ARE YOU GUILTY OR INNOCENT IN GOD'S EYES?

This is a short post but a very important one. When I saw this video, related to the death of pop star, Michael Jackson, I thought I should share it here. God gave us his law in order to show us something...please click on this video link and take the test "ARE YOU GUILTY OR INNOCENT IN THE EYES OF GOD?"

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Have you ever wondered if the story you read in your local newspaper was actually true? Probably not, but why? If you're like me then you just assume that credible witnesses have been the ones to report the stories taken by reporters. When the Titanic sunk people read about it in the newspaper and believed it even though it was something they couldn't witness themselves. The same with headlines like "The War is Over!" and other vital news we find in print.

But have you ever considered that this is exactly what God has given mankind in the Bible?

Consider then that God's Bible is given through EYEWITNESS accounts all the way through. And how credible are these witnesses? Well consider that these "holy men of old" believed that lying was a very heinous sin that would bring judgment down upon them. And consider that these same Prophets and Apostles were men who believed what they saw and heard to be the absolute truth to such a degree that they were willing to give their very lives rather than deny it!

How many news stories do you think have that kind of credibility behind them? I doubt very many would be willing to lay down their lives for what they've been witness to! And yet people think the Bible is simply a book of fiction and fairy tales, when nothing could be further from the truth.

God gave us His word so that we could understand our lost condition as sinners and also reveal His will for mankind. He desires sinners to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. He wants to rescue mankind from our fallen and separated condition so that we may escape the wrath of God which is coming upon the world in the future.

If you didn't think a news story was credible, you might do some investigation in order to verify the account. You can do the same with the Bible!! God has foretold many things that would come to pass and history verifies His predictions every single time!! If you want to know if what He said will happen in our future is true, then simply look at all he's predicted with 100% accuracy in the past! The same Bible that says Jesus is coming again, foretold his first coming, in order to die for our sins as a sacrifice, hundreds of years before the actual events occurred. God declares the End from the Beginning! Our faith in Jesus is not blind faith, but verifiable eyewitness accounts! I believe on Christ because of the news report faithful, honest men have given in the past to these events....they saw him die and they saw him rise again from the dead and they were willing to die for the truth they witnessed because He is the only way of salvation!!

CREATION SCIENCE EVANGELISM T.V.

HEY FOLKS, I'VE GOT AN AWESOME LINK FOR YOU TODAY! Here is the link from dr.dino.com for Creation Science Evangelism T.V. This means you can watch continuous streaming debates between Dr. Kent Hovind and Evolutionists as well as other awesome stuff. I could get addicted to this channel easy...check it out and leave comments on what you find!

DR. DINO DEBATES!

Hello Bible Believers! I wanted to share a wonderful resource with you today from the website of Creation Science Evangelism. This is the site of Dr. Kent Hovind or Dr. Dino as he is affectionately known throughout the world. Dr. Hovind has been a long time champion of young Earth Creationism which is the literal Biblical view of Creation. God is exalted in the Bible first and foremost as the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all that in them is, so it is vitally important that we understand more on this subject. I firmly believe that we fundamentally hinder our growth in the Lord Jesus Christ and our witness to an unbelieving world by ignoring this subject so often attested to in scripture. So, please enjoy these STREAMING VIDEOS of some of Dr. Hovind's debates with not only Athiest Evolutionists, but also with a Theistic Evolutionist in debate video #15. Dr. Hovind is able to run circles around all comers and that my friends does not stem from the Greatness of Dr. Hovind or any man, but because this excellent evangelist firmly believes and teaches God's Bible...you'll never go wrong with the Word of God!

WHAT WAS THE GIFT OF TONGUES?

WHAT WAS THE GIFT OF TONGUES?...and is it still biblical today?

First let's see what it was and why it was before answering the second question. The word "TONGUES" in the bible means LANGUAGES. This can clearly be seen, not only by the context of Act 2, but also in its continued use such as Rev 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all NATIONS, and KINDREDS, and PEOPLE, and TONGUES..." Tongues is used the exact same as Language, which here is identifying what kind of people were standing saved from the whole world during the tribulation period. Now let's look at what was happeing in the book of Acts 2:1-13.

1. 
   
   First the reason why this miracle was done by the Holy Spirit: So that the word of God would be preached to these Jews of other languages coming to Jerusalem, but also that the words of the Apostles would have added authority due to the miracle. You see, even Jesus' miracles were done to give his word authority from God...Lazarus was raised from the dead, but Lazarus died a mortal death later on anyway. So why do the miracle? So that Christ' words would have authority from God and be believed! Everything God does toward man is meant to bring sinners to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to Glorify God, period. God doesn't do things for no reason.


2. 
   
   Secondly, we find that these men were Gallileans who were speaking--vs.7


3. 
   
   Next we find what languages these men were speaking: vs.9-11 "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Capadocians, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome, Jews, Crete, and Arabians. These may have only been varying dialects, but nevertheless they were languages not spoken by the Gallileans so they recognized that a miracle was taking place...yet the miracle gave authority to their message which was the Gospel!

Many people today claim to speak in tongues, but it bears no resemblance to the miracle performed by the Holy Ghost that day, neither does it revolve around the same purpose. Consider that once the Canon of Scripture was complete, that these signs and wonders, done to add authority to those who would be 1.) establishing the church and 2.) laying down part of those scriptures we have in our bibles today, were no longer necessary. Now the Word is complete, forever settled and miracles are not necessary to show these words as coming from God.

Also consider that the tongues gibberish does not speak any human language...some would say that they speak in "unknown" tongues, but did you realize that ANY LANGUAGE you don't speak naturally is "unknown" to you? These languages spoken by the Apostles in Acts 2 were unknown to them...that was the miracle. Today's gibberish bares no resemblance.

Is it biblical? Frankly, since it bears no resemblance to what we find in the bible, I would put little to no confidence in the phenomena we see today. Also, the movement tends to place emphasis on something that the bible never put emphasis on. Many in the "Tongues Movement" claim that tongues speaking must accompany salvation or you've not been saved...That is clearly a False Teaching!! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never spoke in tongues, neither is it recorded that any other Apostles did except those present in Acts 2. I know there are references to tongues by Paul, but he never claimed to have spoken in tongues but rather said, that he would rather speak few words of understanding to edify the church than many which could not be understood by those present. Likewise, he never mentions this gibberish speak we see today. The churches work is still the same: Preach the Gospel unto every Creature!

THE ONLY "MESSIAH" PROPHECY?

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE "MESSIAH" PROPHECY? Whoa! Wait a minute preacher! There are lots of prophecies about the Messiah!
True, but did you know that the Old Testament contains only one prophecy that mentions THE MESSIAH by name? This is found as part of the Seventy Weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:25,26.

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall even in
troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood and unto
the end of the war desolations are determined."

This is the only prophecy which names the Messiah doing anything from the Old Testament, although there are certainly other references. Now if you wanted to know what the Messiah would do, wouldn't you first go to the one prophecy that actually names him as such?

I had the opportunity to converse with a Rabbi and according to Judaism, Jesus couldn't possibly be the Messiah because he died. But wait, what did the one prophecy say about the Messiah when he appears? It said he would come at a particular time and when he arrived he would be "cut off" but it also said, "not for himself." Did you catch that? The Bible said that when Messiah comes he will DIE FOR OTHERS! Yet the Rabbis would say he can't be the Messiah because Messiah doesn't die...WRONGO! The Messiah must Die when he comes...die for others and that's exactly what the Lord Jesus did when he came!

WHATS SO BAD ABOUT A BELIEVER DYING?

APART FROM THOSE CHRISTIANS ALIVE WHEN THE RAPTURE OCCURS, WE WILL ALL FACE THE CHILLING HAND OF DEATH. (nice way to start off a post huh?)

Nevertheless this is the truth. Death is seen as an enemy, but what is so bad about a believer dying?

IS IT THE PAIN?

1. 
   
   Pain is felt by the mortal body, but death is separation from the mortal body.


2. 
   
   Those believers who die have left pain behind along with the problems of life.


3. 
   
   So, it can't be Pain...

IS IT THE LOSS OF HOPE?

1. 
   
   Actually, for a believer, death is HOPE realized!


2. 
   
   Jesus is our hope of Eternal life...in death we find that promise fulfilled.


3. 
   
   "For to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"


4. 
   
   So, it can't be a loss of hope...

IS IT FEAR?

1. 
   
   Death is mentioned as something that stings, but we often fear things which cannot harm us.


2. 
   
   Death, for a believer, is like a garter snake...no fangs...it might look like something dangerous, but there's really nothing to fear.


3. 
   
   The "sting" of death was sin and the penalty of God's law for sin, which is eternal separation (second death)...but through faith in Jesus Christ the penalty of sin has been paid for us, so it can't be fear...

IS IT THE LOSS OF MORTAL LIFE?

1. 
   
   Mortal life is only temporary for any of us!


2. 
   
   In Christ the mortal shall put on immortality and the life to come and the glorified body promised are far better!


3. 
   
   Believers who die leave behind: pain, sorrow, troubles / trials...they would never trade what they have now to come back to the mortal body!


4. 
   
   In fact, they would rather see you leave the mortal body to come to where they are now with Christ for it is far better, so it can't be a loss of mortal life...

THE ANSWER IS THAT IT IS A LOSS OF FELLOWSHIP WITH THOSE WHO PASS!

1. 
   
   We who are left behind in the mortal life long for their company but can no longer have it...we miss them being with us here.


2. 
   
   We are left here wondering about mysteries they already fully understand!!


3. 
   
   But our hope is also in Jesus Christ and so we have the assurance that though they will not come back to us, our loss of fellowship is only temporary! We will one day join them!

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?

PHILOSOPHERS would argue that GOD cannot exist because evil exists in the world...the fundamental (fun & mental) question becoming: "How could a benevolent, all knowing, all powerful God allow BAD THINGS to happen?"

This is a completely valid question and one for which the Bible has the answer! Let's examine the facts, shall we?

Genesis tells us that when God had completed his creative work, he examined everything and said it was all GOOD! So what happened?

1. 
   
   Rather than worshipful robots, God created his creatures with a free will. The angels have free will and some chose to rebel, Lucifer being apparently chief instigator in that rebellion.


2. 
   
   Lucifer/Satan then tempted mankind in the garden of Eden with disobedience to God's clear commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...mankind disobeyed God and became sinners like Satan.


3. 
   
   Romans 5 informs us that this initial rebellion affected all of Adam & Eve's descendants coming into the world...so that all became sinners and sin's death penalty passed unto all mankind.


4. 
   
   Not only that, but the entire world is now under a curse because of our initial and continued rebellion to our Creator!


5. 
   
   Man still has a free will and a natural tendency toward sin...so of course BAD THINGS are going to happen! Man chooses to make bad things happen! There are consequences for our daily rebellion in which we inflict ourselves upon other's lives with consequences.

The whole creation is groaning (Rom 8) and travailing just waiting for God's plan to come all the way around where sin will be judged and put down forever, where Righteousness will prevail and the Redeemed will live forever in a NEW HEAVEN and NEW EARTH. Folks God's plan isn't to renovate what we all polluted with sin. His goal in creation is to do a short work upon the Earth and cut it short in Righteousness (Rom 9)! God made everything good knowing that his creatures would pollute it, that he would have to redeem it, that he would have to come down from heaven in the form of humanity and pay for our sins to do it, and that ultimately he would re-create the heavens and the Earth for the redeemed to inhabit a creation that is ALL GOOD! No wonder the bible proclaims (Rom 8) that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them called according to His purpose!"

STREETS OF GOLD IN HEAVEN?

Does Heaven really have streets of gold? Just asking that question might insight the rancor of my fellow Christians, but I think we often miss fundamental things about God's Word by not paying close enough attention. The bible tells us of three distinct "Heavens" which exist in Creation.

1. 
   
   The Firmament or "Atmosphere" of Earth mentioned in Genesis, which is where the birds fly and planes, when they're doing alright.


2. 
   
   The Celestial Heaven or space containing all of the various planetary bodies, stars and so forth. These declare the glory of God.


3. 
   
   The Third Heaven mentioned by Paul particularly, which is the dwelling place of God in the spiritual realm.

Now, none of these is ever said to have streets of Gold as we generally describe Heaven. The fact of the matter is that when we use these descriptions of "Streets of Gold and Gates of Pearl, etc," we are actually referring to the God-made city of New Jerusalem. But this is not Heaven in any of the three forms mentioned in scripture. The bible (Rev 21) says that New Jerusalem descends from God out of Heaven. Now we may postulate that this city actually comes into existence from the spiritual realm where God dwells and enters the physical realm to at the very least remain in orbit with the New Earth. Since the city's dimensions are approximately 1500 miles in height, width and length and is never said to actually touch down on the earth, it is safe to say that it might only remain in orbit, though at that size, highly visible.

One of the things Christians generalize away when considering eternity, is the fact that we aren't ever said to be hanging around on a cloud playing a harp, twinking halos. The future for a Christian is highly active...Praise the Lord for that cause I get bored easy! Think about all that the bible foretells:

1. 
   
   finishing our natural lives pursuing the Great Commission and a close, faithful walk with God...all with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.


2. 
   
   The gathering of all believers at the rapture, receiving glorified bodies at that time.


3. 
   
   The Judgment Seat of Christ, where every believer will give an account of their faithfulness to the work we have now (#1).


4. 
   
   The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, a great celebration which appears to follow the Judgment Seat and precede the Second Coming of Christ.


5. 
   
   The Second Coming of Christ where he will come with the armies of heaven...that's us as well folks...see Jude 14...and the battle of Armageddon!


6. 
   
   The establishment of Christs kingdom upon a renewed earth following the battle and imprisonment of Satan himself in the pit.


7. 
   
   The co-governing of Christ's kingdom with our Lord for 1,000 years leading to the final rebellion of Satan and mankind.


8. 
   
   The Great White Throne judgment where we will almost certainly stand present..."and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Likewise we will stand in judgment at some point of the angels that rebelled, perhaps at the same time Satan is judged finally...though we aren't told.


9. 
   
   A new Heaven and Earth will be created and the New Jerusalem will come down from God out of Heaven. We believers shall inhabit that city for eternity as well as having access to the new Earth and very likely access to the entire creation...no death, no pain, glorified bodies...oh, I'd say that's likely.

The point is that we have a lot going on for the believer in Jesus Christ...if we study the Word of God, we'll find not only greater accuracy in our understanding but a glorious future that shall never end!

UNPROVABLE EVOLUTION

If I told you this LEGO sculpture of a man had assembled itself, would you believe me? What if I told you that it had occurred over millions of years...how about billions? You'd call me crazy, and you'd be right. Clearly someone with alot of ability put all these pieces together to form what we see in the sculpture...but do you realize that is exactly the fairy tale Evolutionists are selling to millions of people in this world?!

"EVOLUTION IS UNPROVED AND UNPROVABLE. WE BELIEVE IT ONLY BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE IS SPECIAL CREATION, AND THAT IS UNTHINKABLE."

This is a quote from an Evolutionist, actually Sir Authur Keith, who wrote the forward to Darwin's Origin of the Species. Does it surprise you that not even famous scientists and evolutionists believe this theory is valid or provable? The fact is, most people who believe in the theory of Evolution have no way to explain why they believe it - CLIK TO SEE A VIDEO TO THAT EFFECT.

No Evolutionist can explain the very core problem with this belief system...how did every living thing come from nothing? How did non-living matter become alive?

In the end of this debate we find faith. For the Believer: In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. For the Evolutionist: In the beginning, Nothing became Something by pure chance.

Which belief system are you willing to trust with your immortal soul?

LONG LOST EVANGELISM!

WHY DON'T WE SEE BIBLE BELIEVERS EVANGELIZING THE LOST?! When's the last time you heard someone complain about those pesky baptists (or any other bible believers) always coming around, knocking on their doors trying to invite them to come to church or be born again into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ?

It is a sad testimony to our laziness as believers that about the only times we visit people in the communities around our churches is for vacation bible school kickoffs, or as Pastors, to visit a "prospect," - someone who happened to wander through the doors of our church one Sunday.

The fact of the matter is that in today's culture, it's perfectly alright to be someone who never goes to church, someone who doesn't even believe in God...so there's not much incentive for lost people to simply wander into church. WE HAVE TO GO OUT TO THEM!! But we don't...

1. 
   
   In the bible, the disciples of the Lord went from house to house with the gospel message...but we don't


2. 
   
   The cults are going with a false gospel of works...yet we have the truth and never say a word.


3. 
   
   Cult members are evangelizing the unsaved because they believe this will earn them a way into heaven...WE believers should be evangelizing the unsaved because we are going to heaven and want others to go their as well!

Okay Preacher, I'm guilty...now what do I do? First of all be willing to put a little rubber to the road and go into the highways and bi-ways to reach out to the lost...remember they have no natural desire to go into a church now-a-days. Used to, people were expected to be God-fearing and go to church just as a way of being upright...not anymore. Lost people are not going to bust down the doors of your bible believing / preaching church...we're going to have to bust out of the church house in order to go after them!

1. 
   
   Do I need to be a preacher to go? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact the Great Commission was given to the entire body of believers! Pastors, evangelists, preacher and teachers were actually given unto the church (Eph 4:11).


2. 
   
   Do I need to have a lot of scripture memorized to go? NO, but knowing the bible is ALWAYS a great idea! You never know when someone might ask you a question or put a scripture to you trying to stump you on the meaning...that never looks good. The fact is, you are delivering a message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, period. If you've experienced that then you are qualified to tell others, right?


3. 
   
   Should I put my foot in the door when they open it and preach at them? NOT unless you're wearing steel-toed boots, cause they're about to slam your foot with that door! The truth is that in our modern culture, people are AFRAID of other people coming to their houses! Either they'll assume you are part of a cult (don't dress in the white shirt and tie) or they'll think you're up to NO GOOD! When I go door to door, carrying materials from the church, people usually brighten up when they realize, I'm just the Pastor from the Baptist church down the road coming to invite them...actually they look perplexed, because people aren't used to seeing bible believers out inviting them at all...sad, sad, sad but true.


4. 
   
   You don't need to really do anything but show them that you cared enough about their soul to make the effort of walking down the road to their house in order to invite them out to your church services. A friendly caring impression is worth much more than bible thumping on their porch. Leave that to the preacher when they come visit your church...they'll expect preaching then and most likely be more open to listening. At the door they want to be rid of you before you turn out to be a maniac trying to kill them...and the newspapers tell us that happens, so don't feel bad about their response. People are cautious for their lives and with good reason. Just show yourself, HARMLESS, CARING AND COURTEOUS. People's minds are filled images of RELIGIOUS FANATICS doing crazy things while they shout scripture at their victims...don't feed those thoughts...surprise them by a compassionate invitation, placing well prepared materials (cd message, tract, church info) into their hands and telling them to have a nice day. If they want to talk more then talk, but don't impose upon them, they sure won't come visit your church for more of that!


5. 
   
   IF THEY AREN'T AT HOME (or happen to be hiding in the closet until you leave :-) then leave your materials at the door and go. Always try to knock on the door if possible (barring rottweilers or trespassing signs). A FRIENDLY FACE and INVITE BEATS a discarded paper track left on their door any day!!

Christ gave us the commission to go forth and preach the gospel unto every creature...we've got a job to do, if we'll just bust out of our comfort zones and do it! Hey the cults are doing it, so we could do it...and we've actually got the true way of salvation to share! Isn't that worth doing. Wouldn't you like to stand at the judgment seat of Christ one day and hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant?" I know I would, and that is up to us.

WHO IS THE SUFFERING SERVANT?

WHO IS THE SUFFERING SERVANT OF ISAIAH CHAPTER 53? For Christians this might seem easy to answer...Jesus Christ, of course. However, I had the opportunity to pose this question to a Rabbi not long ago and the answer given surprised me. He said, ISRAEL IS THE SUFFERING SERVANT being referred to by the prophet Isaiah.

Now, you must understand that a Rabbi who doesn't believe Jesus is the Messiah is not going to say, Jesus...in fact, I've found that regarding any Old Testament scripture that must clearly identify Jesus as the Messiah, they will come up with some amazingly absurd answers or simply redirect you to something else entirely! But in all fairness, is it at all possible for the Rabbi to be right in this instance? Let's look...

1. In Isaiah 53 (please blow the dust off of your bible and look :-) we find a servant of God who is suffering for the sins and iniquities of others. The Rabbi claims that Isaiah is referring to the Nation of Israel who suffers for the sins of all of the other nations. FIRST: it must be noted that the nation of Israel habitually rebelled against the Lord from the time they were led from Egyptian captivity unto the present day...not that we heathen gentiles did not, mind you...but for a nation to suffer so that other nations iniquity before the Lord could be cleansed (the innocent suffering in the place of the guilty) that nation would have to be innocent! Neither Israel or any other nation can stand up to that standard. David remarked that "if the Lord should mark iniquity, who would be able to stand?" The rhetorical question clearly answers, NOBODY! Israel could not suffer for the iniquity of others because they were as guilty of national sin before the Lord as anyone one else!


2. Here we need to clarify a very important point as we'll be looking at the personal pronouns the prophet uses in the Chapter: The prophet Isaiah was a JEWISH PROPHET! This becomes important when we look at which group (with the servant or the sinners) Isaiah identifies himself with!


3. Now we see that Isaiah is referring to the servant as (he, him). NOWHERE IN THE CHAPTER DOES ISAIAH IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH THIS PERSON or in HIS GROUP.


4. Isaiah refers to the sinners in question by pronouns (we, us, our). Notice that each of these shows Isaiah including himself among those guilty sinners whom this innocent servant is suffering for! Now remember that Isaiah is a jewish prophet...is it logical to say that a jewish prophet would include himself among the heathen gentiles? Absolutely not...in fact we can see that by Peters day, he was unwilling even to associate with gentiles. The Lord had to show Peter a "new thing" in order for him to go and witness to the gentile Cornelius.


5. Isaiah, a jewish prophet, is always going to include himself among "His people" Israel and it is Israel to whom he refers when he says this servant suffers for our iniquities! Israel cannot be the suffering servant, for this jewish prophet clearly says the servant suffers for his people, Israel, and their sins...I'm glad to say that He not only suffers for Israel's sins but for the sins of the whole world!

Thus we see that the servant is none other than the Messiah of Israel, the same who is prophecied in Dan 9: 25,26 to be "cut off, but not for himself," obviously to die for others! And Jesus can just as easily be shown from only the Old Testament scriptures to THE MESSIAH...Sorry Rabbi :-)

NEED A JOB? A GREAT COMMISSION!

How many people have you heard say, "Boy I sure wish I could find the will of God for my life," or "I'd be glad to serve the Lord, if I only knew what he wanted me to do."

Well, Believers, I've got wonderful news for you! Jesus left the church (believers) a GREAT COMMISSION! In other words, he left us a JOB to do until he comes again. Isn't it wonderful to know that in an economic downspiral and rising rate of unemployment, that God has left each and every believer a job to do?

What is our job? SEED SOWERS...what? Yes, that's right, Jesus said to preach the gospel unto every creature and the bible clearly tells us (matt 13) that the Word of God is like seed that we are sent forth to sow everywhere we go. In the parable of Matt 13 we find Jesus explaining our job to us...we take the seed (word of God) and spread it in every direction. But preacher I don't know where to sow it. That's why you sow it everywhere! Some will fall in the weeds, some in the rocks and some on the old hard road, but some will fall into the good ground...into the the lives of those who will ultimately turn from their sin to put their genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and be born again into the family of God.

That's our job and so often we aren't doing it...oh we sit in church week after week, waiting for sinners to wander into our churches, but folks that just isn't reality. We now live in a society where it is perfectly alright to never go to church. This ain't Andy Griffith days we're living in. Now-a-days the church going, God fearing folk are on the minority side...on the fringe of society not in the well respected place we once held. The world is changing, society has changed and we can't expect sinners to run to our pews! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW ENOUGH COMPASSION TO GET UP AND GO INVITE THEM TO COME...What is it the Spirit and the Bride (believers) say unto the lost world in Revelation 22? "COME!"

If Bible believing, preaching churches want to see souls saved and people coming into the sanctuarys to hear the word of God, then we're going to have to show our communities that we care enough to invite them! Most people don't crash parties...it's so much better when you're invited to come!

NEW FEATURES UP FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!

Hello all, don't forget to check out the new features going up here at BIBLE-SMART! On the DOCTRINE FOR DUMMIES page we've got lots of new posts on HEAVEN, HELL, SATAN, DEMONS, THE TRINITY, THE RAPTURE, NEW JERUSALEM, NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH, and many more!

Also we've gone to a separate page for everyones favorite simian scientist, PROFESSOR DARWIN! Check back often on these sidebar links to see the updates to these pages as well as our REVELATION STUDY page which updates with a new chapter every Friday!

WHY BOTHER GOING TO CHURCH?

*PROFESSOR DARWIN GETS HIS OWN FEATURE PAGE! SEE SIDEBAR*

WHY BOTHER GOING TO CHURCH? This might sound like an insane question to ask, but how many times have you heard someone say, "I can worship God on the lake, out in the woods or down at my house, just as well as I can down at the church house?" An insane question to ask, you say? Well then why do we see the size of a congregation dwindle close to half from Sunday Morning service to Sunday Evening and even worse than that on Wednesday services?

I suppose the quick answer to the question is, "Because God commands us to go to Church!" Actually in (Hebrews 10:25) we find that God commands us, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."

One might point out that God didn't necessarily command you to go down to the church building on Sundays and Wednesdays, but that tends to be where Believers do assemble themselves and those generally are the days when they assemble themselves. So, I'd like us to not debate whether or not God wants you to go to church...clearly he does. But let's look at why He wants you to assemble with Believers then you might see the value never question it again!

1. 
   
   If you haven't been saved then you can hear God's Word preached here and you can have your questions concerning your sin, God's judgment and Salvation answered by those equipped to do so. There's really no better place to come to Jesus in faith than in a good Bible believing / preaching church...although you can be saved anywhere you find yourself willing to be.


2. 
   
   For Believers, God has placed you into His family and he wants you to assemble together so that you can encourage one another to walk by faith and serve God with your lives.


3. 
   
   When we assemble with other Believers we surround ourselves with a support group of other saved sinners who have been or are currently going through the same heartaches and trials you may be going through. Who better to have praying for you than those who know how you're feeling?


4. 
   
   When we assemble with other Believers we find role models of faith who influence and encourage us to serve God faithfully. We also can be taught by those who have a wealth of experience and knowledge of God's Word. Who better to answer your questions and help you grow in the Lord than God's people?


5. 
   
   When we assemble with other Believers we place ourselves among brothers and sisters who will hold us accountable for our behavior...consider that if God were standing over your shoulder, you'd behave the right way ALL of the time...well, of course God is there, but we don't act like it. In the company of Believers we walk uprightly as we should because we see them watching. This helps us to walk uprightly when we aren't in their company as well.


6. 
   
   In the assembly of Believers there are positions of responsibility to be held that give us a tangible opportunity to serve God and others. If you can't even be faithful enough to obey God and assemble with other Believers then how will He ever find you faithful enough to do greater things?

Folks, these are just a few simple thoughts about going to Church (assembling with other believers) and the benefits we receive from obeying this particular commandment of God. However, consider this closing thought: Not only can others become a blessing to you in the Church, but your life can become a blessing unto others as you grow, serve, pray, endure trials, walk by faith, teach and maybe even preach God's word. Isn't it better to live a valuable life than one wasted?

DOCTRINE FOR DUMMIES!

Well, of course you're not really DUMMIES...but we'll go with "catchy" when we can get it, eh? The new DOCTRINE FOR DUMMIES page will become a separate blog page for BIBLE-SMART and one that we hope will help you in your study. It will provide quick paragraph post-links for commonly used phrases from the Bible and those used by preachers everywhere. Many times these phrases are confusing to people, so we hope this will help you with quick, easy to understand definitions as the words are used in Scripture.

Some words we'll start off with include: Justified, Sanctified, Escatology, Redemption, Born Again, Election, Predestination, etc....

Well, you get the point. These often pass through one "Auricular Canal" and out the other when we hear them in a sermon or see them in the bible, but they are vital to a clear understanding of God's word!

THE DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION!

WHOA! DID HE REALLY SAY PREDESTINATION?!

Well, yes, actually I did. Does that make me a Hyper-Calvinist? Not at all. Folks as I've said before, God's Word is God's Word and if something is mentioned or taught in the Bible then we have no need to fear...only to understand what is actually being taught.

Such is the case with this word "PREDESTINATION." Until I had begun studying my bible in earnest as a young Christian, I never heard the word mentioned and certainly never heard any teaching on the subject. In fact, when I asked about the word and its meaning, I was instantly labeled a Calvinist and summarily dismissed under rebuke. My teachers made no attempt to answer my simple query about this teaching...and in hindsight that seems to be because they had no clue what to tell me.

So, we shy away from nothing here at BIBLE-SMART but rather plow ahead. I have good news to all Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ! This teaching actually has nothing to do with "Justification" (cleansing of sin & guilt) and everything to do with you!

MANY BELIEVE THAT PREDESTINATION REFERS TO GOD OVERRIDING MAN'S WILL IN SALVATION:

1. 
   
   That due to God's sovereignty over his creation, that he must foreordain every action, event and thought within his creation. But this is not taught in scripture and is actually not necessary to the clear definition of "sovereignty" at all. Sovereignty simply means that God is completely beholden to none. He is Lord of His creation and none can say unto him "what doest thou?" or withold his hand. Yet our Sovereign God chose to make his creatures with free will and hold them responsible for their choices.


2. 
   
   That God randomly chose individual sinners from among human history and forcibly applied the blood of Christ to them and saves them apart from any choice they themselves might make...in effect, overriding the free will of certain individuals in order to forcibly redeem them.


3. 
   
   In the same manner of forcibly saving some, that God denies that opportunity of redemption through Jesus Christ by not saving others...in effect choosing to leave them to an eternity of Hell fire.

WHILE MANY BELIEVE THIS, THE BIBLE DOES NOT TEACH IT!! In Contrast, the Bible does teach:

1. 
   
   The Bible clearly teaches that man is a sinner and condemned...however, God has chosen to offer his Son as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind and accept those who believe on Him for Salvation.


2. 
   
   Sinful man is pursued by God, shown his sin and guilt by the light of God's word, offered the free gift of salvation, and given the opportunity and responsibility to respond to God's gracious offer.


3. 
   
   Man is held responsible for his willingness to receive or reject God's one way of Salvation through faith in His son, Jesus Christ.

WELL, THEN WHERE DOES PREDESTINATION FIT INTO THE PICTURE? Predestination, as I've already stated previously, has nothing to do with a sinner believing on Jesus and having their sins cleansed (justification). Neither does it have anything to do with God foreordaining some to Heaven and some to Hell.

Predestination, predestinated or predestinate, only occurs four times in scripture. (Ephesians 1: 5, 11 & Romans 8: 29, 30)

1. 
   
   Ephesians 1: 5 tells us that Believers, for that is who Paul is addressing vs.1, are not only "Justified" (cleansed of guilt and sin) through faith in Jesus, but now being within God's accepted group, He adopts us as children into His family! This is not Salvation, but an added extra to Salvation...something we have because we are "In Christ." God predetermined (predestinated) this extra gift to every believer! WOW!


2. 
   
   Ephesians 1: 11 tells us that not only are we adopted as children, but God also predestinated every believer in Jesus Christ to receive an inheritance...as the bible says, "we shall inherit all things!"


3. 
   
   Romans 8: 29 also tells us that every believer in Jesus Christ has been predestined to be "conformed to the image of His son." The word for this is "Sanctification," and means God will work in the believer's life to make them more like Jesus...transforming our daily lives into something that will glorify God in this world and lead others to saving faith in Jesus. Once again, this is not "Justification," or having our sins cleansed...it is something extra to the Believer in Jesus ONLY! No unbeliever is ever Sanctified, Adopted or given an Inheritance!


4. 
   
   Romans 8: 30 simply tells us that those predestinated already referred to vs.29, are also called, justified and glorified. Only Believers are predestinated to receive these extra gifts from the Father.

Concluding: we find NOT a doctrine of hopeless abandonment for part of humanity, but hope for all who are willing to respond to our Creator's gracious offer of Salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who do, you not only have your sins cleansed away, but adoption into the family, an inheritance in glory and a life in this world set apart unto God as he molds and shapes us into the image of his dear son.