What is good?

Good. What is it? What makes one action good and another one evil? Why do we even have a concept of good and evil at all? These are questions that cannot be fully answered by the atheist/humanist crowd that, on one hand, believes in evolution but on the other, also that man can somehow be good without God.

But  the real answer to these questions can only come from an understanding of God and the absolute truth of the Bible. You see without a constant source of truth, then where does our understanding of "good" even come from? If, as they say, man is just an animal in a world of the survival of the fittest, then what is the basis of good and evil? What they call good come from their God-given conscience and from the Garden of Eden knowledge of good and evil. Without these factors then there is no good and their argument is void. We, as a nation, have gone so far away  from the basic principles of the Bible that our country was founded on that our citizens wrongly believe that we no longer need God to be good (a concept that they have from God). Christianity is the root of morality. Thomas Jefferson said it best in 1809 when he said "The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, God has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral precepts of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses." So not only can a person have real morality outside of Christianity, they wouldn't even know what good is, if not for God. Romans 3:10 tells us that "There is none righteous, no not one"and 3:23 "For all have sinned and, come short of the glory of God." but I am glad that God, in His ever  enduring mercy did not leave us there but He has made a way that we can be counted righteous and that is through the sacrifice that Jesus made by shedding His blood for us on the cross and dying for our sins. In the scope of eternity, good is not determined by our actions and our supposed morality, but by His blood only. Because He is the only good and in Him we are set free. You see, we cannot be good enough in ourselves to merit eternal life, but only by giving our lives to Him. Therefore.....

Good is: being a Christian!  

For a more in depth study on this subject of "good without God" check out:

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/can-we-be-good-without-god 

My Statement of Faith

The following is what I believe, I think that it is good to take the time to study out what you believe and then write it down.....

I believe that there is only one true and living God, eternally existing in three Persons, namely, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I believe that each part of this tri-unity is a distinct Person, but all of one essence and all having the same nature, perfections, and attributes, and each is worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience.

I believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is truly man and God, who in His incarnation was conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin, Mary. In His earthly ministry He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins according to and fulfilling the Scriptures. By the power of God, He was raised from the dead in the same body now glorified. He ascended into Heaven where, at the right hand of God, He continually makes intercession for us. Also I believe in His personal and literal second coming in power and glory.

I believe that the Holy Ghost is the third Person of the Trinity, very God, existent with the Father and the Son. The Holy Ghost is the chief agent in regeneration, active in creation, conviction, preservation, sanctification and equipping the believer for a life of purity, power and service. I believe in the empowerment of the Holy Ghost working in the life of the believer.

I believe in the special creation of the existing space-time universe and all its basic systems and kinds of organisms in the six literal days of the creation week as stated in the book of Genesis. Also that the physical universe of space, time, matter, and energy has not always existed, but was supernaturally created by a transcendent personal Creator who alone has existed from eternity and that the miraculous phenomenon of biological life did not develop by improbable chance from inanimate systems but was specially and supernaturally created by the Creator.

I believe that the Bible is the perfect Word of God, inspired by the Holy Ghost, a revelation from God to men; the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason. I believe in the unique divine inspiration of all canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, so that they are infallibly and uniquely authoritative and free from error of any sort, in all matters with which they deal, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological. Also that God, in His singular providential care, has kept His word all through the ages, right down to the present day as found in the King James Version. I consider this book my final and absolute authority, above and beyond all other authorities on earth.

I believe that the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to every person, through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Humanity is saved by the atoning blood of Jesus through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, and being justified by grace through faith, and then we become an heir of God and have the promise of eternal life.

I believe that all who have this salvation are entitled to, and should zealously expect, and earnestly seek, the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire; according to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that this was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church and with it, and subsequent to it, comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts of the Spirit and their uses in the work of the ministry. This wonderful experience of the baptism in the Holy Ghost is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation.

I believe that the Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and is to not forsake the coming together with other like-minded believers for the purpose of worshipping God, Christian fellowship and encouragement of each other. The commission of the church is to witness concerning Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, and to preach the Gospel among all nations and to remain faithful until His return.

I believe that the Scriptures teach a life of Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord and by the power of the Holy Ghost I am able to obey the command, “Be ye holy, for I am Holy.” The doctrine of entire sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to commands and precepts of God’s Holy Word. I believe that a Christian should avoid all sin and even the very appearance of evil, patterning our lives after Jesus Christ.

  

I believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. I believe that the only type of marriage is between one man and one woman in accordance with the Bible consistent with both the Old and New Testament, and any other type is a perversion and an a abomination to God.

I believe in the existence of a personal, malignant being called Satan who acts as tempter and accuser, for whom the place of eternal punishment was prepared, where all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity.  I believe that the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

I believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ, by having their sins covered by His blood, will spend eternity with the Lord in Heaven, a place of eternal joy and peace, while those who reject the free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord in Hell, a place of eternal torment and sorrow. 

Paul's prayer requests

The following is one of my recent assignments for my Master's from Grace College:

 1. Study carefully Paul's requests for himself in the following five passages:

Romans 15:30-32; Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4:2-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

2. Write a short essay answering these 3 questions

A. What is the main (central) thing Paul requested people to pray for?

The central concern that Paul requested prayer for was that the will of God, which is of course that all should come to repentance and not perish, and that God’s will be done through his life and ministry. Paul was focused on one thing only; the furtherance on the Kingdom of Heaven. He desired prayers from others for the Lord to equip him to spread the gospel efficiently. Paul’s main determination was to preach Christ and he required boldness from the Lord to do so. He also needed the liberty and opportunity that only God can give and therefore he directed those praying for him to pray for these things. In his prayer requests, we can see the resolve of the Apostle, that though I am certain he had many personal needs he sought no comfort for himself, but that God alone be glorified and that His Kingdom would prosper.

B. What can we learn about prayer by studying Paul’s requests?

The true lesson that we can glean from studying the prayer life of the Apostle Paul is one of understanding sacrifice. Paul cared nothing for himself, only that God’s will be done. He counted it joy to suffer for the sake of the gospel. I believe that the Paul looked not at the situations of his life, prison, bonds, persecution, etc. as a difficulty that he must endure or a sacrifice that he was making for God. But rather, Paul looked at these circumstances as an opportunity to worship God. We can see from his selfless requests that Paul considered these hardships just as another way for him to glorify God, and thus his real prayer request consisted of bringing more honor to the Lord, instead of relief for his current physical suffering.

C. My thinking about prayer and my prayer activity will change in the following ways because of what I have learned.

Many times I am tempted to request prayer for the hardships in my own life and not for the more important matters such as God’s help to reach my lost family. Based on the lessons I have learned, I am resolving to reserve my prayer requests to others for the more weighty matters with eternal value. My physical needs should not take priority over reaching out to those that are in need of eternal life. I believe that the value of a soul outweighs the pressures of my desires and comfort. There is no cost too high to win the lost! I now see that this goal of spreading the gospel is paramount and that if I equate the sacrifices of reaching this goal with the worship of my Savior, then I will find true joy in doing the will of God. My prayer activity has changed to reflect the knowledge of this lesson learned from Paul’s prayer requests. I now spend much more time in thanksgiving for things that I once considered to be burdens. My continual prayer is that I will conduct myself daily with eternity in mind. 

The constitution of man

Man was created in the image of God. Every person has a free will and can choose to accept the plan of salvation that was made possible by the sacrifice that Christ brought on Calvary. We must have this freedom of choice to be capable of salvation. Salvation comes through our choice to believe, and our willing confession of our sins.[1] Therefore man is not bound by sin and death but can accept the gift of salvation if he so chooses. All of us are born with a sin nature and we are sinners until we come to salvation. But even then we have to make the choice daily to remain a Christian. If we do not make that continual effort to follow after Christ then we are in danger of backsliding. Also if we do fall to temptation, then we have the option to repent and our advocate with the Father[2] will seek forgiveness on our behalf. We alone have to decide our fate, whether it be heaven or hell. The Lord wants to be saved, but He has

left the choice up to us.

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[1] Romans 10:9-11 The Holy Bible King James Version, (Indianapolis: B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, 2007), 1200.

[2] 1 John 2:1 The Holy Bible King James Version, (Indianapolis: B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, 2007), 1296.

Media Free Parenting: A better life!

"Media is not the devil, but they are good friends!" That quote sums up how I feel about all the different types of electronic media in use today (yes even computers, and I do realize the irony). I am speaking from a vast field of experience, I have spend countless hours in front of a screen and I know first hand how it effects the life of all who are addicted to it. Yes, I said addicted. If you spend any considerable amount of time on a computer, watching tv, chained to a gaming system, or any other form of media and think that it is not an addiction then I have a challenge for you. If you think you are not addicted then here is what I challenge you to do, totally abstain from  all media for at least two weeks and see if you can make it, give it up completely and don't even touch it. I'll wait............................................................. couldn't do it could you? Had to see your show, or beat the next level, or whatever, am I right? Then that, my friend is an addiction and that is exactly what we are all doing to ourselves without even realizing it. That is what I was doing to myself and my family and without God's help I would have never been able to quit. I spent many wasted years in front of a screen "being entertained" and worst of all I let my children do the same. But thank the Lord that my household has been changed over the last year, we no longer own a tv, a gaming system, or even dvds (except a few home movies packed away in storage) and the improvement is unbelievable! If you are a parent reading this blog, please please please listen to what I am about to say. Media deprives your children of their childhood. I have personally witnessed a major change in my children's attitude, demeanor, health, character, and spiritual life since we have went "media free". They have been so much more active now that I am always amazed at how much they can fit into a day! They have taken an interest in things I never thought they would have cared about, like playing music. My boys are becoming really good piano players. And the funny thing is, we have had a piano in our house since before they were born and they never touched it, now they argue over whose turn it is to play it. My children are advancing in every other category as well, they are getting better grades in school, which is no surprise since they read books for leisure now. They are more social and their interactions with each other and other children has improved dramatically, now they actually talk through their problems rather than fight through them. Their health has greatly improved, as well as my own. Before we went media free, in the rare occasion that we did go outside to toss a football around, we were all exhausted after 5 minutes and had to come right back in and sit down for hours to recover. Now they can run outside non-stop for hours and I also am progressing in weight loss, just a little more slowly than them :) A very noticeable improvement in their character has taken place since we went media free. They are more caring, honest, hard-working, kind, patient, individuals than they ever were before. But the greatest improvement of all is that their spiritual life has changed completely, as well as my own. We now spend time in prayer and have a time of daily Bible reading and quoting, they are memorizing whole chapters of the Bible! Our time of daily devotions has given me an opportunity to connect with my children on a spiritual level and has allowed me to instruct them in the ways of the Lord just like the Bible tells me to do in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." These things that I have listed are just some of the many, many changes that my family has went through over the last year or so. As a matter of fact, I am so media free that it has taken me weeks to write this blog because I spend very little time indoors on the computer. So I do not have the actual time to tell you of all the small miracles that we have experienced but, I encourage every to take inventory of your own lives today and see where they are headed. Are you part of a media-bound family that is devoting your life to something that has a such a negative impact and no eternal value? If so, then there is only one thing that you can do to improve you life in all the amazing ways I listed above, and that is to pray. I strongly urge you to pray right now for God to help with this life-wasting addiction, because that is the only way to ever get out. We can not do it on our own, but God is merciful and compassionate and He will help us if we only ask, I know because He did just that for me. Just remember what the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Nothing is too hard for God!

The Finish Line - what really matters.

There are many times in life when we set goal for ourselves, some we complete and some we don't. It is a great feeling to accomplish an objective that you set for yourself, finishing what you set out to do. Today I have reached a goal that, at times I thought that I would never see the finish line, but though much determination I can now say I am a college graduate, 17 years after graduating high school. I realize that at this time of year this is a commonplace accomplishment and that there are hundreds of thousands of college grads out there right now saying the same thing. But my case was far from typical, in that I had a completely different set of obstacles to overcome, for instance how many grads can say that they went to college full time throughout their undergrad career while running a small business to support their wife and four children all while living 30 miles from campus. It kinda makes the usual roommate and laundry complaints I heard from my fellow students seem trivial, but even all of the situational  difficulties that I had to endure seem like nothing compared to something great that I experienced last spring. Last year I had a life changing experience that caused me to seriously consider dropping out of college, you see when I started working for this degree 4 years ago I was not spiritually where I should be and my motives for going to college in the first place were completely wrong. I started with the very common, but worldly goal of getting a degree to make more money. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about making money and having a good job to support your family. And I still do want a better job to be a better provider for my wife and kids. The difference is that I no longer have the life goal of having a high-paying career that selfishly consumes all of my time and causes me to neglect my family and keeps me away from doing something for God. My whole outlook on life has changed over the last year, and now I realize that serving the Lord is more important than anything else and all that matters on this earth is what you accomplish for Him. We are not going to spend eternity wishing we made more money, had a career, or spent more time at work. All that matters in the grand scheme of things is what are we doing for God, right now. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation. All that is going to matter in eternity is not what career you had on earth, not what car you drove or how much money you had. There are only 2 things will that matter, where will you spend eternity in Heaven or hell and if you make it to Heaven, how many people did you take with you. These two objectives are my life goals, they are the career that I do not need a degree for, so although I am very grateful that the Lord has helped me to reach this finish line of receiving a bachelor's degree, my true desire is to make it to Heaven someday and I hope that everyone can cross that finish line with me. So if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus as your personal savior then I urge you to please reconsider the direction of your own life and change what finish line you will end up on one day when you die. Please give your heart to the Lord and you will be amazed at the difference He will make in your life, take it from someone who knows first hand, there is no greater goal than being a Christian.

Matthew 7:1

I get this question a lot when witnessing so I think it is needs explaining. People say all of the time "I thought Christians are not supposed to judge" this is usually said after any type of sin is pointed out to them. It doesn't seem to matter anymore what sin they are defending, if you tell  a sinner they are wrong then they fire back with this statement. They are, of course, taking the words of Jesus, whether they know it or not, from  Matthew Chapter 7 verse 1 where while preaching the sermon on the mount Jesus says " Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." This scripture is generally taken either out of context, or misunderstood so when I try to explain this to someone who says that I am judging them because I have told them what the Bible clearly says is sin, then I use this example.... Imagine you are speeding down the highway, or committing any other crime for that matter, and a policeman stops you and gives tells you that you are doing wrong. If you were to say "I thought you were not supposed to judge" then of course the officer will say I am not your judge that is someone else's job, my job is to tell you that you have clearly broke the established law and therefore if you do not change your way you will end up in jail. I think that this example makes sense to many who are confused on this issue. As Christians we are not called to condemn and pronounce judgment on other for there sins, just as a policeman cannot give you a life sentence for any crime. But like the policeman, it is our duty to uphold God's law and we are well within our right to tell someone that if they do not repent of there sins and ask the Lord's forgiveness then they are going to face judgment one day, because where would any Christian be if they had not had someone kind enough to share the gospel with them. I also believe that if we do not have the compassion to point out to someone that they are breaking the established laws of the Bible then it could be that we ourselves will be judged one day, I don't want to see anyone die lost therefore I must be vigilant to spread the gospel and show God's love unless with what measure of compassion I give to others it shall be measured to me again in the soon coming Judgment day of the Lord. I want to hear Him say well done thou good and faithful servant, don't you?