Author Archives: Royce

Dec 18 2008

The truth about Atheism


One of the greatest rebukes of human beings is found in the Bible in the 14th and 53rd Psalms “The fool says in his heart there is no God”.

There is none more foolhardy than the one who declares “There is no God”!

Atheism stands alone as the most absurd belief system of human history. Applying only elementary logic leads to this determination and raises an interesting question. Why would any sane person rail against what does not exist? If those who claim to be atheists really believed what they claim they would be silent in regard to “God”. But they are instead becoming more aggressive, not content to not believe God exists, but are working to remove any mention of God from the public square and to belittle those who do believe in God.

A legitimate question arises. Why not set out to disprove the existence of blue and purple polka-dot elephants? The reason this movement has never launched is that no sane person believes blue and purple polka-dot elephants exist. If an atheist were honest why would he waste one breath trying to disprove what obviously doesn’t exist? The clear answer is, atheists are not honest. I’ll say more about this later.

The other logical dead end for atheism is the moral argument. Any time a self declared atheist makes a moral judgment he has just confirmed the existence of God. If God really does not exist, then we humans find our ancestry someplace in premortal slime, we only exist due to a cosmic chance, or accident, at best. Pond scum is not intrinsically moral. Of all the animals, only humans have any sense of morality. Fish eat their young; and every carnivore is one at the expense of some other of his fellow animals. I have seen some dogs that were loyal friends to their masters but not one had any sense of right and wrong. The only feeble answer for this obvious dilemma of logical thinking is evolution. Since animals have been around as long as humans and many would argue they predated man, why have they not evolved to a moral awareness? There is no answer forthcoming.

When considering the question of atheism and the validity of atheists I have two choices. First, I can do what almost everyone does, including the best theologians, and just take them at their word and believe they really don’t believe God exists. Or secondly, I can believe what God says. This is what He says.

”Forthe wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory ofthe immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”(Romans 1:18-32 ESV)

“The fool says in his heart There is no God”. (Psalms 14 and 53)

God’s revelation to us is clear. The inspired words of the Apostle Paul are a striking rebuke of anyone who says God does not exist. I have highlighted many of the central truths of this passage of Scripture. It is clear that God has revealed himself to every man at some level. And He has done it to the degree that man is without excuse. No person of any age can say I am an honest unbeliever.

Wicked men have known about God but have chosen to suppress the truth about him and to believe a lie and are thus correctly called “fools”. It is not that self proclaimed atheists do not believe there is a God, the truth is they hate God and are deceitful, foolish, faithless, and ruthless and more.

So the next time you see an atheist on TV trying to get a nativity moved from a city square, or the 10 Commandments removed from a court house, you now know what the true motive is. That person hates God. It is not that he doesn’t believe God exists.

This same passage also clearly explains the militant aggression of the homosexual rights crowd. The root motivating cause is unbelief.

Immediately preceding the verses quoted above from Romans chapter 1 is the cure for atheism, homosexuality, murder, theft, lying and every other flaw of sinful man’s nature, the good news about Jesus Christ.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith”.(Romans 1:16,17 ESV)

God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ is God’s righteousness. Those who put their trust (faith) in Him are made righteous based wholly upon the life, death, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ.

God loves atheists and every other denomination of sinners equally and continues to make a loving plea to all men, Repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and perfect righteousness resulting in becoming God’s dear child and being loved by God just as He loves Jesus.

Jesus is the only way to the Father, please consider Him.

His peace,

Royce

Dec 9 2008

Merry Christmas


Christmas is a wonderful time of year, celebrating a wonderful story, wise men following a star, gifts from afar, and a virgin giving birth in a cattle stall. A Holy child conceived by the Holy Ghost. His name was “God with us”. God became a man! ….But it was not enough!

If the story had ended there, or even if it had ended with the child growing up to be a great teacher and doing mighty works for God on behalf of the less fortunate, it would just be another story of a great and good man. But it did not end there.

This man came not only to live a perfect life but to die as a perfect sacrifice, a substitute for every man, fully satisfying
God the Father’s just demands. Tens of thousands of volumes have been written about his death on the cross. ……But it was not enough.

If the story had ended there, it would have been a great story, unique among all the stories of men ever told. God had come in flesh and paid for the transgressions of men every where and now God the Father could freely forgive men their sins and not compromise his holiness and justice. ……But it was not enough.

This innocent God-man had committed no crime but was executed on a Roman cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. And on the third day, just as he had predicted, He arose from the dead. He was alive! He had been glorified! His body was now fit not only for planet earth but heaven as well. Sin had been defeated. The devil and hell had been openly laid bare and also defeated. And, even death, the greatest enemy of mankind had itself died. Death, hell, and the grave would no longer be victors over those who know the Life.

Solely because of Christ’s life and work, both in living and dying and rising again, God could now forgive the sins of anyone who would trust the Christ of God and walk with Him. …But it was not enough!

Not enough you ask? Yes, to forgive sins was not enough. Because God cold wipe the slate clean, forgiving all your past sins, but there is a problem. You will sin again. Yes, just as every man since Adam, all of us sin. Even the best, most sincere Christian, still lives in a sin tainted body
,
a body that desires what God does not approve. And each of us has an ego that wants to be polished and protected every day. So if forgiveness is not enough what could God possibly do more?

God, the righteous judge of the universe, would declare wicked sinners “righteous” based on Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. ….That is quite enough!

The great Apostle Paul gave some reasons why he was not ashamed of the good news about Jesus. He said it is the dynamite of God unto salvation for everyone and that in that powerful story “the righteousness of God is revealed”. What is this “righteousness of God”? It is the person, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of the babe of Bethlehem, God takes away sin from wicked sinners and puts it to the credit of Jesus. But He doesn’t stop there. He also takes the righteousness of Jesus and credits it to the account of the sinner. So every man, woman, and boy and girl who puts their trust in the claims of the good news about Jesus and obeys it’s demands is made righteous.

Only perfect people are fit for living in the very presence of God in heaven or in the new earth. Only the completely pure can abide in His holy presence. God seeks after wicked sinners and based solely upon Christ he chooses them to be His own, He draws them to Himself by the work of the Holy Spirit. He convinces, convicts, and converts them by making them righteous as He is righteous, holy as he is holy, and finally, immortal as He is immortal.

This is what Christmas is all about. The beauty of that night long ago is only understood by the beatings Jesus took for you and me. The expensive gifts given to the holy child are only appreciated when we understand what the greatest gift is, the blood of Christ.

The babe, the body, the blood, the bounty, the beauty of holiness, freely given to all, and for all, who will turn from their own way and follow Jesus in simple child like trust.

Religion…is not enough. Acts of kindness…is not enough. Being a committed member of a church…is not enough. Only Jesus Christ himself is enough. He is the only hope, He is righteousness, He is life, is He yours?

See what God has given! Merry Christmas!

Dec 4 2008

Infantrymen for Jesus


Carol and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at the home of friends from church along with several others, (there were 19 at the table), and the food and fellowship could not have been better. This morning I had coffee and read the local news paper in my comfortable home in front of the fire place. While I am enjoying the best life has to offer in my opinion a guy named Mike Bumgartner is preparing meals, unloading trucks of appliances and food, and sharing the love with volunteers and residents of the gulf coast community of Port Bolivar, Texas.

Mike is a Florida resident whose heart was touched by the Lord after the storms ploughed through the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana. With little other than the love of Christ in his heart and a desire to help the hurting Mike hooked his 5th wheel trailer to his pick up truck and drove to Texas where at once he started cooking meals for displaced residents and those who had volunteered to help them. We met this great servant face to face at the Broadway church of Christ in Galveston several weeks ago. The day we wre there, Mike and a few helpers fed about 800 people a hot meal in the name of the Lord.

disaster_assistance_truck

Mike and his ministry, “Disaster Assistance”, has prepared thousands of hot meals in the last few months at several locations along the Texas coast. You can see his work fist hand at the ministry blog http://www.mikesmissionupdates.blogspot.com/ . Mike Bumgartner is a great man who is worthy of your support and prayers. His ministry partners Don and Rosemary Hudson have also been great supporters, serving meals, washing pots and pans, and sharing the good news about Jesus to those they feed. You can also read Don Hudson’s blog www.donchudson.blogspot.com for more information about his ministry and Mike’s as well.

I am thankful for these “Infantrymen for Jesus” who are putting the story of Jesus in shoe leather, serving God’s love up a plate, a smile, a hug, and a Bible study at a time. God’s best to these great servants!

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Twins with one heart!

Jane Smith and Judy Peter are twin sisters from El Campo, Texas. They are very active members of the El Campo church of Christ where my friend John McCord is the preacher. We first got to know this “dynamic duo” as a result of our joint work in the South Alabama town of Bayou La Batre. These ladies are like servants on speed! (I mean this in the best possible way) They are high on Jesus and want to serve people in His name and make Him known to everyone possible.

The winds of Hurricane Ike had hardly died before Jane and Judy snapped into gear gathering ice, coolers, water and food for those who had been devastated by the storm. They loaded a pick up truck and were off on a trip that would be repeated time after time in the next months. It is amazing what these two gals have done! Just ask Mike Bumgartner with Disaster Assistance and you’ll get an ear full of wonderful comments about them.

When Carol and I recently visited several churches and hard hit communities, these delightful twins insisted on treating us to a beach front lunch of scrumptious hamburgers and the very best onion rings. After a great visit we followed them to the relief site where Mike Bumgartner was cooking up a storm and preparing to serve 800 or so meals. I was recruited to help unload the twins truck. They had huge cans of vegetables, drinks, cleaning supplies, and other things hurricane victims need. What for us was a big deal for them has become routine. They seem to think nothing about getting in the aged pick up and driving a few hours to deliver the goods, most of which I suspect they paid for out of their own funds.

If I could lawfully clone anyone, I might just start with these dear sisters who know no fear, see no obsticles, and can get more done than a small army. My hat’s off to the “Turbo Twins” from El Campo. What a joy to know them and their families and to have them as friends. You go girls!!

His peace,

Royce

Nov 26 2008

A look at history in black and white


Today I took a few hour journey back to the mountains of North Carolina, the place of my birth, and the place where generations of Ogle’s, Fox’s, Thomas’s, and Blevins’s were born, lived, and died. I could feel the cool wind coming across the hill scattering rust colored leaves, turning up the corners of collars, and being greeted with squinted eyes and rosy cheeks. I appreciated the warmth of the noonday sun which can only penetrate those deep hollers a few hours on clear days. I sat on rough cut wooden steps, looking down the road by the creek where you must look sharply up to see the sky in any direction. It is a time and a place where the richness of the black dirt is only surpassed by the lives of it’s citizens who carved out a meager living with calloused hands, strong wills, and faith in the Creator.

My people were common folks, few if any graduated from any school of any kind, but they raised children by the dozens who became “salt of the earth” kind of citizens who drove better cars, lived in houses with indoor plumbing, were better educated, but were cut from the same cloth as generations before them. They were carpenters, mechanics, home makers, and gospel preachers. But for a few sad exceptions they only saw the outside of a jail. As recently as two generations ago, one of my uncles, Bill Wheeler, never owned a car, never worked on a public job, had never lived in a house without an outhouse, but built a reputation as one of the best men in his county. Uncle Bill was a man of God, a fact no person who knew him questioned, but he never claimed to be anything but “saved by grace” and in love with his Lord. He had two brothers who were preachers like him, although Bill would never admit to being a preacher.

Grandpa “Papa” Fox, my maternal grandfather, married my grandma who had a house full of small children, was living in a wilderness area of Avery County, N.C., and had been deserted by a philandering hypocrite husband. Papa and Grandma Fox added three more children, my mom being the first from their union. Papa walked several miles to hitch a ride to work on the Blue Ridge Parkway, leaving at about 4:30 a.m. and returning after dark. He raised most of what was eaten including pigs and chickens and vegetables. There was no electricity, no water in the house, no insulation in the walls, but they joyfully survived, playing the cards dealt them without grumbling and complaining.

Grandpa and Grandma Ogle, my paternal grandparents, lived a few miles West in the same county, living off the land, scratching out a living and managing to raise twelve children, burying another boy when he was an infant. Digging May Apple roots and ginseng, gathering ferns for florists, working in saw mills, and killing wild game and catching fish, fed the Ogle clan except for the coldest part of winter when at least some of the kids would be sent to relatives for a while ‘til “Spring broke” and the garden started to produce food.

I come from good stock. I’m proud of my heritage, my mountain home, and my people. I like to think that in my physical and spiritual DNA there is some of the stuff that makes men strong and faithful to their families and their God.  From birth there was a Good Samaritan some place in me, a kind word, a hug, a helping hand, and a seed of faith that is still alive and well. My grandparents, my parents, and almost all of my many, many aunts and uncles, and countless cousins, claimed Jesus and live, or lived, in His grace.

This morning I went to an old roll top desk that I had as a child and took out a cookie box, and a Christmas card box, both full of pictures, obituaries from the news paper, report cards, high school play programs, and letters, and I revisited history in black and white. This time there was no sadness, no tears, only warm memories and renewed appreciation for my place in the world and for the land and the people who made it possible. I have more relatives in heaven now than on earth, and that is not a bad thing, it’s very good. At 63, I too will graduate soon and I sort of look forward to the home coming.

What wonderful people! What a wonderfully blessed life! What a wonderful God!

It is time to be thankful.

A son of the hills and the One who made them,

Royce