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The Irony of Atheism

Posted by jefferis on March 9, 2025 in Culture, Philosophy, Religion, theology

There is an irony in atheism.  The atheist must posit the existence of God in order to not believe. In other words, atheism does not exist without the assumption of  someone or something to not believe in.  The formal definition of an atheist is “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.”  To disbelieve or lack belief, an atheist must disbelieve or lack belief in something. Atheism cannot stand on its own. Atheism always assumes the existence of a god or gods in order to be able to negate their existence. Atheism without God makes no sense. It only makes sense in relation to the possibility of God.  

What does the atheist say?  “ I don’t believe in God,” or “I don’t believe there is a God or gods.”  He or she could say, “I believe there is nothing beyond this life,” which is a faith statement in itself,  based perhaps upon personal experiences of the physical world, but not a statement of omniscience.  In other words,  he or she does not know everything in or about the universe, or experience the substructure of the material world, or know or understand the quantum nature of physical things. And if God is supernatural, as is claimed, then God is above nature and not material or measurable by human instruments. The atheist, by being bound to the material world, and only able to measure material things, cannot measure the supernatural; he can only deny its existence. He cannot know or prove that there is no supernatural reality; he can only assert it. But even the denial by a singular human doesn’t mean much, since that denial is an act of personal opinion or belief.  And again, he is denying the existence of a Creator, Supernatural God, which he again assumes in order to deny its existence. In order to deny an object, you must first posit its existence or you don’t have anything to deny. In other words, atheism cannot exist in a vacuum. It can only exist if it presumes a God or gods to reject. 

But let’s be honest. The atheist does not go around with any gusto denying the existence of Zeus or Thor. In the West, at least, the atheist primarily directs his anger at the belief in the Christian or Jewish God, and perhaps the god of Islam.  And, in most cases,  the reasons for the rejection of the idea of God is the perception of injustice in the world, the experience of suffering and evil, or the loss of a loved one to disease, murder, or accident.  The questions raised by such things are  “how can there be a good and loving God, if he allows such injustice to exist in the world?  And “if he is all powerful, why doesn’t he stop it?”  The conclusion is either God is not good or all powerful, or he doesn’t exist.  These are deep questions that deserve extended answers, but they are not proofs of God’s non-existence.  A short answer is that God made you in His image, which includes freedom. And being free, you have a choice how to live your live, and some people choose to do evil rather than good. Freedom is good in itself, but freedom has in it the potential for everyone to do wrong and make bad choices. That is essentially what happens in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God cannot stop you from doing evil without taking away your freedom, and if he takes away your freedom, you are no longer human. 

But even deeper still is the fact that merely by asking these questions about evil in the world, it shows that everyone has an inward sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice. In other words, everyone has a sense of how the world should be, as opposed to how it is. That innate sense of justice speaks to a conscience, and that speaks to an inward reflection in the mind and heart of an ultimate order to the universe; an order that is  good. By contrast, if all is mere accident, why should we be burdened by a sense of right and wrong in a universe that has no purpose?  Would not justice and injustice be a fiction we have imposed upon the world? Accident, disease, murder, rape and death are all just equal outcomes to a world that has no ultimate purpose. Morals are a fiction of the mind, induced for self-preservation, not an external or objective standard by which we can measure right and wrong. The world is mere chaos and accident and it all ends for us in death, which equalizes everything. Whether we live long and happy lives or die by violence at a young age, the end is the same for all: nothing…. according to the atheist. 

Humanist morals, then, are just a mask used to hide the emptiness of a proposed value system without any foundation in reality. Right and wrong mean nothing in a world of accident. Things just are.  The human construct of morals over a chasm is just an attempt at self-interest and self protection, but nothing more than a delusion.  In the end, might makes right; the survival of the fittest is evolution in action, the use of power and people to obtain goals, and treating fellow humans as cattle or expendable resources is the nature of the game.  Sound familiar?  Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli all endorsed such a view. 

But if you have a conscience, and claim to be an atheist, and still value concepts of right and wrong, then you are listening to an inward beckoning of faith in an ultimate good, where justice reigns and wrongs are righted. That too is an assumption of the good, which in spite of all evidence in the world to the contrary, is an appeal to or at least a hope in the possibility of a good God. Do you have that hope within you? 

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What is The Kingdom of God?

Posted by jefferis on February 14, 2025 in prophesy, Religion, Sermons

What is The Kingdom of God?

Jefferis Peterson / The Scholars Corner

Are We Preaching the Good News?

Luke 4:42–43 ESV

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

What was Jesus preaching? 

Acts 28:30–31 ESV

He (Paul) lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

What was Paul preaching? 

Luke 9:1–2 ESV

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Luke 10:1 ESV

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Luke 10:9

Luke 10:9 ESV

Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Matthew 10:7–8 ESV

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

What is the Kingdom of God? 

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done ON EARTH just like   it is being done in heaven right now. 

The Kingdom is where God has dominion, where his will is done, and his rule is perfectly carried out. 

What are the signs of the Kingdom?  Healing, cleansing, casting out demons… Not just salvation. 

How does God establish his kingdom?  

It is through the church!  The word “church” in Greek is Ekklesia. It is used of the governing body of a city or province. 

God’s government is established on the earth through the church acting as his government administering the will of God. 

Paul likens the church’s role is a military one: 

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 3:10 ESV

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The aggressive force of the church is supposed to break down hell’s defensive gates and rescue those imprisoned by satan.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not be able to withstand it.” – Matthew 16:18  

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Church is given a Great Commission, and Jesus is not coming back until we have accomplished it: 

Matthew 24:14 ESV

(First) …this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus expects the church not just to preach the kingdom or the dominion of God but to establish it in all nations. 

Why would he tell us to do that if we were going to be defeated? He expects us to be victorious. Not with weapons of war but by the power of God working in and through the church, his governing body, by the Holy Spirit. 

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 

Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” – Isaiah 60:1–5(ESV)

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Come To Jesus

Posted by jefferis on February 6, 2025 in Religion, Sermons
Come to Jesus
by Jefferis Kent Peterson, 2.2.2025 at  Wimberley Christian Church

Be Reconciled To God

(the message begins with the introduction of our new missionary support in Uganda: https://youtu.be/c5lKLR0xDlc, but since wasn’t mic’d you can watch it here:)

“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:19–21 (ESV)

No Matter what sin you have committed, God is not counting it against you: incest, adultery, rape, fornication, homosexuality, pedophilia, murder, theft  – God is not holding it against you.

Skull and Bones – and Secret Societies  = Control

Satan knows your deepest sins, he helped you commit them so that you would be enslaved by guilt, fear of exposure, fear of consequences.

While he holds those secret sins, he is your master and you fear the light.

Masons e.g.

Matthew 5:34–37 ESV

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

John 3:19–20 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 3:16–18 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

It is as if Jesus committed your sins and you didn’t! That is what it means to be cleansed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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He is High and Lifted Up

Posted by jefferis on December 8, 2024 in Religion, Sermons, theology

The Majesty of Our God

Isaiah 6:1–5 (ESV)

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Our focus is man centered instead of God centered. As such we focus on what we do and what we can do, instead of on what God has done for us. 

And our faith is hindered because we are weak and miserable creatures, and all our labors are as “filthy rags” as Paul calls them. 

But Paul’s focus is different… 

Ephesians 3:7–13 (ESV)

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of HIS POWER. 

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through his faith. 

Paul was called, he did not choose to be an apostle. In fact, he railed against the Lord Jesus with all his might. 

Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Ephesians 3:14–21 (ESV)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through HIS Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

If we want to be whom God as called us to be, we need to rely upon Him and his power in us. Not on our own strength.

Indeed, even Jesus, in his human nature said, 

John 5:30 ““I can do nothing on my own… .”& John 5:19 

John 5:19 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

And it is the same for us: 

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 

Paul calls the attempts to perfect ourselves or become righteous by effort works of the flesh and even worse: witchcraft. 

Galatians 3:1–6 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?” 

The word “flesh” in the negative sense in scripture means: self reliance and a independent self will. Like when Adam decided for himself what was right and wrong instead of listening to the Word of God. 

So, we are not to focus on ourselves in our attempts to be found righteous. Rather we are to keep our gaze firmly fixed upon Jesus who is our righteousness, our peace, and our sanctification. 

 1 Corinthians 1:30–31 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” 

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 ESV

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

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A Theology of Rest

Posted by jefferis on October 28, 2024 in Culture, Religion, Sermons

Ecclesiastes 5: 10 – 6: 7, 1 Timothy 6: 6-10, 17-21 July 14, 1985, Sermon no. 43, Ebenezer Pres. Church by Jefferis Kent Peterson

A Theology of Rest

It seems that wherever I have gone these past few weeks, I have been talking to people about the need for a day of rest.  Our Protestant work ethic has made  us feel guilty if we take even so much as one day off.   But in the O. T., the people were commanded to take a day of rest so they could forget about the cares of the world and turn their hearts to God.  Just as it was for the saints  of Israel,  we need to take a day  off and trust our lives to God.  By taking off one day a week, we are  saying in effect, “I thank you, O Lord, for providing for my needs, and I trust you to continue to watch over me.   And I am taking this day to put aside my worries and my cares.”    

But many of us  have not learned to be free from  worldly pressures.  And our lack of trust in God is demonstrated in every area of our lives; especially in our work.    Instead of enjoying our work and then being able to put it aside at the end of the day; we bring it home at night.  Our fear of failure and our need to succeed begins to take over our life.   We become workaholics: we cannot take a day off; we haven’t had a vacation in  three years; and yet we feel guilty if we take a minute off from  business.   We cannot sleep at night because of worries about profits and losses.  It is especially bad if we  own  the business:  We do not trust the people under us;  we are so afraid that the person left in charge will not do it right, that we  find any excuse to come back to the shop on our day off just to check up.  And usually we  say something like  “I was just passing by, and I remembered I needed something.”  

Our wives and  children never see us, or if they do, it is to help out with the business;  our whole lives are tied up with making money and with the fear and  insecurity of losing it–we fear if we are not working every minute, the business will fall apart.   And although we are usually making a fairly decent living, we always feel that to be really secure and successful ,  we need to be making more.    Sound familiar?    Many people do not own their possessions, rather their possessions own them.  And for fear of losing  our material goods, we are full of worries and cares.    If you are anxious about the necessities of life  and these fears cause you to lose sleep; it means you have not trusted this area of your life to God. 

Leigh and I have faced this problem many times, especially when I was in seminary;  and the money would run short with unexpected bills, usually medical bills, and we would wonder from where the money would come.  And Leigh would usually trouble me with worry and make me miserable for a few days, and her worries would start to get to me.  Finally, I would say–“Look, I don’t have an answer,  we are just going to have to turn it over to the Lord and trust him with it; especially since there is not a thing I can do about it.”  And together we would pray and give our worries to the Lord.  And usually, within a week,  somehow, from somewhere we would receive more than enough to cover the debt.  It was a kind of miracle; an ordinary miracle, but a miracle of providence all the same, because we both saw God providing for us in it.  God keeps asking us to trust;  to trust him daily for everything.  “Trust me,”  he says, “and I will take care of you.”

The Bible says we are in a life and death struggle with the world and that our attitude towards money is the battlefield:  who will we trust?  God? or our own efforts?  Who will we serve?    And who will be our master?  money or God?   The world tells us  “be sensible:  you cannot trust God for your needs; you must take care of yourself.  Store up riches on earth and let God worry about heaven.  Do not give to the poor, you might not have enough for yourself.  Besides, they don’t deserve it anyway.  You worked for yours; if they want food, let them work for it. ”   We are in a life or death struggle; and the struggle is over whether we will trust our lives to God or not.   By commanding us to take a day off from our labors,  God is laying claim to first place in our lives.    God is trying to establish in us a proper order to life.  And he says, if we place him first, then  the rest of our life will be in  balance. Then we shall have a proper attitude towards money and work, rest and family; and we shall be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor and not live in fear.   But if we place people or money or work first, then everything else will be out of order!  Our lives will be filled with anxiety and worry, and we will not be able to relax and to enjoy the life he has given us.  Therefore, this battle  over who has first place in our lives is a very important one.  And daily we fight this battle. 

In ancient Greece, there was a philosopher named Socrates who understood the wisdom of trusting God.    Socrates said  “in order for us to be happy, our lives must be in balance.  In order to play a beautiful song, a guitar has to be tuned up; the strings must be in harmony with each other.  They can be neither too tight nor too loose.  If the strings are out of tune, they  will not make  music; only noise.  As in music, all of life  is a matter of balance and proportion.  If your life is in balance, then you make music with your life; if not, then all you get are sour notes.”  

 In the same way,   to be happy with food, you  need to know your limit.  A person who knows what he needs to fill his body will be satisfied  with just enough.  But a person who is gluttonous, is someone who is never satisfied with what he has, but always wants more!  A person who is lustful, is one who is not satisfied with his partner, but always craves a new experience.  A person who is greedy, is one who is never satisfied with what he has, but always wants more money so that he can be happy!  The problem is these people  never reach that place of happiness they seek.  It always is just ahead.  And their lusts become their prison; a prison of unsatisfied desires.

It is crazy isn’t it!  For a person may have a house and a car and enough food on the table to remain healthy, and even enough money for some luxury items or spending money, but yet he craves more and more and is never happy with what he has.  He spends his  entire life putting off his  happiness till some time in the future, but he is never happy in the present!  He never know what happiness is because he is  always dissatisfied: he doesn’t have enough.  Even when he is very rich, or moderately wealthy, so that he does not lack any toys,  he is not content, but he always wants more.  Instead of being able to enjoy the fruits of his labors, he never takes pleasure in them,  for he buys one thing, but then his mind is on to something else that he does not yet own.  So he needs more money. And the cycle continues. And he is consumed by greed and by his lust for things.  “I have seen an evil under the sun, and it lies heavily upon men: God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them . . .”   The insatiable appetite for more is lust, and it is a sin.   And it does not produce happiness, though you gain a whole world full of things; for that emptiness and craving will not go away, except that you be filled by God and his presence.

But the person who is happy is the one, who though he may not have much, is content with what he has.  He has the necessities of life, and maybe not much more, but God gives him the ability to enjoy what he has and does not fill his heart with the endless craving for more.  He knows the just measure.  He likes the taste of food, but he eats only till he is full and  does not overindulge.  He is temperate in his drinking.  He is satisfied with the possessions God has given him.  Why?  Because he has learned that happiness does not exist in things but in love;  and that true happiness is something inside, not outside.  Not in what you own, but in who you are.    And this happiness has everything to do with your relationship to God.     It means taking time off from the cares of this life to worship him and to enjoy his presence; to seek his love and affection.  That is where true happiness and contentment resides.    If you let God have first claim on your life, then you will gain a proper attitude toward your wealth and it will be your servant, instead of you serving it.  You will take satisfaction in your wife and not always be looking elsewhere for affection and understanding.  And you will be able to enjoy life and the possessions he has given you.  And instead of always worrying about the future; the present itself will be filled with a vital richness that will fill you with joy. 

  Really, what sense does it make to work, work, work, work, if you can never enjoy the things God has given you?   If you can not be happy in life, what is the point of all that work?  You exhaust yourself, and for what?  For bad nerves, a bad heart, and an early grave?  Is this what you want for your life?  Is this what you are working for?  If you are not happy in your labors, then your life is out of balance.  God does not yet have first place in your lives.  The bible says, that one thing that can stand in the way of our happiness  is that we get caught up in wanting more than we need:  “if we have food and shelter, with these we shall be content. [How many of us are like that?!]  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.”

The rich man is full of worries and cares that what he has may be taken from him.  So he buys security alarms and much insurance.  But who can protect against the tornado?  All your riches and material goods can vanish tomorrow.  But the one who trusts his life and his possessions to the Lord is happy.  Why?  Because he knows the Lord has promised to provide for all his needs.  And the life he has, no one can take away from him.   We are meant to enjoy the life he has given us.  We are meant to celebrate it, to appreciate it, and to give thanks to him for his goodness towards us.  And for the necessities of life, we are  to trust him every minute of our lives; so that instead of worry, thankfulness will consume us.  And then we shall be able to enjoy life instead of always worrying about tomorrow.  

If you want to begin to know this freedom and enjoyment he has promised us,  lay aside your labors and take time to seek him out.  Seek him daily in prayer and study, and take one day off a week to worship and enjoy his presence.  Take a vacation with your family.  Take a day a week to go fishing, or play golf, or to do something which helps you to enjoy life and to put your worries behind you.  But above all, find the proper balance by giving  God first place in your life, and let him teach you to enjoy all that he has given you.

Amen.

Jefferis Peterson from the ScholarsCorner.com

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An Appeal to Heaven

Posted by jefferis on September 4, 2024 in Charity, Religion

An Appeal to Heaven. 

I normally don’t do anything like this.   I have been supporting financially and preaching to a small congregation in Uganda. The history is this: Mbabazi Robinah is a widow whose husband was killed in a car crash and she has an arm that never fully recovered.  With no income, her Presbyterian church did not help her, even though her husband was an elder there.  She moved out to a rural area with 4 children and began to preach and minister there. I have preached with her over the Internet, and she translates, and is a better preacher than I am :-).    Last year, she took in 2 children whose parents were massacred by Islamic rebels and took in another 3 from a widow who abandoned her children. So, with little income, she has 9 children,  5 of whom are orphans. 

I have helped her with rent for her house, some medical bills for the children and widows in her congregation and members of my church have helped her rent land, plant crops, pay for the orphan’s schooling, and put a roof over the church.   Why I am posting this missive is that her needs are ever increasing, and I cannot be the supply of all her needs. I have preached to her people their responsibility to help out,  but her congregation is made up of subsistence farmers, who contribute what they can but not enough to take care of her, the children, and the orphans in their midst.   My church is planning on putting her on our missions giving starting next year. But she has more needs now and I wanted to give other people the opportunity to help out.  I am putting up pictures  and videos of the congregation.  So, if and only if you feel the Lord, or your heart, prompting you to help out, I will put her contact info here.  I have used WorldRemit to send money in Uganda Shillings (UGX) but she also has a bank account. 

The videos and pictures below will tell the story better than I can.

Bank details:
Equity Bank
Bank address: Fort portal Branch.
Swift code:. EQBLUGKA 
Branch code:. 1013.
Account name : Mbabazi Robinah.
Account number: 1013102190547
Account Currency: UGX.

World Remit 
Her Move Money (MTN)  account is (code +256) 772094315 
Phone +256772094315
Kyegegwa, Uganda

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Some of the church congregation and orphans in the village.

Congregation at Worship
Today I went to kigambo nursery and primary school to share the good news and 47 children gave their lives to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior and Three teache
Children of the Congregation
New Orphan arrivals.
Orphans
Congregation at Worship
Some of the Orphans
before the Tarps were stolen.
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Escapism vs. Enduring Persecution for Faithfulness

Posted by jefferis on March 29, 2024 in prophesy, Religion, Sermons, theology

Doing the Master’s Will 

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Matthew 24:45–46 ESV

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

Dispensationalism and The Late Great Planet Earth: A vision of a Laodicean Church where the Church can’t win or complete the Great Commission

There is no indication in scripture that the 7 churches of Revelation are 7 ages of the church.  This is a doctrine of man imposed upon the scripture. 

The fruit of such a doctrine is that causes fatalism and for people to give up and wait for rescue. 

There is no hope for God’s victory on the Earth or for the Church to accomplish the Great Commission and make disciples of all Nations.

But Blessed is the one who has Faith in Jesus as Lord and is busy about accomplishing the work of the kingdom in the midst of evil days. 

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 16:18 MSG

And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV)

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Dismantling Dispensationalism:  The Great Tribulation vs. Tribulation (In the World you will have Tribulation, but be of Good Cheer… John 16:33) 

The Problem with a future Great Tribulation:  According to Luke, it happened in 70 AD. 

Matthew 24:3–4 ESV

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

The disciples were not asking about a Second Coming. They did not believe he was going to die, but was going to kick our the Romans and rule in Jerusalem as Messiah

Luke 21:20 ESV

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.

Matthew 24:15–16 ESV

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:21 ESV

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Daniel 9:24–27 ““Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. 

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end…” 

 69 weeks of years.

from Victorious Eschatology

Yes, there will be a great falling away and a man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians), but not until the Church has fulfilled the Great Commission

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

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Holy Spirit, the Giver of Gifts

Posted by jefferis on March 25, 2024 in Religion, Sermons, theology

Holy Spirit, Giver of Gifts

Acts 2:1-13

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Tongues in Scripture means languages

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

As He wills. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts for the “common good,” I.e., to build up the Body, the Church., and to enable us to reach the lost.

1 Corinthians 12:28–31 (ESV)

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

We are to desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:1–5 ESV

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

1 Corinthians 14:13–25 ESV

Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

Beware the Ego, It isn’t about you. It is about the Body of Christ: His Church

1 Corinthians 14:39–40 ESV

So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.

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Movie Review: Spaceman

Posted by jefferis on March 9, 2024 in Culture, Movie Reviews

Spaceman is a Netflix Movie staring Adam Sandler.  It should have been called Sandman for its ability to put all but the most dedicated viewer to sleep.    

Did you watch the ABC TV show called Lost?  I watched the first episode and thought, “well, I’ll watch the last episode and find out the mystery.”  Six seasons later, the finale proved what I expected: the writers were lost and had no idea how to end the series or explain the mystery.  At the end of this movie, I felt the same. 

The story line is that a mysterious cosmic cloud has appeared in our skies near the orbit of Jupiter. Spaceman Jakob is sent by the Czech consortium on a solo, year-long journey to collect samples of this cloud and return home.  With months of isolation and time to reflect upon his failing marriage and hallucinations(?) of a conversation with a space alien in the shape of a giant tarantula,  Jakob discovers the motivations for his selfishness in his traumatic childhood and realizes why he has not been able to be fully present to his wife. Yawn… 

Spoiler alert: he gets to the cloud, destroys his own ship, and is rescued by a parallel mission by the South Koreans.  But is anything explained about the cloud, the tarantula who can get on and off the ship without an airlock, and how the Koreans have enough food to get him back to earth safely with their crew? 

No.   

1 hour and 48 minutes of tedium, of which I fast-forwarded through as many scenes of silent, dull inaction on the ship as I could.  In short, the movie is a waste of time and I “pity the fool” who watches it.

Cast: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, Isabella Rossellini

Director: Johan Renck, Writer: Colby Day

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Trusting God In The Shaking, A Conflict Of Powers: Exodus 8 & Genesis 26

Posted by jefferis on February 28, 2024 in Culture, prophesy, Religion, Sermons

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12–13

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12–13

Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:9–10

These are the same forces that Moses faced in Egypt.  These false gods and world rulers are the World SYSTEM opposed to the Rule of God and the Freedom of God’s Children.

There are those trying to divide us.  We are wrestling against the demonic spirits that work through government, the financial system (corporations, e.g.), education, media and communications (news), entertainment, drugs and pornography (sexualization of youth, abuse and trafficking.)

These are the same forces that Moses faced in Egypt.  These false gods and world rulers are the World SYSTEM opposed to the Rule of God and the Freedom of God’s Children.

We are in a battle against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness that manifest through worldly powers: Government, Financial Systems, Politics, Communication Systems, and Religion. 

God is judging the world’s systems but has set apart a place of refuge for the people of God. 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.

The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.

The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ” Exodus 8:1–4

Pharaoh and the Frogs
Pharaoh and the Frogs

Exodus 8: 16-24

What does Goshen mean?   “Drawing Near” 

While God is judging the world’s systems,  he has set apart a place of refuge for the people of God.    

He has provision in the midst of the shaking. 

How Did God Judge Egypt: 

Religiously: the gods of Egypt and  the magicians were no match for Yahweh  

Governmentally and Politically: Pharaoh was impotent before God’s sovereign will. 

Militarily:  Horse and Rider were Thrown into the sea.

Economically:  They stripped the Egyptians of their gold and silver. 

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.   Gen 26:1

And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 

He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 

(Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 

And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” Genesis 26:12–16

When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 

They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 

that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” Genesis 26:26–29

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