In this weekend’s message at The Donelson Fellowship, I touch on the miracle of Israel.

Think of how remarkable this is:  The Bible predicted that the Last Days would be dominated by the existence of the nation of Israel, even though the nation of Israel was destroyed before the New Testament was completed.  About a generation after the resurrection of Jesus, the Jews revolted against the Roman Empire, and Rome sent General Titus to resolve the problem.  He slaughtered the Jews in a series of battles ending at Masada.  He burned down Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

If you visit Rome, you can see the ancient Arch of Titus, built by Jewish slaves to commemorate the destruction of their country by Rome.  On that Arch there is even a relief of the Temple Menorah (the seven-branched candlestick) as it’s being hauled away by Roman troops.

For nearly 2000 years, there was no nation of Israel and there was no Jewish homeland.  It is a miracle of history that the Jewish people retained their identity during these endless centuries of dispersion, oppression, and persecution.

In the late 1800s, a Jewish journalist in Vienna named Theodor Herzl began encouraging the Jews to return to Palestine.  During World War I, a Jewish chemist named Chaim Weizmann invented a type of explosive that helped the Allies win the war.  This gave him influence with the British and helped lead to the famous Balfour Declaration, stating that Great Britain viewed with favor the establishment of a homeland for the Jews.

After the horrors of World War II, there was a window of sympathy for Zionism.  On May 14, 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of a Jewish state to be called the nation of Israel.  Against the counsel of his primary advisors, President Harry Truman gave Israel diplomatic recognition.

The next day, the combined armies of five Islamic Arab nations declared war on the tiny, newborn state.  But against all odds, Israel won the war.

Today, the nation of Israel is dominating the world’s geo-political agenda–just as the Bible predicted 2000 years ago.  I find that fascinating, and I hope you do, too.

If you’d like to read, watch, or listen to this week’s sermon in its entirety, visit our church website at www.donelson.org.

And keep your eye on the headlines and on the Eastern Sky.

A healthy ministry only occurs when we have a biblical perspective about the work we’re to do. That was lacking in the Corinthian Church, resulting in congregational fragmentation. In 1 Corinthian 3:1-9, the Apostle Paul set out several corrective principles, which we can enumerate like this:

1. When it comes to building the kingdom, we are nothing (verse 7: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything”).
2. The Lord assigns each of us our task (verse 5: “…as the Lord has assigned to each his task”).
3. We all work toward the same objective (verse 8: “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose”).
4. We are fellow-workers with God Himself at our side (verse 9: “For we are God’s fellow workers).
5. The Lord gives the increase (verse 6: “God made it grow”).
6. If we don’t realize the above equations, we may grow jealous and quarrel (verse 3:“For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly”).
7. One day, we’ll be rewarded for our own labor (verse 8: “Each will be rewarded according to his own labor).

Lord, help me to be faithful to my corner of the work!

Earlier this year, I had the privilege at speaking at a church in South Bend, Indiana, and a woman told me of her conversion.  She was four years old, and her mother was teaching a backyard Bible club.  One night, the backyard club met in the mother’s living room.  Because this girl was only 4, her mother told her to stay in her bedroom or in the playroom, as she wasn’t yet old enough to attend.  She was so curious about the meeting that she got down on the bedroom floor and put her ear to the bottom of the door to hear what her mom was saying. 

Her mother shared the Gospel with the children in the living room, but in the bedroom it was her own daughter with whom the Lord was dealing.  The four-year-old was deeply impressed with the message, and that evening she said to her mother, “I’m in big trouble. I am not saved.”  And that night her mother led her to saving faith. 

It was by listening with her ear to the crack beneath the door that she heard of Jesus and was saved, and it was a decision that has endured through the years.

I hope that our children—and others—will frequently overhear us speaking of Christ!

For information about leading children to Christ, check out www.lolamazola.com. 

On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to share a little outline I used Sunday night at The Donelson Fellowship.  Recently I discovered that the phrase “Thanks be to God” occurs exactly five times in the Bible, and only in the consecutive books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians. There are five blessings that make us want to exclaim, “Thanks be to God!”

1. Thanks Be to God for Setting Us Free:  “Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:16-17).

2.  Thanks Be to God for Victory over Sin:  “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?   Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25).

3.  Thanks Be to God for Victory over Death:  “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed… Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:47-57).

4.  Thanks Be to God Who Spreads His Message Through Us:  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him” (2 Corinthians 2:12-17).

5.  Thanks Be to God for Jesus:  “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion…  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

And so today we say:  Thanks be to God!

PS-This is the outline for my sermon of last Sunday night.  The entire message is posted at www.donelson.org/pocket/pp-081123pm.html.

In the current (December 2008) issue of Discover Magazine, there’s a fascinating article entitled:  “Science’s Alternative to an Intelligent Creator.”  The subtitle is:  “Our Universe is Perfectly Tailored for Life.  That May Be the Work of God or the Result of Our Universe Being One of Many.”

Folger wrote:  “Everything…bears witness to an extraordinary fact about the universe:  Its basic properties are uncannily suited for life.  Tweak the laws of physics in just about any way and—in this universe, anyway—life as we know it would not exist.”

“Consider just two possible changes.  Atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons.  If those protons were just 0.2 percent more massive than they actually are, they would be unstable and would decay into simpler particles.  Atoms wouldn’t exist; neither would we.  If gravity were slightly more powerful, the consequences would be nearly as grave.  A beefed-up gravitational force would compress stars more tightly, making them smaller, hotter, and denser.  Rather than surviving for billions of years, stars would burn through their fuel in a few million years, sputtering out long before life had a chance to evolve.  There are many such examples of the universe’s life-friendly properties—so many, in fact, that physicists can’t dismiss them all as mere accidents.”

Folger then quotes Professor Andrei Linde, a noted physicist associated with Stanford University:  “We have a lot of really, really strange coincidences, and all of these coincidences are such that they make life possible.”

Some scientists call this the Anthropic Principle, from the Greek word for human– “anthropos.”  The Anthropic Principle states that the universe, solar system, and our planet earth are inexplicably fine-tuned for human life.

Folger continues:  “Physicists don’t like coincidences.  They like even less the notion that life is somehow central to the universe…”

In other words, Physicists don’t like the idea that God created this universe as a home for human beings.

“…and yet recently discoveries are forcing them to confront that very idea.  Life, it seems, is not an incidental component of the universe, burped up out of a random chemical brew on a lonely planet to endure for a few fleeting ticks of the cosmic clock.  In some strange sense, it appears that we are not adapted to the universe; the universe is adapted to us.”

If you don’t want to allow an Intelligent Designer into the process, how do you explain it?

The article goes on:  “Call it a fluke, a mystery, a miracle.  Or call it the biggest problem in physics.  Short of invoking a benevolent creator, many physicists see only one possible explanation: Our universe may be but one of perhaps infinitely many universes in an inconceivably vast multiverse.  Most of those universes are barren, but some, like ours, have conditions suited for life.”

What Folger is saying is that the only way you can explain this apart from an Intelligent Designer is to say that the universe itself is infinite, endless.  There are an infinite number, not just of solar systems or of galaxies, but of universes (each having its own system of physics).  Because the number of universes is infinite, it allows for the possibility that the somewhere somehow among all the infinite numbers of universes, the odds get a little better of having a planet that can sustain life. 

“If there are vast numbers of other universes, all with different properties, by pure odds at least one of them ought to have the right combination of conditions to bring forth stars, planets, and living things,” wrote Folger.

Folger admits that the idea is controversial.  “Critics say it doesn’t even qualify as a scientific theory because the existence of other universes cannot be proved or disproved.”

And yet, one scientist quoted by Folger admitted, “If you don’t want God, you’d better have a multiverse.”

I’m not a scientist, so what do I know?—but it seems that envisioning a trillion new universes does not explain away the wonders of this one.  And furthermore, if there are an infinite number of universes—where did they come from?  Who made them?  I’m not really a betting man, but if we’re talking odds, doesn’t the existence of multiple universes, with their incredible complexities and laws and systems, increase the odds there must be  Master Designer above it all? 

Ah, we’re back to God!

 You can find this article at the Discovery website, at http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/10-sciences-alternative-to-an-intelligent-creator

For a copy of the Sunday morning message in which Dr. Doug Henry and I discuss the weaknesses of evolutionary theory, go to http://www.donelson.org/pocket/pp-060430.htm. 

The apostle Paul may have been the most effective preacher in the New Testament world, but in the first paragraph of 1 Corinthians 2, he tells us how NOT to do it:

(1) Not depending on eloquence (verse 1).

(2) Not claiming to have superior wisdom (verse 1).

(3) Not with any message other than Christ and Him crucified (verse 2).

(4) Not with any attitude other than weakness, fear, and trembling (verse 3).

(5) Not with wise and persuasive words, but in demonstration of the Spirit (verse 4).

It reminds me of what evangelist Henry Moorehouse told young D. L. Moody: “If you will stop preaching your own words and preach God’s Word, He will make you a power for good.”

Last month I fulfilled a long-cherished plan to re-visit Italy and study some of the church history sites that interest me. Joshua Rowe, my son-in-law, joined me and we spent the first days relaxing and hiking the Cinque Terre.

The term “Cinque Terre” means the “Five Lands,” and it’s really made up of five pastel fishing villages that dot the Italian coastline just south of Portofino. We rented a room from a man simply known as Manuel the Artist who lives atop the hill overlooking Monterosso. It was a steep climb of 125-steps up to his place, but that was nothing compared to the hiking we did the next day.

The five little towns of the Cinque Terre are connected by trails. We started early in the morning in Monterosso and hiked to the next town, Vernazza, in time for breakfast. It was a very rigorous two-hour trek. We made the next town, Corniglia, by lunch. This trail, too, was full of huffing and puffing. After lunch, we went on to Manarola. The final segment from Manarola to Riomaggiore, was much easier. From there we hopped on the train back to our starting place in Monterosso, arriving in late afternoon.

The trails were well-marked, but often little more than steep goat-paths winding through olive groves, vineyards, along Mediterranean cliffs, beside ancient stone walls, along the stunningly blue sea, and through tiny fishing towns that haven’t changed much in five hundred years.

By traveling on frequent flyer miles, staying in little more than hostels, eating off the street, and riding second-class on the trains, we were able to enjoy a very economical trip—one that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys hiking.

If you want to upgrade just a bit, you might buy first class tickets on the train. Several times we found ourselves in stuffy little compartments full of odd characters who belonged in an old black-and-white Agatha Christie movie.

But travel doesn’t be first-class to be first-rate. I like to travel cheap. Sometimes it makes for a much more intereting trip.

If you’re interested in visiting the Cinque Terre, the best travel information we found came from Rick Steves, at www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/cinqueterre.htm.

Several years ago, while I was jogging around the old village of Wittenberg, Germany, I glanced over at a house and was surprised to see a man standing in his front lawn hosing himself off after yard work.  He was stark naked.  Later, in Berlin, I passed by a whole section of the main city park that was set aside for those wishing to wear the same costume.

To say that our age is immodest is an understatement.  Nudity may not be as common in America as in Germany, but it’s no longer uncommon.  Television and movies are worse than the burlesque shows of an earlier era, and even in church we’re sometimes disturbed by the unseemly styles of our age. 

But a new “Modesty Movement” is sweeping the country, and many young men and women are resisting the urge to wear provocative and racy clothes. 

In 2004, an eleven-year-old girl named Ella Gunderson wrote a letter to Nordstrom, the famous department-store chain, complaining that its denim jeans were too revealing.  Apparently Nordstrom was getting similar input from other young people, because it issued an apology and eventually started a “Modern and Modest” line of clothing for young ladies. 

Other department stores are following the trend.  Someone called it, “a rebellion of modest proportions.”  One writer, Wendy Shalit, calls it a “youth led rebellion,” and news of this new Modesty Movement is hitting the newspapers and television programs.  It’s encouraging to know that many people today, motivated by their faith, want to affirm their testimony through their appearance.

If you look up “modesty movement” on Google, you’ll find many liberal pundits and feminists attacking it with sarcasm and criticism.  Why?  Just because it represents a more conservative viewpoint.  The devil doesn’t like modesty.  In Luke 8, Jesus encountered a demon-possessed man in the hills of the Gadarenes.  This man’s appearance was shocking, for he wore no clothes.  Later, after Jesus had cast out the demons, the man was seen sitting at the feet of Jesus, “clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35). 

We’re past due for a little modesty.

PS – I’m not necessarily endorsing this website, but www.modestyzone.net is an example of this new and welcome trend.

Last Friday, I drove into the headquarerts of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which sits on 63 beautiful acres of woodland in Charlotte, NC.  It has the appearance of a massive chalet with beams and stones and picture windows looking out over groves of autumnal trees.  A fire was roaring in the big fireplace near the main entrance.  In the dining and assembly hall, I was introduced by my friend Jim Mullins, and I spoke about Romans 8:28.   Afterward, Dell Moore gave me a top-to-bottom tour of BGEA.  It’s amazing what is happening there for Christ and His Kingdom. 

I then shuttled over to the nearby Billy Graham Library and Museum and was given a personal tour that brought back memories.  The tour begins with a replica of the dairy farm where Billy was raised.  There follows a walk-through series of exhibits, galleries, films, and photographs—it’s really a tour of 20^th century global evangelism.

The final presentation is an effective Gospel challenge to receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

I want to recommend The Billy Graham Library as a travel stop, and if you have youngsters all the better.  It’s designed to be child-friendly, and it would provide any youngster with a powerful exposure to God’s message, to His power, and to the story of what He has done to take the Gospel to the world in very remarkable ways.

I finished my tour with a poignant visit to the gravesite of Ruth Bell Graham.  Her gravestone says:  “End of Construction.  Thank You for Your Patience!”

If you’re going to be in the Charlotte area, take time to visit the Graham Library.  I came away very encouraged at God’s ability to use every one of us to take the Gospel to the masses of people who inhabit this earth.

You can check out the website at http://www.billygraham.org/BGLibrary_Index.ASP.

Spartanburg, SC – Last night I checked into my hotel and worked on an upcoming sermon until about midnight.  Then I fell into bed and slept soundly until the early morning hours when I had a vivid dream.

 In my dream I was visiting the island of Trinidad, and I dreamed that my literary agent, Chris Ferebee, and his wife, had a condominium there and offered to let me use the spare bedroom.  So I unpacked my things and went down the hill to the beach where I laid down in the surf and felt the gentle waves lapping against me.  Resting my head on a little sand bar, I dozed off.  When I awoke, I was shocked to see the water around me teeming with little sea-worms.  The water was just black with little loathsome swimming creatures, all of them slithering against me as if trying to latch onto me.  I jumped out of water in a flash; and I awoke with a start.

 The next morning, I had an appearance of a show called “A Time for Hope,” and the other guest was a therapist named Deborah Dunn.  We had a wonderful chat in the Green Room, and I told her about my dream.

 She interpreted it for me instantly.

  “Well,” she said, “the presence of your literary agent means that you were thinking about your career as a writer, and the tropical island represents an idyllic world.  You enjoy writing, and you have idealized it as sunny and beautiful.  Going to sleep in the ocean means that you want to relax and enjoy this place in your life.  (In dreams, she explained, the sea is almost always a metaphor for life).

 Then she added:  “But those little worms are the demands, the fears and anxieties and insecurities that are keeping you from enjoying your place in life right now.  Your dream is telling you that you’ve got to kill off those sea worms.  You have to do something about those little troubling things that are trying to steal your joy.  Your dreams will either become like your life, or your life will become like your dreams.  You have to choose.”

 I was stuck by what she said, and instantly identified one such “worm” that I needed to kill at once.  It involves a simple change in my routine, but it will take a recurring pressure off my life.  With my next round of deadlines next month, I am resolved to make that change; and we’ll see what happens.

 I’m sharing this because I think most of us have little sea-worms we need to kill, or else our joy will be less than what God intends.   Sometimes even a small change in routine can make a bid difference.

 PS -  After my interview, I remained in the studio to listen to Deborah’s.  She has great insights into issues of marriage, romance, and relationships.  She believes that Americans are battling a new addiction, to romance and idealized relationships.  Instead of going from person to person looking for the perfect romance, we should work on the one we have and make it better.  Her new book, Stupid About Men, will be out in February from Simon and Schuster.   You’re invited to check out her website at http://www.deborahdunn.com.