Author Archives: Delight in Truth

Apr 18 2013

The Post-Modern Christian and the Gray Areas

How would you like to have a cool and relevant young pastor like megachurch pastor Steven Furtick (above) to give you plenty of latitude on decision-making in those gray areas that really nag the post modern Christian?

Gray area topics have become a legalistic battle ground for the lukewarm Christian today.

What gray areas are we talking about?

Watching HBO shows and R-rated movies, drinking alcohol (I will add smoking marijuana where it is legal under this topic), cussing, going to bars, and many other items that world loves to indulge in but which are not necessarily spelled out in the Bible as sins.

Steven Furtick and his Elevation Church have touted that they are not afraid to talk about anything in their church, so in a current series of sermons he addressed some these gray area issues.  The problem is that there wasn’t much denouncing going on.

“I’m not going to try to make black and white issues out of what’s gray in the Word of God. That would be malpractice on my part,” Furtick said.

On the issue of alcohol he says “The Bible has more to say about gluttony than it does about drinking,” leaving the door open for those who wish to consume alcohol to go right ahead… but… stop short of getting drunk.

On R-rated movies, again, he does not denounce exposure to lust, sex, cussing, and occult in them, but points out that there are more “sinful” things in network comedy shows than in R-rated movies.

He is more concerned with the personal testimony of a Christian who attends R-rated movies, something which I respect.  Furtick  points to the fact that believers and unbelievers may be watching us going to these movies and stumbling on that fact.  But this is not enough.

It is not the gray area act that is sinful for Furtick, but the fact that others are observing the Christian perform that act.  In other words, Christian liberty reigns supreme even in areas where sin may be involved… but just make sure you’re not a stumbling block for others.  Nice…

To his credit he does give a filter for gray area decision-making using the formula “Is it best? Does it build (others up)? Does it bind?”  But he does not categorically denounce things like rated-R movies that may lead to lust, for example.

The main issue at hand is that spiritually infant Christians need concrete guidance from their pastor.  Wishy-washy statements like Furtick’s may lead the Christian to indulge in sinful behavior.  An alcoholic drink may lead two, three, ten and then everything breaks down. Also, why not address specific subject matter of movies and shows?

The Word of God is our ultimate guide and we should avoid anything that has to do with the deeds of the flesh listed in Galatians 5: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies…”

Remember, when in doubt “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians  5:22

How much can the post-modern Christian lean over the cliff without falling to his demise?

image credit: Vimeo.com

Apr 17 2013

Why Christians Should not Curse and Swear

The Holy Spirit implicitly tells us that cussing is sinful.

We don’t hear many sermons about cussing, and that is probably because it is universally assumed that we all know that to cuss is to sin.

But Christians unfortunately use foul language, and it dishonors God.

Just like the largest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380 is commanded by a tiny joystick (see picture above), so our tongue is the tiny joystick, “a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” James 3:5

I would like to challenge any Christian who sometimes swears and cusses to mortify such outburst of the flesh.

And to motivate us, lets looks at what Scripture has to say on this topic:

“Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” -Jesus in Matthew 15:10-11

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” James 3:10

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:4

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”  -Jesus in Matthew 12:36

“…the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” -Jesus in Luke 6:45

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” Colossians 4:6

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”  Exodus 20:7

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”  Proverbs 21:23

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Apr 16 2013

The Silence that Deafens

Barack Obama Barack Obama Makes a Statement on the Boston Marathon Bombings

In the Gosnell post-abortion murders of living babies, a case equally as disturbing and gruesome as the shooting at Sandy Hook, WE THE PEOPLE would like you Mr President to take a stand and denounce Gosnell’s actions in the strongest terms.

Mr. Press Secretary, what does the president have to say about such acts of terror committed in Gosnell’s abortion clinic?

“The president does not and cannot take a position on an ongoing trial”

But Mr. Secretary, the president has taken various positions in the past on cases such as the George Zimmerman trial, and the current same-sex marriage case in the Supreme Court… Can we get the president to denounce the fact that dr. Gosnell was decapitating living babies, and his staff were murdering them after playing with them?

“His position on the basic principle is that, as President Clinton said, abortions ought to be safe, legal and rare is very clear.”

But Mr secretary, President Barack Obama, while serving in the Illinois state senate in 2003, opposed an infant protection bill that would assure that a baby born after a botched abortion would be cared for!

“I can’t comment on that.”

This is how the White House press conference went yesterday, as the secretary continued the administration’s silence on the horrific crimes of the abortionist.

We currently have a president in the White House who voted to oppose the most basic resuscitation to babies who are born alive after 2nd trimester abortions.

He chose to appease the altar of Molech (er- choice) instead of voting for a regulatory bill that would help these poor babies who survived botched abortions.

This is the same president who said that he would not “punish” his daughter “with a baby” if “she made a mistake.”

This president views a baby made in the image of God as a mistake.

And we wonder why our country is in a moral crisis.

Mr president, please denounce the murders of these babies…

But there is only silence… a deafening silence.

image: pacific coast news

Apr 15 2013

Boston Terror: Why Humanity is Inhumane

April 15th. Taxes are due.

But evil has his own plans to tax us with death.

In a span of 10 seconds the two blasts culminated what was months, perhaps years of premeditated mass murder.  Blood was splattered, lives were lost, and amputees will now have a daily reminder of this evil.

I am not necessarily interested in the political or religious reasons for this heinous act.  To give an ear to the perpetrator’s pretexts for doing this is to appease him.

There is only one reason for this: humanity has lost its… humanity.

To understand this we must go way back to the beginning.  Humanity was created in the image of God, and the image of God is perfect.  But one act of disobedience on behalf of Adam made world wars, 9/11, and now the Boston Marathon bombing inevitable.

They came to Jesus in Luke 13 to tell Him about an act of terror.  They told Him that Pilate had murdered a group of Jews as they were worshipping.  Think of it as a bomb going off in a public place like the Boston Marathon finish line.

Jesus’s response was frank and unanesthetized:  “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” Luke 13:2

He is in fact saying that such hate and violence is here to stay because of sin, and anyone of us could have been a victim!  He follows with the command to repent of sin.

Humanity will always be broken because we lost the initial image that God bestowed on us.

Political and religious motives for this crime are secondary as long as the evil impulse in the hearts of men remains unquenched.  There will always be a cause, a revolution, a motive, an impetus to rebel and kill.

The only solution is repentance of the broken humanity that is in us.

That is where salvation by faith in God begins.

Apr 14 2013

15 Truths About Abortion

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother’s womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

by John Piper via DesiringGod via TheResurgence

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Apr 13 2013

Suppressing the Truth About Modern Infanticide

The trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell who is accused of killing late-term babies who survived abortions is not receiving mainstream media coverage due to spiritual reasons more than political reasons.

To date, out of all the major news outlets, only the slightly more conservative Fox News has covered it.

Why?

Our godless modern society is tacitly approving Gosnell’s actions.  Abortion is the outcome of self-idolatry which is rampant in our culture.  It so happens that a baby interferes with the interests of the self, and in their mind killing the baby solves the problem.

So they suppress the truth in order to avoid the guilt and the conviction that comes along with acknowledging the truth.

The heathen would rather have a Gosnell-type decapitating a crying 28 week GA baby and suppressing news of the event, then ensuring justice for the murder of that innocent baby!

We know it is so because the Word of God tells in Romans 1:18 that they “suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

The latest ungodly argument is that Gosnell proves the need for abortion in our society.  The liberal left is arguing that abortion must be done ‘right’ to avoid another Gosnell scenario.

To them I say, that committing a crime at home or abroad does not change the fact that it is a crime.  Killing a 24 week baby in-utero or outside the uterus is a mere technicality! Shame on them!

This is happening because they do not know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life.  They do not know that God is pro-Life.  They do not want to know that Jesus died so we may have life, and abundant life!

Even though the truth is suppressed, we must fight on to share the truth and the gospel.

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Apr 12 2013

How to Overcome Lustful Temptations

The primordial sin of the flesh according to apostle Paul in Galatians 5 is lust and the sexual sins associated with it.

It is the number one struggle of young men and women, and it is magnified in the information age when they are bombarded by all sort of immoral digital data.

After a long and admired pastoral career, John Piper offers relief for young believers who struggle with this problem in an interview transcribed by the Christian Post.

“Why does lust, I’m thinking mainly men but not just men, why does seeing have such a force to draw us to click on pornography or linger over some bathing suit issue of Sports Illustrated or to linger over some ad for a movie. What is it about us?” asked Piper.

“And my answer? It’s like drunkenness,” he said.

“In the same way drunks need designated drivers to help them out when they are too inebriated to function, Christians should have friends in their life whom they can count on to help them through lustful addictions.”

“My question is, is there something like that that we should do for each other? If ‘psycho-erotic euphoria’ is as powerful as drunkenness and I think it is, then we need people in our lives who will break our arm. Paul says I pummel my own body; you should pummel me,” said Piper.

“Look, if you’re drunk and you’re about to kill yourself, you better be glad there is somebody in your life to throw you in the backseat of the car,” says Piper.

“But this lust thing is much more like drunkenness than it is like anything else and so we may need this kind of personal accountability.”

Piper endorses accountability partners and relationships within a very close circle of friends (2-3 people) who can keep each other accountable by close monitoring from many aspects.  This is a physical and emotional approach.

To this I would add that fighting lust and its derivatives (such as pornography) must be done “BY THE SPIRIT” as commanded in Romans 8:13

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

BY THE SPIRIT means by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life:

  • The believer must allow the Holy Spirit to continually point him to Christ and to the cross when temptation comes.  Looking at the precious sacrifice of Christ will help the believer realize the suffering that Christ endured for him and for his sin.  Such an approach will make the believer realize the importance avoiding the trap of sin, and ask “will I crucify my Savior willingly again by indulging in sin?”
  • The believer must allow the Holy Spirit to remind him of Scripture.  Just like Jesus fought the devil using Scripture while tempted in the desert, so must the believer fight using “It is written” Luke 4:8
  • The believer must be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to receive power for witnessing to the world (Acts 1:8) which will inherently shift focus away from lust and unto the Kingdom of God.

image credit: TGC

Apr 11 2013

“Deny Christ… and Return to Islam”

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That is what pastor Saeed Abedini is refusing to do in an Iranian prison where he is sentenced for at least 8 years after being convicted of evangelism in a sham trial.

He recently wrote this letter about what his tormentors are telling him:

““Deny your faith in Jesus Christ and return to Islam or else you will not be released from prison. We will make sure you are kept here even after your 8 year sentence is finished.” These are the threats that prison officials throw at me.

My response to them is Romans 8:35-39. The reality of Christian living is that difficulties or problems do arise in our lives. Persecution and difficulties are not new occurrences, but are seen often in the Christian life. It is through the suffering and tribulations that we are to enter the Kingdom of God.”

He has suffered physical and emotional torture so far, but this letter shows that he is spiritually strong.

He is a well-known case because he was arrested there while visiting Iran from the US, but there are countless Christians like him in prison in Iran for their faith. It is impossible to know the real statistics on this due to the secretive and manipulative Islamic regime in that country.

When we are persecuted intellectually or emotionally for our faith in Christ right here in America, when we are called bigots for believing in the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus and for standing on biblical principles, we must remember our brothers who also suffer physically for Christ.

There are many martyrs across the globe suffering and dying for Christ. We don’t know of them, but God knows them. He has prepared for them a special crown after they have finished running the race.

Continue to keep Christians like Saeed in prayer so that their faith will remain strong.

image credit: ACLJ

Apr 10 2013

LIFE: Beautiful, Amazing, and Precious

This is an incredibly beautiful picture.

As an anesthesiologist, I have participated in hundreds of Cesarean sections and deliveries, but I never had the opportunity to witness what is happening in this picture.

A doctor from Greece delivered this term baby via Cesarean section with an intact amniotic sac.  Normally the sac is broken as the baby is removed from the mother, but in this case the baby, the placenta, and sac are still attached.

The baby continues in the fetal position and does not realize yet that he has been born!  The baby is still 100% dependent on mom as his respiration and circulation are still provided by the placenta.  In the next few moments the doctor will break “the water,” suction the airway, clamp the umbilical cord, and the baby will take his first breath.

The tragic irony is that in many cases across the world today, abortionists will reach in and shred a baby like this one to pieces in what they call late-term or partial-birth abortions.

By the grace of God this baby will not endure such pain and horror.

The delivering doctor said he was left “breathless” by the beauty of this scene.

How can one not be left in awe of God’s intricate design of life?

“…you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:13-14

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