Salt and Light Blog

Are you a self-described Christian? In other words, do you consider yourself a Christian? Do you believe in an actual being known as Satan, or is he just a symbol of evil? A 2008 Barna Group survey revealed that 59% of self-described Christians either strongly agree or agree somewhat that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” Twenty-six percent disagreed strongly and 9% disagreed somewhat with Satan being merely a symbol of evil. Eight percent weren’t sure what they believed (those would be the politically-moderate no doubt!).

Born-again Christians, those who say they’ve made a personal commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, are twice as likely to disagree strongly with the notion that Satan is a mere symbol of evil. That means barely half of born again Christians believe that Satan is an actual being as described in the bible.

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Technorati Tags: demons, devil, Satan

The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us how powerful love can be. We have all heard of the cases where a child lifts up the back of an automobile to rescue his father who has knocked the car of its jack. This kind of power is supernatural; it is not something of which man is normally capable. Another amazing display of love is the power it can bring out in us when it comes to laying down our lives for those we love. That love drove my son to face a fierce enemy, both physical and spiritual. Jesus said:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

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Technorati Tags: Jesus Christ

You’ve probably heard this old adage before: “When the times get tough, the tough go shopping.”

Okay, so it may not be an old adage, but too many people live by it. And why do some of us go shopping when times get tough? To make ourselves feel better, to have a sense that we are still in control. The problem is we are not in control of our lives. The outcome is in God’s hands.

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Technorati Tags: Happy New Year

So should we use apologetics, that is the defense of Christianity, with an atheist? Well let me ask you this question, similar to what our new friend Mrs. J asks in the book Unexpected Journey by Thom Rainer. Did you learn about apologetics before you acquired faith and was it apologetics that caused you to have faith?

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So how can we actually reach out to someone who is intent on destroying Christianity? Or how do we reach out to someone who is apathetic towards God? Like we do with any person we first meet, we build a relationship.

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Yesterday I said we would take a look at how we confront atheism.

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I continue to be amazed at the vitriol thrown at the jury of the Casey Anthony trial. One lady called them a bunch of idiots. No one has called the prosecutor an idiot. Has anyone considered that perhaps his smug courtroom demeanor may have been an outward sign of some pride issues? I don’t know this man nor do I know his motives, no more than 99% of the commentators do about the evidence presented in the case. I’m still awaiting eyewitness or forensic evidence that would convict Casey.

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I heard a song this weekend by Chris August titled “7×70” and the chorus goes like this:

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As a Christian, have you ever doubted your salvation? Perhaps you are thinking, “Gosh, yes most days I do not feel like a Christian!” Well, dear Christian, if you are counting on your feelings to assure your salvation you have much reason to doubt.

Our feelings lie to us daily; that is because our soul becomes corrupted by sin. Our salvation assurance does not come from our soul, it comes from the Word of God and verified by the Holy Spirit within us:

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I pray this devotional finds that all of you had a wonderful weekend and went to church on Sunday. I apologize for not finishing this up on Friday, but it was my birthday and I just took the whole day off. It was a wonderful birthday weekend thanks primarily to my lovely bride Karen and to so many well-wishers.

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Fear can be paralyzing, whether it is real or perceived, known or unknown. Satan loves to use fear to cripple Christian warriors. He knows he can’t defeat us; Christ has won the victory. So, he plants fear into our hearts and minds, just like an enemy might plant a disease into an opponent’s water supply to slow down an advancing army.

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The Random House Dictionary defines deception as “the act of deceiving; the state of being deceived.” It further defines deceive as “to mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude.” It is an evil and vile thing to deceive someone. So what are we to do with those who would deceive us? How can we know we are being deceived? The Apostle Paul warned the Roman Church:

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Yesterday I received an email from a young sister in Christ who has a friend who has just read Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, and she, a professing Christian, now believes that in the end all people will go to heaven and that God uses hell to eventually convert everyone. My young sister’s concern was can a person be saved and believe lies about God. That is an excellent question.

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The Lord reminded me this morning that He is in charge of justice, not me. I am to present the aletheia truth, to seek it no matter where it takes me, and to stand on it. As for the false teachers, the Bible lays out a very unpleasant future. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this in 2 Peter 2:4-11, particularly in verse 4:

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”

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If we have the Bible and endless commentaries, commentaries that are solid in their exegesis, then how is it that so many are led astray? How can we have a solid track record of Biblical Christianity where the truth has reigned and yet false teachers can rise up? How is it possible for a man such as Rob Bell to be the “hottest” preacher in America and to have a widely received blasphemous book? Because it is prophetic and the Apostle Peter warned us nearly two thousands years ago:

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In his second epistle, the Apostle Peter is coming to the end of his life and ministry and leaves a treasure trove of wisdom to his beloved flock and for posterity. We today have the benefit of his deep wisdom. I doubt Peter realized that his two letters would end up in the New Testament, but he most certainly understood the precious gift that is Scripture:

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