In the last few years, apologist William Lane Craig has attacked biblical (‘young earth’) creation. However, he is not enamoured with many of the other compromise views. In 2021, he published a book, In Quest of the Historical Adam. He concluded that Adam and Eve were a real original couple who gave rise to all humans, and who committed the first acts of sin. But they were a pair of Homo heidelbergensis who lived perhaps 750,000 years ago. Dr. Jonathan Sarfati and Keaton Halley of Creation Ministries International offer their analysis of Craig’s book.
They do an excellent job of critiquing Craig’s book. God’s Bible is inerrant. It clearly provides evidence for a young earth and this video will help you support that view. Share your thoughts in the comments and share the video with your friends! If you would like to support Creation Ministries and their efforts: (https://creation.com/donate)
By Leonardo Blair, Senior Features Reporter, ChristianityToday, Thursday, April 28, 2022
Parents of preteens, children younger than 13, “are in a state of spiritual distress” as American adherence to biblical Christianity fades in churches, and a “tragic crash” is coming as a result of the situation, according to new data from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University and the American Worldview Inventory 2022.
“While the warning signs are identifiable and unmistakable, it appears that parents, as well as their support system (i.e., churches, extended family, and parachurch ministries), are too distracted or disinterested to acknowledge and address the parenting crisis. It seems that a tragic crash is in store,” said George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian, in a release earlier this month.
“Parents, to whom the Bible assigns the primary responsibility for shaping the worldview of their children, are called to equip youngsters to grow up in a relationship with and service to God. That requires the intentional and consistent development of a biblical worldview in the minds and hearts of children since every person’s worldview begins developing before their second birthday,” Barna explained.
“Yet parents are not devoted to biblical worldview development in their children partly because they do not possess a biblical worldview to pass on to their progeny. The CRC research reveals that a paltry 2% of the parents of preteens — children in the worldview development window — have a biblical worldview.”
A big reason for the lack of a biblical worldview in parents today is syncretism. This ideology is described as “the worldview that merges otherwise incompatible philosophies of life into a made-to-order worldview that incorporates enough biblical elements to be minimally Christian in nature.”
Under the sway of syncretism, according to Barna, the American Church has failed to contend earnestly for the Christian faith.
“The American Church has lowered the entry bar so much that it is difficult to identify any beliefs that disqualify one from claiming to be Christian. The parents of children under the age of 13 are a stellar example of this Christian nominalism that is widely accepted as spiritually normal and healthy,” he said.
“Indeed, a worldview is comprised of a unified series of beliefs that then determine behavior. The alarm bell has not been rung because there is no single belief, or even limited series of identified beliefs, that are acknowledged as undermining Christianity or disqualifying an amenable adult from being considered a disciple of Jesus.”
Barna suggested that one explanation for the current crisis of faith is that the American Church is measuring the wrong indicators of faith.
“By emphasizing measures such as church attendance and participation in prayer, the emphasis is placed upon the quantity rather than the quality of spiritual activity, and on overt participation rather than core developmental efforts,” he noted.
“In other words, the emphasis is placed upon breadth rather than depth. But even more significantly, the spiritual warning signs have been misinterpreted. By looking for glaring deficiencies in the lives of self-described Christians, leaders have ignored the importance of numerous, less noticeable deficiencies. Their conclusion is that nobody is perfect, so while there are some identifiable spiritual and lifestyle defects among parents, they are not sufficiently disturbing to constitute a crisis or require a concerted call to action.”
Church leaders, explained Barna, have largely ignored the crisis of faith in the Christian community because indicators like church attendance, Bible sales and donations “have remained sufficiently robust to feel reassured.”
Barna noted that while some commentators on the effect of syncretism on the American Church might minimize it as a “rough patch,” emerging data on children shows a different picture.
“The disinterest and even disrespect many children show to their elders is partially a reaction to the lack of authenticity and integrity they experience in the presence of parents, teachers, pastors, and other cultural leaders. Children sometimes feel compelled to ignore adults whose talk and walk are inconsistent,” he said.
“When children are exposed to teaching — through words or actions, whether formal or informal — that are contradictory, they naturally conclude that the Christian faith is inherently contradictory and therefore may not be what they are seeking as a life philosophy,” Barna adds. “Young people may be interested in and intrigued by Bible stories, but unless the underlying life principles are both identified and exemplified, children are likely to miss out on those life changing truths.”
He suggested that the reason most Christians aren’t alarmed by the crisis of faith and parenting could be that the rest of the culture is syncretistic as well.
Data published by ACU last year shows that of an estimated 176 million American adults who identify as Christian, just 6%, or 15 million of them, actually hold a biblical worldview.
The study shows, in general, that while a majority of America’s self-identified Christians, including many who identify as Evangelical, believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and is the Creator of the universe, more than half reject a number of biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit.
Strong majorities also errantly believe that all religious faiths are of equal value, people are basically good, and that people can use acts of goodness to earn their way into Heaven.
The study further showed that majorities don’t believe in moral absolutes; consider feelings, experience, or the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance; and say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue.
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.“ 1 John 3:4
According to Barna, “If ever there was a time when our nation was desperate for a grassroots spiritual revival led by the remnant in the pews who still revere God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and truth, now is that time.”
However, the Bible reveals that Jesus told His disciples that in the end times just before He returns to this earth there would be a great falling away in the church. This is just one of the many end times Jesus gave us so we would not be caught off guard.
“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 (SIN) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:10-12
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 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.” Matthew 24:6-9
The following headline is taken from The Australian May 1st, 2022, one of our leading conservative newspapers in Australia
It’s a whole new war … and one Putin can’t win
The West has moved from supporting Ukraine to actively seeking the total defeat of Russia.
Welcome to the new cold war. That is the blunt message from Washington to Vladimir Putin this week as the fighting in Ukraine increasingly threatens to spread beyond its borders.
After more than two months of the war, the Biden administration this week recast its ambitions for Ukraine well beyond its initial aim of trying from a distance to help Kyiv repel the Russian invaders.
An increasingly confident US is now framing the conflict as a generational battle to weaken Putin’s Russia and stop Moscow from any future military adventurism.
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things it has done in invading Ukraine,” said the usually cautiously spoken US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“It has already lost a lot of military capability, and a lot of its troops. And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting that also included US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on April 24 in Kyiv.
This was no thought bubble. Austin’s comments were backed by other senior administration figures, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken who, along with Austin, visited Kyiv this week.
“We don’t know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around for a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene,” Blinken declared.
During their visit to Kyiv, Blinken and Austin announced an additional $US713m in financing to pay for weapons for Ukraine and allied countries. In a sign of Biden’s determination on Ukraine, his administration this week unveiled a massive $US33bn request to Congress for a new round of aid – an eye-watering amount that is equivalent to about half the size of Russia’s defence budget.
This new and more assertive posture by Washington has been strongly backed by other Western allies but it also carries with it a greater risk that the war in Ukraine could eventually spread beyond its borders.
Biden and European leaders have been buoyed by what they see as a sniff of an unlikely victory in the Ukraine conflict or at least the avoidance of the catastrophic defeat that was once feared.
More than $US5 billion in Western arms has now been committed to Ukraine including new American battlefield aerial drones, modern US and Canadian artillery, antitank weapons from Norway and others, armoured vehicles, anti-ship missiles from Britain and Stinger counter-air missiles from the US, Denmark and others.
Austin said he wanted America’s allies to have “a common and transparent understanding of Ukraine’s near-term security requirements because we are going to keep moving heaven and earth so that we can meet them”.
What’s more, both Britain and the US have willingly provoked Moscow by expressing open support for Ukraine using Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory. Ukrainian forces are suspected of having caused a series of explosions in southern Russia and a fire at an ammunition depot this week.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace this week claimed that 15,000 Russians have been killed, 2000 armoured vehicles destroyed, and 60 helicopters and jet fighters downed in the fighting so far. That casualty toll, if accurate, is more than double what the US lost during 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
Wallace also said Russia’s massive invasion army of 120 battalions had suffered a staggering 25 per cent loss in combat strength.
Jesus said this is but the beginning of birth pains but we know that birth pains intensify and this is what we will see as we approach the prophesied last seven years prior to Jesus’ return to this earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom.
My Africa Trip was primarily to meet up with The Kenya House Church Movement leaders and I have already reported on the results of that meeting in two earlier posts entitled My Africa Trip Report and More on My Africa Trip Report. Hope you have time to look at those. It was truly a unique experience presenting PowerPoint presentations to 22 Kenya House Church leaders in a tin shed.
A previous pastor of mine in Sydney (David Owens) almost twenty years ago now is pastoring a Vineyard Church in Arusha. As it is only a one-hour flight from Nairobi, I asked David if I could come and spend a couple of days with him and Judy. One of those days was Sunday so David asked me to share with the church about what God is doing in my life now.
The pictures below show the size of the church building. It can typically house one hundred + people. Many expats but also locals make up the congregation.
David had a missionary friend, Tom visiting as well. He works with a U.S. Mission providing health services to the poor, so we both shared at the Sunday service, I felt led to show my Holy Spirit PowerPoint presentation which fitted well with the scripture Tom shared.
I had many come up to me after expressing appreciation for the message and David told me the feedback he had was positive as well. Thank you, Lord!
The original roof was thatched but it is now covered with sheet metal
The high thatched roof looks incredible
Judy, David, and myself with Tom taking the photo
Tom, Judy, and David
I had hoped to connect David with the Kenya House Church Movement to provide support and training but they both have a lot on their plate at the moment with the Vineyard Church leadership. Both David and Judy have in their heart a major project – Centre for Exploring Truth and Change similar to Dr. Francis Schaeffer’s L’Abri in Switzerland (Shelter for honest questions). It is already underway but they need partners who will commit prayer and money to the project. If you feel led and want to know more connect with David and Judy at owensinafrica@gmail .com
Christians do not rule the way the world does as the following verse outlines.
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Mark 10:42-44
In Revelation John, in accord with Daniel, describes the kings of the world as hybrid beasts under the control of Satan.
In the coming Millennial Kingdom while Jesus and the Saints are servant leaders sadly in a fallen world we are told they will rule with a rod of iron.
“She 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 This prophecy will be fulfilled during Jesus’ Millennial reign on this earth.
“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 19:14
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Paul confirms that the Millennial Kingdom of God will eventually abolish all other empires before this earth is destroyed with fire then the second resurrection and the White Throne judgement when all the unrepentant are cast into the Lake of Fire for punishment and the second death.
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, 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. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:22-26
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” Revelation 2:11
“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 20:6
Prior to Jesus coming Millennial Kingdom, we know from Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) that God allows Satan to empower the Antichrist who will rule the nations for 42 months. John confirms that the final ruler, Antichrist is empowered by Satan (the dragon).
“the dragon (Satan) gave him (Antichrist) his power and his throne and great authority” Revelation 13:2
“And the beast (Antichrist) was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints andconquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” Revelation 13:5-8
In case we think that the book of Revelation is alone in portraying the kingdoms of this world as ultimately under the authority of Satan, we would do well to notice that at the beginning of the gospels Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him,
“the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me” Matthew 4:8-9
Furthermore, Paul affirms Satan’s role as an empowering empire when he states that Satan is the “god of this age”2 Corinthians 4:4
With regard to the coming of the Antichrist and the many scriptures warning the church about the coming tribulation, even great tribulation, “it (Antichrist) was allowed to make war on the saints andconquer them” what churches are making their members aware of the many prophecies of Jesus second coming. As I have said many times before on this website, there are far more prophecies about Jesus second coming (2,000) than there were of His first coming (300) Jesus must want you to know about His second coming and to prepare for it.
The EYE WITNESS Bible Series produced by Hatikvah Films is excellent and I would suggest you consider using the one titled EASTER at your Home Group. Ideally, it would have been a study prior to Easter but any time of year it is a powerful message.
The following 14-minute segment shows enough to determine if it is for you. It tells the story of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It is described in all four gospel accounts. Only Matthew and John were present at the event, and all four gospel writers had different purposes in choosing the details of their storyline. Although the Triumphal Entry is traditionally taken to have happened on the Sunday before the crucifixion of Jesus, experts vary on the exact day it happened. John wrote that Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover, and indicates the entry happened the next day. John says that people were going to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
What about the pharisees and the sadducees, the religious leaders of the day, what was their reaction to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? There were many eye witnesses to that miraculous event.
“So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” John 10:11-12
Matthew indicates a donkey and its colt were to be brought to Jesus, while the other three gospels mention only a colt. Luke indicates the colt had more than one owner. Mark and Luke have Jesus saying the colt will be unridden. All of the writers have a common goal of relating the event and the crowd’s reactions to at least two scriptures:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 https://youtu.be/8ijCwrJVR4A
Does the world consider that the one who has the most power, the most authority, and the most strength is God?God has unlimited power, and He uses that power.
Flash lightning
“Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.” Psalms 135:6-7
“Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to Him who alone does great wonders … to him who by understanding made the heavens… to him who spread out the earth above the waters… to him who made the great lights… the sun to rule over the day… the moon and stars to rule over the night,for his steadfast love endures forever;” Psalms 136:3-9
He need only to speak and things are created. Jesus said just two words to the storm and it was still. God said just two words and there was light. On top of that, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10).
There is nothing God wants to do that He can’t do. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
God has power over the created world. It is His mighty power that causes the rain to fall and the sun to rise. God exercises this power in the everyday, normal operations of the earth. We see this when we consider the power of floods or volcanic eruptions.
God’s power is specially revealed when He acts in a way that is different from natural phenomena. He uses His power to cause the sea to part (Exodus 14:21), the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12-13), the water to turn to wine (John 2: 1-11), and the dead to come back to life (John 11:1-46).
God also has power over people. He raises up kings and causes them to fall (Daniel 4:17). He turns the king’s heart like channels of water (Proverbs 21:1).
God opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and sends the Holy Spirit to indwell their spirit enabling them to live the Christian life with a new heart that they might love Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6). This is the power of God on full display.
Christians pray to God asking him to act because we know that He is the only one who is able to do all that He wants and He will answer our prayers if we are operating according to His will.
Adapted from an article by Thomas Eglinton The Attributes of God: All Powerful in AP Journal of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Australia.
Former Vice President Mark Pence spoke at a Young America’s Foundation event at the University of Virginia. He revealed what is happening in the USA under Biden’s Democrat government. Whether in the form of Critical Race Theory, Marxist propaganda, or radical gender theory, the Left has launched a full-fledged assault on the USA society, depriving the people of freedom, prosperity, and security, he said.
Pence is concerned that this may be the last generation that has a chance to restore Godly values. Sadly, God has shown us in His Word that lawlessness will increase in the last days, moreover, the Antichrist will have his prophesied time ruling the nations. The Rapture of the Saints and the wrath of God poured out on the unrepentant are then next on God’s end-times timetable.
Mike Pence’s efforts are commendable but his comment that the best days for America are yet to come is wrong and will not help prepare Christians for the coming tribulation.
Until individuals have peace with God through Christ’s shed blood there can be no inner peace.
The inner struggles of our nature erupt into conflict, which may even rise to the level of war. It began when Cain raised his hand against his brother Abel, committing the first murder. It is what causes wars among nations.
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” James 4:1-3
The memorial of the Jewish Passover prophetically pointed ahead to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, the Saviour of all those prepared to put their trust in Him as Saviour and Lord.
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 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
Christ is our Passover. He died for the sins of humanity and is alive today. He is your King and through Him, we can have peace. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer to enable us to live the Christian life, He is your counsellor, your comforter and your teacher. He will guide you into all truth. He will produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness and self-control. He provides the spiritual gifts for ministry; wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues.
“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27
A lamp requires oil (Holy Spirit) to function. Our spirit was always meant to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit. When Adam sinned the Holy Spirit immediately departed his spirit. He died spiritually first and then physically he died aged 930 years. When we repent and accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf we are born again by the Holy Spirit indwelling our spirit. To have the Holy Spirit indwell your spirit is worth everything.
“Thekingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45
What a powerful testimony by Torben Sondergaard on the true meaning of Resurrection Sunday.
People have just been celebrating Passover/Easter all over the world, and we have been hearing the words “He has risen,” and yes, indeed He’s risen, but what does that mean for you? Many people don’t understand what it truly means that Jesus has risen. How does that influence your life?
Read Torben’s testimony and watch the video. You will be challenged, encouraged and some even inspired to truly start walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Torben’s Testimony
“I went to an Easter service in America for the first time yesterday. I had not been to church on Easter in the U.S.A. before, because personally I’m not into all of those traditions, as I know its root, but I love Jesus, and I want to celebrate HIM – and we can ALWAYS celebrate that He has risen! But yesterday I went, and it became very, very powerful!
I saw a girl there with crutches, and I knew this was her day. This was her day! As soon as the meeting was over, I went down and prayed for her, and she got healed! She got set free! She got filled with the Holy Spirit, and her life got changed! And I got it on video. At the beginning of the service the priest said, “Walk in the resurrection power!” But what does that indeed mean?
There were a few thousand people in the church that day. Many could have prayed for her. Many could have set her free. Many could have helped her, but they didn’t. Why? Because many don’t understand what it means to walk in the resurrection power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are here to help you out there to walk the life Christ has called you to. Watch the video.”
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 