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“Freedom’s Real Threat”
by Terry Kirschman | July 4, 2010
We’re all familiar with the illustration of the interviewer on the street who asked a passerby the question: “Can you tell me the difference between ignorance and apathy?” And the man in a hurry, irritated by this distraction tersely responded, “I don’t know, and I don’t care!” which was exactly the right answer. But it also uncovers a dangerous mindset; that “ignorance” and “apathy” are the real threats to freedom because freedom is not only won, it must be preserved. We lose our freedom when we think it’s not necessary to keep winning it.
Although we are facing the ideological terrorism of radical Islam with it’s’ “Sharia Law,” that seeks to trump
America
’s Constitutional law through Muslim influence in our cities and states. And it is true that we are confronted by leftist political leaders and social activists in our own country who still believe that Marxist socialism and a one-world legal and economic order is the ideal savior. But maybe our greatest problem is that there are too many people who are either ignorant or apathetic about what is transpiring. For example, when we are ignorant of the content of our own Constitution as well as an accurate accounting of history we fail to remember not only what our founding fathers intended for us, but we also fail to understand from the record of history that socialist and dictatorial governments have and always will rush in to fill the void caused by rejecting Biblical truth and embracing humanistic atheism or acquiescing to oppressive religious ideals like that of Islam’s Sharia Law.
How needful it is to not be ignorant about what
America
’s leaders have said regarding the relationship of our government to God’s Word. John Quincy
Adams
– “The first and almost only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible.” Abraham Lincoln – “All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated through this Book; but for the Book we could not know right from wrong. All things desirable to man are contained in it.” Andrew Jackson – “Go to the Scriptures…the joyful promises it contains will be balsam to all your troubles.” Calvin Coolidge – “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”
We must never forget that history documents the final results of Godless, intolerant, humanistic states. Chairman Mao of
China
is estimated to have killed 30 million Chinese; Stalin 30-60 million Russians, and Hitler 15 million of which 5 million were Jews. These people died because the government believed there was no God, no morality, and no final judgment. God was dethroned and the state was put in His place. Even today, it is mind boggling when you try to understand how we can miss the present day discrediting of humanist socialism by nations like
North Korea
,
Cuba
, and
Venezuela
. We must take an honest look at the kind of society that Islamic Sharia Law creates as well. The only thing worse than raw ignorance is the willful kind. There are none so blind as those who will not see. And in this “information age” there is no excuse for ignorance.
If there is no excuse for ignorance, than there truly is no greater vilification than apathy. When our military is engaged on two foreign fronts (Iraq, Afghanistan), with security forces active 24/7 on the home front, and American blood has been spilled in all three theatres, apathy is almost an unpardonable sin. The ingredient for all accomplishment is desire. Feeble desires bring feeble results. People not passionate about God’s gift of life and liberty are not only un-American, they are spiritually and morally adrift. At the core of every person is motivation and the question of what it is that really motivates us.
The peace and prosperity that such God-given freedom has granted Americans is found nowhere else in all the world. But just as it was for Israel having entered the Promised Land and enjoying the freedom and blessing of God’s provision, so we too can forget God in the midst of such abundance and become presumptuous which breeds indifference, lukewarmness and apathy; these all being forerunners of failure.
God sends us into the world to do something redemptive we can pour our hearts into; give our lives to. A free
America
provides the greatest possibilities for that. God’s counsel to us in Ecclesiastes 9:10 is, “No matter what you do, work at it with all your might…” How can any American squander such personal freedom protected under the Constitution which affords each of us so much potential for good, and simply dabble at life or shirk the responsibility of citizenship to defend freedom against intrusive government rule and oppressive ideologies, which manifest disdain for the Constitution? How can any Christian believer fail to understand that “if you don’t do it, you really don’t believe it,” when the Book of James makes that so clear? “Remember, that knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin” (James 14:15).
As we enjoy the 4th of July holiday which commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence by men who were neither ignorant of the personal risk of their actions nor apathetic toward the opportunities and challenges of their day, let us at least do what we must to stay informed about the very real threats to our freedom, and be motivated to defend it. As citizens of the greatest nation on earth may we, with knowledge and desire, place a watch over the well-being of our free society.
As Christ followers may we with wisdom and passion confront ignorance and apathy that threatens the wellbeing of our spirit and soul as well. For it is Jesus, the “Great Freedom Fighter” who spilled His blood to liberate us from our sinful self and He deserves nothing less.
“Unprecedented”
by Terry Kirschman | June 27, 2010
Recently a cable news network reported on how many times President Obama has used the word “unprecedented” in speeches when describing the national issues that confront his administration. The video clip showed him using this adjective as he described the banking crises, the auto industry crises, the housing industry crises, the unemployment crises, the lending crises, the health care crises, and most recently the gulf oil spill crises. It almost seemed to hint that his was an “unprecedented” presidency.
His critics too have used the word “unprecedented” to describe the Obama administration’s tax increases, debt spending, government bail outs, federal government expansion, intrusive control of the private sector, strong arm political tactics, disrespect for states’ rights, cooling relationship with Israel (our only ally in the Middle East), and questionably casual attitude toward the US Constitution.
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that from the humanist’s earthly view however, there is nothing new “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). In other words, historically from an earthly, “under the sun” perspective the argument can be made that there have always been wars, the rise and fall of nations, despotic leaders, economic crisis, life and death cycles, pestilences, famines, natural disasters, etc. It’s almost as if history just repeats itself and it is wisdom on our part to try to learn history’s lessons. We have a tendency to try to find comfort in this humanist perspective. As one adage puts it, “In times like these it’s good to know that there have always been times like these.” It’s human nature to find rationalizations that give us a sense of control, or at least minimize the idea of things really being out of control in “unprecedented” ways.
Even the Apostle Peter said that in these last days when God was radically fulfilling end-time prophecy and the “unprecedented” signs were everywhere, there would be scoffers mocking the idea of God’s personal involvement in human history accomplishing His redemptive purposes. He forewarned, “…in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire. This will be their argument: ‘Jesus promised to come back, did He? Then where is He? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created’ ” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
However, Solomon also examined life by taking into consideration a supreme God who is personally involved in the affairs of man on earth and who is working according to His redemptive plan. He called this perspective “under heaven.” And from that perspective He stated, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It is history seen from the perspective of God’s purpose. In other words according to God’s purposes that are being accomplished in God’s seasons, there is never a time in human history when it would ever be the “same old, same old,” but rather it would be a demonstration of His “unprecedented” power and grace at work accomplishing His purposes in accordance with “the times and the seasons He has set by His own authority” (Acts 1:8). When you take into account the purposes of God, it is never “business as usual.” In fact, “unprecedented” is a good word to describe it. Throughout Scripture, this truth is expressed.
David said that because of what God had done to bring “unprecedented” deliverance, God gave him a song of praise to go with it; one he had never known before. “He has given me a new song to sing…” (Psalm 40:3).
God told Isaiah that He was going to do something “unprecedented” among His people in the earth. "Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them. I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don't you see it coming?” (Isaiah 43:18-19).
God told the prophet Ezekiel that He was going to provide a way that He could enter into an “unprecedented” relationship with those who would believe on Him. “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so you will obey My laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Not until after Christ came, was crucified for sin, rose again, ascended to heaven, and the Holy Spirit was poured on the day of Pentecost, was it understood how God was going to do that.
Jesus said that the difficulties coming upon the entire earth just prior to His return would be “unprecedented.” “For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones” (Matthew 24:21-22).
God told the prophet Isaiah that ultimately He was purposing to do something “unprecedented” with respect to the creation, the laws of nature, and human living that would be the culmination of His redemptive purpose in the earth through Jesus Christ. “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered… Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth;…They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them… Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear…The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox…” (Isaiah 65:17, 20, 23-25). Truly, that will be “unprecedented”!
So how does this all come down to you and me? I suggest that maybe this truth should challenge us to live as Christ followers in such a way that “unprecedented” is also the adjective that best characterizes every aspect of our life as a follower of Jesus. Try placing the word “unprecedented” in front of the following aspects of Christian living: FAITH, OBEDIENCE, LOVE, SERVICE, SACRIFICE, MINISTRY, PRAISE, WORSHIP, PRAYER, BIBLE STUDY, COMPASSION, COMMITMENT, HONESTY, PATIENCE, and PASSIONATE PURSUIT OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM. Consider accepting the truth that such “unprecedented life in the Spirit” is the only way for God to fully accomplish His purpose in us.
"Here's To Husbands and Dads!"
by Terry Kirschman | June 20, 2010
Fathers’ Day 2010 is Sunday June 20. Sifting through my files, I found the following thoughts on Dads. To every Dad, Step-Dad, Grand Dad, Great-Grand Dad, and Husband who is a Dad-to-be… SALUTE!
HUSBANDS
“Someone who sells you valuable property when you’re playing monopoly with friends to keep you in the game.”
“Someone who remembers your birthday but not your age.”
“A person who never knows where the cups are kept even after 22 years of marriage.”
“A wonderful man whose list of good qualities is extremely long,
but you can’t read his writing.”
“He spends all his spare time under his sports car. He replaces the brakes, rebuilds the gear box, adjusts the carburetor, and affectionately polishes every inch of its sleek custom paint job…and then sells it so we can get a mortgage for a house.”
“He’s the saint who cares for your aged parents like they were his own.”
“The man to whom you give the best years of your life – because he made them the best years of your life.”
“A person who changes ‘I’ into ‘WE’, and ‘ME’ into ‘US’, and ‘living’ into ‘loving.’”
“Someone who cheerfully plows his way through endless salads and cartons of cottage cheese when you’re on a diet.”
“A man who stands by you through all the troubles you wouldn’t have
had if you’d stayed single”
“Someone who - when you’re asking yourself, ‘Where has all the romance gone in life?’ – puts his arms around you, gazes deeply into your eyes and asks, ‘Where did you put my screwdriver, dear?’ ”
“His standing joke, ‘The best thing you ever did was marry me’ – is nearer to the truth than he will ever know.”
DADS
“The person who makes you a family.”
“Someone who says you look great even when you’re very pregnant and look like an Easter egg with legs.”
“The guy who has pictures in his wallet where his money use to be.”
“The gentle giant who holds your adopted boy in his arms and says, ‘Our son’ ”
“The guy who marries you and looks after your son and tells the little guy, ‘You were the best so I picked you and they threw mommy in too!’ ”
Paul Harvey –
"A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic…A father never feels worthy of the worship in a child’s eyes. He’s never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be, and this worries him, sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him…Fathers are what gives daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough, so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s. Fathers make bets with insurance companies about who’ll live the longest. One day they lose and the bet’s paid off to the part of them they leave behind”
Erma Bombeck –
“One morning my father didn't get up and go to work. He went to the hospital
and died the next day. I hadn't thought that much about him before. He was just someone who left and came home and seemed glad to see everyone at night. He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to go into the basement by himself. He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it. It was understood that when it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled. He took lots of pictures ... but he was never in them. Whenever I played house, the mother doll had a lot to do. I never knew what to do with the daddy doll, so I had him say, ‘I'm going off to work now’ and threw him under the bed. The funeral was in our living room and a lot of people came and brought all kinds of good food and cakes. We had never had so much company before. I went to my room and felt under the bed for the daddy doll. When I found him, I dusted him off and put him on my bed. He never did anything. I didn't know his leaving would hurt so much."
Happy Father’s Day!
“To: Mom – From: The Kids”
by Terry Kirschman | May 6, 2010
Children are a window into every household. A little time spent in conversation with them asking just a few of the right the questions will get you a peek at life on the homefront. On this Mother’s Day, and in celebration of Mom’s everywhere, here are a few of those “right” questions asked of school age children about their mothers. Enjoy the “peek” that their answers give.
Question: “Why did God make mothers?”
1- “She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.”
2- “Think about it. It was the best way to get more people.”
3- “To help us out there when we were getting born.”
4- “Mostly to clean the house.”
Question: “How did God make mothers?”
1- “Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.”
2- “God made my mom just the same way like He made me. He just used bigger parts.”
Question: “Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?”
1- “We’re related.”
2- “God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me.”
Question: “What ingredients are moms made of?”
1- “God made mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world, and one dab of mean.”
Question: “What kind of little girl was your mom?”
1- “I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy!”
2- “They say she used to be nice.”
Question: “How did your mom meet your dad?”
1- “Mom was working in a store and dad was shoplifting.”
Question: “What did your mom know about your dad before she married him?”
1- “His last name.”
2- “She had to get to know his background. Like, is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say ‘NO’ to drugs and ‘YES’ to chores?”
Question: “Why did your mom marry your dad?”
1- “My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world, and my mom eats a lot.”
2- “She got too old to do anything else with him.”
3- “My grandma says my mom didn’t have her ‘thinking cap’ on.”
Question: “What’s the difference between dads and moms?”
1- “Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work.”
2- “Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.”
3- “Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power ‘cause that’s who you gotta’ ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s.”
Question: “What does your mom do in her spare time?”
1- “Mothers don’t do spare time.”
Question: “What’s the difference between moms and grandmas?”
1 - “About 30 years.”
Question: “Describe the world’s greatest mom.”
1- “She would make broccoli taste like ice cream!”
2- “The greatest mom in the world wouldn’t make me kiss my fat aunts!”
3- “She’d always be smiling and keep her opinions to herself.”
Question: “Is anything about your mom perfect?”
1- “Her teeth are perfect but she bought them from the dentist.”
Question: “What would it take to make your mom perfect?”
1- “On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.”
2- “Diet. You know, her hair. I’d dye-it, maybe blue.”
Question: “If you could change one thing about your mom what would it be?”
1- “She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean, I’d get rid of that.”
2- “I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who ‘did it’ and not me.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
“Eyjafjallajokull”
by Terry Kirschman | April 25, 2010
“Eyjafjallajokull” is the name of the Icelandic volcano that just roared back to life after 200 years of dormancy. At first glance ‘Eyjafjallajokull’ almost looks like an edited printout of a cuss word; something like, “Ey*%afj#xall&ajo$kull~%”! I dare you to try and pronounce it. Even though it means “
Island
Mountain
Glacier,” after this it may be remembered obscenely by some who experienced the hardships, difficulty, and loss it dished out. Who knows?
We do know it’s no laughing matter to
Europe
’s airline industry that was forced to cancel 95,000 flights leaving 8 million travelers with no place to go for days. I found it interesting that a volcano whose name nobody living outside of Iceland ever heard of much less is able to pronounce, has literally shut down all of Europe for nearly a week. And even though
Europe
has been “post-Christian” for decades, (meaning that culturally they pay little attention to, nor give recognition to God for much of anything) it is ironic that natural events like this, which spawn such ecological devastation, human inconvenience, and financial loss, are called “acts of God.” We’re not sure whether that means placing blame or taking momentary leave of a secular mindset and opting for faith. Either way, the airline industry isn’t held responsible for those “acts of God” and once again “God” seemingly gets bad press. But if nothing, else, the world was reminded once again that no matter how advanced our civilization or proficient our technologies, we are at the mercy of nature.
I was reminded when
Mt.
St Helens
erupted in
Washington
State in 1980, mostly because I was living less than 50 miles from the volcano at the time. It was truly an amazing spectacle to watch with the ash plum rising to tens of thousands of feet, and lightning that flashed around the mountain apparently from the heat, vapor, and ash being spewed. I saw first hand with my own eyes the visual illustration of what David wrote about in Psalm 144:6. “Lord…touch the mountains and they will pour out smoke!” From my vista outside of
Kelso
,
Washington
standing on a mountaintop, I remember watching the eruption taking place and then glancing to the west to notice the nuclear power plant on the
Columbia River
with its steam plum rising. There was no comparison between the two. I thought of how man’s best at harnessing nuclear energy was dwarfed in might and power compared to Mt. St. Helens’ eruptive force, killing 57 people, destroying 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railway, and 185 miles of highway, as well as blowing away 1,300 feet of the mountain’s top in one mega explosion, making it the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in US history. And to think that Mt St. Helens is only one of about 160 volcanoes that make up the Pacific “ring of fire.”
In fact, I did some quick checking and discovered that the exact number of volcanoes in the earth is unknown. It depends on the definition of a "volcano.” For instance, there are "volcanic fields" that comprise hundreds of individual eruption centers that are all related to the same magma chamber and that may or may not be counted as a single "volcano". There are probably millions of volcanoes that have been active during the whole lifespan of the earth. During the past 10,000 years, there were about 1500 volcanoes on land that were known to have been active, while the even larger number of oceanic volcanoes is unknown. At present, there are about 600 volcanoes that have had known eruptions during recorded history, while about 50-70 volcanoes are active, erupting each year. At any given time, there is an average of about 20 volcanoes that are erupting.
It’s amazing to think that we are all living on a planet which is boiling at it’s center and its surface is literally peppered with an unknown number of volcanic “eruption centers” that could blow at any time. Or worse yet…all at once? Even though that is possible, it’s the kind of stuff that only
Hollywood
can imagine.
David asked a question in Psalm 144 that preceded his reference to volcanoes in verse 6. David asked in Psalm 144:3, “Why do we human beings mean anything to You, our Lord? Why do you care about us?” Again, the Bible provides the answer to that question. We were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), a spiritual, rational, and moral being with the capacity to know God the Creator (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:20), and through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice, have a personal relationship with Him (John 3:16).
So, the Associated Press reported that “Cheers and applause erupted as flights took off from
Paris
' Charles de Gaulle Airport,
Amsterdam
, and elsewhere.” And, "Everyone was screaming in the airplane from happiness…” And as traveler Bob Basso of
San Diego
stated, “We were in the hotel having breakfast, and we heard an aircraft take off. Everybody got up and applauded... "There’s hope!” – Hope that the unwelcomed interruption to millions of man-made plans and schedules has come to an end. Finally, millions can “get on” with the more important events of their personal lives. But behind it all the invisible God of countless volcanoes was being mindful of us, “For He understands how weak we are; He knows we are only dust” (Psalm 103:14).
And with this single eruption of Mt. “Eyjafjallajokull” (however you pronounce it), He gave the world another reason to pause in its hurried pace and the opportunity to acknowledge His creative handiwork, which is pretty awesome even to watch on TV. For Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.” He did so with the hopes that our thoughts might turn to consider that such an event would speak to us of His power, and more importantly (since there has been no reported substantial loss of human life) … His mercy. As the prophet Jeremiah said, “The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
"Now That Easter's Gone, Where Did It Come From?"
by Terry Kirschman | April 11, 2010
At the close of Easter services on Sunday, a mom presented me with a question that one of her children had raised. Knowing that we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, the question was, “Where did the term ‘Easter’ come from?” Leave it to kids to ask the important questions, right? Involved with this celebration are “Easter” eggs, rabbits, candy, all seeming to be a legitimate part of it. In this child’s mind, he was trying to make the connection with what we’re really celebrating at church, and how we were going about it. Is “Easter” even in the Bible, and if so what does it mean? So I did a little research and the following information was gleaned from www.realtruth.org .
Yes, the word “Easter” is in the Bible. It is found in the New Testament in Acts 12:1-4 in the King James Version… “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of (16) soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (KJV). But before we get too excited about it, here’s the problem with that word “Easter” in the New Testament.
The Hebrew word for “Passover” is used in this passage here in the Greek New Testament, which is “pascha,” translated “Easter.” But the Greek word “pascha” always means Passover. Other versions of the Bible correctly translate “Easter” in Acts 12:4 as “Passover” (i.e. NKJV, RSV,
NEB
). Actually instead of endorsing “Easter,” Acts 12 states that the early church, which was mostly Jewish, was still observing the Passover more than ten years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Beyond Acts 12:4 there are absolutely no Scriptures Old Testament or New Testament supporting the celebration of “Easter.” God’s Word says nothing about “Lent,” eggs and egg hunts, candy baskets, etc. So where did Easter come from?
Easter has long been known to be a pagan festival. Pagans celebrated the return of spring long before Christians used this time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It was not until after the Civil War in the 1870’s that Americans’ begin to celebrate this holiday. In other words,
America
didn’t observe Easter within the first 100 years of its history. The description of a “springtime celebration decorating and hiding eggs, placing them in baskets, flowers and bunnies decorating the home, and the baking of hot cross buns, the end of a 40 day fast, the attending of worship on the first day of the week dressed in your finest, to celebrate the renewal of life, looking forward to a delicious ham dinner, and all as being one of the most important religious holidays of the year” sounds like our modern observance of Easter. But that description dates back to an ancient Babylonian custom 2000 years before Jesus came. It was celebrated in honor of the resurrection of their God Tamus who was brought back from the underworld by his wife “Ishtar,” pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic languages. Similar celebrations can be traced to ancient Phoenicians, or a heretic Jewish family honoring the Canaanite god Baal and Ashtoreth. Some say that the modern Easter we know in the west has its roots in Anglo-Saxon fertility cults that celebrate death and resurrection.
I think we get the picture. This perspective on our celebration of Easter today is interesting at least, and probably somewhat confusing at best in light of pagan history. So as followers of Christ, how do we deal with this from both a holiday and a New Testament perspective? Are there any directions given in the Scriptures that speak to such an issue in a more general sense? Here are three thoughts.
#1 – I think the first thing is to be aware of Easter’s pagan roots so that we can know what it is we are really celebrating and let it be a guide to our activities according to conscience. Paul said that there is nothing inherently powerful in idols that pagans created for themselves to assist them in their idolatrous worship. It was only in the darkness of superstitious belief and false religion and the powers that pagan worshippers attributed to them that gave real spiritual powers of darkness behind those idols the right to exert influence in their lives (see; 1 Corinthians 8:4-7). There is nothing inherently evil in bunnies, chicks, eggs, candy, or any of these kinds of trappings of the springtime celebration of Christ’s resurrection. We are not pagans worshipping these icons. We are Christ followers allowing the life-renewal that the season of spring brings to remind us of the life renewal given to us in Jesus’ resurrection and that is cause to celebrate. Granted, the resurrection of Jesus ought to be our life celebration every day. But just this past week early one morning as I sat with my wife and listened to the many voices of birds that had returned to nest, I said to her, “It reminds me of the power of life as God’s gift!” And so it should.
#2 – I also believe that cultural observances can be boldly claimed as an opportunity to communicate the truth of a risen Christ. The devil has a counterfeit for everything that God has given us to experience in life through relationship with Christ. But to stop celebrating the resurrection of Christ form the dead during the cultural observance of Easter simply because Easter has it’s roots in counterfeit religion would mean that we could argue for abstaining from interjecting a declaration of the truth into any and all pagan culture simply because it is a pagan counterfeit for the truth. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well that God is spiritual in nature. He is not looking for ritual, man-made, religious approaches to Him in worship because He is looking for those who would “worship Him in spirit and in truth.” All worship to God is relational and spiritual not ritual. Everything else we do as believers is an outward, illustrative declaration of the truth.
#3 – Maybe the most important thing is not what we say when we say “Happy Easter,” but what God is saying when He speaks to us at “Easter.” As I said at the conclusion of our Sunday Easter celebration, “When God says ‘Happy Easter’ the reality of it is He is saying, ‘I love you to death…so you might have life! Happy first day of forever!’”
"EASTER - Celebrating the Unimaginable"
by Terry Kirschman | April 1, 2010
One of the things that sets God apart from us is the fact that He is able and often does the unimaginable. What the Bible calls a “mystery” is really what God plans and then follows through with. But up to that point, we just wouldn’t ever have imagined such a thing. So what is referred to as a “mystery” in the Bible is a reality and truth that’s been hidden from view until God reveals it by what He does.
Take the mystery of the created universe for example. God said to Job that the origin of the universe is not known to man because the knowledge of how it actually came about is beyond man’s ability to understand without God revealing to us that He is the Creator. In Job 38 God asks the following questions; “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Do you know how its dimensions were determined? What supports its foundations?...Who defined the boundaries of the seas?...Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east?...Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?...Where does the light come from?...Who laid out the path for the lightening?...Where is the path to the origin of the light?...” And even though we take a shot at answering these questions and develop our “theories,” humanly it’s unimaginable. All we can do is witness the wonders of creation and in our scientific exploration and discover they speak to us of the wonders of God’s power and creative handiwork. Romans 1:20 confirms, “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.”
Consider also the testimony of millions in the world who all testify to experiencing a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Who would have ever imagined that the plan and strategy that the eternal God and Creator would initiate in order to forgive the sins of human kind. Thus making it possible for us to have a personal relationship with God. To be given eternal life would involve God Himself entering the womb of a virgin Jewish girl and being born into this world as the God/man, Jesus Christ. Here’s how 1Timothy 3:16 states it. “Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that He pleased God, and He was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations. People in this world put their faith in Him, and He was taken up to glory.” The life, miracle ministry, sin-atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus did not originate in man’s ability to predict and comprehend such a thing. In other words, the whole thing was just humanly “unimaginable.” The mystery of it all was made known only after God did it. And now growing millions are experiencing it.
Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, we celebrate the week that forever changed the world. The Gospels record that final week of Jesus’ earthly life. It ended with His suffering and death, which was really an unimaginable twist of events for those who followed Him. At His arrest they all forsook Him and fled for their lives. And when He died by crucifixion and His body was entombed, they remained in hiding not knowing what to do next. But what they couldn’t imagine then was the fact that it was in Jesus’ dying that the real victory was won. His life paid for all of our sin. He had become the sacrificial lamb that John pointed them out to with this introduction. “Behold the lam of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). His death, which was required to accomplish this, however was unimaginable at the time.
That week in the Gospels also ends with one more unimaginable event... Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead. Even though Jesus had tried to tell them it would happen this way, they couldn’t imagine it. Not until His first post-resurrection appearance to them in hiding, as He walked into the room where they were gathered, without using the door, was the mystery revealed. The unimaginable happened and the laws of medicine, science, and physics couldn’t explain it. Jesus proved He could make good on the promise He’d made at the tomb of Lazarus just before He raised him from the dead. “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). And Jesus’ question, “DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?” is His challenge to believe in the unimaginable.
But it doesn’t stop there. Two thousand years after Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead, God is still doing the unimaginable. Ephesians 3:20 explains it this way. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,…” Christ’s ascension into heaven provided to us the “promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4) who is the same Holy Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead. Only now He has come to live in us. The incredible outcome of Easter is that the unimaginable happens in and through you and me by the Spirit of God. A life we could never imagine is made possible by the risen Christ who comes to live His life through us. That’s why after the Apostle Paul came to Christ He said, “I have been crucified with Christ. I don't live any longer. Christ lives in me. My faith in the Son of God helps me to live my life in my body. He loved me. He gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Easter declares that every day life can be lived in celebration of the unimaginable power and grace of God in Christ Jesus.
"Jane's Question"
by Terry Kirschman | March 28, 2010
The book, Children's Letters to God, is filled with a variety of notes children have written to God. They express that hidden part of a child's world filled with wishes, hopes, wonderings, fears, and desires. Here's the question that was posed to God by one little girl. "Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you've got now?" - Jane.
This particular letter captured my interest because it expresses the innate desire in a little girl's heart for eternal life. God's Word says that He placed that desire in her heart and within the heart of every person. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He (God) has planted eternity in the human heart..." Jane's wondering expresses what comes naturally and innocently for a child, unmarred by years of vain reasoning. Out of the "eternity" that has been placed in her heart, she sees death as such an unreasonable part of the whole equation; "...why don't you just keep the ones you got?" Jane asks.
I think Jesus thought so too. When He stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, the Bible says Jesus did two things: He groaned deeply from His spirit and He wept (John 11.33-35). First, Jesus groaned because He was repulsed by the fact that sin brought death. He was deeply moved in His spirit when confronted by the "great usurper" of human life. It was never supposed to be this way. You wouldn't expect the "Author of Life" to react any differently. Second, He also wept because He is God entering our world; entering into our pain and sorrow; feeling the sadness and loss we brought upon ourselves as a result of sin. So He wept. In fact, Jesus is still the unseen mourner at every funeral.
But Easter reminds us that Jesus did more than just groan in His spirit and weep at a tomb over the loss of human life. He had come to do something that would forever answer Jane's question, "Why don't you just keep the ones you've got now?" He also came to answer Mary's questions about life and death, standing outside the tomb of her brother Lazarus. The Gospel of John goes on to tell us that the "Author of Life" made this claim: He was also the "Resurrection and the Life." He not only created life, He had the power to restore life that had been lost. Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish" (John 11:43-44). Jesus' death on the Cross paid the ransom price for the human soul that had sold itself so cheaply in the marketplace of sin, beginning with Adam in the Garden of Eden to the billions in megatropolises, villages or jungles everywhere on planet earth this very moment. And the result is that Jesus' own resurrection from the dead introduced humanity to "the first day of forever" for all who would believe in Him.
The Apostle Paul answers Jane's question this way, "If being a Christian is of value to us only now in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures. But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions who will come back to life again someday. Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again" (1 Corinthians 15:19-22) TLB. Jesus said, "And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day" (John 6:39). It is God's way of keeping all that are His. So, the answer to Jane's question is Easter; the resurrected Savior! Somebody needs to tell her!
"Eyes of the Heart"
by Terry Kirschman | March 21, 2010
The Bible indicates to us that we have more than one set of eyes. The Bible uses the word “eyes” as a metaphor for spiritual perception or understanding of truth. In other words we have been equipped by our Creator to perceive things that are spiritual in nature, or of the realm of the spirit, or “absolute truth” that comes as the revelation of God’s Word. But that kind of spiritual perception and understanding of the truth is directly related to the moral and spiritual condition of our heart, or the core character of our person. And that is determined by the quality of our relationship with the risen Christ.
The Bible also tells us that such spiritual perception is more than just a certain psychic “giftedness” that can be discovered and more skillfully developed. Spiritual hunger that seeks more than what intellectual / philosophical / religious argument can provide, can uncover real but very deceptive spiritual experiences in New Age and Eastern Mysticism, Occultism, Spiritism, Satanism, Tribal Paganism, Witchcraft and others. It is deceptive in that it takes people on a spiritual journey into soul bondage rather than “the knowledge of the truth that can set them free” which is the promise of Jesus Christ through personal relationship with Him (John 8:32).
Paul wrote to the church in
Ephesus
and mentioned something he was concerned about for them as Christ-followers and church members, and that he was specifically praying for on their behalf. He said, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). Paul knew that unless the heart was in right relationship with God, these “church folk” in
Ephesus
would not have spiritual and moral 20/20 vision. Their ability to discern the ways of God, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and perceive the truth would be drastically impaired.
God told Ezekiel that the people of
Israel
were blind to the error of their own ways in light of the ways of God because of a rebellious heart condition. God said that a self-focused perspective had caused them to respond to the truth about themselves and the spiritual reality there is in a right relationship with HIM much the same way an ostrich sticks its head in the sand when made to feel uncomfortable or threatened. Here’s what the prophet Ezekiel records: “God's Message came to me: ‘Son of man, you're living with a bunch of rebellious people. They have eyes but don't see a thing, they have ears but don't hear a thing’” (Ezekiel 12:1-2) MSG.
In other words, the condition of our heart will determine what the eyes of our hearts are able or willing to see. Thus Paul says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” so that what had become true of
Israel
would not be the same for the
church
of
Ephesus
who have “eyes but don’t see a thing.”
It seems to have been an ongoing issue for the church in
Ephesus
because Jesus also spoke prophetically to them about it through the revelation given to John on the Isle of Patmos. "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance… You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love!” (Revelation 2:2-5) NLT.
Paul also stated the purpose of the "eyes of the heart" were to provide for us. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so you may know Him better" (Ephesians 1:17). We can have 20/20 spiritual perception when our hearts embrace a growing relationship with Jesus. In fact, all spiritual truth is to be measured by the truth revealed in HIM. In short, the wonderful promise that is held out to us here is that the heart that embraces the love and the Lordship of Christ is also given eyes to see.
"Words"
by Terry Kirschman | March 14, 2010
Words are powerful. Proverbs 18:21 in the New Living Translation states, “Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life.” The King James Version states that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The things that we say have mental, emotional, and volitional impact upon people. Words spoken to us effect how we think, feel, and the choices that we make. That is what the Bible means when it says that “the tongue can kill or nourish life”. How many adults today struggle with self doubt, a negative mindset, relational and social orientation, and even an unhealthy attitude toward God as a “heavenly father” because of the words spoken “to” them and “over” them by someone in authority, or in the context of a fractured and dysfunctional family, or a thoughtless peer group, or hostility in society?. Only mental health professionals could give us a statistical perspective from the broken souls they are trying to reach through counseling therapy. On the other hand, how many would also attribute their successes in life to someone who spoke encouragement into their soul.
Words are a gift. I’m not talking about a good speaker as being “gifted”. I am saying that our words, when spoken, are “given away”. Ever wish you hadn’t said something? Even though we authored them and in that sense must own up to them, once our words are spoken they belong to whoever hears them and to whomever they are repeated. In that sense they’re not ours anymore because we have given them to others. Granted they may be a “good” or “bad” gift, nonetheless they are our gift. Once spoken they are given away and they can never be “unspoken”…never. To illustrate this I came across a list of “The Top Ten Regrettable Quotes of All Time”; amazing things “authorities” in their own right said and the year they are recorded. Once you read through these you’ll understand why those who spoke these words in public would take them back if they only could. But still today their spoken “gift” speaks on.
#10 – “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” – Kenneth Olsen, President and founder of Digital Equipment Corp.; 1977
#9 – “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” Marshall Ferdinand Foch, French Military Strategist and Future World War I Commander; 1911
#8 – “Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.” Dr. Lee DeForest, inventor of the Audion Tube and Father of Radio; 1967
#7 – “Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” – Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century-Fox; 1946
#6 – “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” – Decca Records rejecting the Beatles; 1962
#5 – “For the majority of people the use of tobacco has a beneficial effect.” – Dr. Ian G. Macdonald, Los Angeles Surgeon, quoted in Newsweek; November 18, 1969
#4 – “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” – Western Union internal memo; 1876
#3 – “The earth is the center of the Universe.” – Ptolemy, the great Egyptian astronomer; 2nd Century
#2 – “Nothing of importance happened today.” – Written by King George III of
England
; July 4, 1776
#1 – “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” – Charles H. Duell,
U.S.
Commissioner of Patents; 1899
Words are a window to the soul. Solomon said, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) Jesus said, “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Matthew 12:35) The King James Version says that our words are an overflow of the abundance of our heart. Even though words can be spoken in a moment of irresponsibility, thoughtlessly, emotional incontinence, apologies are offered and received, and people go on with their lives, those communicative interchanges in that moment are a revelation of the soul’s condition at that time at best. You can never give someone a “piece of your mind” without giving them a “look at your heart”. Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” Proverbs 29:11 cautions that “A fool vents all his feelings…” Where am I going with this? Apply these same three truisms concerning the Scriptures, a record of the very words of God Himself.
God’s Words are Powerful. He spoke and everything in the created realm came into existence and is sustained and serves it’s function and purpose according to His spoken Word (see: Genesis 1, John 1:1-2, Hebrews 1:3, Psalm 29.)
God’s Words are a Gift. Jesus said, “My words will never pass away” (Matt.24:35). “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63). What that means is that Christ’ words are God’s gift that speaks life to our spirit. There is not greater gift than that. They are the gift that keeps on giving because being eternal they speak forever. By faith 100’s millions down through history have received the gift of spiritual life (eternal life) by personally receiving, believing, and entrusting their life to His Words.
God’s Words are a Window to His Soul. If you want to know how God thinks, what motivates His actions, the things He feels deeply passionate about, what He promises you and me, and so much more that gives us just a glimpse at His holy, infinite, majestic, soul… it is revealed in the written record He has preserved of His spoken Word. As the exact image of the eternal Father (Hebrews 1:3, John 6:46), Jesus is “the Word of God” that “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1,14) and what God spoke to us through Him showed us HIS soul. Jesus is the window to God’s soul.
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