Which God Saves? → Bible

Skipping commercials is an option – a decade of changes

Ten years of life changes taking us away from God

Why am I even writing about skipping commercials? It’s not like there are commercials in the Bible.

Here’s the thing. Remember reading this – skipping the commercials, and even some if the intermission stuff is a good thing? Yeah – not just the commercials. I skip some other stuff too. That’s why I’m writing about it.

For Christians, fast-forwarding through parts of the Bible that we’re just not “interested” in isn’t a really good idea. Neither is skipping parts of the Bible entirely.

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Binge-watching shows is the norm – a decade of changes

Ten years of life changes taking us away from God

Is binge-watching bad? It seems to be rather popular. I can’t imagine sitting there watching an entire series of shows in one session. I think I’d fall asleep. Or more likely, do something else while the TV’s on for sound. But that’s me. My preference doesn’t make something good or bad.

Since this is a site about God, let’s turn to the Bible. See what it says about binge-watching. I’m guessing there wasn’t a lot of it going on back in biblical times. After all, there weren’t any TVs, let alone DVRs or the Internet.

But the word binge is in some modern translations.

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People text more than they talk – a decade of changes

Ten years of life changes taking us away from God

People text more than they talk. I’ve never liked talking on the phone. Ever. So maybe I was ahead of my time. However, texting isn’t necessarily my preference either. For short stuff – sure. If I want a record of what’s going on – no. Email is the way to go. However, for personal matters, no amount of emojis will make up for face-to-face conversation.

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Fake news is everywhere – a decade of changes

Ten years of life changes taking us away from God

Fake news in biblical times?

Yes, way back in Biblical times. Yes, even then, fake news. For instance – take the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation.

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We are basically online junkies – a decade of changes

Ten years of life changes taking us away from God

If I could paraphrase the ending, flee from anything that will prevent you from living the life to the full that Jesus offers to us. Skip the fantasy online world. Skip the impersonal “friends” that we gather online, even though we’ve never met and know little to nothing about each other.

Get to know Jesus. Be able to recognize His voice, able to tell the difference between the offers from God and the temptations of the devil. Don’t just play pretend games, when we’re already in the ultimate, real, struggle for our very souls!

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Politicians tell us to pray. But to who?

Just a quick thought

Politicians tell us to pray. It was a classic headline. At least at the beginning. Top lawmakers call for prayer. It’s not unusual. Politicians praying or telling us to pray. But then there’s the rest of the headline. Top lawmakers call for prayer, unity after Iran launches missile attack against US forces in Iraq. That begs the question – Pray to who?

Many Americans pray, as do many people around the world. But again, pray to who? Maybe especially in this case, it’s a huge question.

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Do not be afraid. Unless I hate you?

Politics and religion

Do you know what “Do not be afraid” is supposed to mean to Christians? And if you’re a “Trump” Christian, do you understand the significance of adding “unless I hate you”? Christian or not, I’ll tell you, there’s no place in the Bible where you’ll find “unless I hate you” said in the same sentence as “do not be afraid”. So why do some Christians insist on hating?

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What is freedom of religion?

Religious regulations in China

What is freedom of religion? It depends. Who gets to define freedom? And who defines religion? Maybe even who defines “of”. We’re looking at China in this series, but the same issues come up everywhere. It’s all about who sets the rules. One thing we can be sure of – it’s not God. Not in China. And not in my country or yours either.

Here’s the thing about freedom – of religion or of anything. See that eagle flying around in the sky? That eagle is free. But he’s probably looking for someone to eat. Something alive. And when the eagle finds his target, a little bit of freedom is lost. A life is gone. And the eagle remains free.

With people, freedom of religion is kind of like that. Someone’s “flying around” above us. Someone who either doesn’t like our religion, or likes theirs better. Sometimes they hate our religion so much they want to kill it. If they’re strong enough – they can certainly take out individual people. Even any given church building. But can they destroy an entire religion?

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Freedom of Religious Belief versus Social Harmony

Religious regulations in China

Is it possible to have “freedom of religious belief” and maintain social harmony? Sounds difficult, doesn’t it. Experience tells us it’s pretty much impossible. Does it have to be this way? Or are there things outside of religion that make it so difficult?

Is it even worse when governments get involved and laws are created? And does it get even worse when the laws are created to enforce “harmony”?

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china-christianity-islam-flag indicating China's Religious Affairs Regulations Article 1

Will religious regulations in China to eliminate God be a blueprint for others to follow?

Religious regulations in China

Part of the goal of the Chinese government is to water down Christianity to the point where it retains so little of Jesus’ teachings that it means nothing in terms of salvation. In essence, they are trying to put the Chinese people into the scenario of the Church in Laodicea from Revelation.

Will religious regulations in China to eliminate God be a blueprint for others to follow? Read More »