10.24.07
Posted in Church Events, Teaching, Theology, In The News... at 4:19 pm by Pastor Bill
Since I’ve been posting about the lack of new music that truly glorifies God and exalts Christ, I thought I need to mention it when a truly worshipful album comes along. This selection actually came out in 2005 so it is not ‘new’, except when compared to the dates of the hymns written in most of our hymnbooks. I heard the artist and her husband when I attended a pastor’s conference at Alistair Begg’s church in Cleveland Ohio several years ago. They provided the worship music for the event and I was so impressed that I bought the album. It is entitled ‘Hymns for the life of the church’, and the singers are Kristyn Getty, Margaret Becker, and Joanne Hogg. The tunes are reverently paced (meaning without a rocking beat…making it more appropriate for church singing IMHO), but the lyrics tell the heart of the songs (as with all music). Here are the lyrics to a few that are especially impacting to me.
Let’s start off with ‘The Power of the Cross’, a hymn that takes us to the event of the crucifixion, and reminds us what was accomplished there, and why, and for whom.
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought,
Ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
No Christian should be able to read or sing this without being humbled and grateful to our Loving God, who gave His son for us, rebels and arrogant though we are. Another hymn from the album is titled “Beneath the cross of Jesus“, and again forces us to consider what are the consequences of our sin…what it cost the Savior to redeem us to glory, and also shows us the magnitude of our God’s love.
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I find a place to stand,
And wonder at such mercy
That calls me as I am;
For hands that should discard me
Hold wounds which tell me, “Come.”
Beneath the cross of Jesus
My unworthy soul is won.
Beneath the cross of Jesus
His family is my own—
Once strangers chasing selfish dreams,
Now one through grace alone.
How could I now dishonor
The ones that You have loved?
Beneath the cross of Jesus
See the children called by God.
Beneath the cross of Jesus—
The path before the crown—
We follow in His footsteps
Where promised hope is found.
How great the joy before us
To be His perfect bride;
Beneath the cross of Jesus
We will gladly live our lives.
This hymn also reminds us of our responsibility to love and serve our fellow believers (Romans 14-15) because of the matchless grace that has been imparted to us who have received the saving work of Christ. A final hymn that we will look at is “Across the Lands“, which reveals to us the worldwide work of God on earth, the mission and the success of our suffering yet victorious Savior.
You’re the Word of God the Father
From before the world began.
Ev’ry star and ev’ry planet
Has been fashioned by Your hand.
All creation holds together
By the power of Your voice.
Let the skies declare Your glory;
Let the land and seas rejoice!
CHORUS
You’re the Author of creation;
You’re the Lord of ev’ry man;
And Your cry of love rings out across the lands.
Yet You left the gaze of angels,
Came to seek and save the lost,
And exchanged the joy of heaven
For the anguish of a cross.
With a prayer You fed the hungry;
With a word You calmed the sea;
Yet how silently You suffered
That the guilty may go free!
With a shout You rose victorious,
Wresting vict’ry from the grave,
And ascended into heaven,
Leading captives in Your way.
Now You stand before the Father,
Interceding for Your own;
From each tribe and tongue and nation,
You are leading sinners home!
What are my standards for good worshipful music? 1) Biblically accurate lyrics. 2) Lyrics that are properly reverent and worshipful towards God. 3) Themes that glorify God, exalt Christ and thank the Holy Spirit. Themes that cause us to look up with wonder and amazement to the King of Kings, and to look down in humility in the realization that we are unworthy of our Savior’s sacrifice. 4) Themes that cause my heart to soar with gratitude and agreement with what God has revealed about Himself in His Word.
With those as a few of my standards, there is not much being produced today that measures up. I encourage you to seek out good music, and use it as a tool to lift your heart, mind and life in service to your Lord and King!
SING ON!
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10.12.07
Posted in Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 8:45 pm by Pastor Bill
I’m going to try to treat this subject with honesty, and with compassion for fellow believers who may disagree with my viewpoints about music, and it’s acceptance by God.
The exploded stereotype for ME…is “Christian hip-hop music”! Now I know that I’ve turned off a lot of you already…you say “There is no such thing as ‘Christian’ hip-hop or rap music…the 2 are incompatable!”. Now, why am I bringing this subject up for discussion?
First, I am not advocating this style of music for church worship. Our church will not be swinging to a rap beat on Sunday morning. Second, I am not switching all of my listening to hip-hop, it is not my preferred style of music. Third, I want to make you aware of the differences in depth of theology and message in contemporary music styles. I have for quite a while been dissatisfied with what is being offered in the CCM arena. Most of the lyrics (the vital part of music to me) of the songs played on ‘Christian’ radio stations are so ‘fluffy’, ‘mindless’ or ‘unbiblical’ that I can’t endure them.
What a shock I received when a great friend of mine loaned me his hip-hop CD’s and told me to take a listen. Although I don’t normally listen to that style of music, when I listened to what the artists were saying, I was blown away. I’ve NEVER heard theology or truth proclaimed so clearly, accurately and passionately in any other form of modern hymns or praise music! If you won’t ’stumble’ over the ’style’ of music, I challenge you to listen to some of the artists that are believers and who are using their music as a platform to Glorify God and encourage and challenge believers to grow into Christlikeness and to live-out a true faith in Christ.
The approach I will take in this series is to spotlight a particular artist, and give you a sampling of their message. I hope it causes you to examine this form of music by these artists based on what they communicate. Keep in mind, I do NOT endorse the secular brand of hip-hop, rap or any other form of music that does not glorify God.
The first album I will review is “Rewind”, by Flame…produced by Cross Movement Records.
The theme of the album seems to come from the track titled “Give us the Truth!” This is their cry for pastors and teachers to return to the truth of God’s Word, and to stop with all the craziness and hypocrisy that comes from the pulpits of our churches. Their call is for believers to immerse themselves in the Word, and to learn to discern truth from error by knowing the God of the Word, and His ways, made clear to us through Jesus. It is a desire for true, genuine discipleship, self denial, and wholehearted living for Jesus! Awesome!
Track #2…”No Silence”. This is his testimony that in spite of ‘persecution’ from the rest of the music industry, they will continue to preach Jesus on their albums and concerts. Why would he endure ridicule for living and singing of Jesus? The last line of the song tells us, “The price that was paid, the nights in the grave, and the resurrection is our reflection, to not be afraid. So let’s go.”
Track #3…”Uh-Oh”. The last verse says it all…”So in conclusion I offer this album to God, while at the same time I offer this album to y’all. And that may mean that I go out like Peter and Paul, for preaching Jesus to the point where I’m socially martyred. But my rewards and my treasures will never be stowed on this earth, but in a place where they can never be stole…In heaven where I know the saints most definitely go, cause our inheritance is imperishable and incorruptible. (is this a shock…to hear this truth of God on a rap CD?) And as I wait I pray with fervency, cause the world and the church are in a human emergency…see it’s a war and I done stepped into it, and I’m on the team of the rescue unit, for the following people… 1) Ones who caught up in false doctrine 2) Non-believers ignoring the sin problem 3) And new saints, so while my mic is on, all I’ve got is truth and a warning…’The real Truth is coming out!’”.
Track #5…”Rewind”…deals with the contrast between what the Bible says and what the televangelists are spouting. He demonstrates how one preacher misuses Isaiah 53 to guarantee all believers health and wealth. Some lines in the song are “Is that in the Bible…that God’s people shouldn’t suffer…that we all should be rich?” What is so cool is that on this hip-hop track, the artist goes on to explain what Isaiah 53 is really about…putting these false preachers to shame. The truth and theology from this artist is better than what is heard from most pulpits on any given Sunday!
Track #7…”We need you”… a song thanking God for salvation, deliverance from the bondage and curse of sin, for the fruit of the spirit, and our need for daily reliance upon Christ…and the blessing of deliverance from the wrath and judgment of God. (Try catching a CCM song with those realities!)
Track #9 (you preachers will love this one)…”Context“... Imagine this, a rap song dealing with the need for believers to interpret scripture within the proper context. The chorus reads “With this skill , this should keep you from heresy and keep you from going though theological therapy, The words of God will change your life…if you keep that text in it’s context!” (This is sound advice that many preachers do not heed…too bad it takes a rap artist to challenge them with it!) In this little rap ‘ditty’ he presents the need for proper…sit down now…hermenutics, exegesis, bible commentaries and concordances, avoiding eisegesis. What does he say about eisegesis? “A text could never mean what it never meant before to it’s original readers or authors…so if you run into a difficult passage and you know the bible never contradicts itself, then turn the pages to a parallel passage and just let the scriptures interpret itself!. (All this from a lowly rapper from the hood!)
Track #10…”War of the minds”…this is an incredibly touching examination of God’s role in the lives of those who suffer from depression and the like. It’s not a fluffy…’cheer up, God loves you’ ditty, but a heartfelt questioning and appreciation of those who suffer. He mentions depression, mentally ill, sexually abused, schizophrenia, anxiety, bi-polar…those who are seeking relief through clinical and medical therapy…and that all of those bound by these ailments must ultimately look to God- our healer from suffering, knowing that He sees and cares. (There’s nothing like this on the CCM charts that I’ve ever heard!)
Track #11…”Give us the Truth!”…a raw, truthful look into the artist’s journey from superficial Christianity, into a self-centered life, finally rescued by Christ into a genuine faith and relationship. He talks about his adventures in bible college, and back at his non-discerning home church, to his doubting his own salvation. How did God work to bring him into the truth…in His words…”I met this girl named Beth who told me about a church home, first I visited, became a member, and then it was on! Then the pastor gave me a stack of books, now I’m back with rap and hooks, took a summer and spent 300 DOLLARS on tapes and books and learned from these biblical scholars, now I’m back and I’m walking in light…living my life…glorifying Jesus Christ!” (now before you blast the rappers, when was the last time you spent 300 dollars on sound biblical materials and devoted your time to studying them and the bible to increase your knowledge and faith and lifestyle for Christ?????)
Track #12 (another one for you preachers)…”The Godhead”… dealing with trinitarian theology. The artist covers “dynamic monarchiasm, modalistic monarchiasm, and finally the hypostatic union”! Get your head around these theologies! And from a rapper? Awesome teaching and challenges here!
Track #14…”Racial diversity”…he hits on the need for our churches to reflect our communities diverse makeup….”have you visited Hyde park baptist lately”?
Track #15…”To my heart”… a very humorous and cutting conversation between the author and his heart, in which he proclaims to his heart…”I’ll never trust you again”. Too much truth here…sometimes it hurts!
Track #18…”Sola Scriptura”…for all you R.C.Sproul fans! This track is about the necessity for realizing that Scripture is our only authority, based on 2 Timothy 3:16.
Track #21…”We preach Christ”… another great challenging message, closing with the solemn reminder…”Seek Jesus now, you can know him as savior…see him later- you’ll know him as Judge.”
I hope this post will cause you to reexamine your stereotypes, and if so inclined, to listen to these lyrics and be blessed and challenged. I will present another artist in another post.
God bless! Pastor Bill ><>
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06.29.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 5:06 pm by Pastor Bill
I read an excellent article about Hollywood’s complaining that Christians aren’t coming out to support their ‘Christian’ family oriented movies, like the recent “Evan Almighty”. You can view the article here. The author gave many of his ideas on why these movies aren’t supported by Christians. I would like to add a few of my own observations and ideas on this topic.
Although each movie must be based on its own merits or ‘de-merits’, it is clear that Hollywood doesn’t really understand Christians, nor do they respect us. They only see us as a means to increase their profit margin. That is the wrong basis on which to produce ‘Christian’ movies. A reason why I had no interest in seeing ‘Evan Almighty’, is because it is associated with their earlier movie, ‘Bruce Almighty’, which was full of incredibly blasphemous statements and actions which were antithetical to Biblical Christianity. Even the titles of these 2 ‘almighty’ productions smacks of blasphemy…there is none who is almighty except God himself. Even if the intent of the film was to show that Bruce and Evan aren’t almighty, the title implies otherwise and that is an affront to all honest believers.
Did I go to watch ‘Evan Almighty’? No, because what I saw on the commercial for the movie was enough to convince me that it would be a total waste of time, and would be disrespectful to God. I know I sound like a ’stick-in-the-mud’ prudish fundamentalist here, but there is a shocking and shameful loss of respect in our ‘Christian’ community today for God himself, and it has a deadening effect on God’s spiritual work among us. We have lost the proper sense of awe and fear of God. In the comercial for the movie, I saw the main actor who represents Moses, walk out of his house naked. Great Christian values there!
Other clues that Hollywood, in not understanding the Christian faith, produces ‘Christian’-themed movies that actually misrepresent Christianity and the Biblical message? 1) portraying conservative politicians as fighting against the will of God, by trying to destroy the environment. I obviously don’t vouch for all conservative politicians, but many of them are Christian and serve God in their positions. 2) The inane statements that ‘God is in everything’ is contrary to Scripture, but is the belief of non-Christian pagan pantheists, and is their grounds for the importance of ’saving the environment’, on which they place a higher value than human souls and life. Hollywood constantly portrays ‘Christians’ as being pantheists, and as being more absorbed with all the new-age spiritualism instead of the clear Biblical message that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, through faith and by God’s grace. I don’t want to see “christian’-movies which misrepresent the beliefs of Christians! 3) The major theme of this movie is that ‘God is not primarily concerned with sin, salvation and redemption, but with encouraging us to perform random acts of kindness’. Come on! This is a total distortion of God himself and His interests. Yes God does want humans to be kind to each other (and to animals) but His primary major ‘concern’ is with the salvation of sinners (all of humanity). The death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection is not an act of random kindness, but is the determined plan of God to rescue us from sin and death. When they totally misrepresent the Christian message, why are they surprised when Christians won’t run to support their misguided and misleading productions?
Sorry Hollywood, true Christians will never support your flimsy excuses for Christian entertainment. You don’t know our message. You don’t respect our Savior. You blaspheme our God. You continually bash us in all of your other movies.
Please, start the show without us.
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05.16.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 2:18 pm by Pastor Bill
So many people in our world are confused about gender and the ‘proper’ roles and responsibilities of men and women. Some see great differences between the sexes, but the trend in our day is to deny any distinctions or differences of roles, labeling them as a product of society or culture.
What does God say about this? Does the Bible indicate that God has established various responsibilities and roles to male and female? He certainly does, from Genesis to Revelation, but unfortunately many well-meaning but “issue driven” religious people have ignored or distorted the scriptures to develop an egalitarian perspective on the sexes.
Fortunately, there is a great website dedicated to clearly explaining what the scriptures truly express on our God given roles and responsibilities. You can access them by clicking here or from the links section on the right of this page. They are the ‘Council on Biblical manhood and womanhood”. These godly men and women have waded through the issues and rightly apply scripture to the society in which we live today.
Make no mistake, these are not simple issues. We are constantly bombarded by the media and our culture to accept any and all forms of sexual expression. Our children are taught in school that there are no proper roles for men and women, and that there are no ’standard’ forms of families or relationships. We are told by sociologists and psychiatrists that our gender is not determined by our physical makeup, but by what we choose to be.
I encourage you to check out this excellent website that lovingly presents the Biblical model that God has established. I also encourage you to carefully examine the Bible passages that are used to present various view on these issues, and pray that God, by His Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and insight to comprehend how He has formed us and how He desires us to live in the relationships and roles that please Him.
God bless you in your journey!
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04.24.07
Posted in All, Teaching, Theology, In The News... at 3:25 pm by Pastor Bill
There often seems to be a resistance to biblical instruction in the current Christian community. It’s almost as if all we need is salvation and we’ll take it ourselves from here. Hopefully you are persuaded that all believers in Christ need ongoing training, mentoring and spiritual nourishment.
We can be spiritually trained from many sources…preaching, Bible studies, Christian and theological books, great disciplers and mentors in the faith. Christian radio can be used to increase our knowledge and usefulness for God and His kingdom. Christian schools, institutes and seminaries are great tools to train us for the work of living out our Christian life in our world.
One question that frequently arises is, ‘How do I know if this is a good source of information that will not lead me astray?”. And this is an important question, that if ignored can lead to learning false doctrine or being confused about what the Bible really teaches.
That is why I am glad to have come across an extremely reliable, valuable resource that I’d like to point you to. It is a free program on the internet, called “Biblical Training”. I can’t express how impressed I am with the quality and value of this ministry. It’s free…did I mention that?… and it is top notch in it’s content. There are lessons for introducing someone to Christianity all the way up to seminary level classes, all taught by Biblical experts, who submit to the word of God, value and know it thoroughly, and have a heart and capacity to communicate it excellently.
I encourage you to check out www.biblicaltraining.org by clicking on the link, and give yourself the gift of increasing your knowledge of God’s word and it’s application to your life! We will also add a link to their site on our sidebar, I encourage you to bookmark it for your own use.
Their lessons are downloadable in mp3 format and will play on your computers music program or you can put them into your mp3 player to listen whenever you are on the go. I thank God for these Christians and their desire to educate all believers without cost or obligation. May God bless them for their sacrificial service to the body of Christ, and bless you as you spend time in the Word of God, to know, love and serve Him with everything that you have!
Blessings, Pastor Rillo
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04.17.07
Posted in All, Controversy, In The News... at 4:15 pm by Pastor Bill
By now surely you’ve heard the news or seen the footage of the mass murder by a student at Virginia Tech University. So many people are stunned and shocked, wondering how this could happen, and why someone would do this. As believers, what should be the Christian response to a tragedy like this? I would like to offer a few suggestions.
One…Grieve with those who are grieving…we are told to ‘weep with them that are weeping’ in Romans 12:15…and this is the Christian response. Most of us cannot imagine the pain and sorrow that the families of those that were killed are experiencing, but we are to share with them as best we can. This is a time to come to the side of those who are hurting, and to share with them in their loss.
Two…We must offer comfort, assistance and support over the coming days and weeks. To share one’s pain is only partial help, we must be available to assist physically and emotionally whenever they need our support and love.
Three…We must understand this event and others like it in harmony with God’s revealed truth. We must face the fact that this violent rampage is normal human behavior. Although the world may view this as unnatural or aberrant behavior, we understand that all of us would behave this way were it not for the prevailing grace of God, exerting restraint against natural human behavior in our world. These acts are a result of sin, pure and simple. We live in a sin-cursed world, and should not be shocked when horrible events occur.
Four…We must not look to place blame on everyone and everything beyond the individual which committed this horrible travesty. Guns are not responsible for this murderous rampage…the police used the same weapons to guard the safety of hundreds of additional students and residents. The school is not the cause. The police are not the cause. This young man’s parents are not the cause. His relationships and friends are not the cause. His religion and economic status are not the cause. Only one person is responsible for this horror, and that is the young man who systematically pulled the trigger and purposefully took the lives of 33 human beings. Our society is too quick to look past the guilty party and assign blame to ‘extenuating circumstances’. This is to minimize guilt and personal responsibility. Whatever problems this young man was facing, others have endured much more than him and did not resort to mass murder of innocent bystanders. As Christians we must develop and share the Biblical worldview in explaining actions such as this one.
Five…We must pray for healing and comfort for everyone involved. We must offer the support and salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. True peace is found only in Jesus, and His life and work for us. I encourage you to read Billy Graham’s book…’Peace with God’ if you do not have this abiding peace which carries us through life’s disappointments.
Six…We must daily ‘live out’ God’s message of Peace through Jesus! Only in Christ is there victory in death, and stability in life’s storms. Be His hands and feet and voice, as you carry the message of God’s love and forgiveness into a dark and dangerous world.
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03.28.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 6:16 pm by Pastor Bill
This is the season when Christians all around the world remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. The idea of the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the thrust and power of the Apostles sermons. Peter and Paul constantly forced their hearers to deal with the truth and implications of Jesus’ resurrection and subsequent functions of reigning and judging over all of mankind.
Our society, as well as that of Jesus’ day, holds little regard for the claims of resurrection and life after death. But this is still our message, that our Savior lives and reigns, and that eternal life comes only through faith in our risen Lord. To get an idea of our generation’s rebellion against the message of the Bible, read this article from the London Times which reports the Popes pronouncement that Hell is real, but also hit the link below the article to read the vitriolic comments by responders to the article…it is sad and disturbing to see how Satan continues to deceive and mislead people away from the truth.
For those of us who truly know God through His Son, the resurrection of Christ is our foundation for hope, our inspiration for the future, our message of eternal life for all who will come and receive the free gift of salvation.
Rejoice in the knowledge of your salvation and future glorification! “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” 1 Cor.15:45,49 (ESV) “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1:17b-18 (ESV)
HE LIVES!
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03.01.07
Posted in Controversy, In The News... at 4:54 pm by Pastor Bill
WOW! I guess we had better throw our Bibles away since they “must be” wrong, seeing how the Bible claims that Jesus was buried temporarily in a borrowed tomb and then resurrected from the dead. Or could the ‘reporters’ have it wrong…that this is NOT the tomb of Jesus and his family? Well, instead of listening to the Hollywood version of this discovery, why don’t you check it out here and see what an expert has to say about it, one who is really in the know. Why is it that the world is so quick to jump on any story that attempts to discredit the Bible, but ignores all the findings that verify what God’s Word says? I believe that it is because if they accept the Bible as true, then a lot of people are going to be really sad, finding that they are responsible to the God of the Bible, and they don’t want to be.
Well, don’t lose any sleep about the recently discovered ‘lost tomb of Jesus’, just enjoy the show and realize what the media is trying to do with it…and pray for them, they need Jesus…the living one.
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02.21.07
Posted in All, In The News... at 5:13 pm by Pastor Bill
Isn’t it awesome the things we know! I often sit in wonder and amazement (and often skepticism) when I read or hear of all the things that scientists or doctors have discovered about the world we live in. And I’ve got to admit, the idea that no two snowflakes are alike is boggling to the mind, at least to my mind. Don’t you ever wonder about statements like that? I don’t believe that it is true! Now that’s a dangerous things to say, or a stupid comment, because everyone KNOWS that every snowflake is different from every other snowflake. I learned that in kindergarten, I heard it on TV, I read it in my school’s science books, and even saw microscopic photos of at least a dozen snowflakes, and yep, every one WAS different. So why am I now a snowflake differential agnostic?
Mind you, I’m not disputing that SOME or MOST snowflakes are different, I’m just sure that there has been at least one occasion where there have been two snowflakes that are EXACTLY alike. Perhaps no two snowflakes in any particular handful of snow are alike, perhaps no two snowflakes that landed in your yard last week were alike, but to state categorically that there has never been 2 identical snowflakes is a pretty preposterous claim.
Think about that claim for a moment. Can science give us a mathematical formula or a law of physics that demand that there has never been, nor can there ever be 2 identical snowflakes? How many snowflakes have been exhaustively examined and cataloged? How much time do scientists have to gather and look at and record snowflake forms, size and weight? How long would it take to do that to all the snowflakes in one cubic foot of snow? More than has been dedicated to the task already, of that I am sure! And how many cubic feet of snow fell in upstate New York last week? Probably about 6 trillion…and were all of those snowflakes compared to each other to be SURE that no 2 were alike? Let’s jump to the big picture…If you take into consideration all the snowflakes that fell on earth over the past 6,000 years, humans have closely examined about …well, not very many. And that’s my point. You can’t state absolutely that no two snowflakes are alike until you have examined each and every one of them, or conclusively demonstrate the physical laws that prohibit such an occurance, even among deformed snowflakes..(think about that one for awhile). How can we all grow up knowing and believing that no two snowflakes are alike when we have absolutely no evidence to prove it? Yet we still teach this myth to our children, and they believe it also.
Why do I go on and on about this? Because it is not dangerous for us to believe a false statement about snowflakes, but is can be very dangerous to persist in believing other things that ‘everyone knows is true’, when those things are also not true. For instance, I’ve heard people say “You can’t trust the Bible, everyone knows that it’s full of contradictions”. To go on believing this without examining the evidence is dangerous to your eternal soul. Have you read the Bible in it’s entirety and examined some of those ’so called’ contradictions? If you have, I’m sure you came to the conclusion that those statements aren’t contradictory, but complementary, with different writers providing additional details that the other did not.
How about the statement that “Everybody knows that good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell, (well, maybe the hell part, and maybe not)”? And of course since everybody except murders and rapists are good people,(unless you ask their mothers about them), well gee, I guess almost everybody will be having a great time in heaven! That is an extremely dangerous thing to know, since it is most assuredly NOT true! If you’ll read you Bible and see what Jesus said about it, you might have cause for alarm…that is, if an eternity spent suffering the consequences of sin alarms you.
The bottom line…just because everyone knows something to be true, that is no guarantee that it really is true. And if our beliefs are false, it can be dangerous to us.
“There is a WAY that seems RIGHT to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Pr.14:12. Jesus said “I am THE WAY, the TRUTH and the life, no man comes to the Father except through ME.” John 14:6
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01.23.07
Posted in Biblical Reflections, All, Theology, Controversy, In The News... at 8:40 pm by Pastor Bill
Please let me begin by stating that I am not coming down on other preachers from a ‘holier than thou’ position, or trying to be legalistic about this. But I have some honest questions, and a lack of understanding how profanity used in the course of a sermon can be God honoring and an example of godly self-control that we pastors are supposed to model to the flock.
You may be aware of John Piper’s use of the phrase ’sometimes God kicks our a**’ in one of his conferences recently. He has issued a ‘kinda’ apology for it, which you can read here…but this is not the first time he has cursed from the pulpit. He mentions his tendency to do that in his apology letter. So why has it suddenly become ‘hip