God Challenges Us to Think

God Challenges Us to Think

God gave you a brain—use it! Our world has been changed in so many ways simply because we have used the intelligence we have to look around and see things as they are and then to make changes to improve our circumstances. We have the ability to think, to understand, to comprehend and to change. We are far more than animals, and we are so far above beasts. We have a brain, and God expects us to us it.

Faith is not blind faith. To simply define faith as some emotional feeling which has been passed down from our forefathers and as something we have because it is part of the culture into which we were born is to fail to understand faith in its truest sense. Faith is not based on feelings. Faith is not a leap into the dark. If that is all there is to faith, then faith is foolishness, and our intelligence demands it must be rejected. Faith is built on historical events recorded by those who heard the voice of God give the first written words of an ancient book and recorded not just the words, but the manifestation of the power of the One who spoke those Ten Commandments.

The true God challenges us to not have a blind faith.  The God of that ancient book has challenged men to think. He gave mankind reasoning ability and throughout the years has pleaded with them to think. When mankind ignored Him and began to make gods of wood, stone and precious metal He challenged them. In one paragraph, He rebukes those who failed to think. “Idols are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat” (Psa. 115:4-7). What is God saying? I gave you a brain, use it and I will help you find the living God who speaks, sees, hears, smells, handles and walks among you!

He challenges you to use your brain. We are no longer having to deal with inanimate statues of a god. However, there is still that ancient book which challenges us to think. It claims that God has come in human form and walked among us. Yet, our world has ignored the claim, without ever looking at the evidence. They have not read the one book which gives evidence of the fact that Jesus lived and died and gave proof of His Deity. Faith in Him is not a leap into the dark. It is not an emotional conclusion reached based of feelings. There is the evidence! There are His miracles. There are His eternal words. There is the empty tomb. Look at the evidence. Use the brain He gave us. If Christianity is not reasonable it should be immediately rejected. He challenges you to examine the evidence.

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Affirming the Faith

Affirming the Faith

There is no way that I can adequately describe the strength, power, hope, and scope, of the spiritual feast of encouragement recently served up – and then so voraciously gobbled up – by all of those blessed enough to be a part of this year’s phenomenal Affirming The Faith seminar in Oklahoma City. It was entitled “Surviving The Tough Stuff” – and it was every inch of that and more. Although Satan has used covid to cause unimaginable damage over the past couple of years (including the cancellation of last year’s ATF seminar), in this case at least, it may have backfired on him; as we seemed to have received a well-concentrated double dose of desperately-needed blessing at this year’s event.

Since our arrival in Oklahoma in 2009, and our subsequently attending our first ATF seminar in the spring of 2010, we have not missed a one – with the exception of last year’s covid-cancelled event. They have all been very good, Biblical, faith-building and spiritually-encouraging events. However, I believe that I can safely say that this year’s event was the best one of all – at least for me personally.The reason for this was the theme (the speakers are always exceptional). It is absolutely impossible to put into words, the immeasurable damage that the last couple of years have produced in our lives in terms of: physical lives lost, spiritual lives lost, and families – both spiritual and biological – ravaged, damaged,and in some cases, nearly destroyed as a direct consequence of covid’s deadly dynamics.

But this year’s event was designed to help promote, provide, and produce sustained spiritual health, healing, well-being and protection,despite covid’s (as well as many other life-problems’) unimaginable devastation. It was meant to be a modern-day balm of Gilead for the lonely, wounded, devastated, isolated, overwhelmed,and heavily burdened and hurting children of the living God (Jer. 8:22, 46:11).

If you have suffered as a result of covid – or anything else whatsoever – over the course of the past couple of years, or even over the course of your entire life; or, if you are perhaps even at this moment laboring, weak and heavy laden, under a burden that is crushing and overwhelming, there is indeed, a balm in Gilead… and this seminar will help not only to point you to it, but will also help you to apply it.

Here’s more great news: You didn’t have to be there to get the medicine! But you will have to listen to get the prescription! Do yourself a favor; listen to the keynotes first. Take notes. Open your Bible. Get the message. Let the healing begin. God bless! www.affirmingthefaithok.com/schedule2022.php.

 

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Babies Inherit sin?

Babies Inherit sin?

In a past article (https://churchofchristarticles.com/blog/administrator/born-in-sin/), we looked at Psalm 51:5 to see if that verse taught that babies are born in sin. It did not, because it is a subjective, figurative statement about David’s felt guilt, not an objective, literal statement about all babies conceived and born into the world. So, in this article we ask:Does the Bible teach that babies inherit the sin of their parents? No, but just the opposite.

The Bible teaches that each person is guilty of sin because of their own choice to commit sin. Romans 5:12 answers the question of how sin and death came into the world: “Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The one man through whom sin entered the world was Adam. His sin merited his death, hence, death through sin. Death then spread to all men. How? Because all sinned. Adam set the example of sin in his life, and his children soon copied that example. It wasn’t because they inherited sin from Adam, but because they saw the sin that he committed, and they sinned too. Such a pattern has persisted in this world perpetually ever since for everyone except Jesus.

The Bible says of Jesus, “in all things He had to be made like His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17). This would mean that if babies inherited sin, then Jesus would have inherited sin too since He was made like humanity “in all things.”Instead, what is true isthat babies do not inherit sin, neither are they born in sin. Jesus was able to live a sinless life because He never chose to sin.

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Receive My Words

Receive My Words

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:1-2 KJV)proverbs 2 receive

The wise king Solomon tells his son, and us, to receive the words of wisdom by listening to it with intensity, and also to reach forth and make the proper application.

This really is a good definition of wisdom. Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. To gain knowledge one must listen. To gain wisdom one must properly apply the knowledge.

In other words, be a hearer AND a doer if the word. Read James 1:22-25

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Full Grown Sin

Full Grown Sin

Listen to his words about dealing with sin. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psa. 119:11). Hear his answer to the question about how a young man can cleanse his way, “By taking heed according to Your word” (Psa. 119:9). Pay close attention to the prayer offered. “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments” (Psa. 119:10).

Yet that young man in his adult life, lusted after another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, devised a plan to kill the husband. You know who he was. He was David, the man after God’s own heart. What happened? To understand this story is to fortify our faith and keep us from making the same mistake.

James chapter one describes the path to sin that David walked. “Each one is tempted.” That includes David and all of us. Where does the temptation come from—not from Satan putting any man in a situation where he has no other choice but to sin. James says that the temptation comes from the desires of the flesh. “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires.” His own lusts begin to rule in his heart, and he is enticed. This is precisely what happened to David. He watched a beautiful woman and the enticement carried him another step. These events in his life parallel how pornography enters our hearts and destroys men. He then acted on his fleshly desire. James described this sin conceiving.

But it does not stop at this point. James describes it using these words. “It gives birth to sin.” The line has been crossed and the door opened into David’s heart and it became the source of all the other sins that followed.

Look at James words again. “Sin when it is full grown, brings forth death.” Think of the power of full grown sin. Joseph’s brothers were envious of Joseph’s coat and the dreams of Joseph. Look at full grown sin. Some wanted to kill him. They brought the tattered coal to Jacob and watched their father grieving almost to his grave and not one of them told their father the truth. The Bible speaks of “adding sin to sin (Isa. 30:1). This is what full grown sin looks like.

How could this tragic story have been avoided? When he saw the beautiful woman and was enticed, he should have recalled the covenant Job made with his eyes. “Why then should I look upon a young woman” (Job 31:1). As the scene unfolded, he should have fled from the house like Joseph. God says to us, “Flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). When temptation comes, we must never forget what full grown sin looks like!

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