What's Your Favorite Christmas Song and Why?

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know?

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Over the past few years this has become one of my favorite Christmas/Easter songs. I say Christmas/Easter because this song speaks of Jesus as Lord and Savior. I love the fact that this song walks through the amazing things that Jesus did as the Son of God and Son of Man. Most important it speaks of the future reign of Jesus as the Eternal King and the fact that he is God. What theology in a song. I love it! 

So what is your favorite Christmas song? Why is it your favorite?  

The Bible on Gay Marriage

 

In the latest issue of Newsweek the lead article, entitled "Our Mutual Joy", speaks to the Bible and gay marriage. Normally I take articles like this with a grain of salt. Most non-believers do not know the Bible so why would I listen to any argument they have in regards to what the Bible says? Well the reason I'm speaking to it this time is because the so-called tolerant are becoming intolerant and more vocal about imposing their agenda and in this case gay marriage. 

Ms. Miller starts off her article by showing instances of sin in the Bible. She uses this as the foundation of her article and the premise for her argument about the Bible and gay marriage. What she fails to do though is to see God's grace in the situations she cites. In each of the instances of sin she cites, God forgives the sin of the person involved after they repent of the sin they committed. The Bible is all about sinful men and God's grace, after all Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. 

When confronted with scripture, Ms. Miller states the following, "while the Bible and Jesus say many important things about love and family, neither explicitly defines marriage as between one man and one woman." I guess we will ignore Genesis 2:27, 1 Cor. 6:12-20 and 1 Tim. 1:8-11. Ms. Miller also says, "no sensible modern person wants marriage—theirs or anyone else's —to look in its particulars anything like what the Bible describes." Really!!! I guess I must not be a sensible person. I guess the rest of the Bible believing Christians are not sensible people too. So once again if you believe in the Bible and follow it's statutes and are convicted by them then you are not sensible. She goes on to state that the Bible gives us no good reason why gay marriage shouldn't be acceptable. 

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor. 6:12-20

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted." 1 Tim. 1:8-11.

Ms. Miller then goes on for the remainder of the article to take scripture out of context and to call verses that state that homosexuality is a sin in the Old Testament "throw away verses". Ms. Miller also cites liberal thologians that take the verses out of context and do not believe in a traditional hermenuetical translation of the Bible. I guess when you have to prove sin is ok and that you do not require a savior you have to bring your presuppositions to the text and then force the text to prove it out. 

You know I could go more into Ms. Millers article and break down the falicies within it, but ultimately what this boils down to is that there is only one difference between thos ewho are gay and accept a gay lifestyle and me as a believer. That difference is that as a believer I have accepted Christ as my savior. I have recognized that I am a sinner and a hypocrite. I have recognized that as a sinner I need to repent before a Holy and just God. I also realize that without Jesus Christ as my Savior I am doomed to an eternity in hell. What Ms. Miller and many other non-believers are looking for is an acceptance of their own sin. After all it is easier to make the statement, "Here, the Bible praises enduring love between men. What Jonathan and David did or did not do in privacy is perhaps best left to history and our own imaginations." in reagrds to 2 Sam. 1:26 instead of repenting of sin. 

Ms. Miller you are right in that Scripture is about love. God sending His Son to die for our sins is a sign of His love for us. We as believers are called to love all men, but we are also called to hate sin. Ms. Miller if you truly desire eternal life you must realize that you come to God bringing nothing. You must come realizing that you are a sinner requiring a Savior.

Believers, do not allow these words o persuade you into believing that Scripture is what Ms. Miller and many liberal theologians say it is. Be a faithful Berean and search scripture and pray.

Amazing Video and Amazing New Bibles

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

A friend of mine showed me this video yesterday and I have to be honest I was amazed. Why was I amazed? I am amazed that first people who do not approve of marriage being between a man and a woman are being portrayed as haters. Really!! Because my personal convictions do not allow me to accept gay marriage I am a hater. Coming from a group that preaches tolerance, I find that a very intolerant point of view. I will say right now that if you are truly convicted by your religious beliefs then there will be intolerance to something. My religious beliefs make me intolerant to sin. Now this does not make me perfect, because I to am a sinner. I am intolerant of my own sin too and confess that sin before a Holy God everyday. Knowing I am a sinner allows me to be evangelize other sinners, not as a person who is better than them, but as a person who believes that Jesus died on the cross for his sins. Because of that belief my sins are forgiven. That truly is the only difference between Jack Black, any gay person on the street and me.

The second thing that amazed me about this video was that they portray people as being duped into voting for Proposition 8. So what you are telling me "Hollywood elite" is that the same people you have been saying are stupid because they believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins are the same people that were so smart and witty to convince people to vote in this manner. Really!! Once again what I see here is those who preach tolerance, being intolerant and saying, "oh by the way if you don't see tolerance my way then you are intolerant, not me." I really don't want to belabor the point because I firmly believe that people who support a gay lifestyle are being seen for what they truly are.....arrogant and selfish. This truly shows that this is all about them. By the way they also liked our political system while it worked for them, but now there is something wrong with it. Funny, don't you think.

Lastly and I really must say the worst part of this video is the part with Jesus. Really, if you are going to quote scripture, please use it in context.Do me a favor if you will and before you slam my faith read a little more about it and especially if you are going to slam the Bible read all of it. You really only make yourself look ignorant when  you pull things out like the Bible says it's OK to stone and sell women into slavery. 

I know that most people probably find this video funny, but to tell you the truth I find it offensive. The reason I find it offensive is because the same respect gays demand, they do not give. The same level of tolerance they preach, they do not give. The love that they say the Bible preaches and they say they advocate, they do not give. Am I surprised by this, no I am not. Am I saddened by this, yes. I am saddened because my Lord was mocked and people find it funny.

 

 The new Bible that caught my attention is the "Illuminated Bible". NPR wrote an article on this Bible that described it as a Bible that is for a hip, young and even secular audience. So do I find this disturbing? Do I find something inherently wrong with this? Well honestly it's a yes and no answer. The yes would be to the fact that the Bible as it is now, is for all people. The Bible as it is, needs no changes to make it hip. I also don't care to much for the picture below in regards to Scripture. The Old Testament could be described as a love story, but between man and woman. The Old Testament could be described as a love story between God and man, his creation. God loved Israel and chose to make her His own. She did not love Him back and also cheated on Him with other Gods. God in His awesome grace though provides a Savior. That's the love of the Old Testament.

  

So, with all that said, why do like this Bible? Mainly because people who would under normal not pick up the Bible will now...maybe...just maybe pick one up. Like the article says, it's geared for secular people. The contemporary photography may bring people to the point of purchasing a Bible that a regular Bible would not. The problem is that same photography. The Words that are inside the Bible are more important than the pictures. I fully understand that God can use anything to saving faith and maybe this will bring some to that saving faith. Maybe those same people that enjoy the video above will purchase this Bible and God would use it to bring them to repentance and ultimate salvation. I hope and pray that would be the what would happen.