Showing posts with label World View. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World View. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2013
Wrap Your Mind Around This.
Around 33 A.D. the Sanhedrin and Pharisees were the
authoritative power in the city of Jerusalem Ada garden
of Gethsemane
When he was arrested, every single one of those who were
with him ran for their lives. Nobody wants to die after all, and the threat on
their lives had been real and perpetuated over the previous year or so. The
proceeding torture, public humiliation, public beating, and public crucifixion
were witnessed by the entire city. (Jesus was kind of a big deal at the time.)
There was no doubt about how those in authority felt about Jesus, his doctrine,
and those who followed him. All of his followers hid for fear of their lives.
Then all of a sudden you have men, knowing full well what
awaited them if they even acknowledged that they were followers of Jesus,
publicly speaking and teaching in the very name of Jesus. These men were
preaching that Jesus is the Son of God, knowing that they would die for such a
declaration. Now think about this!! Why would ANY sane person do something so
blatant and open, knowing that it would cost them their reputation and
ultimately their very life!? Churches were springing up out of the wood work at
an exponential pace. Even if you don’t want to read the Bible, these facts are
recorded in history.
The ONLY thing that makes this phenomenon make any sense is
that something had to have happened after Jesus was crucified. Something
happened that turned these scared men into fearless speakers. The Bible records
this event clearly, and was written at a time when there were eyewitnesses
still alive to testify to the event. JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD!! He
appeared, in person, to many of his believers. In one instance it was recorded
that he appeared to over 500 people at one time!
Think about it. If these men saw Jesus face to face, (in
body, not a vision), then no wonder they began to be fearless of death. They
knew that what Jesus preached was true, and they saw first hand that God is
faithful even after death. They KNEW that God would raise them too! They didn’t
think it. They didn’t speculate about it. They SAW it! There is no other
explanation for the boldness and growth of the church under such hostile
conditions. If they hadn’t SEEN Jesus with their own eyes, then why die for a
dead man and his lost cause? People don’t stand for lost causes after the
battle is already lost. Why throw your life away? Their cause was simply made
real by the appearance of Jesus. In KNOWING that you win would you not fight to
the end, regardless of the risks? I know I would… I DO.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tough Questions, Great Opportunities
My son and I were talking, and he was telling me how he felt
about homosexuality. He said "I know God doesn't like it, but I want to
respect other people and let them do what they want, so I support it."
This was a huge opportunity to pour into my son's life. I told him that it
doesn't matter what we think. That is what is wrong with the world today.
Nobody wants to offend anyone, so nobody holds to any convictions.
I did not have to specifically address homosexuality. I addressed it at the core issue. If God says it is bad, and to not do it, then it is bad and a person should not do it. Homosexuality is listed in the same list as coveting, which is simply wanting what we do not have. A sin is a sin, is a sin. To approve of one is to approve of them all. I told him that if he chooses to give his life to Christ, it no longer matters what he thinks about things, only what God thinks about them. He will have to make that choice on his own, but I will not let him think it is something other than what it is. There is NO FENCE. We have to make a choice, and be ALL IN. Period.
I told Hayden like this. Simple truth, simple application.
Jesus says if you are not for me, then you are against me. Period. His entire
ministry He drew lines. He said "You are here, and you need to be here. If
you stay where you are at, you will perish in your sin and you stand under the
wrath of God. If you come to me, you will have eternal life and peace
now."
The world does not apply rules of logic to their line of
thinking. You cannot say you are a Christian, yet approve of things that God
hates. It is impossible. I told Hayden that he is going to have to choose a
side. Either we are for God, or we are against Him. Period. Then I also shared
what Jesus said to His disciples. He said “They hated me, they will hate you
also.” I let my son know that to stand for God is to stand against the thing of
this world. I told him that if he chooses to obey God and follow Christ, the
world will hate him for it. It takes great courage and strength to follow the
Lord.
I did not have to specifically address homosexuality. I addressed it at the core issue. If God says it is bad, and to not do it, then it is bad and a person should not do it. Homosexuality is listed in the same list as coveting, which is simply wanting what we do not have. A sin is a sin, is a sin. To approve of one is to approve of them all. I told him that if he chooses to give his life to Christ, it no longer matters what he thinks about things, only what God thinks about them. He will have to make that choice on his own, but I will not let him think it is something other than what it is. There is NO FENCE. We have to make a choice, and be ALL IN. Period.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
So you love someone...
So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are a liar? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are a manipulator? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are fake? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are living a lie? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are a hypocrite? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are not living up to their potential? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are headed to Hell? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them they are going to die in their sin? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them about Jesus? So you love someone... Do you love them enough to tell them the truth?
We live in such a sick and twisted world. A world where it is considering judgmental to speak truth to someone, just because it might be offensive. Let us stick with simple facts as to avoid the toxicity of the world view on the topic.
First we will define judging.
Judging :
Now let us define truth.
Truth :
The revelation of truth does not imply judgment. However, because we are so rooted in our pride, and truth brings opposition to our world view, we take offense to truth. Because we take offense, we consider it judging and become defensive. Truth will always offend, because we are innately prideful and selfish people. There is no two ways about it. Truth just is. It is just fact. It is not up to perception or interpretation. If a person lies, they are a liar. Period. Though we can rationalize and justify whatever we want, it does not change the fact.
Passing judgment on someone for the truth is not our place. It is our place to speak the truth, ESPECIALLY if we love someone. Sadly enough though, because of fear of offense or what the person may think about us, we cowardly refuse to speak truth. We sugar coat things and water them down to make them more bearable to the hearer. This does not do them any favors, but does for us because we feel safe in our cowardice.
How can we love someone, yet withhold truth from them? We can't. If we love someone, truly for them, then it would be selfish of us to not share truth with them simply because of our own fears. Fear permeates and corrupts everything around us. I challenge you to be bold in your relationships. I challenge you to speak truth to the people you love. I challenge you to quit being a scared coward, and to step out in love and courage, and make a difference in the lives around you. I challenge you to put your self aside and to do something for someone else. Truth MUST come. How will a person know what they are not shown or taught? Love is not easy. At least not if it is a real love for another person, because then what we feel becomes irrelevant.
We live in such a sick and twisted world. A world where it is considering judgmental to speak truth to someone, just because it might be offensive. Let us stick with simple facts as to avoid the toxicity of the world view on the topic.
First we will define judging.
Judging :
Verb
|
Now let us define truth.
Truth :
2
a (1) : the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true <truths of thermodynamics>
c : the body of true statements and propositions
3
a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality
b chiefly British : true 2
c : fidelity to an original or to a standard
The revelation of truth does not imply judgment. However, because we are so rooted in our pride, and truth brings opposition to our world view, we take offense to truth. Because we take offense, we consider it judging and become defensive. Truth will always offend, because we are innately prideful and selfish people. There is no two ways about it. Truth just is. It is just fact. It is not up to perception or interpretation. If a person lies, they are a liar. Period. Though we can rationalize and justify whatever we want, it does not change the fact.
Passing judgment on someone for the truth is not our place. It is our place to speak the truth, ESPECIALLY if we love someone. Sadly enough though, because of fear of offense or what the person may think about us, we cowardly refuse to speak truth. We sugar coat things and water them down to make them more bearable to the hearer. This does not do them any favors, but does for us because we feel safe in our cowardice.
How can we love someone, yet withhold truth from them? We can't. If we love someone, truly for them, then it would be selfish of us to not share truth with them simply because of our own fears. Fear permeates and corrupts everything around us. I challenge you to be bold in your relationships. I challenge you to speak truth to the people you love. I challenge you to quit being a scared coward, and to step out in love and courage, and make a difference in the lives around you. I challenge you to put your self aside and to do something for someone else. Truth MUST come. How will a person know what they are not shown or taught? Love is not easy. At least not if it is a real love for another person, because then what we feel becomes irrelevant.
Monday, December 10, 2012
View
There are two fundamental views of the world, and our existence. Either there is a God, and He created everything, or there is no God, and everything created itself. Depending on our view, we will see and understand things accordingly. The world view is surely different from that of a Christian, but even many who profess to be Christian do not truly believe or understand what it is they are professing.
If there is no God, and everything just created itself out of nothing, then there is no such thing as truth, right, wrong, integrity, nor purpose. We have no purpose in this life. We are simply blips in an infinite cycle of nothing, creating itself and destroying itself for no apparent reason and to no apparent end. We have the brief period of our life span to party like a rock star, go until the wheels come off, and no consequences for anything we do in this life. There are no parameters, nor moral obligation aside from that which we impose upon our self, and nobody to be accountable to unless we get CAUGHT breaking some man imposed law which is arbitrary at best since right and wrong are only a matter of perception and open to change.
Under this belief system, there are no true answers to real problems. We can come up with our own solutions based on our desires and assumptions. We take our problem, and we search for an answer we like. This implies we aren't really looking for the answer, since it may not only exist outside of what we "like", but it may exist outside of what we believe. After all, if we knew everything, then we wouldn't be looking for answers in the first place.
Under this belief system, there is nothing after this life, so there is no purpose to things we experience. If stuff just happens, just because, then there is no understanding to seek. Everything that nothing created, when "nothing exploded", is just on a random course of nothingness, so we had better cover our butt and watch out for number one. After all, we only have less than 100 years to exist, so we had better get the most out of it because... Because why? We won't remember it when we die under this belief system. We just return to nothingness, and become "one" with the caprice and wanton universe as it continues to randomly created and destroy itself whenever "nothing" gets tired of doing something.
Under this belief system, there are no concrete answers. There are no absolutes, and nobody has "the answer", because that too is only a matter of perception. We seek marriage counseling, family counseling, personal counseling, life counseling, and yet to no avail. The world system is based on this belief system. What is right to you, may not be what is right to me, so there is no right. That means we all need to get together, a democracy, and have as many people as possible put their opinion of what is right out there until we have some kind of a majority rule on the subject. This system worked well in Nazi Germany in the 1940's. The majority conceded that it was "right" to perform mass genocide, so they did. And why not? There is no price to pay for what we do. We are nothing after all, so who is really effected and who cares about how someone else, who is "nothing", feels? Why should we care?
If there is a God, then we were created on purpose, for a reason. That means there are such things as truth, right, wrong, integrity, and purpose because they are based on the Creator's own opinion on the different subjects. The Creator would be the source of all of these things, since it is Him we came from. There are different ideas of what the existence of God means, but most of the different opinions are derived from either lack of logic or lack of knowledge.
80% of America "claims" to be Christian and believe in God. Most people think that God exists, created everything, but that He has no involvement in everyday life. Kinda like He is doing a complete "hands off" project to see how everything works out. Like a science experiment. This logic is flawed, because if in fact there is a God, then that would have to mean that He exists outside of all things created. This would inevitably include time, which would mean that the end result of His creation is not unknown to Him. In fact, God's existence outside of time would even imply that the purpose and end of His creation was determined before time began. The Bible very clearly addresses this fact as predestination, and the world accepts the ideas of destiny and fate accordingly. If God doesn't exist outside of all things created, then that would mean that He too was created, which would mean that He is not God, and that there is even one greater since there must be some sort of origin.
Webster's defines God as:
capitalized: the supreme or ultimate reality: as
If there is no God, and everything just created itself out of nothing, then there is no such thing as truth, right, wrong, integrity, nor purpose. We have no purpose in this life. We are simply blips in an infinite cycle of nothing, creating itself and destroying itself for no apparent reason and to no apparent end. We have the brief period of our life span to party like a rock star, go until the wheels come off, and no consequences for anything we do in this life. There are no parameters, nor moral obligation aside from that which we impose upon our self, and nobody to be accountable to unless we get CAUGHT breaking some man imposed law which is arbitrary at best since right and wrong are only a matter of perception and open to change.
Under this belief system, there are no true answers to real problems. We can come up with our own solutions based on our desires and assumptions. We take our problem, and we search for an answer we like. This implies we aren't really looking for the answer, since it may not only exist outside of what we "like", but it may exist outside of what we believe. After all, if we knew everything, then we wouldn't be looking for answers in the first place.
Under this belief system, there is nothing after this life, so there is no purpose to things we experience. If stuff just happens, just because, then there is no understanding to seek. Everything that nothing created, when "nothing exploded", is just on a random course of nothingness, so we had better cover our butt and watch out for number one. After all, we only have less than 100 years to exist, so we had better get the most out of it because... Because why? We won't remember it when we die under this belief system. We just return to nothingness, and become "one" with the caprice and wanton universe as it continues to randomly created and destroy itself whenever "nothing" gets tired of doing something.
Under this belief system, there are no concrete answers. There are no absolutes, and nobody has "the answer", because that too is only a matter of perception. We seek marriage counseling, family counseling, personal counseling, life counseling, and yet to no avail. The world system is based on this belief system. What is right to you, may not be what is right to me, so there is no right. That means we all need to get together, a democracy, and have as many people as possible put their opinion of what is right out there until we have some kind of a majority rule on the subject. This system worked well in Nazi Germany in the 1940's. The majority conceded that it was "right" to perform mass genocide, so they did. And why not? There is no price to pay for what we do. We are nothing after all, so who is really effected and who cares about how someone else, who is "nothing", feels? Why should we care?
If there is a God, then we were created on purpose, for a reason. That means there are such things as truth, right, wrong, integrity, and purpose because they are based on the Creator's own opinion on the different subjects. The Creator would be the source of all of these things, since it is Him we came from. There are different ideas of what the existence of God means, but most of the different opinions are derived from either lack of logic or lack of knowledge.
80% of America "claims" to be Christian and believe in God. Most people think that God exists, created everything, but that He has no involvement in everyday life. Kinda like He is doing a complete "hands off" project to see how everything works out. Like a science experiment. This logic is flawed, because if in fact there is a God, then that would have to mean that He exists outside of all things created. This would inevitably include time, which would mean that the end result of His creation is not unknown to Him. In fact, God's existence outside of time would even imply that the purpose and end of His creation was determined before time began. The Bible very clearly addresses this fact as predestination, and the world accepts the ideas of destiny and fate accordingly. If God doesn't exist outside of all things created, then that would mean that He too was created, which would mean that He is not God, and that there is even one greater since there must be some sort of origin.
Webster's defines God as:
capitalized: the supreme or ultimate reality: as
a: the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe.
Under this belief system we will all face our Maker one day. We will all be held accountable for the things we do in this life, and that there is an after life. Right and wrong are absolutes, and our conscience attests to this. We are more than able to sear our conscience that we may justify the things we want, but we each know the difference between right and wrong because God has given us a remnant of His Spirit. Everything we do has an end and purpose.
Under this belief system there are concrete answers to every question we seek the answer to, and the only inhibitor to us finding the answer is our willingness to look outside of what we want or believe. A person's acceptance of this belief system varies only because of our desire to keep God isolated in certain area's of our lives. Of course this is a fallacy, since if God truly is God, then how can that which is made hide any part of itself from Him who did the making? We are so foolish in our logic on the subject.
I have been asked not to talk about God so much. I have been ridiculed because I think God has something to do with everything. Is this really so silly? By very definition God is EVERYTHING. There is NOTHING more supreme, or beyond Him, or He is not God. So many people try to put God in a box, apply restraint and limitations to Him, and then still call Him God. What!?!? Where is the logic behind that one? The "supreme or ultimate reality" does NOT fit in any box we can conjure up ourselves, or He is not God. Period! How I wish people would take the time to assess what they really believe.
I believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, and I believe that God created everything for His own glory. Not out of obligation, but simply just because He wanted to. I believe God owes us nothing, for who are we compared to Him that He should even pay heed to us? I believe God has placed eternity in our hearts to give us a longing for Him, and that despite our finite existence to such an infinite being that we are His greatest treasures and He loves us.
This being said, I believe that EVERY single thing is of Him, through Him, and to Him. I also believe that God's purpose in our lives is to mold us into the image of Christ. Being humble, nonjudgmental, honest, living in truth, trusting in God entirely, living for others in the name of love, bold, fearless, and completely self-sacrificing is what brings God glory. This is what His desire and purpose is for us. To become His children, and become like His Son. Jesus Christ brings glory to God the Father.
It is with these beliefs that we are able to see things differently from the rest of the world. With this belief system, we confidently approach situations which arise in life knowing that NOTHING happens in vain. We are able to look at the trials and events in life, and see them through a different perspective. When something happens, it is for us to grow and become more like Christ. Keep this in mind Christian as you face each new day. Do not worry about the future, for God has it all ready figured out, but seek peace in your life by trusting in who He is. Faith, and every other principle of God's, goes entirely against the world system. God provided the answer to EVERY single problem by giving us Jesus Christ. Rest securely in that, and in Him, and do not let the poor logic and foolish pride of the world take away or distort such simple truth.
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