God Became a Man

 People have lots of ideas about what God is like. The Hindus says, “God must be loving, God is charity, and God is gentle. Therefore, "He must be a cow.” The American Indians, watching an eagle soar endlessly and majestically upon the wind currents, says, “God is an eagle.” The ancient Egyptians see the awesome power of the sun and say, “God is Ra, God is the sun.” Each culture speaks a partial truth, but all miss the total picture because they're blind. And so was all of humanity. So what did God do? God became a Man and dwelt among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

THE CHILDREN'S BILL OF RIGHTS

My son came home from school one day, A smirk was on his face.

He'd decided he was smart enough To put me in my place.

MY SON SAID:

Guess what I learned in Civics Two, That's taught by Mr. Wright?

It's all about the laws today: THE CHILDREN'S BILL OF RIGHTS.

IT SAYS:

I don't have to clean my room, Don't have to cut my hair.

No one can tell me what to think, How to speak, or what to wear.

I have freedom FROM religion, And regardless what you say,

I don't have to bow my head, And I sure DON'T HAVE TO PRAY.

I can wear earrings if I want, And pierce my tongue & nose.

I can read & watch just what I like, Be tattooed from head to toes.

AND if you ever spank me, I'll charge you with the crime,

I'll back up all my charges, With the marks on my behind.

AND MY SON SAID:

Don't you ever touch me, This body's for MY use,

Not for your hugs and kisses, That's just more child abuse.

HE CONTINUED WITH:

Don't preach about your morals, Like your mama did to you.

That's nothing but your mind control, And it's illegal too!

Mom, I have these children's rights, So you can't influence me,

Or I'll call Children's Services, Better known as C.S.D.

MY TURN!

Well, of course, my natural instinct Was to toss him out the door.

But the chance to teach a lesson, Made me think a little more.

I mulled it over carefully, I couldn't let this go.

A little smile crept to my face... He was messing with a pro!

AND AWAY WE GO!

Next day I took him shopping, At the local Good Will store,

I told him, "pick out all you want! There are shirts & pants galore."

I've called and checked with C.S.D., They said they didn't care,

If I bought you K-Mart shoes, Instead of Nike Airs.

OH! And...

I've canceled that appointment To take your driver's test.

The C.S.D. is unconcerned, So I'll decide what's best.

I SAID:

No time to stop and eat, Or pick up stuff to munch,

And tomorrow you can start to learn To make your own sack lunch.

Just save that raging appetite, And wait 'til dinner time.

We're having liver and onions. It's a favorite dish of mine.

He ASKED:

Can we stop to rent a movie, So I can watch the VCR?

Sorry, I said, I sold your TV, For new tires on my car.

I also rented out your room, You can take the couch instead.

The C.S.D. requires just a roof above your head.

Your clothing won't be trendy now, I'll choose the food we eat,

That allowance that you used to get Will buy me something neat.

I'm selling off your jet ski, Dirt-bike & roller blades.

Check out the PARENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS, It's in effect today! 

Hey, Hot Shot, are you crying? Why are you on your knees?

Are you asking God to help you? ....GO CALL THE C.S.D

Share this one with some Moms & Dads you know....or better yet some kids!!!

THE MODESTO MANIFESTO

Perhaps no other leading church figure of the past 50 years commands as much

admiration and respect from both the Christian and non-Christian world as does the Rev.

Billy Graham. While he has suffered some criticism over the years, no scandals have

rocked his ministry - and it has been intensely scrutinized.

One of the major reasons Reverend Graham and his associates have avoided pitfalls and

scandal goes back to November of 1948 and what took place in a hotel room in Modesto,

California. It was there The Modesto Manifesto was birthed.

Graham and his associates, Bev Shea, Grady Wilson, and Cliff Barrows, were just

starting to get involved in evangelistic meetings. At the time, many traveling evangelists

were crossing the country.

 And a number fell to scandals - moral, ethical and financial.

In a desire to see their ministry remain above scandal, the men met to discuss the

problems evangelists faced. They came up with four problems to avoid and ways to

avoid them.

1. Money

It was common practice among evangelists to put a lot of emotion and flourish into

taking love offerings. This could bring unnecessary criticism - and temptation. The men

vowed not to emphasize the offering. To avoid criticism they would always have the

local campaign committees oversee the offerings and disbursements of funds - they

would accept a straight salary regardless of how high the offerings were.

2. Immorality

Religious leaders especially those who traveled were regularly falling to this temptation.

The men agreed continually to pray for God to guard them from it. They also set up

some rules to follow. They would never allow themselves to be alone with women -

lunches, counseling sessions, or rides to auditoriums or airports. And they would always

get their hotel rooms close together as another safeguard.

3. Exaggeration

The phrase evangelistically speaking has been coined to label exaggerated figures of the

number attending meetings or the number saved. The men vowed not to fall to this

practice. If numbers were mentioned they were the ones generated by the local police,

fire departments, or arena managers.

4. Criticism

Often evangelists would criticize local pastors and churches from pulpits. The men

vowed not to do this, nor would they ever criticize pastors who openly criticized them.

(Discipleship Journal, Issue 84, Nov/Dec 1994, Page 45)

Dr. Norman Geisler on knowing the truth about God.

Dr. Norman Geisler – But there is no way to recognize error unless we know the truth: counterfeits cannot be detected unless we know the genuine article.  Likewise, there is no way to determine what is false about God unless we know what is true about Him.

Five reasons why God exists by William Lane Craig

For atheists, Christmas is a religious sham. For if God does not exist, then obviously Jesus’ birth cannot represent the incarnation of God in human history, which Christians celebrate at this time of year.

However, most atheists, in my experience, have no good reasons for their disbelief. Rather they’ve learned to simply repeat the slogan, “There’s no good evidence for God’s existence!” 

In the case of a Christian who has no good reasons for what he believes, this slogan serves as an effective conversation-stopper. But if we have good reasons for our beliefs, then this slogan serves rather as a conversation-starter. 

The good thing is that atheists tend to be very passionate people and want to believe in something.

The atheist who merely repeats this slogan after having been presented with arguments for God’s existence makes an empty assertion.

So what reasons might be given in defense of Christian theism?  In my publications and oral debates with some of the world’s most notable atheists, I’ve defended the following five reasons why God exists:

1.  God provides the best explanation of the origin of the universe.  Given the scientific evidence we have about our universe and its origins, and bolstered by arguments presented by philosophers for centuries, it is highly probable that the universe had an absolute beginning. Since the universe, like everything else, could not have merely popped into being without a cause, there must exist a transcendent reality beyond time and space that brought the universe into existence. This entity must therefore be enormously powerful. Only a transcendent, unembodied mind suitably fits that description.

2.  God provides the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe. Contemporary physics has established that the universe is fine-tuned for the existence of intelligent, interactive life.  That is to say, in order for intelligent, interactive life to exist, the fundamental constants and quantities of nature must fall into an incomprehensibly narrow life-permitting range.  There are three competing explanations of this remarkable fine-tuning: physical necessity, chance, or design. The first two are highly implausible, given the independence of the fundamental constants and quantities from nature's laws and the desperate maneuvers needed to save the hypothesis of chance. That leaves design as the best explanation.

3.  God provides the best explanation of objective moral values and duties. Even atheists recognize that some things, for example, the Holocaust, are objectively evil. But if atheism is true, what basis is there for the objectivity of the moral values we affirm? Evolution? Social conditioning? These factors may at best produce in us the subjective feeling that there are objective moral values and duties, but they do nothing to provide a basis for them. If human evolution had taken a different path, a very different set of moral feelings might have evolved. By contrast, God Himself serves as the paradigm of goodness, and His commandments constitute our moral duties. Thus, theism provides a better explanation of objective moral values and duties.

4.  God provides the best explanation of the historical facts concerning Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  Historians have reached something of consensus that the historical Jesus thought that in himself God’s Kingdom had broken into human history, and he carried out a ministry of miracle-working and exorcisms as evidence of that fact.  Moreover, most historical scholars agree that after his crucifixion Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty by a group of female disciples, that various individuals and groups saw appearances of Jesus alive after his death, and that the original disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe in Jesus’ resurrection despite their every predisposition to the contrary. I can think of no better explanation of these facts than the one the original disciples gave:  God raised Jesus from the dead.

5.  God can be personally known and experienced.  The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Down through history Christians have found through Jesus a personal acquaintance with God that has transformed their lives.

The good thing is that atheists tend to be very passionate people and want to believe in something. If they would only put aside the slogans for a moment and reexamine their worldview in light of the best philosophical, scientific, and historical evidence we have today, then they, too, would find Christmas worth celebrating!

NO LOOKING BACK

Ezra 3:12   But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 

What was going on here was that the Jewish people were now returning to Jerusalem from their 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Within this group returning were older men who had became priest in the captivity and many of these men had seen as youths the glory of the first temple before they with their parents were taken into captivity. 

It is radical to think that these men lived long enough to see all these events and to now feel the sins of the past and to be able to see the affects of those sins that had caused the fall of this once great nation. 

Now coming back and remembering the first temple and it glory, these men started to cry uncontrollably. It is one thing to reflect on the past and learn from it. (2 Corinthians 13:5) but it is another thing to dwell on the past and allow it to dictate how we live in the future.

Paul writes to us on how to have victory over the past and prepare for the future. In Philippians 3:13-16 Paul writes to us about not looking back and dwelling on the past failures and victories but to give everything I got to the future of the upward call in Christ Jesus. (v.14) 

Then Paul writes to us (v.15-16) to have this mind of maturity and God will continue to speak to us and guide us. What will you dwell on? The past and be miserable or the future and be blessed? The choice is always yours.

Spiritual Lethargy by Henry Blackaby

Leaders are generally driven people. Their role is to ensure things get done. Their enthusiasm to make things happen will tempt them to forgo the "passive" pursuit of spending time with God.

Most spiritual leaders would list their relationship with God as number one on their priority list. At least that is where they know it should be. Yet with so many tasks to undertake and people to motivate, they inadvertently relegate their spiritual life to a place of unimportance in their schedule.

Before an important meeting, it may seem more expedient to review their presentation than to make sure their heart is right before God. Lengthy reports requiring extensive reading may compel leaders to forgo reading their Bible "just this once."

Christian ministers are no less susceptible to this mind-set. They are busy people, too. The danger for them to neglect their time with God is more subtle because their Bibles are open so often for sermon preparation, counseling, and other religious work.

If they aren't careful, they'll view their Bibles as a tool for work rather than as the living Word of God. They'll begin substituting their public prayer life for their personal conversations with God. They'll be tempted to function on yesterday's walk with God.

Leaders who allow their daily commitments to crowd out their devotional life are severing their lifeline. No matter how much they accomplish, they will pay a price. Those they lead may get their best efforts but will miss the benefit of God working through their leader.

The leader will not become the husband wife parent son daughter friend God wants them to be. Their accomplishments will be, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, "a pursuit of the wind" (Eccles. 1:14). Spiritual leaders are not haphazard people.

Just as they plan thoroughly for important meetings, they must also carefully schedule substantial time for listening to their Creator. First, they should consider how much time they set aside to spend with God. Is it enough? Is it rushed? Does that time slot face too many intrusions?

Would a different time or setting be more conducive to quiet Bible study, reflection, and prayer? Would a varied approach to studying God's Word be beneficial? Perhaps a different Bible translation would give familiar verses a fresh sound and an added perspective.

Perhaps the leader needs to use a devotional tool that will open up the Scriptures in new ways. Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest has been a favorite among spiritual leaders for many years.

We have written two daily devotionals, Experiencing God Day-by-Day and Discovering God's Daily Agenda, which many have found helpful.30 If they do not already do so, leaders should begin using a journal to record their daily spiritual pilgrimage.

There is no substitute for an unhurried time with God. Besides the immeasurable intrinsic value of knowing God personally, a strong relationship with God holds numerous advantages for leaders.

They clearly know when God is speaking to them. When they begin to develop unhealthy habits, God redirects them, and his Spirit speaks forcefully to them to realign their priorities.

God guides them through important decisions. Amid criticism and pressure to conform to worldly standards, God provides inner strength and resolve that enables them to stand firm in their convictions.

Through a strong relationship with almighty God, leaders are strengthened, encouraged, convicted, and guided by God's Spirit so their efforts are not in vain.