Tag Archives: Bible

October 29, 2015 · 9:43 AM

Following Jesus Leads Where?

Jesus said, “Follow me!” When we do, where will he lead us?

Jesus’ custom was to attend worship on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). When we follow Jesus, we will have the same custom. We will gather with fellow believers on the Lord’s Day for worship: to sing God’s praises, to hear God’s Word, to give God offerings, and to fellowship with God’s people.

Once, when Jesus attended worship in his hometown, they asked him to read the Scripture and give a sermon. His message upset them. They were so enraged that they dragged him out of town and tried to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:17-30).

Some folks complain about how poorly they are treated at church. Jesus attended with people who wanted to kill him! When we follow Jesus, we will have the habit of worshiping with others on a regular basis, despite the shortcomings of some who attend.

Jesus also had a habit of withdrawing to lonely places in order to pray (Luke 5:16). When we follow Jesus, we will be a people of frequent intentional prayer.

When Jesus slipped away for prayer, large crowds came looking for him. They wanted to hear him speak and to be healed by him (Luke 5:15). They were interested in what he could do for them.

Things are no different today. We are tempted to see prayer as wasted time, or at least as a low priority. After all, we have so much to do! It’s easy to push prayer into the background.

Jesus was busy, too, but he put prayer at the top of his list. When we follow Jesus, we will take prayer seriously.

Jesus appointed his followers and sent them out (Luke 10:1). Their task was to prepare others to meet Jesus. When we follow Jesus, he will send us out to tell others about him, too.

Jesus told his followers that he was sending them out like lambs among wolves (Luke 10:3). He knows how difficult this task can be. But Jesus also said that there is an abundant harvest waiting for those who go before him (Luke 10:2).

Harvest is a time of great joy and celebration. In fact, harvest is used in the Bible to picture the end of this age. For those who have worked in the Lord’s field, the Day of Judgment will be one of rejoicing and enjoying the fruit of their labor.

This reminds us of the greatest place that we will go when we follow Jesus. After his resurrection, Jesus led his followers to the vicinity of Bethany. While blessing them, he was taken up to heaven (Luke 24:50-51).

Jesus promised his followers that he was going ahead of them to prepare a place. He promised to come back and take them, and us, to be with him (John 14:2-3). When we follow Jesus, we have a marvelous destination: heaven.

As followers of Jesus, we attend church regularly, we intentionally and frequently spend time in prayer, we tell others about Jesus, and we look forward to the day when our Lord will return to take us home.

May we be faithful to follow our Lord Jesus in all things,

Brother Richard

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September 30, 2015 · 9:56 AM

How Do We Know That God Is In Our Lives?

What is normal for a Spirit-filled Christian? What should we expect from a life of walking in step with God’s Holy Spirit?

If our expectations are wrong, then we may find ourselves confused or disillusioned. If we know what to expect, then we will not be disappointed because God is always faithful.

What was normal for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

Abraham had three mysterious visitors one day. It turns out that they were angels sent from the Lord. The Bible never mentions angelic visitors to Abraham’s son, Isaac. Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, wrestled with a man all night and then realized that he had come face to face with God.

Did Isaac do something wrong that God did not send three angels to visit him? Did Abraham fail somehow so that God did not wrestle with him all night?

God changed Abraham’s name and he changed Jacob’s, but not Isaac’s. God warned Isaac not to go into Egypt during a famine, but told Jacob that he should go to Egypt because of a famine. Did God contradict himself? Which one is normal?

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not share the exact same experiences with God. What they did share was a set of promises that God originally gave to Abraham. Those promises were passed down to Isaac, then to Jacob, and then to their descendants, the Israelites.

What about New Testament believers? What is normal for the people of God in the church age?

So-called “Pentecostal” teachers have challenged Christians to believe that only those who have spoken in tongues are initiated into the empowering Presence of God’s Holy Spirit. They point to the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2, telling us that every believer should expect to undergo such an experience.

But the account in Acts 2 speaks of a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire resting over the believers (vv. 1-4). Pentecostal teachers insist on speaking in tongues but not audible wind or visible fire. On what basis do they choose speaking but reject hearing and seeing?

More than that, the tongues spoken on the Day of Pentecost were foreign languages. God miraculously enabled that small band of believers to speak so that out-of-towners could hear about his mighty works in their heart languages (vv. 5-11).

Should we believe that no one has God’s indwelling Spirit until they have miraculously spoken a foreign language? Is that what the New Testament teaches?

A quick reading of the Book of Acts shows that some converts spoke in tongues but others didn’t. Which is normal? What should we expect today?

To complicate matters more, Pentecostals often teach that new believers should expect to receive God’s Spirit at a time after they have been saved, separating a special “baptism in the Spirit” from confessing Jesus as Lord. Are they right?

When Phillip preached the gospel in Samaria, the new believers did not receive God’s Spirit until Peter came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. This experience seems to support what Pentecostal teachers assert, that God gives his Spirit sometime after salvation.

But when Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his household, the Holy Spirit fell upon those listening while he was still speaking, no delay. Which is normal? What should we expect?

Narratives about how God worked in the lives of his people may or may not present us with “normal” Christian experiences. James was killed by the sword (Acts 12:2). His brother, John, lived to be an old man. Which experience is normal?

Using the Bible’s narratives to define a normal Christian experience is a flawed approach. The interpreter must arbitrarily choose some experiences and ignore others. But this does not mean that “anything goes.” An experience is not from God simply because someone sincerely believes it to be so.

To answer the question about what we should expect in Christian life we must listen to the words of teaching in the Bible. As God’s promises united the various experiences of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Old Testament, God’s promises bind together the variety of experiences in the church age.

In the Book of Ephesians, believers are instructed to be filled with God’s Spirit (5:18). The text goes on to tell us what we should expect from the Spirit-filled life (5:19-6:20).

Spirit-filled believers have relationships with other believers which result in building one another up. Spirit-filled believers have a heart of gratitude toward God that fuels passionate worship.

Spirit-filled wives submit to their husbands. Spirit-filled husbands sacrifice for their wives. Spirit-filled children obey their parents. Spirit-filled fathers do not exasperate their children.

Spirit-filled workers labor for their managers as if they were working for the Lord. Spirit-filled managers treat workers with honor and respect.

Being Spirit-filled means being equipped with the full armor of God in order to stand against the devil’s schemes, praying in the power of God’s Spirit for God’s truth to be proclaimed in all the world.

If we cannot get along with fellow believers, don’t want to worship, don’t submit to our husbands, don’t sacrifice for our wives, don’t obey our parents, discourage our children, despise our bosses, mistreat our workers, ignore the battle against evil, and care not for sharing God’s truth, then we have quenched God’s Spirit in our lives and we are grieving God’s Spirit.

In the Book of Galatians, believers are instructed to be in step with God’s Spirit. When we are, God’s Spirit works to set us free from selfish pursuits so that we can serve one another in love (5:13-16).

If we are more interested in serving ourselves than others then we are not in step with God’s Spirit. If we are in bondage to pornography, sexual immorality, alcohol, drugs, anger, or any such things, then we are out of step with God’s Spirit (5:17-21).

When we walk by the Spirit we have power over sin. Liberated from selfish desires, we have freedom to love others as Christ loves us. We bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (5:22-23).

So, if the narratives in the Bible do not teach us what to expect from God, then why are they included? The narratives are included in Scripture in order to show us how God has faithfully interacted with his people in the past.

We need to know that God fulfilled his promise to Israel and brought them out of the land of Egypt and into the Promised Land. But not every generation of Israelites needed to be saved from Egypt. The Exodus was vital, but not necessarily repeatable. Subsequent generations did not pass through the Red Sea on dry ground, but they did serve the same Lord.

We need to know that Jesus went into Jerusalem for Passover and became the ultimate and final Passover Lamb. We need to know that a small group of believers saw the resurrected Jesus ascend and a cloud hid him from their sight. Not every generation of believers will see Jesus ascend, but one generation will see him return.

Narratives in the Bible show us what God is capable of doing and inclined to do. They remind us that our Lord will often do something new and refreshing, something unexpected and exciting, but always something in accordance with his character and his revealed word.

Teaching in the Bible tells us what God promises to do in our lives, what we can and should expect. Narratives illustrate the teaching and the teaching explains the narratives. We need the teaching in the Book of Romans to understand the narrative record of Jesus’ acts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Bible makes another great promise about what we can expect. According to Scripture, God gives us an internal witness in order to confirm that his Spirit dwells in our hearts (Romans 8:15-16). God’s Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are his children; and by his Spirit we cry out to him, “Abba, Father.” This internal witness combines with the above-mentioned visible results of God’s presence to form a strong testimony.

As Spirit-filled believers we can expect victory over sin, triumph over evil, freedom to love like Jesus, and a personal experience of God’s presence that gives us confidence and peace in every circumstance.

May God’s empowering Presence enable us to bear the fruit of the Spirit always,

Brother Richard

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July 3, 2015 · 11:25 AM

Thinking about Gay Marriage on Independence Day

The Supreme Court of the United States of America legalized same-sex marriage. Will freedom be denied those of us who believe that same-sex relationships are sinful? What about the spiritual future of our culture? Can we get a word from our Lord about how we should respond?

In 1 Peter 3 we read that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears on their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.” This is a quote from Psalm 34, which was written some 1,000 years earlier. Peter applies an ancient and established truth to current circumstances. The passage of time had not diminished the Bible’s truth.

This is a much-needed affirmation about the Bible and about the God of the Bible. Our circumstances will change, but God’s word and his character do not change. His holiness and righteousness, his love and mercy, they are established and they will never alter.

Leviticus 18 has not changed. Romans 1 has not changed. God’s design for human sexuality, for marriage and for family has not changed. God’s design for marriage is still one man and one woman committed to one another for life, raising their children together and enjoying their grandchildren. And more than that, Christian marriage is still meant to be a living parable of the love relationship between Christ and his church. None of this has changed. Nobody, not even the Supreme Court of the United States of America can change these fixed realities.

But our country’s definition of marriage has changed. It has moved sharply away from God’s design. Will those who believe in God’s design for marriage be penalized in this rapidly changing moral storm?

The text from 1 Peter 3 continues: “Who will do you harm if you are zealous for good? But if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed.” Jesus agrees with the notion of suffering for doing what is right. In Matthew 5 he says, “Blessed are the ones persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” But do American Christians actually believe that suffering is a blessing? In other countries, China for instance, Christians understand these frequent Scriptural statements about suffering for the truth. Because of our religious freedom, this aspect of the faith is unfamiliar territory in the U.S.

1 Peter 3 continues: “Don’t fear what they fear, nor be upset.” Fear is not the answer. Fear is never to be our master. God has not abandoned his people or his plan. He can still be trusted. Some may fall away, but those who believe will discover the anointing of God’s power enabling them to represent him faithfully regardless the cost.

So what should we do? Next, 1 Peter says, “Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts, always be ready with an answer to everyone who asks you for a word about the hope which is in you.” Notice that it does not say that we should always be ready to defend our right to speak, but we should be ready to speak.

Christians in America have sometimes been quicker to defend a right than to exercise it. Tell believers that they cannot pray and they will line up for battle, rightly so. But do those same believers take the time to attend a prayer meeting? Instead of fighting for the right to speak, we must speak what we know is right.

But what about religious freedom? Is legal same-sex marriage not a threat to our religious freedom? Should we not fight for our religious freedom? It has become popular to call religious freedom our first freedom. But is this really true? Religious freedom is a great heritage, a right for which many fought and bled and died. Our first freedom as believers, however, is our freedom in Christ, not political liberty but spiritual freedom.

A person can be politically free and spiritually bound. It is also true that one can be politically bound and spiritually free. Given the choice, we would embrace both freedoms simultaneously. Forced to choose, we relinquish our political liberty in order to remain faithful to our Lord.

The kingdom of God has advanced for millennia, often without the benefit of religious freedom. In fact, sometimes religious persecution has spread the fire of the faith more effectively than religious freedom, which sadly seems to produce spiritual complacency.

We are instructed by 1 Peter 3 to be ready to give a word about our hope. What is our great hope? It is not freedom of religion, nor is it freedom of speech. Our great hope is not the Constitution of the U.S.A. Religious leaders who tell followers of Jesus that they should put their hope in freedom of speech, freedom of religion or the Constitution are at best confused and at worst false teachers.

The Bible tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, not our political freedoms or our political documents, as helpful and brilliant as these things may be. Our struggle is not a battle for religious freedom but a battle for spiritual truth. What should we do? We must set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts and be prepared to speak about him, nothing less.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist in Camden, AR, July 3, 2015

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May 26, 2015 · 3:43 PM

Time for Vacation Bible School!

LifeWay’s Bible verse for VBS this year is Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

The voice spoken of in this verse is none other than the voice of the Lord. Our faith is grounded in the wonderful truth that God himself has spoken and he is still speaking.

God has spoken to us through his written word, the Holy Bible. When we read the Bible, we are reading the words of the Almighty. What a thrill it is to have in our hands and in our hearts the written message of our Maker, Sustainer and Savior!

God’s word takes us back to the beginning of the heavens and earth and forward to the new heaven and earth. Only through God’s special revelation can we know about our true origin and final destination. Only through God’s special revelation can we learn about his unfolding plan for our lives now.

The voice of God also comes to us through the presence of his Holy Spirit. As God’s people we have his Spirit in our hearts illuminating his written word, enabling us to comprehend what we read.

God’s Spirit empowers us not only to grasp the great Truth revealed in his written word but also to apply it to our daily lives. We can see “the way” and “walk in it.” We understand and obey.

What a great honor and tremendous responsibility it is for us to teach these things to children. God has entrusted his word to us and called us to pass it on to the next generation. We are the most recent link in a gospel chain that stretches almost 2,000 years back to Jesus, and even further back into Old Testament times.

In this generation we face a pernicious spiritual darkness that threatens to silence the voice of the Bible in our country, thus denying children the joy of knowing Jesus. God’s word increasingly meets with a hostile reception in the halls of our government and in the classrooms of our schools.

But God assures us that his word is like a seed, carrying the power of life. Planted in receptive soil, the seed of God’s word brings a harvest of eternal life. It is our great joy to plant and nurture the word of God in the precious hearts of boys and girls in our community.

What greater hope do we have for the future?

May our hearts be tuned to God’s Spirit so that we will always hear his word clearly and always walk in obedience to him,

Brother Richard Foster

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March 7, 2015 · 12:56 PM

Why Do So Many People Love Spock So Much?

Spock died. That is, Leonard Nimoy passed away. Devoted fans of Star Trek sometimes have trouble separating the man from the myth, or the pop-culture icon.

In fact, Nimoy’s autobiography was titled I Am Not Spock. But fans were so unhappy that he subsequently published another book titled I Am Spock.

It’s no surprise that Spock leaves such a big footprint on our generation. He portrayed the character of an intelligent, thoughtful, courageous and sacrificial man. Even his one apparent fault, a lack of emotion, was mitigated by the fact that he chose to live with those who thrive on emotions (After all, he was half-human. . . .).

Spock leaves behind some well-known sayings. “Live long and prosper” (Can you make the Vulcan “V” with your fingers?) “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” or of the one.

That last statement is speaking about sacrifice. A few, or one, should be willing to make great personal sacrifice when necessary in order to benefit the many. And in one of the Star Trek movies, Spock does just that, selflessly giving up his life in order to save his friends.

Then with a great Hollywood twist, Spock is resurrected from the dead. Alive again and reunited with his friends (and able to continue making more movies!).

These themes should be familiar to many of us, not merely because we grew up watching Star Trek, but because we have read our Bibles. That’s right, our Bibles.

The Bible includes the record of the greatest one-for-many sacrifice ever made. In an upper room in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast almost 2,000 years ago Jesus spoke these words: This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many” (Mark 14:24).

Later that night he surrendered himself to his enemies. They executed him on a Roman Cross. After giving sight to the blind, casting out demons and feeding the hungry, it turns out that his death was his mission. He came to give his life as a ransom for many.

Then they laid Jesus’ broken body in a tomb, thinking that his story was finished. But on the third day that tomb was empty. Death lost its grip on Jesus.

Is Hollywood borrowing material from God?

Now I know that Star Trek presents a utopian view of humanity’s future. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, envisioned a future when human effort has wiped out war, poverty, racism and all the other evils entangling our race now.

More than that, Star Trek finds its setting in a universe where life evolved on many different planets. All of this seems so secular that any comparison with the Bible and Christianity would be absurd.

But then there is Spock. Yes, he is the ultimate scientist. But surprisingly, he has a spiritual side. Maybe Spock is a reminder that science is not enough. Spirit cannot be denied.

The Bible assures us that God is Lord of the heavens and the earth, Maker of the visible and the invisible. He penned the laws that regulate matter and time and energy. He also revealed the truth that governs morals and ethics and worship. He gives the words that bring eternal life.

Why does a fictional character like Spock resonate with such power in our culture? Maybe because he points to more than secular scientific data. He reminds us that we are spiritual beings after all, searching for ultimate truth.

We live in the great age of science, but secular science has not erased our deep yearning for something more, something metaphysical. That something more has been revealed and awaits our discovery. God promises that if we seek him with
all our hearts, we will find him.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist, March 2015

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January 29, 2015 · 12:22 PM

Can the Holy Bible Survive?

Gay marriage, women in ministry, abortion, social reform versus saving souls, capitalism verses socialism, these are some of the hot-button issues that are causing turbulence for some Christian groups in America today. Several denominations are undergoing sharp disagreements about what they believe and what they stand for.

At the center of these highly emotional issues that are disturbing so many churches in our nation stands the Bible. Is the Holy Bible God’s perfect word to humanity or not? If it is not, then where can we turn for answers to life’s most important questions?

Those who are skeptical about the claims in the Bible tend to value pluralism over truth. They approach the Bible as one source among many for spiritual reflection and insight. In their minds, the Bible must compete with human reason, traditions, personal experiences and other holy books from non-Christian religions.

Skeptics cannot speak with a voice of confidence or authority about right and wrong, good and evil, or heaven and hell. As a result, they offer few if any clear answers to a world that is increasingly mired in moral and spiritual confusion and darkness. In addition, they consider those who have confidence in the Bible to be closed-minded, rigid, and even hateful.

But the Bible presents compelling answers to the deepest questions in life. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? The Bible gives us God’s answers about our life in this age and in the age to come.

The Bible tells us that God has spoken a complete and coherent message. “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible warns us that we must respond to God’s message. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever trusts in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Our generation is not the first to see God’s word questioned, criticized, doubted, and attacked. The unchanging truth revealed in God’s word has always encountered stiff resistance in this world full of sin. But the anchor for our souls will never fail, despite the wind and waves of skepticism raging all around us. If the foundation beneath our feet is the word of God then we can live with assurance.

Influential men and women come and go, but Jesus is still God’s Savior. Mighty nations and cultures rise and fall, but God’s Kingdom is still advancing. Impressive ideas and philosophies are celebrated then forgotten, but the word of God will never fade away.

This is our great task as Bible-believing followers of Jesus: To know the Bible and its Author; to live according to the unchanging Truth revealed in the pages of Genesis through Revelation; to celebrate the victory that comes from following the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ.

We are a people of the Word.

May the God who has revealed himself to us in the Bible always be our wisdom and our power in everything,

Brother Richard

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August 29, 2014 · 5:00 PM

Mom’s Bible

The night before my mother passed away I found her Bible. It was a well-worn Bible, not from being mistreated, but from being read. The cover was soft and worn down from being held open for many hours. The pages had long ago lost the stiffness of being new and unused.

As I flipped through the pages of Mom’s Bible, the first piece of paper I came to was a recipe (for baked grits, which I don’t remember ever eating). It had her mother’s name written on it. That recipe was a reminder that Mom loved to cook for and spend time with her family. Her last night in this life was spent at home surrounded by the sounds of her family. That was a blessing.

The next item I came to in her Bible was a bookmark with Psalm 23 printed on it. Then there was another smaller bookmark with a verse reference and a drawing of a little boy smiling. That picture of the little boy reminded me that my mother loved to tell children about Jesus. She spent years working with kids, and others, teaching them about God’s love and truth.

The verse reference on the small bookmark was Psalm 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.” My mother could not hit a musical note with a shotgun. Singing was not her gift, at least not by the standards of this world. But when she worshiped, she sang all those bad notes with all her heart. I suspect that God loved Mom’s singing because it came from a heart of praise.

Mom’s Bible also had many Scriptures highlighted and some hand-written notes. The notes were shaky looking, reminding me that Mom lost the use of her right hand years ago but she taught herself how to write with her left hand. She refused to give up. She went right on making notes about Bible studies and writing in her journals for years, even though her handwriting didn’t look very pretty.

We brought Mom home from the hospital on Friday night. Hospice had already set up a bed in the house. On Saturday morning I got up, came downstairs with Mom’s Bible and sat by her bed. I read to her from the Book of Revelation, descriptions of heaven. I read the 23rd Psalm. I talked to her about some of the notes she had written on the page with the Lord’s Prayer. I prayed for her and told her that I loved her.

My family expected Mom to be with us for at least a few more days, if not a couple of weeks, but soon after I read to her from her Bible, Mom slipped away. She told us earlier that she was ready to see Jesus. I know she was hurting and wanted to rest from the struggle, but she was not talking about Jesus simply as a euphemism for the end of her pain. She was ready to stand in the presence of her Lord. Now she does.

Mom was ready to see Jesus and she helped a lot of other people get ready to see Jesus. Her service in this age is finished. We are still working. We still have the chance to help more people get ready to see Jesus.

May the Spirit of the Living God inspire and enable us to serve him well,

Brother Richard

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May 7, 2014 · 10:32 AM

Fight The Good Fight (Audio)

Click here to start the audio: Fight the Good Fight

Fight with me in prayer! This is an excellent message about fighting in prayer, learning to pray, and the power of prayer. From Ephesians 6:10-13.

Leave a comment and tell us what you thought.

Dr. Richard Foster, Grace Baptist Church, Camden, AR

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March 4, 2014 · 4:53 PM

Agreeing with the Pope, sort of . . . (short version)

The new Pope is enjoying surprising popularity with the media in the United States. Apparently journalists see in him a reformer willing to challenge traditional conservative positions on social and economic issues.

Pope Francis is giving the secular media a vehicle for defining the mission of the Church in ways that agree with their political predispositions. Of course, Roman Catholicism and The Church are not the same. Nevertheless, the question is raised: Is social reform the main mission of Christianity?

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul describes the mission of the Church. “We proclaim Christ,” he wrote (Colossians 1:28). The heart and soul of the Early Church’s work was a proclamation, an authoritative announcement.

The Church’s proclamation was not merely disseminating certain information, or promoting a philosophy, or even advancing a system of belief. The gospel proclamation is an announcement about a person: Jesus, who is the Christ.

The title “Christ,” reminds us that Jesus is God’s Anointed. The Church’s mission today, like that of the Early Church, is centered on proclamation. That proclamation is to be focused on Jesus Christ, his life and ministry.

Paul proclaimed Christ by “warning everyone.” The presence of God’s Son in the world was a warning about how terribly broken our world really is, so broken that we need nothing less than God’s personal intervention.

The problem in our world is more than hateful and oppressive relations between different groups of people. The root problem is a broken relationship between every person and God.

Next, Paul writes, “and teaching everyone with all wisdom.” The message of Christ comes not just as a warning about sin, death and eternal condemnation because Christ is the hope of glory. The proclamation of Christ includes teaching about the Good News that personal faith in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection opens access to God and to a new life in Christ.

Paul finished his thought by revealing the purpose for proclaiming Christ. “We proclaim Christ,” he wrote, “so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” The ultimate goal is not temporal or political. The ultimate goal is to present people “mature in Christ” to God on the Day of Judgment.

The Bible assures us that believers will give an account of their life’s work before the bema seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). The crowns we will present to our Lord on that day will be the lives of people whom we helped to grow in Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).

What about the Pope’s reform? One sign of authentic gospel ministry is genuine concern for the poor, the poor in spirit as well as the poor in money and power.

Jesus, Paul, and the Early Church all made efforts to alleviate suffering and injustice, but they focused primarily on proclaiming a message that encompassed far more than political and economic equality.

Does Pope Francis see social reform as the primary focus of Roman Catholicism? Time and patience will reveal his beliefs with greater clarity than Western journalists who can barely conceal their own political agendas.

Meanwhile, the Church must not be distracted from the true gospel mission; and the gospel mission is clearly revealed in the pages of the New Testament. Jesus proclaimed freedom for the captives, not just those held captive by unfair political and economic systems, but captive to sin and to Satan.

The Church must remember that any justice gained for the downtrodden is illusory apart from true spiritual freedom. And only Christ Jesus can break all the chains that bind us. So we proclaim Christ.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist Camden, Arkansas, March 2014
Published in Arkansas Baptist News, March 18, 2014

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January 29, 2014 · 3:23 PM

Is the Bible Just Another Myth?

A high school student in our church was required to read a book in her English class that claims the Bible is merely a myth. Apparently we can still teach religion in the public schools but only if the lessons attempt to discredit the Bible and destroy people’s Christian faith.

The book is a transcription of an interview with a man named Joe Campbell who asserted that all religions are myths and that all myths are essentially the same. Myths, of course, are fictional stories. So his book promotes the idea that the Bible is not an accurate historical record. According to him, those of us who take the Bible as a serious record about real people, places, and events are just being childish.

The writers of myths, the book says, are seeking to understand and express certain truths about the human experience. To do so, they create mythological accounts in which they personify natural forces. For instance, in the myths of ancient Israel’s neighbors, sea monsters often symbolized forces of cosmic evil.

In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is the belligerent and monstrous ocean goddess. Another god, Marduk, defeats and kills her, then slits open her corpse lengthwise “like a shellfish.” From these two parts of her body, Marduk forms heaven and earth, and so forth.

But this is nothing like the Bible. Creation was not a battle between squabbling gods, or even between the one God and the forces of nature. God spoke into existence the sea, the land, the skies, and all the creatures dwelling in them and he supervises and maintains everything. Creation is not the carcass of some sea goddess, but the handiwork of the one and only God.

Comparisons between the Bible and mythology are only convincing if one uses very carefully selected portions of the Bible and certain myths. Surprisingly, Campbell’s book about mythology is honest enough to consistently point out the many differences between the Bible and mythology. But doesn’t that destroy his original premise that all myths are basically the same? He seems to be confused, or deceived.

Probably without realizing it, Campbell makes two important points that are true. First, ancient texts can be very relevant to modern people. Despite all the changes in science and technology, people remain essentially unchanged, still concerned about the same pressing issues and still seeking answers to the same fundamental questions.

The Bible is an ancient book that reveals God’s answers to the most important questions in our lives. Where did we come from? Why are we here? What went wrong? What is the solution? Where are we going? Since God is the Author of the Bible, not people, we can depend on the answers we discover in its pages.

Second, ancient and modern myths alike demonstrate people’s belief that there is something more than impersonal forces at work in the world around them. Instead of personifying the forces of nature they are searching for the intelligence they know is behind nature. When you pull back the curtain on eternity, people expect to find not principles, philosophies or forces. They expect to find a Person.

The search for a person behind nature should not surprise us. We are really searching for more than answers to questions. We are also searching for meaningful relationships. We want to love and to be loved. Why? Because we are hard-wired that way by our Maker, the personal God. He is love and he offers love, the greatest love of all through his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May the Maker and Sustainer of heaven and earth continue revealing himself to us through his perfect Word,

Brother Richard Foster

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