Messiah

Back to Basics: The Only Thing That Really Matters

These are indeed wild times. Vaccines, mandates, masks, censorship, supply chains, inflation, war abroad, finger-pointing, Putin, Ukraine, communism, propaganda, persecution, anti-semitism.

It’s all becoming too much.

I’m going back to basics.

I love talking politics and attempting to get past the propaganda and to the root of the issues. But even if–and when–I make it to the heart of the matter in these various affairs I am  lambasted by others who are convinced otherwise. There is no winning such arguments.

Therefore, for the time being,  I’m going back to the only thing that really matters: the joy, hope, and eternal salvation found through God’s only Son: Jesus. This is a topic for which I am an expert. No, I don’t have a degree in theology, but I do have a personal relationship with the “theo” in that four syllable word.

My following blog posts and podcasts will reflect this major shift.

Thank you for your support.

So You Want Global Warming? No Worries

Having personally produced two excellent books flawlessly tracing the communist roots of the failed theory of human-induced global warming (Climategate and Eco-Tryanny), I was pleased to hear what Pastor John MacArthur had to say recently.

He reminded everyone that global warming will indeed be very real, but it will not be triggered by the use of fossil fuels, cow flatulence, or hairspray.

MacArthur quoted the New Testament’s Book of 2nd Peter, chapter 3, verses 10-12, which says this:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Bring it on, Lord!  But…

In the meantime, may many souls acknowledge that Jesus is the way, truth and life–because NO ONE will enter the Kingdom of Heaven without such a recognition.

Notes for The Another Chance Podcast: Thursday, June 18, 2021 – “Possessing a Steadfast Faith”

Here are the notes for the Another Chance Podcast, Episode 39.

These are taken directly from the International Zoom Bible Study I am super honored to facilitate each Saturday. There are some amazing guys in the group, including my co-leader Jeff, who is a Bible Scholar and a brother who battled cancer for 15-years. Also on the call is Neil, who is pioneering a church in Northern England; Luci, who does an amazing job serving as a pastor in Bulgaria; Mitch, who founded and runs a major Youth With A Mission training center in Chile; Shorsh, a former Muslim sheik and now a Christian pastor in Kurdistan; and Iyke and Gabriel who minister to gang members and drug addicts in the jungles of Nigeria.

I hope these notes inspire you to further study….

Possessing a Steadfast Faith
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58)
The reality of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is the cornerstone of a steadfast faith. 

Jesus told his disciples the resurrection was to happen
– In Mark 10:32-34 we are told: And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.”
– The “Old Testament” speaks of the resurrection of the Messiah in these passages:
Psalm 16, 22:1-31, Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, Zechariah 12:10, Jonah 1:17, 12:39

Question: How can you share the truth of the resurrection with a not-yet-follower of Jesus?

The Resurrection is the Key to a Steadfast Faith
Paul tells us: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).

Question: How does the truth of the resurrection cause your walk with the Lord to become more steadfast?

 

A Steadfast Faith Allows You to Share and Defend the Truth
– Because our eternal destinies ride on the truth of this historical event, the resurrection has been the target of Satan’s greatest attacks against the church. Accordingly, the historicity of Christ’s bodily resurrection has been examined and investigated from every angle and studied endlessly by countless scholars, theologians, professors, and others over the centuries–no credible historical evidence exists which would validate anything other than His literal bodily resurrection. On the other hand, the clear and convincing evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming.
– Remember the words of Peter: And who [or what] is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame
(1 Peter 3:13-16).

Question: How can you incorporate the resurrection into your personal story of coming to know Jesus as Lord?

Visiting for the last time

I’m in Chicago visiting my mother after purchasing a one-way ticket from my home in California.

I was just here two weeks ago.

I rushed out then for a visit because Mom, for some unknown reason, asked me to.  It was obvious to me that she hadn’t been feeling 100 percent when I visited her back in February, and from subsequent phone conversations it seemed she was strangely declining.  Indeed, the visit two weeks ago confirmed my suspicions: she was not well at all.  In fact I was so taken-a-back and concerned that, at my urging, we I visited several independent/assisted care living facilities.  However, both my brother (who drove in from Cleveland) and I couldn’t put a finger on what was physically wrong with Mom, and she wasn’t talking.

Then, 10-days after that visit, she took a major fall and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance where she received 8 staples in the back of her head.

It was in the emergency room the physicians realized something was amiss: her vitals were off.  Way off.

Through subsequent tests they discovered Mom had advanced liver and kidney cancer for which, at her age, there is no cure. We knew she had a recent bout with bladder cancer, but that appeared to be under control.  This new diagnosis was sobering.

It made us wonder why she hadn’t complained to her doctor about her issues, especially given the fact she is a Registered Nurse?  All I do know is this 87-year-old dynamo was powering through the debilitating symptoms of a deadly disease–and never once complained.

I arrived to see Mom lying is a hospital bed, asleep, and not looking anything like she did two weeks prior, let alone her appearance back in February.

The doctors say we’re talking days or, at most, weeks.

Early this morning, during a particularly lucid moment, I shared with her the sad news.  But I also shared the good news, that there is a Savior in Heaven who has a place prepared for her.  She smiled, nodded her head, and squeezed my hand.  More on that poignant conversation at another time.

In the meantime, tomorrow I will share further thoughts on life, and death, and eternity.

Also, if I can muster the composure, I may put my thoughts together as a part of my weekly Hidden Headlines Podcast.

Check back and thanks for allowing me to share.

Meantime, thanks for your prayers.