Getting Connected (Plugged In)

There is a specific body of believers (a local church) for every member of the Body of Christ, whether we're in one place or we relocate. Just as the Spirit draws us to Christ, He also draws us to that specific body of believers He has for us wherever we are. We'll know the specific body of believers He has for us, because our spirit will connect with the spirit of that church supernaturally; that is, it will already be affirmed in our spirit the moment of connection.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” (Acts 2:44, ESV)

“The group of believers were united in their hearts and spirit. All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group. In fact, they shared everything.“ (Acts 4:32, NCV)

We have to be careful that we don't forcibly try to make any church our "home" church. Doing this is like trying to put a three-prong chord in a two-prong socket. It will not fit. If you cannot plug in, then there will be no connection; and no connection equals no power. But, if you find a socket for a three-prong chord there's a difference, and it's automatically affirmed the moment of connection. The same is true with the body of believers Christ has for us where we are.

2007

Should We Be Afraid of Dinosaurs?

Why do people insist on questioning the authenticity of the Bible regarding dinosaurs? There is no reference in the Bible for the term universe, or space, or cosmos, but rather you know of it as heaven(s), or firmament, or sky. Yet, no one questions the reality of space in the Bible. Can it be that dinosaurs fall to the same thing as the term universe, space, and cosmos? Rather than the term dinosaurs being stated in the Bible, you may know of them as beast, or dragons, or leviathan, or any of the other "every living creatures" God created that we don't recognize by name. If the Bible says God created every living creature both of the water and earth, and we have the bones of dinosaurs, then that would mean they fall under the "every living creature" God created, right? This is not rocket science. Just as God doesn't give us the details about space––the many galaxies, planets, stars, etc––in the Bible, He also chose not to give us details about certain creatures in the Bible as well––dinosaurs are among many other creatures we don’t hear about in the Bible, but we see they exist or existed. Does that mean we should question the Bible because of their existence as well? This is an inadequate and foolish effort to refute the validity of the Bible. The Bible is not an encyclopedia, it wasn't meant to tell us everything, but just what God wanted us to know (Deut. 29:29).

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." (Gen. 2:19)

"The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen." (Isa. 43:20)

The Bible says, "God created… great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly… and every winged fowl…" (Gen. 1:21) "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth…" (Gen. 1:24) "…wild beasts of the desert… and owls… and satyrs [could be butterflies]…" (Isa. 13:21) "…leviathan that crooked serpent… the dragon that is in the sea." (Isa. 27:1) "…dragons in the waters" (Ps. 74:13) "…the dragons of the wilderness" (Mal. 1:3) "…small and great beasts" (Ps. 104:25).

Other creatures mentioned in the Bible: Lions, wild asses (donkeys), bears, eagles, quails, serpent …and there are probably more than these cited above, but not every creature in the world is referred to in the Bible. Remember, we serve a sovereign God who knew beforehand what the world would be like with dinosaurs around. Thus, by them obviously not being here, He chose to let them become extinct for His perfect reasons. And just like space, rather than tell us all about it, He allows us to find and figure it out ourselves to stand in awe of His creative power! So for us as believers, dinosaurs (like space) should help to prove the existence of God, not disapprove Him; and they should help to display the individuality, power, and glory of God, not discredit or denounce Him.


Here are some notes taken from AnswersInGenesis.com about dinosaurs:
*Dinosaur means ‘terrible lizard’.
*Dinosaurs had posture that was fully erect, similar to that in mammals; unlike reptiles.
*Evidence of these ‘transitional forms,’ as they are called, should be abundant. However, many fossil experts admit that not one unquestionable transitional form between any group of creatures and another has been found anywhere. If dinosaurs evolved from amphibians, there should be, for example, fossil evidence of animals that are part dinosaur and part something else. However, there is no proof of this anywhere. In fact, if you go into any museum you will see fossils of dinosaurs that are 100% dinosaur, not something in between. There are no 25%, 50%, 75%, or even 99% dinosaurs—they are all 100% dinosaur!
*If God designed and created dinosaurs, they would have been fully functional, designed to do what they were created for, and would have been 100% dinosaur. This fits exactly with the evidence from the fossil record.
*Creation scientists believe that dinosaurs were called dragons before the word dinosaur was invented in the 1800s. We would not expect to find the word dinosaur in Bibles like the Authorized Version (1611), as it was translated well before the word dinosaur was ever used.

2007

Showstopper

After reading through Scripture and noting some of the stories in the Old Testament (e.g. Ruth, Esther, Nehemiah, etc), and the tapestry of both the Old and New Testaments, I developed a notion. I sometimes look at life, during certain situations, like a stage play. The present circumstance(s) is the plot, we and any others involved are the supporting characters, and God is the main character.

As we face whatever the situation may be, we always come to a point where we realize, "There is nothing I can do with this, it's out of my hands to control". It's at this point where God drops this reality, "This is My part of the play. Everyone clear the stage, it's time for the Star to take over the show." And thus, in whatever situation we're facing, we are to step aside––by not getting anymore involved or further dabbling with the issue––and allow God to be God––let His glory (magnificence, brilliance, awesomeness) be put on exhibition for all to see, so He and only He can get all the credit and praise.

This real life illustration should relieve us in those situations from constantly trying to figure out something to do, force something, or be concerned about screwing it up, and place it in God's hands for Him to work it out––which is just what He always does, work it out! If and when He wants us to get involved again, He'll usher us out on the stage to play whatever part we have left. Until then, we let God perform the show/take care of that situation.

2007