Coronavirus Craziness

Coronavirus Craziness

The Coronavirus pandemic has been a horrific and catastrophic blight on our existence for two years now. The damage it has done in terms of death toll alone is unspeakable, unthinkable, and unimaginable. What it has managed to do to the world economy is beyond comprehension. How it has ripped and torn otherwise loving and caring families apart over some of its medical and political dynamics is inconceivable. And while there are countless other areas it has infected and caused untold levels of chaos and destruction in, it seems that it has also caused some people to maybe even go a little bit crazy – who didn’t necessarily always even need to become infected with it in order for it to do so… Consider:

As my wife and I sat in our car outside a convenience store some months back, we watched a young man (who at least appeared to be in excellent health) don his mask just before entering the store – presumably because he did not want to contract such a lung-constricting and life destroying disease as the Coronavirus – only to emerge mere moments later with nothing more than a carton of cancer-causing and lung-destroying cigarettes… (?!?)crazy covid

Sitting in a fast-food restaurant in the midst of the pandemic, we watched as a masked, middle-aged or so couple came in and placed their order. The lady then demanded that one of the staff go over and re-sanitize the already spotless (and most likely therefore, already diligently sanitized) table, before she and the man she was with would sit down and eat. Then (I kid you not), she reached down with her (ungloved by the way) hand; grabbed a hold of the back of the chair where every other customer would have also grasped it in order to move it in and out from the table; slid the chair out to sit down; and then proceeded to sit down herself, only to begin eating her burger and fries, hand to mouth, with the very same ungloved hand with which she had only mere moments earlier grasped the chair. All of this while her burger and fries actually sat on the paper wrapper and/or the cardboard container in which they had come, thereby fully insulated from the clean table she had just had to have re-sanitized… (?!?)

While other examples could surely be cited by most of us, perhaps the saddest and certainly the most deadly and costly Coronavirus craziness by far, would have to be when it comes to those who have incrementally surrendered their eternal souls on its all-too-easy-to-succumb-to altar. You see, there are some good, solid, faithful congregations of the Lord’s church, which have suffered an approximately 25-35% drop in their overall attendance from their pre-Covid numbers. I do not believe that those few I know of are necessarily unique in that, or that the problem is necessarily limited to only that certain and/or select few.

Now granted, in some cases there are those brethren whose physical health issues still do not allow them to assemble without fear or concern for their personal health and safety; those who have, perhaps, due to personal preferences and/or perceptions, possibly felt the need to change congregations and worship elsewhere within the body of Christ; as well as those who have since passed on to their eternal reward. However; it also seems that amongst that 25-35% group who are no longer in attendance, that there would additionally be those to whom the Coronavirus might have become the perfect excuse and/or cover, under which to drift, turn, walk, run, slip, or fall away from Christ and His church as well. This group would consist of many of those whose faith, commitment, and attendance, were only casual, occasional, and carried out only when they felt it convenient, at best, to begin with. It would include those who would finally find in Covid, the perfect excuse and/or mechanism under which to make their final, fatal, soul-forfeiting getaway. Weeks on end of attendance restrictions, service shutdowns, and livestreamed lessons which they could watch from home, would slowly become the norm – with apparently no sense of any personal return, responsibility, or accountability on their part. Plus, with so many saints having to miss services during certain phases of the pandemic, their absences would go virtually unnoticed by their brethren until it was too late anyway. Eventually, it would become easier and easier for them not to ever set foot into the church building to attend even the occasional worship service or Bible study ever again; until all of the sudden, that would sadly become the norm as well. And then, the third and final step in this tragically soul-damning and downward spiraling trajectory – if not stopped and turned around – should be blatantly and heartbreakingly obvious to all as well: The eventual outright lack and/or surrender of, any sort of a genuine faithfulness to, and relationship with, the Lord Jesus Christ and His people whatsoever – a lack of relationship and fellowship with God and His people, which will one day, therefore, cause Jesus to have to cast them off forever as well (Matthew 7:21-23).

Yes the Coronavirus has been the cause of many unbelievably painful losses and tragedies – and on a level heretofore completely unprecedented and unimaginable to today’s society. But above and aside from the constantly reported physical cases’ hard and fast numbers, Covid has also caused an intangible but obvious sort of insanity or craziness (or an absolute lack of any shred or semblance of common sense if you will) to set in as well. Surely the epitome of that kind of craziness would have to be: when one who has repented; has been baptized and hence washed in the blood for the forgiveness of their sins; has arisen to walk in newness of life with Jesus as Lord; and has subsequently been added by God to His Son’s church (Acts 2:38-47, 22:16; Romans 6:1-23), has simply walked or even slowly drifted away, from all that Christ has done in dying for them, just because of some Covidian-empowered and provided crutch.

If you are one who has either willingly, or even unintentionally: walked, limped, drifted, or increasingly distanced yourself away from the Lord and His church during this most difficult and trying of times, trial, and testing; if you are one whom, as you have been reading this, has perhaps seen yourself and your chosen lack of attendance reflected in its reasonings; then please, don’t let this Covidian craziness continue to consume you to the point that it eventually condemns your eternal soul to certain condemnation (Hebrews 10:23-31)! There is a cure! The cure is sure! Just choose to come back home! Don’t let the devil win! Your brothers and sisters in Christ stand ready, willing, able, and wanting to assist you in any and every way that we possibly can! We just need to know that you don’t want to become another eternal casualty and statistic, of today’s most costly and caustic, Coronavirus craziness!

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God Will Provide for His Widows

God Will Provide for His Widows

Widows are so important to God. He saw and met the needs of Ruth, the Moabite. He sent Elijah to care for the Gentile widow in Zarephath during the 42-month famine, even raising her son from the dead (1 Kings 17). God used wealthy Job to bring joy to widows who wept and caused their hearts to sing (Job 29:13).widow india

In the New Testament, Jesus honored and magnified the two mites of the widow who gave them to God (Mark 12; Luke 21). He raised the son of the destitute widow from the dead in Nain (Luke 12). God promptly provided for the neglected Grecian widows in Jerusalem by appointing deacons to care for them (Acts 6). Peter brought joy to those widows who wept, while gathered over the death of Dorcas, by raising her from the dead (Acts 9:39-41).

There is no doubt that God sees the needs of widows, the most vulnerable individuals in society, and cares for them. Read these following Old Testament verses that show the special place they have in His heart.

“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child” (Ex. 22:22). “He administers justice for the fatherless and the widows” (Deut. 10:18). The Jewish tithe, given every third year, was given to support the Levites and widows (Duet. 14:29; 26:12-13). The great sharing of food during the annual Feast of Tabernacles and Feast of Pentecost specifically included widows (Deut. 6:11-14). “You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as pledge” (Deut. 24:17).  Jews were strictly forbidden from harvesting all their olives, grapes and wheat, for it was left behind to provide for widows (Deut. 24:19-21). “Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widows” (Deut. 27:19). God is the defender of widows and watches over widows (Psa. 94:6; 146:9). “Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow (Isa. 1:17). “Do no wrong…to widows” (Jer. 22:3). “Let your widows trust in Me” (Jer. 49:11). “Do not oppress the widow” (Zech. 7:10).

There is not enough space to discuss all the New Testament verses in detail, but take time to read them (Matt. 23:14; 1 Tim. 5:9-16). Do more than just read them, consider how they show His care for widows.

Perhaps no verse shows God’s concern for widows better than James 1:27. God describes pure religion not in terms of being doctrinally perfect nor in just externally keeping His commandments. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Let us never forget our God cares for widows and uses us to do it!

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Listen to Jesus, not Theologians

Listen to Jesus, not Theologians

Centuries ago, theologians decided that little children are sinners, and therefore they must be baptized so their sins can be forgiven. When one believes this false idea, the obvious conclusion is that an infant who dies in his infancy and has not been baptized (usually by having water sprinkled on him) cannot go to heaven. This is not what the Bible teaches but is what theologians convinced many Christians to believe. Are children who die in infancy doomed to go to an eternal hell?

To see that this doctrine is not found in the Bible, consider the Bible definition of sin which separates one from God (Isa. 59:1-2). How does the Bible define sin? Listen to the words of God. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). Using this definition, the obvious question to be asked is what sin had a newborn baby committed? Has he put some other God ahead of Jehovah God? Has he created a graven image to worship? Has he taken the name of the Lord in vain? Has he dishonored his parents? Is he guilty of being a thief? Has he committed adultery? Has that newborn told a lie or coveted anything? The answer is obvious. What law of God has a newborn broken?

The theologians realized that a helpless newborn could not actively violate God’s teaching, so as they developed their theology, they came to the conclusion that babies inherit the sins of Adam and Eve. They created a new concept—one not found in the Bible—that a baby’s sin is not an action but an inheritance.

What does the Bible say about this? God so clearly gives us the answer. The Jews in Ezekiel used a proverb about how a father ate sour grapes and his children had that bitter taste in their mouth. God rebuked them saying, “As I live you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel” (Ezek. 18:3). The father’s actions do not determine the destiny of the child. The theologians were wrong! “The soul who sins shall die…The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Ancient Jewish theologians were wrong as are more modern “Christian” theologians. The very basis of infant baptism is destroyed. Babies have no sin, and therefore do not need to be baptized for the remission of sins.

How does Jesus describe the spiritual nature of little children? “Of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). To enter the kingdom of heaven we must “…become as little children” (Matt. 18:3). The greatest in the kingdom is the one “…who humbles himself as this little child” (Matt. 18:4). Oh, how our world would be drastically changed if religious people quit listening to theologians, priests, bishops and pastors as they tell their thoughts and just listen to Jesus!

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We Need Faithful Fathers!

We Need Faithful Fathers!

The Bible teaches that families need fathers (Ephesians 6:1-4). Many in society today contradict the Bible’s teaching. They claim that fathers are not needed. The result is children who grow up without a father in their life, but children need both father and mother in order to develop well. Mothers nurture, comfort, and cherish. Father’s balance things out with discipline, order, and grit. God’s design to have both mother and father in the home reflects the complementary nature of the husband/wife relationship. We need faithful fathers!boys father

Abraham was a faithful father. God said of Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19). The father is the spiritual leader of the home. He is to impart spiritual truths to his children so that they may learn God’s ways. He is the chief implementer of justice and righteousness in the home. When children have no father, they will lack some understanding regarding righteousness and justice. We need faithful fathers!

Jesus had a faithful Father, and I’m not speaking about Joseph. His Father taught Him (John 8:28). The Father gave Jesus a good example (John 5:19). The Father gave the Son life (John 5:26). The Father loved the Son (John 5:20). The Father works (John 5:17), and the Father gave the Son work (John 5:36). All of the wonderful traits that we find in fathers were first found in the Father. Earthly fathers will fail. Their lives will come to an end someday, but our eternal Father in heaven will always be there for us (Ephesians 4:6). Thank God for faithful fathers!

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Clear Statements of the Final Judgment

Clear Statements of the Final Judgment

That there will be final appearance before God and a final judgment is obviously taught in the Bible. It is not that in some vague way, open to various interpretations, that somehow men might be brought into His presence. The Scriptures are filled with clear statements which leave no doubt about that final judgment.final judgment

Listen to the finality of these words from heaven. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor 5:10). “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10). “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31).  It is an eternal truth that it will happen.

In view of how sick and spiritually depraved our world has become, why has He not already come? There were those in the first century who thought He should have come and concluded that the Lord had made a promise to return and failed to keep it. In Peter’s second epistle, he writes about this and then gives the reason why He had not come in their day. It is the same reason He has not returned in our day.

There were those who looked around them and concluded that “…since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were” (2 Pet. 3:4). Peter said that those who were saying this had forgotten what had happened in the past. They had done it on purpose (v. 5). It is so easy to fail to see the big picture of God’s dealings with man. The apostle pointed them to the flood in Noah’s day. God’s view of that ancient world was vastly different from those who heard Noah’s preaching. God kept His promise, and the flood came!

Why did He delay? Read God’s words about this question, and you will have a better understanding about the reason He has not come even in our day. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Think of it in these terms. There was room on the ark for many more than Noah and his family, but not one single person wanted to “purchase the ticket.”

The implication of these truths? We live in a world where it is widely believed that the world has nothing to do with a Creator but is the result of an evolutionary process. God has made us, and we live, walk and have our very existence because of Him (Acts 17:28). Why does He delay of the final judgment? Because He is not willing that any should perish. He waits as we try to teach those around us. He has delayed His return because He is waiting for us to tell others about sin and salvation. He is counting on us. We must not fail to be part of saving just one more soul for Him.

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