Bookends

 

     In the spring of this year (2024), I was contemplating reading through the Bible again. As the thought occurred to me, I was reminded of my friend who told me that he had read through the Bible more that 60 times. The very next day, I heard of his passing. This spurred me on to get started and I am now more that 1/4 the way through. I am disciplined to do a bit every day but am not hurrying. Once again I am discovering things that I seemed to have not read the last number of times I have done this. 

     Every so often, a truth will jump up and grab me, something I may have known or heard in the past, but suddenly a new appreciation or insight will make me sit up and take notice. This time, it is about "Where does God reside?"

     Encounters with God were numerous and varied throughout the Old Testament. God was in the 'burning bush' when He spoke to Moses. He was in the pillar of cloud and fire for the Israelites when they crossed the wilderness on their way to the promised land. He was on the mountain in the thunder when Moses was on Mt. Saini. Then He dwelt in the Tabernacle that the Israelites built to exacting standards. Later, Solomon built the temple where the worship of God took place in the 'Holy of Holies', guarded by a curtain or veil, and none but the most high priests were allowed in.  

     The account of Christ's crucifixion talks about this 'veil being torn'. This is in reference to the fact that access to God is no longer through the Temple and through the High Priests, but now there is access to God for all. God was let out, or, we were let in, when the veil was torn. Christ's dwelling place is now in the hearts of his believers, his church universal. 

     The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 authors, over a period of 1500 years and yet the unified message and theme is unmistakable. The entire narrative is sandwiched between two bookends. It is about God and his relationship with his ultimate creation, mankind. The bookend at the beginning of this collection of books is 'God with Adam and Eve, in the cool of the day', communing without any encumbrances. Then, sin entered the picture and the sweet personal relationship with their creator was broken. The way back to that relationship is through Jesus and his death on the cross and his resurrection which paid the debt for sin and conquered death. The relationship is restored for those who believe, but it gets better. The bookend at the end of the Bible is this. Revelation 21: 3 "Now, the dwelling place of God is with men, and He will live with them"  In the beginning God dwelt with men, and in end God will dwell with men, but this time, it will be for forever.  Matching bookends to the greatest story ever told.  

      

Two Leaves

My walk today was extra long. My heart was burdened and I thought the workout would clear my head and change my perspective.

I have been plagued with a lot of pain recently and my ability to work has been diminished. I should not find this troubling at my age, but it is. I walked 7 Km. and as I walked, I counted and recalled the homes, along the route that I took, that I had worked in over the years. There were seven, on this little route (mostly through a park) and I began to wonder if what I did, really made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

I know that at the time, my clients were very happy to have the work done and happy to have me do it. Did it make a difference? I suppose temporarily it did.

I eventually needed to sit a while and do some stretches so I could make it back to my home. I was sitting on a high curb, trying to shut out the drone of the heavy traffic while thinking about my life and what I had accomplished and what I could do with the rest of it.

My mind was a muddle as a sudden small gust of wind whipped a leaf from the tree above me, right to my feet. It was unremarkable and then another small gust turned it right side up, and I was struck by the incredible beauty of the gold tinged with brilliant red, the veins and stem, blood red yet outlined in yellow, and the perfect Maple leaf shape.  

Ah, yes. The autumn of life. And as I stared at the leaf, I realised that it had a purpose from the day it sprouted as a bud in the warm spring breezes. It worked hard photosynthesizing sunlight so the tree could be nourished, so it could thrive and grow. Without the leaf, the tree would eventually shrivel, dry up, and die. It hung on tenaciously as it was tossed by storms, pummeled by rain, clawed at by squirrels and birds, and yet it did its job to the end.

And now, it was no longer needed, its value was gone....but wait, it had one more purpose. Its creator, almighty God, in one of his strokes of creative genius, decided that a dying leaf should be brilliant and beautiful, a delight to the eye, singly or by the millions. It was a last chance to show God's glory before returning to the soil to nourish the next living plant.

But I am not brilliant like that leaf! There are those who are, who let their light and beauty shine and everyone can see it and appreciate it. It was uplifting and discouraging at the same time. I felt right then and there that I had no brilliance, nothing left. And as I mulled this thought about in my mind, what did I see but another leaf that was right in front of me the whole time. It was an Oak leaf, with no beauty, no brilliance, only a drab shade of brown, lying on the sidewalk, wet and crushed.

But did that leaf not also have the same purpose and value in its lifetime? Did it not also feed and nourish its own tree, the Oak?  Had I not persevered and worked hard to provide for my family? Had I not done some good for those around me and for mankind on a broader scale. I realised that I had and that my work was just as valuable, if finish with brilliance, or with a bit of pain and dysfunction. I was mistaken to think that only the brilliantly coloured  leaves give glory to God in their dying moments. Every shape, size and colour are a testament to a life of purpose and endurance.

The fresh air invigorated me, the brisk walk eased the pain somewhat, but it was the leaves, fluttering down from the almost bare branches, that inspired me.

Are You As Confused As I Am?

 

All of us have been inundated, in the last few weeks, with information regarding Islam, immigration, and terrorism. Anyone engaged in social media is well aware of the blizzard of posts, opinions, videos, and sound bytes surrounding these topics.

 

As we sort through the information and opinions, we are looking to clarify our own perspective, our own ideas, and somewhere in the mix, the truth. The truth, for me, has been elusive, to say the least. There are too many opinions, too many facts, too many charts, too many testimonials, too many 'cobbled together' videos, and too many 'experts', all of which are contradictory to some degree.

 

Being the kind of person who likes cut and dried answers and cut and dried solutions, I find it all troubling and confusing. I have been interested in reading about (I almost wrote studying) the Islam issues for many years, ever since I began to delve into the Jew/Palestinian conflict. I read a number of books written by former Muslims who came out of, and rejected that tradition and religion, because they became disillusioned. One of the authors was the foremost Islamic studies professor at the University of Cairo. What he did not know about Islam was not worth mentioning. I tend to give former or current Muslims more credibility as they have lived the faith and were indoctrinated in it since birth. They should know what they are talking about. Another reason these reformed Muslims have credibility is because their lives have been threatened, even by their own families, for being at all critical of Islam. They have nothing to gain by exposing the shortcomings of Islam, other than to inform the world of the threat.

 

With the internet today, extensive research can be done with the click of a mouse, and bit of time to read. But I keep getting mixed messages in the research, and therein lies my confusion.

 

1. The meaning of Islam. Islam means submission ... to Allah and his written word, and his prophet Mohammed. Immediately I am confused because the claim is that God is God, and we all worship the same God. However, the Islam God (Allah) has no partner, no equal, no son, and no associate. Mmm. The Christian God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The reason that is a problem is because although Muslims also believe in Jesus, they do not believe he is the Son of God and do not believe that he died and rose again as the saviour of mankind. And that is what makes us their enemies. We are blasphemers.

 

2. A Muslim, in order to be a true believer, must live by the Koran and the writing of Mohammed. I have read parts of the Koran, enough to see huge contradictions. There is love and peace and neighbourliness, but in the next verses there will be an injunction to cut off the hands and head of the unbelievers. Mohammed himself was no saint, but was a murderer and a pedophile, not exactly a prophet to hold up as a role model, and yet there are Muslims who are model citizens and do good works in their neighbourhoods and communities. Where does that inspiration come from? How do they see the unbelievers around them? Are they only tolerant until the day of Jihad. One only wonders this because it in their holy book. One of the guidelines when reading the Koran is that when one scripture contradicts another, the one written at a later date (the newer one) is the one to adhere to. As Mohammed progressed in his pursuits, he became more violent and so the more violent scriptures are the true and right ones. How many Muslims know this? How many believe this. Is this why so many remain silent in the face of terrorism?  

3. The Islamic doctrine of deception, or Taqiya, troubles me greatly because this would seem to give a Muslim permission to lie in order to  preserve their life or their faith. In terms of immigration, this is extremely concerning as the lack of data bases and other information leaves, often, only the word of the applicant when filling out the immigration papers. Vetting becomes very unreliable, especially when hurried under duress of immigration quotas and deadlines.

 

4. PEW research finds that an overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world want Sharia Law (Islamic Law as defined in the Koran) to be the law of the land where they live. Would this not fall under the definition of radical Islam? And yet we are told that only a tiny fraction of Muslims are radicalized.

 

5. If the majority of Muslims around the world are for peace and tranquility, why are they not speaking out against their terrorist brothers? Are they afraid? Do they see the radicals as the foot soldiers of Allah and are secretly rooting for them? There seems to be evidence for this when a moment of silence at a soccer match, meant to honour the dead of the Paris massacres is booed by the Muslim fans.

 

6. It is troubling that the west is supposed to rescue the distressed Syrian migrants yet other Muslim nations do nothing to help their Muslim brothers. Why is this? And why does the US under the leadership of Obama refuse to take Christian Syrian migrants, a people group who has the most to lose by staying in harms way. You would think that these are the very people who have the best chance of assimilating in the west.

 

7. Why does the world not stand with Israel in its fight against terrorism? They have many years of experience. It is the same bunch who are terrorizing Paris and threaten to terrorize the entire world of Christendom, that Israel is up against, yet most of the world demonizes Israel.   

 

8. Is Islam a religion, a geopolitical movement, or both. Again it is confusing, and depends on who you listen to and who you believe. Mohammed declared that Islam would conquer the world by the sword and the cradle. Muslims are doing both, some through terrorism and most by their prolific  birth rate. If the prophet Mohammed's teachings are paramount in your submission to Allah, would you not, as a Muslim, be sympathetic to this agenda?  

 

The confusion comes from the contradictions, and often a bit of fear and paranoia arise from misinformation. As a Christian, I have great assurance and comfort in knowing what I am supposed to do, and knowing that God is in control, and that no matter what happens, it is part of the master plan, of which I know very little. So while I trust God and cast out fear, I know also that my mandate as a Christian, is to love, help and protect the helpless. In so doing, I become a tiny piece of the solution. I do not lose sight of the fact that there is good and evil in the world, and I will be an advocate for government and law enforcement to root out that evil, wherever it is. But if Muslims comes to my neighbourhood, I will be a good neighbour to them, as I am to my South Asian neighbours. And herein lies the ultimate solution. We are all created in the image of God, he loves everyone of us, and wants us to love each other.  

 

  

 

 

Passing

 

Today I attended the memorial service of my son-in-law's grandmother. Over the years I have become acquainted with some members of his family, and his grandmother was one of those people. She was in her late nineties and had virtually wasted away from Alzheimer's disease, similar to my own mother's last years.

 

When she was still of sound mind and body, I met her many times at my grandson's birthday parties, as those boys were her great grandchildren. She was an attractive and well groomed lady, classy, kind, loving, compassionate, and full of many other virtues that were expounded upon by my son-in-law in his wonderful tribute at the memorial.

 

Keith and I had a similar experience, both of us holding our loved one at the moment of death, he his grandmother and me my father. It is a profound experience, one that a person never forgets.

 

We fight death all our lives. Death is the enemy and we do everything in our power to fend it off, even though we know it is inevitable. Everything from wearing seatbelts to eating healthy and exercising, is all done with the goal in mind, that of fending off this relentless foe. We do this because life is a precious gift, something to treasure and enjoy, and partly because we know it can be taken from us in a heartbeat.

 

When we are in the presence of a dying person, we witness the triumph of the enemy, the final defeat of the very thing we have fought against all our lives. We reluctantly give in to it because we know it is, in the end, inevitable no matter what we do. But here is the profoundness of it. At the very instant that life slips away from the body, it enters another dimension, and continues on. It is only the death of the body, but because that is what is tangible and seen and touched, we have this strong sense of loss and finality. In fact, it is not the end at all, but the beginning of something entirely different for the soul.  

 

In both Keith's and my case, we witnessed something unseen. It is not a contradiction. "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" is a promise that we have, so we know that our loved one is immediately in the presence of the Lord as they sigh their last breath. Suddenly, we are only holding a shell, a flawed vessel that contained our loved one, but will now no longer be needed. Our loved one has broken the bonds of this earth and has entered a realm that we can speculate about, but also one which we have some information from God's word.

 

And herein lies the great comfort that Christians have regarding the loss of loved ones. The parting is not final. The reunion is coming when it is our turn.     

D.L. Moody

 

Dwight Lyman Moody 1837 - 1899 was a preacher, evangelist, and a publisher. He has an interesting history and if you are interested, Wiki has information on his life and accomplishments. Having recently read about Charles Spurgeon, I thought it might be interesting to compare the two, being on two sides of the ocean and both from the 19th century.

 

"Men of the Bible" is a free download from the kindle store. It is a series of sermons on a number of men of the Bible who all, by their actions and histories, portrayed something that DL Moody thought sermon worthy. The men are, in order, Abraham, Moses, Naaman, Nehemiah, Herod and John the Baptist, the man born blind and Joseph of Arimathea, and the penitent thief. I found the last chapter on the penitent thief particularly good.  

 

Moody, similar to Spurgeon, must have been a great orator because I found his sermons to be a bit dull. Not that I did not learn something from each of them, but by today's standards were simplistic. I get the sense that neither men were Biblical scholars but rather used simple ideas together with powerful word pictures and oratory to sway many people to turn their hearts to God. Moody was really big on repentance and turning from sin. He preached in an era when most believed in God and most gave the Bible serious credence. There is a certain assumption in his sermons that his audience knows full well the gospel message, but his job is to create a sense of urgency to 'get right with God' and the sooner the better.

It is obvious that different tactics are needed in each age and I find it interesting to see how the message has changed over the years, yet stayed the same. It is very possible to be culturally relevant without watering down the message.

 

This book is easy to read and not very lengthy. If you want some insight to the times and the man, this may be helpful.

3 stars

Prince of Preachers

 

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in 1834 and at the young age of 16, preached his first sermon to a group of farmers. Three years later he was called to lead the largest church in London, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, where he pastored for the next 38 years. He was a prolific writer, a charismatic speaker, and is considered to be one of the best preachers of all time, having preached to an estimated 10 million people in his lifetime.

 

"Spurgeon Gems" is a free download from the Kindle bookstore and is a collection of excerpts from some of Spurgeon's thousands of sermons. One gets a strong sense that he was a straightforward man who did not mince words. His theology was biblical and orthodox. I get the sense that he must have been a great orator because his words are not necessarily profound nor all that original, but are easy to understand. His main theme was grace, salvation not through works but as a free gift of God through his son Jesus, by way of his death on the cross. His concerns were the salvation of man's soul, and the discipleship of believers, that all do their part in the church and in preaching the gospel to all men.

It is a book that may be best referred to at times instead of read at one sitting. There is much to absorb here and the topics vary from the nature of God, to salvation, faith, wisdom, trials and suffering, prayer, family, the Bible, and preaching.

It is not a heavy book on theology but a glimpse into the mind of a great and effective preacher of the 19th century. If you want to know what he said that convinced thousands to come to Christ, this little book will give you a good idea.

4 stars   

 

 

 

Who's in Control

 

When we encounter great difficulties in life, we wonder what God is doing. Of course, if you believe there is no god, then it is a random occurrence and you just happened to be unlucky. We never question God when things are going well.

It is a common Christian platitude to simply say that we must have faith that He knows what He is doing and that we do not see the big picture. Charles Spurgeon, a 19th century preacher, taught that if we could understand our faith, it would be a faith that comes from our own understanding and it would not be a faith at all.

 

A faith that we do not understand comes from God because his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are above our thoughts. If you and I could create a universe, and in that vast expanse, create a tiny bubble of survivability for a bio-diverse creation such as we experience here on earth, we would have no trouble understanding all things. But we are made in the image of God, and not Gods ourselves. That there is mystery and huge questions should not surprise us. 

It is easy to believe that God is control of the universe, and much larger and more complex areas of creation, but does he control or even care about the minutia of our small lives in the great scheme of things.

 Place all activity in the universe on a graduated scale from the greatest to the least, the sun moon and stars down to the bug crawling in the garden. At what point on that scale does God cease to care, control, or govern in some way? Does He stop at the orbiting planets? Does He stop at the moon and the tides? Does He stop at the seasons? Does He stop at the rising of the sun, and setting of the same? Does He stop at the hour, the minute, or the second? If He is big enough to create it all, He is big enough to control it all. Why should we think that the occurrences in our lives are random when we are the height of his creation?

If he cares, and if he is aware and even controls, why should we be anxious or fearful?

The death of a young mom (see last post) takes on a special meaning if this is true. There is a strategy and a plan here, but we do not understand it. But that is OK because we know there is purpose. We all need meaning in life, an understanding of why things happen and what things are all about. These meanings are above our understanding and it is OK. Our job is to incorporate this knowledge into our difficult task of learning to live with the new reality of our loss. The pain of loss and the grief we experience are very real, but underlying all the difficult adjustments is the relief that it is not in our hands, but it is in somebodies. God's. 

Celebration of Life

 

We attended an extraordinary celebration of life today. We used to call them funerals but that belies what is really going on when a Christian dies. What made this occasion unusual is that the person taken by cancer was a young mom with 4 kids and a loving husband, parents, siblings and very many friends. The assembly hall was full. We felt a connection because we have been following her blog for the last little while and she was the sister to our daughter's very good friends.

The service was inspirational, moving, humorous, worshipful, and ironically full of joy and hope amidst the sadness.

The brief message was on 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12 which speaks of the trials and tribulations of life but what is inside our jar of clay (our mortal body) is a treasure because it lives on forever.

Our lives are like roller coasters, ups and downs, twists and turns, and we certainly saw that in this family in the last little while because a cousin and an uncle also died in the last few months.

But why the celebration? When we exit the rollercoaster of life, we are ushered into an eternal reality that far surpasses anything we have experienced here in this life. It is the Christian's great hope.

And that is cause for celebration and not mourning.   

More Christian Apologetics

 

It has been a number of years since I read an in-depth book on creation vs. evolution or naturalism so I picked up the "Holman Quick Source Guide to Understanding Creation." There have been quite a number of advancements in both science and the quality and quantity of theories on the subject in recent years. I have never been clear on where I stand and still am not, but I do have a better handle on the options when pondering such a weighty subject.

 

I finished the book tonight and found this review as I was searching for an image of the book. It really sums up the way I feel about what I read so I will plagiarize for a moment, if you permit me.

"I found this book extremely balanced, informative, and broad. It does a great job of briefly addressing almost all the common question that Christians interested in science may encounter. It does not deviate from a position of the Bible being the infallible Word of God, but examines all popular world views and exposes the strengths and weaknesses of each. You will probably learn some weaknesses of your own world view, as I did, but the authors do not intend to convince you of any view in particular. The book is strongest in its balance and educates impartially. An absolute must read for the scientifically minded believer."   

 

If you have any cut and dried ideas about creation, the age of the earth, the flood, evolution, ID (intelligent design) etc. you will probably come away from reading this book with either more questions, or a desire to seek more answers. Some things in life are simply not black and white. I am firmly in the camp of those who believe that God was the source of all creation, but really do not have a clue as to how he did it. But then, He is God and I am not. :) 

 

4 stars

 

A Heavy Read

 

     I was not sure what I was in for when I bought this book but I soon realised that I was in over my head. It is basically about Christian Apologetics, the art or discipline of defending the Christian faith in the midst of modern day atheism, naturalism and general disbelief.

 

There are 18 authors who each write an essay on a different aspect of Christian doctrine and from a Christian philosophy standpoint defend against higher criticism. The essays are presented in three sections or under three main headings: The Existence of God, The Jesus of History, and The Coherence of Christian Doctrine. Some of the topics under these main headings are : The Dawkins Delusion, Who Did Jesus Think He Was, and Hell, Getting What is Good My Way.

 

I found this book fascinating as I sorted through the various concepts and questions that I as a Christian have never even thought of or heard about in my entire life and I consider myself well-read. The moral and ethical questions that arise, the authenticity of Scriptures, the convoluted circular thinking that so many engage in, the questions that arise from questions, the contradictions in reason, the assumptions that are examined is a world I do not travel in because I do not hang with guys like these authors*. I am sure that I would not be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with any one of them, but after struggling through what they have written, I must say that I have certainly learned a lot.

If you enjoy exploring, deeply, the biggest issues in life, and if you are up for a challenge (there were many a page where there would be three or four words that were not even in the three massive dictionaries I own) and if you are ready to put your thinking cap on, you will love this book. I assure you that the next time someone throws out a general all inclusive platitude, you will be tempted to begin a debate with them by saying "But there is more to it than that."

 

*Actually I did hang out with one of them. We used to go to the occasional movie together.

 

 

Missionaries

 

I am noticing a trend as I go for my walks in the Fishtrap Creek Park. There are a number of men, who usually go in two's, who corner walkers and get into discussions with them about faith issues. I hear snippets of conversation as I pass by them, and I see their tracts (Jehovah Witness Watch Tower magazines?) or their Bibles in their hands. So far, every time I have seen them, they have been too busy with someone else to pursue me. I am not afraid of them, nor afraid to get into a discussion with anyone about anything, I just wonder if it is appropriate. If I am on a one hour agenda to get my walk in and then get on with my day, I may have to appear to be rude to them and walk quickly away.

 

And then there is Monday morning. I was sitting under a small Gazebo at the north end of the lake, waiting for a small rain shower to pass, when I saw an elderly gentleman gingerly approaching my position. I have noticed that there is a courtesy with this particular spot, that when it is occupied, one just walks on by so as not to disturb the privacy and tranquility of that resting spot. He began with small talk and being a courteous person, I answered in kind. Soon he was sharing his faith with me, telling me of miraculous healings in his own body, his wife's healing from osteoarthritis, and his son's healing from sever mental retardation. As he is telling me this, he sets a New Testament down beside me on the bench. When he is done, I tell him that I too am believer and that I am thrilled to hear how God has gifted his family with healing. We had a short conversation about false teaching in the church, and then he quickly concluded the interaction, as if he was wasting his time with me. He bent down, picked up the testament, and was on his way.

He was a nice enough fellow, but I wonder how he is being received by others in the park who are just there for a pleasant walk. Maybe I am not missionary minded enough.

How Do You Rate?

 

I just read an interesting article here which claims that those of us who are religious (sic) are less intelligent than those who are atheists. I recommend that you read it. It claims to have compiled data from numerous surveys over the last 40 - 50 years and out of some 63 studies have determined that only ten show that people of faith are more intelligent and the rest show that those without faith are superior in intelligence.

 

The first flaw in this so called scientific study is that they do not define religious activity or faith. The broad definition and broad spectrum of religious activity is not addressed so we of the Christian faith do not know where we stand in light of the millions of religious folks around the world, all of whom practice some sort of ritual, or have some sort of religious belief system. I do not want to be lumped together with some primitive culture who worships the moon, or some witch coven that casts spells, and yet it is in the broadest way, all religion. I would go so far as to say that atheism is also a religion, but that presents another problem for the survey.

 

Another observation is that there are different categories and levels of intelligence. This is not addressed in the survey nor does it state that simple IQ was the criteria.  

 

Let us say for arguments sake that the survey is accurate and it was based on IQ. I would suggest that the higher the intelligence of an individual, the higher they would go in their formal education, the better their career would be, the higher their income and the better their confidence and self-assurance. These are just the people who tend to be self-sufficient and feel they can depend on their income, their status, and their degrees and education to get them anywhere in life they need to be. These are exactly the kinds of people who do not look outside themselves for answers and perhaps do not question the big issues in life. They do not need to, in fact discovering that there is a God would be counterproductive to their own agendas.

 

As I delved a little further into this study, I discovered that the difference in intelligence between the two categories of people, where they did use IQ, is a mere 6 points. In the study of IQ, a 1-6 point difference would put the two subjects in the same category of intelligence. This then becomes 'splitting hairs'.

 

Anecdotally, I would say some of the most faith-filled people that I personally know, are highly intelligent. One could also argue that some of the greatest scientists over the centuries have had a strong faith in God.

 

Neither groups, however, should get too defensive or haughty about this study. In the end, we will all know, or not know, the reality of God. And that is a fact.  

The Result

This is my photo of the "Lion lying down with Lamb" as it will be in Heaven. However, there are only goats in my photo and no Lions. Close enough!

 

So, why does it matter, all this talk of hell, and whether there is one or not, and if there is, who will go, and for how long will they be there, and what will it be like? Here is why it matters.

 

There is a trend in the Christian church today, to make the message easier to swallow, less harsh, more 'seeker engaging'. That is all fine and good, but it has reached the point where the true gospel is being watered down.

 

If there is no hell, or it is temporary, or after a while a bad soul will simply be annihilated, there is no real danger or sense of urgency to rescue someone from going there. 

 

Likewise, if there is more than one way to God, if all religious paths lead to God, then we do not have to tell anyone of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. You see, it is all fine and good. Nobody needs rescuing and "the great commission" of Jesus to go out and preach the gospel to all nations, tongues and tribes, no longer applies. The millions of deaths of the Christian martyrs down through the ages was for nothing.  

 

In effect, it makes the Gospel redundant. And that makes Jesus' death redundant. It was for nothing and God made a big mistake.

 

 How dare we think like that. Those who distort the Gospel of the Bible do so at great peril. They are betting on the fact that God will turn a blind eye.

 

The really good news is that He will turn a blind eye. All those who trust in him and believe that Jesus died for their sins, will have those sins forgiven, now and forever, and God will no longer see them or remember them. And suddenly, hell is no longer an issue, for those who are believers.  

Expediency

 

Billy Graham is a man who is admired by all. He has remained untainted by scandal while being spiritual advisor to many presidents and a proponent of the Christian Gospel for his whole life. I am not getting my shirt in a knot about it, but I do find that on occasion he makes a compromise that I find a bit troubling.

 

He had a meeting with US presidential candidate Mitt Romney this week and was so impressed with Mitt's moral standard and commitment to faith issues that he had a very important page on his website (Billy Graham Evangelistic Society)  deleted. The page was the one that described in detail what constitutes a cult, and then listed Mormonism as a cult.

 

It seems that in his promise to Mitt to do whatever he could to promote him in the coming election, he compromised this evaluation of Mormonism. It would not do to promote a adherent of a cult to be the next POTUS!

 

The press release from Billy's people reads thus:

"Our primary focus is that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has always been promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Ken Barun, chief of staff for the association, told CNN in a statement. "We removed the information from the website because we do not wish to participate in a theological debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign."

 

I am all for Billy Graham praying for presidents or candidates, as it is a Biblical mandate. What I am not in agreement with is that we change our definitions for the sake of political expediency. It is the 'Association' that has politicized an important issue by removing it from view so as to not offend Mormons and to make a Mormon a good candidate for Christians to vote for.   

I don't even care if Romney is a Mormon. I want the president of our powerful neighbour to be honest, moral, intelligent, knowledgeable, capable, and possess the leadership qualities to right the ship of state which is listing badly at the moment. If and when the USA goes under, we will be pulled in by the undertow. We need someone, now, who can patch up the ship and get us away from the icebergs.

 

However, by the 'Association's' own definition, Mormonism is still a cult.

 

 

 

 

 

Mission Accomplished

I feel like fireworks are in order. I almost always finish what I start, and I am most pleased that I have completed my "Read through the Bible and blog about it" project.

Reading almost always bring me enjoyment, education, enlightenment, and entertainment but reading the Bible from cover to cover has actually changed my thinking about certain things. I did have a number of questions I needed answered and I was looking for new insight for some tired old thinking of mine.

I have a new appreciation for God's story, for ancient history, and for the fact that man has not really changed since he was created.

 I have a bigger picture of who God is, what he requires of us, how he pursues us, and how he loves us.

I have new insight about our complacency, how we deceive ourselves, and how many of us have developed a customized and skewed view of our faith.

I have also acquired a desire to seek solutions in this book. The answers are there.

At times, this was an arduous task, but each time I finished a book, and thought about what I would write in the following post, I found myself really looking forward to getting into the next book.

I highly recommend this exercise for anyone of any faith. If the Bible is what it claims to be, the inspired word of God, why would anyone not want to read it? If, on the other hand, it is not the true word of God, I have just wasted a whole lot of my time.    

Following Through

The last book I reviewed was titled "Sons of the Great Satan", with Satan referring to the USA. So I thought I would do a little follow-up on the theme and try to discover what Satan has to do with America. I picked the right book for sure.

"Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan" is a book intended for Christians because the reader needs a lot of background information on the Christian faith and culture and the Bible. In this regard, it is an excellent book. It explores the origins of Satan and most interestingly how Satan was duped when he had a hand in the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ. Satan's intents and purposes are laid out carefully in the following chapters and all done with numerous Scriptural references. 

Last, and best of all, it explores the best lies of the "Father of Lies" and how all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, fall for  them. This was a rather convicting book for me. It pointed out what I already knew, but in such a way as to make me sit up and take more notice. I believe that what he says in this book is true because it all lines up with a final authority, the Bible itself. The author ends with a bleak picture of the ineffectiveness of the Evangelical Christian church in today's culture and climate and after reading the book, the reasons are quite apparent. 

This is a book not so much about the scary entity we know as Satan, as it is a book about how most of us are falling for lies with eternal consequences, how the lies work, and how to free ourselves from them. 

If you want to be challenged in your Christian walk, I highly recommend this short but insightful book.    

Angels on My Tree

We have many angels of various shapes and sizes on our Christmas Tree. They are very significant in the Christmas story. It actually started when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her what was going to happen. Later, when the Christ Child was born, it was a host of Angels who announced to the shepherds in the surrounding hills that a very special child, a saviour, was born.

In both cases, the angels had to calm the fears of the mere mortals who were receiving a direct message from God. Today, we see the pretty and innocuos representations hanging on our trees or sitting on our mantles, and we forget that these are awesome beings, God's holy messengers. We do them a disservice by reducing them to crystal figurines, and plastic dolls with protruding lights. If we were to see one tonight, we too, like the shepherds, would be falling on our faces, frightened half to death, perhaps feeling for a certainty that we were about to die.

Our God, who is beyond words, created these beings, and so we must only imagine what he himself must be like. And, to think that He came as a helpless new born baby, lying in a bed of straw, should humble us to the core. By coming as a harmless baby at that point in time, He was telling us, like the angels told Mary and the shepherds, "Do not be afraid". It was not an act of intimidation, but one of pure love.  

Controversy

This is what folks in New Zealand saw on a billboard recently. It is Mary, the future mother of Jesus, being aghast while holding a pregnancy tester in her hand. It has brought both controversy and condemnation, and praise. For those who are devout and venerate Mary, this would be blasphemous. For those who recognise that it is obviously meant to stir the pot on our attitudes towards unwed pregnancy, it is mildly amusing. I see it as misinformation, apart from the obvious fact that Mary did not have access to a pregnancy tester.

What it most certainly portrays, is that Mary was surprised, and that far away look in her eyes tells us that she is pondering her most uncertain future when she finds out she is with child. But, hold on just a moment. The fact that Mary was pregnant was no surprise to her.

An angel came to her and told her she was most honoured among women and that the Spirit of God would descend upon her and she would be with child. She knew in advance, and the Bible said that she pondered these things in her heart. When it was confirmed that she was pregnant, it was no surprise, but rather a confirmation that it was indeed as the Angel had said. She even knew that the baby's name would be Jesus and that he would be the son of the God most high!  

That is vastly different than a woman being surprised after the fact.

Are these people not reading their Bibles?

Have You Said This?

If you enlarge this photo, you will see that this fellow is not too happy that I took his picture.

The cover story on the latest National Geographic magazine features the King James Bible. I was surprised to see this kind of subject matter in a publication devoted to Darwinian Evolution and deep environmentalism. It is an interesting look at the history and evolution of the Holy Scriptures and concentrates more on its cultural influence than anything else. Something I found interesting was the number of phrases, that have their origin in the King James language and in the Bible, that are alive and well in our everyday usage. There are 240 popular phrases and here are a few of the top ones in order of frequency of use:

From time to time: Ezekiel 10:10

The root of the matter: Job 19:28

Stand in awe: Psalms 4:4

Suffer the little children: Luke 18:16

Get thee behind me: Luke 4:8

A thorn in the flesh: 2 Corinthians 12:7

As a lamb to the slaughter: Isaiah53:7

How are the mighty fallen: 2 Samuel 1:19

East of Eden: Genesis 4:16

Turned the world upside down: Acts 17:6

Unto the pure are all things pure: Titus 1:15

A man after his own heart: 1 Samuel 13:14

Know for a certainty: Joshua 23:13

Beat their swords into plowshares: Isaiah 2:4

To everything there is a season: Ecclesiastes 3:1

No small stir; Acts 12:18

Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven: Matthew 6:20

Much study is a weariness of the flesh: Ecclesiastes 12:12

The skin of my teeth: Job 19:20

Fell flat on his face: Numbers 22:31

Set thine house in order: Isaiah 38:1

Be horribly afraid: Jeremiah 2:12

Pour out your heart: Psalms 62:8

The next time you catch yourself using one of these phrases in everyday usage, be aware that you are quoting scripture. Be careful lest you be labeled a 'Bible thumper'.  

Generosity

I warned you. I am extending Autumn well into winter.

The annual giving statistics for Canada were released this week and for the ninth year in a row, our community has ranked #1 in giving. In fact we are triple the national average! There is probably a good explanation for this 'feather in our hat'. We are, on average, a wealthy community and most of us can afford to give. But what I think is the biggest factor is the that we are a christian community. By that, I mean that we have a very high ratio of churches and above average church attendance. Christians, who are following the Biblical mandate will give 10% of their income without question. Not all do, but you can imagine that even if a small percentage of them do, it will boost the averages.

This begs an important question. If this giving is in large part as a result of Biblical principles, another principle from the same Bible must be considered. The words in the 'Good Book' are clear that when we give, it will be given back, running over and in great abundance. The question then is: Do we give because we are wealthy, or are we wealthy because we give? Not that getting should influence our giving, but something for those who are 'cheaping out' to consider.