CAN YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OF OUR COSMOS?

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God’s Word reveals the entire history of this Cosmos from its creation out of water to its fiery end. Also, the Apostle Peter told us 2000 years ago that in the last days before Jesus returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom scoffers will deny it:

“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires ... For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:2-7

  1. The creation of the Cosmos by God and that the earth was formed out of water. Physicist Dr. Russell Humphreys proposed that God first created the earth and other heavenly bodies out of water. Then, according to this model, God transformed much of the water into other substances. Based on plausible assumptions about the initial magnetism, and a biblical age of the Creation, Humphreys also calculated the magnetic fields of other planets. In 1984 the Messenger spacecraft, made by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA measured the magnetic field of Mercury which confirmed Humphrey’s prediction to the astonishment of evolutionists. His model accurately predicts the field strengths we observe for other planets and explains features that are a puzzle to evolutionists. For a summary and references to Dr. Humphreys’ papers, see Sarfati, J., The earth’s magnetic field: evidence that the earth is young, Creation 20(2):15–17, 1998.
  2. The worldwide flood of Noah’s day when God poured out His wrath upon the earth destroying all but those that were in the ark. One of the proofs of the worldwide flood of Noah’s day is the millions of dead things buried all over the world – fossils and fossil fuels however there is also historical evidence: The eight survivors were deified as Gods by the Egyptians and known as Ogdoad. For more information on the Ogdoad see my recent post BIBLICAL HISTORY: IMPACT OF WORLDWIDE FLOOD ON NATIONS AND GOD ESTABLISHES HIS NATION – ISRAEL
  3. God will ultimately destroy this earth with fire and create a new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell.

However, before this earth is destroyed the Bible reveals that it will exist for another 1000 years ruled by Jesus and the resurrected Saints. It is a transition period from the reign of Satan to God creating a new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell. During this transition period, Jesus will fulfill the prophecies given to Abraham and most of the O.T. prophets that God would raise up a Messiah, Jesus who would rule the nations from a magnificently restructured Jerusalem. God established His nation, Israel, to fulfill His purposes on this earth.

The following N.T. Scripture reveals that the Messiah must reign over his kingdom until he has defeated all his enemies. Once this is accomplished, Jesus will hand over the kingdom to the Father. When the Kingdom of God is handed over to the Father, it will be free of sin and death, identifying it as the Eternal State (Revelation 21:4, 8).

“But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” 1 Corinthians 15:23-25

Two more N.T. Scriptures refer to Jesus’ coming Millennial reign on this earth.

“ Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27

“Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” Acts 3:19-21

MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

With Jesus and the Saints ruling the nations in the Millennium, we can expect new technology to be developed further. I expect Nuclear Fusion will be the main power source. Robotics for the production and distribution of goods and other services: health, transport, and construction, to name a few. In the Millennium, I was surprised to learn that Jesus tells us repeatedly that He and the Saints will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Wise use of technology will be closely monitored. We will not see aborted fetuses used for medical experimentation, cryonics, cloning, or modifying DNA, things that are being pursued vigorously now.

“As for me, I have set my King (Jesus) on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalm 2:6-9

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 19:15

“She (Mary)gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,” Revelation 12:5

EXPRESS GOD’S VALUES: LOSE YOUR JOB OR GO TO GAOL OR BOTH

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Aaron Edwards, a 37-year-old Christian theology lecturer at the Methodist-run Cliff College in England has been dismissed after tweeting that “homosexuality is invading the church. The institution, which touts itself as a global center for evangelism, dismissed the father of five for misconduct last week, deeming his tweet had brought the institution “into disrepute.”

This is a ‘Gospel issue,’ by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour.

United Kingdom MPs voted 299-116 to continue criminalizing even silent prayer in the vicinity of Abortion Clinics. A lawyer for the U.K.’s Alliance Defending Freedom stated: “Today’s vote marks a watershed moment for fundamental rights and freedoms in our country. Parliament had an opportunity to reject the criminalization of free thought, which is an absolute right, and embrace individual liberty for all. Instead, Parliament chose to endorse censorship and criminalize peaceful activities such as silent prayer and consensual conversation.

Washington Elementary School District, a public school district in Arizona, recently severed ties with Arizona Christian University over the university’s biblical views on marriage. The district, which had long partnered with ACU, decided to ban student teachers from the classroom. “The most alarming or shocking part of this meeting was that, despite the recommendation of the staff of the district who are the on-the-ground players in this, the LGBT agenda-driven board decided that it was just not safe,” Christian Post author Leonardo Blair explained. These student teachers have been in the classroom for 11 years without incident. And yet the Board decided that they just could not trust the student teachers not to be biased when they haven’t had any sort of incident in the classroom before.

Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government. In anticipation of Charlie Kirk’s speaking engagement at the University of California, Davis, Chancellor Gary S. May released a remarkable video, expressing the hope that no one would show up for the event. Yes, he said, “we can work together to neutralize and negate their influence” — and we do this in the name of free speech. Talk about doublespeak! Chancellor May made clear that he personally considered Kirk’s views to be “loathsome and hurtful.” And he referred to Kirk as “a well-known proponent of misinformation and hate and who has advocated for violence against transgender individuals.” This last claim cannot be substantiated and is in fact a lie.

These are just four incidents reported today that I have seen. Persecution of Christians is now becoming commonplace. Jesus told us that this would be the case prior to His return to set up his Millennial Kingdom. Jesus and the resurrected Saints will reign on this earth for 1000 years prior to the second resurrection, the White Throne judgement, and finally a new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

EASTER – THE TIMING OF JESUS CRUCIFIXION, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION

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We know that God chose the Feast Day of Passover for the time of Jesus’ Crucifixion as Jesus was the prophesied Passover Lamb.

“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Mark 14:12

“For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Passover began at sundown and ended the following day at sundown. Jesus kept the Passover with his disciples and then was arrested later that night. After daybreak, the next morning he was questioned by Pontius Pilate, tortured, crucified, then hurriedly entombed just before the next sunset when the “high day” the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. It has been shown that in the year Jesus was crucified that the Passover Meal was eaten on a Tuesday night and that Wednesday sunset marked the beginning of the “high day”, the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Jesus, then, was crucified and entombed on Wednesday afternoon, Mark tells us that after the “high day” Sabbath, which that year began Wednesday evening at sundown and ended Thursday evening at sundown, the women bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Luke then tells us that the women prepared the spices on Friday and after that, they rested on the weekly Sabbath which was from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. Matthew tells us that the women went to the tomb after the Sabbath.

Jesus was crucified and entombed on a Wednesday. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the first day of the week, Sunday, while it was still dark and she sees an empty tomb, so Jesus has risen before the start of the first day of the week as the day does not start until sunrise. As we are told Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40) we can conclude that Jesus emerged from the tomb on Saturday at Sunset.

Let us worship God according to Biblical truth, not human tradition.

WALKING WITH GOD

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I have already put up two posts relating to walking with God. Can I suggest that if you cannot remember them that you go take another look? As we approach Jesus’ second coming, we need to be walking with God or we will not be an overcomer and part of His Millennial Kingdom.

1. Cultivating God’s Presence: It focuses on what Jesus has done to enable us to walk with God. It also looks at Enoch’s walk with God and what that teaches us. Finally, Matthew’s Gospel links our eternal destiny with the way we live now. It is why this website is called Living Eternal Now.

2. Getting in Step with God: It teaches that in just about all situations God takes the initiative. Hence, it is important for us to learn how to identify what that is in every situation, and to get in step with Him.

This post will look at the challenge that God’s will is not always easy to embrace. Fortunately, the O.T. prophets and Jesus’ disciples were good examples for us. They show us that walking with God requires us to have the single-mindedness of an athlete, one determined to train hard and to perform well on the day. The temptation to relax or give up is a constant.

For example, Abraham’s family set out from Ur, under the leadership of Terah, Abraham’s father. The biblical record shows us that they quickly got waylaid. Once they arrived in Haran they became settlers. It was only when Teruah died and Abraham got a fresh call from God that he resumed their journey (Genesis 11:31-12:3). It is not always easy to continue our journey and we tend to seek the familiar rather than embrace the vulnerability that walking with God entails. Jeremiah 12 recounts a story where the prophet is fed up with finding himself in yet another vulnerable situation. He had already been through the mill and he had had enough. His complaints to God are seen as evidence of his being a glass half-empty-person. But, who would not complain when he found himself imprisoned and not feel peeved in such circumstances? God’s initial call to Jeremiah seemed to imply that he would experience continual deliverance coupled with being given great authority in speaking to those in power (Jeremiah 1:8-10). Moreover, God’s response to Jeremiah’s prayer of complaint might seem lacking in sympathy to us. Jeremiah is told to toughen up because he would find himself in even more vulnerable situations in the future: ‘If you have raced men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?’ (Jeremiah 12:5). Jeremiah was called to walk with God and embrace the journey, whatever the circumstances, and wherever his pilgrimage might lead, as indeed are we.

The prophets of Israel needed to exhibit greater than average stability or they would not have survived their calling for any longer than a month or so if that. They demonstrated exceptional perseverance in circumstances that must have created a huge sense of personal threat. Most of us would have looked for a way out of the call, as in the case of Jonah. However, God gave all of them the end of the story. They all saw their Messiah ruling and reigning the nations from a magnificent Jerusalem. I am sure this was in large part why they persevered.

For most of us on our faith journey, we really do feel vulnerable and our faith is usually a mixture of active trust and insecurity. Our memory of the past, the story of how God turned up the last time we trusted him, can sometimes help, but a previous positive experience doesn’t always make things easier the next time around. We need the stories of men and women of faith in the Bible to inspire us; we need to look to the example of Jesus, who looked to the joy set before him at the end of the journey.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Attachment to material possessions can often be a stumbling block, acting as a distraction to the main thing, which is knowing and following God. We are given the example of the early church where believers shared their possessions.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:45

Their heightened awareness of the presence of God following Pentecost appears to have freed these early disciples from having to find security in their possessions. An unprecedented outpouring of generosity is a sign of – and the result of – the presence of the Holy Spirit. Generosity is also the natural response to the realization that God’s gifts to us are wholly unmerited. The fact that we are recipients of God’s generosity can also enable us to love ourselves more. After all, if God is so outrageously kind to us, if he welcomes us with open arms, perhaps it is true that we are loved extravagantly.

One way to express generosity is to practice regular financial giving. A rule can include the decision to give away a certain proportion of income to specific causes, individuals, or organizations. Having a rule actually simplifies our lives, saving us from constantly having to make decisions about where and how much to give. Of course, regular giving as part of a rule does not preclude additional giving to other causes.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Also utilizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit will draw us closer to God in our walk with Him:

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

It will be extremely important as we come closer to the prophesied last seven years prior to Jesus’ second coming when persecution of Christians will escalate that we draw closer to God and our every step is guided by the Holy Spirit.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

Keep in mind that what you will be doing, and the role Jesus assigns to you in His coming Millennial Kingdom will depend upon how you live your life now. You need to be living eternal now.

UNMASKING GENDER IDEOLOGY

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CONFRONTING TRANSGENDERISM AND PROTECTING CHILDREN

The Christian Post is honored to present “Unmasking Gender Ideology: Protecting Children, Confronting Transgenderism” at First Baptist Church of Dallas on March 23, 2023. A panel of experienced professionals who have been fighting gender ideology in their respective fields will present at the event. All of the panelists contributed to the documentary-style podcast series “Generation Indoctrination: Inside the Transgender Battle” produced by CP. Amie Ichikawa, Woman II Woman; Mary Hasson, Ethics & Public Policy Center; Dr. Andre Van Mol, ACPeds & CMDA; and Jennifer Lahl, Center for Bioethics & Culture, are among the panelists.

Topics discussed will include the perils of gender ideology, the worldwide (including in Texas) indoctrination and medical abuse of children, and the plight of other vulnerable groups like detransitioners and incarcerated women who are increasingly required to share prison cells with men due to gender self-ID laws. The event will be hosted by CP journalist Brandon Showalter. Other featured contributors include Julia Jeffress Sadler, who will speak about her ministry to young people dealing with these difficulties, and Jeff Myers, the president of Summit Ministries and co-author of a recent e-book with CP.

EXPOSING THE GENDER LIE: A new book made available free by Christian Post.

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………… 4
CHAPTER 1
WHY TRANSGENDERISM IS A MEDICAL
(AND SOCIAL) SCANDAL …………………………….. 9
CHAPTER 2
THE HISTORY AND TRAJECTORY OF GENDER IDEOLOGY …………………………………….21
CHAPTER 3
HOW TRANS IDEOLOGY TWISTS LANGUAGE TO DISTORT REALITY …………………. 29
CHAPTER 4
HOW TRANS IDEOLOGY CAPTURED OUR INSTITUTIONS ………………………………………. 36
CHAPTER 5
TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY AND THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL …………………………..46

What we face is an unprecedented coupling of postmodernist academic theory with an internet-fueled social contagion targeting vulnerable boys and girls who are struggling with their God-given sex. This has given birth to what we call transgender ideology, or gender ideology, which in turn is fueling a medical and social scandal that ambushes our very understanding of reality itself.

Critics of transgender ideology are, predictably, met with withering rebuke. They’re labeled as “transphobic,” hateful, and even criminal. The vitriol seems especially intense when the criticism arises from within the LGBTQ community. One activist called LeVay’s remarks quoted above as “beyond irresponsible,” implying that such comments foster bullying and aggression. Ten Tweets from singer Bette Midler and author JK Rowling expressing concern about the diminishment of womanhood were roundly condemned in forceful and often vulgar ways, even though both women have been longtime supporters of the LGBTQ movement.

If ever there was an end times sign this is it. Jesus said lawlessness would abound in the last days as people jettison God and His values. It will be like the days of Noah when God poured out His wrath on an unrepentant world. We are fast approaching that time when God will pour out His wrath again on a world that rejects Him.

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?“… “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains... Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24: 3, 7-8, 9-13

DISCIPLESHIP IS MEANT TO BE RADICAL

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“Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:21-22

This hard saying of Jesus addresses our priorities and makes us consider our attachments to people and things. The request of the unnamed disciple actually seems quite reasonable. It could be argued that he was simply working out the biblical command to honour father and mother. In Jesus’ day, the duty to bury one’s relatives had become so important that it took precedence over all other religious commandments, so this saying of Jesus is even more striking.

As with several other statements of Jesus, hyperbole is used to make a point, but this saying was recorded to underline the fact that discipleship is meant to be radical – it requires that we are flexible in our attachment to things as they stand.

When God calls us to embark on a particular course we can usually find a good reason to be otherwise occupied. God may require us to embark on an actual journey or it might involve a new departure, a new venture. Whatever the call, a flexible attitude is needed; it also requires us to create those spaces of prayerful attentiveness, listening to the Holy Spirit so that God can redirect us. The combination of attentiveness plus freedom from attachments is key to effective discipleship.

John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer says it all: “‘I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen”

Attaining freedom from attachments is often a very gradual process, completed over many years. This process is aided hugely by having a rhythm of prayer, which constantly redirects our gaze Godward and allows him to bring about the necessary changes in our lives.

It is important to remember that God goes before us and is working in people’s lives before any encounter we might have with them. All mission is really God’s mission. We are called to join him in what he is already doing. Even Jesus said that he can do nothing by himself; only what he sees the Father doing (John 5:19). When we believe that God is already working in the world, already fulfilling his mission, our task is then to keep in step with the Spirit.

Understanding these principles will be even more important as we get closer to the last seven years (the last week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy given by the Angel Gabriel)

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks, it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end, there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week, he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Daniel 9:24-27

What an amazing prophecy. Concerning the prophecies given to Daniel, he was told “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” Now we are living in those days, we can see that the book of Revelation unpacks much of what Daniel was told would happen in the last days before Jesus returns to restore righteousness and rule and reign with the Saints for the prophesied Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom on this earth.

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

THE COMING WRATH OF GOD: HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

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Jesus said the days of His second coming would be like the days of Noah. How will the time before Jesus’ return be like the days of Noah? For one, Jesus tells us that the unsaved will be totally unaware of God’s coming wrath as they were in Noah’s day. The people will also be lawless, a total rejection of God and His values.

“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37-39

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:9-12

Does the comparison with Noah’s Day even include parallels between the number of days of the Flood when God poured out His wrath for the first time on this earth and the coming Wrath of God that will be poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements?

Does God’s Word tell us plainly how long the Wrath of God lasts, and will it be a surprise to almost everyone? Yes, God does with a number of Scriptures so that we can know for sure.

Another great video from Nelson Walters.

GETTING IN STEP WITH GOD

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We observe in Acts 10 and 11, God, rather than the apostles, took the initiative in most situations. The apostle’s involvement invariably requires their availability in prayer. God had heard Cornelius’s prayer and He also, with some considerable difficulty, sought to guide Peter as he prayed. Both Cornelius and Peter experienced the presence of God in a vision (Acts 10:2-3 and 9). Peter was rather slow to understand what was going on, trying hard to keep up with the God who had already gone before him. He eventually realised that he should visit Cornelius, but was astonished to find that God had already been working well beyond the bounds of the Church. To Peter’s amazement, he got halfway through his talk when the Spirit took over. The account reads as if the Spirit is rather impatient, perhaps even bored by Peter’s sermon, and doesn’t wait for him to finish (Acts 10:44)!

Even on the day of Pentecost, Peter was simply keeping up with God’s action and he did not initiate anything himself. He just happened to be present and took the opportunity to explain the events unfolding before his eyes, starting with a disclaimer to drunkenness (Acts 2:15).

God often makes his presence known to people, despite our slowness to ‘cotton on’ to whatever He is doing. We play our part, but very much as junior partners who are trying to keep up.

Our partnering with God is good for our mental health. It saves us from feeling we have the overwhelming responsibility of carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. It releases us to walk with the Lord, in the confidence that He has both gone before us and that we carry His presence with us. Our part is to be attentive and to look for signs of the Holy Spirit’s activity as we fulfil our call to have an impact on people and communities. Doing this by seeking to discern the presence and activity of the Spirit is a different approach to what most of us have been taught which seemed to put the onus on us.

On occasions, walking with God means we have to ‘walk on the water’. Like the disciples, as we set out from the security of the shore, we do not realise all that the journey will entail. The story of Peter walking on water revealed how rash he was, but it also shows us the level of his faith in Jesus compared to his companions who stayed in the boat ‘Peters’ are people who are more desperate to join Jesus than those of us who always weigh up the risk. We need to avoid recklessness, but when it’s in response to having heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit, faithfully stepping into a vulnerable situation will get us closer to Him.

Much of this post is extracted from Richard Brown’s book Cultivating God’s Presence

ARE YOU WRONG ABOUT GOD AND SCIENCE?

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This is a great video by David Wood. He delves into the origins of Science involving Jordan Peterson but also by looking at the history of science. For example, did you know that major universities such as Oxford and Harvard grew out of monasteries.

The idea that the universe can be understood, and it is good we understand it, are religious ideas. How surprising is it that we can explore and understand the laws and design of the Cosmos we occupy? Is this likely in naturalism? Of course not. What about the intrinsic goodness of knowledge and science?

According to Jordan Peterson the Bible is the most influential book in the world, in all of history.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

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Did Jesus expect everyone to understand His parables about the Kingdom of God?

Most people assume Christ used this method of teaching (parables) to make the truth more easily understood. Jesus, Himself said the opposite is true.

“And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given… Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand'” Matthew 13:10-13

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Matthew 13:16-17

Jesus did not expect everyone to understand His parables about the Kingdom, either in His days on earth or now.

It is interesting that Jesus quoted the prophecy from Isaiah (approx 700 BC): “And in them, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand.” Matthew 13:14-15

Jesus then explained the Parable of the Sower. The sown seed was “the word of the kingdom”. Next, He gave the three most common reasons most people don’t understand what He called “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven“.

  1. Jesus gave the example of a person who is so deceived by Satan that he lacks the spiritual depth even to grasp the meaning of the message.
  2. Next, He gave the example of one who “stumbles” at the word when “tribulation or persecution arises“.
  3. Then comes the example of the one “who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful“.
  4. Finally, “this is the one who hears and understands it” They understand Christ’s teachings concerning the Kingdom of God. The person who hears and believes the message then acts on that information to produce abundant spiritual fruit.

When one repents in faith and receives the gift of God’s Spirit (Acts 2:38), he begins a Spirit-led life. Through His Spirit, as Paul explains: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 Also, we need to constantly ask our Lord: “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths” Psalms 25:4

Jesus promises these believers:

“What will they then do? “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” Revelation 2:26

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” Revelation 3:21

Do you want to reign with Jesus in His coming Millennial Kingdom on earth? If you do then make sure you are walking according to the Holy Spirit producing abundant spiritual fruit.