Do You Want To Have The Power?

"The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender." --William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard:  'Power belongs to you, God'" (Psalm 62:11, NIV).
"His wisdom is profound, his power is vast..." (Job 9:4, NIV).
NB:  As Daniel 2:20, NIV, says, "... wisdom and power are his" so we must distinguish but never separate these two:  wisdom without power is pathetic; power without wisdom is frightening!  
"[H]aving a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with such people" (2 Tim. 3:5, NIV).  ALL EMPHASIS MINE.

Power is different strokes for different folks, as they say!  To some, it's knowledge or expertise (for even Sir Francis Bacon said, reiterating Prov. 24:5, "Knowledge is power").  Knowledge, falsely-so-called, sure isn't though!  To some it's money if they had the money they'd know how to use it to change the world; i.e., enough money.  To some, it's the power of music, all genres, or rather the power music holds over them--to arouse emotion, to relax, to put in a mood.  To others, the only power that counts is political or what can be exerted in an authoritarian or despotic manner to deny people their basic rights, liberty, and justice.

Sometimes husbands abuse their wives in the name of power or employees exploit workers.  Some religious extremists hijack their faith and do evil in its name; i.e., ISIS and the Taliban.  To religious fanatics (and even Christians were once guilty), they use power to force conversion in some cases or convert through a program of meditations, horoscopes, palm reading, yoga, TM, or other religious rituals and exercises.

To Christians though, power is knowing the Lord and being filled with the Spirit, to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (cf. Phil. 3:10).  There is even power to change our personalities!  Jesus said that the power would descend on us to evangelize the world and we cannot do this in our own power but must learn to abide in Christ.  The thing about our power is that it doesn't come from a force, but a person who loves us--a personality.  Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi wouldn't tell Luke Skywalker that the Force loves him!  A Force cannot love!   Remember, that force had a dark side; yet God is light and in Him is no darkness.  Yet tapping into this love is great power--we overcome evil with good and love is stronger than hate.  And this is what's available to all believers if they submit to the Lord and be filled.  There is so much untapped power out their from believers who haven't learned to avail themselves of God's power in the Spirit.

Today, we must beware of unchecked political power and the drive and lust to achieve it.  As Lord Acton's adage says:  "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Plutarch also wondered:  "Who shall govern the governor?"   (Power can go to one's head!)  The divine right of kings is not unlimited, but to be checked by the courts and under a system of laws and a constitution to be moral.  The thing about power in all secular forms: it never satisfied but only gives an appetite for more power.  Only as believers in Christ can we be content to know the transforming power of God in our life and it's energy to overcome spiritual inertia.  Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on and share it with others.  The world can never know this contentment and inner joy.   

Finally, as believers, we are transferred several things upon salvation:  peace of God, in our lives as well as peace with God; pardon from all our sins--past, present, and future; purpose for living as we devote our lives to God's kingdom, will, and glory; and also the power to change because Jesus is in the business of changing lives, and overcome sin, which is so dramatic it's a transformation or miracle in itself. 

CAVEAT:  IT WON'T ALL COME AT ONCE, THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT MUST BE GROWN AND WE MUST LEARN TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DOING GOD'S WILL.                 Soli Deo Gloria!

The Still, Small Voice

"For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.   In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction" (Job 33:14-16, NKJV).  

"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers..." (Isa. 44:26, NIV).   

"[W]ho confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers..." (Isa. 44:26, ESV). 

 "'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions'" (Joel 2:28, NIV).  

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  --C. S. Lewis

Jesus is saying to us in His message to the seven churches:  "Is there anyone out there listening?"  Just as He says in John 10:27, NIV,  as follows:  "My sheep listen to [or hear] my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  God wants to be heard when He speaks.  ALL EMPHASIS MINE.

The starting point is to listen to the preaching of the Word and find salvation.  "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21, NIV).  God's charge to Israel known as the Shema in Deut. 6:4 meant to hear!  Even men of learning need heed prophetic utterances:  "...' Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you mean of learning.  For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.  ... 'If you have understanding, hear this, listen to what I say" (Job 34:2-3, 16, NIV).

WE MUST DEVELOP A TASTE FOR GOD'S VOICE BY READING THE WORD AND HEARKENING UNTO PREACHING. "'... Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [or hearken] than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22, NKJV).

"God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." (cf. Isaiah 45:15).   So goes the famed hymn by William Cowper.  Elijah was desperate to hear from the Lord and in a cave heard an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake, nor in the wind, nor in the fire, but in a gentle whisper or still, small voice of the Spirit that he couldn't mistake--when God speaks to you, you know it and can quote it verbatim.  One thing we all need is to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit to know the will of God.  Balaam had to be spoken to by a donkey before his ears were sensitive to God--see how spiritually hard of hearing we can become?

All Christians could use a spiritual wake-up call to get with the program and back in line and on track with the will of God.  We have all gone our own way and astray at times and need accountability and repentance.  Our ears become insensitive to the spiritual the more we pay attention to the mundane and secular and without putting God in His rightful place.  Our spiritual ears have muscles just like our lips do that pray and they can become atrophied and dull of hearing to God by misuse or lack of use.  We all could use some sensitivity training here!  Practice makes perfect: a lifetime of ignoring God will not make it easy to hear from God.

But we must beware lest we become too mystical and listen to the inner voice even if it doesn't line up with Scripture. You have to draw the line somewhere or strike a balance between listening to the still, small voice and heeding the Word and not getting mystical.  New Age people believe in listening to the God within--but how do they know it's God?   The Quakers are highly mystical, claiming that you should put primary emphasis on your "inner light" or what God says to you, as opposed to good, sound doctrine or preaching.  Why should I trust someone else's "inner light?"  The Mormons believe they have heard from God solely based on feeling a "burning in the bosom." 

Note that God doesn't just focus on our feeling, but uses our intellect and willingness to hear from Him.  Mystics are so confident that God has told them something He hasn't told others and many heresies have been founded by them, and mysticism is also an error of believers who don't rely on Scripture as their sole rule of our faith.  If God says something it will be verified and confirmed (cf. Isa. 44:26)!

We read the Bible through the illuminating ministry of the Spirit and are convicted by its message to apply to us personally and this is when we can have an "Aha!" moment with Scripture or some would call an existential experience or epiphany like Psalm 119:162, NIV, says, "I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil [treasure]."  We can treasure the Word more than our necessary food according to Job 23:12. "Thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the rejoicing and joy of mine heart .... " (cf. Jer. 15:16).  

Remember, a conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit and God honors His Word and it will not come back void (cf. Isa. 55:10-11).  We should always read the Bible until we actually feel God speaking to us and not just for academic reasons or to fill a regimen or duty to God.  All of us can have a genuine existential encounter with the Word!   The point about being convicted is that we must heed the Spirit's voice and listen as well as take action--if we ignore conviction then it becomes more difficult to hear God the next time and we can become spiritually hard of hearing.

Jesus addressed the seven churches in the book of Revelation each with a common phrase regarding the voice of God:  "Let him who has an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches...."  We can learn from all the churches!  God has a special, personal message to each church or body of Christ and tailors it for them, but we must use the ears God has given us and not turn a deaf ear to the gospel message nor any Spirit-inspired one.  This verse is speaking of our spiritual ears and sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit.  What the Spirit says to one church may also be applicable to other churches, for there is no one-size-fits-all church and believers may be hard-wired differently according to the makeup of their church.

We must listen attentively to God because He can speak volumes in many ways: dreams, visions, signs, word of mouth, sermons, even the voice of a child.  However, God has promised that He will always speak through the Word, though He hasn't retired dreams, visions, nor signs.  That's why it's so important that sermons be Bible-based and refer to it as the primary text, for God has given us His Word that it will not come back void and will accomplish that which He desires (cf. Isa. 55:10-11, Jer. 1:12).  When we refuse light, light is withdrawn (cf. Hos. 5:6).  Our spiritual ears can become calloused by ignoring God and not obeying what He does tell us plainly.

In sum, the key to hearing from God is to know God and walk in the Spirit with our spiritual antennae sensitized to anything the Lord might say and take heed or listen up, because the better we know someone the better our communication:   What we don't want is a failure to communicate!  Sometimes hearing from God may seem like a hunch or premonition or feeling that you feel inclined towards--God is in charge of this too, but it must be biblical and we shouldn't just go by feelings.

I know of a missionary who heard God say out of the blue, "Go to Mexico!" He wasn't hesitant, but obedient to the heavenly calling and went directly to Mexico without further ado. I believe prophecy is a bona fide spiritual gift and God tells "prophets" messages of exhortation (in agreement with Scripture) to the local church and for edifying of the body. Many Christians claim to be "in touch" with God audibly in the sense of even hearing His voice on occasion, and they seem to have no doubt that it is Him speaking. They are not just having a "hunch" or "getting an impression," but can quote God verbatim (if they can't quote God verbatim something is wrong!).

As for most of us, we have to rely on getting an occasion goose bump or "Aha!" moment in the Word to feel or sense His guidance. God has given us this 6th sense known as faith. David was "a man after God's own heart" who heard God's voice but also depended on the prophet Nathan and others to give him messages from the Lord, and yet he is not any less of a man of God. When God speaks directly to an individual that isn't necessarily meant to be a new revelation or prophecy, it is called "personal address" by theologians. Though we have the Holy Writ, this doesn't preclude God's audible voice today.

But when Christians rely on hunches or inner voices it gives rise to "fanaticism," as portrayed by Hannah Whitall Smith, the commonsensical Quaker writer. Even though God can speak through the air vents, it is better to seek His voice in His Word.

NB:  Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart seeking fellowship and promises that if any man hears His voice, He will come in and commune (cf. Rev. 3:20). Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me."  John 10:27  And  "He who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37  It is not normative to hear "voices," but he who is spiritual can discern God's message to him in divers manners.  He is in God's wavelength and in tune with the Spirit. 

CAVEATS:  WE NEVER SHOULD INTERPRET THE BIBLE ACCORDING TO SOMEONE'S PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM GOD, BUT THE MESSAGE IN LIGHT OF THE BIBLE TO SEE IF IT LINES UP WITH SOUND TEACHING.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BIBLICALLY SAVVY OR A SCHOLAR TO HEAR FROM GOD; 
JUST HAVE A NEEDY HEART, WILLING SPIRIT, AND OPEN MIND!   ALSO, IF GOD IS GOING TO MAKE A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT OR MESSAGE, HE WILL VERIFY AND CONFIRM IT (CF. ISA. 44:26). 
 AND DON'T APPLY YOUR PERSONAL HUNCHES TO SOMEONE ELSE! NOR EXPECT THEM TO OBEY THEM.   Soli Deo Gloria!

In God's Economy

"... God, be merciful to me the sinner" (cf. Luke 18:13, emphasis mine).  

The kingdom of God differentiates itself from the ways of the world in manifold ways.  They say you should stick up for yourself and defend yourself at all cost, and bully your way to the top of the dog-eat-dog world, but in God's economy the way up is down, just as John predicated, seeing Jesus:  "He must increase, but I must decrease," (cf. John 3:30, ESV).   The question is not how high we can aspire to and how high our dreams or aims are, but how low can we go in Christ's name--can we share in His humiliation? The world measures a man by how many people serve him, but God does by how many men he serves. 

Faith alone pleases God and it's given, not achieved; however, we must put it into practice! NB:  In God's economy, there's purpose and design, and everything is done in a "fitting and orderly way" [or decently and in order] (cf. 1 Cor. 14:40).  As is said, it is in giving that we receive, and in dying we live!  In admitting our failures, we find success.  As Socrates said, that we must first admit our ignorance to begin learning.  In humbling ourselves, we're exalted.  It seems like God's economy is antithetical and a paradox.

The ironic thing about the rat race, according to Lily Tomlin, is that even if you win it, you're still a rat!  And who wants to be the top dog who wins in the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest by applying the Iron Rule when the leadership class eventually develops.  These social Darwinist theories don't jibe with Christian dogma and in God's economy the weak are taken care of by God and the job of the mighty and noble is to look out for the destitute and needy--the less fortunate, for God made the rich as well as the poor and it's an insult to our Maker to despise anyone in God's image.  We may not have a social gospel to preach but the Christian social commission to aid the needy has not been rescinded.   In the ways of the world, one learns to brownnose and curry favor by flattery and bribery--saying just the right things to gain approbation.  Even lying is a way of gaining an edge and advantage over one's competition or political opponent--what politician is known for being aboveboard nowadays?

Also, in God's economy (spiritually speaking), emptying comes before filling; i.e., we must confess our sins and seek the filling of the Holy Spirit--it's not a given regardless of our conduct and behavior.  To meditate on Christ, we must forget about ourselves!  When we look at Christ all else fades in comparison. We must walk the walk, not just talk the talk (being sensitive to the presence of God and the Spirit) and practice what we all preach or profess in Christ's name, not to be nominal Christians in name only.  Ethics or praxeology (right behavior) is the practice of our orthodoxy (right belief).  How can you find yourself in God, but by losing yourself?  We find out that we must die to our dreams and then our meaning in life is hidden with Christ in God according to Colossians 3:2 as quoted in paraphrase; i.e., we die to self in order to live and lose our life to find it!  Most people don't know that it's not about them and it doesn't occur to them to get their eyes off themselves and to stop focusing on self and living selfishly.

In God's economy, we never make a real sacrifice--Christ made an infinite one for us.  Whatever we do we are rewarded for and God makes up for bad or hard times with equal good times and blessings. We never come out the loser in God's economy. He is on our side--we cannot lose; He believes in us--our situation is never hopeless; He is with us--we are never alone.  Jesus paid the price and the battle is already won through His work.

Also, in God's economy, it pays to give and it is in blessing others that we are blessed in return.  We can never out-give God and this is a true test of our faith to see if we will trust Him for His daily bread or provision.  In God's economy, He promises to meet all our needs, but not our felt needs or wants.  He promises to withhold nothing good, but that isn't the same as having everything, for some people, are doubly blessed, but all are blessed--for God is good to all in some ways, and to some in all ways, and everything in the continuum.  There are so many resources God entrusts to our accountability and we have made stewards over, such as time, talents, gifts, ambitions, property, relationships, opportunities, testimony, witness, and hobbies or pastimes, and so forth.  Let us all seek to be a blessing, for this is the very purpose of our calling and salvation that brings God glory (cf. Zech. 8:13; Isa. 43:7).

But it's a bleak outlook with no real hope in a belief system without God in the equation or economy!  Remember, the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who can humble himself as a child (cf. Matt. 18:3), not exalt himself, for whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted.   For God "resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (cf. James 4:6).  We share in His glory and will be glorified in heaven because He has given us this moral compass and code to share as examples of Christ to the world as we are the feet to go where needed, the voice to speak for Him, the heart to share His love, and the hands to help those in need.

On the other hand, the Eastern faiths believe in karma and don't want to interfere with anyone's karma--Christians alone are known for their charity and good deeds as well as noble social movements and reforms in Christ's name.  We must stop thinking like the world, which is so pragmatic (the ends justify the means and only results, not truth matter) and practical (how it works for us), and they think something is true because it works (a la yoga as faith, not an exercise, TM, meditation, horoscopes, et al.), but Christianity works because it's true--just the opposite (but we must find out for ourselves--as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating--and "taste and see that the Lord is good" according to Psalm 34:8; 1 Pet. 2:3!).

In God's economy, salvation is free but not cheap--it will cost you everything (surrender of the ownership of your life)--you can never pay it back, you don't deserve it, and cannot earn it because it's grace.  When we realize that life comes from death and the old can be reborn, our eyes are on their way to enlightenment and our souls to regeneration. NB:  Christ is not against our works, just ones done in the flesh!

A FINAL WORD TO THE WISE:  IN GOD'S ECONOMY SUFFERING BRINGS CHARACTER AND CROSSES BRINGS CROWNS.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Doing A Great Work I

"...'I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.   Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?''"  (Neh. 6:3, NIV). 
"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded" (2 Chron. 15:7, NIV).  
It's all in a nutshell by a sermon William Carey preached, titled "Expect Great Things From God, Attempt Great Things for God."  

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that we don't do great things, just little things with great love.  It's not our achievements that God is pleased with, but our faithfulness.  Mother Teresa also said that God doesn't call us to success, but to faithfulness.  Indeed, he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much as Jesus said.  We are all to give an account of our stewardship and will be rewarded according to our works--not our faith.  Jesus said that He had finished the work God gave Him and was ready to enter His glory in John 17:4.  Nehemiah boasted that he was engaged in "a great work" for the Lord and wouldn't be interrupted.  Jeremiah warns against doing the Lord's work with slackness (cf. Jer. 48:10)!

Some people are performance-oriented and will say at Judgment Day that they did great works in the Lord's name, even casting out demons; however, their faith was in their works, not the Lord!  Misplaced faith, though big, doesn't save--it's the object that matters.  All achievements are eventually outdone and eclipsed, all records will be broken, all reputations will fade, all tributes will be forgotten, and trophies will be lost or decayed, but what we do in the Lord's name in His power (that are ordained for us to do per Eph. 2:10) will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded.  These good deeds will not be in vain.  Isaiah said in Isa. 49:4, NIV, "But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.  Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.'"  Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:58, NIV, "...Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

There has been much evil done in the Lord's name (the Catholic Inquisition, the Salem witch hunts, the Crusades, and the Thirty-Years War et al.) but what is done in the Lord means in the right spirit and in the power of the Spirit.   I'm not against good works, just those done in the power of the flesh.   

In the final analysis, no one will be able to boast of his works that God did through him but will give glory to God for being a vessel of honor, as Paul said in Romans 15:18, KJV,  that he would not "dare to speak of any of those things Christ hath not wrought by [him]..." or venture to mention anything but what God accomplished through him."  In sum, we're all "doing a great work," if it's done in the Lord, and we ought not to belittle anyone's task or gift for without Christ we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5).          Soli Deo Gloria!

Doesn't Sincerity Matter?

Sincerity does enter into the equation of one's salvation, but it's not everything.  One must be sincere in order to secure the grace of God in order to find God with all one's heart, but one can be sincerely wrong!  The Jews of Paul's day were ever so sincere, but they had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge (cf. Prov. 19:2; Rom. 10:2).  Zeal isn't the only measure of spiritual success, for God isn't asking for our success and achievements, but our faithfulness.  He wants us, not our works. 

On the contrary, God condemns a slack attitude in serving the Lord--we are to do it with all our might.  In measuring the value of our deeds God looks at the motive, not just the means and the end result.  Today's pragmatists are only concerned with the consequences; the end justifies the means!  Today's current New Morality says that all that matters is one's motive: they mean good, or as long as it's done in love is all that matters.

God raised the bar on morality, internalizing it:  we must have pure intentions and seek God's will and do it in God's way, not our way.  The song is sung by Frank Sinatra says, "I did it my way," which is misleading at best.  Today one may be deceived by the cults and their zeal for God--but it's not according to knowledge but done in ignorance. God does hold us accountable for what we should know and had the opportunity to know but refused--ignorance is not an excuse, at least willful ignorance, and it's certainly not bliss.  God's pet peeve with man is his ignorance and this is his downfall into sin by which he is deceived by Satan the liar and deceiver; "... therefore a people without understanding shall come to ruin." (cf. Hosea 4:14). "...I do not want you to be uninformed." (cf. 1 Cor. 12:1). 

Yes, sincerity matters because of it and this excuses no one from being right. No one has an excuse before God but will give an account of himself (cf. Rom. 14:10).   But most important is not whether all our doctrines are impeccably correct but the condition of our hearts, they must be in the right place!  All of the resources, opportunities, talents, gifts, time, energy, and relationships God has given us will measure our sincerity.  God must change our heart, intellect, and volition and this is no less than a miracle of transformation from the inside out.  We must not be fooled by blind ambition or zeal!  We must focus on the big picture and see things from God's perspective because of the illumination of the Holy Spirit working in the Word.

It's not the amount of faith that saves, nor faith itself, but the object of faith which is in Christ that saves--we don't have faith in faith and are not defenders of faith per se, but defenders of the faith and must contend for it as commanded.   In the final analysis, God doesn't demand perfect faith for salvation, but sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5) not as the hypocrites who only had faith for show and to boast; in other words, nobody's faith is perfect but falls somewhere in the certitude continuum from unbelief to absolute knowledge-- there are degrees of certainty and faith.  In sum, Paul said, "I would not have you ignorant," (cf. 1 Cor. 12:1).         Soli Deo Gloria!

The New Atheist On The Warpath

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'..." (Psalm 14:1, NIV).  NB:  he says this in his heart and is irrational.  

Today's atheists(or anti-theists) are more strident than of yesteryear since they don't "live and let live" with Christians anymore but are bent on eradicating Christ from the public square and discourse--erasing any vestige of religion; not letting any Divine Foot in the door.  Faith in God used to be the default position, but today's resurgent atheists are on the march!  They are on the offensive like the redoubtable Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who succeeded in outlawing prayer in public schools and Bible reading as a mandatory curriculum or requisite.  If these atheists are so sure there's no God, why spend so much energy fighting someone (why are they so angry?) and who doesn't exist, while denying all the causes championed by Christians?

One man in Russia concluded there must be a God since they keep telling him there isn't.  The problem with Marxism, according to Dostoevsky, is atheism--a philosophy hard to buy into since they propagate that "God does not, cannot, and must not exist." Not everyone is so ready to be committed to this bleak outlook on life.  They have a psychological need to be atheists; they may have had estranged relationships with authority figures, especially their fathers, and see the so-called Father Figure as an assault since they don't want any accountability to a Higher Power.  They respect authority figures but deny the Ultimate Authority and Lawmaker.  The atheist doesn't want a Judge to criticize his immorality or lack of ethics, he refuses any guidance for life from a Lord of lords, Guide, or Ruler, he refuses to submit to the authority of King of kings, he wants to deny the natural order of creation with its Creator.  

In this way, he has no hell to shun, no judgment to fear, and no accountability to anyone but himself and he wants to live for the day, not in light of eternity, being a law unto himself and doing what is right in his eyes. They don't want to worship God (his due respect)--they won't worship nothing!   Men will always find "something or someone to worship" (according to Dostoevsky) in the "vacuum" (Blaise Pascal's term) or void left in the soul that is only content in God.

But it is a contradiction in terms to believe in order without an "Orderer," to believe in purpose without teleological sources or a "Purposer" (which is purpose personified) or justice without the Standard of good and evil and a Final Judge. In fact, the word teleology or purpose is a dirty and repugnant word to atheists.   He can look at beauty and deny an Artist!  He looks at the design and insults his Designer!  How can one believe in a "beginning" (i.e., the Big Bang as a scientific fact) and deny a Beginner? It's not a valid faith to deny God since He reveals Himself to all, but He also hides and will only be found by those searching for Him, not triflers.  

The only way you can be an atheist is to be intellectually dishonest, for it's a bankrupt philosophy and one must commit intellectual suicide to be one, for the bulk of evidence is on God's side.  Denying God is a fool's errand and one must muzzle all the inner voices of God bearing witness of Himself in creation. The cosmos didn't create itself (a logical absurdity); creation implies a Creator!  It is intellectually dishonest to deny God since one must be omniscient and omnipresent--being everywhere at the same time and knowing everything; also it's philosophically and logically impossible to prove a universal negative!  For instance, you'd have to be everywhere to prove there are no little green men too.  They can't prove God doesn't exist! We don't know all the answers yet, but we know the Answerer.  

These so-called militant atheists are bent on destroying religion in the name of no God, which seems ludicrous. They seek to eradicate any vestige or trace of God from the open marketplace of ideas, not even letting a Divine Foot in the door.   In fact, they believe, as Freud postulated, that believing in God is a "neurosis" and Richard Dawkins believes is a "mind virus" one catches if naive enough to believe, according to The God Delusion.  God is not a throwback to our need for a Father Figure, on the contrary, He is the fulfillment of who we are and we are made for Him, to bring Him glory, giving us pleasure and fulfillment.  Freud and some psychologists believe we have a psychological need to believe; au contraire, they have a psychological need not to believe!  We all have psychological needs, the point is which ones line up with the facts and evidence.

They say that we have faith, but they have facts!  This is fallacious reasoning since all knowledge is contingent and starts with faith, accepting some presupposition you cannot prove!  It's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions you want to buy into and accept.  The secular atheist usually bets the farm on the fact that science alone is the only reliable source of knowledge! They also put faith in the belief of materialism and naturalism: all that exists is matter and all things have a natural explanation and that means no supernatural.  Christians are people of faith, as they call us, but they are people of faith too, faith in science!  They know God exists; however, they suppress it feigning intellectual problems.  Faith in God is not "pie in the sky," nor wishful thinking, nor the "opiate of the masses" as postulated by skeptics.....

It's the atheist who's irrational since he denies God in spite of the evidence, while Christians don't believe despite the evidence since there's ample reason to believe and God does show Himself to earnest seekers because He's no man's debtor.  It is the atheist who has blind faith, since he bases it mainly only experience and feelings, not evidence, while Christianity is a fact and history-based faith.  If Christians are obliged to show proof, so must atheists! 

In the final analysis, they are without excuse! As Paul says in Romans 1:20.   No one can disbelieve due to lack of evidence; however, there's never enough for the skeptic.  But there's no "smoking gun" evidence either way--both need faith!  I will close with Norman Geisler:  "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist!" In sum, it's not faith versus reason, but faith versus faith!   Soli Deo Gloria!

No Biggie Miracles

"A miracle is an event which is not producible by the natural causes that are operative at the time and place that the event occurs." --William Lane Craig

Jesus simply wouldn't accommodate the Pharisees when challenged for a showy miracle they couldn't deny was from God; why should He oblige unbelievers?  After the resurrection, he showed Himself only to believers!  Remember:  Miracles don't make faith, faith makes miracles.  Even King Herod tried to entice Jesus into doing a trick on demand, and when He wouldn't they mocked Him (presumably for not offering any proof of His kingly pedigree).  Jesus did say that the only miracle that the evil generation would see was the sign of Jonah (i.e., the resurrection), which was the greatest miracle in history.  But Jesus doesn't have to validate Himself to believers who see Jesus in action in their personal lives.  Transformed lives from an encounter with Jesus is the biggest miracle of all we can witness.

When people doubt certain miracles, they are really doubting the very possibility of miracles at all. They deny the supernatural completely in their Secular worldview.   Are they calling the apostles deliberate liars and deceivers?  Science cannot disprove miracles because they lie outside its domain. Science cannot forbid miracles, period.  They are unusual events caused by God; for if they happened all the time, they'd be called regulars.  Miracles are not a violation of the laws of nature as skeptic David Hume posited.

And miracles are vital to the Christian experience and faith since we believe in a God of wonders; if you take miracles out of the other religions they remain intact.  But if Jesus had performed no miracles, He would've been but a footnote in history. Jesus needed to authenticate His messiahship and deity; they weren't done willy-nilly nor for personal profit, convenience, or favor.  They can be seen as a visible attestation of God's presence.   Miracles were never merely for show, but had met a purpose and taught an important lesson concerning Jesus' deity; however, even though Jesus did perform many "signs" the people still "would not believe" in Him (cf. Psalm 78:32; John 12:37)--not that they could not, but would not! 

Jesus had nothing to prove or gain personally and knew that miracles only give a desire for more miracles and don't always have an impact on faith (look at the stubbornness of Israel who had experienced the miracles of Moses!).  He did say that if Sodom and Gomorrah had seen the miracles Capernaum had, they would've repented.  They didn't conjure up faith as a rule because faith is given, not achieved!       Soli Deo Gloria!

Epistemological Humility

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly" (Proverbs 15:14, NIV).  
"Only simpletons believe everything they're told" (Prov. 14:15, NLT). 
"The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge [feed many]" (Prov. 15:7, HCSB).
"...[U]ntil the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NIV). 
"...If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn" (Isa. 8:20, NIV).
"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers" (Isa. 44:26, NIV).
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." --old saying that rings true biblically

The Christian ought to be humble regarding what he knows for sure and can't be dogmatic about and what is a matter of opinion.  There will come the time when we beg to differ!  As Protestants, we must utter:  "I disagree, I dissent, I protest."  Augustine's dictum applies here:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Paul also warned (cf. 1 Cor. 8:2, NIV) that "the man who thinks he knows something doesn't yet know as he ought to know."  Socrates said that we cannot learn until we admit our ignorance; we must admit we could be wrong!  Plato taught that all knowledge begins in faith and the Bible teaches it commences with the fear of the Lord (cf. Prov. 1:7). While Bacon said, "Knowledge is power" (cf. Prov. 24:5) love is the goal in the application.

When we disagree with believers, it ought to be in a humble attitude, not condescending or disdainful.  The problem with most people is that what they know "ain't so!"  People are so filled with misinformation, propaganda, disinformation, and lies from Satan, even heresies and false doctrines of demons, that they don't recognize the truth when it strikes a note.  The truth should resonate and strike a chord that vibrates in the soul, hitting home where it counts!

Most people have opinions, and opinions are what you hold, but convictions hold you!  Most people twist the facts to fit their theories and only believe what they agree with already!  Most people don't hold any cherished beliefs they would kill or even die for if necessary--they're just opinions.  And most people have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts!  Most people talk because they have to say something, while the wise talk because they have something to say; viva la difference!  We must have several attitudes to be teachable:  a willing spirit, an obedient and needy heart, and an open mind (we must not be looking for a fight or something to disagree or take issue with).

We need to be thirsty for the truth if we are to achieve it, and no one has a monopoly on the truth no matter how gifted they are--they're only part of the puzzle or picture (IT'S A BIG STORY AND WE'RE ONLY PART OF IT!) and the whole body needs and works together.  But the strengths of one person are complemented by those of others and there is a coordinated search for truth, not the blind leading the blind.  It is vital that we realize that all teachers are human and must not pontificate like the Pope or believe he has the right to speak ex-cathedra or from the chair (i.e., of St. Peter in Rome).

We all must admit that we are to edify and teach each other and use our gifts to build up the body accordingly.  I know of several Christian authors that I disagree with on certain items or doctrines, but that doesn't keep me from reading them, for they are scholars in their own right and know what they are talking about.  There is always an ear to hear or heed a person with a message (written or oral).

We have reached a level of maturity when we can distinguish our beliefs and our ignorance (know what you know and what you don't!), and be able to read writings of those we find occasion to disagree with but are still challenging or edifying; don't just read those we are inclined to agree with perfectly!   No one should feel he has to agree with everything some writer or teacher puts out, but God will bless the search for the truth.   It's a no-brainer that we shouldn't seek out teachers who say just what we want to say with itching ears.

Don't believe everything you hear or read, but search the Scriptures if there's question or doubt.  Even Socrates had to awaken from his dogmatic slumber to start learning.   But one thing is certain:  God will work through the body and we ought to take heed to what the Spirit reveals to it through gifted individuals, for God can speak through a child!  All in all, we must never claim to know all the answers but to be part of the answer or solution, not part of the problem.

NB: The whole church was wrong about the sun revolving around the earth and Galileo was put under house arrest during the Catholic Inquisition.  Also, the Reformation itself was proof that the established church can be in error.

CAVEAT:  ONE SHOULD BEWARE LEST HE BECOMES A KNOW-IT-ALL AND PUT MORE WEIGHT ON HIS SUBJECTIVE VALUE JUDGMENT THAN WHAT IS DUE; WE MUST KNOW OUR LIMITS OR DOMAIN AND AREA OF ENLIGHTENMENT, EXPERTISE, AND GIFTING.  In closing, G. K. Chesterton said, quite tongue in cheek, "We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers."   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Really Counts Is Love In Action

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law" (Rom. 13:8, NIV).  "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:  'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal. 5:14, NIV).
  
Christians are to be God's voice of love in the world, where communication has broken down, and even where there is a failure to communicate.  As Bertrand Russell said,  "[W]hat the world needs is Christian love or compassion."  We have a good message to share: one that transforms and offers genuine, in-real-time hope.  There is so much disinformation, outright lies, propaganda, fake news, and mudslinging out there that a believer can hardly discern good from evil and truth from falsehood.  The mature Christian knows good from evil and "hates evil," a definition for fearing the Lord. We live in a day and age when "the powers that be" are those of the most clout by virtue of donations and PAC money, almost unlimited spending on behalf of special interests--power is bought!

The so-called Evangelical Right has hijacked the Christian faith claiming to stand for it and going against its agenda labels you a "liberal." The Evangelical Right isn't always right though it presumes to speak in God's name!  There are many believers they don't speak for.  God doesn't approve of using labels for people because that is a way of judging them or putting them in a box or analyzing them.  People are complicated and in God's image and deserve the benefit of the doubt on disagreements--don't be an extremist or absolutist.  We shouldn't quarrel about mere differences of opinion (cf. Rom. 14:1).  The world sees no love lost which is tragic.

 It seems like the ones who make the most noise make the biggest impact on politics without regard to right and wrong--people lose rationality when their emotions get the best of them.  You can be sure the most terrible sign of our times is that there is a rampant demonizing going on, where people think of their "tribe" as being all right, and the other "tribes" as being evil or all wrong. "My party, right or wrong!"  There is much so-called "groupthink" but this is when a group isn't thinking at all in reality.  Much could be accomplished if parents simply taught their children a little respect to whom respect is due (this doesn't mean agreeing with everything!).

There is a grain of truth in all political views and sometimes it's the ones that get the biggest rise out of people that are focused on.  The Christian virtue of tolerance is quite different from the world's view.  We respect a person's dignity and self-worth and the right to disagree with us, but we don't think their views are equally valid or they must accept our political views.  In fact, the only thing we are to be dogmatic on is Bible doctrine, not our political persuasions--leave room for disagreement--mere differences of opinion.  We can disagree without being disagreeable and agree to disagree on some issues that the Bible isn't clear about or is open to interpretation.

It's all about putting love into action and living out our faith so that others can see we are true to our colors.   As Paul said in Gal. 5:6 that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (cf. NIV).  We are to win people over by example!  This means applying the Bible to political movements and issues.  It is a compliment when believers are known by their love.  That is the telltale sign and mark of a true Christian, who simply wants to pass on the experience of love in Christ he has known.  We ought to win them over by our example of love in action expressing our faith through good deeds.  It is far more important to God that the believer's heart be in the right place than he belongs to the right party.  God is not a member of a party since that would be putting Him in a box or labeling Him!  It so vitally important to know that God will not ask us what party we belonged to, but whether we loved the brethren.

We ought not to be known as the Evangelical Right but as the "Evangelical."  But there has been a cleavage in politics today!  There are people who actually despise Christians because of the appalling fruit of the Evangelical Right!   When will they learn that not all problems are political and politics is not always the answer?  (WHAT ABOUT INTERCESSION?)  Hasn't God commissioned us to transform the culture and persons by example, evangelizing, and by doing good deeds with reforms such as ending slavery, not to take over the government in the name of Christ, and hijack the faith to be revolutionists in the name of God?

NB:  There are no certain types of government though that God endorses;  one thing they ought to be dedicated to is the rule of law, separation of powers, equality under the law, liberty for all without exception, respect for human dignity, natural law, and human rights conferred by God and secured by government--all are biblical and can be summed up with justice for all ("all men are created equal"), and God is opposed to the perversion of justice.  CAVEAT:  WE ARE KNOWN BY OUR FRUITS AND IT'S EVIL TO SOW DISCORD AND FOSTER DIVISION AMONG BROTHERS, SINCE THE STRATEGY OF THE DEVIL IS TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Who Created God?

"Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (Hebrews 3:4, CEB). 
NOTE:  WE ARE ASSUMING EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CREATED!  

This is a trick question since God is the Creator Himself, and no one else can create ex nihilo (out of naught) but Him.  The question implies God can be created or that there is a Superior Being to God in the same universe!  If God were created then He would not be Creator but created, and would not be eternal but captive to time with a beginning like us. God exists independent of the time-space continuum and therefore has no beginning (being eternal) and therefore cannot be created.   But this is the one question that led to Bertrand Russell's faith collapsing--he couldn't reconcile this.

Nothing can create itself, or it would be a contradiction in terms--both a creator and created, both existing and not existing before itself!  We know from the rules of logic that nothing can create itself nor be its own cause.  Anything that has a cause is not eternal; God is eternal, and therefore uncaused. There can be causes without a cause but not an effect without a cause--God is no effect and not a creation but the original Cause and Creator.  If someone caused God or created Him, that person would be the Creator or First Cause, Causa Prima, or Primary Mover of the cosmos--we define God as the Uncaused Cause, Uncreated Creator, Prime Mover, or Unmoved Mover.  This is His self-existence or aseity.  God is independent of everything and everyone and needs no one or nothing, not even a cause.

This is all Cosmology-101 (or dealing with causality--nothing just happens by itself!) and it demonstrates that you cannot cross infinity or infinite regress is impossible.  That means that you cannot have an endless series of finite causes, but must have a first cause to start the chain of events.  Every event has a cause (if an explosion happened, you would want to know what caused it).  According to the kalam cosmological argument for God, "everything that begins to exist has a cause"--the universe began to exist and therefore had a cause or Beginner, while God didn't begin to exist and has no cause (creator)!  But God is no event and a living Being that doesn't change, while being created implies being changed.  God is the perfect One who needs no improvement, who cannot change for the better since He's already perfect and cannot change for the worse since He is perfect and needs no change or improvement and is immutable, according to Arthur Pink.

None of us will ever have a grasp on the creative act of God and the know-how of it, but we must accept God as our Creator by faith since faith pleases God.  It is not too difficult to imagine something uncreated:  where did love come from? where did justice and righteousness come from?  what about fairness and mercy?  God is love and without love, there would be no God--that's His essence.  God needs no one and is a Law unto Himself with no one to be accountable to but Himself; i.e., He is also self-sufficient and meets all His own needs without us. He is complete in and of Himself.   If He wants something He creates it.  In this sense, God is the only free Being in the universe who can act freely and without restraint on His wants.  We are fortunate that God wants us by His grace!

By contrast, men like to say they are self-made men, but this means they worship their creator, which is themselves!  We need God--He doesn't need us!  He is our judge; we are not His judge or critic. God shares of Himself and blesses us with gifts to be used as gifts back to Him; i.e., He gives us faith as a gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to Him!  In closing let me state that God is the Supreme Good and the standard and measure of goodness--the ultimate plumb-line.  Without God, we would not know good--where would the idea come from if not God?  And so goodness just exists as part of God's nature and it wasn't created either.          Soli Deo Gloria!