God is not dead, nor doth He Sleep

The year was 1863, the American Civil War was raging, his son had been wounded, and the ringing church Christmas bells seemed to be mocking the whole scene. In the midst of the darkness of that hour, Henry W. Longfellow picked up his pen and felt the need to write immortal words. He wrote:

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For had is strong, and mocks the song,

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

In the Book of Revelation we are told of an anti-G0d spiritual system that has been and continues to be responsible for evil in this world. And we are forced to acknowledge that there is no peace on earth. Like Longfellow, we bow our heads in despair at what we see - poverty, hatred, corruption, violence, drugs, immorality, godlessness... - but like Longfellow, we need not keep our heads bowed. He reminded us that "God is not dead: nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men." And that was the message given to the apostle John. And in that same message we find courage for the day and a song for the night. If you read through the Book of Revelation we are told that:

• The harlot is not going to win (chapters 17,18)


• The Antichrist and False Prophet are not going to win (chapter 19)


• Satan is not going to win (chapter 20)


• There will be a new heaven and a new earth (chapters 21,22)

God will be with us, and there will be no tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no pain. Only believers are going to win.

At Christ's coming the world is going to revolve from night to day.

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon.

Every believer should take note and live accordingly, not asleep, but fully alert, for unlike past generations, the fulfillment of prophetic ingredients required for the second coming are today's headlines!

God's love for sinners

Let’s always remember the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the atoning sacrifice for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believes" (Romans 1:16).

As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating any sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the good news of the gospel to all. Let us continue to seek God for wisdom in doing so.

Why is it so hard to get the Lost to see the Love of God?

In Romans 1:29 – 31, Paul reveals the reason it is so hard for sinners to accept God’s love, their hard-heartedness toward God:
Such is the spiritual state of so many in our world today.

I’ll take a moment to address something which may come up… You may have noticed that many scriptures deal with homosexual actions. We are ALL born inclined toward sin; to lie and to steal, to be self-centered and selfish, to hate and to covet. We must not do these thing. It’s no mystery why such things are so much easier than love and respect or why people so often emphasize that relationships are such “hard work.”

Let’s face it: Sin is easy.
For those sinning sexually, is it easier for them to just act on their impulses? Excluding pressure from society, yeah, it’s going to be easier for a homosexual to live out his desires then to say, “No”. The same, of course, goes for heterosexual men and women. ((It is also no mystery why so few people marry as virgins these days.))

In Ephesians 2:3, Paul says that we are all “by nature children of wrath,” and he even ties that right to living “in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.”
God demands chastity, and He has prohibitions against fornication (sexual actions outside of marriage, and don’t fool yourself into thinking this only applies to inter-course).

Sexuality, as is made clear throughout the Scriptures, is only acceptable to God within the bonds of marriage. And marriage, as defined by creation (Adam and Eve), is something which only exists between a man and a woman. What this means is that a homosexual person is forbidden by Scriptures to both engage in sexuality outside of marriage and to marry. Given the severity with which homosexuality is treated in the Scriptures, I hope you can see just how lost our society is becoming as homosexuality (and/or bisexuality) not only becomes ever more en vogue but as marriage is redefined to include gay unions as "true marriage".

So what is a homosexual to do, then, if they cannot live out the desires they feel within, whether he or she believes they were born with them or whether they developed later in life?
They must do the same thing the liar, the murder, the hateful, the idolater, the sexually immoral, and the drunkard must do:
Repent, turn away from sin and turn to God.
They must repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand, and they will encounter the King as a merciful Savior and Redeemer.

God is more than able to give homosexuals a new nature, to remove from them the unnatural affections and to replace them with godly desires. He is able to give them strength to resist temptations.

I’m not saying the process will be easy; indeed, everyone from myself to the great apostle Paul struggles with sin, even after having experienced transforming grace. No one’s saying the termination of homosexual inclinations will be immediate.
Perhaps you’ll be able to refrain from ever again acting upon homosexual tendencies, but the tendencies will still be there. Then the goal is to refrain from acting, to refrain from even lusting after another person (whether of the same sex or different, actually), lest you commit adultery in your heart.

While it may not seem right, or fair, to have the feelings and be forbidden to act upon them, all I can offer is that the eternal reward for obedience is unbelievably worth it.

Cravings

When you are hungry have you ever gone to the refrigerator, opened the door and just stared. Nothing seemed appetizing. Nothing grabbed you as the thing that would satisfy your cravings. Sometimes we just don't know what we want.

We usually know when we are hungry, but we don't always know what it is that will really satisfy. This is true in our souls cravings as well, I believe. We haven't taken the time to gain an understanding of that which truly fulfills us. Appetites, cravings, likes and dislikes develop over time for different reasons.

When I was 8 years old, I had a birthday party with friends. My parents bought pizza for all the boys and we went bowling. The thing I remember the most about that birthday is that I threw up that pizza. And do you know I didn't eat pizza for years afterwards. Even today, a plain cheese pizza can be a thing of fear. Why? Because I associate it with being sick on my birthday! I never crave cheese pizza. My appetite was shaped by that one fateful day. I have a clear memory about why I don't like pizza, but each of us has hundreds of other appetites and cravings that we don't have any idea how they got shaped.

Our parents, our cultures, our exposures, our experiences, all take a part in shaping our likes and dislikes. But is that it? Are we just products of our environments? Or are we created to be a certain way? Are we born a certain way and there is nothing we can do to change that?
We live in an age where individual preference and choice reign supreme! Individualism seems to be celebrated at every turn. By marketing products with the prefex i, Apple has made themselves rich! The iPhone, iPod, iMac, iPad, will be found on most family Christmas lists for one individual or another. Let's not forget though, that if we wish to live a fulfilling, meaningful life, the quality of our relationships matters more than our standard of living and what new gadget we possess.

What is it that we really crave? I believe that we long to be loved and to love. Dale S. Kuehne, in his book, Sex and the iWorld, says, " Without being connected to the love God has for us, we cannot properly love others, we cannot be who we were created to be, and we become other than who we are meant to be. Our life becomes the quest to fill the hole in our heart. We often try to fill it by allowing our appetites to guide us. We gorge ourselves with food, sex, alcohol, and drugs, but none provide more than a fleeting gratification. We also try to fill the hole with work and the accumulation of things, but that doesn't work either. We grow bored and unfulfilled with each of these because none of them can satisfy our deepest longings. We have a sense that there ought to be more, but we cannot seem to find it no matter what we try."
So, are you connected to the love God has for you? Do you crave, or hunger after Him? Do you even understand your cravings? Do they lead you toward or away from the Love of God? Take some time and really think about these things today. You might be surprised at the answers you discover.

Is Love All we need?

Is love the final standard for right and wrong?

There are those who believe that any loving relationship between two consenting adults is enough to make it right in God's eyes. However, I believe that God's Word teaches that love between two men or two women is not enough to justify a homosexual relationship. Why do I believe this way? Well, first, the Bible actually teaches us that Love is not enough. Love can easily interfere with God's plan for an individual. In the Old Testament we can see that God actually asks a father to be willing to make a sacrifice of the son he loved deeply. Abraham and Isaac's dramatic testing on Mt. Moriah, found in Genesis chapter 22, illustrates an important point. Love, for anyone, no matter how legitimate the relationship, becomes sin when it surpasses our love for God.

Also, we can see that in the New Testament, Jesus warns His followers about this same issue. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14:26&33, Jesus speaks very bluntly about loving relationships getting in the way for those who want to follow after Him and be His disciple. "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father, and mother and wife and children and brother and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."..."So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Love is not enough to justify a relationship. A married man can fall deeply in love with a woman other than his wife; that will never justify adultery. Likewise, love between two men or women cannot justify a homosexual relationship. Sex is a glorious gift from God - meant to be offered back to Him either in heterosexual marriage, for procreation, union and mutual delight or in celibacy for undivided devotion to Christ. It is a given that all 1st century orthodox Jews would have held to this same standard. Why? Because they lived guided by God's Word, the Scriptures.

People who justify homosexuality because Jesus said nothing directly about homosexuality in the gospels are using a misleading and illogical argument because Scripture teaches us that Jesus kept all the Law and affirmed all the Law and the Prophets teachings (Matt. 5:17-19). Undoubtedly, this would have included the affirmation of committed, monogamous male-female marriage and an unwavering condemnation of homosexual behavior.

After all, Jesus is the one who quotes from the book of Genesis when He says in Matthew 19 that, "Have you not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? so they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

How have we gotten so far off course in our culture, and now in many churches?
Read Romans 1:24-32 for a complete explanation.

I will not be posting a blog next Monday as I am taking a break, I will return the following week to continue to look more closely at the Word of God and how it can clear up much of the confusion around us if we read it and apply it to our everyday lives.

All Have Sinned...

I believe that Jesus did not come to condemn anyone, but to redeem and free any particular form of bondage in which people find themselves. I would echo the Biblical message of compassion, forgiveness and redemption for individuals, but believe that, as a Christian, I must stand firm in moral opposition to anything that legitimizes sin and instructs children and youth in behavior that is unbiblical and harmful. However, let me say that, I also stand firm against any form of evil; including prejudice, bigotry, and violence.

My message here is to try to effectively communicate a message of liberation from sin, all sins, including sexual sins, and to convey support and understanding for those facing the reality of the power of sin to hold them in it's grip. Homosexual tendencies are just one of many disorders that Christ offers to heal. Redemption for all who have sinned is the process by which sin's power is broken, and the individual is freed to know and experience true identity as discovered in Christ, His Word and His Church.

When I was a kid I experienced a few broken bones. One broken arm comes to mind when I think about the process of healing. That day my father faithfully drove me to the hospital to get it fixed and because of the kind of break I had, before any healing could take place, some major correction must be made! My father firmly held my upper arm and the doctor grabbed my wrist and they both PULLED!!! The result was good, but the pain was NOT! The broken bone was set, a cast was applied and the miracle of healing could begin. Those two men were committed to my health and growth, NOT my comfort. If they had not intervened, I would have been handicapped for life.
I believe God is committed to our health and growth too, not our comfort. Just because it would feel better not to have to talk about sexual sins, doesn't mean we shouldn't. God's Word is full of very blunt statements which we should hear, absorb and allow to make us healthy and whole. It is my hope that this blog may help to equip you to carry out this healing partnership with the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.

Read the following Scriptures and ask the Spirit of God to grant you His wisdom:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 12:2; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 15:1-2; Galatians 6:1-2; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27.

Thank God that He is available to transform the life of all persons, including you and me!

What is Sin anyway?

I thought I should share this amazing quote with you, just so you can ponder it with me as we proceed with this blogging.

The question that is often posed about same-sex-attractions is, "Is it a sin?"
The answer to that is so well defined by what Bill Johnson wrote:

IS THIS A SIN?
"It's easy to latch onto a rating system or some set of rules that will make it clear what we will and won't do as a Christian. But no rating system can replace a heart that wants to please God. If we're to honor God with our choices, we must be willing to carefully scrutinize and evaluate how what we do attests to our love for and obedience to God. We must be willing to wrestle with our standards and often refuse to engage in behaviors that others think is permissible, if not God's permissive will.

When he was in college, the famous evangelist John Wesley wrote a letter to his mother asking her to give him a clear description of sin. Sounds like he wanted a list of do's and don'ts. But Mrs. Wesley didn't give John what he wanted. She gave him something much better.

In response, she wrote:
"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem to be in itself. It doesn't matter how others feel about it; or how popular it is, or how seemingly innocent it appears. If it hardens your heart toward God, if it obscures your awareness of the ugliness of sin and the holiness of God, if it takes the edge off your spiritual hunger, then it's sin."(Taken from "Not Even a Hint: Guarding your heart against lust," by Joshua Harris, Multnomah, 2003).

Amazing wisdom shared from mother to son. What do you think about it?

Honestly, I am so humbled by it, it makes me want to get real still and listen to the Spirit of God as He gently, yet truthfully, searches over my soul. It's kind of like going to the skin doctor to see if there are any irregular freckles. You hope the doctor doesn't find any, but if he does you let him cut them right out of your hide! And you are really glad he saved you from the horrors ahead if it was left un-checked and grew into cancer and killed you.

Sorry for the word picture, but sometimes that's what it takes for me to grasp a deep concept.

Confusion in the Church

Thirty years ago, the pro-gay viewpoint was embraced only in a few isolated congregations. Since then, however, many denominations have changed their traditional viewpoint on the subject of homosexuality. In a table discussion recently at my church, we were challenged to pray for one another because each of us is facing a culture which is increasingly pro-gay. So, I thought I would begin blogging about this in an attempt to provide a Biblical response.

There have been several trends over the past 100 years which made today's debate over homosexuality inevitable. During the twentieth century, a growing number of churches began to drift away from the traditional view of the Word of God. The Bible's ideas were increasingly seen as dated and no longer applicable to our time and culture.

An individuals personal experiences rose to a higher place of authority than the Scriptures. What modern science said, or what my own experiences told me, became the most important criteria on which to evaluate moral issues.

Laying a foundation: In today's debate within the church, arguments about homosexuality usually center around a few isolated biblical verses. Often overlooked is the foundational teaching on human sexuality, as presented in the first chapter of Genesis: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27). Immediately after their creation, God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and increase in number" by means of sexual procreation (v. 28).

The Word of God reveals that any alteration of this pattern is a distortion of God's original plan. When sex occurs between men and women without a lifelong comitment (fornacation or adultery), or between two men or two women (homosexual "marriage"), or one man and multiple "wives" (polygamy), these acts are outside of God's perfect plan (His will).

It takes Faith:Anyone who is willing to base their life on Faith in God, not on feelings, knows that our faith will be tested; temptations, trials, and tribulations will come.It all comes down to WHO you will trust. Hebrews 11 tells us; "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear".

I look at it this way, if God made it, it's His. He owns it. Since He owns it, He gets to make the rules. If I am willing to accept His authority as my God, I am willing to let His word be the guide for my life. I know that my feelings, one way or another, could really get me confused. After all, sometimes I feel a certain way because I didn't get enough sleep, or have had too much caffine, or got cut off in traffic,...you get the drift. So, which do you choose to live by...If it feels good, do it...or...Do you think God has a right to make rules about our lives?

I'll be on this topic for a while I think...you might want to read about the "born that way" theory in this article

Abraham - Father of our faith

God told Abraham to leave his country and move to an unknown land. Because Abram didn't know where he was going, he had to put faith in God to lead him one day at a time. How's your faith for today?
The words belief, faith, confidence and trust are often used interchangeably. True faith is built on the FACTS, not the feelings you may have.
Remember, it's not the amount of faith you have, but in whom you are placing your faith.

The one from beyond

Did you know that because Abraham lived a semi-nomadic life the locals called him a hebrew, which means a wanderer, the one from beyond? If you read chapter 6 in the Stranger book, you will see that the word righteousness is used in reference to God's perfection, that he is flawless, holy, pure, clean, totally without blemish or sin. As Aaron helped us to see on Sunday in church, we are not without blemish are we?
But like God did with Abraham, he has credited our accounts with righteousness. The word credited carries the thought of settling a monetary account through a payment. We like seeing money credited to our bank accounts don't we?

But what does the Bible mean when it says, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Remember the Certificate of Death that every human has as a result of sin? You've got one too. Now, Abram believed God's promises, God placed a credit on his account. He gave Abram righteousness. I love this! Insert your name in this next part.God is saying," _Tom_, because you are trusting in me, I'm going to make an advance payment on your sin account. I'm going to place my perfection on your ledger. Now you need to understand my righteousness far exceeds your sinfulness. What I am giving you will more than offset all your sin. You can consider your sin-debt as paid. And because I am giving you my righteousness, it will not only take care of your sin-debt, but it will fully provide you with all the perfection needed to live with me in Heaven."

We know that eventually Abraham's body died, but Abraham did not experience the horrific penalty associated with the second death. He knew he would live with God in Heaven. Do you know that for certain? I hope so, it's the greatest news ever! God always tells the truth!

Remember, it is not the amount of faith you have, but in Whom you are placing your trust. Believe that the Lord is telling the truth and then act upon that belief.
That's what Abraham and Sarah did too!

Babel

Babel is the first incident of an organized religion recorded in the Bible. Babel, or what became known as Babylon, is often used in Scripture as an example of man's religious efforts.

Did you know that? Did you also know that today is the first day of Ramadan? Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان‎ Ramaḍān, Arabic pronunciation: [rɑmɑdˤɑːn]) (also Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan, Ramdan, Ramadaan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn until sunset.[1] Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility and spirituality and is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله‎, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year depending on the moon. Muslims believe Ramadan to be the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

The Stranger book tells us that a good definition of the word religion is this: Man's efforts to reach God. Man, by nature, tends to be very religious. He is constantly searching for or creating new ways to find God. But it's a hopeless pursuit! Mankind is LOST and cannot find his way back to God on his own. Man can neither get rid of his sin nor find adequate righteousness to make himself acceptable to the LORD.

That is why Christianity is not a religion. The Bible teaches that the only true way to God was provided by the LORD himself, when, in his mercy, he reached down to man and provided man with a way to escape the punishment for sin. It is God who rescues us. He's the Savior. The Bible makes it clear that it is the LORD who...
...devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.
2 Samuel 14:14

Did you know the word babel means confusion? this world seems very confused, doesn't it?

Chapter Five - Man's Problem

We learned that centuries ago in the Middle East, when one incurred a debt, an official certificate was drafted so that the parties involved would not forget the amount payable. Those who were unable to pay their debts were considered criminals under full penalty of the law. In the same way, the Bible teaches that on the moral ledger, our sin incurs a debt. There's a price to be paid. We are faced with...
Romans 8:2 ...the law of sin and death.
Ezekiel 18:20 ...That law says: The soul who sins shall die.
We have a two faceted dilemma, like opposite sides of the same coin.
*we have something we don't want - a sin problem
*we need something we don't have - perfection. We need a level of goodness that makes us acceptable in God's presence.

So we must find the answer to this two-fold question: How can we get rid of our sin? And how can we gain a righteousness that is equal to God's righteousness, so that we can be accepted in His presence?

God's situation:
Now we find a paradox. To be completely just, God must enforce our payment of the sin-debt - we must die.
But because God is loving, he has no desire to destroy us. Bot qualities of his character are equal. God is not more loving than he is just. So how can God maintain justice and still be loving?

The solution:
Two big words help to describe God's solution to the problem:
1. Substitution - a life for a life, the innocent died for the guilty
2. Atonement - meaning covering - the blood shed covered man's sin

Remember, God is the only solution for our sin problem. You cannot fix this. Only God can make the way of salvation through His promised deliverer.

The Bible states that the same pride that caused Satan to rebel is what will keep us from coming to God for help. The Lord can only help man escape the penalty of death when man humble himself and seeks God's help.

Using your Bible, find and read these verses:
Psalm 96:10; Psalm 98:9, Psalm 101:1; Isaiah 61:8; 1 Peter 5:5

I am so happy that Jesus gave His life for me AND that His blood covers over my sin so God doesn't see my sin, but sees Christ's righteousness instead!

Have a blessed week,
Pastor Tom

Chapter Five - Man's Problem

chapter four - I Will

Before we move on to chapter four...did you read the bit about evolution and creationism at the end of chapter three? Take a look at it and also check out the website www.AnswersInGenesis.org it is a great website that really does answer so many of the big questions around this issue. I also have a library of books by Ken Ham if you want to stop by and take one out on loan.

Now for Chapter four: This chapter helps so much in our understanding of ourselves and sin. Especially this issue of "I will" and pride. Isn't it so true that whenever we get our eyes off of God's plan and onto something that will puff up our image it leads to sin! We need to be God-centered people, not "I" centered. But that is so hard to keep straight! It makes sense that the devil started all of that way back then and it has been passed on through Adam ever since doesn't it?

A few questions for you to answer:

1. Lucifer's rebellion was driven by his own ______.
2. To God, a proud heart is a self-centered form of _____.
3. When Satan arrived in the garden, he planted something in Eve's mind that she had never considered -- the creature could ____________ the Creator.
4. Satan first twisted God's Word to cause Eve to doubt God, then he outright _______ it.
5. Just as defying the law of gravity can lead to broken bones, so violating God's Word has ramifications. The most bitter consequence of sin is _____________.

Now that Adam has sinned man has a sin nature, often called Adam's nature. This nature is man's condition -- it's like a sickness. The symptoms of that condition are acts of sin.
Read Romans 5:12 and Matthew 25:41

Man has a big problem that only God can solve...stay tuned and keep reading so you can see the amazing beauty of God's plan unfold!

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

Hi all here is the post for the Stranger on the road to Emmaus. chapter Three

Part One: Heaven & Earth

1. The first book in the bible is Genesis which means beginnings. True or false?
2. What means did God use to create? He used Angels, or He used the basic elements, or He spoke?
3. The Bible states that god is an extremely intelligent being but is limited in knowledge. true or false?
4. The Bible clearly teaches the concept of pantheism- That God is in everything, and everything is God. True or False/

for further consideration read Psalm33 verses 8 and 9 , Psalm 139 verses 1 thru 6, Isaiah Chapter 40 verse25 and 26 and 28

Part two: It was good:

1. The Bible says it took God seven days to create the world. true or false?
2. The Scriptures indicate that the world, as orginally created, was differant from what we now know. True or False?
   
3. In what ways was it different?

Part Three Man & Woman

1. The Bible says that man was created in the image of God. In part this means that God created man with: a Mind, a physical body, emotions a will ( three are correct)
2. Which statement is true? God breathed life into man, Man became alive on his own, or An angel brought man to life?
3. What does the name Eve mean? Servant, Life-Giver, Woman?
4. The Bible says that mankind was created to reflect god's grandeur- to honor Him as a son honors his father. True or false
5. The bible teaches us that only perfect people can live with in the presence of as perfect God. true or false?

For further consideration: In Papua New Guinea, the culture dictates that "he who creates the paddle owns the paddle." In a Bible find and read these verses that illustrates the Creator Owner connection: 1 chronicles 29:11 & 12, Psalm 24: verse 1 & 2, Psalm 47 verse 2

Also many Bibles have a concordance in the back. This is a tool to help one find a verse. For example, let's say you can remember that God said he would create man in His own image, but yoy cannot remember where the verse is found. Try finding this verse using the concordance by looking up the word Image:

So God created man in His own image, in the Image of God He created him; male and female he created them.

See all next week,
Gary

By This Name

HI all,

We are now in Chapter three. I really hope you are all getting a lot from your reading time. I if you are putting in the time, you are building up a sure foundation in Christ.
Well here are the questions for this week.
Part One: Three Attributes

1. The Bible says that the Lord Yahweh is the only one who possesses these attributes: All - Knowing, all Powerful, Everywhere Present at one time, all of the above?
2. In Scripture, who else is ascribed all the characteristics of the Lord Yahweh? other gods, and goddess, human beings, no one?
3. Though the Lord is everywhere at one time, he is not a part of nature. True or False
4. Just as a tribal man is not part of his canoe paddle, so the lord God is distinct from His creation. True or false

Part Two: Order & law

1. The sun and the moon fit into which category? the maker ( Creator) or what was made ( creation)?
2. The universe functions with amazing precision, showing that the Lord is a God of [chance/order]?
3. The Bible says Yahweh is faithful and consistent. True or false?
4. The word righteous means: holier than-thou. upright, Honest, and honorable. hard working , clean, and charitable.

Part Four: Perfect and caring

1. The Bible says that God provides: only what we need, or everything for our enjoyment, or Nothing, we are expected to care for ourselves.
2. To show care is a form of _________________ manipulation or Self Centeredness or Love or weakness?

Part Five: The Image of God:

1. Man was created in the image of God. This means that we are exact duplicates of the Lord with all of His attributes. True or False?
2. Only Lord Yahweh can impart life. No other person, spirit, or god can do that. True Or False?

Part Six: Higher yet Near:

1. Even at best , our understanding of Yahweh is limited. True or false?
2. The Lord is distant and uncommunicative. True or false?
3. (mark two) Adam & Eve: belonged to God because the Lord was their Creator. and or were created as gods. and or were given the responsibility of taking care of the earth.?
4. (mark two) Because Adam & eve were innocent of any sort of evil or wrong, They had a perfection that allowed them to live in the presence of God. and or There was a relationship __ a friendship__ between God and Man?
5. When the Lord created the world, it was incomplete, or it had problems, or it was perfect.

I just want to say stay up on the answering the questions and letting the Holy Spirit drive this deep with in you.

Blessing,
Gary

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

Hi everyone here are the questions from chapter two. How are you enjoying the book so far? How is the Lord using this book in your life? Please share your thoughts:)


Questions from Chapter 2

1. The bible says that God created himself in eternity past? True Or false
2. According to the bible , what does God need to exist?(choose one) the basic essentials of all life. Eternal matter. Nothing.
3. The name LORD focuses our attention on God's position_ He is LORD of lords. True or False
4. The Bible states that God is sovereign, which means He is the __________ of the Universe. Lord or Ruler or King.
5. The Bible clearly states that there is only ___ ____ ___ God.
6. The Bible says that God is invisible. He is a ___ __ __ __ __ __ .

For Further consideration:

Find and read and think on these verses Psalm 102: verse 12; Psalm 8: verse 1; Jeremiah Chapter 10 Verse 10 All these are in the old testament.



Angels, Host, and Stars

1. The Bible indicates that angels are; Innumerable, invisible, equal to God which one wrong.
2. Angelic beings were created to serve God. True or false
3. What was the Latin name used for the most powerful, most beautiful spirit ever created? was it Gabriel or Lucifer or Michael
4. The word anointed means "to set apart for a special task". True or False
5. The Bible states that God is worthy of: nothing or praise?

For Further consideration


Read, and think, and share on these Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 6, psalm 145 verse3, and Revelation chapter 4 verse 11( Revelation is in the New Testament)


Have a blessed week,
Gary

By This Name

Hi all,
I hope you are enjoying reading this book. I will be posting once a week so you kind of know the schedule. The beginning questions we looked at pertained to both books. So now we will look at each one separately.

Our veiw of the Bible as a whole will determine the way we recieve instruction from it. For instance the Lord creating the world in six days. We have been so brain washed by the culture around us we have added The Lord to our list of gods. We believe science over the Word of the Lord. Science tells us this world we live in happen by chance. That it took millions of years to form, so we take this and try to fit this into Genesis chapter one. In stead of just excepting what the Lord is saying to us through his Word. You know if you just wait long enough the evidence always proves the Bible wright.

So lets look at some questions.

1. It would be hard to nail down a unifying theme for the ancient Egyptian religion, as they revered no: What?
2. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun god Ra as the supreme deity. True or False
3. Religion pervaded every facet of Egyptian life, involving such things as?( one of these following statements is wrong) charms, magic, and secrets incantations. the public celebrations of religious holidays. the worship of the Hebrew god.
4. it was ______________ who spoke to Moses from the burning bush?
5. What two responses did the Lord give Moses when Moses asked for the Lord's name?
6. The names I Am and Yahweh mean essentially the same thing, What is the meaning?

Chapter Two

1. Genesis the first book of the Bible means what ?
2. The Bible begins with well reasoned arguments for the existence of Yahweh. True or False
3. What is one of the main differences between Yahweh and the Egyptian gods ?
4. How does Scripture describe The Lord Yahweh? as a universal force. or a divine mind, or a living being with character and personality.
5. ( Mark Two) The Bible says that God is a spirit. This means that: he cannot communicate with mankind. he cannot be seen with human eyes. he does not have character and personality. he is without a physical body or bodily functions.

Angels & Stars

1. ( pick one)According to the Bible, spirits are: abstract impersonal forces. persons or beings capable of thought and feeling. a figment of our imaginations.
2. The Bible is clear that angels do not live in temples, houses,rocks,trees, or rivers. True or False.
3. Just as the tribal man who _________ the paddle, also ___________ the paddle, Yahweh is also a Creator- _____________.
4. Angels are distinct from the Lord Yahweh because He is the (circle one) created/Creator) whereas the angels are ( circle one) created/ Creators)

Well that's it for this week, I pray that you continue to read and learn then disciple someone else.

In Christ,
Gary

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

Hi Everyone,

I see that we sold out of both books on Sunday so those of you who start a little later can follow a long. The temptation will be to skip a head remember please do not do this because the purpose is to follow in order the book.

I am challenged by the author to do something that requires a lot of discipline for me. That is sticking with the flow of a book or story. If I am familiar with something I tend to want to skip ahead. I found by resisting this temptation I was pleasantly surprised with a few thoughts I never thought of before.

Here are few questions from the work book to answer.

1. The Bible is the oldest and longest bestseller. True or false
2. In many ways, the bible is like a puzzle - to understand it accurately, the pieces must be put together in the right way. true or false
3. The Bible addresses many different subjects and themes. if you randomly mix these themes or subjects together, the result will be:

• a clear understanding of the bible
• confusion

• The Bible is a Collection of how many different books?
• How many people did God use to write these books?
• Over how many years did it take to write the entire bible?
• According to Scripture who was the author of every single book of the bible?
• What significant claim does the bible make about itself in relation to God?

For further consideration:

How can we tell a real prophet of God?
read Deuteronomy Chapter 18 Verse 20 and Verse 22
what did you learn/


Please read the following verses, What are they telling us about the book you are holding in your hand ( The Bible)?

2 Timothy Chapter 3 verse16

2 Peter Chapter 1 verse 20 & 21

Psalm 119 Verse 160

It OK to use the Table of contents to find these books. ( that is what it is there for)

Have Fun!

Pastor Gary

The Books have arrived

This Sunday at church you can pick up your Stranger book to begin the summer reading/blogging challenge. If you want to read another version of the Stranger, called By This Name, it is also available. I have read By This Name and it really helped me to be prepared to talk with people who think all religions are the same, and that all roads lead to heaven. So, both books will be discussed in this blog over the summer. I hope you will join us,
Tom

We will begin soon!

Hi everyone,
We are waiting for the books, Stranger, to be delivered. Once they are here at the Chapel all of you who are going to begin this study with us can pick one up at cost. I will keep you posted! It should be any day now!
Pastor Gary Wood and myself will be sharing the blogging over the summer. There are times when I will not be available because of missions trips, a wedding in California, and family vacation. So, Gary and I will work as a team to keep all of you updated and challenged.
Blessings,
Tom

The Big Picture is a Must

The thought of studying the Bible can be very intimidating. It's a big book. It's also a controversial book. Is there any hope in understanding it? I'll answer, "Yes". All you really want to do is begin to understand it's core message. Many people watch more hours of TV or play more hours of video games than it takes the average person to complete a walk through the Bible's primary message.
This summer we, at Holden Chapel, are using The Stranger, by John Cross because it is a clear and simple explanation of the world's best seller, the Bible. This blog will help keep a dialogue going over the summer months which will hopefully encourage you to study the Bible using The Stranger too. My hope is that by the end of this summer Jesus will no longer be a stranger to any of you!
Tom

Stranger on the Road

Let's begin to study God's Word