Foundations
Wow. So much information today presented at the Answers in Genesis conference held at my church. How do I relay it all to you?
I can't possibly do it justice.
So I invite you to check out www.answersingenesis.org for yourself. Page through some of the topical articles presented there and you'll get a flavor of some of the things I heard Ken Ham talk about today.
Let me tell you the theme of the conference by asking you a question. See if you can get it right.
What is the best way to bring (tear) down a building?
If you guessed "to destroy the foundation" then you are correct. And this is exactly what we see happening in the United States today and in the world as a whole.
The United States was built on the Judeo-Christian foundation which is based on the Word of God, or the Bible. This foundation has been replaced by a naturalistic philosophy that says man can do just fine without God. The theory of evolution is the root cause. In the last 150+ years, schools have taught evolution instead of creation. Generations of people have been brainwashed to believe that evolution is the only way the universe and everything came about, with out considering any alternative. When you replace the foundation of the Bible with evolution's teaching that the universe came about by pure chance and randomness, chaos is the result.
Order cannot come out of chaos. Science tells us this in the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
So if this law is true, why do millions of people still believe in evolution? The answer is simple. It is because people don't want to believe in God. If there were a God, there would be someone we'd be accountable to for our thoughts, words and deeds. This is plainly unacceptable to most people because the nature of the human heart or soul is evil, preferring darkness over the light. This is what Jesus taught to Nicodemus in John 3:10-21.
The reason we have a general decline in this society is that God has been taken out of the equation and been replaced by human wisdom. What is sad is that society as a whole will continue to get worse because of this unless the foundation is repaired.
Christian churches need to recognize that the foundation of all Biblical doctrine can be found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Pastors and ministers need to emphasize these foundational teachings to their congregations and in their sphere of influence. If we disbelieve these critical foundational chapters of the Bible, which contain every doctrine that the rest of the Bible builds upon, how can we trust and believe in the rest of what the Bible teaches? The truth is we/you/I can't.
Let's look briefly at Matthew 7:24-27, which concluded Jesus teaching called "The Sermon on the Mount":
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
What or who is the rock spoken of in v. 24-25? The Rock is Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God (see John 1:1-5) .
What or who is the sand in v. 26-27? The sand is man and his "wisdom" apart from God.
What or who is the house in all four verses? That house is your life. That house is my life. That house is western civilization as we know it.
The more we try to build our foundation on unstable ground, the quicker it will fall and with a very loud crash. Folks, you better get out of the way because the house is crumbling.
So, friends, I ask you this: On what is the foundation of YOUR life built?
Rock or sand?
Well, friends, I can tell you confidently that if your house is not built on Jesus Christ, then it will crumble and fall. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. And chances are you will not even see it coming. Sadly, there are many people who DO see it coming but refuse to believe it is coming or will happen. For a moment, picture a deer caught in the headlights - mezmerized by the oncoming light and unable or unwilling to get out of the way, to safety.
I will ask you one, final question: If your house is currently built on sand, why continue to live there? Either move to a house with a better foundation or repair the foundation in the house where you live.
Though I do have good news for you! All the building materials you need to repair your foundation are free for the asking. Consider it a gift, not from me but from God. But in order to recieve this gift you need to ask for it.
"So what do I need to do to repair my foundation?" is a question I hope you will seriously ask yourself. My friends, all you need to do is admit that you are a sinner. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of calvary for those very sins. He paid the price Himself when He did not have to, for there can be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. Believe that He rose from the dead and is living today.
You might say a prayer, something like this:
"Father, thank you for the gift of eternal life. I know that I am a
sinner and need Your forgiveness. I am sorry for my past sins and ask you to
forgive me. Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for my sins and
arose from the dead. I now open the door of my heart and invite you to come
into my life. I realize that there is nothing I can do to earn my salvation
and I place my complete trust in You alone for eternal life. I choose to
follow You as my Lord. Please help me to become the person You want me to
be. AMEN."
Accept Him into your heart and life and I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.
posted by Tim @ 23:39
36 Comments:
I'm not even going to bother - i mean what's the point really? Your mind's made up, why should i confuse you with the facts.
I'll just offer this:
You say: "Generations of people have been brainwashed to believe that evolution is the only way the universe and everything came about, with out considering any alternative."
I might put it that "Generations of people have been brainwashed to believe that biblical creationsism is the only way the universe and everything came about, with out considering any alternative."
Oh, and evolution has nothing to do with how the universe came about. You're thinking of cosmology.
Great post, Green. I'm not a doomsday person, but there is a lot of truth in what you write about here. ALl one has to do is look around themselves at the world today. How often do we shake our heads and say "Things keep getting worse"? This is because of the lack of a proper foundation. I don't agree with every item, but I believe in the overall view. God is needed in our lives. Amen!
Green wrote: This foundation has been replaced by a naturalistic philosophy that says man can do just fine without God.
Hmmm, I suppose direct observation, verfication and scientific advancement had nothing to do with this, right?
american,
don'tcha love when people reveal how anthrocentric they are by referring to evolution as the birth of the entire universe? LOL
AG: Funny, every time I ask you what these "facts" are, you avoid answering the question. And I've been asking you for these "facts" for years.
Fine. Add cosmology in regard to the formation of the universe but your view is still the same - that it all happened by accident & "chance".
You'd think that with all of the noteworthy scientists of the reformation era (Newton, Kepler, Copernicus, DaVinci, etc) someone would have stumbled on the idea of evolution long before Darwin did in the 1850's.
See I have considered alternatives, esp. when we were having our lengthy discussion. It is YOU however, who has refused to even consider that there is another alternative.
dabich: curious to know what your disagreements are?
scribe: direct observation and scientific advancement, esp in the field of microbiology & genetics strengthens the argument for intelligent design, not weaken it.
whatever
But intelligent design has nothing to do with whether or not evolution occured. Let's suppose there was a motivating force between the formation of life-that doesn't bother me. But why does it bother you that this force ("God," if you must limit its importance) utilized that method or one similar to develop human beings? What is it about evolution that makes you unwilling to accept god's possible role in it?
Scribe:
Good questions... both...
"But why does it bother you that this force ("God," if you must limit its importance) utilized that method or one similar to develop human beings? What is it about evolution that makes you unwilling to accept god's possible role in it?"
I've found that close-minded people of a religious inclincation often ASSume that those of us who consider evolution a viable explanation for the origin of life don't allow for the presence of God.
scribe & sarafina:
These are good questions and I will dedicate an entire post to answering them. But not tonight, since I just got in.
This is the teaser or hook to get you coming back for more....
psst scribe - don't feed the wildlife, they'll just keep coming back
Green~one of my biggest disagreements with ALL religions is that THEIRS is the ONLY one, and if you don't follow it, you will not be saved.
I believe if a person lives a good life and tries to live morally and ethically, then they deserve salvation.
That is why I agree with the whole foundation thing. Living a good, decent life is definitely a good foundation. We do need God in our lives.
american,
ROFLMAO!!!!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Well any religion, relationship or structure that wants to hold up and survive needs to be on a ‘solid foundation’. This was an excellent post, Green! Loved it.
I would love to get your opinion on Saur Kraut’s site and see what you make of that. Very controversial topic, but I think I know where you would stand with that…or maybe I do.
Thanks Green for another amazing post!
Sorry. Click here for Saur Kraut's post...
Sorry--that other link didn't work. I would love to see your views on this.
ARGH! It's not working! Here---just go to this.
http://franklysaurkraut.blogspot.com/
I am SO bad with linking. Can ya tell?
Revealed: Green is an intolerant racist who doesn't understand statistics.
From his comment on Saur Kraut's blog (emphasis added):
"For too long, Christians have been the silent minority in our government and that needs to change.
Unfortunately, Shantar monks, scientologists, muslims and worse will continue to gain majority in our government and the world as a whole, while Christianity will get the shaft because of it's apparent "intolerance"."
Any group that makes up significantly more than 50% of the population can't really be called a minority.
And the 'and worse' business... You must have an extermely refined sense of irony to spout out religious based hatred like that and then end you sentance whining about how unfair it is that people think you're intolerant.
ag: perhaps I did misinterpret the view of saur kraut's post.
However, where in my comment do I even mention race? When you get down to it there really is no such thing as race, since all people have descended from the same two people.
You (again) misunderstand the point of my comment, which is not hate based at all.
What I am saying is that in the future (not so far away future in my opinion) there will be one world government and one world religion that will claim to have "religious tolerance" that will in actuality accept all belief systems EXCEPT Christianity. This view is based on the Biblical book of Revelation.
Of course, how can I expect you to understand this view when you do not understand what Jesus taught and what Christianity is all about since you think that the Bible is full of allegory?
Jesus confirmed the ten commandments in His teaching which includes loving your neighbor as yourself (which is hardly racist) and such things as going the extra mile and turning the other cheek and forgiving and loving those who persecute you.
However, in this sense Jesus was intolerant: He taught that He was God and that in order to gain entrance into heaven that you must go through him.
When the Jewish religious leaders of the day questioned him on His traching and authority, He never backed down, never gave ground but stood firm in what He taught.
That He did miracles, healed people, forgave sins (which only God can do) was not enough proof for the Jewish religious leaders.
And the capper: He is the only person to defeat death (what Easter is all about).
How many people in history, aside from Jesus, have died and come back to life again? Answer: zero.
So if my believing that what Jesus taugt is true makes me "intolerant"
then that's fine.
I heard Ken Ham speak many years ago. It would be nice to hear him again. Also, I went to the Grand Canyon on an Answers in Genesis trip.
"How many people in history, aside from Jesus, have died and come back to life again? "
The Dalai Lama.
And he's done it, what, 16 times?
JC only pulled off the trick once.
jenn: welcome to my blog. New commenters are appreciated and always welcome. Hope you will come back again.
pssst scribe: how many dalai llamas have there been? Trust me, if the current one dies, he'll stay dead.
AG: JC only needed to die once.
pssst, green, it's the same dalai lama, different bodies.
I know you don't believe it, but hre it is:
"The Dalai Lama's biography
His Holiness the 14th the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He was born Lhamo Dhondrub on 6 July 1935, in a small village called Taktser in northeastern Tibet. Born to a peasant family, His Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama, and thus an incarnation Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion.
The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva (Buddha) of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the people."
scribe:
so, then are you saying that yo believe in reincarnation?
Same title, 14th different person to fill the position. I'll bet if you go to Tibet and look hard enough you can find the graves of the other 13 dalai llamas.
That's just like saying that W is the 43rd incarnation of George Washington. Yeah, right.
Ok, I'll ignore the stone age reasoning there and reply this way:
Only Western barbarians think returning from death has to involve one's original body because they don't understand the true essence of the so-called "Self."
ok Dr. Freud, please explain "the true essence of the so-called 'Self.'"
I must have missed that in psychology class
LOL
That's Dr. Jung to you, sir.
Wow! Finally a person with a blog who shares my belief in the importance of creation apologetics. You hit the nail right on the head when you gave the reason why, even when presented with incontrovertible evidence, people still choose to believe in evolution.
Answers in Genesis is one of my favorite sites, too. Here's one you may find interesting as well: http://www.s8int.com/sophis1.html
Take care bro.
There's "incontrovertible evidence" that the Book of Genesis is factual???
bryan: I certainly do.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Please come back anytime.
scribe: Of course it is true. The Bible, being the Word of God, contains no lies, since it is impossible for God to lie.
Of course, you'll believe this as much as I believe that the dalai llama has reincarnated himself 14 times...
But...GREEN!!! The Bible was written by people based on claims of conversations with God. It was then re-interpreted dozens of times, edited and re-written depending upon who wanted to stress certain things. I am not discounting the possible existence of a God, but only a close-minded person would think a single book contains its greatness without a single error!!!
scribe: you would think that considering that the OT especially was passed on orally for many years and hand copied very carefully & dilligently when copies were needed. But consider that the 66 books of the Bible were written by 40 men over 1,500 years in 3 languages, however, the Bible contains NO DOCTRINAL ERRORS!! Becasue God, is the ultimate author behind the human hands that wrote the original autographs.
Trust me, this collection of books we call the Bible has been studied by many people over 1,900+ years and never once has any DOCTRINAL ERROR been found. And believe me, people have been looking.
In fact I'll say this to you - if you can find any such DOCTRINAL error, I'll give you $1000.00 in cash.
Maybe it's time to get out the popcorn!!!
Define "Doctrinal error" for us ungodly realists.
Maybe some wine too ;)
Got any Fat Bastid, Scribe??
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