12/31/13

Share

Reaching Alaska For Jesus: Bible-believing: Minus the Bible

More

Next Blog

Create Blog

Sign In

Reaching Alaska For Jesus

"When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." (COL, p. 69)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Subscribe via email Enter email to be notified of new posts

Bible-believing: Minus the Bible

It is with great sadness that I realize many who are in church are believing and teaching the lies of the devil. If it was confined to believing, it would be sad enough, but to be teaching others these things is very tragic. We have come to a time when we need to stand firmly for the truth of the Bible. What seems unusual about the situation is that now people are claiming to believe the Bible while teaching things clearly contrary to the Bible, even to the most casual observer. Verity and I have been watching an online controversy over a Christian school teaching evolution. One church member defending this practice eventually admitted many other things he also no longer believes from the Bible (while still claiming to be a Bible-believing Christian). This post is a response to some of his "no-longer-beliefs", not to prove him wrong (though I believe he is) but to demonstrate that his "not-beliefs" are incompatible with clear statements of Scripture. I no longer believe that God created the earth less than 10,000 years ago to look like it is billions of years old. Why would he lie? In response to this and other Evolution-related beliefs, I have written another post introducing My Theory of Creation. Even though a scientist doesnt acknowledge God, I no longer believe it is possible for him to be outside of a relationship with God. How can devoting your life to understanding how God works be anything other than worship? Romans 1:22,25 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ... Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator..." I no longer believe I would have made a different choice than Eve. I agree with Eve, I would rather know, than to not know, and I would rather know the difference between good and evil than to be nave. ... If knowledge of God is the greatest good, then Eve made the right choice.
alaska4jesus.blogspot.com/2009/09/bible-believing-minus-bible.html

Sign Up
Powered by BLOG ALERT

Favorite Links Greatland Gablog (Family news) God's Book Says... (Bible meditations) Audioverse - great sermons here Blog Archive 2011 (9) 2010 (4) 2009 (9) October (1) September (2) My Theory of Creation Bible-believing: Minus the Bible August (1) May (1) March (2) February (1) January (1) 2008 (22) 2007 (14) Prayer requests That we be spared from pride (even if it takes humbling circumstances). That we know how best to express God's love to those around us. That we stay focused on our mission (sharing the love of God and inviting others to spend eternity with Him).
1/3

12/31/13

Reaching Alaska For Jesus: Bible-believing: Minus the Bible

About Alaska4Jesus

Genesis 3:5 records the devil's assertion that "God k nows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, k nowing good and evil." Is it safe to follow the logic of the devil? I think not. I no longer believe that sin separates man from God. ... I think it is fear that separates. I no longer think that either my sin, or my death bothers God much. ... He isnt sorrowful. He is joyful. In contrast Isiaiah 59:1-3 says, " Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spok en lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness." I no longer feel it is important for me to struggle against sin and my bad habits. This one is tricky because it is true that we cannot overcome sin in our own strength. But Jesus came into the world to free us from both the guilt and the power of sin. I John 2:4 warns us that "He that saith, I k now him, and k eepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." I appreciate the promise of Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" and Malachi 3:3, "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Read Malachi 2:17-3:6 for the context). God wants us to overcome sin and He promises to do it through His power. So yes, stop struggling in your own strength, but as Hebrews 12:4 says, "You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." So we do need to resist sin through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives. I no longer believe that preaching the gospel or saving souls is the most important thing for me, or the church to do. But Jesus last words to His disciples (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) included that commission. It is perhaps even more important for your salvation than it is for the salvation of those you reach. If you don't do it, God will find another, but you yourself may be lost if you refuse God's call on your life. (Esther 4:14) Ezekiel 33:6 warns, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and tak e any person from among them, he is tak en away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." I no longer believe that God has a plan for your life or mine. But God says, "For I k now the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) I dont think you can expect God to intervene to prevent your death. This misunderstands the purpose of life and death here on earth. God desires our life but is constrained by the accusations of the devil to leave us with only a time of probation here and now, prior to Heaven and the New Earth. I'd rather take the attitude of the three friends of Daniel prior to their trial by fire, which was basically, "God is able to save us, but even if He does not,
alaska4jesus.blogspot.com/2009/09/bible-believing-minus-bible.html

We hope to have this site be a central location where people can read stories about how God is working in the lives of people in Alaska. This should be a site about people, not programs. It should be about outreach, not "inreach" (as much as that is needed). In addition, we want to kick off an ongoing brainstorming session about how we can more effectively present the gospel in Alaska (especially in rural Alaska, with all the challenges that entails). We would also like to include short bio's of people who are working in various parts of Alaska to reach others for Jesus. To suggest a story we should post on this blog, please drop us a line. Downs Family

Downs Family About Us Verity Warren is a web programmer/lay pastor. His greatest passions are Jesus,technology, and the great outdoors. Verity is a homeschooling mom who is training with Jesus to manage her time successfully for her aspiring writer dreams and (nature) photography and scrapbooking hobbies plus kids' ministry. We have three wonderful girls, Sara Elisabeth, Abigail Rose, and Miriam Joy who may join the blog from time to time as seems best. Since January 2006, we have enjoyed living in the arctic village of Selawik, Alaska, getting to know the Inupiaq people and introducing them to our friend Jesus as opportunities arise. View my complete profile

2/3

12/31/13

Reaching Alaska For Jesus: Bible-believing: Minus the Bible

we will not worship your gods" (Daniel 3:17-18). God did honor their commitment to to Him with intervention to prevent their death. I know God has intervened personally in my life to prevent my death. No, I don't expect eternal life in the here and now, but I do trust that God has my life in His hands and I do not fear death because I know it can only happen when He sees the time is right. And I have hope for eternal life at His coming. I dont k now if there is heaven or hell after death, but I k now there is heaven and hell here and now. Dont miss the heaven here, while hoping for the one in the future. I would rather miss the heaven here in order to prepare for the one in the future. Jesus promised blessing on those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:11-12), and Paul tells us that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. " (2 Timothy 3:12) It is true that Jesus gives us peace in the here and now, regardless of our external circumstances. But this peace is not the peace the world gives (John 14:27). I think of the many Christians who have been at peace while in the midst of persecution, prison, and threat of death. But I fear that if you are enjoying heaven in the here and now, it may be because "You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton [wasteful]; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. " (James 5:5) Many of us have been living in comfort while others in the world are starving, suffering from disease, etc. and we have done little or nothing to help them. How much better if we had chosen to live in simplicity, sharing our surplus with those in need, both in our local communities and in the world at large. We cannot claim ignorance of world needs, when modern media has made us very aware of them. But I fear we have become callous to the pain of the world. Jesus wants our hearts to hurt with the suffering of those in pain, so we can be in sympathy with Him and care for them as He does. I pray that everyone who reads this, myself included, will resolve to believe the Word of God as it stands, and by the grace of God, choose to live by every Word of God, as Jesus did and calls us to do.
Posted by Verity at 1:32 PM

No comments:
Post a Comment

Links to this post

Create a Link

Newer Post

Home

Older Post

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

alaska4jesus.blogspot.com/2009/09/bible-believing-minus-bible.html

3/3