Adrian Rogers Offers Five Reasons We Can Trust the Bible

A friend sent me this today and I like it so much I'm going to post it here.

What evidence is there that the Bible is in fact God's Word?[1]

By: Adrian Rogers

I want to give you five reasons to affirm the Bible is the Word of God.

First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah’s day didn’t know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, “It is [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). The word for “circle” here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God say upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.

Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!

Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.

Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.

Finally, the Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.

It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom. Yet so wonderfully shallow that a little child could come and get a drink of water without fear of drowning. That is God’s precious, holy Word. The Word of God. Know it. Believe it. It is True.

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[1] SOURCE: http://bible.christianity.com/11542346/ ACCESSED: 8/26/2009

Divine Counsel, Emotional Response, and Trial

"I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons" (Ps. 16:7).

How do we respond to the tug of God on our emotions?

Do we follow His lead obediently?

Do we try to grab the bit in our own teeth and rely on human counsel?

Do we allow others to rein us in?

All too often, people get their counsel from some other source than God (i.e., friends, family, television, radio, Internet, etc.). So, when they find themselves alone and in the darkest night of their trial they have no reference point for hearing the Word of God, or being sensitive to the tug of God's Spirit.

The psalmist was aware of his need for sensitivity to God. Especially when walking a dark and uncertain path. Learn to hear the voice of God and allow Him to gently lead you on the road of life.

I know that I'm mixing the two meanings of this one word, but I hope that you can relate to the emotional aspect of your reins and the comparison to the reins of a horse. Unless you allow God to control the emotions of your life there will be times when you run rampant and scared away from His will for your life.

Debates Updated: Oneness v. Trinitarianism

I was trying to access some of the debates on here today and found that the urls had been changed. I corrected that problem and now you should be able to once again access the debates posted on December 24, 2007 by clicking "HERE."


Also, here are some more audio debates found on Oneness Resource: http://www.freewebs.com/onenessresource/audiodebate.htm
(these include other debates dealing with Duality v. Trinity, Creation v. Evolution, the Duration of Miracles, and the Existence of God).

"Exalting the Name of Jesus in the Last Days" - Joel Urshan

Pastor Joel Urshan preaching at Greater Emanuel Apostolic Temple (Cincinnati, OH) for Bishop Bowers' 50th pastoral anniversary. This is a wonderful example of anointed Apostolic preaching.

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxBcrUI8Ieo
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU7mgjUI6ak
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOhKwaZRS2w

Elder Shawn Tyson - We Have Come To Praise

There is such power in this type of praise. It is Christ-centered, from the heart, and resonates in the spirit of the Spirit-filled believer.

My brother and I call these "Jesus songs." Jesus songs are songs of praise and worship that focus totally on Jesus. They magnify, identify, and portray Him as our Lord and Savior.

So, I share this with you today in the hope that you'll share in worshipping with me the Mighty God in Christ.

Be a Risk Taker & Trust the Riskbreaker

You know how it is. You start writing something that then loses its fire. Well, here's a post that began like that a few weeks ago (3-31-09) and then reignited today. I hope it blesses you.

Oh, the title is partially a shout out to my good friend -- Stewart Bertram.

Psalm 20:7-8, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright."

There are some who have traded their trust in God for that which they've made with their own hands. They trust in chariots and are more confident in human talent, philosophy, and ability than in the provision and strength of the Lord.

They trust in human sufficiency and abort God's will by their doubt and forgetfulness. They trust in their own ideas and manufacture scenarios thinking their finite understanding better than the infinite wisdom of the LORD.

They use the policies of the world to obtain that which can only come by the proven principles of the Word of God. They invent strategies without prayer and forget (or ignore) to call upon God. They’ve forgotten His name, fame, and reputation. What He's done and what He wants takes a backseat to what these purveyors of self foist onto the good and trusting flock of God.

Lack of trust is evident by their preoccupation with what they can form, cultivate, or influence. Afraid to show faith in something outside of themselves they resist what they don't understand and grasp onto that which is temporal, known, and comfortable.

Isaiah 31:1, “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!"

Some have forgotten the freedom and liberty that comes with trust in God and have traded that assurance for the illusion of control. They’ve trusted in horses. They trust in what they think they can direct. Their attempt at control and manipulation is a mirage. The only control they have is the choice to trust in God, or to trust in their own frail human ways.

I was with Pastor Edwin S. Harper for a few days this week. He asked me this question (once asked of him), "How do you spell faith?" My first thought was the predictable one, "F-A-I-T-H," but he said, "Faith is spelled R-I-S-K."

RISK! You get nowhere in life without taking a risk. The four bearers of the Ark of the Covenant took a risk by stepping out into the Jordan, but their risk was rewarded with the miraculous parting of the waters, and, as I heard Buddy Buie say recently, "When they stepped into the Jordan their feet kicked up the dust in the dry riverbed." God doesn't just answer prayer, He goes the extra mile in displaying His majesty as He works on your behalf.

It is easy to sometimes be paralyzed by the need to know for sure what a decision will bring to pass before we do something, but this is not faith. Faith is taking God at His Word and risking everything of comfort for uncertainty.

The wonderful thing about taking a risk on God is that it's not really a risk. We need to quit forgetting about His reputation, fame, and reputation. Recall the power resident in His name, the name of Jesus.

Next time you are thinking of taking a risk remember the true Riskbreaker and personalize these words: "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Deut. 31:6).

Bishop Norman Wagner - Praise God

I'm really feeling this song tonight. In fact, all day long I've had this feeling of praise and thankfulness in my soul.

Remember, even in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, where the heathen and ungodly are presented as paragons of virtue calling good evil and evil good, God is still present and in control. He is worthy to be praised!