The Ultimate Answer

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Chaplain Dan

The Problem:
God is holy and He is just.
Sin must be punished, it’s a must.
God judges us guilty for our sin.
We deserve hell, we can’t win.

The Solution:
Jesus is God in human skin,
Son of David, born of Jewish kin.
As a boy, He learned the law,
Then He worked with hammer and saw,
He ate and drank like a normal man,
But there was much more to the plan.

They whipped His back and spit in His face:
Stripped of His clothes, it was a disgrace.
He hung on the cross for all to see,
He paid the price for you and me.
(I am guilty, He died in my place,
But not just for me, the whole human race.)
For three days He was dead in the ground,
Then He arose with a mighty sound,
Jesus is Lord over sin and the grave,
All those who call, He will save.

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The Gospel According to Leah

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Chaplain Dan

In a crowd and no one cares, but God sees and loves me.

 In America, we are taught to focus on the main character of the movie.  We are taught to focus on his goals, ambitions, overcoming his obstacles and watching him become the hero of the day.  The Bible is different.  There are many people’s lives that are recorded for a reason.  Often we read Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and focus on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It is easy to miss the story of Leah.  The story of Leah is recorded to show God’s love to the unloved.  Look at Leah’s life from her view.

Like most young girls, Leah probably had hopes and dreams of being loved by her husband.  She had childhood dreams of dressing up on her wedding day and people looking on her and calling her beautiful.

Leah was unloved by her father, Laban.  She wasn’t attractive and her dad couldn’t find someone to take her.  With all her father’s wealth, the best he could do was trick someone into marrying her.

Leah was the wallflower at her own wedding.  Her sister got to dress up and be the star of the show.

Leah’s sister, Rachel, had been dating Leah’s future husband for seven years.  Jacob loved Rachel and thought he was going to marry Rachel the whole time.

On the night that Jacob thought he was marrying Rachel, Laban switched Rachel for Leah on the way to the honeymoon tent.  Leah obeyed her father in the hopes of being loved by someone.

Leah was rejected by her husband the first morning of the honeymoon.  Jacob, her husband, wanted to disown her.  Laban, her father, had to bribe the groom to wait a week, before ignoring her.  The bribe was that Jacob would get to marry Rachel in a week, if Jacob was kind to Leah for a week.  Leah’s husband was with her, but thinking about another woman.  Her husband was eagerly anticipating having sex with someone else.

Leah hoped that she would gain the love of her husband by giving him children.  She planned to bring honor to him by having children.  She would have sons that Jacob would be proud of so she might get appreciation and love in return.

Rachel, the other woman in her husband’s life, was jealous of Leah’s ability to have children. Rachel convinced Leah’s husband to sleep with another woman to have children.  Rachel arranged for Jacob to have sex with Bilhah and call the child Rachel’s.

Leah tried hard to get her husband to sleep with her.  She even had to bribe her sister to let her husband sleep with her.

Leah had six sons and a daughter for her husband and still felt unloved.

So far, we have only heard half the story.  It sounds like Leah was just a baby making machine and no one cared about her.

The rest of the story is that God loved Leah and took care of her.  In spite of Leah’s rejection from people, God honored her. God comforted her and gave her hope.  God even gave her the legacy of being the mother of half of the Jewish nation.  Half of the Israelites came from her.

Even though Leah never knew, God chose to bless her children above the others.  The children of her son Levi became the priests and judges of the nation.  The enduring line of kings, including David and Solomon, came from her son Judah.  And the greatest heritage of all, Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, was one of her descendants.

The Gospel According to Leah is that God loves the unlovely.  God cares about those who feel neglected.  Leah put her faith in God, and she was not ashamed.  God was her source of comfort and hope.  And, God honored her and called her His own.  All nations and peoples were blessed through her.

Get the rest of the details by reading Genesis 29 and 30.

When we feel unloved and rejected, we can know that God sees and cares.  He surrounds us with His love and affection.  He can turn our shame into something good.

 

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Truth Compromised is Still a Lie

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Chaplain Dan

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” Gal. 4:16

By David W. Daniels

We hear a lot about Christians “engaging in dialogue” with other groups and religions: Muslims, homosexuals, Catholics, etc. But should a Bible-believer do this? What is this “dialogue” everybody wants us to “engage” in?

When we take a closer look, what they want is not really dialogue —it’s dialectic, a very old Jesuit principle.

Dialectic involves three aspects: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. These sound complex, but “thesis” and “antithesis” are simply names for two opposites. “Synthesis” is a word for the compromise people reach in order to come to some form of agreement.

Here’s the problem: what if the thesis happens to be the truth? If one side is the truth, then the other side —antithesis— has to be a lie. But what is the synthesis? Any compromise between truth and a lie is also a lie. So, actually, if you talk about which side wins, the lie wins out, because a lie is always a lie. It never becomes the truth. Truth compromised is still a lie.

But before the eyes of God, everyone loses in this kind of dialogue, or dialectic. What we need is truth, not compromise. We need to persuade the other side to the truth of our side. Then everybody wins and there’s no compromise.

Look at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They’re standing up there by themselves, because everybody else is fallen down on their faces in front of this giant idol. So the king calls them out by name and says in effect, “Didn’t you hear my decree? I don’t care who you are; when you hear the music, you fall down just like everybody else!”

The three could have said, “You know, we could just bow our heads down. That’ll be good enough.” But then they would be just as bad as everybody else. They might as well be on their faces in front of the idol. Tilting your head is still compromise. It’s still not what God commanded in His word. Instead, they said, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not… we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Thesis stayed thesis, and antithesis stayed antithesis. There was no synthesis. In fact, the king in his fury commanded them to heat the fiery furnace seven times hotter, so hot that his mightiest men, who threw them in, died of their burns.

But God protected those three. And even if He hadn’t, they just would’ve gone to meet Him. But this time He came to meet them! And when they came out they didn’t even have the smell of fire —or the stink of idolatry on them. They stayed with their thesis. They had no guilt of compromise. For them there was no synthesis.

It didn’t matter whether they were afraid or not, because that was not the point. It didn’t matter. What mattered was their refusal to compromise. And God completely honored it.

This is why dialogue will never work when you have the truth. Dialogue only works with two people who don’t have the truth. One lie synthesized into another lie comes up with a compromise lie.

We must stand firm and persuade others of the truth of God’s words and doctrines. We must never compromise God’s truth with the Devil’s —or man’s— lies.

www.chick.com

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Five Duties as a Christian Citizen

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Chaplain Dan

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers… Exodus 18:21

Dear Praying Friends,

Dr. Bill and Vonette Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) in 1951. The world’s largest Christian ministry with operations in 190 countries has led millions to Jesus Christ. Dr. Bright died in 2003. In the early 90s, the Brights were led to focus their energies on America. Dr. Bright spent his last years calling American Christians to prayer, fasting and active citizenship. In Your 5 Duties as a Christian Citizen, he wrote:

Citizenship in a free country is a blessing from God. Our great system…assures every Christian a voice in the affairs of the nation, and enables us to bring a heavenly perspective to the earthly realm. God wants us to do His will in government, just as in the church and in the home.

But too often we have disobeyed our Lord… As a result, the moral fiber of America is rotting away – and our priceless freedom is in grave jeopardy… America is faced with the greatest crisis in its history. We are in danger of losing our nation by default, and with it our individual freedoms and possibly our very lives.

If that should happen, our opportunity to help fulfill the Great Commission throughout… the world will also be lost… America is one of the last strongholds of freedom on earth – and citizens who are dedicated to God are the only resource for the preservation of our freedoms, including the freedom to serve Him… [Even a small percentage of us can be used by God to set this nation on a new course of righteousness for His glory.

Charles Finney, who helped introduce half a million Americans to Christ, wrote in 1835: “Politics are a part of religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as part of their duty to God. God will bless or curse this nation according to the course Christians take in politics.”

Your Christian Citizen Checklist

With so much at stake in our nation, honestly answer these questions about your role:

1. Do I pray faithfully for a spiritual revival to sweep America?

2. Am I registered to vote? Do I encourage other Christians to register?

3. Am I making a serious effort, along with my Christian friends, to become informed about the candidates and issues?

4. Am I actively involved in helping to select and elect godly candidates to office?

5. Do I vote in every election for the best candidates, regardless of party?…

In 1832, founding father Noah Webster warned young people that the preservation of our government depends on their choosing righteous leaders…

God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty…If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer laws” (I urge you to download the entire document: Your 5 Duties as a Christian Citizen, 2008; More valuable helps at iVoteValues.org).

With the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate out for Easter recess, returning on Monday April 16th, we will also have time to worship God and celebrate the resurrection. Nevertheless, primaries and caucuses are scheduled and now is a good time to pray for the candidates.

Elections: Most experts believe the Republican nominee will be determined this month. Mitt Romney is the front runner; Rick Santorum is in second place, Newt Gingrich 3rd and Ron Paul 4th. President Obama is the Democratic nominee. Each has indicated his intention to stay in the race until the convention in August. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) says he may not commit his vote to the ultimate GOP candidate and may consider a third-party candidacy.

Moses’ qualifications for civil leaders have no superior today. Exodus 18:21 calls for leaders who demonstrate: 1) ability; 2) genuine fear of God; 3) love for the truth; and 4) a hatred for covetousness. (See News: Obama, Paul, Santorum, Romney, Gingrich, Delegate Count, Barna Poll).

  • Please pray daily that the candidate best meeting God’s qualifications will be elected! (Ex 18:21; Dt 17:15; 2 Sam 23:3-4; Ps 75: all, esp. 6-7)

Obama & Medvedev – A private discussion between Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and President Obama overheard at their meeting in Korea shocked America. Obama said to Medvedev: “[A]ll these issues… but particularly missile defense, this can be solved – but it’s important for [Vladimir Putin] to give me space… This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Medvedev nodded. “I understand,” he said. “I will transmit this information to Vladimir.” This leads Americans to wonder what other ambitions President Obama feels free to be more flexible about if reelected (see Obama Does some Seoul Searching, Doctrine Revealed).

  • Pray that Americans will be astute to consider the matters God exposes around and about the candidates between now and November. May He protect our nation! (Lev 25:18-19; Dt 4:5-6; 8:11-20; 2 Chr 7:14; Pr 14:34; Ps 33:16-22; 1 Cor 2:15)

White House/HHS Health Care Mandate – Obamacare and its attendant rules (inc. abortion, contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacient drugs) represent the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade, and at taxpayer expense. Moreover, their unconstitutional violation of religious conscience and liberty is intolerable. The rules also expose the fundamental dishonesty of President Obama’s two-year-old executive order promising that the law would exclude abortion. There are also new rules requiring secrecy by insurers about the $1 monthly abortion surcharge required of insurance customers. These are not only a violation of religious liberty but of fundamental consumer rights. Whatever the Supreme Court decides, Christians must act to insure that Congress excises abortion and violence against religion from this and all laws (First Priority, Dishonest).

  • May the High Court reject Obamacare in its entirety; if not, may the people do so through their elected Congressional Representatives! (Gen 1:22, 28; Ex 3:7-10; Dt 16:18-20; 1 Sam 8:6-22; Jdg 20:7-11; Is 10:1 ff)

Same Sex Marriage – Efforts are underway in Maryland and Washington state to gather signatures on petitions to put same-sex “marriage” on the ballot in November. Legislatures in both states voted to legalize same-sex “marriages” earlier this year. In 2009, Maine’s legislature enacted a law to allow same-sex “marriage” there. Voters vetoed the law via a ballot initiative, and in 2010, voted to give Republicans control of the legislature. Homosexual activists are now trying to use the referendum process to win same-sex “marriage” again! Minnesota and North Carolina will vote in November on marriage amendments to keep marriage between a man and woman. Unfortunately, reports are that Congress is backing away from marriage-preserving measures (Maryland, Congress, States).

  • May God move the people to protect marriage as he created it, both by law and by constitutional amendment in these states! (Gen 1:27; 5:2; Is 26:4-8; Mt 19:4-6; Heb 13:4; Jude 3, 7)

My prayer is that you will be filled with the fullness of God as you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this Sunday. May each of us realize that we serve a risen Lord who is able to save individual lives, families and nations! May we and our countrymen rush to return wholeheartedly to Him! Thank you for praying!

Sincerely,

Rev. Pierre Bynum
National Prayer Director
Email: pbynum@frc.org

Family Research Council
801 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-2100
Fax: 202-393-2134
Web: www.frc.org

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