April 26, 2024

"The goal of writing is not that you may be understood, but that you may not be misunderstood.” -Quintilian-

Let me make this as simple and clear as it can be. Antisemitism is the belief that Jewish people are not worthy of being viewed as or called human beings. It is the view that Jews are inferior as a race of people and should be exterminated. This was the view of Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler and is the view of many Arabs and most Muslims today. It is also the view of many academic elites and university students in America. (I guess H. L. Mencken was right when he said, “Nobody ever lost a bet when they bet on the stupidity of the American people.") Antisemitism is the political ideology and sociological weapon of Hamas, Hezbollah, Qatar, Yemen, and Iran. “From the river to the sea” is the modern death march to Auschwitz. However, we must not be deceived from understanding the story behind the story and the power behind the people who wish to destroy Israel as a country and exterminate all Israelis as a people. Christians above all people must not be ignorant of the schemes and strategies behind such a diabolical and devilish program. And there it is! It is the devil who desires the destruction of Israel and the death of every Jewish person. The devil has been working his agenda for many millennia. The reasoning of Satan is that, if he can destroy Israel then the prophecy of the Bible will not come true. Think of all that includes. No kingdom and no need for a King. No Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12,15). No Davidic Covenant (II Sam 12; Psalm 89). If there is no future for the nation of Israel then the apostle Paul was wrong because he said there will be (Rom 9-11). And most importantly, no New Covenant that flows out of the other covenants from the Lord (Jer. 31). This war began in the Garden of Eden between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen 3). It has continued through ancient Israel as witnessed in Dan 10. It is a battle between the angelic prince of Persia (Iran) and Michael the angel of the Lord. It continues today as the apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6; “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities and spiritual forces.”   Make no mistake and mark it well, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. If you believe in the reality of Christmas and Easter, then you should have no problem realizing the supernatural war that is being waged on earth today. What are we to do? Remember: ‘It is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  Zechariah 4:6. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us. Fred

April 19, 2024

Every old man complains, of the growing depravity of the world, of the petulance and insolence of the rising generation. -Samuel Johnson-

I am an older man, but this is true no matter what age you happen to be. This should not surprise us given what the apostle Paul stated in Romans 1:16-23. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. The downward spiral of moral decay is clearly connected to man’s decision to worship the creature rather than the creator. Today, man seeks to replace God in being the divine creator and determiner of humanity in every category. However, as Tolstoy reminds us, “Wrong does not cease to be wrong even if the majority believe it.” We are watching the perversion of justice and the subversion of society. Judicial decisions, that rule against godliness and righteousness signal the beginning of the end for a society. Confusion of spirituality and theology also corrupts a culture. The evangelical church in America is leaking truth and leaning toward compromise. It finds itself hard- pressed to decide if homosexuality is a sin or an alternative lifestyle that should be allowed and tolerated, if not celebrated. The church finds it difficult to parse the difference between social justice, biblical justice, and socialism. A significant reason is that the church does not know the biblical definition of love, and so it settles for some form of civic religion or some form of social gospel. Forty-five years ago, I asked Dr. Charles Ryrie what he thought would be the greatest issue facing the church in the near future. He said, the church needs to understand its role in culture and how to live in society. I guess he was right. He often was. Serving Him with you Until He comes for us. Fred

April 12, 2024

The Arc of the Moral Universe is Bent Toward Evil

If we are to reside in this culture, we need to resist. If we are to thrive in this society, we must be resilient. The Apostle Paul said it well: We are to live in the world but not be of the world. Jesus said we are to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. That is no easy assignment in a culture of contempt for Christianity. I find that I am living in a constant state of outrage, and in my weaker moments I find myself experiencing hope fatigue. I have not suffered unto bloodshed…yet. But I still feel a sense of angst. I still experience a sensation of anguish as I observe the corrosive corruption of our country and the confusion of the Church. But wait a minute! I’m looking in all the wrong places. The writer of Hebrews exhorts me:               Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 12:1-2 The apostle Paul encourages me in Philippians 4:8 - Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The Christian life is to be lived counter-culturally. And that means we understand what and who we must resist and how we are to be resilient. We are truly in a War of the Worlds. “The World is Our External Foe  Our Outer Culture Assaults Our Convictions The Flesh is Our Internal Foe  Our Inner Desires Undermine Our Standards The Devil is Our Infernal Foe  Our Spiritual Foe Seeks to destroy Our Commitment to Jesus.” I need to keep a heavenly outlook with holy conduct.  Serving Him with you Until He comes for us. Fred

April 5, 2024

Does it matter who I think I am?

Am I a sinner who is a saint or a saint who sins? There is a difference, and it is essential that we understand it.    Identity includes perceiving our essence and our existence. In our essence, a Christian is regenerated and has a sinless seed indwelling them. In fact, the sinless seed is them! (I John 3:9 )    In addition we have the Holy spirit indwelling us since we are referred to as a temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16) The reality of my essence is why Paul can declare that “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) This is why Paul describes the believer as being "In Christ".   If this is my essence, then I should manifest this reality in the expression of my existence. This is why Paul, having exposited the theology of my position (Ephesians 1-3), then exhorts me to live this truth out in the condition of my life. (Ephesians 4-6)    If my life is hidden in Christ above, then I am to seek to manifest who I am and whose I am every day of my life. The result is that no matter what I do, whether eating or drinking, I am to do all to the glory of God.  (I Corinthians 10:31)   Serving Him with you Until He comes for us. Fred