Apr 12, 2010

Letter to the President

I thought that some of you might like to see this copy of a letter that I mailed to President Obama a few days ago. I felt that the Lord was nudging me to write the letter after finding more evidence that the President is not really Christian as he claims to be. And although I don't know that he will read it himself, I'm praying that God will use it to minister to whoever does actually put eyes on it.

President Obama,

The men's prayer group at my church has been praying for you and your administration ever since you came into office. I'm writing this letter because I'm concerned about your spiritual well-being, especially since I happened across an old magazine article the other day. In the article, which was in the March/April 2006 issue of the AARP magazine, you commented briefly on your personal faith and religious beliefs. I was troubled to find that although the article labeled you as Christian and spoke about your public commitment to Christ, it also recorded that you don't believe anyone is going to hell and that you're not sure if you are going to heaven.

I would like a little clarification from you on these two points:
Do you really believe that no one is going to hell?
Are you unsure of your eternal destination?

If your answer to these questions is "Yes", then I would have to wonder if you truly are a Christian. Because all the Christians that I've known through the years will tell you that they believe in a literal heaven and hell and that they have an assurance of eternal life in heaven. If you call yourself a Christian, that would seem to say that you accept the Bible as the Word of God and that you believe in and follow the teachings of Christ. All through the gospel accounts of the Bible Jesus teaches on heaven and hell. There's no doubt from Jesus' own words that heaven and hell are both real places. (Mt. 5:22, 13:37-43, 25:41; Mk. 9:43-48; Lk. 12:4-5) There's also no doubt that God loves us and wants us to have eternal life in heaven. (Jn. 3:16; 2 Pt. 3:9) The problem is that God is perfect and holy and we're not. We are separated from Him because of our sins, the wrong things that we have done, and we are on a fast track to hell without some kind of intervention. (Rom. 3:23, 6:23) But God loves each and every one of us, and has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him. (Rom. 5:8, 10:9-10)

The article that I mentioned had the following quote from you highlighted: "I don't presume to know what happens after I die." I guess one reason that I'm writing to you is to let you know, if no one else ever has, that you can know about your eternity. That's not to say that any of us know all that there is to know about what will happen in the afterlife, but I believe that God has taught us about what's important to understand. I, unlike you, don't know a single thing about practicing law or about politics or government, but I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I'm going to spend eternity in heaven with my Lord. And you can know that too! We all can. God has given us His inspired Word, the Bible, so that we can know that we have eternal life. (1 Jn. 5:12-13) But it's not simply about knowing facts and scriptures. It's not about joining a church or being baptized. It's not about going to Sunday School, confessing to your priest or reaching a higher state through some meditation. It's not even about making a public commitment to Christ--It's about having a personal relationship with Him. Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord? Have you allowed Him to occupy the throne of your heart? He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one will come to God except through Him. (Jn. 14:6) I hope that you do know Christ personally or that you soon will for your soul's sake.

I have enclosed a little booklet entitled "Eternal Life", which I hope will clarify how you can know that you will live for eternity in heaven. I hope to meet you there some day!

Sincerely,
Joey Culpepper

Apr 1, 2010

Name Above All Names

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9)(NKJV)

The Bible records many names for the Lord. I have often wondered why there are so many, but I think one good reason is that our God is everything we need or could ever hope for. For example, when we need some peace in our lives, we can turn to the "Prince of Peace". When we find ourself in a dark place, we can look to the "Light of the World". When we're about to give up, He is our "Hope". If we need someone to lead us to safety, He is the "Good Shepherd". When we're feeling alone, He is "Emmanuel"--God with us.

Some names, like "Adonai" and "El Shaddai" are from the original Hebrew manuscripts. Other names, like "Jehovah" for instance, are found in just a few of our modern translations, like the King James Version. In some cases the Lord actually states in scripture something along the lines of, "My name is ....", or "I am the ....". But in many instances the psalmists and prophets and disciples, who penned the Bible through divine inspiration, wrote phrases like, "Christ is our ...", or "He has become our ...". These passages show us different attributes of the Lord and give us more insight into the character of our God. I was researching in one of the newer English translations, the HCSB or Holman Christian Standard Bible, and found the names listed below. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but I hope that by reading these various names, which may differ slightly from how your translation reads, you will better understand that Jesus is all you need in your life. Take a look at these names of God. He is:

  • Abba Father (Gal. 4:6)
  • Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1)
  • Almighty (Rev. 1:8)
  • Alpha & Omega (Rev. 1:8)
  • Anointed One (Ps. 2:2)
  • Apostle of our confession (Heb. 3:1)
  • Beginning and the End (Rev. 21:6)
  • Bread of God (Jn. 6:33)
  • Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35)
  • Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
  • Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4)
  • Christ (Jn. 4:25)
  • Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)
  • Counselor (Isa. 9:6)
  • Creator (Isa. 43:15)
  • Deliverer (Ps. 70:5)
  • Door (Jn. 10:9)
  • Emmanuel (Isa. 9:6)
  • Eternal Life (1 Jn. 5:20)
  • Everlasting Father (Isa. 9:6)
  • Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)
  • Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5)
  • Father of Lights (Jms. 1:17)
  • First and Last (Rev. 1:17)
  • Firstborn from the Dead (Rev. 1:5)
  • Fortress (2 Sam. 22:2)
  • Fountain of Living Water (Jer. 2:13)
  • Friend (Prov. 3:32)
  • God Most High (Ps. 57:2)
  • God of Abraham (Ps. 47:9)
  • God of Glory (Ps. 29:3)
  • God of Israel (Ps. 41:13)
  • God of Jacob (Ps. 24:6)
  • God of my salvation (Ps. 18:46)
  • God's Power (1 Cor. 1:24)
  • God's Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24)
  • Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11)
  • Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)
  • Groom (Mt. 9:15)
  • Heavenly Father (Lk. 11:13)
  • Heavenly Man (1 Cor. 15:48)
  • Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)
  • Helper (Ps. 54:4)
  • High Priest (Heb. 4:14)
  • Holy One (Isa. 40:25)
  • Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26)
  • Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)
  • Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)
  • Horn of my salvation (Ps. 18:2)
  • Horn of Salvation (Lk. 1:69)
  • Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)
  • Immanuel (Mt. 1:23)
  • Jesus (Mt. 1:21)
  • Judge (Ps. 50:6)
  • Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
  • King Eternal (1 Tim. 1:17)
  • King of glory (Ps. 24:8)
  • King of Israel (Jn. 1:49)
  • King of kings (Rev. 19:16)
  • King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11)
  • King of the Nations (Rev. 15:3)
  • Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29)
  • Lamb without blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)
  • Liberator (Rom. 11:26)
  • The Life (Jn. 14:6)
  • Light of the World (Jn. 8:12)
  • Lily of the Valley (Sng. of Sol. 2:1)
  • Lion from the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
  • Living One (Rev. 1:18)
  • Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)
  • Lord God (Ps. 71:5)
  • Lord God of Hosts (Ps. 59:5)
  • Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
  • Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)
  • Lord of Hosts (Ps. 24:10)
  • Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15)
  • Mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 9:15)
  • Messiah (Mt. 16:16)
  • Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
  • Mighty One (Lk. 1:49)
  • My Banner (Ex. 17:15)
  • One and Only Son (1 Jn. 4:9)
  • One enthroned from long ago (Ps. 55:19)
  • Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)
  • Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)
  • Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)
  • Our Sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30)
  • Perfecter (Heb. 12:2)
  • Potter (Isa. 64:8)
  • Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6)
  • Propitiation for our sins (1 Jn. 2:2)
  • Protector (Ps. 121:4)
  • Ransom for All (1 Tim. 2:6)
  • Real Bread (Jn. 6:32)
  • Redeemer (Ps. 19:14)
  • Refuge (Ps. 46:1)
  • Resurrection (Jn. 11:25)
  • Righteous Branch of David (Jer. 23:5)
  • Righteous One (1 Jn. 2:1)
  • Rock (Ps. 18:2)
  • Root of David (Rev. 5:5)
  • Rose of Sharon (Sng. of Sol. 2:1)
  • Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)
  • Savior (Titus 2:13)
  • Servant (Mt. 12:18)
  • Shelter (Ps. 142:5)
  • Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Pet. 2:25)
  • Shield (Ps. 119:114)
  • Son of David (Mt. 21:9)
  • Son of God (Acts 8:37)
  • Son of Man (Mk. 10:45)
  • Son of the Most High (Lk. 1:32)
  • Source of life (Acts 3:15)
  • Source of our faith (Heb. 12:2)
  • Strength (Ps. 18:1)
  • Stronghold (Ps. 18:2)
  • Strong Tower (Prov. 18:10)
  • Sustainer (Ps. 54:4)
  • Teacher (Jn. 13:13)
  • True Vine (Jn. 15:1)
  • The Truth (Jn. 14:6)
  • The Way (Jn. 14:6)
  • Wonderful (Isa. 9:6)
  • Word (Jn. 1:1)
  • Yahweh (Ex. 6:3)
It's wonderful to see all these names and to realize all that God is and wants to be for us. The question becomes--"Are you allowing Him to be all these things in your life?" I hope that we all will because His name is above all other names. He alone is the Beginning and the End; the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Singing His Praises,
Joey C.

Psalm 122:1

I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." (HCSB)