Christmas

It is Christmas Day as I am writing this, so here are a few thoughts about Christmas. First of all, it isn't found in the Bible as a religious observance. Much is said about remembering the death of Jesus (Matt. 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, 1 Cor. 10 & 11) and His resurrection. But while His birth is detailed in the book of Luke, there isn't any sign of a birthday celebration in the early church. Nor do we know the time of Jesus' birth; it doesn't appear to have been in December, however, by the fact that shepherds were in the fields, which they likely wouldn't have been in December. The timing is all conjecture.

Still, the Bible makes quite an event of the birth of Christ. And it is a beautiful and true story of the birth of a king. You've heard the expression, "Wise men still seek Him." It is true; they sought Him at His birth and they seek Him now.

There has always been confusion over the person of Jesus, however. At the time of Jesus' birth, there were Jews who had been anticipating the birth of a king. But they were expecting an earthly king, one like King David from their history, one who would rule the earth, and overpower the oppressive Roman government. Even the governors were nervous when they heard a king had been born, thinking wrongly that Jesus would rule on earth. And Herod went so far as to order the death of all boy babies 2 years old and under, hoping to kill the king.

But Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this earth." We know that it is a spiritual kingdom, and that He rules from heaven. And the prophet Daniel said in Daniel 2:44, "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." The spiritual kingdom of Jesus will have no end.

What a great king is our Jesus! Let us be sure and worship Him!

Worship God

Our Father has always wanted to be worshipped. Throughout the Old Testament, God gave specific instructions to His people as to how He wanted to be worshipped. This started in the time of Adam and Eve and continues to this day. The ways have changed through the ages, but this was always at the direction of Him, not us; i.e., we are to do it His way.

In the New Testament, the pattern of worship changed. In Acts 20:7, we read, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." Here we see the example of worship on Sunday by the church. We also learn that they were taking the Lord's Supper, communion, on Sunday.

When we realize that Jesus loved the church, died for the church, we must realize that we must be a part of the church. The book of Acts and the letters to follow are full of instruction regarding the church. Many of the New Testament books are written to the churches, not to specific individuals.

Another instruction in the NT regarding worship is that we come to worship Him. We often think about our worship as being good for us. We are edified, encouraged, built up, get to be with other Christians. But really, it is about worshipping Him; not about us. Jesus, giving us the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 said, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done...." This is about Him. Yes, the prayer addresses us as well, but it begins and ends with Him. We must focus our prayers, our worship on Him. If we give Him our worship, our devotion, it will be as James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

In conclusion, we must worship our Lord as a part of His church. We must follow the pattern given to us in the NT by worshipping on Sunday with other Christians, and we must (and surely we want to) partake of the Lord's Supper to commemorate His death.

Thanks for reading! Have a good week.

Jesus' Blood

Blood plays a major role in the Bible. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, He had blood flowing from the wounds of the nails. (As an aside, did you know that there is no reference in the Bible to nails being driven through the hands and feet of Jesus? The only way we know that nails were used is in the story of Thomas, sometimes called "doubting Thomas", where he said he would not believe unless he saw the scars on Jesus from the nails.) Jesus also had a bloody back where He had been whipped and scourged. His head was bloody from the crown of thorns. He had lost a lot of blood.

Looking back into history, we recall from Exodus 13 that God instructed His people to put blood on the doorposts so that when God brought a plague against the Egyptians, His people, the Israelites, would be passed over in the plague; hence, the Passover feast of the Jews. Blood had a major role in the people of God being saved.

Blood is significant to the Christian being saved today. We read in Romans 6, that just as Jesus died, we die through the act of baptism; and just as He was raised from the dead, we are raised in newness of life to be a new creature. Thus, we are saved through the death of Jesus.

The Bible even gives a look into the future in regards to blood. In Revelation 19, starting with verse 13, it describes a view into heaven, "He was clothed with a blood dipped in blood, and His name is called 'The Word of God.' And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses." This is His followers, all in white with no stains, all because Jesus has blood on Him, our blood. We are saved by the blood of Jesus.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Luke Warm

Jesus taught the importance of a real commitment to Him. He says in the letter to the Laoticean church, Revelation 3:15, 16, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." That is strong language, but it shows how strongly our Lord feels about being in the middle somewhere, half-hearted, half committed.

This reminds me of a cup of coffee. Most of us like our coffee hot. Some like it cold. But nobody wants lukewarm coffee; there just isn't anything more useless than that. If we hired a lawyer to represent our case, we would insist that he be firmly committed to our cause; nothing lukewarm.

Jesus, over and over again, taught the lesson that full commitment was all that would be accepted. Early in the sermon on the mount, Matt. 5, He said that we must let our light shine, not hide it under a basket. He taught that a tree must bear fruit; if it is fruitless, cut it down. In Luke 9, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. " And when He called His apostles to come follow Him, He did not let them go take care of a lot of loose ends and chores. He wanted commitment right then.

We must make sure that our commitment and service to Him is not "lukewarm." He wants us; our hearts, our love, our whole self. Thanks for reading....and have a blessed week!

"Any Other Gospel"

The word gospel just means good news; and there is no other gospel than the one brought to us by Jesus Christ and taught by the apostles.

Note the words of Paul in his letter to the Galatians, Gal. 1:6, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said to you before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." We can see from this that there are people who want to pervert the true gospel. And the sentiment here is so strong that he repeats the warning.

These verses are followed by this: "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The gospel then is special. It came to us by Jesus Christ. And there is only one. Note these verses from 2Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

We must treat the gospel of Jesus Christ as special, live by it, and teach it; spread the good news! Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week!

The God Directed Life

James chapter 4 is a very practical lesson in how we should direct our lives. You should read it all, but here are some selected passages: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

This passage is typical of all of the New Testament in that it mentions many of the wrongdoings that we should avoid. But more than that, it is saying that we should draw near to God. If we set the direction of our lives toward Him, the rest will work itself out. In the middle of this passage quoted above, He says, "Adulterers and adulteresses!" He isn't just talking to people who have committed physical adultery; He is talking about people who turn away from Him. The OT and NT talk about God being the husband and His people being the bride (note Isaiah 54;5 and Ezekiel 16:32). He wants a faithful bride, faithful people; not just in matters of physical adultery, but in the direction of our life.

God wants us. He wants our heart. James 5:7,8 says, "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

We must "establish our hearts" and "draw near to Him." Thanks for reading...and for caring about Spiritual things. See you next week.

The Kingdom

"The Kingdom" is a major theme that runs throughout the Bible. The Bible begins with God being the leader of his people. But as time goes on, the people aren't satisfied and want to have a king like their neighbors have (I Samuel 8). This displeased God, but He allowed it, the first king being Saul, then David, then Solomon, David's son. Saul turned away from God; and while Solomon was a rich and wise king, David is portrayed as the greatest of all Old Testament kings.

As the Bible follows the history of God's people, the people are reminded, through prophets, that someday a Messiah will come who will establish a kingdom that will never end, never be destroyed (Isaiah 2, Daniel 2, Joel 2 and other places). The people of God, having been oppressed by the nations around, longed for this coming kingdom. They wanted a king again like David; powerful, dominant, and successful. They waited and they waited........

And then came Jesus, born in a stable of poor parents; grew up with no fanfare, giving no real sign that He was the projected king. He wasn't the kind of king that the people, the Jews, were looking for. As Jesus stood before Pilate in final judgment, Pilate said, " 'What have you done?' Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.' Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born....' " Here was the king, the rejected king by the Jews, His own people.

Before this final trial, Jesus had said in Matthew 16:28, "Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man (Jesus) coming in His kingdom. This makes it clear that the kingdom will start as soon as Jesus leaves the earth. Some people are waiting on Jesus to come back and set up an earthly kingdom, powerful like David's. But Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this earth and that it would start during the lifetime of some of the people who were standing there hearing Him. And throughout His life, Jesus talked about the coming kingdom; it was of greatest importance. Now we get to be a part of that by following Him. Let's do that! Thanks for reading; see you next week. May God bless you.

Beginnings and Endings

I love beginnings and endings. Pardon me for starting with Peanuts, but Snoopy is a perfect example. He would sit on the top of his doghouse with his typewriter and begin a new novel: "It was a dark and stormy night..." Any book with a great beginning has great promise.

The Bible has lots of great beginnings and endings. Verse one of the Bible is, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.." That is such a powerful statement. It puts to end right there any debate over the creation. Then in Genesis 2:9, right at the beginning of the Bible, there is a reference to the tree of life: "The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden..." We read about it again at the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:2. Heaven is being described, "In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits...." Among other things, this shows how the Bible relates, ties together, from beginning to end. It begins with the Garden of Eden, and the tree, and it ends with heaven, and the tree.

Then there is the beginning of the New Testament. It begins with the genealogy of the family of Jesus. It shows the development of Jesus' family through the Old Testament, beginning with Abraham, and comes right on down to Jesus himself. And because the NT begins this way, it hints at the importance of the OT, bringing us to the New.

And finally there is the end of the Bible. Note Revelation 22:19-21, the very last verses: "..and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." How is that for an ending?!

Thanks for being a reader. See you next week. May the Lord be with you.

World Kingdoms according to Daniel

It is interesting to see how the Bible in the Old Testament was able to see ahead to the coming Kingdoms. The book of Daniel is heavy in the forecasting of what was to come. Daniel lived during the Babylonian Empire and its most powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuch. dreamed about a statue made of 4 different materials (Daniel 2). Daniel, with God's help, was able to interpret the dream, saying that the 4 parts represented the present kingdom of Babylon, and those to follow, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Only with God's help could anyone discuss the future world kingdoms.

It should be mentioned here that the Bible is quite informative regarding the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Roman Empires. The Greek Empire falls during a 400 year period that lies between the OT and the NT. And it is noteworthy that the Bible is so accurate regarding world history. The dates, people and places recorded in the Bible fit perfectly with other written history as well as archaeological discoveries.

While the Greek Empire is not covered in real time in the Bible, it is clearly pre-described. As already said, it is done so in chapter 2. But it is predicted even more clearly in chapter 11. "Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him. And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven...." The king referenced we know to be Alexander the Great. After his reign, history tells us that the kingdom was divided into 4 parts, exactly as God tells us through his Word, the Bible.

The more we study it, the more we realize that the Bible is accurate, truthful, and powerful. What we have to do is learn it and live by it. Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Jacob's Ladder

I am doing some remodeling in my foyer and have to climb a high ladder to reach a high ceiling area. Being so high, I am reminded of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28. Take the time to read this chapter; it is quite interesting.

"Jacob came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set." He put a stone by his head, slept, and dreamed of a ladder set up to reach heaven. "The angels of God were ascending and descending on it." The Lord speaks to Jacob in a dream, "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac..." Later He says, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go........Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' "

This is a great story for a lot of reasons , but here are a few: While God isn't talking to us directly in today's times, He is involved directly in our lives, and He does care. Another thought is that He always wants us to know that "I am the Lord..." And Jacob says, "..the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." This is us; the Lord is at hand always and we do not know it. We must recognize that He is always with us, always on our side, always ready to carry us through every trial.

In all of this, the only requirement of us is that we have faith in Him (which means that we will do as He asks); note Hebrews 11:1-6. We must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Thus we must be seeking Him.

That is it for this week. Thanks for reading....and come back!

"Me" people

We are all, to some extent, "me" people. We see through our own eyes, hear with our own ears, think with the only brain we have to access. We have our own opinions, and generally believe that we are right. All of this seems only natural. And we want to serve God in the way that seems good to us, worship in the "church of our choice" and with a church that meets our needs, listening to preaching that we like. That is why there are hundreds of denominations instead of us all just being Christians and doing it His way, as it was in the earliest days of the church.

But there is a benefit in focusing differently. It really isn't about "me." The Bible asks (demands?) a different focus. I like the passage in Hebrews 12:1,2, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...." Our focus should be on Him, not on me.

The application of this principle is that when we need to know how we are to live, we can read that in the New Testament. What should the church be like, look like, be organized like; what should the church be doing, be spending money on? It seems that we only need to see what the Lord has given us as a pattern in His Bible.

And this principle carries into our relationship with others. Note Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

The Lord recognizes that we will naturally look out for ourselves. But He asks us to refocus; to be concerned as well for others. And in our relationship to Him, we are to do it His way, not ours.

Thanks for reading! Come back next week.

Forever

One of the most powerful words in the Bible is "forever." What God offers us is lasting, everlasting, durable, permanent, forever. Nothing in this life can offer us that; but God sees and endures far beyond this life.

The term "forever" concludes several of my favorite passages in the Bible:

The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 ends with "Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever..."

Ephesians 3 ends with "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.."

The 23rd Psalm ends with "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!"

And the end of the book of Jude, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.."

We could go on and on with passages that emphasize that God's promises are forever. But we need to live our lives here remembering the "forever" promises of God.

Thanks for reading. See you next week. May God bless you.

Avoiding Sin

Avoiding Sin is a really hard subject. Certainly for me it is because I have my struggles; but we all do. Paul, in writing Romans, discussed this challenge in the latter part of chapter 7. He says in verse 15, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." And in verse 20 he says it is "sin that dwells in me." We all have that to wrestle with; but fortunately the Bible gives us some solutions, and it challenges us to overcome.

I especially like the last words of the book of Jude. It says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Note the first part of this quote, "..to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.." How is He going to do that? I have found that He will intervene if we want Him to, if we ask Him to. But He will not override our will; if we are absolutely determined to sin, He will let us.

Many times, however, I have asked for Him to deliver me from sin, especially when I saw a particular problem coming. And it worked; the problem just went away. I truly believe He gets directly involved in our lives.....if we let Him.

And the final solution to be mentioned here is that we need to solicit His help through prayer. Jude 20 says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying...." When we see a problem coming, we should pray for deliverance.

Thanks for reading! Maybe you could pass this blog address on to a friend; let's spread the word.

Giving Your Life

One of the nicest guys that I ever knew was Lloyd Burton from Monticello, Fla. Lloyd was a big guy, a man's man, but just as gentle and kind as he was large. He flew helicopters in the service, then flew to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico delivering men and equipment. His last assignment was in Africa. On a day off, he was enjoying a nice day at a Western African beach when someone got in trouble in the surf. He risked his life to save this person only to lose it....for someone he didn't know.

It is quite a stretch from risking your life to save a person to what God did for us. This subject is discussed in Romans 5, beginning in verse 6: "....in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man would one die. Yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Not a one of us would give our life for someone who was accusing us, spitting on us, beating us, whipping, scourging, mocking, lying about us, trying and condemning us, and putting us to death; nobody would do that. But God sent His only son to do just that.....and Jesus did it....for us. And notice that the quote above says "demonstrates," for the gift from God goes on and on. We can't pay God back for this gift, but we can love Him, and appreciate it, and follow (obey) him.

Well, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Being a Christian-Easy & Hard

It can be said that being a Christian is easy and hard. Jesus said that it is easy, at least in a sense, "Come unto Me all that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest....My yoke is easy and My burden is light."(Matt. 11). But we know that there is a sense that it can be hard. Jesus said, in effect, they will hate you, but they hated Me, expect persecution. And Paul was very dedicated, but he suffered greatly for the cause.


Consider this: Some people make it too easy, and some people make it too hard. Too easy, because they say, "God's grace will save me. That's it; I'm good;" or "We are all going to the same place, just taking different paths." But Jesus said: "..narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Yet, some people make it all too hard with all kinds of complex and deep analysis and interpretations. God's plan is quite simple to understand. He developed the history of man through the Old Testament, preparing for a Messiah to come. Jesus comes, lives, dies and is raised (Matt., Mark, Luke, & John). Jesus ascends to heaven, sending back the Holy Spirit, leaving the spread of the gospel to the Apostles (Acts) who proceed to show how people become Christians and the church is formed. How to live the Christian life is given to us in the epistles or letters (Romans through Jude).

Now, perhaps I make it all seem to simple. To me, the plan is simple, following it is not. But Jesus knows this; he was tempted in all ways as a man. Paul talked about the difficulties of always doing right in Romans 7:14 on. Living it is hard! All of us have our struggles. Romans 3;23 says "..all have sinned."

But I see two kinds of people in the world: those who are in sin and are going to stay there, and those who, sometimes sin (because all do), but are determined to do better, who repent when they are wrong, who are committed to obeying God, who try, who try to do what Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your mind on things above..." (Read all of Col. 3-it will tell you how to live).

Being a Christian can be hard in this life; but it is easy because it brings peace, it is God's way, and He knows best, and it is right!......and ultimately it will bring salvation. Peace to you! See you next week.

Mountains

I have mountains on my mind this week. (Next week it will likely be the ocean). I was just in the Smokies, got some pictures from a friend in the Rockies, then some pictures from friends in the Alps; the Alps won--now those are mountains!

It is interesting how many major events occur on mountains in the Bible. I can't possibly name them all, but should at least mention Mt Sinai where Moses received the 10 commandments; and there was the mount of transfiguration in the New Testament. Mount Zion is a central matter in the OT and NT, being the physical location of Jerusalem and figuratively representing heaven.

I like the passage in Hebrews 12 beginning with verse 18 (through 21), "For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire....", referring to Mt Sinai. "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks....."

It is not a physical Mt Sinai that we seek; not a physical Zion, or a physical Kingdom. It is a spiritual king that we follow, one who reigns from heaven. Let's be sure that we "do not refuse Him..." Thanks for reading! See you next week.

"He who overcomes...."

Sometimes I read the obituaries in the paper, noting how many of the deceased have "entered into heaven," or "gone to be with the Father," or other similar assurance that they are saved. But Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " We would like to believe that everyone is going to be saved, but that is just not reality...according to Jesus.

Revelation chapters 2 and 3 uses the expression, "he who overcomes......." a number of times. That is, he who overcomes the challenges and temptations of this life is the one who will receive the reward. It also uses the expression, in these same two chapters, "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear." We need to really listen to what the Bible is teaching!

I like the passage in Hebrews 12:1, "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...." Being a Christian is like running a race, and running to win, not just to finish. A lot of people who are good people, living a good life, will be surprised at the judgment when Jesus says, "I never knew you." We must know Jesus, and have a relationship with Him. We must be believers of Him, and followers of Him.

Thanks for reading; see you next week.

The Gift

The book of Romans, Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome, is a beautiful letter. While there are many sections that could be discussed, I am choosing the passage in Romans 5, beginning with verse 6; it says, "...in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die." We are like this. We might risk our life to help someone; we might even give our life for a loved one. But we would never, ever give our life for someone who was treating us badly, beating us, spitting on us, lying about us and plotting our death.

Note the next verse, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He didn't die for good people or for people whom knew and loved; He died for the "ungodly." The fifth chapter of Romans continues, describing His death as a gift to us; and what a gift it was.

All of this is followed by the discussion in Romans 6 of God's grace. The writer begins chapter 6 by saying: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" The reader should note that all of this is written to Christians, people who have been baptized into Christ, not to people who should become Christians.

In summary, we should appreciate the free gift of God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Following that, we should, once we have become Christians, live like it. Don't trust the grace of God to save us by just sinning more and more so that God can send more grace. We must act like Christians and live for Him.

Have a good week.....and come back next week when God's Word will speak again.

The Way

When we look at the New Testament, it is interesting to look at the names that were used to refer to Christians. For example, Acts 11:26 says "the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." So here they are referenced as disciples, but then called Christians.

Throughout the NT, we see the use of the term "church." "Church" in the original language simply meant congregation or gathering. It could have been a gathering of people for any purpose, but as used in the Bible, it is a gathering, or group, of Christians who worshiped and worked together as a group.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Then, over in Acts 9:2 we see the expression "the Way"used to refer to this Christian movement: Paul was persecuting Christians before he became one, and was looking for "any who were of the Way."

And just as Jesus said He was "the Way," we are of the Way, the group of Christians, soldiers marching on to victory; not in this life necessarily, but in the life to come, following Jesus who paved "the Way" for us to enjoy life eternal. And He proved that there really is a life eternal by first being resurrected, as witnessed by many.

Hey, thanks for reading! See you next week, posted on Sunday or thereabouts.

Denominational thinking

This will have some similarity to another article posted some time ago, but this is needed in a world of denominational thinking. People tend to go to the "church of your choice" and take the attitude that we are "all going to the same place, just getting there in different ways." That is not healthy thinking and not Biblical either.

What the Bible teaches, over and over, is that we are to be simply "Christians." Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, "....I will build my church." He didn't say "churches", just church. And He never allowed for denominations. If you read John chapter 17, you will see that Jesus, right before He left this earth, prayed that his followers would "be one." Jesus left the earth never having established His church. He prepared the way, then left the development of the church in the hands of the apostles. He told them in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

But what man does is divide; denomination means divided. 1 Corinthians 1:11-17 talks about the tendency to divide in Corinth. Some were trying to be Paul Christians, some Apollos Christians, some Cephas Christians, some Christ Christians. To paraphrase, he is just saying here, 'No, just be Christians.' We need to learn this lesson, to think in simple terms, and to follow the Bible pattern.

Now, with all of this said, I have chosen to worship and work with a group of "just Christians," people who are committed to avoid the denominational trap. This is what I see in the Bible. But I will conclude by saying that this isn't always popular with our friends and family, people who will often be disappointed that we aren't in their denomination. But to just follow the Bible, to be just Christians has to be the better way; it is God's way, as clearly stated in the Bible, God's Word.

Great Chapter of the Bible

There are a lot of important, perhaps most important, chapters in the Bible, but I would suggest that the 2nd chapter of Acts is pivotal. The Old Testament teaches over and over (note Joel 2, Isaiah 2, and Daniel 2 among other places) that there is a Kingdom coming that will never end; a Kingdom greater than all others, brought by a Messiah. In the first chapter of Mark, the first quote of Jesus is, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And while Jesus did fulfill, He did not build His church during His lifetime. He simply laid the groundwork for the Apostles to go forth after He left the earth. He told them to wait in Jerusalem and he would send the Holy Spirit to them with power.

And in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit comes with power on the Apostles. They receive it as tongues of fire on them, and they begin speaking in tongues (languages). It is at this point that the whole Bible changes gears, starts a new direction. Right here in this chapter we see people being baptized, becoming Christians, comprising a church--the Jerusalem church. They meet together, eat together, worship together, and soon will be going into all the world to spread the good news. The rest of the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles, follows this progression.

From these examples of conversion and service to God, we can learn and do likewise. The book of Acts is very educational and inspirational. It motivates us and it gives us a clear pattern to follow. Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Question: How does one know what his Gifts are?

So, a question was received, asking how one knows what his "gifts" are? The question was accompanied by an article that emphasized the importance of each of us using the "spiritual gifts" that God has given us, each doing that to the benefit of those around us. The point is well made that 1) our gifts, whatever they are, come from God, and 2) when we use our gifts, others benefit.

From what I see in the Bible, when discussing gifts, it is necessary to study the subject in context. For example, the article relates 1Corinthians 12 to us quite a bit. It is important to recognize that in Paul's letter to the Corinthian church he was dealing with a problem that existed in that church at that time. We get lessons from it, but we have to consider the context. We see in studying chapters 12 through 14 that they were having a special and significant problem with this matter of gifts--they were arguing and dividing over it. In chapter 12, Paul emphasizes unity--don't divide; God is not divided; the church should not be either. In chapter 13, he emphasizes love; that is more important than gifts. And in chapter 14, he points out that there are some speaking in tongues (languages), but there was no one to interpret, so no benefit received.

Looking at gifts in the Bible, we must first recognize that there were, at that time, miraculous gifts being given, like the ability to heal, to prophesy, to speak in unknown languages. We don't have that today. A previous blog entry dealt with that. But we all have certain gifts and abilities, all given by God. And so, that brings us back to the original question: how do we know what our gifts are?

I'm sure that this can be answered in many ways, but I go to two passages in the Bible that I feel shed good light on this. First, 1Cor. 13 says that "love never fails.......And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." The other passage is Romans 12. I can't record all of Romans 12 here, but be sure and read every word. Verse 6 says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them...."

Any discussion of gifts should reference the teaching of Jesus regarding the talents (Mathew 25:14). One man was given 5 talents to use to the master's benefit, another was given 2, and the third was given 1, "to each according to his own ability". Jesus' teaching was clear, that we need to use our "talents," whatever we are given, to God's glory here on earth.

And in conclusion, it seems to me that the question is not, "how do we know what our 'gifts' are?" but rather, "How do we best use what we have been given to His glory." If this does not completely answer the question, then "get back at me." And thanks for asking....and thanks for reading!

God Calls All People

One of the major themes that runs through the Bible is the matter of Jew versus Gentile. This was a key problem in the time of Christ. Looking back quickly into the history, the Lord gave a special law to the Jews (also called Hebrews or Israelites), the Law of Moses. His purpose in doing this would seem to be the development of a blood line leading to the birth of His Son, Jesus. Genesis 12 shows the promise being made to Abraham that a savior would eventually come from his family. This special privilege/position of the Jews caused them to feel superiority over other peoples, especially noted in the New Testament.

Jesus, of course, was a Jew, and He loved His own people. But Jesus was very critical of the Jewish leaders who had become hypocritical, following their traditions but not the Law itself. Matthew 15 is a good place to read of the criticism of Jesus for these leaders: :"Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your traditions....Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

But all through the Old Testament and the New Testament, there is a central theme of, yes, the Jews are special to God, but there is a Kingdom coming that will last forever and it will be for all people. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In the book of Acts, we read that Jesus leaves the earth, ascending into heaven, and it is left to the apostles to carry on. The gospel is given to the Jews first, Acts 2-7. But beginning in Acts 8, and especially chapters 10 and 11, we see the gospel is taken to all.

In Galatians 3, for example, vs 27 starts, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." God wants every one of us to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Well, enough for now. I received a question regarding gifts; How do we know what our gifts are? We'll deal with that in the next entry, Lord willing. See you then!

Inheritance

This is a nice subject. We all know the value of inheritance. We have all seen the cases of people who received an inheritance or won the lottery, then proceeded to squander it all, and in many cases, have their lives completely ruined by all of the pressure. Still, we believe that we would be different, that we would be able to handle it. And given the opportunity, most of us would take the inheritance with glee. It is a natural thing, to want to be an heir.

Our Lord understands this desire to be an heir. But He goes much further with this. He knows that it isn't the goods of this world that really matter, or the little bit of time on this earth. Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." God knows and taught us what is important.

But our Lord did more than just teach us; He made us heirs of what is important. We became heirs by "adoption," Ephesians 1:5. And in Galatians 4, he is saying that we were at one time under bondage to this world, slaves; but in 4:7, he says, "..you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." If then we are followers of Christ, we become heirs of all that God has promised His children, including a beautiful life forever with Him in heaven. And for sure, being an heir of God beats being an heir of this world's goods.

So your rich uncle dies, and you go to the reading of the will, and you are wondering: did he leave me a lot of stuff, and was I good to him. Being an heir of God is kind of like this, too. Two things must happen: one is God's grace, and He wants us to be saved, gave us His Son and all the wonderful blessings to follow. The other is, we must have been true followers, not just lip service or left-over service. We know God has done His part. The rest is up to us (read Ephesians 4 and Galatians 4). Let's follow Him! Thanks for reading.

What Brand of Christian?

There are so many brands of Christians today that it all becomes very confusing. But it wasn't that way in the early days of Christianity. We see in Acts 11:26 "the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." We see the term "Christian" used in other places in the New Testament. Note 1Peter 4:16, "if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed." And in Acts 26:28, Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost you persuade me to be a Christian."

In the New Testament, there weren't different types of Christians; there were just Christians. We see a situation in Corinth as recorded in 1Cor.1, where people were starting to divide. "Each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided?" Here we realize that division (denomination) just isn't the Christian way.

Jesus prayed for unity in John 17. He prayed to the Father that His followers would be one. Unity is so important to God; and it needs to be to us.

We should each one of us be just Christians. Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Jesus is the Word

John chapter 1 teaches us some things about our Lord Jesus. We learn that He is described as the Word; note vs 1, "In the beginning was the Word," and vs 14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Clearly the Word is Jesus.

Chapter one also teaches us that Jesus was there at the creation of the world; vs 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." Also, vs 3: "All things were made through Him." Genesis 1:26 says, "Let Us make man in Our image." The plurality of this shows that God was the Father, Son and Spirit there at creation.

We learn in John 1 that Jesus is the "light." He came to bring light to the world. We already have physical light; that was the first thing that God created in Genesis 1. But Jesus became flesh to bring spiritual light to the world, though many do not "comprehend it," verse 5 of John 1.

John 1 teaches us that the main purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to "take away the sin of the world." (vs 29) Again, we see a spiritual purpose.

John 1:41 tells us that Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament teaching about the fact that a Messiah would come, a new King whose Kingdom would last forever.

And finally, in selecting His apostles, Jesus said, very simply, "Follow Me." (John 1:43) And with all that is said in John 1, we must do the same. He is the light, the Son of God, the only way to life eternal. We must follow Him.

I hope you have a great week! Keep the faith!

Submit to God

James chapter 4 is interesting in that it tells us some things to do to be better people, to better serve God. Verse 7 says, "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." This emphasizes that there is a spiritual world, spiritual beings within reach of us all. We can control the actions of the devil simply by resisting him. And we can bring God closer by drawing near to Him.

But drawing close to God means a lot of things, some of which are shown here in the rest of this chapter. Verse 8, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners...." Verse 10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." Verse 11, "Do not speak evil of one another..." Verse 14, "....you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Let us remember to "submit to God," to do it His way. He knows what is best for us. Have a good week!

What God said most

Throughout the Bible, God said one thing more than any other when He was talking to His people. He repeated this one thing over and over. Perhaps I've mentioned it before, but if so I will repeat it because it seems so significant. He said, "I Am the Lord." And I would suspect that it was said rather impressively!

One particular time is in Malachi 3, I believe verse 6, where He said, "I Am the Lord; I do not change." That is not a lot of words, but it carries a lot of meaning and power. As the Bible progresses from beginning to end, God changes how He deals with man. In the earliest part of Genesis He dealt with individuals, heads of the family, speaking directly to these leaders. As time progressed, He gave the Law to the Jews. Then in the New Testament, He gave us Jesus and a new law through Him.

In all of this, God never changed. He has always been the same, even if He chose to deal with people in different ways. With so many other things changing constantly in our world, it is nice to know that God doesn't change. That is indicated in the words, "I Am the Lord." Not was, or will be, so much; just "Is." He always Is; constantly Faithful, True, Right, Good, Love." God does not change! Thanks for reading. May God's love be with you!

"What does the Lord require of you?"

The title question was asked of the Israelites, but is applicable to us today.

This comes from Deuteronomy 10:12: "And now, Israel, what does the Lord require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today, for your good?"

This kind of love and commitment will solve a lot of our other questions and problems (notice the "for your good" at the end of the statement). Putting our total trust in Him will take us far, actually far beyond this life. It will make us spiritual in this life and a happy spirit beyond the grave.

He goes on to say in verse 14, "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it." He owns it all, created it all, and gave it to us for our use. It only makes sense that we put our trust in Him as our Father, and in Jesus.

God is great, God's word is great! Let's all rejoice in it this week. Thanks for reading.

Forgiveness of Sins

The bottom line is forgiveness of sins. But let's go to the beginning of the story.

Paul began his first missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 13, by sailing with Barnabus to the island of Cyprus, taking along John Mark. After preaching in Cyprus, they sailed north to the mainland of Pamphylia to the city of Perga, then on to Antioch in Pisidia. Starting in Acts 13, Paul preaches to the Jews in the synagogue, reviewing some of their history. He mentions John the Baptist in vs 24, how John was preaching "the baptism of repentance."

As the sermon progresses, Paul talks about Jesus, how He was crucified, died, buried, and was raised from the dead and appeared to witnesses. He then comes down to a conclusion in vs 38: "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins." That is, through Jesus is preached the forgiveness of sins.

So the point here is that this is the main message of the gospel, God's word. That is, by following Jesus, believing in Him, and doing His will, we can have forgiveness of sins. And that is the secret to eternal life.

In summary, the message was not about how to have the perfect life here on earth, how to solve all social ills or any other kind of ills. The primary purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to preach about the forgiveness of sins. By serving Him here, which is to also serve our fellow man, and obeying His will, we can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Let's do it!

Take the time to read Acts 13.....and I'll see you next week!

Avoiding Evil

Well, the computer has been down, and I do mean down, low down. But we're back!

The passage in 1Corinthians 6:9-11 is not very comfortable, but worthy of our reading anyway. It says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

God expects His people to be different from other people in the world. And this difference must not be hidden, but must be a light to the world, as we read in Matthew 5. We all know that the world needs lights right now. It always has, but it certainly is needed now. Let's let our lights shine and be the exceptional people that God wants us to be!

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

The Individual Christian and the "Church"

There is a definite distinction made in the New Testament between the actions and responsibilities of the individual and those of the church. Granted the church is made up of individuals, and is just a group of individual Christians banding together. But there is reason to note that the church has a special command and focus that is different from the individual in some respects.

There is no question that the NT teaches a great deal about what we as Christians are to be doing. It starts with the teaching of the Lord Jesus. Like, in Matthew 5-7, the sermon on the mount. Jesus, over and over, taught that we are to treat others as ourselves, love our enemies, help the poor, both in and out of the church, be forgiving people, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, tell others about Jesus, follow Him. All of this teaching is to the individual.

But there is teaching regarding the "church" that differs some from the above. First, Jesus "built" the church, died for it, and loved it. As we look at the beginnings of the church, first in Jerusalem (Acts 2), then into the rest of the world, we see that the church had a mission, a focus. The charge to the church was to take the message, the gospel, into all the world. Jesus told His disciples in Mark 16: 15+, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." We see them doing this starting in Acts 2. And throughout the book of Acts we see churches being established everywhere. And we see church organization, the appointing of elders in every church. With all this preaching and dedication and zeal, the church grew rapidly. But the focus of the church remained this: the saving of souls. We never see the focus shifting to social matters, feeding the poor, recreation, etc. Individual Christians had opportunities and responsibilities in the social areas, but not the church.

But, having said all of that, there may be valid criticism of us as individual Christians not doing enough of what we have been charged to do. And churches have moved into the social areas, making the focus of trying to meet the social needs of society, and trying to attract people into the church by making it fun, entertaining, and satisfying. But we need to remember that the only one we are trying to satisfy is God Himself.

That is hard teaching; but I believe it is what the Bible is teaching. Have a good week and thanks for sticking with me.

The Kingdom and Us

In Acts 1, the apostles asked Jesus, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" And Jesus said, "It is not for you to know....." Jesus then ascended into heaven to begin His reign as King. In Revelation 1:6 it says that He "has made us kings and priests to His God and Father...." So Jesus has elevated us, as Christians, to a very high level in the eyes of God.

But we must not get conceited about status. Yes, Jesus has given us a great boost. But on the other hand, he taught that we must humble ourselves in the kingdom. In Matthew 18, the "disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' " Jesus called a little child to Him and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by not means enter the kingdom of heaven."

Humility is a key factor in being in the kingdom of heaven.

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

The Kingdom

I don't know that there is a more central theme of the Bible than "The Kingdom." I can safely say that because throughout the Old Testament there was a looking forward to the coming Kingdom, the one that Jesus would bring, a spiritual kingdom that would last forever (reference Daniel 2, Joel 2, Isaiah 2). In Matthew 4, John the Baptist was preaching, "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." When Jesus started preaching, He was preaching the "gospel of the Kingdom," (Matt. chapters 4 & 9). The Kingdom was the major topic of discussion.

In Mark 9:1, Jesus said, "Some here will not taste of death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power." Thus we know that the Kingdom of God was begun during the lifetime of some of the witnesses of Jesus. We see this actual beginning in Acts 2. And we know that Jesus is now reigning as the King, and we are His subjects. Note Colossians 1:13, where it says that we, as Christians, are "translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love."

The Kingdom of God, founded by Jesus Christ with Him as King, exists now with Him ruling. But it is a spiritual kingdom. People always wanted a physical king, a ruling king to dominate all nations around. But Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world," (John 18:36). He never intended to build an earthly kingdom.

There are many people in today's world who are convinced that Jesus will come back to the earth one day and establish an earthly kingdom; they often reference Revelation 20 for this theory. But this contradicts what Jesus said, that His kingdom was not of this world.

Perhaps next week we will discuss the personal significance of the Kingdom of God; how it affects how we live and our relationship with God. See you then!

Come Out From Among Them

God wants us to be different from other people in the world. The "Masses," as I often refer to them, are drifting along, not sure where they are headed or why. But we, as Christians, are to be different from that; we are certain of our direction and certain of who leads us. But it still is a challenging and difficult road, a narrow road that we walk.


2Corinthians 6:17+ says, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." We must be willing to separate ourselves from the evil that grips much of our world.


In Revelation 3, speaking to the church in Sardis, the Lord tells us, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments....."


In heaven, we Christians will be clothed in white garments, not because we have lived perfectly, because no one does that, except Jesus Himself; but it will be because we have followed Him and "overcome." Let's all commit to that......to do that this week. May the Lord bless you!

Outside the Camp

Here is a concept and a passage from the Bible that I would expect would be unfamiliar to most people. In Hebrews 13, beginning in verse 11, the passage is talking about the fact that the sacrificial animals in the Old Testament, under the old law of the Jews, were taken "outside the camp" and burned. The blood was used for sacrifice by the High Priest, then the body of the animal was taken outside the camp.

Next the passage says, "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate." This refers to the fact that Jesus was crucified outside the city, up on the hill of Calvary, "outside the gate." Jesus was an outsider, of no value to those who crucified Him, just as the body of the animal was under the old Jewish law.

Then the verse 13 says, "Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach." This would indicate that we, as His followers, will not be accepted either. Just as the world hated Jesus, they will hate us. Just as He was out of step with the rest of the world then, we are to be out of step now. Just as He was "outside the camp," we are to be outsiders as well.

Then, in very fitting language, the verse 14 says, "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." We are seeking a city that is beyond this world. We are just passing through, with no real roots here. As Christians, we are already Spiritual people, and heading for that home that has permanent foundations (not a literal home, perhaps), a heavenly home.

Let's all be there. Let's truly commit ourselves to Him. Thanks for reading! Your friend, mike

Apostles

Why don't we have Apostles today?

Jesus had 12 Apostles with Him. Then Judas betrayed Him leaving 11. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus told His Apostles to wait in Jerusalem for power to come upon them, which it did in Acts 2. But in Acts 1, while waiting in Jerusalem, the Apostles appointed a twelfth man, selected from 2 possibilities. Acts 1:15-26 tells us how and why they did this appointment and gives us a clue as to why we don't have Apostles today.

The reason for appointing a twelfth man is given in verse 20. It had been prophesied in Psalms (69:25 & 109:8) that this would happen and another should "take his office." The Apostles knew about this prophecy and carried out the appointment.

It is interesting to note that the qualifications of being an Apostle are stated clearly here in Acts 1:21-22. "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." For a man to be an Apostle, he had to have been a continual eye-witness of Jesus. All of the eye-witnesses died out and now we just read about them.

Remember the words of Jesus in John 20:29, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." That is you and me. We didn't get to see Jesus on the earth; but we believe those who did, the eye-witnesses who reported the Good News to us.

Thanks for joining me here. Please keep reading each week! And may God bless you!

Slow to Speak

Ok, so this blog is slow being posted due to SMD. That is Severe Mental Degradation. But only 2 days late, here it is:

In Ecclesiastes 5, it says, "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth. And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on the earth. Therefore let your words be few." Now there is some good advice.

Jesus said in Matthew 5: 37, "..let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No' be 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." The "evil one" is after us all the time and certainly in the speech area.

Note James 1:19, "..let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;"

God's wisdom is so much greater than ours; we know that we need to be listening to His wisdom and letting it change our lives. Thanks for reading............and see you next week....my dear friend!

Bible Names

Here is a bit of information on some key names in the Bible:

JEHOVAH--The name of God--The Jews of the OT were afraid to even say the name of God for fear of incurring His wrath. This likely came from a misunderstanding of the passage in their law, Leviticus 24:16, that said, "And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death." Jewish tradition developed where only the High Priest could pronounce "Jehovah" once a year as he entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. But God doesn't care if we say His name, IF we do it with respect. The 3rd of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." Vain is not negative; vain means "empty, without purpose." Jesus in the Lord's prayer said, "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by Your name." Thus, we must not use God's name in an empty way, as a common expression. Everyday we hear, "Oh God" or OMG, and such expressions, not in a negative way, but in an empty way, a vain way. We cannot do this! God said such would not be held "blameless" (Exodus 20:7).

CHRIST-- "the Anointed"--Greek for the Hebrew word Messiah

JESUS-- Greek for "Joshua" in Hebrew; a name

Christian--"like Christ"

Let's honor the name of God, the Father, and Jesus; and wear the name of "Christian" with
honor. Thanks for reading. Check in next week.

The Name of GOD

The name of God is very special; but not in our society today. It is common to see or hear OMG, "Oh, my God," "oh, God," "Jesus" and on and on, in common speech. To the speaker it means nothing, just a figure of speech. But to say that it means nothing is the same thing as vain. Vain simply means "empty, of no particular meaning or importance."

The 3rd commandment of the 10 commandments says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord you God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." In our society today, this commandment is broken regularly, constantly, in casual conversation. Some think that as long as they as not putting down God, it is ok to throw the name around. And God says, if you do it you will not be "guiltless."

The importance of God's name is given special importance in the Bible. Note the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name....." Hallowed be Your name. Not thrown around like nothing; Hallowed be Your name.

In Revelation 19:1-6, the name of Jesus is mentioned: "He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.........and His name is called The Word of God..........And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." That sounds important to me.

Let's honor the name of God and Jesus......and be very careful how we use it!

Thanks for reading. May God bless you this week.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? He is described in many places as the Son of David. We know that King David was a major figure of the Old Testament; the most noteworthy of the Old Testament Kings; the most powerful ruler, a man with weaknesses, but a "man after God's own heart."' So when Jesus was born, He was a disappointment to many, especially the Jews who wanted a King like David, powerful, ruling, dominant on this earth. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this earth." He was born in poverty, lived like a common man, or less, associated with common men, often "sinners" or the hated, like tax-collectors and such. Jesus just didn't fit the mold of the Messiah that the Jews were expecting. So He was rejected.

In the New Testament, when Jesus was selecting His apostles, in John 1:45, Phillip finds Nathaniel and says, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. After some convincing, Nathaniel says, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asked His disciples saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" After some discussion, Peter says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus points out that God the Father has revealed this to him, Peter.

And this is exactly what Jesus is. He is all these things and more; the great King, greater than David by far. And yet Jesus had no glory on this earth because people misunderstood Him to a large extent. His glory now, here on this earth, is through us. We must glorify Him in our lives and live for Him, just as He died for us. And one day we can share in His glory in heaven. Let's do it!

Different Roles for Men and Women

Examining the Bible to see the roles of men and women is not a particularly popular thing to do, especially in modern day America. But the Bible is clear on this matter.

First, we note that men and women are equal in God's sight. Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." God loves all of His people, sent Jesus to die for all. But contrary to what many believe in the world today, the roles are different.

Genesis 2:18 tells us that in the creation, "the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.' " Some translations say "a help meet for him" or "a helper suitable for him." The Lord has given leadership roles in the church to the men. Note 1 Timothy 2:12; "..I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve." There are a number of passages that talk about the role of men in the church, where men are given the leadership roles there; note Acts 6:3, 1 Corinthians 14:34, and Titus 1:5. But we see the valuable role of women in so many ways in both the Old and New Testament. Proverbs 31 talks about the value of a worthy woman. Her price is "far above rubies." Paul comments on the faith of Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5, "when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also." In Acts 18, Aquila and his wife Priscilla taught a man who needed some correction in his beliefs. On and on we see the valuable contribution of women.

But the roles are different. We need only to accept His truth and serve Him in His way. Thanks for reading. May God bless you!

Jordan River

The Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, talks a lot about the Jordan River. And from some of the passages we know that the river has never been a particularly clean one. Note the story of Naaman in 2Kings 5. Having had the opportunity to see the Jordan River recently, I thought I should share a few pictures as well as some observations.

The first thing of note is that the river is not very large. The width must be about 50 feet to maybe 100 feet at it's widest. The pictures shown here give some indication of size. Secondly, the river is extremely dirty. Many rivers look dirty but aren't necessarily as dirty as they look. The Jordan, however is dirtier than it looks. I took off my shoes and waded, just on the edge. Had I gone out into the river, it would have been too deep for me to stay dry, to wade across. But the river is thick with mud; not just a muddy bottom, but muddy water, like mud soup. coming out of the water was to bring a lot of that with me on my feet. It was a muddy mess.

In these pictures you will see several views. Note that the picture with the rapids is at the headwaters of the Jordan, high in the hills, flowing down to the flat lands and valleys below.

That is it for this week. Thanks for viewing...... and see you next week!

Send Me!

Maybe this is your time, your place, your breakout. Maybe God wants you to take on a special challenge. In Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord say, " 'Whom shall I send?' Then I said, 'Here am I, send me'...."

A great example of meeting the challenge is shown in Esther chapter 4. Esther was a Jewess who had been made queen of Persia. Through interesting circumstances (go back and read the book of Esther if it has been awhile--great reading), the Jews are condemned, and Esther is challenged to take a stand before the King. Esther's cousin in Esther 4:14, says, "Who knows whether you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this." Esther had one chance to save her people and now was the time.

Maybe now is the time for you and me to step up to meet some special challenge. Ecclesiastes 3 says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

Maybe now is your time....and mine.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week!

What God wants from us

Sometimes we make Christianity very complicated........perhaps too complicated. But Jesus gave us some very simple and direct instructions for living the Christian life. Note these verses:

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." This was Jesus' instruction to His followers as He prepared to leave them for the last time.

And this one, a question from a lawyer testing Him: " 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, ' You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.' "

When we look closely at what God wants from us, it can be reduced to this: he wants our HEART. Included in that is our love, our obedience, our worship to Him, our remembering and appreciating Jesus (including taking the Lord's Supper--communion), our love for the Word of God, the Bible, and perhaps more. But simply, He wants our Heart.

Now if all this seems too simple, remember that He gave us 21 letters (epistles), Romans through Jude, which are written to give us detailed information as to how to live the Christian life. And, of course, Jesus did a lot of teaching as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John regarding how we are to live. But if we just give Him our heart and truly seek to follow Him, the rest will fall in place. We need to put our trust in Him and in the Word, the Bible, and we will be ok.

Thanks for reading this week. See you in the next message.......or maybe the next life. So I'll just say "see you.............and feel the love!"

2 Interesting Bible Verses

Here are two intriguing Bible verses that I have memorized and enjoy having with me all the time:

Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

The other sounds a lot like the first one:

From the end of the book of Jude: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

Both of these passages are a praise to God, attempting to describe in human terms how great He is. And, after all, everything is about Him; not about us. Our lives need to be about worshipping Him and praising Him......so that someday we can be with Him forever. Thanks for reading! See you next week. And, as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. loved to say with great exuberance, (you have to be old to remember him. And I disclaim now that I wasn't a supporter of his), "Keep the faith, Baby."

Jerusalem

In my recent trip to the middle east, I was most fascinated with the old city of Jerusalem. In many of the Bible scriptures, mention is made of "going up to Jerusalem." The "going up" related to the fact that Jerusalem sits at a high elevation on a high hill. My most interesting view of the city was my first one when I was standing on the Mount of Olives looking across the Kidron valley which included the Garden of Gethsemane, looking up at the city of Jerusalem. You will see a picture of this here, but it won't have the impact of seeing it in person, of course. One thing that is noteworthy is that everything is close; it isn't far across the valley to the city. You can see the Dome of the Rock in the center of the city, of the old Jewish temple area, which is occupied by the Muslims now. In the other picture, you can see a more close up picture of the valley containing the Garden of Gethsemane. It is in this garden, or one similar, that Jesus went with His apostles to pray, just before His death.

Next week I hope to be back to our regular Bible lesson. But this week I wanted to show you these pictures of Jerusalem; it is such a fascinating place with so much Bible history. Have a good week!

Question: How does God protect His people?

The question has been asked, in light of the destruction in Haiti, and lots of other calamities, How does God protect His people? This is a difficult question to answer, but there is an answer in God's Word. Let's start in the beginning.

Each of us must decide on these things for ourselves. Here is my thought process:

First, is there a God? My conclusion, and I'm sure yours, is that there has to be. The evidence is too obvious. And next, is Jesus really the Son of God? Yes, He really is; the evidence is simply too great. And is the Bible the actual Word of God? Again, yes, it has to be. The Bible proves itself over and over. So if all these are true, then I have no choice but to follow; follow whatever and where ever the Lord sends. But where does that leave us as His people?

Here are a few basic Bible facts:

One thing that is perfectly clear to me is that we aren't guaranteed comfort and protection and ease and success in this life. Job didn't have that. Abraham didn't have that. God told him to leave home and comforts and spend the rest of his life in tents in a foreign land. Paul didn't have that. He left a comfortable and successful career as a leading Jew to suffer hardship as a Christian.

Hebrews 11 tells us that there were many great heroes of faith in the Old Testament, but many suffered greatly. Then the end of the chapter says that God has "provided something better for us.." So what is that?

The answer is spiritual. Spiritual. God has made great provision for us; but He hasn't promised it to us in this life. But it is promised. He had His Son die for us, suffer for us. But now we must endure, take up our cross, suffer persecution, or heartbreak, or whatever comes; but endure we must. Now that takes faith. Hebrews 11 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The doubter might say, "But there is no substance to that at all; if one cannot see it, or know it, how can we be sure?" But God says, have "faith." And we must. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise..." He keeps His promises. There is a vast spiritual world that exists. We cannot see it, but it is there. And we need to be thinking "spiritual."

The Bible does give us over and over the basic principle that if we follow God, things will be better for us. But it may occur on God's time and not ours. Romans 8:28 says, "...all things work together for good to those who love God.." It may come later instead of sooner, so we must wait in patience and faith. And remember: Spiritual. We must think in spiritual terms. One day soon we will all be spiritual beings, no longer on this difficult earth. And trust that God will protect and deliver ultimately.....in His time. Keep the faith!

Question: What does the Bible say about calamity?

I received a question regarding the calamity in Haiti, as to what the Bible says about God's involvement in such matters. The questioner referenced an article in the New York Times by James Wood who takes on the theology of Pat Robertson, comparing it to that of Barack Obama, and what the writer considers historical record. We'll get the politics and theology out of the way in this paragraph, then go to the Bible where this blog belongs. In summary, Pat Robertson made a recent statement that indicated that God was involved in the destruction in Haiti. That, of course, created a good deal of angry rebuttal. In regards to the writer of the NY Times article, I read this and marveled at the brilliant intelligence of the piece, but concluded that the writer has no sense whatsoever, even though he feels that he is quite cerebral! 1 Corinthians 1:20 says, "Where is the disputer of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world?" If I understand James Wood's position, this quote describes him well.

Now to the point. It is true that throughout the Bible, we see that many times God used natural calamity to effect His will. This happened so much that I won't try to cite specific cases except to mention the flood, where He was so upset with people that He flooded the whole world. But I think it is safe to say that He didn't always do that. It seems that plenty of things happened throughout history that God didn't direct, they just happened naturally. Note this:

Luke 13:4 "....those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem. I tell you, 'no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.'" Jesus was pointing out that this calamity just happened and had nothing to do with sin.

Matthew 5:45 "....He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This is taken out of context. He is talking about loving all people just as God loves all people.

In conclusion, I agree with the questioner when he said, "There are things in our lives that we will not be able to understand until we get to heaven. Not everything that happens in our lives is simply a battle between God and Satan and the free will of man." Not one of us has the answers to these kind of questions. We will know the answers in heaven. In the meantime, we should heed the warning of Jesus, "..unless you repent you will all likewise perish." The real calamity is if we miss heaven. Let's do His will.....and go there!

The Lord's Prayer

Jesus was teaching His disciples in Matthew 6 how to pray. He said, "In this manner, therefore, pray." He didn't say that we have to say the exact words, but He gave us an example of a prayer that would be good for us to follow. It is interesting that in this prayer He starts with praise to the Father, then gives 3 requests, then concludes with praise to the Father. This is the outline of this particular prayer. To me, this is a powerful outline to follow, one that we can use effectively in our prayers.

He starts with praise: "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The beginning is all about God; none about us.

Then the three requests:
"Give us this day our daily bread." Not tomorrow's bread, or next week's, just today, Lord.
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtor's."
"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." God can do this; He
can help keep us out of trouble. We must truly want that and ask Him.

Then the prayer concludes with praise again. "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

The more I think about this simple outline, the more I start, and end, my prayers with praise to God, with nothing about me; just Him! The more that we can make our lives about Him, and less about us, the better. Let us make Him the emphasis. Praise God!

Thank you for reading. See you next week!

Mt. Sinai

In our trip to the middle east recently, we spent a good deal of time and energy climbing what is thought by some to be the Mt Sinai of Exodus. God led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, across the Red Sea and into the Sinai Peninsula. This passage is recorded in Exodus 19:2-6, "Israel camped there before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' " During this great and repeated exchange between Moses and God, Moses was going up and down the mountain to converse with the Lord.

I can't be sure that we were in the exact spot, but these pictures will give you a good idea of what the mountain looked like. The people shown are Christians dressed up in Jewish garb for the hike. We found many places on the mountain where Jews had stopped and set up stones for worship over the centuries. It is a barren and fascinating place!

Thanks for reading. See you next week. May the Lord bless you this week.

Question: Once saved always saved

I want to let the Bible answer a question on the matter of "Once saved, always saved." This is a common doctrine today and one on which the Bible is clear. First, let me say that we are saved only by God's grace, by the blood of Jesus, by His sacrifice. It is not by our works or our perfection, because we don't have that. Romans 3 says that "all have sinned" and certainly that is all of us; thus we cannot earn salvation.
But the question is, once we have accepted our Lord and become a true follower, is it possible to fall away. Consider these passages that I will briefly summarize and feel free to go to the Bible to examine the context. Note that all of these passages come from the letters to the various churches, all written to Christians who have become followers.
1Corinthians 10:12 "let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
Hebrews 6:6 "if they fall away."
Hebrews 2:1 "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away."
Galatians 5:4 "Your have become estranged from Christ....you have fallen from grace."
2Peter 2:20 "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them....."
Colossians 1:21,22 "if indeed you continue in the faith...."
Try to read the context on these, especially the last one in Colossians. These verses all tell me that a Christian, a true follower, can fall. And don't we see it all the time, even in some of ourselves, speaking about me, for one.
I realize that this is a controversial subject. Yet, this is just a small portion of the 100's of verses that warn Christians against falling prey to false teachers, to the work of the devil.
Thanks for reading. See you next week, and may the Lord bless you this week!