Month: April 2016

Liberalism and the Church


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Liberalism is bad in politics and is even worst in church. Liberalism is the idea that the next new thing is the best thing. Liberalism is the enemy of all orthodoxy, of dogma, of sound doctrine and good theology. I heard a very famous preacher saying that he does not like to start his talks with Scripture because then it looks like he is preaching. Somebody needs to tell this preacher that there is nothing wrong with having a conversation centered around the Lord, but that there is also, absolutely nothing wrong with preaching. The Bible tells us to preach the Gospel.[1]

         There is no new model; the model is all through the letters of the Apostles. “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NKJV)

         We are called to pray[2], we are called to fellowship[3], and persevere in the doctrine of the apostles[4]. We are called to equip the saints for the work of the ministry[5], to share the gospel with the lost and to live holy lives.[6] Furthermore The church has a government; the church is not a place where everybody gets to do whatever they want without consequences. There are things that God approves and there are things that he does not. The church is a place of love, but it is also a place of judgment.[7] The church is a place of freedom,[8] but also a place of order.[9]

         The original apostles were use by God to give us the modus operandi. There is no other place to look for ultimate truth. I do respect traditions; when Scripture backs them up. I do respect the church’s fathers that came after the apostles and, the men and women of God through the history of the church, but only those who upheld the Word as the maximum authority. I do not demand perfection, I am not perfect myself, but when I see folks minimizing God’s Word and/or lifting traditions and opinions of men to the level of the Word, I am sorry, but you are a heretics!

         The more we seek for new things and move away from the apostles’ teachings the more we are going to mess this thing up. We are not called to search for the next new thing; we are call to search for the ancient paths,

“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” Jeremiah 6:16 (KJV)

         The old paths are already there; liberalism will try to convince you and me that we must seek something new. Beloved, orthodoxy is a good word; dogma is a good word and sound doctrine and good theology are good things. I encourage you to stop going after this hippie gospel generation and look back, way back to the start of the church, look at our history and at the price that many men and women paid and continue to pay for the truth.

[1] Mark 16:15

[2] First Thessalonians 5:17

[3] 1 John 1:7

[4] Acts 2:42

[5] Ephesians 4:12

[6] First Peter 1:16

[7] First Corinthians 5:12

[8] 2 Corinthians 3:17

[9] First Corinthians 14:40

Is God’s Kingdom Already Here? Part 4


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I end this article series with this thought; the heart of what should be our focus before we even get into the trying to reach out to the lost. Acts 2:42 tells us,

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (NKJV)

         What good is going to do to bring people into our local churches if we are not in order? 1) We must be diligent in the study of the apostle’s doctrine. We can’t continue to bring the lost and the young into our theological ignorance and flat-out heresies. We need to study, show ourselves approve and stop embarrassing ourselves with motivational sermons that have nothing to do with God’s Word.[1] Honestly, some preachers desperately need to find a good college or seminary where their little theology can be challenge. 2) We must become a real family through fellowship. How many of our brothers and sisters in the church are a part of our lives? Are we eating in each other’s houses? Are we a part of birthday celebrations, special holidays or family cookouts? Our relationship with one another is not real, but we insist in taking on the world and bringing them into our hypocrisy. 3) We MUST pray! As a mater of fact, this is the key ingredient in our fellowship. We have fun, we play games, we eat, we laugh, but we pray as we gather together around our Heavenly Daddy.

         What else we, as leaders in the church, should be doing? We should be equipping people for the work of the ministry.[2] We can’t continue throwing people out there without training in the name of, the -Holy Ghost will take care of it-. God is a God of order and in His Word there is no contradiction. This idea that we don’t need training, that we don’t need to study and we don’t need to put in effort in anything, is a lie from the pit of hell.

         In conclusion, 1) We focus on God, the study of the apostles doctrine. 2) We love one another in true fellowship. 3) We pray together; many of us talk too much, complaint excessively, but pray too little. 4) We equip the saints to do the work of the ministry; and 5) We go into the world trusting God and, fill with the Holy Ghost… we give them JESUS!

 

 

 

[1] 2 Timothy 2:15

[2] Ephesians 4:12

Is God’s Kingdom Already Here? Part 3


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I know that my prosperity Gospel brothers and sisters will not agree with this, but these are the days where we will endure suffering. We must prepare God’s people to suffer so that they not lose hope when hard times come. Paul explained this way in 2 Timothy 2:12,

“If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.” (NKJV)

         The challenge or, the clear question is, what do we do now? Do we just seat on our butts and wait for the return of the Lord? Surely not, but we need to know how we are suppose to relate and engage the world.

         We can’t ignore the fact that God loves the lost.[1] We can’t ignore the fact that Jesus told us to go and preach the Gospel.[2] So, we know that we are not called to ignore the world; we have a responsibility to preach the gospel to them; that is indeed our main responsibility as it relates to the world. Jesus is passionate about the lost and the hurting. In Matthew 25:35-36 He states,  “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” (NKJV)

         Every church MUST actively be involved in these five key ministries: 1) Feed the hungry. 2) A homeless ministry. 3) A clothing ministry. 4) A ministry to the sick; and 5) A prison ministry. We are anointed by God to do these good works.[3] If we do not actively engage on these good works our faith is dead.[4]

         Shall we be fighting to change this world system? Is this world system with any hope? I believe that attempting to change the world is not biblical; I believe this world system will get worst.[5] However, the Bible tells us that God will destroy this system in one hour;[6] it will not take Him long at all. We are not in the business of changing the world; we are in the business of snatching folks out of the world and into the family of God.

 

To be continued…

 

 

 

[1] John 3:16

[2] Mark 16:15

[3] Luke 4:18

[4] James 2:17

[5] 2 Timothy 3:1

[6] Revelation 18:10

Is God’s Kingdom Already Here? Part 2


kingdom-picture

Before going any further, let me take something out of the way, right away. If someone feels that the kingdom of God is already here in its full manifestation, I should ask, are you saying that we are in the millennium already? Did the rapture already take place?

         I do not argue that God’s kingdom is already on this earth through us; the kingdom of God is in us already. Nevertheless, I do not see any biblical evidence that His kingdom has been already established on this earth.

         We will undoubtedly rule and reign with Jesus on this dimension of life for one thousand years; but I will strongly and passionately argue, that is a futuristic event. Revelation 20:1-6 gives us a good description of the millennium.

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (NKJV)

         There is a specific time and place when we will rule and reign with Jesus; this is not it! The millennium has very clear biblical characteristics; just to name a few: 1) During the millennium Satan will be bound. (Revelation 20:2) 2) There will be a worldwide acknowledgment and adoration of God. (Isaiah 2:1-4) 3) There will be peace between man and animals. I always say that I will be able to play with bears during the millennium with no fear. (Isaiah 11:6-9 and Isaiah 66:25) These characteristics are just touching the surface of what the millennium will be all about.

         For a deeper study on the millennium I recommend that you read the following article, “Characteristics of the Millennium, the 1000-Year Reign of Jesus Christ upon Earth” by James T. Bartsch.

To be continued…

 

Is God’s Kingdom Already Here?


kingdom-picture

         The topic of the Kingdom of God was the focus of a great message on my local church by my dear brother and fellow elder, Professor Eric Nichols. His message provoked and challenged me to come home and study further.

         I believe that when you preach or teach a message that provokes you to study, that is a successful sermon or teaching; so I want to first acknowledge and thank God for my brother Eric.

     When speaking about the kingdom, we are faced with having to explain what our relationship with this world is. They have a kingdom, the kingdom of darkness and we, as Christians, are a part of a different kingdom, the kingdom of God.[1]

         Are we already in position to rule and reign over this world? The Bible tells us that we are living in the days of the gentiles. Luke 21:23-24 paints a very painful picture.

“But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (KJV)

        The times of the gentiles indicates that these are not favorable times for God’s people; it indicates that this planet is run by the kingdom of darkness, not by the kingdom of God. How else can you explain this bathroom controversy? Do I really have to work hard in trying to convince you that this world is going crazier? Do you not get the sense that the good is being called bad and the bad is being called good?[2]

         We already know who the god of this world system is, Satan.[3] We also know his job description of killing, stealing and destruction.[4] Jesus clearly states that we are not of this world.[5] Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 not to be conform to the pattern of this world. Furthermore, James tells us that if we become friends of the world, we become enemies of God.[6]

        So are we to live our lives as if we are allergic to the world? Are we to totally disconnect from them and never reach out to anybody outside of our family in Christ?

To be continued…

 

 

[1] Colossians 1:13

[2] Isaiah 5:20

[3] 2 Corinthians 4:4

[4] John 10:10

[5] John 17:16

[6] James 4:4

The New Testament Canon: Can You Trust Those 27 books as Inspired by God?


NT Canon

Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael J. Kruger, Crossway, 2012, 362 pp, $23.98 hardcover.

             Michael J. Kruger is the President of Samuel C. Patterson Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. where he also serves as a Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. He is an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as an Associate Pastor at his home church. Kruger has a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, a M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary in California and a B.S. from  The University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.[1]

            The main theme of this book deals with a very simple and, at the same time, complex question, “Do Christians have a rational basis, i.e. intellectually sufficient grounds, for affirming that these twenty-seven books rightfully belong in the New Testament canon?” (p. 20) Kruger establishes what we already know; critics argue that we have no basis to believe in the reliability of the canon of the New Testament.

            The book first, makes an attempt to persuade the skeptic into believing the truth of the canon. Second, it deals with Christians and how they come to the conclusion that what they hold in their hands is indeed the Word of God. The book acknowledges that some Christians may not be able to even begin to explain how the Canon of the New Testament came about. Some believe based on their own experience or simply because a friend introduced them to the Scripture.

            Kruger presents three Canonical Models. 1) The church’s book: Canon as community determined. 2) Tracing the origins: Canon as historically determined. 3) My sheep hear my voice: Canon as self-authenticating.

            In dealing with the canon as the church’s book determined by the community Kruger expands on the fact that through history heretical individuals have been used to bring forth a great deal of confusion. Also, it is obvious that the Catholic Church have been a great hindrance to the canon of the New Testament.

    “At the core of the Roman Catholic view of the canon is Rome’s view of the authority of Scripture. Roman Catholicism denies that ultimate authority exist in the Scriptures             alone (sola scriptura) and has consequently adopted the well-known trifold authority        structure that includes Scripture, tradition and magisterium (the church’s teaching       authority). (pp. 38-39)

            To make this Catholic atrocity of the canon even worst, out of these trifold components, the most respected one seems to be the magisterium primarily manifested through the pope and his bishops. (p. 39) If I have to throw a negative critique of this wonderful book it would be how passive he dealt with the Catholic Church on this matter. The Catholic Church has been, in my opinion, the number one contributor in diminishing the credibility of God’s Word as the ultimate and only inspired truth.

            The Catholic Church could have made a stronger case of including traditions and the Pope and his Bishops as inspired and divine authorities if it were not for the obvious contradictions and the liberties they have taken with their doctrines. From praying to the death saints, praying to Virgin Mary, worshipping her as the Mother of God to the teaching of purgatory, etc. All of these have roots in the fact that the Catholic Church has indeed minimized the authority of Scripture and placed the main authority on the opinion of man. This is troubling and has proven to be very damaging in our societies and even in our churches.

            However, Kruger asked a key question in understanding that the canon is not a man-made thing. This may not be something easy for skeptics to accept, but we as Christians must take a closer look at the following,

    “How then does one know which book should be in the Canon? For the historical-         critical approach this is the wrong question to ask. The issue is not about which books           should be in the canon, but simply which books are in the canon.” (p. 32)

            It is here where Kruger shows a great deal of spiritual and intellectual muscle. The focus of this book is not just to look at history, key personalities, creeds, etc. Kruger uses theology as the compass of truth. All the historical elements could be in place, arguments could be made about the authority of who say what and what needs to be included in the canon, but all of that is meaningless if what is being presented is theologically heretical. In other words, it does not matter if history shows us that a direct disciple of the original apostles said it, if is not inline with Scripture it should be thrown away.

            So, if we as man, are not responsible for putting the canon of the New Testament together; if this is an act of God; the question still stands; how do we know that the book that we carry to church on Sundays is indeed the inspired Word of God? Kruger offers, first and foremost, the Holy Spirit as the one who helps us recognize what the Word of God is. Furthermore, he gives us three attributes of canonicity. 1) Bears divine qualities, which are the following: “…powerful writing, bears the beauty of the gospel message, and also stands in harmony with other scriptural books.” (p.113) This is the issue of orthodoxy. 2) It has clear apostolic origins. This alone is not a reason for a book to be considered canonical; these attributes seem to compensate one another. 3) It has been received by the corporate church. The original apostles recognized these books; they were recognized earlier in church history and through church history. Again, the Holy Spirit is key in recognizing the canon that was already in place. (p. 113) Using these three attributes Kruger proposed that the canon is “Exclusive, functional and ontological.” (p 118)

            The greatest evidence for the canon of the New Testament in early Christianity is the New Testament itself; Peter referring to Paul’s writing as Scripture (2 Peter 3:16) and others are good examples that the original apostles already knew that there was something special about several of their writings. Kruger also gives us additional evidence through the writings of respected apostolic fathers, such as Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Barnabas and Papias, who in their writings made reference to an already established Scripture. (pp. 210-220) The allusions of the Old Testament written by the prophets and the New Testament by the apostles are a good indicator through the New Testament.

            An addition point that Kruger presents is a great deal of emphasis on the public reading of the canonical books. (pp. 204-209) As history has shown us, many claims have been made of secret and lost books surfacing. The original apostles made it a practice to make public the inspired books and reject any claims of any other secret book as divine. Furthermore, Kruger presents essentially four categories of early Christian literature: 1) The recognized books, 2) the disputed books, 3) the rejected books, and 4) the heretical books. (pp. 266-267) Kruger essentially reaffirms the stance of the apostles in categorizing each text. These categories make a complex issue into a relatively simple and more manageable one. Kruger does not ignore the fact that there were books in the Bible that we recognize today that were disputed. Nonetheless he explains each category and provides sufficient support for his analysis.

            At the conclusion of this book Kruger firmly states that we as Christians have a rational basis and intellectually sufficient grounds to believe in the reliability of the New Testament. (p. 295) It was a very interesting observation to me that even in the midst of horrendous divisions in the Body of Christ, for centuries the church has indeed shown a “remarkable unity around these twenty-seven books…” (p. 295) The book ends with these very appropriate words,

    “It turns out that the solution to the problem of canon has not been lacking – it has        actually been there the whole time. Jesus himself declared it: “My sheep hear my   voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) (p. 295)

            At the heart of the message this book is trying to communicate and in Mr. Kruger’s honor to good theology, sound doctrine, dogma, and orthodoxy, a true Christian can find peace and assurance that the twenty-seven books we recognize are indeed God’s inspired word.

Angel Casiano

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, VA

[1] http://michaeljkruger.com/about/

Preachers Not Motivational Speakers


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What a delight is to listen to God’s voice directly in our secret places! That should be our priority. How beautiful is to hear brothers and sisters share a true message from God! How satisfying is to hear a teacher who clearly reveals the mysteries of the Word, those things that nobody considers and the deep things of Godly wisdom!

         How inspiring is to hear the whole counsel of my God; to be around people who do not just focus on one thing; people who understand that the Bible is so much more than just one doctrine, one testimony and one topic.

         How irritating and disgusting is to see ministers handling God’s Word carelessly and irresponsibly! Ministers without a vision, whom because of the lack of study of God’s Word, bring shame upon themselves and upon the Body. For the Scripture encourages us to “Study to shew thyself (Ourselves) approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

         Where is the fear of God? Do you think that you can stand in front of God’s people unprepared and not be held responsible for your laziness? For the Bible charges us with the responsibility of equipping God’s people.[1] The Apostle Paul tells Timothy the words that he is telling us today;

         “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to    doctrine. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was   given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to  them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this    you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” First         Timothy 4:13-16

         How irritating is to hear an unprepared preacher; who by what is coming out of his or her mouth are making it obvious that prayer and study was almost nonexistence through the week; perhaps through the months or even years. I count the minutes desiring for an end to the torture of listening to messages without salt and teachings without light; preacher who make the Word of God boring because of their own embrace to ignorance and low standards.

         Give me the Word, give me a message from heaven and must importantly, give me the chapter and verse that is able to back up your outrageous claims. We are preachers, bound by God’s Word; not motivational speakers bound by anything.

[1] “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:11-16 (KJV)

 

Augustine Conversion According to The Confessions of St. Augustine


Augustine was blessed with a mother who was a prayer warrior. Through all of Augustine’s rebelliousness, resistance to God, placing emphasis on philosophy, joining a false religion and issues with sexual immorality, she prayed him through.

            At last, Augustine seemed interested in spiritual things, however he joined a sect with a form of Godliness known as Monichee. “A key belief in Manichaeism is that there is no omnipotent good power. This claim addresses a theoretical part of the problem of evil by denying the infinite perfection of God…”[1] But Augustine could not deny the emptiness that he was still feeling even after joining this sect.

            On chapter 1 of book VIII Augustine starts by stating, “He, now given to divine things, and yet entangled by the lust of love. Consults Simplicianus in reference to the renewing of the his mind.” Noticed that even as he feels that through this sect he have given himself to divine things, he is still struggling with the renewal of his own mind.

            It was obvious that by now he was convinced of the existence of God; it was obvious that he was not as interested in material things and status as he was before and it was obvious that he was reading the Bible and was fairly familiar with Scripture. Nevertheless, we can see, through this book, his personal struggle to surrender to God.

            Simplicianus was the Father of Ambrose and a key person in planting seeds in Augustine’s hearts. Simplicianus shared the powerful testimony of Victorious with Augustine. This was a powerful and intellectual man, who gave his life to the Lord and later died a Martyr. This testimony impacted Augustine greatly; he wanted to be like this man, nevertheless, he was not willing to give up his lust.

            As I read Augustine’s word, as he describe his struggle and desire for salvation, I can’t help but to be thankful to God for reaching out to me, for we don’t even have the ability to save ourselves. Augustine states,

            “O my God, let me with gratitude remember and confess unto Thee Thy mercies   bestowed upon me. Let my bones be steeped in Thy love, and let them say, who is         like unto Thee, O Lord?”[2]

            I have heard many times how lost people insist in cleaning certain things in their lives before coming to the feet of Jesus, not knowing that 1) Jesus will receive them as they are and, 2) only God has the power to transform their lives. At one point Augustine actually is quoted saying, “Leave me a little while.”[3] Later he states, “Grant me chastity and continency, but not yet.”[4]

            Finally Augustine met the end of his road, the place of desperation. I have never seen anybody come to the feet of Jesus when everything is going good. Here now Augustine’s language is changing, now he is saying, “Lo, let it be done now, let it be done now.”[5]

            As Augustine finds himself weeping in the presence of God, he continues crying out to God by saying, “How long, Lord? Wilt Thou be angry forever?”[6] (Psalm 79:5). As he heard the voice of a child encouraging him to open the book, he did open the Bible on Romans 13:13-14.[7] We don’t know if this was an actual child or an angel or a vision, but he heard this child singing.[8] The power of God unto salvation was finally upon Augustine, but not only him. As he shared his experience with his long-time friend Alypius, he also surrendered to Christ.

            From here until the end of his life, Augustine, who struggled with lust for decades, was now free. Augustine raised a son he had with a concubine during his days as a sinner. He left the concubine and put an end to that relationship; he never mentioned her by name in any of his writings. Augustine never pursued any other relationship.

            We can say that his conversion was radical. True salvation will indeed bring forth fruit; we are still enjoying the fruits of this extraordinary man of God. It is my prayer that we be able to leave a spiritual legacy for our children, grand children and generations to come.

[1] The World Encyclopedia, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Manichaeism

[2] The Confessions of St. Augustine, 116

[3] Ibid. 121

[4] Ibid 124

[5] Ibid. 126

[6] Ibid. 127

[7] Ibid 128

[8] Ibid. 127

Can I get a Witness? Can I get an Amen? What About if You Just Preach the WORD


preach-the-word

I am getting old; with only a few weeks away from my 48th  birthday I am noticing that certain things are irritating me more than what they used to.

         The styles of preaching or, I should say, the insisting on preaching in certain style, is irritating to me. I feel that it takes away from the seriousness on the Word of God. I am all for passion in preaching and teaching, but when all black preachers sound the same; when all Puertorrican preachers sound like the late Yiye Ávila and when all Pentecostal preachers sound like TD Jakes, something is wrong.

         I say, be yourself, pray, study, seek the Father, learn to flow with the Holy Ghost, listen to the voice of the Father and give the people what God wants you to give them at that particular space and time.

         I am not going to ask for a witness or for anybody to give me an amen concerning what I am teaching and/or preaching; but I am going to do my best to give you the Word. Beloved, it is the Word that God will confirm, not our styles.

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

2 Timothy 4:1-2New King James Version (NKJV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God is Good


God-is-good-Article-Template

I remember those dark days! Every day I felt the weight of depression; every day I felt pain pushing deep into my wound. But how amazing is my God! He surely healed me from all of my afflictions; the afflictions that life gave me, the afflictions that came from the evil one and yes, the afflictions that came as consequences of my own sin.

         God is faithful[1] and He will never leave you nor forsake you.[2] Oh I know, this issue of pain, suffering and injustices is hard to understand some times. Some use these things to formulate arguments against God; but honestly, who are we to argue against God? Job seemed to have a reason to complaint, nevertheless, after all of his suffering God started his answer by saying,

“Who is this who darkens counsel

By words without knowledge?

3 Now prepare yourself like a man;

I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Job 38:2-3 (NKJV)

         We speak many words; I know I have, with very little true and deep understanding behind those words. When we do it darkens God’s counsel. Oh God forbid that we continue doing that!

         I am now enjoying an amazing beautiful day in Fairbanks, Alaska today. I feel the joy of the Lord in my heart, I feel at peace, enjoying the freedom that my own business provides. I have an amazing beautiful wife and kids with unlimited potential. God is good indeed![3]

         Tomorrow all hell may come against me; I don’t know. But I hear the Lord saying, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

         The Bible does give us a promise that many don’t like to announce, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19 (NKJV). In another psalm the psalmist declares that “…Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5 (NKJV).

         God has delivered me from the pain of death, from the failure of divorce, from a life of sexual sin and from the stronghold of regret. Yes, today I can say, not out of a Biblical proclamation, but out of a personal experience… God is Good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] First Corinthians 1:9

[2] Deuteronomy 31:6

[3] Psalm 136:1