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Showing posts from July, 2015

The Cocksure Candidate

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Next year in November, the United States will elect a new president. One candidate pursuing the Republican nomination is real estate mogul Donald Trump. It’s bad enough political ads just before an election emphasizes the negatives of a candidate’s opponent. Trump is already making brash remarks against those who disagree with him.  During a July 11 rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, Donald Trump’s comments about illegal immigration drew criticism from Arizona senator John McCain. Trump then insulted McCain by saying the former POW wasn’t a war hero but then said, "He's  a war hero because he was captured." Later during a speech in South Carolina, Trump publicly gave out Senator Lindsey Graham's phone number as retaliation for Graham calling him a “jackass.” Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” A professing Christian must follow Jesus’ example. He told us in Matthew 5:44, “ But I say to you, love your enemies, ble

A Deal With Destruction

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Romans 12:18 says we should aim to “live peaceably among all men.” However, that’s not always possible. Until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to set up His millennial kingdom, there will always be people influenced by demons who seek to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). This past Tuesday, President Obama announced a deal made with Iran that will supposedly curb their  ambitions to make a  nuclear weapon. Known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, t he agreement would give Iran 24 days (not hours) to prepare for U. S.-led inspections of their nuclear facilities. This is comparable to a drug dealer given three weeks notice before the police search his home for illegal substances. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal a “bad mistake of historic proportions.” Bible prophecy expert Perry Stone wrote on Facebook this “...may be the stupidest agreement with any nation, ever penned on paper...at least in my lifetime.” This echoes an infamous tre

The Fallacy of King James Onlyism

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Walk into your local Christian bookstore and you will find a variety of bibles to choose from. Because of questionable translations that have come out in recent years, a few defenders of the faith have gone to an extreme by declaring there’s only one type of bible that’s the true word of God. The King James Version (also known as the Authorized Version) has been used by the English-speaking world for over 400 years. While I agree the KJV is an accurate translation of God’s word, it’s totally illogical for its advocates to claim it’s perfect and the only bible Christians should use. Not everybody in the world understands English. Let’s say I grew up in South America and could only read Spanish. A missionary leads me to the Lord and then offers to give me a bible. Which type of bible would work best for me: a King James Version I cannot understand at all or a Spanish translation of the Hebrew and Greek scriptures? The answer to that is a no brainer. One well-known publisher of

Addressing a Minister

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Three years ago I reconnected with a pastor who used to work with me at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. One day at his church, we got into a discussion about how pastors should be treated. My friend had congregation members calling him by his first name despite asking to be addressed as “Pastor Lee.” Romans 13:7 tells us to give honor to whom honor is due. Civil authorities expect to be addressed by certain titles. Courtroom judges are called “Your Honor.” Policemen are often addressed as “Officer.” If you were a White House guest, you would refer to Barack Obama as “Mr. President.” If you lived under a monarchy, you would address your king or queen as “Your Majesty.”   While serving in the U. S. Army, I quickly learned to address my superiors the right way or I would get in trouble. If a noncommissioned officer such as a sergeant gave me an order, I was expected to respond, “Yes, sergeant.” If I accidentally addressed him as “Sir” (a title reserved for officers),