Tag Archives: holy spirit

Mar 9 2013

The Church as a Model for Atheists

Scripture tells us that God placed eternity in the hearts of men, and the sentiment to seek God, to worship, and to have fellowship with a purpose beyond just a “get-together.”

Surprise, surprise… even those who are atheists provide evidence for this in their actions.

The Sunday Assembly in London is an atheist church, a godless church,  which has copied the practice of the Body of Christ.  They meet on Sundays, they sings songs, have some announcements, a reading, and a sermon from guest speaker.

The godless are copying the godly.

It might be a good thing.

They claim to be very open-minded and I hope they would eventually invite a Christian speaker to present to them a Christian worldview and the Gospel, which may give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to change some of them.  What an amazing testimony that would be!

On the other hand, this may turn into a larger movement, an alternative to the real Church which will deceive many towards perdition.

In a Christian Post article, Matt Slick, president and founder of Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, says that a movement like this is dangerous. “The devil is working through them to replace the Christian church with the church of the devil.  Atheism is the ultimate denial of God,” Slick said. “This movement is a manifestation of the enemy of the Gospel trying to replace Christianity, corrupt it and weaken it.”

“It might be that they become united and become a stronger front against Christianity. That is my concern. This has potential to do a lot of damage to the Church”

If Satan has the capacity to disguise himself into an angel of light to attempt to deceive the masses, he surely can use a copycat church to do the same.

Our job is to show unbelievers that even atheists feel the deep longing for that Something, for the unknown God of Acts 17, for the need to gather with purpose.  Under the light of Scripture we know that purpose is to worship the One and true God.

image credit

Mar 5 2013

Dilation and Evacuation: Raw, Real and Evil

I am beginning to devote a considerable portion of Delight in Truth to the Pro Life cause because the Spirit of life, the One who raised Jesus from the grave, the One who gives life (Romans 8:11) to our mortal bodies is Pro Life.

I am posting in the video below the testimony of Dr. Anthony Levatino, a board certified Ob-Gyn who used to perform abortions and who became Pro Life after his daughter was struck and killed by a car.

He said: “If you haven’t gone through that kind of tragedy, you don’t have a clue. You may think you can imagine it, but trust me: You have no idea what it’s like to lose a child, in any way.”

Seeing his daughter die was so traumatic for him, that he began seeing abortion as the violent death of someone’s son or daughter, and he became a Pro Life activist.

The video contains a short clinical description of what a dilation and evacuation around minute 2:45.

The ending is bound to leave a mark in your soul.

Feb 8 2013

Witnessing to the Jehovah’s Witnesses (part 1)

How does a born-again Christian kindly turn the tables and witness to a self-proclaimed Jehovah’s witness (JW)?

Jehovah’s witnesses are the folks who come to your door and proclaim their understanding of the kingdom of God in a way that is not consistent with orthodox Christianity.

One of their most important doctrinal points has to do with denying the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, therefore denying the Trinity.  They believe that Jesus was a created being just like Satan and the archangel Michael, and the Holy Spirit is a mere force.

There are also many other secondary doctrinal heresies involving earning salvation, failed end times predictions (see photo above), and bizarre eschatological and apocalyptic teaching.

When discussing the Bible with JWs, I highly recommend to first and foremost focus on the Person of Jesus and His divinity. That should be the center of your witnessing.  Everything else like deconstructing the failed apocalyptic predictions, and the unbiblical decrees of their society, should be used as plan B. The reason you must focus on Jesus is that you must minister to them almost like to an unbeliever.

It is important to know that they use the New World Translation of the Bible, a specific JW Bible which has key verses like John 1:1 altered to fit their theology.

In this post as well as upcoming posts we will focus on the divinity of Jesus arguments. Your goal will be to show that Jesus is the same as the Jehovah revealed in the Old Testament, part of the Godhead. Anytime we see the name LORD (all caps) in the OT, it comes from the Hebrew word YHWH, and it can also be named Jehovah in English, and we will show that LORD applies to Jesus.

Let us start off with the “first and the last” argument. Here are two powerful verses from Isaiah spoken by the LORD (YHWH):

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.”

There are at least three places in Revelation where we can ascribe the title “the first and the last” to Jesus, as it is ascribed to Jehovah. For example, in Revelation 22 in the setting of the Second Coming, Jesus speaks by the angel:

12“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

16“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Isaiah 42:8 also tells us “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another,” another powerful statement that the LORD does not share His Name with anyone. In light of fact that Jesus calls Himself “the first and the last,” and in light of the fact that the LORD also gives Himself that name, we must conclude that Jesus is the LORD (YHWH).

to be continued…

image credit

Feb 4 2013

The Next Progressive Move: Normalizing Pedophilia

Delight in Truth friend and follower Gabe Bogdan draws our attention to the next item on the progressives’ agenda: the normalization of pedophilia as a sexual orientation.  The Los Angeles Times published a post titled “Many experts now view pedophilia as a sexual orientation,” and this is part of their attempt to exude sympathy toward sexual deviancy and one of the worst possible crimes one can imagine.

Let me be clear, this is not an isolated article or opinion.  This movement has gathered steam over the last decade and is closely linked to the gay agenda.  The American Psychiatric Association is the pocket of these progressives, and their meetings frequently address subjects like the stigmatization of the pedophile, the victimhood of the pedophile, the orientation and the needs of the pedophile, and other such subjects building the case for the normalization of pedophilic feelings.

The LA Times proceeds to publish this unholy statement meant to separate pedophilia and molestation:

“Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles. Studies show that about half of all molesters are not sexually attracted to their victims. They often have personality disorders or violent streaks, and their victims are typically family members. By contrast, pedophiles tend to think of children as romantic partners…”

The editors at the left leaning, progressive LA Times allowed this statement in the article because they want to validate the point that pedophilia has a romantic basis.

It that not crazy?  Do they not have children of their own? How would they feel if pedophiles start eyeing their children… Hello?!  Satan’s progressive agenda has blinded them to the point of lack of logic.

Much like the homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and transexuality have been accepted as orientations which come naturally to those who profess them, pedophilia is heading in that same direction among academicians. This is now a nefarious train with the inertia of the entire progressive movement behind it.

I predict we will hear arguments such as Jesus never spoke against pedophilic attraction in the Bible.  Or show me where in the Bible it says that it is a sin to have romantic feelings towards children.

I  predict that in 10-15 years romantic desires for children will be accepted as normal in many different levels of our society.  I simply do not want to imagine the possibility of a legal adult-child romantic relationship in the future.  I hope our society will never stoop that low.  I pray that the Holy Spirit and the Church which are still present in the world will restrain the impulse of depravity from reaching that point.

Our children need God’s protection and our protection from pedophiles, no matter what academicians and psychiatrists say about these twisted individuals.

Jan 28 2013

Muslim Friendly Bible Translations Present a False Gospel

Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) are one of the most renowned Bible translation companies in the world. They are continuing the tradition of John Wycliffe, the great pre-Reformation theologian who broke away from the Catholic Church, and translated the first Bible in English risking his life in the process.

To the disappointment of many Christians, WBT are not following in the footsteps of Wycliffe with their most recent attempts at translating the Word of God into certain Arabic and Bengali translations.

I would go further and say that WBT are attempting to “help” God “sell” His Gospel by changing the names of God in order to make them more palatable to Muslims.  Since when does God need us to change his Word in order to win souls for His kingdom?

The changes are not slight.  They are in fact abominable.  They distort the most important doctrines found on the pages of the Bible: the doctrines about God the Father, the doctrine of the Trinity, and Christology.

Muslims do not accept the concept of Trinity, the idea of Son of God, and the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and WBT is now changing the Bible to be more fitting with their theology… and therefore more acceptable to them.

Here are some critical changes:

  • “Son of God” replaced with “Messiah of God”
  • “God the Father” replaced with “guardian.”
  • the removal of any references to God as “Father,” to Jesus as the “Son” or “the Son of God.”
  • replacing “Father” with the Muslim name for God, Allah

For example, it changes Matthew 28:19 from: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” to: “cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.”

Allah is NOT the Triune God of the Bible.  Allah is a singular entity in Muslim theology, and the name of this false god should never be used to replace the Triune God revealed in the Bible, especially in a Bible translation!  Such an act amounts to a false Gospel.

Presenting a watered down Gospel via an altered Bible, is no Gospel at all.  How can Muslims ascertain the dramatic difference between our God and their god if the Bible they receive does not present that difference?  We are certainly not aiming to convert Muslims to Chrislam… or are we?

WBT must come back to the foot of the cross and repent because they have made themselves guilty of the terrible sin outlined in Revelation 22:18-19:

“18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Jan 18 2013

Evangelism at the End of Life

What are the odds that someone who has rejected Christ their entire life will be quickened by the Holy Spirit to accept Him in the last few weeks or days of their life when the finality of death becomes evident?

The honest answer is I do not know, but I do know that God works in mysterious ways for the conversion of the sinner.  Here is an example from my own experience.

During my Critical Care clerkship in med school I had the opportunity to observe an extremely puzzling sight.  In an ICU full of critically ill, sedated, intubated, ventilated, continuous-dialysis patients, I came across a patient in his 60’s who was fully awake and coherent.  He was sitting up with an oxygen mask on his face, a stark contrast when compared to the other patients.

Great was my shock when I heard the team talking about placing this man on comfort care to ease his respiratory difficulties stemming from his weak heart.

It turns out he was suffering from end-stage heart failure and was a “frequent-flier” in that particular ICU. He was not a heart transplant candidate, so his life was spent in the hospital with frequent decompensations and ICU admissions.  His heart failure was so severe that getting out of bed and walking was out of the question.

That day, after a conference with him, we agreed to place him in a comfort care suite aimed at relieving his “air-hunger” and allowing the disease to take its course.

My immediate concern was whether this man came to know Christ or not.  I knew that in a matter of days or sooner he will die.

I found the opportunity to speak to him privately that day.

“What do you think will happen to you when you get comfortable and pass away?” I asked.

“I don’t know” he said.

When I pressed him on the concept of life after death he labored to say that he believes he will go to heaven because he was a “good person” and because he was born Catholic. It became clear that he was not a born-again Christian.

I now was faced with a critical decision.

Should I evangelize him in this coherent but vulnerable emotional and physical state?  Should I tell him about salvation by grace through faith in Jesus?

I probably could have gotten in trouble if caught “taking advantage” of a dying man and sharing my faith, but I decided to give him a synopsis of the Gospel.  I did not know too much theology back then… but I presented the depravity of man as best I could, and told him how Jesus was the only solution as a substitutionary atonement for his sins.

He confessed he believed in Jesus.

Unaware of the problems of “decision theology” back then, I did what I saw Greg Laurie do at the Harvest Crusades when I used to attend as a kid.  I had him recite the sinner’s prayer after me and told him to thank God for saving him.

I had to cut our meeting short because my pager which had been silent the whole day rang three times in three minutes.  I told him to pray to God and thank him for Jesus, and I will visit him in the upcoming days to talk to him.

The next time I went to see him, he had passed away.

Was my approach the correct one?  Did I take advantage of a vulnerable person to get a “decision” out of him?

I think ultimately we are responsible to spread the good news no matter what the circumstance.  However, we are not responsible to worry about the work of conversion of the Holy Spirit.  God can and will save souls if He so desires, even at the end of life after a lifetime of sin and depravity.  Our duty is to preach the message of salvation because it is “the Son of Man [who] came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Jan 16 2013

Euthanasia is not the Answer in Affliction

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Deaf Belgian brothers Marc and Eddy Verbessem underwent doctor assisted suicide at age 45 after they were told they were going to be blind as a result of a progressive eye disease called glaucoma.

Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002 and the number of cases has risen every year since. In 2011, 1,133 were granted the right to die, of which 86 percent were at least 60 years old and 72 percent suffering from cancer.

What makes this case even more appalling to Christians who value the life that our Creator put in us, is that it was approved under the requirement of “unbearable pain.” The news that blindness would be the end-stage of their illness in the future was described as too much to bear.

The brothers enjoyed a cup of coffee together, and reportedly had a rich conversation right before they received the lethal injection. These are important details to note because they show that the brothers were not depressed, in fact they had fought to earn the right to die for much of the previous two years!

Where is the hope, the joy, the expectation of salvation that is associated with life? The one who came into this world to kill and destroy, the ancient serpent who initiated the fall of man has blinded them into believing that death is the answer. There is nothing more untrue than that.

The life we have been given is not our own, and born-again Christians understand this fundamental truth. Our life and even our bodies are not our own.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that “… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own.” What right do we have to kill our body?

Even our life is not our own. Again Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15 that “those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”

Romans 8 names the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of life.  And it is by the Holy Spirit that life is continually sustained:  “If it were [God’s] intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.” Job 34:14-15

These are just a few of the reasons why we believe that euthanasia is a sin against God.  He alone in His manifold wisdom and purpose can give and take life as He pleases.

These two brothers made a sane, calculated decision in their actions.

By taking their life into their own hands they made themselves the gods of their life, and they sacrificed their life unto themselves, like the Canaanites sacrificed their own to Molech.  This was their final deed… their final idolatrous act of self-worship.

We know that death by suicide or euthanasia is not the answer when difficulties arise in this fallen world.  Jesus is the ultimate solution because only He can restore hope in affliction and eternal life after our passing.

image: lifesitenews.com

Jan 9 2013

TIME Magazine Misses the Mark… Again

Image of a doctor's surgical bed with stirrups

Well, TIME magazine has a predisposition to exaggerate, and add shock value to their covers.  It started in 1966 when they claimed in big bold letters on their cover: “GOD IS DEAD.”  That title was laughable.  This one is NOT.

“GOD IS DEAD” was laughable because we know that God is exactly where Isaiah saw him “high and lifted up,” and where John saw him in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 receiving the worship of angels, elders and heavenly creatures.

This title however, is built on the 55 million babies who were slaughtered in their mothers wombs since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion.  55 million murders of tiny persons was not enough for the abortion platform to declare victory.

TIME has declared itself as an abortion platform by lamenting the so-called “losing ever since” war. Wow…

The article is only available to subscribers but here are the top complaints of the pro-choice activists:

  • abortion has been regulated at the state level and abortion has become too restrictive
  • 4 states have only one abortion clinic in operation
  • there was a significant drop in abortion doctors in the last 20 years
  • only 41% of the American public identify themselves as pro-choice
  • in-fighting among feminists (young vs. old)
  • defending the status-quo is always harder than fighting to change it
  • ultrasound technology makes the babies look… human

These abortion activists must be living in a parallel universe!

Here are the numbers again: 55 million aborted, that is 1,375,000 million abortions per year! Almost 40% of the US female population has had at least one abortion!

If this was a physical war, the casualties are all one-sided.  This is not a losing war for the abortionists, its is a hands down epic slaughter of tiny innocent lives…

There is one point in the article which is true.  As a physician in a metropolitan area, I know hundreds of other physicians, and there are thousands of physicians in my city.  Among all doctors, there are only two who provide abortions.  One is in his 80’s and another is probably in his 70’s.  The new generation of physicians are grossed out by abortion and they do not want to do it.  We view it as a creepy field to specialize in, and therefore we now have a dramatic reduction in those willing to provide abortions.

For those who are bewildered as to why Christians are so vehemently pro-life, we go to Luke chapter 1 where we read the following about a certain baby who later became the greatest prophet prior to Jesus, John the Baptist:

“he [John] will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.  And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit… …For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy”

An unborn baby exhibits the qualities of a PERSON.  He is filled with the Holy Spirit.  He is able to experience the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), joy.  He leaped for joy!  How can any Christian ignore such strong language?

Many Christians will only read about abortion.  They will never encounter abortion other than being aware of the statistics.

On the other hand, as a young medical student I came face to face with harsh reality of abortion…

It was an early morning in an old county hospital in July, 2000…

to be continued… (here)

Jan 5 2013

The Father Loves the Son

We know that God has revealed Himself as the  Triune God, three co-eternal Persons who love and defer to each other.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each fully God and there is one God, a mystery too wonderful to understand.

But why has God revealed Himself to us in Scriptures (via the ministry of Jesus) as Father and Son? Why this relationship?

Why are the first and the second Persons of the Trinity (no hierarchy implied) represented in such terms? Why not the brother-brother relationship, or another form of close human relationship that we can grasp?

This revelation is presented as such in order for believers to begin to understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Son.  

Even as we meditate on this we will never be able to fully grasp the eternal mystery and the gravity of what God did to redeem us.

A small step in understanding this infinitely costly redemption begins with examining the love between the Father and the Son.

The Father loves the Son so much that He has deferred to the Son sovereign lordship over the entire visible universe, as well as the heavenly unseen domain:

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” (John 3:35).

“…seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet…” (Ephesians 1:20-22)

We love our children and give them the very best we are able to give them.  But this pales in comparison with the fact that the Father gave ALL THINGS to the Son, so much He loves the Son.

The Father loves the Son because Jesus is a perfect reflection of God’s glory:

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” (Hebrews 1:3).

The Son is God in substance, nature, character and every other parameter that can be humanly expressed.

The Father loves the Son because the Son delights in His Father.  Jesus lived a perfect sinless life in supreme obedience to the Father who testifies for the seen and unseen domains to hear:

“And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”  (Matthew 3:17)

As we begin to see evidence of the GREAT love between Father and Son another element is introduced by Jesus Himself, that is His love for us:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you… These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:9,11)

Wow… Could this be possible?

After listing the amazing Scripture above can we say that the Son really loves us the way the Father loves Him?

The grandeur of the precious sacrifice of Christ now begins to take shape.

Can you even begin to image the wrath of the Father being poured on His beloved Son instead of us? Can you imagine a similar scenario between you and your own child?  Can you even begin to imagine what the Father felt (if can use this word) as His beloved was tortured and murdered?

Knowing how much we love our children we now begin to understand why God is revealing Himself as Father and Son in addition to the Holy Spirit.

He does this to help us understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Christ and eternal impact on believers… to understand how costly His sacrifice was… to understand how much He loves us… to make us turn to Him and love Him… to make Him the center of our universe.

Dec 25 2012

The Christmas Truce

It was December 24, 1914.  It has now been months since Europe was engulfed in the deadliest conflict in modern history to date.

Though the Germans had made a strong offensive into France, the French, Belgian, and British forces were able to halt them.  But they were not able to push the Germans out of France and a stalemate developed as both sides dug into the earth creating a large network of trenches.

As I read historical accounts of this stalemate I was shocked by the misery these soldiers were enduring under the fog of war.  Heavy rain water, mixed with blood and dirt in these trenches was as inescapable as the fear of death itself.

But something amazing happened on Christmas Eve 1914.  Under the deep darkness of war created by human depravity and demonic influence, the message of the Gospel broke through in a brief but memorable miracle of modern warfare.

In a well documented event, across many portions of the front lines fighting ceased as British and German soldiers came out of the trenches in the ‘no man’s land,’ congregated, sang carols and even exchanged food items.  This lasted several days to the dismay of upper levels of command.

The Christmas Truce was evidence that the message of the Gospel is embodied in the message of Christmas.  War, conflict, and hate cannot quench it.  It shines through as a beacon of hope.

Even though the world cannot achieve “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:7, the world longs for it.  Secular as well as pagan preach it without being able to attain it.  This peace is given to those who belong to God, those who have been renewed by the Holy Spirit, and those who have accepted the message of Christmas as truth:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14

A glimmer of hope on Christmas Eve, 1914 was brought on by remembering the birth of Jesus, and it stood out as an example how the message of the Gospel can bring peace into the world.  But unfortunately over 70 million were killed in the two World Wars because the hearts of men were darkened by the evil in them due to their unbelief and rejection of this Gospel.

But as Christians we rejoice because God “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6) and the peace we received is not a just a temporary Christmas Truce, but the evidence of our eternal salvation.

Christ was born! Merry Christmas!

historical accounts:

http://www.1914-1918.net/truce.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas-truce-of-1914

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce