Merry Christmas, Merry X-Mas, Christian Confusion & The Whole Nine Yards

Well, this year is a lot like most years.  Some are desperately trying to “put Christ back in Christmas”.  Some are trying to kick Christ out of everything to do with our civilization.  Some are so mixed up they don’t know which way to jump.

Sometimes I must confess I am the latter. Here’s my dilemma...  As a Christian, I am absolutely compelled to stand up for my Lord and Christianity in general.  However, what most people consider to be “Christianity” is not truly Christianity.  Ironically, those wishing to attack Christianity, often end up attacking Catholicism or some other denominational variant instead.
  
With Christmas in mind, let’s pick one example of confusion: The nativity scenes. . .

In recent years, there has been a full court press against the public display of nativity scenes.  Those attacks are intended to drive Christianity from the public spectrum.  Ironically anyone who has a respect for the Bible, is going to be loathe to defend the nativity scenes (regardless of the motives of those attacking them!). These same Christians (myself included) may aggressively wish to defend the fact that Christianity played a huge role in developing our culture, and it’s eventual success. 


Why can’t I defend the nativity scenes?   Let me count the ways. . .
1)  Angels over the manger. The angels appeared to the shepherds in the field.  Luke 2:8ff. The angels spoke to the shepherds.  Then, “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven,”  (Luke 2:15)  the shepherds went to the manger and saw it all. Were the angels around all this? You bet. Do I have a right to place them at the manger when the Word of God doesn’t say they were there?

2)  The three wise men.  How many wise men? The bible doesn’t say.  Many of the oldest traditions hold that there were 12.  (not three). It is thought that tradition has eventually settled on three wise men because of the three gifts.

Will Your Kids Go To Heaven?

Do you want to have a successful Christian home?

"You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)

Do you want your kids to go to heaven?
Do you want your family/marriage/home to be solid?
If you answered yes….. The next question in front of you is:
“Should you choose a liberal or conservative church?” 

Which path gives you the best hope of building a strong family that will lead to your children choosing to be Christians? Today it is common for kids to be raised in a church only to hit teenage years and turn away from the “faith of their fathers!”  Many do not realize that it doesn’t have to be that way… and it is not that way among us.

Our families stay together and our kids become Christians.… Want to know more?

Can a Christian Join AARP and Thereby Pay for the Homosexual Agenda?

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;" (Ephesians 5: 11)

Today’s mailing is going to be a little different subject matter than normal.  Many of our subscribers from outside the USA won’t be interested in this particular E-mailing.  The principle of joining organizations may be of interest, but AARP is more of a "USA question" about Bible application… sorry.

I keep getting questions about whether a Christian can join AARP with their very liberal social agenda.  Many Christians have been infuriated by their ultra-liberal lobbying efforts on social issues but believe that they simply “must” join because of the insurance programs, travel discounts, etc.

The American Family Association has started recommending to followers to cancel their memberships.  Here is a link to one such story.  

Lessons Learned From a Visit to a Country Graveyar

The Poca Hollow cemetery 

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes {it} to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)

 I visited the Poca Hollow cemetery last month.  My first trip to this hidden little graveyard nestled in the boot heel of Missouri was some thirty years ago, in 1980.  My wife’s clan is from there.  This cemetery overlooks an almost forgotten civil war battlefield. The locals point to the valley where the Yankees came through, then point to some of the old buildings (over their shoulder, behind the picture) that still have civil war bullets in them.  The anonymity is fair enough… except for the family this cemetery is almost forgotten as well.   You don’t just accidentally go there… you have to know where it is and choose to visit it.

Today Poca Hollow is a peaceful place.  As you thoughtfully stroll among the stones, contemplating the human lives represented by each grave, numerous Biblical passages cannot help but come to mind.  The first scripture is obvious….

“For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.” (I Peter 1:24-25)

What Denomination Are You?

“If {anyone suffers} as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (I Peter 4:16)

We are simply Christians: no more, no less. That’s what Jesus wants us to be.  Wouldn’t you agree?  Have you noticed that churches seem to have a hard time deciding to be content to be just churches? Christians need to be content to be Christians and churches need to be content to be churches.  What does the Bible actually teach us?

Most are unaware that the modern series of divisions that we call denominationalism is actually addressed (in principle) by the Bible.  “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”  (I Corinthians 1:10)

What's the Difference Between the Old and New Testaments?

It is a sad thing today that some people go to a church for many years and yet have not been taught the answer to this simple Bible question.  To mature as we should, we need to build a foundation of biblical principles.  The first of which will be "rightly dividing" the word of God.

In scripture, we find basically three dispensations of biblical history.  These are the Patriarchal, Mosaical and the Christian ages, respectively.  We might compare these to the starlight, moonlight and sunlight, with the degree of light referring to God's continuously clearer revelation of Himself.  Of course Jesus Christ is the ultimate in God's revelation to man.  “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”  (John 14:9)

How We Got the Bible

I am re-writing a course on evidences that I originally created over twenty-five years ago.  Knowledge of scripture has increased over the course of my life time.  Many of the cliché’s espoused by unbelievers in my youth have today been disproved but folks are still repeating them.  Hence, the effort below...

I thought I would share one chapter of said course.  Enjoy... 

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When we come to the subject of the actual transmission of the text, we find a fast disconnect between what is perceived, and what is real!  Most folks on the street scoff at the idea that you actually could have the bible or the real words of Paul! 

Some will readily admit the Holy Spirit inspired these men on earth.  They then deny that we know what He said through them.  This concept is pretty flaky on it’s face, simply because. . . If God could miraculously inspire men, He could also protect and preserve His work. 

Let’s see if we can follow the chain of transmission and walk away comfortable that we know the words of Paul, Peter and more importantly. . .  Jesus!