).
The early church multiplied quickly in just a few short years. They grew by “leaps and bounds.” People were obeying the Gospel by the thousands, and one central message laid at the heart of their decision—the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Had Jesus never been raised from the grave, the Gospel never could have been preached. The Gospel is not about a “lifeless lord,” but a “risen Redeemer.”
Jesus resurrection’ gives meaning to a Christian’s faith.
  • Every Sunday when Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember the Lord’s death “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). If Jesus were not risen, however, we would have no hope of His coming again, and Paul’s statement here regarding the Lord’s Supper would be meaningless.
  • Every time Christians pray “in Jesus name,” we are relying on a risen Savior—Jesus—to mediate on our behalf (1 Timothy 2:5; cf. John 14:6; 1 John 2:1). But, if Jesus were not risen, our prayers would not be heard, and our petitions to have our sins forgiven could not be granted.
  • The only reason that preaching and baptizing (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16) are of any importance at all is because Jesus is not dead, but alive. When a person is baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), he is raised from a world of sin, “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4).
Christians always need to keep in mind how important Jesus’ resurrection is to our faith. We must not let the fact that Jesus’ resurrection occurred nearly 2,000 years ago lessen the importance of His victory over death.

"After Reading a Book on Dinosaurs in the Third Grade..." by Kyle Butt, M.A.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=476

"After Reading a Book on Dinosaurs in the Third Grade..."

by Kyle Butt, M.A.

On Tuesday, March 16, Kathryn Satterfield published an article titled “A Double Dinosaur Discovery” that was featured in the on-line periodical Time for Kids, an affiliate of Time magazine. In the article, she told about two research teams that each found dinosaur fossils in Antarctica. Interestingly, the finds came less than a week apart. This unprecedented “double discovery” was definitely news in the scientific community. James Martin and William Hammer led the two teams. Hammer’s team found what appears to be a plant-eating sauropod dinosaur that, according to the article, lived 200 million years ago. Martin’s team found what they think to be a theropod, a group that includes meat-eaters like the tyrannosaur. Martin’s dinosaur supposedly lived about 70 million years ago.
While these finds are intriguing, the old ages assigned to them are inaccurate and should be examined with a critical eye. According to this line of thinking, humans did not evolve on the Earth until about 4-6 million years ago, which would separate humans and dinosaurs by about 60 million years. The Bible, however, plainly states that Adam was created on the same day of Creation as all land-dwelling creatures, which would include the dinosaurs (Genesis 1:24-31). Furthermore, much scientific evidence puts humans and dinosaurs on the Earth at the same time in the same locations (Harrub and Thompson, 2003). This article by Satterfield, as well as this entire fossil discovery, is being plied by the evolutionists to teach their false theory.
Think through this critically. This article appeared in a resource for children. Thus, the target audience is children. The author of this article is influencing children to believe in an evolutionary theory that requires millions of years, and runs contrary to what the Bible teaches. What kind of impact will this have on the children who read the article? James Martin, the leader of one of the research teams, tells us in no uncertain terms: “After reading a book on dinosaurs in the third grade, I decided I would work on fossils” (Satterfield, 2004, emp. added).
James Martin read a book on dinosaurs in the third grade that changed his life forever. Will the children who are reading this article one day say the same thing? We must never underestimate the power of books, articles, and the printed page; a power for great good or devastating evil. Furthermore, we must never underestimate how much children are influenced by what they read and hear. Let’s make sure we guard our children from false theories like evolution, and arm them with the truth about the Creator.

REFERENCES

Harrub, Brad and Bert Thompson (2003), “Walking Amidst the Dinosaurs,” Reason and Revelation, [On-line], URLhttps://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=37.
Satterfield, Kathryn (2004), “A Double Dinosaur Discovery,” Time for Kids, [On-line], URL: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/area/newsarticle/0,18077,600802,00.html.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Why not order a copy of our book Dinosaurs Unleashed, so that the book your child reads on dinosaurs will not teach him or her evolution, but instead will bring that child to a better understanding of God and His amazing creation? The book can be ordered via our WebStore, or by calling us toll-free at 800/234-8558.]

"Be Not Unequally Yoked" by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=431

"Be Not Unequally Yoked"

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Paul admonished the Corinthian Christians, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). This statement often has been applied to the question of marriage, with the subsequent conclusion that Christians are commanded not to marry non-Christians. However, this interpretation creates several problems.
First, marriage is not under discussion in the context. Great care must be taken to avoid misapplying the principles taught in a given passage. The application of a passage must be accurate. For example, to apply the injunction “taste not” (Colossians 2:21) to eating chocolate would be a misapplication on two counts. First, it assumes that chocolate is included in the category of substances being forbidden in the context. Second, it fails to perceive the fact that “taste not” was what the opponents of Paul were enjoining. They were wrong in their making of a law that God had not made. Likewise, the prohibition of not being unequally yoked would have to be demonstrated to apply to marriage.
Second, if forming a marriage between a Christian and non-Christian is being forbidden, the only way to repent of such an action would be to sever the marriage. The only way to repent of an illicit relationship is to terminate the relationship (cf. Ezra 10:11; Mark 6:18; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Paul explicitly stated in the context to “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17). But this inevitable conclusion would contradict Matthew 19:9, where Jesus stated that there is one and only one grounds for divorce, i.e., fornication—not marriage to a non-Christian.
Third, if marriage to a non-Christian is forbidden, then non-Christians sin when they marry each other. The non-Christian who marries another non-Christian is guilty of not marrying a Christian.
Fourth, if the Christian sins when he marries a non-Christian, what about that non-Christian whom the Christian marries? That non-Christian would not be sinning since he/she is marrying a Christian. Hence, the very action that is sin for one (the Christian) is righteous and proper for the other (non-Christian)!
Fifth, such an interpretation of 2 Corinthians 6:14 implies that marriage is a “Christian” institution. Yet the marriage relationship was formed by God at Creation thousands of years before Christianity was introduced onto the planet (Genesis 2:24). God’s marriage laws apply equally to all people in all periods of Bible history. No one prior to the cross of Christ married a Christian! Yet marriages contracted prior to Christianity were valid if contracted in harmony with God’s marriage laws (i.e., in accordance with Genesis 1:27, 2:24, Matthew 19:3-12, Romans 7:1-3, and 1 Corinthians 7:1-40).
All persons who choose to be married are required by God to “marry in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39). That is, one must marry in harmony with God’s laws, even as children are to obey their parents “in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1), i.e., compliant with parental instructions that are in harmony the will of Christ. Marriage of a Christian to a non-Christian may well be fraught with peril. It may be at times inexpedient, unwise, or extremely dangerous spiritually. However, the Bible does not teach that it is sinful.

When Were the Sun, Moon, and Stars Created? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=1990

When Were the Sun, Moon, and Stars Created?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

At first glance, this seems like an easy question. Just as children have been singing for generations, it was on day four when God made “the Sun, Moon, and stars galore.” Some, however, have alleged that the “sun, moon and stars were created ‘in the beginning’ (Gen. 1:1)” (Thurman, 2006, p. 3), rather than on day four of Creation. Presumably,
on the fourth day, God “set” the sun, moon and stars in the heavens to govern the days, months, seasons and years (verse 17). When God “set” the lights in the heavens, it was much like when we “set” a clock. And that really is what God did—He “set” His clock on the 4th day. But these (the sun, moon, stars) were all created “in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1) (Thurman, 2006, p. 3, emp. added).
The problem with this line of argumentation is that it contradicts what the Bible says.
Certainly, “[i]n the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). But, it was not until later that God created the Sun, Moon, and stars. Genesis 1:14-19 reads:
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19, emp. added).
God not only “set” (Hebrew nathan) the Sun, Moon, and stars in their precise locations in the heavens on the fourth day of Creation, but it was on this day when God literally “made” (Hebrew asah) these heavenly bodies. Similar to how God initially made the land and seas void of animal life (which later was created on days five and six of Creation), the “heavens” were made “in the beginning,” but the hosts of heaven (which now inhabit them) were created “in the firmament of the heavens” on day four (Genesis 1:14).
Consider also how God spoke light into existence on day one of Creation, saying, “Let there be light” (1:3, emp. added). On the fourth day God declared, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens...and it was so” (1:14-15, emp. added). Gary Workman commented on this similarity, saying:
“Let there be lights” (v. 14) is identical in grammatical construction with other statements of “let there be...” in the chapter. Therefore the command can only mean that God spoke the luminaries into existence on the fourth day just as he had created the initial light on day one and the firmament on day two (1989, p. 3).
On day one God made intrinsic light; on day four He made the generators of light. Keep in mind that “the Father of lights” (James 1:17), Who is “light” (1 John 1:5), could create light easily without first having to create the Sun, Moon, and stars. Just as God could produce a fruit-bearing tree on day three without a seed, He could produce light supernaturally on day one without the “usual” light bearers (which subsequently were created on day four). Again, there is no indication in Scripture that the generators of light already were made before day four.
Suppose, however, that the creation of the heavens “in the beginning” had included the creation of the Sun, Moon, and stars (which Genesis 1:14-19 says were made on day four). One still would not be justified in trying to appease the evolutionary timeline by claiming that the “beginning” took place billions of years before the six days of Creation. Why? Because God said, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11, emp. added). Both the heavens and all that is in the heavens were created during the six-day creation.
In truth, on day one God created “the heavens,” and on day four He made the Sun, Moon, and stars. And all things were made within the six days of Creation. No “rightly divided” (2 Timothy 2:15) Bible passage will lead a person to any other conclusion.

REFERENCES

Thurman, Clem (2006), “How Was Light Before the Sun?” Gospel Minutes, September 8.
Workman, Gary (1989), “Questions from Genesis One,” The Restorer, 9[5/6]:3-5, May/June.

From Mark Copeland... "THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY" The Duties Of Children


                    "THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY"

                         The Duties Of Children

INTRODUCTION

1. In previous lessons on the Christian home and family, we have
   discussed...
   a. The sanctity of marriage
   b. The duties of husbands and wives
   c. The duties of fathers and mothers

2. We now come to the duties of children, who hopefully have...
   a. Fathers who provide for them and raise them in the way of the       Lord
   b. Mothers who love them and care for them as an intricate part of
      the household

[A good place to begin is Ep 6:1, where the apostle Paul charges children to...]

I. OBEY YOUR PARENTS!

   A. IN THE LORD, FOR THIS RIGHT...
      1. The charge as found in Ep 6:1
      2. "in the Lord" means that this is what the Lord wants you to do
      3. Even as Jesus Himself obeyed His parents - cf. Lk 2:51
      4. "for this right" implies that disobeying parents is wrong
      5. Indeed, rebellion is as evil as witchcraft and idolatry - cf. 1Sam 15:23

   B. IN ALL THINGS, FOR THIS IS WELL PLEASING TO THE LORD...
      1. The charge as found in Col 3:20
      2. "in all things" presumes in harmony with God’s will - cf. Ac 5:29
      3. When children obey their parents, the Lord is pleased!
      4. The OT clearly reveals God’s displeasure when children disobey
         their parents, and how seriously it was taken back then - cf.
         Exo 21:15,17; Deut 21:18-21; Pr 30:17

[Children can be thankful their Christian parents do not live under the
OT, but the NT!  Nonetheless, disobedience is not to be taken lightly.
Nor is obeying parents to be done begrudgingly...]

II. HONOR YOUR PARENTS!

   A. BOTH FATHER AND MOTHER...
      1. As charged in Ep 6:2
      2. One of the Ten Commandments in the Law of Moses - cf. Exo 20:12; Deut 5:16
      3. To honor implies to love, to regard highly, to show the spirit
         of respect and consideration - Hendriksen
      4. Thus obedience to one’s parents is to be rendered in love and
         with respect

   B. TO RECEIVE THE PROMISE...
      1. The command to honor one’s parents came with a promise - Ep 6:2-3
      2. "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the
         earth." - cf. Deut 5:16
      3. This promise is true in general; there are often exceptions (e.g., Jesus)
      4. But a child who loves and respects his or her parents is more
         likely to benefit from them
      5. From their wisdom, but also from God’s providential care!
      6. Disrespect your parents, you incur both their wrath and God’s as well!

[The duty of children to honor their parents does not end when they
leave the home.  When mothers and fathers become aged, children have the duty to...]

III. SUPPORT YOUR PARENTS!

   A. AS TAUGHT BY JESUS...
      1. When He exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ traditions - Mk 7:6-13
      2. The command to honor one’s parents implied care by adult
         children - Mk 7:11-12
      3. Thus the duty to love, respect, and care for parents never ends!

   B. AS TAUGHT BY PAUL...
      1. In teaching concerning the care of widows - 1Ti 5:3-8,16
      2. Children (and grandchildren) are to repay their needy parents- 1Ti 5:4
      3. Thus we are to provide security for our parents and
         grandparents as needed
      4. Failure to do so denies the faith, and makes one worse than an
         infidel - 1Ti 5:8

CONCLUSION

1. The duties of children are clear...
   a. Obey your parents!
   b. Honor your parents!
   c. Support your parents!

2. Blessed is the home and family where...
   a. Husbands and wives fulfill their duties to one another
   b. Parents and children fulfill their duties to one another

Such homes and families are a common occurrence, wherever the
admonitions of the Lord are taken seriously by all the members of the family...!

   My son, keep your father’s command,
      And do not forsake the law of your mother.
   Bind them continually upon your heart;
      Tie them around your neck.
   When you roam, they will lead you;
      When you sleep, they will keep you;
      And when you awake, they will speak with you.
                                     - Pr 6:20-22

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Gary... Better days are upon us


I would love to be able to enter McDonald's and order from this menu- just look at the prices!!!  In fact, this is a real McDonald s menu, only from 1972. And back then I earned a lot less; under $4 an hour, as I remember. Still, you can buy a lot from this menu for four bucks!!!  But, were the "good old days" really that good? Remember, Nixon, Watergate, Vietnam, race riots, etc.. Now, think of yourself as a Jew just prior to the coming of Jesus. You have the LAW, THE PROPHETS AND THE PSALMS, and the COMMUNITY of Judaism, and the CULTURAL MEMORY of God's DELIVERANCE and HIS PROMISES!!! Compared to the world around you- you are somebody; because God loves you and has proved it over and over.  But, with all this, something is not quite right- you still sin occasionally. Why? Well, apart from the willful desire to sin, you have the LAW, which is complicated enough by itself, but add in the traditions accumulated over centuries and the teachings of the Jewish hierarchy and faithfully practicing your religion goes from being complicated system to being an almost impossible burden. Then, Jesus comes, and his unique teachings seem to change everything; What do you do now? Consider...

Hebrews, Chapter 8 (WEB)
6 But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.  7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.  8 For finding fault with them, he said, 

“Behold, the days come”, says the Lord,
“that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
  9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers,
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
for they didn't continue in my covenant,
and I disregarded them,” says the Lord.
  10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel.
After those days,” says the Lord;
“I will put my laws into their mind,
I will also write them on their heart.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
  11 They will not teach every man his fellow citizen,
and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for all will know me,
from their least to their greatest.


Rules are for children who do not intuitively know right from wrong; Adults should!!! When Jesus came, he looked at the "rules"(the LAW) through different eyes- at why they were there in the first place. His understanding was coupled with a heart set on truly pleasing God and knowing what The Father would want him to do. And this changes everything!!! I would rather have GRACE any day than LAW, wouldn't you? Being a Christian is more about knowing God and doing your best to do what he has told you to do than just arbitrarily following a rule. Simple- no, wonderful, yes!!! 

One last passage....

Matthew, Chapter 7 (WEB)
 21  Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.   22  Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’   23  Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’ 


  24  “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.  25  The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.  26  Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.   27  The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” 


LOVE GOD, PLEASE GOD- REPEAT (until eternity)