Is God Irrelevant?
Is Jesus meaningless??
Is Church boring?
Today, less than 30% regularly attend church and that number is rapidly declining. It appears that more and more believers in God are seeing the local church as irrelevant to the world they live in. Surveys reveal that up to 90% of church members believe they are not being taught how to apply the Bible to the complex world of work where they spend 60-70% of their time.
It’s not that society has left the bible behind, those that teach the bible have failed to show its relevancy.
Are the ten commandments no longer relevant? Is fidelity, integrity, respectful of innocent life, personal property, monogamy, honesty and having lacking envy over the property of others no longer relevant? Is loving your neighbor as yourself unimportant? Is an understanding of world history to be trated like garbage (especially when it says things we don't like)??
For example: How many people know that the Jewish homeland for over 3000 years is Israel. And that the nation of Palestine, who claims the land of Israel never existed? It was predicted 2500 years ago the Jews would be driven out of their land (fulfilled in 70AD), only to return in the final days (fulfilled in AD1948)! How many understand that Israel will never fall to another nation again, that never again will the Jews be driven out of their land, and God Himself has promised to protect His people Israel from all the enemies surrounding them until He returns. Yet Israel is being threatened by neighboring Iran (Persia) to be exterminated, just as predicted. (Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38, 39). Finally, does anybody know how this will affect them today? And how should they protect themselves in the upcoming world war?
How many know the disasters, natural and man made, that we experience now were predicted by Jesus 2000 years ago? (Matthew 24) Yes, we have always had natural disasters, just nowhere near the numbers we deal with today. And man made disasters are at all time highs; including wars and terrorist attacks, plagues, and famines; all manageable, but mankind is not dealing with any of them proactively, nor are they properly reacting to them.
Do you know about the scientific evidence that proves beyond any reasonable doubt the our universe was created with intelligent design? Studies in microbiology, astrophysics, quantum physics all point to a creator. Example: what is laminin; and how important is it for all life on earth? Why is it shaped like a cross? And how many clues to the wonders of this planet and the universe were inserted inside this Bible?
The same creator who inspired the Bible, (there is scientific evidence supporting this as well) made thousands of prophecies that have almost 100% come true (the only ones that haven’t come true are the ones that have to deal with our future! This same creator designed and created everything for His enjoyment and ours, and wants everyone to join Him in heaven, but He lets us make that choice. There are simply too many "coincidences", thousands of them in fact, to leave the creation of the universe to chance.
No other scriptual book makes the claim that every word was inspired by God. Only the Bible makes this claim, and it can back it up. The Q'ran cannot.
Churches must make the bible relevant. If yours doesn't, find one that does. You can get entertainment and socializing in a tavern; you don't need church for that. Make attending church inspiring, motivating, encouraging. Make your church relevant.
If the bible cannot be shown how important it is in these times, no one will hear and understand, which means no one will believe, and therefore, no one will have any hope. Without hope, governments replace god. Just ask any survivor of the USSR, or China under Chairman Mao.
What was true and relevant 2000, 3000, even 4000 years ago is still true and relevant today. Our founding fathers pleged their finances, their families and their very lives over the principles in the Bible. It was relevant to them. Make God's word, the Holy Bible relevant to you.
May 26, 2010
May 7, 2010
Seven Days To Jesus
It has been asked, “What would you do if you knew Jesus would return in the next seven days?” This simple exercise gets you to think not of this world, but of the world to come, as if everything in and of this world we are living in will have no value at all.
For me, the first thing I would do is quit my job. Hey, I make little spiritual impact at my job anyway…seeing only 25-35 people a day. I spend too much time in solitude, driving around making deliveries. On the other hand, if I was the UPS or FedEx guy, bouncing in and out of my van 100+ times a day, I’d think otherwise. Imagine the witnessing I could do at that job! But the job itself would have no more meaning, as there would be no more bills to pay and I have more than a week’s worth of food in the pantry. I don’t need no stinking job for only seven days of living!
Second, what I do have, I would give away. It won’t do me any good anyway, and for a non believer, the stuff would make a great testimony. Jesus is coming in seven (or fewer) days, here, take my stuff. I won’t need it where I’m going. By the way, do you want to join me? There’s plenty of room, plenty of everything, for that matter. You will never need or want anything else for eternity! Yes, God is real, Jesus is real, and He doesn’t want anyone to be left behind (1). He wants everybody to join Him! And you won’t need my used stuff, there’s better things waiting for both of us where I’m going, and you can come, too!
Third, I’d make signs, stand on street corners, and pass out bible verses of encouragement…or words of invitation. Jesus is coming in 7 days. He’s taking me with Him. Want to join me? I’m going to Jesus’ house, and everyone is invited, too!(1) I’d write and blog and print and hand out flyers and spend my last week telling anyone and everyone I meet this is your last chance to accept Jesus as your Lord and God, just as hundreds of millions of others have done before. Forget the inhibitions or the embarrassment. A week later and it’s all moot. I’d be a “carney barker” for Jesus. A very friendly, and cheerful carney barker.
Finally, I’d wait…and pray. Pray for His return.
Now, isn’t that great?! Come to think about it, anyone can stay that focused in Jesus for seven days with the proper motivation. After all, didn’t Jesus Himself remind us that if we knew the hour and the day the thief would break in, we would be ready, right?
So, let’s not say Jesus will return in seven days, but seven years. Personally, I believe seven years is very realistic. In fact, I expect to be raptured in the next seven years, although I’m not foolish enough to bet on it (besides, if I win, I wouldn’t care about collecting such a wager!). Furthermore, if there is more than seven years of life left on earth for my brothers and sisters in Christ and I, then I should do all I can to be that “carney barker” for Jesus that I possibly can. Speaking up for Jesus will sew some seeds of faith and water others. God will do the growing.
However, since I cannot count on Jesus returning this week, I guess I shouldn’t quit my job. (Darn.) But I should promote and discuss Jesus (within reason…we can’t be good witnesses if we get fired for being too annoying!) at work, with my business contacts, on street corners, on my websites, in blogs, in comment sections of other blogs, anywhere and everywhere possible. Sewing seeds of faith. I should give more of my stuff away - more frequently - it makes living a lot lighter. I have too much stuff, too much clutter, and many others would enjoy a sliver of my excess. Most of us do. I should pray for my country daily, my work peers daily, my family hourly, and for God’s guidance and protection on us all continuously, every minute(2).
The biggest difference between seven years and seven days is with the latter, you still have to work and live within the world. But you know Jesus is coming, and you have to be ready at all times(3). That said, most of us (myself included) need to kick our relationship with the Lord into higher gear, and finish strong as His day draws near. And that’s what I’m doing
Are you ready? Are those around you ready? It’s time to get ready!
1. I Peter 3:9
2. I Thessalonians 5:17
3. Matthew 24:44
For me, the first thing I would do is quit my job. Hey, I make little spiritual impact at my job anyway…seeing only 25-35 people a day. I spend too much time in solitude, driving around making deliveries. On the other hand, if I was the UPS or FedEx guy, bouncing in and out of my van 100+ times a day, I’d think otherwise. Imagine the witnessing I could do at that job! But the job itself would have no more meaning, as there would be no more bills to pay and I have more than a week’s worth of food in the pantry. I don’t need no stinking job for only seven days of living!
Second, what I do have, I would give away. It won’t do me any good anyway, and for a non believer, the stuff would make a great testimony. Jesus is coming in seven (or fewer) days, here, take my stuff. I won’t need it where I’m going. By the way, do you want to join me? There’s plenty of room, plenty of everything, for that matter. You will never need or want anything else for eternity! Yes, God is real, Jesus is real, and He doesn’t want anyone to be left behind (1). He wants everybody to join Him! And you won’t need my used stuff, there’s better things waiting for both of us where I’m going, and you can come, too!
Third, I’d make signs, stand on street corners, and pass out bible verses of encouragement…or words of invitation. Jesus is coming in 7 days. He’s taking me with Him. Want to join me? I’m going to Jesus’ house, and everyone is invited, too!(1) I’d write and blog and print and hand out flyers and spend my last week telling anyone and everyone I meet this is your last chance to accept Jesus as your Lord and God, just as hundreds of millions of others have done before. Forget the inhibitions or the embarrassment. A week later and it’s all moot. I’d be a “carney barker” for Jesus. A very friendly, and cheerful carney barker.
Finally, I’d wait…and pray. Pray for His return.
Now, isn’t that great?! Come to think about it, anyone can stay that focused in Jesus for seven days with the proper motivation. After all, didn’t Jesus Himself remind us that if we knew the hour and the day the thief would break in, we would be ready, right?
So, let’s not say Jesus will return in seven days, but seven years. Personally, I believe seven years is very realistic. In fact, I expect to be raptured in the next seven years, although I’m not foolish enough to bet on it (besides, if I win, I wouldn’t care about collecting such a wager!). Furthermore, if there is more than seven years of life left on earth for my brothers and sisters in Christ and I, then I should do all I can to be that “carney barker” for Jesus that I possibly can. Speaking up for Jesus will sew some seeds of faith and water others. God will do the growing.
However, since I cannot count on Jesus returning this week, I guess I shouldn’t quit my job. (Darn.) But I should promote and discuss Jesus (within reason…we can’t be good witnesses if we get fired for being too annoying!) at work, with my business contacts, on street corners, on my websites, in blogs, in comment sections of other blogs, anywhere and everywhere possible. Sewing seeds of faith. I should give more of my stuff away - more frequently - it makes living a lot lighter. I have too much stuff, too much clutter, and many others would enjoy a sliver of my excess. Most of us do. I should pray for my country daily, my work peers daily, my family hourly, and for God’s guidance and protection on us all continuously, every minute(2).
The biggest difference between seven years and seven days is with the latter, you still have to work and live within the world. But you know Jesus is coming, and you have to be ready at all times(3). That said, most of us (myself included) need to kick our relationship with the Lord into higher gear, and finish strong as His day draws near. And that’s what I’m doing
Are you ready? Are those around you ready? It’s time to get ready!
1. I Peter 3:9
2. I Thessalonians 5:17
3. Matthew 24:44
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)