9/1/10

L'Shanah Tovah

Happy New Year to all of our Jewish friends!  The Jewish New Year marks the start of the High Holy Days when Jewish people around the world celebrate their heritage as God's chosen people.

Rosh Hashanah is also called the Feast of Trumpets because God commanded the Israelites to commemorate this day with a trumpet blast.  It marks the beginning of the New Year and reminds Jewish people of judgment and eternity.  It is referenced in Leviticus 23:23-25.

Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest would make atonement for the sins of the people.  As Christians we believe that Jesus became the sacrificial lamb who can forgive our sins permanently.  It is referenced in Leviticus 23:26-32.

Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles.  It is a thanksgiving celebration for the harvest.  Jewish people dwell in tabernacles to remember how their ancestors lived when God brought them out of Egypt.  It is referenced in Leviticus 23:33-43.

All true believers in Christ should have a love for the Jewish people.  After all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was Jewish, as were His disciples.  The early church was composed almost entirely of Jewish believers and the New Testament, except for 2 books, was written by Jewish individuals.  Although we are Gentiles, our faith is deeply rooted in the history of the Jewish people.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah that the Old Testament prophesied would come.  His sacrificial death on the cross became the atonement for our sins.  By trusting in Him, we can be reconciled with God and assured of spending eternity in His presence.  It is our prayer that all people, both Jewish and Gentile, will come to believe in Jesus as well.

Biblical Study By:  Douglas Florence / Manager of Sandy Music Ministry

6/16/10

God Loves All Human Race

God loves all humanity.  Jesus died at the cross not just for one particular race, but for all human race, Hispanics, Mexicans, Africans, Asians, Jews, and the list continues.  There is no proven fact of one race to be more superior than others, but all human race have goals, talents, potential, dreams, just like Albert Einstein who had a goal to express his talent as a genius.  Albert Einstein was a Jew who escaped from Germany before landing in the hands of a diabolic man named Hitler, a man who desired to eliminate the Jewish race with intense grudge in his heart.  Hitler was too busy fighting his own insecurities by murdering innocent people whom he envied, so it was jealousy which drove Hitler to a place of insanity and prejudice as he released his frustrations out on innocent Jews.  Are you prejudice like Hitler?  Do you really believe of other nationalities to be unworthy, below human standards, not capable of reaching high goals or lacking talent?  Any human being who truly believes to be superior than other nationalities has an issue with their heart, and lacks wisdom to understand with intelligence that they are wrong!  Some countries are poor, some countries suffer worse poverty, some countries have wealth, but who are we to judge a human being according to their appearance and/or status of living? 

Another important factor, God's symbolic purpose for the cross was never intended to be burned as a sign of hate towards African people, but the cross of Jesus is sacred to resemble His sacrificial love for all humanity.  What about the Cherokee Indians, who were the first settlers in our nation (the nation we call today America).  They were kind people and welcoming towards the pilgrims.  Some Cherokee Indians were also defensive and scared as they protected their territory, and they were in their rights.  Someone walks into your property or into your court with a pistol or violent weapons, you too would be defensive.  The African people were taken slaves out of their country to which strange men barged in with violent weapons too, and these violent men sold innocent African people into the hands of strange people in another country.  Certainly not something God would have done, so instead of name calling, racial remarks or crossing the line in saying "minorities", why not use the "m" letter for admitting a "mistake" in hurting other human beings.  There may be differences in cultures, but a "human being" will always be a "human being" and lets never forget that :)

Last important factor, before placing judgment against other nationalities.  The hate crime in the U.S., which brought violance against other racial backgrounds, originated from the Ku-Klux-Klan; and the gangster era of more violence in the U.S. originated from the "Mafia" Era which came from Italy.  These are all proven factors which brought about the hate & violence in our nation.  It certainly doesn't set a good example, doesn't it?  Though Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King were all great & brave men to help free our country from this hate crime, but it still doesn't justify or change where all the discrimination originated from.  We forgive, but we can't forget where it came from.

Author:  Sandy Florence, Christian Country Artist

5/6/10

Happy Mother's Day 

On Monday, May 9th, we celebrate Mother's Day.  This is a day to honor mothers for their sacrificial service to their husbands and children.  The Book of Proverbs tells us that the children of a virtuous woman will rise up and praise her.

What is the Biblical model of what God expects mothers to be?  This type of mother has a pure heart.  She works hard to take care of her family.  She is a Godly, virtuous woman.  She has unconditional love for her children.  Her children grow up to be confident, emotionally stable adults.

In our household, we have a very special mother - my wife Sandy, the mother of Rosalind Brittany.  I am very proud to have a Puerto Rican wife.  I am Scottish, but it is a privilege to be married to a Latina.  She is a perfect example of the virtuous mother as found in Scripture.

Author:  Douglas Florence / Manager of Sandy Music Ministry

4/2/10

Evidence of the Resurrection

Jewish people take their traditions very seriously.  This is because these traditions were entrusted to them by God.  They also do not want to be assimilated into other cultures and disappear as a distinct culture.  Jesus comes along and changes everything.  He originates from a lower class region of the country, teaches for 3 years, gathers a few followers, get into trouble and is crucified. 
In a short period of time, thousands of Jews are abandoning the traditions they had followed their entire lives.  What are these traditions?

First is the concept of atonement of sin.  Animal sacrifices were used to obtain God's forgiveness.  This was replaced with the ability to approach God directly.  Second involves the Law of Moses.  We are not subject to the law any longer, but have the freedom of grace.  Third, the sabbath day was changed from Saturday to Sunday because Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.  Fourth is the concept of God.  Monotheism is now seen as a trinity, one God with 3 distinct personalities.  Fifth is the concept of the Messiah.  Instead of a political leader, he is a Saviour.

This transformation was radical in its very nature.  People today are very fluid in their faith, often jumping from one religion to another or making up their own.  The Jewish believers of the First Century were not doing this because they came up with a better idea.  They valued tradition so highly that this amounted to a social earthquake. 

What could make an entire community of Jews give up the practices that had served them for centuries?  There is only one conclusion.  They had seen Jesus risen from the dead.

Biblical Study By:  Douglas Florence / Manager of Sandy Music Ministry

2/1/10

Figures of Speech Used in the Bible

The Bible was written primarily in the Hebrew and Greek languages.  As in English, writers of these languages often employ various figures of speech.  Every and phrase in the Bible is not meant to be taken in its wooden, literal sense, although it has a literal meaning.

It is imperative that we recognize when figures of speech are being used.  Interpreting a verse literally when something is figurative changes the entire meaning and will result in misunderstanding what God is trying to convey to us.  This can result in teachings that range from silly but harmless to the heretical. 

For example, Jesus said, I am the door of the sheep pen.  Taking this literally means He is claiming to be a metal gate with hinges.  Taking this as a metaphor that it is means He is the way to eternal life.  Just as sheep enter through the door to the safety of their enclosure, so we enter into eternal safety through Christ.

Scripture should be interpreted literally unless:
1. the passage is obviously figurative
2. a literal meaning is impossible or absurd
3. a literal meaning involves something immoral
4. a literal meaning is contrary to the context
5. a literal meaning is contrary to the author's purpose
6. a literal meaning involves a contradiction of another scripture

EW Bullinger in his classic work has identified several hundred types of figures of speech used in Scripture, many of which most people have never heard of.  Some of the more common are as follows.

1) Simile - a comparison by resemblance - a declaration that one thing resembles another
Psalm 1:3 - He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.  the man who meditates in God's word is planted and protected just as a tree in a garden is cared for.

2) Metaphor - a comparison by representation - a declaration that one thing represents another
Matthew 26:26 - This is my body broken for you.  The bread that Christ broke at the Last Supper represents His body that was broken on the cross.

3) Hyperbole - when more is said then is literally meant to heighten the sense of the word
John 12:19  -  Behold the world has gone after Him.  The enemies of the Lord exaggerated to express their indignation at the vast multitudes which followed Him.

4) Anthropotatheia - Ascribing of human attributes to God
John 10:28 - Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  God does not literally have a hand since He is a spirit, but this figure is used to show His preservation of those who have come to faith in Him.

5) Synecdoche - exchange of one idea for another associated idea
Luke 2:1 - There went out a decree from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  The world is used to refer to the Roman Empire.

Biblical Study By:  Douglas Florence / Manager of Sandy Music Ministry

1/1/10

Finding Harmony Between God and Science

There is often much debate concerning conflicts between Christians and science.  At the outset, we need to define some terms.  The Bible is God's specific revelation to man.  Theology is fallible man's attempt to explain the Bible.  Nature is God's general revelation to man.  Science is fallible man's attempt to explain nature.  Thus, the Bible and nature are in harmony.  The conflict is really between scientists and theologians.  As soon as you involve humans, that's when you have problems.  Because the Bible and nature both originate from God, they cannot contradict one another.  When a true conflict arises, either the scientist is wrong in his interpretation of nature or the theologian is wrong in his interpretation of the Bible.

When it comes to the question of the origin of the universe, there are several main categories:

1) Natural Evolutionsts believe that the world came about by accident as a result of natural selection.  This view rejects the idea of God, denies that God was responsible for creation and claims a very old universe.
1) Theistic Evolutionists believe that God used evolutionary processes to create the world.  This view accepts the idea of God, but denies the traditional view of God creating the world and claims a very old universe.
2) Progressive Creationists believe that God created the world, but accept mainstream views on the age of the universe.  This view accepts the idea of God, but believes creation took place over a very long period of time.
4) Traditional Creationists believe that God created the world, but denies mainstream views on the age of the universe.  This view accepts the idea of God, but believes that creation took place a very short time ago (usually 6000 years ago but no longer than 10000 years ago).

Christians of course would not hold position #1 as this denies God entirely.  From a logical standpoint, I could never understand how something could come from nothing and life can come from nonlife.  This is a very large, complex and orderly universe.  Scientific research has shown that the universe had a beginning some 13.7  billion years ago.  If there was nothing in existence prior to this time, not even God, then how exactly did it start?   How do you start from nothing and end up with a well designed solar system, a beautiful planet and living creatures?  The materials used to build the computer I am using had to come from somewhere, yet I am expected to believe they just appeared out of nowhere?  I may not be a genius but this makes no sense to me.  A better (and only) explanation is that a self-existent creator with immense power and not bound by the confines of space and time caused the universe to come into existence.

The question for Christians still remains when and how did God create the world?  Many hold to a young earth view of creation.  This view is based on interpreting the 7 days of Genesis as literal 24 hour periods.  However, scientists is all fields, including astronomy, geology and physics believe the world is much older (4.5 billion years for the earth).  Obviously, both cannot be correct.  It's not the Bible or nature that's the problem; someone's interpretation must be wrong.

Personally I hold to the Progressive Creationist viewpoint.  The problem is that the Traditional Creationists are limited to a world that is 6000 years old.  This seems absurd considering what we know about the natural world.  On the one hand I know there is a creator, but I don't see how the world could be that young.  Consider the following.

1) A young earth limits the entire lifespan of the dinosaurs to roughly 1,500 years (the period of time between Adam and Noah).  Plus, they would have lived alongside early humans.  I'm not sure a dinosaur as my neighbor would work out too well.  The dinosaurs were very large, wild creatures.  How did Adam and his descendants avoid becoming dinner for a ferocious tyranosaurus or being stepped on by a more gentle but extremely large brontosaurus?
2) Why are scientists in all disciplines united in their belief in an old universe whether they believe in God or not?  If they don't believe in God, I would not expect them to acknowledge Him, so obviously they will come up with some naturalistic theory because that is all they have.  I operate under the assumption however that most of them are honest people who are simply trying to understand the natural world around them.  If there is so much evidence for a young universe, I would expect at least some of them to say so.  Is there a vast conspiracy or are they just not too bright?  Scientists may not always be right in their conclusions, but in every field of science they teach that the universe is very old because the evidence points them in that direction.
3) Evidence of human civilization can be easily traced to 10,000 BC or earlier.  How could cultures flourish in an area several thousand years before the world was created?
4) We see the light from stars that are millions of light years away.  This isn't possible if the Earth is only a few thousand years old.  How are we finally seeing the light from a  super nova that exploded millions of years ago.  God would not deceive us by making it appear that it exploded.  Similarly, there would be no point in creating an Earth that looked old but really wasn't.

The more I learn about the universe and how it works, the more convinced I am of a divine being who brought it into existence.  He has revealed Himself through His word and His world.  We are not perfect in understanding His revelation and will always have disagreements, but the Psalmist was right when he recorded that "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork"

Psalm 90:1-2 - A verse for the new year

Lord, you have been our dwelling place and our refuge in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth or ever You had formed and given birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

Biblical Study By:  Douglas Florence / Manager of Sandy Music Ministry

12/1/10

The Birth of Christ

It's Christmas time again and time to remind ourselves of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Every year on television you see some so called "scholar", usually from a secular university, commenting on the passages in Matthew and Luke describing the events surrounding His birth.  These "experts" claim the two accounts are full of contradictions, but nothing could be further from the truth.  It is true that the two accounts focus on different aspects of the story, but this does not make it a contradiction.  If you actually take the time to read the accounts, you will find that there is nothing in one account that contradicts a statement in the other account.

To illustrate this point, let's use an example from the world of sports.  Picture 2 reporters writing a story on the Indianapolis Colts.  The first reporter could focus on the Colt's offense and their brilliant quarterback, Peyton Manning.  It would mention his multiple touchdown passes, their running game and total offensive production.  The second reporter could focus on the Colt's defense.  This story would mention how effective it was in slowing down the other team, their pass protection and sacks.  Now, these two stories would be very different, but does this make them contradictory?  Of course not.  They have different purposes in the facts they choose to include, but they are both true.

The same is true for the accounts of Christ's birth in Matthew and Luke.  They are written to different audiences and have different purposes in mind, but they are both accurate historical accounts.  If you combine the two accounts, you come up with the following scenario.  An angel appears to Mary and announces to her that she will be having a child (Luke).  Later, an angel appears to Joseph and confirms to him that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, so it was okay to go ahead and marry her (Matthew).  Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the census where Jesus is born in a stable.  Shepherds came to see Jesus and he is dedicated in the temple (Luke).  Magi from the East also come to worship Jesus.  Eventually the family flees to Egypt to avoid Herod (Matthew) but they eventually settle in Nazareth (Luke).   Therefore, while the accounts differ in the details, they complement, rather than contradict one another.

One additional comment.  The Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas (because it is Christ's birthday) or anyone else's birthday for that matter.  Their reasoning is based on 2 passages of scripture, but I will show how this reasoning is false.  The first passage is Matthew 14:6-10.  Herod, on his birthday, puts John the Baptist to death.  They take this to mean that all birthdays are evil and should not be celebrated by God's people.  This is a logical fallacy known as guilt by association.  The only thing this passage proves is that Herod was evil, not that birthdays are evil.    The second passage is Genesis 40:20-22.  On Pharaoh's birthday, he had the chief baker killed.  Since the Bible  presents birthdays in an unfavorable light, Christians should avoid them.  Again, this only proves that Pharaoh was evil, not birthdays.  Plus, it ignores that fact that Pharaoh also did something good on his birthday, namely restoring the chief butler to his position. 

There are no scriptural commands to celebrate birthdays, nor are there any prohibitions against it.  There is nothing wrong with honoring a person on their birthday, and there is certainly nothing wrong with honoring and worshipping Christ on His birthday.  The accounts in Matthew and Luke present an accurate historical record of this birth.

Biblical Study by Douglas Florence/Manager of Sandy Music Ministry