Thursday, July 29, 2010


Character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next. The circumstances amid which you live determine your reputation; the truth you believe determines your character. -William Hershey Davis


-Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are.


-Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away.


-Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime.


-Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak.


-Your reputation is learned in an hour; Your character is does not come to light for a year.


-A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.


-Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable.


-Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God.


-Your character is what God knows you to be. Your reputation is what men think you are.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Consider this statement..."I Lack a Belief In God."


Sound familiar?

Article by Matt Slick



"I lack belief in a god"

by Matt Slick


The statement "I lack belief in a god" is a common position of atheists. In discussions with them, they tell me they lack belief in God the way they lack belief in invisible pink unicorns. In other words, they have no position, take no intellectual action, and have no belief or unbelief on the matter concerning God.

To them it is a non-issue. Though this may sound sensible to some, the problem is that once you are introduced to an idea, you cannot stay neutral about it. You invariably make a judgment about an idea once it has been introduced to you. You can brush it off as ridiculous, ponder its possibility, accept it, reject it, or do something in between. But you cannot return to a lack of belief position, if lack of belief is defined as a non-intellectual commitment or non-action concerning belief.

Though I admit that an atheist can claim he lacks belief even after being exposed to an idea and contemplating its rationality, I still assert that a position of some sort is required.

Let's pick a baby that has no awareness of the concept of invisible pink unicorns. Later in life, when the baby is mature and is introduced to the concept, he either accepts the existence of invisible pink unicorns, rejects them as a ridiculous notion, chuckles about it and dismisses it, becomes unsure about them, holds off judgment until later, etc. Either way, he develops a position on the concept of invisible pink unicorns. He has to do something with the concept once he's been exposed to it.

He doesn't continue in a lack-of-belief or lack-of-awareness state of mind because the fact is, some sort of intellectual action must occur regarding it. He cannot become unaffected by the concept.

Nevertheless, some might say that to hold off judgment until later is to be "atheistic" concerning pink unicorns, and therefore support the atheist position of "lack of belief." But as I said earlier, after being exposed to a concept, a decision is made about that concept even if it is to withhold judgment.

In other words, a position is taken. This is not the same as going back to a state of unawareness. To suspend belief on a subject is to hold off judgment until more information is acquired. This is agnosticism, not atheism. It is an admission that not all information is acquired, thus logically requiring the possibility of the existence of the thing being considered. This is something atheists do not do by definition; rather, agnostics do this. Agnosticism is the position, in part, that "suspension of belief" is maintained until further information is acquired.
If I said there was an ice cream factory on Jupiter, what would you think?

Would you entertain the idea as a serious possibility? Would you quickly dismiss it as an outlandish absurdity? Would you request evidence for it? Or, did you suddenly have a desire to go to Jupiter for some Jupiterian Swirl? Of course, an ice-cream factory on Jupiter is ridiculous, and we automatically know this so we naturally make a judgment on it. Thus, we cannot remain in a state of lack of belief concerning the concept once we've been introduced to it. We assign it to the that-is-ridiculous category.

This is why the "lack of belief" defense we hear from atheists is not logical. It ignores the reality that people categorize concepts anywhere in the range of total acceptance to total rejection. It is our nature to do this. We don't do nothing with information.

Is my cat an atheist?

Animals lack belief in God. Are they atheistic? Should we include atheists, infants, plants, rocks, water, and air in the category of atheism since they too lack belief in God? Of course not.

I had a cat named Punchface (it's a long story). Punchface was a beautiful cat with long white hair and powder blue eyes. He was very smart, even brilliant. He could play tag, fetch, hide and seek, catch mice with Olympian skill, and enjoy an evening watching Star Trek with me. I would completely defend the fact that he had quite a personality. As brilliant as my cat was, he lacked belief in God. I could have sat him down, looked him in the eye and said, "Punch, there is something I have to talk to you about. It's God.

You see, God is the being that created the universe and everything in it, including you and me." Of course, after I would say this, Punch would probably say, "meow," and go chase a piece of air-born lint. He had no concept whatsoever of God. Does that mean my dear cat Punchface was an atheist? Of course not. He was only a cat, even if he is a brilliant one.

Nevertheless, the atheist will assert that the position of "lack of belief" relates only to sentient beings. This would be a necessary position given that cats cannot be atheistic; that is, they can't make a choice to accept or deny God's existence. Therefore, the atheist should amend his statement and say something like, "As a person, I lack belief," or "I have decided to lack belief in God," or "Lacking belief in God is a position for sentient beings only." This would negate my cat as being included, since to describe an atheistic position as simply "lacking belief" is too broad.

So what is this position of lack of belief really about?

In my opinion, lack of belief is really an attempt by atheists to avoid facing and defending the problems in their atheistic position. You see, if they say they have no position by saying they lack belief, then their position is not open to attack and examination, and they can quietly remain atheists.

The problem for atheists, however, is that atheism is coming under more serious attack by Christians and others who recognize its problems and are exposing them. Without a doubt, there are far more people in the world who believe in God (or a god) than don't, and more and more Christians are tackling atheism as an untenable position. If the majority believe, that doesn't make it right; but the increase in examination of atheism has made it more difficult for atheists to defend their position. This also explains why atheists, it seems, are becoming more aggressive in their attacks on theism in its different forms.

There is an intellectual battle being waged, and both defensive and offensive measures are being taken on both sides. In the end, the truth will be known and atheism will become extinct.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Consider this Comparison between Jesus and Muhammad


A Comparison between Jesus and Muhammad


Following is a chart that shows some of the strong differences between Jesus and Mohammed.

The Muslims revere Mohammed as the greatest of prophets, yet Jesus clearly demonstrated greater authority, teaching, and miracles than Mohammed ever did.

Why would anyone want to follow Mohammed over Jesus when Jesus claimed to be divine, performed many miracles, said he alone was the truth, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead himself and Mohammed did none of these things.

However, Mohammed did have people killed, spread his religion through war, married a very young girl and had relations with her when she was nine years of age, and taught hatred of Jews and Christians.

Jesus

Muhammad

Death

Jesus died and rose from the dead

Muhammad died and stayed dead.

Fighting

Jesus never fought

Muhammad fought many many times

Hearing from God

When Jesus heard from God he went to the desert to be tempted and began his ministry with boldness, (Mark 1:14-15).

When Muhammad heard from God (supposedly through an angel) he cowered, was uncertain, and wanted to commit suicide (Quran 74:1-5)

Identity

Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:24;8:58) as well as a man.
Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life (
John 14:6).

Muhammad claimed to be a man.

Instructions Received

From God the Father (John 5:19)

Allegedly from an angel

Killing

Jesus never killed anyone

Muhammad killed many

Life

Jesus had the power to take life, but never did. He restored it.

Muhammad had the power to take it, but he never restored it.

No one ever died in Jesus' presence

Many people died in Muhammad's presence -- he killed them.

Marriage

Jesus never married

Muhammad had over 20 wives and even married a nine year old girl.

Ministry

Jesus received his calling from God directly (Matt. 3:17).

Jesus received his commission in the daylight

Muhammad allegedly received it from an angel (Gabriel)

Muhammad received his words in the darkness of a cave.

Ministry Length

Jesus taught for 3 1/2 years

Muhammad taught for more than 20 years

Miracles

Jesus performed many miracles including healing people, calming a storm with a command, and raising people from the dead.

Muhammad's only alleged miracle was the Quran.

Prophecy

Jesus fulfilled biblical prophecy about being the Messiah

Muhammad did not fulfill any biblical prophecy except the ones about false teachers (Matt. 24:24).

Sacrifice

Jesus voluntarily laid his life down for others

Muhammad saved his own life many times and had others killed.

Sin

Jesus never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22)

Muhammad was a sinner (Quran 40:55; 48:1-2)

Slaves

Jesus owned no slaves

Muhammad owned slaves.

Virgin Birth

Jesus was virgin born

Muhammad was not virgin born.

Voice of God

Jesus received and heard the direct voice of God (Mark 1:10-11)

Muhammad did not receive or hear the direct voice of God. It was an angel instead.

Women

Jesus spoke well of women

Muhammad said women were 1/2 as smart as men (Hadith 3:826; 2:541), that the majority in hell will be women (Had. 1:28,301; 2:161; 7:124), and that women could be mortgaged.


There is no comparison between Jesus and Muhammad. Muhammad falls so far short that he cannot be held on any level remotely close to Jesus. Muhammad is clearly inferior to Christ.


Friday, July 16, 2010

"Why should we read the Bible / study the Bible?"




We should read and study the Bible because it is God's Word to us. The Bible is literally "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, it is God's very words to us.


There are so many questions that philosophers have asked that God answers for us in Scripture. What is the purpose to life? Where did I come from? Is there life after death? How do I get to heaven? Why is the world full of evil? Why do I struggle to do good? In addition to these "big" questions, the Bible gives much practical advice in areas such as: What do I look for in a mate? How can I have a successful marriage? How can I be a good friend? How can I be a good parent? What is success and how do I achieve it? How can I change? What really matters in life? How can I live so that I do not look back with regret? How can I handle the unfair circumstances and bad events of life victoriously?



We should read and study the Bible because it is totally reliable and without error. The Bible is unique among so-called "holy" books in that it does not merely give moral teaching and say, "Trust me." Rather, we have the ability to test it by checking the hundreds of detailed prophecies that it makes, by checking the historical accounts it records, and by checking the scientific facts it relates. Those who say the Bible has errors have their ears closed to the truth. Jesus once asked which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or "Rise, take up your bed and walk."


Then He proved He had the ability to forgive sins (something we cannot see with our eyes) by healing the paralytic (something those around Him could test with their eyes). Similarly, we are given assurance that God's Word is true when it discusses spiritual areas that we cannot test with our senses by showing itself true in those areas that we can test, such as historical accuracy, scientific accuracy, and prophetic accuracy.



We should read and study the Bible because God does not change and because mankind's nature does not change; it is as relevant for us as it was when it was written. While technology changes, mankind's nature and desires do not change.


We find, as we read the pages of biblical history, that whether we are talking about one-on-one relationships or societies, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). And while mankind as a whole continues to seek love and satisfaction in all of the wrong places, God—our good and gracious Creator—tells us what will bring us lasting joy. His revealed Word, the Bible, is so important that Jesus said of it, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). In other words, if we want to live life to the fullest, as God intended, we must listen to and heed God's written Word.



We should read and study the Bible because there is so much false teaching. The Bible gives us the measuring stick by which we can distinguish truth from error. It tells us what God is like. To have a wrong impression of God is to worship an idol or false god. We are worshiping something that He is not. The Bible tells us how one truly gets to heaven, and it is not by being good or by being baptized or by anything else we do (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-18, 5:8, 6:23,10:9-13). Along this line, God's Word shows us just how much God loves us (Romans 5:6-8; John 3:16). And it is in learning this that we are drawn to love Him in return (1 John 4:19).



The Bible equips us to serve God (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). It helps us know how to be saved from our sin and its ultimate consequence (2 Timothy 3:15). Meditating on God’s Word and obeying its teachings will bring success in life (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25). God’s Word helps us see sin in our lives and helps us get rid of it (Psalm 119:9, 11). It gives us guidance in life, making us wiser than our teachers (Psalm 32:8, 119:99; Proverbs 1:6). The Bible keeps us from wasting years of our lives on that which does not matter and will not last (Matthew 7:24-27).



Reading and studying the Bible helps us see beyond the attractive "bait" to the painful "hook" in sinful temptations, so that we can learn from others' mistakes rather than making them ourselves. Experience is a great teacher, but when it comes to learning from sin, it is a terribly hard teacher. It is so much better to learn from others' mistakes. There are so many Bible characters to learn from, some of whom can serve as both positive and negative role models at different times in their lives. For example, David, in his defeat of Goliath, teaches us that God is greater than anything He asks us to face (1 Samuel 17), while his giving in to the temptation to commit adultery with Bathsheba reveals just how long-lasting and terrible the consequences of a moment's sinful pleasure can be (2 Samuel 11).



The Bible is a book that is not merely for reading. It is a book for studying so that it can be applied. Otherwise, it is like swallowing food without chewing and then spitting it back out again—no nutritional value is gained by it. The Bible is God's Word. As such, it is as binding as the laws of nature.


We can ignore it, but we do so to our own detriment, just as we would if we ignored the law of gravity. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough just how important the Bible is to our lives. Studying the Bible can be compared to mining for gold. If we make little effort and merely "sift through the pebbles in a stream," we will only find a little gold dust. But the more we make an effort to really dig into it, the more reward we will gain for our effort.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Consider "Jeremiah 17:7"


JER 17:7  "But blessed is the man who trusts in the 
LORD, whose confidence is in him.”

Take note of the duty required of us - to trust in the Lord, to do our
duty to Him and then depend upon him to bear us out in 
doing it - to commit ourselves to God as all-sufficient, 
both to fill up the place of those who fail us and to 
protect us from those who set upon us. It is to make 
the Lord our hope, the good we hope for and 
his power the strength we hope in. 

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Consider "Regeneration" with this interesting illustration


What is Regeneration? Listen to the pastor of Mars Hill Church describe it to you in...

"Black Licorice and Red Licorice."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRZVj2wfdaI

Monday, July 12, 2010

Ladies...Consider our bodies.


Ladies, it's so important for us to remember - when we cause men to look upon our bodies lustfully, we are inducing them to commit the sin of lust and this is displeasing to God!


"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-29).