I know that Christmas is now over, but here’s something that was shared with me over the Christmas break. This performance by the Indiana University’s Men’s A Cappella Group is awesome! I know you'll enjoy it!
Finally, this will be my last blog for the year. With the long holiday weekend approaching, including a Youth and Family retreat that is planned for our church at Burnt Cabin this weekend, I’m not likely to be spending a great deal of time with my fingers on the keyboard. Still, I want you to know that I am thankful to God for blessing my life through this new avenue here in blogland. The tie that binds us is our shared love for and devotion to our Savior Jesus the Christ.
My prayer is that each and every one who passes this way knows the joy of fellowship with God that is made possible by the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, which was shed for our sins. May you have a happy and safe Happy New Year celebration and may all your days throughout 2008 be full of blessings and joy in Christ.
God bless,
Robert
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas
Friday, December 21, 2007
Merry Tossmas
The debate rages on ... is it Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Or have you heard of Merry Tossmas? Trust me, you'll like this......
Now for most of my life, we were people who didn't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday but as a family one. But I must admit this cultural battle we're currently engaged in to reject Christ from the American scene is very distrubing to me.
So find myself in a some what of a dilemma. On one hand, I, for one, want to continue to help people understand that Christmas is a human tradition. (Mt. 15:7-9; Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 3:178) But on the other hand as well, I also want people to think of Christ--at least for these few days. I want the Lord to be first in the hearts of everyone all seasons!
So the bottom line is for me, we celebrate the cultrual aspects of the Christmas holiday with our families, just like we do all the other national holidays (Fourth of July, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.) And I'm glad when these national holidays have spiriutal/Christian overtones to them.
Becasue I do try to make the most of this time of the year as one of the best times afforded to the Christian to share the Good News that Jesus saves! Since this is a holiday in which so many minds are thinking about Christ, (which is never a bad thing) what a great opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus to a lost and dying world.
The message of the manger must always point people to the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We’re not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger. We’re worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).
Merry Christmas to all of you and God bless,
Robert Prater
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Lifehouse's Everything Skit
This video skit is awesome! I’m a big fan of the music group Lifehouse so that obviously got me interested in this video skit. But this video moved me to tears. It’s a very simple amazing wordless skit depicting a young woman separated from Jesus by the temptations of life performed to Lifehouse’s song “Everything.” I thought the finale was awesome showing in a very dramatic way how Christ was the perfect substitute for our iniquities (1 Peter 2:23-25) and He so much desires to love us, save and give us all His wonderful great blessings for our lives. I found this description about it on the website Godtube: “This drama better known as Lifehouse's Everything Skit was performed at the 2006 Smokey Mountain Winterfest in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville TN. by Mission Baltimore. The drama was written by Mission Baltimore Director Tim Houston. The event in Tennessee packed over 30,000 people and this drama has since been viewed by millions.”
Anyway, hope you’re encouraged by this video.
In Christ,
Robert Prater
Thursday, December 13, 2007
God's "spirit children"??
Mike Huckabee has gone and done it. He’s accused the Mormons of equating Jesus and Satan, as brothers. (Although yesterday, after the Republican’s debate in Iowa, Huckabee Apologized to Romney over his “Mormon Comments” and told Romney that his “religion should not be part of the campaign”)
Of course, the Mormons bring this kind of thing on themselves, with their new-age twisted version of what they claim is Christianity. From the ABC blog, some details, as well as the official rebuttal from the LDSers:
Mormons believe that all beings — including Jesus and the Devil — are sons and daughters of God. But while they are both his “spirit children” only Jesus was “begotten in the flesh” and the Church of Latter Day Saints does not put the Devil on the same plane with Jesus Christ whom they worship as “the Savior of Mankind.” (provided by Michael Purdy, a spokesman for the Church of Latter Day Saints):
“Like other Christians, we believe Jesus is the divine Son of God. Satan is a fallen angel. .. the Apostle Paul wrote, God is the Father of all. That means that all beings were created by God and are His spirit children. Christ, however, was the only begotten in the flesh and we worship Him as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.” (emphasis added)
It’s not hard to see how the Huck became confused: “His spirit children.” Now, pardon my grammar, but “ain’t that something”, Jesus and Satan both “spirit children.” Even most Christian's who don’t claim to hold “the fullness of actual Christian theology” know that Jesus isn’t a child of God in the same way that you and I are.
Yes humans are made in the image of God. Because of our sin, we are quite far from being full and true images of God, but we’ve got the potential to come into full glory through the image of Jesus Christ. (Read Romans 8:29-30; Col. 3:10) Unlike us, Jesus isn’t a mere reflection, a mere image of God. He is the real deal; fully God, fully man. (Read Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 11:1-3)
It comes down to the Mormon system of beliefs, which is not Christian. The Mormon view of Jesus Christ is completely against what the Scriptures teach.
1. Mormonism denies the biblical doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
They teach that Adam-God had sexual intercourse with Mary, and as a result Jesus was conceived. Orson Pratt alleged that “the virgin Mary must have been for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father . . .” (The Seer, 158-59).
2. Incredibly, Mormonism do actually teach that Jesus and the devil were once brothers. In a speech, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake, “Elder” Andrew Jenson declared:
“Thus we see that Lucifer, the son of the morning, is our elder brother and the brother of Jesus Christ, but he rebelled against God and was cast down from heaven with his angels” (The Desert News, January 21, 1928).
Nothing remotely akin to this is found in the Bible.
3. Mormonism also contends that Jesus Christ was a polygamist. Brigham Young asserted:
“Jesus Christ was a polygamist; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were his plural wives, and Mary Magdalene was another” (quoted by Ann Eliza Young, Wife No. 19, Chapter XXXV).
This is the stuff of fantasy, not Scripture. One scholar, Jan Shipps (professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University), a specialist in Mormon doctrine, commented about the Mormon’s “change the name” ploy in recent years, which “reflects an attempt to divorce themselves from the “cult” status – hoping to convince contemporary society that the system truly is “Christian.”
So with all due respect, Mormonism is not “Christian” – Mormonism by any other name is still at variance with the teaching of the Bible.
Now, I do agree as one writer put it, “We aren’t choosing a pastor-in-chief; we’re choosing a secular chief.” Now, of course, I’d prefer a believing “Christian.”
And so yes, to me right now, Mike Huckabee is in many ways a very attractive candidate, although he does seem soft on the tax-and-spend front. But, regardless of any lack of conservative purity, real or perceived, he is a man of deep faith.
On the other hand, Mitt Romney has of course given “The Speech”, in which he mentioned “Mormon” but once. Mostly, he talked of “my religion.” This was the Jack Kennedy speech, the one that was meant to assure voters that the candidate’s Mormon beliefs have no bearing on how Romney might govern as president.
Right. Of course they won’t. In Kennedy’s case, he could make such a distinction in good conscience, for the simple reason that he was hardly a poster boy for following Roman Catholic dogma.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, appears to be a solid “Saint”, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints in good stead. In fact, he sort of is a poster boy for the Mormon church: a fine, upstanding and prosperous member of his community. Yes, I know, he's not running to be Pope or head of the LDS. He's a politician, and he said the right thing:
“Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.”
Romney more than realizes that Mormonism is still looked upon by a sizable portion of the electorate as a strange, polygamous cult whose members mostly live in the Mountain West. Again, but stated differently, Mormons of today may claim to be “mainstream,” but they’ve a dodgy history, and not much history at that. They’re a young cult.
So I guess the bottom line is, I’m a so-called “conservative Christian”, but also an American. I would vote for Mitt Romney if he were the nominee and were he running against Hillary or Obama or Edwards or Richardson or any combination thereof. But Romney’s beliefs give me great pause, and his claim, which echoes that of the LDS hierarchy, that they are an “authentic” brand of Christianity, rings hollow.
Again, to get some further sense of what Mormons believe, check out this statement put out by the Mormons in the Washington Post. (12/05/07)
…unlike traditional Christians, Mormons also revere the Book of Mormon equally with the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. They believe that Jesus visited the Americas after he was crucified and that he will return and reign from the United States and Jerusalem. They believe that the dead can be baptized, that God was once a man and that a human can become like a god. And, they say, God speaks through living apostles and prophets, such as Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Mormon Church.
So Mormons are hardly “Christian” in any sense of the word simply because they believe bizarre things, even though they try very hard to label them as being Christian. And that is the heart of my distrust of Mormons. One conservative commentator has said: “believe what you wish, just don’t hijack my faith while you’re at it.”
As I’ve said, I’ll vote for Romney if he wins the nominee, given the awfulness of the entire Democratic field. But I’ll probably hold my nose and hope for the best.
What do you think?? Am I being too hard and harsh on poor Mitt?
Humbly,
Robert Prater
Of course, the Mormons bring this kind of thing on themselves, with their new-age twisted version of what they claim is Christianity. From the ABC blog, some details, as well as the official rebuttal from the LDSers:
Mormons believe that all beings — including Jesus and the Devil — are sons and daughters of God. But while they are both his “spirit children” only Jesus was “begotten in the flesh” and the Church of Latter Day Saints does not put the Devil on the same plane with Jesus Christ whom they worship as “the Savior of Mankind.” (provided by Michael Purdy, a spokesman for the Church of Latter Day Saints):
“Like other Christians, we believe Jesus is the divine Son of God. Satan is a fallen angel. .. the Apostle Paul wrote, God is the Father of all. That means that all beings were created by God and are His spirit children. Christ, however, was the only begotten in the flesh and we worship Him as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.” (emphasis added)
It’s not hard to see how the Huck became confused: “His spirit children.” Now, pardon my grammar, but “ain’t that something”, Jesus and Satan both “spirit children.” Even most Christian's who don’t claim to hold “the fullness of actual Christian theology” know that Jesus isn’t a child of God in the same way that you and I are.
Yes humans are made in the image of God. Because of our sin, we are quite far from being full and true images of God, but we’ve got the potential to come into full glory through the image of Jesus Christ. (Read Romans 8:29-30; Col. 3:10) Unlike us, Jesus isn’t a mere reflection, a mere image of God. He is the real deal; fully God, fully man. (Read Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 11:1-3)
It comes down to the Mormon system of beliefs, which is not Christian. The Mormon view of Jesus Christ is completely against what the Scriptures teach.
1. Mormonism denies the biblical doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
They teach that Adam-God had sexual intercourse with Mary, and as a result Jesus was conceived. Orson Pratt alleged that “the virgin Mary must have been for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father . . .” (The Seer, 158-59).
2. Incredibly, Mormonism do actually teach that Jesus and the devil were once brothers. In a speech, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake, “Elder” Andrew Jenson declared:
“Thus we see that Lucifer, the son of the morning, is our elder brother and the brother of Jesus Christ, but he rebelled against God and was cast down from heaven with his angels” (The Desert News, January 21, 1928).
Nothing remotely akin to this is found in the Bible.
3. Mormonism also contends that Jesus Christ was a polygamist. Brigham Young asserted:
“Jesus Christ was a polygamist; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were his plural wives, and Mary Magdalene was another” (quoted by Ann Eliza Young, Wife No. 19, Chapter XXXV).
This is the stuff of fantasy, not Scripture. One scholar, Jan Shipps (professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University), a specialist in Mormon doctrine, commented about the Mormon’s “change the name” ploy in recent years, which “reflects an attempt to divorce themselves from the “cult” status – hoping to convince contemporary society that the system truly is “Christian.”
So with all due respect, Mormonism is not “Christian” – Mormonism by any other name is still at variance with the teaching of the Bible.
Now, I do agree as one writer put it, “We aren’t choosing a pastor-in-chief; we’re choosing a secular chief.” Now, of course, I’d prefer a believing “Christian.”
And so yes, to me right now, Mike Huckabee is in many ways a very attractive candidate, although he does seem soft on the tax-and-spend front. But, regardless of any lack of conservative purity, real or perceived, he is a man of deep faith.
On the other hand, Mitt Romney has of course given “The Speech”, in which he mentioned “Mormon” but once. Mostly, he talked of “my religion.” This was the Jack Kennedy speech, the one that was meant to assure voters that the candidate’s Mormon beliefs have no bearing on how Romney might govern as president.
Right. Of course they won’t. In Kennedy’s case, he could make such a distinction in good conscience, for the simple reason that he was hardly a poster boy for following Roman Catholic dogma.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, appears to be a solid “Saint”, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints in good stead. In fact, he sort of is a poster boy for the Mormon church: a fine, upstanding and prosperous member of his community. Yes, I know, he's not running to be Pope or head of the LDS. He's a politician, and he said the right thing:
“Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.”
Romney more than realizes that Mormonism is still looked upon by a sizable portion of the electorate as a strange, polygamous cult whose members mostly live in the Mountain West. Again, but stated differently, Mormons of today may claim to be “mainstream,” but they’ve a dodgy history, and not much history at that. They’re a young cult.
So I guess the bottom line is, I’m a so-called “conservative Christian”, but also an American. I would vote for Mitt Romney if he were the nominee and were he running against Hillary or Obama or Edwards or Richardson or any combination thereof. But Romney’s beliefs give me great pause, and his claim, which echoes that of the LDS hierarchy, that they are an “authentic” brand of Christianity, rings hollow.
Again, to get some further sense of what Mormons believe, check out this statement put out by the Mormons in the Washington Post. (12/05/07)
…unlike traditional Christians, Mormons also revere the Book of Mormon equally with the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. They believe that Jesus visited the Americas after he was crucified and that he will return and reign from the United States and Jerusalem. They believe that the dead can be baptized, that God was once a man and that a human can become like a god. And, they say, God speaks through living apostles and prophets, such as Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Mormon Church.
So Mormons are hardly “Christian” in any sense of the word simply because they believe bizarre things, even though they try very hard to label them as being Christian. And that is the heart of my distrust of Mormons. One conservative commentator has said: “believe what you wish, just don’t hijack my faith while you’re at it.”
As I’ve said, I’ll vote for Romney if he wins the nominee, given the awfulness of the entire Democratic field. But I’ll probably hold my nose and hope for the best.
What do you think?? Am I being too hard and harsh on poor Mitt?
Humbly,
Robert Prater
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Ice-Storm Cometh
Wow, did we ever get hit with a major ice storm this weekend and Monday. Our power finally came on Monday evening. At the time we were over at another young couple’s house from church and were planning to spend the night with them. Thankfully, we didn’t have to and we got to sleep in our own bed. But, I sure do appreciate my church family.
Anyway, our usually busy town of Shawnee has been shut down. School has been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday evening worship services were cancelled. I was really looking forward to preaching my Sunday evening sermon. You might be thinking, “Well, Robert, you’re going to be a step ahead for next week's sermon.” Well, the truth of the matter is that I was planning on this Sunday for AM to look at the virgin birth and then at PM to look at the genealogy of Christ. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. The sermon I had prepared that night really was intended to be a nice “compliment” with the AM sermon I preached on saving faith. That night we were going to look at the subject of faith from a more practical, “how to use it” standpoint. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I will tell you this, I’ve learned that if you are going to write a bad sermon, try to do it in the winter where the chances of ice storms canceling services are much greater!! (That’s a joke of course and really meant to be appreciated by preachers)
Anyway, Sunday afternoon we just “rested”, had a family devo, and I watched NFL football and got to see my Dallas Cowboys come from behind and win thanks to the great play of quarterback Tony Romo. (Man that guy is awesome!)
For those who were able to attend worship services somewhere on Sunday…..... I hope you heard a great sermon and were uplifted, encouraged and challenged.
Now, back to the weather………. are there any spiritual lessons to be learned from this ice-storm? As we have looked around at the damage from the storm, there are more than a couple of inches of ice on tree limbs and hanging from the edge of houses and buildings. Just remind yourself that this is just water. Liquid that we use everyday and now there are branches on huge trees that are breaking in half and falling to the ground. Beautiful bushes when touched fall to pieces. And guess what happens if you walk under one of those icicles as it falls from the roof? That's right, you get the point.
This liquid is dangerous because it has frozen. People can be dangerous spiritually speaking when they are frozen. That is why the Bible frequently warns us not to be cold, lukewarm and apathetic in our devotion to God. To the contrary, we are commanded to be zealous (“white hot”) and have a burning, passionate relationship with God. (Romans 12:11) “Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire” is Paul’s admonition to the church at Thessalonica. (1 Thess. 5:19) Spiritual fervor and fire can be extinguished by simply apathy.
If we ever find ourselves spiritually frozen we need the passionate fire of God and His Word to thaw us out and make us alive again. The Prophet Jeremiah had a spiritual awakening – renewal and rejuvenation in his soul. He said God’s Word was “in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” (Jeremiah 20:9b) That’s what happens when the Word gets in us.
We need to get closer to the Son and allow the warmth of His Spirit to begin to make alive and mobile again. (Read Romans 8:1-11 and Gal. 5:16-26) We have been created for a very specific purpose and though spiritual “ice storms” come and try to force us to stay in one place and stop growing, God can bring a comforting thaw to our lives. Let the warmth of Christ enable you to feel again and fulfill your purpose. (Eph. 3:17)
Stay safe and warm,
In Christ,
Robert Prater
Anyway, our usually busy town of Shawnee has been shut down. School has been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday evening worship services were cancelled. I was really looking forward to preaching my Sunday evening sermon. You might be thinking, “Well, Robert, you’re going to be a step ahead for next week's sermon.” Well, the truth of the matter is that I was planning on this Sunday for AM to look at the virgin birth and then at PM to look at the genealogy of Christ. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. The sermon I had prepared that night really was intended to be a nice “compliment” with the AM sermon I preached on saving faith. That night we were going to look at the subject of faith from a more practical, “how to use it” standpoint. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I will tell you this, I’ve learned that if you are going to write a bad sermon, try to do it in the winter where the chances of ice storms canceling services are much greater!! (That’s a joke of course and really meant to be appreciated by preachers)
Anyway, Sunday afternoon we just “rested”, had a family devo, and I watched NFL football and got to see my Dallas Cowboys come from behind and win thanks to the great play of quarterback Tony Romo. (Man that guy is awesome!)
For those who were able to attend worship services somewhere on Sunday…..... I hope you heard a great sermon and were uplifted, encouraged and challenged.
Now, back to the weather………. are there any spiritual lessons to be learned from this ice-storm? As we have looked around at the damage from the storm, there are more than a couple of inches of ice on tree limbs and hanging from the edge of houses and buildings. Just remind yourself that this is just water. Liquid that we use everyday and now there are branches on huge trees that are breaking in half and falling to the ground. Beautiful bushes when touched fall to pieces. And guess what happens if you walk under one of those icicles as it falls from the roof? That's right, you get the point.
This liquid is dangerous because it has frozen. People can be dangerous spiritually speaking when they are frozen. That is why the Bible frequently warns us not to be cold, lukewarm and apathetic in our devotion to God. To the contrary, we are commanded to be zealous (“white hot”) and have a burning, passionate relationship with God. (Romans 12:11) “Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire” is Paul’s admonition to the church at Thessalonica. (1 Thess. 5:19) Spiritual fervor and fire can be extinguished by simply apathy.
If we ever find ourselves spiritually frozen we need the passionate fire of God and His Word to thaw us out and make us alive again. The Prophet Jeremiah had a spiritual awakening – renewal and rejuvenation in his soul. He said God’s Word was “in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” (Jeremiah 20:9b) That’s what happens when the Word gets in us.
We need to get closer to the Son and allow the warmth of His Spirit to begin to make alive and mobile again. (Read Romans 8:1-11 and Gal. 5:16-26) We have been created for a very specific purpose and though spiritual “ice storms” come and try to force us to stay in one place and stop growing, God can bring a comforting thaw to our lives. Let the warmth of Christ enable you to feel again and fulfill your purpose. (Eph. 3:17)
Stay safe and warm,
In Christ,
Robert Prater
Monday, December 3, 2007
"Abundance"
Abundance is a resonant concept for most of us in this country. We have so much material wealth these days that the rental of self-storage facilities is now a $17 billion industry. Imagine that — $17 billion just to provide people a place to put all their belongings that they don’t have room for at home!
As Christians, we sometimes tend to believe that the prosperity in the society around us hinders our ability to find people willing to hear the gospel. People, we reason, are so focused today on the material that they have neither time for nor interest in the spiritual. And there’s a great deal of truth to this — witness Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-24; Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-25), or Paul’s caution to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-10).
There is, however, another facet to this prosperity problem. In the February 2006 issue of Wired magazine, contributing editor Daniel H. Pink makes this observation:
“Liberated by this prosperity but not fulfilled by it, more people are searching for meaning. From the mainstream embrace of such once-exotic practices as yoga and meditation to the rise of spirituality in the workplace to the influence of evangelism in pop culture and politics, the quest for meaning and purpose has become an integral part of everyday life. And that will only intensify as the first children of abundance, the baby boomers, realize that they have more of their lives behind them than ahead. In both business and personal life, now that our left-brain needs have largely been sated, our right-brain yearnings will demand to be fed.”
As people begin to realize that material abundance does not truly satisfy, they sometimes begin searching for spiritual satisfaction. A careful study of the book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates how this happened in the life of Solomon. The rich young ruler’s approach to Jesus, as well as those of such well-to-do men as Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, illustrate this also.
Unfortunately, too often people’s search for the spiritual leads them down dangerous paths. False spirituality and bogus religion are everywhere in modern society, offering false hope and cold comfort to those who are motivated by self-satisfaction rather than a love for the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The enticements of the world in this regard make for serious competition for people’s hearts and minds.
The encouraging thing to realize, however, is that even as the material abundance of our modern age creates challenges and obstacles, it also creates opportunity. There will always be those who will, given the chance, hear the word of God with understanding, accept it, and bear fruit, because they possess noble and good hearts (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15). They may indeed be few (Matthew 7:14; Luke 13:23), but they are out there, and it is our mission as carriers of the gospel to seek them out and present the good news of Christ to them.
The abundance of our time can produce an abundant harvest for the Lord, if the laborers uphold their responsibility (Matthew 9:37-38; Luke 10:2; John 4:35) and stay busy planting the good seed and watering with encouragement those who receive it (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). With whom have you shared your hope of heaven lately?
Humbly,
Robert Prater
As Christians, we sometimes tend to believe that the prosperity in the society around us hinders our ability to find people willing to hear the gospel. People, we reason, are so focused today on the material that they have neither time for nor interest in the spiritual. And there’s a great deal of truth to this — witness Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-24; Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-25), or Paul’s caution to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-10).
There is, however, another facet to this prosperity problem. In the February 2006 issue of Wired magazine, contributing editor Daniel H. Pink makes this observation:
“Liberated by this prosperity but not fulfilled by it, more people are searching for meaning. From the mainstream embrace of such once-exotic practices as yoga and meditation to the rise of spirituality in the workplace to the influence of evangelism in pop culture and politics, the quest for meaning and purpose has become an integral part of everyday life. And that will only intensify as the first children of abundance, the baby boomers, realize that they have more of their lives behind them than ahead. In both business and personal life, now that our left-brain needs have largely been sated, our right-brain yearnings will demand to be fed.”
As people begin to realize that material abundance does not truly satisfy, they sometimes begin searching for spiritual satisfaction. A careful study of the book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates how this happened in the life of Solomon. The rich young ruler’s approach to Jesus, as well as those of such well-to-do men as Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, illustrate this also.
Unfortunately, too often people’s search for the spiritual leads them down dangerous paths. False spirituality and bogus religion are everywhere in modern society, offering false hope and cold comfort to those who are motivated by self-satisfaction rather than a love for the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The enticements of the world in this regard make for serious competition for people’s hearts and minds.
The encouraging thing to realize, however, is that even as the material abundance of our modern age creates challenges and obstacles, it also creates opportunity. There will always be those who will, given the chance, hear the word of God with understanding, accept it, and bear fruit, because they possess noble and good hearts (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15). They may indeed be few (Matthew 7:14; Luke 13:23), but they are out there, and it is our mission as carriers of the gospel to seek them out and present the good news of Christ to them.
The abundance of our time can produce an abundant harvest for the Lord, if the laborers uphold their responsibility (Matthew 9:37-38; Luke 10:2; John 4:35) and stay busy planting the good seed and watering with encouragement those who receive it (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). With whom have you shared your hope of heaven lately?
Humbly,
Robert Prater
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