Religion
This category is for posting on religious, preferably Biblically sound topics.
Socialism. Mans Attempt to Deny God!
Socialism. Mans Attempt to Deny God!
Socialism has never succeeded in any society at any time. From the ancient Egyptians to the Greek and Roman Empires, socialism has always failed. In today’s culture socialistic countries have created a strata of dependence that has literally racked up debt to the point where those countries are teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Look at Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. All of those countries are operating at a financial deficit. The United States has also fallen under the spell of socialism and running debt up as though there is no tomorrow. But what is the real motive behind socialism? What is the appeal of socialism? What are the ultimate results of socialism? And, most importantly, what does God’s Word say about socialism? In this article we’ll look at all of those aspects.
But to begin, socialism certainly does not seem to be about financial security as evidenced by the debt in this country and across the globe. This mountain of debt threatens not only the financial stability United States but of the entire world. Let’s look at one example in the US. The United States owes more than a trillion dollars to China, a communist country, who under any other circumstances would be considered an enemy. How can the US be in such debt to a country that outlaws the very things that we hold dear. Religious freedom, the pursuit of our own destiny and all of the things chartered in the Declaration of Independence and provided by our Constitution are literally held in disdain by this communist government. A government whose regard for human rights align only in total compliance of everyone in that country with the will of the government. Those who do not comply completely are enemies of the state and risk death or imprisonment. The sad fact is that the United States, the richest nation in the world, is a debtor country to a communist regime who stands in stark opposition to everything we stand for and believe.
Can Anything Good Come Out of …
Can Anything Good Come Out of Nazareth or New York City
Jesus began his public ministry by choosing some people to go along with him. Phillip, of Bethsaida, was one of those people. Philip, in turn, reached out to Nathanael and in John 1:45 it says that “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’” But Nathanaels response was very interesting. In John 1:46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”. Nathanael responded much the way the Pharisees responded to the notion of Jesus being from Nazareth of Galilee. The Pharisees mocked Jesus in John 7:52 “…‘You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.’” Perhaps Nathanael was aspiring to be a Pharisee. No one knows but his response to Phillip was, none-the-less, a blanket statement about people from Nazareth. Continue reading
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
In this time of the year there’s so much confusion
But the reason is clear and there is no illusion
God sent His own Son as a gift for us all
Eternal life awaits those who hear His call
Who trust in His Name with the faith of a child
The Christ child who came to us meek and mild
Sinless He lived bearing all we could bear
Then He gave His own life for our despair
On our behalf the Savior did bleed
Risen He is now, He’s risen indeed
The joy of the world and the hope of us all
He did save us from so great a fall
Mankind now honors His birth with good reason
For He gave us new life to provide this great season
Are Muslims Our Friends?
Can we have Muslim Friends?
There has been a lot of debate lately regarding Muslim refugees and the possibility of radical Islamists infiltrating the ranks of those refugees with the intent of doing harm here in the United States. When you listen to the pundits talk the notion that “Moderate” Muslims need to get involved inevitably surfaces. Anyone who has read the Koran (Qu’ran) understands that there really is no such thing as a “Moderate” Muslim. There are those who believe that violence is warranted to bring unbelievers totally under Islamic rule and there are those who choose to use deception to gain an advantage in order to impose the dictates of the Islam on everyone. But make no mistake, either way they believe that everyone must be under Islamic rule. Continue reading
Brick and Mortar a Disciple Doesn’t Make
The Brick and Mortar Conundrum
Over decades of attending fellowships that meet in brick and mortar facilities one thing has become painfully obvious to me. While there are many activities and events sponsored by local fellowships, the one thing these fellowships are not doing, for the most part, is obeying the last command of Jesus Christ. When you think of “church” what is the first thing that comes to mind?
JUST A CRUMB, LORD
Matthew 15:21-28 “Lord, Son of David have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
There was a Canaanite women from the area where Jesus was. She had a daughter that was demon possessed. She had heard about Jesus and she came to him to ask for help. It is important to understand that the area Jesus was in was the area of Tyre and Sidon. This area was considered “pagan” territory. Sidon was the former home of Jezebel. The Canaanites had been enemies of Israel for years and their paganism had often led Israel into idolatry. They were despised by Israel. Israel referred to them as dogs.
So here is the scene. Jesus and His disciples were approached by a Canaanite women who was crying out for mercy for her child. At first Jesus did not even respond to her cry for mercy. The disciples took God’s lack of response as a lack of concern to help her. They urged Jesus to send her away.
The West Wing Left Wing Deflection and Deception
The Pestiferous West Wing Diatribe
Recently I saw a post on a popular social media site that immediately peaked my interest, but not in a good way. The subtitle was “How to Silence Supporters of Kim Davis” which was put out by the “Occupy Democrats” organization. The link provided was to that of a video clip from the popular NBC television program “West Wing”. As I watched I was deeply troubled because President Josiah Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen, used biblical references to personally attack Dr. Jenna Jacobs, the host of a popular program. Mr. Bartlett obviously believed and clearly implied that Dr. Jacobs was a religious nut and a bigot. Mr. Bartlett inaccurately purveyed several references in the Law of Moses as a means of disqualifying things God has called out in His Word as sinful. During the process he deflected away from the issue at hand, the sin of homosexuality, by drawing attention to points in the Law of Moses in a manner that indicated all of the precepts in the Law are ancient, impractical, arcane and no longer invalid today. He also made strong inference that those who believe such things are out of touch with the reality of today’s modern society. This kind of tactic is often used by left wing progressives to draw attention away from the real issues in support of the agenda of evil they wish to impose on the rest of society. Such was the case in this NBC West Wing diatribe. Continue reading
National Back to Church Sunday
The National Back to Church Sunday is a blitz to get church members to invite people to come to church on September 20th. The effort emphasizes inviting friend, neighbors and loved ones to come a special Sunday Service just for them. The notion of a “special service” just for people who are invited to church seems noble on the surface but is it noble or is it ignoble?
The problem with such a notion is that it is designed to bolster attendance at Sunday services to support brick and mortar institutions rather than applying the last command that Jesus gave the church. That command was not a call to a “Come Ye” gospel but the command to spread “Go Ye’” gospel. There is one main problem with the idea of “inviting” someone to church and that is it is not obeying the last command that Jesus gave which was to share the gospel where ever the believer goes. Institutional religion has instilled in it’s members the idea that you have to bring someone to church so they can hear the gospel. “Butts in chairs” as one popular pastor in Atlanta Georgia puts it. Continue reading
Religious Freedom?
I have been a Christian for more than fifty years. I grew up in the house hold of a preacher and when I was nine years old I transferred my trust to Jesus at Emmanuel Baptist church in Lake Charles Louisiana (on or near Resurrection Sunday). I was baptized (immersed) a week later. Since then I have not always walked with the Lord but I have always known that He had called me to walk with Him and follow Him. I began to study God’s Word in earnest when I was in my thirties and since that time I have come to understand just how far America has departed from God’s Word.
Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a ruling by a lower court striking down the States right to define the nature of marriage as being between one man and one woman. States voted on these laws to protect themselves from the tyranny of a federal government that has begun to cater to and promote atheistic beliefs that are contrary to the teaching of God’s Word. The people of these states wanted to take action to protect themselves from the very things that are now resulting because of the Supreme Court ruling. People are now finding that their belief in God and their trust in God’s Word is beginning to result in persecution by the very “state” that is supposed to protect their religious freedom and the practice thereof.
Lessons from the story of Samson
Samson – Lessons from the story of Samson Judges 14-16
BACKGROUND ON SAMSON:
Judges 13:5 There was a man named Monoah and he had a wife name Zorah. Zorah was sterile and childless. The angel of the Lord visited her and told her she was going to conceive and have a son. God gave her instructions concerning the son she would have. He told her that he is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
The name “Samson” means “of the sun”. He was the last of the major judges over Israel. The Philistines were ruling over Israel at the time of Samson’s birth. Samson was dedicated by his parents to be a lifelong Nazarite. A Nazarite was a person who was especially devoted to God. The Hebrew meaning of the word Nazarite means consecration, devotion, and separation. The Outward signs of a Nazarite was the growth of hair, abstinence from wine or other alcoholic products, the avoidance of contact with anything dead. Violation of these signs resulted in defilement and the need for purification so the vow could be completed. So often in this story we think that Samson’s long hair was where his strength came from. I think even Samson thought that was where his strength came from . However his strength did not come from his long hair, rather it came from the “Spirit of the Lord” who would take control of him to enable him to perform amazing feats of physical strength (Judges 14:6,19; 15:14; 16:28-29) Although Samson was a Nazarite he did not live a devoted or separated life. He was careless with his vow to God. He secretly disobeyed the prohibition of approaching a dead body (14:8-9) and had immoral relations with a Gaza harlot (16:1) and with Delilah (16:4-20)
