Make A Choice, Then Make It Work

 Why is it so hard for our young people to get married today? Is it a spiritual problem, since we know that our enemy hates traditional marriage? Could it be a social or psychological problem as well? Could it be that we become a victim of paralysis by analysis? Could the fear of missing out make us hesitant to make a choice? Could it be our unrealistic ideals and standards for a spouse that no one can meet? Or, could it be that we have so many choices that we become unable to make a choice?

When the idea of getting married first occurred to me I asked a friend to point out to me the young, single, and available girls in church. Which he did. It turned out that there were 4 or 5 girls at that time who were single, available, and attractive. I married one of them.

You do not fall in love and then get married. You marry, and then you learn to love them. You do not need to get to know them before you get married. You get married and then you spend years getting to know this stranger who you married. Choosing someone to marry is first a choice. You must choose someone, and they must in turn be willing to be chosen. The burden of this transaction rests on the man.

Throw away your list of qualifications and standards. Be a true Christian and you have all of the standards that you need. Find someone who you feel attracted to who is single and available and ask them. Dating is a waste of time if marriage is your end goal.

Let me say that your parents, and your pastor, are bad judges of character when it comes to marriage. Pick someone who attends your church and that is enough. You will be marrying a stranger no matter how much time you spend together before marriage. Pick a spouse, and then tell your parents and your pastor your plans.

"And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. ..." Genesis 24:66-67

Isaac and Rebekah never dated, they were total strangers, but that didn't matter. They made a choice, and then they made it work.

A Bible Lesson For Today

 "...And his servant said to him, alas, my master! What shall we do? So he answered, do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2Kings 6:15-17

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life? Have you ever thought that your situation looked hopeless and even dangerous? Can I tell you that you are not alone in feeling this. But it may be that you are young or immature in your faith. The young man saw one thing, the elder prophet saw a different thing. The young man panicked, Elisha was calm.

One big truth to see in this text is that always there are more for us than against us. Only one third of the angelic host followed Lucifer in rebellion against God. Two third of the angels stayed true. Do the math.

You think that your pastor is just a nice guy who preaches.  I wonder if you ever thought how God surrounds him with an army of angels and chariots of fire? The angelic host was protecting Elisha, not the young man. I think that the greater the leader, the bigger the spiritual host that surrounds him. We stay safe by staying aligned with our pastor.

The final thought is that Elisha prayed. "And Elisha prayed" is the statement that changed everything. Before Elisha prayed there was fear. After Elisha prayed there was peace. Prayer not only changes the circumstances, it changes our perspective. The angelic army was there before Elisha prayed, but the young man only saw it after Elisha prayed. Prayer helps disciples see from God's perspective. Prayer diffuses fear in your church.

What God did for Elisha and his young servant He will do for you.

Is Science A Tool To Deceive?

"Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he catches the wise in their own craftiness. and again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 1Cor. 3:18-20 

The problem with physics and mathematics and molecular biology is that it only works on paper, or under a microscope. It does not work in the real world. Things that make perfect sense to a physicist make no sense to anyone else. Things that look real under a microscope or through a telescope are not real to anyone else. And God looks at man's wisdom and accomplishments and He calls it all foolishness. Evolution is not scientific at all. It was a man's attempt to discredit the creation story in the Bible.

Speaking of the Bible, it is one thing that looks real on paper and actually works in real life. 

Note in the text how the word "deceive" and "craftiness" are used by the Holy Spirit. These words speak of a deliberate act to mislead and twist. Science seems to be a tool of the evil one to draw us away from God. Creation means that there was a creator. Evolution means that nature acts on it's own, randomly.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Romans 1:18

See, men suppress the truth of the Bible in their sinful behavior. But God keeps good records. He will give to every man the wages due him. 

It's time to repent.

More Valuable

 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Mat. 10:29-31

I do not know how valuable a copper coin, or a farthing, is. But I do know that whatever it costs to buy two pigeons, you are more valuable than that. If God knows how many hairs you have on your head,  and if God is aware of every bird that dies, do you doubt that God knows you and is aware of what you are going through right now?

God still loves you no matter what you've done. God still wants to help you no matter what kind of trouble you are in. You still matter to God.  God will heal your broken heart and dry your crying eyes. You are still more valuable than a pigeon. Christ died for you, not for animals.

Maranatha!

The Bible on Slavery

 I wonder if you would be surprised to find out that the Bible nowhere condemns slavery. The Bible is an ancient book written in ancient times where life was very different from our modern era. It address things that we do not do or consider abhorrent. It is God's word written By men of God to ancient and somewhat heathen people.

Nowhere does the Bible condemn polygamy. God does speak clearly on marriage and on how marriage works best. Several prominent men in the Bible had more than one wife.  Also, the Bible actually speaks a lot about kings even though in our modern era we are anti king. In fact, our form of government is not found in the Bible. God refers to Himself as a great king of kings. Jesus said the kingdom of God is among you. All political activity in the Bible revolves around a king.

The same is true about slavery. Slavery was common in ancient times. Slavery is still practiced in the modern world. Slavery may be immoral to us, but it is never condemned in the Bible. The Bible actually gives instruction on how to be a Christian slave, and it gives instruction on how to treat slaves as their owner. The failure of American slavery was the ill treatment and the dehumanization of slaves by their owners. The South needed slave workers, but their treatment of them was terrible. In America, slavery became a moral and a human rights issue, as it is today. God views slaves as people who need to be saved just like everyone else.

It is always hard to understand ancient societies measured by modern standards. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to help us apply ancient words to our current situations.

You Have Built It. Have They Come?

 "If you build it, he will come." This line is from the movie Field of Dreams. We have changed it slightly to say, if you build it, they will come. We sometimes use this idea in our churches concerning buildings. We think that if we build or buy or rent a bigger building, more people will visit our churches. 

Pastor Mitchell did not build big buildings to attract big crowds. We enlarged the Ruth Street building at least twice to accommodate what God was doing in revival. When I first was saved in 1973 we were packed to the rafters with people. We used to sit on the floor in the alter space, crowded in like sardines in a can. We held services there three days a week. We held revival meetings there. We held the early conferences there. And when the building could not hold conferences, we bought the tents. The city of Prescott back then had no facilities to accommodate our crowds.

There are "rules" governing church attendance. They say that you will not grow beyond 80% capacity. I saw the Prescott church SRO and we grew. So much for rules. People come because the early days of real revival are always accompanied by explosive growth. Once we stopped growing we didn't need a bigger building anymore, even though we were at the magic 80 % line. But that didn't stop the Prescott church from building bigger buildings.

You who have built it so that they will come, have they come? 

An Amazing Book

 The Bible is an amazing book. It is so simple that an ignorant and unlearned child can read it and understand the big picture. But the Bible is so complex and deep that scholars spend their entire careers studying it and what it says and how it came to be a book.

Translation takes ancient writings in foreign languages and rewrites them into a language that the local population can read and understand. And while we are on this topic, the importance of the Bible is what it says, not in how it came to be. It's the word of God written down, just like the ten commandments that Moses received.

One interesting fact is that most of the new testament writings were simply letters written to local churches. They were not published or copywritten. Therefore, scholars tell us that we have no original copies of the ancient writings to translate. That letters dashed off to churches have survived in any form is a testament to the hand of God active in making sure the translators got it right.

Now, we take the Bible in our language, written in ancient times, and make it apply to current events. Now we pray for our pastors to get it right when studying the Bible.

All of His promises are yes and amen, no matter how long ago they were first written or spoken.