tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20352466317172702422024-02-19T18:53:47.668-05:00Highest BranchHIGHEST BRANCH: Open mind, compassionate heart.Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.comBlogger650125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-79893296137386247782013-07-09T05:56:00.000-04:002013-07-09T05:56:21.328-04:00Of Course Arminians Believe In Predestination?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Mi-sF3B_KIeW6OFZhfFqzYr5fLwCcY3dtip57oJ-NDW_x4tC2g9TOXvE2_KgXIA683wt-uPi2uQiw13e6eYlZM-4Ycbj2Kw2_vv0I7PnYi3e5llqw0tytu8CkX1WvNzcMY81H8JFwJ0/s1600/debate+over+calvinism+1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Mi-sF3B_KIeW6OFZhfFqzYr5fLwCcY3dtip57oJ-NDW_x4tC2g9TOXvE2_KgXIA683wt-uPi2uQiw13e6eYlZM-4Ycbj2Kw2_vv0I7PnYi3e5llqw0tytu8CkX1WvNzcMY81H8JFwJ0/s320/debate+over+calvinism+1+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With
certainty, there will be both Calvinists and Arminians in heaven. A Calvinist may arrive in heaven to find out
he was right all along. Perhaps the
Arminian will discover that he was right all along. But one thing is certain, both the Calvinist
and Arminian can never conclude that they were both right. These two Christian
doctrines are in such contradiction a shipwreck for one is assured. I still firmly believe that both ships will
arrive safely in the harbor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As one
sailing on the Arminian ship I would like to address a myth that is common on
that other ship; the idea that Arminians do not believe in predestination. Arminians shake their heads at the absurdity
of this accusation. Of course Arminians
believe in predestination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." - Romans 8:29. Arminians are strong proponents of
predestination. We see no conflict between free will and predestination. But,
we struggle with the idea of making free will compatible with determinism. We
believe in God's foreknowledge, of course. God foreknows every person' ultimate
and final decision regarding Jesus Christ. We believe the focus of
predestination should be primarily on Jesus Christ. God foreknew that Christ
would make the right choices regarding the cross. God predestined Christ’s
death and resurrection based on the decisions he knew Christ would make..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We believe
Calvinism ship wrecks on the issue of double predestination. It is illogical to
believe that God predetermined some to believe and go to heaven but he did not
predetermine others to NOT believe and go to hell. We believe that a holy and
pure and sinless God cannot predetermine individuals to hell. This is contrary
to God's nature. Can God do all things? Can God do anything he wants? Some may be surprised that he answer is
no. He cannot do anything that
contradicts his nature. It is unimaginable, had I power to condemn one of my
sons to spend eternity in hell that I would do such a thing. It is even more
unimaginable to believe that God would assign people to hell based on his own
arbitrary nature even before they had an opportunity to make any decisions or
participate in any actions that might make them responsible or accountable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Scripture
teaches that God extends salvation to all men. "Whosever believeth in
him...", (John 3:16) "If any man come to me..." Luke 14:6
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all
people." (Titus 2:11) “He is a propitiation for the sins of the whole
world” [1 John. 2:2.], “He tasted death for every man” [Heb. 2:9.], “He gave
himself a ransom for all” [1 Tim. 2:6.]. It is a gracious decree given of God
through his Son Jesus Christ that he is determined to justify and adopt all who
will believe. Does not God become a hypocrite if he so clearly extends this
invitation to all men knowing that he has already determined some of those men
to be lost? Therefore, Arminians believe in predestination but it is
conditioned on the choices men make. We don't believe they can make those choices
apart from the spirit of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Most
would agree that it is logically impossible for God to predestinate to heaven
but not to hell. To choose some for heaven and not all to heaven is going to
assure that some are chosen for hell. Where are those verses in the Bible that
indicate that an arbitrary God sends men to hell unconditionally? I believe
this is unproven in scripture because it makes God the author of sin and this,
too, is illogical and non-sensical because the Bible teaches that it is God's
will that none should perish and all should come to repentance. (Tim 2:4, 2
Peter 3:9) God declares a universal desire that all men be saved. But, he gives them the gift of free will and
in so doing he realizes that some will not use their gift in the manner he
wishes and therefore must be punished for their disobedience. He places the onus on man. Believe and be saved, or rebel and be lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Arminians do
not downplay the role of faith in salvation. Faith is the condition for being
elected, a gift of God. Faith is NOT the cause of election, God alone is the
cause of election. Therefore, God causes the election of those who will have
faith in Him. Election is conditional, not on the provisions of God, he will!
It is conditional on whether man will choose to believe, he may, he may not.
God allows this freedom of man's will because he is not a club-bearing God who
will arbitrarily take people to heaven whether they want to go or not and cast
people in hell whether they have any accountability or not. "Election and
predestination are not the unconditional and mysterious choosing of certain
individuals known only to God, but is rather the election and predestination of
those who have faith in Christ their Redeemer. Election is in Christ but no one
is in Christ without faith." - William Witt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Though I
don't agree with all of Philip Limborch's theology, I certainly agree with him
regarding 'absolute reprobation'.
"The doctrine of absolute reprobation (Because God elects some to
heaven he must therefore elect others to hell) is repugnant to the divine
perfections of holiness, justice, sincerity, wisdom, and love." (A Complete System, or, Body of Divinity, p.
371). The core problem for Arminians is
that unconditional predestination is totally incompatible to the very nature or
God. It is not who God is. "Surely it is dishonorable to the name
of God to suppose that he would charge on sinners a resistance which was to
them a necessity, and complain of outrage on His Spirit whose influences were
only partially put forth." - William
Burton Pope. Would God infect a man with
sin, determine him to never have an opportunity to be free of it and then, in a
rage, condemn him to an eternal hell?
This is an absurdity in the minds of Arminians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Those who
respond to the call of the Spirit of God and who, with God’s help, choose to
believe (have faith) are predestined to an eternity with the Savior. Who said Arminians do not believe in
predestination?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin teaches Bible and Apologetics to high school students at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia. He loves writing about theology, apologetics and politics. <div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-73799542811256918002013-07-06T20:17:00.003-04:002013-07-06T20:17:42.967-04:00Why would you call that Arminianism?
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my
discussions with those friends who are persuaded by Calvinism and especially by
the doctrine of predestination, I find they often do misunderstand or display a
healthy ignorance of what true Arminianism really is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cringe when I hear Arminians accused of
believing that they must earn their salvation through good works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is eye-popping and heart-stopping to hear
that Arminians believe that they have an equal part with God in the salvation
of their souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is their misconception
in a nutshell:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that Armininians must
initiate their own salvation and then maintain it through the accumulation of
good works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Bq_y9-Tr2XuWyoIXL-NqvcdqDqlhhdwzw4z46w0c1MMGaN5AQDuqFDbQ5Gj4VkIVz0gA3sNfr_y6TPenP_HsOuU3F9soqcDuH5vEyw0CEWT2vcaRAt60ayjzEkDU3bhZK44lIg71UU/s1600/John644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Bq_y9-Tr2XuWyoIXL-NqvcdqDqlhhdwzw4z46w0c1MMGaN5AQDuqFDbQ5Gj4VkIVz0gA3sNfr_y6TPenP_HsOuU3F9soqcDuH5vEyw0CEWT2vcaRAt60ayjzEkDU3bhZK44lIg71UU/s1600/John644.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Classical
Arminianism has always given God all the glory for salvation and reserved no
credit whatsoever for human endeavor in the work of salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All true classical Arminians will declare
that the human soul is completely and entirely dead in trespasses and sins and
every man would<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be hopelessly lost
without the prevenient grace (that grace which prepares the way) extended by
the Holy Spirit of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This prevenient
grace is taught throughout scripture, although, like the word ‘trinity’, ‘prevenient
grace’ is never found in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In spite of
the opinions of uninformed Calvinists, Jacob Arminius had a passionate
commitment to the grace of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arminius’
theology was clearly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sola gratia</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To interpret the theology of Arminius by the
beliefs of those who followed is an error committed by many who have never studied
the original works of the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus,
Arminians get a bum rap by being compared to Pelagians, semi-Pelagians or
devotees of the Remonstrants who successfully twisted the original doctrines of
Arminianism so as to make them at least unbiblical and at most heretical.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arminius
didn’t deny the work of God’s grace in the salvation of man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did question whether that grace was
irresistible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Calvinist would argue
that if grace is resistible then salvation cannot be all of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Arminian wonders why the Calvinist
believes that resistance to the gift causes the gift to be sullied or
diminished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, asks the Arminian, is
the gift not worthy of reception if it is accepted willingly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only worthy of reception if we are
forced to receive it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Simon Episcopius
and Arminius, unlike Philip Limborch and later Remonstrants, believed that
prevenient grace is the grace that goes before to prepare the soul to respond
freely to the calling of the Spirit of God to salvation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the ages true classical Arminians have
lamented the fact that Limborch’s theology has been labeled ‘Arminian’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Limborch believed that the fallen human will
needs only assistance, mainly through access of knowledge, not renewal, in
order to acquire salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arminius
would say that man is totally depraved and it is impossible to do or think any
good without prevening grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Limborch
would counter by saying that man is not totally depraved, he is only weakened
by his lack of knowledge and limited capabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">John Wesley redirected
Arminianism back toward its original form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although he has been falsely accused of being a Pelagian for several
hundred years now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A careful reading of
Wesley’s sermon “On Working Out Our Own Salvation” should remove all doubt as
to his position on the grace of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Whatsoever
good is in man, or is done by man, God is the author and doer of it,” Wesley
proclaimed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wesley taught that we can
only respond to God because he did first extend his grace to us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prevenient
grace does not remove the free will of man so that he can be forced to
salvation by an arbitrary God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prevenient grace simply prepares the heart of man so that he can choose
to not resist the grace of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having
received prevenient grace he can choose not to reject it or he can choose to
resist it but not without consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, the only role of the human in his own salvation is the nonresistance
to the grace of God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Adam Clarke
summed up the Arminian position by saying, “God gives the power (to believe).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man uses the power thus given, and brings glory
to God:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the power no man can
believe; with it, any man can.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(quoted
in H. Orten Wiley’s Christian Theology, pp. 369-70)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is an expression of man’s free will
only after it is recognized as a work of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Free Will
Baptist theologian Leroy Forelines summed Arminian’s interpretation of grace by
saying: “The Holy Spirit must work before there can be a successful
communication of the gospel to the sinner and before there will be conviction
and response from the sinner.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arminians believe
salvation is impossible without the effectual preparatory grace of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The application of this grace to the human soul
does not eliminate or diminish the soul’s freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It simply enables the soul to no longer
resist the grace of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arminianism
promotes the scriptural teaching of salvation by grace through faith
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God makes this possible without
diminishing the responsibility of man to practice non-resistance toward his
grace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />
Kevin teaches Bible and Apologetics to high school students at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia. He loves writing about theology, apologetics and politics. <div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-44680813143777768562013-06-29T09:55:00.000-04:002013-06-29T09:55:13.481-04:00Three Little Frogs<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhlkP-f-1cKIjuR6LYs-0K2Ld-X1S4SKM1kUuamNAXUJbMUmfZQxFjE6CmbaTJXArqQ7XLGThXJuHUo-pGVSI6VjR5UOicqNVYpAOOfLOFYEM5nXT0uyzxumL6WeYAQSR481DkelPRo4/s600/r211388_812225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhlkP-f-1cKIjuR6LYs-0K2Ld-X1S4SKM1kUuamNAXUJbMUmfZQxFjE6CmbaTJXArqQ7XLGThXJuHUo-pGVSI6VjR5UOicqNVYpAOOfLOFYEM5nXT0uyzxumL6WeYAQSR481DkelPRo4/s320/r211388_812225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kameron, my eight year old son, has a
healthy fascination for all living creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have heard his mother’s alarm go off many times in years past as
Kameron dragged another living discovery into our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These have included spiders, roly polys,
centipedes, baby birds and box turtles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I came home the other day to find three
small frogs in a plastic container just inside the garage door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had grass, water and several sticks and
stones to jump about on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three of
them were jumping like Mexican jumping beans, trying to escape their plastic
prison. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I called for Kameron and we had a long
conversation about how wild creatures don’t do well in captivity and it might
be wise and merciful to release the three frogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This idea was met with strong
resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to let the matter
rest and address it later.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another conversation regarding the
release of the frogs was unnecessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several hours later I saw Kameron talking to his new friends and walking
them to separate areas of our property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I assumed he was releasing them and I was pleased that he had decided to
do the right thing without further persuasion from his father.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later that evening I asked him about his
frogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His answer was surprising and
disturbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I took the first frog to
the end of the lot where I had decided to throw him into the burn barrel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I set the second frog in the garden where he has
plenty to eat and much to make him happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I returned to get the third frog he had decided to hop away on his
own.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say I was speechless.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While I was trying to compose a response
I began to wonder why Kameron thought he had the right to take the lives of two
innocent frogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was obvious that any compassion
he might have felt for the frogs was overcome by his intoxication with the
power he had over them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because my mind
tends to lean toward theology I found myself following another train of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Three people come to the end of their
days and are called to face their judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are anxious as they approach one whom they have been told is powerful
and sovereign yet loving and compassionate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first one approaches the bench to plead his cause but the judge cuts
him short by making a stunning declaration,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
conducted a lottery before I created the earth and your destiny was determined
before you were even born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your lot is
to perish eternally in hell,” the judge declared.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“But if you predetermined that my destiny
would be hell, then how am I responsible or accountable?” the first one asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“No answer to your question is
forthcoming because the things you ask me of are a secret matter and will remain
secret,” the Judge sternly answered. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A second person approached the bench in
fear and trembling having heard the preceding interaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, much to his relief he was ushered into
heaven by the same God who had so coldly cast off the previous person.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, the third person approached the
bench with strong reservations about whether he wanted to go to hell and live
in eternal misery or go to heaven and live with a god who seemed to be so
arbitrary, even capricious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had he been
deceived by those who had taught him about the love of God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was the goodness of this God totally dwarfed
by his greatness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was told over and
over again that “God is love.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may
be true but observing what had just happened caused the third man to believe this
God not very loving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would a loving God
desiring true fellowship and relationship with his creatures not gift them with
the ability to choose or reject that relationship?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third man looked closely into the
eyes of the judge in search of evidence to back the claim that “God is love”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He decided there was no love to be found or
if there was any love it was so miniscule it could not be detected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fear peeled away as he realized he was
seeing an imposter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He turned around and
walked away determined to search until he found the one and true God who gave
his Son for ALL those who would choose Him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is unthinkable that “God is love”
would predetermine evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Calvinist
would believe that the love of God is defined by his greatness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The classical Arminian would believe that the
power of God is clearly defined by his great love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can do no justice to the sovereignty of
God by diminishing his love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God created
man to have relationship with him and to derive glory from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Relationship is always a two way street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No relationship can exist if only one party
makes all the decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“God is love” indeed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loved us so much he was willing to limit
his own power to grant to us free will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our freedom to choose is a gift from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did he do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously he wanted to lay the foundation for
a relationship with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did he send
his Son to the cross?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it not because he wanted the relationship
to last forever?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
Kevin teaches Bible and Apologetics to high school students at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia. He loves writing about theology, apologetics and politics. <div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-31008862887585647662013-06-28T12:02:00.001-04:002013-06-28T12:06:41.279-04:00Do You Know Who You Are Talking Too?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I8Wkj21l64Bb72o8lm_Y1HkuFsJGcYcmSX4cZed49B7cgdzgLVCREYiiovYxt5ooQAHMn0cPHly9hxFCD4P7soZ7IzflalQhIKSJ-ICjG9ToS9XX8-Gy30ppxi7zjdaeercHVnb7SGg/s495/wpid-197377016990941_282668415128467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I8Wkj21l64Bb72o8lm_Y1HkuFsJGcYcmSX4cZed49B7cgdzgLVCREYiiovYxt5ooQAHMn0cPHly9hxFCD4P7soZ7IzflalQhIKSJ-ICjG9ToS9XX8-Gy30ppxi7zjdaeercHVnb7SGg/s320/wpid-197377016990941_282668415128467.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Do You Know Who You Are Talking To?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I took my family to visit Callaway Gardens, one of
west Georgia’s best kept secrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
Eden-like place is only a twenty minute drive from our home located north of
Columbus, Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1930, Cason and
Virginia Callaway picnicked in Harris County, Georgia. They fell in love with the
natural beauty of the area and by 1932 they had acquired 2500 acres of area
they planned to develop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1952, the
gardens were opened to the public for the purpose of connecting “man and nature
in a way that benefits both.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Callaway Gardens is like a Garden of Eden nestled
away in the southern most foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in west
central Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A descent southward off of Pine Mountain is
the beginning of a journey that leads across the plains of Georgia toward the beaches
of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a paradise of Azaleas and Magnolias, of lakes and streams and well
manicured golf courses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An astounding
variety of birds and wildlife experience a ‘heavenly’ existence in the man-made
sanctuary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">We were at Callaway to see the Birds of Prey
presentation in June of 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My eight
year old son, Kameron, was fascinated and thrilled as owls and hawks flew in
out of ‘nowhere’, landed on the presenter’s arm and demonstrated their beauty
and prowess to a captivated audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Small children duck their heads as the flying birds swoop low enough to cool
us with the breeze created by their wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I watched with interest as a woman wheeled an elderly
man into the arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This man with the
white, bushy eye-brows was eager to find a seat and watch the
presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His nurse navigated his
chair to our row and helped transport him to a bench where he occupied a seat
next to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made polite introductions
and I asked him to repeat because his speech was obviously impaired due to a
stroke. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“Hi, I’m Bo. Pleased to meet you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exchanged handshakes and began a pleasant
and informative conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shared
a lot of facts with me as I tried to make all the connections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that his parents were instrumental in
establishing the gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was 86
years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His mother had outlived his
father by 35 years, never remarried and dedicated her life to developing the
gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It finally dawned on me that
this man was Howard Hollis “Bo” Callaway, the third son of Cason and Virginia
Callaway, founders of the gardens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Bo Callaway is a very important and influential man
in our community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man who came
within a hair’s breadth of becoming governor of Georgia in 1966, a man whose
family had given away millions to worthy causes over many years was humble,
ordinary and unassuming that day at the Birds of Prey presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As we drove homeward I was reminded of a verse in the
Bible that alerts us to be prepared for the unexpected:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Do not forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without
knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2 )<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
flattered that this important man was comfortable, even eager to strike up a
conversation with someone who was unknown and had no importance in the
community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
thought of another passage in the Bible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"When I consider your heavens, the work
of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is
mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Psalm 8:3-4)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Every morning I walk down a long and lonely country
road and talk with God. Every morning he meets me there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally I don’t show up but I have never
been stood up by him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I am flattered
to sit with and speak to Bo Callaway, how much more amazing is it to meet with
and speak to the God of the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
lowers his ear to hear my supplications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He reminds me that he is a God who “understands our weaknesses, for he
faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” ( Hebrews 4:15)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I am overwhelmed that:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“…God should love a sinner such as I <br />
Should yearn to change my sorrow into bliss <br />
Nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh <br />
How wonderful is love like this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">That for a willful outcast such as I <br />
The Father planned, the Savior bled and died <br />
Redemption for a worthless slave to buy <br />
Who long had law and grace defied.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Such Love</i> by Robert Harkness)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">He meets with me every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He walks with me, he talks with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He encourages me and sometimes he lovingly chastises
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Creator of the universe
befriends me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He desires that I might
spend eternity with him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I experience this miracle every day and it’s enough
to blow my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Kevin teaches Bible and Apologetics to high school students at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia. He loves writing about theology, apologetics and politics. <div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-70699598719460847662013-06-27T17:39:00.001-04:002013-06-27T17:39:57.636-04:00Why is this happening to me? (Part Three)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlw3q7830GI1SG5SsXXqqv7GoiDZEPg5S6X344iAWX_bBreRcedPe1JJyOtGvWZx75SqONF9PFtMcGZCUqJdz2ytHB5FtcaHDFeiZsNVQQu-3ouaap7Ru6A3g2ayjtds8oWhg9QDthyphenhyphenw/s520/in+the+valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlw3q7830GI1SG5SsXXqqv7GoiDZEPg5S6X344iAWX_bBreRcedPe1JJyOtGvWZx75SqONF9PFtMcGZCUqJdz2ytHB5FtcaHDFeiZsNVQQu-3ouaap7Ru6A3g2ayjtds8oWhg9QDthyphenhyphenw/s320/in+the+valley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Isaac’s
wife, Rebekkah, felt the twins wrestling within her womb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was to become the mother of two nations
(Gen. 25:22)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The babies jostled each
other within her, and she asked, “Why is this happening to me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, she went to inquire of the Lord.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever asked that question? Do you go
to God for answers?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before we
look at the possible reasons we may be experiencing difficulties in our lives
let’s answer another question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does
it look like when you are traveling through a dark valley or when you are being
battered by a ruthless storm?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A man’s wife comes home from work, just
like she does everyday only on this day she tells her husband that she is
leaving him and running off with another man she has fallen in love with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her husband is asking “Why is this happening
to me?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> A teen-aged son is arrested for
smoking and selling pot at school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
charged with a felony and expelled from school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This family finds itself in a deep, dark valley <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A husband/father has learned that he
has terminal cancer and he only has months to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will leave behind a wife and several
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This man is asking, “Why is
this happening to me?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A young daughter tells her parents that
she is pregnant and she is running away with her boyfriend, the father of her
child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This family is living in a storm.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A young couple loses a child to a
miscarriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several years later they
have another child that is plagued with birth defects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are they not going to ask, “Why is this
happening to us?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A young college student decides to tell
the family around the dinner table that he is homosexual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wife/mother struggles with alcoholism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A husband/father can’t shake a gambling and
pornography habit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What should these
families do when they are tossed about in the storms of life?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Why is this happening to me?” may be a
question far more common than we realize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s explore some possible answers:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may be in the storm because of our own
flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘flesh’ is that sinful part
of us that wants to believe that we don’t need God so we leave him out of the
equation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we are more intent on
satisfying our own fleshly desires rather than pleasing and obeying the Savior
we are going to go into the valley.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is
double-mindedness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(James 1:1)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Their loyalty is divided between God and the
world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You stay out
of the valley by being single-minded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Put God first in every situation of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are often
like Peter on the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin to
sink into the valley of despair when we take our eyes off Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The waves of anger and bitterness overwhelm
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find ourselves sinking into the
deep, black waters of hopelessness and fear and anxiety. These are all fleshly
responses to the dangers we are confronted with when we experience the stormy
seasons of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jesus told a
parable about the seed falling into shallow soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mark 4:6)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“When the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered
because they had no root.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Find time to
build spiritual depth in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
after the storm arrives but before the storm arrives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be prepared for the storm by deepening your
relationship through prayer and living in the word of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may be in the storm because we are out of
the Word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We often
fail to read God’s word, not because we don’t have time, but because we are
stubborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially those of us who
are men, we don’t think we need to refer to the owner’s manual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like to figure it out on our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t need instructions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reaching for your Bible is admitting, “I need
help.” It is an act of humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
can’t figure this out on my own.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My wife
reminds me often of how important it is to have alone time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spouses need time alone with each other. They
need time to get to know each other, time to catch up on what might be going on
in each other’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time is
crucial for the relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Does God not
occasionally lead us into the storm because he senses the need for some ‘alone’
time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our God is relational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm brings an intimacy with God
uncommon for some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He teaches us things
in the storm that we will not learn when “the warm south wind” is blowing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in the storm always, always to bring
glory to God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those crisis
moments in life help us to define what is really important. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I struck a deer on my motorcycle and lay
in the hospital with a broken collar bone, two broken ribs and a punctured
lung…I suddenly didn’t care about the lawn getting mowed, or the car getting
vacuumed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cared about staying around
to be a husband to my wife and a father to my child and a grandfather to my
grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rearranged my priorities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Paul and his
fellows began to throw the cargo of grain off the ship in order to be
saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That cargo had great value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was worth thousands of dollars but in the
moment of crisis it had no value at all to them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you are
trying to find your way through the storm please realize that the most
important thing is your relationship with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He wants you to use that crisis to demonstrate your faith in him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can glorify God by putting him first in
your life and demonstrating to others that you have your spiritual priorities
together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t bend and
they wouldn’t burn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the midst of
their trial they revealed the Son of Man right there in the midst of the fire
with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God allows storms to come
into our lives to provide us opportunities to reveal Christ at work during our
most difficult moments.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is always enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My faith has
found a resting place,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in device or creed;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I trust the ever living One,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wounds for me shall plead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I need no
other argument,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need no other plea,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is enough that Jesus died,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that He died for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christ is
always enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often find ourselves
running to other people rather than to God and this is a demonstration of our
lack of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never fails. He never
runs out of patience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fountain of
his wisdom never runs dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His strength
abounds forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We live in a
culture where millions are turning to drugs and doctors, health guru’s and
self-help books and amateur counselors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of these things may have their place but we must first consult One
who knows us best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe we
don’t turn to him because we don’t know Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you really know the Savior today? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have
taught many students in my 30 years as an educator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many have fathers but they lack confidence
in their fathers love them for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of their fathers are absent, some are negligent, and some are
abusive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many
Christians doubt their Father’s love for them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you don’t spend time in his word you will start doubting his
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you claim a relationship that
you have never experienced you will doubt his love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be confident of his love you have to know
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings rest and confidence to
our souls when we spend time with Him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took my
son for a walk one night after dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
walked to a cemetery not far from our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I confess our adventure was more about testing his courage than actually
spending time with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we got closer
to the cemetery the dogs and coyotes began to howl and bark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spoke to my son,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Kameron, are you scared?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looked at me incredulously and said, “Why
no, Dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t too sure how to answer him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know my
son well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had he been on that old gravel
road alone on that moonlit night approaching that cemetery he would have been
very fearful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wasn’t scared because
of the faith he had in his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
knew I loved him and I would defend him with my very life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t walk
through the valley alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t endure
the storm by yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In those
moments of crisis, God is all you need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your Father loves you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will
take care of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will walk with you
through the storm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Deut.
31:6<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Be strong and courageous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not be afraid or terrified because of
them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches Bible and Apologetics at Lafayette Christian Academy in LaGrange, Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-86637240403888227102013-06-26T07:51:00.001-04:002013-06-26T07:51:21.084-04:00Why is this happening to me? (Part Two)
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
often find ourselves in the valley of despair because God wants to reveal his
nature to us but also because he wants to teach us things about ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“These [trials] have
come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though
refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor
when Jesus Christ is revealed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(1 Peter 1:7)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you find yourself in the stormy trial:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><u>1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are in a place of wandering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></u></span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You
are in a place where you don’t know what your next step should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are not sure which direction God wants
you to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be a frightening
place to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
father took me to his Uncle Tom’s house to hunt deer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my first deer hunting experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was only 12 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow began to fall gently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They set me up on a small hillside and
attempted to drive the deer my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
I got impatient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I became restless so I
began to wander away sure I’d see a deer just over the next hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow fell harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was near blizzard conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darkness was approaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hardly see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been wandering about for a couple hours
when I saw tracks in the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so
relieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would follow the tracks out
of this dark and dreary valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
tracks were mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going in
circles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
escaped that valley by climbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
climbed to the top of the mountain and when I got to the top I could see my
uncle’s house on the hillside across the valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a beeline for safety.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
we are in a place of wandering it can become confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can get disoriented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our way can seem like the right way but until
we choose God’s way we will only be traveling in circles. “There is a way that
appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” – (Proverbs 14:12)</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>You
are in a place of waiting.</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
you feeling the weight of circumstances over which you have no control?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often does God ask us to wait and waiting
can be the hardest thing to do because it goes against our nature to want to
rush forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
recently broke three bones in a motor cycle accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After six weeks I went to the doctor for
x-rays and an evaluation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to mow
the lawn again and carry my grandchildren but he instructed me to hold off for
another six weeks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting is so hard to
do but it is often necessary for total healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The wounds of the heart are often healed with much passing of time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are great benefits to waiting:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint. – (Isaiah 40:31)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>You
are in a place of warfare.</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your
Christian faith glorifies God but it annoys and enrages Satan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Satan can destroy your faith he can
destroy your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Satan is battling for
your eternal soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he can rob you of
faith you become weak and vulnerable like Samson with his hair shorn off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God
allows the testing because he wants you to grow, to mature, he wants to
sanctify you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants you to be aware
of your own strengths and weaknesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
think most of the trials we suffer are to teach us humility and dependence on
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chief end of man is to bring
glory to God and when we are too much in the way we can’t glorify God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trials test our humility</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><u>a.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fail the test of humility when we complain</u></span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often do
we find ourselves whining about the battle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We become ‘sunshine soldiers’ unwilling to endure the difficulties and
discomforts of warfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sin when we gripe
about things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fail when we refuse to
submit and humble ourselves before God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are seven things listed in the Book of Proverbs that are hated by God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first listed is pride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God hates a proud heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Prov.6:16-19)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pride is
comparative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one is proud because
they have nice clothes, or a nice car or a nice house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are proud because we have <u>nicer</u>
clothes, a <u>nicer</u> car or a <u>nicer</u> house than someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>b.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>We
fail the test of humility when we boast.</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Whatever
is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father…” (James 1:17)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God’s
word to the people in the wilderness:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Remember
how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years,
to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not
you would keep his commands.” (Deut. 8:2)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You
may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this
wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the
ability to produce wealth…” – (Deut. 8:17-18)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
must learn to see God as the source of all things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is one more step he expects us to
take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also wants us to allow him to
regulate what he has given us. “Thank you Lord for what I have, now, how do you
want me to use it?” He gives us gifts for our enjoyment but he also gives us
gifts to be used to bring glory to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches Bible and Apologetics at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-22444557602193149902013-06-24T12:11:00.003-04:002013-06-24T12:11:39.869-04:00
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #17365d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why is this happening to me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Part 1)<w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every pilgrim on this journey must suffer some storms
in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have lived long enough,
you have suffered some pain, some heartache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is not <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">if</b> the storms will
come, it is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">when</b> the storms will
come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thomas
Paine, one of our early founding fathers was seeing a storm approaching the
colonies when he said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“These are the
times that try men's souls: The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">summer
soldier</b> and the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sunshine patriot</b>
will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How
many young Christians have started out on the journey only to be confronted by
a treacherous storm and then they threw in the towel, saying:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This is not for me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were ‘summer soldiers’ and ‘sunshine
patriots’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they were eating the
summer fruits and experiencing the thrill of victory after victory they were
happy and content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when they
experienced their ‘Valley Forge’ the ‘<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sunshine
patriots’</b> were ready to quit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Acts
27 is a marvelous piece of literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It tells the story of Paul and some other prisoners who were loaded onto
a ship to be taken to Rome. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul must
surely have doubted that he could be tried fairly for his Christian beliefs in pagan
Rome. The future must have looked pretty bleak for him but we don’t see Paul
moping about the ship feeling sorry for himself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, Paul was transforming a desperate
situation into an opportunity to witness to the scores of prisoners who were
soon to be used as bait for the lions and entertainment for the masses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
issues a warning:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Men, I can see that
our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo,
and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, <u>instead of listening to what
Paul said</u>, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.” (v.
10, 11) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<u>When a gentle south wind began to blow</u>,
they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore
of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster,
swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head
into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>V. 13-15 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
men in this boat reached deeply into their maritime experience to try every
trick they could think of in their attempt to survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, they <u>tried to bind the hull of the boat
together with ropes</u> to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>keep it from
splitting to pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they began to <u>throw
cargo (wheat from Egypt) overboard</u> in order to save themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many
days and the storm continued raging, we finally <u>gave up all hope</u> of
being saved.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(v. 20) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How tragic it is when a soul has
given up all hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not long ago, Michael
Jackson’s daughter tried to commit suicide. She had surely ‘given up all hope.’
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But hope is always there in the worst
storm, in the deepest valley and sadly, people can’t see it, they can’t sense
its presence and some give up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My
hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When the
storm was raging at its worst, Paul rose up to speak:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Last night an angel of the God to whom I
belong and whom I serve stood beside me<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
said, ‘<u>Do not be afraid</u>, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and
God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So keep up your courage, men, for I have
faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(v. 23-25)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What
are some of the reasons this is happening to me?<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes we bring the storm on ourselves.<u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></u></span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God
asked Jonah to go preach in Nineveh but Jonah did an about face and high-tailed
it to Tarsus where he had an unfortunate encounter with a big fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often bring the storm upon ourselves
because of disobedience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
was probably the only Christian on the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was a man of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But “instead
of listening to what Paul said” they took advice from non-Christians, from
pagans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
often see young people who are feeling anxiety about their future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gather about them a list of people who
might give them advice and this seems like a wise thing to do but they often go
down the list until they find enough people to tell them what they want to hear
and then they are off to do what they want to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is foolishness dressed in wisdom’s
clothing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“When
a gentle south wind began to blow” they cast off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be deceived by the “gentle south winds”
in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
should first get on our knees before God and then seek council from those
Christians who have learned lessons that can only be learned from being
battered by the storms of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sometimes
God brings storms into our lives.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
sent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Job</b> through a horrific
storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Abraham</b> to sacrifice his own son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are many instances recorded in the word of God that indicate His
willingness to subject us to great difficulties in order to test our faith.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> told his disciples to get in the boat and cross the
sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They encountered a terrific
storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew they would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best learning takes place in the storm,
not when the “gentle south wind” blows. The storms God brings into our lives
are opportunities to bring glory to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sometimes
others bring storms into our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>I’ve
done some marriage counseling for engaged couples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A week before the marriage they are basking
in the ‘warmth of the south wind’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
tempest has not yet come. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God sanctifies
us in our marriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What better way to
teach you the fruits of the Spirit than to match you up with someone NOT like
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What magic is shared by the older
couple that makes them so sweet after fifty years of marriage?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t the “gentle south wind” that did
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was enduring and learning from
the storms of life that created sanctified sweetness in their character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met a man a few weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I observed him in the setting we were in for
a couple of hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a severely
handicapped granddaughter that he and his wife have permanent custody of. I
watched him love her and dote over her and constantly worry about whether she
was comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was obvious to me,
as I watched, what impact the grandfather was having on the life of the
granddaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left wondering what affect
the granddaughter was having on the grandfather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must be a difficult trial to be burdened
with someone so needy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several
weeks later I discovered that a lot of people in my circle knew this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was associated with a former church that I
was also associated with. I began to ask, “Do you know Mr. Taylor?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh yes, what a wonderful man of God.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t become a wonderful man of God by
accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t attain his deep
spirituality and close walk with the Savior by basking in the “gentle south
winds”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is little doubt he was purified by the
fiery trials of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you have the courage to pray to be more Christ-like expect to endure some very
difficult storms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm is God’s
chisel to knock off the rough places in your character.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches Bible and Apologetics at Lafayette Christian School in Lagrange, GA.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-64320744500385204472013-06-21T07:30:00.000-04:002013-06-21T07:30:11.332-04:00When It Can’t Get Any Darker
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was
my mother’s ambition to give my two brothers and I as many opportunities to see
the world as she possibly could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though
we were dirt poor, mom saved every year so we could go on vacation in the
summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these summer excursions
led us into Mammoth Cave of western Kentucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a small child I was amazed that a hole in the ground could stretch so
far, nearly 400 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fantasized
about being the one to explore parts of the cave where no man had yet been.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
summer I provided my eight year old son, Kameron, with the Mammoth Cave
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He trembled with excitement
as he took each of 300 steps downward into the cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He enjoyed the coolness of the cave as it
held its temperature steady at 54 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He loved the stalagmites and the stalactites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“A stalactite holds tight to the ceiling and
a stalagmite stands mighty on the ground,” his mother taught him to distinguish
between the two.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Half-way
through the tour our guide gave us opportunities to ask questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son immediately raised his hand as if he
were sitting in Ms. Merritt’s second grade class room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly pulled his arm down, fearful that
he was going to ask where the nearest bathroom might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked him, “What were you going to
ask?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He replied, “Oh, I was just going
to ask him to turn out the lights.” A few minutes later Kam got his wish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They turned out all the lights for only a
brief moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was Kam’s favorite part
of the adventure.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
darkness of a cave is like no other darkness you have ever experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a total blackness that can generate
panic in your breast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a darkness
that seems to have weight, an oppressive darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something you wouldn’t want to experience
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kind of utter darkness, the
kind that prevents you from seeing your hand in front of your face, can be very
disorienting.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
1914, British explorer Ernest Shackleton set out to explore Antarctica with a
crew of adventurous men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shackleton’s
plan was to land his ship, the Endurance, and walk across the South Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His mission had to be aborted because the Endurance
was unable to endure the polar ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shackleton’s crew was stranded for months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, the survivors were asked to reveal the
most horrendous difficulty they experienced in Antarctica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They answered that it was not
starvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not the bitter cold
or the pain of frost bite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
horrible difficulty they faced was the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun doesn’t rise from mid-May to late
June at the South Pole making total darkness an unwelcome companion. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
deep darkness causes one to lose their sense of direction. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t see where you are going nor can you
see where you have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It removes the
natural time piece that helps us to measure our days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will steal away one’s rhythm of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can bring about depression and loneliness
and cause one to lose their sense of who they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been known to cause some men to go
mad.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The sun
is the source of all biological life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Without its rays of light we would all perish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible often compares God to the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“For the Lord God is a sun…” (Psalm
84:11)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the sun is the source of
all biological life, God is the source of all spiritual life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as the earth stays in its orbit
around the sun there will be life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
long as our lives orbit around God we will have spiritual life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dispels the darkness that seeks to invade
our workspace, our marriages, our families, our finances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When God is centered in our lives we
experience order and understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
God is no longer the center of our lives we get disoriented in the darkness
that pervades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Order is replaced by
chaos and peace is replaced by turmoil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
practice idolatry when we try to replace God as the true source of light in our
lives. We may feel a temporary satisfaction even though we ignore God in our
pursuit of a career, or in our thirst for acceptance and popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forbidden love and unbridled lust will
certainly bring a temporary satisfaction but eventually we will discover that
those things are not big enough to fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spiritual
darkness can cause us to lose a proper perspective of who we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t see yourself when the light is turned
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You find yourself doing things you
never dreamed you would do when you dwell in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The darkness provides a false sense of
security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the cover of darkness
you tend to believe that no one sees and no one knows and no one cares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loneliness becomes a companion to darkness as
you become more and more isolated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prolonged isolation will lead to depression and finally to
disintegration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
cave-like, polar darkness descended upon Israel the day Christ died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the darkness was finally lifted and
Christ was resurrected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His resurrection
demonstrates to us his power to save.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is the Light who chases away spiritual darkness in the souls of men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brings order out of chaos, he brings peace
out of turmoil, he brings satisfaction out of frustration, clear direction out
of disorientation, love out of hatred and hope out of despair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
hope of every Christian is rooted in His resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His resurrection rends the veil in two so we
may enter the holy of holies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
resurrection brings assurance to the Christian that death is only temporary and
eternal life awaits those who call upon the name of the Lord. His resurrection
clears a path for us to find our way to heaven where we will no longer need the
light of the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, we will bask
eternally in the light of his glory.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches New Testament, Apologetics and Epistles at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-77248919440677038132013-05-02T06:17:00.001-04:002013-05-02T06:17:52.944-04:00Why Liberals Hate Men Who Won’t Give Up Their Guns And Women Who Won’t Kill Their Babies<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I don’t know why many Americans on the
political left are embracing a system that has persistently failed throughout
history. They love to cradle this system
in words that sound warm and fuzzy and very appealing: cooperation, collective
effort, common ownership, and mutualism.
It reminds one of a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and
expecting different results.” Why are
they convinced that they (modern progressives) can finally make this failed
system work? They are in a collective
stupor because they have overdosed on a drug called arrogance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Their
movement is full of contradictions. They
vehemently oppose the western tradition of supporting “rugged individualism”
and wish for all to join the herd and allow the government to shepherd us
toward ‘greener’ pastures. The
independent ones who choose to paddle upstream rather than go with the flow are
ostracized and hated. However, they will
compromise their own collective principles if an individual or minority group
can bring political benefit to the progressives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Thomas
Jefferson defended the rights of the individual in the Declaration of Independence. He diligently studied the great British
political philosopher John Locke. He
practically quoted Locke word for word in his original version of the
Declaration when he wrote that all individuals have a right to “Life, liberty
and the pursuit of property.” This comes
from John Locke’s writings on natural law.
Perhaps Jefferson was wishing to paint with a broader stroke when he
chose to edit Locke’s statement when he penned the words “Life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> The
primary property John Locke was referring to was a man’s right to his own
person. “Though the Earth…be common to
all Men, yet every Man has a Property in his own Person. This no Body has any Right to but himself.” (<i>First
Treatise on Government</i>) Some of
Locke’s contemporary philosophers believed that property was created by the
state and therefore the state has sovereignty over the individual. (Hume, Hobbes and Rousseau) Modern progressives embrace the idea of
sovereign government over the natural rights of the individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> The
modern anti-individualism movement is clearly on display in the left’s hatred
for guns. An individual in possession of
a gun expresses an independence that drives leftists nearly insane. The gun owner is expressing his individual
right to protect himself, not only from other individuals of ill intent but also
from a power mongering government. The
liberal senses an attitude in the “bitter clinger” that declares himself to be
owner and defender of his own self. The
gun control freaks are frosted when an individual refuses to call on and trust
a collective government to protect him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Social
progressives detest women who find fulfillment in being wives and mothers. Liberal woman expect all female sheep to join
the cause and collectively and competitively wage war on male society. Feminists celebrate enthusiastically when a
woman chooses death through abortion.
They have a seething hatred for those who would choose individual
families over collective femininism. Women devoted to families are considered
weak and disgusting. The “right to life”
is selective and to be determined collectively rather than individually. While
shouting that all women have a right to their own bodies the feminist movement
actually promotes something entirely opposite.
Sheepish females who have chosen to submit to the alpha females of the
feminist movement must sacrifice their individual rights for the sake of the
common ‘good’ and their unborn babies must sacrifice their lives for the
collective goal of feminism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Progressive
hate Christians and Jews because Judeo-Christian beliefs run contrary to
socialist beliefs. They try to transform
the Savior Jesus into some sort of social justice hero. But Jesus was no hater of children, he love
the little ones and warned those who would kill them or corrupt them that “it
would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around
their neck” (Luke 17:2) than to face the punishment stored up for those who destroy
their own children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Stay-at-home
mothers or families that home school their children are hated by progressives. This kind of independent behavior runs
contrary to their teaching that “it takes a village” to rear children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> John
Locke’s understanding of property rights helps us understand the bitter hatred
of the left for those on the right who promote families, pro-life, gun
ownership and home schooling. Those who
are reared in families that believe in the right to protect individual
property, especially the right to protect one’s own body, represent the future
failure of socialism in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Jesus
taught a balance between individualism and collectivism. Eliminating one in an attempt to promote the
other will lead to chaotic failure.
Jesus asked his disciples as individuals to “take up their cross and
follow him.” Then he taught them “not to
forsake coming together in community.” I
believe we can be a part of a community without sacrificing our individual
rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Christians
must beware of devoting themselves too fully to a secular cause or idea. Oswald Chambers said, “A man that is devoted
to God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue; he is devoted to
God himself.” (My Utmost For His Highest,
p.123) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-82177988269501784072013-04-30T11:07:00.001-04:002013-04-30T11:09:37.401-04:00Pretending to Love Jason Collins<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pretending
to Love Jason Collins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I suppose Monday, April 29, 2013
will go down in history as a great day for America. Jason Collins came out of the closet to
announce to the world that he is homosexual.
He has been depicted as a
"hero", a "trailblazer" and as "our Jackie
Robinson". Kobe Bryant was one of the
first to congratulate Jason for his courage.
Michele Obama was quick to announce her support for Jason: "So
proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We've
got your back!" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Bill Clinton couldn't help
bloviating on the controversial topic declaring that Collins' announcement was “an
important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT
community.” In case you may have forgotten,
this is the same president who signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act in
1996 while he carried on a secret affair with Monica Lewinsky. It was also Bill Clinton who signed the Don't
Ask Don't Tell policy which stated that an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual
service member would of necessity be discharged from the military.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Chelsea Clinton, a former classmate
of Collins at Stanford University, tweeted her support: "I am very proud of my friend Jason
Collins for having the strength & courage to be the first openly gay player
in the NBA”. Chelsea claims credit for
helping her father finally 'evolve to the truth' about homosexuality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Unfortunately Bill Clinton
represents the culture of America. What
was once condemned as wrong is now not only tolerated, it is enthusiastically
accepted. It is now 'cool' to be
gay. Were we wrong then and now we are
right or were we right then and now we are wrong? Human nature does not evolve toward the
truth, rather it leans toward sin. The
Apostle Paul described his natural struggle with sin in his letter to the
Romans. (Romans 7:23-25)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Not to be outdone by the Clintons,
Barack Obama weighed in on the matter through White House Spokesman Jay
Carney: " We view that (Collins
announcement) as another example of the
progress that has been made and the evolution that has been taking place in
this country and commend him for his courage and support him." I am reminded of another call Obama made to
Sandra Fluker to support her as she clamored for free contraceptives. I also remember a call to the Occupy group
who camped out on Wall Street to encourage their rebellion. I remember a "beer summit" in
support of Harvard Professor Henry Gates who made unfounded accusations of
racism against a Cambridge police officer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Please wait while I pause….still
pausing….thinking….trying to remember. I
can't remember any calls to injured American servicemen. I do remember a vague empty promise to get to
the bottom of the Benghazi incident. It
certainly seems we have a president who is more than eager to lend his support
to divisive issues but feels little motivation to create patriotism and loyalty
to the country he serves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I know I'm going to get slam-dunked
for what I am about to write. It always
happens when I express my opinion on this issue. I don't know Jason Collins personally. It seems I would like him if I did know
him. Are those supporters of Jason
Collins really expressing love for a friend?
Among those of us in Christian circles we like to refer to it as 'tough
love'. It is the determination to defend
truth even in situations where it generates pain. Someone needs to tell Jason Collins the truth
about homosexuality, not because they hate him but because they love him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> While nearly everyone will commend
Collins for his courage to declare himself a homosexual, few will commend
ESPN's Chris Broussard for having the courage to tell the truth. Who is a real friend of Jason Collins? Is it Bill or Chelsea Clinton? Is it Barack or Michele Obama? They are jumping on the band wagon for
political exposure. They are like
parasites leaching off of every individual who has found their way into the
national spotlight. Jason, your real
friend is Chris Broussard. (<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/nba-reporter-calls-homosexuality-a-sin-on-tv">http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/nba-reporter-calls-homosexuality-a-sin-on-tv</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUJNF-r6na1C0uJ81lOcMH7xtA-0BdsLaNdKLyJpSGlyB4Qp1Zkxi64URBgMfR6FR3bo340Mq9SRk26qg_5o00opzfSC6A4MPB5bwxpANxsNuk9V6aRrW7q1TbAf8nqPSWwG-3laqXLk/s1600/chris-broussard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUJNF-r6na1C0uJ81lOcMH7xtA-0BdsLaNdKLyJpSGlyB4Qp1Zkxi64URBgMfR6FR3bo340Mq9SRk26qg_5o00opzfSC6A4MPB5bwxpANxsNuk9V6aRrW7q1TbAf8nqPSWwG-3laqXLk/s320/chris-broussard.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The sports analyst expressed his
opinion of ESPN's "Outside the Lines." "I'm a Christian. I don't
agree with homosexuality," Broussard said. "I think it's a sin, as I
think all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is. If you're
openly living in unrepentant sin ... that's walking in open rebellion to God
and to Jesus Christ," he added. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Please wait while I applaud….clapping
hands…feeling proud…stilling applauding the courage of Chris Broussard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Earl Fowlkes is the president and
CEO of the Center for Black Equity, a group that supports black individuals who
are gay, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered.
He made a ludicrous attempt to compare Jason Collins with Jackie
Robinson. "…he will be a little,
miniature Jackie Robinson." The attempt
of the homosexuals to hijack the Civil Rights Movement is outrageous. Martin Luther King fought for rights that
were being denied those who belonged to a race characterized by skin
color. Our race is predetermined before
birth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> There is no scientific evidence that
people are born gay. Sexual orientation
is not written in our DNA, it is more about how we define ourselves. (<a href="http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/06/14/are-people-really-born-gay/">http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/06/14/are-people-really-born-gay/</a>) Ironically, Jason Collin's has a twin brother
who revealed that he was shocked when he learned his brother was gay. With no evidence to support a genetic cause,
we have descended to the level of granting rights for certain behaviors. As you can only imagine, opening this
Pandora's Box will only lead to more confusion and controversy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Chris Broussard is the lone voice
crying in the wilderness. Homosexual
behavior is a sin that distresses the heart of a holy God. If a holy God is to remain holy he must one
day administer justice for the sin of homosexuality. Broussard added more truth to the issue. He declared that all sex outside of marriage
is sinful in the eyes of God. As
Christians, we love Jason Collins. We love him enough to tell him the truth. We have all sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Christians to
whom forgiveness has been granted through the Savior, Jesus Christ, want to
share this good news with whoever is willing to believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches History and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus, Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-27809751558014333802013-04-25T06:16:00.000-04:002013-04-25T06:16:00.153-04:00Students in Christian Schools: Transformation or Indoctrination?<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I have attended or taught in private
Christian schools for well over two decades.
I presently teach in a Christian School in Columbus, Georgia. My experience teaching in Christian education
has been overwhelmingly positive. I
walked away from public education twelve years ago and dedicated myself to
educational ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A common complaint I hear from non-Christian
public school students as well as Christian school students is that there isn't
a thimble full of behavioral difference between the two. If this is true it is tragic, if it is not
true then it is a perception that must be addressed. This leads us to a most relevant question: Are students who attend Christian schools
being transformed by the redeeming truth of Christianity or are they simply
being spoon-fed a well-learned jargon that brings no transformation but rather
produces a generation that exhibits a "form of godliness but denies its
power." (2 Tim. 3:5)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Students who have been spoon-fed a Christian
worldview but have not been taught or permitted to ask the hard questions are
often swept away when they get to college and experience an environment that is
decidedly atheistic but one that encourages enquiry and contrary opinions. They often mistake the falsity taught in an
open and challenging atmosphere as truth
and conversely question the truth they learned in an atmosphere that
discouraged consideration of the 'hard questions'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What
is the mission of a Christian school? Is
it to evangelize those who are lost? Is
it to disciple whose who have accepted Christ?
Is it simply to offer an alternative form of education and provide an
escape hatch for those who are caught up in a culture saturated with
promiscuous sex and illegal drug activity?
I think most Christian schools have elements of all of the above in
their declared mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A statistic was released some time ago
that rocked the Christian world. 80% of
youth stop attending church after they graduate from high school. Many reasons have been given: They had planned to leave even before
graduation. They were sidetracked by
atheistic professors touting PhD’s behind their names. They were unprepared for the sudden flood of
anti-Christian culture that simply swept them away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After decades of involvement in
Christian education, I have observed this phenomenon in Christian schools as
well though perhaps not quite so prevalent.
I believe the real reason students leave the faith may well be that they
never were in the faith to begin with.
Christian school students often spend an entire twelve years learning the
jargon of Christianity. They know what
words to use and exactly when to insert just the right phrases to convince
their elders that they are, indeed, followers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After years of teaching, mentoring and
observing young students in Christian schools, I have concluded that those many
who leave the faith had never really enlisted.
Jesus gave a clear calling to his disciples to follow him. Only a few became true followers. Some began to follow but were overwhelmed by
the sacrifices they were asked to make.
Others turned back because they missed the comforts offered by their
families and culture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The call to “Follow me” is
exclusive. Christ wants us to follow him
and no other. A bird can’t fly north and
south at the same time. A bulldozer can
either push or pull but it can’t do both simultaneously anymore than a person
can follow Christ while simultaneously following a sinful, secular
culture. Most of those who ‘leave’ the faith were not
saved in the first place. They did not
read their Bible regularly. They blended
in with their non-Christian friends rather than be distinguished from
them. They dated unbelievers and they
rationalized a participation in sex and experimentation with drugs and alcohol. They gave mental assent to the Christian
worldview they were being taught but they never gave their heart to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Christian educators must strike a
balance between simply being an educator and being a spiritual mentor. It is not enough for students to learn the
twelve tribes of Israel and be able to recite last week’s memory verse. The fact that they have mastered Christian
lingo doesn’t always indicate that they have accepted and embraced those truths
into their hearts. They are very skilled
at reciting biblical truth but have they learned to make practical application
of those recitations? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Some Christian school students walk away
from the faith because they never distinguished the difference between
accepting Christ as their personal Savior and simply accepting Christ as the
Savior of their parents or their teachers.
The paradox is that Christian educators want very much for their students
to have a personal relationship with Christ but when we package the message in
the atmosphere of the institution it is perceived to be very impersonal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Students often make an unfortunate
parallel between Christianity and the policies of the educational
institution. They are given a list of
rules to follow regarding academics, dress code and behavior. They can then make an easy transition to
interpret Christianity as simply a set of rules to keep. They attempt to experience a personal
relationship with Christ by keeping a list of ‘do’s and don’ts’. The rap on college students who come from
Christian schools is that the ones who get wild get really wild. It may be because of the exhilaration they
feel when they are freed from the weight of trying to abide by the rules using
their own effort rather than relying on the grace of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We often go shallow when teaching Christian
principles to our students. We want them
to learn seven steps to successful dating or five ways to financial
success. In so doing we offer them no
more than they can find in the self-help section of Barnes and Noble. They can get ‘an inch deep and a mile wide’
anywhere. We find ourselves giving them
what they want rather than what they need.
We allow them to stay in the shallow end of the pool rather than explore
the treasures that can only be found in the deep. Those who learn and then embrace the deep
truths of the gospel are those who become great warriors and kingdom builders
for Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Christian teachers are tempted, just
like all teachers, to entertain rather than educate. Students would much rather hear stories from
your personal life than study trigonometry or Shakespeare. But succumbing to this temptation in
Christian education is perilous to their educational as well as their spiritual
development. More often than not, we
fail to challenge them because we underestimate them. They are usually capable of diving much
deeper than we realize. Make no
assumption that their intellectual capabilities are limited because their
behavior is foolish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I have learned over the years that there
are treasures deep in the souls of my students that are not revealed in mere
words. Some are actually unaware of the
gifts they harbor deep within. As an educator am dedicated to helping them
discover what they are capable of but as a Christian educator I also want them
to dedicate these discoveries to Christ the Savior. They will then become great warriors for
Christ and skilled builders of his kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I am so blessed to be a Christian
educator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9KZPZ-VLURNWxNxmOglA4m1EfhH_R17hqpdzmgGF968f86ehaeSIVK0VTL0Jxo9bYhZw-uKqekKmFVMBpSzjvs1RPdu7wNPqpE-Ase5hqJCc6ePoksrd-VgikH5YLEonfIXCK1HFt3M/s1600/christianEducation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9KZPZ-VLURNWxNxmOglA4m1EfhH_R17hqpdzmgGF968f86ehaeSIVK0VTL0Jxo9bYhZw-uKqekKmFVMBpSzjvs1RPdu7wNPqpE-Ase5hqJCc6ePoksrd-VgikH5YLEonfIXCK1HFt3M/s320/christianEducation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-24957129097140619902013-04-20T05:34:00.001-04:002013-04-20T05:34:39.402-04:00America in Crisis<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">America In Crisis<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> It
was one of those great moments in American sports. Maybe some of you remember a baseball player,
the center fielder for the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs were playing the Dodgers on April 25 in 1976. During the fourth inning William Thomas and
his son ran out onto the field and attempted to set fire to the American
flag. They doused it with lighter fluid
and their first match was blown out by the wind. That gave center fielder Rick Monday
just enough time to sprint over and swipe the flag away and carry it to safety. It was a touching moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> I
will always remember what followed as a very proud moment for America. The scoreboard lights congratulated Rick
Monday: “Rick Monday…you made a great
play.” It was truly a 'goose-bump'
moment. A whole stadium filled with
patriotic Americans began to sing 'God Bless America'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Americans
have proven throughout their history that times of difficulty bring unity, not
division. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">On tax day, April
15<sup>th</sup>, 2013, Americans rallied to support the families of the
innocent who were wounded or killed at the Boston marathon. We all shared the pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I was only a
second grader when my father picked me up at school and as we traveled home he
told me of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was a devastating moment but Americans
came together in our moment of tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I will never
forget traveling south on 185 toward Baker High School in 1990 and watching our
troops from Fort Benning head north in a convoy of busses that stretched for
miles. The residents of Columbus lined
every bridge from Macon Road to Fort Benning and waved yellow ribbons and
cheered as we sent our young soldiers off to war. On that day I was so proud to be an American.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In 2001 I was
teaching at Duluth High School in Atlanta and a teacher came to my room and
suggested I turn on the television. The
terrorists had struck the twin towers in New York City. The flow of food, water, medical supplies,
prayer and sympathy into the streets of New York from all across this nation
made me proud to be an American.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In 2005,
hurricane Katrina affected 15 million as it decimated the city of New
Orleans. Youth groups from across
America traveled to the area to assist in the clean up and show their support
for fellow Americans in trouble and I was proud to be an American.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Americans came
together after school shootings in Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. There is something very, very special about
Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Now
Americans are facing a different kind of crisis. It is covert.
It is subtle. It is slowly
creeping upon us like a fog in the night.
Many Americans are unaware of the danger our country faces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Let
me preface the rest of what I want to say with this: I love America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 41.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love the Bill
of Rights. There is no other document in
history that so adequately defines the limits of government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 41.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love the Statue
of Liberty. She has always stood with open
arms to welcome the oppressed to our shores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 41.25pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love the
Constitution because it ensures justice to the accused. It gives us a right to an attorney, a right
to protect ourselves, a right to prohibit the government from invading the
private space of our homes and offices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 41.25pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> I
love America. I love living in the
greatest land on earth. I love being a
citizen of this great country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> That
being said it is with great sadness that I recognize that the America is in
deep trouble. Maybe George Carlin
captured it well when he wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> “The
paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter
tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
spend more, but have less. We buy more,
but enjoy less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more
experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We’ve
learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We’ve added years to life not life to years!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We’ve
done larger things, but not better things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We’ve
cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive
too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little,
watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> There
is a verse in the Bible that summarizes America’s dilemma: “The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” – Psalm 9:17<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Ronald
Reagan said this: “If we ever forget
that we are 'One Nation Under God,' then we will be a nation gone under.” - Ronald
Reagan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> There
are multiple diseases eating away at the soul of America. We ignore the advice of the Great Physician
to our own peril. There are dark clouds
gathering on the horizon, not just because we have forgotten God, but because
we are in open defiance to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> "…The Lord spoke to Job out of the
storm." The problem is not that
God has not spoke, the problem is that we are not listening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1.
<b><u>We are diseased financially. </u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> America
is financially bankrupt. We have placed
all our trust in the almighty dollar and we’ve forgotten the slogan we wrote
there: “In God we Trust”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> The
federal government borrows forty cents for every dollar it spends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our government has managed to rack up
$15 trillion in debt. A figure so large
it has no meaning whatsoever to most Americans. The National Debt is four times
the size of the American economy. We are increasing American Debt at a rate of
$4 billion per day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> I
would suggest to you that what we are doing is immoral and unjust. We are stealing away the money of our
children and grandchildren and this act of cowardice will not go unanswered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
now live in a nation where takers outnumber givers. It was Patrick Henry who said: “Give me liberty or give me death!” It wasn’t long until we were just saying,
“Give me liberty”. Now we only say “Give
me”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3.
<b><u>We are diseased morally.<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> “Righteousness
exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach (a disgrace) to any people.” – Proverbs
14:34 The terrorist will never destroy
America but sin very well may.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 90%
of America’s Christians are sending their children into secular schools. Will you hear a word of caution? </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">If God is the source of all
wisdom and the Bible is his method of conveying his wisdom to mankind, and the
Bible is prohibited in public schools…how effective can government schools be??</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Christians
who have no other choice than to send their kids to government schools must be
actively providing their children with an alternative, biblical worldview.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> There
are symptoms of crisis in America when:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A child is
punished at school for saying grace over a meal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A teacher’s job
is terminated because he used the Bible as a resource in the classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Noah
Webster, the father of American Education once said that education is “useless
without the Bible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> There
are symptoms of a moral crisis in America when:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our textbooks
condemn Hitler for the bloody murder of 6 million Jews but we indoctrinate our
young women to believe that aborting their unborn is a noble and admirable
thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We have murdered as
many as 55 million babies over the last 40 years since our Supreme Court
twisted and warped the constitution in order to condone such an atrocity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> I
remember when an unborn child within the womb was a precious, human life. Now it is disposable material to be
eliminated at our own convenience. The
unborn baby is looked upon as an inconvenience that is intruding upon our
lifestyle rather than a miraculous event where God has planted one human life
within another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Jesus
said, “If any of you cause one of these little ones to stumble, it would be
better for you to be cast into the sea with a millstone tied around your neck.”
– Matthew 8:6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Our
young girls are being told by a godless culture that if they don’t offer
themselves sexually they will never be loved. The music our young men listen to
badgers them to use drugs and become violent and disrespect women and the
female body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We are suffering a moral crisis in
America:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Pornography now
produces more money than all the sports events in the entire nation combined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">30% of women, 79%
of men and 54% of pastors view porn on television or the internet. Pornography shatters marriages and destroys
the God-sanctioned institution of family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> NEA
spokesman to the United Nations, Dianne Schneider, said that the only way to
combat heterosexism is to teach sexual pleasure and tolerance to “every middle
and high school student.” She said that
those opposed to homosexuality are “stuck in a “binary box that religion and
family create.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
have redefined marriage to be what we want it to be rather than what God wants
it to be. We have redefined love to mean:
I accept you the way you are and you can stay the way you are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> God’s
definition of love is: I accept you as a
sinner but I demand a change in your life. To those who embrace the immorality
of the present age may we say this: “God
loves you as you are but he loves you too much to leave you as you are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Isaiah
5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3.
<b><u>We are diseased spiritually.<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> "America wants
God's blessing but not God. Our nation has systematically pushed Him out of the
national consciousness -- rejecting biblical morality, ignoring His Word, and
relying on the political and entertainment arenas for moral guidance." –
John MacArthur</span><b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Youth
are abandoning the church by droves. 46% of Americans between ages 18 to 34 say
they have no religion. Many who call themselves Christians no longer hold the
traditional Christian beliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Paul
advised Timothy to avoid those who “have a form of godliness but deny the power
thereof.” – 2 Tim. 3:5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Oprah
Winfrey has done a fabulous job of convincing 52% of American Christians that
eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ. 57% of
American Christians believe that “many religions can lead to eternal
life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">But Jesus said, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. - John
14:6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
are living in a culture spiritually depraved.
45% of Americans say they seldom read the scriptures and yet they claim
to know truth. We are diseased spiritually because we are not reading the word,
we are not praying and we are not attending church. Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend
church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> “For
the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear.” - 2 Tim. 4:3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Conclusion:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
have been in moments of crisis many times before and we successfully
survived. This is what we must do:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 1. We must express individual repentance. We must look into our own hearts and confess
sin, confess hatred, bigotry and pride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> “If
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and <b><u>turn from their wicked
ways</u></b>…” – 2 Chronicles 7:14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 2. We need pastors who are willing to redefine
what a successful church looks like. We
are not just trying to get people into church. We are trying to get souls into the
kingdom. We don’t want to build our churches
on marketing schemes. We want to build
our churches on the gospel of Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 3. We need to humble ourselves and fall on our
knees and ask God to restore and revive America. God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah
for 10 righteous men. He wants
desperately to spare America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Ronald
Reagan once said, “No matter where we live we have a promise that can make all
the difference. A promise from Jesus to
soothe our sorrows, heal our hearts and drive away our fears. He promised there would never be a dark night
that does not end. ‘Our sorrow may
endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Reagan
continued: “Now I realize that it is
fashionable in some circles to believe that no one in government should
encourage others to read the Bible that we are told that we will violate the
constitution of church and state established by the founding fathers in the 1<sup>st</sup>
Amendment. The 1<sup>st</sup> Amendment
was not written to protect people and their laws from religious values, it was
written to protect those values from government tyranny…we must be cautious
claiming that God is on our side, I think the real question that we must answer
is, are we on God’s side.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> If
the Americans will turn away from humanism and back to God then the very gates
of hell cannot prevail against her!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-43917541747893709042013-02-08T05:07:00.000-05:002013-02-08T05:07:52.097-05:00Beholding is a way of becoming<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> Beholding is a way of becoming. We all take on the likeness
of that which we admire. This is the doctrine of sanctification in a
nutshell. If our gaze is preoccupied with our idols we will become like
them. "Those who make them (idols) will be like them, and so will
all who trust in them." ( Psa. 115:8) The Bible teaches that idols
are unreal, they are nothingness. If we are consumed by idols, we become
like them, we become immersed in nothingness. We become empty vessels.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-itnepM7XIqGtPmZz5Tw9zpX3JiAProtHa3uHQstf-gkEK4EdfpW91zae9CKI_tGUHOmVwWIZNK0jG-4YZ4QiQpdigr6CWvjc1hK2eflZ5OiPVvRCdK-w2Mujdj0LaUuUHvH5U-48QCE/s1600/5_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-itnepM7XIqGtPmZz5Tw9zpX3JiAProtHa3uHQstf-gkEK4EdfpW91zae9CKI_tGUHOmVwWIZNK0jG-4YZ4QiQpdigr6CWvjc1hK2eflZ5OiPVvRCdK-w2Mujdj0LaUuUHvH5U-48QCE/s320/5_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> But, those who are
consumed with Christ are focusing on what is real. After experiencing the
reality of Christ who would want to return to the emptiness of illusionary
idolatry? What is your obsession? Imagine what we might be were we
obsessed with Christ? The more we behold him the more we become like him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-13975736427559555002013-02-07T06:24:00.000-05:002013-02-07T06:26:59.576-05:00God as Psycho-therapist<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We fail to
perceive the true glory of God because our perception of God is diluted. We no
longer approach God in fear and trembling, overwhelmed by his incomprehensible
power and purity. We now approach God as if he were the grand psycho-therapist
who sits behind a booth like the Peanuts character, Lucy, waiting to give
advice for 5 cents worth of penance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We try to fit God into our mold of
practicality. We believe His true glory is too far 'out there' for discovery.
We abandon our search for his glory because we fail to see how it might be
practically applied to our lives? We have replaced the spiritual with the
sensual. We deceive ourselves into thinking that a good meal or good sex will
satisfy us in ways that knowledge of his true glory never could. Thus, we have
replaced spiritual depth with sensate shallowness. Might we pray, along with
Moses, "Lord, I beseech thee, show me thy glory." (Ex. 33:18) What
greater thing might a creature do than attempt to know who God is?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-64650564069043205672013-02-06T06:18:00.001-05:002013-02-06T06:18:53.695-05:00The Glory of God<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Isaiah was completely undone when he got just a glimpse of the glory of God. “I am ruined,” he said (Isa. 6:5) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rn-2xqQ3p3pSejA1M8Mf3c2Ld9whPodCfCKh3U2_2cw4NSaEWiplVZFgTF0xmM1Eu5Ba7WFk9nv7klaq8HNNjhYhADPqU49LLEJmMcZ18t62Vp5aEjBvNK_iWLcJJBsJadWtJNvLpkc/s1600/glory-of-god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rn-2xqQ3p3pSejA1M8Mf3c2Ld9whPodCfCKh3U2_2cw4NSaEWiplVZFgTF0xmM1Eu5Ba7WFk9nv7klaq8HNNjhYhADPqU49LLEJmMcZ18t62Vp5aEjBvNK_iWLcJJBsJadWtJNvLpkc/s320/glory-of-god.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Nietzsche once said that when things move away from God they become “carved out”, less real. The dilemma of man is the lightness of his own reality, we seem to be barely here, constantly on the verge of being snuffed out like the flickering flame of a candle. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">The glory of God is found in the weightiness of his reality, the impossibility of his non-existence. We are nearly crushed when we are brushed by the heaviness of his glory. God dwells in a place where we cannot go. He is "holy, holy, holy" and chooses to remain transcendent, hidden from us, less we be crushed by his holiness. "…who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." - 1 Tim. 6:16</span><br />
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-71723171722713254682013-01-24T06:03:00.000-05:002013-01-24T06:26:36.347-05:00Mirror, mirror, on the wall.....<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Mirror, mirror, on the wall….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXUD6Y_Usn6XNOIzGezBUl1xy5ZsItNk7tCXjPWgyykjbhyMwB8bSAPQ0RwB_xoPmmQyHVB4bZV33zVfkTI0iXcfe802hag-z7fizhnRzWaGDA-AV5JlWZVcKXpg3piXi0nAE63IRNsM/s1600/Mirror_mirror_on_the_wall..._3_1273654846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXUD6Y_Usn6XNOIzGezBUl1xy5ZsItNk7tCXjPWgyykjbhyMwB8bSAPQ0RwB_xoPmmQyHVB4bZV33zVfkTI0iXcfe802hag-z7fizhnRzWaGDA-AV5JlWZVcKXpg3piXi0nAE63IRNsM/s1600/Mirror_mirror_on_the_wall..._3_1273654846.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0in;">Mirror, mirror, on the wall….</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Narcissus’
total obsession with himself was the eventual cause of his
self-destruction. This self-absorption
is the primary characteristic of the prevailing worldview in the western
world. The intense focus on self causes
us to lose touch with the actual reality around us. Instead of looking for the truth behind
observable reality, we look for truth within ourselves. It’s like trying to fix a blemish on our face
by applying the solution to the image we are seeing in the mirror. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The world around us, the external reality, becomes a
reflection instead of a reality. We use
reality in an attempt to define who we are.
Reality’s profound truth is diminished to a self-serving tool to help us
discover ourselves. Clothing no longer
is used to keep us warm or to provide us with covering so much as it is used to
define who we are. We become what we
wear. The car we drive is no longer simply
a means of transportation, it defines us.
Our relationships are no longer about others. Rather, they are all about
us, about me. We define ourselves by
living through the one we are dating or are married to. Thus, the real becomes an image to gives us
back reflections of ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When truth and substance are no longer elements of
reality, reality becomes simply a mirror and we pervert it to try to force it
to tell us we are “fairer than them all”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In these modern times, our ‘self’ is totally dependent
upon our circumstances. We look to
others and to stuff to reflect back to us an image of who we are. But, were we not all born in the image of God? Our only hope of actually knowing self is to
look to Christ for an accurate reflection of who we are. When we see the reality of our sinfulness
against his holiness it is most sobering and causes many to seek repentance
from the sin that has caused such darkness to take abode in the deeper parts of
the soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-70457418272760903392013-01-23T06:19:00.000-05:002013-01-23T06:19:16.687-05:00Our Problem With Narcissm<span style="font-size: large;">We cannot understand ourselves by looking at our own reflection. This obsession with self leads to destruction. (Read the story of Narcissus) We can only understand ourselves and our purpose in life by recognizing that we are but a reflection of Him in whose image we were created. The reflection itself is non-existent. The person looking at you from the mirror every morning isn't really in the mirror. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPMgtg6_tB6A8se1EG5DXBZ9QQ-C-XiEfDuafx_00h8X23I_mlAHY7JCWv1FD10aXOrm0P_tuMxnazUfgB-qCw2c4PtByug-4mJPGF1T3Y06LPsZ6PJ0hymO2_xlJBYetsSu2MjlBu1Q/s1600/caravaggio_narcissus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPMgtg6_tB6A8se1EG5DXBZ9QQ-C-XiEfDuafx_00h8X23I_mlAHY7JCWv1FD10aXOrm0P_tuMxnazUfgB-qCw2c4PtByug-4mJPGF1T3Y06LPsZ6PJ0hymO2_xlJBYetsSu2MjlBu1Q/s320/caravaggio_narcissus.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Narcissistic behavior is focusing on image, not reality. Christ helps us solve our failure to connect with the reality in our lives by redirecting our focus from ourselves (the image) to Christ (the reality) Our perception of reality is distorted by sin and this distortion becomes more and more twisted when we take our eyes off of the Source of reality. When self-consciousness sinks into narcissism we lose touch with reality and live in a world we've created for ourselves. This explains why so many in our culture have drifted so far from the truth of the living God. When a Christian walks into a room of smiling people he thinks they are reflecting the joy of the Lord. When a narcissist walks into a room of smiling people he thinks they are reflecting his own image, they are smiling for him. In a sense, he is replacing God with himself. It is self-worship. It is pride, something God hates deeply.</span><br />
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-2538564295437434972013-01-21T08:33:00.001-05:002013-01-21T08:33:25.050-05:00Open Letter to Lance Armstrong<br />
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<span style="background: white;">Lance,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">So many admired you
for all your great cycling accomplishments and multitudes were disappointed to
learn your achievements were tainted with cheating. But, Americans are a
forgiving people and most will eagerly accept your apology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">We who are
Christ-followers have all been where you are, Lance. We have all sinned and
fallen short of the expectations of God. Running to Oprah to record a national
apology is futile if your apology is meant to rebuild your lost reputation.
True repentance must be accompanied by pure motives. Trying to cleanse yourself
in Oprah's dirty pool of therapy will not bring peace to your soul. It’s like
trying to clean our hearts with dirty water taken from our hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Your rush for
therapy is a microscopic revelation of what is really wrong with America. We
have grown comfortable seeking therapy from humans who are just as fallen as we
are. The greatest sin in America today is the idea that we can come to
repentance without a Mediator, the belief that repentance has no personal cost
or sacrifice and that we can be converted to Christianity without the shedding
of blood.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Lance, true
forgiveness that will bring closure to your sin of dishonesty and relief and
comfort to your soul will come from Christ, not Oprah. Seek him while you still
can.</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-44968251438839508612012-11-27T17:50:00.000-05:002012-11-27T17:50:15.359-05:00Christian Quarterbacks in the NFL<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Christian NFL Quarterbacks:</span></div>
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<b><u>Josh Freeman</u></b> - (Tampa Bay) Homeschooled in a devout Christian home.</div>
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<b><u>Robert Griffin III</u></b> - (Washington Redskins) graduated in three years with a3.67 GPA at Baylor, "I was heavily influenced by my parents to learn discipline but my relationship with God was my most important influence."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Russell Wilson</u></b> - (Seattle Seahawks) Grandfather was president of Norfolk University, openly declares his faith. After a recent loss he tweeted, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Cam Newton</u></b> - (Carolina Panthers) Pentecostal. Father is a bishop in Georgia overseeing five churches. "I thank God every single day. I'm just his instrument and He's using me on a consistent, daily basis."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Colin Kaepernick</u></b> - (San Francisco Giants) Mother refused abortion and put him up for adoption in 1987. Teresa and Rick adopted Colin, a bi-racial baby. "I think it's something where god has really led me to where I'm at today. He put me in a position to be successful throughout my life."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other Christian Quarterbacks:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Tim Tebow </u></b>- (New York Jets). Always very open about his relationship with God.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Peyton</u></b> (Denver Broncos) and <b><u>Eli</u></b> (New York Giants) <b><u>Manning</u></b>. "I always felt it was very important to have a good relationship with the Lord. He always has to be your number one priority. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Aaron Rogers</u></b> (Green Bay Packers) - "I like the saying from St. Francis of Assisi, 'Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.' I grew up knowing what a stable relationship was by my parents' example and how it centered on Christ.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Drew Brees</u></b> (New Orleans Saints) - "I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart on my 17th birthday. I remember my pastor talking about God 'looking for a few good men.' All of a sudden the light bulb went (on) in my head and I was like, 'Hey, that's me; I can be one of those few good men!"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Ben Roethlisberger</u></b> (Pittsburgh Steelers)- after a serious moral setback, Roethlisberger married and attributes his recent success to his coming back to Christianity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Michael Vick</u></b> (Philadelphia Eagles) - After serving time in prison, Vick returned to the NFL: "I was so self-centered, I forgot about the Lord. Pre-incarceration it was all about me. When I go to prison, I realized I couldn't do it anymore. The one thing I could rely on was my faith in God." </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Tony Dungy</u></b> (Former Coach of the Indianapolis Colts - was instrumental in helping Vick return to Christianity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-1805874030029309872012-09-22T06:33:00.001-04:002012-09-22T06:35:31.661-04:00USA Capitol Tour with David Barton,Amerca's Forgotten History - In God W...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TdhwWFFydxk?fs=1" width="459"></iframe><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">David Barton has become a controversial figure. I don't see anything in this tour that would indicate that he is distorting history. Perhaps he has stirred up controversy because that is simply what speaking truth does...always!</span><br />
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-51555115742059984592012-09-17T06:07:00.001-04:002012-09-17T06:07:09.798-04:00"Men Have Forgotten God."<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas9ilQBpxgkBnaei33BqV-Cc7AJGHgbX8EW1UZOMLzw1jzdX4Xy9HZnohWw7W848YSTeFIKthb-IAr5WADAQLxMKsr6hPEHML1InjGA92KqEqzNbq4kE31Ab_pzSjLC4u7tNBDB36vRw/s1600/solzhenitsyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas9ilQBpxgkBnaei33BqV-Cc7AJGHgbX8EW1UZOMLzw1jzdX4Xy9HZnohWw7W848YSTeFIKthb-IAr5WADAQLxMKsr6hPEHML1InjGA92KqEqzNbq4kE31Ab_pzSjLC4u7tNBDB36vRw/s1600/solzhenitsyn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Solzehnitsyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn
parallels the disappointment God felt toward the rebellious nation of Israel
and their eventual fall into judgment with God’s disappointment in America and
its impending judgment. Critics disapprove
by saying you can’t take Bible verses that were specifically meant for God’s
chosen people and apply them to other nations.
I don’t agree. I think there are
certain principles that apply to ALL nations as well as to Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Do not certain principles
apply to all individuals, not just a chosen few? Specifically among them is the biblical teach
that if one disobeys God there will be severe consequences. If one worships another god there will come a
severe judgment. If a person ignores God
or claims he doesn’t exist, in a very literal way, there will be hell to pay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Bible teaches that these
certain principles that apply to all individuals also apply to all nations. This
is expressed clearly in Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and
all the nations that forget God.” If one
rises early in the morning before the light of day and casts his gaze toward
the eastern horizon he will see something that all men of all generations have
seen for thousands of years. He will see
the sun rise. That is really a misnomer,
the sun doesn’t actually rise. When we
see the sun appear we can rest assured that the earth is still spinning on its
axis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as surely as that
natural law plays itself out every 24 hours, there are certain spiritual laws
that cannot be compromised or altered.
Among them is one very important to Americans: A nation that forgets God cannot and will not
escape the judgment of God. We have
pushed God aside. We have chosen to worship our own idols. We are obsessed with our own position,
possessions and pleasure. Multitudes
claim to be a part of the Christian family but only for their own expediency,
not because they have actually made any sacrifices for or developed any
relationship with Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We tend to think that nations
rise and fall based on the type of governments they form and the value of the
policies they adopt. This is humanism: giving man more credit than he deserves for
the rise and fall of nations. It is a
sovereign God who determines life or death for the nations of the earth. He explains in his word over and over again
the reasons for the rise and fall of nations:
“Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a shame to the people” (Prov.
14:34). The same laws that apply to
individuals apply to nations. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit
before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) If pride
comes before the fall of the individual, pride also precedes the fall of a
nation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When nations turn away from
God, acting as if He does not exist, sinfulness festers within the soul of that
nation like an abscess in a boil. The
nation become infected with political corruption, dishonesty, slander, public
displays of sexual perversions, rape, violent
crimes, , theft, , adultery, abortion, pornography, drunkenness, drug abuse, gluttony, graft,
greed and gambling of all kinds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">God’s anger is revealed as
his hammer is applied to the pillars of society. Economic woes surface as taxes increase and government
borrows more and more money to pay for the public demand for entitlements. Government always fails in its attempt to
satisfy the needs of all the people because their resources are limited. Our God “owns the cattle on a thousand hills”
(Psalm 50:10). He is unlimited in his
ability to provide and care for his own.
He entitles his follows to a fountain of grace and mercy that can never
run dry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The spring of blessing from
which the church has drawn its life begins to dry up. The family rambles toward wreckage. Education crumbles under the strain of trying
to maintain a justification for eliminating truth from its curriculum. Entertainment mollifies the masses and the
press prostitutes its integrity. The pillars
weaken as God seeks to remind us of our failure to acknowledge him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">May God have mercy on
America! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">My father had four sons. I was the youngest of the pack. There are many disadvantages to being the
youngest. I didn’t get away with much
because by the time I made my appearance my father had a pretty good grip on
how to do the father-thing. But there is
one outstanding advantage that I didn’t always take advantage of. The youngest can always learn from the
mistakes made by his older siblings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Why is America not learning
from the mistakes made by older nations?
The Israel of the Old Testament lost its identity because they disobeyed
God. Judah was taken into captivity
because of their rebellion against the Almighty. In the modern age, Germany was defeated and
destroyed because the German people chose to follow Hitler instead of
Christ. On Christmas Day in 1991,
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union and a great nation
fell without a shot being fired, one of the most amazing historical events of
our time. How could this happen? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We who live in the west would
do well to consider the words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great writer and
historian of Russian society. When
attempting to answer the question as to why a horrible revolution took place in
his country that killed 60 million people, Solzhenitsyn said, “More than half a
century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older
people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had
befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The truth is never complicated,
it is always so simple. We could fill
libraries with the books men have written about the causes of WWI, WWII, The
Cold War and the present unrest in the Middle East. Don’t bother spending too much time perusing
through those sources. The answer is
simple: Men have forgotten God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Dark clouds are gathering on
the horizon of America’s future. Those
clouds indicate the judgment of God upon a nation that has disobeyed, a nation
that has abandoned the intent of its founding fathers. We have become softened and weakened by our
wealth and abundance. We have chosen to
place our trust in other things rather than in God. He has allowed us to do this just as he
allowed a multitude of nations that preceded us to do the same. What are the consequences of forgetting
God? I believe the answer is found in Psalm 106:15 “And
he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">It is not too late to return
to the temple. Let us repent of our sin
of self-sufficiency. Let us seek
forgiveness for our callousness and forgetfulness and let us sincerely and
desperately seek to restore what we once had; the blessings and approving smile
of God upon us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-84130692924995590972012-09-08T06:27:00.001-04:002012-09-08T06:28:27.381-04:00"Hallowed be thy name"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">"If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.” - Joshua, as he was nearing death, warned his people not to turn from their God. The lives of the Israelites were permeated by the presence of God. God was in everything they did and he blessed them wonderfully. It seems God has now become a by-product in American society. We pull his name off the shelf and try to plug it in here and there when it is politically or socially expedient. We conduct shallow votes and entertain shallow arguments about where it might be most advantageous to use the name of God. We throw his name about as a filler word in our language when we want to express strong emotion. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Jesus' mother, Mary, recognized his holy nature and the holiness attached to the name of Jesus, "for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name." - Luke 1:49 We have no understanding what "hallowed by thy name" means anymore. God help us!</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-QpqI-xng2ijj0ALGxnr9t1SjAsr0akBsS_ihKAcCbdbZ41q0Kyhmg5s6_bAItq-bmMUgMuk1vvIok9yO1FgRaeDmnCCpChW4S6LF98MMeHZ_ni5nxnbpbtqBlvw6H_aCsepmSymP1Q/s1600/concert2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-QpqI-xng2ijj0ALGxnr9t1SjAsr0akBsS_ihKAcCbdbZ41q0Kyhmg5s6_bAItq-bmMUgMuk1vvIok9yO1FgRaeDmnCCpChW4S6LF98MMeHZ_ni5nxnbpbtqBlvw6H_aCsepmSymP1Q/s320/concert2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-82158962534891786762012-08-17T04:58:00.001-04:002012-08-17T04:58:47.108-04:00The Truth About America: Has The Glory Departed?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCz_t5fg_APMzvZ_8Yuk6EFiRaBhzJsVRp-_VW0NvRpOQ-JaOwEhYmBFgzGTSfkYVk58vx_H0eqp4195bOFlm9nJ5u2m8ZWk5P6lAWQn1g5w5wyIva0_kkkP_VZmZa45maYO45GOD3Ruc/s1600/126165556059X7Gf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCz_t5fg_APMzvZ_8Yuk6EFiRaBhzJsVRp-_VW0NvRpOQ-JaOwEhYmBFgzGTSfkYVk58vx_H0eqp4195bOFlm9nJ5u2m8ZWk5P6lAWQn1g5w5wyIva0_kkkP_VZmZa45maYO45GOD3Ruc/s320/126165556059X7Gf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Bible teaches Christians
to be aware of falling into deception.
The Great Deceiver tempted Adam and Eve in the garden. When he was told that God had forbid them eat
of the fruit, Satan asked, “Did God really say that?” The message of Christ is no different today
than it was 2,000 years ago. “I am the
way, the truth and the life. No man
comes to the father except by me.” – (John 14:6) The Great Deceiver still asks the same
question; “Did Jesus really say that?” The truth about America is that millions have
embraced the deception that there are many paths to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our lust for power and our
lean toward pride prevent us from understanding the truth. History’s wisest man wrote these words to
describe the dilemma of man: “There is a
way that seemeth right unto man, but he end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs
14:12) The truth about America is that there are many false prophets portraying
themselves as angels of light when actually they are devils of darkness. The Apostle Paul was compelled to leave the
Church at Ephesus and go to Jerusalem and this was his warning before he
left. “I know that after I leave, savage
wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.” (Acts 20:29) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Why are there so many false
prophets? Why do so many embrace lies
rather than truth? Why is the modern
American church becoming so powerless? I
must ask a dreadful question. Has the
glory departed? Truth and deception are
like water and oil. They cannot
coexist. Is the Spirit of God fleeing
our culture because of the prevalence of deception and evil that exists, not
only in our culture but also in our church?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Good beginnings are
meaningless when followed by bad endings.
This story repeats itself thousands of times all across this
nation. A young man, Spirit-filled and
enthusiastic, feels called of God to minister to others. He invites several couples into his home and
shares the gospel. God blesses his
efforts and his small gathering grows into a small church. He is gung-ho for God and the gospel and his church
experiences tremendous growth, from twenty to two hundred to two thousand and
before you know it the pastor has grown a mega-church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">He realizes he can no longer
shepherd the flock, he must now drive the herd.
He can’t manage the herd any longer without turning the church into a
corporation. He hires others to do the
counseling and to develop policies and programs. The people he has hired yearn to climb the
corporate church ladder. They become
competitive and loyal to their superiors and the institution becomes
man-centered as they slowly and progressively forget God. Unwelcome and forgotten, the Spirit of God
departs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Will you consider 1 Samuel chapter
4 with me for a moment? May I paraphrase
to save time? The Israelites and the Philistines
battle one another and the Philistines win the contest. It was a day of great mourning for many
mothers and wives and daughters. 4,000 Israelites are killed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The leaders of Israel pondered
this horrible defeat and decided they needed to bring the Ark of the Covenant
from Shiloh to protect them. They were
ready to battle again under the deception that simply carrying the ark with
them would assure defeat of the Philistines.
So many today fail to experience outward victory because they’ve never
realized inward change. They were
smashed again by their enemy and lost 30,000 men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">During this tragic time, Israel
is ruled by a great priest and judge, Eli. Eli waits to hear of the outcome of the
battle. He sees a weary and dusty
messenger in the distance approaching.
Eli is 98 years old and he lifts his weakened voice to the runner. “What has happened, my son?” (1 Sam. 4:16)
“Thousands are dead, your two sons have perished and the Ark of the
Covenant is in the hands of the enemy.”
The news was so shocking and overwhelming to Eli he passed out, fell
backwards off his chair, broke his neck and died on the spot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Eli’s daughter-in-law, wife
of one of his sons, was pregnant at the time.
When she heard her husband and her brother-in-law and her father-in-law
were all dead she went into labor. The
midwife was able to deliver a son before the mother died in labor. The midwife named the boy, Ichabod, which
means, “The glory is departed.” The ark
of God is captured, the Spirit of the Lord has departed, the presence of God no
longer abides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The truth about America is
that we have done much to offend the living God. Our national sins are many. We have put out a “Do Not Disturb” and made
clear that we don’t want to be bothered.
We have clearly indicated we want our sin more than we want His
grace. We no longer fear the Mighty
God. We question his word and ask, “Did
God really say that?” We question the
existence of heaven and hell, his virgin birth, his death and resurrection. We question the very existence of God
himself. We are driving him from our
schools. We no longer welcome him in our
courts and halls of government. There is
no longer a hallowed place provided for God in our midst. Without the protective presence of God we
have become dangerously vulnerable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The truth about America is
that we need desperately to repent of our sins and humbly seek the one and
living God in all his grace and mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-25964443193114754822012-08-11T07:29:00.000-04:002012-08-11T07:42:04.576-04:00“Beware Lest You Forget”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewGlcd2mUwCrPrj0FVykYxIWsQEbVuA1agpgU9h4aJURyZgGqXbWzLjsmjz71Z4uUSaKqAydyjEmdSuz7n_s5XCiD6-jt1JCoLo4Lp6YB10GQKyg2PRuO-TuCPHa5nX2NDOGvJPG1An8/s1600/it_is_when_people_forget_god_that_tyrants_forge_t_speckcase-p176148934187037789vu32h_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewGlcd2mUwCrPrj0FVykYxIWsQEbVuA1agpgU9h4aJURyZgGqXbWzLjsmjz71Z4uUSaKqAydyjEmdSuz7n_s5XCiD6-jt1JCoLo4Lp6YB10GQKyg2PRuO-TuCPHa5nX2NDOGvJPG1An8/s320/it_is_when_people_forget_god_that_tyrants_forge_t_speckcase-p176148934187037789vu32h_400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">My wife labored long and hard
in the kitchen after putting in a 10 hour day as a teacher and cheerleading
coach on her first day of school. She
prepared a delicious meal with chicken, rice and lots of other ingredients I am
unaware of. After studying the recipe
and investing over an hour in actual preparation, she sat three steaming plates
on the supper table and my family gathered for our evening meal. Kameron, my seven-year old tasted of his meal
and crinkled his nose and said, “I don’t like this.” I saw the hurt on his mother’s face and tried
to intercede to lessen the pain she felt from his unappreciative spirit. It was
painful for me to remember how many times I had said similar things after my
mother, who has passed, saw her labors of love go unappreciated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The failure to show or feel
gratitude seems to plague our modern society.
A progressive callousness has infected our hearts. A large number of Americans are more
interested in acquiring entitlements they haven’t earned rather than invest a
fair day’s labor in exchange for a fair day’s wage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We now live in cities we did
not build. We occupy homes filled with
things we did not put there. We draw
water from wells we did not dig and we eat the fruit that falls from trees we
did not plant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When I was a child I used to
sit quietly and listen to my father and my uncles talk of their experiences
fighting in the Second World War. That
war changed them forever. They crossed
the ocean as young, reckless, daring men who felt the invulnerability common to
all youth. They returned with a humility
acquired from watching their colleagues demonstrate superhuman courage in desperate
moments. I listened as they pondered why
they had survived and others had not.
They had a deep appreciation and patriotic love for the country their
comrades had shed blood for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Now I sit quietly and listen
to my grown sons and their friends discuss politics and talk about their
country. The conversation of the
generation to follow mine is much different than the conversation of the
generation that preceded mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Very few Americans favor the
politicians that fill the halls of Congress and they wonder what is happening
to the country. There is a
self-consuming selfishness and egotism that infects modern day ‘statesmen’. Why do they not appreciate and deeply love
the country their fathers founded? Is it
not because one tends to remember his own sacrifices but he forgets the
sacrifices of others? If you’ve not
sacrificed anything for the purchase of freedom and liberty you assign less
value to those virtues than those who paid dearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Lord God cautioned the
Israelites as they were about to enter the land that flowed with milk and honey. God was going to give them “large and
beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which
you did not fill.” They were about to
inherit “hewn-out wells they did not dig” and fruit from “trees they did not
plant”. (Deuteronomy 6:10-11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When I was a youth I asked my
father to buy me a bike because all the kids in the neighborhood were riding
really cool bikes their father’s had bought them. He taught me a lesson I’ll never forget and I
hope my own sons learn well. “I won’t
buy you a bike, but I’ll help you get a job so you can buy your own bike,” he
told me. He purchased a paper route from
my friend Bruce and I rose every morning at 4:30 AM so I could cover the
three-mile route before catching the bus to school at 7:00 AM. After a couple months of collecting fees, I
had earned enough money to buy the best bike in the neighborhood… banana seat,
sissy bar, streamers…the whole nine yards.
I was so proud of my ‘wheels’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The lesson: my dad knew I would cherish and care for a
bike I had earned with my own labor much more than I would had it simply been
given me. The investment of blood, sweat
and tears makes the object obtained precious to the owner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I fear for my country because
I believe the truths taught in the Word of God.
My father served his country well in WWII. I never served in the military. I’ve not had to make any real sacrifices to
preserve freedom for my sons and grandchildren.
Neither of my two grown sons chose to serve in the military. My family may very well live through three
generations without having to fight to preserve the precious purchase of those
who gave their limbs and lives in previous wars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The danger is that we will
forget the price paid and having invested so little we may fail to understand
the value of our blessings. God foretold
and warned the Israelites what would happen when they drank from wells they did
not dig: “Beware, lest you forget the
Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 6:12) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Alexander Solzhenitsyn sought
an answer as to why the Soviet Union had deteriorated so quickly and
totally. He listened to the older ones
speaking about the disasters that had plagued the Russians. He heard them say, “Men have forgotten God:
That’s why this all happened.” (1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">We have reached the point
where we eat the meal provided and we push back from the table without even a
thought as to the amount of effort and preparation that was invested to provide
it for us. We have forgotten God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1. </span><em><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal;">Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, as quoted
by Tom Pauken in “Bringing Home America,” p. 101.</span></b></em><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035246631717270242.post-62175108460835253892012-08-09T11:51:00.001-04:002012-08-09T11:51:33.142-04:00A New World Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYs3IxXDrPjenroeS-plRqvEGvAsZCYRQCj2VKlVRPnOEHw4ky4J1k4Es27v8kSFeA_lQ0jN-aLwaDheWjaxHRjzAx5iDEzB-FqSc3vBB7DtUAfV625Wf1P5OxTZ0p_vLNIz6yU4lM3w/s1600/Winslow-Lion-Lamb%5B3%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYs3IxXDrPjenroeS-plRqvEGvAsZCYRQCj2VKlVRPnOEHw4ky4J1k4Es27v8kSFeA_lQ0jN-aLwaDheWjaxHRjzAx5iDEzB-FqSc3vBB7DtUAfV625Wf1P5OxTZ0p_vLNIz6yU4lM3w/s320/Winslow-Lion-Lamb%5B3%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I was in my early 20's working my way
through college in a local hospital. I
was the only orderly on the evening shift.
I floated from floor to floor and for the most part I enjoyed my
work. One task I didn't enjoy was doing
'post-mortems'. It was my job to arrange
the body of the deceased so he would be symmetrical before rigor mortis set
in. I was to assure proper
identification by tying a name tag to the big toe and then remove false teeth,
jewelry, etc. The first post-mortem I
performed I was so overwhelmed by the reality of it I nearly passed out. But then, after several more experiences, I
adapted to the emotional stress of performing such an unpleasant task and
before long it became 'old hat'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Then
one day I was called to pediatrics. A
young child had passed away. Decades
later it's hard to find words to describe the feelings that surged through my
heart. I was overwhelmed with
sadness. It is one thing to prepare a
man who has lived his three score and ten for the morgue. It is quiet another to prepare a five year
old child who has been deprived of a life lived. Sadness turned to confusion. Why?
Why would a loving and gracious God in heaven allow something like this
to happen? When I failed to find an
answer my confusion turned to anger and anger to bitterness. For a period of time, I, like so many others,
questioned the very existence of God and if he did indeed exist then I
questioned the nature of a God who would permit such a tragedy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> We
experienced a horrible moment in our community last May when a mother driving
with three small children in her car crossed the center line of the highway and
caused a head-on collision with a car driven by a young, female college student
driving in the opposite lane. The mother
survived the accident but her two pre-school children and the driver of the
other car perished. If there is a God
and he really is good, why does he allow such tragedy? Why do babies die? Why does evil sometimes prevail? Why does a just God allow so much injustice
to exist in the world he created?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> With
a little more maturity I was finally able to answer my questions about what
seemed to me to be inconsistencies in the nature of God. God is not the cause of tragedy. Sin is what has caused this world to spin
into a state of corruption and suffering.
Mankind has lived in a corrupt and depraved world since the Adam and Eve
chose their way over God's way. Since
their indiscretion, our world has been plagued by disease, death and
destruction. These things are not what
God wants for his creation. They are a
consequence of the sinfulness of his creatures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Hear
the good news! This world is not always
going to stay this way. God has promised
to restore the hearts of those who are willing to repent. He was so earnest about his desire to save us
that he sent his only son to die on a cross to make salvation a possibility to
all and a reality to many. Not only has
he determined to salvage the souls of the penitent, he also is determined to
restore the earth and deliver his creation from the cancerous corruption she is
plagued with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> If
you want to know how the story ends, go to the end of the book. Revelation 20 describes the events that will
lead up to the one thousand year reign of Christ. (Rev. 20:4) When we visualize the great contest between
good and evil we tend to equate the opponents and wonder how the contest will
end. Satan is no equal to an all
powerful God. God doesn't sully his
hands with the filthy stench of the evil one.
He sends an angel (Rev. 20:1), just one angel, to seize that "dragon,
that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years." (Rev. 20:2) God doesn't need an army, he doesn't even need a group
of Navy Seals, he simply called on one of his angels to bind the enemy and drop
him into a pit with no bottom, lock the gate and lose the key for 1,000 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> In
the millennial reign of Christ the earth will be healed and restored. It will be the time when God remembers his
throne promise to David and Jesus Christ, descendent of David, will reign for
one thousand years from his capital in Jerusalem. God will also remember his land promise to
Abraham and the land of Israel will be restored to those to whom it was
promised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> This
millennial reign was prophesied thousands of years ago by the prophet
Isaiah: "I will rejoice over
Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will
be heard in it no more. Never again will
there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not
live out his years; he who dies at a
hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be
considered accursed." (Isaiah
65:19-21) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Isaiah
speaks of a time when infant mortality will be non-existent. Has there ever been a time like that since
the fall of man? So, the time he speaks
of cannot be referring to time past.
Some would say, "He must then be speaking of heaven." Isaiah says that it will be considered a
tragic thing when men don't live well past one hundred. It will be quite normal for men to die after
having lived hundreds of years. He
cannot be referring to heaven because there is no death in heaven. The only period of history Isaiah could be
speaking of is the millennium, the one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> God
will soon embark on a new building project, a new construction project that
will bring radical reform to the entire creation. It would pay well to invest in that project
now while there is yet time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.<div class="blogger-post-footer">"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13</div>Kevin Probsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12429544679874287380noreply@blogger.com0