Ripping Pages Out of the Bible

Bill Keane, creator of the “Family Circus” cartoon strip, told of a time when he was penciling one of his cartoons.  His son Jeffy walked up, looked at his dad’s drawing and said, “Daddy, how do you know what to draw?” He replied, “God tells me.”  Jeffy questioned, “Then why do you keep erasing parts of it?”

What a smart kid!  Whether he meant it or not, Jeffy understood a concept many adults are still struggling to learn.  His mind hadn’t yet been clouded with thoughts, opinions, and other kinds of “baggage.”  He simply understood that if God had really told his Dad what to draw (which God hadn’t), it would be wrong to change it and go against it.

Too often people tear out the Bible pages they don’t like, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.  Maybe it’s because it describes something sinful they are already doing.  Maybe it’s because they don’t want to accept the destination of unfaithful family members who have passed on.  Maybe they just hate God and the Bible.  No matter the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that we will be responsible for knowing and obeying this information (John 12:48; James 1:22-25).

Since every word of Scripture is given by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and since the Bible gives us everything we need to know for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), it is vital that we keep all the pages of Scripture firmly where they belong.  God never has and never will want people to add or take away from His words (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:36; Joshua 1:7-8; Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Galatians 1:9-10; Revelation 22:18).  We must always obey the commands in Scripture.  Jeffy understood this concept.  Do you?

A Good Miscarriage?

(Article by Denny Petrillo)

In one of the most intriguing passages in Ecclesiastes, Solomon maintains that, under certain conditions, it would have been better to have been born dead (6:3).  This is a most startling statement.  We value life.  We consider existence a precious gift.  So what is Solomon talking about, and to whom is he saying that it would have been better for him to have been born dead?

First, Solomon states that a miscarriage is better than a man who fails to appreciate his family.  In his illustration, a man is blessed with “a hundred children” (6:3).  Yet he is not satisfied.  How can one not be satisfied with such a large “quiver” full of children (Ps. 127:3-5)? Since children are a blessing from God (Ps. 113:9), this man is richly blessed.  Yet if such a man cannon appreciate this blessing, he would have been better off being miscarried.

Second, Solomon states that a miscarriage is better than a man who fails to appreciate the years of his life.  Again using hyperbole, he says that if the man should live “a thousand times twice” (6:6), but fails to enjoy them, he is better off dead.  Far too often we don’t enjoy life. Rather, we let cares and worries rob us of daily joy.  Those days turn to months which turn to years.  Before long, it is a lifetime of discontent.

Third, Solomon states that a miscarriage is better than a man who fails to appreciate material blessings.  Paul states that we should be content with what we have, even if we have very little (1 Tim. 6:8; Phil. 4:11, 12).  In contrast, this man has much, being enriched with “good things” (6:3, 6).  But he fails to enjoy those good things.  Again, Paul notes that it is God who “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).  We must learn to be satisfied.  If we’re not, Solomon would say it would have been better off if we had never been born.

Is it good that you’re alive?  Let us all learn to enjoy our families, our years of life and our material blessings.  Most importantly, for us on this side of the cross, let us “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).

God Doesn’t Care

 

God doesn’t care how many Facebook friends we have, Only how many of our friends know we’re Christians (Matthew 10:32-33).

God doesn’t care how many Twitter followers we have, Only that we deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23)

God doesn’t care about the number of minutes on our cell phone plans, Only how many minutes we spend talking with Him (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18).

God doesn’t care about the important celebrities and athletes we know, Only the importance of people knowing Him and the truth (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:2-3).

God doesn’t care who wins the Super Bowl, Only that we win the battle against temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).

God doesn’t care who wins the World Series, Only how many souls we win for Him (Matthew 28:18-20).

God doesn’t care if we have the fanciest watch, Only how wisely we use our time (Ephesians 5:16).

God doesn’t care if we wear the latest fashion or best clothes, Only that we dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3).

God doesn’t care about the size or grandeur of our homes, Only the hospitality we use within them (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2).

God doesn’t care about how much money we have, Only how much of our money is given to Him and used for good (Proverbs 3:9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).

God doesn’t care what work we do, Only that we do it with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23-24).

God doesn’t care about the color of our skin, Only the content of our character (Galatians 5:22-23).

This life is all about the Lord and our relationship with Him.  This is what God really cares about!  May everything we say, think, and do bring glory to the Lord and strengthen our relationship with Him.

Benefits of Love

Maybe I’m being sentimental, or cliché, or whatever you want to call it, but many of us are already thinking about love today anyway, so why not feed the fire?

We are all familiar with love on some level.  Love is packed full of benefits.  It saves us from hell.  It solves conflicts.  It brings people us closer together.  It produces hard work and good attitudes.  It’s even good for our health!

In a recent article, Lisa Collier Cool talked about the health benefits of love (Click Here).  Here are some that she talks about:

• Love Defuses Stress.  We know it can sometimes cause stress, but in general it helps prevent stress.  Getting rid of stress can help prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Several studies found that physical touch (like holding hands) reduces and helps us deal with stress.  Hugging has even been shown to lower blood pressure.
• Love Heals Wounds.  A study was conducted where couples were inflicted with a small blister.  They found that blister took two days longer to heal in the couples that were hostile and argumentative with each other.
• Love Keeps Us From Sickness.  Studies also found that many people who lost a spouse through death, divorced, or separation showed a decline in health.

God knew what He was doing when He brought man and woman together and introduced love (Genesis 2).  God knew what He was talking about when He commanded us to love each other (1 John 4:7-21).  God knew what He was doing when He sent Christ to the cross to show His love for us (John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-21).

People across the country will be demonstrating their love for each other today in their marriages, families, and friendships.  Surely God loves seeing people being sweet, kind, caring, and generous with each other.  However, let’s not let these wonderful attitudes and feelings die for 364 days after today.  Let’s make sure we spread the love on this Valentine’s Day, next Valentine’s Day, and all the days in-between.

Who’s Fooling Who?

Deception is seen almost everywhere.  Mechanics, car salesmen, lawyers, politicians, telemarketers, and many other professions have received deceitful reputations.  Interestingly, deception is even seen in nature.  Animals often try to look and act something they aren’t.  For example, the King Snake (Left) uses the bright color pattern to look like the highly venomous Coral Snake (Right).

Matthew 7:15 identifies another animal that uses deception: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”  This is talking about teachers and religions which claim, “We have the truth,” but do not follow Scripture.  Thankfully, there are ways to see through deception.  If we carefully observe the color patterns of the coral snake and king snake, we can identify which one is non-venomous.  In a similar way, we are able to see which religion actually has the truth by comparing it to the only guidebook we have in such matters, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).  Here is what the church of the Bible looks like.

The Establishment: The Lord’s church was established in Acts 2.  Before this point, every reference to the church was in the future tense (Matthew 16:18).  After Acts 2, we clearly see that the church is in existence.  Any church established after this point is not the New Testament church.

The Leadership:  First of all, Christ, and only Christ, is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23).  No earthly man was ever, or should ever be the head of the church (i.e. the Pope).  Second, men called “elders” supervise each individual congregation of the church.  These men are also called pastors, shepherds, bishops, or overseers (Acts 20:17, 28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1ff; Tit. 1:5ff).  Scripture never refers to one man (i.e. Bishops and Cardinals) being over a church or even a plurality of churches.

The Worship: There are only five acts of worship seen in Scripture.

1. The Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42).  This was done weekly, on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) using bread and fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:26ff).
2. Singing (Matthew 26:30; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).  The only example we have is singing without the use of musical instruments.  Yes, instruments were used in the Old Testament, but this was under a different set of laws which Christ replaced (Hebrews 8:7-9, 13; 7:18-19, 22; 10:9).  Historically, Christians did not use instruments in worship until it was introduced in Rome 600 years later because of apostasy.
3. Prayer (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 2:8).  The only prayers we see are those addressed to God (Matthew 6:9-10).  Not once do we see Christians praying to saints.
4. Giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
5. Preaching (Acts 2:42; 20:7).

The Name:  The first time the church took a name was in Acts 11:26 when they were called Christians.  Wayne Jackson says this point best: “Interestingly enough, the word ‘called’ in Acts 11:26 is a very special word that has to do only with a divine sort of calling…They were divinely called ‘Christians.’  Why would men set aside that name, and designate themselves by human heroes (e.g., Lutheran)?  Or name themselves after some form of organization, (e.g., Presbyterian)?  Or adopt titles according to some individual point of doctrine they espouse, (e.g., Baptist)?  There is no scriptural basis for this common practice” (“Identifying the Church of the New Testament, Christian Courier).  New Testament Christians simply called themselves “the church” (Acts 11:22), “the churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16), and “the church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2).  Many religions do not follow this pattern today.

The Plan of Salvation:  In Acts 2, when Peter was preaching to the people, they became Christians and part of God’s church by these steps.  They heard the gospel message about Jesus being Lord and Savior (vs. 14-36; John 6:45), they believed this message (vs. 37; Romans 10:17; Mark 16:15-16), Peter commanded them to repent of their sins (vs. 38; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10), and to be baptized (vs. 38; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21).  From other passages, we also know that confessing that Jesus is Lord is part of this process (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 4:13).  That day in Acts 2, three thousand people followed these steps and were saved from sin and added to the church (vs. 41-42).

Are you a member of “a church,” or are you a member of Christ’s church?  Deceit is in our world.  If we are part of an organization that doesn’t look like the one in the Bible, then we must ask ourselves if we are being deceived or if we are deceiving ourselves?  Though some religions may not try to be misleading, sometimes ignorance breeds deception.

If your church does not follow the Scriptural model, then with compassion and love I must tell you that you are not part of Christ’s church.  We all want to know we are genuine Christians.  Following the church of the Bible is the only way we can have the assurance that we are part of the Lord’s church.

Sharpening the Axe

A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree.  Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, “You can start Monday!”

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday rolled by.  On Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”  Startled, he replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”  ”Normally we do,” answered the foreman, “but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind.  Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected.  ”I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”  The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your ax?”  The young man replied, “I’ve been working too hard to take the time.”

(Illustration from William D. Boyd, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome).

Hopefully this young man learned the valuable lesson about keeping his axe sharp.  Interestingly, even Solomon spoke about the futility of working with a dulled tool: “If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength.  Wisdom has the advantage of giving success” (Ecclesiastes 10:10).

There is great value in keeping all of our tools sharp, especially our spiritual tools.  Tools like faith, love, prayer, Bible study, and church attendance.  Like the young man on the logging crew, we often use the excuse about being too busy and not having enough time to participate in these activities.  In this fast paced society, we must find the time.  When these aspects begin to fade in our lives, it is a sign that our spiritual tools are becoming dull.  Soon we begin fruitlessly working against ourselves.

Is it time to sharpen your spiritual axe?  As Solomon stated back in Ecclesiastes 10:10, we would be wise to keep ourselves sharp, because only then can we achieve spiritual success.

Blizzard Warning

For a few days now, everyone in Denver has been anticipating the huge snowstorm heading our way.  Blizzard warnings have been put out across the area.  Supermarkets have been packed with people stocking up on last minute groceries.  Schools and businesses have shut down.  Everyone has been bracing for the storm.  With nine inches of snow outside and the snowfall just getting started, it’s safe to say the storm has arrived.

It’s interesting how much effort people are taking to prepare for the snowstorm.  People always want to make sure they aren’t caught off guard and find themselves in a troubling situation.  It seems sad, however, that so much effort to put towards preparation for a snowstorm, but very little is put towards preparation for the next life.

Matthew 25 is all about preparation for the judgment day.  The chapter starts with a couple of examples of proper and improper preparation.  In one example, some of the virgins brought enough oil when waiting for the Lord, but others didn’t (1-13).  In another example, some servants of the Master used their talents properly, but one didn’t (14-30).  Then verses 31-46 talk about the judgment day itself.  It talks about how there will be only two groups, those who are saved and those who are lost.

There were plenty of warnings about this snowstorm.  Chances are, most people were prepared.  There are even more warnings about the judgment day in Scripture, but only the Lord knows how many will be found prepared.  The good news is, we can all be prepared.  Let’s all make sure we are not caught off guard and unprepared for that day.