God is Bigger

God is Bigger

There is a scene in the movie Prince Caspian where Lucy approaches Aslan the great Lion (who symbolizes Christ). “’Aslan’ said Lucy ‘you’re bigger.’ ‘That is because you are older, little one’ answered he. ‘Not because you are?’ ‘I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.’”Bigger

The Bible teaches that God does not change. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Psalm 102:27, “But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.” The Bible also teaches that human beings are to grow spiritually. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). These two truths work together. Without stability, there can be no growth. Without the good ground, the plant won’t germinate (Matthew 13:8). Without the river, the tree won’t bear fruit (Psalm 1:3).

We are not plants or trees, but people. Growth occurs from the nourishment of the word of God, our faith in it, and under conditions where faith is tested. “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12). It’s not until those times of testing that we learn God actually is bigger, not because He has changed, but because we have. Do we teach our children to sing “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty; there’s nothing my God cannot do,” and then shrink back? When we do so, we deny ourselves the opportunity to experience and know our big God. What are we doing to walk by faith?

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Noah walked with God

Noah walked with God

The man Noah is mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.  He was born during a timeframe when the Lord saw that the hearts of mankind were focused upon evil “continually”.  Due to this fact, God had it in mind to destroy man. After generations of bad decisions, the majority chose to wholly pursue evil.  Noah was not one of those people.  He chose to be righteous (Genesis 6:9).  His example (and that of Enoch before him) demonstrates Humans are not inherently evil as Calvinists proclaim.  “Noah Found Grace in the eyes of the Lord” because of the way he walked with God. walked with God

Noah is widely known for his obedience in building an ark by the commandment of the Lord.  The ark saved Noah, his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law from the wrath of God upon the sinful via a worldwide flood.  It is quite likely that those with Noah were saved to enable the repopulation of the earth (Genesis 9:1).  However, consider the possibility that they were saved due to Noah’s righteous instruction (2 Peter 2:5).  God could have easily started humanity again from the rocks of the earth (Matthew 3:9).  He could have repopulated earth with only Noah and his wife birthing children.  God did not choose to just save two, He saved eight.  In the book of Ezekiel, Noah is mentioned in the grouping of two other men: Daniel and Job.  These also were righteous, God-fearing men.  The text in Ezekiel establishes that no righteous man can deliver the souls of others, but rather souls are saved by their own righteousness that is by faith.  Thus, again, consider the proclamation of righteousness by Noah.  Noah walked with God and may very well have led to the obedient walk and salvation of those with him.

Another intriguing aspect of the life of Noah is that his father Lamech declared Noah would bring relief concerning the work of their hands upon the cursed ground.  Recall that the ground of the earth (nothing else) was cursed when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.  Many consider this curse to continue today, however, the Bible does not substantiate this claim.  In fact, the Bible refutes it.  Following the flood, Noah and his family depart from the Ark.  Noah then made an offering to the Lord.  God declares that for the sake of man He will no longer curse the earth.  Does He know that man will continue to conceive of evil even when young?  Yes.  However, the Eternal Father blesses man in their new beginning, desiring once again that they be fruitful and fill the earth.

Noah is a transitional character in scripture.  He is the end of an era and the start of another.  Noah walked with God and is an example of how important that is.  Noah’s life illustrates the impact of not only living righteously but sharing God’s direction to live so.  Noah could not save the world, but by proper recognition of God, he enabled the creation of another.  He ended a curse, and he drew a blessing.  Noah was only one person, but he was the right person.  He was the person that God desired him to be.

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Two Kinds of Leaven

Two Kinds of Leaven

It had to be frustrating for the Lord as He tried to prepare the apostles for the time when they would be at the forefront in the growth of the church. An illustration of this can be seen in how those men responded to the words of Jesus. “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” The apostles totally misunderstood what He said about this leaven.unleavened bread

They had just traveled across the Sea of Galilee and had failed to bring any bread with them. When Jesus mentioned leaven, they immediately thought He was talking about this. However, our Lord had far more in mind than actual bread.

Jesus first reminded them that they were not dependent on ordinary means to find food. They had just fed five thousand men and then four thousand men with just a few loaves and fish. Jesus asked them to recall these two miracles, and the apostles began to finally understand that this kind of bread was not what he was discussing.

It was not actual bread, but the false teachings of the Jewish leaders He was discussing. “Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:5). False teaching is so much like leaven.

Think of how often the Bible mentions that a little leaven leavens the entire loaf. It does not take large quantities of leaven to impact everything that is around it. It does not take large quantities of false teaching to bring disaster into the lives of men. Sometimes we so easily overlook this.

When you first open the door to allow just a small element of false teaching to enter you may never be able to close that door. So often so much more that is wrong comes rushing through. This is why Jesus sounded the alarm with the words, “Take heed…” There is such grave danger at times like this.

The brothers of Joseph probably did not think that being jealous of Joseph’s coat of many colors could lead to so much evil. However, that sinful “leaven” of jealousy lead them to plan to kill their younger brother. It lead them to bring unbearable grief to their father, Jacob. When you open the door to allow smaller matters to enter, far more may enter that open door.

There is little difference in the sin of these brothers and the embracing and teaching of false doctrine. Any sin when left alone weakens those involved. The Bible is filled with illustrations of this truth. The tragedy is that while personal sin is devastating to the individual teaching of false doctrines is devastating to an entire church or nation. How should we deal with it? Beware of it and close that door when it begins opening.

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Justice in this World?

Is it a Just World?

There is no doubt that God is a God of justice. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” However, that is not to say that justice is executed perfectly in this world. In fact, it is just the opposite. Injustice frequently occurs. The Bible acknowledges this: “Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there” (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Why is that? Because we live in a fallen world, and it is largely controlled by the devil.Justice world

The Bible teaches that the world lies in the wicked one. First John 5:19 says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Why is this? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “whose minds the god of this age (world) has blinded.” Injustice is the devil’s modus operandi. Jesus said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” You are not going to find justice in the devil, ever.

There is only one true justice in this world, Jesus. One may pursue justice as much as one desires, but ultimately, it will not justify. It is God who justifies (Romans 8:33). God set forth Jesus to demonstrate His justice “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 4:26). Justice will only be found by the one who has faith in Jesus.

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Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

Christians Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

If you call yourself a Christian and you support same-sex marriage you are part of the problem. You have compromised Scripture and sided with the evil one, and you don’t really hold that the Bible is infallible—all while telling the world that you are a follower of Christ.homosexual marriage

STOP!

The only way you could support homosexuality and same-sex marriage is by believing one of the following:

1. The Bible doesn’t really mean what it says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 1:26-32; 1 Timothy 1:9-11: Genesis 19; Leviticus 18)—or that the Bible is wrong in those passages. Which means you don’t really hold the Bible is infallible.

2. You believe that times have changed and we should change with our culture—that we should just “love everyone.” Which means you believe our culture’s voice has more authority than God-breathed Scripture, and you are willing to compromise whatever way culture pressures you.

3. You honestly believe every Christian and biblical scholar interpreted the text wrong for roughly 2000 years, until we came along and were “enlightened.” Which means you believe you are smarter than every theologian that has lived for the past 2000 years and that every passage is now up for debate from “enlightened” Christians of today.

4. You honestly believe that God “made them that way” and therefore they can’t help it. Which means you have not informed yourself of the research that clearly shows there is no genetic cause for homosexuality. It also means you believe God would set individuals up to sin. And it means Paul was mistaken/lying in 1 Corinthians 6 when he pointed out to former practicing homosexuals, “such were some of you,” meaning they had the ability to change.

If you are willing to compromise Scripture then please stop calling yourself a Christian. Call yourself something that makes you feel good and warm inside (i.e., Pride Patriots), but stop robbing the term follower of Christ. Pride might be a catchy slogan, but take a minute to read what the Bible has to say about it (Proverbs 16:18).

If you proclaim to be a Christian and support same-sex marriage and homosexuality then you have laid down your cross and are no longer following Christ—you have ultimately sided with Satan. This massive compromise is what has led our culture into problems like transgenderism, pedophilia, throuples, etc.–because Christians refuse to take a hard stand and tell those around them that it is wrong and sinful.

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