Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 12, 2014

How do You Feel and What do You Know? by David Bower

How do You Feel About Things?

Feelings or emotions are important to all of us and are a constant factor in our lives; they impact the way we see both circumstances and people. The challenge is our feelings are very fragile; good feelings can turn bad and bad feelings can turn good in the blink of an eye. I’m sure that each of us have experienced times when our feelings were almost instantaneously reversed by something we saw or heard.

For better or for worse, I’m really not sure which it is, I’m a very emotional person; many things can bring tears to my eyes but then on the other hand I smile and laugh quickly as well. There have definitely been times when I wished I could turn that off but have yet to find an on/off switch on which I can depend.

As a result I have to watch myself and, on occasion, try to control my emotions as best I can. There are songs and hymns that almost always reduce me to tears by the impact they have on my feelings; there are sections of the Bible that are difficult for me to teach because of their impact on my emotions. There was more than one time I had to bow my head and struggle to regain my composure as I taught on the crucifixion of our Lord; it was times like that I wished I could find that on/off switch.

A Good Place for Feelings and Emotions

Feelings and emotions have an important place in our relationships with others; among family and friends, feelings of loving concern are appropriate and necessary. We might go so far as to say they are the glue that holds it all together. When asked about the greatest commandment, the Lord replied in Matthew 22:37-40:

“37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

To me that is a fascinating response, the first word out of our Lord’s mouth was love, an emotion, a feeling. We read in 1 John 4:8, “8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Since we have been created in the image of God then love should be a natural part of our very being.

Unfortunately there is the problem of spiritual death but once that has been dealt with by receiving Christ as Savior then the doorway to a life filled with love has been opened. The opportunity to live a Spirit led life is available to God’s children and the Spirit led life starts with love:

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Is There a Place Where Feelings Should not be Trusted?

We have all heard, read, or witnessed many things having to do with the experiences people have had as they lived life as Christians.

As an online missionary for Global Media Outreach I receive letters from people all over the world as they face the daily challenges of life as Christians. One common denominator in the lives of many of the people I encounter has to do with their feelings; they tell me of a problem involving their feelings about life and the Lord.

I’m sure you too have heard many of the same expressions of concern about how they feel like God doesn’t love them anymore, or feel like God has abandoned them, or feel like God isn’t listening to them because He won’t do what they ask of Him, the variations are almost endless.

In situations like this our feelings can become a tool of Satan, that which was given to us by God can be twisted by fear and doubt to become a destructive force in our lives if we let it.

A Faith Based on Knowledge

This is nowhere truer than in the study of the Bible; time after time the Bible tells us what we need to know in order to live a successful Christian life. One of the interesting things I’ve observed in the Bible are the many, many references to knowing and knowledge.

In those sections of the Bible devoted to the deeper doctrines of God, sin, salvation, eternity, the future and the Christian life the idea is to operate on the basis of what you know to be true from the Bible, not on the basis of how you feel about it.

Paul, who is known for writing about the deeper things never, to the best of my knowledge, says one word about how we should feel about these doctrines but focuses exclusively on what we know to be true because it is written down in the Bible; “and we know” is the mantra, how we feel is a non-starter.

“28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 5, 2014

Shame, One Last Giant in the Land, by David Bower

One More Giant that Lurks in the Land

It has occurred to me that there is one more very threatening giant in the land that attempts to scare you off and keep you from entering your resting place, your rainbow room of faith. This is the giant of shame, of remembered sins, the knowledge of past misdeeds that can hover in your memory. This giant is always whispering in your ear, bringing to mind things in your past where you failed miserably to measure up to God’s standards.

This giant is one of Satan’s most effective warriors in the spiritual warfare; he is an expert at immobilizing Christians, Satan’s enemies, of causing them to stumble and fall. He challenges their worthiness to even fight in the battle; who do they think they are, they with their many transgressions against the God they claim to serve.

The sad truth is all of us have sins in our past that we wish we could forget but all too often come back to haunt us. The Apostle John warned of this in 1 John 1:8-10 when he wrote:

“8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.“

God knew, from eternity past, that we would sin and fall short of the glory of God; that is why Christ died on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sins, past, present, and future. When each of us received Christ as Savior, the penalty for those sins was paid in full; the sin debt has been erased by the shed blood of Christ. Just as God had promised the land to Israel, God has promised us our sin debt is paid in full by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary.

You are Free of all Condemnation!

You must not listen to the giant called shame, he is whispering Satan’s lies to you hoping to immobilize you and keep you out of the land.  By faith you must join with Joshua and Caleb and believe God when you are told in Romans 8:1-4:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

You have been Transformed!

Paul explains our changed condition in Ephesians 2:1-10 when he writes:

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

When God, the Father, sees you He sees the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; this is God’s free gift to all who receive Christ as their Savior. It is not deserved, it cannot be earned, it is truly a free gift given by God’s grace, mercy and love to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and God.

“As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Believe God, Believe His Promises and Enter into Your Rest.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 29, 2014

Giants in the Land Concluded, by David Bower

What Was Different About Joshua and Caleb?

Let’s think about Joshua and Caleb for a moment; as two of the twelve spies that were sent into the land why did they have a different report from the other ten spies? Didn’t they all go together and see the same sights? Did they not also observe “the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large? We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Of course they saw those same sights but with a different perspective; they saw those sights mixed with faith in God. God had told Israel He was giving them the land and Joshua and Caleb believed God. That is a profound difference that resulted in their going into the land while the others perished in the wilderness. Joshua and Caleb had no idea how God would accomplish this but they were confident He could be trusted and would let them take the land as their new home. They were confident that God would step in and provide the help they needed so the land could be taken and their enemies defeated!

They saw the same problems the ten spies saw but had confidence in the promises of God and believed that God would not let them down.

You are Faced with the Same Choice Every Day!

As Christian men and women, life will inevitably present us with giants in the land, threats that take many different forms, but we have the same options Joshua and Caleb had available to us every day, we can walk by faith or walk by sight. Each of us face powerful people, some form of large fortified cities, those who are stronger than we are, even giants that make us feel like grasshoppers by comparison; will you see these as obstacles or opportunities?

What happened to Israel when they later entered the land under Joshua’s direction; were they not encouraged and emboldened when they saw those giants fall before the mighty hand of God? Didn’t the fall of those giants demonstrate again the faithfulness and power of almighty God? It became the giants turn to cry all night and grumble!

The Door is Still Open, the Invitation Still Stands!

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.” Hebrews 4:1

As members of the true church, the body of Christ, we have a standing invitation to enter into God’s rest; this is a marvelous blessing which all should earnestly seek and find. Israel, on the other hand, lost its opportunity to enter the land and was compelled to wander in the wilderness until that generation died off. You have not and will never be shut out of God’s rest; even if you have failed to enter his rest to this point in your life, you are still presented with the opportunity of entering God’s rest and may do so at any time; the door is open, the invitation stands!

A Bible Study on Hebrews

My wife teaches a Bible study group in our home and is studying the Book of Hebrews with her class this fall. She is using a sermon series on Hebrews and sent this follow-up message to her class.

“I want to emphasize two of the pastor’s illustrations in his sermon last Monday night. (The church where the sermon series was preached had a special place where children stayed while their parents were in the worship service; it is called “The Rainbow Room.’)

Little 2 year old boy boldly and happily charges into the “Rainbow Room” every Sunday morning at their church because:

He belongs there! He is welcome there! He is loved there! He is happy there! He is brought their by his parents who belong to the church!

The point was; we have a “Rainbow Room”, too, ….a place where we belong, where we are completely welcome, a place of complete rest from our works, our worries, a place of joy, and happiness (and we have been brought there by Jesus to whom everything belongs.)

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:9-10.

The pastor’s daughter’s visit to Buckingham Palace and her time with the Queen of England.

The pastor was not bragging about his daughter. It really happened. While attending a university in London, she was invited to attend a very special event; a family member who works in the Royal household was to be decorated with a high honor. He was receiving this award for his years of outstanding service to the Queen. Because the pastor’s daughter is a member of the family, and was WITH him and his family, she was invited and permitted to be in this relatively small room with the Queen and many other high ranking officials and visitors. None of her friends back at the university believed her. She was given a video of her visit, and we have seen it. Impressive. One friend told her later, “I believe that you believe you were there!” So funny.

The pastor’s point was; his daughter was admitted and welcomed to that inner circle because of whom she was (a member of the honoree’s family) and who she was with.

We are invited to the “Rainbow Room” (The Sabbath-Rest), because of who we are, children of the King of Kings. We go in with Him; He says “She’s with me!” and we are permitted into this special place of rest and peace…..NOW, right NOW. We enter by complete faith in Him, our Savior and Redeemer. Remember, the writer of Hebrews is writing to believers; he is not talking about our eternal presence with the Lord after death. That is settled; whether we enter His Sabbath-Rest in time is our choice for the here and now.

Do we go boldly into our Sabbath-Rest (the Rainbow Room) and find peace every time or do we stand outside in our unbelief and fear, looking in and continuing in our worries and complaints…always doubting the Lord’s ability, love, and promises?

Pray, believe Him and go on in. You are welcome there!”

I thought this summed up the nature of your opportunity to enter into God’s rest very well and add my best wishes for your successful entrance into your “Rainbow Room.”

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 22, 2014

Giants in the Land, by David Bower

 God’s Promise to Israel

In Numbers 13:1 the Lord makes a wonderful promise to Israel when He tells Moses:

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

Israel had seen the mighty hand of God deliver them from their oppressive servitude to Egypt, part the Red Sea, drown Pharaoh’s pursuing forces and lead them safely to the borders of their promised land. Now God was telling them to go and check out God’s great gift to them. This should have been a time of triumphant rejoicing as they took their first glimpse at their new home, a land flowing with milk and honey as they reported to Moses:

“27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.”

If they would only have stopped there, their lives would have been totally different; sadly they threw in a “but” that would have devastating results on all but two of the spies that went into the land.

28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”……..31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

That was the report of ten of the 12 spies that were sent; there was a minority report from two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, who insisted, to no avail, that they could take possession of the land:

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Unfortunately for Israel, they believed the majority report and we are told in Numbers 14:1-2:

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!

Their words would come back to haunt them because in Numbers 14:27-30 the Lord tells Moses and Aaron:

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”

What a tragic failure of faith; instead of going into the promised land, Israel would wander about in the wilderness until all those 20 years of age and older had died in the wilderness; ““If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!” became a reality for all of them.

What Would You Have Done?

As we read that familiar story we may wonder how we would have chosen, would we have joined with Joshua and Caleb or the ten faithless spies? We would certainly hope we would have joined with Joshua and Caleb but would we have actually done that? Can we be certain we would have chosen to walk by faith and not by sight to join with two men when there were so many who doubted?

The fact of the matter is we are presented with that option every day; we can choose to live our lives by faith or by sight; we can choose whether or not to enter into our rest every day that passes. In Hebrews 3:7-19 we are warned to not harden our hearts against the promises of God.

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

The Challenge to You Today

Today there can appear to be giants in the land; these take many forms and can threaten to overwhelm us. These giants may appear at work, at home, or anyplace and threaten our peace and safety. We too have promises from God and invitations to trust Him to watch over us and care for us.

We are given the opportunity to respond by sight or by faith so how will we respond, with the ten or with the two? When you face the future are you all too often weeping and grumbling, “14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled” or do you display the spirit of faith in the promises of God and say, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” The choice is yours, choose to walk by faith and not by sight!

Next time, “God’s Promise to Christians.”

 

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 15, 2014

Starvation – Concluded, by David Bower

How do we Combat Spiritual Malnourishment and Starvation?

The first step in combating any illness is a proper diagnosis of the problem. All too often symptoms of spiritual malnourishment or starvation can be attributed to something else not really related to the problem.

If you’re feeling depressed, sad, discouraged, fearful, angry, or any of the many other ills that may come, you might feel like I’m too whatever (fill in the blank) to go and read the Bible right now; all I feel like doing is sleeping, crying, hitting or kicking something or someone or a variety of other useless actions that do nothing to solve the problem.

Proper therapy and healing can come when we study, learn and apply the word of God to our lives every moment of every day! The Bible is a food pantry filled with healthy, nourishing spiritual food that will feed our spirits and help us grow and remain spiritually healthy. We need to eat from it many times a day and thereby provide the needed nourishment for our spirits. When we’re not studying it we need to meditate on it and pray over it so the word can become real in our lives.

As we fill our lives with the Lord and His word, we force out those symptoms of spiritual illness! I’ve seen that happen in my life time after time over a period of many years; it really does work!

Too often we look at the Bible as a spiritual medicine cabinet to which we go when we get a spiritual cut or bruise; while there is value in that regard, it is not the main purpose of the Bible which is meant to serve as a spiritual food pantry from which we regularly get the spiritual food we need to grow and prosper in our Christian lives.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

I bring up the subject of the power of the Holy Spirit at this point because the Holy Spirit is the one true teacher of spiritual truth. Any hope of assimilating and applying spiritual truths to our daily lives will be totally dependent on the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord told this to the disciples in John 14:26 when He said to them:

“26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” If you desire to absorb God’s word and make it a part of your life then you must let the Holy Spirit teach you and open your heart to the truth of the word; this is the life changing application of the word of God to your experience of living.

The Holy Spirit can be quenched in your life by unconfessed sin; when that happens, and it can happen all too easily, then you lose the fruit of the Spirit in your life and cease to live a Spirit led life. God recognized the problem Christians would have with personal sin and provided a solution which is described in 1 John 1:8-10 where it is written:

“8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

While verses 8 and 10 describe the problem, verse 9 provides God’s solution to man’s problem of personal sin; we confess it to God and “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I’m particularly grateful for the “purify us from all unrighteousness” part. I’m an 81 year old retired Christian grandfather who lives at home yet I confess my sins to God many times each day!

A Private Test

Ask yourself what percentage of the time you feel the Holy Spirit is in control of your life; how many hours out of each day are you manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit within yourself and to others? Do you think those who know you best would agree?

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is described in Galatians 5:22-25 where it is written:

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Then ask yourself how you see yourself and all that is around you; do you see all things as a creation of God which is sustained from moment to moment by the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you see God’s hand everywhere you look and know He is in control of everything and everyone? Do you understand that God is working all things after the counsel of His own will? Does the thought that we are all created beings and, along with the entire universe, exist by and for God cause you to rejoice and give thanks to your creator? If you can give a heartfelt yes answer to those questions then you most likely have no problem doing the following;

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 8, 2014

Starvation, by David Bower

Starvation is Dangerously Widespread in the United States

I can imagine your first thought as you read that headline; what in the world is he talking about, there’s a greater problem in the United States with obesity than there is with starvation. While physically that may be true, what about the spiritual condition of most people in the United States, are they spiritually well nourished and healthy; are they even spiritually alive?

We have all seen pictures of people who were physically starving to death; the visible symptoms are stark and disturbing. Many pictures were taken of emaciated men and women in prison camps in Germany and Japan at the end of World War II where prisoners were starved to death; it is a tragic sight.

What about pictures of spiritual starvation, where would you look to find those? Almost any place you go and anywhere you look you will see multiple signs of spiritual death, starvation or at least serious malnutrition. Most of the problems we hear about today are active symptoms of spiritual death, malnourishment or starvation but are all too often misdiagnosed. The world’s answers to these problems are always physical in nature and simply do not work; only in the Bible do we find answers that work!

Who is it that’s Starving?

I think we can all agree that only a person who is alive can starve. No one would go to a graveyard and express concern about starvation over those dead and buried. Accepting that point, then only those who are spiritually alive could be thought of as spiritually malnourished or starving. Those who are spiritually dead have a bigger problem; they need to become spiritually alive by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. This is referenced in Ephesians 2:1 where it is written:

“2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

By God’s grace we were born again by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and were made spiritually alive; after that it is our responsibility to see that we are spiritually well nourished.

What are the Signs of Spiritual Starvation or Malnutrition?

We are provided some clues in Galatians 5:19-21 “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In Romans 14:23b the definition of sin is broadened, “and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” I’m always awed by the all-encompassing nature of what it says. Everything that is not of faith includes much of what we think and do each day; every fear, doubt, worry, complaint, lust, apprehension, concern is all sin and quenches the power or the Holy Spirit in our lives robbing us of the fruit of the Spirit and the joy of our salvation.

Paul goes on to describe the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-25 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

The fruit of the Spirit reveals a well nourished Spirit led life and unsurprisingly I see more evidence of this in church than anywhere else; sadly these symptoms are not universal even in church. I served as an usher for several years in a local church where I stood at the main entrance to the Worship Center and greeted people as they entered and offered them a bulletin.

Where I stood I could see everyone walking in a main entrance to the church and could observe their facial expressions. I noticed that a large number of those coming in appeared to be greatly burdened by something; there was little or no evidence of the joy of the Lord in their expressions. I set myself a goal to try and put smiles on as many of those faces as I could before they passed me by on their way into the Worship Center; often I was successful.

If you are not living a Spirit led life and manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit most of the time in your life is it possible you are either malnourished or starving spiritually.

Remember this has nothing to do with salvation, which is secured for the believer by the power of God, and everything to do with fellowship with God and quality of life while in our mortal bodies which is dependent on our walking by faith and not by sight!

 Those wonderful verses in 1 John 1:8-10 help us recognize the nature of the sin problem and why we may be walking be sight and not by faith: “8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

While verses 8 and 10 describe the problem, verse 9 provides God’s solution to man’s problem of personal sin; we confess it to God and “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I’m particularly grateful for the “purify us from all unrighteousness” part. I’m an 81 year old retired Christian grandfather who lives at home yet I confess my sins to God many times each day!

That part about “and everything that does not come from faith is sin” in Romans 14:23b hits me pretty hard. I’m a planner and consequently a worrier, I can start worrying or just start experiencing feelings of concern about almost anything at any time and have to carefully watch myself; I have to acknowledge that my worry and feelings of concern are sin and need to be confessed to God. The challenge today is the world seems to be so filled with worrysome things but letting those things control our outlook on life is walking by sight which is sin.

Next we will consider combating Spiritual Malnourishment and Starvation

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 1, 2014

ISIL, ISIS and Islam Concluded, by David Bower

Don’t be a Jonah

Most of us know the story of Jonah and his great reluctance to preach repentance to the Ninevites; we must not let our emotions get in the way of our responsibility to individual Muslim men and women; the Lord is saving thousands of them on a regular basis.

The Muslim appearing man or woman you see walking down the street, or shopping at the store is just possibly a present or future brother or sister in Christ; they do not differ from anyone else in their need to find salvation in Jesus Christ and the Lord is doing an amazing work bringing large numbers of them to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

A Field, White for Harvesting

Trying to leave Islam can have deadly consequences yet many Muslims are being saved by faith in Jesus Christ. The following is a quote from World Magazine: http://www.worldmag.com/2014/07/the_rising_tide_of_muslim_converts_to_christianity

The rising tide of Muslim converts to Christianity

By Warren Cole Smith

Posted July 28, 2014, 11:08 a.m.

“If you spend any time keeping up with the news, you know that radical Islam is a significant and destructive force in the world. David Garrison, does not disagree with that assessment, but he says it’s only part of the story. There is also a revival in the Muslim world, Garrison says. He believes between 2 and 7 million former Muslims have converted to Christianity in the past two decades, and he has impressive research to back up his claim. He documents his findings in his book A Wind in the House of Islam.”

Global Media Outreach

As an online missionary for Global Media Outreach I can personally testify to the substantial number of converts to Christianity from many closed Muslim nations. The Lord is doing a wonderful work in calling His sheep out of the nations of Islam. I am always touched by those who are receiving Christ as Savior in Muslim nations as they are embarking on a very dangerous road.

The Lord has definitely not given up on Muslims and neither should we; only God knows who, among those Muslim men, women and children, is destined to become our brother or sister in Christ. Our responsibility before the Lord is to faithfully plant and water the seeds of the Gospel and trust to Almighty God to give the increase as He chooses. While it is true there are some hard cases out there that seem to be devoted to warfare and bloodshed;  I remind you of another hard case, a man named Saul of Tarsus, whose life was totally changed by the Lord and the Lord is still in the business of changing lives.

Islam Today

With the inflow of oil money Islam has begun a resurgence world-wide. Islamic tactics include terrorism, ideology, and demographics. The unifying force behind this attack is the Islamic determination to restore Islam to its rightful place as a world power and the establishment of a caliphate that dominates and controls the entire world as taught in the Qur’an.

The battle between Sunni and Shia is still a major factor in this Islamic effort to dominate the world. According to Islamic teaching the world is divided into two classes of nations:

Dar al Harb and Dar al Islam

Dar al Harb (Arabic: دار الحرب “house of war”) refers to areas outside Muslim rule, as opposed to Dar al Islam. The precise designations of such territories can vary widely according to the speaker’s idea of who is and is not a Muslim, and which governments are or are not Muslim in practice. The inhabitants of the Dar al-Harb are called harbi (Arabic: حربي), as opposed to dhimmi (second class citizens of the book – Christians and Jews) or kufr (non-believers, pagans). According to ancient law, a harbi does not even have the right to live. To enter the territory of Islam (Dar al Islam) he needs a safe-conduct pass called an aman. The term has meaning today for Islamist extremists.

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi was quoted in As Sarq al Awast of July 19, 2003 as saying:

“It has been determined by Islamic law that the blood and property of people of Dar Al-Harb are not protected.”

Likewise, Sheikh Ali Gomaa said in an interview published in July 2003 by the Egyptian newspaper Al-Haqiqa:

“…it is permitted to kill him, because he is a Harbi and the Harbi spreads corruption throughout the face of the earth.”

Dar al-Harb, like Dar al Islam and similar terms, are not found in the Quran or in the Hadith which are the core basis of Islam.

Dar al Islam

Dar al Islam (Arabic: دار الإسلا) is the area of the world under the rule of Islam , literally, “the home of Islam” or “the home of submission.” This is often used by extremists to include areas that used to be part of the Muslim world such as Al-Andalus (Spain) as well as the Muslim world. It is not a Quranic term or used in the Hadith and has various interpretations. Moderate Muslims may say Dar al Islam can be any place where Muslims are secure, even if it is a secular society, whereas extremists have a different view.

Dar al Harb

Dar al Islam is defined as opposed to Dar Al Harb, the house of war, (the United States is Dar al Harb) where it is permitted according to some to wage Jihad, holy war for Islam. There are also various intermediate areas defined, such as Dar al Hudna, lands outside Islam that are subject to trucial obligations, and Dar al Kufr (the home of the unbelievers), a term specifically used by Muhammad to refer to territories of the Quraish tribe.

The Danger to the United States

The United States, as Dar al Harb, is facing this foe here at home and across the world. Our failure to openly acknowledge the identity of our enemy puts us at a severe disadvantage. Our failure to recognize the seriousness of our foe’s intentions puts us at great risk. The recent beheadings in the United States are a legitimate tactic according to the Qur’an as they took place in Dar al Harb.

While the individual Muslim may be called by God to salvation, and many are being called; Islam, as an ideology, is evil and must be recognized as the dangerous enemy that it has been for centuries; it is, at the very least, reckless foolishness to paint Islam as a “religion of peace.”

As we have seen, fundamental Medina style Islam is not a new foe, but has been a historic foe for the last 1,392 years; one that has succeeded in the past in establishing control over large areas of the world. A foe that sees us as “The Great Satan,” a foe that seeks our national destruction! We ignore history at our own peril; we must not continue down this path of deliberate “ignorance;” Islam seeks to bring an end to life as we have known it in the United States.

 

 

 

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | September 24, 2014

ISIL, ISIS and Islam Part 2, by David Bower

How did the violence start?

Islam has had a history of warfare and conquest from the beginning and is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a peaceful religion; but is rather, a violently aggressive geopolitical worldview that promotes Sharia Law, which is a comprehensive plan for all aspects of life. ISIL/ISIS seeks to reestablish an Islamic Caliphate which would then impose Sharia Law on as much of the world as they can conquer by any means necessary and if you’re wondering, this is not good.

There is an ongoing distrust between Sunni and Shia today; Saudi Arabia (Sunni) is fearful of the power that is developing in Iran (Shia) and concerned that Iran may seek to expand its influence over other Muslim nations. Iran is now developing concerns over ISIL/ISIS which is Sunni, (Sadam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party was Sunni).

A Brief History

Islam’s formal historic existence can be partially summarized as follows:
1.Umayyad Caliphate 622 AD to 750 AD (Sunni)
2.The Caliphate of Cordoba 929 AD to 1031 AD (Sunni)
3.Abbasid Caliphate 750 AD to 1519 AD (Sunni)
4.Fatimid Caliphate 909 AD to 1171 AD (Shia)
5.Ottoman Empire 1517 to 1924 (Sunni)

Umayyad Caliphate 622 AD to 750 AD

Umayyad CaliphateUmayyad Caliphate c. 750 AD

Conquest and control has been a key part of the spread of Islam from the beginning. After Muhammad’s flight to Medina in 622 AD, called the Hegira and used as the starting year for Islam, he waged jihad (holy war) 77 times before his death in 632 AD.

In this time he expanded his area of control from Medina to include the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. This conquest led to the formation of the Umayyad Caliphate which became the fifth largest contiguous empire in history.

In 656, Ali, who became the fourth Caliph, was a  cousin and son-in-law of Mohammad, and had supporters that killed the third caliph. Soon after, the Sunnis killed Ali’s son Husain. Fighting continued but Sunnis emerged victorious over the Shiites and came to revere the caliphate for its strength and piety. Shiites focused on developing their religious beliefs, through their imams.” Paul R. Pillar, retired C.I.A. official who coordinated intelligence on the Middle East.

At its largest in 750 AD it included Spain and Portugal and could have expanded into the rest of Europe had it not been for its defeat at the hands of Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732. A number of 18th and 19th century historians give this victory the credit for turning the tide of Islamic aggression and preserving Europe for Christianity.

The Battle of Tours, 732 AD, a Turning Point in HistoryThe Battle of Tours, 732 AD, a Turning Point in History

Caliphate of Cordoba (Spain) 929 AD to 1031 AD

Caliphate of Cordoba, SpainArea Controlled by the Caliphate of Cordoba

This was a spinoff of the Umayyad Caliphate after it fell under attack by the Abbasid Muslims. Abd-ar-Rahman I became Emir of Córdoba in 756; fleeing for six years after the Umayyads had lost the position of Caliph held in Damascus in 750. Intent on regaining a position of power, he defeated the existing Islamic rulers of the area who defied Umayyad rule and united various local fiefdoms into an emirate. The Great Mosque of Cordoba, which is now a Catholic Church, was built at this time. The Caliphate finally fell in 1031 AD returning to small independent Muslim kingdoms.

Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain.jpg 2Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain ExteriorExterior View of Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

Abbasid Caliphate 750 AD to 1519 AD

Abbasid CaliphateArea Covered by the Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasids staged a successful attack on the Umayyad Caliphate with the aid of the Persians by temporarily converting to Shia Islam as a condition of Persian participation; this resulted in the establishment of the new Caliphate with the capitol moved from Damascus to Babylon as payment for the Persian support in the overthrow of the Umayyad. Once in power the Abbasids moved their loyalties back to Sunni Islam which left the Persian Shia Muslims very angry.

It was during this period that the Islamic Golden Age emerged. The first recorded paper mill was built in Babylon by Chinese captives, the mathematics of algebra was refined and the Arabic system of numerals was developed. Scholars there became a clearing house for knowledge of the time and many writings were preserved by translating them into Arabic and later into Hebrew, Turkish, and Latin. Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan sacked Baghdad on February 10, 1258, causing great loss of life. The Abbasids maintained a semblance of control but it was limited to religious matters only. The dynasty finally fell in 1543.

Fatimid Caliphate 909 AD to 1171 AD

Fatimid CaliphateArea of Fatimid Caliphate

This is an exceptional period in Muslim history where the Shia and the Caliphate were united. The dynasty was founded by Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah who claimed descent from Muhammad through his daughter Fatima. Wide spread defection from the Caliphate and attacks by outside forces eventually caused the end of the Caliphate by 1171 AD.

The Ottoman Empire 1517 AD to 1924 AD

The last of the Caliphates, the Ottoman Empire, lasted over 400 years under the leadership of Turkish Sultans. During the life of the Empire poor leadership, out of date political systems, and a failure to keep up with new technology resulted in steady erosion of territory when more technologically advanced nations attacked. The lack of strong leadership helped create the emergence of the Muslim pirates along the Barbary Coast; it was during this period in 1801 – 1805 that the United States sent eight Marines leading a force of 500 mercenary soldiers cross country from Egypt to capture the Tripolitan city of Derna. It was also at this time that Thomas Jefferson acquired a copy of the Qur’an to better understand the enemy he was fighting at the time.

Ottoman Empire 1914

The 400 Year Old Ottoman Empire in 1914

In 1914 the Ottoman Empire entered WW I on the side of Germany; when the war was lost the Empire collapsed and was arbitrarily divided by the Treaty of Versailles and a series of later treaties over the following years. It is this division which has created many of the problems today.

My objective in all of this is to show the true nature of Islamic thought; there is a clear, centuries long, history of conquest and control and although we have lived in a short period of calm, since 1918, that period appears to be over.

I’m reminded of Hegel’s famous observation:

“What experience and history teach is this–that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.”

In the last part of the series we will consider Islam today.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | September 17, 2014

ISIL, ISIS and Islam, by David Bower

The War on Terror, or Kamikazi, or Blitzkrieg?

 Our reluctance, nationally, to acknowledge the reality of the world situation we face today is disappointing to me. I know it shouldn’t be as our national leaders have been placed there by the sovereign will of God and are busy executing His plan for our nation and the world. It does not matter that national leaders, worldwide, may be totally unaware of God’s leading in their lives but leading He is.

I wonder to what extent the national leaders in the United States actually believe what they are saying or if most, if not all, of what is being said can be chalked up to political expediency or correctness.

To say we are fighting a “war on terror” is a ridiculous denial of reality that has been practiced by virtually everyone in the government and on the national media; terror is not an enemy per se, it is a tactic used by an enemy. In World War II the Japanese used a tactic called “Kamikazi” but never once did we say we were at war with “Kamikaze” in the Pacific arena; we were at war with Japan, the enemy who used Kamikaze as a terrorist suicide tactic against us.

In the European theater our enemy, Germany, used a tactic called “Blitzkrieg” but never once did we say we were at war with Blitzkrieg in Europe, we were at war with Germany and Italy. One does not wage war against a tactic, one wages war against an opposing force, an enemy who uses tactics and strategy to try and defeat us!

If Not Terror, Then Who or What?

That is not a difficult question; we are offered many clues as to the identity of the enemy. First let us consider the identity of ISIL or ISIS, the group which is making most of the headlines today. These are alternate names for the same group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The common denominator is Islamic, they make a clear claim to being Islamic and have an announced objective of establishing an Islamic Caliphate which will dominate and control the entire world.

The challenge presented to those who would seek to stop Islamic terrorist attacks is the driving force behind the attacks; an ideology that does not always have a geographic location. The enemy knows no national borders and exists in the minds of individuals who live in many traditional nations around the world. These individuals have embraced the teachings of Islam and those who are violent have chosen to follow the most recent teachings of that worldview in accordance with the Islamic doctrine of abrogation.

The Qur’an (Koran)

The tenets of Islam were written down in a volume called the Qur’an (Koran); this document was the reported words of Mohammad written down after his death by those who heard him speak. The Qur’an can be divided into two groups of writings; the Meccan verses and the Medina verses. The tone of the chapters (Suras) grows increasingly hostile between those two groups.

Muslims or Muslim defenders who try to promote Islam as a religion of peace quote the Meccan verses; the Islamic doctrine of abrogation requires that verses written later replace and cancel earlier verses on the same subject. The later verses, the Medina verses, are war-like and hostile. The next to the last chapter written, Chapter 9, contains the “verse of the sword” 9:5 “When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way. God is forgiving and merciful.”

This, however, is only part of the story; a major part of the story of Islam involves the two distinct groups Sunni and Shia.

Two branches of Islam, Sunni and Shia

The following is a quote from the History News Network, “The Sunni branch, (which has the larger Muslim following 80-90%), believes that the first four caliphs–Mohammed’s successors–rightfully took his place as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize the heirs of the four caliphs as legitimate religious leaders. These heirs ruled continuously in the Arab world until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, which was a Sunni caliphate, following the end of the First World War.

Shiites in contrast believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed. In 931 the Twelfth Imam disappeared. This was a seminal event in the history of Shiite Muslims. According to R. Scott Appleby, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, “Shiite Muslims, who are concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, [believe they] had suffered the loss of divinely guided political leadership” at the time of the Imam’s disappearance. Not “until the ascendancy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1978” did they believe that they had once again begun to live under the authority of a legitimate religious figure.” http://hnn.us/articles/934.html The term Shia or Shi’ite derives from a shortening of Shiat Ali or partisans of Ali.

What caused the original divide?

“The groups first diverged after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632, and his followers could not agree on whether to choose bloodline successors or leaders most likely to follow the tenets of the faith.

The group now known as Sunnis chose Abu Bakr, the prophet’s adviser, to become the first successor, or caliph, to lead the Muslim state. Shiites favored Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Ali and his successors are called imams, who not only lead the Shiites but are considered to be descendants of Muhammad. After the 11th imam died in 874, and his young son was said to have disappeared from the funeral, Shiites in particular came to see the child as a Messiah who had been hidden from the public by God. The largest sect of Shiites, known as “twelvers,” have been preparing for his return ever since. The Iranian leaders are all “twelvers.”

But What About ISIL/ISIS?

This group is Sunni and is devoted to the creation of the next caliphate. The last Sunni caliphate, The Ottoman Empire, came to an effective end in 1924 so the Sunni branch has essentially been without true religious leadership for almost 90 years. This is the longest timespan since 622 AD that the world has not had an active caliphate somewhere in existence.

In the next segment I will discuss the historic caliphates from 622 AD to 1924 AD.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | September 11, 2014

Don’t Let This One Slip By Unnoticed! By David Bower

The Book That Changed the World.

KJB 3

While looking for movie’s to watch on Netflix, I ran across this movie, “KJB, The Book that Changed the World.” My initial reaction to that title was mixed, it sounded sort of dry and academic and I had to think about it before I finally added to our queue. In retrospect I have to thank the Lord for His grace in prompting me to add it because it has turned out to be one of the most exciting and rewarding films I’ve seen all year; I have now purchased a copy for our movie library.

Those of you who follow my blog may have noticed I occasionally recommend movies to my readers; this is one which I hope all of you will take the time to watch.

In 1773, William Cowper wrote a hymn which  starts with these words,  “The Lord moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” Certainly those words describe the amazing events surrounding the creation of this honored translation of the Bible. I suspect you’ll be as happy as I was to view this movie and discover those amazing events for yourself!

I’ve added my Amazon Vine Voice review of the film below.

An Amazing Treasure!

By David Bower TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on September 4, 2014

Format: DVD

We watched this movie on a hunch and struck gold; this is one of the most gratifying movies I’ve seen in a long time and it almost moved me to tears. I had no idea what story the movie would tell; I’ve appreciated the language of the King James Bible for almost all of my life and still use a version of it for my primary study Bible. I had no idea of what had gone into the making of this translation and found myself fascinated by the well crafted story which provided the background and told of the intrigue surrounding the scholarship and effort involved in putting it all together.

I remember my Greek professor in seminary commenting on the quality of the King James translation from the original languages. While it is true that the English language is a living language and is in a constant state of revision as determined by popular usage, the King James translation, with minor updates to better translate the intended thoughts of the original writers, still communicates the message of the Bible with power, accuracy and dignity.

I heartily recommend this movie to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and all who simply appreciate an exciting story very well told.

 

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