Supercell... God At Work

The Lord says,

"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?" - Job 38:34-35

Elihu says this of God,

"From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen." - Job 37:9-13

I Am A Bowler... or am I?

Suppose I told you, "I am a bowler" but you didn't believe me. In my defense I might tell you...

When I was young I went to the bowling alley with my family and just like them I wanted to be a bowler. So I joined a league and did my best to be a good bowler. I won awards and went week after week. I knew that bowling was for me, it really made me feel great.

Of course, just like most people I went to bowling alleys less and less as I grew older. After all, they could be smoky, and the food wasn't that good. Sure, some of the people were nice, but I just didn't seem to fit in anymore. In fact, I almost never go to the bowling alley these days. Well, maybe once or twice each year. Still, if someone asks me if I am a bowler I tell them "yes." Once a bowler always a bowler, right?

What do you think? Am I right to call myself a bowler?

Of course not.

What's the point?

The point is that going to a bowling alley when you were young, practicing for a time, and loving to bowl for a while, does not mean that you are a bowler any more than going to church when you were young, learning Bible stories, loving church, or saying prayers makes you a Christian.

Some of you are probably saying "Amen" while others are insulted or aghast that I would suggest there are people who claim to be Christian but are not.

In my defense, I am not saying this at all. I am simply passing along a message from the Bible.

2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"

Failing to be a true Christian (failing the test, as this verse says) has real consequences. Matthew 7:21-23 specifically warns that some who consider themselves Christians will be rejected by Christ. How can this be? It is because the true test of salvation is not whether you believe you are saved, it is whether you really are.

Thankfully, you can tell. Here are a few indicators of true Christian faith from a collection pulled together by John MacArthur and documented in his Study Bible:

• A love for God that causes you to seek after Him, to obey Him, to desire Him above all else. (Luke 10:27)
• You have repented for sin, and continue to repent of sin and strive to live a righteous life. (Psalms 32:5)
• You recognize the need to minimize your own desires (humility) and your desire is to glorify God. (James 4:6; 1 Corinthians 10:21)
• You pray regularly, even continuously. (Luke 18:1)
• You have a sacrificial love for others. (1 John 4:7-end of chapter)
• You are not concerned about "keeping up with the Jones" and given the choice of standing out like a sore thumb versus shying away from your faith so that others will like you, you choose to stand out like a sore thumb. (James 4:4 and following)
• As time goes by (month to month, year to year) you grow in knowledge of God's Word, and live obediently to what the Bible says. (John 15:1-6, 1 John 2:3-5)

Only you can know if you pass the test. Only you know if you are truly a Christian who has been born again.

If you are not, today is the day of salvation. Repent of your sin, call out to God for forgiveness, and put your faith and trust in the savior, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross taking your sin upon Himself, and was resurrected three days later as a demonstration that He is God.

You Decide: Is This A Tragedy?

We are bombarded with news every day.  The result is that we can become numb, immune to much thought other than a quick "too bad" and then on to the sports scores.

Today I would like you to stop for a few minutes, think about one particular story (summarized below), and then answer a simple question: Is what happened in this recent news story a tragedy?  Here is a summary of the story:

A woman was prescribed an antibiotic by her doctor.  She filled the prescription at a local pharmacy, and took the first dose.  She then noticed that the pill she took was not an antibiotic, but was instead a different medication.  The medication she took is part of a chemotherapy regimen. This same medication is also used to terminate pregnancies.  The woman who mistakenly took the pill was six weeks pregnant.  Her infant may die as a result of this mistake.

Now back to our question: Is this a tragedy?

If you answered "no", then you would probably also describe yourself as "open-minded".  So, as an open-minded person, I hope you will read the remainder of this article.

If you answered "yes", then I would ask a follow-up question: Why?

Based on arguments I hear and read from a number of people, this is a tragedy because the woman did not choose to terminate her pregnancy.  It is seen as the unexpected loss of an innocent life that could emotionally scar the mother for the rest of her life.  I would agree.

However, if she had gone to a local medical facility and signed a release form, many would argue that the end of the pregnancy would not be a tragedy, it would be a perfectly legal and acceptable abortion.

If this line of reasoning makes sense, then it should apply to other situations as well.  So, bear with me as I consider one such example.

I can go to a local medical facility and sign a release form to have a skin-tag removed from my arm.  This is perfectly legal.  Had I gone to a pharmacy and taken the wrong prescription that resulted in the skin-tag on my arm falling off, would this be a tragedy or a harmless side-effect?  I think nearly everyone would agree that this would be a harmless, even a beneficial, side-effect.

Why is one scenario viewed as a harmless side-effect and the other a tragedy?

Because in the first scenario, a baby is killed and all life is precious.  Internally you know this, and the Bible affirms it.

Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. - Psalm 22:10 

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. - Psalm 139:13  

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; - Jeremiah 1:5a

Verses such as these and others make it clear that God is the giver of life, that life begins in the womb, and that all life is sacred from the very moment of conception.

The Bible also tells us that everyone understands the moral standard of God (see Romans 2:14-15).  People describe this understanding of the law of God as our conscience.  This is why people see one of these situations as tragic and the other as a harmless side-effect.

Then what of abortion?

Other than the legality (and liability) as defined by the court system, is there any difference between the story that started this article and a decision to have an abortion?

I would argue: absolutely not.  In both cases a baby dies.  Just because one was willful and the other a side-effect does not change the fact that a baby died.

Even more importantly, the Bible clearly states that the womb contains a child, not non de-script tissue (see above).  The Bible also clearly states that life is sacred.  You need look no further than the Ten Commandments to find "Thou shalt not kill."

Some argue that the key to abortion is that the child (or the mother) will have a horrible life if the child is allowed to come into the world.  The woman, the argument goes, has a right to choose to spare the child (or themselves) this predicted pain.

Really?  Which of us can predict the way a child will grow, mature, and contribute?  Which of us has not been surprised by how some simple event turned out, much less the contributions of a dedicated person over a lifetime?  How many men and women in our history with humble roots, who achieved great success, would you rather have been killed in the womb?  Which life-saving doctor, or local fireman, or cherished grand-mother should have been killed because their parents were poor, or they were likely to suffer some illness?

We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow.  We cannot predict how well any particular child will either use or waste his or her life.  We cannot predict the medical advances that await an ill person, nor can we predict who God will heal and whom He will not.

The potential for future success or failure is not a valid reason for ending the life of a child.  Neither is the oft-cited perception that they will suffer an illness or have some physical restriction.  Clearly, however,  there is absolutely no chance for success and no chance for recovery from illness if the person is dead.

Even if we could clearly look into the future and see horrific consequences of the birth, any argument falls short when measured against God's Word.

I pray that the child in the opening story is protected by God, and grows to be a born-again Christian.  As for the rest of us, I pray that we take the time to consider the real tragedy of this story: that some see no cause for alarm when a child is willingly put to death.

Could It Be True That Christ Will Return On May 21, 2011?

I rarely read the newspaper.

There was a time when I subscribed to the major local paper, and like most men I would come home from work and read through a few of the stories that caught my eye.

I now find that newspapers are both biased and quickly out of date.  In addition, I believe that main-stream and traditional print media frequently report what they want to be true, rather than what is true, and I simply have no use for them.

My mother-in-law, however, is an avid reader of the major newspaper from the nation's capital, and she likes to share.  So I was not surprised when a section of newspaper appeared on our kitchen counter today.

It was the Metro section, folded back to reveal a story about a young woman who is convinced that Christ will return on May 21, 2011.  She still holds her job and has not run up debt.  But she has emblazoned her car with a message of the imminent return, along with the key to all messaging in this day and age: a web-site (see the photo below).

This young woman is convinced that a series of calculations, beginning from "the day that Noah shut the door to his ark" reveals the day of Christ's return.  A day which is referred to many times in Scripture, but never along with a specific date.

The first error should be apparent already.  Noah did not shut the door to the ark, the Lord did (Gen 7:16).  Based on personal experience with the media, I will assume that some errors in the article are the result of faulty reporting.  But what of the major claim?  The claim that we have now calculated the exact date for the return of the Lord?  What is a Christian to think about such a prediction?  Might this be the day for the rapture of the church?  Could she be a modern-day prophetess?  Should we all quit our jobs and rush to proclaim the gospel to the lost?

While it is possible that May 21, 2011 might be the day of the Savior's return, it is also possible that it will occur on May 20, May 22, November 16, tomorrow, or one-thousand sixty-seven years from now.  How can we know?

Let's take a look at what the Bible says about the return of Jesus Christ, specifically the day He returns to call His believers to Him in the sky.  An event known as the rapture.

The Bible does provide a lot of information about the rapture.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, for example, states:



"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." 



This verse is where the word "rapture" comes from.  The Greek word translated here as "caught up" is where our word rapture comes from.  Note also that where this verse says "the Lord" it means Christ.  This verse also tells us that when He returns, both living and dead Christians "will be caught up together ... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."  According to the article, this is the event that will occur on May 21, 2011

If Jesus is returning, a truth clearly taught in the Bible, it might help if Jesus had spoken about it directly.

In fact, He did.  He speaks of His second coming several times in Scripture.  For example, John 14:2-3 records the following:



"In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  (underlining added)


Here, Jesus speaks of preparing a place in heaven for each believer.  Just as the bridegroom of ancient Israel would go to prepare for his wedding, and then appear at a time that was not announced ahead of time, Jesus will "come again" after His preparations are complete.


But, when?  What does the Bible say about the exact date and time?  Does Jesus speak of the date?  His disciples wanted to know the answer to this very question, and they asked Him.  Even more amazing, the conversation is recorded in the gospels of Mark 13 and Matthew 24.


The third verse of the Matthew passage captures the question from the apostles.  Their question was in response to Jesus telling them about signs that will take place before He returns.

"As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

His answer is found in verse 36:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

So, if this young woman knows the exact day and hour, she knows more than the Son of God Himself!  This would mean that she knows the future, a future that can only be known by God, and that would make her a prophetess.  It would mean that God chose to reveal knowledge to her that He did not reveal to His Son, and felt no need to reveal to the apostles, or anyone else through history.  This would mean that it is time to update the Bible, something specifically forbidden by the Bible itself. (Rev 22:18-19)

And if she's wrong?  That would make her a false prophet, something that God not only warned about, but also found worthy of the most severe punishment during the days of Israel in the Old Testament.

Now, I'm not saying this misguided young woman should be punished.  In fact, I hope that a Bible believing pastor will sit with her, gently but lovingly correct her misunderstandings, and help her see the truth.  I am also saying that it is a dangerous thing to make a claim about the secret things of God.




This person (probably a group of people, based on the name of the web-site) are also incorrectly applying Scripture.  Note that on her car she cites Acts 17:31 (see photo at right) as one of her key Scripture verses.  This verse says, "He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world."

Not only was the verse misquoted as it was converted to a window sticker, but it is also used out of context.  This verse is speaking of Judgment Day, not the rapture.  Judgment Day is they day when the book of life is opened.  Anyone who is not a true Christian will be sentenced to eternity in the Lake of Fire.

Christians can look forward to the rapture, but not by circling a date on the calendar.  In addition, knowing that the return of Christ is coming, and cannot be accurately predicted, is a reason for Christians to share the gospel.  What if the day, coincidentally, is May 21?  Don't you want your friends, family members, neighbors, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, and everyone else to hear the gospel?


"For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."  (Matthew 24:44)