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Showing posts from September, 2021

Time for Truth: The Ninth Commandment - Part 01

  Time for Truth: The Ninth Commandment - Part 01 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16 It is as old as the Garden of Eden, familiar as weeds in the field, common as colds in the winter. Yet, it is also a great evil that has spread faster than Covid on a cruise ship. What is this pernicious thing? We know it as ‘bearing false witness’ or, in short, ‘lying.’ It is the subject of the ninth commandment. While the command seems to be narrow - abstaining from false witness - it actually applies to the entire gamut of the falsehood industry. The Bible has some very strong things to say when it comes to lying vs. truth. While it goes back to the beginning of human history, lying today has entered into an enlarged and dangerous phase. We live in a corrupt culture that rejects objective and absolute truth for ‘framing,’ ‘narrative,’ ‘perception,’ and ‘relativism.’ Postmodernism, which represents a radical form of relativism, rejects the certainty of...

AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO WATCH & PRAY

AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO WATCH & PRAY Afghanistan maybe half-way around the world - and seemingly on another planet - but the fact is that it matters. Since 2001 it has been a prime focal point of the western world. Responsible citizens need to know what’s happening and then respond accordingly.   After twenty years of war, engagement, and ‘nation-building,’ America and its NATO allies withdrew from Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. We were told that now is the time. Intelligence agencies said it would take eighteen months for Kabul to fall to the Taliban. Only in July 2021, Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Afghan security forces had the capacity to sufficiently defend themselves. They were US/NATO-trained, possessed eighty billions of dollars worth of high quality US weaponry, and inherited two air bases in Bagram and Kandahar. Joe Biden said that the Afghan army had 300,000 troops, highly armed, versus 75,000 Taliban. ’ There is going to b...

Now the Good News: Churches Fight Back & Win

  Fight Back & Win Are you feeling pressurised, harassed, and battle weary? Join the club. Many are experiencing these very same things. And no wonder … since the start of the decade, there has been an exceptionally intense spiritual atmosphere in the world. Covid-19, lockdowns, BLM riots, a disputed election, Afghanistan withdrawal, are all symptoms of this great unseen spiritual battle. In our recent editions of Issachar, we focused on the extremely concerning situation in Canada regarding Covid-19 restrictions. Pastors were being arrested and jailed, while fifty plus churches (some/many of them indigenous), were being burned or vandalised. This month, we focus on some good news. It is how churches, particularly in the United States, have valiantly and fearlessly fought against unjust Covid-19 restrictions. Often, these edicts were unevenly applied to churches, while letting leftist protestors and secular businesses have a long leash. Restrictions were meant to be ‘tempor...

The Hardworking Servant Messiah: Why Study the Gospel of Mark? Part 02

SUMMARY OF MARK   Like the start of a marathon, the Gospel of Mark begins with a bang. Rich in detail, fast in pace, breath-taking in scope, this Gospel shows Jesus as an active, robust, on-the-move Servant-Messiah. He also was destined to suffer as no human has ever suffered - bearing the world’s sin, forsaken by God, and an object of divine wrath. In the first part of Mark, there is an emphasis on service and power. Jesus is shown to have authority over sin, sickness, and demonic power; healings abounded and the crowds swelled as a result. Then comes the second part of Mark. If the disciples were unclear about His true identity, it became strongly apparent when Peter confessed Jesus as Messiah (Son of David, Son of God) at Caesarea Philippi. This was followed by the transfiguration, where eternity touched earth on that holy mountain. They also were informed that Jesus’ destiny was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead. In fact, there were frequent mention of suffering as...