Dear Roger, Why do I spend so much money? I’m trying hard to minimize my spending, but I always seem to spend everything that I make. My credit card debts are increasing every month. I’d like to have money to give to people in need and to support special ministries, but I never have enough. I’m getting farther and farther behind. Can you help? Sincerely, Kristi Dear Kristi, Rest assured; you are not the only one who struggles with overspending. George Barna research (or other surveys like it), reveal that 90% of Americans have less than $1000 in savings. In other words, like you, most people spend everything they make. The problem is what the Bible identifies as “Mammon” (Matthew 6:24) or “Materialism”, or perhaps “ Money”. Let me share some symptoms of the sin of materialism: Overspending Compulsive buying Being discontent with what we have Holding on to more wealth than we need (hoarding) Failing to give God the “top portion” of our income Spending everything we make and saving nothing for the future Borrowing money for depreciating items Cheating on our income tax Using a credit card and not paying off, or not being able to pay off the balance completely at the end of the month Not having enough space to store all our stuff Getting nervous or upset when the pastor preaches about money Materialism is the sin of thinking of ourselves as owners rather than as managers of God’s wealth. Materialism is the sin of trusting in money to take care of our future needs, instead of trusting in God. You know, Kristi, we can turn on the TV at any time of the day or night; we can get into a conversation with almost anybody on the street or at school or at work; we can pick up any newspaper or almost any book; or we can go to any movie and we are being programmed to think like materialists. We are being programmed to seek a higher standard of living than we now have… to borrow money for depreciating items… to spend now and save later… to buy things that we do not need. Unfortunately, it is happening automatically. We don’t have to do a thing to become a materialist. Materialism is all around us. WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT MATERIALISM ? Paul answers that question in 1 Timothy 6:6-10: "But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1. Materialism Impedes Our Ability To Be Content. "Godliness with contentment equals great wealth,” is perhaps the most succinct statement describing the Biblical philosophy of money. Regarding contentment, “food and clothing” refer to the bare essentials of life. This is another way of saying, “Don’t put your emphasis on the things of this life.” Putting the emphasis of our lives on earthly things is to miss the point of life because we are going to leave it all here when we die. We can take none of it with us. Paul is making the point that for the Christian, life is moving toward eternity – not toward later life on this earth. So often we think of life as moving toward retirement or later life. It is moving toward eternity. 2. We Can Be Materialists Without Having Any Material. “Want to get rich” is one word in the original Greek. We might better translate this as “eager for money”. It is a Greek word which means to “stretch out in order to grasp something. It describes the Christian who is reaching out after material wealth. Our problem is not the possession of wealth. Our problem is the reaching out and grasping after it. It doesn’t matter whether wealth is sticking to your fingers or slipping through them. The issue is, What is your attitude toward it? Do you long for it? Do you grasp for it? If so, you will be stymied from ever going on to spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ. 3. Grasping After Wealth Sets Into Motion A Spiritual Retrogression. “The faith” here is the Christian faith. This is the doctrinal truth as contained in the Bible. “Eagerness for money” will cause folks to wander away from the faith. Some will actually lose their faith while others will see their spiritual growth decimated. 4. Materialism Results In Christians “Piercing” Themselves With Misery And Grief. “Pierced themselves” literally means “to put on a spit”. You know what a spit is? You put a raw piece of meat on a spit and then rotate it over an open fire until it is equally roasted all the way around. I want you to get the picture portrayed here. Instead of putting a piece of chicken or beef on a spit, suppose you put a live human being on the spit and roast him or her on an open fire. Perhaps the fire might be made of the very material things that he/she chased after? This is a metaphorical picture of a person torturing his own soul. Believers who are guilty of being eager for money will ultimately end up being tortured in their own souls. I know of Christians who are being tortured emotionally, mentally, financially, and physically. If we trace all of it back, it leads right back to the sin of materialism. 5. Materialism Has Spawned Every Sin In The Catalog. Have you ever heard, “Money is the root of all evil?” The Bible doesn’t say that! The New International Version translates this as, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” If our trend toward materialism continues, our sin natures can run in any direction and produce any brand of sin imaginable in our lives. HOW TO CONQUER MATERIALISM 1. We Put Into Practice The Four Pillars Of Good Biblical Economics. Only when these four are in place will God be able to bless our finances. A. We Tithe 10% Of Our Income To The Lord (Luke 11:42). “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Note that Jesus Himself reiterated the importance of giving a tithe (10%) of our income to the Lord. This is not optional. Some use Second Corinthians Chapters Eight and Nine to teach that grace giving has supplanted the need to give a tithe. However, Paul was not talking in these passages about the tithe, he was encouraging them to be generous in giving to people in need. These gifts are over and above our tithing. B. We pay our taxes to the government (Romans 13:6-7). "This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. . . . If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue . . . “ C. We Have A Positive Cash Flow. In Other Words, We Make More Than We Spend ( Proverbs 21-20). “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all that he has.” D. We are saving for the future (Proverbs: 6-8). “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” 2. The Only Antidote For Materialism Is A Continuous Deprogramming-Reprogramming Process Whereby The Rotten, Materialistic, Human Viewpoint In Our Minds Can Be Flushed Out And Replaced By The Divine Eternal Truth Of The Word Of God (1 Timothy 6:11). We must be deprogrammed from being worldly materialists and be reprogrammed into becoming godly nonmaterialists. 3. We Must Understand And Admit That We Have A Problem. We will never gain victory until we take this step and most Christians never get past this step. It involves a confession and repentance on our knees before God for this sin in our heart. 4. We Must Make A Heart Commitment To Serve God Rather Than Money For The Rest Of Our Lives. The process of learning to think Biblically begins at a point in time when we make a heart decision to serve God rather than money. 5.  We Must Mount A Prayer Vigil. We need to pray every day that God will deliver us once and forever from materialism. 6. We Must Saturate Our Minds With What God’s Word Teaches About Money. 7. Consider becoming involved with a Christian financial, money-management program. For example, Crown Ministries is available online, or better yet, there is probably already a Crown Seminar being taught in a church near you. We’ve used crown in our church for years and watched scores of people become debt free and finally in control of their money. Kristi, let me share one final thought. The sin of materialism is something of which we Christians ought to be afraid. You and I have every legitimate reason to be scared to death of this sin. It will literally ruin our lives. Thanks for your letter. I hope my response is helpful. Let me know how things are coming along. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, I live in California now. There is a man in our church who is a high school teacher, teaches Sunday school and is quite respected in the church community. He has been living with one of my close friends for five years. I know from my friend that their relationship is sexual. It really bothers me that he teaches the children when he is not living a Christian lifestyle. There are social occasions (mixed not all Christian groups) when he actually mocks the church and the new minister. What should I do? Sometimes I think I should do nothing then other times I feel enraged at his boldness. Your advice please. Dear Need Advice. What a sad situation. Having a live-in girl friend is one thing. Having a live-in girlfriend and putting on the church face while being sexually involved and unmarried is simply disgusting. I’m sorry you are in the position you are in; however, consider that God has placed you here “for such a time as this” You could be hurt before all of this is over. So, be careful. I’ll try to give you a Biblical understanding of how to proceed while minimizing your personal exposure. I see two approaches. Which one you choose has to do with your level of spiritual maturity. The Galatians 6:1 model outlined by Paul is best for those who are young in the faith. The Matthew 18 model enunciated by Jesus is best for those farther along in their spiritual journey. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” The sins of your girlfriend and her boyfriend are not for you to fix. This is an issue for “those who are spiritual” I consider these to be the church leaders (although, some may not seem or be very spiritual).Once you’ve shared your concerns with the elders, back away and leave the fixing to the church leaders. On the other hand, if you are well along in your Christian maturity, then consider following the guidelines set forth by Jesus. He taught in Matthew 18:15-17: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” Let’s focus on your girl friend who told you what was going on. It may be that the reason she told you is because she’s feeling convicted of her sin and is looking for a way out. Talk to her; lead her to confess and repent of her sin and find forgiveness from God. If she moves out and stops committing sexual sin then you have “won over your sister.” If no change occurs, then we will need to get that info to the church leaders soon. What do we do about the sinning Christian man? By the way, he is guilty of several sins: sex outside of marriage; blasphemy and hypocrisy—among others. You deal with him in the same way that you dealt with your girl friend. Let’s be honest, the chance of the man responding well is miniscule unless the Holy Spirit has already been breaking his heart. Nevertheless, they both need an opportunity to stop sinning and correct their hearts and behaviors before any one else needs to be involved. Jesus then said in Matthew 18:16: “But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” The spiritual maturity needed to take several others to confront the sinning couple—and do it well—is incredibly difficult. Most Christians stumble here. It is just too painful and embarrassing. Jesus concluded in Matthew 15:17: “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” At this point I would definitely step aside and allow the elders to do their work of confrontation and restoration. As a pastor we never told the “whole church” about the sinful behavior and refusal to repent which culminates in church discipline. Information is extended only to those over whom he had personal ministry. We considered this to be his “church”. Since he was being asked to leave the church we had to tell those he led why he was no longer in leadership. This stopped all sorts of rumors. By the way, in implementing this final step, remember how Jesus treated the “pagans and sinners”. He loved them. May God make the correct approach path so clear that you can’t miss it. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, What does Scripture say about Christians and Bankruptcy? Cheryl Dear Cheryl, I hope you are just curious and not personally facing the specter of bankruptcy. If you are, let me say from the outset that I grieve for you. Financial difficulties can be merciless. I am glad you asked this question. Many are now facing the crisis of their lives while enduring this present economic shaking. On the surface, the Bible answer seems simple: “The wicked borrow and do not repay but the righteous give generously (Psalm 37:21). So, bankruptcy is wrong and we must repay our debts at any price to us personally. However, we know that how we handle money is never simple. The Bible has much more to say about bankruptcy. For example, interest is not to exceed one percent. Nehemiah said to the returning Israelites, "I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them" ( Nehemiah 5:10,11 ). The Talmud quotes an ancient rabbi as saying, “It is better to sell your daughter into slavery than to borrow money at interest.” Personally, I would hate to be his daughter! The Lord only knows what this rabbi would say today if confronted with credit cards that charged interest rates of 34.99% and with some “pay day” lenders demanding annual rates in excess of 2,000%. The word “usury” as used in the Bible corresponds to out present-day word, “interest.” We use “usury” to describe excessive interest. God strongly condemned those who abused the poor through financial exploitation (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35-37). God declared in Ezekiel 18:13: “If he has exacted usury or taken increase—Shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, He shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him.” Following the lead of our federal government many Americans spend with abandon and end up in miserable financial bondage. The government handles their debt problem by printing more money—and going deeper and deeper into debt. Since we can’t print money (without getting into a whale of a lot of trouble) we turn to bankruptcy laws to protect us from creditors. “Irresponsible” doesn’t begin to describe those who are head-over-heals in debt for frivolous things—many of whom take out second mortgages to pay for their toys. When we max out multiple credit cards to pay for the latest gadgets we are more than financially irresponsible, we are materialistic worshippers of the god of this world (Luke 13:16). I’ve noticed a prevailing attitude among those guilty of poor financial management . They try to work out a way to walk away from their indebtedness with minimal repayment while trying to arrange it so that all future earnings are “off limits” to their creditors. Of course in today’s economy many are facing financial ruin through no fault of their own. Many unexpected circumstances are far beyond their control—like mounting medical bills or the downturn in the housing market that leaves them so “upside down” that they have no choice but to walk away from their mortgage or short sell their house back to the bank. Is it morally, ethically, or Biblically wrong for Christians to turn to declare bankruptcy? No. Let’s look together at some of the Bible teachings. First, the Bible does not prohibit all borrowing. Jesus’ testimony regarding borrowing and lending basically settles the validity of the issue. He declared in Matthew 5:42: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Also, in Matthew 25: 27 He disparaged the one talent servant for not entering an agreement with a bank to gain some interest: “So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.” In Luke 6:34-36 Jesus talked about lending and borrowing in the context of Christian love and self-submission: “And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Second, bankruptcy in the Bible is mostly dealt with caring for the poor. The idea of the middle class needing financial relief is foreign to the Scriptures (There was no middle class in Israel at that time.). Lending was usually to help those who were in severe bind. The credit regulations of scripture were not intended to buttress the sort of unrestrained spending for the accumulation of unneeded luxuries that is so characteristic of today’s culture. Third, money lent to family and relatives was to be freely given without interest. Fourth, God provided for debt relief every seven years. At the end of every seven years all debts throughout all of Israel were canceled: “This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you (Deuteronomy 15:1-3). This seventh year debt forgiveness is a strong precedent that bankruptcy is not necessarily morally or ethically wrong. Fifth, the bankruptcy laws in our country go a long way toward balancing the needs of both lender and borrower. The name of the game is fairness. The goal is to minimize the losses incurred by both lender and creditor. The creditor has a reasonable right to certain assets of the debtor. With Biblical precedence our bankruptcy laws have the benevolent intent that the debtor can recover from his hardship and enjoy a fresh start. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is most prominently used by corporate entities to gain protection from their creditors in an effort to reorganize in such a way as to allow the corporation to continue and eventually pay back as much debt as is possible. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows for private individuals (mostly) to restructure their debt payment schedule so as to make it more manageable. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is specifically designed to help people who have high unsecured debts like medical bills, credit card debt and unsecured personal loans. Chapter 7 governs the process of liquidating (selling) a debtor's nonexempt property and distributing the proceeds to creditors. In most Chapter 7 cases, the filing goes into effect immediately, stopping creditors and debt collectors in their tracks, while enabling debtor’s to retain some control of their assets. Well, Cheryl, I hope my answer helps to give a biblical foundation to some of your thoughts in this area. I have mentioned only a few biblical concepts and passages about bankruptcy. However, I have endeavored to give you some sort of helpful overview of the issues involved. May God bless you and your finances with good days ahead. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, There is nothing wrong with using drugs. We're allowed to do whatever we want. God forgives us and we're going to heaven. Every Christian I ever met agrees. That's the good news. People who try go to hell. I'm a Christian so I go to heaven no matter what I do, just like it says in Genesis 3:4. Good news, since I'm a drug addict, watch child pornography, and steal from my job, so what? I'm a Christian! Carol Dear Carol, I am reminded of a little sarcastic "ditty" that my Baylor theology professor shared whenever someone argued that because we are Christians we can sin all we want and still get forgiveness: "Oh happy day! What great condition! Sin all I want And still get remission!" Paul said it like this: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:1-4). The purpose of grace and forgiveness is not that we have a "get out of jail" card to play whenever we proceed with some sin. The purpose of grace and forgiveness is that our dastardly sins can be wiped up and tossed away so that we can live a "new" life in Christ. So, Carol, I will have to disagree with you. Those who think that it is OK to sin--just because they expect God to forgive them-- have another think coming! So, let's think again. An easy attitude toward sin results from an inadequate experience of what Paul refers to as godly sorrow: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). Let me illustrate: Godly sorrow means that we begin to see our sin as Jesus sees us doing them and it's breaking His heart. My wife, Julie, is clueless about where she leaves her keys--and sometimes even her car. I get tired of calls from the mall: "Roger, I am at the mall. Someone has stolen the car. Should I call the police?" "OK," I say, "let's think about this. Maybe you just misplaced it. Which parking lot did you park in?" "I don't remember." "Do you remember which door you went in?" "No." "What was the first store you visited?" "I can't remember." "OK, this is hard, but think carefully, was the sun coming in the front or back window of the car when you turned in? One of the side windows perhaps?" "Roger, you're not helping. She is a little better with her keys--and you can imagine that keys are a lot easier to lose and harder to find than cars. Countless times I've been called back to the church to pick her up and take her home because she can't find her car keys. One day I'd had enough. I pulled into the church lot and parked beside her car. There were her keys, laying on the front seat of the locked car. "It's happened again," I thought. "I'll get the call tonight around about 10 p.m., right after orchestra rehearsal: "I can't find my keys; can you come get me?" Well, that was the last straw. I unlocked the car; picked up the keys; and headed for the church sanctuary where she was rehearsing a dozen young violinists for a performance on Sunday morning. I stormed down the aisle, stood over Julie, and shouted angrily, "Do you know where I found these!? No, of course you don't. You left them locked on the front seat of the car. What am I going to have to do? Put them on a rope and hang them around your neck? I threw the keys on the keyboard, turned on my heals, stormed angrily back out of the sanctuary and headed to my office to work on my sermon for Sunday--on 1 Corinthians 13--on love. No joke. I was wasting my time in working on that sermon. I was feeling overwhelmed with guilt and shame at the way I had just treated Julie. I returned to the church sanctuary and asked Julie, "Will you please forgive me?" Well, fortunately, she was a pastor's wife and she has to forgive. "I forgive you", she said. I felt better as I walked back to my office. But, I didn't feel great. In fact, I was miserable. The problem was that I had hurt her ten gallons worth of hurt and I was only asking for a pints worth of forgiveness. It was time to enter into that God calls "godly sorrow". I closed my eyes and replayed the scene as I imagine Jesus was watching my behavior. I saw Him watching from the sidelines as I stormed down the aisle shaking those keys. He sees Julie turn with fear in her eyes as I come at her waiving those keys. He sees the fear in Julie's face as I am abusing my wife. He sees the anger and bitterness in my heart and it is breaking His heart. He begins to weep for Julie. She flinches as I shake the keys in her face; of course she does. I outweigh her by at least 100 pounds. Jesus turns His attention to the dozen little violinists. I hadn't even noticed them before--their mouths agape. They had never seen their pastor act like this! Some are still in therapy. They were stunned. Jesus was deeply disappointed. Had I shaken someone's faith? Probably so. My attitude changed as I looked from Christ's perspective. I began to weep as I saw before my eyes the pain and hurt that I had inflicted on at least thirteen people. I remembered that Paul tells us in Ephesians five that as a husband, my job is to lay down my life for my wife, just as Christ laid down his life for His church. My behavior said no love, I felt like I was crucifying her. Look at this verse: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Forgiveness doesn't mean that I can sin all I want and still get remission. Forgiveness means that I try to enter into the sufferings of Christ and begin to see my sin from His perspective. Only then am I ready to confess my sin, seek forgiveness and allow Christ to restore my to intimate fellowship with Him. One problem with sin is that it impairs our ability to live the powerful, intimate, spirit-filled life; indwelt but the power of god. The prescription for cleansing is 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confess means “to agree with,” or to “speak the same thing as.” What it means is that I am to say the same about my sin as God says. What does God say about my sin? It causes Him pain; my sin drove nails in His and feet. I was humbled and deeply saddened to realize that if my sins of abuse, anger, rejection and bitterness toward Julie were the only sins ever committed in the entire history of the world, Jesus would still have died on the cross just for me. Now it is time to talk with Julie--and not before. I come to ask forgiveness for how I treated her. I recount step by step the sins I committed against her and the children. I talk about how much I have hurt her and how sorry I am for the hurt and pain I have inflicted upon her. Soon, she begins to cry and she is actually in a position where she can honestly forgive me. It is hard for Julie to forgive ten gallons worth of hurt when I was asking only for a pint's worth of forgiveness. Godly sorrow allows me to request ten gallons worth of forgiveness. Godly sorrow not only gives us an insight into the pain sin brings to God's heart, it is the key to restoring the relationships we mar when we sin. Carol, the idea that I can sin all I want is a short sighted minimizing of the devastation of sin. It cost Jesus His life. It costs us relationships with others. How can we treat it lightly?" Paul summed up the sad, misguided idea that it is OK to sin with impunity in Ephesians 4:30: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption". Well, Carol, I hope that my thoughts are helpful. I also hope that these biblical values and concepts will reorder you perspective about sinning all you want just because you are forgiven. May God bless you with great days of pure and holy living. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, We live in an age of Blamers. Won’t anybody stand up and admit they are guilty without making excuses! We were discussing this in my small group and we wondered, “What does the Bible say about blaming others for our problems?” Sincerely, Dan Dear Dan, The problem is that we have disconnected rights from responsibilities. People are fixated on their rights; but, have a shriveled sense of responsibility. As a result, if they don’t get what they want, they assume it must be somebody else’s fault. “Don’t blame me!” The classic biblical teaching regarding dodging blame is Exodus 32. We find here the story of Aaron and the golden calf. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, Aaron was busy making Israel a god they could see like those in Egypt! After all, it’s easier to worship a visible God than one who can’t be seen! Jehovah God was more than a little angry because of their sin and blasphemy. The key passage is Exodus 32:24: “So I told them, ‘whoever has any gold jewelry take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf !” “DON’T BLAME ME! IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” A growing compulsion of all Americans of all creeds, colors, incomes, young or old, the sickly or the robust, the guilty as well as the innocent, is to ascribe to themselves the status of victim so that whatever is wrong, incomplete, or just plain unpleasant is someone else’s fault. In an incredible series of recent cases, some men injured themselves in refrigerator races in which large, usually beefy guys, strapped refrigerators to their backs to see who could can run the fastest and the farthest. They argued that the warnings against carrying these appliances were insufficient. They claimed that it was the manufacturer’s fault! The refrigerators should have carried warnings that strapping refrigerators to your back and racing could be injurious to your health. Thirty years ago, when that refrigerator was manufactured, it might never have occurred to someone who hurt his back to sue the manufacturer. But times have changed. “Don’t blame me!” AARON AND THE GOLDEN CALF Exodus 32 records one of the darkest points in Israel’s history. The plagues that Jehovah rained down on the Egyptians did not touch Israel. Six weeks earlier they exited Egypt to freedom. The Red Sea had split. Pharaoh’s army was wiped out before their eyes! He fed them manna and quail and brought them water from a rock! How quickly they forgot. The people began to rant and rave: “Make us a god we can see.” This is not such a strange request. God is a spirit; he can’t be seen. Worshiping a single invisible God is quite different from worshiping the many gods of Egypt. Statues and idols dedicated to the Egyptian’s gods were everywhere. The most significant god visible to the Egyptians was Apis, the bull god. The Israelites had seen Apis and noticed its power. In Memphis, Egypt, the temple which was sacred to Apis worship was discovered in 1850. Close nearby were mummy pits in which no fewer than 1200 bull mummies were found. Against this background, the Israelites demanded a bull. On such a day we all have the opportunity to stand as a man or woman of integrity. Any dead fish can flow down the stream with the crowd. Aaron was flowing downstream with the current. So, Aaron made a golden calf. It probably had a wooden center and was overlaid with gold. The people partied! A scene far more voluptuous than I care to deal with in public broke out. It was a time of drunkenness, debauchery, and wicked sexual sin. The climax came when Moses made his way down the mountain. The two brothers, Moses and Aaron stood face-to-face. “Why did you do it, Aaron? Why?” “Now, look here, Moses, all I did was throw the gold into the fire and out jumped this calf. Don’t blame me.” We haven’t failed until we start blaming someone else. Trying to get out from under all of this, Aaron took a course as old as time. He went back to the garden. Confronted with this sin, he exclaimed, “The woman which you gave me; it was her fault.” Eve said, “The servant beguiled me.” It was his fault. WE BLAME OTHERS. WE BLAME CIRCUMSTANCES! WE BLAME SOCIETY. “Don’t push me, Moses, or I’ll blame the people. It’s their fault.” “Moses, it was the crowd, the circumstances, the fire, the system, the school, the government, the administration. They are the problem.” The trend today is that the victims of “social injustice” should not be held accountable for the wrongs they do. In the famous “Twinkie Defense,” Dan White, who killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, argued that he was a victim of temporary insanity brought about by eating junk food. WE ARE OFTEN THE CREATORS OF THE VERY ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE TRY TO BLAME ON OTHERS. We jump in a current flowing the wrong way and somewhere we hit a snag. Who’s to blame? Certainly not us! It’s the rock or the stream. “It wasn’t my fault! The current pushed me that way!” But, we forget that it’s we who jumped in the river. FIRE ONLY HARDENS WHAT WE PUT IN. Aaron made the golden calf. The fire only hardened what he put in. I’ve heard fathers say in so many words, “Don’t blame me. I put my son into the world and this is what came out. The world did it.” Unfortunately, these men forget that the world only hardens what they have already fashioned. Americans are developing an aversion to risk; but that is an incomplete picture. Americans are willing to take risks. They are willing to do stupid and dangerous things like holding refrigerator races. What they’re not willing to do is accept the consequences of their actions. WHAT AM I TO DO? 1. Always Tell The Truth. Truth is like a lion. Set it free and it can always defend itself. In the long run, telling the truth will always be better than telling lies. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). 2. If You’re Guilty, Stop Making Excuses. Most people will quickly forgive those who take responsibility for their actions when they say “I’m sorry. I did it.” “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me”’ (Luke 14:18). In an age when everyone wants to make an excuse, admit what you’ve done wrong and stop talking. Put a period right there. 3. If You’re Wrong,  Admit It And Accept The Consequences. In a culture of “cover-ups,” people are more likely to forgive us if we’ll just admit that we’ve done wrong. Instead, we fool no one by spouting a bundle of lies. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover-up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:1-11). 4. Have A Humble Attitude Like The Disciples When Jesus Revealed That One Of Them Would Betray Him: “Lord, is it I?” This calls for humility. No one is above sin. “When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”’ They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, Lord, ‘Is it I?”’ (Matthew 26:20-22). 5. Now Enjoy The Delights Of A Clean Conscience. We confess our sins to God in order to receive his forgiveness so that our conscience is clean with God. We are to keep our consciences clear by obeying God and keeping our relationship with Him in good standing. We do this by the application of His Word, renewing and softening our hearts continually. “Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear is and desire to live honorably in every way” (Hebrews 13:18). “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Well, Dan, I hope this helps. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, Who are Gog and Magog in  Ezekiel 38-39  and what do they have to do with the last days? Sincerely, Christopher Dear Christopher, I would be delighted to give you some thoughts regarding Gog and Magog. Let me begin by spelling out several caveats. First:  God has not chosen to give us all of the details regarding the end times. Second:  as we read about Gog and Magog in  Ezekiel 38-39 , we discover that understanding the biblical material is quite difficult. I’m going to do my best to synthesize these biblical teachings as simple as possible. Third:  I have used modern names for the territories involved. When we’re talking about “Gog and Magog” we’re talking about a leader in the land of Russia. Note that 500 years from now, if Christ delays, “Gog and Magog” from the North (Russia) will have another name that fits another time. Fourth:  the main reason that God encourages us to study prophecy is to lay a foundation for holy living. We need to have our lives cleaned up and ready when the trumpet sounds. Fifth:  “Live as if Christ is coming back in the next 10 minutes. Plan as if he’s not coming for another thousand years.” Many wonder if Russia will have any part to play in the last days? The answer is a resounding “yes.” We find the answer in  Ezekiel 38-39 . Identifying God, Magog, and the Kings of the North and South Ezekiel 38:1-2: The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were all sons of Japheth, who was one of the three sons of Noah. Jepheth and his family migrated to the area of modern-day Russia ( Genesis 10:2-3 ). Gog is a person who rules over the land of Magog (Russia). Magog means the "Prince of Rosh." (Gog) Rosh is the old root word for the land of Russia. God informs Gog and Magog in  Ezekiel 38:15 ,  "You will come from your place in the far North” (the Hebrew word means "the uttermost part of the North."  What's north of Jerusalem?  Moscow. What is north Russia? Nothing. Meshech is the old name for the capital of Western Russia, which is known today as Moscow. Tubal is identified as a city in Siberia. Gog (Russia) is the King of the North. The King of the South is an Arab-African coalition. Ezekiel 38:5-6  identifies the rest of the nations that are dragged into battle between Gog and Magog, versus the Kings of the South:Persia, “ Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets,also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.” Persia is a reference to modern-day Iran. Cush describes present-day Ethiopia and the black nations of Central Africa. Put and Libya are located in northern Africa. Gomer is the people who settled in Germany. Beth Togarmah is Asia Minor and Turkey. Note: these nations will basically align with Russia in battles against the King of the South and later on the  Antichrist . Sometime before the beginning of the seven-year tribulation, the King of the South (an African-Arab coalition described in  Daniel 11 ) moves to invade Israel. The African-Arab coalition initially has the upper hand, but is ultimately defeated by the King of the North (Russia). After a short time of peace, seeing an opportunity to enhance their domination, Gog and Magog (Russia and its Leader) proceed with their own invasion of Israel. However, God has no intention of allowing Russia to take over the land of Israel. The Antichrist intercepts Gog and Magog and defeats them. Note that two battles are described here, separated by at least 2,500 years. Ezekiel 38-39  is what is known in biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) as a double fulfillment. The first battle is the maneuverings of the nations during Ezekiel’s time. The events of the first battle foreshadow the second battle describing the same movements predicted by Ezekiel which will occur in the latter days just before the seven-year tribulation begins. Speaking with hyperbole (a literary tool that exaggerates to make a point) God describes the devastating events of the battle between Magog, Gog and the Antichrist. Ezekiel 38:1-4: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[ Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army . . . Ezekiel 38:17-22: “At that time this is what will happen in that day. When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused. In my zeal and fiery wrath, . . . I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed.” Ezekiel 38:22-39:11: “I will pour down torrents of rain, hail stones, and burning sulfur on him and on his troops. . . The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the piece of the field, every creature, and all the people in the face of the earth will tremble at his presence. . . I will pour out torrents of rain, hail stones, and burning sulfur on him and on his troops . . . On that day, I give will give Gog the burial place in the Valley of those who travel east toward the sea it will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Haman Gog.” We see in these verses what seems to describe a nuclear holocaust. Fire and brimstone fall from the sky. The earth shakes. The faces of the invading  soldiers melt like hot wax. It takes Israel seven years to decontaminate the land. The burial of radiation contaminated men and women injures even more . Thousands of invading soldiers lie unburied. God sends the birds of the air to pluck the flesh right off their bodies ( Ezekiel 38:14  and 39:1-7. This sounds just like the grisly feast of God in  Revelation 19  at the Battle of Armageddon. Again, this passage is a double fulfillment. From Ezekiel’s day until the coming of the Romans in 70 A.D. Israel was decimated by nation after nation thus fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy regarding the future decimation of Israel. Then, we recognize that the above passages parallel the book of Revelation and the horrors of Armageddon. Now we understand that these passages are no longer hyperbole. This this is the second fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. The previously mentioned passages are literal words which describe the horrible events of the last days While Russia is destroyed by the Antichrist just before the seven-year tribulation begins, Gog and Magog will rearm and take part in the war of Armageddon. As a result of the war between the King of the North and the Antichrist, Israel is open to signing a seven-year-peace treaty with the Antichrist to protect them from other invasions. After three and half years the Antichrist breaks the peace treaty by invading Israel and all the horrors of the book of Revelation break forth over the earth. During the last days, God brings the armies of the Antichrist, Russia, the Middle East, the Arab-African coalition and China together in the Valley of Megiddo for the Battle of Armageddon. As Jesus returns he laughs at his enemies ( Psalm 2 ). At the Second Coming Jesus enters the fray and destroys the forces of the Antichrist, the King of the East and the king of the North as recorded in Zachariah14:12-13: “This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.” For hundreds of years, students of Bible prophecy have wondered what kind of plague could produce such instant ravaging of humans? Until the invention of  the atomic bomb, such a thing was not humanly possible. But now, everything Zechariah predicted can come true instantly in a thermonuclear exchange! By the way, at the Second Coming, the non-believing Jews of Israel will see the nail prints in Jesus’ hands, feet and side and realize that they crucified their Messiah. It will break their hearts. Many Jews will turn to Christ. Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit ]  of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” During that time God the Father invites anyone willing to come to Christ to “Kiss the Son” which is the Old Testament way of saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Many Jews will to the Christ. The Two Suppers of God at the End of Time Revelation 19:17-18: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”’ The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is described in  Revelation 19:9: “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”’ This is the marriage feast when Jesus, as the Bridegroom, takes His church for his Bride. It is a tremendous time of fellowship and praise. There is a word picture here and we all have a choice. We can enjoy the supper with Jesus or we can be the supper. Revelation chapters 20 through 22 wrap up the story with the destruction of Satan and his followers, the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, and the new Heaven and the new Earth. By the way, people often ask does the United States fit in prophecy? The United States is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. However, there is a reference in Revelation to an eagle which protects Israel during the last times. Of course, the eagle is a symbol for the United States. Revelation 12-14: “The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.” Of course, the United States has always been a friend and supporter of Israel. By God’s grace, we will stand by their side. If we ever turn against Israel we will suffer the same fate as the Antichrist and his forces. Well, Christopher, I hope this gives you some insight into Gog and Magog and to the extra material that I shared beyond your question that you may find helpful. May God bless you in your studies of the Book of Revelation and please remember that God promises a blessing for those who read it often.

Dear Roger, I've been a pastor for a decade. My church is growing. My spiritual life and my family is failing. I feel like I need to quit the ministry! Do you have any suggestions to survive the stress? Sincerely, A Tired Pastor Dear Tired Pastor, How do you survive in ministry? Let me tell you my story. The lessons I learned were hard-won, but I believe they helped me stay at the same church my whole ministry. 1. Get rid of your Messiah Complex. Behind the orange couch in our living room was as good a place as any to have a nervous breakdown. I phoned our head counselor and said, “It’s Saturday night and I am hiding behind the orange couch crying. This is not normal, is it?” “No,” he replied. “I’ve seen this coming for a long time and I’ve already made arrangements for you to talk to a Christian counselor. He’s waiting for your call.” As we sat for our third session Jerry said, “Today we are going to talk about your messiah complex.” “Messiah Complex! I don’t have a Messiah Complex!” “Don’t be so surprised. Most young ministers have one.” A Messiah Complex, for our purposes, has to do with a pastor’s misunderstanding of their dreams. They dream of a large successful ministry having accomplished great work for God. The extreme might reveal it self in thoughts like these: “God has called me to win this city for Christ!” A messiah complex may cause pastors to consider their call from Jesus so important that they are willing to sacrifice their spouses’ and children and health for the sake of the “call.” I discovered lurking within me was an enormous messiah complex. “I used to imagine that when I entered Heaven God would say something like this: “Oh Roger. I am so glad you are finally here! You did things that even Moses never did!” Was my complex pathetic, or what? I’ve worked to eliminate it from my life for over 35 years. Between you and me, I must be careful in saying this, but I think it is finally gone. By the way, about the age of 40-45 most pastors begin to see that their dreams just aren’t going to come true. How they handle this moment makes all the all the difference in the world. 2. Protect yourself. Jesus knew the importance of boundaries: “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (John 6:15). The exhausted Jesus—tired from teaching, preaching and healing all day often withdrew to refresh, regroup and pray. The Rock Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, includes a scene where the sick and dying are pushing and crowding around Jesus screaming, “Heal me” on and on and on. Then suddenly Jesus screamed back, “Leave me alone! Heal yourselves!” Immediately I thought, “Jesus never said that!” Then, I thought, but I wonder how often He felt like that?” Global Leadership Network talks often about the four gauges we must monitor: Emotional—Physical—Mental—Spiritual. When the “Check Engine” light brightens up the dash board, we don’t pull out a hammer and knock out the light. We find out what is wrong and fix it. Enough said. 3. Get your expectations in line with reality. Early in my ministry I was going to win the world to Jesus…. When that wasn’t happening I changed my focus to winning Tucson for Jesus. Soon, I saw that I couldn’t even win my street for Jesus We all have expectations that we intend to live up to. Like, “Today, I am going to visit patients in three different hospitals, spend four hours in sermon prep, have two counseling sessions and make fifteen calls to church members. The truth is, that will never happen—not enough time in the day. At seven o’clock, we are still working on our list when our spouse calls to see when (if) we are coming home. After all, she is tired from her work and has to make supper, feed the dogs, give the kids a bath, read them a story and tuck them in for the night. Can you imagine that she might need a little help! You feel frustrated. You only got to two hospitals; there was no time for sermon work; you only made 12 phone calls; and had to cancel one counseling session when the first ran way too long. Then, you had to go home and do family stuff that you never even put on your today list. No wonder you are frustrated. The distance between your expectations and reality is your frustration level. Stop trying to fix your frustration by working harder and faster. The key is to lower your expectations down to reality. The closer your expectations are to reality the less frustration you will have and you will be able to go home and bless your spouse and kids. 4. Spend more time with the energizers and less with drainers. Most people in our ministries are what I call neutrals. We know them by name and have casual conversations with them at church or in the community. They don’t really energize or drain us. Drainers, on the other hand, can suck the very life out of us. You go to their houses for dinner at 7:00 pm and three hours later you look at your watch and it’s really 7:35! You are in the presence of drainers. Energizers, on the other hand, bless us with companionship, encouragement, fun, and energy. You go to their houses for dinner and 35 minutes later you look at your watch and it is 11:25! Where did the time go? Your spouse says to you, as you get into the car, “Wow, that was a great night. I can hardly wait to be with them again!” You’ve just spent the evening with Energizers. Most pastors feel like the church people will get jealous if the pastor and spouse spend more time with one couple than another. Spend time with the neutrals and a little time with the drainers; but a significant amount of time with the energizers. I hate it when a drainer tries to dominate my time after church when I’m speaking to guests or trying to greet a number of people. I have a boundary in place that allows them three sentences before I break in and say, “Sandy, now is not a good time. I need to talk to some others, too.” I turn to the next person and go on. 5. Protect your Children. So, we were at a church pot luck dinner. My six-year-old daughter had eaten a cookie and she wanted another. She was reaching for a second when one of the church women pushed her hand away and said, “Don’t you know that we don’t want our pastor’s children to be fat.” Pastors’ kids have so little privacy. Too often they are sermon illustrations for an entire church to analyze. I was so excited the first time my three-year-old came to big church. She was sitting in the balcony with mom when I told a story on her from past week. I looked up and Brianna was gone. She was under the pew. As my daughters grew older we made a deal. Any sermon illustration about them must first be cleared with them. Then we bargained for how much the illustrations were worth. Was it a one dollar or three or five dollar illustration? Were we having three services or five? If she were lucky and the illustration was really good, she may come up with $5 times 5 services equals $25. I didn’t use those illustrations often. I couldn’t afford them! Pastors’ kids struggle with unfair or impossible expectations. Pastor’s Kids are forced ascetics. Pastors, as a general rule, don’t have much money. A youth pastor says to me, “My children’s friends all have the new King James sneakers (or Michael Jordan, or whom ever). All we can afford is a $10 pair of Bob Cousey’s.” Pastors’ kids struggle with the God issue. Many rebel. 32% never attend church again; 32% enter the ministry thinking that this is the only way that God (or dad or mom) will love me. How dysfunctional is that! They may associate God with their pastor father or mother who is never around. They conclude that God won’t be there when they need Him either. I could give many illustrations here! Pastors kids know that “quality time” is a myth created by parents who are way too busy. The only time that matters, that says, “love” to a child, is lots of time. I remember praying for my busy, overloaded ministry day for God to take care of my kids: “It’s only fair”, I said to Him, “I’m going to be busy with your work today so it’s not too much me to ask for You to take care of my children today.” I distinctly heard God answer: “Remember Eli and Samuel and David. They were busy taking care of My work while ignoring their children. If I did not rescue their children what makes you think that I am going to rescue yours? The only one who can fulfill the role of father to your children is you! And, if you don’t do it, no body else will do it either.” 6. Protect your spouse. Once upon a time I was interviewing a candidate for the position of worship pastor in our church. After asking him my questions, I turned my attention to his wife to see how she was handling ministry. After a moment she said to her husband: “Should I tell him?” “Yes.” She paused and tears came as she began to speak. It seems that the chairman of deacons was making sexual advances to her. Her husband told the pastor and he refused to deal with it because the deacon was so powerful, influential, and financially supportive. Now, she was weeping. I encouraged them to insist that their pastor deal with issue or for them to get out as soon as possible. No one needs to remain in that sort of dysfunctional system. The pain in their lives was incredible. Unfortunately, this pastor failed to face the issue straight on and get his wife to safety. Julie hardly fit the expected role of pastor’s wife as defined by many churches of the last generation. She is extraordinarily creative, talented, musical and brilliant. Steve Dowdle said to me “You had best set her free or you will have a very angry woman on your hands in twenty years.” I remember the Sunday when a senior adult couple accosted me to inform me that Julie had no business as a pastor’s wife returning to the University of Arizona to work on her doctorate in Choral Conducting. As they scolded I remembered when Jesus told John the Baptist that He needed to be baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” Finally, it was my turn to speak. I said to them firmly, “the reason Julie is working on her doctorate is to “fulfill all righteousness.” They had no idea what I was talking about…… I didn’t either. I feel a divine calling from God to run interference and support her so that she can use and fulfill all he gifs and talents God has given her. She’s played keyboards with the high school rock band in her leopard skin pants. She has three post graduate degrees in music. She’s conducted church and community concerts, taught worship at seminaries, written a text book on orchestra and musical instruments and now leads the “preachitteachit web site with 8 million visits around the world. I’ve stood behind her every step of the way. Freeing the pastor’s spouse to fulfill their calling is critical in ministry survival. 7. Consider preaching expository sermons to maximize your time and effectiveness. Too often the harried pastor struggles to decide what to preach the next Sunday. May I suggest working through the Bible paragraph by paragraph? No time is wasted wondering, “What shall I preach?” You just preach the next several verses. There is nothing wrong with topical preaching. It has its place—it just tends to be “thin” over time. I have followed Charles Spurgeon’s preaching guidelines and the church has flourished and lived in relative peace. “People are like dogs,” he wrote. “If all you have to give them on Sunday is a few old bones then they will fight and scrap with each other. But, if you give them steak, they will lie down and sleep in peace” (Charles Spurgeon). I might add that the well-fed build strong and healthy bodies as well as functional churches. 8. Remember The Sabbath Day and take a nap. “If you have more than three ways people can get in touch with you, you are a really sick person,” said my pastor friend. Jesus didn’t live a harried life like most of us. And we don’t have to, either. He knew just what time it was and paced Himself to arrive there just on time. He walked for weeks and never the phone once. He got along just fine without it. He took long walking vacations like hiking two weeks to Tyre and Sidon. He still finished everything on His “to do list.” We tend to say, “Yeah, but that’s Jesus. Does God have an answer for us?”  You bet He does. The answer can be summed up in two words: “The Sabbath.” Fundamentally, Christ saw the Sabbath (and by extension, all of life) as being a day of restoration and connectedness with God. MARK 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” This pronouncement has profound implications for us and for our society. The original purpose of the Sabbath was twofold. The Sabbath was for REST and for WORSHIP. Count up the verses. The idea of Rest is emphasized more than Worship. The idea is refreshment; recharge your batteries, rest for you, your animals, and your servants. Sometimes we think we can be like the Energizer Bunny—and just keep going and going and going. But, the bunny is a fraud. They have to keep putting new batteries in. We think we can just take 20 minutes every day at Starbucks and be fine – not. 9. Develop A Workable Plan. 1. Take A Full Twenty-Four Hours Off Every Seven Days. For most of us this means five days at our church, one day working at home to get all the chores done, and one day with no work whatsoever. God says we need to stop every six days for 24 solid hours. In ministry it is easy to cheat: “Well, I will begin my 24 hours after lunch on Thursday and get back in the office just before lunch on Friday.” That’s cheating. It should work like this: you go home on Wednesday evening and return to the office on Friday morning. That is a full day off. The Sabbath Is Not A Catch-Up Day For What’s Undone. The Sabbath is a Rest-Up Day For Everything Yet To Come. The Sabbath begins with the night’s rest and sleep. We rest in order to work. We must rid ourselves of the idea that we work hard and thus earn the right to rest. Bishop Gerald Kennedy of California’s Methodist church told of two groups crossing the plains during migrations to California during gold rush days. One group was led by a Christian who stopped every Lord’s day for worship and rest. The other party was led by a non Christian who was so motivated with gold fever that he refused to let his settlers stop and rest. After all, it was first come first served in gold fields. Is it surprising that that the wagon train that rested and worshipped every seventh day arrived first in the gold fields? 2. Limit yourself to no more than 45 to 50 recorded hours per week. Too many of us tend to be available 24-7 to the church members. It is tough to be on duty all the time. Studies show that very little profitable work occurs after 50 hours. The hours worked have to be recorded or we will tend to cheat. Let your church leaders keep you accountable. We’ve had to lock ministers out of their offices because they worked too much and their lives and families were suffering. 3. Schedule carefully so that you are at home at four nights per weeK. When we emphasized this requirement several of our pastors’ wives called to thank me: “Now I might get to have a real husband who has some time for me and the children”. 4. Use Compensation Days the next week when you worked more than the allotted days the previous week. The key here is balance. We all know that in the ministry not all weeks are equal. Christmas weeks are busier than summer weeks. Some weeks have too many funerals and marriage crises. So, to keep things in balance for a 50 hour schedule, if you have to work 55 hours this week (5 over the limit), then you only work 45 hours the next. 5. Arrange for a church leader to “cover” for you on your day off. Of course, some situations, like funerals may require your attention when a church leader just won’t do. 6. Get your deacons, elders or church leaders to approve the plan.   Most people are sensible. When they think about it, they want you to have time for yourself and family in order to survive and not burn out. Let them approve the plan and then you stick to it. Now, go to YouTube and search for the words, “Bob Newhart Stop it.” Then do what he says. I hope this is helpful. The goal is not just to survive but to thrive. Love, Roger

Dear Roger, Jesus said in John 10:10 that Satan has come to "kill, steal, and destroy." I take that to mean that under certain conditions, empowered by Satan, or one of his demons, people can be killed by witches or demons. Is that right?  Sincerely, Vincent Dear Vincent, I’d like to use part of your question and put John 10:10 about abundant living into proper perspective. Many people base the idea that Satan can kill people on John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and life more abundant.” It seems obvious that the thief is Satan and that he can kill people. But this verse has very little to do with killing people. It has everything to do with abundant life. In the context of abundant life, Satan comes not to kill people, but to “kill, steal and destroy,” our abundant life. How does he do this? By keeping us from living in the present. David Ferguson from Great Commandment Ministries has a useful model. Imagine a straight, horizontal time line about two feet long. In your mind, put a small X in the middle of the line and we will call that point the “Present”. To the left of “Present,” imagine the word, “Past”, and to the right of the line imagine the word “Future”. We can only enjoy abundant life in the present. We might have enjoyed some abundant life in the past, but when we experienced it, that was our present. We may experience more abundant life somewhere out in the future, but when we do, that future time will be our present. If Satan can keep us bound up with worry, fear, and anxiety about the future, can you imagine that he just might have stolen our present abundant life? If Satan can keep us bound up with guilt, regret, hurt, anger and bitterness about our past, can you imagine that he just might have stolen away our present abundant life? The key to abundant living is to live in the present. Too many of us are ruining our abundant life by dragging our future into our present. Too many of us are ruining our abundant life dragging our past into our present. We have just destroyed our abundant life. While there are times when Satan may “kill, steal, and destroy” our abundant life, we are perfectly able of doing it to ourselves. David wrote in Psalm 131: “I have called and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast, like a child that is quieted is my soul“ (RSV). David must have had many things in his past and future which could ruin his abundant life. But notice that his choice to stop the raging agonies of his mind was the key to his enjoying abundant life. So, Vincent, let me share with you some INTENTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT HELP US LIVE IN THE PRESENT AND THUS ENJOY ABUNDANT LIFE. 1. Take Every Thought Captive. Refuse To Let Your Mind Dwell On The Past Or The Future. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). As far as I’m concerned, taking thoughts captive is the most important strategy of all. Personally, when I find myself struggling with the past and future, I say “switch” or “stop it” to capture the thought, thus regaining control and stymieing any profitable thoughts (just for fun, Google YouTube and search “Bob Newhart stop it”). 2. Focus On Biblical Passages Of Peace. “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). “Rejoice in the Lord always. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7). “Fret not —it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). “I’ve learned to be content in all things because Jesus Christ pours in the power” (RLB) (Philippians 4:10-13). Psalm 23 3. Try Biofeedback. I’ve met a number of Christians who think that using biofeedback demonstrates a lack of faith or dependence upon a secular endeavor instead of a spiritual one. However, from my perspective, biofeedback is simply a tool to help us control our thoughts. 4. Practice Quieting Your Mind. Even when you’re feeling great, practicing quieting your mind will strengthen you for your next bout. 5. Engage in spiritual warfare if needed. Jesus told us clearly that Satan is involved in this process. “Submit to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth . . .  the breastplate of righteousness . . . and the gospel of peace. "I n addition, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:10-18). 6. If Your Brain Is Hardwired For Anxiety Or Depression, Get Medical Attention. After all, if our blood pressure is high we our feel that there’s nothing wrong with taking blood pressure medicine. If we have a headache, we take aspirin. If our thyroid is not producing properly, we take thyroid medicine to help it. It’s no fun living in misery. 7. Consciously Plug Into The Life Of The Holy Spirit. “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). When we become Christians we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit himself. Walking in the Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit means living a pure and holy life and carefully following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Well, Vincent, I wish I had more to say about witches killing people. However, I hope my tangential approach of using your question about John 10:10 in order to focus on abundant life will be helpful to you and others. Sincerely, Roger

Dear Roger, It’s common knowledge that a massive turning away from God will occur in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-6). I have been wondering if the Bible has anything to say about whether or not there will be betrayal of Christians preceding the second coming? Sincerely, Wondering Dear Wondering, Yes, the turning away of the entire world from God will be devastating! Unfortunately, most Christians don’t recognize that there will be a large-scale betrayal of Jesus by many Christians in the last days as well. Of course, many Christians will stay true to Jesus as evidenced by the martyrs described in Revelation chapter five. “Christian Apostates” are even now in our churches. They will become more manifest as we get closer to the end. Standing at the door step of the book of Revelation is the book of Jude. Jude is often called, The Acts of the Apostates. As such, we might say that Jude is the key that sets the stage for the entire Book of Revelation. “Apostate” is the Greek term for “falling away,” which describes those who start with Christ and then turn away for any number of reasons. FIRST, CHRISTIANS WHO FALL AWAY FROM CHRIST DON’T LIKE THE GOD OF THE BIBLE SO THEY MAKE UP A GOD THEY CAN LIKE.” The tendency is for every culture to make gods in their own image.  It has happened in America. American religion was founded upon the Puritan ideas of judgment, damnation and hell for sinners. Certainly, this concept has faded away in the Christian church in America. But let’s get more recent. Before World War Two and on in to the decade of the 40s, Jesus was the unquestioned divinity who was worshipped by the faithful. In the 1950s Jesus was seen as family oriented. He was the man in the gray flannelled suit who strived to make every person successful with a mix of psychology and religion. In the 1960s Jesus’ image was transformed into a long-haired, bearded young man—a radical who loved peace and not war. In the 1970s, the so-called, “me decade,” people turned inward to discover themselves and the image of Jesus is a faded picture. In the 80s Jesus was a conservative republican. In the 90s He was the sympathetic listener to everyone’s hurts and problems. From the year 2000 through the year 2018 Jesus has disappeared in a secular setting and become irrelevant to many. Allow me to make three observations about falling away from God today which is a small picture of what will happen in the end times. FIRST, ONCE WE CEASE TO BELIEVE IN THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, WE WILL FEEL FREE TO DESIGN A GOD OF OUR OWN CHOOSING.  Let me show you SOME APOSTATE THINKING which is creeping into American Christianity. Seventy-six percent of all Americans believe in Heaven, only fifteen percent believe in Jesus’ teaching about Hell (G. Barna). But Jesus said in Luke 16:23, “in hell, where the rich man was in torment.. . .” If a person is generally good or does enough good things for others during their lifetimes, they will earn a place in heaven. However, the Bible declares that no one is righteous in God’s eyes; salvation is by grace alone (Rom. 3:10, Acts 4:12). All people pray to the same god or spirit, no matter what name they use for that spiritual being. However, the Bible teaches that here is no other name under heaven whereby men may be saved (Acts 4:12). All people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs. However, the Biblical teaching is that only those who believe in Christ will be saved (Romans 3:21-26). Apostates make up their own custom-designed religions they perfect “cafeteria” or buffet spirituality. As they go down the “line” they pick and choose a little bit of what they want to believe from a number of sources. Everyone picks out the sweets.  No one wants the vegetables. SECOND, ONCE WE THINK THAT WE ARE FREE FROM GOD’S SCRUTINY, WE WILL FEEL FREE TO IGNORE HIS STANDARDS.” Several decades ago the US Supreme Court ordered the 10 Commandments out of the public schools. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court did not institute anything to replace them. Many cultures throughout history and even today have clear-cut ethics and values that they teach their children. Unfortunately we Americans have no set of agreed upon morals. We are reaping the whirlwind! In my opinion, we may need a new U.S. Constitution. The draftees of the Constitution had an underlying assumption that people would live and behave properly as long as they were accountable to a “higher being”. Our constitution is not designed to work well in a secular society where people are loosed to live with no ultimate accountability. THIRD, WE CANNOT LOWER GOD’S STANDARDS IN THE HOPE THAT IF THE TERMS ARE EASIER, MORE PEOPLE WILL COME TO CHRIST.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor during World War II, who was martyred three days before the end of the war wrote, and I’ll paraphrase: “There is cheap grace and there is costly grace. Cheap grace is the kind of grace that costs the person nothing. It leads to hell. Costly grace, on the other hand, will cost a man/woman everything they have. Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Jesus calls a man or a woman, he bids them to come and die.” In the 1950s, the Canadian pastor, A.W. Tozer thanked America for its special gift to American Christianity. Again, I’ll paraphrase: “You’ve made “instant” a common word in American vernacular. You have given to us instant coffee, instant TV, instant radio, and instant dinners. You have now bequeathed to us instant Christianity whereby an individual can walk down an aisle, raise their hand, or repeat a short prayer and be left with the impression that he/she are saved and ready to meet God in heaven. The fact is, we’ve not shared the whole gospel until people know enough to reject it. WHAT ARE THE MANIFESTATIONS OF CHRISTIAN KILLERS IN TODAY’S CHURCHES WHICH WILL PROLIFERATE DURING THE LAST DAYS? JUDE SPELLS THESE OUT CAREFULLY IN HIS BIBLE BOOK. Christian Killers Are Grumblers. Christian Killers complain about the way God is caring for them. They imagine themselves to have a better plan than God. God hates this apostasy! The antidote to grumbling is to Recognize and Submit to God’s plan at work. Christian Killers are Fault-Finders. Whereas grumbling is directed against God, faultfinding is directed against His followers. Faultfinders usually start with one but they soon recruit others. The antidote to faultfinding is to encourage at least one person every day. Christian Killers change allegiance. Becoming a Christian means that a person changes allegiance, and decides to “follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” These men are going back on their initial commitment to Christ. They want to live their way instead of God’s way. So, they put away the God of the Bible and find another master to follow—themselves. The antidote to changing allegiance is total surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian Killers Proudly Set Themselves Up As Superior To Others. They portray themselves as being smarter, wiser and often privy to mysteries and knowledge that others don’t have. The antidote to personal boasting is to pray to see ourselves from God’s perspective. Christian Killers Flatter Others For Their Own Advantage. The most dangerous flatterer is the person who misleads about spiritual status, and tells lies about God because he wants to convert a new follower to his cause. Study God’s descriptions of the priests in Ezekiel 34:1-31 and in Malachi 2:1-9) to see how devious Christian Killers can be. In Summary, Christian Killers Choke The Spiritual Breath Out Of People.THE BIG QUESTION IS, “ARE CHRISTIAN KILLERS REALLY CHRISTIANS?” One option is that Christian killers are actually Christians who have salvation, turn their backs on Jesus, then fall away and lose it. This perspective would reject the idea that, “Once we’re saved we’re always saved.” Hebrews 6:1-4 is a confusing passage but often times used as evidence that it’s possible to fall away. It’s hard to be dogmatic about this passage, one way or the other; it states that once we fall away we cannot come back to Jesus. Who wants to say that? In addition, this passage reads as a fourth-class-conditional sentence in Greek. For example, I might say, “if I could be on the moon tonight, I would have a beautiful view of Earth.” That is true but, I can’t be on the moon tonight. In other words, “if I could fall away from Jesus, then I could lose my salvation. But the truth is, I cannot lose my salvation. Perhaps the simplest understanding, regarding the nature of Christian killers, is found in Matthew chapter 13 in the parable of the soils. Let me simply analyze this parable of Jesus. The Sower sows the gospel; it lands on hard sidewalk and the birds eat it up. These people never ate the gospel seed. They are certainly not Christians. Then the Sower cast seed on rocky ground, it took shallow root, but the hot sun burned it out. Then the Sower cast seed on weedy ground, unfortunately, the seat sprouted, but the cares of the world choked it out. Finally, the Sower cast seed on good ground. The seed took root, grew and produced much fruit. Sidewalk soil was eaten up by the birds and never even sprouted. These obviously are not Christians. The rocky and weedy soils both sprouted but died out and produced no fruit. The obvious question here is, “Do these soils represent people who started strong for Jesus and then fizzled out and fell away? Were they Christians or not? There is no doubt about the good soil. It grew and produced much fruit. These folks are obviously Christians. How do we know? Jesus said, “He/she that endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Personally, I believe that Christian Killers were never Christians in the first place. Well wondering, I hope that I’ve helped to answer your question with information that may prove helpful. Sincerely, Roger

Dear Roger, Did Jesus think about having a sexual relationship? Sincerely, Fred Dear Fred, You have asked a rather controversial question—one that we don’t talk or think much about. Nevertheless, the answer to your question has great relevance in our world today. After all, Jesus was fully human and He experienced everything that we experience—including temptation. Otherwise, he could not have stood in our place on the cross. So, it is essential that we deal with this question. Did Jesus ever think about having a sexual relationship? My opinion is, of course, He thought about it. Like most men and boys, I imagine that He thought about it a lot. I have read that most adolescent males think about sex at least once every fifteen minutes, or so. Jesus was once an adolescent. Many Christians wonder just how close Jesus came to “eating the forbidden fruit.” This question really focuses on whether or not Jesus was capable of sinning. After all, He was God. Could God sin? At first blush, the obvious answer is, “No, God cannot sin.” However, the answer is a little more complex than a simple “yes”, or “no”. I believe that the biblical evidence declares that not only was Jesus tempted, He was fully capable of sinning. In Philippians 2:1-11 Paul composed a melodic poem describing Jesus’s seven steps downward from Heaven to become human and to endure the cross. Then, Paul described Christ’s seven-step exaltation from the resurrection back into Heaven to receive back His glory as fully God. In verse six Paul declared that in the process of abandoning Heaven, Jesus made Himself “nothing.” The Greek word “kenosis” literally means, “to empty one’s self”—but no one knows exactly what that really means. I think it is safe to say that somehow or other He emptied Himself of some of His “godness” in order to put on “humanness”. He remained 100% God, but also became 100% man. This God and Human union is called the “hypostatic union”. This doctrine is inscrutable. In other words, it is a mystery, incapable of being understood. I believe that “emptying” Himself opened the door so that He could actually sin (for a more extended interpretation of this concept, read my “Ask Roger Answer” entitled, “Son God or son of man?” on preachitteachit.com. In my mind, there is no way Jesus could fall into sin as fully God. Hypothetically, He certainly could fall into sin in as fully human. After all, if Jesus could not sin, why would Satan bother to tempt Him at the commencement of His earthly ministry (Matthew 4 and Luke 4)? Both gospel writers declared that temptation would follow Jesus all the days of His life; and, they were right. Furthermore, in describing Jesus’ ministry as our great high priest, the writer to the Hebrews revealed that Jesus endured every temptation (including sexual temptations) that we humans face—without sinning: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The term, “yet without sin,” obviously meant that He was fully capable of falling into sin—but, He didn’t. We must remember that temptation itself is not sin. Martin Luther wrote, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head; but, you certainly can keep them from nesting in your hair.” Let’s look carefully at what Jesus taught about lust in light of Luther’s illustration. Jesus declared in Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard it said, ‘do not commit adultery’. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Looking at a man/woman and appreciating his/her beauty is not a sin. Perhaps even a moment’s imagining a sexual encounter is still not a sin. The sin occurs when we mentally and emotionally dwell upon one particular individual while imagining a drawn out sexual experience with him or her. In this case temptation has evolved into lust. The sin occurs in the long, drawn-out visualizing, not in the thought which comes to mind for a fleeting moment. Did Jesus think about having a sexual relationship? As fully human, He most certainly did. Both Satan and/or His own humanness obviously “flew the bird of the temptation” over His head. However, according to the Hebrews passage mentioned above, Jesus never allowed that bird “to nest in His hair”. Some imagine that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute who tempted Jesus to have a sexual relationship with her. For example, “The Last Temptation of Christ”, by Nikos Kazantzakis postulates that Mary Magdalene, “out of whom Jesus cast seven demons” (Luke 8:2), was His temptress, at least, and more probably, His girlfriend. I don’t believe that at all. However, I do believe that whatever lifestyle she lived before meeting Christ was dramatically changed by her spiritual encounter with Him. She became a devoted follower and financial contributor to His ministry who witnessed the crucifixion, prepared His body for burial and was the first to hear the good news of the resurrection! So far, we have discussed the idea of Jesus having a sinful sexual relationship. Without a doubt, He did not. Because Jesus was like us, I am certain that He experienced the internal, God-implanted-sexual drive to procreate and thus fulfill His Father’s command to be “fruitful and fill the whole earth.” Therefore, I believe that He must have considered marriage as a viable option. Dan Brown imagines, in his contemporary novel, “The “Da Vinci Code”, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered children by her. He intertwines this concept with the legend of the “Holy Grail”. However, these claims have no basis in biblical truth. Could Jesus have married if He wanted? Could Jesus have had children if He had married? Some Christians answer “yes” to both questions. Personally, I have difficulty saying “yes” to either question. I believe that whatever Jesus thought about marriage or children—if He thought about it at all—was quickly dismissed. His mission was to “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10), not to marry and procreate. Jesus made it clear that the “Son of Man came to seek and to save those who were Lost.” This God-inspired calling far outweighed the distraction and any possible fulfillment He might have gained from having His own wife and children. Would He have liked to be married? Possibly. Were marriage and children God’s will for His life? Certainly not. Well, Fred, thanks for asking such an intriguing question. I hope my answer gives several thought provoking and helpful insights to you and others about the sexual life of Jesus. Love, Roger

John 14:13-14 :  “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Some misapply this verse, thinking that “in Jesus’ name” is much like a magic formula. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in line with the will of God ( 1 John 5:14-15 ). Praying and meditating through the names of Jesus enhance worship, promote spiritual growth, and deepen our intimacy with Jesus. There are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the  Bible . I selected some of the more prominent ones as examples of how we may deepen our understanding and relationship with Jesus. When you are reading the Bible and come across one of Jesus’ names, pause for a moment and draw a mental image of Jesus enhancing that particular name. Then, personally interact with that name and be blessed. Jesus:  ( Matthew 1:21 ;  Luke 2:11 ;  John 6:35 ; 6:48) Picture yourself carrying a huge bag of sins. You’re stumbling, falling, thirsting, and growing weaker by the moment. Sin is mercilessly driving you down into the dirt. Then, Jesus approaches out of nowhere. Imagine him putting his arms around you and loving you. “If you’d like,” he says, “I’ll carry that big bag for you.” The relief is incredible. Sins are gone and a new life begins. Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving my sins and sacrificing your life on the cross for me. Bread:  ( Luke 4:8 ;  John 6:35 , 48) “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never grow hungry.”’ He’s preached all day. It’s getting late. Imagine 5,000 hungry people with nothing to eat. Jesus says to his disciples, “Feed them.” Peter says, “But, there’s no grocery store in sight!” Andrew brings him five small pieces of bread and two small fish. Now watch carefully. Jesus rubs his hands together and a piece of bread appears. He rubs his hands again and more bread appears. Who planted the seeds? No one. Who watered the crops? Who harvested the grain? Who pounded out the flour? Who heated the oven? No one. How about the fish? Who caught the fish? No one. They were never caught. Who brought charcoal? No one. Jesus was creating a Galilean delicacy. These fish were about 5 inches long with a pickle-type relish for moisture. He’s not just creating fish. He’s making pickles! As bread sustains life in the flesh, Jesus is the Bread that sustains life in the spirit. Jesus, I’m hungry. Feed me. Ask Savior bread of life. Amen. King of kings and Lord of lords:  ( 1 Timothy 6:15 ;  Revelation 19:16 ) Imagine Jesus sitting on a throne surrounded by a host of people from all around the world. All are kneeling in submission to Jesus Christ. You kneel and declare with them: “Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father.” Then, suddenly, Jesus is standing right with you. You exclaim: “I’ll never turn back, wherever you lead I’ll go.” Lord, make me a spiritual father or mother; I don’t care what it costs. Light of the World:  ( John 8:12 ) You enter Carlsbad caverns with your tour guide. Floodlights reveal multicolored stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and growing from the ground. Drip, drip goes the water. “Do you want to see dark like you’ve never seen it before?” He turns off his flashlight. It’s so dark you can taste it.” He turns on his flashlight. Instinctively, you turn toward the light. It’s a dark world out there. Think about how he brought you into the light. Did it happen in a moment of decisive commitment? Or was your salvation a process that occurred over time? Some are still in darkness. Paul says that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the glorious light. Think of a friend or two who need Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of your friends so they can see the light. Thanks for bringing my friends and me into the Light. The Word of God:  ( John 1:1-4 ;  1 John 5:7-8 ) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made; and without him nothing was made that has been made.” The Greek word, “logos,” is translated in English as, “word.” The “logos” is a Greek philosophical term referring to the “unrevealed wisdom of God.” Jesus is the word of God. John tells us that at a point in time, the unrevealed wisdom of God put on a body so he could dwell with us.” John also tells us that at a point before time Jesus created the universe. Pictured Jesus standing on the edge of nothingness and tossing 100 billion stars into existence. In addition, 1,000 billion planets now populate the universe. Lord, I praise you because with all the things you have going on today in the universe, you have time for me. Good Shepherd:  ( John 10:11 ,14) In Bible times, a good shepherd was willing to risk his own life to protect his sheep from predators. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and He cares for and nurtures and feeds us. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”  David imagined himself to be a sheep looking up at his shepherd. Think of yourself as a little lamb looking up at your shepherd. He’s looking down at you with such love and compassion. Sheep need to be led, not driven. Think of Jesus the last time he took you through the valley of the shadow of death and all was well. Imagine yourself being secure in the arms of Jesus. But there’s more to your shepherd. Revelation shows us Jesus as a bleeding lamb slain on the altar for our sin. The Lord is my shepherd he’s all I want.

Dear Roger,  My friend is a faithful church attender, but she doesn’t believe the Bible is the Word of God. She believes it’s a good book with moral teachings. How was the Bible inspired? Sincerely,  Confused  Dear Confused, I’d like to show you that the Bible as we know it today is fully inspired and quite reliable as the Word of God. I’m convinced that there’s nothing more important for the Christian than a thorough comprehension and understanding of the Bible. You see, the Bible is our sole authority for living the Christian life. I remember talking with friend in college about salvation. He told me what he thought about God, his opinions, his worldview. I finally told him, “Look, I don’t care about your opinions! You’re not my authority. I want to know “what does the Bible say?” (I was much more tactful than that!) That’s what matters to me. People describe great feelings and experiences that have happened to them and then tell me they are from God. I can tell quickly whether or not they are from God. If their experience is not in accord with the Word, I am sure that their experience was not from God. The Bible is our standard: our standard for living, for determining whether an experience is from God or Satan; it’s our roadmap to heaven. Yet, how can I be sure that it’s really God’s Word and not just a collection of writings by a group of men over the years? The name “Bible” - simply means book. The Bible never calls itself the Bible. The word is used in MATTHEW 19:7: “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” NIV In LUKE 4:7, Satan tempts Christ and every time the Savior answers: And Satan said to Jesus, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  7  If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ NIV Jesus was tempted by the Devil three times. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:13; Psalm 91: 11-12. Jesus responded to Satan every time with “It is written…” The name “Bible” is from Biblos - one of two places where papyrus grew. They made books from papyrus. How was the Bible inspired? What’s meant by “inspiration”? 2 PETER 1:21: 21  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. NIV Although by human pen, the Bible is God’s message to man rather than a message of man to his fellow men. This is important because some say that Bible is nothing more than human writing. 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17: 16  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. NIV The word “inspiration” here is the only time used in the Word of God. It literally means – “God breathed” - this verse indicates that Scripture is God-produced; however, it in no way indicates the means of God in producing it. I remember as a child, wondering how God spoke to New Testament writers to give them the Bible. Were they machines that God punched like a computer to write out exactly what He wanted as he dictated it to them? How did God actually inspire the Bible? Theories of Inspiration: 1  Dictation theory – This theory claims that the writers were simply stenographers. The writers were passive and just wrote down whatever God said. This has been the view of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. The problem with this premise is - If God wrote it all by His dictation, then it should sound the same throughout Scripture.  When you read Isaiah, it doesn’t sound at all like Ezekiel, or Mark contrasted with John. It’s not the same style, vocabulary. Yet the authors injected their personal feelings, wishes and tone. Paul’s heartfelt prayer for Israel in Romans 9. Romans 9:1-3: I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—  2  I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  3  For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,  4  the people of Israel.  NIV This impassioned prayer would lose its meaning if it were dictated by God. Nevertheless, some dictation did occur, as in the case of the Ten Commandments and the Law. 2  Partial Inspiration – This premise teaches that the Bible contains the Word of God: part from God and part from man (God inspires what can’t be known by natural means - i.e. creation accounts, some prophecy, etc.) The Bible has errors but communicates truth. 3  Naturalistic Inspiration – This tenet teaches that the writers of the Bible were no more inspired than were other men throughout history. They were no more inspired than Shakespeare or Milton was inspired. The Bible is just another book on religion - destroys all claim for divine authority. 4  Dynamic Inspiration - The truths come from God but He allowed the writer to use his own words and personality in communicating that truth. This explains the differences in style, (Mark 16:1-9; 9:20), individuality, expressed moods and fears, etc. In summary, concerning how God inspired the writing of the Bible: All Scripture is God-inspired and therefore is the sole authority for living. God superintended the writing but didn’t dictate it. He used human authors and their own individual styles. Well, Confused, I hope this helps.  Love,  Roger