The Snowflake Pattern

The Snowflake Pattern

They tell us that every snowflake is different.

How exactly one might go about proving this is hard to say, since proving such a negative is humanly impossible, but nevertheless, we must admit that nobody has ever found two snowflakes that are identical and that within the myriad number of snowflakes contained in this universe, there is a wondrous amount of diversification.

snowflake difference

Are you following the pattern?

This is truly remarkable when you consider that every snowflake follows the exact same rules of creation and each snowflake is comprised of the exact same basic ingredients in the same proportion. Snow, being made of water, is comprised of two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom, and these atoms bond together in the same way in every water molecule. Likewise, when water freezes, no matter where it is in the world, it operates under the same physical laws as every other water molecule that freezes. Sometimes this produces blocks of ice; sometimes it produces snowflakes; but water freezes according to the preset laws laid down by the Divine Creator, everywhere and every time. And despite this uniformity of content and behavior, every snowflake ends up being beautiful and unique.

People often don’t like the idea that God has a pattern, or a law, for them to follow. These individuals chaff at the idea of “commands and precepts.” Culturally, there is a great deal of pushback against the idea of conformity. “Rules are made to be broken,” is adopted as a mantra. The individual and individualism reign supreme. Agreeing to disagree is regarded as a high philosophical achievement and equivocation between disparate ideas and behaviors is commonplace. Conformity is perceived to be boring and stodgy. Even in theological circles, there is in some quarters a disdain for the idea of a “pattern theology.” “It’s not about rules,” they will say, “it’s about grace.”

The honest student of God’s word, however, can hardly fail to notice the emphasis placed within the Scriptures on such concepts as obedience to commands, conformity of doctrine, and the necessity of following God’s pattern for life, for worship, and for salvation.

It was God who gave Noah a detailed blueprint of how to build an ark (Genesis 6:14-16). It was God who repeatedly told Moses to build everything in the tabernacle according to a pattern (eg. Exodus 25:9, 40, 26:30). It was God who instructed His people not to deviate from His precepts, either to the right or to the left (Deuteronomy 5:32; cf. Proverbs 30:5-6).

Nor is this a thing unique to the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus told His disciples to teach men all the things He had commanded of them (Matthew 28:20). The apostle Paul reminded Timothy of the pattern of the doctrine of Christ, saying, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:13; ESV).”

Concerning conformity, the church at Corinth was divinely cautioned that they needed to be of the same mind, all speaking the same things (1 Corinthians 1:10). There was not one Gospel given for one man, and another to a different man, but rather, as we read, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6a; NKJV).”

Each Christian is called to the same salvation, through the same plan, and is expected to produce the same sort of fruit (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). We are all, in Christ, put together with the same sort of ingredients, and we all need to follow the same pattern and laws.

Those who don’t know better assume that such a situation must be pretty boring: plain and uninteresting, with every Christian exactly like every other Christian. But such a conclusion is not just wrong, but wildly wrong. The same God that can use two ingredients and a handful of physical laws to produce a nigh-infinite variety of snowflakes can do so much more with man, the pinnacle of His creation. There is great beauty to be found in the righteousness of Christ, and wondrous variety. No two Christians are ever going to be exactly alike, and yet we are each, if we will let Him work in us, molded and fashioned in the perfect image of Christ.

 

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Appointment with the Great Physician

Appointment with the Great Physician

Welcome to the Sunday morning sick ward of the life-weary and heavy laden; to the Sunday morning assemblage of the wounded and heavily hurting; to the congregational gathering of the cross-carrying members of the Lord’s church. They have traveled in for one of their vital, tri-weekly appointments with the Great Physician. Don’t let the neckties, dress shirts, high heels and nice dresses fool you. And don’t be deceived by all of the suddenly-appearing smiles and “I’m fine, how are you?” responses. While such may be truly genuine and reflective of the inner soul of some, there are likely a number of others with whom such responses might be a bit more automatic than authentic, generic than genuine, and robotic than realistic.

Bible Doctor

The Great Physician keeps you strong and healthy.

The truth is, that if you love enough to probe just a little bit deeper and look just below the surface, many of those whom you see here are more than likely struggling with something – whether it is readily apparent to the untrained eye or not. Some may be experiencing the daily pain and stress of a personal, potentially fatal physical ailment. Others might be found to be silently struggling to come to grips with an even greater and more intense life-threatening physical ailment involving some beloved family member… such as a spouse, child, parent, or grandchild perhaps.

Many may also be heavily-burdened by some particular personal sin or temptation they struggle to overcome on a daily basis. Some may be carrying and suffering from the scars and abrasions produced by such spiritually lethal heart diseases as pride, anger, self-righteousness, or some other sort of sin-producing parasite or spiritual paralysis. Still others may be completely heart-broken because of a seemingly hopeless situation involving certain of their loved ones who simply will not come to the Great Physician for the priceless and sin-cleansing cure they so desperately need in order to obtain and enjoy a full earthly life, as well as a phenomenally beautiful eternal life, with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, look around. But don’t just look with your physical eyes; really and truly turn and look with your ‘spiritual heart of insight’ eyes. Understand that the person behind you, beside you, and before you, is more than likely every inch as much of a weak, hurting, and heavily-burdened human being as you either currently are, or else have been at times past in your life. And they have come here today, seeking some measure of hope and healing. Help them. Love them. Lift them. Listen to them. And help bear their burden both for and with them. Be, just what “The Doctor,” ordered (Matt. 9:11-13, 11:28-29; Acts 20:35; and Gal. 6:2).

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Foot Washing

Foot Washing

There are some religious groups that practice foot washing. They take the example that Jesus gave in John 13:3-15 literally, and occasionally, they have a foot washing event. That wasn’t what Jesus was talking about doing, but there’s nothing wrong with itas long as it doesn’t turn into a mindless religious ritual that forgets Jesus intent,and what was that intent? Jesus was trying to teach the disciples to serve one another. We don’t have examples of the apostles washing each other’s feet in the New Testament, but we do have commands such as Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This is the kind of “foot washing” that Jesus wants us to do.

Washing Feet

Where do your interests reside?

When we “wash feet,” a lot of spiritual good takes place. First, when we “wash feet,” we are too busy to worry about things that are out of our control. Our focus is upon the task at hand, not upon things that we can’t control. Idle hands lead to worried minds. Second, when we “wash feet,” we demonstrate the love of Christ. We show to others that we really care about them enough to put their needs above our own desires. Jesus did that when He went to the cross. Third, when we “wash feet,” we think of self less and others more. We realize that life is about other people, not self alone. This reduces pride and increases humility. Fourth, when we “wash feet,” we give ourselves away to others, and “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” We need to be “foot washers!” Let’s follow Jesus’ example and love each other.

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Atheists Influencing the Home

Fighting Atheism’s Influence in the Home

God does exist. All of the best-sellers in the world that espouse otherwise will not change that fact. But if we really expect our children to believe and follow the One True Living God, we must start thinking outside the box! Sadly, the atheists of this country are doing their job better than we Christian parents are. It’s time someone states the obvious: What we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked.

Atheists teaching

Alarmed with the rise of Atheism? Fulfill your responsibility at home.

If you do not believe this, just walk into a church building and inquire if anyone there has children who have abandoned the Faith. But be prepared—the line that forms before you may be much longer than you ever expected. Far too many young people are leaving the Church only to turn around and embrace secular humanism, or even worse, atheism.

Now think: How many of those children who have left the Church could list most of the state capitals? How many of those children know the value for pi, or how to solve for x in an algebra problem? How many of those children can name bones of the body or could describe the water cycle? How many of those children know every word to their favorite songs or could tell you, verbatim, lines from their favorite movie? How many of those children have studied for hours to take tests over meaningless material?

As you sit there considering how much time these young people have spent cramming for standardized tests, ask yourself this one simple question: How much time have they spent actually studying Christian evidences or logical arguments to prove God’s existence? If we are going to reverse this trend, we must start thinking outside the box as to what is “normal”. It’s time we expect more from ourselves and more from our children.

“Are you actually suggesting that we test or quiz our children over Christian evidences or make them study biblical material outside of Bible class?”

I guess my response would be: “Yes, whatever it takes.” After all, which “test” is ultimately more important? I’m not downplaying the importance of a good education—I’m just trying to remind parents that their children spend an enormous amount of time learning “things,” but too often they only spend a small fraction learning about God and His Word. It is no secret that during their educational years students spend a great deal of time studying evolution, humanism, other religious beliefs, and even the tenets of atheism. Why not counter this with a solid Christian foundation?

As I mentioned before, what we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked. It’s time we get serious and combat the atheists’ propaganda with knowledge! Ask yourself this question: Can my children and grandchildren truly prove that God exists? Our children are told that if you can not measure something using the scientific method (using your five senses), then it is an illusion. Where does that place God— a Spirit (John 4:24)? Anyone who has spent any time at all studying philosophy or logic understands that while a Supreme Being may not be proven in a laboratory using the scientific method, the laboratory’s very existence is proof for His existence.

Consider this simple logic: It is a self-evident truth that something cannot come from nothing. (If someone wants to argue this fact, I would love to sell them some “nothing.”) Since something now exists, this indicates that something has existed forever. That means something is eternal—meaning it has always been here. This is simple logic—something exists today, thus something has always existed. The question is what or who has eternal properties?

Atheists and evolutionists would have students believe that the Universe is eternal; however that does not fit the scientific data. We know today that the Universe is expanding, which is a clear indication it had a beginning. As evolutionist Robert Jastrow admitted: “The lingering decline predicted by astronomers for the end of the world differs from the explosive conditions they have calculated for its birth, but the impact is the same: modern science denies an eternal existence to the Universe, either in the past or the future” (1977, p. 30).

The only logical conclusion is that God is eternal and He was responsible for the creation of the Universe. With a little time and a little study we can teach these Truths to our children and grandchildren. I’ve heard it said many times that it takes more “blind” faith to be an atheist. Given the amount of evidence we have for God I would agree.

Brad Stine once mused: “Who is more irrational? A man who believes in a God he doesn’t see, or a man who’s offended by a God he doesn’t believe in?” I would take that even one step further: “Who is more irrational? A Christian who believes in a God but doesn’t teach his child about Him, or an atheist who doesn’t believe in Him but takes the time to teach the child his beliefs?

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Fake News

Fake News

The term ” Fake News ” has been utilized frequently in recent years, particularly surrounding the issues of politics.  It has been directly aimed at a sensationalized public media which for its own purposes, whether for ignorance, profit, power, agenda, spitefulness, or other reasons, frequently promotes false news stories as truth.  Such activity shapes the minds of those who hear it for the worse.  Yellow Journalism, propaganda, blatant lying – call it what you will – harms those who come into contact with it.  Even good brothers and sisters of our Lord have been exposed to such tripe, accepting and promoting false information in ignorance.  How simple it is for falsehood to travel quickly in this digital era.  A few minutes on the computer and hundreds, thousands, millions of people can be misinformed.  Such an atmosphere reminds me of the concern of the apostle Paul in his second Corinthian letter  because fake news disseminated across the globe is the product of or initiates the sins he mentioned there:

2 Corinthians 12:20 – “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish–that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”

In the days of Jesus, John the baptizer came heralding the messiah and kingdom of God .  Fake News?  Was the Messiah of promise coming (Mark 1:7-8)?  Jesus came and was baptized by John and God and the Spirit confirmed John’s teaching (Matthew 3).  John spoke the truth.

fake news

Do you verify what you consider truth before you share it?

Jesus would call upon men to “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).  Fake News?  Jesus would confirm His teachings with demonstration of the power of God.  He would heal all who came to Him, removing their diseases and sickness (Matthew 4:23-24).  Whether they were crippled, blind, insane, from birth or circumstance, Jesus made them all whole again (John 21:24-25).  Jesus spoke the “Good News”.

Jesus, the savior of the world, chose the 12 apostles and the apostle Paul to share the Good News.  Was salvation from hearing (Romans 10:17), believing (Mark 16:16), confessing (Matthew 16:16-18), repenting (Acts 2:38), baptism (Acts 8:36), and faithful living (Matthew 7:21) all Fake News?  The message given to the apostles was from the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).  They confirmed it with wonders and signs (Acts 2:43).

Proverbs 23:23 – “Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding”.

The truth is something which is valuable.  Truth is something which we are to hold on to and treasure.  When we receive information, we need to be cautious with it.  We certainly won’t be receiving miraculous confirmation as the folks in the first century, but we can absolutely take a moment to consider the source of information, the evidence supporting that information, and the impact of sharing the information.  The Berean Jews of the era of the apostle Paul did not simply accept his words as truth.  They searched the scriptures to confirm the accuracy (Acts 17:11).  In the words of former United State President Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify”.   If it is something you feel is worth being shared with others, it is worth confirming first.

Most folks know the story of the little boy who cried, “wolf”.  We can be considered as the little boy was, unreliable as a source of truth, a false teacher, a liar, if we continually spread fake news.  The example of being a Christian, preacher, or elder can be destroyed if you become known for sharing false information whether in regard to worldly happenings or God’s Word.  You will be known for what you say and do (Proverbs 20:11).

1 Peter 3:10 – For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;”

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