5 Reasons to Study the Bible
Dr. David Noebel shares five reasons to read and study the Bible, including one from an unexpected source — Dr. Richard Dawkins. Read more → Source
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1. Breakpoint re-shared an article on how to save the Supreme Court by Chuck Colson that's just as relevant (and clever) today.
2. Robert Alexander shared an article on "essential truths for your everyday work" at The Gospel Coalition. Source The War on God and His People
By Craig Manners 19th February 2016 Whether we want it or not, it seems a type of war is upon us. There is a new power rising in the West and they cannot co-exist peaceably with the people of the Source of Western greatness. There is no doubt that the moral foundations which underpinned the greatness of Western culture, economic prosperity, individual freedoms and political stability are under advanced and relentless attack from the ideological movement behind the assault on nearly everything good we have thought secure. The assault is so advanced that there may well be no turning back. There may also be no time of earthly peace in the foreseeable future for any who oppose the new power. The radical mob sweeping through our society, silencing all opposition, will take no prisoners, especially Christian ones. Why? Well, the teachings of Christianity are very much at odds with what they are proposing as the replacements for marriage, family, economic systems, system of government... They therefore do not like that, therefore the whole Christian church, their Bible, Christian schools, charities, politicians, businesses, music, public influence, etc. etc. are all in their sights. Because of this clash of worldviews, as this emboldened new power continues to rise, a tsunami of discrimination against and persecution of Christians is forecast. Does the Christian fear persecution? They shouldn't. Throughout the 2000 years since Jesus established His Church some of the periods of the greatest church growth and influence for good in this world, have always come about as a result of persecution. As Tertullian once said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." The Church cannot be defeated by anyone or anything and Jesus remains on His throne whether the godly or the ungodly rule on earth. Just as God remains God whether an atheist believes in Him or not. So, God's will be done whether we live in times of peace or times of turmoil. It is not a time for the Christian to withdraw from the public square but a time to bravely engage more fully. If we love God and our fellow people we are obliged to speak the truth, defend the weak, and help to build a society where all people, including all our fellow sinners, can live peaceable lives. We do not know whether the West is coming under some divine judgement at present or not, although it is likely so at least in part. But we do know that we are all sinners and that the only peace available for any human heart and soul, the only rest available for our restless lives, is only to be found in trusting in Jesus Christ. Whatever happens to our culture, country or anything in this life, Christians have something which cannot be taken away or defeated. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 "One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you." - by Mary Stevenson There are right and wrong uses of sex. The right use is good for you the wrong use is bad for you.23/2/2016 God's View of Sex
By Billy Graham From the very beginning, God has given us moral laws governing the subject of sex that are absolute and unchangeable. Nowhere does the Bible teach that sex in itself is a sin. But from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible condemns the wrong use of sex. The Bible teaches that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). We allow our magazine shelves to be filled with obscene literature. Our young people have very little restraint placed on them. In many universities religion is frowned on and sexual freedom is idolized. In the midst of this darkness, the Word of God stands as a beacon. It speaks either to assure us of the right or to condemn us when wrong. According to the Bible, morals are not relative. They are absolute. When Moses stood on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, which are the basis of all moral law, God said to him, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). There is nothing in the Bible that would lead us to believe that God has ever lowered His standards. The seventh commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). This commandment has never been revoked or changed in the slightest degree. Jesus went further and said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). All the way through the Bible, immorality is listed along with murder and idolatry. In the Old Testament God demanded the death penalty for this sin. God hated it to such an extent that if persons were proved to be guilty, they were to be stoned. Jesus hated this sin so much that He said it is the only thing that can break a sacred marriage contract. The Bible teaches that this sin leads to hell. “For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell” (Proverbs 5:3-5). In 1 Corinthians 6, the Bible says that no immoral person can inherit the kingdom of God. There are hundreds of passages that indicate the wrath of God is being stored up against those who commit such sins. God destroyed whole cities because of immorality, and He ordered Israel to destroy nations because of their perversions. God has not changed. What was wrong from the beginning is still wrong today in God’s sight. There is no variableness nor shadow of turning with God. He is absolute. And I warn you that His wrath is going to explode upon those who are immoral and upon those who encourage others to indulge in immoral practices. While it is true that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20), God will judge men and women by the Law. The Bible says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1). Romans 1 not only exposes moral sin, but it sets forth the basis upon which God will judge such sin. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:28-32). Three times this chapter says that God “gave them up” or “gave them over.” Men and women became so immoral that even God “gave up.” In other words, they hardened their heart and deadened their conscience to such an extent that they could no longer hear the voice of God. They were blinded, hardened and deadened to conscience. You may continue in your sins and evade the social consequences in this life, but you will never evade God’s Law. Even as the Bible says, “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Leviticus 26:14-18). Many people say, “But we are not under law—we are under grace.” Jesus did teach a new theology. The real truth is that now, Christ having died for our sins, God views them more seriously than ever. The Bible says, “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:28-31). We flaunt our evil and corruption into the face of Almighty God as though God were completely indifferent. We glorify the twin crimes of sexual perversion and drunkenness, which have spelled doom for other nations. Men and women openly condemn immorality but secretly get a vicarious thrill out of reading in the newspapers the moral deviations of movie stars, socialites and public figures. Such times of moral degradation have taken place before in the history of the nations. There have been few that have survived the deadening effect. The truth that is often overlooked is that while we become deeply concerned and rightly take steps to curb the evil, legislation cannot work a cure in these things. Many people are confident that legislation will solve our problem. Our problem is deeper than that. It is the constant problem of the individual sinner before God. Whether the sin is privately or publicly expressed, it is still the individual who stands guilty before God. It is the individual who must cry out to God for salvation from his or her personal sin. While we have an obligation to take steps to curb the outbreak of sin, we have a higher responsibility for the protection of our youth. Young people must be brought before God’s answer to the problem. The temptation to sin, and the evil that results from yielding to temptation, is more than an unaided man or woman can overcome. The disposition to sin is so overpowering that apart from the grace and power of God we cannot solve our problems. Unless God lifts us out of our sin, we will forever remain in it. Perhaps you have been confronted with temptations to sin and have found yourself unable to rise above them. The law has condemned you before God and has done its rightful work. Paul said, “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20), and you, hearing the standards set forth in God’s law, have said within yourself, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:18-24). Many have tried with all sincerity to live according to these requirements of the law, and have been plunged into despair, being unable to fulfill them. And all the requirements must be fulfilled, for the Bible says that “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). What a horrible condemnation this is, and yet this is the Scripture. But God, knowing our inability because of sin, has graciously made provision for all our need, great as it is. While we are unable in ourselves to live up to the law, and while in our weakened condition through sin we can only acknowledge its correctness, yet there is mercy with the Lord. To the desperate soul, fully aware of all his or her sin and failure, there comes the joyful assurance: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! … There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:25-8:1). Turn from sin and temptation today. Ask Christ to come into your life, and surrender yourself to Him. Source: ©1953 (renewed 1981), 1998 BGEA Here are a few interesting links from Summit Ministries this week:
1. AXIS released an interview with Lee Strobel on evangelism this week. 2. Michael Liccione wrote at Intellectual Takeout about why the culture wars are philosophy wars. 3. At First Things, David Blankenhorn examines how the idea of marriage has shifted and the accompanying consequences. 4. ICYMI: Christian thinker James K.A. Smith gave a great 30-minute explanation of the Bible's view of freedom & flourishing at City Church in 2014. Source Christian Colleges & Gender Identity. The Next Assault on Religious Freedom?
By John Stonestreet 18th Feb 2016 According to some, including a few folks in government, religious liberty is code for religious bigotry. You’ve probably heard of Title IX, the federal law signed by President Nixon in 1972 “that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.” Title IX is probably best known for its effect on women’s athletics by mandating equitable treatment with men’s teams. Of course, discrimination against women and girls on the basis of their sex is a bad thing, and so Title IX—though not a perfect piece of legislation—has done a lot of good. But the federal government has a habit of extending legislation beyond its intended reach, and that’s what is happening right now with Title IX. The Department of Education, under pressure from LGBT groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and some legislators, has agreed to create a public, searchable database of Christian colleges and universities that obtained Title IX waivers based on claims of religious freedom. These exemptions—which, for example, allow religious schools to provide male-only or female-only dorms—have been granted routinely since the law’s passage, but all that may be beginning to change. According to a report in WORLD magazine, the HRC has “accused Christian institutions of ‘hidden discrimination’ for obtaining Title IX waivers.” Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Wyden and several other Democratic senators have asked the department to increase transparency around the waivers because, they charge, the waivers “allow for discrimination under the guise of religious liberty.” To what are these senators referring and why is the nation’s largest LGBT group getting involved? Well back in 2014, the Department of Education quietly expanded its interpretation of the word “sex” to include “gender identity.” So, absent a religious exemption, schools that want to honor Christ in their teaching and lifestyle standards could be vulnerable to charges of Title IX discrimination if, for example, they tried to deny a male who “identifies as a female” from living in a women’s dorm, or participating on a female sports team, or using a woman’s public restroom. Now perhaps I’m being suspicious, but it seems that a public, searchable database like this really has no real purpose other than to “out” those institutions that wish to stand for biblical values. The database would allow people who disagree with their Christian mission to target these colleges for harassment and possible legal challenge. With WORLD, I wonder whether this database is basically just “a hit list of Christian colleges.” Efforts like this undermine our First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, association, and speech—much like we’ve seen in the ongoing efforts to punish and shut down Christian business owners who refuse to participate in so-called “same-sex” marriages. We’ve also seen this Administration attempt to force religious institutions, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor and Wheaton College, to provide health insurance in ways that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and others, are speaking out. “Institutions that have received an exemption are simply following the law,” the CCCU told WORLD. “What is unfortunate in this recent development is not that the list of schools that received an exemption is being made public, rather that the exemptions are being portrayed as something nefarious.” What’s really nefarious in my book is the attempt to intimidate religious schools for doing nothing other than living up to their own beliefs. As one critic has said, it’s shameful. There is no question that our liberties are under intentional, systematic assault. The question is how the Church and those who value our freedoms will respond: will we defend them? And will we model Christ as we do? Source
Here is another big question: Can we trust the Bible? It is the biggest selling, most questioned and rigorously critiqued and tested, the most influential book of all time, responsible for the greatest periods of human freedoms and flourishing in history. Have you read it yet?
Why not have a read this year. Just start with one of the gospels, maybe Mark and then maybe try Ecclesiastes and then go to Matthew and keep reading, or start a methodical reading plan. God wants to speak to you directly, so ask God to help you, to reveal Himself to you and speak to you. Read it honestly with an open mind with the goal of making up your own mind, rather than being prejudiced by our culture or media. The stakes are high so take it seriously. There is a good online resource at Bible Gateway too. Take your questions to any Bible believing church on any Sunday morning and they will willingly answer them for you. Looking for answers to life's big questions? Go to the source. To help your investigation here is an answer to the question: What is Christianity all about?
Our Intolerant Media
By Craig Manners 4th February 2016 Veteran journalist Kerry O’Brien recently said, "The health of the democracy can partly be measured by the health of its media and I don't think the health of our government, of our democracy, is great right now… I don't think our politics is in a great state and I don't think our media is in a great state."[1] I fully agree. Like Hydra infiltrating Shield in “Captain America - The Winter Soldier,” the enemies of freedom seem to have infiltrated our media, institutions and political elite in Australia. This infiltration has reached such a critical mass that the boldness in the political interference, pro-social-engineering, left-wing bias, disregard for democracy, and anti-Western Civilization is no less than what one would expect from an intolerant, authoritarian ideological movement out to remove all those who oppose them. The war of world views is upon us and is dividing Australian society as if we were in a civil war without guns. So far the infiltrators are winning and are increasing their positions of influence throughout Australia, not just in the media, along with a correlating increase in the number and size of big sticks they control, and are anxious to use. This ideological coup in Australia has the potential to take away the hard won freedoms we have grown complacent in taking for granted. The stakes really are that high. People never give up their freedom willingly do they? It has to be taken from them by deceit or force. Our freedom is under imminent threat of being taken by deceit. [1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-03/kerry-obrien-laments-state-australian-politics-media/7131108 Jesus Himself referred back to the beginning when talking about marriage; about God’s beautiful plan for men and women, for marriage, and for families. Sometimes, governments make bad laws and get things very wrong. But that is no reason to abandon the truth about marriage and family, it just means we need to understand it more and live it out in the midst of a hostile society as best we can. Remaining faithful to God is always the best thing for us to do and as happened with Daniel, this has earthly rewards as well as heavenly ones.
In the year ahead we will be bombarded with more of the same persistent arguments to change our marriage laws. Burying one's head in the sand and hoping this will go away is no longer an option for parents. If you are not talking to your children about this they will be doing so in their school playground or getting their answers from the media. It is better it comes from you than from the culture. Marriage was founded by God as being for one man and one woman, Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve as the old joke goes. It is not something men have authority to change. It is simply " born this way". The move to undermine marriage is another step in the attempt to normalize damaging nonsense. God makes it clear what sex is and isn't. His reaction to widespread bad behavior when it was rampant in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah should be enough to convince Christians that going down this path will have devastating consequences for our nation. Christians are to show love to all people, including those trapped in any sin including sexual immorality. We are, like God does with His people when He saves them, to love the sinner but hate the sin. We show zero love to someone by encouraging them in their damaging behavior. This requires us to speak up and act to defend marriage and family this year but to try to make it clear that it is the behavior we are against, not the people. Normalizing unnatural and unhealthy behavior in our society, with the mental, emotional and potentially physical damage this normalization process is doing to our nation's children, is a very clear form of child abuse. Children need protection from dangerous behavior not encouragement. Defending marriage and family therefore becomes one of defending and protecting children. So don't be intimidated, silenced or afraid to join in the defense of marriage and family in 2016, as it is a just and noble cause. It has historically been a role of government to restrain such damaging behavior, but if our governments fail in their duty to protect children, family and our nation's moral foundations, then it is incumbent on the citizens of Australia to speak up. So, speak to children about this, and also engage all the politicians you can engage with, and do whatever else you can do in the coming year or so until the plebiscite puts an end to this distressing part of Australia's young and so far free history. |
Craig MannersWhile much of what is written in this Blog may currently appear to be counter-cultural, given our post-truth culture, it is in no way counter-human beings. I am always for people no matter what they think, do, or may have done in their past. Where I put forward ideas or debate against certain ideology, behaviour, ideas, movements, politics, I remain very much on the side of the human beings even though I may be opposed to their worldview, behaviour and politics. Such opposition is generally out of concern for the ultimate consequences of such behaviour or ideas, especially for children. |