Category Archives: Pastor’s Pen

A 9/11 Reflection: We Have Forgotten

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Friday morning (09/11/2020) marks the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in NYC and on our nation. That was a morning that no American who witnessed the attack will ever forget. For me, as the Administrator of our school, we turned on the classroom TV and watched in horror as the towers crumbled.

Yes, I remember breaking down in tears as I thought about the thousands of souls that were plunging into Eternity at that moment. I wondered, “Do they know Christ?”
Yes, it was on that day that our nation was attacked by a group of adherents to Islam. They had been selected and trained by handlers in the Middle East. They had been recruited to be suicide bombers. They had slipped into our country without any warnings being raised by authorities.

That morning, they carried out their pre-conceived plans in systematic fashion. Their attack was costly! Over 3,000 American lives were lost that day. The images shown on media all around the world that day are etched upon the eyes of my memory. We recall the horror and disbelief as we saw some of those who were trapped in the upper floors of the towers cast themselves out the windows to their certain death below. They had chosen to suddenly end their lives rather than be burned alive from the intense heat and fires that would ultimately bring down both towers.

Our nation stood together in united resolve to pursue and apprehend the mastermind behind these horrific attacks. We stood together with solemn resolve as we committed ourselves to “Never Forget.” None of our minds could imagine ever forgetting what we had witnessed that day. Our very way of life had come under attack.

Yet, nineteen years later, it is apparent that our nation has forgot. The two decades since 9/11 have seen a great paradigm shift in our culture and nation. The freedoms, liberties and rights that our nation has long embraced are now under attack. We have forgot that 9/11 was a direct attack on those ideas on which this great nation was founded.

We now have rioters and looters who are “protesting” the very ideas that were so viciously attacked on 9/11. Yet, a stark difference is now seen. Whereas 9/11 was a coordinated attack on the American way of life, what we have now is a perpetual siege against the American way of life. We have young people, who were not even alive on 9/11, protesting the very ideas on which our nation was founded over 240 years ago. The protesters know nothing of the sacrifice of blood, possessions and lives that undergird this great nation’s founding. They know nothing of the horror that Americans felt on 9/11 as several thousand souls perished that day, and many more since then because of 9/11 related injuries and illnesses. Our educational system has woefully failed our young people. They have been taught a modified progressive history that bears no similarity to the reality of what has happened. They have been indoctrinated to believe what the terrorists themselves believed, and that is…America is a bad and bigoted nation that needs to be drastically changed from what it is.

Yes, we have forgotten! Man’s history is replete with the fact that our memory is short and unreliable.

My prayer to God for our nation is that we may wake up to reality before it is too late. I long to be able to hand my children and grandchild a legacy of the America I once knew. A land of freedom and opportunity for those who are willing to seize the moment and pursue their dreams through work and commitment. I long for them to have a nation were evil is repelled and the Constitution is firmly upheld. I long for them to have a nation where they are free to worship God and live the biblical Christian life without fear of reprisal. Yet, it appears that our forgetfulness is plunging our once great nation into the pit of moral depravity and despair where all that we have known will be forever forgotten.

However, I will not despair because I will not forget. I will not forget what radical terrorists did to our nation 19 years ago. Neither will I forget what Christ Jesus did for me when He saved me 58 years ago. I will not forget that my God is still alive and ruling in the affairs of men. His purpose and plan will never be threatened or thwarted by the evil designs of man. His Word is true and His will is perfect.

So, on this 19th anniversary of 9/11, let those of us who love our nation and its founding principles commit ourselves to prayer for a time of national repentance for our wicked ways. Let us commit ourselves to faithfully sharing the hope of the gospel with the unredeemed all around us. AND…Let us commit ourselves to voting on November 3. May we do all that we can do to stop the hostile takeover of our nation by those who identify more with the 9/11 terrorists than freedom loving patriotic Americans!

#Pray4America #FeelFree2Share

The Depravity of Man on Full Display

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Depravity of Man (Graphic)

Thoughts on the Needless Death of Mr. George Floyd of Minneapolis Minnesota

The past week, in news and social media, has been a full review of the depravity of fallen man.  Our nation has witnessed the unbelievable brutality exercised upon a fellow human being and the subsequent taking of his life.  America has viewed the video in horror at such treatment of a fellow American and human being.  It is right and reasonable that we should be appalled and that we should demand justice be done.

The resulting protests are justifiably understandable.  Our collective nation should rise up with one voice and declare “That is not acceptable from any authority!” We should demand that the ones who caused the death of a shackled man should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Any civilized nation cannot withstand the wanton and reckless taking of a human life.

Yet, even in the protest, the depravity of man is again on display.  The honorable protests have been marred by those whose agenda has been destruction and ill-gotten gain.  The disregard for life and property by those who have vandalized fellow human beings is a revelation of the heart of fallen and sinful man. By the destructive vandalism, those responsible have distracted the focus from the atrocity committed by the police officers against Mr. Floyd.

This all serves to remind us that our nation needs Christ.  Only Christ can offer peace in the midst of the storm.  Only Christ can bring unity and hope.  

It must be understood that man cannot be reconciled to man until man is first reconciled to God.  To try and reconcile men to each other, without first being reconciled to God, is as futile as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titantic and hoping to save lives by it.  A sinful and fallen man must be reconciled to a Holy God.  That is only possible through personal faith in Jesus Christ.  

It is then, and ONLY then, that reconciliation can take place between ethnicities. We cannot “reform” fallen man, he MUST be REBORN (see John 3).  Once a person has truly been reconciled to God through salvation, then there is absolutely no place within their heart for racism, bigotry, or prejudice.  Once a person has truly been born again, that person will love and respect persons of all ethnicities.

May we seek to point people today to Christ.  May we pray for them as we seek to get the gospel of Christ into every community across our nation and around the world.  We must pray for God’s great name to be magnified and glorified.

It’s Not Fair!

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Image of Cry Baby

Lately, it seems the political and cultural landscape often wants to have a discussion on the issue of fairness.  Too many people have the idea that all should be “fair.”  As a pastor, I see this played out in parent and child roles quite often.  The parent thinks they are teaching their child a good thing when they teach “fairness.”  They seem to think that this is a biblical idea.

What are we teaching a child, when we teach them that life is all about fairness.  Although, we should always seek to treat others fairly, is it not true that the idea of fairness is rather subjective?  What is fair to one person, may not seem fair to another.  When a child screams, “That’s not fair,” what is he saying?  He is saying that he was mistreated by someone else.  In other words, his idea of fairness is a self-centered idea.  Thus, when we teach children that life is to be fair, we are teaching them to be self-centered and selfish.

Does the idea of “fairness” come from the biblical text?  Of course, there is the proverbial “Golden Rule” found in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”  However, this verse is not about being “fair.”  Taken in its context, it is the portion of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is addressing how He answers prayer.  He compares His graciousness and goodness toward us, with our graciousness and goodness toward others (Matt. 7:7-11).  Then, verse 12 begins with the word, “Therefore,” which means “based upon what has just been said.”  The conclusion of verse 12 is a statement that we treat others in the way we want to be treated by them.

One is hard-pressed to find a biblical stance on the issue of “fairness” in the Scriptures.  In fact, it can be found otherwise.  For instance, was it “fair” that God rejected hard-working and manly Esau, and accepted the soft, sissy Jacob?  Was it “fair” that all of Achan’s household was stoned to death with him for his actions?  Was it fair that thirty-six innocent soldier’s lost their lives, due to Achan’s sin?  Was it “fair” that over a million people were condemned to wandering in the wilderness for forty years, because of the disbelief of ten men who brought back an evil report?  Was it “fair” that God sent Abraham’s descendants into Egyptian bondage for four-hundred years when, as yet, they had not done anything wicked (Gen. 15:14; cf. Acts 7:6)?  There are scores of other biblical examples that could be used to demonstrate that God is not interested in what mankind calls “fair.”

However, the Scriptures are abundant with references on life being holy, righteous, just and godly.  It is God’s concern that we live holy and righteous lives.  It is about individual responsibility toward Christ.  If we are living that kind of life, then our actions toward others will also be with the right motivation.  Fairness will not be the concern, but what is godly will be.

How does this play out in our society?  The warped idea of fairness has spawned an abundance of ungodly legislation in our country.  The basic idea is…”It’s not fair if homosexual couples cannot marry as the heterosexual couple can.”   However, society should not feel any compulsion to adhere to their definition of “fairness.”  Rather, we should follow the biblical admonition of finding such a lifestyle to be an “abomination” (Lev. 18:22).  Our laws should reflect righteousness.  Of course, someone will then say, “It’s not fair to enforce your biblical viewpoint on others.”  Again, the issue of fairness is raised, because someone has felt slighted or mistreated (i.e., it is self-centered).  Yet, it has been historically proven that societies cannot infinitely survive when they have been destitute of the righteous standard.

Another issue of ill-perceived fairness in our country is the economy.  Our leaders seem determined to embrace socialism.  This is based on the idea that it is not “fair” that one person should have more than another.  It is not fair for whom?  Oh, I see, again it is a self-centered philosophy.  Righteousness and justice would mandate that people who choose not to seize the opportunities afforded them, would have to learn to live without as much.  Of course, someone is now saying, “But it is not fair if they do not have the opportunity, and that is why we need these laws.”  Please note that legislation cannot create opportunities.  Opportunities come to those who give themselves to learning and work.  The more you know and work, the more the opportunities arise.  This is what is known as cause and effect!.

So, let’s just be righteous and godly, and then our lives will be fair before God.

Do you have thoughts on whether life should be “fair” or not?

Cremation: Right or Wrong?

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Cremation: Right or Wrong Graphic

Dr. Marty O. Wynn

Cremation is a practice that is widely gaining acceptance on the North American Continent.  The Cremation Association of North America has worked hard to expand the embracing of its practice.  They write, “In 1999, there were 1,468 crematories and 595,617 cremations, a percentage of 25.39% of all deaths in the United States. By 2009, there were over 2,100 crematories and over 900,000 cremations…and 36.84% of deaths in the United States were handled through cremation, a percentage that is expected to grow to over half of deaths by 2018.”[1]

Cremation is being more widely accepted, in part, because of the lesser cost than a traditional funeral and burial.  Also, a local funeral home director once told this writer that it is also a matter of time and convenience.  Family members of the deceased often want the least intrusive choice concerning their busy schedules.

Due to the rapidly spreading acceptance of cremation, many are wrestling with whether it is biblically right or wrong.  It is true that the subject of cremation is one that is not directly addressed by the Scriptures.  Yet, there are biblical principles that should be considered before a person embraces cremation as a legitimate option for believers.  While there may not be a clear forbidding of the practice, the following biblical principles will help to bring the student of the Word to a more appropriate decision.

The Origin of the Practice

The first consideration should involve asking ourselves, “Where did the practice of cremation begin?”  Concerning the time of its beginning, the Cremation Association of North America states, “Scholars today quite generally agree that cremation probably began in any real sense during the early Stone Age — around 3000 B.C. — and most likely in Europe and the Near East.” [2] Journalist Michelle Kim, of How Stuff Works, in her article on How Cremation Works, offers a much older time of origin.  She writes, “Burning a corpse as a final rite of passage has been in practice since prehistoric times. There is evidence that people cremated bodies in China as early as 8000 B.C.”[3]  While I would disagree with Kim’s date of 8000 B.C., due to my belief in a younger earth, we can say that cremation is not a new practice in any way.

As historical research shows, cremation is almost always associated with pagan religions and rituals.   Hinduism mandates that a body be cremated.  Other pagan faiths either encourage or mandate it.  (The reasons for this will be discussed under the next point).  However, history also bears record that, when Christianity was introduced in various societies, the practice of cremation disappeared.  Kim collaborates this historical fact when she states the following:

Cremation was commonly adopted in some parts of Greece but never became widespread, disappearing by 480 B.C. In Sweden, the majority of funerals were cremations throughout the Iron Age and Viking Age, but stopped once Christianity was introduced (A.D. 1050). In the Western Roman Empire, cremation was the standard until the first century A.D., often associated with military honors. With the spread of Christianity, cremation was frowned upon and disappeared for the most part in Europe by the fifth century A.D., except in unusual cases such as epidemics or war.[4]

Throughout the Scriptures, the people of God did not choose cremation as a method of disposing of one’s mortal remains.  One exception we can find is when the bodies of Saul and his sons were retrieved by the men of Jabesh-Gilead in First Samuel 31:11-13.  The earlier portion of that chapter records that Saul had been wounded by the Philistines in battle and he prevailed upon his armor-bearer to finish the job of killing him, so that no one could say the Philistines had killed him.  His armor-bearer refused, and Saul committed suicide by falling on his own sword.  The next day, the Philistines discovered the bodies of Saul and his sons, and they cut off Saul’s head and nailed his and his son’s bodies to the wall, as a token of their victory.  When the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard of the mutilation of Saul’s body, and the desecration of his son’s bodies by displaying them as tokens of victory, they went and retrieved the bodies.  Then, the Scriptures state that they “came to Jabesh, and burnt them there” (1 Samuel 31:12c).  Burning of the body was not a Hebrew practice.  Burial was the normal practice for the people of God.  Abraham insured the proper burial of Sarah (Genesis 23).  Joseph gave commandment concerning the burial of his bones (Exodus 50:25; Hebrews 11:22).  God chose bodily burial for Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6).  Thus, the burning of the bodies of Saul and his sons was not in keeping with Hebrew practice.  It has been speculated they did so because the bodies were mutilated and decomposed, and they did not want anyone seeing them that way.  Others have speculated they did not want to bury the bodies because of the fear that the Philistines may attempt to dig them up again.

However, it is my viewpoint that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had been influenced by the pagan practices around them.  It should be remembered that these men were the descendants of the two-and-a-half tribes that had deliberately chosen to refuse the Promised Land in Numbers chapter 32.  Their forefathers had said “no” to the promises of God, and chosen to stay on the other side of the Jordan River.  Eventually, they lost their national identity with the rest of Israel.  Therefore, they had embraced the practice of the heathen around them.  Of course, it is unwise to be dogmatic concerning the reason as to why they burned the bodies, but I believe the latter reason is most consistent with the Scriptures.

In either case, it is sufficient to state that cremation was not the normal practice of body disposal for the people of God.  Thus, believers today should give pause to think before embracing it.  Although the meaning may be different today, it is my belief

The overall reason for the pagan cremation was to release the spirit from the body.
that it is unwise for a Christian to engage in a practice that is so solidly rooted in paganism.

The Purpose of the Burning

The next principle concerns the purpose of burning the body.  It is easily discovered, even through the briefest of research, that the overall reason for the pagan cremation was to release the spirit from the body.  Whether it is the paganism of the Hindu, or the tribalism of the Native American Indian, they burned the bodies of their deceased because they believed it to be the only way to set the spirit of the deceased free.  It was a pagan spiritual ritual.  Even Paul wrote of this pagan ritual when writing to the Corinthian church.  He was writing to a church that was well acquainted with the pagan rituals around them.  Their culture thought there was something uniquely spiritual about burning the body.  So, when Paul wrote to them, he spoke of “giving my body to be burned” (1 Corinthians 13:3), and said that it meant nothing.  Of course, most of whom would embrace cremation today would not do it for that reason, but it should again give the believer cause to stop and consider the identification with such a pagan practice.

Scripturally speaking, there are other purposes for burning the body.  In the book of Joshua, we have the account of the sin of Achan, in taking of the accursed thing at Jericho.  When confronted with his sin, Achan gave confession (Joshua 7:21).  God’s command was followed in dealing with Achan’s sin.  They stoned Achan, his family, and every living thing he owned, and then burned their bodies (Joshua 7:25).  In this case, the burning of the body symbolized the judgment of God.  Throughout the Scriptures, fire is mostly viewed as judgment.  Sodom and Gomorrah were judged by fire and brimstone.  Fire consumed Nadab and Abihu, the errant sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10).   As a believer, I have been saved from God’s wrath and judgment.  The fires of God’s judgment will never touch me, because Jesus paid my sin debt in full on Calvary’s tree.  Nowhere in the Scriptures can any example be found where the cremation of one’s mortal body is seen in an honorable setting.  Yet, the accounts of burials are seen as a moving, and almost sacred, scene.  You cannot help but weep with Abraham as he lovingly buries Sarah, or with Jacob as he buries his beloved Rachel and sets a tombstone on her grave.  Of course, after walking through the pages of Moses’ life in Exodus through Deuteronomy, one cannot help but be moved by the scene described in Deuteronomy 34, as God buries Moses.

A final thought on this point should be to consider the purposeful intent of the burial of Christ.  Before His death, Mary anointed His head and washed His feet.  When others objected to the lavishness of her gift, He responded that they should leave her alone, because she came to “…anoint my body to the burying” (Mark 14:8).  He did not say, “Mary, that’s a waste on this old robe of flesh I’m in.”  No, He even said that it would be told as a memorial of her.

The Nature of the Body

            At this point, many may say, “It’s just a clump of clay, a body of dirt, or a temporary housing.”  All of that is true, but it is not “just” that.  Therefore, I believe it inappropriate to speak lightly of discarding the mortal body we live in.  Although we do not worship the body, we must remember some biblical principles concerning our body.

First, God gave man the body he lives in.  From the first man, Adam, until now; every person lives within the body that has been uniquely provided to them by God Himself.  Yes, He made us all.  He made the whole, as well as the deaf, blind and dumb (Exodus 4:11).  The body was handcrafted by God Himself.  Adam wore a body that bore the fingerprints of God’s fashioning from the “dust of the ground.”  Then, God breathed into that body the breath of life and “man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).  It has been said, “God breathed into His human creation and ‘man became a living soul,’ and God breathed into His divine revelation (2 Timothy 3:16) and it became a living book.”  Therefore, the body of man is not to be considered lightly.  It bears the mark of God’s design and wonder, in that we are “ fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Another consideration is that our bodies are the literal dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  The text calls our bodies the “temple” of the Holy Ghost.  In the New Testament, there are a couple of different Greek words translated “temple.”  In this case, it is the word ναός (na-os).  It is a very specific word, in that it refers to that inner portion of the temple where the Shekinah Glory of God dwelt in visible presence.  That is what our physical bodies are to the Holy Spirit. Since we are Holy Spirit indwelt, we should exercise care and consideration over our bodies, and not be abusive to that body.  Of course, the presence of the Holy Spirit’s dwelling applies to a living body.  At death, the Spirit is no longer dwelling there. Yet, again we have a biblical principle to consider.  As stated, the Old Testament tabernacle had the dwelling of the Glory of God when it was set up.  However, when it was dismantled for travel, the presence of God was not within it, but those responsible for its breakdown, travel and setup had to exercise great care with it.  It was not tossed around as a bunch of curtains, furniture and ornaments.  Yet, it was cared for with a sacred care and responsibility.  No, we are not to worship this robe of flesh, but we are to remember that our bodies are a unique gift from God and, as living believers; it housed the Holy Spirit of God Himself.

The Glory of the Believer

Paul, in closing his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, wrote “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, emphasis added).  Paul did not discount the body, but prayed for the sanctification of it.  As may be known, the term “sanctify” (ἁγιάζω), comes from the root word “holy,” and means “to set apart; to purify, to consecrate to God.”  We are also exhorted to glorify God in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Paul carried this glorifying God principle beyond just living, when he wrote, “…as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death” (Philippians 1:20b).  Therefore, even in our death, we should bring glory to God.  Can we honestly expect to bring glory to God by engaging in a practice that has its roots in paganism and idolatry?  Such would not seem a reasonable action for the believer.  As we bury the body of a believer, we are giving testimony of our faith that God is going to raise it again for His glory and in His glory.  That is a much more fitting tribute at death.

Concluding Thoughts

There may be some who wonder, “What about those believers who died in fires, or whose bodies were lost at sea, and so forth?”  The answer is…That is not a problem with God.  Our Omnipotent God can certainly reconstitute all the necessary elements of the body, no matter how far scattered or decayed they may be.  Yet, the point of this position statement has been written for those who are making a willful and conscious choice concerning the disposal of their mortal body.

 

My belief is that, since First Corinthians 6:19 states that Christ bought me (body, soul and spirit) and since I now have no say so over it, then I do not retake ownership at death.  I will let God’s pattern of choosing burials for His people be my choice.

 

As a disclaimer it is necessary to state that, if a person disagrees with my conclusions and chooses to be cremated, that is within Christian liberty.  I do not believe this is a fundamental doctrine or a test of orthodoxy or Christian fellowship. Rather, I believe it to be the conclusion of my personal study of the Scriptures.

__________

[1] http://www.cremationassociation.org/?HistoryOfCremation.

[2] Ibid

[3] http://science.howstuffworks.com/cremation6.htm

[4] Ibid

They No Longer Panted After Heaven

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Graphic for Heaven

While reading through John Wesley’s book, The Nature of Holiness, I was struck by his recounting of religious history. He gives a brief overview beginning with Adam. Concerning what would have been his contemporary time, he wrote the following observation:

“In the year 1627, there was a wonderful outpouring of the Spirit in several parts of England as well as in Scotland and the north of Ireland. But riches and honor poured in upon them as well, and their hearts began to be estranged from God and started cleaving to the present world. As soon as persecution ceased, the Christians who were once poor and despised became invested with power, ease, and affluence. Their change of circumstances brought a change of spirit. Riches and honor quickly produced the usual effects. Receiving the world, they quickly loved the world. They no longer panted after heaven, but became more and more attached to the material things of earth.” (emphasis added)

I wonder what his assessment of our modern-day church would be? What a difference it would be if believers of our age would pant after Heaven! If we would but set our affection on things above (Colossians 3:1-3). If we would thirst for that which is holy and heavenly, this world would be marked for His glory. If we would refused to love this world or all that it embraces (1 John 2:15-16), we would see the untold millions become the told!

Lord, help us to pant after Heaven.


(c) Can Stock Photo / Ig0rZh

Reasons to Celebrate Christmas

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Why Christmas image

Celebrate Christmas?

Reasons it is biblical to celebrate Christ’s birth…

Social media has created a venue in which thoughts, ideas, philosophies and more may be freely exchanged.  That can be a good and powerful tool for society.  However, it can also be used in a negative and destructive way.  One example of such is the attack on the Christmas celebration each year.  The attack does not come from the non-believers, but from well-meaning believers.  They believe that the celebration of Christmas as the occasion of Christ’s birth is anti-Christian and unbiblical.  Why?  Because some have misused certain passages of the Scriptures while ignoring other passages.  

Personally, I believe it is biblical and right to honor and celebrate the birth of Christ.  As such, I believe the December 25 is as good a day as any.  I understand that the world has turned Christmas into a marketing hey-day.  I understand that the world has taken the historically charitable work of a historic man, named Nicholas, to fabricate the story of Santa Claus and he has the omnipotence of God (i.e., “He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…so be good for goodness sake”). 

Yes, I am aware of the probability that December 25 is not the most likely date of Christ’s birth. Yet, I do agree with Daniel Wallace (Dallas Theological Seminary) when he wrote, “Now, of course, we can’t be absolutely certain of the day of Christ’s birth. At least, not this side of heaven. But an early winter date seems as reasonable a guess as any. And December 25th has been the frontrunner for eighteen centuries. Without more evidence, there seems to be no good reason to change the celebration date now.” 

Yes, I am also aware that the term “Christmas” is Roman Catholic in origin.  Because of that, there are some who believe that Christmas should not be observed.  However, I would argue that the term has greatly changed since its origin.  As Christmas made its way into the non-Catholic world, the term lost the significance of “Christ Mass.”  In all my years, I have not know of anyone connecting Christmas with the Catholic Mass.  I would propose that the term, to the general public and non-Catholic church, means nothing more than identifying the day we honor and celebrate the birth of Christ.

In spite of all of the above, I do believe the hijacking of a worthy celebration by the world does not mean that Christians should abandon the practice.  Therefore, I offer the following biblical reasons why it is right to honor and celebrate the birth of Christ.

1. The Scriptures foretold His Birth (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Daniel 9) 

Obviously, God thought the pending incarnate birth of His Son was worthy of recording as a prophecy hundreds of years in advance of that event.  Then, in Daniel 9, He ensures that all the world would know the exact timing of His Son’s birth and in Micah 5 He provided the exact location of the birth.

2. The Scriptures bear record of His birth (Matthew & Luke).

Both Matthew and Luke give many details concerning the birth of Christ.  If it were not important in the mind of God, then why bother recording it.

3. The angels heralded His birth (Luke 2)

On the night Christ was born, God dispatched a host of angels to herald the news to a world lying in darkness.  After 400 years of silence from Heaven (between the Old Testament and New Testament), the angels proclaim the Good News of Christ’s birth!

4. The wise men sought out His birth

God ordained that the Magi would follow a divinely appointed star, so that they might worship the One who was “born King.”

5. The angel, Gabriel, announced His birth 

God ordained that one of Heaven’s high-ranking angels be dispatched to tell the tells of Christ’s pending birth to Mary.

6. The angel, Gabriel, announced His forerunner’s birth.

Christ’s birth was so important that God sent a forerunner to prepare the way for the Christ.

7. The Plan of Salvation required His birth

Obviously, without the birth of Christ, there would be no Cross of Christ.  Without His birth, there would be no salvation.

Therefore, based on the above, I believe it is biblical and right.  I might also add that God used the incarnate birth of His Son to Christian the calendars of the world.  Until recently, all dates were designated as either B.C. (Before Christ), or Anno Domini (Year of Our Lord), and those two designations were separated by Christ’s birth.  Recently, those who reject Christ, have changed the designations to B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era).  Yet, as Romans 1:22 so aptly states, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” because the birth of Christ is still the definitive separation point for the two eras.

 So, there you have it…My thoughts and opinion!

What do you say?

Preaching is More Than Yelling!

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Preach the Word graphic

According to research done by the Barna Group and other statistical researchers, most people are biblically illiterate.  One such report revealed that only half of U.S. adults could name one of the four Gospels.  Still others (including professing believers) found it difficult to name at least four of the twelve apostles.  Albert Mohler reported that “A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.”

Yet, these same people can recite the names of all the players on their favorite sports team, and give the statistics of each player.  They can give a chronological history of each loss and victory.  They know all the NASCAR drivers by name and their car number.  They can name all the teams of the SEC.  They avidly follow their favorite players.  They can cite the many reasons that a particular football player should be the Heisman winner, and so forth.  Like the children of Reuben and Gad, they can name the places and peoples of the world but have little knowledge of the Word of God (Numbers 32:1-5, 19).

It is little wonder that so many churches have left the moorings of biblical truth and set sail on the seas of compromise and man’s opinion.  The modern church bears little resemblance to the one found within the pages of the New Testament.  While I am grateful for those who approach the services of the church with anticipation, they are the few among professing believers.  As you gather around the entrances of the local church on Sunday morning, give attention to the discussions taking place.  Yesterday’s games, races or other competitions are the top topics.  It seems that the gathering of the local church is a mere religious club, where the participants have little vested interest in what happens.  Where are the believers that are passionate and eager to hear from God?  Where are the congregants who approach the service with hungering hearts and thirsty souls, that can only be quenched with drinking deep from the well of God’s Word?

Sadly, most of the responsibility can be laid at the feet of the local church pastor.  Too many pulpits have been replaced with counselor’s stools and motivational lecterns.  The “message from God” has been replaced with “thought for the week.”  Expositional preaching has been replaced with a topic of the day.  Little preparation is given to the average sermon today.  Several years ago, a preacher told me, “I don’t have to study much anymore.  Give me a text of Scripture and fifteen minutes, and I can get a message ready.”  Needless to say, that man should never stand in the pulpit.  Shallow preparation produces shallow preaching that produces shallow Christians.  Yet, a visit to the average preacher’s fellowship will reveal the same attitude, even it is not so bluntly stated.  I have often sat in meetings where the preacher announced his text, read the text, and from there departed.  In one such meeting, I heard a preacher give a wonderful motivational speech on how to succeed in life, but it could not properly be called a biblical message, because it had nothing to do with the text that he read in Romans 7:18-20.  Such mishandling of the Scriptures is a flagrant violation of the command of God to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  It is utter disregard for the biblical exhortation for the pastor to “Feed the flock of God” (2 Peter 5:2).  The pastor/shepherd should remember that it is obedience to that specific command that will yield the “crown of glory that fadeth not away” (2 Peter 5:4).

It is amazing what is called “preaching.”  In many circles, a man can yell loud, spit far, pound the pulpit hard, and people declare “now that’s preaching!”  It will not matter that Scripture was not expounded, or that a text had been yanked from its context.  As long as the supposed preacher declares it forcibly and passionately, then that is “preachin’.”

Please note that it is not the purpose of this article to attack those who faithfully proclaim God’s Word.  Yet, it must be understood that we cannot expect mature believers to be developed when there is not a systematic exposition of God’s Word taking place.  It is no wonder that we have so many “growling” members in our churches when the man in the pulpit does little more than throw them an old bone with no meat, as he would toss a bone to a dog.

What we need in our day are men who will devote themselves to “continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).  We need men who will faithfully teach the Word of God in a line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept method (Isaiah 28:9-10).

The call to preach is the greatest of all callings!  Let those of us, who mount the pulpits of God’s church, be men of God who have labored in the Word of God, been filled with the Spirit of God, and then faithfully preach to the people of God the Word of God.  Paul did not tell Timothy to “Preach about the Word.”  He said, “Preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2).  To do so takes time in prayer and time in study.  If we will do that, then our ministries can have both depth and breadth.  We will discover that the true believers, as hungry sheep, will gather to be fed the Word of God. Therefore, Preach the Word!

Is the expositional, line upon line, the style of preaching you use?  What are your thoughts?