| Cleansed from every sin |
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Devotional
by Pastor Edwin King
Key Verse: 1 John 1:7 “The
blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin”
Cleanses” is what the text says,
not “shall cleanse.” There are many who take this text as a dying
hope of pardon that they may look forward to. Oh! How infinitely
better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility
of forgiveness when I come to die. Some imagine that a sense of
pardon is an attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian
experience.
Forgiveness
of sin is a present thing; a privilege for this day, a joy for this
very hour. The moment a sinner trusts in Jesus he is fully forgiven.
This text, being written in the present tense, indicates a
continuance; it was “cleanses” yesterday, it is “cleanses”
today, it will be “cleanses” tomorrow. It will always be
so with you, Beloved, until you cross the river; every hour you may
come to this completeness of the cleansing, “The blood of Jesus,
his Son, cleanses us from every sin,” – not just only from
sin, but “from every sin.”
Beloved, I
cannot tell you the exceeding completeness of this word, but I pray
God the Holy Spirit to give you a taste of it. Many were our sins
against God. Whether the transgressions be little or great, the same
receipt can discharge one as the other. The blood of Jesus Christ is
as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming
Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John. Our iniquity is gone,
all gone at once, and all gone for ever. Blessed completeness! What a
wonderful truth to dwell upon as one lays himself down to rest at the
close of the day - “My sins are gone!”
They’re
underneath the blood
On the
Cross of Calvary;
As far
removed as darkness is from dawn.
In the
sea of God’s forgetfulness
That’s
good enough for me
Praise
God my sins are gone.1
1.
My Sins Are Gone by N.B. Vandall.
Scripture quotes from The New Living Translation
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| US "Doomed" if a creationist president elected |
TurkishPress.com had a hilarious article out this week, citing a bunch of scientists peddling their doomsday predictions for the US.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=209467&s=&i=&t=US_'doomed'_if_creationist_president_elected:_scientists
It was too good to pass up making comments, as the “scientists” (who are clearly no scientists at all if they honestly believe that frogs can, and in fact did turn into princes) claimed that the US would be “Doomed” (yes, that’s the word they used) if a creationist president were elected.
Logic and Science
Their arguments were too funny - get a load of what Gilbert Omenn had to say:
"The logic that convinces us that evolution is a fact is the same logic we use to say smoking is hazardous to your health or we have serious energy policy issues because of global warming,"
Well, they struck out on the last one - seeing as how one good volcano emits more greenhouse gases than all of the industrial world does, combined, in a year. Sure - we may be facing global warming, but it has absolutely nothing to do with us!
But they also claim that evolution is logical! Really? How logical is it to suggest that a rock turned into a frog, which turned into a prince? In fact, evolution requires a second frog to evolve into a princess at precisely the same time and place in history! Evolution is anti-logic, and anti-science. If you don’t believe me, just publically question evolution, and watch what happens (See legal disclaimer below*).
This bad Omenn contains the common mistake and false claim that is typical of anti-creationist arguments: “Evolution is science.” My response is short: NO IT IS NOT. In fact, this is Myth #93 on our “Wall of fame” at CORE Ottawa. Science is based on observation, repeatability, and predictability. Evolution is none of these things.
If these are examples of “logical conclusions,” then I dare say the US would be doomed listening to such “scientists!”
The Fear Factor:
They don’t stop there - no, no. They then take up anti-creationist tactic #2, and call upon the fear mongering. Another bad Omenn:
"I would worry that a president who didn't believe in the evolution arguments wouldn't believe in those other arguments either. This is a way of leading our country to ruin,"
Let me get this straight: If a president questions the validity of the claim that a frog turned into a prince, he is leading the country to ruin? (See section 1 on the illogical logic of evolution).
But wait for the punchline! He’s not finished! Like any good comedian, he revisits his previous jokes throughout his routine, and later on, says "If our country starts to behave irrationally...we are doomed."
This guy is great material for Montreal’s comedy festival. Who on earth is the irrational one here?
Science versus fairy tale
In another bad Omenn, "Scientific inquiry is not about accepting on faith a statement or scriptural passage. It's about exploring nature, so there really is not any place in the science classroom for creationism or intelligent design creationism,"
I see. So let’s not take anything in blind faith then, right? Let’s see how y’all do in this test of evolution: Which is the correct answer?
We know that a frog turned into a prince because:
A) Omenn said so.
B) It was observed to happen
C) A frog looks like a prince
D) Frogs and Princes are very similar genetically
There is no fossil evidence connecting frogs and princes. The more we learn from genetics, the more we find out how impossible it is for a frog to turn into a prince (even if you do have an ape-like creature in the middle somewhere). A frog doesn’t look anything like a prince, and evolution has never been observed. So the correct answer is A) Omenn said so, and thus we are required to simply take his claims in blind faith - or the US will be “doomed” if it doesn’t.
But the closing jokes made in conjunction with the bad Omenns were what really put a smile on my face. Francisco Ayala ended with
"We must understand the difference between what is and is not science.”
I say a hearty “Amen.” I agree that religion and fairy tales have no place in the science classroom. How about we start cleaning up the education system by removing the fairy tale of evolution from the science classroom? But of course, I'm not questioning evolution (*See legal disclaimer down below).
Ian Juby is the president of the CORE Ottawa (www.coreottawa.ca), the owner of Canada's first creation museum, and the founder of the International Creation Science SIG for Mensa members.
*Legal disclaimer: The authors of this article cannot be held responsible for the consequences of such actions. This information and “how to” is provided simply for convenience and education, and is provided “as is” with no warrantees, guarantees or promises, expressed or implied. Should you in fact, publically deny evolution’s validity, we cannot be held responsible for your friends, families, and complete strangers treating you as if you have the intelligence of a tree. Nor can we be held responsible for your loss of job, tenure, status, etc... These public declarations have been made by trained professionals, and should not be tried at home. As it is, the trained professionals take a beatin’ for their actions - and they know what they’re doing! |
| Canadian Documentary on ID trial |
Whew! I got delayed leaving for Alberta, I haven't even yet had a chance to
look at the NOVA program, and now "The Passionate Eye" will be airing a
program on November 19th on this very subject!
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday/feature_191107.html
I'll try to get to responding to it, although I can already make some
predictions as to what will be said.
First of all, Intelligent Design is NOT "Creationism in disguise" - that is
nonsense. Even a child can look at a car and know that it had a creator. It
is a logical conclusion, and has nothing to do with "Creation Science." That
is the scientific tool known as "Intelligent Design" (ID), and anybody can use
it - unless of course you have no intelligence, because intelligence is
required to recognize intelligent design <grin>.
Evolution, if it has occured, has done so in direct violation of
well-established scientific and natural laws: Namely, the laws of biogenesis,
thermodynamics, and information. If it is required to violate scientific and
natural laws, then evolution is neither scientific nor natural - it is
SUPERnatural, by very definition of the word.
Creation is also a SUPERnatural process, and thus both Creation and
Evolution are outside the realm of the scientific. So how can we
use science to determine which FAITH is the correct one - creation, or
evolution?
Enter Intelligent Design. What we are dealing with is essentially a forensic
investigation: We have to view the evidence at hand to draw
conclusions for the unobservable past. The scientific tool of
intelligent design is applied
to the incredible, codependent, complexity of life, it screams of a creator,
thus (scientifically speaking) Creation is a faith that fits the facts,
Evolution is a faith that fails the facts.
More to come - catch the show!
Ian |
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One focus of PPT has been in creative avenues of evangelism. Often we focus on foreign missions and forget about the huge missions field right here in our community.
Hopefully some of the congregation has already stepped out, coming up with creative ways of outreach in the community.
In this spirit, we're including some suggested points from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada website:
10
Ways to Reach Your New Canadian Neighbour:
- Invite your new
Canadian neighbour into your heart and home.
- Find out each
other's interests and focus on the similarities.
- Develop sports
ministries as an outreach in the church.
- Provide courses
to teach English as a second language.
- Be of service
by teaching "How To" skills.
- Develop and teach
training workshops.
- Assist with any
medical needs or referrals.
- Get involved in
"Needs-Oriented" ministries.
- Pray for your
new Canadian neighbour.
- Be a part of outreach
opportunities such as small groups, literature distribution in their
language and pre-evangelism studies and talks (e.g. Alpha)
- Brian Seim
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It is an honour to have my BLOG posted at PPT's website. PPT has been incredibly supportive over the years as I've ventured out into full-time ministry. While obviously I'll be dealing with Creation science primarily, worship has been on my heart, so I'll write on that today.
Why Worship?
Lately, a major focus at my home church of PPT has been on worship. I remember years ago, when I was on a short-term missions trip with Youth With A Mission, I was one of the worship leaders. Being of the intellectual mind-set, I always have questions - questions like “Why do we worship?” Many an atheist has railed upon God for his continual commandments to worship: “Boy - what an ego! Is he that insecure in himself?”
Then here I was, a worship leader and I didn’t know why we worshiped! Not that it mattered that much, the scriptures were clear on the matter, so I obeyed in hopes that I would learn along the way. “Learn by doing” has always been my motto.
Well I did learn, and I’d like to pass on some of those profound lessons. During this time of searching the Lord and his word, I got a copy of Jack Hayford’s book Worship his majesty. Hayford and his wife co-authored the worship song “Majesty.” In that book he made many excellent points, some of which I will repeat here.
What do the scriptures say?
The scriptures are clear on the act of worship - we are to sing praises and worship to God. There are so many examples, that I will give but a smattering here from the old and new testaments:
“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2 KJV)
“Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.” (Psalm 99:5, KJV)
“Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.” (Psalm 68:4 KJV)
“Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.” (Isa 42:10 KJV)
“Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.” (Jer 20:13 KJV)
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Heb 13:15 KJV)
In fact, there are creatures in heaven whose only job is to worship the Lord continually!
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev 4:8 KJV)
About that infinite ego...
The first simple fact that arises is that the Lord is worthy of our praise and worship. If a person carries out great deeds, are they not worthy of praise? How much more than the Lord God who has carried out the greatest acts the world has ever seen? Indeed, the world that was created by his very hands!
But one would think that worship would get monotonous after a while - I mean, how many times can you commend God for something he did thousands of years ago? Furthermore, why bother? He’s already been given praise and worship for those acts, so why should we continue to do so?
Actually, even if God did have some infinite ego that needed boosting every day, we could not fulfill his need because we are not infinite beings!
The point here is that God does not need our worship. Indeed, even the Apostle Paul spoke of this: “Neither is [God] worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17:25 KJV)
So why then are we repeatedly instructed to worship? The same reason we do anything the Lord says to do - it is for our sakes.
It is right, good and proper to worship the King of Kings - he is worthy of it, and should be worshiped. But it has a far-reaching impact not just on us, but also on the world around us.
When you sing praise and worship to the mighty King of Kings, you are reminded of who He is, of what He has done, and of His almighty power. As the Apostle Paul Wrote:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philip 4:8 KJV)
When you take the time to worship, it unlocks all kinds of doors. Suddenly, the urgent need in your life isn’t so urgent any more. Suddenly everything is brought back into perspective – God’s perspective. You are reminded of who God is. You are reminded of the temporal, and the eternal, and what really matters. Faith is built up and miracles happen because we are reminded of the miracles of the past, and the infinite power of that Creator God.
Worship is to God, but it is for our benefit.
I must be clear on the matter, lest someone convolute what I’m saying, turning the Creator of the Universe into our slave, as we tend to do. We are selfish beings that tend to turn Christ into our slave; continuously approaching Him with wrong intent. It is a good thing to ask of Christ – He wants us to (Mat 7:&, James 4:2), but in worship we must be on our guard the same way we are on our guard when asking of the Lord:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3 KJV)
It’s tough being a human being. We have selfish motives strangling everything we do - no matter how holy our actions are. The principle is to be aware of these motives, but not driven by them. We must be driven by our righteous motives (i.e., obedience).
As Christians, we do not have an “out of body experience” to be had; we will always be in our body until we leave earth, therefore we will always have our flesh and will be continually dying to self – but that’s a subject for another day.
The point to be made here is to worship Him for the right and proper reasons: Because he deserves it.
What is worship?
But worship is far more than singing songs - it is acting in obedience, sacrifice and service. Thus, just living the Christian life is an act of worship.
If we attend a great performance, we applaud! And the performers deserve it - how much more then does the incredible performance of Christ during His time here on earth deserve applause? It was incredible! The infinite brilliance he showed in His words, His attention to detail in everything that He did and said, is mind-boggling – and it was all impromptu!
Furthermore, when the Lord steps out of the supernatural and into the natural, performing more great works, are these not worthy of applause? I don’t mind saying I’m one of those “shy” types who almost never raises his hands or gets very loud in church. Plus, I’m A.D.D. somethin’ fierce, so it’s very difficult for me to worship in a congregation! With so much movement and happenings around me, it is very difficult, which is why I usually close my eyes during worship.
So worship takes on a number of forms, but when one delves into the scriptures, they quickly find that obedience is the highest form of worship. God’s way is the best way; it's not that he desires dominion over us, as He already has that! He instructs our ways and directs our paths because He knows best, and He loves us and cares for us.
So before I get off on another tangent, I’ll close today’s BLOG. |
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