Nameless But Notable II: Human Torches

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family." Acts 16:25-34

Ah yes, the suicidal jailer who thought he had lost his prisoners. We need to understand that any soldier or guard that lost his prisoners at this time would've more than likely been put to death, probably a painful one to serve as an example to others. It is not surprising given his assumed circumstances that he was ready to fall on his own sword to spare himself a torturous death that would've inevitably ensued had Paul, Silas and the other prisoners actually left after they escaped.

"Don't not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

Probably the most blessed words this jailer heard in his entire life. The jailer either through reverence or respect fell at the feet of Paul and Silas and what are the first words from his mouth?

"What must I do to be saved?" ...and is literally converted on the spot. Not only him but his family too. We see two things take place following this episode. We see the Word acted out in the behavior of Christian integrity in Paul and Silas. We also see the audible Word working with its authority in the hearts of the people after the Christian behavior and acts drew them in through its importance and appeal. Regardless, it is the Word working both times either through hearing it directly or through the actions of believers that have internalized the word and "live it" like Paul.

The midnight ceremony of conversion of these new converts is then followed by baptism, a love feast and confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Man! It don't get no better than that. I could only hope that some of my potential conversion prospects would be this easy to win to the faith. It usually ends up like pulling teeth from somebody that wants to keep them.

Another thing we see in this amazing conversion is the Holy Spirit already laid the ground work and paved the path for the Word directly into the jailers heart. Wake up people! This was only instantaneous and so exacting because of the divine work of God. The actions of Paul and his cohorts was only the catalyst to make it happen or the match that lit the fire that had all the fuel there ready to burn...like a torch in the darkness for others to see. God used Paul to win the jailer, God used the jailer to win his family. How many more do you suppose were won through the jailer and his family because of a simple act of integrity followed by a simple act of belief and a confession of faith?

Nameless But Notable I: A Dead Prophet, A Passive Lion & A Dopey Ass

This will be the first post in a series on nameless but notable characters throughout the Bible that we do not know the names of or do know the names of and know little about. Hence the name, Nameless But Notable. They enter the narrative of the Bible and then duck back out never to be heard from again. Some of them are genuine enigmas others less so but they all have something in common. They are in the Bible for a reason and that reason I will try to exegete or draw from the text. Some of them are downright quirky in their inclusion in the Christian's Holy Book but that quirkiness is the exact reason I am drawn to their stories. So lets see what we can learn from them, shall we?

"And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD spoke to him." And he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." And they saddled it. And he went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey." ~1 Kings 13:26-28

So who was this unnamed prophet. A prophet lying in the middle of the road while his "ride" stands idly by staring mindlessly over the body as if nothing has happened. Next to the vapid donkey a lion also standing beside the body of our quite deceased friend "the nameless prophet". A mystery indeed!

Having read the surrounding text it turns out God had sent this prophet to Jeroboam to warn him of his political strategy, the doom of the altar he had built and his bogus priests. To add urgency to the situation God has instructed the nameless prophet to return immediately to Judah and not to stick around for even food or drink.

The prophet delivered his designated message and started home. He was detoured by another prophet of Israel (different from the first) and invited to dinner. When the first prophet declined, the second prophet claimed he had a much later message from an angel (a dubious excuse) that he was to invite the first prophet to his home. In this culture, to have turned the second prophet down would've nearly appeared as sacrilege from a human standpoint...and here is where we begin to see the crux of the problem. Confusion of whom to please and what takes priority. During the meal the second prophet that had duped the first informs the first that he had deceived him and also prophesied that on his way home a lion would kill him.

So...we are again at this scene and even after the back story we still have one dead prophet, a passive lion and a dopey ass. So...why? I really don't see this narrative as being rocket science in terms of its complexity and what it is trying to teach us. There is no hidden message here and it is quite simple. God is not to be trifled with. What He says, goes. His commands at the time of Moses had been carved in stone. Why stone? Because God expected them to be around for a while. A long while in the exact state that they had been etched into the stone by the finger of God. God does not change. God is immutable. If anything has been commanded by God it still stands in some shape or form (i.e. ceremonical law = Christ). It will be obeyed at some point or justice will be served for disobedience.

Often we we sit in the middle of roads of our own making and ask,"What happened, I had no warning?!?!" In reality we did have warnings, plenty of them and they were ignored or unrecognized. These are times we need to be especially attentive and use discernment. Just like children we need to stop, look & listen...and obey before it is too late. The other side is the willful ignorance or neglect and the thought that, "it couldn't possibly happened to me". In this instance we would be well advised to learn from misfortune of our nameless and lifeless friend. We should seek to avoid lions sent to punish us for our presumptuousness and or defiant sinful human will by paying attention to what is often obviously the Lord's will smacking us upside the head. Whack!!!

As for the dopey ass...well, its just a dopey ass too lazy to run from a lion that just "bumped off" its owner and it should consider itself lucky to be alive (all things considered).

Salvation Characteristics: Evidence of True Faith

Evidences of true Faith fruit of a Christian life comes in all different shapes and forms. The list and outline in this post is by no means exclusive but it the best comprehensive list I could make based on my references. The evidences will vary in intensity and different amounts for different people. All people are different and the manifestations of the indwelt Spirit will look certain ways in certain people. What is certain is that they will manifest some of those listed here.

Love for God

Psalm 42:1
"For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God."

Psalm 73:25
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

Luke 10:27
"He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

Romans 8:7
"...the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so."

Repentance from Sin

Psalm 32:5
"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" —and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah"

Proverbs 28:13
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

2 Corinthians 7:10
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

Romans 7:14
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin."

1 John 1:8-10
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

Genuine Humility

Psalm 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are [a] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."


Devotion to God’s Glory

Psalm 105:3
"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice."

Psalm 115:1
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."

Isaiah 43:7
"...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

Isaiah 48:10
"See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."

Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

1 Corinthians 10:31
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Continual Prayer

Luke 18:1
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."

Ephesians 6:18
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

1 Timothy 2:1-4
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

James 5:16-18
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

Selfless Love

1 John 2:9
"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness."

1 John 3:4
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."

1 John 4:7
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

Separation From the World

1 Corinthians 2:12
"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

James 4:4
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

1 John 5:5
"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

Spiritual Growth

Luke 8:15
"But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

John 15:14
You are my friends if you do what I command.

Romans 16:26
"...but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him..."

1 Peter 1:2
"...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance."

1 Peter 1:22
"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."

1 John 2:3-6
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[a] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Hunger for God’s Word

1 Peter 2:1-3
"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

Transformation of Life

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Salvation Characteristics: Bad Evidences

I get this question ALL the time. “Can I lose my salvation?”

We as humans too often deceive ourselves into believing things or are deceived into believing things by Satan that just are not true. The worst of these deceptions is the belief that we are actually saved. I have heard it asked quite a lot, “Can I lose my salvation?” My usual instant reply is, “That is not the question you should be asking.” What I then tell people is that they should be asking themselves, “Did you ever have salvation?” This avoids the Arminian and Calvinism debate outright and makes a believer focus on what matters. They are forced to focus on the inner person and their inner and outward behaviors that are manifestations of the inward reality.

Unfortunately, many assume because they “did something" they were told to do by the church or performed some rite of passage like saying the sinner’s prayer when they were 7 years old and were told they’re good as gold. First off, doing anything other than having faith gets you works and nothing more. Secondly, saying a prayer when you were a child and then doing nothing else to maintain a relationship with a “LIVING GOD” and ignoring Him for the last 30 years signifies little or nothing. What it does show is that you said a prayer to God at 7 years old and it meant little or nothing. If you are not showing manifestations of your salvation (which I will outline in my next post) you had better evaluate your standing before the Almighty God. The question is not, “Can I lose it…it is…did/do you have it? Sadly I have found that many folks do not know whether they are coming or going sometimes because they have not rooted their beliefs in the Bible but rather bad teachings of the advise of others that are partially or fully Biblically illiterate.

The list I have typed here is by no means complete but it should give reader a general idea of where they are at from a salvational point of view. Some of the following are evidences that do not prove or disprove one’s faith and/or salvation. Please do not use them as the sole gauge of your salvational standing before God. By themselves they are not good indicators.

Outward Visible Morality

The Rich Young Man

‘Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." ~Matthew 19:16-21

The Hypocritical Pharisees

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. ~Matthew 23:27

Intellectual Knowledge

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ~Romans 1:21

“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God…”
~Romans 2:17

Religious Involvement & Active Ministry

Sermon On The Mount

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’~Matthew 7:21-23

Conviction of Sin and Wrongdoing

Trial Before Felix
As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."~Acts 24:25

Assurance (by mental human assessment)

"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. ~Matthew 23:16-24

Time of Decision to Come To Faith

Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.~ Luke 8:13-14

You cannot continue to be a sinner in any form and frivolously assume that you are saved. You must truly assess yourself and discern with spiritual eyes based in the Scripture. In addition to this list another indicator of whether you are truly in the faith and on solid ground is in 1 John. More on this next.

We must be cautious as believers to examine ourselves and assure that we are and remain in the faith for our own eternal well-being and for others. We must assure that we are for others because we also serve as examples to the brothers and sisters in Christ that look to us as anchors when they are unsure of themselves or when their faith flags and wavers. We cannot allow ourselves to be blown wherever the winds of doubt blow us so that we end up like a ship adrift on the sea or wandering in circles trying to get out bearings. We know where we are...we are In Christ, all points of the compass point out from there. More on this in the next post.

Transhumanism...Smells Like Gasoline

Welcome to brave new world. We are now entering a new realm where man has the technology and the means to integrate with the technology they create. We have entered a realm that is a slippery slope and lines begin to blur. The question is not "how far will man go?" Man left to his own devices will pursue sin and reprobate thoughts until the cows come home. They are not so much the issue. You are. How far are you willing to allow them to go? How far will you allow the technology to infiltrate and directly affect your life. Designer babies? Implants? Augments?

Transhumanism is a set of ideas which represents a world view to improve the human condition. They support critical thinking in the development of sciences and technologies to extend the human lifespan, eradicate aging, solve problems of disease, and encourage and enhance intellectual, creative, physical and mental well-being. In this regard, it is essential to be aware of the possible dangers that lie ahead. The examination of potential dangers affect not only transhumanist, but the entire world. The use of technologies and biotechnology must be looked at with a critical and ethical observation (1).

Transhumanism can be said to stem, in part, from humanism. "Humanism is a "philosophical system of thought that focuses on human value, thought, and actions. Humans are considered basically good and rationale creatures who can improve themselves and others through natural human abilities of reason and action.

Many scientists that adhere to evolutionary science (which is most of the them) see transhumanism as just the next logical step for advancement of man. As believers we can already see from these descriptions the build-in stumbling blocks for its failure. People are not basically good, they are sinful. As such they are worthy of the death put on them by the curse. Transhumanists actually toy with words like immortalism. As if man could override God's mandate. What is worse is evolution is not compatible with Christian doctrine and because of this Christians need to very closely scrutinize this no phase of humanity. I personally do not see transhumanism as an evolutionary step as I see it as an evilutionary step. We are not moving on to the newest form of human has a higher life form but rather moving backwards and taking away from God's creation. We moving to more sinful uses of science. How many animals and people do we continue to sacrifice in the name of science to perfect bioimplants. How many animals get tortured to gain single bits of data to tell us whether or not an implant will be detrimental to humans? This is the area we enter when we talk about stem cell research. Science claims the only place we can get the proper stem cells is from aborted fetuses. Japanese scientists have already proven this is a fallacy since we can get them...from our own teeth!


This is not evolution of humankind. It is devolution. Humans are now adapting to regression of morals and ethics. It is a step backwards to Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. Personally, I find it reprehensible that so many are willing to become Borg-ian (as in Borg from Star Trek). We are already starting off on the wrong foot with this when we claim it is for the overall advancement of mostly good people when the Bible is very clear on why we are not "mostly good people" and why we die to begin with. We are turning Biblical thought processes and doctrine on their head when we pursue something less than God's "very good" creation thinking we can improve on it. We are trying to be like God. I imagine some of these science types...believe the are gods of some sort. I say we are now flirting with technologies we understand little about and only disaster can lay down that road. Its like giving a man a match to light a pitch black room that smells of gasoline.

Go do your homework and read up on this. It is already effecting you more than you realize or probably wished it did. It has become as big an ethical minefield as the genetics/cloning issues and that issue doesn't look like its going away any time soon either.

How much is too much and do you really think that man has the ability in him to make the right decision once we start down this path? Will man know how to restrain himself. If history has been any indicator, especially in light of the genetics arguments...we are in trouble. What if it is your terminally ill child that needs a morally questionable augment to survive? Your wife? Your husband? Are you prepared to say no if it violates the moral precepts and implications outlined in the Bible? This won't be the Six Million Dollar Man or the Bionic Woman. It'll be your kids or your spouse. There are legitimate uses of technology but what are they and when do they get used? When is it acceptable to augment? Amputations? When does man stop being man? Do you make the decision? Do corporations? Do we allow atheistic scientists that do not even believe in your God (or any god for that matter)?

Just a few thoughts that have been going through my head about this topic.

(1) "Transhumanist FAQ." Transhumanism's Extropy Institute - Transhumanism for a better future. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

Perotin: The Hilliard Ensemble

Wow. I don't know what took me so long to find the style of music called polyphony but this is the second album in a month that has absolutely floored me in terms of multi-layered vocals. This music is simply mesmerizing in its depth and beauty. The last album I reviewed containing polyphony was Utopia Truimphans and it was Renaissance Polyphony (1400-1600) but this album is considered Medieval Polyphony (500-1400) or in the 1100-1200 range. Its old. The music on this album is in excess of 800 years old. It is vocals with no musical accompaniment although you'd swear someone was playing something in the background like a hurdy gurdy or some other medieval instrument but I guess that was just my imagination playing games with me. It is from a composer called Pérotin (circa 1200). He was a European composer, believed to be French, who lived around the end of the twelfth and beginning of the 13th century. He was one of very few composers of his day whose name has been preserved, and can be associated to compositions.

When speaking of polyphony and Perotin, John of Salisbury (1120–1180) Bishop of Chartres once wrote:

"When you hear the soft harmonies of the various singers, some taking high and others low parts, some singing in advance, some following in the rear, others with pauses and interludes, you would think yourself listening to a concert of sirens rather than men, and wonder at the powers of voices … whatever is most tuneful among birds, could not equal. Such is the facility of running up and down the scale; so wonderful the shortening or multiplying of notes, the repetition of the phrases, or their emphatic utterance: the treble and shrill notes are so mingled with tenor and bass, that the ears lost their power of judging. When this goes to excess it is more fitted to excite lust than devotion; but if it is kept in the limits of moderation, it drives away care from the soul and the solicitudes of life, confers joy and peace and exultation in God, and transports the soul to the society of angels"

My only complaint is that the disk is a tad short at 56 minutes. It mostly makes up for the lack of music by the quality of music as it is crisp and clear. Sometimes these polyphonies can be quite muddled and distorted. Thankfully this one is not.

Rating 98/100

Here is a sample of one of the better tracks on this disc

Viderunt Omnes

Enjoy!

The Good News & Not-So-Good News

At times I find it incredibility hard not to take a recent news article off the Internet and type an opinionated diatribe about it. Okay, it is just about impossible and sometimes I barely restrain myself from hitting the "PUBLISH" button on the blog's dashboard. Usually I hit delete. I try desperately to obey an agreement I made with the Lord. It has become so hard to avoid political and cultural commentary because of the absurdity of our culture. It seems nowadays that very few can actually discern the difference between right and wrong, ney, righteous and sin (lets call it what it is for once). The Lord knows there is plenty of fodder out there to rip on. If it wasn't for the fact that some of the garbage out there is a direct affront to Christian faith I wouldn't give a rip about it anyway.

So why don't I comment on the political nonsense? First, people need a break from it and I wanted to make my blog a space for edification, education and evangelism not politics, pundits and polemics. I also had a long time to think about how I wanted to present God's message through my blog long before I started it and I did not want to do it in an attacking negative manner that I have seen from so many Christian blogs. This does nothing to improve relations with the ones we are suppose to be trying to reach.

1 Peter 2:12
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

I made a covenant with the Lord to stay positive and be a bolstering force for a Christian (although it sometimes kills me to keep my silence on some current societal issues). I told myself when I started this blog in February that I would not fall victim to taking sides in things non-doctrinal or non-salvational. I would not throw myself into the fray in non-Biblical/non-Christian polemics unless they directly attack the body of Christ.

Where Christians or Christianity has been attacked I have been nearly merciless in pinpointing the point of attack, making a critical assessment, isolate it and then spared little righteous anger at their expense. There is no room for mamby-pamby oscillation when confronting sin no matter what mask it wears today (or tomorrow).

Although my posts are often laced with contemporary topics people would consider divisive (Christians do not live in a sinless vacuum), I try to address the divisive topics with surgical precision and tact. If readers look closely at the posts, they will see that all have a Biblical bend or are comparatively matched up against God's Word. Many times there are actual Biblical precedents if people look close enough. If there is a suitable comparison that I am aware of I will outline it so readers can see the contrast or similarities. The good thing about history repeating itself means we already have an answer to the problem in the Bible. The bad news is the mankind has learned nothing, Jew and Gentile alike. When you think about this it is quite sad. Man's nature has always been the same and continues to be into the future. Sinful. The cultural issues that bombard Christians at every turn in our world are addressed here at SoulJournaler. What I will not be sucked into is the Hegelian Dialectic of politics in the United States or abroad. I will speak to them when I need to as Jesus did when referring to Caesar or as Paul did in Romans 13 but outside of this I tread like a man with clown shoes in a minefield, gently trying to avoid hitting a mine. It is not my place. Let the professional politicians do that job. Let the pundits be pundits getting people all fired up. I'll preach and spread the Word since I consider it vastly more important and more valuable to mankind than spreading mostly godless political ideologies in all quadrants of the political spectrum. Yuck...

I do not believe my call is to be a pundit for this side or that side. I will not waste the tools God has given me to promote the idolization of a man or men unless that man or men are promoting God as defined in the Holy Bible. That is a short list by the way. Also, I will not compromise the message of God. I will not smooth the edges of the Gospel so not to offend the seeker sensitive types with weak stomachs. If you want a church of ministry with the edges taken off...look elsewhere because you are not going to get it here. I give it to people straight. There are plenty of posts on this blog clearly stating my positions and watered-down Gospel is not my forte. Some of my posts have already been deemed hateful, intolerant or polarizing by my more liberal-minded brethren. I seriously doubt they fully grasp the full detrimental impact of the words that they misuse when they say "hater" or "intolerant" anyway. I wish them well in their ministries but they are teaching heresy and apostasy if they do not teach the Bible or if they add to the Bible.

Conversely, I will not split non-salvational hairs. Too many...TOO MANY of our brethren are ready to be critical of one another because they will not walk under our banner or banner and the only difference has to do with form and and not substance. Conversely, I am not ecumenical in my approach, I am just not willing to shut down a legitimate conversation because I think someone is wrong. As a matter of fact I purposely maintain a conversation with someone because I believe they're wrong. How can I try and rectify what I believe is wrong if I immediately shut them down? Makes no sense to me. Does that make sense to you?

Wow, boy have I gone down a rabbit trail...

Anyway, back to the news. Over the last year I have avoided almost all public political commentary and have not spoke to these type of issues, even on Facebook. I have diverged from the culture to immerse myself in my studies and the world seems slightly more distant than it use to. This allows me more time for what is important. God, family, studies, peace. I am waging my own little battles against the encroaching enemy and the sin that is pervading society at all levels on all continents. I will stand my ground and plant my pike in the bedrock of the Word to fend off threatening aggressors out to do harm to the Body or myself.

I have always believed I am pursuing truth. This quest will lead me to glory in the Lord as truth IS the Lord. I will kindly disseminate the Good News (εὐαγγέλιον / euangelion) out to the world but I need to filter and discern the so-called good news from the world coming in trying to pollute me since it is often corrupting and twisted by its very nature. If we do let things in from the outside culture they need to be let in with a heavy filter to strain out the dregs that come with the messages.

απολογιαν : Apologetics Not Apologies

απολογιαν noun: apologia ap-ol-og-ee'-ah: a plea (apology) -- answer (for self), clearing of self, defense.

"...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense [απολογιαν] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

I tried my hand at teaching from the Bible a year or so ago and I ceased doing it because it didn't feel right and many things lead me to believe I was too new in the faith or too immature a believer to properly shoulder the task (a la: 1 Timothy & Titus). This changes again on Oct 10, 2010. I am doing this to meet the requirements of my Systematic Theology course. It is the service learning portion of my syllabus. I'd have done this anyway had the opportunity presented itself as I am inexplicably being drawn towards pastorate, teaching, or both. This is a chance to hone the blade on the Sword of the Spirit and better present a defense (apologia) for the Faith while simultaneously helping others do the same. I'm jazzed to do so.

I will begin teaching an apologetics course at church. I have had formal correspondence and have finalized the plans to present a course initially on logic and the foundational first principles of logic such as the Law of Non-Contradiction, The Law of Identification and The Law of the excluded Middle. I will not be elaborating on them here other than to say that I hope I am giving these believers in attendance additional reasons to proactively go out into the world to make disciples. I pray that that something I do over the next few weeks will embolden or motivate folks to fulfill the Great Commission.

As I had stated to the spiritual leadership of the church I believer there are many positive advantages for Christian believers to engage the culture at their points of sin. To meet them at the point of consternation with their own belief systems. Through Presuppositional Apologetics I want to show my brethren where we need to address non-believers. By showing them how their worldviews are nonsensical or in some cases internally inconsistent.


The benefits to believers is manifold.


It will better define their own position in their walk. Anyone that is prepared to meet the world (often on its own terms) needs a solid self identity and solid Christian worldview when discussing things of the secular aspects.

It will give the attendees a solid launching-off point for discussion of worldly or Christian based discussion and not to be uncomfortable defending their Christian faith or those they represent in the face of hostility or confrontation from other worldviews.

In addition to the solid teaching of Jesus Christ and the Bible that the church already provides to cultivate a loving relationship with Him, apologetics can act as a reinforcing and encouraging tool for inter-congregational growth. It can also act as an intellectual defense of the biblical worldview or act as a method of engagement with a non-believing culture since apologetics often speaks to worldly issues, current ideas and current thought processes.

It allows for a common ground on which to base discussion with those outside your church to win new converts to Jesus Christ. Since most non-believers will not always understand or respond immediately to a Biblical or Christian based message it is always useful to have other avenues of discussion to lead into the Gospel or a Biblical worldview. Apologetics can provide this avenue. The person having taken this seminar will understand how other worldviews relate to the Christian worldview. Some of these other worldviews being: Atheism, Pantheism, Agnosticism, etc. In the case of Atheism and Agnostics these belief systems are often based in a methodological naturalistic or existential worldview that says, “If I cannot see it, validate it, it doesn’t exist.” An apologetics seminar will give rudimentary paths for a member of your church to begin to infiltrate these types of myopic non-Christian views to allow the seed of the Word to be planted for the Kingdom.

Overall this approach may very well aid the members to become more efficiently equipped in engaging the culture (people of today’s world outside the church). Hopefully this will allow members of the church to have more tools in their toolbox when they go out into the world to do the Lord’s work.

I am doing the best I can to put the Word out their. Are you?