Jeremiah 10:10-11 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (11) Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, [...]]]>

Jeremiah 10:10-11 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (11) Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

The gods that mankind has thought up and follow did not make the heavens and the earth and one day, the idols will die, will rust, will go bankrupt, and will fade away. But God is eternal and everlasting

Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

God spoke and the universe came into being. God decided where the stars would go. God decided where the waters would flow on earth. God decided where everything would live and you know what? He did not ask us our opinion. His wisdom determined these things and He used His discretion in creation. As smart as we may think we are, God is far above us.

Isaiah 55:6-11 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (10) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: (11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God knows what is best for us, if we would just trust Him. We need to seek Him daily and follow Him in love and obedience. Which is going to benefit us and our Christian walk more: an idol that we have created or the Creator of all things? God created the rains and the snows so that water can nourish the plants so that we can have bread to eat. Nobody but God could have come up with that idea! A businessman once gave the reasons why he knew there was a God. He had been earnestly considering the wonders of the stars and planets, their system and order. Then he said, “It takes a girl in our factory about two days to learn to put the seventeen parts of a meat chopper together. Some may believe that these millions of worlds, each with its separate orbit, all balanced so wonderfully in space-that they just happened; that by a billion years of tumbling about they finally arranged themselves. I am merely a plain manufacturer of cutlery. But this I do know, that you can shake the seventeen parts of a meat chopper around in a washtub for the next seventeen billion years and you’ll never make a meat chopper.”

Jer 10:13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

God did not have to do anything complicated in creation – He spoke and it came into being.

Famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking now says definitely that God did not create the universe or spark the Big Bang. In his new book, “The Grand Design,” scheduled for a September release, Hawking argues that the universe didn’t need divine inspiration to come into being. “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” writes Hawking. “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists why we exist. I do not know about anyone else, but I have yet to see anything be spontaneously created. Look at what God says to men like Stephen Hawking:

Jer 10:14-15 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (15) They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

Every man is brutish in his knowledge, meaning that man is insensible and ignorant and shows why we need God. He is the source of knowledge and understanding and truth. Proverb 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (7) Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

The problem is that we rely on our own wisdom and it does not matter how much we pray for something – it that something does not agree with God’s Word or glorify Him, then God is not going to endorse it. And just because nothing really bad seemed to happen, does not mean that God endorsed it. And just because something seemingly good came from it, does not mean that God endorsed it.

Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Every believer needs to follow God in love and obedience. The only way any believer will know how to follow Him is by reading His Word and prayer and listening to the preaching and teaching of His Word.

Psalm 119:101-105 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. (102) I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. (103) How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (104) Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. (105) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It is through the Word of God that we can know what God wants of us and what He expects of us. We gain greater understanding of Him through His Word. Furthermore, we need that time together as a group of called believers to strengthen each other, edify each other, encourage each other, and grow closer to God. We need to show others that time together as a group is important – otherwise, why should they want to join our group? Can a person be a Christian without joining a church? Yes, but it is like a soldier without an army; a student who will not attend school, a salesman without a customer, a sailor without a ship, a bee without a hive, an author without a reader, or a baseball player without a team. These situations might exist, but they would not be very satisfactory.

Psalm 115:1-8 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. (2) Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? (3) But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. (4) Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. (5) They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: (6) They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: (7) They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. (8) They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

“While most would agree that our circulatory system is vital to life, many of us don’t fully appreciate the almost miraculous workings of that system. Your heart pumps about one-hundred thousand times every day. That means that your heart pumps the equivalent of 10 tons of blood every [...]]]> The following is from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2446

“While most would agree that our circulatory system is vital to life, many of us don’t fully appreciate the almost miraculous workings of that system. Your heart pumps about one-hundred thousand times every day. That means that your heart pumps the equivalent of 10 tons of blood every day or 80 million gallons in a lifetime. Your circulatory system brings that blood to every cell in your body through a capillary network that is so large that the combined capillaries of only four people, stretched end to end, would reach from the Earth to the moon! But your circulatory system involves quality as well as quantity. The chemistry of your blood is monitored and adjusted to within incredibly fine limits to keep it in precise balance second by second, day by day, year in, year out. For example, the acidity of your blood is adjusted constantly to within one part in a hundred million. Our circulation system cannot be simply ‘good enough’; it has to work perfectly. So if mindless evolution created us, it had to make the whole system perfect the first time. There is no room for millions of years or for a poorer circulation system to be improved by mutations. Here, the facts clearly support Scripture, strongly indicating that we were created in finished form–not developed slowly by trial and error.”

(Friday Church News Notes, December 25, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) –

You say, “Jesus wants to save us from making the Good News about another world and not this one.” What do you mean?

The story is about God’s intentions to bring about a new heaven and a new earth, [...]]]> Continuing the interview of Rob Bell by Christianity Today. My comments will be in bold italics.

You say, “Jesus wants to save us from making the Good News about another world and not this one.” What do you mean?

The story is about God’s intentions to bring about a new heaven and a new earth, and the story begins here with shalom—shalom between each other and with our Maker and with the earth. The story line is that God intends to bring about a new creation, this place, this new heaven and earth here. And that Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning, essentially, of the future; this great Resurrection has rushed into the present.

The evacuation theology that says, “figure out the ticket, say the right prayer, get the right formula, and then we’ll go somewhere else” is lethal to Jesus, who endlessly speaks of the renewal of all things.

Rob Bell’s Gospel presentation is weak and lacking the essential elements. First, what is the Gospel message? The Apostle Paul wrote:

1Corinthians 15:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  (2)  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  (3)  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  (4)  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is His death, burial, and resurrection. All three are essential to the Gospel or Good News about Jesus Christ. God will bring a new Heaven and a new Earth, however, that will not happen until after the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 66; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 21). It is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that man can be reconciled with God because Jesus Christ is the only mediator between sinful man and the All Holy God (1 Timothy 1:5). You cannot just focus on one aspect of the Gospel and leave out the rest.

As for Rob Bell’s comments on the Evacuation Theology, I admit that there are those that teach: “say a prayer and you will go to Heaven.”  Prominent men like Jack Hyles did that, however, that is not Biblical. Salvation is NOT a case of saying the right thing or doing the right thing. A person will not miss Heaven on a technicality, but a person needs to realize their sinful condition and separation from God, and then repent and fully trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. If you have not done this, please go to the “One Needful Thing” page on this website.

Please note that Rob Bell does not quote a single bit of Scripture in this interview. I am curious what verses Rob Bell is referring to when he states that Jesus Christ endlessly spoke of the renewal of all things.  He also spoke about a person’s need to repent (Matthew 4:17).

All well and good, but how is this good news to people with no earthly hope? If I’m dying of aids or cancer, I probably don’t give a rip about the renewal of all things. I want to know if my sins are forgiven, and when I die, if am I going to see Jesus or not.

Yes, and I would say that central to that new creation is the problem with the first creation—death. The Resurrection is about God dealing with the death problem. And central to this giant cosmic hope is a very intimate, yes, you can trust this Jesus. You can trust this new creation. You can trust being with him when you die, when you leave this life, however you want to put it. Yes, there is an intensely personal dimension to this giant story that you and I get to be a part of.

Note that the interviewer brings up the need for forgiveness of sins, however, Rob Bell does not answer that part of the question. Is Rob Bell teaching universalism — the belief that all will go to Heaven no matter what their beliefs are? If everyone is going to Heaven, then why did Jesus Christ die on the cross? If everyone is going to Heaven, then why is condemnation discussed by each writer of the New Testament?

John 3:16-18  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  (18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The problem is that Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and others in the emerging church movement do not believe that there is a literal place called Hell. Brian McLaren has even stated that he does not think we have gotten the Gospel right yet! If that is true, then we may as well throw away the Bible.

If you do some research on Rob Bell and others of the Emerging Church, you will see that they talk about being in a story. We get to be in part of the story of God — almost like we are just characters in a book rather than real people.

You’re essentially reframing the gospel—at least the gospel you inherited, the gospel we have known as the gospel in North America for the last couple hundred years.

I am leery of people who have very clear ideas of what they’re doing from outside of themselves: “You have to understand that I’m doing this and doing this.” I would say that for 10 years, I have tried to invite people to trust Jesus. You can trust this Jesus. You can trust him past, present, future; sins, mistakes, money, sexuality. I think this Jesus can be trusted.

I often put it this way: If there is a God, some sort of Divine Being, Mind, Spirit, and all of this is not just some random chance thing, and history has some sort of movement to it, and you have a connection with Whatever—that is awesome. Hard and awesome and creative and challenging and provoking.

And there is this group of people who say that whoever that being is came up among us and took on flesh and blood—Andrew Sullivan talks about this immense occasion the world could not bear. So a church would be this odd blend of swagger—an open tomb, come on—and humility and mystery. The Resurrection accounts are jumbled and don’t really line up with each other—I really relate to that. Yet something momentous has burst forth in the middle of history. You just have to have faith, and you get caught up in something.

I like to say that I practice militant mysticism. I’m really absolutely sure of some things that I don’t quite know.

To the emerging church crowd, faith goes hand in hand with doubt. Why? Because if I can cast doubt on things, like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or cast doubt on the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, then that gives me wiggle room to do what I want and believe what I want. Rob Bell said: “I’m really absolutely sure of some things that I don’t quite know” Does that even make sense? Rob Bell tells us that he is “leery” about people that have confidence about their faith. And why does he say “this Jesus?” Which Jesus is he referring to? I doubt that he is talking about the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The Apostle John tells us that we can KNOW that we are saved and know who it is that saved us.

1 John 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

How would you present this gospel on Twitter?

I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.

Not quite down to 140 characters.

Well, you can’t really tweet the gospel. I’m convinced that I am not doing anything new. I am hoping that I’m in a long tradition.

We can be tempted to believe in hope? “Those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.” Again, a person can KNOW they are a born again child of God. They need to believe on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins.

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Does Acts 4:12 say, “…whereby we might be saved?” Does Acts 4:12 say, “whereby we could just possibly be saved?” NO! It declares that we must be saved only through Jesus Christ. Again, read 1 John 5:13.

This interview was not a probing, hard-hitting interview. Rob Bell says sounds very intellectual, but does not seem to really know what he believes.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/april/26.34.html

Listen to me now about the difference in meaning between the short-term matters of our physical beings and the eternal relationships between the believer and his God.

If you save a person from diptheria when he is a baby, or save him in his teens from smallpox, or save him in [...]]]> AW TOZER WROTE:

Listen to me now about the difference in meaning between the short-term matters of our physical beings and the eternal relationships between the believer and his God.

If you save a person from diptheria when he is a baby, or save him in his teens from smallpox, or save him in his fifties from a heart attack, what have you done?

If that man lives to be ninety and still is without God and does not know why he was born, you have simply perpetuated the life of a mud turtle. That man who has never found God and has never been born again is like a turtle, with two legs instead of four and no shell and no tail, because he still does not know what life has been all about.

I am thankful that I have found a promise from the God of all grace that deals with the long-term and the eternal. I belong to a company of plain people who believe the truth revealed in the Bible. We believe that it was God who made man in His own image and breathed into him the breath of life and said unto him, “Now, live in my presence and worship Me — for that is your chief end. Increase and multiply and fill the earth with worshipers.”

Yes, these plain people, these believing people, will tell you that God created the flowers to be beautiful and the birds to sing so that men and women could enjoy them. The scientist, with an entirely different  kind of perspective, would never admit that fact. The scientist contends that the bird sings for a totally different reason.

“It is the male bird that sings, and he sings only to attract the female so they may nest and procreate,” he tells us. “It is simply biological.”

It is at this point that I ask the scientist, “why doesn’t the bird just squeak or groan or gurgle? Why does he have to sing and warble and harmonize as though he had been tuned to a harp?”

I thin the answer is plain — it is because God made him to sing.

If I were a male bird and wanted to attract a female I could turn handsprings or do any number of tricks. But why does the bird sing so beautifully?

It is because the God who made him is the Chief Musician of the universe. He is the Composer of the cosmos. He made the harp in those little throats and the feathers around them and said, “Go and sing.”

Thankfully, the birds obeyed and they have been singing and praising God ever since they were created. The scientific man may protest and say, “No, no!” But my heart tells me that it is so. ”

Ecclesiastes  3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: