Be Diligent…

Several places in the book of Judges we read that “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him…” (Judges 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). We read of this experience elsewhere as well. What exactly does this mean? According to one commentator, “This is a common Old Testament expression signifying a unique act of God which conferred power and wisdom for victory.”¹

So did this always guarantee God’s will would be done 100%? In all details?

Consider Gideon (Judges 8:24-27). He made an ephod² from earrings given him by the Israelites, taken from the plunder of Midian. He placed this ephod on public display in his hometown of Ophrah, where the Israelites worshiped it and “it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” (Judges 8:27)

See also examples of Jephthah (Judges 11:34-40) and Samson (Judges 16:1).

All of us who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27), and have received the gift of the same Spirit that was given to the judges (Acts 2:38). He works within us in non-miraculous ways to help us live in accordance with the will of God (Romans 8:5-27). Just like the judges though, having the Spirit of God with us doesn’t mean we’re robotically controlled by the Spirit. We should be controlled by the Spirit in that the principles Jesus taught us to live by should guide our lives and dictate the way we choose to live — but that’s the crux of the matter. As sinners, we sometimes allow our own sinful nature (read: human will) to overpower God’s Holy Spirit.

And that’s a sobering thought — that I can overpower the all-powerful God. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mightier than He. It’s just that since He has given me the will to choose my own destiny, many times I get it wrong — way wrong! As we mature as Christians, the Spirit should be taking a more active, more powerful role in our life, but that will only happen if we let Him. Our sinful nature will still win some of the battles, but the victory will belong to the Lord if we choose to be “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14).

---

1. John MacArthur Study Bible, note on Judges 3:10.
2. An ephod was an article of priestly clothing, resembling a long vest.

---

Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: "In" not "of", Growth, New Testament, Spirit | No Comments »

 Email This Post

The following article is reprinted in its entirety from the Apologetics Press website.

---

Expelled: One Movie You Ought to See by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Printer version | Email this article

Rarely does Apologetics Press encourage readers to see a movie on the big screen. It goes without saying that most movies playing in theaters are unfit for a Christian to watch (cf. Philippians 4:8; Psalm 101:3), and are unworthy of a Christian’s God-given time and money. However, one especially important film opened this past weekend in more than 1,000 theatres across America. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a documentary starring actor, economist, lawyer, and professor Ben Stein.

In the film, Stein, who also co-wrote the documentary, highlights “an elitist scientific establishment that has traded in its skepticism for dogma” (“What Happened…?” 2007). Refusing to follow the evidence to wherever it leads, “the scientific establishment” is exposed as phony freethinkers. “Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised” by evolutionists who will allow “absolutely no dissent from Charles Darwin’s theory of random mutation and natural selection” (“What Happened…?” 2007, emp. added). As proof of such close-mindedness on the part of “Big Science,” Stein interviews several bright, credentialed scientists. These men and women have been fired from their positions or denied tenure simply because they questioned the factuality of the General Theory of Evolution and/or publicly supported intelligent design. Their stories prove that the scientific establishment really is free only to think inside the walls of the “goo-to-you” theory of evolution. Question the theory of evolution publicly, and, as Stein uncovers, a scientist must be prepared to lose his or her job and reputation in the scientific community.

Stein also confronts the biggest proponents of evolutionary theory—from England’s world famous biologist Richard Dawkins, to one of America’s most vociferous critics of intelligent design, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, Eugenie Scott. Stein frustrated staunch evolutionist Michael Ruse when he questioned him about the origin of life on Earth. What’s more, he even gets Richard Dawkins to admit…. Well, just go see for yourself. Stein’s interview with Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, is the climax of the entire documentary.

Expelled is not a Christian film per se; its emphasis is not on the Bible, Jesus, or Christianity. However, we believe that Christians will enjoy the documentary (except for one interviewee’s use of the term “hell”), as it is very much pro-logic, pro-liberty, pro-life, and pro-intelligent design—which also means that it is very much anti-macroevolution.

REFERENCE “What Happened to Freedom of Speech?” (2007), [On-line], URL: http://www.expelledthemovie.com.

Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Evolution | No Comments »

 Email This Post

One of the questions I’m commonly asked is about good Christian resources on the Internet. I wanted to make you aware of a new one I discovered last week. It’s called Biiible, and has 14 different translations and versions (some of which aren’t actually “translations”) that you can search. There’s also a Bible dictionary, a Strong’s Dictionary for Greek/Hebrew word studies, an interactive Bible timeline, Bible stories, and maps. You can also download the complete Bible in one or more versions in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.

You can find Biiible here.

And as a bonus, here’s an interactive Bible atlas. Choose a BCV from the drop-down list, and if there’s a Bible place associated with that verse, it’ll show up as a marker on a Google satellite map. http://www.biblemap.org/

Posted on May 5th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Bible study, Growth | No Comments »

 Email This Post

Not evolution that happens in the classroom, but… Well, you know what I mean…

Last week the Florida Senate passed a bill that would allow public school teachers to challenge evolution with “scientific information”. Naturally, there is opposition to this, and you can probably guess where some of the most vocal opposition is coming from. (Hint: it’s a 4-letter word.) Of course they’re worried that the Christian right will be force-feeding Christianity into the students’ young skulls full of mush. That isn’t their main public objection though. The objection they’re hanging their hat on is that “such information would not necessarily need to undergo peer review, the process by which scientists evaluate and test each others’ work”, according to Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller, of Cooper City, who debated against the bill.

Frankly, I don’t know what they’re afraid of. You can’t prove the Bible story of creation with the scientific method anyway. Perhaps they’re worried that the “scientific” experiments “proving” evolution that are taught as fact in schools today have long ago been disproved — in some cases as much as 50 years ago. Now I can see that as being a huge threat to them.

According to The Gainesville Sun, “the bill passed the Senate with a 21-17 vote, with only one Democrat in favor and five Republicans opposed. It next goes to the House, which is considering a different bill that not only would allow teachers to question evolution but require them to present a ‘critical analysis’ of Charles Darwin’s scientific theory.” I think this is a good bill, and would like to see something similar on the books in all 50 states.

What do you think?

Posted on May 2nd, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Evolution | No Comments »

 Email This Post

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, which is held the first Thursday of May every year. Whether you participate or not is a personal matter. Your congregation may or may not have an organized event. Again, a matter for the leadership to decide.

Two and a half years ago a group named Jews on First (JOF) has questioned the application process by which one becomes an event coordinator affiliated with the National Day of Prayer Task Force. The issue in question is that in order to become a coordinator, one must affirm a commitment to Jesus by agreeing to this statement:

I believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, the atoning work of his shed blood, his resurrection and ascension, his intercession and his coming return to power and glory. I believe that those who follow Jesus are family and there should be unity among all who claim his name.

Since Jews wouldn’t agree to that affirmation, their claim is that the National Say of Prayer has been “hijacked by conservative Christians”¹.

So if you’re reading this Christian blog, I’m assuming you’re a Christian (an assumption I realize may not be correct). I further assume you would agree with the above statement, though there are increasing numbers of those who call themselves “Christian” who would take issue with parts of it. What are your thoughts on this? Is the National Day of Prayer a Christian tradition? If your city held a National Day of Prayer Event and on the slate to lead prayers were Christians, Jews, and Muslims, would you attend?

References:
1. Critics: Evangelicals ‘hijacked’ National Day of Prayer. Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service, published in USA Today, April 25, 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-04-25-prayer-day-protest_N.htm?csp=34

Posted on April 30th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Jesus, Prayer, Society | No Comments »

 Email This Post

The Florida legislature is poised to vote on whether to allow Florida drivers to display a Christian license plate similar to the one shown to the right. If approved, this will become one of over 100 specialized license plates to choose from. Drivers who choose this plate will pay an additional $25 fee, a portion of which will go to support faith-based schools activities.

Naturally the ACLU is opposed to the plate, so my reaction is to support anything the ACLU is against. On a deeper level though, we need to ask ourselves if this is a good idea. One idea in support of the plate is that it’s voluntary, and if I choose to pay the $25 fee and announce my Christianity in this way, what business is it of the state? An argument against the plate is that it opens the door for other organizations — such as the church of satan, and atheist groups — to propose plates of their own.

What are your thoughts on this? You can respond in one of two ways:

1. Write and post a comment to this blog. To do that, click on the “No Comments”, “1 Comment”, etc. link below. To leave a comment, you’ll have to leave your name (it could be just your first name, or even an alias or a screen name) and your email address (emails aren’t kept or even checked for validity, so you can make one up — if you’d rather not make one up, use this real one, which is one of mine: bogus@afwings.net).
2. Respond to the poll below. You must have cookies enabled in your browser to participate, but you don’t have to give your name or any other identifying information.

For more information about the Florida proposal for a Christian license plate, see OneNewsNow.com.

Posted on April 28th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: "In" not "of", Witness | No Comments »

 Email This Post

Is there such a person? Jesus made such a reference in Luke 15:3-7:

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

So to whom exactly is the Lord referring? Does He mean the 99% who are truly so righteous they literally don’t need to repent? Is He talking about the woman whose heart is in the right place, whose life is focused on Jesus, and has already repented? Perhaps He’s talking about the man who thinks himself righteous, and doesn’t feel the need to repent.

My initial hunch is the second of these three possibilities — the person who has already repented. I don’t believe this to be the true interpretation though, because although this person would certainly fall into the category of those “who need no repentance”, it’s a numbers thing. There won’t be 99 out of 100 in this category.

Actually there won’t be this many in the third category either — the self-righteous. Certainly there will be many more in this category than in either of the other two categories, but the truth is that Jesus didn’t include the rest of humanity in a single category. His point wasn’t to focus on the people who either don’t need to repent or don’t feel the need to. The point to the parable was God’s love for the lost and His joy when one of the lost repents.

If we’re talking numbers, and if Jesus meant for us to take His numbers literally, is it really true that one percent of humanity from the beginning of time to the end will indeed repent and be saved? I don’t know how many will be saved, of course, but it’s my opinion based on Scriptures such as Matthew 7:13-23 that it’ll be a small number. Nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon had many insightful thoughts relating to Scripture, but I must disagree with him on this point. He said in a sermon titled Heaven and Hell that he doesn’t believe the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:14. Spurgeon, explaining why he did not believe that there would be more people in hell than in heaven, said

“Do you think that Christ will let the devil beat him? that he will let the devil have more in hell than there will be in heaven? No: it is impossible. For then Satan would laugh at Christ, There will be more in heaven than there are among the lost.”

I assure you my friend, satan will not be laughing at Christ or anyone else. Among all those in hell, he will be the one most tormented! (See earlier post on the subject.) I could easily get off track here, and I’ll leave the remainder of this study to you. Take away from this discussion the true point of the parable — God loves you, and he is pleased when you repent of your sin, whether it’s the first time, the 49th time, or the 490th time (Matthew 18:22 NASV).

Posted on April 25th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Christian life, Grace, Growth, Love, New Testament | No Comments »

 Email This Post

If I were to ask “What’s the saddest verse in the Bible?”, I’d no doubt get many different responses. For some of you, John 11:35 would come to mind (“Jesus wept.”). Others no doubt would recall “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). I’m sure some would remember the dialog between Nathan and king David, when Nathan convicts the errant king of his sin, saying “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:1-14).

My experience is that I find many verses in the Bible to be sad Scriptures, and the one that’s “the saddest” is simply the sad one that’s on my mind most recently. Such is the case with the sad Scripture for today:

“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Judges 3:12

This is sad on its face, simply realizing that after all God had done for Israel, they turned against Him. But this is magnified by the fact that this thought appears no less than 7 times in the book of Judges alone! (See also Judges 2:11, Judges 3:7, Judges 4:1, Judges 6:1, Judges 10:6, and Judges 13:1.) Add that to all the times they turned away from God during the exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan, then God bailed them out when they repented and turned back to Him.

What a bunch of sniveling, spineless losers, right? Not so fast, “Romans 7-breath”.

Haven’t you ever felt the feelings Paul describes in Romans 7? (See vs. 7-25). Things are going swimmingly, I’m feeling great, I’m thinking I’ve got the devil whipped, then BAM! Back in the pig pen of sin. That’s just satan’s way of showing me he’s in control, right? Wrong! God is in control, and he’ll remain in control of my life as long as I let Him. There’s the rub — never do I consciously say “God, I know what’s better for my life than you do, so I’m going to do this anyway”, but by my actions that’s exactly the effect.

Wow.

Just like the Israelites.

“And [insert your name] again did evil in the sight of the LORD.”

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
Romans 7:24

That’s hitting bottom, and if you can approach the Lord in prayer with that attitude every day, He will deliver you and you will feel the relief that Paul followed up that thought with in the next verse:

“Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:25

We can be truly thankful that we don’t have to depend on our own righteousness or our own goodness in order to be acceptable to God. He accepts the repentant follower of Christ just as he is — a blood-bought sinner clothed with His Son (Galatians 3:26-27).

Posted on April 23rd, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: "In" not "of", Bible study, Christian life, Devotion, Growth, Humility, Old Testament, Salvation | No Comments »

 Email This Post

How do we view satan (intentionally spelled with a lower-case “s”)? I mean really picture him in our minds? Don’t we typically visualize satan as being in charge of some hellish kingdom with his minions, cracking the whip on the poor souls doomed there for eternity? He’s basically the king of hell, right? Is that a biblical concept of satan and of hell?

What we need to understand about hell is that it is real, it is a place of torment, and it is a place of punishment and everlasting destruction. See Luke 16:23, Revelation 20:14 (both of which use the Greek word hades — αδης — sometimes translated “hell”), Mark 9:43-48 (where the Greek word is gehenna — γεεννα), Revelation 20:10, and 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Not many people argue with that. There are some who will argue the very existence of hell, but the Bible makes it clear that hell is very real. Where another source of confusion lies though, is in regard to satan’s role in hell.

After the Day of Judgment, satan will not be the king of hell, he won’t be in charge of hell, and he will no longer be the “prince of this world” (John 12:31, John 14:30). In fact, he will be in more torment than anybody else in hell! As a roaring lion on earth, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), he will be beaten with “many stripes” for eternity (Luke 12:47-48) in the place that was never created for humans anyway — it was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

Posted on April 21st, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Bible Characters, Growth, Hell, Joy, New Testament, Society, satan | No Comments »

 Email This Post

We no longer require you to register in order to add a comment to one of our blog posts. Simply click the “No Comments”, “1 Comment”, etc. link and post your comment. Comments are moderated (meaning that each comment must be approved before it’s published to the blog), but the only comments that will be rejected will be inappropriate or vulgar comments. We will not disapprove a comment simply because we disagree with its contents. Rather, we will publish the comment and respond accordingly.

Posted on April 17th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Announcement | No Comments »

 Email This Post