BIlly Graham

Billy Graham began his evangelistic crusades with a primary focus on the current state of the people living in the area. He addressed the common fears and worries of the people. He focused on the family and political issues of that group of people. I think one of the keys to his success was the fact that he addressed sinfulness and selfishness in the hearts of believers, primarily. Once reconciliation and repentance had time to take root in the believers hearts this prompted them to action of inviting and provided the atmosphere of prayer and thankfulness which are keys to any evangelistic outreach. In all of Billy’s messages however the gospel was provided in clear and urgent terms. The immanence of our meeting with Christ at the end of our time on earth was the threshold through which he presented the gospel.
These crusades produced vast numbers of converts, but there was a commitment to biblical truth that made these messages ring. Whether in success or failure the truth was preached to the lost and men without Christ were given an opportunity to choose Him.

"Why good works don't cut it with God."

Good works are enough to warrant acceptance from God, right? This cannot be correct if one is seeking to understand salvation from the biblical perspective. Paul’s letter to the Romans clearly does not advance the notion that salvation (from ones enemy or from sin) is an obligation on God directed toward those who maintain “good” works. Specific focus will be directed toward three arguments from the book of Romans that defeat the concept of works righteousness.
The purpose of the law is to prove that mankind is incapable of attaining right relationship with God apart from the work of Christ. The whole story of Jewish history declares man’s inability to procure the favor of God by works. If one attempts to define “good works” in terms of what the God of the Bible desires; then that leads one to the Law of the Old Testament. Romans (Rom. 7:5) tells us that the Law was powerless to bring salvation but simply exposes that sin is real and leads to condemnation and death. The Law (good works) points man in the direction of the cross. When one arrives at the cross however they are left empty-handed before God without one plea to righteousness that is from works. Even Abraham the father of the Nation of Israel and holder of the promises of God took hold of them prior to the good works of the Law. So that even Abraham (Rom. 4) would be justified by faith by obedience and trust in God prior to the Law. So that Abraham is a testimony of the truth that faith must precede any work that is truly “good” in God’s eyes.

The sacrifice of Christ was unnecessary for salvation if works alone can accomplish it. To think the King of heaven would abandon His home and come to earth to walk as His creation only to die needlessly creates a serious violation of biblical truth. Jesus Christ came because from the first sin of man He was to be a type of Adam (Rom. 5:14). So that as in Adam all men were enslaved to sin, so that through the one sacrifice of Christ all who believe would be set free. Were works capable of generating right standing with God this sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ would not only be redundant, but completely foolish. For this reason we ponder deeply the great pain and sacrifice Jesus suffered (which is our only hope for salvation) for our sins so that we may echo Paul as he says in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and unfathomable His ways.” God’s ways are sometimes just far too lofty for our human minds to grasp; and we love Him for it!

Works righteousness focuses on the action of man, rather than the action of God. God receives no glory for mankind doing “good works” apart from Him. God has chosen to arrange the salvation history of mankind to the praise of His glory and no one else. Glory is a very important theme in Romans and Paul is trying to emphasize this point to his audience by referencing it [1]fifteen times. Glory is part of what salvation attempts to restore, mankind has lost his God-given glory and seeking to regain it by works. Paul asserts that this is impossible in Romans 3:23, so that all men are found to be “lacking” in their attempts to procure glory. Not only is man unable to attain glory but it is God alone who will receive glory for the redemption of human souls. If works were capable of bringing about salvation glory then would belong to he who has achieved God’s moral standard, even through human strength. As it stands God alone can declare or impute righteousness, and thus must and will always receive the glory for this mighty and gracious deed.

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[1] Rom. 1:23, 2:7;10, 3:7;23, 4:20, 5:2, 6:4, 8:18;21, 9:4;23, 11:36, 15:7, 16:27

Cell Phones: The Root of all Evil

Cell phones create in this world the greatest evils the world has ever seen! Cell phones are not only the cause cancer (one of the greatest blights on the world today) but also are responsible for juvenile deaths across the world in driving accidents. Young drivers are victimized by the evils of cell phones on a daily basis. Texting causes the innocent teen drivers to be forced into focusing on the happenings of their friends rather than the road. Cell phones destroy strong marriages by creating constant distractions to genuine face-to-face conversation so that no marriage can legitimately survive in this cellphone engrossed society. I hereby declare all cellphones to be the carriers of all that is evil and wicked in this new and bright world and suggest that they all be sold and the proceeds sent to me in cash form.

Butler VS. Duke

I am watching the NCAA mens basketball championship game. Duke is winning by 5 points with 2:04 left in the game. What a prime example of big-dog verses little-dog knock-down drag-out fight. I can help but be impressed with the poise that a team with consecutive impressive seasons can continue with such strength and renewed power for each season. On the flip side, we have Butler, a team with the fewest students of any school that made it into the tournament. Yet they display the same poise and concentration that the dominant Duke puts out as well. How fascinating that the same fire can be maintained for years that is equal to the fire that is produced by the new and hungry players of a no-name team.

Birth Control

Much debate is occurring recently on the topic of birth control. Is it biblical or not? Is it living by faith or not? I would argue that with all topics the answer is somewhere in that hazy area that requires living by the word but also living by faith and dependency on the Holy Spirit. Living by the Word helps me to see that there is some birth control that is evil and not to be used (day-after pill) and also abortion is out of the question if you are allowing scripture to dictate your understanding. Also scripture I believe is silent (and purposely so) about birth control that prevents the joining of the sperm and egg (traditional birth control, condoms and so on...) this I believe must depend on the maturity of the believer and their reliance upon the Spirit to either convict or validate the action the couple is pursuing. Subnote: It should be emphasized this is an argument that requires two things; First, that the couple are both believers; Second, that they are in a marriage context.

Web 3.0

Well my friends the days of the decrepit and outdated web 2.0 have come and gone. Now we are in the age of web 3.0. This new dawn will mark a revolution in thinking and expression so that the world will experience a revival of unity and hope as I make money off of this venture. I will receive 10-15% of income received on the Internet as of May 10 when web 3.0 officially launches. You can expect increased joy and possible feelings of inexpressible happiness when web 3.0 is launched. No actual changes will occur but will find themselves more encouraged and possibly even more in tune with the global community after 3.0 goes public. You are welcome for this great gift I have given you and I hope that you enjoy it as much as web 2.0!

U.S.S.A. Revolution!

Well welcome everyone to the new and bright world that is dawning in America! As the title eludes we are on the verge of a repeat of history with our very own socialist state (United Socialist States of America). Apparently Obama and congress never heard the quote "Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." They seem quite content to walk down the paths that Stalin and Lenin paved so eloquently. It requires immeasurable arrogance to just hop into government run health care and business (the government has already taken control of most of the automotive industry in America.)

As I see it the government has a few (and very specific) responsibilities. The protection of the citizens from enemies foreign and domestic. This is fulfilled by police and the military. Government exists to represent not misrepresent or coerce their constituents. Government is not supposed to be running business! You want to help business people Obama? Reduce the deficit and reduce useless government programs...not add to the them (like Obama-care.)