Tag: Seeking God

Why I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

On By T.J. AllenIn Christian Living, Spiritual Condition and Duty, Spiritual RenewalLeave a comment
Ghost Busters
Logo from the movie Ghostbusters.

Who ya gonna call?

Yes, I know the word “ain’t” isn’t proper English grammar and there is a double negative. It is just when hauntings and ghost sightings are mentioned I hear the theme from Ghostbusters start off in my head. Personally, I don’t believe in ghosts per se. Okay, one Ghost, and I am not afraid of Him, but I will get to that in a minute. Let’s explore the possibility that there are or are not ghosts. As with any subject supernatural, I use the Bible as my premise and foundation.

Ghosts Defined

A ghost, as defined by Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) is “the supposed spirit of somebody who has died, believed to appear as a shadowy form or to cause sounds, the movement of objects, or a frightening atmosphere in a place.” As defined, I do not believe ghosts exist. You could probably bring to this argument, hundreds, if not thousands of arguments to the contrary. These would include haunted houses with unexplained phenomena ranging from thumping noises to furniture moving, to a cold presence, and sick owners. I could not dispute what these people have encountered. My question would be: was it ghosts? I think not.

I believe in angels, fallen angels, demons, and/or evil spirits. Nothing more. I think that all the hauntings, evil and cold presences, sicknesses, and thumping noises are demonic in nature.

Why?

To answer this, we have to go back to the beginning of the creation of man and the world to the first account of fallen angels. The king of fallen angels has been called by many names throughout the years: the Devil, Lucifer, Satan, Father of Lies, the Accuser, etc. Not exactly human-friendly terms. Most religions of the world have this evil being as the leader of all this evil. He not only hates God but all that is good and created by God, especially humans.

Also in creation, we can find why he hates humans so much. After God created all and saw that it was good, He created man in his image (See Being Fully Human for more discussion). The man was the crown of God’s creation and above all the world of created beings. Satan would and does attack the closest thing to God and to God’s heart: man. One of the most effective ways to injure a man is not to attack him, instead to attack his family.

How?

Several of the demonic tactics in luring humans away from God is to seed doubt in our minds, especially in times of sorrow or stress. This accounts for the seeing of loved ones or even animals shortly after their death. Humans seek stability through reasoning and answers. We do not like change and pain. We prefer pleasure and simplicity. Demons appear as our loved ones in an attempt to question what we know and lead us away from God. Many times God is silent to the passing of our loved ones. He has His reasons, even if we don’t agree with them. We long to see them again. If demonic activity allows for our greatest longing during our most enormous pain, to see our loved ones again, then we tend to relieve the pain through acceptance.

Summary

The Bible clearly states concerning Christians for us to be separate from the body is to be present with the Lord. Though some religions mention the body lingering for up to three days before departing, the Bible does not teach this. There is no mention of people hanging around or visiting loved ones once departing this life. Rather, there is a void that exists. Then something else is impersonating our loved ones. Satan and evil forces exist and will do almost anything to keep you from the one true Holy Ghost. This Ghost or Spirit is not to be feared but loved since He is the Spirit of Love. So now, who ya gonna call?

4 Philosophical Ways to Know Jesus

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and Duty, Spiritual RenewalLeave a comment
The Thinker.png
The Thinker. Sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer stated there are four basic rules of philosophical argument or debate. These rules help govern debates through logical steps and conclusions. Here are the basic principles in simplified form:

  1. Everything that is, exists.
  2. Nothing can simultaneously be and not be.
  3. Each and every thing either is or is not.
  4. Of everything that is, it can be found why it is.

So, how do these rules of philosophical debate stack up when discussing who Jesus was and is? When conducting any investigation one must use facts as stated by reliable witnesses if the investigator is not an eyewitness to the events. So it is also with any debate or argument.

Everything that is, exists.

Over the years there have been attempts to prove Jesus of Nazareth never existed. These investigators come up, not surprisingly, short of concrete proof for the His non-existence. On the contrary, history is replete with factual evidence of Jesus’ existence so vast that it cannot be listed here. From the Bible to Josephus to early church fathers, the references are there. It begs the question: does He still exist like Christianity claims?

Nothing can simultaneously be and not be.

Many have said through the ages that Jesus was a good man or a good, moral teacher. He claimed of Himself to be the Son of God and the Savior of the World. C.S. Lewis and Josh McDowell stated Jesus was: a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God. A lunatic could not, and would not have had the mental capacity to establish the ways, beliefs, or truths of Christianity. No liar could be a good man or moral. This leaves Him to be who He said he was: the Son of God and Savior of the World. He cannot be a lunatic, liar, and the Son of God simultaneously. He has to be one and not be the others.

Each and every thing either is or is not.

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and in fact, God Himself. This same claim was, and is made of Him by Christians since His death and proclaimed resurrection from the dead. He either is what He says He is or He is not. He cannot be the Son of God and not be the Son of God. When speaking to the religious leaders of the day he stated the proofs of His deity: His miracles, His words, and the testimony of others to include: God the Father, John the Baptist, the Holy Scriptures, and those He had healed. These witnesses being reliable as they are, also provides evidence that He still exists today.

Of everything that is, it can be found why it is.

What of Jesus’ existence on earth? If He was, and is truly God, as He and His followers have stated, why was He here on earth? His mission is stated in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (ESV) There is a thief who steals everything from man that can be stolen. This includes our joy, our purpose, our souls, and our lives. Just look around the world today and throughout history. Jesus came to stop the thief and give man back all he was designed by God to have. That starts with his life eternal. This is the difference between Christianity and all the world’s religions and belief systems. Man’s spirit is dead within him. Jesus creates that spirit to come to new life; a new creation. He offers and requires a spiritual renewal. The world religions and belief systems neither require, nor offer such renewal.

You Can Know

Those who would debate against the existence, mission, and validity of Jesus have not examined all the evidence. Rather they have taken the stance of “My mind is made up don’t confuse me with the facts.” Two great books filled with the evidences of Jesus and His mission is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel and New Evidence That Demands a Verdict
by Josh McDowell. Examine the evidence and know Jesus existed. He was more than a moral teacher. He is who He says He is and He wants a deeper relationship with you. I invite you to start your relationship with Him today. Click on the link below to learn more.

Begin a Relationship With Jesus

Being Fully Human: Claim Your Birthright
       

Finding Something Better Than a Golden Dome

On By T.J. AllenIn Christian Living, Spiritual Condition and Duty, Spiritual RenewalLeave a comment
20160318_103832
Golden Dome of the Georgia State Capitol

 

On the street corner in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, a friend and I were standing, chatting, and waiting for the little pedestrian icon to turn from orange to white so we could cross the street. An older woman came up to us and looked passed us up to the top of a building beyond.

“I am not concerned about Jesus Saves,” she said. “I am looking for the golden dome. Do you know where it is?”

It took us a minute to realize what she was asking. I think our hesitations cast some doubt in her mind as to whether we could give her a trustworthy and satisfactory answer. My friend’s name being Jesus (Hey-Zues) added to my confusion. We guessed she was talking about the golden dome that sits atop of the state capitol government building along Washington and Trinity streets in downtown Atlanta (More about the Georgia State Capitol) . We pointed in the general direction of where we believed it to be. With apparent no trust in our judgment, the lady headed in another direction. The dome was indeed in the direction in which we had pointed.

Jesus Saves

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Steeple with “Jesus Saves” on both sides.

 

Jesus and I continued towards a building where we were to conduct an inspection, discussing the strange encounter. We were not sure what she had meant by her not being “concerned about Jesus Saves.” Part of our inspection included the roof top. We decided to go there first. Once upon the flat roof I surveyed the Atlanta skyline. I saw a steeple with the words “Jesus Saves” on the side of it. I looked down and saw the street corner where the lady had spoken to us. Other buildings had blocked our view of the steeple where the brief discussion had taken place. I realized what her statement meant. She wasn’t looking for this building, but for the building with the golden dome.

This woman echoed the sentiments of so many people. They don’t care too much about “Jesus Saves.” They just want to know the direction to the golden dome. Jesus addressed this very concern of the world’s obsession with things that are limited and false. People prefer the shiny things in life to what Jesus has to offer. The golden dome this lady sought has twenty ounces of gold leaf covering it. It is estimated to be worth $30,000. As impressive as it sounds, it is still temporal.

The golden dome represents man made government and society. In Isaiah 6:9a, the government and kingdom of God is spoken of. The scripture says “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” (ESV, italics are mine for emphasis). The government of man shall pass away in all its imperfections, but the government and kingdom of God will not.  Jesus saves from the temporal and faulty government of man and replaces it with His kingdom. It starts now in our hearts and will be in full force when Jesus sets up His kingdom at the end of time.

We pointed the lady in the right direction, but, again like the world she didn’t trust us with our directions any more than she trusted Jesus to save her. I wonder if she even knew what she was asking. I know she meant it one way, but it could be taken another. I wonder if she thought, “What is it that Jesus saves from?” Based on her statement and then her interaction with us, I would hazard a guess that she never gave the statement a second thought, much less a deeper meaning. She, after all was “not too concerned with Jesus Saves.”

I, on the other hand am very glad Jesus Saves and Jesus saved me. As Ravi Zacharias has said, “Jesus did not come to earth to make bad people good. No, He came to earth to make dead people alive.” Jesus saved me from death. He saved me from a life of aimlessness and worthlessness. He saved me from the slavery of sin and deceit. He saved me from eternal separation from God and he saved me from unrighteousness. He saved me from me. He came to give me life and that more abundantly. He did all that by the renewing of my spirit. This is what it means to be born again; to be born to new life and to become a new creature. This is how Jesus Saves. This is the good news we must tell to others, even those who are not so concerned that Jesus saves and prefer the gold and golden domes.

Getting to Know Jesus

Find out more about the abundant life with Jesus at the links below.

Are You a Watchman?

Christianity Coexist? It Cannot Happen.

5 Daily Questions

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

2016-01-28 17.13.51There are five basic questions every Christian should ask everyday of God and/or of themselves. These questions are foundational to maintaining the key relationships in our lives.

  1. God, what are your plans for me today?
  2. God, what do I need to learn today?
  3. Who needs my love today?
  4. Who needs my forgiveness today?
  5. Of whom do I need to ask forgiveness?

The first question really is answered by the following four (or more). This is the starting point for the next four and all other questions that might arise. After all, isn’t God’s plan for your life completed one day at a time? There was a popular license plate/ bumper sticker sometime back that stated “Jesus is the Answer” in large letters and in smaller letters “What’s your question?” Though it sounds simplistic in nature, its intent is to point the reader towards the starting point in any situation: a relationship with God.

If we truly believe God is in charge of everything including our lives, then we know everything that happens today He will use for our good. Does it always feel good or comfortable? No. Is God caught off guard? No. Though we may never fully understand all that happens each day or even in our lives, faith knows no matter what: God is God. This is an attitude that says, “Okay God, here I am. What do you have for me today and please remind me through it all: You are in charge through the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The second question stems from the first. Dr. Chuck Swindoll says God has two reasons for allowing anything to happen in our lives: to draw us closer to Him and/or to make us more like Him. Life is designed by God to be a learning experience. It is surprising how many people believe when they finish their formal education that there is nothing else for them to learn. Joyce Meyer pointed out how God’s school of life works. We are all tested and if you fail the test you get to keep taking it over until you pass. Then you graduate up. Even the Apostle Paul said of the Corinthians, who had not grown, they should be eating spiritual meat, yet many of them were still on milk. God expects us to learn and grow.

In being more like God, we need to learn to love. It is easy to love our own, but what about the acts of love that stretch us? We are called to love even when it is not comfortable or easy. Once a man and his wife were having marriage difficulties and it even looked like they might split. She had enough. He had enough. He went to God.

“God, I am tired of being hurt,” He said. “What am I to do here?”

“Repent and love your wife,” God said.

“God, how can I love someone who doesn’t love me? Do you know how hard that is?”

“Yes. I do it all the time,” God said.

It has been said we are the most like Jesus when we forgive. What motivates us to forgive? Love: the same thing that motivated God to send Jesus to die for us. Are you seeing how one question moves into the other? Jesus mentions forgiveness three times in the Scripture containing the Lord’s Prayer in the sixth chapter of Matthew. At the end of the prayer He states the Father will not forgive us if we do not forgive. Notice, He didn’t say the Father couldn’t forgive. He says the Father will not forgive. A Christian who is holding onto unforgiveness will not have the forgiveness of God. Do you feel like your relationship with Jesus and others is stifled? That your prayers don’t seem to be getting any higher than eye level? Are you forgiving others? You may have something going on where you believe you forgave an offender, but it is still there. It may even take several attempts to overcome, yet it is essential to your walk with God.

Who have you offended? Do you owe them an apology? You may think everything is just great, yet there is an issue that keeps coming back around. It may be just a small irritation, a small deal, but it just won’t go away. You really didn’t hurt their feelings did you? You were just joking or that’s just the way you are. If they have a problem with what you said or did, they need to tough up. Right? (Insert buzzer sound here!) It’s up to you to make sure everything is really ok with everyone around you.  Yes, that includes your jerk ______ (Fill in the blank.) If you think about a situation in a negative light more than once then it needs your attention. If you have a splinter in your finger, you work to remove it or it will fester. If you have a splinter or a log in a relationship, you need to work to remove it or it too will fester.

So often folks will quote the Bible from Romans 8:28: “All things work for our good,” they say. When in reality the Scripture says God will “work all things for the good of those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” He intends for us to be seeking His purpose. Further, verse 29, hardly every quoted, tells us what the purpose is: so that we are made into the likeness of His Son. That good which is spoken of is fulfilled in us being like Jesus the Son who sought God’s plans each day.

We all have a mission. It starts with love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. How we handle our mission is based on how we approach God and each new day He has given us. If we leave God out, are we really fulfilling the mission He has placed us here for? I firmly believe you are where you are in this time because God ordained you for “a time such as this.” This is your time. Fulfill your mission day by day.