Tag: Apologetics

Why The Greatest Gift the Church Can Give Us Is Forgiveness

We have all been there and seen them, individuals or churches as a whole who shun ex-inmates or those who do not “conform” to their ideal of the “perfect” Christian. Simply put that is Legalism and has no place in any CHURCH. Basically, they are saying Christ’s atonement was good enough for only those they chose. I want to be careful here and clearly state neither I nor the author is making a case for open widespread forgiveness when church disciple need be applied. That is clearly something different and greatly lacking in evangelical churches today.

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The term cancel culture evokes images of screaming undergrads, de-platformed speakers, fired employees, and demanding protesters. However, the cancel culture ethic doesn’t simply exist “out there” in the larger culture; it has infiltrated our homes. Our dinner tables have become personal social media platforms…

SOURCE: Why The Greatest Gift the Church Can Give Us Is Forgiveness

Why Defend Freedom for Everyone, Everywhere, All the Time?

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The greatest enemy of freedom can be freedom.

One of the most important observations that I gleaned from one of Os Guinness’s books is that celebrating the acquisition of liberty and freedom (what we celebrate this weekend is our acquisition of freedom) is typical in the world’s history. But what is really unusual is sustaining freedom…

SOURCE: Why Defend Freedom for Everyone, Everywhere, All the Time?

Devotional Thought for Today – 06/29/2021

8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Psalm 138:8

Psalm 138

CONTEXT: Most modern Bibles have some heading that gives us a theme for this Psalm. All agree it is a Psalm of David and most have a heading something like “A Grateful Heart”. Spurgeon’s general comments as follows: In full confidence, David is prepared to own his God before the gods of the heathen, or before angels or rulers (Ps 138:1-3); he declares that he will instruct and convert kings and nations, till on very highway men shall sing the praises of the Lord (Ps 138:4-5). Our text for today comes at the end Having thus spoken, he utters his personal confidence in Jehovah, who will help his lowly servant, and preserve him from all the malice of wrathful foes.

I am going in this morning and having nerves lasered in my back in an attempt to get some relief from the ongoing back pain. How grateful I am for the Lord’s perfecting mercy. Some additional translations:

English Standard Version The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

New Living Translation The LORD will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

The LORD will perfect, etc. God’s work is perfect, man’s is clumsy and incomplete. God does not leave off till he has finished. When he rests, it is because, looking on his work, he sees it all “very good.” His Sabbath is the Sabbath of an achieved purpose, of a fulfilled counsel. The palaces which we build are ever like that in the story, where one window remains dark and without jewels, while the rest blaze in beauty. But when God builds none can say, “He was not able to finish.” In his great palace he makes her “windows of agates”, and all her “borders of pleasant stones.” I suppose that if the medieval dream had ever come true, and an alchemist had ever turned a grain of lead into gold, he could have turned all the lead in the world, in time, and with crucibles and furnaces enough. The first step is all the difficulty, and if you and I have been changed from enemies into sons, and had one spark of love to God kindled in our hearts, that is a mightier change than any that yet remains to be effected in order to make us perfect. One grain has been changed, the whole mass will be in due time.

–Alexander Maclaren, Sermon in “Wesleyan Methodist Magazine,” 1879.

Forsake not the works of thine own hands. Behold in me thy work,Grateful Heart not mine: for mine, if thou seest, thou condemnest; thine, if thou seest, thou crownest. For whatever good works there be of mine, from thee are they to me; and so they are more thine than mine. For I hear from thine apostle, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus”: Eph 2:8-10.

—Augustine.

What is the purpose of the church?

With modern churches, at least in the US looking more and more like entertainment centers maybe it is about time to revisit the Word of God and see its example and purpose for a church. – Mike

Question: “What is the purpose of the church?”

Answer: Acts 2:42 could be considered a purpose statement for the church…

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/purpose-church.html

A Victim of Bad Ideas Is Frozen out of Fertility

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Seven years ago, Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover story told professional women, “Freeze Your Eggs, Free Your Career.” The story told of a woman in her late 30s, single and successful in her career, who spent $19,000 to have her eggs frozen. She planned to focus on a career now and keep open the possibility of marriage and kids later…

Source: https://breakpoint.org/a-victim-of-bad-ideas-is-frozen-out-of-fertility/?

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self

BreakPoint Daily

Stop and think about this statement, “I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body.” How did a sentence like this become not just common, and not even just plausible, but unquestionable? Even more, how did it happen so fast? 

In his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, Grove City College professor Carl Trueman explains the answer as…

Source: https://breakpoint.org/the-rise-and-triumph-of-the-modern-self/

One in Six Gen Z-ers “Identify” as LGBT

Let us be real this is SIN, that being said it is not smart or morally correct for “Christians” to take an in-your-face approach to condemn this sin. In the end, as the authors said: Reality eventually wins. This means that Christians have actual good news to offer a culture helplessly obsessed with but thoroughly confused about sex. Let us be there as Paul said in Ephesians: But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ.

 

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One in Six Gen Z-ers “Identify” as LGBT

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If the last two Presidential elections, the last midterm elections, and every exit poll ever conducted can teach us anything, it’s to not put too much faith in polling. Still, a new Gallup poll released last month deserves a serious look. In a remarkable jump from prior years, one in six adult members of Gen Z (that is, ages 18 to 24) self-identify as LGBT.

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Persecution and Failed States Go Hand in Hand

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Persecution and Failed States Go Hand in Hand

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In just the last few weeks, two mass kidnappings took place, both at schools in northwestern Nigeria. In the first, “unidentified gunmen” attacked a boarding school in Niger state, killing one student and kidnapping 42 others — 38 of the abducted were rescued a week later, presumably by government forces. The day before that rescue, “unknown gunmen” in neighboring Zamfara state kidnapped over 300 girls from a boarding school. On Tuesday, the AP reported the release of 270.

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Devotional thought for Today – 03/04/2021

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1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

This portion of 1 Thessalonians 5 can be divided into two sections; v.12-22 and v.23-28. The first is a series of exhortations or final instructions on how to live as faithful believers pending the return of Christ.  The latter is Pauls’s final salutation and blessing to the church. 

The two are fully and indelibly connected. Paul’s benediction v.23-28 depending on your translation begins with either (most common) And the…, Now may…,  both of these signify that all that proceeded (v.12-22) is being wrapped up here. 

Our main text for today,  v.24, is Paul’s second sentence in the benediction, a reminder to all that our God is Able.  Some of the more common translations are: 

ESV: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

KJV: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

NASB: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.”

NLT: “God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”

CSB: “He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.”

So the obvious is God is Able but able to do what? remember I said that v.12-22 were the key and that they were all about living as faithful believers? So it is God (and God alone) who is able to complete our holiness, make us mature believers, enable us to live faithfully for Christ.  I really like the AMP version of v.24

Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].

When God saved us, he called us to be sanctified set apart from the world for the kingdom and His glory.  Paul is reminding the Church at Thessalonica and us of this and that we can not go it alone. 

TODAY’S PRAYER

Thank You Father that You are the one that is going to bring me to spiritual maturity – not in my own strength, but as I yield to the chastening and refining work of Your Holy Spirit within my heart. Have Your way in my life I pray, until I reach a spiritual maturity that measures up to the full and complete standard of Christ – Christ in me the hope of glory – praise Your holy name, AMEN.

Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/1-Thessalonians/5

A Promise to America’s Children

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A Promise to America’s Children

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Thirty years ago, the idea of socially and medically experimenting on children to advance a controversial and unproven ideology was unthinkable. Today, it’s considered by some to be unquestionable. There is a full-court press to fully and finally embed transgender ideology in public life, especially with school-aged children, starting with the Equality Act…

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ALSO SEE

Responding to the Equality Act – Emilie Kao and The Promise to America’s Children