Article VI, part 2

Truth or Dare (Article 6)

In our first post we began to discuss how knowledge, like wisdom, must be pursued to be obtained. We also talked about how knowledge without understanding is dangerous, because it lacks wisdom. Ben Stein's Expelled We disclosed how knowledge and understanding have to be coupled together in order for humanity to receive wisdom (Proverbs 2:6, 9:10).

We also talked about how academia, though a good vessel for giving mankind knowledge, has actually prevented mankind from receiving understanding because it has chosen to remove God’s teachings from it’s curriculum. Especially where the sciences are concerned.

With that said, let’s now return our thoughts to the statement made by Linus Pauling, “Science is the search for truth.”

Back in 2008, American actor, commentator of political and economic issues, lawyer, and writer Benjamin Jeremy “Ben” Stein hosted a documentary entitled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. In this film, directed by Nathan Frankowski, Ben explored a troubling trend in American academia; one that was becoming increasingly more common place, yet being kept concealed from the public. This startling trend? The silencing of all who would openly question Darwin’s theory of evolution, especially those who were proponents of “Intelligent Design,” or “I.D.”

Within a few short moments of the film, Ben introduces us to five scientists who have lost tenures, years of academic credibility, and even careers simply because they either mentioned “I.D.” in a scientific article or journal, or because they proposed “I.D.” to be a valid scientific possibility to understanding the origin of life on this planet. Scientists such as:

Robert J. Marks II, an electrical and computer engineering professor from Baylor University — a university that advertises itself as a “private Christian university” — was forced to shut down his web site and return grant money, when a link between his work in engineering and the theory of “I.D.” was established.

Dr. Guillermo Gonzales, astrologist from Iowa State University, was denied tenure and had his career threatened when he published a book that argued in favor of “I.D.” In spite of the fact that the vast majority of astrologist support some type of theistic philosophy, and in spite of his stellar research record, which has lead to the discovery of several planets, Dr. Gonzales was severely chastised.

The other three scientists interviewed by Ben Stein experienced similar ridicule, and the film reveals throughout its run-time that there are others being targeted. It is becoming apparent that Darwinists, at least in America, are attempting to prevent scientists from searching out the truth, by silencing any find that does not support Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. As Mr. Stein stated in the opening of the documentary, “Science has been about the freedom to ask any question, to pursue any line of inquiry without fear of reprisal, but this is not the case anymore.”

Scientists are allowed to research “Intelligent Design,” but any findings that support “I.D.” cannot be published without consequence. The two main reasons for this is:

1) “I.D.” is too closely connected to “Creationism,” “Theocracy,” or “Biblical Theism,” and Darwinists do not want to make a way for Christianity to reenter the classrooms of American schools.

2) Darwinists, such as Michael Bruce, admit that the evidence for macro-evolution is so appalling that Darwinism doesn’t need “I.D.” confusing students further.

Darwin's Tree of Life Darwinists know that there are “holes” in the theory of evolution, such as the lack of evidence in the fossil records, and the inconclusive evidence for the common origin of life (a.k.a.: Darwin’s “Tree of Life”). Thus the reason evolution is still only a scientific theory, and not a fact. Yet atheistic Darwinists, such as Richard Dawkins, still want to see macro-evolution taught as fact. They insist this must be done to prevent the lie of “Theocracy” from being taught in American classrooms. To make this happen, Darwinists lean heavily on the scientific proofs being discovered in support of micro-evolution, but still there is that irritating question looming over the entire theory of how natural selection even began. The question that no one Darwinist can answer the same way. Where did the first cell come from?

Michael Bruce, claimed it first appeared on the back of a crystal. Sounds a bit more like pantheistic Occultism than scientific Darwinism. So what is the chance that such an organism could simply “begin” on its own? Well, a single cell organism needs two-hundred and fifty proteins, as well as other elements such as Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur, etc. — all of these elements and proteins have to be in an exact order just to sustain minimal life functionality. The odds of this happening by chance are one in six-trillion. One in six-trillion! That doesn’t even begin to factor in the fact that the organism also requires the perfect amount of gravity and a perfect cosmological constant. Darwinists will accept any number of theories that allow for these coincidental happenstances, but they will not accept that God created it.

Even those in the American press are pressured to promote macro-evolution as fact, and “I.D.” as religious propaganda. Author and journalist Pamela R. Winnick refused to write a biased article against “I.D.” and Darwinists viciously attacked her character and belief systems. She received “hate mail,” and soon began to see her career as a journalist falter. Why is it that European scientists and journalists don’t appear to take issue with “Intelligent Design” in the same way that American scientists and journalists do? For this reason. If “Theocracy” can be removed from the American culture then America’s governance can be overthrown at it’s foundation.

You see, once Americans are separated from their Judeo-Christian roots, then the Constitution that governs them can be rendered obsolete. None of the European governments were founded with the purpose of propelling the Gospel message. They were all kingdoms established after the fall of Rome. Kingdoms that aligned themselves with the Roman Catholic church — yes — but the Gospel of Christ was not their focus, as it was in America’s governance. Satan, and America’s enemies know that to render God’s statutes as obsolete in America means the end of Christianity in America. Just look at how the Darwinists have weakened Europe’s Christian history with their atheistic teachings.

In Europe, where many of the world’s philosophies have already infiltrated and weakened the various Christian denominations, they are seeing many of their cathedrals closing, due to decreasing congregations and a lack of funding. In England many of these old church buildings are now being sold off and they are being transformed into Islamic Mosques. The old cry of Karl Marx to “dethrone God, and destroy Capitalism” seems to be flourishing in Europe, and it’s the apparent foundation for which American Darwinists, and other left-wing activists, are standing on. The western world’s moral, ethical, and financial decline will continue unless the statutes of Christ are again embraced by western culture.

America’s founders all understood the importance of establishing their governance on Judeo-Christian morals and ethics. George Washington, the first President of the United States once said, “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” John Adams, the second President of the United States, heralded these words, “We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” But it was Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, who seemed to be the wisest of all the American Presidents. It was President Lincoln who made this observation some one-hundred and fifty years ago:

Abe Lincoln 2 “We [Americans] have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Those words are even more true today, as secular humanism continues to thrive among Darwinists, and the liberal left. America’s scientific advances, and military might, have given it a false sense of security. By allowing God’s teachings to be removed from America’s culture, and schools, and governing authorities, Americans have opened the preverbal door for Communism, Socialism, Fascism, and other forms of Atheism to enter in. Satan knows how influential America has been in the thwarting of evil around the world, and not just by fighting against evil with its military, but also by testifying of God’s glorious Gospel message through her citizens. Satan needs Americans to reject God, and this is why the United States has become a battle ground where Atheists seek to destroy Biblical Theism. In fact, most evolutionary apologists no longer defend macro-evolution, but simply attack the Judeo-Christian belief system.

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins, who wrote The God Delusion, admits that he is personally out to attack and destroy religion. Mr. Dawkins claims that, “Science has the right answer for the origin of life and religion does not.” Richard Dawkins even goes as far as to say that science actually explains away religion, but truthfully it exalts it. Scripture reminds us in several places that all of creation tells mankind of his/her divine Creator. Recall with me the words we quoted earlier from the first chapter of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman church:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

Many scientists over the years have concurred with Scripture. Robert Boyle, the “Father” of modern chemistry (whom we mentioned in Article 5), once said, “From a knowledge of God’s work we shall know Him.”

Edmund T. Whittaker was an English mathematician who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics, and the theory of special functions. He made this statement regarding the origin of life, “It is simpler to postulate creation ‘ex nihilo’ — Divine will constituting Nature from nothingness.”

Allan R. Sandage an American astronomer responsible for determining the first reasonably accurate value for the Hubble constant and the age of the universe, was quoted as saying, “We can’t understand the universe in any clear way without the supernatural.”

Robert Jastrow Robert Jastrow, an American astronomer, physicist, and cosmologist, was a leading NASA scientist, populist author, and futurist. Mr. Jastrow, though an agnostic, once stated, “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover. That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.” Robert Jastrow also said, “Now we see how the astronomical evidence supports the biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the chain of events leading to man started suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.” The fossil record also supports this.

The fossil record is very damning to anyone wanting to believe in macro-evolution because, as the “Cambrian Explosion” reveals, it does not exhibit any evidence of a mutation between species. Consider Jonathan Wells’ explanation. Mr. Wells graphs out the beginning of life, as if it happened within a twenty-four hour period. On this clock we would not see any life forms appear until around the sixth hour. This is the time we would first see the single cell organisms appear.

24 HR Clock As the clock continues to move forward through time, the single cell organisms would continue to be the only life forms on the earth until well past the first twenty hours of the day. Then suddenly — at about twenty-one hours, and within less than two minutes — all the major complex animal lifeforms appear. Most of them are still in existence today. They did not gradually appear, like Darwin believed, and they did not come from one single cell organism, as Darwin’s “Tree of Life” theory suggests. No! Complex life simply appeared, and the fossil record proves this.

It’s this type of evidence that upsets the Darwinists and pushes them to promote their atheistic/anti-religion worldview. Darwinism seeks to strip humanity of its dignity, by arguing that we are not made in God’s image, and they push to remove mankind’s hope, by teaching that there is no God. We simply exist to eat, sleep, procreate, and die.

And even though the theory of “Intelligent Design” does not out right endorse God to be the “Designer” of the universe, it still explains certain features of the universe and of living things to be from an intelligent cause. Thus, as we said earlier, it is seen as a “doorway” to “Theocracy.” Dr. Peter Atkins, a former chemistry professor at Oxford University, says:

“Religion is just fantasy, basically. It’s particularly empty of any explanatory content — and it’s evil, as well.”

Darwinists believe that science is the weapon that will destroy the “evils” of religion, once and for all. In their minds they believe that as scientific knowledge increases, so too will religious faith decrease. Thus Darwinists hope to one day see a flourishing utopia of atheistic humanism, worldwide. Much in the same way America’s founders saw the United States as a utopia for bringing the world Christ’s Gospel message. Again, Darwinists can’t fulfill their dream without first destroying Christianity and its connection to the “American Dream.”

Let’s recall one more word of truth from the sixteenth president of the Unites States, “America will never be destroyed from outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” (Abraham Lincoln) Lethal Atheism, injected by way of the syringe of Darwinism, appears to be the “poison” for which America’s suicide will be administered.

In part three, we will continue to examine the sinister agenda behind American Darwinists, and we will also continue to reveal the the foolishness of macro-evolution.

Truth or Dare by J. Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.jasonmin.wordpress.com.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed TM © 2008 Premise Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

If your church or organization would like to talk with J. Scott Harden about a speaking engagement, or a writing project, please get in touch with Mr. Harden through Jason MinistriesTwitter account or Facebook page.

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Article 3

Robert “Bob” Hartman, is possibly one of the greatest songwriters to have graced Contemporary Christian Music over the last 40 + years. His ability to take a passage of Scripture from the Bible, or to take a strong lyrical story based on biblical content, and apply that to a melody that is both enjoyable and awe inspiring is uncanny.

Robert’s songs are rarely so simple that you can disconnect your mind from what your ears are hearing, as a parent would be able to do with their child’s nursery music. No, Bob’s music commands your ears to take heed and listen. If music can make human ears stand at attention, then that is what takes place when one hears a Bob Hartman song. If you are unfamiliar with Bob Hartman’s name, you will most likely recognize his band’s — Petra!

Hartman originally was a member of the Christian rock band known as Rapture, but after the band’s break up in the early ‘70s and a move to Fort Wayne, IN, to attend classes at the Christian Training Center, Robert began to form the Christian rock band we know today as Petra.

Of all the songs that Hartman has penned, I think it is Adonai that stands as my all time favorite. It’s from Petra’s 1985 album Beat the System, and it helped to make that project one of the biggest Christian rock albums recorded at that time and the third-biggest Christian album of the 1980s (trailing only Amy Grant’s Age to Age and Sandi Patti’s Songs From the Heart). Allow me to share the lyrics of this Christian rock masterpiece with you:

Verse 1:
This thirsting within my soul
Won’t cease ‘till I’ve been made whole.
To know You; to walk with You.
To please You in all I do.
You uphold the righteous,
And Your faithfulness shall endure.
Chorus:
Adonai, Master of the earth and sky.
You, alone, are worthy — Adonai!
Adonai, let creation testify;
Let Your majesty be magnified in me.
Adonai, You are an endless mystery — Adonai!
Verse 2:
Unchanging, consuming fire;
Lift me up from mud and mire.
Set my feet upon Your rock;
Let me dwell in Your righteousness (repeat chorus).
Bridge:
When the storms surround me,
Speak the word and they will be still.
And, this thirst and hunger
Is a longing only You can fill — Adonai (repeat chorus).

Words escape me, as I try to describe how these lyrics call my soul to worship the Creator of heaven and earth. Hear them sung, and you will be hard pressed to deny your spirit’s desire to leap for joy and shout, “Praise Adonai!” But, why? What is it about this song — this lyric — that makes it so special? I believe it’s power to move the human spirit lays in the name “Adonai.”

“Adonai” is a Hebraic name for God (Elohim/Deity), and is the emphatic plural of the title “Adon.” Adon, which means “Lord” or “Master,” is generally the title given to men of authority or angels but at times was also used when referring to Yahweh. So, since Adonai is the plural form of Adon, its meaning is interpreted as “Lords” or “Masters.” When the emphatic plural is formed in Hebrew using a singular possessive ending (example: “my Lords” or “my Masters”), it always refers to God. Our Creator, the triune God, was recognized by the Hebrews as the “Lord of Lords” (Adonei ha’adonim) or Lord Yahweh — Adonai Adonai!

I personally get emotional — spiritually moved — over this particular name of God, but I also realize that most Americans, really most contemporaries of the western hemisphere, don’t quite grasp just how powerful a title like “Lord” or “Master” is, due to our democratic societies. So very quickly, I want to help you grasp just what this truly means. We’ll begin by defining “Lord.”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “Lord” as:

(noun) someone or something having power, authority, or influence: lord of the sea | lords of the jungle. A master or ruler: our lord the king.

(verb) act in a superior and domineering manner toward someone (lord it over).

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “Master” as:

(noun) 1 – a man who has people working for him, esp. servants or slaves: he acceded to his master’s wishes. A person who has dominance or control of something: he was master of the situation. 2 – a skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity: I’m a master of disguise. A great artist, esp. one belonging to the accepted canon: the work of the great masters is spread around the art galleries of the world.

(adjective) 1 – having or showing very great skill or proficiency: a master painter. Denoting a person skilled in a particular trade and able to teach others: a master bricklayer. 2 – main; principal: the master bedroom.

Here, in these two definitions for “Lord” and “Master,” we see four key attributes to understanding why God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is Adonai.

First, our Lords, our Creator has power (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), authority (Matthew 28:18), and influence (Psalm 2:7-9; Jeremiah 28:14) over all of His/Their creation (Psalm 89:7-11). Yahweh is the ruler over all of it. Whether we accept His authority, or not, doesn’t matter — God is our Lord — Adoneinu!

Second, God is sovereign, superior, and does dominate over all (2 Chronicles 20:5-6; Psalm 89; Proverbs 8:15-17). Just because we are in a time of grace, and are not seeing God’s righteous wrath displayed in the way mankind saw it displayed in the Old Testament, does not mean that Jehovah isn’t in control. It doesn’t mean He is inferior, or weak — God is the Lord of Lords — Adonei ha’adonim! Which brings us to our third attribute, we are called by the triune God to serve Him.

Almighty God’s mercy allows us to choose to serve Him (Joshua 24:14-15; 1 Peter 4:1-11), for now, but make no mistake — there is coming a day — Yahweh will reveal the truth of His dominance, His control, and all of His majesty will be revealed (Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 20:11-15) to all of His creation! It’s on that day that every man, woman, and child will bow before their Creator and proclaim Him/Them as Lords, Masters — Adonai!

Lastly, our fourth attribute, God has great skill and proficiency over all people, places, and things. Creation is our Creator’s testimony of this fact (Genesis 1-2; Psalms 19, 40:7-11, 139:13), as is man’s ability to learn and improve his physical state (Exodus 4:10-12; Leviticus 1-27). For it is by Jehovah’s skill in creating and His ability to teach that empowers the creativity and ingenuity of humanity — God is the Lord Yahweh — Adonai Adonai!

Selah (Pause/Reflect).

Praise, Almighty God — Adoneinu — You are the master of the earth and sky. Only You, Lord God, are worthy of being called “Master.” Devine Creator — Adonei ha’adonim — let all of creation testify, and let Your majesty be magnified in the spirit of humanity; be magnified, especially, in me. Lords, Masters — Adonai — You are an awesome, majestic, endless mystery. Adonai Adonai!

His Name Is . . . by J. Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://jasonmin.wordpress.com/.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Adonai lyrics and music written by Robert “Bob” Hartman. Lyrics based on Genesis 15:2, Matthew 5:6, Hebrews 12:29, Psalms 40:2. Copyright © 1985 Star Song Records/A&M Records.

If you want to use these lyrics, please contact the authors, artists or labs.

If your church or organization would like to talk with J. Scott Harden about a speaking engagement, or a writing project, please get in touch with Mr. Harden through Jason MinistriesTwitter account or Facebook page.

Article I

Contemporary Christian music (a.k.a. CCM), which stems from the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s, has introduced many talented performers/singers over its 40+ year history. And like any of the other industry genres, there are only a few artists whose music has stood the test of time. Carman is one of those artists. Though he’s now primarily seen and heard on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (a.k.a. TBN), Carman’s music is still known for its varied styles and strong Gospel message.

When he was touring, Carman (full name: Carman Domenic Licciardello) was a charismatic sight to behold. His concerts were incredible experiences; more like a rock-n-roll, Billy Graham Crusade than a church event. After each concert, hundreds of people would work their way down to the counseling area to accept Christ; often as many as 5,000 in an evening. Amazingly, admission to a Carman concert was usually free and an offering generally was taken.

Carman could fill the largest of stadiums, too, and did. In fact, Carman holds the record for the largest Christian music concert ever. It took place in Dallas, Texas, at the famed Texas Stadium (former home of the Dallas Cowboys). But more than that, if you take the mega stadium acts that played the famed landmark (Pink Floyd, U2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Metallica, et al.) you’ll see that, as the newspapers noted, the one act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium’s history was Carman, with 71,132 in attendance.

Carman’s ability to cover any style of music, from Gospel/R&B to Rock-a-Billy, from ballads to Hip-Hop, made him appealing to all walks-of-life. The name “Carman” assured listeners that his albums would take its listeners on a journey that wasn’t just an all-American cultural trip through popular musical styles, but was also a deep walk into all things theological. Take the song Yahweh, as an example. It’s from Carman’s 1983 album Sunday’s On The Way:

Verse 1:
Call thy walls salvation,
Call thy gates praised.
There’ll be no moon to light the nights,
No sun to light the days.
For God shall be thy glory,
An everlasting light.
The Lord shall reign forever,
In power and in might.

Chorus:
His name is Yahweh.
The Lord is one. (repeat)
Alpha and Omega,
Beginning and The End.
The Word, Who reigns forever.
Yahweh. Redeemer. Friend.

Verse 2:
His people shall be righteous,
They shall possess this land.
The branches of His plantings,
And the works of His hands.
For from a small beginning,
A mighty nation grows.
And in the fullness of His time,
The whole wide world will know (repeat chorus).

There, in simple melody, is a lyric so full of the truth of who our Creator is — Yahweh! Hear this song and you’ll have these words embedded in your mind. Meditate on them and you’ll grow in this lyric’s basic truth; Yahweh, is everything humanity needs and so much more. Let’s look deeper into the meaning of the name “Yahweh,” one of the three primary names of God (Elohim/Deity).

First, before we can understand the names of God, we must understand the nature of Hebrew names. Hebrew names are not meant to be just formal titles used to identify one person from another, as they are in our western culture. No, they are actually sentences within themselves. It’s very similar, in fact, to how Native-Americans named their children. You know, names like “Crazy Horse,” “Sitting Bull,” “Black Hawk,” etc. which weren’t exactly complete sentences, like the Hebrew names were, but descriptions of the individual’s perceived character traits. Our Creator’s name, Yahweh, is a full sentence and it’s the shortest sentence in any language. So, what is this short sentence? What does the name “Yahweh” mean, in English? The answer is, stated simply — “I AM.”

Let’s look back into the Old Testament book of Exodus when the Almighty first declared His name to be Yahweh — I AM. In Exodus chapter 3, Moses is seen on the mountain of God talking to the angel of the Lord, who is speaking from a bush that appears to be burning, but it’s not being consumed. It’s here that God tells Moses that He has chosen him to return to Egypt and command Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free. To which Moses immediately begins his argument with God that he can’t go for various reasons, one of which is Moses doesn’t know God’s name. We pick up in verse 13-14:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His Name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM Who I AM [Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh]. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM [Yahweh] has sent me to you.’”

Many scholars believe that Yahweh, actually spelled YHWH in the Hebrew language, is the third person singular form of the ancient Hebrew verb “haya,” which means in English “to be.” The basic driving force of this verb describes a state of existence. As the third person form of haya, the name “Yahweh” literally means “He [God] is,” or “He [Elohim] exists.” It’s a description of who God Almighty, is. He is “The Self-Existing One.” Ponder that thought for a moment (selah/pause). He is “The Self-Existing One.” How’s that for a name!? God is “The Self-Existing One.” It blows the mind a bit, doesn’t it? God reveals to us in His name, the name “Yahweh,” that He always has been and always will be. God (Elohim/Deity) was not created or birthed, but exists. Allow me to reiterate this truth — God (Elohim) has always existed, and will always exist. Truly awesome!

Every name of God revealed to the Hebrews, as you will see throughout this study, was to reveal some portion of Himself and His nature to mankind. And in doing so, our Lord, Yahweh, calls us to be in awe of Him, of Who He is — to worship Him.

If you will recall from our study on worship, known as The Joshua Project, we learned that God has laid out a formula for calling His own into worshiping Him. The formula is simply this: if we will come to know the attributes of God, and also acknowledge those attributes in our lives, then God will produce the actions in us that equal true worship.

(Knowing the attributes of God + acknowledging and applying the attributes of God in us = true worship)

The same becomes true of knowing and understanding the meaning of God’s various other names. God (Elohim) is the Lord, Yahweh — “I AM.” The Self-Existing One. This name of God describes who He is, and discovering who the Almighty is will call us — even move us — to worship Him!

(Knowing God’s names + learning and understanding the meanings of God’s names = true worship)

When God revealed His name to mankind, it was not merely so we could know what to call Him (i.e. give Him a formal title), but it was to reveal to us all something about Himself, His nature, and His attributes and thus call His creation to worship Him, The Self-Existing One.

Once more, everybody — selah!

His Name Is . . . by J. Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://jasonmin.wordpress.com/.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Yahweh lyrics by Gloria Gaither and music written by Carman. Copyright © 1983 CBS Inc.

If you want to use these lyrics, please contact the authors, artists or labs.

If your church or organization would like to talk with J. Scott Harden about a speaking engagement, or a writing project, please get in touch with Mr. Harden through Jason MinistriesTwitter account or Facebook page.

Article II, part 2


In part one of Article 2, we defined worship and began to look closer at two of three key attributes of God (His faithfulness and His hope) that produce the actions that equal worship, if we will choose to acknowledge them in our lives.

In this article we’ll begin with the third attribute — God is love.

Love can be defined in many ways, as worship can be, but for the sake of this blog let’s keep it simple. Let’s focus on the core definition of love and also its attributes. Love can be simply defined as a strong affection, a strong desire, or a strong devotion. Its attributes, listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-10, are: patience, kindness, without envy, without pride, without rudeness, isn’t selfish, isn’t easily angered, forgets offenses, is righteous, truthful, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres and is always faithful. These sound similar to the attributes ascribed to God in Galations 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control . . .” No wonder Paul revealed to us, in 1 Corinthians 13:13, that above all of God’s attributes the greatest is love. In fact, Scripture reveals that God, more than anything else ascribed to Him, is entirely, 100 percent love (1 John 4:16). So we could easily apply the definitions of love directly to God’s character and say God is a strong affection toward us, God is a strong desire toward us, God is a strong devotion to us, and this was revealed to mankind through the incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ. If we can truly grasp this truth and trust it (have faith in it), if we can truly have confidence in the fulfillment of God’s love through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection (have hope in it), if we can truly live a life of love (have a strong affection, strong desire, strong devotion to God) then we can truly worship God in our daily lives.

(God’s love + acknowledging and applying God’s love = worship)

Joshua understood God’s love for the people of Israel and also grasped the concept of living a life of love for God Himself. Joshua spoke in Joshua 22:5, “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Christ also taught this very same principle of worship in Matthew 22:37-38 when He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Christ didn’t stop there either; Jesus followed up His statement on love by saying in verse 39, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” To truly live a life of worship, a life filled with God’s love, we must also love mankind as God loves mankind. Think on that. Caring for people is yet another act of worship, but we will look further into this attribute in Article 4.

So, how can we take these equations of worship and apply them to our lives? How can we grasp these truths and let them rule our hearts on a daily basis? Just as the Hebrews used special words to describe their heart for worship, we too can ascribe three key words or principles to help us focus on what is at the heart of being a true worshiper of God.

First, we must have a Christ-like attitude (Philippians 2:5-8), an overall attitude of worship. You see, an attitude of worship will both prepare us for worshiping God and set the stage for our response to God after we have begun worshiping Him. How can we have a right attitude? I’ll go into more detail in the third article, but basically we can create an attitude of worship in our daily lives by applying these five positive attitude principles:

– Rejoice in the Lord — always! (Psalm 118:24; Philippians 4:4)

– Have a gentle spirit (Proverbs 15:1, 25:15; Ephesians 4:2-3)

– Replace worry with prayer (Psalm 4:1; Philippians 4:6-7)

– Keep a proper perspective/outlook on life (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

– Apply what you have learned and live it (Ephesians 4:22-25; Philippians 4:8-9)

Second, we must have joy in our lives, and I mean real joy which must dominate our hearts (Psalm 51:10-12; Isaiah 12:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5:16; James 1:2-4). Real joy can be defined as a celebration of faith (Psalm 16:11), a rejoicing in service, and being at peace. In the fourth article we will delve deeper into what joy really means to us and how we can achieve it in our lives, but we must now begin to understand the importance this principle will have in our daily worship experience (Psalm 19:8; Proverbs 10:28).

Our third principle: we must understand God’s purpose for our lives (Job 36:5; Psalm 138:8; Proverbs 19:21). Why are we here? Why did God create us? We were created to be covered by God’s glory (Psalm 8:4-5), to reflect His righteousness (Proverbs 4:18; Romans 1:14-17), and to be in fellowship with our Creator (1 John 1:3-4). In other words, God purposed us to be holy (set apart) and to worship Him. Article 5 will explore God’s purpose for us in more detail, but we must realize now that God has revealed in His word a very definite purpose for mankind; a purpose of consecration and worship.

In closing, let’s realize that worship is more than just a song sung on Sunday morning. Let’s choose today to recall the three key attributes of God:

Faith

Hope

Love

Let’s choose to also remember to acknowledge these attributes of God in our lives so that we can begin the process of becoming true worshipers in all things. Let’s choose today to recall the three words or principles that will bring into light for each of us what should be at the heart of our daily worship:

Attitude

Joy

Purpose

Pastor and teacher Graham Truscott was absolutely correct when he said, “When God’s people begin to praise and worship Him using the biblical methods He gives, the power of His presence comes among His people in an even greater measure.” The biblical methods discussed above are together the cornerstone now set upon the foundation we laid in Article 1. Let’s move forward then, as we continue with building the temple of worship God desires in us.

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