Month: August 2014
Updated on June 25, 2015
I Would Not Have You To Be Ignorant, Brethren
As a bored child in church, I would sometimes turn to the back of a hymnal to find anything to occupy my time. There you could find random lists of things like the corresponding dates to the next several decades or so of Easter Sundays. This was somewhat alarming because the list in one particular hymnal ended at the year 2000. In my youthful ignorance, I assumed that the hymnal manufacturer had inside knowledge of the End Times. Having sat through a few sermons on Revelation, and my own time in the book, this was a frightening prospect. Such is the power of religious tradition, and ignorance of God’s Word.
Updated on August 29, 2014
Its The End Of The World As We Know It
In the press leading up to the new Nicholas Cage movie, Left Behind, I came across an interesting quote from someone described as a Christian philosopher. Now I am not quite sure what that is, but it can’t be good. Philosophers work in the field of philosophy, a word handed down by the Greeks (philosophia) which literally means “love of wisdom”. If that is truly the focus of this person’s endeavors, all would be well, since wisdom comes from God and is far superior to even the greatest knowledge of men. (Proverbs 2:1-15, 1 Corinthians 1:17-31, 3:18-20, James 5:1-8). However in practice, philosophy often gets stuck in the reasoning and foolishness of men. That would be very bad. Its the traditions and ideas of men that has led to so much confusion concerning God’s Word. Its the religious that have so confused the simplicity of the Gospel, and given us so many interpretations to divide the Body. God’s Word, His Truth, is designed to unite Believers. God is not the author of division, confusion, and strife. (1 Corinthians 14:33) Its the enemy that has twisted and confused God’s Word from the very beginning, causing the downfall of so many. (Genesis 3:1-4, 2 Corinthians 11:1-3) The enemy has the greatest success turning people away from God’s Truth, His Word, by working through religion.
Updated on August 16, 2014
To Suffer Or Not To Suffer
I recently took part in a discussion on suffering, specifically Christian suffering. All the usual anecdotes were offered, the unborn, the premature death, the physically disabled, those born into poverty, or living in war zones. The usual Biblical examples were dragged out – Job and Paul’s thorn. It makes you wonder what Bible people read. Let’s take a look at some of these examples.
In a passage often quoted from Job 1, Satan complained to God because He had placed a hedge around Job, and blessed all the works of his hands to the point that he was the richest man in the East. For Believers, this should be cause for hope. Instead, this passage is often misunderstood as either God, or Satan, removing the hedge and attacking Job. If this is what you have been taught, you need to dig deeper into God’s Word. The Bible tells you exactly what brought that hedge down, and hindered the Blessing. It definitely was not God, or Satan directly.
