And the earth was without form, and void

In this second verse of the Holy Scriptures, there has been a lot of speculation that has led to odd conclusions about what it represented in the words, which I believe has resulted in a wrong understanding and emphasis.

I'm referring to the assumption that God couldn't create something that was without form and void, so something had to have happened to it as a result. From there a number of scenarios have been created out of thin air, such as Satan destroyed the original creation, or there being a preAdamic mankind before this creation.

In other words, there are those that assert this wasn't really a creation, but a restoration. That is an incorrect conclusion, based upon the fact the Scriptures teach us in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that "The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." There is no way to get around the 'first man Adam' phrase. It can't be confused or misinterpreted. Either Adam was the first man or mankind, and Jesus Christ the last Adam, or they weren't (Adam refers primarily to mankind).

The Adam of Genesis was representative of all mankind because he was the first man. Jesus Christ as the last Adam or mankind, is representative and first-born of a new mankind that will have no other after it. There can be no improvement upon Christ as the representative of the last mankind, thus his designation as being the last Adam.

Why this is important is it can distort the ways of God and miss some of the benefit of what He's revealing to us. For example, the idea that the earth was without form and void doesn't have to be taken as a negative because God wasn't through yet.

Even when we become born again and are considered perfect in Christ in the eyes of God the Father, that doesn't mean we aren't practically without form and void as measured by the person of Christ. For the rest of our lives God will work on conforming us practically to the actual person of Christ; we will eventually be like Him in His perfect manhood (not deity).

So when we look at the work of God, it isn't hard it all to understand God wasn't finished with His creation work yet, and that applies practically in our own lives in knowing when we are starting something, in the beginning there will be the reality of it being without form and void.

Once the invisible, eternal things were made into physical things, time was introduced with them, and from that point on things were done in an orderly fashion as we understand sequence, and that's why we see one day after another where God adds something to His creation.

A specific example would be when a baby comes into this world. Anyone having children will know what am empty slate an infant is, and other than its physical body, has little inside that is 'formed' yet. It takes a lifetime to grow up and be filled with different qualities.

We could apply this to any area of life we engage in. What marriage isn't somewhat chaotic in the beginning? A man and woman are just starting off (even if they've known one another for some time), and begin this new creative venture together from the beginning. That's simply the way of life.

You could add starting a business, education, becoming a Christian, or any other number of things that have a beginning.

One of the major lessons to learn is that we have to take things one step at a time in this world. Each practical step leads to another, and without each step being incorporated into who we are, we will always have this weak leg that can collapse at any time, like a table with a leg that wears out and topples over to one side.

This is one of the things that we miss when making the mistake of assuming God didn't create the earth in a formless, void less state. He was simply taking one step of time in the process, and was ready to take the next step because He couldn't ever start something and leave that way.

On the other side, many people have pursued these theories about many parts of creation, based upon believing God's had an original creation that had been destroyed, but was now bringing back to the state He wanted it to be.

People with agendas have at times reinforced this because they don't want to face the fact or creation, and would rather promote evolution as the means the world and everything else came into being. Even people naming the Lord have fallen into this lie.

Some people do this out of hatred for Christ and His people, and others do it to make a name for themselves because they won't be accepted and considered serious in their academic circles.

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and Family Talk Beginnings, Faith and Struggles

Here's an interesting video of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame, as he shares his testimony, along with family members Kay, Jep and Reed.

They go back to their early beginnings and how they battled and struggled to keep their family together by maintaining their faith in Jesus Christ.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

For many reasons and from many enemies and deceived people, the fact that Jesus Christ created the heaven and the earth has been brought into question in the minds of those who believe in Jesus Christ, or at least claim to.

If you're uncertain, you have to go nowhere other than to the first 10 words of the Bible (King James Version) to rid yourself of all doubt concerning the reality of God creating all things.

As the title of this post says: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." It's as clear as that. There is nothing that can be added or taken away from it. God created it.

Here's how Colossians 1:16, 17 says it:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Again, there is no ambiguity as to the fact that Jesus Christ created everything. The "all" in verse 16 confirms again there is nothing that was made that didn't come forth from the person of Jesus Christ.

In John 1 we have these words affirmed again. Here is how John declares and reveals it:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Here we have same revelation that "all" things were made by Him, and reiterates the fact that there was absolutely nothing made. 

The reason people attempt to distort Christ as creator is it is an attempt to convince themselves and others there is no final judgement. If there is no creator, there is no one that will hold any of us accountable for our sins.

Paul dealt with this in the first chapter or Romans, saying this:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

What the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul is that these people that assert these lie really know the world has been created by God, but the creation itself is a testimony against them.

It's the magnificence and awesomeness of creation that declares God, and those who say differently are considered to be without excuse because the invisible things of God are clearly revealed and seen in the creation.

Don't believe anyone that lies about evolution or the latest flavor of anti-creation assertions. The physical creation demands people acknowledge it came from the invisible and eternal God, and by extension to put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Everything that is (outside of evil and sin) were created by Jesus Christ. To deny that is to deny our creator. To deny our creator is to invite the wrath of God that comes on those who as an excuse live in ungodliness and unrighteous; not accepting the righteousness of Jesus Christ offered through His death and resurrection.

 

Christ Before Creation

source: wikipeida

Many Christians aren't aware that the Bible reveals some of what Christ and the Godhead were doing and thinking before the act of creation. I'm not going to get into the specifics of that because I want to focus primarily on the importance of thinking in terms of pre-creation and God, rather than what was actually going on in eternity.

Why it's imperative to think in terms of there being a period when there was nothing but God, is it points to something that was happening that brought out the physical creation; something was motivating it. Something stirred or was birthed in the Godhead which demanded that it be expressed in a physical manner. Even the previously non-existing physical creation is part of what was being envisioned by God.

What's important is the fact God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) were interacting in a way that produced what we see all around us. A world (albeit a tainted one now), that expressed through its physical presence the grandeur and character of God Himself.

This means intelligence, passion, motive, purpose and love were in existence in God before anything we recognize, and of course the human race, was created. In other words, there are invisible things that are eternal, that are expressed in physical form, although the eternal remains separate from the seen, as the seen or created can never be eternal, as it has a beginning. That which has a beginning is not eternal.

The implication is we exist because God had something in His heart and mind before creation, and what He had was based upon His very character and the meaning of His character, i.e.,  who He was.

Christ just didn't conjure up some unrelated theoretical world and than speak it into existence. No! What He did was knowingly take who He and the Godhead were and spoke creation into existence based upon that. For that reason we can see elements of God in the physical creation, as well as His very image in man. Again, keep in mind, other than the man Jesus Christ, all of this is under a curse and tainted; so outside of Christ we don't see a clear picture of the image of God, but one that expresses bits and pieces of Him imperfectly.

When extending this to the church of God, it brings out the purpose of her existence, which is to be a representation and revelation of who Jesus Christ is. This is the new creation; one that is birthed from God rather than spoken into existence outside of Him. Only that which is born of God is of God.

So when reading the creation account in Genesis and when creation is mentioned in other parts of the Bible, keep in mind that there is a tremendous purpose behind it all that was hidden in creation, but is now being revealed in Jesus Christ. This makes those who are truly born from above participants in this extraordinary purpose.



Why Church Practices Must Change

In this article I want to look at the church as it is today, contrasting it to a legacy system. When talking about a legacy system, I'm referring to what most people consider with computers or technology, where an old system is maintained and/or kept in service beyond its usefulness. That is what has happened in regard to the majority of the way we practice church and Christianity today.

Jesus mentioned this to the Jews He ministered to while He was on the earth, saying new wine required new wineskins. While this referred to the outward types and shadows associated with the Old Testament, it also refers to the same during the New Testament times, where we've largely gravitated towards an outward and ineffective practice of Christianity because we've focused on outward rituals and forms which have little, if any use today.

Before we get into that, let me say from the beginning that I'm not talking about the foundational truths of Christianity which many have abandoned.

Many adherents of the so-called "Emergent church" have done that to the degree that they embrace outright heretics and sin which are clearly forbidden in the Holy Scriptures.

So while there is always a move of Satan to counterfeit the real, we can't retreat to past practices even though there are those that abuse the insights Christ is giving us. There will always be the ignorant and unlearned among us who distort the scriptures. We don't stop reading and believing in the scriptures because of that. In other words, even though the wine never changes, meaning the life of Christ Himself, the wineskins are always changing and adapting as new life is revealed and
made to be understood in the Scriptures. We may see it within, but it will never conflict with what the Scriptures reveal concerning Christ and His people. Never!

Some of the reasons most believers retain the practices of modern Christianity, even though it can't be found in the scriptures, is it's all they have ever known, and it is assumed by most that this is simply the way it should be done. Very few know the history of current church and Christian practices, so simply go along as if this is how it was from the beginning. The majority are unaware that there are alternatives, and that many throughout church history have taken steps to explore them.

Another reason for not wanting or looking to change is the embeddedness of the existing church system in the fabric of society, which makes it very difficult to change it, as it can appear it is an attack upon Christianity, when in fact its an attempt to release the followers of Jesus Christ into a deeper walk; one that isn't hindered by outward forms, which can deceive people into believing they're following Christ just because they participate in some meetings at a building wrongly identified as a church.

The idea of relying upon outward systems is a substitute for Christ and an inward walk with Him. It also gets in the way of walking together in Christ daily with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament refers to Christ shaking all things so that which can't be shaken remains, it is a reference to those who continue to rely on things that are institutional and outward, rather than eternal and based upon Jesus Christ.

Even though it was an obvious nod towards the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem and the old wineskin of Judaism, the principle remains in place, which is Christ is done with types and shadows and institutionalism, and now is forming the reality of Himself in people through real, daily fellowship with Himself and one another.

Other than the fact many Christians are unaware of the various believers outside the institutional Church who are living in a daily walk together, the other major reason for remaining in the institutional church is the time and energy it'll take to make the shift out of it.

Let's make it clear. There is no reforming of the existing church system. The outward practices have become a weight on believers seeking Christ rather than helping them. It's a weight because it gets in the way of the God-given passion to share life in Christ together on a daily basis.

Since it is almost impossible to see the alternative while participating in the existing structures of Christianity, it is imperative that we share and communicate the realities of what Christ is desires and is doing outside the walls of the buildings and services featuring a main speaker and a few gifted musicians. After all, if this really worked, we wouldn't see Christianity in the state it is today, and even the call and prayer for revival is a worthless and meaningless one if all that is desired is for people to fill up these buildings and continue on as before.

That's not to say just because people leave church buildings and weekly services they are more spiritual if they meet in homes, because many times all that happens is people move from a building to a home and continue things on as they were before.

This is a radical, surgical cut that needs to excise the existing mentality of institutional Christianity into one that brings us into a daily walk with Christ and one another.

Only those willing to embrace the cross and die to themselves can successfully navigate these waters, as it is more demanding, but also more rewarding, than the type of Christianity practiced by most today.

We must allow God to do whatever He wants with us. We must continue to hold onto the foundations of the faith that have been handed down to us in the Holy Scriptures, while at the same time living them out daily, while also looking for more insight and light concerning who Christ really is.

Just because the practices of Christianity have been around for centuries doesn't mean that's how they started, or that it's how God wants things to continue.

All we can do is ask Him to open our hearts to see Him and what He wants, and seek for those who have a similar passion to see Christ and His people released from the confines of outward religion to a real and living fellowship together.

Christians at Comic-Con

Zondervan and The Christian Comic Arts Society are setting up a floor booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego, as well as have a panel and a fellowship mixer. The purpose is to bring the message of Christ to pop-culture fans.

There will be an opportunity to engage people one-on-one and stage events.

"We really look at the conference as an outreach," said CCAS board member Scott Shuford. "We know that most of the people that attend Comic-Con are not churchgoers. There's a big chunk of that population that has had a negative experience with the church. There's another part of the [Comic-Con] population that has had no experience with the church, and there's a smaller part of that population that attends church, but didn't know there were any Christian-related things in the comic world."

Also to be presented by CCAS and Zondervan will be a graphic novel of The Book of Revelation, which is No. 1 in Religious Arts and Photography on the Amazon Best Sellers list.

Another graphic novel will be presented named "Last Adam: Firstborn," which is the first in the series. It deals with the birth of Jesus and the saga surrounding the event.

Quotes from C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Quotes



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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

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God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

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Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

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We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

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Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.

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To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

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A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest

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If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

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Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

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We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

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Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning...

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Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

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Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.

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I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.

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I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”

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You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you," said the Lion.

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Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.

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We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.

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I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!

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Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.

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Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.

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As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.

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Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.

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Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.

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It was when I was happiest that I longed most...The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing...to find the place where all the beauty came from.

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You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another.

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In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison-you do not know God at all.

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Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.

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‘Evolution vs. God’ Stirs Up Atheist Weenies

Taking aim at the crumbling foundations of evolution, which are built on shifting sand, Ray Comfort's new film called ‘Evolution vs. God,' has been an immediate hit, as people stormed his website in order to download the new movie.

The film takes a unique approach to the debate in that it doesn't have any of the usual teaching or dismantling of evolution by believers, but rather performs a serious of interviews with professed believers in evolution.

According to Comfort, the film confirms none of the evolution experts could provide a shred of evidence that evolution is anything but a theory.

The pathetic and cowardly PZ Myers said that Comfort was a “liar” and “a dishonest fool.” About the movie he identified it as a "monstrosity."

Myers has been evading debat on creation versus evolution for years. Just one rather obscure man - Vox Day - has challenged Myers over and over again to a debate, and Myers continues to run from him. That's why I called him a coward ... and he is all of that and more.

What evolutionists do when they're willing to debate is choose a gentlemanly type, who believes by being nice and cordial he is helping to make his case. In truth what happens is the evolutionists rips him up one side and down the other. He doesn't do it with convincing arguments, but by attitude and attack which isn't countered in a meaningful way because the debater is trying to be so nice. Christians need to learn the stakes and do battle with nothing but an aggressive and total victory in mind. You're not debating with people who are civilized in any way.

The usual and silly American Atheists attempt to redefine evolution in order to discredit Comfort's film. They call for the definition of evolution to come from an "expert." What is an expert in evolution? Who knows. Since it's a false theory, presumably it's someone good at telling fairy tales.

Here's a few questions to ask a Darwinist friend or enemy:

There are an estimated 1,263,186 animal species and 326,175 plant species in the world. Assuming the age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years, what is the average rate of speciation?

How many mutations, on average, are required per speciation?

What scientifically significant predictive model relies primarily upon evolution by natural selection?
By the way, if an answer is given here, it's an outright fabrication, as there are no predictive models based primarily on evolution by natural selection. Furthermore, 150 years after Darwin's fictional work, TENS (if you know what it means) is as useless as ever, other than doing nothing but attempting to prove itself.

Which of the various human sub-species is the most evolved; i.e. modified by mutation and natural selection from the most recent common human ancestor? Which is the least evolved?

Here's a look at the trailer for Evolution vs. God

Thousands Commit to Sexual Purity in Venezuela

At a youth festival in Venezuela where 45,000 people attended, thousands committed to sexual purity until marriage. There was even a moment where the crowd shouted "yes to sexual purity," over and over again. We need this around the world.

"If each and everyone one of you gives your life to Christ, not only will you all revolutionize Venezuela, but Colombia and the entire world," said Evangelist Luis Palau. "Tonight, the Lord tells you, you have more than hope, you have the security that the power of God will be upon your life."

The amazing event was based upon a vision by festival organizer Gabriel Blanco, who wants to see a transformation among the youth of Venezuela to live out lives based upon the principles of the Holy Scriptures.

In response to the current economic crisis afflicting Venezuela, Palau added, "Search the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Christians Violently Attacked at "Gay Pride" Event

Screeching women supporters at a so-called gay pride event, as well as physically violent males, attacked street preachers in Seattle, as you can see in the video below.




Both women and men were spewing threats and profanities before the attack on the protesters, one of whom was holding a sign calling for repentance and saying "Jesus Saves from Sin."

This was too much for these wicked people, who became extremely agitated, apparently in light of being challenged and resisted concerning their evil lifestyles.

One of the Christian protesters was repeatedly hit and kicked after being taken to the ground. Some of the women also attempted to take the sign away, while another male pushed a man holding a Bible, warning him to leave.

It only confirms the violent nature of homosexuality and those supporting it. Jesus Christ completely forbids this sin, and calling attention to it as sin and exposing the lie that a person isn't born that way will always trigger these emotion-driven, brutish people.

If you're one of those, you are called to repentance by Jesus Christ. You can be delivered from your sin and made right with God by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross so you can be saved from eternal damnation. When you call on the Lord He'll also deliver you from your sin in this life as well, setting you free from bondage.

All this violence and response confirms these people know they are sinning and supporting that sin. It's the fact of it being brought into the light that generates such hate towards Jesus Christ and believers.