THE THEOLOGY OF POLLYANNA

March 4, 2013

The first of these two videos is probably the second worst sermon ever preached.   It is all law and no gospel. The greatest sermon ever preached is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7.

Instead of watching one of the new movies that include violence, twisted sexual situations, and crude language, make yourself some popcorn and sit down to a clean movie that includes an all-star cast.  “Pollyanna” came out in 1960. You will find it at the local library and the second video here is part of the entire movie found on YouTube.

Many of you who read this blog probably feel that I am anything but Pollyannaish.  Well, this movie is one of my favorites.  That should say something.  I have always leaned on the side of grace.

There is the law and then there is the gospel.  Any pastor worth his salt will discuss both.  It doesn’t have to be perfectly balanced in each sermon, but over time there should be a balance between the two.  Jesus is the only one who has ever done it perfectly.

There is no question the preacher depicted in the first clip speaks nothing but the law and ignores the gospel.

In the second clip he is practicing to do the same again.

Then there is the quote from President Lincoln:

“When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.”

Our 16th president evidently thought we shouldn’t just look for the bad in man all of the time.  I would agree with that but one must balance this idea with scripture.

The Bible says that “all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

In Mark 10:18, “Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Ecclesiastes 7:20 states:  “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

After reading these verses, one might conclude that he Mr. Lincoln was mistaken.  Maybe we should look for the bad in mankind.

Yet, one must correctly divide the Word.

Matthew 12:35 says:  “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.”  These are also the words of Jesus.

So which is it?  Does the Bible contradict itself?  I don’t think it does because I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

No man is continually good, but men may be good at times.  As Mr. Spurgeon has said in his commentary on Numbers 20:11 – “The best of men are men at best.”

I think we should look for the good in people, realizing that they are sinners just like we are.  Sins should never be excused and only God can forgive them.

There are mysteries in the Bible as there are two sides of a coin.  Anyone familiar with the ideas of free will and predestination knows there are things we’ll never understand this side of heaven.

A preacher should rightly divide the Word and let the Holy Spirit do its work.

Anyone in a pulpit who claims to know all the answers is a person I wouldn’t trust.

I think I lean of the side of the gospel is because I have read the last three chapters of the Bible.  If heaven isn’t Pollyannaish, I don’t know what is.

If you haven’t seen it, I hope you enjoy the movie.

Chris Reimers


CREATION OR COINCIDENCE

March 2, 2013

My friend, Tonzie, sent me this video.  I think it makes more than one good point in less than 2 minutes.

CR


CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE SAFE IN CHRIST’S HANDS ALWAYS

February 28, 2013

Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for his people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time.

It was “from everlasting” that he signed the compact with his Father, that he would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death,in the behalf of his people.

It was “from everlasting” that he gave himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he might sweat great drops of blood, that he might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death.

His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus “from everlasting.” Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but his delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men.

Often did he think of them; from everlasting to everlasting he had set his affection upon them. What! my soul, has he been so long about thy salvation, and will not he accomplish it?

Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will he lose me now? What! Has he carried me in his hand, as his precious jewel, and will he now let me slip from between his fingers?

Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will he reject me now? Impossible! I am sure he would not have loved me so long if he had not been a changeless Lover.

If he could grow weary of me, he would have been tired of me long before now. If he had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, he would have turned from me long ago.

Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am his everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to him by his Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

Charles Spurgeon

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It seems this is not the only blog that quotes from the great Prince of Preachers occasionally. Pastor Silva also cites from the great sum of material that came from the pen of Mr. Spurgeon. I found this selection here.

CR


ARKANSAS GOVERNOR VETOS 20-WEEK ABORTION BILL

February 27, 2013

Well, I’m not surprised.  Even though an overwhelming percentage of the folks in this state would like to see this become law, the most powerful governor in Arkansas history is trying to deny us a say.  This will get interesting.  It is apparent that the veto will be overridden by our representatives per their constituents’ wishes.  This will probably wind up in our State Supreme Court and I’ve seen them in action.  Not good!  They have been guilty of judicial tyranny in the past.

This effort could find its way to the highest court in the land.

I am happy to live in a state where the majority values life.  I hope the will of the people prevails.

CR

You may see the story here.

A good simulated pic of a 20 week old here.

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Several hours after I posted this, the “Arkansas Senate overrides veto of abortion bill.”  It appears that litigation against the bill will begin soon.

CR


SHOW ME JESUS CHRIST

February 24, 2013

There is no picture worthy of these words. This was the last post on Pearl’s blog, which I miss very much. It was titled “Be Thus Minded” and she posted this a little over a year ago.  Although I wish Pearl hadn’t decided to stop blogging, what an awesome way to finish.

CR

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I Corinthians 13:1-13


25 Signs American Women Are Being Destroyed By The Sexual Revolution And Our Promiscuous Culture

January 23, 2013

By Michael T. Snyder

(Article originally posted to The American Dream and reprinted here in January, 2013)

Has the sexual revolution been good for American women? Not at all. In fact, when you look at the facts it becomes clear that the sexual revolution has been an absolute disaster for American women. In the United States today, men have been trained to primarily view women as sex objects, and our culture has become exceedingly promiscuous. As a result, the United States leads the world in teen pregnancy, there are 19 million new STD infections every single year, more than half of all children born to women under the age of 30 are being born out of wedlock and we are witnessing the systematic breakdown of the family unit in America. And yet anyone that tries to teach our young women that they should dress modestly and keep themselves pure for marriage is severely criticized. Well, if all Americans actually did keep themselves pure until marriage, we wouldn’t have nearly the problems with STDs, teen pregnancy and abortion that we do today. The consequences of teaching our young women that they should be “free” to run around and sleep with a whole bunch of different men have been dramatic. The following are 25 signs that American women are being destroyed by the sexual revolution and our promiscuous culture…

#1 There are 19 million new STD infections in the United States every single year. Approximately half of them happen to young people in the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket.

#2 It costs the U.S. health care system approximately $17,000,000,000 every single year to treat sexually transmitted diseases.

#3 There were more than 1.4 million cases of chlamydia reported in the United States in 2011. An astounding 33 percent of those cases involved Americans that were younger than 20 years of age.

#4 It is estimated that about one out of every six Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 have genital herpes.

#5 24,000 American women become infertile each year due to undiagnosed STDs.

#6 In the United States today, approximately 47 percent of all high school students have had sex.

#7 Sadly, one out of every four teen girls in the U.S. has at least one sexually transmitted disease.

#8 According to one survey, 24 percent of all U.S. teens that have STDs say that they still have unprotected sex.

#9 Amazingly, one out of every five teen girls in the U.S. actually wants to be a teenage mother.

#10 If you can believe it, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate on the entire planet. In fact, the United States has a teen pregnancy rate that is more than twice as high as Canada, more than three times as high as France and more than seven times as high as Japan.

#11 When men don’t have to wait until they get married to have sex, then they are likely to delay marriage or never get married at all. According to the Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.

#12 Today, an all-time low 44.2 percent of all Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 are married.

#13 In the United States today, more than half of all couples “move in together” before they get married.

#14 The divorce rate for couples that live together first is significantly higher than for those that do not.

#15 America has the highest divorce rate on the globe by a wide margin.

#16 For women under the age of 30 living in the United States today, more than half of all babies are being born out of wedlock.

#17 At this point, more than one out of every four children in the United States is being raised by a single parent.

#18 Approximately 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States are on food stamps.

#19 The sexual revolution has caused women to be primarily looked at as sex objects. In this kind of environment, it should be no surprise that there has been an absolute explosion of pornography in recent years. An astounding 30 percent of all Internet traffic now goes to pornography websites, and the U.S. produces more pornography than any other nation has in the history of the world.

#20 One survey discovered that 25 percent of all employees that have Internet access in America visit sex websites while they are at work.

#21 Overall, more than 50 million babies have been killed in America since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973.

#22 When you total up all forms of abortion, including those caused by the abortion drug RU 486, the grand total comes to more than a million abortions performed in the United States every single year.

#23 The number of American babies killed by abortion each year is roughly equal to the number of U.S. military deaths that have occurred in all of the wars that the United States has ever been involved in combined.

#24 It has been reported that a staggering 41 percent of all New York City pregnancies end in abortion.

#25 One study found that 86 percent of all abortions are done for the sake of convenience.

So what can be done about any of this?

Unfortunately, turning our culture around would not be an easy thing. Loose sexuality is glorified on television, in the movies, on our radios and in our magazines. Just about everywhere you turn there are very powerful sexual images. The following is an excerpt from a recent article by Devvy Kidd…

America’s culture has come a long way since the 60s. For decades it has resembled a filthy sewer and shows no signs of returning to decency. Children are being sexualized with markets targeting little girls as young as kindergarten age. Cable television (which includes ABC, CBS, NBC) has become nothing more than a purveyor of soft porn. Sexual imagery is everywhere. The filth used to be confined to porn channels like HBO, Cinemax and others which I have never had in my home. Now, it’s the ‘big three’ (ABC, CBS, NBC) and all the other networks that consistently pump sin and sex into households every night of the week.

Meanwhile, we have raised an entire generation of young males that don’t know how to be men. Our culture has taught them to be extremely hesitant to be husbands and fathers, and instead it has taught them to be sex-obsessed idiots that want to “score” with as many women as possible.

As long as our culture pushes these values, we will continue to suffer the kinds of consequences listed above.

So what do all of you think about these things?

Do you believe that there is any hope for America?

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I am privileged to be able to share some of this information, along with the photo above, with some young ladies in a few days.  I will also share with them that God’s way (No sexual relations before marriage) is the best way.

We have turned a beautiful thing into something degrading.  As the article states: “The consequences…have been dramatic.”

How bad do things have to get before we turn back to God’s precepts?

I wish I had the answer to that question.

CR


BELGIAN TWINS EUTHANIZED OUT OF FEAR OF BLINDNESS

January 15, 2013

Before I share most of the article by Mr. Schadenberg, printed in The National Right to Life News Today (I edited out some suggested reading that had no links),  there are a few things about this story that you should know.

Here are a few quotes from this USA Today article:

1. “Distraught about going blind, 45-year-old deaf twin brothers from Belgium chose to be euthanized because they couldn’t bear not to see one another, according to reports from Flanders.”

2. “Calling legal euthanasia a ‘slippery slope,’ Catholic Online declares, ‘It is only a matter of time before we report the story of the first child euthanized in Belgium,’ which is predominantly Catholic.”

3. “Besides Belgium, voluntary euthanasia — generally called assisted suicide in the USA — is legal in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Oregon, Washington, and Montana.”

You should also know that the twins had to go to court and fight for the “right” to end their lives.

You should also know that Belgium’s Socialist Party leader, Thierry Giet, supports expanding euthanization laws to include those under  18 and Alzheimer’s sufferers.

My comment:

Life is getting cheaper every day.  Man is playing God in so many ways.  I think this idea of choosing to die when you want will only become more widespread.  No one likes pain, but how does a person know that God can’t use them for His glory after going through a difficult illness?  Helping others in difficult times is a rewarding and valuable experience for all involved.

I agree with Catholic Online.  I think legal euthanasia is a very ‘slippery slope.’

CR

Here is the article that appeared in The National Right to Life News Today:

By Alex Schadenberg,

Executive Director Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

To preface my blog article about the recent articles concerning the practice of euthanasia in Belgium, one needs to acknowledge that the Quebec government is considering legalizing Belgian style euthanasia through the back-door.

The Daily Mail newspaper in the UK published an article today that that was written by James Rush and Damien Gayle and titled: Deaf twins who discovered that they were going blind are euthanized in Belgium hospital.

“On December 14, 2012, identical twin brothers who were born deaf died by euthanasia at the Belgium University Hospital in Jette, even though they were not sick, they were not yet blind, and they had lived a productive life together. They died by lethal injection.”

The article states:

“Euthanasia is legal under Belgian law if those making the decision can make their wishes clear and are suffering unbearable pain, according to a doctor’s judgment. …

“But this case was unusual as neither twin was suffering extreme physical pain or was terminally ill.

“The two brothers, who have not been named but were pictured on Belgian television, both worked as cobblers and shared a flat together, The Telegraph has reported.”

The article in the Daily Mail also reported that the 45 year old twins died by euthanasia only days before the ruling socialist government announced plans to expand the Belgian euthanasia law to include children with disabilities and people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. The article stated:

Just days after the twins were killed Belgium’s ruling Socialists tabled a legal amendment which would allow the euthanasia of children and Alzheimer’s sufferers. …

It is clear, that what is occurring in Belgium is the logical extension to legalizing euthanasia. If it is acceptable to kill one group of people in society by euthanasia then it will soon become acceptable to kill other groups of people in society by euthanasia.

These men were not suffering, they were not sick but they were deemed to be “better off dead.”

The Daily Mail article concludes by stating that in 2011 there were 1133 reported cases of euthanasia in Belgium.

It is important to note that in Belgium studies indicate that up to 47% of all euthanasia deaths go unreported.

Editor’s note. This appeared on Alex’s fine blog.

You may see the article here.


2013 AND THANKFUL

January 1, 2013

Yep, that’s the transformer that provides the proper voltage to my home hanging there.  It’s the reason I’ve been AWOL for a while.  Our transformer looked like this on Christmas day and we didn’t get power fully restored until New Year’s Eve (yesterday) around noon.

I am very thankful.  I am thankful that my family made it through this weather event safely.  I am thankful that a tree didn’t fall on the house. I am thankful that friends and family offered warm shelter to me and my family.  I am thankful for a bath.  I could go on but it would take too long.

I stayed at home and waited for the power trucks to arrive.  Eventually, a group of guys from Georgia (two states over) drove their repair equipment up my street. (I was thankful for them too and told them so.)

Martin Luther would have been amazed.  Actually, anyone living before the “age of electricity” would have been amazed.  I must admit that it amazes me.  I won’t go into details, but the phone guy that came out to assess the damage said that the pole was in one of the “hardest to get to” places he had ever seen.  The guys from Georgia joked nicely that “this is the way Arkansans do things” and then proceeded to put a new transformer out on the main street before running new line.  They cut the top off of the old pole and straightened her up.  Maintenance will be much easier in the future.

Anyway, I’m going back to work tomorrow so I am spending the rest of the day with family.  I probably won’t get back here until late tonight.  And then there’s the email.  I’ll look at that later.

I have checked a few of the blogs I frequent and see that I have a bit of reading to do.  I am looking forward to that when time allows.

I realize that much of the world never gets a warm bath.  Sometimes I think we have it too good in the USA.  Maybe that’s the reason we have strayed so far from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For now, I will be thankful that things are somewhat “back to normal.”

May our Lord’s Will be done in 2013.

God’s blessings,

Chris Reimers


Who am I?

November 28, 2012

Pearl posted this wonderful hymn back in January.  It describes the unconditional love that our Great God has for each of us.  A humbling question: “Who am I?”

CR


The Annual Day of Atonement

November 19, 2012

I have reached Leviticus 16 in my personal study of God’s Word.  With what is happening now in Israel, I thought a couple of quotes about this important chapter in the Bible would be appropriate.  Both quotes are taken from Halley’s Bible Handbook.

CR

The Divine Origin of the Sacrificial System

“God placed the system of sacrifices at the center and heart of Jewish national life.  Whatever its immediate applications and implications may have been to the Jews, the unceasing sacrifice of animals and the never-ending glow of alter fires were without doubt designed by God to burn into the consciousness of the people of Israel a sense of their deep sinfulness.  They were also, for more than a millennium, a picture that pointed forward to the coming sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  The Levitical priesthood was divinely ordained to be the mediator between God and the Hebrew nation through the bringing of animal sacrifices.  But those sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ.  Animal sacrifices are no longer necessary.  Christ Himself is our Great High Priest, the only Mediator between God and humanity, as Hebrews 8-10 makes very clear.  Thus Christ is both our Sacrifice and our High Priest, our Mediator.” (1)

The Annual Day of Atonement

“The annual Day of Atonement (still celebrated in Judaism today in modified form and known by its Hebrew name, Yom Kippur) fell on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishri).  It was the most solemn day of the year.  Each time, the removal of sin was only for one year (Hebrews 10:3), but it pointed forward to its eternal removal (Zechariah 3:4, 8-9; 13:1; Hebrews 10:14).

“After the sacrificial goat had been offered, the high priest laid his hands on the head of the scapegoat, confessing over him the sins of the people.  The goat was then sent away into the wilderness, bearing away with it the sins of the people.  This ceremony was one of God’s historical foreshadowings of the coming atonement for human sin by the death of Christ.” (2)

(1)  Halley’s Bible Handbook, Zondervan, 2000, Pg. 158

(2)  Ibid, Pg. 160