A poem, a problem and a possibility by Gary Rose

The Blind Man of John Nine

A blind man sat at his own begging post
When one day there among the peopled host
Came a teacher with His disciples few
To change his life as no one else could do

The disciples questioned about his state
Did sin bring about what was on his plate?
Sins of his parents or his own to blame?
“Neither” says Jesus they are not the same

He would serve a purpose, sightless you see
That would show Christ’s power to set him free
The works of God would be so clearly seen
His blindness as if it had never been

Imagine your eyes dabbed with spit and clay
And the abuse you suffer on the way
Searching for the pool to complete His will
And washing and seeing, beyond a thrill

The greater miracle’s yet to unfold
To stand with Jesus and Him to behold
His faith grew with each challenge they would pose
The harder they pushed, the higher it rose

Out of the synagogue he was soon sent
Exalting Jesus is what caused the rent
That act of expulsion opened the door
For seeing Jesus as never before

His opened eyes allowed him to behold
The One who gave him sight worth more than gold
His spiritual eyesight led him to more
As he worshiped the Lord he did adore.

--Brian V. Sullivan, January 7, 2020--

I enjoyed this poem that I found on Facebook so much that I just had to share it with you. Below is the text that it is based upon…

John 9 ( World English Bible )

[1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. [4] I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” [6] When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, [7] and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. [8] The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” [9] Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.” [10] They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?” [11] He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.” [12] Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

[13] They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. [14] It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. [15] Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.” [16] Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them. [17] Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

[18] The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, [19] and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” [20] His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; [21] but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” [22] His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. [23] Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”

[24] So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” [25] He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.” [26] They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” [27] He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?” [28] They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. [29] We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.” [30] The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.* Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 15:29; 28:9 [32] Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” [34] They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.

[35] Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” [36] He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?” [37] Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.” [38] He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him. [39] Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” [40] Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” [41] Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

Imagine you saw Jesus actually perform this miracle; would you believe; the blind man (who became sighted) did, but the Pharisees did not. The difference- The realization of a need to have forgiveness of sin and that Jesus is just the man to do it. I wonder, do you see what I’m saying? More importantly, do you see what Jesus is (verse 41)?

Bible Reading for January 8 & 9 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading for January 8 & 9 

World  English  Bible

Jan. 8

Genesis 8

Gen 8:1 God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

Gen 8:2 The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

Gen 8:3 The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.

Gen 8:4 The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains.

Gen 8:5 The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Gen 8:6 It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made,

Gen 8:7 and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.

Gen 8:8 He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,

Gen 8:9 but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship.

Gen 8:10 He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ship.

Gen 8:11 The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.

Gen 8:12 He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she didn't return to him any more.

Gen 8:13 It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried.

Gen 8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Gen 8:15 God spoke to Noah, saying,

Gen 8:16 "Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.

Gen 8:17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."

Gen 8:18 Noah went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

Gen 8:19 Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

Gen 8:20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Gen 8:21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done.

Gen 8:22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Jan. 9

Genesis 9

Gen 9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Gen 9:2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.

Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.

Gen 9:4 But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.

Gen 9:5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.

Gen 9:6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.

Gen 9:7 Be fruitful and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."

Gen 9:8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

Gen 9:9 "As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

Gen 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.

Gen 9:11 I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth."

Gen 9:12 God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

Gen 9:13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

Gen 9:14 It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,

Gen 9:15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Gen 9:16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

Gen 9:17 God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Gen 9:18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

Gen 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

Gen 9:20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

Gen 9:21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.

Gen 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

Gen 9:23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn't see their father's nakedness.

Gen 9:24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.

Gen 9:25 He said, "Canaan is cursed. He will be servant of servants to his brothers."

Gen 9:26 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.

Gen 9:27 May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant."

Gen 9:28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.

Gen 9:29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.

Jan. 8

Matthew 4

Mat 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Mat 4:2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

Mat 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

Mat 4:4 But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' "

Mat 4:5 Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

Mat 4:6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will put his angels in charge of you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don't dash your foot against a stone.' "

Mat 4:7 Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.' "

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

Mat 4:9 He said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."

Mat 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.' "

Mat 4:11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

Mat 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.

Mat 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mat 4:14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

Mat 4:15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

Mat 4:16 the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned."

Mat 4:17 From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

Mat 4:18 Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

Mat 4:19 He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."

Mat 4:20 They immediately left their nets and followed him.

Mat 4:21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.

Mat 4:22 They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Mat 4:23 Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Mat 4:24 The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

Mat 4:25 Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

Jan. 9

Matthew 5

Mat 5:1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

Mat 5:2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

Mat 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Mat 5:10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:11 "Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Mat 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

Mat 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.

Mat 5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

Mat 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Mat 5:17 "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Mat 5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

Mat 5:19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.'

Mat 5:22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

Mat 5:23 "If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Mat 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

Mat 5:26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.

Mat 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;'

Mat 5:28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Mat 5:29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

Mat 5:30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

Mat 5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'

Mat 5:32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

Mat 5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'

Mat 5:34 but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

Mat 5:35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Mat 5:36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.

Mat 5:37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

Mat 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

Mat 5:39 But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Mat 5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

Mat 5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Mat 5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

Mat 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

Mat 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

Mat 5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

Mat 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?

Mat 5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?

Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

Pure Religion: Helping The Needy by B. Johnson

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Johnson/Edna/Elizabeth/1939/helptheneedy.html

Pure Religion: Helping The Needy

“Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Pro 31:9).
A necessary characteristic of those who seek to have pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. “Pure religion and undefiled before (the) God and the Father is this, to visit (Strong's #1980 - literally to inspect) the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
The Lord greatly honored a sister whose primary work was to help the needy in her community. “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them” (Acts 9:36-39). Notice that the ones who cared most were the ones Dorcas had helped.
The great thing about Cornelius is that he feared God, cared for the needy and prayed to God. “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:1-4).
Note that the thing that pleased the Lord most in this case was his compassion on the needy. What would happen if all of us were like this? Widows and orphans have many discouragements, and who knows if the Lord will use us to help them?
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Pro 19:17).
“He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse”
(Pro 28:27).

Beth Johnson

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The King James Version.

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

THE METHOD FOR ENSURING CHURCH GROWTH BY STEVE FINNELL

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-method-for-ensuring-church-growth.html

THE METHOD FOR ENSURING CHURCH GROWTH BY STEVE FINNELL

The contemporary method for promoting church growth. 1. Do not preach doctrine that offends.  People want to feel good on Sunday morning. 2. Do not preach absolutes. Most consider absolutes as an exercise in arrogance.  3. Do not preach from the Bible and the Bible alone. Men do not like their opinions challenged. 4. Do not criticize denominational doctrine that is contrary to Scripture. Many honestly believe error is God's truth. 5. The most important thing to remember, do not preach the the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. Jesus tried that and He was crucified.

A LIST OF DOCTRINES THAT INHIBIT CHURCH GROWTH.

1. Teaching that baptism [that is immersion in water] is essential for the forgiveness of sin. It will offend those who have been taught that men are saved by faith alone. It will offend those who were sprinkled as unbelieving infants.

2. Do not proclaim that Jesus is the only way to attain salvation. That will offend those who believe in universal salvation. It will make the ones who have an aversion to making any kind of judgment, very uncomfortable.

3. Do not teach that there is a place of eternal punishment called hell. Most people do not like to be badgered or frighten into believing God's truth.

The church of Christ of the first century had rapid church growth. How did that happen?

They taught the apostles doctrine. They did not teach from man-made creed books. They did not preach in order to please men.

The apostle Peter preached the gospel terms for pardon on the Day of Pentecost. Faith, Repentance, Immersion in Water. (Acts 2:22-41)

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (NKJV)

The terms of pardon were not changed after the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:47 ...And the Lord added to church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)

It does not say the Lord added the saved to the Roman Catholic Church daily. 

Acts 5:14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord,  multitudes of both men and women. (NKJV)

Believer were added to the Lord, they were not added to the denomination of their choice.

Acts 6:7 And the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.(NKJV)

It does not say many priests became obedient to the faith because God forced them to believe so they could be saved by grace only.

Acts 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in fear of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.(NKJV)

It does not say they were multiplied because they were hearing a health and wealth gospel being preached.

Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. (NKJV)

A great number did not turned to the Lord because they had a great youth programs and interesting things to keep the senior saints happy. They did not turn to the Lord because Sunday worship was highly entertaining.


Acts 16:4-5 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem 5. So the churches were strengthened in faith, and increased in numbers daily.(NKJV)

The churches did not increase in numbers because they received the latest edict from the Pope, the denominational board, man-made creed books or from reading the extra-Biblical books written by the great preachers of their day

Acts 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.(NKJV)

The word of John Calvin, Billy Graham, Martin Luther, Max Lucado, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, and Joyce Meyer did not grow and multiply.

What kind of church growth is pleasing to God?

IT’S A GOD THING! by Jim McGuiggan

http://theabidingword.com/logos/index.html

IT’S A GOD THING!

Sin alienates us from God!

That’s true, but the truth is bigger than that. Sin IS alienation.

It is not true that we sin and God punishes us with alienation. The truth is that in choosing sin we are choosing, have chosen alienation. To say alienation takes place as a result of our sinning is not true enough! (Yet see Isaiah 59:2.)

[We speak of sins being forgiven. This is good speech (Acts 2:38, Ephesians 1:7) even though we know that sins aren’t forgiven—sinners are.]

God doesn’t punish us with alienation—we choose it and He accepts the choice! Alienation is our doing not God’s!

Consequences follow our choosing alienation (which is the same as choosing Sin). He made us humans and as long as He maintains that decision and purpose we will make choices that (for good or ill) have consequences that include everlasting death or everlasting life. In choosing alienation we sever ourselves from God who is the source of all that is fine and lovely and righteous. In choosing alienation from God, the source of life, we choose death and all the consequences that go with that.

And God’s response to humanity’s choosing alienation; His response to our rejecting friendship with Him? What does He do?

He comes in and as Jesus Christ saying, “I’m utterly opposed to this alienation. I’m utterly opposed to Sin which is alienation. I find no joy in it! I want us to be friends, I want you to return to me and have fullness of life!.”

That is the meaning of the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and glorification of God in Jesus of Nazareth.

So, is He soft on Sin? Does He think it doesn’t matter? No that cannot be! You measure God’s hatred of Sin and sins by the depths of His love for humanity! For Him, to be soft on Sin and sins would be the same as His being casual about the alienation of His children (Acts 17:24-29) ; it would be the same as ignoring our death; the same as His caring nothing for us—the children He created! This He cannot do so He cannot be soft on Sin! On Sin!
And why is that?
It’s a God thing!
It’s the nature and heart of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He hates our sin; hates our alienation precisely because He loves us.
And why does the Holy One love us?
It’s a Holy God thing!
It’s the nature and heart of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And there is no other God!

(Holy One, help us who have had the privilege to hear of you to think noble thoughts of you. Help those you have called to teach us to so teach us that we will be believe and be shaped and energized by your glory, wonder and holy love.)

Too Much Activity on Day Six? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=761

Too Much Activity on Day Six?

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

One of the reasons skeptics reject the validity of the biblical account of creation is because they find it impossible to believe that one man could name every single species of animal on the Earth in a single day. Considering there are only 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour period, we are told it is ridiculous to believe that an individual (who had never seen animals before the day he named them) could name several million species of animals in one day. Perhaps over a period of a few weeks he could accomplish such a task, but certainly not in a single day—right?

The problem with such objections to Genesis 2:18-20 is that they are based on assumptions. The question that skeptics often ask, “Could Adam have gathered and named all of the animals on the Earth in one day?,” is misleading because the Bible places certain restrictions on the animals Adam named. Consider the following.

• Adam’s task did not include searching for and gathering all of God’s creatures. Rather, God “brought them” to him (Genesis 2:19). Likely this was in some sort of orderly fashion in order to reduce the amount of time and human energy necessary to complete the process.
• Genesis 2:20 does not say that Adam named “all” of the animals on the Earth. The text actually says, “Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.” Excluded from this naming process were sea creatures and creeping things mentioned earlier in the creation narrative (cf. Genesis 1:21,25).
• The beasts God brought to Adam are qualified by the descriptive phrase “of the field” (hassadeh). Although the precise limits of the term “field” are difficult to determine, it is possible that it refers only to those beasts living in Eden.
• If the beasts of the field were limited to those animals within the boundaries of Eden, then livestock and birds could have been similarly limited. This would greatly reduce the number of animals involved in the naming process, since it is very unlikely that all created animals lived in Eden. [If so, Eden would have been quickly overrun and destroyed.]
• Contrary to popular belief, Adam did not name millions of species of animals on day six (cf. Wells, 2001; McKinsey, 2000, p. 84). Genesis 1 states that the animals were created “ according to their kind(s)” (vs. 21), not species. The Bible was written long before man invented the modern Linnaean classification system. The “kinds” (Hebrew min) of animals Adam named on the sixth day of Creation were probably very broad—more like groups of birds and land animals rather than specific genera and species. Adam would have given animals general names like “turtle,” “dog,” or “elephant,” not special names like “pig-nosed soft-shell turtle” or “Alaskan Husky.” As Henry Morris has pointed out,

...the created kinds undoubtedly represented broader categories than our modern species or genera, quite possibly approximating in most cases the taxonomic family. Just how many kinds were actually there to be named is unknown, of course, but it could hardly have been as many as a thousand (1984, p. 129).

All of these textual considerations suggest that the events of day six could have been accomplished easily within a 24-hour period. Adam did not have to spend a great deal of time pondering what he would call each animal; he was created with the ability to speak and reason. If my two-year-old son can look at a book and call the names of 60 different kinds of animals in 60 seconds, I have no problem believing that Adam, having been created directly by the hand of God and made in His image (see Lyons and Thompson, 2002), had the ability to name hundreds (if not thousands) of birds and land animals in 3,600 seconds (just one hour!).

REFERENCES

Lyons, Eric and Bert Thompson (2002), “In the ‘Image and Likeness of God,’ ” Reason & Revelation, 22:17-32, March & April.

McKinsey, Dennis (2000), Biblical Errancy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).

Morris, Henry (1984), The Biblical Basis for Modern Science (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Wells, Steve (2001), Skeptic’s Annotated Bible [On-line], URL: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/1cor/index.html

Tunneling For The Truth by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=518

Tunneling For The Truth

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Quite often, the Bible will make a very specific remark about a certain person, place, or thing that can be checked against historical and archaeological evidence. Such cases provide an excellent way to build up corroborative evidence in support of the Bible’s accuracy and inspiration. The book of 2 Kings relates the story of King Hezekiah, one of the few kings of ancient Judah who did “what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done” (2 Kings 18:3). Second Kings 20:20 lists a number of his achievements: “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.” We then read in 2 Chronicles 32:30 that “this same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.” These two verses provide us with a wonderful opportunity to verify the Old Testament’s accuracy. One would think that such a feat of aquatic engineering would leave behind some type of archaeological evidence as a memorial to this king. Is there any extra-biblical information to verify this story?

Indeed there is. Randall Price, in his fascinating book, The Stones Cry Out, catalogs amazing evidence to confirm the tunnel Hezekiah dug underneath the old city of Jerusalem. In fact, on page 267 Price includes a picture of his daughter standing in the actual tunnel. How Hezekiah carved this 1,750-foot tunnel through solid limestone remains a mystery, even today. However, in 1880, an inscription now known as the “Siloam Inscription” was discovered that helped fill in some of the blanks. Apparently, two crews of Hezekiah’s men, working with picks, tunneled from opposite ends, snaking through the limestone in an S-shaped style. How these two crews met in the middle without the aid of a modern compass or other such device is still unknown. However, the fact that Hezekiah built this tunnel leaves no mystery to uncover. Time and time again, the Bible “checks out,” and remains the most accurate and authoritative book ever written.

REFERENCE

Price, Randall (1997), The Stones Cry Out (Eugene, OR: Harvest House).

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=519

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Who could forget God’s promises to the “father of the faithful?” Not only would God bless all nations through Abraham and give his descendants the land upon which Abraham’s feet had trod, but God also would cause Abraham’s descendants to multiply so that they would be as countless as the stars of the sky. In Genesis 15:5, we read God’s promise to His friend Abraham: “Then He [God] brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ ” The prophet Jeremiah referred to a similar promise that God issued to David, in which He explained that the stars “cannot be numbered” (33:22). Indeed, that the stars are numberless comes as no surprise to those of us who have seen pictures taken from the Moon, or peered into other galaxies through million-dollar telescopes.

Yet, the idea that the stars could conceivably be counted remained firmly planted in the minds of some all the way up until the early 1900s. In chapter 12 of his exciting book, Why the Bible is Number One, Kenny Barfield catalogs a host of ancient, and not-so-ancient, personalities who attempted to count the stars. One such Greek astronomer, Hipparchus, almost two centuries before Christ, went on record in multiple ancient sources with figures anywhere from 800 to 1,080 for the total number of stars. Barfield sites other ancient writers such as Chang Hing, who put the number around 2,500 “not including those which the sailors observe.” The idea that the there existed a fairly small number of stars conceivably countable by humans was quite a prevalent notion.

It is humorous today to compare the actual estimated number of stars to those figures garnered from the ancients. With our modern knowledge we have estimated that there are over 25 sextillion stars (25 with 21 zeros after it)! Indeed, the Bible was correct when it commented that the stars “cannot be numbered.” And, even though the promises to Abraham and David were not uttered with scientific information as their primary concern, it is true that whenever the Bible speaks on such matters, it always is scientifically accurate. What else would we expect from the “Father of lights?”

REFERENCES

Barfield, Kenny (1997), Why the Bible is Number 1 (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock).