Higher Ground

2007-02-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

NEW BLOG

Please note, the Higher Ground Online Blog has moved

HERE

highergroundonline.wordpress.com

please update your links
Thanks!
-Victor

2007-02-13T09:27:00.000-05:00

Gospel Terms - "Christ"

I often hear as a rebuttal to the gospel being about the Kingdom of God and the King of that Kingdom, Jesus the Messiah dying so that man might enter that Kingdom words that echo Paul's thoughts in I Corinthians 15:1-4:

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"

So from these verses people will reason that the gospel is about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Well, the gospel does contain that information...but that is not even what Paul has said here. Paul is not pointing out that a man named "Jesus" died for the sins of others - in fact, he doesn't even cite Jesus' name.

What Paul delivered as of first importance (which by the way implies there are other things also) was the CHRIST did these things. The Messiah did these things. The King of the Kingdom did these things...so even in I Corinthians 15's quick summary, Kingdom principles are evident.

It is not wise to assume that this is the summation of all Paul would preach as gospel when speaking to his hearers. Paul is leaving a lot out here that we know he preaches in other places.

Can you think of any?

How about "WHY" the Christ died for sins....that information on its own seems odd or misplaced. Paul spoke on that as we know from Acts and Romans for example.

Paul was an apostle of Christ commissioned to preach the gospel to the Gentiles by the Messiah. He would not have been speaking a message that Jesus had not commissioned him to speak, nor that Jesus would not have originated himself.

So aside from the question I've asked above, what is Paul saying when he says these things I Cor 15:1-4?

For more information on the Christ, check out the article: "King of the Kingdom"

2007-02-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

Draft?

There has been a new resolution proposed in the United States House of Representatives by NY Congressmen Charles Rangel

Here is the text of the bill.

There have been many proposals brought up at different times in recent history which have offered a reinstatement of the draft...but in this period of widespread conflict and the war on terrorism, who knows what's next.

What I do know is that Christians have the responsibility to obey the laws of the country they reside in in light of the commands of Christ. There is an important distinction here. While Christ is clear on paying taxes and other aspects of Christian-state relations, he is even clearer on what he expects of those who call themselves his followers:

Matthew 5:44 - But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...

Luke 6:27-28 - But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

So no matter what the nation you are living in is proposing and legislating, remember the words of the King of the Age to Come.

There is a section of that resolution that allows for "Conscientious Objector" which would allow for disqualification from service or a peaceful alternative service. I don't think that someone suddenly scared to go into a war zone who fakes a "sincerely held religious belief" will be accepted - but rather those who for a definite period of time can document this belief.

One should not wait until the draft is instituted to start feeling this way about war, violence and one's enemies. Someone who is naming the name of Christ should start feeling this way now because of his commands.

2007-02-08T23:28:00.000-05:00

Sacrifice.

It's got to cost you something. Giving something up that doesn't hurt or bother me can not be classified as "sacrifice." We know the example of the sacrifice in the temple. The animal was a clear representation of the sinner sacrificing - it cost them their possession and they killed the animal themselves and watched it die. When Jesus sacrificed himself on our behalf, it cost him his life. The only perfect man, who rightfully could have remained alive and enjoyed life with his Father and God, instead gave it up and laid cold in a grave for three days. For the followers of Christ in Acts, their time, their families, possessions, professions, and all the rest took a hit because of their desire to preach the gospel and live for Jesus. Many times, it was their very life that was given up because of their devotion to the message.

Committing our lives to Christ is a sacrifice. We cannot continue living the same life we lived before we went to the Cross and think we're now carrying our own. When we don't sacrifice we remain in a zone of comfort, with companions, and with pleasures. If one becomes a Christian and doesn't face a challenge in these three areas, one would do well to check themselves with the teachings of Christ.

Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we have the opportunity to be forgive and live. The concept of substitutionary atonement implies that one is put in the place of the other. Because Jesus was willing to die instead of me, I am now supposed to live his life. If this is not the case, I will have to face the death penalty to pay for my crimes. This all involves the idea of sacrifice. We must give up our lives, lose them completely and life for the one who died for us instead.

This is not something that "feels" good initially however. We must rid ourselves of our desires and wants and that is not something that is enjoyable when you are so attached to something. We often forget the the things we attach ourselves to when we are living for ourselves are those things which will be shaken and fall when the Kingdom comes.

Sacrifice is an essential aspect of following the Messiah. Unless we are willing to give up our all, we are unfit to be his disciples. We must comprehend the magnitude of what we have been saved from and the mercy of God that has been shown to us so that we can see that sacrificing our own lives, passions, and desires is the logical response.

Romans 12:1-2 (NLT) - "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

I'm writing this to encourage those of you who are making sacrifices because of your love for the Lord. Stick it out. Keep it up. Endure the temptation to take back what you've given up. Press through the challenging time when you are thinking about doing that thing you gave up again.

- For my dear young brother and sisters staying off of "myspace" for 40 days...keep it up.
- For my friends fasting...find your strength in the LORD.
- For those who have shut their TV's off, may God direct you to more time
with Him.
- For you who have left friends or family for the sake of the gospel, may you find a stronger family now and in the age to come.

Perhaps there is something in your life that you need to sacrifice because of your love for the LORD more than that thing, person, place, etc

Perhaps it is someone in your life. A girlfriend or boyfriend who is pressuring you to sin. A co-worker who constantly rejects the gospel but yet is fun to hang around.

Perhaps it is our time. Time spent reading the Bible rather than watching TV. Time fellowshipping at a Bible study instead of lounging around the house.

I imagine that it can be different for all of us, but we must all be willing to give it all for our Lord.

When we get to the point of feeling the pain or struggle because we are giving up something or someone, run to the Father for help - He will help. What an amazing God we have - a God who will help us give to Him what He rightly deserves - our whole heart, each aspect of our soul, every part of our mind, and all of our strength

- Can you relate to the need for sacrifice?
- Why do we hold on to things we shouldn't?
- In light of sacrificing, how does our society influence us
otherwise?
- Has God been there to help you as you sacrifice for Him?

2007-02-01T22:34:00.000-05:00

The Gospel that puts you in jail.

What caused the apostles to be thrown into prison?

What caused the disciples to be beaten and killed?

Why were villages turned upside down by some people "witnessing?"

Perhaps its because the devil doesn't like the gospel. Neither do the established powers of this age. Neither do men who love their sin.

Here's why - the gospel is not an invitation to adopt a new moral code or news about a warm grandfather figure who wants his kids over for cookies. The gospel is not another name for the Bible itself nor is it information about how to have your best life now. At least not the Biblical gospel:

Paul tells us that he "did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles (side note - that would be all types of people), that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. For this reason, some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death." Acts 26:20-21

This was the very reason for Paul's commission by Jesus himself! Paul is telling us the purpose that drove his life. Maybe you can discount some of the people's response to the fact that Paul was saying that they had missed the Messiah...perhaps...but to a crowd of Gentiles he said the following:

"...having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed (i.e. - the Kingdom of God), having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:30-31

You know you're doing something out of the norm when your critics describe your preaching and teaching as follows:

"These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." Acts 17:6b, 7

Paul and the others spoke as they did because they understood the destiny of man as well as what they themselves had been saved from. This gratitude for God and concern for other caused him to challenge men to repent in light of the coming Kingdom. Repentance in light of the Kingdom because of the cross is a great way to sum up the preaching of Jesus, Paul and the other disciples. Yet today we hit the streets (if we even do that) and tell people "God Bless You" and hand them a flyer. We must return to the Biblical gospel - and that might mean the need to hear it ourselves for the first time.

We might need to re-educate ourselves to the Biblical method and message opposed to our long standing traditions, tracts, or comfort zones. If Jesus wants me to include the call for repentance in my preaching, am I willing to start telling people that? If Jesus wants me to speak about the coming Kingdom judgement, am I willing to start telling people that? If Jesus wants me to have compassion like he did, am I willing to go into the ripe fields?

Say it how you like. While handing them flowers; from the top of a box of Irish Spring; over hot chocolate or while riding a bus - but brothers and sisters, please, let's at least say it.

The Kingdom of God is coming. God is offering forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice for those who will repent and believe the gospel. For those who do, the Kingdom will be a time of unparralleled peace and joy, forever - the way God has always wanted it. Everything wrong with the world made right. For those who don't however, they remain part of what is wrong with this world. This same Kingdom coming will serve as their final day - when they are shown that God, not man, is the one who rules. Judgement and punishment will be swift and final.

I'm not looking to be thrown in jail, trust me. But, I am looking to follow my Biblical brothers and would like to preach my Lord's message - for the sake of being a true disciple as well as for other's lives!

And if that leads to jailtime, well, I'd appreciate either some company or some visitors.

- So, why is something else being preached?
- Is something else really the message we should be preaching?
- Why is repentance important?
- Does the true gospel even matter anymore?

2007-01-30T21:50:00.000-05:00

Love/Hate?

As 21st century Americans we have a lot of things around us to be happy about. We have freedom, good health, good food, and every sort of entertainment you could imagine. Yet sometimes, we find ourselves attached to these forms of enjoyment. We become addicted. Addiction turns to fanatic. Fanatic turns to idolizing. And yet, many times these go unchecked, even in the Christian church.

Something that I personally get all wrapped up in is college football. I enjoy being a fan. I like espn.com. I have fun following the teams and players. I get all hyper and excited over games. If a team wins, hip hip hurrah. If they lose, life sucks. Yet, I feel bad when I can’t carry this same zeal into my worship on the following Sunday.

Jesus tells us a few sobering things about priorities. He tells us in Matt. 6:24 that "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and [mammon]."

Jesus talks about "love" and "hate" in this passage. You may say to yourself "But I won’t hate the thing that I serve, I can keep it in check. I can keep it just right below God." But what Jesus says is that serving two is impossible. To the level that our commitment to the kingdom gospel to everything else needs to look like a "love/hate" relationship. Our following of Jesus as our lord needs to take precedence over all other hobbies and activities.

Compared to my love to the Messiah, it had better look like I am hating football.

Comments and discussion would be encouraged....

2007-01-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

The Role of the Gospel

What does the Gospel do?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1.16

The Gospel is the information that results in a person’s salvation. The death of Jesus Christ does not save a person. Clearly Jesus died for all:

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 2 Cor 5.14

Just because Jesus died for a person does not mean they are saved. It is the Gospel that has the power to save a person. “Jesus Christ died for you” is not the gospel.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus {as} Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10.9-10

Romans 10.9-10 is not the Gospel. Romans 10.9-10 is what someone who responds to the Gospel looks like! Clearly, if we look at verse 8, we will see this:

But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

That word of faith - the faith delivered once to all the saints - is the Gospel. That faith of the coming Kingdom of God and King Jesus is the Gospel. This is what we have to be preaching on the streets. And we have to preach it with the same piercing intensity that John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles did. We have to warn people of the coming judgment - that the Kingdom is coming. And they can be saved if they react appropriately to the news by repenting, and believing. When someone responds to the Gospel they are a new creation. They do not look like their old self. They do not talk like their old self. They do not feel like thier old self. They are not concerned with the same things they used to be. If they stole, they return. If they lie, they speak truth. If they curse, they bless. If they hold grudges, they forgive. One cannot claim to have Christ inside you and be the same person. One cannot claim to have an encounter with God, or the risen Christ, and be unchanged. Conversion is supposed to be this tipping point of change, where there is no turning back. A conversion is what we look for out of people that we talk to. The goal is not to bring them to church. The goal is not even to feed the hungry, and clothe the cold. The goal is to convert them, to bring them to God’s Kingdom - so they can go out and convert another.

This Gospel is supposed to be everything. Yet most Christians can’t even answer the question “What is the Gospel”. The Gospel is supposed to be impetus for change for our own lives - both at our conversion and after. The Gospel is the message which we preach to people. If this Gospel isn’t what changes our life - why do we think we are saved (since the Gospel saves)? If this Gospel isn’t what we preach - why do we think we can save anyone (since the Gospel saves)? Since the Gospel saves - what are we as Christians going to do?

2007-01-24T11:39:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 9:6 For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I recently read this verse in the NET (New English Translation) which is a Bible filled with translators' notes. It can be accessed for free at bible.org. I was shocked in a pleasant way to see how much honesty there was in the notes on Isaiah 9.6 of this Bible.

- - = [first insight] = - -

There is great debate over the syntactical structure of the verse. No subject is indicated for the verb "he called." If all the titles that follow are ones given to the king, then the subject of the verb must be indefinite, "one calls." However, some have suggested that one to three of the titles that follow refer to God, not the king. For example, the traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text suggests the translation, "and the Extraordinary Strategist, the Mighty God calls his name, 'Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'" (tn 16)

If this is true then there is no issue at all with Isaiah 9.6 calling the child (Jesus) "Mighty God." In this case it is the Mighty God who calls the child "Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Just a minor change in translation/punctuation and the whole verse changes!

- - = [second insight] = - -

(gibbor) is probably an attributive adjective ("mighty God"), though one might translate "God is a warrior" or "God is mighty." Scholars have interpreted this title is two ways. A number of them have argued that the title portrays the king as God's representative on the battlefield, whom God empowers in a supernatural way (see J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine, Isaiah, 181–82). They contend that this sense seems more likely in the original context of the prophecy. They would suggest that having read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king's deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as "God" because he ruled and fought as God's representative on earth. Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: "No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique" (See Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). According to proponents of this view, Isa 9:6 probably envisions a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king's enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself. (tn 18)

Thus, if this child is called "mighty God" this can mean that he is functioning as God's representative (Messiah). I love the incredible honesty when they say, "it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way [that the king is diety]". I agree wholeheartedly with this assesment. When the Messiah begins to reign (at his coming) we will see God's will be done on earth (Mat 6.9-10; Rev 11.15).

- - = [third insight] = - -

This title [Eternal Father] must not be taken in an anachronistic Trinitarian sense. (To do so would be theologically problematic, for the "Son" is the messianic king and is distinct in his person from God the "Father.") Rather, in its original context the title pictures the king as the protector of his people. For a similar use of "father" see Isa 22:21 and Job 29:16. This figurative, idiomatic use of "father" is not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenician inscription (ca. 850–800 B.C.) the ruler Kilamuwa declares: "To some I was a father, to others I was a mother." In another inscription (ca. 800 B.C.) the ruler Azitawadda boasts that the god Baal made him "a father and a mother" to his people. (See ANET 499–500.) The use of "everlasting" might suggest the deity of the king (as the one who has total control over eternity), but Isaiah and his audience may have understood the term as royal hyperbole emphasizing the king's long reign or enduring dynasty (for examples of such hyperbolic language used of the Davidic king, see 1 Kgs 1:31; Pss 21:4–6; 61:6–7; 72:5, 17). (tn 19)

Jesus is the father of the coming age, the patriarch of the messianic era. This is a figurative usage of the word "father," but it makes the most sense in light of the other Scriptures cited. It is remarkable, but we are in agreement with the trinitarians on this point because they also do not believe Jesus is the Father. For both of us, Jesus is the Son of the Father.

Well, these three insights impressed me, what do you think? How do you respond when someone says to you, "doesn't Isaiah 9.6 prove that Jesus is 'Mighty God?'"

2007-01-19T19:36:00.000-05:00

Baptism - http://www.biblicalfoundations.org/?p=85

This book just went on my wishlist :)

"First, the rite of baptism is designed for believers who have repented of their sin and have put their faith in God and in his Christ. Believer’s baptism is presupposed by both John’s baptism and the Matthean “Great Commission” passage."

"Second, baptism is an essential part of Christian discipleship. This is clear from the Matthean “Great Commission” passage, where disciple-making is said to consist of baptizing converts and of teaching them to obey the commands of Jesus (see also John 4:1)"

"Fourth, theologically, water baptism presupposes spiritual regenerationas a prevenient and primary work of God in and through the person of the Holy Spirit. This follows plainly from the Baptist’s announcement that the Messiah would baptize people in the Spirit. Thus repentance from sin and faith in Christ, accompanied by regeneration, are logically and chronologically prior to water baptism."

As a result of our new belief in Water Baptism - we come to ask ourselves - when is it appropriate to baptize someone?

I think the last paragraph there sums up the conclusion of the scriptures. Once a person is convicted of sin, decides to repent, has faith in the coming Kingdom Gospel, and experiences the very beginnings of the new creation that is the appropriate time.

2007-01-19T12:27:00.000-05:00

Multiple Choice - What is the Kingdom of God?

I would like to specifically address the nature of the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of heaven (both meaning the same thing). I will pose the question of “What is the Kingdom of God” and in light of a few different verses ask that you see if your definition fits. I have my own thoughts and views as are noted on our main site which is listed to the left of this post. Here however are some popular thoughts, definitions, and perspectives

Most evangelicals today would give the answer that the Kingdom of God is the general body of believers today in the world doing the work of God.

Others would say that the Kingdom of God is the world in general, where God rules. God rules over the creation and everything is under him.

Another option is the personal rule of God in your life. For a Christian, accepting the Lordship of God and Christ, they are in this Kingdom. God is ruling their life by being the King of their heart.

Also, there is some discussion that in fact the Kingdom is another word for what most call “heaven.” Thus the Kingdom is the place one goes at death to reside in a heavenly existence on a cloud with soft white and pink lighting. (You might even have wings so you can live in heaven with God and the angels forever).

Or perhaps you understand the Kingdom of God as the literal, physical Kingdom that will begin at Jesus’ return. He will take over the world and bring peace, righteousness and justice. He will crush the wicked and oppressive and exalt the humble servants. Paradise will be restored. This is not only the hope of the Christian but the theme of the gospel itself.

Perhaps I am forgetting another popular interpretation of these words, but for today, let’s go with these. Here again are our choices.

A – The church

B – The world in general which God rules

C – Having God as the king of your heart

D – An existence in heaven as a spirit being

E – The apocalyptic physical Kingdom that will begin when Jesus comes to take over the world

Please choose which one best fits your understanding and fill that idea in when you read “Kingdom” in the following verses.

Mark 1:15 - "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Matthew 25:34 - "…Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Mark 9:47 - "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell.”
Mark 12:34 - When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.
Mark 10:15 - "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."
Matthew 5:3 (HCSB) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Matthew 19:23-24 - And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:2 - And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.
Luke 9:62 - But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 19:11 - While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. (Parable of money usage follows)
Luke 21:31 - "So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.
John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Acts 1:3 - To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
I Corinthians 15:50 - Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
II Thessalonians 1:5 - This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
Matthew 24:14 – This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Now, go back and read these verses again. Is there one option that fits all of the verses listed? Perhaps more than one option?

I thought that this exercise might be enjoyable and enlightening, but in all seriousness, the topic and understanding, reception and repentance in light of the Kingdom of God is critical. Perhaps no other topic is so misunderstood in Christianity, and yet at the same time so vital to the Christian.

What’s the best answer?
Does your interpretation of “the Kingdom of God” fit with the verses listed?
Is this topic even something that is worth understanding, or perhaps a minor subject only?
Do any choices not fit at all? If so, are there other verses that fit your interpretation?

2007-01-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Does God Have a Gender?

This is an email I received today:

...One aspect of God that is very prevalent in the churches in Northern Virginia (a hotbed of cultural diversity as I am sure Atlanta was) is the aspect of God being feminine. Gender is quite the issue in many churches, praying to "God, he or she, which ever you prefer." Certainly there are references to God's nature as feminine characteristics, (sheltered under wings...etc.) and certainly God references himself as a "male" time and time again. He does describe His characteristics as gender specific so that we may have better understanding. That does not mean He is either male nor female. An understanding of what spirit is helps clear this up.

Once a person has allowed him/her self to distort the scriptures in one area (i.e. the trinity) then it is so much easier to distort and paste his/her own issues on God and who He is - such as making Him female. Instead of looking at the images of femaleness as ways of understanding God's relationship with us, it is taken to a deeper level of His essence.

This is surely nothing new. Ashera and other female gods were worshipped and still are...Gaia, etc. Delusion upon delusion seem to heep upon one another. That is why I am with you wanting to just know the truth because that is what I want to believe. It is scary sometimes because I don't want to be in that deluded catagory and have been at times, and still probably am in some areas... But that darkness is not wanted and God knows that and will teach me as He has continued to do through the years.

my response is below:

This is difficult to determine because God is not a human being and therefore does not necessarily have a gender. However, the Scriptures say that grace & truth came through Jesus. Thus the Son would know the best about the Father since he has the most intimate relationship with him. Jesus referred to God as "my Father" (not Mother) approximately 50 times. Thus, if we are to trust that the one who has "fully declared God" (John 1.18) knows best, then we should refer to God as our Father (in the masculine).

What do you think? Is God masculine/feminine/neuter?

2007-01-14T00:29:00.000-05:00

Book Review: What Have They Done With Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories and Bad History - Why We Can Trust the Bible by Ben Witherington III

This is another fantastic book. He takes a view of each of the eyewitnesses of the resurrection that contributed greatly to the Church. He looks at Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus' mother, Joanna, Peter, James the Brother of Jesus, Jude the Brother of Jesus, and Paul. The book is very well written with good exegetical insights all over. His basic conclusion is that the Jesus presented in the NT by the eyewitnesses of the resurrection are in agreement on all major details about Jesus. Their agreement proves that the "historical Jesus" is the Jesus of (at least first-century) Faith. He takes major umbrage at scholars who take their historical method to the extreme - as the title suggests - he blasts Tabor's conjectures in an appendix.

The overall point of the work is very very solid. But I found the best points to be smaller details that made the whole picture of the Biblical narrative so much more real and whole. I can't pick out any at the moment - I just finished it, and it's late. But I can stand back and say that this is definitely one of the best books I will read this year (even though it is the second).

I made a post on a smaller topic I found to be very insightful here - http://kingdomready.org/blog/2007/01/08/childbearing-1-tim-215/ And I plan to make another post on a smaller topic (Rev 12), so keep your eyes peeled for that.

If you are interested in reading more of him - you can find his blog right here on blogspot - http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/

2007-01-11T23:50:00.000-05:00

Multiple Choice? - Matthew 18

On many tests from elementary school to college a popular format is what we know as “multiple choice.” You are taught that if you do not know the correct answer outright, you should try to eliminate the wrong answers to the best of your ability and choose the option that is “most likely” the answer. This would make things easy for students who didn’t really know the answer to narrow things down to get a better chance of making the right choice.

Though we have many options and choices on tests and in life in general, there is one area in our life where we cannot pick and choose. I hope we would all agree that we can’t pick and choose when it comes to the words of Christ. For example, the Sermon on the Mount is a beautiful instructive lesson for the student (disciple) of Christ to hear and obey. We wouldn’t be good “students” if we decided to heed some of his teachings and ignore others.

Jesus’ words serve as the directions to Paradise. Each one is important to follow in order to get to our desired destination. Though we at times miss a turn, back-tracking and getting back on the narrow highway is critical.

So, in light of this, what about this one?

Matthew 18:15-17 - “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Jesus spoke words like this for a reason. He knew that problems would arise and he wanted us to deal with them the right way. He gives us here the right way to respond to the situation of a brother sinning.

For some reason though, we rarely follow his model. Why is that? What stops us as individuals and even churches from following this direction from Christ’s words? Perhaps it is our own fear, pride, or _(fill in your challenge here) _, that gets in the way. However, perhaps I need to go to the Father in prayer when I am challenged in this area.

Of course there are qualifications on this verse that are given in Scripture elsewhere (like Galatians 6:1-2, Matthew 7:1-5, John 7:24, etc) and we do not want to busy ourselves looking around at everyone else, but we cannot forget the direction of our Lord here. We can argue over what it means to ”tell it to the church” in our modern context, but before we get there - there are two other steps before that that seem pretty clear.

In my own experience, had I and others followed the given method of Christ, there would not have been division, continuance in sin, or even bitterness. Also from my own experience, when a brother or sister has approached me out of their love for me and God and privately shown me my fault, I have been grateful. My experience is by no means the standard for how things should be, but I can speak to the beauty of Jesus’ followers heeding his words on this matter. Now, it does not always “feel good”, but for the mature Christian, humility sinks and repentance can happen - so in the end, it is “good.”

What stops us from following the direction of our Lord on this matter?

Why do you think Jesus commands us on this matter as he does?

What does it mean to treat someone (after going through all three steps) as a
“Gentile” or “tax collector?”

Are we willing to adopt our Lord’s way? Or are we going to pick and choose?

Let’s talk about it as a family…

2007-01-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

Unconditional Love?

Growing up I had always heard the God’s love was unconditional. In the spirit of not holding on to empty theological phrases and terms, I think its time for this idea to be discussed.

Clearly God is a God of love. Love permeates His character so much so that He is actually described as the personification of love (see I John 4:8). In fact, much of I John 4 speaks a great deal on love and God’s relationship to it. God’s love has been manifest primarily through the sacrificial death of Jesus. In each instance where the Scriptures speak of God’s love, God showing love or God in fact being love, all are in relationship to the cross. Check me out on that – it’s a great study.

So with the cross being the primary way God has shown love, there is no doubt that the God of the Bible is one who manifests love. Those who want to imitate Him would do well to imitate this quality with their brothers and sisters, as well as their neighbors and enemies.

However, God is more than simply defined in the word “love.” In Exodus 34, God describes Himself in 8 unique attributes which serve as the foundational understanding and description of Him through the rest of the Bible. In His own description of Himself we find more than just a repetition of synonyms of “love”:

Exodus 34:6-7 - “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

When God destroyed the earth by the flood, it was not because He is love, but because He is just. When He planned for His only begotten son to die, it was not because He does not leave the guilty unpunished but because He is gracious and longs to forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. We must allow the full spectrum of God’s character to define His actions and plans. We cannot look at only one quality of God and neglect the rest.

So, in light of these things, let’s return to the subject of God’s love. The love of God is the theme for our songs, many books and countless sermons. Maybe we can have some intelligent discussion about the subject.

After a great discussion at our home bible study this week, I thought I would pose the question to our blog fellowship as well. I have my own thoughts which I can elaborate on later, but in the meantime, I’m looking forward to your thoughts. I’m not looking for a specific answer or yes or no. Let’s start the discussion with this question:

“Does God love us with an unconditional love?”

2007-01-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

Devotion.

Has anyone ever been on a sports team where you know that your teammates are not giving 100%? How does it make you feel? How does it make the team feel? The popular saying that "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” is absolutely true in this situation. If a (football) blocker only holds his block for like 3 seconds, then lets off—the opposing team will exploit it and take advantage of it, to the ruin of your team’s performance. When someone does not devote themselves, then everyone suffers.

In the Scriptures we are told to “Devote ourselves to ________”

There are quite a few verses that have varied things that can fit into that blank. Webster’s dictionary defines devote as:
“To appropriate by or as if by a vow; set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate”

Let’s look at some of the verses that talk about devotion in our Christian walk.

Col. 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving

Wow, I am supposed to be devoted to prayer? Giving it my all? Consecrating myself to speak to God when I’m alone? Man, something I don’t think I can honestly put a checkmark by everyday.

Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to … to the ministry of the word

Goodness. Am I devoting myself to the ministry of the gospel of the KG? Sometimes I may feel like I give more effort than others, so I’m good in the eyes of God. Maybe that kind of thinking gets us stuck in certain kinds of sin. Along with prayer, I should pray for a door to open up so that I can speak the gospel.

Acts. 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread

3 things here (there were 4, but I left out prayer) that the early church was devoted to. One was the Apostles teachings, another was fellowship, and the third was eating. To me, devoting myself to the Apostles teachings means reading and talking about the Scriptures (esp. the words of Jesus, written by Apostles). I think I get this down pretty much. Some others may have to examine themselves to see if they are devoting themselves to the Apostles teachings.

Fellowship means just hanging out with other believers apart from people of the world. Coming together for games, chit-chat, prayer, dinner, activities, etc. The idea is to be immersed in other believers and to get away from the world and its desires. This is not an isolationist activity.

Breaking of bread, I must say, is one of my favorites. I mean, who does not like to eat? Having meals together is a good way to fellowship and get to know other believers. You can occasionally observe the Lord’s Supper when eating together.

Hopefully some of these passages have encouraged you to step up your devotion in these critical areas. May our lord Messiah come soon.

2007-01-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

Millenium just for Martyrs?

Revelation 20.4-6
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I {saw} the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

It seems from a literal reading of this text that the distinct reward of those who are beheaded for the faith is to reign for a thousand years. I am ok with this either way because death is like time travel anyhow and my next waking moment will be the post-millenial kingdom. However, the idea of ruling the nations under the Messiah is a major part of my current hope. Does anyone have a solution to this?

2007-01-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

Book Review - Captivating by Eldredge

Before the holidays I read this book (it was a very quick read compared to some other books). I found that some of the practical examples of the relationship side of women were enlightening and insightful. I feel that they made a few great points about certain aspects of women. One of the better parts was a description of how Godly women appear. Stasi described a woman of beauty and power - later revealing her to be very old. I instantly thought of a woman in our congregation. However, I think the focus, or point-of-view, of the book is entirely wrong. It seems to suggest that the natural state of feeling about ones-self as a woman is to be placated, comforted, by God and Jesus. It seems to communicate that God will mold himself to be exactly what you need him to be, in the case of romance, adventure, and life-hurts. I think this is its failing. God is not here to mold to you. We need to mold to God. Our natural feelings about ourselves are to be repented and healed of. Not patched, fixed, or accommodated. Like I said, certain observations and even practical advice isn't entirely bad or incorrect - but rather the "world-view", point-of-view, or focus, is biblically off-base. We all know that we need to repent from our natural state of being and thinking.

2006-12-25T09:03:00.000-05:00

I want to raise a controversial subject because I don’t understand why we aren’t talking about this subject more. There is obviously something going on here. Just yesterday five people were baptized. Four people we baptized last July, and two last August. Last April I was present at the baptism of two fellow-believers, and six other converts to the true understanding of the Kingdom and Jesus. Nearly three years ago now I was baptized. And at least two years before myself perhaps the first of our fellow-believers were ever baptized. This is a new development, we’ve never done as a community of faith. Now, some of us are changing in light of the scriptures. And there seems to be a refusal to talk about this issue openly and publicly. And I don’t understand that. Why aren’t we talking about this?

We shouldn’t be scared to talk about it. We shouldn’t be scared to change our beliefs. We shouldn’t be scared that we disagree. We should find our disagreement to be most interesting and dive into it to figure out the truth on the subject. We’ve had plenty of time to consider this idea of water baptism to warrant a discussion, haven’t we?

I earnestly pray that we can be Bereans in regards to this subject. And that we can seek unity on this issue. But we’ve first got to talk about it, don’t we?

2006-12-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

The Centrality of the Gospel

The Sufficiency of Christ and the Gospel...

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Timothy Keller here. I suspect that we might disagree as to the contents of the Gospel from some of his phrases but ultimately this statement is wholly true:

The main problem, then, in the Christian life is that we have not thought out the deep implications of the gospel, we have not “used” the gospel in and on all parts of our life.

I think this is absolutely dead on. Some of us don't even have a firm declaration of what the Gospel is! If someone asked, we couldn't tell them exactly. This is most definitely a problem - because our Lord did, and what kind of disciples are we if we don't learn from him? Bad ones.

This Gospel of Repentance in light of the coming Kingdom has to permeate every aspect of our life. It has to bring out the darkness by shining light on it. It has to cause us to fear the coming day of the LORD, and change. We have to realize how Jesus' commands for us to live is going to alter our life. Then we have to grab ahold of those reigns for dear life - because it is going to be a crazy ride! We have to be willing to die for that Gospel. We have to be willing to give our dreams and lives to our God who sent his Son to make this proclaimation - just to obey his words. By being baptized - a declaration of your intent to follow Jesus as your Master - you have put yourself into the role of a servant. A bad servant does not obey. A bad servant is punished. If you are a good servant, do what is asked - and do not glory in doing what you are told - that is merely your duty. It is humility to say "When you have done everything say:' We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. '" - Luke 17:10 But that has to be our attitude. We have to take on the yoke of the lord Jesus as his servants. There are so many parables where Jesus talks about servants.

Not recognizing God's powerful logos/word/Gospel is causing us to fail and fall short. In some cases we are unwilling to let God work through that Gospel. We have to rid ourselves of these walls and let God's light in. We have to let that light shine in our heart first, otherwise it will never shine through our skin.

2006-12-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

Even grandma had premarital sex, survey finds

This sad news. Most people in America have sex before they are married. With these stats so high, it would be hard to imagine that these numbers do not include people who consider themselves Christian. This is sad news indeed.

God is seriously concerned about holiness. Sexual purity is one of the most important aspects in our call to holiness:

I Thessalonians 4:1-5 - "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God."

It is God's desire for His people to be holy. In fact, those who are holy, are His people. He is serious about holiness and His people being set apart, separate from the world and it's ways.

For those of you who have had sex before marriage, there is forgiveness through Christ through repentance and faith. For those unmarried who have not had sex, hold fast to your faith and God will help you escape temptation. If you are currently caught in this sin, God can provide a way for you to escape these temptations. Seek the LORD's help on this matter. Also, you might consider confessing your faults to another, for guidance and support.

For people who are not convinced that sex before and outside of marriage is acceptable, they are not sharing God's opinion.

I Thessalonians 4:7-8 - "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

America is full of immorality and fornication. Lust permeates our culture and is the driving force behind marketing, entertainment, and fashion. The world will put more and more pressure on the church, especially youth, to partake in its lusts. It will be disguised as something that "everyone is doing" or an action that there is "nothing wrong with doing that." In light of this, the church must fight hard against the schemes of the god of this age by drawing near to the LORD and holding fast to the words of Christ. As the people of God and Christ, we must take our direction from our leader and Lord.

After reading these stats, I was saddened at the state of the world. This is very sad news.

How do you think God feels? Why is sexual purity important to God? Are these views too "narrow-minded?"

2006-12-21T00:14:00.000-05:00

Does Christianity really promise financial riches in this age?

To some of you, this may sound odd and ridiculous. But to others, like the attendees of Joel Olsteens world's largest televised church and Kreflo Dollar$ "World-Changers Church" this is gospel truth. A recent CNN special on Christianity showed that these pastors, among others, are declaring a God who wants everyone to get rich. "Jesus would be driving a Mercedes." Citing passages like "I came so that you may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10)" and "wealth and riches are in his house (Psalm 112:3)" seem to prove to them beyond a shadow of a doubt that $ is the reward of being faithful in this age.

Some more quotes from Mr. Dollar (hint hint):
"That is a load of cash sitting there in your lap (referring to the Bible"
"That is a new car in that Bible of yours"

How about these quotes:
"Woe to you who are rich"
"How hard is it for the rich man to enter the Kingdom of God?"
"You cannot serve God and mammon"
"If you try to gain your life, you will lose it"
"It is better to give than to receive"

These are the quotes of Jesus, the man Messiah who will one day come and rule the world. He calls his disciples to give to the poor, not live for this age, and to be willing to give up everything for the Kingdom's sake. Watching the CNN show got me sick. Who is their lord? Ben Franklin? Because it is defiantly not the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures. Both of the previous pastors mentioned have congregations of over 10,000+, and are both on TV. Although popular, it is not biblical. God wants us to hold fast to truth and not lies. We are to live for the age to come and not for this age. We are to be seeking first the Kingdom of God and the righteous living, not Beamers and jets.

One final verse (Sean's favorite on the subject):
"Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction" - 1 Tim. 6:9

2006-12-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm Not Talking About Perfection Here

That phrase drives me nuts. Every time a preacher really gets going preaching about righteousness he suddenly feels the need to point out that we are not going to be perfect. In fact, we can't be perfect. That's like a cross country team rallying themselves up before a race and then the coach saying, "I know we are all excited now, but I know we probably won't win, the other school has some really strong runners and I don't want you to feel disappointed if you lose." This is a sure prescription for losing the race. Meanwhile, the other school's coach says, "we are going to win this race if it kills us." And they will win. It is a matter of perspective.

What are we so afraid of? Do we think that if we set perfection as the goal then the the first time someone sins they will quit? Of course not. Are we afraid people will feel guilty if they sin? Isn't that a good thing. Doesn't godly sorrow lead to repentance and then to salvation? If God is not convicting and chastising us then we are orphans not sons.

Jesus said we are to "hunger and thirst after righteousness." Paul said to make "no provision for the flesh." Shouldn't we have the goal of perfection, of holiness, of righteousness constantly before our eyes? Isn't that a major aspect of the kingdom (a new heaven & earth wherein dwells righteousness)? Ladies and gentlemen it is time to stop hedging our bets and fall unflinchingly, uncompromisingly, irrevocably into the hands of God--the place where we have nothing but God and if He doesn't pull us through, we will perish. Only in this place of craving to do what He wants and striving, suffering, fighting, for perfection can we ever hope to find it. All to the glory of God.

2006-12-18T13:32:00.000-05:00

Draw near to God.

It is interesting to note that in James’ epistle, we are instructed not that God draws near to man, but that man needs to draw near to God. Mankind is inherently evil and wicked as the entire counsel of Scripture speaks to.

Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Romans 3:10-18 - “…there is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their lips they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

God of course is holy. Holy. Holy. Can that which is holy dwell with that which is unholy and yet remain holy? Can that which is pure mix with that which is un-pure and remain pure? I think the answer that is clearly no. In light of this, I believe James states what he does about our need to cleanse ourselves of evil and draw near to God.

James 4:6a-10 - “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and He will exalt you.”

There is a lot in this section worth consideration, but for a moment, let’s focus on what we can learn about our relationship and proximity to God. We need to draw near to God. We also need to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. These are all actions we must take. They are not something that miraculously happen at our baptism that will then keep us right for life. I believe we do that by taking active steps in our lives now.

If we are in the world (doing the things of the world, looking, talking like the world, etc) we need to stop and change our ways. However, I think that is the general statement regarding what we need to do. “What do I need to do” and “what do you need to do” are the questions we really need to be asking. There are practical steps we can all take.

Let us draw near to God until the day we are perfected so that he will finally be able to dwell upon the earth. Praise be to our holy God. May that day come soon.

Let’s talk about what some of the practical steps we can take this week, today even to draw near to God.

Recently, for me, keeping the television off in my home has been a practical step towards God. My wife and I do not want allow the glorification of sin and evil to be used as entertainment in our house any longer. At the same time, we have been working to seek alternatives that we can fill our time with, especially in ways that can be relaxing. In light of this, we’ve enjoyed more time together (and with God) by going for walks, reading, or inviting other believers over for dinner. We’ve gone bowling, played cards and visited a nice coffee shop in our city.

At the same time, we have really seen the LORD working in our lives. He has been showing us some amazing things. We have been going to prayer more often about things. We’ve been having more opportunities for evangelism. We have had more time to minister to people with needs. Also, I’ve seen more things that I have in my life that are not right. This is an exciting process for me because I know that it is all because as I draw closer to God and His glory, my filth will be exposed more and more. That’s fine with me.

The past three weeks have been amazing for me to see the LORD’s hand on my life. I’m looking forward to what’s next. It hasn’t been that the LORD hasn’t been doing His job, I haven’t been doing mine.

What about you? I encourage your to seek the LORD on this matter.

2006-12-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.biblicalfoundations.org/?p=80

To answer his question - I say we side with the Puritans. Christmas has nothing to do with Christ. He wasn't born in December. Everything about the holiday, from the feast and tree, to the gifts has some root in Pagan practice. The gifts today represent the entire form of consumerism we in the West are so caught up in. We should repent of our covetousness. We should keep from all appearance of evil, and strive to keep pagan symbols - like Christmas trees, and Yule logs, and mistletoe - out of our Churches, and houses. If we want to be a pure and holy bride for Christ, shouldn't we do this. Isn't this such a minor consideration to make? In light of all that we are called to repent about, our lust, our idolatry, to come to the saving light of the Gospel of the Kingdom - are we really going to hold out on Christmas?

Just honestly take a look at the holiday, as a whole, and what it stands for. Does it stand for your company holiday party where there is an open bar and everyone can get drunk? Does it stand for the children to understand that "Santa" will pardon their "bad ways" and bless them will gifts anyway? Does it stand for families to play "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality? If you want to celebrate Christmas - make it different than the world.

Am I drinking the kool-aid on this one? Let me know

2006-12-15T11:11:00.000-05:00

If You want me to (2)

Just over two-thousand years ago Gabriel visited a young Jewish girl living in Palestine. Gabriel, a chief figure in God’s communication department comes to Mary with a very important message:

Luke 1:30-33 - “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the LORD God will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end."

We have all heard this account and know the details of what follows well I’m sure. However, I want to highlight the response of Mary specifically in light of these circumstances.

Mary is being greeted by a skipping Gabriel who has the privilege of giving the greatest birth announcement in history. Calling Gabriel an unexpected visitor would be a serious understatement. He brings her news that she would give birth to the one who would redeem her, her people, and the planet. God Almighty had looked upon Mary with favor. He had chosen her to give birth to the one who would restore the Davidic throne. The nation of Israel and the people of the world have long awaited this man and at the time of his coming, a simple girl in Nazareth would be a central figure in this coming to pass. She would be the mother of the Messiah.

Mary must wrestle with the words of Gabriel and her own belief in them. She must do this while also considering the ramifications of word getting around about a young maiden, previously thought to be a virgin, is now pregnant, unknown to her fiancée. Legally this can lead to death by stoning. If Joseph chooses to “put her away quietly” she could live as an outcast from her family, friends, and town.

Mary’s response to Gabriel’s words are honest and humble:

“How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

Perhaps Mary is not even hit with the information that this child she will have will be the king of the Kingdom of God and provide salvation to mankind. She may have been overwhelmed and so she wants to understand more. She is astounded that she will have a baby at all! Graciously, Gabriel gives her some insight into this supernatural event:

“Holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God.”

And Gabriel speaks then the words that finally help Mary make some sense of this message:

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Think for a moment of Mary growing up. She listened to her father and grandfather tell her the stories of Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Deborah, Hannah, or David. She had heard so often how God had worked in and with the faithful men and women before her. Now this same God was calling her to something that although she may not have understood fully, she could be sure that what God had promised He was also able to perform. God would take care of His part, Mary only needed to trust Him and obey. God would take care of the impossible. Young Mary needed to trust that with God the impossible was possible.

Just as Mary must have known how God had worked in the past to help her gain faith in the present, we too can look to Mary’s example of simple trust in God’s promises. Mary’s love for God would allow her to conquer any fear she had about what He was asking her to do. She understood that she was just the servant, God is the master.

“Behold, the bondslave of the LORD; may it be done to me according to your word.”

Is our love of God bigger than our fear of something in this life? Is our faith in God’s promise overshadowing the uncertainty of our circumstances? May we, like our sister in faith Mary, trust that God has more figured out that we will ever know. May we also hear the word of the LORD and respond to what He has promised because of our devotion and love for Him. Let us be His bondslaves and echo the words of Mary’s heart in our lives

“Almighty Father, may it be done to us according to your word.”

Luke 1:46-55 - And Mary said: "my soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever."

2006-12-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

The Great Commission

Therefore go and make disciples…

I think Rick Meigs hits the nail on the head regarding discipleship. If you find yourself wondering if you consider yourself a disciple, or thoughts about discipleship - read this post for a brief outline of some of the things you expect.

Obviously my biggest point of emphasis is on the lack of the Kingdom in the author's second point. That is the entire story arc from where I sit - so to not mention it - I just can't imagine it. It makes my head hurt not mentioning it! And you'll see my in the comments down there trying to raise the question about the Kingdom and what part that plays in the Gospel. But overall this is well done. It requires a firm stated commitment (baptism, his 4th point), a withdrawl from the world (his first point), obedience (6), involvement in the community (5), and giving the commandment that they need to listen to their lord (8). I think an emphasis must also be placed on a personal understanding - a personal, internal struggle with coming to grips with the very words of Jesus. Not having these doctrines hand-picked for your consumption. But getting dirty learning the words of your master yourself.

2006-12-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

Commands to Christians about the Poor

Matthew 5.42"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you."

How many times have I walked past a homeless person who asked for some change? This is a direct command of the Messiah in the Sermon on the Mount. If I am to name Christ as my Lord then I must do as he says (Luke 6.46). Once John Wesley was walking down the road on a snowy day and he passed by a woman who was wearing only a very thin piece of cloth. He reached into his pocket and found only a couple of pennies. Suddenly, a realization hit him as he recalled buying a painting earlier that day: the money that would have clothed this poor creature of God is adorning the wall in my house. He never made that mistake again. He made sure he had money on him to give to him who asked. Do you have extra money on you so that you can "give to him who asks of you?"

Matthew 6.3 "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"

Jesus said, WHEN you give to the poor. This is not an optional activity. This is standard operating procedure. Giving to the poor is supposed to be normal. Do you regularly give to the poor?

Matthew 25.31-46 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will put the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave me {something} to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me {something} to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you {something} to drink? 'And when did we see you a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe you? 'When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, {even} the least {of them,} you did it to me.'

Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave me {nothing} to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of you?' "Then he will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Imagine a college professor giving his students the exact questions that were going to be on the test the next day. Imagine if he gave both the questions and the answers. Wouldn't it be bizarre if one of the students said, "I know he said these are questions and answers but I'm not sure if I really believe him. Does he really expect us to take him literally?" Jesus has already told us what he is going to say on Judgment Day. He is going to divide the people into two categories based on how they treated the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned. I am not implying that if we do this one thing then we can "earn" our way into the kingdom but I'm sure of one thing: if we don't do this we will be thrown into the "eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." Do you seek out the hungry, thirsty, sick, strangers, naked, and imprisoned in order to minister to Jesus by providing for their needs?

Luke 6.20, 24 "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God...but woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full."

When is the last time you visited a poor Christian's house and thought to yourself, "God must really be blessing this person, look how poor they are." It is just the opposite. We enter a wealthy Christian's house and they show us all of their "blessings" from God (big screen TV, Play Station 3, stylish curtains, fancy woodwork, rare paintings, etc.). How did we ever get so confused? Jesus is in the business of flipping everything upside down and we need to adjust our mindset to match his words. He said, "Blessed are the poor" that means the poor are blessed, simple as that. [Note: I am not saying that the poor who live in a constant state of covetousness are blessed. The ones who have to have the most stylish clothes, live above their means, play lotto incessantly, and have satellite hookups to watch worldly entertainment, have not "died to self" and need to repent. I am talking about followers of Christ who are poor]. Do you consider the poor blessed?

Luke 14.12-14"When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Have you ever done this? Have you ever, even once, thought to yourself, "Who should I have over for dinner tonight, hmm... the Jones are pretty poor, they can't even afford a car, I think I'll invite them because they can't repay me." Of course not, we think to ourselves, "I'd like to have the Browns over because I enjoy their company and I'll have a good time." Perhaps we need to make a mental change here. Will you invite over the lame, blind, crippled even if it makes you uncomfortable?

Luke 19.8-9 "Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham."

The specific thing he mentioned to Jesus was that he gave to the poor and didn't rob anyone through collecting taxes. Jesus response was simple, 'Today salvation has come to this house.' He could have eaten with anyone, why did he choose Zaccheus? Isn't it ironic that we are not as righteous as this tax collector?

Acts 6:1-3Now at this time while the disciples were increasing {in number,} a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic {Jews} against the {native} Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.} So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve
tables. "Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

The early church took care of widows as part of their daily ministry. In fact, this issue was so important to them that they searched to find seven men who were "of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom." This was an important job that needed to be done right and the early church understood that taking care of the poor was crucial. Do we find our top people to take care of our poor, or is the care of the poor an afterthought?

Acts 10.3-4"About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had {just} come in and said to him, 'Cornelius!' And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, 'What is it, Lord?' And he said to him, 'Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.'"

Why did God send Peter to Cornelius? I'm sure there were plenty of others around that needed to hear the life-saving gospel of the kingdom. However, Cornelius was "a devout man and one who feared God with all his house-hold, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually" (Acts 10.1). Nonetheless, when the angel spoke to Cornelius he mentioned his prayers and alms had ascended to God and that is why men from Joppa are coming to give you a message. Do your prayers AND alms ascend to God?

1 Corinthians 13.3 "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing."

Giving to the poor needs to be the expression of love not some mechanical, heartless endeavor. There is no profit in God's eyes for grudgingly giving out of obligation. Is your giving to feed the poor done out of love?

Galatians 2.9-10And recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we {might} {go} to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. {They} only {asked} us to remember the poor--the very thing I also was eager to do.

The only thing James and the apostles were concerned with was giving to the poor. It is remarkable that taking care of the poor was such a priority for the early Church. Paul is delighted to hear this request because giving to the poor was "the very thing I also was eager to do." Are you eager to give to the poor?

James 1.27 "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world"

Is your Christianity pure and undefiled? If so then you visit the less fortunate and you are not conformed to the world. Giving to the poor is a central part of being a disciple of Christ. May God grant us repentance in this area of our Christian walk. What excuse can I bring to the Lord of Lords on the Day of Judgment? When he says to me, "Why didn't you care for the hungry, sick, thirsty, lame, downtrodden, widows, orphans, social outcasts, and imprisoned?" Will I say to him, "they were the lazy poor" or "they would have gotten drunk with the money" or "they would have gambled with it" or "it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish" or "welfare takes care of them" or "I didn't know." Then he will say, "'Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave me {nothing} to eat..." There are plenty of Christians in third world countries slowly starving to death. We need to get outside of our little box and really seek to do what our Lord has commanded. Do you need to repent?

2006-12-13T01:03:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts on Christmas.....

In the past months, I have been rethinking what it means to be "seperate from the world" (Romans 12:2, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15). In light of all of this, I decided to do a little homework on Christmas. Obviously Christmas has many meanings today, some are disputed even amoung belivers. Chistmas could be any of the following, according to popular religion:

~a holiday about Santa Claus
~a time when you "get all the gifts you want"
~an excuse to decorate with lights, a tree, and a wreath
~celebrate when God became a man (for the record, this is not biblical)
~birth of the Messiah, the man to one day rule the world in the Kingdom of God

Ponder these things.

There is nothing in the bible that hints to the fact that Christmas needs to be celebrated or was celebrated by early 1st century Christnans. Jesus was most lilely born in late September/early October. In some of my readings, I dug up some great quotes that historians have made concerning the orign of Christmas. Look what the experts are saying:

"The festivals of Rome are innumerable; but five of the most important may be singled out for elucidation -viz., Christmas-day, Lady-day, Easter, the nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. Each and all of these can be proved to be Babylonian." (The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hyslop, page 91)

"... within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Roman Church fix on December 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of the Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed ... Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, 'about the time of the winter solstice.'" (Ibid. page 93)

"Even where the sun was the favourite object of worship, as in Babylon itself and elsewhere, at this festival he was worshipped not merely as the orb of day, but as God incarnate. It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system, that the Sun or Baal was the one only God. When, therefore Tammuz was worshipped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the Sun. In the Hindoo mythology, which is admitted to be essentially Babylonian, this comes out very distinctly. There, Surya, or the Sun, is represented as being incarnate, and born for the purpose of subduing the enemies of the gods, who, without such a birth, could not have been subdued.
"It was no mere astronomical festival, then, that the Pagans celebrated at the winter solstice. That festival at Rome was called the feast of Saturn, and the mode in which it was celebrated there, showed whence it had been derived. The feast as regulated by Caligula, lasted five days; loose reins were given to drunkenness and revelry, slaves had temporary emancipation and used all manner of freedoms with their masters. This was precisely the way in which, according to Berosus, the drunken festival of the month Thebeth, answering to our December, in other words , the festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon... The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in pagan Rome and pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith." (Ibid. 96-97)

"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church ... the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt." (Catholic Encyclopaedia 1911 edition)

"Christmas customs are an evolution from times that long antedated the Christmas period - a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition... In the beginning many of the earth's inhabitants were sun worshippers because the course of their lives depended on its yearly round in the heavens, and feasts were held at its return from distant wanderings. In the south of Europe, in Egypt and Persia the sun-gods were worshipped with elaborate ceremonies at the season of the winter solstice, as a fitting time to pay tribute to the god of plenty, while in Rome the Saturnalia reigned for a week...The exact day and year of Christ's birth have never been satisfactorily settled, but when the fathers of the church in A.D. 340 chose the day of the winter solstice which was firmly fixed in the minds of the people and which was their most important festival." (Encylopaedia Britannica article Christmas page 642)

"In a famous letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory directs the great missionary to accommodate the ceremonies of the Christian worship as much as possible to those of the heathen, that the people might not be startled at the change, and in particular the Pope advised Augustine to allow converts to kill and eat at the Christmas festival a great number of oxen to the glory of God, as they had formerly done to the Devil." (The Story of Christmas by Michael Harrison, page 28)

"It is nevertheless almost certain that the 25th of December cannot be the nativity of the Saviour, for it is then the height of the rainy season in Judaea, and shepherds could hardly be watching their flocks by night in the plains ... Not casually or arbitrarily was the festival of the nativity celebrated on the 25th of December. One of the principal causes that co-operated in fixing this period was that almost all the heathen nations regarded the winter solstice as the turning point of the year - the beginning of the renewed life and activity of the powers of nature, and of the gods who were merely the symbolic personifications of these. In more northern countries this fact must have made itself peculiarly palpable - hence the Celts and Germans, from the oldest times, celebrated the season with the greatest festivities. At the winter solstice the Norsemen held their great Yule-feast in commemoration of the fiery sun-wheel, and believed that during the twelve nights from the 25th December to the 6th January they could trace the personal movements and interferences on earth of their great deities, Odin, Beretha, etc. Many of the beliefs and usages of the old Germans, and also of the Romans, relating to this period, passed over from heathenism to Christianity, and have partly survived to the present day." (Chambers Encyclopaedia 1908 Edition Vol.111 page 222, article Christmas)

"There is no authoritative tradition as to the day or month of Christ's birth ... The winter solstice was regarded as the birthday of the sun and at Rome a pagan festival of the nativity of 'sol invictus' was introduced by the Emperor Aurelian on 25th December 274. The church, unable to stamp out this popular festival, spiritualised it as the feast of the Nativity of the Sun of Righteousness. When Christianity spread northwards it encountered a similar pagan festival also held at the winter solstice - the great Yule feast of the Norsemen. Once again Christmas absorbed heathen customs. From the various sources came the Yule log, the Christmas tree introduced into England from Germany and first mentioned in 1789." (Chambers Encyclopaedia 1970, page 538, article Christmas)

Pause a while and consider the stunning truths you have just read. Here are famous scholars and historians revealing amazing truths. Let me summarize:

That each year on the 25th December the pagans held a festival in honour of the SUN god.
And that centuries after Jesus's birth in Bethlehem this selfsame festival of the SUN god was adopted by the Christian Church, given the name Christmas and thereafter celebrated as the birthday of the SON OF GOD!

Maybe we can have some comments on what we should do with this information. Should we, as apocalyptic Christans, get involved with the world's holiday? Can we still spend time admiring the birth of the Messiah? Is there anything wrong with giving gifts? Should we spend hours and money buying trees, decorating our homes with lights, or hanging stockings?

Somethings to think about...

2006-12-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Family Values.

We can learn a lot from the gospel accounts of Jesus and his thoughts on and relationship with his family. On one hand we see him calling those who “do the will of His Father” the members of his family, while on the other we see him caring for the members of his family even at his death. Jesus spoke often of the cost of discipleship including a forsaking even of ones own family. At the same time he spoke that honoring one’s mother and father was an important commandment. In Jesus’ mind one should not even tend to the tying up of family matters, but focus on the preaching of the kingdom. However, Jesus appeared to his brother after his resurrection and he became a leader of the early church.

Family can be the strongest bond that ties people together. Parents will sacrifice greatly for their children. Grown children are often devoted to the care of their elderly parents. Our brothers and sisters become our best friends and closest confidants.

But what if this unwavering allegiance gets in the way of our service of God? What if our family members do not believe? Should we justify our relatives’ sinful behavior out of our love for them? These questions are very practical and relevant for many of us. We must seek the LORD on these important matters so His wisdom can guide us and our love for them does not blind our assessment of the circumstances.

I believe Jesus’ view of family values is based on his belief in approaching of the end of age. One should not be tied down to the things of this life and thus not live in light of the Kingdom. At the same time, it is the servants and children who will be exalted during the Messianic rule and it is critical for his followers to adopt those positions now. We should honor our parents, love our brothers and sisters, and care for the widows.

For the disciple, this honor and love is understood in light of the greater apocalyptic context. One who follows Christ must forsake all for him and his Kingdom gospel, including family. The one we love with all of our heart and in all we do is our God. The one we serve is our Lord, the Messiah. God, knowing the importance of the family for our desire to belong and be connected with others for love and instruction, uses the church in this way. The church becomes the new family we identify with even when our biological families are not members. The older men are to provide leadership and good examples for the younger while the older women lead the younger to understand their role as well. The younger men and women in turn help the older and encourage and strengthen the weak.

Forsaking all to follow Christ is a great task. God has designed the church to function as a family to replace the family the disciples forsake. In turn the disciple will find a new family and community.

Mark 10:28-31- Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."

For some interesting thoughts on a similar subject, read a current Newsweek article on “How Jewish Family Values Shaped Christianity”

2006-12-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

If you want me to.

Throughout Scripture, God has illustrated some amazing things to His people, both good and bad, often times through the preaching and lives of the prophets. Consider Hosea, who preached at a time of great sin and idolatry in his land. The people had turned away from the LORD and worshipped other gods. The LORD wanted to tell them that not only had they turned from Him unto others, but the consequences of these actions would be serious.

Another example is found in Isaiah. A certain people had again turned from the LORD and were committing abominable acts. This time they were acting as if they thought that the LORD did not know what they were doing. God wanted to communicate with them that in fact He saw more than they thought and that soon all of their evil deeds would be exposed; out in the open for all to see. What they thought they were doing in secret would be uncovered, they would be ashamed.

One last record is found early in history in the book of Genesis. God was very unhappy with all of mankind for they had all turned to their own way. Everything they did and thought was evil, all the time. God indicated that He even felt sorry that He had made man! As a result of their actions, God was going to destroy the earth and save the only man who had found favor in His sight - Noah. He told Noah the method of the destruction of the earth was going to be through a cataclysmic flood of water upon the earth. He then gave Noah instructions for the building of an ark, a large boat which would save Noah, his family, and a remnant from the animal kingdom.

I am sure these records are familiar to many of us, but I want to focus on something I have not yet mentioned about each account.

In Hosea, the method by which God was to communicate these things to the people was through Hosea’s life itself. So that the people could know and see what God was thinking about their idolatry, Hosea was told to marry a prostitute and have children with her. Just as the people had turned and “whored” themselves with idols and other nations, Hosea was uniting intimately with a whore. Hosea and his new wife would have children whose names would illustrate the fact that as a result of the people’s sins they would not receive the mercy of God and would no longer be His people.

For Isaiah, to illustrate vividly the fact that the people’s actions would be exposed, he was asked to walk around naked. Not just walk around naked when he preached one message, but walk around without any clothes for three years! Imagine what that would have been like.

In Noah’s case, we sometimes overlook the fact that his faith in God’s words included his belief in the flooding of the earth at a time in history when it had not even yet rained! To this point, a mist from the ground had given the needed water to the plants on the earth. Imagine Noah building this huge boat in the middle of dry land like say, Iowa, while being mocked daily by his neighbors. Noah, known as a preacher of righteousness, must have tried to share the news of the coming destruction with the people around him yet not one person repented in over 100 years of ark building.

So how does this all relate to my point today? I see three men in these records who were asked to do pretty crazy things – marry a prostitute, walk around naked for three years, and build a boat in the middle of Iowa when it had never even rained. But in each instance, these men did what God was asking them.

I believe the reason they did is because they really loved God. It did not matter what He was asking them to do, they were going to do it simply because He was asking. They loved God and knew His ways were higher than theirs. Even if they did not understand why He was asking what He was of their lives, they were willing to trust Him.

What about us? Do we really love God enough to do what He asks of us simply because He is asking? Do we trust that His ways are always true and right and He knows what is best for us in light of His plan?

What is God asking you to do? Turn off the TV? Turn the other cheek? Forgive those who have done wrong to you? Do your good deeds without looking for the praise of others? Stop stealing and start giving? Be gentle rather than violent? Praise Him rather than curse man?

At times it may seem like something God is asking of us is crazy or difficult or peculiar or challenging. However, if we truly love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength as Hosea, Isaiah, and Noah did, we will long to do what God is asking of us knowing that anything He asks of us is designed for us to bring Him glory. Perhaps what God is asking of us is not really crazy, difficult, peculiar, or challenging but it is us who are crazy, making it difficult, acting peculiar or being challenging.

Examine your heart today. Do you really love God? Are you willing to do what He asks of you?

He is not asking you to marry a harlot.
He is not asking me to walk around naked, even for three minutes.
He is asking us to be holy.
He is asking us to be His.
He is asking us to love Him.

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley
If You want me to

When I cross over Jordan,
I'm gonna sing, gonna shout
I'm gonna look into Your eyes and see
You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that will lead me home to You
And I will walk through the valley
If You want me to

Yes, I will walk through the valley
If You want me to

"If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens

2006-12-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Left Behind: Pure Genius or Pure Joke?

You pretty much have to be living under a rock to not know about the Left Behind series. A set of books that claims to explain the details of the end-times in an entertaining narrative fashion. You can get them in hardcover or paperback. New or used. Your local pastor or minister may even loan you a few of his.

Let me begin to show the kind of impact these have had on the Christian world as a whole (I used the term “Christian” there very loosely). Over 60 million sold. 2 movies released. Their own line of workbooks and Sunday school materials. One of the kids in my youth group actually told me that her teacher in school was giving extra credit to anyone who would read the books.

Popular, yes. Biblical, nope. This may surprise you. If so, please read on.

The Left Behind series is based on the doctrine of the “Pre-tribulation Rapture” which claims that 7 years before the Day of the LORD all Christians will be caught up (raptured) into heaven, being escorted by Jesus. He comes down, snatches them away, and does the U-turn back to the heavens to spend an eternity floating on the clouds. Where this verse, passage, or chapter is found in the Bible, I don’t know. What tends to happen in that the passage in 1 Thes. 4:13-17 is ripped out of its context in order to prove this theory. I say we take a closer look.

Let’s pause to make sure that the reader is still with me. We have one side that says that at any moment Jesus could return and rapture all the Christians away to heaven for eternity. On the other side, we have Jesus, who said that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Still with me?

I want to look carefully at v. 17. I’ll quote the NASB: “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” So far, the word heaven does not even occur in this verse. Those that still frantically search will be quick to point out that we are to meet the Lord in the air. But the word “air” is the Greek word αερα which is not the same word for “heaven” in the Greek (ουρανου).

I think the most convincing piece of evidence in the verse is the word that is translated for “meet.” This word, απαντησιν, is used only 3 times in the whole Bible. Once here, also in Matt. 25:6, and in Acts 28:15. Let’s have a look at those, just for fun.

Matt 25:6 NASB: But at midnight there was a shout, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet (απαντησιν) him. Note also v. 10 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut”

Acts 28:15-16 NASB: And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet (απαντησιν) us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Note how in both passages that the word for "meet" is used. More importantly, they both have the sense of a “meeting in order to escort back.” This is very significant because this shows that when we meet the Lord Jesus in the air it is to escort him back to earth. The powerful thing about this is that every occurrence of the word απαντησιν has this meaning. What does this mean in the long run? Well, the base text in establishing the whole agenda for the Left Behind series is not understood correctly. At the resurrection, we are caught up into the air to escort the Messiah down to his throne, where he will establish the kingdom of God on this earth (Matt. 25:31-34).

Left Behind…. Joke.

Thy Kingdom Come.

2006-12-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts on Isaiah 11.4

But with righteousness he will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;

God has a special place in His heart for the less fortunate {Is 61.1; Mic 4.6-7; Ps 72.2-4, 12-14; Pr 22.22-23; Luke 6.20-26; James 2.5}. So often it is the poor who are abused by the crafty. It is the poor who squander billions in the lotteries because of their inability to calculate odds, control their greed, or see through the scam. The gullible are sucked into pyramid schemes in order to benefit the few at the top who really make money while these simple ones exploit their relatives, friends, and churches. They are lured to persist because "one day" they will become rich, yet that day never comes. It is the elderly poor who the internet connivers and telemarketers pick clean. The poor are wronged but no one is there to take up their cause. The wealthy and corporations hire the premier lawyers to make sure their interests are safeguarded but the poor are regularly done injustice through ill reputed public defenders. The rich influence the politicians to make decisions in their favor through the use of lobbying (bribing). The employed poor are the support of the economic infrastructure, working many hours and getting paid only enough to barely survive, while supplying gas, groceries, transport, retail, maintenance, etc. yet they are the least appreciated and often not given health insurance or retirement options. The poor man waits a day in the emergency room with internal bleeding while the wealthy has a primary care physician to attend to his pink eye at a moments notice. The poor have no option but to use the public education system in the poor areas they live which merely serves to perpetuate their condition. In countries where the police are sparse or non-existent the poor cannot afford security workers and are robbed, murdered, and raped without mercy and without recourse.

Why does God care so much for the poor? He cares because no one else does, because He has to endure their cries for help, none of their afflictions are hidden from His eyes. When God's creatures suffer, He takes it personally and another drop of wrath drips into His cup of righteous indignation ready to be poured out on the last day. Besides in a world that is cold, cynical, and uncompassionate who else does one have but God? This is why Jesus specifically pointed out that Christians will be judged on the basis of how they treated the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned {Mat 25.34-46}. Do you care for the poor? Aren’t we supposed to imitate God {Eph 5.1}?

But there is a day coming when there will be a just judge. He will not be impressed with pomp nor inclined to pervert justice for a bribe. He will hear the cause of the poor and afflicted but will not falsely punish their adversaries because of a vendetta the poor may have against them. All decisions will be correct and final.

And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

The people of the earth who have oppressed the poor will be punished by this coming one. He need only say the word and it is done. The large mass of nations [Babylon] that will not submit will be subjugated by force. The people who have said all their lives "no one will rule over us" will submit to the vice-regent of Almighty God. The scales will be tipped, the last shall be first, the humble exalted, and the prideful cut down. The contrite will be given administrative positions in God's new world order. The current political and military rulers will be severely punished for siding with a kingdom (or kingdoms) of this world over and against the kingdom of God (which cannot be mixed together). The politicians who have made a mockery of justice will be punished. The wealthy that have used their means for their own selfish interests will have their fortunes divided up among the poor. The soldiers who would not follow the command of the Messiah (love your enemies) will learn the proverb, "those who live by the sword, die by the sword." The first stage of the restoration program of the Messiah is the conquering of the unrepentant.

2006-12-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

"Just as you are"

That phrase and lyric is really starting to get on my nerves. We actually believe that God likes us just the way we are. I think that the Bible tells us otherwise. When God says that we are DEAD because of our trespasses and sins(Eph 2:1) - I don't think he likes to say that! As a matter of fact I know he doesn't because he sent his Son, the Messiah, to get us OUT of that situation. Therefore don't say "God accepts me just as I am".

What God DID was make a way out for you! He is offering you a promise! To stay "just the way you are" is to REJECT that promise! God makes it plain that to accept his offering you must CHANGE, Repent, the Kingdom is coming!

2006-12-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

Who's Side Are You On?

Its either black or white. Life or death. In or out. Barn or the bonfire. Saved or damned. Life in the age to come or shame and everlasting contempt. Known or never known. Confessed or denied.

Its always been that way. From the Garden of Eden to the mountains of Sinai. From the preaching of John to the letters of Paul.

If it is one or the other, yes or no, and all the rest at the end of the age, why would we think that it is not like that today as well. Doesn't Jesus identify the wheat and the tares growing together in this age and their fate determined at the end? Do not both men build houses, but their choice of foundation is what is determined right or wrong in the age to come? Are you not a sheep or a goat and separated by the great shepherd when he comes to rule his Kingdom?

When the Kingdom comes, the faithful will be changed. However, it would be wrong for us to think that the change would involve a miraculous change of lifestyle from how we are to be living now. Sinful, worldly-involved, ashamed, disobedient people will not be changed to perfect and immortal.

Those who have loved the LORD with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength will be changed to immortal men and women who will continue loving the LORD with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, only now perfectly and forever. A new, sinless heart upon which the LORD will write His laws. We can not be under the assumption that things that are foreign to me now will be experienced by me in the Kingdom. What we must understand is that things that we are doing, challenged to do, long to, and must do will be what we will be able to do perfectly then.

Goats won't be changed to sheep. Tares won't be changed to wheat. Bad fruit won't be changed to good. Sandy foundations to rocks. Rocky ground won't be changed to fertile soil. Worthless servants won't be changed to good, well-doing servants.

That's what we need to change now.

Thankfully we have an example and guide. We must critically examine the life and words of Messiah Jesus for understanding of the way which we should walk, the truth about the world and ourselves and the light to guide us through the darkness of the present age. Apart from him we can do nothing. We must abide in his words, make our home there.

Joshua 24:14-15 - "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Choose your side. You can't be one and the other. You can't be on both sides of the fence. In the eyes of the LORD, if we aren't loving Him, we are hating Him. If we aren't loving our brethren, we are hating them. If we aren't hating the world and the things of the world, we are loving them. There is no sheegoat category or wheatare. The devil will tell you there is a grey area between the black and white. That's not true. You're either one or the other.

So which one are you? If you examine you life, thoughts, actions, and activities which side are you on? If you are on the side of the world, please change today. Become separate form the world by taking practical steps to remove yourself from it. What do you do for fun? Who do you hang out and fellowship with? What do you watch? What do you ___________? By aligning ourselves with God's position on each of these issues, we will be separating ourselves from the world and choosing our side.

Revelation 3:15-16 - "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth

Choose your side, today. It's the most important decision you'll ever make.

2006-12-02T00:03:00.001-05:00

The Truth and The Sacrifice.

Oxygen is critical. We don't think about that often though. We live and breathe and don't think about breathing in and out oxygen. It fuels our cells and blood and body. It is so needed. Yet it is most often ignored. Until the day that you get your head held underwater. You fear drowning. You don't know what to do. You feel scared and helpless. You run out of the oxygen that you stored up in your lungs after a deep breath and can only now breathe in water. And this doesn't work. Water can't do what the oxygen does. At last the hand holding your head down in the water releases and you come up to breathe. The experience however changes you. It changes your perspective. You suddenly realize how important oxygen is. You can't live without it. You never want to put yourself in a situation like that again where you cannot partake of this precious thing - the oxygen that will keep you alive.

The sacrifice of Jesus is so important. Unlike some groups, I fear hell because of the chance that I am not attached the the sacrifice of Jesus and thus will not receive a pardon on judgment day. The pardon comes for those who are Christ's through repentance, faith and baptism in his name. I both fear and thank God through the sacrifice of Christ. I fear damnation rather than salvation because I deny Christ and deny the payment he offers. I thank God because of the sacrifice of Christ. From this my personal desire for holiness and hunger for righteousness comes. I desire truth and not falsehood. Godliness and not sin.

For others however, their connection to God is not through the sacrifice of Christ. There is no true gratitude for this offered pardon. Sure they say the right words and speak of Christ dying for their sins, but it is vain repetition and not from their longing heart. For them their joy and expectation is because they belong to the group that possesses the truth. Because of this, their corresponding fear of hell comes from the separation from this group or mixing of their truth with falsehood. Their gratitude to God is for His giving of His truth to them and through this showing the path to the Kingdom that others don't see. It is this opposed to gratitude for God because He will save them from His wrath and open the doors to the Kingdom and that He has given them His truth because of the sacrifice of the Christ.

Do you see the difference here?

One group views God and salvation in light of the precious sacrificial death of Jesus the King of the Kingdom.

One group views God and salvation in light of possession of the truth.

I am banking on the sacrifice of Christ. I need it, badly. I have sinned. In fact, I have done nothing good at all. Because I have recognized this I have also recognized that the death of the King of the Kingdom instead of me is such a big deal. Because of it I will serve God. I will forsake my family and my home and follow Christ. I will cease from sin and live holy in light of the coming Kingdom. And I have a tremendous sense of joy and gratitude to God for giving me His truth, and the true gospel to speak. The truth about the only true God and Jesus Christ who He has sent. But I can't get this backwards.

Fear God not because if you leave the truth possessing group you have been told you will be leavened-infested heretics and go to hell. Fear God because He has the power of life and death in his hands and will only give life to those who have connected themselves to the pardon-giving sacrifice of Jesus.

What does the death of Jesus really mean to you? Is it some vain and empty saying? Something to think about and meditate on once a year just before Resurrection Sunday? Do you cry at the thought of his death instead of you because you are an emotional person and cry when sad things happen or do you cry because he died instead of you?

Get this fact into your hearts. And then live for the one who died for you. Seek the truth and hold fast to it. Abhor evil and falsehood and erroneous doctrines of men. Keep yourselves free of the leaven of the world. Live holy and separate lives. But don't forget about the sacrifice of Christ. Salvation does not come through the possession of truth. Possession of truth should come from hearing the gospel, understanding the atonement and seeking it as a by-product of your conversion.

My brothers and sisters, figure this out. Once you figure this out, do whatever is necessary to connect yourself to this sacrifice, for it is the only thing that will save you on that final day. Get your head out of the water and breathe in the breath of life.

"Almighty Father. Thank you for your son. I need that sacrifice so badly. I am so wretched and helpless and sinful. Thank you for providing it for me. Please show me what it is I need to do to partake in it. Whatever it takes."

2006-12-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

Holiness Hurts.

It’s not always “fun” be a Christian. Contrary to many popular beliefs, it’s actually not supposed to be that way. Christianity is supposed to be about holiness and God’s glory, not comfort zones and our happiness. True happiness is found in selflessness and hungering for and being filled by the Almighty. But here’s the thing - we aren’t born thinking of others. We don’t innately desire to be holy. We are born selfish and innately desiring evil. So the breaking/crucifying/dying of our flesh doesn’t happen with ease.

We hold on to our own desires and long for what will gratify ourselves. It’s easier that way. Perhaps you have battled staying like the world because what would happen if people knew we were different?! And of course there is the challenge of letting go things we love. People, places and things. Changing the “way we’ve always done it.”

But then it finally hits us. We don’t care what it takes – we want to live a life that will glorify God. We realize that the Kingdom of God is really coming. The King of the Kingdom died instead of me. The Creator has put together a plan to save me from death. We have sinned and deserve death. The wrath and suffering that fell on Jesus should have fallen on us.

And then there is a shift that begins. The realization that we want to serve God more than ourselves. We want to love God more than ourselves. We want to dwell with God more than the world. Suddenly, we realize we need God, we want Him. A passion begins to burn. This burning in our hearts is finally hot enough to burn off the evil and sin that still remains in our hearts. We are finally willing to sacrifice, regardless of the cost.

Once this happens, we need to seek the LORD on this matter. We need to ask Him to reveal to us practical steps that we need to take to grow in holiness. This is the first step actually. Slowing down enough to stop and pray...

“Heavenly Father, you alone are wise. You are the great God of heaven. You created all things and know my frame especially. You know my thoughts, you know my heart. More than I do even. I come to you now and ask you to reveal to me what it is I need to do be holy. What is it that you would have me start, stop, change, continue, do less, do more, whatever it might be, Father. Please speak to me and show me clearly what it is that I need to do to be more like you. Please God. Help me. I can’t do this on my own.”

And then just wait…..be quiet. Let the LORD do His work.

Write down a list of what the LORD puts on your heart. If you are like me you need to make provisions for the spirit almost in the same way we need to not make provisions for the flesh. Maybe it’s not going to sleep until you have prayed or not eating breakfast until you’ve read your Bible. It might be different steps for each of us, but we can not forget that the goal is God’s glorification through our holy lives.

Without a doubt, it is God’s will for us to be holy (I Peter 1:13-16). Knowing this, we can be confident that God will show you what it is you need to do to be holy. He will show us because we aren’t His without holiness. When we continue to cling to the world we are still part of the world.

II Corinthians 6:14-7:1 - Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.

It isn’t going to be fun at first, but it will be right. You aren’t going to be popular among your friends, but you will be apart of a new family. Holiness hurts at first, but then it all makes sense:

Hebrews 12:14 – Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Matthew 5:8 (HCSB) – Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.

2006-11-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Another Book Review! The Mystery of the Kingdom of God: The Secret of Jesus' Messiahship and Suffering by Albert Schweitzer (~180 pages written in 1914)

There are several valuable themes in this book. But first I want to get the bad stuff out of the way so we can concentrate on the good. The ending, his conclusion, is entirely self-serving. He declares the end of eschatalogical-focused Christianity because Jesus' death destroyed the Jewish framework of eschatalogy. Thus by examining Jesus in history, we find the worldview he operated in, and subsequently destroyed - "freeing" Jesus from eschatalogically and historically motivated theology. Thus Jesus can be anything he needs to be to anyone in any philosophical position. Like I said, entirely self-serving, and there is plenty of evidence to contradict this idea that Jesus destroyed the eschatalogical worldview.

I think the other bad/questionable action done by Schweitzer is his massive literary reconstruction of the mount of transfiguration. He transplants this scene backward into Galilee before the feeding of the multitude(s?). He maintains that the double record of miracle feedings are actually one and the same record. Also the record was initially Jesus secretly sharing with those people a foreshadowing of the Kingdom feast (Is 25), which Schweitzer then sees Jesus re-applying at the Last Supper. He does this because the current literary form that we have doesn't make sense to him. Ultimately he favors his idea because it creates a better story.

Ok! On to the good! Schweitzer treats the "secret" of Jesus' Messiahship very well I think. He works primarily from Mark. I was always puzzled why Jesus wants the fact of his Messiahship kept secret (he never openly preaches it, he tells those he heals to be quiet about it, and the same with the demons Legion). Schweitzer's position makes sense - his claim to Messiahship is what got him killed. It is what Judas betrayed to the high priest, that Jesus actually claims to be the Messiah, which is blasphemy. Of course one of our immediate reactions is that the entire book of John is written to prove Jesus is the Messiah. But this is written after Jesus, looking back on his life. This is the thrust of the book's point - the secret and how that affects Jesus' preaching and death.

Schweitzer is spot on at pointing out the uncomfortable nature with which the current christian movements are entirely uncomfortable with Jesus' eschatalogical/apocalyptic worldview, that we are entirely unable to make heads or tails of it. He does very well to point out the violence done to the text to remove the eschatalogical sayings from the lips of Jesus. He also points out a very telling fact that "Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand!" is a summary statement of Jesus' preaching. One can see the beginnings of Ehrman's "Kingom Ethics" in Schweitzer's work here also.

He holds repentance in the highest of lights. And likens it to the repentance called on by other prophets of Israel. Not only is repentance "not doing bad", not just stop walking toward the cliff. Not just "focus on God", not just turning around. But consistently walking towards God "doing good" - where "good" is the moral ethics of Jesus. He also made a good point that corrected some things that I had said. He terms Jesus' commands as "interim-ethics", meaning:
"Only he [one who enters the Kingdom] can be the bearer of such authority [in the Kingdom] who has kept himself free from the contamination of earthly rule. To allot it to such [people] as have prepared themselves through suffering is God's affair and his alone" pg. 41
"... inasmuch as they render one meet not merely for entrance into the Kingdom but for bearing rule in it" pg. 55
"The disparagement of the earthly form of existence goes to the length of sacrificing altogether the earthly life for the sake of full assurance of life in the coming age... That is to say, Whosoever, through anxiety about his earthly existence, makes himself unworthy..." pg. 129

I only have two more points to make, and then I'm through so please bear with me. One question that always puzzled me (and the Pharisees) is "How is the Messiah David's son (and therefore subjected to him) yet David calls him adoni, lord?". This brings me to a major realization, the titles Messiah, and Son of Man are titles of role - not identity! Therefore Jesus can refer to the Son of Man in the third person, because while he is the Son of Man, he isn't yet - because he is not acting like that eschatalogical figure. Jesus, before his resurrection was not identified as Messiah, Acts 2 tells us that the resurrection proved he was the Messiah. Now, Jesus sits in the role of Messiah. Therefore there is a huge realization between "Now and Then". There lies a *huge* gap in between (which is filled by the resurrection). This helps us understand Jesus' parables about the mustard seed and yeast in regards to the Kingdom. "Now and Then". Now unleavened bread, Then a full loaf. Now the smallest seed, Then the biggest tree. Jesus' focus is not on process, or slow evolution - the people of the time didn't understand at all those biological processes.

And finally my last point which is slightly controversial. Schweitzer seems to think that Jesus was regarded as "Elijah", the one to come. One reason, as Elijah is tied with miraculous times, Jesus performed miracles, John the Baptist didn't. I don't think this is a big point - I just think it makes more sense of the biblical passages, especially when the characters in the Bible don't know his future identity as Messiah, but believe on him.

2006-11-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

Questions About The Gospel

Saw this post on another blog - http://musings-from-the-chariot.blogspot.com/

Thought I would pose the same questions to our bloggers....

Did Jesus Preach a Different Gospel Than What is Preached Today?

When we talk about the gospel, we generally mean the idea that Jesus died to save us from our sins. However, when we read the accounts of Jesus in the four gospels, we find that he preached a gospel of the kingdom of God, and he sent the twelve disciples out to preach about gospel of the kingdom of God. When the disciples asked Jesus when he would come back to establish his kingdom, he told them that the good news (gospel) of the kingdom must be preached throughout the world first (Matt. 24.14; Mark 13.10). He also spoke specifically about the good news being preached to the poor (Matt. 11.5; Luke 4.18; Luke 7.22).

Why did Jesus not go around preaching that he had arrived to die in order to save people from their sins? Why was his gospel different from what modern day Christians consider the gospel to be? When did the gospel change? Did the gospel change? What am I missing?

(Friday, September 22, 2006)

The Real Gospel

A few weeks ago I asked the question "Did Jesus preach a different gospel that what is preached today?" A few days ago I found this:

The Christian Gospel of salvation was proclaimed by Jesus and the Apostles. It was (and is) the Gospel about the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14, 15; Luke 4:43; Mat. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Acts 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). The death and resurrection of Jesus are essential elements included in the Gospel, but they do not constitute the whole Gospel.
The saving Gospel — “the Message about the Kingdom,” “This Gospel about the Kingdom” (Matt. 24:14) which Jesus stated is the basis of salvation (see Matt. 13:19; Luke 8:12; cp. Acts 8:12) — was the center of all biblical preaching. It is the Message which Satan hates (Luke 8:12; Matt. 13:19). It is called throughout the New Testament “the word,” or “the word of the Lord.” The term “word” is positively not just another way of saying the Bible. “The word” is the core of the Bible and that core is found in the saving words of Jesus — his Gospel of the Kingdom.

It appears that we have abandoned Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom. To abandon Jesus’ Gospel is to abandon Him (Mark 8:35, 38; 10:39). We have claimed, by prooftexting from one passage in Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, that the Gospel is a message only about the death of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection. That this is untrue is proved by the fact that Jesus and the disciples preached the Gospel, calling it “the Gospel about the Kingdom” and “the Gospel” long before a word was said about His death for sin and His resurrection!

The “evangelical Gospel” in contemporary America leaves out Jesus’ own Gospel and distorts the Gospel of Paul, dividing the Apostle from Jesus and omitting vital information. Without the right facts, how can we successfully believe for salvation? (Read the rest of the article, "The Amazing Shift Away from Jesus in the Popular Gospel," here.)In the book of Mark, Jesus' first words are, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (1:15). All of his public teaching dealt with the coming kingdom; Jesus didn't mention his death until his disciples had come to understand that he, indeed, was the much anticipated Messiah (Matt. 16:13-23; Mark 8:27-33; Luke 9:18-22), and he seemed to confine any discussion of his death to conversations only with his closest twelve disciples. Since they were the only ones who knew for certain that Jesus was the Messiah--and he told them strictly not to tell anyone else--it seems that Jesus wished to emphasize the message about the coming kingdom above all else. He told his twelve closest disciples about his death and resurrection simply to give them comfort and make them aware that the cause would not be lost just because he had died.Luke 24:13-21 tells of two unnamed disciples who are sad about the fact that Jesus had died. Verse 21: "But were were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." If these two were part of the twelve, Jesus' message about his death and ressurection didn't sink in very well. If these were other disciples not part of the inner circle, this conversation proves that Jesus didn't spend time talking to the general public about his upcoming death.The conversation also proves that Jesus' listeners were expecting a real overthrow of the forces currently occupying Israel. They were expecting the long-awaited redeemer who would restore Israel to its former glory and rule the world from Jerusalem. They were expecting to finally own the promised land once and for all.Paul preached this gospel as well, but he had the benefit of understanding that Jesus' death and resurrection made it possible for all people, not just Jews, to be part of the kingdom if they choose to believe in Jesus' message. We as believers get to be part of a real kingdom in which Jesus rules the world. We get to inherit this kingdom with him and rule with him; that's our reward for following him. We get to see real justice brought to the world--sick people healed, poor people leaving poverty, oppressed people becoming free--and we get to help bring that justice about. All the things that we want to see happen now, and that we try to make happen and mostly fail in now, we will get to help make happen in the kingdom. That's the essential message of Jesus. That's the good news.

(Friday, November 10, 2006)

2006-11-28T09:51:00.000-05:00

Patriotism.

Everyone is doing it. There are American flags all over the place. You can hardly drive down your street without seeing those cute little ribbons. Most sporting events start off with a singing of the National Anthem. Most people identify the United States with God's country. From its founding to current events, most people would assume God's people formed and keep His land. The funny thing is, this is not God's nation.

Yes I said it. This nation does not belong to our heavenly Father. Neither do any of the nations of our world. Before you write me off as crazy, flip your Bibles open to Revelation 11:15. It reads something like this: "At the seventh trumpet, the kingdoms of this world will be turned into the kingdom of God and of His Christ." What can we learn from this verse? Well, it’s actually quite simple. At the sounding of the 7th trumpet (a future event) all of the world's kingdoms will come under control of the One God and His Messiah. So, in turn, the world's nations and kingdoms currently do not belong to God and Jesus. So, who do they belong to? I will allow the Bible again to speak on this matter:

Galatians 1:4 – This is presently the evil age.

2 Corinthians 4:4 – Satan is the god of this age.

1 John 5:19 – The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Revelation 12:9 – Satan is currently deceiving all of the nations.

It seems that the kingdoms of the world that we read about in Revelation 11:15 currently belong to Satan, the real external devil. This may sound appalling or ridiculous, yet the Scriptures need to be our guide for truth, not popular religion, the media, or the opinion of your local televangelist.

So, what does this truth have to do with patriotism? Well, quite a lot when you think about it. Let’s start with the pledge of allegence. It goes something like this: "I pledge allegence to the flag of the United States of America...” Who are we pledging ourselves to? To the symbol of one of Satan's nations? Yes, read it again, people everyday in public schools are pledging themselves to the devil's country.

Where else can we take it? Voting. We are voting for leaders of a nation that is run by the devil. You should be voting and campaigning for the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. He is the only one who is fit to take the government upon him (Isa. 9:7). At best, one must choose the “lesser of two evils.” Why choose evil at all?

The list can go on and on once you get to thinking about it (take another thought at saluting). In reality, this nation is clearly not a God-fearing nation. Homosexuality is rampant. Our favorite shows are American Idol, Desperate Housewives, and Will and Grace. These shows glorify things that are an abomination to a holy God. Sex before marriage is so common. Game shows that support covetousness are on the rise. Babies are being had out of wedlock, and the divorce rate is higher in the “church” than outside of it in some states. One nation under God? Maybe if that god is Satan.

Let’s make it our commitment to side with Jesus and his ethics for the coming kingdom which are written out in Matthew 5-7. These should be the ideals for our lives as we continue to be aliens and pilgrims in a land that is obviously not our own. And above all, let our continual prayer be that which flowed from the mouth of our Lord: "Thy Kingdom Come!"

2006-11-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

Family.

I am thankful to have a family. They have all added and provided so much for me throughout my life. Lessons learned, experiences shared, memories made. As you grow you share qualities with each other which so often you adopt as your own mannerisms. I can remember the first time I sat a certain way or spoke a particular phrase which reminded me of something my father did in the same way. We have all heard the expression "I'm turning into my mother/father." Often we will look at this startling revelation as a negative quality but at the same time we adopt the characteristic as our own without a fight. We have good and bad memories of our family and exemplify positive and negative attributes from our parents and siblings. Much of this is the basic make up of who we are as an adult.

For those fortunate to have had a strong family system in place during their childhood, a family means a great deal. For those without the "ideal" situation, to belong to a family is a special desire. A family is designed to support, teach, encourage, correct, mourn, and rejoice together.

As I mentioned above, I am thankful for my family. As of late, my gratitude for this family has shifted from my "earthly" family to my Christian family. The most important thing in my life is no longer the same as my earthly family. The things I want to spend my day talking about are no longer the same as my earthly family. The things I live for are no longer the same as my earthly family. The things that shape my morals, standards, and values are no longer the same as my earthly family.

Sadly, many people share this situation in common. Our parents, siblings, spouses and extended families are not like-minded. They do not share our focus on living in light of the coming Kingdom. This breaks our hearts. We are challenged to share the gospel with them over and over again. We pray for the courage to speak about the things with love while battling the fear of rejection from those we love and will visit again on a birthday or holiday. We fight to remain separate from worldliness and sin while at the same time do not always enjoy sitting in our rooms alone while the rest of the family watches a movie.

It is especially after times like these when I appreciate my true family, those who share the great hope of the coming Kingdom salvation. I am so thankful for the fellow truth-seekers and truth-lovers who long for time together with me as well. We all come from different backgrounds in our past but since we have met at the cross, we now are pursuing paradise together. Often we have little in common but that which is most important which seems to cause the smaller quirky differences to fade away.

Consider what it must have been like for the Jews and Gentiles to get together. Completely different backgrounds, traditions, practices, beliefs, morals, standards - yet now because of repentance and faith in Christ in light of the Kingdom - unity.

Galatians 3:26-29 - "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

I love spending time with my true family. Things are not always perfect but our shared hope, big brother and Almighty Father challenge us to "make up and play nice." The love from them warms my heart. The time spent with them is what I long for. The memories created with them are the ones I think back on with joy. The encouragement and correction from them is what helps me grow.

In the future my wife and I will have children and our family will grow. Though we have learned lessons and taken traditions from our earthly familes which we will pass on to them - it will be their true family which will be the model and standard for our own family. Our Father in heaven has designed it to be that way. In the church we can see a glimpse of the bond of family and community that God's people will have with Him in His Kingdom forever.

Matthew 12:46-50 - While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

2006-11-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

I just started reading "The Mystery of The Kingdom of God: The Secret of Jesus' Messiahship and Passion" by Albert Schweitzer. I've also read a bit of Ehrman, which I've also written about, and this school of thought (Ehrman speaks highly of Schweitzer) has a similiarity that is very apparent. Their largest problem with scholarship is that they can define the life of person and Jesus however they like. But that definition does not allow for his death. If Jesus is just a good moral teacher, he wouldn't have been killed. If Jesus is just another Jewish prophet, he wouldn't have been killed. Even if Jesus opposed the political and religious order of the day - many many others did before and after him - he wouldn't have been killed. He didn't start a riot, or uprising, or any violence against Herod or Rome. He told the people to pay taxes to Rome - why would Rome do away with that?

So Schweitzer will instead start with the passion and Messiahship claims to define the life and person of Jesus. It should be interesting. I already know a few conclusions that I've heard of - but I'm more interested in the method, and perhaps some tangential conclusions.

2006-11-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

American tradition usually dictates a time of reflection and remembrance for things that families are thankful for on Thanksgiving Day.  Often times people will even take a time around a dinner table to list things that they are grateful for on that day.  As the sky grows darker, bellies are stuffed, dishes piled up and couches are occupied.  Only hours later lines will be forming by those same people to stock up on needed and un-needed items at after Thanksgiving Day sales at all of the stores.  Only hours from now Thanksgiving Day will be a distant memory for most as the shopping for a winter holiday takes over.

Though this is the way for most in the world, the attitude of a Kingdom citizen in waiting is one of live-long gratitude.  More than an annual celebration of being thankful for the "stuff" we have and the people we know, our thankful attitudes are dictated by historical events which cannot be erased or changed.

To think that Jesus, the King of the coming Kingdom of God, would willingly be sacrificed so that others could be with him in his Father's Kingdom is more than an amazing thought.  All of the wrath of God fell upon him so that others could be spared from it.  The righteous died for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty, the just for the unjust.  Jesus Christ died for me.  Thank God.

Beyond that, the future history of the coming Kingdom gives us much to be thankful for.  Salvation from death AND the chance to live forever in a perfect age with God Himself.  God provides for man's essential need for immortality and offers the return to His original intent for those who are His.  For those who are saved from death and keep Jesus as the Lord of their life, a time of unparalleled peace, joy and safety will be their destiny.  The Kingdom of God is coming to the earth.  Thank God.

Unlike those around us who are thankful for temporal things for but a moment, let us be those who remain thankful because of those things that are eternal.  Gratitude inspires one to keep the right perspective on life when things are trying and when things are smooth.

Lets be thankful to God for His Son.
Lets be grateful to God for His Kingdom.
Thank God for God.
Everyday.

2006-11-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday Morning Readings: Book Review

I've also read Erhman's Jesus: The Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millenium and I think it is fantastic. Of course he does not take the position of a believer or theologian, but of a historian. This leads him to say he cannot co-oberate Jesus' miracles (but he firmly says that every witness says Jesus was a healer). He also challenges the traditional view of the writers of the Gospels - stating they are anonymous. He also challenges the "there are no contradictions in the Bible" idea just within the four Gospels. So unless you're willing to overlook, or grapple with these ideas don't bother reading it. However, I find it is immensely valuable!

Ehrman shows that Jesus is an apocalypticist through and through. That his view of the Kingdom, and the present state of the world shape his actions. In short, to Jesus the world is clearly going downhill (historical pessimism), there are clear lines of demarcation between good and evil (cosmic dualism), that God and his true people will get full glory (ultimate vindication), and that it is going to happen soon! (immanence). Add that with the coming judgment of God's righteous Kingdom to restore all creation - and you have Jesus' motivation to his teaching, and healing.

Ehrman's section on "Kingdom Ethics" is perhaps the highlight of this book. That an unbelieving (insofar as I know) scholar can say what Jesus means the best I've ever heard it said by any preacher I've heard - is a miracle (take that Bart!). I'm not going to spoil it (get the book and read it). I'm sure you'll see some more on this blog about "Kingdom Ethics" also.

2006-11-10T18:50:00.000-05:00

Authorial Intent

I don't think we can continue to approach the scriptures from a "word-by-word inspired" view-point. I think we have to recognize the Authors of the Bible as contributing something personal and human. Granted when YHWH speaks - those are his words and his words alone. However in the New Testament we have three large voices - Paul, John, and Luke. They definitely have their own way of communicating the truth. They don't disagree with one another. James and Matthew also have their own style. They don't contradict Paul or Luke or anyone. Peter (and Mark) again have a style - similar to James'. I think that the Bible can come to mean more than words on a page when we look at as a personal writing (most of the NT was letters - very personal). The context means so much to help us understand.

The above link talks (in depth) about these ideas (which some will call "liberal"). I left a large comment. Feel free to comment below or on the Biblical Foundations blog.

2006-11-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading things on the internet (I don't have a TV to watch the news on, lucky me!) no doubt you've read a good amount about the Ted Haggard situation. Plenty of Christian blogs are picking up on this and disecting it from all sorts of angles.

Two things that I found wonderful were these:

What Ted Haggard has taught me about Sin

Ted Haggard and Homosexuality

The first post just goes to show us all that sin is ever present in the world. Crushing sin, so that it won't "master us", should be our first priority. We might not have as much to lose as Mr. Haggard did, but sin is still painful. Any sin that we do not repent of will(!) prevent us from entering God's Kingdom! Sin is an offront, an offense to God - and we need to treat it as such. Our culture, of course, doesn't help us in this regard.

The second post, unfortunately, needed to be said in light of the sin. Joe Hallat's testimony is powerful. Our nature state of being is against God - even if it is homosexual.

I think we would do wise to take a look at sin in our lives - and rid our lives of it - as our Master Jesus the Messiah commands us

2006-11-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

Hello! I'd like to thank Victor for inviting me to post on Higher Ground. I've known him a long time and look forward to working with him here. I hope that we can meet a lot of people, and stir up a lot of discussion (his latest posts seem to do that well). So I invite you all to say hello! Give us an email, listen to some of our stuff, watch our videos - and by all means leave some comments!

2006-11-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Now or Later.

I was reading this section this morning and Jesus' words really stood out to me. Thought I would point them out to you also:

John 5:1-15 - After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your pallet and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and walk'?" But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you." The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Jesus, as an apocalypticist (everything he did, said, thought, preached was in light of the coming Kingdom), I doubt was just thinking that something bad would happen later to the man, that he would get sick again or worse perhaps. His view was in light of the coming judgment day. Only moments later he will tell those who questioned him that "an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth; those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29)." Jesus' perspective was beyond the current situation because he knew the state of the world and mankind itself.

Are we willing to adopt this perspective as well? Are you looking to help someone today and ignore helping them be saved from dying? Are you worried about a person fitting in or about a person escaping fire? Are we concerned about the people around us being comfortable than their current condemnation? Are we fearful of a man or of God?

John 3:36 (HSCB) - The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Mankind has a bigger problem than the trials of this life. Where man stands today is on the wrong side of the wrath of a just God. The Kingdom of God is coming and something much worse than any trial, suffering, illness or problem will hit many. Jesus was concerned with the greater issue, even bigger than healing the man from his illness. Unless a sinner is forgiven of their crimes tragedy awaits. Men need Jesus' sacrifice. Badly. This is what Jesus was speaking about.

That is why Jesus said "do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you/repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand." Jesus had to tell him this because this was the bigger issue. It remains the world's biggest and most critical issue today as well. That is what we must preach the GOSPEL. How will men know they need to flee from their sin unless they are told? Do we expect our good deeds to indicate to them their fate? Will they forsake their evil because of our smiles and handshakes? Will they repent because of the meals they eat in our homes?

Do not stop your good works. Keep smiling and shaking hands. Never cease to be hospitable. But start preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and repentance in light that.

Jesus was obsessed with the age to come. He lived in light of it. He spoke about it. He prayed for it. He died because of it. He was resurrected to be in it. He will return to rule it. This was his purpose, his driving force, his goal. It is what shaped his outlook and worldview. It would seem that his followers should share the purpose of their Lord.

Although it is sad to even have to mention this - the gospel is necessary for salvation. The followers of Christ must heart it, think it, learn it, and speak it. Do not assume you know it already. This might be what is keeping you back from speaking it. Let God teach you as you read and meditate on the words of Jesus and his disciples. Doing this now enables you, like Jesus, to deal with the earnest issue that is facing each man later.

Mark 8:36-38 - "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

A good question to answer yourself about the people you are around and yourself as well.

Go now and tell them they need to stop sinning.
Before it is too late - please.
For the love of God.

2006-11-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

Strangers and Pilgrims.

It seems as if people do not seriously follow what Jesus commands. If people who call themselves “Christian” really followed what he taught, they would be living a lot different than they do now. Jesus was radical. Radical because he taught the words which when followed would cause one to be completely different from the world they lived in. Those who follow Jesus’ teachings should in fact look strange compared to those they live among. The Messiah taught about selling what you have so you could give to those who didn’t have. He told his disciples to love their enemies apart from their conditions. Jesus told them to go into the world and preach the news of his Father’s coming Kingdom. He expected that those who followed after him would stick out in this world as he did. Why isn’t this happening?

“Christians” are fitting in just fine to the world – thinking that by intermingling with the world the world will be more like them.

“Christians” are gaining more wealth while their poor and suffering brothers struggle – thinking that it is God who has blessed them with their wealth and those without it must be doing something wrong.

“Christians” are leading their nations at war, are encouraging others to sign up and are violent and angry – thinking that their nations are Godly nations, wars are just, and meekness is a sign of weakness.

When I think of the idea of a stranger or pilgrim outside of the Biblical idea, I think of one who is different from the people they are living among. I think of someone who speaks a different language. I think of someone who has customs and traditions that are uncommon from their neighbors. They live in their new land but are identified with the land which they came from or were returning to.

Why when these ideas and words are translated into Christianity so few think they are what God has in mind for His people awaiting the Kingdom?

Instead of speaking the language of the Gospel of the Kingdom, few are even speaking and others have tried to change the message to make it “relevant.” Instead of following the words of Jesus and living in light of his return, changes are made to soften the hardness of his words and their implications. Instead of being identified as a citizen in waiting and a king in training, compromises are made in order to look like everyone else.

Jesus’ words are designed to prepare his people for his return. For most, the return of the Messiah to the earth will be a terrible event. Those in power will be overthrown. Those in authority will be made subject. Those who have rejected him will be rejected by him. The servants and the children will be exalted to rule the world with the King of the world. Jesus’ commands are intended by him to ensure those who will follow them entrance into the gates of the city. The implications of disobedience, self-promotion, and pride are alarming.

That is why the words of the Christ are the words of life. When adhered to they transform the doer from being a part of this age to a person living for the next. They were specifically given by the master who knows what characteristics he wants in his everlasting Kingdom. His commandments are good and right and life-giving.

So why change them? Why not follow them as he intended? Is the fear of being looked at as different or foolish in this age bigger than shame and everlasting contempt in your mind? You choose which age you belong to by following the commands of the leader of either one. You will fit in well to the age you belong.

Look around you.
Do people speak evil of you…
Do people insult you…
Do people hate you…
Do people ostracize you…
Do people curse you…
Do people mock you…
Do people put you down…
Do people exclude you…

Because you are his follower?
Good.

2006-11-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

Head-Knowledge.

I hate that word. For a long time now I have been hearing that word used. It isn't used to define the word "understanding." It isn't used to point out an aspect of Christianity that is important to have. That word (and its companions) is used to cheapen the gospel itself. The use of this word draws a line between Bible reading and study/understanding history/learning the words of Jesus/parables/memorizing a passage of Scripture and the so-called "simple" things like "love," "practical application," "the spirit of God," and walking by it. Why has this happened?

I know that there is a genuine concern about people who learn a lot to become conceited or arrogant. I imagine we have met someone in our life that was like that. But why isn't arrogance and pride our common foe? Why instead do we slander doctrine and truth to build our case for humility and simplicity? Why not confront haughtiness and embrace learning instead?

I hear this word used from our pulpits, from our fellowship coordinator armchairs and read it in our writings. But I find it strange that our Lord and his companions didn't speak of this word as evil. Jesus so often was concerned with the motive of the man's heart. However, he never set on one side the knowledge and on the other the application of that knowledge. It was all the same. They were united like faith and works, breath and life. There is no teaching of Jesus that is not practical. There is no proverb or prophecy that should not shape our life. There is no description or genealogy that should not give us vision and breed excitement. God does not separate doctrine and practice, things important amongst things trivial. Why do those who desire to follow that same God make that make a distinction for Him?

I think we understand by now the importance of love and the dangers of its absence. So does there remain a fear that if we learn more we will lose our love? As we know Paul speaks about the situation when knowledge without love "puffs up." But then Peter tells us that we must add to our "moral excellence, knowledge." Jesus told the religious leaders to not get caught up in dividing things into the minutest detail and yet forgetting the weightier matters of the law such as justice, mercy and the love of God. But then he says that one should do the major things while not neglecting the others. I have heard sermon after sermon on the new way to worship God – in spirit and in truth – and have been instructed time and time again to not neglect the spirit that God has placed inside of me while I have never heard one single sermon on the "worship God in truth" part of that same statement.

What are we afraid of? Becoming haughty like our predecessors and former colleagues? There may be good reason to be aware of our history and be on our guard, but let us be on guard against arrogance, pride, haughtiness, egotism, conceit and the like while yearning for understanding, delighting in doctrine, wishing for wisdom, and treasuring truth.

It is the love of the truth that will separate those saved and those not. Hopefully we can get this knowledge in our heads.

2006-09-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

I Recall Central Park In Fall.

WERT - Saturday 8/26

WERT Weather Report - Cloudy with blue skies peeking at times. Warm temperatures.
____________________

As we got off the bus we headed to the subway. We were planning on heading over to Central Park via the subway. We connected again as a group and made sure we didn't lose anyone from the bus to the subway. We all were kind of dazed and wide-eyed walking through the station. We each purchased a Metrocard that would give us our ride now and one return trip.

While on line Sean was able to speak for about five minutes with a man who was from Mozambique. Sean, having gone there a few years ago was able to connect with him well and eventually exchange emails for further communication. It is amazing how God puts you in the right place with someone who you will be able to connect with.

John had worked in the city a few years ago and he was our default guide to which subway we needed. As I noted in a previous post, public transportation is a great place to talk to people (mainly because there are people there). In the 10 mins we were either waiting for the train or traveling I was able to start conversations with two people very easily. "Is this the train that will take me to Central Park." "How long have you lived in NYC", etc. As Sean has noted before we must become masters at starting conversations. Using your surroundings and current circumstances usually work well for me.

The seven of us got off the subway and walked up to the street. We were in the southern corner of the park I believe near Columbus Circle (the large statue of Christopher Columbus gives that away). Nathan and I thought that perhaps this area would be a good place to do some open air preaching if we ended up doing that. Platform to stand on, plenty of people, etc. We ended up gathering together at another statute (all gold - a woman and three horses) and decided this would be the place we would meet @ 2:30pm that afternoon after we were done witnessing (It was just after 10:30am now).

We gathered in a circle and began to pray. I believe Sean read some verses and I prayed. Nathan prayed as well. My cell phone rang during prayer. It was my brother Joe calling so I opened the phone and pointed it towards Sean and Nathan. After the prayer I spoke to Joe for a min about where he was in relation to where he was. Joe was the lone area contact meeting up with us.

We broke up into smaller groups. Chad and Jaired went off together, Nathan and Sal as well. That left John, Sean and I together. Knowing that would be too much for people to handle, we would have to break that group up when Joe came ;-). Sean and John had the camera and were going to start interviewing people. I split from them and spotted someone to talk to beside the roadway in the park. No cars were on the road, only hundreds of people jogging.

I approached a young man (maybe early 20's) standing by the crosswalk and started a conversation. I told him we were in the park today trying to get people's thoughts on what happens when they die. He smiled when I asked him that and our conversation began.

Jorge is the assistant cross country coach for John Jay College in NYC. I knew the John Jay was famous for criminal justice and I asked him if that was his major. I was able to take him through the law of God and ask him how he stood in light of God's standards. Initially he said that he was a "good person" but after the questions he admitted that in fact (after he had broken each of the commands I presented) he was not a good person in God's eyes. He was very honest.

Jorge then shared with me some personal things weighing on his mind. Though he moved away from the focus being on him as he spoke, it was such a big deal to him that he had to talk with someone about how he was hurting.

Get this -
Jorge's girlfriend had just cheated on him.

With a married man.

While she was on a missionary trip.

And that Jorge had raised all the money for her to be able to go.

Wow.

I expressed my sadness to hear of something like this and I asked him how he felt about what had happened. He said he felt sad and angry. How could someone do this to him after all he had done for her?! He was noticeably shaken. He continued to talk about what had happen for a while. I understood his feelings but I did not want to get side tracked from the bigger issue at hand - his standing with God.

He had already admitted that if God judged him based on His standards, he would be guilty and his destination would be the lake of fire. He said that this did concern him. He seemed serious about this too. He said he was raised with a "Christian" background but he had not been following it at all now.

So I asked him again how he felt.

- "Sad,...angry"
- "Especially because of all that you had done for her."
- "Yes! Exactly"
- "Jorge....that is exactly how God feels about you. He has done so much for you, to give you life and breath and you have committed adultery against him. Idolatry with the things of the world, even when you know you shouldn't have.
- ".........."

Jorge was very convicted after that. He even physically expressed contrition. And then he said the following:

"So what are you saying I should do?"

Wow! I didn't even know what to say - nobody had ever said that before...lol. It reminded me of Acts 2 after the people were pricked in their hearts by Peter's words - "what shall we do to be saved?"

I told him that he needed to repent. I told him that he needed to ask God to forgive him and make Jesus the Lord of his life by following His words. I expressed to him that God was willing to accept Jesus' payment for his sins instead if he would do this.

Then I asked him if he wanted to pray and he said said yes. He bowed his head and prayed silently. When he was done, he looked up and shook his head. Then he asked me "do I need to forgive my ex-girl friend?" I told him that Jesus said that unless we forgive others, we ourselves will not be forgiven. I told him that it doesn't make what she did right, but you need to forgive even still. He said he would. I asked him if he had a Bible and he said yes. I told him to read Matthew 5,6,7 as that gives a good overview of what Jesus wants him to do.

I will probably never see Jorge again. But you know what, I am confident that the LORD can work in his life still. I believe that if Jorge reads the Bible, God is big enough to show him the truth. I believe that God is powerful enough to continue to work with Jorge beyond our conversation. He isn't coming to my church or my fellowship. But he is going to read the Bible and ask God to help him understand it. I have faith in a God that big, that powerful.

If you only have a few moments with someone, do you know what you will say to them to get them thinking, to pierce their hearts, to lead them to repent because they are currently enemies of God? We need to know that and then we need to pray for the people we speak to. Pray that God can give the increase. Pray that God can overcome our frailties of speech and unclear words.

Jorge left and I gave him some more info, including my contact information. I turned and prayed for him and praised God for helping me as I spoke. Wow. That was awesome.

As I turned and looked for someone else to talk to I saw John and Sean in a great conversation with some runners. Then I looked to my left and I saw Joe walking up towards us. I was so excited. Joe traveled from his apartment in Long Island to meet up with us and preach the gospel together. Nothing that is going to encourage you like that. We greeted each other and then looked to head off and preach together.

The park was full of people (the harvest is plenteous).
We were on our way...(the laborers are few)

Pray the Lord of harvest that He would send more laborers.

______________
WERT Weather Report - Into the park, the day is getting nicer and nicer.

2006-09-09T23:52:00.000-05:00

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round.

WERT - Saturday Morning 8/26

WERT Weather Report - Rain overnight but now "misting" in Old Tappan, NJ. Overcast
___________________

We woke up Saturday morning around 7:00am. The groggy rush began to get a shower, get ready and head down for breakfast (Susie had prepared a delicious frittata-like breakfast). Our schedule had us leaving the house around 8:30 or so to make it to the bus to NYC on time. We had some quick fellowship with Hugh and Susie around the breakfast table and packed up the van. As we got into the van, Hugh asked me if I could spare some Kingdom tracts, he was really excited in light of what we were about to do. It was great to see how sharing with him what we had seen Friday night and what we were planning for today encouraged him.

This was it. We all had a sense of excitement mixed with tiredness as we drove to the Baker's Wife Bakery parking lot. Nathan prayed on the way to the bus stop. He was very passionate, as usual. This is where we would leave the van for the weekend as we shifted to public transportation to make the rest of our trip. The exciting thing about taking the public transportation was that we were intending to preach the gospel each time we traveled. There was no down time on this trip. After all, we were not on vacation, we were working.

We walked through a back alleyway and waited only a few mins in front of a storefront. There was a barber shop across the street that was packed. I mentioned to Nathan that I though this was odd for an early Saturday morning. I guess it was just odd for me being that I am not usually up this early on Saturdays. A few people waited with us for the bus and confirmed we were in the right spot. As the bus approached Hugh said goodbye and the seven of us paid our $6.75 and boarded the bus.

Initially it was tough on the bus leaving Tappan. There seemed to be more of us then "them" on the bus and it felt awkward at first. Sean, John, and Sal sat up front. Chad and I chose the middle. Nathan and Jaired went to the back. It was really quiet at first. There were a few people on the bus - no more than 10 - and most of them were either sleeping or sitting in an unapproachable way.

For the first few mins of the ride (the ride into NYC was going to be a little over an hour) I sat silent. I remember thinking that there might not be anyone for me to talk to, so at least I had the desire to speak, that was good. Actually Victor, no, that was an excuse. But knowing the trip was going to take a while, I didn't mind letting people wake up a bit and get used to the sun in their eyes.

Chad was in a seat near me so we started talking to each other a bit. At first I felt like I wasn't "supposed" to talk to him but we went back and forth for a few mins with him pretending to witness to me. We laughed a bit but then we got serious as more and more people started getting on the bus.

A great opening line was to ask someone "excuse me, do you know how long it takes to get to NYC? This is my first time on this bus." I think it is important to think about your surroundings/situation and use them as openers. The first person I spoke to didn't speak English well. She was from Moldova, a place I was unfamiliar with even as a History major (ha ha). I was able to understand from her that Moldova is near Romania and Ukraine.

I was able to continue the conversation by asking her next something like "do you take this bus a lot?

- Yes.
- Do you go into the city for work?
- Yes I do.
- Oh, what do you do?
- I am a secretary.
- Oh that's neat. How long have you lived in the US?
- 5 years.
- Oh wow, that's great. Do you like it here?
- Yes, the jobs are better here for sure.
- Do you miss being back home?
- Well yes, I miss my family and friends the most.
- I bet. Is it hard to live there now?
- Yes, many challenges.
- I am sorry I don't know more about your country. Is Moldova a religious county?

(BOOM - now you are in. You turned from the natural to the spiritual. The most important thing to remember is to keep the conversation going and to be looking for a way to shift it.)

It was very hard to communicate with her and we were not able to continue much more because of the language issue but I thought it might be good to give her a Kingdom tract and I asked her to take the time to read it.

Meanwhile, the bus was filling up and as a result the other 6 were in conversation. Chad had moved to the back of the bus and was in a very in depth conversation. Jaired had started to talk to an Indian man behind him but the man didn't want to talk anymore once Jaired moved into religion. I tried to talk to the guy also hoping the strike the conversation again to get Jaired back into something with him but he refused.

There was a business man now sitting to my left reading a newspaper. He had previously asked if the bag on my chair (I had gotten up to talk to the Indian fellow) was saving a seat or not. Now back in my seat (after much mental wrestling) I turned to him and asked if he took this bus a lot. He said "yes, why" and I said well, I thought that you might sit here each morning and I had taken your seat, sorry about that. He said that wasn't the case and then went back to reading his paper.

A min or two passed and my brother Chad out of nowhere gives on of his famous one-liners (although it is so famous I don't even remember what it was) and get the business man talking. The conversation went fairly well although the man was quite stubborn about calling someone who tells lies a liar. He believed in God but didn't think Christianity was the truth. He thought there might be something after this life, but doubtful. We arrived to the Port authority and Chad asked if he would read the tract he wrote about the Bible being true and reliable. He said he would. We didn't get to actually preach the gospel to him, but we definitely challenged him to consider the Bible as true. The bus ride was over. The time had passed very quickly. I am pretty sure that each of us got to talk to someone which was encouraging to me. Everyone wanted to follow through with our mission.

We got off the bus and were now in New York City. Our wallets moved to our front pockets. The sun was now up fully. So were we. And our day was really just beginning.

______________
WERT Weather Report - Out of the bus and into the open air of NYC - sunny with clouds. No rain.

2006-08-31T08:16:00.000-05:00

7 men.
4 states.
3 days.
1 gospel.

WERT - Friday Evening 8/25

Jess and I headed down to New Paltz (NP) to meet up with our fellow evangelists. New Paltz is one of the most God-less towns I know. NP gets some of its fame from being the only town in New York State that performed same-sex marriages. The main street is lined with small shops and restaurants (places you can get bongs, tattoos, and Thai food). It is a small little town full of life in upstate NY. As we arrived in NP we get a call from Sal asking us where we were and we plan to meet up with him and Rose at the Mobil downtown.

One of the coolest things we saw on the trip was the sight of the small main street area of NP full of Kingdom-preachers. Jess and I were about an hour later than everyone else in getting to NP and as we drove down main street we saw our people on every side speaking the gospel. Sean and Jim T. preaching to a muslim on the left drawing a small group of listeners, Obo and Jim F. waiting to get into a new conversation, Jaired and Heather B. videoing on the street corner. It was awesome.

We got out of the car and met up with Rose T. and Sal. Jess went with her mom and Sal and I headed down the streets. We were really excited.

Sal and I started up the street, he told me how things had been going so far. The two of us spoke to a few people:

Blonde kid sitting on the street - This young man who I forget his name had been approached by a few of our people already that night. He was sitting on the corner of the street leaning against a building. He said that he traveled to NP each summer because the people were friendly there (this was evidenced by a random car full of college students driving around the corner and throwing him a new pack of Parliament cigarettes after shouting his name). He said that he was a "born again Christian" for some time now. This was an interesting statement in light of the alcohol that was strong on his breath and the word tattooed on his hand that started with the letter "f" and ending with "k". Sal and I told him that if he was a Christian in fact he had to follow Jesus' teachings if he was his Lord. We read him Luke 6:46 which he had never heard before he said. He said drinking was not a big deal and we told him that in fact it was to God. After a few minutes of talking to him his friend (whose face was completely tattooed) arrived and told him about a few of the parties that he knew about that night to which our "born again Christian" friend replied "hell yeah." We ended out conversation quickly after that and moved down the street.

Moses & Karl - older man from NC heading with his daughter to her home in NYC. He considered himself a Christian but didn't know about Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom. He seemed very interested when we told him that the destiny of those faithful to Christ's teaching was to be in paradise and not heaven. We used Matthew 5:5, the Lord's prayer, Revelation 5:9-10 and other points to show him this and stressed the fact that there is no place in the Bible that speaks of the righteous going to heaven. We also tried to encourage him to be faithful to Jesus' commands....things were progressing very well, until..............the Trailways bus showed up and gave them a reason to leave!!!!! Perhaps we should have gotten on with them and met up with the crew in NYC the next day...oh well, next time maybe.

After Moses and Karla we walked the streets looking for someone else to speak to. There were a few bars full of revelers and older people leaving restaurants.

Max - Sal and I spoke to was a young man who had pulled up his minivan to park near where we were walking. We approached him and asked for his thoughts on life after death. He was looking for the Thai restaurant to pick up the food he had ordered and wanted to move on. We told him we would be more than happy to walk with him. He was a musician who was in NP from Westchester NY to do some recording. We were able to take him through the good person test thoroughly and left him to think about whether he would be innocent or guilty and left him to think about that when he went to pick up his food inside the restaurant. Sal and I were happy to wait for him outside ;-). Max got his food and he said that he would probably heading towards hell if God judged him based on His standards. He said he never really thought about that before and that "I guess it concerns me." Sal and I endeavored to appeal to him to repent because of the inevitable destruction that awaited him. Before he got back into his car he told us that his "Jewish mother wouldn't be too happy if he converted to Christianity." I told him that the Jewish Messiah would be though.......(okay, I didn't say that but that would have been cool). I did tell him that Yeshua was the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures and was coming to establish the Davidic kingdom. We gave him a Kingdom tract and he drove off.

We headed back to meet with our excited crewmates who had finished up their preaching also.

We had some quick debriefing with the people who had met up with us (It was so cool to see the excitement on the faces of Rose T., Jim T, Sue V. and Pat B. who had both had great experiences with Chad and Nathan respectively.)

We quickly needed to head out though, it was already almost 10pm and we needed to get to the Knowltons in Old Tappan, NJ. We climbed in Sal LiPuma's minivan he had donated to us for the weekend

Front Seats - Sean Finnegan and John Obelenus
Middle Row - Nathan Crowder and Chad Lenseth
Back Row - Jaired Crofut, Victor Gluckin, and Sal LiPuma, III

We arrived at the Knowlton's just after 11pm. Hugh and Susie were so welcoming and hospitable (including the famous Knowlton cookies and a bed for each of us). We talked a bit and then figured out sleeping arrangements before heading to bed. Sal was on the phone with Jacqui Murphy and Onye Kline trying to get them to come and meet us in the city the next day to preach with us but it didn't look like they were going to join us. I made a quick call to Joe Testa who was planning on meeting up with me at Central Park. He said he was all set to come and would call me in the morning.

I was going to sleep in John Knowlton's old room and Sean had already graciously taken the floor in the room giving me the full size bed in the room. Sean was tired and went to be rather quickly (as his manner is) knowing that we had to be up in 7hours (it was now past midnight). I stayed up a little while after him full of excitement.

I packed my bag for the next morning, transferring my larger bag for into my back pack to have all I needed for the rest of the weekend. We would take with us only what we needed. Clothes for Sunday, bathroom things, tracts, cards, a camera and Bible. Everything I had I need to carry with some ease on my back for the next 48hrs. It was a great feeling to be up alone that night thinking about the next day and all that was planned. I couldn't even sleep. Too much excitement.

As I closed up my bag ready for the next day I thought to myself as got into the bed

"This is what I want to do the rest of my life."

___________
WERT Weather Report - No rain yet, but possible showers overnight

2006-08-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

WERT - Weekend Evangelism RoadTrip

From New Paltz to NJ to NYC to DE to PA to NYC to NJ to NYS to RI

The LORD showed up this weekend on our trip to preach the gospel of the Kingdom and challenge men to repent. It was great to meet up with our Kingdom people in the Hudson Valley and in NYC and DE/PA, be shown true Christian hospitality, sing praises with the brethren....all along the way of declaring the judgment of the Kingdom that is coming soon and for those whose hearts were pierced, telling them the way to escape and end up in paradise...

Any more thoughts?

2006-02-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

Our Father, we pray for

a part in Thy Kingdom,

when Jesus rules the world

with wisdom and power,when pain and sorrow

shall be no more.

We remember in love all

those who are near and

dear to us.

May we be helpedand encouraged to press

on to Thy Kingdom until our

travelling days are done.

- George Hale

2006-02-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

Welcome to HGO.