Show Gratitude… for ALL God’s Blessings

It’s almost unbelievable that Jesus heals 10 lepers at one time… recorded in Luke 17.  Without fanfare, He simply commands the motley crew, “Go, show yourselves to the priest.” They exit stage-left and their skin is restored, their dreadful disease gone!

Jesus certainly missed an opportunity there to make a big, impressive scene. The Lord was never concerned with aggrandizement. What was unbelievable to Him, however, was the lack of thankfulness from the former lepers. Only one makes a U-turn to thank Him for His tremendous miracle.  Only one.

As the Bible records, “When he saw he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan” (v. 15-16).

Jesus was shocked and asked, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

The unfortunate outcome was that 9 of the lepers missed the second, more important gift Jesus had planned for them. To the lone, grateful Samaritan He responded, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Even more important than physical health, this person’s spiritual life had been reborn, restored.

Scripture doesn’t tell us why the other lepers failed to praise God. Yet it’s clear from Jesus’s response that thankfulness was the only proper response to such a miracle.

What was missing in the nine who were healed and never looked back?  Gratitude. It’s a spiritual discipline. A choice each one of us makes about situations and circumstances we find ourselves living in. Something good happens to us, how do we react?  We are either thankful or we take it for granted, thinking we are entitled, giving no thought to how our life can be impacted by the influence, an act of kindness, by another person.  

So what’s the big deal?  Gratitude realigns us to God and increases His activity in our lives.  How is that possible?

Here’s a theological sequence that is paramount to understanding this: gratitude begets humility, which begets God’s grace.

Let’s begin with gratitude. Gratitude has been called the “gateway” spiritual discipline. As Psalm 100:4 commands us, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” In gratitude, we thank God not just for the stuff that fills our storage spaces, but for Him.

Gratitude begets humility because it reveals our God-given dependancies. Humility is a heart condition that recognizes that all of our blessings have been received, not earned. It understands how utterly deprived we stand before a Holy God. We simply can’t advance God’s Kingdom, be saved, or even love God in return without His first loving us.

Indeed, humility is the right posture when relating to God—it permits God’s grace in our lives. As James states that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (4:6). Since God’s grace is God’s power, the more thankful and dependent  we are before the Lord, the more the Holy Spirit can work in our lives. God working through us to mature us and accomplish His purposes.

As we make this pathway of gratitude, humility and grace a habitude, it allows us to experience more of God’s presence and power.

Gratitude flows easily when we’ve landed our dream job or just fell head-over-heels in love for a potential mate. And it’s easy to lift up some heavenly appreciation when we only receive a warning (instead of a ticket) for speeding. But what about when we don’t get our way? Or how do we react when tragedy strikes? Can we still be thankful then?

Indeed, life is not always a buffet of delicious circumstances where we get to pick and choose which items we put on our plate. Sometimes we get served sour lemons.

Fortunately, Christian gratitude doesn’t require us to “turn our lemons into lemonade”—a cliché that might be found in some self-help book. Certainly, painful events can shape us and build our character, but that doesn’t mean we have to simply smile through the pain and pretend everything’s fine.

A theology of gratitude that doesn’t allow for grief is at best misguided, if not downright egregious. Can you imagine a passerby saying to Jesus on Calvary “turn that frown upside-down”… smile and everything will be better?

Ingesting life’s difficulties and tragic events can be overwhelming. Having a heart of gratitude, therefore, is not about looking at the bright side of things. And it’s not even acknowledging that things could be worse. Our thankfulness is never to be based on a set of circumstances. It’s based on a Person.

The answer to our pain and suffering isn’t new circumstances but God Himself. Jesus came, not only to suffer for us, but to suffer with us. Isaiah describes Christ as being: “Despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (53:3). Jesus understands our pain and empathizes with us.

Practicing gratitude rests firmly in the assuredness that God will ultimately redeem every horrible situation in this life or the next. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

This promise allows us to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

It was love that drew one Samaritan to unwrap the gift of eternity. Saying “thank you” to God will always bring blessings. We can’t control what happens to us in this life, but we can always expect one gift… the power to hope and persevere.

We probably don’t give a second thought to such common events like watching beautiful sunsets, eating dinner with a friend or sleeping in a comfortable bed as undeserved blessings.  They are and we should take the time to be thankful for the smallest things in our lives.   In practicing gratitude, every day is a treasure hunt.

A Timeless Memorial Day Message from Billy Graham

A decade and a half before Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971, Billy Graham was in Boston to deliver a memorial address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The year was 1955, and he had just finished visiting many U.S. military installations in Europe. Below is an excerpt of his timeless message, which still rings true this Memorial Day as we remember with gratitude the sacrifices of so many for our nation.

In all the American idiom, there is no more endearing word than “buddy.” It is warm, with intonations of friendship, brotherhood and common purpose. We are assembled today to pay tribute to those, our “buddies,” who poured out their full measure of devotion upon the altar of freedom.

Thousands of you gathered here could tell dramatic stories of heroism which you yourself have seen acted out by your buddies on the grim stage of war’s theater. They have left this realm of time and space, they have out-stripped us in life’s races, but the sacred memory of their selflessness and the freedom they died to obtain will live forever.

Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with President (Dwight D.) Eisenhower at Gettysburg. He took me on a personally conducted tour of the Battlefield of Gettysburg, explaining the strategy used by both the Confederate and Union forces. Both of my grandfathers fought at Gettysburg. This famous battlefield, and hundreds of others like it, have become hallowed soil, where thousands of Americans have died either to preserve freedom, prevent aggression or keep intact the union of American states.

Some months ago when President Eisenhower was touring the Battlefield at Valley Forge and was being shown from one historic spot to another, he made this statement at the conclusion of the tour: “This is where they got it for us.”

What did he mean? He meant that those men, and thousands of others in all the wars that America has fought, purchased by their blood the freedoms that we enjoy today in “the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” That terse statement from the lips of our president has rung in my ears for many months. 

These battlefields of the world today are hallowed and holy to every American, and we pause to give them our highest honors, humbly realizing the sacred trust that these, our war dead, have handed to us.

I stood by the bedside of a boy in Korea whose spine had been torn away by a shell blast the night before, but by some miracle he was still living. He was unable to change his position; and if he lived, the doctor informed me, the rest of his days would be spent lying on his stomach. The army medics had patched him up the best they could. I gripped his cold, perspiring hand and said words of comfort to him. He made a statement I will never forget. He said: “It was worth it if it will keep America free!”

That’s what you call “getting it for us”! As we think of the selflessness and heroism of such fellows, we are reminded of the words of Jesus Christ who said: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

The freedoms we enjoy, the freedoms we take so much for granted, the freedoms we so often trifle with were bought not by the gold of our millionaires, nor altogether the genius of our scientists, nor the sacrifices of the people at home, but primarily by the blood, sweat and agony of those whose names on this day we honor—those who died that we might live!

They found, as have brave men of all ages, that there are principles well worth dying for. Their noble, unselfish sacrifice is a silent, eloquent rebuke to the self-centeredness of this generation. Let those who want “peace at any price” remember this day that thousands have died for honor and freedom and that what we have today has come at the price of shed blood. 

As I stood in the hospital quarter of the Danish ship “Jutlandia” in Korean waters by an American boy scarcely 20 years of age and watched helplessly as this young life ebbed away, I thought: What right have thousands of pleasure-seeking Americans to go on living when this lad in the early flower of youth has to die? And in that moment, the fact dawned on me that if he had to die for America, some of us must live for America. Sometimes it is far more difficult to live than it is to die. They have handed us a torch, and we have a responsibility to see that they have not died in vain.

Even though the sacrifices of our war dead have been great, yet the greatest sacrifice of all time was made by a man on a cross who died not only physically but spiritually that men might live. We have neglected Him too long! We have rejected His plan for peace, and as a result, we have fought, bled and died for centuries! I challenge the world at this hour to accept His program of heart regeneration that can transform the society in which we live, and we can know the meaning of genuine peace in our time. 

Yes the bells of liberty ring in America today because these men we honor today got through for us. The sacred memory of their sacrifice will always live in our hearts, and we have a sacred and holy trust—and we cannot fail them!

My mind goes back 2,000 years to another battle which was fought on a hill called Calvary. It was a battle of one young man against all the forces of evil. It seemed like a futile, hopeless struggle as Jesus Christ took on Satan’s task force single-handed. The jeers of the rabble, the spittle of the soldiers and the sneering of the people were incidental compared to the inner struggle which was taking place in His soul. But I watch Him, in fancy, as one hand is stretched out toward God and the other toward rebellious man, and He makes the connection and says: “It is finished.” He got through for us!

If we are to be strong spiritually, it will be through Him. Thousands today are finding a fresh, new meaning of life through Him. They are learning to say with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthened me.” We can best keep faith with those who have gone before by keeping faith with ourselves, with our highest ideals and with God.

Source: The Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College

Prayer Changes Things...

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.”  E. M. Bounds

The power of prayer is in the One to whom we pray. God holds the power. Praying to Him is one conduit to His power. It's like a lamp. The lamp doesn't have power, though it shows light. The cord doesn't have power—it's just the conduit. Prayer is a conduit to the greatest source of Power in the universe. 

God is all powerful: "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). 

We are invited to pray. In fact, in Luke 18:1 we read, "And he [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." Hebrews 4:14–16 talks about Jesus as our High Priest and says He can sympathize with us. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." We have been given access to the very throne of God through prayer. 

We are commanded to pray. First Thessalonians 5:16–18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Philippians 4:6–7 and Ephesians 6:18 have similar exhortations. 

We are also taught to pray, for example, in the Lord's Prayer. "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil'" (Matthew 6:9–13). 

When we pray, our fears can be settled. When we pray, our faith can grow. When we pray, we can rest. When we pray, we can be at peace. When we pray, we can hand over our concerns to God. When we pray, we can gain confidence from the One who created us. When we pray, we can be healed. When we pray, we can receive guidance and direction. Again, the power is not in the prayer, but in the God to whom we pray. 

We can be confident that God hears our prayers (Psalm 18:6; 1 John 5:14–15) and He answers our prayers according to His will (Psalm 17:6; 34:17; John 14:12–14; Luke 11:13; 1 John 5:15; James 1:5; 4:2–10; 5:13–18) regardless of how deep or how small our faith appears to be (Matthew 17:20; Acts 12). 

Our access to God is made through Jesus, who came and died to save us (John 3:16–18; Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23). When we claim Him as our Savior, our access to God is ensured. We can go with confidence to God. 

"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4–5). Prayer is a privilege God grants His children. The power of prayer is God Himself—our loving and completely capable Father. 

Thinking about our ability to access this awesome power should help us see the urgency before us.  Proclaiming Christ to a lost and wicked world. 

God listens and remembers every prayer we pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit can have a beneficial effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten.  When we realize the authority we have in prayer, mighty things will happen all over the earth that brings honor and glory to the powerful name of Jesus. 

We want to change the world for Christ.  In fact as Christians, it’s our primary purpose. It’s a huge task for all of us, but we do it one life at a time. Some are reaching people in their workplace or in another country. Some are reaching people in the hospitals or in the schools. We are all in this together. 

Our most essential tool in accomplishing God’s Will is prayer. Only through prayer can we get the job done. There is strength and power in prayer that can change the world. 

Prayer… Moves the Hand of God!

Be Humble... And Find Your True Purpose

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

—Romans 12:3

Some people love to talk about how well-educated they are or how successful they are or how wealthy they are. If you are having a discussion, whatever your story is, they will top your story. They know more than you do, and on and on it goes. They think they’re God’s gift to humanity.

But, as someone has pointed out, cemeteries are full of indispensable people. We’re not as great as we think we are.

The apostle Paul cautions us about this in Romans 12. He says, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” (verse 3 NLT).

In other words, think clearly. Start with an honest self-evaluation. Have a balanced, realistic view of yourself.

The problem is that we sometimes envy the spiritual gifts that God gives to someone else. Maybe God has called you to preach, but you really want to be a musician and a worship leader. Or maybe you’re a worship leader and really want to be a preacher.

Perhaps you’re working behind the scenes, but you really want to lead the class. Or you’re leading the class but really want to be working behind the scenes.

If God gave you a gift, then develop and use your gift. It’s disobedient not to use it. Don’t think you’re better than you are. On the other hand, don’t think you’re worse than you are either. Instead, see yourself honestly.  A balanced view of one’s self is the key to spiritual growth and the path to maturity.

God has given you a spiritual gift. So, receive and accept the gift, thank God for the gift, and start developing the gift in practical ways to honor Him and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

And most of all… be content and thankful with the spiritual gift that God has given to you.

Majority of Pastors See Signs of End Times in Current Events

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Almost 9 in 10 pastors see at least some current events matching those Jesus said would occur shortly before he returns to Earth, according to a new survey focused on Christian eschatology, or the study of end times.

A study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research of pastors at evangelical and historically black churches found 97% say they believe Jesus Christ will literally and personally return to Earth again.

“While Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, many pastors believe they see signs his return may be close,” said Scott McConnell, executive director LifeWay Research. “These sentiments were expressed in January before the prospect of a global pandemic became known.”

In Matthew 24, Jesus’ disciples asked him about signs of his coming, and he responded by speaking of “birth pains” that would precede his return.  Darrell Bock, New Testament studies professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, noted that the Bible has several lists of potential signs of Jesus’ return, like the Olivet Discourse passages of Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21, and some include concepts of global sicknesses.

“Numerous biblical texts speak of disturbances in the creation that disorient and trouble people,” said Bock. “These disturbances have quite a range with earthquakes and wars being the most common. However, Jesus mentions plagues or pestilence explicitly in Luke 21.”

According to Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, the idea of birth pains is not unique to the New Testament or evangelicals, as he said Ultra-Orthodox Jews also believe that these types of signs are indicators of the Messiah’s coming.

“The term used in rabbinic literature, ‘birth pangs of Mashiach,’ is similar to the Olivet Discourse,” Glaser said. “The pandemic is viewed in this way by many religious Jewish people who share a heightened Messianic expectation with evangelicals.”

In the study sponsored by a group of ministries led by Chosen People and conducted in early 2020, LifeWay Research asked pastors if they considered certain current events to be included in Jesus’ warnings.

At least 3 in 4 pastors agree Jesus was referring to current events including the rise of false prophets and false teachings (83%), the love of many believers growing cold (81%), traditional morals becoming less accepted (79%), wars and national conflicts (78%), earthquakes and other natural disasters (76%), and people abandoning their Christian faith (75%).  Clear majorities also see famines (70%) and anti-Semitism toward Jewish people worldwide (63%) as signs of Jesus’ return.

Around 1 in 10 pastors (11%) say they don’t consider any of these part of the birth pains to which Jesus was referring.

“For too long many pastors have shied away from teaching on birth pains and events leading up to the second coming,” said best-selling author Joel Rosenberg, “but the current pandemic demonstrates the need for solid, non-sensational preaching done in a biblical manner.”

More than half of pastors (56%) expect Jesus to return in their lifetime. Perhaps due in part to those beliefs, 89% of evangelical and historically black church pastors say that communicating the urgency of Christ’s return is important.

While most say they expect Jesus to return while they’re still alive, as many pastors say they’re not sure (24%) as say they strongly agree (25%). Three in 10 somewhat agree (31%), while 20% disagree, including 6% who strongly disagree.

Among those more likely to disagree Jesus will return during their lifetime are pastors ages 18 to 44 (27%) and pastors of churches with 250 or more in attendance (28%).

“Whether Jesus’ return is near or far, Christians believe these disturbances represent the groaning of creation, reminders of our mortality, our need for God and the accountability we have to him for life, both now and forever,” said Bock.

Other signs

Pastors are also likely to see several events related to Israel and the Jewish people as fulfillment of biblical prophecy and signs of the end times. Seven in 10 evangelical or black Protestant pastors (70%) say the modern rebirth of the state of Israel and the regathering of millions of Jewish people were fulfillments of prophecies in the Bible.

Similar numbers (69%) say those events show Christ’s return is closer. Around 2 in 5 pastors (39%) agree that the establishment of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is a sign of the end times. Most (62%) believe another temple will be built in Jerusalem in accordance with a prophecy in Ezekiel 40-48.

Many make end times connections to Israel and specifically Jerusalem, in part, because 73% believe that Christ will return and reign in Jerusalem in fulfillment of God’s promises to David.

More than half of pastors (57%) believe the Bible teaches that one day most or all Jewish people alive will believe in Jesus.

Close to 3 in 5 (59%) say Jesus will return when the Jewish people accept Jesus.

Nearly all pastors (98%) believe sharing the gospel with Jewish people is important.

Among those who believe Jewish evangelism is vital, they give a variety of reasons why.

More than 99% say it is important to share the gospel with all people groups. Nine in 10 pastors (89%) say because Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. More than 4 in 5 (82%) believe Jewish people are special in God’s sight. The same percentage point to God’s promise to preserve a faithful remnant of Jewish people.

Around two-thirds of pastors (67%) say sharing the gospel with Jewish people is important because Apostle Paul’s pattern was to evangelize Jewish people first. More than a quarter (28%) say Jewish evangelism will speed up the return of Christ.

“There are details of Christ’s return and his reign that scholars disagree on,” said McConnell. “However, the vast majority of pastors believe certain current events correspond with prophesies Jesus himself gave about things that would occur right before he returns.”

End times teaching

Regardless of how close they believe the return of Christ is, most pastors feel confident in teaching on the subject.

Virtually all evangelical and black Protestant pastors (94%) say they feel equipped to teach on the prophecies found in the Bible, though more than a third did not give the highest level of agreement.

Most pastors also believe it is important to study and teach on biblical prophecies and eschatology.

Around 3 in 5 say it is important to preach on end times prophecies in the book of Revelation (60%) and the Old Testament (60%), as well as spend time personally studying eschatology (57%).

A quarter of pastors (24%) speak to their congregations about end times prophecies at least once a month. Close to half (48%) say they do so several times a year.

Around 1 in 10 pastors say they talk about it with their church about once a year (11%). The same number (11%) say they do so rarely. Few say they never speak to their congregation about those prophecies (3%).

“The current global pandemic will create interest among churchgoers and nonreligious people about what the Bible says about plagues, disasters, and the end times,” said McConnell. “The urgency pastors feel is less about stockpiling toilet paper and more about helping people be ready for Christ’s return.”

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Authored by Aaron Earls is Online Editor of Facts & Trends 

and a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.

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The Not-So-Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…

If you are concerned about the state of the Church in America, you are in for a real shock!  READ the survey summaries below.   One thing seems very clear… there is a lack of in-depth teaching, very little, if any, teaching on apologetics (how to defend the faith), and a great deal of compromise in many churches—and some of these are the churches who claim to be influential evangelical leaders. 

So many people from churches in America don’t really know what they believe or why, and many don’t really understand the basic principles and concepts of Christianity.

The following survey results show how confusion and compromise have infiltrated the church. NOT a picture we want for the claimed followers of Christ as He prepares for His triumphant return.

64% of Americans agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.”

Only 52% agree that “the Bible alone is the written word of God.”

Only 58% agree that “God is the author of Scripture.”

65% agree that “everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”

44% agree that “the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”

51% agree that “the Bible was written for each person to interpret as he or she chooses.”

Only 47% agree that “the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.”

59% of Americans agree that “worshiping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church.”

Only 45% agree that “churches that do not preach from the Bible should not be considered a Christian church.”

Only 49% in churches agree that “sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin.”

Only 49% agree that “abortion is a sin.”

42% agree that “the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.”

38% agree that “gender identity is a matter of choice.”

45% agree that “modern science discredits the claims of Christianity.”

52% agree that “by the good deeds that I do, I partly contribute to earning my place in heaven”

Only 60% agree that “Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.”

Only 52% agree that “it is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

Only 54% in churches agree that “only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.”

These numbers are very troubling. They tell a story, and its not pretty. When 40 to 50 percent of Christians don’t believe the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches, that Christ is the only sacrifice for sin and the only means for salvation, or that they should witness to non-Christians, there is something fundamentally wrong with the present Church.

FEW PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT SOLID, BIBLICAL THEOLOGY AND, AS A RESULT, BIBLICAL ILLITERACY IS RAMPANT THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY.

Sadly, our once-Christian nation has drifted far from its roots. Few people are taught solid, biblical theology and, as a result, biblical illiteracy is rampant throughout our country. The results of our survey, done by America’s Research Group and published in my coauthored book Already Gone, show that for many Christians growing up in the church this lack of teaching can have disastrous results. Additional surveys—such as the follow-up by America’s Research Group and published in my coauthored book Already Compromised—have consistently shown that many Christian colleges are compromising on biblical principles about the authority of the Bible. 

These colleges allegorize or explain away the historicity of Genesis, attacking the very foundation of the faith—the gospel! The pastors and church leaders coming out of these Bible colleges and seminaries are then teaching what they have learned—that the history of the Bible is not to be trusted and that man’s ideas can “reinterpret” God’s Word.

Confused About Who God Is… how is that even possible?

Also disconcerting are the confused and even contradictory answers in the survey responses. While 65% of Americans agree that “God is a perfect being and cannot make a mistake” and 58% agree that “God is the Author of Scripture,” only 47% agree that “the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.” How can that be? Many just don’t understand what it means that God is the infinite Creator God—infinite in wisdom and knowledge and that “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19).

Here’s another example. 69% in churches agree that “there is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,” but 53% agree that “Jesus is the first and greatest creature created by God” and 56% agree that “the Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.” So here’s the translation of those contradictions… people can believe that Jesus is God yet was created, and that the Holy Spirit is God yet is not a personal being?

God’s clear teachings on His Person and His Word are not understood because they are not clearly taught in many churches. We also see that moral and social issues like marriage, gender, sexuality, and sanctity of life have all been reinterpreted based on man’s fallible opinions and desire to accommodate sin. (See article posted - April 27, 2020 — The Great Confusion…)

The exclusivity of the gospel is considered antiquated and obviously in many churches viewed as “intolerant”, and the Great Commission has been sacrificed to the “all-paths-lead-to-God” mentality. If all paths lead to God, then why did Christ have to come to earth and go to the Cross to die for our sins? This type of theology — all paths are acceptable — makes Christ’s sufferings and sacrifice pointless.

GOD’S WORD IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED AS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY ON EARTH’S HISTORY—MAN’S WORD overrides and replaces god, when necessary!

The false evolutionary interpretations of historical science are usurping God’s Word as the foundation of truth—and this is now an epidemic in the church. God’s Word is no longer accepted as the ultimate authority on earth’s history—man’s word is! It should come as no surprise that this compromise hasn’t stayed in Genesis but has spread to how people view the rest of the Bible. After all, if you can’t trust what God says in Genesis, then why trust what He says throughout the rest of Scripture—or for that matter, why trust God at all?

But time and time again it has been shown that science has confirmed the Bible’s history. True science testifies to all that the Creator accomplished! We can trust the Bible, from the very first verse, and that’s why we can trust the theology, morality, and ultimately, the gospel message found in the Bible.

Jesus will return… do you believe that?  I hope you do, with all your heart and mind! I encourage you to equip yourself, your families, and challenge your church to teach the complete Word of God.  Only then will you be able to preach and teach Christ as Savior and Redeemer, providing answers to all who seek Him.  Be part of a revolution… call the church and this culture back to the foundation of the Word of God.

The Great Confusion...

So many contradictory world-views are swirling around humanity these days, its no wonder there is mounting stress and confusion in our culture as to what truth really is.  Most societies and cultures are abandoning Judeo-Christian values for secular concepts void of personal responsibility and accountability.

It’s easy to become confused. Mankind has replaced the order that God put in all creation with a great confusion that leads to no good end.

The scrambling of life’s order and priorities is not the only confusion that is perpetuated by our contemporary and secular way of life. There is profound and growing gender confusion. There is a check-box on the recent U.S. 2020 Census that allows a person to “not identify as male or female” or to decline entirely to declare one’s orientation, leaving only that the person being counted is an “it”, something not associated with God’s created identities for humankind. 

Gender bias is a preference or prejudice toward one gender over the other. Bias can be conscious or unconscious, and may manifest in many ways, both subtle and obvious.  One of the most obvious ways in recent years is the “third” public restroom for those who claim not “male” or female” but another for of identity. We didn’t even think of these issues when I was growing up, a teen and even a young married adult.

You May ask yourself by now if I really am that old fashioned, that I can’t understand that we don’t live in the 20th century anymore? Of course not‚ I do live in the contemporary world‚ but these growing and frightening patterns of disorder‚ brought by apparently simple things like fashion‚ do greatly influence our lives. If our “freedom to choose” now extends to deciding what orientation we will live with from childhood through adulthood, then I would suggest that the confusion of humanity is far more serious than a simple shrug off to one’s personal choice.

The number one victim of this confusion is the family. We see how the God given definition of family is changed today by the political agenda‚ how younger and younger girls drop off school because of a teenage pregnancy‚ how divorce becomes the norm and celibacy with a libertarian lifestyle is looked upon as a viable way of living. These are all consequences of this confusion.

God did not created the world to be this way‚ he did not sow seeds of disorder. He made a child different than an adult and a woman different than a man. Strip away the modern trappings of this world… fashion‚ culture‚ prejudice‚ political correctness, etc. and you will see the true face of the world, that it is still here‚ buried‚ just as it was created by God.

Now, I am going to be very old fashioned here and declare the present state of confusion of humanity to be caused by sin.  Humanity’s desire to choose to go against the natural order of how God created humanity to live. Yes, that is exactly what sin is… making a choice contrary to the goodness God desires for his creation.  The originator of sin, is God’s adversary Satan the Devil.

You see, its through sin that humanity has sacrificed the original purity God endowed mankind with in favor of doing their own thing, their own way.  You might say, mankind has created a false identity‚ an identity that is hiding, masking the goodness of God that is in all of his creation. Do it long enough, and our world becomes a place of confusion and deception.  The secular tendencies, and gender confusion of our contemporary choices are just the latest masking over the truth of God’s given nature, his purpose for humanity and the world, replacing it with the man-made, unholy hodgepodge of ungodly behaviors.

God’s intent for order is very clear in the book of Ecclesiastes “to every thing there is a season‚ and a time to every purpose under the heaven: “A time to be born‚ and a time to die; […] a time to kill and a time to heal‚ a time to tear down and a time to build‚ a time to weep and a time to laugh‚ a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecc 5:1-5). He has created all things with a purpose in mind and when we ignore or change this purpose we miss the very goal of our existence which is to be a glory to God. We can rebel against this fact‚ we can try to mask it‚ but this will only bring pain in our lives because we act against ourselves‚ against who we really are.

All our problems arise when we fight against the faultless order of God and try to replace it with a man-made flawed proposition. We think that we can outsmart God‚ but in doing that we only trade perfection for limitation‚ eternity for a brief lifetime‚ communion for isolation‚ and love for indifference.

We don’t have to reinvent anything: God has already created everything perfect. We only have to shake off these worldly views and ideas, and accept his grace in the person of Jesus Christ, our savior and redeemer.  We can then align our will with His will and rediscover our personal identity by paradoxically uniting ourselves with Him… “He that has my commandments‚ and keeps them‚ he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father‚ and I will love him‚ and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)