This article, based upon a booklet by Warren Smith, is a must read.
You may be interested in ordering a copy of the booklet to give away.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
Author: Terry Wil Robinson
Learn about me at jonahzsong.blog.
Chaos Coming?
In a Fox News opinion piece, David Curry says, “Persecution of Christians a significant indicator of future world chaos.” Check out the article here.
Egg-shapes and Evolution
A REPOST:
BIRD’S EGG EVOLUTION (Friday Church News Notes, February 6, 2015, http://www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is from CreationMoments.com, January 21, 2015: “The creation is literally filled with millions of what those who believe in evolution call ‘happy coincidences.’ But when you encounter millions of instances of what appears to be thoughtful design, the obvious conclusion is that there is a Designer. Take the example of bird eggs. The shape of the egg makes it strong. This strength comes in handy in a busy nest. Mom and dad are coming and going, and they turn the eggs periodically during incubation. But all eggs are not equally egg shaped, and there is a pattern to their shapes. Birds like robins that build a nice, dish shaped nest tend to lay eggs that are more round in shape. Screech owls, which lay their eggs at the bottom of a hole in a tree, also have round shaped eggs. Birds like the killdeer barely build any kind of nest and lay eggs on the ground where almost-round eggs could roll away. For this reason, birds such as a killdeer lay much more sharply pointed eggs which are designed to pivot on their small end. Likewise, eggs that are laid where predators are not likely to see them are usually pale or solid in color, but eggs laid out in the open are camouflaged. Moreover, baby birds that hatch in protected nests, like the bluebird, tend to be naked, blind and helpless. But the unprotected killdeer hatchlings are ready to leave the nest within minutes of hatching. All coincidences? It seems more scientific to say that here we have a few of the many fingerprints of our wise Creator!”
Deflated Balls, other Controversies
Okay. I’m more a cynic than a skeptic. I admit it. Preceding last night’s Super Bowl American Football game, the Media Attention focused on an examination of footballs alleged to be underflated. Is underflated a word? Under-inflated, is that correct? The controversy became heated over alleged improperly inflated balls used in another recent game between the same Super Bowl contestants. It even got the attention of the President of the United States.
What else was going on during this past week? Don’t know. All the news, seemingly all the people, were concerned about air. Air pressure, that is. When this happens, I envision a giant magician waving a scarf with his right hand capturing his audience’s attention. And with his un-noticed left hand? I wonder. A little slight of hand? Distraction.
But then there’s the other way these things often work. Controversy stirs people up, and it sells. It used to sell newspapers; but those are mostly a thing of pre-internet days. In the past, controversy sold books, or so Mark Twain thought. He published “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in America in 1885 and it immediately became embroiled in controversy, with the Concord Public Library banning the book. When Mr. Twain heard of the book banning, his response was that it will sell 25,000 more books. There you have it. Not only do controversies distract attention from something, but they focus it toward something else.
What’s the point? There isn’t any point. That’s the point. It’s hype. It’s drama. It’s also irrelevant. And it’s okay. . . at least it’s okay if we understand the point.
So we enjoy the Super Bowl game. We enjoy the action. Some of us loved the end of the game with an interception of a pass that could have made the winning touchdown. And after the game, while being interviewed, the player who intercepted that near-winning pass said he was blessed. He was blessed.
In the end let us say of our plays, or lives, that we are blessed, and let our hearts. . .
Be Established with Grace. . . (Hebrews 13:9)
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
Channel or Channeling
Channel and channeling are words that makes me shutter. Unbelievably, I heard my wife say something about so and so channeling so and so. Probably too quickly I expressed my distaste at its usage, which was interpreted as a rebuke and she felt offended. Oh, well. That word offends me.
Well, she only meant that the person was imitating another person in the tone or way of speech. And that’s sort of how the word is being used–I think misused–in America. For instance, recently in an article on a country singer, the lead read: “This Oklahoman channels the hip-shaking fifties and more on his sophomore release.”
Here’s my objection: Yahoo! dictionary defines channeling as “The act or practice of serving as a medium through which a spirit guide purportedly communicates with living persons.”
Alright. Common language changes over time. My kids say things like, “Wow. Sick!” Taken on face value, sick means being ill, or having a disease. But in common vernacular of kids it means the same as my generation did when we said, “Cool, man!” To us, forty or more years ago “cool” wasn’t measured in degrees Celsius; it wasn’t temperature related. Neither was “hot,” which is like saying “really cool.” Confused yet?
So why do I object to the world channel? I object to trying to make what is a connotation of evil into being acceptable in common speech. And that’s different from “sick” or “cool” or “hot.”
But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 1 Corinth 10:28
Paul’s words are not merely about eating meat. There’s more here to what he’s talking about. It’s about doing something that may cause someone to stumble. Let me spell it out. If you don’t see anything wrong with using the word “channel” in common reference to imitation of a person or a type of music–for instance–then you’ll likely be drawn into other people’s usage of channel when speaking about a demonic spirit. If you take a step, you’re more likely to take two or more.
Psalm 1, in the first verse, shows us that we are to guard ourselves from evil, and its progressively taking us down the slope.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers. Psalm 1:1
If you begin to walk with evil, you’re more likely to stand with evil, and then you’ll likely find yourself sitting with evil.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
Admitting I need help
During this past holiday season, I was given a coffee mug on which is emblazoned, “How many roads must a man go down before he admits he’s lost?” It’s silly, really, in that I don’t get lost driving the roads. Sure, I’ve made a few wrong turns, but quickly realized it and turned around. Well, there was that one time. . .
But. Anyway. There’s another way to take this proclamation against being lost and failing to admit it, failing to ask for help. And it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with getting lost in a car or truck. And I admit that to some extent I’m guilty in the first degree of that sort of getting lost. I admit that I like figuring things out on my own, doing things on my own. My excuse: I’m a loner! Simple. I just like to do things my way, by myself.
*******
Earlier this morning, I dropped my daughter off at school. I need to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy later this morning. Not wanting to make another trip out, I stopped near the pharmacy where I occasionally have breakfast. The food’s good and the menu offers many non-meat items of interest. Omelets are my favorite. This morning I’m having the vegi delight that includes spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese.
On the table, along with my Mac computer, is my Bible. It’s open to Hebrews chapter two. The host notices it and looks to see what I’m reading.
“Hebrews.” She says. “That’s one of my favorites. Lots in there.”
“Mine too,” I say. “It’s a letter to Jewish readers showing that Jesus is greater than Moses.”
“I get a scripture email each day,” she says, “and yesterday it was from Hebrews chapter one. The comment said that’s the main theme of the book, setting out the Way of Christ as superior to the way of Moses.”
She then headed off to lead other diners to their tables and I looked at chapter two of Hebrews. I came to this part:
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. –Hebrews 2:18
I sense the people around me, at the other tables. People are engaged in conversations, some very animated, others more subdued. Three men are talking about things of which I have no clue. Business stuff, I guess. At another table a man is counseling a woman about what some other person should or should not be doing. Perhaps their child, though they don’t look like a couple. Behind me two women are talking about their families. At another table. . . The conversations drift across my table and I grasp a piece here and a piece there. I imagine that at some point one person may say to another something concerning me like:
“Religion. It’s just a crutch. It’s the opium that dulls the mind. It’s what causes all the violence in the world.”
There have been comments that I’ve read that specifically state that Christianity should be banned in America.
People hate Christians, or dislike Christians, or simply have no use for Christians. There are a lot of reasons for this. One is that Christians seek guidance for their lives in what they consider the Words of G-d. Christians admit that they need help. That they can’t live their lives without the assistance of a Heavenly Father. And because we have no relationship with Father G-d, except through The Son, Y’shuaJesus, who reconciles us the The Father, it makes us, in some people’s minds, weak.
There’s another reason that people, in general, have a problem with Christians who take the Word of G-d at its Word, as His Word. It has to with getting to Heaven without a savior. It has to do with earning the right to salvation. But that’s another whole topic in itself.
Like my gift coffee mug expresses, “How many roads must a man go down before he admits he’s lost?”
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
As the World Turns
As the world turns was the name of a soup opera that my Mother watched many years ago. That’s what I thought of when I read the title of Geoffrey Grider’s blog “As The World Descends Into Turmoil, God Commands Bible Believers To ‘Fear Not’.” (Click on the title to redirect to the full article.)
In the article that is worth reading, Mr. Grinder makes many references to scripture about not fearing the turmoil that WILL come upon us with the Day of the LORD, as spoken of in Zephaniah, and many other places.
The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements. Zephaniah 1:14-16
I felt it important to declare that America will not be destroyed by its enemies; this is also a warning to America’s enemies that they will be judged for their actions against America. This holds for all nations within which the Righteous of G-d may be found. For countries such as Islamic nation states, that persecute the Righteous within their own borders, they will experience the Wrath of G-d without restraint.
While America cannot be utterly destroyed, it has, can, and will be attacked from within and from without by unrighteous people and nation states. This means not only that we, the Righteous of G-d, experience various emotional and physical distress, but that many may experience the death of their bodies. But that is not death. For the Righteous of G-d live with G-d through the salvation gift from Y’shuaJesus. Praise the Lord!
Now, let me point out that in Mr. Grider’s blog, he states “I believe that the Lord does not want us reading about things that may happen, and of which we have no control. We are giving the devil room for his fiery darts when we focus on things which bring fear to our hearts.” While I agree that now doubt we will deal with fear when we read of various reports or theories of what could happen, even Y’shuaJesus said we would hear these things. We cannot avoid it. And we can use such reactions to our advantage. We can use reports to make us aware of how best to prepare. If we do not hear the warning, how will we be able to properly respond?
Read Mr. Grider’s article. Read the scriptures that calm our fears. Trust in our Lord Y’shuaJesus.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
Wait. So G-d won’t destroy the United States next year?
While there continue to be many of our American Churches that display the bold signs requesting that G-d Bless America, there continue to be many who feel G-d has no reason to Bless America, and should, in fact, cause its destruction. These people would say that Christians in America have let the country down. They would say that Christians allowed America’s decline by allowing it to foolishly follow the ways of the world, the entrapment of money, to fall into the pit of immorality. Christians are, some how, responsible for not stopping it. Whatever. . .
So lets do some simple figuring, comparing.
So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. Genesis 19:29
G-d didn’t hold Lot responsible for Sodom, the town in which he lived. In fact, had G-d’s ambassadors found only ten righteous then He would have relented in Sodom’s destruction. So let’s look at a formula for determining if there are enough people in a country to prevent G-d from destroying it. Sodom’s population was about 1000 at the time it was destroyed. So G-d’s ambassadors needed to find at least ten righteous out of one thousand. That’s only one person out of one hundred. The United States of America has about 320,000,000 people living within its borders. One out of one hundred means about 3,200,000 righteous people need to be found. How many righteous are there in America? I suppose that depends upon your definition of righteous. Perhaps you don’t want to use the polls that say 80% of Americans are Christian as a valid number, preferring to narrow it down a bit to 25% evangelical. Perhaps we should narrow it down further, just because we all know not all who say they are evangelical are really True Followers. So lets say we consider 5% of Americans actually are followers of Y’shuaJesus, with righteousness imparted to them. That’s the equivalent of G-d’s emissaries to Sodom finding forty righteous with in the town.
So perhaps America doesn’t deserve G-d’s Blessing. But G-d isn’t going to destroy it now. If He looks, if He wants to know, He will find at least three million Believers remaining in America. But will G-d protect America from its enemies? G-d is in charge. A country, a person, cannot come against America without G-d allowing it. America has enemies both foreign and domestic. But its enemies will not destroy it. Not this coming year, any way. The ninty-five percent of Americans–yes, a percentage that grows each year–will continue to live worldly lives, even immoral lives. Babies will continue to be murdered before birth. Immorality will continue to be preached by Hollywood through films and television, and in the schools through corrupt curriculum. And the American media will continue its selective reporting, hiding some truth while preaching some deception. And Americans will face danger, even death, at the hands enemies from within the country, and from enemies in other nations. There will continue a racial division that breeds distrust and hatred among Americans, all promoted by some individuals in trusted positions in our own government. Our law enforcement and military personnel will continue to be targets of hatred and violence. A form of lawlessness will continue in America.
But, do not take it that America is weak. For we are, as we were before World War II, a nation of people who can, and will, protect ourselves and each other. We are a people who, despite appearances to the contrary, come together against common enemies and prevail. Americans are free, therefore we are free to squabble. But the enemies, both within and without, need only take a look at history and beware what lies behind every blade of grass.
As we put in the past one more year, saying good-bye to 2014, let us pray that we who are among the five percent continue to seek the Lord, praying that all would do the same.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and yours. . .
Happy New Year!
Slaughter of Christians–”History Repeating Itself”
In an article on Breitbart’s News Website reports that Judge Jeanine Pirro, host of the Fox News Channel’s Justice with Judge Jeanine” argued that the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East was “history repeating itself.” The article follows:
“Why do we stand by and watch the genocide of Christians in the Middle East, it’s history repeating itself. But remember, it is to our detriment this time. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust while the world looked the other way…let’s hope we speak out soon, so others will speak out for us” she declared.
She also criticized Pope Francis, stating “as men and women are butchered, children tortured, their severed heads displayed with pride by jihadists, the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, puts the enormous weight of his papacy behind the plight of Central American children already in the United States, and he works to normalize US-Cuban relations, and does nothing more than call for constructive dialogue with Muslims over the Christian genocide. Since when does the Catholic Church look to mediate the abuser with the victim?”
Pirro also argued that the threat of Islamic jihad was not isolated to Middle East, pointing to attempts to institute Sharia Law in the US and saying “the lone wolves are here in the United States. America was founded by people who gave up everything, their families, their fortune, and their livelihood to ensure through the First Amendment, that we would have religious freedom, that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech.’ So why does it feel like we’re moving in the direction of our First Amendment rights being subjugated to the religions of others. When our president says an American should be prosecuted for exercising his First Amendment [rights] by making a video perceived as negative about Islam, when the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton says, we need to understand and empathize with our enemies, we are on a downward spiral.”
The persecution of Christians is happening throughout the world. In Nigeria, Islamists have taken over large areas and imposed Sharia Law, persecuting and killing Christians. In the Philippians Christians have been persecuted for thirty years in some areas. In Viet Nam, India, Nepal, and in Western Nations as well there is a growing number of cases of persecution against Christians.
And it’s getting worse.
But we don’t have parts of the United States under Sharia Law. Why is that? Isn’t religion protected? We have a Bill of Rights. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The First Amendment says that the government cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion. So Sharia Law could come about, you may say. Yet it is possible to rule against certain actions or practices of religions. In 1878 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that America could not prohibit the thoughts and beliefs of people regarding religion, but in the Court opinion, “Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious beliefs and opinions, they may with practices.”
It is under this criteria that the government has forced children to undergo medical treatment when the parents, for “religious beliefs” have withheld it. This is the reason that Sharia Law, as a action imposed for “religious beliefs,” may be interfered with by American Courts.
The government has an obligation to apply its laws equally to all people. Those practices, those actions, that might be taken under Sharia Law that are illegal, that are against the Legal Law of America, may not be practiced.
At this time, despite some of the issues America has faced, that America continues to face, we are a Nation of Law and of Justice. Perhaps that is the very reason so many people would like to see America fall. But as long as there are some Christians, some Followers of Y’shuaJesus, remaining in America, America shall not fall.
[Abraham asked] Suppose ten are found there. He [G-d] answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it [Sodom].” Genesis 18:32
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
A Christless Christianity
In his article, Thomas D. Williams writes:
“So much for taking Christ out of Christmas. New efforts propose the more radical agenda of taking him out of Christianity altogether.
“Every year, it seems, an attempt is made, usually around the Christian holidays, to debunk some aspect of Christian belief— usually involving the Virgin birth, or Jesus’ resurrection, or his relationship with women. This year features an effort to depose Jesus as the founder of the Christian church, replacing him with the apostle Paul.
“Millions celebrate the birth of Jesus without realizing that it was the Apostle Paul, not Jesus, who was the founder of Christianity,” writes James D. Tabor in The Daily Beast.
“As innovative as this proposition sounds, it is a reheated version of an old theory that has been exhaustively debated, and basically put to rest among serious scholars of Christianity.”
Well, while Mr. Williams would like to put us at ease when he says that such arguments have been “put to rest among serious scholars of Christianity,” there remains a lot of sheep left to lead astray.
Thinking of deception, not long ago I came across a book that explores the historical evidence that Jesus didn’t even exist. Basically, the author says it was all a great myth to subdue the population of Jerusalem and the occupied Israel and take away the people’s will to revolt against Rome.
It seems to me that this coming year will find us very much in the middle of lots of “proof” against the traditional teachings of the Bible, refuting all that we’ve come to know as Gospel. We must remain ever close to the source of our faith, our Lord Y’shuaJesus.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .
Jonah’s Song 