Homosexuals are seeking full acknowledgement of same sex marriage, and numerous celebrities have announces a homosexual lifestyle. At the same time, divorce rates among professing Christians has reached an all time high. Most couples today don’t bother with a legal ceremony because it is so openly declared that marriage is obsolete.
Despite huge amounts of energy and money by conservative and religious groups to counteract the trend, the problems have continued to escalate. I believe that the main reason stems from the fact that even as religious leaders pushed for a valid standard, they dropped the ball as far as showing why the standard applied. Even the smallest child has trouble with “because I said so.” Sadly, that is all most people have been taught.
Telling a child not to touch the stove means very little to him. If however you tell him it is hot, then if he understands hot as meaning it will cause pain, he has a reason for not touching it. If he doesn’t understand the word hot, it still means nothing. To tell him “I’ll smack your hand if you touch it,” means there will be no consequences unless I find out. People aren’t stupid. They want to know why. Forbidding behavior with out a meaningful reason implies it is just a control thing and encourages disobedience. The problem is amplified when it is obvious that others seem to be enjoying the forbidden behavior.
Forbidding people to engage in sexual sin has little impact when they see others indulging and bragging about it. Telling them God forbids it is meaningless as a reason, unless they have a strong fear of God’s judgment. The implication is that God or we are trying to keep them from experiencing something good. That approach led to the sexual revolution in the 1960’s and has led us to where we are now. Even most pastors and church members don’t appear to understand the scriptural teachings about marriage. How can they teach young people?
Genesis 2:21-25 is the basis of all biblical teaching about marriage and sex. “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
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Jesus used this passage for his teaching in Matthew 19:3-6. “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
It is God that joins the couple together, and nor the legal ceremony. There is an actual bonding process which takes place, performed by God, and no human authority is free to dissolve it. Not the Government, not the Church, not the parents, and not the couple. No man can put it asunder. The bond is permanent. That raises another question.
“They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” (Matthew 19:7-9)
Under the Mosaic Law, divorce and re marriage were permitted, but Jesus says that even in those cases, adultery occurred. God overlooked it because he is a forgiving God and understands the wickedness of human beings. It has never been acceptable behavior. The law called for the execution of those who committed adultery without a formal separation, both man and woman in Leviticus 20:10. I Corinthians 7:10-11 states that Christians are not to divorce, but if they feel forced to do so, they are still not free to remarry. They are not to still be living under that wicked nature that the Law made allowance for. They have the Lord’s spirit rather than that of the unsaved person.
Paul referred to Genesis 2:22-25 in explaining the bonding that God causes in I Corinthians 6:15-17. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”
God causes the bonding or joining any time the sexual union takes place. This includes even sexual relations with a prostitute. The bond cannot be broken. No matter who else they marry or mess around with, that bond will always be there to interfere with their relationship to another. This is probably the single biggest factor in the current divorce rate. One or both parties have other bonds still tying them to former partners that prevent full development of a new relationship.
Deuteronomy 22:22-29 applies the same standard to cases of rape. If it was consensual sex and one was married or committed to marriage, both man and woman are to be executed. If it was rape, then if she was married to or committed to another, the rapist was to be executed. If she was free, the rapist was to consider her as his wife and support her fully for the rest of her life. This minimized the interference of bonding with others by breaking the bonds of innocent victims.
"If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.” (Deuteronomy 22:23-29)
In cases of rape, the rapist could never divorce his victim. In cases of consensual sex, marriage was also obligatory. “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” (Exodus 22:16-17) The Father might refuse to allow his daughter to live with the guy, but he could not prevent the marriage. She was not free to marry someone else. Charges of sexual sin were serious, and if proven were grounds for execution. Making false charges of sexual impropriety was a serious crime. As Deuteronomy 22:13-21 makes very clear.
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.”
The importance of the bonding also comes out in God’s instructions about going back to the first mate after living with someone else in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.
And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”
Failure to recognize God’s authority in these matters brings our nation under God’s judgment. Only by making people aware of the consequences of sexual sin will most people begin to avoid it. As long a s it is just our opinion, or even God’s, there is little incentive to stop, and especially for those who have little respect for God. Scriptural teaching of our responsibilities should affect those who are serious about wanting to please God.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Brueger’s Disease
While visiting with My cousins Christmas Eve, I learned that one of my cousin’s daughters has a disease called Brueger’s Disease. I had never heard of it, but as my cousin described it sounds horrible. Blood quits flowing through the capillaries in the extremities and the area of flesh starves. If not removed it then develops gangrene, putting the persons life at risk, and there is no effective medical cure. It is exceedingly painful.
My cousins daughter has had several amputations so far, losing one leg to just below the Knee this last time and all the fingers on one hand and portions of several on the other. I spent some time late Christmas Eve and early Christmas day perusing about two hundred web sites for information that might be helpful to her. What I learned was shocking to me.
The disease was first identified about 1887 AD., but no clue was expressed as to the cause until 1908, when a doctor Brueger named it and concluded that it was in some way linked to smoking. While fairly rare, it appeared in about 40 of every 100,000 people between 20 and 40 years of age in studies during the 1980’s. About four times as many men were affected as women. A recently conducted study indicates that the incidence has dropped to about 12 in 100,000, but that the ratio of men to women is now about 2 to 1, and that the number of older victims is increasing, perhaps because more are living longer.
Repeated studies over the last one hundred years, including the latest, concluded in November 2010 have shown that it is definitely a result of tobacco use with about 80% of the victims being heavy smokers, and the rest moderate smokers and smokeless tobacco users.
Smoking has been repeatedly related to heart and vascular diseases, as nicotine causes the veins and capillaries to contract and restrict the flow of blood, causing the heart to have to work harder. In addition, the higher pressures result in inflammation of the blood vessels, causing swelling and further restriction. To protect the lining of the blood vessels, the auto immune system begins to form plaque which also restricts the blood flow and can break loose and block the smaller vessels.
People who develop Brueger’s Disease seem to react more than most to the constricting effect of nicotine. The only effective thing yet discovered is totally stopping all nicotine intake. Even breathing second hand smoke is enough to trigger the constriction. Nicotine patches to stop smoking make the problem worse, as do other medications containing nicotine related compounds. People who completely eliminate nicotine frequently experience no further problems. No medications have been found that exhibit any level of effectiveness. Several of the articles I read stressed that if the person refused to quit, further amputations and eventually death were inevitable.
I was especially troubled to realize that the connection to tobacco use has been even more clearly established than that of lung and throat cancers or heart disease, since 1908, yet the FDA, and the ATF have not even required a warning label until recently, and still allow the advertising and sale of tobacco products. The recent study concluded that the drop in incidence of Buerger’s was the result of a drop in tobacco use due to greater anti-smoking pressure, but that fewer women were quitting than men.
While Brueger’s Disease is clearly the result of the individual’s actions, the failure of the medical associations and regulatory agencies to warn people of the dangers is willful negligence. They have knowingly allowed people to take dangerous actions with no warning for over a hundred years. The tobacco companies have profited from and encouraged such use with the same knowledge. They ought to be held criminally liable.
Sadly, churches and Christians who have failed to warn others of the consequences of sin are just as guilty of willful neglect as the Governmental agencies which have failed to warn consumers. We cannot prevent people from doing the activity, as demonstrated by the failure of the war on drugs, but we can warn and discourage people from doing it. The most effective anti-drug program yet tried was Nancy Reagan’s “Just say No” campaign. People simply stopped using drugs because they were aware of the dangers and were given a choice. All the efforts to force them to stop have failed, on the other hand.
People cannot be forced to turn from sin. They have to be given the choice. Some will reject salvation, but some will receive it if it is presented as their choice. Just as with Brueger’s Disease, if they refuse to put aside their sin, nothing else will work. Ultimately, the result is up to them.
My cousins daughter has had several amputations so far, losing one leg to just below the Knee this last time and all the fingers on one hand and portions of several on the other. I spent some time late Christmas Eve and early Christmas day perusing about two hundred web sites for information that might be helpful to her. What I learned was shocking to me.
The disease was first identified about 1887 AD., but no clue was expressed as to the cause until 1908, when a doctor Brueger named it and concluded that it was in some way linked to smoking. While fairly rare, it appeared in about 40 of every 100,000 people between 20 and 40 years of age in studies during the 1980’s. About four times as many men were affected as women. A recently conducted study indicates that the incidence has dropped to about 12 in 100,000, but that the ratio of men to women is now about 2 to 1, and that the number of older victims is increasing, perhaps because more are living longer.
Repeated studies over the last one hundred years, including the latest, concluded in November 2010 have shown that it is definitely a result of tobacco use with about 80% of the victims being heavy smokers, and the rest moderate smokers and smokeless tobacco users.
Smoking has been repeatedly related to heart and vascular diseases, as nicotine causes the veins and capillaries to contract and restrict the flow of blood, causing the heart to have to work harder. In addition, the higher pressures result in inflammation of the blood vessels, causing swelling and further restriction. To protect the lining of the blood vessels, the auto immune system begins to form plaque which also restricts the blood flow and can break loose and block the smaller vessels.
People who develop Brueger’s Disease seem to react more than most to the constricting effect of nicotine. The only effective thing yet discovered is totally stopping all nicotine intake. Even breathing second hand smoke is enough to trigger the constriction. Nicotine patches to stop smoking make the problem worse, as do other medications containing nicotine related compounds. People who completely eliminate nicotine frequently experience no further problems. No medications have been found that exhibit any level of effectiveness. Several of the articles I read stressed that if the person refused to quit, further amputations and eventually death were inevitable.
I was especially troubled to realize that the connection to tobacco use has been even more clearly established than that of lung and throat cancers or heart disease, since 1908, yet the FDA, and the ATF have not even required a warning label until recently, and still allow the advertising and sale of tobacco products. The recent study concluded that the drop in incidence of Buerger’s was the result of a drop in tobacco use due to greater anti-smoking pressure, but that fewer women were quitting than men.
While Brueger’s Disease is clearly the result of the individual’s actions, the failure of the medical associations and regulatory agencies to warn people of the dangers is willful negligence. They have knowingly allowed people to take dangerous actions with no warning for over a hundred years. The tobacco companies have profited from and encouraged such use with the same knowledge. They ought to be held criminally liable.
Sadly, churches and Christians who have failed to warn others of the consequences of sin are just as guilty of willful neglect as the Governmental agencies which have failed to warn consumers. We cannot prevent people from doing the activity, as demonstrated by the failure of the war on drugs, but we can warn and discourage people from doing it. The most effective anti-drug program yet tried was Nancy Reagan’s “Just say No” campaign. People simply stopped using drugs because they were aware of the dangers and were given a choice. All the efforts to force them to stop have failed, on the other hand.
People cannot be forced to turn from sin. They have to be given the choice. Some will reject salvation, but some will receive it if it is presented as their choice. Just as with Brueger’s Disease, if they refuse to put aside their sin, nothing else will work. Ultimately, the result is up to them.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Can Diabetes Be Cured?
About the time I became pastor of our church, a number of people I knew were diagnosed with Type II diabetes. When one of my brothers and a sister were also diagnosed, it really sunk in how close it was. Since that time, the epidemic has grown and I know about fifty people who have been diagnosed. I began to study to see what I could do to help the ones I know, as well as to protect myself. What I have learned is somewhat startling. I would like to share it in hopes of helping someone. Those who have read this blog are aware of some of what I have learned about individual actions, but here I hope to give a more complete overview.
The biggest reason Type II Diabetes is such a serious problem is because of the way we are attempting to treat it. We are approaching it as a malfunction of the body. In fact it is the result of the body trying to function properly in an abnormal situation. I think what I mean can be illustrated with the following story.
In our area, rainfall averages about seven inches per year. Rains of a half inch or more over a wide area are extremely rare. As a result vegetation is sparse and there is nothing to catch large rains. Roads have to be designed to accommodate the run off, and usually they are designed with a one inch rain over the drainage area to give a margin of safety.
A road near Tse Bonito, New Mexico was designed using this standard. Calculations showed that three twelve foot diameter culverts would be more than adequate, and it worked fine for about twenty years. Then one day, we got a rain of about two and a half inches in about three hours. The culverts had been maintained quite well, and they were able to handle the initial rush, but as time passed, they were unable to let all the water through as fast as it arrived, and the excess began to pool on the uphill side of the road.
While the roadway was nearly twenty five feet above the bottom of the arroyo, by the time the rain stopped, the water level had reached the top of the roadway and began to spill over. Within minutes, the road washed away and even the culverts were carried down stream. Repairs required more than a hundred thousand dollars.
The culverts did not fail to let the water through , they were simply overwhelmed by the amount of water coming through. In the same way, Type II diabetes is not the result of a break down of the bodies processes. It is simply overwhelmed with an unnatural situation.
The human body is designed to use sugar, fat and protein to produce energy and maintain itself. Various vitamins and minerals are needed for the body to utilize these three basic dietary items. Protein is the main building block but provides little energy. Fat provides a slow sustained source of energy, and is easily stored in fat cells for use between meals. Sugar is obtained directly from fruits and vegetables, and is the easiest and most readily available energy. Starches are converted to sugar in the digestive system, and the body is able to obtain all the sugar needed from common foods.
Modern technology has enabled people to separate plant sugars from the cellulose in the normal plant and concentrate it. The white granular stuff we call sugar is just one kind of sugar. In 1950, the average American ate about twenty pounds of refined sugar a year. Today, the total is nearly nine times as much, about one hundred seventy pounds per year.
Because the sugar is already in most prepared foods, most people are unaware how much they are eating. The familiar white sugar is a type the body does not readily absorb, and about two thirds of it is passed through the body with little effect. Many prepared foods use fructose rather than sugar because it is cheaper. While it is more common than the white sugar we know, the form used, high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is highly concentrated, more than twice as sugary as whit sugar. In addition, it is totally absorbed, with the result that the same amount has nearly six times as much usable sugar.
The amount of sugar in modern foods is astounding. A single twelve ounce soda has the equivalent of nine teaspoons of sugar, and most people want a thirty-two or forty-four ounce drink. Few realize that because they use HFCS rather than sugar, a prepackaged donut will have twice as many calories, and nearly six times as much impact on ones sugar level as one from a donut shop. The same is true for many other products.
To use sugar, the body at rest uses insulin as a catalyst. When sugar is detected in the blood the body produces insulin to enable the cells to process the sugar. When the sugar level drops, insulin production is stopped. Excessive insulin can kill the cells, so they have a mechanism to prevent taking in too much. Exercise causes the muscle cells to produce waste products that work in a manner similar to insulin.
When too much sugar is consumed, the body is not able to keep up processing it and continues to produce insulin until the level drops. This triggers a response called insulin resistance to protect the cells. Most Type II diabetics average five times the normal level of insulin because the body cannot process the amount present, which further reduces the amount of sugar processed. The same process which blocks out extra insulin also prevents the body using fat, causing the cells to send signals that they are needing food, and the person feels hungry, eating more.
Fat cells do not have to have insulin so they are able to store some of the sugar and fat, causing weight gain, even as muscle cells are going hungry. As the sugar and insulin levels increase, the blood becomes increasingly sticky and damages blood vessels, leading to other problems.
Most diabetes medicines are aimed at increasing the utilization of insulin or increasing insulin supply on the assumption that the body is malfunctioning. If, instead, the level of sugar is reduced to normal levels, the body functions normally and the symptoms disappear. No medication is required unless the problem has been allowed to continue until the body’s ability to produce insulin is exhausted. At that point, like the water going over the road, permanent damage occurs, and insulin may then be necessary.
Even Solomon warned of the danger of too much sugar in Proverbs 25:27. “It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” It is far easier to completely eliminate sugar use for a time than to cut back, and doing so allows the body to re calibrate itself. A permanent change in lifestyle will prevent recurrance of the problem. Type II diabetes is not a result of disease, but of a defective lifestyle. It can easily be cured by simple changes. Numerous studies have shown this to be true, and several doctors have written books to guide people in curing themselves.
The biggest reason Type II Diabetes is such a serious problem is because of the way we are attempting to treat it. We are approaching it as a malfunction of the body. In fact it is the result of the body trying to function properly in an abnormal situation. I think what I mean can be illustrated with the following story.
In our area, rainfall averages about seven inches per year. Rains of a half inch or more over a wide area are extremely rare. As a result vegetation is sparse and there is nothing to catch large rains. Roads have to be designed to accommodate the run off, and usually they are designed with a one inch rain over the drainage area to give a margin of safety.
A road near Tse Bonito, New Mexico was designed using this standard. Calculations showed that three twelve foot diameter culverts would be more than adequate, and it worked fine for about twenty years. Then one day, we got a rain of about two and a half inches in about three hours. The culverts had been maintained quite well, and they were able to handle the initial rush, but as time passed, they were unable to let all the water through as fast as it arrived, and the excess began to pool on the uphill side of the road.
While the roadway was nearly twenty five feet above the bottom of the arroyo, by the time the rain stopped, the water level had reached the top of the roadway and began to spill over. Within minutes, the road washed away and even the culverts were carried down stream. Repairs required more than a hundred thousand dollars.
The culverts did not fail to let the water through , they were simply overwhelmed by the amount of water coming through. In the same way, Type II diabetes is not the result of a break down of the bodies processes. It is simply overwhelmed with an unnatural situation.
The human body is designed to use sugar, fat and protein to produce energy and maintain itself. Various vitamins and minerals are needed for the body to utilize these three basic dietary items. Protein is the main building block but provides little energy. Fat provides a slow sustained source of energy, and is easily stored in fat cells for use between meals. Sugar is obtained directly from fruits and vegetables, and is the easiest and most readily available energy. Starches are converted to sugar in the digestive system, and the body is able to obtain all the sugar needed from common foods.
Modern technology has enabled people to separate plant sugars from the cellulose in the normal plant and concentrate it. The white granular stuff we call sugar is just one kind of sugar. In 1950, the average American ate about twenty pounds of refined sugar a year. Today, the total is nearly nine times as much, about one hundred seventy pounds per year.
Because the sugar is already in most prepared foods, most people are unaware how much they are eating. The familiar white sugar is a type the body does not readily absorb, and about two thirds of it is passed through the body with little effect. Many prepared foods use fructose rather than sugar because it is cheaper. While it is more common than the white sugar we know, the form used, high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is highly concentrated, more than twice as sugary as whit sugar. In addition, it is totally absorbed, with the result that the same amount has nearly six times as much usable sugar.
The amount of sugar in modern foods is astounding. A single twelve ounce soda has the equivalent of nine teaspoons of sugar, and most people want a thirty-two or forty-four ounce drink. Few realize that because they use HFCS rather than sugar, a prepackaged donut will have twice as many calories, and nearly six times as much impact on ones sugar level as one from a donut shop. The same is true for many other products.
To use sugar, the body at rest uses insulin as a catalyst. When sugar is detected in the blood the body produces insulin to enable the cells to process the sugar. When the sugar level drops, insulin production is stopped. Excessive insulin can kill the cells, so they have a mechanism to prevent taking in too much. Exercise causes the muscle cells to produce waste products that work in a manner similar to insulin.
When too much sugar is consumed, the body is not able to keep up processing it and continues to produce insulin until the level drops. This triggers a response called insulin resistance to protect the cells. Most Type II diabetics average five times the normal level of insulin because the body cannot process the amount present, which further reduces the amount of sugar processed. The same process which blocks out extra insulin also prevents the body using fat, causing the cells to send signals that they are needing food, and the person feels hungry, eating more.
Fat cells do not have to have insulin so they are able to store some of the sugar and fat, causing weight gain, even as muscle cells are going hungry. As the sugar and insulin levels increase, the blood becomes increasingly sticky and damages blood vessels, leading to other problems.
Most diabetes medicines are aimed at increasing the utilization of insulin or increasing insulin supply on the assumption that the body is malfunctioning. If, instead, the level of sugar is reduced to normal levels, the body functions normally and the symptoms disappear. No medication is required unless the problem has been allowed to continue until the body’s ability to produce insulin is exhausted. At that point, like the water going over the road, permanent damage occurs, and insulin may then be necessary.
Even Solomon warned of the danger of too much sugar in Proverbs 25:27. “It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” It is far easier to completely eliminate sugar use for a time than to cut back, and doing so allows the body to re calibrate itself. A permanent change in lifestyle will prevent recurrance of the problem. Type II diabetes is not a result of disease, but of a defective lifestyle. It can easily be cured by simple changes. Numerous studies have shown this to be true, and several doctors have written books to guide people in curing themselves.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Fighting Fires
For ten years, I served on the Navajo New Mexico volunteer fire department. I had never had any desire to be a fireman, and did not enjoy the job, but nobody else seemed willing to do it. In order to learn as much as possible about the job, I took a fire fighter training course through Northland Pioneer College and attended numerous state sponsored firefighting programs. Every program stressed that the primary objective was saving lives, whether occupants of the building, bystanders, or firefighting personnel. Buildings can be rebuilt, people can’t.
The Arizona State Flammable Liquids and Gases Fire School was devoted to extinguishing fires in special situations. Even there the Emphasis was on protecting life, With great emphasis on testing and using safety gear, planning a safe approach and path of retreat, evacuating potential victims, and emergency first aid, before we practiced the actual firefighting techniques. It is essential that the fireman be aware of what is going on a round him at all times, to protect himself and others.
There are a great many similarities between the fireman’s job and the church‘s job. Our primary purpose is the saving people’s souls, not fixing the world’s problems. A couple of years before moving to Navajo, I saw a huge billow of smoke about a quarter of a mile from our house and hurried to the top of a nearby hill to see what was going on. A huge old house surrounded by trees was on fire, and even as I looked, a small fire truck from the local volunteer fire department arrived, so I stayed to watch.
The firemen immediately started their pump and began spraying water through one of the front windows, which pushed the flame out the back window and door. Within minutes, they ran out of water and the fire spread rapidly. A huge section of the back fell outward, surrounding the propane tank with burning lumber and igniting several nearby trees. Fortunately a second fire truck arrived, and one of the men with it walked around the house to assess the situation. He ordered the second truck to put out the flame around the propane tank to prevent an explosion that could have destroyed several nearby homes and killed the firemen. Next they checked the part of the house that was not involved, and rescued a small child. The first group of firemen had been so involved in putting out the fire they had not even checked to see if anyone was still inside. They endangered not only the child, but the entire neighborhood by losing sight of the primary objective.
Christians who get caught up in solving the worlds problems often forget about the souls of people. While it is necessary to help the people of Haiti with food and medicine, or to provide food and housing for homeless people, if we’re are not careful it is as if we saved the house but failed to get the people out in time.
We were called to fire on the old Red Lake road and checked the house to be sure everyone was out. We had the fire almost out and the ambulance had already left when a neighbor came from a nearby house and spoke to a policeman standing nearby. The neighbors had seen the fire and pulled the man out, taking him to their home. Assuming he was okay, they then came out to watch us fight the fire and the man died of smoke inhalation because he didn’t get the help he needed, though both we and the EMT’s had the equipment available to have saved his life.
Too often Christians are in such a hurry to get a profession and get back to what they are doing that they don’t take time to be sure the people they have tried to help have actually received the help they need. A major theme of the book of Hebrews is the people who have made a profession, been baptized and take an active part in the church, but have not been saved. They still die in their sin, because no one took the trouble to be sure they had received Christ.
When the Window Rock High School burned, a number of Fire Departments were involved in fighting the fire. One fireman from another department was apparently drunk and trying to impress everyone. Several times other firefighters had to convince him to stop his efforts and move to other areas because his actions endangered himself and others. He seemed totally unaware of the risks he was taking, or of what needed to be done. He became quite angry and made fun of the others lack of nerve because they would not help him. Finally, his fire chief had to assign another firefighter take him home.
Like the drunk fire fighter, some Christians are so convinced of their superiority that they begin to be angry with others who do not do exactly as they do, never realizing the harm they do to the cause of Christ both by their critical attitude toward others, and by their own counterproductive efforts to accomplish God‘s work.
Flames are the result of vaporized fuels mixing with oxygen and igniting. Fires can be extinguished by removing the source of ignition, stopping the fuel supply, or cutting off the oxygen supply. Cooling the fuel source with water can stop vaporization of solids and some liquids, eliminating the flame. In an partially enclosed space, spraying a fine mist into the flame can produce steam which forces out the oxygen and extinguishes the flame. Water will not cool natural gas or propane enough to stop vaporization, and they attain such pressures that attempts to cut of the oxygen supply are only temporary expedients. The flow of fuel must be stopped, by turning off a valve or stopping the leak.
At the Flammable Liquids and Gases school we were taught how to use our hoses to push the flame away so we could safely cap the leak or turn off a valve. Because of the pressures and flow needed, five men and two hoses with properly working nozzles are required. Two men do nothing but direct the spray from the nozzles. The force of the water requires their complete concentration to maintain accuracy. Two more men drag the hoses, and take the strain off the nozzle men. Because none of these men can see what is happening the fifth man stands between the nozzles, observing how the flame is pushed back and directing the nozzle men to maintain a consistent and effective curtain through which he can reach to shut off the valve or cap the leak.
On one of the teams, the center man was failed to keep a close enough watch on effect of the spray, and flame curled in behind the curtain, burning one of the men’s hair, eyebrows, and moustache even though they had full protective gear. After that, it was easy for the other teams to understand the importance of observing what was happening.
Just as it is essential that the nozzles be working properly to produce a spray capable of protecting the fire fighters, it is critical that the preaching be completely scriptural. Just as it is critical that the fifth man direct to nozzle men properly to protect them, it is critical that the word be applied in a proper place, which requires awareness as to what is going on, not just on what we are trying to accomplish, but in the surrounding area that may influence our actions. If we fail to observe and adjust properly we may well cause spiritual harm to others.
The Arizona State Flammable Liquids and Gases Fire School was devoted to extinguishing fires in special situations. Even there the Emphasis was on protecting life, With great emphasis on testing and using safety gear, planning a safe approach and path of retreat, evacuating potential victims, and emergency first aid, before we practiced the actual firefighting techniques. It is essential that the fireman be aware of what is going on a round him at all times, to protect himself and others.
There are a great many similarities between the fireman’s job and the church‘s job. Our primary purpose is the saving people’s souls, not fixing the world’s problems. A couple of years before moving to Navajo, I saw a huge billow of smoke about a quarter of a mile from our house and hurried to the top of a nearby hill to see what was going on. A huge old house surrounded by trees was on fire, and even as I looked, a small fire truck from the local volunteer fire department arrived, so I stayed to watch.
The firemen immediately started their pump and began spraying water through one of the front windows, which pushed the flame out the back window and door. Within minutes, they ran out of water and the fire spread rapidly. A huge section of the back fell outward, surrounding the propane tank with burning lumber and igniting several nearby trees. Fortunately a second fire truck arrived, and one of the men with it walked around the house to assess the situation. He ordered the second truck to put out the flame around the propane tank to prevent an explosion that could have destroyed several nearby homes and killed the firemen. Next they checked the part of the house that was not involved, and rescued a small child. The first group of firemen had been so involved in putting out the fire they had not even checked to see if anyone was still inside. They endangered not only the child, but the entire neighborhood by losing sight of the primary objective.
Christians who get caught up in solving the worlds problems often forget about the souls of people. While it is necessary to help the people of Haiti with food and medicine, or to provide food and housing for homeless people, if we’re are not careful it is as if we saved the house but failed to get the people out in time.
We were called to fire on the old Red Lake road and checked the house to be sure everyone was out. We had the fire almost out and the ambulance had already left when a neighbor came from a nearby house and spoke to a policeman standing nearby. The neighbors had seen the fire and pulled the man out, taking him to their home. Assuming he was okay, they then came out to watch us fight the fire and the man died of smoke inhalation because he didn’t get the help he needed, though both we and the EMT’s had the equipment available to have saved his life.
Too often Christians are in such a hurry to get a profession and get back to what they are doing that they don’t take time to be sure the people they have tried to help have actually received the help they need. A major theme of the book of Hebrews is the people who have made a profession, been baptized and take an active part in the church, but have not been saved. They still die in their sin, because no one took the trouble to be sure they had received Christ.
When the Window Rock High School burned, a number of Fire Departments were involved in fighting the fire. One fireman from another department was apparently drunk and trying to impress everyone. Several times other firefighters had to convince him to stop his efforts and move to other areas because his actions endangered himself and others. He seemed totally unaware of the risks he was taking, or of what needed to be done. He became quite angry and made fun of the others lack of nerve because they would not help him. Finally, his fire chief had to assign another firefighter take him home.
Like the drunk fire fighter, some Christians are so convinced of their superiority that they begin to be angry with others who do not do exactly as they do, never realizing the harm they do to the cause of Christ both by their critical attitude toward others, and by their own counterproductive efforts to accomplish God‘s work.
Flames are the result of vaporized fuels mixing with oxygen and igniting. Fires can be extinguished by removing the source of ignition, stopping the fuel supply, or cutting off the oxygen supply. Cooling the fuel source with water can stop vaporization of solids and some liquids, eliminating the flame. In an partially enclosed space, spraying a fine mist into the flame can produce steam which forces out the oxygen and extinguishes the flame. Water will not cool natural gas or propane enough to stop vaporization, and they attain such pressures that attempts to cut of the oxygen supply are only temporary expedients. The flow of fuel must be stopped, by turning off a valve or stopping the leak.
At the Flammable Liquids and Gases school we were taught how to use our hoses to push the flame away so we could safely cap the leak or turn off a valve. Because of the pressures and flow needed, five men and two hoses with properly working nozzles are required. Two men do nothing but direct the spray from the nozzles. The force of the water requires their complete concentration to maintain accuracy. Two more men drag the hoses, and take the strain off the nozzle men. Because none of these men can see what is happening the fifth man stands between the nozzles, observing how the flame is pushed back and directing the nozzle men to maintain a consistent and effective curtain through which he can reach to shut off the valve or cap the leak.
On one of the teams, the center man was failed to keep a close enough watch on effect of the spray, and flame curled in behind the curtain, burning one of the men’s hair, eyebrows, and moustache even though they had full protective gear. After that, it was easy for the other teams to understand the importance of observing what was happening.
Just as it is essential that the nozzles be working properly to produce a spray capable of protecting the fire fighters, it is critical that the preaching be completely scriptural. Just as it is critical that the fifth man direct to nozzle men properly to protect them, it is critical that the word be applied in a proper place, which requires awareness as to what is going on, not just on what we are trying to accomplish, but in the surrounding area that may influence our actions. If we fail to observe and adjust properly we may well cause spiritual harm to others.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
What's Going On?
Isn’t it amazing how quickly things change? It seems just yesterday my kids were babies, and now they are all on their own. It makes life exciting as we see the tremendous changes, although sometimes we’d like to slow down or even stop for a little while. Some people become depressed as they read the news and realize how bad the problems are. In reality, it reminds us how desperately mankind needs the Lord. Each thing that happens moves us a step closer to the Lord’s return, and the fulfillment of his promises. It is exciting to see what is going on today.
Because of their concern for what will affect their investments, some financial advisors report different events than the popular news media. They ignore stories such as Michael Jackson’s death, focusing instead on an election in a small, almost unknown country, because it will have a bigger impact world wide. They frequently have special meaning to me because of the trends they indicate, reminding me of how important the gospel is to our world.
Just a few short month ago, as the stock market fell, economic advisors were recommending investment in the developing nations, particularly Brazil, Russia, India, and China. All the BRIC nations had expanding economies, and appeared poised to boom economically. A group of investigators went to China to try and determine if it was actually good advice. The first thing they discovered was that China’s economy was largely dependent on sales to the United States, making the Chinese economy very dependent on the American economy. They warned that unless China could develop other markets, it would be at risk.
China is having trouble producing enough food for it’s population, and it is questionable whether modern agricultural methods can improve production sufficiently, given the lack of suitable land. This lack may well prevent continued economic growth. In addition, there is shortage of water to sustain the population and continued industrialization. It has been suggested that China pipe water from the Himalayas to meet their need. This will divert much of India’s water, but could be done without encroaching on Indian territory. To do so could well trigger war between the two countries, but may become necessary to sustain their economy.
India has a broader market base than China, but they are utilizing nearly all their arable land and water, Should China seize the water from the Himalayas, it would destroy much of India’s capacity to sustain itself. The investigators recommended cautious investment, noting that political change could wipe out any gains instantly.
Russia has become a major supplier of food. This year, drought and fires have destroyed much of her crops, straining the world food supply. As a result the prices of many food products have begun to increase dramatically. The cost of importing food will wreak havoc on the Russian economy, as well as slowing that of every other country who needs to import food.
Brazil has more available farm land than any other country in the world, and enough water to utilize it. They also have some of the world’s largest known oil reserves. Unfortunately their infrastructure is not sufficiently developed to take advantage of what they have. Several countries were interested in investing in Brazil’s agriculture and helping build the infrastructure to enable them to expand production. The expected winner of the present election wants to nationalize the oil and farming industries, making it unprofitable for foreign investors. As a result, foreign investment is on hold until it is clear what is going to happen. As a result, Brazil is unlikely to produce enough to ease the food situation this year.
Those who follow the petroleum industry are especially concerned that pulling out of Iraq before there is a strong central government may trigger economic disaster. The biggest conflict in establishing a solid government is strife between the Sunni and Shi-ite branches of the Moslem religion. While Hussein was a very real danger himself, he represented the minority group but was strong enough to block Iran’s expansionist goals. Since Iran is ruled by the same faction as the majority in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, a weak Iraqi government could well lead to Iran taking both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, with serious consequences world wide.
The probable result would be a serious decline in Arab oil availability for the rest of the world, and a corresponding jump in energy prices. A war far larger than the Iraq war to prevent such a scenario is not out of the question. In addition, there would be serious implications for Israel’s survival. Nationalization of Brazil’s oil production will probably slow development there, and the moratorium on deep sea drilling around the U.S. has temporarily halted new drilling here, increasing the probability of shortages and price jumps.
Increased fuel costs will delay recovery even more, almost certainly triggering new efforts to stimulate the world economies. This will result in social pressures to make drastic changes in every economy around the world. These kinds of situations have allowed men like Hitler to control government in the past. They could well have the same effect today, setting the stage for the one called the Antichrist to come to power. It will be interesting to see how far it goes. God has said we are not to know the time. So I cannot say the second coming is at this time, but I can see how God is moving the entire world closer to it. It is neat to see how he is working worldwide.
I am so glad I don’t have to fix the economy, or our political situation. I have no idea how to, and I don’t believe our president, our congress, or anyone else does either. Every attempt to solve the problems appears to make them worse. I can simply focus on what God has commanded and trust him to take care of me. Seeing what is going on drives home the importance of trusting him. I have nothing to fear as long as he is in charge.
Because of their concern for what will affect their investments, some financial advisors report different events than the popular news media. They ignore stories such as Michael Jackson’s death, focusing instead on an election in a small, almost unknown country, because it will have a bigger impact world wide. They frequently have special meaning to me because of the trends they indicate, reminding me of how important the gospel is to our world.
Just a few short month ago, as the stock market fell, economic advisors were recommending investment in the developing nations, particularly Brazil, Russia, India, and China. All the BRIC nations had expanding economies, and appeared poised to boom economically. A group of investigators went to China to try and determine if it was actually good advice. The first thing they discovered was that China’s economy was largely dependent on sales to the United States, making the Chinese economy very dependent on the American economy. They warned that unless China could develop other markets, it would be at risk.
China is having trouble producing enough food for it’s population, and it is questionable whether modern agricultural methods can improve production sufficiently, given the lack of suitable land. This lack may well prevent continued economic growth. In addition, there is shortage of water to sustain the population and continued industrialization. It has been suggested that China pipe water from the Himalayas to meet their need. This will divert much of India’s water, but could be done without encroaching on Indian territory. To do so could well trigger war between the two countries, but may become necessary to sustain their economy.
India has a broader market base than China, but they are utilizing nearly all their arable land and water, Should China seize the water from the Himalayas, it would destroy much of India’s capacity to sustain itself. The investigators recommended cautious investment, noting that political change could wipe out any gains instantly.
Russia has become a major supplier of food. This year, drought and fires have destroyed much of her crops, straining the world food supply. As a result the prices of many food products have begun to increase dramatically. The cost of importing food will wreak havoc on the Russian economy, as well as slowing that of every other country who needs to import food.
Brazil has more available farm land than any other country in the world, and enough water to utilize it. They also have some of the world’s largest known oil reserves. Unfortunately their infrastructure is not sufficiently developed to take advantage of what they have. Several countries were interested in investing in Brazil’s agriculture and helping build the infrastructure to enable them to expand production. The expected winner of the present election wants to nationalize the oil and farming industries, making it unprofitable for foreign investors. As a result, foreign investment is on hold until it is clear what is going to happen. As a result, Brazil is unlikely to produce enough to ease the food situation this year.
Those who follow the petroleum industry are especially concerned that pulling out of Iraq before there is a strong central government may trigger economic disaster. The biggest conflict in establishing a solid government is strife between the Sunni and Shi-ite branches of the Moslem religion. While Hussein was a very real danger himself, he represented the minority group but was strong enough to block Iran’s expansionist goals. Since Iran is ruled by the same faction as the majority in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, a weak Iraqi government could well lead to Iran taking both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, with serious consequences world wide.
The probable result would be a serious decline in Arab oil availability for the rest of the world, and a corresponding jump in energy prices. A war far larger than the Iraq war to prevent such a scenario is not out of the question. In addition, there would be serious implications for Israel’s survival. Nationalization of Brazil’s oil production will probably slow development there, and the moratorium on deep sea drilling around the U.S. has temporarily halted new drilling here, increasing the probability of shortages and price jumps.
Increased fuel costs will delay recovery even more, almost certainly triggering new efforts to stimulate the world economies. This will result in social pressures to make drastic changes in every economy around the world. These kinds of situations have allowed men like Hitler to control government in the past. They could well have the same effect today, setting the stage for the one called the Antichrist to come to power. It will be interesting to see how far it goes. God has said we are not to know the time. So I cannot say the second coming is at this time, but I can see how God is moving the entire world closer to it. It is neat to see how he is working worldwide.
I am so glad I don’t have to fix the economy, or our political situation. I have no idea how to, and I don’t believe our president, our congress, or anyone else does either. Every attempt to solve the problems appears to make them worse. I can simply focus on what God has commanded and trust him to take care of me. Seeing what is going on drives home the importance of trusting him. I have nothing to fear as long as he is in charge.
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Building God Intended
As we look at pictures of the ruins of the Parthenon in Greece, we see some of the building techniques common in Paul’s day. That part of the structure is still standing more than two thousand years later is a testament to the efficacy of the design. It was this type of construction to which Paul referred in his descriptions of the church as a building which God was building.
As we look at the pictures, we notice that the foundation is comprised of huge cut and fitted stones. Paul is adamant that this foundation is Jesus Christ, declaring in I Corinthians 3:11, “1co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” This statement is in accord with Jesus statement in Matthew 16:18 when he said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Peter or petros refers to a small stone, while the rock(petra) refers to a huge stone. I Corinthians 10:14 tells us that rock(petra) was Christ.
On top of the foundation, we see several massive pillars which support the main beams. Each pillar is supported and stabilized by a base which keeps the pillar from falling over. I timothy 3:15 describes the church as being that pillar and base. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” That base is essentially a foundation for the pillar, and Ephesians 2:20 describes that base. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” The church is totally based on the teachings of the apostles and prophets, aligned to what Jesus himself taught.
II Peter 1 describes how the apostles obtained their message. Peter then stresses the importance of the scriptures, and that accurate interpretation can depends comparison with other scripture in II Peter 1:19-21. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The pictures of the Parthenon I have seen show many fallen pillars, and the base of each fallen pillar has been destroyed. As Psalm 11:3 asks, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The strength and stability of each pillar is dependent on the strength and stability of it’s base. The building has many pillars, just as there are many churches, and each section is dependent on the individual pillar being built to the proper specifications.
God is both owner and architect. We are laborers, doing the actual building, but it is critical that we build according to the architect’s plans. II Corinthians 3:9-10 describes our part. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” When each part of the building is properly completed to God’s specifications it will be his own house, as Ephesians 2:21-22 describes. “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Those who don’t build according to the specifications hold up construction while corrections are made. Are you building according to the plan and using proper materials?
As we look at the pictures, we notice that the foundation is comprised of huge cut and fitted stones. Paul is adamant that this foundation is Jesus Christ, declaring in I Corinthians 3:11, “1co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” This statement is in accord with Jesus statement in Matthew 16:18 when he said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Peter or petros refers to a small stone, while the rock(petra) refers to a huge stone. I Corinthians 10:14 tells us that rock(petra) was Christ.
On top of the foundation, we see several massive pillars which support the main beams. Each pillar is supported and stabilized by a base which keeps the pillar from falling over. I timothy 3:15 describes the church as being that pillar and base. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” That base is essentially a foundation for the pillar, and Ephesians 2:20 describes that base. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” The church is totally based on the teachings of the apostles and prophets, aligned to what Jesus himself taught.
II Peter 1 describes how the apostles obtained their message. Peter then stresses the importance of the scriptures, and that accurate interpretation can depends comparison with other scripture in II Peter 1:19-21. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The pictures of the Parthenon I have seen show many fallen pillars, and the base of each fallen pillar has been destroyed. As Psalm 11:3 asks, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The strength and stability of each pillar is dependent on the strength and stability of it’s base. The building has many pillars, just as there are many churches, and each section is dependent on the individual pillar being built to the proper specifications.
God is both owner and architect. We are laborers, doing the actual building, but it is critical that we build according to the architect’s plans. II Corinthians 3:9-10 describes our part. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” When each part of the building is properly completed to God’s specifications it will be his own house, as Ephesians 2:21-22 describes. “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Those who don’t build according to the specifications hold up construction while corrections are made. Are you building according to the plan and using proper materials?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Are You Getting Everything You Need?
I listened to two friends arguing over whether the nutrients in natural fertilizers or commercial fertilizers were better. The supporter of commercial fertilizers, Tom, insisted that nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus were the same no matter how they were produced, while the other man insisted they were not. The argument became quite heated, with both men feeling the other didn’t know what he was talking about.
Later, I realized that both had facts on their side, but that both were also wrong. Tom was correct that nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous are identical in makeup no matter how they are produced. Most plants cannot use pure forms of any of these elements, and must obtain them as part of some compound. Some compounds make the needed elements more readily available than others. How effectively the plant is able to use the elements will depend on which compounds are present in the fertilizer, whether organic or commercial.
If the commercial fertilizer uses the same compounds in the same ratio, the plant will have the same access to the same nutrients. Both were ignoring the fact that organic fertilizers are rarely as pure as the commercial fertilizers. As a result organic fertilizers make a far broader spectrum of other potential nutrients available. Since plants need more than just nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous to be really healthy, plants raised with commercial are more likely to be deficient in certain trace nutrients if the soil is deficient.
The ability to easily control exactly how much of each major nutrient is delivered in commercial fertilizer enables the farmer to attain maximum growth, producing the largest crop. Unfortunately, because the commercial fertilizer does not replace some of the other nutrients, the soil becomes increasingly deficient in them, requiring more fertilizer to maintain production.
Organic fertilizers also contain non nutritive fiber which makes them more bulky and harder to apply, but loosen the soil, making plants better able to access what is available. They also prevent the loss of nutrients, holding them in the soil until needed. Because of the fiber and additional trace elements, organic fertilizer tends to improve the soil over time, reducing the amount of fertilizer required.
Just as it is easier to control the growth of a crop by controlling the exact composition of the fertilizer, it is easier to control the growth of a church by controlling the teaching. As a result, most preaching and teaching is from a topical approach, to deal with specific needs. Unfortunately, it tends to neglect some teachings that seem less important, producing Christians that are increasingly spiritually deficient. Maintaining the church takes an increasing amount of specialized teaching to counteract the deficiencies.
An expository approach is more like the organic fertilizer, providing a far greater variety of teaching, connecting and clarifying many of the basic doctrines and preventing misinterpretation. The results tend to be a little slower and less exciting, but to increase over time, as people become more solidly grounded. The church becomes stronger as a result, and less problems require attention, freeing the pastor and leadership to reach out.
Nehemiah 8:7-8 describes the expository teaching of the scripture. “Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
Nehemiah 8:14-9:38 describes the results. First, they realized they had neglected some things in their effort to serve God, and corrected the lack. They understood what God had done for them completely. They drew closer to him, and they made a commitment to serve him fully.
It is really easy to fall into the trap of only studying or teaching the things we enjoy or consider important, but we may not be receiving or supplying everything that is needed, just as child begin to eat only certain things. I hope to leave behind Christians that continue to grow and be more productive. I am troubled by the number of Christians who ‘used to’ but have quit. I suspect that many times the problem is not receiving a full range of spiritual teaching.
Later, I realized that both had facts on their side, but that both were also wrong. Tom was correct that nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous are identical in makeup no matter how they are produced. Most plants cannot use pure forms of any of these elements, and must obtain them as part of some compound. Some compounds make the needed elements more readily available than others. How effectively the plant is able to use the elements will depend on which compounds are present in the fertilizer, whether organic or commercial.
If the commercial fertilizer uses the same compounds in the same ratio, the plant will have the same access to the same nutrients. Both were ignoring the fact that organic fertilizers are rarely as pure as the commercial fertilizers. As a result organic fertilizers make a far broader spectrum of other potential nutrients available. Since plants need more than just nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous to be really healthy, plants raised with commercial are more likely to be deficient in certain trace nutrients if the soil is deficient.
The ability to easily control exactly how much of each major nutrient is delivered in commercial fertilizer enables the farmer to attain maximum growth, producing the largest crop. Unfortunately, because the commercial fertilizer does not replace some of the other nutrients, the soil becomes increasingly deficient in them, requiring more fertilizer to maintain production.
Organic fertilizers also contain non nutritive fiber which makes them more bulky and harder to apply, but loosen the soil, making plants better able to access what is available. They also prevent the loss of nutrients, holding them in the soil until needed. Because of the fiber and additional trace elements, organic fertilizer tends to improve the soil over time, reducing the amount of fertilizer required.
Just as it is easier to control the growth of a crop by controlling the exact composition of the fertilizer, it is easier to control the growth of a church by controlling the teaching. As a result, most preaching and teaching is from a topical approach, to deal with specific needs. Unfortunately, it tends to neglect some teachings that seem less important, producing Christians that are increasingly spiritually deficient. Maintaining the church takes an increasing amount of specialized teaching to counteract the deficiencies.
An expository approach is more like the organic fertilizer, providing a far greater variety of teaching, connecting and clarifying many of the basic doctrines and preventing misinterpretation. The results tend to be a little slower and less exciting, but to increase over time, as people become more solidly grounded. The church becomes stronger as a result, and less problems require attention, freeing the pastor and leadership to reach out.
Nehemiah 8:7-8 describes the expository teaching of the scripture. “Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
Nehemiah 8:14-9:38 describes the results. First, they realized they had neglected some things in their effort to serve God, and corrected the lack. They understood what God had done for them completely. They drew closer to him, and they made a commitment to serve him fully.
It is really easy to fall into the trap of only studying or teaching the things we enjoy or consider important, but we may not be receiving or supplying everything that is needed, just as child begin to eat only certain things. I hope to leave behind Christians that continue to grow and be more productive. I am troubled by the number of Christians who ‘used to’ but have quit. I suspect that many times the problem is not receiving a full range of spiritual teaching.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Knowing the Danger
A young woman was mauled by a bear near Albuquerque in July. As a result, the Department of Fish and Game hunted down and killed the yearling bear. Many people felt that it was unfair that the bear had to be killed because the mauling could have been prevented so easily.
The couple camped in a picnic area clearly marked that no overnight camping was allowed. They ignored signs warning that food must not be allowed to stand open as bears would be drawn by the scent, leaving empty food containers on the table, while taking the rest of the food into their tent and going to sleep.
During the night , a young bear was drawn by the scent of food and examined the containers on the table. Finding them empty, he then attempted to get at the food he smelled in the tent. Startled awake, the woman screamed and kicked at the bear in panic, which also panicked, biting and clawing her and destroying the tent in an effort to get away.
The decision to kill the bear was based on the fact that the bear had learned that food could be easily obtained at picnic areas, and so he would certainly return since his goal was to obtain food. The fact that he had been able to enter the tent and obtain the food, and that the woman had not inflicted serious injury would imply that the had nothing to fear from repeating the episode, greatly increasing the probability of him invading another tent or home and injuring someone else. Had he not mauled her, the bear would have simply been relocated to prevent raiding the picnic area again.
The entire episode could have been prevented by any of several different actions. Had people not previously left food at the campground, the bear probably would not have come seeking it. Had the couple not been asleep, they would have heard the bear examining the food containers and probably frightened it away. Had they realized the bear would try to get the food, they could have put it in another location and prevented his tearing into the tent. Had they not ignored the signs, they would have been aware of the danger. Had she lain quietly rather than panicking, the bear would probably have simply taken the food and left without harming the woman.
Some people go through life with no awareness of the danger around them. They ignore the warning signs, assuming those are for other people and that it couldn‘t happen to them. Many times they are injured or killed as a result of stupid decisions. One mystery writer described it as “dying of the dumbs.” A second group is petrified at the thought of danger. They will not try anything new or different, because it might be unpleasant, missing most of life’s pleasure.
The third group enjoys life far more than either of the first two. They are not paralyzed by fear, but they do not ignore danger. Instead they identify what the dangers are and take appropriate actions to avoid danger, and to protect themselves when it cannot be avoided. Doing so requires a clear understanding of what the danger is, and why, as well as knowing when and where the danger may lurk. Living a happy and productive Christian life requires a similar understanding of the dangers involved. Otherwise, we risk being either paralyzed by fear, or destroyed as a result of ignorance.
I Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Satan is far more dangerous than any bear or lion. He is so powerful that even angels who are more powerful than we are do not dare confront him. Jude 1:9 tells us, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
It is stupid for us to assume that there is no danger, or that we can defeat Satan. Over the years, I have observed a number of men who attempted to command Satan to do as they wished. The results have always been like those of Sceva’s sons in Acts 19: 13-15, who were over powered by the devil. While they were not demon possessed, all became dominated by fear of Satan, and their ministries were compromised.
Had the young couple understood the bear’s purpose was to obtain food, they could have easily avoided the danger by eliminating the hope of getting food. Knowing what Satan is trying for will enable us to avoid most of the danger of his attacks. Isaiah 14:12-14 describes Satan’s goals. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Satan’s goal is control. He wants control over God and everything else. He cannot tolerate anything he can’t control. For an example check out the actions of controlling people who constantly seek to expand their control over those around them. When God speaks of his hatred for the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in Revelation 2, he is referring to controlling people. Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45, and Luke 22:25-27 all forbid the practice in the church. It is literally Satanic, or Satan like.
Knowing that Satan is seeking Control, we need to be aware of anything that attempts to control us. Satan will use anything that can give increased control. Teachers who demand you obey them without question are one way control can be obtained. Political power is a tool he uses frequently, but many others are more subtle.
Alcohol use was referred to as “Demon Rum” by the so called Temperance Movement in their efforts to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol was not the demon. It was however a tool which enabled demons to gain control for a time. God made man with the ability to choose for himself what he wants. Satan can only gain control if man gives up that ability. Drugs and alcohol are one way of getting people to surrender control of their mind. If continued long enough, it may result in actual demon posession, as the person surrenders control completely.
Another tool that can be used by Satan is anger. When we begin to allow anger to control our thinking, whether by holding grudges, or by simply allowing it to take over, we enable Satan to gain control of our mind. An uncontrollable temper is the result of allowing Satan to have control. It can also lead to demon possession. God repeatedly warns us of the dangers of anger. While anger can serve a useful purpose, it must be properly controlled.
A third tool that can cause people to give up control is fear. While Satan can never possess a Christian, because to do so, he would have to throw the Holy spirit out, he can control them if they allow him to direct their thoughts. Three of the men who attempted to show their control over demons were all manipulated by Satan through their fear. As they allowed Satan to guide their thoughts through fear, they become his slaves, as Romans 6:16 states. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? That fear can keep one enslaved to a religion, a political system, or an abusive mate. It can also prevent one from trusting God, or obeying him.
The list of things Satan can use to control one is far longer, including peer pressure, money, sex, and fame. To deliberately give up control of your own mind as asked in hypnosis, or emptying out your mind and allowing things to flow in as encouraged in much eastern meditation and self help programs makes yielding to Satan easier.
While satan seeks to enslave us, God is seeking our freedom. II Corinthians 3:17 declares, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Jesus promised freedom through his word in John 8:31-32. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Freedom requires taking our responsibility for our own decisions, rather than allowing someone else to make them.
The couple camped in a picnic area clearly marked that no overnight camping was allowed. They ignored signs warning that food must not be allowed to stand open as bears would be drawn by the scent, leaving empty food containers on the table, while taking the rest of the food into their tent and going to sleep.
During the night , a young bear was drawn by the scent of food and examined the containers on the table. Finding them empty, he then attempted to get at the food he smelled in the tent. Startled awake, the woman screamed and kicked at the bear in panic, which also panicked, biting and clawing her and destroying the tent in an effort to get away.
The decision to kill the bear was based on the fact that the bear had learned that food could be easily obtained at picnic areas, and so he would certainly return since his goal was to obtain food. The fact that he had been able to enter the tent and obtain the food, and that the woman had not inflicted serious injury would imply that the had nothing to fear from repeating the episode, greatly increasing the probability of him invading another tent or home and injuring someone else. Had he not mauled her, the bear would have simply been relocated to prevent raiding the picnic area again.
The entire episode could have been prevented by any of several different actions. Had people not previously left food at the campground, the bear probably would not have come seeking it. Had the couple not been asleep, they would have heard the bear examining the food containers and probably frightened it away. Had they realized the bear would try to get the food, they could have put it in another location and prevented his tearing into the tent. Had they not ignored the signs, they would have been aware of the danger. Had she lain quietly rather than panicking, the bear would probably have simply taken the food and left without harming the woman.
Some people go through life with no awareness of the danger around them. They ignore the warning signs, assuming those are for other people and that it couldn‘t happen to them. Many times they are injured or killed as a result of stupid decisions. One mystery writer described it as “dying of the dumbs.” A second group is petrified at the thought of danger. They will not try anything new or different, because it might be unpleasant, missing most of life’s pleasure.
The third group enjoys life far more than either of the first two. They are not paralyzed by fear, but they do not ignore danger. Instead they identify what the dangers are and take appropriate actions to avoid danger, and to protect themselves when it cannot be avoided. Doing so requires a clear understanding of what the danger is, and why, as well as knowing when and where the danger may lurk. Living a happy and productive Christian life requires a similar understanding of the dangers involved. Otherwise, we risk being either paralyzed by fear, or destroyed as a result of ignorance.
I Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Satan is far more dangerous than any bear or lion. He is so powerful that even angels who are more powerful than we are do not dare confront him. Jude 1:9 tells us, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
It is stupid for us to assume that there is no danger, or that we can defeat Satan. Over the years, I have observed a number of men who attempted to command Satan to do as they wished. The results have always been like those of Sceva’s sons in Acts 19: 13-15, who were over powered by the devil. While they were not demon possessed, all became dominated by fear of Satan, and their ministries were compromised.
Had the young couple understood the bear’s purpose was to obtain food, they could have easily avoided the danger by eliminating the hope of getting food. Knowing what Satan is trying for will enable us to avoid most of the danger of his attacks. Isaiah 14:12-14 describes Satan’s goals. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Satan’s goal is control. He wants control over God and everything else. He cannot tolerate anything he can’t control. For an example check out the actions of controlling people who constantly seek to expand their control over those around them. When God speaks of his hatred for the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in Revelation 2, he is referring to controlling people. Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45, and Luke 22:25-27 all forbid the practice in the church. It is literally Satanic, or Satan like.
Knowing that Satan is seeking Control, we need to be aware of anything that attempts to control us. Satan will use anything that can give increased control. Teachers who demand you obey them without question are one way control can be obtained. Political power is a tool he uses frequently, but many others are more subtle.
Alcohol use was referred to as “Demon Rum” by the so called Temperance Movement in their efforts to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol was not the demon. It was however a tool which enabled demons to gain control for a time. God made man with the ability to choose for himself what he wants. Satan can only gain control if man gives up that ability. Drugs and alcohol are one way of getting people to surrender control of their mind. If continued long enough, it may result in actual demon posession, as the person surrenders control completely.
Another tool that can be used by Satan is anger. When we begin to allow anger to control our thinking, whether by holding grudges, or by simply allowing it to take over, we enable Satan to gain control of our mind. An uncontrollable temper is the result of allowing Satan to have control. It can also lead to demon possession. God repeatedly warns us of the dangers of anger. While anger can serve a useful purpose, it must be properly controlled.
A third tool that can cause people to give up control is fear. While Satan can never possess a Christian, because to do so, he would have to throw the Holy spirit out, he can control them if they allow him to direct their thoughts. Three of the men who attempted to show their control over demons were all manipulated by Satan through their fear. As they allowed Satan to guide their thoughts through fear, they become his slaves, as Romans 6:16 states. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? That fear can keep one enslaved to a religion, a political system, or an abusive mate. It can also prevent one from trusting God, or obeying him.
The list of things Satan can use to control one is far longer, including peer pressure, money, sex, and fame. To deliberately give up control of your own mind as asked in hypnosis, or emptying out your mind and allowing things to flow in as encouraged in much eastern meditation and self help programs makes yielding to Satan easier.
While satan seeks to enslave us, God is seeking our freedom. II Corinthians 3:17 declares, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Jesus promised freedom through his word in John 8:31-32. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Freedom requires taking our responsibility for our own decisions, rather than allowing someone else to make them.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Principle of Unintended Consequences
A few months ago my neighbor’s teenage son was taking two of his friends to town. Wanting to display his driving skill and the power of the new SUV, he accelerated rapidly down our gravel road. About a hundred yards from their driveway, he lost control and hit an electrical pole, Knocking out about a four foot long section. The top of the pole then settled on top of the vehicle.
Obviously the boy had no intention of hitting the pole, but it was an unexpected consequence of his decision to show off. Other consequences were the ticket he got for reckless driving, not being able to take the car to school until it was fixed, and his family having to give up a vacation over spring break due to the damage to the car.
The boy only intended to impress his friends, and did not consider what possible other consequences could occur. Unfortunately, it is not just kids who act without considering other consequences. When congress took over GM and Chrysler to bail them out, no consideration was given.
Because of their financial straits, the two companies were expected to lay off around 20,000 employees. Thanks to the number of layoffs elsewhere, it was determined that this would have serious economic consequences, so both companies were taken over by the U.S. government. Under the terms of the takeover, most existing stock was simply declared worthless, and title accrued to the government. In a special agreement with the Union, stocks held by the 60,000 member UAW retirement fund would be honored.
Unintended consequences of the action included a huge increase in the Federal deficit, 2000 local dealerships were closed, seriously affecting many communities, and more than 120,000 nonunion jobs were lost. In addition, many retirement funds lost their entire investment in GM or Chrysler stock which would have only lost a portion even had they taken bankruptcy. To top it all off, taxes paid by those who lost their entire savings, and those who had no part in the company were used for the bailout, taking money away from other areas.
Ford Motor Company was in the same condition, but refused to submit to Federal takeover, with the result that while there was a temporary layoff, their investors have recouped almost all their losses, and no jobs have been permanently eliminated. The unintended consequences of the bailout have been far worse than the initial problem would have been.
Had there been any effort to look beyond the immediate result desired, possible consequences could have been seen, and action to prevent them would have been simple. By not accelerating so vigorously, the boy could have avoided hitting the power pole, avoiding all the subsequent consequences. By handling the bailout differently, at least 100,000 more people would have jobs, and there would be 2000 more local businesses operating. Over a million investors would still have part of their investment, and some other government programs would still have funding, even if they had done nothing.
Many times we take positions as Christians without considering the consequences as well. If we refuse to acknowledge our sin, we declare God to be a liar, as I John 1:10 tells us. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” A lady wrote that no intelligent person would choose to go to hell, yet many refuse to believe in Jesus Christ, and John 3:36 declares, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” They have not deliberately chosen to go to hell, they have just ignored the consequences of not believing.
If we decide that Baptism is essential for salvation, then Paul’s statement in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” is false, and all Paul’s writings are suspect.
Teaching that if the wife is obeying her husband, only he will be punished for wrong doing takes away the personal responsibility of the wife before God. Teaching the church that they will be okay as long as they do what the pastor says takes away all personal responsibility, and makes the pastor the head of the Church, rather than Christ.
We need to examine the consequences of what we choose to believe. A false conclusion can only result from a false premise, so the consequences indicate the validity of our belief.
Obviously the boy had no intention of hitting the pole, but it was an unexpected consequence of his decision to show off. Other consequences were the ticket he got for reckless driving, not being able to take the car to school until it was fixed, and his family having to give up a vacation over spring break due to the damage to the car.
The boy only intended to impress his friends, and did not consider what possible other consequences could occur. Unfortunately, it is not just kids who act without considering other consequences. When congress took over GM and Chrysler to bail them out, no consideration was given.
Because of their financial straits, the two companies were expected to lay off around 20,000 employees. Thanks to the number of layoffs elsewhere, it was determined that this would have serious economic consequences, so both companies were taken over by the U.S. government. Under the terms of the takeover, most existing stock was simply declared worthless, and title accrued to the government. In a special agreement with the Union, stocks held by the 60,000 member UAW retirement fund would be honored.
Unintended consequences of the action included a huge increase in the Federal deficit, 2000 local dealerships were closed, seriously affecting many communities, and more than 120,000 nonunion jobs were lost. In addition, many retirement funds lost their entire investment in GM or Chrysler stock which would have only lost a portion even had they taken bankruptcy. To top it all off, taxes paid by those who lost their entire savings, and those who had no part in the company were used for the bailout, taking money away from other areas.
Ford Motor Company was in the same condition, but refused to submit to Federal takeover, with the result that while there was a temporary layoff, their investors have recouped almost all their losses, and no jobs have been permanently eliminated. The unintended consequences of the bailout have been far worse than the initial problem would have been.
Had there been any effort to look beyond the immediate result desired, possible consequences could have been seen, and action to prevent them would have been simple. By not accelerating so vigorously, the boy could have avoided hitting the power pole, avoiding all the subsequent consequences. By handling the bailout differently, at least 100,000 more people would have jobs, and there would be 2000 more local businesses operating. Over a million investors would still have part of their investment, and some other government programs would still have funding, even if they had done nothing.
Many times we take positions as Christians without considering the consequences as well. If we refuse to acknowledge our sin, we declare God to be a liar, as I John 1:10 tells us. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” A lady wrote that no intelligent person would choose to go to hell, yet many refuse to believe in Jesus Christ, and John 3:36 declares, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” They have not deliberately chosen to go to hell, they have just ignored the consequences of not believing.
If we decide that Baptism is essential for salvation, then Paul’s statement in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” is false, and all Paul’s writings are suspect.
Teaching that if the wife is obeying her husband, only he will be punished for wrong doing takes away the personal responsibility of the wife before God. Teaching the church that they will be okay as long as they do what the pastor says takes away all personal responsibility, and makes the pastor the head of the Church, rather than Christ.
We need to examine the consequences of what we choose to believe. A false conclusion can only result from a false premise, so the consequences indicate the validity of our belief.
Stop Tripping People
A teen age boy was sprawled across a seat in the lobby. His legs blocked the walkways. When ever someone came along the boy would sit up and move his legs to enable them to get by. Finally, he decided it was too much hassle and just sat upright in his chair so he didn’t have to move so often.
At the other end of the lobby, a young man was sprawled in a similar position. After an older woman fell attempting to step over his legs, a security guard asked him to sit up so people could get past. He responded that it was a public place and he’d got there first so he had a right to sit how he wanted. When the police were called, he became quite angry, accusing them of ignoring his rights. One officer attempted to explain that while he had a right to sit there, he did not have the right to prevent others from safely doing their business. He was threatening to sue when he was escorted from the building.
No one asked the first boy to leave the building because he was concerned about the safety of others and was willing to sacrifice his own benefit for others. No one minded his taking whatever position he desired. The second young man, on the other hand, was only interested in his own comfort and pleasure, and angered a number of people. He lost the privilege of being in the building as a result.
A lot of people today are like the second young man, insisting they have a right to do what they want with no concern for anyone else. Like the young man, it may be necessary to take away their privilege for the good of others.. They have no right to ignore the rights of others.
Just as the first boy’s willingness to move out of the way was a sign of maturity, so a willingness to yield on such points indicates a level of spiritual maturity. We have a responsibility to show spiritual maturity ourselves, and to teach younger Christians to develop it. Romans 14:13 stresses that we must not cause another to stumble by demanding our way. It is sin for us to do so, even though we believed what we demanded to be right. God has given us a great deal of freedom, but we do not have the right to deprive others of their’s. God has not authorized us to set our own standards.
At the other end of the lobby, a young man was sprawled in a similar position. After an older woman fell attempting to step over his legs, a security guard asked him to sit up so people could get past. He responded that it was a public place and he’d got there first so he had a right to sit how he wanted. When the police were called, he became quite angry, accusing them of ignoring his rights. One officer attempted to explain that while he had a right to sit there, he did not have the right to prevent others from safely doing their business. He was threatening to sue when he was escorted from the building.
No one asked the first boy to leave the building because he was concerned about the safety of others and was willing to sacrifice his own benefit for others. No one minded his taking whatever position he desired. The second young man, on the other hand, was only interested in his own comfort and pleasure, and angered a number of people. He lost the privilege of being in the building as a result.
A lot of people today are like the second young man, insisting they have a right to do what they want with no concern for anyone else. Like the young man, it may be necessary to take away their privilege for the good of others.. They have no right to ignore the rights of others.
Just as the first boy’s willingness to move out of the way was a sign of maturity, so a willingness to yield on such points indicates a level of spiritual maturity. We have a responsibility to show spiritual maturity ourselves, and to teach younger Christians to develop it. Romans 14:13 stresses that we must not cause another to stumble by demanding our way. It is sin for us to do so, even though we believed what we demanded to be right. God has given us a great deal of freedom, but we do not have the right to deprive others of their’s. God has not authorized us to set our own standards.
Why Isn't It Like It Used To Be?
My first car was a 1956 Pontiac 9 passenger red and white station wagon. The paint was badly faded, so we repainted it right after getting it. I couldn’t wait to drive it. It belonged to me. No other vehicle has ever stirred the same excitement in me, but by the time I went to college, it was no longer so special to me. I had become used to having a car.
I am glad I don’t have to depend on that “56” Pontiac today. My Nissan is more dependable, gets better mileage, and the heater works better. Nevertheless, it isn’t nearly as exciting as the Pontiac was at first. My standards, needs and desires have changed with time, and excitement is less important than the other issues.
Far too often our modern society is still trying to get back the old excitement, not realizing that they have changed. Over the years, I have seen a number of guys try to obtain a similar excitement by buying some dream car, such as a convertible, or a Corvette. They never quite get that same feeling again. Most of them only use the dream car occasionally, and some are seriously disappointed by the reality. One friend had dreamed about a “68” mustang until he got one. After his first trip, he sold it, saying he’d never ridden in a more uncomfortable car.
Unfortunately, people don’t just seek that old excitement by buying a different car. People divorce a mate they have had a satisfactory marriage with for years because it is no longer exciting. They forget the dependability and stability of having someone there everyday who knows their faults and hope some one else younger or prettier will be more exciting. The resulting excitement level is lower, and the new wears off quicker, bringing them back to where they were in the first case. Some repeat the cycle over and over, always looking for what they had, rather than enjoying what they have.
I will never forget talking to a friend who was looking for an excitement in church like he first had when he accepted the Lord. He had repeatedly changed churches in his effort. The problem was not that the churches had changed, but that he was no longer a baby. Maturity took away some of the excitement, but in exchange, offered a much more stable life. The same level of excitement could no longer be obtained, and efforts to do so were preventing enjoying a much deeper and more satisfying Christian life.
A mark of real maturity is a change in what excites us. A fast, racy looking car is attractive to a teenager, but to a mature person, it is more exciting to be comfortable and dependable. Mature people prefer not to try to stuff six people in a two seat sport car. They’d rather have a car that will do what they need. The same is true in marriage and in selecting a church.
Some people devote their whole energy to trying to stay young. They dress and talk like teenagers. They drive cars more suited to a teenager. They indulge in activities of young people. No matter how hard they try they cannot avoid growing older, but many never mature, still pretending to be young. They look pretty silly. I think I’d rather be mature, not just old.
I am glad I don’t have to depend on that “56” Pontiac today. My Nissan is more dependable, gets better mileage, and the heater works better. Nevertheless, it isn’t nearly as exciting as the Pontiac was at first. My standards, needs and desires have changed with time, and excitement is less important than the other issues.
Far too often our modern society is still trying to get back the old excitement, not realizing that they have changed. Over the years, I have seen a number of guys try to obtain a similar excitement by buying some dream car, such as a convertible, or a Corvette. They never quite get that same feeling again. Most of them only use the dream car occasionally, and some are seriously disappointed by the reality. One friend had dreamed about a “68” mustang until he got one. After his first trip, he sold it, saying he’d never ridden in a more uncomfortable car.
Unfortunately, people don’t just seek that old excitement by buying a different car. People divorce a mate they have had a satisfactory marriage with for years because it is no longer exciting. They forget the dependability and stability of having someone there everyday who knows their faults and hope some one else younger or prettier will be more exciting. The resulting excitement level is lower, and the new wears off quicker, bringing them back to where they were in the first case. Some repeat the cycle over and over, always looking for what they had, rather than enjoying what they have.
I will never forget talking to a friend who was looking for an excitement in church like he first had when he accepted the Lord. He had repeatedly changed churches in his effort. The problem was not that the churches had changed, but that he was no longer a baby. Maturity took away some of the excitement, but in exchange, offered a much more stable life. The same level of excitement could no longer be obtained, and efforts to do so were preventing enjoying a much deeper and more satisfying Christian life.
A mark of real maturity is a change in what excites us. A fast, racy looking car is attractive to a teenager, but to a mature person, it is more exciting to be comfortable and dependable. Mature people prefer not to try to stuff six people in a two seat sport car. They’d rather have a car that will do what they need. The same is true in marriage and in selecting a church.
Some people devote their whole energy to trying to stay young. They dress and talk like teenagers. They drive cars more suited to a teenager. They indulge in activities of young people. No matter how hard they try they cannot avoid growing older, but many never mature, still pretending to be young. They look pretty silly. I think I’d rather be mature, not just old.
They’re Just Words
Remember kids saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? The truth is that sticks and stones may just break the bones, but words can break the spirit. We are often upset about physical abuse of a child, but how much more damage is done verbally. Physical damage is often visible immediately, but verbal damage may not show up for a while.
Job’s friends were trying to help him understand the reasons for his problems, and yet he was hurt by their words. Job 19:2-3 describes the effect. “How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.” In their efforts to discipline their children, well meaning parents can do great harm. A father I know repeatedly told his daughter she was no good until she got involved in illegal activity. She’d spent all her time up to that point trying to get his approval.
Even when they are not directed against the person hearing them, words can do great harm. Parents that disparage their mates destroy the relationship of their children to their other parent, and sometimes to the person they marry as well, teaching them by example to disrespect their parents. How many children of divorce have been deprived of a relationships with their father or mother because of this? It is the source of most prejudice.
God has a great deal to say about what we say. Matthew 12:34-37 teaches a great deal about the subject. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
The words we say indicate the state of our heart. Both the choice of words, and our subject matter indicates what is in the heart. Curse words, sexual innuendo, and disparaging speech are equally indicative of a corrupt heart. Our judgment by God will be based on our speech, on every word. As David said in Psalm 139:4, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” As a result, he prayed “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer,” in Psalm 19:14.
James 1:26 tells us that a person who doesn’t control his tongue’s religion is worthless regardless of any training or titles he may have. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” He is fooling himself by his claims. James 3:2 stresses that control of the tongue implies the ability to control other parts of one’s life. “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Proverbs 21:23 declares, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”
Job’s friends were trying to help him understand the reasons for his problems, and yet he was hurt by their words. Job 19:2-3 describes the effect. “How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.” In their efforts to discipline their children, well meaning parents can do great harm. A father I know repeatedly told his daughter she was no good until she got involved in illegal activity. She’d spent all her time up to that point trying to get his approval.
Even when they are not directed against the person hearing them, words can do great harm. Parents that disparage their mates destroy the relationship of their children to their other parent, and sometimes to the person they marry as well, teaching them by example to disrespect their parents. How many children of divorce have been deprived of a relationships with their father or mother because of this? It is the source of most prejudice.
God has a great deal to say about what we say. Matthew 12:34-37 teaches a great deal about the subject. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
The words we say indicate the state of our heart. Both the choice of words, and our subject matter indicates what is in the heart. Curse words, sexual innuendo, and disparaging speech are equally indicative of a corrupt heart. Our judgment by God will be based on our speech, on every word. As David said in Psalm 139:4, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” As a result, he prayed “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer,” in Psalm 19:14.
James 1:26 tells us that a person who doesn’t control his tongue’s religion is worthless regardless of any training or titles he may have. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” He is fooling himself by his claims. James 3:2 stresses that control of the tongue implies the ability to control other parts of one’s life. “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Proverbs 21:23 declares, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”
Is God Unfair?
Watching a PGA golf tournament, one is struck by the players adherence to the rules. A ball rolls to the edge of the water, and the golfer ends up standing in the water to make his next hit. Another ball rolls behind a tree and the golfer sacrifices a hit to get back onto the fairway. A less powerful hitter tees off in the same place as the most powerful one.
Most people would consider it unfair if a weaker hitter was allowed to tee off from a different location, or if some one whose ball landed in a bad location was allowed to move it to a more satisfactory lie. If such practices were allowed, people would probably not go to a tournament because it would no longer be a valid test of a player’s skills. No one thinks it is a lack of compassion that allows many players to be cut before the final rounds, or that the first place winner wins a much greater prize than the second place winner. A player who violates the rules is disqualified summarily, and his disqualification is only contested if there is evidence that he is not actually guilty.
We consider it right and proper that the PGA establish such rules to govern their tournament and determine who wins the game and the money. After all they are the ones sponsoring the tournament and providing the awards. If one is not willing to play by those standards, he cannot win the game. Undoubtedly, there are some who are not willing to develop the skills to play well who think the PGA’s rules are unfair, because they will not be able to win by cheating, but most people see them as fair.
God has established a set of rules to enter heaven. He promised that everyone who met those rules would win the prize. I am amazed that so many people who think it is okay for the PGA to set a standard of play for their tournaments think it is unfair for God to set a standard for winning his prize. They think he should adjust the standards to fit their situation, as if allowing some to tee off from a different location or move their ball to a better location. They refuse to accept Jesus statement in John 3:36. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
We don’t accuse the PGA of not being compassionate when a player is disqualified for breaking the rules, yet people accuse God of not being when he says everyone has to play by that rule. The only way of being truly fair is by demanding that everyone meet the same standard. Jesus said he was the door, and in John 10:1 he says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” There is nothing wrong with refusing to reward those who cheat.
Most people would consider it unfair if a weaker hitter was allowed to tee off from a different location, or if some one whose ball landed in a bad location was allowed to move it to a more satisfactory lie. If such practices were allowed, people would probably not go to a tournament because it would no longer be a valid test of a player’s skills. No one thinks it is a lack of compassion that allows many players to be cut before the final rounds, or that the first place winner wins a much greater prize than the second place winner. A player who violates the rules is disqualified summarily, and his disqualification is only contested if there is evidence that he is not actually guilty.
We consider it right and proper that the PGA establish such rules to govern their tournament and determine who wins the game and the money. After all they are the ones sponsoring the tournament and providing the awards. If one is not willing to play by those standards, he cannot win the game. Undoubtedly, there are some who are not willing to develop the skills to play well who think the PGA’s rules are unfair, because they will not be able to win by cheating, but most people see them as fair.
God has established a set of rules to enter heaven. He promised that everyone who met those rules would win the prize. I am amazed that so many people who think it is okay for the PGA to set a standard of play for their tournaments think it is unfair for God to set a standard for winning his prize. They think he should adjust the standards to fit their situation, as if allowing some to tee off from a different location or move their ball to a better location. They refuse to accept Jesus statement in John 3:36. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
We don’t accuse the PGA of not being compassionate when a player is disqualified for breaking the rules, yet people accuse God of not being when he says everyone has to play by that rule. The only way of being truly fair is by demanding that everyone meet the same standard. Jesus said he was the door, and in John 10:1 he says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” There is nothing wrong with refusing to reward those who cheat.
Are We There Yet?
Have you ever traveled with a couple of undisciplined kids? The entire trip they complain about everything. The seat is uncomfortable. Their brother is touching them. They are tired. They’re hungry. It’s hot. It’s cold. After a while, they begin to make others uncomfortable, deliberately starting fights, screaming, or hitting or kicking others. Soon everyone in the car is upset, and wishes they’d not come.
Contrast that with children who sit quietly, watching the scenery, talking, or playing games. Having traveled in both situations, I can state unequivocally that the trip with the quiet kids was definitely more pleasant, both for the kids, and for the others in the vehicle. Interestingly, the second trip was far more uncomfortable in that the car was more crowded and didn’t have air conditioning.
Life is a journey. We can control how comfortable it is by our own actions and attitudes. If we focus on our own comfort and having our own way, life will be miserable. Problems are a fact of life. Job said “Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.” If we are like the undisciplined child who sees only what he doesn’t like, life will be one long series of frustrations. If instead, we begin to look at other things, our life becomes quite enjoyable. Unhappy people do not have more problems, or worse problems, they just gripe more. I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:”
How’s your trip going? I Peter 1:13-21 gives some suggestions to make it more enjoyable. Check out Http://www.BeingChristianToday.blogspot.com for more detail.
Contrast that with children who sit quietly, watching the scenery, talking, or playing games. Having traveled in both situations, I can state unequivocally that the trip with the quiet kids was definitely more pleasant, both for the kids, and for the others in the vehicle. Interestingly, the second trip was far more uncomfortable in that the car was more crowded and didn’t have air conditioning.
Life is a journey. We can control how comfortable it is by our own actions and attitudes. If we focus on our own comfort and having our own way, life will be miserable. Problems are a fact of life. Job said “Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.” If we are like the undisciplined child who sees only what he doesn’t like, life will be one long series of frustrations. If instead, we begin to look at other things, our life becomes quite enjoyable. Unhappy people do not have more problems, or worse problems, they just gripe more. I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:”
How’s your trip going? I Peter 1:13-21 gives some suggestions to make it more enjoyable. Check out Http://www.BeingChristianToday.blogspot.com for more detail.
Swinging Too Far
Remember how much fun just swinging in a swing was? When you were very small, you depended on someone else to push you, but as you got older you learned how to pump yourself. If you were like most people, got where you wanted to always go higher.
You learned that an extra push just as the swing started forward would give the maximum impetus, increasing your height with each swing. Before long, you learned there was a point where if you went higher, you fell for a moment before being caught by the swing, and that resulted in a loss of momentum and having to pump to get back to that point. The sensation of falling scared most people and we tried not to get quite to that point. Those who did try found it impossible to go past a certain point by pumping themselves.
You also learned that by having someone push you, it was possible to go higher, but the fall was more pronounced and more frightening. Some times the seat would slip out from under you leaving you supporting yourself by your hands. Falls and injuries were uncommon unless someone was pushing you and got to pushing to hard.
The same principles apply to life. In the economic field, the harder we push the wilder the swings are, but left alone, the economy can only go so far before it limits itself. Unfortunately governments throughout history have tried to give economies another push, eventually resulting in collapse of the economy and frequently in the collapse of the nation, because the government could push it beyond the safe limits. Rather than trying to push it higher, trying to slow it down would enable the economy to continue moving without collapsing.
In the area of morality, we see the swings historically from the temperance movement to the roaring twenties to the standards during the fifties. In the sixties was the “sexual revolution which swung to the more restrictive standards of the late 80’s. Today we have gone to the opposite extreme. In each case we have swung more violently to the extreme.
Again, the only way to stop the huge swings is to try to stop in the middle.
Politically we are seeing the same type cycle of extremism from extreme conservatism to extreme liberalism. The vast majority of the people are in the center and feel ignored by both parties, who are only interested by their own agendas.
This trend is especially troubling in the religious realm, where God has given specific guidelines in many areas, yet time and again every effort is made to push farther to one side or the other. One group wants to totally control every action, from hair styles and clothing, to style of music while another wants to eliminate any type standard. There are the extreme KJV 1611 only and those who believe that only part of the Bible is inspired.
Sadly, in every case, the scripture sets a standard and both extremes are outside those limits. Just as in the case of the swing, if we wish to stay within the boundaries laid down by God, we need to try to slow the movement down when it is moving in the direction we think it should go so we do not swing beyond the truth. Jesus was critical of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees, although their beliefs were diametrically opposed. Essentially, the Sadducees considered religion as part of their cultural identity, having little to do with real life, while the Pharisees believed mechanically doing religious actions would make them acceptable to God with no recognition of what God had intended by the standards he set down. Jewish society constantly swung back and forth between the two standards, but both were wrong.
Years ago, we heard that one must not be in the middle of the road. I grew up driving on narrow roads on the reservation, and what I learned rather quickly was that as long as you were in the middle of the road, you were on the road. It really didn’t matter very much whether you veered to far left or too far right, you were still in the ditch, not on the road. Jesus described the way to righteousness as a narrow road. The road that is wide enough for it to matter whether you are in the left lane or the right lane is the wrong road. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
We need to focus on staying in the center, rather than getting further to one side or the other. When we swing to far in either direction, we get into danger, whether we are talking about a swing, or a road.
You learned that an extra push just as the swing started forward would give the maximum impetus, increasing your height with each swing. Before long, you learned there was a point where if you went higher, you fell for a moment before being caught by the swing, and that resulted in a loss of momentum and having to pump to get back to that point. The sensation of falling scared most people and we tried not to get quite to that point. Those who did try found it impossible to go past a certain point by pumping themselves.
You also learned that by having someone push you, it was possible to go higher, but the fall was more pronounced and more frightening. Some times the seat would slip out from under you leaving you supporting yourself by your hands. Falls and injuries were uncommon unless someone was pushing you and got to pushing to hard.
The same principles apply to life. In the economic field, the harder we push the wilder the swings are, but left alone, the economy can only go so far before it limits itself. Unfortunately governments throughout history have tried to give economies another push, eventually resulting in collapse of the economy and frequently in the collapse of the nation, because the government could push it beyond the safe limits. Rather than trying to push it higher, trying to slow it down would enable the economy to continue moving without collapsing.
In the area of morality, we see the swings historically from the temperance movement to the roaring twenties to the standards during the fifties. In the sixties was the “sexual revolution which swung to the more restrictive standards of the late 80’s. Today we have gone to the opposite extreme. In each case we have swung more violently to the extreme.
Again, the only way to stop the huge swings is to try to stop in the middle.
Politically we are seeing the same type cycle of extremism from extreme conservatism to extreme liberalism. The vast majority of the people are in the center and feel ignored by both parties, who are only interested by their own agendas.
This trend is especially troubling in the religious realm, where God has given specific guidelines in many areas, yet time and again every effort is made to push farther to one side or the other. One group wants to totally control every action, from hair styles and clothing, to style of music while another wants to eliminate any type standard. There are the extreme KJV 1611 only and those who believe that only part of the Bible is inspired.
Sadly, in every case, the scripture sets a standard and both extremes are outside those limits. Just as in the case of the swing, if we wish to stay within the boundaries laid down by God, we need to try to slow the movement down when it is moving in the direction we think it should go so we do not swing beyond the truth. Jesus was critical of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees, although their beliefs were diametrically opposed. Essentially, the Sadducees considered religion as part of their cultural identity, having little to do with real life, while the Pharisees believed mechanically doing religious actions would make them acceptable to God with no recognition of what God had intended by the standards he set down. Jewish society constantly swung back and forth between the two standards, but both were wrong.
Years ago, we heard that one must not be in the middle of the road. I grew up driving on narrow roads on the reservation, and what I learned rather quickly was that as long as you were in the middle of the road, you were on the road. It really didn’t matter very much whether you veered to far left or too far right, you were still in the ditch, not on the road. Jesus described the way to righteousness as a narrow road. The road that is wide enough for it to matter whether you are in the left lane or the right lane is the wrong road. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
We need to focus on staying in the center, rather than getting further to one side or the other. When we swing to far in either direction, we get into danger, whether we are talking about a swing, or a road.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Only Real Baptist Distinctive
Baptists throughout history have stood for just one thing different from all other groups. All the other distinctive beliefs have resulted from that one distinctive belief. If you have followed the series, you probably already know that it is the belief that the Bible is the sole and final authority for all belief and practice.
Teachings about salvation, baptism, church leadership, the priesthood of the believer, and separation are all defined by that one doctrine. It is the doctrine that Baptists were willing to risk lives and liberty for. All the distinctives claimed by opponents to the Baptist position are the result of refusal to allow some group, whether governmental or religious, to decide what is to be believed, contrary to the Bible.
Historically, whether one is a Baptist or not depends entirely on whether one accepts the Bible as the only standard. By that standard, many who call themselves Baptists today are not, although they may believe the so called “Baptist Distinctives.” They are only Baptistic, or Baptist like, in that they believe some of the same doctrines, but not all.
This includes the Calvinist, who insists on accepting Calvin’s conclusions despite clear contradiction of scripture. It includes the pastor who insists he has the right to set the standards for his church. It includes the church which teaches some man’s writings rather than the scripture.
As a Baptist, I have frequently found it necessary to change my position from what I had been taught when I found that scripture did not support the position. I have had to take unpopular positions on many issues, because I could not demonstrate that the popular position was in fact scriptural. In some cases I have had to take opposing positions because the scripture indicated that the popular one was in fact wrong. I could not simply go along because the scripture made it very clear that I would be held personally accountable, and could not slough off the guilt on some other leader. I was personally responsible to know what God expected, and to obey it. Doctrinal conflicts are the result of a lack of study of the scriptures, and of not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
I Corinthians 11:19 states that the controversies are necessary to identify who are acceptable to God. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” By studying God’s word, we can learn what he demands and be acceptable according to II Timothy 2:15. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” As John 16:13 promises, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” There will no longer be any basis for argument for those who have studied and are led of the Spirit. We will be in agreement.
Teachings about salvation, baptism, church leadership, the priesthood of the believer, and separation are all defined by that one doctrine. It is the doctrine that Baptists were willing to risk lives and liberty for. All the distinctives claimed by opponents to the Baptist position are the result of refusal to allow some group, whether governmental or religious, to decide what is to be believed, contrary to the Bible.
Historically, whether one is a Baptist or not depends entirely on whether one accepts the Bible as the only standard. By that standard, many who call themselves Baptists today are not, although they may believe the so called “Baptist Distinctives.” They are only Baptistic, or Baptist like, in that they believe some of the same doctrines, but not all.
This includes the Calvinist, who insists on accepting Calvin’s conclusions despite clear contradiction of scripture. It includes the pastor who insists he has the right to set the standards for his church. It includes the church which teaches some man’s writings rather than the scripture.
As a Baptist, I have frequently found it necessary to change my position from what I had been taught when I found that scripture did not support the position. I have had to take unpopular positions on many issues, because I could not demonstrate that the popular position was in fact scriptural. In some cases I have had to take opposing positions because the scripture indicated that the popular one was in fact wrong. I could not simply go along because the scripture made it very clear that I would be held personally accountable, and could not slough off the guilt on some other leader. I was personally responsible to know what God expected, and to obey it. Doctrinal conflicts are the result of a lack of study of the scriptures, and of not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
I Corinthians 11:19 states that the controversies are necessary to identify who are acceptable to God. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” By studying God’s word, we can learn what he demands and be acceptable according to II Timothy 2:15. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” As John 16:13 promises, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” There will no longer be any basis for argument for those who have studied and are led of the Spirit. We will be in agreement.
How Do You Define Love?
An old Rock song says, “I didn’t know what else to say, so I said, ‘I love You.’” Is that how a lot of bad marriages got started, because they just didn’t know what else to say? Just what is love? Is it a feeling? An attraction?
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. defines love as: A deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons; The expression of such feelings; A feeling of brotherhood or good will toward other people; A strong liking or interest in something; A strong passionate affection for someone, usually based on sexual attraction; Sexual passion or intercourse.
A mother defined it as the warm feeling I get when I look at my new baby. At two am., after three nights in a row of dealing with a colicky baby, those feelings may not be so warm and pleasant. The same one you feel so sweet and loving toward may also make you totally frustrated and angry moments later. Feelings tend to change as circumstances change. If those feelings are love, then love is a very fleeting, insubstantial thing. Sexual attraction is just as fleeting. It’ll be almost impossible to build a long term relationship on something that unstable.
Love is a frequent subject in the Bible. Husbands are commanded to love their wives in Ephesians 5:25, and Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another in John 13:34-35. Our feelings are not under direct control. We may be able to deny and suppress them but we can’t eliminate them. Since we can’t control our feelings, the love he is describing must not be a feeling, or we can’t obey the command. Paul said that it was the older women’s job to teach the younger women to love their husbands and their children in Titus 2:4, implying that such love can be learned.
Is love just a system of actions one can learn to do? One Psychologist claims that women give sex to get love, and men give love to get sex. Was the preacher who told a group of Bible College students they must bring their wives flowers every week right? When his children accused him of not doing so one pastor said he’d prove he did and brought in a bag of flour to prove it. Since guys often buy flowers to get what they want, buying flour every week would be better proof, but while certain actions such as giving of flowers are considered romantic, they are not love. A romantic dinner or other actions can be performed without any love.
I Corinthians 13 makes it clear that apparently loving actions can be done without love. It also gives a clear description of the actions produced by biblical love. Notice the various actions described in I Corinthians 13:4-7. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind;” It does not project it’s suffering on others. “Charity envieth not;” is not jealous of what the object of love has or receives, whether of respect, or of physical objects.
“Charity vaunteth not itself,” it does not try to promote itself. Love “is not puffed up,” it does not consider itself better than it’s object. Love is considerate of the feelings of the other, “Doth not behave itself unseemly.” Love is not selfish or self centered, it“seeketh not her own.” Love “is not easily provoked,” it is not characterized by anger, nor does it assume evil motivations or actions, such as cheating or hiding things. It “thinketh no evil;” Love“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” it doesn’t gloat over some sin by it’s object, but accepts the person as they really are. It doesn’t deny their behavior, or their responsibility for their behavior.
Love “Beareth all things,” taking whatever comes in stride. It “believeth all things, hopeth all things,” never giving up on the person, even after repeated failures. It “endureth all things.”
The description has more to do with the underlying attitude than actual actions. We can learn to control our attitudes, and we can choose which attitude we want. The attitude chosen will have a major effect on the feelings. As one marriage counselor titled his book, To Love Is To Be Happy With.
How do you define love?
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. defines love as: A deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons; The expression of such feelings; A feeling of brotherhood or good will toward other people; A strong liking or interest in something; A strong passionate affection for someone, usually based on sexual attraction; Sexual passion or intercourse.
A mother defined it as the warm feeling I get when I look at my new baby. At two am., after three nights in a row of dealing with a colicky baby, those feelings may not be so warm and pleasant. The same one you feel so sweet and loving toward may also make you totally frustrated and angry moments later. Feelings tend to change as circumstances change. If those feelings are love, then love is a very fleeting, insubstantial thing. Sexual attraction is just as fleeting. It’ll be almost impossible to build a long term relationship on something that unstable.
Love is a frequent subject in the Bible. Husbands are commanded to love their wives in Ephesians 5:25, and Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another in John 13:34-35. Our feelings are not under direct control. We may be able to deny and suppress them but we can’t eliminate them. Since we can’t control our feelings, the love he is describing must not be a feeling, or we can’t obey the command. Paul said that it was the older women’s job to teach the younger women to love their husbands and their children in Titus 2:4, implying that such love can be learned.
Is love just a system of actions one can learn to do? One Psychologist claims that women give sex to get love, and men give love to get sex. Was the preacher who told a group of Bible College students they must bring their wives flowers every week right? When his children accused him of not doing so one pastor said he’d prove he did and brought in a bag of flour to prove it. Since guys often buy flowers to get what they want, buying flour every week would be better proof, but while certain actions such as giving of flowers are considered romantic, they are not love. A romantic dinner or other actions can be performed without any love.
I Corinthians 13 makes it clear that apparently loving actions can be done without love. It also gives a clear description of the actions produced by biblical love. Notice the various actions described in I Corinthians 13:4-7. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind;” It does not project it’s suffering on others. “Charity envieth not;” is not jealous of what the object of love has or receives, whether of respect, or of physical objects.
“Charity vaunteth not itself,” it does not try to promote itself. Love “is not puffed up,” it does not consider itself better than it’s object. Love is considerate of the feelings of the other, “Doth not behave itself unseemly.” Love is not selfish or self centered, it“seeketh not her own.” Love “is not easily provoked,” it is not characterized by anger, nor does it assume evil motivations or actions, such as cheating or hiding things. It “thinketh no evil;” Love“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” it doesn’t gloat over some sin by it’s object, but accepts the person as they really are. It doesn’t deny their behavior, or their responsibility for their behavior.
Love “Beareth all things,” taking whatever comes in stride. It “believeth all things, hopeth all things,” never giving up on the person, even after repeated failures. It “endureth all things.”
The description has more to do with the underlying attitude than actual actions. We can learn to control our attitudes, and we can choose which attitude we want. The attitude chosen will have a major effect on the feelings. As one marriage counselor titled his book, To Love Is To Be Happy With.
How do you define love?
Monday, March 8, 2010
Do Politicians Need To Go Undercover?
It has been educational and interesting to watch the new show, Undercover Boss. Corporate executives pose as a new employee starting in the company. They work for one day at various jobs in the company in various locations to gain an impression of what their employees experience. Thus far each show has revealed some serious problems, as well as some very good situations.
Each executive has been surprised by their discoveries, believing that they had a much better idea of what occurred than they actually had. As one commented, when they visit an outlet or branch, everyone knows they are coming and they see only the best. Most of their input is normally derived from regional managers who get their information from area managers. Area managers receive their input from outlet managers, who are in contact with shift managers, overseeing the employees. Information is lost at each step of the process. Decisions are made which affect the most basic levels, but often unexpected results are not seen at the decision level.
When 7-11” CEO visited the store that sells the most cups of coffee of any in their world wide chain to see what the difference was, since the store sells several times as much as any other store. He was surprised to learn that the difference was the lady making the coffee. She used the same coffee but was very particular about how the coffee was made. She also chatted with the customers, calling them by name and showing interest in them, selling more than 2500 cups of coffee daily. Working with her, he discovered that the location of the sink made keeping up very difficult. He mentioned this and she said that she had made the same request repeatedly but that it had never been heeded, The CEO realized that changing the arrangement, and training other employees to deal with customers in a similar manner could have a huge impact on their coffee sales.
Another problem he discovered was that priorities of maintence were much different at corporate offices and in individual stores. Changing light bulbs was low in priority at the maintenance division, but store managers and employees saw that bad lighting increased the likely hood of injury, and led to mistakes and customer dissatisfaction.
Waste Management’s CEO discovered that attempts to increase profitability sometimes resulted in loss of business or employee dissatisfaction, such as docking an employee for being late, or expecting other employees to take up the slack when someone quit. In one case one employee was covering what had formerly been three other employees jobs, with no additional pay. Stress was forcing her to consider finding another job. Constant evaluations of employees was creating anxiety and an increase in turnover.
In an effort to produce a consistent quality of product, White Castle Hamburgers had developed a policy in which a specific order of assembly of the hamburgers was required. Employees discovered that the sequence slowed production to a level that would not meet the orders. By changing the sequence they could do so. The supervisor lived in dread of losing her job because she was not following company policy or losing her job because the line was not producing enough.
Hooter’s Restaurants discovered that their policies appeared to many to be degrading to women, and resulted in some managers treating women in a degrading manner. As a result, many women and families would not eat there, and some employees would not recommend it as a place to work.
The CEOs in each case had been unaware of these problems. In many cases they had approved these policies in an effort to prevent or resolve some other problem, not realizing the effect it would have on their business. Many times the needed changes were minimal in cost, but made tremendous differences in customer or employee satisfaction. Until they actually experienced it for themselves, the importance was not recognized.
We find a similar disconnect between our political figures and their constituents. Most of Congress’s information is derived from state party leaders and political figures who get their information from lower ranking political figures, or government employees. Even sincere attempts to get grassroots information can fail because of filtering by party leaders, or a desire on the part of constituents to put their best foot forward when meeting such important people. Many times, people have become so used to problems they have just accepted that no change will be made, and don’t mention them, like the location of the sink in the 7-11 stores.
Different priorities can result in failure to recognize real problems, like maintenance’s failure to realize the importance of replacing light bulbs. For example, while some people cannot get insurance due to pre-existing conditions, far more cannot afford the price of health insurance. To pay taxes or higher prices for other’s to be covered will only exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, such a problem may be dismissed as minor by those in authority, because it doesn’t affect them.
In large part, current dissatisfaction with political leadership stems from this disconnect. Like the CEOs, they have no idea what their constituents face each day. The five days undercover did not reveal all the problems, but it did show the CEOs that problems existed of which they were unaware. Perhaps a similar effort would make political leaders aware of their isolation from the daily problems of most people.
President Obama’s reported family income of 4.6 million in 2007 was far lower than that of most congressional leaders, but it is more than 100 times as much as the average family in New Mexico earns. It is nearly 20 times as much as the lowest level of those who are expected to pay extra for the healthcare and bailout programs earn. The essential cost for a family of four should be very nearly the same, so the majority of difference is in discretionary spending, for a nicer home or car, etc. Mandantory insurance or increased taxes will affect him far less than it will the average person, or even the small business owner. It will affect some of the others much less than it affects him.
Going undercover might well enable our politicians to better understand the concerns of their constituents, although it would not reveal everything. The longer a man has been in politics, the separation from his people, and the more he needs to make such an effort to connect.
Each executive has been surprised by their discoveries, believing that they had a much better idea of what occurred than they actually had. As one commented, when they visit an outlet or branch, everyone knows they are coming and they see only the best. Most of their input is normally derived from regional managers who get their information from area managers. Area managers receive their input from outlet managers, who are in contact with shift managers, overseeing the employees. Information is lost at each step of the process. Decisions are made which affect the most basic levels, but often unexpected results are not seen at the decision level.
When 7-11” CEO visited the store that sells the most cups of coffee of any in their world wide chain to see what the difference was, since the store sells several times as much as any other store. He was surprised to learn that the difference was the lady making the coffee. She used the same coffee but was very particular about how the coffee was made. She also chatted with the customers, calling them by name and showing interest in them, selling more than 2500 cups of coffee daily. Working with her, he discovered that the location of the sink made keeping up very difficult. He mentioned this and she said that she had made the same request repeatedly but that it had never been heeded, The CEO realized that changing the arrangement, and training other employees to deal with customers in a similar manner could have a huge impact on their coffee sales.
Another problem he discovered was that priorities of maintence were much different at corporate offices and in individual stores. Changing light bulbs was low in priority at the maintenance division, but store managers and employees saw that bad lighting increased the likely hood of injury, and led to mistakes and customer dissatisfaction.
Waste Management’s CEO discovered that attempts to increase profitability sometimes resulted in loss of business or employee dissatisfaction, such as docking an employee for being late, or expecting other employees to take up the slack when someone quit. In one case one employee was covering what had formerly been three other employees jobs, with no additional pay. Stress was forcing her to consider finding another job. Constant evaluations of employees was creating anxiety and an increase in turnover.
In an effort to produce a consistent quality of product, White Castle Hamburgers had developed a policy in which a specific order of assembly of the hamburgers was required. Employees discovered that the sequence slowed production to a level that would not meet the orders. By changing the sequence they could do so. The supervisor lived in dread of losing her job because she was not following company policy or losing her job because the line was not producing enough.
Hooter’s Restaurants discovered that their policies appeared to many to be degrading to women, and resulted in some managers treating women in a degrading manner. As a result, many women and families would not eat there, and some employees would not recommend it as a place to work.
The CEOs in each case had been unaware of these problems. In many cases they had approved these policies in an effort to prevent or resolve some other problem, not realizing the effect it would have on their business. Many times the needed changes were minimal in cost, but made tremendous differences in customer or employee satisfaction. Until they actually experienced it for themselves, the importance was not recognized.
We find a similar disconnect between our political figures and their constituents. Most of Congress’s information is derived from state party leaders and political figures who get their information from lower ranking political figures, or government employees. Even sincere attempts to get grassroots information can fail because of filtering by party leaders, or a desire on the part of constituents to put their best foot forward when meeting such important people. Many times, people have become so used to problems they have just accepted that no change will be made, and don’t mention them, like the location of the sink in the 7-11 stores.
Different priorities can result in failure to recognize real problems, like maintenance’s failure to realize the importance of replacing light bulbs. For example, while some people cannot get insurance due to pre-existing conditions, far more cannot afford the price of health insurance. To pay taxes or higher prices for other’s to be covered will only exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, such a problem may be dismissed as minor by those in authority, because it doesn’t affect them.
In large part, current dissatisfaction with political leadership stems from this disconnect. Like the CEOs, they have no idea what their constituents face each day. The five days undercover did not reveal all the problems, but it did show the CEOs that problems existed of which they were unaware. Perhaps a similar effort would make political leaders aware of their isolation from the daily problems of most people.
President Obama’s reported family income of 4.6 million in 2007 was far lower than that of most congressional leaders, but it is more than 100 times as much as the average family in New Mexico earns. It is nearly 20 times as much as the lowest level of those who are expected to pay extra for the healthcare and bailout programs earn. The essential cost for a family of four should be very nearly the same, so the majority of difference is in discretionary spending, for a nicer home or car, etc. Mandantory insurance or increased taxes will affect him far less than it will the average person, or even the small business owner. It will affect some of the others much less than it affects him.
Going undercover might well enable our politicians to better understand the concerns of their constituents, although it would not reveal everything. The longer a man has been in politics, the separation from his people, and the more he needs to make such an effort to connect.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Balaam's Doctrine
Most Christians are familiar with the story of Balaam’s talking donkey. The doctrine or teaching of Balaam, mentioned in II Peter 2, Jude 1, and Revelation 2, is far less familiar. Briefly the story, found in Numbers 22-24 is as follows.
Balak , king of Midian wanted to prevent Israel from conquering Midian. Since he didn’t believe his army was sufficient, he offered riches and prestige to Balaam if he would pronounce a curse against Israel. Balaam wanted the rewards, so he distorted what God directed him to do, leading to the incident in which his donkey spoke to him.
In Numbers 22:5 Balaam was directed to speak only the words God told him. The first two attempts to please Balak by cursing Israel, Balaam sought what God directed him to say. The third attempt, Balaam didn’t bother to ask God, apparently assuming he knew what God wanted. The Spirit came on him in Numbers 24, and he gave a prophecy of the future.
Midian sent their women into Israel’s camp to tempt the men to sexual sin, resulting in the death of twenty four thousand of Israel in Numbers 25. Numbers 31:16 credits Balaam with having taught the Midianites to cause Israel to sin. While there is no evidence of his having deliberately told them to do so, in his statements in Numbers 23, he went beyond what God had told him to appease Balak, and explained that Israel was blessed because God found no sin in them. The Midianites inferred that If they could cause Israel to sin, God would curse them. Balaam’s doctrine was that it was okay to change God’s word a little to accomplish his own purpose.
Each of the New Testament references to Balaam warn of the danger of his doctrine, associating him with other false teachers. The church at Thyatira is said to have those who believe that doctrine in it, echoing II Peter 2. That doctrine is exhibited in various other doctrines in our day. To illustrate the pervasive and insidious nature of the doctrine, I’d like to look at several prevalent doctrines that have resulted in our day. It is probable you have been exposed to one or more. Each starts with a scriptural statements, but changes them by adding to, detracting from or modifying meanings of words to accomplish some human goal.
One example is the teaching that if you give, God will give more back, based on Luke 6:38. They neglect to warn that Proverbs 22:6 says that giving to the rich will cause a man to be poor. Giving must be properly directed.
We hear a lot about praying “in Jesus’ name”, that if you use those words, God must give what you ask, based in John 14:14. The teaching ignores what praying in Jesus name means, that we pray by the authority he gives us. As a result they ignore I John 5:14 and Psalm 66:18.
Much teaching about the second coming focuses on trying to set a date when the rapture will occur, despite Jesus’ statement that it is none of our business in Acts 1:7. It has lead to much speculation and false teaching about events prior to and during the tribulation in an effort to galvanize Christians to action.
Many have used I Corinthians 11 as a basis for Requiring women to wear long hair or a hat to church, and forbidding men to wear their hair long, leaving out I Corinthians 11:16, which states that Godly preachers and churches do not set such standards. Such standards have turned away many weak Christians and unsaved people.
Modifying the meaning of the word disciple has enabled publishers to sell thousands of “Discipleship programs,” but it has also resulted in the failure to recognize the need for commitment for salvation, as described in Luke 14:26. It has resulted in distortion of Matthew 28:19-20 that we can only teach those who have made a specific commitment to individual teaching, with the result described in Hebrews 5:12, that most are not properly prepared. The original meaning of ‘to disciple’ was ‘to cause to become a pupil(believer),’ which is exactly what Matthew 28:19-20 says.
I Thessalonians 4:1-6 is sometimes used in an effort to counteract the growing divorce rate among ‘Christians’. The first five verses definitely relate to sexual purity. By including verse six, and modifying the meaning of defraud, they are able to promote a very drastic set of guidelines for betrothal and marriage. To do requires ignoring the statement in verse six that it goes beyond sexual behavior to defrauding in any other matter, such as James 5:4, I Corinthians 6:8, or Matthew 23:14 describe. It also results in perversion of what God teaches about marriage and distortion of the meaning of I Corinthians 7:3-5.
Each of these teachings is a result of the ‘Doctrine of Balaam’, that it is okay to change the Word of God a little. They are not the doctrine, just the results of it.
Balak , king of Midian wanted to prevent Israel from conquering Midian. Since he didn’t believe his army was sufficient, he offered riches and prestige to Balaam if he would pronounce a curse against Israel. Balaam wanted the rewards, so he distorted what God directed him to do, leading to the incident in which his donkey spoke to him.
In Numbers 22:5 Balaam was directed to speak only the words God told him. The first two attempts to please Balak by cursing Israel, Balaam sought what God directed him to say. The third attempt, Balaam didn’t bother to ask God, apparently assuming he knew what God wanted. The Spirit came on him in Numbers 24, and he gave a prophecy of the future.
Midian sent their women into Israel’s camp to tempt the men to sexual sin, resulting in the death of twenty four thousand of Israel in Numbers 25. Numbers 31:16 credits Balaam with having taught the Midianites to cause Israel to sin. While there is no evidence of his having deliberately told them to do so, in his statements in Numbers 23, he went beyond what God had told him to appease Balak, and explained that Israel was blessed because God found no sin in them. The Midianites inferred that If they could cause Israel to sin, God would curse them. Balaam’s doctrine was that it was okay to change God’s word a little to accomplish his own purpose.
Each of the New Testament references to Balaam warn of the danger of his doctrine, associating him with other false teachers. The church at Thyatira is said to have those who believe that doctrine in it, echoing II Peter 2. That doctrine is exhibited in various other doctrines in our day. To illustrate the pervasive and insidious nature of the doctrine, I’d like to look at several prevalent doctrines that have resulted in our day. It is probable you have been exposed to one or more. Each starts with a scriptural statements, but changes them by adding to, detracting from or modifying meanings of words to accomplish some human goal.
One example is the teaching that if you give, God will give more back, based on Luke 6:38. They neglect to warn that Proverbs 22:6 says that giving to the rich will cause a man to be poor. Giving must be properly directed.
We hear a lot about praying “in Jesus’ name”, that if you use those words, God must give what you ask, based in John 14:14. The teaching ignores what praying in Jesus name means, that we pray by the authority he gives us. As a result they ignore I John 5:14 and Psalm 66:18.
Much teaching about the second coming focuses on trying to set a date when the rapture will occur, despite Jesus’ statement that it is none of our business in Acts 1:7. It has lead to much speculation and false teaching about events prior to and during the tribulation in an effort to galvanize Christians to action.
Many have used I Corinthians 11 as a basis for Requiring women to wear long hair or a hat to church, and forbidding men to wear their hair long, leaving out I Corinthians 11:16, which states that Godly preachers and churches do not set such standards. Such standards have turned away many weak Christians and unsaved people.
Modifying the meaning of the word disciple has enabled publishers to sell thousands of “Discipleship programs,” but it has also resulted in the failure to recognize the need for commitment for salvation, as described in Luke 14:26. It has resulted in distortion of Matthew 28:19-20 that we can only teach those who have made a specific commitment to individual teaching, with the result described in Hebrews 5:12, that most are not properly prepared. The original meaning of ‘to disciple’ was ‘to cause to become a pupil(believer),’ which is exactly what Matthew 28:19-20 says.
I Thessalonians 4:1-6 is sometimes used in an effort to counteract the growing divorce rate among ‘Christians’. The first five verses definitely relate to sexual purity. By including verse six, and modifying the meaning of defraud, they are able to promote a very drastic set of guidelines for betrothal and marriage. To do requires ignoring the statement in verse six that it goes beyond sexual behavior to defrauding in any other matter, such as James 5:4, I Corinthians 6:8, or Matthew 23:14 describe. It also results in perversion of what God teaches about marriage and distortion of the meaning of I Corinthians 7:3-5.
Each of these teachings is a result of the ‘Doctrine of Balaam’, that it is okay to change the Word of God a little. They are not the doctrine, just the results of it.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
An american Al Queda Member
Last night I watched a PBS report on a young American member of Al Queda with a growing sense of horror, not because a seemingly normal American could turn against America but because he typifies what so often happens in churches today.
As a child, he attended a Baptist church where he made a profession of faith and was baptized, attending church and Sunday school for several years. As a teenager, he began to question what he had been taught in the church and began to accept Moslem teachings as being more logical. Eventually he renounced Christianity altogether and finally joined Al Queda. He now devotes most of his effort to enlisting other American youth into the Jihad movement to establish world wide Moslem control. He is a leading terrorist in the effort to overthrow the Somali government.
I can only guess why he made the profession and was baptized, but through the years I have seen so many others do so. While Romans 10:9-10 is absolutely essential to salvation, there are some underlying conditions that must also occur. Simply praying the sinners prayer, a belief in God, or being baptized will not save anyone.
The first part of John 6:44 states, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” No amount of psychology, or persuasive skill, or excitement can result in salvation, until God himself causes the motion. Far too often, in an effort to impress others with our fervor, we rush to get a profession, and like the Scribes and Pharisees, merely proselyte. In Matthew 23:15 Jesus warned “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
Hebrews 6:4-6 warns “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
When God draws a person, there will be real repentance, and as Luke 13: 3 and 5 tell us, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” His drawing will also produce a commitment to Christ beyond all else. Without such a commitment Salvation is not possible according to Luke 14:26. “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Many preachers have said, “well if they didn’t get saved, maybe they will later. Unfortunately by giving false confidence we decrease that likelihood. While most will not reject Christianity as completely as the young man described, how many will be in hell because we have not waited on the Lord? The book of Hebrews devotes considerable attention to this problem, and what teachers need to know to overcome it.
As a child, he attended a Baptist church where he made a profession of faith and was baptized, attending church and Sunday school for several years. As a teenager, he began to question what he had been taught in the church and began to accept Moslem teachings as being more logical. Eventually he renounced Christianity altogether and finally joined Al Queda. He now devotes most of his effort to enlisting other American youth into the Jihad movement to establish world wide Moslem control. He is a leading terrorist in the effort to overthrow the Somali government.
I can only guess why he made the profession and was baptized, but through the years I have seen so many others do so. While Romans 10:9-10 is absolutely essential to salvation, there are some underlying conditions that must also occur. Simply praying the sinners prayer, a belief in God, or being baptized will not save anyone.
The first part of John 6:44 states, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” No amount of psychology, or persuasive skill, or excitement can result in salvation, until God himself causes the motion. Far too often, in an effort to impress others with our fervor, we rush to get a profession, and like the Scribes and Pharisees, merely proselyte. In Matthew 23:15 Jesus warned “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
Hebrews 6:4-6 warns “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
When God draws a person, there will be real repentance, and as Luke 13: 3 and 5 tell us, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” His drawing will also produce a commitment to Christ beyond all else. Without such a commitment Salvation is not possible according to Luke 14:26. “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Many preachers have said, “well if they didn’t get saved, maybe they will later. Unfortunately by giving false confidence we decrease that likelihood. While most will not reject Christianity as completely as the young man described, how many will be in hell because we have not waited on the Lord? The book of Hebrews devotes considerable attention to this problem, and what teachers need to know to overcome it.
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