Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Gospel

A Strategic Hill to Die On

An interesting expression is that some concept is not a hill to die on . This implies that the speaker does not consider the idea to be all that important, or that it is something a bit interesting but he does not have enough information or motivation to argue it. Similarly, some people say that the age of the earth is a side issue; it is not a hill to die on. While informed creationists say that belief in recent creation or the age of the earth are not requirements for salvation, they are still important  issues. Edinburgh Castle on Castle Rock, Wikimedia Commons / Scglossop1 ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) In settlements and the military, people would want to fortify the higher ground because it was easier to defend. It could be costly for opposing forces to lead a charge up that hill. Conversely, those making the defense should be aware that they are defending the correct hill and not ignoring the importance of another hill nearby. It may be surprising, but defending the hill of the young earth a

Sharing the Gospel in Unfriendly Cultures

Sadly, many professing Christians will see that the subject is about evangelism and read very little, or skip it. People are dying and going to Hell, a place of unimaginable torment. Do you care? Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel of God's love. Paul, Peter and others also emphasized it. Do you care? Evangelism is not just a job for the professionals, but all of us must be ready to share the gospel on some level. It can be done in groups or teams, but we must be able to do it by ourselves, which can be daunting. Outdoor conversation, Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez Others may laugh, get angry, ridicule us ("Atheists will say mean things about me!") — but what did Jesus endure for us, again? There are ministries to help equip Christians to share the gospel, and creation science ministries exist to help us remove stumbling blocks that others have regarding origins. Of course, it is vitally important for professing Christians to be more than just professing  Chr

Drilling into Hell and other Foolishness

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Some of us have been trying mighty hard to encourage folks to use the minds the good Lord gave us, but it gets mighty frustrating sometimes. Perhaps everyone believes a news report, rumor, or something else immediately, without checking on it, sometime or other. Ofttimes, there is an emotional element involved that contributes to confirmation bias  or prejudice. I have seen many times that atheists believe something against Christians, no matter how absurd, because of their bigotry. We expect that. But when Christians believe and spread stupid things, it is embarrassing. Pixabay /  Mark Hultgren Some of y'all may have noticed that I've written on similar subjects before, such as young Albert Einstein putting an atheist teacher in his place (just a story with no substantiation). Recently, I saw on an atheist troll Page on Fazebook (they share posts of Christians and creationists for the purpose of mockery) that a Christian Page has shared the story of the

The Gospel Cannot Be Eradicated

The Bible has been restricted and even illegal in many countries , especially those controlled by atheists or Islamists. China and North Korea have state atheism, as did the former Soviet Union and other communist countries. Obtaining a Bible in many Mohammedan countries is done through covert means. Christian persecution is increasing in the West. There are several reasons for this, including apathetic professing Christians, trends in the world, and allowing ourselves to be kept in a box. Militant atheists are increasingly vitriolic in their efforts to legislate (and ridicule) Bible-believing Christians. Unsplash / James Coleman Romania is one of the places that was in the Soviet bloc, so naturally they pushed evolution and atheism. Richard Wurmbrand was an atheist, became a Christian and a pastor, then was heavily persecuted for his faith. In his 1967 book Tortured for Christ , he wrote: The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe. When a man has no faith in the reward of good or the

Satan Does Not Care about Losing a Misotheist

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Every once in a while, people come across a report that someone has left atheism and become a theist. One famous example is Antony Flew, who was raised in a liberal denomination and decided he was an atheist in his teenage years. Later, he decided that the evidence proves there is a God . He apparently never came to a saving faith. Simply believing that God exists is nowhere near enough. Credits: Satan Calling Up his Legions / William Blake, 1804, modified at PhotoFunia Unfortunately, several reports have Christians rejoicing more than they should over former atheists that have joined heterodox religious groups, false religions, and even cults. Back when Adam, the federal head of humanity sinned, Satan took control of this world (Rom. 5:19, John 8:44, 2 Cor. 4:4). All have sinned (Rom. 3:23), and we are deserving of Hell (Rom. 6:23). Just believing that God exists is not enough. Even the demons know God exists, and they have more sense that the typical atheist

Internet Debates with Atheists are Seldom Useful

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Christians are supposed to be ready to give reasons for the hope that is in us, and many feel they are witnessing for the faith in various online forums. However, one has to discern when time is being wasted. Made at Pablo , quote source is here As I have stated several times in the past, the word  debate  is used very loosely. Nowadays it can mean a screaming match, a structured exchange of points and rebuttals, an exchange of comments in various online forums, and all sorts of things. Let's consider internet activity. Minerals-to-mocker evolution is a cornerstone of atheism and for other rejections of the authority of God's Word. Although what is presented as scientific evidence is based on faith, assumptions, redefining words, circular reasoning, and poor research, evolutionists prefer to defend it no matter how foolish it looks. That is because admitting that evidence supports the Bible is infandous. Readers of my other sites may recall that I have d

Denying Genesis Compromises the Gospel

Perhaps, as some tinhorns claim, those who deny Genesis and recent creation try to appear moderate or reasonable. After all, science has proven that evolution happened and that Earth is billions of years old, right? Not hardly! Such antics are expected from those who ride for the atheism brand, but it is not fitting for professing Christians to do so. Image credits: Original from Morguefile / JCKL8888 , then processed through PhotoFunia People who have little or no understanding of theology, even though they may have attended a church, often reject the plain reading of Genesis because evolution. Because uniformitarianism. Because science. Because they want to look intelligent in the eyes of enemies of God. Because rejection of biblical authority. People also compromise because their church leaders are liberal in their theology or have not bothered to think through how Genesis affects the gospel message. While Christians need to understand God's Word, their leaders have a gr

Effective Use of Social Media and Technology

We are closing in on Question Evolution Day , and even though the information in the article linked below applies to that event, it is important for any other time. Technology has many important benefits, but it also has a dark side by its very nature. We must have the right priorities and balance. Background image credit: Pixabay / Iván Tamás We are receiving all sorts of information pretty much constantly. Unfortunately, it is dominated by harmful messages and untruthful material about anthropogenic climate change, evolution, adulterous relationships. false views of the Bible, and more. However, we also have a voice and opportunities to make an impact. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and other computers connect us to the world. I have people I care about that I've never met and an online creation science ministry. Much of my preparation comes from technology, including podcasts, sermons (I don't want to get "tunnel vision" and not learn other areas of

No Gospel in the Stars

There are people who believe that the constellations contain the gospel message, and it was there before the Bible was completed. Then, it became unnecessary. This is according to a woman named Frances Rolleston, whose work was published in 1865 and influenced many people. Unfortunately, he work was full of serious errors. Map of the Northern Sky with representations of the constellations / Albrecht Durer, 1515 Her books was published posthumously as a collection of notes. (I wonder if some of those were notes to herself to conduct further research, but when I do that I usually have a "look up" or "check on" phrase.) The concept of the gospel in the stars relies on spurious research and taking verses out of context. Like atheists and evolutionists, Rolleston seemed to use the scientific principle of Making Things Up™. She also took verses out of context to make this presentation. Sincere people and even good pastors have believed this false story. While it

The Gospel of Isaiah

When reading the prophets in the Old Testament, it is easy to feel a mite lost without a guidebook or a pastor telling you what's going on. If I want expository preaching on, say, Zechariah, I can listen to Dr. John MacArthur . He also preaches on Isaiah, but I don't feel quite as lost along the trail when reading Isaiah. The prophets talked about time and events that are baffling to this child, what with kingdoms and people that are mostly lost to history. Prophet Isaiah predicts the return of the Jews from exile , Maarten van Heemskerck, 1560-1565 A reader of Isaiah who is also familiar with the rest of the Bible can see some important things happening. Several times, Isaiah reminds Israel and Judah (and us) that God is the Creator. There are places in his lengthy book where he talks about Immanuel (or Emmanuel). We learn about God the Son, the Creator, and his birth, death, glory, and the restoration of all things at the end. In fact, I thought there were some echoes

Belief in the Eternal Hell

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen It is in the latter part of October as I write this, and people are getting all excited Halloween, which is the most important holiday for witches and Satanists. People get cutesy with it, portraying the Devil as a red dude with a short beard and horns who carries a pitchfork. They often believe he is the the boss of Hell. All of these images are like the crowded bathtub version of Noah's Ark: cute stories for kids, but big people don't believe them. I'll allow that there are more somber depictions of Hell that are a bit closer to biblical reality. Fallen angels in Hell by John Martin, ca. 1841 Some rock stars and People who reject or simply do not bother to learn the truth in God's Word are going to having a miserable eternity. We can debate about whether or not the flames of Hell are literal or figurative, but it should be clear that Hell is not a place to go and have wild parties with friends; it will live up to its name. People who be

Signs in the Heavens and Prophetic Significance

In one respect, this post will be outdated very quickly, as September 23, 2017 will come and go. However, the principles that are expressed in the articles linked below are applicable to other events as well as the excitement and confusion they will generate. Credit: Pixabay / Ulrike Bohr Although the Bible clearly tells us that no one can know the time of Christ's return, some folks like to commence to doing "date setting", and think they've figured out some special message or code. These consistently fail. Yes, Genesis 1:14 has the word "signs", but that is not a call to use the heavens for divination on Revelation instead of their real purpose: timekeeping.  "But there's a tetrad of blood moons!" Yes, the moon turns read during a lunar eclipse. Has to do with refraction. The four blood moons thing has happened before, too. Pass the cheese curls, willya? "The sun will be in Virgo, the sun and some planets will be in it, and

Christians and Big Lies

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen This is one of those articles that I do not cotton to writing. Not only is it likely to cost me "followers", friends, and associates, but the whole thing is painful to deal with. Specifically, Christians behaving so badly that I don't want to be named among them. Also, I'm going to leave names out of this, because I'm not calling people out for heresy, such as in 2 Tim. 4:14-15, 3 John 1:9-10, and elsewhere. It may come to that, because demonstrably false claims about brothers in Christ have been made, and sin needs to be exposed. Not sure that my doing so will be helpful, though. Christians who are in certain circles will know who I'm discussing, but I'd rather stick with principles at this point. Besides, when I spend many hours searching for web documentation that may or may not be available tomorrow, people tend to ignore the supporting links anyway. Looks like I need to make up some names so we can keep things clear. Are y

Adam and the Gospel

Previously, we examined how professing Christians disparage Jesus , and that many of those are theistic evolutionists. Another way to undermine the gospel message is to say that Adam was just an illustration and not a real man. We hear that kind of thing and worse (such as the old "book of fairy tales" nonsense) from atheistic sidewinders, but people who actually believe the Bible should be  above dismissing Adam. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Johann Wenzel Peter If you study on it, you'll see that the Bible is written as history. Specific names, dates, events, and so on are provided. Mythology does not have such detail. The primary reason for Christians to reject a historical Adam (as well as special creation) is to force-fit evolutionary views into Scripture. These foolish folks cause themselves a heap of serious problems when they do this, such as needing to explain why a fictitious character is referred to as a real man in Luke's genealogy of Jesus (Lu

Understanding Genesis, Sin, and Death

Christians refer to something called original sin, but that expression is not in the Bible. (Some uninformed people believe that sex is the original sin, but even a cursory reading of the opening chapters of Genesis will erase that idea.) It goes back to Adam and Eve. Made at TombstoneBuilder.com Atheists and other anti-creationists point to Genesis 2:17 and say, "God said they'd die when they ate the forbidden fruit, and they didn't. Therefore, it's an allegory or just a fairy tale!" Instead of listening to sidewinders like that, people should dig a little deeper. The literal translation is, "dying you shall die". That is, spiritual death happened then, and physical death came later, as well as affecting all of creation (Romans 8:22, Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Old Earth creationists, theistic evolutionists, and other compromisers reject the truth that tampering with Genesis affects the gospel message. A series of compromises must