“My way or the highway.” “I’m right but you are wrong,” etc.
Most don’t like those who hold such views. But is this consistent? Think about this for a moment. Suppose there are persons who teach that America should embrace the gay lifestyle, and others say, we shouldn’t. Aren’t both sides saying that the other is wrong? Aren’t both sides saying “it’s my way or the highway?” They sure aren’t saying “we both are correct.” There is truth, and there is error, and we are standing on one or the other. There is no reason to get upset with a person defending what he believes to be the truth of a matter. However, when the standard by which truth is confirmed has spoken, one must either admit wrong or be guilty of hanging onto an error after being exposed. The standard could be a dictionary, if two are debating the meaning of a word; or it could be the Bible, if two are debating what God demands. Either way, the standard will settle the matter if men will allow it. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Two weeks ago in Hartford, Conn., an elderly man trying to cross the street was injured by a hit and run driver. The unbelievable thing was, a street camera caught people observing him lying in the street, and they just passed by and did nothing. It is incredible that others can see someone in need and feel no responsibility to help. But in about five minutes, someone finally stopped and gave assistance to this poor man. The story made headlines on several major TV and cable news shows, and it just proved how self-centered man has become.
In the Bible, Jesus told of a man who also suffered in the same way after he was attacked by muggers on a road to Jericho. That man was beaten, robbed, and left lying on the road, ignored by other travelers (Luke 10:30-35). But the lesson Jesus gave us from this account of the “Good Samaritan" is to not be self-centered, but to go and give help if you can, and where you can (Luke 10:36-37). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Yangon, Myanmar and Mianyang, China, both are having their share of problems with the natural disasters that have occurred within their borders. But be that as it may, there is still noreason for anyone to say that cyclones and earthquakes are the judgment of God upon those nations. The reason why men shouldn’t say so is; “we don’t know the mind of God.” Cyclones and earthquakes are things of nature that will continue to happen as long as the earth stands. When they occur, it doesn’t have to be the wrath of God, it simply could be that time and conditionsare ripe for such (Ecclesiastes 1:4-9, 3:1; Matthew 7:25, 27; 14:24; Mark 4:37; Acts 27:13-14).
But on the other hand, it could be the wrath of God pouring down on some nation because of wicked behavior (Genesis 6:13; Numbers 16:28-35). But how would a man know? God is in heaven and we are on earth; so how would a man know? (Eccl. 5:2) The answer is man cannot know; and since we cannot know, it is best to shut up (Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. As people continue to depart from the Lord and get comfortable in things that are wrong, they then have no concept of what is right (Proverbs 14:12, 21:2). And if there are people still living according to what the Lord requires, there will be a clash of cultures (Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15). In one corner will be people who are crying for a return to the way that God has given for man to live, and in the other corner will be those who cry “it’s my life and I will live it as I want, and I don’t care what others think.”(Jeremiah 7:1-34).
If this kind of mentality continues in a nation, and the majority leans in the direction that is wrong, it could lead to persecution of the Christians within that land (Matthew 10:16-23). This same kind of stuff happened in ancient times when Rome immersed itself in heathenism and the Christians attempted to get Rome back on track. Instead of listening to their teaching of the gospel, the government arrested the Christians and threw many to the lions (John 16:2). America shouldn’t accept this shameful way of life, where a Christian is attacked or sued for speaking out for what he knows is the truth. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |