Goodbye, 2010...

Over the last few days, the media have been parading a line of celebrities, who are no longer with us. They have shown photos of them in their prime, and then in their old age. Sadly, most of them were hardly recognizable. Now, they have passed into eternity and will stand before Almighty God when He judges the world in righteousness.

What a wonderful Day that will be. That will be the Day that Hitler gets justice--and who, besides neo-Nazis, isn’t going to rejoice about that? That will also be the day when the murderers of the five million victims in the United States, who were never brought to justice, will get what’s coming to them. That’s how many unsolved murders there have been in our country, in the last 50 years.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many of these celebrities knew the Lord. If they were Jew, Gentile, Hindu, Moslem, or Buddhist, black or white, rich or poor, if they repented and put their trust in Jesus Christ, their sins were forgiven and they escaped the deserved damnation of a terrible place the Bible calls Hell.

But those 100 or so celebrities were just the tip of the iceberg of those who died in the past year. If statistics hold true, more than 54 million died in 2010, and 54 million will die in 2011. If my number comes up, I’m ready. Are you?

Here then is the “everlasting gospel” one more time for 2010. I hope you will listen. I would be so delighted to hear that you have given up battling against God, and surrendered to His will:

Each of us will die because we have broken God’s moral Law. Let's see if you have broken the Ten Commandments: Is God first in your life? Have you made a god to suit yourself? Have you ever used God's holy name in vain? Have you kept the Sabbath holy? Have you always honoured your parents implicitly? Have you hated anyone? Then the Bible says you are a murderer. Have you had sex out of marriage? Then you are a fornicator and cannot enter Heaven. Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you ever lusted? Have you ever stolen something (irrespective of its value)? Then you are a thief. If you have told just one lie (even if you call it "white"), you are a liar, and cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Listen to your conscience. The Law leaves us all sinners in God's sight. On Judgment Day we will be found guilty, and end up in Hell forever, but because Jesus paid our fine on the Cross 2,000 years ago, God can forgive us. The Bible says, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Then He rose from the dead, and defeated the power of the grave. If you repent and trust the Savior, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life. Confess your sins to God, put your faith in Jesus Christ, then read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

May God bless you and yours in 2011.

Pic. Leslie Nielsen.

It's Your LIfe

"You talk about blind faith and reason but how do you reason that the Bible is the Word of God. The books that we consider to form the Bible today were decided on in 397 A.D., almost four hundred years after Jesus...Do we really have to accept the Bible with such blind faith? I, myself, am a Christian and have no interest in abandoning my beliefs over a few unanswered questions but can you give insight into them?"

Let me give you one of my dumb analogies. Someone gives you a high-tech device that you don't know how to use. They also give you an instruction book. How do you know that it is the right book for the device? I’m sure you know the answer. Simply do what the book says, and if the device works, common sense will tell you that it’s the correct book.

You are the product, and the Bible is the Instruction Book. How do you know it is the Instruction Book for humanity? Simply, do what it says. It says that if you truly repent (confess and forsake your sins) and trust alone in Jesus Christ, the "eyes of your understanding will be enlightened." You will be radically born again, and come to know and love God. The "product" will work as it should. When that happens, the Bible will supernaturally come alive to you. Without the new birth (see John 3:3-5), it will be a dull and dry bronze-age history-book.

God gave His Word to humanity--as "a lamp to their path and a light to their feet." If you want guidance through this dark world, then love, trust, and read the Bible daily. If you want to stay in darkness, don't love it, don't trust it, and don't read it. It's your life. What you do with it is up to you.

I have been reading the Scriptures every day, without failure, for nearly 40 years, and I have never found a mistake in the Word of God. The mistakes that people think they find are their own mistakes.

So it doesn't concern me as to why or how the New Testament historically came together. It has proven itself to be God's Word. He inspired it, He has preserved it, and it's supernaturally axiomatic. But if the Bible was banned and completely removed from the earth, it would have no bearing on my salvation at all, because the Bible is just the Instruction Book. It instructs on how to find everlasting life. That life is alone in Jesus Christ...and nothing can separate me from Him. Not even death.

This will make some of you mad...

Recently I wrote about Drew Marshall (he hosts Canada’s most listened to spiritual talk show). Drew professes to be a Christian, but is considering becoming an atheist. I was a guest on his program last month. We had a fairly feisty interview, and touched on some important issues. You can follow this link to listen:

http://www.drewmarshall.ca/listen2010.html#101127

Scroll to November 27th, 2010.

"Mercy is the Suspension of Justice"?

"Ray I notice your always speaking either about how just your God is or how merciful He is. Yet each time you speak of this, you contradict yourself. Because mercy is the suspension of justice, your God can't be just and merciful. So is He just, or not? Is He merciful, or not? Which is He, just or merciful? Are you going to heaven or hell? If you say heaven, then you can never claim your God to be a just God. If you turn around and say that others are going to hell, you can't claim Him to be a merciful God. This is such a blatant contradiction that I'm surprised even one with as much cognitive dissonance as yourself could miss it for so long." imadallasguy

There is one way that justice and mercy can meet. If a judge levels a $100,000 fine at a guilty criminal, then pays the $100,000 out of his own hard earned money because he cares about the man, justice has been done, and mercy has been extended. The law is satisfied, and the criminal is allowed to go completely free. Even a dummy like me, with such cognitive dissonance, can understand this principle.

Justice for me would be to be damned in Hell. I am a guilty criminal in the eyes of a morally perfect God. I have violated God's Law (the Ten Commandments) many times in spirit, if not in letter. However, God is "rich in mercy" and, as supreme Judge of the Universe, He paid my fine in full through the suffering death of Jesus of Nazareth.

God became a morally perfect man (see 1 Timothy 3:16, KJV, NKJV), and took the wrath of the Law upon Himself so that I could freely leave the courtroom. That means that God can be just and commute my death sentence, and He can be merciful and let me live forever.

This vicarious sacrifice meant that the righteousness of God's Law could be fully satisfied, and yet I could have peace with God. This amazing expression of God's love was predicted in the Book of Psalm 800 years before it happened: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:10)

Welcome to Atheist Church

"But I say to you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And to him that smites you on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that takes away your cloak forbid not to take your coat also. Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again. And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? for sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:27-36)

Notice this is only for "those that hear." If you are not a Christian, you will find it almost impossible to obey these admonitions, because "those who hear" are those who love God, and have therefore surrendered to His Lordship. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, those who love God are a reflection of the love of God.

If you love God you will love righteousness--something this world hates, so you will have enemies, those that hate you, those who curse you, and despitefully use you. You may even have people smite you on the cheek, and if that happens, don’t hit back. Show love and forgiveness, and if God sees fit to do so, He will do the hitting for you.

"The Golden Rule" is to treat others how you would like to be treated yourself. This entails giving when people ask you to give, and in doing so, you will be like your Father in Heaven, who is kind to the one who hates Him, denies Him, and blasphemes His holy name. Yet He gave those who are evil the gift of life. He gave health and strength, and the sun to shine on them and the rain to water their gardens. He is kind to the unthankful and to those who are evil. If the Christian gives to those who ask, God will give back to him. If his coat is taken, He will provide another. It is a win/win situation.

But there's a good reason that we should live in such a radically different way from this selfish world. It is so that those who are contentious will see that we genuinely love God and love them, and hopefully they will "hear," and in doing so, find everlasting life.

A Christmas Message from NASA

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=41381691

Pic. Apollo 8 Stamp. How cool.

Read the words as you watch...

http://worriersanonymous.org/Share/Christmas/Holynite.htm

This will blow you away...

After watching the Hallelujah chorus I had tears running down my cheeks. Then I clicked on this (if you laugh at it you are a bit sick. I laughed):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBLt6Kd9EY&feature=related

I Hope Some Day You'll Join Us...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

No doubt many of you have seen this wonderful clip (it’s been getting a few views lately).

See if you can figure the message:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever.

There is a new world coming for all those that love God, where there will be pleasure for evermore. I can’t wait! Christians sure have something to sing about. Atheists don’t have a prayer.

We love you; care about you, and want you to join us. Repent and trust the Savior this Christmas. You will be eternally thankful you did.

Pic. George Frideric Handel, German composer (1685-1759)

Evolution of the Human Body

"I personally don't believe in an afterlife as I see no evidence for one, and why would there be? How can your consciousness still exist if you don't have a functioning brain? Show me how it would work and I'll rethink my position." Andy Duchemin

Your consciousness is your self-realization. It is the real perceptive you--something the Bible calls your "soul." Skeptics often object to the soul-word because it has connotations of God, and therefore moral responsibility. However, it is just a biblical synonym for the word "life," and who would argue that life exists within the human body?

It is life that motives the body. When someone dies, the person/life/soul passes on. Some have a belief the life ceases at that point, while the Scriptures make it clear that at death the person does indeed "pass on," and he or she passes on into eternity.

Over a lifetime the human body changes. It evolves. One glance at old photos reminds the 84 year-old that he looks radically different than he did when he was 14 years old. Different though his body is, he is still the same soul, with a lot more knowledge and experience.

I have a friend who was born without arms and legs. Despite having half a body, Nick is a compete soul, full of vibrant life, has great faculties, and he loves God with all of his heart, mind, and soul. If one of his lungs was to be removed, or a kidney, he would still be a complete personality...a complete soul.

Each of us are more than the four pounds of flesh we call a "brain." It only functions because life works through it. When the soul leaves the body, the brain no longer works because life is no longer there. So to say that there is no soul because the brain stops working after death, doesn’t prove there is no soul. It proves the very opposite. The brain no longer registers consciousness, because the soul has left.

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

Christmas Quiz

"spencer7593 said...a quick Christmas quiz: 1. Which of the four gospel authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) records the Christmas story of the Magi (the 'three wisemen') following the star to visit Jesus after his birth? 2. Which of the three remaining gospel authors records the Christmas story of the shepherds visiting the scene of Jesus birth? 3. Which of the two remaining gospel authors records the Christmas story that includes a great red dragon?"

I was tempted for a moment to answer your cynicism with sarcasm. However, I will answer it with good old common sense. In a court case, when witnesses seem to disagree on what they saw, a wise lawyer doesn’t discount them as liars. Rather, he sees where they can harmonize so that he can see the complete picture.

Despite cut and paste silliness from atheist websites, the four gospel writers harmonize perfectly. However, if you don't want them to, they won't. You will be like a rebellious child who deliberately picks up a wrong piece of a jigsaw pizzle, and when it doesn't fit, he throws a fit.

Today's Sunrise...

Job 9:7 "Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars." And everyone knows that the Earth doesn't move and the Sun actually orbits the Earth making the Sun rise! Right? Job 26:11 "The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof." And the sky is on pillars too? Seriously?... Job 37:18 "Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?" How does NASA get through that molten glass with out breaking it or crashing it? Job 38:13 "That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?" Answer those problems Ray from that ONE book." HopeYourGuessMyName

You and other atheists, who find all these mistakes in God's Word, must be thrown into confusion when your local forecaster tells you what time the sun rises each day. Or you must be rolling on the floor when a newsreader tells you that a reporter went to the ends of the earth to cover a story.

If you want to point to metaphors or figures of speech as your examples of mistakes, you should have gone to the Book of Revelation. It's full of them. Here's a good one for you to use, from Isaiah: God said that Israel was the apple of His eye. Ha! We all know that eyes don’t have apples in them.

And why would you believe that the earth doesn't move, when modern science has discovered that it’s moving at 66,600 mph through space, and at the same time it's spinning at a 1,000 miles-per-hour? Perhaps you live in an earthquake-free country, and you've never felt the earth move. Or maybe you thought Carole King was scientifically illiterate when she sang,

"I feel the earth move under my feet; I feel the sky tumbling down..."

Sky tumbling down! Seriously.

You may also like to explain to international pilots your belief that everyone knows the earth doesn't move, and that will save them having to allow for the earth's rotation, when they plan their flight path.

After quoting "Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?" you sarcastically ask "How does NASA get through that molten glass with out breaking it or crashing it?"

The answer is that they have to send the shuttle into the sky at an incredible 17,500MPH to break through it. When a space vehicle passes through that shield, it doesn't break it. It breaks through it. Didn't you know that? Without the shield of the five atmospheric layers, we would all be dead. So you can thank God that He placed that protective layer around the earth.

Congratulations...

Holly H. got the jacket, Lee N. and Neil G. got the vests. These will go out via UPS tomorrow.

"People are Truly Good at Heart..."

"It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." from the Diary of Anne Frank (last entry). Your God damns her to hell after the hell she lived through. Your suggestion that she deserved eternity in hell because your God is so just is revolting." MollyKnits

It seems that you are more upset at God, rather than the Nazis. Are you agreeing with Anne Frank, that the Nazis weren't that bad after all? I hope not. And why would you be even slightly concerned, when you don't believe that Hell or God exist?

Also, you have no reason to be upset because the Germans devoured the Jews. This is the process of evolution you champion; and if God ultimately devours Anne Frank, your cruel process of evolution continues into eternity.

Rather, you choose not to believe that God is rich in mercy, and because of that, you end up with a revolting image that you have created in your own mind. The merciless Jew-damning god you are so upset by, doesn't exist.

Don't forget that when Anne Frank said that she believed that people were truly good at heart, she was still in hiding with her family. Her naive faith in human goodness may have been shaken when she and her family were taken to Auschwitz in 1944, and her father was separated from her.

At 15 years old, she was then forced to strip naked, disinfected, had her head shaved, and was tattooed with an identifying number on her arm. She was then used as slave labor until disease caused her skin to became badly infected by scabies. She was then moved to an "infirmary," that was in a state of constant darkness and infested with disease-ridden rats.

The last time Anne was seen by two of her friends, most of her precious family were dead. She was bald, emaciated and shivering. In February, 1945 she told her friends that she didn’t want to live any longer. In March of the same year, she tragically died.

America has it's own holocaust, with government-sanctioned murder of over 50 million babies, since Roe vs Wade. Around 200,000 people were murdered in the U.S. during the 1990’s, and 30,000 slaughtered recently by the Mexican cartel, in drug wars. If you truly believe that man is good, then leave your front door open tonight. The odds are that you will be a statistic in the morning.

I'm hoping to see Anne Frank in Heaven. I hope to see you there also.

Welcome to the Atheist Church

"But woe unto you that are rich! for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full! for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now! for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:24-26).

It's sometimes said that the teachings of Jesus weren't original, however, there's no basis for the claim. No one has ever said the things that Jesus said. Look at His amazing words. He spoke against those who were rich, those who weren't hungry, those who laughed, and those who had the approval of others. Yet, who in his right mind doesn’t want to be financially secure, have enough food on the table, and to be happy and popular?

But Scripture must be interpreted with Scripture. These statements are in the context of those who forget their Creator. The rich tend to do that. Their money becomes their god, and in their god do they trust. It's the source of their joy. It provides their security for the future. It's their first love. It takes the place of God, and Jesus warned that it was harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter Heaven. But even though Jesus railed upon the rich, He forgave a rich man (Zacchaeus), when he had the good sense to approach Him in humility (see Luke 19:1-9).

Jesus also spoke of a man who had so much wealth he decided to build a large structure, and fill it with his goods. Then he patted himself on the back, because he had planned well for the future. It was then that God called him a fool, and said that death would seize upon him that very night, because he had stored up his treasure on earth and neglected Heaven. So are all those who forget God.

Jesus then warned of ear-tickling preachers--those who will be popular in the eyes of a sin loving world. But their empty praise will be meaningless on Judgment Day. Today is the day to apply for the two free Crocodile Dundee vests, and the handmade leather jacket. Send your name and address to: request@livingwaters.com We will pick three winners, and mail them to you.

Life's Most Important Information...

"An aside, anyone who stands in the gap, fire fighter, soldier, police etc has earned a pass to heaven. They have seen hell, so all the rhetoric you post Ray means nothing in the service these people have purchased. If God can not grant grace to those that have served above and beyond cant find grace, then your "gospel" has no meaning, what so ever. Any Deity that cannot see the dedication and good works of these fine people, what ever their theological point of view, should not be worshiped." Icouldbe

You are correct. Deity that cannot see dedication and good works of "fine people" shouldn’t be worshipped. Our problem is that in our own eyes we may think of ourselves as fine people, but God's eyes, we are not. We are wicked criminals who have violated His moral Law.

He is perfect and demands moral perfection, and for you and I to say that He is not, is to make up a god that doesn’t exist. But when we acknowledge our sins and see God in truth--as the Law-giver and Judge, our "good" works are not seen as good works at all, but despicable attempts to bribe the Judge of the Universe--"God, I will give you my moral deeds, and in exchange You give me everlasting life." That’s a purchase.

Let's think about that for a moment. How much "above and beyond" must I serve to buy eternal life from God? How much "hell" do I need to endure to merit everlasting life? Does a Jew suffering in a Nazi concentration camp enough? How about a Frenchman suffering under the Nazis? How about a German who suffered for days on a battlefield and dying, after standing on a landmine?

How about an American suffering "hell" after being trapped in a car for hours because of some terrible accident? How about cancer sufferers? What about asthmatics? How much "hell" is necessary, and who is it that makes the determination that the suffering is finished--complete so that everlasting life can be granted? Is it the sufferer? Or is it God? If you say that it's God, then it certainly isn't the God of the Bible.

But the moment Jesus of Nazareth cried, "It is finished!" the suffering was complete. The debt was paid. The Law was satisfied and wicked sinners could have their case dismissed and allowed to live--not because we had done anything, but because the Judge is rich in mercy.

That's the good news of the Gospel--that no one needs to suffer anything to have their sins forgiven and find everlasting life, because God Himself provided the sacrifice. He became a Man and took the sin of the world upon Himself (see 1 Timothy 3:16).

When any human being--Jew, Gentile, black, white, rich, poor, Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist, or any religious person forsakes his own supposed "good works" and trusts in God's mercy through Jesus Christ, they find everlasting life. God immediately "imputes" His righteousness to you (He freely gives a right moral standing). This is what the Scriptures teach from beginning to end (the book of James speaks of works being the fruit of salvation, not the means to it).

Again, a man or woman receives everlasting life, not as payment for his good works, but as a gift of God (through imputed righteousness) by trusting in His mercy. Remember, the below verses are from a book written nearly 2,000 years ago, but they perfectly address the fallacy that works merit salvation.

Read them carefully, because your own salvation depends upon your understanding of this great truth. If you cling to your works and refuse God’s mercy, you will receive His fearful Justice. You have His promise on that:

"Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God). Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried" (Romans 4:4-7, Amplified Bible)

Transitional Dog...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd4_3IPZ2JM

Just Believe...

Darkknight56 said..."You want me to believe that Richard Dawkins, world famous atheist, believes in a designer? How do you differentiate the appearance of design from actual design?" Hi Darkknight56. You have free will to believe whatever you wish. But, check out what Richard Dawkins said in his interview with Ben Stein (Expelled No Intelligence Required). See it with your own eyes, listen to it with your own ears on Youtube. Why would Richard Dawkins speculate about life being designed by aliens and seeded on this planet if he could see no appearance of design? Why would he even speculate about an alien designer if life did not appear to be designed, or he had ruled out an intelligent designer? God Bless. Neil.

Neil, it's futile to try and reason with the "new atheists" about Professor Richard Dawkins. Remember, he's their pope, and he is therefore without sin. His word is infallible. If he says that we are cousins of bananas, then we are cousins of bananas. We don't question the pope. If he says we are all apes, then we are all apes. If he says that nature has the appearance of being designed, but no Designer, then that's just the way it is. He doesn't debate the issue. Debating is beneath his holy dignity.

If he stands on the balcony of secular reasoning and says that in the beginning nothing created everything, that's what happened. Don't think for yourself--only believe, and then join the faithful and sing his praises.

If you heard him say that aliens may have seeded this planet, then you are mistaken, because the professor has ex cathedra. You just have to deal with it.

Pic. Pope Gregory the Great.

My Last Day in New Zealand--back in 1989

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5KIRApHXs

You May Find This Boring...

"What does a trillion years feel like? In light of eternity, even after a trillion years, it's only just 'beginning'. But it's your choice on where you'll spend eternity." I barely know what to do with myself if I have more than 5 hours of free time. Heaven or Hell... BOTH of those seem like torture once the novelty wears off. How do YOU reconcile the inevitable boredom you will feel after having done everything in the Universe two times over in your precious paradise in the clouds? Or is there is 'suicide' option in Heaven once you've had enough?" Lurker

I hear what you are saying. I feel the same way. I used to think that if I was ever put in prison for my faith, I would pass the time by working out. One day I had to wait for a doctor, in a small room that was about the size of a prison cell. The wait turned out to be for about 30 minutes. I enthusiastically worked out for the first five minutes, looked at all the horrible posters of lungs and other things on the wall for another five, and them spent the last 20 minutes going crazy with boredom.

Some people don't mind doing nothing. Others, like me and you, need to do something meaningful. However, this sense of boredom drives some to drink, some to drugs, some to suicide, and some to their knees.

The Bible says that when mankind fell because of sin, it brought with it the Genesis curse. This subjected the entire human race to something called "futility" (we call it "boredom"). From that moment in time, every pleasure that every human being found in this life had its high, then went back to mundane boredom. All pleasure became temporary.

The moment we find peace with God through repentance and faith in Jesus, God seals us with His Holy Spirit and marks us for His coming Kingdom. That's not some harp-playing "spiritual" realm, but life on this earth without the Genesis curse. That means no earthquakes, floods, famines, hurricanes, tornados, poisonous snakes, biting tigers, mosquitoes, pain, tears, suffering, cancer, aging, depression, disease, death, dandruff, and dentists. And guess what? No more futility! No more boredom. God promises (and He cannot lie), that all those who trust in His mercy will have pleasure "forevermore." I can’t wait. Please join us. See John chapter three for entry details.

Welcome to the Atheist Church

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are you poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice you in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets" ( Luke 5: 20-23).

There are people we call themselves "Christians,' and they aren’t hated because they belong to Jesus Christ. They are hated because they are condescending, or self-righteous, or because they are simply hateful. But when Jesus spoke of those who are highly favored by God ("blessed"), He was speaking of those who love Him, and therefore live for Him. They are the ones who will be hated by this world, because they refuse to live like the world. Their lives of holiness (separation from the pleasures of sin) is an offense to them.

Every genuine Christian is a "light" that Jesus said "cannot be hid." Light exposes. It reveals moral guilt. Before I was converted I loved the darkness and hated the light. Anything to do with God, and especially the name of Jesus Christ, made me feel uncomfortable to a point of giving me the creeps. But on April 25th, 1972, I moved out of the darkness into the light. I became a partaker "of the inheritance of the saints in the light." God delivered me "from the power of darkness" and conveyed me "into the kingdom of the Son of His love..." (see Colossians 1:12-14).

So whenever I speak to a non-Christian about the things of God, I know that he or she is going to feel uncomfortable. I know that it will give them the creeps and that I may be hated for what I say, especially when I use the light of God’s Law. It is the moral Law that exposes our sinful heart and reveals what we are in truth--liars, thieves, blasphemers, lust-filled adulterers, etc., and stirs the conscience: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19-20, NKJV).

That Bronze Age Book...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNseXdd260&feature=channel

Low-life's and Public Restrooms

Now and then I take a few moments to check out different atheist sites to see what is being said about me. I don't go there much because everything is pretty nasty, and reminds me of the low-life language on the wall of a public restroom in a bad part of town.

However, sometimes among the dirt there's a little diamond. An atheist will say that he appreciates that I let through a lot of negative comments about myself, and they give me a backhanded compliment for doing so.

But there is good reason why I let through comments that say that I'm a liar and a money-hungry charlatan. It's because I know that I'm not, and that those who accuse me of being so are either nasty themselves, or they have misinformation, or they say that I "misrepresent" their atheistic and evolutionary beliefs. Rather, I don't accept the beliefs of their particular sect of atheism, with its new definitions of the nature of atheism and unscientific beliefs about evolution.

But here is the dilemma for the accusing atheist. If I am a liar and I'm a slick and greedy charlatan, I'm not doing anything morally wrong. This is because there are no moral absolutes to which an atheist can point. He may think that it's wrong, and say that he wouldn't do it himself, but he has nothing upon which to hang his right and wrong, according to his worldview.

However, if there are moral absolutes and there is a God that will punish liars and those who are covetous, in a place called "Hell," then the atheist is also in big trouble for his own glaring sins. He can’t win either way. All he can do is name-call in the hope that that will discourage me. And so we have the continual name-calling and accusations.

But I'm not discouraged at all, because God alone is the judge of my actions, and He's "rich in mercy." But those atheists who judge me without mercy should be aware of what they are doing:

"For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy..." (James 2:13).

"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:2).

Schnee...

Schnee..., originally uploaded by pixelsniper.

Schnee...

Schnee..., originally uploaded by pixelsniper.

Schnee...

Schnee..., originally uploaded by pixelsniper.

"Oh Wise and Holy Christians..."

"Does it or does it not say: MARK 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 7:10 For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curses father or mother, let him die the death It does so how am I supposed to read this huh? How should I morally accept what I read here? Jesus is saying anyone that curses there father or mother let them die the death or as the OT says "stone them to death". Please explain this to me oh wise holy good Christians. I mean gosh I am just godless heathen atheist what do I know?" Caveman 73

You are right to be horrified by these verses of Scripture. But before we look at the answer as to why you should be horrified, let’s pull back for a moment, and look at what you call "nature" and what I call "creation."

Think of what happens when someone falls off a sixty story balcony. The consequences of a human being falling and hitting the ground are horrific. Or think of what happens when a human being is trapped in a house that is consumed in an inferno. That’s also horrific.

How now would you answer someone who said to you, "Oh wise Mr. Caveman, please explain this to me?" You would probably say, "Well, that's just the way it is. That’s the natural world in which we live, in which there are consequences. So make sure you don't fall off sixty story buildings, and make sure you have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home."

In Mark 7, and in many other places, Jesus expounds the harshness of God's moral Law. That Law demands the death sentence for violation of the Sabbath, for adultery, homosexuality, for murder, blasphemy, and for dishonor of parents. It is extremely harsh. Harsher than the laws that govern fire and gravity. Jesus warned that the morally perfect Law demands that we give an account of even every idle word we speak. It considers lust to be adultery and hatred to be murder. Look at how the Bible says those who reject the gospel, will come under even greater wrath:

"Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:28-29--NKJV)

Jesus warned that the justice of God on Judgment Day will "grind" sinners to "powder." When something is ground to power, a thorough job is done. Nothing is left, and that's how it will be on Judgment Day. No stone will be left unturned. Every transgression of the Law will receive retribution. That's the way it is.

But thank God, that's not the way it needs to be for you and me. We have the smoke detector of a good conscience, and if we will listen to it, it will alarm us and send us to the cross. That's where the consuming fire of God's wrath was extinguished, for those who repent and trust in the Savior.

"Christian" Leaders Leaning Towards Atheism

After seven seasons as host of Canada's "most listened to spiritual talk show," Drew Marshall announced to his listeners that he is no longer convinced there's a God.(1) ABC News recently reported that a Southern Baptist pastor has become a closet atheist,(2) and an evangelical Bible Belt pastor said that he had been living a lie and confessed, "I live out my life as if there is no God."(3)

The doubting talk show host said that he became a follower of Christ in 1981. But it wasn’t until recently that he verbalized that he wasn’t convinced that God existed, saying "I feel pretty close to walking away from my faith."(4)

I have to confess that I too have been having doubts. I’ve been living in the same house for more than 15 years, and I have secretly doubted if there was a builder. I know it’s beautifully made, with walls, carpet, doors, cupboards, windows, rooms, lighting, air-conditioning, a floor, an intricate electrical system, a fireplace and a roof, but it’s only recently that I have actually verbalized that I’m not convinced that there was a builder.

You would have to question my sanity if I really believed, let alone said such a thing. It is a scientific impossibility for a building to build itself (even the Bible says "… "Every house is built by someone…"(5)), and it is a scientific impossibility for creation to create itself. The amazing creation that surrounds us is 100% scientific proof that there is a Creator--"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…"(6) That’s why the Scriptures rightly call anyone who doubts the existence of God, a "fool" (see Psalm 14:1, Romans 1:21). Atheism is an undiagnosed form of insanity. No wonder Isaac Newton called it "senseless."

But the talk show host’s problem is bigger than himself, and it’s deeper than his nagging doubt. We have millions of people within the contemporary Church who have been convinced intellectually of the existence of God, but they’ve never been converted experientially by the power of God. So when someone comes along with what they perceive to be a more convincing argument, they begin to doubt their salvation. And so they should--because they are not saved. They are false converts; something Scripture refers to as "goats among the sheep", "tares among the wheat", "bad fish among the good."

False converts aren’t the genuine article. They are pretenders that sit among God’s people. This should come as no surprise to the skeptics. They have always said that the Church is "filled with hypocrites." And there the pretenders will remain, right up until Judgment Day when God separates the genuine from the false.

Spurious converts don’t experience the "power" of the gospel (see Romans 1:16). The message they heard didn’t come to them "in power, in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance."(7) This is because the cross is the center of the gospel. It is the supreme expression of God’s love to the sinner and there is a good reason it was obscured to them. The only way to see the love expressed in the cross is to see sin in its true light. And the only way to see our sin clearly, is to understand the moral Law. A cure is of little worth to a healthy person, and the cure of the cross is of little value to those who have never seen how deathly sick they are before a morally perfect God.

If we haven’t personally seen the cross, then we haven’t personally experienced the love of God. This is the tragic case of Drew Marshall, expressed in his own words:

"My reasons for feeling like 'jumping' are plenty. However, they would best be explained by the following illustration: ‘Imagine a soldier at war, overseas for 30 years. Each week he would write at least one letter to his father back home. Each week he would expectantly wait for the one who supposedly loves him unconditionally, to write him back or phone or possibly even come for a visit. Any kind of personal interaction would do. He’s heard through his friends and other soldiers just how much his father loves him, but those rumors of Glory aren’t enough to sustain his faith in his father anymore.’"(8)

There’s not been a day in the last 39 years since my conversion that I haven’t basked in the sunshine of God’s incredible love for me. I have never doubted it for a second. I would sooner doubt the love and faithfulness of my much-loved wife of 40 years, than I would doubt the love and faithfulness of God, so evidentially demonstrated in the blood of the cross.

If I don’t believe in and trust my wife, I insult her integrity. I deem her to be devious. The Scriptures warn, "He that believes not God has made Him a liar,"(9) and "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."(10)

So my advice to pretenders in pulpits, is to go through the Ten Commandments (as expounded by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount), and apply each one personally, with a tender conscience. Then get on your knees before a holy God and don’t get up until you know Him whom knowing is eternal life (see John 17:3). This issue is more serious than a heart attack. It’s the issue of your own eternal salvation, and the salvation of those you will lead astray with your unfaithful words.

If you want a deeper understanding as to why the Church is so filled with false converts, get a copy of the free book, God Has a Wonderful Plan For Your Life--The myth of the modern message. Or you can read or listen to the book freely online at www.FreeWonderfulbook.com.

Notes:
(1) http://drewmarshall.ca/droogle/
(2) http://abcnews.go.com/WN/atheist-ministers-leading-faithful/story?id=12004359
(3) Ibid
(4) http://drewmarshall.ca/droogle/
(5) Hebrews 3:4 (italics added).
(6) Romans 1:20 (italics added).
(7) 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (italics added).
(8) http://drewmarshall.ca/droogle/
(9) 1 John 5:10
(10) Hebrews 3:12 (italics added)

Picture: Drew Marshall

It's About Time...

Pic. From Time magazine

Welcome to the Atheist Church

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be you poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake" (Luke 6:20-22).

An atheist wrote and said that if I walked into a room and shared what I believed, people would quietly leave. He was right. I saw that happen when I first became a Christian. I screened a surf movie I hade produced back in 1972, to 300 surfers, and then told them that I had a better film to show them. It was a Christian production, and they listened to me talk until I said the name of Jesus. I’m not exaggerating when I say that 150 of them panicked, and left that hall as though they were criminals and I had just mentioned the police. But they were reacting exactly as the Bible says guilty sinners react. Look at this verse:

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19-20).

We are like dirty little cockroaches that scatter when the light is switched on. But the Day is coming when the light of God's Law will fall upon all of humanity. On Judgment Day there will be no offer of mercy, and nowhere to hide.

When Jesus said that the poor were "blessed," He was referring to those who are "poor in spirit." They are the ones who acknowledge that they are destitute of any moral goodness, as apposed to those who insist that they are morally good (most of sinful humanity). These are those who unlike this world, hunger for righteousness. They don’t enjoy the sinful pleasures of this world, but rather weep over the wickedness and where it will eventually take this sin-loving world.

The Christian will be hated by this world, but loved by God. Sinners will isolate him and treat him with scorn, but he is comforted by the Holy Spirit. His name will be cast as evil because he belongs to Jesus Christ, but he is accepted in the beloved and by the grace of God, his name is written in the Book of Life. And that's all that really matters in the light of eternity.

Input for Television Program

I am writing the scripts for Season Five of our television program. The subject for the series is "History-makers." It's about those in history who have changed the world, for better or for worse. Each program will be titled "Adolf Hitler, God and the Bible," "Albert Einstein, God, and the Bible," "Charles Darwin, God, and the Bible" etc., thirteen in all. I have written five, am about to begin on the Charles Darwin script. My mission? I'm out to prove that evolution is true. I want to find undisputed scientific evidence, that doesn't have to be accepted by faith.

Who I should interview (what experts)?
Where could I contact these experts?
What evidence should I look at?
Where can I find it?

This is an opportunity to have input into a program that goes to 70 countries and is on more than 30 networks. There is also a book series involved, so speak up...give it your best shot.

Here's what I am expecting from you. You will come up with nothing, and instead revert to saying "You liar! I don’t trust you." "You will twist anything we say!" "Just don't go and interview dumb university students on the subject!" "Go and interview a banana, you jerk."

Disappoint me.

Chickenhead Two

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse..." (Romans 1:20)

Bring it on, and I will believe...

"Would it be fair to say that as far as you're concerned, when it comes to evolution no evidence could possibly convince you, but when it comes to creationism no evidence is even necessary?" Captain Howdy

Of course I would believe in the theory of evolution, if there was evidence for it taking place. However, most believers in the theory are confused between what is called "micro-evolution" (changes within "kinds"--differing types of dogs and cats, etc., which isn't evolution at all), and Darwinian evolution, for which there is no undisputed empirical evidence.

When I ask for scientific evidence, I usually get three main answers:

1. "Fossils! Although I'm not an expert; I really don't know the details."

2. I am sent lists of bones with unpronounceable names, that are believed to be millions of years old. I don't have the necessary sort of blind faith to believe such things. I want observable evidence.

And 3. There's the citing of bacteria sprouting into bacteria, which has nothing to do with the theory of evolution.

So, give me the real solid evidence, and I will become a believer.

When it comes to creationism, all I need is to see creation. That's the solid observable and undeniable evidence for me.

If you want to call creation "nature," and believe that nature made itself, go ahead. But don't ask me to believe something so obviously unscientific and foolish.