Revisiting Exodus

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: "When you help the Hebrew women as they gave birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king's orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.--Exodus 1:15-17

These courageous women, Shiphrah and Puah, revered God. They were "pro-choice." They made the choice to obey God and not man (Acts 4:19)! They obviously understood that murder was wrong. On Sunday, Ron Schneider, Executive Director of the Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia, visited LCC to inform us of the vital ministry of the centers. He reminded us that children are a gift from God and that abortion is wrong!

Lake Christian Church is pro-life! We are honored to support the ministry of the Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia. They offer a variety of services:

• 24 hour helpline for immediate help
• Reliable free pregnancy testing with immediate results
• Confidential counseling with someone who cares about you
• Limited medical services including ultrasound
• Information about all of your options, including abortion, adoption and parenting of your baby
• Information about how to continue your job or education
• Resources and Referrals to help you on your way
• Confidential and caring post-abortion counseling

A fascinating resource was recommended in the sermon. Check it out--Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Journey Across the Life Line.

Growing Through Leviticus

Have you ever thought of personal holiness--being like Jesus Christ--as the most important thing in the world?

Most people today are looking for happiness, not holiness--including many professed Christians. They don't want Jesus to influence their character, but they certainly expect him to solve their problems. Eight times in the Bible, God said, "Be holy, because I am holy."

"He that sees the beauty of holiness, or true moral good, sees the greatest and most important thing in the world."--Jonathan Edwards

Leviticus challenges the believer to appreciate holiness and apply it to his or her daily life. Leviticus uses the word "holy" 91 times! As you read the book of Leviticus this week, you'll discover several significant themes that are connected to holiness: a holy God, a holy priesthood, a holy people, a holy land, and a holy Savior.

Since tattoos have become so popular, you'll be interested to read Leviticus 19:28: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos.  I am the Lord."

Some Christians make this an issue of holiness and believe that tattoos "disgrace the temple of the Holy Spirit." They twist Leviticus 19:28 to prove their point. As with any other Bible verse, the historical context must be considered. In biblical times, the Egyptians often marked their bodies to show allegiance to a particular deity. This is relevant to this verse. God makes it very clear that he forbids his chosen people, the Israelites who had been enslaved in Egypt, to be identified with any make-believe gods (Exodus 20:2-3).

People today get tattoos for artistic reasons or as permanent reminders to a significant life-event, not as a means of expressing devotion to a false god. For instance, one young man at Lake Christian Church wears a tattoo on his arm that he designed as a tribute to his infant son who passed away. It's important to remember that the Bible doesn't address getting tattoos as a personal expression. (For some interesting insights on the subject of "Heart Art" check out Sacred Ink.)

Note to teens: While getting a tattoo is an individual choice rather than a moral decision, you should respect the wishes of your parents and practice patience and use wisdom when it comes to "getting some ink done." Tattoos are permanent markings unless you undergo the painful, expensive procedure to remove them. Take this to the bank--you'll feel a lot different about tattoos when that cute butterfly on your 18-year-old abdomen looks like a pterodactyl when your abs turn 48.

Growing Through Exodus

After reading Exodus this week, you may find yourself asking the question:

"Are miracles possible?"

A 17-year-old high school junior named Julia prayed for her older brother to be healed when he developed cancer. He died after only eight months of treatments. The teen's prayers for a miracle apparently went unanswered--leaving her with the question: "Are miracles possible?"

Exodus describes many miracles, but does that mean they are real? Could there be reasonable scientific, naturalistic explanations for the events the Bible calls miracles as many skeptics would have us believe? Consider the Israelites's escape through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15-31). Some scholars have suggested that most of the exodus narrative is fabricated. Scholarly skeptics reject the Bible's claim that the Red Sea actually parted. (Note: I'm not recommending this book!)

Are you aware that nine different books of the Bible explicitly claim or clearly assume that the Red Sea miraculously split apart for the escaping Israelites?

1. Exodus
2. Deuteronomy
3. Joshua
4. Psalms
5. Isaiah
6. Acts
7. 1 Corinthians
8. Hebrews

To accept a naturalistic explanation of a biblical miracle requires one to assume that the writers of eight other books in the Bible got it wrong. It demonstrates unwarranted pride, crediting us modern readers of the Bible with a better grasp of biblical events than the actual eyewitnesses who recorded the events!

Unfortunately, Julia became biased against miracles due to her personal disappointment--BUT the reality of miracles isn't determined by the fact that the miracle she prayed for never happened. Whether an event is a real miracle or not must be determined by the strength of the evidence surrounding the event. Case in point, if Julia the junior questions the resurrection of Jesus Christ, she is required to investigate the Bible's record on the subject--look at what other historical documents from that time period say--and consider all alternative explanations of Jesus' resurrection.

God might choose to provide a miracle when we ask for it. Then again, he might not. But please remember, the Bible assures us that we can trust God to work in our lives.

Brian's Truth #78--

We have every reason to believe that our God is a miracle-working God!

Growing Through Genesis

God had only one prohibition in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:3)--eating from one forbidden tree. By choosing to ignore God's authority, Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator (Genesis 3:6). The devastating results of their rebellious choice are experienced by each of us every day--sin introduced disease and death into the world (Romans 5:12).

"Sin will keep you from God's Word, or God's Word will keep you from sin."

That's how Adam and Eve fell--they ignored God's instructions (Genesis 3:1-7). They exchanged almost all the blessings God had given them for a piece of fruit! What was at stake wasn't just getting more knowledge, but Eve and Adam's relationship with their Maker. The same is at stake for us! No matter what the devil tempts us with (1 Peter 5:8)--spiritual death is waiting for all who disobey God (Romans 6:23).

But instead of destroying Adam and Eve, God started a course of action to restore his relationship with humankind. God's course of action came with a high price tag. The cost? The life of his Son! Jesus Christ paid the debt of sin in full, so the believer can receive eternal life by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Life Lessons from Genesis

• God created you and knows you better than you know yourself
• God created you in his image
• God uses people like you and me--the imperfect, the failures, the flawed--to accomplish his will
• God takes sin seriously, and those who reject his word will experience his condemnation
• God is all-powerful and is able to turn your tragedies into triumphs