Christians must send a clear message

by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 31, 2012

We all know that the phrase “Trick or treat!” really means “May I have some candy?” But most kids, (wisely, in this case) just stick with tradition so nobody will think they’re strange, right? Besides, that’s what their parents told them to say.

And while this way of thinking is fine when it comes to filling our bags with candy, this is not such a good way to carry out our spiritual walk. Christians need to be clear about what we believe and why we believe it. After all, we may only get one shot at saving a soul.

We live in a culture in which many believe anything goes just as long as their personal rights are not immediately invaded. The problem is that most everyone is connected in some way with others. And so how we act on our beliefs not only affects us, but other people, too.

A survey just released by Pew Forum says that nearly one out of five people has no religious affiliation. That is 19-percent of Americans, up from 15-percent in 2008, and up from six-percent in 1990. Oddly enough, two-thirds of the 19-percent say they believe in God.

To me, what is scary is the influence the devil has over our culture even though four out of five Americans actually claim to be people of faith. Maybe it’s because only 58-percent of Americans say religion is very important in their lives. By the way, that number is reportedly double that of many European nations.

As this trend continues, opposition to Christian beliefs in the coming years will be much greater than anything we’ve seen in our lifetime. It will become increasingly important for Christians to know and understand their Bibles, and how to clearly defend their faith.

In the first century, Christians knew a lot about persecution. The ruling leaders refused to believe the apostles’ teachings about Jesus even after witnessing firsthand supernatural miracles!

In Acts 4, Peter and John told about the resurrected Christ. They also healed a man who was known by everyone in Jerusalem to be crippled. Peter gave credit to Jesus, and said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Hope is found only in Jesus.

Now THAT is an unmistakably clear message. May God bless each of us with opportunities this week to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and be a witness for Christ to someone who is in a lost condition. That will be the greatest treat of all. Have a great week!

Doing the right thing is important for yourself and your friends

by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 24, 2012

So what should you do if you think your friend is in spiritual danger? In other words, if God returned today, do you have any friends who you believe are not in a saved condition? And if so, what should you do? This scenario hit me in the face this week as I found out that an old college friend has fallen into a sinful lifestyle. and openly celebrates it on social media.

I wrote my friend in a private message that just because a person is tempted by a particular sin does not mean they have to fall so happily into it. Everyone, including every Christian (that means me, too), has something they struggle with. It is just part of being human. We are not robots programmed for only success or only failure. A loving God would not create us with a weakness that we could not overcome, and therefore be stuck with a spiritual death sentence. God actually gives us choices.

I am purposely not stating exactly what my old friend’s sin is because when it comes to falling into temptations, one sin can send us to hell just as quickly as the next. Willful sin is what happens when we choose to sin. All other sin is just a result of the fact that we are not perfect. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23).”

Both kinds of sin (Willful and unintentional) will send us to hell if not covered by the blood of Jesus. We are clothed in Jesus when we are baptized (Galatians 3:27). But when we choose to sin, we must make it right with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).” The unintentional sin is already covered (1 John 1:7) if the person has obeyed the Bible’s instructions on becoming a Christian.

James 5 indicates that prayer is a great place to start when trying to help a wayward friend. “19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).”

Scripture also tells us to talk directly to a fellow Christian who is in spiritual danger.

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother (Matthew 18:15)”.

It is difficult to stand by and watch the devil take hold of a Christian brother or sister. They may become angry with you even if your action is loving and patient. But if we do not pray and try to help them back into a good relationship with Christ, who will? Have a great week!

Fearing God is not the same as being afraid
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 17, 2012

            When I was little, an older cousin had a Halloween mask that just scared the daylights out of me.  He didn’t even have to put the thing on.  It was scary enough on its own!  Safe to say I feared that mask with everything in me.

            The Bible talks about fear.  Fear of what will happen on Judgment Day, and Fear of God.  These are two different things, or at least they should be.  Scripture points out that people should not be afraid of God if our lives show that we love him.  After all, God IS love, and He loves us!  But we should definitely have healthy respect (or fear) of God so we do not fear the final day. 

            John says, “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:17-18)

            It troubles me when I see people who appear to have absolutely no respect for anyone.  Worse yet, people who try to appear to be religious, but their actions are nothing but a show.

Jesus quoted Isaiah in saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8).

He said to be on guard against the hypocrisy that was so much a part of the way the Pharisees conducted themselves.  In that case, Jesus indicates that a person who follows the pattern of hypocrites should be frightened by God.  The Pharisees claimed to love God, but in the end they rejected His son. 

Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” (Luke 12:4-5)

The apostle Paul had confidence and a healthy respect or fear of God when he said, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Paul lived with joyful assurance of heaven because of his obedience to God’s grace-backed plan.    I’ve told my youth group that if they were playing in the street, but they believed that a truck was coming and they got out of the way, they would survive.  Jesus related this principle in some of His final words:   “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

            Will you believe in Him and obey His words today?  Have a great week!

Proof of the Bible’s reliability is easy to find

by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 10, 2012 

            The Bible is the most reliable history book ever written.  There is plenty of support from ancient writings outside of the Bible and from archaeological digs that have proven names and places that skeptics thought did not exist.  Still, some critics doubt the accuracy of the Bible, while embracing other ancient writings that are much more scarce and even have more problems with their content.

            There are 24,633 ancient manuscripts (handwritten copies) of the New Testament in Greek (5309) and many other languages (19,324).

Julius Caesar and Plato have only 10 and 7 surviving copies, respectively, of their works.  There are 643 ancient copies of the mythical poetry “Homer’s Iliad”.

The oldest New Testament manuscript is a portion of the Gospel of John dating back to 125 A.D.  That’s likely only 25 years after John penned the original!  This lessens the chance of any textual corruption.  That’s a far cry better than the 1000 to 1300 years separating the copies of the other mentioned writings from their originals. 

The New Testament has an extremely small percentage of textual problems. For instance, only one-half of one-percent of its words are even in doubt for any reason.  For instance, some words are thought to have been misspelled in some copies versus others.  Also, there are a few sentences that appear in some manuscripts that do not in others.  It is important to note that none of the differences in content changes the Bible’s meaning, because the Christian doctrine found in the Bible is backed up in multiple other passages. 

The consistent message of the Bible from cover to cover is a great source of confidence for Christians today.  In fact, if we were to turn back time 2000 years, first century Christians would likely be heard saying the same thing.  After all, they believed the Bible enough to undergo severe persecution or even die for it.

Many doubters have tried to prove the Bible unreliable.  But in the end, many have wound up converting themselves to Christianity.  Josh McDowell’s “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” is a great resource for proving the Bible’s reliability, as is Brad Harrub’s book “Convicted”, or “The Case for a Creator” by Lee Strobel.  Or if you prefer the internet, here are a couple of places to start:  1)  www.s8int.com  2) www.apologeticspress.org

Our culture as a whole frequently changes its mind on a variety of moral and social issues.  But Christians can be comforted in the fact that the message of the Bible does not change.  In the end, it is God’s word in comparison to our obedience that will determine where we spend eternity.  Thanks be to God for his amazing grace that shows us the way.   Have a blessed week!