Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Genuine Worship

Ever wonder what genuine authentic real worship involves?  For some it may be ritualistic observances.  For others a weekly time known as a Worship Service or a gathering time by another name.  For others still, it may involve praying to images or ancestors, a sacrifice of some sort.   If we were to define worship from man's perspective it could take many forms.  Over the next several weeks let’s take a look at a Biblical understanding of worship, using the word itself as a guideline.  Here’s what we’ll be considering:

WORSHIP

W      Worthy Walk                                                
O        Offering                                                         Romans 12:1-2
R        Reconciliation                                              2 Cor 5: 18-21
S        Servant / Service                                          Col 3:12-24
H        Heart                                                              Eph 4:25-5:2
I          Integrity                                                          Psalm 15

P        Practicing Prayer                                         Col 4:1-6

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Cosmos vs. Logos

Final Thoughts

I first became aware of this quote in a book written by Paul Little, “Neither sincerity or intensity of belief can create truth.”   Consider, no matter how firm my beliefs and convictions are if I step off of the Empire State Building I’m going to make a mess on the ground below, rather than hover, fly or float.   Likewise, if I were to fall into the molten metal of a blast furnace I’m going to disintegrate and vaporize no matter how sincerely I believe that I won’t.  Similarly, you can allow Evolution to be your god, but what will be the result of your beliefs and sincerity?

Compare this with the result of your belief in Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 14: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” "No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. "We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”  Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”  Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.”

You have every right to choose the god you will believe in and worship, but keep the end view in mind.  Only Jesus said He would die on a cross for our sins and rise from the dead to prove it. It's one thing to make big claims, but if the claims are actually confirmed, then this deserves special attention.   The resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven are undeniable proofs that there is life beyond this realm.  And Jesus' words and actions qualify only Him to claim, "No one can come to the Father except through me."     

Choose wisely. 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Cosmos vs. Logos

The “Hopelessness” of Evolution
William Province of Cornell University has stated that if Darwinism is true, then there are 5 inescapable conclusions:
·         There’s no evidence for God;
·         There’s no life after death;
·         There’s no absolute foundation for right or wrong;
·         There’s no ultimate meaning to life;
·         People really don’t have a free will.                                                                                                     In summary – there is no reason for our existence according to the gospel of evolution.

Dr. Gary Parker has expressed the matter this way:

A Summary View of Evolution: 4 “BIG’s”

BIG Banga colossal explosion that scattered non-living matter throughout expanding space.
BIG Chancelife began on earth, without any plan or purpose, from a stupendously lucky clump                       of molecules that had the ability to reproduce.
BIG Struggle – those life forms that inherited, by luck, traits more “fit” won the struggle for 
                survival.
BIG DeathFinally, the sun will burn out, the universe will expand or contract itself into oblivion,                            and life will be no more.
From the Gospel recorded in the Bible, Romans 1:18-19 here’s what the Apostle Paul tells us: "But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”  (NLT)

Our natural tendencies are to suppress the truth and Cosmos provides an encouragement to continue that suppression.  Yet, later on in the same letter to the Romans , we’re told:  “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”  Rom 3:23-26 NLT


So what’s your choice?  Suppression and hopelessness or a Savior and the promise of eternal life in paradise?

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Cosmos vs. Logos

Mutations

As in Christianity there is the belief in the Trinity:  God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, Cosmos presents an alternative godhead:  Time, Chance and Mutations.    Here are the mathematical challenges to mutations recognizing that more than one simultaneous mutation is needed for the complexity of design we can perceive (for example - vision as mentioned previously) to occur:
  1. On average a mutation occurs one in every ten million (106) duplications of the DNA molecule.  Our bodies contain nearly 100 trillion (1014) cells, so odds are we have a couple of cells with a mutated form of almost any gene.
  2. Odds of getting 2 mutations that are related to each other – 100 trillion (1014), but we need more mutations than that.
  3. Odds of 3 mutations in a row – one in a billion trillion (1021).  Suddenly, the ocean isn't big enough to hold enough bacteria to make it likely.
  4. Odds of 4 related mutations – One in 1028.  Suddenly the earth is not big enough to hold enough organisms to make that very likely.  At this level, microbiologists gave up on the idea that mutations could explain why some bacteria are resistant to four different antibiotics at the same time.
Observations when mutations occur:
  1. Almost every mutation we know is identified by the disease or abnormality it causes.  (For example, cycle cell anemia)
  2. Mutations typically tear down things and make matters worse. 
  3. Mutations corrupt.
  4. Mutations are harmful at least 1,000 times more often than they are helpful.
 It doesn't look like the X-Men will be showing up anytime soon.   So which “godhead” is more plausible and purposeful?