Friday, March 5, 2010
Prohibition on Homosexuality Was Not Repealed By Christ
Today there are many false Christian teachers who are are leading many poor souls straight to hell by claiming that Jesus never spoke against the union of two men or two women, so homosexuality is now condoned by God. Let me say right from the start, except for the ceremonials ones (which Jesus repealed), all of the Mosaic laws are still in force. That is because there were three categories of laws given to Israel: civil, ceremonial, and moral. The civil laws were ONLY given to the Israel. The ceremonial laws were filled and abolished in Christ. The moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments and other Mosaic moral laws are universal. They are part of Natural and Divine Law. Homosexuality is clearly contrary to moral and natural laws. All forms of homosexuality are condemned, past, present, and future.
What Jesus did was fulfill the laws handed down by God. Matthew 5:17 If you look at the teachings of Jesus, you will see that he reiterated all the OT laws. What He did do away with however, was the ceremonials laws that were needed to gain forgiveness and be pure before God, but now we look to Christ for our salvation instead of through the works that God required the Israelites to do. So I can say without hesitation that Jesus also did not repeal the prohibition against homosexuality.
What Jesus did was fulfill the laws handed down by God. Matthew 5:17 If you look at the teachings of Jesus, you will see that he reiterated all the OT laws. What He did do away with however, was the ceremonials laws that were needed to gain forgiveness and be pure before God, but now we look to Christ for our salvation instead of through the works that God required the Israelites to do. So I can say without hesitation that Jesus also did not repeal the prohibition against homosexuality.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Train Rides
Have you ever wondered how people get from point A to point B, I don't mean in a physical mileage way, but in an emotional way. We all take in our surroundings and make decisions based upon the way we see things happening. Then when we get to a certain point in our life we take an inventory of how we are doing. Sometimes we are relatively satisfied, and other times we are disappointed, but do we ever really reflect upon the decisions we made that ultimately got us to point B?
I guess we might if we realize we are dissatisfied with our lot in life, but do we ever revisit those moments and try to undo the damage we did by our wayward conclusions. Or do we instead attempt to revise our opinion of our place in society that has us where we are at any given moment? Often times I find myself looking at my surroundings and wondering what would be different had I not missed my stop at Mannheim Germany 26 years ago.
I guess we might if we realize we are dissatisfied with our lot in life, but do we ever revisit those moments and try to undo the damage we did by our wayward conclusions. Or do we instead attempt to revise our opinion of our place in society that has us where we are at any given moment? Often times I find myself looking at my surroundings and wondering what would be different had I not missed my stop at Mannheim Germany 26 years ago.
Labels:
Army,
Awol,
Germany,
Growing Up,
Reflection,
Trains
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Flying My Flag at Half Mast
By ChuckOn the morning of March 22, I raised my flag to the top of the 25 foot pole In my front yard. I must have forgotten to tie it off, because when I returned later in the afternoon from presenting my Sunday message I noticed that the flag had been lowered to half mast. That evening I watched the the House of Representatives vote on the Senate's version of the Healthcare legislation. As the remaining votes needed to pass the legislation were cast, I began to thinking about the damage this legislation would do to America. It was then that I was struck by how prophetic my flag being lowered to half mast really was. I decided at that moment to leave my flag at half mast where I believe God had lowered it to.
It is my opinion that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Yes, I believe that the America I once knew is forever gone. I say so because I cannot foresee the Republicans ever reversing the Health Care bill. I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court, that it will ruling it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, as much as many will disagree with me, I believe a vast majority of Americans have turned their backs on God. In doing so, He has turned His back on us as a nation. We cannot continue to condone the many evil things we do in America as if God has changed His mind about what says is evil.
It is my opinion that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Yes, I believe that the America I once knew is forever gone. I say so because I cannot foresee the Republicans ever reversing the Health Care bill. I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court, that it will ruling it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, as much as many will disagree with me, I believe a vast majority of Americans have turned their backs on God. In doing so, He has turned His back on us as a nation. We cannot continue to condone the many evil things we do in America as if God has changed His mind about what says is evil.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Man Regurgitated From Whale lives To Tell About It
These past few weeks I have shared various stories about whales. There was the story about Orca, the killer whale, that decided to take a break from the performance at San Diego's Sea World to eat a pelican that dropped onto the water while the spectators looked on. I also shared the heartwarming tale of the penguin who did all he could to dodge the clutches of a killer whale until he decided to put his trust in mankind by jumping into a rubber raft of spectators for safety. Then just this past week I shared with everyone my opinion of the tactics used by the terrorist organization Sea Shepherds to save the whales from being hunted by Japanese whalers in the Antarctic. All this made me think about an incident that took place a few thousand years ago in Israel about 780 BC with a prophet named Jonah.
Jonah lived about 170 years after the division of Israel into two kingdoms, when Nineveh was coming to the end of its reign as the leading power in the region. Nineveh had spread so much fear among its enemies that most Israelites prayed for a judgment upon it the likes of which happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Great Video of the “Christ of the Abyss” Statue Under the Waters off Key Largo
In the video at the end of this article, you will see an approximate nine foot bronze sculpture that symbolizes peace of mankind from its unusual setting - beneath the ocean at Key Largo Dry Rocks off John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The statue and the replicas like it around the world are known as the "Il Christo Degli Abissi" or in English - "Christ of the Abyss".
The original sculpture, (above) the "Il Cristo degli Abissi", is in the Mediterranean sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. It was placed in the water on 22 August 1954 at approximately 17 meters depth, and stands 2.5 meters (8.5 feet) tall. Professor Guido Galletti cast the original from the inspiration of the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, swimmer/diver Duilo Merchant. Galletti wanted a symbol to inspire all who explored and loved the sea in 1954. In 1961.
The original sculpture, (above) the "Il Cristo degli Abissi", is in the Mediterranean sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. It was placed in the water on 22 August 1954 at approximately 17 meters depth, and stands 2.5 meters (8.5 feet) tall. Professor Guido Galletti cast the original from the inspiration of the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, swimmer/diver Duilo Merchant. Galletti wanted a symbol to inspire all who explored and loved the sea in 1954. In 1961.
(click on images to enlarge)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Sports God vs Jehovah, Who Do You Worship?
by Chuck Ness
Millions of Americans are getting ready to watch the Super Bowl today and like others, I'll will be watching it with my family. It does make me wonder, though, about what we are teaching our children.
Throughout history men have worshiped many false gods, and today is no different. Probably the most popular false god of modern times would be the "sports god". Think about the way we raise our children to worship this false god. We will spend more time and effort to get them involved and interested in sports then we do in teaching them the Word of God. In essence we are telling them, "this is what is really important." We will rush around with more excitement and punctuality to get them to participate in practice and the game than we ever would to get them to church, not to mention the fact that Americans are rarely so strict about our children devoting a moment of the day to devotional reading of the Bible. Fact is, most families in the US have lives that revolve around their childrens' sports programs more than their spiritual life.
Americans are spending billions on sports. Many cities have vast sport stadiums that have become the equivalent of modern cathedrals. While these edifices are large and grossly expensive, chances are most cities involved are even planning even bigger and more expensive stadiums to worship their "sports god". If aliens came from another planet to visit us they would no doubt conclude that these vast sports complexes are the primary places of worship for our metropolitan areas.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Am I Lost Because If Find It Difficult to Love Them?
I was asked by a reader of my Sunday Messages, “How do I love someone I don't like, and if I can't love them does it mean I do not love God?” I decided to tackle this question because there are many Christians who find it difficult, if not down right impossible, to love those they don't like. We are told by John that, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1John 4:8 John goes on to write that it is impossible to love a God you cannot see, if you do not love your earthly brothers. 1John 4:20 As Christians, we need to understand that if God loved the world and gave His only Son to become a propitiation of our sins, then we should also love one another. John 3:16 & 1John 4:10 So we wonder by reading such passages how we can love the way God loves us. Allow me to first give some background on the apostle known as John.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Witch Doctor Renounces Voodoo in Haiti
When we hear and see the devastation left by the earthquake in Haiti, many will inevitably wonder how anything good can come out of it all. We feel that way when personal disasters strike, whether it follows a car accident, a house burning down, or even the sudden death of a loved one. However, as Christians we are told that it is not this world we are promised, but the next one that Christ will bring when He returns to judge the world. So we as sojourners here on earth, must look at this world as a place that is here today and gone tomorrow. So while I agree that seeing the destruction and human suffering in Haiti can test ones faith in God's promise to care for, and comfort those who are suffering, if you look beyond what the MSM wants to show us, you will see miracles happening all over Haiti. It is those miracles which should assure you that God is fulfilling the promises He has.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Video of Kirk Cameron Giving Away Free Copies Of "Origin of Species"
Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort have found a loophole and decided to exploit it for Christ. It would seems that Charles Darwin's book, "Origin of Species", is considered public domain by the law. So what Kirk and Comfort have done was open a hornets nest by distributing hundreds of thousands of free copies of Darwin's book with Christian material and messages as a forward. Then they distributed them for free at universities across America and Europe. The 50 page introduction picks apart aspects of Charles Darwin’s work and links it to everything from Nazi eugenics to the scientist’s alleged ‘disdain for women.”
Don't Blame God, Tragedies Happen
After the Earthquake that devastated Haiti, Pat Robertson was accused of saying that God was punishing Haiti because of the evil practices of its people. At first I must admit that I cringed and even stated that he was out of line and the statement was ignorant on his part, especially when the Scriptures go directly against such foolish beliefs. Then I looked into what Pat actually said, and found this statement put out by CBN:.
”Pat Robertson's comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. CBN
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Judging Others
I am always amazed how those, when told by a Christian that they are sinners, accuse the Christian of being judgmental. They claim that the Bible, a text that Christians claim is the inspired word of God, says we are not to judge others because of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1
"Judge not, that you be not judged".Matthew 7:1First off, it would be wise to know that originally there were no such things as chapters and verses in the Greek and Aramaic texts. They were added later to facilitate ease of use. It was not until Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro began to create a concordance of the Latin Vulgate, that he found the need to use chapters and verses. These made it easier for others to cross reference verses and look up the information that he was listing in his concordance around 1244 to 1248 A.D. The original manuscripts that made up the Bible were fragments of letters written by the authors. Many of which were but copies of the original letters passed along from church to church for the defense against heresies, education, and edification of the many followers of Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)