Truth Without Change (over time)

I read an interesting book recommended by Bob, my host in Sydney.  He has a lovely family:  Jacqui his wife, Samuel (7) and Kate (4).  The book is called "Already Gone" by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer which claims the teaching in most churches today does not answer fundamental questions and doubts that people have.  Children are taught Bible "stories" and emphasis is not placed on their historical, scientific, and archaelogical fact.  When kids continue to go through school, they are bombarded with scientific "facts" which often contradict a Biblical worldview.  Due to these doubts not being directly addressed from the pulpit or Sunday School classes, many people leave the church during their college years on in their 20's.  Since I have worked with youth for many years and have seen the staggeringly high attrition rate among "churched" youth, this book did not come as a surprise or shock.

Darwin's "Origin of Species" published in 1859 shook the foundations of the common belief that the world was relatively young.  The scientific community had given the world a theory of the origin of mankind and world without the necessity of God.  This theory of evolution of the species was not a result of reading the Bible, but the idea of a man.  Many today have tried to inject evolutionary teaching into the Genesis account, saying that the ideas are not opposed to one another.  Others say that it does not matter if the earth is billions or thousands of years old:  only belief in Jesus Christ is important.  I heartily disagree with these modern views.

The Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six twenty-four hour periods and rested on the seventh day.  He made every star, plant, animals both male and female that live on land and in the sea, and breathed a living soul into man.  No one in the Old Testament, nor Jesus or any disciple in the New Testament suggest that macro-evolution (one species changing over time into a different species) was the way that God made all we see today.  Jesus says in Mark 10:6:  "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female."  Both the species and two sexes were created from the beginning as they remain to this day.  Though we see varieties within a species today, every species was distinct and fully-functional from the beginning.  The chicken came before the egg.

As I walked through the Melbourne Museum and saw reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs, the supposed ages of the bones ranged in the millions of years.  God operates outside of time and can create in an instant, but He chose to create the heavens and the earth in a seven day period, one week.  For macro-evolution to even be considered in a theoretical sense, enormous amounts of time is needed.  It is my belief that an infinite amount of time is not enough for macro-evolution to take place, but that is another matter.  It was not until 1859 that people began to suggest, "The earth may be much older than we might have thought" to allow the possibility that Darwin's theory might be considered plausible.

You might think, "But what's the big deal?  Couldn't the world be 4.5 billion (this number changes all the time!) years old and God used creation without evolution?"  Remember, God doesn't need time.  The current scientific community is convinced that evolution without question is the way things work.  The current age of the universe (which is considered billions of years older today than it was twenty years ago) is based on new discoveries and data which push back the prospective time of the "big bang."  The more we learn the more difficulties are forced upon the theory of evolution, so more time is allotted to work out these problems.  A kid walks into Sunday School and hears a "story" about how God created the heavens and the earth in a literal week, and then on a class field trip hears "facts" from experts that the world is billions of years old and the dinosaurs that excite his imagination became extinct millions of years ago.  His doubts begin to grow during middle school and high school as he weighs these contrary views, and these doubts progress into unbelief of the Word of God in college.  That is why it is critical that the Word of God is held forth as fact supported by science, not as fairy tales.

If the beliefs of people in the Genesis account are eroded by modern-day scientific teachings concerning the age of the earth, it is likely they will not believe the Bible is the Word of God without error or flaw.  If the Bible is seen as a flawed book written by men, the Gospel itself will be brought into question.  The Bible is the true Word of God delivered by the Holy Spirit through men inspired by God.  2 Peter 1:21 says that God's Word did not originate from man, "...but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."  In Jude 1:3 it is written: "...I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."  It has held up under fierce scientific, moral, historical, prophetic, geological, archaeological, and biological analysis.  It is completely perfect concerning earthly things, and equally insightful and flawless concerning spiritual things.  There is no book in the world which so perfectly explains the nature of a man, moral and social issues, and how God not only created all things but sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ still cannot be disproved by any means.

As Bible-believing Christians, we must hold fast to the truth of scripture without yielding to the pressure of those who do not believe.  Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:20-21:  "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:  [21] which some professing have erred concerning the faith.  Grace be with thee.  Amen."  As the saying goes, "Truth can bear examination."  Good science involves observation, formation of a hypothesis, the testing of a hypothesis in a controlled environment, and conclusion based upon the evidence.  Neither creation or evolution can be validated through the scientific method, because no one knows the conditions that were in place before time began.  But unlike scientific journals that change from year to year, the Word of God has never changed.  It has never been proven false.  It is on the merit of its unshakable truth I believe the Bible is the inspired, unchanging Word of God through which we learn who God is, what He has done, and teaches all the way of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  As Romans 3:4 says, "Let God be true, and every man a liar..."

Don't take my word for it:  test the Word of God for yourself and be convinced in your own mind.  God has revealed His truth, and we are all without excuse!  It's time to stand up for the truth of God's Word, and teach our children what is right.  I refuse to be bullied by people who choose not to believe what is true, and neither should you.  The truth will not change over time!  What's true will remain true, and God's Word will never pass away!

Challenged...but Changed?

I'm the kind of person that loves a challenge.  I enjoy challenging myself to improve at everything from bowling, building, speaking, writing, in practically every area of my life.  I like board games that challenge me to think.  I like to read books and listen to sermons that provide strong challenges.  When muscles are not strained through strenuous exercise, they begin to atrophy almost immediately.  In the same way, when I am not spiritually challenged I feel like my strength begins to wane.  Fellowship with other believers, being challenged by the Holy Spirit as I spend time in the Word and prayer, and through the testimony of other strong believers, my "spiritual fitness" level is greatly increased.

But there is a catch to every challenge:  it involves the necessity of action on our part.  For a new reader, even the simplest of words are a challenge to read and pronounce.  As reading improves, what was once a challenge no longer provides the same stretching and exercise of our minds.  At my son's (Zed) school, there is a reading assessment system that ranks books according to difficulty.  If a student tests at 1000 points, he can only read for credit books that are ranked at 950 or above.  This ensures that the student is being challenged with new words to enlarge vocabulary and improve comprehension.  The reason why this program exists is because most kids will not voluntarily challenge themselves.  The same tendency toward apathy and ease exists in the heart of every person on earth.

Some people feel they have accomplished a great feat if they have been challenged.  Being challenged doesn't count for squat.  It is only when challenge results in change that gives challenge any value at all.  People are sometimes challenged to roll out of a warm bed into a cold room, but that does not mean congratulations are in order!  When God speaks to us, it will always be challenging.  Once God transforms us through spiritual rebirth through faith in Jesus Christ, we still live in a body of flesh which tends toward selfishness and sin.  It is contrary to our flesh to be conformed into the image of Jesus.  Because we are not naturally like God there will always be a resistance to His ways.

Sitting down under solid Biblical doctrine ought to result in personal challenge.  But we cannot be satisfied with going to church, being challenged every Sunday by God, and then not seeking to meeting that challenge.  I once heard a pentacostal pastor tell his staff (and I paraphrase), "If you pray and fall down, then you better be different when you get up - otherwise, why fall down?"  Now I distance myself from falling down or providing "catchers" at prayer meetings for lack of Biblical precedence, but I agree with the sentiment.  What's the point of effort without change?  Why listen to sermons we are not willing to put into practice?  Why read the Bible if we refuse to obey?  Why ask God to speak to us if we aren't willing to listen?

I praise God that He is able and willing to change me, because I am incapable of changing myself.  Physical effort will not result in spiritual transformation.  No amount of outer discipline can produce inner change.  It is our God who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure.  We are His workmanship, we are His building, and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  The work God has begun He will be faithful to complete.  I like being challenged.  It's being changed that I tend to risist.  God wants to change that about every one of us.  We need to be challenged.  But more than that, we need to be changed.  May God have His perfect will performed in each one of us as we yield to His truth and conform to His ways.

First Impressions

Looking back on my life, historically my first impression would be better classified as a wrong impression.  There have been many times I had a negative first impression of people who later ended up being among my best friends!  The first glance or personal interaction can distort the truth of reality.  People are more than just a face and a name, and it is a shame for us to judge by appearance.  It is not above a man to do what is shameful, or to even make a practice of it.

When I arrived in Sydney, I took the train from the terminal to the home I am staying at in Baulkham Hills.  The train was creaky and old, and as I rode the train from the Central Station tall graffiti-covered brick walls loomed on either side of the tracks.  Rubbish lined the sides of the tracks as we sped under grey, overcast skies.  Serious people stared straight ahead as the train jostled from side to side.  Abandoned buildings with broken windows, the same red bricks, the same graffiti flew by kilometer after kilometer.  It would be a lie if my first impression of Sydney was very good.  Everything looked grim, dim, run-down, and tired.

The next day I took the same train on a trip to the wharf where the world-famous Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge are.  They were an amazing sight, as the sun filtered through patchy fog and wind brushed cool upon skin.  As I spoke with a couple pastors on the wharf, countless people walked by taking pictures and videos of the famous sights.  Ships carried sightseers through the choppy water in the bay.  I didn't bring my camera with me, but I'll never forget the sights of Circular Quay.

Since my arrival I've met many beautiful people, experienced wonderful hospitality, and have seen a beauty that was indistinguishable at first.  I flew into Sydney as a tourist and after five hours I had a picture of what Sydney was like.  But as I might have predicted, my first impression was not a correct impression.  Sure, there are abandoned buildings and tons of graffiti, but a city is more than buildings and weather.  The beauty in a city is not in design or ornamentation, but in the people and relationships you have there.  In the same way, the beauty of a person is not in their proportion, face, or figure, but their possession of a God-breathed soul.  In every person there is the mark of the divine, for God has formed man in His image.

Had I designed or engineered a world-famous landmark, I would have an appreciation that no one else could possibly have.  The architect would not love the structure he designed because the opera or plays that take place within, but because he poured his own ideas and creativity into it.  When we look at a person, we may not see what strikes us as physical beauty.  But in every human body God has breathed a living soul, an everlasting component unique to a human being.  God does not have wrong first impressions of a person, for He does not see as a man sees.  God looks upon the heart, and sees His creation through eyes of love and deep affection.  The God who created the heavens and the earth, knows all the stars by name, and made every person unique knows intimately all His creation.

I am blessed beyond measure to know that God always judges righteously.  He does not "rush to judgment" or make a mistake based on a wrong first impression.  God's natural inclination is to love what He has created, for all that He has made is good.  It is man who refuses that love by rebellion, sin, and doing what is right in our own eyes.  God has revealed His love to us by sending Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.  He demonstrated His love for us, for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Sydney is a beautiful place, and all that God has created is good.  Man pollutes, destroys, ostricizes, hates, judges, and lies.  But God is not like a man that He should lie or speak unrighteously.  His judgments are not tainted by first impressions, for He knew your name before the foundations of the world were laid.  God is not like me, who judged a city by the rubbish and graffiti that litters the railways.  Regardless if you see yourself as a graffiti covered building or a downtown high-rise, God sees you in truth.  If God is for you, who can be against you?

Mr. Universe?

"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God, [8] who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains. [9] He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry. [10] He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. [11] The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy."  Psalm 147:7-11

On the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne cup horse race is held annually in Victoria, Australia.  It is often called "the horse race that stops a nation."  For many people in Victoria it is a holiday where men don suits and women wear dresses and fancy hats to watch the horses race.  Even people who are not horse racing fans gather to watch the powerful steeds, pick their winner, and place their bets.  All can appreciate the quickness and power of a horse running at top speed.  God is the One who has given him strength and clothed him with thunder (Job 39:19).  God is pleased with His creation, but it is not the strength of a horse that gives Him greatest delight.  God takes pleasure in those who fear Him.

Proverbs 20:29 says, "The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head."  Young men do glory in their feats of strength, ability to run, bench press max, and how many push-ups or sit-ups or pull-ups they can do.  Entire stores are dedicated to nutrition for building lean muscle and maximizing the effect of a workout.  Pictures of heavily-muscled copper-toned bodies plaster the magazine covers and tubs of protein powder.  Man has engineered chemicals and workouts to make the human body so muscular it almost looks foreign.  Though man may glory in his strength, God is not impressed or moved by the muscles in a man's arms or legs.  He is not intimidated by "Mr. Universe" in pink drawers, complete with 22 inch arms and 57-inch chest:  God takes pleasure in those who fear Him and those who hope in His mercy.

Isn't it ironic that man would create an award dedicated to someone deemed "Mr. Universe," the limits of whose body can be measured in inches with a piece of tape?  One man earns the title of Mr. Universe one year, and the next year another will take his place.  A horse deemed the Melbourne Cup winner one year is not guaranteed even to show the next.  I ask you, how great is our God?  How amazing are His infinite eternal attributes!  He is the Creator of the Universe and covers the sky with clouds, and provides food and water to support life on earth.  We who are intimidated by a man who stands six inches taller than us should be absolutely overcome with abject humility before the One who spoke the world into existence and knows all the stars by name.  We ought to cower before a God of such power and might.  The universe itself is far too minuscule a measuring unit for any attribute of the God of heaven.

If God takes pleasure in a man who fears God and hopes in His mercy, may those qualities mark our lives.  We are not capable to change ourselves any more than we are able to shake the earth by stomping our feet.  As God says in Zech. 4:6, "...Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."  It is not by the power of a horse or the strength of a man where we ought to glory, but in our awesome God who is our Father, Savior, and LORD.  We should be as the men of faith when threatened with being burned alive in Daniel 3:16-18:  "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. [17] If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Is your god whom you serve able to deliver you from a fiery furnace?  Is your god able to deliver you from death, sin, hopelessness, and fear?  My God is able, for His strength far exceeds the strength of any created thing, for He is the Creator of all.  Instead of fearing what man can do to us, let us fear God in the beauty of His holiness.  We should not serve God because of all the good we have received from Him, but because He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory in Himself.  Men admire a horse because of his speed and a man for his muscles, but our God is the "Over and Above All One."  Know that our God values those who fear Him above all which a man admires.  Man's desires perish with Him, but those who fear God will eternally remain the apple of His eye.  Rejoice in this, O man, for this is a great privilege and honor we are unworthy of!  Glorify your Maker through your trust and faithfulness, for those who rest in Him will never be put to shame.