Lifestyle of Peace | Christian Living & Discipleship

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Five Presentations on Atheism, Chinese Persecution, Evidence for God and Abortion Arguments

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" -Hosea 4:6.

To be robust Christian activists, warriors for Christ in the culture we must constantly be fighting for the truth on the very pioneers of truth and knowledge. We must meet people where they are with the timeless truths of scripture and the life of Jesus Christ. We can do this by constantly expanding our knowledge.

What is happening in the world? What are the latest events? What do young people, millennials believe today? What are the best arguments for atheism? What are the best arguments for theism? What about abortion? And what of the persecuted church? How can we reach the young with the gospel?

It is our responsibility to stay at the forefront of world events and at the forefront of knowledge. Only then can we counter every argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). Stay blessed friends, keep fighting, though it looks bad now, our hard work day and night in our culture and society will plant that seeds that fuel the future transformation of our society in the hope and power of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Enjoy, and share!

1. The Atheist Delusion Movie
Featuring: Ray Comfort
Producer: Living Waters
Description: This whole post is largely to showcase this new documentary by Ray Comfort's ministry. The Atheist Delusion is a must see movie. Definitely watch it and share it with everyone you know.

2. Christian Persecution in China Documentary
Featuring: Persecuted Christians in China
Producer: Unknown
Description: This is a very eye opening documentary. We live in such a cloistered world in the United States. But not too far from us, Christians are being persecuted and murdered for their faith in Christ. Bridge your awareness, learn about and support the persecuted ones.

3. Is there Evidence for God?
Featuring: William Lane Craig & Kevin Sharp
Producer: The Veritas Forum
Description: The Veritas forum facilitates discussions between Christians and atheists, as well as naturalists and agnostics to discuss the reason for God. William Lane Craig is an excellent apologist, definitely follow his work.

4. Is Jesus God? Excerpt from documentary "Mining for God"
Featuring: Lee Strobel, W.L. Craig, Gary Habermas, et al.
Producer: Mining for God
Description: Mining for God is a documentary I really believe in. It's a great presentation of the robust evidence for the Christian worldview. Unfortunately it hasn't reached as many as I've hoped, so please share clips from the documentary on social media. It's a must see for non-believers.

5. "180" Movie
Featuring: Ray Comfort
Producer: Living Waters
Description: This is a great documentary of interviews and discussions with young people mainly, attempting to help millennials understand the sanctity and value of human life. Specifically the topic of abortion is addressed. Check it out and share it with others!

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Friday, October 28, 2016

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love The Salvation Army

CC 2.0 via Flickr

You may or may not know that the writer of this blog, me, Mr. Justin Steckbauer is a soldier and officer-candidate in The Salvation Army. Though this is my personal blog, and the views on it are mine alone. What is The Salvation Army? What do they do? I'd like tell you the top ten reasons why I love the Salvation Army! Enjoy.

10. Vocational extremism - These reasons are not in any particular order, but I would probably place this near #1 if I could. There are no half measures in the army, there are no token efforts, there is ministry to the extreme. This lifestyle of very straining, it is certainly not for everyone, but it is missional in the starkest terms. It means serving with your entire life, meeting needs, and reaching those with the gospel without compromise.

9. Adult Rehabilitation Centers - millennials like myself, well, we're a bunch of a potheads, pill poppers, and drinkers. It's a growing trend in our culture, from huge cities to tiny sea side communities like Escanaba. Young people are literally dying in the streets, overdosing on drugs like heroin, morphine and oxycontin. One could say meth has gone viral in our communities, dominating the lives of untold millions, slaughtering them over time. Who will rally to meet this challenge? The Salvation Army of course (along with many others). It's a relevant, today, now, sort of challenge and I love that the Army is taking it head on.

8. Jail Ministry - Have you ever gone into a jail and preached the gospel? It's something you'll never forget. It's a place where the gospel can be heard and should be heard. "Visit those who are in prison" right? Jesus told us to do it, and we do it. I can't explain it, I just can't, find some way to get in and do it yourself. You'll see what I mean.

7. Biblical emphasis - There could be the temptation for the Salvation Army to drift away from the gospel and simply slip into being just another charity that does social services. Not so! The Christian mission of the Salvation Army remains strong and vibrant. Secular? Not at all. It's gospel, biblical, evangelical Christianity.

6. The Lost art of mentoring relationships - Having an older, more experienced individual speak into your life is a blessing beyond measure. It's become a lost art in communities, in the church, but not so in the Salvation Army. I've been mentored by some great, towering figures of the faith. This process is built into the structure of the Army, yet it also happens organically. There are times when you want to give up, because it's so hard, and so much is coming at you. But when someone speaks into your life, encourages you, and tells you that they're proud of you, it makes all the difference. The wisdom imparted is amazing.

5. Feeding the hungry - This is something we've learned to take for granted in the United States. Everyone has food, no one need starve. How did that happen? The generosity of churches and charities like the Salvation Army. Nope, it wasn't the government redistributing your tax dollars. It was and always had been churches and charities. The Salvation Army corps across America tend to always have a monthly or weekly food basket program and a kitchen that serves meals open to the community free. The corps I've served at, have had meals at least five times a week. An interesting statistic in my area of Salvation Army work, is that 80% of those come and collect a monthly food basket only do so once and never return. In other words, far from creating dependency, people come rarely and only when in need.

4. Homeless Shelters - It's amazing how we take stuff like this for granted. We always just assume that in most cities homeless will have access to shelters. Isn't it amazing that in most of the 1st world that is the case? And in much of the 3rd world, that is not the case. But more so than ever, facilities are being created by organizations like the Salvation Army and Compassion International. We take it for granted, but it wasn't always that way. Not so long ago, many homeless froze to death during winters. Thanks to the Salvation Army probably more so than any other organization, there are thousands of homeless shelters in the United States. I know, I worked at one. And it's an amazing experience to work with people and see their lives changed.

3. Women-empowering - Women are quite capable and effective at sharing the gospel. The Salvation Army is quite aware of this, and empowers women to lead in the ministry work of saving souls from eternal lostness. Women are strong and effective leaders in the Salvation Army, just as much as men, which is a wonderful thing. One of the best parts about Salvation Army officership is that man and wife serve together side by side as war leaders in the battle for Christ; Could anything be more romantic? Didn't think so.

2. Quasi-Military Structure - Funny interesting fact, the quasi-military structure of the Salvation Army probably led to the insistence at one time by the Russian government TSA was an actual army and a threat to their civil government. Thankfully those insinuations were finally dropped when Russia came to understand that TSA just wanted to be a blessing to their poor and needy. An arms dealer once said that he'd sold guns to every army in the world but the Salvation Army. The military structure of the Salvation Army is one of it's key strengths. It makes it more than just a fluffy religious order. It's an army, a bold offensive force on a mission.

1. Red Kettle season - It's a central staple of Christmas culture in the United States, the red kettle bell ringers. Red kettle season is a magical time of chaos and glory in the Salvation Army. There is nothing quite like it. The red kettles are right in your face. The Salvation Army had the gall to request to ring right in front of major grocery and convenience stores. Who could believe it? Imagine the rage of the secular and atheistic groups in the United States? But the Salvation Army has always pushed the limits and insisted on engaging the culture in a real way, with open air meetings, knocking on doors, parades, and community outreaches. That's the wonderful thing about it, we're part of the community, not apart from it.

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Was God just to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah? Or is God a moral monster?

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Reading the historical accounts in the Old Testament, from thousands of years ago I sometimes ask myself: Could this really be true? Isn't this too fantastic? I have my doubts, just like anyone else. But there is something intriguing about these ancient sagas. God manages to amaze when we inquire. We can certainly throw up our arms intellectually and say, 'preposterous.' But if we actually reach out with a bit of faith, a bit of inquiry and begin to study these things... well that humility can take us to the truth.

Let's look at one account, the account of Abraham and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a classic account. It's culturally relevant. We know these terms, even if we aren't theologians. God sends fire and brimstone and down upon this city of completely innocent bystanders. Then again, not really. But God destroys a full city of people, thousands, a city renowned for it's evil ways in the ancient world.

All of us, most of us are thinking one thing as we read these words: How could God do this? How could he slaughter all these people?

Now, if this was a legendary account that issue would probably not come up. Why? Because it might discredit the account. But just as I'm thinking those questions Abraham asks God a question.

²²The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ²³Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
²⁶The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Genesis 18:22-26 NIV

Abraham keeps lowering the number of people who theoretically could be in the city that might be righteous. The angel of the Lord continues to respond, that if there are only a few who are righteous in the city, he will spare the entire city on their account. Ultimately, God is explaining to Abraham, and to us today, that he isn't cavalier in his decisions. He doesn't destroy the righteous along with the evil. He destroyed that city because 100% of the people in it were evil to the core.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah routinely committed child sacrifice. Rape was common. All sorts of sexual perversions. All kinds of evil were taking place in this city. They rightly deserved to be punished, just as if someone raped and murdered your own mother, you'd want them tried, sentenced, and convicted.

That offends our modern sensibilities of course. If so, so be it. I find it so fascinating though, that Abraham asks the question that we're all asking at that moment. "Is this fair?" God's succinct answer is,"yes."

The hardest thing in the universe for us to accept is divine accountability, the fact that we are liable for our daily behavior to God almighty. I know, my mind fights it too. It's because the poles have been reversed in reality through the fall of man. Instead of us working from the precept that God is sovereign, which is the factual reality, instead we operate from the inverted perspective that we are sovereign, and instead we fly back into the face of God and attempt to judge his actions. We look at the troubles of the world, decrying God's goodness in the face of such evil. But God didn't do those evil things, humanity did. And when he corrects things, through his holiness and divine justice on people who act in evil, we instead blame God and try to judge God. The poles are reversed. Instead of judging God, we should try to understand that our perspective is limited, God's perspective is eternal, and he judges us, because he's qualified in every way to do so, and we don't have to judge God's actions, we can trust that he is perfect, and holy, and true. We don't understand now, but we will understand later. That doesn't encourage your thought, as Gandalf might say, but it's the truth.

Again and again Jesus said, "I'm telling you the truth." The world lies to us day and night. Jesus cuts through all that with a very hard truth: That the son of God had to come into the world to receive for us exactly what Sodom and Gomorrah received justly for their excessive sins. Jesus came to be the offering for us, to take our punishment, and wipe away our debt of sins and give us eternal life. The holiness of God and the fear of God can help us to comprehend this mystery.

"Worthy is the Lamb" artistic depiction cc 2.0

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Sunday, October 23, 2016

The Glory of God: Cosmos, Biology, Nature & Optical Phenomenon

Photograph of the Aurora Borealis in Anchorage, AL cc 2.0

Message Audio:

Moses said to God, “Please show me your glory.” -Exodus 33:18

Every moment, literally, is filled with the glory of God. Here in our little lives we get to experience some of the glory of God. But we experience it everywhere, if we’ll tune our minds and hearts to it. I see the glory of God everyday, if I have the right eyes to see it. When I’m at work, I experience it in others. When I’m at the nursing home volunteering I see it. When I’m at home, and I look at my cats, I’m seeing a little piece of the glory of God. When I look at the stars at night I'm seeing God's glory.

The glory of God is most certainly beyond our full conception. But, we can perceive some of it. But what exactly is the glory of God?

John Piper, a prominent theologian of our time defines it like this: “the glory of God is the holiness of God made manifest.”

The glory of God is the manifestations of God’s greatness, beauty, and wonder. It is the awe inspiring effect of His mysteries. The glory of God is the effect of his holiness and infinite nature.

In fact the scriptures themselves display the glory of God. Yet God’s glory is also present in the natural world.

The word of God says, “The Heavens declare the glory of God.” I certainly think that’s true. When we look up at the sky at night, or at the sunset, or the sunrise, we are admiring a piece of God’s glory.

For ages man looked up at the stars and wondered. In our age, they built telescopes, like the Hubble and have taken magnified photos of far off galaxies.

Like this one. They aimed the Hubble telescope toward the center of our galaxy, and took this photo. The heavens declare the glory of God. God gives us a look at his glory when we look at the stars and galaxies.

Here is another photo aimed toward a different region of our galaxy. God made this. It’s out there right now, a massive reflection of God’s glory. This cluster of forming stars is much larger than our entire planet, or even our entire solar system. An image of God’s glory, describing just how much higher his ways are than our ways. Our ways focus on our home, workplace, the city we reside in, maybe even national news and some deeper thoughts, but the mind of God deals not in cities or countries, or even in entire planets. God’s thoughts span star systems, galaxies, nebula, and dimensions beyond our comprehension.

Here’s another photo. These are all photographs, not doctored in anyway, simple snapshots. Could this be a Hubble telescope photo of some far away galaxy? Nope. This is in fact a photograph of brain cells, the little engines in your brain, taken by a microscope.

In fact, you yourself are a manifestation of the glory of God. Your body, the structure of your being, your anatomy and physiology are reflections of the glory of God. They are manifestations of his creative genius and propensity to develop beautiful and harmonious structures in the world. You are a creation of God. In fact, you are a dream in the mind of God.

Habakkuk 2:14 ESV says: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Scientists have been increasingly realizing that the universe we exist in seems to be an artificial reality. Some astronomers speculate that the universe is being artificially projected from black holes, because the event horizon of black holes is actually 2 dimensional. Almost like a projector screen. These scientists are now directing more and more of their efforts to trying to “break out” of this artificial universe. Additionally, as scientists look deeper and deeper into cells, they find that the resolution of the universe itself isn’t high enough for them to look any deeper. In other words, its like examining a painting close up and you start to notice the brush strokes of the painter.

And I have to laugh. They recognize that the universe appears to be a designed reality. They recognize that something has put it all together. But they are so obsessed with resisting the notion of a creator, of God, that they have to resort to thinking we live within some sort of videogame reality that they need to break out of.

We fight so hard as humans to escape the inevitability of divine accountability. Yet once we go through that wormhole, we find the very meaning of life and the ultimate purpose of our existence. It’s worth the price.

This is a microscope photograph, via Discovery Magazine of an enzyme produced by your body, called insulin. My goodness when I first came across this photo and stared at it, at the shape of the insulin crystals, I was aghast.

I had to mockingly ask myself the question: Does that look designed!? Of course it does. It looks intelligently generated in the starkest terms. Those crystals are produced by your body, automatically! It is absolute madness to suggest some sort of evolutionary route over billions of years to get this sort of ordered complexity. Madness. Insulin is designed by the creative and scientific genius of God almighty. Nothing could be more obvious, yet nothing is more intellectually resisted. That’s in your body right now, regulating your sugar levels, ensuring the most precise balance to sustain your internal organs and blood functioning. Evolved indeed, such silliness!

One of the most sacred reflections of God’s glory we see here. This is a human embryo, 3 days old. Simply astounding. Glory to God. This is someone’s baby picture. That was you, just after conception. A clump of cells or a sacred human life?

Whether by the telescope or the microscope, life itself declares the glory of God.

The scriptures say in Revelation 4:1-6: “Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal."

Notice the rainbow is mentioned as part of this incredible description of God’s throne in heaven. Maybe it looks something like this.

I remember I would look up at the rainbows I’d see as a child and I’d be filled with wonder. Then as I began going to school I recall they tried to give us textbook “Scientific” definitions of the rainbow. Something to do with natural gases and blah blah blah. They always do that don’t they? They try to find some way, some reason to take the wonder from life. They try to explain everything away, until we’re nothing but materialist meat puppets fulfilling evolutionary Darwinistic desires for propagation and survival. Science is wonderful is how it can analyze our world, and help make our lives easier. But when science moves into the area of philosophy and starts trying to define the meaning and purpose of all life, it fails to produce accurate results. The rainbow is a reflection of God’s glory, and his promise.

But perhaps the greatest manifestation of God’s glory is in Jesus Christ our savior. The scriptures say: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” -Hebrews 1:3 ESV.

Jesus himself, in his infinite glory holds the universe together.

I couldn’t help but think of that scripture when I came along this photo. This is a photo of an optical phenomenon often referred to as “glory.” Though scholars debate how exactly this phenomenon forms, it has something to do with the rays of the sun interacting with water particles in the atmosphere.

Yet maybe it gives us a little glimpse of the idea of what it means for Jesus Christ to hold the universe together by the word of his power.

Bu it’s interesting how scientists tend to make discoveries that support the word of God. In fact Scientists in the past 20 years discovered the Higgs-Boson particle, a particle that literally holds the universe together, and allows for mass. It quickly garnered the nickname “the God particle.”

Indeed the natural world is full of magnificent sights that fill us with awe and amazement. This is a photograph of the largest hot spring in the United States. It’s simply amazing. In fact, as I gathered these photos together for this presentation, I found myself increasingly haunted by the fact that despite being such disparate representations of creation, from galaxies to brain cells to rainbows and the natural world, the thought kept coming to my mind that they all look quite similar in aesthetics. As if they were all designed by the same artist.

Our job today, tomorrow, and everyday is to live like Jesus. And to live for Jesus. Jesus being number one. And in so doing, we become like sun, the moon, the stars, nature, animals, and the very cells in our bodies, we become walking manifestations of the glory of God.

So we are called to reflect the light of the son of God. In fact, when are saved, reborn, regenerated by Jesus Christ our Lord he actually comes and lives within us, and we become his hands and feet on Earth.

Colossians 1:27 says regarding this: “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

And John 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

So we see that God makes his glory known through the creation. And we see that God makes his glory known through Christ in us.

And finally, we see that in the future we will see the ultimate representation of God’s glory in the eternal city of heaven. When we move past the veil of tears, and our lives end here, we will awake in glory, in the eternal city prepared by Christ for us.

Revelation 21:23 says “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” In our coming reward, our coming eternity, for all time, our future coming existence, which will never end, will be a place lit by the full glory of God. We will see the full glory of God himself, and live within the eternal bask of our creator’s wondrous glow. And in the lamp light of our savior Jesus Christ. Our destiny is to live within the glory of God, the expansive, incredible, joyous glory of God.

Ultimately when we talk about the glory of God, we’re talking about living in the presence of God. The glory of God is what the joy of heaven is. It is living in the joy of seeing God at all times. And living in full peace, becoming so much more than we are now. It is the full coming into the fullness of what we are as people, made in the image of God, restored, having given glory to God, now welcomed into joyousness, the presence of God. We get little tastes of the glory of God, the joy of God today as we carry the gospel and love others, but in our eternal future we shall experience the full glory of God, beyond anything we can fully comprehend. And we ought to look forward in great hope for that day.

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