A Wagon Full of Different ‘Church’ and World Issues

By Dr Walter Marques

We strive for security, long for stability and dream of a bright, enthusiastic and predictable future for ourselves and for our kids. However, for most of us, these hopes and desires are far from certain to be realised. Our world is filled with rapid and often perilous change. We could easily fall victim to an accident, act of violence, debilitating disease or natural disaster. Wars and acts of terrorism threaten to endanger the fabric of society and make even more elusive the security we seek. Uncertainty is a way of life.

Walter Marques graduated with a Bachelor of Theology from the University of South Africa in 1991. He mastered a Financial services course with Pioneer International.

With his business and financial background, he has been used as a Motivational Speaker for various business enterprises.

By 2013, Walter had completed both his Master of Arts and Doctor of Arts in Theology from Mckinley University, Washington, USA. Walter grew up among many Christian books and in a Christian environment, inspiring the dream that he, too, would one day write a book.

Other books by the same author

Apocalypse Unfolding Now

Christianity and the Kingdom of God vs. the Shadows of Communism

The Greatest Story

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr Walter Marques
• Release date: Dec 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005767150

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A Wagon Full of Different ‘Church’ and World Issues

Dr Walter Marques

Copyright © 2020 Dr Walter Marques

Published by Dr Walter Marques Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Dr Walter Marques using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Bronwen Brckerton for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.org

E-mail: [e-mail]

Dr Walter Marques

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Most of the time, the thought that God doesn’t know at what place we are or in what situation we find ourselves crosses our minds vigorously. We think He has too much going on with everything else in this big chaotic world; bigger problems and big issues to deal with. We think that He is so preoccupied that He has no idea what is happening in our lives. How wrong we are!

In the midst of a crisis, we often ask, where is God?

We wonder, why is He allowing me to suffer? or even

Why did He allow my loved one to die?

Such questions may run through our minds in stressful and despairing moments when we face sickness, pain and even the possibility of death.

However, maybe we are asking the wrong questions. Instead of judging God for not intervening quickly and saying that prayer does not work, we should be asking two different questions: From whose perspective? And is prayer just about getting what we want – or is it about seeking God’s will rather than our own?

Dedication

To my grandchildren; Rafael, Giorgia, Fabiana,

Miguel and Sabelia;

To my children Tanya, Tiago and Diana;

To my wife Fernanda;

To my sons-in-law George and Roberto;

To my daughter-in-law Camille;

In memory of my parents, Fernando and Adelaide

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Science

The bride has lost discernment

Tattoos

Homosexuality

Euthanasia

Abortion

Capital Punishment

What is happening to our world?

Christianity vs. Terrorism

Pandemics

Morality in Government

Anxiety

Civil Disobedience

Last Chapter - Future of Christianity

Bonus Chapter

Consulting material

Preface

That is how a light gets in

"Thank you so much friends; we are so privileged to be able to gather in moments like this when so much of the world is plunged into darkness and chaos.

So, ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering; there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in."

Leonard Cohen

(Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist.)

It’s no excuse … the dismal situation and the future is no excuse for an abdication of your personal responsibilities towards yourself and your job and your love.

‘Ring the bells that still can ring’: They’re few and far between but you can find them.

‘Forget your perfect offering’: That is the hang-up; that you’re going to work this thing out, because we confuse this idea and we’ve forgotten the central myth of our culture, which is the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. This situation is not an admittance of solution or perfection. This is not the place where you make things perfect, neither in your marriage nor in your work nor in anything, nor your love of God, nor your love of family or country. The thing is imperfect. Worse, there is a crack in everything that you can put together, physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But that’s where and when the light gets in, and that’s where and when the resurrection is and that’s where the return and the repentance are. It is with the confrontation, with the brokenness of things.

Thomas Hardy said a writer needed to be imperfectly grammatical some of the time. Mailer told an audience that not everybody wanted to ride in a Lamborghini. Now here’s Leonard Cohen saying the same thing. Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack…

Then comes another, still more wonderful, clinching line – ‘That’s how the light gets in’.

Savour that! At a stroke, weakness becomes strength and fault becomes virtue. I feel as though original sin has just been re-explained to me.

Life’s Challenges

Sometimes there’s no logical solution to life’s challenges. Fear says your situation is permanent. Logic says it’s impossible. Facts say it doesn’t make sense. Science says follow logic and consider the facts.

Maths says it doesn’t add up. Time says it’s too late. Age says you’re too young or too old. Education says you’re not qualified. Experience says you’re a novice. People say it’s never been done before.

The past says check your history. Scars say you’re about to get hurt again. Comfort says it is really not worth the trouble. The future says you don’t belong here. The pocket says I can’t afford it.

But faith says,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13.)

We must focus on what we are supposed to do, not on what we feel we should have. Often the desire for more or better possessions is really a longing to fill an empty space in a person’s life.

To what are you drawn when you feel empty inside? How can you find true contentment?

The answer is simple; it lies in your perspective, your priorities, and the source of your power.

The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do His will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. We are not going to get any kind of super-human abilities to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to His interests. As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials.

Don’t seek logical solutions to every one of life’s challenges. Sometimes you just have to believe.

Truth shall make you free

(Romans 12:2): Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Christians are called to ‘not conform any longer to the pattern of this world’, with its behaviour and customs that are usually selfish and often corrupting. Many Christians wisely decide that much worldly behaviour is off limits for them. Our refusal to conform to this world’s values, however, must go even deeper than the level of behaviour and customs – it must be firmly planted in our minds. It is possible to avoid most worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn and arrogant. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, re-educates and re-directs our minds are we truly transformed.

So much of what we see, hear, and read today is contrary to the Word of God.

TV, movies, radio, websites, social media and so many other outlets are straying further and further from the truth of God’s Word and accepting just about anything that anyone suggests, as long as it feels good or makes others feel accepted.

No matter what it is, no matter how ridiculous it might seem, we are told that it’s okay.

The vast majority of these things are blatantly in contrast to God’s Word. Yet, even many people who profess to be followers of Christ are embracing them, accepting them and even promoting them as truth.

We are no longer adhering to sound doctrine.

(2 Timothy 4:3-4): For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Many speakers, teachers and writers talk about the pursuit of knowledge. However, often they don’t want knowledge; what they really want is power. Such people will not listen to ‘sound doctrine’. Instead they ‘turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths’.

You can see this everywhere, from liberal churches to university campuses. People are claiming to have a bit more enlightenment than what the dusty Bible has to say. People are claiming to improve on God’s words. Such people have several things in common:

a) They do not tolerate the truth because they have no interest in or respect for absolute truth or any standard for judgment.

b) They reject truth for sensationalism because they want truth that fits their situation and that makes sense for them. What they feel, what works for them, what seems compelling – that is their truth and they claim an absolute right to it. No one should even attempt to tell them differently.

c) They gather viewpoints to suit their selfish desires even if they profess objectivity. Their only defense for their viewpoints is that those viewpoints suit their desires.

Such people, teachers, have a following because they are telling people ‘what their itching ears want to hear’. These people are following myths. Indeed, we must be very careful. False teaching can be found in many places – even inside the doors of many churches. Like Timothy, we must ‘keep our heads in all situations’ and seek God’s Word for the truth.

People of God, we cannot continue to take this path! There needs to come an awakening and a change of direction!

It’s time to recognise right and wrong again, as God’s Word has taught us. It’s time to stand for truth and righteousness again, even when it’s not popular.

It’s critical that we speak truth, in love, to bring light and accountability to this lost and dying world, to those who have lost their way and are wandering in darkness.

(Romans 1:16-17): I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone that believes: first for the Jew, then for the gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’.

Paul was not ashamed because his message was the gospel of Christ, the Good News. It was a message of salvation, it had life-changing power and it was for everyone.

For centuries the Jews have been learning about God by obeying His laws, keeping His feasts and living accordingly to His moral principles. Too often they would forget God’s promises and requirements; often they would have to be disciplined, but still they had a precious heritage of belief in the one true God.

Jews and Christians alike stood against the idolatrous Roman religions and often the Roman officials confused the two groups. The gospel shows us both how righteous God is in His plan for us to be saved and also how we may be made fit for eternal life.

You see, the enemy has chipped away at biblical morals and the wisdom of God, causing even people who were once believers in sound doctrine to question the very foundation their lives were built upon.

However, God’s Word says that we are without excuse. We cannot justify this by any means whatsoever; not political, not social, not anything.

God is God, and His Word stands. It is truth that doesn’t change from one generation to the next. It does not bend to suit our desires or our changing ideologies. God’s truth is truth, no matter how many ways some might try to make it seem otherwise.

(Malachi 3:6): I the Lord do not change…

Truth needs to prevail. Nevertheless, it can’t prevail if it isn’t made known. So, it’s up to us to make it known.

Why? Because the truth, when it’s accepted and embraced, sets people free.

(John 8:32): Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

As stated in verse 36 of the same chapter, Jesus is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception and from deception by Satan.

This is not a political message. It is not a message of condemnation. It is a message of light, love and hope that we will return to where God wants us to be.

We need to stay at our post, standing guard over the truth and not backing down when the onslaught of the enemy comes in like a flood.

Introduction

Close in importance to the basic human needs for food, shelter and companionship comes the urge to develop a reassuring structure of beliefs. This urge, since the beginning of recorded time, has provided a receptive audience for seers, scholars, scientists and the so-called experts of every persuasion.There has never been a shortage of ‘authorities’ ready to find reasonable explanations for all observed phenomena and to provide solutions for the mysteries of the universe.Yet there are events that seem to say that our rules, beliefs, even our common sense, may sometimes let us down.Throughout the ages, human beings have believed that the world around them has a miraculous dimension. Angels and demons are real, prayers are efficacious, and man has a special place in the universe. Today fewer and fewer people believe in such a world. For many, existence has become something defined by politics, economics and discoveries made in laboratories. Yet an instinct for the unknown persists, and a conviction also that not everything in our lives can be cut and dried by the status tidings, controlled in the halls of government, or defined in a test tube.For, although more has been learned about the earth and the cosmos in the past 25 years than in all the preceding years of recorded history, the more we have probed the more mysterious the world has become. In view of the strangeness persistently revealed around us, we ask if common sense does not require us to accept the uncommon. Should we not abandon our conventional notions of the laws of nature? As scientists tune in to the reverberations of cosmic creation, must we adhere to the idea that time progresses in a linear way? Must every effect be preceded by a cause?

Anomalies and coincidences are related phenomena in that they are both departures from the expected time frame. That biblical prophecies came true, that many anomalies beyond our reasoning exist, and that coincidences abound – all this is without question. The (as yet) fathomless mystery is what force is powerful enough to bring them into being.

I wish I could answer the world about certain things. I cannot. Yet one certainty I can say, and that is, I was blind and now I can see.

No one lives without beliefs. We all believe something, have some view of what life means. What we believe affects us deeply; in a real sense, we are what we believe. So, belief is not something to be left to the theorists or the experts.

I know very well that in our modern secular world, the word ‘faith’ arouses a great deal of scepticism; it is even ridiculed and scorned. But faith is not credulity. It is not believing any half-baked idea that comes along. Even secular life could not operate without faith. A friend of yours asks you for a loan, you lend it, secured in the knowledge that he or she will pay it back. That is faith. If you have faith in someone, you trust in that person’s character. So in the Bible, faith rests in the character of God Himself. He keeps His promises to men and women. He can be trusted. Even when they wander away from Him, He remains faithful. God’s faithfulness comes first, both in promise and in action. Humankind’s faith is a response to God’s initiative.You see, my friend, to have faith is to accept what God has revealed of Himself in Jesus.

Obviously, no one comes to faith in Jesus without a sense that something is missing in life. It is also obvious that this can take different forms with different people. One person may be conscious of moral failure, another may be aware of a sense of frustration and futility in life. Another may come to realise that life has no meaning unless God is brought into the picture.

You see, my friends, some people shy away from Christian belief and faith commitment because they believe it will involve closing their minds to all other truths. I know that all descriptions of God by people are provisional and partial, however, I am prepared to assert that God is personal, not a ‘super-man’; containing in Himself the highest we know in the created order. It follows from this that if we are to know God, it will be more like knowing a person than knowing an electron or a mathematical theorem or even an animal; and the key to getting to know a person is trust. As the trust deepens, the knowledge grows, and the deepening trust is commitment. It is commitment even in the first tentative stages, a cautious opening of oneself to allow ‘something’ to communicate.

Being ‘open’ my friends does not mean being totally open-minded to all possibilities. Just as a scientific view, once adopted, excludes other views, so the Christian view is exclusive of other theologies. But this does not mean that any set of Christian beliefs is exhaustive. They are open-ended to fresh insight and restatement. Being a Christian does not mean being dominated by a form of words, but it means being submissive to God in Jesus Christ.

Every generation in history has had challenges unique to them. Also, every human being has had challenges that are unique to him or her. As each generation ages, much of the youthful selfishness and misdirected energy ebbs into a more seasoned maturity. That is the natural progression of the generations. But God wants us not just to ‘grow up’ physically, but also to mature spiritually. That can actually begin as a young person. In (Psalm 119:9), David wrote:

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word."

We are drowning in a sea of sexual images and sinful attractions. Everywhere we look, we find temptation to fill our minds with thoughts of sexual relationships that God wouldn’t approve of. David asked a question that troubles us all: How do we stay pure in a contaminated environment?

We cannot do this on our own; we must have counsel and strength more dynamic than the tempted influences around us. Where can we find that strength and wisdom?

Yes, even in our younger days – as a child, teenager, or young adult – we can break out of the label assigned to us and be a positive example to those around us.

As Paul told Timothy:

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)

Timothy was a young pastor. It would have been easy for older Christians to look down on him because of his youth. He had to earn the respect of his elders by setting an example in his speech, life, love, faith and purity. Whether you are young or old, do not think of your age as a handicap. Live so others can see Christ in you.

It is apparent that Timothy needed some encouragement. It is also most likely that the same applies to most people around you. Each day we have many opportunities to support and inspire family members, fellow workers, friends, and even total strangers. It is a fact that people need help and affirmation all along the way in order to obtain true freedom, liberty and happiness.

It is known that one of the great human drives is the yearning for freedom and liberty. It is the aim of most people to be able to live in peace and to get on with their lives in freedom within reasonable and agreeable laws. But it is also a fact that no human efforts to produce freedom, liberty and happiness can possibly be totally successful – life and human nature are simply imperfect and guided by selfishness.

So all of this points to an overarching question of ultimate importance. Is there a source of happiness, freedom and liberty? One that applies to everyone, regardless of race or nationality? Is there a universal pathway to achieve these ideals?

Yes, yes, yes. The answer is yes!

God’s will and purpose is expressed and found in the pages of the Bible. Belief in God and following His ways leads to ultimate happiness, peace, freedom and liberty.

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." (Galatians 5:13)

The Word of God distinguishes between freedom to sin and freedom to serve. Freedom or licence to sin is no freedom at all for the simple reason that it enslaves you to Satan, to others or to your own sinful nature. As Christians, in contrast, we should not be slaves to sin because we are free to do right and to glorify God through loving service to others.

True liberty and freedom is – at its core – an inner quality that flows from an intimate relationship with God and with the Holy Scriptures, which define in practice what liberty and freedom mean.

1

Science

Science relies on various principles

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.(Psalm 147:4)

God is a miraculous God. His Creation is an awe-inspiring work that gives us all a small glimpse into His incredible nature.

Science may appear to conflict with what God says, and if we don’t look a little deeper and consider what is really going on, it does.

God’s Word says that He created all that we see; the skies, the earth, the planets, the stars, the oceans and so much more.

Science, on a large scale, denies that God created any of this. Scientists believe any number of random theories as to how we came to be.

Oddly, although science relies on various principles, rules and laws state very specific absolutes. Science will tell us that these rules and absolutes are the foundation of everything we see.

Science will also quickly remind us that these absolutes keep everything together and working properly.

Then, in the next breath, science will try to convince us that everything we see just came to be by chance, with no Creator. It just happened. There was chaos. Then there was suddenly this incredible creation that operated on these extremely precise laws and absolutes.

They are right in one sense. Everything does operate on a very precise set of laws and absolutes.

As a few examples, consider the position of the earth in relation to the sun and the moon. We are perfectly positioned when it comes to our distance from the sun, and are even tilted at the perfect angle.

If we were closer, we would burn up. If we were further away, we would freeze.

Consider also DNA. DNA is extremely complex. No two beings have the exact same DNA. Our DNA has everything about us built into it. It determines our sex, our skin colour, our hair colour, the colour of our eyes, our personality type and so much more.

Despite all of its complexities, and the fact that there are billions of people alive, as well as billions of others who have lived before us, no two people have had the same DNA, ever.

It’s irrational to think that the laws and absolutes of science came to be by random chance. It’s not possible. Instead, it’s important to understand that the very laws followed by scientists were created and set in motion by the same God that so many of them have trouble believing exists.

"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

miracles that cannot be counted." (Job 5:9)

So, if some of the debates and arguments regarding science and God have ever made you wonder, we hope that this will shed some light on the realities of the how’s and whys of the incredible