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.

Sanctification Before Service

How many of us Christians want to do something great for God? How many of us want to do the big things for God, be a missionary, lead a ministry, or start an organisation? I would say probably most of us want to do the great things we see in the Bible. We see the great Biblical figures and think "I want to do something great like that!" But there's a problem with this. Every Biblical character we see that is labelled as "great" also had sinful donwfalls. David had his sin with Bathsheeba leading to murder. Samson lived most of his life in sin. Moses disobeyed God and had anger issues. Lot lived in one of the most wicked cities then got drunk and slept with his daughters. Solomon had many wives and concubines. Each Biblical figure also had their downfalls which means they were nothing special. They were simply people chosen by God to carry out his plan. 

Think about this for a minute. God created every single person to have ever lived, but did not create a higher class or "race" of humans to do great things. He used ordinary people in great ways. We are all equal creations in God's image and when we die, it doesn't matter whether you were a king or peasant, we are all humans accountable to God. David was a mere sheppard boy. Moses was a Hebrew baby that was in danger of being murdered at birth. Samson was a common boy born to a common woman. The difference is that God used them, even if some were not initially willing. But God does not always call everyone to a large ministry or to lead a church. He has a mission for each person on all different levels, all of which are important. But sometimes, I think we get too tied up in trying to do the great things, that we miss the small things.

In the book of Luke, we see two woman who are contrasted that are sometimes overlooked. Luke chapter 10, verses 38-42 says,

• Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I think this verse applies to each of us and has one main mesage to it. We see two different people with two different ideologies.

Martha was the busybody. Jesus came to visit her house and what do you do to prepare for guests? She was in the kitchen preparing the meal, serving the food, and working to be a great host. I'm sure she cleaned up her house with maybe some last minute tidying to make the place spotless. She probably had her best china and silver out on the table to be used. She was serving to her best efforts for Jesus.

Then we have Mary, Marthas sister. Unlike Martha, Mary did not work to prepare the meals or clean. Afterall, it's Marthas house isn't it, not Marys? She, instead, hung out with Jesus and listened to him. Martha was obviously irritated with Mary when she said "dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?"

There is an obvious difference between these two women and Jesus addresses this in the last two verses of the passage. How often are we like Martha? Trying to keep busy doing things for God? Leading the small group Monday, perticipating in the nursing home ministry Tuesday, attending the Bible study Wednesday, volunteering at the community meal Thursday. We work so hard to serve Christ and try to please him, but what is our motivation? Is it out of love and wanting to genuinely serve God? Or is it to satisfy the rest of the church and keep your holy "status"? Or maybe your belief is that your good has to outweight your bad? But we, like Martha, miss the point.

Having quite a bit of experience in ministry and service in the church, I know a thing or two about trying to be involved in all of the service I can be. But I noticed something, maybe not right away, but I noticed something. Yes, I was growing in Christ, but what was my focus? My focus was on serving, not growing in Christ.

You see, Martha was doing her best to serve Jesus, but that is not what Jesus calls for. He tells her "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." Martha was to caught up and worried about the service and not actually listening to God. However, Mary was said to have "chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

God calls us to grow closer to him in our relationship. That is the true purpose of our Salvation. Yes, it keeps us out of Hell, but it's ultimately so we can have a relationship with God and live with him eternally. And God wants us to focus on growing closer to him through our prayer life and meditation in his Word. Mary understood this and wanted to just spend time with Jesus. Neither of them cared about the food or how clean the house was. Mary wanted to just have that time with Jesus and Jesus with her. And Jesus praised her for it.

We try too hard to "serve" God when really we just need to spend time with him. We try to do the great things by being in service for God, when we really need to spend more effort on the small things and strengthening our relationship with God. When we grow closer to God, he will give us opportunities to serve. We cannot lead others if we can't lead ourselves and we can't guide people spiritually or serve spiritually if we don't have a close relationsip with Christ.

David spent his life trusting God as a boy, long before God used him to slay Goliath. Samuel spent his childhood growing and learning before God used him as a priest. Solomon spent his life living for God and building a relationship with Christ before becoming king. The point is, before God can use us effectively, we must have a close, growing relationship with him. Sure, you can work your way into a ministry, but how effective will you be if God does not bless that ministry because it's outside his will? We must be called into whatever field, ministry, or service we are involved in. If not, it will lead to suffering of some sort. Serving God in a ministry is a priviledge he gives us and is a great satisfaction, but must be in his timing. Don't worry about trying to get involved. Spend your life just living for God where you are and whatever God has in store for you will be presented to you at the right time.

This doesn't mean that if an opportunity presents itself, to not get involved or capitalise on it. God does call us to spread his word and do everything to our best. But we should not spend our energy on trying to be "busy" for God instead growing closer to him. Jesus even tells us that the greatest commandment is not to put in so many ministry hours a week. It's not to go to church so many times a week or be involved in so many volunteer positions. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus tells us, "...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. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." How do we love God? Spend time with him and do as he asks. How do we love our neighbor? By being the Christian testimony that will lead them to Christ. That's a lot different than spending hours a week trying to be busy in service.

How To Be Single

It seems like as time goes on, fads and trends change and those things which were popular even when I was a kid is now considered obsolete. Anything from movies, to music, to games, to clothing styles. But one thing seems to stay: having a girlfriend or boyfriend. It seems like dating someone isn't just to have a relationship, but to have some sort of "status". Singleness has become almost been labelled a curse in our culture. As I went through high school, it was always the focus of every lad and las to be going out with someone. Most people can't even understand the concept of remaining single or can't stand the fact that they are single. Afterall, doesn't Genesis tell us that it's not good for man to be alone? (Gen. 2:18)

I want to propose a concept that is foreign to most people. I want to propose the idea that singleness is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Paul even tells us in the Bible that it is good to be single. Whenever I speak on this issue, I always have at least one person who disagrees or gets rubbed the wrong way and I believe that is because too many people want to date too badly. They want it too much and I think that is why we have a problem with it in our world. However, I don't want this post to be misinterpreted. First, I'm not saying dating (or courting) someone is bad. For Christians, this can be a hard area because our world presents a warped idea of dating. But having that relationship can be a great thing. Second, I don't want to leave the impression that everyone (and in particular, teenagers) have a bad view of dating or think singleness is bad. I have actually been seeing more and more youth realising that dating is not a necessity in high school.

The problem our world has with dating is a perverted concept of the purpose of dating. I won't go so much into that because it is a whole topic on it's own. But we seem to focus so much on dating and even as Christians, we want to learn the Biblical ways to go about dating. It seems like there are endless posts on Facebook about dating and relationships, but how many do we see on singleness?

I want to look at, what I think is, one of the best passages talking about singleness in 1 Chorinthians 7:25-38.

• Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

As I always do, I would like to break this verse down and examine everything it's telling us. Overall, this verse talks about singleness pertaining to primarily, but not exclusively, to young people. In this passage, Paul is essentially pouring out his heart of what he has learned and giving his wisdom. The theme of the whole is that it is good to remain single for Christ's sake.

I am going to examine this verse, but will also, like Paul, give you some of my wisdom and what I have learned over the past few years. I may be young, but I have a lot of experience in being single. In high school, I thought I had to always have a girlfriend and pretty well always had one. In college, I thought the same, but had a harder time with finding a girlfriend. Until recently, I was single for about 6 years and have learned a lot in those years.

One of the first points Paul makes that I want reveal is that being single opens you up to grow more and do more for God. Not that married people can't, but I agree with this passage. Whether you agree or not, having a significant other takes some of your time and energy. You think about them frequently, you do things with them, and put a lot of energy into getting to know the person and making them happy. In all of that, it can easily distract you. I noticed this in high school when my grades dropped. And that takes away from the purpose God has for singleness.

You see, God has a special purpose and mission for each of us for each stage of our lives. In your single stage, you have the opportunity to focus on growing in Christ and learning what God wants you to do, fulfilling his work. As Paul wrote this passage, he implies that he was single, doing God's work. If he would've had a wife, he might not have been able to travel to spread the gospel. His wife probably would've wanted to settle down, raise a family, have a house. Not to mention she would've been devistated with the amount of times he was in prison. My point is, he was able to 100% do God's work without having the distraction of a spouse. That's not to say having a spouse is a distraction, but realistically, you cannot put 100% of your effort into God's work when you also have to put effort into a spouse. Paul urges the single people to remain single and fulfill God's plan (the reason we are here anyways). But he does not discourage marraige as we see in the end of the passage.

The reason, I believe, for singlehood, is to discover what God wants you to do with your life. In Genesis, we are told that the wife is created to be a helpmeet to the husband. If the husband does not know what God wants him to do, how is the wife to know what she is to help the husband with? If you do not know what God wants you to do, you probably aren't ready for marraige. As I get older, I am at a good marraige age. But it seems the older you get, you more you see areas you need to grow in before you're ready to have a family.

Enjoy being single! God has different stages for our lives and has a plan. I can say that I don't want to be in a position where I'm trying to overstep God's tyming, which seems to be a real problem nowdays. Let things happen in God's time and don't rush into relationships. Take advantage of being single. Too many young people want to rush into having a relationship, but aren't ready for one. Ultimately, the purpose of dating or courting is to find a spouse. If you are in high school, or are not in a position to lead a family, what is the purpose of dating? Realistically, a high schooler (or middle schooler) or someone who is jobless is not in a position to have a family and really probably shouldn't be getting into dating yet. That's not to say you can't start exploring what God expects in relationships. But this stage in your life is intended to live for God and do things for God as a single. That is what  Paul is stressing.

For some people, that can be hard, I know. I was one of those. I was always depressed if I didn't have a girlfriend and would stoop low to get one. I was desperate in high school and college. But as I got older and started to realise that God has a plan for singleness, I became more content. When you are content as a single and serving God as a single, you will be content as a couple. When you are content as a couple, you won't try to rush the relationship beyond God's tyming. Most people try to find happiness in relationships, but that is not where happiness is found. It is found in being in God's service. When you are happily serving God, it doesn't matter where you are, you will be happy. Ultimately, the relationship is not about the two people, it is about God. When God is the centre of the relationship, the relationship is more successful. And that is what singleness is about! It's about growing close to God and making him the centre of your life. That also means you should find a boyfriend/girlfriend that has done the same thing.

I know that some people will disagree with me and that's OK. Just know that singleness is not a bad thing. As a single, I have travelled the world and gotten to do things and participate in hobbies that I probably wouldn't have been able to otherwise. As stated before, I'm not against dating, courtship, or marraige. God created relationships and wants us to have those relationships. But what I am saying is that if you are single, enjoy being single and don't rush into relationships just for the simple fact that you want a boyfriend or girlfriend. Use this tyme to grow in Christ and he will bring the right person to you.

The Sovereignty of God

It seems like as time goes by, we see more of these posts on Facebook. I'm sure you know what I mean. "Share this post and God will bless you in the next hour." I cringe when I see these posts, but it doesn't stop there. It seems as if most people see God as a vending machine. "What can God do for me?" We also tend to see God as having limits, not being able to change a circumstance or perform miracles in our lives. Even as Christians, we can adopt the postmodern idea that God is a force that if we make happy, he will give us what we want. We seem to treat God like he owes us something or that he is here just to do what we ask. That couldn't be further from the truth!

So who is God and is he sovereign,or just a personal servant that simply grants us our wishes? 

First of all, I want to look in Genesis chapter 1. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." I want to look just at this verse. All of chapter 1 is the account of God creating the universe. I want to first ask you a question: if God created the entire universe (not just the earth), why do we limit what he can do with his creation? Why can God not cure someone with cancer in a blink of an eye when he is the one who created and sustains our cells? If God created the pandas, do you think he can't keep them from being extinct if he so wishes. If God created man out of dust (of which he created out of nothing), how is a virgin birth impossible? God created the entire universe and can do anything with it that he desires. 

Within the universe, God also created us, people. Genesis 2:27 is a great verse that demonstrates this. He even created us to be his most prized creation. 

It's easy to agree with everything so far, but I want to go deeper. When God created the universe, and particularly us, he had a reason for it. He didn't simply create us and say "now let's see what happens". Before he created the universe, he had a plan for every individual and knew how every circumstance would turn out, not just the "major" world events, but every aspect of each persons life. Even how many minutes you will have that cold this winter. Nothing is a shock to God and he sustains every single aspect of the universe. This fact is easily summed up in Colosians 1:6 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him".

Since this is the case, why do we think sharing a Facebook post or donating to a televangelist will bring God to bless us or heal us as if he didn't already have a plan? It's not like he doesn't know how to help us or that he relies on us to tell him what we need. He created everything for a purpose, has a plan, and knows what is going on. We see this beautifully in Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." 

We exist because God wants us to exist. So why do we think God exists to please us? We tend to live day to day like we are here for ourselves, living for ourselves and doing only what we want. There's an old phrase that says the chief end (purpose) of man is to glorify God and enjoy his presence forever. You see, God created us for his enjoyment, to have an intimate relationship with him. That was altered when Adam sinned in the garden and now we have to be reconciled for our sins, but God still desires to have a relationship with us. He knows what we need but wants us to ask for it to draw us closer to him. 

Ultimately, we exist for God, not the other way around and God can use us in any way he chooses. God is to be reverenced for his sovereignty and it's sad to see that vanishing. Profanity, TV shows mocking God, people mocking God. It pains me to see that people have lost all love and reverence for God. I want to end by asking a question. If we are here on earth to serve God and fulfill his plan, what makes anyone think that God won't end their time here early if they don't follow what God asks and fulfill his plan? And I must say, acknowledging Gods sovereignty and serving him is exceedingly rewarding compared to what we gain on our own. 

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with glory which shall be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18

Free Will "vs" Predestination

I believe there is a big controversy and argument amoung Christian denominations. Most denominations have their own "signature belief" that makes them stand out as unique. Pentecostal, Calvinists, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic. All have their own unique beliefs. The problem with this is that if "Christian" denominations are different in their beliefs, someone has to be wrong. There is only one truth (not relative) and if that is the case, only one belief can be true. One who might be examining them all may struggle to find which has the most sound doctrine.

In all honesty, I don't think there is a "perfect denomination". I am Baptist because I believe Baptist takes the Bible as it is and does not answer to a higher church authority. The only authority to answer to, as a church, is God himself. However, I do not think anyone should hold too tightly to their denomination. When someone clings to their denomination, they start to worship their denomination rather than God. Rituals, sacraments, policies, traditions. These can actually oftentimes stand in the way of worshipping and following God.

We could talk about all sorts of beliefs that change from denomination to denomination, but I want to talk about a very specific topic that I believe, with exception of assurance of salvation, has the most diversity, and that is predestination. There are many different beliefs as to what predestination is and I want to clear at least some of it up. I also believe that the topic of free will ought to be explained with predestination since those two often go hand in hand.

A common belief is that some people are predestined to be saved and some people not. This would lead into "do we really have free will". If we are chosen into Heaven rather than others, can we do whatever we want? Moreover, if we are predestined to take a certain path in life, do we really have free will and the freedom to make our own choices? Or are all of our choices made because we were "predestined" to make them? If I am predestined to not enter Heaven, but I decide to accept Christ, are all those verses on assurance of salvation a lie? Would that make God a liar when he says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved?" This is a tough argument and I want to clear some of this up by showing you what I have learned in my studies. 

Let's start with looking at some common verses on predestination. Romans 8:28-30 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." I will explain this in a minute, but let's first look at some other verses.  Ephesians 1:4-5 says, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will". And 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

These 3 verses would be easy to mistake as being predestination into salvation, but let's take a closer look. There are 3 important methods I follow when examining a verse: What is the context? Are there other verses that explain this verse? And does my interpretation contradict what God says in other parts of the Bible? I would like to examine these verses in that manner. 

I want to first look at Romans 8:28-30 since this one is easiest to explain. Yes, Romans has MANY verses that explain salvation, but it also has explanations on what it means to be a Christian and who we are in Christ. This is the passage where Paul is talking about Christians, not lost people. Verse 28 is strictly talking about those who have been saved (and I will explain that word "called" in a bit). As we go into verse 29, we see the opening phrase "whom he did foreknow". This is very important! God already knows who will accept him. This does not mean that God only selects certain people, but rather that he already knows who will accept him. 

In this passage, we even see what the predestination is: "to be conformed to the image of his Son". Only Christians can be conformed to Christ's image. When we are saved, we bear Christ's name, but conforming to His image must be a conscious decision as explained in Romans 12:1-2. What God has predestined is the path in which we are to walk as Christians. Does this mean we don't have free will? I will get to that in a bit. 

Verse 30, then, says that those of us (Christians) who have been predestined to become like Christ (all of us), are also called into a specific ministry. That ministry may be as simple as witnessing to your neighbor, or as big as becoming a missionary to a foreign country. Every calling is as important and sovereign as the next. From there, he justifies us into that calling and as we conform to the image of Christ and follow Gods calling, we become glorified through him. That is what this passage is talking about. I find this passage easier to explain  because it is straight forward. You don't need to search for the explanation of it in other parts of the Bible; it explains itself.

Let's move over to Ephesians 1:4-5 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." And 2 Peter 3:9 is similar in saying "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

These verses, and especially in Ephesians, it can look initially that God predestinates people into salvation. I guess that is why so many people believe it. But that belief would contradict the rest of the New Testament which clearly states that "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." (John 3:16, emphasis added) The whole New Testament is clear that if ANYONE chooses to accepts God's gift, he "will in no wise, cast out."

That being said, let's examine these verses. The key word in both verses is "will". Yes the verse in Ephesians states that our adoption is predestined, but the second half is according to his will. However, this is where things change. God wills that we all enter into his presence as seen at the end of 2 Peter 3:9. That is how we were initially created: pure. God designed us to dwell with him forever. But in the garden, when Adam sinned (free will), that cut ties. God cannot allow sin into his presence and that is why salvation is needed. God's created us to be with him forever, but with sin, we now need salvation. God still wills that we enter into his presence and presents the opportunity over and over. This is stated in 2 Peter when it says God is longsuffering and willing that we not perish.

God's will is different from predestination. It is God's will that we all accept him and follow him. Does that happen?  Obviously not. God's will is what he wants from us, but predestination is what God has laid out for us and chosen for each of us. We saw in Ephesians 1:4 that God has chosen us to be holy and blameless. That is God's will. Does that make sense? God wills us to accept him, but predestinates the path for those who he already knows will accept him. He does not predestinate us to be saved, but does predestinate the calling of them who he already knows will accept him. This can be something that is hard to comprehend, but that is the point. God does not reveal all of himself to us. We do not have divine understanding as God does and that is why he is God and we are not. There are some things that God reveals enough to us to know it, but not enough to understand it 100%. Some things we may simply not know until we meet Christ face to face. Just because we may not understand it fully, does not mean we can put our own twist or interpretation to it. This is warned against in Revelation 22:19-21.

So if we are predestined to a certain calling, does that mean we do not have free will? I mentioned Adam sinning in the garden. That is the perfect example of free will. God created humans differently than the rest of creation. We are the only ones that he "formed" and breathed life into. We are the only ones created in his image. When God made Adam, he put him in a perfect environment and made him to be the perfect creation, but he also gave him a choice. He gave him certain commands, one being to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave him the choice.

This oftentimes gets me to thinking. God created the perfect beings in his own image (by the way, angels were not created in his image, only us), but since sin is completely contradictory to God's nature, why did he allow Adam to have the choice to sin and go against God's nature? I believe one reason is because God wants us to have free will. Think about it, if God created Adam (and all humans) preprogrammed to love God and follow his commandments no matter what, is that really love? If you force someone to love you, is it true love? I think God gives us free will and choice because he wants us to choose to love him, not because we have to.

Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." God has planned our entire lives from the beginning and predestined those he knows will accept him, into a calling that he has laid out for us. We see this is Ephesians 1:4. But we still have a choice to follow that. This verse tells us that we choose which path we take and if we choose to take the way God has for us, he directs us. But we still have the choice whether or not to follow him. Predestination does not mean we don't have free will! This does bring up the question, "If God knows who will accept him and knows what path he will take, is that path what God laid out or does God use that to his glory?" This can send us in circles and thinking all day, but the truth is: God is sovereign. He has ultimate control. Our only job is to follow God's calling and live for him as he tells us in his Word.

You may disagree with all of this, but I encourage you to forget what your denomination claims. I want you to actually examine God's word. We cannot rely on what a pastor or priest tells us, if he does not support it with scripture, and the whole scripture. Oftentimes, a verse is used to support a point, but is taken out of context or twisted to mean what a man wants it to mean. It is too often that we make the Bible support our ideas rather than believing what the Bible has spelled out for us. Again, I encourage you to really read through the scriptures and find for yourself, the truth.