Do you believe in heaven? What do you think heaven is like? Do you want to know more about heaven? Please join us for some solid answers in our new series on heaven beginning this coming Sunday, November 16th, 9AM and 11:15AM.  Kevin McCullough from 570 WMCA will be our guest worship leader. The service will be carried live beginning at 11:30 A.M. on WMCA and at http://www.wmca.com

Check out what a few Staten islanders are saying here:  http://blog.silive.com/…/staten_island_people_do_you_be.htm…

Starting Sunday, November 16th, “God in Our City” will be heard live at 11:30 A.M. on Sunday’s on WMCA 570 AM. Please join us at Calvary Chapel on November 16th as WMCA’s Kevin McCullough will lead us in worship  and help us celebrate and kick off our live broadcasts. Our sermon series will focus on heaven and everyone in attendance will receive the free DVD getting to Heaven from New York City. We’d love to see you there.

Sink_or_Swim_or_Other_Options

Today Americans will go to the polls and pull a lever to elect leaders to run our country. We are truly a privileged people. Christians in centuries past had to put up with maniacal dictators who persecuted and martyred our forbearers. Even today, there are many places in the world where Christ followers are suppressed and oppressed. Because of our freedoms, I hope you will avail yourself of the right to vote. Being a good Christian means being a good citizen, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, so go out and vote on Tuesday, November 4th.

A sample of Internet sites from and for Christians will yield a multitude of reasons to vote for one candidate or another. Many times we are told to pray and seek the Lord’s leading as to who we should vote for. I do believe we should pray. However, I don’t think we should so much seek a leading as we should seek discernment. We need discernment to see through the media’s hoopla and the candidates’ smoke and mirrors. They are, after all, politicians. But there is more.

As Christians we have been given the infallible, life-changing, inspired Word of God. From these Scriptures we can discern, at the most, which candidate we should vote for or, at the least, which candidate not to vote for. It seems to me that there are five timeless truths in Scripture that give to us guidance that should be a tremendous help.

These truths are:

Principle #1 – A commitment to a pro-life position – All life is sacred in and out of the womb because we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28). The life of the innocent unborn is indeed precious. The Scriptures teach us that God supervises our creation in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16) and that He has a purpose for us from before we were born. In Amos 1:13, God promised to judge the Ammonites for their mistreatment of the unborn and their mothers. God is clearly on the side of the unborn, so the person we vote for should be fully of that persuasion as well, both in their personal and political convictions.

Principle #2 – A commitment to a pro-traditional family position – From the time of Creation, God has defined marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:22-25 & Matthew 19:3-6). Same sex marriage and or polygamous marriages are outside of God’s design. A society cannot survive without strong traditional families. Every effort should be made to hold this Biblical model up as the standard. What’s more, any deviation of God’s original design for the family is both dangerous and destructive to a society. The person we pull the lever for should share God’s view of marriage and the family.

Principle #3 – A commitment to a pro-Israel position – God promised Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you.”(Genesis 12:1-3) This Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and carries through to today. It behooves our nation then to bless Israel, to support her. This is a Biblical conviction we should embrace and hold to. It doesn’t mean we don’t confront Israel’s evils and faults. Israel doesn’t get a free pass to do whatever it pleases. However, it is clear that the Jewish nation is still the apple of God’s eye and we and the person we vote for should see them that way.

Principle #4 – A commitment to a pro-Judeo/Christian values position – Proverbs 14:34 tells us that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people”. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount reflect what the Lord means by righteousness. Psalm 94:20 asks, “Shall the throne of iniquity which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?” The Lord says He will have no part with the kingdom/nation that legislates evil behavior. As Christians, we should support those who share our values. We live in a pluralistic country, but we are under no obligation to vote for those who don’t share our Judeo/Christian values. These values are a major foundation for the goodness of our land.

Principle #5 – A commitment to a pro-compassion position — Psalm 9:17-18 tells us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.” It is clear that God cares about the poor and needy. The Church should have that same concern and so should those we vote for. Turning our back on those who are genuinely in need can result in God turning His back on us as a nation and a people

I encourage you to use these five simple principles to determine which candidate would best reflect our Christian values. As believers in Jesus Christ we are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Thus, we don’t vote a political party but our Savior’s priorities. We cannot vote our color, but His creed. We don’t vote our ethnicity but His ethics. We don’t merely vote for “A Change we can believe in”, we vote according to “God’s Unchanging Word that we can count on.” We don’t vote “Country First”, we vote “Christ’s Kingdom First.” We don’t even vote according to our pocketbook, but rather, we must vote according to His principles. In the end, our prayer is not for what we want but what He Wills.

If you aren’t sure where a candidate stands, Google that candidate and the principles above. Check out their web page and look at their positions carefully. As election day looms ahead of us let’s be sure we search the Scriptures, search the internet, search our hearts and on Tuesday, November 4th search out our polling place and vote.

As a citizen of the United States of America I am grateful for the privilege of voting to elect our public officials. As a citizen of heaven I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord ultimately selects our leaders. Daniel 2:20 tells us that the Lord “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”. He is always in control. First, foremost and always though, you and I are committed to follow whole-heartedly only one person. That person is our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is our only real Hope both now and eternally.

 

Here is a simple set of suggestions for praying for those who are being persecuted – http://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/devotional-life/pray-for-persecuted-church.html

Before the Reformation began nearly 500 years ago today, Christ followers were very much in the dark regarding the Scriptures. Please take the time to read the blog at this link – http://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/10/29/whats-the-state-of-theology-in-america/  Its speaks to where we find ourselves as the people of God with reference to the Bible and theology today. We as a people are once again in the dark. We started the New York Institute for Biblical Studies to help the God’s people to be equipped with God’s Word to do God’s Work in the 21st century. We are trying by His grace to combat the problem of Biblical and theological ignorance.  Our next seven week semester begins this coming Monday night. Check out our web site at http://www.NYIBS.net to see our class offerings. We have a Theology track, a Bible Survey track, a Church History Track and two Christian Counseling Tracks. Check this link out  to get a sample of what a class looks and sounds like – https://vimeo.com/110608115 . You can register on line, by phone at 718-354-9971 or in person this coming Monday night, November 3rd from 6:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. at 30 Maple Parkway, the facilities of Calvary Chapel. Staten island NY 10303

Over the last twenty-four hours we New Yorkers have seen our city experience the first case of Ebola. Dr. Craig Spencer is in need of our prayers as he combats this deadly disease that he picked up while serving with Doctors without Borders in West Africa. In addition, we’ve  seen four rookie NYC Police officers attacked by a hatchet wielding man with radical Islamic views in what may have been a terrorist attack. One of the police officers (Kenneth Healey) was struck in the head by the hatchet and is in need of our prayers.  Couple these events with the two terrorist attacks in Canada this week and the ongoing Ebola concerns nationwide and we find that many of us are a little on edge. What’s the Christian’s response to all thus supposed to be? Does our faith provide us with any answers? Does our Christian world view make a difference in the midst of these troubling situations. Join me today at 3PM on 570 WMCA or at http://www.wmca.com as we seek to answer these questions as I guest host the Kevin McCullough Show live from Manhattan

The Heart Matters – malachi pt1outline

Here is a letter I got today. The envelope was addressed to me personally so I am taking it personally. I have highlighted the parts I find particularly offensive. If Mr. Lynn is trying to intimate a group of Pastors or churches he picked the wrong group here in New York City. My response is in the form of an Evangelical Christian voter guide below:

Who then shall lead us?
Reflections on Election 2014

In a couple of weeks Americans will go to the polls and pull a lever to elect leaders to run our country. We are truly a privileged people. Christians in centuries past had to put up with maniacal dictators who persecuted and martyred our forbearers. Even today, there are many places in the world where Christ followers are suppressed and oppressed. Because of our freedoms, I hope you will avail yourself of the right to vote. Being a good Christian means being a good citizen, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, so go out and vote on Tuesday, November 4th.

A sample of Internet sites from and for Christians will yield a multitude of reasons to vote for one candidate or another. Many times we are told to pray and seek the Lord’s leading as to who we should vote for. I do believe we should pray. However, I don’t think we should so much seek a leading as we should seek discernment. We need discernment to see through the media’s hoopla and the candidates’ smoke and mirrors. They are, after all, politicians. But there is more.

As Christians we have been given the infallible, life-changing, inspired Word of God. From these Scriptures we can discern, at the most, which candidate we should vote for or, at the least, which candidate not to vote for. It seems to me that there are five timeless truths in Scripture that give to us guidance that should be a tremendous help.

These truths are:

Principle #1 – A commitment to a pro-life position – All life is sacred in and out of the womb because we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28). The life of the innocent unborn is indeed precious. The Scriptures teach us that God supervises our creation in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16) and that He has a purpose for us from before we were born. In Amos 1:13, God promised to judge the Ammonites for their mistreatment of the unborn and their mothers. God is clearly on the side of the unborn, so the person we vote for should be fully of that persuasion as well, both in their personal and political convictions.

Principle #2 – A commitment to a pro-traditional family position – From the time of Creation, God has defined marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:22-25 & Matthew 19:3-6). Same sex marriage and or polygamous marriages are outside of God’s design. A society cannot survive without strong traditional families. Every effort should be made to hold this Biblical model up as the standard. What’s more, any deviation of God’s original design for the family is both dangerous and destructive to a society. The person we pull the lever for should share God’s view of marriage and the family.

Principle #3 – A commitment to a pro-Israel position – God promised Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you.”(Genesis 12:1-3) This Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and carries through to today. It behooves our nation then to bless Israel, to support her. This is a Biblical conviction we should embrace and hold to. It doesn’t mean we don’t confront Israel’s evils and faults. Israel doesn’t get a free pass to do whatever it pleases. However, it is clear that the Jewish nation is still the apple of God’s eye and we and the person we vote for should see them that way.

Principle #4 – A commitment to a pro-Judeo/Christian values position – Proverbs 14:34 tells us that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people”. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount reflect what the Lord means by righteousness. Psalm 94:20 asks, “Shall the throne of iniquity which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?” The Lord says He will have no part with the kingdom/nation that legislates evil behavior. As Christians, we should support those who share our values. We live in a pluralistic country, but we are under no obligation to vote for those who don’t share our Judeo/Christian values. These values are a major foundation for the goodness of our land.

Principle #5 – A commitment to a pro-compassion position — Psalm 9:17-18 tells us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.” It is clear that God cares about the poor and needy. The Church should have that same concern and so should those we vote for. Turning our back on those who are genuinely in need can result in God turning His back on us as a nation and a people

I encourage you to use these five simple principles to determine which candidate would best reflect our Christian values. As believers in Jesus Christ we are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Thus, we don’t vote a political party but our Savior’s priorities. We cannot vote our color, but His creed. We don’t vote our ethnicity but His ethics. We don’t merely vote for “A Change we can believe in”, we vote according to “God’s Unchanging Word that we can count on.” We don’t vote “Country First”, we vote “Christ’s Kingdom First.” We don’t even vote according to our pocketbook, but rather, we must vote according to His principles. In the end, our prayer is not for what we want but what He Wills.

If you aren’t sure where a candidate stands, Google that candidate and the principles above. Check out their web page and look at their positions carefully. As election day looms ahead of us let’s be sure we search the Scriptures, search the internet, search our hearts and on Tuesday, November 4th search out our polling place and vote.

As a citizen of the United States of America I am grateful for the privilege of voting to elect our public officials. As a citizen of heaven I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord ultimately selects our leaders. Daniel 2:20 tells us that the Lord “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”. He is always in control. First, foremost and always though, you and I are committed to follow whole-heartedly only one person. That person is our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is our only real Hope both now and eternally.

In His Service,

Pastor Dave Watson

Brittany Maynard’s video about her hope of a peaceful, dignified death has gone viral. As of this writing, it has over 5 million hits on YouTube. One cannot help but be touched by Brittany’s heart and hope. Her video is a beautiful, professionally produced short film done through the organization Compassion and Choices. You may not recognize the organization’s name — let me help you. They were originally called the Hemlock Society, an organization founded in California in the year 1980 and named after Socrates, who infamously ended his life by drinking a beverage laced with hemlock.

Here is what I find interesting. The Hemlock Society, in its early years, was not in any way thought of as mainstream. They were thought of by the vast majority of Americans as a fringe group.  I dare to say that now 50 percent (or more!) of Americans would agree with their belief that a person should be able to determine when they want to die. In fact a Gallup Poll from this past June shows 69% of American believe Doctor assisted suicide should be permitted. What has changed?

Since 1980, thirty five years ago, there has been a dramatic shift in thinking. The shift comes because of a slow erosion of two foundational ideas. The first foundational idea is the premise that God is the Author of life and thus life is a stewardship we are entrusted with and for which we are accountable.  That has been replaced with the concept that life is an accident, a product (both generally and specifically) of an evolutionary process. Thus it is “my” life, “my” body to do with whatever I desire.

Our thinking has “evolved” (or devolved) from “This is God’s body and life; He gets to decide when my lease is terminated,” to “Don’t you dare tell me what to do with my body and life; I have the right of self- determination.” This is a world view issue. The God-centered world view is that there is a Sovereign God who rules the universe to whom I give an account. The man-centered view is that man is the highest evolved being and should be able to do whatever man wants. He is accountable only to himself.

In many ways, I think the contrast of these two views can be seen in the contrast of the American and French Revolutions.  The American Revolution came after a time of great spiritual awakening. This spirituality fueled much of the thought among this country’s founders. The French Revolution boasts in its founding document, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, that their revolutionary thoughts were borne out of secular natural law. This fueled a humanism so arrogant that Maximilien Robespierre formed his own religious system known as “The Cult of the Supreme Being.” The French Revolution produced anarchy. The American Revolution produced an enduring democracy.

A second foundational idea that has factored into this shift is with reference to how we come to believe something is true. For nearly four hundred years, we determined truth primarily through reasoning it out. We became passionate about those ideas, which were well thought out rationally. Now the thought process must compete with how we feel about something. Our convictions are based somewhat on what we have reasoned out, but equally about what we feel. As a result, we are often passionate about something only because we feel it is right.

Here is where it becomes complicated. What we feel is greatly impacted by what we see and hear. Our feelings, and thus our concept of what truth is, are easily shaped and often manipulated by a picture, a movie or a song. So, in a YouTube world, how can anyone argue with a beautiful, serene video of Brittany Maynard showing us how she wants to go out of this world?

Determining truth this way is so dangerous and misleading. Two dimensional images on a screen, canvas or in a picture frame cannot convey what is really happening. They show you a reality that is often contrived. Bulletin: Reality shows aren’t real. Pictures do lie.

As a Christian it is important that I understand what is going on behind scenes. It is fruitless to argue the correctness of my point without addressing the question of world view. I think that is what the apostle Paul is getting at when he says “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”(2 Corinthians 10:5.) In addition, we must also be aware of the images that cause feelings that certain convictions are based on. We need to help our audience work through the process of finding truth that transcends feelings, which are easily manipulated and always changing.

Beyond all this we must become experts in why our worldview works and why the truth we find in Scripture is indeed the truth. I wish it were simpler and easier but it’s just not. Christians, equip yourself with the skills necessary to contend for your world view. Christ follower, know what you believe and why you believe it and then stand for it.

Blessings

Pastor Dave Watson