In the Nov. 17 post (on this blogsite), the book, "Loving God with All Your Mind" by Gene Edward Veith, Jr. was mentioned and a quote from the book was included. And now Mr. Veith has a very thought-provoking column, Truth & Consequenses, in the Nov. TableTalk issue (published by Ligonier Ministries) considering where the Church in the West is headed and gives this observation:
"Even though biblical christianity must resist cultural conformity, many American churches have actually embraced cultural conformity as a strategy for church growth. They do not see that surrending to the culture means instead the disappearance of the church. That the current American culture is swallowing up the church - effacing its doctrines, ignoring its morality, and erasing its history - is precisely why the churches of the Third World see us as in need of their help.
Christianity is a missionary religion. Europeans learned the gospel from missionaries just as the Africans did. Evangelized Europeans and their American forebears would then send missionaries themselves, and now we are coming around full circle.
But we would do well to think of ourselves in the same way we used to think about the lost people of the mission field. We have beome the new heathen. We Americans are the ones now in thrall to primitive superstitions, such as believing in the power of positive thinking and having faith in ourselves. We are the ones held back by a materialistic worldview that has little conception of the supernatural. We are the ones with the brutal customs, such as aborting our infamts, neglecting our children, and abandoning and sometimes authanizing our elders. We have simple, pounding music, and we are uneducated about the realities outside of our tribe. With our limited mind-set, we have trouble grasping the truth of Scripture.
But the grace of God brings the light of Jesus Christ into heathen darkness - even into our heathen darkness." (emphasis mine)
How can we Christians, especially at this Holy time of our Christian calendar, keep from surrending to the culture? How can we proclaim that Jesus is the reason for this season? How can we make that difference that will direct others to follow the star that leads to the Christ? By letting the grace of God shine through our lives and letting the light of Jesus Christ shine into this heathen darkness! Hallelujah! What a Savior!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Ishmael
Genesis 16:12 (New King James Version)
12 He [Ishmael] shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Genesis 21:10-13 (New King James Version)
10 Therefore she [Sarah] said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman [Hagar] and her son [Ishmael]; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman [Hagar], because he is your seed.”
Genesis 21:18 (New King James Version)
18 Arise, lift up the lad [Ishmael] and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.
12 He [Ishmael] shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Genesis 21:10-13 (New King James Version)
10 Therefore she [Sarah] said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman [Hagar] and her son [Ishmael]; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman [Hagar], because he is your seed.”
Genesis 21:18 (New King James Version)
18 Arise, lift up the lad [Ishmael] and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
A Pale Shadow...The Real Deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are living in a post-modern, post-Christian country today, sad to say. I looked up "thanksgiving" on Wikipedia...check it out...
More from Wiki ~~
...religious undertones!!!!!!!!! ...religious undertones!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh spare me!!!!!!!!!!!!
...deliverance by the Native Americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROTFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh, sorry...but really...) (well, at least we know Who really delivered them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
However, those of us who are believers in the God of the Bible and have the gift of eternal life through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:3-4), live always in a "Christian country", as it were. As Paul said (no pun intended!) we are only pilgrims ( 1 Peter 2:11 & Hebrews 11:13) in this post-modern-christian whatever...!
Now, let's see if we can come up with a robust definition of "thanksgiving" ~~ one with true meaning, especially for us!
"THANKSGIVING — the aspect of praise that gives thanks to God for what He does for us. Ideally, thanksgiving should spring from a grateful heart;
but it is required of all believers, regardless of their initial attitude (1 Thess. 5:18).
We should be grateful to God for all things (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18),
but especially for His work of salvation and sanctification (Rom. 7:25; Col. 1:3–5; 1 Thess. 1:2–7; 2:13).
We ought also to thank God in anticipation of His answering our prayers (Phil. 4:6), knowing that His answers will always be in accord with His perfect will for our lives (Rom. 8:28–29)." Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
Ah, that's better!
The word thanksgiving occurs 28 times in the King James Version & as thanksgivings twice.
Two particularly lovely instances are ~~
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
and
Psalm 116:17
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
I pray that you had a blessed thanksgiving day, with your thanksgiving directed to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!!
More from Wiki ~~
Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
...religious undertones!!!!!!!!! ...religious undertones!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh spare me!!!!!!!!!!!!
...deliverance by the Native Americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROTFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh, sorry...but really...) (well, at least we know Who really delivered them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
However, those of us who are believers in the God of the Bible and have the gift of eternal life through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:3-4), live always in a "Christian country", as it were. As Paul said (no pun intended!) we are only pilgrims ( 1 Peter 2:11 & Hebrews 11:13) in this post-modern-christian whatever...!
Now, let's see if we can come up with a robust definition of "thanksgiving" ~~ one with true meaning, especially for us!
"THANKSGIVING — the aspect of praise that gives thanks to God for what He does for us. Ideally, thanksgiving should spring from a grateful heart;
but it is required of all believers, regardless of their initial attitude (1 Thess. 5:18).
We should be grateful to God for all things (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18),
but especially for His work of salvation and sanctification (Rom. 7:25; Col. 1:3–5; 1 Thess. 1:2–7; 2:13).
We ought also to thank God in anticipation of His answering our prayers (Phil. 4:6), knowing that His answers will always be in accord with His perfect will for our lives (Rom. 8:28–29)." Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
Ah, that's better!
The word thanksgiving occurs 28 times in the King James Version & as thanksgivings twice.
Two particularly lovely instances are ~~
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
and
Psalm 116:17
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
I pray that you had a blessed thanksgiving day, with your thanksgiving directed to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
ESL??
I am so accustomed to using the letters, ESL, that I neglected to include the meaning:
English as a Second Language.
English as a Second Language.
We Feasted!!
The teachers in our ESL program and the senior adult fellowship of our church host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for our ESL students and their families and friends. This year we had a full house - and a feast not of just the turkey/ trimmings but of sharing faith stories and praying in many tongues. Four students from our class, which is pre-beginner, came with their families: our Tanzanian lady brought her son and his family; the dental hygienist from So. America came with her brother; the family from Burma and single Mom from Mexico came with friends.
There was the usual laugher over trying to explain "dressing", sweet potato fluff, and the funny looking orange stuff in the pie. The first highlight of the evening was the sharing of what we all were thankful for and the ESLers all said their thanks for our classes, the church that hosted the program, families and the USA.
The second highlight was the testimony of the Indian minister, PraDeep, who is in one of our advanced classes and is the pastor of the Indian church in our area. He told of the missionary that had given a Christian tract to his grandfather without a word, how that tract had changed the life of his grandfather, how his grandfather raised his children to become Christians and how that father raised his children, including PraDeep, in the Christian faith. And now this third generation is on the mission field. He brought the house down when he said that his family feasted on white bread (the Word brought by the American missionary 70 years ago) and now he was bringing brown bread back to the country that had first fed him. Not a dry eye in the room.
" 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Lord give us this bread always.' " Jesus said to them, "I AM the Bread of Life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:32-35
I must add that his story reminded me of a dear sister in the Lord, who is in her 80's and is a faithful minister through the use of tracts, to everyone she meets and anywhere she goes.
There was the usual laugher over trying to explain "dressing", sweet potato fluff, and the funny looking orange stuff in the pie. The first highlight of the evening was the sharing of what we all were thankful for and the ESLers all said their thanks for our classes, the church that hosted the program, families and the USA.
The second highlight was the testimony of the Indian minister, PraDeep, who is in one of our advanced classes and is the pastor of the Indian church in our area. He told of the missionary that had given a Christian tract to his grandfather without a word, how that tract had changed the life of his grandfather, how his grandfather raised his children to become Christians and how that father raised his children, including PraDeep, in the Christian faith. And now this third generation is on the mission field. He brought the house down when he said that his family feasted on white bread (the Word brought by the American missionary 70 years ago) and now he was bringing brown bread back to the country that had first fed him. Not a dry eye in the room.
" 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Lord give us this bread always.' " Jesus said to them, "I AM the Bread of Life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:32-35
I must add that his story reminded me of a dear sister in the Lord, who is in her 80's and is a faithful minister through the use of tracts, to everyone she meets and anywhere she goes.
Wars? Oppression?
James 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Zech 7:10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
Proverbs 22:22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
Job 24:4 They push the needy off the road;
All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
Isaiah 3:15 What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
Habakkuk 3:14 You thrust through with his own arrows
The head of his villages.
They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
Zech 7:10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
Proverbs 22:22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
Job 24:4 They push the needy off the road;
All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
Isaiah 3:15 What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
Habakkuk 3:14 You thrust through with his own arrows
The head of his villages.
They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
What is a day?
This selection is taken from Creation Moments:
"The Days in Genesis
Genesis 1:5
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
Silently a huge, powerful form slides through the deep, cold, dark depths of the sea. The men aboard the nuclear submarine have seen neither sun nor daylight for months, yet each one knows what day it is. The men know what day and what time it is even without seeing daylight, because the sun’s movement – like a clock – only measures time; it doesn’t create it.
God doesn’t need the sun to measure time either. When He tells us in Genesis 1 that He created everything in six days and rested on the seventh, we know these are days like ours, even though the sun was not created until the fourth day. Some people wonder whether the days of Genesis 1 could be figurative days.
Well, the best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself. What does it say?The word translated “day” in Genesis 1 is the Hebrew word yom. Whenever that word is used anywhere else in the Old Testament with a number – like 10 yoms – it always means a 24 hour day. And whenever yom is used anywhere else in the Old Testament with the phrase “evening and morning,” it always means a 24 hour day.Going back to Genesis 1, we see that the Holy Spirit has made sure that both of these rules are in force to assure us that the Genesis days are like ours!
Prayer: I thank You, Lord, that Your Word is clear and true. Use it to correct my understanding as well as my life and do not allow my own pride to make me deaf or blind to Your Word. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Old or Young?
References: Bartz, Paul A. 1988. “Days in Genesis one and the week.” Bible Science Newsletter, Aug. p. 10"
"The Days in Genesis
Genesis 1:5
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
Silently a huge, powerful form slides through the deep, cold, dark depths of the sea. The men aboard the nuclear submarine have seen neither sun nor daylight for months, yet each one knows what day it is. The men know what day and what time it is even without seeing daylight, because the sun’s movement – like a clock – only measures time; it doesn’t create it.
God doesn’t need the sun to measure time either. When He tells us in Genesis 1 that He created everything in six days and rested on the seventh, we know these are days like ours, even though the sun was not created until the fourth day. Some people wonder whether the days of Genesis 1 could be figurative days.
Well, the best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself. What does it say?The word translated “day” in Genesis 1 is the Hebrew word yom. Whenever that word is used anywhere else in the Old Testament with a number – like 10 yoms – it always means a 24 hour day. And whenever yom is used anywhere else in the Old Testament with the phrase “evening and morning,” it always means a 24 hour day.Going back to Genesis 1, we see that the Holy Spirit has made sure that both of these rules are in force to assure us that the Genesis days are like ours!
Prayer: I thank You, Lord, that Your Word is clear and true. Use it to correct my understanding as well as my life and do not allow my own pride to make me deaf or blind to Your Word. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Old or Young?
References: Bartz, Paul A. 1988. “Days in Genesis one and the week.” Bible Science Newsletter, Aug. p. 10"
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