tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24571737207642103712024-02-20T09:33:37.289-08:00Pigeon Cove PerspectiveEd Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-19548450256934850412024-02-17T10:56:00.000-08:002024-02-17T10:56:37.101-08:00Consistent Christianity<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Surveying
the state of affairs in our nation highlights many areas of critical concern:
spirituality, politics, morality, economics, social relationships, and
education priorities.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is beyond the
scope of this brief essay to deal with the full spectrum of grave concerns that
must be addressed if the health of America is to begin to rebound.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But the most crucial issue is the state of
our nation’s spirituality.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What one
believes about God, the future, and what matters most in life is a chief
determiner in how one deals with every other segment of life.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Such a cumulative collection of beliefs can
be termed a worldview. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A consistently
Christian, or biblical, worldview is that perspective in which every dimension
of life, and one’s understanding of eternity, are governed by biblical
principles and commands.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While we can
lament the decline of Americans who call themselves Christian, of greater
concern is the increasing number of professed followers of Christ who fail to
hold to a biblical worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
majority of Americans (68%) still consider themselves to be “Christian.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But less than half of that number can be
classified as “born again.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">However, a
recent study conducted by Arizona Christian University found that of American
adult “born-again” Christians, only 13% maintain a biblical worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among all adults that number drops to
4%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the situation is
worsening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2020, those numbers were
19% and 6% respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Clearly what
is needed for our troubled nation is the rebirth of a biblical worldview that
drives people to view life as God does and to live according to the principles
revealed in His Word. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creating that
biblical worldview is a task given to the church by Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of His final words before returning to
His Father in heaven were: “Make disciples of all nations … teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus was not interested in nominal followers who claim to believe in
Him but fail to take His truth seriously so that it impacts every dimension of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such is the sad outlook of the
majority of Americans in 2024.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that
is to change, the church must take more seriously this mandate of our
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Researcher
George Barna has diagnosed the dilemma we face: “The impact of arts and
entertainment, government, and public schools is clearly apparent in the shift
from biblical perspectives to a more experiential and emotional form of
decision-making.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To address
this crisis of belief and understanding, local churches and Christian parents
must prioritize biblical instruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Developing a consistently Christian worldview will not happen apart from
genuine disciples of Christ being focused upon this most critical task. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-6330896748370902182023-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:002023-04-04T11:38:45.082-07:00 Our Sick and Decaying Nation<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By nearly any standard of measure, American society
is dying from within.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, we face
multiple international threats to our security and wellbeing.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But such dangers are only exacerbated by the
declining fabric of our own civilization.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">67 years ago, Russia’s Communist leader Nikita
Khrushchev declared, “We will take America without firing a shot. We do not
have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within....”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An objective analysis now indicates that we
are well on our way to seeing America destroyed from within. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While we certainly face threats from the Russians
and the Chinese and other international forces, our greatest perils stem from
the unraveling of the Christian worldview upon which our nation was founded and
which, in some sense, governed the general fabric of our nation throughout its
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">George Washington, in his presidential farewell
address, eloquently stated that “of all the dispositions and habits which lead
to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In vain would that man claim the tribute of
patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness,
these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In 21<sup>st</sup> century America, biblically based
religion and morality are in steep decline, being replaced by a diabolical
mixture of wokeness and depravity that defy God’s authority and creative
design. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A recent poll published by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WSJ</i> indicates that over the past 25 years, those who believe that
patriotism is an important virtue have declined from 70% to 38%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly,
those who are convinced that religion is vital for a healthy society declined
from 62% to 39%. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Respondents who believe that having children
is “very important” fell from 59% to 30%. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Those dramatic changes are not indicative of a
healthy, thriving society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, they
reveal a nation in precipitous decline. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Is there hope for the future?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can these patterns change in a positive
way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians, we understand that
the answer is absolutely “yes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But such
hope can only be founded upon a spiritual awakening wherein society rediscovers
the reality that God’s Word is truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only His moral law can govern a healthy and stable society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the Christian church is called to shine
forth the light of Scripture into this dark and unstable world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God give us courage, wisdom, and
discernment to be a beacon for truth that shows the only path for national
renewal. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The solution for America’s malaise is not ultimately
found in politics or personalities but in an unfaltering commitment to the
power of God to change lives and restore the rotting foundation of our nation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-62796913148254520782022-06-29T08:11:00.000-07:002022-06-29T08:11:32.426-07:00Waning National Conviction<p>As we approach the midpoint of 2022, there are many
disconcerting trends that are troubling our nation. Skyrocketing inflation and energy costs are
hurting all but the very wealthy. The
wave of violence and crime continues to afflict particularly large urban areas
but is being felt everywhere. Moral
decay persistently tears at the fabric of human society as we drift further
from the patterns ordained by the Creator.
Weakened families are failing to provide stable environments in which
children may be established to provide sound, courageous leadership for future
generations. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the root of these degenerative patterns is a waning
national conviction of the existence of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gallop’s poll conducted in May 2022 reveals the lowest percentage of
Americans expressing belief in God ever recorded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year 81% of people surveyed answered
that they believe in God – down six percentage points from the 87% who
expressed their belief in God in the 2017 poll.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When this question was first asked in 1944, and twice
annually through the 1950s and 1960s, consistently 98% of respondents indicated
their belief in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 2011 the
percentage had dropped to 92%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, over
the past decade, the pattern of disbelief has fallen over 10 percentage
points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When nearly 20% of the population refuses to acknowledge
that there is a God to whom they are ultimately accountable, such disbelief
will inevitably affect human behavior and social trends in a negative way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of those degenerative patterns were
noted earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, most Americans understand that all is not well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Gallop poll released on June 15<sup>th</sup>
indicated that half of Americans rate the overall state of moral values in the
US as “poor.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another 37% rated morals
as “only fair.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not surprisingly, these
are the worst ratings received in the 20 years that Gallop has been asking the
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our task as God-fearing followers of Christ is to ensure
that our lives daily reflect the conviction that there is a God in heaven who
rules in the affairs of men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture
declares that only a fool tells himself that there is no God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our time we see many highly educated
people living as fools. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If there is hope for America, it will be found in a renewed
commitment to our national Pledge of Allegiance which affirms that we are “one
nation, under God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether as
individuals, or as a nation, living as if there is no God will lead inevitably
to devastating consequences such as we are witnessing in these perilous
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we celebrate Independence Day, let us pray that the God
of mercy will send revival and renewal across our troubled land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-2855993536971713722021-10-27T07:14:00.000-07:002021-10-27T07:14:17.846-07:00A Spiritual Pandemic<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We have been
overwhelmed since early 2020 with a daily barrage of information about the
impact of the COVID-19 virus sweeping the world.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And we have all been impacted personally with
the illness itself, the fallout of social restrictions, the death of friends
and family, the general chaos that has impacted most of the world, or some
other dimension of this plague.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Except
for those who look favorably upon the heavy hand of government control, this
pandemic cannot end soon enough.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is, however, another plague which has been causing
chaos and destruction at a spiritual level long before the coronavirus
existed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m referring to the
destructive effects of the plague of pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Family Association Journal</i> observes Porn Awareness Week October 24-31 and
highlights the devastating impact of pornography, not just upon society at
large but also within the Christian church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Covenanteyes.com,
an online accountability resource, offers help for those battling the lure of
pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cites statistics from
2018 which reveal that one in five youth pastors and one in seven senior
pastors use porn regularly and are currently struggling [with addiction].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian
women say they watch porn at least once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The impact of pornography has not declined
in the past three years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently, 35%
of all Internet downloads are porn related.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As
Christians we must take seriously this often-secret sin which has become
exponentially worse since the advent of the Internet and especially with the
prevalence of smart phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, 95%
of American teens have access to a smartphone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And 90% of teenage porn use happens on their smartphones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal</i> notes that in 2019 the leading
porn site created 170 years of new content and garnered 42 billion site visits,
with 115 million <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">daily</i> visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is a single website.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ted Shimer
has written a new book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Freedom
Fight: The New Drug and the Truths That Set Us Free.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He states, “This book is for anyone who wants
to know the pathway to freedom for themselves or so they can be equipped to
help others.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thefreedomfight.org offers
a biblically-based, no-cost recovery program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you, or
others you know, struggle with this pervasive sin that is wreaking havoc in
both the church and the world, I urge you to seek spiritual assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture commands us to “bring every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).<o:p></o:p></span></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-29928185006124075222021-09-09T10:49:00.000-07:002021-09-09T10:49:35.594-07:00A Critical Misdiagnosis<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">One does not have to be a news junky to be aware of the
growing lawlessness and corruption that is sweeping across our land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Open violence that is tolerated by many who
advocate reducing police presence in our inner cities is a growing threat to
those populations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outright lies are
being told to influence public opinion on matters dealing with health issues
and legitimate treatment options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retail
outlets in certain parts of our country are facing a wave of theft that is generated
by a refusal to prosecute criminal offenders below a certain level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parental rights and responsibilities are
being undermined by public officials who believe they know better than moms and
dads how children should be taught and disciplined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Efforts are being made to cancel major
dimensions of our history, thus preventing future generations from learning the
lessons of the past.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is the source of such aberrant behavior?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do humans engage in actions that ultimately
harm those they profess to care most about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What drives powerful people to
espouse policies and actions that are detrimental to those they are charged
with leading?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is our nation divided
in a manner not seen since the Civil War?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wrong answer to these questions is at the root of what
ails America these days.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In May of this year, 1000 Americans were surveyed to determine
their worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A key finding of this
study revealed that 51% of adults claimed to have a biblical worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in actuality, their responses indicated
that just 6% actually have one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
biblical worldview is an outlook that integrates the Christian faith into every
dimension of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible does not
just address how and when we should gather for worship, it provides principles
that must govern behavior 24/7.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Among the discoveries of this study is that just 33% of the
51% “believe that human beings are born with a sinful nature and can only be
saved from the consequences of sin by Jesus Christ.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means that only about 17% of our
population recognizes our inherent sinful nature and that the only cure is found
in the work of Jesus Christ as Redeemer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Throughout history, the depravity of the human heart has
been on full display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Old
Testament era, children were offered as burnt offerings to the heathen god Moloch.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today they are aborted from the wombs of
their mothers in service to the god of personal freedom and convenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>National leaders in ancient Israel abused
their authority, led the nation astray, and brought the crushing judgment of
God upon themselves and their people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, we are in danger of suffering a national collapse
because our collective conscience fails to recognize the inherent depravity of
the human heart which can only be cured by the power of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So long as we blame our social ills on
educational methodology, or the color of our skin, or the level of the minimum
wage, or any other peripheral issue, we will never get to the root of the
problem.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are each born a sinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only the power of the gospel can change the human heart so that one can begin
to reflect a lifestyle that honors the God who made us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a church, our task is to effectively
communicate the gospel message so that individuals can be changed and families
can build their lives upon God’s eternal truth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any other foundation will crumble over the
course of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-60128010381360104082021-04-28T10:21:00.000-07:002021-04-28T10:21:58.198-07:00The Perilous Perspective of Gen Z<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The current
crop of teen-agers and young adults born between 1997 and 2012 has been dubbed
Gen Z.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Raised on the Internet and social
media, what the majority of these individuals actually believe should cause
great alarm in the Christian church.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In
2018 Barna research characterized Gen Z as the “first truly post-Christian
generation,” with only 4% holding to a biblical worldview.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Since then, the trends have only worsened.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A new study
conducted last year collected data from 1,503 young adults ages 13 to 21 between
June 15 and July 17, 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From that
study, Barna researchers determined that two-thirds (65%) believe that “many
religions can lead to eternal life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This figure was up from 58% in 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The moral
relativism dominating this generation of young people was further seen in the
fact that 31% “strongly agree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over
time, based on society”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This number
increased from 25% in 2018.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another 43% agree
“somewhat” with this perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To look at
the situation from a different standpoint, only 10% of those individuals
surveyed “strongly disagree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over
time, based on society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Malachi 2:15
states that God ordained marriage because “He seeks godly offspring.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I.e., God expects parents to have children
and to raise them to know and honor Him, fully committed to a biblical
worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is apparent that many
professing Christians today are failing in this most critical mission. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the
primary tasks of the church is to encourage, support, and come alongside
Christian parents to accomplish this God-given responsibility toward their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, the parents themselves must be
absolutely committed to the unchanging authority of Scripture before they can
instill this perspective in their sons and daughters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In one of
his final addresses to the nation of Israel that he had led for 40 years, Moses
expressed the urgency of imparting this outlook to their children in this way: “And
these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach
them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:6-7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, the constant, consuming passion of
parents must be to ensure their children embrace the unchanging truth of God’s
revelation as the foundation for their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The importance of this priority has not changed in 3500 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-32199221597687432882020-03-23T13:17:00.000-07:002020-03-23T13:17:58.029-07:00Christ & Covid-19<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Daily, it seems, we are inundated with messages from
every imaginable type of business, from banks to insurance companies to tour
guides to vitamin distributors to automobile dealerships– all expressing their
response to the current crisis creating havoc across our land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the world, churches and other
Christian ministries have curtailed their public activities out of a concern to
cooperate with efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 and to mitigate its
potential impact upon us all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Looking through the lens of a biblical worldview,
how should Christians view this present crisis? It is easy to be driven by a
fear that belies our professed faith in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, on the other extreme, it is possible to
ignore the present realties and act as if Christians are impervious to the
potential impact of the coronavirus threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither response reflects a truly biblical perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what should we do and think?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The essence of a Christian response will
include the following dimensions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rest</i>
in the sovereignty of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The God who
spoke the universe into existence continues to providentially direct the course
of history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inception of this
pandemic is no more of a disruption of God’s plan than were the Ten Plagues
that rained down upon the Egyptians as a means of freeing Israel from
slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord gave Job a strong lesson
in the realities of life, reminding him that God’s infinite power, dominion,
and wisdom providentially direct all that happens, from arranging the constellations
of the stars to the movement of mammoth sea creatures to when mountain goats
give birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing happens in this
universe apart from the sovereign will of God, including the spread of
Covid-19.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humanly speaking, the actions
of Chinese government officials may have initially facilitated the spread of
the virus, but ultimately God was accomplishing His purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Second, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">recognize</i>
the fragility of life in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Millions who a month ago may have been living a care-free life, without
regard for the possibility of imminent sickness and death, are now overwhelmed
with concern for themselves and their loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing like a pandemic to bring a solid dose
of a reality which has been the message of Scripture for generations! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over 2500 years ago Isaiah declared, “All
flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grass withers, the flower fades, because
the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely people are grass” (40:6-7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In light of this tenuous hold on life, we
should pray Moses’ words in Ps. 90, “So teach us to number our days, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Third, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">realize</i>
that Covid-19 is not a sign that the end is near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are enterprising, self-styled prophecy
experts who seek to capitalize on every major upheaval in society as a sign that
the “end times” have come upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Newspaper editors and internet news sites have long known the axiom that
“If It Bleeds, It Leads.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I.e.,
sensational news stories about big trouble are a surefire way to attract
readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so such stories invariably
make the headlines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given this reality, we
must resist efforts to claim that this current pandemic is a sign of the end any
more than were the 14<sup>th</sup>-century plague of Black Death, the 18<sup>th</sup>-century<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellow Fever outbreak, the 19<sup>th</sup>-century
Cholera Pandemic, and the early 20<sup>th</sup>-century Spanish Flu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These periods of intense disease killed many
millions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is estimated that the
Spanish Flu alone killed at least 50 million worldwide, a number that dwarfs
even worse-case scenarios for Covid-19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And fourth, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">redeem</i>
the opportunities this crisis affords.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul
wrote to the Ephesians, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The curse of sin is manifesting itself in
unusual ways these days. But we who know Christ are charged with living
carefully and wisely, taking advantage of the open doors for ministry that God
provides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we are not able to
maintain “business as usual” public gatherings right now, God is still at work
and using His people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us be praying
for His guidance in these regards and for His purposes to be accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will be glorified through Covid-19 in ways
we could not have anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us,
therefore, remember to pray what Jesus taught us: “Hallowed be Your name. Your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And remember that God works through the hearts of kings and those with
civil authority (Prov. 21:1), so let us be praying for them to be filled with
wise guidance as we navigate these uncharted waters.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-14763071236372325362019-11-28T07:08:00.000-08:002019-11-28T07:08:01.966-08:00Thankful for the Pilgrims<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Recently I watched a series of student interviews at a
“Christian” college in the Midwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were asked whether it is appropriate to celebrate Thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vast majority answered negatively, citing
concerns about oppression and colonization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The few that affirmed the holiday did so only as it pertains to the joys
of feasting and family gatherings, apart from any historical significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, these students were ignorant of the
real history of Thanksgiving and demonstrate the impact of indoctrination by
“enlightened” high school teachers and college professors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If such a perspective dominates the next
generation we are not only in danger of losing our true history but also of
squandering the freedoms upon which our nation was founded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I write, it is Thanksgiving Day 2019, a year before
the 400<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims in the New
World.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this day I am most thankful
for the blessings of salvation through the finished work of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thankful for the joys of family and the
fellowship with other like-minded Christian believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I am thankful for the steadfast faith,
love, and courage that motivated the 102 Pilgrims to sail across the Atlantic
and establish a beachhead of Christian civilization in North America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nearly half died in the terrible rigors of that first
year in the New World.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, they
struggled on, driven by a love for God and desire to establish a civilization
where their descendants could freely serve the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>H.U. Westermayer has observed, “The Pilgrims
made seven times more graves than homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No Americans have been more impoverished than these, who, nevertheless,
set aside a day of thanksgiving.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes, they planned a time to publicly declare their
gratitude to the Lord for His blessings upon them in that first year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the hardships, they were filled with
praise to the God they served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 53
survivors were joined by 90 Indians from a nearby village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together they feasted and celebrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God used the natives to provide instruction
and assistance on how to survive in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thought of colonial oppression did not
cross their minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attributing such motivation
to the Pilgrims reflects the distortion of warped minds devoted to rewriting
history by attributing to the Pilgrims the sins of their descendants <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Gov. William Bradford</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">described their
mentality before sailing from Europe: “They knew they were pilgrims, and lifted
up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The future was uncertain, but their trust was
in the God who would guide their voyage and the initial settlement at
Plymouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such an example inspires us to
persevere in the face of life’s challenges four centuries later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-54317234222853058832019-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:002019-04-19T10:18:28.745-07:00Disengaging from the Bible<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Research released recently by Barna indicates that
approximately one-half of American adults (48%) are “Bible disengaged.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I.e. such people interact with the Bible
infrequently, if at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has minimal
impact upon their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, more than one-third (35%) never
use the Bible in 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other end
of the spectrum, only 5% (down from 9% last year) are “Bible centered,” meaning
they frequently interact with the Bible so that its truth concretely shapes
their relationships and choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These numbers are more than merely academic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lifestyles of many reflect the real
consequences of ignoring the revelation of their Creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The breakdown of families, the scourge of
drug addition, the proliferation of pornography, the plague of gender-dysphoria,
and the unending violence are all the fruit of a society that has turned its
back upon God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is easy to complain about the nature of the
politicians that represent us locally and nationally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lack of character and the absence of wisdom and integrity are endemic among the
political class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many espouse certain
perspectives on the campaign trail that seem to evaporate when established in
office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the reality is that the
paucity of honor and moral strength among our politicians is ultimately merely
a reflection of the populace that elected them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Consider from where we have fallen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>American statesman Daniel Webster (1850-1852)
captured the essence of the Pilgrims’ worldview: “Finally, let us not forget
the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their
high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and
labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the
elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their
institutions, civil, political, or literary. Let us cherish these sentiments,
and extend this influence still more widely; in the full conviction, that that
is the happiest society which partakes in the highest degree of the mild and peaceful
spirit of Christianity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If there is hope for America it will be found in
emulating the spirit of our Pilgrim forefathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our homes, our schools, our governments,
and our churches, we must recapture a love for the Word of God and make it the
supreme arbiter of moral and spiritual truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Unless the core values of our nation change, we will
continue on the fast track to societal and national disintegration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians, we must pursue the truth of
God’s Word as our greatest passion in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And that truth will govern how we spend our time, how we vote, how we
train our children, how we worship, and what our expectations are of the
future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-46867453919352315462019-02-14T06:32:00.000-08:002019-02-14T06:32:11.551-08:00Evangelism: The Urgency and Necessity<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Among the core Christian beliefs is the existence of a
place called heaven and the horrific reality of hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When time has expired, every person will find
himself in one place or the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
fact that many choose to ignore this truth in no way lessens the gravity of the
prospect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scripture unambiguously charges those who know the
truth to share that life-changing message with those still in unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message of the gospel sets men free, and
we are to shine as lights in this dark world (Phil. 2:15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to make disciples of all nations
(Matt. 28:19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to be witnesses
for Christ to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we are to follow the example of Paul and pray with burdened hearts
that the lost may be saved (Rom. 10:1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those who fill this vital role as bearers of the truth are lauded in
Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings
good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who
proclaims salvation …”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no function
in life of greater importance than being a bearer of the message of salvation
through Christ alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yet, in the changing cultural landscape of the
Christian church, evangelism is becoming increasingly ignored, even
opposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barna research recently
released the results of a study which found that almost half (47%) of
Millennials agreed at least somewhat that it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wrong</i> to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different
faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These same Millennials indicated that they
are confident in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> to respond when
their faith is questioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are
quite reticent to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Among older Christians – Boomers and Elders – only
about 20% hold to a negative view of sharing their faith for the purpose of
evangelism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the perspective is definitely
tied to one’s generational standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
given the waning influence of senior believers and the growing impact of the
youthful outlook, this development is of serious concern for the future of the
Christian church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Old Testament illustrates what happens when a
generation drifts from the core beliefs of their parents (Judges 2:10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sorry events recorded in the subsequent
chapters of that book serve as stark reminders of the importance of both
holding to the faith and passing it on to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Christian’s chief end is to glorify God and to
enjoy Him forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One cannot carry out
that mandate and keep the faith buttoned up inside.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-7630789880746544652018-10-26T12:43:00.002-07:002018-10-26T12:43:49.953-07:00Who Really Is Jesus Christ?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One would think that of all people in the United
States, evangelical Christians would get this question right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one would be wrong to make that
assumption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ligonier’s 2018 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">State
of Theology </i>survey reveals evangelicals’ reaction to the statement: “Jesus
is the first and greatest being created by God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>73% strongly agreed; just 14% strongly
disagreed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These results reveal the abysmal state of
Christological understanding among the great majority of professing evangelicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the full spectrum of professing Christians
were surveyed, doubtless the results would be even worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The assumption typically is that the
theological acumen of evangelicals is markedly better than nominal Christianity
as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in this case there is no
good news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The nature of the person of Christ was the subject of
intense debate in the early centuries of the Christian church, leading to the
development of the Nicene Creed in 325 and further refined and expanded at the
Council of Chalcedon in 451.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the
Nicene Creed declares that Jesus Christ is “very God of very God, begotten, not
made, being of one substance with the Father.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The statement proposed in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">State of Theology</i> survey reflects the ancient heresy taught by Arius
in the 4<sup>th</sup> century, who viewed the Son of God as being created by the
Father and therefore less than fully God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the same deviation from the truth promulgated today by the Jehovah’s
Witnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If Jesus was not, as the Council of Chalcedon
declared, “perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood, truly God and also
truly man,” then He was not capable of paying the infinite price necessary to
redeem us from our sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Clearly the 21<sup>st</sup> century church has much
work to do in refuting the ancient heresies which have begun to reemerge among
our ranks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much of Christian
preaching and teaching is currently focused on practical matters of how to deal
with life’s day-to-day crises that we are losing the critical center of our
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the Son of God is not co-equal
with the Father and with the Holy Spirit then we have lost the essence of the
Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the Trinity,
lesser issues fade into insignificance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-70790593596557237452018-09-10T10:27:00.000-07:002018-09-10T10:27:02.436-07:00Forty-Five Years and Counting<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To the GCF Family:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sunday, September 16, 2018 marks the 45<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the formation of the new church body which would eventually
become Grace Christian Fellowship, a member congregation of the Presbyterian
Church in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of you have been
involved since the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of
you have joined the church family in the years since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The vision driving the founding of this church was a
desire to remain true to the orthodox teachings of the Christian faith in the
face of theological liberalism infiltrating the mainline Presbyterian
Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, the inroads of compromise
and lack of theological integrity continue to plague organized Christianity
across our land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pressures from secular
society are taking a toll on numerous denominations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than standing for biblical orthodoxy,
many choose the path of capitulation and compromise, leading to churches that
gradually are losing their Christian distinctives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Semper
Reformanda</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, Reformed and always reforming, has been the battle
cry of churches in the heritage of the Protestant Reformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This phrase doesn’t mean that we are always
to be adapting to the latest trends and demands of secular society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, the focus of these two Latin words is
that churches must be continually striving to re-orient our beliefs to the
absolute authority of Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
human tendency is to compromise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
burden of such Reformed churches is that our beliefs and practices must
continually be brought back into line with the Word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is our goal at Grace Christian
Fellowship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our loyalty is not ultimately
to the traditions of the past but to the abiding relevance of God’s eternal
truth in the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As we look to the future, let us pray and work and
serve together so that in the years to come we will remain true to our founding
vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is much work to be done to
honor the name of Jesus Christ and to address the evident needs of the
tri-state area in which we live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thousands of people in our neighborhoods lack a fundamental
understanding of the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through Christ
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us pray for increased zeal
that we may more effectively be “blameless and harmless, children of God
without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom
[we] shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God has gifted each of you to contribute to the
ministry of this congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us
encourage each other as we serve the Lord together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God’s hand of blessing rest upon our
labors so that much fruit is produced for His glory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-32749803825527127532018-07-10T07:25:00.000-07:002018-07-10T07:25:38.944-07:00American Christianity and the Dodo Bird<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> If you listen to many voices in the mainstream media,
it is only a matter of time before American Christianity goes the way of
long-extinct Dodo bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re told that
this nation is following in the secularizing footsteps of Western Europe where
many once-prominent churches have become museums instead of houses of worship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> A recent article touted this headline: “The Percentage
of Young Adults with No Religious Affiliation Has Nearly Quadrupled Since
1986.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If accurate, that’s scary,
because the future of Christianity requires the passing on of the faith to each
succeeding generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears there
is a breakdown in this process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> But upon further examination, the picture is not
nearly so dire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier this year
Harvard University published research that clearly demonstrates that America is
a strong “exceptional outlier” to the secularization pattern that has happened
elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, mainline denominations are
in precipitous decline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Churches that
deny the historicity of Jesus, the reality of sin, the biblical view of
marriage as only between two heterosexual adults, and ordain homosexual clergy
are rapidly hemorrhaging members, many of whom are choosing churches that
continue to stand for the orthodox and historic Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast, our own denomination, the
Presbyterian Church in America, has continued a pattern of slow, consistent
growth, with an increase in total membership each of the last four years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> People are demonstrating with their feet that they
care about theology and real, practical Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a simple reality that those churches
which have forsaken orthodox, biblical theology are experiencing dramatic
decline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> What of the rapid growth of the youthful “nones” –
young adults with no religious connection?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Research indicates that of those young people who left the faith, only
11 percent said they had a strong faith in childhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The remaining 89 percent indicated that they
came from a home where there was a weak adherence to faith and practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As one observer commented, “It’s not a news
flash that kids don’t tend to hang onto what they never had in the first
place.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The facts demonstrate that there remains a strong,
vibrant Christian community in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Harvard research found that the percentage of Americans who attend
church more than weekly, pray daily, and believe the Bible to be a wholly
reliable guide for their lives has remained absolutely consistent for at least
the past 50 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is not a
tiny percentage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One-third of Americans
pray multiple times a day – this in stark contrast to the average in other
countries of one in 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, those
who take their faith seriously, as a percentage of all religious people, have
grown from 39 percent in 1989 to the current 47 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The bottom line is that God continues to build a
strong Christian presence in this nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that is no reason for complacency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, these trends highlight the urgency for Christian parents to devote
themselves with renewed vigor to the mandate of Deuteronomy 6: “These words
which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them
diligently to your children . . .”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
if you want your church to grow, remain unalterably committed to the historic Christian
faith taught in the New Testament and recovered during the Reformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-83117057931698498142018-05-07T08:31:00.000-07:002018-05-07T08:31:31.335-07:00Descending toward Destruction<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Apostle Peter reminds his readers that God used
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an object lesson for the future of
humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text states that God
turned the cities into ashes, “making them an example to those who afterward
would live ungodly” (2 Pet. 2:6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
other words, if individuals, cities, or even whole nations, choose to live in a
manner that flagrantly violates the moral law of God, they can expect similar
treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, as the Creator, God has
many means at His disposal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case
of these two cities, He used fire and brimstone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of the Canaanites, He used
Israel’s army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon His own people, He
used a plague of disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The means is
inconsequential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The divine purpose in
doing so is unambiguous: to drive humanity to fear the Lord and to walk in His
ways. We cannot devote ourselves to sinful lifestyles without suffering
inevitable consequences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In America today there is an urgent need to reconsider
the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Recently a random sample of 1,000 adults was asked about certain
family-related behaviors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Large
majorities endorsed such behaviors, either because they regard the actions as
“morally acceptable” or because they don’t even rise to the level of being a
moral issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the latter perspective,
the thinking is that each person can define right or wrong for himself as there
is no absolute standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Examples include the following: getting a divorce is
acceptable to 77% of the respondents; sexual intercourse between unmarried male
and female adults was approved by 71%; having a baby outside of marriage was
acceptable to 69%, and viewing pornographic pictures and videos was
unobjectionable to 58%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">George Barna, who directed the research, further noted
that at least 15% and as much as 40% of American adults do not consider such behavior
a moral issue at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These people
believe they are free to do whatever is right in their own eyes, with no divine
disapproval to be concerned about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Beyond the concrete example that the destruction of
these two cities presents is the general warning in Galatians 6:7: “Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has revealed His mind in the
Scriptures for our benefit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us take
heed and proclaim this truth to our land while God grants us more time to
repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation through Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-88322476678136813862017-11-08T11:39:00.000-08:002017-11-08T11:39:04.675-08:00The Christian Response to Overt Evil<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As Americans, and as Christians, we are reeling from
the massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX on Sunday. We have more questions than answers. We grieve for this tiny community which lost
so many lives in an attack driven by unadulterated evil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last month these words of John Calvin, from nearly 5
centuries ago, came to my attention.
They remain sound advice for us who face tragedies of our own time. In 2 Samuel 1 King David is grieving the loss
of King Saul and his son, David’s beloved friend Jonathan. Expanding upon the Scriptural account, Calvin
comments as follows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
can see how God is afflicting the world today. Even people who are strangers to
us are related to us, because we are all made in the image of God, and have a
common nature which should be a mutual bond of love and brotherhood. Then there
is a far closer union between ourselves and the suffering of believers who are
scattered here and there in all churches which God has chastened on every side.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Indeed,
we see troubles everywhere; we see fires burning; we hear that the throats
of poor innocent people have been cut; that they have been subjected to mockery
and contempt, and that they are being led to the slaughter. We see the enemies
of truth ready to annihilate everything, and we do not know what God is
intending to do. Nevertheless, see how his sword is unsheathed. The fire,
as I have said, is kindled and we do not know how far it will burn.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let
us thus allow ourselves to be genuinely touched by mourning, anxiety and grief
so that we will not be careless, hardened, or unfeeling over what our poor
brothers are going through. Instead, let us have the kind of compassion towards
them which members of the same body owe to one another. On the other hand,
let us not give way to despair, like those who have become so grieved and full
of lamentation that they refuse the remedy of consolation in God. Rather, let
us confess our sins, knowing that our savior has not ceased to pour out his
blessings upon us, even though we have sinned. Then, in the midst of our
sorrows, let us recognize all our offenses so that he may show himself merciful
to us, as he always has done to those who clearly take refuge in him. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">(John Calvin, <i>Sermon
on <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Sam%201" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Samuel 1</span></a></i>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Samuel%20156" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">156</span></a><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Samuel%202" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">2</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The conflict with evil has not abated in 500
years. May God help us to “mourn with
those who mourn” while maintaining our confidence in the Lord’s sovereign
purposes. Let us support in our prayers
those who have experienced such tragic loss at the hands of a madman. And let us not fail to recognize the fragile grip
we have on life in this world, how quickly it can be shattered, and how vital
it is to make each moment count in light of eternity to come.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-49968902312713454932017-07-29T07:08:00.000-07:002017-07-29T07:08:25.178-07:00The Cure for Doubt<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A recent Barna research release indicates that
approximately two-thirds of Christians have or currently face periods of doubt
with regard to their faith and relationship with the Lord. Precedent for dominating doubt goes all the way
back to the first century, One of Jesus’
specially chosen apostles would be forever nick-named “Doubting Thomas” because
he refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could
personally see and touch him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">According to church tradition, Thomas overcame his
doubts and eventually took the Gospel of Christ to the Indian subcontinent in
AD 52, ministering in what are the present-day states of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu" title="Tamil Nadu"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-decoration-line: none;">Tamil Nadu</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala" title="Kerala"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerala</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. There
he baptized the first Christians of that region, founding what is now known as
the Mar Thoma Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How should Christians today deal with their
doubts? We no longer have the Lord
physically present to reassure our wavering faith and dispel our doubts as did
the Apostle Thomas. But we do have a
secure foundation upon which to rest our faith, quell our fears, and satisfy
our questions. And that is the biblical
revelation of the character and purposes of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonian
Christians that God would ensure their establishment in the faith. Furthermore, He would <i>protect</i> them from the onslaught of attacks from the evil one,
designed to disrupt and destroy their faith in the Lord (2 Thess. 3:3). Similarly, the Apostle Jude, using the same
Greek word, assures his readers that God is able to <i>keep</i> them from stumbling in their faith and to eventually present
them in a sinless, perfected state on the Day of Resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Left to our own strength and wills, we would have
reason to worry and doubt our ability to follow the Lord to the end of this
earthly pilgrimage. But, thankfully, our
long-term spiritual welfare rests upon the promises God has made to His own,
not upon our own ability to navigate the temptations and spiritual minefields
of this world. So take heart, Christian,
our faithful God will never give up on you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-18721520696040666232017-04-05T12:36:00.002-07:002017-04-05T12:36:54.346-07:00A Reason for Optimism<div class="MsoNormal">
One would have to be living in a remote location untouched
by the media to fail to grasp the seemingly inexorable drift into depravity
which has overtaken our society in recent decades. While we were always a nation of sinners,
that sin is now more open and embraced than ever before. In many ways our moral code has been turned
on its head, with large segments of society embracing lifestyles which were
once nearly universally condemned as evil<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But a survey of 2,030 Americans from all fifty states, conducted
by the American Bible Society during January and February of this year,
provides some reason for hope. 81
percent of those surveyed stated their belief that morals are declining in
America, a 5 percent increase from 2016.
39 percent blame corporate greed; 33 percent consider the entertainment
industry the problem. But 27 percent say
it is due to lack of Bible reading.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Half of Americans are considered “Bible users,” and 81 percent
are “Bible engaged,” “Bible friendly” or “Bible neutral” in contrast to the 19
percent that are either “Bible skeptic” or “Bible antagonistic.” Moreover, 70 percent of Americans are
confident the Bible can bring hope to America, as opposed to the 30% who place
that hope in the president of the United States.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Presently 20 percent of Americans are “Bible engaged,”
meaning they view the Bible as the inspired word of God and read the Bible at
least four times a week. 38 percent are “Bible
friendly,” who consider it God’s word but read it fewer than four times a
week. And there is some evidence that
Bible skepticism may be declining.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall, we need greater engagement with the Word of God
which is indeed “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12).
God’s truth makes plain the subtleties of sin and the deceptions of evil
that have blinded men to the truth. It
is also the means by which God brings spiritual life to the lost souls of men
and women (Rom. 10:17) and fully transforms them thereafter (John 17:17).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There should be no more important objective in your life
than filling your mind with a steady diet of God’s word. These days, Bible reading competes with
texts, tweets, instant messages, and the lure of the information society that
constantly woos us. Caring for the state
of your eternal soul calls upon you to prioritize time in God’s word on a daily
basis. Don’t sell your soul for the Pablum
of the world when you can dine on that which is “sweeter than honey,” on truth
that will endure forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-10643924987262638072016-12-24T07:29:00.000-08:002016-12-24T07:29:36.188-08:00Peace on Earth, Good Will among Men<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This message of comfort and assurance sung by the
angelic choir to the stunned shepherds outside of Bethlehem expresses the
fulfillment of humanity’s quest for tranquility and well-being. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While the inaugural performance of this hymn of praise
debuted over two-thousand years ago, it seems that mankind is further than ever
from realizing its message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Whether you consider the political chaos and fractured
nature of our own society so evident this election year, or whether you look
abroad at the genocide and ethnic/religious cleansing being foisted upon Christian
minorities in the Middle East and Africa – it is apparent that the bulk of
humanity has failed to hear, comprehend, and appropriate the message of the gospel
proclaimed at the birth of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It seems that at least weekly we hear of tragic new
examples of radicalized terrorists perpetrating their devotion to <i>Jihad</i> wherein murder and mayhem are
cardinal doctrines of their perverted faith.
If ever there was a polar opposite of the Christmas message of peace and
good will, it is seen in incidents of terror, such has struck the German
Christmas market earlier this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus taught that “by their fruits you shall know
them.” One could not ask for a clearer
manifestation of the heart and soul of unbridled Islam than what has been made
evident this week. Furthermore, there is
purportedly a list, circulating in Arabic, of American Christian churches to be
targeted by Islamic terrorists this holiday seasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The good news is not only that Jesus came to this
world 2000 years ago but that one day, in the sovereign purposes of God, the
peace and good will proclaimed at His birth will become a reality throughout
the earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Isaiah declared that men “shall beat their swords into
plowshares . . . nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war anymore.” The Prince of
Peace will so rule that “of the increase of His government and peace there will
be no end . . . the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The peace and good will proclaimed by the angels at
Bethlehem will be realized – not through a strong-armed dictatorship – but
through the transforming power of the gospel, a message that changes men’s
hearts from devotion to evil to bringing glory to God in the highest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let us rejoice in the peace we presently know because of
the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
And let us be diligent now and throughout 2017 in proclaiming the only
lasting solution to the turmoil sweeping our land. Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners and to transform their souls by the application of the gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-59643389429167110652016-08-12T08:52:00.001-07:002016-08-12T08:52:34.958-07:00Our Incomprehensible God<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The news was very difficult to read, much less
understand. Why would God ordain such a
thing? It all seemed such a waste from a
Kingdom perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We, who are committed to biblical orthodoxy and
thus know that the Sovereign Lord governs His universe with His almighty arm,
cannot countenance the possibility that tragedies occur outside of His determined
will. Yet, sometimes, we are utterly at
a loss to explain the divine rationale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Over thirty years ago Dr. James Dobson published a
book titled, <i>When God Doesn’t Make Sense</i>. As Christians, if we are honest, we will
admit that at times God’s ways utterly mystify us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God declared through His prophet Isaiah, “For My
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways … for as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts” (55:9-10).
This truth was on bold display recently in Nebraska.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Just over a week ago the Pals family of five was
killed in a car accident as they were on their way to train for missionary service
in Japan. Jamison and Kathryn, both 29,
died with their three children: Ezra 3, Violet, 23 months, and Calvin, 2 ½ months. An “inattentive and distracted” truck driver
rammed “at a high rate of speed” into their minivan. He is charged with five counts of felony
motor vehicle homicide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Three years ago, Jamison wrote a letter to Kathryne,
encouraging her to embrace his vision of serving as a missionary in Japan. He concluded, “It may costs us much, but
would you have it any other way?
Whatever we lose will be worth it if we gain more of Christ …” From an earthly perspective, the Pals lost
everything. But they now enjoy the
presence of Christ, their mission having been completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God is glorified when His saints lay it all on the
line in serving Him. What may appear to
be a setback is in reality another step forward. Sinful, human irresponsibility redounds to
the glory of God when Christians are seen serving Him selflessly and
faithfully. May God raise up, through
their example, so many replacements for the Pals family that, in the end, much
more will be accomplished to further the Kingdom than if the Pals had proceeded
to Japan and served faithfully for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God, give us faith to trust your plan … even when we "don’t get it."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-91819183339616025572016-08-09T11:50:00.000-07:002016-08-09T11:50:14.942-07:00Eight-second Flatline<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Due to unexpected
developments, I recently found myself in a hospital, being monitored by an
electrocardiogram machine. Suddenly, the
staff sprang to action when they noticed that my heart rhythm had
flatlined. For a span of eight seconds I
had no heartbeat, and the pulse remained very sporadic for another minute or
so. After the initial flatline, CPR was
administered, bringing me back to consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Physically, this was a
watershed event which will cast a lingering effect over the remainder of my
earthly pilgrimage.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The subsequent
installation of a pacemaker was meant to ensure that, should my heart again
fail to generate sufficient, internal, electrical impulse to maintain a healthy
pulse, the pacemaker will produce the necessary contraction of the heart muscle
to send life-sustaining blood through the rest of my body.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Considered from a
spiritual perspective, such traumatic events remind us just how tenuous life is
in this world.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If my heart had not
restarted, my soul would be in the presence of God, my body in the grave.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In light of the uncertainty and ultimate
brevity of life, the New Testament urges us to “redeem the time” or, literally,
to “buy up the opportunities.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In other
words, we are charged with making the best use of the days that God grants to
us in this world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Incessantly we must make
decisions on how to use our time and resources. When we thoughtfully evaluate
the relative importance of certain actions in light of eternity, such analysis
will help us sort through the myriad of opportunities that confronts and
potentially distracts us. Not every activity will equally redound to the glory
of God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">May God grant wisdom to
enable us to make choices that reflect our profession of faith.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Too many who bear the name Christian are
bent on merely amassing earthly accomplishments, to the detriment of laying up
treasure in heaven. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">None of us know when
his flatline will become permanent.</span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-10032736290926730302016-03-29T10:46:00.000-07:002016-03-29T10:46:10.311-07:00Selling Your Soul for a Bowl of Soup<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Only the willfully blind fail to observe the obvious
spiritual decline that is permeating these United States of America. The positive indicators, the hard facts, the
statistical analyses all point to the reality that increasing numbers of
Americans are utterly unconcerned about spiritual matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In a generation, from 1974 through 2014, those who
never pray has risen from near zero to 15%; those claiming no religion has
increased from 6% to 21%, and those who never attend religious services has
shot up from 11% to 26%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And, as an ominous sign portending the future, younger
generations are markedly less religious than their elders. If not
anti-religious, many are at least oblivious to such truth and utterly
disinterested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Observers have concluded that millennials (b.
1981—2000) are the least religious in memory and perhaps in all of American
history. Those that follow, variously
referred to as iGen or Gen Z, appear to be even more secular. Compared to youth of the same age a
generation earlier, participation in religious services has declined by 50% and
personal involvement in spiritual activities has fallen five-fold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If the present practices of these young people serve
as a harbinger of the future, there is no sign of change in the pattern of
plummeting spiritual interest across our land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A recent book, <i>Esau
Rising: Ancient Adversaries and the War for America’s Soul,</i> documents that
many in American society are driven by the same self-interest, the same
disregard for spiritual values, and the same preoccupation with fleshly,
temporal concerns as was ancient Esau.
They are literally selling their souls for passing pleasures, fads, and
a preoccupation with social media – the moral equivalent of Esau’s bowl of
stew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We who know Christ are charged with discipling future
generations and instilling in them eternal values and biblical convictions that
will drive them to follow the Lord and not the latest trends on Twitter. Let us pray for discernment, wisdom and
divine grace that will enable us to prevail in the battle for the souls of our
youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-89530596864044101672016-03-16T10:45:00.000-07:002016-03-16T10:45:04.323-07:00Does Presidential Character Matter?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Twenty-four years ago, the slogan that put Bill
Clinton in the White House was, “It’s the economy, stupid.” I.e., despite other concerns, including the
personal character and beliefs of the candidates running, the one issue that
should override all others is the need to elect the best candidate to maintain
and improve the American economy. Enough
voters were convinced by this rhetorical ploy to elect Mr. Clinton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, six election cycles later, Americans are again
faced with a critical decision. And we
are once more bombarded with rhetoric that could well be framed as, “It’s
immigration, stupid,” “It’s climate
change, stupid,” or “It’s financial fairness, stupid.” That is, a candidate’s character is again
deemphasized in favor of his views on certain other political issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If we evaluate the election from a biblical
perspective, character must rise to the top in terms of God’s order of
priorities. Romans chapter 13 declares
that civil authorities are to serve as “God’s ministers” to enforce right and
wrong by controlling law-breakers and protecting the innocent. Right and wrong, good and evil, are valuations
that civil government must make and enforce.
But this begs the obvious question: who determines what is good and must
be protected and what is evil and must be punished?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For those who adhere to the authority of the Bible,
the clear answer is that civil government must reflect <i>God’s </i>view on the controversial moral issues of the day. It should not be the barometer of fickle public
opinion. Rather, the timeless and
unchanging standard of Scripture should inform the decision-making of
government leaders in their assessment of how to enforce right and wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So, when you enter the voting booth in this primary
season, your principal concern should be: which candidate’s character best
reflects the truth of Scripture and therefore puts him/her in the best position
to enforce legal standards that mirror God’s eternal law?</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Proverbs 29:2 captures the essence of the
matter: “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; but when the
wicked rules, the people groan.”</span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-37147870045095260962015-04-03T12:33:00.000-07:002015-04-10T05:59:18.323-07:00Passing Fancies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Many have observed the rapidity at which our world
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">In 1989, a new Blockbuster store was opening in the
U.S. every 17 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The future could
not have been rosier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Founded in 1985,
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">As such, Blockbuster becomes a metaphor for the
transitory nature of this present world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lifecycle may exceed the thirty years of Blockbuster, but human
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">It is easy to be driven with earthly concerns which
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Wise people anchor their lives in the unchanging truth
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never become passé; His Word will never be rendered obsolete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can give your life significance that will transcend
even the devastation of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ecclesiastes
ends with these words, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will
bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is
good or whether it is evil.”</span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-12680111395302362622014-12-29T12:23:00.000-08:002015-04-10T06:01:04.107-07:00Finding Happiness in 2015<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Most sane people desire to live a life filled with
peace and happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While fleeting at
times and difficult to prescribe for many, a recent survey of over 15,000
Americans reveals a secret to happiness known to many but ignored by the
majority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">This survey of American adults, between the ages of 18
and 60, reveals that people who attend religious services weekly are almost
twice as likely to describe themselves as “very happy” when compared to those
who never attend such gatherings (45% vs. 28%).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other end of the spectrum confirms this pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twice as many people, who never go to religious
services, view themselves “very unhappy” as those who do attend (4% vs. 2%).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Moreover, while the study found that personal identification
as religious or an affiliation with a particular group were also linked to a
sense of happiness, the strongest factor was weekly participation in church
services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">One cannot explain this phenomenon merely as the fruit
of social interaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The survey found
that religious participation produced a greater sense of happiness than for
those who were merely socially engaged in other ways.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">And these results are not a fluke in 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ten years ago a social survey found similar
patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2004, religious Americans
were again nearly twice as likely to view themselves as “very happy” when
compared to the non-religious (43% to 21%).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the reverse was also then true: those who never attend worship
services were much more likely to indicate a lack of happiness (21% vs. 8%).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">Truly there is nothing new under the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible warns against “neglecting to meet
together.” In view are not social relationships in general but specifically
focused interaction to encourage faithfulness to and worship of the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%;">If there is a spiritual void producing unhappiness in
your life, make the weekly worship of God your focus in 2015.</span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457173720764210371.post-74955009233310857792014-08-01T08:41:00.001-07:002014-08-01T08:41:07.564-07:00The Reality of Christian Oppression<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It seemed the entire civilized world breathed a
collective sigh of relief recently when Meriam Ibrahim was finally permitted to
leave Sudan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had been sentenced to
100 lashes and death by hanging for allegedly converting to Islam from
Christianity, despite her claim that she was raised by a Christian mother and
therefore never renounced Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we
thank God for Miriam’s freedom, we grieve for the millions more still facing
oppression for their faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Who are the most persecuted people in the
world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our own nation, it seems that every
viewpoint is valued and protected except that of followers of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worldwide, the situation is worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">According to the International Society for Human
Rights, a secular organization with members in 38 nations, Christians are the
target of 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Centre for the Study of
Global Christianity states that, throughout the world, 100,000 Christians are
executed every year – because they are followers of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Pew Research Center has determined that
Christians face some level of discrimination in 139 of the world’s 195
countries (stats cited from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Belfast Telegraph</i>).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But the nature of persecution in much of the world
dwarfs what we in the West have to face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We may be harassed for wearing religious jewelry in the work place or
praying publicly in Jesus’ name or expressing our faith on a dorm bulletin
board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the while believers elsewhere
are languishing in jail, having church buildings destroyed, being hacked to
death by machete-wielding radicals, or being forced to endure tortures and
forced labor.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Such a reality comes as no surprise to Christians
who take Jesus’ words seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
promised that if the world hated and persecuted Him, it would do likewise to
His followers (John 15:18-20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We who know
Christ must never forget the spiritual war that is raging and determine to
remain firmly established upon a biblical foundation, come what may.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And let us rejoice that, in the end, truth
and righteousness will triumph.</span></div>
Ed Guyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570516273231643545noreply@blogger.com0