June 30, 2023

We are Seeing Signs of Decay and Sensing Fear of Decline

At last, we reach the end of “Pride” month. However, the Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral/Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgendered man into a “woman,” declares that it is to be a “summer of pride celebration.”  Earlier this month St. Philip’s College in Texas was accused of firing a biology professor because some students took issue with his teaching that the sex of a human being is determined by their chromosomes.   There is no doubt our society is confused. (Just consider Derek Webb's new song, "Boys will be Girls," in his new album called The Jesus Hypothesis.) The nature of the modern sexual revolution is nothing more but nothing less than a total confusion of God’s created order and is a frontal rebellion against the Creator Himself. To put it simply - we are living in a twisted and distorted culture. There is nothing new in stating this for in Philippians 2:14-16 Paul reminds Christians of the first century of a truth that is true in our twenty-first century. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. The term "crooked" comes from the Greek word from which we get Scoliosis - twisted. His term for "perverse" has to do with moral corruption and perversion. There is truly nothing new under the sun when you see the creative and corrupt nature of fallen man. But we are to live above it as we live in it. We are to live blamelessly (free from fault) and innocent (unmixed with evil) being above reproach (morally pure). The prescient if not prophetic words of Ayn Rand are chilling and appropriate for our times; “When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming self-sacrifice-you may know that your society is doomed.” (Atlas Shrugged, 1957)   It just might be that as Christians living courageously in our modern corrupt culture, we need to realize that our future might be that of a martyr and not an action hero. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us. Fred

June 23, 2023

"Without God, all things are permitted."

The Brothers Karamazov

~Dostoevsky~

A new survey says half of Americans do not believe in God. News reports tell of a church service in the UK that was created or better - concocted - from AI. I wonder who or what it was worshiping? 

Man has always been religious. If we do not worship the creator, we will worship the creature. Today we are witnessing this phenomenon that Paul warned us of in Romans 1. Mankind has always tried to ape God, mimic God, and at times claim to be God.

The sexual revolution which has transformed into trans-genderism and created non-binary categories of identity, if not existence itself, is nothing more and nothing less than the promethean declaration that I am god and defying the only wise God.

Today we are living in a culture where the veracity of the Bible is denied, the validation of truth is diminished, and the verification of God is doubted. With the accuracy of the Bible in debate the authenticity of truth is in doubt and the actuality of God is doomed.

The result of this view of the world for millions of Americans is the declaration of Friedrich Nietzsche-

"God is dead, and we killed him.” And, as always, we have replaced him… with ourselves!

There is nothing new under the sun. This challenge to the greatness and goodness of God was offered and accepted by Adam and Eve in that they doubted God and believed the serpent who challenged the creator and offered the creature a “better way.”

We know how that story ended and we are witnessing its tragic consequences, for ideas always have consequences. And make no mistake-as Nietzsche predicted- when the world discovers that God is dead there will be universal madness.

And here we are, watching a massive rebellion of morally perverted depraved creatures who worship the god of AI, waiting for and wondering what will be the algorithms of the afterlife.

Serving Him with you

Until He comes for us.

Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Fred    

June 16, 2023

"Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eyewitness." -Mark Twain-

America is a good story but we are experiencing eyewitness testimony of a tragic transformation. The American story is being transformed from a delightful dream into a dangerous nightmare. The story line and plot of 1776 is replaced with 1619. None of us would have ever imagined this could happen. We are seeing signs of decay and realizing the fear of significant decline. It is not simply a political or sociological decay but a spiritual and moral decline that has become the new normal. The level of corruption and collusion combined with moral perversion is that which none of us could ever dream could happen. The days are evil, and the times are troubling. We are beginning to understand what it must have been like to live under the ancient imperial Rome of the first century as we feel the constraints and constrictions of the 21st-century American experiment of capitalism be converted to socialism. We in America are beginning to experience what the church today in many parts of the world experiences every day in terms of repression and resistance to the truth of the gospel.  We may be entering unmapped territory in terms of the new social/political framework we live in, but we still have the map of God’s word to guide us. As we seek to serve the body of Christ we are to be and act as a white corpuscle that protects the body from infection and disease. We protect the saints as we proclaim the sacred scripture by the power of the Spirit. As we seek to serve a confused and corrupt society, we are to be an eloquent witness, and the voice of conscience.  We must be a faithful presence. Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred

June 9, 2023

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them. " ~Albert Einstein~

The church has been caught watching. The church has been misdirected and found not only unable to think biblically but it has been captured by deceitful philosophies wrapped in semi biblical sayings watered down by misinterpretation and misapplication. We find ourselves not only being directed by those who do evil, we are not even able to realize what they are doing. What is happening to us is that we do not know what is happening to us. And that is what is happening to us. False prophets, false teachers with false ideas, have always been in every culture and desire to infiltrate the church. We are beginning to realize what Richard Weaver meant when he wrote his prescient book “Ideas Have Consequences” in 1943. We are beginning to experience the constriction of a corrupt culture upon the church. It will get worse. We who are the church are to be people of the truth. We are to be the pillar of the truth, the salt and the light to a culture gone mad. (What else do you call the idea of transgender but madness created by cultural confusion.) We must be lovers of the truth as we live in the land of the liars.  As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn reminds us “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie.” Although we are watching the erosion of social norms in the decay of political accountability, we must not allow ourselves to be misdirected from the truth. Jesus’ prayer is poignant; “Father, sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth.” Are you a person of His word? Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred

June 2, 2023

"There's a difference in living and living well." -George Strait-

Three score and ten years ago yesterday, it happened. The Big One---Seventy, 70, LXX. I am now a septuagenarian! What I have now discovered at a practical level is that I have less hair to comb, and it takes more time to comb it.   Retirement, rest, and retreat are not part of my operational vocabulary. I plan on working hard at work that is worth doing. However, at 70 I have reason of late to think anew about my strategy and tactics as I invest the final phase of my life and stewardship to the Lord. As Goethe observed, “Things that matter least must never come about at the expense of things that matter most.”  The thing that matters most is getting to know Jesus. This has been my consuming passion for 53 years. As scripture describes it, I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection. I want to be conformed to the image of Christ. I want to abide in Him. I want to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to live and to live well. I am not sure how many years I have left, but I am sure that I want to count the days and make the days count! Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred