THE SCRIPTURES- SUFFICIENT FOR SAINTS AND SINNERS

Welcome to this month's AGC posting.  While we usually do a new posting every month, we have left the last one concerning the death of Ty Woods for almost two months due to its subject matter and interest.  It will always be in our archives, so it will always be here for viewing if needed.  The article highlights the ministry of AGC Chaplains in times of war and peace to our military and families.
  This month's article features our new AGC President Steve Brown.  Steve articulates our position on not only ministry, but the importance of having a Biblically based service for God and country. Here at the AGC we believe in not only the inerrancy of Scripture, but also the knowledge that our Savior is the answer for all of mankind's ills.   While a theistic view of life may sound simplistic, it offers solutions to a world where modern thought believes that man has all of the answers.  This is sad, for in many ways, man is the cause of our problems.   To illustrate that concept,  LT Chris Jordan shares some of his thoughts which demonstrates this all familiar theme.  God bless!

 GIVE THANKS FOR THE WORD OF GOD- STEVE BROWN; AGC PRESIDENT

O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever (Psalm 136:1). We pause to give thanks this month to Almighty God for the gift of His Word and for its faithful proclamation by our Chaplains to the men and women in uniform serving around the world safeguarding our freedoms.

What truly sets us free is that which the Reformation consistently proclaimed:

Sola Christo - Christ alone; Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone; Sola Gracia - Grace alone and Sola Fide - Faith alone.

Irreducible #2, Scripture alone.

During the Middle Ages, only an elite group of people had copies of the Scriptures. Today the Bible is the #1 best seller with over 6 billion copies in existence. Of the 6,900 known spoken languages, portions of the Bible have been translated into approximately 1200 languages with another 1300 translations in process. There is on average five Bibles in every US home.

The heart of the issue today is not Bible access, but its adequacy. Is Scripture still sufficient? The anemic condition of the church in America is a testimony that many in our churches do not practice what they profess.

The Bible has endured numerous attacks. Some assaults on the truth are bold. The "Freethinkers" and the "Brights" (modern day titles for atheists) demand freedom from religion in the United States. They say, we can practice our faith, but only in our home or church, nowhere else. They have become militant in their effort to squash truth and silence its adherents. Cicero once said, "When you have no basis for an argument, abuse the plaintiff." In other words, silence your enemy if you cannot overcome his veracity. Recent
Status of Global Missions reports highlight the fact that while Christianity continues to grow worldwide, atheism loses 300-800 adherents every day. The Scriptures will be fulfilled. Since Truth will not be thwarted, the enemies of truth seek to censor it’s promulgation in public. This attack is a testament that truth is effectual. Hebrews 11 lists a number of people who responded in faith to the Truth (to what God said). Some were martyred for their commitment to Truth. While this made no sense to the world, this commitment to Truth radically changed the course of human history.

Some assaults on truth are more subtle and slow in their evolution. The official accreditation and certification processes in the US often relegate the Word of God to little more than mythology. One simply can't accept what the Word says unless a government funded study verifies its claims, and even then, for the world, it is the study that is authoritative, not the text. Periodically, however, the world openly confirms the Scriptures. Did you know that a modern geneticist discovered that all human beings can be traced genetically to one woman (a mother) and one man? Amazing! I wonder how much that study cost.

So in a self-avowed liberal culture we seem willing to

try anything except God's Word to fix our culture's problems. Take the issue of depression, for example. Millions struggle with it and millions have, including Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Charles Spurgeon and missionary David Brainard. The medical profession can help, but do we need to default to medication, or do we need the Word of God and a loving, caring fellowship, a local church? Regardless of how one may feel, the Scriptures teach that Jesus has promised to never leave us. He has given us a purpose for living. His sacrifice for us is of incalculable worth. No one could ever love us more, even in our pain! So, will we stand on Truth or follow our feelings? The Word is sufficient and relevant (II Tim 3:14-17).

Military Commanders today are scrambling to find new solutions to the problems their troops are experiencing as a result of an eleven-year war requiring multiple combat deployments. Christian Chaplains and local churches have what is needed, the Word of God. Our men and women in uniform need Christ and Biblical solutions to the challenges they face. What God says is always sufficient and relevant.

What is needed in the "Dark Age" we occupy is nothing new. The creative and consistent proclamation of the Word of God is still the need of the hour. The world only offers shortcuts that afford temporary respite. Thank God this season for the gift of His Word. We must believe it and proclaim it regardless of what we feel, see, or hear. What is Needed is Nothing New!

I have more understanding than all my teachers:
for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.
Psalm 119:99-100.


A MILLION TO ONE- by LT Chris Jordan
 

I was recently sent an article that revealed several websites that allow users to purchase fake followers on social media websites, Software that lies (so you don't have to!) by Mike Elgan, Computerworld. You can now effectively buy popularity and make yourself appear more popular than you actually are. I don’t know which is more disturbing, people buying fake popularity or the fact that the author says this, “Is all this computer-aided lying (he mentions several other ways to ‘virtually’ lie in the article) unethical? I think the answer, obviously, depends on how people use them. Any of these could be used for good or ill.” Silly me, I thought lying was obviously unethical in general, but that is a subject for another article. Let’s focus in on all this attention seeking.

Why would people want buy fake followers or ‘friends’ on social media to make it appear that they are more popular than they are? Some of these answers seem reasonable, like a political figure wanting to make it appear as though he has more supporters than he actually does or a an entertainer faking popularity to boost actual popularity. I mean there is still an element of ‘group think in our culture that drives us to want to be in the ‘in’ crowd and ‘like’ what everyone else ‘likes’. But, what about the average guy or gal that spends $10 on 1,000 Twitter fans, by the way American fans are more than expensive than overseas fans, go figure. Why do we want to be ‘liked’, even if it is by people who don’t even exist? I believe it is because we have fallen to the deception that we are unlikable. Deep down we have abandoned our true value as created beings in the image of God and we have lost our value only to search for it in fake fans and other fake things. Maybe we’ve forgotten the old Beatles song “Can’t Buy Me Love”.

So, how do we regain what we’ve lost? Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We were created in the very image of God. The Bible says this about God, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11.

Not only are we created in His image but He bestow such great value on us and lavished us with His love by suffering death on our behalf for forgiveness of our sins. In Ephesians 1 the apostle Paul states our worth, value and identity in Christ.

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.(Eph. 1:4-14)

Read through that again and reflect on your identity in Christ and the value God puts on you. A million FaceBook fans don’t compare with the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and He is your biggest fan! Instead of ‘liking’ someone maybe we should continue on in Ephesians and pray this prayer for one another:

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might  that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Eph. 1:15-23)