Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 4, 2012

The New America

Turning Points in History

As I study history I am impressed by the nature of those events that dramatically alter life for those living at the time. When these events occur the life-changing nature of the events is rarely understood. Something happens which may cause temporary problems or inconveniences but the thought that one’s life may be changing forever rarely occurs to witnesses of the event.

It is always difficult to understand that our way of life is a transient phenomenon and comes with no guarantees. Our lives have often followed a rather predictable pattern which we expect to continue with, perhaps, minor alterations and adjustments for the balance of our natural lives.

I believe it is possible that the November election may be one of those turning points in the history of the United States. If that just happens to be the case then we should approach this turning point with great caution. I would like to address some of the factors that may be involved in this particular turning point.

I believe that we, as a nation, are standing in God’s balance and may be in danger of being found wanting. I’ll continue this topic in my next blog.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | September 21, 2012

The Unexpected, by David Bower

Life is Full of Surprises!

Life has shown me that many of the most significant, life-changing events have been unplanned, unexpected, and happened without warning; this has been so often the case as to become virtually axiomatic.

We can all probably recall numerous incidents in our lives where this was the case; events that in some instances may have even resulted in changes that would forever change our lives and were totally unexpected.

When these things happen, and they will, how do we react? Well, we have two choices; we can respond by faith or we can respond by sight. As Christians we have the responsibility to respond by faith but sadly that is not always the case.

In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we are told, “We live by faith, not by sight.”

In Romans 8:28 we are told, “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.”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are told, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

What do we have so far; live by faith, know God is working all things for our good, and in all things give thanks. Do you notice anything missing in that list? How about panic, fear, doubt, crying, agonizing, feeling abandoned by God or despair; are none of those allowable alternatives? Obviously not, all of these are living by sight, not by faith.

An Icy Road and A Barbed Wire Fence

I vividly remember an unexpected adventure that I had in Northeast Texas one winter. Having been raised in South Texas I was unfamiliar with winter driving that far north. On that occasion I was by myself driving on a small farm road surrounded by cultivated fields when I encountered a small ridgeline where the road rose up over the ridge then dropped back down on the other side.

What I didn’t know was the nature of icing patterns in that situation; whereas the south side of the ridge was dry and free of ice, the north side of the ridge was frozen sheet ice which caused me to lose complete control of steering and braking and I slid off the road across a small ditch and was stopped by a barbed wire fence.

If you’ve seen that kind of rural road and fencing you may recall one curious phenomenon and that is the pile of dirt that collects under the fence line. On one side is a plowed field and on the other a shallow, open ditch and my car was balanced on the elevated portion which left my back wheels in the air; I wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

It surprises me even now to recall that my first reaction was to thank God for this unexpected event. I acknowledged that I certainly didn’t understand it but accepted it as His will for my life. Within a few minutes a farm truck came along and had a tow rope which the farmer attached to my rear suspension and pulled me back on the road.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude but the farmer wouldn’t accept any money for his help. I’ll never know why that happened but I’m confident God was working it for my good. I was able to resume my trip which was completed without further incident.

Our Choice

I find it helpful to remind myself that nothing catches God by surprise; He knows every day of our lives and knows exactly what will happen to us. In Psalm 139:16b we are told, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

When the unexpected happens we have a special opportunity to honor God by our faith in Him. We can believe what He has told us and respond to the unexpected by faith, and not by sight. When we do this we bless ourselves and please the Father who sent His Son that all of this might be available to His children.

No event will overtake you that is not known to and permitted by God. God has left you here while He conforms you to the image of His Son. In Romans 8:29 we are told, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

You are a work in progress; when opportunities present themselves to please and honor God don’t miss out on the opportunity; respond by faith and not by sight.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | September 7, 2012

The Meaning of Life Concluded, by David Bower

What is our Purpose in Life Today?

In Part 1 we considered the original purpose of man prior to his violation of the one conditional clause and learned that the purpose of man had changed from ruler to worker. Mankind has now been living with that change for thousands of years so what about us today, what about you and me, how do we fit in today as we live our normal lives?

We must again look to the Bible for answers to that question. In both the Old and New Testaments it is made clear that we must earn our livelihood by working. In my blog on work I wrote:

“As you can tell from the above I’m convinced we will have a busy and productive eternity with our Lord. But that is yet to come so what about now, you may ask. I believe the Bible speaks in several places about our responsibilities to work during our mortal lifetimes. In 1 Timothy 5:8 we read, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” In Galatians 6:4-5 we read, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” In 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 we read, “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”

It is evident the personal work ethic is equally supported in both Testaments but as I concluded in that blog we work to live, not live to work. Our work supports our life so then what should the goal of our life be?

A Life Goal

Again I turn to the Bible and find an answer in our Lord’s sermon on the mount. In Matthew 6:31-34 our Lord reveals His truth about the purpose of our lives. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

So, there we have it, the purpose of our lives is to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of those other things will be added on. Does this then negate our obligation to work, no, it does not. We are still living on a cursed world and within a satanic world system and we have to earn our food by the sweat of our brow; beyond that though our main responsibility is to seek God and His righteousness.

Seeking God is a daily pursuit that should occupy our minds during all of those moments of discretionary thought; those times when our immediate responsibilities for living do not require active decision making on our part.

One thing I do is to see God’s hand and presence in everything; I’m always mindful that it is God who has created all things and even sustains them in their existence from moment to moment. Any moment of beauty brings prayers of praise to my mind and I bless the Lord and rejoice in His bounty and His gracious love for His children.

Another thing that brings joy to me is my pattern of conversational prayer with the Lord; I am so aware of His presence in my life and see Him as my constant companion so I talk to Him all day long and discuss everything with Him; I do this silently however as I do not want people to think I’m crazy.

Life’s One Big Question with the Book Answer as a Bonus

One last point and that concerns life’s one big question. Life is a pass/fail test and regardless of whatever else you may accomplish if you answer life’s question incorrectly you will have eternal problems so big you don’t even want to think about them.

The question is simple, “Do you receive Christ as your personal Savior?” If your answer is yes, you pass, if your answer is no you fail. There is no fence straddling or position of neutrality in this matter. We often hear John 3:16 quoted as a salvation verse and it does a good job of explaining this gift of God’s grace. John 3:17-18 is less often quoted but tells the rest of the story; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

The third chapter concludes in verse 36 with the following; “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Life then is a matter of great eternal consequences with results that never end. For those who pass by saying yes to Christ, it is eternal life with God the Creator as part of His family. For those who fail, by rejecting the gift of salvation in Christ, it is eternal damnation and suffering in the Lake of Fire.

In case any are reading this that has not made this vital decision, I include the following:

“Becoming a Christian is simply believing in Jesus as your Savior. We are told in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

You can have everlasting life by asking Jesus to come into your heart; just pray to him like this:

Lord, I want you to be my Savior, I believe you died for my sins and I accept the payment you made for me on the cross. Thank you for coming into my life. Amen.”

If you have prayed that prayer and mean it then congratulations, you’ve just joined God’s eternal family and moved from death to life.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 31, 2012

The Meaning of Life, Part 1 by David Bower

Is There Some Meaning to Life?

Over the centuries I suppose there have been countless discussions on the meaning of life. Philosophers have pondered this question and come up with a great variety of answers including the decision that life is meaningless.

I propose we skip the speculation and get to the truth of the matter as explained in the Bible. If anyone would be qualified to explain the meaning of life it would be the one who created life and sustains its existence from moment to moment.

I mentioned in an earlier blog how all that we are and all that we can see is a creation and exists by the will of the Creator.  Our very being is totally dependent on His will and His good pleasure.  In the blog, “What is Reality,” I started by giving the dictionary definition of reality as “the quality or state of being real: something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily.”

Created Beings

The Bible makes it crystal clear that all of creation exists as a result of a creative act of God and then later it is made equally clear that the existence of all creation is by a continuing expression of the power of God, most specifically, the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the power that sustains all of us in our existence; without Him none of us would exist.

This establishes that we are both continuously dependent on and derived from the Creator who is the source of our existence therefore we are not real in the dictionary sense of the term.

It is evident then that any search for ultimate truth of any nature must necessarily defer to the one who is the Creator and by whom creation exists. What does God say about our existence?

Truth from the Source of All Truth

Fortunately we are not left to wonder about where we came from, why are we here or what is the purpose of life, and where are we going; there is no mystery to any of those questions so let’s see what the Bible has to say about them.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Gen 1:26); the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Gen 2:7)

So let’s see, what do we know so far? 1. Our body was created from dust, 2. our life was breathed into our body by the breath of God, and 3. we were created to rule over and care for all of the creatures who were spoken into existence. Why do I say it that way? Because I want to emphasize the difference between the creation of man and the creation of every other creature; our life came from the breath of God, all other life came from the spoken word of God.

“And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” (Gen 1:20) “And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.” (Gen 1:24)

There was also one other important aspect to our original situation; we were designed to have a regular association with God.

THE CONDITIONAL CLAUSE

So life came, but it came with a killer of a conditional clause; a condition, that if violated, would change everything instantly and wouldn’t you just know it; the first human managed to violate that one conditional clause and the entire original plan was scrapped.

So man would no longer rule the creation but was now to earn his food by the sweat of his brow and in addition some of those he was meant to rule would try and kill him if they could. How about that for a come down. 

The new purpose of life is given in Gen 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

In Part 2 we will consider the modified purpose of life as we have received it from God today.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 24, 2012

2012 Update, by David Bower

So Far So Good

Congratulations everyone, we are over half way through 2012 and the world is still in one piece. Of course the “crucial” Mayan date of December 21st is still ahead of us and the threatened solar flares have been moved back to 2013 so we may not be out of the woods yet.

I thought it might be timely to take inventory of the list of calamities that have been predicted for 2012 and see where we stand in the eighth month of the year. So far I’ve been grateful that our summer has had much more rain than it did last year when the drought killed so many trees in the Houston area. The temperatures have also been noticeably cooler and that has been another blessing for which I am grateful to our Lord.

On August 5th of last year I wrote a blog called “2012, Is a Storm Coming?” In this blog I discussed the possibility of sunspot activity and its potential impact on the earth.

Sunspot Activity

It appears the sun is still moving toward a solar maximum within the coming twelve months. What I’m reading now suggests activity will peak around the second quarter of 2013. We have been in Solar Cycle 24 since January of 2008; which means the 24th cycle since 1755 when solar sunspot activity was first recorded. Some indicators now seem to suggest a rather mild solar maximum this time around.

Some new research has revealed there are weak spots in the Earth’s magnetic shield; the impact of these weak spots in the event of sunspot activity would depend on a number of variables so it is difficult to determine how much impact they would have on lives and technology. The general impression I’m getting is one of cautious optimism; it appears less likely that the sunspot activity will have too serious an effect on us next year. For better or worse we have less than a year before we find out exactly how strong it will be.

Israel and the Middle East

While there seems to be less of a threat from the sun I’m not sure we can say that about the Middle East. It seems as if there is new saber rattling going on over there every day and it seems to be growing in intensity. Iran has stated very clearly its desire that the USA and Israel be eliminated from the world stage. As their nuclear capability grows such a possibility grows along with it.

One carefully placed nuclear weapon exploded above the USA could throw this country back 200 years technologically speaking. The electromagnetic pulse of such an explosion could knock out all electrical or electronic equipment for hundreds of miles in every direction. It is difficult to even imagine the havoc that would create for everyone within the blast area; life would return to levels more similar to 1812 than 2012 except that our situation would be vastly worse as nothing in our society is set up to operate on an 1812 basis.

The situation in the Middle East reminds me of the analogy with the pot of water boiling away on the stove. As the heat gets turned up higher the water begins to boil faster and faster until finally it can boil over if the heat is not turned off. It does not appear anyone has been able to even reduce the heat over there and it would certainly be reasonable to expect that pot to eventually boil over. When that might happen and the exact nature of the mess it will create is not known at this point. It does happen to fit in perfectly with the situation the Bible has prophesied for the end times so it seems safe to say this is only a matter of when, not if.

Our National Situation

The financial plight of the USA is well known all over the world; what is ironic is the same people who got us into this mess are the ones who are supposed to get us out of it. The next election will likely be pivotal as the electorate chooses which path this nation will take in the future.

I am always mindful that God is the one who controls governments and leaders. This means that our underlying problem is spiritual not fiscal in nature. Our elected leadership is systematically removing the Christian influence from our nation and entirely too many of the electorate are blithely skipping down the road towards secular humanism and it’s not a pretty sight.

A Potential Catalyst for Disaster

Although there is no shortage of worldly events that could trigger major problems in the USA there are, in addition, those events that would reflect direct divine intervention. These can range from natural disasters to divinely influenced actions by national leaders who are unwittingly serving as servants of God.

Among those I would be inclined to say the Rapture of the Church, which is due at any time, would be the most decisive change in the fabric of the world and cause the most panic and turmoil. I speculate that the Rapture will be the trigger for an attack on Israel and the USA by Islamic forces.

Israel has the promise of God’s protection; the USA does not enjoy any such promise. Events following the Rapture may well provide the explanation for the absence of the USA from Bible prophecy.

As Christians we too have many promises from God which include “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.” and “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” So there you have it; we are to rest in God’s faithfulness to us and rejoice in His unfailing love.   

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 17, 2012

The Tent We Occupy, by David Bower

 Are We Nothing More Than Our Tent?

In 2 Corinthians 5:1 we read, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

I like that comparison of our mortal bodies with a tent; this is something we wear for a short time and will then leave it forever. As I’ve pointed out before it is the only part of us that has not been redeemed by the blood of Christ at the point of our personal salvation.

Paul then goes on to say in verse 4, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” As you know we will receive our eternal, resurrection bodies at the rapture of the church; an event which may be close.

Although our tent is indeed temporal, it is nevertheless a temple of God the Holy Spirit and is deserving of our respect and care. We should never take for granted the wonderful honor God has bestowed upon us by making our mortal bodies the abode of His Holy Spirit!

Global Media Outreach 

I have been remarkably blessed by the opportunity to work as an online missionary for Global Media Outreach. Since I started this ministry in February of this year I have had a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world and provide guidance to those seeking answers that can only be found in Christ.

These are precious souls that share with me their hopes and dreams, their problems and their fears and I try to point them to God’s answers as found in the Bible. It has been an amazing experience and what is especially interesting to me is I have absolutely no idea what the majority of them look like and very likely never will this side of heaven.

What is also interesting is how totally irrelevant that is to my personal concern for their well-being. Many are my brothers and sisters with whom I will spend all eternity and the only really important thing is that they too love Jesus and have joined me in God’s family.

On reflection I’m inclined to see my inability to see their tents as an advantage in one way; my opinion of them is based on what is going on inside, not how they look at the moment on the outside.

Greater Beauty with Age

The older I get the more I realize the greater importance of the inner person over the outer appearance. No matter how valiantly one may struggle, the outer appearance begins to decay whereas the inner person may continue to grow in beauty and sparkle brightly for those who know the inner person; notice I say may, not will.

Sadly this can go both ways depending on the priorities of the inner person. We have all seen older people who were bright and radiated joy and happiness and we have all seen those who brightened a room by leaving it; most of us fall somewhere in between those two extremes.

 The opportunity to live a joyous life is available to all who know Christ and walk by the power of God the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is the birthright of all who have been born again and have become a new creation but it falls to the individual to claim that birthright and manifest it in their lives.

Even as our bodies are aging we have the opportunity to demonstrate in our lives the process of being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and more perfectly reflect His beauty and glory as we live our lives controlled by His Spirit.

The Pitfalls of Appearance

There is a challenge when one deviates from the norm either toward the direction of beauty or unattractiveness. Although standards of both vary widely from society to society each of us may be inclined to value ourselves based on others perception of our external appearance.

Literature is filled with stories of those discriminated against because of a physical deformity. What is less mentioned is the challenge faced by a woman, for example, of surpassing beauty that is the object of praise and adulation. This presents its own type of challenge and can even be a handicap when it comes to the development of inner beauty.

I sometimes wonder when I see a very beautiful woman, how successful she has been in developing her inner beauty. She has gone through her life with a serious obstacle to the development of her inner beauty. In too many instances the appearance of her tent has skewed her perspective on life and inner beauty; her physical appearance has been her beginning and her end.

 As beauty fades, and it always does, the individual, either male or female, who has not taken the time to establish a fulfilling spiritual relationship with God and used divine resources to develop inner beauty is left with nothing but frustration and despair.

We, as Christians, have both the opportunity and the responsibility to embrace the blessings God has made available to each of us. What a joy it is to be in the presence of one who manifests the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I’m sure we have all known those individuals who made us smile at the sight of them and who brightened our lives by their presence.

This precious gift is available to all who know the Lord as their Savior and have applied the principles of the Christian walk to their own lives. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 16, 2012

Thank You! by David Bower

A Pleasant Surprise

Recently Word Press revised my statistics page to show the different countries where people have viewed my blog. I was surprised and excited to see that people from 33 countries all over the world have viewed my blog since February 25th of this year.

While that was interesting to me the thing that surprised me most was the countries that had the most viewers. It was no surprise that the United States was number one but the order of the next nine caught me by complete surprise.

Number 2 was Indonesia, 3 was Brazil, 4 was Canada, 5 was The Czech Republic, 6 was The Russian Federation, 7 was South Africa, 8 was Colombia, 9 was Japan, and 10 was Nigeria.

My sincere thanks to all of you including the 23 countries not listed.

Thank you!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 10, 2012

Your Work and Christianity, by David Bower

A Huge Block of Time

For most of us our employment either is or has taken a huge amount of our time; we have spent most of our waking hours working. What does this mean to us as Christian individuals and is this Biblical?

For one thing we know from the Bible that work was always intended to be a part of life; all we need to do is turn to Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

If we were intended to rule over God’s creation our rule would naturally entail our responsibility for it. I recall an old adage that I heard in the United States Navy, “Rank hath its privileges but rank hath its responsibilities.” Rule and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.

Then again in Genesis 2:15 it is written, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Even in the beauty of the Garden of Eden man was expected to work and was given a job to do. After the fall God told Adam in Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

As many of you will recall, I have mentioned before my conviction that we will have work to do and jobs assigned to us in eternity. The new heaven and the new earth will not be a place where we just lounge about on clouds playing harps. I delight in the thought that the Lord will have the perfect work for me to do and I will be able to work for Him with joy and fulfillment totally free of my old sin nature. This is an exciting and wonderful prospect for me to consider and I eagerly look forward to it.

I also firmly believe that I will be delighted with the work our Lord has given me regardless of how lofty or how lowly it may be. Whether I till the ground and care for the animals or rule over peoples, nations, and planets I will, in either case, be filled with joy and gratitude for the opportunities the Lord has given to me to serve Him. Such is one of the many blessings of being free of sin!

Meanwhile, Back on Earth

As you can tell from the above I’m convinced we will have a busy and productive eternity with our Lord. But that is yet to come so what about now, you may ask. I believe the Bible speaks in several places about our responsibilities to work during our mortal lifetimes. In 1 Timothy 5:8 we read, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” In Galatians 6:4-5 we read, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” In 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 we read, “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”

Paul set the standard in his life as an Apostle of the Lord and describes his work ethic where in Acts 20:33-34 we read, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.”

Much has been written as succeeding generations have speculated why Paul did this; it is nevertheless a clear indication of the principle of work as the recognized way of providing for oneself during our mortal lives on this planet.

Does Our Work Define Us as Individuals?

The Bible makes it clear that work is to be a part of our lives, but does our work define us as individuals? I believe the answer to that is no, it does not. Whereas work is essential to living, work is only a means to an end, not the end itself.

We are so much more than our work and should not even think in terms of our work as the basis for determining who are what we are. We should not live to work, but work to live as is often quoted.

One hears stories of men who have reluctantly retired from a long career and then died a few months after their retirement. It was as if their career and their work was their identity and once lost, removed their reasons to even live. That is truly a sad and distorted perspective on life and living and one to be avoided.

When I announced my planned retirement from the company for which I had worked 36 years there were those who doubted that I would ever retire as “the building business is David’s life” it was said. Well fortunately that was not true; although I appreciated the evident compliment to my work ethic, my job had never been my life.

I have been retired now since September of 2004 and I can assure you my days are filled with work I love. I am active as an online missionary and write this blog; between those two activities I am able to consume many hours out of each day and I am having a ball. In addition to that I am the IT guy for our family, enjoy my home theater system, love to read and work out at the gym with a personal trainer three times a week. My wife and I are greatly enjoying my retirement.

How About You?

When someone asks you, “What do you do?” what is your answer? If you’re like most of us you answer something about your work; that’s sort of a conditioned reflex as we know the type of answer expected. It’s interesting to note that Paul never started his letters identifying himself as a tentmaker even though that was how he supported himself. Paul’s identity was as an Apostle of Christ; he was a tentmaker in order to support his ministry.

What is important in all of this is how do you think about yourself? As you can gather from my comments I believe it is important for you to see the ramifications of the spiritual realities that are already at work in your life. While your job is important and necessary it most certainly does not define you. You are much more than your job; your job is both temporal and temporary whereas you are eternal.

You are a child of the eternal Creator God who loves you more than you can even begin to imagine. You are also a temple of God the Holy Spirit, a royal priest after the order of Melchizedek, an ambassador of Christ, and a part of God’s family who will judge the angels.

It’s kind of fun to imagine the confusion it would create if you answered the question, “What do you do?” with I am a royal priest after the order of Melchizedek. Since these are eternal, spiritual truths we must now ask ourselves, do we live the life that reflects the spiritual reality of who we really are?

That is similar to the question; if you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? While we have the chance, let us litter our lives with evidence.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | August 3, 2012

Governments and Christianity, by David Bower

What is the Primary Focus of Christian Responsibility? 

There are many forces at play today that request or even demand our attention. There are issues galore from sexual perversion or abortion to political corruption that scream out to the Christian for a response. The Christian must, however, carefully balance those demands with the primary focus that should occupy our attention where the unbelieving world is concerned.

The Christian’s message to the world is Jesus Christ and Him crucified; that is the answer the world needs and not either more or less of something else, whatever that may be. If we were somehow able to do the impossible and abolish all sinful acts would that provide salvation? The answer to that is no, it would not! The world needs salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior; there is no other answer!

Salvation is God’s remedy for mankind’s basic problem, spiritual death, and that needs a Redeemer in order to live again and be saved from the penalty of sin. Let us be careful not to muddy the water concerning salvation through Christ by introducing unrelated issues. Entirely too many Christians today are letting less vital issues determine their message to the world.

The Apostle Paul set a marvelous example in the New Testament. There was no shortage of issues that Paul might have addressed in Roman society; in addition to many we have today in our country, one can add slavery. Paul’s message was, nevertheless, always clearly focused on the big issue; what will you do with Christ?

The question then becomes, how does the Christian achieve a Biblically sound balance between important issues and the vital message of personal salvation in Jesus Christ? Let us consider the question of our responsibility for our government.

Christian Responsibility in Elections

The year 2012 could go down in history as the critical turning point for the United States. The election this November may well determine the direction this country will take for many years to come. 

The options have never been more clearly defined; Socialism, which is being vigorously pursued by the present administration and is asking for more time to fundamentally change America versus a return to a more capitalistic environment which had, in the past, served America well.

Forces on both sides are preparing for a serious battle for control and the lives of all of us depend on the outcome of this struggle. Those of us who are watching the national scene see the results every day of the encroachment of socialism and the efforts of the progressives to create a one-world government.

I have read for years that progressives viewed the economic health of the United States as the greatest single obstacle to world union. Before unity could even be started on this continent it would be necessary to destroy the economy of this country in order to make the people more agreeable to international union and the loss of national sovereignty.

Christians in a Republic

If all of the above is true then what is our responsibility as Christians in these turbulent times? The republic as it was created in the United States did not exist in New Testament times so it will be difficult to make a direct comparison between then and now.

At the time Paul wrote Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

We must be mindful of the nature of government under which Paul lived as he wrote those words. At that time Rome was ruled by Nero and I believe most of us are familiar with his reputation. We cannot say that Paul was living under a fair and benevolent government yet he writes those words in 13:1.

This principle was stated earlier in the Bible in Daniel 4:17 when Nebuchadnezzar discovers who’s really in charge, “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.” The Bible clearly teaches that leaders are placed in office by God regardless of the mechanics of the process; so the leaders of nations are God’s servants fulfilling His will for the nation.

There is one significant difference and that is our presidents are placed in office by the election process; Nero, on the other hand, was not the choice of the people. The opportunity for the people to express their preferences for president as well as the Congress and Senate is coming up again in November of this year and we, as Christians, have the obligation to vote for the candidates that we believe will most closely support Christian principles.

God is Sovereign in the Affairs of Men  

Based on the testimony of Scripture I believe I can safely say that whoever wins the election will be the one chosen by God to lead this country. God’s will is not going to be thwarted by the will of man; God’s chosen candidate will take the oath of office in January, 2013 just as he has taken the oath of office in every previous election.

The outcome of the next election is a spiritual matter, not a political matter regardless of what you may otherwise hear. This nation has turned its back on God and God has started a process of judgment against this nation. Whether we are yet to the point Israel reached when the Lord told Jeremiah in Chapter 15:1, “Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!”

Have we as a nation spurned the Lord to the point He is regarding the United States this way? Is He going to “let us go?” I hope not but it is vital that we recognize God’s hand in all of our affairs and pray for His mercy and grace.

While this is not the Church’s land, our land is in heaven, we are a heavenly people but we are, nevertheless, here as ambassadors at this moment and its wellbeing directly affects our lives. It is important that we pray for God’s mercy and then vote in accordance with Biblical principles.

The next President of the United States will be the man God has chosen to either manifest his judgment or His grace. May God be praised!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | July 27, 2012

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Concluded, by David Bower

 Calculating Dates Before the Birth of Christ

The calendar as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon: before the birth of Christ nations generally dated events according to the ruling year of the current monarch. This is seen in the dating of the Old Testament for example in Daniel 9:1-2 where Darius’ rule is used to determine the timing on Daniels discovery of the 70 years.

As one can safely assume, this greatly complicates efforts of historians to create realistic timelines before the birth of Christ. I use the work of Dr. Harold Hoehner as my primary reference and guide to Old Testament dates and the dates surrounding the birth and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. His book, “Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ” is one of the most dependable studies on the timing of several Biblical events and I recommend it highly.

I mentioned last time the starting and stopping points of the first 483 years of the last 490 years given to Israel were important as we try to relate these events to dates we can understand. Most Biblical chronologists agree on the dates to within two or three years; Dr. Hoehner has taken the position that the decree in question was made by Artaxerxes on March 5, 444 B.C. as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8.

No Year Zero

Another important point is the length of the prophetic year which was 360 days, not 365 days; the prophetic months are 30 days in length. Converting the prophetic year to our calendar year is yet another challenge to the Biblical chronologist. An interesting detail is the absence of a year zero which means that BC 1 and AD 1 are the same year.

From the above one can see how slight variations between Biblical chronologists might develop; as I mentioned earlier I am comfortable with the scholarship of Dr. Hoehner.

The Calculations

Using March 5, 444 B.C. as a starting point where would 483 prophetic years take us? Figuring 483 years of 360 days each would make a total of 173,880 days which would, in turn, convert to 476 calendar years plus 25 days. This would then place the cutting off of the Anointed One on March 30, AD 33 which was Nissan 10 according to the Jewish calendar. Did anything noteworthy happen on that day one might ask? The answer is an emphatic yes; this was the day the Lord Jesus Christ made his formal entry into Jerusalem.

Contrary to what we customarily celebrate, the entry was on a Monday, not a Sunday and it was not triumphal for our Lord; it was a time of great sadness as evidenced by Luke 19:41-42 where it is written, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

The Entry into Jerusalem

The particular Greek word used for wept means a loud wracking sob; our Lord’s body was shaken by His sobs as He entered Jerusalem. He is likely the only one who understood the enormity of what was happening; the Jewish nation was being set aside, their final rejection of their Messiah was going to yield great suffering for centuries to come. Their judgment would be severe and is still in force today.

It is likely, in His omnipotence that Jesus saw the Jerusalem of 70 AD as destroyed by Titus and could also see the bodies of some of those welcoming Him as they lay silent in death. This was a momentous, tragic moment that was being recognized only by the Lord and the thought of what was going to befall Jerusalem and His people reduced Him to wracking sobs. I suspect His disciples were totally confused by His reaction to the sight of Jerusalem and the excited crowds.

There is another extremely touching aspect of our Lord’s entering Jerusalem on Nissan 10. If we examine Exodus 12:3 we read, “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month (Nissan) each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.” This was part of the instructions given to Israel on the occasion of the first Passover in Egypt. The family would select a perfect lamb and place it on display in front of their dwelling so all could see they were offering the Lord their very best.

God’s Passover Lamb Put on display

On March 30, AD33, the 10th of Nissan, the Father put His Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world, on display for all Jerusalem to see that the Father was offering them His very best. 

After the passing of that day Israel had been set aside for an undetermined number of years. Today we are at year 1,979 and still counting as Israel continues to suffer judgments until the return of the Lord they rejected.

The countdown clock on Israel’s last 7 years of their last 490 years will recommence when Israel signs a covenant agreement with the Antichrist; this event and not the rapture of the church will be the trigger that starts their final countdown.

Signs are blossoming all over the world that strongly suggests the countdown clock may be starting up very soon for those last 7 years. We may not have long to wait.

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