Passion as Persuasion

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

What we are thinking about reveals the truth of what and who we believe. If we argue to justify ourselves and our ideology rather than to exalt God’s sovereign omnipotence, shame on us and our passions. Passion can lead to segregation, hatred, and murder when the object of passion is anyone or anything other than God (1 John 3:15). “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Is our treasure earning interest today, dependent upon the political and economic systems of this world? Are we more passionate about our rights than we are about God’s Word and the prayer Jesus prayed for unity in John 17:21-26? Are we more passionate about our possessions and prosperity than we are about who and what Jesus represents to mankind (Hebrews 1:3)? Help us to make You the center of our lives, Almighty God. Help us to make You our passion in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Passion persuades.” ~ Anita Roddick (1942-2007) English entrepreneur and activist founder of The Body Shop

© 2013 Brian L Hunter

Hip Hop Gospel

“And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” (2 Samuel 6:14)

Wearing a priestly garment, the king forgot about who and what he was in the flesh in order to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Hallelujah! God could care less about pomp and circumstance. Therefore, traditional religiosity does not move or impress the Ancient of Days. In fact, when we are prideful, we are, in fact, attempting to steal His glory which He will not share (Isaiah 42:8). Give it up, ye who are frozen in self-righteousness, hoping to be seen, and desperate for a pat on the back. Repent! Worship the Lord your God (Exodus 23:25). “I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.” (Psalms 71:22)

“I said a hip hop,
Hippie to the hippie,
The hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.” (Sugarhill Gang, 1979)

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires.” (Psalm 37:4) Hallelujah! 

© 2013 Brian L Hunter
http://www.anointedwritenow.com/

Silence My Mind

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (Proverbs 18:2 ESV)

Lord, help me to be constrained by Your perfect love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) so that I may bridle my tongue (James 1:26) on this worship holiday. Let me close my ears to the things of this world just now and magnify You far above all principalities and political powers (Ephesians 6:12).

England Dan and John Ford Coley said in their 1976 hit “I'd Really Love to See You Tonight,”

“I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing,
The stars are out, and I'd really love to see you tonight.”

Oh, that I could see You tonight and every night, Almighty God! Thou hast created the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and there is nothing too hard for Thee (Jeremiah 32:17). I desire that You renew and forever transform my life through Your Word instead of allowing me to be conformed to the thinking of this world, oh God. You have created all things, the sun, moon, stars, and the wind. I would really like to see Your face right now. The only topic on the daily news which exalts Your glory instead of man’s shame is the weather. Help me to keep my mind stayed therefore upon You today in consecration. If never again I open my eyes to the things of this world, Lord, help me be able to say that on this day I did not fail to speak as though the good news of Your sovereign omnipotence actually outweighed all the bad news in world events. Thank You for eclipsing every lesser light and concern with the immeasurable weight of Your glory both now and forever. Hallelujah! Draw me nearer and help me to remain silent, Almighty God. Help me to shut up and dissolve into You, Blessed Redeemer.

If Nineveh is in ruins and someone must mourn for her, need it be me, Lord? Need it be now? I am a man of unclean lips, I stutter, and many are angered by my every word. Some would have You, Heavenly Father, choose sides and alienate a portion of those for whom You gave Your only begotten Son’s life. Help me to remain silent about the crimes committed against You while the conversation rages on, focused on the infinitely lesser crimes of man against man as though You were not sovereign. Help me to brace myself for the hatred and isolation that accompanies exalting Your name above all else in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 © 2013 Brian L Hunter
http://www.anointedwritenow.com/

"Fire In The Soul/Daily Dose" # 2 Nov 14 2012 (2 Timothy 2:1,2,15) by Rev. Brian L Hunter

"Fire In The Soul/Daily Dose" # 2 Nov 14 2012 (2 Timothy 2:1,2,15) by Rev. Brian L Hunter

© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

God Touched This Sinner

 Since words cannot adequately convey the reality of what took place, I will try again here: It was an incredibly overcast fall day in 1993 at Ramapo College and, when the warm light of the sun suddenly broke through the clouds and shone on my face, I wept uncontrollably. I was in the middle of a set with the reggae band, No Discipline, playing drums as usual as I did for a living most of my life up to that point. What was this new tension and why was I weeping?

Something in my heart was breaking. Up to that moment I had felt so wicked and so much was obviously wrong in my life. Yet God reached down through it all and touched me deeply that day, perhaps just to let me know that there was a reality bigger and more awesomely powerful than I had hitherto ever imagined. Hallelujah! The Son shone through the clouds and caressed me with His omnipotent love that afternoon. Hallelujah! The Son caused His countenance to graciously shine upon me (Numbers 6:22-27). Hallelujah! God was so concerned about this dread-lock wearing, screwed up, self-absorbed drummer boy that He reached down from heaven in that moment, as though He had nothing more important to do, and caressed me on my wretched cheek with His awesome omnipotent love. Oh, my goodness! Hallelujah! I was overwhelmed…

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

"Love Is Like A River" Brian L Hunter Drumming & Rapping? w No Discipline

"Love Is Like A River" Brian L Hunter Drumming & Rapping? w No Discipline

© 1989 Brian L Hunter (ASCAP) and No Discipline  aka Al Bazaz (BMI)

Reggae

"Fire In The Soul" Episode One by Rev Brian L Hunter Philippians 4:7-8 Brief

"Fire In The Soul" Episode One by Rev Brian L Hunter Philippians 4:7-8 Brief

© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Weepy

“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)

Speaking of men who cannot seem to hold their eye water, I have discovered an eighth dwarf. Snow White never met this one. His name is weepy. He seems to be addicted to worship and the presence of the Lord. If Jesus is indeed his example, I am tempted to envy such a soaking of the proverbial handkerchief myself. What burden moves him to tears? It certainly is worth a bi

t more contemplation on my part. I may eventually be led to conclude that big boys do indeed cry. I have often wondered what else the world may have lied to me about? Maybe I shouldn’t believe everything I see on television or read in the newspaper after all. Thank God He has given me so much relevant reading and thinking to do. I thank Him even more for sending His Holy Spirit that I may be moved to tears by the truth of which and of whom He does testify. Selah.

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Abuse

“"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife." 17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God who is supp

osed to be just?" (Malachi 2:16-17 Good News Translation)

Too many of us have been abused thoroughly and severely over incredibly long periods of time by the very people who claimed to love us the most. We know bondage and we are well acquainted with sorrow. However, please let us resist the temptation to become subtle abusers of others in our defensive attempts to avoid repeating the victimization of our past. Oh yes, it is quite possible to abuse without lifting a hand or saying a word. In fact there is a spiritually clandestine type of abuse which requires the complete silence of the abuser. Lord, please heal us from the pain which threatens to make us a cancer in God’s Body, the Body of Christ our Savior. In Jesus’ mighty and holy name I pray believing wholly that it is done unto us, your beloved, according to the Word of your power (Hebrews 1:3). Amen and amen.

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Food for Thought (Not for the sensitive...)

Please allow me to ponder out loud. Mormonism doctrine has historically promoted hatred for the decedents of Ham (Genesis 9:18). What of the English word ‘black’ and its etymology? Part of the Merriam Webster definition: “indicative of condemnation or discredit ” Has this contributed to the systemic brainwashing of Americans generation after generation? So many powerless evangelicals in 2012 who proclaim to be disciples of Christ seem to be completely unaware of their inbred racism and the offensiveness of their seemingly inherent if not merely institutionalized and learned hatred for the first American President of obvious African descent. I think a little sensitivity training may be  in order for the church at large. Corporations have realized the benefits of diversity training for employees. Why is the church so far behind? For further cogitation see: 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=black 

 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F17FB385E15738DDDAE0894DF405B8984F0D3 

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Imagination

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:6 ) I know it seemed as though that friend’s attitude was directed towards you. However, you do well not to accept the offense personally. Yes, they may have had an awful attitude when they answered your call, responded to your question, or reacted to your statement. No, you are not obligated to let your imagination run wild with the idea that the other person’s attitude is all about you, Marsha. Perhaps your phone call, question, or comment, after a long series of disappointments and mishaps within a short span of time, just happened to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. That makes you today’s grand prize winner in the attitude sweepstakes or lottery. Viola! Congratulations! God obviously knew you could handle it with flying colors, make lemonade out of this sour fruit, offer a Word of encouragement, and allow love, rather than your emotions, rule in the situation and thereby be a peacemaker. This is how you keep friends, share the love which is God, and avoid the bait of Satan that seeks to trap you in the snare of the fowler and keep you bound, upset, unsettled, and bitter. Remember that God is your peace. If you form the habit of taking a deep breath and thinking of the goodness of the Lord in those times of offense, betrayal, and ugliness in your face, you will be better able to bless the Lord at all times and let His praise continually be in your mouth (Psalm 34:1). Hallelujah! “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1) Oh, we who live and move and have our being in Christ are too blessed to concentrate on any such evil mess or misunderstanding. Praise God Almighty! Hallelujah! The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Rise up in righteousness and give negativity and strife a mortal beat down today in Jesus’ mighty name. As they say in Jamaica; seen? Irie, mon. I and I will bless the Lord! Hallelujah! Bless His most high holy name and smile as though you have heard the good news of His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, and promise to come again for His bride! Hallelujah! I should just shut up and play my drums, however…


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Danger, The Will

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB) You can listen to Oprah, Dr. Phil, and the NY Times best-selling authors and take medication to cope with the delusions of this world, or, you can belly up to the truth. Anyone who has read the Book of Romans recently knows what we can expect from mankind, even our closest family, confidants, and friends. The depravity of man is a given, not a surprise. Did the twelve disciples follow through with their resolution not to leave Jesus’ side once the Roman soldiers came and took Him by force to be crucified? Did Peter not deny that he even knew Jesus once the persecution foretold became a reality (Matthew 26:34, Mark 14:72, Luke 22:61)? I have no misconceptions about my own friends denying me thrice when the weight of tolerating me has become too much for mortal men. But, hey; hallelujah! There is one… Ha ha! Oh, there are three in heaven who agree as one (1 John 5:7) – His name is El Olam (Genesis 21:33), The Everlasting God, Faithful, True, and Eternal Lord - Jehovah. He alone is the friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). There are friends who, because they filter reality through carnal, flesh-colored spectacles as all men are subject to, cannot purely receive and see what I am saying here. My every word will be filtered and imperfectly interpreted to mean something other than what I am communicating. Some will even rebuke me (in the flesh), accusing me of committing evil on Facebook with posts such as these, when, in reality, I write with malice toward none but the enemies of truth. This creates space between us men which cannot be filled again except by the Holy Spirit if and when we are occasionally of one accord in that Spirit which is the Lord. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) How much more could we accomplish together for the Kingdom if we could walk consistently together in the Spirit without making every word and every situation about us? That would be a God-centered worldview rather than one that is self-centered. That would be a healthy, living, breathing, revived, and unified church worthy to be called the Body of Christ in the last days. If I am guilty of anything in posts such as these, I am guilty of thinking out loud and making myself, the good, the bad, and the ugly, completely transparent. The only communication that can ever be perfect is that between God and man. As little children, we are weak but God is strong. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26, 27 NASB) My thoughts, being imperfect and infinitely lower than God’s, are often random, incomplete, or seemingly meaningless. However, I consider that I am not necessarily called to minister to my circle of friends, my nation, or even my generation. God can use a gift revealed today to benefit none other than a solitary youth in Vietnam three centuries in the future. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) Postmodern thinkers and intellectuals, puffed up with pride and impressed with their own self-sufficiency, are so great and mighty in their own minds that they find it impossible to admit that God exists. Well, if I stand before any traffic court judge in America, having overlooked or ignored a stop sign and rolled on through the intersection, I will learn that my ignorance of the law will in no wise nullify a guilty verdict and the subsequent consequences. God is not some equation you can figure out, Poindexter. “O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways!” (Romans 11:33) You may refuse to believe it until you are forced by the circumstances of a situation to believe it – for, in such an hour, if you believe not, there shall exist no longer in your carnal mind, your only mind, any hope at all for you. Many men suddenly discovered faith in Jesus and eternal life while pinned down in a foxhole under enemy fire on the battlefield or while plummeting speedily from the sky in a jetliner with a failed engine. You can tell me anything, Mr. Atheist. However, life has a way of bringing us to a point in time when we must put our money where our mouths are. I will lay down my life for this gospel which has saved me from self, the bondage of sin, and eternal separation from all that is good and perfect. Expecting the atheist to understand or accept rationally the peace which comes with placing all of my hope in God’s eternal promises in Jesus Christ would be like expecting my dog to understand why we dress and season a turkey before roasting it. I have said all of this merely to make this point: I do not have a great mind. However, what little mind I have is on Christ, on letting His mind be in me, in living and moving and having my being in Him, and, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, I endeavor as much as possible at my feeble age nearing senility, to think on these things (Philippians 4:8).


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Free Indeed

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) Of course the little girl wants to dress up like her mommy and as a teenager she will desire to do the same thing. She has no idea that grown men will lust after her and pay undue attention to her frame. She has no idea that, while old and young men alike will befriend her and seem to genuinely adore her personhood, they only do so with the ulterior motive of deflowering and robbing her of the purity and innocence of God’s glory that He placed deep within her as a precious flower intended to bloom in its season. It is God who is therefore violated. Woe be unto men who lust with evil eyes and scrape together the wrath of God whom they have not yet learned to fear, though Hurricanes and Tsunamis alike bear His signature alone. Hallelujah! “God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.” (Psalm 7:11) Those who are evil are deluding themselves if they think for one second that they shall escape judgment in the end. A red hot needle through both eyes at this moment would be preferable to the wrath of God they heap up for themselves which shall most definitely be executed in His time. Consider the power of just one tornado or lightning bolt as you reflect on the fact that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Think about it, Poindexter; “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” ― Albert Einstein Thank you for calling me friend, oh God. Thank you for reminding me that Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31:1). Hallelujah! We thank you that by your grace alone through the sanctifying power of your Holy Spirit, Word (Ephesians 5:26-27), and eternal fatherhood, we take great pains to humbly extend our hand rather than to lustfully grab for the sisters, mothers, and daughters of your holy assembly as we greet one another with or without witnesses. We thank you, Heavenly Father, that through your Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, you have bestowed upon us integrity quite foreign to our carnal nature. We are, in Christ, new men, new husbands, and new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Hallelujah! Because, by your grace through faith alone we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin and our carnal nature. Hallelujah! Lord, let the weak say that we are strong today because of what you have done for us through your perfect sacrifice upon the Cross. Oh Lord, protect us from ourselves, from our selfish carnal natures, and lead us by your Spirit each day so that we ascend up out of the miry clay with our feet set upon a rock (Psalm 40:2). Establish our goings, Lord God Almighty. Anoint our heads with oil so that we can look with your eyes upon the Rock from whence we were hewn (Isaiah 51:1). Hallelujah! Help us, Lord, even when we fall, fail, and mess up royally, to rise up by the power of your grace to pursue righteousness and seek you even unto our last breath. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting your precious daughters to us. May we remain conscious of the responsibility of care for which you shall hold each of us accountable. Help us to spend sufficient time in your Word and presence in order to be changed from dead, wormy, carnal, stagnant harbors of evil concupiscence to the joyous righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Because of who you are, since only you can do what you can do, we magnify your holy name and give you glory, honor, and praise. Thank you for being on my mind and resting on my heart today. I could have been concentrating on a million other things during the time it has taken to think about your goodness, mercy, and grace today. Thank you for giving me the desires of my heart. Help me to be ready to lay it all down at the Cross. I am determined to go all the way. The joy has been set before me. Thank you, Lord. You and you alone are The most High God who was and is and is to come. Hallelujah! There is none like you. Thank you, oh God of Jacob, King of Glory, and Everlasting God. You are worthy of all praise. Come quickly, Lord. Maranatha!


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Prayer Requests

If you don’t want to pray, that is between you and your God. “But, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Successful servanthood requires obedience. Paul was a bondservant of his Lord Jesus Christ and Paul asked for prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, and 1 Thessalonians 5:25, to mention just a few instances. James 5:14 instructs believers to request prayer and James 5:16 tells us that it is proper for us to pray for one another. One major problem we have in Christ’s church today is a malformed conformity to the world’s duty of independence. Too many Evangelicals think they can, or must, make it as a lone wolf.

The enemy of our souls delights to convince us that we are individual “super-Christians” whose faith is strong enough that we dare not need anyone else. In fact, the climate is now such that we look and talk down to anyone showing any signs of struggling in his or her walk with God, even if they don’t ask for prayer. Such a church does not resemble the Body of Christ which was purchased with His blood and called to watch and pray until He returns. In the seventeenth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus prayed that we, His church, be one.

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

Ephesians 4:16 says, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Speaking of Christ, our redeemer, Ephesians 2:21 goes on to say, “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

In conclusion, Christ’s church is not contained within any number of walls. Many argue against ecumenism because denominationalism has somehow taken precedence over Scripture. If we are not one body, we are not one church in one Spirit. Therefore we are neither in The Word nor are we His. I will pray for you all and continue to ask for your prayers to include me. Am I also called to pray in my secret closet? Absolutely! I must meet my Father in the secret place and travail in prayer. However, Matthew 18:19 informs me that there is another dimension added so “that if two of you (us) shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they (we) shall ask, it shall be done for them (us) of my (our) Father which is in heaven.” If we heed God’s Word in its entirety, we shall be prosperous and have good success. (Joshua 1:8) Here is to our success.



© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Hated

Why Jesus was and is hated (John 15:18) is simple; as Gabriel pointed out, " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) I agree the best defense as to why the Bible is true to you is because of one person; Jesus Christ. Is the gospel more difficult to believe or somehow less credible than evolution as taught to us in our schools? Bridgette, I applaud your citing of John 14:6 because a 100% error free knowledge of who Jesus Christ is predicates wisdom and salvation. Drug addicts and alcoholics have to hit rock bottom in order to know Jesus as a deliverer. Some will first come to know Him as a healer. Humanists must "meet" the Savior on their own Damascus road and our apologetics must be that signpost for the way to the Lord. Remember that before the term Christian was coined, discipleship was mereley called "the way" and believers were called people of the way. I think it is a more fitting nomenclature because acceptance of John 14:6 defines who and what we are as disciples of Christ, that is of course, "if we have love one to another." (John 13:35) Love is the box often left unchecked on our Christian identity cards and so many fail to fully qualify...

Personal Testimony of The One

It is easy to reject what is unknown. If grace is irresistible, then surely sharing the intimacy of our knowledge of Jesus, The Bread of Life, The Living Water, The Word of God, etc. might resonate with the emptiness inside the hearts of those deceived by the lies of secular humanism and spiritualism. They will want to focus on the failures and ills of religion, even citing religion as a major cause of war. We, however, must focus the discussion on questions that expose the issue of personal sin and present the perfection of The Savior whose resurrection points to our only hope of eternal salvation and peace. Our personal testimony is crucial - of how we have come to personally know that Jesus is really with us, that He is a person who loves and cares for us, and, that although He is divine, He is not merely some impersonal higher power mystically floating in an arbitrarily hostile universe.

Godlessness

I have read concerning the dilemma of atheism that “The atheist can’t find God for the same reason a thief can’t find a policeman.” Atheists and humanists tend to cite human suffering as the wellspring of their lunacy. “If there is a God (See Psalm 14:1), how could he allow earthquakes, murder, poverty, tsunamis and cancer?” The humanist generally refuses to discuss anything he or she considers to be without merit and Scripture is at the top of that list. The bedrock of humanist reasoning is diversion and the art of inquiry. Genesis 3:1 and Matthew 4:3 give witness some of Satan’s favorite questions. In sales we learn that the person asking the questions is in control of the meeting. In witnessing to atheists and humanists it is imperative that we engage them in the questions all religions seek to answer. Opening with Bible thumping will fall on deaf ears.

Witnessing to Those with a Secular Humanist Worldview

Secular humanists, a subset of modern day spiritualists, are skeptics and largely atheists or agnostics who have supplanted the creator with the creature and thus worship an idyllic representation of themselves as scientific evidence and the pinnacle of an unsubstantiated evolutionary hypothesis. It would seem that secular humanists are on a mission to prove that man has no need of anything supernatural, mainly God. A skeptic begins with the assumption that all systems of faith are wrong. (Caner 2009, p. 43) This assumption, along with the humanist’s many other assumptions and presuppositions, must be questioned and dissected according to reason.

Debating humanists on an intellectual or argumentative basis is largely unproductive. An appeal to the need for an ultimate authority might be established after a heartfelt dissatisfaction with the status quo of unanswered questions is acknowledged and then one can present historical evidence for the superiority of the Bible as the God given source of such authority. The unanswered questions of science are a good place to begin (Caner 2009, p.43) as is a discourse on worldview questions such as

1. Where did we come from? (Origin)
2. Why are we here? (Meaning)
3. What is good and what is evil? (Morality)
4. Where is civilization headed? (Destiny)

Such testimony by believers can only help spiritualists refine their worldview and learn that there is more to life and death than what meets the eye. There is mythological, philosophical, empirical, and historical evidence in favour of biblical truth and authority, and God desires an intimate fellowship with us because He created and loves us. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It’s just that simple. I don’t ever want to be accused of being more in love with my interpretation of theology than I am with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The solution to the root of every problem in any life is a person named Jesus. The historical record of the life of the apostle Paul is a most useful, scripturally anchored introduction to the gospel. Why do men reject God and His Son, Jesus? It’s alright if Jesus is anything other than God. It’s alright with humanists if Jesus is just another prophet or just another great historical figure. In fact Jesus is just more fodder for their mountain of relativism which is akin to a pantheism where mere ideas are gods.

I think most people are longing for something that will resonate the general revelation of God’s existence within them and the God shaped hole inside that they try to ignore. They try to fill this abyss with alcohol, drugs, sex, philosophy, materialism, etc. All they know for sure is that they have not yet experienced that ultimate peace that we have learned is only made possible through what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.

The core ideology of Secular Humanism is anti-faith and therefore anti-Christian. It exalts reason as supreme as a way of knowing. The question is what is to be known? What does man need to know in order to “conquer” life. Secular Humanism developed in part as a direct antithesis to Christianity. The primary supposition must be that the universe is inherently hostile to mankind and survival is therefore man’s main pursuit in life. Man is viewed as victorious and superior in an adversarial relationship with nature. Admitting then that man needs anything outside of himself, such as a higher power, God, traditional dogma, etc. would undermine the basic presuppositions of the humanist manifesto and worldview. I doubt that anyone holding to this worldview would welcome prayer or an overt discussion of Scripture because any aspect of anything “religious” offends their sensibilities. One must approach reason from the perspective of either contextual apologetics or negative apologetics as did the apostle Paul in his Mars Hill Address in Acts 17.

Oprah, Dr. Phil, eastern mysticism, New Age fads, and ethical relativism fail miserably to apprehend the centeredness and peace of mind that is so lacking in this world of the twenty-first century schizoid man (King Crimson) where lives are so expendable as acceptable casualties of war and the love of money and prosperity gospels rule. This is perhaps the most world view most aggressively forced upon us in the mass media, schools, and ultra liberal churches teaching far to the left of Scripture in America today. This is the height of vanity and exalts vain imaginations above reason, believing that all that exists is what can be seen with the naked eye, while dismissing the validity of the supernatural. Everything is relative to the secular humanist, which is one reason why it leads to gross immorality and incredible insensitivity to the pain and suffering of others. 1 Corinthians 1:18-29 is also a good place to begin when discussing the gospel with humanists.

© 2010 Brian L Hunter

Sisyphus

Today is just tomorrow's yesterday reaching for a possession yet to come. In Christ we live and move and have our being now, while existing beyond the realm of time or mere historicity. My soul is steadfastly anchored and, despite the gray hair and the feeble knees, I press even more zealously toward the mark for the prize today as when I first held fast to this rock. As often as I am filled with God’s Spirit, is as often as I need another filling. As often as I reach the pinnacle of experience concerning the bliss of His merciful grace, I am just as constantly brought face to face with my need for more of Him. Whereas Sisyphus pushed the rock upwards in futility, I advance, being completely in the rock that pushes me, towards an inheritance gained by many stripes and the precious blood of the Lamb of God as He endured the Cross for my sake. So pressed upon am I by the tremendous weight of the glory my eyes have yet to see, that I can hardly contain the anticipation here and now. I can only respond with progressively more worship, obedience, submission, and adulation. Lord, please let it be done unto me according to the Word you have breathed forth from the beginning.

Spilled Milk

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:19)

What the apostle John experienced was that some people profess commitment and pledge allegiance at some point and then change their minds, abandoning all consent and choosing enmity over fidelity. How many church and denominational splits are examples of this tendancy?

There is no use crying over spilled milk. Yes, we are disappointed when relationships are lost. However satisfying they may be, not every fellowship is ordained to continue throughout our lives. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) There are perhaps places and fellowships which were profitable for a season and to which you should not return again. If there is no forthcoming fruit, i.e. love, where then is the purpose? Could it be that what we sometimes label as drama might often be progress, deliverance, and growth in development to move us out of harms way? Why should we cry over having been forgotten or cast away? When we have been discarded, dissipated, dropped, dumped, eighty-sixed, eliminated, forsaken, given up, godforsaken, jilted, left in the cold, left in the lurch, neglected, passed up, pigeon-holed, or rejected, just remember that God is perfect in all His ways and He is 100% sovereign. God says, “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12, 13) Seeming misfortune only becomes oppression in reality when the calamity outweighs the Word of God’s power in the forefront of our awareness. And so, in regards to spilled milk, as Dionne Warwick said, just walk on by.