from here: https://www.themessedupchurch.com/blog/dear-christian-stop-it-p5h96

Dear Christian: STOP IT!!

MAY 17, 2020

There are lots of things that Christians believe that are not in the Bible. At all.

What’s the point of being a “Bible-believing Christian” if you believe a bunch of stuff that isn’t even in the Bible? And even worse, why would you believe ideas that go against what God’s Word teaches us?!

If the ideas listed below pertain to you…

If God really wanted us to “Achieve our Dreams” and “Fulfill our Destiny,” wouldn’t the Bible clearly tell us that? Wouldn’t there be verses in the New Testament where we (the church) would be instructed to “Dream Big” or “Get out of your comfort zone” or “Follow the dream in your heart” or something like that? Did Jesus die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, or did He die on the cross so our dreams can come true?

If we were supposed to have an “Encounter with God” and experience His “Presence” wouldn’t the Bible tell us that? Wouldn’t there be verses in the New Testament where we (the church) would be instructed to “Encounter God” and “Soak in His Presence?” Wouldn’t there be lots of information about how to have these experiences? Instead, there is only instruction about having correct doctrine and living according to that doctrine.

If we are supposed to listen to a guy talk about “life lessons,” “relationship skills,” and “practical advice for successful living” at a church worship service, wouldn’t there be Bible verses in the New Testament where we (the church) are taught that? How is that even a “worship service?” Is a motivational speech really the same thing as hearing from God’s Word?

If we (the church) were supposed to “follow the vision” that our “vision-casting” pastor gives us, wouldn’t there be a bunch of Bible verses telling us about that? Wouldn’t there be at least one Bible verse about this??

If we are supposed to give 10% of our income to our church because that is how we prove our faith to God, so that He will reward us with a great increase, why aren’t there any Bible verses in the New Testament where we (the church) are taught this guarantee for prosperity? Why does the New Testament say that our lives on earth will be difficult if we’ve been given this “tithe your way to wealth” plan? Why didn’t Jesus or any of the Apostles teach, and then demonstrate, this principle for financial prosperity?

If unbelievers just need to hear how God is “crazy about them” because they’re “so awesome” in order to become Christians, wouldn’t the Bible clearly tell us that? Why doesn’t the Bible mention our deep need for self-esteem? Is the Gospel message really about how great we are, and that we just need to “know our true identity?” If we just need to realize how very special we are, why didn’t Jesus give us a pep talk instead of dying on the cross?

(Huh??)

If we Christians can speak things into existence, using the power of our words, why don’t we just do it? Why do we have so many “experts” who must go into elaborate detail to explain it? Why are there 90 million books, seminars and sermons that teach this-shouldn’t they just “speak it into existence?” When did Christians stop noticing that this is actually witchcraft? Does the phrase “casting spells” ring a bell? Furthermore, if there is such a thing as the “Law of Attraction,” why isn’t it anywhere in the Bible? Why do Christians keep talking about this supposed “law” even though it’s a totally non-Christian idea? Is Oprah a new Apostle or something??

If God really wanted to have an “intimate love relationship” with us, wouldn’t His Word say so? Furthermore, if God is longing for this “intimate love relationship” why are we constantly failing at it? Why is God constantly failing at it? Doesn’t an “intimate love relationship” between God and a man sound kinda weird and creepy (not to mention between God and a married woman).

If God is passionate about having an intimate love relationship with us, why doesn’t He answer our prayers the way we want Him to? And if we’re supposed to use the analogy of a marriage, what kind of spouse is constantly withholding stuff in order to establish a close, intimate relationship? Furthermore, if He wants us to totally depend on Him for every need so He can show us He’s really there, why doesn’t He just do it? Why all the confusion?

If we are supposed to be in a constant state of hunger as we say “more Lord, more...” wouldn’t the Bible tell us that? Wouldn’t there be clear Bible verses teaching us to continually ask God for “more?” Why are there no Bible verses telling us to “always be desperate and hungry?”

If God needs to use big, emotional revivals to accomplish His will on earth wouldn’t He have told us to “fill stadiums” in the Bible? Why does the Bible (specifically, the New Testament) describe the establishment of the Church if gigantic revival meetings are so important?

If the Bible is the totally sufficient Word of God why do we need so many new teachings? Why do so many people run towards the latest new “word from God?” Why is everybody and his brother writing books that make outlandish promises that go against the Bible?

If the Church is in desperate need of “new revelations” (for various reasons: to understand the end times, to have “Apostolic Alignment,” to attain the secrets of intimacy with God, etc.), doesn’t that prove the insufficiency of the Bible? Is it any wonder that so many Christians are not at peace: they believe there’s always something new and better around the corner that they better not miss… followed by something new and better that’s right around the next corner that they better not miss… (And none of this is from God!)

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Here are some more articles that might be of interest:

“Bible-Believing” Christian??

Frequently Abused and Misused Bible Verses

Assertions and Assumptions are NOT the Foundation of the Church

https://creation.com/evolutionary-inconsistency-coronavirus

The deep inconsistency of evolutionism, revealed amid the COVID-19 crisis

by Paul Price

Stephen Asma

Published: 5 May 2020 (GMT+10)

As of the time of writing, we are in the midst of a global viral outbreak (a pandemic) known as COVID-19 (the “coronavirus”). The majority of us are being confined to our homes in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease (“shelter in place”), the goal of which being to save human lives, and protect the most vulnerable in our communities such as the elderly or immunocompromised people.

Commenting on this situation, the New York Times featured an article called:

Does the Pandemic Have a Purpose? Only if we give it one. The coronavirus is neither good nor bad. It wants only to reproduce.

Yes, that is a lengthy title. This is an opinion piece by Mr. Stephen Asma, a professor of philosophy. Obviously an attempt to capture an uplifting tone in the midst of this crisis, Mr. Asma’s opening line is, “Nature doesn’t care about you.”1

If nature doesn’t care, why should we bother?

From his evolutionary perspective, this is probably the most accurate thing he has to say in this article. Within an evolutionary worldview, he is being consistent because human life is not intrinsically valuable, and it has no deeper meaning. His next line is:

“That may seem harsh, but strictly speaking, nature doesn’t care about anyone or anything, except passing genes into the next generation.”

How can there be “real despair and tragedy” if humans are part of nature, and there really is no drama, caring or love in nature?

But this still doesn’t go far enough, because nature doesn’t care about anything at all! Nature is not a sentient individual that thinks. It is just an abstraction, which means this is a fallacy of reification (acting as if something abstract is something concrete). The same is also true about viruses—he has anthropomorphized them by suggesting they “want” to reproduce. But they cannot even reproduce on their own! They require hosts to do this, meaning technically they are not alive at all. Machines do not have wants and needs.

In any case, the author’s next step is to reinforce his point (that nature doesn’t care about us) by way of some examples of vicious behavior by parasites. “Why would a loving God create dangerous parasites?”, is the implied point here. Why would God allow the existence of viruses such as the coronavirus? The answer is found in the Fall and the Curse in Genesis 3. This ‘nature’ we see around us is not as it once was; it is not the same as it was when God declared it all to be “very good” in Genesis 1. In fact, when we see bad things occurring in the natural world it should remind us what went wrong, and cause us to consider how fragile our lives are.

Mr. Asma writes:

It’s obvious that our struggle with other organisms matters a great deal to us – causing real despair and tragedy. But from the more general evolutionary perspective, this drama is value neutral. Strictly speaking, it isn’t even a drama because there is no plot in nature.

Keep these statements in mind because they will become very ironic when we discover what Asma is arguing our response should be. Notice also that Asma has created a dichotomy that his own worldview cannot logically support. How can there be “real despair and tragedy” if humans are part of nature, and there really is no drama, caring or love in nature? Evolutionists cannot live consistently with their worldview. They want to have their cake and eat it, too. What would consistent evolutionism look like?

Consistent Evolutionism

Darwinism, hailed by Mr. Asma as a “great achievement”, is very clear on one central point: “survival of the fittest” (actually reproduction) is what drives evolution forward. Asma in his own words on this:

Disease and death are not bugs in the system, but features. In fact, the cold-bath truth is that natural selection works only because many more organisms are born than can survive to procreate.

So how should people who really believe that react to a global viral pandemic? Certainly not by “sheltering in place” and caring for the sick! That notion spawns from Christian morality. Rather, if he were being consistent, he should suggest that nature (evolution) should take its course. Just carry on as normal and let people be exposed. Ideally, this would cause a great deal of death among the lesser-fit—but surely that would be a good thing that would benefit the human species by making us stronger and fitter. That is, after all, how evolution supposedly works. Yet, paradoxically, that is not what Mr. Asma is suggesting we do. Instead, he suggests we make believe we are at war.

Imagining that we are at war with an enemy will help us make the difficult personal sacrifices (like social distancing and sheltering in place) that go beyond our own egoistic hedonism.

Hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure above all else) would certainly not dictate that we expose ourselves to a virus. Hedonism, in this case, would be on the side of sheltering in place to avoid the virus for our own self benefit. But, shouldn’t some simply have to die in the struggle with nature? Isn’t that what Asma just got finished saying a few paragraphs earlier in this same article? If Mr. Asma wants to suggest a heroic sacrifice in the face of this virus, then from an evolutionary perspective he should be saying the opposite: that we should ‘sacrifice’ by going about our lives as if there is no virus. Which is it? One cannot have it both ways and still be consistent.

How is it a benefit to the human race, evolutionarily speaking, to shelter in place? It seems that, despite all his macho rhetoric about ‘cold bath truths’, Mr. Asma really cannot face up to the consequences of his own worldview. He lauds evolutionism but then tries to ‘get it off the hook’. He pretty much admits this when he states:

Since we cannot find our species’ value objectively by looking at the neutral laws of nature, then we must just assert it. And simply affirm that the universe is more remarkable with us in it. [Emphasis added]

Asma has actually been featured by the New York Times writing on the topic of religion previously. A couple of years prior, he had an article published by the title, “What Religion Gives Us (That Science Can’t)”.2 In it, Asma’s not-so-subtle anti-religious attitude is yet again on display, but with a patronizing bent; Asma feels that, even though religion is foolish nonsense, it is still necessary for society as a kind of emotional painkiller (i.e. “the opiate of the masses”, to quote Marx):

I do not intend to try to rescue religion as reasonable. It isn’t terribly reasonable. But I do want to argue that its irrationality does not render it unacceptable, valueless or cowardly. Its irrationality may even be the source of its power … We need a more clear-eyed appreciation of the role of cultural analgesics.

In other words, Asma wants to try to take advantage of the placebo effect. He is suggesting, rather callously, that we continue to allow people (really, Asma seems to mean the unsophisticated masses) to believe in religion, just to keep them happy.

Using the pandemic to belittle Christian thought

After talking down to religious people as having a “pre-scientific” worldview, he turns around and says that we must simply assert things to be true because we want them to be true.

God did not want His Creation to suffer like this, and it is not CMI’s aim to gloat during a global crisis. As Christians, we can see the obvious logical evolutionist inconsistences in the efforts being made to save human lives. But when a major newspaper that has previously displayed its antipathy to Christians abuses this pandemic to ensure the flag of evolutionism does not fly at half mast, we felt we must respond.

After talking down to religious people as having a “pre-scientific” worldview, he turns around and says that we must simply assert things to be true because we want them to be true. This is because, despite his soul-less Darwinian outlook, he is still a human being with a soul living in God’s universe. He cannot help but to see the inescapable fact that human life really is valuable for its own sake. Since his worldview provides no basis for this, he turns to existentialism—irrational leaps of blind faith. But the Christian worldview requires no such irrationalism. Perhaps this may be why he went out of his way to take a swipe at the Christian worldview early on in his article. The Bible gives us the basis for understanding how we got here (it was no accident!) and why our lives have intrinsic value, and why Jesus advocated healing the sick, feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, etc.

Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Our lives have intrinsic value, greater than any animal or inanimate object, because we are a special creation of God in His own image. That is why we must try to preserve lives in the midst of this crisis. Asma claims,

Some might argue that a human victory is not what’s needed here, that the neutrality of nature free of concepts of good and evil obviates a winner or loser. That may be true, if we view it from a distance, but in the thick of it, the imperative of our genetic survival remains. It is our unique Darwinian legacy.

But surely he must know that even the most dire, worst-case predictions about COVID-19, while potentially devastating in terms of lives lost, would never suggest the total annihilation of the human race! The remaining survivors would undoubtedly be the most fit. Plus, we’d all have lower healthcare costs as a result of fewer sick (and sickly) people to take care of! And that is the essence of Darwinism. It is only with a Christian ethic of “love your neighbor as yourself” that we can respond with care and empathy in this situation. In fact, it could be argued that social distancing, wearing face masks etc. are part of this ‘loving your neighbour’ mandate, to ensure that you do not potentially spread the virus to others.

From an evolutionary perspective though, it might help the genetic makeup of our species for the weakest among us to die. But what if that were your grandmother? Or father? Or brother? This crisis is an opportunity for us Christians to show the compassion and truth found only in the Bible; this is in sharp contrast to the spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy of those like Mr. Asma who promote the Darwinian worldview—which has been reduced to irrational, illogical and inconsistent assertions in the face of cold hard facts they simply cannot live with.

Fear of Not Being In Control

excerpts from here: https://lovegodgreatly.com/fear-not-control/

So much in life is out of our control. It’s enough to bring us to our knees.

Which is exactly where we need to go: to our knees in prayer.

Reading Luke 12:22, Jesus, in His love, reminds us that worrying is not the answer. We are not to worry about every day matters like what to eat or what to wear. He pointed to His creation to not only tell us not to worry but to help us to see His love in action. Don’t worry. Why? Because God cares for even the ravens. He clothes them and feeds them. You are much more important and more valuable to God than a raven. If He does that for them, think of how He provides for you in your life!

I’ll be honest with you and say I am not 100% free from my fear of not being in control, but I have learned a few nuggets of wisdom over the years that I’d love to share with you. These nuggets of truth have helped me win more battles of fear over the years, and I pray they do the same for you.

1. Surrender: We are not God.

2. Prayer: Pray instead of worry.

3. Claim God’s truth: God’s Word is powerful and active!

4. Put God’s truth into action: Don’t just read it, live His truth and put it into practice in your life!

5. Trust God: He is good, He loves you, He’s got your back, and He will never leave you.

6. Recognize His kingdom over ours: Our lives are not about us, our little kingdoms, or our glory.

7. Increase our faith, not our worries: Feed what you want to grow!

8. Know the difference between needs and desires: God does not say He will give us all our desires, but He will provide for all our needs. Trust Him with this promise.

Focus on this truth today: Do not be anxious about your life. Instead of worrying, choose to trust, even if you don’t understand what God is doing.

https://lovegodgreatly.com/believe-him/

Believe Him

by Ebos Aifuobhokhan | Apr 22, 2020 | 0 comments

In Nigeria, the stats are rising and so is fear and anxiety. Prices of goods and services have skyrocketed and people are losing hope. You can literally see people wear fear like they do clothes.

I wonder, Is this all? Is this what the devil is trying to do, fill us with fear and take our eyes away from God and His power? Have we suddenly esteemed the power of COVID-19 above the power of the Creator of the heavens and earth? Would this be the end of the faith of many? Is this what will finally break us?

In Numbers 11:23 God asked Moses: “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you will see whether my word to you will come true or not!”

I believe that is the question God is asking His children today: Is my arm too short to save you and yours? Are the statistics suddenly more potent and more powerful than my Word?

What has God said concerning your life? Now is the time to believe Him. Now is the time to spend time in His Word dwelling on His promises. Now is the time to spread the faithfulness and love of God, not doom and fear. Now is the time of distinction; now is the time for the children of God to let the world know Whose they are and in Whom they believe.

May our faith not fail us. In Jesus name, amen.

Ebos Aifuobhokhan,

Hausa Language Branch Leader and Love God Greatly Writer – Nigeria

An Ode to the Introvert by Dionne Gray

from here: https://medium.com/@dionne.gray/an-ode-to-the-introvert-cf50fdf13ef7

An Ode to the Introvert

Dionne Gray

Apr 5 · 4 min read

Original photography by the author

I was recently surprised to learn that my daily routine of quietly puttering around my home has been defined by health officials as self-isolation or quarantine. To me, being able to stay indoors in the delightful presence of my own company has been a pastime I’ve enjoyed for many years.

But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we introverts are having a MOMENT. No longer are we required to live in an extrovert’s world — forced socialization, small talk, and the seemingly endless interactions that drain our energy.

Before I continue, I think it’s important to properly explain the difference between introverts and extroverts. The myth is that if you’re shy and quiet, aloof or a loner, you’re automatically an introvert — but it’s not that simple.

Although most people fall somewhere on an introvert-extrovert spectrum, in short, the difference between an introvert and an extrovert lies in where we get our energy. Think of the two groups as rechargeable batteries. Extroverts get energy from being among others — with each moment, their batteries are juiced up, ready to go to the next interaction and the next. When they are alone, their battery loses power. Introverts, on the other hand, use up their energy just to be around others. With each moment of social interaction, their battery power diminishes. They can only recharge when they are alone.

This explains why some of the chattiest, funniest, most social people will describe themselves as introverts. It also explains why some of us would rather sit in the corner at social gatherings — we are simply recharging our batteries. Introverts love community, we love connecting with others. Like extroverts, we need companionship, love, togetherness, friendship. Introverts can be shy, but many of us are not. Introverts can be outspoken, talkative, spend all night dancing, and love being around people — but only until we run out of energy. Then we must revert to our sanctuaries for much-needed alone time.

In the workplace, introverts often do their most creative thinking and their best work alone, reaching out to others if the need arises. It doesn’t mean that we don’t understand the value of collaboration, it’s just that we collaborate differently. By taking time to be introspective about the work ahead of us, we’re making sure that we can listen for that inner guidance that is usually loudest in stillness.

But introverts live in world that wasn’t designed for us. At work, we’re using our batteries for around eight hours every day — in meetings, problem-solving with others, making small talk while standing in line for lunch or coffee. We relish long elevator rides where no one feels the need to say anything, to just have a few moments of silence before the onslaught of the extrovert army waiting on the other side of those elevator doors.

Introverts have been described as awkward, aloof and loners. But I think it’s because we are largely misunderstood. At the end of the workday, when we decline invitations to get together after work, we’re not being antisocial. We are simply setting healthy boundaries, knowing that we must take care of our minds and recharge our batteries. For some of us, our commute home is the only alone time we’ll get before we arrive at home to take care of our families’ needs.

Original photography by the author.

Now that we are all required to practice social and physical distancing, my fellow introverts are thriving while the extroverts seem to be struggling. How will they charge their batteries? Will they survive the life that us extroverts have been prepping for all this time?

The reality is that we are now living through a future history class. And my hope is that we will all use this time to discover things about ourselves now that we have the space and the time to do it. I believe that we all have the capability to be resilient, to adapt to change, and to evolve. It doesn’t mean that we must now all become introverts — it just means that extroverts will have to find creative ways to charge their batteries.

But my other hope in all of this is that we expand the conversation around diversity and inclusion in the workplace to consider the strengths and differences that introverts bring. In researching for this post, I read an article titled, Famous Introverts and What You Can Learn From Them. The article included quite a long list of strengths that introverts bring to the workplace. Many of them ring true for me:

· Decide quickly what needs to be done and adapt to the circumstances

· Focus on the task at hand without distraction

· Handle situations independently and responsibly

· Listen well when others need to talk about something that’s on their mind

· Seem unflappable, calm and in control

· Thrive in one-on-one relationships

· Think and consider the next move before acting or speaking

· Understand the big picture and how elements connect

Dear extroverts, we welcome you to our world. But please, be quiet about it. Learn to appreciate what we introverts go through every day, having to constantly adapt to a world that was not created for us. Recognize the strengths we bring and encourage us to use them when possible. When all of this is over, we promise we’ll sit quietly and let you have your time of rejoicing. Just please don’t be offended if we decline your invitation to the party.

And to my fellow introverts — unite! Separately, in your own homes, of course.