Know Your Bible

VOL. 13 April 20, 2014 NO. 7

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THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NOAH MOVIE

2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."

Paul's words to the young preacher Timothy stresses the importance of speaking as God speaks. Handle the word accurately, are Paul's words. Mishandling, inaccuracies lead to misrepresenting God and stating things that God did not say. A common threat of Satan is to get people to twist and misuse the Bible. By doing this, people feel safe because they are using the Bible. They are lost along the journey because they are not handling the Bible accurately.

A new example of this is the current movie, Noah. The title and the trailer about a man in a boat with animals, would lead one to think that this is based upon the Bible. It's not. This is yet another attempt by Hollywood to discredit and change what the Bible says. I will not see this movie. I've read enough to know that it will fry my biscuits and make me mad because of how they misused God's incredible story. The movie is packed with stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Russell Crowe and Harry Potty star, Emma Watson. Noah is an herb farmer who runs an animal hospital. He tries to save the animals from poachers. The movie is not close to the Biblical record. The reason for the flood, the choice of who is in the ark, the actual people in the ark, and the presence of God is all skewed. The movie is not accurate. The movie isn't close. The most accurate thing about the movie is water. One might as well make a movie about Abe Lincoln and John Kennedy being neighbors who rode their bikes to school where they were taught by George Washington. Dumb. Fake. Fiction. It shouldn't be surprising that it turned out this way since the director of Noah, Darren Aronofsky, is a proclaimed atheist. He doesn't believe in God, the Bible or the truthfulness of what the account says. He's the wrong person to make that movie. What's the purpose of this movie? If it is not to accurately tell the story, are they rewriting history to move people away from the Bible? Do they have an agenda?

Here are some things we need to know:

1. This movie will become truth for many people. So few people even understand that Noah was a righteous man and that sin was the reason that God punished the creation with the flood. The common thought is that the Genesis account is a collection of flood fables from around the world. That thought is gaining strength. Indeed, there are over 200 cultures that have a flood story. There are similarities between those stories and the Bible account. Instead of thinking that someone put these together in the Bible, it may be that the Bible led to these other stories and more likely, these different cultures had this history passed down from generation to generation because it was true. If the flood account in Genesis was myths that were written down, who wrote them down? What about the rest of Genesis? Creation-that's been tossed out and replaced with evolution. Abraham? Joseph? The New Testament is built upon the historical accuracies of Genesis. Jesus referred to Noah, Abraham and the beginning. Paul, Peter and James used Genesis as proof for the things that they were saying. To discredit Genesis is to discredit the New Testament. So few people read the Bible today, that this movie will become truth for them. This is what many will now believe. That is the power of movies. That is the shame that most homes have a Bible but it's never opened.

2. This movie will be an opportunity for you to talk to others about the true flood story. People will go to the movie. They will have an opinion. In conversations, ask them to read with you Genesis 6-9. Let them see for themselves what the Bible really says. This is an occasion to defend God's word. This is an opportunity to teach what really happened. The movie, fiction as it is, can be a tool, to get people back to the Bible. You can be that bridge. Study up on the flood. Know the facts. Understand what happened. Speak out. Don't let others toss the Bible under the bus. Don't let an atheistic agenda discredit what the God of Heaven says. The Bible or Hollywood? Which will it be? Most don't see the big picture. They don't see the connection between Noah and Jesus. They don't see Genesis in the N.T. They don't see what is wrong with taking some liberties with what God said. If one can do it with the flood, can they do it with what God said about marriage? How about church? How about Heaven? God said it, but no one pays attention. We've allowed ourselves to shape the Bible to our own liking. There is a "Gay Bible" on the market now. Really? That is the outcome when we allow ourselves to be loose with God's word. Paul said handle it ACCURATELY.

3. This movie is a reminder to us that we also, must be accurate with God's word. There are things we do not know. Speculation can build mighty theories and ideas. We can place more hope in those theories than what the Bible actually says. As Paul warned Timothy, we must handle accurately the word of truth. The old motto from the early days of the Restoration movement was, "We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent when the Bible is silent." That silent part gets us. We've moved on from that. When the Bible is silent, we often have an opinion. We guess why God does what He does. Isaiah tells us that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Moses said the secret things belong to God. Speak accurately. Speak firmly. Back up what you say with Biblical evidence.

I expect few would want to know that God destroyed the world because of man's wickedness. That thought would make us wonder about today. It would cause a person to stop and look in the mirror. It could lead to changed life styles and righteous living. It’s easier to change the message than to change our hearts.

God's message doesn't change. A movie won't change what God says. Popularity doesn't change what God says. God's word stands, whether we believe it or not. Handle accurately. Handle carefully. That word is powerful. It can change you and bring you back to God. I'll stick to the Genesis flood-that's the way things really happened. I'll pass on this movie.

—Roger Shouse

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FACING THE CHALLENGES

In times of crisis individuals can accomplish incredible things - things that ordinarily would be beyond their ability to achieve. We've all heard examples of nearly superhuman feats that were performed under extreme circumstances. For instance, men have been known to lift the weight of an automobile in order to free a person trapped underneath. Normally this would be beyond their ability, but in an emergency situation they succeed. Or, we're told of soldiers who do amazing and spectacular things in the heat of battle when their comrades are in danger.

There's a spiritual lesson to be learned here. Too often we go about our spiritual service to God without a good recognition of the crisis situation that exists around us. We are under attack - from both within and without the body of Christ. The forces of Satan are advancing against us and we hardly seem to notice. And, since we are basically unaware of the danger, we never accomplish anything terribly significant for the cause of Christ. We need to wake up. Have a good look at the crisis situation that surrounds us. It is a time for courage and resolve. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6: 12).

Christian; Sense the danger! Realize the crisis! Recognize the battle facing us! Alone we would be helpless, but with God's help we can do amazing things in His service - but we have to be aware of the awesome challenges. He has promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5). Let's get busy!

—Greg Gwin

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