Why Parents are God's Ministers to Restrain Children and Teens by Samuel H Johnson

 HADTRT15b Why People must Be Restrained - Parents

Hello and welcome everyone to another episode of Hear and Do the Right Thing. 

This is the second message in the series – Why People need to be Restrained? Today, the focus is on Parents. Now, what do parents have to do with restraining people? Or more accurately, restraining children and teenagers? They have a lot to do with it. The role of the parents is central in helping to develop a sound moral character. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I want you to be clear about what I mean by restraining people. To be restrained means  to be Muted, to be Confined, to be Controlled, to be Boxed in, to Set limitations, to be Led and to be Directed. Most importantly, the key is restraining people from a lifestyle of doing or practicing evil, rebellion and sin. Why? Because all people are sinful by nature. Let me repeat that -  all humanity is born with a sin nature, separated from God, and headed for death, hell, and the grave, never to be reconnected back to God. But God has established a solution for this depraved nature of man. That solution is the in Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. That unparalleled act presents to all humanity a hope of reconciliation with God, a gift of salvation, and escape the certainty of hell and complete separation from God. So why is restraining important? Because it gives us an opportunity to resist our proclivity, our tendency to rebel and sin and gives us a chance to be saved. 

So parents play a significant role at the beginning of our lives through our teenage years. I know that it’s hard to accept the truth that babies are born with a sin nature, with a selfish nature. They look so cute, so sweet. Right? Have you seen how a baby or toddler behaves when they don’t get their way? They cry, wail, bawl, throw a tantrum. Why is that? They want what they want when they want it. Hungry or not they don’t like being restrained from what they want. 

All are born with a sin nature, and there is no one who is born good, no one who is born righteous. No not one. 

And thank God that babies are little, otherwise they might knock over the parents to get whatever they want. Babies need the restraining hand of parents. 

So parents are the first restraining authority ordained by God. Let me repeat that, Parents are the first restraining authority ordained by God. Parents have the responsibility to train a child to know right from wrong, to restrain their rebellious, sin prone nature. Without the restraining hand of parents, the future of society would be chaos everywhere. Thank God for Parents

Do you remember times when our parents warned us about certain people that we were hanging out with? certain groups that we’re hanging out with? Why do parents do this? Because they already have experience but you are the child; you’re a teenager who thinks that you know better than your parents; and you say, “Oh there’s nothing wrong with this group “ “they are nice people” But deep down inside of your heart you know at least something is wrong. Teenagers listen to this. Do you have any friends who bully people, who undermine others, who cheat on exams, who steal items in department stores and you are silent about it? Why? You don’t want to be a snitch? Did you want to be a part of the group? Did you want to be recognized by others? But you know it is wrong and your parents taught you better, taught you right from wrong! In addition, many of the people in those groups you followed have a tragic end – death, prison, or a troubled life. These are some of the results of the sin nature of human beings. Of course there are exceptions. But it is only by the grace of God that some of us survived. Some people may not believe this but the devil and his fallen angels influence people who rebel and do wrong. Yes, satan is a real personality in the spirit realm. Satan tries to destroy your future early in life. So you and I need to listen to our parents. Their instructions are a restraint against wrongdoing, against evil and against wickedness. This is a God ordained function for parents.

Now the first 7 chapters of the Book of Proverbs in the Bible are an excellent guidelines by which parents can lead their children and restrain their desires to do selfish acts. 

Hear what Proverbs 1: 8-10 says: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; 9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent”

That is clear and direct. So, Listen to your parents, Honor your parents. I am an adult and I still listen to my parents because you can’t buy wisdom. God ordained parents for this. 

The restraining hand of parents empowers children and teens to be willing to stand up and say no to wrong things - done by their friends, by their classmates and colleagues; If parents fail to clearly instruct by word and deed good moral standards, then children will fulfill the scriptures which says “bad company corrupts good character” 

Also God provides a blessing for honoring parents. In the Book of Ephesians the first three verses of chapter 6 say:   Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Hear the promise? “It may be well with you and live a long life”

One of the reasons why so many young people are dying early in society today is because of dishonoring this promise by God. In fact, many of us adults realize the value of parental restraint in our lives when we are in our thirties!!! 

Now, there are people who object to my proposal, my presentation of the necessity of parental authority and restraint. They would cite an encroachment on freedom and self-expression of children and teenagers. In other words, children have rights and we should emphasize how they feel about rules. We see this in the open attacks on parental authority from many quarters including the government institutions like the education and child welfare departments; certain social groups and Hollywood. In my view, God gave parents the responsibility for teaching their children the morals standards for life, not the government, not the schools and universities. Morality is not based on what’s popular, on poling data, or what the celebrities and high-profile people do in our society. Feelings are important but do not determine character. We express feelings but we live by principles of truth and discerning between right and wrong. Parental restraint keeps you from sin, protect your life and gives you a solid foundation for life relationships. Sure many rebel, many ignore the restraint, but most to their detriment. God ordained parental authority – to lay the foundation for overcoming our sin nature, a reconciliation back to God through Christ. Parental restraint is a good thing ordained by God. It is the foundation on which the future salvation of children is built. In summary I can conclude that restraint is the guidepost through which God’s calling will be fulfilled in the life of every child. Parents please continue to restrain your children in the obedience and love of God. Indeed, parental restraint is a good thing ordained by God

I want to thank all of you for reading this blog. Please share this information with others, your family, and friends. We hope that the principles we share will help to advance your thinking, especially in the lives of our young people. We would like to hear from you.

And remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but the wisdom of God is the principal thing.

Until next time.. 

Why People must Be Restrained by Samuel H Johnson

My topic is Why People must Be Restrained. 

Wow. That’s a mouthful  “People must Be Restrained” Restrain means to be Muted, to be Confined, to be Controlled, to be Boxed in, to Set limitations. Someone would probably ask - Bro Sam, Why would you say that People must Be Restrained? After all, this sounds like a violation of my rights. 

On the surface, it may sound like a violation but we must dig deeper. What is the state of humankind today? How are people behaving? How are they treating family, neighbors? strangers? People in the community? How is the behavior of politicians? Business Leaders? Religious leaders? 

Look around and we can agree that sin and rebellion is on the rise in our society. We see crimes at every level of our society today, from top to bottom. Political leaders are in a ruthless binge for power, lying and cheating is becoming normal in politics and business. We see laws implemented that support sinful practices. There is an open attempt to destroy democracy as we know it in America. It’s normal to see when a political party gets into power, it forgets all the ideals they were promoting – equality, concern for the poor and oppressed, justice, fairness for all etc. And it does not matter what ideology they claim to follow. Crimes like tax cheating, murder, robbery, domestic violence are at an all-time high despite charlatans who try to manipulate the statistics to fit their ideology. Family stability is diminishing, being redefined to fit what people feel. Truth and facts are despised for feelings. I even heard someone said that “feelings are more important than the truth.” 

All this reminds me of the recurring statement in the book of Judges in the Bible. It says, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes” In other words Truth is relative. It’s the me, myself, and I philosophy. It’s the height of selfishness. And, because of this mentality our country, our world is headed for chaos and destruction. 

What is really happening? People put themselves at the center of their morality, their philosophy, their outlook, and their worldview. They just know that they are good. They are fine when others accept them or agree with them; regardless of truth or facts. But if you disagree with them, then that’s judging. But objectively, 

that is idolatry, self-worship. What people fail to realize or accept is that there is no one that is good, no one that is righteous. Only God is good, only God is righteous! Humans will inevitably destroy themselves and the world, if left to do whatever they feel, whatever they want. This is why humans must be restrained, and I will give the reasons later

In the Book of Genesis 6 Verse 5, God had to implement a global flood and save eight people to start humanity again. Why? Verse 5  “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Let me repeat that clause “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Yes, evil continually. That’s the heart of man; we are not born good. We are all born with a sin nature, a proclivity to rebel, a tendency to sin, to do wrong, to be selfish. In Genesis 19, God destroyed two cities, Sodom, and Gomorrah, because of blatant sin and iniquity. Yes, the heart of man is desperately wicked and that is why all humans need to be born again, born from above, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sin of all humanity. 

So, God had to set systems in place to restrain humans, so He can complete His plan of redemption before humans destroy themselves and the planet. First, God gave every human a conscience. We all have a sense to distinguish between right and wrong. But many people have dumb-down their conscience, defy and deny the warnings of their conscience when they sin, rebel and do wrong. We hear some people being described as having a cold heart, a hard heart, or no conscience. God gave us that conscience as a warning against evil and sin but most of us rebel. God also gave humans parents, a father, and a mother to restrain us from doing wrong from an early age. He also gave us the law, government, and the church to restrain our human proclivity to sin, our human tendency to do wrong. This indeed is a serious matter, the necessity of restraining humanity. We will look at each restraint next time. We will look at why God gave us parents, the law, government, and the church. So look for the next blog.

Remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but the wisdom of God is the principal thing.

The Origin of Black People by Samuel H Johnson

 What is The Origin of Black People? Where did we come from? This may seem like a ridiculous question, but I am serious about it. This might be a strange topic in 2022 but let’s look at the reality of life in America and how Black people are perceived and portrayed 

When we look at how history is taught in America, it makes sense to ask this question. What is The Origin of Black People? Generally, Black History in America is seen as separate from American History, sometimes even separate from world history in our schools. So why are we surprised when some parents and politicians use this scenario to claim that teaching Black History is contrary to American values? And that teaching Black History is against white people or other nationalities? This is the reality we are living in today. In my opinion, teaching Black History as a separate subject should be for specialization mainly in colleges and universities. 

When history is first introduced to children it must include the histories of all people in that nation as one comprehensive subject. Let me repeat that:  When history is first introduced to children in schools it must include the histories of all people (all ethnicities, all nationalities) in that nation as one comprehensive subject. And it must be grounded in truth - the good history, the bad history, and the ugly history. Why am I saying this? Because we all live in one nation, one country. It’s simple logic. If Black history is 

separate, then the question becomes: Is the origin of Black people different? 

Other questions arise because to this thinking. Are Black people real Americans? What about the original Americans? What about the so-called Native Americans? All this goes to a question of origins. And for me, this goes directly to the question of authority and truth about real history and real origins. 

There are some events in American history that we mislabel primarily as Black History. LISTEN TO THIS – the Civil Rights movement is American History; Jim Crow is American History; Chattel Slavery is American History; Reconstruction is American History; Black Panther Movement is American History; Anti-Slavery Abolition Movement is American History; Black Lives Matter is American History. Why? Because all these events occurred in America – Past and Present! Remember I am dealing with the origins of Black people.

So, what is the origin of Black people? Black history is the same as human history. Glory to God. The origin of Black people is connected to/and a part of human history. The origin of Black people is a part of human origin. 

Education, especially history is central to any people who need to know their origin. A look at world history is relevant to understand where we are today. 

It’s well known that the first global world power was in Africa, specifically Egypt. Their domination lasted about 2,500 years. And they were Africans. Other world powers followed Egypt were Assyria (Mesopotamia), Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece then Rome. Egypt remains the longest ruling world power in human history. And they were Africans. 

Now Greece was the first European world power in the history of humanity. 

In 323 BC the Greek military leader, Alexander the Great, achieved an important victory over the Meado-Persian empire. This event marked the first time a European power gained world dominance in human history. The next world power was the Roman Empire. Each succeeding empire learned from the previous power.  Both Greek and Roman cultures learned and coveted many achievements of Egyptian (African) people, some without acknowledgement. Some tried to make Egypt, a non-African nation while others Europeanized Egyptian achievements. By now, we know that the Egyptian Theorem was renamed Pythagoras’s theorem by the Greeks. This theorem was/and still is the foundation in building construction. However, to coin a phrase, the Greeks practiced “Stolen Legacy” (ref. the book by George G. M. James)

Western culture, including American culture, is based on Greek and Roman philosophy. These two cultures took a lot from Egyptian (African) culture, much without acknowledgement. Unfortunately, it took until the discipline of African or Black Studies began to make its way into our schools and educational institutions that the truth of the origin and contribution of Black people became known in common society. Black history had to correct much of the false and incomplete notions of the origin and history of Black peoples in America, Africa, and the world. This miseducation caused many to conclude that Black people made little contribution to the world and thus their origin was suspect. These facts also influenced much of the Christian church historically and even today. Thanks be to God that many historians have debunked these false, negative concepts of Black people, their origin and history.

So, what about the origin of Black people? First, we have the same origin and roots as every other human being on this planet. All humans came from Adam and Eve as clearly outlined in the Bible, in the scriptures. Humans did not come from apes or monkeys as taught in our schools and universities. This is a falsehood perpetuated by so-called scientists and people of reason.

Now I know that there are those who are against the Bible, and call it outdated fables, yet they accept the “big bang theory” that the earth was created from nothing!! And that all human beings came from apes! Incredible! but that’s another topic - the origin of the earth.

So, all humans came from Adam and Eve, according to the scriptures. To be even more definitive we all came from the three sons of Noah, who lived about 1,100 years after Adam.

Let’s look at the book of Genesis. In Genesis 10:1 (ESV) "These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood"

Note the names of Noah’s sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In the Bible, names have meanings that explain the person and his/her nationality and origin. These names give clues to a person’s ancestor · forefather · forebear · parent · begetter · primogenitor · procreator ·

These are the three sons of Noah from whom all people descended. So technically, one third of the planet are brothers and sisters and the other two—thirds are your cousins (starting 5,000 years ago). So, what's all this fight, prejudice and racism about among people? 

A study of the names of the descendants of these three sons is a guide to their origin. Middle eastern/ Asian peoples came from Shem. African (Black) people came from Ham and Caucasian white people came from Japheth.

To follow the origin of Black people, we go to Genesis 10: 6 which says, “The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan”. Let me repeat - 

“The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan”

Now the meaning of these names is very revealing. All you have to find these words in any good Bible dictionary which define the root of words. This discipline is called Etymology, the study of the root or source meaning of words. Cush means Ethiopia. So, Cush was the progenitor of Ethiopia, the African nation. 

According to Strong’s Bible dictionary Cush means black. Strong’s dictionary also says that “Cush is the son of Ham and grandson of Noah and the progenitor of the southernmost peoples located in Africa” 

Friends this is Bible, we are presenting what the scriptures says about the origin of Black people. Everywhere you see Cush, or Cushite in the Bible you are talking about one root of Black people. 

Next Mizriam, the next son of Ham. Mizriam means Egypt, another African people. Bible dictionary Egypt = "land of the Copts" the root of the word Coptic. The definition continues “a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows” 

Remember this is before to beginning of the Egyptian Dynasties.

Look and the next son of Ham, Phut. Phut means Libya, a nation, and people of northern Africa, most likely Libyans.

Look and the next son of Ham, Canaan. He was the fourth son of Ham and the progenitor (ancestor) of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine

So quite clearly, according to the scriptures, Black people have their origin in the Bible. Also, the Bible identifies many leaders and prominent persons who were Black and the descendent of Ham, through one of his four sons. For example, the Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses, had black blood in him. Specifically, remember Joseph, Jacob’s 11th son who became prime minister of Egypt, second in command to the Pharaoh? Read Genesis chapter 41. Joseph married a Black woman of Egypt, Asenath

who had two sons - Manasseh, and Ephraim. The general Joshua in the sixth book of the Bible is from the bloodline of Ephraim. The Bible identified other people who were Black or had black bloodline. These include Rahab, who helped the Israel spies on their reconnaissance mission before the fall of Jericho; Bathsheba, King Solomon’s mother, had direct genealogy back to Ham via Heth (Hittite) see Genesis 10:15. King David and King Solomon both had black bloodline in their genes. The prophet Zephaniah was a Cushite. There are many examples in the scriptures. 

You see, God already knew that people in the 21st century would promote false and misguided information about the origin of Black people. God already knew that so-called Christians would use the Bible to justify

the slavery and negative images of Black people. So, what did God do? God placed the truth plainly in the scriptures. So at least Christians have no excuse. 

So, the bottom line is this. Black history is the same as human history. Glory to God. The origin of Black people is connected to/and a part of human history. The origin of Black people is a part of human origins - so do not separate it. All peoples, all ethnicities, all nationalities have the same origin. 

Thank God for all the historians and biblical scholars who through diligent studies have brought enlightenment to the entire world about the origin and magnificent contributions of Black people to all of humanity. Black History is Human History. Black origins are the same as the origin of all peoples, all nationalities, and all ethnicities. It’s time to teach history in a comprehensive truthful manner. It's time.

 

Jesus is not black or white, Jesus is God by Samuel H Johnson

Now the color of Jesus is not a new topic in our society. This debate about the color of Jesus has ebbed and flowed for a long time in history of Christianity and religion especially in the North America and Western Europe.

It is a controversial topic but we must confront this idea, because it has had a detrimental impact on Christianity. Therefore my topic, my assertion is that Jesus in not black or white. Jesus is God. When we understand who Jesus really is, then we will understand the futility of the discussion about the color of Jesus.  

Why do I make this bold statement? Because the truth of scriptures will show that the color of Jesus is a pointless, shallow evil proposition for many reasons. My primary point is that the people who promote the color of Jesus idea are in one of two camps. Either they are trying to deceive or they really don’t know who Jesus is. And it’s not who Jesus was, but who He is. According to the scriptures, right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God in heaven, as the advocate for Christians, for believers.

Then who is Jesus? Some people and religions believe that Jesus was just a prophet who lived a highly moral life and was a good example. Some, especially those who believe in reincarnation, see Jesus as achieving the highest moral state that a human can achieve i.e. Nirvana. Some even believe that Jesus was not a real person who lived on earth about 2,000 years ago (Its January 2022)

 

However there is historical, archeological, and documented evidence that Jesus lived on earth during the time that the Caesars ruled Rome. Any scholar worth their salt can easily find the evidence of a historical Jesus, including His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The Roman form of execution at that time was crucifixion of the most dangerous rebels. And Jesus was considered a rebel against the ruling authorities of that day.

But Jesus is more than that according to the scriptures, according to the Bible. 

According to the gospel of John, Jesus was in the beginning with God before the creation of the earth. John opened his writing in the gospel this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” The Word is synonymous with Jesus. So Jesus was in the beginning with God. Note the Word was with God and the Word was God. These are 2 distinct personalities but one God. Our limited mind cannot understand this, it takes faith in God. 

 Also, we can go back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which begins this way “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the Spirit of God moved Upon the surface of the earth and God said “Let there be light”; and there was light” So we see God, the Holy Spirit and the Word (which is Jesus) working together in the creation. So we see here again that Jesus is not some prophet or holy person, He is a part of the Godhead (which consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).

So Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity; God the father God the son and God the Holy Spirit and they are three persons but one God. You cannot apply human reasoning to understand the Godhead, it’s by faith in Christ. This is why unbelievers cannot understand this truth, because they do not have the Holy Spirit, who is in us from the time of salvation, being born again in Christ.

 There are many passages in the Old Testament which shows the presence of Jesus. Jesus was in the burning bush that appeared to Moses in the book of Exodus 3 when God chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt

This is called a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ

 You see, Jesus did not just appear as a baby to Mary and Joseph in the New Testament. Mary became pregnant through the miracle work of the Holy Spirit. You may say; Wait, if Jesus was born of a woman then He mst have the sin nature. It’s a scientific truth that the blood of the baby does not mix with the blood of the mother. So He was born without the sin nature of human beings. So, only a perfect, sinless person could give their life for the salvation of all humanity. That was Jesus. 

So far we demonstrated that, Jesus was at the creation of the world, He was in the Old Testament and He was perfect, without the sin nature of mankind

That person was Jesus who lived as fully God and fully man on the earth for approximately 33 years. Jesus is not half-god half man like the Greek gods. We read about Greek idols like Zeus and Apollo who are demi-gods. Jesus is fully god and fully man. He is not close to God or hang out with God. Jesus is God.     

Now if Jesus is not God then Christians are in trouble with our worship. It would mean that Christians are worshipping someone who is not God. The conclusion of this scenario would be that Christians are worshipping an idol. That is idolatry. But Jesus is God. 

 

So I have established that Jesus is God, or as the scriptures say, God the Son. And we can understand that people who claim the Jesus is black or white are either deceived or don’t understand the real Jesus of the scriptures.But why the debate about the color of Jesus?

We have seen Jesus depicted as a white man, a slender hippie looking white man with long hair. This is an abomination against the Word of God and the 10 commandments. The second commandment clearly states that we should not make any image or likeness of God. 

Exodus 20:4-5 (NKJV) 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.“

So any image, any picture, any sculpture, or any drawing of Jesus is a violation of God’s law. And to worship or lift up any such image is wrong. . And God hates it according to the scriptures In my opinion, churches need to take down all such images. 

How did we get here? You see, the origin of Christianity was the Middle East not Europe. However at the time Jesus walked the earth, the European powers (Greece then Rome, otherwise known as the Roman empire) was in control of the entire region. The Caesars tried to eliminate the growth of the belief in Jesus, especially after His crucifixion death and resurrection. However they were unsuccessful. About 300 years later, the Roman  emperor Constantine incorporated Christianity into their pagan religions which eventually became what is known as the Roman Catholic religion. However they also kept most of the pagan practices. It’s under this system that we begin to see paintings of Jesus, the angels and apostles as white Europeans. 

So we can say that Christianity was Romanized and Europeanized. This abomination has had a negative influence on Christianity. Chattel slavery and colonialism have been justified in many quarters by this idolatry including the abominable image of Jesus as white. Christianity has been painted as a white, “a white man’s religion” etc. 

Unfortunately even most church history taught in seminaries are really European church history. The history of the Christian church in Asia , the Middle East and Africa are hardly taught. The historical truth is that Christians were in Egypt, Ethiopia Northwest Africa even parts of west Africa before Islam and the European chattel slave trade. This is neglected by the majority of "Christian" scholars. But that's a whole teaching by itself. No because people paint Jesus as white means it's true. That's abominable and all Christian leaders and churches must expose this lie. No such thing in the Bible, end of story 

The American Civil War was largely influenced by this abomination of a white Jesus, the betrayal of the Reconstruction, Jim Crow period were all influenced by this image of a white Jesus. Fake Christians always tried to justify a white Jesus. However, real Christians like William Wilberforce made great contributions to the abolition of slavery. So that we cannot make generalized statement that Christianity is a “white” religion. The Bible clearly contradicts such a philosophy. Also there is no biblical justification to leave Christianity by saying it’s a “white man’s religion”. This must be addressed because it’s a reason nonwhite people use to reject the Gospel. The church must address it, its roots and sins against God and His Word. 

This philosophy of a white Jesus promotes white superiority. No question about it. Some like to pretend that it’s not relevant to Christians. There are many Christians who battle the sin of racism and prejudice. This philosophy has nothing to do with the Scriptures. In fact, the Bible knows nothing about race the way we define it today Let me Repeat that ]the Bible knows nothing about race the way we define it today]. The Scriptures are clear - there is only one race, the human race. In Acts 17:24-29 the Bible clearly states that all humanity came from one blood, meaning Adam and Eve; we all came from the same ancestor. Race, as we know it is a human construct designed to divide and exploit people for power and financial gain. (Let me repeat that) Race, as we know it, is a human construct designed to divide and exploit people for power and financial gain. Division of people based on “race” or “skin color” is an affront to God and an affront to the Scriptures. It is sad that too many churches today still practice this abomination, this lie, some openly, some subtly. The American church needs to intensify its guard because this philosophy is constantly promoted in almost all areas of our society: in media, in business, in movies, in schools and especially in the home. It is understandable why some people are angry and opposed to a white Jesus image in our churches (including images, written materials for children etc.) 

So, the color of Jesus is hardly relevant to the Bible. The people who promote the color of Jesus idea are Either trying to deceive or they really don’t know who Jesus is. Like I said, Jesus is neither black nor white. Jesus is God and the color of God is irrelevant. Jesus is neither black nor white. He is God. I like how Dr. Frederick Price put it. "We don't need a black Jesus We don't need a white Jesus We need the real Jesus"

Remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but the wisdom of God is the principal thing.

Until next time, see you right here. Peace 

The Time for Real Men to Stand Up Is Now by Samuel H Johnson

The Time for More Real Men to Stand Up is Now

I remember when I was a boy, all the men of my community had the authority to correct and discipline any youth when it was necessary. Today it is a different situation. We are living at the stage in the history of mankind where too many young men have no regard for the adults around them and believe that they can and should do whatever feels good. If you travel, you can see and hear the foul language and rude, lawless, and lewd behavior of some youth in the presence of their elders. Even more tragic is that some of this behavior is from young girls! How did this happen? What is going on?

The first typical response is to blame the youth. This is incorrect. We have to first look at the adults, especially the men in our society. Young people see some preachers preach one thing and practice the opposite. They see rich men commit crimes and do not get punished. They hear politicians make promises and never keep them. They see “celebrities” break the law and get a slap on the wrist by our justice system. I did not say all, but it is too much – enough is enough. Children see parents do wrong and tell the child "do what I say and not what I do"; Young people see businessmen use sex and violence to exploit women and youth in movies, television, videos and the internet and call it "just doing business" Young people hear talk show hosts tell people to do whatever feels good and that there is no absolute truth nor right or wrong.

In other words, "Do whatever feels good to you". Sounds familiar?

Indeed, we are in moral decline in our society. Simple behaviors like politeness, like kindness, good manners, common courtesy are in short supply. Some people think foolishly that a display of kindness is a display of a weak person. Children and young people tease their classmates and colleagues who display good manners. If you think kindness, goodness, courtesy, and good manners are for weak people, you are sadly mistaken. You are actually exhibiting is a clear example of a lack of proper human development.

 What many people do not realize is that it takes more strength of character to be mannerly. Any weakling can be rude, obnoxious, and vulgar. It takes more strength to be gentle than to be tasteless.

You see gentleness reflects strength under control. People who use curse words in almost every sentence show a lack of vocabulary words and are almost incapable of wholesome verbal expression. There should be no pride in verbal expressions of foul language; it is actually an example of limited speaking ability. It is an indication that we need to learn and mature as adults. It is indeed necessary for us, the adults, to set the example of moral maturity. We must stop making excuses for rudeness and obnoxious behavior. It all begins with the adults, first in the home, to set proper examples for the younger generation.

More than 2,000 years ago the Bible predicted that these things will happen.

2 Timothy 3: 1-5 says: "You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that"

Surprised? So, you thought that the Bible was an irrelevant book? In the last 30 years, young people have seen this type of behavior from adults more and more. Our youth are the product of the examples set by the adults.

One of the reasons for this moral decline is fatherlessness. Yes fatherlessness. Fatherlessness does not necessarily mean that the father is not in the home. A father could be in the home but not lead their children in honesty, truth, and integrity. Men must operate in their role of father to their children. The role of father cannot be performed by a woman. Fatherhood is a male assignment and motherhood is a female assignment. There are things only a man can impart to a child or youth and there are things only a mother can impart to a child or youth. Some may not agree with this, but we need to understand the difference between identity and function.

For example, the Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit. Although they are equal, they have different functions. People will just have to agree to disagree with me on this. The lack of a father’s guidance leads to frustration in the child and young person. This impacts on the rounded personality of the child. But despite the moral decline we see in our society there is hope. I want to briefly address the role of men in fostering this hope.

First there is an attack on men who are manly, men who speak boldly to issues that confront our society. We see this negative portrayal of manly men in movies, TV shows where the manliness of men have been deemphasized for the more “sensitive, emotional” male image. I am not saying that men are not sensitive nor emotional, indeed we are but why the attack the manly character? Young girls need examples of strong moral fathers, to compare to potential husbands because two-parent families are still foundational in the life of a child. Again, some may disagree but let us agree to disagree on this too. 

But, there is hope if more men would begin to stand up for truth, holiness, and righteousness instead of worrying about what "society" thinks or what is popular. Popularity is temporary, but holiness is eternal. Popularity is short lived, but righteousness is eternal. Popularity is temporary, but truth is eternal. Popularity is temporary, but kindness, goodness and gentleness are eternal and lasting. It is time for more men to stop seeking power, position, and titles and seek high moral character in leading their children and families. 

This answer is Jesus Christ who is the source of holiness, righteousness, and integrity. I believe, more men need to get to know God through Jesus Christ to mirror these characteristics. The acceptance and knowledge of Christ is necessary to the full development of real men. Real men are kind, and gentle, and bold, and loving, and courteous. Real men are power under control. Real men follow the pattern of Christ by displaying the strength of Christ, the purity of Christ and the love of Christ. Young people would follow such men of integrity, courage, and wisdom.

A few years ago a dear friend of mine gave me a birthday card which said:

• This world needs more real men and fewer pretenders
• More courage, fewer excuses
• More wisdom, less egotism
• More stepping up to the plate and less beating around the bush
• More leaders, fewer players
• More muscle, less beef
• What this world needs is more men of character.

I could not have stated it better myself. Every woman would want such a man for a father, brother, or husband. So, men, let us take up the challenge and fulfill that call.

Preparing a Solid Foundation for your Child by Samuel H Johnson

Preparing a Solid Foundation for your Child. 

You and I know that our future and the future of our society and country is dependent of the type of foundation we give our children and our young people.

I want us to examine how are we preparing our youth for the next generation. What type of foundation are we giving the next generation? I believe that children are a gift and a blessing from God. They are our inheritance and we are to prepare this gift to continue to build our nation and the world into a better place. In addition, as Christians, we are required to provide the foundation that our children can use to conform to the character of Jesus Christ, a character of loving your neighbor as yourself, a character of kindness, goodness, faith and self control. A character of doing right because it’s right.

I believe that there is a universal question in the heart of every human being on earth. This question may scare some people, may bother some people and inspire some people. That question is Why was I born? Some people may not admit this truth while others spend their entire life and never discover their true purpose in life. This is a question about the purpose of your life.

One of the first thing every parent and adult must appreciate and understand is that every child is born to fulfill a purpose. I strongly believe that God places a purpose in the heart of every person born into this world.

In the Book of Jeremiah 1:5 , "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." That scripture is saying that God knew the prophet Jeremiah before his father met his mother, before he was born. To me, that is incredible. And since God never changes He knows every child before they were born. Now God’s purpose for Jeremiah was to be a prophet and God is a god of purpose. God does nothing by chance or randomly. And since God does not show preferential treatment nor partiality, he also has a purpose for you and me before we were born. When God created the earth, the heavens, the universe and human beings, He did it all with purpose. When God created man and woman the Bible says in Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God did not just make Adam and Eve, He gave them instructions. Again purpose. This is God’s pattern, everything He does is with a plan in mind. Here’s my first principle, God places a purpose in every human being. So, all of us have responsibility to discover our purpose. And parents and adults have responsibility to help children discover their purpose.

The greatest example of purpose was Jesus. He came to the earth to die for the sin of all people of every nation, every ethnic group, to save every person from hell and the grave. He conquered death when he rose from the tomb after three days and is at the right hand of God interceding for us. Jesus fulfilled his earthly purpose. Jesus fulfilled His purpose to destroy sin. So every person was born with a sin nature and need Jesus to be restored from sin.

Parents, teachers and our elders are to help the child identify and discover their purpose. We adults are caretakers for the purpose God has placed in every child. It is vital for every parent, every adult and every teacher to recognize that they are caretakers and guides for children under their care and under their influence. Why? Because every child contains a God ordained purpose. When I say every child I mean every child. It does not matter if the child is poor or rich, comes from the “perfect family” or not. The color of the child’s skin or their social background does not matter to God.

It does not matter if the child is disabled or not, we are to treat every child with love and compassion. Why? Because every child contains a God given purpose. When you abuse a child, you are tampering with God’s purpose. 

When you hurt a child, you are tampering with purpose. When you discriminate or or cast racial prejudice against a child, you are tampering with God’s purpose. Some of us need to repent if we had hurt or hindered any child from their purpose.

This means that no child is an accident. It does not matter is they were born out of wedlock, the color of their skin, their social or economic status or even if they survive an abortion. Every child is valuable and precious to God and all of us must recognize and accept this fact. Every child is valuable and precious to our families, our communities and our nation. That is every child!

Generally, if we ask any adult what they want for their child’s future, the answers fall into three categories; Parents want their child to:

1. Get a good education,
2. A good job and
3. To be a good person.

The parents may not use those exact words, but the concepts are there. We can further define them as a mind issue, a material issue and a moral issue. Remember these three categories - Mind, Material and Moral.

So, we must help to develop these three areas in the life of a child to give them a proper foundation.

Let’s look at the first category, a good education. A Good education is related to the development of the mind. Education helps to develop the mind of a child, it determines how they think and their worldview. Education is indeed vital to development.

The second category, a good job is related to the material things that a job can provide including money, land, entertainment car, or a home. One of the mistakes parents often make is to only emphasize a job without also encouraging them to start and own a business. I believe this is a shortcoming on how we help a child set their foundation for life. We must encourage starting a business as essential and maybe even more important than finding a job. Why? Simply because a business creates wealth better than a job. A business also helps to develop self-discipline. A business can also provide jobs for others.

The third category - a good person, is related to the moral character a child develops. In my opinion, the moral character of the child is the most important of the three categories. Your morality is what can make or break everything else in your life. You may have all the educational qualifications possible, all the wealth and riches you can acquire – but without a good, moral value system, all your achievements can crumble. The moral character is the most essential part of every child and every adult. All the time in the news we see many men and women of great achievement, high social, political and financial standing crumble because of character flaws. It is your moral compass that is the foundation of your integrity, honesty and character.

For example, the rise of the “Me Too” movement is a direct response to the moral failings of prominent people in our society, especially in the entertainment world. It is really sad to see how moral failings can destroy a person’s reputation, business and family.

I was making the point about the three categories that address the future of the child – Mind Issue, Material Issue and Moral issues. These three issues have their pattern in the Bible.

For me the Bible gives the blueprint for these three categories - Mind, Material and Moral. In Genesis 2:7 it says “God made man out of the dust of the ground breathing into him the breath of life and man became a living soul”. The material relates to the dust of the ground, Spirit of God relates to the moral character and the mind relates to the soul.

According to the Bible man is a tripartite being - we have a body, a soul, and a spirit. You see the soul contains the mind which is the center of our will (that’s our decision maker), emotions, memory, imagination and intellect. Education and morality impacts these characteristics. The job or material things provide what the body wants - comfort and satisfaction. But it’s the spirit that provides the morality of the human being - to know and do the right thing every time.

So, preparing a child for the fulfillment of their purpose, we must pay attention to these thee areas, but I contend that most important area is the moral or spiritual side. Some people may argue that it’s your education that gives you your values and morals. I beg to differ. Education is basically the consuming and application of information. But how you apply the information and the value system with that application is rooted in your moral foundation. We have had many educated people who are evil and commit many atrocities. It’s your spiritual outlook that determines your character and values.

The foundation for our children is dependent on who teaches them, what they are taught and the amount of time they spend in learning and development. This is very critical for Christian children because the moral values we should teach may run contrary to the values they will learn in society.

Let me say this – Neither the school (whether public or private), nor the church, nor the media (in all its formats) nor the society in general – none of them are responsible for the moral foundation a child. That responsibility belongs to the parents. The Bible says that we should train up a child in the way he/she should go. That direction is biblical morality. Uncles and aunts and grandparents have their role to play. The school and the church have their role to play and there is nothing wrong with seeking help. But the ultimate responsibility for the moral development is the parents and that is the way it’s prescribed by God.

This is a great challenge for parents. Now parents, you can have a partner with the church and together, we can provide the mental and moral foundation that is necessary for our children. Let us look at how this occurs in real life. From age 3 to 18 children spend an overwhelming amount of time being taught in public and private schools to develop their mind and moral compass compared to the time spend at home or church. Here are the numbers

A child spends on average 20 to 30 hours weekly at school.

Parents spend 5 to 8 hours weekly hours at home the evening to impart their values.

I have not considered the time for homework, extracurricular activities, sports, television and social media time. In addition, the church may have the child for 2 hours weekly to impart some moral and spiritual values. The comparison is revealing and challenging - 20 to 30 hours of teaching from the society vs 5 to 8 hours for parents and church.

Let me repeat that point. 20 to 30 hours of teaching from the society vs 5 to 8 hours for parents and church

It means that parents must be wise and strategic in how they lay the foundation for the life of the child. Parents, even if you are not a Christian, your are responsible to impart moral values to your child. Some of the lawlessness we see displayed by our young people is a confirmation of a lack of moral values. Notice that I said some of the lawlessness.

A moral character is essential for the future of the church, our institutions, our society. A moral character is essential for how the children will fulfill their true purpose and destiny. The child will eventually influence the place where they are stationed as adults – whether they are in business, government, church, educational institutions, media, or even Hollywood.

Finally! Children are a gift from God with an ordained purpose. We are to help the child identify and develop that purpose, A good education, a good job or business and good moral and spiritual values are essential to fulfill that purpose. However, I contend that without a good moral, spiritual foundation, a child cannot fulfill their true purpose. Everything will crumble without high moral standards. Next time I will speak directly to Christian parents about one key the child needs to fulfill purpose.

You can also view this message here; Preparing a Solid Foundation and Purpose for Your Child - YouTube

Share this information with others, your family and friends. Your comments are welcome. And remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but wisdom is the principal thing. Until next time, see you right here. Peace

Do We Still Need the Bible Today? Part 2 by Samuel H Johnson

Do We Still Need the Bible Today? Part 2  

 Our teaching today is part 2 of the answer this question DO WE STILL NEED THE BIBLE TODAY? let me repeat that question DO WE STILL NEED THE BIBLE TODAY?  

Before I begin let me do a quick review of Part 1.

I am looking at the seminal explanation of why you can trust the Bible which was first done by the great Bible Apologist and Scholar Dr. Voddie Baucham, who is currently the Dean of the Seminary at the African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia in Southern Africa. He stated that - The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other witnesses, who reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophesies, and claim that their writings are of divine and not human in origin.

In Part 1, I demonstrated that the Bible was a reliable historical document which was a collection of the writings of more that 40 authors. I explained why the idea that the Bible has errors to be false. I showed that the Bible had more manuscripts, earlier manuscripts and more reliable manuscripts than any ancient books of in the libraries of universities and institutions of higher learning. I also explained that one reason people don’t want the Bible to be true is because they don’t want to be held accountable to the Bible’s moral and ethical standards.

Today we will look at the three remaining points.

• 1.    The Bible was written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other witnesses
• 2.    The writers reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophesies.
• 3.    The writers claim that their writings are of divine and not human in origin.

Let us begin with point # 1 – The Bible was written by eyewitness during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Now there is no doubt that eyewitness testimony is best and most reliable evidence of the truth for any ancient book of the first century. It is the best evidence to confirm what really happened. The great majority of the writers of the New Testament were eyewitnesses.

Let me demonstrate why eyewitnesses are so vital to the authenticity of any historical writing. Suppose a college student was doing research about the life of US President Abraham Lincoln. The student would look at the writings of current historians who wrote about President Lincoln. The student would also look at the writings of those who lived during that time, observed and worked with Mr Lincoln. Who would likely to be the most credible writers? Of course – those who lived at the time President Lincoln was alive. The same rule must be applied for the writers of the Bible.

Let us look at the writings of some of the eyewitnesses who wrote about the Bible. Of course, the most credible authors would be the disciples of Jesus.

Look at Peter, the most well-known of the twelve apostles of Jesus. The Apostle Peter was one of the leading disciples of Jesus and this is what he wrote in 2 Peter 1:16 - 18 “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty”.

Peter is saying that he did not make up stories and fables, but he was an eyewitness among the twelve. He was there with Jesus throughout Christ’s three and a half years ministry. He saw the healings and miracles. He then further writes in the next two verses:

17 For He (that’s Jesus) received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

He is testifying of a specific event which took place when Jesus and his inner circle of disciples (Peter, James and John) were on the Mount of Transfiguration. This event was also documented by another disciple, Matthew.

Matthew also documented the arrest and trial of Jesus under Pontius Pilate, the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. These were actual events which were corroborated by non-biblical, historical sources and archaeology.

Let’s turn to another eyewitness, Apostle John. Now look what the Apostle John writes in his eyewitness testimony. In I John 1:1-4 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life"  John is saying the they heard Jesus, they saw Him with his eyes, touched Him and proclaimed what all he observed and experienced This is bold, this is clear.

He then writes in the next three verses; read carefully "2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our [a] joy complete."

-       This is eyewitness testimony; he emphasizes seeing, touching, fellow-shipping with Jesus. Then he also states that it gives him joy to report his testimony. These men are not shy to report their actual experiences.

So far, we have identified the eyewitness testimonies of Peter, Matthew and John, three disciples of Jesus. Let us look at the other writers of the four gospels, Mark and Luke. These two men were closely associated with the apostles. Mark traveled extensively with the Apostle Paul and was very close to the Apostle Peter. He was an eyewitness to the events of the life of Jesus.

Luke was special, he was a medical doctor and historian. He was detailed, orderly and comprehensive in writings of his gospel and the book of Acts. Hear how Dr. Luke introduces his gospel in the first chapter of Luke:

"Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us.  It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed"

This is awesome testimony from Luke as he makes several points: 

• Luke is writing to an official named Theophilus, providing his reasons for writing his gospel 
• Many people were writing about the events surrounding Jesus and Luke needed to do this also. But he was relying on the original eyewitnesses.
• He wrote an orderly report after first investigating and researching everything
• His goal was to give the reader a clear understanding of what took place

Luke also wrote the Book of Acts which is a documented narrative of the activities of the early church. He traveled extensively with the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. In the book “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler, they noted that Luke “correctly recorded the names of local politicians, local slang, local weather patterns, local topography, local business practices; and even the right depth of the water a quarter mile of the island of Malta, where their ship was about to run aground. In fact, Frank Turek and Norman Geisler wrote that Luke documented over 84 such details in the last half of the book of Acts. Classical scholar and archaeologist William M. Ramsey was skeptical of Luke’s writing, but he wrote “I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts] … but more recently I found myself often brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities and society of Ancient Minor. It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth”. Luke was indeed a master historian"

I gave you the writers of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as eyewitnesses who were authors in the Bible. Some of you may ask - why these writers did not all write the identical things about Jesus. Think about this – if you were to ask four authors to write about the Presidency of Barack Obama you would not get the identical document. The point is that each writer may have a different focus or goal. Independent sources usually tell the same story with differing details depending upon their emphasis and goals. This is exactly the point with the four gospels.

Matthew’s goal was to demonstrate to the Jewish audience that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.  Matthew traced the genealogy back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. Mark’s goal was to show Jesus as the servant who came to serve, and his gospel is brief and straight to the point. Luke, the doctor and historian, wrote a detailed gospel in a chronological order. Luke’s genealogy goes all the way back to Adam and Eve which demonstrated his goal of an orderly gospel. John, on the other hand, wanted to show that Jesus was God in the flesh. So, you find Jesus making statements like these in the Gospel of John:

Before Abraham was, I am – John 8:58

I and my Father are one – John 10:30

I am the resurrection and the life – John 11:25

I am the way, the truth and the life – John 14:6

So, it is a normal expectation that the gospels were four perspectives on the same story, the life of Jesus Christ. In addition, all four gospels mentioned women as eyewitnesses naming Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joana and of course Mary the mother of Jesus

Now there is another eyewitness whose writings are vital to this discussion, the only and only Apostle Paul. Hear what Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:3-8

"3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time"

Paul made several points 

1    - He identified the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- He identified the early eyewitnesses, the twelve apostles
- He identified 500 eyewitnesses of Christ activities after His resurrection of which the overwhelming majority were alive when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. 
- He also said he was an eyewitness who met Jesus supernaturally on the road to Damascus

Now skeptics may question the truthfulness or bias of the eyewitnesses. How do we know that these writers did not have something to gain personally? I will look at a couple of reasons (there are at least 10 reasons of explanation). First, remember that there were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. If the writers were not truthful, they could be easily exposed as charlatans by some of those eyewitnesses. Also, by following Jesus, writing and proclaiming His messages, all these Bible writers were risking everything – their lives, their livelihood. They abandoned their centuries old Jewish faith to follow Jesus, only to be hunted and persecuted. Almost all of them were martyred (hanged, murdered, crucified, stoned to death). No sane person would risk life and limb to write and promote a false faith knowing that they are signing their death warrant. The New Testament writers must have seen strong evidence for the gospel to turn from Judaism to the gospel of Christ.

There is also the principle historians call “the principle of embarrassment” It states that – generally authors do not write or embellish facts that are a personal embarrassment or make themselves look bad or foolish. The New Testament is full of embarrassing, negative, compromising facts about the writers. The Gospels are full of this – the disciples flee and left Jesus, Peter denied Him three times, they failed many tests, were fearful, showed little faith, lied and were cowards. Many reports showed them as uncaring, selfish cowards. They even wrote embarrassing things about their leader Jesus, who they were willing to give up everything to follow, and even willing to sacrifice their lives for the promotion of the message of Christ. The men ran away and hide when Jesus was arrested and crucified. It was the women were first to visit Jesus tomb. Writers tend to leave out such embarrassing facts. The writers of the Bible did write about all these unflattering moments.

So, I just addressed that the Bible was written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other witnesses. Next, we said that the Bible "Reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophesies"

There are many supernatural events in the new Testament that confirmed specific prophecies made by the Old Testament prophets. The prophesied birth of Jesus is one of the greatest supernatural event that fulfilled Old Testament prophesies. The first prophecy of Jesus birth can be found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, specifically Genesis chapter 3:15 “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel”   That seed that will strike the serpent Satan’s head is Jesus.

The virgin birth of Jesus was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah over 700 years before the birth of Christ. Hear what the scripture says in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel”

-       That was a supernatural prophesy that was fulfilled when Mary gave birth to Jesus recorded in gospels of Mathew and Luke. Emmanuel means God with us

The prophet Isaiah prophesied the coming birth of Jesus through the line Israel’s king David.  Isaiah chapter 9: 6-7 "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

-       A part of this prophesy was fulfilled with the first coming of Jesus to die for the sins of all humans to give them a chance for salvation and redemption from hell. The second part of this prophesy will be fulfilled with the second coming of Christ to rule the earth, beginning with the 1,000-year rule described in the Book of Revelation 20

 The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was prophesied in Isaiah 53, over 700 years before the event occurred. There is hardly any Bible scholar who would dare dispute that Isaiah 53 speaks specifically of Jesus' death on the cross.

There is a fascinating prophesy in the Book of Psalms Chapter 22, written by David, which described some of the events occurring during the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. We can read the confirmation of this in the book of Matthew chapter 27 which was written over 1,000 years after the prophecy.

Prophecy	Fulfillment
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?	Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Psalms 22: 8 [Old Testament, 1,000 years earlier] “He trusted in the Lord, let him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”	Matt 27:39-40 [New Testament, 1.000 years later] And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Matt 27:42 He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God
Psalms 22:18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.	Matt 27: 35 “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots

 There are several other passages in Psalms that you can read on your own. There is no question that the prophecy of Psalms 22 was fulfilled over 1,000 years later in the Gospel writings

Now we know that Christians celebrate Pentecost as the marker for the beginning of the New Testament church. This was documented in the Book of Acts chapter 2 by Luke when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus and they spoke in languages (tongues) that they did not learn or know. The result was that Jews who were visiting Jerusalem from many foreign nations could understand the apostles in their own language. For example, it would be like if I was invited to Portugal to speak at a conference. I am speaking in English and I have a translator who translates what I say into Portuguese. If suddenly I started speaking in Portuguese, a language I did not learn or know. This basically is what happened to the apostles in Jerusalem that day. This supernatural event was prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Joel in Chapter 2 which the Apostle Peter confirmed.

 There is one other supernatural event that I want to mention. This was a prophesy by the Old Testament prophet Daniel. In Daniel 2, he prophesied about three future world empires before they came into existence – the Medeo-Persian Empire, the Grecian Empire (founded by Alexander the Great) and the Roman Empire.

The final point is that the authors of the Bible claim that their writings are of divine and not human in origin

The authors of the Bible who I demonstrated were eyewitnesses stated clearly that they were inspired by God to write. Very few of them were men of higher learning – most were farmers, fishermen, warriors, former killers and shepherds. The Apostle Paul, kings David and Solomon were exceptions. The authors of the Bible were vessels used by God to write the scriptures with the message of the restoration of humankind back to God so that His Kingdom can be reestablished on earth

Several of the Apostles clearly stated that they were moved or inspired by God. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

Again, Paul confirms he did not get his revelation from human origin. He wrote in

Galatians 1:11 "For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not ⌊of human origin⌋. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ"

The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:21 (NKJV) 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit

When you read many of the Books of the Old Testament prophets you find this common phrase “And the Word of the Lord came to me saying….”

The prophets are all announcing that it is God’s words they are writing. Therefore, all Christians must be very careful when they claim “The Lord told me to tell you this or that…”

-       God is too much God for people to take this lightly claiming conversations with God. God is so awesome that you would literally faint if God really spoke to you as often as some people claim. Just be careful.

Well I believe that have demonstrated that the Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies. They claim that their writings were of divine and not human origin.

So, do we still need the Bible today? The answer is a definite Yes, the Bible is very relevant and vital in our society today.

I want to thank all of you for reading. Please share this information with others, your family and friends. We  provide foundational principles so we can to see advancement in our lives, the lives of our young people and in our communities. 

Remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but the wisdom of God is the principal thing. Until next time, Peace