"Make Believe"

God has blessed the human mind with the gift of imagination. Young children utilize this gift well, and parents find it marvelously entertaining.

My dad and mom were no exception. Once while watching us children play, Dad recorded his thoughts in the form of a rhyme. More than that, he brought to light the spiritual realities that are at stake when it comes to differentiating fantasy from reality.

Make Believe

I often watch my children play,

And how amazed am I that they

Are occupied for hours on end

With games that start with “Let’s pretend.”

They play at “house”, they play at “store”;

They play at “school”, they play at “war”.

They play at “cops and robbers”, too;

There’s nothing little minds can’t do.

Yes, “let’s pretend” contributes joy

To every little girl and boy;

And drab and dull would childhood be,

If it were not for fantasy.

The thought that weighs upon my mind

Is: Some don’t leave those years behind.

Concerning things “beyond the veil”,

They still let fantasy prevail.

They make believe there is no hell;

They make believe their souls are well;

They reason, under false pretense,

That works will be their sure defense.

Behold, the final, fearful end

Of those, like babes, who still pretend!

For in eternal things, you see,

There is no room for fantasy.

For fantasy oft times conflicts

With that which God on high edicts;

And fiction from the days of youth

Must not displace the written truth.

Because the Bible doth reveal

That mankind’s need for Christ is real.

Imagination has a role,

But not in matters of the soul.

And what of you, good Christian friend?

Do you serve God, or just pretend?

Do you the Holy Spirit grieve,

By service only “make believe”?

Sleepless in Massachusetts

Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night? Last night was one of those nights for us. I had trouble sleeping in the middle of the night, as did a few of my other family members. Whenever I have trouble sleeping, I wonder if God wants me to pray about certain things or perhaps simply to contemplate who He is in the quietness of the night. Some things were undoubtedly weighing on my heart and mind, so I gave these to the Lord, knowing that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). If God keeps us awake at night, then clearly He has something better for us than sleep. Maybe it's to pray ... meditate on a truth of Scripture ... reflect on our life as a family ... or simply listen to hear His voice. Whatever the case, we should take full advantage of these opportunities. Yes, we may be tired, but in those moments, God has something more precious for us than sleep.

I'm sure David had many sleepless nights when he was in the wilderness of Judah, being chased by murderous King Saul. (That would be somewhat stressful, don't you think?) Nevertheless David testified to the Lord,

You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

Because you are my helper,

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:5-7

May these verses encourage you to think on the Lord and enjoy His fellowship, even as the world around you sleeps.

The Story of Jonah - Like You've Never Heard It!

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

I Stand Corrected!

Whenever my wife goes away (which is rare), I get a renewed appreciation for all she does here in our home. In a family with four boys (five if you include me), keeping up on laundry alone can be nearly a full-time job!

This is what I was attempting to do last evening with Ethan, one of my younger sons. We brought down from the upstairs the hampers of dirty laundry and dumped it all out on the floor. Ethan helped me separate the white clothing from the colored, and I began throwing the whites into the . . . dryer. After a moment I realized what I was doing, shook my head and sighed, "What am I doing throwing these into the dryer? They go in the washer!" Ethan responded, "Yeah, I know. I wondered what you were doing." To which I responded, "If you knew that, why didn't you say something?" My son replied, "I thought that it wasn't nice for children to correct their parents."

I've thought about that remark several times since. I responded to my son initially by saying, "Well, it's good that you're sensitive to that, and children should certainly show respect to their parents. But even parents make mistakes and need to be corrected. So it's okay to do that as long as you go about it in the right way."

But as I thought on this more, I began wondering if I am as open to correction as I'd like to think I am. On several occasions my children have heard their mother or me apologize and ask for forgiveness if we've done something wrong. But what if we don't see it or acknowledge it? It's still a sin - or at least a mistake (if it doesn't involve wrongdoing) - isn't it? Of course it is. We correct our children all the time!

How important it is, then, to let my children know that I also am not above correction. Parents too are human, and therefore quite fallible and sinful. My children must know that it is commendable to correct me when I'm wrong or to make me aware of my mistakes. Again, children must do so respectfully, in a way that honors the Lord and their parents. But in showing humility, accessibility, and teachability on our part, we are instilling in them by our example the very character traits we want them to possess and express in their own lives.

Even this morning after my oldest teenage son had left for school, I sent him a text message which said - and I quote: "Did u take my good dress belt?! I went to where it and can't find it!!" Now in addition to using the wrong kind of "where" [wear] in my message, I made another mistake. Right after sending the message, I thought, "Great. Now I'll have to wear my older, more casual belt with these dress pants!" As I went to put it on, I made this amazing discovery: I had already put on a belt. My dress belt! I sent my son a second text, saying, "Never mind. I got it. Sorry."

Come to think of it, maybe my daughter didn't take my iPod recharger cord either.

Correction isn't just for kids; parents need it, too. Do your children know that?

Bible Quiz Answers

ANSWERS TO BIBLE QUIZ

1. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

2. Psalms.

3. Luke.

4. Romans 6:23.

5. 8. Noah and his wife, their 3 sons and their wives (I Peter 3:20).

6. “All things whatsoever you would that men would do to you, do you also unto them” (Matt. 7:12).

7. Noah, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul.

8. 66 (39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament).

9. Adam and Eve.

10. You shall have no other gods before me, you shall not make any graven images, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, remember the Sabbath day, honor your father and your mother, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, and you shall not covet [abridged wording].

11. Invisible beings created by God.

12. Esau.

13. David.

14. Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, the Sower, the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, the Treasure in the Field, the Pearl of Great Price, the Great Feast, etc.

15. Three.

16. A doctor (Col. 4:14).

17. Levi.

18. The Old Testament.

19. Greek.

20. Trust in what God says.

21. Jesus (Acts 20:35).

22. True.

23. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

24. Tower of Babel, Tabernacle, Temple, Church.

25. “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37,39).

26. Saul, David and Solomon.

27. No.

28. Michael, Gabriel, and Satan (fallen angel). Some add Wormwood (Rev. 8:11).

No other angel is named in the Bible.

29. Moses.

30. Both, on separate occasions (Matt. 14 and 15).

31. Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Could you have named them?

32. John 11:25.

33. A tax collector.

34. John 2.

35. Neither. It is not in the Bible at all. There is no such book.

36. Reuben, Judah, Issachar, Levi, Dan, Zebulon, Benjamin, Simeon, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, and Joseph (which was divided into Ephraim and Mannaseh).

37. Methulseleh – 969 years (Gen. 5:27).

38. A Christian. All Christians are saints.

39. Psalm 119. It has 176 verses, far longer than any other chapter.

40. Genesis, Exedus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

41. John the Apostle.

42. The Devil, the Temptor, Beelzebub, the Serpent, the Dragon, the Evil One, the Prince of the Power of the Air, Lucifer, Prince of Demons, etc.

43. Lamb.

44. Praise the Lord.

45. The Book of Judges (chapters 13-16).

46. Greek. The Old Testament was translated about 200 BC.

47. John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

48. Peter, James, John, Andrew, James the Younger, Matthew (Levi), Simon the Zealot, Philip, Thaddaeus (Judas, not Iscariot), Bartholomew (Nathaniel), Thomas, and Judas Iscariot.

49. Flood, Exodus, Babylonian Captivity, Dispersion, and the Crucifixion.

50. Enoch and Elijah.

51. All men (I Cor. 15; Daniel 12:2). But only Christians get perfect bodies.

52. False.

53. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I Peter, II Peter, I John, II John, III John, Jude, and Revelation.

54. Yes. See Matthew 5:8.

55. Our inheriting Adam’s sin. See Romans 5.

56. Turning water into wine, feeding the 4,000 and 5,000, raising Lazarus, walking on water, stopping the storm, healing the blind, etc.

57. This saying is not in the Bible. A similar proverb is in Proverbs 13:24.

58. Hebrew and a few chapters in Aramaic (mainly in Daniel).

59. The New Testament.

60. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.

61. Anointed.

62. False. We are not saved by good works at all.

63. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

64. Solomon.

65. Genesis 1:1.

66. Judah.

67. Passover (or Unleavened Bread), Pentecost (or Weeks), Tabernacles, Sabbath, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Purim. Hanukkah is not in the Bible.

68. John the Baptist. See Matt. 11:11.

69. Daniel 5.

70. Caesar Augustus.

71. False. Moses died in the Wilderness. Joshua led Israel into the Land.

72. Regeneration.

73. This is in Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible.

74. John 1:1, 8:24,58, 20:28, Rom. 9:5, Titus 2:13, I Tim. 3:16, etc.

75. Matthew, Chapter 2.

76. All of these.

77. Heaven.

78. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (or Writings). See Luke 24:44.

79. God chose only some to be saved. See Eph. 1, Rom. 9, John 15:16, etc.

80. No errors at all. See John 17:17, "Thy Word is truth.".

81. It is not in the Bible at all.

82. Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter.

83. Called-out assembly.

84. Rom. 3:20,28, 5:1, Gal. 2:16, 3:11, Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, etc.

85. Love. See I Cor. 13:13.

86. Luke 10.

87. A real place. Also known as Hades, Gehenna and the Lake of Fire.

88. Eve, Sarah, Ruth, Esther, Mary, and Lydia.

89. John 10.

90. Only the High Priest.

91. Faith alone. See answer to question 84 above.

92. This is the term for the Five Books of Moses. It is also known as the Torah.

93. Luke 15.

94. Ephesians 5:22,25; Col. 3:18-19 (cf. Also I Peter 3:1,7).

95. Fallen angels.

96. Mary.

97. Acts 16:31.

98. Samson.

99. John the Baptist.

100. Matt. 28:19, Luke 3:22, II Cor. 13:14, Eph. 2:18, I Peter 1:2, etc.

100 Questions

The following Bible questions were sent to me from a pastoral colleague. They were originally compiled by Curt Daniel.

Why not carve out some time to take this quiz? I'll post the answers soon.

BIBLE QUIZ

This test is designed to help Christians discover how much they know about the Bible. There are no trick questions, nor questions about small details. Please do not use your Bible when taking the test. An answer sheet is provided, together with Scripture references where appropriate.

1. Name the four Gospels.

2. What is the longest book in the Bible?

3. Who wrote the Acts of the Apostles?

4. Which book says, “The wages of sin is death”?

5. How many people were on Noah’s Ark?

6. What is the Golden Rule?

7. Put in chronological order: Daniel, Noah, Paul, Moses and David.

8. How many books are there in the Bible?

9. Who were the first two people?

10. Name the Ten Commandments.

11. Angels are: ghosts of dead people, children who died in infancy, genies, or invisible beings created by God?

12. Who was the brother of Jacob?

13. Who wrote Psalm 23?

14. Name three of Jesus’ parables.

15. How many epistles were written by John?

16. Was Luke: a fisherman, an apostle, a doctor or a shepherd?

17. Which tribe did Moses belong to?

18. Is Daniel in the Old or the New Testament?

19. In what language was the New Testament written?

20. Faith is: a leap into the dark, trust in what God says, believing in something you know isn’t true, or a religious feeling?

21. Who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”?

22. True or false: James and John were brothers.

23. Who were the three patriarchs?

24. Put in chronological order: Temple, Church, Tower of Babel, Tabernacle.

25. What did Jesus say were the two greatest commandments?

26. Name the first three kings of Israel.

27. Is Santa Claus in the Bible?

28. Give the name of at least one angel.

29. Who wrote the Book of Deuteronomy?

30. Did Jesus feed 4,000 or 5,000 people with the loaves and fishes?

31. How many Minor Prophets are there?

32. Which book says, “I am the resurrection and the life”?

33. Was Matthew: a carpenter, a centurion, a tax collector, or a priest?

34. Which Gospel records Jesus turning water into wine?

35. Is the Book of Hezekiah in the Old or the New Testament?

36. Name the twelve tribes of Israel.

37. Who was the oldest person in the Bible?

38. A saint is: a sinless person, an apostle, a pope, a Christian, an angel?

39. What is the longest chapter in the Bible?

40. Name the Five Books of Moses.

41. Who wrote the Book of Revelation?

42. Give three names or titles for Satan.

43. What kind of meat was eaten at the Passover?

44. Hallelujah means: I believe, hosanna, wow, praise the Lord, or amen?

45. Which book tells us the life of Samson?

46. What was the first language the Bible was translated into?

47. What is the shortest verse in the Bible?

48. Name the twelve apostles.

49. Put in chronological order: the Dispersion, the Crucifixion, the Flood, the Babylonian Captivity, and the Exodus.

50. Name someone who went to Heaven without dying.

51. Who will be raised from the dead: all men, Christians only, or angels?

52. True or false: We are saved by being baptized in water.

53. Name the Books of the New Testament.

54. Will we see God in Heaven?

55. Original Sin means: demon possession, Adam and Eve having sex, Eve eating the Forbidden Fruit, or our inheriting Adam’s Sin?

56. Name three of Christ’s miracles.

57. Which book says, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”?

58. In what language was the Old Testament written?

59. Is the Book of Hebrews in the Old or the New Testament?

60. Put in chronological order the nations that held Israel captive: Greece, Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Assyria, and Persia.

61. Christ means: Master, High Priest, Annointed, Savior, Lord, or Redeemer?

62. True or false: God will save someone if he has more good works than sins.

63. Where are the 10 Commandments located in the Bible?

64. Who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes?

65. Which book says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth”?

66. Which tribe of Israel did Jesus belong to?

67. Name 3 of Israel’s feasts or festivals.

68. Who was the greatest man before Jesus: David, Abraham, Solomon, John the Baptist, Moses or Adam?

69. Which book mentions the handwriting on the wall?

70. Who was Caesar when Jesus was born: Herod, Caesar Augustus, Pilate, Nero, or Julius Caesar?

71. True or false: Moses led Israel into the Promised Land.

72. Being born again means: reincarnation, regeneration, redemption, or restitution?

73. Which book says, “God helps those who help themselves”?

74. Give a Bible verse that explicitly says that Jesus is God.

75. Which Gospel mentions the Star of Bethlehem?

76. Was David: a prophet, a shepherd, a soldier, a musician, or a king?

77. When a Christian dies, he goes straight to: Purgatory, Heaven, Hades, unconscious sleep in the grave, or back to Earth?

78. What are the three divisions of the Old Testament?

79. Election means: God chose only some people to be saved, our parents dedicated us to God, or God chose those He knew would believe in Jesus?

80. Does the Bible contain many, a few, or no errors at all?

81. Is the Book of Enoch in the Old or the New Testament?

82. Put in chronological order: Jeremiah, Elijah, Samuel, Peter, Isaiah.

83. Church means: Temple, Christian building, called-out assembly, or nation?

84. Give a Bible verse that teaches justification by faith alone.

85. Which is the greatest: hope, love or faith?

86. Which Gospel has the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

87. Hell is: a real place, a myth, here on Earth, Purgatory, or nowhere?

88. Put in chronological order: Sarah, Lydia, Ruth, Mary, Eve, and Esther.

89. Which book says, “I am the Good Shepherd”?

90. Who could enter the Holy of Holies: the pope, Moses, a priest, an apostle, the High Priest, only angels?

91. We are saved by: faith, good works, or faith and good works?

92. What is the Pentateuch?

93. Which Gospel records the Parable of the Prodigal Son?

94. Which book says, “Wives, submit to your husbands. Husbands, love your wives”?

95. Demons are: goblins, fallen angels, ghosts of dead people, or myths?

96. Who was Jesus’ mother?

97. Which book says: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”?

98. Who was the strongest man to ever live: Hercules, Samson, or Goliath?

99. Who baptized Jesus?

100. Give a verse that teaches the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Simplicity of God

Recently I attended the Expositors’ Conference in Mobile, Alabama, with Drs. Steven Lawson and R. C. Sproul. What a blessing it was to sit under the preaching of the Word by these godly pastors for two full days! (Afterward I got to spend a couple of days with family in Tennessee, which was also nice.) While introducing one of his sermons, Dr. Sproul stated that one of the most neglected doctrines in the church today is the simplicity of God. By this we mean not that God is easy to figure out or comprehend, but that God is not composed of parts. Whereas humans are compounded creatures, such is not the case with our Creator. God is love (1 John 4:8), and God is light (1 John 1:5), but nothing in Scripture suggests that God is part love and part light. Rather, God is Himself both love and light. The same is true in refer-ence to all of God’s other attributes. For instance, in Exodus 34:6-8 we read,

The LORD passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

God is His attributes; He is entirely loving, entirely merciful, entirely just, and so forth. Thus when we emphasize some of God’s attributes to the exclusion of others, we misunderstand and misrepresent who God is and wind up with a god of our own choosing. This is idolatry.

On the other hand, if we embrace God’s simplicity and seek to understand His unity, we come to know, love, and worship Him for who He really is, even as Moses did. We see that different attributes of God are emphasized at different times for specific purposes. We come to appreciate God’s individual attributes while celebrating the unity of His divine essence. Our God is an awesome God! May we worship Him by being consistent in our own character - not only as individual believers but also corporately as the body of Christ.

Beautiful Words for Beleaguered Parents

For many years, the writings of Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) have been a perpetual source of encouragement to me. Next to the Holy Scriptures themselves, no other writings have so enriched my walk with God. In my darkest moments, Spurgeon's scriptural reflections and applications have been a tonic to my soul.

No doubt one of the reasons that Spurgeon's words brought such great comfort to his hearers was because he himself struggled with depression. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1 that we as believers are able to comfort others with the same comfort we ourselves have received from God.

One such word of comfort is extended to parents who find themselves disheartened in their child-rearing efforts. Parenting is one of the toughest challenges we face as believers on earth. We face many hindrances, not the least of which is our own fallenness and susceptibility to sin. Recall Jesus' words in Matthew 7 when He said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall our Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (italics added). Compared to our holy heavenly Father, we earthly parents are evil. Still, we love our children and know how to give good things to them.

Yes, our own sinfulness as parents creates a hindrance in our attempts to shepherd our children. But provided that we are making it our aim to please Christ in all that we say and do, fighting the good fight of faith, the battle grows weary when our children persist in their sin. Nothing is more painful than when our children refuse the best that we can offer them: the gospel and all the promise it holds forth for their lives. Some reject the gospel altogether, showing no interest in having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Others "claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him" (Titus 1:16). Still others are like the Galatians: after starting their Christian lives by the Spirit, they're trying to become perfect by their own human efforts - and failing miserably.

Be encouraged by what Charles Spurgeon writes in the September 17 morning entry of his devotional classic Morning & Evening. These are beautiful words for beleaguered parents, based on Jesus' words in Mark 9:19, "Bring him unto me."

Despairingly, the poor, disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed. But the pitiful child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent, in faith, obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto me." Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents. They may be filled with the Spirit of God or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one prescription for the curing of all their ills, "Bring [them] unto me." Oh, for more agonizing on their behalf while they are yet babies! Sin is there, so let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries that announce their actual advent into the world of sin. In the days of their youth, we will see sad indicators of that dumb and deaf spirit that will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul. Still, Jesus commands, "Bring [them] unto me." When they are grown up, they may wallow in sin and display enmity against God. Then, when our hearts are breaking, we should remember the Great Physician's words, "Bring [them] unto me." We must never cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives. The Lord sometimes allows His people to be driven into a corner so that they may know how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to flee to the Strong One for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our ... need may be, let it, like a strong current, bear us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow. He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him while He waits to meet us.