morenoble

Baptism of Fire

2011-12-13T20:56:00.001-06:00

"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

Matt. 3:11

John the Baptist prophesied that the Messiah would come with a baptism of the Holy Spirit and with "fire". Jesus said in Mark 9: 49:

" For every one will be salted with fire. "

Jesus is also quoted in Luke 12:49:

"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; ⁵² for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³ they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

When one asks most believers about the baptism of fire, it has been my experience that most of the time you get that "deer caught in the headlights" look. We understand that water baptism is the start of the new birth process and that when one is baptized we are promised the "gift of the Holy Spirit" ( Acts 2:38). But what is Jesus talking about in the above verses?

To begin to understand the divine a believer must empty oneself to seek a purity of heart. The best way to begin that process is with silence. In our society today this is anathema. Look around and you will see that humanity must fill the airwaves at all times with conversation, music, and discussion. We are connected at all of our waking hours when we drive our cars or when we go for a walk with our headsets. To completely unplug from the world one has to take extraordinary steps in our modern society of i phones and instant communication. Hebrews 12: 29 declares that our "God is a consuming fire." It was no accident that Yahweh appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Deity and fire are connected in the revelation of God's entry into our time and space. And, the same is true with Jesus. To be "salted" with fire is for every saint to come into contact with God. How does this happen? It occurs in a myriad of ways when faith is actualized in one's life. It can occur in worship. It occurs at baptism and when a believer partakes of the Lord's supper. And, it can occur in the ordinary day of each believer's life in something as simple as giving a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus to someone who is thirsty. But, it does not happen by accident. It is preceded by faith. Jesus would often withdraw to a place of solitude to pray. If the Son of God needed this time while on earth how can we expect to do God's will without following his example? Prayer changes the one who prays. It is the most fundamental way that one can partake of the divine nature. As one matures in faith a believer begins to pray without ceasing. It becomes a "point of view" that is instantly recognized in the cosmic battle of good and evil. No wonder the our Lord told his disciples, "Let he who has ears hear." If one wants to gain one's spiritual ears we need to draw near to the Lord and listen for His Word.

In my experience I believe that the fire is often preceded by what some would call the dark night of the soul. Sometimes when we feel the most abandoned and desolate, this is when we come closer to the divine. Death, disease, loss of relationships, a material loss of great magnitude, or separation can trigger a bleakness that creates a void in one's soul. Any of these events can trigger a journey of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The irony is that it is exactly at those times when one can begin to experience the comfort of being led by the Great Shepherd. Do not doubt that these experiences will cause division. But, the fire is one's firsthand experience of knowing the love of God within one's heart.

Paul tells the church in Corinth that their work will be tested by fire:

Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- ¹³ each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

It is only with this understanding that one can make sense out of Jame's admonition in the first chapter of his book to "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials.." Without this understanding one would simply be a masochist. Jesus understood in the Garden of Gethsemane what it took to accept the Will of the divine by going to the cross. Each believer will have to pick up one's own cross to follow Him. But, without the fire from above, this is impossible.

The prophet Isaiah frames the question in Chapter 33:

"Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?"

The answer is then given:

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil, ¹⁶ he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure.

Trust and Obey

2011-08-27T07:43:00.003-05:00

"I, I am he that comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, ¹³ and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth....."

Isaiah 51:12-13

From the very beginning God only wanted what was best for his creation. Adam and Eve walked in the Garden and discoursed with God. Being made in His image they were give the power of choice. Without choice we are no different from any other of God's created beings in the animal kingdom. What sets mankind apart from all other created beings is that God created us "in His image". The power to love by definition includes the power of choice. Love has to be a free a gift or it is not love.

In the midst of this ideal creation enters the Tempter who was supposed to be a Guardian. In his rebellion he tempts Adam and Eve to look upon the "knowledge of Good and Evil" so that they can be like God. That desire is the basis of all sin. I will choose what I want because it pleases me is the way every human being enters the world as a child. We can't get away from it. It is always there lurking in each of us in the form of self justification. It is the "wolf" within each of us. Just when one thinks he or she can control it, it breaks forth and causes devastation to relationships. God gave us law that was to be like a school teacher. Law can create boundaries to help us avoid destruction; but, in the end law can never save us from ourselves. We each fall short and miss the mark.

Forgiveness is the oil that allows healing and restoration of relationships. When we live by the law of an "eye for eye" and a "tooth for a tooth" we end up in a society of blind and toothless people. Love allows for the possibility of choice. Only love can let one "turn the other cheek". It is a choice that is empowered by God who places within each of us the desire to know Him. We live in a cosmos of pain and suffering. We were made for eternity and community. So how do we get there?

It begins with a single relationship. First we have to trust that the Creator who made us and who desires a relationship with His created. So how does one find that relationship. Second, it begins with doing what He tells us to do. The result is that even in the midst of the most intense pain and suffering it creates "comfort". It is a peace that passes all understanding. That relationship is blocked by fear. What is the worst fear that one can have? One might be tempted to think that death is the greatest fear? However, I believe that what is even worse than death is life without purpose or meaning. We "forget" that the one who made us desires for us to be His children. The good news is that God has not forgotten us. His invitation to return is there for those who wish to turn away and to seek His face. Sharing that message is what it is all about. In the end we will be asked if we "trusted" and "obeyed"?

Lord of the Sabbath

2011-05-24T05:27:00.002-05:00

¹ At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." ³ He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? ⁶ I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

Matt. 12:1-8

I love this small obscure passage that shares such an important message. The teachers of the law in his day had determined that these actions by his disciples contravened "their understanding" of what was appropriate on the Lord's day. Today, I hear such talk about what we do or don't do on Sunday mornings during worship. I believe that the point of this story is that God is more concerned about fulfilling a basic human need like hunger than he is about the technicalities of the Sabbath observance.

First, we need to understand that Jesus never broke the laws of God. He makes it very clear that the "Son of man is the lord of the Sabbath" in verse 8. What those who disapproved of his disciple's actions were objecting to was a violation of their interpretations of what they deemed to be the law. In other words, they had "added" to the law. These were man made rules that had become law to the religious establishment of his day. The same thing is true today. There are many things which believers bind upon people to observe in all churches which are not commanded by God, but are the result of customs within our culture which we have grown up with and are interpretations imposed by men. Learning to distinguish the difference is critical. This is the same answer that Peter and the apostles gave to the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:29:

"We must obey God rather than any human authority."

Second, Jesus answered the criticism of the Pharisees by quoting from the prophet Hosea. He told them if they had understood Hosea, they would NOT have objected! Hosea spoke for God when he said, "I desire mercy not sacrifice". The passage in Hosea ends with, "...and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings". The significance of this statement of Jesus is far reaching in its application to our worship services today and to how we live our lives.

Third, what Jesus is proclaiming is that God is more interested in our being aware of and addressing human need than He is in our formal actions which we call worship. He is more interested in our recognition of His presence in our everyday life and interactions with people. This is much more important than anything we do with our hands that we call worship. In simple words, it means that one cannot acceptably worship God with our hands and our mouth if our minds and our hearts are not attuned to Him. We need to be more concerned with the plight of those who suffer in our daily walk. It is the story of the Good Samaritan. When one comes across a basic human need, one needs to act upon it. It is about God and NOT about us! Instead churches are full of self-absorbing people who are more worried about what songs we sing, or what we do between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. This may appeal to our desires and our feelings; but, we are not the ones to be pleased with worship.

Jesus is giving us a picture of the nature of God. The Bible says that God loved the world. What does this mean? The world in this case means the creatures God made and placed in this world. His love is not something that pleases Him or of which He is the proud possessor. It is the love of compassion and concern. It is the love of the Father who wants the best for his sons and daughters. This is not for the father; but, for His children. This is why mercy and grace, and being concerned for one's neighbor is more important than the naval gazing of the self absorbed. This is the message of Jesus who says "If you have seen me you have seen the Father".

I fear that all the discussions about public worship betrays the way we live our Christian life. We focus on creating services to satisfy our needs to feel religious and pander to our desire to be accepted by Him; but, we often miss the mark of what does God want? I believe the answer to that is that our Lord wants us to be more concerned with human need than pious words and religious pretense. Our daily lives need to be focused on a sincere desire to please Him and Him alone. Whenever we let our time at church become a ritual that represents our "religious life" allowing us to put God in the background in our day to day life, we have lost our way.

2011-05-15T07:28:00.003-05:00

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalms 34:18-19

Why is it that good people find themselves struggling with all sorts of heartaches, disease, and the failings of the flesh. The irony of life is that we learn more about the divine when we are in the valley than when we experience the thrill of the mountaintop. Even Jesus had to learn in this manner.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 2:10

I keep wanting to know why God could not have chosen another less hurting manner for us to learn more about him? In the end however, that is like the clay asking the potter "why". It is the same scene of Job before the Lord in the 38th chapter of the book of Job. The answer is found in James 5:13. Is anyone among you suffering? Then let him pray. The answers do not come from the outside. They are revealed internally through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have the promise given to us in the Word of the Lord revealed in his Psalms quoted above. The Lord delivers us all if we seek Him first with all of our heart, soul, strength and might. Let us begin by seeking the truth.

2011-05-02T22:09:00.004-05:00

¹⁷ Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; ¹⁸ lest the LORD see it, and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him. ¹⁹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked; ²⁰ for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out. Proverbs 24: 17-20

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome and told them:

^"1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. "

This would be the same government that would later execute the writer of this passage for his belief in Jesus as Messiah. Governments are ordained by God to punish wrongdoers. But, the passage in Proverbs quoted above warns us about rejoicing over a fallen enemy. I think the reason is straightforward. Vengeance is the prerogative of God and not the individual. Governments hold authority granted by God; but, the children of God are not to partake in the blood lust of vengeance. Or, again as the apostle Paul instructs the church:

¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." ²⁰ No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-20. Praying for one's enemies is not the way of the world; but, it is the way of the cross. Marantha!

Prophecies of Christ's Death and Resurrection in the Old Testament

2011-04-20T07:23:00.003-05:00

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced…" -Zechariah 12:10

"…Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:" - Luke 24:46

John the Baptist lived in the wilderness and wore camel's hair and ate locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:4). Yet by the Spirit, John recognized the true purpose of Jesus of Nazareth from the beginning. Before Jesus' ministry had even started. John introduced Jesus to the crowds in John 1:29, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John the Baptist revealed the truth of God's revelation in the Wilderness.

After his resurrection, Jesus met two men on the road to Emmaus. He listened as they struggled to understand the events which they had witnessed. He expected them to already understand through the Scriptures that Christ was meant to suffer and die. "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself," (Luke 24:26-27).

We would all have loved to be there on the road to Emmaus that day, walking with the resurrected Jesus himself as he detailed the different prophecies that concerned his death and resurrection. Still, the apostles and other New Testament writers do a good job of filling us in. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies and types of Jesus' suffering and death and resurrection as payment for the sins of the world, and the New Testament points those out.

Psalm 16:8-11
Simon Peter starts out on the day of Pentecost explaining that Jesus the Messiah had risen from the dead, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it," (Acts 2:24). Peter then pulled from the Psalms to prove the truth of his testimony.

"For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." -Act 2:24-32

Psalm 22:
The sacrifice and resurrection of the Messiah are throughout the Old Testament. Psalm 22, written by King David a millennium before Christ, gives us the very perspective of the Lord hanging on the cross. It describes how the people mocked Christ (Psalm 22:7-8; Mat 27:41-43), how they cast lots to divide up his clothes (Psalm 22:18;Mat 27:35), how his bones were out of joint (Psalm 22:14), how the wicked had surrounded him and pierced his hands and feet (Psalm 22:16) – the scars of which Thomas later got to touch and feel (John 20:27). Psalm 22 ends by saying God's righteousness would be declared to "a people that shall be born" (Psalm 22:31).

The Sign of Jonah:
The Bible is also full of types and foreshadowings. Jesus Christ is throughout the Old Testament in a variety of details. For instance, before his death and resurrection, Jesus offered simply the "sign of Jonah" as a foreshadowing of how long he would be dead.

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." - Matt 12:40

Isaiah 53:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 offers one of the most profound prophecies in the entire Old Testament, written over 700 years before Christ's death and resurrection.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."- Isaiah 53:3-6

Some have argued that this passage refers to Israel, but in the context that explanation makes little sense. Isaiah clearly says in verse 53:8, "for the transgression of my people was he stricken." That is, "he" stands in contrast to Israel, Isaiah's people.

In the next verse, Isaiah says: "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."

It cannot be said of Israel that there was no deceit in the mouth of the nation.

On the other hand, Jesus was crucified between two thieves (Mark 15:27), and yet was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathaea, a wealthy man with enough standing to go ask Pilate for Jesus' body (Mark15:43-46).

In Isaiah 53:10, we get a hint at a resurrection, because after his soul is made "an offering for sin" he will then "prolong his days."

In the end, Isaiah says in verse 12 that God would reward this righteous servant (numbered with the transgressors, but not one himself), "he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Our Redeemer Lives:
In the oldest book of the Bible, written even before Moses wrote the Pentateuch, Job prophesied from the ash heap where he suffered. He declared in verses 19:25-26:

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."

Passover:
These prophecies are just the beginning, of course. Exodus 12:1-28 describes the feast of Passover. It was set up as a type of Christ, one that gave the Hebrews an understanding of the use of a perfect lamb as a sacrifice, the blood of which would protect those under it from the wrath of God, the angel of death. The Jews were to prepare for the feast by removing all leaven from their homes, symbolic of removing sin from their lives.

Paul the scholar writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."

The Pure Spotless Lamb:
Peter describes how we are saved by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Just as John the Baptist understood, Jesus was the fulfillment of the Levitical system of blood sacrifice (e.g. Lev 8-9). Jesus was the true spotless lamb whose blood could take away sins. The sacrifice of bulls and goats could never take away sin, as the writer of Hebrews noted in verses 10:4-5, quoting Psalm 40:6:

"For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:"

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of humanity was not an afterthought of God. It was always the plan from the beginning. Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Throughout the Law and the Prophets, God revealed His eternal plan of redemption to mankind. In advance, He described the sacrifice and resurrection of the Messiah. It was a plan He had purposed before He had even formed humanity. He then accomplished it, and through Jesus Christ we have the victory now and forever.

Praise the King!

"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it." - Isaiah 25:8

Hope

2011-04-18T06:43:00.003-05:00

¹⁷ This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁸ "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets; ²⁰ he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory; ²¹ and in his name will the Gentiles hope."

Matt. 12: 17-21

One cannot live without hope. We each "hope" for a better tomorrow. It does not matter how old or how young we are, we each find those things that give us hope. For many, that hope gets dashed on a regular basis. When we lose our hope we fall into despair. It is important that we put our hope upon a solid foundation that will not disappoint us.

Sometimes our hope is for simple things. Like, getting through the night, the examination, the end of the week or for the safe passage of a loved one. But, it helps if one's hope can be in something larger than the here and now. I read the following quote on a young lady's blog who is struggling with stage 4 colon cancer.

HOPE is the ability to hear the music of the future...

FAITH is having the courage to dance to it today.

The New Testament proclaims that our hope as people of faith has to be in the God who made us. Nothing else is big enough. It is the rock upon which one can build their spiritual house. The passage above in Matthew which quotes Isaiah says that our hope is in the Messiah. Justice and mercy are joined in a way that brings victory over death. Our hope is built on nothing less.

2011-03-27T07:02:00.003-05:00

Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place..

Job 38:12

When I awoke this morning I went downstairs to go get the newspaper out of the driveway. I always like to pray early when I awake. As I stepped out into the cold air, I looked up and saw the moon in the sky at dawn. The words of the Lord to Job came to mind. Sometimes in the midst of the things we complain about (like snow storms in the spring) there are those moments of beauty and awe when the soul recognizes that it is not about us. God is still in control. And, he gives us those moments to "look up" and appreciate that even in the midst of lament, he provides great beauty if we only see with the eye of faith. May your day this day be about searching for the divine. We are made for eternity.

In the book of Hebrews we read that one cannot come to God unless one believes that God is, and that he rewards those who diligently seek Him. Believing in God is not just recognition of His existence...it is realizing He is the Creator and is absolute in knowledge, truth and power. Therefore, we are dependent upon Him for life and for everything which we have been given. He also invites us into his presence because he loves each and every one of us beyond our reason and understanding. When we pray we have the assurance that God always answers our prayers. This does not mean he answers them according to our will or wisdom; but, according tho His. He alone is absolute in knowledge and wisdom. He alone knows the things which are best for us. Let us continue to "pray without ceasing" and acknowledge the great I am.

2011-03-12T20:15:00.003-06:00

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

- Isaiah 40:28 KJV

The message of the Bible is that the story is not about "us". The revelation is that it is about Him. Without the revelation we would have no clue. It starts at "In the beginning....." and it ends with this passage:

¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." ¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood. ¹⁶ "I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." ¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. ¹⁸ I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹ and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

In the end we understand that we cannot comprehend it all. It is a story about Paradise lost and Paradise restored. The one who saves us and gives us life forfeited His own as a ransom for many. The only way we come into contact with this new life is to be born again by water and by spirit in faith. This is a serious topic. Eternity is a long time to be wrong about what is important in life. Our God is just and full of grace and mercy. In the end it is all up to Him. But, if anyone wants some insight, his Word is available for those who wish to discover for themselves what it says. The narrow road is the one that is less well traveled; but, it offers life for those who wish to seek Him in spirit and in truth. The unexamined life is not worth the effort.

2011-03-03T07:07:00.002-06:00

"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."

Hosea 4:1

The charge of the prophet Hosea against Israel sounds very familiar these days in our own culture and time. Biblical truth has diminished in our society over the past generation. There is no stigma associated with actions that the Bible calls "sin". While Jesus proclaimed that the "truth shall set you free" his revelation was that one had to live in accordance with the truth. This is contrasted to a society as in the days of Noah before the flood when evil ruled.

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

Ephesians 6 tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the " the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Our job is live in accordance with the truth, to show mercy and to be lights in a dark world that proclaims the truth of God's word. All of this is to be wrapped in love and fellowship within a spiritual community that embodies the power of God's Holy Spirit. Where do we find this? It is called the "church". If we want to be relevant and true to the proclamation of the Good News we need to do those things in each of lives that comports with good deeds and oppose evil.

Hypocrisy

2011-01-23T20:17:00.002-06:00

The church is supposed to be the body of Christ. But, for much of our history the church has failed. Our failure has left a bad taste in people's mouths. Our mistakes have led to a lack of credibility. Our messes have caused people to seek answers for this life elsewhere."

Are all Christians jerks? Are all self-righteous, judgmental hypocrites? Of course not. However, we do have a struggle through which we desperately need to triumph if we are to be the salt and light to the world that Jesus Christ called us to be. In our church bodies and in our personal lives, we need to resolve the following two verses:

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." - Matt 5:48

"But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." - Matt 9:13

Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on this painful planet. He is the image of the Creator, the Holy One of Israel, and we are called to be like him. "Be ye holy as I am holy," 1 Peter 1:16 reminds us. Christians strive for holiness, for righteousness and even for perfection, because that's what the Bible calls us to over and over again.

Yet, one of the big complaints we have all had against some Christians or church bodies is the sense of judgment and criticism we've met when we've failed to meet certain expectations. Sometimes, the judgment and criticism come from our own selves. Nobody wants to live a Christianity that feels like a constant guilt trip, a persistent nagging straitjacket of condemnation.

Jesus, in his perfection, in his holiness, never railed against sinners. He ate with sinners (Mark 2:15-17). They flocked to him. And here's the key - they changed just by being in his presence (Luke 19:2-8). The main group of people that Jesus contended with were not the prostitutes and tax collectors, they were the Pharisees (Matt. 23). They were those who tried to be perfect on their own. They were those who tried to earn God's favor by "looking good." And Jesus called them on it:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." - Matthew 23:23

The church needs to care about integrity and righteousness, but never with the attitude of earning God's love, or to just look good. It's always always got to be connected to our love for our Hero, the Savior of the world who gave everything for us. If our lives are devoted to knowing and loving Jesus, to simply obeying him moment-by-moment, then He will work His holiness through us by the power of His Spirit. In extension, He will love our fellow Christians and the rest of the world through us. Hear what Peter says all in one sentence, as one connected idea:

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" -1 Peter 1:22

Our idea of holiness has been informed too greatly by the austere preachers of history and people dressed in black. We too often associate holiness with coldness, rather than warmth, with being somber rather than with having joy. Had they grown closer to Christ and truly heard the heartbeat of God, those austere preachers might have discovered with surprise how delighted God's heart can be in His children. He longs to take the disobedient and dirty, stumbling and sick, and carefully build them up into bright, joyful, shining pillars of strength.

In our pursuit of perfection, may we remember that perfection is not about following rules. Perfection is all about fulfilling our purpose, God's goal for us, which is to look like His Son. If Jesus is the light, we all should be exhibiting a suntan.

Show Me Thy Glory

2010-12-05T20:11:00.003-06:00

Moses said, "I pray thee, show me thy glory."

Exodus 33:18

In the Exodus story there is a dialog between Moses and the Lord while on Mt. Sinai that reveals the desire of every human being. After promising to dwell with his chosen people in response to Moses' request, Moses ups the ante one more notch with another request. Moses wants to see God face to face. The answer given is:

"I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live."

So God places Moses in the cleft of the rock and puts his hand over him while he passes him by. In the process of coming into contact with God's glory, Moses is transformed. When he comes down from the mountain the face of Moses is shining such that the people cannot look upon him. He resorts to wearing a veil before the people to hide his face.

In 2 Chronicles 5 we read of Solomon's building of the first temple. Upon its completion, Solomon and the nation of Israel appear before the Lord. During its dedication, the Glory of the Lord fills the temple. The story reads:

¹¹ Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions; ¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jedu'thun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with a hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters; ¹³ and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever," the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Again, as in the days of Moses, the presence of God's glory causes a separation between the people and the Lord.

Fast forward to the New Testament. In the gospel of Mark beginning in chapter 9 we read about the transfiguration of Jesus:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, ³ and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah." ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." ⁸ And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only. ⁹And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

For the followers of Jesus coming into the cloud of God's glory caused them to be "exceedingly afraid". Yet, even in their fear Peter was able to state that it was "good" for them to be in the presence of God. This testimony before Moses and Elijah, the giver of the Torah (law) and Elijah (the greatest prophet) was that the disciples were to listen to Jesus who was God's son. This is the revelation that through Jesus mankind can now look upon the face of God in a way that is brand new. It was not until the arrival of the Messiah that the mercy that God planned to give to mankind to reconcile Himself to his creation was released through his son, Jesus Christ. This comports with declaration of Jesus in Matthew 11 about John the Baptist:

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is Eli'jah who is to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Even as great as John the Baptist was, he sent a message to Jesus when locked in prison asking Jesus if he was the one to come? Luke 7:19-22 reads:

¹⁹ And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" ²¹ In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. ²² And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

Jesus goes on to state that:

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

The declaration is that those who are "born" into the kingdom of God have something that John the Baptist did not have. It is the ability to see God's glory in the humanity of his son, Jesus; and, to have God himself through the power of his Holy Spirit dwell within one so that we know that God is with us ("Immanuel"). When we see Jesus we see the Father. It is Jesus Christ who introduces us to the personal aspects of God the father. The request of Moses and all who are born of women to "Show me Thy Glory" can now be fulfilled by faith in Jesus as Messiah. The revelation starts in this life; but, lasts for an eternity.

The Blessings of Family

2010-11-21T19:57:00.004-06:00

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

---Psalm 127:3-5

I believe that God chose the family as the design of his community of faith. In a time when the traditional family is under assault, it is the Biblical command found in Genesis 2:24 that declares:

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

God's original plan was for the husband and wife to become one flesh after leaving the nest of one's own parents. "Leave" and "cleave" are the two operative verbs here. Marriage is the one place where the sexual joining of a man and woman allow for a unity of spirit. At this point in the biblical story the first couple are "naked" and there is no "shame". This was the way the world was supposed to be before the Fall. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, this all changed. Suddenly, when we discover the knowledge of good and evil we are embarrassed by our own nakedness. Ever notice how little children love to run around without clothes? Parents panic and scramble to invoke the proper controls for such behavior.

So how do we teach our children? Deuteronomy 6:1-9 instructs us in this:

¹ "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it; ² that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged. ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them; that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁴ "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; ⁵ and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶ And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; ⁷ and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸ And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Verse 3 emphasize that we are to be "careful to do them". Children learn more by our behavior than they ever learn from what we "tell" them. The centrality of putting the Lord first in everything is the First Commandment. It really is that simple. And, there in lies the difficulty. God is to be first in everything we do. That is why we are told to teach this "diligently" to our children. The primary responsibility for the spiritual development of the child is upon the parent. It is no wonder that those who like to criticize the youth minister for the lack of his or her own child's spiritual development will fail to acknowledge their own responsibility in this area. The values of each family are taught either positively or negatively in every family. These values are not just learned on Sunday morning. Honesty, integrity, diligence, trustworthiness are the values that we would all want to inculcate within our own children; but, we have to show those values in our own lives first. When we preach one thing and do something else we create potential hypocrites. Children are the first to detect the smell of hypocrisy within the family. It is any surprise that when parents have more passion for football games than for reading the Bible with one's children, that the children just don't "get it"?

Spirituality is a decision not just an emotion. We all miss the mark and make mistakes. But, when we keep the center of our focus upon the kingdom first, every decision we make flows from that faith perspective. Sometimes we have to confess our mistakes and let people know that we are truly sorry. But, the irony of all this is that when a Christ follower discovers this truth and puts it into effect in one's own life, the results are blessings that provides a peace that is beyond understanding. If you don't believe this, just try it! I know that you be amazed at what the power of God can do through you.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

2010-11-10T05:49:00.002-06:00

⁸ And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. ⁹ And Nehemi'ah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." ¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved." ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. Nehemiah 8:8-12

There is a spiritual awakening within one's soul when God's word is understood. In the story of Nehemiah God's remnant after their captivity rediscovers God's plan of salvation by understanding his Word. The result is joy. Notice the instruction in verse 11: (1) Be Quiet; and, (2) Do Not Be Grieved. In a world of i pods and 24/7 news and entertainment, we often become "lost" by failing to quiet the soul and to look upward. The busy mind is the generic mental illness of our society. I find the early morning hours before dawn as a time when the soul can connect with the quiet of the day. And, no matter what battles one faces in life, we are not to be "grieved". Faith can comfort us even when we walk through the shadow of the valley of death. Our strength is not in and of ourselves but comes from the joy of the Lord.

2010-09-09T07:28:00.002-05:00

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD....

Psalms 33:12

At this time of extremism in religious fervor throughout the world, we would do well to remember that we worship the one who gave his life for those whom we would called his enemies. He called for his followers to "turn the other cheek" and to love those who persecute you. The call of Jesus is for radical love of God and one's neighbor. When one looks at how the apostle Paul defines love in I Corinthians 13 we find:

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; ⁵ it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Somehow when I read this I cannot see how those who claim to serve the kingdom can burn books, yell and scream in other people's faces, or condemn and judge others. It is by grace that we are saved. The question that one needs to ask daily is "What would Jesus do?" We are our brother's keeper.

Praying for Peace

2010-07-29T07:35:00.003-05:00

¹ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.

I Tim. 2: 1-2

When the world seems to be falling apart and life is in turmoil, what can Christians do to change things? If each of us who profess faith were to fall on our knees and pray for peace, perhaps the world might be made a bit better? Let's give it shot for today. Anyone care to join me?

Inspecting the Fruit of One's Life

2010-07-25T19:38:00.003-05:00

⁴⁶ "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

Luke 6:46-49

The words of Jesus in Luke 6 are telling. While we are told that we are not to judge people (that is the Lord's job); we cannot help but inspect the fruit of what comes from each person's life. When we meet people whose lives are filled with integrity, honesty and commitment to the work of the kingdom of God, it is obvious. Christians whose lives are grounded in faith have an unshakable ability to handle the trials and tribulations of life. Christians get cancer. Tragedy strikes every day in the family of God. But, how one responds to his or her trials and tribulations speaks volumes about a believer's commitment to a personal faith in a living God. Calling upon Jesus as Lord is not enough. On the day of judgment there will be many who cry out, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked..." (Matt. 25) Knowing what to do and doing it are two different things. It is not enough to "know" the answers. How we act and behave makes a difference. Faith has be put into action in one's life. How we live will be the litmus test of what we believe. Where one's heart is focused reveals a person's values. Putting God first and loving your neighbor as yourself is an easy way to make decisions. Every time we put God first, we will be blessed by building on the foundation. When someone builds upon the sand, the results are foolishness. There is no hiding the results. It is like fruit hanging on a tree.

Habakkuk

2010-07-18T17:43:00.003-05:00

This minor prophet found near the end of the Old Testament was probably a priest before he was called to be a prophet. He wrote about the same time as Jeremiah. Habakkuk would have also been a contemporary of Daniel in the days leading up to the Babylonian captivity.

Habakkuk asks the question that every believer encounters in life: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This is one of his main themes. Chapter 1 lays it out succinctly:

¹ The oracle of God which Habak'kuk the prophet saw. ² O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not hear? Or cry to thee "Violence!" and thou wilt not save? ³ Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. ⁴ So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. ⁵ Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.⁶ For lo, I am rousing the Chalde'ans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own. ⁷ Dread and terrible are they; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves. ⁸ Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Yea, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. ⁹ They all come for violence; terror of them goes before them. They gather captives like sand. ¹⁰ At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every fortress, for they heap up earth and take it. ¹¹ Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god! ¹² Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established them for chastisement. ¹³ Thou who art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on wrong, why dost thou look on faithless men, and art silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? ¹⁴ For thou makest men like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. ¹⁵ He brings all of them up with a hook, he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults. ¹⁶ Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his seine; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. ¹⁷ Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying nations for ever?

In Chapter two we come to a pivotal passage in verse 4:

"The Just shall live by faith."

This verse became the primary prompt for Martin Luther which led to the Reformation. It is also a unifying quotation in a trilogy of Paul's epistles:

Who are the "Just" Answer: Romans 1:17
How shall they "live"? Answer: Galations 3:11
"By faith!" Habakkuk declares. Paul focuses on this in Hebrews 10: 38.

In fact this last quote precedes the famous "Hall of Faith" of Hebrews 11. [This is one reason why many believe Paul was the author of the Hebrew letter.]

Habakkuk's writings are not about being called by God into ministry. In fact, it is Habakkuk who is initiating the dialog with God about ministry. Habakkuk is the one asking the questions and God is responding. One can see this concept of wrestling with God in the life of Jacob. In Genesis 28, Jacob has a personal theophany with God at Bethel. God appears to him in a dream and there is a ladder with angels who are ascending and descending into heaven. Jacob awakens to the realization that he is on Holy ground. He builds an alter and worships there. Right after this event he finds the love of his life....Rachel. In Genesis 35 he returns to Bethel. This is after he has wrestled with the "angel" all night and had his name changed from "Jacob" to "Israel". He again worships at Bethel by building an alter. But this time when he departs, not far from Bethel, Rachel goes into labor with their son, Benjamin, and Rachel dies from complications of childbirth. Interestingly, Rachel's tomb is still there today just outside of Bethlehem. I believe that every follower of Christ experiences the hilltop and valley experiences of life in this manner. The words of Job 1: 21 describe this as:

"Naked I came from mother's womb; and naked shall I return there;

the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;

blessed be the name of the Lord."

Since we each enter life with nothing and take nothing physical with us when we exit, the experience of life itself is what the process is all about. Religion wants to make it about rules, regulations and sacraments. However, for the believer it is all about "faith". How does one walk in the Way in a fallen and corrupt world? Without faith we cannot please God. Faith is not about an abstract ideal....it is a relationship with a living God that is a give and take dialog every day of our lives about the things that are good and the things that are bad. The difference is that God is the one who gets to decide what is "good and evil". Without the omniscient point of view, man cannot determine for himself what is good or bad in the end. It is only by the "eye of faith" that we can glimpse a bit of the eternal through God's revelation of his Word. Habakkuk got it long before the arrival of the Messiah. But, the revelation is as true today for every child of God as it was to him when this was written.

What is Truth?

2010-07-02T03:53:00.003-05:00

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:32

When Jesus stood before Pilate at his trial before his death, Pilate states "So you are a King?" The charge against him was one of treason. That charged carried with it the death penalty.

Jesus answered:

"You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."

So Pilate asks a follow up question: "What is Truth?" There is no answer given in scripture to that question. However, after this interaction Pilate goes out to the crowd and says, "I find no crime in him".

The reason that there is no spoken answer is that Jesus is Truth incarnate. For the Christian, "truth" is not an abstract like a mathematical equation. 1 + 1 = 2. The scientist would say that this is truth. It is repeatable, demonstrable and verifiable. But, the empirical way of looking at life is not how we live our lives. We make decisions daily on the basis of faith. When we write a check we believe that the money will be in our bank account when the check reaches the bank. That is an act of faith. In the same way, how do we do know that something actually happened? In our criminal law, we have to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a person committed a criminal act before one can be punished as a criminal. Yet, unfortunately, some innocent people are convicted; and, many who are guilty go free. How do we ever "know" something is true?

There is within each of us a "filter" that we develop by experience that we use daily to tell if something is true or not. Sometimes we are fooled; and, we learn by those experiences that not everything is always as it seems. In fact, we learn the hard way that the unseen things are more important than what is seen. How does one measure virtue? How can one tell if someone loves them? What demonstrates integrity?

Jesus made a bold claim. He said in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. " Jesus claims to be God in the flesh. That claim either makes him a mad man; or, he is whom he claimed to be. John tells us in the first chapter of his book that the "Word of God" which spoke the world into existence was made flesh. The reason Jesus could not give Pilate any further answer is that Pilate was looking at Truth incarnate. While I don't think he "saw" Jesus as the Messiah; he did come to the conclusion that Jesus was "not guilty". His internal filter was resonating with God's eternal truth which stood before him. Yet, because of his "fear", he was manipulated by the powers of his time to condemn an innocent man to death by crucifixion.

Every day we each live our lives making life and death decisions on the basis of what we think is "truth"? What is the basis of the internal filter we each use? Ultimately, it is each's person's conscience. The problem is that a person's individual filter can become warped and out of sync with ultimate truth. When that happens, bad decisions are made that have eternal and irreparable consequences. We, in essence, miss the mark. The Bible calls this "sin". There is a standard by which we will all be judged someday. That standard is God's truth. For the Christian, truth is not an abstract; but, a personality. It is the personality revealed in scripture about Jesus Christ. Thus, the standard by which Christians are to be judged is "What would Jesus do?" That answer is "truth".

Love One Another

2010-06-26T21:40:00.003-05:00

¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ This I command you, to love one another.

John 15: 11-17

Sometimes we make the message of Jesus to complicated. There are certain passages of scripture that just lay it out. John 3:16 for example. I think the above verses are one of the keys to understanding the kingdom of God. If you want to do what Jesus said to do....here it is: "LOVE ONE ANOTHER". It is that simple. If everyone did it, the world would be a much nicer place in which to live. On Jesus's last night on earth he gave his disciples a promotion. In verse 15, they are promoted from "servants" to "friends". The reason for this is that they have been given a revelation from God. They get to understand the nature of the good news. They have the freedom of will to choose. They do not "have" to do what Jesus asks. It is their choice. Without free will to choose, there can be no love. We were made in the image of God. God gave us the ability to choose Him if we wish? How would you like to be a friend of God? That would be pretty cool! In fact, that is "good news"! Oh, that we could just live our lives with the simplicity of knowing that God is our Father and that he cares about us. Try it....and, I think you will discover that it is an awesome gift of grace that gives us each the power to be transformed into His image. All we have to do is love one another in the process.

Confessing Jesus as Lord

2010-06-09T07:54:00.004-05:00

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him I will confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But, whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 10:32-33

Jesus came to establish a relationship with those whom would be his followers. Becoming identified as a follower of Jesus is not without risks. In the early church, believers were persecuted for their faith for confessing that "Jesus is Lord". While today the church in America is not physically persecuted for professing faith in Jesus; it is becoming increasingly unpopular in a population that prides itself on multiculturalism to stand for one's faith in Jesus as the Messiah of the Bible. The consequences are huge. One cannot live in this world and deny one's faith in Jesus without eternal repercussions. How we live makes a difference. A Christian's light is supposed to shine before all mankind.

What believers discover is that once one has confessed faith in Jesus as the son of God and been born again by water and spirit, God places a believer in a group of fellow believers called a church. A church is not a building or an institution. The church is the incarnation of the body of Christ made up of sinful, broken people who being re-made in the image of their Lord and savior Jesus. Psalm 133 describes the blessings of being unified with believers this way:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard...."

Yet, Jesus himself warned that he did not come to the earth to bring peace. He foretold that faith in him would divide even families (Matt. 10:34-36). Followers of Jesus seek unity and speak in humility and love. While we are to be peaceable and gentle in wisdom (1 Peter 3:15; James 3: 17-18), we can never turn our back on the one who died for us by denying Him.

Dancing Before the Lord

2010-05-15T21:57:00.003-05:00

We don't often think about dancing before the Lord in worship in our American Frontier Protestant Restoration Movement experience. However, liturgical dancing is ancient. There are some wonderful examples in scripture. After God delivered Moses and the Israelites from Pharaoh's army, we read in Exodus 15:20-21:

²⁰ Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing. ²¹ And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

A dear friend recently sent me a video that made me think of this passage. Turn up your speakers and watch this video here.

In the story of the Prodigal son found in the 15th chapter of the gospel of Luke, the older brother who was out in the field was upset when he heard "music and dancing" in celebration of his brother. In this parable the Father goes out into the field to entreat the older son to come join in the celebration. In explaining to the resentful son why they were celebrating, the Father says:

It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive;

he was lost, and is found.

I think the Church is often like the older son in the parable. We have forgotten how important it is to the heart of the Father that we celebrate the miracle of grace and redemption. Somehow, when we walk the walk and dance the dance together while lifting up our hearts in praise, we see the miraculous being celebrated in the flesh. It is time for the Church to reclaim the joy that has been stolen by those like the older brother who refuse to celebrate.

For All Who are Thirsty

2010-04-04T06:53:00.002-05:00

¹ "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. ³ Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. ⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. ⁵ Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. ⁶ "Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; ⁷ let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. ¹² "For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off."

This passage in Isaiah 55 expresses the invitation of God to all who are thirsty for justice, for spirituality, for relationships or for beauty. He says "Come" and you can find it here within the kingdom of God. How this happens is a mystery. His ways are "higher than your ways". But the process is redemption through His "word". God's design is that there will be a new creation that will be the fulfillment of His "purpose". Because of His love He has made His Messiah a "witness". The Messiah is a leader and a commander for His peoples. The Good News is that God came near and that through His amazing sacrifice the unrighteous can now find "mercy" and "pardon" through redemption. We simply cannot understand the process; but, one can accept the result through faith in YHWH. The invitation is to all. Consider this passage from Isaiah 2:2-4:

² It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, ³ and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The prophet holds out a vision for peace and hope, not only for Israel; but, for all nations. When YHWH acts to deliver his people it is in Jerusalem ("Zion") as the place where this occurs. As he told Abraham back in Genesis 12, it will be through his seed that the Lord brings restoration and healing to the whole world.

The Evolution of Sin

2010-03-19T18:39:00.003-05:00

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 19:17

Here is a very interesting article on "sin" that is worth a read. See here.

The Fall of Babylon

2010-03-07T15:58:00.004-06:00

"Hereupon the Persians who had been left for the purpose at Babylon by the, river-side, entered the stream, which had now sunk so as to reach about midway up a man's thigh, and thus got into the town." - Herodotus

Today we read about the elections going on in Iraq. This nations has had a front row seat in the history of the Bible. It is the land from which Abram was called in Genesis. It was the land that enslaved Judah and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. As great as Babylon was, the Jewish prophet Isaiah foretold of its downfall. In 539 BC, Cyrus son of Cambyses took Babylon without a struggle. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cyrus diverted the course of the Euphrates river, making the river level drop and giving the invading forces the ability to enter into the city that night through the river bed. Nobody noticed them coming in, and the city gates that opened up onto the river were not closed; the Persians were able to just walk into town. Within a year, Cyrus declared that all the Jews captive in Babylon were free to return home to Jerusalem, as described in Ezra 1.

These two events - the taking of Babylon the Great without a battle and the magnanimous freeing of the Jews soon after - are both remarkable historical events in themselves. What makes them even more notable is the fact that God told about them in Isaiah 44:26-45:1, 13, appointing Cyrus by name 100 years before this son of Cambyses was born.

The Book of Isaiah is one of the most greatly admired and beloved books of the Bible. The New Testament writers quote Isaiah more than all the other Old Testament prophets combined. From a literary point of view, the writing of Isaiah is superb, full of parallelism and euphony; scholars savor Isaiah's obvious attention to the literary art of his writing.

Beyond his writing skill, Isaiah's book is filled with prophecies about Judah and the surrounding lands. It also contains a host of very important Messianic prophecies (7:14-16; 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 32:1ff; 42:1-7; 50:5-8; 52:13-15; 61:1-3; 65:17), even describing in detail Jesus' crucifixion 700 years before it happened.

In Isaiah 44 and 45, God not only describes the ease with which Cyrus would enter the city with the "two leaved gates" (gates that were not even shut against the invaders!) but also notes that He would "loose the loins of kings" before Cyrus – a euphemism regarding the fear these kings would feel and the mess in their pants they'd make as a result. As a matter of fact, about the time Cyrus' men were entering the city, King Belshazzar, co-regent with his father Nabonidus, was being interrupted in his feast. A hand began to write on the wall to tell Belshazzar that his time was up. Daniel 5:6 puts in not-so-delicate terms how greatly the fear of this sight affected Belshazzar, saying, "his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another." Who says God isn't detailed!

In circles of modern form criticism, though, it has become popular to dismiss the idea, held for some 2500 years, that Isaiah son of Amoz wrote the entire book credited to his name. Old Testament scholars have found it fashionable to argue that there were at least two "Isaiahs", perhaps even three or more. These critics argue that it makes no sense for God to have foretold events that would not have taken place during the life of the prophet. They attempt to argue that the character of God in Isaiah 1-39 is far fiercer than the gentle God of Isaiah 40-66, that the language is different in the two sections, and that there are two different views of the Messiah between the first part of Isaiah and that written by the alleged Deutero-Isaiah. Ultimately, they do not believe that Isaiah could have written about Cyrus the Great in 700 BC. They cannot believe that the precise information in that prophecy could have been penned 150 years before it came to pass.

These criticisms can sound scholarly on the surface, but they depend far less on evidence than on a bias against predictive prophecy. While these scholars may believe that a bias against the supernatural - and the power of God to speak through His prophets centuries in advance - is scientific in this modern world, the truth is, it's still a bias. It's still just their opinion based on a humanistic worldview.

Honest scholarship strongly supports the historical view that Isaiah ben Amoz wrote the entire book with his name on it.

Historically, Isaiah has always been recognized as the author of all 66 chapters.

The Septuagint: When the Septuagint was translated in the 3rd century BC, merely two centuries after Deutero-Isaiah was supposed to have been written, there was no indication that the book had more than one author.
The New Testament: The New Testament writers treat the entire book of Isaiah as one book belonging to one author and quote him more than all the other prophets combined. In fact, in John 12:37-41, John quotes from Isaiah chapter 53 and chapter 6 back to back, giving Isaiah credit for both sections.
The Dead Sea Scrolls: An entire copy of the book of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is no separation between Chapters 1-39 and 40-66. In fact, chapter 40 starts on the last line of the same column that ends chapter 39. As Oswald Allis notes, "Obviously the scribe was not conscious of the alleged fact that an important change of situation, involving an entire change of authorship, begins with chapter 40."

Internally, Isaiah offers extensive evidence of one author:

Isaiah's Hebrew: Throughout all 66 chapters, Isaiah uses pure Hebrew. Unlike Ezra and Nehemiah, which use terminology adopted from Babylon, Isaiah's Hebrew is free from the vocabulary that the Jews gained during the exile.
Jerusalem and the land: The destruction and future healing of Jerusalem are described in chapters 1-39, and Jerusalem is described as still standing in chapters 40-66, demonstrating distant prophecy in the first part of Isaiah and an early date for the end of Isaiah. For instance, in 3:8, Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem as already fallen and destroyed in the context of a prophecy about the future. In 6:11-13, which all agree is a passage by Isaiah son of Amoz, God describes the future destruction of the land followed by the return of the remnant. On the other hand, passages like 40:9 and 62:6 treat Jerusalem and the cities of Judah as still standing, as they were before the Babylonian invasion.
Topography: The description of the topography in Isaiah 40-66 is the rocky mountainous land of Judah and not the flat alluvial Fertile Crescent. For instance, 57:5-6 describes the "clifts of the rocks" and the smooth stones of the streams.
Themes: Certain themes and terminology are repeated throughout the book. The "highway" theme comes up repeatedly (11:16; 19:23; 35:8; 40:3; 62:10). Isaiah refers to God as "Lord of hosts" repeatedly throughout the entire book. "The Holy One of Israel" is Isaiah's distinctive name for God used 12 times in chapters 1-39 and 14 times in chapters 40-66. The phrase is only used six other times in the Bible outside of Isaiah.
The significance of idolatry: Idolatry was a major problem in Judah before the exile, but the post-exilic writers Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi do not mention idolatry even while discussing the nation's other sins. Yet, in the latter end of his book, Isaiah continues to speak strongly against idolatry (41:29; 44:9-20; 57:4ff; 65:2-7), indicating an early authorship.
The by-line: Only Isaiah, son of Amoz, is named as the author throughout the book of Isaiah, at the beginnings of chapters 2, 7, 13, 20, 38, and 39. No other author is mentioned at all. Even when Ezra and Nehemiah were bound together, those two books did not get confused and lumped together under Ezra. Yet, "Deutero-Isaiah" was allegedly lost to history. Chapters 40-66 contain some of the highest quality literature in all of written history, yet we are expected to believe that this writer went mysteriously unrecognized until he was "discovered" by recent scholarship.

As Gleason Archer Jr. declared, "There is not a shred of internal evidence to support the theory of a Second Isaiah, apart from a philosophical prejudice against the possibility of predictive prophecy."

Isaiah is an amazing book, filled with the power and passion of God. In it He declares, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

The Breastplate of Righteousness

2010-02-21T15:56:00.004-06:00

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God... Having put on the breastplate of righteousness..."

- Ephesians 6:10, 11, 14

While most of us are not into Roman battle armor today, the apostle Paul uses it as an illustration of what is important. In the Roman soldier's armor the breastplate was made of bronze and backed by heavy leather. If something penetrated that, it was usually fatal. The breastplate protected the most vital organ....the heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us:

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are (all) the issues of life."

Alexis de Tocqueville, who was French historian, wrote about America in the 18th century. His analysis was that "America is great because she is good. If she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." The Bible states it this way:

"Righteousness exalts a nation; but, sin is a reproach to any people."

Proverbs 14:34

The increasing evidence of corruption in government, in business, and in the personal lives of our nation's leaders does not bode well for the future of our country. It is easy to point the finger at others. But, the truth is we need to start with our individual commitment to do what is right. When people learn to tell the truth and do what is right, one learns that there comes from that behavior a blessing. King David was deeply concerned with integrity and uprightness in his personal life. See Psalms 7:3-5. Yet David ended up guilty of adultery and murder. Sometime we think that if we fail in one endeavor, that one's life is over and there is no hope. The message of the cross is that we are all sinners and stand in need of grace and mercy. Our Lord is the God of second chances. Even when we absolutely blow it....there is an opportunity the next time to do what is right. The secret to life is to realize that everything comes from God. We are simply trustees or stewards of what the Lord has given to us. We owe him a "fiduciary" duty of loyalty which extends to our employers. (I Cor. 4:2; Eph. 6:5-6; Col. 3:22) A Christian needs to pay one's debts and honor one's commitments.

Most of us our uncomfortable with the word "righteousness" when it references us. We need to understand that "righteousness" is something we are, not something we do. Righteousness within the heart of a believer affects what we do; but, what we do does not make any of us righteous. Jesus told his disciples:

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:20

I can picture the reaction of the crowd. There must have been a collective gasp! If they are not good enough then who can be saved? Pharisee means "separated". Separation from the world does not mean salvation as far as God is concerned. (John 8:44) Jesus called the Pharisees liars, vipers, and hypocrites. Matt. 23: 27,28. There are no forms of external righteousness. Over the years religion has suggested that certain sacraments, specifically worded prayers, or certain dress codes were required. Religious righteousness can save no one. Only one's confession faith in Jesus as Messiah that comes from a believer's heart and results in a new birth of water and spirit can save someone. That is the breastplate of righteousness that can guard and protect one's heart.

Peace

2010-01-30T08:11:00.003-06:00

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
John 14:27

Tragedy often hits like an earthquake. In a few short seconds, the world as one knows it is transformed with great suffering and loss. Sometimes it comes in a phone call...a knock at the door....or, in an e-mail. The event is forever burned into one's memory bank as the pain sears it so that one can never forget. Every human being experiences loss. It is part of life. The worst thing about the tragedy of loss is not just the immediate condition one experiences; but, it is the crippling perpetual fear of future losses. Anticipation of "the worst" can taint every day of one's life for years to come. Yet, God tells us not to fear. In fact, He tells us to trust wholly in Him. How does that work when the fear is there and very real? How can it work?

Fear is natural, and it is a normal response to uncertainty and danger. Yet, fear is not a virtue like caution or prudence. Fear simply robs our lives of joy.. The question is therefore, how do we face joblessness or drive on bad tires we can't afford to replace? How do we remember the loss of a child and not cling desperately to the children we have left? How do we live in peace and victory?

Certainly trusting God and putting Him first is the answer. But, while it is easy to say we need to trust God, it is often much harder to do. Simon Peter knew Jesus personally and had watched him perform many miracles. Yet, when he jumped out of the boat to walk out to Jesus on the water, he still became frightened by the wind and waves. And, when his fears kicked in, he began to sink. I understand Peter; I am just like him; and, I suspect that everyone else is also.

So, how can one stop being afraid of the wind and waves when they roar above us and are about to crash down upon us?

Step #1: Discover Who God is.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." -2 Timothy 3:16

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." -John 16:13-14

It's difficult to trust a stranger. If one wishes to conquer fear, one has to start by truly getting to know who God is by prayerfully reading through His Word. We also need to ask God for the guidance of His Spirit. God is glad to give us His Spirit to help us (Luke 11:11-13).

Step #2: Discover that God is love.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. Fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

When God says He loves us, we believe Him. It's not humble to say, "Oh, I'm not important to God." God knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:29-31). You are extremely valuable to Him. No matter what one feels (feelings come and go with hormones and food),every human being needs to just start taking God at His word. He said He loves us. By faith, we should believe Him.

God does love us. He lavishes us with value. He loves us so much that He allowed His precious Son to be mocked and beaten and slaughtered in order to buy us back from death. It wasn't a whim. It was the amazing, deep, true love of a mighty God. We need to choose to believe that what Jesus did on the cross is our only hope of salvation.

We also need to remember that He doesn't love us because of how good we are. He loves us because of how good He is. That means that when we've had a really rotten day and we've messed up, we don't have to run and hide from Him. We can run to Him and seek His healing and cleansing right away.

Step #3: We love God back.

"We love him, because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

How do we love God? We obey Him (John 14:15). And when we fail, we quickly confess and repent from sin. We listen to Him. We trust Him. We worship Him. He gave His Son for us, which alone is worth all the rejoicing in the world.

Praise and worship brings about amazing results. The anomaly is that when we need Him the most, Satan will do whatever he can to keep us away from the body of Christ. Fear, resentment, anger, bitterness are the tools that the evil one uses to separate us when we are hurting from the body of Christ. The battle is always there. The question is: "What will you choose to do about it?" We can say, "I believe you love me," but turning that into, "Thank you for loving me," makes all the difference. We can praise God for His protection, thank Him for His love, delight ourselves in Him. It is safe in His arms. It is safe living in the center of His will, no matter where His will leads us. And, as we praise Him and worship Him and enjoy Him, the fear cannot remain. That is why being part of a family of God that gathers regularly to worship is so necessary for one's spiritual well-being. We were made to be part of a family. There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians because Christ is the head of his church.

Step #4: We remember that our lives are not our own.

" What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1Corinthians 6:19-20

One song's lyrics say: "Thank you, Jesus, for the life you've given me. Thank you, Jesus, for the things I cannot see. I will worship you, the great and might Prince of Peace. I will honor you, Lord of Love, King of Kings. Here's my life a sacrifice to you. Here's my life a sacrifice to you."

When our lives truly belong to Christ and we are wholly given over to His purposes, then we know that every thing – even tragedy – will be used for excellent, wonderful things. He can use it all. As Paul said:

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Fear sometimes seems unbeatable. For each of us, our fears are very real. Salt water up one's sinuses can be painful each time we crash under the ocean waves. But, in God's power and in God's eyes, this is nothing. To God, the terrible monsters that we see rise up above us and which threaten our very existence are merely origami tigers. They look fierce: but, in God's hands we are in no real danger. God does not need a good economy to provide for us and pay our bills. If He sees fit to give us a broken down car to drive, then He is capable of holding that broken down car together for us. He can protect our children and our loved ones. He alone can heal our hearts, and He is never worried.

The Letter to the Church in Ephesus

2010-01-24T13:20:00.002-06:00

¹ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands. ² "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; ³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicola'itans, which I also hate. ⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' ⁸

Revelation 2: 1-8

I have been reading a couple of books on Revelation of late. Sometimes when reading books of eschatology, I am tempted to just give up trying to understand all the symbolism and hidden meanings. But the first part of the Book of Revelation was a revelation to the writer about specific churches in a specific time frame from the risen Lord. I think the messages are universal in that they apply to all churches in all times; but, the messages are specific.

The church in Ephesus was one of the earlier churches planted by the apostle Paul. His letter to the church in Ephesus gives us an insight into its community of faith. The church was standing firm in its faith and doctrine and was doing good things. But, there was a serious problem. Verse 4 says that they had abandoned their "love that you had at first" for the Lord. I can collective hear the church saying, "What? What do you mean? Aren't we doing great things for the kingdom?" But, the issue goes to the heart of each believer. Unless one is acting out of love and gratitude for the personal relationship of Jesus as Lord, there will always be something missing. The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth the same thing. One can even give his or her body to be burned; but, if that person does not have love it means nothing. Too many Christians go about the "work" of the church as faithful employees taking pride in their work. But, they are doing it for themselves. The message is direct. The church needs to "repent". Or, Jesus is going to remove his lamp stand. Note that Jesus is not getting this third hand. He is "among" his church when he speaks these words. He knows what lies in people's hearts.

This is not an idle threat or punishment. It is a simple fact. If a believer is not connected in spirit and in truth to the body of Christ, then there is no relationship. If there is no relationship, there can be no fruit of the Spirit. The battle today is being waged at the congregational level. Are people willing to commit to becoming part of the family of God by being in relationship to brothers and sisters under the Lordship of Jesus Christ? The reward is the promise made by the one who conquered death. He reminds the reader in the first chapter that He holds the keys to Hades in his hand. Jesus broke the gates of hell and restored the possibility of life eternal with Him. If we "conquer" we will get to eat of the tree of life with Him in paradise.

2010-01-13T07:26:00.002-06:00

Psalms 16
¹ A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. ² I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee." ³ As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. ⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their libations of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. ⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. ⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. ⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. ⁸ I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. ¹⁰ For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. ¹¹ Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

We were made for worship. Worship is of key importance to our lives. We are blessed when we worship. We worship in many ways. When we live our lives by loving our neighbor as our ourselves, we are worshiping. One can worship in song or in dance. There is a special kind of worship though when we come into the presence of God himself. It is a cause for reverence, bowing or falling down and showing God our heart.

Worship is the place that God promises to "meet with us", because worship is something that is done on the inside, i.e. in our spirit. John 4:23-24 tells us in Jesus's words: "..the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." Worshiping the Lord, then, means coming into His presence, adoring, praising and loving Him int he same nature as He - in the spirit.

Many of us have been taught that we have a responsibility to worship. But, so often when asking a believer what true worship means or how its done, many look like a deer caught in the headlights.

WHOM DO WE WORSHIP?

Worship springs from gratitude. A believer can worship the Lord with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength because one has invited God into heir lives. Non-believers cannot worship in this way. Jesus said in John 3:5-6:

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Until one has confessed a belief in Jesus as the Messiah and come to the realization that one is lost without Him, repented and been baptized in water and of the Spirit, only then can one truly worship. Though God does need our worship, he is seeking those who wish to come to Him.

WHAT MAKES "WORSHIP" SO IMPORTANT?

Worship is important because it is the reason Christ came to earth. The entire book of Revelation concerns the importance of worship. Look at Revelation 4:8-11:

"The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

Other pertinent Scriptures are Revelation 11:16 and 19:4, and there are many other Scriptures in the Word that tell us God is seeking true worshipers. Scriptures like Psalm 95:6-7: "Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand..." And Psalm 99:5, "Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy."

If one does grasp worship now, heaven would be a boring place for those who fail to connect with God. Worship is critical because it's the key to God's presence. It's what brings us intimacy with the Father. In other words, worship is a two-way communication. We come into His presence by loving, adoring and exalting Him. He then makes Himself known by communicating His Love and His inspiration (and revelation) back to us. This, of course, results in inexpressible joy for us.

This daily communion is what allows us to endure difficult circumstances. If we are hearing from the Lord and keeping our eyes only on Him, we can withstand anything. Worship, then, is not only the key to intimacy, it's also the key to withstanding trials and problems and restoring the joy of our salvation.

Bethlehem

2009-12-20T19:05:00.005-06:00

"So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel."

Genesis 35:15

So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day.

Genesis 35:19-20

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem; and he said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you!" And they answered, "The Lord bless you."

Ruth 2:4

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

Luke 2:4

Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" John 7:42

What separates the Judea-Christian religion from the mysticism of so many other of the world's religions is its historical claims of real people who lived in history. I find it fascinating that the story of the Bible is intertwined with geography and the stories of people who lived during the times of the rise and fall of historical nations. There are certain locations that seemed especially important to the Bible story. One of those places is Bethlehem.

Located about 6 miles south of Jerusalem, the modern day Bethlehem has a population of only about 30,000 people. And, to this day, it is one of the locations of the highest number of Palestinians who are of the Christian faith. The first time it is mentioned in the book of Genesis, it is the location where God delivers Jacob and reveals to him that his name is to be henceforth forever changed. He is no longer "Jacob" but "Israel" of whom God promises to make a king of his descendants. A little later his wife, Rachel, dies in childbirth there while delivering her son Benjamin. Jacob marks the spot with a pillar. Interestingly, the location is there today. See: Rachel's tomb.

Later, in the book of Ruth we discover that Bethlehem is the hometown of Boaz, who marries Ruth, a Moabitess, who becomes the linage of the Israel's second King, David. The book of Ruth is a powerful story about how a kinsmen-redeemer through his love reconciles a foreigner into the community of faith. The messianic prophesy that Bethlehem was to be the birthplace of the Messiah made by the prophet Micah was so well known in the days of King Herod that the Magi were instructed to go there by the priests of Herod's court. And, the fact that Joseph had to travel for the census to Bethlehem to his father's hometown made this one spot on the planet the location of where God entered the world in human form.

The Christmas story is a world phenomenon. It is extremely unusual, highly remarkable and extraordinary. Even though there are those who would eliminate any thought of God in the world, the Christmas story refuses to be snuffed out from the firesides of the faithful to the halls of commerce. How is it that the story of an obscure Jewish boy, born in a manger twenty centuries ago, who only lived to the age of 33 and who was in the public eye for a mere 3 years of his life before being executed as a criminal on a Roman cross in the backwater of a Roman province, becomes the person by whom we measure the length of human history? He never wrote a book, and he only left eleven confused men to tell his story. How is it that his teachings have become the standard of the world's morality that has led to the ennobling factor of human beings....the abolishment of slavery...the acceptance of the emancipation of women...and the only real power for good in the world ever since his death?

Trying to explain this phenomenon by human reason leaves the historian, as well as the philosopher and scientists at a loss. No other human being in the history of the world has ever had the kind of impact upon humanity as the claim of Jesus as Messiah. The Christmas story defies human reason and grips society with a power of its claim that God came down from heaven and entered the world in human form so that he could reconcile and save humankind through faith. The signs of the revelation at Bethel are no mere coincident. It was part of a grand design from the very beginning. The paradox of how God, who is rich in mercy, would save us all through the birth of his son is the greatest testimony of all time. The angels proclaimed it at Bethlehem. Yet, his son entered the world when there was no room for him in the inn. He was born on a cold night to a homeless teenage mother and an earthly father in a stable amidst the steaming dung of animals. A manger was his crib. Even the gifts brought by the Magi, the non-Jewish wise me from afar, of gold, incense and myrrh were symbolic of gifts given to the families of the deceased.

Bethlehem is a crossroads. It is the place of great joy and a place of lament. The prophet Jeremiah was quoted by Matthew as a fulfillment of his prophecy in Chapter 31 verse 15: Thus says the LORD, "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more."

The City of God

2009-12-11T06:44:00.001-06:00

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 11: 13-16.

As one listens to the news and looks about this world, we are reminded daily that we live in a fallen world where the systems of law and order are broken down by sin and evil. We live each day in the midst of a cosmic battle that rages unseen between the forces of good and evil. Every human being gets to decide on a daily basis whether he or she will choose between the ways of the Lord or the pursuit of one's own selfish desires to fulfill one's lust of self. For those who choose the path of the narrow way, we are often left to feel like strangers and exiles on this planet. What each of us wants more than anything else is to find a homeland. A place of peace and sanctuary from the assaults upon one's life and security. A refuge from death and a purpose for living.

There is Good News! The place for which we long and for which we were made actually exists! But, it is not of this earth. Only by faith in the one who made us and created us may we come to understand that there exists a City which is the fulfillment of every desire of one's heart. When we are beaten up, knocked down and standing in the shadow of the valley of death, there is still this hope that transcends human understanding. It is a hope that there is a place that we can call home for all eternity. It is the City of God.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-25T05:54:00.003-06:00

O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalms 30: 3-4

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

As we enter into our annual season of Thanksgiving it is so easy to focus on all the fun, frivolity and trimmings of the turkey season. But, giving thanks is an attitude. Learning to live one's life by being able to give thanks in all circumstances is one of the secrets of life. There are times when life comes crashing in on each of us. But our thanksgiving in this life is not situational based upon whatever circumstances one finds himself or herself in at the moment. Even in the darkest part of the journey, if one chooses to look with the eye of faith there are reasons to celebrate and to give thanks. Life, of any kind, is one of the reasons to give thanks. It is not about us. It is about a God who is holy and righteous. It is because of him we can give thanks in Christ Jesus in all circumstances.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you in this season of thanksgiving.

Scripture

2009-11-15T20:36:00.003-06:00

"When you come, bring the coat that I left with Carpus at Tro'as,

also the books, and above all the parchments."

2 Timothy 4:13

Paul's words to Timothy not to forget the parchments resonate with me. Why is it that those who preach and teach are so devoted to the written word? Perhaps it is because the divine Creator spoke the world into existence by the "logos" (the "word"). In fact the proclamation of John is that this creative force, the word of God, became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. Yet, God himself did not write a book about himself. Instead he entrusted his message to men and women to testify as to His wishes and desires. The Bible's multiple authors testify to the same thing. They were witnesses to the account of God's interaction in human history.

I suspect that the apostle Paul would be shocked today that his personal notes and letters are the basis of our Scripture. And, yet, how do we determine what is true today? Isn't it by the testimony of eye witnesses to the event that is in question? I believe that the plan of God is revealed in his Word. Studying and reading it are ways that one can gain insight and understanding. Ultimately, God puts his seal upon a believer's heart by the power of his Holy Spirit. But, seeing the Word in action as revealed by others is one way that we can grow spiritually. History is a flashlight that can give one insight as to how one arrived at where they are today.

There is No Other

2009-10-25T18:57:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it is simply best to let the Bible speak in its simplest terms. The one consistency of the revelation of the Bible is that God is one God. For example,

Deuteronomy 4:35 - To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.

Deuteronomy 4:39 - know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

1 Kings 8:60 - that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.

Isaiah 45:5 - I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me,

Isaiah 45:6 - that men may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:14 - Thus says the LORD: "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabe'ans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying: 'God is with you only, and there is no other, no god besides him.'"

Isaiah 45:18 - For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Every one of these scriptures stands for the proposition that there is only one God. The great paradox in Christianity is the trinity. How could God be one and be Spirit and flesh at the same time. Yet even the New Testament makes the statement of the gospel that the claims of Jesus are exclusive to him:
Acts 4:12 - And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

We cannot explain it from a human perspective. It is the reason that faith is the avenue of understanding through a personal relationship with a living God. We believe that God rewards those who seek him. His declaration that there is no other is not a threat; but, a simple statement of fact. We must trust Him on this one and learn that what the Lord wants more than anything is a relationship that allows us to follow him as Lord and Savior. He sent his son to give us that chance. We believe that his creation is not chaos; but, that there is order and meaning in life.

Facing the Tests of Faith in LIfe

2009-10-12T20:17:00.003-05:00

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnez'zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
Daniel 3: 16-18

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was one that I learned at the youngest of ages. God delivered his servants from the fiery furnace in a miraculous manner. But, the Bible also tells us that sometimes deliverance comes in the form of death. That is what happened to John the Baptist. Sometimes God's plan brings glory to Himself though our deliverance. And, sometimes He does the same through martyrdom.

In Matthew 11 we read the John has been sitting in a dark prison during the second year of Jesus' ministry. I can picture John scratching his head and thinking to himself, "Wait a minute. I thought I was the forerunner of the Messiah?" So he sends a message to Jesus asking, "Are You the Coming One; or, do we look for another?" (Luke 7:19) From John's perspective, the Messiah was going to set up the Davidic kingdom and throw those pesky Romans out of Israel. Yet, here John sat, in the dark, in prison, waiting. Soon thereafter, Herod ordered John' s death by having his head cut off. Anyone want to volunteer to be a forerunner? And yet, every Christian who confesses that Jesus is Lord and who is born again of water and of spirit into the kingdom of God is given the job of a forerunner.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego emerged out of the flame without a trace of the fire and the smoke. They were unscathed by their experience. John was not so fortunate. Yet, ultimately they, like we, all end up in the same place. The question is not how long we live; but, how we live life while we are here. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us whether it is out of the fiery furnace or from the grave. We simply need to live life with the confidence of a faith in a God that conquers all of our trials...even the trial of death.

2009-09-27T21:03:00.004-05:00

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
James 1: 22-24

Friday night I was sitting in the audience at the Christian Family Services, Inc Annual Dinner listening to Dr. Jerry Jones address. One of the points he made really struck a chord inside of me. He pointed to Matthew 25 and the judgment scene. The question being asked by Jesus was why didn't you take care of me?

And the answer given was:
"'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'

Then note the answer of Jesus:

'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Judgment was based upon what they did NOT DO. It had nothing to do with what they believed. James got it right as set forth above. If we are in the battle we have be "doers" of the Word. Someone can memorize the scripture but if they don't put it into practice, it is meaningless. While no one can earn their way into heaven by good works, faith without works is dead. The focus of the gospel is upon those who are in need. It really is good news to those who are hungry, thirsty, alone, naked, sick or in prison.

Hearing the Shepherd's Voice

2009-09-19T05:06:00.002-05:00

¹ "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; ² but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." ⁶ This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷ So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. ⁹ I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10: 1-16

This passage tells us that those who are called know the voice of the good shepherd. There is within each of us that small, still voice that knows what is right and what is wrong. If one ignores it long enough, the result is spiritual deafness. Psalms 46:10 says that we must be still and then we will know that the "I AM" is God. If we listen with spiritual ears, we can hear the voice of the Creator from within. He is a God who laid down His life for us in order that we might find the door to salvation. It is easy to worship a God who loves us and is willing to die for us. His flock is larger than we understand. But, in the end there will be one flock and one shepherd. Wherever God has a child, we have brothers and sisters.

Co-Habitation and Christianity

2009-09-07T08:39:00.001-05:00

We hardly hear the term "living in sin" anymore. It's become culturally acceptable for the young and old alike to live together without bothering with the formality of a marriage commitment. In fact, moving in together is now considered a good way to test run a relationship before tying the knot. Yet, because cohabitation requires much less of a commitment, couples who live together are far more likely to break up than married couples, and serial cohabitation is very common among young people.

Part of the problem with cohabitation is that men and women haven't changed over the centuries. Women are still more likely to commit to a relationship with or without the marriage label. Women tend to see cohabitation as a step toward marriage, while men tend to consider cohabitation a precursor to commitment. Along the same lines, men who marry their girlfriends after a long cohabitation tend to be less committed to the union than men who wait until after marriage to live with their brides.

And of course, a lack of commitment hurts the kids. According to findings from the National Fatherhood Initiative's (NFI) Father Facts: "Compared to children born within marriage, children born to cohabiting parents are three times as likely to experience father absence, and children born to unmarried, non-cohabiting parents are four times as likely to live in a father-absent home."

The US Census Bureau reported that 4.85 million cohabiting couples existed in the United States in 2000, up from 439,000 in 1960. That's a 1000 percent rise in just 40 years. More than half of couples live together for a little while before marrying, but a 2000 study published in the journal Population Studies in 2000 found that 40 percent of unmarried couples had split up within five years. The average live-in relationship lasts two years, leading either to marriage or a split.

In the meanwhile, the marriage rate is not 50 percent, as urban legends often state. An average of 65 percent of marriages last past 10 years for those who have no college degree, and for those who have graduated from college, a good 84 percent of marriages survive the first decade. (Perhaps they experience fewer money problems?) Since most divorces occur during those first 10 years, marriages that get past the 10 year mark have a good chance of going the duration.

The surprise is not that large numbers of human beings are treating their sexual relationships loosely, but that Christians are doing it too. Not only are plenty of Christians sleeping and living together outside of a marriage relationship, but many think it's perfectly okay to do so. Yet, while nobody wants to live a life burdened by legalism, the Bible is very clear about the importance of self control and of one man and one woman committing to each other for life.

"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." - Matthew 19:4-6

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:" - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

"So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." - Ephesians 5:28-31

While we are saved by grace and not by works (Eph 2:8-9), Jesus unapologetically called his servants to greater holiness, to a higher morality. It is good to not commit adultery, but even more important, Christ's servants are to avoid even lusting after women in their hearts (Matt 5:28). Women are called to honor and reverence their husbands and men are called to lay down their lives for their wives, just as Christ lay down his life for the church (Eph 5:21-33). That's heavy stuff, and it would be pretty much impossible to accomplish if not for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we walk day by day with Him.

Hormones are powerful forces that help keep men and women together. God designed us in a brilliant way that leads to one of the most fantastic relationships ever – the bonding of two people. Then, He made it even more fantastic by using that bonding to create the miracle of new life. However, a great deal of pain in this world has been caused by a failure to properly manage those hormones and the passionate desires they cause. We need great wisdom and love and self sacrifice to develop our marriage relationships to be what they were meant to be. And we'd all be better off if we learned what God says on the matter of love and marriage and followed His direction. We'd have fewer broken hearts, and more whole families and healthier lives.

There is no God

2009-09-02T06:21:00.003-05:00

Psalms 10:4 - In the pride of his countenance the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."

Psalms 14:1 - To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.

Psalms 53:1 - To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none that does good.

A 14x48 Billboard on Manchester Road in my community went up the other day. Its theme is "Imagine No Religion" with a stained glass window background. For more see here.

While it is tempting to blame religion for much of the evil in the world, such an analysis is naive. While atheists love to point out that without religion there would have been no Spanish Inquisition, Taliban or World Trade Center, they forget the other side of the ledger.

Have people been slaughtered in the name of religion? Certainly. Yet, the Crusades are a drop in the bucket compared to the massive death toll caused by atheistic regimes. The leaders of the French Revolution shoved God out of their social justice crusade, and the result was a blood bath. Stalin is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 million of his own people, and Mao Zedong's death toll runs upwards of 40-70 million. From Pol Pot in Cambodia to the Kims in North Korea, governments freed of "religion" – those utopias of atheistic communism - have murdered millions upon millions of people. People of various religions continue to fight all around the world, but, anti-God governments streamline human death.

Any time people get starry-eyed about imagining "no religion too" they need a little history lesson.

God is Jealous

2009-08-05T21:00:00.004-05:00

²³ Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a graven image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. ²⁴ For the LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:23-24

We don't often think of jealousy as an attribute or trait that is noble or worthy. Yet Moses warned the people that the Lord's jealously was like a "devouring fire". Fire is a common image for the judicial wrath of the Judgment of God. God himself associates fire with His jealousy. Ezekiel 36:5 speaks of "My burning jealousy" and in 38:19 "in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath". The prophet Zephaniah proclaims in Zeph. 3:8: "All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy". Asaph, the psalmist wrote "How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?" (Ps. 79:5)

In the same way God also associates fury with His jealousy: "I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy (Ezek. 16:38). "Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury (36:6). "My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken" (38:18-19. The prophet Nahum declared, "God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; the Lord avenges and is furious" (Nah. 1:2).

However, God's jealousy and wrath are not sinful, evil, or the source of capricious attitudes or deeds. It is part of his righteousness that demands justice. It is also seen in his love. I cannot think of a better analogy than that of a parent. If someone hurts my child, I am going to be furious desiring justice for restitution. It is because I love my child that my emotions create in me a jealousy for what is best for him or her. When we offend, reject and spit upon God's love, we can expect punishment. That ultimate judgment is portrayed as being cast out where there is darkness and gnashing of teeth. To be permanently separated from the source of love is my definition of hell. One can choose by virtue of being made in the image of God to live one's life outside the boundaries of faith in this life. But, there will come a time when "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that 'Jesus is Lord'". The judgment scene is portrayed as one where people will cry out, "But Lord when did we see you hungry, naked, thirsty or in prison?" God is a jealous God because he cares about the way we treat people. The way we act makes a difference in how we will spend eternity. Not realizing that the Lord is a jealous God is a fatal mistake with grave consequences for humanity.

Water in the Desert

2009-07-26T19:30:00.005-05:00

¹ A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
Psalms 63:1

David paints the picture of the Wilderness as an arid, waterless place where one's flesh will die without water. The desert is a symbol of where we meet God. In the desert there is no place to hide and there is no pretension of what one needs to survive. It is a life and death. And, water is the source of life.

In the days of David when he was hiding from Saul he hid in the Judean desert. One of the places he frequented was called the Oasis of En-Gedi. Near the Dead Sea, fresh water gushes forth from the desert floor creating a waterfall. In this lush oasis, there is abundant life and vegetation surrounded by desert. The contrast was used by Psalmists as a description of how our souls thirst for God.

Jesus declared to the woman at the well in the gospel of John that he was able to give her "living water". God's design is to quench our thirst with his love and grace that gives us hope of eternal life. Abraham, Moses and Jesus all discovered their revelation of God in the wilderness. I think that same holds true for every believer this day. The wilderness is not a physical desert; but, it is the place where a believer discovers that only by trusting in the Lord, do we learn to survive.

Teach Your Children Well

2009-07-16T20:59:00.004-05:00

And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

Little children are like sponges. Their favorite word after "no" is "why?". When Moses told the children of Israel to teach these things he did not want it to be a static set of commands. Instead, these spiritual matters are to be impressed upon the hearts, minds and souls of our children. It is the primary function of a parent to teach one's children. These days that function is so often delegated to others. It might be the nursery school worker, the teacher, the baby sitter or the minister who watches over the child. But, the dialogue begins in the home between the parent and the child.

I fear for the next generation that we have lost our focus on the teaching of the kingdom of God to our children. It is not about us. It is about the Lord. While each child is individually unique and made in the image of God, a child needs to understand the responsibility at the earliest age of the consequences of living life in relationship with a living God. Jesus rebuked his disciples when they tried to hinder the children from coming to him. To such is the given the kingdom of God. In fact, unless we become like children we can't even see the kingdom. The things of a spiritual nature are unseen in the physical world; but, they are far more real than anything we can see, hear, touch, feel or smell. Faith, hope and love are taught in the journey of our lives. We teach far more to our children by the way we act than we can ever tell them. However, the journey presents teachable moments every day. Unless we look for them, those opportunities pass us by forever. We never want to crush the inquisitive spirit of a child who is seeking the answers to life.

The Promise

2009-07-11T08:05:00.002-05:00

¹ After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." ² He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." ⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" ⁸ Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together. ⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." ¹² He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided." ¹⁵ And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶ and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, ¹⁸ and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." Genesis 22: 1-18.

The story of Abraham's testing is one that all readers of the Bible know well. Yet, as I read and re-read it, I see things that are new to me. Issac's birth had been a miracle. His parents were very old when he was born. Even though the Lord had promised Abraham descendants, Abraham did not become a father until he was ninety-nine years of age. He was a father and a grandfather all wrapped up together. Can you imagine how Abraham must have made Issac as the center of his world? And, yet the Lord comes to Abraham and asks him for the one thing that Abraham built his world and his hope upon. I don't think that God did this for his pleasure. I think he was performing radical surgery on Abraham's heart to help him understand that when one tries to hold onto something as precious as "your only son" that the principle of faith is that if you want to save your life, you first have to be willing to give it over to the Lord.

This land of Moriah was a special place that the Lord wanted him to travel to for this test. I cannot help but believe that the spot of this trial was perhaps the same hill that the New Testament would describe as "Golgotha" i.e. the same place where Jesus would later be crucified and die. The symbolism is to great to make me think that it could be any other place.

The writer in Hebews says in chapter 11 verses 17-19 that:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named." ¹⁹ He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Abraham somehow figured out that resurrection had to be part of God's plan of salvation. Issac is a foreshadowing of the sacrifice that God would have to make to allow the world to be reconciled by the shedding of the blood of his only son. We can only see the kingdom when we are willing to put the Lord first in our lives above anything else, including family and possessions. Abraham's faith was rewarded because he loved God with all his heart, soul, strength and might. He was willing to entrust God with that which was the precious thing in his life.

I have had some near death experiences with each of my three children over the years. The older I become the more I realize that children are gifts from God and that they do not belong to me. They are on loan from the Creator. Realizing that everything I have and possess is a gift from God and that nothing is mine is the most liberating, energizing thought I have ever experienced. When we learn to trust God and to walk in His ways, we will discover the true meaning of faith. It is not about getting all the answers right. It is about a trusting relationship with the one who made you. If you have want to save your life, you first have to learn how to give it away.

The Ethiopian Eunuch

2009-07-05T15:17:00.004-05:00

²⁶ But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road. ²⁷ And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." ³⁰ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" ³¹ And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth." ³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?" ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. ³⁶ And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" ³⁷ 38 ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:26-39

How was it an Ethiopian Eunuch was in Jerusalem to worship? Going back to the days of King Solomon and his interaction with the Queen of Sheba, there was a group of people who converted to Judaism that lived in what we now call the Sudan. In 1 Kings 10:13 we read:

¹³ And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land, with her servants.

Today, the Beta Israel in Ethiopia traces its roots back to this origin. See link. What amazes me was the faith of one who traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship; but, whom was excluded from participating in the worship in the temple. First, he would have been deemed to be a foreigner and excluded from temple worship. Secondly, under the Mosaic law, he was also excluded by his status as a eunuch. Deuteronomy 23:1 - "He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the LORD." Yet, we find a man who is searching the scriptures diligently looking for God's revelation. The Lord must have heard his prayers and thought of him highly enough to send an angel to Philip to direct him to this man as specific time and place. Does the Word of God act in the same manner today? I believe that the Holy Spirit can certainly act in a believer's life to direct one to an opportunity to witness one's faith. I do not see this as miraculous but a normal part of the leanings of the Spirit. The promise to every believer who wishes to be saved is:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38

I visited a church where the minister brought up the family with a small infant and sprinkled water on the child's head proclaiming to "baptize" her. While I can certainly identify with the desire of a family to bring one's child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and asking the church, as a community, to help in the process, I find no such example of such baptism in the New Testament. In fact, historically, we know that infant baptism was not introduced well into the third century after the coming of Jesus. In the above story, as in each and every other example in Acts, the believer was immersed in water baptism after a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah. In fact, it was the coming up out of the water of verse 38 that shows this immersion. The reason for this was explained by the apostle Paul in Romans, Chapter 6: 3-5:

³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a Resurrection like his.

As much as a parent may wish for one's child to be saved, it is the individual believer's faith that is a prerequisite for baptism. For without faith, the sprinkling of water on a baby's head is meaningless and without precedent in scripture. It comes from an errant belief that original sin condemns all of humanity. Yet, in every legal system there is a requirement that before one can punished for a crime that the person must have "capacity" to understand the nature of one's action. Until one reaches the age when one has the capacity to understand the nature of his or her own actions, there cannot be judgment. What is that age? I dare say that it comes differently at various times for most believers. I am content to leave the judging to a holy and just God who has all the facts and knowledge to make righteous decisions. Seeing the conversion of the eunuch who went on his way "rejoicing" is the result of faith and a new birth.

The breath of Life

2009-06-13T18:14:00.004-05:00

⁴ "LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! ⁵ Behold, thou hast made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath! [Selah] ⁶ Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather! ⁷ "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. ⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Psalms 39:4-8

This passage has become more and more meaningful the older I become. Life is so fleeting. This past month we celebrated the wedding of my daughter and the graduation and move of my son. And though they have been out of the house for years, there is something about the empty nest that resonates when I think about how quickly the child rearing years flew by. A person's time on this earth is like a shadow. So how does one leave a legacy? It is not by the "heaping up" of stuff. Job said it best in the first chapter at verse 21:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Jesus told his disciples that a man's life did not consist of the abundance of one's possessions. The writer of the above passage got it right. "My hope is in thee". There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Only by faith in the redeeming act of the Son do we have the ability to have hope of the eternal. The only legacy we leave behind are the actions of what we do for others. I hope that these words might inspire someone in the future long after I am gone. The message of the world to "eat, drink and be happy" is a lie. Only when we discover the true meaning of sacrificial love do we get to take something with us into eternity. Learning to give of oneself is the secret to discovering blessings from above.

The Biblical Qualifications of a Jurist

2009-06-03T21:23:00.004-05:00

"You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Leviticus 19:15

There is a reason that the famous statue of the Greek goddess Themis is wearing a blindfold. Justice requires that judgment not be biased by a judge being in favor of the poor or the rich. We often confuse justice with charity. The biblical view of justice is set forth in the Torah as spelled out in the verse above. Partiality is not to be taken into account when deciding what is just. President Obama's nomination of Judge Sotomayor because she has compassion for the poor and downtrodden fly in the face of the biblical standard for a justice. Charity and compassion are the realm of the individual's responsibility. This stands in stark contract to the demands of the law. When one chooses a judge because of their ethnicity or background to favor certain groups over others, you have a jurist who is prohibited by the commandment of Leviticus.

Justice is supposed to be blind. When we lose that principle, society suffers from the polarizing prejudices of a judiciary where judges push their own political agenda at the expense of the rule of law.

The True Vine

2009-05-26T19:55:00.004-05:00

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15: 1-8

In these times many are wringing their hands asking what we can do to "re-energize" the church? What programs can we develop to encourage evangelism? How do we motivate people to get involved with the work of the church?

I believe that the heart of the problem is not to come up with a new approach to evangelism; but, that we need to focus on "making disciples". If we want renewal, we need to refocus our priorities for Christ in our discipleship. If we truly lead people into a relationship with a living God who becomes the Lord of one's life by being born again, it is the work of God through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) that empowers people's lives. Instead, if we focus on "activities", i.e. does he attend regularly, does she tithe, do they participate in our services, we can miss the point of asking is Jesus Lord of one's life? There is a lot of religious activity that inoculates people from understanding the truly personal relationship of being "in Christ". When a disciple wishes to turn away from the dictates of the world and wishes to see understanding of faith, we will not have to worry about brow beating people to pray, study the Bible or serve the needs of those less fortunate. Those things will take care of themselves through spiritual DNA that God injects into the heart of a believer. That is how we become a new creature. If one's heart is not changed, then there is no fruit. If one wants to know how they are doing, look at the fruit in one's life. The reaching of the lost is a spontaneous reaction to the understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the focus becomes anything else other than "Lordship", there is a loss of direction. It is God in us through his power that makes the difference.

The House of the Lord

2009-05-23T11:31:00.002-05:00

1 Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent." 3 And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart; for the LORD is with you." 4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"' 8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; 15 but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'" 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

2 Samuel 7:1-17

In the above passage David, King of Israel, comes to a realization of how much God has blessed him. The king is living in a palace. Yet, the Ark of the Covenant, God's symbol of his residence upon earth, rests in a tent. So, David proposes to build God a house. David's response to God's blessing is admirable. But, the concept of the God of the universe dwelling in a house made by human hands is somewhat taken to task through the prophet, Nathan. In verses 5-7, Nathan, reveals that God has not chosen not to dwell in a house; nor, has he commanded David to build a house for him. Instead, he points out that he took David, a shepherd (who lives out of doors) and made him a prince over "my people Israel". Instead, it is the Lord God who will make a house out of David (v.11) and give him a future and descendants. One of these descendants will build a "house for my name". (v13) That house and the kingdom of David shall "be made sure for ever before me; your throne will be established forever".

We know that the throne of David did end when King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 587 B.C. The Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount the story of the reconstruction of the second temple that began under Cyrus the Great and completed about 515 B.C. That temple was reconstructed under King Herod the Great in 20 B.C. and ultimately that temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The "wailing wall" in Jerusalem today is the only remnant of that construction left standing.

So how does God's promise through the prophet stand today? Jesus, who was born of the House of David, proclaimed that through the kingdom of God, the Messiah would come and save us. Isaiah 33:22 states:

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our ruler, the LORD is our king; he will save us."

It is the reign of God that is part of the Messianic promise that delivers salvation. Isaiah 11: 1-10 talks about a "shoot" and a "branch" that will grow from the stump of Jesse. He will be anointed with the spirit and show that with wisdom, understanding, power and knowledge that his kingdom will mean the triumph of righteousness. In that day the one from Jesse will stand as "a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him".

Years later the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2 would proclaim:

Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; 5 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner," 8 and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.

Confessions of an Elder

2009-05-03T06:18:00.003-05:00

Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17

The concept of "church membership" has changed drastically in my lifetime. Some of that is for the good. For many in our tradition the concept of being on the church's formal list of membership was thought of as being a prerequisite to getting into heaven. Personally, I don't buy that. Jesus told the righteous of his era that there would be many going into the kingdom ahead of them. But, the concept of consumerism in the church world has destroyed the concept of community. Today, people shop for a church like they would for a nice social club. When I find a church that meets my needs, then I will consider membership; but, in the meantime feel free to never make a commitment to the local congregation. This kind of thinking is toxic to one's spiritual development.

While one will not find the term "membership" in the New Testament, you will find passages like that in Hebrews 13:17 that call for leaders to "shepherd" a congregation. When one places membership, he or she is giving permission to the leadership for spiritual advice. A church is a voluntary commitment of believers to live in community. How we live makes a difference. The conduct of members is vital to the spiritual health of a church.

In 1 Timothy 5 Paul goes into a rather detailed set of instructions regarding the care of widows and who should or should not be “enrolled” into the church’s support. This may not relate to modern church membership but it at least makes reference to developing a list of people falling under the care of elders. Further, in discussing church discipline, Paul gives instruction in 1 Corinthians 5 to take the immoral man and put him out. You cannot really put someone out if they have not in some meaningful way been “put in.”

Membership in a church facilitates the practice of spiritual discipline. It does not guarantee it. We preach the "kingdom of God". But, when one is born into the kingdom he or she is in need of a family where one can be nurtured and taught. That necessarily implies a commitment to the local congregation. We are imperfect people trying to be like Jesus. When we allow people to be carried as members whom do not attend, participate in ministry, pray, or ever become involved with teaching, we do them a disservice. There will always be room for those whom are honestly searching for the truth to come and participate. That is part of our evangelism. But our goal is for every person to "put on Christ" through baptism and to become part of the church visible. Only Jesus has the final authority to decide who is "in" or "out" on the day of judgment. But, being part of the body of Christ implies an active participant who is in fellowship with the saints of a local congregation.

Luke 24 On the road to Emmaus

2009-04-25T20:39:00.003-05:00

¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" ¹⁹ And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning ²³ and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." ²⁵ And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, ²⁹ but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. ³² They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, ³⁴ who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I love this post-resurrection story about Jesus. Cleopas and another unknown person were on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus discussing the events of their day. The two were distraught. They obviously had put their hope in Jesus as a prophet who was mighty in deed and word. But, they were aware of his trial, death and crucifixion. And now, there were rumors that his body was missing from the tomb and that a vision of angels had declared his resurrection. But, they had not seen him with their own eyes.

As Jesus walked with them he gave them a lesson that they would never forget. In verses 25-27 (bolded above) he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus apparently began with the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament). I would suspect that he would have begun with Adam and Eve, undoubtedly tracing the Seed of woman in Genesis 3:15. He might have continued through the raised-up Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15, the virgin birth of Isaiah 7:14, the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, and the reign of Jesse's offspring in Isaiah 11. I wonder if he might have used Psalm 16:9-10:

My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

I wonder if he made reference to the the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel, describing the righteous Branch that would come from King David (Jer. 23:5-6) that would be "cut off, but not for Himself" before the destruction of the second Temple in A.D. 70 (Daniel 9:26). Or, perhaps before he vanished from their sight, I wonder if he quoted from Zechariah 12:10, explaining that one day "the inhabitants of Jerusalem" will be given "the Spirit of grace and supplication," when "they will look on Me whom they pierced." I find it fascinating that it is when Jesus breaks the bread that he is made known to them. And, at that same instant, he vanishes. The result was that their hearts were burning while he opened the scriptures to them. I believe that the same results happen to us today. When we truly study the scriptures seeking to understand the revelation of God, there is a phenomena whereby when we worship and break bread together that we have the confirmation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that testifies to the truth of the gospel. The psalmist wrote, "Blessed are those who put their trust in Him" (Psalms 2:12). No doubt, these two men on the road of Emmaus did exactly that. And, we are invited to join them on the road of our journey through life in the here and now.

Faithfulness

2009-04-11T20:52:00.002-05:00

She sat in my office with tears running down her cheeks. The pain was written in her face. Her marriage of 24 years was in tatters. She had just told her daughters why she was moving out. The conversation had ended badly. It was hard to feel sympathy, however, because the decision to end her marriage was her own. Too many years without joy she said. The constant battles and unresolved issues. Besides, she had met somebody new.

This was not a casual, uninvolved church member. This was someone who had been part of the church her entire life. She had served willingly, taught and been a role model to others for years. She regretted that I could not support her decision to tear her family apart. "But, I am confident in my relationship with God. I know God wants me to be happy." As I sat there and listened I wondered which book of the Bible had taught her that timeless truth? What hero in the Bible could she look to who could justify one's pursuit of happiness over God's obedience? I could not think of one. Yet in our modern American new age culture, the "pursuit of happiness" has trumped faithfulness.

When we mix in the human heart with faithfulness, there is a tendency to dilute its call for purity and commitment. The secular world with its lure of wealth and security makes our lives luke-warm. The church at Laodicea was warned of this result (Rev. 3). God's first command is to love him with all of one's heart, soul, strength and mind. Seeking one's own road to private happiness is a contradiction to faithfulness. It is not about "us"; it is about the Lord. This is the same battle that the church fought in Corinth. When we import the worship of anything else besides Jesus Christ and him crucified, we engage in idolatry. It is no wonder that we deceive ourselves with the delusion of a few sentiments about a loving God, mixed in with a constant bombardment of commercials lauding personal happiness as the ultimate good. After all, we just want to be discovered like everyone else on American Idol! [Ironic name for a show, isn't it?] This rational gives license to do whatever one wants and yet justify it as somehow as one's own self piety.

Every person who claims Jesus as Lord is influenced by culture, family, friends, books, Internet, schools, workplace and world events. We prescribe out of our own history. God is one small voice that sometimes is but a whisper. However, the battle of faithfulness is not allowing the world to crowd out the call of the Messiah to the narrow road. Faithfulness is giving priority to the voice of God. It responds by one's obedience to the urging of the Spirit of God that is planted in the heart of the believer by God's Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches us that the Spirit can be quenched. God's truth sets us free. The world's call is to make the revelation of God more palatable by assimilating and accommodating the truth from God with some other source of "truth". The world is ruled by one whom is deceitful. The half-lie and innuendo kill spirituality faster than a sword. When we lose our ability to distinguish between God's voice and that of the world, we are blind and lost.

Jesus and the Kingdom of God

2009-03-18T21:21:00.003-05:00

The good news is about something that happened in time and space. It is a historical claim. Christianity is not a new moral teaching. It is a proclamation that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. Christianity has been distorted over time to be focused on heaven and hell. It is not "fire insurance" to make sure that one ends up on the right side of the ledger when the roll is called up yonder. That is the purpose of religion. Jesus did not have a lot to say that was very positive about those who were ""religious".

So what is the point? What is Christianity about?

Christianity is based upon faith that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises to a man named Abraham, and later his promises to a nation of Abraham's descendants, has accomplished the rescue of mankind from sin and death. It is a rescue operation that is on going. It is based upon the life, death, burial and resurrection of one man....Jesus. A great door has swung open in the spiritual realm. We are invited to enter and are offered freedom from slavery to sin and death. We discover, that in following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship and beauty. We now get to enjoy it; but, we are commanded to bring this reality to earth. In listening to Jesus we discover the echos of the voice that has been imprinted upon the hearts and minds of the human race from the beginning of all time.

The Anti-Triumphal Entry

2009-01-03T09:12:00.004-06:00

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 9:9-10

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the eve of Passover, he rode into the City of David on the back of a small, borrowed donkey. The irony was that the Passover feast celebrated the deliverance of God's people from bondage. The people were looking for a new King to come and throw out the Romans and re-establish Israel as a world power. While the Romans watched, the people picked up palm branches (the sign of resistance to Imperial power) and welcomed their "king". Kings do not ride donkeys. They ride mighty war horses surrounded by an entourage of soldiers. It would be like Barack Obama riding a unicycle down Pennsylvania avenue on inauguration day. Jesus made a spectacle of power. His kingdom is not based on the trappings of political or military power. In fact, he told his disciples in Luke 22:24-27:

"The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. "

The prophet Zechariah foretold hundreds of years ago what would happen when the Messiah arrived. Jesus fulfilled this Messianic prophecy. And, yet to this day, the world looks to the trappings of authority and power to "lead" us to a better life. In the kingdom of God, we find authority is turned on its head. If one wants to be really great in the kingdom, you become a servant to all. This tension between "how do we live in the world" and not be "in it" is the walk of the Christian life.

So You Want a King?

2008-12-31T09:06:00.005-06:00

Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."

1 Samuel 8: 10-18

Our story began in a Garden. Unlike any other Garden, this one was special. No thorns, no war, no pollution or poverty. It was perfect. But, there was one thing that man was not supposed to partake of.....the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned Adam and Eve that if they ate of that Tree that they would discover something called "death". Immortality and Knowledge of Good and Evil does not mix. And, then a lying, cheating, no good serpent entered the Garden and tempted them to partake of the forbidden fruit. Evidently, the lure of God- like knowledge was far more tempting than the fear of death. They would decide for themselves what was "good" and what was "evil". They rejected what God told them to do. The result was the "Fall". It created a separation of humanity from God. The results were horrific. The first death outside the Garden was the murder of one their sons by another. The flow of civilization and violence that proceeded forth became so horrific that the "earth became full of violence". So much so, that God decided to reboot the design. In his grace he chose a man, Noah, and his family and preserved animal life from a great flood that destroyed the evil world. But, like sand in the carburetor, it did not take long to discover that the seeds of sin sprung forth again like dandelions on a vacant lot.

God decided to make a covenant with a man, Abram, who was called out of the seat of civilization of his day. God told him he would take him to a new land and that through his seed, "all nations of the earth would be blessed". This was the story of the redemption of the human race. God changed his name to "Abraham" which means father of many nations. The story of his descendants, Issac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph show that God was involved in each of their lives in special ways. But, his descendants ended up as slaves in Egypt for 400 years.

The story of the Exodus (the second book of the Bible) is a story of deliverance of God's people. God choose a baby Hebrew, Moses, whose mother spared his life by hiding him in a basket in the reeds along the Nile river from an officially proclaimed governmental policy of genocide against Hebrew male babies. Moses was adopted by the daughter of the Pharaoh and grew up in the palace of the Pharaoh ( i.e. "King") of Egypt. When Moses murdered an Egyptian taskmaster, he fled to the desert of Midian to hide from judgment of the Egyptian legal system. It was there that God revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai and told him to return to Egypt to deliver God's people to a promised land. As God delivered him from the Nile as a baby, Moses delivered his people by having them cross the Red Sea on dry land before waters destroyed Pharaoh's army of chariots who were pursuing them.

Moses led the people of Israel in the desert; but, not as a King. He was a prophet of God. God himself tabernacled with the people directing their way and delivering them from their enemies. The people did not always appreciate deliverance. In fact, they grumbled. Nostalgic memories of home back in Egypt, on the plantation, caused them to cry out for the meat and fast food of the empire. Evidently, the choice between filling their bellies with food was more important than wandering in the desert with God. Exodus 16:3 reads that:

"The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Not a lot has changed in our churches today. Many would rather follow their human desires for food, pleasure and material things than to seek to walk in the ways of the Lord.

When they came into the promised land, they were led by Joshua. Following his leadership were a series of Judges whom God raised up to deliver the people when they needed deliverance. By the days of the prophet Samuel, the people looked around at their neighbors who were ruled by Kings and demanded that Samuel appoint for them a King. The desire for a King was motivated by the people's desire to like their neighbors.....much like the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden. God had chosen his people to be "set apart from the nations". They were to be "holy" and to be "his own". Instead, the people demanded a human king. In the passage above, Samuel told them what that would mean to them. However,just like Adam and Eve, they ignored the long term consequences for the short term lure of the gain of an earthly kingdom. They wanted to "be like the nations". The Bible suggests that we need to be careful about what we wish for. The stories of the kings that followed showed how human wisdom leads to depravity and vanity. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, ruled with a heavy yoke saying, " my father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions". (I Kings 12:11) It was no wonder that the people rebelled and the Davidic kingdom was fractured between Israel and Judah. When government becomes a burden to the people, it is often overthrown. Our forefathers threw the tea overboard in Boston harbor for a penny tax. Today, our systems of taxation take over 1/2 of what people earn between income taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, earnings taxes, gift, estate and generation-skipping taxes.

But of course with God, that was not the end of the story. Grace always triumphs over Judgment. For Christians, the battle is always between two masters. Manna and God. The model of our King is one of a servant who is meek and lowly. He commanded his followers to render unto Cesar the things that are Cesar's; but, to give to God the things that are God. The great paradox of God's power vs. that of the world is that a barren old lady would become the mother of a nation; a shepherd boy would become their King and that a homeless baby would lead them home.

The Gifts of the Christ Child

2008-12-23T21:34:00.008-06:00

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2: 10-11

Gold is for kings. Frankincense was used by the priests. But, "myrrh" was for embalming. Who would give myrrh to a baby? The Bible records these gifts for a specific reason. Each is a sign of Messianic prophecy. They were to foretell the future of this special child who was born of a virgin.

When Jesus was upon the cross, Mark 15:23 says:

And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it.

Myrrh also had some medicinal qualities that help alleviate pain. Jesus refused it so that he bore the full penalty for all of our iniquities. Later, he did accept the vinegar wine on a sponge.

What I find fascinating is the Messianic Psalms that point to the prophecy of the Messiah. In Isaiah 60 we find the following passage:

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Mid'ian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

In this passage the Messiah is delivered two gifts: (1) gold; and, (2) frankincense. The role of the Messiah in His kindgom will be that of King and Priest; but, note the absence of the third gift - myrrh. There will no longer be the need for burial anymore as the Messiah will bring eternal life to His kingdom. The prophecy's absence of the need for myrrh is a symbol of the Messianic era. And, this was prophesied some 500 years before the birth of Jesus.

The Kingdom of God

2008-12-07T16:36:00.003-06:00

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2: 2-4

The prophet Isaiah predicted a future that sounds like pure idealism. In the history of the world, I cannot remember any time when people beat their swords into plowshares. The rule of God which is to go forth from Zion (the hill on which the temple in Jerusalem was built) is not only for Israel; but, for "many peoples". The plan for worldwide peace is a theme that goes back to Eden. No more thorns and thistles. No more war and strife. It is the rule of God which is perfect for mankind. When YHWH finally acts to reestablish Jerusalem ("Zion") as the place where he will live and reign, it will be for all of us. This is the same promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through his seed "all nations" of the earth would be blessed.

Even more specifically, God promises to do this through the arrival of the ultimate king of Israel, the descendant of David ("son of Jesse"). This king will possess the wisdom he will need to bring God's justice to the whole world. Isaiah went on to describe this in chapter 11: 1-9:

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant which is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

The restoration of Israel that is recovered from the remnant of his people is a sign of the Lord's hand. Israel, as a nation, ceased to exist when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans in 70 A.D. Jewish people were scattered throughout the nations (the "Diaspora") for almost two Milena. In 1947, the United Nations voted to restore a homeland for the Jewish people. No other nation on earth has ever come back from the dead in this manner. Hebrew, a language that nearly disappeared, is now restored as the language of modern day Israel. Certainly the wolf and the lamb have not laid down together in our time. But the fact that Israel exists as a nation today is not something that we should ignore. Does this means we are living in the last days? Perhaps? But, no man knows the hour or the day. But, Jesus did tell his disciples that they would know the "season". Before 1947 these passages were thought of as literary illusion. But, if we remember that Jesus was a historical figure that lived real space and time, then I believe there is room to suggest that upon his return God is not yet done with his plan to redeem this physical world just yet.

The Year of Jubilee

2008-10-28T20:39:00.003-05:00

10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. 11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you; in it you shall neither sow, nor reap what grows of itself, nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat what it yields out of the field. 13 "In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14 And if you sell to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15 According to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years for crops he shall sell to you. 16 If the years are many you shall increase the price, and if the years are few you shall diminish the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God. 18 "Therefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my ordinances and perform them; so you will dwell in the land securely. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell in it securely. 20 And if you say, 'What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?' 21 I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that it will bring forth fruit for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating old produce; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, you shall eat the old. 23 The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me.

Leviticus 25: 10-23

While we sing songs about the "year of Jubilee", many are unaware that this Biblical concept was God's design for giant party every fifty years! How would you like to take a year off work with all your friends and family at the same time? Better yet, if you had mortgaged your family home and were in debt up to your ears, all debt was to be forgiven in the year of jubilee. It was God's way of hitting the giant reset button and refreshing everything to the way it was when the children of Israel entered the land and it was given to them. No work was to be done in the fields. Slaves were to be set free, debts were cleared and the real estate was returned to the the original owners. This was not communism where the state owns and controls everything. Rather, it is a limited form of capitalism. If one were going to lease the land until the next Jubilee, the price for doing so in year 1 would be much greater than if one were to lease it in year 49. This concept of market price based upon valuation of the time-difference of money is unique. Its purpose was to remind the people that they did not "own" land. The people were to be strangers and sojourners with the Lord. While one could still work and make a profit, one could not buy up all the land and enslave his neighbors in debt in perpetuity. The Lord is a god of second chances.

Debt enslaves people. When the Jewish people revolted against Rome in 66 A.D. one of the first things they did was to burn the temple records of all the debts that were owed. In essence, they wanted a second chance to start over as a free nation and to celebrate a jubilee type event. There is little recorded history to show that the year of Jubilee was actually carried out. Over time, the people forgot the commands.

In the 4th chapter of Luke, we have a story of Jesus reading from the Book of Isaiah. While the word "jubilee" is not mentioned the imagery is very much the same:

And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Luke 4: 16-19

Jesus then told the assembly that "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.". I suspect that the first year of Jesus's ministry might have been a jubilee year. I suspect that the people recognized the message; but, they did not accept the author of jubilee.

I like a God who wants to party! It is a lot like throwing a big wingding and killing the fatted calf when the prodical son comes home. The Father says, "We have to celebrate." To often we celebrate transitory things. Somehow the good news is tied to the concept of jubilee. If one wants to pick a good year, pick a year of jubilee.

Feed My Sheep

2008-10-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

John 21:17

In the beginning of John Chapter 21, Peter, who has seen resurrected Jesus decides to go "fishing". I do a lot of thinking when fishing. Especially, when one fishes all night and catches nothing. Peter was not doing recreational fishing. He was fishing for his livelihood. He was going about the affairs of life making a living knowing the only trade he knew to put food on the table. He had witnessed the arrest and trial of his Lord. And, he fled Jerusalem in panic after denying Jesus three times in the courtyard of his trial. I would bet he could hear the cock crowing 3 times in his sleep. He had witnessed Jesus in resurrection; but, he still did not know what to do? I am certain his doubts and worries about the future consumed him. And then, in this last chapter of John 21, Jesus appears to him again along the seashore in Galilee providing him and his fellow fisherman breakfast. When Peter listens to Jesus and does what he says to do, he sees the reward. And, yet Jesus asks him 3 times "Peter, do you love me?" The sting of the interrogatories had to be devastating to Peter. And, yet, the Lord was forming the rock upon which his church would be built.

If you love me, then feed my sheep. It sounds so simple. Yet, this is the question every believer is asked by the Lord. What is it that each one of us can do to help build up the body (the church) of Christ? Jesus told us that even those who give a cup of cold water in His name would not lose their reward. Faith without works is dead. The church is not an option for a believer. We are all to be about feeding the sheep with whatever talents and abilities we have been given.

Church Growth

2008-09-28T19:35:00.005-05:00

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sama'ria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

Acts 9:31

So how does a church leadership go about building up the body of Christ? One would think that the plan of salvation would take care of that automatically? However, in today's religious climate, churches are "shopped" by members to find the size and fit for what one is seeking. If one does not like what one finds in Church A, you go down the street to Church B and try it out. In the early church of the New Testament this was not the case. There was only one church. Denominationalism has fractured Christendom into different flavors from which one can select. I don't think that is what the Lord had in mind when he prayed for unity in John 17. I love the fact that we belong to a unity movement that began as an attempt to not be just another denomination. Instead of being a "Baptist" or a "Presbyterian" or "Methodist" we decided to simply call ourselves "Christians only; but, not the only Christians". We decided to let the Bible speak for itself and abolished clergy and laity distinctions. Congregations are voluntary associations who choose their own leadership based on the Biblical example of having Elders and Deacons who meet biblical standards set forth in Scripture. And yet, we continue to struggle with the reality that we live in a consumer denominated society whereby churches compete for members.

I am indebted to my son-in-law who sent me an interesting link that addresses some of these church growth issues: See here. I am convinced that the spiritual battle for the souls of mankind is waged at the congregational level of the church. Every member has to take responsibility for the gospel. We are a "priesthood of all believers". Ultimately, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws people to the cross. Our job is to lift up Jesus in everything that we do. Note the verse in Acts 9:31 above. Two things stand out to me. One, they walked "in the fear of the Lord". I don't think many in the world worry much about what God thinks these days. The Bible has a lot to say about this:

Job 28:28 - And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Psalms 19:9 - the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

Psalms 34:11 - Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psalms 111:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it. His praise endures for ever!

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:29 - Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 10:27 - The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

Proverbs 14:26 - In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.

Proverbs 15:16 - Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.

Proverbs 15:33 - The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. Proverbs 16:6 - By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the LORD leads to life; and he who has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

And there is more. But, the second part of the above scripture refers to the "comfort of the Holy Spirit". I fear that there many Christians in our churches today if asked to explain their experience with the "comfort of the Holy Spirit" would look like a deer caught in the headlights. We do know that Acts 2:38 promises the "gift of the Holy Spirit" to every believer who is born again by baptism. But, unless one can share with a non-believer what that means, it is difficult for our churches to grow. The ultimate testimony of every believer is to explain the hope that is within one. God in us really is the secret of the good news.

The Book of Psalms

2008-09-21T21:57:00.003-05:00

I find it fascinating that the Book of Psalms is quoted in the New Testament more than any other book in the Old Testament. One might think that the Torah or the Prophets would be more in play? Jesus said that the psalms spoke about Him (Luke 24:44) and they constitute irrefutable testimony to the divine inspiration of the Scriptures.

The Messianic psalms include Psalm 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 87, 89, 102, 110, 118, et al. Next to Psalm 22, Psalm 69 is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament: Psalm 22 deals with the death of Christ, Psalm 69 deals with the life of Christ.

Psalm 69 is quoted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and also in Acts and Romans. (There are also many references to it beyond those actual quotations.) This psalm tells us about the silent years of Christ's childhood and young manhood, of which the Gospels tell us practically nothing. (Luke tells us about an incident in the life of our Lord when He was twelve years old, but we learn nothing else about Him until He is about thirty years old.) This psalm fills in some of the details of those early years. We see some of Christ's dark days in Nazareth and His dark hours on the Cross.

Growing up in Nazareth, one hears the heart sob of a small boy, a teenager, a young man. This is a psalm of His early humiliation and rejection:

"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children (Psalm 69:8)."

Mary had other children, which confirms the record in the Gospels (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3). He became an alien unto His mother's children - not His father's children because Joseph was not His father. They were half-brothers and half-sisters. It may have been a very unhappy home?

"I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them

(Psalm 69:11).

"They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards (Psalm 69:12)."

Those who are "sitting in the gate" are the high officials of the town, the judges. The drunkards and the best people in Nazareth both spoke against Him. His life in Nazareth was not nice. Recall the vicious exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees in John 8: "...We be not born of fornication (Jn 8:41)."

Why did He endure all of this? He was raised in a town where He was called illegitimate in order that we might be legitimate in the eyes of God. The Son of God bore that for us on the Cross; He paid the penalty for our sins. How few of us have considered the 30 years of shame and ignominy that He endured so that we might have clear title to be called "sons of God" (Jn 1:11,12).Yet, He had the most distinguished Family Tree in history: it was encrypted in the Torah (Gen 38) and prophesied in the times of the Judges (Ruth 4). It evaded the blood curse on Jeconiah (Jer 22:30) and included a Virgin Birth (Gen 3:15; Isa 7:14; Ps 69, 110). The Book of Psalms is a treasure trove of prophetic discoveries and insights.

Learning to Wait upon the Lord

2008-09-15T22:15:00.005-05:00

A Biblical prophecy is not a mere prediction. It is a promise made by God of the future. God is faithful to keep his promises, even though He may do so many years later. A test of our faith is learning to wait upon the Lord.

Abraham is known as the father of faith. He was 75 years old when he left Haran with the promise that God would bless him and make a great nation of him. [Gen. 12-1-4] While he was still childless, Abraham was promised that his descendants would be "as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered". [Gen.13:16] God made an unilateral covenant with Abraham that was unconditional. [Gen. 12-17] Years later Abraham was still childless. Yet God assured him that his descendants would come through his own body and that Sarah, his rightful and elderly wife, would bear his son:

" I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." ....[19] God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. Gen. 17:6-8,19

Naturally, Sarah laughed when she heard this pronouncement because she was 90 years old and her husband was nearly 100 [v17]. But, God was true to his word and Issac was born as promised. [21:1-7]. Thus, God began his creation with a miracle, for which he made Abraham wait for 25 years.

Why did God take so long? First, the long time frame would show that nothing is too difficult for the Lord and that with "God nothing will be impossible" [18:14; Luke 1:37]. Secondly, Abraham was being conditioned to believe and trust in God's promises. God is not so concerned with our comfort but with our character. Third, in the process of waiting upon the Lord, Abraham developed faith. Abraham " believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations". Romans 4:18]

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. [Romans 4:19-21]

God's timetable may be different than ours. God's promises may not always be filled immediately; but, they will be fulfilled eventually. It is with the eye of faith that we see his kingdom come.

Truth is a Personality

2008-09-07T18:14:00.003-05:00

John 8:32 - ...and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

As closing elder, I shared the following comments with the congregation this morning.

"We are a broken people. As Christians we struggle with:

mental and physical illnesses
the effects of aging
lost jobs and opportunities
the lament and sorrow of loved ones who have predeceased us

But, we know in whom we believe. In the process of faith we discover that it is not about us. It is about the power of the gospel. We have found truth and it is setting us free. The revelation is that truth is a personality. [And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. John 1:14]

We have discovered that the things unseen are more important than those things that are seen. We are broken people who want to offer to other broken people the message of faith, hope and love."

How Shall We Live?

2008-08-31T20:11:00.003-05:00

And the word of the LORD came to Zechari'ah, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy each to his brother, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart."

Zechariah 7: 8-10

So how does one know when a person of faith is acting in accordance with the Word of God? The prophet Zechariah set forth the above from the Lord over 2500 years ago. And yet today, it would be hard to improve upon this litmus test. The kingdom is not about preserving correct doctrine; but, in doing the will of God. How we treat one another and those who are defenseless says more about us than anything we can say about ourselves. Ultimately, it is what is in one's heart that will be made known by one's actions. We reap the harvest of what we sow.

2008-08-28T12:58:00.004-05:00

Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun. Even if you live to a ripe old age, you should try to enjoy each day.

Ecclesiastes 11:7

I read the above verse to my three and one-half year old granddaughter this morning from her "Read and Learn" Favorite Bible Verse book. I am certain that I derived more wisdom from it than she did today; but, the seed of faith planted into her heart by the Word and watered with the prayers of grandparents and parents will do wonderful things in the years ahead.

It was almost three years ago to the day that my daughter Rachel had a near death experience. An emergency craniotomey at 3:00 a.m. in the morning saved her life. This morning as I stood in the shower of her guest bathroom, I fashbacked to 3 years ago. I remember standing in the same spot pouring out my heart to the Lord. Showers are a great place to pray. One stands before the Lord naked and the water washes away the tears. Three years later I think about the above verse. Every day is a gift. I am choosing to enjoy this day.

The Valley of the Dry Bones

2008-08-17T20:06:00.004-05:00

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, thou knowest." 4 Again he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. 11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it, says the LORD."

Ezekiel 37: 1-14

Over 2600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel prophesied a national resurrection for Israel. The spirit of the Lord set Ezekiel in a valley filled with dried human bones that Ezekiel was told consisted of "the whole house of Israel". (vv 1-11) Then the prophet was told to prophesy over them (v.4). When the prophet spoke , a mighty miracle took place. Immediately the bones came together, forming a body of people (v.7). This coalescing represents Israel's resurrection as an entity in its own land in the last days.

On November 29, 1947 the nation of Israel was resurrected by a vote of the United Nations. It was the first time in 20 centuries that a nation whose people had been uprooted and dispersed across the face of the earth, survived, and returned to its country of origin to resume its national existence. Some would suggest that Israel's reemergence is totally unrelated to prophecy. Therefore, modern Israel's reestablishment is a historical event that has no relevance to biblical fulfillment. Others would suggest that that there will be a literal, national restoration as prophesied in the Bible; but, not until the return of the Lord. They would suggest that a return in unbelief does not follow the correct sequence of repentance, then restoration.

It seems to me that the above passage gives one some insight into the plan of God. Note v. 8 that talks about the lack of "breath" in the bones. This might suggest an absence of spiritual life at the time of resurrection. Spiritual life will come when the reconciliation happens--at the Second coming of Jesus the Messiah.

The concept that Israel will return to its own land in unbelief and become a nation before the Messiah returns is also seen in Ezekiel 36:8-12 where the land itself will be restored upon the Jewish people's return. In 1948 about 657,000 resided in the new State of Israel. Many of these had no agricultural or farming background. Yet, through the establishment of the kibbutzim (collective settlements) the land began to produce crops on what had been desolate for centuries. Since the return of the descendants of Abraham to Israel, the land has experienced the new life mentioned in Ezekiel 36. First, it is like a tree that sprouts new branches, leaves, and fruit (v.8). Second, it is producing abundantly as it is being "tilled and sown" (v.9). Third, its cities are being rebuilt and inhabited (v.10). Fourth, the land has been reclaimed , as Israel's ruins are rebuilt (v.10). Fifth, the land is being populated with Jewish people (vv. 1--12). Sixth, the Israelies are taking possession of it (v.12). This event is a forerunner to the ultimate fulfillment of the Ezekiel 36 passage which will take place in the Millennial Kingdom.

Scripture clearly teaches that Israel will face world opposition and unprecedented tribulation in the last days. In fact, Israel will experience what is known as "the time of Jacob's trouble" --an unprecedented holocaust poured out on Israel during he Great Tribulation. (Jer. 30:7) Consequently, Israel must be in existence when the Tribulation begins.

It was prophesied that the land of Magog ("Russia") will join specific nations - Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah (Ezek. 38:5-6)--to attack Israel before the Messiah's return. (vv. 1-12) This invasion will occur when Israel is back in its land and dwelling safely (vv.8,11) The purpose of the invasion is to plunder and destroy Israel (v.12).

It also appears that immediately prior to the Messiah's return, another invasion will occur when all the nations of the world attack Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation. This invasion is called Armageddon (Rev. 16:16). Again, there must be a literal nation of Israel for these nations to attack.

Another prophecy is found in Psalms 83:1-8:

1 A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

O God, do not keep silence; do not hold thy peace or be still, O God! 2 For lo, thy enemies are in tumult; those who hate thee have raised their heads. 3 They lay crafty plans against thy people; they consult together against thy protected ones. 4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!" 5 Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant-- 6 the tents of Edom and the Ish'maelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal and Ammon and Am'alek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.

Asaph speaks of ten nations committed to Israel's destruction. Those nations are Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amale, Philistia, Tyre and Assyria. The descendants of those people make up modern Jordan; northern Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, the northern Sinai Peninsula; parts of the Mediterranean coast, and what the news media today calls today as the "West Bank". Today, these Islamic people currently seek to annihilate the State of Israel.

Four New Testament passages mention the Temple, i.e. Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Second Thessalonians 2:3-4; and Revelation 11:1-2. When the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. the world thought that would be the end of the Jewish sacrificial system. Interestingly, there is a movement under way in Israel to build a new third Temple and reinstitute sacrificial worship. An Orthodox Jewish group called the Temple Mount Faithful is ready to lay the cornerstone; but, the Israeli government has prevented it. Another group at the Temple Institute is making furniture that will be ready when the new Temple is constructed. Still another group of Orthodox rabbis are training men whose last names are Levi or Cohen to function as priests, in anticipation of a new Temple.

All these facts lead me to believe that Israel must (1) be a legitimate nation; and, (2) be in control of the Temple Mount before the Lord returns. Both of these conditions have now transpired. Scripture teaches us that no one knows the day or hour; but, the Lord said we would know the seasons by the events happening around us. I find such events to be a confirmation of my faith that we are closer to the last days than ever before. As we watch world events unfolding before us we must remember that God gave us prophecy so that we would know that His word is truth. May we develop spiritual ears and eyes to discern as we travel the journey of faith. Maranatha!

Cyrus the Great

2008-08-10T22:28:00.003-05:00

"I am the Lord.... who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfil all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'" Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held--to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut.

Isaiah 44:24,28-45:1

I love to study history. The stories of what has happened in the past intrigue me. While history never repeats itself, there are patterns and trends that tell us much about ourselves. At first glance, Cyrus the Great, an ancient king of Persia, would seem to be a boring name from the past. But, if you have been following the events in Iran (historic Persia), you already know that this king, dead for 2,500 hundred years has been in the news of late.

Isaiah's language is outstanding. God specifically named Cyrus, calling him His shepherd and anointed, indicating the Lord handpicked Cyrus to become a world ruler who would allow the Jewish people in captivity to return to their land and rebuild their holy city --Jerusalem--and their Temple.

God's promise from the past became fact as world history unfolded. The prophet Ezra recorded Cyrus's proclamation, made in 538 B.C.in his book in chapter 1: 1-3:

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel--he is the God who is in Jerusalem;

Today Iran's Muslim ayatollahs under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are not happy with the history of King Cyrus. In an attempt to expunge him from the annals of Persian history because of his association with the God of Israel and his decree authorizing the Jewish people to return to their land, they want to submerge his tomb via a dam now under construction. At the moment, the tomb remains largely intact in the archaeological ruin of Pasargad. For a picture of the tomb and more history see here.

World history become a lot more interesting from the perspective that the God of the universe is still in charge of it! If these prophecies were fulfilled it gives a person of faith hope that the final outcome is still under the Lord's design.

2008-08-04T22:11:00.003-05:00

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching....

Matthew 7:28

Jesus came teaching and preaching. His ministry only lasted three years. Yet, no one before him or afterwards ever changed the course of history as he did. We divide time by his birth. His teaching changed the hearts of ordinary people to testify as to their faith in him as the Messiah.

When I share my faith with those who do not believe, I try to get them to examine for themselves the words of Jesus. While the believer accepts this as scripture, for those who do not believe there is a historical record of his words. When someone reads for himself or herself the words of Jesus there is a power that draws one to faith. The Bible is not some magic book. It is simply the testimony of those who experienced God firsthand and their story about what happened in their lives. Mark described his teaching this way: "And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes." Jesus's words are not a legal code or a set of rules. For him truth is a personality. This is an examination anyone can make on their own. It is one that we need to share and teach with those who do not believe.

Open the Eyes of My Heart

2008-07-27T21:30:00.003-05:00

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1: 15-23

This one sentence in the opening chapter of the Paul's letter to the Ephesians packs more revelation per line than just about any other passage in the New Testament. The fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ is set forth herein. For this post though, I wanted to focus on the highlighted words. This passage suggests that a person of faith must keep their eye on the ultimate prize through choices, decisions and spiritual growth. So how does one do that?

First, there is a vision of the heart. God made you in His image. He put inside of each of us a spiritual heart that gives one spiritual sight. If someone scars their heart through sin, they become spiritually blind. But, when a person of faith allows God's spirit to enter their heart, the believer gains "enlightenment", i.e. spiritual understanding of the world around us.

Secondly, that spiritual enlightenment leads to an understanding of "hope". Paul told that Corinthians that knowledge "puffs up"; but, that love never fails. Love produces hope in whatever circumstance a person of faith finds oneself. When one understand this there is a "calling". Every believer has been created with certain innate talents and abilities. We are all different. God equips his body with many skills and varied functions. When one becomes cognizant of one's talents and uses those to further the cause of the kingdom there is a reward. Part of that reward is hearing the call of the Lord to do those good deeds that were created for us before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Third, the enlightenment that comes from stepping out on faith are the riches stored up in heaven for us "in the saints". Every time we give a cup of cold water to someone in need in the name of Jesus we are promised that we will not lose our reward. We enter this world with nothing and when we die we leave with nothing; except for the record of our actions while we are here on earth. If we can glimpse the cosmic point of view, we gain understanding into how we are to live life in the here and now.

In God We Trust

2008-07-11T04:48:00.004-05:00

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

but, we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 20:7

We live in a scary world these days. Iran is launching missiles while developing nuclear warheads. North Korea issues a report saying that they are giving up their plutonium enrichment facilities. But, report says nothing about its suspected uranium enrichment program. North Korea obtained plans and materials for uranium enrichment from Pakistan in 1997 in exchange for missile technology. A fact which has since been confirmed by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharaf. The report also fails to give an account of the nuclear weapons already produced, and it does not address North Korea's proliferation activities. Such as its sales of nuclear technology to countries like Syria and Libya. Russia's interactions with Europe and the US have been strained for some time.

Last year Russia announced its withdrawal from a key treaty regulating conventional armed forces in Europe. Russia has also threatened to pull out of its 1987 treaty with the United States banning intermediate range nuclear forces. In recent years Russia has implemented an ambitious plan to update and expand its military. Russian defense spending has been rising steadily, with the help of high energy prices and oil revenues. Russia is in the process of deploying new intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and possibly aircraft carriers. This is all part of a 189 billion dollar weapons modernization program. Russia recently inked a treaty with Syria giving it access to warm weather ports for its Mediterranean fleet.

In times like these we might ask in what or whom do we place our trust? Our currency in the United States bears our national motto "In God We Trust". For a bit of history of this see this link. We trust in God because we recognize the truth of scripture:

There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Psalm 33:16-18

William Penn, one of our founding fathers of this nation was quoted as saying:

"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."

We need to learn from our history.

Ancient Tablet Discovered

2008-07-08T21:25:00.003-05:00

I don't often quote from the New York Times on this blog, but the recent discovery of an ancient tablet struck me as very interesting. For those of you who love history check out this story at: here

Celebrating our Freedom

2008-07-02T06:17:00.003-05:00

Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

As we approach the holiday of the 4th of July celebrating the freedoms we share as a country and a nation, we need to remember that the source of those blessings come from God. When we forget to be thankful and to give praise to His Name, we suffer personally and as a nation. God still reigns and is in control. His mercies endure forever.

Giving Yourself to the Lord

2008-06-29T12:18:00.004-05:00

We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedo'nia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints-- and this, not as we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

2 Corinthians 8: 1-5

On Sunday morning June 29, 2008 I felt like the McKnight Road Church experienced what the apostle Paul wrote about the church in Corinth. We had prayed and planned a special contribution to help raise money for a leaky roof. But, this was a campaign for so much more.

I shared the following remarks with the church preceding our contribution:

"Today is a special day. The Elders have asked the congregation to pray and consider making a special commitment this day to the work of the Kingdom here at McKnight Road. This commitment is not about a roof. The commitment is centered on the work of the Lord in this community.

Recently, one of our newer members visited with us and asked what our focus was for the church. One of my fellow elders stated quite simply: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If the Lord does not return for another 1000 years that will still be the cry of his church.

We see the spiritual battle being waged in the lives of the members of this church. Times are tough. This past year many of our members have lost jobs, suffered demotions, taken pay cuts. Everyone here struggles daily learning how to do more with less.

We believe that the congregation is the crossroads of where the proclamation of God intersects with the world. We have chosen things like Missouri not-for-profit corporations, and church buildings to aid us in the mission. This auditorium is NOT a sanctuary. It is a place that is expedient for us to gather as a family for worship. But, we don’t need a building to be the church. But, in having a building, we have some needs.

Our goal here this morning is not to look at brick and mortar and roof supports. We want to be the foundation of the living church. We believe that every human being is called by God to be part of his kingdom. We are a priesthood of all believers. We have no clergy. We do have those who minister here as full or part-time staff. Again this building helps in their function. We simply want every member to understand his and her responsibility to the body of Christ. God made you. And, He has given each of you unique talents and abilities."

As of this morning the members of the church had pledged $70,000 in loans and made cash gifts and pledges totalling another $70,252.00. And, several of our families have indicated that they have yet to make their gift. I am so deeply appreciative of the way that our members have pulled together to help in the ministry of the church that meets at McKnight Road. This has been done by doing what the apostle Paul asked. Giving of oneself to the Lord first and then to work of the Lord! It is a privilege to travel the Way with such dedicated saints!

Joy in Heaven

2008-06-27T05:31:00.003-05:00

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

If you want to know what gets God excited, see the above verse. His kingdom is about finding the lost sheep, binding up the injured and helping the weak. Save us from the self-righteous and the religious.