They Know Not What They Do

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Romans 1:18-32

Photo: From My Utmost For His Highest

I thoroughly enjoy reading through Romans. It starts with the fact that we are sinners and why we are sinners. Then it goes into how our sins result in death and ultimately Hell. But the good news comes when it shows how Christ came and died for us and is now our way into Heaven and it tells us how to be saved. After that, it shows who we are as Christians (our new identity) and how we grow as Christians. When someone accepts Christ and is new to Christianity or is not well educated, I recommend starting with Romans because it is, in poor man's terms, a summation of Christianity. I love reading through this book and as I read each book, I seem to always come back and read through this book.

One of the last times I read through Romans, the above passage really stood out to me. Not that I hadn't understood it before. I've even used this passage prior in speaking with people about these issues, but it wasn't until recently that I was led to really study it, and it's amazing how well it sums up our world today. I know it's a long passage, especially to use in a blog, but it is by no means dry and it all comes together to bring a powerful message. I want to, as short as I can, break this passage down and really evaluate it with you.

The chapter starts with Paul's introduction. He tells the Romans that he is not ashamed of Christ and how the Christians are separate from the Gentiles (unbelievers), then goes right into this passage. This first chapter starts off with how man is a sinful race. Verses 18-20 talk about how God has revealed himself both through creation and by placing awareness of himself in the human heart.

Nowadays, this is evidently disregarded. With the school systems and science trying to use evidence, that is not there, to back evolution to avoid admitting that there is an ultimate creator of the universe. But these verses show us that God has shown himself to us through the "invisible things" that scientists try to explain without a supernatural creator. They try to deny that there is a God, yet every nation, village, and group of people have the knowledge of God ingrained into them. Even the most remote village has some form of a god with the desire to worship.

We see this also in verse 21 where it says the people knew God but didn't acknowledge him. I am led to believe that the anti-God agenda today is nothing new and that they had a similar issue when this was written. More amazingly, we go into verses 22 and 23 where man proclaimed himself to be wise without God's wisdom and changed God's creation and revelation into something of their own interpretation. Man took God's creation and began to worship it. Is this not happening today? No, we don't bow to carved out idols (at least mostly, in America), but do we worship "science" as being the last say and ultimate decision of what is truth? We have taken the natural laws and amazing phenomena that God created and designed and "worship" it as the ultimate creator through evolution and Mother Earth. They have to go as far as to say we were created from the creation, but deny that the creation was created. This is the definition of the perversion of Gods image. 

Verses 22 and 23 dive into what I really took from this passage. After we saw that the people rejected God, started worshipping the creation rather than the Creator, and refused to acknowledge him, God let them live as they wanted. When God allows a person to live as he wants, that's a very dangerous place to be. God essentially says "you want it your way, have it your way". But when that happens, God removes his protection and perverts their minds. We are shown that God gave them over to unclean minds. It doesn't say that he gave them unclean minds but that he let them take their minds where they wanted to and in this case, to do with their bodies that God did not intend.

I love how in the middle of those verses, explaining that God gave them over to uncleanness, he magnifies God by recognizing him as creator. But he does this right before going into the heavy stuff. When he starts out the next verse, he says that because the people turned from God and wanted things their way, God let their minds draw to the most vile things, and in this verse, we see is referring to homosexuality. When people say that they are gay, it is one of 2 things: either they turned from God and God gave them over to it as we see here. Or two, his family or himself has a curse of "vile affections" that he is born with (but that will be covered in another post).

In addition to turning them over to their own affections, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Reprobate comes from the Greek word adokimos which literally translates into unapproved, rejected, or worthless. Christians have the holy spirit guiding us and guiding our minds and even non-Christians have a sense of right and wrong. But when God gives them over to a reprobate mind, they no longer have a sense of right or wrong, what is morally right or perverted. We know this because it says that they were given to reprobate mind to do those things which were not convenient. It follows by saying they are filled with all unrighteousness and lists the sins and type of people that are the fruit of that curse.

This passage, and chapter, ends with saying that people have the knowledge of God ingrained in them and even having the knowledge of God, chose to follow this path, they are condemned to death. They are condemned to death by two reasons. One, because we are told in Romans 6:23 that "The wages of sin is death". But in this case, there is something else. Each of us is born with sin, but also a conviction and opportunity to accept Christ. However, when someone is given over to their own ways as described in this passage they can no longer see right from wrong, they can no longer understand that they require a savior, and ultimately won't understand that they need to accept Christ which we know, results in eternity in Hell.

But it gets even worse. When you have someone who is deep into their sin, turns from God, and their mind turned over to them, they take pleasure in their vile ways. They no longer care if they hurt people, they don't see anything wrong with homosexuality or abortion. Unwed sex is just something you do.

I am convinced that the problems we have in our world today are not new. As Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun". Our country started as a godly nation and has degraded. I think that is why so many people think that our country is the worst off spiritually and believe Christ will come soon. I don't doubt that Christ's return is imminent, but just because our country has now fallen to sin, doesn't mean we are the only nation, nor that other nations have been in sin much longer than us.

So why are we to be surprised that our country is where it is? Why should we be surprised when people live blatantly in sin without any recollection? It is heartbreaking, but we should not be shocked when people follow a path that leads to a destination that Paul already described. When you encounter someone that has no problem with sin, remember this passage. There's a chance that no matter what you say to them, they will never be able to understand the truth. Take heart, though! I do not want to discourage you from spreading God's word and witnessing to people. But I also don't want you to become frustrated when you pour your heart out to someone and try your hardest to show them they need Christ and they don't see it. It is unsettling, but God reveals this to us and give encouragement to those who follow him.

The Pharasees of Today

Photo: Scene from movie The Passion of the Christ

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Matthew 23:1-8


Throughout the gospels, Jesus spoke several times about the Pharisees and quite frankly, didn't have much good to say about them. As we read through and see the descriptions of the Pharisees, we picture someone of high status that is corrupt, as we would see on the movie The Passion of the Christ. When we hear of people so hypocritical as the Pharisees, we tend to look down on them. We see them as a villain of a movie or time period that could never exist in our world today. Even non-believers condemn hypocrites.


But I want to think about something that brings the teachings about the Pharisees to practical light. Jesus primarily taught people to not be like the Pharisees, not because they were wicked people by the world's standards, but because they lost sight of what God's word is and what it means to have a relationship with God. Yes, they knew the Bible quite well, even prided themselves on having the Bible practically memorized, but they were lacking something.


As we see in the above passage, they knew the Bible, they knew what God commanded, but did not act. These were the leaders who taught the people as we see they sat in Moses' seat as the religious leaders of that time. They would be like today's pastors and were highly regarded by the people, I imagine. But as we see, they did not follow God's law, they took the offerings for themselves, they indulged on their own pleasures without regard to God's word, even though they knew it well, and even paid to have Christ crucified.


Do we not have this problem today? I think what we need to take from this is that the religious leaders aren't the only people who can become the "Pharisees" of today. What the Pharisees were guilty of is the same thing that all too many people are guilty of. How many people study the Bible, memorize verses, read Christian books, read through the entire Bible, attend church faithfully, tithe every week, and know the right verse for each issue? But how many people really act on it?


I know this because I have found that I have been guilty of this. I faithfully read my Bible, memorize scripture, and study the Bible deeply, and see what God wants each of us to do, yet seem to keep it to myself. God calls each of us to spread His word and to live in a way that honors Him. And I believe that the more we know, the more responsibility we have. God calls us to grow and mature as Christians, but that cannot happen without us being willing to live out His word and be the light in this world. He wants us to live a life that reflects Him and grow our relationship with Him. And I'm sure most of us realize this and have even known these truths from a young age, but how many of us act on it? I know some denominations don't even encourage to live out a righteous life and separate ourselves from the world. Some denominations allow a sinful life, as long as you continue to learn the Bible and confess every so often. But my question is how can someone study God's word and see that it is OK to live out a sinful life and still expect rewards from God?


We need to strive to be less like the Pharisees and more like the disciples who lived for Christ and, for some, even died in His name. We have two examples in the Gospels: one of a hypocrite and one of a faithful, dedicated follower of Christ. I encourage each Christian to strive to be more like the disciples and more importantly, like Christ so that in the end, you may hear "well done, good and faithful servant".

Why Churches Should Continue to Have Services Christmas Day

To be quite honest, I'm not much a celebrator of holidays and this includes Christmas. So naturally, I wouldn't really post much about holidays, but I feel that this year, it would be warranted as Christmas Day lands on a Sunday. I have seen some churches debate over whether or not to have services on that Sunday and have heard people talking about how they think church should be cancelled to celebrate Christmas. But I want to encourage churches to continue with their services and this is why:


1. The Origin of Christmas
This may be abrasive to some people (a lot actually), but the idea of Christmas is a Catholic holiday and doesn't have a Christian origin. It is widely believed amoung many theologians that Jesus was really born sometime in either late fall or early spring. That is up to debate as to which one but truth is, we don't know what day he was born on. But the point is, Jesus was not born on December 25th. So why do we celebrate it on this date? It goes back to ancient Rome. The Romans had a holiday called Saturnalia. The purpose of this holiday was to have a week of lawlessness. All courts and law enforcement closed down and people were allowed to do what they wanted with no punishment by law. On the 25th (the last day of the holiday), the Romans would arrest the person who, during that week, was selected as lawgiver that was against the Roman government. After arresting this person, they would execute him.


During the week of this holiday, there would be rituals involving sex, drug use, drinking, human sacrifice, rape, dancing naked, everything you would picture in a pagan ritual. When Christianity started to take over in Rome, those who participated in Saturnalia wouldn't convert unless they could keep a part of their previous belief. This happened a lot throughout history (including the Vikings and the Irish) when the Catholic missionaries would try to convert pagans. The pagans would convert, but the Catholics would allow them to keep a part of their pagan beliefs and tie it into the Christian beliefs. In this case, they kept Saturnalia. As time passed, eventually Christianity adopted the date of the holiday and made it Christmas. So why would we cancel church, a time to worship Christ, over a holiday with a pagan origin?


2. Faith Based on the Bible
One point I want to bring up shortly is that our Christian faith is based on the forgiveness of our LORD and on the Bible. We do not base our faith around holidays and do not compromise with the worldly idea of holidays. To cancel a church service is telling God that our pleasure of having the "day off" and having the day to ourselves and our families is more important than fellowshipping with fellow Christians and preaching his word. We should not sacrifice this opportunity to open the doors of the church. I have a strong conviction about this. I also believe that it is each individual's choice on whether he/she will attend the church service on Christmas and that is a personal choice. But I also believe that those who are committed and want to attend the service should be allowed to be continuing with a service. That may be the only time some people will ever step foot in a church.


3. Being an Example
I feel this point coincides with my last point. We are commanded to be separate and set apart from this world and to be a godly example in Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:1, and Galatians 2:20. When we take advice from unsaved on spiritual matters or follow their lead, it is saying that as Christians, we are no different. When we continue to open our churches on Christmas day when everyone else is staying home, it says that we are different, it says that we are dedicated, and moreover, it says that we have an awesome God that is worth skipping Christmas morning tradition to serve God and show him that we love him.


As I conclude, I do want to express that I am not against Christmas. Even though I'm not much of a celebrator doesn't mean that I'm 100% against it. Within the Christian circle, we have used this date to look upon our LORD and remember His coming and sacrifice for us and His love for us. It's a day that can redirect our attention to our saviour. But we do need to remember that it is still just a holiday and is not the basis for our faith and is certainly not the source of our salvation or happiness. I encourage each church to keep your doors open on Christmas day. I encourage you to not follow the rest of the world. Finally, I encourage you to show God that you love him by placing him above a national holiday.

What Are the Ten Commandments

I think that there are many things in the Bible that, nowadays, are questioned and the validity is overlooked. This is more so with the Old Testament than the New Testament. I hear people say "That is the 'old', this is the 'new'." I will not go so much into the validity of the Old Testament right now but I want to talk about something that is often questioned.

Most people are aware and know of the Ten Commandments. It is a staple for many societies and honor systems. I have found that peoples' beliefs in the Ten Commandments are one of two directions. Some people use it as a good guideline and something to live by to make society function better. Some people hold religiously to it, while others think it's "a good idea" and praise those who follow them, but don't follow them themselves. Then there are those who believe that the Ten Commandments are obsolete, no longer needed, and even offensive. So the question arises, "how important are the Ten Commandments and are they still valid?"

I want to answer this question in a couple different ways. I think before we look at and examine each commandment, we need to look at the reason and purpose for them. The Ten Commandments are not the only commandments that are given to us, but are rather the foundational commandments. It's sad how some people will try to religiously follow the Ten Commandments, but disregard any other command in the Bible. These were commandments given to govern the people as a godly nation, but God's commandments do not end there.

The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus chapter 20 and are separated into 2 parts: the first 5 are spiritual commandments on serving and loving God, and the last 5 refer as to how we should treat others. But all of them are a reflection of our love for God. The Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites through Moses after they were freed from bondage in Egypt. And even though they were given to specifically Israel, it applies to everyone and are still valid today.

Hebrews 13:8 says, " Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." And Malachi 3:6, Jesus says, " For I am the Lord, I change not..." We know that God was the same in eternity past before the world was created, as he is now and will always be. What we are told in the New Testament, or even nowadays, is nothing new. Everything we learn in the Bible has always existed before time. Therefore, we cannot say that the Ten Commandments are no longer valid. Remember as we go through these commandments, that they have always existed and are a reflection of who God is, revealed to the Israelites at the proper time and are continuous standards.

1. "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This is one of the most important of the Ten Commandments! If the first five commandments (particularly this one) are not followed, the rest definitely will not be followed. This is the foundational command for our love for Christ. A god is defined as anything that we worship more than the true God. When we read this, we think of when this was written and think of idols made of gold that the people bowed downto. But today, this can mean your job, your family, or anything else that we put ahead of God. We oftentimes think that our country does not have issue with idols that we bow or pray to, but it's amazing how some "Christian" denominations cling to their "idols" to use in worship.

2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." This is quite similar to the first commandment, but is more specific. We are told in this verse to not uphold anything higher than God and to not make anything our god. Back in that time, people were more inclined to worship man-made idols or "gods". We, in America, don't have that so much, but we do have things that we oftentimes will put ahead of God. We make money that is quite often placed over God. Friends are close second. We can easily let our friends influence to do things that we shouldn't (or not do things we should) that God clearly says not to. Peer pressure is a strong influencer in our lives. 

We are told in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." This is speaking specifically about money, but is applicable to any possessions or other things that we make our god. If we decide to please our friends rather than speak up for what is right, we are serving them rather than God. This is what the second commandment is speaking about.


3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." I believe that this is one of the most broken commandments. How often do we hear this taking place? "Oh my God", "GD", "Jesus Christ!". This is what taking God's name in vain is, using it in an unholy matter. In Isaiah 57:15, we see " For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy...". We often disregard what it means for God's name to be holy. God, and his name, are the most powerful, most reverenced in the whole universe and time. For us to take something as God's name and place a negative connotation to it, is called blaspheme. We are told that anyone who uses God's name in this manner will not be found guiltless.

4. "Remember the Sabbathh day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." I think that this command is not taken as it should be. Most people enjoy having a weekend off to relax and not do anything, but don't realise how deep it is. When God created the earth, he did so in six days then had a seventh day for rest. But let me ask, did God really need a break from the "hard work" of creating the universe? No, I don't believe so.

In Genesis, in regard to the seventh day (the Sabbath), we are told "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." God made this day holy, not because he needed rest, but to glory in his creation and enjoy it. God created the sabbath as a day just for us to look at God's glory. It is the day devoted to nothing but praising God and focusing on him, enjoying his glory and magnificence. When we disregard this, we are taking away from God what he deserves. He wants us to recognise his sovereignty and omnipotence through recognising the sabbath. That is why it is so important.

5. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Amoung youth, this is probably the most disregarded commandment, but oh how important it is! I would classify this also under one of the spiritual commands because the following it is a direct recognition of God's authority and the authority he placesover us. There are multiple verses on just honouring our parents (Prov 1:8, Col 3:20, Eph 6:1-2). Most things we do here on earth are a representation of a Christian's relationship with God. God is our spiritual father and honouring him shows a reverence and submission to him. Our Relationship with our earthly parents is a reflection of our relationship with God. Our parents were placed as authority over us and when someone disregards this and dishonours his parents, he is actually dishonouring God. God is serious about it when he says in Exodus 21:17 "he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death."

6. "Thou shalt not kill." These next few commandments I will expound on because there is more to them than just what they say. We can all agree that murder is a sin. It seems like something that actually physically harms another person (murder, rape, etc.), is considered a haneous crime. But it is more than just because it hurts society. God creates every life, as we see in Genesis. He crafts each one of us individually for a purpose. When we decide to take someones life, we are stealing from God, destroying his own creation that he intends to use. But murder goes beyond that. In Matthew 5, verses 21-22, we are told "Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, [idiot], shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Killing is more than the physical act. Anything we do outwardly is a reflection in our heart, it is a side effect. When we have hate, resentment or the desire to have someone harmed, it is the same as having actually committed the act. (This also applies to abortion, killing of an innocent baby. Jeremiah 1:5)

7. " Thou shalt not commit adultery." As with killing, adultery is also an act of the heart. Matthew 5:27-28 is clear when it says "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Not only does the Bible tell us that adultery is a heart issue, it give boundaries. Matthew 19:9, Hebrews 7:2,-3 Luke 16:18, and Matthew 5:32 are just a few examples that give boundaries. This is a very controversial issue because we live in such a sex-crazed world. But the Bible is clear on sex.

Sex is an act to seal a covenant. In the Bible, when a covenant was made, blood was shed to seal the covenant and make each party accountable. This is seen when Christ said "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Christ's blood sealed a covenant that if any call to Christ, they will not be turned away. The same is for sex. When two people are married and have sex, there is bloodshed with the first time which seals the covenant and makes the two people accountable to keep to their vows. When we commit adultery, we taking lightly what God takes seriously.

8. "Thou shalt not steal." This commandment can actually be a summary of many commandments. When we murder, we steal someone's life. When we commit adultery, we steal the purity of someone's wife/husband (if you are not married, that person will be someone's future spouse and adultery is stealing that intimacy from that couple). Stealing is an outward sign that we are not content with what God has given us. God provides us what we need if we are faithful and stealing is not only a sign that we don't trust God, but is a dishonour to those we are stealing from. If we steal, we are committing testimony suicide. If we try to, later on, witness to that person, our credibility and testimony are ruined. We are called to reflect who Christ is and doing this dishonour is not a reflection of Christ.

9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." This could also be called slander or gossip. False witness would be spreading rumours about someone that is not true. The only reason for doing this is out of spite for the other person, which is covered under murder, wishing emotional harm on someone. We are called, as Christians, to lift other up and speak positively of people. Not doing so is a disobedience of our Lord and disregard for his wishes. As it is with stealing, We ruin our testimony when we do this, probably even more so. That is also how you lose people's trust and respect. More can be said on this and will be covered in a future post.

10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." This commandment can relate back to not stealing, but this is more of the heart issue. To covet someone's property is to want it enough to be willing to steal it. This is a sign of discontentment with what God has given us. In most cases, people covet things because they are not happy and believe that it will make them happy. But happiness does not lie in possessions, or even social status or hobbies, but in having a relationship with God and being in his will. That is how "poor" people in other countries can be fully content because they know they are in God's will and that he will provide. There are countless verses that tell us that God will provide.

I like how this commandment is at the end because it is a whole summary. We covet things because we thing we deserve them. Too many people have an "entitled" mindset that they deserve things. But we are told that all we deserve is hell. We are all born sinners and we deserve hell; God does not owe us anything. But God provides us a way out of hell through his Son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

These are the foundational commandments for God's other commandments that he gives us. These are a start, but we must dig deeper into the Bible to find exactly what God asks of us, because the Ten Commandments are far from being all God asks.

Ultimately, these commandments are a result of a single commandment. When Jesus was asked what the the greatest commandment is, He replied "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Each commandment is a heart decision. If we love God, we will do as he asks. This is revealed in John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Sin is any form of not showing our love for God. That is why God considers stealing to be equally as sinful as murder and lying to be equal to rape. Sins are not placed on a scale. The ultimate sin is to not love God. If we break this one commandment, we are guilty of breaking all of them.

The second most important command is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." If we love others, we will not mistreat them. Half of the Ten Commandments refer to how we treat others. Again, if we don't love others, we will not follow these commandments. But if we don't love God as we should, we won't love others as we should; this command comes second. We are to "love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."

To Be Patriotic

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

A hot topic in our country, though dying, is the idea of patriotism. Though many don't understand what it really means, people claim to be patriotic with going to parades, flying the flag, celebrating Independence Day. In fact, being patriotic has become a controversial issue. The past 2 presidencies have drawn the patriotism from our country. With liberals trying to ban the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, controversy in the wars we are involved in, and people no longer caring about the direction our country is headed, we are in deep trouble.

This post may rub some people the wrong way, but I want to propose an idea that our country is no longer patriotic, that people no longer know what patriotism is, and that some "patriotic" things we have been doing should really be brought to an end. In fact, I may catch a lot of guff for this, but I feel that it needs sharing.

I want to first say that our country is no longer patriotic. Let me ask a question. What does it mean to be patriotic? Dictionary.com defines it as "devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty." Though this is accurate, what does it mean? What does patriotism look like? Is it simply flying an American flag and saying that you are in favor of our military? I believe that patriotism goes beyond this. It goes beyond the military, flags, bald eagles, and other cliches.

Patriotism in the 1770's looked a lot different that what we have today. George Washington, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Nathan Hale understood what it really meant. These men put their lives on the line for our country. We have many men who put their lives on the line today, but what's the difference? Most people don't realise that the signing of the Declaration of Independence was the riskiest thing those men ever did. By signing their name, they became wanted for treason to the crown of England. But what drove these people to such patriotism? What was their drive and motivation?

Our country was once great and was actually founded by people who wanted the liberty to worship God without being regulated by the government. Many textbooks nowadays won't tell you that, but it is the truth. And in the 1770's, when those men were willing to give up their lives for their country, it was because of the love of their God. They were defending the right to worship God the way he deserves to be worshipped. There is nothing wrong with the love of your country, but why do you love it and why are you patriotic? Is it simply because we live here or because of tradition? Or is it because we are willing to defend our freedom to worship God without persecution?

This is where we have to draw that fine line. The line between being "patriotic", and sticking to our moral standards. Being patriotic does not being enslaved to a country, but the willingness to defend our rights. And when the time comes to choose to remain "patriotic" or doing what's right, we must choose. Do we support gay marriage because we are told "it's the right thing to do" and that everyone needs "equal rights" (even though Christians don't have equal rights)? Do we turn our heads away from abortion and ignore it because "women have the right to do what they want to their bodies?" Do we vote for a certain candidate because the press states he is patriotic?

Patriotism may include petitioning against a bill that promotes sinful behaviour (i.e. abortion). It may include boycotting a certain business or organisation because they are starting a "progressive revolution" that is sinful. It may include writing to your congressman when a bill is being voted on to legalise a certain drug. Yes, it will be looked down on by most people, but what is true patriotism? If it is a love for a country, why would we just sit around and watch our country burn to the ground? Why would we watch others fall into sin? It cannot be denied that our country is in trouble and the reason is because of a lack of love for God. When we start to remove the name of Jesus from moral teachings, who says killing unborn babies is wrong, who says gay marriage is sinful? What's true for you may not be true for me, right? We can't offend anyone and must be tolerant, right? Do you see where this is going? The Bible tells us that a country that turns from God will surely fall. Look at the story of Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel rebelling. Every nation that turned from God, suffered for it and was judged heavily. Joshua 23:12-13 is clear when it says "Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you." God warns of judgment on the nation that turns from him. And we see that Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death." Even more severely, we are told in Amos 9:8, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth..."

Our country was founded on the basis of worshipping God and living for him. Now that our country has decided to turn from God, we are seeing the fruits of it. We are never out of a war, millions of unborn babies are slaughtered, people are wrongfully imprisoned while criminals walk free, suicide rates are astronomical, and the number abandoned children are even higher. And we are considered anti-patriotic if we speak against this?

True patriotism is doing what's right for our country and the right thing to do is instill godly leadership. This may be controversial, but many of the things we do that are "patriotic" are not really patriotic. One of the biggest signs of "patriotism" in our country is kids saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school. But let me ask something. Do those kindergarten kids really understand what the words of the pledge mean? We expect kids to pledge themselves to a country that is so deep in sin, judgment is inevitable. We are not longer "one nation, under God". Our country is so deep in sin and people wonder why our country is becoming a living disaster.

Indivisible? Far from it! Since the civil war, this is the most divided our country has been. Republican verses Democrat. Liberal verses conservative. We are at war with ourselves as a country and as Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided cannot stand".This is evident with how far our country has fallen. And is there really liberty for all? Every religion is "tolerated" except Christianity. Bibles and praying are no longer allowed in schools. What about justice for all? Hard working people have their money taken to be given to those who are too lazy to work. Rapists and pedophiles walk the street while a police officer is tried for defending himself. Our country is no longer what it once was and it's unpatriotic to speak up against what is happening in our country (again, losing that liberty).

True patriotism is standing up for what is really best for our country. We need revival in our country and it all starts with us. SO many people are caught up in voting for the "right president" this election season, but the reality is that the president cannot do anything to turn our country around. Yes, a godly president may keep sinful bills from being passed, but he cannot bring our country back to God. There is a separation of church and state for a reason. It is the Government's job to lead the country judiciously, legislatively, and executively, but it is the churches job to lead the country spiritually. Law after law can be passed requiring people to "act morally" but until the peoples' hearts change and desire to follow God, we will continue to go downhill. Drugs, murder, and theft are illegal but it's not stopping anyone. It's in the hearts of the people.

We as Christians and the church are to blame for not outreaching like we should. A president cannot change the moral status of our country but you can. I can. It starts with witnessing to your neighbor, family, friends, coworkers, and colleagues. It starts with one person at a time. There are so many people that are hurting and looking for something more and it only takes a smile, a kind word, an invitation to dinner, to maybe change that persons life. This is what we are called to do: raise up our country spiritually. Don't get me wrong, I am not against our military or against our country. I am against the immoral direction we are headed.

Yes, our country can be great again, but it starts with us. It starts with praying for our country, witnessing, and spreading Gods word. It may be hard, but in 1774, when those men signed the Declaration of Independence, they were committing the worst crime according to England. We have our dependence because of godly men who stood up for what is right. Can we at least work up the courage to spread the gospel to those we know to maybe make a small difference in our country? This is true patriotism!

Submit to the Government?

Voting season is around the corner.. or so it seems. In the last couple voting terms, our country seems to be the most torn since the Civil War. With the parties in full conflict with each other and politicians harassing each other, it becomes a battle that most Christians don't want to be a part of. It seems as though there's people who are irritated with the way politics has taken over (me), and it seems there are people who get too involved. But in all of this commotion, another questions is brought up.

It is no secret that our country has gone downhill. Just look at our movies, TV shows, school system, divorce rate, crime rate, juvenile crime rate, government funded abortion, gay marraige, books, magazines, and never ending exposure to porn. It's no doubt that our government has played a part in this. What once started as a Christian nation with godly founders, is now a sin ridden nation ruled by the devil himself. It seems as though our world is almost as bad as it was just before the flood or Sodom and Gomorrah. Our country has become so blind to sin that what once was good is considered bad and what was once regarded sinful, is now socially acceptable. So that question that arises is, "should I submit to the government and if so, how?"

This is a hard line to stand on. We know the Bible commands us to follow authority, but also know that we are told to not conform to this world. In the past week, I have come across a few passages that have gotten me thinking on this. There are many verses and passages on submitting to government from different aspects, but I want to focus on one in particular: 1 Peter 2:13-17.

• Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

I want to first off, commentate on the first half of this verse, which is pretty straight forward. We are commanded to submit to authority and in this case, the government. Not only the government, but the "governors" sent. (Governors in this passage are referring to those sent by the king to punish criminals A.K.A. law enforcement) Romans 31:1 tells us there are a few conditions that we see in this passage though. In the first verse, it says to do this "for the Lord's sake". What does this mean? We are not to submit to government just because we don't want to be arrest or because one person says we need to. We are to submit becasue God asks us to. God placed an authority over us. If you study the Bible much, it is evident that most things here on earth are just a reflection of our relationship with God and government is one of those. It is an authority God has placed over us to create order.

And submitting is not necessarily for our sake, but for God's. In this passage we are even told one of the reasons why we should submit: "that with well doing, ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." Following God and being obedient can't be refuted. Yes, we can be accused of being in the wrong as Jesus was, but we reflect our Lord when we submit. Especially today where there is an utmost disrespect for the government, particularly law enforcement. When someone sees a Christian submitting to government and not rebelling, it is noticable and we stand out. No one looks up to a person who causes problems, but a majority of the people look up to someone who is respectable. This presentation reflects who God is and our relationship with him.

However, there is an exception to this. Because submitting to governmental authority is for God's sake, it needs to be in synchronisation with God's commands. Submission does not mean that you unconditionally follow what the government says, but rather a willingness to follow. But as we see in history, we sometimes cannot follow government and God together. This is evident during the Revolutionary War. The colonists and statesmen went against the English government because of the King's agenda to suppress religious freedom. 

We are to ultimately follow God and if government contradicts that, we should follow God instead. Please don't misinterpret this. I don't mean that we can do what we want and claim it's because the law contradicts God. What I am saying is that when government or law enforcement demands we do something that is directly contradictory to the Bible and violates our moral values, we need to stand. We don't have to (should not!) conform to abortion just because society says it's OK. When the day comes when disagreeing with gay marriage becomes a hate crime (which it already is) that is punishable by law, we must make the choice to stand. 

But in all of this, remember that God establishes government and commands that we submit to authority. We are even told in Isaiah 9:6 in the prophecy of Chist's birth, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder..."  Remember that submitting to government is not for our sake of not getting arrested, but to display a godly testimony, reflecting our Lord. And remember that in all of this, God tells us to "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."

8 Common Myths of the Bible

I have been feeling burdened to write this post for some time now. Mostly because I see everywhere, beliefs that are simply not true, but are SO common. Some beliefs, people don't even realise are against what the Bible tells us. I even see it in some Bible tracks. I see it all over Facebook, when people die, when people go through difficulty. Some of these things, people wouldn't say they don't believe the Bible, but rather just don't know. Some things we are taught from when we are young and some things are just so commonly taught that it's just standard. I want to put to rest, some of these lies.

1. There were three wise men. Around Christmas time, we see all sorts of nativity scenes, even in the church and it's pretty well standard that there are three wise men. I understand that for a scene, it's more practical to only have three characters. However, the belief that there were only three wise men, I cannot say is true. Then again, I cannot say that it's not. Quite simply, we are not told how many wise men there were. We are told of the three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Not to put down any denominations, but the idea of only three wise men came from the Catholic belief because of the three gifts. But because there were only three gifts, does not mean there were only three men. I would be led to believe there were a lot more. If you study up on people in that time period, the wise men were scholars, philosophers, and astrologers. In most cases, every man who was one of these would meet together, kind of like a country club. So I would be more led to believe that there were more than three scholars in that area. But this also leads to another myth that the wise men were at the manger. Not true. Matthew 2:1-12 is the account of the wise men and we are told in verse 11 that they went to a house. We know that Jesus was born in a manger. This would imply that the wise men showed up a bit later. We are also told in this verse that Jesus was a young child, not a baby. I would venture to guess it was maybe two years later or so. We aren't told how old Jesus was so this is merely speculation.
2. We become angels when we die. I can't tell you how many posts or movies I see that say we become angels when we die. This is not someone who took it from the Bible, but simply don't know what the Bible says about it. All throughout the Bible, we are told of angels and told of humans and they are not the same. Angels were actually created before the universe to help God. We know this because we are told in Isaiah 14:12-15 that Lucifer (later, Satan) who we know as the devil, was an angel that rebelled against God and was cast from Heaven before we were even created. As the Bible talks about angels, it is always separate from humans. Angels, in the Bible were always separate beings that were used as messengers from God. We are also told that when Christians die, we go to Heaven and dwell with God in his kingdom, not fly around as angels. (And the Bible never once mentions that angels have wings other than in a symbolic sense). This is shown in Matthew 25:31-32 and this passage also clearly states that angels will dwell with humans, obviously 2 different characters. When non-Christians die, we are told that they go to hell to suffer for eternity. In other words, we do not become angels when we die. (Revelation 21:8)
3. Satan is in charge of Hell. How often do we see in movies, TV shows, cartoons, and comics of Satan standing at a pedestal in Hell, checking in those who enter while God (or St. Peter?) checks those going into Heaven? (By the way, people being checked into Heaven is not true either. I am led to believe when we go to Heaven, we are automatically in the presence of Jesus, dwelling with him, but that's a whole post on it's own.) This is a VERY common belief, but the Bible is very clear that this is not the case! Hell was also created before the universe, not for us, but as an eternal punishment for Satan. This is revealed in Matthew 25:41 when it says "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:". (emphasis added) Satan knows that one day, he will spend eternity there and that is why his sole mission is to drag as many people down with him. This also leads to our next myth...
4. I'll party in Hell with my buddies. I hear this quite often and it is completely false. The Bible describes Hell. Revelation 21:8 describes the "Lake of fire". Matthew 25:46 describes it as an everlasting punishment. Matthew 13:15 describes it as a blazing furnace and describes the torment. We are told in numerous places describing it as dark, lonely, and miserable. You won't be able to party with your buddies because you will be alone. You may hear others' with their blood-curdling screams (along with your own), but will not see anyone. You will be in complete, dark loneliness burning for all eternity, crawling with worm eating your body for all eternity. No party there.
5. Everyone will be judged together. While we are talking about Hell and judgment, lets talk about a myth about judgment. I see all the time, comics showing sinner and Christians, both before God. God pulls out the Book of Life and says, "You're in here, you go to Heaven. You're not in here, you go to hell." That is not true either. There are two distinctly different judgments. Yes, we are told in 2 Chorinthians 5:10 that we are all to be judged and in Hebrews 9:27 says we will all be judged, but they are different judgments. Revelation 20:11-15 describes the Great White Throne judgment where all sinners stand before God and are shown their sins. From there, they are sentenced to eternity in the lake of fire based on their sins. Romans 14:10-12 describes a completely different judgment. When we read of the Great White Throne, we read of death and despair for the sinner, but when we read of the Judgment Seat of Christ, we see a great picture of everyone worshipping God and giving their account of what they did for God. And it is here that Christians are given their rewards and their position in Heaven. The judgment for Christians happen immediately after the rapture, or second coming of Christ. But at this time, sinners still reside in Hell when they are dead and the live sinners continue on earth. It's at the very end that the sinners are judged.
6. We are all shown our sins at the judgment. When I was kid, I was always afraid that at the judgment, we would be shown our sins and everyone would be able to see my thoughts and actions from my entire life. This is true, but depending on your status with God. The unsaved (sinners) are shown their sins and are sentenced to Hell based on all of their sins from their life. These sins are shown for everyone to see. (Matthew 12:36-37, Revelation 20:11-15). But for Christians, it will be different. I won't give you every verse pertaining to salvation (you can look that up on your own), but the whole concept of salvation is that our sins are washed away and erased. Jesus takes our sins from us when we accept him and because of that, we have no sins to account for on judgment day. If we did, our sins would not have been forgiven and we would go to Hell. But the Holy Spirit seals us unto salvation, erasing our sins (2Timothy1:12). Romans 5:1-2 tells us we can have peace when we die because our sins are not held over us. 1 John 2:1-2 tells us that Jesus stands in place of our sins. And because we have no sins to account for (because of God's forgiveness), we will not be shown our sins. However, we will be accountable to what we have done for Christ. God give us gifts and opportunities and we will have to account for how we used those. That is how we are given our rewards. The Christians' judgments is also known as the Beme Seat. This is a term used for the ancient Olympics as the pedestal where contestants are awarded. They are not scolded for what they did wrong. This is the same concept for our judgment. This is all summed up in Ezekiel 18:22.
7. Demons vs. Ghosts. This is a very controversial subject. It seems like nowadays, ghosts are a huge topic and the belief is that there is a difference between ghosts demons. Ghosts are people who died but "have not yet crossed over to the other side" and demons are "evil creatures who haunt and mean to cause harm". To be honest, I cannot show a verse saying there is a difference because it does not exist. But we are told, as you can see above, that when Christians die, we go straight to paradise, or Heaven. When non-Christians die, they go to a place called Hell, or Hades, to await their sentence to the eternal lake of fire. God does not make mistakes and get someone "stuck" in the middle. The Bible is very clear that when we die, we go to one of two places. God is a just God and if someone is unsaved, they go to Hell as promised, not wait around for a live relative to make recompense. Again, not to put down any denomination, but the Catholic belief in purgatory is where this comes into play. But quite simply, the Bible does not support this. The only alternative is that the only supernatural beings we encounter are either angels or demons, which is heavily supported in the Bible. Angels are used by God as messenger and to fight demons (fallen angels that followed Lucifer) in the supernatural world. That means that these "ghosts" are really demons. The idea of ghosts is to inflict fear and only demons do that. The role the demon is playing could be viewed as innocent (ghost) or as hostile, but they are demons nonetheless and are not harmless. When people "speak to the dead" as mediums, they are speaking with demons. Supernatural beings cannot be controlled by humans. They have spent thousands of years watching humans and know how to manipulate us. (That is how they can play off to be a person's relative when a medium talks to them). Satan is known as the master of all lies and the illusion that there is a difference between ghosts and demons is simply a lie Satan has led people to believe. People may argue that ghosts look like people and demons look like evil characters, but demons can look like whatever they want. Demons were once beautiful angels so the belief that they look evil is invalid. Lucifer was actually one of the head angels (with Michael and Gabriel), but can make his appearance to us as what ever he wants. That's why evil music (or even sex outside of marriage) looks glamorous because Satan is master of illusion and can make evil look good and good look evil.
8. He's in a better place now. I work in a field where I see a lot of death and I always refrain from using this phrase. Why? Because it may not be true. This kind of goes back to the myth that we become angels. Simply put, if you die a believer, you go to Heaven. If you die a sinner, you go to Hell. If the person was not a believer and never asked God for forgiveness, they are in Hell, not a better place and not an angel. There is an accurate phrase that says, "For Christians, this world is the closest we will come to Hell. For sinners, this world is the closest they will come to Heaven."

There are obviously countless myths that can be refuted that we simply can't cover in one post. But I want this to make you think. I want you to examine everything you have been told and look to the Bible for yourself. There is really no excuse because of the endless sources of online concordances. As I mentioned, I do not intend to offend any denomination. I am simply showing you the truth that the Bible (God's Word, not man's belief in a denomination) tells to us.