Mark Spence's blog

Megalights.com is for sale!

2012-01-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

I use to own a Christmas light hanging company. Now, I'm auctioning off the domain name MegaLights.com.

If you're interesting check out the public listing at:
https://flippa.com/2682351-megalights-com

The auction will end on Feb. 15, 2012

God bless!

Can we trust the Bible?

2010-11-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

A visual Description of the Bible by Mark Spence, the Dean of the School of Biblical Evangelism.

The Bible is God's living and powerful Word. It can be trusted because it is inerrant, inspired, and infallible. It is the compass God has given us to govern our lives.

This video may be freely downloaded here.

Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation of Thanksgiving -Issued, October 3, 1863

2010-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to invite and provoke the aggressions of foreign States, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

The needful diversions of wealth and strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship. The axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people; I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to our beneficent Father, who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to him that, for such singular deliverances and blessings; they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

2010-11-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other people do things, which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works. Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work, which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things that may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot.

Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.

By G.D. Watson

Don't Quit Tony Miano!

2010-11-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

FAITH is needed at every step of this life on this fallen planet. Our Savior knows what He is doing with you, beloved of the Lord. Consider the faith passage, Hebrews 11, what a list of trials and seeming disasters it gives to us.

Recently a missionary and his two sons from Australia were burned alive in their car by Hindu extremists in India. But, Hebrews 11 shows that the history of the people of God on this planet runs red with their blood! This horrifying incident in India is no isolated occurrence in a world teeming with rebels against the One true God, rebels who are controlled by Satan.

Faith in the One who loves us so can master insurmountable difficulties. This lovely quote from F.B. Meyer, written on the Hebrews 11, is a joy to read. Praise God, He will take us through in triumph until we meet Jesus face-to-face in glory:  

"There are many difficulties before us all. Stormy seas forbid our passage; frowning fortifications bar our progress; mighty kingdoms defy our power; lions roar against us; fire lights its flaming barricade in our path; the sword, the armies of the alien, mockings, scourgings, bonds, and imprisonment - all these menace our peace, darken our horizon, and try on us their power; but faith has conquered all these before, and it shall do as much again.

We will laugh at impossibility; we will tread the shores of the seas, certain they must make us a way; we will enter the dens of wild beasts and the furnaces of flame, sure that they are impotent to injure us; we shall escape the edge of the sword, out of weakness become strong, turn to flight armies of aliens, and set at nought all the power of the enemy: and all because we believe God. Reckon one God's faithfulness.

Look not at the winds and the waves, but at His character and will. Get alone with Him, steeping your heart and mind in His precious and exceeding great promises. Be obedient to the utmost limit of His light. Walk in the Spirit, one of whose fruit is faith. So shall you be deemed worthy to join this band, whose names and exploits run over from this page into the Chronicles of eternity, and to share their glorious heritage." (p.139, The Way Into the Holiest).

"Reincarnation Makes No Sense"

2010-11-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Reincarnation is the teaching that after death, the soul goes to a holding place and then enters a new human body. Some even believe we are incarnated into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. This cycle continues over and over again for thousands of years until the person supposedly learns what he/she needs to be learn, and then the reincarnation process ceases.

Belief in reincarnation is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism. In the west, some New Age movements, along with followers of Spiritism also adhere to reincarnation. For the Christian, however, there can be no doubt: reincarnation is unbiblical and must be rejected as false. If reincarnation is true, then there is no Day of Judgment, no need for the Cross and no need to trust in Christ.

Hebrews 9:27 clearly tells us that that we die once and then face judgment. The Bible never mentions people having a second chance at life or coming back as different people or animals. Jesus told the dying criminal on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" not "You will have another chance to live a life on this earth." The Bible teaches that believers go on to eternal life while unbelievers go on to eternal punishment.

People need Jesus because reincarnation does not remove sin. It works with karma, the idea that your past lives of "goodness" or "badness" affects the quality and position of your next incarnation. The purpose of reincarnation is to help you develop perfect karma by which you might achieve a union with the "divine consciousness" after you have learned whatever it is you are supposed to learn.

That might sound good, but it makes no sense. Think about it, if this is true, each person had a first incarnation. That means that each person then had perfect Karma since he had no previous life and had done nothing wrong. So if he had perfect Karma and didn't learn what he was supposed to learn in his first life, what makes him think that after hundreds of incarnations with accumulated bad karma that he will be able to achieve the perfect state of union with the divine consciousness?

And then there's the issue of final authority. When it's time to reincarnate, who or what is the cosmic authority figure that decides whether you've been good or bad? These religions have no God who judges nor a gauge by which we are judged; It's like having a justice system without a judge, it makes no sense.

But what does make sense is that there is one God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and the only way to have our sins forgiven is to trust in Him and not our own efforts through various lives, trying to achieve perfection. That's why you need Jesus, because reincarnation is not only false, it is empty because you just can't win.

Aside from Jesus, no one has ever been perfect. Because of this, no one could ever be good enough to escape the supposed cycle of reincarnation. After death we face judgment, meaning that there is no second chance, that's why you need a Savior. On the day you die you will not go back to the end of the line to try again, you will be judged. Without the righteousness of Christ, you don't stand a chance.

"Can I Trust the Bible?"

2010-11-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

The most common objection I hear concerning the Bible is that it can’t be trusted as God’s Word because, well, it was written by man and everyone knows men make mistakes. In actuality, The Bible was written through men, by God.

In speaking of how the Scriptures were written, 2 Peter 1:21 tells us “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

The Bible writers were not inspired as great artists are 'inspired' to produce great art. The word translated 'inspired' means "God-breathed." It conveys the idea of God "breathing out" the Scriptures. Man was the instrument used by God to convey His thoughts in the Bible.

The Bible is not one book, but 66 compiled under one binding. Written over a period of 1,500 years, by about 40 different authors, from all walks of life from varying occupations. Written in three different languages on three different continents during times of peace and times of wartime.

The Bible’s authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, on hundreds of controversial subjects, yet with absolute harmony from the beginning to the end.

Now think about this, say we interviewed five people of the same nationality, working at the same job, living in the same town, during the same year, and we asked them to speak their mind on just one controversial subject. What are the chances they would all agree?

And yet despite all the differences in the lives of those who penned the scriptures, the bible is absolutely harmonious from beginning to end.

The Bible’s remarkable continuity is evidence of its divine origin. This unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself.

The Bible served as a basis for modern scientific pursuits. Modern science was born in the seventeenth century because of a belief in an unchanging God of order, purpose, and consistency—the God portrayed in the Bible.

It is filled with numerous medical and scientific facts and have been at the forefront of modern day science. When Scientists thought the earth was flat the Bible described the shape of the earth (Isaiah 40:22) and how it is suspended on nothing (Job 26:7). Before oceans were explored the Bible knew of the existing valleys (Psalm 18:15), fountains, and springs down in the depths (Job 38:16). It even mentions the Hydrologic Cycle with great clarity (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7).

It is the only “Spiritual book” that contains fulfilled prophecy. Messianic Prophecy for example foretold us that the Messiah would be born of a Virgin, in Bethlehem, and that He would be rejected by His own people, yet bear their iniquities and save His people from their sin. Which ultimately came to fruition at the cross as Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished.”

The Bible is God’s living and powerful Word. It can be trusted because it is inerrant, inspired, and infallible. It is the compass God has given us to govern our lives.
The Bible may not tell us everything we want to know, but it certainly tells us everything we need to know in order to have a right relationship with God.

And though it has no contradictions it certainly does have mistakes. The first one was when man rejected God back in the garden. Don’t do the same.

Since God made me as I am, and I sin, isn't sin God's fault?

2010-11-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Some people claim that their desire to sin is just part of who they are, so it must be natural. They say, "God made me this way, or, I was born this way. " Well, that's partially correct, they were born that way. As a result of the fall of mankind, each of us were born with a sin nature and sinful desires. Because of this, it’s natural for us to be drawn into temptation and sin. In the same way, pedophiles, adulterers, alcoholics and drug addicts usually don't make a conscious decision to choose a self-destructive lifestyle; they simply give in to their sinful desires. But that doesn't make sin OK.

Although a desire for sin is natural for unbelievers, God can change that. Jesus came to save His people from their sin. God gives His children new desires and helps them withstand temptation. God's desire is to restore fallen humanity.

Skeptics will often say that if a toy manufacturer creates a faulty product, he is the one who is at fault. They then go on to say that it's God, not the sinner that is responsible for sin. However, there's a very big difference between sinful man and a faulty toy. Man is not a manufactured inanimate object, he is a moral being, created with the ability to make decisions between right and wrong. Unlike a toy, man is morally responsible for his own actions. The good news is that his Creator can forgive his sin. But if he stubbornly or skeptically continues to violate the Law of God, He will eventually be punished for every sinful thought, word, and deed.

Just like you, I was born with a tendency to lie, steal, and live my life by my own selfish desires.. It's called 'sin' and it's in every one of us. Our sin has corrupted us and made us enemies of God. That's why we need to be born again.

When a person finds a place of true repentance and faith in Jesus, God will take away their unclean spirit and give them a new heart with new desires. The Bible says, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Remember, just because your car turns left, it doesn’t mean it only turns left. If you find yourself going the wrong direction, God allows U-turns. As it says in Acts 17, God commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

The pathetic attempt to blame God for making someone the way they are is like excusing someone for raping and killing just because they have the XYY genetic disorder, which makes them predisposed to violence.

Don't blame God for your sin. Repent today, while you still have time.

40 Reasons Why I Do Not Want to Commit Adultery

2010-11-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

1. I would violate my relationship with my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who has loved, cared, and died for me. This action would disregard the selfless and cruel death He suffered in order to give me power over this sin.

2. I would bring public shame and unnecessary disrepute to His most holy and precious name, which I have been privileged to represent.

3. I would have to someday face my gracious Savior, eye to eye at His judgment seat, giving an account for willfully squandering His abundant provision of purifying grace. At that moment of eternal consequences I would inevitably witness the results of my own
disregard for the rewards of faithfulness and obedience He so desired to give to me.

4. I would choose to submit myself to a destructive process of self-deception and the dulling of my conscience, causing a lack of confidence in my future ability to walk in obedience and faith.

5. I would inflict unimaginable pain on my wife — my best friend, and my faithful and sacrificial partner in ministry and life — and would have to stare into her tear-filled eyes to explain this conscious violation of my vows and describe the stupidity of my behavior.

6. I would permanently damage my wife’s ability to trust me or believe my word. I would lose her respect in the future, giving her constant cause for suspicion and question.

7. If my pattern of deception were to continue, or if she were unable to forgive me, I would lose her as my wife and would be left to face ongoing regret, loneliness, and pain.

8. In this case, I would permanently ruin my wife’s future fulfillment, causing her to face the remainder of her life feeling the struggle of rejection and dealing with the complications of single parenting or remarriage.

9. I would violate the love and trust of my precious children. In essence, I would be telling them, “Your mother is not a worthy person. Your father is a liar and a cheat. Honor is not as important as pleasure. My own selfish satisfaction is more important than loving my children.”

10. By destroying my own example and credibility with my children, I would lose future opportunities to influence them toward loving obedience and holiness and would plant within them a potential long-term resentment and bitterness toward the Lord and the ministry.

11. I would bring continual shame to my children every time they had to explain why their father was no longer in ministry — or why he was no longer together with their mother.

12. I would create destructive and continually tempting mental memories that would cultivate unhealthy lust and negatively affect future intimacy with my wife.

13. I would squander all of the money, time, effort, and pain that have gone into my preparation for and development in the pastoral ministry.

14. I would seriously disappoint those godly leaders who have faithfully invested themselves in me (e.g. professors, pastors, mentors, and relatives).

15. I would bring shame to the college and seminary from which I graduated, tarnishing their reputation and squandering their investment in my theological education and character development.

16. I would deeply wound and embarrass my parents, whose loving instruction, sacrificial investment, and current delight in the positive course of my life would be horribly violated.

17. I would significantly damage the solid ministry foundation and tarnish the wholesome legacy of my faithful predecessors of my current ministry.

18. I would bring long-term disrepute to the positive reputation of my church in the community, hindering future ministry to people in this area.

19. I would undermine the credibility and effort of other Christian ministries and leaders in my city, adding to the climate of mistrust that continues to expand with each story of moral failure.

20. I would violate the precious trusting relationship with my leadership board, causing difficulty for them into the future as they seek to lead the congregation and causing a potential spirit of mistrust on their part toward future senior pastors at this church.

21. I would destroy my credibility and relationship with staff members who have faithfully supported me and responded to my leadership. A revelation of duplicity at this level would wound them deeply and would hinder even their own leadership among the flock.

22. I would bring undeserved difficulty and pain to my ministry successor and his family, as they would be forced to reap what I have sown in their attempt to salvage the church and clean up the mess I would have made.

23. I would deeply wound all those who have been saved, discipled, equipped, counseled, and prayed for under my ministry, causing disappointment and disillusionment for some.

24. I would create possible disillusionment in the hearts of young men preparing for ministry as they wonder about the credibility of my leadership and the viability of authentic pastoral ministry.

25. If this should become newsworthy on a statewide or national scale, I would exacerbate the growing climate of mistrust toward Christianity at an even broader level.

26. I would squander my witness to various unsaved friends, acquaintances, and neighbors to whom I have witnessed over the years, perhaps driving them farther away from receiving Christ.

27. I would be thoughtlessly and carelessly throwing away the impact of the prayers of thousands of people who over the years have wholeheartedly supported me on their knees.

28. I would be heaping significant guilt and pain on the other woman, for the rest of her life.

29. I would potentially contribute to the dismantling of her marriage, family, and network of trusting friends.

30. I would run the risk of the complications of a pregnancy resulting from the extramarital sexual activity.

31. I would run the risk of physical consequences in the form of sexually transmitted diseases.

32. I would suffer the consequences of losing a job and creating serious practical strain on my family financially and socially.

33. I would experience the trauma of a career change, having violated the qualifications for pastoral office.

34. I would join the ranks of those whom I have previously despised and whose actions have deeply grieved me because of their violation of calling and trust through moral scandal.

35. I would live with personal life-long embarrassment and shame, as I would encounter regular reminders of my foolish and destructive choices.

36. I would be required to invest a significant amount of time and money in the process of recovery, as many hours of counseling and years of rebuilding would be required.

37. I would take myself out of the running for multiplied opportunities in the future that could have come my way, had I remained faithful.

38. I would run the risk of being permanently “shelved” in my usefulness to God and His kingdom, knowing that the overwhelming shame and personal regret could cause me to completely give up my service for Christ.

39. I would cause a countless number of people to doubt the validity of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and the power of Christ as they might ask, “If it didn’t work for him, can it really work for me?”

40. I would bring delight to Satan and his demons as these enemies of my soul and opponents of Christ would exult in their victory over one of God’s called servants.

(Some of these concepts were originally conceived by Randy Alcorn in Leadership Journal.) Copyright © 2010 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

Ambassadors' Academy Webinar

2010-08-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

In March 2008, Living Waters hosted its first Ambassadors' Academy—3 ½ days of intensive evangelism training. Fifty participants from around the world attended the first Academy. Since then, some eight hundred people, from forty-nine states and seven foreign countries, have attended one of the seventeen Ambassadors' Academies.
August will mark our eighteenth Academy and the end of our third season. We are planning to end this season by launching a major addition to the August itinerary—one that has the potential of not only training, but mobilizing tens of thousands of Christian to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, in a single day.

Until now, Living Waters has not made the Academy day of classroom instruction available to the public. But now, through the use of the Internet, we will produce a day-long webinar of the classroom instruction provided to Academy participants.
Now, you and your church can receive life-changing evangelism training from Mark Spence, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Emeal ("E.Z.") Zwayne, and other members of the Living Waters team. Our hope is that churches around the world will participate in this live webinar by showing the webinar at their churches; and then sending their own evangelism teams into their cities to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. While the Ambassadors' Academy is hitting the streets in southern California, churches around the world will hit the streets in their area—effectively mobilizing thousands of Christians around the globe to proclaim the gospel to millions.

To help churches facilitate this world-wide event, Living Waters is providing the webinar at no cost. In addition, we will provide the training syllabus as a free download so the people participating in the webinar can take full advantage of the classroom instruction.
To view the live webinar on Thursday, August 26th, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm click HERE.

For more information regarding how your church can participate in this exciting, world-changing Ambassadors' Academy webinar event, please contact: webinar@livingwaters.com.

"Lying Lips are an Abomination to the LORD"

2010-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. Proverbs 12:22

Our Master has a strict honor code. From Genesis to Revelation, the theme is the same: God loves the truth and hates deceit. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul lists the type of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God. His hit-list is a ragged assortment of those who sin sexually, worship idols, take part in adultery, sell their bodies, get drunk, rob people, and--there it is--lie to others.
Such harshness may surprise you. You mean my fibbing, half-truths, exaggerations, and white lies stir the same heavenly anger as adultery and aggravated assault? Apparently so....

Why the hard line? Why the tough stance?

For one reason: dishonesty is absolutely contrary to the character of God.

He is --holy --holy --holy.

I Shall Not be Moved

2010-08-11T13:01:00.001-07:00

He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved. Psalm 62:6

Here is a big question.
What is God doing when you are in a bind? When the lifeboat springs a leak? When the rip cord snaps? When the last penny is gone before the last bill is paid? When your tract is rejected? When you look like a fool for speaking out and standing up? When ...
I know what we are doing. Nibbling on nails like corn on the cob. Pacing floors. Doubting our calling, doubting the power of the Gospel, and doubting God.

But what does God do?. . .
He fights for us. He steps into the ring and points us to our corner and takes over. "Remain calm; the LORD will fight for you" (Exodus. 14:14).

His job is to fight. Our job is to trust and be faithful. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He will complete the work which He started.

Just trust. Not direct. Or question.

Our job is to abide and allow God to be God in all things.

Keep Things Simple

2010-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

The most powerful life is the most simple life. The most powerful life is the life that knows where it's going (heaven), knows where the source of strength is (Christ), and the life that stays free of clutter and happenstance and hurriedness (cares of this world). With one hand on God and the other on a tract we are bound to stay focused with our objection. Perhaps today will be the last day we have to share the GREAT news of God's redemptive plan. Keep things simple. Stay focused. Life is quick. We're almost finished. We're almost home.

Don't miss this free Conference in New York!

2010-07-19T08:38:00.001-07:00

August 6, 2010 at 10:00am - August 8, 2010 at 5:00pm

Evangelism Summit New York "Go, Stand, Speak" Speakers:
Jeff Rose - JeremiahCry Ministries
James White - Alpha and Omega Ministries
Eric Holmberg - The Apologetics Group
Mark Spence - The Way of The Master
...Michael Marcavage - Repent America
Jon Speed - The Lost Cause Ministries
Tyler Mcnabb - JeremiahCry Ministries
Pat Necerato -Go, Stand, Speak

Register here:
http://www.jeremiahcry.com/register.php

City View Baptist Church
1143 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11226
http://cityviewbaptistchurch.org/

We will be going out after and doing outreach at night

How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell?

2010-07-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

I’m often asked why God would send people to a place of torment. Since God is loving, why would He send people to hell?

Why should we think God has a less sense of justice than mankind? God is loving, but that's not all He is, He's also a good judge. Should a loving human judge allow criminals to go free? Of course not. If we, with our finite justice system think it's necessary to punish criminals in civil court, how much more should an infinite God judge our crimes, our sins against Him?

The Bible tells us God alone is holy. He is the standard of all that is right and good. His nature is pure.

Think of it like this:
If I were to light a match and place the flame next to a dried out leaf, what would happen? The fire would consume the leaf. Why? Because they're different, their natures are opposed one to the other.

In the same way, God and man have opposing natures. On the Day of Judgment, sinful man will not be able to stand in the presence of a Holy God because of their opposing natures.

God is not unloving, He is Holy.
He is described as a "consuming fire who dwells in unapproachable light”. In our sinful state, we don't stand a chance. Our only hope is to somehow take on the same nature as God. We must be born again. When we turn from our sins and place our faith in the resurrected Christ, God imputes His righteousness to us.

It's imperative that we are given this new nature, since each of us are headed towards our own personal Judgment day.

The Bible says in Psalm 96:3 “He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness”

So the next time someone tells you a loving God would never send anyone to Hell, simply explain the difference between God and man’s opposing natures. The problem isn't with God, the problem is our sin.

2010-04-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am slated to speak at the John 10:16 Conference along side such speakers as Michael Horton, Dennis Johnson, Voddie Baucham, and James White August 4-5, 2010. Learn more by visiting the Conference website at http://john1016conference.com/.

See you there,
mark

2009-09-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

For the Christian, there are very few things that rival the joy of exploring the depths of God's truth, and of discovering the countless, life-changing gems along the way. Whether you are a new believer or you have walked with Christ for many years, we want to invite you to be a part of an adventurous exploration called, “Deeper”. Join us for this exciting, 2-day conference as we journey deeper in our understanding of God, through a stimulating examination of various relevant topics. Our tour guides include some of today's most influential and sought-after speakers. What are you wading for? Let's go Deeper!

2009-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Are you on fire for God?

Blazing?

Maybe you just don’t have as much enthusiasm as you once did.

Maybe you are just burned out.

Could it be that you find Bible reading to be drudgery?

Do you pray as you once did?

We would like to challenge you to attend

Transformed.

It may be the most challenging four hours of your life. But if you will commit to attending Transformed and apply what you hear, we guarantee…you will never be lukewarm again.

Promise. If we don’t deliver, then you will get a full refund. Wait, it’s free…now you have absolutely nothing to lose.

You will pray harder, read the Word with gladness and you will appreciate and love the Lord more than ever before.

What do you say? Have you always wanted to be an on fire Christian who never flames out? Have you always wondered what was missing?

Join us for Transformed. We can’t wait to see you there.

The Death of Truth

2009-01-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

Allan Bloom, author of the landmark critique of American education The Closing of the American Mind, starts his analysis this way: 'There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test, one can count on the students' reaction: they will be uncomprehending. That anyone should regard the proposition as not self-evident astonishes them, as though he were calling into question 2 + 2 = 4.

"What Professor Bloom observes is not a trend but a revolution. Like most revolutions, it did not start with a rifle shot or a cannon but with an idea that was whispered in many different environments and diverse situations. This revolution started in academia and eventually engulfed the common person. Its growth has been so subtle and thorough that it is now a core belief-not just of the college elite, but also of the rank and file, white collar and blue collar alike.
What Is Truth?

Since the sixties we have been in the throes of this quiet but desperate revolution of thought - the death of truth. We don't mean 'truth' in the sense of something being my personal opinion. Rather we refer to the death of what the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer called 'true truth,' the extinction of the idea that any particular thing can be known for sure.

Today we've lost the confidence that statements of fact can ever be anything more than just opinions; we no longer know that anything is certain beyond our subjective preferences. The word truth now means 'true for me' and nothing more. We have entered an era of dogmatic scepticism.

Ideas that are whispered are seldom analyzed well, for they simply don't draw enough attention. By means of repetition and passive acceptance over time, they take on the force of common wisdom, a 'truth' that everyone knows but no one has stopped to examine, a kind of intellectual urban legend.

Once ideas like these take root, they are difficult to dislodge. Attempts to do so result in Bloom's 'uncomprehending' stares. The ideas become so much a part of our emerging intellectual constitution that we are increasingly incapable of critical self-reflection. Even if we did, we have little conviction that such analysis would do any good anyway. As Kelly Monroe remarked in her book Finding God at Harvard, 'Students feel safer as doubters than as believers, and as perpetual seekers rather than eventual finders.'

When truth dies, all of its subspecies, such as ethics, perish with it. If truth can't be known, then the concept of moral truth becomes incoherent. Ethics become relative, right and wrong matters of individual opinion. This may seem a moral liberty, but it ultimately rings hollow. 'The freedom of our day,' lamented a graduate in a Harvard commencement address, 'is the freedom to devote ourselves to any values we please, on the mere condition that we do not believe them to be true.'

The death of truth in our society has created a moral decay in which 'every debate ends with the barroom question "says who?" ' When we abandon the idea that one set of laws applies to every human being, all that remains is subjective, personal opinion."

*Thanks to Greg Koukl & Francis J. Beckwith for their wonderful book 'Relativism -Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air'

Stay Focused

2008-10-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Staying Focused in a Blurred Country

Supposedly the majority of what is found below was written by David Letterman. I’m not sure about the validity to that. Regardless, the points made are enough for me to pause and give thanks to God for the country He has given me to reside in.

“As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?'

A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state.

F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.

There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable' discharge after a few days in
the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sell s, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

-David Letterman

The bottom line for this author is people love darkness and they hate the light. We are a culture that thrives on negativity, slander, gossip, finger pointing, and ill will.

Let’s not forget, we are only passing through this foreign land. I personally am homesick for a home I’ve never been to –Heaven. My roots are not very deep here on earth and as a sojourner I’ve come to realize what matters the most is Christ. Period. Everything else pales in comparison to the One who ransomed my soul and has freely given me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies to enjoy Him to the fullest.

So, come what may during the election time I trust God is still on his throne and He’s not pacing back and forth. He sets kings up and He takes them down. Scripture says, “The heart of the king is in His hand and He turns it whatsoever direction He chooses.”

His desire is still the same and His will is still going to be accomplished. He will bring Glory to His name. Time is short. Life is quick. The only thing that matters are the things done in Him.

John Piper once said Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way.

Therefore, we must deal with the world. But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.

So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the biased news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting. NO fretting allowed.

By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

Evolution: a fairy tale for grown ups.

2008-10-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Evolution: a Fairy Tale for Grown ups.

The Book of Genesis tells us that God created everything—nothing “evolved.” Every creature was given the ability to reproduce after its own kind as is stated ten times in Genesis 1. Dogs do not produce cats. Neither do cats and dogs have a common ancestry. Dogs began as dogs and are still dogs. They vary in species from Chihuahuas to Saint Bernards, but you will not find a “dat” or a “cog” (part cat/dog) throughout God’s creation. Frogs don’t reproduce oysters, cows don’t have lambs, and pregnant pigs don’t give birth to rabbits. God made monkeys as monkeys, and man as man.

According to evolutionist Stephen J. Gould, professor of geology and paleontology at Harvard University, “This notion of species as ‘natural kinds’ fits splendidly with creationist tenets of a pre-Darwinian age. Louis Agassiz even argued that species are God’s individual thoughts, made incarnate so that we might perceive both His majesty and His message. Species, Agassiz wrote, are ‘instituted by the Divine Intelligence as the categories of his mode of thinking.’ But how could a division of the organic world into discrete entities be justified by an evolutionary theory that proclaimed ceaseless change as the fundamental fact of nature?”

Each creature brings forth after its own kind. That’s no theory; that’s a fact. Why then should we believe that man came from another species? If evolution were true, it would prove that the Bible is false. However, the whole of creation stands in contradiction to the theory of evolution. Evolution is science fiction.

While we do see what’s called “microevolution”—variations within species (such as different types of dogs)—we don’t see any evidence of “macroevolution”—one species evolving into another species. Microevolution is observable, while macroevolution takes a tremendous leap of faith. If Christians had as much faith in God as atheists have in the theory of evolution, we would see revival. Like little children, atheists believe without a shred of evidence. In The Answers Book, Ken Ham writes:

Adaptation and natural selection are biological facts; amoeba-to-man evolution is not. Natural selection can only work on the genetic information present in a population of organisms—it cannot create new information. For example, since no known reptiles have genes for feathers, no amount of selection will produce a feathered reptile. Mutations in genes can only modify or eliminate existing structures, not create new ones.

Evolutionists also claim that the human body has “vestigial organs”— worthless leftovers from evolution—such as the appendix and tailbone. The truth is that these do have a purpose: the appendix is part of the human immune system, and the “tailbone” actually supports muscles that are necessary for daily bodily functions.

I had a friend who was in a debate once who said to the Evil-utionist, "If you really feel the "tailbone" serves no purpose then I will gladly pay to have yours removed." Needless to say no money was spent that day. :)

Didn't Life Begin with a Big Bang?

2008-10-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

“Doesn’t the Big Bang theory disprove the Genesis account of creation?”

Try to think of any explosion that has produced order. Does a terrorist bomb create harmony? Big bangs cause chaos. How could a Big Bang produce a rose, apple trees, fish, sunsets, the seasons, hummingbirds, polar bears—thousands of birds and animals, each with its own eyes, nose, and mouth? A child can see that there is “grand design” in creation.

Here is an interesting experiment: Empty your garage of every piece of metal, wood, paint, rubber, and plastic. Make sure there is nothing there. Nothing. Then wait for ten years and see if a Mercedes evolves. If it doesn’t appear, leave it for 20 years. If that doesn’t work, try it for 100 years. Then try leaving it for 10,000 years.

Here’s what will produce the necessary blind faith to make the evolutionary process believable: leave it for 250 million years.

What evolutionists attribute to a Big Bang, where the universe simply “exploded” into existence, is actually the work of God who merely spoke and the universe came into being. Jim Holt, science writer for the Wall Street Journal, wrote that “the universe suddenly exploded into being,” yet he admitted, “The big bang bears an uncanny resemblance to the Genesis command.” Time magazine reported, “Most cosmologists (scientists who study the structures and evolution of the universe) agree that the Genesis account of creation, in imagining an initial void, may be uncannily close to the truth” (Dec. 1976).

An article in U.S. News & World Report stated, “New scientific revelations about supernovas, black holes, quarks, and the big bang even suggest to some scientists that there is a ‘grand design’ in the universe” (March 31, 1997).

Ask an evolutionist who believes in the Big Bang, “Where did space for the universe come from? Where did the initial material come from? What sparked the explosion?” In order to have an explosion, there must be something there to explode, and there must be a catalyst to cause the explosion. You cannot create something out of nothing. Simply put, this destroys the Big Bang theory because there is nothing to go boom.

So, didn't life begin with a Big Bang? yep, it sure did. Genesis 3:1 states, "Then God said, "Let there be light:"; and there was light. "

Holiness

2008-10-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

HOLINESS

The word “holiness” carries with it some unwanted baggage, thanks to “religion.” In the East, to be a holy man means to sit half-naked with your legs crossed, and having folks give you money in return for your blessing. Some holy men sit on poles for twenty years. Others stay off poles but they also stay away from any contact with a sinful world, in holier-than-thou legalism. Some live in monasteries and have a vow of silence.

Most of the church doesn’t live on poles or have a holier-than-thou attitude. They do, however, live in a monastery—one without walls. They too have a vow of silence. Few have physical contact with the world. Their association with humanity is strictly confined to the church. Fellowship is what they have on Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, and Sunday nights. They are salt among salt, light among light.

True holiness is the opposite of the above. It means that we cut ourselves off from sin, but not from sinners. True holiness is to be like Jesus —“separate from sinners”—and yet He was accused of being a “friend of sinners.” The Scriptures admonish us with these thought-provoking words:

I wrote to you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat (1 Corinthians 5:9–11).

Can you see what the Bible is saying? If we separate ourselves from sinners, we won’t be able to reach them with the gospel of salvation. The only ones we are told to separate ourselves from are hypocrites. Look at these wonderful words from George MacLeod of Scotland:

I simply argue that the cross should be raised at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town’s garbage heap; at a crossroad, so cosmopolitan they had to write His title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek...at the kind of a place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died for. And that is what He died about. That is where church-men ought to be and what churchmen ought to be about.

There is nothing “spiritual” about being holy. It just means a separation from sin. God is holy—He is sinless (see Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 15:4). We too are called to be holy: “But as he which has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15). See also Romans 6:19, 22; Ephesians 1:4; Titus 1:8. If you want to be an effective witness, remember Charles Spurgeon’s words: “In proportion as a church is holy, in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful.”

It’s as simple as this—God has given us an umbrella in the Savior to shelter us from the reign of His wrath. God has given the covering, and we are told to stay under that covering of holiness. How can we best do this? We do this by reading God’s Word daily, by keeping a tender conscience, by having an obedient heart, and by living in the fear of God.

The next time you are witnessing to someone you know isn’t right with God, and he says, “Oh, I’ve been born again. I know the Lord,” ask him if he is “living in holiness.” More than likely he will say that he is. Then call his bluff. Ask him to define “holiness.” As he is straining his brain to come up with a definition, say, “The Bible says, ‘Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.’” That means that we should be separated from sin and the world. Then ask him if he thinks he’s a good person. More than likely he will, so take the time to go through the Moral Law with him.

Random Quotes

2008-10-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE said,

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

PARIS REIDHEAD said,

“When 100 years ago earnest scholars decreed that the Law had no relationship to the preaching of the gospel, they deprived the Holy Spirit in the area where their influence prevailed of the only instrument with which He had ever armed Himself to prepare sinners for grace.”

JOSEPHUS said,

“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man...He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN said,

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man... But for this Book, we could not know right from wrong...Take allyou can of this Book upon reason, and the balance on faith,and you will live and die a happier man.”

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER said,

“The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other Book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope.”

SIR ISAAC NEWTON said,

“We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”

MARTIN LUTHER said,

“Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing, and he must do his own dying.”

Mormonism

2008-10-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Mormonism

1. “I say to the whole world, receive the truth, no matter who presents it to you. Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 16, Page 46
1873

_____________________
2. If we cannot convince you by reason nor by the word of God, that your religion is wrong, we will not persecute you, but will sustain you in the privileges, guaranteed in the great Charter of American Liberty: we ask of you the same generosity –protect us in the exercise of our religious rights –convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason, by logical arguments, or by the word of God, and we will be ever grateful for the information, and you will ever have the pleasing reflection that you have been instruments in the hands of God of redeeming you fellow beings”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 15
1854

____________________
3. “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! About whom holy men have written and spoken —He is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it and will know it sooner of later.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 1, page 50
April 9, 1852

____________________
4. “You believe Adam was made of the dust of this earth. This I do not believe, though it is supposed that it is so written in the Bible; but it is not, to my understanding. You can write that information to the States, if you please –that I have publicly declared that I do not believe that portion of the Bible as the Christian world do. I never did, and I never want to.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 2, page 6
1853

____________________
5. “Thou we have it in history that our father Adam was made of the dust of the earth, and that he knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not so; and when we learn the truth we shall see and understand that he helped to make this world, and was the chief manager in that operation.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 3, page 319
1856

____________________
6. “After men have got their exaltations and their crowns –have become Gods, even the sons of God –are made Kings of kings and Lord of lords, they have the power then of propagating their species in spirit;
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, page 275
1852

____________________
7. “Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them to propagate their species.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 285
1859

____________________
8. “Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.”
Brigham Young
Millennial Star
Volume 15, Page 770
1853

False Prophecies

Paramount to determining whether or not a person really is a prophet of God, is the testing of the prophecies uttered in the name of the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 makes it clear that if a pretended “prophet” says anything in the name of the Lord, and the “thing follow not, nor come to pass” then that is a false prophecy. Believers in the true and living God are then counseled not to pay any attention to that false prophet.

9. “Brigham Young will become President of the United States”
Heber C. Kimbal
Journal of Discourses
Volume 5, Page 219
Sept. 6, 1856

____________________
10. “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have been the termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 290
October 9,1859

____________________
11. “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 269
April 19, 1866

____________________
12. “Do you think that we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principle of polygamy? If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 269
April 19, 1866

____________________
13. “I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left,”
Joseph Smith
History of the Church
Volume 5, Page 394
May 18, 1843

____________________
14. “God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end.”
Wilford Woodruff
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, Page 120
1857

____________________
15. “The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husband.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 268
1866

____________________
16. “Hence, the doctrine of a plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any other doctrine. It is all over the face of the Bible. It stands beyond the power of controversy.”
Joseph Smith
History of the Church
Volume 6, Page 474
1844

____________________
17. “The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 158
1853

____________________
18. “The angel taught Joseph Smith those principles which are necessary for the salvation of the world”
Wilford Woodruff
Journal of Discourses
Volume 2, Page 196
1855

____________________
19. “How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point of view. He was surrounded with light and glory while the heavenly messenger communicated these things unto him”
John Taylor
Journal of Discourses
Volume 10, Page 127
1863

____________________
20. “Baptism is just as essential to salvation, as Faith and Repentance. –Without being immersed in water no man can enter into the fulness of Celestial glory”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 255
1854

____________________
21. “Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 3, Page 266
1855

Strange Teachings

22. “Does the earth conceive? It does. Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths. The earth is alive. If it was not, it could not produce.”
Heber C. Kimball
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, Page 36
1857

____________________
23. “no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 289
1869

____________________
24. “Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? …when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so will this earth when it is celestialized.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 13, page 271
1870

____________________
25. “…What man or woman on the earth, what spirit in the spirit-world can say truthfully that I ever gave a wrong word of counsel, or a word of advice that could not be sanctioned by the heavens? The success which has attended me in my presidency is owing to the blessings and mercy of the Almighty. Why I have referred to this is to show you that I realize the importance of obeying the words of the Lord, which he gives through his acknowledged servants…”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 12, Page 127
1867

A Word from Obama

2008-10-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

My fellow Americans:

As your future President I want to thank my supporters, for your mindless support of me, despite my complete lack of any legislative achievement, my pastor's relations with Louis Farrakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quadafi, or my blatantly leftist voting record while I present myself as some sort of bi-partisan agent of change.

I also like how my supporters claim my youthful drug use and criminal behavior somehow qualifies me for the Presidency after 8 years of claiming Bush's youthful drinking disqualifies him. Your hypocrisy is a beacon of hope shining over a sea of political posing.

I would also like to thank the Kennedys for coming out in support of me. There's a lot of glamor behind the Kennedy name, even though JFK started the Vietnam War, his brother Robert illegally wiretapped Martin Luther King, Jr. and Teddy killed a female employee with whom he was having an extramarital affair and who was pregnant with his child. And I'm not going anywhere near the cousins, both literally and figuratively.

And I'd like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her support. Her love of meaningless empty platitudes will be the force that propels me to the White House.

Americans should vote for me, not because of my lack of experience or achievement, but because I make people feel good. Voting for me causes some white folk to feel relieved of their imagined, racist guilt. I say things that sound meaningful, but don't really mean anything because Americans are tired of things having meaning. If things have meaning, then that means you have to think about them. Americans are tired of thinking. It's time to shut down the brain, and open up the heart. So when you go to vote, remember: don't think, just do. And do it for me.

Thank you.

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.

Islam

2008-10-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

According to Muslim traditions, Allah wrote the Qur’an in pure Arabic in heaven on a large stone table. The angel Gabriel took the table of the Qur’an and made Muhammad recite it. His recitations were memorized or written down by others on whatever objects were on hand such as sticks, stones, bones, palm leaves, etc.. After Muhammad died, various conflicting Qur’ans were produced. It was the Caliph Uthman who made his own version of the Qur’an the official one (See Bukhari’s Hadith vol. 1, pg. 56, no. 63). He later burned all the other conflicting Qur’ans.

The Qur’an sold today is the Uthman version.

The Hadith is the record of the teachings and examples of Muhammad not found in the Qur’an and are thus authoritative for all Muslims. To deny the Hadith is to be guilty of apostasy under Islamic Law. The greatest of all Hadith scholars was Bukhari.

STRANGE TEACHINGS AND/OR PRACTICES OF ISLAM:

Jihad (Holy War)
Surah 2:190-194 Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you...and kill them wherever you catch them...if they fight you, kill them. Such is the reward of those who suppress the Faith...And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.

Surah 2:216 Fighting is prescribed for you

Surah 2:244 Fight in the cause of Allah

Surah 4:89 If they turn apostates, seize them and kill them wherever you find them.

Surah 4:91 Seize them and kill them wherever you get them.

Surah 5:33 The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his apostle...they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off alternately, or they shall be banished from the land.

Surah 5:51 O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends.

On Jesus
Surah 5:72-73 They do blaspheme who say: Allah is Christ the son of Mary...They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three (gods)...Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle.

Ask No Questions
Surah 5:101 Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you may cause you trouble...Some people before you did ask such questions, and on account lost their faith (in Islam).

The Greatest Deceiver
Surah 3:54 The greatest Deceiver (Makara) of them all is Allah

Beating Wives
Surah 4:34 Men are the managers of the affairs of women...those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them.

People Turning Into Monkeys
The Qur’an
Surah 2:65 And you know well those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: “Become apes! Despised and rejected.”

Surah 7:163-166 When in their insolence they transgressed the warnings, We said to them, “Become monkeys! Despised and rejected.” Mohammed’s InspirationThe HadithMohammed would hear ringing in his ears; his heart would beat rapidly; his face turn red; his breathing labored; he would fall to the ground or lie down; he would shake; his eyes would open wide; his lips tremble; spit drool from the corners of his mouth; he would sweat profusely; he saw and hear things no one else ever saw or heard; he would sometimes make a snoring noise like that of a camel; and he would be covered with a sheet.Vol. I, nos. 1, 2, 3, 4Vol. II, nos. chap. 16 (pg. 354), 544Vol. III, nos. 17, 829Vol. IV, nos. 95, 438, 458, 461 Vol. V, nos. 170, 462, 618, 659Vol. VI, nos. 447, 448, 468, 478, 481, 508

The Man Who Died For A Hundred Years & Then was Resurrected
The Qur’an
Surah II: 259 Or take the similitude of one who passed by a village in ruins to its roofs. He said, “Oh! How shall Allah restore it to life after its death?” But Allah caused him to die for 100 years. The he raised him up and said, “How long have you stayed here?” He said, “A day or a part of a day.” He said, “No, you have been here for 100 years! But look at your food and your drink, they show no signs of age. And look at your donkey! We have made you a sign unto the people. Look further at the bones (of your body) how We clothed them with flesh.

A 90 Foot Adam
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall.”

No Dogs Allowed!
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, nos. 539 Narrated Abu Talha: The Prophet said, “Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it.” Allah’s Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed in no. 540, vol. 4 Dog lovers would not make good Muslims

Satan In The Nose Over Night
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516 “Satan stays in the upper part of the nose all night.”Footnote (1) We should believe that Satan actually stays in the upper part of one’s nose, though we cannot perceive how, for this is related to the unseen world of which we know nothing except what Allah tells us through his Apostle Mohammed.

Muslim vol. I, no. 462 Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah said, “When any one of you awakes from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.”

Playing Chess Forbidden
The Hadith
Muslim vol. IV, no. 5612 Chapter CMXLVI

Allah’s Apostle said, “He who played chess is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.”

Non-Muslims Have Seven Intestines!
The Hadith
Muslim vol. III, nos. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXIIA Believer Eats In One Intestine, whereas A Non-Believer Eats In Seven Intestines. Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that a non-Muslim eats in seven intestines while a Muslim eats in one intestine. (See also nos. 5114-5120)

Don’t Pray Looking Up
The Hadith
Muslim vol. I, nos. 863 Chapters CLXXIII It Is Forbidden To Lift One’s Eyes Toward The Sky in PrayerAbu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle saying: “People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away.”

The Wondrous Wings of a Fly
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 537 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “If a house fly falls into the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (into the drink) because one of its wings has a disease and the other wing has the cure (for that disease).

Bukhari vol. VII, no. 673 Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it into the vessel and then throw it away, for in one its wings there is a disease and in the other wing there is healing.”

The Setting of the Sun
The Qur’an
Surah 18:86 When he (i.e. Zul-qarnain) reached the setting of the sun, he found that it set in a pond of murky water.

Drinking Camel Urine
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 234 The Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels and to drink their milk and urine.

The Crying Palm Tree
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 41 Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree. When the pulpit was placed for him we heard the stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 783 Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying.)

Shouting Food
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 779 ...no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by Allah’s Apostle).

600 Wings
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. VI no. 380 Mohammed has seen Gabriel with six hundred wings.

The Devil Urinates Into the Ear
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 245 If one sleeps and does not offer the prayer, Satan urinates in his ears. Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Satan urinated in his ears.”

No Garlic or Onions Allowed
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 812 What has been said about uncooked garlic or onion. And the statement of the Prophet: “Whoever has eaten garlic or onion because of hunger or otherwise should not come near our mosque.” (see also nos. 813-815)

Yawning Comes From Hell
The Hadith
vol. IV, no. 509 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Yawning is from Satan.”

Hell-Fire for Women
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 28 The Prophet said, “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.”

Bukhari vol. I, no. 301 Allah’s Apostle...said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you women...I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 161 The Prophet then said...”I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women.”

No Assurance of Salvation
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, no. 266 The Prophet said, “By Allah, even though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.”

What Color was Mohammed?
The HadithBukhari vol. 1, no. 63 While we were sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said, “Who among you is Mohammed?” At that time the Prophet was sitting among us leaning on his arm. We replied, “The white man reclining on his arm.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 122 Mohammed is described as “a white person.”

Bukhari vol. II no. 141 When the Prophet raised his arms in prayer “the whiteness of his armpits became visible.”

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 744 Narrated Ismasil bin Abi Khalid: I heard Abu Juhaifa saying, “I saw the Prophet and Al-Hasan bin Ali resembled him.” I said to Abu Juhaifa, “Describe him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) for me.” He said, “He was white and his beard was black with some white hair in it. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he died before we got them.”

A Child Bride
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, nos. 234 Narrated Aisha: The Prophet was engaged to me when I was a girl six years old...I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends...Unexpectedly Allah’s Apostle came to me in the afternoon and my mother handed me over to him. At that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

Bukhari Vol. V, no. 236 The Prophet...married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age and consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.

What Do Spirits Eat?
The Jinn or spirits eat dung and bones according to Muhammad (vol. 5, no 266)! This bit of information is as far out as one can go.

Fevers from Hell
Muhammad believed that a fever when sick was from the heat of hell. The Prophet said, “Fever is from the heat of the [Hell] fire, so cool it with water.” (vol. 4, nos. 483-486).

Stars as Missiles
Allah created the stars as missiles to throw at the devils, according to Muhammad in vol. 4, chap. 3, p. 282. Astronomers should be interested in this doctrine of Muhammad.

CONCLUSION
If Muhammad was truly Allah’s apostle, then what he taught came from Allah and must be true. But, if what he said is so outlandish and absurd that it cannot be true, then how can he be an apostle of Allah? The logic is inescapable.

San Francisco Logic

2008-10-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Logic
(A scene at City Hall in San Francisco)
-by Joseph M. Sweeney

"Next."
Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license."
"Names?"
"Tim and Jim Jones."
"Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance."
"Yes, we're brothers."
"Brothers? You can't get married."
"Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?"
"Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!"
"Incest?" No, we are not gay."
"Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?"
"For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other. Besides, we don't have any other prospects."
"But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get married to a woman."
"Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have. But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want to marry Jim." "And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just because we are not gay?"
"All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next."

"Hi. We are here to get married."
"Names?"
"John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson."
"Who wants to marry whom?"
"We all want to marry each other."
"But there are four of you!"
"That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express our sexual preferences in a marital relationship."
"But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples."
"So you're discriminating against bisexuals!"
"No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's just for couples."
"Since when are you standing on tradition?"
"Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere."
"Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples. The more the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!"
"All right, all right. Next."

"Hello, I'd like a marriage license."
"In what names?"
"David Deets."
"And the other man?"
"That's all. I want to marry myself."
"Marry yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return."
"That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!"

Why I can't vote for Obama

2008-10-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

We live in a democratic country. We each have one vote. We vote for someone whom we want to represent our convictions and beliefs.

So, if we vote for someone who believes it is ok to kill babies, then we are essentially complicit in the killing of innocent children. His radical views on when life begins and his priority of protecting abortion rights over the right to life for the unborn are beyond most of even the most extreme leftists. Supreme Court and Federal Court judge selection seems inevitable with this presidency and the President gets to make that choice.

That is the cold, stark reality. So, that is why I am not voting for Barak Obama.

It is as simple as that.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem if people look into the issues, look into the facts and find that Obama is the candidate to hang their hat upon. My biggest problem is the large number of people who have not looked into those issues but have just joined the litany of voices.

It is easy to get seduced into Obama’s rally cry of change, but the electorate needs to look at the facts and then make a decision. They shouldn’t just support Obama because it’s cool or they get a free T-shirt. Politics needs to extend beyond that.

If you don’t like Obama it’s usually because you are racist, intolerant and uneducated. I’d like to think that’s not me, but that is how I am made to feel much of the time.

According to The Washington Post, Barack Obama has missed 294 votes in Senate. That is 45.8 percent of all the votes while he has been in Senate.

This is our potential president, a man who has avoided making decisions his entire political career.

I’m not sure about the rest of the electorate, but I have higher standards for the most powerful person in the United States. Yes, McCain has missed a large number of votes this cycle, but he has 20 years of voting records behind him.

Obama was in senate for (CATCH THIS NOW) 143 DAYS before he began his campaign.

So what, pray tell, is Obama qualified for? He is charismatic. I’ll give him that. But the President is not a talking head; he is a decision-maker. Where does Obama stand? He campaigns on change, that’s all good and well, but when has he shown that?

The sad thing about voter anger is that it’s misdirected. While there is plenty of blame and fault to go around for both parties, there really is hard evidence that John McCain tried in vain to get attention focused on the totally absurd lending practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are at the heart of the meltdown.

Did you know Barack Obama is the second highest recipient of political cash from the big bosses of these entities, and his chief economic advisor Franklin Raines took over $90 million in bonuses from Fannie Mae. That’s right---$90 MILLION.

Do you really think that Barack Obama will lead "reform" of a system that he has helped grease?
His work with ACORN, a radical political organization is especially noteworthy in light of the fact that ACORN received over $760 million in "fees" from banks to help push people into "N.I.N.J.A. loans." (These are loans made to people with No Income; No Job; and No Assets, thus NINJA loans.)

Imagine Obama as President and Democrats holding majorities in the House and with a possible 60 vote margin Senate.

-Goodbye, 2nd amendment rights.
-Goodbye, protection for the unborn.
-Goodbye, tax breaks.
-Goodbye, diligence against state sponsored terrorism from rogue governments like Iran, North Korea, and others.

-Goodbye, parental rights as a fundamental right to not be supplanted by the government.

-Goodbye, holding traditional marriage as one man, one woman for life. I’m not ready to accept that.

While I agree that both tickets have their strengths and weaknesses, after looking into the politics and actions of both groups, I have to back McCain/Palin over Obama/Biden.

We need to remember that opposing views strengthen our democracy and intolerance only weakens it. I am still trying to keep an open mind to all sides as we have only one month to go. I hope everyone else will too, because that is what we owe our country.

If we want real change it will only come from getting on our knees and crying out to the King of Kings for mercy and intervention upon this nation.

Righteousness

2008-09-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...."

Righteousness. That's it. That's what we are thirsty for. We're thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can't do for ourselves--make us right again.

I'm overwhelmed at the thought that because of what Christ did for me roughly 2000 years ago I now have Right standing before a Holy God.

Wow. Thank you Jesus for thinking of me when you died upon that Roman Tree.

Ponder the Achievement of God

2008-09-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

He doesn't condone our sin, nor does he compromise His standard.

He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does he relax His demands.

Rather than dismiss our sin, He assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences Himself.

God's holiness is honored.

Our sin is punished... and we are redeemed.

God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream:
...perfect before God.

Your Road Ends Here

2008-09-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is birthed from watching a lady on a moped die outside my office after she was hit by a car that simply didn't see her.

As you continue your trek through life simply allow the clicking of the clock to have its toll on you. Don't worry that your hair is falling out and you can't move the way you once did. You were not created for time, but for eternity.

Allow your heart to become homesick for that home you've never been to, made by The Architect of your soul.

Allow the inevitabilities of this life to turn your heart quietly towards the Maker of Days.

Allow His strength to renew you like that of the eagle and soar above the commotion and cares of everyday life to become a vessel ready for every good work. I know your hearts desire is to be a vessel of righteousness ready for the unexpected; a penny in his hand ready to be spent wherever you walk. Know this; you are well on your way, even though you are a failure.

I know you get saddened at different facets of times past. Many regrets from yester-year fill you with anxieties that weren't meant for you to bear. Squandered relationships have only resulted in heartache and current weirdness. Wandering thoughts, pointless exerted energy, and shameful exploits can only hold you down if you let them. He who the Son has set free is free indeed. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

There is simply no need to ponder through the maze of all the wasted hours you spent on seemingly unimportant tasks and unrelated heavenly issues. Put your eyes on your Prize and run the race set before you with endurance forgetting what lies behind.

Know this …it will all soon be over. It's funny to think we all have a destiny with death, even you. It seems we are all handcuffed by this thing called time. However, you don't need to be. Choose this day to see the invisible and hear the inaudible. The fleeing passing pleasures of sin are simply not worth it in light of eternity.

Time seems to be fleeing quicker than the latest fad. It treats its casualties as if it doesn't care for them. You need to rise above the plaudits and applause of the world and not be moved.
Sheep are noisy. Come away from the sheep and be with the Shepherd. Just like John hearing the heartbeat of Deity lean upon the bosom of your Lord and allow him to quiet you with His love. Every time your heart beats it's the drumbeat of your own funeral march.

D.L. Moody said, "Be often at the place where men die." There is something innately surreal about it. It has its way of stamping eternity on our eyelids, that whether we are awake or asleep we see glimpses into the future and realize life is bigger than what we perceive it to be.

You are a Witness

2008-09-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

We are witnesses.

And like witnesses in a court, we are called to testify, to tell what we have seen and heard. And we are to speak truthfully.

Our task is not to whitewash nor bloat the truth. Our task is to tell the truth. Period.There is, however, one difference between the witness in court and the witness for Christ. The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair, but the witness for Christ never does.

Since the claims of Christ are always on trial, court is perpetually in session, and we remain under oath.

Let us open our mouths and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help us God. There is one way to get to heaven and that is through the Sinless Perfect Lamb Jesus Christ.

When was the last time you took the stand and boldly proclaimed Jesus as being the only hope for condemned criminals?

I Just want a Band-Aid

2008-09-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

I Just want a Band-Aid
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9

We do ourselves no favors in justifying our deeds or glossing over our sins. Some time ago my son Noah got stung by a bee in his foot. I took him to the sink and set out some tweezers, ointment, and a Band-Aid.

He didn't like what he saw. "I just want the Band-Aid, Daddy."

Sometimes we are just like Noah. We come to Christ with our sin, but all we want is a covering.

We want to skip the treatment. We want to hide our sin. And one wonders if God, even in his great mercy, will heal what we conceal.

How can God heal what we deny?

How can God touch what we cover up?

Quick Quiz

2008-09-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Quick Quiz-
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last six Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Best Actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the header-liners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

"As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them." Psalm 103: 15-18

Why is it OK for God to kill?

2008-01-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

The reason we can so quickly get down on God for wiping out multitudes of people is because we have a subjective stance on the definition of the word good.

For example, we define good perhaps as helping some old lady across the street. Someone watching us do such a task is immediately impressed with our servant hood and they give us praise and kudos. However, we don't see the big picture. If we knew that sweet old lady that we just helped across the street was going across that street to slip cyanide in all the people's cups at the corner coffee shop, we hopefully wouldn't have helped her carry out the task because of the bad that was in reality carried out by her.

Or we may think it is a good task to give money to someone off the street, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going to use it to purchase drugs? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?

Or we may think it is a good task to give a stranger a ride in our car to a grocery store, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going there to rob the joint? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?

Therefore, God alone has the right to define the word good. With God seeing the whole picture he never makes a mistake. There is no hindsight with God. Everything God does is motivated by his nature; his goodness, his justice, his holiness. And that is why God can kill an individual or a group of people, like the Amalikites, and it can be a good thing. In fact, it can be considered the best thing.

Finally, who is the One among you that is able to define good? What gives you the right to say what God does is right or wrong? If, as you say, goodness is subjective then there is no right nor wrong. Rather, you would be left with saying what God did is not your preference. However, even then, how can you make that statement since you are not omniscient to know whether or not it was the correct action taken to destroy a certain people group based upon all the information such as the instances above?

Just a thought.
-mark

Short Pilgrimage

2007-11-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

We will all soon be gone from this place and quite possibly there will be those to tread where we now walk. What will we leave behind to set an example, a pattern for those who come after us to follow? What will our lives say about what we lived for when we are gone? How can we challenge those who, LORD willing, will walk where we walk and read and learn what we are living for today?

Would you like the future of the Christian Church to follow your example of faith in Christ today?

Read, be challenged and weep if you are caught up with so many cares and issues of this life while Christ and the work of HIS Kingdom is being almost entirely neglected. Is HE your Treasure, your Pearl of Great Price, your exceeding great reward, the One to whom all of your affection, adoration, longing, love and obedience is directed? If not, HE can be- today. Turn from the other things that keep you from being fully surrendered to HIM and draw near to HIM with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:18

I hope the preceding prayerful petition from DesiringGod.org stir and challenge your hearts and minds to ponder our brief existence on this planet, the fragility of our life and short pilgrimage here and birth in you a new passion to live for the things that are not seen. Life is quick and we’ll all soon be heading home.

You are mine

2007-11-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

It's comforting to know that God knows my entire story, from first word to final breath, and with clear assessment declares, "You are mine."

I'm excited for that day to come where I can hold the hand that holds the world. I want to give God the pen of my life trusting He'll write the greatest adventure ever told.

It's sobering to ponder through the thought that one day I'm going to type my last word and put a period on my last sentence. Every action I partake in is going to come to an end some day. Wise is the man that lives for eternity and not just the temporal.

We can't impress people with Jesus when we are trying to impress them with ourselves. "I must decrease, He must increase." I don't mind people not remembering much of me, just as long as people can see Christ clearer.

What we do in life truly will echo on into eternity.

Quick Quiz...

2007-11-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last six Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Best Actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now take this quiz...
1. Name the only person who has ever lived whom without money and arms conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon. Without science and learning He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined. With out the eloquence of schools this person spoke such words of life that have not been spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet. Without writing a single line He set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, works of art, songs of praise, learned volumes than the whole mighty army of ancient and modern times?

I will give you a hint…

He was born in a stable in an obscure village and from there He traveled less than two hundred miles. He never won an election. He never went to college. He never owned a home. He never had a lot of money. He became a nomadic preacher and popular opinion turned against Him. He was unjustly condemned to death, crucified on a cross among common thieves, on a hill overlooking the town dump, and when dead laid in a borrowed grave. A close friend betrayed him and the others ran away. Nineteen centuries have come and gone. Empires have risen and fallen. Mighty armies have marched and powerful rulers have reigned; yet no one has affected civilization as much as He has. He is the central figure of the human race. He is the Messiah. He is the King of kings and He is the Lord of Lords.
More than nineteen hundred years ago he was born contrary to the laws of life. He lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He received no formal education and never possessed wealth or widespread influence. He never traveled extensively. He only once crossed the boundary of the country in which He lived. But this man’s life has changed the course of history.

In infancy, He startled a king;In childhood, He puzzled doctors; In manhood, He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves, and hushed the sea to sleep.He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.He never wrote a book. Yet, His life has inspired more books than any other man. He never wrote a song. Yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined. He never founded a college. But all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun. Yet, no leader ever had more rebels surrender without a single shot fired.He never practiced psychiatry. Yet, He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.The names of great statesmen have come and gone. Scientists, philosophers, and theologians are soon forgotten. However, the name of this man abounds more and more.Once each week the wheels of commerce cease from turning, and multitudes gather to pay homage and respect to Him. Though time has spread two thousand years between the people of this generation and His birth, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.This man stands alone upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by His people, and feared by devils, as the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.He’s the King of Kings and He’s the Lord of Lords. There’s been nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. He’s had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign.

He is:Lord God Almighty, Omnipotent King, Lion of Judah, Rock of Ages, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Provider, Protector, Paternal Leader, Ruling Lord and Reigning King of all the Universe. He is Helper, Guardian and God. He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all He keeps.
He is The Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times. He always was, is, and will be: Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone. He was bruised, yet He brought healing. He was pierced with excruciating pain. He was persecuted yet He brought freedom. He was dead, yet He brought life. He is risen and He brings power. He reigns and brings Peace. The world can't understand him, the armies can't defeat Him, the schools can't explain Him, and the leaders can't ignore Him. Herod couldn't kill Him, the Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, the people couldn't hold Him! Nero couldn't crush Him. Hitler couldn't silence Him, the New Age can't replace Him and you can't explain Him away!He is light, love, longevity, and Lord. He is goodness, kindness, gentleness, and God. He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure. His ways are right, His Word is eternal, His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me! His is my redeemer, He is my Savior, He is my guide, He is my peace, He is my Joy, He is my comfort, He is my Lord and He rules my life. I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light, and His goal for me is joy in Himself. I follow Him because He is the wisdom ofthe wise, the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders, the overseer of the overcomers, and the sovereign Lord of all that was, is and is to come. And if that seems impressive to you, try this on for size. His goal is a relationship with ME! He will never leave me, forsake me, mislead me, forget me, overlook me, and never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!When I fall, He lifts me up. When I fail, He forgives me. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am lost, He is The Way. When I am afraid, He is my courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I am hurt, He heals me. When I am broken, He mends me. When I am blind, He leads me. When I am hungry, He feeds me. When I face trials, He is with me. When I face persecution, He stills me. When I face problems, He comforts me. When I face loss, He provides for me. When I face Death, He’ll carry me Home!He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and in every way. He is God, He is faithful, I am His, and He is mine. My Father in Heaven can whip the father of this world, and so, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this: He said it, and that settles it. God is in control, I am on His side, and that means all is well with my soul.