All Science Points To God

 On the surface, the creation story in Genesis reads like a children's Sunday School lesson. Very simple and easy to understand. And yet, beneath the surface of this simple story are depths of wisdom and engineering that boggle the mind.

"By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." Heb.11:3

First, it takes faith to understand the creation story. Not intellect, not learning, not even wisdom, but faith.

Second, God is the architect and the engineer for creation. His idea, His plan, His design. It is His.

Third, creation appeared on the scene fully formed. God did not create a big bang. He created a fully formed and fully functioning universe. He did not mold it like clay, or mix together existing elements. He spoke, and the universe appeared just as we see it today. The big bang is science trying to rob God of His glory.

Science discovers natural laws that God set in place to govern how the universe works and how life on earth is sustained. All science points to God. It is dishonest for science to not tell the truth. Once you reject the logical answer, you are condemned to searching and never finding any more answers.

Adam and Eve were never babies. They were created as adults. The Garden of Eden was a real place designed by God just for man. The Garden was destroyed by the Flood. Sin robbed humanity of their dominion and their dignity. We will not see that level of rulership again until after the second coming of Christ. 

An Interesting Pattern

 I am not a pastor or an evangelist. I am just a man who has been around a long time. I have paid attention and I have noticed certain patterns that, now that we as a Fellowship have been in existence for a few years, I see emerging.

We have churches that have been in existence for many years now. Our churches have reached a size that reflects the pastor's ability to care for. We have a vision that works, but it seems to not be working as well as it used to. So we try harder to make something happen. Or we adjust our focus to minister to the people we have now. We support the overall vision of evangelism and discipleship and church planting. But we have changed.

One thing that I have noticed is that the explosive growth of our Fellowship is not happening in our older, more mature churches. It is happening on the cutting edge of church planting. New pastors and new churches in new cities doing what we do. And they are seeing the spectacular growth and the exciting evangelism we used to see. No one church has planted 4000 churches. We have seen God use our vision to keep the fire burning out on the fringes of civilization.

The older churches that are still thriving today have come to grips with where they are in the trajectory of revival and have found a way to continue to minister to faithful people who have stayed by the stuff, some for many years now. 

If you are a pastor and you miss the exciting days of early revival, then go pioneer a brand new church or be a missionary in a new country. We will miss you and we will support you and we will pray for you. 

Oh How He Loves Us!

 The night sky is full of stars which they tell us are not just stars but galaxies. But the night sky is still dark. The only star that makes our sky light is the sun. The rest of the night sky is more like a calendar than anything. 

"Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so." Gen.1:14-15

The earth spins on it's axis at 1037 mph as it zooms around the sun at 67000 mph. All of this motion and high speed and on earth we feel nothing. We have no sense of moving at all. 

Science asks questions for which no scientific answer is needed. The night sky is light enough and as interesting as you want to make it. The planet we live on is moving but it is so big and the distance is so great that no instrument on earth can measure it. Pride makes God's place for us seem small and insignificant.

We live in a world that is perfect for us. God made the place first to make sure it was right before He put man in it. And one day He will make a new heaven and a new earth to be perfect for us for eternity.

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." Rev.21:1

So if you think that Heaven will be like your favorite spot on earth I hate to disappoint you. Heaven is where we go until we return to the new place that God will prepare for us.

Oh how He loves us!

Has Much Learning Made Us Mad?

"you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad! But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason." Acts 26:24-25

Much learning is making you mad Paul was told. But Paul's response tells us something about human pride. Much learning can make us mad. We are crazy because of the crazy things we come up with when we learn too much. Science comes up with crazy ideas in their attempt, like Festus, to skirt the main issue of faith. All of higher learning has lost it's way in their zeal to avoid truth as it is in Christ. 

For example, science tells us that we are made up of particles like protons and neutrons and electrons. That we are basically machines humming along through space and time. This is why AI thinks it is almost human. It's just another machine. But the Bible tells a different story about people.

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" Psalm 139:14

The words fearfully and wonderfully are Hebrew words that are the same that are used to describe God. Awe inspiring and amazing. Worthy of respect and marvelous. God did not build a machine. He created people who resemble God.

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" Genesis 1:27

To say that we are biological machines is to attempt to discredit God. Much learning has made us mad.

Did you know that science tells us that matter is the same throughout the entire universe? An electron on Earth is the same as an electron in a star ten billion light years away. They tell us that empty space is not empty. Of course it isn't empty. God fills the whole universe with His awesome power.

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" Isaiah 40:12

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." Psalm 19:1-2.

Much learning has make us think that God doesn't exist and that all of creation is a random accident and that people are only machines. Much learning has made us mad.

Light Still Shines

 "Then God said, let there be light; and there was light." Genesis 1:3

It is interesting to me that the first act of preparing earth to be a habitation for man was to create light. Before God created light the universe was very dark. Light is not a wave or a particle, it just is. This drives theoretical physicists crazy. Light has no speed, it does not move. It just is.

The universe is so big and vast as to be unmeasurable. Man was created to live on earth, not to travel in space. We thrive on earth, we die in space. Science fiction is more fiction than science.

Science, in it's quest to understand everything, often runs into the laws of nature that are absolute. They do not care what you think things ought to be or do.

"And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:5

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He is the light that shines in the darkness. He separates light from darkness. 

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?" Psalm 8:3-4

Science runs into God because it is God's world. Science makes up fables just to avoid coming to grips with God the creator. The Gospel is a nice love story until you get to the part where God judges sin.

"And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

The Bible is a mystery received by revelation, not by human education. Truth is a spirit, not a subject.

Altar Calls

One thing that our Fellowship does is we have an altar call at the conclusion of every service. We do this to give people a chance to be saved. We do this for a chance to respond to the sermon. Some people seem to respond to every altar call no matter what. Some people rarely or never go forward to pray. But there is one common thing that I noticed. Those who always go and those who rarely go are basically the same in the end. Change does not automatically happen just because you went forward to pray.

Not all altar calls are equal. Sometimes they are life changing. The time you went forward to get saved was a life changing altar call. The time that you finally surrendered to the call of God is a life changing altar call. Most of the time our needs are not so profound or life altering. How to be a better husband or wife or parent. How to be a better Christian. The choice to go on record to start tithing. While everything in life is important on one level, not everything in life is life changing.

One sign of a young church is everyone answers every altar call every time.

I remember when an evangelist would come off of the platform and go to someone in their seat to give them a word. Now if you do not go forward you do not get a personal word from anyone. And most of the people who go forward go back to their seat the same as when thy went forward.

Thoughts On Our Home Fellowship Group.

 We had our home Bible study last night. I have noticed something about the man who leads our group. Most of the time he seems to preach two messages at the same time. He usually starts out by reading his notes that our pastor gave him for the study. But once he begins he usually digresses into his own unrelated thoughts. I listen, and I notice when he looks down at his notes and he slips back into the prepared lesson. I try not to get to excited by the announced topic for the study since I know that we won't be on that subject too long.

I do not expect a deep theological lesson at our home fellowship group. But it would be nice to hear the prepared lesson the whole way through once in a while. This is why the preacher needs notes and structure to his message. Ad-libbing is a good way to tell the same story over and over and over again. Public speaking is an art form that can be learned and once learned can be perfected to make it as good as you can make it.

One more thought. Do not tell us what you used to do in your younger years as though it was something you are currently still doing.