Love, Christianity, Jesus and Salvation

The Death Of God

2010-01-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

Christians lament the gradual decline of American culture and desire to try to fix it. That's the American way. We fix things that are broken. But American culture can not be fixed, because God does not live in the hearts of most American's... including the vast majority who call themselves Christians. To them the true God is dead and they have created a god of their own in their own image. And that gives us the answer.

We cannot expect those who are enemies of God to act in a way that honors God. Trying to force them to honor and glorify God through laws or public pressure will not work. You can legislate morality. One of the chief purposes of government is to restrain evil and sin, and one of the tools of government are laws which help accomplish this. But trying to force God's enemies to honor and glorify Him through civil law, even if the civil law could be put into place, will not work. This is not a battle of the physical bodies or even of minds. This is a spiritual battle... a spiritual war that has been raging for 6,000 years. The only way this war can be won is through the Word of God, and the gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior, Lord and God.

Are you sharing the good news about Jesus Christ with others?

Hate Laws "Protect" Everyone Except Christians

2009-12-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

In the U.K. Lillian Ladele lost her appeal against a ruling by an Employment Appeal Tribunal. She is a government worker who had refused to conduct a gay civil union ceremony. Her job is to register births, deaths and marriages for the London borough of Islington.

"The decision of the Court of Appeal is another setback for Bible-believing Christians," said Andrea Minichiello Williams, director of U.K.-based Christian Concern for our Nation. "If this kind of legal precedent is followed it will prove increasingly difficult for Christians to participate fully in public life without contravening their conscience."

In it's initial ruling the Employment Appeal Tribunal stated that the Islington council "placed a greater value on the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community than it placed on the rights of Ms. Ladele as one holding an orthodox Christian belief."

In December 2008 that initial ruling was overturned, and the new ruling stated that the council had the right to require all its registrars to conduct all the services. Last week the court of appeals affirmed the appeal tribunal's decision.

Read more here...

World Government

2009-12-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here's someone who predicted what would happen two months before it did, and has interesting insights on what is to come. If you've read your Bible you know what uniting everyone under a world government means.

U.S. Hate Crimes Bill

2009-12-13T13:07:00.001-08:00

With everything that has been going on did you notice that just over a month ago President Obama signed into a law a hate crimes law. It adds to the list of federal hate crimes attacks on people based on their sexual orientation. The way this type of law has been interpreted in other countries is that, if your pastor preaches against homosexuality, and someone in the congregation attends a homosexual rights rally and happens to jostle a homosexual (that has been considered violence), your pastor is guilty of inciting a hate crime.

Read an article about the hate crimes law.

You can be found guilty of a hate crime for teaching your children what the Bible says about homosexuality. Schools will increase their promotion of homosexuality as being good and right, because that's how to teach children be be loving.

Ten Year Old Girl Forced To Attend Public School Because of Her Christian Beliefs

2009-12-13T12:55:00.001-08:00

A court in New Hampshire ordered a ten year old home school girl to attend public school instead of being home schooled. Why?

Was it because she was falling behind academically? No, she was doing better than the children in public school.

Was it because she was not socially developing? No, she was outgoing, happy and "well-adjusted."

What was the reason? Because her mother was raising her daughter to be a evangelical Christian. According to the court order the girl “appeared to reflect her mother’s rigidity on questions of faith” and that the girl’s interests “would be best served by exposure to a public school setting” and “different points of view at a time when she must begin to critically evaluate multiple systems of belief...in order to select, as a young adult, which of those systems will best suit her own needs.”

In other words, parents cannot teach their Christian beliefs to their children.

Did you know that under communism in the Soviet Union there was religious freedom. That was the law of the land. How it worked was that you could practice your religion inside the walls of your church. But, you could not talk about your religion outside of the church. And you could not discuss your religion, or teach your religion to your children in your home.

Love

2009-12-05T08:48:00.001-08:00

You love Jesus Christ only as much as the person you love the least.

World To End in 2015

2009-11-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't get the date wrong. Everyone is saying that the world will end in 2012. But I have hard, physical evidence the world will end in 2015.

I was cleaning my old file drawers today and in one of my engineering files I found a perpetual calendar. I know it is accurate because I found it with my engineering papers. And here is the proof...

The word "perpetual" means forever, and this calendar ends with 2015. That means the world will end in 2015!! Take a look for yourself. Here's the calendar:

What do you think? 2012 or 2015?

Does it make any difference? What are we supposed to do about this? Share the good news with non-believers. It doesn't matter if the world is going to end this evening, in 2012, or 1,000 years from now. We are commanded to share the good news about Jesus Christ. When is the last time you told someone about Jesus?

Does God Obey All Of The Ten Commandments?

2009-11-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

Does God keep the sabbath? Apparently not.

Jesus had healed an man who had been ill for 38 years, and he did it on the sabbath. (John chapter 5) When questioned by the Jews Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

God works on the Sabbath! Isn't that a sin, not keeping the Sabbath?

We read in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus (God) is holding the universe together: "...and upholds all thing by the word of His power."

So Jesus must be working seven days a week, because the universe does not go on pause every seven days. Colossians 1:17 says the same thing:

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

So God breaks the Ten Commandments... or does He?

In Mark 2:27 Jesus says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

What about Genesis where it says the God rested on the seventh day? In fact, some people say the God is still resting and that we are still in the seventh day. That can't be true because the verses we just looked at say that God is working on the time. So what does Genesis say?

"By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He Rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."

Genesis just says that God rested from the work that He had done. By the way, does God need rest? No. And notice that it says He rested from "what He had done." This is talking about God having completed creation, and as an example to us He rested from His creation work, but He did not stop doing everything else that He does. God continued to work... on the seventh day.

So is God giving us a commandment He does not follow Himself? What's the purpose of the sabbath?

Let's read Exodus 31:14 - "You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations."

Now God not keeping the sabbath is starting to make sense. It is a sign between God and mankind. It does not make sense to have a sign between God and God. But what is it a sign of?

Ezekiel 20:12 repeats what was said in Exodus 31:14. And then God repeats it again in Ezekiel 20:20. That's now three times God has said exactly the same thing. But these two verses ad some additional information. We are to keep the sabbath so that we remember, so that we know, the God is our Lord. The sabbath serves as a reminder that God is in charge and that we need to obey Him. By keeping the sabbath we are demonstrating our agreement that our salvation comes through our obedience. Since God is perfect He does not need to remind Himself. But, since we are not perfect, and we are under the New Covenant - saved through the blood of Jesus Christ - we are not obligated to keep the sabbath.

Man Loses Brookstone Job For Saying Homosexuality Is Wrong

2009-11-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

By Michael Carl
(c) 2009 WorldNetDaily

A Massachusetts man has been fired from his sales position at the Logan Airport branch in Boston of Brookstone allegedly for telling a female manager that his Christian faith says homosexuality is wrong.

Peter Vadala was fired, and the company says he violated a tolerance policy. But Vadala reports his dismissal came because he expressed his Christian view of homosexuality after a female manager made repeated references, as she approached him four times during work hours, to her plans to marry her lesbian partner.

"At the start of the day, she told me she was getting married. I told her 'Congratulations,' and asked, 'Where's he taking you on your honeymoon?'" Vadala said.

"She replied that her partner was a 'she,'" he continued, "So I immediately tried to change the subject.

"I think she knew I was uncomfortable talking about it," he continued. "But, she brought it up to me three more times during the day.

"After the fourth time she told me about her plan to marry her partner, I told her, 'I think homosexuality is bad stuff,'" Vadala said.

"That's what I said. I wasn't rude about it and I didn't act disrespectfully to her," he said. "All the woman said to me as she left the store was, 'Human Resources buddy. You keep your opinions
to yourself!'"

Vadala said when he was hired he went through the company's training program, including a requirement to watch a video.

"In the video, there was a homosexual man who said he overheard two workers talking. One man in the outsourced video tells the other, 'If a homosexual man hits on me, he better watch out.'

"The homosexual man in the video said he was offended, but I'm not allowed to be offended by a homosexual ... I was told that since homosexual marriage is supposedly legal in Massachusetts, that I was wrong for being offended," Vadala said.

A Brookstone human resources staffer called a few days after the incident and Vadala said he told the caller he wanted to resolve the matter.

"I spoke to (the human resources staff member) and I wanted to resolve it. I said that for his sake, the matter needed be resolved because this manager will be around customers who, chances are, will be offended by the types of things she is saying," Vadala said

But during the course of the conversation Vadala said it became clear the call wasn't about resolving the issue.

It was a few days later Vadala received a termination letter from Brookstone.

The letter accused Vadala of "harassment" and described his comments as "inappropriate and unprofessional." Further, the letter charged, he was "imposing" his beliefs upon others.

Vadala said the letter from Brookstone, signed by Susan McGrath, contained numerous false accusations.

In a copy made available to World Net Daily, the letter reads, “You acknowledge that you then expressed to Ms. (name blacked out) that you disagreed strongly with her homosexual lifestyle and that [you] believe it is wrong. You describe it in your statement, as you did when speaking with me, as 'deviant.'"

But Vadala said he didn't use that word.

McGrath's letter further asserts that a sales associate "who was working with you at the time … provided a written statement indicating that while she did not witness the conversation … you did tell her later that you 'knew (she) is marrying another woman' and that you 'hate people like that.'"

Vadala reports he also did not say that.

McGrath refused WND's request to comment on the dispute. Instead she suggested Brookstone’s legal department be contacted. That department did not respond.

When contacted about the firing, store manager Katelyn Woodard said, "You need to speak to human resources about this and if you call this number again, I'll file harassment charges."

Vadala said it's clear to him he was fired for his faith.

"Absolutely," he confirmed.

If you'd like to sound off on this issue, please take part in the WorldNetDaily poll.

Are We In Jeremiah 48:11?

2009-10-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

"Moab has been at ease since his youth;
He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs,
And he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed."

Then verse 12 says: "'Therefore behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.'"

What's this about and how does it relate to us?

Verse 11 is describing the wine making process, and using that to describe what has not been happening in Moab.

As wine ferments a sour "sludge" forms and needs to be removed. What was done was to pour the wine into a new jar' leaving behind the "sludge" which is called the dregs. This was done over and over and over, pouring the wine from one jar to another, and removing the dregs from the bottom of the each jar after the wine was poured out. Eventually the result is a sweet tasting, quality wine.

Jeremiah 48:11 is saying that the people of Moab have had an easy life. Things have been good, with nothing to disturb that good life. They have not been poured from jar to jar, which would have purified them. Wine in which the dregs are not removed is a sour, foul tasting wine that is thrown away and the jars that held it are destroyed. Moab is like that, and God is warning them that the time is coming when they will be destroyed.

Isn't America like that? We've had it easy. We've not been refined by troubles. We've not been disturbed by being poured from jar top jar. We are rich, comfortable, enjoying life and ignoring God. We are just like Moab was in Jeremiah 48:11... and we can expect tghe same result -- to be poured out and destroyed.

Can we avoid this? Is there a way to be saved from God's wrath? Yes, God sent Jesus Christ to earth to save us from God.

New MTA Video Available Online

2009-08-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

We have just released our third DVD. It is called "Diablo Mountain." It isdesigned to be a DVD gospel track that investigates the truth of the saying that all paths lead to the top of the mountain.

What people mean by "all paths lead to the top ofthe mountain" is that all beliefs, and all religions, take you to the same place... heaven, nirvana, paradise, to God, to become a Buddah, or nowhere (for atheists). You can believe whatever you want, and that will be fine.

You can what all of the videos on this DVD online by going to:

MTA Online Videos

In addition to the "Diablo Mountain" video, there are two bonus tracks included:

- Identifying False Religions and False Teaching

- What Is Truth?

As with all of our DVDs, this DVD may be copied and freely shared with others. You may get a copy of this DVD by sending $1.00 to cover postage to:

Mission to America
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062

Please be sure to include your address, and tell us which DVD you'd like us to send to you.

Leah Is With God

2009-06-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Twenty days ago I wrote a blog post about baby Leah.

Baby Leah went to live with God this morning as she was sleeping in her father's arms. She lived for 99 days. "Leah is eternally healed!"

Read her story at Caring Bridge -Leah Grace Jarmer

What Is Love?

2009-06-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

The word "love" is used a lot in the Bible. The word "love" is also used a lot in our culture. But they are not the same word.

In our culture the word "love" means to feel affection for another person. To really like another person. Does the Bible command us to feel affection for others? Does it say we must like all other people? No. That's not in the Bible. What the Bible says is that we must love other people, even our enemies.

Confused?

The problem is that the English language does not have a word that accurately expresses what the Bible is saying. The closest word available is "love" but it's not very close. The ancient Greeks (the language of the New Testament) recognized the differences and they had three words that are translated into our one word... "love". One of those, agape, is talking abouit how we treat other people, not how we feel about them. When you agape (love) someone else that means you treat them in a loving manner. You may not like them, but you still treat them with loving actions.

What is a loving action? Does loving someone mean you always give them what they want? No, it does not. It means doing what is best for them.

If your children want to play in a busy street, is it loving to let them do so? No!! The loving thing is to get them out of the street no matter how much they object. That is love... caring about the welfare of the other person.

What if the other person wants to do something morally wrong? What if they are a habitual liar or shoplifter? Do you tell them it's okay, and if that's what they want to do they can continue to do those things? No! That's not loving. That's enabling them.

Loving someone does not mean we always make them feel good. By loving someone we might make then very unhappy. Our children might really enjoy playing in the street and our loving action of getting them out of the street makes them very unhappy... but it also saves their lives. Agape loving someone has nothing to do with happiness or feeling good. It has to do with truly caring about the welfare of that person.

What if we did something to protect our children when we found them playing in a busy street... We could run into the street and put orange cones around our children, and erect a sign that says "Children At Play." Instead of asking them to change their behavior, and possibly making them feel sad, we try to protect them and keep them happy. Is that the right response? No!

The correct, loving response is to get them out of the street and teach them that they need to change their behavior.

That's also the correct, loving response to someone breaking the law... whether it is civil law or God's law. Enabling them to feel good about themselves while they break the law, or enabling them to continuing breaking the law is not loving them.

Why Pro Llife?

2009-06-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

That's the title of a book by Randy Alcorn. This is such a good book that we'd like to get as many copies as possible into people's hands. The normal price is $7.99, but we'll give you a copy free. Just send us $3.00 to cover the postage. You can even send postage stamps.

Send your request to:
Mission to America
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062

Give a copy to a friend who does not understand the harm abortion does to women.

Give a copy to a neighbor who does not understand that life starts at conception.

This offer is valid until July 4, 2009, and while supplies of the book last.

If your church or organization would like to purchase larger quantities, Randy Alcorn sells Why Pro Life? for $1.60 per copy when you purchase a case of 50 books. Visit his web site: Why Pro Life?

Doctor recommends parents kill their two month old baby.

2009-06-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

She's Two Months Old - Let Her Die

Leah Grace was born on March 20, 2009. On Friday (two days ago) her doctor told Leah's parents to bring her to the hospital where she would be given a lethal medication to kill her. From the shocked look on the parent's faces the doctor assumed the hospital was not an option, so the doctor recommended they bring Leah home, but stop feeding her so she would die.

Leah does have medical problems. She will probably not live long. So the doctor says you might as well just kill her now. Murder is the better option.

Read Leah's story on Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/leahgracejarmer

I really wonder if this is a foreshadow of what we'll see if we have government run health care. When health care is limited, then why care for those who appear to be dying anyway? What options will the government give you?

Here's the answer:

Oregon has a state run plan called the Oregon Health Plan. Barbara Wagner had lung cancer that was diagnosed as fatal. There are drugs that would prolong her life and improve the quality of her life. But the Oregon Health Plan said, "Sorry not covered, but we will pay for the drugs needed for your suicide." (Assisted suicide is legal in Oregon.)

Why? Because it is the official policy of the Oregon Health Plan that if you have advanced cancer, they will not provide treatment. The government will provide everything need for suicide, however. It is best that you die and get out of the way so people who are not as sick can be treated.

Welcome to government health care.

How Do You Know Which Religion Is True?

2009-06-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

How would you answer this question?

Can you know which religion is true? Is more than one religion true?

We've been working on a DVD that answers this question. There are three questions you can ask to determine whether a religion is true of created by mankind. Here's the first:

Is the religion self-centered? Every religion will claim to be God centered, if they believe in a God. The way to get the answer to this question is to get the answer to another question: What happens after you die? If the answer is centered on what YOU can do, then it is a self-centered religion and thus is a false religion. Here are some examples:

Hinduism: you must live your life well within your caste. This will result in your being reincarnated into a higher level in your next life. Is this self-centered or God centered? It is self-centered and thus a false religion.

Islam: to enter paradise your good deeds must outweigh your bad deeds. Is this self-centered or God centered? It is self-centered and thus a false religion.

Christianity: there is nothing you can do to save yourself (get into heaven). Only God can save you. Is this self-centererd or God centered? It is God centered and thus is the true religion.

All religions other than Christianity are self-centered. They all claim there are things you can do to obligate God, the creator of the universe, to allow you into heaven. All other religions put man in authority over God. They say there are things you can do (good works) that then obligate God to do something for you in return. Christianity says that there is nothing we can do to obligate God to do anything. God is GOD. He is supreme. He is in charge. He is the creator and we are the created. We never have power over God. God saves us not because of what we've done, but because of what He has done... died on the cross to pay the penalty we owe for sin.

Is Revival Possible?

2009-03-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

I know many people who are praying for revival or an awakening. They see it as the only hope for America. I just saw an awakening, but it was not in America... it was in India. I recently returned from a mission trip to India. Fifteen people spent 11 days putting on two concerts and witnessing door-to-door. In those 11 days over 45,000 people were exposed to the gospel and over 3,000 became Christians.

In four days of door-to-door 1-on-1 ministry the gospel was shared with over 1,750 people and 1,069 became Christians!

In America I can spend a year witnessing to ten times as many people and only one or two trust Christ. We have very hard hearts in America, solidified by our self-centered wealth and re-enforced by the strength of pride. All things come from God... both salvation and hard hearts. So can we blame God? No. Our natural condition is that of an enemy of God. We hate God and oppose Him in every way we can. It is only through God's grace that our hearts can be softened and opened to the good news of the gospel.

The Rules Of The Church

2009-01-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

I was reading Colossians this morning and 2:20-23 really caught my attention. I've been studying Hinduism in preparation for a mission trip to India later this year. Hinduism is filled with rituals and other things you must do in order to please god (the gods). It is a religion with many requirements. Here is what Colossians says about the requirements religions impose on people:

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belong to it, do you submit to its rules: Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch! These are all destined to perish with us, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."

Paul is not saying we should ignore the civil law. He is talking about religious "laws" that people create as requirements for salvation or pleasing god. These "laws" are usually justified as having "come from god" but in reality they are a creation of men. Paul is talking about Jewish laws in this case, but this equally applies to Hindus, Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses. They all impose "must do" laws on people.

As Christians we know there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. No matter how good we are at following religious laws our most righteous deeds are like filthy rags to God. And as Christians we are not obligated to follow any of the laws God has given us. We are not obligated, but instead out of love we desire to live in obedience to God. Live in obedience to God not because of what we'll get in return, but because we recognize what God has done for us (He first loved us) and out of our love for God we desire to follow the example Jesus gave us and his obedience and love.

There is a big difference. Striving to live in obedience because of what you'll get in return (all religions except Christianity). This is self-centered. Or striving to live in obedience to God simply because you love God... you get nothing in return. This puts the focus on others.

This is one of the fundamental differences between Christianity and all other religions. Many of their activities (laws, requirements, etc.) are self-centered. They are about getting something for yourself from god.

In Christianity everything is done freely. Nothing is received in return from God other than what He has already given and is willing to freely give to us. God has already given us the greatest possible gift, salvation from the consequences of our sin. It is given as a free gift. There is nothing we can do to earn it. There is nothing we can do improve on it.

Can It Be Wrong To Do The Right Thing?

2009-01-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is the question being asked in this year's Great American Think-Off, a contest for amateur philosophers sponsored by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.

It seems to me the first question that needs to be answered is, what is right and what is wrong? We don't know if we are doing right, if we don't know what right is. Once we have that answer then the answer to the original question is obvious and trivial.

It is God who sets the standard. If we are living in obedience to God, we are doing right, and in those circumstances it is never wrong to do the right thing. However, if we let human values and morals rule our lives (as is true for most people) then yes, it can be wrong to do the "right" thing. Because, in fact, the right thing according to human judgment is the wrong thing based on God's standards.

Peace On Earth

2009-01-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season has just ended, but I'm still thinking about a common theme for Christmas... peace on earth. What does that mean? What type of peace does Jesus bring? What conflicts, what wars does he end?

What war did Jesus talk about? Did he tell the Romans they must stop their conquest of the world? No. Think about it. What things did he specifically condemn the Roman's for doing? (Nothing.)

Roman's 5:10 tells us who was fighting: "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son."

Philippians 3:18 talks about those who are not saved... "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ."

The world war that is going on is the war between mankind and God. The peace on earth Jesus Christ brings is peace between us and God. Through Jesus Christ we are no longer enemies of God... we are no longer at war with God. That is the peace on earth the Bible talks about.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." - Colossians 1:19,20

Genesis One - Who Are You?

2009-01-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

I used to wonder why God gave us Genesis chapter 1. Why does He tell us what happened at the beginning? Why is it important that we know where everything came from? Isn't it enough to know there is a God and He sent His Son to save us from sin?

No, it isn't. The Bible does not make sense without Genesis chapter one.

An objection I frequently hear is that God must be a wicked, evil, unjust god if he condemns someone to eternal hell for stealing a paper clip. How can people be condemned to eternal punishment for doing one small thing wrong.

Of course we sin much, MUCH more than stealing just one paper clip, but the principle is that if we break just one of God's laws, it is the same as breaking them all and we are condemned to eternal hell. So in theory if the only wrong thing you do throughout your entire life is to steal one paper clip, you are as a result of that theft going to spend eternity in hell. And Genesis One tells us why this is just and right.

Genesis 1:26 says: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image: in our likeness, and let them rule...'"

Genesis 1:27 repeats this twice more: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

In just these two verses God tells us that we are created in His image. We bear God's image. As His image bearers we represent who God is to the rest of the universe... such as the rulers and authorities in heaven (Ephesians 3:10).

What are the Ten Commandments? Are they a set of rules for us to follow? Sort of. But they are much more. The Ten Commandments describe God's character. They describe who God is. That is why as God's image bearer we must live in obedience to the Ten Commandments. If we break these commandments we are misrepresenting who God is to the rest of the universe. That is why if we break just one commandment it is the same as breaking them all. Because by breaking one commandment we have misrepresented God. It does not matter which commandment you break, you have misrepresented God as being something He is not.

That is the true nature of sin. To sin is to break God's law. (1 John 3:4) And to break God's law is to represent the eternal God as breaking His law. It is to wrongly represent the one and only God, who is eternal, as being a liar, a thief, and adulterer, a murder... And the just and fair punishment is an eternal punishment.

That is why Genesis chapter one is important. It tells us who we are... we are the image of God. And it tells us who God is... our creator and the creator of the universe and all that is in it. The One who created the universe just by speaking the word. The One who is so great He can measure the universe with the width of His hand. (Isaiah 40:12)

We all misrepresent who God is. We are all sinners. We are all rightly condemned to eternity in hell. That is the penalty we justly deserve. The only way we can be saved from this penalty is if someone else is willing to pay this penalty for us. If someone else is willing to step into our place and take the punishment we justly deserve.

Someone has done this... Jesus Christ.

Who Are We? Who Are You?

2008-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

Who are you? Why did God create you?

"Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But, because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incompatible riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:3b-7

Notice some of human characteristics...

- We are, by nature, objects of [God's] wrath.

- We are dead in our transgressions.

This means that every person was born as an object of God's wrath. Keep in mind that God is just [justice]. He never does anything that is not just. That means that from birth there is something that naturally makes us objects of God's justice... His wrath.

The other characteristic of humanity gives us the reason. Transgressions. Transgressions so serious that as a result we are dead. The Greek word "paratoma" is being translated as "transgressions." It means "a false step".

We transgress God's law. We disobey God's law. And those many wrong steps mean our death and that we face God's wrath. False steps that are so serious that they deserve an eternity in hell.

To understand this we need to go back to Genesis chapter one. That will be the next post.

Trust Jesus

2008-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

I started wondering about the number of places in which the Bible tells us to trust God (Jesus). I gave up trying to count. If you wanted to summarize the Bible in two words, those words would be "trust Jesus."

For example:

"Do not fret because of evildoers
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
trust in the Lord and do good;"
-Psalm 37:1-3

"Who is among you that fears the LORD,
That obeys the voice of His servant,
That walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God."
-Isaiah 50:10

"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."
-Psalm 62:8

"...indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." - 2 Corinthians 1:9

Jesus Is Coming

2008-11-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

In cartoons people make fun of the man with a sandwich sign saying "The End Is Near."

I've told people that if Obama was elected it could be a sign the end was near, and even my father laughted at me.

We were given a chance to turn away from murder, and for the past eight years we have not done so. And now we've moved more toward embracing murder (abortion). Our soil will continue to be soaked in blood... far more blood than all the wars we've fought. But God does not withdraw his blessing because of who we elect. He is the source of all governments and gives us the leader we deserve. He gives us the leader we need for His will to be done.

Many people are talking about how near the end times appear. The Jews are in Israel. Nearly everything is in place for the temple to be rebuilt. But because America is not part of the end times, it seems to me we must have weak leaders who keep us uninvolved when it appears Israel is about to be crushed. Tonight another piece has fallen into place. The end may be near. God will be glorified!!!

No One Does Good, Not Even One

2008-10-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

The question that separates Christians from non-Christians is, would you consider yourself to be a good person? Non-Christian would say "yes" and because they are basically good they will get into heaven. Evolution teaches that mankind is basically good and as we evolve we continue to improve and become better people. Liberal "Christianity" teaches the social gospel, that through our own good efforts we can make this into a good world.

But here is what scripture says:

"God looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if there is even one with
real understanding,
one who seeks for God.
But no, all have turned away from God;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good, not even one."
Psalm 53:2,3

"For I was born a sinner--
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me."
Psalm 51:5

There is not one good person on earth. No one is good but God. (Luke 18:19)

We think we are good because we compare ourselves with human standards. Our problem is that the standard is not a human standard, but God's standard. Instead of looking to each other, our focus must be on God... and we have fallen far short of God's standards. We have broken all of the Ten Commandments. We were created in the image of God, but are miserable representatives of who God is. We are sinners and we have nothing in us that can save us from God's just punishment.