A Preacher’s Perspective on the President

A Preacher’s Perspective on the President By Weylan Deaver

(Used by permission from biblicalnotes.com).

What Is In Your Survival Kit?

When college students face the time for finals each semester, they spend their days and nights studying, cramming, and preparing for the mega tests that come at the end.  We recently received a notice from the Student Alumni Association that they were preparing “survival kits” for students during finals week.  Everything from chocolate to gum, Raman noodles to popcorn and crackers to Granola bars was listed in the contents.  Salty, sweet, sugar high with a touch of healthy snacks were given to assist the student with their stressful week.

As a Christian, we should realize that we have a survival kit for our everyday living.

Prayer.  As Christians, we should begin with talking to our Father in heaven about our situation, whether it is a problem, need, trial, affliction, or temptation.  After wrapping up the list of armor that Children of God have at their disposal, Paul said “ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

God’s Word.  The “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” must be in our heart and soul and is another essential tool in our survival kit.  Jesus taught us to rely on the Word when we face temptation (Matthew 4) and we also learn that it is a “lamp” to our feet and a “light” to our path (Psalm 119:1-5).

Family in Christ.  Another piece in our survival kit is the relationship we enjoy with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  As family, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Surviving through our everyday walk in this world is made possible by the encouragement, help, support, and prayers from our family in Christ.

Assistance from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  We should be comforted to know that in our survival kit as Christians, Jesus is totally on our side.  “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).  The Holy Spirit assists us as Christians:  ”Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

There are other helps in our survival kit but the ones listed above are readily available and essential.   We are blessed to have a powerful survival kit provided for us by our loving Father in heaven.  Let us not neglect to use the great privileges that only belong to the saints of God!

SM

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

Why I Am A Christian

When someone asks you, “Why are you a Christian? What do you say? Do you have answers to give? Are they Biblical reasons? Peter wrote, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15). We should, as Christians, be ready to give an answer (a reasoned defense) to any and every one who asks, “Why are you a Christian?”

I am a Christian because:

I. I Believe in God. I believe that God exists (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1). A fool believes there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Even when men attempt to reject the knowledge of God, the evidence remains and is clear (Romans 1:10-20). The evidence from the Bible and nature prove beyond doubt, that God is the creator of man and the universe.

II. I Believe the Bible is the Word of God. The scriptures are God breathed (II Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is made up of sixty-six books, written by about 40 writers, over a period of 1,600 years. The Bible is man’s divine guide (Psalm 119:105); and has been once for all delivered (Jude 3-4).

III. I Believe that Jesus is the Christ. When Jesus was born, the angels announced to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). At His crucifixion, the Roman centurion declared, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). If Jesus is the Christ, (and He is), then I must reach the conclusion the apostles reached: “thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

IV. I Want to go to Heaven. Heaven can only be attained by being obedient to the will and ways of Christ (Matthew 7:21). I don’t want to go to hell. Heaven is where I want to spend eternity. Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations” (Hebrews 11:10-16). Paul is a false teacher if heaven does not exist (II Corinthians 12:1-2). The world passes away, but he that is obedient to God’s word endures forever (I John 2:15-17).

V. I Look Forward to a Reunion with Loved Ones. God’s Word gives us evidence of recognition in the heavenly realm. The rich man recognized Lazarus and Abraham (Luke 16:19-31). Paul had the expectation of being united with his converts in the afterlife (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; 2 Corinthians 4:14). “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11-12). After the death of his son, David said, “But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:23). What a reunion it will be in the presence of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and those in Christ who we are temporarily separated from.

The Red Menace

“We Are All Socialists Now,” proclaimed the cover of Newsweek for February 16. In the featured article, the authors described how American political culture has changed to embrace a more “European” approach of governmental control of the economy. As a citizen and a Christian, I find this notion troubling.

Big Brother

As a lover of freedom, I oppose socialism for the reasons outlined by Friedrich Hayek in his 1944 classic The Road to Serfdom. Providing a defense of capitalism, Hayek demonstrated that all forms of collectivism create tyranny. Within a centrally planned economic system, a small group uses the coercive power of government to impose their vision on the whole of society. Central planning of the economy is the destruction of all individual economic and personal freedom. As the government increases its control of our lives through taxation and regulation, it transforms us from free men and women into slaves.

Socialism is also unattractive for practical reasons. Looking to the bottom line, the record of the 20^th century should be evidence enough that socialism is not effective in producing prosperity. Repeatedly, as governments move toward socialism, productivity plummets whereas free-market reforms uniformly produce economic growth.

Political Atheism

More important than economic success and even more important than civil liberty, I am opposed to socialism because it is an enemy of Christian faith. Not all atheists are socialist, and not all socialists are atheist. There is, however, a strong correlation between atheism and socialism. Abandoning the God of the Bible, atheists are prone to make a god out of the state.

The animosity between socialism and religion runs deep. From its origin in the 19^th century, socialism has often positioned itself as an opponent of Christian values. The more thoroughly socialist a nation becomes, the more it is prone to persecute religious conviction.

Christianity teaches that human nature is not perfectible. This understanding argues strongly for limited government because all people are prone to sin and may abuse power if given the chance.

The Bible consistently champions the right to own and to enjoy private property. In the book of Philemon, Paul showed the freedom we have in Christ has a social dimension as well. Christianity has been the greatest source of liberty throughout the world.

Although the Lord’s church is not called to be involved in political activism, Christians must let their faith inform our politics. We must consistently stand for the truth that God has revealed, and we must stand opposed to any political system that undercuts the message of the Bible.

Gregory Alan Tidwell – Gospel Advocate, May, 2009. P. 5.

30 Ways to Honor God This Summer

1. Sit outside in the cool of the morning and meditate and pray.

2. Give $20, $50 or $100 anonymously to someone in your congregation who is struggling financially.

3. Read through the book of Psalms aloud with the entire family.

4. If it has been a while since you had a child in your house and you are missing the stomp, stomp, crash of little feet … borrow some kids for a day from their harried parents. Take them outside and show them how to have fun unplugged from electronic devices.

5. Write a letter of encouragement to a missionary or a member serving in the military overseas.

6. Mow the grass for a widow or elderly person.

7. Buy a DVD and, after watching it, send it to a missionary family with your “review” of the movie.

8. Ask each of your children to invite a friend from a less fortunate family to go with you on vacation.

9. Stay home, save gas and skip eating out one night, and donate the money to a soup kitchen or another
ministry that helps the homeless.

10. Put together a family prayer list.

11. Send a thank-you card and a gift certificate to that older member who greets you with a warm smile and handshake each Sunday.

12. Make it a point to think about others. Overcome your self-focus.

13. Vacation close to home so that you will have money with which to be generous.

14. Don’t just take a good book to the beach — take the Good Book.

15. Visit someone who shaped your life spiritually and thank them.

16. Bake cookies for Vacation Bible School.

17. Make a list of 10 ways God has blessed your life this year. Pick two or three and make them a blessing in somebody else’s life.

18. Stop what you are doing in the afternoon and just think about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

19. Pay the toll or the lunch bill for the car behind you in line.

20. Give your preacher an unexpected Sunday off and pay for him and his family to enjoy a special weekend doing something fun.

21. Read that book with a spiritual message that a friend recommended.

22. Plan a service project for your community and get teenagers involved in it.

23. Write or call a favorite childhood teacher to let that person know how your life turned out and how much you owe him or her.

24. Go on a mission trip instead of a vacation.

25. Make a list of New Year’s resolutions that you didn’t have time for in December. Complete them over the next six months.

26. Pretend one day this summer is Thanksgiving and volunteer at the homeless shelter downtown.

27. Pick up the phone and call a couple of people just to tell them you are thinking of them.

28. Go to a Little League baseball game and buy the losing team something from the snack bar.

29. Treat each day as a special gift from God and thank him for your many blessings.

30. Make a list like this of your own, only better.

(Borrowed from the Christian Chronicle editorial council, June 19, 2008)

Evolutionary Philosophy

Click here for audio of the sermon on Evolutionary Philosophy (5-3-2009) by Brett Pharr.

Introduction
1. Psalm 19:1-3
2. Two ideologies that shape our societies thinking
3. Results in Social and Political debates
4. Nothing new – Romans 1:18-23
5. The current champion of Humanism is Evolution

I. The Foundations of Evolution
A. Whether admitted or not, the foundation of Evolution is the ideological philosophy of Epicurus in the 4th Century BC
B. The Roman poet Lucretius, around 100 BC, expanded on Epicurus’ teachings and took it further by giving more detailed explanation
C. Sir Isaac Newton – the eternal atom – became the first cause
D. Textual Criticism – In a time when Christianity was politically strong, the ability to directly attack belief was difficulty, thus was born the science of textual criticism to begin to whittle away at Christian thought.
E. Charles Darwin – rooted his biological explanation in the physical world that Newton described
F. Later Science – the complexity of life AND – atoms are not eternal, rendered Newton’s foundation as wrong…no viable origin of life explanation – aliens, crystals, Big Bang—where is the first cause?
G. Notice that evolution is a hypothesis that has no beginning and end. It cannot explain the origin of life and it cannot demonstrate through observation and repeatability the sustainment of cross-species migration. Its primary root is a philosophy to destroy ongoing and afterlife accountability to God.

II. Three fundamental fallacies of Evolution as a system and its incompatibility with direct Bible principles.
A. Cross Species Migration Genesis 1:21,24,25 – after its kind;
B. Uniformity of Natural Law vs., episodic interruption 2 Pet. 3: 3-7
C. Evolution, through natural selection infers that the world, nature including mankind, is improving

III. The Social, Moral and Theological Implications of Evolution
A. Survival of the fittest is the theme of natural selection – therefore might makes right, the law of the jungle. Contrast that with the Golden Rule
B. Sanctity of Life
1. The full title of Darwin’s book “Origin of the Species by means of Natural selection and the preservation of favored races in the struggle of life”.
2. No species really, and therefore nothing that is inherently human. The superior humans are the real humans – Hitler and the Holocaust – Abortion, Euthanasia, Genocide
C. Sexuality morality – Romans 1:26-27
D. And religion itself Evolved Jude 3

IV. Theistic Evolution – Some have tried to reconcile evolution with the Bible
A. The problems with that should be obvious – reconciling two polar estimates
B. All attempts involve reconciling the Bible to science, not the other way around

Conclusion
1. John 8:32
2. 6 literal days – foundation has been proven wrong, and a thesis can not be demonstrated
3. It is no hope but “wishful” thinking by those that think the opposite of “direct his steps”
4. Swagger, Anger at foolishness, and Accountability

Apply, Apply, Apply!

Application Is Necessary For Our Lives

Step 1: Pray for insight on how to apply the passage.

Step 2: Meditate on the verse (s) you have chosen to study.

Step 3: Write out an application.

Step 4: Memorize a key verse from your study.

S-P-A-C-E-P-E-T-S – Acrostic.

Is there any…

Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restitution?

Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the condition (s)?

Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?

Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel?

Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?

Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?

Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to or beware of?

Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or other biblical teachings?

Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?

(Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods)

The Indwelling Spirit

Click here for article.

Moses Lard on Restoration

“…The final end to which the restoration should look is a complete return to primitive Christianity, in doctrine, in practice and in spirit. All of which is concisely expressed in the following decision: To believe precisely what the scriptures teach, to practice only what they enjoin and to reject everything else” (Moses E. Lard, Lard’s Quarterly, Vol. 1, p. 11).