From the Pastor: Thanks and no thanks | News | huntingdondailynews.com – huntingdondailynews.com

Tim Hawkins is a Christian comic and musician, known for creatively setting truth and faith to music, often hilariously! He muses on versions of familiar praise and kids songs that might be sung in atheist mega-churches to their original tunes. (These lose a lot in the translation to text, so check out the clip on YouTube for the full effect!)

Hawkins sings, Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing, power and majesty, praise to nothing! Then, No one loves the little children, all the children of the world. No one hears you when you cry, no one hears your lullaby, no one loves the little children of the world. And, Reason why, reason why, we exist but theres no reason why. Reason why, reason why, we exist but theres no reason why!

Hes not done yet, with Row, row, row your boat, gently down the reef, wallowing, wallowing, wallowing, wallowing in your unbelief! followed by Evolution, this I know, for Charles Darwin told me so. Accidentally alive, if youre weak you wont survive! And he ends with a parody of one of my personal favorites among kids songs, I am an A. I am an A-T. I am an A-T-H-E-I-S-T. And I have N-O-T-H-I-N-G to give me hope and certainty, and when I D-I-E I will be A-L-O-N-E. Hey!

Funny, huh?! Funny, haha, for sure. But funny, sadand funny, inconceivableas well. I take it as a reminder of how deeply grateful I am to be a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N, and to have a loving Heavenly Father to praise, a Savior who provides the meaning and hope for my existence, and a Spirit that guarantees my ultimate victory and eternal peace and joy.

I am ever so thankful for all those folks, beginning with the Gospel writers and continuing to the spiritual influencers within my own lifetime, who have believed and modelled and taught and encouraged seekers like me in the Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom (not to mention my own life) is fuller because of them.

In the opening paragraphs of his letter to the Roman believers of his day, the apostle Paul paints a picture of the world that is literally worlds apart as illustrated by the qualities of gratitude and ingratitude. Verses 8 and 20-21 represent the polar opposites.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

The first thing that comes to Pauls mind when he relays the great good news of the divine declaration of Jesus as the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord is gratitude, inspired in part by the faithfulness of his spiritual children. His thanks turn to prayers uninterruptedly or without omission offered to the Lord on behalf of these dear sisters and brothers who are loved by God and called to be his holy people.

Paul shares the testimony of the sold-out Christian: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. And as Gods designated messenger, he is under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to boldly issue an indictment against this worldand any otherwhose nations and peoples are indifferent, ignorant, idolatrous, indolent, or in any other way put the egotistical I before the Lord Almighty.

The consequences are devastating. For since the creation of the world Gods invisible qualitieshis eternal power and divine naturehave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

But not so the faithful, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ who are loved by God and called to be his holy people. Through him we, too, have received grace and apostleship and peace and spiritual gifts and mutual encouragement and salvation. The ancient promise is fulfilled in us: The righteous will live by faith.

Thanks be to God, for he gives the victory over self and sin in the Lord Jesus ChristHe the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen.

See original here:

From the Pastor: Thanks and no thanks | News | huntingdondailynews.com - huntingdondailynews.com