Bread of Life Christian Fellowship

Welcome!

2011-08-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

We invite you to visit our website and our church. We are a Family Integrated church and we love to be together. So why don't you come join us?

"Reputation is what people think about you. Character is what people know you are."

This Week's Sermon and Notes

All people are welcome. Those with a wide variety of religious backgrounds or no religious experience at all can feel at home. No question is too small.

At our church, you won't find polished productions, or professional performances. We are a group of working class people who gather together to Worship our King, learn about our God, and fellowship with His people. Our services are fun and informal.

Service Times

Sunday Morning Worship 10:00am Lunch following

(This Weeks Lunch Theme is B,X,Y)

Wednesday Evening Bible Discussion 7:00 pm

This week: John 10)

The first Saturday of every month. Work day March, 5

Men's Fellowship: The Second Friday of each month, 6:00

(March 9)
Guests welcome, Members expected!

Within the Center of Every Living Soul

Is a Great Big God Sized Hole

Our Calendar of Events

We are a Family Intergrated Church
Families Children Couples Singles

Our children are a part of all services, worshiping and learning with their brothers and sisters in the Lord of all ages in one unit. We are growing and enhancing family relationships and worshiping God.

"Let the Little Children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God."

Being small is fun, but growing up is nice too.Why don't you come be part of that growth?

Our Message

At Bread of Life Christian Fellowship We know that church isn't about how you look. It's about finding God's answers for your everyday life. We have relevant messages and a friendly atmosphere. Join us this Sunday and see how wonderful church can be.

If you died tonight...

Where would you spend Eternity?

We have many publications available through The Betty's Books. Have look around.

Want to know more about Homeschooling? Read our homeschool consultant's article...

Why We Homeschool

Talk to Us

Bread of Life Christian Fellowship

10042 Hwy 50 East

Moundhouse NV 89706

775-267-9997

Email:ourchurch@breadoflifecf.com

Defending Paul

2011-08-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

There are five ministerial gifts that Jesus gave to the church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. The question is, are these gifts still in the church today?

There isn't any place in scripture where any of these gifts were made void, so there is no reason to believe they have been removed from the church.

The question at hand is. Do we have Apostles in the church today and was Paul an Apostle?

An Apostle is;

A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders

a) Specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ

b) In a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers

1) Of Barnabas, Timothy and Silvanus

Today we don't call anyone an Apostle, but if we look closer, we find the ministry of an Apostle is alive and well.

Our Bible was translated into the Latin language in the 300 ADs. The word for “sent forth” in Latin is missionem which when translated into English is missionary. So Missionary is Latin and Apostle is Greek for the same job.

I believe by definition, Paul cannot be excluded as an Apostle as he was “sent forth” by God to carry the message of the gospel. (“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to

Cyprus

.” Acts 13:2-4)

Did the original twelve accept Paul as an Apostle?

At the counsel in Jerusalem, the other Apostles recognized him as an Apostle.

“And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.” Acts 15:4

There is no doubt that Paul was one sent forth by the Lord. The works that followed his ministry were that of an Apostle. The original twelve Apostles recognized this in his ministry.

Did the teachings of Paul Differ from the other Apostles or the teachings of Jesus?

Not at all.

There are those who say that Jesus never intended to start a new religion but to only add to the Jewish traditions. They claim that Paul introduced pagan ideas and formed the new religion of Christianity causing a rift between Jews and followers of Christ. The claim is that Jesus embraced His Jewish-ness while Paul disdained and rejected his.

The fact is that Paul retained his ethnic/cultural identification with the Jewish nation. Both Paul in his personal correspondence and Luke in the book of Acts tell us Paul’s opinion of his Jewish-ness:

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem). Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers…" (Acts 22:3).

Commenting upon his early commitment to the practices in which he had been trained, he described himself as:

"A Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee…as for legalistic righteousness, faultless" (Philippians 3:5, 6)

Paul was possibly one of the Pharisees Jesus dealt with in His ministry. The Bible doesn’t really say.

The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders had Christ crucified by the Romans because He claimed to be the Messiah. This is what divided Jesus and His followers from the Jews, not any ideas introduced by Paul (possibly a couple years later.) By the time of Paul’s conversion, the Christians were already a separate group, quite divided from the Jews and suffering persecution for their belief in the Divinity of Christ.

"How intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it" (Galatians 1:13).

Paul was one of the Jews actively persecuting the new Christian church, even holding the coats for those who were stoning Stephen. He had permission from the leaders of Judaism to go to Damascus searching for these Christians to stamp them out.

“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me? "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied" (Acts 22:6-8.)

Paul knew Christ had been crucified. He knew He was dead. He “knew” His followers were wrong. Yet here is that very Jesus standing by him talking to him. He had a conversion experience; from Judaism to Christianity (Follower of Christ).

In Damascus, a Jewish/ Christian named Ananias informed Saul of the work God had in store for him:

"You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard" (Acts 22:15).

Did this experience cause Paul to reject his countrymen?

"I am an Israelite myself," he wrote to the congregation in Rome, "a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin" (Romans 11:1).

No. He continued to claim the ethnic/cultural identification of being a Jew. In fact, whenever he entered a town, the first thing he did was go into the local Jewish synagogue and preach Christ to them. Sometimes they listened and accepted Him too. Sometimes they stoned Paul. Yet that was always his first action.

This in fact was simply following Christ’s example and command. Jesus ministered entirely in Judea and almost entirely to Jews. He commanded;

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Or, as Paul later put it,

"first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:16).

The new Christians were commanded to begin their ministry with the Jews and branch out from there to the entire planet and all people.

But Paul would have preached to the Jews first anyway.

"My heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved" (Romans 10:1).

"I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel" (Romans 9:2-4).

So why would God call a man so thoroughly educated and committed to the Jewish nation to minister so much to the Gentiles?

Simple, No one else could have so faithfully translated God’s scriptures and their meaning to the Greek-speaking converts. Paul was a scholar in these scriptures and understood them better than most. He was capable of taking what we call the Old Testament and showing how Christ was the fulfillment of the many scriptures referring to Him. He was capable of taking those same scriptures and applying them to the Gentile world correctly since he had grown up in Tarsus, a gentile city. A man less educated in the Word and Judaism or more isolated in Judea would not have been able to do this.

There was also a danger that the new Gentile converts would kick the Jewish converts out of the Church. Only Paul could admonish them so effectively:

"Do not be arrogant," he warned, "but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jewish people), he will not spare you either…And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again" (Romans 11:20-21, 23).

He correctly explained that God only has one “tree” (church). That the “natural branches” the unbelieving Jews, had been cut off and the believing Gentiles grafted in. That God could just as easily cut the Gentiles off if they sin in arrogancy. Only Paul could have properly understood the threat and acted on it with authority.

So what about their teachings? Did Paul contradict Christ?

Concerning the purpose of the Law, Jesus taught

"These are the Scriptures that testify about me…" (John 5:39).

Paul said;

"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Messiah (Jesus) that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24).

About the Law, Paul said;

"Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law" (Galatians 3:25).

Jesus said;

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached…" (Luke 16:16).

Both men said there would be an end to the Law. It had a limited time of usefulness to God.

If you carefully read Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s you will see a harmony. They do not in any way contradict. Jesus taught that the Law’s usfullness was fulfilled in Him. So did Paul. Jesus taught to stop sinning. So did Paul. There are no contradictions.

Should Paul be the replacement of Judas as the twelfth Apostle?

There isn't any evidence in scripture to indicate that Paul replaced Judas a foundation Apostle. Paul was called out of due season.

Are the foundation Apostles the only ones qualified to write inspired scripture?

If this is the case, we must reject the books of Mark, Luke and Acts as well as the writings of Paul.

Are there other Apostles mentioned in the Bible besides the original twelve and Paul?

“Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out.” Acts 14:14

Here in the book of Acts (which was written by Luke) Luke refers to Paul and Barnabas as Apostles. Timothy and Silvanus were also called Apostles.

Peter recognizes Paul as being genuine.

^“Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

Should we accept Paul's writings as inspired scripture?

The question is; What are the proper criteria for determining what is inspired scripture? Some say the writings of Josephus should be accepted. Others say Ellen G. White etc... Some people accept the Lost Books of the Bible or the Apocrypha.

Most Christians accept the sixty six books known as the Holy Bible. There are many translations. Paul's writings are accepted as inspired scripture by almost every theologian in the Christian community and throughout history. Peter endorsed this opinion in the above quoted 2 Peter 3:15-16. Paul’s writings harmonize not just with Christ’s teachings but with the entire Bible. There is no reason to not accept Paul’s writing as inspired scripture.

Satan is not a fallen angel

2011-08-29T20:19:00.001-07:00

When reading the Bible it is important to take each verse in the context of all the surrounding verses as well as in historical context. When we pull one verse from one place and another verse from another place, we are easily led astray into false doctrine.

Most Christians believe that Satan was the most beautiful angel, head of the heavenly choir, second in command. He decided to rebel against God and try to take over. One third of all the angels joined him and there was a great war. God cast him and his followers out of heaven. All this happened between verses one and two of Genesis.

Now this is a real cool story full of drama and righteousness triumphing over evil.

To bad it’s not true.

This story is first recorded in history in many pagan legends. It was introduced to Christianity by John Milton in the form of an epic poem/story called “Paradise Lost” in 1667. Those who believe this story use a variety of verses in the Bible to prove it. Let’s look at those verses, in context, and see if they are right:

Isaiah 14:12-15

“¹² How you have fallen from heaven,
   morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
   you who once laid low the nations!
¹³ You said in your heart,
   “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
   above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
   on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
   I will make myself like the Most High.”
¹⁵ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
   to the depths of the pit.”

This does very much sound like the story above. However, if we go to the beginning of the subject in Isaiah 13:1, we find that Isaiah is relaying a message of condemnation on Babylon.

Israel

and

Judah

had sinned and God was going to use Babylon to punish them (Isaiah prophesied more than one hundred years before this actually happened). Babylon went beyond the command of God, however, and God is saying He will punish her for this. In 14:1-2, God tells Judah that she will be returned to her own land and then in verse three He tells them that at the time they are delivered from Babylon they will taunt the Babylonians by saying the things in verses 4-23. Verses 12-15 are aimed specifically at the Nebuchadnezzar himself who, the book of Daniel tells us, thought he was the most special thing around. His arrogance was so extreme that God humbled him by making him insane. He spent a time eating grass in the fields thinking he was a wild animal. His kingdom was totally destroyed in the next generation and disappeared from the face of the earth. There is no mention of Satan whatsoever and no hint that these few verses should be read any differently than the ones before and after.

Ezekiel 28:12-19

“¹²Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

¹³Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁵Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

¹⁶By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁷Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

¹⁸Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

¹⁹All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

Again, I see how you could think these are referring to the fall of Satan story. But the first verse clearly tells us who God is talking to: The King of Tyre. Tyre was an island nation just off the coast of

Israel

(related to the Phoenicians) This island was nearly invincible. Because of its location in the sea it was thought impossible to conquer. The king of Tyre at this time was incredibly rich and thought himself to be the greatest thing under heaven. His island was a king’s paradise. All the proceeding and following verses are also speaking about human kings and nations. There is no indication that this is speaking of anything but a human king who thought the things recorded in verses 12-15 but God tells him like it is in verses 16-19. Alexander the Great conquered the nation by building a causeway from the coast to the island and marching his army in then laying siege for seven months. By the time he and, later, the Romans were done with Tyre, it was a flat rock good for nothing but drying fishing nets. There is no mention of Satan nor any indication this verse should be put anywhere but with the accompanying scriptures aimed at Tyre’s neighbors.

Luke 10:18

^“18And he (Jesus) said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

Some take this to be Jesus giving a history lesson; He had been there when Satan was kicked out. But, again, this doesn’t fit the context of the scripture.

The disciples had just come to Him telling Him they had healed the sick and cast out devils in His name. If the common interpretation of this scripture was right than the conversation would have gone like this;

“We conquered Satan in Your Name!”

“Well, I saw him cast out of heaven, so there! Phbbbblllltttttt!”

Does that sound right? I think taking this in context the conversation went something like this;

“We conquered Satan in Your Name!”

“Well glory be! Satan has just fallen from his position of power (because of what you just did)!”

Doesn’t that fit much better with Jesus’ personality and what was going on at the time? It fits the context much better. Jesus wasn’t saying the devil was ever in God’s throne room, just that he was defeated by the power of God working through the disciples.

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

This does not say that Satan began as an Angel of light, but that he appears to be one sometimes. The surrounding verses are talking about false ministers pretending to be godly men. This scripture simply says that Satan also often fakes it, pretending to be good.

Revelation 12:7-10 (King James Version)

“⁷And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

Most take these verses and move them back between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. However, they take the entire rest of the book of Revelation and put it 6000 years later, still ahead of us. There is no indication in the text to make one think this should be done, but this fits with their Satan story. It is mishandling of the Word of God.

The war this text was talking about takes place in the same time as the preceding verses (the birth of the Christian Church) and is followed by the following verses which tell us that the Blood of Christ is the weapon that conquered Satan. This is probably the worst case of taking the scripture out of context since the text clearly puts the event some time AFTER the crucifixion.

So who is Satan and where did he come from?

Isaiah 45:7

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

God created Satan just as He created everything else.

Why?

God created us to worship Him. He created us in His image and thus with the ability to choose. This ability is necessary in order to have true love and worship. Without choice, we are nothing more than slaves and robots. God wanted true friends. So God created a choice.

For every up He made a down.

For every front He made a back.

For every in He made an out.

There was already a loving, truthful God. He created a hateful, lying, ugly counterpart; a choice.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

Satan is our adversary, enemy, accuser, the old serpent, great dragon, Beelzebub, Blial, the father of lies, and the tempter. He is the opposite of God in every way.

He is not and never was an angel.

You are Invited!

2009-11-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

To Our Annual

Family Christmas Program

Sunday

December 19

10:00am-12:00

Traditional Christmas Dinner and

Homemade Ornament Exchange Following

Please Join Us!

(No Ornament Necessary)

10042 Highway 50 East,

Moundhouse, Nevada

(Behind the A-Frame)

Directions

Bread of Life, Bread for Life

2009-11-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

The term “bread” includes everything made from grains. This means “bread” is not only the stuff that holds your sandwich together, but also all pastas, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, hamburger and hotdog buns, biscuits, muffins, the breading on your fried chicken, the croutons in your salad, corn on the cob, popcorn, rice, cake, pie crust, cookies, Twinkies, and oatmeal. Since potatoes are similar in nutrition, you could call them God’s quick bread. This makes French fries, mashed potatoes, and hash browns “bread” also.

Now, imagine your life without “bread.” How bland that would be! How difficult to even get enough calories to live!

Jesus Christ called Himself the “Bread of Life.” In the same way that bread is essential for our physical survival, Jesus is essential for our eternal survival.

There is a God. The universe is too complex to have created itself. The very Laws of Nature speak of a Devine Father.

God gave us the Bible to show us the way to Him. No other document has ever been subjected to as much scrutiny and evaluation, yet the Bible has never been proven wrong. Quite the opposite; Archeology and science are continually proving It is right. It contains many prophecies that have come true also, further proving Its truth.

God created human kind. He molded us, His masterpiece, from the dust of the ground.

All humans have chosen to rebel against God. Whether it is a “little white lie,” being selfish or the choice to be outright evil, we have all, at one time or another, chosen to disobey God; we have all sinned.

The penalty for sin is eternal death. This is not an end to existence, but being in the torture of the throws-of-death forever. Eternal pain, eternal suffering. There is no human who does not deserve this.

But…

God loved us, His master creation, so much that He robed Himself with flesh, walked this earth for thirty-three and a half years, and gave Himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. He paid the debt we owe.

We must accept this gift of payment. If I wrapped up a million dollars and put it on your door step, it does you no good unless you pick up the box, open it and take the money. Christ’s gift of salvation to you will do you no good unless you accept it.

Each and every one of us must acknowledge that we have rebelled against God, we have sinned, ask Him to forgive us, and choose to follow Him. If we do not do this, we will continue to walk to Hell. If we ask, God will forgive us. Always.

Once we have received forgiveness for our sins, Jesus becomes our Boss (Lord). We must follow and obey Him.

How do we know what He wants us to do?

• He tells us in the Bible.

• He tells us through men He has appointed to serve us by shepherding (pastoring) us.

• He tells us through fellow Christians who are farther along in their walk with Him.

• He tells us in our heart when we pray.

Every Christian needs to find a church that believes the Bible is true. They need to be there regularly (at least weekly) so they can learn more about their Jesus.

Every Christian needs to read their Bible and spend time talking to God every day.

Every Christian needs to fellowship with other Christians.

Every Christian needs to follow Jesus commands;

• Love God with EVERYTHING you have. Leave no part of your heart or life out.

• Love your neighbor the same way you love yourself. Treat him the way you would want to be treated. Make his needs at least as important as your own.

This is how Jesus becomes our “Bread of Life.” This is how He enriches us and nourishes us. This is how He makes our lives better. This is how He gives us Joy and Peace.

Unlike with bread which it is possible (though difficult) to live without, we can’t live forever without Jesus. We can’t go to heaven unless He is our Boss.

Won’t you please accept the Life He offers you today?

Bread of Life

Christian Fellowship

10042 Highway 50 East

Moundhouse, Nevada

89706

http://breadoflifecf.com

ourchurch@breadoflifecf.com

775-530-8297

North side of Highway 50,

By the A-frame.

Service Times:

Sunday, 10am

Worship

(Lunch following. Please join us:)

Wednesday, 7pm

Bible Discussion

(No question too small)

Recepie for an Effective Church

2009-11-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

When we put out signs and run ads for our church we are saying “Look on Us.” We had better have something for them to see.

Acts 2:42-47 “42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Here is the recipe:

1. Be in the Spirit of God. This is not a one time event but an on going life. We must be founded in the Spirit and guided by the Spirit in order to do any thing for God. We must understand that it is our job to be ambassadors for Christ, our job to witness and show the world Jesus.

2. Be founded in the Bible “42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine” With out the Bible we don’t really know what God wants from us. The Bible is God’s instruction book to us. “Doctrine” means teachings. The apostles’ teachings were recorded in the Bible for us to learn from.

3. Unity “and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,” We must have a mission. We will achieve nothing if we are each going for a different goal. We must be united in our work. We must all have the same vision. Fellowship is the mutual sharing of interest. Breaking of bread is communion, the sign of covenant, a solemn agreement. We must each understand submission. Submission is knowing our place in the work and walking in our calling. Getting outside our calling is rebellion.

4. Prayer “and in prayers.” Jesus did not teach his disciples how to preach, teach, sing, or witness. He taught them how to pray.

a. “Our Father Who art in Heaven” –Know who you are talking to.

b. “Hallowed be Thy Name.” –Praise God. You can use Psalms, Isaiah 9:6, the names of God, or just your own heart to praise Him with.

c. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” –Ask for God’s will in your home, block, neighborhood, city, state, country. Ask for His kingdom to come into your life and the lives of those around you.

d. “Give us this day our daily bread” –Ask for your needs and the needs of others to be filled but you don’t need to harp on them since God already knows.

e. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” It’s ok to ask to be protected form temptation. Ask this for you children and loved ones, too.

f. “For Thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power forever.” –Praise and honor God again.

g. “Amen.” –So be it. Let it happen.

5. Generosity “44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” The church does not need to preach about money for her own sake since God will always supply, but not talking about money robs people of blessings. Tithe means 10%. It is as if God handed you $100 on the agreement you give Him back $10. It is the acknowledgement that it is all His anyway; He is the source of all things good. Offerings are a way to show God how much we love Him and His work. It is a way to take care of others.

6. Thankfulness “46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God,” Praise begins with thankfulness which is the opposite of complaining. The Bible tells us to be thankful in all things. We can not praise God unless we are thankful for all things. Begin by focusing on the good and refusing to dwell on or complain about the bad. See the above recommendations for praise.

7. Focus on people. “and having favor with all the people.” People buy from people they like and we need to be part of people’s lives. We need to really listen to them. We need to really care about their lives. We can’t help everyone. We need to ask God to put us in the paths of those we really can help and to help us see them.

Results: “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Babies are messy and noisy and don’t know anything. We have to learn how to handle babies. Church growth causes problems. It’s messy. But it’s worth it.

Prayer

2009-11-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

Prayer is an essential part of our walk with God. It is how we build a relationship with Him.

Imagine you are married and your spouse only talks to you occasionally and then only to ask you to do something for you. How long do you think your marriage will last? Probably not very long.

When we choose to follow God, we need to invest the time and energy to build a relationship with Him. He wants us to and is just waiting eagerly for us to decide we want to.

So how do you pray? Do you recite famous lines others have written? Well, there may be a place for that but God really wants to hear from our heart. Jesus gave us a sample prayer. Though it doesn’t hurt to repeat this prayer as long as we mean it, I think He meant for it to just be a sample for us to build on.

1. Our Father Who Art in Heaven. Jesus opened His prayer acknowledging who He was talking to. He wasn’t referring to Buddha, Confucius, or the universal consciousness. He was talking to Daddy God, the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings. Be sure who you are talking to when you pray.

2. Hallowed Be Thy Name. He praised God. Now this sounds like a simple thing to do…until you go to do it. What do you say? What words do you use?

There are a number of places to begin. The last chapters in the book of Psalms are great praise chapters. You could begin by reading one of those out loud, concentrating on each phrase and meaning what it says.

Another good place to start is Isaiah 9:6 “…and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Build from there.

Some like to pray the different names of God listed in the Bible. Example:

• Jehovah-Rohi: My Shepherd (Psalms 23:1)

• Jehovah-Jireh: My Provider in times of trouble. (Psalms 23:1)

• Jehovah-Shalom: My peace in the midst of turmoil (Psalms 23:2)

• Jehovah-Rophi: My Healer (Psalms 23:3)

• Jehovah-Tsedkenu: The Lord is Righteous (Psalms 23:3)

• Jehovah-Shammah: The God who is always there (Psalms 23:4)

• Jehovah-Niszi: My Banner (Psalms 23:5)

• Jehovah-M’Kaddish: My Sanctifier (Psalms 23:5)

• Jehovah-Yasha: My Savior (Jesus)

Or you can just tell Him in your own words how wonderful you think He is. Thank Him for all His blessings from your thumb, home, car, pets, children, parents, the clouds, mountains, rain, sunshine, your health and anything else you can think of.

3. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Pray for God’s will to be done, first of all in your home, then your block, neighborhood, town, state, country and the world. ("… you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 in other words, beginning at home and working out from there.)

4. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread. Now you ask for those things you and others need. I keep a list of prayer requests in my DayRunner that I go over everyday. It covers everyone from my immediate family to extend family, friends, and our country. I don’t go on and on about these needs though. God knows them and I have faith in my prayers that He is answering them.

5. Forgive Us Our Debts as We Forgive Our Debtors. Sin genders a debt. We must ask God to forgive us for those sins we have committed. If we also truly forgive those who have sinned against us, who have harmed us, who have offended us, God WILL forgive us.

6. Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil. It is ok to ask to not be tempted by sin. I pray this for my children regularly. I also pray that God lets me catch them when they do begin to sin and to have the wisdom to correct them in the most effective way to produce righteousness. We should pray this for ourselves as well.

7. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Glory, and the Power Forever. Your prayer should end with praise and acknowledgement of God’s strength and wonder.

8. Amen. Amen means “So be it.”

Bread of Life

Christian Fellowship

10042 Highway 50 East

Moundhouse, Nevada

89706

http://breadoflifecf.com

ourchurch@breadoflifecf.com

775-246-9997

Why We Use the King James

2009-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

The King James Bible is the simplest, yes, I said the simplest, to read.

It only has about 8000 different words as opposed to the NIV which has over 14,000 different words.

In comparisons of different translations for grade level placement, one scholar came to the following assessment:·

The King James averages grade level- 5.8 (fifth grade, eighth month)·

New International Version- 8.4·

New American Standard Bible- 6.1·

The English Version-7.2·

New KJV- 6.9

A comparison of words in the KJV and the NASB:

KJV NASB

Matt 1:11 carried away deportation

Luke 5:29 sat recline at the table

Matt 5:21 kill murder

Matt 5:19 Break annuls

You get the idea.(This is only a mall sampling. For more information on this issue go to “New Age Bible Versions” by G.A Riplinger, 1993 or http://www.hsnp.com/gok/bible18.html)

I am convinced the KJV is the most accurate English Bible commonly available. It does have some problems, but it came from superior transcripts and had more scholarly translators who actually believed the Bible was true. Some other translation’s translators didn’t really believe the Bible was true, especially concerning Creation, before they started and this has affected how they translated certain passages.

I know of people that have learned Greek and Hebrew to aid in their study of the Bible. They say that there is nothing like reading It in the original to get the full meaning, but the KJV comes closer than any of the other translations.

It also is written in the most beautiful form the English language has ever taken; Shakespearian English (No one actually spoke this way. It was a dialect used for artistic purposes). Not only is God’s Word worthy of being presented in the most beautiful form available, this near-poetic language is easier to memorize. You tell me what sticks in the brain better;

“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth--all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.” (The Message) or

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (KJV)

Though similar, the later has a poetic cadence that makes it easier to memorize.

The unfamiliar words (form, void, etc) give you a perfect opportunity to increase your vocabulary. And since the new words are used in real life, you will remember them far better than if they had come from an abstract workbook page.

We do use other translations occasionally as study tools, to get a different perspective on a verse, but when there is a difference of translation, We generally go with the KJV.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them (His Words), O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Ps.12:6-7)

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Ma.24:35).

“Cling to the whole Bible, not a part of it. A man can not do much with a broken sword.”

(All scripture is used with permission of the Author)

Fun Bible Facts

2009-01-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Bible is made up of 66 books: 39 from the Old Testament and 27 from the New.

The Old Testament has thirty-nine books (Memory help: there are three letters in the word “old” and nine in the word ”testament”= 39).

The first five are called the Pentateuch, and most attribute them to Moses. They are:
 Genesis (Creation through the life of Joseph)
 Exodus (The Israelites leaving Egypt and traveling to the promised land)
 Leviticus (Various laws given by God)
 Numbers (The numbering of Israel and various laws)
 Deuteronomy (Various Laws)

The next twelve are the books of history. They are: Joshua (written by Joshua telling of Israel's conquering of the promised land)
 Judges (The history of Israel under the rule of judges, from Joshua to Samuel)
 Ruth (A romance story)
 1 Samuel (The birth of Samuel, crowning of Saul as first king)
 2 Samuel (The story of David and Saul)
 1Kings (The history of Judah from Solomon to the captivity)
 2 Kings
 1 Chronicles (The history of Israel from Solomon to the captivity)
 2 Chronicles
 Ezra (Israel returns to Jerusalem)
 Nehemiah
 Ester (A story of God’s provision)

Then come the books of poetry:
 Job
 Psalms
 Proverbs
 Ecclesiastics
 Song of Songs (or Solomon)

The Major Prophets (each written by the man the book is named after): Isaiah (Tells of the coming destruction of many countries as well as the ending history of Judah)
 Jeremiah (Tells of the coming destruction of Judah and of its actual end)
 Lamentations (written by Jeremiah to morn the death of the king)
 Ezekiel (many prophecies from the end of Judah to the coming of Christ)
 Daniel (the story of the captivity and prophecies concerning the rest of the history of the Israelite people).

And the Minor Prophets (each written by the man the book is named after):
 Hosea
 Joel
 Amos
 Obadiah
 Jonah
 Micah
 Nahum
 Habakkuk
 Zephaniah
 Haggai
 Zachariah
 Malachi

The New Testament has twenty-seven books (Memory help: three letters in the word “new” times nine letters in the word “testament” equals twenty-seven.)

The first four books are about the life of Christ, are named after the authors and are called the Gospels: Matthew
 Mark
 Luke
 John

The one book of History:
 Acts (The history of the early church)

The Pauline (written by Paul) epistles (letters): Romans (written to the church at Rome)
 1 Corinthians (written to the church at Corinth)
 2 Corinthians "
 Galatians (written to the church at Galatia)
 Ephesians (written to the church at Ephesus)
 Philippians (written to the church at Philippi)
 Colossians (written to the church at Colossi
(The Five T’s)
 1 Thessalonians (written to the church at Thessalonica)
 2 Thessalonians
 1 Timothy (written to his apprentice Timothy)
 2 Timothy
 Titus (written to his friend Titus)
 Philemon (written to his friend Philemon)
 Hebrews (We don't know for sure who wrote this book. It may have been Paul or it may have been one of several other ministers in the early church. It was written to Hebrews still in Jerusalem.)

The non-Pauline epistles (named after the authors): James
 1 Peter
 2 Peter
 1 John
 2 John
 3 John
 Jude

One book of Prophecy (written by Jesus' disciple John): Revelation (foretelling the church age)

Fun Facts
The longest book of the Bible is Psalms-150 chapters.

The shortest book of the Bible is 2 John with one chapter, 13 verses.

The longest chapter of the Bible is Psalms 119 with 150 verses.

The shortest chapter of the Bible is Psalms 117 with 2 verses. This is also the middle chapter of the bible.

The middle verse of the Bible is Psalms 118:8.

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35-"Jesus wept."

The longest verse is Ester 8:9 containing 90 words.

The Bible Contains:
 3,566,480 letters
 773,693 words
 31,102 verses
 1,189 chapters: 250 in the new, and 939 in the old

The word “and” appears 46,277 times.

Reverend appears once.

“Lord” appears 1,855 times.

The longest word is : Mahershalalhashbaz. It is found in Isaiah 8:1 and has 18 letters.

The 21 verse of Ezra 7 contains all the letters of the alphabet except J.

Ester has no mention God.

Verses 8, 15, 21, and 31 in Psalms 107 are alike.

Every verse in Psalms 136 ends the same.

The 19th chapter of 2 Kings and Isaiah 37 are almost identical.

There are about 180 direct quotes in the New Testament from the Old Testament.

The first Bible printed is this country was in 1663 in an Indian language.

Food for the Soul has no Calories

Examine Yourselves

2009-01-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

Last week, I jokingly asked a health club acquaintance whether he would change his mind about his choice for president if presented with sufficient facts that contradicted his present beliefs. He responded with utter confidence. "Absolutely not," he said, "No new facts will change my mind because I know that these facts are correct." I was floored. In his brief rebuttal, he blindly demonstrated overconfidence in his own ideas and the inability to consider how new facts might alter a presently cherished opinion. Worse, he seemed unaware of how irrational his response might appear to others. It's clear, I thought, that carefully constructed arguments and presentation of irrefutable evidence will not change this man's mind.

Each one of us is created by God to be a creature of some emotion. We have a heart and we have a very powerful "feelings department" within our soul or psyche. Those feelings are not particularly subject to reason. That is a well known fact.

The fact is we are not entirely rational in what we believe. Our "feelings" play a very big part in what we decide is "true", i.e.. true for us. In other words, it is like we believe in something we might call "my truth". What about "my truth"? Well, this is something I like, and "it works for me".
Our heart is often cross wired with our rational mind. And so our mind is loaded with pre-suppositions we have not checked for accuracy. But, they are what we believe are Biblically well established facts. But they are not. They are our notions, really just our own fondly held, and often false, presuppositions.

This is why the process of deciding on what we believe can play tricks on us. We don't want to "hear" some hard truths. Nor do we want to "see" some things. We might think we have all the issues in alignment with God, and our beliefs are consistent with God's Word. But there are pied pipers out there, and we have been paying them to play our tune. So what they tell us is often what we "want to hear".

Of course seeker friendly religious salesmen are just like other salesmen. They are close by our side. They know what we "want". And like good salesmen they are very keen to sell us what we want to hear.

We must face the brutal truth here. Jesus said that "where our treasure is there will our heart be also." This is an exceedingly difficult matter for us to address.

Bible teachers who teach a false issue are usually sound in every other way. For the most part they are our dear evangelical brothers and sisters. But the false issue is now a well entrenched corporate belief. There is a huge amount of false issue traffic on the air waves. And the peer pressure involved here is past knowing. When we finally see the error of this false issue then it suddenly becomes exceedingly difficult for us. It is hard to accept that we have been entangled in error and confusion for many years of our Christian lives. It is also very hard for us to believe that we have been deceived. We have been deceived by well meaning Bible teachers.. And we have been self-deceived as well.

We have not done our homework in the Holy Scriptures as we should. And we are creatures of habit who live and breathe in the status quo.

But here are the awful questions we must face:
1. What if we as Christian believers are wrong?
2. What if our judgment is off?
3. What if we as Christian believers are still largely living on the carnal side of our nature?
4. Does our lower nature and our ego lord over the spiritual side of our nature?

Our mind is like an iceberg, with the rational part of our being just the tip of the iceberg. The real workings of our mind are submerged and hidden beneath the surface. So just what is going on deep down in our subconscious mind? Are we Holy Spirit led Bible believing overcomers?

Or is the fleshly side of our nature on the throne of our hearts and calling the shots? Could it really be possible that our carnal religious desires can actually rise up and trump out Biblical truth? Could this be what is happening deep down in our heart with our belief in a false issue?

These are awful things to have to consider. Most of us don't bother to consider them. We just drift along with the crowd. It is not just our teenagers who are giving in to "peer pressure". It seems our opinion on the timing of a false issue will not change until the opinion of the crowd and our peers’ changes first.

Can it really be this bad?

The Bible repeatedly alludes to human beings being like sheep.

The prophet Isaiah said,
"All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned every one of us, to his own way." - Isaiah 53:6

And he was right.
The prophet Jeremiah lamented.
“And the priests rule by their own power; and my people love to have it so.

But what will you do in the end? - Jeremiah 5:31

Sometimes the truth really hurts.

I know others who have had the same experience. It is a tough initiation into the Way of the Cross. But it is a necessary one if we really want to be "sold out" for God. And the Holy Spirit is with us. He is our Comforter as well as our Guide.

Here is another pointer. It is quite normal for saints to cry out to God in their distress. We need His covering in such times. It is even normal to cry or even become broody or moody for a season. We can even get angry at God for a time as we pass through these straits.

Fortunately we serve a gracious God. He understands what we are going through. He has promised to lead us "in Spirit as well as in Truth". The Shepherd of the sheep is with us. He does not just hit us with data, nor does He just "sock it to us" with the cold facts. His spirit dwells in us; He is our Comforter as well as being our Guide. He empowers us to walk in truth. The Holy Spirit also helps us to walk in the graces of His love, joy, and peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Now is the time for us to take a long hard look at our attitude to Christian witness. God has given us time for peaceful reflection and preparation in the Holy Spirit. And that time is now.

Now is the time to allow ourselves to be led in quietness deeper into the heart of the Shepherd.. Let us get to know His voice. (John 10:3-4) A dark and cloudy day is coming. (Ezek.34: 12) True believers will need to stay very close to the Shepherd of Israel.

Let us join our Apostle Paul and affirm our faith to the end.

"For the which cause I also suffer these things:
Nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. - 2Tim.l: 12

The highway of holiness leads onward and upward.

We as Christians really desire to live in truth. Each one of us needs to examine ourselves. The final truth we are all seeking for is found in God's holy word. Look in your bible and let it have priority over everything else.
September 22, 2008 George Bush said "Let's make sure that there is certainty during uncertain times".

A Mother’s Job

2009-01-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

To be a Christian is not to make God part of your story, but to realize you are part of God's story.

Most Mothers’ Days the sermon tells us how we should honor our mothers while on Father’s Day the sermon tells dads they need to be doing a better job. We love on the moms and beat up on the dads. I think it is time someone did some beating up on the moms. So, men, put your hands over your ears and go “la la la” I am not talking to you.

What is a mother? What does a mother do? What is her job? Why is motherhood so important, anyway?

That depends on whether you believe in evolution or creation. Evolution says:

There is no God. So…· There are no rules.
· There is no right or wrong.
· “Proper” roles are decided by society.
· What is “right” for you may not be right for me.
· Set your own standards.
· Find your own path.
· Follow your heart.
· Look out for number one.
· Survival of the fittest.
· If it feels right do it.
· Live for today.
· Have fun while you can.
· You are what you wear, drive, live in or vacation at.
· He who dies with the most toys wins.
· We are more advanced today.
· We know better now.
You know, the snake’s lie “Ye shall be as gods, knowing (and deciding for yourselves) good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

Thus…
A Mother’s Job is to Birth babies, and nothing else, because our society has decided “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.” Not antiquated ideas like “Parents”.

The Christian view?“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“The Fool says in his heart there is no God.” Psalms 14:1

There is a God. He is all knowing, all-powerful, all loving and has a plan for the universe. He has made certain rules for us to follow for our own good. Not because He hates us or wants to spoil our fun; but because He knows what is best in the long run.

Let’s take those evolutionary ideas one at a time:There are no rules“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15If we love God we will follow His rules.

There is no right or wrong.What is “right” for you may not be right for me.Exodus 20- The Ten Commandments
1) You shall have no other gods before Me. (Nothing should be more important than God)
2) You shall not make for yourself any idol. (Don’t worship anything other than God)
3) You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
4) Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Set aside one day to worship God and fellowship)
5) Honor your father and your mother (Not teachers, government officials, or other authorities, but your parents)
6) You shall not murder.
7) You shall not commit adultery.
8) You shall not steal.
9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Don’t gossip)
10) You shall not covet

These rules are universal. They apply to everyone.

“Proper” roles are decided by society“So God created (hu)mans in His own image, in the image of God created He (them); male and female created He them.”

One human could not contain the whole image of God. It takes two. God intentionally made us male and female. It was no accident. He could have made us unisex, like the snail, but He didn’t. He made both men and women in His image, but in the image of different parts of Himself. Men are created in the image of the strong, logical, competitive part of God. Men needed this in order to conquer the wild animals, enemy humans, and elements necessary for survival. He has an overwhelming instinct to protect those weaker than himself.

Women are created in the image of the gentle, nurturing, intuitive part of God. They are made to notice and care for the beautiful parts of life. This part of God is what makes life worth living; the part that made flowers and fluffy clouds.

This means men and women have very different roles to play. Both are vitally important, even equally important. But they are very different.
“I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance.” Psalms 139:13-16

You are not who you are by accident. God planned it from the very creation of the world. If He made you a woman, that is what you need to be to do His will in your life. It was not a biological accident.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Don’t be fooled by worldly ideas and traditions. Don’t follow worldly principles.

“Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Romans 6:16

If you serve fashion you will be a slave to fashion. If you serve your entertainment you will be a slave to your entertainment. If you serve Christ, you will be a slave to Christ.

“The student is not above his teacher: but every one that is educated shall be as his teacher.” Luke 6:40

Are you learning how to behave and make decisions based on “society?” You will become just like society.

“And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?” Luke 6:39

This world is blind. They refuse to see Christ. If you follow them, you will end up in the same fiery ditch.

“And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.’” Gen 2:18

God had a job for Adam to do. He could not do it alone. He needed help.

“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” 1Cr 11:8,9

A woman’s job is to help her husband. That is the biblical purpose in her life. Not the other way around as it is in so many homes today. If hubby is a preacher, than wifey is called to be a preacher’s wife. If hubby is a truck driver than wifey is called to be a truck driver’s wife. If hubby is a banker, than wifey is called to be a banker’s wife.

“Unto the woman he said, ‘I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’” Genesis 3:16

The woman was going to have children before the Fall. Now it is going to hurt. Man was going to be the head of the house before the Fall. Now it was going to annoy her.

“And unto Adam He said, ‘…cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; …’” Genesis 3:17-19

Man had work before the Fall. Now it was going to be harder and less productive. He isn’t going to enjoy it as much.

“Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the MOTHER of all living.” Genesis 3:20

Adam named his wife “Mother” before she had even given birth to her first child. He named her this because she would become the mother of all humans and because she had the character traits of a mother. She was Mother from the start.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

A married couple forms a whole new unit; a whole new family.

“Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring.” Malachi 2:15

Why did God invent marriage? First of all the Bible makes it plain that marriage is an object lesson for the church’s relationship with God. He is the Head and we are His helper.

Secondly, He made marriage because He wants godly babies. God loves babies. The only place you can get godly babies is from godly marriages. Heathens don’t produce godly children.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” Psalms 127:3-5

Children are a gift, a reward, from God and the man that has lots of them is a blessed man who will influence the future.

The role of “mother” was chosen for you before the founding of the world.

It is God’s design.

Look out for number one.
Find your own path.
Set your own standards.“And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again…” 2 Corinthians 5:15

We don’t live for ourselves. We live for the One Who died for us.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mathew 10:39

I have known many women who said they wanted to be Someone, do something important. They have all ended up nameless, faceless, cogs in some big corporation. If they died in a car accident they would be replaced in two weeks and in a year no one would remember they existed. They have made no lasting contribution to society as a whole or to the future.

But I can tell you about many women who have given up their dreams to do God’s will raising children who later become famous in there own sphere. Mary Pride for example, gave up a promising career as an engineer to go home and birth nine babies...and a dozen books, three businesses, four magazines, and the most visited homeschool web site in the world. She has made a tremendous difference in the lives of her children AND thousands of other families, including mine. None of this would have happened if she had tried to hold onto her “life.”

Besides this, if we give up our lives here on earth, we receive eternal life in heaven above. Even if God never chooses to make us world famous, this eternal reward is worth sacrificing our lives for now.

Follow your heart
If it feels right do it
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool; but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered” Proverbs 28:26

So much for following the heart.

Survival of the fittest“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:3-5

We are supposed to have the same attitude as Christ. He did not go to the cross for Himself. He didn’t need it. He was sinless. We are supposed to have the same attitude of self-sacrifice.

You are what you wear, drive, live in or vacation
He who dies with the most toys wins
Keep up with the Jones
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” 1 Peter 3: 3- 4

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will…” Romans 12:2

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, are not wise but he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” 2 Corinthians 10:12

We are more advanced today
We know better now
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

Socialism, feminism, and atheism have been tried before many times; ancient Rome, ancient Greece, ancient China, etc. None of it is new. All of it has always ended with a lot of dead people.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…” Jeremiah 6:16

The “old fashioned” paths- the ones patterened after the Bible- are the best.

Live for today
Have fun while you can
“For what is a (woman) profited, if (s)he shall gain the whole world, and lose (her child’s) own soul? Or what shall a (wo)man give in exchange for (her child’s) soul?” Mathew 16:25
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15

“His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’” Matthew 25:21

There is an afterlife. You choose what neighborhood you will live in. Mother’s can nudge their children closer to heaven.

So what is a mother’s role biblically?

It is to help her husband accomplish the job God gave him to do when He gave him children. Her job is to protect, teach and love her children.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Mathew 24:37

What does a mother protect her children from?First of all, she protects them from predators.

Historically predators were four legged. Today they have two legs. I know that any child can be kidnapped, but most predators will go for the easy kids first- the ones not being watched. They don’t want to deal with mommy for sure!

Last year we had “Stranger Danger” to our church to teach the children. I really liked the program and thought it taught my children some important things. But I noticed that it was aimed at children walking to or from school- alone. If mommies would take the trouble to walk with their children this major point of abduction would be removed. Or better yet, if mommy taught her children herself at home, it wouldn’t even be an issue.
I heard one woman call into a talk/advise show on the radio. Her daughter had had a “Stranger Danger” type of class at school and was now too scared to go to the park down the street alone. The show host told the mom to GO TO THE PARK WITH HER. It is too much for a child to make them responsible for themselves. Mommies should be watching their children.

But the fact is that 90% of children who are abused, are abused by someone they know; someone close to them. The number-one person most likely to abuse a child? Mommy’s new boyfriend. Many mothers are not only not protecting their children; they are putting their bedtime entertainment before their own children’s safety.

Mothers should protect their children’s health. America is the most mal-nourished country on the planet. Not under-nourished; mal or miss nourished. We eat enough calories to be fat but we don’t eat any nutrients necessary for growth of the body. It is like dumping a load of sawdust at the job site and telling you to build a house out of it! Moms are not paying attention to what their children eat and are letting them form bad habits early on that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

For example, did you know that rickets- a disease caused by lack of vitamin D- is on the rise again? Americans get their vita d from the sun and their milk. Today’s child spends all day inside at school and in front of the computer or TV, getting no sunlight. And moms are not making them drink their milk, so they are not getting enough vitamin D. We have a new epidemic of rickets; a totally preventable disease.

Mothers should make their children exercise, too. Our kids are getting fatter and fatter! Whatever happened to “go outside and play”? It seems to have disappeared. We lived on our street for four years before we found out there even was other children on the street! They all spend all their time inside. We still don’t know how many there are. They simply never go outside for us to count. Mothers aren’t protecting children from obesity and all its related diseases.

Mothers should protect their children’s mental health. Children need to be loved and they need consistency in order to have maximum mental stability. Babysitters do not love the children the way a mother does. They can’t. They would go mentally insane themselves if they tried. And they simply can’t respond immediately to the needs of ever child in their care. Someone just has to sit in the dirty diaper, go hungry, or comfort himself until the babysitter gets to him.

But I have seen several stay at home moms who didn’t give their children this love either. They seemed to think their children needed no more than an adult in the house. They sat on their couch watching TV or surfing the net while the children were left to themselves. The Bible says, “A child left to himself bringeth his mother shame.” Children need an active, involved, present mother in order to be mentally healthy.

Daycare children are twice as likely to have ADHD and 15x’s more likely to have a mental illness than mommy care children.

They just don’t grow up “right” with out someone who loves them taking care of them.

The average American child will witness over 200,000 acts of violence on television including 16,000 murders before age 18.

Innocence is mortally wounded in most children, too. Moms should protect their children from violence and sexuality. What passes for normal today on TV would have been labeled pornography just a generation ago. We have become that desensitized. I am not actually advocating a letter writing campaign to get Hollywood to make them put their clothes back on. I am telling mom to turn the TV, movies and obscene video games OFF. You control what happens in your own home. You need to protect you child’s innocence.

Jesus said, “If you look at a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery.” How many of our children are adulterers in their hearts before they are even adults?

Spiritual lives need protecting too. There are two leading religions competing for our Christian children’s souls in America today; atheism and environmentalism. The first is actively being taught in our school- even many Christian schools- and on TV. Not overtly, mind you. I never had a teacher stand up and say “there is no God” in school. But they all followed the textbooks and did say such things as “we don’t know why the chimpanzees left the trees 20 million years ago…” This kind of statement presumes atheistic evolution and trains the mind to think in evolutionary terms; to have evolutionary worldviews (How do they know chimps ever were in the trees in the first place? Because they ASSUME they evolved from primates who live in trees). Sad to say, I only remember one teacher that was aware of this and tried to counter it, and I had many Christian teachers. And of course, the media is just as bad or even worse.
Environmentalism is the other competing religion. Even some churches are now putting their emphasis on environmental issues instead of preaching sin and salvation. “All for Mother Earth!” This is nothing but ancient paganism; Earth Worship.

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.” Romans 1:25

God wants us to be good stewards of this planet, of course. But more and more people “worship” environmental issues, making them the measure of “good and evil.”

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” 2 Timothy 1

Lois and Eunice have gone down in history because they taught a child.

This brings us to teaching. Historically mothers did the majority of the teaching. Reading was taught around the kitchen table by mommy while she worked. In this country, that produced literacy level of 98% compared to today’s 75%. Mommies just were and are better at teaching than strangers are.

But mommies taught a great deal more than just reading. They taught common sense, thinking skills, self-control, work ethic, and manners. How many of you remember taking a class in self-control or common sense in school? These things can’t be taught in a class setting. They are taught by mommy at home in the first five years.

Children are the same as their parents; little sinners. They are in need of careful training in order to teach them to follow God. God told parents to “bring them up in the culture and education of the Lord.” He tells children to “obey your parents.” (Ephesians 6) The role of a parent is a godly institution. God could have had us have our children and then leave them like ostriches, but He didn’t. In fact, humans are some of the most helpless, dependent babies on earth. God made them that way because our babies need us to teach them with our presence in those early years and their being so helpless makes us do that.

We parents are fallible and make plenty of mistakes, but we are the ones commanded by God to raise our children. Not the government. Not hired nannies. Not the TV.

One observer of human kind stated that we will respond to God as adults the way we respond to our parents as children. A child’s view of God is formed in the first few years. Mom is a child’s source of food, shelter, protection, and knowledge. She is “god” to him. Now this will change very soon, of course, as he grows. But when he is an adult and you ask him what God is, he will respond “the supplier of all my needs, the protector, the source of all knowledge. The Boss.”

The newborn’s relationship with mom is an object lesson to us, also. That is how close God want us to be to Him; how reliant He wants us to be on Him.

Ask a child raised by babysitters or the TV what God is and they will answer, “There is no God. I have always taken care of myself. It’s a dog eat dog world and only the strong survive. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. There is no loving ‘supreme being’.” Or “He helps us do what WE want to do.” Or “He runs the world but doesn’t really care what we do with our everyday lives as long as we don’t kill each other.”

If mommy isn’t there when baby needs her, he won’t believe God is there when he is an adult. Whether she is gone because of death, divorce, work or soap operas doesn’t matter. (Adoption, by the way, provides an opportunity to undo the damage of a missing mommy. Adopted children often have a clear comparison of evil selfishness versus Godly giving.)

“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace”: Psalms 144:12

The same percent of Christian families as non-Christian families have working moms and 80% of Bible believing Christians send their children to public school (between 10 and 15% send them to private school). Today, 85% of children raised in a supposedly Bible believing home leave church by the end of their first year of college.

Our children are going to hell.

Is there hope or is this just the norm. After all “straight is the gate and narrow is the way and few there be that find it.”

No, this is not normal.

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Homeschool graduates, in answer to the question, “Are you the same, almost the same, different or very different religion from your parents?” said “the same” or “almost the same” 96% of the time. These parents are raising Christians. I think the difference is in the restoration of the family.
The average homeschool family has a supplier dad who is head of the household, a stay at home mom who nurtures and teaches the children, children who actually live in the house (instead of part time in institutions), and either home-church, ignore their church’s youth group, or are actively creating family integrated churches (which have a 80% retention rate themselves. That 4% that are loosing their children say they are loosing them after involvement in youth groups and Sunday schools). Everyone is doing their God given job in their God given role. Their children are going to Heaven.

Traditional classes and daycare focus on the child (as a group); providing him with what he needs educationally. A child at home gets his care WHILE other things are going on. He is not spoon-fed. He is an integral part of the real world.

Work ethic is taught while vacuuming the rug and washing dishes. Thinking skills are taught while sorting laundry. Manners are taught in the grocery store. Self-control is taught all the time by example and discipline. Really, all of these things are. Children who are warehoused or plopped in front of the TV or computer are not learning these things. When are their moms supposed to teach them? What time frame? How can a daycare worker trying to keep eight children from killing each other teach these things? How can a school teacher trying to control thirty children? Too many mommies are too busy doing other things; “more important things”. So today it is not unusual for children and young adults to honestly not know that it is rude to ask personal questions, interrupt, smart off at adults, and so much more. Many young adults don’t know how to work or think. They think the world revolves around them and their desires (they really don’t know the difference between desires and needs) and it is getting worse. Just ask anyone who has been in management for very long.

Selfishness, rudeness, laziness are on the rampage. And it is all mom’s fault. Well, not “all” mom’s fault. Many men won’t let their wives stay home.

Both men and women say “But I, (sniff, sniff,) can’t afford a jet ski if mom stays home. I-I-I- can’t afford to retire early. I-I-I can’t afford to go to Europe. I-I-I-me-me-me self-self-self.”

What does the Bible say?“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” 1Titus 5:14

A woman not doing these things gives the Adversary (Satan) occasion to speak reproachfully.

“That they (the older women) may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:4

If a woman doesn’t do these things, God’s word IS blasphemed.

“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet…. she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:21, 27

The good woman cares for her home and has nothing to fear.

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:6

In other words, every waking minute.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” John 10:11-14

Hollywood, books, magazines, the Internet, and, of course, daycares and traditional schools are all hired hands. No one cares for a child like someone who loves him- mommy.

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men do to you do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets.” Mathew 7:12

If you were a baby, small child, or even a teenager…

Who would you want caring for you?

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Mathew 25:37

Puts a whole new perspective on changing diapers, doesn’t it? Changing your baby’s diaper is accounted to you in heaven as changing Christ’s diaper. WOW!

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Mathew 11:30

The world’s burden is heavy. You always have to be the richest, prettiest, and smartest. God’s burden- cuddling babies and playing with toddlers- is easy.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Mathew 6:33

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ.” Philippians 4:19

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John10:10

Following God’s commands will bring you the abundant life, not following your own or the world’s ideas. Caring for your children like God tells you to is the path to true happiness.

You are important to your child. Not because of the money you bring home, but because your presence tells him he is loved, teaches him how to act and how to think by example and guidance from you.
I am raising warriors to worship at the feet of my King.

Your child needs your protection. No one else can do your job, no matter how much you pay them. They are not mommy. They don’t love your child like you do.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
Trust God.

Women, it is time for you to quit just having babies…

It is time to start being

Mothers.

Bible Helps

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Biblical Interpretation
Proper interpretation and understanding of the Bible requires three basic tools; understanding of biblical context, understanding of historical context, and understanding of original languages.

In order to understand scripture we must always take the context of scripture into account. What was the author saying in the whole chapter, the whole book? Who was he talking to? Why?

There once was a man who wanted to know God’s will in his life. He randomly opened his Bible. It fell to the scripture where Judas killed himself. Wondering what this meant for him, he randomly opened his Bible again. This time it fell open to the scripture where Jesus says “...Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:37) Was this God telling him to kill himself? Of course not. You must take scripture in its context. You CAN NOT take a verse here and a verse there and put them together to form a doctrine. This is mis-handling of the Word of God.

God tells some people to do things He doesn’t want everyone to do. For example, all believers are not to go preach to Nineveh as Jonah was told to do. Nor build a large boat and gather a bunch of animals onto it. Nor lay in the middle of the city, naked, eating nothing but bread and not talking for an entire year like Ezekiel was told to. We must pay attention to who each scripture was written to and why. The moral lessons taught in every scripture can be applied to our lives, but the fact of the scripture applies to who it was written to. The rule of context is that context rules.

The second rule of biblical interpretation requires we see what was happening in history. For example, when God told Jonah to go to Nineveh (the capital of the Assyrian empire), it was because the Ninavites were very cruel conquerors of the entire region. They would cut the heads off of the leaders of each city-state they conquered and often torture the inhabitants. God was fed up. He sent Jonah to warn them to change their ways or else. Of course we know that it worked; they repented and God spared the city. Well, for a while anyway. History tells us that the city relapsed into its old ways and was destroyed for its cruelty a generation or so later.

We must understand the history surrounding an event to truly understand what the Bible is telling us.

The third tool we need to really understand the Bible is a knowledge of original languages. This is not so hard as it used to be. Any Internet-connected computer has access to a Strong’s Concordance (and they are available in book-form from any book seller for as little as $10.00). This is a list of each word in the Bible and its location AND its definition in the original language. You simply look up the words in a verse and see what the original author meant.

The Concordance
A concordance is an assemblage of every word in the Bible in alphabetical order with all of its locations. The Strong's concordance also links you to the original Hebrew or Greek word and gives the definition of that word. This better allows you to know what the author really meant when he wrote that scripture.

Let's say we want to know where the verse "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have ever lasting life" is found.

First we will pick a word to look up- “world.”
In the alphabetical listing we find that the word "world" is listed 249 times. This means that in 249 verses the translators translated a Greek or Hebrew word to mean "world." Forty-six of these are in the Old Testament. In the 203 New Testament occurrences, three different Greek words (represented by three different numbers; 165, 2889, and 3625) were translated into the word "world." By reading the part of each verse listed we find that the one we want is John 3:16. “World” in this verse is number 2889. We turn to the Greek Lexicon in the back and find that this "world" is κόσμος or in the English alphabet; kosmos. It means:
1) An apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government
2) Ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1 Pet. 3:3
a) The world, the universe
b) The circle of the earth, the earth
3) The inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family
4) The ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ
5) World affairs, the aggregate of things earthly
a) The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ
6) Any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort
a) The Gentiles as contrasted to the Jews (Rom. 11:12 etc)
b) Of believers only, John 1:29; 3:16; 3:17; 6:33; 12:47 1 Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19
The Strong’s is for the King James Bible.

Thompson Chain Reference Bible
This is the Bible required by many Bible colleges. It is King James.
Down the sides of each page are two columns with numbers and scriptures. The scriptures take you to other scriptures on the same subject as the adjoining verses. The numbers take you to a supplement in the back that lists scriptures by subjects. Before this supplement is a Table Of Contents that lists all the different subjects so you can look up whichever one you need.

The Thompson Chain also has a concordance (not as complete as Strong's, of course), maps, charts about the life of Christ and other prominent Bible characters, summaries of each book in the Bible, and an archeological supplement.

Dickson Bible
(No longer in print, but there are several similar Study Bibles out there) In the front of it is a very good dictionary with scripture references. In the back, the concordance also gives a definition. It has in-verse definitions. It also has “The Life of ….” outline pages. It has a chart of tables and measures, a timeline and synopsis of each book, and chapter, maps, and other helps.

Center Reference
(Cambridge is one brand)These bibles have a column down the middle of the page with small numbers or letters followed by definitions of words in the corresponding scripture and sometimes other verses on the same subjects.

Bible dictionary
This is a dictionary specific to giving you the Biblical definitions of words and terms.

Comparative Bible
This is a Bible that has more than one translation in the same book. It will have one translation in one column and another right next to that. These are good for Bible studies. They have from two to twelve different versions.

Bible Atlas
This is a book of maps, pictures and information about the biblical region of the world (modern day Palestine). They usually have different maps of the same area marked for different time periods. For example, one map may be marked for the travels Moses and the next for Joshua’s, while a later one is marked for Christ and another for Paul.

Important!
Remember that commentaries and all these helps, as well as the Internet, are written by human beings. They are fallible. They may help us understand the Bible or they may confuse us, or even lead us into lies. Use them carefully and always check EVERYTHING out with the Bible itself.

EVERY Christian should read the entire Bible, cover to cover, at least three times and frequently thereafter (I read through it every year) before reading any commentaries. This applies to the Internet also. This may even be true for listening to preachers on the radio who are not your pastor. It is important to be well founded in what really is in the Bible before you listen to humans.

WHO INVENTED THE FAMILY?

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God, of course.

Who invented age segregation?

Man.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have age segregation in our churches. Age segregation has always been around.

But so has sin. That doesn’t justify it being in the church.

In order to define our terms: “Traditional Church”- or TC- is where the family walks into the building and the children go to Sunday school, children’s church, and youth ministry while the adults go to the sanctuary for “real church.” “Family Integrated Church”- or FIC- is where the entire congregation worships and learns in the same room, at the same time.

A TC sorts people according to age. A FIC sorts people according to family.

A TC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and a classroom for each group (often more than 50% of the needed square footage of the facilities) as well as a Sunday School curriculum budget.
A FIC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms. Their “educational groups” meet in their own homes.

A TC assigns a “staff member” to teach each sorted group (class). An FC assigns the parents to teach each group. (Or more accurately, acknowledges that God has assigned the parents to teach the children.)
Both train and equip their teachers to do their job.

In a TC, you don’t know who is teaching your child or what they are teaching them. It may not be the same thing you believe.

In a FIC, you know exactly what your child is taught in church because you are sitting right next to them. And you know exactly who is teaching them.

In a TC, many people (often new converts) miss the sermon and worship because they are babysitting teaching the children. Not so in a FIC.

There is no direct biblical support for TC, and any indirect support is iffy at best.

There is a great deal of biblical support for the family to be the main educational unit in a child’s life and for a child to receive an exclusively Christian education;

Deuteronomy 6:7, “Teach [My Words] unto your children talking of them when you do your errands in town, rest in the evening, get ready for the day, and do your day’s work.” (In other words; Every Waking Moment.)
Ephesians 6:4, “Parents, don’t frustrate your children but bring them up in the education and culture of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, … And teach [My Laws] to your children and your grandchildren,”

Deuteronomy 11:19 “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;…” (Don’t even know about what goes on in the unsaved culture)
Psalm 1: 2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates DAY AND NIGHT.” (This includes school hours).

2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (Even math thoughts)
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained (finished with his schooling) will be like his teacher.” (and if his teacher isn’t a Christian…)

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, …

Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, but the things of men.”

Colossians 3:1 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and great commandment.”

THE AFFECTS OF NON-CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (Christian kids do not bring their unsaved peers to the Lord very often. Not even in Sunday School)

Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Remember that “the fool says in his heart there is no God.” Ps 14:3-1 So anyone who walks with, or spends time with, someone who doesn’t acknowledge God is on the path to destruction.)

THE CONTENT OF TRUE EDUCATION
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (What more do you need from an education?)

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (True education BEGINS with the fear of God; the fear of God is its foundation. But atheists despise true knowledge.)

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” (The foundation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Our schools are lacking a foundation of wisdom or knowledge.)

Proverbs 2:6 “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Psalm 119:97-101 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.” (The Bible is what makes us wiser, not degrees on the wall)

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS (including a good education) shall be added to you.”

CHILDREN BELONG TO GOD
Ezekiel “that you have slain MY CHILDREN and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?”

When asked whose image is on the tax coin, the people answer (Matthew 22:21) “ ‘Caesar's.’ Then saith He unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” Caesar’s image was carved on the money. Render the tax coin to Caesar. Our children are carved in the image of God. Give them to God, not Caesar.

We can not be surprised when we send our children to Rome for their education and they come out Romans. We can not be surprised when we use Rome’s methods in our Sunday Schools and we find our churches to be ineffective.

God charges parents in these verses with providing His children that He has entrusted to their care a Christian education and culture. The church is charged with helping the parents, not taking their place with Sunday School and not ignoring them when life prevents them from homeschooling. It is the church’s job to help the parents achieve God’s commands in their lives.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS:
· Children who grow up in Christian homes, TC, and public school have a retention rate of 15%. (15% stay in church into adulthood)

· Children who grow up in Christian homes and FIC have a retention rate of 80%.

· Children who are homeschooled have a retention rate of 96%

· Combine homeschooling and FIC and you get very close to 100%

WHY?
1. God is capable of speaking to our children without a Sunday School teacher’s help. We don’t need a high priest anymore. We can go straight to God ourselves and that holds true for our children, too. Children treated like adults by being left with the adults to worship like adults will grow up with an adult faith. Children taught on a “child’s level” will always have an immature faith, if they even saty in church.

2. When we do things different than God’s plainspoken will, God will not bless it. There was a time when every believing family had devotions at breakfast and suppertime everyday. Then came TV. Now we “don’t have the time. And anyway, their youth leader/Sunday school teacher is doing that stuff.” It is the church’s responsibility to teach the parents and the parent’s responsibility to teach the children. Doing it God’s way makes the parents learn better and faster, bonds the family together and has more lasting results.

3. Children’s programs remove the father from headship over the children. In fact, since most of these programs are staffed by women, it feminizes them making our boys see religion as a “girl thing.” No wonder our churches are now mostly women!

4. Age-segregation creates adult-a-lecents; “children” who never grow up. It creates its own subcultures within each age group and looses the wisdom of the previous generations. This is why the increase of people in their 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s still living with Mommy.

HISTORY
“Sunday School” was invented in the 1800’s. In England at this time, there were no compulsory school attendance laws. Since they did not have the history of literacy given to us Americans by the pilgrims, this meant that the children of the poor often worked instead of going to school and their parents were too illiterate themselves to teach them. Methodists began teaching READING on most poor children’s only day off- Sunday. This allowed them to read the Bible for themselves. It was a wonderful ministry and resulted in a vast increase in the Christian church. They brought “Sunday School” to America. Here it quickly spread also, making a real difference in the lives of illiterate immigrants.

It was about this time that America began to pass compulsory attendance laws. Before this, it was the norm for a truly Christian family to read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray together every day. Also, since most parents simply taught their children themselves (with a 98% literacy rate, compared to today’s official 85% (but suspected 75% or lower) rate), they would use the most important Book in the house as their main textbook (Since the average book at this time cost more than a week’s salary, it may even have been the only book, though eyewitnesses of the time claim the majority of homes also had a Euclid’s Geometry and it wasn’t unusual to find a law book or two). Penmanship assignments would be copying scripture on slates. Memorization would be verses, (One family I read about required one verse be memorized every DAY! That’s nearly 4000 verses memorized by the end of a ten-year education!) And each child would have an actual Bible study to do every day, often learning Greek and Hebrew in order to research the original meaning of the Word,
With the new school laws, these children were forced into schools- against their parent’s wishes (often at gun point)- during their best hours of the day. The schools continued the Bible studies and the parents, not wanting to overwork their children, quit theirs at home. By the next generation or so, radio was invented and families would gather around it instead of the Bible after meals. After all, the children were learning all the Bible stuff at school and more and more churches were having Sunday schools, which were teaching the Bible now, instead of reading. The children were being taught that it was the church’s and school’s job to teach the children, especially the Bible. Then came TV and the court rulings removing prayer and Bible from the schools. Today, we honestly think a parent has fulfilled his job of “bringing up his child in the culture and education of the Lord” if he doesn’t steal, cuss or cheat and drives his child to church once per week for a one hour Bible class.

Classic divide and conquer tactics. Satan did a good job of it, didn’t he?

THIS IS HOW OUR CHURCH WORKS:
Everyone worships together (ages 1-100). Then someone gives a basic Bible lesson to the children, but in the sanctuary with everyone else (many adults need these lessons as much or more than the children).
The parents bring quiet toys or books for the littlest ones to use during service and diligently teach them to be still. Older children are encouraged to listen and take notes on the sermon. Youngers learn from olders, olders get perspective from youngers. Singles, marrieds and retireds aren't that different. They all are learning how to serve God to the best of their ability with what they have, helping each other.

Regular fellowship outside the church is encouraged (“I'm going out to eat and then the park after church. Anyone want to come?” “I'm renting movies Friday. Why don't you come over and watch them with me?” and of course “Sister Smith needs her front lawn mowed and her house painted. Let's go do that Saturday.”) The church is structured like a family and functions like an extended family. This provides more cohesion in the church and more accountability to individuals. There is more available wisdom to all of us, and more security that we are loved and not just an assignment. It is the difference between a fast food restaurant (TC) and a community (FIC).

Family devotions are encouraged. It is the parent’s duty to teach their children. The church helps parents to learn to teach their own children at home. After all, even the best Sunday school program can’t counter in one or two hours everything a child picks up during thirty or more hours of school plus time in front of the TV, though we also strongly encourage parents to take full responsibility for their children’s education through homeschooling.

What about new converts who don’t know enough to teach their children? It doesn’t take a theology degree to read a chapter out of the Bible and pray each evening. We teach new converts that they should come to church regularly and tithe. We just need to add “read your bible to your children every day.” The family can learn together.

What about children who come without their unsaved parents? They can be “adopted” during the duration of the service by one of the established families in the church. They can learn from the same sermons and songs as everyone else and be encouraged to start reading the Bible daily for themselves (as we all should anyway). They are encouraged to ask questions and are given resources as needed. Honestly, this makes us work even harder to connect with the parents and get them to God.

WON’T THE CHILDREN DISTURB THE SERVICE?
“Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

When we exclude the children from “real” church, we are excluding the Kingdom Of Heaven. Very young children can be taught to sit still in service. After all, they are expected to sit still for a whole three-hour kindergarten class and often sit through two-hour movies. They are capable of doing the same in church. They just have to be taught.

Additionally, the congregation needs to become more tolerant. Children are part of God’s kingdom.

Children who grow up having family devotions, learning the Word at the feet of their father and worshiping with their families have a more realistic view of God’s relationship to the church. When children grow up with a Christian education, they grow up knowing that God is in every aspect of life. When children grow up worshiping and learning with adults, they grow up knowing that religion is for adults. They also grow up knowing how important God and the Bible is.

When we follow God’s plan, we get godly children.

WHICH MOUNTAIN? Sinai or Calvary?

2009-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

The question I would like to deal with in this document is, “Are we under the laws and ordnances of the Old Testament?”

I hope to answer questions that are posed to us from those who teach that we are to keep the Sabbath and other teachings of the Old Testament.

There was a problem in the first century church concerning, keeping The Law. As we read the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we will see what the Bible says about this matter. Verse one reads; “And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, ‘Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.’”

The Apostles came together to consider this matter. After much discussion, they came to a decision that circumcision and the keeping of The Law was not applicable. Verse 19 says “Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:” Don’t let those that teach such things today trouble you either. These teachings put you under bondage.

The conclusion of this matter is; (Acts15:29) “That ye abstain from MEATS OFFERED TO IDOLS, and from BLOOD, and from THINGS STRANGLED, and from FORNICATION: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Let’s look at some other scriptures.

Col. 2:10-22 “And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.

13 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (The Law) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;

15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them (The Law) openly, triumphing over them in it (His crucifixion).”

16 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:

17 “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

18 “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 “And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

20 “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

21 “(Touch not; taste not; handle not; THE ORDINANCES (These ordinances are the mosaic law.)

22 “Which all are to perish with the using ;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”

Some more scriptures on this subject.

Galatians 4:21-26 “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ, not the law).

22 “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23 “But before faith came, we were kept under The Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (We are no longer under the Law)

26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 5:4 “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by The Law; ye are fallen from grace.”

Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled The Law.”

Galatians 5:14 “For all The Law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’”

Matt. 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy The Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

Luke 16:16 “The Law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”

We need to look at what it means to “fulfill the law.” To understand this passage of scripture, we need to know what the word FULFILL means. In the Greek the word is PLEROO. The meaning of this word is;

1) To make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full
a) To cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally
 I abound, I am liberally supplied

2) To render full, i.e. to complete
a) To fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim
b) To consummate: a number

3) To make complete in every particular, to render perfect

4) To carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out, (some undertaking)
a) To carry into effect, bring to realization, realize

5) Of matters of duty: to perform, execute

6) Of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish

7) To fulfill, i.e. to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment.

Jesus said that the temple in Jerusalem would be completely destroyed. In the year 70 A.D. this prophecy was FULFILLED. When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the purpose of the law. We are no longer under the schoolmaster.

Hebrews 10:9 “Then said He, ‘Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.’ He taketh away the first that He may establish the second.”

How about the Ten Commandments? Do we live by them today? The answer to that question is NO. The Ten Commandments are a part of the old law. Does the scripture separate the Ten Commandments from the rest of the Mosaic Law? I don’t know of ANY scripture that make that separation. God gave it all.

The Ten Commandments were given to Israel for the purpose of bringing righteousness. They serve the purpose today of identifying what righteousness is. Do we need this righteousness today? YES WE DO!
Let’s look at the New Testament application of these commandments. The Ten Commandments are from Exodus chapt.20:3-17:

1) 3.Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
In the following scripture, the apostle Paul corrects the men of Lystra for honoring them as Gods.

Acts 14:11-15
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

15 And saying, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”

2) 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6. And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

1John 5:21 says.
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

3) 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

James5:12 12 “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

4) 8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:

10. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Commandment #4 is for the benefit of man. It is a day of REST. This day was never designated as a day of worship except where Festivals were concerned. There were weekly Sabbaths and Festival days that were called Sabbaths or High Days (John19:31). This commandment is the same as the rest of The Law. It was our schoolmaster that was to bring us to Christ. There isn’t any place in scripture after the cross that instructs us to keep the Sabbath.

Heb.4:4 “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, ‘And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.’

5 And in this place again, ‘If they shall enter into My rest.’

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, “To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

Our rest is in Jesus, not in our own works. We walk by faith, not by works.
Isaiah28:11-12 11 “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.

12 To whom He said, ‘This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing:’ yet they would not hear.”
The rest we have in Christ includes the Gift of Tongues.

5) 12 Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Eph.6:11 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”

6) 13 Thou shalt not kill.1 John 3:15 15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

7) 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.Matthew 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

8) 15 Thou shalt not steal.
Eph.4:28 “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”

9) 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Col.3:9-10 9 “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

10) 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Eph.5:3 “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.”

The Greatest Commandment
Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in The Law?”

37 Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 “This is the first and great commandment.

39 “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

40 “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Those who lived before the cross lived under the shadow of DEATH.

There was no remission of sins available until Jesus shed his blood on that old cross. Those that lived back then were under sin until Jesus shed his blood. The blood covered their sins retroactive. They looked forward to that time and we look back to it. The Law and the prophets were for the purpose of bringing them to the cross. The Law and the prophets have served their purpose. We are now under grace.

Galatians 3:23 “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”

Luke 1:76-79
76 “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways;

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the SHADOW of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

Colossians 2:17 “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Hebrews 8:5 “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, ‘See,’ saith He, ‘[that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.’”

Hebrews 10:1”For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”

The Law cannot make us perfect. If any laws, could, the Mosaic Law would do it, but it can’t. The Law was to teach us what righteousness is; to show us that we CAN’T please God in our own strength. Christ fulfilled the Law. He completed it. He paid the sacrifice for our sins, our failure to keep The Law.

Today, if we insist on keeping The Law, we are saying that Christ’s sacrifice was not enough. It was not sufficient. He needs our help to get us into heaven.

Galatians 5:4 “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by The Law; ye are fallen from grace.”

We are, however, commanded to live a righteous life as stated by Jesus:

“Love God with everything you’ve got and Love you neighbor as yourself.” If we do this, (not if we follow a bunch of rules from ANY source,) we please God.

Choose which mountain you will put your faith in: Mount Sinai’s mountain of ordinances or Mount Calvary’s mountain of Love.

How did we get here?

2009-01-01T21:58:00.000-08:00

There are several ideas on how this universe and the human race came into being.

• Atheistic Evolution- The universe and planet earth is old. We are all descended from a single celled organism that developed in a great swampy soup. We are heading towards perfection and away from chaos. There is no God. There never was a Fall. There is no such thing as sin. “Morals” are either an individual thing or are evolving along with society.

o We don’t need a savior.

• Theistic Evolution- God used evolution to create the planet.

o There is no biblical support for such a position. In fact, since the Bible plainly says God created the universe in six days and that there was no death before Adam’s Fall, Theistic Evolution says God is a liar and the Bible untrustworthy. How can a person truly claim to be a Christian if they believe the Bible and God lie? Why would we even need a Savior?
• The Gap Theory- There was a gap of millions of years between verses 1 and 2 of Genesis 1. The original creation was totally destroyed (probably by a massive flood) and that is where the dinosaurs come from.

o Again, there is no biblical proof for this position. There is also no scientific proof for this position. The only reason it was invented was to try to twist the Bible to fit into science. It also requires death before Adam, making God and the Bible a liar.

• Day-Age Theory- The word translated into our word “day” in Genesis 1 sometimes means a long span of time. So each creation “day” was actually millions of years long.

o The word translated into day here ALWAYS means 24 hours when used with a number (such and “first day”) and when used with a qualifier (such as “evening and morning”).

o God could just as easily have had the writer use the Hebrew word for long spans of time (a very different word). If He dictated the word for twenty-four hours, then He was less than honest.

o Scientifically, if Day-Age is true than we have plants living for millions of years without the sun or pollinating insects, and insects and birds living for millions of years without host mammals.
• Punctuated Creation- A combination of the Gap Theory and Day-Age. God created the universe in literal six day time spans but left millions of years between the days.

o Same problems the above theories have.

o No support form the Bible and unscientific.
• Young Earth Creation- God created the universe in six literal days, somewhere between six and ten-thousand years ago. Just as Adam was created an adult, the universe was created fully mature. Dinosaurs were created on days five and six and today’s fossil records are from Noah’s flood. Adam sinned condemning the planet to physical as well as spiritual death. As Adam’s children we all have sinned and are under that same condemnation. Jesus died to pay the price for our sin so we can go to heaven.

o Carbon, Radon and Argon dating methods are flawed due to assumptions of evolution (such as the assumption that the rate of carbon absorption by living organisms has remained the same for all of time).
o Science is continually proving the Bible to be true and, in fact, it has never been scientifically proven otherwise despite attempts to do just that for centuries.
o It was written by eyewitnesses to the events it records; the gold standard of historical documentation.
o Geology strongly supports a world-wide cataclysmic event such as Noah’s flood.
o The prophecies have each proven true, also.
o The Bible is infallible.
o God can not lie.
o We need a Savior.