RESURRECTION-THE FOUNDATION

“As I have said more than once, no other religion enjoys anything like the combination of a charismatic figure like Jesus and a first-class intellectual like St. Paul. If you’re wanting omnipotence to set up a religion, it seems to me that this is the one to beat.” – Anthony Flew

If someone were to ask you the foundation to our faith, what would you say? Of course many who are Christians would say, Jesus Christ, and that is right, but what about Him makes Him your foundation? Too many just say the name and have no idea what it is about Him that makes Jesus the foundation.

Jesus is not the foundation because He was a great moral teacher, because He did not leave that as a possibility. Jesus said He came to break apart families, which does not seem very “moral” as being just a good teacher (Matt. 10:34-39). Jesus said some who called Him Lord would not enter Heaven (Matt. 7:21), and there are many other examples, as He said He came to bring a sword. Jesus being a good moral teacher is not the foundation, though if He is God then we can account for Him being able to say what He did in the above verses, but if He was just a man then no, we can’t.

The foundation for our faith is that Christ rose from the dead, just as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:13-15, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.”

Rob Bell in his book, Velvet Elvis, says we should just think of this like a spring in a trampoline and if we take that spring out, then we can still jump on the trampoline and it does not hurt our faith, but this goes against this very verse. He says we should not have walls like bricks, but I say that is absolutely what we should have, just as Christ called Himself the cornerstone, we should have walls for our foundation and the resurrection is a very important one (27-28). If you take out the resurrection spring of the trampoline then it fails, just as if you pull the resurrection out of the Christian foundation it crumbles, as Jesus’ resurrection is key or we are still in our sins and also blaspheme God by saying it (1 Cor. 15:15). Mr. Bell holds to a false picture and sets up for false beliefs.

Muffasir, as Muslim, said this about the crucifixion, “Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the intention of his enemies to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him from their plot.” If he never died then He never resurrected. Sura 157-58 says, “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle to God’; -- But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, For of a surety they killed him not: -- Nay, God raised him up unto himself; and God is exalted in power, wise.” If Jesus did not die then He did not defeat death for our sins and then we are stuck in them (1 Cor. 15:17). How do you witness to a person that believes this? You have to be able to show the reality of the death and the resurrection and not just talk about how God changed you, as they will tell you allah did that for them.

As Christians it is important that we preach and teach the resurrection of Christ, and be able to defend it, as 1 Peter 3:15 states and Jude 3. Actually, those two verses tell us to be able to give an answer for any question about the faith we have. A transformed life is not an answer, but an outcome. People need answers to their questions and they are not getting them today. Many youth I have talked with have not been taught in youth how to defend the resurrection, or even how to have real faith, not blind faith, in the resurrection. Faith based on evidence as seen all through out the Old and New Testament and defined in Hebrews 11:1.

Can you defend the resurrection? Can you tell someone how your faith is based on sure fire knowledge that Christ is not in the tomb? What if someone asked you to tell them about the resurrection and how someone could believe in it? What would you say? They will not care that God changed you, as this is a pluralistic and self-centered society and they want to know about themselves. You will get the answer, ‘that is good for you, but what about the resurrection and how it affects me? How can I be sure of the resurrection? Is there proof, evidence of this event that I was not present at?’

There are many ways to defend our faith, and we are called to do so. Anything else is a cop out to Christ and the faith. If you do not have the ability to defend the resurrection then you need to find information on it. Good books are More Then a Carpenter by Josh McDowell, Case for Christ by Lee Strobell, Resurrection by Hank Hanegraaff, and Dr. Norman Geisler & Gary Habermas’ many works on the resurrection.

“Christianity is a knowledge tradition, not a “mere belief” tradition, and in order to grow our God-confidence, one of the important tasks before us is to grow in our knowledge of God and his Word.” – J.P. Moreland & Klaus Issler

Verum Venatus Article

Indiana Gazette Article on Verum

Gaming event offered as party alternative: By BILL ZIMMERMAN, billz@indianagazette.net
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 11:33 AM EST

When Alan Seymour set out to offer students a safe and fun alternative to the late-night party scene, he looked for an activity that could draw a diverse crowd.Seymour, of Indiana, thinks he found that unifier: video games.

In October, Seymour's nonprofit program, Verum Venatus, held its first gaming event in the University Square atrium, and on Friday and Saturday, gamers will come together again. For Seymour, who is a jock and who is in the band matters little when it's time to mash buttons.

``It transcends all those labels because everybody plays them,'' he said.Verum Venatus' mission statement is ``To give the 18- to 30-year-old population an alternative to alcohol and drugs by utilizing all technological avenues (gaming systems in particular), personal mentoring, tutoring and conversational evangelism.''

However, Seymour, a therapist who practices out of his home church, Calvary Evangelical Free Church in White Township, said college and high students who attend won't be ``hit over the head'' with religion.But if they want some mentoring on matters both spiritual and otherwise, it will be available.Seymour, 37, said he began thinking about Verum Venatus years ago, and recently found a partner, Kyle Bruno, who's in his early 20s and gave him a primer on gaming.

``I'm not in the gaming circle,'' he said. ``I'm just tying to give kids things do to.''Verum Venatus is Latin for Truth Game, and Seymour, who is also an ordained minister, said it's his style to ``tell it like it is'' and deliver the truth about mental, physical and spiritual health.

An Elderton High School graduate, he has a doctorate in biblical psychology from Pillsbury College and Seminary in St. Louis and said his training is ``kind of like combining theology with psychology.''Seymour, a father of three, said he's able to treat both Christians and non-Christians and has worked extensively with at-risk youth in Florida, where he and his wife opened their home to as many as eight teens at a time, and North Carolina, where he worked with gang members.

He moved back to the area a few years ago before heading to India, where he taught for a year at a seminary in Bangalore, and returned to Indiana in May.As he secures more funding and gauges public interest from the gaming events, Seymour plans to open Verum Venatus' own center in a vacant office space in the bottom of University Square.

He envisions students coming to play until about 11 p.m. on weekdays and later into the night on Fridays and Saturdays. The center would also have room for gatherings such as Bible studies as well as space to rent out for other events such as parties. He said it's too early to set an opening date, but that he's still looking for donations and volunteers. He has an eight-member board of directors in place and hopes to have 10 people guide the organization soon.

On Oct. 23, about 18 kids played a ``Halo 3'' tournament competing for prizes, including T-shirts and video games donated by Back Street Records. Rent-A-Center donated four big-screen TVs for the event, and a Nintendo Wii was set up for those wanting a more casual gaming experience. On Oct. 24, members of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Video Games Club stopped by and games were played outside of the tournament structure.

``Halo 3'' is rated M for gamers 17 or older, and Seymour said no one outside of the Entertainment Software Rating Board guidelines would be able to play games with that rating. He also said Verum Venatus would not offer any bloody games such as those from the popular ``Grand Theft Auto'' series.

His work with troubled youngsters helped influence Verum Venatus' behavioral guidelines, which include no swearing, no horseplay, no tobacco or alcohol and no skipping class to attend gaming events.``My philosophy is you have to set the bar high and kids will generally rise to it,'' he said.

If you go ...What: Verum Venatus gaming eventWhen: Registration for ``Halo 3'' double-elimination tournament begins at 4 p.m. Friday with play going from 6 to about 10 p.m.; tournament will continue Saturday afternoon. Cost is $10.

Where: University Square atrium, Grant StreetWeb site: http://www.verumvenatus.org/

Copyright © 2009 - Indiana Gazette

MAN UP!

Matt. 16:23, “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

I think one of my biggest frustrations within the Christian faith today is with men who call themselves Christians and yet walk like little children; those men who are timid in their faith. They think in only social reforms, or a more feminized (no offense ladies) form of the Gospel. I gotta tell you, it is getting old and it is hurting the church. It is also one of the biggest complaints I hear from women nowadays. Where are all the strong Christian men? Men who are not afraid to stand up for the faith, not only in doing “good,” but in holding each other accountable. I was going to call this blog, “Where are all the men,” but instead I think “Man Up” fits better.

I have read Ghandi, and Christians try to use him all the time, saying that he almost became Christian and the reason he did not is because of Christians themselves, or that the only ones that do not see Jesus as non-violent are Christians. I have heard this from other new age Christians. Many emergent leaders, neo-orthodox, and liberal Christians are always talking about this and love to make Jesus a pacifist, but that is far from the truth. In Matthew 10:34-39 Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” This does not sound non-violent. Why do we insist at only looking at certain verses and not all the verses, as these are certainly not pacifist verses. This is Jesus telling it like it is.

I went through the Epistles, Gospels and the letters to the churches in Revelation, and if I put up all the verses that are in your face, hard, judgmental, and holding men and women accountable in a very strict way, this blog would be over 10 pages just in verses. Jesus was by no means a person that let others walk all over Him without reason, or someone that just sat back and did nothing. He was in your face and very frank much of the time.

Just look at these examples:

Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

Matt. 10:14-15, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

Matt. 11:23-24, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

John 4:17, “The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” – doesn’t seem too nice to call out the sin of someone you just met.

Matt. 16:3, “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:14-16, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas.”

1 Cor. 4:18-21, “Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?”

1 Cor. 5:6-7, “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

Gal. 1:6, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,”

Gal. 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

Gal. 2:11, “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;”

Titus 1:10, “there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.”

This is just a smattering of verses, as there are many, many, many more that could be listed. Don’t get me wrong, I am not negating the love that Jesus showed, or at least the love that many like to talk about, all the emotional, feeling based emotions. Love sometimes meaning saying the hard things so people learn and grow in Christ, and not because we are worried about what people may think of you. It is not man you will stand before, but God.

I am not going to spend too much time on talking about what all the verses already say, as it says it, but men better start standing up and taking point in the Christian faith. It is time to Man Up within the church and start holding one another accountable and not be afraid to debate and call out those that are teaching heresy, poor theology and doing things that are not on par with Scripture, especially from the pulpit. There is a difference between talking to a non-Christian about issues and Christians. 1 Cor. 5:13-15, “For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.”

I think the men of the faith need to start making a stand. Enough with groups and gatherings, as those are well and good in and of themselves, but we also need men to be outside and being the men Jesus, Peter, Paul and all the other apostles were. They did not cower because of feelings, or because someone might be mad, but when a Christian was teaching, preaching or acting foolishly, they called them out.

John 2:14-17, “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

If you see a Christian man watching shows like Family Guy, Girls Next Door, or many others, then they need to be told they are sinning, as those shows denounce the name of Christ all the time and to give it your time is to participate. If a Christian man is teaching Emergent Church teachings (Rob Bell & Brian McClaren), Word of Faith Teaching (Benny Hinn & Kenneth Copeland), Liberal teachings (Bishop Spong & Clark Pinnock) or any other heretical movements then they need pulled off the pulpit, out of Sunday schools or Bible studies, unless they are teaching why these movements are wrong and heretical, and they should not be allowed back in those positions until they understand clearly the errors. If a Christian man is not loving his wife like the church, or is not treating women in general as they should, then they need told. Who cares if they are mad at you? Would you rather have God or man mad at you for those He put in your path? Just like I said, it is for Christian men to hold other Christian men accountable that God has put in your path. The time has come to Man Up and be strong for Christ. John 5:22-23, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Read Matthew 23:13-39 and then read the letters to the churches in Revelation, almost every church is called out on some sin or another.

John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Blastoff Network--Cool Applications.

Well, it's finally here! After 3.5 long years of waiting, I am privileged to introduce you to --> The Blastoff Network.Check it out --> http://my.blastoffnetwork.com/aleris"




It will change the way people use the internet." ~ Google

Blastoff is the next big evolution on the internet." ~ Time Magazine

So what is it? Think Facebook meets Amazon meets YouTube -- all in one! It launched a week ago!Just like when Gmail came out, you must be invited to join the network.

So here's your invitation- http://my.blastoffnetwork.com/alerisYou are now one of the first in the world to know. Yes, you're welcome. And I hope you enjoy it!-- Alan

PS: You can raise a lot of money for an organization or a charity or maybe just for you! And it's