Church Blog (Page 45)

If there is a book that has had more impact on civilization in the last 400 years than the King James Version of the Bible, I would like to know what it is. But that being said, the English language has moved on. And just as the KJV was the “new translation” of its day, each generation needs a “new translation” in its day too. I know brethren whose personal preference is the KJV, and I know others who proudly…

Any thoughts that the prophet Balaam may have been a “misunderstood” man of God who got caught up in the affairs of Israel (Numbers 22-24) are dashed in Numbers 25. Although all of us are sinful to one degree or another, Balaam was guilty of leading God’s people into immorality and idolatry in an incident that Moses called “the matter of Peor” (Num.25; 31:16). Balak, king of Moab, wanted the prophet Balaam to come and curse Israel. It was commonly…

Good comedians are experts at challenging tightly held beliefs. They can make everybody laugh at themselves for holding on to ideas that have long since passed their use-by dates. But not every man is going to sit and laugh as his long-held beliefs are challenged; least of all by a man who makes light of everything. To this man, his beliefs are no sacred cows to be slaughtered on the altar of humour, but instead are well-established facts! However, even…

What do Charles Manson (the criminally insane murderer), Pricilla Presley (actress and wife of Elvis), and Tom Cruise (the A-List Hollywood actor), have in common? The answer is, of course, The Church of Scientology. Ironically, Charles Manson, after completing 150 hours of Scientologist “Auditing” in prison declared the religion: “too crazy.” When removing the thin veneer, Scientology is just another cult. But what makes it especially dangerous is its focus on “Turning off one’s emotions.” Thus, it makes sense that…

I once heard a radio discussion about “Jesus and tolerance,” and was unsurprised at the direction of the conversation. The first guest presented Jesus as a “good man who accepted anyone, no matter what their beliefs.” The second guest, emboldened by this first, eagerly added, “I believe Christians misrepresent Jesus when they claim that he is the only way to heaven.” Now, the New Zealand public radio network is as secular as any other that I have heard elsewhere, so…

Hector Williams (so he called himself), was the latest of a long list of scam artists who phoned me claiming that my “computer security system had been compromised.” When I challenged his integrity and supposed location, he swore that he was calling me from downtown Auckland and rattled off a long list of details ‘authenticating’ his identity. I told him that Jesus is returning to judge us all and that he needed to repent for ripping old people off (assuming…

If you are a Bible-believing Christian (not that there is any other kind), and you accept that our all-powerful God created everything in six days, you are not alone; I do! My problems with evolutionists are many, but it is their starting point that seems to stall conversations before they even begin. That starting point is a dismissal of any positive references to God or the Bible when discussing the origins of that which is. If the playing field on…

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s book, The Gulag Archipelago, is not for the fainthearted. Solzhenitsyn retells his own experience, and the experiences of many others, of the horrific treatment of political prisoners in Starlin’s Soviet Union. Millions of people were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered. However, Solzhenitsyn tried to investigate his own heart to discover anything that might have contributed to the spirit of cruelty that swept the USSR. It’s a rare man who tries to see the enemy within. But it is…

I couldn’t recommend more Alec MacKenzie’s book, “The Time Trap.” His common-sense approach to prioritising and organising the things that make up your day is as valuable today as it was when he penned it in 1972. The ‘Top 20 Time Traps’ that block business people and technologists from achieving their goals do not require much adjusting to apply to our Christian walk. I have copied his list here:1. Management by Crisis; 2. Telephone interruptions; 3. Inadequate planning; 4. Attempting…

Madman or Messiah? Neutrality is not an option. Western society, built on a Biblical foundation, is crumbling under the weight of its idols. Along with unbridled consumerism, the religion of “science” presently outweighs the commandments of Christ as society’s supreme authority. Unless revival sweeps our lands, it is safe to say that there is more hope for China and the other nations that actively resist Christ. The West is ambivalent to the Bible’s place in its laws, family values and…