You'd think that a process capable of evolving irreducibly complex biological functions without blueprints would have surely solved this little dilemma by now!
But after nearly four billion years of trying, evolution has still failed to come up with a workaround for death! Now that's a bit disappointing!
Mr & Mrs Evolutionist, you'd better hope that it finds a solution in the next 50 odd years or you're stuffed!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
God Himself Directs His Word!
"Do not be led away with the error of the wicked but "grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
Light is the chariot which carries the influence of the sun. So the knowledge of Christ brings with it influences of His grace into the heart. And how did Peter expect people to grow in the knowledge of Christ unless they read Scripture, the only book where it can be found? How wrong for teachers to want the people to learn this knowledge solely from their preaching, and not from the Bible! How can a congregation be sure they are hearing truth unless they have Scripture, the only touchstone to try the purity of the doctrine? God Himself directs His Word not to any one honored group-not to a select few-but to every man (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1). Why are laws made if they cannot be declared? And why was Scripture ever written if not to be read and known of all men? By the same authority with which the apostle wrote his epistles, he commanded them to be read in the church. Did ministers of the early church hide God's word from the people instead of encouraging them to hide it in their hearts?
It is true that some men wrest Scripture to their own destruction, just as occasionally somebody chokes on a piece of bread if he is not careful when he eats. But must everyone starve for fear of getting choked? Some hurt themselves with sharp weapons; must the whole army then be disarmed, and only a few officers be allowed to wear the sword? If this argument were enough to seal up the Bible, we must deny it to intellectuals as well as to common men; for it is a known fact that the grossest heresies have bred in the finest minds. Whenever proud men insist on being wiser than God, their foolish minds get darker and darker until they become so accustomed to the blackness that they can no longer see His sovereignty.
From The Christian In Complete Armour by William Gurnall First Published in 1665 Published by Moody Press Chicago, IL 1994
Light is the chariot which carries the influence of the sun. So the knowledge of Christ brings with it influences of His grace into the heart. And how did Peter expect people to grow in the knowledge of Christ unless they read Scripture, the only book where it can be found? How wrong for teachers to want the people to learn this knowledge solely from their preaching, and not from the Bible! How can a congregation be sure they are hearing truth unless they have Scripture, the only touchstone to try the purity of the doctrine? God Himself directs His Word not to any one honored group-not to a select few-but to every man (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1). Why are laws made if they cannot be declared? And why was Scripture ever written if not to be read and known of all men? By the same authority with which the apostle wrote his epistles, he commanded them to be read in the church. Did ministers of the early church hide God's word from the people instead of encouraging them to hide it in their hearts?
It is true that some men wrest Scripture to their own destruction, just as occasionally somebody chokes on a piece of bread if he is not careful when he eats. But must everyone starve for fear of getting choked? Some hurt themselves with sharp weapons; must the whole army then be disarmed, and only a few officers be allowed to wear the sword? If this argument were enough to seal up the Bible, we must deny it to intellectuals as well as to common men; for it is a known fact that the grossest heresies have bred in the finest minds. Whenever proud men insist on being wiser than God, their foolish minds get darker and darker until they become so accustomed to the blackness that they can no longer see His sovereignty.
From The Christian In Complete Armour by William Gurnall First Published in 1665 Published by Moody Press Chicago, IL 1994
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Deceitfulness Of Sin!
"Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin!" Hebrews 3:13
First sin startles him,
then it becomes pleasing,
then easy,
then delightful,
then frequent,
then habitual,
then confirmed!
Then the man is impenitent,
then obstinate,
then resolves never to repent,
and then he is damned!
"For the wages of sin is death!" Romans 6:23
- Jeremy Taylor
First sin startles him,
then it becomes pleasing,
then easy,
then delightful,
then frequent,
then habitual,
then confirmed!
Then the man is impenitent,
then obstinate,
then resolves never to repent,
and then he is damned!
"For the wages of sin is death!" Romans 6:23
- Jeremy Taylor
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Are You Living For Rubbish?
"Do not work for food that perishes--but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you!" John 6:27
We need to be continually reminded of the unsatisfying nature of the things of this world--and exhorted to seek eternal realities. We live in a material age, when the quest of people is for money, for power, for things of the earth.
John Bunyan gives a picture of 'a man with a muck-rake', working hard, scraping up the rubbish at his feet--and not seeing the crown which hung above his head. It is a picture of the great majority of the people in this world. They are wearing out their life in scraping up worldly rubbish--not thinking of the heavenly treasures, the divine and imperishable gifts, which they might have--with half the toil and care!
We ought not to spend our life in picking up rubbish which we cannot carry beyond the grave! If we are wise, we will seek rather to gather lasting treasures and riches, which we can take with us into eternity!
Whatever we build into our character, we shall possess forever!
Money which we spend in doing good in Christ's name--we lay up as safe and secure treasure in heaven.
All true service for Christ--stores up rewards for us in the future.
What we keep--we lose!
What we give in love--we keep forever!
(J.R. Miller)
We need to be continually reminded of the unsatisfying nature of the things of this world--and exhorted to seek eternal realities. We live in a material age, when the quest of people is for money, for power, for things of the earth.
John Bunyan gives a picture of 'a man with a muck-rake', working hard, scraping up the rubbish at his feet--and not seeing the crown which hung above his head. It is a picture of the great majority of the people in this world. They are wearing out their life in scraping up worldly rubbish--not thinking of the heavenly treasures, the divine and imperishable gifts, which they might have--with half the toil and care!
We ought not to spend our life in picking up rubbish which we cannot carry beyond the grave! If we are wise, we will seek rather to gather lasting treasures and riches, which we can take with us into eternity!
Whatever we build into our character, we shall possess forever!
Money which we spend in doing good in Christ's name--we lay up as safe and secure treasure in heaven.
All true service for Christ--stores up rewards for us in the future.
What we keep--we lose!
What we give in love--we keep forever!
(J.R. Miller)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Spurgeon On Self Righteousness #2
If you think yourselves strong enough to procure heaven by your own efforts, you are ignorantly insulting the cross of Christ, for you seem to insinuate that your virtues can avail you without Jesus. If you really mean this, there is no more venom of rebellion against God in your self-righteousness than in the outward vice of those who make no pretence to godliness. For you to put your works in the place of Jesus is a blasphemy against the Saviour's blood and righteousness. Why needed Christ to die if men could save themselves? Why need he bleed upon the cross if your merits will suffice to gain you a place among the blessed? There is a fatal weakness in the claim of that man who thinks himself strong enough to force his own passage to the throne of God; that weakness lies in the pride which insults the Crucified, the disloyalty which prefers itself to the royal Saviour.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Spurgeon On Self Righteousness #1
Sinner, if you grow no sweeter flowers than the dunghill of your own nature can nourish, you will die amid poisonous weeds. If you never drink of better water than the filthy well of your own heart will yield, you will perish of thirst, or of a deadly draught. Another, and a better helper than one born in your house, must come this way. Help must be laid upon one that is mighty, exalted of the Lord out of the people, and endowed with divine power and Godhead, for only such a Saviour, infinitely good and great, can save a soul so lost as yours.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Question For The Evolutionist...
Did this evolve, or is it evidence that there is a sand castle maker?
Did this evolve, or is it evidence that there is a bridge maker?
Did this evolve, or is it evidence that there is a robot maker?
Did we evolve, or are we evidence that there is a creator?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
No Surer Test Of The Genuineness Of Christian Life!
"I am among you as one who serves." Luke 22:27
"He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him." John 13:4-5
Serving is not an easy lesson to learn. But it is a lesson we must learn--if ever we would become like our Master. He did not come to be served--but to serve. He served to the uttermost, just as He loved to the uttermost. Anything that needed to be done for another, He did as naturally and as simply as He breathed. He loved people, and was interested in them, and was ready always to be helpful to them. It never mattered what the service was, whether it was the saving of a soul, the curing of a grievous sickness, or the giving of a cup of water--He did the least as graciously and as divinely, as the greatest.
The washing of feet was the lowliest service any man could do for another. It was the work of the lowliest slave. Yet Jesus without hesitation, did this service for His own disciples. Thus He taught them that nothing anyone may ever need to have done--is unfit for the whitest hands. We begin to be like Christ--only when we begin to love others enough to serve them.
There is no surer test of the genuineness of Christian life, than in this matter of serving others. When we see the Son of God washing His disciples' feet--no service is too menial for us to do. A king may do the lowliest kindness to the poorest peasant in his realm, and his honor will only be enhanced by it.
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet--you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14
J. R. Miller
"He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him." John 13:4-5
Serving is not an easy lesson to learn. But it is a lesson we must learn--if ever we would become like our Master. He did not come to be served--but to serve. He served to the uttermost, just as He loved to the uttermost. Anything that needed to be done for another, He did as naturally and as simply as He breathed. He loved people, and was interested in them, and was ready always to be helpful to them. It never mattered what the service was, whether it was the saving of a soul, the curing of a grievous sickness, or the giving of a cup of water--He did the least as graciously and as divinely, as the greatest.
The washing of feet was the lowliest service any man could do for another. It was the work of the lowliest slave. Yet Jesus without hesitation, did this service for His own disciples. Thus He taught them that nothing anyone may ever need to have done--is unfit for the whitest hands. We begin to be like Christ--only when we begin to love others enough to serve them.
There is no surer test of the genuineness of Christian life, than in this matter of serving others. When we see the Son of God washing His disciples' feet--no service is too menial for us to do. A king may do the lowliest kindness to the poorest peasant in his realm, and his honor will only be enhanced by it.
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet--you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14
J. R. Miller
Friday, October 30, 2009
Evolution Is Monkey Business!
How long would it take a monkey to type the word evolution on a standard 104-key keyboard?
Well there is, on average, one chance in 1,423,311,812,421,484,544 attempts (an attempt being defined as a random keying of 9 characters), of typing the word evolution on a 104-key keyboard. This is based on the Multiplication Rule of probability.
Assuming the monkey could type 2 keystrokes/sec, 8 hrs/day, 5 days/week, 44 weeks/year (that's a 52 weeks year - 4 weeks annual leave - 2 weeks public holidays - 2 weeks sick leave) and he stumbled on the right key combination, by chance, in only half the attempts then it would only take him 505,437,433,388.31 years.
Unfortunately, he would have died after about 20!
Such are the overwhelming odds of randomly typing the nine character word coined to describe the very theory which says all things evolved from a primordial soup, it would take 25,271,871,669.42 monkeys working back to back to crack this problem!
Well there is, on average, one chance in 1,423,311,812,421,484,544 attempts (an attempt being defined as a random keying of 9 characters), of typing the word evolution on a 104-key keyboard. This is based on the Multiplication Rule of probability.
Assuming the monkey could type 2 keystrokes/sec, 8 hrs/day, 5 days/week, 44 weeks/year (that's a 52 weeks year - 4 weeks annual leave - 2 weeks public holidays - 2 weeks sick leave) and he stumbled on the right key combination, by chance, in only half the attempts then it would only take him 505,437,433,388.31 years.
Unfortunately, he would have died after about 20!
Such are the overwhelming odds of randomly typing the nine character word coined to describe the very theory which says all things evolved from a primordial soup, it would take 25,271,871,669.42 monkeys working back to back to crack this problem!
God Is The God Of The Broken!
"This man welcomes sinners--and eats with them!" Luke 15:2
"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you!" Matthew 21:31
Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things.
Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken--in building their kingdoms. But God is the God of the broken, the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth's broken lives, and there is no 'bruised reed' which Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow--and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure--up to heaven's glory!
J. R. Miller
"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you!" Matthew 21:31
Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things.
Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken--in building their kingdoms. But God is the God of the broken, the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth's broken lives, and there is no 'bruised reed' which Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow--and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure--up to heaven's glory!
J. R. Miller
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Why I Don't Believe In God!
Mr & Mrs Atheist, I am curious as to your reason(s) for why you do not believe there is a God?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Question For Mr Evolutionist!
Mr Evolutionist, assuming that you propagate before you die, what great genetic improvement or evolutionary advancement will you bring to the human gene pool? Have you improved on the eyesight or hearing of your parents? Have you developed some new biological function that gives you a greater chance of survival? Have you moved your family tree one step closer to developing gills, or flying with the birds? How do you know that you haven’t actually made a regressive step back towards your primate ancestors? What a waste your life will be if you reach the end and find out that you have added no new &/or improved genetic information! You will be an evolutionary failure!
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Atheist Challenge!
1. Put frog in blender
2. Blend frog
3. Put blender on kitchen table
4. Wait for frog to hop back out
Should be a no brainer for evolution - given that we know everything required to make a living frog is present.
My dear atheist friend, don't hold your breath!
2. Blend frog
3. Put blender on kitchen table
4. Wait for frog to hop back out
Should be a no brainer for evolution - given that we know everything required to make a living frog is present.
My dear atheist friend, don't hold your breath!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Degrees Of Sin?
The greek word for sin "ἁμαρτία" literally means to miss the mark. To miss the target. But the problem is we don't realise how far we miss it!
Imagine for a moment if our target were the sun! At an approximate distance of 149,598,000 km away, if we were off course by just 1 degree, we'd miss the mark by around 2,611,242 kilometres. That's a little over 65 round trips of the earth!
But we know that the target, the requirement for us to approach God in infinite holiness is infinite perfection! Perfect righteousness! Now if we were to miss that, even by one degree, we'd miss the mark by an infinite number of miles. In terms of being off course, that's seriously lost!
Let us then not trifle over the degrees of sin! "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." James 2:10
One degree of separation is still separation after all!
Since we cannot make it on our own, give up trying! Flee to the only one who can save you and throw yourself at his feet. Cast yourself upon his mercy, for he promised to save to the upmost all who come to him! He lived a sinless life! He satisfied all the requirements of the law! He hit the mark!
There was no cause for death found in him, yet he was crucified. Crucified in the place of all those who would put their trust in him! All those who would give up trying to hit the mark themselves! All those who would flee to him for salvation!
Repent! Turn from your striving, turn from your unbelief, turn from your sin – turn to the only one who can save you! Turn to Christ!
You will never make it otherwise! You cannot make it otherwise!
Imagine for a moment if our target were the sun! At an approximate distance of 149,598,000 km away, if we were off course by just 1 degree, we'd miss the mark by around 2,611,242 kilometres. That's a little over 65 round trips of the earth!
But we know that the target, the requirement for us to approach God in infinite holiness is infinite perfection! Perfect righteousness! Now if we were to miss that, even by one degree, we'd miss the mark by an infinite number of miles. In terms of being off course, that's seriously lost!
Let us then not trifle over the degrees of sin! "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." James 2:10
One degree of separation is still separation after all!
Since we cannot make it on our own, give up trying! Flee to the only one who can save you and throw yourself at his feet. Cast yourself upon his mercy, for he promised to save to the upmost all who come to him! He lived a sinless life! He satisfied all the requirements of the law! He hit the mark!
There was no cause for death found in him, yet he was crucified. Crucified in the place of all those who would put their trust in him! All those who would give up trying to hit the mark themselves! All those who would flee to him for salvation!
Repent! Turn from your striving, turn from your unbelief, turn from your sin – turn to the only one who can save you! Turn to Christ!
You will never make it otherwise! You cannot make it otherwise!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Don't Look To Yourself!
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
From the garden of Gethsemane--where the bleeding pores of the Savior sweat pardons; from the cross of Calvary--where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy--the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself--and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself--there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are--but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus!
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
- Charles Spurgeon
From the garden of Gethsemane--where the bleeding pores of the Savior sweat pardons; from the cross of Calvary--where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy--the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself--and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself--there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are--but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus!
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
- Charles Spurgeon
Friday, October 2, 2009
Sad, But Mostly True!
"After more than twenty years of dealing with church members on a daily basis, I am of the following opinion. Of every one thousand members of a Protestant or Fundamental church, three hundred are Christian in word only and could not give a scriptural definition of salvation if their life depended on it (and it does). Three hundred others are trusting in water baptism. Another three hundred are counting on some sort of good works to get them to heaven. Fifty more are workers of iniquity seeking to ruin the church to which they belong or use it for social, political or business objectives. Forty know the way of salvation but have not yet received Christ Jesus as Saviour."
I don't know who wrote this, but I don't think he's far wrong!
I don't know who wrote this, but I don't think he's far wrong!
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