Truth of Genesis Blogs

Immanuel

12/20/2019

by Pam Bender

Truth of Genesis

OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a romantic when it comes to Christmas. It gives me such joy to hear Christmas songs about Jesus on secular radio and in the stores. I find myself singing Christmas songs all day long. “O Come Let Us Adore Him,” “O Holy Night,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,”…all the traditional songs. One of my favorites is more contemporary. It’s “Immanuel” by Michael Card. The lyrics, the musical arrangement and his voice; to me it’s the perfect Christmas song.

When we think of the Christmas story, we remember Jesus as the baby in the manger. We can quite easily forget that this is the same Jesus that spoke Creation into existence. His perfect Creation was ruined by our sin and he willingly chose to become our Savior. Such perfect love. The Word of God, the Great Creator, humbling himself to become human; the Word made flesh for us.

Christmas time makes it easier to share with others the birth of Jesus. And to talk about why we need a Savior in the first place. As you prepare for parties, guests, presents and holiday foods, take a few moments to read the Christmas message in Luke 1:26 through Luke 2:40. Then turn to John 1:1-17. Jesus the baby and Jesus the Word made flesh. Immanuel, God with us.

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Truth of Genesis!

Joy to the World Starts in Genesis!

12/21/2018

Laura and Dave Powell

Ministry Directors - Truth of Genesis

   A few days ago, our son asked us, “What time can I get you up on Christmas morning if I can’t sleep? Is five too early?” For many years Joshua has found the night time hours between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to be challenging. He’s so excited about the upcoming exchange of presents, slumber doesn’t come easily, if at all. So, in our pajamas we patter downstairs, at the wake of day, and read the story of the birth of Jesus in the book of Luke. It’s one of the traditions that helps our family focus on the reason for the celebration of such an amazing day in history when love came down and brought hope and joy into the world.

   Yesterday our son attended his last day of school before Christmas break. Keeping with school tradition, the closing chapel was a holiday hymn sing. Each class picks a song, and everyone sings while the organ or piano accompanies the Preschool through Eighth grade students and their parents and grandparents. Holiday hymns help us to focus on the prophecies fulfilled by the Savior’s birth, if we concentrate on the lyrics as we sing.

   Many prophecies are mentioned in the song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The virgin birth, reclaiming Israel as His own, and the promise that “God is with us,” all are sung about in these rich lyrics. Our pastor recently did a sermon about this song and its ties to scripture to help bring back the song’s purpose, rediscover its meaning and refresh our understanding about why Jesus needed to come into our world. Isaiah 7:14 is where we learn about the virgin birth of Jesus and He is given the tittle, “Immanuel” or “God with us.”

   “We Three Kings,” helps us to remember the Magi. Today we give gifts at Christmas because the “wise men” opened their treasures and “…offered Him gifts”. But why did they do that? The answer is to fulfill prophesy. Psalm 72: 10 says, “May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!” This was not only accomplished in Bethlehem with Jesus but also fulfilled in the line of David through his son Solomon when he received gifts from the Kings of the world in 2 Chronicles 9:24.

   To keep the musical theme going on just a bit longer, the song “O little town of Bethlehem” has deep roots in Micah 5:2. This scripture identifies the small town, which is where King David was born, to be the birthplace of the Messiah. Of course, it is well known that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but did you know that the timing was the result of a tax bill that had been ordered and then appealed by the Jewish people?

   Four years before the birth of Jesus, a tax had been ordered by Caesar Augustus on some of the territories that he had conquered. To my knowledge there is no Christmas song about taxes. The Jews, like many of us today, didn’t take kindly to the new tax and because the local governor had no authority to address the issue, representatives had to appeal it all the way to Rome. The tax was enforced despite the delegation sent to Caesar, and the tax collectors worked their way South and East. Mary and Joseph reported to their ancestral home (they were living in Nazareth) just in time to report to the census and for the Messiah to be born exactly as the word of God said.

   Finally, the root, or promise of Jesus the Savior, extends all the way back to Genesis 3. Here sin entered the world and the need for salvation became apparent. The blood of bulls and goats was not enough to cover us. Romans 5:12–21 explains the overall problem of sin and God’s solution of grace through Jesus Christ. The promise of the Redeemer is given in Genesis 3:15, known by many as “the first gospel”. It wasn’t until approximately 2000 B.C, a few thousand years after creation, that the hope of a Savior was repeated to Abraham in Genesis 12: 1-3 and Genesis 21:12.

   On Christmas morning we will celebrate a baby. The Son of God given to mankind to take away the sins of the world. Maybe we should add a new tradition along with our Bible reading. Verse three of “Joy to the World,” gives us the perspective of our condition. No more let sins or sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. There is great joy to be found in recognizing the fulfillment of prophecies through Christ’s birth, including the one that showed us from the beginning that a Savior would make a way for us to be right with the Father. Let earth receive Her King!

References:
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary page 810.
The Promise, Hal Lindsey 1974.

Earth Day

4/22/2018

by Dave Powell

Truth of Genesis, Founder and Director

Earth Day is just like it sounds. It is a day dedicated to protecting planet Earth from the negative impacts of harmful environmental concerns. Earth Day occurs each year on April 22, which signifies the anniversary of the start of the environmental movement in 1970. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, is the founder of Earth Day. He founded the day after realizing the impacts of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
     The creation of Earth Day was widely accepted by both parties in the government and led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Several acts also were passed because of the creation of Earth Day. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act were just some of these acts passed to help further protect the environment. Earth Day is observed in 192 countries and is growing rapidly throughout the world.
Earth Day was supposed to be a day to make people aware of how much pollution we create. Instead, many sincere environmentalists have had laser focus on ideological theories like global warming. They have also used Earth Day to push for animal or environmental rights above the welfare of mankind, crossing the fine line of making the earth an “idol”; instead of calling us to be good stewards of it. They forget scriptures like Matthew 6:26, in which Jesus states, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (emphasis mine).
     Earth Day is a great reminder of how we should protect our planet. Recycling, reducing waste, and reusing supplies are practices we believe every Christ follower can do to help. However, keep in mind that environmentalists have an agenda on spreading their ideology. Making the earth an idol is a violation of the first commandment to have no other gods above the Supreme One. God is the creator of nature, not a part of nature, and we are meant to worship Him alone. In Romans 1:25, it states, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” Let’s do our part in helping to protect the planet and pray for those who champion environmental causes to come into a relationship with the Creator of our earth. Protect the planet and leave it’s saving to Him.

Easter Vs. April Fool

3/14/2018

by Dave Powell

Truth of Genesis Founder and Ministry Director

The story goes like this… An atheist sues the government claiming that their faith has no holiday celebrating what they believe. The judge says that is not the case because atheists have a holiday that is on the calendar every year. Puzzled, the atheist’s lawyer asks for clarification. The judge replies, April Fool’s day is the “Atheists national holiday”! Why? Psalms 32:1, “The fool says in his heart, there is no god.” Easter, also on April 1st, 2018, rises above the lesser day of pranks like the best steak rises above cheap, garbage filled hot-dogs.

Easter burst on the world-scene magnifying God’s love and leading humanity back on a clear path to Him. Whereas April Fool’s day is another historical trick whose actual origin is doubtful. Like atheism itself, grounded in evolutionary faith, interesting stories abound around the day but not much foundational truth.

One story has “All Fools Day” going back to 1582 when the French changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. The New Year began sometime during the last week of March and people who failed to make the switch to January 1st earned the jeers and jokes of the well-informed. Another story says that the day replaces, Hilaria, a Roman celebration for spring and the end of winter. The celebration boasted both get-ups and gags. Weather fans suggest that it has something to do with the capricious weather during that time of the year which often fools us with snow overnight and fifty-one degrees by the end of the day!

Like the evolutionary thinking, none of this is verified, and comes from the creative mind of man. Regardless, the contrast of choices in worldviews this year couldn’t be clearer while at the time being immensely symbolic and relevant for our lives today. Celebrate the most documented, studied, verified and life-changing event in history and faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus or join the fools. The great evangelist and creationist Henry Morris said, “Indeed a wise person will ‘hearken’ unto good counsel and thus someday ‘inherit glory’.”

Easter is the celebration of a prophecy fulfilled, i.e. trusted and verified. Its foundation is Genesis which tells us the need for a Savior, and is the bedrock of the gospel message. That’s why creation and the cross go hand in glove. Unfortunately, many who call themselves Christians have one foot in both worldviews. Many “Christians” have been taught secular worldviews that use humanistic religion taught as science. They don’t realize that the same peddlers of millions of evolutionary years also say humanism is not compatible with the gospel!

Easter is the day to stop being a fool and kneel at the foot of the cross. I say kneel because we need to acknowledge Him as Lord and repent of our sins. No matter who you are, what you’ve done or believed in the past, Jesus is there to meet you. As the Bible says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”. (Isaiah 55:6)

The Case for the Christmas Spirit

12/30/2017

The spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ living among us today, and the celebration of “THE” gift which is the only gift which can keep on giving, the love and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

If you listen, really listen, to some of the best “religious” Christmas songs ever written they speak directly to the reason for Jesus being born and our need for a savior. O Holy Night is such a song. It begins…

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees!

It’s easy for us to get caught up in family, gifts and having a fun respite from work. And there is nothing wrong with any of those things, I certainly love spending time with my family, both mine and my wife’s. And one of my “love languages” is gifts so I love to give and receive thoughtful presents.

But what I want more than anything this Christmas, is the gift of each and every one of my friends and family coming to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and for the ones who do know Him to have an even deeper and more profound relationship with Him.

Sharing Christ and affirming His Word is something that I, and most Christians, can get better at doing. But there can be more to sharing Jesus than just wishing someone a “Merry Christmas”. We need to also defend the truth of His deity and the authenticity of the biblical text. Remember, Jesus is the Word. All of the Word!

Truth of Genesis, and other biblical creation organizations, spend much time trying to help people see that perspective. Through building on the foundation of the Gospel, Genesis, we hope that Christ may be glorified as Creator, Redeemer, Lord and Savior. The goal is to show that real science and biblical interpretation confirm the accuracy of God’ word and therefore the Gospel of Christ. As the song says,

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.

I’m greatly encouraged by people like Karen who is a friend of our ministry. She takes the opportunity of Christmas to give out apologetic or Christ affirming gifts and notes to people she knows. This year Karen gave out the DVD “God vs. Evolution”. By giving out faith affirming material, and learning how to defend the truth ourselves, we can help people reduce some of the barriers the secular world has attempted to build between people and the life giving message Jesus’ birth.

As you sing hymns this Christmas season, think about what Jesus really did by coming to earth on Christmas day. He brought the light of truth into a dark and dying world as “THE” perfect gift.

Make it a point at Christmas and throughout the year to build up people’s faith and the authority of scripture. Give some gifts and send some notes of encouragement that do just that.

O Holy Night concludes with:

With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year from Truth of Genesis!

Thanksgiving

11/23/2017

In all my years of celebrating Thanksgiving I had never heard of Sarah Joseph Hale. Does that name sound familiar to you?

She is most known for being the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was also part of the first recording on Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph.

But she is also probably the person most responsible for Thanksgiving being a federal holiday.

Her series of editorials influenced President Lincoln to back legislation making Thanksgiving a national day of remembrance in 1863. It was the culmination of 17 years of work pleading with five U.S. presidents before providence took hold in the middle of the civil war.

For the Christian, Lincoln’s action is the perfect example of giving thanks even during difficult times. And the Civil War was one of the darkest hours in American history. We are reminded in Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

This is important for me because I have a tendency to thank God only during times of plenty or opportunity. But His grace and mercy abound in my life at all times, and Jesus’ sacrifice is an eternal gift. I’ve already experienced the thing most desired in every human heart, real love and real peace.

If you’re a Christian, remembering this and letting its truth be something that we’re thankful for daily is part of our call. If you’re not a Christian, it is part of the promise that God makes available to all who seek Him.

Lincoln “urged his countrymen to be mindful of their many blessings that are ‘the gracious gifts of the Most High God’ who ought to be thanked ‘with one heart and one voice, by the whole American People’.”1

As Christians today we should be urgently sharing the truth of the gospel, upholding the authority of scripture and giving thanks daily for our personal relationship with our Lord Jesus above our material blessings.

Sarah Joseph Hale and President Lincoln were instrumental in establishing Thanksgiving on our calendar each year. Let’s not forget God’s Word calls us to give thanks in times of famine and in times of feast.

References: 1. http://www.icr.org/article/thanksgiving-heritage
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_phongrph_2.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
http://www.icr.org/article/9023
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale

Reformation Day, Oct. 31st

10/25/2017

The Protestant Reformation: What does this mean to us today?

October 31st, 2017, marked the 500th Anniversary of the recognition of the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Dr. Martin Luther (a Roman Catholic monk) challenged the Catholic Church, in regards to doctrine and salvation, by nailing a declaration to the door of Wittenberg Church.

Martin Luther and other Reformers addressed four questions: *How is a person saved? Where does religious authority lie? What is the church? What is the essence of Christian living? The Reformers answered these questions with five points that would separate biblical doctrine of the Protestants and the Roman Catholics. These five points are:

Scripture Alone: The Bible is the only authority for all matters of faith and practice (emphasis mine).
Salvation by Grace Alone: Salvation is proof of God’s undeserved favor and that we are rescued by faith alone, not by works.
Salvation by Faith Alone: We are justified by faith in Christ alone.
In Christ Alone: Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone; no one and nothing else can save.
For the Glory of God Alone: Salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God for His glory alone.

How does the Reformation affect us today as Creationists? The Protestant Reformation returned us to the Bible as the only spiritual authority. It reminds us that we must stand against any doctrine of faith that takes us away from the Bible as our spiritual authority.

As a nation, we have allowed the religion of Evolution in our schools, in our homes, in our churches, and given it authority over our children. As followers of Christ, we need to realize that Evolution and the Bible do not agree. They are two polarizing faiths; you cannot believe in both and be intellectually and biblically consistent.

I thank the Lord for the Reformers’ strength and resolve (even to the point of death) so that we can stand on the Bible as our Scriptural authority today. Please join us and others as we encourage the Body of Christ to return to the Bible as their only spiritual authority regarding the origins of creation. Join us in prayer for another reformation. One that will free the church from Evolution’s deception and its influence over the Body of Christ, so that we can then disciple others with the truth of Scripture.

Reformation is just as important for us today as it was for Martin Luther over 500 years ago. Just as we need to continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit and press into our Lord; we need to continue to prune dead man-made philosophies and beliefs from the church. May God bless us to continue the good work that Luther started until THAT DAY!

*Excerpts from GotQuestions.org “What was the Protestant Reformation?”

Happy Birthday President Lincoln

2/17/2017

Being from President Lincoln's hometown we honor the 16th president for not only for what he accomplished and his service to the country but also for the challenges he faced as a person.

We face similar challenges today in our culture. Our challenges come not only from political divisions but also in discerning what truth is and isn't.

Just as Hilkiah the high priest of Judah found the Book of the Law and gave it to Josiah the King. It's up to us to rediscover God's truth from the very first verse and use it so "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God" 2Cor 10:5.

Today's secular scientist and philosophers have muddied the waters in search of the truth. But when we approach the One who would grant us "living water" we see clearly all the way to the depths of humanity like a diver in crystal clear water.

God's Word is the ultimate truth and provides us with the corrected lenses to view our world. That truth begins with a plain reading of scripture. With our roots firmly grounded in Genesis and thirsting for living water, we will see the world for what it is, for what it should be and for what it will be once again when Christ returns.