Elder’s Corner: “We the People”???

Those words seem to have an empty ring in light of the recent Supreme Court rulings. When States tried to protect the sanctity of marriage by legislating the “defense of marriage acts,” the people overwhelmingly voted that marriage should be between a man and a woman (duh!). It is God's intended plan for a family and procreation. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). This is the “natural” way God planned for mankind to reproduce and sustain a family. I'm willing to bet that all these “couples” who want same sex marriage came from parents of the opposite sex! :)

The media reported that 57% of the population are now in favor of same sex marriage (they didn't call me for their survey). First, let me say that even if 100% of the people agree that something is “right” doesn't make it so. There are absolutes that God has established which are true regardless of what 9 justices (5 in the same sex decision) decree. The scary part of the court decision is not just the content of the case, but the fact that rule of law played little into the arriving at their decision (the decision wasn't rendered based on applying Constitutional law). The judicial branch has taken on the role of Congress in wanting to write legislation instead of what it was established to do–enforce the laws Congress passes. This is especially critical when their views seem so tied to the executive branch (and how could they not be when they are appointed by that branch).

Self-government will only work if there is self-discipline and integrity of the justices. One hopes the court hasn't given up interpreting the Constitution in favor of being “people pleasers.” Romans 1:32 states “Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (see also verses 21-31). So where does that leave us? 

I was sitting here reading 1 Peter in my devotion time this morning. Will that freedom ever be taken away? “No way.” I said the same thing 30 years ago when someone said “someday they'll approve same sex marriages.” You can see where we've come from and where we're going.

So is civil disobedience ever an option? 1 Peter 2:13,14 says, “Submit  yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men; whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” Peter wrote this during the reign of one of the cruelest emperors of all times, godless, brutal Nero. But. . . .I think there are two things that warrant and even require civil disobedience. One is when the government passes a law that requires you to do something that God forbids.

The second is when the government requires you to abstain from doing something that God commands. In the first instance it could be a county clerk who is a Christian who refuses to issue same sex marriage certificates. Will the courts hold that the county was justified in firing her? What if the courts held you couldn't pray in public? Would you do what Daniel did in Daniel 6:10? He was obedient to God instead of king Darius. In Acts 4:18-20, we have an account of the authorities (religious and civil) telling Peter and John not to speak any more about Jesus. In verse 19-20, Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard.”  In Acts 5:29 ^NASB we read these words: “But Peter and the apostles answered and said ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”

I remember a quote by Abraham Lincoln “To sin by silence when one should protest makes cowards of men.” Even though we can't vote for Supreme Court justices we can vote for those who appoint them. I hope you aren't silent at the next election!         

—Alan

The Spiritual Reality #12: Ghosts & Goblins

Ghost stories have been around for thousands of years. Even Jesus’ disciples displayed a belief in ghosts when they saw Him walking on water (Mark 6:49). In recent times, ghosts have stepped into our media through Charles Dickens’s 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol and subsequent movies which supports ghosts. Since then, an abundance of movies propagating the belief in ghosts have appeared “Field of Dreams,” “Ghost,” “Casper,” “Lost,” etc. And TV shows such as “Ghost Hunters,” which attempt to investigate claims of ghosts using infrared cameras and other devices.

Through this popularization of ghosts,  studies point to nearly one in five Americans believe in ghosts, and also claim to have seen one (http://www.relevant magazine.com/god/world view/what-does-bible-say-about-ghosts#1mShvXoK Q1EkPUHL.99). But does the belief in something prove that it exists?  What does Scripture say about the existence of poltergeists?

Before we can address this question, we need to have an understanding of what a ghost actually is. Webster defines it as “the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people.” With this definition in mind, the Bible clearly addresses whether or not ghosts exist.

In Luke 16, Jesus tells an account of two people who have died, one man named Lazarus and the second called a rich man. Lazarus was said to be in Paradise, while the rich man was in Hades (a place of torment). Yet neither one were able to change their locations as bad as the rich man would have liked.

Hebrews 9:27 plainly states “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”-^(NASB). There is no in between, and there are no second chances once this life is over.

“For the wicked (all non-followers of Jesus Christ are reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury” (Job 21:30 ^NASB). Therefore, Scripture tells us that “today is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

“No evidence has produced a single fact that should sway a Christian into believing that the spirits of deceased people can loiter on earth” (https://answersin genesis.org/angels-and-demons/do-you-believe-in-ghosts/?utm_source=articlesmedia&utm_medium=email&utm_content=featurebutton&utm_campaign=20141031). Then how does one explain the experiences many claim to have had?

Scripture points to only two possibilities of their identity. First, it is possible for a person to be confused by a figment of their imaginations. Or second, it could be a sighting of something demonic. In his book The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena, Christian author Ron Rhodes states, “People sometimes genuinely encounter a spirit entity—though not a dead human. Some people encounter demonic spirits who may mimic dead people in order to deceive the living (see 1 John 4:1; 1 Tim. 4:1–3). Many who claim to have encountered such spirit entities have some prior involvement in the occult” (p. 71).

Why would demons want to deceive the living by impersonating the dead? They are enemies of God, and would like to cast doubt on God’s Word and its warnings about the future judgment.

Therefore, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

In His service,

     Matt