Ken Ham vs Bill Nye

Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham

Live Streaming FREE on Feb. 4 at 7 PM ET - 6 PM CT

"Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era? Leading creation apologist and bestselling Christian author Ken Ham is joined at the Creation Museum by, Emmy Award-winning science educator and CEO of the Planetary Society, Bill Nye."

A live feed (will go live at time of event) will be shown below, or you can watch it at:

DebateLive

 

Eternity is coming...

 

Sometimes I Struggle

Written by my wife Joy.

Sometimes it's hard to see Your hand in my life. Sometimes I feel like You've abandoned me. I look for Your will... for a clear sense of direction but life is cloudy with mistakes and indecision.

Sometimes it's hard to hear Your voice. I'm struggling in the wilderness when I long to be on the mountaintop with You where the air is clear and Your Word fills my lungs with ease. Down here in the valley, I feel vulnerable to attacks and defenseless.

Sometimes I struggle with Your map. Just when I've followed a road that I'm sure is the right one, I question whether I've taken a wrong turn... again. Your paths are not easy to follow and are sometimes overgrown with thorns and thistles of the world and it is a challenge just to get to them. These are the roads less travelled. Sometimes the directions don't make sense and I know I have to trust that all the squiggly lines on my map are ordained by You, meticulously drawn by my Shepherd's hand... tailor made for me. This is what you tell me, but sometimes I struggle anyway.

Sometimes I turn away... I know the right thing to do and I can clearly see Your perfect will in choosing the right way, but I look the other direction and plunge ahead. I am a wayward sheep sometimes... bent on doing my own thing and straying out of reach of Your staff, intent on the patch of grass just beyond Your protected boundaries. This happens less often than it used to... but sometimes... I struggle.

You never struggle, Father. Your will is perfect and Your love never fails. You are the light shining in the darkness and You are gracious and long-suffering even when I turn away. Your staff is long and worn with unending love for prodigal sheep like me. I am simply a traveler passing through Your world and I thank You for Your Word to guide me when I lose my way and Your comforting Spirit to calm me when the squiggly lines on the map don't seem to make any sense.

Repent and believe before it's too late

Photo source: Map

 

Where Did The Time Go?

Over this past couple of weeks, my son got married. It was a joyous time and a perfect day for it. The sun was shining and there wasn't even a hint of a storm cloud on the horizon. I was the best man and my wife was the photographer, two very important jobs when it comes to weddings. I am so happy for him and my new daughter as they begin their own journey into marriage.

I've heard it said that it seems like our kids grow up so fast and honestly, I thought they were crazy. There seemed to be plenty of time to do all the things we wanted to do, the future was bright and endless. But that's changed now that I'm older. Now I see what they mean and I guess my son will have to deal with hearing me say the same thing when he, God willing, has children of his own.

So what happened? Where did all that time go? I mean, either senility is already kicking in and I'm losing memories, or I was foolish in my thinking. When we are young we see our days as though we will live forever, but that is a mirage only youthful eyes can see. As we age, we come face to face with our own mortality and those youthful eyes dim with clarity. For those of us who live long enough, wisdom slips in and blocks out the ignorance of youth. For some, this is a time when we hit a mid-life crisis. We try to fight off the aging process and run around with reckless abandon, acting as though we are still in the prime of our lives. Of course, we only make fools of ourselves and, in time, we may come to our senses. But somehow, this makes sense to the walking dead. Those who have not placed their trust in Christ and repented of their sins have no hope after this life so this is all they have and if I were in their place, I too would be scared of aging. But I'm not in their place.

As Christians, we should welcome this new found wisdom and embrace it. Look at what the Psalmist says;

Psalm 39:4-5(ESV) “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah"

This is a prayer I aim to memorize and claim as my own. I don't want my life to pass by without doing the things that matter most. I would rather my "mid-life" crisis be spent seeking after God, and telling those around me about the precious Gospel of Christ, rather than wasting time on frivolous pursuits. While I'm alive there is work to be done! "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21(ESV)

Interestingly, Moses asked for the same thing in Psalm 90:12;

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."(ESV)

I now see the wisdom in knowing that this life will pass away like a mist, James 4:14, and I don't want every opportunity that God gives me to dissipate in the same way. By acknowledging our limited life here on earth we are not giving up, as some would reason, we are only showing true wisdom and can make the most of the time we do have for the glory of God.

Repent and believe before it's too late

 

Father To The Fatherless

In Matthew 6:9, Jesus begins one of the greatest lessons on prayer with these simple words, "Our Father...". For some, to think of God as our Father can be a radical life changer. For others, sadly, the view they have of a father is tainted by experiences with their own earthly fathers. The word father can draw a blank stare from those who have never met their father and for others, it can bring about fear from the abuse they endured growing up. But whatever the case may be, you can rest assure that the Father Jesus refers to is unlike any father you have ever known.

For example:

He's a Father to the fatherless.

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." Psalms 68:5 (ESV)

There are many who have never had the pleasure of having someone they can call Dad. As the years progress we see more and more fatherless children due to the rise in divorce and extra marital sex. To not have a father can leave a void in your life that may never be filled. Unless, that is, you allow God to take that role in your life, and He is more than willing to.

Now that Fathers day is here, being without a father, it just becomes another day, or worse, it becomes a reminder of what you've missed out on. It may even be a day of dread because your father was abusive, physically or mentally, and this is just another day to remind you of him. But this time, it doesn't have to be that way. God is calling out to you, He wants nothing more than for you to come running into His loving arms. He's waiting for you. He's made the way for you to come to Him today, as well as, any other day. Understanding two things can help change your entire life this Fathers day.

Number one, you must have a correct understanding of the sin in your life and repent from it.



"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." Romans 3:23 (NLT)

We have all broken God's law and stand condemned as criminals. The best way to understand this is by looking at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Here are a few examples.

1. Have you ever told a lie?


2. Have you ever used God's name in vain?


3. Have you ever stolen anything?

That's just three of the Ten Commandments and already we see that some laws have been broken. With that in mind, let's look at James 2:10; "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws." Now we're at the heart of the matter. By breaking one law we become guilty and are therefore law breakers and deserving of punishment under God's legal system. The Bible declares that we must repent, to turn away from, our sins.

"And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God." Luke 13:3 (NLT)

Thankfully, God has made a way for us to be set free, and that's not all, but to also become children of God!

That brings us to number two, you must have a correct understanding of who Jesus is and what He's done for you.

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10 (ESV)

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (ESV)

God sent His Son to take the punishment we rightly deserve by dying on the cross. The Bible shows us that;

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 (NLT)



Now, because Jesus has payed our fine, we can legally be set free and declared righteous before God. We are adopted as children of God!

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13 (ESV)

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6 (ESV)

Now what you have to do is come to God, confess and repent of your sins, then place your trust in Jesus. If you do that, you will be forgiven of all your sins. You will become a child of God!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

The big question is, when are you going to do that? Don't wait because you never know how long you have. Every day, 155,000 people die in this world. I don't want you to be one minute too late. Repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus and you will never again be fatherless.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Just leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Jesus The Son Of God

Walking down the street, you could ask 97% of Americans if they believe in God and they will say yes. Most likely, anyone reading this blog will say yes to believing in God. That does not mean that we believe in the same God though, it simply means that we believe in God.

But let's narrow it a bit and just go with those of us who profess to be Christian. To be a Christian and not believe in God makes no sense, so let's step it up a notch. Most people in churches, depending on the church, will agree with me when I say Jesus is God. In fact, in many evangelistic circles it's a test of not only the sincerity in a person's salvation prayer, but a litmus test to an understanding of God. But the question must be asked, by believing that Jesus is God, does that automatically mean that we are in agreement with each other? To say that Jesus is God doesn't necessarily mean the triune God. The misconception that we are automatically speaking about the same Jesus just because we both believe He is God is detrimental to our understanding of who God is and ultimately to our prayer life.

For example, do we believe in the same God as the Jews?

If you say yes, as many do, and just simply chalk it up to us having a different view of Jesus... than you need to ask yourself if you believe God is Jesus. If you believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is Jesus, then we do not believe in the same God as the Jews. The Hebrews have an incomplete view of God, as do those who lower Jesus' standing in the Godhead whenever they try to justify the differing views of Jesus.

As I said in starting this series, having a correct view of God is paramount to prayer, and our understanding of Jesus as God is just as crucial.

So how do you answer the above question? Do you believe God is Jesus? How does just asking the question make you feel?

"Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" John 14:8-9 (NASB)

There are many passages that show the oneness of the Father and Jesus as God. Like the one above, John 10:30 is easily the most revealing of the Trinity doctrine. “I and the Father are one.” (NASB)

The religious leaders were so enraged that they picked up rocks to stone Him because He was claiming to be God. There is no doubt that Scripture reveals Jesus to be God. I want to leave you with that thought in mind. In the next post we will take a look at Jesus again but through the eyes of prayer.

Elohim: Creator

 

In the last post we looked at how the traditional Jewish view of Elohim is the Name of God as the Creator and Judge of the universe. The main focus was on God as creator. This post will look at the second part, praying to God as the Judge of the universe.

 

I would like to point out one other thing about the name Elohim before we proceed. The name Elohim is unique to Hebraic thinking: it occurs only in Hebrew and in no other ancient Semitic language. What makes it unique is the fact that the masculine plural ending does not mean “gods” when referring to God, since the name is mainly used with singular verb forms and with adjectives and pronouns in the singular. This is one of the evidences in the Old Testament that reveal the plurality within the Godhead.

Okay, on to the main point. Scripture reveals two separate judgements that will take place.

One is the judgment seat of Christ, also known as the Bema seat.

2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Now let me point out that this judgment does not determine salvation, which is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), but rather it is the time when believers will give an account of their lives in service to Christ. Our position in Christ is the foundation spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. That which we build upon the foundation can be the “gold, silver, and precious stones” of good works in Christ’s name, or it may be the “wood, hay and stubble” of a life of just getting by. It reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. However, 1 Corinthians 3:15 makes clear that this is not concerning salvation, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” The Judgment Seat of Christ will reveal all of this.

 

With that in mind, knowing that I will be standing before Christ and giving an account of my life, I'm humbled. My prayers should turn from being those of what He can give me to asking for ways that I can be of greater service to Him! I don't want to “be saved, yet so as through fire.” I want to make Him proud. So with Christ as my Judge, my prayers turn to seeking every opportunity I can to make Him proud. Which ironically brings us to the second judgment.

The second judgment is the Great White Throne judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15. This is the judgement where the unbelievers will stand before God, not to determine salvation, rather, these are those who have rejected Christ in life and are therefore already doomed to the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12 says that unbelievers will be “judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Those who have rejected Christ as Lord and Savior will be judged based on their works alone, and because the Bible tells us that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Galatians 2:16), they will be spending eternity in hell.

 

This should give us pause.

The Bible is clear that the way to hell is wide and the path to heaven is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). This should turn our prayers toward seeking the lost. The judgement seat of Christ should turn our prayers toward service, and the Great White Throne judgment should turn our prayers toward the lost. I don't think that this is a coincidence. Seeing God as our judge should bring our focus away from ourselves to praying and working toward seeking and saving the lost.

What better service is there than bringing honor and glory to Elohim by seeking the lost?