Cheyenne, Wyoming (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
To read the introduction to and purpose of this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Faith, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
This week at Proverbial Thought we have been doing a quick walk through Chapter five.
The following entry is one from our first time through, and it’s still relevant.
“For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.”
Still Relevant
Many question the ability of a 3000 year old text to address the issues of modern life. They wonder how something written so long ago can have any relevance today. Yet, the wisdom of Proverbs came from the same Source that could see all of time in a glance.
The advice Solomon shared with his sons in these verses (and the next three) is as true today as it was back then. The siren song of a temptress can still woo a foolish, gullible man into the depths of hell.
Don’t Be Fooled
Unlike the modern intellectual who insists “perception is reality,” Solomon warns…
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Filed under Uncategorized
Madison, Wisconsin (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
To read the introduction to and purpose of this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Culture Wars, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
Charleston, West Virginia (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Let’s look at that again:
“…we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith and constant reliance upon God.”
Sounds a lot like another embattled phrase, doesn’t it?
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Culture Wars, God, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
This afternoon I was skimming through posts on Facebook and came across a discussion on the reliability of the Bible. A lady named Shannon questioned the claim that the Bible we have today is the same scripture from thousands of years ago.
Shannon asked, “Ever play the game telephone? Try doing that over a course of a couple of centuries and a few languages.”
Well, I felt I should engage Shannon, so I offered her some resources I thought might be helpful. I want to share them with you guys, too.
First, please try to find a copy of the book God’s Word In Our Hands: The Bible Preserved for Us. I have a copy in my library and let me tell you, it is an invaluable resource.
Click on the picture of the book for a link to Amazon.
Secondly, if you can take the time, watch this lecture by Dr. Sean McDowell (son of Josh McDowell) on the reliability of the Bible.
Yes, we may disagree on what some of it means, but it would be intellectually silly to write off the Bible as nothing more than the result of 2000-year’s worth of playing “telephone.”
Essentially, I am fully convinced that what we have today is the preserved Word of God, regardless of how long it’s been since the originals were penned. The textual evidence is overwhelming that what we have in our hands is reliable.
Filed under Apologetics
Olympia, Washington (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
By the way, the “Supreme Ruler of the Universe” doesn’t sit in the Oval Office or the Supreme Court.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Culture Wars, God, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
Richmond, Virginia (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
What kind of forbearance, love, and charity?
Filed under America, Christianity, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
Because I just commented on a post by a fellow blogger who believes one can lose his salvation, I am re-posting this sermon outline.
The following is an outline I used a couple of years ago. It starts off with some arguments against the “once-saved-always-saved” position. The next part lists six basic arguments in favor of the eternal security of the believer.
Of course, this is only an outline, not the sermon. However, you can click below for a link to the audio.
Arguments Against “Once Saved, Always Saved”
Arguments FOR “Eternal Security”
Click on the link below to listen to the audio. As you might be able to tell by the opening remarks, I believe it was a sermon we needed, but the devil was opposing. Nevertheless, hearts were encouraged.
Filed under Bible Study, Preaching, salvation
I’m on my last day of “vacation” in Charleston, S.C., visiting with our oldest daughter and her husband, but I’ve still found time to sit and quietly study. As a matter of fact, I’ve had some wonderful times of peaceful, uninterrupted periods of reading and note taking.
Which brings me to what I want to share with you this morning, while I have a moment and it’s fresh on my mind.
I’m good friends with a legendary Church of God gospel group, the Branham Family. In one popular song that Donna Branham (Coleman) wrote, she sings about the story of Peter being released from prison (Acts 12:1-19), then coming to the house where the church was praying. In short, the song makes the argument that even though they had been praying all night, because they were shocked to see Peter at the door, they must have not really believed the prayer would be answered.
Then, as the title of the song describes, the chorus leads us to acknowledge that “someone in that house believed when they prayed…” because the proof was that Peter did get released. The assumption, then, is that because the people were amazed to see Peter at the door they must have not really believed God would deliver him from being executed the next day.
And honestly, that’s what a lot of people think about these early Christians. They tend to detract from the fact that they were in one accord pleading with God all night long for Peter’s life, and then describe the prayer warriors as “faithless.”
I disagree.
You see, as I have been studying Acts 12 (along with the rest of the book), it doesn’t appear that the church that prayed for Peter was faithless; it’s just that they were shocked at how God answered.
Think about it, just because Peter and the other “apostles” experienced a similar angelic deliverance in Acts 5, that doesn’t mean they were going to assume it would happen again. After all, both Stephen and James had now been killed, not delivered, so why were they to assume the doors would open on their own for Peter this time?
Yet, they did pray all night for Peter, which is far more than we might see today. Could it be that what they were praying for was Peter’s life to be spared, and possibly by changing the heart of Agrippa?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is a message to the Church in Acts 12, and I think it’s more than “believe when you pray.”
I believe the message to us today might be more like, “Don’t be amazed when God answers your prayers in an unexpected way.”
I mean, the church might have been expecting to wake up the next morning to hear word that Herod Agrippa had accepted Christ as his Messiah, or something. But I think it’s unfair to judge this fearless and committed group of early believers as unbelieving pew-warmers just going through the motions.
They DID believe, but they never expected how miraculous the answer would be.
So, keep praying and believing; you might be surprised at what God has planned.
Filed under Bible Study, Church, Faith
Montpelier, Vermont (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Filed under America, Christianity, community, The Magnificent Fifty
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The Recovering Legalist 