Upwards Church

Here are some Bible verses to consider:

“Ask the animals, and they will teach you…In God’s hand is the life of every creature, and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7 and10)

King Solomon writes,

Ecclesiastes 3:19: “After all, the same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature.

Ecclesiastes 3:21: “How can anyone be sure that the human spirit goes upward while an animal’s spirit goes down into the ground?”

Best selling author and pastor Rick Warren was asked,  Do dogs go to heaven?

Said Warren,

“Absolutely yes. I can’t imagine God not allowing my dog into heaven.  Cats, too, Warren added. “Why not.”

People miss heaven because of their rebellion against God’s offer of love, by rejecting Jesus. But dogs, which have no ability to sin nor moral conscience, do not have an ability to reject Jesus.

It is the same principle as a baby, young child or mentally challenged individual. The Bible calls them “safe,” not “saved.” In Proverbs we read, “The Lord preserves the simple,” which includes persons without the ability, capacity or moral conscience to reject Jesus.”

In the book HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo, now an international best seller, where a child who visited Heaven in a near death experience tells of his seeing Jesus and other things in Heaven.   One of the things was his Father’s Grandfather and his dog.

I think that pets will be in heaven. I have no compelling reasons from the bible to not believe that.  What do you think?  For more reading on the subject check out the following:

http://www.cbn.com/700club/ScottRoss/Commentary/animals_souls.aspx

http://looklistenthink.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/do-dogs-go-to-heaven/

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2012/04/rick-warren-dogs-cats-heaven-jesus/1#.UFIXY7JlRcQ

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/12/do-animals-go-to-heaven/

Special thanks to Dr. Lewis Alexander for finding the above articles.

Darrell

For more about the series, “Things that make you go hmm’ go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

About the future or heaven, Scripture says:

Isaiah 11:6-9

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

⁷ The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸ The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,  NIV

The bible describes various animals living in harmony with each other and with people.

Revelation also mentions riders on horses coming from heaven. There are horses in heaven and animals in the new world.

To me, all this confirms that there are animals in heaven and they are at peace in heaven.

To me personally, I think, earth which was created in six days and has millions of amazing animals! Why would heaven, the home of God and eternal dwelling place for all believers not have even more amazing animal life?  Is earth better? No way!  “Eye has not seen or hear has heard and mind has not conceived what God has prepared for those that love him”  1 Corinthians 2:9

For more on the subject check out…

http://www.cbn.com/700club/ScottRoss/Commentary/animals_souls.aspx

http://looklistenthink.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/do-dogs-go-to-heaven/

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2012/04/rick-warren-dogs-cats-heaven-jesus/1#.UFIXY7JlRcQ

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/12/do-animals-go-to-heaven/

Special thanks to Dr. Lewis Alexander for finding the above articles.

Darrell

For more about the series, “Things that make you go hmm’ go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

There are some who would say, ‘birth control is wrong.’  Catholics lean this way.  There are others who would say, “God gave you a brain, you can think for yourself; why would that even be an issue?’ It can be very controversial.

Those who say that you should never use birth control, one of the arguments from the Bible they use, is Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”  Have kids, and lots of them!  Dr Walter Martin the original “Bible Answer Man” radio show host says, “Today the numbers have increased, the earth IS full, birth control is acceptable.”  I think that’s valid.

Another verse is Psalm 127:3 says:

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

Other versions and verses will say, “Children are a blessing from God.” The typical American family has about 2 kids, why is that?

Many people, me included have chosen not to have more blessings for the two most common reasons;

1. We can’t afford it. 2. We don’t have time.  If I am honest with myself, these are self-centered and selfish excuses.  To say, “We don’t have enough money,” says either we love the material blessings of this world more, or we’re bad stewards, or we don’t have faith in God to provide. And to say we don’t have enough time, means our time is more important than family time.  We currently have three children and are praying about adopting a fourth, but these two reasons still are real in our minds.

So, do I believe that birth control is a sin for a believer? There is nothing in the Bible that says that, so I cannot say that it is.   But, I do believe is that our culture’s approach is often wrong. “Well everybody does it, so we are going to do it and here’s what we are going to do!” This often happens without prayer, and without seeking God. And if there is any area in your life that you should pray and seek God, it is in the area of God’s blessings of new life.

I think birth control without seeking God is leaving the giver of life out of the equation and is not wise. If there is a verse in the Bible that implies that human choice is definitely a factor in child births its John 1:12-13.

God gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

This verse could imply that there are times that it’s a husband’s decision, or it’s the couple’s decision together to have kids or not have kids.

But the verse’s real meaning is that we can become the children of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. That’s God’s decision! It’s a great decision.  Have you made the decision to be a child of God by admitting you are a sinner, asking Christ to forgive you and be your savior and Lord? It’s the best decision you’ll ever make.

Darrell

http://www.Upwards.Church

What does the Bible say about masturbation?  The answer is, it doesn’t say anything.

The Bible is strangely silent on this subject.  The Bible is not shy at all when it comes to sexual issues, so, it is a bit strange that the Bible addresses all of these other sexual things and not masturbation.   That being said we must be very careful not to be dogmatic about something the bible does not address directly.

If you are a parent and are wondering how you should deal with this subject with your children, I personally think the book by Dr James Dobson, “Bringing Up Boys” has a great chapter.   He basically says not to make the subject of masturbation too big a deal.  There are issues the bible does speak directly to and we will examine those in a moment.

Since the Bible never speaks directly to this topic we will use some principles to apply to this subject.

Some who are hard core against masturbation could use a verse like, Genesis3:3.  You must not touch it or you will die!    Definitely a verse used out of context, I am only joking.  These types have also said, “Masturbation will cause you to go blind.” All joking aside they have used another verse out of context from Genesis 38. A guy named Onan spilled his seed (sperm) on the ground and God brought a severe judgment on the guy.  They will use this verse to say masturbation is definitely wrong.  But truthfully, this verse is not addressing masturbation.  In the context of this verse, Onan was supposed to take his deceased brother’s wife as his own and produce children that get his brother’s inheritance.   This was the law and Israel’s custom.  He deliberately disobeyed the Old Testament Law  and God was not happy about that.

Those that really don’t think masturbation is a sin, will quote Ecclesiastes 9:10,

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might! 

All joking aside, let’s look at some principles more seriously.

Some principles that apply; Ephesians chapter5:3, the Bible says:

…among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity.

From my perspective, it’s hard to see this act without a hint of sexual impurity, because even if you argue that the act is not a sin, sometimes what leads up to it is often unquestionably sinful.  Masturbation accompanied by pornography or lustful thoughts is  wrong.   From my perspective, it’s hard to see this act as not having at least a hint of immorality.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

Truthfully, it’s hard for me to see masturbation for the glory of God.  Sexual pleasure between a husband and a wife is glorifying to God (just read Song of Solomon!)  Self pleasure, not so much.

Something else related, if we are trying to live Christ-like, and would ask the great question,  “What Would Jesus Do?”  Do you think Jesus would do this?  Personally, I don’t think so.

If we take a step back from this very challenging subject, let me give you three bigger-picture thoughts that I think are really important.  The first thing is:

1. The battle for purity starts with the eyes and with the mind.  I like what Job said in Chapter 31:1, he said:

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

Before a physical act, there is usually a look or a thought and so we make a covenant, I will not look lustfully at another person.

Paul told the Corinthians,   We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5

If there’s a runaway sinful, lustful thought; we grab it, we replace it with the Word of God, with something excellent, lovely, pure, or admirable.   We think about things that would glorify God.  The battle for purity starts with the eyes and the mind.

2.  Do your best to remove sinful temptations.   Jesus taught this very clearly in Matthew 5:28-30, He said:

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  .  .  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

Applying this verse to masturbation, if this is a problem for you , next week there should be a lot of one-arm cyclops!  Jesus was not being literal, He was basically saying that if there is something that is going to because you to fall into temptation avoid it at all cost.  If going to the gym, you end up lusting all of the time, work out at home!  If your cable TV is causing you to lust and you are surfing all of the time, cut your cable TV.   You can’t get on the internet without being drawn into looking at pornography, get filters or blocks, have a shared computer in open site,  whatever you need to do to remove the temptation that would lead you into sin, do it!

3.  There is a state of purity that many people do not believe is possible.  Let’s be honest, we are bombarded with lustful images everywhere in our culture.  Some will cry, “but everyone else is doing it.”  But if you will take every thought captive, if you will let God’s Word renew your mind, if you will consistently train your eyes not to look at certain places, and train your mind to not go in certain places, overtime, God can renew your mind and your heart to a state of purity that many people do not even believe is possible.  By the way, “everybody is not doing it,” that’s a lie. The power of God can do more to purify you overtime if you’ll truly surrender to Him.

If masterbation is a form of comfort or release, then it becomes a false god in our lives.  God is “the God of all comfort.” I Corinthians 1:3.

If you do compromise sexually in anyway, you’re not broken, you’re human.  Maybe you lose your virginity say, “Oh, I did that, I might as well just be immoral!”  No.  If you sin sexually and you think, “Well I did this, well now I might as well keep on going.”  No, don’t destroy yourself because you fell into sexual temptation.  You’re not broken, just human.  It is forgivable. If you messed up, do not surrender in the battle for purity, keep on fighting!  Just because the world is impure, doesn’t mean that the people of God have to be.  There is a state of purity greater than you could ever imagine.  I believe it’s worth fighting for.

Darrell

Upwards.Church