TESTING AND TRIUMPH

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes chapter 3; "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven . . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance". Recently our family went through a time when our faith and resolve were tested. My wife and I felt a release from the church we had been leading, and were called to a new ministry position. The Holy Spirit confirmed in our hearts that the situation was right, but now the process of transition had to begin; selling our home, finding a new place to live, packing, moving, etc. Our home sold in a matter of days, but the competitive fast paced market in the Vancouver lower mainland made it difficult to track down a place for our family to purchase, as we endeavoured to move closer to my new place of employment. In the middle of all this, one of our sons had to be hospitalized, and his stay turned into weeks. Uncertainty as to the outcome brought significant stress into our lives, as everything seemed to compound upon us at once! 

There are times when we cry out to God from our heart, and this was one of those times. The promise that the Lord gave me was a scripture which I have written about before; Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." I held on to this promise, knowing that through it all God was in control, and would work this situation out for our good. We have to remember that "all things" includes the trials and tribulations of life! The Apostle Paul also wrote in Romans chapter 5 that tribulations would produce perseverance, character, and hope - which would not disappoint. God indeed did not disappoint, but rather brought my son through his medical situation in a sovereign way. In addition, our family purchased a suitable home closer to my work, and life is moving forward in an exciting way - to the glory of God. Let me encourage you; when it feels like you are standing in a downpour of adversity, remember to stand firm on the authority of God's Word. In His perfect way and time He will fulfill every promise He has given us (II Corinthians 1:20), provide shelter in the rain, and lead you through to triumph!

WHY DO WE BELIEVE?

I Peter 3:15 tells us to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you". I believe it is important for the believer in Christ to be able to defend their faith, at least in some basic form. This defense is called " Christian apologetics", and my article below describes seven reasons why I believe.

1.   PLANET DEGRADATION – The Law of Thermodynamics and Entropy disprove an evolving earth. Rather, it attests to the fact that our planet is deteriorating, moving from a perfect state (as God created) to an imperfect one. This is not a theory, it is indisputable scientific fact. Subsequently, environmental lobbyists cry out for government and its citizens to “save the planet”, and mother earth is worshiped by millions today.

2.    LACK OF FOSSIL RECORD – If Darwin’s evolutionary theory is correct, and mankind evolved from lower species of animals over millions of years, there should be literally millions of transitional fossils (half breed creatures). This would stand to reason, seeing as there are millions of fish and mammal fossils in the geological column today. Instead, scientists today continue a desperate search to simply find one legitimate example, in order to help support their hypothesis. The search continues, to no avail.

3.           ORDER REQUIRES DESIGN – It is impossible for accidents to bring order from chaos. DNA molecules, cells, and all living creatures require energy and information in order to form a functioning living thing. As an example: a powerful tornado with lightening and hail would not assemble a house or an office building, even if the storm continued to rage over thousands of years. Rather, it destroys these structures. A living creature is significantly more complex than an inanimate object such as a building, even if that building was the Empire State Building or the Taj Mahal.  An intelligent creator is necessary in order to design the blueprint for life.

4.        HISTORICAL EVIDENCE – Both Biblical and secular historical records attest to the fact that Jesus Christ lived upon this earth. 1st century scholar and historian Titus Flavius Josephus documented in his book “Antiquities of the Jews” that Jesus was a teacher, a worker of miracles, and known to be the Messiah. Our very timeline of civilization is categorized as B.C. or A.D.  B.C. traditionally refers to “before Christ” (some use B.C.E., meaning “before common era”). A.D. is from the Latin phrase Anno Domino, which is translated “year of our Lord”. Jesus Christ remains the pivotal person of world history.

5.         PROPHETIC EVIDENCE – In order for statements to prove credible, they must be proven true. The Bible contains approximately 2,500 prophecies. At least 2000 of them have already come to fruition, against incredible mathematical odds (which have been calculated). A portion of prophecies have yet to be realized, as they deal with the end of days. Examples of prophecy given and fulfilled hundreds of years later: David described the manner in which the Messiah would be crucified in Psalm 22 and 34:20 – 400 years before the Roman crucifixion was invented; Isaiah prophesied that the Persian king Cyrus would conquer Babylon and subdue Egypt, 180 years before it occurred; Jesus Christ told his disciples in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that not one stone of the Hebrew temple would be left on another. This was fulfilled by the Roman army under Titus in 70 A.D., when they conquered Jerusalem and completely destroyed the temple, pulling down the stones in order to extract the gold inlay.

6.        SOCIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE – Atheist declare that there is no God, and agnostics believe that there may be a God. There is a problem with both of these positions, for if we deny the existence of God, then the Bible based Judaeo Christian values on which North American and European countries have established their constitutional civil laws become subjective, at best. Morality would then be relative, depending on the person and circumstance. We see this movement taking place within our governments today. Since many believe there is no God and no moral absolutes, then determining right from wrong is relegated to the politicians and ever changing viewpoints of mankind, which as we know is flawed, and limited in understanding. Historical statistical research reveals that as North America strengthened its position of separating church and state – relegating Christianity to remain outside of public classrooms and courtrooms - violent crimes, unplanned pregnancies, and marital divorce has escalated at an alarming rate. History proves that relativism and secularism leads to chaos and confusion, eroding the fabric of society. Here's a couple of statistics which help prove my point: the teenage suicide rate in America rose at least 400% from where it was in 1950, and according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, as of 2011 one out of every four teenage girls are infected with common sexually transmitted diseases (in 1960 there were only two types which were known - now there are more than twenty-five). 

7.         PERSONAL EVIDENCE – As a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I can personally give witness to the fact that God’s plan is the best plan. God has transformed my life from the inside out, giving me peace, purpose, provision, and promised blessing! Jesus Christ has saved me, and has revealed to me my "R.F.B." - reason for being - which is quite simply to bring glory to God in all that I do (I Peter 2). My "M.I.L." - mission in life -  is to love God, love people, and make Christian disciples (Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 28:19-20). I can honestly tell you that my family has experienced God’s miraculous power and providential hand of favour time and again, and I have seen the positive results of following God's Word on a daily basis. Nobody can take away my personal testimony! Jesus Christ is still the only way to be saved and set free, and I am forever grateful that He loves us all. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) and needs a deliverer. If you don't know Him as your Saviour and best friend, I encourage you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord today! Romans 10:9 declares, "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 

WORLD GONE MAD

Twenty years ago if you would have described to me what society would look like in 2016, I don't know if I would have believed you. As a Canadian/American dual citizen, I care about both countries, and pray for a spiritual revival. The fact of the matter is, right now both Canada and America have relegated Biblical morality to the sidelines, instead embracing relative morality and pop-culture ideology. Psalm 33:12 tells us, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord". In 1962 the U.S Supreme Court ruled that prayer had no place in public schools, and later determined that the 10 Commandments did not belong in judicial courthouses. These nine appointed judges were not voted in by the people they govern, yet they wield the most power - even more than the president. Sad that the advice from our founding president George Washington was ignored, as he declared, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour." Make no mistake, this was no ambiguous deity he was referring to, as many pluralistic ("all roads lead to heaven") religious leaders today might claim there to be. No, George Washington believed in the triune Godhead; God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the blessed Holy Spirit. 

As part of God's Church, Christians are called to be Salt and Light, and have a positive message to share. Sadly, conservative Christians today who still believe in Biblical values as our forefathers did - including traditional marriage and the sanctity of life for the unborn child - are vehemently chastised through social media and mainstream news outlets, labelled as intolerant haters and discriminators. Ironically, the hate is actually spewed from liberal extremists, who refuse to respect the fact that others who hold different opinions have legitimate reasons for doing so! The truth is, God's Word has proven through the centuries to hold the keys to life, liberty, stability, and happiness. We share this truth because we believe the words that Grammy Award winning gospel singer Andrae Crouch penned years ago; "Jesus is the answer for the world today". We truly care about our world, and strive to lovingly explain God's biblical blueprint for building a happy life. Just like the un-churched, the Church has a voice, and is entitled to use it. It is important to remember that the U.S. First Amendment was designed to protect freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Christians are not trying to bully and shame others to believe and act as we do (we believe everybody has free will - the right to choose), yet all too often we experience persecution from those who disagree! Moreover, I believe that people who hold to a traditional world view are now scared to express their opinions openly, for fear of being ostracized and shamed to the public - all because they aren't falling in line and bowing to the political correctness of the day. Militant activist picket and protest for social causes that are not shared by millions of others, yet time and again congress caves to the squeaky wheel of political pressure and passes legislation which adversely affects us all. This is not the Canada that I was born in, or the America in which I was raised. God help us today.

Where do things go from here? The sad fact of the matter is, without God's Word as a moral compass to guide governments, the world flounders in chaos and confusion. Since Biblical absolutes have been rejected, then moral relativity is accepted. According to today's pop psychology, who's to say what is right from wrong -  the old antiquated Judeo-Christian guidelines? Legislators in their magnificent wisdom threw that out years ago. Who then is qualified to determine good and bad - You? Me? Morning talk show hosts? Hollywood celebrities? University professors? Politicians? It is obvious that these people deal with the same struggles, failures, and limitations as the rest of us. Only God is perfect and all-knowing. However, when people refuse to follow His wisdom, then the policies of society which get put into place are anyone's game.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:1,3; "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer . . . is that they may be saved". "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God". Therein lies the "rub" for millions of people in the world today; mankind prefers to rationalize and justify it's sin, rather than acknowledging it is harmful and wrong, and submit to God's righteousness. Today's secular progressive society doesn't like to be told what to do, and certainly doesn't like the notion of submitting to anyone - even if it is for their own good! As Christians we need to show the world that God has a perfect plan for people's lives, and offers His holy scripture as a compass to guide humanity, so that we can enjoy clear direction, happiness, and peace in the midst of life's storms. God is on the throne; He sees the chaos that sin has caused, and provides redemption through His Son Jesus. More important than picket signs, let's continue to hold up the standard of righteousness in today's world gone mad, and shine bright in the darkness by living the truth and love of Jesus Christ every day! "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven". > Matthew 5:16

REACH OUT MUSIC VIDEO

Written and performed by Scott Peterson and Level 7, for the Northwest Ministry Network A/G.