October 24, 2012

Higher Percentage of Homosexuals Among Young Adults Than Seniors: What Does This Mean?

Rainbow flags

As time goes on, homosexuality is increasingly becoming more accepted in our society. As it becomes more accepted, it will become more common. A recent Gallup survey found that 3.4% of adults in the United States identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

The survey also found an interesting statistic regarding the percentage of homosexuals among various age groups. The numbers are very difficult for those who wish to argue that homosexuality is a matter of inherent sexual orientation, rather than choice.

Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age – at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.

How do we explain the number of homosexuals being more than three times higher among young adults as it is among seniors? How do we account for the percentage of homosexuals declining with age? There are two possibilities:
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October 24, 2012

The Blind Man’s Lesson for the Pharisees (10/24)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from John 9:1-10:21.

When Jesus healed a blind beggar, the Pharisees became upset because this was done on the Sabbath (they had a faulty notion that Jesus’ actions here violated the Sabbath law when they did not). So the man who was healed was brought before the Pharisees to answer for what had happened. After this they interviewed the man’s parents. Then they brought the formerly blind man back before them. During this second interrogation, this man taught the Pharisees of some important facts and showed them why they should believe in Christ.

“They reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.’

“The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’

“They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ So they put him out” (John 9:28-34).

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October 23, 2012

Are You Redeeming the Time?

[The following was slightly adapted from a sermon outline by A.W. Dicus entitled, ‘Christian Economics.’]

WatchesEach week contains 10,080 minutes. What do people do with their time?

The time spent by a fairly active church member on spiritual activities:

  • Attends on Sunday, three hours = 180 minutes
  • Attends on Wednesday night = 60 minutes
  • Reads the Bible two hours = 120 minutes
  • Prays 15 minutes daily = 105 minutes
  • Visits the sick, three hours = 180 minutes
  • Total time for the Lord = 645 minutes

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October 23, 2012

“Before Abraham Was Born, I Am” (10/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from John 7-8.

There are many people in the world who believe that Jesus was just a regular human being and that He never possessed the attributes of Deity. Some among our own brethren believe that Jesus surrendered His deity when He came to earth. Both of these theories are debunked by Jesus’ own words.

Notice the conversation Jesus had with certain ones of the Jews who did not believe in Him:

“‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.‘ Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:56-59).

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October 22, 2012

If Your Brother Sins Against You (10/22)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 18.

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).

The New King James Version starts with the phrase, “If your brother sins against you.” Though the New American Standard Bible (quoted above) does not contain a similar phrase, the context certainly implies that private sins that one brother commits against another are the type of sins under consideration. Others were not aware of the sin until after the guilty brother had been approached by the brother whom he had sinned against.
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October 21, 2012

The Son of Man Will Be Killed (10/21)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9:28-62.

Even though His disciples did not completely understand what He meant, Jesus told them beforehand what was going to happen to Him.

“For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, ‘The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later’” (Mark 9:31).

Jesus was going to be killed. He knew this would happen. Peter would later say that this was part of the “predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). This was the reason why Jesus came to the earth in the first place – to die on the cross.
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October 20, 2012

What Other People Say and What You Say (10/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9:18-27.

Immediately before promising to build His church, Jesus taught His disciples an important lesson about what to believe.

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 16:13-17).

It was helpful to recognize what others were saying about Jesus. Many people had misconceptions about Him, just as many people do today. But while it was important to be aware of this, the goal of Jesus’ instruction was not merely to point out the erroneous views that His disciples might encounter. It was also vitally important that the disciples themselves believed the truth about Jesus.
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