
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Getting the Whole Story Out on Christians and Homosexuality

Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Coming of the Lord

What do you think would be the biggest event that could occur on the world scene? Another world war? The discovery of a cure for some dread disease? World peace, once and for all? Contact with some extraterrestrial intelligence?
For millions of Christians, the answer to this question is simple: The biggest event that could ever occur is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The Bible’s central message
The whole story of the Bible centers on the coming of Jesus Christ as Savior and King.
In the Garden of Eden, our first parents, by sinning, fractured their relationship with God. But God foretold the coming of a Redeemer who would repair that spiritual break. To the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve to sin, God said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15).
This is the Bible’s earliest prophecy of a Savior who would smash the power that sin and death hold over humans ("he will crush your head"). How? By the sacrificial death of the Savior ("you will strike his heel"). Jesus accomplished this at his first coming. John the Baptist recognized him as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
The Bible reveals the central importance of God becoming flesh at the first coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible also reveals that Jesus is coming now, in the lives of believers. And the Bible most surely states that he will come again, visibly and in power. Jesus Christ actually comes in three ways:
Jesus has already come
We humans need God’s redemption—his rescue—because Adam and Eve sinned, bringing death on the world. Jesus accomplished that redemption by dying in our place. "God was pleased," wrote Paul in Colossians 1:19-20, "to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Jesus healed the breach that first occurred in Eden. Through his sacrifice, the human family is reconciled to God.
Old Testament prophecy pointed to the kingdom of God in the future. But the New Testament opens with Jesus "proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come.... The kingdom of God is near,’" he said (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus, the King of the kingdom, was walking among humans! Jesus offered "for all time one sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:12). We should never underestimate the import of Jesus’ incarnation, life and work two millennia ago.
Jesus came. Also —
Jesus is coming now
There is good news for those who believe in Christ: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world.... But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" (Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5).
God has raised us with Christ, spiritually, now! Through his grace, "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (verses 6-7). This passage describes our present condition as followers of Jesus Christ!
God "has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" (1 Peter 1:3-4). Jesus lives in us now (Galatians 2:20). We have been born again, spiritually, and can see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Asked when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied: "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21). Jesus was in the midst of Pharisees, but he lives within Christians. Jesus Christ brought the kingdom in his person.
In the same way, as he now lives in us, he inaugurates the kingdom of God. Jesus’ coming to live in us also anticipates the ultimate revelation of the kingdom on earth at Jesus’ second coming.
But why does Jesus live in us now? Notice: "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:8-10). God has saved us by grace, through no effort of our own. But though works cannot earn us salvation, Jesus lives in us so that we may now do good works and thereby glorify God.
Jesus came. He is coming. And —
Jesus will come again
After Jesus’ resurrection, as his disciples watched him ascend to heaven, two angels asked: "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Yes, Jesus is coming again.
At his first coming, Jesus left some messianic predictions unfulfilled. This was one reason his own people, the Jews, rejected him. They saw the Messiah as a national hero who would free them from Roman domination.
But the Messiah was to come, first, to die for all humanity. Only later would Jesus Christ return as a conquering king, and then not just to exalt Israel, but to claim all earth’s kingdoms as his own. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).
"I am going...to prepare a place for you," Jesus told his disciples. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:23).
Jesus’ Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24:1-25, 46) addressed Christ’s disciples’ questions and concerns about his return and the end of this age.
Later, the apostle Paul told the church how "the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). At Christ’s return, he will raise to immortality the righteous dead and change to immortality the faithful who are still alive, and they will all meet him in the air (verses 16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
But when?
Throughout the centuries, speculation about the second coming has caused uncounted arguments—and untold disappointment when prognosticators’ various scenarios failed. Overemphasizing the when of Jesus’ return can divert our minds from the central focus of the gospel—Jesus’ saving work for all humans, accomplished in his life, death, resurrection and continuing redemptive work as our heavenly High Priest.
We can become so engrossed in prophetic speculation that we fail to fulfill the rightful role of Christians as lights to the world, exemplifying the loving, merciful, Christlike way of life and glorifying God by serving our fellow humans.
"When anyone’s interest in the Scriptural announcements of the Last Things and the second advent degenerates into a subtle drawing up of precisely worked-out future events, then he has strayed a long way from the content and spirit of Jesus’ prophetic utterances," says The New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke, page 544.
Our focus?
If knowing when Christ will return is not possible (and therefore, by comparison to what the Bible does tell us, unimportant), then where should we focus our energies as Christians? Our focus should be on being ready for Jesus’ second coming whenever it occurs!
"You also must be ready," Jesus said, "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24:44). "He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). We need to be ready for him to come into our life right now, and to direct our life right now.
The Bible’s focal point
The whole Bible revolves around the coming of Jesus Christ. As Christians, our lives should revolve around his coming, too.
Jesus came. He is coming through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit now. Jesus Christ will come again. Jesus will return in all glory to "transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). Then, "the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
Yes, I am coming soon, says our Savior. And as Christians, believers in and disciples of Jesus Christ, we all can reply in unison: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
Is The End Near? from LuMeL on Vimeo.
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Why the Barack Obama Birth Certificate Issue Is Legitimate

A. From Hawaii's official Department of Health, Vital Records webpage: "Amended certificates of birth may be prepared and filed with the Department of Health, as provided by law, for 1) a person born in Hawaii who already has a birth certificate filed with the Department of Health or 2) a person born in a foreign country" (applies to adopted children).B. A parent may register an in-state birth in lieu of certification by a hospital of birth under HRS 338-5.C. Hawaiian law expressly provides for registration of out-of-state births underHRS 338-17.8. A foreign birth presumably would have been recorded by the American consular of the country of birth, and presumably that would be reflected on the Hawaiian birth certificate.D. Hawaiian law, however, expressly acknowledges that its system is subject to error. See, for example, HRS 338-17.E. Hawaiian law expressly provides for verification in lieu of certified copy of a birth certificate under HRS 338-14.3.F. Even the Hawaii Department of Home Lands does not accept a certified copy of a birth certificate as conclusive evidence for its homestead program. From itsweb site: "In order to process your application, DHHL utilizes information that is found only on the original Certificate of Live Birth, which is either black or green. This is a more complete record of your birth than the Certification of Live Birth (a computer-generated printout). Submitting the original Certificate of Live Birth will save you time and money since the computer-generated Certification requires additional verification by DHHL."
A. Associated Press reported about a statement of Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Fukino, "State declares Obama birth certificate genuine."B. That October 31, 2008 statement says that Dr. Fukino "ha[s] personally seen and verified that the Hawai'i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama's original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures." That statement does not, however, verify that Obama was born in Hawaii, and as explained above, under Hawaiian policies and procedures it is quite possible that Hawaii may have a birth record of a person not born in Hawaii. Unlikely, but possible.C. The document that the Obama campaign released to the public is a certified copy of Obama's birth record, which is not the best evidence since, even under Hawaiian law, the original vault copy is the better evidence. Presumably, the vault record would show whether his birth was registered by a hospital in Hawaii.D. Without accusing anyone of any wrongdoing, we nevertheless know that some people have gone to great lengths, even in violation of laws, rules and procedures, to confer the many benefits of United States citizenship on themselves and their children. Given the structure of the Hawaiian law, the fact that a parent may register a birth, and the limited but inherent potential for human error within the system, it is possible that a parent of a child born out-of-state could have registered that birth to confer the benefits of U.S. citizenship, or simply to avoid bureaucratic hassles at that time or later in the child's life.
1. We don't know whether the standards of registration by the Department of Health were more or less stringent in 1961 (the year of Obama's birth) than they are today. However, especially with post-9/11 scrutiny, we do know that there have been instances of fraudulent registrations of foreign births as American births.2. From a 2004 Department of Justice news release about multiple New Jersey vital statistics employees engaged in schemes to issue birth certificates to foreign-born individuals: "An individual who paid Anderson and her co-conspirators for the service of creating the false birth records could then go to Office of Vital Statistics to receive a birth certificate . . . As part of the investigation, federal agents executed a search warrant of the HCOVS on Feb. 18, 2004, which resulted in the seizure of hundreds of suspect Certificates of Live Birth which falsely indicated that the named individuals were born in Jersey City, when in fact, they were born outside the United States and were in the United States illegally . . . Bhutta purchased from Goswamy false birth certificates for himself and his three foreign-born children."3. Even before 9/11, government officials acknowledged the "ease" of obtaining birth certificates fraudulently. From 1999testimony by one Social Security Administration official: "Furthermore, the identity data contained in Social Security records are only as reliable as the evidence on which the data are based. The documents that a card applicant must present to establish age, identity, and citizenship, usually a birth certificate and immigration documents-are relatively easy to alter, counterfeit, or obtain fraudulently."
A. Had he disclosed his vault copy in the Berg v. Obama lawsuit (which was the first lawsuit filed on the question of his eligibility to be President), and it was established he was born in Hawaii, that would have constituted res judicata, and acted to stop other similar lawsuits being filed. Without res judicata (meaning, the matter is adjudged and settled conclusively) he or government officials will need to defend other lawsuits, and valuable court resources will be expended. Strategically from a legal standpoint, therefore, his refusal to disclose doesn't make sense. Weighing factors such as costs, resources and complexity of disclosing versus not disclosing, he must have reason of considerable downside in disclosing, or upside in not disclosing. There may be other reasons, but one could speculate that he hasn't disclosed because:
1. He was not born in Hawaii, and may not be eligible to be President;2. He was born in Hawaii, but facts that may be derived from his vault copy birth certificate are inconsistent with the life story he has told (and sold);3. He was born in Hawaii, and his refusal to provide the best evidence that he is a natural born citizen is a means by which to draw criticism of him in order to make him appear to be a "victim." This would energize his supporters. This would also make other charges about him seem suspect, including his concealment about ties to Bill Ayers and others of some infamy. Such a clever yet distasteful tactic would seem to be a Machiavelli- and Saul-Alinsky-style way to manipulate public opinion. But while this tactic may energize his supporters, it would convince those who believe him to be a manipulator that he's not only just that, but a real pro at it. This would indeed be the basest reason of all, and would have repercussions about his trustworthiness (both here and abroad), which Americans know, is a characteristic sorely lacking in its leaders.
B. His motion to dismiss the Berg case for lack of standing could be viewed as contemptuous of the Constitution. See, "Who Enforces the Constitution's Natural Born Citizen Clause?" Are we to expect yet another White House that hides behind lawyers, and expects Americans to swallow half-truths on a just-trust-me basis?C. This issue poses the potential for a constitutional crisis unlike anything this country has seen. Disclosure at this stage, however, could even result in criminal sanctions. See, "Obama Must Stand Up Now Or Step Down." Thus, he has motive not to disclose if he were ineligible.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Spiritual Drift

"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it" (Hebrews 2:1 NASB).
Some time ago, I spent a day on a Florida beach with my family. Nestled in my inner tube (not the one I grew by eating too much), I paddled out a little from the land to tune out the world and to rest on the soothing undulations of water beneath me. All was perfect for a while.
Yet my rest was interrupted when I discovered that I had floated too far away from the family—dangerously far out from land. I could no longer remain with my mind in neutral. Instead, neurons firing, I took quick stock of the situation and immediately began to kick and slap the water with everything I had. The going was difficult but I finally managed to land myself and the inner tube back on land. Even then, when I finally slogged on to the beach, I was a considerable walking distance from my starting place.
You know what it took for me to drift out so dangerously far? Nothing!
I got there by not paying close attention, the same thing the readers of this Hebrews letter were doing. But the drift they were in danger of experiencing had far greater consequences than mine.
Away from what were the readers in danger of drifting? What had they heard to which they did not wish to pay attention?
The words they were in danger of drifting from were those of the Son of God Himself, as stated in the first verse of this probing New Testament book.
"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son . . ."
These words were not just from any sort of person, but from the divine Son of God, who is (as the passage states) . . .
- The heir of all things
- The One through whom the world was created
- The radiance of God's glory
- The exact representation of God's nature
- The One who upholds all things by the word of His power
- That One who made purification of sins and has now sat down at God's right hand
- He who has a more excellent name than even the angels
You should listen to someone like that.
After comparing Jesus to angels, demonstrating that He is far superior even to these majestic beings, he makes this assertion:
"For if the word spoken through angels [meaning the OT Law] proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (2:2-3).
This was written to veteran Christians, those who are said to have lost houses and lands because of the gospel.
Are you in danger of drifting away from the words of Jesus?
I once knew a famous classical musician who played for one of our major city orchestras. He was, in everyone's mind, a devout believer. He knew a lot about doctrine and often contributed to the discussions and leadership of his church. But he drifted. In fact, he drifted so far away that he could not find the beach again. He is still out there as far as I know, divorced now from the beautiful family he once loved, away from the believing people of God who sought so diligently to bring him back, away from all that is beautiful and enriching in Christ, away from the hope of heaven.
His drifting took him that far away, far enough to discover that he was not a true believer at all, nor had he ever been.
Your desire and ability to listen to Christ's words says a lot about who you are. True believers respond to Christ's words; pretenders do not. True believers are alarmed by God's warnings and return; pretenders do not. True believers sin, but are repentant; pretenders have the moral capacity to continue in their sin until it reveals who they actually are.
Even a little drifting is dangerous, for a little can lead to more. And more can lead to hell.
"How will you escape if you neglect such a great salvation?"
Article by Jim ElliffDistributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com
What Will Be Illegal When Homosexuality Is Legal?

Slain in What Spirit?
Wall Street Socialism Paves Way for Global Government

AIM Column | By Cliff Kincaid |
...the best chance for conservative principles to prevail was to follow the conservative principles embodied in the 2008 Republican platform.
Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com