Proclaiming The Excellencies of God

A Disaster in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:01:00 +0000

The recent earthquake in Haiti is a disaster of incalculable magnitude. Haiti, a nation only a few hundred miles from the coast of Florida, is in another struggle for survival. Life in Haiti is not easy. It lacks many of the institutional structures that provide for the basic well-being of the population. A devastating earthquake has rocked the island nation which is already the poorest in the western hemisphere.

History is littered with natural disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, floods, drought, and hurricanes plague the human condition. We live in a world under the curse of sin and death. When Adam and Eve rebelled against their Creator, the planet on which we live became a hostile environment. Thankfully, nature did not become totally ruined but it is broken badly enough to make us yearn for a better world. Even creation itself is said to be one great symphony of sighs waiting for its redemption (Rom. 8:22). God has not abandoned a fallen sinful human race. There is hope.

How can hope be transferred to the broken and bleeding people of Haiti? It starts with immediate expressions of compassion. The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that we are to love our neighbor and our neighbor is the person we encounter who is in need (Lk. 10:25-37). We love our neighbor when we show mercy. The Haitians need our mercy. There are multiple ways we can direct our mercy. Find a reputable mission agency which has a history in Haiti of day-in and day-out Christ exalting ministries that is making a difference. Give your money to these missionaries and ministries. We can pray for Haiti. Pray that a good and stable government will rise to lead the island nation. Pray that the Christian community in Haiti will show Christ’s love through its gospel witness and mercy ministries.

One thing Haiti doesn’t need is more U.S. aid without accountability. There are many who, wanting to feel better about themselves, think that American tax dollars thrown at a problem is the solution. True compassion does not ignore truth and real long term solutions. Nation building, which is what is needed in Haiti, requires a foundation of character strength, liberty, a strong work ethic, a government that works for the good of the people, justice, entrepreneurial capitalism, and a high view of God. This is not to say that Haiti lacks these qualities. They must be more widespread. Here is a report received recently from Haiti.

But let me change to something more encouraging. Even though a food delivery had been promised, and about 5000 people waited patiently until 4 pm, no food arrived today. So the people do not get fed. What do they do? They hold an outdoor praise session! They have been singing songs of praise for about two hours now. Hungry, tired, suffering people praising the Lord. I wish you could hear it - songs that say: 'I am not afraid because I have Jesus in my heart.' Or 'Thank you, thank you Lord because I know you.' The songs were upbeat, joyful. Some people were dancing, arms raised in the air to God. I am so humbled.

Cynics may scoff at this and say much more is needed than prayer and singing. The truth is that such resilience in a time of calamity is the stuff from which a better future is made.

Was the earthquake in Haiti an act of God’s judgment? This question in one form or another always seems to enter the public conversation about natural disasters. Some think that we are better off, as one Opinion columnist in the AJC has stated, “When God and Satan are given a holiday from the news cycle.” Attempts at immediate explanations for earthquakes, hurricanes, and other such eruptions in nature are fraught with hazards. Jesus’ disciples tried to get Him to explain why a tower fell over and killed eighteen people. He “dodged” the question and went to the important issue, namely, that disasters are warnings to everyone. We assume that God owes us a good turn of events when the truth is, we all deserve death because we are sinners. The message of God in all calamities is that we all need to repent. If the Haitians are suffering because of generations of Voodoo, then why isn’t America experiencing catastrophes for having slaughtered millions of innocent babies in the wombs of their mothers? It is best to leave those questions with God. In the meantime, we must pray that Haitians and Americans will abandon their idols and turn to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.

Saving Unborn Children

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Abortion is a critical moral issue in our time. Previous generations have had to overcome the evils of slavery and segregation. The culture of death with abortion as its centerpiece is an evil that must be exposed, resisted, and defeated. On January 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court found the right to abortion on demand in the Constitution. It was an appalling decision which has led to an average of 1.6 million abortions annually.

Abortion is the extraction or expulsion of the immature human fetus from the mother’s womb prior to natural birth. The pro-life movement has called attention to fundamental moral issues that are involved in the protection of innocent human life in the womb. First, every human life is sacred. Its value is absolute. Secondly, the deliberate killing of an innocent human being is wrong. Thirdly, the fetus is a complete person possessing a soul from the moment of conception. Fourthly, the purpose of law is to protect human life. After all is said and done, abortion is about God.

God has made it very clear that the developing fetus is already human life (Jer. 1:4; Psa. 139:13-16; Ex. 21:22-24; Lk. 1:24; 2:1). The embryo is a human life and must be accorded the same rights as life outside the womb. It has been noted that “at eight weeks all the organs are present- brain functioning, heart pumping, liver making blood cells, kidney cleaning the fluids, fingerprints formed, etc. Yet almost all abortions happen later than this date.”

Fetal life is defenseless and will be vindicated by God (Psa. 10:17-18; 146:9; 68:5; Deut. 10:18; Amos 1:13; Prov. 6:16-18; Jas. 1:27). God was committed to the care and protection of the fatherless in Israel. He promised blessings upon those who shared His care for orphans. This responsibility has been committed to the church as well. In ancient Israel children who had no father were to be protected. The motherless were also objects of God’s compassion (Ezek. 16:4-6). A nation that legitimizes, through its legal system, the destruction of innocent human life is in for hard times. God holds that nation responsible for its moral failure. Woe be to a nation that declares war on the defenseless (children in the womb, child abuse, pedophilia). The judgment of God fell upon Ammon for ripping open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their borders (Amos 1:3). It has been said that “societies that have nothing sacred, especially not human life, die.”

The arguments that are used to justify the destruction of fetal life are morally and ethically flawed.

“A woman alone has the right to choose what is done to and in her body.” Other versions of this argument are articulated in terms of “reproductive freedom” or “a free society should not invade the privacy of a woman’s body.” In response, let it be said that that so-called “freedom of choice” can never justify freedom to take innocent lives at will. What about the rights of others? What about the rights of the innocent fetus the mother has chosen to conceive? Who gives the unborn child a choice? Who is his or her advocate? It was Lewis B. Smedes, the Christian ethicist, who said, “a free society does not allow people to follow their consciences if their consciences lead them to kill an innocent human being.”

“What right do the pro-lifers have to impose their particular view of morality on others? It is said that you can’t legislate morality in a pluralistic society.” The issue is really whose morality will be reflected in our law and public policy. John S. Feinberg and Paul D. Feinberg (Ethics for a Brave New World) effectively sully this popular argument by pointing out that “the issue…is not whether a morality should be imposed, but whether the one being imposed is the correct one. We are not embarrassed to impose a morality on society that requires us not to kill another human being on whim. Why, if abortion is wrong, should we be afraid to impose on society a ban against it?”

Answering the flimsy and morally vacuous arguments of the pro-abortion movement is not enough, however. There are measurable and meaningful things that we can do to challenge and correct the culture of death in which we live. In the first place, we who are pro-life are to live in such a way as to be a purifying influence on the moral corruption in our society (Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:11-17). We are to take responsibility for our own lives to live God’s way (“abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul”). Our lives are to be placed on display for all to see the presence of God. Love one another. Be kind. Show compassion. Keep ourselves morally pure. Don’t go to bed with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Tell the truth. Secondly, we are to live in submission to divinely ordained cultural institutions (the state, one’s employer, family). This is to be done for the Lord’s sake. The world is suspicious of Christians. Our teaching unsettles the unbeliever. Any charges of treason (being un-American, anarchists, rebels, etc.) are best dispelled by godly living.

Thirdly, we are to identify, resist, and denounce the evils that exist in our fallen world (Eph. 5:11, “And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.”). Pro-life Christians have a right and responsibility to speak out against the evils of our age. The evils of racism, adultery, pornography, illegal drugs, abortion, etc. must have the light of truth cast upon them. The moral evil of abortion on demand ought to be challenged by the persuasion of a greater power, namely changed attitudes and values. Finally, we are to be a merciful community by providing assistance to those who are crying in the darkness. Love for God and others translated into good deeds can speak volumes to a watching world. The unsaved can’t understand the language of truth but they can observe lives that practice the truth. Unwed mothers considering abortion need loving counsel and prayer. Saving unborn children is a cause with God’s stamp of approval.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

The Weight of Words

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Our words are weighty things. We can carry hurtful words spoken to us an entire life-time. Taunts on the playground in the second grade, a harsh criticism from a parent, a discouraging comment from a teacher can come back to us like the sting of a hornet. The problem is that we can be guilty of inflicting verbal wounds ourselves.

Biblical wisdom tells us that our words are weighed by God (Prov. 10:19-21, 31-32). This is a sobering thought. The words that we use are not leaves that float to the ground and return to the soil. They are carriers of messages that either help or hurt. Proverbs is filled with wisdom in the use of our tongue.

In Proverbs 10:19 we are told that “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” With our use of words, fewer is often better than more. This is another aspect of the truth that controlling one’s tongue helps avoid sin (Jas. 3:1-12). The world of the internet has created a torrent of words that pour out through blogs, emails, Facebook, and web sites. Text-messaging and twittering also play their part in non-stop conversations. Never in the history of mankind have so many been able to speak to so many so much of the time. This is not necessarily a bad thing but given the shared experience of fallen human nature the potential for lying, slander, gossip, and wasted time is massive. A word to the wise. Think before you speak. For all Facebookers, when we write on our walls, is it encouraging to others? Is it necessary, too much about too little? When you twitter to a host of hearers, is it true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable?

Are your words worth their weight in precious metals? “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth” (Prov. 10:20). Our words can have great value. A text message thanking a friend for the help they have been to you can turn a cloudy day into a sunny day. Never underestimate the nourishing effect of words (“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for a lack of sense.” Prov. 10:21). Bruce Waltke has summarized the truth of this very well; “though the fool is surrounded by the life-preserving words of the righteous that nourish many, he starves to death because he lacks the good sense to feed on them. He can neither receive life nor give it.” May God give us the grace to pass along health-giving comments and godly counsel to that distraught parent struggling with their children’s rebellious behavior.

Our words can be worthless, wasted, and deadly. Is your guard down when you speak to those you love the most? The guided missiles of harshness, sarcasm, and the judgment of motives do untold damage to marriages. The better news is that our words can be like delicious fruit, sweet to the taste and nutritious for our spiritual well-being (“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.” Prov. 10:31). Is my communication healing and healthy? Do I talk too much about myself? Do I talk back to my parents? Is bathroom humor my default mode when I am trying to be funny? “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse” (Prov. 10:32). How we verbally respond to disappointments should receive our full attention. Our words should be fitting or appropriate to the occasion (e.g. not uttering a complaint or profanity but talking to myself in terms of the promises of God instead).

Let us become our own best counselors so that our words are weighted by divine wisdom. (1) We are to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. Our thoughts should not be allowed to take us wherever they want to go. (2) Ask God for the grace to utter kind words. (3) Declare war on self-serving, negative, and critical remarks. (4) Learn how to ask people questions and ask God for the grace to be a good listener.

“Lord, make my tongue an instrument for what is right in your sight. May it be used to praise you, for passing on truth to others, for prayer, for witnessing to others about Christ, and honesty. Keep me from deception, lying, gossip, profanity, slander, boasting, and flattery. Give me the grace of discipline so that I will not say whatever comes to my mind. Teach me how to talk about people and to people without sinning against them. Please grant me the sense to remember that my words are messages that can’t be recalled. ‘Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.’ So that when you weigh my words in the day of judgment they will be as gold, silver, and precious stones and not wood, hay, and straw.”

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Unconditional Election - Some Questions

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:22:00 +0000

The teaching of Scripture is not always easy to grasp. It is true that the Bible is a clear book (the perspicuity of Scripture), but at the same time we are encountering the mind of God and that is a humbling experience. In the context of the pardoning of sin and God’s grace it is said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isa. 55:8). There is no revealed truth that challenges our thoughts more than the truth of unconditional election. Unconditional election is that sovereign act of God (His decision only) in eternity past whereby He chose all believers to salvation with all its accompanying blessings and obligations (Eph. 1:4-7; Jn. 15:16; 17:2; Rom. 9:18).

The wonder of the distinguishing grace of God bestowed on some sinners and not others is not based on any condition man must meet before God chooses to save him. This election occurred before the foundation of the world, is unmerited, and finds its ground, cause, and guarantee in Jesus Christ. A host of objections and questions have been presented in response to the truth of unconditional election.

Is not the election of believers based on foreseen faith as the product of “prevenient grace” (divine grace turning the heart toward God) and is not, therefore, unconditional? This is probably the most common explanation given to why some are saved and others are not. On the surface it seems plausible, namely, that God knows who will believe and elects individuals only because He foresees their faith. But there are serious flaws with this view of election. It misinterprets the word “foreknowledge” to mean just “to know beforehand.” On closer examination when foreknowledge is used with reference to people, it means God’s special favor. Further, if it is true that God elects on the basis of foreseen faith, then God elects on the basis of human belief. Man is placed at the center rather than God’s sovereignty. It should also be emphasized that so-called foreseen faith still makes salvation and damnation certain. The problem is with certainty and free will, not with election and free will (Acts 2:23). It was “foreknown” (if you believe in foreseen faith), foreordained (if you believe in unconditional election), but in either case certain that the soldiers would not break Christ’s legs; that He would be buried with the rich, etc. It was certain from the foundation of the world, yet all involved did as they chose to do. Those who believe in foreseen faith as the basis of election to salvation are still left with the determination that some are not going to be saved. In the words of Augustine, “God does not choose us because we believe, but that we may believe.”

“Is not election based on one’s acceptance of Christ?” This is closely akin to the foreseen faith view but goes on to say that Christ only was elected in eternity past and the believer is elected when he receives Christ as Savior. The theological defect here is that it ignores the plain statements that individual believers were chosen before the foundation of the world. God does not choose on the basis of human choice which is a violation of the grace principle. God’s freedom and sovereignty cannot be placed in the service of a human decision.

“Is not election to service for Christ only?” This view says that the believer is not elected to salvation but rather has been chosen to be “conformed to the image of Christ.” A question remains, however. How can one possibly distinguish between salvation and the obligation for service? This view evades the issue.

“Is God not unfair in electing some and not others?” This question assumes God has to be fair. If it is justice that we want, we are all in trouble. If salvation is based on justice who would be saved? No one.

“Why doesn’t God elect everyone to salvation?” We don’t know. This is locked away in the infinite mind of God. The number of the elect may very well be larger than imagined. Those who die while still in the womb and infants, if covered by the atoning work of Christ as some believe, would take their place among the elect of God. For all others it can be said that whoever desires to be saved can be.

“Doesn’t election discourage evangelism?” The truth of unconditional election is taught in the Scriptures to have just the opposite effect (Rom. 9-11; Jn. 10:27). Our responsibility is to carry the gospel to all men everywhere (2 Tim. 2:10). God has ordained our proclamation of the gospel as the means of bringing the elect to salvation. This is a great encouragement in evangelism. By God’s grace we will always be successful in our witness. God does the preparing of hearts. We are to be obedient and witness.

“Doesn’t election violate human freedom?” It does not. The Bible teaches that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are compatible. It has been pointed out by many theologians that men make choices according to their own desires. We do what we want to do and are held responsible for our decisions. Man’s choices are not coerced but are real ones. Erwin Lutzer has identified a core issue in saying, “Not only are we born with a sin nature, but we are also under condemnation. We are therefore held accountable for sins we did not personally commit.”

“Doesn’t unconditional election make God the author of sin?” No, it does not. The Bible distinguishes between what God does and what God permits. God has designed a plan that includes evil. We will have to face this fact as difficult as it may be. It was essential to gain the desired goal, namely, the glorification of God in all His attributes. We know that God hates sin (Psa. 5:5). The responsibility of committing sin is always placed on man and acknowledged by man. We must praise God that by His grace and in His infinite wisdom He has chosen to save some from the vast sea of sinful and rebellious humanity.

“Does it do any good to pray if God has elected some to be saved?” Yes, we must pray. For, like evangelism, prayer is ordained by God as a means of accomplishing His purposes. It is consistent with the plan and wisdom of God that we pray for the unsaved (Rom. 10:1). God uses the prayers of the righteous to bring the elect to salvation.

“Does unconditional election mean that some of my loved ones may not have been chosen to salvation?” The only way we can know who the elect and non-elect are is who puts their trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. To try to venture into the mind of God about who are the non-elect is not open to us. We must remember that those who desire to be saved can be. We are responsible, as Christians, to pray for and share the gospel with our loved ones.

“How can divine election be reconciled with human responsibility?” The Bible presents both truths and offers no final reconciliation for us now. We do not know how this seeming paradox fits together, but God knows. So we are wise to leave it in God’s hands (“The secret things belong to the Lord, our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” Deut. 29:29).

“How can I be sure that I am one of the elect?” Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:16; Acts 16:31). If you die without Christ’s righteousness credited to you, there is nothing left but eternal damnation. Today, God is setting the way of eternal life before you. What will you do? If you belong to Jesus Christ, praise God for His grace.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Hard Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Running around barefoot in the summer time was one of the perks of childhood. How wonderful it was to kick off those hot shoes and feel the cool green grass under your feet. But barefoot season did not start out that way. Tender feet were met with stones, sticks, briars, and hot streets. After a while the discomfort gave way to calloused feet. By the end of summer we could fly around the yard, streets, and woods with natural “soles” on our feet. This didn’t stop nails and stubbed toes but it did offer some pain relief.

The Bible warns of the danger of developing a hard heart. In Exodus it is said ten times that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Ten other times it is reported that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This presents something of a theological conundrum. Which happened first? We will hold that question for the moment. There is the matter of what it means to harden one’s heart. This is no small matter. To harden one’s heart toward God is to become unreceptive and insensitive to God and His word. When an unsaved person hardens his heart toward God there is a callousness of soul which resists the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. This hardening process, if not reversed, leads to eternal damnation. There is nothing more serious than this (Rom. 9:22; 11:7).

Hardening the heart is a metaphorical expression describing an insensitive, unresponsive, stubborn rejection of God’s Word. It is a will set in cement in response to God’s revelation.

Hardening the heart is possible in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unbelievers can harden their heart (e.g. Pharaoh, Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; Acts 19:9). Hard hearts will look for ways to reject, discredit, malign, and even stop the gospel message from being preached.

Hardened hearts can be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit in the new birth (Eph. 4:17-20). The apostle Paul is a classic example of how a hard heart toward the gospel developed by religious zeal can be reversed (Acts 9:1-19; 1 Tim. 1:13). Though a blasphemer and a persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ, Paul was shown mercy. The “foremost” of sinners was transformed into an ambassador of the gospel of reconciliation. No spiritual case is too hard for God. Remember this, dear Christian, as you pray for the unsaved.

Hardening the heart is possible among God’s people. The Hebrew Christians are warned of this danger (Heb. 3:8, 13, 15; 4:7). When the believer refuses to obey God and complains because of trials, watch out! When God’s promises are dismissed and trampled under one’s feet there will be a price to pay. God will lovingly chasten His children to call the disobedient to repentance (Heb. 12).

Hardening the heart operates along a defined pattern. There is an opportunity to respond to the revelation of God (i.e. to obey Him). Resistance to revering Him and disobeying Him results in increasing insensitivity. The hardened heart develops and eventually encounters the judgment of God. For the non-Christian this means a self-produced incapability of belief in Christ. The loving witness of family members, pain and suffering, repeated opportunities to hear the gospel are all like a drop of water on a brick. The awful consequences of rejecting Jesus Christ are mocked. What a terrible thought.

Hardening the heart is possible on a national scale. How dark is the day when great numbers of people in a nation or any people group hear the gospel and reject it and become openly hostile to believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus looked out over the city of Jerusalem with great emotion and lamented the spiritual hardness that characterized the nation of Israel (Matt. 23:37). It was this hardness of heart that brought the apostle Paul to exclaim, “I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh…” (Rom. 9:3). This self-induced blindness that afflicted the nation of Israel was in itself the judgment of God for unbelief (Isa. 6:10; Matt. 13:14, 15; Mk. 4:12; Lk. 8:10; Jn. 12:40; Acts 28:26; Rom. 11:8).

Hardening the heart takes a heavy toll upon the divine institution of marriage (Matt. 19:8). God permitted Moses to write certificates of divorce in Israel because of its spiritual obtuseness. There was no command to divorce. Marriage was designed by God to be lifelong and monogamous. Hard hearts become unreceptive and disobedient to God and His Word. Marriages suffer as a result.

We come back to Pharaoh. It is said that God hardened His heart. How does this fit into the theology of hard hearts? Some are quick to say that Pharaoh hardened his heart before God hardened his heart. However, Paul says God hardens “whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:18) and in the Exodus account there are two predictions that God will harden Pharaoh (4:21; 7:3). This prediction preceded Pharaoh’s hardening his own heart. Are we left hanging on the horns of a dilemma? Not really. Two observations are necessary. Pharaoh was fully responsible for his actions. He had been living with the gospel at his doorstep in Egypt since he was a child. Israel’s worshipful presence as a witness nation was an opportunity for idol worshiping Egyptians to put their trust in the salvation of the one true God. Pharaoh sinned because he chose to sin. He resisted God and hardened his heart. God hardened the heart of Pharaoh as an act of judgment against a sinner who was already in rebellion against God.

If you have been patient enough to read to this point, you should be sobered by the gravity of hardening one’s heart against God. Sinful human beings are responsible for their ultimate condemnation. We can never excuse ourselves from God’s righteous judgment with the plea that God has not been fair. Have you heard the gospel and yet have not put your trust in Christ for eternal life? That kind of push-back comes with grave consequences. With what hearing you may have left, hear this, “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5). Hard hearts get hard treatment.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Enduring for the Sake of the Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Enduring is possible and impossible. Non-Christians can endure through difficult situations in the pursuit of personal happiness. This does not bring God glory and honor. This does not take away from admirable behavior. God’s image in fallen man is not completely eclipsed. However, those who are God’s people through faith in Jesus Christ have a call to endure life’s hardships for the sake of the gospel. William Carey, “the father of modern missions,” is one of those who exemplifies what it means to spend and be spent for the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

William Carey was born in a small village in England in 1761. His father was a poor weaver and school master. William became a cobbler and shoemaker at the age of fourteen. It has been said that this “impoverished English shoemaker was an unlikely candidate for greatness.” In his teen years he taught himself Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, and Danish. He could read the Bible in six languages. Carey married at the age of twenty to Dorothy Plackett. While pastoring two relatively small congregations, he developed a philosophy of missions that would change the Christian world. It was not easy. The Christian culture of England in the 1700s was antagonistic to missionary effort in reaching the unsaved. By God’s grace Carey endured opposition from fellow Christians, the British government, and his wife to sail for India with the precious gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” These words from a memorable sermon delivered by Carey in 1792, capture the passion for God’s fame that kept him enduring through a hazardous five month voyage at sea, fevers, cobras, crocodile infested rivers, a hostile Hindu population, and hundreds of other hardships and hazards to impact India for Jesus Christ. Within four decades of Carey’s arrival in India, thirteen new missionary societies were formed in Britain. Missionaries, inspired by his example, sailed from Europe and America to distant lands. The Bible was translated into over forty-four languages and dialects. Christian schools were established, and hundreds of Hindus were won to Jesus Christ.

William Carey endured because of a strong biblical theology. He was a Calvinist, holding to the belief of the sufficiency of God’s Word, that man is a sinner unable to save himself, God’s predestinating love, and the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit to bring lost sinners to salvation in Jesus Christ. It was Carey’s driving impulse that the greatest need of men and women was God’s forgiveness in Christ. His own words testify to this; “It must undoubtedly strike every considerate mind what a vast proportion of the sons of Adam there are who yet remain in the most deplorable state of heathen darkness . . . utterly destitute of the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, or of any means of attaining it.”

Life in India was hard. The tropical climate, malaria, the East India Trading Company, and the collapse of major banking institutions in Calcutta all conspired to stop William Carey’s zeal for the gospel. But he did not give up. He endured for the sake of Christ. Then there was the fire of March 11, 1812. For years Carey had labored in the arduous task of translation. He had mastered the Bengali language and Sanskrit, the queen of India’s languages and dialects. Printing presses and fonts of Hebrew, Greek, Persian, Arabic, Nagari, Telegu and other vernaculars worked together to disseminate the gospel through the printed page. The cause was not known, but a fire broke out in the print shop and burned for three days. The loss was incalculable. Valuable manuscripts, years of hard work, and Carey’s magnum opus of his linguistic life, the dictionary of Sanskrit and its Indian cognates, all went up in flames. Carey’s thoughts the day after the awful blaze are a testimony to how endurance thrives. In a letter to his nephew he wrote, “This is a heavy blow, as it will stop our printing the Scriptures for a long time. Twelve months’ hard labour will not reinstate us; not to mention loss of property, MSS., etc, which we shall scarcely ever surmount. I wish to ‘be still, and know that the Lord is God,’ and to bow to His will in everything. He will no doubt bring good out of this evil, and make it promote His interests; but, at present, the providence is exceeding dark.”

Those who endure for the sake of the gospel drink deeply from the cup of “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Oh, how our world does need those who persevere through hard times with joyful zeal for the glory of God. “God, grant us the tenacity to live in such a way that when we have finished our course and fought the fight of the faith that it will be said of us that we loved Jesus Christ more than life itself.”

William Carey died on June 9, 1834 at the age of 72. The inscription on his tombstone read, “William Carey, born August 17, 1761: Died – ‘A wretched, poor and helpless worm, on Thy kind arms I fall.’”

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Endurance

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:55:00 +0000

A cross country race reveals the importance of endurance. On a recent beautiful fall afternoon I witnessed a gathering of scores of high school cross country teams competing for team championships. The horn sounded and they charged over a grassy field to complete a challenging 5K (3.1 miles) course. The leader of the pack ran an amazing race. He averaged about five minutes per mile and finished over four hundred yards ahead of his nearest competitor.

There is a word in the Greek that describes the Christian life as one of “enduring” a race. The word for endurance in the Greek language is hupomone (literally, remain under). “It is facing pressures and trials that call for a steadfast commitment to doing right and maintaining a godly life” (Lawrence O. Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words). In its noun form it is used over thirty two times in the New Testament. Endurance is the Spirit-enabled power to wait and work through afflictions in a biblical way. We need staying power through hardships. Why? Good things happen as we keep on living joyfully and resiliently in the midst of difficulties. Even a well-trained runner deals with discomfort and pain as she keeps her eye on the finish line. The Christian puts his eye on the fulfillment of the promises of God. Jesus Christ is coming. He will bring rewards with Him for those who have been faithful in running the race.

Some confuse the idea of endurance with the possibility of losing their salvation. The Christian’s security in Christ is not determined by winning the battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. There are those who think that the believer must “persevere” in Christ to ensure their final salvation. This is partly due to a misunderstanding of Matthew 24:13 (“But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.”). This passage teaches the welcomed deliverance of persecuted Christians who survive the tribulation period. Nowhere does the Bible teach that the Christian must keep on believing in order to keep their salvation. The evidence is overwhelming that those who belong to Christ are secure in Him (Rom. 8:35-39).

Disciplining oneself for godliness produces spiritual endurance (1 Tim. 4:8). However, we need suffering in order to produce endurance (Rom. 5:3; Jas. 1:3). Our endurance commends us to others as servants of God (2 Cor. 6:4). Runners are inspired by champion runners. The Christian has a champion “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Therefore, as we run with endurance the race that is set before us, we fix our eyes on Jesus. The example of Jesus should motivate us to finish well in the Christian life.

How is your spiritual endurance? Has illness, financial pressures, a disappointment reduced your pace in the Christian life? Have you dropped back and ceased to run effectively? The Hebrew Christians had a history of having “endured a great conflict of sufferings” (Heb. 10:32). They were encouraged to persist in running hard after God through a new set of sufferings. Dear Christian friend, don’t give in to the temptation to become angry and withdraw from the fellowship of believers. There are mysteries associated with affliction. Running well is made possible when we entrust our souls “to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Pet. 4:19). Our God is trustworthy. Let us run with endurance.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

And the Nations Shall Walk by Its Light

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:10:00 +0000

And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 21:22-27).

The great inheritance of every Christian is eternal life with the living God and with His Son, Jesus Christ. This inheritance has been made possible through the atoning work of Christ, which satisfied God’s wrath toward our sins and enabled God to impute to us, through faith, the very righteousness of Christ. While we are still awaiting the full experience of this inheritance, we rest assured that it will come to pass because of the truth of God’s Word. When the final stage of our salvation arrives, we will dwell forever in intimate fellowship with our Creator and Redeemer in an environment that is completely free from the curse of sin.

The book of the Bible that gives us the most detail about the eternal state is the Book of Revelation. Unfortunately, many Christians shy away from this book, believing that is too puzzling or mystical to be understood. Even John Calvin refused to write a commentary on Revelation! But such an attitude contradicts a grand promise contained in Revelation itself: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev 1:3). God did not make these things known through the apostle John to confuse us, but instead to inform us concerning the things to come and to motivate us to anticipate our future inheritance through godly living in the present.

The lack of systematic study and teaching of this important book has led to misconceptions about what the eternal state will be like. Many assume that all distinctions between peoples will be eliminated, and that all believers will forever be in heaven, praising God with the angels. A careful examination of Rev 21:22-27 can provide at least a partial corrective to this problem. But first some contextual background is necessary.

Background from the Book of Revelation

After seeing a vision of the glorified Christ in chapter 1, John is commissioned to write messages to 7 historical churches in Asia Minor. These churches are experiencing various degrees of persecution. Chapters 2 and 3 contain the letters to these churches, the major thrust of which is to remain faithful to Christ and to the apostolic teaching they have received concerning Him, until Christ returns. In each case, a promise is made to those who are faithful and who overcome the opposition they are experiencing.

In chapters 4 and 5, John receives and records two visions. The first vision in chapter 4 focuses on God the Father and His throne room in heaven. In God’s hand is a seven-sealed scroll. The second vision is of Jesus as the Lamb of God, who was the only one found worthy to take the scroll from the Father and break its seals. These seals will bring judgment upon an unbelieving world, and the visions of chapters 4 and 5 show clearly that these judgments originate from God the Father and God the Son in heaven.

The description of these judgments begins in chapter 6 and continues through chapter 20. Through a series of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls, God’s wrath is poured out on the earth. This is the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 9:24-27), a 7 year period of tribulation for those who dwell upon the earth. It will begin like “birth pangs,” growing in intensity until, at its end, there will be “a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall” (Matt 24:21). The church will have been taken out of the world prior to the beginning of these judgments (Rev 3:10). Though people will be saved during this period, particularly through the witness of the 144,000 sealed Israelites (Rev 7:1-8), most of the world will worship the false christ (Rev 13:5-8).

At the end of this period of tribulation, Christ will return in power and glory with His saints and destroy the armies of the world that have massed together against Him (Rev 19:11-21). Satan will be bound so that he might no longer deceive the nations, and Christ and those who have followed Him will rule and reign on the earth for 1000 years (Rev 20:1-6). This earthly rule by Christ will be headquartered in the holy city of Jerusalem. It will fulfill all those Old Testament prophecies that were not fulfilled at His first coming, and will be in accordance with the covenant that God made with David in 2 Samuel 7. At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released for a short period of time, and will once again deceive the nations. He will gather an army as large as the sands of the seashore for one final assault against Christ in the holy city, but this revolt will be quickly put down by fire from heaven (Rev 20:7-9). Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever, and the unrighteous dead will be resurrected and judged at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:10-14). Anyone’s name which is not written in the Book of Life will also be cast into the lake of fire and will remain there forever (Rev 20:15).

Revelation 21 begins the description of the eternal state. It is the description of a redeemed creation, a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth will have passed away (21:1). Rather than men dwelling with God in heaven, God will dwell on this new earth in intimate fellowship with men, just as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall (21:3). This new earth will have no sea to separate the nations that inhabit it (21:1). It will be free from the curse of sin and its consequences of death, mourning, crying, and pain (21:4).

At the center of this new earth will be the New Jerusalem, which John saw coming down from heaven, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband (21:2). Though there are a number of beautiful cities in the world today, none can come close to the beauty of this one! Her brilliance will be like a precious stone (21:11). The material of the city’s walls will be jasper, and the city itself will be of pure gold (21:18). Each one of the city’s twelve foundation stones will be constructed of every kind of precious stone (21:19-20), and each of its twelve gates will be made from a single pearl (21:21). The streets of the city will be like transparent gold (21:21). Such will be the dwelling place of God and His people on the new earth!

The New Jerusalem in the New Earth

Now we are ready to examine Revelation 21:22-27 and consider the role of the New Jerusalem in the new earth. John writes, “I saw no temple in her” (21:22). In the first creation, the city of Jerusalem was the holy city precisely because it had a temple. After Solomon built the first temple, God filled it with His glory (1 Kings 8:10-11). The temple represented God’s special dwelling place upon the earth, and the special place of worship for His people, the nation of Israel. It was to the temple in Jerusalem that the people brought their offerings and sacrifices, and it was here that the priests mediated between God and the people. This was the place for worship of the one true God as regulated by His law, the God who had revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But in the New Jerusalem, the physical structure of a temple will no longer be necessary. Instead, God Himself, both the Father and the Son, will be the city’s temple. Priests and temple regulations will no longer be needed, because God Himself will dwell among men in intimate, unmediated fellowship. This is possible because of the completion of God’s plan of redemption, and the restoration of fellowship between God and man.

Also unnecessary in the New Jerusalem will be the light provided by the sun and the moon. Instead, the glory of God and of the Lamb will illumine the city (Rev 21:23). Again, it is the immediate presence of God, and the glory that accompanies that presence, that renders the sun and the moon unnecessary in this new creation.

God’s presence in the New Jerusalem (which is on the new earth) will have further impact beyond the borders of this city: “And the nations shall walk by her light; and the kings of the earth bring their glory into her” (21:24). The illumination provided by God’s glory will be sufficient to provide light, not only for the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, but also for all the nations in the new creation. A legitimate question here is, “Who are these nations?” Earlier in the book of Revelation, the nations have been a rebellious people who trampled the Holy City (11:2, 18) and who became drunk with the wine of Babylon (18:3, 23). These nations were destroyed at the coming of Christ (19:15, 17-21), and are among those who are raised and judged at the Great White Throne (20:12-13). The same character and destiny fits the description of kings and nations even earlier in Revelation (e.g., Rev 6:15-17). It is difficult to understand how nations of this character would participate in the future glory of the New Jerusalem.

Some have tried to resolve this problem by saying that these are the nations that exist under Christ’s earthly rule in Revelation 20, who come to Jerusalem in fulfillment of OT prophecy (Psa 72:10-11; Isa 60:3, 11; 66:12), and who later join Satan in his last rebellion. But these prophecies and their fulfillment speak of the Jerusalem that exists in this creation, not the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21.

A better solution is to understand these nations as believing peoples who are living at the end of the millennium and who do not join Satan’s rebellion. Though they do not die and are not resurrected, they undergo some sort of transformation that equips them for life in the eternal state. Perhaps the transformation restores them to a state similar to Adam and Eve before the fall, a state in which they will live forever, just as Adam and Eve would have lived forever if they had not sinned. It is these people that will make up the nations, and it is evidently over these nations that the resurrected saints of God will reign forever (Rev 22:5).

Not only will nations continue into the eternal state, but so also will kings to lead those nations. The gates of the New Jerusalem will never be closed, and the kings of the nations will “bring their glory” into the city (Rev 21:25-26), that is, they will pay tribute from the treasures of their respective lands by bringing these treasures into the New Jerusalem. Earlier in Revelation, the city of Babylon was the center of the world during the reign of the false christ, and Babylon ruled over all the kings of the earth (17:18). After Babylon’s destruction, Christ will reign from the Jerusalem of the present earth, and the kings of the nations will bring their glory into that city in fulfillment of OT prophecy (Isa 60:11). In the new earth, the New Jerusalem, the ultimate city of God, will be the center of the world, and the kings of the earth will bring tribute to her.

Finally, in contrast to those people and things which come into the city are those which cannot: “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it” (Rev 21:27). Such people will be outside the city, tormented in the lake of fire forever. The New Jerusalem is reserved for those whose names remain written in the Lamb’s book of life, and they will enjoy fellowship with their Creator and Redeemer forever. Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!

Frank Pass

Berachah Bible Church

A Faltering Economy – Part I

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:49:00 +0000

“Falter - to move unsteadily; stumble; totter.” That is the way the dictionary defines a term that most often is used in relation to people (e.g. the soldiers faltered for a moment as their captain fell.). However, it is an appropriate description of an economy that keeps stumbling. Some are calling our present economy the great recession. That may be right. It has been said that a recession is when your neighbor loses his job, and a depression is when you lose your job. No doubt, that is an oversimplification. The fact remains, however, that things are not going well. Banks are failing. Unemployment is approaching 10% nationally. Businesses are struggling to turn a profit. Mortgage foreclosures keep mounting. Commercial loans are difficult to get. The list could go on. One must be careful about making the claim that God is saying a specific thing through some current event (e.g. “it is the end of the world.”). Another extreme is the benign assessment that this is just a part of the overall economy cycle through which we must pass, a self-correcting nuisance that must be endured. I would like to offer what I believe to be a biblical analysis of our current crisis.

A faltering economy is a divine reminder that we live in a fallen world. Sin has polluted the stream of economic history because men and women are sinful by nature. The brightest among us cannot forestall human folly bound up in financial systems. The problem is not some fatal flaw in our free enterprise system but in the hearts of those who function within it.

A faltering economy lifts the roof off waste, fraud, and greed. Hard times have a way of flushing out bad habits and bad people. We hear a lot about conserving, “greening,” and cost controls. It is easy to spend other people’s money, too easy. Communities are finding out that careful oversight of how taxes are spent and necessary belt-tightening is the way government should be run all the time. It is astounding how many Ponzi schemes and con artists are being smoked out by the state of our current economy. People are asking unscrupulous investors for their money. The crooks are found out and prosecuted. That’s a good thing.

A faltering economy is the opportunity to learn the value of living within our means. As government must learn how to cut back on spending, so do individuals. When our income is cut or lost altogether, it’s amazing how creative we can become in cutting fat from budgets. Being forced to reassess our spending habits is a profitable course of action. Americans are notorious “wasters.” Christians should lead the way in wise buying and conservation of our resources.

A faltering economy can be an excuse for government to take away freedoms and acquire more power over its citizenry. Our founding fathers cast a suspicious eye toward centralized government. So should we. Watch out when government starts declaring emergencies, restricting freedom and not giving it back. Socialism (government owning and operating industries) makes promises it cannot provide. When a people lose their moral fiber more laws are created to fill the gap. There are those who are waiting in the wings to accommodate the fearful and insecure by imposing their will upon them.

A faltering economy stirs up human insecurities, fear, and worry. Within each of us is a God-shaped vacuum. We were made for a relationship to our Maker. When that relationship does not exist, self-made gods rush in to rule the life. These lesser gods are impotent in the face of pain and suffering. When times are lean, jobs are scarce, and income is uncertain, fears haunt those without a confidence in God. Is anxiety over the economy robbing you of your joy in Christ?

A faltering economy can ignite anger toward government and political leaders. Deficit spending, higher taxes, and joblessness are not small matters. Such conditions can lower the threshold for anger and bitterness. The Bible tells us to be angry and sin not (Eph. 4:26). Righteous anger over unrighteousness must not be allowed to become sinful anger.

A faltering economy can be the cover for the ascendency of demagogues and power seekers. There are those who are more than willing to take advantage of a crisis and use it for their own selfish purposes. Refuse to be manipulated by those politicians who stir up the populace by appealing to their emotions and prejudices in order to get money and power for themselves. Class warfare is a favorite weapon in the arsenal of those whose only concern is achieving and maintaining political power. Nothing is gained and much is lost when one economic class is pitted against another (e.g. taxing the rich to give to the poor).

A faltering economy is the breeding ground for get-rich-quick schemes, swindlers, and scam artists. Be on the lookout for those who want your money up front before they resurface your driveway or reroof your house. Get references. Simply because a contractor or salesperson claims to be a Christian is not a good enough reason to let them do the work. Smooth talkers with great financial investment plans must be checked and doubled checked. If the monthly financial report on your investment is coming only by email, your investment may be in serious trouble.

A faltering economy reminds Christian pilgrims that this world’s commercial utopian dreams, promises of boundless prosperity are doomed to ultimate failure. Revelation 18 describes the collapse of the world’s stock market in the Day of the Lord. Prior to Christ’s return to earth the economies of this planet will go up in smoke. This is not a call to take one’s money out of the bank and hide it under a mattress. It is rather a needed sober outlook on where this world is headed. Judgment will fall on the religious, socioeconomic system that has refused to worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Health Care – A Theological Assessment

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Health care debate is at a fever pitch in our nation. Proposed health care bills designed to change the way individuals pay for health insurance, town hall meetings to discuss the same, and conflict over “socialized medicine” seem to be on everyone’s mind. Is there a Christian position on these issues? Are there any guidelines for thinking through the national health care debate in a biblical way? There is the danger of laying down absolutes where there is room for disagreement. At the same time a Christian worldview should inform believers in Jesus Christ in the critical matters of health, finances, citizenship, and government. The following is a modest proposal for thinking wisely, having truth-informed conversations, and making changes in a health care system laden with problems.

Perfect health was given to our first parents, Adam and Eve. The record of creation’s dawn is filled with hope and ideal conditions. There was no death, disease, influenza, infections, cancer, and no pain and suffering to be found anywhere. The human body had been created by God and it was declared by Him to be very good. A perfect environment promised the hope of a world filled with the worship of God and unending delight in paradise.

Perfect health was lost through Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God (Gen. 3:6, 7). The hope of a perpetual paradise vanished. Satan was able to insert himself between God and Adam with an offer that wasn’t refused. God’s clear warning about not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was brushed aside for the deception that Adam and Eve could be like God. Eating the fruit did, indeed, transform the couple but not in the way imagined. Their bodies became impaled on the sentence of death. Death was the penalty of their sin. It was no longer a perfect world. Their health began to deteriorate. Pain and suffering became attached to conception. The aging process with its supporting cast of innumerable physical maladies became the plight of man. Whatever we have to say about personal health, sickness, disease, and dying, the reason for it all must not be ignored. The penalty of sin is death. Every cold and sore throat ought to be reminders of cosmic issues. We are all dying and our sinful condition before a holy God needs immediate attention. A Savior has been given. What have I done with Him (Jn. 3:16)?

Relatively (compared to what it could have been) good health was promised to Israel as God’s witness nation to the world. During the time of the earthly theocracy, God demonstrated His omnipotent, sovereign control over Israel’s overall health (Ex. 23:25). In addition to health benefits that were bestowed supernaturally (e.g., food from heaven, Ex. 16:35), there were measures the covenant people were to take. Obedience to God’s law would help protect the people of Israel from epidemic diseases that would threaten their survival (Ex. 15:26). The health of the nation was implemented through conservation of natural resources (Deut. 20:19-20), through rest and relaxation (Lev. 23; 25), sanitation, and specific laws governing contagious diseases (Lev. 13). All of these procedures, however, rested upon a base of individual morality and obedience to God. Two lessons may be drawn from this. A nation can rise no higher in its view of health care than the moral character of its citizens. People who refuse to take proper care of themselves, fail to carry health insurance and then want others to pay their health insurance premiums have abandoned their responsibilities to themselves and others. Secondly, those who are determined to live without the moral constraints of self-control, community responsibility, and self-sacrifice consign themselves to an increasingly complicated life.

The prevention component in a nation’s health care system is vital. Sickness and dying cannot be stopped but there is more. A balanced diet, exercise, and avoidance of habits that erode personal health go a long way in cutting health care costs. This emphasis is to be preferred over a plan based on rationing and denying care. A Stanford University study reported to the Associated press reached the conclusion that, “. . . overweight, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, or even tobacco use were not as good an indicator of longevity as fitness.

The study, involving 6,200 men – with or without heart disease – took progressive treadmill test results and found that the least fit had the greatest risk of early death.” This does not deny that one’s family history plays a role in good health (chronic physical conditions can be outside of one’s control) but Americans must make a commitment to the prevention aspect of health care as much as possible.

It is the judgment of many that the United States has the best overall health care system in the world considering its size and population. We have a range of freedom and choices unparalleled in human history. However, some problems do exist and need to be addressed by a nation’s collective conscience of justice and compassion. Catastrophic illnesses (e.g., long-term cancer care, spinal injuries, brain damage) need a financial safety net. The cancellation of health insurance during a personal health crisis needs legal attention. State legislators need the courage to address some kind of tort reform. Not all malpractice law suites are without merit but too many are attempts at using a jury lottery system to get rich. It is a known fact that many physicians order a wide range of tests, though often not necessary, in order to protect themselves from lawsuits. Those with preexisting conditions should not be penalized with insurance costs beyond their financial means or insurance denial. The uninsured who incur medical expenses need some degree of accountability. These and other issues beg for the attention of those who desire an equitable health care system. This does not mean that our present health care system needs to be replaced. Changes? Yes. Another system? No. Is a government controlled health care system the answer? The evidence says a resounding no.

It is astounding how much freedom people are willing to give away for the sake of feelings of security. Those who propose some form of government controlled health care system is a case in point. Many centuries ago the nation of Israel became weary of having an invisible king (God). In other words, they wanted more human government. They desired a visible king to act as God’s surrogate. The mistake they were making was not in longing for a monarchial form of government (that will come one day when the Messiah will rule on earth) but rather it was the asking for a king “like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:19-20). This is not an argument adopting a theocracy or a monarchy but rather a lesson in human nature. It is to our peril when we forget the “tendencies . . . which are inherent in all government under sinful men.” (Alva J. McClain, “The Greatness of the Kingdom”). Government for its own sake, burdensome taxation, political corruption, and totalitarian control are but a few of the natural drifts of human government. As wisely noted by Alva J. McClain, “It is to the lasting credit of the founding fathers of our own American system that they regarded all highly centralized government with a deep and cold suspicion, holding that the less we had of it, the better off we would be.” It is the judgment of this writer that any form of a nationalized health care system is a move toward “loss of liberty, economic distress, and political despair.”

Is there a definitive Christian answer to the health care problem in America? There is if one looks at the total picture through a biblical lens; the purpose of government, our founding documents, the value of personal liberty, justice and compassion, individual responsibility, the sacred value of human life, the sovereignty of God over the State. We have good reason to be concerned about how government policies will treat abortion and end-of-life decisions. When the Supreme Court can find the right to an abortion in the Constitution and State legislatures can legalize suicide in the name of death with dignity, we have every right to ask hard questions. Health Care proponents must be prepared to answer the following five questions (mostly taken from The Heritage Foundation):

Can you promise me that I will not lose my current plan and doctor?
Will members of Congress enroll in the public plan?
Can you guarantee that government-run health care will not lead to higher deficits in the long term?
Will there be rationing of health care for patients on the public plan?
Can you promise that my tax dollars will not fund abortions?

All branches of government must have their feet held to the fire of public scrutiny. It has been pointed out by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., as reported in World magazine, that “buried in the 1,017-page health bill is language making it clear that federal standards would preempt any state law. That could put 200 state laws aimed at protecting life in jeopardy.” These and the related issues of entitlements, end-of-life counseling and taxation are subject to the wisdom of Holy Scripture. Let the church speak with humility, compassion, and wisdom forged on the anvil of biblical truth.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Environmentalism, Creation Care, and the Gospel: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:52:00 +0000

I believe in sound stewardship of natural resources. Two years of my life and a significant sum of money was spent in earning a degree in resource management. I’m thankful for the principles and skills I learned as a natural resource manager. During those two years, I heard and saw a great deal of rhetoric, support, and propaganda for both the environmentalist agenda and its opposition. Global warming, deforestation, wetlands mitigation, endangered species litigation, PETA’s “Fishing Hurts” campaign, bio-fuels research, cap and trade carbon credits... After two years in an environmental fish bowl, I feel as though I’ve been exposed to every debate, argument, issue, and stance environmentalism and its opponents can muster.

From a secular humanist worldview environmentalism makes sense (even when scientific evidence doesn’t add up). Driven by Darwinian evolution and allegiance to mankind’s supremacy, the modern environmentalist/Green movement demonstrates the logical end to a God-less existence: this world and life is it, so let’s make it last as long as possible. If our planet produces and upholds all life, then we must preserve its life-giving capacities at any cost. Over the past several years, the environmentalist agenda has grown significantly in size and influence. Mass media exposure and well-aimed publicity campaigns have thrust environmentalism beyond lobbyists and the courts and into our day-to-day lives. What was once the special interest endeavor of a few transformed into everyone’s moral obligation. The now popular slogan “Go Green!” is plastered on everything from legislation to lunchboxes. Environmentalism is not only a viable marketing pitch, but a necessary one. Additionally, those who fail to “Go Green!” face public ridicule, academic black-balling, extreme political pressure, and the impending possibility of economic sanctions. We live in a world that is increasingly influenced by the environmentalist movement.

As this movement has transformed its message into moral obligation, an increasing contingency of Christians has taken up the call for Creation Care—a Christianized environmentalism that sees Christians above all other people as those who bear the greatest moral responsibility for environmental well-being. Creation Care finds its root in the reality that God is the Creator who designed His creation to reflect His attributes. Our obligation as believers, subsequently, is to advance the reconciliation of all of the creation through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on behalf of the entirety of creation (of which man is a part). Leading the charge in Creation Care is the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). The EEN coalesced in the mid-1990s around the Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation (EDCC). Below are excerpts from both the EEN and the EDCC:

The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) is a non-profit organization that seeks to educate, inspire, and mobilize Christians in their effort to care for God's creation, to be faithful stewards of God's provision, and to advocate for actions and policies that honor God and protect the environment. EEN's work is grounded in the Bible's teaching on the responsibility of God's people to "tend the garden" and in a desire to be faithful to Jesus Christ and to follow Him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, committed to the full authority of the Scriptures, and aware of the ways we have degraded creation, we believe that biblical faith is essential to the solution of our ecological problems.

Because we worship and honor the Creator, we seek to cherish and care for the creation.

Because we have sinned, we have failed in our stewardship of creation. Therefore we repent of the way we have polluted, distorted, or destroyed so much of the Creator's work.

Because in Christ God has healed our alienation from God and extended to us the first fruits of the reconciliation of all things, we commit ourselves to working in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Christ in word and deed, to work for the reconciliation of all people in Christ, and to extend Christ's healing to a suffering creation.

Because we await the time when even the groaning creation will be restored to wholeness, we commit ourselves to work vigorously to protect and heal that creation for the honor and glory of the Creator---whom we know dimly through creation, but meet fully through Scripture and in Christ. We and our children face a growing crisis in the health of the creation in which we are embedded, and through which, by God's grace, we are sustained. Yet we continue to degrade that creation.

Many of these degradations are signs that we are pressing against the finite limits God has set for creation. With continued population growth, these degradations will become more severe. Our responsibility is not only to bear and nurture children, but to nurture their home on earth. We respect the institution of marriage as the way God has given to insure thoughtful procreation of children and their nurture to the glory of God.
The Creator's concern is for all creatures. God declares all creation "good" (Gen. 1:31); promises care in a covenant with all creatures (Gen. 9:9-17); delights in creatures which have no human apparent usefulness (Job 39-41); and wills, in Christ, "to reconcile all things to himself" (Col.1:20).

Men, women, and children, created in God's image, also have a unique responsibility for creation. Our actions should both sustain creation's fruitfulness and preserve creation's powerful testimony to its Creator.
We call upon Christians to listen to and work with all those who are concerned about the healing of creation...
We make this declaration knowing that until Christ returns to reconcile all things, we are called to be faithful stewards of God's good garden, our earthly home.

Christianized environmentalism has asserted itself in a prominent way. But is Creation Care a good thing? Is Christian environmentalism a God-centered, Christ-exalting cause that we as believers should whole-heartedly approve of and join? I believe that the short and necessary answer to both of these questions is, “No.” A serious look at both the ideology behind Creation Care and the statements of the EDCC unearths hermeneutical, theological, and Gospel problems that should concern us. My primary concern is not with legislation, media attention, or “green” consumer alternatives. I even heartily support “greening” church operations (saving money on energy, water, etc.). No, our greatest concern about Christianized environmentalism must be the threat it poses to the centrality of the Gospel in our hearts, lives, ministries, and churches. How, then, does the Creation Care mentality threaten the Gospel?

1. Creation Care is an attempt to reconcile a secular humanist worldview with Christianity. Foundationally, Creation Care responds to the growing cultural pressure wrought by the evolution-driven environmentalist agenda. Christian environmentalism is not Bible-based, but popular culture-based. Shifting the movement to a new base and giving it a Christian-esque name fails to recognize that environmentalism finds its source in Darwinian evolution and cannot simply be polished up to look Christian. A house is not built starting with the roof; Creation Care, however, attempts to take the end goal of environmentalism and build its legitimacy from practice to foundation. Instead of starting with the Word of God, Creation Care presupposes environmentalism as God-approved and interprets the Scriptures through those lenses.

2. Creation Care relies on irresponsible hermeneutics to justify environmentalism. Starting with environmentalist practice, Creation Care asserts the environmentalist worldview over top of the Scriptures searching for proof-texts to establish “Biblical evidences.” This is called eisegesis, or, reading into the text. Presupposing a conclusion, evidences are drummed up by cherry-picking Bible verses to create the illusion that God spoke voluminously on a Christian responsibility to reconcile the creation. The EDCC wreaks with abhorrent Bible interpretation: verses are taken out of context, passages are cited which have nothing to say about creation (or its reconciliation), key passages on creation are ignored, and carefully chosen language is employed to create the sense that Christians remain on earth in order to heal, restore, and minister reconciliation to the totality of creation (man only being one part) which we have sinfully plundered.

3. Creation Care ignores Genesis chapter 3. Perhaps the most glaring interpretation flaw to which Creation Care falls victim resides in ignoring Genesis 3. The consequences of the Fall of man, as explained in Genesis, must cast a long shadow over our understanding of the flow of Scripture and God’s redemptive plan. The Creation Care movement affirms the Fall of man and our innate sinfulness; however, it fails to recall that one of the direct results of the Fall is God’s unilateral curse over all of creation. Though God declared all that He created “very good” (Gen. 1:31) on the Sixth Day, He decreed a curse upon the entire created order as a result of Adam’s rebellion (Gen. 3:17-19). Adam and Eve were dispossessed of Eden and sent to subdue the newly cursed creation. From that moment forward, all of creation has been in a state of steady degradation. Call it entropy, call it chaos, call it decay, or call it what you will—creation continues to fall into disarray because God cursed it. Man does his damage, but ultimately God is responsible for creation’s decline. God’s curse over creation remains conveniently absent in Creation Care literature.

4. Creation Care walks dangerously close to creation-worship. Reading through the statements of the EDCC and other Creation Care literature, the primary focus is the creation and not the Creator. Though proponents invoke the use of the words “Creator,” “Father,” “Jesus,” “Scriptures,” and “Gospel,” attention to the creation itself dominates the confessions, initiatives, and calls to action from the Creation Care movement. Creation is lifted up as an end in and of itself; it is touted as having intrinsic and ultimate value. Creation does have value in so much as it reflects certain aspects of God’s character—the Scriptures testify to this (Psalm 19, Acts 17, Isaiah 40, Romans 1 and 8). But Christian environmentalism takes the importance of natural revelation a step further; beyond revealing that God exists, Creation Care upholds the creation as though it is an extension of God Himself. An assault on creation, it’s asserted, is tantamount to an assault upon the person of God; where man damages creation, he destroys the ability of others to see God. This subtle half-truth pervades the entire Creation Care movement. Creation does not have intrinsic value; it is not an end in and of itself. The universe and our planet is not an extension of the person of God. People, though made aware of God through creation, will never come to a sufficient knowledge of God through creation; only through the light of the Gospel do we see the fullness of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. People will not be prohibited from coming to a knowledge of Christ while creation languishes under God’s curse. Jesus promised to build His church with no mention of His followers needing to preserve or restore the earth for Him to do so. Ultimately, Christian environmentalism misses the Creator in exchange for the creation. Because the Creation Care movement upholds the creation as an end in and of itself, it walks dangerously close to creation-worship. Its close connection with evolution-driven environmentalism exacerbates the concern that Creation Care esteems creation at the least as an equal to God—“Love the Lord God and His creation with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.” In the end, Creation Care is predominately creation-focused, not Christ-focused.

5. Creation Care supports a different gospel—an environmentalist gospel. Every other concern (not all of which have been addressed in this article) raised by the Creation Care movement fails to compare with the threat it poses to the one true Gospel. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ suffers threat from Christian environmentalism on two fronts. First, the growing attention to environmental efforts distracts from every Christian’s primary task of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to unsaved, unregenerate sinners. The totality of Scripture exhorts God’s people to bear witness to His glory in His redemptive plan above all other things. God’s glory, the ultimate good and end of all things, is most clearly and fully displayed not in creation, but in the face of Jesus Christ (II Cor. 4:1-6). Christian environmentalism calls believers away from the singular and life-dominating vision of seeing God exalted through the propagation of the Gospel. Our time, energy, resources, and lives must not be given to the restoration of creation, but to the furthering of the Gospel to those who need Jesus Christ. Second, Christian environmentalism threatens the one true Gospel by adjusting it to fit an environmentalist agenda. Creation Care supports and preaches a different gospel. Like the social reform, prosperity, and liberation gospels, this environmentalist gospel distorts the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to serve its own ends. Will Christ eventually restore all things in the New Heavens and New earth? Yes. Does God’s redemptive purpose include His people extending “Christ's healing to suffering creation?” No. God alone cursed creation and God alone will restore it. Christ did not suffer and die to extend healing to creation. His body was broken and His blood was shed to propitiate God’s wrath against sinners and purchase worshippers for God from every tribe, tongue, and people group. Christ crucified for our sins and raised for our justification through faith alone in His work is the Gospel. Creation Care adds to this message and consequently abandons the purity of the true Gospel.

Much more could be said about environmentalism and Creation Care. The point, however, is clear that neither movement fits with a Christ-centered, Bible-based, Gospel-focused worldview. We must be, as believers, ever vigilant and wary of the pseudo-gospels that spring up from our culture. Environmentalism cannot be Christianized nor does Creation Care exist to further the glory of the Creator. Despite popular opinion and cultural pressure, may our affections, strength, time, and energies remain fixed solely upon our Creator and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of the glory of His grace towards sinners.

Environmentalism, Creation Care, and the Gospel: Part II
By Patrick Work

Environmentalism will continue to dominate governmental, social, religious, and cultural conversations in our world. My generation and those who follow will have grown up and come of age through the bombardment of environmentalist campaigns. God’s people have not been immune to its influence. As I look at how environmentalism has impacted my peers and today’s young people, I am painfully aware that the Gospel is at stake. Creation Care is not the answer. How then can we think about and respond to the growing influence of environmentalism in a Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting way? I offer the following four points for your consideration:

1. We must clearly demonstrate that we worship the Creator, not the creation. I believe in sound stewardship principles for natural resources. I believe that God has given us the responsibility to manage His creation well for Gospel purposes. However, we must never confuse our roles as stewards as the purpose for which we were created. God did not create man, ultimately, as stewards of creation but as His worshippers. Every person naturally exchanges worship of the Almighty with worship of some created thing. In our rejection of God, we incur His wrath and desperately need the redemption He offers through the atoning death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Graciously, God offers us salvation from the penalty of rejecting Him and stays His wrath when we rely and trust in the righteousness of Christ. In this redemption, God is purchasing worshippers—bringing us from our natural bent to reject Him to a heart attitude of desire to worship Him. All of that to say, in stark contrast to the Green worldview, Christians are called to worship God alone through Jesus Christ. Is part of worshipping God stewarding well His creation? Yes. Our attention and focus in worship, however, is not creation or God revealed therein; rather our worship centers upon the greatest revelation of God’s nature in the atoning work and eternal glory of Jesus Christ. God desires that we display Him amidst our unbelieving world in our devotion and affections for His Son

2. The earth is not eternal and man can neither save nor destroy it. The Scriptures speak very clearly about the temporal nature of this planet and universe. The eternal God spoke them into being and filled the earth with all life. As the crowning jewel of His creation, God made mankind (male and female) in His own image as ruler-stewards over the rest of creation—regents under the Lordship of the Creator. Everything was perfect and death did not exist. Sin changed creation. Mankind’s rebellion resulted in God’s cursing of His creation, from top to bottom. Death entered the world and physical decay has been the norm for all subsequent ages. Even as God cursed His marred creation, He has promised to make a new creation where His redeemed people will live and enjoy life as He originally intended. Part of that process, however, is the eventual destruction of the current heavens and earth by God Himself. The Biblical texts of First Thessalonians, Hebrews, Second Peter, and Revelation all speak to the impending divine unmaking of this present universe. Man has done and will do his damage to the planet, but will never be allowed to destroy it or all life on it. Earth will be preserved for a day when God will do away with this temporal creation and judge mankind before creating the New Heavens and New Earth where Jesus Christ will dwell among His blood-bought people. We must always bear in mind that the state of our world rests in the hands of an almighty, sovereign God who will do with it as He pleases.

3. Wise stewardship of all of our resources assists the Gospel cause. The Scriptures do have much to say about stewardship. As with our personal belongings, wealth, and bodies, we must wisely steward our natural resources and utilize them to further the Gospel. As much as I believe environmentalism and Creation Care are fundamentally wrong, I also staunchly believe that we are called to manage well all that God has entrusted to us. I like clean air, clean water, plentiful food, wildlife to view and hunt, and scenic overlooks. But these items are not an end in and of themselves. They possess value only in so much as we can manage and use them to further the message of Christ to needy and unbelieving people. Environmentalism hurts the poorest of the poor by limiting resource consumption for the sake of nature. As Christians, I implore us to view our resources as tools through which we can holistically minister to the unbelieving peoples of the world. Drill wells, cut trees, clear farm land, construct roads, raise livestock, use fossil fuels, dam rivers, and whatever else in order to minister to physical needs and create opportunities to minister the Gospel, a person’s greatest need met in Jesus Christ.

4. The Gospel is the central focus of a Christian’s life, not the environment or any other temporal matter. This is my greatest fear and why I felt the need to write all that I have. I hear of and see far too many professing Christians taking up the cause of environmental preservation while forgetting and neglecting our Gospel calling. Believers must set an example to the world and wise stewardship of resources should be included in that. However, the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard or believed is the sole reason God does not take us Home at conversion. We do not preach a social, political, or environmental message—we preach Christ crucified for the sins of the world and lay aside every other encumbering venture to do so. We are to be the salt that preserves the world against the decay of sin; the lamp that sheds the light of truth in a dark, sinful, and dying world; that city set on a hill, seeking and calling the lost to repentance and redemption in Jesus Christ; the cross-bearers and cross-boasters that point to the substitutionary, atoning work of Christ; we are to shine as the stars of heaven, witnessing to Christ’s resurrection and His defeat of sin and death—ever looking to the dawn of His return. Natural resource stewardship is important, but the Gospel is our life.

My hope and prayer is that we will not waver in the face of the environmentalist movement or be brow-beat into compromising the Gospel. Cultural fads, movements, and campaigns come and go. God’s truth abides forever. Our greatest task and calling, the Great Command and Commission, adjure us to be enraptured with the glory of our Creator and to call others to enjoy Him forever through Jesus Christ. May the Gospel remain our life-dominating focus wherever the cultural, political, or social winds may blow.

Patrick Work
Berachah Bible Church

The Lions Den

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Sleeping in a lions den. That is not a pleasant thought. But Daniel was able to do it. The Bible doesn’t actually say that Daniel slept during his time, but it was, after all, an entire night. We know this because Darius the Mede passed the night fasting and the Bible text says, “neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him” (Dan. 6:18). What was it that led to the contrast of a contented Daniel and miserable king? For any who are new to this story in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions and lived to tell about it.

When the Medes and Persians passed a law, it could not be rescinded by anyone, not even the king. What law was passed? A few high level bureaucrats were jealous of Daniel who had distinguished himself as a servant of God in a pagan government. Daniel’s adversaries could not tolerate the devotion he displayed to God. It has been said of this that “an honest man of conviction in the midst of government or ecclesiastical politicians stands out like a fair flower in a barren wilderness.” A conspiracy was devised to get Darius the king to sign an edict which prohibited anyone from praying to any god, but the king (Dan. 6:7). The strength of the strategy lay in taking advantage of Darius’ vanity. The penalty for violating the law was to become lion’s food.

Daniel was rock-solid in his commitment to God. He was not intimidated by any law that tempted him to be disloyal to his God. He knew that faithfulness necessitated being in the presence of God in prayer. Daniel didn’t, however, grandstand his prayer life. He prayed privately without hiding. We are told that Daniel “got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (Dan. 6:10). King Darius had no choice. He was distressed that he had to send Daniel off to the den of lions. He liked and respected him.

After a night of insomnia the king hurried to the door of the lions den and to his relief heard the voice of Daniel. He told Darius that God had sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. He was unhurt, not a mark or a scratch upon him. Why? “Because he had trusted in his God.” That kind of statement doesn’t mean that everyone who puts his confidence in God will escape harm. In Daniel’s case God’s sovereign plan called for physical deliverance.

Daniel included the account of his experience in the lions den in order to encourage Israel with the truth of God’s sovereign control over the life of His covenant people. No matter what the moral conditions God will enable faithful Israelites to endure for His glory. The church of Jesus Christ in America would do well to remember this as it increasingly contends with societal hostility, suspicion, and slander. The next generation of Christians faces unprecedented challenges to their convictions regarding gay-marriage, abortion, and euthanasia. “Are you willing to put your job on the line over ethical issues?” is an intergenerational question. What are you prepared to do if you are expected by your employer to lie for the “benefit” of the company? You may face a “lions den” of consequences if you stand your ground on biblical truth.

Dear reader, if you are a child of God, can you pray that God would send you affliction if it would drive you closer to Him? Those who belong to Jesus are to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Him. What kind of lions den are you resolved to endure for the sake of the gospel and self-abandon for the glory of God? Loving God more doesn’t come merely by an emotion, drinking coffee, sitting in a soft chair, and reading one’s Bible. Love is an action word.

The following poem was written by Grayson Chambers, a senior at Gordon-Lee High School, in Chickamauga, Georgia. Ponder its probing thoughts and consider what you are willing to do for the sake of love for your Redeemer God.

The Lions Den

If I’ll cry out for You in the lions den

With the voice of frightened, helpless men;

If it’s a must to draw me close again

I pray to You, God that you’ll throw me in.

If to fall to the swelter of the furnace flame

Is the only way that I’ll make the claim

That deliverance comes from the cry of Your name,

I pray that You’ll place me amidst the flame.

If I’m led to the alter in a distant land

With my son at my side, and knife in hand

With no lamb in sight, may Your will command;

Take Your place on the throne of my heart as You planned.

If I must be afflicted with a burst so bright

That my days are stolen and in return given night;

If it’s the only way that I’ll see Your light

I plead for You, Lord, to please take my sight.

If the currents increase to rob me of air,

If the water must rise, so I’ll boldly declare

That I’ll reach for Your hand in the sea of despair,

I plead for You Lord to put me there.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

A Crushing Stone

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:19:00 +0000

An ancient monarch of a world power had a dream. In this dream he saw an image. It was great in size and in significance. As it turned out the various parts of the image represented successive kingdoms. King Nebuchadnezzar did not realize the full impact of what he had dreamed. From the head of gold to the feet of iron and clay human governments will have their day but one day the coming of Israel’s Messiah will bring about “a kingdom which will never be destroyed.” A stone representing the Son of Man will put an end to the kingdoms of man. This stone is seen as cut out of a mountain without hands. It (the Lord Jesus Christ) is not another human power, but is supernatural in origin. One day Israel’s Messiah will come again and bring to an end mankind’s futile attempts at creating a utopia on earth.

It is doubtful that this biblical reality will be on the minds of many people in the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence July 4. You ask. Why should it? The birth of the United States of America thrust our nation onto the stage of human history with a form of government unknown in the history of nations. We have privileges, freedoms, and a degree of prosperity for which we can be thankful. These blessings have flowed over their banks to benefit the entire planet in varying degrees. However, as citizens of this land of the free we must not forget some fundamental truths about the nations of this world. Human government derives its right to exist from the sovereign God of the universe (Rom. 13:1). Nations possess no intrinsic authority to confer rights upon individuals. Human rights are divinely determined, not humanly determined. When governing powers seek to deny God His sovereign rights, scoff at His moral law, trample upon human freedom, and scheme to create an earthly utopia, they are driving nails in their Statist coffins.

America (if it still exists as we know it today) and all other nations will pass away when the Stone comes to set up His kingdom. When will this be? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it does reveal how we are to live in these last days leading up to the Second Coming of Christ (the rapture of the church and the Great Tribulation are included in this). Last days’ thinking is not preoccupied with dates, times, and newspaper headlines, but is instead focused on strong minded, Christ-exalting living.

Last days’ living understands God’s kingdom purpose as explaining the sweep of human history (Dan. 2:44; Rev. 11:15). History is going somewhere. We are not bits and pieces of chance in a chance-driven universe. God is working “all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). The theory of evolution is but a little god pretending to be a legitimate philosophy of history.

Last days’ living will not allow its worldview convictions to be shaped by the utopian schemes of a fallen race. Communism, socialism, and Darwinian evolution are attempts to perpetuate the kingdom of this world. They are all doomed to failure because of their refusal to come to terms with Jesus Christ.

Last days’ living views pain and suffering as being invested with the meaning of the suffering and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:11). Pain and suffering are witnesses to a sin-cursed world, not an inadequate God. When angry sinners nailed Jesus to the cross, they were killing the only one who loved them with a perfect love. Jesus Christ suffered and was raised from the dead so that we, who helped hang Him on that splintered cross, would not have to whistle our way through the grave yard of life. Instead, as forgiven sinners, death becomes the door into Christ’s presence.

Last days’ living is supercharged by the mandate to sow the seed of the gospel (Matt. 13:11, 19, 23). Everything we are, have, and do is to be seen as the circumference of a life filled with the passion for the good news that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

Last days’ living is not daunted by the battalions of evil marching through the streets of time (Rev. 6:10, 11). In the infinite wisdom of God evil is being given its day. The sinful heart of man concocts its evil schemes, but God uses the wrath of man to praise Him (Gen. 50:20; Rev. 17:17; Psa. 76:10).

Last days’ living steels itself during the days of spiritual darkness by the power of God’s infallible, inerrant Word (2 Tim. 3:1, 16). According to Scripture we should expect an increasing ferocity in false teaching and deception leading to the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming (Matt. 24:24; 1 Tim. 4:1). Tares (counterfeit Christians) will grow alongside of wheat (God’s people) during this age. Those who belong to Christ are not to be taken in by clever denials of the truth of God’s Word. The Bible is without error and profitable for maturity in the faith.

Last days’ living requires mental and spiritual sobriety (1 Pet. 1:13). Christians are to keep their minds clear while pursuing maturity in the faith. We are to resist the siren’s song of promised security through material possessions.

Patriotism has its place in the life of the Christian citizen. However, we must never forget that the kingdoms of this world are passing away. We can pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, but our ultimate allegiance is to the Savior, Jesus Christ. There are disturbing signs of the moral decline of our nation. Too many are willing to trade liberty for promises of security. It appears that the present administration in Washington is on the attack against historic Christian moral teachings with regard to homosexuality, gay-marriage, and abortion. Marriage vows do not seem to be all that important to a steady stream of elected officials. Within the church doctrine is disdained. Entertainment is exalted. Lavish amounts of money are spent on church buildings and functions while missionaries have a difficult time raising support to go to places where the gospel has not been proclaimed. One day the crushing Stone is going to come and the judgment will begin. Too much of the world has made its way into the life of the church. The judgment seat of Christ will give attention to that. The kingdoms of this world blithely go about building their own versions of the tower of Babel. That will end. The crushing Stone is coming.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Are You More Loving?

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:16:00 +0000

In our Wednesday evening Bible study for this summer we are using Don Whitney’s book, “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.” It is the occasion for a probing look at the state of our spiritual health. The writer of Hebrews calls Christians to “press on to maturity.” Whitney’s book is a very helpful tool toward achieving this goal.

Our study this past Wednesday focused on the question, “Are you more loving?” Love is the clearest mark of the Christian. Jesus said “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:34, 35). If we are growing Christian, we will be growing in our love for others. “Love is the badge and character of Christianity.”

What does the decline of love in the Christian’s life look like? It is possible to regress in our Christian walk and look more unlike Jesus. It is not supposed to be this way, but it happens. Jesus rebuked the church in Ephesus for having left its first love. Losing patience more easily, increasing unkindness, becoming less courteous (especially to those closest to us), becoming more easily angered, unconcern for the lost, and not giving ourselves to hospitality are some of the ways a decline in love would manifest itself. When a diagnosis reveals a spiritual problem, we must take action. At the same time it is to be remembered, in the words of author Maurice Roberts, “The best believers find their progress slow and their attainments meager.” The direction of our growth is what is most important, not the speed.

What are some of the counterfeit loves that exist? It is possible to think we are growing in love when the truth is we have bought into some deceptive substitutes. Many congratulate themselves for what amounts to what it means to be merely human. It is generally true that human beings will have special feelings for family members (Rom. 1:31; 2 Tim. 3:3). Christian love is more than this. “I’ll love you if you love me.” As Whitney says, “this is the epitome of worldly love.” A relationship that works on the principle of “I will scratch your back, if you will scratch mine” is not what Jesus had in mind when He commanded us to love one another.

In which areas will growing love demonstrate itself? Love for other Christians will be strengthened (1 Jn. 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.”). How are your relationships? Are the needs of fellow believers on your radar screen? A growing love means love for the lost. Jesus loved the young man who had made material things his god (Mk. 10:21). The unsaved do not need us as their judge (that’s God’s business). They need those who genuinely care for their eternal well-being. Within one’s family is also a place where growing love will be seen; more gratitude shown, less anger, more physical affection, more patience, responsibility, generosity, frugality, or simply having more time for them.

How can genuine, Christlike love be cultivated? Whitney suggests six ways. Meditate on love as the most important distinguishing mark of a Christian (Love is truth in action). Let your heart be often warmed by the fire of God’s love. Daily communion with God in His Word and prayer will stoke the fires of growing love. Discover assurance that God is your Father by loving as He loves (“Everyone who loves is born of God.” 1 Jn. 4:7). Delight in loving God. Whitney reminds us that “love, in it essence, is likeness to God.” Is this what you want more than anything else in life? Identify those relationships where you most need to grow in love. Is it your family, a rusty relationship, a neighbor, a person at church? And finally, take the initiative in showing love, especially where you have little or no expectation of love in return.

What then can we do? Use the following questions to provoke and probe your mind to grow more in love: What crisis, however small, is taking place in your life? What is the condition of your closest relationship? Have you been hostile lately to someone who has been good to you?

We have seven more studies in “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.” Join us on Wednesday evenings as we “interrogate our hearts” in order to press on to spiritual maturity.

Dr. Howard E. Dial

Berachah Bible Church

Father the Leader

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Have you ever played follow-the-leader? It was a favorite game in our youth. It is not very complicated. One person leads the way by doing various physical maneuvers such walking on a wall, jumping a creek, leap-frogging over a parking meter, running backwards without falling, eating an unripe persimmon without wincing, those sorts of things. The others were to mimic the action. The intent was for the leader to try to get everyone to drop out. He would then be the winner.

Leadership, however, is not simply being able to do difficult things which others cannot. There is no shortage of books written on what leadership is and how to lead. This is especially true within the evangelical Christian community. Most of these books are written by Christians who have had some measure of success in pastoring a church, starting a Christian organization, or having written other books that have sold well. Valuable instruction can be found in such writings. Father’s Day is a good time to revisit the matter of leadership. Fathers are to be leaders. But what does leadership look like in a family?

Some fathers lead by not leading. They are in the home physically but are passive regarding biblical priorities. This kind of leadership is primarily occupied with the desire for peace and quiet in the home. Other fathers think leadership is something like the military. It is command and control. Do what father says. Any deviance from this standard and wife and children will have to answer to the captain of the ship, i.e. Dad. These methods of leadership have been stated in the extreme, but they do represent too many “Christian” homes. Fathers will have different leadership styles. However, there are fundamental biblical truths that must be believed and acted upon if the family is to be led in the right direction.

Family leadership begins with the father’s submission to the sovereign Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the relinquishing of all rights to the One who has provided redemption and makes freedom to serve Him possible. This truth is developed in Scriptural texts such as 1 Corinthians 11:2-7 and Ephesians 5:23-33. Fathers do not possess authority independent of what has been delegated to them by God. Fathers, are you taking your orders from Jesus Christ and following His lead?

Family leadership demands that a father adopt the attitude of a servant. The Head of every Christian man, Jesus Christ, said that “whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 20:26). Christ-exalting leadership is the possession of a servant’s heart (Eph. 4:2). Fathers, is that you? Are you focused on God and others rather than self?

Family leadership necessitates a sense of direction. A father must know where he is going and how to get there. Like Abraham of old, Christian fathers are pilgrims who are “looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11: 10). Fathers, Christ’s coming kingdom and God’s eternal presence is our destination. Are we living and leading like this is true? What do our children think of us when all they know about us is that the love of money and material things dominates our lives?

Family leadership requires a love of the kind which Jesus Christ has for His Church (Eph. 5:25). If we fathers are one with Christ, then others will know this is true by the way we love. We need more fathers who lead by sacrificial, self-denying, cross-bearing, other-serving love. There is no greater gift from a father to his children than for them to see him dying daily for their mother.

Family leadership calls for a desire for unity in the home. Fathers, how important are unity, acceptance of diversity, harmony, and companionship to us in our homes? Conformity is not unity. We can demand that everyone fit into our plans but that is not unity. Unity is the experience of the bond we have in Christ in an atmosphere of truth and love. No two children are alike. We need to know our children. Love their differences. Discipline and train them accordingly. Are arguments, criticism, and name-calling methods of communication in your home? In our disagreements let us replace harshness with the law of kindness. May the flag of biblical unity fly over our homes (Eph. 4:3).

Family leadership bears the trademark of forgiveness. A father who belongs to Jesus Christ will show the way by delighting in the enormity of the forgiveness he has received from God in Christ. This sense of the magnitude of God’s forgiveness will be lived out in a father’s forgiveness of others (Matt. 18:21-35). Grudges, resentment, bitterness, and a pay-back attitude betray the freedom of forgiveness that should characterize a home environment. Fathers, are you a repenting and forgiving leader?

Family leadership means being sensitive to the hurts and problems of one’s family. Fathers who lead God’s way work at staying alert to the dangers that go with living in a world in rebellion against God and hostile to the Christian faith. Fathers, every member of our families has to do battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Do you know some of the struggles taking place around you? Why has your teenage son suddenly grown sullen and withdrawn? Have you noticed that your teenage daughter is eating very little and doesn’t think she is thin enough? Leaders must be observant and discerning as they keep a wary eye on the enemy, our adversary, who “prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

Family leadership means assuming the responsibility of praying for every family member every day. All believers are admonished to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Fathers, prayer is an expression of our dependence on God. Do you wonder how your children are going to turn out? Do you think about some of the “what-ifs” of various family members? Worry and anxiety are to be replaced with fervent prayer for our wives, sons, and daughters (Phil. 4:6). A father who leads is one who takes the time to intercede for those placed in his charge. It is a form of protection, a base-line duty of a husband and father, to go before God daily as a spiritual warrior mindful of Satan’s schemes (Eph. 6:11, 18). Fathers, did you rise early this morning to seek the face of God for your family?

Fathers, God’s leaders are made, not born. Actually, the truth is that leadership begins with being born again. It is then that leadership is to develop. A God-pleasing leader is one who is in hot pursuit of God, yearns for His blessing, reads his Bible, is meaningfully involved in his church, and by his example demonstrates what it means to be Christ’s man. That is a leader worth following.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Memorial Day 2009

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 24 May 2009 12:47:00 +0000

The United States is a peculiar nation in the history of the world. It has been blessed with freedom and opportunity in a way that no other nation has ever been. Citizens of the U.S. are politically, religiously and economically liberated. These reasons provide incentive for many who choose to emigrate here. As a member of the U.S. military, I had the opportunity to spend time in the Republic of South Korea. While that country is free in all the same respects as the U.S., there are still many Korean residents who dream of leaving their home and settling here in this land of unique prospects. Koreans are not alone in this dream. To become an American is, even today, the desire of many foreign citizens.

God has chosen to bless this nation uniquely. He has chosen to keep it uniquely blessed, at least in part, with a strong military. In a fallen world, war is a fact of life. Peace is maintained through strength. The armed forces of this nation first made a name for themselves by defeating the greatest military power in the world at the time in its successful efforts to separate from Mother England. No other nation has subdued this nation since. It remains as independent as it ever was following Lord Cornwallis’ surrender. God, using armed conflict, technology and various other means, has seen fit to allow such freedom.

One of the names by which Israel knew God was “Lord of Hosts.” The word translated “hosts” means “armies” or “divisions,” carrying with it more than a hint of militarism. The phrase “Lord of Hosts” is not limited in scope to the battlefield, as it also points to God’s sovereignty over all forces and entities in the universe which he formed and maintains. It does, however, remind us that though war is chaotic and hazy for its participants, God sees clearly through the fog of battle and determines who will stand and who will fall. David, even as a young man, knew of God’s rule in the midst of skirmishes, declaring to Goliath just before he launched the smooth stone that would fell him,

“45 You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

The warrior that fights and wins fights and wins because God has decreed victory. The combatant that falls falls at God’s discretion. Goliath was undoubtedly the more skilled and seasoned soldier that day in the Valley of Elah, but God favored the Israeli shepherd boy. The colonial army in 1783 was, in the minds of many, no match for King George III’s Redcoats. The British went down to defeat nonetheless.

God presides over hostilities on the battlefield, but his supervision and intervention don’t make war a neat and tidy affair. Even decisive and glorious victories produce death and dismemberment for the victors, much more the vanquished. The ventures of the United States into armed conflict are no exceptions. Since 1776, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps of the U.S. have engaged in 15 major conflicts producing more than 650,000 casualties, including casualties in the ongoing War on Terror.

Tomorrow, our nation will officially recognize Memorial Day, a day of remembrance of those who have given their lives in defense of this nation. As we pause to recall the sacrifices made on our behalf by our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, let us be thankful to God and to those who died for what they have done for us. Let us also remember that God was no detached observer in those moments of death. He guided bullets and blocked bayonets, shielding some and exposing others. Even sacrifice of one’s life can only occur because God has granted that life in the first place. This fact does not diminish the sacrifice made by those who died in defense of our nation. It only serves as a reminder that man, even in his noblest and most selfless moments, still owes his very being to his Creator.

God is the Lord of Armies. Life and death, victory and failure, war and peace are governed by his sovereign hand. As David declared, the battle, indeed, is the Lord’s.

Steve Pizzini
Berachah Bible Church

The Making of A Mother

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Are mothers born or made? In some sense mothers are born. God has created women to bear children with the included necessary psychological and emotional “wiring” to nurture and rear children. This of course does not mean that all women will be mothers or that all mothers will be good mothers. Nature alone is not enough to endow a female who bears children with the qualities needed for effective motherhood. Other things must be in place to ensure godly mothering. No greater privilege is bestowed upon a human being than the opportunity to give birth to an immortal soul and influence that child with biblical truth. More specifically, to be able to teach one’s child about God, impart divine wisdom, and exemplify Christ-exalting living is quintessential mothering.

How then can a mother be made to fulfill such a noble task as godly mothering? A godly mother must be conceived in the womb of the new birth. The one who is to conceive life within her must be born of the Spirit of God. This new birth that comes from God is not the result of human effort but is the product of the Holy Spirit. Motherhood without God is possible but is not good. There is too much at stake. The brush with death in giving birth, time and energy given on behalf of others, and mothering a future generation is without eternal value if Christ is shunned.

A godly mother is made by a mother who is godly. The best start in life is one that grows and develops under the watchful loving eyes of a mother who knows God and passes on His truth in the Bible to her children. Were you brought up by a mother who loved Christ and who taught you the Scriptures from infancy? If so, rejoice and aspire to do the same for your children. This kind of intergenerational spiritual linkage bears consequences for thousands of generations (Ex. 20:6). A godly mother is also made by having a father who knows his heavenly Father. Fathers, do you have a daughter? Meg Meeker in her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters has said that “daughters who spend more time with their fathers are less likely to drink, take drugs, have sex as teenagers or have out-of-wedlock babies.” Yes fathers, your time with your daughter matters greatly both in its quantity and quality. Daughters need dads who live for Christ.

A godly mother is made by being around older women who are devoting their remaining years to the display of inner beauty (1 Pet. 3:4; Tit. 2:3). Older women in the church who embrace life as an opportunity for sacred service to God, who use their tongues for encouragement rather than injuring others, who do not allow chemical dependencies to become a substitute for dependence on God, and who are committed to passing on the truth of God as it has been woven into the years of their experience are a rich treasure for mothers to be and mothers in the making. The work of a mother is not finished when the nest is empty. There are younger women who desperately need older women to whom they can look and see how to live God’s way.

A godly mother is made by knowing older men who are blazing a trail that is worth following (Tit. 2:2). Older men who are clear and discerning in their thinking, worthy of respect, self-controlled, rock-solid in their faith, who know how to love and to live with their hope set on heaven can make an incalculable contribution to the way mothers-to-be think about manhood. A mother in training needs an example of what true masculinity is like for it may be part of her task to rear a son for God.

A godly mother is made by learning early in life the value of displaying the precious jewelry of Christian truth (Tit. 2:4-5). The church working in concert with the family has a great work to do. Young women have to be taught how to express love to their husbands and children. As has already been pointed out, older women in the congregation must rise to the occasion and offer guidance in how to be committed to the spiritual welfare of one’s husband, in showing interest in what he does, and how to be his helper. Infants and small children are cute. But with that established there is a lot of love-work that has to be done. Children are self-centered and if left to themselves will bring heartache to their parents. They have to be taught what love is, how to get along with others, the importance of self-control, respect for authority, knowledge of the Scriptures, and how to make decisions. The mother who wants to be a God-pleaser needs guidance in how to lay out life’s priorities, in not being ruled by emotions, and how to develop a theological mind. It is this kind of jewelry that is to adorn the mother after God’s own heart.

A godly mother is made by understanding that outer beauty without inner beauty is a monstrosity (Prov. 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”). The world brings great pressure to bear on young girls. It would have them believe that facial cream, make-up, clothes, a model-like figure, and beauty to die for are what define femininity. Let the man beware who wants a godly mother for his children. The man is caught by looking at the gold ring and failing to see the pig. What is the pig? It is that women who is morally flawed and relationally defective. The young girl who wants to grow up and have children of her own would do well to live by the truth that beauty is only skin deep. What really matters is having a heart that radiates love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Now that would be a mother that would make any son or daughter proud.

A godly mother is made by being savvy as to the degree of moral corruption that exists in society. To be spiritually ditsy is no laughing matter. The mothers of tomorrow need a Christian world and life view that makes them able to see through the smoke and mirrors of modern thinking. Multi-culturalism, the internet, the theory of evolution, and a host of other concepts and issues require a biblically razor sharp mind. A godly mother is made by refusing to be a self-satisfied woman, but instead has an insatiable appetite for God and His Word. In an age where the god narcissism rules (having a love-affair with oneself), a mother who is running hard after God will not preen herself on the latest fashions, hair-styles, or linger long in front of the mirror. She does not neglect her appearance and health, but her primary concern is to know the Scriptures and how they apply to her life.

A godly mother is made as she prays for, respects, and is devoted to her husband. She will not grow weary in the well-doing of submitting to her husband in the Lord and delights in the opportunity to exemplify the way Christ’s church submits to Him. By doing this she lives out gospel truth and gives her children an everlasting portrait of God’s redemption in Christ. A godly mother is made by valuing her children as gifts from God. She views them as made in the image of God, but because of sin are in need of God’s forgiveness. The early morning finds her in faithful intercession before God for those for whom she is responsible.

A godly mother is made by becoming an authentic worshiper of God. Her children must see her standing along side other believers in Christ singing the songs that extol God and the wonders of His salvation. A confusing message is sent to sons and daughters when their mother would rather stay at home and watch television than giving herself in ministry and encouragement to others on the Lord’s Day. But her worship doesn’t begin and end on Sunday. The whole of her life is a praise response to God’s mercy and grace to her. Her worship of God on the first day of the week is matched by her kindness on Tuesday.

Is it your desire young women to be a mother one day? Do you know what it takes to be a godly mother? Now is the time to set out on that journey. It will not be easy, but it will yield heavenly rewards that will echo throughout eternity. This would be a good time for all mothers in the making to renew their heart’s desire to exalt Christ. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Prov 31:30).

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

The Swine Flu and Other Plagues

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:38:00 +0000

“Swine flu outbreak in 11 states; 1 dead.” The headlines of this week’s AJC placed everyone on alert. Some may even be in a mild state of panic. The World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control have been communicating with the public in terms of the possibility of an epidemic or a pandemic. Either way, it is a serious matter in this day of rapid international travel. A flu carrier can be in Mexico in the morning and at his home in America or elsewhere by the afternoon. Many remember the SARS scare of 2003 (severe acute respiratory syndrome) when the world community scrambled to contain what seemed to be a deadly viral threat to millions of people. In the 1300’s the “black death” (the bubonic plague) swept through Europe destroying a fourth of its population. If you visit cemeteries in our own locale, you will notice how many died in the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, from a lethal influenza virus that raced around the world. It is estimated that as many as 100 million people died worldwide from that great influenza outbreak.

The Bible gives us brief pictures of epidemics of sickness and death that have played a role in the story of redemption. The ten plagues of Egypt come to mind (Ex. 7-10). The tenth and final plague was the death of the first-born in every family that was not protected by the blood of a slain lamb on the doorposts and lintel of every house. We are not told how God’s death angel administered such a sorrowful epidemic of death. But it was enough to dislodge Pharaoh from his refusal to let Israel go from his land. Whatever the disease was that killed so many, it was God’s judgment on a truth-resistant Pharaoh and deliverance for Israel.

In a case of passing a hot potato, the ark of God inflicted a fatal disease on every Philistine who welcomed it into their community (1 Sam. 4-5). After about seven months of this the Philistines had had enough and worked out an arrangement to send the ark back to its rightful owners, God’s covenant people. The idol worshiping Philistines even tried some “sympathetic magic” as a means of alleviating their misery (1 Sam. 6:4-5). They thought that they could remove the disaster that plagued them by using models (five golden rats and five golden swollen lymph nodes). To show that God does not play favorites, over 50,000 Beth-shemesh citizens succumbed to the same disease that had afflicted the Philistines when some Israelites disrespectfully looked into the ark of the Lord (1 Sam . 6:19).

In what was one of the low points in King David’s life, he brought a plague upon Israel through his disobedience to God (2 Sam. 24:10-25). David violated one of God’s commands to Israel’s kings by pridefully having Israel’s number of fighting men counted. This ego trip resulted in God sending a deadly epidemic that took the lives of seventy thousand men. The attempt to organize his kingdom more perfectly like the self-promoting monarchs of surrounding nations brought about thousands of grieving widows. David, as God’s surrogate in Israel, learned the hard way that glorying in numbers was contrary to trusting in God for defensive power against all enemies.

The present world population of over six billion makes the prophecy of the pale horse in Revelation 6:7-8 absolutely staggering. A pandemic will contribute to the death of a fourth of the earth’s inhabitants in the Great Tribulation. Mankind’s hopes for creating lasting peace, plenty, and longevity of life through global politics, environmentalism, and scientific advances will meet with great disappointment. The great day of the wrath of the Lamb will make use of viral and bacterial diseases that will defy human invention and take, at present calculations, over two billion lives.

The swine flu along with every germ and disease known and unknown to man is part of the curse of death. Sin is the mother of death. Microorganisms that cause disease stand as a witness to a creation that groans under the curse of sin. It is sin that fallen human beings refuse to acknowledge as the real villain of human existence. It is sin that has corrupted every one of us and alienates us from our holy Creator. It is sin that ruins our relationships, breaks up our homes, deceives us, and hurls us into eternal judgment. Men and women may deny they are sinners but they can’t play like death isn’t there. That is what is so terrifying about the possibility of a mutated flu virus that could kill people by the millions. The grim reaper cannot be denied. The fear of death creates as many explanations for death as there are spiritually dead people. Sin’s grip must be broken if Satan’s (the father of death) grip is to be broken (Heb. 2:14; Eph. 2:1-5). Where is this liberation that we so desperately need? Freedom from the fear of death comes in liberation from the guilt of sin. Our liability to God’s wrath because of our rebellion against Him must be brought to the foot of the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation from God’s condemnation are the only ones who can be free from the fear of death.

Those who have experienced the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ should not be people who are infected with the fear of death. Those who belong to Christ know that death belongs to them (1 Cor. 3:22). It takes every believer to their everlasting rest in heaven. Christians are, therefore, able to show mercy to those who are afflicted with the diseases of our mortality. It is a ministry of witness to the hope that is in Christ. The swine flu and every germ on our planet tell us that death is the penalty of sin. The mother of all plagues is the plague of sin. But the greater news is that the Gospel proclaims the death of death in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Myths about Marriage and Family

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:12:00 +0000

A myth is an invented story in an attempt to explain something in life or nature. Romulus and Remus were mythical founders of Rome. It was said that a wolf nursed the twins after they had been abandoned as babies. We are amused by such myths. But myths are no laughing matter when they are accepted as truth. There are myths about marriage and family. The tragedy is that these myths are believed and acted upon by many to their own harm and loss. The following are some of myths that rule the thoughts of men and women regarding marriage and family.

Myth # 1 – Marriage is a 50/50 proposition. This myth says that in order for a marriage to work right a husband and wife must meet half way. As each fulfills his or her own responsibilities marriage will be what it ought to be. What’s wrong here? The truth is that marriage is a 100/100 effort. Each spouse is to give a 100 % commitment to the other. There is no meeting at the middle and waiting for the other to do their part. God holds the husband accountable to love Him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love his wife as he loves himself. The same is true for the wife. Are you fully committed to your marriage? Or are you standing there tapping your feet thinking you have done your part waiting on your spouse to give equal effort?

Myth # 2 – The basis of marriage is love. This myth has an element of truth in it, namely, that love is a vital component in a good marriage. But the fact is that the basis of marriage is the covenant that binds a man and a woman together. Vows were taken in the marriage ceremony. Promises were exchanged. A commitment was forged. If one doesn’t love his or her spouse any longer, then they must learn to love. A lack of love is no excuse for running away from marital promises. Love can and should be learned. On the surface of it that may sound cold and hard. But it isn’t when it becomes understood that love is not merely an emotion. It is a way of thinking and acting. When love comes up out of the heart and makes sacrifices for the good of the other person, emotion will follow. Romance reenters a marriage when two people give themselves to love God’s way (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

Myth # 3 – The goal of marriage is happiness. This is not true. The goal of marriage is to glorify the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31). A man may say that his wife is difficult to live with (and it may be true). He says, “She makes me unhappy.” So he concludes there is no hope for the marriage, which further confuses matters. If a husband or wife just wants to be happy, then they will try to use God and talk in terms of having one’s needs met (another myth). An entirely different outlook is necessary to counteract the myth of “God wants me to be happy and you are not meeting my needs.” God is not against our personal happiness. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The joy of the Lord is to be the Christian’s strength. A self-serving person thinks only about his own happiness. The one who serves God obeys Him and experiences a delight that overflows its banks. The driving passion of one’s heart ought to be to display the perfections of God no matter what the circumstances, yes, even if one’s spouse is making life hard.

Myth # 4 – Having children will draw a husband and wife closer together. If a couple is living life God’s way children can bring added blessing and unity. But having children is no guarantee that a marital relationship will get better. Sometimes a wife will think that she will be happier if she could have a baby. Mixed in with this desire may also be the thinking that a child will create some longed for happiness. The reality is that children bring added pressure. A new addition to the family cannot remove bitterness. Actually, children will tend to magnify the problems that already exist in a marriage. Children are a gift from God and should be enjoyed (Psa. 127), but they will not make pre-existing attitudes and behavior suddenly vanish. It is the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in one’s life that changes a relationship, not the multiplication of children.

Myth # 5 – It is better to be married than single. Self-deception is a tricky thing. We can convince ourselves that something will be true if only our circumstances would change. The single person who is lonely and unhappy can believe that being married will make life “all better.” It is an easy trap to fall into. Looking around in a church filled with married couples the single may surmise that they are all happy. Churches can be guilty of exacerbating the problem of single discontent through preaching and body-life that holds up marriage as a goal to be pursued by all, looking with suspicion upon those who are choosing to remain single, and by creating a social culture that marginalizes single people. Nevertheless, singles must think biblically about their circumstances. Read what the apostle Paul says about the advantages of serving God as a single (1 Cor. 7:25-40). Happiness is not created by circumstances. It comes to those who are walking by the Spirit.

Myth # 6 – Our children will grow up to be fine Christians and upstanding citizens, if we do the right things. We must be careful in dismantling this myth. On the one hand it is important that one’s children be brought up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1). But at the same time biblical wisdom tells us that godly diligence in child-rearing does not guarantee the moral and spiritual outcome of one’s children. The examples of godly fathers who produced ungodly sons are abundant in the Old Testament. The supreme case of a “wounded parent” is found in God’s relationship with Israel (Hos. 11:1-4). Israel’s rejection of God’s love is notorious in the annals of redemptive history. The proper response to the myths that surround child training is not to be one of cynicism and fear. Instead parents are to be faithful in instructing their child in the whole counsel of God, providing abundant opportunities for learning how to live life God’s way, and giving an example of what it means to be a God-pleaser. All this is to be seasoned with prayer and dependence on God.

These are not all of the myths attached to marriage and the family. But they are enough to alert us to the dangers that beset us in living in a world that treats the Bible carelessly. Living in the fast lane with brief or no encounters with what the Bible teaches is the soil in which myths germinate. Myths are best identified and rejected “by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Some Questions

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so important to Christianity? The resurrection is one of the foundational truths of the gospel message upon which Christianity rests (1 Cor. 15:1-11, 17-18). It is the foundation stone of orthodox Christianity and without it there is no Christian faith. According to the apostle Paul, if there is no resurrection the apostles were liars, the Christian’s faith is worthless, there is no hope for the future, and the world is right and we (Christians) are wrong (1 Cor. 15:15-19).

Can a person be saved and not believe in the resurrection of Christ from the dead? No! The resurrection of Jesus is essential to salvation (Rom. 10:9-10). There is no good news without a resurrected Savior (1 Cor. 15:12-14). The object of the gospel would be a dead man. The good news would be bad news. We are left with theological fiction.

Was the resurrection of Jesus Christ important in the church of the first century? Absolutely. It was necessary to have seen the resurrected Christ if one was to be an apostle (Acts 1:21-22). The resurrection was the main topic of the sermons preached in the early church (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 10:40; 13:30-37; 17:31). Actually, the theme of the first messages recorded in the Book of Acts runs something like this: “This Jesus that you crucified and put to death was raised up by God.” The truth was clearly and boldly presented; the crucifixion was no accident. God planned it. Sinful men executed it. The resurrection of Jesus confirmed that He was the Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:22-32).

Was the resurrection of Jesus Christ prophesied in the Old Testament? It most certainly was. Peter used Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1 to demonstrate that David could not be speaking of himself. He was speaking of the resurrection and ascension of the Messiah (Acts 2:25-31). In Psalm 2:7 it is prophesied that the identity of Jesus would be demonstrated in His resurrection. The prophet Isaiah said that the coming Messiah would have His days “prolonged” (Isa. 53:10). Having made an offering of Himself for sin and then to have His days prolonged necessitates bodily resurrection.

Did Jesus say anything about His resurrection from the dead? He did. He predicted it (Jn. 2:18-22; 10:18; 11:25; Matt. 12:38-40; 20:19; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 18:33, 34). At the very beginning of His public ministry Jesus told the Jews that He would raise Himself from the dead. Almost three years later in the fall before the spring of His resurrection, Jesus said, “because I lay down My life that I may take it again” (Jn. 10:17). Jesus was not surprised by His own resurrection from the grave. He knew He would come back from the dead to live forevermore. If He was not raised, then He lied. He then would not be the Savior from sin, but a deceiver.

Was the resurrection of Jesus an actual bodily resurrection? Some claim that Jesus’ resurrection body was an immaterial and invisible body. This represents a failure to understand the word “spiritual” in reference to Christ’s post-resurrection body (1 Cor. 15:44). The word “spiritual” means a supernatural body. Jesus actually died. He did not swoon away and revive in the cool tomb. Blood and water flowed from His side (Jn. 19:34, 35). A Roman centurion and other soldiers confirmed His death (M. 15:45; Jn. 19:33). When Jesus came out of the tomb, He came out physically. The tomb was examined. His body was not in it (Jn. 20:5, 7). The resurrected Jesus ate with His disciples (Lk. 24:41-45). The angels said, “He is not here, but He has risen” (Lk. 24:6-8). Christ’s resurrection body could be seen, touched, smelled, and heard. He was no ghost. The material body of Jesus was manifested to His disciples and many others in its glory.

Were there witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection? Yes. There were many (1 Cor. 15:5-11). The threefold criteria for evaluating the trustworthiness of a testimony is: (a) The witness must be competent (“eye-witnesses”), (b) Sufficient in number, and (c) Of a good reputation. The witnesses to the bodily resurrection qualified on all three counts. Some of these were Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, Jude, Mary Magdalene, and the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Mk. 16:12, 13). Were they all mistaken? Did they lie? Did they really see a resurrected Jesus? They were all trustworthy witnesses.

What is the relationship between Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the hope for the Christian’s resurrection? The apostle said that Christ is “the first fruits” of those who belong to Him (1 Cor. 15:20-23). This means that because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, so will all believers be raised. Jesus’ defeat of death is the first installment of a harvest of resurrected saints. This is why Paul taught that the denial of a resurrected body is a denial of the reality of Christ’s own bodily resurrection. We who are His will live forever in bodies suited for all eternity, because He lives.

Will there be any similarity between Christ’s resurrected body and the Christian’s resurrected body? Christ’s was recognized by His disciples in His appearances after His resurrection. We will recognize one another. His body could be touched. We will not be mere spirits but touchable, glorious physical bodies. Christ’s resurrection body had the ability to eat, but did not have to. There will be a luscious fruit-bearing tree of life in the heavenly city (Rev. 22:2). It will not be a mere decoration. The resurrected body of Jesus had the same voice resonance (i.e. same system of vocal cords). We will hear and recognize one another’s voices in heaven but without the imperfections that mortality has placed upon us.

What is the relationship between believers being able to stand before God as forgiven and accepted and the resurrection of Christ? Christ was raised in order to accomplish our justification. Justification is that legal act of God in which He declares us to be righteous in His sight. The justified believer can be accepted by God because His sins are forgiven and Christ’s righteousness belongs to him. No one could be justified before God if Jesus had not been raised from the dead (Rom. 4:25). None of us can earn the right to be with God in heaven. Such a privilege is because Jesus earned our justification. The open tomb of Jesus is God’s stamp of approval on the value of Jesus’ death on the cross.

How is the resurrection of Jesus to make a difference in the life of the Christian? It is to make all the difference in the world. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead demonstrates the power of God to save us and make us like Jesus Christ. The resurrection is proof of the power for change. It is a power that the believer already possesses in Christ (Eph. 1:20; 2:1, 6). Loving one another is possible. Freedom from the power of sin is possible (Rom. 6:4). Life dominating sins can be cut off at their roots. New desires, new motives, new aspirations, new thought patterns, and zeal for God are all possible because of resurrection power.

Dear friend, do you know the power of the resurrection? Have you experienced the life transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit? You ask, “How can this come about?” The resurrected Christ died to pay the penalty of sin. He was wounded for our transgressions. Because He lives you can enjoy the freedom of forgiveness and eternal life. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved. Let the celebration of Christ’s resurrection be the day when you abandon your futile effort to earn God’s favor and accept the gift of salvation which the resurrected Christ offers so full and free.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Let’s Take a Trip

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:53:00 +0000

Jim Stout was an encourager, a faithful witness for Christ, the life of the party, and could tell stories that were unexcelled. One of my favorites was his account of family vacations taken with his parents and six siblings. Their annual drive from Pennsylvania to Florida was the stuff from which legends are made. We may all have our traveling stories. Good planning, poor planning, break downs, dead batteries, wrong turns, lost luggage, food poisoning, keys locked in the car, songs on the radio, arguments, laughter, and a whole lot more. But did you know that there is a psalm in the Old Testament that was written especially for travelers? It is even known as “The Traveler’s Psalm.” Saints of times gone by have drawn encouragement from it as they set out on journeys filled with the unknown.

Psalm 121 is the second of a group of psalms known as the songs of ascent. These songs were sung by pilgrims in ancient Israel as they journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the great feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Lev. 23). It has been said that it breathes a marvelous spirit of tranquil trust in God from beginning to end. It offers us the divine perspective that ought to serve as guiding truth for any of our travels.

The first stanza of this song for our trips reminds that the source of our protection is the Lord of creation (vv. 1-2). That would certainly be our initial concern would it not? The truth of looking to God as our true help must inform all of our travel plans. In the mind of the psalmist the hills did not represent his travel insurance. The pagan neighbors of Israel thought of the hills as places close to their gods. But the psalmist rejects the hills and seeks the God of creation Himself. Who is our helper when traveling at sixty-five mph or at 35,000 feet? It is the “Maker of heaven and earth.” James Boise said it best; “What we need is not the gods of nature, but nature’s God.” The ancient traveler was overwhelmed by the thought of God as he caught his first glimpse of Jerusalem’s city walls and the temple. My fellow traveler, let’s remember that trips should be preceded by right thoughts about God and divine providence. Worries and fears will not stand a chance in the presence of the God who rules over all the circumstances of life.

The protection of God has another quality to it. It is certain and ceaseless (vv. 3-4). How much better should we sleep knowing that God does not sleep. Overnight stays along the paths and trails that led to Jerusalem were filled with dangers; robbers and wild animals could be in the shadows ready to pounce on the unsuspecting. Confidence in God is a soft pillow upon which to lay one’s anxious thoughts. My Christian friend, you know that all traveling is subject to the dangers of living in a fallen world. But do not let fretful, complaining grumpiness rule you when that “flight delayed” or “flight cancelled” light flashes on the screen at the gate. Put your mind on the God who “causes all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

With further rhetorical flourish the weary pilgrim reminds himself that “the Lord is your keeper.” The Keeper of Israel is always on duty. Yes, even on the midnight shift. In this final stanza we are assured that the protection of the Lord means that we are kept from all evil (vv. 5-8). Does this mean that the Christian is exempt from problems in travel? If that were the plan, there would be a long line waiting to buy this kind of traveler’s insurance. The British commentator puts us on the right track when he says, “to be kept from all evil does not imply a cushioned life, but a well-trained one.” Savor that thought for a minute. It carries some essential theological freight. We are not promised that we will not have automobile accidents, water pipes that won’t burst while we are away, or traveler’s intestinal issues. The truth is that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. As Cornelius Plantinga has said, “We can come to know that it’s all right, even when everything is all wrong.” We are kept by our omnipotent Lord as we go through our problems. That makes a great deal of difference when you discover that your luggage is on its way to some unknown place or when you get to the airport and discover you have left your passport at home.

Fellow travelers, are you prepared for your next adventure? It should make a great deal of difference in the way we make our trips, if our GPS is filled with the counsel and comfort that comes from knowing that Jesus has said “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Why I Love Ministering to Students

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:35:00 +0000

I recently set out to write the many reasons Why I Love Ministering to Students. Below is the simple fruit of this reflection. While they are my reflections, my ambition is that they would be an encouragement to all—parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers alike. If you are a part of Christ’s church, well, then you have a responsibility to those around you—whether they be 5 or 85—or even somewhere in between (teenagers)! Ministering to one another is a biblical imperative and, therefore, weighty responsibility that just happens to give tremendous joy.

I Love Evangelism – Students pose a tremendous opportunity as a mission field right in our own churches. If we neglect to minister to students, we lose an opportunity to preach the gospel. This reality motivates me to fulfill the Great Commission, specifically at a youth level.
Leadership is Influence – It gives me joy to take part in the same ministry as Paul as I seek to influence teenagers to follow Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). This joy is found in the fruit of watching students begin to imitate Christ and, in turn, influence their own peers. Youth leaders must remember that their lives and words are being watched and followed, and this is a significant responsibility before God.
I Love the Church – Teenagers are not just the church of tomorrow—they are part of the church right now. Like any pastor, youth ministers are to preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2), confront hearts with the truth, plead the gospel, and disciple those whom God has regenerated.
Youthfulness is an Asset – Teenagers are single, and singleness is a gift from the Lord to be used for service to the body (1 Cor. 7). If teenagers can own this truth now, they will be able to use their time, talents, and resources for the good of God’s people in a way that expresses single-minded devotion to God.
I Love the Family – Youth ministry that isolates itself from the family cuts itself off from God’s appointed primary means of discipleship. Youth ministers should strive to be partners with Christian parents, complementing their years of parenting and reinforcing biblical wisdom.
I Love the Hope of Their Maturity – Colossians 1:28-29 encourages me to minister to students in such a way that spiritual progress will take place in their lives. I love seeing Christ’s maturing, sanctifying work in teenagers whose lives are devoted to Him. There is great joy in seeing God’s people grow in their likeness to our Lord.
I Love the Hope of Their Potential – It gladdens my heart to minister to those who are the future members, ministers, deacons, and elders of our churches. It is these pivotal years that they have the opportunity to learn spiritual disciplines they will benefit from for the rest of their lives.

The content within these thoughts is obviously not confined to ministering to teenagers. These things apply to those of the youngest of age to those with longstanding church involvement. Whether you be a parent, deacon, or nursery volunteer, may our commitment to minister to one another be as robust and strong as ever—to the glory of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Grubbs
Berachah Bible Church

Simplifying Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:36:00 +0000

Just what I need. Another appeal for me to live my life more serenely and simply. Don’t run away, if that was your first thought. Go to the words of Jesus. He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). To be pure in heart is to be singly focused on Jesus Christ. It is giving the Lord of lords our undivided attention. In so doing the eye of faith becomes increasingly clear and sharply focused on who God is and what He wants from me. To put it another way, seeing God is experiencing Him in the fullness of all that He is as God. Do you want that? If you do, you will be able to soar to incredible heights in love for God and usefulness in His kingdom. One way to think this through and live accordingly is to resolve day to day to live out the spiritual realities of God’s kingdom.

It has been said that, “the ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary, so the necessary can speak.” The “necessary” is to become “pure in heart.” How can purity of heart with its increasingly clear-eyed view of God be attained? Jesus told Martha that Mary, her sister, had chosen “the good part” (Lk. 10:42). What did He mean? Martha was in a lather about getting meal preparation just right for Jesus and the other guests. Mary was sitting and listening to Jesus teach. Jesus did not correct Martha because of her work ethic. It was because her work ethic dominated her. She let it keep her from doing what was the most important thing at that moment. Mary made the right choice. Martha didn’t. She needed to simply her life, namely hearing God’s Word and obeying it.

Martha’s was an unsimplified life. What are the signs of an unsimplified life? Here are some possible symptoms: no private time of communion with God in His Word and prayer, shallow relationships (many acquaintances but no close friends), failure to have read a good book in the last two months, chronic fatigue, worry, impatience, fear. We will need wisdom to make the necessary corrections. There is a danger in simplifying. Don Whitney in his book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, has a chapter entitled “Beware of Simplifying.” In it he warns of the “cult of simplicity.” When simplifying becomes an end in itself, “materialistic, earthbound, and self-centered” living takes over. That is not where you want to go with simplifying your life. Where do you go? The following counsel is not a formula but some proposed points of wisdom to keep you on the right path in the pursuit of purity of heart.

Simplifying one’s life is living according to our God-given responsibilities. Fundamentally, these are love for God and for one’s neighbor (Mk. 12:29-31). Is this what you really want in life?
Simplifying one’s life is a journey guided by the compass of God’s eternal, infallible, and inerrant Word (Matt. 4:4). The Christian pilgrimage is one of redeeming the time (Eph. 5:16). Are material things draining you of spiritual energy?
Life’s demands must not be dictated by our energy, the demands of others, or the values of the culture (1 Jn. 2:15-17). How has God gifted you? Are you a good manager of your natural and spiritual gifts?
Put things in their proper place that are getting in the way of the pursuit of priorities; such as television, movies, excessive internet time, etc. Are you in control of the entertainment and information you desire? What do you want to know and why do you want to know it?
Self-discipline must become a way of life, not an elective. Pray for it. It is a grace of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). Self-mastery is one of the prime achievements in life. Don’t be satisfied without it. But don’t get the cart before the horse. Love for God will shape my schedule. A well-oiled routine may be just that, a well-oiled routine. Do you have control over your phone? Computer? Stream of thought?
Declare war on the habit of procrastination. It is the thief of time. Make a list of the things you have been ignoring. Arrange them in order of importance. Get to work and then enjoy the God-given sense of relief.
Plan your schedule before others plan it for you. Beware of the self-help and success books which tell you how to get more out of your time. Packing more into your time in order to produce more is not the way to pursue a simplified life. Is more what we want?
Insist upon the preparation for and the experience of worship with God’s people. There is no better reminder of what is essential in life than worship that is Bible-based, God-exalting, Christ-centered, and Spirit-driven.
Break away from your routine periodically to rest, reflect, renew, and reevaluate your life. A life unexamined is a life unfulfilled. The kind of life for which God has made us is one that seeks His glory above all else. Take your Bible, some Christ-exalting music, and a soul-stirring book (e.g. “To the Golden Shore” – the life of Adoniram Judson).
Establish and guard time with God each day. Do this somewhere, sometime, somehow. If you want to hear what God is saying to you, make sure that you are listening to what He has said in the Scriptures. A conversation with oneself is not the same as listening to God.

Well then, what are we to do? Down-size our houses, become a one-car family, stay home more, get rid of our computers? As has already been noted, simplifying one’s life can become a very self-centered and materialistic venture. The first step toward genuine simplification is to become God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ. It is as Don Whitney says, “The place to start simplifying the spiritual life (and derivatively all of life) is to make sure you have one.” Dear reader, do you have life in Jesus Christ? Jesus said that “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). Simplifying one’s life begins by passing from death to life (Jn. 5:24). We were born separated from fellowship with God. God cannot accept us because of our sin. There is no way to remedy this condition other than to receive God’s forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. God says, “I give to you eternal life.” We are to answer; I accept. That is faith. The simplicity is not in what it cost God, the death of His Son, but in the way to accept the gift of salvation. Faith, it’s just that simple.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Growing up in Christ – No Shortcuts, Part II

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:42:00 +0000

How do we get there from here? The Christian from the instant he is born again is to press on to maturity in Christ. There will be temptations to take the wrong roads to this destination. We may hear some teaching on the Christian life that has elements of truth in it but laced with erroneous theology. Our progress in the faith can be impeded by misdirected thinking and living. Another of these “shortcuts” to holiness is claiming a promise and moving out. The Christian pilgrim will hear the appeal to complete surrender, confessing all known sin, seek the filling of the Spirit, claiming a promise from the Bible, and move out under the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. There are some biblical truths in this system. But the proposed formula breaks down in failing to focus on faith in one’s position in Christ. The growing Christian must stay tethered to Romans 6 and those things that are true about every believer (e.g. cocrucifixion and coresurrection). Claiming a promise (quite often taken out of context) doesn’t necessarily put one on the fast track to holiness. Acts of dedication and surrender, however well-intentioned, are no replacement for the day to day disciplining oneself for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).

Perhaps the most appealing shortcut to holiness of life is performance based living. On the surface it appears simple and attainable. “Just obey the laws of the Bible.” As one of its adherents has put it, “entire sanctification consists in perfect obedience to the law of God.” Many Christians get caught-up in this kind of system. Legalism is the attempt to make oneself worthy enough to deserve God’s blessing. The problem is that it can’t be done. The fundamental failure is that post-conversion legalism is essentially abandonment of the grace of God in the gospel. How could we ever be good enough to earn God’s approval? In his monumental letter to the Galatians the apostle Paul rebukes his readers for capitulating to the error that God can be put in a position of being a debtor to us (“God owes me because of my good.”). The pride that sits in the middle of this kind of thinking is titanic. The truth is, God is the source of blessing. Works that glorify God flow out of the spring of God’s grace. Jerry Bridges has captured the issues that are at stake; “Regardless of our performance, we are always dependent on God’s grace. . .Even our best works are shot through with sin – with varying degrees of impure motives and lots of imperfect performance.” The legalism lane is the wrong lane in the race of the Christian life. If you want to be disqualified from receiving any rewards, just run in this lane. Stay in the grace lane to the finish line.

Another aspect of the legalism shortcut is the taboo route. Taboos are things that are forbidden or prohibited. Lists of things that are prohibited are part of the legalism subculture. Thoughtless and poorly taught believers can start adopting a series of things to avoid as the means to holiness of life. The thinking is that by not participating in “worldly” activities one can insure his devotion to Christ. Giving up certain amusements, adopting a certain type of approved clothing, listening only to Christian music, and staying away from certain kinds of entertainment can be intoxicating to the believer who is trying to not love the world and draw nearer to God. This is not to say that there are not things that Christians would be wise to avoid in order to keep their minds and time sharply focused on Christ. But mere acts of austerity and self-denial can stunt rigorous biblical thinking and keep us from what it means to “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2).

Shortcuts are attractive because they have the immediate appearance of “workability.” Self-discipline is admirable and even necessary in the journey of faith. However, the well-intentioned Christian may look at prayer, Bible reading, financial giving, witnessing for Christ and other duties as the key to Christian living. What could be wrong with setting up a routine and doing the right things? The problem is that a routine in and of itself doesn’t force one to go beneath the surface of behavior and deal with the heart. Solomon said, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov.4:23). A wisely planned schedule can be a very good thing. We need to pray regularly, read our Bible, give to God’s work, and tell others about Christ. But true Christianity is not just about changing habits and routines. It is about changing hearts. Our motives, interests, desires, aspirations, and value judgments need a thorough going-over by the searching power of God’s Word as an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Going on to maturity travels by way of love for Christ which orders one’s life for godliness. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, not a system of holiness.

“What would Jesus do?” has from time to time come forward to be the guiding principle for holy living. The statement by Peter, “leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. . .” (1 Pet. 2:21), is used to support the WWJD slogan. The problem is that transformation into the image of Christ does not come by imitation. It comes by renewing of the mind and the re-ordering of the inner life by God’s Spirit. Trying to copy a mental image of what Jesus was like tends to get confused with personal subjective ideas about what genuine Christianity is. Only by rightly dividing the Word of truth and the resultant mind of Christ being formed in the believer can one correctly discern how to obey Christ. Conjuring up a mental picture of Jesus and/or trying to copy someone else’s personality (deemed to be a holy person) is fraught with dangers. There are no shortcuts to serious Bible study and steeping one’s mind in God’s holy, infallible, inerrant Word.

“What will you give up for Lent?” This question is posed each Easter season. Will giving up chocolate for lent, participation in holy communion, being baptized, singing in the church choir, or observing “holy-days” make us stronger Christians? We must be very careful here. It may be wise to alter one’s eating habits and sing in the Easter cantata. But unless one is walking in the Spirit, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and savoring Jesus Christ, ritualism will not suffice. A good dose of Colossians 2:20-23 is a good remedy for seasonal “holiness.”

What has been said about these so-called shortcuts to growing up in Christ does not mean that there are not some biblical truths sprinkled among them. Nor is this critique a judgment on earnest, God-seeking Christians who stray into spiritual cul-de-sacs. If you have found yourself chasing some erroneous idea about the pursuit of holiness, repent of it and return to the Scriptures for the necessary corrections. And above all let us be kind to those caught in the web of deceitful devices in their longing for a closer walk with God. We must judge ourselves before we set out to reprove others. Then proceed with mercy, speaking the truth in love, and “grow up in all aspects unto Him, who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Growing up in Christ – No Shortcuts

noreply@blogger.com (BBC Webmaster) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Growing up from infancy to adulthood is not easy. It takes time, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise, personal hygiene, some sickness (the immune system has to be developed), and other intangibles. For that matter, sustaining a reasonable modicum of health in adult life requires attention to the same basics as early childhood development. The writer of Hebrews urges his readers to go on to maturity by means of a diet of solid food (Heb. 5:14). Peter admonishes believers to long for the pure milk of the Word (2 Pet. 2:2). But there can be problems. Poor nutrition, lack of God-enabled self-discipline (1 Tim. 4:8), and the temptation to look for shortcuts to maturity in the faith can yield spiritual malnourishment and limited growth.

There are certain basics for spiritual development that every Christian must know. J. I. Packer gives an excellent summary of these basics about holiness (the goal of the Christian life) in his book, Keep in Step with the Spirit. They are: (1) The nature of holiness is transformation through consecration. (2) The context of holiness is justification through Jesus Christ. (3) The root of holiness is cocrucifixion and coresurrection with Jesus Christ. (4) The agent of holiness is the Holy Spirit. (5) The experience of holiness is one of conflict. (6) The rule of holiness is God’s revealed law. (7) The heart of holiness is the Spirit of love.

The God-pursuing, righteousness-hungry Christian can adopt some injurious nutritional habits which will hinder growth in Christ. In the quest for holiness (becoming like Christ) the believer must be on guard against the following erroneous views of the Christian life. Holiness is not attainted by perfectionism. There is a teaching that would have us believe that at some point through some special kind of spiritual experience eradication of the sinful nature is possible. This is patently foolish, but nevertheless a naïve Christian may buy into this deception. The truth is, “If we say we have no sin (the indwelling sin principle), we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8). Nor can holiness be attained by emotionalism. Non-doctrinal sharing of experiences, public confession of sins, self-discovery, total openness and freedom to be oneself can become a substitute for biblical sanctification. These ideas were especially popular in the 1970s, but they still travel in certain groups. So-called honesty sessions can be a very harmful diversion. The danger involved is thinking that an encounter with biblical truth on a feeling level is the same as encountering biblical truth in the heart. Emotions are a wonderful gift from God. They are a part of being made in the image of God, but emotions must be tethered to truth and expressed through the Christian’s relationship to Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:8). Getting in touch with oneself is not the same as knowing Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10).

The pathway to holiness is not found in self-renunciation. The teaching here is that denying oneself or “crucifying self” is the road to spirituality. The appeal of this idea is that it claims to be what Paul means when he says, “consider yourselves to be dead to sin” (Rom. 6:11). But it misinterprets the text. The Christian’s identification with Christ is what it means to be “dead to sin.” Bondage to the sin nature has been broken. There is no way we can crucify ourselves. The danger of self-renunciation as a supposed key to Christian growth is that it can’t be done. Self never cancels out self. Paul is referring to the threat of physical death daily in his life when he speaks about dying daily, not crucifying self.

The attainment of spiritual maturity by “letting go and letting God” is another path to be avoided. This is an attempt to guide Christians into spiritual growth by an interpretation of Romans 6 which turns it into steps for living the Christian life. It is alleged that Paul is answering the question, “How may a justified believer live a holy life?” The result is a teaching which turns Romans 6 into a method for Christian living, that makes Romans 7:14-25 a description of a Christian trying to fight sin “in the energy of the flesh,” and encourages a kind of passivity. You will hear such things as “Stop trying and start trusting,” “Let go and let God.” But as J.I. Packer has so accurately replied, “The Christian’s motto should (rather) be, “Trust God and get going!” Be wary of teachings on the Christian life that want to reduce the fight with sin to bland and lazy appeals that say, “Don’t struggle with it yourself, just hand it over to the Lord.” This will not be the road to Christian maturity.

To be continued...

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church