Archive for December 20th, 2007

Morning Thought

Published
by
Chris
on December 20, 2007
in Devotional
. 0 Comments

Recently I watched the movie Amazing Grace. The title of the movie is of course in reference to the great hymn that John Newton wrote. In the movie the character who played John Newton makes the following statement:

“Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I’m a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.”

It has been weeks since I watched the movie, but the thought just keeps coming back to me. He is indeed a great Savior. I just don’t think we realize how great of a Savior He is some time. Even as a born again child of God, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and ordained by God to live holy and do good, we are failures. We have already been washed of our sin, and yet we still sin. Why does He give us a second chance? Because He is a great Savior. He saved us so great, we can’t help but be saved. He saved us eternally. Eternally is forever. Forever never ends. He saved us of all future sin, as well as the sin we had already committed. He didn’t say that He will eventually save us forever, He said He would save us forever.

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.

Hallelujah to God. I know that some people argue this. They think that they have to keep living right to be saved, but Paul said something about Him remaining faithful, even when we aren’t. It isn’t my faith that keeps me saved, it is His. That is why He is a great Savior. Why save you, to throw you back? What kind of Savior would He be? No, this Savior was God enough to save me, and keep me that way. And the writer of Hebrews said, “how shall we escape if we neglect, so great a salvation.” Salvation so great that we must serve him. We must honor him. We don’t serve Him to stay saved, we serve Him because we are saved. Good gracious.

God is good. He is indeed, a “Great Savior”. All day long, He is a “Great Savior” and I as a “great sinner” should live for that “Great Savior.” I love Jesus. That is one thing, I hope I never forget, but even if I could, He will never forget me.

Fantasy Football

Published
by
Chris
on December 20, 2007
in Sports
. 0 Comments

I love Fantasy Football. It has been my only “hobby” for the past few years. There are tons of things I love to do, but I just haven’t had time. But every year I play Fantasy Football.

For those of you that don’ t know what Fantasy Football is, well, it is just fun.  If you like football at least. The concept is to draft a team of players from the pool of actual NFL players. Then when the season starts, you compete against the other teams in your league. The points that the players on your team score are determined by the amount of points that they score in real life. For instance, if I have Peyton Manning on my team, and he throws 4 touchdowns in week 1 against the Titans, then I get 24 points for the 4 touchdowns he threw. Exciting huh?

Well, not to everybody. You have to love football.

Anyway, I am in a keeper league which I started 4 years ago.  In a keeper league you are allowed to sign contracts, and keep a certain amount of players just like a real team.  Well, in my keeper league I have now made the playoffs for the 4th straight year.  I have already won the Super Bowl once, and was runner up a second time.  So this year, I am attempting to win my second Super Bowl Championship in 3 years. I am attempting to build a Dynasty.  You gotta love it.

So, to all you losers in my league, be good and I might let you touch the trophy.

Hah! I love it.

Mike Huckabee

Published
by
Chris
on December 20, 2007
in Politics
. 0 Comments

Politics. I do not consider myself a Republican. I am definitely not a Democrat. I do not hold to all the views of any particular party. I am a conservative. I am a conservative both fiscally and socially, but when I vote, I vote for morality. I have never voted for a Democrat, and it will be a long time before I do, if ever I do.

So, as I ponder on what Republican Candidate I will vote for in the primaries, I feel drawn toward Huckabee. Why? I guess it is because he is a Republican, and a Baptist (former pastor), and a Southerner, and because he has Chuck Norris backing him. I do not know if I agree with all his issues on immigration yet, but I like his character. I believe he will take the right stand on moral issues. I sense that he is a sincere man, and I really like the fact that Chuck is backing him. It’s Huck and Chuck together. That’s just cool.

So far in the debates Huck has been the best. Giuliani is a joke who dresses up in drag, and I just don’t trust Romney. Fred is Dead. Fred Thompson that is. I like old Fred, but I don’t see him going anywhere. Ron Paul is just weird. I like his ideas of “no government” but he is a fool if he believes yanking the troops out of the Middle East is smart. Let the men do the job. I like McCain as well, but he doesn’t have a chance.

What I am hoping for, is a Huckabee/McCain presidential ticket to challenge the Demoncrats. Yes, I do think they may just be possessed. How else do you get that stupid?

So, Huckabee is the man. As this thing runs it’s course, I believe he will come out on top. I believe that the Republicans may have a chance with this man. God help us if they lose!

King James Issue

Published
by
Chris
on December 20, 2007
in KJV Issues
. 3 Comments

I just had to post this first. For those of you that are familiar with the controversy that was posted on Rachel’s blog you understand that I have strong feelings on this issue. This is an issue that has literally changed our lives. It is amazing.

You see, Rachel and I were Independent Fundamental Baptist. There are many different varieties of Independent Fundamental Baptist, but we were a specific type. We were of the type which has strong extra-biblical standards, and this bizarre, outrageous, and unsupported belief that God’s Word was only to be found in the King James Version of the Bible. Of course, we would always add “in the English language” to that. So even though there is no Bible in any language which reads identical to the KJV, and the KJV was the “perfect Word of God” it is possible that other languages also have the “perfect Word of God.” I always wondered why there could be more than one “perfect Word of God,” but only one in English. Anyway, that’s the type of Independent Fundamental Baptists we were.

So how did this issue change our lives. Well, I was a hardcore IFB’r. I believed everything I was told, and ran out and repeated it to everyone. I used to lead chapel services when I was a Reservist. Some of the soldiers would pass out the Army green Bibles in the New International Version. When I saw what they were doing, I took them up. I rebuked them for passing out that “perversion.” Then I would get out the old Gideon Bibles in the King James Version, and I would educate them on why it is the Word of God for all English speaking people.

As I continued in my KJV Onlyism I would seek preaching and teaching to show me how I could better defend God’s “true word.” But as I read and listened to these men preach and teach I began to ask questions. Questions like, where was God’s word before 1611? Were the earlier English Bibles God’s Word? If they were, why did God have to change it? Why did he need a new one? Is it true that the KJV was only a revision of an earlier version? So why is it wrong for men to revise it today?

The answers I got did not make any sense. These men have believed a lie and they expect everyone else to as well. Well, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I began to study the issue. For about three years I guess, I read books, articles, and listened to preachers on the issue. I listened and studied both sides of the issue. The evidence didn’t support what I had been taught. So, I was finally ready to come out. The first thing I did was read the Bible myself in other versions. Why? Because I had to see if they truly changed doctrines and promoted liberal theology. They didn’t. (Although there are some bad versions out there). What they did was cause me to notice things which I had never noticed before. I took notice and studied things which I use to just read right over. There was no denying the Trinity, or the Blood of Christ, or Hell, or Heaven, or any of the other doctrines of God’s Word.

I then recommended to Rachel that she use the ESV. She did and she was also blessed by a fresh reading of an Old Book. Of course Rachel being a blogger, wanted to know if she should post verses from the ESV since that is what she has been using. I thought about it, realizing that everyone who reads her blog would soon find out we are no longer “one of them,” and sinceI didn’t want to be dishonest I told her to go ahead and post the ESV verses. She posted them and in no time her old friends began to question her. Some left comments to let her know that the version she used was “wrong.” Before long we had “ANONOMOUS” (yes that is how they spelled it). An anonymous comment telling Rachel how she had changed. So I being me, publicly replied to “ANONOMOUS” and told the world how we believed and why. That was the beginning of the end for us.

It wasn’t long after that that our pastor found out what was going on. He wasn’t happy. I had taught against the teaching of our church. I had taught that the KJV may not be the only Bible that a person could use. I had taught that other versions were also the Word of God. I had even taught that the KJV was not the best translation in some places. My future as a preacher in that camp of the IFB movement was over. And of course, our future in that church. Why? Because I taught “heresy.” At least that’s their view.

I hated to leave, but I am also extremely joyful to know that I am in God’s will. Fortunately there are churches that still believe all of the Fundamentals of the faith (I will post about them sometime) and do not see the need to hold an unsupportable position on a translation. And since my future ministry is the chaplaincy, the fact that I will never preach again in that camp doesn’t bother me.

So, as I get time, and feel led by the Holy Spirit, I plan to write everything I can about this issue and everything I learned to bring me to my current position. The position I feel is right.