Author: newlifenarrabri

Bill Muehlenberg: Israel Folau, the Apostle Paul, and the Gospel

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A great article here by Bill Muehlenberg about Rugby star Israel Folau’s uncompromising commitment to faith

So what does the Australian Rugby star and the great apostle of 2000 years ago have in common? Both are followers of Jesus Christ and both take their faith seriously. And they take sin seriously, speaking out on it when they can. Both have warned people that the consequences of sin is death and eternal judgment.

And both have been hated on for speaking the truth. Paul constantly got into trouble for sharing God’s truth with those who did not want to hear it, and so has Israel Folau. Indeed, I have written several pieces on the Australian sportsman already. See here: billmuehlenberg.com/2018/04/06/folau-and-unacceptable-truth/

And here: billmuehlenberg.com/2018/04/11/folau-hell-and-biblical-truth/

As to the Apostle Paul, let’s look at how he described his lot, as he spoke truth, shared the gospel, and warned sinners of their fate. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 we read:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Hmm, it seems most folks really did not like it when Paul shared biblical truth. Most folks hated it, and they reacted to his preaching accordingly. And nothing has changed. For two thousand years Christians have been hated on for preaching the gospel.

That is always the way it is. As Jesus forewarned, people love darkness rather than light, and they will hate his messengers just as they hated him. This is as basic as you can get. Sharing Christian truth WILL always offend people. And it is Folau who is again feeling the heat big time for daring to share biblical truth in public.

He had recently responded to the news that Tasmania has passed new legislation making gender optional on birth certificates. To this he replied: “The devil has blinded so many people in this world, REPENT and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free”.

He also posted an image on Instagram with these words: “Warning – drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolaters – hell awaits you. Repent! Only Jesus saves.” Next to this image were these biblical truths and passages:

Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these , adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21 KJV

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 KJV

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
Acts 17:30 KJV

Needless to say all the usual suspects were livid because of his remarks: atheists, homosexuals, those in the lamestream media, and so on. And his own in the sporting world turned on him as well. As one article reports:

Rugby Australia released a statement shortly after saying the post was ‘unacceptable’. “Rugby Australia is aware of a post made by Israel Folau on his Instagram account this afternoon,” Rugby Australia said in a statement. “The content within the post is unacceptable. It does not represent the values of the sport and is disrespectful to members of the Rugby community.

“The Rugby Australia Integrity Unit has been engaged on the matter tonight.” Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons wrote that Folau’s latest post should see Rugby Australia cut their ties with the 73-test Wallaby. “Israel Folau has to go, and will go,” the former Australian test player wrote. “Quick. Clean. Gone. At least until such times as he repents.”

“Rugby Australia simply has no choice. They cannot go through one more time the agony of last year when Folau’s social media comments trumpeting that gays would go to hell, saw rugby lose sponsors, fans and support,” FitzSimons said in the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to rugby.com.au, there was a reported clause in Folau’s contract negotiations last year that was specific to his use of social media. The tweet has been widely shared and commented on, with most people responding having a negative view of his comments.
www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12221212&fbclid=IwAR3Q-ryvFJSTXo7SIbD_1JiiXjNRVbwnlv4KMkO9gr5a6UA1dTrfOaTLEt8

So here we have the world turning on him – once again. He is not being a good boy. He refuses just to be a star athlete. When he just did sport, everyone loved him. But he also takes his faith seriously – much more seriously than his own career. And for that everyone hates him.

But as is usually the case, it is not just the God-haters who went ballistic at Folau. We also had plenty of trendy lefty Christians and members of the religious left strongly condemning him. ‘Oh but Jesus would never speak to people this way.’ ‘You need to be more loving and less intolerant and judgmental.’

Um, actually no one warned more about hell and judgment to come than Jesus Christ. And given that Folau did basically nothing but quote from Peter and Paul who were inspired by God to say and write what they did, these critics are simply out to lunch.

The truth is Folau may not always be as tactful or delicate as some of these craven Christians and men-pleasing believers want him to be, but he has courage and conviction. I will take that any day of the week over these milquetoast pansies who likely have never shared the gospel with anyone all their lives.

These armchair critics are a dime a dozen. They love to condemn bold and courageous Christians, while they grovel before the world, seeking to befriend it and get along with it. The Bible is quite clear about the sin of trying to please men while displeasing God. Consider just a few passages:

-Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their father to the false prophets.

-John 12:42-43 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

-Galatians 1:10. Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Sure, we all want to be tactful and careful as we share biblical truth in public. But we also need some Holy Ghost boldness here. If you see a little girl playing on the street and a big truck hurtling her way, if you cared at all, you would yell, scream, jump up and down and do all you can to save her.

You would NOT try to be polite, respectful and calm, making sure no one gets offended. You would act quickly and sound the alarm because a life is at risk. Folau gets it: all people are sinners and they are all heading to a lost eternity unless they repent.

They must be warned. They must be told. Sure, it is always nice if this can be done over a period of time with a nice relationship established. But we do not always have that luxury. Some of the people who read Folau’s warnings today may well be dead tomorrow.

In the same way hoping to build a relationship with the little girl first would be madness. Whether she is a friend, relative, or a complete stranger, she NEEDS that warning or she will die. All unbelievers need such warnings too. Yet most Christians have never shared their faith even once.

They are far too cowardly and too spineless. They would rather keep people happy, even if it means watching them slide into a lost eternity. I may not always do things as Folau does them, but I will give him credit. He has more guts than most believers.

And he seems to care about the lost a whole lot more than most believers. If these spineless wonders want to sit on the sidelines and criticise him, well, I am not really interested in what they have to say. They remind me of the woman who went up to the great evangelist D. L. Moody and complained about the way he evangelised. As the story goes:

The woman said to him, “Mr. Moody, I don’t like the way you do evangelism!” “Well, ma’am, let me ask you, how do you do it?” Moody asked. She replied, “I don’t!” Moody responded, “Well, I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it!”

Three cheers for Israel Folau.

Reflection on Philippians 2:5-11

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Scripture

And every tongue [will] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Observation

Jesus Christ is God but He did not hold on to that position. Rather He gave up all His privileges and all His glory to be come a human being- a man of humble status. He lived as God’s servant all the way to the cross.

Because He humbled Himself, God raised Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the name above all names.

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Application

Jesus became a human being and lived for the glory of God. He died a horrifying death on the cross for our salvation. Because of this, He is honoured by the Father.

The day will come when Jesus is recognised as Lord by every person, every angel, every demon, every authority and power. For some, this confession comes willingly and joyfully. For others it is reluctant and begrudgingly.

On Palm Sunday, when the Pharisees tried to stop the street party, Jesus aid, “If the people stop praising me then the rocks will praise me.”

The whole of creation is involved in this wonderful song of praise to God. It is only sinful people who refuse to join in. But one day this will be changed, and every part of creation- the unseen and the seen- will honour Jesus.

What a privilege it is to be a part of this, to be amongst the forerunners in this anthem of praise.

In just over a week’s time we celebrate the mystery of Easter. This shows God’s great love for us in defeating sin on Good Friday and death on Easter Sunday. Let us always live in praise for these great victories.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, every tongue will confess you are Lord. You are the true King and the only Lord. Help me to make my life a constant hymn of praise. Amen.

Reflection on Philippians 3:1-14

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Scripture

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead.

Observation

Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord. We must also be on the lookout for those who infiltrate the church with false doctrines, and who would try to seduce us back to religious deeds.

Paul was a “Pharisee of Pharisees”, as righteous as as anyone could be in the Jewish religion. But he counts it all as loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.

Now he pursues Christ, giving everything up for the sake of following Him. He has not yet reached the goal, but forgetting all that is past, He presses on towards the prize Christ called him to.

Application

Paul is passionate, some would say obsessed, about knowing Christ. His whole life was dedicated to this purpose. He was pressing on towards the goal, letting nothing hold him back.

Paul wanted to know the power of Christ’s resurrection. This is the new life power, giving birth to salvation in all who would turn to Christ in humble repentance.

Paul also wanted to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. He was not afraid to take up his cross for the sake of the gospel. Whether he lived or died, it was all to the glory of God.

Christians have a huge advantage over our opponents. If we have died to ourselves and learn to see our lives form the perspective of eternity, then there is nothing that the world can take away from us, no suffering that can cause us to stumble.

When we do that, having poured out our lives to serving our Lord, then we attain the resurrection of the dead. We will hear the Lord’s approval, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Prayer

Lord teach me the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. May I embrace both as they come my way. Amen.

Reflection on Isaiah 43:14-21

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Scripture

For I am about to do something new

See, I have already begun!

Do you not see it?

I will make a path through the wilderness

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Observation

The Lord promises to send an army against Babylon. The Babylonians will flee in their ships, but Israel will cross the wilderness to go home.

The Lord brought His people out of Egypt through the Red Sea. He made a dry path and then frowned the Egyptian army.

This is nothing! He is doing a new thing. He will make a path through the wilderness and create rivers in the wasteland.

Application

God was about to do something new. He is the God of new things. We get caught up in the old things, and it is important to remember God’s past deeds, but we do not have to live there.

The Israelites escaped when God made a dry path through the wet place. Now He promises to provide a wet path through the desert.

We need to be looking constantly for the “new thing” God is doing in our lives or else we will miss it.

If we need a dry path to take us to His promise, then He will make a dry path. If we need places of refreshment to bring us home, then He will provide them.

With God, the “new thing” is always the thing needed now that allows us to get to the place He has called us to.

Whether it is parting the sea or watering the desert, He will provide the new miracles for today.

In Israel’s first wilderness experience, the Lord provided manna every morning. It was fresh every day because, as the prophet Jeremiah wrote centuries later, “Your mercies are fresh every morning.”

Let us seek God for today’s grace, not clinging any more to last year’s miracle.

Prayer

Lord, you are constantly doing “new things” in my life. Help me to carefully listen to your Holy Spirit for today’s “new thing.” Amen.

Ann Voskamp” How to Give up “Devotions” & Look God in the Eye (Or: How to Walk 130 Miles with God for Lent)

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A very powerful message from Ann Voskamp about the power of the Bible.

When you first meet this guy named Joshua, you’d never know that he’s been in the mouth of a lion.What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

You’d never have the faintest idea that lion teeth slammed down on his waist while he was just a kid sleeping out in the wilderness with his herd of goats.

Clenched between the incisors and canine teeth of the lion, Joshua found himself dragged into the bush, braced to be ripped apart for a pulpy nocturnal feast for the beast.

And in the split second that the lion dropped the mangled boy to get a better grip, the kid’s barking dog lunged in between the lion and the boy, growling and snarling, holding the lion at bay until near-by goat herders snapped awake and dragged the barely-alive Joshua out of the lion’s deadly reach.

Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company
Esther Havens for The Seed Company

The boy lived to become a scarred man. What do you say to a man who’s walked out of the mouth of a lion? Only to give his entire life to the Lion and the Lamb?

“Why?” I ask Joshua standing there in the wilderness, holding the reins of a camel. “Why — give your entire adult life, nearly the last three decades of your life, to translating the Bible into the language of your people?”

Joshua leans forward. “It is like giving them a weapon.” He points to a tree where women in these stacking rings of glorious, rattling beads are gathered under its branches.

“One of those women told me said “Now you have given us a weapon that we can use. Which is God’s Word. It’s like you have given us a spear that we can use to fight a spiritual warfare.”

Because you have to beat back your lion attacks, because “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Joshua holds up a Bible.How would everything in this tilting world stand stronger if the Word of God laid more open for us than closed?

“This is — powerful. The weapon is God’s Word. Now, we can be equipped. But the problem is now — we need the other bigger part of the weapon. The Old Testament. We also need the Old Testament.”

Read the rest of this article here

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

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Two young businessmen shaking hands


Scripture

For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting their sins against them. And he gave us this message of reconciliation.

Observation

Paul says he has stopped judging other people by human standards, because he once judged Christ this way. Now he knows that anyone who is in Christ is a new person with a new life.

This is God’s gift. God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ. And He has given us the message of reconciliation, making us ambassadors for Christ.

Application

In Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself. God took the first step in bringing us back to Him. He sent Jesus into the world to become our Saviour.

We were the ones who needed reconciling to God, not the other way around. God’s love for us never faltered even when we our sinful desires took us far away from Him.

God is still in this process of reconciliation. His grace never stops calling people to come back and enjoy Him. Nobody is too far away to escape God’s love, except through the hardness of their own heart.

It is not just about Jesus and me. God has given us the message of reconciliation. We have been given the task of showing the world that God is for them and not against them. It is like a good virus that spreads from person to person changing sinners into saints as they receive the message.

Now we are ambassadors for Christ. We live in a country that is not our own, for our true citizenship is in heaven. We live as representatives of the kingdom of God, advocating, speaking and acting on behalf of Christ.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for calling me back into fellowship with you. As your ambassador, I am tasked with representing you in the world. Please equip me and empower me to do this well. Amen.

10 Reasons Why Porn Is Unhealthy For Consumers And Society

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From Fight The New Drug:

10 Reasons Why Porn Is Unhealthy For Consumers And Society

"Teen": Why Has This Porn Category Topped the Charts for 6+ Years?

In our world today, we have seemed to assimilate a toxin into our understanding of a healthy life, and primarily, a healthy sex life. Can you guess what it is?

This toxin is none other than pornography. In recent years, pornography has been deemed a normal, healthy aspect to human sexuality, and that the taboo and shame around it should be obliterated.

Though we agree that shame has no place in a discussion on porn consumption, we (and a whole lot of scientific research) disagree that modern pornography promotes healthy sexuality. To be honest, we not only think that it doesn’t promote healthy sex lives—we think you simply can’t be pro-pornography and pro-sex. They are incompatible, at their cores.

If you don’t think so, check out our list of the top 10 reasons why porn is the worst for consumers and society:

1. Porn damages relationships.

Despite what the narrative around pornography says, consuming porn has been found to negatively impact relationships.

The act of consuming porn alone can hurt the consumer’s partner, [1] but on top of that, porn consumption can lead people to feel less satisfied with their partner’s physical appearance and sexual performance. [2] Similarly, other research has found that porn consumers are not as intimate or committed to their partners, [3] and are less satisfied with their romantic and sex lives. [4]

2. Porn objectifies people.

The entire premise of porn is based upon seeing people as objects or tools for the consumer’s sexual gratification. Men and women both are seen as merely parts, not as whole people; men’s faces are rarely seen and women are just a collection of body parts and orifices.

Something tells us that training ourselves to see anyone—even strangers on a screen—as mere objects isn’t the healthiest habit to get into. Research would agree.

Lover And Fighter Crew
3. Porn normalizes violence and abuse.

The “softcore” pornography of previous decades is gone, and the violent, abusive pornography of today is in full-force and completely mainstream.

In a 2010 study of the most popular porn videos, 9 out of 10 scenes contained physical and/or verbal aggression, and the victim in these scenes responded either with pleasure or indifference. [5] Some common, and popular, categories of porn include rape scenarios and incest.

Is “fantasy” really harmless when it involves fantasizing assault and other harms that would never be seen as acceptable in real life?

4. Porn promotes racism and sexism.

Porn thrives off of stereotypes: by displaying women as submissive objects willing and eager to do anything for men, and by displaying men as aggressive, power-hungry beings who long to take advantage of vulnerable people, the complexity of gender and individuality are already reduced to gross misrepresentations.

Likewise, stereotypes are used in content with non-white performers, and promotes the “taboo” of interracial relationships and leads to fetishizing certain ethnic groups.

5. Porn warps ideas about sex.

Porn changes a consumer’s expectations of sex, especially when these consumers’ are young, impressionable, and without firsthand experience in the realm of a sexual relationship. In porn, people look perfect, can (and will) have sex at any moment, and everything will be catered exactly to how the consumer wants it. In real life? Not so much.

Considering what we just mentioned about porn’s normalization of sexism, racism, and abuse, it seems like a good idea to not let porn inform our expectations or shape our sexual tastes.

Classic PKL
6. Porn can literally change a consumer’s brain.

Our brains our able to change aspects of their structure throughout our lifetime, and some things are better at doing this than others. Unfortunately for us, pornography is one of those things. Because of how strongly porn triggers the reward center in our brain, neural pathways are built easily and get stronger, leading to the potential for the reward of pornography to be greater than sex with an actual partner. [6]

7. Porn can fuel extreme sexual tastes.

Because of how readily porn changes the consumer’s brain, porn consumption is an escalating and sometimes addictive behavior. As the consumer becomes desensitized to a certain type of porn, they will gradually turn to different, and oftentimes more extreme, types of pornography.

Chasing this intense high can lead a growing tolerance to it, creating a situation where they need pornography just to feel normal: a formula for an addiction. Click here to learn more about how porn can become addictive.

8. Porn leads people to disengage from their lives.

A porn habit or a porn addiction can pull people away from the things they love and care about most. Whether it’s their romantic relationships, their social lives, or their hobbies, porn can lead to a more isolated life for a multitude of reasons. Be it shame, depression, disinterest, addiction, etc., porn is not proven to be a tool for enhancing your quality of life—it’s shown to do the opposite.

9. Porn leads to worse sex lives.

If the previous eight facts didn’t make this point abundantly obvious, we’ll spell it out, just to be sure: porn has been shown to worsen consumers’ sex lives.

Porn warps a consumer’s expectations of sex, re-shapes their sexual tastes (usually for the worst), leaves them less satisfied with intimate sexual encounters and with their partner, and oftentimes leads to less sex overall. [7]

10. Porn facilitates sex trafficking.

The connections between pornography and sex trafficking are daunting. Consider the facts: pornography increases demand for trafficking by providing an outlet for people to imitate what they’ve fetishized in porn, porn consumption is linked to violence, victims of trafficking are often “groomed” and desensitized with pornography, [8] and people who grow up where porn is regularly consumed are more likely to be trafficked in their life. [9]

Most importantly than all that, though, porn and sex trafficking are often the same thing, and there’s no real way to tell if the porn you’re consuming is of an individual who has been a victim of human trafficking in some way or another.

Multiple research studies, similar conclusions

Ultimately, the research is clear: porn is harmful to consumers, relationships, and society at large. If you’re interested in living a healthy, full life, free from contributing to sexual exploitation or an industry that profits from sexualizing illicit and exploitative behavior, steer clear from porn.