Scott's Blog - 4/28/06
Famous Last Words
If you knew your time had come, and the next words you would speak would be your last – what would you say?
Last words tend to be lasting words, a snap shot summary of an entire life.
Nathan Hale is remembered for saying, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
Oscar Wilde said, “Either these curtains go or I do.”
Telling words to be sure. Like the last words spoken by Todd Beamer.
Todd Beamer?
You may not remember the name, but you will surely remember his last words –
“Let’s roll.”
But you may not know are the words Todd spoke immediately before the heroic charge that thwarted the untold evil planned by Moslem fanatics for United flight 93.
In his review of the recently released movie Flight 93, best selling author Joel Rosenberg fills us in on the story behind the story:
Which made me think most about
Todd Beamer, the young husband and father who utters the movie's
most memorable line when he and the other men attack their
attackers: "Let's roll!" We see him plotting strategy
with the others. We see him on the phone with the GTE operator,
passing a final message of love on to his wife and children. We
hear him praying Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I
shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads
me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in
paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for You are with me..." And then we see him and the
others make their move.
Lisa Beamer stressed in her book,
Let's
Roll, that Todd was not "a comic
book superhero" but rather "an ordinary guy with an
ordinary faith in a great God." The more I've learned about
him, the more impressed I've become. His faith was real, and he
earned the right for others to consider what it was. He believed
that Jesus died on the cross to forgive him of his sins. He
believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead and had thus
conquered death for all time. Todd believed Jesus when He said,
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one can
come to the Father except through Me." And he believed Jesus
when He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His
only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish [die
separated from God forever] but have everlasting life."
What's more, Todd didn't just believe these things
intellectually. He had made an individual
decision of the will to receive Jesus Christ as
his personal Savior and Lord. This is what gave him courage in
the face of death -- because he knew without the shadow of a
doubt that he was going to heaven.
When Lisa was on Larry
King Live not long after the tragedy, Larry asked
her, "How are you holding up?....You said it was your faith
that gets you through, right?" Lisa's response, recounted in
her book, was inspiring: "That's right," she said. "I
know that Todd's death was not in vain. I see evidence of it all
over as people come up to me saying what an inspiration his faith
and my faith have been to them. I just hope it leads to a revival
of faith in this country and the world. It's clear that that's
what we need right now. It is time for that in our country."
And then she added: "I know that Todd is in heaven right
now, and I know that I'm going to see him again, and that his
efforts were not in vain. It was part of God's plan. Evil
in this world will ultimately be conquered by God....That's
something I can hang on to during those moments when I'm not
cool, calm, and collected, of which there are many, I can assure
you."
Makes me wonder, when my moment comes, what will my last words be? What will your last words be? Prayerfully, they will be like those spoken by Paul shortly before his death.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (II Timothy 4:6-8)
Scott's Blog - 4/27/06
Happy Independence Day!
I know. I know.
How can it be Independence Day? We’re nowhere near summer! The first ceremonial eggs haven’t even been fried on the sidewalks of Tucson yet!
Ah, but in Israel today, it’s a different story. Today is Yom Ha’atzmaut, the celebration of a genuine miracle that took place on May 14, 1948.
On that day, British High Commissioner, General Alan Cunningham left the port of Haifa. A few hours later in Tel Aviv, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the birth of the Jewish state.
In the words of BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy:
“Born in war, the Jewish state has survived five major conflicts, as well as terrorist attack, economic embargo and international isolation. For deep-rooted historical and psychological reasons, it has not yet shaken off a siege mentality.
But by any objective yardstick Israel's resilience - as miraculous to many of its friends as it is unpalatable to many of its enemies - is by now a well-attested fact of international life.”
There is no doubt that this event is seen by many in Israel as much more than just a political decision, or an odd turn of history. Consider the words of Rabbi Harav Yehuda Amital:
I experienced the horror of the destruction of European Jewry, and I can thus appreciate the great miracle of Jewish rebirth in our homeland. Are we not obligated to thank the Almighty for His kindness towards us? Unquestionably! And not just on Yom Ha-atzma'ut; each day we must recite Hallel seven times for the wonders and miracles He has performed on our behalf: "I praise you seven times each day!"
Furthermore, our very existence in Israel comprises the fulfillment of the prophets' visions:
There shall yet be old men and women in the squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the squares of the city shall be crowded with boys and girls playing in the squares. (Zekharia 8:4-5)
Regarding this vision, the prophet declares,
Just as it will seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, so shall it also seem impossible to Me, declares the Lord of Hosts. (8:6)
What is it that seems impossible in the eyes of God? What we see with our own eyes each day: elderly people in the streets of Jerusalem! The complete redemption has yet to unfold, and we have yet to be privileged to live in state that represents "the foundation of the Divine Throne in the world." But we have been privileged to witness the gathering of a large portion of the Jewish People to our homeland, and this phenomenon itself is to be considered the "atchalta de-ge'ula" ("beginning of the redemption").
Certain characterizing features of the time of redemption have, indeed, appeared. We must sing praises to the Almighty for even this partial redemption, which still lacks the components of the complete redemption.
There is no doubt that the return of Israel to the land is loaded with prophetic significance. Consider the words of Jesus concerning the time of His return:
"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;
So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32-33)
In passages like Jeremiah 8:13 and Hosea 9:10 we see Israel referred to as God’s fig tree. Jesus tells us that the rebirth of Israel let’s us know the return of our Savior draws near.
God still has a plan for the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It will culminate when another remarkable and unlikely prophecy comes to pass:
"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)
On this 57th Yom Ha’atzmaut we see this miracle of miracles beginning. Let’s continue to pray for Israel, and for the peace that will come when she finally receives her Messiah!
Scott's Blog - 4/26/06
Take Me Out to the Ball Park
“How close are we?”
Currently at Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson we are focusing in on Jesus’ teaching regarding His return.
Whenever the subject of prophecy comes up, inevitably there are those who want to know how close we are to the End Times. Oh, sure, we know that no one will know the day or hour. But most of us are genuinely curious as to whether we are “in the ball park”.
I believe there are two benchmark events described in prophecy that can give us a good sense of where we are on God’s timetable.
Believe it or not, both of these can be found in one stretch of Scripture, in a book few believers would put in their personal devotional Top 10.
The first is found in Ezekiel 37, the famous vision of the valley of dry bones. There, Ezekiel details an encounter with God that undoubtedly left him shaking in fright.
The meaning of this prophecy is not left to our imagination. Israel will appear to be as dead as the remains that stretched out before Ezekiel. But God would not only physically restore His people, but would cause them to come alive again spiritually as well.
The first benchmark we need to pay attention to is the modern miracle of Israel back in her historic homeland. For the first time in almost 2,000 years this key piece of the prophetic puzzle has fallen into place.
But the second milepost in our march toward the return of Christ follows immediately in Ezekiel 38-39.
Here we see that restored Israel will face an overwhelming foe in the last days. A coalition of nations dominated by a prince from a people group many scholars identify with modern Russia, will launch an invasion of the Promised Land. Significantly, a key ally in the attempt to wipe out Israel will be Persia, or modern Iran.
Dr.Mark Hitchcock of The Left Behind Prophecy Club newsletter offers this insightful commentary.
Are we “in the ball park” of the time of Christ’s return? Keep your eyes on developments in Israel, Russia and Iran. And remember the words of our Savior –
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28)
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Scott's Blog - 4/25/06
Taking Aim at the Canon
One of the most asked questions on SRL goes something like this – “Who decided which books would make it into the New Testament?”
This is no side issue for the spiritual egghead set to debate. With the release of the DaVinci Code movie drawing near, believers in Christ will find themselves coming face to face with a fairly blunt challenge that can be eloquently expressed in the words, “Oh, yeah? Says who?”
Didn’t mad monks and chauvinist Caesars decide to pick, choose, fold, spindle and mutilate the original message of Jesus to suit their own whims?
The answer to this serious charge can be found in an understanding of what has come to be called the Canon of Scriptures.
The word “canon” comes from a Greek term that meant a measuring stick, or a standard of measurement. What is this standard?
It begins with Jesus’
promise - John
14:26
"But the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to
you.
Part of the reason Jesus called the twelve disciples to be with him continually in His earthly ministry was to entrust them with a living record of his life, death and resurrection. This is what was the bedrock teaching of the early church.
Acts
2:42
They were continually
devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Along with the record provided by these eyewitnesses, God also used the writings of the apostle Paul to further clarify and apply the teaching of the original apostles. Paul made it clear that his writings were divinely inspired.
1
Corinthians 14:37
If anyone
thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the
things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.
In his final letter Peter gave the same ringing endorsement to Paul’s writings.
2
Peter 3:15
And regard the patience
of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul,
according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all
his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people
twist to their own destruction, as they do the rest of the
Scriptures.
The challenge the early church faced almost immediately, was the attempt by cultists to create their own version of the life of Jesus, or counterfeit letters from apostles backing their spiritual distortions. How could the early church tell the real deal from the clever counterfeit?
They came up with essentially four tests. First, was the letter, or gospel written by an apostle or a direct associate of an apostle? Second, did the work contradict or complement the known teachings of Jesus and His disciples? Third, did it contain errors of fact that would disqualify it as being inspired by God? Fourth, was it accepted as spiritually edifying by believers across the world?
Notice, the church did not create the books. They simply recognized what God had already done. As biblical scholar J.I. Packer put it,
The church no more gave us the New Testament canon than Sir Isaac Newton gave us the force of gravity. God gave us gravity, by his work of creation, and similarly he gave us the New Testament canon, by inspiring the individual books that make it up (J. 1. Packer, God Speaks To Man, p. 81).
To set a strong foundation on this crucial issue, check out this well-done article on the canon of Scripture by Don Stewart at Blue Letter Bible.com!
Make no mistake. There will be a pop quiz on this foundational subject, given by people who may sincerely want to know if the Bible is trustworthy.
What a blessing, not only to be able to share with others our confidence in the Word of God, but also to have that same confidence as a foundation that will never fail us in our own lives!
Scott's Blog - 4/21/06
The Toughest Question of All
What is the toughest question you have been asked by a skeptic?
I’ll never forget hearing CNN’s Larry King share with his audience, “You know there’s one question no one has been able to answer for me. Who created God?”
I got the distinct feeling that Larry wasn’t going to open the lines to a hoard of amateur theologians in quest for the big answer. Between the words, he seemed to be saying, “I’m really tired of you born again types calling my program, and if you try to waste my time again I will beat you senseless with my patented faith killing question!”
Contrary to Larry’s worldview, there is a logical and satisfying answer to that question.
Sooner or later we will all come face to face with one of these patented “conversation stoppers.” But did you realize that these questions set the stage for perhaps the toughest question any skeptic will ever face?
The most effective response to these kinds of questions is to take the conversation to a deeper level. The next time you face one of these dead ends, simply smile and say, “You know that is a great question. If I were to answer that to your satisfaction, would you consider becoming a Christian?”
If the person says, “Yes” then by all means, share away. If you don’t know the answer to their question, simply make a promise to look in to the issue and get back to them.
If the person says, “No!, then simply respond by saying, “So your problem isn’t intellectual, then. It’s not that you can’t believe, but that you’ve already made up your mind that you won’t believe.”
When people had genuine questions about a relationship with God, Jesus would invest all the time and attention necessary to provide them with answers that touched both the mind and the heart. When people had hardened hearts, and asked questions in a vain attempt to trap Him, His answers were brief, to the point and incredibly convicting (see Matthew 22!). There is no better example to follow in the fine art of connecting people with the truth than Jesus Himself!
Scott's Blog - 4/20/06
On SRL we are often asked what the Bible has to say about dinosaurs.
Usually this comes up after a skeptic points to the T-Rex and company as proof positive the Bible can’t be trusted.
There are a lot of people who believe that it is an undisputed fact of science that dinosaurs lived at least 65 million years ago. They confidently assert that the only time people and dinosaurs ever interacted was on the set of Jurassic Park!
Doesn’t the scientifically verified age of these amazing creatures show that the message of the Bible isn’t true, or at the very least, isn’t to be taken seriously in our scientific age?
Before you raise the white flag and vow never to share your faith again, consider an amazing discovery made earlier this year.
There is no plausible explanation yet offered to explain how dinosaur flesh could be preserved for 65 million years.
But there is a Biblical insight that fits nicely.
Could it be possible that fossils, laid down in beds, as if these creatures died suddenly and were deposited piled upon one another, point not to millions of years of gradual process, but to a sudden calamity – like the global flood of Genesis 6-9?
Could it be that references to creatures like the behemoth and the leviathan of Job 40 and 41 point to a time when dinosaurs and men shared this same earth?
Could it also be true that discoveries like preserved flesh in the bones of a T-Rex support the idea that the death of these creatures was far more recent than 65 million years ago?
CS Lewis once said that he believed in the message of the Bible like he believed the sun had risen. Not just because he saw it, but that also by it he saw everything else clearly.
Don’t let anyone sell you on the idea that the Bible may be true spiritually, but not historically. Consider the words of Jesus –
Most assuredly I say to you, We speak what we know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? (John 3:11-12)
Scott's Blog - 4/19/06
Let the buyer beware!
In Roman times there was a saying that every wise trader kept in the back of his mind when entering the market place – Caveat emptor! –or - Let the buyer beware!
I can’t help but think this piece of advice is still on target today when we find ourselves channel surfing through the marketplace of ideas.
When I access the Internet or turn on television looking for news, I bring with me the notion that the people who produce the programs I watch actually know what they are talking about. Every now and then, that faith gets shaken.
Last week we saw a major spiritual dust up surrounding the National Geographic Society’s release of a manuscript of The Gospel of Judas, purported to tell us “the secret teachings of Jesus.”
Naturally, the cable talk shows jumped all over this story. One discussion that really caught my eye was conducted on Fox news Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor.
Consider the expert analysis offered in this discussion with Roman Catholic priest and author James Martin:
O’REILLY: Now, the gospel isn’t history, is it?
MARTIN: This gospel is probably not history.
O’REILLY: No gospel is history.
MARTIN: Right. The gospels are written — they’re trying to tell us...
O’REILLY: They’re lessons, yes.
MARTIN: Well, I mean, but they’re based on — I mean, parts of the gospels are telling, you know, factual stories of what these people saw and are reported. But, you know, remember, it’s oral tradition, and then they’re written down. And so we...
O’REILLY: No historian — I don’t know any theologians who take this as literal history.
MARTIN: Right. You can’t look at them as literal history.
O’REILLY: You can’t. Because if you look, if you compare Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they all have different interpretations of what happened.
MARTIN: Right. But you do get the general outlines of what Jesus did...
O’REILLY: The flavor of it.
MARTIN: And more than that. You get stories that seem to be — you know, in all the Gospels that seem to have some sort of historical basis in fact.
O’REILLY: Well, Tacitus and Josephus, the Roman historian and the Hebrew historian both chronicle the death of Jesus and the trial in front of Pilate, and the Sanhedrin. So he we know it happened.
MARTIN: Right. And that’s in the Gospel.
O’REILLY: That’s in the Gospels, too.
MARTIN: As well as with other things.
O’REILLY: But then when you go out with the loaves and fishes, and some people 8,000 and there were 16 lepers and there were eight. And Nicodemus is in a tree. No, he’s on a roof.
Look, the Judas story for me is don’t betray people for money. That’s the Judas story, is it not?
Although Bill O’Reilly declares that the Gospels are not historically accurate, the people closest to the events tell a different story. Writing 30 years after the events, Simon Peter wrote these stunning words –
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. (II Peter 1:16)
The New Testament writer were not trying to relate philosophy when they wrote, but were bearing witness to actual historical events that can be verified or falsified. So confident were the disciples that they were relating the facts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that they were willing to stake their lives on their report.
The question is, do we take our views on the New Testament from the primary documents themselves, or the amazingly sloppy recollections of Biblical events presented by Bill O’Reilly?
When did Nicodemus ever climb a tree? You would think a commentator with a national audience would know his subject well enough to discern the difference between Nicodemus (John 3) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19).
Whenever I hear commentators making obvious errors concerning subjects I know something about, it always makes me nervous regarding their pronouncements on issues I don’t know much, or anything about.
The bottom line is, there is a better place to gain perspective on spiritual issues than the media we have today. It is called the Bible.
Dr. Luke wrote:
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. (Luke 1:1-4)
When it comes to our view of the New Testament we have a choice concerning what we will buy into today - Eyewitnesses and certainty? Or speculation and sophistry?
Let the buyer beware!
Scott's Blog - 4/18/06
“By May 29th, every person who is identified as a serious believer in Jesus Christ will personally be asked hard questions about their faith.”
Josh McDowell, the pioneer of battlefield apologetics was our guest on SRL today. Those who have read his incredibly influential books like “More Than A Carpenter” or “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict” know that Josh is no stranger to the fine art of giving a reason for the hope that is in us.
Josh made the prediction above in response to the release of The DaVinci Code in theaters this coming May. This murder mystery tries to make the case that true Christianity was really all about goddess worship. The “real teaching” of Jesus was censored by mad monks and corrupt clerics at the behest of the male chauvinist Roman Emperor Constantine.
A moment’s research can show multiple faults, flaws and fabrications in this theory. But millions of people have been influenced by Dan Brown’s novel. Many more will be impacted by the movie version to be released in May. How can we be ready for the tough questions that we will be asked regarding the real deal?
Josh has put together a page turning response to the challenge of the DaVinci Code. Called The DaVinci Code- A Quest For Answers, this easy to follow booklet follows a series of conversations generated by a group of college students sharing a cup of coffee following the movie. I believe it will not only equip each of us to be prepared to answer real questions we are sure to face this summer, but also deepen your confidence in the faith that was once for all delivered to us. (Jude 3)
Check out Josh’s resources and get ready for some exciting times ahead!
Scott's Blog - 4/17/06
Have you ever noticed that news tends to run in cycles? One week it’s global warming. The next, we hear endless debates on Iraq and the war on terror. Then, some natural disaster takes center stage.
This last 10 days it seems we have been hit by “Hurricane Unbelief”.
First, we heard that Jesus didn’t really walk on water.
Then, The New York Times declared that Biblical Creationism had been refuted.
Then, National Geographic proclaimed Judas was really the good guy in the ministry of Jesus.
What are we to make of this?
To paraphrase Dickens, this is a “best of times, worst of times” situation.
The down side is that many will take these bold pronouncements at face value. The undecided about Christ will find further reason to remain on the fence. The skeptical will slap each other on the backs. The weak in faith will wonder if the Jesus they follow is really what they have thought Him to be.
But, believe it or not, there is an up side.
The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17)
Was Jesus walk on water “disproven”? Consider some factors our friends at FSU didn’t take into account.
Why would the disciples “cry out in fear” if they saw someone walking on ice? (Matthew 14:26)
If the key to misunderstanding the event was the distance involved, how far away was Jesus from the disciples?
Would they have gotten this wrong if He was within eyesight on a stormy night between 3 and 6 am (Matthew 14:26)?
Within earshot in the midst of a storm (Matthew 14:27)?
Within an arms reach (Matthew 14:31)?
Close enough to get in the boat itself? (Matthew 14:32)
You get the picture. Theories and conjectures are fine, but they must yield to the facts as reported by eyewitnesses.
Was the discovery of the “Tiktaalik” fossil the death knell of Biblical creationism?
An insightful analysis is found on the Answers in Genesis web site.
Is the Gospel of Judas a breakthrough in our understanding of the real story of Jesus?
There was a time when the goal of journalism was to present the who, what, when, where and why of daily events in as unbiased a manner as possible. These days it seems that it is fashionable to approach each new story with an axe to grind. Even the selection of the stories that make the headlines and lead the newscasts seem to be arranged to make a point, to persuade, to form opinion. One of the best ways to move the polls seems to be to throw so many stories with the same viewpoint at the public that there really isn’t time for the other side to take a breath, let alone express a reasoned response. Even when faulty logic, fuzzy thinking or outright fallacies are exposed, the retraction is found on page 17C, right under the two for one ads for motor oil.
On SRL, you will often hear a particularly important quote from the book of Acts Chapter 17:11Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Here is the upside of living in times when even the basic teachings of Jesus are under assault. There are answers! Solid responses to even the most intimidating questions of the day that hold their ground not just in the friendly confines of the church, but in the market place of ideas as well.
Keep questioning the conventional wisdom of the day. Keep digging into the timeless wisdom of God’s Word. Keep praying that the Lord will lead us into truth and give us the opportunities to share with others! It’s a great time to know the love of Jesus!