What If The Bible Is Right?

In our world today we have come to the point where we accept certain things to be true or untrue. This is most apparent in our relationship with God and His word. If the Bible says something we like, we’ll go along with it. If it says something we don’t like or are not interested in, we seem to omit it from our behavior and belief system. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the more popular notions or should we say beliefs of people today.

Let’s start right at the top. In this session we will look at abortion, and same sex marriage. The facts according to the Bible, will be laid out here. Of course, you make your own decision on which god you wish to serve, but just remember the title of this article; What If The Bible Is Right?

Abortion: The dictionary defines abortion as: An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus / embryo, resulting in or caused by its death. We have this one down solid. Some 50 million+ deaths have resulted from abortions in this country since Roe vs Wade. Probably the most looked at verse in the Bible concerning children can be found in Psalm 127:3: “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward.” If children are a gift from God, what gives us a right to destroy that life just because we want to? Many young girls and older women make a mistake about this because they have been taught that its ok, nothing wrong or bad here. There are many of these women who have realized the offense to God, and have repented for their sin. There’s another word we should take a quick look at. What is a simple definition of sin? How about; anything displeasing to God? We all know that God will forgive us of our sins. But, will God forgive a blatant sin? Many will dismiss this, but the Bible says in Proverbs 14:9, “Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will…” What if the Bible is right?

Same sex marriage: The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. More and more states are legalizing marriage between single sexes. I guess it must be alright if everyone is doing it, and it feels right, so it can’t be wrong, can it? Politicians keep endorsing this act, as well as backing up the abortion issue. Does that make it right? Who will answer if we are doing the wrong thing? Many people say they are Christians, but are they really? Suppose we define the word Christian before we go on. It’s quite simple. Christ – ian. Christ follower, or just follower of Christ. It would seem that if we are followers of Christ, or Christians as some say, that we would follow the Bible, because this is God’s word, His instructions, His guide, and in all, His game. He set the rules. We can either play accordingly, or get out of the game. This is another of those issues where blatant sin is going to draw consequences. Turn to Exodus 34:7b, “….He will by no means let the guilty go unpunished.” Let’s see what the Bible says about same sex activities or marriage. We’ll look in the New Testament at the book of Romans.
Turn to chapter 1:24-32. “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural. And in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
I’ve read the Bible over several times during the last 25+ years, and this is the only spot where it actually appears to me that God is turning His back on a particular activity. It all boils down to where you stand. You may say you are a Christian, (follower of Christ), but if you are backing government leaders that say this activity is alright…..remember how we defined sin….anything displeasing to God. These two topics look like they may be very displeasing to God. To continue to back those who endorse the activity, would be considered a blatant sin, and subject to God’s consequences. A little note for politicians…If you call yourself a Christian
how long you are here on this planet…. try to
think how long eternity will be and where you will spend it. Again it needs to be noted here…..What if the Bible is right? It’s your call.

If you would like further accounts of ‘What If The Bible Is Right’, just drop me an email and let me know. (ee1gary@aol.com)
…Editor
A Little Humor
My Times UP?
A 62 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked 'Is my time up?'
God said, 'No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live.'
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, 'I thought you said I had another 43 years? Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance?'
- God replied: 'I didn't recognize you.'
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If we exalt ourselves, He will humble us. If we humble ourselves, He will exalt us.

Know when to speak #6

Last month we determined that Jesus was in fact, God in the flesh. Through the years I have heard a great deal of people comment about God not knowing what they were going through, or how much pain they were feeling. All we have to do is think of the pain and suffering Jesus endured as He was being whipped. You know, those whips had barbs on the end of them. They dug in when they hit, tore flesh and muscle. How many of us have had to go through pain like that? We’ll take that another step further. Can you imagine how it felt to have a stake driven through your hands? I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and suffering He went through for me….for you.

Jesus didn’t have to go through this, but He did it to pay the price for us. He went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. I can’t see myself going to the cross to pay for someone’s sins, but Jesus did it. A little sidebar here….That’s what I call love!

It’s interesting to note how people see who Jesus was. Many say He was a good man. Others say He was a great teacher. Some say He was a prophet. We know He did all these things, but the main point here is that people either don’t know, or are trying to hide from the truth. If they admit Jesus is God, they will have more feelings of guilt from their own behavior.

When Jesus was on the cross He said a word that pretty much tells all. He said, ‘tetelestai’. This is an accounting term for that period of time. It means, ‘paid in full’. He paid the price for our transgressions….in full, and He offers eternal life with the Father as a gift. This gift is received by faith. Next month we’ll take a look at what faith is NOT.

Comment:
During the last few months we’ve looked at a few helpful hints at sharing the gospel of our Lord. The idea is to share, not to engage in an argument, which leaves hard feelings and sometimes a very negative outlook on the part of the person we are trying to reach. As you can see, it doesn’t take a bible scholar to relate your testimony and the good news of Jesus. So far, you will have also noticed that there is no slamming other faiths. If we are going to share good news, let’s share good news, and that would be how the person you are speaking with can come to know the Lord and have eternal life.
We sometimes think the timing is not right. Occasionally this is true. But, keep in mind we are not the determining power for life. If we ever wonder whether the time is right, just think of that person leaving this earth without knowing the Lord. Forever is a long time, and time is precious. If we let the opportunity go by, and the person dies, we are left with the thought, what if…/….I tried to reach my father before he died, but was rejected. The thought is still with me, what if I tried a little harder to reach him……
We can’t dwell on the past, just learn. God wants us to be His messengers of His word, and it doesn’t take a title to accomplish this. Matthew 28:19-20 does not specify pastors, ministers or priests. These passages are talking to all of us. We are to go out, teach, baptize and instruct in God’s way. Can you imagine what would happen in Washington if everyone who calls themselves Christian, reached one person in a year? WOW!!
We’ll start looking at faith next month.

‘I Don’t Talk About Religion Or Politics’

How many times have we heard this comment? Years ago I used to wonder why people didn’t talk about religion or politics. It’s taken some deep study and thought to answer this very popular idea of not speaking about religion or politics. Could a main reason be, we don’t know enough to carry on an intelligent conversation? If you ask a person who states this as a reason, he will never agree that he doesn’t know enough to speak about these topics. But, if we push further, we will find that this is probably the real reason for no conversation in two very controversial subjects.

Now, how do we tie religion and politics into the same realm? The easiest way to demonstrate the why is to show an example. This is not meant to be a political discussion. It is only a comparison. Let’s look at Talk Radio. How many successful liberal talk radio shows are there in this country? The answer is not very many, if any at all. Why? Liberal politics has never made it a practice to be very deep or far thinking in its programs, or for that matter, its discussion. The discussion must be very shallow. People, on the other hand, have become more demanding in their understanding of programs and how they work. They want more than shallow end results. For this reason liberal talk radio does not do well in this country

Using the same premise, conservative talk radio, which is thriving in this country, does just the opposite. Conservatives go to great pain to explain details of how programs or benefits will work, and how they will be paid. They also explain how liberal programs will not work and why. This is a very brief explanation of liberal vs conservative talk radio. It’s used only to show a comparison.

Now, let’s apply this idea to religion. We know that only 5% of Christians in the United States have ever led anyone to the Lord. If only 5% have spoken up, that leaves 95% who haven’t said anything. Again, why? Using some of the same ideas from the talk radio explanation above, we find that most Christians can only give a shallow accounting of the gospel. They say things like, ‘just believe and you’ll receive the Holy Spirit’, or other such phrases, which only a Christian understands. I know in my B.C. (before Christ) days, if anyone said that to me, I would be looking for a door or some other quick exit.

As I said before, people are more demanding today. They want facts, logic, simplicity, and want to understand what’s being said. The gospel is simple if explained correctly. The very best part is, it’s not your words, it’s the Lord’s words, and the Bible backs you up all the way. If you explain the gospel in this manner, you will be glorifying God to the max!

This editor’s book is about to be released! It’s a fiction novel about one person’s method of dealing with banks that write bad mortgages. I think you would find it entertaining. Unless you indicate otherwise, an announcement from the publisher, by way of email will come to you telling you about the book and it’s author (me). If you do not want to receive this announcement, please let me know. (ee1gary@aol.com)

A Little Humor

An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her,
'Are you God's wife?'

Know when to speak #5

Who is Jesus? There are probably a number of books written on this subject. There are about as many statements as to who Jesus is as there are books. Some of the more popular descriptions are; great teacher, prophet, nice person, heretic, fool, or wacko. I think I covered both ends of the spectrum here. Of course we are going to defend anything that we know is not true. In our defense can we back up our claims as to who Jesus is? This is another example of fact vs emotion. We all know how we feel about Jesus, but can we prove our feelings? Suppose we take a look at what the Bible says.

John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Sounds pretty good so far, but it doesn’t prove a thing. Let’s go a bit farther. Drop on down to verse 14: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory; glory from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Ok, now we have a firm grip on it. Who was the Word? ..God. The Word became flesh. Who was that? ..Jesus.
Who is Jesus? You only get one guess here. God became flesh….Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is God! Jesus is wholly God and wholly man.

I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I usually like to back up strong statements, and this one is no exception, in fact, it can use everything we can assemble. Many churches in this country have minimized the importance of Jesus……bad mistake. In any event, turn with me to John 20:28: In this passage ‘doubting Thomas’ is checking the piercings on Jesus’ hands as the verse says; “Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God’.

I think we have the picture here. Next month we’ll discuss what Jesus did that was so important to the people of this world.
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Take a look at Matthew 28:19-20. Does it say only pastors, priests, or ministers are to go out and reach the world?
I don’t think so…We’ll be getting into this.