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

My task is to answer this question DO WE STILL NEED THE BIBLE TODAY? This is a

fascinating topic. We are living in a generation and an age where the idea that the Bible is irrelevant, continues to gain momentum. The attack on the reliability and truth of the Bible is promoted in every area of life in our society – in schools, colleges and universities, in the media, on television, in politics, business, social and community organizations of every kind. One of the most radical thing that happened to America is the increased bias against the biblical viewpoint in schools. And people are convinced that this is good because of the separation of church and state. Children are taught evolution, that man came from apes, and that science disproves the Bible. Many people accept these ideas as truth without any question. There are even Christians who believe in evolution, an idea which opposes the Bible truth of creation. If creation is false, then how can anybody believe anything else in the Bible?  

Let us first examine this prevailing strategy that the Bible is irrelevant in the public square of ideas, particularly in schools and universities. This methodology is not an accident. If the children are taught that the Bible is not relevant today, by the time they become the adults of the society, a ban of some parts of the Bible will be easier to make the law of the land.  You may think that I am crazy but there are organizations proposing laws to make some sections of the Bible hate speech, mainly because it condemns certain lifestyles and practices. This trend to make some parts of the Bible hate speech is gaining momentum in many parts of the Western world including America. 

There is one organization I want to warn people about – the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC is based in Montgomery, in the state of Alabama, USA It was founded on great principles as an offshoot of the civil rights era. It is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation, dedicated to "fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society”. Overall it does a fantastic job in exposing hate groups, especially the Klu Klu Klan (KKK) and other Nazi and white nationalists groups. However, it has labeled several non-profit Christian, socially conservative organizations hate groups because of their stand on the definition of marriage and other moral issues based Bible principles. Now the SPLC lumps these Christian conservative groups in with the Ku Klux Klan and other Neo-Nazi based organizations as hate groups. Yet the Southern Poverty Law Center did not label the Catholic Church, a hate group even though the Catholic Church has the same views as those conservative groups on those moral questions. In August 2017, the Washington Post reported that a federal lawsuit was filed by the Dr James Kennedy Ministries of Fort Lauderdale, FL against the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center. SPLC tracks and publicly names organizations it considers hate groups. The list included Dr James Kennedy Ministries, also known as Coral Ridge Ministries Media Inc. for its stand against LGBT practices.

I believe that we should be for the competition of ideas instead of trying to ban or stop an idea by labeling an organization a hate group. Share your ideas on moral issues and let people decide. Give people a choice and that is why I am going to show why you can believe that the Bible is relevant today. It is the responsibility

of the parents and the church to teach Bible truths and equip the children for life. Our children need a proper biblical foundation to compete in the arena of ideas about the purpose of life, the Bible and its relevance in our society and the eternal life of mankind.

There is a fundamental reason why the world wants to eliminate the Bible from public life. According to the Bible every person is born with a sin nature and naturally wants to disobey any moral law or at least reduce or eliminate any restrictions. Some even believe that any moral restriction is an attack of their freedom of expression. However, many do not realize that this is a subjective outlook because my freedom of expression could be completely opposed to your idea of freedom of expression. So, who sets the standards? Is it the church? Is it the rich and powerful? Is it the political elite or the consensus of the regular people? This is a fundamental purpose of the law, to set an objective standard for the society.

What most of us fail to understand or remember is that the foundations of our laws in America were the Bible and English Common Law. And what was the root of English Common Law? The Bible of course. So, the Bible is at the root of all our laws. Yet in our society in 2019 our educational, political and civil systems are bombarded with calls to remove the Bible from everything. It is like uprooting your foundation. How do you uproot and overturn your foundation without any consequences? And where do you think it will eventually lead? Obviously chaos and eventually "every man for himself." The book of Judges in the Bible gives us many examples of what happens in society when everyone thinks that their personal rights and viewpoint is the sole measuring yardstick. Yes, you guessed it – chaos in society. The famous sentence in the book of Judges is – "And everyone did what was right in his own eyes". This breeds selfishness and pride. This outlook brings division and social disruption in our society. We see this scenario playing out every day in our politics in 2019. When will we learn?

As I have been saying, most people want to live as they feel without any moral standards or restrictions and without any accountability. Every individual believes that their personal moral standard is best. Their motto is - whatever feels good do it or just do you. However, for Christians, the Bible provides an objective standard outside of human reasoning, human intellect or human bias.

Unfortunately, this continuous attack on the Bible and its relevance is affecting Christians in that too many of us are not able to effectively explain why we believe the Bible to others as we should. We must be able to explain what we believe and why we believe what we believe in a winning manner. We find it easier to distribute Christian tracts and share bible verses on social media than defending the foundations of our belief. If I were to ask most Christians, why they believe the Bible I think I know how many of us Christians will respond. Two of the top five answers most likely answers will be

1.    I believe the Bible because that is the way I was brought up

2.    I believe the Bible because I tried it and it works for me

While these answers are good and reasonable, they do not justify nor confirm that the Bible is true, relevant today or reliable. What am I saying? They way we were brought up or our experience does not confirm the authority of the Bible. What am I saying? While our testimony of the way we grew up or how our belief provides the foundation for how we live, this cannot prove the authority of the Bible. The authority of the Bible must be independent of how we feel, independent of our experiences or independent of how we were raised. Now remember Christians are about sharing the gospel with unbelievers to win them to Christ.

Reason 1: I believe the Bible because that is the way I was brought up.

What about people who were brought up to believe another book? another philosophy or another religion? They are justified in their belief and their religious book has just as much authority as the Bible. In addition, you know that some of the things you were taught by your parents and guardians turned out not to be correct or true. So, the authority of the Bible cannot be based on the way you were brought up because your parents and guardians will make errors.

Reason 2: I believe the Bible because I tried it and it works in my life

Now what about the person who tried the Wicca religion? Or voodoo? Or a palm reader? Or obeah? And it works for them. Why should they listen to your Bible?

What do you say if someone asks - How to do you know the Bible is true or accurate? The point is that the Bible must be independent of how you feel or your experience. I know that truth can be hard on Christians, but we must be forthright and strategic about how we explain what we believe and why we believe the Bible. The souls of non-believers are at stake.

We live in a modern world where young people have access to a lot of information and they question everything. We must be equipped to show the reliability and truth of the Bible.

During my research I came across the writings of Dr. Voddie Baucham currently the Dean of the Seminary at African Christian University (ACU) in Lusaka, Zambia. I believe that his rendition of Why Christians Can Choose to Believe the Bible is one of the best methods we can use to share the Bible and Christ with non-believers.  He wrote:

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.

Let me repeat that for you. 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 

I am going to go through this definition step by step to help us build up our ability to defend our faith in the Bible.

Let me assure you that every Christian can understand this, can do this, can build their confidence when sharing the gospel of Christ.

The apostle Peter wrote the following in I Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

This verse is saying that it is important to know what you believe and why you believe it, so you can give clear, simple and effective reasons for your faith, so you can win others to Christ. All Christians must be ready to give a reasonable defense of their faith without an argument but in a calm, peaceful manner.

Generally, people have the idea that anyone who believes the Bible is narrow-minded, "coo coo", even weird. Some would even ask - How could take that old book literally? Even when archaeology proves the truth of the Bible events to be accurate, many people would not accept that proof. Their response generally is to ignore the proof and bring up another question. Obviously, such people are not interested in truth, they just want to prove the Bible wrong or irrelevant in today’s society. We are not here to prove the Bible just to show why you can believe the Bible. Personally, I believe that the Bible is the law and constitution of the Kingdom of God and the Bible is the highest authority

#1. The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents

First, the Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents. We are saying that it is reliable, it is a collection and it is historical.  All these three points are important because this demonstrates why the Bible is different from all other religious and ancient books.

The Bible was written on three continents, Africa, Asia and Europe. It was written in three languages, Hebrew, Greek and some Aramaic.  It contains 66 different books written by over 40 authors from many different walks of life – kings, shepherds, reformed killers, warriors, tax collectors, fishermen, historians and lawyers. These are 40 authentic authors who heard from God and inspired by the Holy Spirit. It's not one person who claims to hear from God and wants everyone else to believe him. The time span between the time the authors wrote the Bible was over 1,500 years. Imagine the time between when the first book was written, and the last book was over 1,500 years yet all the parts fit together into one book with one message – the restoration of the kingdom of God which Adam lost due to disobedience in the garden of Eden. Now that’s a collection. Today you can hardly get four eye-witnesses in a courtroom to give the same testimony about an incident. Imagine 1,500 years with consistency and no contradiction! That is the true definition of a collection.

The Bible is different from other ancient religious or secular books. It is not one author who says he heard from God and so people should follow him. The difference between the Bible and other holy books, is most holy books have one author who states he received a message from a god, an angel or nature. The Bible with 40 authors with the same message over 1,500 years is reliable. Compared to the Bible with 40 authors within 1,500 years, other ancient books are not as reliable.

The Bible is filled with names, dates, places and events. There are over 25,000 archaeological digs relating to the subject matters reported in the Bible. None has contradicted the Bible, and most have affirmed the scriptures. No other ancient books comes close. 

Many times, you see front page news about some archaeologist who claim that he/she found an artifact that proves the Bible untrue. We always read these claims on the front page of newspapers and magazines or breaking news on television. However, when further investigation proves their claims to be false, it is rarely reported on the front pages. It is usually hidden in some obscure page. Like I said before, people are constantly trying to find errors in the Bible but when they are given the truth their response is typically to look for another error. They never say, "You know maybe I was wrong about that claim". The typical response is But what about this or what about that.  The truth is people are not interested in the truth of the Bible, they are interested in justifying their own preconceived ideas about the Bible.

False Claims #1 There was error in translation

The Bible is not like a rumor – one person tells another who tells another so by the time we get to the 8th person, the original information is lost.  The Bible is sourced from the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts which can be tested. All copies and translations are from the same source, compared and verified. Look at this chart which provides a typical demonstration of how the books of the Bible were copied

This generic example is about the Apostle Paul who wrote the book of Romans.  In ancient times skilled copiers called scribes copied the original manuscripts of the writer. There were usually 8 to 12 scribes who copied the book. Then there would be a comparison between the copies and the original. If one scribe made an error, all the copies were destroyed, and the scribes would repeat the process until all the copies were accurate. This is how the integrity and reliability of the Bible was preserved. Archaeological artifacts bear this out.

False Claims #2 Men wrote the Bible

We can compare the source manuscripts of the Bible and some of the ancient books found in colleges, universities and institutions of higher learning. The ancient writings of Aristotle and Socrates, the writings of Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars and the Homer’s classic Greek poem, the Iliad, are recognized as some of the pinnacle writings of the ancient world and these writings are central to the foundations of Western civilization and thought. We will compare the Bible to these writings.

We have documentation for the New Testament as early as AD 50 to 120 years of the writing of the original manuscripts. The New Testament has over 6,000 manuscripts.  Aristotle's poetry has about 12 manuscripts with earliest manuscripts written about 1,000 years after they were written. Julius Caesar Gallic Wars has less than 12 manuscripts and are about 1,000 years after the originals. Homer’s Iliad has about 640 manuscripts, the earliest being about 2,150 years after the original. There are zero, yes it's not a mistake, zero manuscripts about Socrates and Alexander the Great, yet no one doubts that the authenticity of existence of them as real people!

 Let me show you a chart which will demonstrate what I just wrote:

Here is a comparison of source manuscripts of the bible and other ancient books. The New Testament has over 6,000 manuscripts authenticated today which many scholars can corroborate, Aristotle 12 manuscripts, Julius Caesar 12 manuscripts, Homer’s Iliad 640 manuscripts  and Socrates 0, (yes 0).The comparison is explosive. 6,000 verses 640, 6,000 vs 12. This is laughable yet many professors in universities still claim the Bible is out dated but the teach about the reliability of Julius Caesar, the ancient Greek philosophers and even Alexander the Great. This is educational hijacking on the highest order and poor scholarship. The Bible has more manuscripts, earlier manuscripts and more reliable manuscripts than all other ancient books in our colleges, universities and institutions of higher learning. It is a no contest.

If the Bible is not considered trustworthy then there is no ancient document or book in the world today in any institution of higher learning that is trustworthy.

This is Part 1 in answering the question Do we still need the Bible today? We demonstrated that the Bible is a reliable historical book and more reliable and more accurate than all the ancient books in the colleges and universities in Western countries. I hope that the truths I shared will give you additional confidence in explaining why you can choose to believe the Bible and it is relevance today. The next time in Part 2, I will look at the three other truths about the Bible. 

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

Please share this information with others, your family and friends. We want to see improvement in our lives, the lives of our young people and in our communities. You can reach us with your comments, your ideas and your suggestions by sending an email to hadtrt@gmail.com . 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.

African Church Father and the Trinity by Samuel H Johnson

 Athanasian Creed Synopsis

Athanasius of Alexandria was one of the African Church Fathers who lived at the 

time of Roman emperor Constantine. He included a treatise of the Trinity in his Athanasian Creed. This Creed is one of the best explanation of the Holy Trinity. It exposes two false doctrines about the Trinity. 

The first is Arianism - the belief that Jesus is not God but a created being and not coeternal with the Father. 

The second is Sabellianism or Modalism.  They believe in transition and not separate persons of the Godhead. So the Father became the Son who became the Holy Spirit. The tip-off for false doctrine is when  they say "The Father in creation, the Son in redemption and the Holy Spirit in sanctification” In these last days, Christians must be able to defend the Bible and expose false christs.

Here is a synopsis of the Creed: (Please read more than once)

"Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the global faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the global faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. 

The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. 

"The Father is God, The Son is God, The Holy Spirit is God; God is the Father, God is the Son, God is the Holy Spirit; The Father is not the Son, The Son is not the Father, The Father is not the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not the Father, The Son is not the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not the Son.

That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord"

Personally this definition has helped me tremendously in understanding the Trinity, which cannot be understood by human reasoning. The central issue is Jesus where critics want to make Him just a prophet, a good person or a great teacher. Their main problem is that Jesus is God. So beware of false teachers, especially those who want to minimize Jesus. As Jesus said on many occasions, "I and the Father are one"

* Image source - ntcanon.org

Christians Tolerate Racism? by Samuel H Johnson

Jesus says to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves, (see Deut. 6:4-6; Matt 22:37-41; Mark 12: 29-31, Luke 10:27). 

Yet I am actually appalled that some  Christians and some denominations are very active and in an uproar against abortion and same sex “marriage” BUT are silent about that demonic spirit of racism in our nation. They don’t seem to understand that this demonic spirit is a massive force to whose goal is to destroy the American experiment.

I have heard the excuses from some leading pastors that racism is a social matter and Jesus was not a social reformer. Others try to excuse the perpetrators saying that no one is perfect or “let’s pray for them” However you cannot have real social changes unless there is real change in the heart. It’s only Christ who can create a new heart.

The fight against racism by the church cannot be left to the “black church” and a few “white churches”. It’s sad that we still have to say “Black Chuch” and “White Church” in 2018 and maybe we should eliminate these terms from our conversation. I am speaking to the Body of Christ and not to the secular society. The church must stand as one body against this evil. When are we going to learn the lessons of Dr Martin Luther King?

The bottom line is Christians MUST stand against all sin. Jesus wept because He loved Lazarus who died and He is probably weeping because we Christians can’t be consistent about His Word. 

It Takes Strength and Courage to Do the Right Thing by Samuel H Johnson

Hear and Do the Right Thing is founded on the scripture in the Book of James 1:22 which says, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 

We live in a world today with huge amounts of information and knowledge about many subjects ranging from religion, education, science, lifestyles, social media, health and family. But despite the availability of knowledge, many people are still searching for their purpose in life.

I believe that the key to this endeavor is applying the knowledge you have gained to your everyday life - hence the title of the show Hear and Do the Right Thing includes not only hearing but doing the right thing. It is not only important to have information, or to have knowledge; but the key to living and fulfilling your purpose is how you apply that knowledge.  In other words, we need wisdom, which  is the application the knowledge we have gained in life.

Hearing the right thing means you must search for the truth in every endeavor. Sometimes seeking the truth can be challenging and may even offend others. Also, you can hear and discover the truth but still not do the right thing. You and I  must learn to do the right thing, because it is right. Basic common things are not respected as much anymore. There is nothing wrong with being polite, kind, courteous, saying good morning to someone. Having good manners does not make you a wimp. Sometimes it takes mental strength to be kind to a rude arrogant person. Doing the right thing is actually strength of character. We don’t do the right thing to please others or to be popular. In fact, popularity does not always come with doing the right thing, so, don’t expect that a lot of people will like you if you pursue the truth and do right. Why? Because most people don’t want to be accountable to anyone. They want to do whatever their hearts desire, whatever feels good do it.  We are in these times now which were prophesied by the Bible over 2,000 years ago.

2 Timothy 3 verse 1 to 5  1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people

So, hearing and doing the right thing will not be easy but we need people of character and truth to do the right thing in society. We will make errors and fall sometimes but we must continue to strive to do the right thing.

I am dedicated to sharing information and knowledge on various topics which may help us to determine our true purpose in life, so we can make a valuable contribution to our families and society.

First, let me introduce myself to you. My name is Samuel Johnson and I’m a minister of the gospel and I am a member of the Rugby Deliverance Tabernacle church in Brooklyn NY and the senior pastor is Archbishop Sidley Mullings. My college background is an undergraduate in engineering, then a graduate degree in business administration and now I am pursuing education in Christian Apologetics and Theology which is designed to help me as a promoter and defender of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I discovered that  education without Jesus is empty. I have been a Christian since 1998 but my path to Christianity was a radical one. I grew up in a typical Christian household and family tradition where church attendance and Sunday school were required. You never questioned your parents nor your grandparents. You just went to church, but I couldn’t say that I understood much about the Bible or what it meant to be a Christian. 

My time in college transformed me into an atheist, I did not believe in God. If fact, I challenged Christians with science and I thought Christians were weird people who believed in a God which you cannot see or touch. I thought Christianity was a white man’s religion, but I never really studied the Bible. However, I joined my church, through a business partner who is a Christian. It was there I heard the gospel and began to read and study the Bible for the first time. I received information and knowledge about the scriptures, which caused a real change in me. My life experience demonstrated that through knowledge and understanding, the wisdom of God can change us. Now I can say I have a biblical worldview about life, science, technology, religion, marriage, race – in short, every area of life. Every person has a foundation or worldview through which they view and interpret society. I respect other people’s worldview but my foundation and worldview is biblical.

Many of the topics that I will address on this show will come from a biblical perspective because I operate from a biblical worldview. I am aware that many people have problems with the Bible, it’s authenticity, reliability and truths. I will deal with such issues in ways that is not the normal way. I am always questioning things – enquiring minds want to know.

One of my greatest concerns is the future of the next generation of our country. I am especially thinking of Christian youth in junior high, high school and college. Are we preparing them to lead the next generation of Christians? I had many questions as a youth and had difficulty in finding the truth about Christianity, the Bible, and evolution.

 

We know of many studies done about young people and Christianity show that our youth are abandoning the church more than 70% of the time. There may be some church leaders who don’t pay enough attention to this but the results of many studies and life experience clearly demonstrate this trend. The implications of this trend are troubling. What can the church do? What is the role of the church leaders, the family in this effort to slow down and reverse this trend?

I want to identify a few studies which show this disturbing trend.

The Barna Group in association with USA Today in 2007

 70-75% of Christian youth leave the church after high school

 Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers

By Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, Oxford University Press, 2005

1    The majority of teenagers are unable to explain their faith, religious beliefs and practices, and its place in their lives 

2   The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself

3   God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem

4   Good people go to heaven when they die.

The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect with Others (Near & Far) to Create Social Change By Barbara A. Lewis, Free Spirit Publishing, 2007

More teens are embracing a nebulous belief in God in which they combine the beliefs of several different religions

The State of Theology by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research (2015)

Christian young people between the ages of 18 and 34 consistently held heretical views at a higher percentage than older respondents. In other words, their views were contrary to bible doctrines in scripture.

Let’s look at Our society as a whole

America’s Changing Religious Landscape by Pew Research Center (2015)

      “The percentage of adults, ages 18 and older, who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to 70.6% in 2014. Over the same period, the percentage of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular has jumped more than six points, from 16.1% to 22.8%.

     Christians dropped 8 points in 7 years while unbelievers increase 6 points in the same 7 years.

This trend is worse in Canada and Western Europe. All these alarming numbers means that the churches are losing the youth, and this is not acceptable. Christians must make a stronger effort to teach basic Bible doctrine and truths in clearer ways, taking note of all the unbiblical things they learn in school and the general media.

Some of the reasons for leaving the church given by young people:

1. They left because they had troubling, unanswered questions about the faith.
2. They left because their faith was not “working” for them.
3. They left because they allowed other things to take priority.
4. They left because they never personally owned their faith.

This trend indicates that young people are more religious during their early teen years, and their numbers decline as teens grow older towards adulthood. Church attendance also drops during the teen and young adult years.  

Now these are some of the reasons for my passion to share truths and address issues from a biblical worldview. No topic is off the table – science, relationships, dating, history, education, crime or business. I am of the firm belief that the foundational doctrines in the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis is critical to the gospel of Christ in defending the faith of skeptical young people against the modern theories of science and evolution.

 

We in the church and Christians globally have a challenge ahead because we need to stop or slow down this trend leaving the church. We know that the rate at which churches are closed in America is increasing. We need to preach and teach the gospel with a renewed passion to win souls for the Kingdom of God. No topic must be ignored.  All of us need to teach and share the truth of the biblical worldview more consistently. 

Hear and Do the Right Thing - webshow

The new show Hear and Do the Right Thing will be launched early 2018.

Watch out for it.

Now Hear and Do the Right Thing is a challenge for most people. The show will address the hard topics of life from a biblical perspective.

Hearing the right thing means you must search for the truth in every endeavor. Sometimes seeking the truth can be challenging and may even offend others. Also, you can hear and discover the truth but still not do the right thing. We must learn to do the right thing, because it is right. 

We don’t do the right thing to please others or to be popular. In fact, popularity does not always come with doing the right thing; so, don’t expect that a lot of people will like you if you pursue the truth on do right. Why? Because most people don’t want to be accountable to anyone. They want to do whatever their hearts desire.

So watch out for the show. Coming soon

The Two Judgments by Samuel H Johnson

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”  - Hebrews 9:27 NKJV

Since there is judgment after death  then death is not the final event. It’s a transition from redemption to consummation. 

Also there are two judgments: The Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment. 

Depending upon your relationship with Christ every person will be in one judgment or the other.

Psalm 1:5 (KJV) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

There is a judgment for the righteous and a judgment for unbelievers and all who reject Christ. This is a hard thing but we must follow the Word of God. God is love but he must judge sin, rebellion and disobedience. He is holy and His judgment is righteous and just.

The Judgment Seat of Christ: This judgment is for those who are saved, for believers for whom Christ is Lord of their lives.

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

When were you in the body? – this is when you are on earth, when you are alive. You will receive rewards for what you do for the kingdom of God while you are a Christian. (I Corinthians 3:12-15 NKJV)

There are crowns and rewards at the Judgment Seat – e.g. for sharing the gospel, overcoming temptation, for faithfulness, for developing a Christlike character. For Christians, death should remind you and wake you up – what am I doing for the advancement of the kingdom of God? Is my priority God, family then ministry? We have to always reevaluate our salvation progress.

But there is another judgment – The Great White Throne Judgment. This judgment is for unbelievers, those who reject Christ. I would not want anyone, friend or foe, to be in this judgment.

Revelation 20:11-14 NKJV “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Here what the Bible says about the finality of this Great White Throne Judgment:

Revelation 21: 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Now you may be scared after hearing all this about judgment, but there is no need for alarm. There is still good news. The good news is the love of God. You can see from the creation through the fall of man, redemption and consummation God’s love is the overriding factor. He loves all mankind and he desires that all would come to repentance through Jesus Christ. God wants everyone saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

You have a choice to make. Respond positively to the call of Jesus Christ and be saved. Christ  has already done the work of salvation, you make the choice.

Pulling Down Statues is a Foolish Distraction by Samuel H Johnson

America is experiencing an increasing flood of hate and anger as we wind down the summer of 2017. Our current president, Donald Trump is at the center of this turmoil with several misguided, divisive and racist statements, especially concerning the ill-advised march and the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia. One of the central issues surrounding this upheaval is the increase in decisions by state and city governments to remove the statues of supporters of slavery and segregation from the places of honor in the public square. 

However, pulling down statues of slave owners and segregationists is a misguided distraction. It's foolish, overly emotional, divisive and short sighted. These statues are representatives of evil in our nation but can you think of other representations of evil in our society? What about those institutions which quietly and subtly propagate the same racist values but under a more "decent" veneer? Many people and organizations have a political and/or economic agenda in using this division to further their self interests. Others hide their true, hidden racist practice by publicly condemning racism, white supermists, nazism etc, so as to appear ethical. This is how the hidden agenda of satan is promoted. It is important that Christians identify that real enemy - Satan. Evil must be exposed and condemned because it is detrimental to our nation. 

We are missing a teachable moment. There is no need to pull down these statues. The wiser option is to place a sculpture and/or plaque next to these statues with the truth about what these individuals represented so our children can learn. Imagine a big visible plaque or sculpture next to General Robert Lee's statue with this: 

General Robert Lee: military genius, a supporter of slavery and segregation and a traitor to the idea of the American ideal.

Now that is education, truth and an exposition of evil. Also an artist or sculptor can get a job! So beware and never get distracted by the noise of the moment. Take a look at the big picture and don't fall for the emotional confusion. Remember I Peter 5:8 "Your adversary, the devil' prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour"

Pulling down statues is a short-sighted distraction. We must expose evil with wise decisions. Don't fall for the bait.