Authentic

On July 9-13, I had the privilege of being a camp counselor for First Baptist of Clarksville middle school camp.  Let me tell you it was one of the best camps I personally have been to.  Freddy Valcarcel, Grant Welch, Josh Phillips, and Jeff Tilden all gave a strong message when they spoke.  They definitely got through to the middle school students.   The message was over what authentic worship was and the characteristics of authentic worship.

Now one of the main questions is what really is authentic worship?  Some may say authentic worship is when your singing songs at church.  However, this is not necessarily true!  If you are only mouthing the words and not really understanding what your singing then you are not really worshiping God.  This also can apply when your reading your Bible or praying.  When we read our Bible or pray it is important that we maintain our focus duing that time.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks."
                                                                                               John 4:23 (NIV)

We can worship God in spirit and truth.  Some of the ways we can worship Him in spirit is we can worship Him from our hearts, with our soul, with our mind, and with our strength.  When worshiping God we must keep our minds focused and stay clear of any distractions that may try to enter our minds.  Our worship to God must be done in a right manner that brings glory and honor to Him.

We also need to worship God in truth.  We need to worship all of who God is.  Its easy for us to worship God's love, however we don't worship his wrath. In Amos 5:22-25, God rejected the Israelites worship, because they ignored God's characteristics of righteousness and justice.  We need to worship all of God's attributes.  Also, we picture God how we want to, and that's not worshiping God!

In Isaiah 6:1-7, Isaiah saw God and all His glory.  Isaiah realized who he was when he was face to face with God.  God wants the real us not a person that looks like a Christan.  We need to truly worship God! Your intimacy with God is the greatest gift you can give to others.

Never lose your love for God, because God will never stop loving you.  In Mark 12:28, one of the teachers of the law came up to Jesus and asked him what the greatest commandment is.  Mark 12:30 states, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."  Jesus tells us what his greatest commandment is!

God gives us his truth.  Let God's word guide you and through that worship Him!

Creating the Earth

As you open up the Bible, the very first book you come to is Genesis.  The very first chapter talks about how God created the world, the universe, and everything in them in six days.  However, many people question this part of the Bible. They will say, "if God is the infinite being then why did it take as long as six days?" If God is this powerful he should be able to snap his fingers and everything appears.  God gives us the answer in the Bible on why it took him six days. Exodus 20:9-10 states, "six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God....."  God set up our typical week. He set a pattern for us to follow, and this is the same pattern we use today!

Many people believe this is a symbolic meaning and God really used Evolution to make the Earth. Ken Ham mentioned a word cannot have a symbolic meaning unless it has a literal one first.  God not only introduce the word day in Genesis, but he also defined it as He invented it.  Genesis 1:4-5 states, "God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day."

Some people believe the days represent millions of years.  However this too would make no sense! Adam was created on the sixth day and lived through the seventh.  In Genesis 5:5 it says Adam was 930 when he died.  If people believe that each day is a million of years then that would greatly contradict the Bible!

Evolution means that ever since the Earth was inhabited with humans and animals, there has been competition amongst them. The motto for Evolution is "survival of the fittest."  This does not correspond with what the Bible says!  When God made everything he mentioned it as good.  The Earth was a sinless place, sin only entered when the serpent deceived Adam and Eve.  From Adams state of rebellion everyone now are sinners.  We are in a rebellion against God!   Before the fall of man, everything God made was perfect.  There was no competition, and animals ate from the Earth.  The Bible does not support anything about Evolution!

"Evolutionists would say death and struggle led to man's existence. The Bible says man's rebellious actions led to death."
                                                                                                                  Ken Ham
                                                                                                           The Lie: Evolution

The Christians who accept Evolution and put God into the equation are destroying the very foundation of the Gospel message they profess to believe!

                                                                  

 http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Creation vs Evolution

Creation vs. Evolution is one of the most discussed topics in todays world.  Many people say Evolution is a science, however it is a religion. Evolution is a inaccurate belief system and its gripping our world.  The idea of Evolution came from men who weren't in the past to know what actually happened.  Scientist just have the present to make inaccurate assumptions of the past.  There are some Christians who try to combine the Bible and Evolution together.  It doesn't work like that, because Evolution contridicts what the Bible says.

"I recall a seminar where a young man stated, 'I can't believe in creation.  I belive in the Big Bang.  We are just products of chance and random processes.  There is no God.  What do you have to say to that?' I replied, 'Well, if you are a product of chance, your brain is also a product of chance. Therefore, the thought patterns that determine your logic are also products of chance. If your logic is the result of chance processes, you can't be sure it evolved properly.  you can't be sure you're even asking the right question because you can't trust your own logic.' he was dumbounded."

                                                                                                          -Ken Ham

                                                                                                From The Lie: Evolution

As Christians we must build all our thinking in every area of the Bible. We must not listen to what men think is true, but what the word of God says.  Evolutionist are trying to eliminate religion from schools, however they havent eliminate religion.  They just eliminated Christianity and replaced it with humanism.

We also need a better understanding of the Bible so we cand defend our faith.  When we give our answer from a question like marriage or homosexuality, we defend it with opinion rather then "this is what the Bible says."  In Genesis, God created two (Adam and Eve) to be one so that they could produce a Godly seed. Therefore a homosexual lifestyle is anti-God. An important verse over marriage is Malachi 2:15 it says "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offsprings.  So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with your wife of your youth." 

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say 'where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'  But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth formed out of the water and by water."

                                                                                                          - 2 Peter 3:3-5

Genesis is the base of the Bible, because many parts of the Bible refer back to Genesis.  Creation is the foundation of Christianity.  Satan is constantly attcking Genesis probably more then any other book, because Genesis contains creation. Men is in rebellion against God. We show this by the sins we commit.  As sinners we must realize we are in a rebellion against God.  The more we reject God and his Word, the more Anti Christian our society becomes.

"If man did not really fall into sin, there is no need for a Saviour. Evolution destroys the very foundations of Christianity because it states, 'death is, and always hs been, part of life."

                                                                                                         -Ken Ham

                                                                                              From The Lie: Evolution

"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

                                                                                                         -Psalm 11:3

If Christians want to protect our foundations, then we must oppose Evolution.  We need to destroy Evolutions foundation, and not by just certain issues the whole thing! Its a growing threat and we must stop it!

http://www.answersingenesis.org/