Bright and early Monday, February 26, on one of the networks, the headlines boasted that there was earth-shaking news (if true). The “news” was analyzed on the evening investigative-report shows and other outlets. What was the news?— Men, specifically James Cameron and those involved with a documentary film he is producing, are claiming to have found the bones of Jesus.
I say claiming, because, in the midst of all the ballyhoo that Cameron and others are carefully orchestrating, there are words that should make every listener stop and think: “could” and “might.” These words are sprinkled throughout the information that is being distributed so freely. There is no actual proof, and the claims are built on flimsy assumptions. But, in our postmodern culture, assumptions are allowed (by many people) the same weight as evidence that has been gathered and tested over many years.
It is quite interesting to hear some people talking about these things. For example, two morning radio personalities were trying to present the argument in an even-handed way. They quietly observed that such claims, if true would contradict the belief by Christians that Jesus rose from the dead. How quaint: if true, it simply contradicts what some believe. Friend, if it is true, it contradicts everything you have believed and Christianity is a sham (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). Earth-shaking—you better believe it!
Others quietly say that Jesus’ resurrection was a “spiritual resurrection”—i.e., the body was not raised. They seem to have anticipated assertions like Cameron’s, so they did not fully “buy into” the belief of a bodily resurrection, even though that is clearly what the Bible teaches. Matthew 28:6 says “He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay.”
Someone uses mass media to shout, “We found the bones!” and skeptics fall into line saying, “See, we told you so!” No, no, it is not that easy. They must make their case. None of this “could,” “might,” etc., will do. But what do we have?—boxes of bones and assertions. The biblical evidence still stands firm: The apostles saw the empty tomb and Jesus. Jesus was seen by many people, even five hundred at once after his resurrection. No one of that time ever came up with a body to contradict the claims. The apostles (with the exception of John) died because of their claims—Men don’t die for what they know to be a lie.
Look behind the headlines—why is this being said? It is not coincidental that a TV show is being promoted—TV shows bring in money. Further, has the word “hoax” crossed your mind? —Lance Cordle
Friday, March 16, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
25 Reasons to Remain Faithful to God
- To see God (Matthew 5:8)
- To encourage others to remain faithful (Hebrew 13:7)
- To know the wonderful feeling of victory (Revelation 19:1,2)
- To live in a place where there are no tears (Revelation 21:4)
- To live in a place where there is no more pain (Revelation 21:4)
- To see my faithful friends who have died (Revelation 14:13)
- To see my faithful family members who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)
- To have no regrets (Philippians 1:23)
- To live in a place where there is no more pain (Revelation 21:4)
- To meet Antipas, who literally gave his life for Jesus (Revelation 2:13)
- To fully realize that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18)
- To meet Abel, who, though now dead, still speaks (Hebrews 11:6)
- To live in a place where there is no more death (Revelation 21:4)
- To meet the great prophets of the past who remained faithful to the Lord (Hebrews 11:35-39)
- To hear the new song (Revelation 5:9)
- To hear the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (Revelation 15:3)
- To rest from the labors of life (Revelation 14:13)
- To meet the children who never had a chance to grow up (1 Samuel 12:23)
- To hear “Well done” (Matthew 25:21)
- To live in a place that was prepared by Jesus for me (John 14:2)
- To live in a place where love continues and controls (1 Corinthians 13:13)
- To know the satisfaction of finishing the race (2 Timothy 4:7)
- To eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7)
- To avoid the second death (Revelation 2:11)
- To hear my name confessed before God (Matthew 10:33)
“. . . Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
Saturday, February 10, 2007
"Prostitots"
No, I didn't misspell it. It is a new word, coined by a woman in California who has observed the behavior of preteen and teen girls who are trying to emulate the antics of young female celebrities. (Source: Kathleen Devey, with Raina Kelly, "The Girls Gone Wild Effect," Newsweek, February 12, 2007) In manufacturing the word, the woman is describing young girls whose immodest dress, luxurious tastes, and unbridled behavior are pushing past the previous limits of acceptable behavior.
The impact on society is just the latest one in a long line of celebrity misbehavior. Back in the 1960's the Beatles and other groups encouraged rebellion against the "system." The 1970's followed with the motto, "Do your own thing." Then came the 1980's, with Madonna and others flooding the airwaves and video screens with much more explicit lyrics and images. The 1990's just brought more of the same.
Now, those brought through those generations are parents and grandparents. Where the movements of the 60's, 70's, and 80's affected primarily the older teens and young adults, the present case of celebrity worship and misbehavior is affecting smaller children.
Why? 3 reasons: 1) The parents and grandparents have been desensitized by a society that has become increasingly accepting of outrageous behavior. Thus, they are allowing more and more to occur in the lives of their children and grandchildren. 2) In a "free" society, we have loosened the controls of what is said, done, and published, and we are awash in filth. 3) The things being done are not new--they have always been practiced by a fringe of society. However,with mass media, virtually anyone (including young children) can be affected by something that once was observed by only a few.
In addressing the situation, prayer is certainly and always appropriate. Pray for little children and their parents. Pray that worldly influence may be overcome by the light of the word of God and the lordship of Jesus. Parents of young children, be careful in your own dress and behavior. Further, be cautious in your reading and viewing material.
I hope you will read the Newsweek article mentioned above. I hope you will be shocked by the behavior described. Even more, I hope you will be moved to action, even if the least you do is pray about it.
The impact on society is just the latest one in a long line of celebrity misbehavior. Back in the 1960's the Beatles and other groups encouraged rebellion against the "system." The 1970's followed with the motto, "Do your own thing." Then came the 1980's, with Madonna and others flooding the airwaves and video screens with much more explicit lyrics and images. The 1990's just brought more of the same.
Now, those brought through those generations are parents and grandparents. Where the movements of the 60's, 70's, and 80's affected primarily the older teens and young adults, the present case of celebrity worship and misbehavior is affecting smaller children.
Why? 3 reasons: 1) The parents and grandparents have been desensitized by a society that has become increasingly accepting of outrageous behavior. Thus, they are allowing more and more to occur in the lives of their children and grandchildren. 2) In a "free" society, we have loosened the controls of what is said, done, and published, and we are awash in filth. 3) The things being done are not new--they have always been practiced by a fringe of society. However,with mass media, virtually anyone (including young children) can be affected by something that once was observed by only a few.
In addressing the situation, prayer is certainly and always appropriate. Pray for little children and their parents. Pray that worldly influence may be overcome by the light of the word of God and the lordship of Jesus. Parents of young children, be careful in your own dress and behavior. Further, be cautious in your reading and viewing material.
I hope you will read the Newsweek article mentioned above. I hope you will be shocked by the behavior described. Even more, I hope you will be moved to action, even if the least you do is pray about it.
Friday, February 02, 2007
This Sunday
This Sunday, thousands of people will gather to pay homage to that which means so much to them. They will gladly take time out of their busy schedules for this--this is no ordinary day, you know.
This Sunday, careful preparations will have been made. Some people will have traveled great distances to be a part of the gathering which means so much to them. Appropriate clothing will be selected and worn, and anything deemed necessary will have been carefully considered.
This Sunday, a long tradition will be continued. The fact that the gathering is held on a Sunday may be considered an inconvenience by some, but it is definitely not an inconvenience to those who really care. No, the gathering means so much and is steeped in tradition--why, it was even established on a Sunday! True believers would not dream of changing the day of gathering, not even to appeal to a broader audience.
This Sunday, praise will be offered in abundance. People will have no problem thinking of terms to express their adoration. Words like "great" and "powerful" will easily slip into their vocabulary. Such praise will be spontaneous and from the heart. No one will doubt the enthusiasm of the participants because it is so obvious that the occasion means so much to them.
This Sunday, thousands of people will make sacrifices to be a part of the gathering. Their time spent in travel, the gathering itself, will not be considered burdensome because of what they will get out of it. You see, they will have invested so much of themselves in the experience, it would be difficult not to get anything out of it. Likewise, great amounts of money will be sacrificed at the gathering. Money, after all, is something with which we have been blessed (and the occasion certainly is seen to be worthy of the sacrifice).
This Sunday, evangelism will be practiced all across America, as well as much of the world. Families and friends will gather for the occasion because such "good news" just has to be shared with those we love. When you think about it, it really isn't hard to invite a friend to share something with you when that "something" means so much to you.
Yes, I really think the Super Bowl is going to be great this year! What--You thought I was talking about something else?
Then again, maybe I was.
This Sunday, careful preparations will have been made. Some people will have traveled great distances to be a part of the gathering which means so much to them. Appropriate clothing will be selected and worn, and anything deemed necessary will have been carefully considered.
This Sunday, a long tradition will be continued. The fact that the gathering is held on a Sunday may be considered an inconvenience by some, but it is definitely not an inconvenience to those who really care. No, the gathering means so much and is steeped in tradition--why, it was even established on a Sunday! True believers would not dream of changing the day of gathering, not even to appeal to a broader audience.
This Sunday, praise will be offered in abundance. People will have no problem thinking of terms to express their adoration. Words like "great" and "powerful" will easily slip into their vocabulary. Such praise will be spontaneous and from the heart. No one will doubt the enthusiasm of the participants because it is so obvious that the occasion means so much to them.
This Sunday, thousands of people will make sacrifices to be a part of the gathering. Their time spent in travel, the gathering itself, will not be considered burdensome because of what they will get out of it. You see, they will have invested so much of themselves in the experience, it would be difficult not to get anything out of it. Likewise, great amounts of money will be sacrificed at the gathering. Money, after all, is something with which we have been blessed (and the occasion certainly is seen to be worthy of the sacrifice).
This Sunday, evangelism will be practiced all across America, as well as much of the world. Families and friends will gather for the occasion because such "good news" just has to be shared with those we love. When you think about it, it really isn't hard to invite a friend to share something with you when that "something" means so much to you.
Yes, I really think the Super Bowl is going to be great this year! What--You thought I was talking about something else?
Then again, maybe I was.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
I Try to Be Relevant!
A couple of weeks ago I addressed the topic of marriage in a sermon. The sermon was the second in a series on "Beginnings" from the book of Genesis. The sermon took place on January 14th and that morning I did what I do so many Sunday mornings--I flipped through the morning paper's Sunday magazine, USA WEEKEND. There, at the back of the magazine was a column on relationship issues by Dennie Hughes.
Well, remarkably enough, that day's column was entitled "Marrying right." As I scanned it briefly, I decided to introduce my sermon with it. (The column is archived at http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070114/070114relationtips.html.) It began by asserting that Americans love the idea of marriage--more than half of adults in America are legally married. Further, Ms. Hughes said that three fourths of Americans believe in "one true love"(whatever that means).
At any rate, she gave five really good questions for people to contemplate before getting married this year:
1. Have you spent lots of time together?
2. Have you spent time with each other's friends?
3. Do you know each other's goals, dreams, ambitions, and beliefs?
4. Are the people closest to you happy about your relationship?
5. Have you had premarital counseling?
I like to know that my sermons hit on topics that people are thinking about. And I like to be able to provide insights from the Bible for those same people. Of course, sometimes I am more relevant than others.
Well, remarkably enough, that day's column was entitled "Marrying right." As I scanned it briefly, I decided to introduce my sermon with it. (The column is archived at http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070114/070114relationtips.html.) It began by asserting that Americans love the idea of marriage--more than half of adults in America are legally married. Further, Ms. Hughes said that three fourths of Americans believe in "one true love"(whatever that means).
At any rate, she gave five really good questions for people to contemplate before getting married this year:
1. Have you spent lots of time together?
2. Have you spent time with each other's friends?
3. Do you know each other's goals, dreams, ambitions, and beliefs?
4. Are the people closest to you happy about your relationship?
5. Have you had premarital counseling?
I like to know that my sermons hit on topics that people are thinking about. And I like to be able to provide insights from the Bible for those same people. Of course, sometimes I am more relevant than others.
Why Marry?
I wonder why people in our society are bothering to get married. Laws have been gutted where "no fault" divorce is so easy to get that marriage seems just a slight bump on the road to a divorce if either of the partners becomes dissatisfied. Live- in arrangements have grown in popularity and have obviously made marriage less important. Homosexual partners want to be married when marriage has traditionally been for heterosexual partners.
My question is, "Why is marriage still among us?" If it is so bad in the eyes of people that they ignore it while in it and seek relationships that do not include it, then why hasn't it died? It should have been dead a long time ago, if not within the last few years. Yet you hear of people who leave their husband or wife for someone else--and want to marry that other person. Why?? I think I know the answer and I think it is deeper than tradition.
I believe it is one of those innate senses of moral "oughtness" that is built within mankind. Just as surely as murder will always be seen to be wrong by someone in every society, and truth will always be opposed to falsehood, marriage will be seen as the legitimate partnership for people within society to express sexual love and raise children. But marriage at its heart is more than that: It should be a commitment to a person for a lifetime and daring to believe that they will do the same for you. If people could really believe that the person with whom they "stand before the preacher" is the one they will see beside their deathbed, loyal in spite of sickness, misfortune, or disagreement, divorce would die.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
My question is, "Why is marriage still among us?" If it is so bad in the eyes of people that they ignore it while in it and seek relationships that do not include it, then why hasn't it died? It should have been dead a long time ago, if not within the last few years. Yet you hear of people who leave their husband or wife for someone else--and want to marry that other person. Why?? I think I know the answer and I think it is deeper than tradition.
I believe it is one of those innate senses of moral "oughtness" that is built within mankind. Just as surely as murder will always be seen to be wrong by someone in every society, and truth will always be opposed to falsehood, marriage will be seen as the legitimate partnership for people within society to express sexual love and raise children. But marriage at its heart is more than that: It should be a commitment to a person for a lifetime and daring to believe that they will do the same for you. If people could really believe that the person with whom they "stand before the preacher" is the one they will see beside their deathbed, loyal in spite of sickness, misfortune, or disagreement, divorce would die.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Very Best Thing In the World?--A Tragic Twist
My trip to Africa back in September included a layover in Paris for one day. We arrived early in the morning on Monday and we had roughly half a day to "hit the highlights. For us, that meant the Triumphant Arch, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. So, we set off on our adventure. We traveled by bus, then walked, to the Arch first and took the obligatory pictures. Next, we made the long walk to the Louvre. After a whirlwind tour of that famous museum, we set our sights on the Eiffel Tower.
By the time we got off the bus a few blocks from the tower, it was getting to be late afternoon. We walked down a sidewalk, looking up at the tower, wondering how we were going to get to the other side amidst the fast-moving traffic. The two youngest in our group of four had their answer quickly: the traffic cleared briefly, and they ran across the broad street, just in front of the speeding traffic. My friend Dennis found his chance and made it to the middle of the road, was stuck for a moment, then went on across the street. Sure that I was slower than those three, I decided to make my way back up the street and walk across the overpass.
As I approached the overpass, I noticed a crowd there. They were gathered around what I now know as the "Flame of Liberty." [Side note: the Flame of Liberty is an exact copy of the flame held in the hand of the Statue of Liberty--that statue, remember, was a gift from France. I was so intent on catching up to my friends that I did not notice what it was. I still did not know it until much later, after my return home. I have pictures of it, though!] As I looked at the crowd, I noticed flowers and a picture at the base--a picture of Princess Diana. I suddenly realized that that overpass covered the tunnel where she was killed. As I returned to my friends, I announced my discovery and my photographs.
Now, to the significance of the story: Diana was one of the most famous people of her day. Even now, people remember her clearly: She was famous, fabulously wealthy, yet lonely and abandoned by her husband, Prince Charles. It had long been the case, since her marriage to Charles, that she was pursued relentlessly by journalists and paparazzi. Of course, at the time of her death, she was divorced and dating another man--still "big news." Some even think that someone may have been pursuing them for a picture at the time of the accident.
Isn't it interesting that Diana died tragically--in many ways a victim of her celebrity status and that of her ex-husband--yet a poll conducted in her country found that many children under 10 years of age think that being a celebrity is "the very best thing in the world."
How sad.
By the time we got off the bus a few blocks from the tower, it was getting to be late afternoon. We walked down a sidewalk, looking up at the tower, wondering how we were going to get to the other side amidst the fast-moving traffic. The two youngest in our group of four had their answer quickly: the traffic cleared briefly, and they ran across the broad street, just in front of the speeding traffic. My friend Dennis found his chance and made it to the middle of the road, was stuck for a moment, then went on across the street. Sure that I was slower than those three, I decided to make my way back up the street and walk across the overpass.
As I approached the overpass, I noticed a crowd there. They were gathered around what I now know as the "Flame of Liberty." [Side note: the Flame of Liberty is an exact copy of the flame held in the hand of the Statue of Liberty--that statue, remember, was a gift from France. I was so intent on catching up to my friends that I did not notice what it was. I still did not know it until much later, after my return home. I have pictures of it, though!] As I looked at the crowd, I noticed flowers and a picture at the base--a picture of Princess Diana. I suddenly realized that that overpass covered the tunnel where she was killed. As I returned to my friends, I announced my discovery and my photographs.
Now, to the significance of the story: Diana was one of the most famous people of her day. Even now, people remember her clearly: She was famous, fabulously wealthy, yet lonely and abandoned by her husband, Prince Charles. It had long been the case, since her marriage to Charles, that she was pursued relentlessly by journalists and paparazzi. Of course, at the time of her death, she was divorced and dating another man--still "big news." Some even think that someone may have been pursuing them for a picture at the time of the accident.
Isn't it interesting that Diana died tragically--in many ways a victim of her celebrity status and that of her ex-husband--yet a poll conducted in her country found that many children under 10 years of age think that being a celebrity is "the very best thing in the world."
How sad.
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