I was sleeping soundly, all the excitement of the world around me shut out for several blissful hours of wonderful rest. Suddenly I heard my wife’s calm gentle voice next to me telling me that her water had broke. When your wife is nine months along, such news is not unexpected, but at twenty after three in the morning it can be a surprise. I knew I had to stay calm. A few weeks earlier Crystal had has some false labor pains and I had gotten all nervous. She reminded me that if I stayed calm it would be easier for her to stay calm.
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We had arranged ahead of time for a babysitter to come over for our older son when this special moment came. I placed the call to her, and then to my mother who was also planning to come. It is amazing how gracious people are about being woke up in the middle of the night when a baby is on the way. The joy of a new precious life coming into this world seems to overshadow all the feelings of inconvenience.
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We then made our way to the hospital, counting the minutes between contractions on our way. They were coming about 5-6 minutes apart by this time. The nurses helped Crystal get settled into our room as we excitedly waited for the arrival of our little A.J.
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Crystal was a real trooper. She calmly breathed through each contraction. I could clearly see the pain on her face, yet she had been through this before and knew what to expect. By 8 a.m. she was holding our beautiful baby son.
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It is amazing to witness a birth. I have watched calves, pigs, and even kittens come into this world, but those events pale in comparison to watching the births of my sons. A real live human baby breathing air for the very first time is a sight to behold. Just to imagining that this is the first time that this little person has ever experienced light or air is an astounding thought. No wonder they cry.
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Now that our son was born, we finally got to see him and hold him. Even though I had not seen little A.J. until the birth, we knew he was there. Once we confirmed that my wife was expecting, we knew for certain that a baby was growing inside of her, even though we could not see him. We witnessed the first ultrasound pictures at such an early date that we were not even able to tell if he was a boy or a girl. Even though these pictures were taken before 13 weeks along, we were still able to see the little head, body, hands, and feet. By 17 weeks she began to feel him move. Soon I began to feel him move. Clearly he was a real baby even before he was born. Our precious little Allan Jerry Miller was not just a glob of tissue, he was and is a real baby.
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I must admit that it disturbs me know that even in our little town there are likely some people who think that it would have been okay for us to have killed our little baby a few months ago before he was born. Now if these people do not even call themselves Christians, and make no pretense of a fear of God, such a position would not be all that surprising. What disturbs me most is when people call themselves Christian and yet defend the most ungodly things. Please see my article on should ‘Christians’ be trusted.
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If you are a real Christian, you should care what God’s Word has to say in this matter. Consider Psalms 139:13-15, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” David speaks personally of himself in this passage, because even when he was in the womb, he was a real person.
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God speaks to Jeremiah, telling the prophet that he was personally known and chosen before birth. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5.
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John the Baptist is called a babe, not a bunch of tissue when he was in the womb. “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:” Luke 1:41.
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As I look at my son, I cannot imagine anyone condoning killing him at this point. Only a complete pagan would suggest the killing of my sweet little boy. The question then must be asked, “if he was a baby before he was born, what is the difference between killing him then and killing him now?” If you are a Christian who has condoned the murder of innocent life, repent. If you have supported such barbaric acts because you do not know the Savior, realize that repentance is available to you as well.
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Finally, some who are reading this may be faced with the decision concerning life or death for a baby within you. Please get an ultrasound first and see who you are killing. Further, many women are filled with heartache over past sin. Please realize that even the sin of murder can be forgiven by God. If you come to Christ for salvation, He is able to remove our transgression as far as the east is from the west. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Should 'Christians' Be Trusted?
“Why should I become a Christian? They’re nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.” I have heard that statement more than once as I have shared the gospel. I am not surprised to hear such a response. The surprise comes when they hear my answer. I look them right in the eye and tell them that I agree. They don’t expect to hear that from a preacher- to hear him agree that Christians are a bunch of hypocrites.
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Now if you are upset with me because you are a Christian, let me explain just as I do with the unbelievers. The word ‘Christian’ and even the phrase ‘born again’ are thrown around quite loosely. Anyone can call themselves a Christian, and in many areas of our country it is still quite popular to do so.
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Originally, the term Christian was given to the followers of Christ. These were people who took His teachings seriously- so seriously that they were willing to die for them. Acts 11:26 tells us the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
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Today it is much harder to know what someone means when they say they are ‘Christian.’ In fact, I just looked up the word in the dictionary and one of the definitions was simply “kind and unselfish”. In another era, when a man said he was Christian, it meant he was civilized as opposed to heathen. Both these definitions fall short of being a true follower of Christ, though a real Christian should be kind and unselfish.
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I have heard that 85-95% of the people in the United States claim to be Christians. I do not believe that anywhere near that number really takes following Christ seriously. That means the rest are a bunch of hypocrites.
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To support my assessment, let me site some figures that I found in a recent World Net Daily article entitled “1 in 3 ‘Christians’ says ‘Jesus Sinned’”. The article gleaned information from a Barna poll that suggests that half of “Christians” do not believe that Satan exists. 40% believe we have no responsibility to share our faith. 25% do not believe the Bible is accurate in all principles it teaches. These are basic things that all Christians should believe.
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II Corinthians 5:21 clearly tells us Jesus never sinned. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Job 1:7, tells us Satan is all too real, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” For those who feel no responsibility to tell others about Christ, read Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” For those who do not trust the Bible consider Psalm 33:4, “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.”
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These statistics show us that we cannot trust what someone believes just because they call themselves Christian. In fact, these trends seem to indicate that we cannot even trust what many pastors are teaching. It is sad to realize how few preachers are actually going through the Bible verse by verse, telling their congregation what it teaches. No wonder we have so many ‘Christian’ hypocrites. They have not even learned what it means to be a follower of Christ.
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I pray that this trend would be reversed. It seems that too many pastors are either teaching the same old recycled denominational messages or else they have given into the seeker sensitive entertain the masses at the expense of the Bible mentality. Neither of these methods are true discipleship. Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The command is to TEACH, not to bore or entertain. Obviously many Christians have not been taught.
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How about you? Are you an unbeliever who is put off by a bunch of hypocrites? Realize that true Christianity is not hypocritical. Christ is not a hypocrite, in fact, He condemned them (Read Matthew 23:23-31). How about you? Are you one of the hypocrites? Repent, get into the Word of God and become a true follower of Christ. (Read Matthew 7:20-23). How about you? Are you a true follower of Christ? Read Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
-
Now if you are upset with me because you are a Christian, let me explain just as I do with the unbelievers. The word ‘Christian’ and even the phrase ‘born again’ are thrown around quite loosely. Anyone can call themselves a Christian, and in many areas of our country it is still quite popular to do so.
-
Originally, the term Christian was given to the followers of Christ. These were people who took His teachings seriously- so seriously that they were willing to die for them. Acts 11:26 tells us the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
-
Today it is much harder to know what someone means when they say they are ‘Christian.’ In fact, I just looked up the word in the dictionary and one of the definitions was simply “kind and unselfish”. In another era, when a man said he was Christian, it meant he was civilized as opposed to heathen. Both these definitions fall short of being a true follower of Christ, though a real Christian should be kind and unselfish.
-
I have heard that 85-95% of the people in the United States claim to be Christians. I do not believe that anywhere near that number really takes following Christ seriously. That means the rest are a bunch of hypocrites.
-
To support my assessment, let me site some figures that I found in a recent World Net Daily article entitled “1 in 3 ‘Christians’ says ‘Jesus Sinned’”. The article gleaned information from a Barna poll that suggests that half of “Christians” do not believe that Satan exists. 40% believe we have no responsibility to share our faith. 25% do not believe the Bible is accurate in all principles it teaches. These are basic things that all Christians should believe.
-
II Corinthians 5:21 clearly tells us Jesus never sinned. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Job 1:7, tells us Satan is all too real, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” For those who feel no responsibility to tell others about Christ, read Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” For those who do not trust the Bible consider Psalm 33:4, “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.”
-
These statistics show us that we cannot trust what someone believes just because they call themselves Christian. In fact, these trends seem to indicate that we cannot even trust what many pastors are teaching. It is sad to realize how few preachers are actually going through the Bible verse by verse, telling their congregation what it teaches. No wonder we have so many ‘Christian’ hypocrites. They have not even learned what it means to be a follower of Christ.
-
I pray that this trend would be reversed. It seems that too many pastors are either teaching the same old recycled denominational messages or else they have given into the seeker sensitive entertain the masses at the expense of the Bible mentality. Neither of these methods are true discipleship. Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The command is to TEACH, not to bore or entertain. Obviously many Christians have not been taught.
-
How about you? Are you an unbeliever who is put off by a bunch of hypocrites? Realize that true Christianity is not hypocritical. Christ is not a hypocrite, in fact, He condemned them (Read Matthew 23:23-31). How about you? Are you one of the hypocrites? Repent, get into the Word of God and become a true follower of Christ. (Read Matthew 7:20-23). How about you? Are you a true follower of Christ? Read Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
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