Trickle down choices by Gary Rose

Choices determine our lives, but not all choices are equal. Whether or not we have a ham sandwich or a salad for lunch will not change anything. A choice of what to have for lunch is one thing but what about your choice of a spouse or a college or a retirement plan?

All those things are important, but what about choices that affect eternity? Have you chosen Jesus? Are you faithful? Are you doing God’s will in your life?

Hopefully, you have answered a resounding YES to these three questions. Then what? The following passage provides an answer to the “Then what?”…

Philippians 1 ( World English Bible )

  ¹²  Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;  ¹³ so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ;  ¹⁴ and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.  ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.  ¹⁶ The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;  ¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News. 

  ¹⁸  What does it matter? (emphasis added) Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice. ¹⁹ For I know that this will turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,  ²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.  ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  ²² But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.  ²³ But I am in a dilemma between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.  ²⁴ Yet, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake. (emphasis added)

There things we can control and things we cannot. If our life is committed to God and the cause of the Gospel, our choice is simple: Be what a Christian should be and put the outcome into God’s hands. Paul did and so should all of us as well.

Bible Reading January 4 - 6 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading January 4 - 6

World  English  Bible

Jan. 4

Genesis 4

Gen 4:1 The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help."

Gen 4:2 Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Gen 4:3 As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground.

Gen 4:4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering,

Gen 4:5 but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.

Gen 4:6 Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?

Gen 4:7 If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."

Gen 4:8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

Gen 4:9 Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Gen 4:10 Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.

Gen 4:11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Gen 4:12 From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

Gen 4:13 Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Gen 4:14 Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me."

Gen 4:15 Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.

Gen 4:16 Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Gen 4:17 Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Gen 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Gen 4:19 Lamech took two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

Gen 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

Gen 4:21 His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe.

Gen 4:22 Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.

Gen 4:23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

Gen 4:24 If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times."

Gen 4:25 Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."

Gen 4:26 There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on Yahweh's name.

Jan. 5

Genesis 5

Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in God's likeness.

Gen 5:2 He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Gen 5:3 Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.

Gen 5:4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:5 All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died.

Gen 5:6 Seth lived one hundred five years, and became the father of Enosh.

Gen 5:7 Seth lived after he became the father of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:8 All the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, then he died.

Gen 5:9 Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan.

Gen 5:10 Enosh lived after he became the father of Kenan, eight hundred fifteen years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:11 All the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, then he died.

Gen 5:12 Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel.

Gen 5:13 Kenan lived after he became the father of Mahalalel eight hundred forty years, and became the father of sons and daughters

Gen 5:14 and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred ten years, then he died.

Gen 5:15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared.

Gen 5:16 Mahalalel lived after he became the father of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:17 All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, then he died.

Gen 5:18 Jared lived one hundred sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch.

Gen 5:19 Jared lived after he became the father of Enoch eight hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:20 All the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, then he died.

Gen 5:21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.

Gen 5:22 Enoch walked with God after he became the father of Methuselah three hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:23 All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years.

Gen 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Gen 5:25 Methuselah lived one hundred eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech.

Gen 5:26 Methuselah lived after he became the father of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:27 All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died.

Gen 5:28 Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of a son,

Gen 5:29 and he named him Noah, saying, "This same will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh has cursed."

Gen 5:30 Lamech lived after he became the father of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Gen 5:31 All the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, then he died.

Gen 5:32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Jan. 6

Genesis 6

Gen 6:1 It happened, when men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

Gen 6:2 that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.

Gen 6:3 Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years."

Gen 6:4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God's sons came in to men's daughters. They bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Gen 6:5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 6:6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

Gen 6:7 Yahweh said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

Gen 6:8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh's eyes.

Gen 6:9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

Gen 6:10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gen 6:11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Gen 6:12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Gen 6:13 God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Gen 6:14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

Gen 6:15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship will be three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

Gen 6:16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.

Gen 6:17 I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.

Gen 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

Gen 6:19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Gen 6:20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive.

Gen 6:21 Take with you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them."

Gen 6:22 Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Jan. 4

Matthew 2

Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

Mat 2:2 "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him."

Mat 2:3 When Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Mat 2:4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.

Mat 2:5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet,

Mat 2:6 'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come forth a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.' "

Mat 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.

Mat 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him."

Mat 2:9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was.

Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Mat 2:11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Mat 2:12 Being warned in a dream that they shouldn't return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

Mat 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

Mat 2:14 He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,

Mat 2:15 and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.

Mat 2:17 Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

Mat 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn't be comforted, because they are no more."

Mat 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,

Mat 2:20 "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child's life are dead."

Mat 2:21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee,

Mat 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Jan. 5,6

Matthew 3

Mat 3:1 In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

Mat 3:2 "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"

Mat 3:3 For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight."

Mat 3:4 Now John himself wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Mat 3:5 Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.

Mat 3:6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Mat 3:8 Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance!

Mat 3:9 Don't think to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Mat 3:10 "Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

Mat 3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

Mat 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

Mat 3:14 But John would have hindered him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"

Mat 3:15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, "Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him.

Mat 3:16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.

Mat 3:17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

They Are Without Excuse by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/excuses.html

They Are Without Excuse

We all tend to make excuses.

Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. But God had given them clear instructions. When He reveals His will to us, we have no excuse for disobeying. Jesus said: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin" (John 15:22).

Ignorance is no excuse.

The eternal power and deity of God are observed by all. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:18-21).

Even those who do not know the Scriptures are without excuse because, all around them, they can see ample evidence of the eternal power and deity of God. This should cause them to seek God. Israel was told that even in captivity they could find God if they diligently sought Him: "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29). God has promised: "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (Proverbs 8:17). "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus said: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7,8).

Ignorance is no excuse. The evidence of God's existence is overwhelming, and God has promised that those who truly seek Him will find Him.

Preoccupation is no excuse.

Many people who believe in God are so occupied with their daily activities that they neglect to serve Him.

"A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper''' (Luke 14:16-24).

The man who gave the great supper represents God. The supper represents the spiritual blessings God has prepared for us. It is an honor when someone invites us to a banquet. What a great honor to be invited to the supper of the Lord.

God gave advance invitations to the people of Israel through the Old Testament prophets and Scriptures. When all was ready, He sent His Son to call His people to the feast. But the religious leaders and scholars of Israel were so preoccupied with worldly pursuits that they did not value spiritual manna. To such people Jesus said: "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him" (Matthew 21:31,32).

Although the guests had been invited beforehand, when the time came, they all began to make excuses! What an insult to the one who had invited them!

Three examples are given of excuses offered. They all indicate preoccupation, self-centeredness and indifference to the invitation.

"The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.'"

When someone makes an important purchase, he is excited about it and wants to examine and admire it. Everything else tends to be neglected for a while.

It is interesting that different verbs are used in the three examples. In this case he says "I must go and see it." In his mind this was absolutely essential even though it prevented him from attending the great feast to which he had been invited. He was self-centered. He just had to go see that new piece of land he had purchased.

This represents people who give priority to their possessions and are so occupied with them that they neglect to serve God. This reminds us of the parable of the sower: "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).

"And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.'"

The first man was a proud property owner. This man is a busy businessman. He does not say "I must go," he says, "I am going"! He was already on his way. The first man was preoccupied with his property; this man is preoccupied with his business.

Obviously, both the viewing of the property and the testing of the oxen could have waited until the next day. The great feast simply was not important to these men. Their own affairs were more important than the affairs of God. Material possessions were more important than the blessings of God.

This is also true of many today. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

"Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'"

The first man said, "I must go" do something else. The second man said, "I am going" to do something else. This man says, "I cannot come"! It was simply impossible for him to come, because he had just been married. Once again, it was just an excuse, given because he did not value the invitation.

This represents people who let preoccupation with family prevent them from serving God. Jesus warned: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37). He also promised: "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29).

None of those who had been invited were coming! The master of the house was furious. God will be angry with us if we undervalue the spiritual blessings He offers, if we are preoccupied with worldly affairs, and neglect to come to His feast.

The prior invitation had been given to a select few, the people of Israel. Now the invitation is for all.

Going out "into the streets and lanes of the city" and bringing in "the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind" represents the gospel being preached to the unlearned among the Jews. Jesus prayed, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25).

Going "out into the highways and hedges" represents the gospel call to the Gentiles. When all believers among the people of Israel have accepted Christ, there is still room in the banquet hall of God. The Gentiles are also invited to the feast of God.

Jesus told the Jewish leaders who rejected Him: "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (Matthew 21:43). After commending the faith of a Roman centurion, Jesus said: "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'' (Matthew 8:11,12).

Paul wrote: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). As Paul went from city to city preaching the gospel, he first gave the Jews an opportunity to hear, then he preached to the Gentiles: "When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles'" (Acts 18:5,6). "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles'" (Acts 13:46).

We have no excuse.

The invitation to the great spiritual feast prepared by God has gone forth to all men. It echos down through the ages and comes to us. "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

Let us not make excuses, preoccupied with the affairs of this world. Let us accept the invitation, and attend the spiritual feast prepared for us by God.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Sam Harris Myths (4) by Jim McGuiggan

https://web.archive.org/web/20160426090829/http://jimmcguiggan.com/nonbelievers2.asp?id=70

Sam Harris Myths (4)

  Atheist Sam Harris, like his cohorts Dawkins, Weinberg, Dennett and Wilson, keeps trying to persuade people to come to believe what he believes. He somehow feels that it really matters that they do. In his ignorance of the content and interpretation of the biblical witness he (and ignorant Dawkins) urges people to be done with the Bible and we'll have a better world.

He thinks an atheistic world would be "better". Weinberg is delighted that people like himself have enabled people to get free from their "crazy old aunt" religion. It wouldn't be so bad if by "better" they meant something like more convenient for us biped primates but imbedded in all their talk is the moral superiority of the atheistic mindset.

Sam Harris said he was going to debunk 10 myths about atheism that helps to keep atheists out of the White House. He seems to think that Christians spend as much time thinking about atheism as he does. Trust me—they don't! When people come around shoving survey papers under your nose and give you three to five seconds to answer each question you tend to shoot from the hip and a day later, if you even remember what you said, you might well disagree with it.

I accept the fact that I am dead set against his atheism and that this colours my hearing and response—of course, but I can't deny that I try to give him a fair hearing. Nevertheless, I still feel compelled to say that this Harris offering is pathetic at best.

With his Myth 10 he says that Christians say atheism offers no basis for morality.

This isn't only the view of Christians who bother to think about atheism at all; it's the view of many atheists! Sartre, Russell, Kaufmann, Teller and Blackham only illustrate this. Of course many atheists live morally upright—that should never be disputed it's manifest fact! But as Blackham confessed to Trevor Huddleston, Western atheists live on Hebrew—Christian moral capital. Elijah ate bread and on the strength of it went for forty days and atheists eat Hebrew—Christian bread and go for years on the strength of it.

And how does Harris deal with the "myth" that atheism offers no basis for morality? He says: "If a person doesn't already understand that cruelty is wrong, he won't discover this by reading the Bible or the Quran, as these books are bursting with celebrations of cruelty, both human and divine." There's the Harris way to duck and dive—pretend the answer's too obvious for debate and attack the Bible.

He goes on to simply assert, "We decide what is good in our good books by recourse to moral intuitions that are (at some level) hard-wired in us and that have been refined by thousands of years of [hard-wired] thinking about the causes and possibilities of human happiness."

Here I thought he was going to debunk a myth about the basis of atheistic morals and he's talking about human happiness. Wouldn't you think he should already know that what makes for human "happiness" includes rape and plunder, paedophilia, drug trafficking, war-mongering, genocide and more?

Note that he says "we" decide what's "good" by recourse to "hard-wired" moral intuitions. Who is this "we"? Who gives this "we" the moral right to decide what is morally the case? What's the rational basis for such categories as "good"? The atheist Russell wasn't as shifty as atheists like Harris, Dennett and Dawkins. He said when we speak of what we "should" do we really mean what others want us to do—morals are personal preferences. He went on to lament that he saw things going on in the world that distressed him deeply but, he confessed, he had no rational grounds for condemning them. Jean Paul Sartre said that the only world consistent with atheism is an amoral world (a world without morality). Sartre tore up his Communist Party membership card in protest at Russia's marching into Budapest. Why shouldn't the USSR troops crush Budapest or Hitler pillage and butcher Europe or Stalin create famine to make the world better or Pol Pot crucify his own millions to rid the world of Western decadence?

Harris claims that atheists (and the rest of us) know that some things are immoral by hard-wired "intuition". Intuition means you don't have to think about it; don't have to go through a rational process to get there. So he confesses that his view on morals doesn't rest on a rational basis—he just feels it! It's the way he's programmed!  Yes, but where are the grounds for saying that our programming is "moral"? The truth is, Harris and his kin have no grounds for using the word "moral" the way people in general mean it. He cons himself. Pathetically ignorant of the Bible he's ignorant of logic also.

Harris says we are morally upright because we are hard-wired to be morally upright [he doesn't say that in this piece—he says we're hard-wired to recognise what is moral or immoral but he believes we're hard-wired to do things we call "good" and "evil"].

The hard-wiring includes behaviour so on Harris' terms the tyrants and their lackeys did what they were programmed to do. The death camps and the Gulag were hard-wiring. No moral choices were made—the cruelty was chemical responses. Might as well blame a man with no eyes for being blind as blame Hitler and his villains for what they did. And don't you see, it wouldn't make any difference if one of the camp commandants wept all night and died of guilt feelings—his tears and feelings of guilt would be chemical reactions that were part of the hard-wiring. He would be weeping and feeling guilt feelings for the same reasons a polar bear has thick fur and plenty of fat. He would be weeping and feeling for the same reasons his companions were jeering and raping.

But even if we were to accept in totality Harris' claims, what would we have? Our genetic programming is the result of chance + the laws of physics (which themselves are the result of an explosion without purpose—the Big Bang) so where's the "morality" in morality? It just happens that that's the way things are but how does that lead Harris to say it's the way things "should" be? That's like saying rhinos "shouldn't" have horns or whales "shouldn't" be mammals. Hyper-Calvinists must love his writing because it goes right down their line. They offer theological determinism so that people have no choice but to sin—God programmed it that way. He offers physical determinism—matter in motion programmed it that way so people have no choice but to think this or do that. He utterly obliterates rational choice and still insists on talking about "good" and "evil". He thinks the Bible is moral muck and castigates it when those that wrote and edited it were only doing what they couldn't avoid doing. Christians don't need to make a case against Harris—he makes it for them. [And this guy wants to be a senator?]

He thinks we've come a long way morally speaking. "We have made considerable moral progress over the years, and we didn't make this progress by reading the Bible or the Quran more closely."  Is he looking at the same world the rest of us are looking at?

He speaks of "progress"? What is that? The very notion of "progress" is problematic unless there's a goal or an ideal toward which we're moving. We can use the word progress in limited and contrived ways, of course, but when we believe that the entire universe—every single electron in it—came without purpose or goal and is moving toward utter chaos then to speak of progress is a joke. Harris is hard-wired and his hard-wiring with its hard-wired thinking just "happens" to be what it is. And behold he Dawkins, Dennett and their kin swell with pride that they take the moral high road to deliver humanity from the mother of all tyrannies—Christianity.

Ivan Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate. He made a sound (used a metronome) at the moment of feeding them and then by and by he made the sound but offered no food. The dogs salivated though there was no food—they'd been conditioned. This is how Harris says we got our moral sense.  Following the likes of B.F Skinner and E.O Wilson (until he gets his own degree) Harris thinks we morally salivate because we've been conditioned by evolution. It's all a bit more complex than that, of course, but it's not a whit different. Our hard-wiring is no different in essentials than the hard-wiring in Pavlov's dogs and the "thinking" experience (including alleged "choices" and moral sense and feelings) is more hard-wiring resulting from chance mutations worked on by the chance-produced and sometimes successful Natural Selection.

Harris kids himself into thinking that he really thinks and reasons and chooses independent of his chemical conditioning in an environment that is made of absolutely nothing but purposeless matter in motion. He can't see the stark nonsense in that. His "arguments," however complex and sophisticated and refined are the end result of chemical reactions over which he has no control. To speak more accurately, they aren't "the result" of chemical reactions they are chemical reactions.On his own terms Harris is—ask him and he'll tell you this—a bag of bio-chemicals. You understand, it isn't just that on atheistic terms Harris "has" chemical reactions; body and soul he is a collection of chemical reactions and that's what thought and feelins are (Harris and Weinberg et al).

Finally, does Harris really think he thinks about "goodness" because he's hard-wired, because it's programmed into his neuro-transmitters and genes and such? Try telling this grown man that his thinking has been shaped in a Hebrew—Christian tradition from childhood and that's why he has a sense of "ought"; try telling him that he thinks cruelty is immoral because he has been morally shaped by teachers of the Hebrew—Christian tradition and he is so incensed against Christianity that we won't allow even that. "If I had been shaped by the Bible I would be a cruel and brutal man"—that's his story.

See, what he ought to do is just admit what many others atheists admit--he gets his moral standard from the Hebrew--Christian tradition; that way at least he'd get his foot in the door. But in the end that wouldn't really help him because he's an atheist and everything is matter in motion--he's a materialist and this means he has to say that the Christian tradition is the outworking of purposeless forces working on matter. He talks about hard-wiring because he is compelled to do it. He has no alternative. Poor thing.

I think I'm done here.

OBEDIENCE SAVES by Alfred Shannon Jr.

https://biblicalproof.wordpress.com/2011/07/page/2/

OBEDIENCE SAVES

Would Noah’s ark have floated, would the Red Sea have parted, and would the walls of Jericho have fallen down, if Noah, Moses and Joshua had not obeyed God explicitly. Of course not. And if we refuse to obey the gospel of Christ explicitly, we will be totally lost in our sins. Call those who serve God extremest, religious fanatics, or legalists if you must, but God has a better name for them__He calls them SAVED.

Gen 6-8; Ex 14; Jos 6; 1 Pet 3:21; 1 Cor 10:1-4; 2 Thess 1:7-9; Mk 16:16

Taking Back What the Enemy Has Stolen by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1351

Taking Back What the Enemy Has Stolen

TAKING BACK WHAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN

John 10:10-11 “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

We live in a land where things get stolen all the time. Statistics suggest we are a nation in trouble!  Examples:

• More than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year. That’s more than $35 million per day.
• There are approximately 27 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today. More than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting in the last five years.
• There is no profile of a typical shoplifter. Men and women shoplift about equally as often.
• Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once in every 48 times they steal. They are turned over to the police 50 percent of the time.
• Habitual shoplifters steal an average of 1.6 times per week.

There are a lot of thieves in our country but I don’t necessarily want to focus on the natural today. In the spiritual realm, a kind of stealing is going on in many lives.   Satan is in the business of ripping off things that are ours.

Jesus said in JOHN 10:10 that the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. But Jesus said, “I came that you may have life, and life to the full”.

But you know, Satan doesn’t need your car, he doesn’t need your house, or your money, or your trinkets. But he is interested in stealing Spiritual treasures from you and me. Things that have real value to us and God; and are of a eternal significance.

For example. Our purpose for live. How many people are out there who see no purpose for their life? Too many, so they wind up turning to Drugs, alcohol meaningless relationships,  meaningless pleasure,  greed or something else…anything just to fill the void!

God made man to find fulfillment in Him. In our text this morning, Jesus said that He came that we have life, and life to the full.

The big question this morning is; how many of us can honestly say that you are experiencing this quality of life, this life to the full that Jesus is speaking of in this text?

What I am proposing this morning is that fact, that Satan, our enemy has been robbing us. Whether we recognize it or not, we are in war, where this enemy is attempting to destroy us by trying to:

1)    Rob and Undermine our relationship with God,                                   

2nd) Rob and Undermine our relationship with one another,                   

3rd)  Rob and Undermine our own peace of mind and God given fullness.         

Let’s consider these 3:
First: The Devil is attempting to Rob and undermine our relationship with God  

Yes we say we still love the Lord.  We still come to Church.
But some of us wonder what happened to all the energy and passion we had years ago?

I don’t think that zeal and our fire within just evaporated away. I think Satan finds a way to steals those hot embers, and our fire fades.  Some of us have just been ripped off!

Just like in the Parable of the Sower, Seed is sown on the path, and Jesus said that the Devil came and snatched them away.  Some might say, ‘well when I first became a Christian I was on fire, but I don’t know what happened.’

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says that all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

There is no end to the power God wants to exhibit in our lives. But some of us have been robbed, or we’ve been duped. We need to wake up be honest and admit what has really happened.

Maybe 5 or 10 years ago you were excited about your Christianity and ready to do just about anything to serve Jesus

But now you are discouraged, maybe somebody let you down, or maybe put you down, or maybe something went wrong in your life, in your home, where you work or in your church. Or maybe things haven’t turned out like you think that they should have. You tried to be positive, but soon the fire was gone and now it’s hard even to open your Bible or even go to church. Maybe even your relationship with God isn’t what it was.

That’s just what the devil wants, to steal away from you.  

Second: The devil also wants to undermine and rob us of our relationships with one another to further destroy us. It’s like someone who  keeps knocking holes in our foundation. He knows that if our foundation crumbles so too will the house, and so too will our lives. 

He is tries to rob us of peace in our home, at work, and also in our churches. If we complain, argue, fight, gossip, say things we shouldn’t, feelings get hurt, and people leave. Jesus Himself said that a house divided can not stand (it won’t survive).

Its not that we’re not guilty of sinning sometimes, but who temps us in the first place… This is the reality of spiritual warfare!   Satan is patient and is slowly and tactfully trying to rob us of those we need and love the most.

Why is Satan so intent on breaking up families and churches? Because they offer us our greatest support and when we feel down, weak or discouraged.

And 3rd, Satan also tries to rob us of our own peace of mind, so we don’t experience the life to the full that Jesus came to give us.

Instead of growing stronger and more mature in Christ as the years go by, he would have us doubt our self, doubt what we know, doubt our ability.

He wants us to think that God is mad at us. And therefore make excuses when it comes to serving, or teaching or leading. We don’t ever feel that we are good enough, because Satan has come in and robbed us of the confidence we should have in Christ, and he has robbed us of the reality and of the knowledge that God own Spirit abides in us. And he has robbed us without us even knowing it.

There is a story in 1 Samuel of David in the area of ZIKLAG
David and his men were away from home and Amalekite raiders came down to their town of Ziklag and burned it and then stole and carried off their families and possessions. When David and his army got back home and found that it was burned and all was gone, his men were very angry and ready to turn on him You can read about it in 1 Samuel. 30
At that point David was in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and children, and they began to talk of stoning him.

But then we see a wonderful phrase in 1 Samuel 30:6,   “But David found strength in the LORD his God.”    In verse 8 it says, ‘David inquired of the LORD, “Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”    And the LORD told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”

And so they go after those thieves and in verse 18 and following it says that he recovered everything that was taken.

Why am I telling you this story?
Because a moment came when David and His men (with the Lord’s help) chose to get up and go after their stolen property!

And sometimes much in the same way we need to go on the offensive. We need to be mindful of what the devil is trying to take away from us and say, ‘wait a minute!  I’m am not going to let you rob me or undermine my relationship with my Lord, and my God. He still loves me. He still wants me to be his son/daughter. He still wants to give me a great inheritance.’

God is just as willing to work in our lives as He was David and his men and He will help us get back what was taken and reveal His own glory in our life. No one, Satan, nor any one else has any right to rob or undermine our  relationship with God!

God can help you get that relationship and fire back! God can even help you get back or restore the peace and good relationships you should have with your family, in your home or with your friends. David and his companion did not sit around waiting for their women and children and stuff to return, they went after it. And we have to get up and do our best with God’s help to get back what we lost

Like David and his men you need to trust God and then go after it, and even say, ‘I love and need my wife and my kids. I love and need these people in my church, they are my spiritual brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. I am not going to let Satan rob this from me. These relationships are too precious to loose, to be taken away. I am not going to let anyone rob me of my peace of mind and the life Jesus wants me to enjoy.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3  (Read 3:12-17) ”Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

If you strive to obey these verses, there is no way Satan will rob you of your family at home nor at church. Satan wants to rob you of those relationship. But now that you know what he’s up to, do your best to take back those relationships by doing your best to repair them. And don’t give the devil another foothold.

And what about our own peace of mind? Has he robbed that from you too?

Don’t let him!  Say to yourself, ‘God loves me so much,      He was willing to let His Son die on the cross for me.’

If you are that important to God, you are worth a whole lot.  So stop doubting, stop criticizing yourself, and your ability. The devil wants you to do that.  The devil wants you to doubt, to fear, to question who you are and what you can do, so that maybe you won’t be any good to yourself or anyone else. \

DON’T LET SATAN ROB YOU!  Jesus came that we may have life, a full life, where we can experience inner joy,  real peace and love, no matter what our circumstance.

Don’t let Satan rob that from you!   And if he has, just like David in I Samuel, go after what he has taken and find strength in the Lord, and go back and reclaim what is rightfully yours.

For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

All comments can be emailed to: bfronzek@gmail.com