"THINK" SERIES: PART 6 - "WHATEVER IS TRUE"

THINK BIBLICALLY - #1 

" Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". (Philippians 4:8)

In John 18:38, Pontius Pilate encounters the bruised and brutalized Jesus for the first time and asks the eternal question "Quid Est Veritas" (Latin/Roman for What is Truth) — which you may recall from the stunning scene below from "The Passion of the Christ." 

Significantly, the first thing listed in the Bible for "whatever things..." we MUST consider to live and think biblically is Truth. Each item listed here deserves its own in-depth examination. The concept of Truth is primary, and today, there is so much confusion that only the wise will shine. Only the born-again will recognize Biblical Truth.

The world does not recognize Absolute Truth. For the unredeemed, and you hear it all the time, people should "live their own truth" or "you do you"....and other such inane, meaningless catchphrases. This trend began in Genesis Chapter 3 where the Devil delivered the first lie to deceive mankind and it never stopped. It ramped up in the free love/no responsibility 1960s and 1970s with the "I'm OK, You're OK" movement. Today it has become religion to the unsaved Religious Left to call/brand/tag anyone who believes in Absolute Truth, as hateful, intolerant, stupid, mindless,or worse for believing the following:

-  That the Bible is true, inerrant and the 100% closed Word of God.

-  That every true professing Christian MUST believe what is written in Genesis Chapters 1-11, and Who God is before he or she can truly call themselves a bible-believing Christian.

-  That God created the Heavens and the Earth in six (6) 24-hour days and the earth is less than 7,000 years old. He is Creator and there is no such thing as Evolution.

-  That the Triune God, Who is God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has always existed in eternity past and always will, even when this current world system is destroyed and remade.

-  That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, the only Way to Heaven, and His Holy Spirit only indwells those who have repented of their sins and accepted Him as Lord of their lives.

-  That Jesus was born of a virgin woman, by the Sovereign Plan and Will of God the Father, into a couple from the lineage of King David, in Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:2.

-  That Jesus the Man, Who never sinned in His 33 years on earth; never gave up His Divinity; was both God and Man; taught what is recorded in the Gospels and then was killed by evil men. That was allowed to happen, again by the pre-determined plan of God as a payment for our sins.

-  That Jesus was crucified on the Passover that year, and rose from the Tomb on Resurrection Sunday, just as He had said, to fulfill God's plan. He ascended to the Throne on the Right Hand of God The Father, from Where He reigns today and forever more, amen.

In brief, these are the essentials and basics we must believe, in order proceed with comprehending all Scripture. These essentials are what comprise Truth, i.e. Absolute Truth, Objective Truth. Anything else is a lie.

Modern archaeology has been proving, almost weekly, that the events and places recorded in Sola Scriptura - the Bible alone are 100% true. In the early 1980's when Mt. St. Helens in the state of Washington erupted (more on that in future posts or videos); within years, coal was formed, which confounded atheist scientists who believe it takes thousands of years to create even one inch of coal, and the layers of lava basically showed up Evolution to be the fraud that it is (more on that later as well).

As a man thinketh, so is he. When we are confronted by the world which says "absolute truth" does not exist. They have made an Absolute statement by declaring such a thing. Under the terms of logic, therefore, their argument is easily dismissed and thrown into the dustbin of history, because they have contradicted themselves and are not even doing their own subjective analysis to "you do you".  

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life - absolutely. We stand on that, forever and ever, against the wind and against the World. If we are to think Biblical - whatever things are True, we absolutely believe. Amen. 

Image Courtesy FREEBIBLE IMAGES (Thank you)

THE 3:16 VERSES OF THE BIBLE, PART 20: "A DIRE WARNING"

15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. (Ezekiel 3:16)

BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW

A survey by the American Culture and Faith institute (as well as Barna and a host of others) are devastating for the church, its leadership and its people. This wide ranging survey (here) found that 27% of Christians (and by that we mean those who profess to be born-again, conservative believers - the only Biblically sound definition) believe it is NOT their responsibility to share their faith with non-believers! This is on top of incredible numbers where all the major research organizations - from George Barna to the Pew Research Foundation for Religion, have found that only 9% of adult Christians even have a Biblical worldview.

In a country of roughly 330 million people, 9% represents a really small amount of people, given the adult population. The 2013 US Census says we have just over 242 million adults in the USA, with the total now close to 250 million over the age of 18. When calculated and filtered right down, by 2017-18 figures, less than 23 million adults actually have true Bible-based faith, which is what a Biblical Worldview means. 

This Worldview contains the following elements:

-  The inerrancy and accuracy of the Bible as God's Infallible Word. The proof is the document itself: 66 books written by over 40 authors, over 1500 years. These books were written by men, most of whom lived at different time periods and never knew each other. Yet, they tell the same story - the story of God's Redemption plan through the Messiah - the Lord Jesus Christ.

-  Absolute Truth. A biblical worldview believes there is such a things a moral clarity. There are no shades of grey when it comes to the Law of God. He has laid out in the Ten Commandments what is NOT acceptable. They stand today, even in courts of law worldwide.

-  Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God cannot do only one thing - He cannot sin. A biblical worldview believes this fact because only Someone sinless can pay for the sins of an entire human race.

-  Because God sent God the Son to redeem the world, He remains in charge and completely involved in the affairs of humankind, as the All-powerful, All-knowing, and omni-present Creator of the Universe.

-  A Biblical worldview knows that Satan is real and is the prince and the power of the air, in this current age.  Satan has succeeded in lying to most of humanity, that he does not exist, so they can live as they wish, with no consequences. This is not a worldview from God.

-  A Biblical worldview means the acceptance of the literal word of God as pure and divinely inspired in all its teachings.

-  A Biblical worldview means that there is only ONE way to Heaven and it is through the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior and Master of all. The world's view is that there are many ways, Christianity is only one of the ways, and we are intolerant if we believe otherwise. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that "no one....(meaning NO ONE) comes to the Father (goes to Heaven) except through Him" (from John 14:6). Christians have the advantage which the majority does not and this advantage confirms the validity of John 14:6. This confirmation is the Holy Spirit. Only born-again believers, who have a Biblical worldview, have been forgiven by God and have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior actually possess the Holy Spirit embedded in our souls, as our confirmed reservation in Heaven - for lack of a clearer description.

- Finally, a Biblical Worldview means that is the responsibility of each Christian to share our faith, in thought, word and deed.

Never mind the violation of all of the above, but this last one is the biggest shortcoming of the modern church, church leadership and the Body of Christ. We are not talking about the 91% of adults who accept the modern "new spirituality" as their "belief" system. They have taken a cafeteria approach to "faith" and mixed in eastern mysticism, buddhism and a little of this or that and a dash of "feel-goodism" and come up with a pseudo-Balaamism. What all modern trends, from actual scientific research by George Barna to evidence on the ground, in front of our eyes, show us is that most Christians think it is the pastor's job to reach people for Christ!

The question is, how can a pastor or preacher who runs the church, reach the co-worker or neighbor or the cashier at your favorite diner etc...when you and I are the only ones who see them regularly and can approach them with ease? The answer lies in the fact that it is NOT the pastor's job to love our co-workers and neighbors to Jesus, but ours. His job is to equip and show the congregation HOW to reach the lost and then we execute that plan over the next six days. We know that this is not how it turns out, because, even in the best of churches, most attendees are barely tuned in and leave with just enough to get them through the next week. It is difficult for someone like this too share Faith. It is not impossible at all, just difficult.

How this relates to the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel is important not just because of Ezekiel 3:16 is setting up, but what God Himself actually says in the next few verses:

Verse 17: God has appointed His servant as a watchman....not in the military sense but in the Spiritual sense of the word. Ezekiel's job was to warn wayward Israel. Our job as watchmen today (Jesus said to be on the alert and watch), is to read the sign of the times. Our job is to find the lost and reach out to them. Our job is to warn them of the Wrath that is to come and how to prepare for it.

Verses 18 and 19:  This is scary for the believer. There are warning signs everywhere that the end is coming closer. Yet, Christians. the church and most western believers are joining the party, caught up in trivial pursuits and living in the fast lane with no thought to eternity - just like the lost. They have absolutely no concern for the Lost or even believe like them that "everything will turn out good in the end". A former member of a very popular megachurch once told me that an associate pastor there told him that the majority of the thousands who go there each and every Sunday are not there for the things "you and I think about" (evangelism, outreach, discipleship or repentance)...."they are here to get something for themselves to either get them through the week, knowing they've been to church....or just that - to be at church and meet their friends and drink fancy coffee"!

That is NOT what God expects of those whom He said by His Blood on the Cross. Check this - suppose your neighbor's roof suddenly looked like there was some smoke, then you notice a thin orange flame. You know he works second shift at the plant and is sleeping at 8 am this Saturday morning after his shift. Suddenly the thin flame kicks up with the wind and the roof over the bedrooms is on fire. Your neighbor is sound asleep from a tough night shift. Do you just keep him and his family in your "thoughts and prayers" and HOPE the fire department gets there soon? Do you actually call the First Responders and wait? OR do you do go bang on your neighbors bedroom window to alert him and his family to get out quickly?

The last one is what God expects us to do FIRST, while calling for help, believe it or not.  We obviously had time to see the warning signs of a fire. What is stopping us from running and banging on the neighbor's window to wake him up and get him out of there? This is exactly what God told Ezekiel to do to even the enemies of God - warn them about the coming judgment.  If Ezekiel warns them and the wicked refuse to repent and turn to God, then Ezekiel is in the clear. He did his job.

If we were continue to tell people about God or even invite them to a Christian event (or church) where they could hear the Gospel and be on the road to salvation, and they do respond, our work will be rewarded on great and terrible Day of the Lord.

However, if the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, directs us to speak to someone or give them a free lunch or a gospel tract or even tell them a great God bless you in the long line at the Grocery Store, and we refuse because "this is NOT our job, but the preacher". Then this person will suffer huge loss on Judgment Day. The Apostle Paul says this person will be saved only, with no reward. In fact, God has said that (in Verse 18 above) He will hold us accountable. 

Do we really wish to take this chance and only slide into Home Plate? Don't we want to head up standing up with all arms high in the air, in a sign of victory and praise?  This can be easily remedied - simply go against the prevailing lazy Christian mindset and do as Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers once said. Spurgeon once said, "gentlemen, do something....DO SOMETHING"! That something is to have a Biblical Worldview - and do what that means.

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF EXODUS #3

STANDING ON THE PROMISES....IN THE GAP

"11 Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:11-14)

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? This is more than a Scripture verse from the Book of Psalms (Psalm 11:3).  It is the question of our time, where true believers and even nominal ones, see the social and moral order crumble right before our eyes. Mankind has always rebelled against God, since the Fall in the Garden (Genesis 3) all the way to present time. Mankind as always ignored the lessons of history, thereby dooming itself to results of those historical lessons.

Still, even given the total depravity of humankind, there have always been a remnant whom God calls His own. Today this is known as the true church – the Body of Christ. Moses was such a man to the rebellious Israelites who were wandering in the deserts for 40 years, due to their rebellion.  Their blasphemy; idol worship; constant grumbling against the God Who freed them and more, compounded their sin as worse than a foul order in front of Holy God. He was prepared to wipe them out.  But Moses, he stepped up and then stepped in.

This would not be the first time Moses had to stand in the gap for over two million people whom the Lord wanted to judge and take out right there and there.  This prayer is one of those times where his heart for God and the Name of the Lord showed in a personally powerful way. Oh, that you and I would have such a closely guarded relationship with Almighty God that we can speak freely with Him (in prayer) and He answers.

Now, just as in the case of America and the world today, God had more and ample justification to destroy any and everything at any time. The same people of Israel whom He had freed from 400 years of bondage in Egypt were conducting pagan orgies and "worship" in front of a massive golden calf, made by Moses' brother himself - Aaron! God had done all the miracles - the Ten Plagues; Passover; the Red Sea Crossing....and more....and here were these people blaspheming Him in the absolute worse sense. He was more than justified.

Moses, on the other hand, what that would mean - the mission would fail and Egypt would have the last laugh. Word of the miraculous escape from Egypt had already spread throughout the region before and after the Red Sea. The Egyptians lost all their top chariot warriors when the waters returned to normal and word of 3-4 million people wandering in the desert heading for Canaan had to have not just alerted the pagan peoples from the Sinai to the Canaan valley and beyond, but put fear into them. There were some wars coming to this region very soon.  Moses was an all in for the struggle, and as disgusted as he was by the pagan display below, he had the heart and will to see the mission through. Most of all, Moses cared deeply about Yahweh - the Great I am.
LESSON#1:
This is confirmed in Hebrews 11:26 where Moses knew to Whom He had been speaking - Jesus Christ! There is a significant lesson to take away from what Moses prayed, and it is the essence of our Christian walk. We must do NOTHING in this world to bring dishonor to God, NOTHING. When we trip, stumble and fall and cause others to defame Christianity (and thus Christ). At all costs, we have to guard the Name of the Lord, more than we do our own names.

In essence, this is what Moses prayed in verses 11 and 12 (Exodus 32): 11 Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 

His prayer here was more than just a request for God to spare the people for God's Reputation to be spared from ridicule by the surrounding heathen peoples. Actually, had God destroyed the majority of the millions who sold out (instead of the selected ring leaders who actually paid the price), His Name would have been feared even more throughout the Middle East! Moses also prayed for God to "relent"! He wanted God to more than just change His Mind about killing the perps of this outrage. Moses wanted Him to have compassion once He had gotten over His righteous anger.
LESSON #2:
This is the other lesson for us as intercessors for the nation - let us pray, even though the foundations of society have been removed by evil men and women - let us pray for God to have mercy on our communities and country, that our people may live in peace. National prayer means a nation of prayer warriors on our knees pleading for God's mercy, grace and compassion even as He suffers through the indignity of it all. He will get justice, as we know, when the roll is called up yonder. So this current paradigm is for life as we know it on this planet, as we co-exist with others.
ACTION POINT: BELIEVE THE PROMISES
The next part of this particular prayer is an important one for those who have been saved by Christ and thus have the ability to have our prayers heard by Him. The Lord made many promises to us all through Scripture. The most significant one is when Jesus said "I will never leave nor forsake you". God Himself told His generals like Joshua to be strong and courageous. He never abandons His own. He gives provision, protection and affirmation of our eternally secure position in Him. So when we are especially burdened enough to stand in the gap for a person or our nation, or even our own circumstances, Moses gave us the example here in Exodus 32:13 of how to stand, occupy and live completely submitted to the Power and Promises of God.

He prays thus: "13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”  He claimed the Promises of God because he BELIEVED those Promises.  He had absolute Faith in the absolute Authority and Ability of God to do what He said He will do. 
THE RESULT:
Do we have this strong measure of Faith? Moses spoke regularly with God and thus his faith was the strongest among all of the people of the world at that time. We have the ability to have such amazing faith, all we have to do is draw close to Him; pray, believe and study His Word and surrender all. When we do this and believe in His Word and His promises, look at what happens. Moses believed the Word of God and Exodus 32:14a tells us "So the Lord relented"!!

(Photo credit here)

MILLSTONE NECKTIE COMPANY STOCKS RISE - JESUS STILL CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

 

A statement we hear a lot of, in these uncertain days, is “nothing seems to work anymore” (or any variation thereof).  We have an entire generation growing up (the post-millennials) who have no point of reference to the Truth. Truth for them and the generation which preceded them is relative. This leads to, well, “everyone doing what is right in their own eyes”, because there is no fixed point of reference. That fixed point of reference used to be called Absolute Truth. 

For instance:
It is absolutely true that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. 
It is absolutely true that if you walk in front of  a moving bus, it will be disastrous.
It is absolutely true that salmon swim upstream and bad stuff flows downstream.
But somehow, when the eternal soul is involved, people – from the very well-educated to the average Josephine – punt and put off thinking about it, hoping it would go away. This is the same “philosophy” as saying “everything will work out in the end”….or “I’m o.k. You’re O.K.”….or “a loving God would not send anyone to hell”.

This doctrine of man is from the pit of hell. This is the same lie told by a serpent in the Garden of Eden which precipitated the Fall of all Mankind. Apart from the horrible spectacle of someone taking advice from a stinking serpent, the lie he fed Eve which conned her is the same lie bought and sold, to infinity, today. The devil statement - “did God really say” – has led to a moral and spiritual relativism which is confusing millions, trapping billions, and condemning most to eternal separation from God. 

To let this be the foundation of one’s life (re:…”did God really say”) is to first call the LORD a liar and therefore, secondly leave oneself open for anything which the god of this world – the cunning evil one – repackages as candy and throws one’s way, like cheap candy at a parade. It is exchanging the absolute reliability of the Word and Promises of the Creator for the cheap imitation  of the created, who thinks he’s God.

As we look on at a world gone mad, where grown men with a crazy religion decapitate children and starve others. 
As we look on a a public school system where teaching reading, writing and math have has been replaced by a common core of political correctness to the extreme.
As we look on and see the ruin of the family while not even the top court in the Land will listen to the constitution they swore to protect,  on a Bible.
As we look on where pastors in Alabama are passing on deadly STD's by sleeping around on their congregations and God.
As we look on as the stocks of the millstone wearing necktie company go through the roof, as politicians, media, entertainers, educators and even some parents surrender to the corruption of the age......as we look at all of this, what can the righteous do?

The Righteous turn to the only place which we know of - the Word of God. This Word of God is not just a Book with 66 different books which tell the same story, even though it was written over 1500 by over 40 authors - most of whom did not know each other.  The Word of God is a Person - Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfector of Our Faith, Who for the Joy set before Him, endured the Cross. That's our King. That's our Commander in Chief. That's our Hope.

He has won the battle, even though we are in a spiritual war against sin, the devil and the flesh.
He has defeated death, even though we are surrounded by evil, darkness and debt.
He has shown us the sign and blazed the trail with light even though we are swimming upstream against the currents of corruption.
He has given us His Word that He will never leave nor forsake us, so trust completely and fully in His promises and never let go. 

So even though it seems that a shroud of sin has darkened the atmosphere and all around people are led astray by future millstone necktie wearers, on the inside, to those who love Christ and obey Him, He is still Chairman of the Board! He sits on the Throne of the Universe, and one day - He is coming soon! Glory Hallelujah!