TRUTH: Go ahead; pucker up!

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

John 8:32

Girls at an Oregon middle school were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. After they put it on they would press their lips to the mirrors leaving dozens of teenage lip prints behind creating a real mess.

The principal called the suspected culprits to the bathroom; she explained the lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian.

She then had the custodian demonstrate how he cleaned the mirrors. He took a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, then scrubbed the mirror just as he had being doing everyday for some time.

The principal has reported there have been no new lip prints on the mirrors since the demonstration.

If people knew what was really behind the evil they participated in, they would give them up in a “New York-minute.”

Ezekiel gives us a window into this truth when he tells of how the Lord took him to the Temple and revealed the wicked abominations behind the rituals of apostate and idol worshipping Israel [Ezekiel 8].

What was revealed there were “the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 6:12.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Truth

SIN: The Most Deadly Virus Known to Man!

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... "

Romans 3:23

Strains of what is believed to be the most deadly virus on earth have been discovered, British scientists announced recently. Dubbed the "Spanish flu," the virus struck the world in 1918, killing over 40 million people.

Initial examinations of the virus have already provided clues as to what made it so lethal, The London Times reports. The strain of influenza was believed to have become extinct in the 1920s, however a team of researchers has isolated it in the frozen bodies of six young coal miners buried on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen.
Researchers had long suspected the virus might be preserved in bodies buried above the Arctic Circle. Fragments of the virus have been found before, but never in an organ other than the lungs.

Scientists may now trace how the virus spread throughout the body. They are currently working to map the bug's RNA, which should identify what made it so deadly. [By Discovery.com News Brief; November 16, 1999]

Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we could look for and find the bug we call sin? This bug has probably killed billions. Perhaps we could find it in the bodies of those we call sinners – the lost who’ve died? Then we could find out what makes it so lethal and why it spreads so rapidly throughout the body of man. Then we could find a vaccine for it! Right?

Wrong! The Bible already tells us what causes sin and why it spreads so rapidly throughout the body of man. God says it’s a heart condition; He says it’s because of foolish pride and rebellion that we’ve seen countless thousands perish daily in their sins.

Oh, the virus itself and its affects are preserved in the bodies of those who’ve died in their sins. God will reveal them on judgment day. No scientist will be needed to find them, they will be self-apparent.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Sin

DEPRAVITY: Fruit Direct from Eden's Garden

THERE’S A FUNGUS AMONG US! [1 Thessalonians 5:21,22]

Recently, one of the network news magazines presented a special report on a problem some people were having with potent form of fungus. The focus of the show was a Texas family who’d been run out of their home because of this particular mold. In fact, over a few years, several family members had become mysteriously and gravely ill from this creeping, crawling crud.

A video tape of the residence revealed the presence of the fungi in every dark place, in every location, anywhere microscopic amounts of moisture might be, on wood, on plastic, on drywall, behind painted surfaces, in concrete floors, in every room in the house, this killer lurked. The only known cure for the infection was removal and disposal; burning evidently being the only permanent treatment for the affected materials.

Any mature minded thinking person has to see the parallel of this natural occurring disease with our nation’s unnatural preoccupation with pornography. Reports give us a picture of a domestic industry (i.e., sans international revenues) with revenues in the billions of dollars; other reports have provided estimates of the domestic “hit” rate on pornographic Internet sites … the traffic is staggering.

If any are dim-witted enough to believe the problem is unique to the Catholic priesthood, they are monumental fools. The Southern Baptist Convention numbers its living ministers in the tens of thousands; statistically, it is impossible, let alone improbable, that the Convention is untouched by this menace.

Just this week a Southern Baptist church in Kansas had to remove its youth pastor due to a problem with male pornography. The church devastated. And, in this spiritual war, his wife and two children are considered collateral damage.

All over America, families and churches are being destroyed by our cultural depravity. In every corner of our society, in every household, in every dark place where evil lurks, residents of this once great nation are falling victim to this slippery, slimy spiritual sewage.

What hope do we have? Is there anything we can do to stop it? Paraphrasing the hymnist, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Yet every untainted child of God must cry out with a voice united against this evil and purge it from our lives and land.

Source: Toxic Mold

TRUST: In God We Should!

BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS! [James 3:1; other topics - Ethics, fidelity, fiduciary honor]

May 26, 2002, was a beautiful Oklahoma morning, the sun rising in the East as his 18-wheeler ascended the rise to the bridge spanning the Arkansas River. At 60 mph, there just was not enough time to react as he realized the bridge was gone.

In the words of an eyewitness, “It was just like watching one of those movies where the truck is just hanging there in the air.” That was before it plunged into the maw of the bridge collapse.

What happened? For some reason a barge captain lost control of his fully loaded barges, allowing them to drift into the dual concrete supports under the Western end of the bridge. Without warning, the bridge groaned and fell to the water some forty feet below. The 18-wheeler and its driver disappeared into the depth.

An obvious parallel exists with Adam’s failure in the Garden of Eden, but I see a more contemporary analogy.

Everyday, all day, the citizens of this “third rock from the sun,” cross bridges spanning the common dangers of life. At any moment, a vessel traveling beneath one of those bridges could veer out of control and destroy the supports they take for granted.

For example: a disease might smash a column out from under one of life’s travelers; an accident might swerve into a support pillar on another of life’s voyagers, perhaps causing the loss of a loved one; or unemployment might yank the entire support structure out from under a whole family of life-trekkers.

However, these are random, unintentional events. If, as some suggest, the barge captain failed in his fiduciary responsibilities, that’s a horse of another color.

Unfortunately, we have amongst us, in the spiritual community, those whose intentional behaviors and philosophies are not only dangerous but are abject violations of community or public trust.

We have godless theologies (Unitarians), materialistic spiritual communities (Binny Hinn, "name-it, claim-it"), murdering pro-lifers, insurgent supporting organizations (NCC), subversive doctrine (Liberation Theology), pedophilic youth pastors, predatory priests, shepherd abusing sheep, adulterous pastors, and Enron-like denominational leaders (Arizona Baptist Foundation).

These perpetrators of wrong are not only wrecking havoc on the bridges of life but are destroying the foundations of the ages, bringing down the Bridge of Life, which leads to eternal life. God help us!

EMOTIONS: Control central!

FOCUS OF THE WORLD! [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]

Emotion is defined as “a state of pending or present excitement, characterized by strong feelings, often with a tendency toward a definite kind of behavior,” e.g., anger, affection, depression, devotion, allegiance, love, etc.

When we see the American flag, it elicits a certain kind of emotion for Americans, something else for foreigner; when we see a fireman, policeman, or soldier, it results in a specific emotion; Easter scenes do the same for Christians; a child’s wedding or a loved one’s passing bring out a plethora of strong feeling; and certain hymns or choruses do the same. These are life and character building emotions.

Yet in this violent, deviant, self-obsessed world, with its collective focus three feet off the ground, we’re confronted with a glut of destructive emotions. The whole of our society seems to need "tenting," to exterminate the pests operating in the framework of our national and spiritual houses.

Reading what Paul said to the Corinthian church in his second letter, we rightly conclude the church, as a whole, has failed to take much thinking captive. He said:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Fortresses are going up faster than churches; graves are flooding with the rotting carcasses of the lost, faster than the saving of souls; and the rate of growth of biblical ignorance is only exceeded by the combined annual rate of the printing of Bibles.

Where the church's emotions ought to be running high with righteous indignation (abortion, homosexuality, pornography, deviance), we instead suffer rebellious indigestion.

Works

Nothing but the Truth [Ecclesiastes 12:14; other topics - Deeds, Good & Evil, Hidden things, Judgment, Sin, Word]

In the US, citizens and officials have grown concerned about the tragic circumstances surrounding a place called The Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas.

Apparently not all of what was reported by those in charge in 1993 was all that should have been reported about the assault on the armed compound. There were calls for an independent investigation into what happened.

Agencies of our government assaulted the compound leaving 86 people dead, 24 of them children. Although it took place several years before, it returned to the headlines when the FBI admitted it had used incendiary devices during the assault which destroyed the compound by fire ... something they had denied.

As of today, there is new information that U.S. Attorney General Reno, who heads the Justice Department, may have been kept in the dark about some aspects of the siege. The Dallas Morning News reported that Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston made the claim based on a five-year-old document he was given. The record indicates the use of potentially flammable tear gas at the compound be kept secret from all but the legal staff at Justice.

No special prosecutor, no special investigation, no review of the facts will be necessary on the Great Day of the Lord. God will simply open the books and present the facts. Nothing will be hidden from His sight [Hebrews 4:12-13].

The Bible tells us ... "God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."

SIN: Someone must die in order to separate yourself from it!

BITTER MILK [Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; other topics - Man's ways; Unrighteousness]

It was reported in an Associated Press article a few years ago that Russia had developed a hybrid plant as a cheap substitute for cattle feed. However this designer plant has an unusual effect on the milk it produces ... it's bitter!

Now they've also discovered the plant, once started, is virtually unstoppable, causing "burns" and "stinging" for those who come in contact with it.

The effects of sin are much like this! What seems a good idea to man, turns into a disaster in the end!

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CAN YOU REFUSE TO GO? [Matthew 25:45-46; Atonement, Hell]

John R. Cooper of Ridgecrest, California, hated paying taxes, so he didn't ... on several occasions. As you'd expect, he landed himself in jail. [Inyo County Register, 4/18/1986]

When I was a kid, a popular saying went something like this: "only two things are certain, death and taxes."

Another certainty, for those who reject God’s Son, is hell. Some hate the thought of anyone going to hell; and so they spend a great deal of energy denying its existence. Yet, unless their sin debt is satisfied (atoned for), they’ll land themselves there all the same. (Added 16 March 2006)

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GETTING OUT THE STAIN! [Jeremiah 2:22; other topics - Blood; Cleansing]

When a bachelor I cooked many of my own meals ... being poor and a college student. At that time I had an adventurous spirit and liked to experiment, trying things I'd never tried before. That spirit is what got me into so much trouble before I met the Lord.

At any rate, on one shopping trip, I decided to try black beans with a ham I had purchased. Now, I’d never tasted black beans, but I reasoned: the white ones were good but the red ones were better; so, black? ... well? They’ve got to be the best. For those who've had black beans, you will know the one disadvantage of these wonderful legumes ... the stain.

Much of my culinary expertise, up to this point, had been out of an old Betty Crocker Cook Book my mother had given me. I followed the instructions for ham and beans using a nice four-quart, cast aluminum pot, also from mom.

Well, when the time smelled right, I followed the aromas and lifted the lid. At first I was startled by the dark mound in the midst of a bubbling mass of black beans, but then I gathered my senses and sternly demanded, "What are you and what did you do with my ham?"

That night I had a great meal of black ham and beans for dinner, with hot, buttered bread and creamed corn on the side. I ate like a king.

I didn't feel the least bit foolish eating black ham until the next day, when I took some really thick slices of potato bread and made a ham sandwich ... I had a vague sense that Dr. Suess had made my lunch for me. But the real shock was a closer look at the pot; it was stained black from the bottom to half way up the inside. I honestly doubted I'd never get that stain out.

I scraped, I scrubbed, I rubbed, I boiled ... nothing I did could get that stain completely out of that pot.

When I met the Lord, face-to-face, I, like Isaiah, didn’t think the stain in my heart and soul would ever come out! There were times in my life when I tried ... scraping, scrubbing and rubbing, but nothing I did seemed to make any difference to that stain.

I had almost given up when a hippie friend told me about a divine red cleanser that was guaranteed to get out even the worst of stains. She said I could only get it if I sank to my knees and pleaded with its Maker to give me what I needed (not what I deserved). I did ... He did ... and now there's no more stain ... praise His holy name!

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HOLY MOLD! [Romans 6:23a; Forgiveness; Iniquity; Repentance; Sin]

I'm told fungi (plural of fungus) are multicellular organisms usually composed of a network of cottony filaments. Often their filaments (or threads) clump up, looking more like a cottony tuft or pile. Some fungi are important sources of antibiotics, vitamins, and industrial chemicals. However, fungi are parasitic to their hosts ... eventually consuming them.

Most often fungi appear black or white in color but are also found in a multitude of hues, shades, and tones. Some fungi shine, some are dry, some are dusty, and many are slimy. They may be found almost anywhere one looks or can look. They are found in small quantities or in vast networks covering several thousand square miles.

All fungi reproduce asexually; meaning they require the agency of nothing other than themselves to reproduce.

Despite the fact that sin isn't multicellular or the source of anything good, fungi do remind me of unrighteousness.

Unrighteousness is always black yet found in every size, shape and texture imaginable and some unimaginable. It is also found in every place man can look and in many places he doesn't want to look. Sin comes disguised as tiny, hidden things, as-well-as huge, overt monsters of iniquity.

Unlike fungi, unrighteousness cannot reproduce asexually ... it needs the assistance of another ... its host. Nevertheless sin, like fungi, will destroy its host!

On the one hand, we've known about fungicides (fungus killers) for centuries; on the other hand, though, we've known of a cure for sin from the beginning. It's called repentance and is followed by forgiveness; man provides the former, while God provides the latter.

The Bible tells us "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." How's that for a sin-a-cide? (Added 16 March 2006)

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JUST NOT HIS DAY! [Numbers 32:23; other topics - Darkness, Word]

A report by an international news agency reveals just how bad a day some people can have ... recently, while renovating a building in the historic part of Natchez, Mississippi, masons found the fully-clothed skeletal remains of a man who has been missing for more than 15 years. His remains were found stuck in the chimney of an old, historic, Mississippi building; a structure dating from before the Civil War.

The man disappeared without a trace in 1985. At that time, a gift shop was a tenant in the building. Investigators discovered the man had a police record ... as a burglar.

The Bible tells us our sins will find us out. In fact the Bible itself tells us the Word is Christ and that ... "there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." [Hebrew 4:13]

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NOT A SMALL MATTER! [1 Peter 5:8; Evil, Satan, Wickedness]

Various news agencies are reporting employees at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium are looking for a lightning-quick mantis shrimp which is wreaking havoc in a coral reef exhibit.

This shrimp roams around at night, under the cloak of darkness, leaving only the shells of prized sea snails, barnacles and hermit crabs. Workers believe the shrimp was introduced by way of a shipment of display rocks from Florida, into which it had evidently burrowed.

Likewise, Satan also prowls about in the darkness seeking whom he may devour. Peter advises we stay alert and sober; you see the devil is no shrimp!

Clearly those who warn us about importing worldly things into our lives, our homes and our workplaces are correct. We must be vigilant to prevent those things (which seem harmless and innocuous on the surface but may have horribly damaging critters hidden just out of view) from entering our lives.

Desensitization is too tame a word for this danger ... "deadly spiritual carnivores" is better. These demonic forces have been leaving the shells of God's prized children along the Way for centuries.

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REAPING WHAT WE SOW! [Ezekiel 21:24; other topics - Reaping, Responsibility, Sowing]

Radio talk show hostess, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, has been a major proponent of morality and women's issues, as well as the author of a book on the Ten Commandments from a Jewish worldview.

Unfortunately, twenty years ago, while dating (a.k.a. having an affair) a rock-n-roll disc jockey in Los Angeles, she allowed herself to be photographed in the nude. Last month her old flame sold those pictures to an Internet porn site for $50,000 and now the whole world can see Dr. Laura as sHe does not want to be seen.

Behold, your sins will find you out. To Dr. Laura's credit, she spoke of the issue on her talk show and took responsibility for her actions, admitted that it was a dumb thing for a grown woman to do, then said, "Now, let's get on with our lives."

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ROTOTILLER WAITING TO HAPPEN! [Rom 3:23; other topics - Unrighteousness]

Kansas has been in the news a lot since the State Board of Education voted to eliminate mandatory teaching of evolution in the state's schools. This has raised a hornet's nest of trouble for Kansans.

However, hornets are not the only problem this Midwestern state has: they've got a "poor man’s grizzly" problem also. That's what hunters call the wild pigs that roam the state. These are mean, hairy, nasty, and vicious tempered hogs. They're probably reincarnated descendants of the 2,000 pigs the Lord flushed into the Sea of Galilee.

These "250-pound rats" are not welcome in this great farming area of the US. They tear up ground-crops eating young plantings, churn through river beds looking for fish eggs, drive out other wild animal species, and spread disease to man and beast alike.

One retired biologist said, "Once they have a toehold ... it's pretty hard to get rid of them." Many of the pigs are probably being trailered in, in the dead of night, from other states, he added. These feral hogs reproduce so quickly hunters can't keep their population in check; they're so adaptable they thrive in almost any environment.

The pigs have their defenders: hunters primarily. But some scientists say the problem is overblown, that the alarmists and do-gooders are making a big thing out of nothing.

Kansas is not the only place affected: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and at least 19 other states have problems with these "pesky porkers." One writer said, "Each one of these hogs is a rototiller waiting to happen." [Michael Pearce of Newton, Kansas, said]. They can destroy a freshly planted field in a night or two.

Sin has plagued the world with just as much ferocity. It is a deadly disease, passed on from one generation to another. Sin is mean, nasty and horrible ill-tempered.

Sin has its defenders: participants primarily. But some religious people say the problem is being overblown, that the alarmists and do-gooders are making a big thing out of nothing.

But sin tears up families, churches, and businesses; it's been known to tear up whole denominations, even towns; it drives out other wholesome species, and it’s especially devastating to our young seedlings.

Sin spreads its disease to man and beast alike. Once it gets a toehold it's almost impossible to get rid of it. Much of it is being brought in, in the dead of the night. And iniquity is so adaptable that it thrives in almost any environment. And it reproduces so quickly that hunters of sin can’t keep it in check.

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WARNING – CAUTION RECOMMENDED! [1 John 1:9; Righteousness, World]

Large batteries, like those in automobiles and boats, are normally filled with acid (sulfuric, if I remember right); so caution is recommended when handling them. The slightest contact can permanently damage clothing; most often, the damage is unseen till the next washing. I've seen many garments lifted from the wash with blotches of discoloration that virtually decompose when touched.

Sin is like battery acid. And we're exposed to sin on a daily basis in this technological age, by things we use as tools or for entertainment (for example cars, magazines, videos, or the Internet). Caution is always recommended when using them. Their utility is enormous, but they're fraught with danger. What appears on the surface to be a harmless excursion into an entertaining medium leaves unseen damage on our robes of righteousness.

In fact, the Bible warns us to remain "unstained by the world" [James 1:27] and not to love "the things of the world" [1 John 2:15f].

Fortunately, the same Bible offers a way of escape when we encounter this spiritual corrosive. It tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." AMEN. (Added 16 March 2006)

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TAGS: Anecdotes, Atonement, Bitterness, Blood, Cleansing, Crime,
Evil, Forgiveness, Fungus, Illustrations, Mold, Pigs,
Preaching, Reaping, Repentance, Satan, Sermons,
Sin, Stain, Unrighteousness, Wickedness, Word

GOSSIP: Overt Anonymity Or Covert Animosity!

"You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD."

Leviticus 19:16

Your organist has bad breath, but you’re certain of the consequences if you tell her; your deacon chairman hugs the ladies a little too enthusiastically, but to tell him is one step away from updating your resume. Well, finally there’s a way to tell them without all of the potential conflict.

Several Internet companies will anonymously inform anyone about anything, for a price. The put-downs come in plain envelopes with phony return addresses. [Ed. Note: You’ll have to search out the URLs yourself, since I don’t agree with this approach to problem solving.]

Few things are more painful among members of the Body of Christ than anonymous criticism.

It comes in all forms and sizes:

1. "Well, John, I’d love to tell you who told me but they asked not to be identified."
   
2. Also: "I’m sorry, pastor, but I just can’t remember who told me you were having an affair."
   
3. And: "Ordinarily I wouldn’t pass on stuff like this, but we’re such good friends I just had to tell you."
   
4. Or: "I assure you, several people told me. And, no, I can’t remember who!"
   
5. Likewise: "Pastor, you really ought to give this some thought. After all, I’ve heard EVERYBODY is talking about it."
   
6. Then: "Personally, I think you’re a fine teacher. I just thought you like know a lot of others don’t agree."

Nevertheless messages clothed in the armor of anonymity are stealth bombs, intended to inflict the greatest damage at the least cost by a cowardly enemy.

The evil foundation of such criminal communication is the bedrock of Hell itself. People involved in rumor mongering, backbiting and gossip are misguided missiles from Satan himself.

We must not only abstain from evil [1 Thessalonians 5:22] but avoid even the hint of it [Ephesians 5:3].

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Gossip