In general, when we listen to people talk, we know where they come from. For example, people from London, New Jersey, or Tennessee are easily identified by their accents. Even those of royalty have distinct ones.
Different accents evoke different sentiments. Researchers at the University of Chicago recently published their findings on a study about accents and the influence they have on the perception of the speaker. The results indicated that a foreign accent undermines a person's credibility. Because an accent makes a person harder to understand, listeners are less likely to rate the speaker’s words as truthful. This credibility problem increases with the thickness of the accent.
The fact is--we all have an accent and whether we can hear it or not, other folks can. As Christians, what do we sound like? The words born again, spirit-filled, and washed in the blood are like a foreign accent to non-Christians who are unfamiliar with church vocabulary. If this scientific study is correct, then when we sound churchy, we lose our credibility.
So, how can we sound like a Christian without coming across as unbelievable or untrustworthy? Instead of trying to sound like a church-goer, we should spend more time sounding like a redeemed child of the King. People need to hear in our voices the hope that we have in Christ. When they listen to us speak, they should know that we come from the family of God.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sleep vs. Eat
What are two things our bodies can’t live without? Sleeping and eating.
You may not realize it, but these survival behaviors work in concert. Starvation suppresses sleep, whereas sleep deprivation promotes feeding. Physical laws and observations can be translated to basic spiritual premises. For example, let’s use this observation about survival behaviors and apply it spiritually.
When we are low on food (ie, manna, bread, Word of God), we tend to lack sleep (ie, peace, rest, etc). Meaning, when we don’t get enough of the Word, we have more trouble finding peace in our lives. However, when we are low on sleep (ie, peace, rest, etc), we seek food (ie, manna, bread, Word of God). In other words, when the trials of the world come crashing down on us, we tend to read our Bibles, pray more, and seek God
These survival behaviors create balance in our lives. Everyone knows that it’s unhealthy to eat or sleep all day. Too much peace and rest in our lives can lead to ideas of complacency, self-sufficiency, and slothfulness. Likewise, being fat with knowledge, yet without experiencing the peace of God, has consequences. The Bible says that knowledge will mislead you when you say to yourself, “I am, and there is none besides me” (Is 47:10).
As we know, the Bible has instructions and answers for everything including balance in this sleep-vs-eat system. In Pro 19:15, we are told that an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Furthermore, in Pro 20:13 we are instructed to not love sleep or we will grow poor, and to stay awake so that we will have food to spare. While it’s evident that we need sleep and food to survive physically and spiritually, it takes a balance of them to live.
You may not realize it, but these survival behaviors work in concert. Starvation suppresses sleep, whereas sleep deprivation promotes feeding. Physical laws and observations can be translated to basic spiritual premises. For example, let’s use this observation about survival behaviors and apply it spiritually.
When we are low on food (ie, manna, bread, Word of God), we tend to lack sleep (ie, peace, rest, etc). Meaning, when we don’t get enough of the Word, we have more trouble finding peace in our lives. However, when we are low on sleep (ie, peace, rest, etc), we seek food (ie, manna, bread, Word of God). In other words, when the trials of the world come crashing down on us, we tend to read our Bibles, pray more, and seek God
These survival behaviors create balance in our lives. Everyone knows that it’s unhealthy to eat or sleep all day. Too much peace and rest in our lives can lead to ideas of complacency, self-sufficiency, and slothfulness. Likewise, being fat with knowledge, yet without experiencing the peace of God, has consequences. The Bible says that knowledge will mislead you when you say to yourself, “I am, and there is none besides me” (Is 47:10).
As we know, the Bible has instructions and answers for everything including balance in this sleep-vs-eat system. In Pro 19:15, we are told that an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Furthermore, in Pro 20:13 we are instructed to not love sleep or we will grow poor, and to stay awake so that we will have food to spare. While it’s evident that we need sleep and food to survive physically and spiritually, it takes a balance of them to live.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Prime Time
Prime numbers are numbers that are only divisible by themselves and one. For example: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and so on. Until around the 1970s, prime numbers were thought to have extremely limited use outside of theory of mathematics. This general opinion changed when the concepts of cryptography (use of secret codes) started to explode in banking and Internet.
Although mathematicians have known about prime numbers for thousands of years, they have yet to discover a mathematical formula that can predict the next prime number in a sequence. This is why this number system is so useful in banking and high security–it can’t be cracked, not even by the smartest or fastest supercomputers.
Needless to say, we are becoming increasingly dependent on this number system. Just imagine how many aspects of your life hinge on secure computer transactions: banking, social security, licenses, credit history, passport and other identity data, etc. Remember the 1995 movie, The Net?
Could you imagine the power that a person would have over the world if he were able to solve this formula and be able to crack security codes? He would control all technology, money, and subsequently nations. Know anyone who would want this power? Let me give you a hint: And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. He also forced everyone to receive a mark, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark (Rev 13:7&16-17 NIV).
Yes, we all know that the Antichrist and his regime will come to power in the last days. But do we realize how close we are to that time?
Just this past May, an important breakthrough regarding the theory of prime numbers was announced. The discovery is highly groundbreaking and will pave the way to solving the infamous prime number formula. When this number system is solved, digital security will never be the same and our digital lives will be at the mercy of few.
Sounds like it’s prime time to me.
Although mathematicians have known about prime numbers for thousands of years, they have yet to discover a mathematical formula that can predict the next prime number in a sequence. This is why this number system is so useful in banking and high security–it can’t be cracked, not even by the smartest or fastest supercomputers.
Needless to say, we are becoming increasingly dependent on this number system. Just imagine how many aspects of your life hinge on secure computer transactions: banking, social security, licenses, credit history, passport and other identity data, etc. Remember the 1995 movie, The Net?
Could you imagine the power that a person would have over the world if he were able to solve this formula and be able to crack security codes? He would control all technology, money, and subsequently nations. Know anyone who would want this power? Let me give you a hint: And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. He also forced everyone to receive a mark, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark (Rev 13:7&16-17 NIV).
Yes, we all know that the Antichrist and his regime will come to power in the last days. But do we realize how close we are to that time?
Just this past May, an important breakthrough regarding the theory of prime numbers was announced. The discovery is highly groundbreaking and will pave the way to solving the infamous prime number formula. When this number system is solved, digital security will never be the same and our digital lives will be at the mercy of few.
Sounds like it’s prime time to me.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
SKIN DISEASE
What is sin? It’s a skin disease. Well hello--what does that mean?
When we walk in the flesh (according to our feelings and emotions) we are prone to feed our desires and find ways to make ourselves feel good. The acts of the fleshly nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Gal 5:19-21). Everyone who lives to please his fleshly, sinful nature will reap destruction. Basically, skin leads to sin. Or in other words, sin is a spiritual skin disease.
Melanoma, on the other hand, is a physiological skin disease. It’s a type of aggressive skin cancer, which is difficult to treat and rarely remains in remission. Recently, scientists have identified a cancer-initiating cell in human melanomas. These cells are the root of the tumor's growth. They not only can make more of themselves, but also can morph into other tumor cell types and appear to be very resistant to many common treatments. Any therapy that doesn't destroy all of these cells has no chance of completely eradicating the disease, and therefore, relapse would be imminent.
So if cancer stem cells are the root of melanoma, what is the root of spiritual skin disease? The answer is original sin.
Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned against God. The Bible says that we are sinful at birth, sinful from the time our mother conceived us. If we are born with a sinful nature and apt to please our flesh, then how are we supposed to treat our skin disease and kill the root of it? We apply similar therapies that are used for melanoma: chemotherapy (treatment with chemicals) and radiation (treatment with light).
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. To effectively treat our spiritual skin disease, we must undergo chemotherapy with the blood of Christ to purify us from all sin. By His stripes, we are healed. In addition, we need regular radiation therapy. God is light, and the Bible tells us to walk as children of light and seek what is acceptable to the Lord. When we live in accordance with His Spirit, we will reap eternal life.
The reality is: just like with melanoma, we must totally destroy the root of our spiritual skin disease if we have any hope of a complete recovery with no relapse or backsliding.
When we walk in the flesh (according to our feelings and emotions) we are prone to feed our desires and find ways to make ourselves feel good. The acts of the fleshly nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Gal 5:19-21). Everyone who lives to please his fleshly, sinful nature will reap destruction. Basically, skin leads to sin. Or in other words, sin is a spiritual skin disease.
Melanoma, on the other hand, is a physiological skin disease. It’s a type of aggressive skin cancer, which is difficult to treat and rarely remains in remission. Recently, scientists have identified a cancer-initiating cell in human melanomas. These cells are the root of the tumor's growth. They not only can make more of themselves, but also can morph into other tumor cell types and appear to be very resistant to many common treatments. Any therapy that doesn't destroy all of these cells has no chance of completely eradicating the disease, and therefore, relapse would be imminent.
So if cancer stem cells are the root of melanoma, what is the root of spiritual skin disease? The answer is original sin.
Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned against God. The Bible says that we are sinful at birth, sinful from the time our mother conceived us. If we are born with a sinful nature and apt to please our flesh, then how are we supposed to treat our skin disease and kill the root of it? We apply similar therapies that are used for melanoma: chemotherapy (treatment with chemicals) and radiation (treatment with light).
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. To effectively treat our spiritual skin disease, we must undergo chemotherapy with the blood of Christ to purify us from all sin. By His stripes, we are healed. In addition, we need regular radiation therapy. God is light, and the Bible tells us to walk as children of light and seek what is acceptable to the Lord. When we live in accordance with His Spirit, we will reap eternal life.
The reality is: just like with melanoma, we must totally destroy the root of our spiritual skin disease if we have any hope of a complete recovery with no relapse or backsliding.
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