The Apocalypse is here. I had a nightmare. Pat Robertson was standing in my bedroom. Only his face was lit. His ears stuck out. His hair bulged on one side, making him look like he had a tumor on this head. He kept saying “the Apocalypse is here”. Over and over.

Maybe he is right. I have never been one to see THE END in every natural disaster. I leave that to Hal Lindsey, the man who is always wrong, but paid well to keep at it. Pat also likes to chime in.

There is a lot going on, isn’t there? We had a Tsunami. We had to learn how to spell it.

Hurricane Katrina struck a major city in a powerful country and reduced it to a mass of finger pointing, ineffectual, corrupt cowards. Hurricane Stan reduced parts of Mexico to a swamp, causing almost 2 million Mexicans to lose their homes or jobs. The price to rebuild is estimated at $28 million. Guatemala is also suffering and has declared some towns a permanent grave yards.


Now we have this earthquake in Pakistan. They say 40,000 people may have died in this 7.6 shaker. 2.5 million may be homeless. Was the same guy running this country that was running New Orleans?

To top it all off, Dallas beat Philadelphia 33-10.

The End Is Near.

Revelation 13:8 says “... all who dwell on earth will worship it [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.” (ESV) He wrote your name in the book of life before the foundation of the world. It was written there when Jesus came to seek and to save. It was written before you were born.

Why was your name written in the book? Because you were chosen. Ephesians 1:4 says "...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world." God chose you to be saved before the world began.

Jesus was also chosen. He was chosen to redeem all those whose names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world. He also was chosen before the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:20 says he was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake.

God didn't make it up as he went along. He had a plan all along. He had a plan before he even made the earth.

While am on the Edwards bandwagon, let me recommend that you read "Jonathan Edwards, A Life" by George M. Marsden. He is a historian, but sensitive to theological issues.

The good news is the book came out last year and you can find it used. Go to Theological Pursuits and get a good deal. Tell David I sent you.

“Let us not conceive that the agency of man can bring about one single iota of deviation from the plans and the purposes of God-or that He can be thwarted and compelled to vary in a single case, by the movement of any of those subordinate beings whom He Himself has created.” Thomas Chalmers, Congregational Sermons, Volume II, Sermon VIII.

It's not his birthday, but I like him anyway.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JONATHAN EDWARDS. In your honor, and memory, a quote:

From my childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God's sovereignty, in choosing whom he would to eternal life, and rejecting whom he pleased; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented in hell. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me.

But I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be convinced, and fully satisfied, as to this sovereignty of God, and his justice in thus eternally disposing of men, according to his sovereign pleasure. But never could give an account, how, or by what means, I was thus convinced, not in the least imagining at the time, nor a long time after, that there was any extraordinary influence of God's Spirit in it; but only that now I saw further, and my reason apprehended the justice and reasonableness of it.

However, my mind rested in it; and it put an end to all those cavils and objections. And there has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty, from that day to this; so that I scarce ever have found so much as the rising of an objection against it, in the most absolute sense, in God's strewing mercy to whom he will shew mercy, and hardening whom he will. God's absolute sovereignty and justice, with respect to salvation and damnation, is what my mind seems to rest assured of, as much as of any thing that I see with my eyes; at least it is so at times.

But I have often, since that first conviction, had quite another kind of sense of God's sovereignty than I had then. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delightful conviction. The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet.

Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God.

You could have a Britney Spears underwear party to try and win people to Christ. Britney has donated a bra to be auctioned for hurricane relief. You could write her and ask her to donate a bra for your church, then invite people over to see it. Then, at the end, you could have a moment of reflection and call it a night. Now, that's evangelism.

Britney is definitely seeker friendly.

The Church of England has evidently decided to get into the modern evangelism movement. They do not want to start out at the rear of the movement, however. They have jumped to the front of the fray. No, we are not talking about the garage band service, or the Hawaiian Shirt Preacher, or even open mike night services. No, we are talking underwear. Think of it as The Church Goes Victoria Secret on you.

Ikid you not, as it says in the King James Version. A bishop in the Church if England now acks the message of the book "Open The Door" that advises Christians to spread the message to people by hosting lingerie parties. This is the old argument that the Church must use unconventional methods to attract "church goers" and stop the decline in membership.

The bishop, by the way, is The Rev Jan Harney. She wants Christians to have fun and get to know people before trying to convert them. It reminds me of the Sunday School department I started once from scratch and saw grow to over 50 members based on the old fashioned methods of teaching the Bible. The guy after me said he wanted to teach people that Christians can have fun. Within a few years, the department was down to a few members.

You also have to ask yourself, what kind of church goers would you get from a lingerie party? I don't know if you want people that are that seeker friendly. Couldn't you just invite people over for dinner without showing them your underwear?

Remember the movie "Field of Dreams"? The voice (whose voice was that anyway?) said "if you build it, they will come." Modify it for the Bible a little bit: If you teach it, they will come. When they do, they will hear God's truth and become disciples.

And they won't have a panty fetish.