What Would I LIKE to Tell You? Aug. 10

preach

I’D LIKE TO tell you that COVID 19 will eventually evolve as a virus to the point that it no longer plagues mankind or takes another human life, but I can’t do that…  cf., Rev. 21:3-4

I’d like to tell you that protective measures in the worship assembly like hand-sanitizer, plastic gloves, facial masks, and six-foot distancing will soon be a thing of the past, and that you will never have to worry about any of them again, but I can’t do that…

I’d like to tell you that everything you’re hearing from the news outlets and social media about the origin, transmission, and treatment of COVID 19 is 100% accurate – and that there are no behind the scenes endeavors to spread misinformation, but I can’t do that…  cf. Prov. 12:22; 14:5

I’d like to tell you that those we voted into office are all faithfully executing their God-given responsibility to defend all actual citizens of the United States against every form of domestic terrorism, but I can’t do that…  Rom. 13:1ff

I’d like to tell you that no one in or out of government has a nefarious agenda to destroy the nuclear home, but I can’t do that…  cf. Rom. 1:21-32; 3:23

I’d like to tell you that due to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, we can announce that true racism, in all its ugly forms, has been eliminated from our culture, but I can’t do that…  cf. Gal. 3:28; Gal. 2

I’d like to tell you that people in our modern society no longer classify fellow human beings solely on the amount of melanin in their skin pigmentation, but I can’t do that…  cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; John 7:24

I’d like to tell you that all Americans believe all black and white lives matter – including those within the womb, but I can’t do that… Psm. 106:38; Prov. 1:11; 6:17

I’d like to tell you that people are, by in large, anxious to learn from history, rather than concerned about erasing history, but I can’t do that…  cf. Rom. 15:4

I’d like to tell you that you, as a 21st century child of God, will never have to be concerned about suffering or being persecuted due to your faith, but I can’t do that…  2 Tim. 3:12; cf. Mat. 5:10-12; 1 Pet. 4:12

I’d like to tell you that, because you are a Christian, you have God’s divine protection from all forms of physical and/or economic harm, but I can’t do that…

I’d like to tell you that, despite the obvious and often irreconcilable differences that are currently dividing our country, we’ll soon be united as one, but I can’t do that…  cf. Luke 11:17

Someone asks, “Well Mike, what’s something good you CAN tell us…?”

  • I CAN tell you that there is a God in heaven who is all powerful.  “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”  Psm. 147:5

 

  • I CAN tell you that God loves you so very much that He sent His very best, His only begotten Son – in human form – on your behalf.  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”  Isa. 7:14; cf. John 3:16; Heb. 2:9, 17; 5:7

 

  • And I CAN tell you a) how to be saved from sin and b) live righteously in a world drowning in sin, c) how to face uncertain days with peace, and d) how to go to heaven when you die.  “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev. 2:10; cf. Rom. 6:3-4; 17-18; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; Jas. 1:2-4, 12; 1 Pet. 1:6; Rom. 8:18ff; Phil. 1:21

“God loves you and I love you and that’s the way it’s gonna be!” – Mike

 

Can Safety Become Our Idol? – Aug. 7

Safety is a mirage…

Bow-Down-Worship
DID YOU WATCH the footage of the explosion a couple days ago in Beirut? Google it if you haven’t. It is surreal. It was massive, and terribly sad. They say 135 deaths so far, with upwards of 5,000 wounded—but I think surely the death toll is higher. The moment I saw the explosion, I immediately thought it was an atomic weapon. It leveled buildings almost a kilometer away.
But no, it was apparently just an explosion of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in the processing of fertilizer and sometimes TNT stored in a warehouse downtown for several years. It was there due to government incompetence (no one in office thought, “Hey, maybe this stuff shouldn’t be stored in such a densely populated area). That’s “the government” for you. (Looking at you, all you “big government” people.) But I digress. Back to bombs.
As a point of reference (after you watch the video) that explosion two days ago in Beirut is estimated at 1.98 kilotons (the equivalent of 1,980 tons of TNT). In other words, that’s what it looks like when a 2 kiloton bomb detonates.
The bomb we dropped over Nagasaki in 1945 was 21 kilotons. So the disaster in Beirut was only a 10th of the size of that. The death toll from the Nagasaki detonation is estimated between 39,000 and 80,000.
But that bomb was comparatively tiny. The largest bomb [we know about] in the U.S. arsenal (maybe Russia has something bigger) is the B83, which clocks in at 1,200 MEGATONS, or 1,200,000 kilotons. Using Beirut and Nagasaki as a reference point, I still can’t even wrap my mind around that.
And between the US, Russia, China, India, France, the UK, and a handful of other countries (including North Korea (!) now), there are thousands upon thousands of these weapons. World governments are in charge of their handling—governments with the same wisdom and efficiency as the Lebanese government.
It’s just a reminder of the fact that the life as we know it could end at any moment. A drunk driver could veer into your lane. It could be a microscopic virus 🦠 that turns your year upside down. A glitch in an aging early-warning system built in the 70’s in a former Soviet Union state might cause an official to accidentally press a button, igniting a thermo-nuclear ☢️ war and destroying the earth’s ecosystem as we know it.
Safety is a mirage. And many of us have turned the illusion of safety into an idol.
What you need to be is a Christian. Because thankfully, this volatile world which could blow up an any moment doesn’t have to be all there is for you.  Ben Giselbach – East Side church of Christ, Cleveland, TN
“God loves you and I love you and that’s the way it’s gonna be!” – Mike