How Firm is Your Foundation? Part One.

In school, how often did (do) you get problems wrong? Even if you were (are) an A-student, you probably got (or will get) hundreds or even thousands incorrect over the course of your schooling.
What about gameshows? When you watch one, you probably answer wrongly at least a couple times each show, right? Then, there are sports, political, and other predictions. How many of those of yours fail to come to pass? How many beliefs and opinions have you adamantly held, only to later be convinced otherwise, realizing how "off-base" you really were?
How often are you surprised, perplexed, confused, lost? How many philosophical questions have you not been able to answer satisfactorily?

Then, how many times have you done something wrong, as in, morally? How many times have your thoughts wandered where you wish they wouldn't have? How many times, despite your better judgment, did you "just do it," whatever that "it" was? How many times have you done or said something wrong--even evil--that was beyond your control to control yourself, or you just didn't know better--or think better--at the time?

My point is, both the human mind and human heart are frequently untrustworthy with their errs and evils. Even groups of so-called experts can be--and often are--in error. For instance, it was once accepted as fact--or close to it, anyways--that the earth is flat, and that the sun and planets revolved around the earth. Bloodletting was a common, accepted medical practice.

Civilizations collapse and crumble, usually because of a mistake in military judgment, economics, morality, or by other means. These mess-ups are oftentimes done by the hands of the leaders, and the collapses are sometimes caused by the evil of the leaders. Perhaps the selfish pursuit of power causes the collapse.

In any case, leaders and experts cannot be depended upon.

Neither can the crowd always be trusted. Anarchy brings chaos, putting power into the hands of a mindless mob. A million people can be wrong. Peer pressure does not mean "good pressure." If a bunch of experts and leaders can be wrong--and reprehensible--then a bunch of non-experts--who often follow what the experts and leaders say regardless--can certainly be off-the-mark as well. And it's not just the corruption of society causing the corruption of persons. Primitive folk can be just as morally and factually screwed up as the sophisticated folk.

Even one's self can't be relied upon. Can you really say that you can be trusted, when everyone else can't? I'm reminded of the Lord of the Rings. When Frodo cowers away from Aragorn towards the end of the first movie in the trilogy, Aragorn reassures him, "I swore to protect you." Frodo replies, "Can you protect me from yourself?" We can barely--if at all--control our lusts, appetites, and other thoughts, as well as actions to a certain extent. Self-control is not a commonplace virtue. Neither is wisdom (In fact, those virtues cannot be fully attained in a purely secular way.). You cannot always trust yourself, if for no other reason than you cannot trust the majority, the leaders, or the experts. Clearly, you cannot even put your complete allegiance into the scientific process. Errors occur, results can come slowly, scientists can be biased, and, then, of course, there are so many questions science cannot answer.

So where does that leave us? What do we do?

Well, you can do one of three things. You can go ahead and trust yourself, the majority, and the (intellectual and political) elite. In this case, the Bible would say that you have built yourself a house on a foundation of sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) Sure, you and your cohorts may be right--and even morally sound on the surface--some of the time (perhaps by randomly or indirectly and incompletely following biblical principles), but the "tide" will methodically "pull the rug" out from under you, and in the storm of spiritual matters--the most important matters--you will utterly fail and be failed, being "tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." (Ephesians 4:14) As worldly wisdom and reasoning pervades your consciousness, you will not realize that only Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," (John 14:6) and that "no other name under heaven...has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
You may temporarily be "reasoned" to Christianity--maybe perverted Christianity--by someone, or by a flitting of your whims, but only until someone can reason you away.
This option includes of most of the religions of the world.

Option number two is to trust no one and nothing. In other words, truth is relative. This is like building a castle in the sky, which is really no foundation, or castle, at all. You will have no foundation to build upon. It's an option that leads to a pointless, purposeless, nihilistic life. In terms of spiritual and moral convictions, the hottest you could ever get is lukewarm. You could not please God, because you could not have true faith. (Hebrews 11:6) You could not be saved, because you could not have true faith. (Ephesians 2:8) You could not avoid perishing without truly believing. (John 3:16) You would constantly be sinning, acting not in faith. (
In all aspects of life, you would have uncertainty--a shaky foundation, at best--if not apathy. You too would be tossed "to and fro," only you wouldn't believe anything for certain.

Then, there's Door Number Three.

To Be Continued...

~ Kingdom Advancer

How Then Shall We Live?

When people reject what they should desire because they don't want to accept some of the other implications, the result is much worse than simply facing the truth and its consequences.

The following short discourse came into my mind as I was thinking of an atheist’s YouTube production that essentially said the world would be a better place if no one spent any time thinking about the possibility of heaven (after “proving Christianity and the Bible false by showing that Noah’s Ark and the Flood was impossible because races couldn’t have been established over such a short period of time from then to now”). Never mind the absolute absurdity of those claims…I dealt with that at that time. You’re welcome to comment and dismantle such allegations if you want to. But this article isn’t directly in reply to such claims. It, rather, just spawned out of thinking about them.

It’s interesting, many times my best inspiration comes in the form of pithy two-liners like these, if not in poetic form. I guess God designs us all differently with different talents, tendencies, and combinations of talents and tendencies.


The After-Life:

Live like there is no heaven, and you’ll never have to worry about going there.
Live like there is no hell, and that will become your eternal home.

Absolutes:

Live like there is no absolute good, and you will do little of it.
Live like there is no absolute evil, and you will do much more of that.

The Spiritual Realm:

Live like there are no angels, and they won’t hang around you.
Live like there are no demons, and they will never leave you.

God and Satan:

Live like there is no God, and He will never be your Father.
Live like there is no Satan, and he will forever remain your father.

Possession and Authority:

Live like your life is yours and yours only, and someday you will find it was Satan’s.
Live like you will never bow, and someday you’ll have no choice but to.

Soul’s Condition:

Live like you don’t have a soul, and yours will be dead forevermore.
Live like your soul is fine just as it is--without the saving blood of Jesus, and yours will be dead forevermore.

Materialism and Relativism:

Live like this life is all you get, and you will wish that you were right.
Live like you can’t know what the truth is, and you won’t like what you eventually find.



How Then Shall We Live?

Live knowing that there is a heaven and a hell. Act accordingly. (namely: salvation through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that entails.)
Live knowing there is absolute good and evil. Do the former. Suppress the latter in the name of Christ.
Live knowing there is a spiritual realm. Allow the angels to help you. Shackle the demons in Jesus’ name.
Live knowing there is a God and a Satan. Pray for the Former to help you become His child and no longer the child of Satan .
Live knowing that your life can ultimately only belong to two entities—God or the devil. Dedicate yourself to the service of God.
Live knowing that souls do exist, in a stained state. Realize that human souls are the most important thing in the universe, and realize that we are all doomed—without Christ—to spiritual death. Act on these realizations.
Live knowing that you know the truth.

~Kingdom Advancer

Really Believed

This was written very late one night, when I wasn't able to sleep, likely because this dissertation was on my mind.

The songs are countless about the subject: the ends of our lives, the end of the world, and how we would act if we knew when those times had come (see "Last Day on This Earth" by Steven Curtis Chapman; "Last Day of My Life" by Phil Vassar; "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw; and many others). We hear pastors and Christians in all different leves of ministry, including ourselves, say things like "Jesus is coming back soon," "It's just another sign of the times," "We're definitely in the End Times," "It's all coming true," etc., etc., etc.. But how many people who say these things really believe the words coming out of their mouths?
I'm gonna say two or three percentile. Hopefully, I'm way wrong, but I doubt it, since statistics show that only about two percent of Christians regularly share their faith with others. Where's the connection? Here:
If these people who say these things (and all Christians) really believed these statements--statements that are likely accurate--could we go to work and say nothing of it to our co-workers? Could we go to school and not mention the topic to our fellow students? Could we go to practice and remain silent around our teammates? Would our friends and colleagues not have the benefit of us speaking to them about such grave matters? What about our family members? What about the cashier at the store? The bagger? The beggar? The strangers shopping beside us? An acquaintance? The kids in the neighborhood? And the list goes on...

How could se see the flames of hell licking at their shirt tails and not yell "FIRE!"? How could we see the Antichrist preparing for his conquest and not say, "Watch out for THAT guy!"? How could we see prophecy after prophecy from the Bible being fulfilled and not state emphatically, "God told you so!"? How could we see the gavel about to pound on their verdict of eternal damnation, torment, and punishment, and not cry, "You will soon be judged!"? How could we see them walking towards the cliff of death and damnation and not scream, "STOP! Turn around!"? How could we see them in their homes in the City of Destruction and not plead, "Move to the City of God!"? How can we see them wallowing naked in the mire, and not command, "Clean yourselves, and clothe yourselves, before the King arrives!"? How can we see them suffering unto death with the disease of sin and not offer, "I have the Cure!"? How could we see the ignorant perishing and not inform them? How could we not continuously shout, "You are sinners! You have sinned! You are rightfully and justly condemned! But God has made a way! Jesus Christ came, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for all of our sins, and He rose again! Accept Him as your Savior! Believe on Him and trust in Him! Put your faith in Him, for it is not of what we've done--what you've done--but it is a gift of God, by grace through faith! Repent and turn from your sins! Lean not on your own understanding! Study the Bible and live for God!"?

I say we could not do such a thing. If we preach what we believe and believe what we preach, then I say we would practice what we preach and take the necessary ensuing steps of our time, and of all time, since the death of one unregenerate is a little bit of the end of the world, and every bit the end of that one life.

~Kingdom Advancer
written September 2nd, 2006
© Copyright 2006, Kingdom Advancing

The green portion towards the end of this article is virtually word-for-word from different Scripture verses, but for the sake of the article's "flow," the eagerness to get this on the internet, and the would-be required research time, the references are left up to the reader to find. At some point in the future, however, this post may be edited and the verses added. If you recognize some of the verses and have their references on hand, please feel free to comment and give the references you know.
As for the rest of the article, it is entirely Biblically sound, but some of it is more artistic and analogical than the green section.

Addressing what a common objection would probably be to such a fiery discourse:
Some advocate "Friendship Evangelism." This may work sometimes, and God can generally work through many forms of evangelism (if He wants to), but I can pretty much disprove the theory of "Friendship Evangelism" in three quick points.
1.) First of all, it actually becomes harder in most cases, not easier, to speak to someone you love and respect (and don't want to hate and disrespect you) than to a stranger.
2.) Secondly, if you were driving a car with a relatively new acquaintance in the passenger seat--distracted by something (cell-phone; sleep)--and you knew that the car was out of control--the brakes and steering had gone haywire and the car was speeding toward a cliff--would you wait till you had built up trust with your passenger before telling him to "abandon ship"? Well, you don't know if you're "project" will die tonight, tomorrow, or the day after. But certainly "Friendship Evangelism" risks the possibility of a lot of souls entering eternity without the knowledge of the Savior when their "new friend" knew everything they needed to know to avoid the Gates of Hell.
3.) Lastly, as Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort say, you can pretty much "build a friendly relationship with somebody in a few minutes." See www.WayoftheMaster.com for more.

So Near Grows Death to Life

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Adam states to Eve, in reference to the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, “So near grows death to life…” What an ominous reminder to us by the first of sinners, that the wheat grows with the tares; both the wise and foolish virgins retrieve water from the same well; both the prodigal and the obedient sons come from the same womb and household; the wolf comes in sheep’s clothing; the lion prowls stealthily—waiting for one to devour; a fool thinks himself wise in his own mind; weeds and thorns—as well as crops—often grow in the same soil; the fat and healthy cows graze in the same field as the scrawny and cannibalistic cows; there will be those who do great things in God’s name who are not saved; the hot water often is mixed with the cold and results in luke-warmness; and Satan himself poses as an angel of light. What a thin line there is that stands between evil and good, death and life, God’s side and not! Let us therefore always remember that the goal is not to walk the line, but to stay clearly on God’s side of the line.

--Kingdom Advancer
written: May 29th, 2006
© Copyright 2006, Kingdom Advancing

New World Treasure and the American Dream

It is a trustworthy statement: there were those who journeyed to the New World in hope of finding gold and all sorts of treasures of material worth. But the fact remains that many--yes, perhaps even the majority--who traveled through stormy waters to an uncertain future realized that God is the source of true riches. After all, is He not the Creator of all things, the Sovereign Ruler of all things and people, and the architect of the City of Gold (Heaven)? And those who knew and embraced this truth also knew that this trange and new land offered access to such wealth in the ability to worship and serve God "in freedom and in truth."
Yet, even now, many centuries later, the American Dream is equated with social and financial prosperity. The wise, however, understand that the real American Dream ultimately only comes true through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

-- Kingdom Advancer
written: 8/15/06
© Copyright 2006, Kingdom Advancing

Plant Pride

I do not boast or take pride in my Christian maturity. Does a plant take pride in the rain it receives? Does it boast in the sunshine? Does it pride itself that it happened to be planted in fertile soil? Is it puffed up by the fact that it was tossed by an "all-powerful" hand, or that, by chance or providence and no act of its own, it accidentally fell away from the seed bag, or that it floated away from its parent plant, and against the odds, survived? Does it boast in its parents' and ancestors' germination and pollination? Does it hold a sense of pride that the climate was just right for its early life, and that the beaks of birds and bugs passed over it? Does it boast each day that it was neither parched nor drowned the day before, or frozen the last night? Does it pridefully make known that pests and other predators are rare in its area? Does it puff itself up that, by no power or intelligence of its own, it is a tomato plant rather than an onion, or a rose rather than a daisy? Does it stand tall and proud because an "all-powerful" hand removes the weeds, or because the weeds happen to leave it be? Is it full of itself that it has survived storms, when its survival derives from things mentioned above? Of course it does not. It rather humbly and gratefully accepts these blessings, and simply grows.

Neither will I boast or fill myself with pride over blessings that do not come from myself. Spiritual maturity can be equated to a plant's maturity: both take a lot of gifts and blessings to occur.

-- Kingdom Advancer
written: September 1st, 2006
© Copyright 2006, Kingdom Advancing

Oncoming Train

Once, when pausing from our bike-ride to watch a train go by on our nearby tracks, my brother and I joked about the uncanny and incomprehensible urge to throw ourselves in front of an oncoming train when we stand near one. Would that be suicide? Of course. Would that be stupid? Of course. Would that be inexplicable? Of course. Would we ever do it? Of course not.

The point of the story? Well, I think there can be a very important lesson learned. First of all, though, I don't want you to think me and my brother are crazy. Perhaps, you've never stood close to a train charging by. Or perhaps you've never sensed that urging feeling, which is certainly demonic--for it is quite subtle and often easily ignored--I mean, it's absurd, after all!

But the important lesson to learn is this: The devil's temptations aren't always logical or clever; sometimes they're just powerful.

The Bible says that the devil is like "a roaring lion," (1 Peter 5:8-9) quite powerful imagery! Although this passage does go on to imply a stealth that the lion(devil) uses to devour its prey(us), sometimes the lion(devil) doesn't need to be sneaky. Sometimes he can just overpower his target. So think when the devil combines his power with other elements, like emotions, circumstances, etc.,etc.. That can be downright irresistable!

So where's the hope? In this verse: "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)