 |
| <~~~ Back * Don�t Be Bitter or Resentful. Even when we think these feelings are justified. Even when the world tells us it�s okay. Instead, we must forgive each other and spread God�s unconditional (agape) love. Why? Because God gives us unconditional love and forgives us whenever we ask Him. * Don�t Be Sexually Immoral. Though the world tells us it�s okay to have sex between willing partners whenever we want to (see the first issue of Share Agape for more on this), and though the world tells us it�s okay for people of the same sex to sleep together, God tells us otherwise. �Don�t be so puritan!� the world tells us. �Homosexuality is natural.� The worldly part of us may really long to believe this, and some arguments may even begin to sound perfectly logical. But God tells us �Neither the sexually immoral�nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders...will inherit the kingdom of God� (1 Cor. 6:9). * Imitate God. And what is God? 1 John 4:15 tells us in the most concise manner possible: �God is love (agape).� The ancient writer Jerome tells us that when John was old and feeble and had to be carried in front of his congregation in order to speak, he repeated over and over: �Love one another�if only this is done, it is enough.� If we love others with God�s unconditional agape love, everything else will fall into place. And that brings me to this week's recommendation: �How Do You Know The Bible Is True?� an excellent article by David Kupelian. You�ll find it here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29091 Questions Q: �I believe in Jesus, but I don�t believe all parts of the Bible. What�s wrong with that?� A: This is a huge topic; a whole book could be written about it. But let�s just hit the basics. The main problem with this way of thinking is: If you choose to disbelieve the Bible�s view on creation, then why should you choose to believe in Jesus as Christ? If you choose to disbelieve that some of the miracles in the New Testament were not miracles at all (they are myths or lies or can be explained with science), then how can you believe that the ultimate miracle (Christ�s resurrection) is true? If you choose to disbelieve what the Bible has to say about sexuality (�Oh, that was for the old days. Those rules don�t apply anymore.�), then how can you believe that Christ is savior? In other words, what makes you think you can realistically know what parts of the Bible are true and what parts are false? The only way to decide which parts are �real� and which are �fake� is by what you care to believe and what you really don�t care to. In other words, your worldly viewpoint is deciding for you. (As one reader put it: �I�m not going to suppose I know more than God and decide which parts of scripture are �real� and which parts aren�t. God is GOD. If there were parts of the Bible that weren�t truth, I�m sure He�d find a way to get rid of them.�) To be logical, the Bible either is or is not the infallible word of God. There�s no in-between�no grey area. The Bible claims to be the word of God. If parts of it are not, then the whole Bible is a lie. Jesus said the Bible was true. If you disbelieve His statement, then you�re calling Jesus deluded, or a liar, or�something�Certainly not the son of God. Some of the more common reasons for disbelieving parts of the Bible include: 1. Science Has Proven The Bible Inaccurate. This is an old argument. Yet the Bible is 100% accurate in it�s scientific fact. Not only that, the scientific facts given in the Bible pre�date modern scientific knowledge. For example, the Bible reveals the value of Pi in 1 Kings 7:23-26, yet the precise value of Pi was extremely difficult to calculate until recently. (To read more about this, visit these websites: http://www.yfiles.com/pi.html and http://www.learnthebible.org/molten_sea_value_of_pi.htm ) Something scientists have frequently laughed at is the Bible�s claim that Adam was made of dirt. However, studies now show that clay and earth contain every single element found in the human body. (http://www.atlantamation.com/science/science.htm ) The Biblical account of creation also says that God took water from the "heavens" and placed it on earth. Until recently, scientists doubted there could be water in space. However, they�ve now discovered they were wrong. ( http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/milkyway_water_010412.html ) The Old Testament also talks about the sun moving "in its circuit.� We now know that the sun does, indeed, move through space in a circuit covering a huge orbit. In addition, astronomers used to point to Amos 5:8 and say it was inaccurate because it discussed the seven stars of Pleiades. �But, there are only six!� they�d say. Yet modern telescopes show that, indeed, there are exactly seven stars there, not the previously seen six. And although our ancestors may have thought the earth was flat, the Biblical prophet Isaiah calls the earth a "circle," properly acknowledging its globe shape. Historians and archeologists have also sneered at Biblical accounts, only to be proven wrong later. For example, for years scientists and historians argued that the Biblical account of the crucifixion of Jesus must be a myth because nails couldn�t possibly have been used. Nail-fastened hands and feet, they said, wouldn�t have been able to support the entire body�it would have ripped and slipped off. Then the heel bone of a first century man crucified in a suburb of Jerusalem was discovered; it More ~~~> |
 |
 |
 |