The Heavens and The Earth

The Heavens and the Earth

The Bible begins with this simple statement: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This verse reminds us that 1) there was a beginning, 2) there is a God, 3) God is powerful, 4) the heavens and the earth are the result of His creative efforts.

All physical things have a beginning and have an end. The universe is a physical thing. So, it had a beginning and will have an end. Some deny that the universe ever had a beginning. They believe that it has existed for all eternity. Recent science has disagreed with the endless universe hypothesis. Science teaches us that all things “wind down” as potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, and, just like a spring-powered clock, the universe will stop. But if it has such an end, it must have had a beginning! How did it begin? God began it.

The power that is in the universe is estimated to be 2 x 1080 watts per second. That is a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion more energy than the sun every second. That’s more 100 watt light bulbs than there are grains of sand on the earth and mars combined. Where did such great power originate? It could only have come from an infinite source of power: God!

From nothing comes nothing! But something exists, and not only is there something, there is an amazing, incredible, and astounding amount and complexity of something. What accounts for it all? The only rational explanation for the universe’s existence is God. The heavens and the earth were put here by God for a purpose. They are His creation.

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Mental Health

Mental Health

Over the past six months I’ve seen a serious uptick in private messages from parents expressing concern for their children’s mental health.

Many have pointed back to Covid and the quarantine as a possible trigger for the change in behavior. According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this uptick is real. In 2021, the CDC reported more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health.

They also noted more than 1 in 5 (22%) students seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted suicide. Suicide now ranks as the second leading cause of death in young people.

Add to this the impact social media is having on young people. In a study released in March 2017, the Center for Research on Media reported frequent use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram caused depression, anxiety, and feelings of social isolation.

So, even though we are the most connected generation in history, our children feel more depressed, anxious, isolated, and suicide is on the increase.

But it’s not just young people. Pew research recently reported at least four-in-ten U.S. adults have faced high levels of psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the National Alliance on Mental Health reported that 21% of U.S. adults experienced a mental health condition.

The church is not immune to this issue. Many of our members are walking around with brain fog, anxiety, or depression. Many Christian homes are truly suffering today, and sadly mental health is one of those topics that our culture does not discuss.

And so instead of becoming a healing balm for those who are anxious or depressed, many church families simply ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Until finally, one day we get the horrible news that one of the young people in the youth group has taken their own life.

Having studied this area—and having had a close relative who suffered with mental illness, I want to share one area that I think needs to be addressed:

Our culture has become addicted to screens and it is literally killing many of our young people. And sadly, too many Christian parents have turned a blind eye.

I want to offer ten practical steps that will help improve the mental health of your family:

  1. Do not let children under 13 years old have their own phone/device. Yes, I know your children will “hate you” and you will not be considered cool. But that’s okay. God didn’t call you to be cool. He called you to be their parent. Introducing young children to their own device often leads to addiction, dependence, and even an early introduction into pornography. The longer you can put off handing your child their own phone the better!
  2. On the coattails of that one, dramatically cut down screen time, even in older children—take media fasts. Look at how much screen time your children average on their phones (you can check it under settings). We should be good stewards of the time God has given us, and part of that is how much time we are blankly staring at a screen.
    In too many cases screens have become objects of our worship. Don’t believe me? Walk into any restaurant and just observe how many people are glued to their phones. People would rather stare at a screen than carry on a conversation with a live human.
  3. Do not use screens as a baby-sitter. I get it, there are times you may need a break. But constantly handing your child your phone to watch videos is not the answer. Look for better ways to stimulate children’s interest and help them develop a natural curiosity for the world around them.
  4. Don’t feed discontentment. Our children are seeing their friends post beautiful pictures (not realizing it took 37 tries just to get that one good picture)—and they wonder, “Why don’t I look that good?” Or “Why isn’t my life that nice?” Or “Why can’t my family get along like that?” What they fail to realize is that that one picture represents a fake virtual world.
    This discontentment feeds depression. Satan has convinced us that we must have perfect teeth, perfect hair, and perfect families—families without blemishes. Social media like Facebook and Instagram have fed these lies, encouraging Christians to only display pictures of a beautiful happy family. (As a result, Christians often never share what is really going on at home and in many cases, we are left to suffer all alone through our issues.)
  5. Encourage/force your child to read books (including the Bible!). Let’s be honest, those screens are awesome at delivering cool games and movies to our children. However, these devices are dramatically reducing attention spans, because of the massive stream of new images to look at.
    Eventually this causes permanent changes in the brain, as their brains get used to rapid-fire visuals. In turn this causes tasks that require concentration or don’t have a rapid stream of images to feel unpleasant. This would include things like sitting through a sermon, prayer, or Bible reading. They simply cannot compete with the “pleasure” of web surfing, TV watching or video gaming.
  6. Don’t promote division and strife! Screens oftentimes promote division and negative feelings, even within our church families. Consider how many times you’ve watched comments get ugly simply because someone disagreed with someone’s post.
    Consider how many times people use social media to vent about some particular issue going on within the culture. Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).
  7. Force your children to go outside and observe the handiwork of God. In Romans 1:20 Paul writes about seeing and perceiving the invisible attributes of God. Our children can’t see or understand those things unless they put down the screen and go observe His creation.
  8. Help your child to “be still and know” (Psalm 46:10). In many cases the brains of our children are like an engine that is close to overheating. They are revved up from information (and stimulation) overload! What they really need in many cases is just some quiet time—and some alone time with God.
  9. Help limit temptation. Screens often tempt viewers. Maybe they tempt us to buy things we really don’t need. Maybe they tempt us to keep looking at videos or playing games. Or maybe they tempt us by promoting lust of the flesh.
    In 1 John 2:15-16 we read, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
  10. Encourage face-to-face contact! In too many instances young people would rather text someone in the same room with them than have a real-life conversation. This is not healthy. If our children are going to evangelize and make disciples then they need to know how to talk to people. John wrote, “Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”

While these 10 practical applications won’t cure every mental health issue, they can certainly help many young people who are suffering today.

Take the time to shift your child’s attention toward God and away from screens. It will bring you both more peace and joy in the future.

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The Apostles Minus Who?

The Apostles Minus Who?

The early history of the church that began on Pentecost at times looked so bleak. With all the apostles present it was so easy for the infant church to “…continue steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). However, it was not long until two of the leading apostles were arrested and brought before the Jewish officials who ordered them to stop preaching (Acts 4:17-18). Yet, they kept on preaching.

In the next chapter it appears that all the apostles are arrested by the Jews and imprisoned. How on earth could the early church survive without the apostles? For the church to flourish it must have leadership, yet the leadership had been taken away. It is remarkable that those men were freed overnight by an angel of the Lord, and they kept on preaching.

When persecution arose with Saul being in the forefront, the church was scattered, with no one remaining in Jerusalem, except the apostles. The Lord had made provision for the survival of the church by providing spiritual gifts to all the saints. With no apostles, it might have looked like the church was doomed, but those scattered abroad kept on preaching.

As time passed, another persecution arose in Jerusalem. Herod killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and when the evil king saw how much joy it brought to the Jews, he seized Peter and set the date for him to be killed (Acts 12:1-3). How could the church survive without the leadership of two of the inner circle of apostles? That inner circle of Peter, James and John had experienced events none of the others had seen. The church met to pray and how heavy their hearts must have been. It is not hard to imagine what their hearts were saying. “Oh, No! James is dead, and in a week’s time Peter will also be dead!” They were praying but none of them expected that an angel would free Peter from the sixteen soldiers who were guarding him.

However, there was another James to replace the one who had been slain. It was not the other apostle named James, the son of Alpheus. It was James, the brother of Jesus. He is James who stepped into the leadership role in the rest of the book of Acts. He was the one who wrote the epistle of James.

Samuel said that the Lord raised up Moses and Aaron to lead Israel out of Egypt (1 Sam. 12:6). In the promised land the people cried out to God who raised up judges (Judg. 2:16, 18; 3:9, 15). The Lord raised up prophets in Babylon (Jer. 29:15). When “James” dies, God provides another “James.” Now think of how in your lifetime you have seen older preachers and elders die and you worried, thinking the church could not survive. It always has survived and always will because God’s nature is to raise a new “James” as they are needed.

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Special Treasure

Special Treasure

When God brought the children of Israel out of bondage, He instructed Moses to tell them this: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). special treasure

God intended for Israel to have a special relationship with Him beyond that of all the other nations. The people, however, rebelled, and did not fulfill God’s desires for them to be this special people (Jeremiah 31:31-34). So, God made a New Covenant through His Son, Jesus. In this covenant, God has reaffirmed His desire to have a special relationship. Titus 2:14 states, “[Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Peter affirms that message in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” What God could not accomplish through the physical nation of Israel, He accomplishes through the spiritual nation of Israel, the church.

The word for “special” has the connotation of keeping something around as a treasure. I have a small “treasure box” in my bedroom in which I keep mementos from special occasions in my life. They are not valuable to anyone else, but to me they are priceless because of what they mean to me. They are my special treasures. That is a limited illustration because people are so much more valuable than things. God is saying, “I value you above everything else because of what you mean to me.” Do we see ourselves as that special people?

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Andrew: A Good Man

Andrew: A Good Man

There’s a lot of times we focus on the major characters of the Bible. Jesus Christ, Simon Peter, Paul, Moses, David, etc. I love character studies, I love the people we read about in the Bible. And there’s nothing wrong with focusing on those people; we ought to imitate Jesus and other godly men as best as we can. There’s so much to learn from them! But there are a lot of people we may skip past; there’s not as much said about them, they’re the minor characters, and we don’t tend to notice them. I want us to look at a good man we don’t often think about. He was the brother of Simon Peter (John 1:40), and the son of Jonah (Mat. 16:17). He’s mentioned a total of 13 times in the New Testament, and three of those times, he is just listed with the other apostles. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, by the sea of Galilee. He was a follower of John the Baptist (John 1:40). One of the greatest things he did was become the first evangelist of Jesus Christ.  His name is Andrew, and I want us to look at three good things about this man, so we may add these things to our lives as we follow the Lord:

  • Andrew had a good name.
  • Andrew had a good heart.
  • Andrew had a good teacher.

Andrew had a good name.

The name “Andrew” comes from the Greek “Andreas.” If you’ve ever heard of the city in California, San Andreas, it’s the same thing; that means “St. Andrew.” It means: “Manly”, “strong,” or “valor.” It has a root word, “aner,” or “andros,” which means: “man,” a masculine noun, meaning it refers to a male individual.

I believe Andrew’s parents meant to rear him in such a way he was like his name. How might they rear him to be manly?

Firstly, Andrew was godly.

Psa. 4:1-3: “1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.”

David called Him God of my righteousness; another way of putting this is: “My righteous God,” which was a common way the Hebrew people prayed. God had enlarged David in distress, and had done so many times. It means God set him free, and David knows God will do it again; he knows God will show him mercy. When David thinks of his enemies however, he knows they wish to shame him. They seek after leasing, an old English word for “lie” or “lying.” They sought to overturn his throne, but that course of action would prove to be a delusion.

Instead, David knows God will hear his prayer. God would hear his prayer, because he was a righteous man. He was a Scriptural man. He was a godly man.

I think Andrew was raised the same way: To be righteous and scriptural in the eyes of God. That means he sought to be in a state of right-ness with God. He sought to do the will of the Lord.andrew net

Secondly, I think the most manly one can be is if he fits the qualifications of an elder. This man, not seeking to be an elder, but seeking to be manly, does not have to have children or be married to be considered a man, but there are a lot of wonderful, godly characteristics found in those requirements.

1 Tim. 3:2-7: “2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

Blameless: unrebukeable; you can’t accuse him. Vigilant, sober: one who does not allow alcohol to control him, or any vice. He is ready at all times to meet Satan’s temptations and come out victorious. He is ready always to serve the Lord with gladness of heart. Of good behavior: not just “a good ol’ boy” but one who is good, when surrounded by people and when surrounded by no one. Given to hospitality, apt to teach: One who is willing to feed others, use their home for the glory of God. Hospitable to others. One who wants to teach others the Bible, and he knows what it says. He is a student of God’s Word. Not violent, not greedy, but patient. He allows the Lord’s plans to unfold on the Lord’s time, not his own. He is patient, peaceable, loving, willing to serve. He has a good report with those inside the church, and outside.

Friends, if you can think of a person more manly than this, I’d like to know. Because this is who the Lord says is manly: the man who is godly.

Here’s an application for us: We ought to have good names as well. I don’t mean the meanings of our names. My name is Cannon Matthew Taylor. Taylor refers to my ancestors: they were tailors. Matthew means: “Gift of God.” I have yet to find a definition for Cannon, other than heavy artillery.

What does the Bible say about a good name?

Pro. 22:1: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”

Ecc. 7:1: “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”

My name, Cannon Matthew Taylor, may not really have a meaning. But depending on who you ask, it means something to them. And if my name does not mean something good, I’d like to know so I can fix it. If your name is not good, it can take a long time to make it good.

As Christians, we ought to have a good reputation with those around us. Do we have good names?

Andrew had a good heart.

Andrew was a good man, because of his good heart. He was interested in the well-being of others.

John 1:41: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”

How many people do you know who wish to spread the Gospel with others? How many do we know who, when they are baptized into Christ, are on fire for God, and want to serve Him, want to save those whom they love? How many of us have good hearts, and want to save those around us?

Friends, you and I both know many of our friends, many of our neighbors, are lost. How much do we truly care about them? Have we tried to invite them to church? Have we tried to study the Bible with them? Have we even told them we are Christians? The Gospel is the cure to all spiritual ill, and we are surrounded by the spiritually diseased; How much of an effort have we made to help them, and serve the Lord? I cannot in good conscience sit by idly, being lazy, not caring for the souls I know. It scares me out of my mind to know there are people I haven’t reached with the Gospel that I can take it to. It should scare all of us.

We can be good men and women like Andrew; we can have a good heart that loves the Lord, and loves souls.

He was interested in seeking the Messiah; he cared for the important things.

Mark 1:14-18: “14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”

Andrew and Simon were sane men; they were of a sound mind. If someone you loved quit their job to follow a spiritual teacher they hadn’t heard of before, that would be insane.

Andrew knew who Jesus was; Jesus was a teacher, and a preacher. They had heard of Him, and they wanted to investigate the truth. He was interested in the important things. More than money, more than fishing, more than his own livelihood, Andrew looked for greater things than this life. He cared for his own eternal wellbeing.

I think about the words of the Hebrews writer, in Heb. 9:27-28: “27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

That is, when Christ comes back, He will not be our sin offering anymore. Those who are ready will He save, not those who aren’t.

Andrew was a good man with a good heart; he cared for his own salvation, and that of others. I pray that we have hearts like his.

Andrew had a good teacher.

This man had a good name with a good heart, and was aided by a good teacher. Andrew was a disciple (follower and learner) of John the Baptist.

John 1:35-40: “35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

We probably know that John the Baptist, or John the Immerser as some call him, was the forerunner of Christ. Luke 3:4 says of him: “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” He was a teacher sent of God. John 1:6-28 tells of his mission, being sent by God to bear witness of Jesus, and make straight the paths of the Lord. He prepared the way, he made sure people could better follow the Messiah to come, Jesus Christ.

If we want to be good teachers, we need to be like John. John taught people of Jesus, not to gain followers, but to make sure they followed Jesus. I’m just a teacher; I’m not special, I’m not of irreplaceable value like Jesus. There are others like me. I don’t ask for people to follow me, I want people to follow Christ. And if I seek for followers of me, God forbid I continue teaching until I make my life right.

John was also ready in his teaching. If we’re not ready to teach the Gospel, we had better get started on learning it.

John was a man of God, who prepared good men like Andrew to follow the one true Lord, Jesus Christ. So when John said in John 1:29: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” When John preached that message, the intended effect took place: People followed Christ. Andrew, and other good hearts and good people, followed the Lord.

Andrew was a good man with a good name, a good heart, and a good teacher. We can have the same characteristics as Andrew, and be good men and women for God. We can have good names, and live up to the name: “Christian.” We can keep our names pure, and people should know what kind of people we are when we tell them we’re Christians. We can have good hearts, and evangelize to others, loving their souls and loving others more than the embarrassment there may be of rejection. We can be good teachers, seeking the salvation of others rather than promoting our own names.

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