Creationism

I recently visited Kentucky to see the Creation Museum, and I loved it. If you get a chance, I certainly recommend that you check it out. It explains why the biblical account of creation is not only biblically accurate, but scientifically accurate. The bible is very clear. It says in Genesis 1:1: 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Though I loved my time at the creation museum, there is one argument that I didn’t hear for creation over evolution as it pertains to science. And that is that our God is a God of order. He created the laws of physics, time, nature and all of science. It is because of that order that scientists can predict and replicate their experiments. The evolutionist theory that we evolved from molecules suggests that our existence is random and chaotic, not orderly. It would suggest that if a species of humans lived exclusively in a forest that over the years they would develop say an extra arm to better climb trees, or if they lived on an island, they might develop gills to swim to the mainland. Our world would be a hodgepodge of races like something you might see on Star Trek, but it’s not because our God is a God of order.

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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The account of creation - not evolution - is true. They can’t both be right because they contradict each other. God created us in his image. We were fully man and woman at the get-go. We didn’t evolve from goo, and the world wasn’t created by a random act. When God finished creating the universe, our world and everything in it, he said that it was good. So I encourage you to disregard what secular textbooks teach about evolution. None of us were around to make such an assumption. But God was, and his word clearly explains where we came from.

Judging Exception

If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you probably know that we aren’t supposed to judge others. “Do not judge lest ye be judged”. And to the same measure you judge someone else, you will also be judged. This truth is absolutely valid, but Paul quantifies who we are not to judge, and it may be surprising to some that there is a group of people that we are called to judge – so to speak.  Paul says in first Corinthians 5 verses 12 and 13:

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 'Expel the wicked man from among you.'"

So yes, it is for God to judge the world, but Paul teaches us that we have a responsibility to keep those in check who call themselves believers in the church. Should we turn a blind eye to those who are openly sinning within our own church? Paul says that we shouldn’t. When you read his letters, I encourage you to look closely at how many times Paul talks about the churches responsibility to not allow sin to go unchecked within the church. And in this passage in second Corinthians, he reminds us yet again.

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Paul tells us that God will judge those outside of the church but that we should judge those inside. Jesus tells us that a little yeast works its way through the whole batch of dough. Yeast is often an analogy for sin. And if sin is not challenged in the church, I believe that it will affect others within the church weakening faith and warping the truths outlined for us in the Bible. So I challenge you, if you see sin happening in the church to not turn a blind eye, but to bring it to your pastor or elders to make them aware. They will take the appropriate action by speaking with the one in question, and God will use the opportunity as an avenue for repentance. I know it sounds difficult, because it is. But Paul teaches us that it is our responsibility to challenge sin within the church.

Your Reflection

The bible teaches us that out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks. In other words, what is in our heart will eventually reveal itself by what we say. Not only does our heart drive what we say but it also reflects who we really are. In Proverbs chapter 27 verse 19, it goes on to say:

"As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man."

You see, it doesn’t really matter what you say you believe or how you portray yourself in front of others. What matters is what’s in your heart. The bible has a lot to say about the heart. In another proverb it says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. Our heart is molded by what we allow to influence us. What influences you? Is it the things of the world, or the things of God? That is why the bible encourages us to think on heavenly things. Because when we do, we are filling our heart with things that are good and holy. So I encourage you to take notice of what you are putting into your heart, because it is your heart that reflects who you really are.

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“As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” You see, it matters what kind of videos we watch and what kind of music we listen to. It matters what kind of friends we hang around and what we choose to read. It matters what we choose to think about and what we spend our time doing. These things enter us and mold our heart, and our heart reflects who we are. I encourage you to put Godly things into your heart. That is why it is so important to continue to read God’s word. The bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The more we read, the more our faith is built up. And the more our faith is built up, the more we believe. And the more we believe, the easier it is to choose Godly things, which will result in a clean heart.

Wrath Remains

In life, every human being has to make a decision - to either accept Jesus as Lord and Savior or to reject him. Because those who choose to do nothing, by not making a decision either way, are by default rejecting him, and in doing so, the bible tells us that God’s wrath remains on them. John chapter 3 verse 36 says:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him."

So I encourage you, if you haven’t made a decision for Christ, do it today, because if you don’t, the decision might be made for you. John tells us that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. The reference of “eternal life” is life forever in heaven where things are so much better than they are here on earth. Jesus is the only one who can save you from the wrath of God, which ultimately results in spending eternity in hell. Making a decision for Christ is the most important decision you’ll ever make, but you do have to make it.

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“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him”. For entry into heaven, there is no other way but to believe in Jesus who lived a sinless life, died on a cross for our sins and rose again the third day. The bible tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Jesus shed his blood for us, covering our sin so that we can enter the presence of a Holy God in heaven forever. Without his blood we are destined for hell. I pray that you’ve made the decision to accept Jesus into your life. If you haven’t there’s no better time than the present. If you have any questions, just send me an email at writecmv@hotmail.com and I’d love to send you more information.

Praise From God

The bible tells us that we have to live in the world, but we shouldn’t be of the world. That might mean that in order to please God, we will be despised by man. As believers, we need to make the decision as to whether we would rather be praised by men, or by God. It is easy to find in the bible where the Pharisees hated Jesus, but John 12 tells us that there were many among the leaders who believed in Jesus. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. Then in verse 43 it says:

"for they loved human praise more than praise from God."

Let us never be like that. It feels good to be liked, complimented, admired, loved and even praised, but let us only seek praise from our Father in heaven. His view of us is really the only view that matters. Sometimes seeking praise from God results in praise from men, but we may find more often than not, that when it comes to approval, we will have to choose between man and God. Let us never love human praise more than the praise of God.

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“for they loved human praise more than praise from God”. We need to make sure that we have our priorities in order. Our goal should be to please God more than anything else. We can do this through our love and obedience to him even if it flies in the face of what humans desire or admire. Our goal is not the same as the worlds. Our goal is that when we die and enter eternal glory to have our names written in the book of life and to hear those words, “well done my good and faithful servant”.