Sunday

Advent One and Advent Two

Advent One and Advent  Two
 
After our wonderful meals of Thanksgiving and blessed times with family and friends, November is the month that hopefully leaves us with hearts of gratitude, to an almighty God from whom all blessings flow.  Apostle Paul says it well to the church at Corinth…
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
 
ADVENT
So Thanksgiving, is a great prelude to the next calendar event which is Advent.
For those who have not heard, Advent by definition is that arrival of a notable person – Christ-with the time frame beginning four Sundays prior to Christmas.  So starting this year, Sunday Nov. 29th will be the first day of Advent continuing for many days until Sunday December 20th. During this time, Christians around the world observe this sacred occasion as a season of remembrance, reflection, expectation, prayer and fasting, acknowledging the coming and second coming of Christ.
 
ADVENT ONE
The first coming of Christ we see many documented scriptures declaring the truth of His coming in the Old Testament.   We see the manifold prelude of prophecies broadcasted throughout a timeframe from Genesis to Malachi, giving clear direction on how to look for and see Christ the coming Messiah.  Some experts have suggested that there are over 350 Biblical fulfilled prophecies of the coming Messiah. The fact of prophecy is one of the strongest evidences that clearly confirm that the Bible is inspired by God.  There are a multitude of specific predictions that are evident of the fulfillments of Advent One or points to the future fulfillment of Advent Two. Scriptural accounts of prophecy are so precisely accurate that if you compared it from a mathematical probability, one would easily see that, the probability of 9 prophecies coming true of Christ is 1/10 to 76th power. 1/10 to 76th power is like picking the same grain of sand four times in succession. Each and every prophecy in the Old Testament of Christ came true.
 
In the New Testament we see one of the first accounts of the coming of Christ
“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’ “ Mary and Elizabeth’s visit was filled with joy, excitement and blessings.
 
Elizabeth exclaims, “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Mary would come to visit with Christ in her womb.
 
Likewise the shepherds were overjoyed that the angels…a multitude of heavenly hosts came to them…praising, singing and saying “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men!” 
 
This compelled the shepherds to go and see…
 
“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.  
 
They CAME! 
 
“And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
 
In the gospel of John, this author echoes both Advent One and Advent Two.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Solidifying the Deity and what some may call the Incarnation of Christ, John tells us that “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
Christ himself tells us His reason for coming…so save us sinners
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”
 And  “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”
ADVENT TWO
During the Last Supper, with Christ and His disciples, his desire was to eat this Passover meal them before He went to suffer on the cross.  He mentions drinking with them again when He sees them again  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ ”
 
Jesus Christ promised them that He is coming again to receive them as His own
John publicizes loud and clear Advent Two “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so,  Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’   says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
 
This Advent season, my hope for you is to look and see that Christ has come to you in Advent One and come to you in Advent Two.  So while Christ has committed to come to you
I invite you to come to Christ
 
The response to COME is to GO
 
Go and know the risen Savior, currently sitting on the right hand side of God.
Go and know the Redeemer of the world
Go and know the God and Creator of the world that will call you His friend and heir to his kingdom
Come and Go!
 
RESOURCES
Luke - Chapter One
Luke - Chapter Two
Luke 5:32
John - Chapter One
Matthew 5:17
Revelation 1:7
 
 
Calendar:
Check calendar to attend a class or workshop:   www.simonelake.com
Check KMOG – Focus on Faith to hear Simone

About the Author:
Simone Lake is a Christ follower, bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake (of Church on Randall Place), passionate pray-er and Bible teacher.   A graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Simone holds a Master’s degree in Theology and an Apologetics Certificate from BIOLA.  For over seven years, she writes Firm Foundations, published in the Rim Review, every first Wed. of the month.          Visit her:    www.deeprootsinchrist.com,  www.simonelake.com, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 
Audios available at:  http://deeprootsinchrist.sermon.net
 

Saturday

The Reliability of the Bible

“The Bible contains truth found nowhere else. Human reason may discover certain truths about God. But the revealed truth of the Bible exceeds these so as to defy comparison. One may exhaust the meaning of the contents of other books, but not that of the Bible.”
- Herschel Hobbs
 
The question still lingering in the hearts of the unbeliever, doubter or the
 just-don’t-know-ers is…  ‘How do you know the Bible is true?’
 
The answer to that question is that we can trust the accuracy of the Bible, through research and study, we can hold up a variety of witnesses as evidence to confirm biblical content.
 
There are four major facts that we will look at that solidify and confirm that the Bible is true and reliable and applicable for today.
 
FACT #1 –Manuscripts  
There are more manuscripts, earlier manuscripts, and more accurately copied manuscripts of the New Testament than any other book from the ancient world!” Dr. Norman Geisler
 
This statement is valid for the Old Testament as well.
 
Great numbers of manuscripts enable scholars to have a more accurate reconstruction of the biblical text by cross-referencing.
- There are 5700+ Greek partial and complete manuscripts of the New Testament
-There are 10,000 Latin manuscripts
 -There are 19,000+ non-Greek manuscripts including Coptic, Syriac, and other Middle       eastern and European languages.
For comparison sake, we can look at a number of surviving copies of other ancient manuscripts
-Homer’s lliad=1, 757
-Writings of Herodtus (the father of history)=83
-Plato’s Tetralogies=210
-Tacitus (the greatest ancient Roman historian, also a contemporary of Jesus) Annals and            Histories =31
Based on all this historical and archaeology evidence, experts tell us that the entire New Testament, except for  11 verses, can be reconstructed just from the writings of the early church Fathers. 
 
 
FACT # 2 - Archaeology
Archaeology is considered one of the external tests for Biblical Reliability.  It is one of the strongest evidences that clearly confirm that the Bible is inspired by God and is predictive prophecy with multitude specific predictions that have been fulfilled or points to future fulfillment.  The New Testament has been cited by over 30 non Christian writers through historical documents and/or confirmed by archaeological research. There are over 60 confirmed historical details in the Gospel of John and over 80 confirmed historical details in the book of Acts.  Not to mention the historical resources of: Tel Gezer, Ebla Tablets, Ipuwer Papyrus, Jezebel Seal, Silver Bowl of Artaxerxes I .  And the historical and biblical accounts of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, Crucifixion Victim ,The Nazareth Decree
 Gallio and Plato’s Inscription
 
 
FACT #3-Prophecy
There are two types of prophecy found in the Bible
Specific Non-Messianic Prophecies that do not relate directly to Jesus but to
God’s overall nation and people and then specific Messianic prophecies that relate to Jesus Christ and His position as Savior of the world. The history of this Israel nation, was prophesied  throughout the authors of the Old Testament writings about the ancient Jewish nation.  One specific event was how they would be conquered twice and that God’s people would be carried off as slaves each time. This prophecy, to this day is completed to fulfillment over 3500 years of history.
 
The fact of prophecy is one of the strongest evidences that clearly confirms that the Bible is inspired by God with multitude specific predictions as evidence that have been fulfilled or points to the future fulfillment.
 
Specific Messianic Prophecies deal directly to Jesus Christ our Messiah and Savior and Lord.  They are many and I encourage you to do an extensive study on them all. But due to a limitation of space, here are a few prophecies of Jesus Christ;
Seed of the women (Genesis 3:15), Offspring of Abraham (Genesis 12:3) Tribe of Judah  (Genesis 49:10) From the house of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6) Son of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) Jesus Christ would be proclaimed as King (Zechariah 9:9) and Jesus Christ would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10)
 
For comparison sake let’s look at the Mathematical Probabilities of the prophecies of Christ The probability of 9 prophecies coming true of Christ is 1/10 to 76th power.
1/10 to 76th power is like picking the same grain of sand four times in succession.
According to the whole universe, there are only 10 to 60th power atoms  
 
 
FACT #4-Science and Scripture
Hailed as one worthy of many prizes in science, Herbert Spencer greatest achievement in his field was his discovery determining that everything exists into one of five categories.
Spencer said, “Everything fits into one of these categories, time, force, action, space, matter,” and was hailed by the scientific community.
In the Bible, the very first chapter and verse gives us all these five categories long before Herbert discovered them in 1903. 
Genesis 1:1 contains the five areas of Science.
Time: “In the beginning…”
Force: “God”
Motion: “created”
Space: “heavens”
Matter: “Earth”
 
We can see through the pages of the Bible both Old Testament and New Testament,
scripture after scripture as evidence of this science
 
1 Corinthians 15:41 - “There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.”
We can research and find that there are no two stars alike, not to mention the uniqueness of the sun and moon.
 
The list goes on and on:
Job 36:27-28 - explains the water cycle and rain
Amos 9:6 - explains oceanic evaporation.
Isaiah 40:22- describes the roundness and circle of the earth,
2 Samuel 22:16 - discusses the ocean floor called “oceanic trenches”.
Genesis 17:12 – gives the important number of days a newborn boy should be circumcised Based on vitamin K and the important blood clotting element.
 
 
Will you rely on the Reliable One?
It is vital to your eternal life for you to see that the Bible IS a reliable source.
It is a source that you can take and receive as truth.
So will you?  I hope and pray that you do.
 
Resources:
The International Society of Women in Apologetics
Nelson Glueck,
Dr. Joseph Holden
Dr. Norman Geisler
Herschel Hobbs
Answers in Genesis
Craig Blomberg
Colin Hemer
 
 
NOTE:  Firm Foundations article is published every first Wednesday of the month in Rim Review newspaper
 
 
About the Author:
Simone Lake is a Christ follower, bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake, Bible teacher and a passionate pray-er. A graduate of Golden Gate Theological Seminary, Simone holds a Master’s degree in Theology Studies and Apologetics Certificate from BIOLA University.
She is a well sought after speaker and teacher. Visit her on: www.deeprootsinchrist.com,  www.simonelake.com, http://deeprootsinchrist.sermon.net, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn
 

Tuesday

In View of the World

Lately in the news, we have seen all kinds of changes, happenings, disasters, rumblings and catastrophes around the world.  Along with each of these comes a variety of opinions and responses in every type of assortment including political, social, culture, medical, financial and more.
 
Currently, our newspapers, television, and many forms of media have covered all kinds of everything, including; many political candidates, each one with different viewpoints on different matters, petitioning the America votes so they can become the next president of the United States.  We have seen and heard all kinds of choices offered to women in regards to her own specific body and health not to mention the specific body, health and life of the unborn baby inside her womb  We have observed the national deficit rise in astronomical figures affecting us all as we are practically effected by the tricking down effect. Crimes have increased worldwide, breakdowns of individuals’ emotional and mental state due to the magnitude of stress in their lives has increased.  Devastations of natural disasters including; floods, earthquakes volcanoes continue to wreak homes, countries, areas effecting devastating results on people and families.  People forces out of their home and countries fleeing violence and seeking protection for their families only to be rejected by the nearest countries they traveled to for safety.
 
Let’s face it, there are problems worldwide
The reality is enormous!   The list is endless!  The pain is raw!
. 
How do we filter all these world events, (not only current events but historical events) through reason, our thoughts, and our beliefs? The way each of us view the world has tremendous power and influence on the decisions and behaviors that we make in our personal lives. 
 
What’s a World View?
James Sire states “A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions that we hold about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.”– James Sire, The Universe Next Door.
 
A presupposition, are beliefs that are tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument; to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance
 
What is your view of the world?  It depends on who you ask from around the world.  Everyone has a viewpoint, a philosophy, a set of assumptions whether you realize it or not.  We make assumptions based on how we our influence from the world around us.  These form our own thoughts and our own opinions leading us to decisions that influence our whole lives.
 
Christian World View
“Developing a Christian worldview is important for the Christian because it tempers the way we interact with and assess the fallen world in which we live.” - Gregory Alan
Our world is broken…there is only one help. God!  He is the creator of the world, He declared it, formed it and spoke it into being.  The Psalmist writes -"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork."
From the Christ follower’s perspective, our viewpoint is based on the creation, fall and redemption of mankind.  From the first words of the Old Testament  in Genesis 1:1 we can see that not only did God create the heavens and the earth but we continue to read, we see how He created mankind.  In Genesis chapter 3 we see how mankind feels and in Romans 5 we read how sin entered the world along with death.  Then the glorious redemption, a way out of each person who has missed the mark and fallen short of the glory of God, we are all delivered from this mess through one Man Christ Jesus.  There is complete hope in Christ.
 
Your Turn
So I beg the question, what do you believe?  What is your view of the world?
 Where is that view coming from?  Is it coming from the media and culture of this day?  Or is your view point coming from the pages of the Bible?
 
I implore you to seek the knowledge of Christ through the pages of your Bible.
Receive all that He has to say, and follow Him.  He will bring salvation to a lost world,
hope to the hopeless, comfort for those in sorrow, love to the rejected
 
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”  Hosea tells us, one of the Old Testament prophets (whose name means Salvation) offers the possibility of salvation to a people and nation if only they will turn from idolatry back to God.   
 
Come and know the risen Savior, currently sitting on the right hand side of God.
Come and know the Redeemer of the world
Come and know the God and Creator of the world that who will call you His friend and heir to his kingdom
Come!
 
Resources:
- The Holy Bible: 
- Dr. John Mark Reynolds –Professor
-James Sire-The Universe Next Door.
-Mary Jo Sharp- Confident Christianity
-Gregory Alan Thornbury – Union University (SBC), School of Theology & Missions
 
Calendar:  go to www.simonelake.com  for more info
Women’s Bible Study- I & II Timothy and Titus-Church on Randall Place.
Apologetics and Christian Worldview- Payson Christian School
 
About the Author:
Simone Lake is a Christ follower, bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake, passionate pray-er and Bible teacher.   A graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Simone holds a Master’s degree in Theology and Apologetics Certificate from BIOLA.  She writes this Firm Foundations article, published every first Wed. of the month. 
Visit her: www.deeprootsinchrist.com,  www.simonelake.com, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Audios available at:  http://deeprootsinchrist.sermon.net
 
NOTE:  This devotional article is part of Simone's Apologetics Writings. She is a member, speaker, teacher of the International Society of Women in Apologetics (ISWA) http://womeninapologetics.com
 

Sunday

The Heard-less Ones of Jesus-Part II

So who or what exactly are the heard-less ones?  Ok, so maybe I just made up a word…(wordsmiths have that liberty) …never the less, in my last article in August, we discussed the question I often get asked throughout my ministry of serving the church and God’s kingdom...  “But what about those who have never heard about Jesus.”   This question usually arises when the topic of afterlife and eternity pops up in a conversation. These “heard-less” ones are not without hearing because of a physical disability but instead they have never heard who Jesus is, so their disability is spiritual.  People that have never heard about the gospel of Jesus Christ often have a lot of questions regarding this…even those who have heard but still not sure. The line of reasoning is because God is such a loving God, how could He or would He even allow someone to go to hell for eternity especially if they never heard about Him/Jesus.  The implication and false verdict is that God is not fair, not just, or not righteous.    So then, why should I, a skeptic, doubter, looky loo, outsider, believe in a unfair God much less follow Him.  Oh but… au contraire
 
THE MAIN THING IS THE PLAIN THING
We already established in my last article that Jesus makes the claim that He is the ONLY way to salvation. Then He verifies and solidifies His claim. Thomas representing the disciples asked one of the most important questions to Jesus.  A question that we, 2000 thousand years later can personally know, glean and learn from… Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  Jesus clearly says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
 
I just LOVE the way our Savior speaks to us so lovingly, so kind, so PLAIN.  If there is any doubt, question or apprehension about who He is, or our position for eternity, He will just plainly tell us, all we need to do is believe.  We can trust Him at His word.  He is not one to lie, it is not in is origin to do so but He just tells us the truth, He has got nothing to hide.  It is the characteristic of the Son of Man, holy human DNA to speak truth only because He is holy and He is God… But those that cannot see are often offended a this
 
SUPREMECY AS WITNESS AND COMMANDER
Still not convinced?  Let’s look to another Witness...or should I say, The Witness.  In the book of Hebrews, the author begins the chapter stating boldly how Jesus is superior over the prophets of the Old Testaments scriptures and over the angels, listing consistently and precisely who
 
Jesus is: 
He is appointed Heir
Brightness of God’s glory
Expressed image of His person
Upholding all things by the word of His power
He had purged our sins
Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Having become so much better than the angels
He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than the angels
It is evident that God has appointed and attributed Jesus these characteristics…but then God almighty is a witness of who Christ is because He ordained Him to be.
Firstborn into the world
Now if God Himself , maker of heaven and earth and all created things, stands as a witness representing Christ than who dare refute Him?  Then God gives specific instruction commanding the angels to worship Christ solidifying that Christ is higher than the angels currently ruling and reigning on the right hand side of God.
Once again, because God stands as a commander over the angels to bow the knee to worship Christ, part of the Trinity, than who dare refute Him?
 
QUESTION AND VALID ANSWER
Let’s continue our line of questions…
Question:  Aren’t all religions basically the same?  Different religions have different views of God and what happens when we die.
Answer: Jesus already clarified that HE is the only way to salvation.  If you are looking for, seeking for salvation, He is the ONLY way.  If you are desiring to live a life for eternity with Christ.  HE is the ONLY way.  If you desire to spend your life worshipping Christ in His holiness forever, He is the ONLY way…There is ONLY one way that leads to life and that is the way of grace=Jesus.  100% grace from a loving God, so when our wrong doings outweigh us and deem us as guilty, God ranks over it with supreme grace.  As my pastor husband says “When our sin is super, God’s grace is super duper abundant and when our sin is super duper, God’s grace is super duper duper abundant.”  Get the equation?  Our wrongs, guilts, shortcomings and sins will NEVER EVER EVER out rank the glorious, abundant  loving grace of our heavenly Father through our Savior Christ and His precious blood that He willingly shed. NO other religion offers 100% grace, No other one. Instead all other religions is based on works deeds of humans that we can never measure up…in other words working to attain something we can never have for eternity.
 
YOUR TURN:  What are your questions?  Ask, seek and you will find Jesus!  Search for the answers in the pages of your Bible.
 
 
 
Resources:
- The Holy Bible- John 14:1-6, Hebrews 1
- Stand to Reason-http://www.str.org/- Dr. Greg Koukl
 
Calendar:
September– 2015 – Women’s Bible Study:  I & II Timothy and Titus
All are welcome to attend. Tuesday mornings AND evenings
For more info. contact:  Church on Randall Place at  1- (928) 476-4249 www.churchonrandallplace.org
 
 
About the Author:
Simone Lake is a Christ follower, bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake, passionate pray-er and Bible teacher.   A graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Simone holds a Master’s degree in Theology and Apologetics Certificate from BIOLA.  She writes this Firm Foundations article, published every first Wed. of the month.  Visit her on: www.deeprootsinchrist.com,  www.simonelake.com, http://deeprootsinchrist.sermon.net, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn
 
NOTE:  This devotional article is part Simone's Apologetics Writings. She is a member, speaker, teacher of the