Question of the Week: Did Abraham have just one son?

 

answersingenesis.org | newsletter archives | contact us March 31, 2012 a weekly look at answersingenesis.org
In this issue . . . Q&A: Did Abraham have just one son? Video On Demand: Does Biology Make Sense Without Darwin? Ken's Blog News to Note Quick Look Answers ... with Ken Ham After Eden Network with Us! Q: Did Abraham have just one son? A: Some have said the Bible must be in error when Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, because Scripture says it was his only son, Isaac, but that could not be true because of Isaac's older brother, Ishmael. However, Hebrews 11:17 qualifies the "only son" concept for us. Isaac was the only begotten (i.e., unique, special) son of Abraham. Isaac was indeed unique and special in that he was the promised son through whom Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would come. Similarly, Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, even though others are called the sons of God (such as Adam in Luke 3:38 and Christians in Galatians 3:26). Jesus is the only unique and special Son of God—God who became a man. Additionally, the Hebrew word for "only" doesn't mean exactly what our English translation often conveys. Continue reading to find out more as Bodie Hodge (AiG–U.S.) describes his discussion with a skeptic about this topic and its biblical solution. News to Note Quick Look Mimicry puzzle: How good is good enough? Walking up the evolutionary tree: Are we human because we learned to walk on our own two feet . . . or do we walk upright because we're human? Teaching the controversy: Academic freedom to "teach the controversy" in Tennessee awaits the governor's signature. Pain in childbirth: Understanding the answer in Genesis 3:16 . . . Prehistoric proteins rise again: Are resurrected proteins the death knell of irreducible complexity? And Don't Miss . . . Answers ... with Ken Ham radio program Heaven and earth—is that the whole universe? Needed—more missionaries in America! There are no gaps—in all those begats! Days or years—what's the difference? The majority—are they always right? After Eden Network with Us! Answers in Genesis Answers in Genesis Creation Museum Creation Museum Ark Encounter Ark Encounter Answers Magazine   Note: Facebook and Twitter are both social networking sites with user-contributed content. Children should not visit the sites without parental supervision.  Free app for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad	This Week . . . Feedback: Jephthah's Vow (Mar 30) Commentary on the Intelligent Design Movement (Mar 29) Numerical Simulations of Three Nor'easters with a Warm Atlantic Ocean (Mar 28) Letter from Ken, March 2012 (Mar 26) Spring Answers magazine sneak peek: Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture (25) Video On Demand Does Biology Make Sense Without Darwin? Part 2 Watch Video Ken's Blog Dig Dinosaurs with Buddy What's the Least You Can Believe? Superior—Presented Like No Other Previous entries Prayer Requests Visit our prayer site to keep track of and pray for current ministry needs. Resources New Answers Book 1 - eBook Science Confirms The Bible Does Biology Make Sense Without Darwin? More current bestsellers Job Opportunities Business Information Analyst Evening Housekeeping Associate Food Service Support Staff (Part Time) Lead/Evening Housekeeping Associate Security Console Operator See seasonal jobs VBS 2012
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Broad or Narrow?

I Timothy 2:4-5 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" Have you ever met someone who thought he was broad-minded because he thought like the majority? There is a big difference between the broad majority and being broad-minded! In fact, sometimes the more widely accepted your ideas, the more narrow-minded you actually are! Oftentimes just going along with the majority is easier than understanding or defending what you believe. You can see life clearly when you think as broadly and as narrowly as God does. God says that we are to pray "for all men," and He wants "all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." On the other hand, there is "one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." "One" is narrow while "all" is broad! Just like the Lord Jesus is God in flesh and the only way to God, it is His desire that all-not some or a select few-men be saved. When you are too broad with the way to Heaven, or too narrow with who can receive God's gift, you are directly opposed to God's clear plan! Let's start with the most basic instruction given in I Timothy 2. God says we are to pray "for all men . . . for kings, and for all that are in authority." Do you think you should pray for the President and other elected officials? Do you think it would make a difference? God also wants "all men to be saved." Be as broad-minded as God is. Pray for all men and share the Gospel with all men. Prayer does work and the Gospel still saves men! On the other hand, don't fall for the lie that there is more than one God or more than one way to God's Heaven. Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life." There is "none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." You cannot compromise God's way to salvation! Don't think narrower or broader than God does! Prayer Requests: - Ranch evangelists preaching this weekend in Paducah, KY, and Asheboro, NC Want more First Light? View past devotionals here

Bill Rice Ranch 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road Murfreesboro TN 37128

By Any Means

By Any Means   "And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west." (Acts 27:12)   This seemingly insignificant phrase "by any means" (Greek ei pos) is actually used to express the urgency of attaining some object sought, along with the means for its attainment. It occurs just four times in the New Testament, and it is interesting that these four occurrences seem to follow a significant order.   The first of them is in our text above and expresses a search for physical comfort, as the mariners, transporting Paul to Rome, sought by any means to find a convenient place to spend the winter.   The second expresses Paul's search for spiritual ministry. When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he told them of his constant prayers: "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established" (Romans 1:10-11).   Thirdly, there was his search for conversion of others. "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them" (Romans 11:13-14).   Finally, and most importantly, there was Paul's (and, Lord willing, may it be ours also!) search for a Christ-centered life. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11). HMM   Print this article | More Days of Praise articles     Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

THE BIG FAILURE

ECCLESIASTES 8

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. THE FAILURE OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT [v. 1-9]

1. Failure to Represent God [v. 1-5]

2. Failure to Rely On God [v. 6-7]

3. Failure to Recognize God [v. 8-9]

II. THE FAILURE OF HUMAN WISDOM [v. 10-15]

1. Little Appreciation of Man’s Judgment [v. 10-11]

2. Little Appreciation of God’s Judgment [v. 12-13]

3. Little Appreciation of God’s Goodness [v. 14-15]

III. THE FAILURE OF HUMAN WORKS [v. 16-17]

1. The Superiority of God’s Workmanship

2. The Limitations of Man’s Work

3. The Limitations of Man’s Wisdom

Do not take God for granted

From: sumner@sumnerwemp.com


       

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights" James 1:17.

 

I find I need to be reminded of great truths like this one. It is so easy to take these gifts for granted and miss the greatness and privilege of them. Your wife, your husband, your precious children, that job, that raise, and a thousand other things are GIFTS from God and we MUST not forget it but be thankful.

 

"Giving thanks ALWAYS for all things unto God" Eph.5:20.

 

Please do not take God for granted. NO ONE likes to be taken for granted. I have seen very few give thanks for their food in public. Waiters have told me that is very common. I have had some fabulous opportunities of leading a waiter or waitress to Christ because they saw us giving thanks for our food.

 

 

Three chapters a day reading schedule:

Wed 3/28 2 Timothy 3-4; Titus 1

Thu 3/29 Titus 2-3; Philemon 1

Fri 3/30 Hebrews 1-3

Sat 3/31 Hebrews 4-6

 

 

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WHAT A LIFE!

ECCLESIASTES 6-7

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. THE WASTED LIFE (of a man without God) [6: 1-12]

1. The Rich Fool [v. 1-2, Lk. 12:15-20]

2. The Dead Fool [v. 3-6, Lk. 12:20-21, 16:19ff.]

3. The Unsatisfied Fool [v. 7-12, Ecclesiastes]

Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

II. THE BETTER LIFE [7:1-12]

1. The Blessing of a Good Name [7:1a]

2. The Blessing of Trouble [7:1b-4]

3. The Blessing of Wisdom [7:5-12]

III. THE BALANCED LIFE [7:13-29]

1. Moderation is Key [v. 13-17]

2. Godly Wisdom is Key [v. 18-24]

3. Godly Companionship is Key [v. 25-29]

FAINT NOT

II CORINTHIANS 4

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. FOR MERCY’S SAKE [v. 1-7]

1. We See! [v. 1-4]

2. We Know! [v. 5-6]

3. We Have! [v. 7]

II. FOR GOD’S SAKE [v. 8-14]

1. Manifest the Lord! [v. 8-11]

2. Manifest the Book! [v. 12-13]

3. Manifest the Spirit! [v.14, Rm. 8:11, Eph. 5:18]

III. FOR GLORY’S SAKE [v. 15-18]

1. For God’s Glory [v. 15]

2. For Weighty Glory [v. 16-17]

3. For Eternal Glory [v. 17-18]

Question of the Week: How can we harmonize the Gospel accounts of Christ's Resurrection?

 

answersingenesis.org | newsletter archives | contact us March 24, 2012 a weekly look at answersingenesis.org
In this issue . . . Q&A: How can we harmonize the Gospel accounts of Christ's Resurrection? Video On Demand: Does Biology Make Sense Without Darwin? Part 1 (Sidebar) Ken's Blog (Sidebar) News to Note Quick Look Answers ... with Ken Ham After Eden Network with Us! Job Opportunities at Answers in Genesis (Sidebar) Q: How can we harmonize the Gospel accounts of Christ's Resurrection? A: Some people assert that the Gospel accounts of the locations, witnesses, and timing of the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus are contradictory. Scripture exhorts us to be always prepared with answers for the hope that is in us. As the annual time of our celebration of our Lord's Resurrection draws near, Answers in Genesis is presenting a defense and proposed timeline of some of the most important events in history. This timeline shows that there are absolutely no contradictions in the accounts of the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. Like a good reporter piecing together a story from reliable eyewitnesses, we must examine all the eyewitness accounts recorded in God's Word, realize by faith that for Scripture to be reliable they must all be true, and then see how they fit together without any contrivances. Continue reading to see how these accounts are actually complementary rather than contradictory. News to Note Quick Look Bee bold: Bee scouts—their mission: to explore strange new fields, to seek out new flowers and new sources of food, to boldly go where no bee from their hive has gone before. Read more. Deerslayers: Bones belonging to several of southwestern China's ancient occupants have anthropologists debating whether they represent a new species of human or not. Read more. Also: God in a test tube Reason Rally Tooth topography And Don't Miss . . . Answers ... with Ken Ham radio program Preach creation—to every nation! Little green men—could they be out there? Atheists—teaching Christians about God? The Sun—it's younger than the earth! Life in outer space—have we found anything? After Eden Network with Us! Answers in Genesis Answers in Genesis Creation Museum Creation Museum Ark Encounter Ark Encounter Answers Magazine   Note: Facebook and Twitter are both social networking sites with user-contributed content. Children should not visit the sites without parental supervision.  Free app for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad	This Week . . . Feedback: Bully for Us? (Masar 23) Are There Gaps in the Genesis Genealogies? (Mar 22) The Sequence of Christ's Post-Resurrection Appearances (Mar 21) Contradictions: Not Enough Hours in the Day (Mar 20) The Door's Still Open (Mar 19) Spring Answers magazine sneak peek: 24 Hours—Plain as Day (Mar 18) Video On Demand Does Biology Make Sense Without Darwin? Part 1 Watch Video Ken's Blog Leading Educator Visits the Creation Museum Music to Our Ears! Who Is on the Front Cover? Interacting with Pastors and Youth—Coming Conferences and Winter Jam Call of Love—An Outreach to Muslims Previous entries Prayer Requests Visit our prayer site to keep track of and pray for current ministry needs. Resources New Answers Book 1 - eBook Answers Magazine Subscription: United States Ken Ham - Foundations (12-part DVD series) Tower of Babel More current bestsellers Job Opportunities Business Information Analyst Food Service Support Staff (Part Time) Security Console Operator Seasonal Jobs: Bookstore Sales Associate Customer Service Associate Groundskeeper Guest Service Representative Internship Opportunities Web Quality Assurance Technician Web Instructional Design Technician, e-Learning Web Store Content Technician Web Digital Graphic & Media Technician Warehouse Specialist
The information in this blog was provided by: Answers in Genesis 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, KY 41080 Customer service: 1-800-778-3390

The Word of the King

The Word of the King March 22, 2012   "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4)   Perhaps the archetype of absolute monarchs was Babylonia's King Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the prophet Daniel could say: "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Daniel 2:37). The word of this and every true king was with power, the king being answerable to no man but himself, for his authority came from God. "For there is no power but of God" (Romans 13:1). Many kings have had to learn this truth the hard way, however, for they have found that God could remove them as quickly as He had ordained them when they abused that power.   But there is one King who will never fall; one "who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings; . . . to whom be honour and power everlasting" (1 Timothy 6:15-16). The Lord Jesus Christ has asserted, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18), and one day all creatures in heaven and earth will acknowledge: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things" (Revelation 4:11). In that day all "the kingdoms of this world |shall| become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).   This one, who is King of all kings, is also the One who is "called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). The word of this King is of such power that He could speak the mighty cosmos into existence. His word could calm a violent storm and call Lazarus back from death.   "The word of God is quick, and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12), and "his word was with power" (Luke 4:32). Therefore, "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). HMM   Print this article | More Days of Praise articles     Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

KEEP IT

ECCLESIASTES 5

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. KEEP IT REAL [v. 1-8]

1. Keep Your Foot [v. 1]

2. Keep Your Mouth [v. 2-7a]

3. Keep Your Mind [v. 7b-8]

II. KEEP IT RICH [v. 9-17]

1. Everyone Lives off God’s Earth [v. 9]

2. Riches Cause Problems [v. 10-13]

3. Riches Are Temporal [v. 14-17]

III. KEEP THE RELATIONSHIP [v. 18-20]

1. Recognize the Source [v. 18]

2. Rejoice in the Substance [v. 19]

3. Remember the Saviour [v. 20]

Steve's dad and a gospel tract

From: sumner@sumnerwemp.com

You must read this. Steve and I have been partners in this email ministry for 15 years at least. Steve has a very godly father and mother. Steve's father's testimony of getting saved is the most unique I have ever heard. YOU MUST READ THIS. When he was 20 years old, Steve's father was sitting on his porch and saw some trash paper in the yard. He went to pick it up and throw away. Lo and behold it was a gospel tract. He read it through several times. He was so convicted, he prayed right there to receive the Lord Jesus as his Savior and was gloriously saved and hasn't gotten over it yet.

 

Do you know what that tells us? Give everyone you can a gospel tract. You never know how God is going to use them. My wife always put a tract in the bills she paid. She put my tract, "Your ticket to heaven" in one bill. With the receipt they wrote, "We have 27 people in our office. They all want one. Can you send them to us?" Of course we sent many more. A man in our church worked in a very large steel mill. He drove the large crane that carried enormous ingots of steel. He stapled a tract on the dash board. The driver on the next shift read it and received the Lord Jesus and told Bill about it.

 

I told about throwing a tract to a service man hitch hiking. I was going only two blocks or I would have picked him up. A few weeks later I attended a Navigator's meeting, the only one I ever attended. A sailor gave his testimony how someone threw a tract out of their car to him. He read it and accepted Christ as his Savior. I went to him after the service and we compared notes and realized it was the tract I threw to him. That was one of the greatest thrills of all my life.

 

Dear people get in the game and start using tracts and see God use them and people will go to heaven instead of hell. God will be pleased. He will bless you and reward you for eternity! Make sense?

 

To get my tract "Your Ticket to Heaven" call 1-877-872-2871 Good News Publishers. I get NOTHING and never would take it. The reward is in heaven.

 

Three chapters a day reading schedule:

Wed 3/21 Philippians 1-3

Thu 3/22 Philippians 4; 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Fri 3/23 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Sat 3/24 2 Thessalonians 1-3

 

 

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Quotes of the Week

The enemy wants you emotionally invested in the wrong things so you will be unable to engage in the right things. - Scott Mitchell

The Easter message is "Come and see", "Go and Tell". - Warren W.Wiersbe

We need to hear from Heaven, we have heard from earth all week. - J. Don Jennings
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All the quotes below are from the book Fulfilled Journey by A.E. and Beate Wilder-Smith

May many people be blessed and encouraged by this book to commit their lives fully to God. We want them to make the same discovery as we did; namely, that He does not always spare you suffering and difficulties, but lovingly stays close by you in the middle of it. This assurance gives peace, joy and confidence. [pg. 8]

If you have clarity in one thing, act and live accordingly, otherwise you will lose this clarity. What was not clear to me was overcome with sincere prayer to God for clarity. Read and hold in your heart the Word, even when you do not understand various things. Ponder the other things in your heart until God gives you enlightenemnt. So I have been, for sixty years, a practical student of the Word of God. The more one learns and does, the greater are the resulting insights. [pg. 87]

The family is the real foundation, not just for social life, but for the life of faith. Politicians who issue anti-family decrees are enemies of the Christian faith. [pg. 146]

At that time I was just twenty-one years old. According to the Holy Scripture, my education, and the example of my parents, it was clear to me that I would never marry a non-believer. Conscientiously, I thus far had not engaged in close friendships with young men, because my dear mother had provided us daughters with very good advice which I would like to pass on to every young girl, since, after over forty years of observations it has proven to be true. This advice from my mother was, "Every little game of love takes away part of the large and genuine love. Therefore wait and save your heart for the one, the one man designated by God for you!" - Beate [pg. 150-151]

The standard in our family life was the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, according to which we tried to regulate our daily life- not legalistically, but in loving obedience towards our Heavenly Father. [pg. 169]

Even today, we see the generous helping deeds of the USA with regard to suffering nations- certainly food for thought. Not the slightest gesture in that regard came from Russia and other countries with atheistic ideologies. is this surprising? [pg. 206]

In my experience, happiness and fulfillment originate in serving others with my will and my gifts. Happiness is never an end in itself, but a wonderful by-product of making other people happy. What is more fulfilling, and realizes our character better, than making our fellow men happy through using our talents and imagination to this end? By chasing after happiness and self-fulfillment as an end in itself you will always want more and more- and never be ultimatelu saitified. - Beate [pg. 243]

The Terror of the Lord

 

The Terror of the Lord March 19, 2012   "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." (2 Corinthians 5:11)   The use of the English word "terror" in this verse as a translation of the Greek phobos (from which we get our word "phobia") indicates that the frequent Old Testament phrase "fear of the Lord" means much more than implied in the modern euphemism "reverential trust." The only other New Testament use of this phrase is in Acts 9:31: "Then had the churches rest . . . and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."   These two passages seem to be informing us that when a church is "walking in the terror of the Lord," its members will be seeking every means whereby to "persuade men" to come to Christ, and therefore its numbers will increase.   This impassioned persuasion of the lost is motivated by knowledge that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10). That is, we know that the Lord Jesus, who died for lost sinners and has commissioned us to tell them of His great salvation, will be highly displeased if we don't do so, or if our testimony is compromised by our selfish lives. At His judgment seat, "the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. . . . If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Corinthians 3:13, 15).   The terror of the Lord, when we appear before Him in that day, is not the only motive for witnessing, of course. "The love of Christ constraineth us," and when our testimony is received (our motives being "manifest unto God" and even to the "consciences" of those to whom we witness), then the glorious result is "a new creature" in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:14, 17). HMM   Print this article | More Days of Praise articles     Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

Serving for Yourself

 

Jeremiah 45:5 "And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest."         Serving for Yourself   I love technology. With just a few clicks on the mouse and a tap of some keys, your work is d-o-n-e. Did I mention that I hate technology? With just a few clicks on the mouse and an accidental tap of some keys, all of your hard work can be g-o-n-e! Do you know the feeling? Now imagine if you had handwritten every word, only to have the king rip up your scroll and throw it in a fire! Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, was serving the Lord and doing right, yet everything he had done was destroyed and unappreciated.   Baruch was discouraged about the work he had done for the Lord. His God-given service to write the words of God had become his work instead of the Lord's work. He felt sorry for himself and said, "Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow. . . ." He was one discouraged servant of God!                                         The truth we can learn is, if you work for yourself, you are more likely to feel sorry for yourself. It is possible to serve yourself; to serve God; or to serve God for yourself. The danger for you this morning may not be to selfishly live for and serve yourself. The greater danger may be to serve God for yourself.   The way we respond to adversity and down times can indicate our faith, or lack thereof, in God's ability to perform what He has said. It is God's work, after all! Serving the Lord requires stewardship, but even the best steward can fall into the trap of feeling sorry for himself. Be a good steward with what God has entrusted, but don't allow adversity to lead you to feel sorry for yourself.       Prayer Requests: 1. Services tonight in Brookings, SD; Flagstaff, AZ; Chandlersville, IL; and Gainesville, GA 2. Georgia Regional Conference on Marriage and the Home this weekend              Want more First Light?  View past devotionals here

Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128