Sunday Night Musings

 We had a young man preach for us tonight. He is from here, but not our church. Pastor met him overseas and felt inspired to have him come preach for us. He did a good job. He is another guy who went overseas directly with no pastoral experience. He is doing a good job where he is.

I see a trend in that if I am going to get anything our of a church service, I will have to learn to get something from a younger man. The pool of seasoned pastors is getting thinner by the year.

Evidently sending a couple overseas right off is a trend to watch.

I hope that this young man inspired some of our young men who seem hesitant to announce themselves as interested in getting sent out.

We do not need more information or even education. We need men who have their own personal relationship with God and who are inspired to do something great for God.

Pray that we will have a great Boot Camp. It is less boot camp and it is becoming more like conference camp for teenagers.

I am grateful that I was mentioned in Prescott tonight. I fell so insignificant sometimes. To think that pastor Greg would mention Kathy and I was humbling.

Thank you all for visiting.

The Bible Is Not A Science Book

 One reason why it is nearly impossible to examine the bible using scientific methods is that the Bible is not a science book. Unlike a story which flows from beginning to climax and ultimately to conclusion, the Bible jumps around in time and does not always follow to a logical conclusion. Every verse is important, but sometimes it is hard to connect them together.

What do Young Earth, Gap Theory, and Day/Age creationists all have in common? They all believe that in the beginning God created everything out of nothing. And they are all rabid anti-evolutionists. Being against something that you do not understand does not make you spiritual or smart.

There were Nephilim before and after the Flood. If the flood was to destroy evil people, how did these creatures survive? Nephilim are the offspring of angelic sex with human women. A local rather than a world-wide flood would make this possible. Nephilim were very smart as well as very big. A few could have survived a regional flood event.

Evolution is anathema to Bible believing Christians. But it does explain some things that the Bible does not explain at all.

The earth in Genesis 1:2 was shapeless and empty. What was it? A watery mass, A sphere of liquid water in frozen outer space? The Bible is not a science book at all. 

One day hopefully we will understand all the mysteries of the Biblical narrative. 

Religious But Not Born Again?

 I have two friends who call themselves Christians and both of them really struggle with their faith. One is always concerned about losing his faith so that he works hard to please the Lord with his good works. The other is so confused and full of ridiculous questions as to be tiresome to listen to. I have rest in my faith. I was born again in 1973. The power of a changed life is still with me to this very day. I do not struggle to understand. I do not waste time trying to intellectually understand it all. I do not feel compelled to work so that God will be impressed enough to let me in. Neither am I presumptuous thinking that I can live how I choose and that Heaven will be awaiting me anyway.

The Christian faith is a hard road to walk on if you are doing it all by human will and human strength. The finished work of Christ is enough. If anyone is in Christ they are new creations. Born again means something. Maybe my friends are very religious but have never been born again.

Focus

 I noticed that one of our pastors was not in church so when I saw him again I asked where he had been. He told me that he had been preaching and he told me where he had been. I asked him how it went and he told me how many people got saved. That was the wrong answer. When our focus is on nickels, noise, and numbers we count success the wrong way. If no one had gotten saved would the gust speaking role have been a failure?

We are focused on evangelism like a laser beam.  But while souls saved is important to some, it is not as important to others. People have fears and worries and things that concern them, and soul winning is not on that list. They are wondering what to do if things do not improve. They wonder if their usefulness to God is over. They wonder how long will this go on.

I am grateful for souls saved. I am glad that the Lord still loves me. Better days are coming!

Science is Dumb

 What is gravity? What is light? Where did we come from? These are unanswerable questions that scientists have come up with ways to explain even though they do not understand it.  The problem is the mystery of God. God said let there be light and there was light. The Bible never tells us about gravity. Adam is where we all come from. Faith takes God at His word. Science comes up with crazy ideas to explain the natural world. All honest science leads to God. It is dishonest to say that Newton or Einstein are smarter than God.

Light has no mass and doesn't move. Gravity is not the unseen hand pulling things. These are fundamental forces of nature that God put in place to make everything work for our benefit.

Science is practiced by those who do not like to retain God in there knowledge. We know what God does to people like that.

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things that are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness;" Rom.1:28-29

This is why the first word of the Gospel is repent.

True Worship

 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

One reason why modern worship music is so distasteful to me sometimes is that is is neither in spirit or in truth. It seems to be mostly emotional music that strives to stir people's emotions in church. That music can touch us emotionally is well understood. All music, whether classical or pop or country works because it touches people in the seat of their emotions.

I want to go out on a limb right here. If you do not speak in tongues, how can you worship in the Spirit? God is Spirit and we worship God in the Spirit. Just saying.

Worshiping in truth simply means it is Bible based. Not romantic based. Not ChatGPT generated. I hate singing romantic love songs to Jesus. So I don't sing those songs. I can worship in spirit and in truth and feel nothing.

Just as the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets, so the spirit of the song is subject to the songwriters. If you are not saved and if you have never been born again and if you are not Spirit filled why do you think that you can write worship music?

I wonder what the Father would say about this so-called worship music that we sing in church. He is still seeking those who worship Him His way.

Be Not Deceived

"And I saw one of his heads as though it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to continue for forty two months." Rev.13:3-5

You may wonder how AI and the virtual world could play out in Bible prophecy. He is an example in which AI could easily pull off this stunt. The beast raised from the dead causing the whole world to marvel. And to worship. They will admire the beast and the dragon.

Note that there is a time limit on the beast's ability to speak. 42 months. During this time the beast speaks great things.

Our faith is the only defense against the onslaught of demonic AI power. Only those not in the Lamb's book of life will worship this blasphemer.

Note that people will worship both the fake image and the creator of that image. It matters who you worship.

Be not deceived by the wonders of high tech.