THINK SERIES #14: THINK CRITICALLY - THE INTRO

Critical thinking is not what your critics (if you have any, of course, lol) think of us.   It requires the capacity to do the following:

1. Look at an issue with the end in mind.

2. Identify what we need to do about it

3. Consider all the sides of what needs to be done to address said issue.

4. Consider the consequences of each action.

5. Consider who is going to be affected by any course of action

6. Take all that information and go to the Lord with it

7. Make the decision

 

We are born with the ability to think. The Cambridge dictionary definition is actually the simplest and most effective short definition of Critical Thinking.  Cambridge defines it as “the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing feelings”.

 

As we already know, it is not something that is taught in the US education system, where feelings and other agendas trump the basics of reading, writing, and ‘arithmetic – the Three R’s (so to speak). It was something we hired a missionary almost two decades ago to teach our three kids as part of their education ,and it was a great lesson for me as well.  This kind, gentle man, let’s call him John Smith Jones, was the epitome of kindness, patience, and grace.

How he taught Critical Thinking was a great example to me of how we should approach anything. Whether it is how we teach our kids the Bible or the tenets of our Christian Faith, there has to be a method that cries out for effectiveness. For many years, the fact that many Christian families lose their children to practical atheism by High School or College has bothered me until we figured out why – many young people do not connect the Bible stories they hear in Sunday School to real life, themselves, and the real Person of Jesus.  When you add some parents living double lives or no life of righteousness at all, young people will walk from that kind of hypocrisy.

 

There is a relationship between Critical Thinking and the education of our kids in the Ways of our Lord. The Bible says in Psalm 139:17-18 the following: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, Oh God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I am awake, I am still with You”.

 

These are our Heavenly Father’s and Creator’s thoughts:

* They are Precious

* They are so many and far-reaching they cannot EVER be counted (think about the stars in the sky – can you count them?)

* They are permanent

* They are embedded in the beings, just like the Law of God or our consciences

* They are ever present, whether we access the most valuable treasures found in the Mind of Our God.

 

Please note also, in Verse 17, the amount of original exclamation marks! King David, who we know from Psalm 51 was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God to write the Psalms, was excited that the very thoughts and Mind of Christ were with him!

 

Now, look at the thoughts we have. Check Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me o God and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts, and there if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way”.

What kinds of thoughts do we have?  Well, anxious ones with the capacity and potential to cause hurt to others and us”!

 

The human condition is right there in the Bible.

We are full of anxiety, worry, and stress from both real and imaginary enemies, and our way to blood pressure medication or worse.

We are prime candidates for depression, depression meds, and being super discouraged to the point of even doubting God.

 

All of this happens because we do not think Biblically, as we spelled out in the past 13 posts on the “THINK SERIES”, nor do we practice “Critical Thinking” in most of our daily lives.

 

Biblical Thinking was addressed first in this series since we must possess the foundation on which to operate successfully as a man or woman of God. Critical Thinking will take a look at each of the seven (7) critical steps listed above and the benefits therein.

We will use the following as our theme verse, for this exercise, from Proverbs 14:15, where the Bible says, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thoughts to his steps.”

PRINCIPLES FOR LIFE - WISDOM, PART 2

 TEXT:  PROVERBS 2:11-21

PRINCIPLES FOR LIFE - WISDOM, PART 1

 TEXT:  PROVERBS 2:1-10

PERSPECTIVE AND PRAYER

 TEXT: PSALM 90

(STUDY ON PROVERBS 1-7), PART 1 - GOD PROVIDES

When God told the first man ever on the earth - Adam - to go forth and multiply, Adam had no role model but God. It could get absolutely NO better than this, because our Creator and Heavenly Father is the most perfect Father ever.

Look at the Goodness of God the Father to Adam:

-  God created Adam. 

-  God gave Adam life.

-  God provided everything Adam needed to survive

-  God gave Adam a perfect home to live in, where everything was in harmony in the Garden of Eden.

-  God gave Adam a mission to accomplish, and a work to do

-  God gave Adam a beautiful wife for companionship, love and to help him oversee the Garden of Eden.

This was enough for any man to do. Yet Adam allowed his wife to negotiate with a snake, sin and then willingly went along with it. Later on, after they were expelled from perfection, Adam paid the price when one of this first sons, killed the other one. Cain murdered Abel over jealousy.

The Lord, our Good, Good Father, had to punish this original sin, which brought death, degradation and destruction into the world.  These continue until this day. God still provided for His now wayward people, in spite of the massive Flood from Noah times, which changed the atmospheric and living conditions so much, that  humans could no longer physically survive more than 100 years, down from 800-900 years pre-flood.

Even with the foolish, sinful and evil ways of all humankind since Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Paradise,  the Lord continued to provide for all people, of all nations. He has provided food and the rain to grow and produce. He has provide work, through the various tasks and effort needed to provide and maintain the daily, temporal needs of all humans – even those who hate or ignore Him. He has provided the ability to comprehend the workings of the human body, so medicine can help everyone, with a good lifestyle. He has provided Wisdom, through His Holy and Eternal Word – the Bible, which has, is now and will always provide, the solid underpinning for a life well lived.

This instruction can be found all through the Scriptures, the very Oracle of God. The Apostle Paul listed and rattled them off, in clear present tense, in the New Testament.  He gave the clearest of road maps to the Faithful about how we should conduct ourselves. 

The Book of Proverbs, in essence, provides the Wisdom required to comprehend these commands from Paul.  Without the ability to discern what is expected of us, following the teachings of the Apostle Paul (who was directly guided by Christ and the Holy Spirit to give them) would be simply an attempt at good works. Godly Wisdom is absolutely and 180 degrees in the other direction than Worldly Wisdom. Where do we find such a unique "wisdom"? The Bible directs us to start in the Book of Proverbs.  In this short series, we will look at the many times the Lord provides the reasoning, hence the wisdom, of certain life choices. This kind of teaching is in short supply, in these modern times. Let's spread the word.

Godly Wisdom begins with the "fear of the Lord".

Worldly Wisdom comes from the wisdom and confusing, contradictory philosophies of man.

Proverbs 1:5 "A wise man will hear and increase in learning and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.

Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction".

NEW LIFE: A MONTH OF VERSES: JANUARY 29, 2017

VERSE: "Our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:15b-16).

EQUATION: Teachings of the New Testament from Apostle Paul = Authentic Scriptures from God.

ACTION: For the first time in the Bible, the great Apostle Peter, tells us as plain as day, that the letters from the brilliant Apostle Paul are not only full of truth but are as much Scriptures as the Words of the Torah (first five books of the Bible) or the Prophets. Jesus Himself revealed them to His servant Paul when He trained him for three years in the Arabian desert. The required action for those who have not yet done so, is to start with reading the Book of Romans, this year and then read all the way through the Book of James - very slowly, very methodically, while praying for the Holy Spirit to make the embedded truths here, easy to comprehend. Scripture immersion is required, at in this current age.

PRAYER: Our Heavenly Father and great God of Heaven Who has revealed Himself to sinful mankind, first through Moses and the Prophets and in these last days, through Your great Son the Savior Jesus, we praise Thee, worship Thee and bless Your Holy Name for giving us the Word of Truth - the Bible. Through this, Father, we cannot be deceived by those on earth who twist Your words to suit their own personal ends and misrepresent You, misleading others and making them just as much a candidate for destruction as they are. Father, give us, through Your revealed word- the Rhema of God and the Powerful Spirit of the Living God, the discernment to immediately recognize false teaching and error so that we may alert the unsuspecting and teach those who need to know You better. Grant us the courage to stand for revealed Truth so that we may proclaim it righteously, with humility and love, but with uncompromising accuracy, so that we may stand before You, holy and blameless, in the Presence of the Angels and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, to whom all praise is due, in His Name, the Name above ALL the other names, we ask all these things, amen and amen.

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PRAY FOR.....GREATER FAITH

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe;help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)
Can a believer NOT believe? Sure we can. It’s the frail human nature, which though replaced as a perishing soul at regeneration (or born-again) still continues to live in a mortal body, in a corrupt and evil world. But it is more than just our present temporary environment in this life.  We don’t believe completely sometimes because we just don’t know! We do not know because we do not read His Word and we are not led to read His Words because of a stunning lack of discipleship. We have a lack of the latter because we don’t know His Power and His Presence completely in our lives.

We do the same thing to Jesus and our Heavenly Father, which this father of the demon-possessed boy did in the verses above.  To wit, he actually said to Jesus (as translated into modern English in the New Living Translation) “have mercy on us  and help us IF YOU CAN”! Should we then be surprised when Jesus’ immediate response is “What do you mean, ‘IF I CAN’?” (verse 23a,  Mark chapter 9).

And we do the same thing: we approach God in prayer with our most serious needs, lay them before Him, then pick them right back up and go back to our corners with them. Then we call up all friends and family asking them to pray for us.  All along, Jesus stands with His Arms wide open waiting for His children to come to Him.  Is the Arm of the Lord too short?  Not it is not. He is our Prophet – He orders and ordains our past, present and future. He is our High Priest Who prays and intercedes for this who are His, and lifts us up in prayer to the Father when we ask in Faith!

Look at what Jesus said to the boy’s father here again in Mark 9:23b “anything is possible for he who believes” (NLT)! The response from the father is just so great. He has enough faith to believe Jesus can heal his son, but it appears to be the kind of faith which was just enough to look at the Lord as a “drive-up clinic”….without knowing Who Jesus really is! Thus when the boy’s father said “Lord, I believe, help my  unbelief”, he is asking for such a bump up in the measure of Faith he currently possessed that we, in this century 2000 years later, need to sit up and take notice.  

No matter how spiritually mature we think we are, we must always be pressing into and on to our higher calling in Christ. We can never know even 10% of what we should know. In fact,  after we’ve been in heaven there for 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we will not know half of Who the Lord is. This is why we have Eternity. But for this current life, it behooves us to be humble enough to realize we are still not as strong in our Faith as we should be, could be or would be. So why not ask  as this man did of Jesus: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” There is no simpler expression of Faith in God than this – simple, to the point, with full clarity in recognition of the paucity of our frailty before the Almighty!

Father in the Mighty and strong Name of Jesus, I believe, I trust, I have faith….but not enough.  Help me to understand the breadth and width and depth of the great mystery of our Faith, so that I may begin to comprehend just how great a God You are, Lord. Assist us in acquiring a modicum of supernatural Faith which is way beyond what is common.  Father, many have accepted You as Lord and Master of our lives, yet we do now know, nor do some even venture to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of just Who You really are beyond the baseline of the Christian Faith. Lord, we want more. 

We want to know more of You, see more of You, be more in Your Presence. We want to desire to walk fully in the knowledge of the Holy and travel in the paths of Your Righteousness, but first oh God, give us the capacity to dispatch with our incorrect notions. 

These wrong assertions about You, have come from a lifetime of traveling in the wisdom of the world or in the works of Christian authors and teachers who do not fully grasp the Power and Position You have always occupied at the Throne Room of all Time in the Universe. Lord as we get rid of our error, replace with Truth and Revelation, as much as we can handle, process and then walk out in our daily lives, helping as many as we can to come to that same place of knowing the Real God and Your amazing wonderful self.  Lord, we believe….take away any unbelief and replace it with more of You, in Jesus all Wise and Power Name, amen

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PRAY FOR.....DISCERNMENT

7 On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” 2 Chronicles 1:7-10

If God were to offer you the opportunity to ask anything of Him and He would grant it, what would your request be?  The Lord Himself offered the same to King Solomon, who the Bible called the “wisest man in the world”. Solomon did something which most human beings would never do, but should. He asked for “BIYN” – the original word for “discernment”.

      When you think of all that people would ask for in today’s world: a million dollars; a new car; a house by the beach etc. etc….to ask for the ability to discern would be the last thing people in the 21^st century would ask for. Yet as we mature as Christians, it is indeed the perfect request. The general dictionary definition of Discernment is basically this: insight based on an acute sense of judgment  and understanding. The Christian definition of discernment is a little more involved. It is the ability to not just THINK biblically, but to understand what the Scriptures are saying and apply it to daily life.

We pray for Wisdom and acquire it from God through His Spirit, Study of His Word and Prayer. The ability to take this wisdom and apply it with a certain degree of effectiveness, is discernment. Godly Discernment can only come from an intentional daily walk and pressing in to the Source of all Goodness, Power and Wisdom – Almighty God! It comes from practicing in our bodies and lives what 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 instructs us to do: “Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil”.

This means:

-           -  Test all things: i.e. using all our God-given wisdom, tested by experience, prayer and the Bible, to discern what is true and what is of God, when faced with a live situation or circumstance.

-           -  Hold fast what is good: i.e. once you and I have discerned the right course after testing all things,  we hold on to it. We camp there. We stay the course in the righteousness of Christ.

-           -  Abstain from every form of evil: i.e. this then becomes easy, because our holding fast to righteousness after solid discernment warns us off evil temptation and tight spots…and thus, all evil.

What an amazing thing God has done for us! He graciously imparts His Wisdom in any size dose as we can handle then as we pray through this wisdom and worship Him and ask, He gives us His “biyn” – discernment to “work out our salvation”, thereby living the wonderful Christian life to maximum effect!

Father,  we thank You are a good, good Father Who gives good things to all who ask with a repentant and clean heart. We know Your Wonderful Eyes travel to and fro across the entire earth in search of those same hearts who are loyal to You.  We pray right now that You search our hearts and cleanse us from all impurity that we may be found worthy to receive Your Holy Wisdom, the Oracles of Heaven which represent such an amazing benefit of belonging to You and the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank You for drawing us even closer that we may come into our own, discerning the times and the trials and tribulations that we may make decisions based on Godly principles, attitudes and applications completely reliant on Your Amazing Attributes, dear Heavenly Father. We are most grateful above all, for the Cross of Christ which has enabled us to be reconciled to You, so that any of this could even happen in the first place! Thank You, oh God, thank You to the highest and most glorious praise, in the Name of the One Who gave it all that we may be free to serve You – the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

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PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #1

James is the half- brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born of the marriage of Joseph and Mary after the Lord Himself was born of a virgin. Jude is the other well known half-brother of Jesus (as in the Book of Jude). The Savior also had another half brother and three sisters. None of the Messiah's half-sisters are mentioned by name. The Word of God (the Bible) tells us that none of these brothers and sisters believed in Him. So God made a point to say in 1 Corinthians 15:7 to point out that after the Resurrected Christ appeared to 500 people at one time, He appeared to JAMES! This confirmed the Lordship of Jesus to His half-brother. Here is the relevant passage, written by the Apostle Paul: "After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles." (1 Corinthians 15:6-7)

James became such a prayer warrior that he spent a vast majority of time on his knees praying to God. His prayer life overflows in his writing in the Book of James which reads, in total, like an extension (and exposition) of Jesus' Sermon the Mount! When James died and they were about to place him in his coffin, it is recorded that his knees were so calloused and covered with rough skin, that it "resembled a Camel's knees". 
(Read my post on "OLD CAMEL KNEES HERE).
His focus on prayer are not actual prayers themselves, but INSTRUCTION about how to pray and to Whom we should go. When James speaks, he is "E.F. Hutton" - we listen, as it is direct from God. In presenting this instruction, the goal is to point to other prayers in the Bible or unpack the instruction themselves (as in Chapter 5), in order to derive the knowledge and benefit which God wishes us to have.

James 1:5-6 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind". 

The instruction here is Wisdom (which begins with the Fear of the Lord), ONLY comes from God. The great and wonderful thing is- we can ask it is given to the point of overflowing! There is a caveat to asking God for wisdom. If we ask in doubt, we remain without. If we ask with the full measure of Faith, it would be great. 

To this end, let us look at King Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the Greatest Temple in History, almost 2900 years ago and how he prayed. This is Solomon at his best, when he followed the Holy One of Israel and Him alone before easy living corrupted him.  God had offered Solomon ANYTHING he wanted, as He favored David's son. All Solomon had to do was ask. Solomon could have asked for money and fame and fortune. Instead, he asked for "BIYN" (Hebrew for a discerning heart - true Wisdom).

The encouragement here is for us to study how Solomon prayed and then follow the Word of God and do likewise. Praying for Wisdom in any circumstance is something God never refuses those of us who belong to Christians - born again believers.  Read the following passage and meditate on it from 1 Kings 3:5-12a:

 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart.

WORDS OF SOLOMON TO KEY IN ON (T.A.N.)
THANKSGIVING:You have shown great mercy (VERSE 6A)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OUR OWN HELPLESSNESS: And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. (VERSE 8)
NEED: Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. (VERSE 9)

Therefore, as the brother of the Lord - James - says...if we lack wisdom, "ask of God"!

SHOULD CHRISTIANS DO SECULAR REALITY SHOWS?

The most recent controversy involving an American reality TV show and its Christian “reality stars” seem to be the most serious of all. It surrounds Josh Duggar, the large and hugely popular (in Christian and pro-family) circles – Duggar Family of Arkansas. As we all know, there are 19 Duggar children and like most TV reality shows, this one involves the daily ups and downs of its participants, on full display for the cameras and world to see. What the dysfunctional Kardashians are to the secular celebrity culture, the Duggars are to our Christian families everywhere. That is, until the recent scandal broke about Josh Duggar.

This post is not about the details of this situation, but whether authentic Bible-believing Christians ought to be on mainstream secular television at all. We ponder whether young minds should be pridefully sharing their personal lives with a world that desires to bury anything to do with God and the Bible,  and in some religions, literally cut the heads of the still-growing Body of Christ. There are so many things in Scripture that argue against all of this and maybe, now is the time for true believers to re-evaluate the wisdom and propriety of getting involved in these types of shows. 

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Before the current Duggar Family 'scandal', there were two prominent Christian-based Reality shows on secular TV which went through their own trials and tribulations. The Benham Brothers on HGTV lost their construction-based reality show there, when it was discovered that one of them had taken a public Biblical stand on same-sex marriage in North Carolina years before. They were already successful in their private small business and have since gained for standing up for strong Biblical beliefs across the nation. 

The large Robertson Clan of West Monroe, Louisiana are a different kettle of fish. Not only were they a "from-the-ground up" successful family business, but they actually already had a popular cable TV show on The Outdoor Channel (Buck Commander etc...) before A & E made a reality show out of them. Led by the always outspoken and bible-carrying Phil Robertson, the Duck Dynasty Robertson family’s foundation was their Church of Christ home Church, the business and each other. The loss of any airtime on a channel which nobody watched before the Duckmen came on, would mean nothing to them, as their now lucrative Duck empire has spread into speaking engagements, Bibles, devotional books, apparel and more. Technology has created so many other opportunities to reach millions of people at low cost, that should they also lose their A and E program for praying in “Jesus’ Name”, or preaching hard verses from Scripture or defending the Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:4 definition of marriage, they will prosper even more.

But even with this group – the Duck Dynasty folks, there are things during the

show which should not be coming out of the mouths of mature Christians. This brings us to how a Christian should really conduct oneself, where the private life lines up with the public persona.  Now, none of us know of any authentic Christians who did not have a past: whether sordid or not. Every person whom Christ calls into His Kingdom was bought at a Price paid in full on Calvary, and had sins forgiven through Repentance and Faith.   Because nobody is perfect, and we were saved by the One Who is, we, most of all, are specifically instructed to be humble and full of grace.

Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they will see your works and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16). When the Lord said that, He was not speaking of camera lights, but the Light which emanates from the sold-out believer whose talk and walk line up with what the Savior expects. What He expects is written in His Word, via His own personally chosen emissary, the Apostle Paul. Scripture is full of statutes, commands and precepts to trust and obey, but these stand out for now as they are short, plain and easily understood. 1 Thessalonians 5 says in part (from the King James Version):
- Let us who are of the day, be sober (vs. 8)
- Comfort yourselves together and edify one another (vs. 11)
- Be at peace among yourselves (vs. 13)
- Warn them that are unruly (vs. 15)
- Comfort the feeble-minded (vs. 15)
- Support the weak (vs. 15)
- Rejoice evermore (vs. 16)
- Pray without ceasing (vs. 17)
- Quench not the Spirit (vs.19)

All of this represent just a few of the guidelines which the maturing Christian should adhere to. They are not just suggestions. Neither is the following verse from 1 Corinthians 8:9 “but take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a STUMBLING BLOCK to the weak”! In another place, the Word of God tells us that all things may be legal for the Christian to participate in but NOT ALL THINGS ARE UPLIFTING…or “edifying” as 1 Thess. 5:11 exhorts! There is absolutely nothing uplifting about Willie Robertson using the word “cr*p” five times per show. Or female members of the Duggars speaking about female issues or whatever. What value is there in Uncle Si(las) Robertson using a GoPro Camera to record himself going to the bathroom after drinking his umpteenth gallon of sweet tea? We love and admire these guys and do not want them to go away, but come on, man, we’re making the Savior cringe at some of this stuff.

American Christianity has already been dumbed down enough by celebrity preachers who basically chased the last two generations of young people out of the church with their fluff and unbiblical movements.  When Hybels and others admitted that their “Seeker-sensitive” movement failed miserably to make Disciples of Christ (and thus fulfill the Great Commission), they admitted something horribly scary! When they asked rich folk in expanding US suburbs what they want from a church, and then marketed it that way…when they took the Crosses off their church walls to make the “seekers” think they’re sensitive to their “needs”….when they stopped talking and singing about the Precious Blood of Jesus shed on that Cross they just took off their mega-church walls….when they did 30-40-50 or days of purposeful nothing and thus nothing of Eternal Consequence resulted, they set the stage for a generation who think they can go on TV and be the cleaner versions of the Kardashians or the Bachelorette or whatever other sleaze is out there on network TV.

Given all the admonitions from the Word of God about conducting oneself in a manner which will not bring reproach to the Holy Name of God and the Savior Jesus Christ, it would seem that it is now high time that people who call themselves by His Name, pull back.  Most of the supporting evidence, from the Word of God, to make such recommendations were not even examined here. But future participants of American reality shows, whose “schtick” is that they’re Christians, would be better serve to blow the pound of dust off their bibles and start reading them instead. It is imperative, that before embarking on another worthless adventure, in terms of eternity, that God's people come to Him first, for counsel.

Ps….this blog stayed away from the even more controversial reality show “Preachers of LA” on purpose. That show speaks for itself, and is not even worth discussing in the same sentence as Authentic Christianity.

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HAS THE CHURCH FAILED CHRIST? PART 1 - APPARENTLY SO!

"and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,  corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth". (Romans 2:18-20)

Reading this passage of Scripture in context (above), leads one to the obvious self-examination type of question: "are we, as the Body of Christ", all those things. 
Do we, in order of what is written here from Romans 2:

-  Know His Will

-  Approve things that are essential
- Remain confident in our solid knowledge of God's statutes

-  Consider ourselves a guide

- Consider ourselves a light to those who are in darkness

- Consider ourselves a "corrector of the foolish"

- Consider ourselves a "teacher of the immature"

- Understand the Law fully (AND The fulfillment of that Law- Jesus Christ) in order to proclaim Truth?

If we have failed in any, most or all of this, as Christians, then we, as a church have literally failed in our mission. The evidence is all around us that this is so. Regardless of our failure, in the west in all of those listed above, millions are still coming to saving Faith in Jesus in the persecuted church of China, Asia and those under the boots of islam. Failure by men, has never stopped those destined to the Domain of the Divine. 

Why has this happened? Why have we failed to, for instance "Know His Will"? His Will is clear and evident from Romans 12: 2 here "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect".

The Will of God is this - we do NOT become like the world. When you look at the church today and the impact on culture, community, education and political leadership, can you tell the difference between us and those who are not of Christ? No, the church has compromised itself completely out of influence.

We do not teach essential sound doctrine anymore, because we have bought the brainwashing of the world that we cannot "judge not less ye be judged", when Christ said more than this. He said to "take the log out of our own eye first" before making a "right judgment". This is called discernment. Weak church leadership and America's rich in earthly goods mega-pastors have gone silent on Truth and major in a false definition of "Love". Their teaching of "Love" includes things God never intended. Their buying of the lie and bait of Satan of this "Love" and tolerate anything has devastated the eternity of countless many. Love without Truth is deception. Truth is the unadulterated pure commands of Jesus Christ to Holiness, separation from this corrupt world.

There may be a reason why all of this mish-mash of their definition of life is not flying. These over-educated in seminary guys are actually not well verse in the true meaning, understanding and expounding of Scripture. Because of this lack of knowledge and lack of vision, God's people are perishing without Christ.

- Many church leaders and people of God do not consider themselves to be a guide when they already are. They are just not doing His Will nor His Work. A parent is supposed to raise up child and walk in the Deuteronomy 6 anointing. A man or woman of God is supposed to come alongside a brother or sisters and mentor or guide and direct them to the Cross and the Word.  The Great Commission from Matthew 28 tells us to "Go and Make Disciples", not make more buildings, fancy programs and useless stuff.

In this respect, we are not being proper guides to the Gospel of the Kingdom and more like the "blind guides" Jesus called the pharisees! 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"What is God's Will for My Life?" 
Check out this video:

PART 2: LIGHTHOUSES OR UNDER A BUSHEL?

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY TWENTY NINE:

VERSES:

" Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren"....Deuteronomy 4:9

PRAYER

Oh most merciful and loving God in Heaven, we worship You in spirit and in truth and in gratitude for Who You are and What You have done. We have seen Your Hands, the Work of Your Hands, the Wonder of Your Love and the Grace from Your Heart, as the winter of our discontent, the wickedness of our hearts and the wandering lost nature of our souls were rescued from sin, death and hell. You did that, oh Lord. We are living proof, I am living proof, of the unseen Hand of God, Whose Arm is never too short, to reach into the depths of depravity and despair and pull us out by the root to replant us in the Garden of Grace.

We know, in every fiber of our very being, what You have done in protecting us from danger, keeping us from falling and from the wolves and sure death out there as the angels You sent, kept us from "dashing our foot up against a stone". Father, I remember those days. I remember the fields of dirt, thirst and hopelessness You took me out of....just like You took the little shepherd boy away from the flocks who slew great giants and became king David of Israel. As Your Faithful servant, meek yet strong, Moses urged all believers for all times, I purpose to "take heed" and wear Your salvation of my soul on my sleeve that others may gain. I take particular, punctilious, painstaking, rigorous, care in, as Your Apostle Paul says "working out" that salvation....not to be "saved again" but to build on what You have given me, in Grace through Faith, to a daily maturing in that Faith....in the spirit of boldness, power, love and a sound mind!

It is only by staying, abiding and walking close to You, Abba Father, that I can be, that we can be, of any use to the Kingdom of Your Great Son, King Jesus the Lord of Heaven's Armies and the real Commander in Chief of the world! It is only by constant prayer, intercession, and letting the Word of God, the Bible richly dwelling in us day after day, month after month, year after year,  that Your servants can be effective in leaving a legacy of Lordship not just to our children from their birth to their maturity, but from their teenage years until they themselves become parents and then, if we are blessed with clarity of mind and good old age, we too can share what God, through Christ has done for us.  Lord, give us this day, not just our daily bread, but the daily power, strength, boldness, discernment and wisdom to execute every statute You laid out in this Scripture from this verse above, so that we will be able to do just as You commanded,  to not just leave but LIVE a legacy of love, and the Knowledge of the Goodness and Wonderful Works of our Lord, to those whom we will one day temporarily leave behind. We ask this in the Precious Name above all names - Jesus, our Lord, amen.

Holy Bible, Book Divine

Precious Treasure, Thou art mine!!!

Amen

STRESS-FREE LIVING? - GIVE ANXIETY THE BOOT!

 A LOOK AT THE MOST POPULAR VERSE ON AMAZON.COM

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

Rightly dividing the Word of Truth, we have seen that there can be no justice no peace except THROUGH Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). Once this fact has been established in your life through repentance and Faith in the Savior, as Lord, the next step to defeating fear, panic and worse is - hold on - THANKSGIVING!

All of this goes contrary to the teachings of this World, the reasoning of mere mortals and even the psycho-babble of modern 'churchianity". The good news is we have arrived at the moment where the prepared soul, properly focused with a heart and attitude of gratitude, can now approach the Lord as only an adopted son or daughter can.

Scripture promises, under the unction of the Holy Spirit that "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). We have the right, duty and obligation to go boldly to the Throne of Grace at all time, in all things.  So many people will go on social media - Facebook, Twitter etc and post, repost or "retweet" inspirational verses, quotes, photos with beautiful scenery  and more, yet would not do what those things instruct.

Reading or getting a temporary "fix" from someone else's inspiration or even

their walk with the Lord does not fix the situation you or I find ourselves in, as regards the issues of daily life. It is only through a firmly resolved intentional trusting and walking in the Light of Christ that we can really get what He says in Matthew 6:25-24"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?"

Those are great exhortations and SHOULD and OUGHT to be believed...but unless you click "save" and "apply" this means absolutely nothing to the person who is out of fellowship with the Savior. So, now, the most popular verse on the most popular retail website in the world - Amazon.com - says "Be Anxious For Nothing"...HOW?
PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION:
By Prayer - whether you pray in the morning before leaving home (if you work outside the home) or in class before a High School Algebra test, or before going up on the roof with a bundle of shingles, how you pray or speak to the Lord your Creator, matters not as much as what you pray and the condition of your heart. 

There is nothing wrong with approaching the King with a troubled spirit, in silence and just weeping. 
There is nothing wrong with just saying "Father, I have absolutely NO IDEA how to do this, please help me". 
There is nothing wrong with going to one of our local Christian bookstores (or looking up prayer books on amazon.com and learning from the masters, how they did it.) 

One resources that is timeless and speaks volumes to the Power and Majesty of Prayer is The Valley of Vision. Sure, most of us cannot pray like these men and women from 300 years ago, but the more you read these prayers, even daily, you will sense their hearts for Christ and slowly, you will find your own spirit, moving in this anointed direction and pathway of purposeful Puritan like prayer, where the Holy Spirit (as promised in Scripture) will take the longings and desires of your heart and move it into a fragrant offering of prayer to the Lord, acceptable before the Throne. Please do yourself a favor and click on the following link, to see what I mean. Try it at least for one week, and watch your entire prayer life change, and less anxiety will be present in your environment!

GET A FREE PDF DOWNLOAD OF THE VALLEY OF VISION BY CLICKING HERE

By Supplication - Supplication is the act of asking for the Lord to respond to a personal request, on your own behalf (such as Jesus taught as in "Give us this day, our Daily Bread"). It is different from a petition, which is intercession on behalf of another. If you have a friend or family member in need of urgent and critical prayer and you go into a time travailing prayer, and carry that other person's burden (from the Greek word "bastazo"), you are basically standing in the gap and petitioning the Lord for that person.  Supplication is for you and I directly, (paga- entreat and beg the Lord), even if you and I are parents and entreating the Lord to intervene on behalf of our child or our parent (petition). However when we need help and guidance as regards our health, our home, our finances, a broken furnace or water pipe....anything....ask the Lord! 

Really, there is nothing wrong with asking Him for help for your car to last until pay day when you can afford new brake pads etc....There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking. We have not because we ask not. It is great to ask others to pray for us...but unless we pray for ourselves, we are sitting on a two legged stool (Jesus and the person praying). The only way it because a three  legged stool worth sitting on is if Jesus, our prayer warrior friend and you are in sync, in one accord, praying the same thing. We know from the Bible that Jesus LIVES to make intercession before the Father for us (Hebrews 7:25). So think about this for a second - we have the High Priest of ALL Heaven - Jesus, the Commander in Chief of both this world and the entire universe - waiting for our prayers, petitions and requests - and we don't approach Him!...er...WOW!!! 
By Bringing Your Requests to God - The great Prayer Book of the Bible - The Psalms has everything we need to pray away anxiety and make our requests known to God. The Holy Spirit, through the author of most of the Psalms (King David, wrote these down as an example for us. Here is how we pray away and therefore, give ANXIETY the boot it deserves:

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 4:1)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 17:6)

In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.(Psalm 18:6)

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.(Psalm 25:16)

Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help."(Psalm 30:10)

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.(Psalm 86:3)

There is so much more...and they can all be found in the Mighty Word of God. Scripture is sufficient for every need of man. It contains the keys to a life full of power, joy, and gracious Godly living. I will be posting a 12 part series on 1st and 2nd Peter on this same blog, next, under the PLUMBLINE TV show Tab, which will go through most of these same principles for the woman or man of God, to not just "be anxious" for nothing, but be all we can be, according to our calling. We can live so much more victorious as Christians, even in a filthy corrupt, lying and perverted world. All we need do, is believe God, believe His Word and keep His Commands...and we too, shall have the peace which passes...AND SURPASSES...all human understanding!