AI - Artificial Intelligence is everywhere around us. If you have a smart phone, Alexa, Siri or other devices that respond to speech, your device has AI. The development of AI has been fast tracked to professions as well. In banking, education, automotive, and even the legal profession, AI is being utilized. In the legal system, AI is used to review contracts, legal research and even predict legal outcomes. The argument is that AI will “grease the wheels of justice” to increase the speed of research and decision-making of the law clerks and attorneys. In his 2023 Year End Report, Chief Justice Roberts addresses the issue of AI in the court system. He wrote: “Machines cannot fully replace key actors in court. Judges, for example, measure the sincerity of a defendant’s allocution at sentencing. Nuance matters: Much can turn on a shaking hand, a quivering voice, a change of inflection, a bead of sweat, a moment’s hesitation, a fleeting break in eye contact. And most people still trust humans more than machines to perceive and draw the right inferences from these clues. . . . I predict that human judges will be around for a while. But with equal confidence I predict that judicial work—particularly at the trial level—will be significantly affected by AI. Those changes will involve not only how judges go about doing their job, but also how they understand the role that AI plays in the cases that come before them.” States and Congress ponder regulating AI.
ChatGPT - ChatGPT is an open AI platform that is a natural language processing tool. It allows one to have a human-like conversation. This can be used by any business that has an online chat box or when you call into a business to talk with someone. ChatGPT is used by students to create essays and reports. For those who enter writing contests, ChatGPT has been banned. If it has been determined that ChatGPT was used in the writing process, the essay would be thrown out by the judging committee.
AI/CHATGPT in the Church - AI was used in a church recently to artificially create a “pastor” to preach a message. So instead of the pastor getting to know God through His Word, he is relying on a computer program to create his sermon to deliver on Sundays. There are websites readily available for a person to utilize for his “Bible study.” Instead of saying, “Oh God, please speak to me,” they are now saying, “Google, create me a sermon on Moses.”
Cashless Society - Missionaries from New Zealand report that the government there is trying to get the country to a cashless society. A cashless society is when there is no currency being printed or used, only transactions by electronic means. In 2023, the FED planned to launch the FedNow Service. This service would allow payments to be made instantly between bank accounts paving the way for a cashless society in the US. It is a way for the government to track every transaction that we make. The way has been already paved through Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even credit/debit cards. Several banks have already been brought into the FedNow Program (most of them you wouldn’t know, but JP Morgan and Wells Fargo are participating) Let me ask you, when was the last time you used cash? And if you did, did you get the right change back from the transaction? It is not only doing away with cash but is also a way of dumbing down our society. Those using cashless means will not be able to recognize currency that is printed/coined by the Federal Government.
Alphabet Soup - ASAP—As Soon As Possible; PIN—Personal Identification Number; SSN—Social Security Number---all have been common for some time now. Now it is DEI, CRT, LGBTQIA, and the list could go on. We have gone from using acronyms to make words shorter to politicize them. DEI---Diversity Equity Inclusion is just a shorter way of saying that we are going to force employees to accept the alternative lifestyle. CRT—Critical Race Theory is just a way to teach people that the color of their skin is a way to judge someone (commonly called racism) and that descendants of those who were oppressed have a right to reparations (the Bible teaches that there is only one race). LGBTQIA+--just a way for us to empathize with those who choose an “alternative” lifestyle. The Bible calls it sodomy. Companies are now hiring employees not based on their merits but based on the “wokeness” of the individual. Gone are the days of who is the best option for the job, but who makes our company look more diverse. They make it seem as if they are trying to be inclusive, but they are being exclusive through the policies and procedures given. Even Hollywood feels the need to recreate a “woke” version of the iconic Christmas film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
CRT—Critical Race Theory was popularized during the 1990s; however, it has become more newsworthy the last couple of years. With the school boards being taken over by the left, CRT has become the mainstay of the public indoctrination centers around the country. Gone are the days of teaching that Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Washington and Hancock were patriotic men who fought for the founding of this nation. Now children are being taught that they were white slaveholders who treated their fellow man in abhorrent ways. Visiting historic sites, the narrative is being dogmatically told how the “white” owners horribly treated their fellow man. Often we have left asking the question, How did they know this? Is it documented somewhere that this is true? While it is true that there were some cruel taskmasters, others gave testimony of God’s provision in their life. A great example of this is Phyllis Wheatley. Instead of rewriting history, we should learn from it. The key to the present is understanding the past. To destroy the past or twist the truth into an agenda driven narrative is the sure destruction of a Godly society. Proverbs 22:28-29 admonishes us to remove not the ancient landmarks.
EV—much has been said recently about Electronic Vehicles. The Biden administration has stated that by the year 2030, half of all new vehicles should be electronic. This is an effort to curb climate change (it is for our good, after all). → (Cont. from front) But with the recent winter storms, it is more apparent that EVs are not practical in cold weather states or nations. During the cold weather, EVs driving range is reduced by 70%. It also takes longer for the battery to charge during the winter. Several years ago, the City of Asheville, NC purchased five EV buses for approximately $5 million as a way to advance the climate change agenda of the City Council. However, currently 3 of the 5 buses are not in use due to several mechanical and software issues. The company that sold the buses to the city has gone bankrupt and they were the only ones who created the particular parts for their buses. The other two buses have limited ranges (approximately 78 miles) during the winter months which is causing stress on the rest of the fleet. The cost of maintenance of these buses is astonishing as well, with nearly $250k being spent. In the short EVs didn’t rule the day. By the way, the city spent $550k for biodiesel buses since the purchase of the EV buses.
Beware church! Frauds and Pseudos are creeping into the church. Jesus asked Peter and the disciples, but whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. There is a play on words intentionally. Peter is the pétros meaning small rock; whereas the Rock, Jesus Christ, is petra meaning a great rock, the foundational stone, the anointed one. The “Advance Church Movement” transitions churches away from the King James Bible and the pure, preserved, powerful Word of God, the source, the inspired Word of God. They embrace dynamic equivalence. They believe they can change the Word of God, the wording, to fit today’s culture and thinking. This same thinking calls for changing our U.S. Constitution in this revisionist manner. They want to change everything foundational - the anointed of God - the absolutes of God. Watch out for this fraud! Election fraud is another example. Lawsuits against states forcing the cleansing of voter roles. Investigations by Heritage Foundation, Rasmussen Reports, Judicial Watch, Heartland Institute, and other guilty pleas and whistleblower testimonies call into question whether free and lawful elections can ever happen again in America. Note that many who said there was no voter fraud, also said there was no border crisis. A Fraud! Just as this “Advance Church Movement” is not an advance but a pseudo, fraud and has crept into our churches.
Conclusion: When I was in 6th grade, my family moved from New Hampshire to tidewater Virginia. During the winter season, the philosophy on how to deal with the snow was drastically different. In NH, the snowplows were out pushing the snow and salting the roads ensuring that they were safe for travel. In VA, the thought was that God brought it and He will take it away. On that note, are you out plowing and salting this world for Christ, preparing for His return, or are you sitting idly by waiting for His return? Contend!
Author: Steve Lilly
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