Just A Thought

 There were two prevailing opinions in the town hall meeting the night they voted to establish their historic museum. The idea was to house local artifacts and historical tidbits from the former frontier town, in the oldest structure in the rural town. Everyone agreed that the Elger homestead was the first in the area and that Roger Elger became one of the wealthiest men in the county when he discovered gold on his property. He built a large mansion, stables, a general store and, eventually, a small inn that still operates to this day.

The debate was over which of the buildings on the Elger estate was built first. Many assumed it was the large mansion which dominated the landscape and still took ones’ breath away. However, there were a few folks, whose families had been in the area for 200 years, who claimed that when Elger first settled on the property he built the stone barn, and his family lived in the back section of that structure until they struck it rich and built the grand mansion.

The Mayor, who was to serve as the museum’s first curator was of the opinion that the mansion came first. In an attempt to prove his point, he produced a snapshot of the Elger property that had been handed down through his family for generations.  It was a closeup of the Elger family on the steps of the mansion and a date had been scribbled on the back, making it the earliest known photograph.  While the town folk were discussing the matter a young man remembered another photograph he had seen in his family’s archives. He darted home, dashed back into the meeting, and slipped the photograph into the Mayor’s hands.

The Mayor was shocked. This was a photo of the stables taken from across the road. Behind the stables were a group of men raising the West wall of the great mansion. Mystery solved. Even the Mayor agreed that the stables were the oldest structure in town and deserved the honor of housing the offices of their historic museum. Sometimes a single piece of evidence - something that gives insight to what actually took place - can settle a long-time dispute.

For years churches have debated over what it means to be born again. Most believers agree that the Bible says one must believe and confess that Jesus is their Lord. Both Jesus and the disciples commanded baptism. And Peter said those who repented and were baptized would receive the Holy Spirit. But Christendom has often quibbled over just how to put all those truths together. Some have focused on one or two verses and made a case for their take.

Luckily, we have some snapshots. They are verbal descriptions of the first century church in action. They reveal how the disciples of Jesus interpreted what Jesus told them to do. You can look at those snapshots for yourself. They are found in Acts 2,8 10 and 19. 

As I look at those snapshots, I notice three things: People repented of sins, they were baptized, by immersion, in Jesus Name. The disciples believed it was important that those who “believed,” also seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One manifestation of the baptism of the HG was that they spoke with other tongues. Those are revealing snapshots that helped me settle on what the original Christians believed and practiced. I’ve seen similar scenes in the lives of thousands who have also looked at those snapshots and embraced the practical application of what Jesus taught.

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Friday, April 22, 2022

 In the eighteenth century, a German Physicist did something world-changing. He invented a scale of measuring temperature based on the freezing and boiling points of water. After some old-fashioned scientific testing, Daniel Fahrenheit settled on a scale that set 32 degrees as the freezing point of water and 212 degrees as its boiling point. He did not start with his preferences or opinions. He started with the absolute truth of when water freezes and boils, then built his scale around those truths. He discovered the truth about water, by proving it many times, and then found a way to measure when it changed states.

If I would have been the first to quantify when water froze or boiled, I would have wanted to share that information. It is the kind of information that can be crucial; it is a truth that could save lives. One might even argue that someone with that kind of knowledge is morally obligated to share it with mankind, because the truth benefits everyone. Some truths need to be shared.

Suppose the morning news announced that someone now believes that water freezes or boils at a different temperature? They might be famous or smart, but we would all be confident that they are wrong. Suppose a group of colleges, or a supreme court, or a legislative body declared that water freezes at 20 degrees F? They too would be wrong, because the truth has been proven too many times; truth is not socially or politically adaptive. No particular group of people owns truth. No group of people can make up the truth. Nobody – not even a large or powerful group of people – can change the fact that water changes states when it does. God established that and man figured out how to measure it. 

There are other similar truths that have been proven throughout the ages, such as the ten commandments. People can argue with them, but since they are truth, anyone can prove them. And those who come to know such truths are morally obligated to let others know, because their lives may depend on it. That is what Jesus did. He spoke truth and He demonstrated its power. Grant it, He was politically railroaded for speaking truth. The elites of His day “cancelled Him” for not agreeing with “their truth,” by lynching Him. But billions have since followed His lead and proven the truths he taught for themselves.

Water still freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Water still boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If someone tells you otherwise, don’t believe them. But you can always test if for yourself. Here are some even more important truths you can prove for yourself:

·      God answers prayer.

·      God loves everyone and forgives all who ask.

·      God still fills people with His spirit, and this is evidenced by speaking in tongues like Jesus’ mother and disciples did on the Day of Pentecost – hundreds of millions alive today have proven it. 

These are truths anyone can test for themselves. So, prove it. Then share the truth you have discovered, because it can save lives.

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Friday, April 15, 2022