Thursday, July 27, 2006
Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the God given ability to look fear in the face and keep going.
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The end of the world as we know it?
I am part of a really cool prophetic arts web list. Recently someone spammed the list with a website that bordered on heresy regarding the end of the world and judgment on this nation. Recently a lurker on the list read the old post and was alarmed and ready to flee America. Now I think I should warn you my view on eschatology is somewhere between Amen come Lord Jesus and Abraham trying to rescuse sodom and gomorrah for the sake of five good people. Now I am not saying that this nation is not worthy of judgement, but here's what I did say.
Running will not solve anything in my humble opinion. First that web site is full of very questionable stuff, I believe that poster was banned. The answer is what the answer has always been. Jesus said in Matthew 24, 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. These things will happen until Christ returns. What will bring about His return and an end to the violence? Look at verses 13 and 14 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. If we want peace and an end to war, the answer is in preaching the message of the Gospel to all who will hear. Running will not solve anything. Reach out to your friends and your neighbors and your loved ones.
Look at this: verse 45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If God decides to condemn this nation, I want to be found faithful, reaching out and sharingthe love of Christ with my last breath, investing the "talents" the Father has entrusted to me. Go to chapter 25...
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
I want to hear him say well done. Is the end coming soon? I don't know the day or the hour but this I do know. Today is the day to invest your talents, the master is coming.
Â
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I am part of a really cool prophetic arts web list. Recently someone spammed the list with a website that bordered on heresy regarding the end of the world and judgment on this nation. Recently a lurker on the list read the old post and was alarmed and ready to flee America. Now I think I should warn you my view on eschatology is somewhere between Amen come Lord Jesus and Abraham trying to rescuse sodom and gomorrah for the sake of five good people. Now I am not saying that this nation is not worthy of judgement, but here's what I did say.
Running will not solve anything in my humble opinion. First that web site is full of very questionable stuff, I believe that poster was banned. The answer is what the answer has always been. Jesus said in Matthew 24, 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. These things will happen until Christ returns. What will bring about His return and an end to the violence? Look at verses 13 and 14 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. If we want peace and an end to war, the answer is in preaching the message of the Gospel to all who will hear. Running will not solve anything. Reach out to your friends and your neighbors and your loved ones.
Look at this: verse 45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If God decides to condemn this nation, I want to be found faithful, reaching out and sharingthe love of Christ with my last breath, investing the "talents" the Father has entrusted to me. Go to chapter 25...
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
I want to hear him say well done. Is the end coming soon? I don't know the day or the hour but this I do know. Today is the day to invest your talents, the master is coming.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The best laid plans and the value of $32
Romans 8:28 says in all things God works for good for those who love God who are called according to His purpose. Well after lauding the Creation Festival (East) last time and talking about how stoked I was to be going for what would have been my ninth year, the crew at Creation had to make the difficult decision to cancel the East Festival. The reason, torrential downpours and flooding. As a group leader responsible for the safety of my group, I applaud their decision, especially in light of how much that decision must have cost everyone involved. It begged me to ask the question, why did this happen and how will God use it for good? There was one constituency that I was particularly concerned about and that is the reason for this month's web cartoon. Check it out!
