The North Korean Christian

Photo used under Creative Commons (stephan).

As we you are reading this, are you afraid for you life? Are you about to be killed?

33 Christians in North Korea have been sentenced to death for starting churches.

"...33 North Koreans will be put to death in a cell at the State Security Department" (1).

To be martyred....

What about this.

Muslims in Somalia seized two Christians, a mother of two daughters and her cousin, and after calling the entire village to gather together, they beheaded them in cold blood (2).

The two daughters, ages 8 and 15, were forced to watch their mother and their mother's cousin beheaded.

Martyred....

OK, so what persecution did you go through today? Would you be persecuted for planting churches? Would you me martyred for following Christ's commands? Do we pray for these people and those like them who are in persecution right now?

Many do not have physical freedom, that is a given. However, many are still in spiritual bondage. Live as Jesus commanded, help the poor and tell others the way so all can give praise to God!

(1) http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/03/05/north-korea-rumor-update-missionary-contacts-face-execution/
(2) https://shoebat.com/2014/03/15/muslims-force-young-christian-girls-watch-mother-get-beheaded/

Molecular Robots

Molecular robots. What are they? How do they work? Are they ethical? A piece written by Heather Zeiger, a bioethicists, gives all the lowdown on how they work and the ethics behind them.

While she goes into detail on how they work (read her article for more in depth explanation), I just want to give the big picture. Overall, these that she talks about, are not these little machines that run about the body on wheels or legs or any thing like that. They are little tags that cause a chain reaction of events that tell the body to do something, such as destroy a diseased cell. In other words, they are molecules, designed by scientists, that are to be injected into someone. They are able to tag diseased cells, such as cancer cells, and these cells are then destroyed.

However, she does have a couple of concerns. Like anything in science we have to think through the implications. We have to weight the pros and the cons.

Here are her ethical concerns.

Always with new technologies, there is a question of safety. If this concept works in vivo, and researchers are able to identify tagged cells, the next step will be to see if the automata produce any adverse side-effects.

Additionally, as is the case with things like contrast agents and biological markers, getting the tags into the body is one thing, but getting them out is another. The first question is “Will these automata need to be removed?” The second question is “If so, then how?”(1)

Again, science is not a free-for-all game, we do have issues that we have to think about before we jump into the process. However, not everything "man-made" is wrong. We just have to consider the consequences and ethics. Is it moral, will it destroy life, what are the reasons we are doing it for? All these and more have to be considered as we do science.

(1) Zeiger, Heather. Bioethics.com. http://bioethics.com/?p=14106

Reading Someone Else's Mail

We already talked about description vs. prescription. I want to give you a good example of this thinking in process. It is the story, "description", in Jeremiah 35 about the Rechabites.

Rechabites.

This group of people obeyed their "father" by living in tents, not drinking wine and not planting crops. God blesses them because of this obedience. God, through Jeremiah, uses this group's example to criticize the rest of the Jews. This group will obey an earthly patriarch but the Hebrews will not obey God. Because of this and their example, Jeremiah tells therm that god will bless the Rechabites and they will not lack one to stand before God forever.

What about us?

One may try to say that to be blessed by God, we need to do all that our patriarchs did. This may be true, but one can't glean this from this passage.

As already said, this is a descriptive event, it was never a biblical command. The commands and promises that were involved were for another people, not us nor our time. In other words this promise was given to the Rechabites, not us. In fact it was not even given to the rest of Israel, they were only commanded to follow and obey God. This is the same command that Christ and the apostles have given us, we are to follow and obey God.

A promise for another.

Think of it this way, what if you promised one of your neighbors that you would help her mow her yard. Another neighbor hears this and says, "you promised to mow her yard, that promise applies to me as well." I think you see the issue here? The other neighbor can't claim that promise! It's not his.

If we take the thought that the story applies to us, then we should do as commanded as well, live in tents, never drink wine, and never grow crops. No, we have a greater command, we are to obey, love and follow the laws of God and Jesus. For doing this, we also have a greater reward then they received. We are the sons and daughters of God!

Big Thoughts on Christianity

These "big thoughts on Christianity" have been rattling around in my head. These are areas in my life that I have been trying to work on. Hope you can also put these principles to use!

Focus on Scriptural Integrity.

1) Reading passages/verses in context reduces error and poor exegesis.
2) Coming to the Scriptures to understand a concept, not to prove a preconceived concept/practice.
3) Understand the difference between biblical descriptions and prescriptions, where it describes versus commands.
4) Proper definitions of 400 year words (if the KJV is used).
5) Use and understand the Bible in the way that it was intended.

Encourage Biblical Focus.

1) Have truth, mercy, forgiveness, justice and mercy, and obey the two greatest commands.
2) Receive other followers of Christ as brothers and sisters.
3) Visit the widows, orphans, and prisoners.
4) Tell others the way of Christ with our words and character.
5) Biblical commands take precedence over culture and opinions, nor should culture and opinions be elevated to the level of scripture in word, thought or action.

Culture of Inquiry.

1) Understand others more and vigilant to ask questions so I don’t misrepresent another.
2) Understand why, if possible, so I can give reasons for the faith of Christ.
3) Understand biblical reasons and commands and encourage others to use them for their arguments.
4) Understand and be confident in truth so I'm not immediately threatened by error and deception.
5) Understand discernment with wise and knowledgeable ethics built upon biblical morality.

Throw Your Genome Away!

In a recent article by Dr. Tomkins, he writes the following:

It was once believed that the regions in between the protein-coding genes of the genome were wastelands of alleged nonfunctional “junk DNA.” However, we now know that these previously misunderstood regions are teeming with functional activity—and a new study shows they are actually required for life (1).

The idea of junk DNA is another area where the evolutionary ideology has failed us. Only about 1-5% of the DNA codes for protein. The rest of the DNA was assumed by many to be leftovers from evolutionary ancestors.  Most who held to this view were biologists with evolutionary presuppositions. Directly steming from this assumption, much of the genome regions went unexplored for years.

Now we know different. In fact most of the DNA has been assigned roles, very important roles within the cell. Interestingly, many of those who held to the view of life originating from a deity, have for years theorized function to most of the "junk DNA". Truly, as the old saying states "ideas have consequences."

(1) Quoted text and image are from the following source: Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D., . N.p.. Web. 3 Mar 2014. <http://www.icr.org/article/7875/>.

Love Not the World

1 John 2:15-17 is a very important passage, it does two things, it prescribes what we should do and not do and second helps define one of the definitions of the word "world". It says the following: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

I see two overarching concepts here: 1) Do not love the world 2) love not the things that are in the world. Concept two is broken down into three things. The first two seem to be broken down into both physical and nonphysical lust. Jesus makes application of this in Matthew five when he talks about murder and adultery (1). The third one tells us that pride is of the world and is sin.

To have the "love of the Father" in us, we need to flee immorality. If you are not a follower of Christ, repent and turn to him. If you are you are practicing unrighteousness, turn back to Christ. Idolatry, sexual immorality, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, homosexuality, divisions and wild parties are acts of immorality. Those who do these things "will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galations 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 1:10).


(1) Matthew 5:21-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

Vulnerability And The Christian

God's wisdom.

God has greater wisdom than us, when he commands we should follow even if it goes against what we feel would be wise. Being a Christian is a vulnerable position. It is not a "bed of roses." There may be persecution and hardship. Can we expect less if Christ and the Apostles went through trails and death?

Following Christ demands that we all do our part, I have found it strange that some think we should not interact with the "world" (those who do not know Christ) (1). However, this thinking is not at all biblical. Christ, the apostles, the early church and many great Christians throughout the ages all taught and acted in opposition to this thinking.

Our platform.

One area that I powerful is the social networking and blogging world. I see many Christians "advertising" their business on let's say Facebook (which I am not against doing), but what about talking and posting about the most important things in life?

This is a great and powerful avenue for the furtherance of the Kingdom. Christ, the apostle's, the early church, Christians in persecuted countries, and many early starts of solid Christian groups used any and every sources that they could to tell others about Christ.

If your friend was in the path of an impending bullet, would you try to inform him to move? What about eternity? Are we willing to tell others the way to Christ showing freedom from sin, hell and Satan?

Freedom.

In the past there was great persecution, many Christians retracted into the background. While this might have been wise for that time, today there is a good measure of freedom of speech. We should be talking! Yes it is easier to "sit on ones hands", but this goes against scripture teaching (2).

Blessings.

You will be blessed by God if you challenge the nominal Christian. You will be blessed if you if you interact with those who do not know Christ. You will be blessed if you interact with the unbelieving on the street, on social networking sites, in the neighborhood and in the work place.

Be bold, be intentional, be confident, be knowledgeable, be merciful. That's how Christ was.

Yes there will be criticism. There will be persecution. But God will give joy and blessings! That is all that really matters.



(1) 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world."


(2) Matthew 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

I do want to note that this is a perpetual propagating command that Jesus gave. It says "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." If the apostles taught others what they were taught, those others would have to "...teach all nations...Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." It goes on as an unbroken chain. 

This command can be seen lived and obeyed in the early Church as written in Acts:

Acts 8:1-4 "...And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles...Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."