Creation grace: Seasons
When they reject the Gospel…God is also glorified. Evangelism part 3/3
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| photo credit: Chris Yarzab via photopin cc |
We are commanded to share the Good News, make disciples, and teach (Matthew 28:19-20). We love Jesus so much that when we share Him and His unique and magnificent work on the cross, we think, why doesn’t everyone just see how clearly He loves us? Why don’t they see how great of a sinner we really are?” But we also know that minds are blinded and hearts are dead. (2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 4:18). Not all will accept the truth.
Jesus was very popular, with all His miracles and feedings and casting out demons. But after He’d fed the five thousand, He shared some hard truths.
When many of his followers heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?” (John 6:60-61)
They did.
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| photo credit: AlicePopkorn via photopin cc |
“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66)
Was Jesus doing it wrong? They wanted to stone Him, throw Him off a cliff, and eventually they did kill Him. Many left His ministry after teaching them God’s standards and His words. Did Jesus do it wrong? Should He have been less oft-putting? Watered it down so they would listen?
Jesus would have failed personal evangelism class in almost every Bible college and seminary I know. Matthew 19:16-22 describes a young man who looked like the hottest evangelistic prospect the Lord had encountered so far. He was ripe. He was eager. There was no way he would get away without receiving eternal life. But he did. Instead of getting him to make a decision, in a sense Jesus chased him off. He failed to draw the net. He failed to sign the young man up. Should we allow our ideas of evangelism to indict Jesus? I think we need to allow His example to critique contemporary evangelism. Christ’s confrontation of this young man gives us much-needed insight into reaching the lost. (source)
His truths and the reaction to them should not be alien to you if you’ve been sharing the Gospel at all. One where the Holy Spirit is present, anyway! The truth of the Gospel always divides or angers. Paul’s truths caused riots. Stephen’s sermon caused him to be killed by stoning. They tried to kill Jesus many times. Christians today in Muslim nations are killed outright for their preaching. Jesus said that even families will be divided. (Matthew 10:34-36).
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| photo credit: daveblume via photopin cc |
When there is a reaction, it is because people don’t like their sin exposed and don’t like even a discussion about it. Everyone wants to think they are good, and have a solid “moral compass.” The truth of it though is that we are all evil, rotten, and bad. Only God is good. And He is SO good He sent His Son to bring us evil bad rotten people iniquity to heaven under the covering of His blood. I wish the reaction would be over that fact, where people would shout for joy.
Back to evangelism. The word of God upsets.
When we evangelize the full Gospel, beginning with sin, wrath, and Law, and ending with the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, it will seem to cause some to reject. I say seem because we don’t know what is in store for that person and what work the Holy Spirit will do.
In one case of a street preacher baldly and honestly sharing the truth, one man who had heard the Gospel several times before was suddenly convicted on that day. He repented and was saved.
In other cases, like the Rich Young Ruler, he heard and rejected, and went away sorrowful because he wanted to keep his possessions (and was oblivious to his sins). (Mark 10:17-22)
God is magnified in both cases. How?
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| Wikimedia Commons |
In the former, His Spirit drew the man to God and one sinner was rejoiced over by all of heaven (Luke 15:7). God is magnified immediately by His magnificent act of redemption.
In the second case, and in all cases where a person hears the Gospel and rejects it, God is also glorified, in the future. Here is a template of future glory onto God: God called Ezekiel to proclaim His word and go to where there was rebellion and stubbornness.
“And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ezekiel 2:3-5)
When they stand before Holy God they will know He was faithful and true to His promises. He offered redemption, and in stubbornness and sin, they rejected it. His is still glorified, because He is true to His Holy name.
“Salvation is always attributed to God. A sinner’s judgment is always attributed to sinner’s unwillingness to believe.” (source)
My job is to deliver the truth and to pray the Holy Spirit applies it to your heart. Many will not believe and will reject. Some may come to faith. It is in the hands of the Spirit. But the message that is watered down to make you feel comfortable and wonderful is not the message of the Great Commission nor is it the whole counsel of God. We deliver the message that Jesus told us to deliver, how the receiver feels about it is up to them.
Jonathan Edwards wrote of God glorifying Himself,
“But it was his design to make a true manifestation of his glory, such as should represent every attribute. If God glorified one attribute, and not another, such manifestation of his glory would be defective; and the representation would not be complete. If all God’s attributes are not manifested, the glory of none of them is manifested as it is: for the divine attributes reflect glory on one another.”
“Thus if God’s wisdom be manifested, and not his holiness, the glory of his wisdom would not be manifested as it is; for one part of the glory of the attribute of divine wisdom is, that it is a holy wisdom. So if his holiness were manifested, and not his wisdom, the glory of his holiness would not be manifested as it is; for one thing which belongs to the glory of God’s holiness is, that it is a wise holiness. So it is with respect to the attributes of mercy and justice.”
God is sovereign in salvation, and whether they listen or they do not listen, God is always glorified because His attributes of justice, holiness, and mercy, and all His other attributes, are plainly manifested.
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Where’s the octopus? Science and God
So, let me get this straight, octopi see a visual cue, match it exactly by changing color and *skin texture*, do it while being color blind, not a reflexively but via but brain analysis, and fool humans by accomplishing all this in 2 seconds. Wow!
Four minutes of delicious science whereupon we learn we humans:
–are less skilled than an octopus at seeing the world
and
–God is amazing!
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
Don’t share the love of Christ … Evangelism part 2/3
I’m thinking a lot about evangelism. I feel the times are getting closer and closer to the end. Whether you are a student of eschatology or not (eschatology = last things) the fact is that today we are one day closer to the end than yesterday. Urgency is a must, because today anyone could die. If they are without the Lord, they will go to hell. We must be about the Father’s business, and urgently, with purpose and intent.
And correctly.
More on that in a minute.
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| Stoning of St.Stephen – Paolo Uccello, c.1435 |
We have many reasons to evangelize. It is an order from Jesus to go about making disciples. (Matthew 28:16-20). The lost world is becoming ever more corrupt and depraved. Or another way to look at it is, human-kind has always been corrupt and depraved, but they used to be able to hide it better. Now, they can’t. It is rising in hearts of men and therefore they need the Light more each day. (Genesis 6:1-5, Matthew 24:37).
And yet into this cauldron of depravity and evil, many Christians take the approach to evangelism by saying “Jesus loves you.” Then they go home and say “I shared the love of Christ today.”
And you know what the lost think in response to the old chestnut approach “Jesus loves you”? “Big deal. I already knew that.” So they look smilingly at the evangelizer and the evangelizer looks smilingly back and all is kumbayah.
The lost believe they are good. They believe that because they are pretty good people, of course Jesus already loves them. They’re comfortable with hearing that. As a matter of fact, a Christian has just confirmed what they already knew all along, “Phew, I’m all set,” they think. So the Christian’s evangelism efforts get a polite response and no conviction.
I say, don’t share the love of Jesus.
I plead, let’s get that worn out phrase out of our pantheon of trite phrases.
Rev. Matt Slick continues by explaining how to present the Gospel:
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| “The Last Angel” Artist: Nicholas Roerich, 1912 |
“How do you tell people that they need Jesus? Do you tell them that Jesus loves them and that He wants to make their lives better? Do you tell people that Jesus can forgive them of their sins? Do you tell them that Jesus has a wonderful plan for their lives and that they should believe in Him and ask Jesus into their hearts? If so, you may be doing a harm to their spiritual health. That’s right, harm.”
Because in order to share the Good News, we have to share the bad news first. Sin. Judgment. Wrath. We have to tell people they are separated from God due to their sin. Speak clearly of where their default destiny lies, after death. That there is nothing they can do to earn holiness or please God. Law first.
John the Baptist and Jesus both opened their ministries with the message “Repent and believe, the kingdom of God is at hand.” Peter opened with sin, judgment and wrath in his sermon at Pentecost. (Acts 2:14-41). Paul told the Athenians at the Areopagus that they were worshiping wrong, and used their error as a starting point to tell them the main point: and that they needed to repent because the day of judgment is coming (Acts 17:30-31).
Not that we go in with guns blazing. We are mindful of our audience and tailor the message to them. Paul used the Jewish scriptures to teach the Jews of Jesus and to the Pagans he used creation as a starting point. But we get to the point quickly: sin, wrath, judgment, then the Good News, Jesus crucified, died, resurrected. But far from today’s comfy evangelizing schema, it is necessary to tell the bad news so they know why they have no hope in themselves, to show Jesus is the hope and the Good News.
The point here is to relate the holiness of God. And the best way to do that it to tell them they are unholy.
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| “High”, Artist: Morris Louis, 1959 |
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15)
You will receive a variety of reactions, most of them negative. You might be rejected, spit at, mocked, arrested, ignored, or beheaded. In today’s western Christianity, people tend to think that a person has evangelized wrong if they receive reactions like that. However you’re doing it wrong if you don’t receive mainly negative reactions. No one likes to be told they are a sinner. No one. Speaking of absolute truth (Jesus as the only way) engenders harsh condemnation in this post-modern world. And speaking of wrath and judgment garners condemnation from fellow ‘Christians’ more often than not, never mind lost people.
If you’re “sharing the love of Jesus” you are sinning, because you are making it comfortable for yourself.
Never underestimate the power of the full Gospel. Occasionally someone has been prepared by the Holy Spirit to hear the message God had sent us to tell. It is the Spirit who prepares hearts and convicts of sin! We share the full message and the Spirit applies it to the heart and mind. The full message is both, wrath and hope. See Got Questions on the subject:
Question: “What is the biblical method of evangelism?”
Answer: When trying to decide how to share Christ with someone, the starting point should be the same as that of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Matthew 3:2 tells us that John began his ministry with the words “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Repentance refers to a “change of mind,” which implies sorrow for past offences (2 Corinthians 7:10), a deep sense of the evil of sin as committed against God (Psalm 51:4), and a conscious decision to turn from sin to God. The first words Jesus spoke when He began His public ministry were identical to John’s (Matthew 4:17).
Biblical evangelism – The good news and the bad news
The word “gospel” means “good news.” While many well-meaning Christians begin their evangelistic efforts with the good news of God’s love for mankind, that message is lost on unbelievers who must first come to grips with the extent of the bad news. First, man is separated from a holy, righteous God by sin. Second, God hates sin and is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Third, death and judgment are inevitable (Hebrews 9:27). Fourth, man is wholly incapable of doing anything about the situation. Until the full extent of this bad news is presented, the good news cannot be effectively communicated.
I’ll close with something profound Jerry Bridges said in his book Fearing God. He wrote,
“Some years ago, I prayed that God would show me more of His love. He answered that prayer by showing me more of my sin- not just specific sins I’d committed, but the sinfulness of my heart. Then I began to appreciate more His love to me.”
People, preach the full Gospel, bad news first. Yes, tell of the love of Jesus,
“So long as the Christian makes it clear to unbelievers that they have sinned against God and will stand before Him to give an account…”
“So long as the Christian explains to unbelievers the just punishment and consequences for sin (and yes, we must talk about Hell as a place of torment, not merely eternal separation from God)…”
“So long as the Christian doesn’t merely name the name of Jesus, but assures unbelievers of which Jesus he is talking about (not the Jesus of Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Islam, Oprah-ism, or any other kind of “ism”)…” (source)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
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The End Time: Evangelism Part 1
The End Time: Evangelism Part 3
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Further reading:
Holy, holy, holy is God! Evangelism part 1/3
I’m writing two more parts in a series regarding how to evangelize and what to say and not to say, and reactions to true evangelism efforts. To begin, we always remember that God is holy!
“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
Holy is God!
Holy is Jesus!
Holy is the Spirit!
We serve a thrice-holy God!
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If Joel Osteen gave the sermon at Pentecost…
Joel Osteen: “Removing negative labels” speech was delivered to 43,500 attendees at Lakewood Arena on March 2013.
“I want to talk to you today about removing negative labels. Throughout life, people are constantly sticking labels on us, telling us what we can and cannot become. Sometimes this is good, people speak faith into us, they encourage us. But then there are times that people put negative labels on us. You cannot stop the negative comments. You can’t prevent the negative labels but you can choose to remove them.”
“As a teenager, Walt Disney was told by an art instructor that he wasn’t creative. That he didn’t have any imagination. Disney was smart enough to remove that label. He went on to do pretty good. Lucille Ball was told that she didn’t have any acting skills. She should try a different profession. She removed that label, and starred in I Love Lucy for many years.
…
“The common denominator of the success of these people is that they chose to remove negative labels. It’s the same way today. People put labels on us. My father went to be with the Lord in 1999, and I stepped up to pastor the church. I had never ministered before. One Sunday after the service, I overheard two ladies talking in the lobby. One said, ‘He’s not as good as his father. The other answered back, ‘Yes, I don’t think the church is going to last.’ I was already insecure, I already felt unqualified. And boom, another negative label. Not good enough…not up to par…inferior. That’s the way the enemy works. He would love to put labels on you to keep you from reaching your highest potential… He’ll try to intimidate you, fight you, make you feel inferior.”
“Words are like seeds. If you dwell on them long enough, they will take root and become what was said. I tried to remove that negative label, but it wasn’t easy. Those thoughts would play in my mind again and again. It was like trying to peel a bumper sticker off of a car that’s been there a long time…you peel it and it tears, and you got to work and work… If I had made the mistake of wearing that wrong label, I don’t believe I’d be standing here today. Wrong labels can keep you from your destiny.”
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Now here is Peter preaching the first sermon of the first day of the Church, at Pentecost, 2000 years ago. It was given in Jerusalem, and the crowds were enormous. It may have reached the same size as Osteen’s stadium attendance. We know that 3000 were saved that day.
“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who
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| Masolino da Panicale, Peter Preaching at Pentecost, fresco, Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence |
dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:14-24, 34-35)
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I transcribed the first 375 words of the Osteen speech, and of that first portion, it is about 95% complete. I posted the first 377 words of Peter’s sermon and it is about 95% complete.
You see the difference, I hope. In Joel Osteen’s sermon, Osteen talked about reaching career success and personal potential by our own works. Osteen lifted up himself as an example. He used two (in the sermon, three) cultural icons as successful examples of the career tips he was giving. He reiterated that it is by own own steam we achieve earthly success. He warned that our destiny is in our own hands. And last but not least, Jesus is not mentioned (except for one verse where he said that removing negative labels is hard but we can do all things by Christ who strengthens us). It is a speech filled with prosperity, legalism and blasphemy.
Peter opened with wrath. He referred to the Old Testament prophet Joel. He named Christ, Christ’s work, God and God’s work, the resurrection, and salvation. And that is a sermon full of conviction, glory, and truth.
Christ did not live on earth for 33 years and die an agonizing death on the cross, enduring all of God’s wrath, so that we could remove a negative label from our psyche like a worn out old bumper sticker.
John MacArthur said in his sermon this week, “Testimony to the Deity of Christ“,
“They were unwilling to glorify Christ. It’s about Christ. I wish the evangelical church would get this right, and quit selling the benefits and start selling the benefactor. It is so important that the issue is Christ. I was telling some seminary students last week, how many preachers I listen to who have all kinds of things to say, but never talk about Christ. They use His name…but it’s almost in vain.”
In the fresco above, it is reported that the “The scene refers to Peter’s sermon, as recounted in the Act of the Apostles, which he preaches in Jerusalem after the descent of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost. The fresco actually illustrates the final part of the sermon, when Peter says: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Remove the negative label and be something or other; or repent, be saved, and receive the gift of God’s Spirit. It is the broad way or the narrow way. (Matthew 7:13-14).
Comfort from Revelation, of all places!
When people need spiritual comfort there is only one place to go: the bible. And I know that many people go to Philippians or the Psalms for comfort. It’s rare to hear someone say “Revelation is such a comforting book!” But I find it to be comforting, and is that so remarkable? All scripture is God-breathed and therefore powerful,
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
I can’t hardly open the bible to any location in the Old Testament or the New, and not find comfort. It’s comforting to read of His hatred for evil, His love by sending Jesus, His intellect, power, holiness…it’s all good stuff. So I turn to the letter in Revelation from Jesus via John to the church at Ephesus. It’s fascinating.
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| photo credit: SBA73 via photopin cc |
In Revelation 2:2 we read this:
“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”
Does that speak to us now in this evil, fallen, corrupt world, or what?!
The evil that men do makes us want to close our eyes! It makes us grow tired of outing one false pastor or teacher after another. It’s enough to make us want to throw up our hands and say of false doctrine, “what’s the use? People believe it anyway.”
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| photo credit: doovie via photopin cc |
But Jesus comforted the church at Ephesus. Now there was an evil world. Christianity was not even known. People were pagans and did much worse than we see today, regularly. I mean, killing slaves for sport in the arenas was the entertainment. Life was cheap, sin was rampant, and Christianity was this weird new religion. It must have seemed like to the Ephesians that they were truly trying to beat back an ocean of sin with a teacup.
Jesus said He would be with us even unto the end of the age. As He was preparing to ascend, he told the Apostles, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:20.)
And so he is. We see in the Revelation verse above, Jesus said “I know…”
The Ephesians were sharing the Gospel and working for Christ and part of that work was testing false
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| Enduring patiently. photo credit: Elizabeth Thomsenvia photopin cc |
ones. The more we are sanctified the harder it is to be with evil ones who say they are apostles but are not. It grates on our Spirit because they are such a blight on the name of Jesus. It’s hard. Just as it was then, it is hard today. But we exhibit patient endurance and keep working and we have the great comfort of knowing that Jesus knows the work we do by the Spirit in His name for His name. He knows.
He said in the next verse, “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.” (Revelation 2:3)
He knows! Every day we bear up patiently, every time we are mindful of His name’s sake, every time we keep moving and not grown weary, He knows. Isn’t that comforting!
I find it comforting in the first place that He is so involved in the church. When He said I am with you always, He meant it. He knows what’s going on. I know we often examine the disapproval verses in Revelation, looking at why Jesus was disapproving of this or that in a particular church. However, the commendation is important too.
The most comforting thing of all, I find, is the fact alone that Jesus came to John to tell John specific items about specific churches. Jesus is highly involved in His church.
Sometimes it feels like a curse to see the vividness of false doctrine where wolves drag off the unwary and the weak. It is hard to watch the numerous souls who are headed for hell. How did Jesus stand it?! It is like I’m on the playground, and outside the chain link fence of where children are playing is a ring of child molesters, leering, drooling, fingers entwined in the chain link, waiting their moment to grab a careless child. And I know that because the bible says so, some will be carried off by false doctrine or false teachers. Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he will devour.
One reason I’m longing for redemption of the body is so that I’ll finally be in the place where sin will destroy no one anymore… oh what a day that will be!
So do the full work of Christ, which does include testing the ones who call themselves apostles but are not. Love what He loves, and hate what He hates, and keep doing it until the Day he calls us home via death or rapture. He knows, brethren, He knows. He knows you, by name, and all your works for His name’s sake. What a comfort.
Person of the year, Marquis de Sade
Haaretz posted an interesting opinion editorial the other night. In the spirit of the Jewish New Year and the traditional practice of taking stock, their piece is about how the global national sport seems to be enjoying the misfortunes of others to the point of sadism.
My person of the year: The Marquis de Sade
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| Portrait of the Marquis of Sade by Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo (c. 1761) |
A happy new year, one of joy at the misfortunes of others
If we were to measure sadism right now around the world, we would discover that deriving satisfaction from brutal acts is one of the most popular hobbies of all. And not just in Syria.
Ironically, this coming year (that is, 2014) will mark the 200th anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Sade, the man who gave his name to one of the most common sexual perversions, which is so common today that we no longer treat it as one. When Syrian President Bashar Assad recently attacked his countrymen with chemical weapons, all the journalistic wizards were hastily brought in to explain why. Ask the marquis. What is there to explain here, he would say; there’s nothing more enjoyable than feeling that you are soaring above the clouds of morality and conscience and no longer feel there is anything connecting you to the human race. Other people become objects, pawns in your hand. You’re like God.
At the start of the international year of Sade, I would be pleased if some psychologist or psychiatrist were to invent a sadism-meter to examine the extent of this perversion in all kinds of patients − not necessarily those who clearly are sadists. And also in large collectives and countries, too. The results would be worrisome. We would discover that deriving satisfaction from brutal acts is one of the most popular hobbies of all. And that along with Assad, who is now the target of the whole world’s anger, there is a gallery of other high-ranking people who are just as power-hungry as he, but are sophisticated enough to conceal their perversion.
A Sadism-O-Meter. Interesting, It would be nearing fullness, by now, I should think. It reminds me of Bonnie Tyler’s song, Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Once upon a time I was falling in love
Now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
Scripturally, the Haaretz editorial author’s plaintive cry and desperate search for meaning as to why there is such evil in men reminds me of the scene in the bible in Genesis 6, right before the LORD determined to personally wipe everyone out. It is like He is peeling the layers off of the world’s heart and showing us the evil within. It is simple. People are realizing how naturally evil we are. Hitler was no anomaly. In fact, we are all Hitler.
“Hitler was not an anomaly. Hitler was not a phenomenon. Hitler was what everyone in this room has the potential of being. Not only that, you need to understand that even in all the wickedness of Hitler, he was still restrained by the common grace of God. And you need to know this, that if it were not for the common grace of God, restraining you in your unconverted state, you would make Hitler look like a choirboy.” Paul Washer
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7)
Unfortunately, the author of the opinion piece, and indeed the world, has yet to learn how deeply the depravity of man will go, if left unchecked. That period will be called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or The Tribulation as it is known to us in the church.
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I started this blog in January 2009. It grew from a private newsletter I’d been sending to friends the two prior years before the blog, of thoughts and urgencies regarding the unfulfilled prophecies of the bible. In 2007, hardly anyone wanted to know about prophecy. All seemed well and prophecy was a low blip in a landscape of trends that had previously peaked in the late 1970s. Then the economy collapsed in September-October 2008, Obama got elected. Something about his demeanor caused many to get a knot in their stomach and wonder if the end of all things was in fact really at hand. The economy’s collapse also contributed to the feeling of imminent doom.
Since the inauguration in 2009, we have seen many interesting events occurring which bespeak a soon-prophetic fulfillment of historic proportions. After 100 years, Armenia reconciled with Turkey. Turkey left the West and became overtly Muslim. Egypt collapsed, abandoned its peace treaty with Israel, and became her enemy. The US fell from its position of world leader and sole superpower. China ascended. Russia revived. Mid-east Dictators in the prophetic lands fell, one after another. Syria imploded. One of earth’s largest earthquakes occurred and one of its most devastating tsunamis decimated a nation. Incredible oil and natural gas was discovered by Israel, making her extremely wealthy. She went from an economic importer to an exporter. Volcanoes, long thought extinct, awoke with power. Birds fell from the sky. The weather went haywire, first record heat then record cold then record heat again. Global warming, global cooling, their heads are spinning. Strange sky sounds spooked the world. Exorcisms are way up and demon sightings are common. A pope resigned for the first time in 600 years.
I could go on, but you get the idea. That’s just the last four years. It feels like the world is tilting chaotically. But imagine how much the world tilted when the Gospel went out (HT to Dan Phillips). Acts 17:6 says that the men who preached the Gospel turned the world upside down. Satan in all his efforts to upset the world is like a child batting the bath water. It is the power of the Gospel which upsets, divided, and unsettles!
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| photo credit: las – initially via photopin cc |
For example, last week someone on a secular mommy forum asked if there was a meaning to the sideways cross necklace. They posted a link to my essay discussing the meaning of the sideways cross necklace. I noticed a high amount of traffic from that site so I went to check it out. Some had gone to my blog essay and come back to the forum raving at how”intolerant”, how “judgmental” and how sanctimonious” I am. I entered the discussion on the forum and shared the Gospel and used bible verses during discussions. They went ballistic! If you poured hot water on a hornet’s nest you could not get any more stinging or buzzing!
This is because in today’s Marquis De Sade world, of flesh and indulgence, make any sort of declarative, unequivocal statement referring to moral standards, holiness, and God’s hatred of sin, and you get a stirred-up mess in return. I was amazed all over again at the power of the Word to upset and convict.
I imagined the men like Jason at Thessalonica who came to preach and how upset the Pharisees and Jews were, as Acts shows. My brief little foray was so small compared to the world-tilting Gospel power of Acts, but it serves to remind me that when you shine the Light in the dark places, the power is there to convict. Some retreat into entrenched sin and are forever literally convicted by the Judge, while others move forward into the light seeking Him to forgive it, but the Light is the key. Keep shining His light of forgiveness from sin and suspension from coming wrath!
In a world where reality tv shows more and more the sick voyeuristic sadism of others, in a world where the news is simply sick with the maniacal gleefulness of people inflicting pain unto others, our gentleness will stand out like a floodlight on a stormy night. Here are some good words from Titus 3:1-2,
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
As the world continues overtly and shockingly toward total indulgence of the depraved flesh, the one who is submissive, gentle and courteous will be the exception, and people will wonder what force, or what ability, we have to maintain it. It is the forgiveness of Jesus and His Holy Spirit in us! The verses in Titus continue,
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7).
God is still sovereign and His ways are unknowable to us. He is in control, despite these unsettlingly rapid evil changes in hearts of men. However “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).
And never forget, He is still saving souls. Though the world is dark, The Light has come into the world!
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| photo credit: thisisbossi via photopin cc |
Movie review: "Birders:The Central Park Effect", comments on creation & biophilia
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| E. Prata photo |
“Birders: The Central Park Effect“ is a movie about, well birds and the people who look at them.
Each spring when the great migration of birds from the southern climes in Central & South America migrate north to Canada to breed, and then in the fall when they migrate south to their homes in the south again, huge flocks of birds descend on Manhattan’s Central Park. Of the millions which pass over, thousands at any given day will choose to swoop down and take their several day rest in the greenery that is this magnificent park. The northeast corridor is pretty well filled with wall-to-wall cities, and Central Park is just too good of a stopping place to ignore.
This one-hour film is a documentary which documents this fact, it reveals what drives birders who stumble around the woods looking up with binoculars, and it lovingly and lushly films the stars of the show: the birds.
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| E. Prata photo |
One woman who is featured is Starr Saphir. (pronounced, sapphire). Starr has been leading bird-watching tours of the Park for almost 40 years. Her love for the park, for birds, and for leading people to birds is evident in her voice and eyes as she describes the winged creatures that she has counted and the beauty she has been privileged to share with newcomers to the hobby.
The documentary opens with Spring, and the birds’ arrival. It chronicles the park in all four seasons and ends with spring again. The people interviewed range from famous (novelist Jonathan Rosen) to anonymous bird lovers. About 200 species stop by the park during Migration, about a quarter of all species found in the US.
The star of the show is the nature that is presented as the backdrop for the birds, all the more remarkable for being totally man-made. (Central Park is totally man-made and carefully managed, down to switches which govern the pipes that gush water from pretend brooks and streams). A few sobering facts are given, for example, that in the last four years, (the movie was released in 2012), bird counts of many different species has been dropping by as much as 50%. The documentary however thankfully stays away from preaching ecology, and simply lets the birds and their watchers be the star of the show. One thing I really enjoyed was that since this documentary is set in New York City, and most New Yorkers are highly literate, these people could speak well and used language in almost poetic and vivid ways.
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| E. Prata photo |
For example, of the birds, one man said “I realized the trees were hung with ornaments!” Like that.
For Christians, within the first 6 minutes, there are three objectionable comments:
–Oh My God!
–Holy frikken Moses!
Both of the above occur at 2:20 into it.
–and one man used the real f-word. (6:41 into it)
After that, there is no language, no adult situations, no innuendo, and no one is underdressed. It is an interesting little documentary and a pretty movie. I recommend it.
As far as spiritual matters go, I have some additional thoughts. All the people interviewed and even those who weren’t but were simply filmed, brave the cold, the rain, their schedules, all to go look at a bird in the wild. Why?
One man attempted to explain this innate attraction to nature, by saying that “the birds awaken something in my soul. If I had one.” He wasn’t joking.
Another interviewee said that he feels strongly attached to the Park as well. He said that the nature there soothes him and he feels more complete when he is there, among the birds. He said that scientists have a name for this feeling: “biophilia.”
The Online Free Dictionary defines biophilia as a psychological term, “an innate love for the natural world, supposed to be felt universally by humankind”
The biophilia hypothesis is stated on Wikipedia as “an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984). He defines biophilia as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life”. The term “biophilia” literally means “love of life or living systems.” It was first used by Erich Fromm to describe a psychological orientation of being attracted to all that is alive and vital. Wilson uses the term in the same sense when he suggests that biophilia describes “the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.” He proposed the possibility that the deep affiliations humans have with nature are rooted in our biology.”
Yes. Deep affiliations with nature are rooted in us. Genesis 1 and Romans 1 shows us this. We do not need modern psychology to coin a term and explain the obvious.
In Genesis 1, God created man, and set Him in the perfect Garden, and gave him a command to take care of it and to name and take care of the animals. God revealed Himself in creation and since we are made in His image we share that affinity with creation, and also are a part of it. (Genesis 1:26-30, Genesis 2:15, Romans 1:20, Romans 1:23).
As Adam, He made us in His image, and since he had instilled in Adam a command to take care of His creation. When Adam and Eve sinned, he ejected them from the Garden and cursed the ground. Even though we have a sin nature now and try to exercise dominion of the earth thru flesh, and do it badly, we still possess that innate love for creation and the instinct to shepherd it. However also because we have a sin nature, satan corrupts our tie with the natural world, from gentle shepherding as creatures made in His image, to idolaters worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. Satan claims our flesh nature and corrupts what is a natural feeling of love for the One who created the creation, including ourselves, part of that creation and creatures we are.
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| E. Prata photo |
So biophilia is a fun-to-say psychology word and not much else. It stops there. It simply acknowledges the affinity we have with creation, but does not acknowledge the creator. The interviewees in the documentary acknowledged their attraction to nature, acknowledged the beauty of the birds, acknowledged the wonder of precise migration patterns, but did not acknowledge the Creator who made it all.
It’s not biophilia. It’s God. And praise Him for it all!
“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24)
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| E. Prata photo |
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Further reading:
USA Today news article: "Some see biblical visions of doom in Syria trouble"
USA Today remarks in an interesting article, that there is a run on prophecy books. People who see events unfolding in the Middle East with Syria, Iran, Israel, and Egypt are wanting to know more. This is good.
Joel C. Rosenberg was asked to speak at the Kansas House of Representatives chamber yesterday and he preached today on Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 in Topeka. He posted “A few pictures from the event inside the Kansas State Capitol discussing Syria & Damascus Countdown.”
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| Joel C. Rosenberg
“So grateful for the questions people asked during the Q&A.”
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Some quotes I like from the USA Today article:
“The situation in Syria as it relates to scripture could be something that we’re witnessing, but we should be cautious. What prophecy really is about is the faithfulness of God’s word.” (Pastor Gary Cristofaro of the First Assembly of God in Melbourne, FL)
Always, always remember that prophecy is a way to see God as sovereign. He declares the end from the beginning . When a prophecy is fulfilled we shout for joy because He is faithful to His word and He is showing Himself as King of events, people, heaven, earth, and the angels. In studying the end time prophecies, we become comforted because of this. We also become fervent in urgency to witness to the lost because we know time is short (either through death or end of days events).
“Interpreting events doesn’t lead to an understanding of what’s going on. I believe it actually clouds the understanding,” said Tom Lombardo, a San Franscico-based author and researcher of end time beliefs.
Some people might not like me saying this and I may take heat for it, but I’ve stopped listening to Pastor JD Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe. His weekly prophecy updates have been a blessing but I have noticed a sad trend. When I found his teachings several years ago he used to explain the prophecies from the bible. He’d take a passage and show from the bible what it meant. Slowly over time during his prophecy updates, he now focuses more on the news than on the bible. That balance has been tipped.
Last Sunday’s message was noteworthy in a negative way, unfortunately. He said that due to events occurring in Syria and Egypt and the Middle East, he had read and read and read the news, it all became a blur and he had read it for hours. I thought, “he should be spending that much time on reading the bible, not the news.” Then he said that he was putting off their regular study in Samuel so as to spend time bringing the flock up to speed. See? The congregation collects to worship God through the hearing of the word, not the news.
I think that Pastor JD is a tremendous pastor, sensitive, studious, mindful of Jesus and the Great Commission. I only mention this because we can get so wrapped up in the news that we forget the word. I have been guilty of this myself. But the more that I see events happening that seem to be hurrying us to the end, the more I back away from the news and stick with the bible. If God-ordained troubles are going to be unleashed on the world soon, and I personally believe that they are, then I want to be sure to be as strong as possible spiritually so as not to be deceived. Be mindful of the balance between the news and the word. Because, as the man said above, “Interpreting events doesn’t lead to an understanding of what’s going on. I believe it actually clouds the understanding,” Only the bible brings clarity.
I liked this tip on how to maintain a balance from Pastor Gary Cristofaro of the First Assembly of God in Melbourne FL again,
“We try to find balance by immersing ourselves in prophecy rather than being affected by it.”
Because when we immerse ourselves in prophecy of the bible we are immersing ourselves in the bible. Far from being an also-ran sphere of study, prophecy is mentioned in every New Testament book except Philemon. All the NT authors make reference in one way or another to prophecies, some new at that time, some reminding us of the prophecies of old. Either way, immersing yourself in prophecy is a good thing and hardly can be avoided if you read the bible at all!
Read the next quote: This is a good sign, actually.
Christian bookstores such as Family Christian Ministries in West Melbourne report that book sales of prophecy-themed works by charismatic minister Perry Stone, Pastor John Hagee and novelists such as Joel Rosenberg have increased in recent weeks since tension in Syria and Egypt escalated.
But just like anything, WHO you turn to for illumination is just as important as realizing prophetic implications of current events and praising God as a result. Perry Stone and John Hagee are not too solid as biblical scholars. Joel Rosenberg has been careful and he sticks with bible verses and not speculations.
People’s instinct is always to turn to the bible for understanding when large events happen. In 2008 when Obama was elected, there was a collective shudder that ran throughout fundamentalist Christendom, and for good reason. Back then, there was a run on books and studies on the antichrist. People ran to the bible and to prophecy books. When the Japan quake happened in 2011 (magnitude 9.0 which rocked the earth off its axis) people again ran to the bible. On my blog, any essay dealing with God and earthquakes got enormous hits. People want to make sense of the world and intuitively understand that sometimes it’s just the world but sometimes there is a spiritual overlay and anomalous events drive them to the bible. Earthquakes do that.
Now again two years later in 2013 with the Syria issue, people are feeling uncertain, hopeless, questioning, or just plain afraid. This is perfect time for us who have the answers to share them!! The Gospel is powerful to save and for the heart that wants answers, who are clamoring for understanding of prophecies, now is a ripe time to share and proclaim!
Maybe this is the last essay I’ll ever write, if we are raptured in the next moments of time. Maybe we will still be here five years from now and we will look back on this heightened period of biblical portent with wistfulness that the Lord still hasn’t come. I don’t know. But I do believe the time is dwindling quickly. I believe equally that every day is a good day for salvation.
