Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) Neither commentaries and books written by Theologians, Sunday School literature or Pastor's sermons are Scripture, and yet most Christians have gained what knowledge they have about God from those sources. That is much better than nothing I suppose yet as scrumptious and filling as it may taste, it is still the product of sinful men, mostly very fine people, but as good as they may be, their thoughts, nor mine, are “God-breathed” .  Pork is one of my favorite foods, and I occasionally dine on swine. Bacon, ham, ribs, sausage and pulled pork, all of it.  But when I get heartburn from the pork, I know to take a strong dose of Scripture and soon return to a more joyful and healthy life focused on the Spirit of God. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the

"No one has ever seen God...God is Spirit"  (John 1:18; 4:24) I like the following common sense statement by Arthur P. Adams (1847-1925)… “Why do people not trust God? For the very same reason, I answer, that we do not trust strangers, because we are not acquainted with Him.” So how do we, or will we, or can we become acquainted with Him who is an unseen Spirit? Good question and I find little if no help from Theologians. Not that there are not countless commentaries written by them on how to “walk in the Spirit” or be “Spiritual” or produce the “fruit of the Spirit”. There is so much written on the subject that it has become mind numbing to me…and useless mumbo jumbo for the most part. After thousands of pages of writ, their conclusions are essentially the same - If we trust God and get saved, we will change into a “Spiritual person” who is like God, with the fruit of the Spirit flowing out of us. Which of course is not true and simply brings us full circle to Arthur P. A

“God is love…Love never fails” (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:8) That God is love is a characterization of his essence. When we talk about God being Just, or God being Omnipotent, or God being Omniscient we are talking about his attributes. But His essence is love and it is absolute.  And it dictates that He must save the sinner and He must justify the unjust…because He has the power and wisdom to do so. His love, operating through His attributes of justice, power and wisdom, is directing the outcome of His creation to a place where every knee will bow VOLUNTARILY to God, because they have experienced his Love in the undeniable truth that they are alive, though they had been literally dead. They cannot deny the obvious truth that He has at that time resurrected both the just and the unjust...by the grace of God alone. “…there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust...For by Grace are you saved...Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am G

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins...truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death" (John 8:24, 51) So what did Jesus mean when he said “you will die in your sins” and “whoever obeys my word will never taste death” ? First let’s be honest and admit that even believers “ die” . All those who believed and followed Jesus during his earthly ministry died. Jesus was simply saying that it was sin for the Jewish leaders he was addressing NOT to believe that he was sent by God as their Messiah. And since they did not believe this, when they died they would die in that sin of unbelief. Now look at verse 51 when Jesus says to them “I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death” . Again, be honest and admit that none who heard him say that are still alive, even his followers. So what did Jesus mean when he said “whoever obeys my word will never see death” ? It has always b

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:13) To be honest, I sometimes doubt the gospel. And by gospel I mean the biblical good news that after I die, at some point Jesus will return to resurrect me to immortal, eternal life.  Is that bad? No, just common sense working in me questioning something that I have never personally seen. That is, I have never seen someone who has died and was later brought back to immortal, never ending life. Jesus is the only person who has done so according to the bible and that occurred 2000 years ago and he is no longer physically present to prove to us he is alive, or immortal. “…our Lord Jesus Christ…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.”

It has been a week since my father in law went to sleep in Christ and I have been trying to find the right words to say about him. I cannot imagine another father in law who holds as much respect from a son in law as he has from me. There is so much good to say and condensing it into a short narrative is difficult but here goes. “I was born to work” – That is the summary from his own mouth of what he was created to do. “He was born to work in the service of others” – That is the summary from my own mouth of what he was created to do. Ernie’s dad was born in Wild Horse Hollow Kennady in the Indian Territory now known as Oklahoma. Ernie himself was born in Paris, Texas. Those early years of his life are interesting and being the oldest of seven children he learned to work early and the value and satisfaction of hard work. He served his country in World War II in the 12th Air Force of the US Army Air Corps in the support group for the famed “Flying Tigers” attaining the rank of Serg