Evolution

Today is basically just a journal entry, what follows is my heart or at least part of it.  These thoughts and others like them have flooded my consciousness for months.  I write a lot more than I post here and often have four, five or more things on the burner, some of which never move on to a blog post and are just that, my journal.  This is a journal entry that I felt like I needed to share.

Evolution

I have a very narrow view of world history, I don’t really consider myself close-minded or unwilling to listen to someone else’s view, but what I believe is literally what the Bible says.
Science believes it has disproven the Bible and that God has no part in the modern world. Science can be subjective, and usually, the conclusions lean the direction of the tester’s thoughts and ideas.  Much of what is called science and taught as fact is actually Theory.
Miriam Webster says that a Theory is (A) a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation. Or (B) an unproved assumption: CONJECTURE.  I had a coach in High School, Coach Laird that very eloquently taught me about assuming things and I’ll never forget that lesson. The lesson was given after a few bad decisions were made by some of the starting 5 basketball players and me, I will elaborate no further.  The Lesson was that to ASSUME makes the first 3 letters of that word out of the 4th letter and the 5th and 6th letters together. I hope I’ve explained that well enough.

So the bottom line, for me is that I’d rather believe in an All Powerful, All Knowing Creator and not always understand His ways than to accept the opinion or theory of any man or scientist as to why God’s Word is not true.  Honestly, they’ve come too late to tell me differently, my mind is made up. 

As a Christian of 31+ years and a minister for just a little less than that, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the church, some for the better, some…I’ll just leave that there.  There is a Biblical requirement for leadership, correction, and reproof.  But Love must be the foundation for, the initiator of and the completion of Leadership, Correction, and Reproof.  If Love is not our motivation then what is?

1 John 4: 7 & 8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Everything that God has ever done was for Love, chiefly to the salvation of mankind.  The Purpose of the Church is outreach, winning souls by His Love through us.
I see a world groping in the darkness, rejecting the Light and in many cases a religious world so fractured, so focused on the trivial and trying to be so politically correct that sometimes I’m afraid we may be shining our little light in the wrong directions.  We have to share unyielding, unchanging, Bible salvation straight from the Heart of God to a lost and dying world. Not adding to or taking away from the Literal Word of God Almighty that says Jesus is the Way, the Truth and The Light! That through His Death, Burial and Resurrection Salvation was purchased and made available to us.

Christians should cherish and appreciate the opportunity to be in God’s presence.  To enter into His presence with Thanksgiving and Praise and also with Fear and Reverence.
How we dress, at all times, not just when we are at church is important, especially from a modesty standpoint.  I don’t believe we should come to church dressed like we are going to a club or the gym.  As the Church though, we have to be careful that pride is not our motivation for the way we dress and that we are not so overdressed that it becomes some sort of stumblingblock to sinners and new converts.  Kind of a Fine Line there I guess, but is God’s first impression really what we have on or if our clothes are nice or in style? Should ours be?

1 Samual 16:7 “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

The Bible speaks more negatively about the putting on of Costly Array than it does about dressing any particular way, other than in modestly and to your own gender.  Like I said earlier, I’ve been a preacher for 30+ years, but I’ve never really been a real suit guy.  I have suits, and I wear suits, but I’d much rather wear jeans with a nice shirt than an ill-fitting, overpriced suit.
The tie debacle always gets me as well, the buying new ties every year or so because they had to be skinny, now they need to be wide or vice versa.

But before you burn me at the stake for being a heretic, consider this. God had a religious organization set up according to His direct instruction, a Ministry, if you will, dressed according to the explicit plan of God Almighty, but that was not fulfilling God’s purpose.  When God got ready for a revival that would change everything who did he send? One of those sharp-dressed men from the established church? No, He sent one clothed in Camel skin, eating locusts and wild honey and The One that was born in a barn and that had “not where to lay his head.” And they shook things up for certain!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Church is wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go to church, do our best, give our best, by all means, we should, we must. I’m not saying that God is not using the Ministry or the Church or that revival isn’t happening within the church today, I know that it is.
But speaking for me, I  feel led to take my eyes off the appearance of people and look to the needs of their Heart and their stomachs.  I want to be a fisher of men and a feeder of men and let God be the changer of men.  I feel compelled to try to see Mankind through the eyes of the Master not the eyes of my flesh.  As I’ve seen the hand of God at work in my life, in a different way than ever before and I’ve also seen Him working in the lives of people around me.  I’ve noticed Him working in people that I’ve not always seen eye to eye with. I’ve realized that there’s a lot about God that I don’t completely understand.  I still believe what I’ve always believed, but I’ve also asked God to give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding beyond anything I’ve ever known, to show me where He wants me, what He wants me to do when I get there, and who He wants me to minister to.  As I pray these prayers and try to listen for God’s voice, I find myself craving His presence more than ever before. I feel almost compelled to go places I’ve never been, to do things I’ve never done and to try and find commonalities where I’ve only seen differences before.  I’ve also realized that pleasing Him is way more important to me than fitting in, being popular or even being comfortable.  I feel like the most blessed man alive and hungry for all that God has in store.

Just like my view of History, my view of the Future is wrapped up in believing the whole word of God.  Allowing God to take the wheel and knowing that His Word is Literally the road map to Heaven.

I hope that this has somehow blessed and encouraged.
Greg

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