Hey guys -
What's you're favorite plague? I've gotta say, something about killer golf-ball sized hail just makes me shake my head in wonder. It must have been a warzone in Egypt.
How about you?
e martë, 31 korrik 2007
e hënë, 30 korrik 2007
The Art of Blogging (Without getting a Flogging)
Hey, guys. Theekevy and I have been talking about the proper use of this blog a lot. We have occasionally popped into you guys' posts and complained that they are not "on topic;" to make matters worse, we never really defined exactly what to post on the blog. Obviously, posts about God, weekly readings and such are perfectly appropriate, but we run into gray areas pretty quickly.
Firsty, theekevy and I talked about the possibility of making another blog for more general discussion. After all, we had originally intended this blog to be strictly a Bible discussion page. But for many reasons, we came to the conclusion this is not the best idea; another blog could get confusing and messy.
So we decided the best thing was to open this blog up to more freedom. We've created a new set of blog guidelines for proper blogging. We hope you enjoy the possibilities, and that all of you involve yourselves fully into the subjects God draws you to without fear of retribution. Enjoy:
Appropriate blog topics:
- Group information
- Kevin mostly posts these things, though if someone has a get together in mind, post at your free will)
- Any topic regarding the reading
- Any topic regarding the Lord
- Any topic regarding Christian living
- Christian topics, as opposed to personal issues
- Any topic regarding temptations and spiritual battles
- Again, drawing from experience for discussion rather than merely sharing experiences
Inappropriate blog topics: (these should be emailed to group members rather than posted on the blog.)
- Politics
- Prayer requests
- Personal issues
- Secular discussions
- Somehow, your topic should relate to God. If not, use e-mail to discuss
Can't wait to hear what you guys want to discuss!
Firsty, theekevy and I talked about the possibility of making another blog for more general discussion. After all, we had originally intended this blog to be strictly a Bible discussion page. But for many reasons, we came to the conclusion this is not the best idea; another blog could get confusing and messy.
So we decided the best thing was to open this blog up to more freedom. We've created a new set of blog guidelines for proper blogging. We hope you enjoy the possibilities, and that all of you involve yourselves fully into the subjects God draws you to without fear of retribution. Enjoy:
Appropriate blog topics:
- Group information
- Kevin mostly posts these things, though if someone has a get together in mind, post at your free will)
- Any topic regarding the reading
- Any topic regarding the Lord
- Any topic regarding Christian living
- Christian topics, as opposed to personal issues
- Any topic regarding temptations and spiritual battles
- Again, drawing from experience for discussion rather than merely sharing experiences
Inappropriate blog topics: (these should be emailed to group members rather than posted on the blog.)
- Politics
- Prayer requests
- Personal issues
- Secular discussions
- Somehow, your topic should relate to God. If not, use e-mail to discuss
Can't wait to hear what you guys want to discuss!
e diel, 29 korrik 2007
Exodus study #2
For this week we will be hammering through chapters 6-14. Don't fear the eight chapters; plan your time accordingly and read two chapters per day twice each day and take notes on what happens.
e mërkurë, 25 korrik 2007
The Cross-Section of Insurrection
Sometimes I think we imagine God as a bloodthirsty warmonger out to kill His enemies; his most important goal to crush open rebellion. At least, this is the picture I get from the Old Testament. He commands the Sons of Israel to kill the pagans. He threatens the Sons of Israel with plagues, slavery and other horrors if they do not obey Him.
And it is a completely accurate description. God's justice remains perfect even if we don't think our sin is a big deal. He gives us exactly what we deserve. But we are missing a big, hugely important aspect of God if we think He is most furious with the pagans and their open rebellion. Angry, yes, but I think we can conclude from Exodus 1-4 is that what really gets Him is the behavior of His so-called "friends." Moses, for example, does not seem to have any particular vices--sure, He killed an Egyptian out of indignant, just rage for the treatment of his people, but you could hardly call that entirely evil. But, boy, does Moses get under the Lord's skin.
God provides richly for Moses from birth. An undeniably divinely scripted event, Moses is plucked out of the Nile and saved from Pharaoh's daughter herself when Pharaoh commanded the death of the Sons of Israel. A boy who should have been drowned in that river gained ownership of it, as well as all of Egypt. Again, when Moses was chased out of Egypt for murder, God protected him, and gave him a wife and family to accompany him in the wilderness (2:19-22).
As if Moses' blessed life was not up to this point proof of God's care for him and purpose for him, the Lord actually visits Moses in the wilderness, a miraculous burning bush that does not burn up. He then speaks to Moses, and grants Moses the power of miracles to go and free the people of Israel. What an amazing gift of confidence and caring. You might say, "Yeah, but God was putting Moses up to doing His dirty work." Let's not forget that Moses ran from Egypt because he KILLED A MAN for mistreating an Israelite. He is clearly passionate about the well-being of God's people. God is not demanding of Moses his time, He is granting him his dream!
But Moses argues. God, I can't do this, he says; I'm not a good public speaker (4:10). God's response to him is essentially, "I made you, and I can help you speak" (4:11-12). If I were God, I would have said, "Dude, I just turned your wooden staff into a living snake. I think I can help you not to stutter." Yet Moses persists. Basically, he says, send someone else (4:13). Verse 14 says God is pretty upset with Moses, yet relents and tells Moses to meet up with Aaron, who will be his mouthpiece.
We could attribute Moses' disobedience to abject fear, but I don't think so. Look at 4:24. "...at a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death." Who is "him"? If we look at verse 23, the "him" is Moses! My study bible confirms that God was trying to kill Moses. Read on. In verse 25, Moses' wife circumcises his son and the Lord apparently relents. What was going on, here? Well, Moses was not following God's commandment to the Israelites in Genesis 17:10--to uphold the covenant by circumcising their sons. My study bible suggests that perhaps Moses' wife, Zipporah, didn't like the idea of circumcision, so Moses obeyed her instead. Whatever the reason, Moses disobeyed a direct commandment and ignored God to the last.
What I am seeing is a pattern of laziness, an uncaring heart and hesitation to place faith in God. What Moses is essentially avoiding is sacrifice: if he goes back to Egypt, his life is on the line. If he circumcises his son, his marriage is on the line. Even when shown unquestionable miracles, Moses continues to... well... not care. He doesn't want the hard work, the danger, and the sacrifice that comes with being a servant of God. And it really pisses God off.
Can you sense the irony? We constantly complain about God's decisions with humankind, the state of the world, the starving children in Africa, the unsaved. Yet when the rubber hits the road and God calls us to action, we hesitate. Will I lose friends? Will I be hated? Will I be in danger? We seem to care, to be passionate, yet there is no sobriety, and no willingness for personal sacrifice and pain.
So your dream is to see people saved to Jesus Christ, to please God, to help others, to be an example of love? Be careful what you wish for, because God may actually call you to those things. And when He does, if you back out because of a noncommittal, weak heart, it will anger Him. How else could he feel? He's being stabbed in the back by the one's He's blessed. Instead, we should be willing to risk everything for Him, and trust that His purpose is good. Has He not proved this to us over the centuries? Has he not paid for us with the murder of his only son?
I am just as convicted and guilty of these blasphemies as anyone, if not more.
And it is a completely accurate description. God's justice remains perfect even if we don't think our sin is a big deal. He gives us exactly what we deserve. But we are missing a big, hugely important aspect of God if we think He is most furious with the pagans and their open rebellion. Angry, yes, but I think we can conclude from Exodus 1-4 is that what really gets Him is the behavior of His so-called "friends." Moses, for example, does not seem to have any particular vices--sure, He killed an Egyptian out of indignant, just rage for the treatment of his people, but you could hardly call that entirely evil. But, boy, does Moses get under the Lord's skin.
God provides richly for Moses from birth. An undeniably divinely scripted event, Moses is plucked out of the Nile and saved from Pharaoh's daughter herself when Pharaoh commanded the death of the Sons of Israel. A boy who should have been drowned in that river gained ownership of it, as well as all of Egypt. Again, when Moses was chased out of Egypt for murder, God protected him, and gave him a wife and family to accompany him in the wilderness (2:19-22).
As if Moses' blessed life was not up to this point proof of God's care for him and purpose for him, the Lord actually visits Moses in the wilderness, a miraculous burning bush that does not burn up. He then speaks to Moses, and grants Moses the power of miracles to go and free the people of Israel. What an amazing gift of confidence and caring. You might say, "Yeah, but God was putting Moses up to doing His dirty work." Let's not forget that Moses ran from Egypt because he KILLED A MAN for mistreating an Israelite. He is clearly passionate about the well-being of God's people. God is not demanding of Moses his time, He is granting him his dream!
But Moses argues. God, I can't do this, he says; I'm not a good public speaker (4:10). God's response to him is essentially, "I made you, and I can help you speak" (4:11-12). If I were God, I would have said, "Dude, I just turned your wooden staff into a living snake. I think I can help you not to stutter." Yet Moses persists. Basically, he says, send someone else (4:13). Verse 14 says God is pretty upset with Moses, yet relents and tells Moses to meet up with Aaron, who will be his mouthpiece.
We could attribute Moses' disobedience to abject fear, but I don't think so. Look at 4:24. "...at a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death." Who is "him"? If we look at verse 23, the "him" is Moses! My study bible confirms that God was trying to kill Moses. Read on. In verse 25, Moses' wife circumcises his son and the Lord apparently relents. What was going on, here? Well, Moses was not following God's commandment to the Israelites in Genesis 17:10--to uphold the covenant by circumcising their sons. My study bible suggests that perhaps Moses' wife, Zipporah, didn't like the idea of circumcision, so Moses obeyed her instead. Whatever the reason, Moses disobeyed a direct commandment and ignored God to the last.
What I am seeing is a pattern of laziness, an uncaring heart and hesitation to place faith in God. What Moses is essentially avoiding is sacrifice: if he goes back to Egypt, his life is on the line. If he circumcises his son, his marriage is on the line. Even when shown unquestionable miracles, Moses continues to... well... not care. He doesn't want the hard work, the danger, and the sacrifice that comes with being a servant of God. And it really pisses God off.
Can you sense the irony? We constantly complain about God's decisions with humankind, the state of the world, the starving children in Africa, the unsaved. Yet when the rubber hits the road and God calls us to action, we hesitate. Will I lose friends? Will I be hated? Will I be in danger? We seem to care, to be passionate, yet there is no sobriety, and no willingness for personal sacrifice and pain.
So your dream is to see people saved to Jesus Christ, to please God, to help others, to be an example of love? Be careful what you wish for, because God may actually call you to those things. And when He does, if you back out because of a noncommittal, weak heart, it will anger Him. How else could he feel? He's being stabbed in the back by the one's He's blessed. Instead, we should be willing to risk everything for Him, and trust that His purpose is good. Has He not proved this to us over the centuries? Has he not paid for us with the murder of his only son?
I am just as convicted and guilty of these blasphemies as anyone, if not more.
e hënë, 23 korrik 2007
Exodus study questions, week #1
Okay brethren, here we go into Exodus. Only four chapters to read this week (chapters 1-4, in case anyone forgot). Since we are still in the realm of the familiar stories, I hope we all can take time to not only read over the stories well, but think, pray, and worship (yes!) over the stories we have before us.
1) As I have kept on emphasizing in the past study questions, look for what is emphasized in each chapter. For example: in chapter 1, how much attention is placed on Israel's (not the person or the country, but the people group) hardship and suffering in Egypt (hint: not much). So again, what is each chapter focusing on?
2) How are these beginning chapters in Exodus connected with the end of Genesis? How does the story of the Israelites flow from Genesis to Exodus?
3) One thing I have done in my Bible is underline all the places where God says "I will________ (do such and such). You don't have to do this, but it might be helpful in understanding the story, as well as being an amazing testament to our great God!
You guys may have noticed that my questions are rather vague. I do that because vague questions really make us think about what we're reading.
I might be back later this week with more questions, and if you have your own questions then please throw them up here. Also, if you guys want another mid-week get-together-and-study, I'm down for that. Until then, I look forward to seeing y'all at this week's meeting with your Bibles, some notes, and stuff to write with for prayer requests!
1) As I have kept on emphasizing in the past study questions, look for what is emphasized in each chapter. For example: in chapter 1, how much attention is placed on Israel's (not the person or the country, but the people group) hardship and suffering in Egypt (hint: not much). So again, what is each chapter focusing on?
2) How are these beginning chapters in Exodus connected with the end of Genesis? How does the story of the Israelites flow from Genesis to Exodus?
3) One thing I have done in my Bible is underline all the places where God says "I will________ (do such and such). You don't have to do this, but it might be helpful in understanding the story, as well as being an amazing testament to our great God!
You guys may have noticed that my questions are rather vague. I do that because vague questions really make us think about what we're reading.
I might be back later this week with more questions, and if you have your own questions then please throw them up here. Also, if you guys want another mid-week get-together-and-study, I'm down for that. Until then, I look forward to seeing y'all at this week's meeting with your Bibles, some notes, and stuff to write with for prayer requests!
e shtunë, 21 korrik 2007
e mërkurë, 18 korrik 2007
Lust
Hey everyone,
Richard Woo here. I'm encouraging all of you to take a part of your valuable time to check out some Youtube videos on the topic of Lust. Both Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort articulated well about this sensitive and uncomfortable subject in a three part video series. I watched it and was encouraged to get a chance to see all three videos. I was fascinated to see it. You don't have to take my word for it, just watch it and see it for yourself. After you finish watching it, feel free and post some comments about it. Thanks and God Bless.
Here are the links:
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 1 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7qV-pQInA&mode=related&search=
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 2 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJ3ybG4q1Q&mode=related&search=
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 3 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRlQQDjz5c&mode=related&search=
Richard Woo here. I'm encouraging all of you to take a part of your valuable time to check out some Youtube videos on the topic of Lust. Both Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort articulated well about this sensitive and uncomfortable subject in a three part video series. I watched it and was encouraged to get a chance to see all three videos. I was fascinated to see it. You don't have to take my word for it, just watch it and see it for yourself. After you finish watching it, feel free and post some comments about it. Thanks and God Bless.
Here are the links:
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 1 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7qV-pQInA&mode=related&search=
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 2 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJ3ybG4q1Q&mode=related&search=
The Way Of The Master : Lust (Part 3 of 3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRlQQDjz5c&mode=related&search=
e martë, 17 korrik 2007
Exodus!!
For the first study in Exodus, we are going to cover chapters 1-4.
*Remember that we are not having an official study this week. I just posted this ahead of time so that we all know what's coming up.
*Remember that we are not having an official study this week. I just posted this ahead of time so that we all know what's coming up.
e hënë, 16 korrik 2007
Meeting tonight, 7/16
We will be meeting at Richard's place tonight at 7. I'll post more about ride stuff when I get back.
e enjte, 12 korrik 2007
God and Time-Management
Below is a blog article taken from the Stand to Reason blog about time management. Read it now.
Time Management Isn't the Answer
Somehow, I got out of the habit of regularly (and often) praying and reading the Bible. It didn't take long for that time to be sucked away by less worthy things like laundry, cleaning, blogging, and Seinfeld reruns (some pursuits more necessary than others, clearly--but all less worthy than time with God, and certainly less beneficial).
Realizing my situation wasn't a good one, and starting to notice some more blatant ill-effects, I began asking for prayer for better time management as I tried again and again to stick to a better schedule that could fit time with God in with everything else and keep me moving in the right direction. Convinced bad time management was my problem, I tried to focus my energy on the struggle to "get more things done."
Then I read this--a monthly newsletter from Desiring God about the real reason why Martha was busy with distractions while Mary "chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her":
Why wasn’t Mary distracted? Because Mary was enthralled with Jesus. She was captivated. What she heard as Jesus taught were words of “spirit and life” (John 6:63). She was drinking “living water” (John 4:10), and eating the “bread of life” (John 6:48). Whether or not Mary was aware of Martha’s busyness, she simply couldn’t tear herself away from Jesus. And Jesus commended her on having chosen the good portion.
Being enthralled, engrossed, captivated by someone or something has a powerful clarifying effect on our priorities. We make time for what we are passionate about and we neglect what is less important. We can be tempted to think that the right time-management technique is the answer to a well balanced life and getting the important things done. But it’s not true. Techniques may increase our efficiency, but they can’t determine our priorities. The heart does that.
Ouch.
I know this is true. My situation is a reflection of my heart, not my time. The circular part of it is that the more time I spend with God, the more time I want to spend with Him--even at the expense of other pressing matters. The less time I spend with Him, it's strange how quickly I forget what I'm missing, and how much I inexplicably resist being with Him. In other words, the right priority perpetuates itself and so do the wrong ones.
What I need now is God's mercy and power along with some self-enforced, absolute, acted-upon priorities, knowing, as Martha knew, that the hardest part comes at the beginning when we first have to tear ourselves away from our habitual tasks. Once we make it to our rightful place at Jesus' feet, nothing can tempt us away.
Time Management Isn't the Answer
Somehow, I got out of the habit of regularly (and often) praying and reading the Bible. It didn't take long for that time to be sucked away by less worthy things like laundry, cleaning, blogging, and Seinfeld reruns (some pursuits more necessary than others, clearly--but all less worthy than time with God, and certainly less beneficial).
Realizing my situation wasn't a good one, and starting to notice some more blatant ill-effects, I began asking for prayer for better time management as I tried again and again to stick to a better schedule that could fit time with God in with everything else and keep me moving in the right direction. Convinced bad time management was my problem, I tried to focus my energy on the struggle to "get more things done."
Then I read this--a monthly newsletter from Desiring God about the real reason why Martha was busy with distractions while Mary "chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her":
Why wasn’t Mary distracted? Because Mary was enthralled with Jesus. She was captivated. What she heard as Jesus taught were words of “spirit and life” (John 6:63). She was drinking “living water” (John 4:10), and eating the “bread of life” (John 6:48). Whether or not Mary was aware of Martha’s busyness, she simply couldn’t tear herself away from Jesus. And Jesus commended her on having chosen the good portion.
Being enthralled, engrossed, captivated by someone or something has a powerful clarifying effect on our priorities. We make time for what we are passionate about and we neglect what is less important. We can be tempted to think that the right time-management technique is the answer to a well balanced life and getting the important things done. But it’s not true. Techniques may increase our efficiency, but they can’t determine our priorities. The heart does that.
Ouch.
I know this is true. My situation is a reflection of my heart, not my time. The circular part of it is that the more time I spend with God, the more time I want to spend with Him--even at the expense of other pressing matters. The less time I spend with Him, it's strange how quickly I forget what I'm missing, and how much I inexplicably resist being with Him. In other words, the right priority perpetuates itself and so do the wrong ones.
What I need now is God's mercy and power along with some self-enforced, absolute, acted-upon priorities, knowing, as Martha knew, that the hardest part comes at the beginning when we first have to tear ourselves away from our habitual tasks. Once we make it to our rightful place at Jesus' feet, nothing can tempt us away.
e martë, 10 korrik 2007
Meeting this week
Instead of meeting this Saturday, 7/14, we are going to be meeting on Monday, 7/16. And, by the gracious invitation of Sir Richard Woo the Wise, we will be meeting at his super-rad dorm room/apartment place. Stay tuned for more info.
e hënë, 9 korrik 2007
Study #3, part II
Ok, these are the chapters that the groups will read.
Isaac- 21:1-8; all of chapter 24 (yes, the WHOLE thing); 25:19-34; all of chapter 26
Jacob- chapters 27-29; 30-31 (note: I am certain that you guys will have lots of questions on this section, so please post them or e-mail me so I can help)
Joseph- 37; 39 (really look for the main point of this chapter); 40, 41 (chapters 42-44 cover the brothers going to and from Egypt, just know that much); 46:1-7; 48; 50 (this is a good amount of chapters, but I bet you guys know the stories pretty well. So you can really step this study up and hit on lots of major themes. No pressure!)
Isaac- 21:1-8; all of chapter 24 (yes, the WHOLE thing); 25:19-34; all of chapter 26
Jacob- chapters 27-29; 30-31 (note: I am certain that you guys will have lots of questions on this section, so please post them or e-mail me so I can help)
Joseph- 37; 39 (really look for the main point of this chapter); 40, 41 (chapters 42-44 cover the brothers going to and from Egypt, just know that much); 46:1-7; 48; 50 (this is a good amount of chapters, but I bet you guys know the stories pretty well. So you can really step this study up and hit on lots of major themes. No pressure!)
e diel, 8 korrik 2007
Study #3, part I
We are going to try to finish up Genesis this week, and to do that we are going to break down a few things. The rest of Genesis focuses on the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. So what I'm going to do is break you guys up into groups of two, and each group will focus on one of the characters. You will be responsible for reading and knowing the chapters well, so that when we meet again you can help the other groups understand what happened in the chapters that had your character. I will post questions for each group as well. Below is a break down of the chapters in Genesis and the characters that are covered in those chapters (note: you will not have to read all the chapters I have below; tonight or tomorrow I will post the chapters you have to read, so don't stress out "Joseph group").
Isaac- chapters 21-26: Danny, Johnny
Jacob- chapters 27-36: Eric, Drew
Joseph- chapters 37, 39-50: Patrick, Richard
I will be in everybody's group :D
Isaac- chapters 21-26: Danny, Johnny
Jacob- chapters 27-36: Eric, Drew
Joseph- chapters 37, 39-50: Patrick, Richard
I will be in everybody's group :D
e enjte, 5 korrik 2007
Study questions for this week
1. Chapter 9 is strikingly similar to chapters 1-3 in regards to its content and structure. Note the similarities and what significant events occur in chapter 9. What is a covenant? What's so great about the covenant God makes with Noah?
2. What is the significance of the tower of Babel story (11:1-9)?
3. Take special note of God's first interaction with Abram in 12:1-3. Besides the fall of man, this is THE MAJOR TURNING POINT IN HISTORY! What happens? What is important? How does this event relate to/differ from events that have happened earlier in the book?
4. Chapter 13 seems to be a pretty plain (pun?) chapter. Here the focus is placed on the land, which is one of the major themes in the book. Feel free to jot down some notes and questions about this chapter; heck, even start a discussion about it here on the blog.
5. This is another important chapter in the book. Once again, I'd like to see what is significant about the events.
6. So what does all these events mean for us anyway? If we really believe that scripture was written for our good, then what do all these stories and events have to do with us?
Try checking out the monergism.com site for articles that may help you understand what is going on.
2. What is the significance of the tower of Babel story (11:1-9)?
3. Take special note of God's first interaction with Abram in 12:1-3. Besides the fall of man, this is THE MAJOR TURNING POINT IN HISTORY! What happens? What is important? How does this event relate to/differ from events that have happened earlier in the book?
4. Chapter 13 seems to be a pretty plain (pun?) chapter. Here the focus is placed on the land, which is one of the major themes in the book. Feel free to jot down some notes and questions about this chapter; heck, even start a discussion about it here on the blog.
5. This is another important chapter in the book. Once again, I'd like to see what is significant about the events.
6. So what does all these events mean for us anyway? If we really believe that scripture was written for our good, then what do all these stories and events have to do with us?
Try checking out the monergism.com site for articles that may help you understand what is going on.
e martë, 3 korrik 2007
"Image of God" definition
"The image is a physical manifestation of divine (or royal) essence that
bears the function of that which it represents; this gives the
image-bearer the capacity to reflect attributes of the one represented and
act on his behalf. Jesus=a physical representative of God rather than a
physical representation of what God looks like."
bears the function of that which it represents; this gives the
image-bearer the capacity to reflect attributes of the one represented and
act on his behalf. Jesus=a physical representative of God rather than a
physical representation of what God looks like."
Study #2
For this weekend we will be getting into Genesis 9, 11:1-9, 12, 13, 15, and 17. We are now moving into the next era of the world's history, and the focus will be on the covenants God makes with man (in these chapters we have covenants with Noah and Abram). I'll be posting some questions soon!
e hënë, 2 korrik 2007
Water above the sky?
Hey, anyone read Genesis 1:6-8 and get confused?
God makes the waters and calls them the sea. Okay.
Then he creates an expanse, and calls it heaven (the sky). Okay.
Then he separates the waters and places some above the sky and some below the sky.
What the heck? Water above the sky? What is this talking about?
God makes the waters and calls them the sea. Okay.
Then he creates an expanse, and calls it heaven (the sky). Okay.
Then he separates the waters and places some above the sky and some below the sky.
What the heck? Water above the sky? What is this talking about?
The Science of Genesis
As many of you are aware, today there is a raging debate--many call it a war--between old-earth evolution proponents and young-earth creation proponents over the origin of the earth and mankind. For you and I, as Christians, this war becomes especially confusing and dangerous because we are torn between two conflicts: the necessary objectivity of science in understanding the world around us through fact, and our belief in the infallible truth of the Bible.
It gets worse. Genesis directly contradicts old-earth evolutionary science models of the world's and man's origins. In science we are told that the universe and the earth were formed by the "Big Bang," an explosion of matter; in Genesis we are told that God SPOKE the stars, the earth, and all matter into existence at different intervals (Gen 1:1-8). Again, direct contradiction, where evolution claims human beings have slowly evolved from other creatures, where Genesis says God made Adam from the dust of the earth and Eve from the rib of Adam. There is no getting around that He made them fully formed; the language allows no other interpretation. One final blow is the issue of time; scientists agree the earth and life took millions upon billions of years to shape and form; Genesis says that God made all of creation in a week and then lists genealogies of family lines to link us directly to modern day history: if you follow the genealogies and Genesis literally, you can arrive upon an age of the earth that is anywhere from 7000-15,000 years old. Now that is a young earth.
This problem has proved immensely troubling to Bible believers. There have been several responses to this contradiction, which I want to list off to you:
- Some have concluded the Bible is fallible
- Others have concluded the Bible is using figurative language, and cannot be taken literally
- Still others have concluded that modern science is wrong and believed in the Bible
There are no other possible responses. Now, if you are like me, you probably think that the first is morally wrong, the second is a compromise which bends the Bible incorrectly, and the third is insanity. I want to encourage you today that the third is not insanity.
Let's talk a little bit about the old-earth, Big Bang evolutionary model of origin. In order for this model to be true, two things must also be true:
1) The earth must be very old (time)
2) All of creation must have been able to occur through random mutation (chance)
If these two stipulations are not true, evolution crumbles. These two theories are the "pillars" of evolution. What you probably didn't know is that there is a lot of evidence that these two theories are not true; we see in fact strong evidence for a young, designed earth as opposed to an old, random one. The immediate question that you will ask is, "Why have I not heard your so-called evidence sooner? Why, if it is so groundbreaking, is it not broadcasted around the world?" I have no good answer to this question, other than that this war of "Science" is actually a war to remove the necessity of God from our thinking. I literally believe modern science silences the other side because they want to go on believing in pure atheism. You may or may not agree, but first allow me to present my evidence.
1) Time. The old-earthers say that we have dated rocks and bones around the earth and found them to be very, very old. They have an entire history of the earth written out, complete with full color drawings in every high school textbook. They've even named every "period," each of which consist of several hundred million years. This is very nice, but there are big flaws with their method of discovery this 6-billion year-old history, which start with their dating methods.
There are several ways to date an object. There is carbon-dating, which checks for how much carbon is left in a bone, finds out how much carbon that bone began with, finds out how much carbon leaves the bone per year, and then discovers the age of the bone based on how many "years worth" of carbon has left the bone. There is a well-known problem with carbon dating, however, even according to evolutionists: it is only accurate up to ten-thousand years, because at that point all carbon has left. Thus, most dating for "millions and billions of years" is done using a different method, radiometric dating.
Radiometric dating works like carbon dating: radioactive materials slowly leaves dead organisms, they say at a constant rate. But it is not a constant rate. Any number of atmospheric changes could drastically change the age radiometric dating finds in a bone or rock. There are so many fluctuations with radiometric dating, when a bone is dated the machine turns out a list of possible ages from 100 to 100 billion years, and the person who found the bone, the paleontologist, actually gets to pick which age they think most likely from the list. That's not science, it's imagination!
It gets worse. A team of creationists went to a beach and found a half-eaten seal. They then used radiometric dating to date the fleshy part of the seal 20,000 years old and the eaten part 40,000 years old. That's how wild radiometric dating figures can get. The seal couldn't have been more than a day old because it hadn't decomposed yet but radiometric dating turned up 20 and 40 thousand years.
So we cannot trust the dates that evolutionists give us. What's more, if there were a worldwide flood (as the Bible says there is), this would completely change radiation levels all around the earth, making things much older than they seem because of all the radioactive discharge during the surge of water. Uh-oh. The old-earth can no longer proven to be old.
2) Chance. If you have never read Darwin's "Origin of the Species," the original theory of evolution, I recommend you check it out. Particularly, you should look at chapter 9, "Problems with the Theory." In this chapter, Darwin spells out potential theories which, if proven true, could completely destroy his theory of evolution. One was the theory that if any living organism were shown to not be able to come about by chance, in other words, if this organism had such a complex design that it could never have come about by chance, it would invalidate evolution.
One biological structure which caused Darwin to fear this idea true was the human eye. He saw that the human eye had many complex, necessary structures which made it work, and without each one, it would not work at all. The eye has an iris, a pupil, retina, transistors, rods, cones, electrical pathways and many other structures which all work together in strange harmony to allow us the gift of vision. Darwin feared that no amount of evolutionary chance could ever produce such a structure.
He didn't even know the eye as well as we know it today. The eye has 19 parts which, if any one is removed, would cease to function. This means either one evolutionary leaps gets all of the functions in one successful mutation, or the creature is merely mutating a useless organ which would not help it become the fittest and survive (ala survival of the fittest). If even 18 of those parts are placed exactly correctly in all their complexity, but one is missing, the eye is a useless organ and a weak spot for the creature because it is soft tissue leading directly to the brain (easy target).
One scientist put the probability of this kind of complexity occuring randomly, by chance:
"The probability of evolution generating life as we know it today is the same probability as a hurricance sweeping through a junkyard and assembling an operational 147 B1 Bomber airplane. It's impossible."
There is much more evidence which leans toward young earth and design, and destroys the pillars of time and chance. If you are further interested, check out
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
or call me up and I will get you the scientific journals for the facts I've listed.
It gets worse. Genesis directly contradicts old-earth evolutionary science models of the world's and man's origins. In science we are told that the universe and the earth were formed by the "Big Bang," an explosion of matter; in Genesis we are told that God SPOKE the stars, the earth, and all matter into existence at different intervals (Gen 1:1-8). Again, direct contradiction, where evolution claims human beings have slowly evolved from other creatures, where Genesis says God made Adam from the dust of the earth and Eve from the rib of Adam. There is no getting around that He made them fully formed; the language allows no other interpretation. One final blow is the issue of time; scientists agree the earth and life took millions upon billions of years to shape and form; Genesis says that God made all of creation in a week and then lists genealogies of family lines to link us directly to modern day history: if you follow the genealogies and Genesis literally, you can arrive upon an age of the earth that is anywhere from 7000-15,000 years old. Now that is a young earth.
This problem has proved immensely troubling to Bible believers. There have been several responses to this contradiction, which I want to list off to you:
- Some have concluded the Bible is fallible
- Others have concluded the Bible is using figurative language, and cannot be taken literally
- Still others have concluded that modern science is wrong and believed in the Bible
There are no other possible responses. Now, if you are like me, you probably think that the first is morally wrong, the second is a compromise which bends the Bible incorrectly, and the third is insanity. I want to encourage you today that the third is not insanity.
Let's talk a little bit about the old-earth, Big Bang evolutionary model of origin. In order for this model to be true, two things must also be true:
1) The earth must be very old (time)
2) All of creation must have been able to occur through random mutation (chance)
If these two stipulations are not true, evolution crumbles. These two theories are the "pillars" of evolution. What you probably didn't know is that there is a lot of evidence that these two theories are not true; we see in fact strong evidence for a young, designed earth as opposed to an old, random one. The immediate question that you will ask is, "Why have I not heard your so-called evidence sooner? Why, if it is so groundbreaking, is it not broadcasted around the world?" I have no good answer to this question, other than that this war of "Science" is actually a war to remove the necessity of God from our thinking. I literally believe modern science silences the other side because they want to go on believing in pure atheism. You may or may not agree, but first allow me to present my evidence.
1) Time. The old-earthers say that we have dated rocks and bones around the earth and found them to be very, very old. They have an entire history of the earth written out, complete with full color drawings in every high school textbook. They've even named every "period," each of which consist of several hundred million years. This is very nice, but there are big flaws with their method of discovery this 6-billion year-old history, which start with their dating methods.
There are several ways to date an object. There is carbon-dating, which checks for how much carbon is left in a bone, finds out how much carbon that bone began with, finds out how much carbon leaves the bone per year, and then discovers the age of the bone based on how many "years worth" of carbon has left the bone. There is a well-known problem with carbon dating, however, even according to evolutionists: it is only accurate up to ten-thousand years, because at that point all carbon has left. Thus, most dating for "millions and billions of years" is done using a different method, radiometric dating.
Radiometric dating works like carbon dating: radioactive materials slowly leaves dead organisms, they say at a constant rate. But it is not a constant rate. Any number of atmospheric changes could drastically change the age radiometric dating finds in a bone or rock. There are so many fluctuations with radiometric dating, when a bone is dated the machine turns out a list of possible ages from 100 to 100 billion years, and the person who found the bone, the paleontologist, actually gets to pick which age they think most likely from the list. That's not science, it's imagination!
It gets worse. A team of creationists went to a beach and found a half-eaten seal. They then used radiometric dating to date the fleshy part of the seal 20,000 years old and the eaten part 40,000 years old. That's how wild radiometric dating figures can get. The seal couldn't have been more than a day old because it hadn't decomposed yet but radiometric dating turned up 20 and 40 thousand years.
So we cannot trust the dates that evolutionists give us. What's more, if there were a worldwide flood (as the Bible says there is), this would completely change radiation levels all around the earth, making things much older than they seem because of all the radioactive discharge during the surge of water. Uh-oh. The old-earth can no longer proven to be old.
2) Chance. If you have never read Darwin's "Origin of the Species," the original theory of evolution, I recommend you check it out. Particularly, you should look at chapter 9, "Problems with the Theory." In this chapter, Darwin spells out potential theories which, if proven true, could completely destroy his theory of evolution. One was the theory that if any living organism were shown to not be able to come about by chance, in other words, if this organism had such a complex design that it could never have come about by chance, it would invalidate evolution.
One biological structure which caused Darwin to fear this idea true was the human eye. He saw that the human eye had many complex, necessary structures which made it work, and without each one, it would not work at all. The eye has an iris, a pupil, retina, transistors, rods, cones, electrical pathways and many other structures which all work together in strange harmony to allow us the gift of vision. Darwin feared that no amount of evolutionary chance could ever produce such a structure.
He didn't even know the eye as well as we know it today. The eye has 19 parts which, if any one is removed, would cease to function. This means either one evolutionary leaps gets all of the functions in one successful mutation, or the creature is merely mutating a useless organ which would not help it become the fittest and survive (ala survival of the fittest). If even 18 of those parts are placed exactly correctly in all their complexity, but one is missing, the eye is a useless organ and a weak spot for the creature because it is soft tissue leading directly to the brain (easy target).
One scientist put the probability of this kind of complexity occuring randomly, by chance:
"The probability of evolution generating life as we know it today is the same probability as a hurricance sweeping through a junkyard and assembling an operational 147 B1 Bomber airplane. It's impossible."
There is much more evidence which leans toward young earth and design, and destroys the pillars of time and chance. If you are further interested, check out
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
or call me up and I will get you the scientific journals for the facts I've listed.
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