3/30/14

From Gary... Listen... Are the stones talking yet???


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOR1wUqvJS4



I had planned a nice quiet afternoon, watching television or just plain goofing off, but that was just not-to-be. When I saw this video, it cried out for comment!!! Two passages of Scripture came to mind mind immediately and I encourage you to read them both, for they are important....
 
 Jeremiah, Chapter 1

 1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:  2 to whom Yahweh’s word came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.  3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4 Now Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,  5 “Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. Before you came out of the womb, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.” 

  7  But Yahweh said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for to whoever I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak.  8 Don’t be afraid because of them; for I am with you to deliver you,” says Yahweh.  9 Then Yahweh stretched out his hand, and touched my mouth; and Yahweh said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.  10 Behold, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
 
And 
 
Luke, Chapter 19

 36 As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen,  38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!” 

  39  Some of the Pharisees from the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 

  40  He answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.” 

Right now, you are probably asking yourself- why did he link these passages???  Well, because the first proves that the unborn are known by God (and therefore human) and the second teaches that some things just can not be silenced!!!!  Unless you are a hard-core anti-Semite, the holocaust should offend you. Killing thousands upon thousands of defenseless people is horrific!!!  Well, if you out there call yourself a Christian- YOU SHOULD BE MOVED BY THIS LITTLE VIDEO, AND THE FACTS IT PROCLAIMS!!!  Abortion has been going on for years, with millions of unborn babies being murdered for the sake of convenience!!!!  Although it seems to me that someone must have wrote this speech for this 12 year old girl, nonetheless, its truth should move any thinking person to action!!!  And, if that is true, then what about those who claim they love and obey God??? Please, think about this and do what you can; the unborn victims of murder cry out-- are you listening????

One more passage...

Matthew, Chapter 25

 31  “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.   32  Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.   33  He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.   34  Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;   35  for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.   36  I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ 

  37  “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?   38  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?   39  When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ 

  40  “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’   



From Gary.... History


I have been told by many people that history is not being taught in schools and pictures like the above tend to confirm this.  How can any intelligent person NOT KNOW about Nazi Germany and the horrors of World War II? Well, if you do not know history, you might not.  Practically since the first day I started worshipping with the Southside church of Christ in Zephyrhills, I have been exposed to a lot of it. Why? Because one of the ministers there is a HISTORY BUFF!!! And knowing history is a good thing- it helps in not repeating the same mistakes previous generations have done. When I hear the word history, I think of a great man, departed from this world to be with Jesus- John P. Bizzell Jr.. A little man (of only 5 feet) he had a spirituality about him that I remember to this day.  And when he began to teach me his series of Bible History classes, he started by holding up a sign- HISTORY, HIS-STORY!!!  When you think about it, Jesus affected history like no other and our New Testament reflects this; namely in the books of Luke and Acts....


Luke, Chapter 1
 1 Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,  2 even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,  3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;  4 that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

AND


 Acts, Chapter 1
 1 The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,  2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.  4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.   5  For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

  6  Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 

  7  He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.   8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” 

  9  When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.  10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,  11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”

These two books, taken together, form a summary of the beginnings of Christianity. And those beginnings are worth reading again and again because it is worth knowing. From a few apostles to a world wide religion, the spread of Christianity has been a phenomenon!  Literally, thousands of witness and the sacrifice of an untold number of martyrs attest to the truth of what is written in the New Testament. Take some time, read Luke (preferably in one sitting) and then Acts later on. You will be glad you did!!!  Don't want to- OK, but remember the helmet above...  

From Mark Copeland... Stability In Our Service To God (Hebrews 13:7-17) 

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"

               Stability In Our Service To God (13:7-17)

INTRODUCTION

1. Throughout his epistle, the author has exhorted his readers to 
   "steadfastness"...
   a. With a warning not to drift away - He 2:1
   b. With a promise of becoming partakers of Christ - He 3:14
   c. With exhortations to be diligent - He 4:11; 6:11-12
   d. With a reminder of God's faithfulness - He 10:23
   e. With a promise of great reward - He 10:35-36

2. As the epistle nears its end, we find some final exhortations that 
   appear to encourage such steadfastness...
   a. They are sprinkled throughout He 13:7-17
   b. They are given in view of the danger of "various and strange
      doctrines" - He 13:9

3. The need for such exhortations is no less today as it was then...
   a. There are many various and strange doctrines today
   b. It is easy for us to forget the simplicity that is in Christ

[If we are not to be carried about with various and strange doctrines,
then "Stability In Our Service To God" is what we need.  What can we
glean from our text that will aid us in our steadfastness?  First,
there are...]

I. THINGS TO REMEMBER (7-14)

   A. THOSE WHO FAITH IS WORTHY OF EMULATION (7)
      1. In the original context of the epistle...
         a. The author here may have in reference those leaders who 
            originally spoke the word of God to them
         b. That may have included the apostles themselves - cf. He 2:3
         c. "...considering the outcome of their conduct" may imply
            that they were dead, and that their faith served them well
      2. But it would also be appropriate to remember the faithfulness
         of our "leaders" today
         a. Those elders who have spoken God's word to us
         b. Those elders whose faith enabled them to magnify Christ in
            both life and death
      3. Not only remember them, but "whose faith follow"
         a. We should seek to emulate all those whose faith have set a
            good example - Php 3:17
         b. Especially those whose faith sustained them to the end!

   B. "JESUS CHRIST, THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER" (8)
      1. In what way is "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and 
         forever"?
         a. Certainly not in every respect, for He was once "in the 
            flesh", but not today
         b. The context must determine, and the context pertains to:
            1) The word of God which has been spoken - v.7
            2) Various and strange doctrines - v.9
         c. It is therefore the doctrine of Jesus, which is
            unchangeable
      2. One may therefore rightly ask whenever they hear of some 
         strange or new doctrine:  "Did Jesus or His apostles teach 
         this?" - cf. Ga 1:8-9

   C. WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST (9-14)
      1. It is apparent the author has in mind the temptation to return
         to the Law
         a. To the dietary restrictions found in the Law
         b. To the altar and tabernacle of the Old Covenant
      2. But what we have in Christ include:
         a. Hearts that are strengthened by grace, not food - He 13:9
            1) An allusion to the dietary restrictions of Judaism
            2) While they served their purpose, they did not provide 
               what one really needs - cf. Col 3:20-23
         b. An altar from which those who serve in the physical 
            tabernacle have no right to eat - He 13:10-13
            1) The "altar" is likely a metonymy for the sacrifice
               offered on it
            2) If so, then our "altar" is the sacrifice of Christ,
               which is of no benefit to those who hold to the Old Law
               - cf. Ga 5:4
            3) As our sacrifice (Christ), had to suffer "outside the 
               gate" to provide our sanctification, so we should be 
               willing to serve Him "outside the camp" (i.e., outside
               the physical religious community of Israel)
         c. A "city" which is yet to come - He 13:14
            1) Like our father Abraham, we wait for the city "whose
               builder and maker is God" - He 11:9-10
            2) We are but strangers and pilgrims on the earth, desiring
               that city which God has prepared - He 11:13-16
            3) Therefore, it is not physical Jerusalem we long for, but
               "the holy city, New Jerusalem" - cf. He 12:22; Re 3:12;
               21:1-2,10-11

[Dare we jeopardize these wonderful blessings in Christ?  Then remember
the word and faith of those who are worthy of emulation, and that the
doctrine of Jesus Christ will not change!

As we seek "Stability In Our Service To God", there are also...]

II. THINGS TO DO (15-17)

   A. OFFER TRUE SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES TO GOD (15-16)
      1. We may not "serve the tabernacle" of the Old Covenant (v.10),
         but we do have "sacrifices" to offer - cf. 1Pe 2:5
      2. One is the sacrifice of praise - He 13:15
         a. That includes singing and prayer, which are the fruit of
            our lips
         b. In which we praise God as we give thanks to His name
         -- This we are to do "continually" (i.e., with stability in
            our service to God)
      2. Another is the sacrifice of doing good and sharing - He 13:16
         a. With such sacrifices God is pleased
         b. They are like the "sweet-smelling aroma" of incense - Php 4:18

   B. OBEY THOSE WHO RULE OVER US (17)
      1. Earlier he wrote of their previous leadership (v.7); now he
         writes of their present leadership
      2. These are most likely their "elders" (also known as "bishops",
         "pastors")
         a. They were given the oversight of the local congregation 
            - Ac 20:17,28; 1Pe 5:1-2
         b. The souls of the congregation were "entrusted" to them 
            - 1Pe 5:3
      3. They watch over us, as those who must one day give an account 
         - He 13:17
      4. Therefore we should "obey" and "submit"
         a. That their work will be one of joy, not grief
         b. If we grieve them in their work, it will not be profitable
            for us!
         -- Of course, this assumes they are leading the flock in the
            right direction (some elders do not, and may need rebuke 
            - cf. Ac 20:28-30; 1Ti 5:19-20)

CONCLUSION

1. Do you wish to remain steadfast in your faith, with stability in
   your service to God?

2. Then remember such things as:
   a. Those worthy of emulation, and consider the outcome of their
      conduct
   b. Jesus Christ, whose doctrine is the same yesterday, today, and
      forever
   c. The blessings we have in Christ:
      1) Hearts established by grace
      2) An altar (the sacrifice of Jesus) to which some have no right
      3) A heavenly city whose builder and maker is God

3. And be careful to do such things as:
   a. Offer the spiritual sacrifices of praise and doing good to others
   b. Obey those who have been entrusted to watch for our souls

With such "Stability In Our Service To God", then by God's grace we too
will be "the same yesterday, today, and forever"!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Jim McGuiggian... Mrs. Clennam's disease

Mrs. Clennam's disease

 This morning I thanked God for the righteous people in the world and especially the righteous people who make righteousness warm and attractive as well as those who show its strength and single-mindedness. Judging from my own experience (which I do recognize as limited and therefore to be used with caution) that balance isn't common. I see the "pendulum syndrome" in myself when at times I'm governed by a flinty uprightness and at other times (virtually) a weak-kneed indulgence. 

Having recently dipped again into older authors (and being frozen out by a couple of people who are old enough to know better), right now my mind is on those unlike Billy G. Moore (click here); people whose undoubted uprightness makes us think of a cold wind whipping in from the north. Children don't play around the doors of such people and whatever else their faith is there's not much in it that we'd call "infectious".

Their warmth, such as it is, is reserved for a very few and even then we tend to think the "very few" are kept somewhat at arm's length in case they have to be subjected to the bone-chilling draught that's said to be "fresh air". The entire issue is too complex for anyone to think they can get to the bottom of it but we all have our opinions about the various things that shape people that way. Some of our guesses are better than others, some are way too convoluted when a simpler explanation is at hand and some are applied to the wrong person though they might be correct if applied to somebody else.

Mrs. Clennam had no doubt what made her hard in her righteousness. In self-justification she says to one of her enemies: "You do not know what it is to be brought up strictly and straitly. I was so brought up. Mine was no light youth of sinful gaiety and pleasure. Mine were days of wholesome repression, punishment and fear. The corruption of our hearts, the evil of our ways, the curse that is upon us, the terrors that surround us—these were the themes of my childhood. They formed my character, and filled me with an abhorrence of evil-doers." There it is, "and filled me with an abhorrence of evil-doers."

So when she was sinned against—and she was!—she worked an awful and prolonged judgment against the transgressors because she was filled with an abhorrence of evil-doers. Her enemy was not to misunderstand her; what she refused to forget was not that she was wronged but that the Lord was wronged. "Was it my own wrong I remembered? Mine! I was but a servant and a minister. What power could I have over them, but that they were in the bonds of their sin, and delivered to me!"

So for forty years she had held against them their wrong and Dickens describing her tells us that all that time she still held on to her impiety, "still reversed the order of Creation, and breathed her own breath into a clay image of her Creator…travellers have seen many monstrous idols in many countries; but no human eyes have ever seen more daring, gross, and shocking images of the Divine nature, than we creatures of dust make in our own likenesses, of our own bad passions."

What troubles me most about Mrs. Clennam is not that she took sin seriously (for Jesus did not live and die and live again to make it easier for us to sin and to sin with a shrug) but that she took herself too seriously. Driven by the conviction that God had appointed her (and all like her) to her task with such fierce uprightness she says, "Those who were appointed of old to go to wicked kings and accuse them—were they not ministers and servants? And had not I, unworthy, and far removed from them, sin to denounce?...I was appointed to be the instrument of their punishment…was it my enemy that became my footstool, were they the words of my wrath that made her shrink and quiver! Not unto me the strength be ascribed: not unto me the wringing [out of her] the expiation."

This she said though she rehearses the sinner's confession and sobbing pleas for mercy. Though she acknowledges her own unworthiness she is able to give good reasons why she should wring out of the sinner the last drop of grief until she finally drives her quite mad and then called what she did "the just dispensation of Jehovah." 

Very dramatic. Yes. Overly dramatic, the kind of thing one expects in novels. Hmmm. While there are times when I tend to think the pendulum has swung way too far to the other side and we "understand" too easily our own sin and the sins of others, I know there are those who live in agony under "Mrs. Clennams". They won't end up in an insane asylum but due to the "appointed ones" doors are slammed shut against them, growth in joy and usefulness is thwarted—a phone call here, a written note there, a "I think you need to know this because…" somewhere else and genuinely remorseful and repentant sinners remain a lifetime on the fringes of the church, miserable and unused in service.

That's something of the disease—what can be done as a cure?



©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.

From Jeff Miller, Ph.D.... Will Science Eventually Kill God?





http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=1602


Will Science Eventually Kill God?

by  Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

Impossible concept, and yet it has captured the attention of the news media of late (e.g., Wolchover, 2012). Will the bulk of society likely tend to continue its movement away from God in the coming years? Probably, since that has historically been the trend, inside and outside the Bible. But God has never been eliminated from human thought in the thousands of years of human existence, because His providential hand brings punishment on societies at those times when the population in sufficient numbers turns its back on God. Then inevitably follows a return by many to spiritual matters (see Miller, 2008).
Still, according to NBC News, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, believes that science will eventually remove the need for God in the equation to explain certain Universal phenomena. He argues that, “God’s sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern times” (Wolchover). We are not sure where he is getting his information, because statistically, the world is en masse (84%) theist (e.g., “Major Religions of the World,” 2007), and the percentage of the population in this country that believes that God has played a role in the origin of the Universe (78%) is far beyond the secular evolutionary community (15%) (see Miller, 2012). While there certainly has been an increase in the ranks of the non-religious community in the past several years, the Earth is still, by far, theistic.
Carroll further argues that many of the phenomena that were once highlighted as proof of the existence of God, since science could not explain those phenomena, are gradually being eliminated, in his opinion. He believes that the need for a God to cause the Big Bang to “bang” is side-stepped by the idea of an eternal Universe—a Universe like the one theorized by the Oscillating Universe Big Bang model. [NOTE: This is not to say that we believe the Big Bang Theory to be true. We have outlined several issues that show the Big Bang to be false elsewhere (e.g., Thompson, Harrub, and May, 2003). We are merely addressing his assertions.] He believes that the problem of having a necessary cause for the Universe, even if the Universe is not eternal, is side-stepped by the idea that time started at the Big Bang, and therefore, there is no need of a pre-existing cause. According to Alex Filippenko, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley that is quoted in the article, “The Big Bang could’ve occurred as a result of just the laws of physics being there. With the laws of physics, you can get universes.” Carroll further argues that the “fine tuning” argument used by theists with regard to many physical constants that seem perfectly suited for our existence, can be side-stepped using theories about parallel universes beyond our’s (Wolchover).
Several comments are worth mentioning in response to Carroll. First of all, notice the tacit admission that God is still needed to explain some things in the Universe, even if they might eventually be eliminated in Carroll’s mind. Many issues that point to God have been eliminated, in Carroll’s opinion: but that implies that some remain.
Second, his attempt to side-step the problem of needing a “trigger” for the Big Bang by giving credence to theories that postulate the eternality of the Universe, does not lend to the idea that science has eliminated the need for God in that area. On the contrary, science has already spoken on that matter. Nothing lasts forever, according to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (see Miller, 2007 for an in depth discussion of the Laws of Thermodynamics as they relate to the Universe as a whole). So such theories are not in keeping with the findings of science. Since nothing lasts forever in nature, the Universe could not have lasted forever—God is needed.
His further attempt to side-step the issue of needing a cause for a non-eternal Universe Big Bang model, by arguing that time began at the Big Bang, is reminiscent of Stephen Hawking’s recent comments on the matter. However, as we have discussed elsewhere (see Miller, 2011), that idea is not in keeping with the scientific evidence either. The Universe could not have caused itself since, in nature, nothing comes from nothing. Energy cannot spontaneously generate, according to the evidence from science—specifically the 1st Law of Thermodynamics (see Miller, 2007). Theories that postulate such erroneous concepts are not in keeping with science. So, once again, science has not eliminated the need for God in that instance either. The existence of the Universe still requires an adequate Cause, according to the evidence from science.
Filippenko’s comments merely highlight another issue that science cannot explain without God—the existence of the laws of physics. A poem requires a poet. A law requires a law writer. As eminent atheistic theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist of Arizona State University, Paul Davies, noted, “You need to know where those laws come from. That’s where the mystery lies—the laws” (“The Creation Question…,” 2011). The atheist has no explanation for how the laws of science could have written themselves into existence, and there is no logical explanation outside of a cosmic Law Writer.
Carroll’s attempts to side-step the issue of the theist’s finely tuned Universe argument by postulating parallel Universes is not a sound argument. Science has not proven such a theory. No alternate Universe has ever been witnessed, and therefore is outside the scope of the evolutionary community’s own definition of empirical science. Such an argument is mere conjecture and speculation—not evidence. So again, science has not dismissed the need for God in this instance either.
Time and again, Carroll attempts to make his case for science eliminating God, by relying on theories that cannot be verified with science or that blatantly contradict the evidence from science. So, in the end, Carroll has not proven that science has or could ever eliminate God. The only thing he has proven is that atheists are not self-consistent in their viewpoint on this matter.
Is it true that many people today are accepting such “evidence” and are therefore turning from God? Are they in the process causing God to be eliminated from their minds—i.e., not “retain[ing] God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28)? Is it likely that there will be more and more people in the coming years that join the bandwagon in rejecting God? Definitely. However, such behavior is not due to the evidence from true science, but rather, due to their own desires (cf. Romans 1:20-32). Ironically, while such atheists wishfully dream that science will one day kill God, science has actually already ruled out atheism as an explanation for the origin of the Universe (see www.apologeticspress.org for evidence on this subject).

REFERENCES

“The Creation Question: A Curiosity Conversation” (2011), Discovery Channel, August 7.
“Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents” (2007), http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html.
Miller, Jeff (2007), “God and the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective,” Reason & Revelation, 27[4]:25-31, April, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/3293.
Miller, Jeff (2008), “The Cycle of Unbelief,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=2495.
Miller, Jeff  (2011), “A Review of Discovery Channel’s ‘Curiosity: Did God Create the Universe?’” Reason & Revelation, 31[10]:98-107, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1004&article=1687.
Miller, Jeff (2012), “Literal Creationists Holding Their Ground in the Polls,” Reason & Revelation, 32[9]:94-95, September, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1093&article=2040#.
Thompson, Bert, Brad Harrub, and Branyon May (2003), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique [Part 1],” Reason & Revelation, 23[5]:33-47, May, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=541&article=540.
Wolchover, Natalie (2012), “Will Science Someday Rule Out the Possibility of God?” NBC News: Science, September 18, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49074598/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.UFnWIlEpCeZ.
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