Christmas Celebration

The celebration of Christmas is a wonderful thing. It is a time for many of getting with the family, eating good food, of happy greetings, "Happy Holidays," "Merry Christmas." But it is also a time of remembering Jesus.

We remember Jesus as a baby, a king, the greatest of all kings, yet born in a manger with animals. "...She brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn," (Luke 2:7).

It might should be remembered that the Bible did not institute the Christmas celebration. This was started much later. And likely the birth of Jesus was not in December at all. Furthermore, there is no record of any observance of Jesus' birthday by early Christians; and Jesus made no such request. He only asked that they remember His death through the partaking of the communion.

Nevertheless, the story of His birth is true...as recorded in the book of Luke. Jesus is real and wonderful; our Savior. Praise be to our Lord!

Sadly, many today do not have room for Jesus, just as there was no room for Him in that inn. There seems to be a moving away from the principles that Jesus taught and died for. We should make sure that Jesus is the driving force in our lives, where we put our trust, who we follow. Praise be to our Lord!

Baggage

As we mature we bring along baggage; we all do that. Sometimes it is past sin that haunts us. Or it might be effects of our upbringing, or things that we have been taught from early ages. So many things from our past continue to dwell with us and affect how we see the present or the future. The easy solution to this is to say, "Drop the baggage and move on." But, of course, it isn't usually that easy. Let's see what the Bible has to say about this.

Philippians 3:12-16 gives us a good look at how Paul was doing with this subject. And surely he is a good example to follow, realizing that he had been responsible for the torture and deaths of Christians before his conversion. He says, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you." It is interesting to see that Paul could say, "..forgetting those things which are behind..." when we consider what a past he had.

As we put the lid on 2011 and start a fresh new year, let's follow Paul's suggestions. Put it all behind, dropping the baggage, and look forward with fresh eyes, as Hebrews 12:2 says, "..looking unto Jesus.."

Thanks for reading again. Join me in looking forward....forward to God's wonderful creation and to a future of trying to bring Glory to God through our lives. Bless you.

The millenium--1000 year reign

If you expect to completely understand the 1000 year reign from reading this post, you will be disappointed. The only place where this is discussed in the Bible is in Revelation 20; and scholars disagree wildly on what this means. It starts this way: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." To demonstrate the confusion over the passage, there are postmillenialists who believe that Jesus will come to earth after the 1000 years, premillenialists who believe He comes before the 1000 years, and amillenialists who believe that the 1000 years isn't literal and Jesus isn't coming to reign on the earth.

Here are some things to consider:
Virtually all of Revelation is not literal. It is figurative, symbolic language which seems to have been more understood in the 1st century than it is today.
The book of Revelation was written to give confidence and hope to the persecuted Christians who desperately needed to know that God would triumph over Satan. This is the primary point of Rev. 20.
Rev. 20 does not mention:
The second coming of Christ.
A bodily resurrection.
A reign of Christ on earth.
A literal throne of David.
Palestine or Jerusalem.
Christ on earth.

Many people today have drawn conclusions from this chapter that simply are not stated. There are a lot of passages in other places in the Bible that discuss the Kingdom, the reign of Christ, but none talk about Jesus coming back the earth for an earthly reign. Here are a few key passages if one wants to search this out: Isaiah 2, Daniel 2, and Joel 2 talk about the coming kingdom. Acts 1 says that Jesus will come back in the same way as He left (in the clouds). Acts 2:33-41, especially vs 35 quotes David where he said that the Lord said "to my Lord (Jesus), sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool" (destruction of Satan). And Hebrews 10:13 references this. 1Corinthians 15:20 on, especially 24-26 discuss the end times. And 1Thessalonians 4 & 5 do also. A quick study of these passages will give a good deal of enlightenment to what is coming. But in all of this, one will not find reference to Jesus coming back to the earth for a physical reign. And a final thought is that many passages would indicate that Jesus is already reigning in heaven, at the right hand of the Father (note especially Acts 2). And Colossians 1:13 says that "He has ....conveyed us (Christians) into the kingdom of the Son of His love." It would seem that Jesus is already reigning, and Christians today are in the kingdom.

I hope this helps. God bless you.

Restoration

Continuing the thought process of the last blog (be sure to read that one first), it is interesting, perhaps important, to examine the history of the Jews and how God dealt with them and the promises He made to them. The prevalent thinking of today's Christendom is to believe that Jesus is coming back to earth again to reign for 1000 years, setting up a powerful, conquering Kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem. This is beautifully summarized in a speech by Pat Robertson, "Why Evangelical Christians support Israel;" you can Google that and read the whole speech. This is well spoken, but appears to be totally wrong; you can judge:

"Think of it, according to Disraeli, the primary evidence that God exists is the existence of the Jewish people… A people who in 586 BC were deported to Babylon, yet returned after 70 years to rebuild a nation. Who were again brutally massacred and dispersed by the Romans in 70 AD, yet after countless centuries of Diaspora, expulsions, pogroms, ghettos, and attempts at genocidal extermination, have clung to their faith, their customs -- and now after some 2500 years of wandering have returned to the land promised by God to their ancestors. A new nation began in that land in 1948 named after their ancestor Jacob, whose divinely appointed name Israel means "Prince with God." And to fulfill another ancient prophecy, God moved on the heart of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, whose son Ehud told me that, while his father was living in Eastern Europe, he heard a voice and saw a light directing him to bring forth for the Jewish people a pure language-Hebrew-the language of the Torah and of the ancient prophets.Yes, the survival of the Jewish people is a miracle of God. The return of the Jewish people to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a miracle of God. The remarkable victories of Jewish armies against overwhelming odds in successive battles in 1948, and 1967, and 1973 are clearly miracles of God. The technological marvels of Israeli industry, the military prowess, the bounty of Israeli agriculture, the fruits and flowers and abundance of the land are a testimony to God's watchful care over this new nation and the genius of this people.Yet what has happened was clearly foretold by the ancient prophet Ezekiel, who, writing at the time of the Babylonian captivity, declared this message for the Jewish people concerning latter days."For I will take you out of the nation; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back to your own land… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you… to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness."I will call for the grain and make it plentiful… I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine…"This is what the Sovereign Jehovah says, 'On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.'"Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, Jehovah, have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I, Jehovah, have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 36:24 ff).
Ladies and Gentleman, evangelical Christians support Israel because we believe that the words of Moses and the ancient prophets of Israel were inspired by God. We believe that the emergence of a Jewish state in the land promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was ordained by God.We believe that God has a plan for this nation which He intends to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth."

Robertson is quoting from Ezekiel 36 where God was promising His people, Jews, that there would be a restoration; that they would return to rebuild, with His help, the Temple, the city of Jerusalem, the kingdom. They are in captivity to Babylon, but God is giving them encouragement and hope; there will be a restoration, salvation from the present distress. And we know from history that God led them with prophets to do that.....only to have them fail again because of falling away from God. And Jerusalem was completely destroyed in AD 70.

But it isn't a stretch to see that God wasn't just promising a restoration to their homeland, but was also looking forward to a time when Jesus would come, would set up an everlasting kingdom to include all men, not just the Jews. But remember that Jesus said in John 18:36, right before He left the earth: "My kingdom is not of this world..." It is a heavenly kingdom, a spiritual kingdom; and it would never again be a kingdom on this earth. So most people today, most preachers, most churches, are wrong to believe that Jesus is coming back to the earth. He is coming back in the clouds to reclaim His own (Acts 1:11, 1Thes. 4:15-17), but isn't promised to return to earth.

It doesn't really change our salvation, our relationship with God perhaps, but it makes sense to understand what the Bible is teaching about the return of Jesus, about the kingdom of Jesus and what is coming. Much of the error on this subject comes from a misunderstanding of what is said in Revelation 20 about a 1000 year reign. Perhaps we will talk more on that next week.

Have a great week! God bless you.

Question: Should the USA support Israel for Bible Reasons?

I received a question asking , in effect, "Should the USA support Israel for the reason that God would want that?" And the questioner wants a Bible answer, not the opinion of the writer. I have wondered this same question so many times. But I believe that the Bible does give us a clear answer to this, albeit perhaps not a short answer.

If one looks at the whole history of the nation of Israel as recorded in the Bible, it is seen that the nation begins as God's chosen people. Under the leadership of Joshua, God leads the people into the land (Israel) and helps them conquer and remove the inhabitants. And if, Big IF, they follow the Lord's commandments, they will have the land forever. But as we follow the history of these people, Israelites, Jews, Hebrews, all the same, we see that God has the Northern 10 tribes carried off into Assyrian captivity, never to return. That only leaves the 2 Southern tribes, under the name Judah, in a small area of land around Jerusalem. God tells them that if, IF, they will follow His commandments, they can remain under the protection of the Almighty God. Old Testament history shows that they don't do this, and God has them carried off into captivity to Babylon, with most never to return. All during this time, God has promised them that there would be another kingdom to arise, a greater kingdom (note Daniel 2:44), a kingdom that would never end--He is talking about when Jesus comes as the great king. It is here that I believe that people today, Christians today, have gotten confused. Many believe that Jesus is coming back to the earth to reign for 1000 years, based on a misunderstanding of Revelation 20. And this reign is thought to begin in Jerusalem. This simply isn't what the NT is teaching. But it is easy to see that if God really did plan to form an earthly kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem, we might want to help protect that nation until that day. Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world;" it never has been and never will be. It is a spiritual kingdom with Jesus reigning from heaven.

In summary, God abandoned the nation of Israel because they first abandoned Him. He gave them every opportunity. Remember that Jesus fiercely criticized the Jewish leaders of His day...as well as their forefathers. He then predicted the fall of Jerusalem; note Matthew 23:37 through Matt. 24. Jerusalem was completely destroyed in AD 70, all because Israel left their God.

But God never leaves His people without hope. Galatians 3:19-29 shows that the Law of the Israelites has now been replaced with the Law of Faith in Jesus and that everyone can have that. Verse 28: "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." And Colossians 2:11-14 shows that the Jewish Law has been "nailed to the cross."

Thus, the nation of Israel no longer has any significance to God in a spiritual sense; it has political significance but not spiritual. And that is the fault of the Jewish nation, the Jewish people who would not follow God. So if the US supports Israel for any reason other than political, it is based on misunderstanding. Much more can be said about this, much more of the Bible brought in, but this may suffice for now. Thanks for asking, thanks for reading. This is Great!

The Message From 1 John

When John, apparently the apostle, did his writing, he was an older man and thought to be in Ephesus. He wrote the gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3rd John and Revelation. I will present here a few thoughts from 1 John, a book that is so helpful to us as Christians. There is no way to cover everything here, but a few thoughts might help us all.

The book begins with the reminder that John and his companions were eyewitnesses of Jesus and all that He did. We can't be witnesses in that sense, so it helps us to hear from an actual eyewitness.

He talks a lot about light and life and truth, all characteristics of Jesus, and about the importance of confessing our sins and keeping His commandments. 1 John 2:16 says, "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

Major emphasis is given to love; love for God...and love for the brethren. 3:16 says, "By this we know love; because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

Finally, John concludes with this: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." He isn't speaking to literal children but to his children in the faith; he taught them and helped them mature. God has always hated idols, worshiping anything that is other than God Himself. There certainly is a lot of that today. We need to be sure to keep our focus on what matters, remembering that this life is short and eternity is forever.

Thanks for reading. May God bless you this week!

King David

Except for Jesus Christ himself, David was the greatest king to ever live. He was the most powerful, is the most famous, and had the backing of his God. He failed in some things, particularly in the matter involving Bathsheba, taking the wife of another man and having him killed. But he is described in the Bible as a man "after God's own heart." In this sense, he gives us hope; confidence that a person doesn't have to be perfect to become special to God. But there is more that we can learn from David.

In Mark 12, Jesus was discussing matters with some of the Jewish leaders, some who were trying to "catch Him in His words." He was not to be trapped; and He asked them this question in 12:35: "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.' Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord': How is He then his Son?" Keep in mind here that Jesus is speaking to these Jewish leaders who regard David as the greatest king of all time. But He points out to them that David called the future Messiah "Lord," showing that David was projecting to a time when there would be a greater king.

Later, after Jesus has been crucified, raised and ascended into heaven, Peter in making his speech in Acts 2 uses this same reference to King David. If the reader here is not familiar with Acts 2, study it carefully because it is the pivotal chapter in all of the Bible. This is where the church begins, where we first have Christians, where they come together for a common purpose. But in making the point, Peter references King David (Acts 2:34), showing that Jesus is the greater king than David and that even David had said that the future king (Jesus) would be deserving of being called Lord. In Acts 2, Peter concludes his speech with this powerful statement to the Jews: " 'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.' Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " The actions and developments continue from there; and it is an exciting time.

David was the greatest; but in no way comes close to the greatness of Jesus Christ!

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Patience

Patience is a virtue that is taught a great deal in the Bible. For this particular discussion I will focus on the teaching of James 5.

In the early part of James 5, the writer is condemning the rich who have lorded it over others who are not able to resist. Then in verse seven he says, "Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. " We need more patience, as is taught here.

There are 3 examples of patience given in this chapter: first, there is the farmer in verse 7. He waits for the produce of the soil and for the rains to come. He understands that he cannot force things to happen or rush them. Secondly, "As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." Many of the prophets stood up to the people for the Lord, and suffered mightily for it. Finally in verse 11, "Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."

The lesson of patience is also a lesson of trust, trust in God. By this, we mean that we must believe that God is willing and able to take care of us...and have the patience to wait for His direction. Jeremiah 10:23 tells us: "I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps." The lesson here is not that we should stop and expect the Lord to do everything for us; but rather, we should move forward, but ask God to direct our footsteps....and trust that He will.

Thanks for reading. Keep the faith!

Hard Lesson

Some of the recent lessons have been easy read. For example, the last lesson was on heaven; I mean that is easy reading. We all want to visualize it, go there, enjoy the wonders of it. But there are hard reads as well. So we'll try one here today.

Let's do this in reverse. I'll go straight to the point, to the bottom line. This is given in Romans1:32: "..who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." So the bottom line point here is that those who do wrong are deserving of punishment; but not only are they guilty, but those who approve of such sin are guilty also. So we must not sin, nor approve of "those who practice them."

But we all sin, don't we? Why such a condemnation? Perhaps the answer comes in the types of sins, or more likely in the attitude of the one who engages in it. Regarding the latter, there is a difference in the person who willfully sins and doesn't try to repent and the person who sins but is trying to repent and be what he should be.

One might ask what is the sin being discussed here in Romans 1 that the writer is saying is "deserving of death?" First, let me suggest that this isn't advocating death in this life, but rather eternal death would seem to be the point. The reader can read Romans 1:16 through 32 to read the extent of degradation that is being discussed. It starts with homosexuality but becomes much more as the reading goes on.

But the point here is that God expects us to not approve of those who practice all of these things. But of course we are to love them and help them and reach out to them and try to make a difference in their lives. Enough already. Thanks for reading. God bless you every one!

Heaven

It is interesting and powerful to look at the portrayal of heaven in the Bible. There are lots of places where we could go to discuss heaven, but it would be hard to beat the description as given in the book of Revelation. This book is a vision given to John, a looking ahead to the triumph of God over Satan, and the triumph waiting for every Christian who endures the persecution and evil of this world.

There are many passages that could be referenced in the Revelation, but two of the most powerful are found in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 gives the throne scene where God is on the throne being worshipped by people and creatures all around. The creatures "do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' " And 24 elders around the throne are saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."

Then in chapter 5 we again see a throne scene, but this time the central figure is Christ described as a "Lamb as though it had been slain.." And the creatures and 24 elders "sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.' " And then thousands around the throne were saying, "with a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing.' "

There is an amazing scene of happenings in Rev. 19:11 on. I won't try to cover all of that here, but it is a wonderful scene of our Savior, to me one of the most powerful images in all of the Bible. And then there is the physical description of heaven in chapters 21 and 22. This is the best depiction of heaven in the Bible, and interestingly it occurs right at the conclusion. To understand the book is to know that heaven isn't really physical; it is spiritual. But it is described in physical language so that we can visualize its beauty. And beautiful it has to be!

Thanks for reading and for your interest in spiritual things! And see you here next week....

Question: For Whom Should a Christian Vote?

Actually, the question was longer than that, but I'll state it simply. Certainly this is a challenging question, a pertinent and timely one. There are many points to be made. Perhaps a good start is to consider the times in which Jesus and the New Testament writers lived. It can be noted that the Jews didn't have a vote as to who would rule over them; the Romans were in domination and leaders were assigned. Still, as with other subjects that we could consider, the NT gives us direction to help with this. Let's begin with Jesus.

We could ask, WWJD, but better yet, WDJS, what did Jesus say. In Matthew 22:17, the Pharisees were trying to entangle Jesus, so they asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" Jesus concluded, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus always taught that people should support the Government. But it is also important to note that Jesus was not about this life, but about the life to come. He wasn't so concerned about physical, but about spiritual. Let's look at other NT passages that offer some direction on this subject:

Romans 13:1-7 begins, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities..." The writer gives plenty of reason as to the benefit of government to the Christian.

Acts 5:29 shows us that when forced by the government to turn from God, we must "..obey God rather than men."

And we learn valuable lessons about our citizenship in Hebrews 11 and in Philippians 3: 20. Hebrews says that we should be like Abraham who realized that he was just a pilgrim here, looking for a better, heavenly city. And Philippians shows that our citizenship, even now, is in heaven.

Perhaps the best verse of all to show our relationship to government is 1 Timothy 2:1-3: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

So here is the conclusion all wrapped up in one nice little bundle:
* Politics is not our main focus
* God through the Bible did not tell us every thought to think. He told us what kind of people to be.
* When we have the opportunity to vote, we should vote for the person who will most allow us to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

Now, if you ask me who that might be in the next election? If you ask, "Should we vote for a Mormon?" or some other rather specific question, the answer, I believe the Biblical answer, is to apply the above verses to your life and make the best decision that you can. And don't expect every Christian to come to the same conclusion. And don't put your conclusions onto others; nor should they judge you in your conclusions. After considering the Bible teaching, we are all on our own regarding this subject. Thanks for reading! May God bless you this week.

Lessons from Hosea

There is a lot to be learned from the prophet Hosea, considered one of the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. The term "minor" has no reference to importance; it simply is called that due to its length. The Minor Prophets are all short books compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

The primary message of Hosea to the people of the OT and to the people of today is that God's people have ceased to follow Him, and they need to repent and obey. If they do this they will be restored to God, but if not, they are lost!

God makes His point very early in the book of Hosea in this way: Hosea 1:2 says, "When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: 'Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.' So he went and took Gomer...." to be his wife. God is fed up with the evil of the people and wants Hosea to have to experience what it is like to have your loved one "play the harlot" against you. No one wants to have a wife who is chasing after other lovers, committing harlotry openly. But this was what God was experiencing from His people in that day.

It could be said that people today are like that, too. Society is becoming more and more loose with morals, evil is being tolerated and practiced just as it was in the OT days. Hosea 4:6 says that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you...." Then in 5:4, "they do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord."

But God always leaves the door open, always allows His people to turn back to Him. This is one of the primary messages of the whole Bible. Note 14:1, "O Israel, return to the Lord, for you have stumbled because of you iniquity; take words with you, and return to the Lord." Then in 14:4, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away...." God loves us, wants us to follow Him, wants us to not follow after the worldly lusts that entice us. And if we do that, He promises us all the best; promised us all that He can offer...and that is a lot, certainly salvation and forever with Him.

Thanks to the Lord for the lessons from Hosea. And thanks to you for reading. Have a great week!

How to get rich

The Bible talks a lot about rich people. And there are a number of rich people in the Bible who were good folks. Still there are warnings about putting our emphasis on riches of this world.

1 Timothy 6:7-11 tells us, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things..."

Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..."

And James 5:1-3 says, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days."

Ecclesiastes 2:18 advises: "....I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool."

And finally, Jesus said in Matthew 6;25, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life...."

Americans live in a very rich society, certainly so in the eyes of the people living in Bible times; so we are all rich. The Bible recognizes that one can be rich and serve God; but the warning is there not to be placing our desires, goals, and very lives in the pursuit of earthly things.

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Jesus after the Resurrection

It is interesting to look at the timing of events from the resurrection of Jesus to the time when He ascends. He is removed from the cross before the Sabbath (Saturday), which is the Sabbath of the Passover feast (the major Jewish feast that occurs once a year). So He, His body, is put into the tomb on Friday, He is dead for 3 days as prophesied, or really a part of 3 days, and He is raised from the dead on Sunday.

A key fact on this subject that may not be well known by all Bible students is that Jesus spent 40 days on the earth after His resurrection. This is recorded in Acts 1:3, "....He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." It is in this first chapter of Acts that Jesus reminds them that they are to remain in Jerusalem after He ascends into heaven until the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Then in Acts chapter 2 we see the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles just as Jesus had said.

As we pursue the discussion on timing, we see that the Holy Spirit comes upon the Apostles, as recorded there in Acts 2, upon the day of Pentecost. Pentecost (meaning "50") is the next great Jewish feast occurring 50 days after the Passover Sabbath. So the Passover Sabbath occurs on Saturday, add 50 days to that and you get Pentecost occurring on Sunday. Then, backing up, since Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days starting on Sunday, the day after the Passover Sabbath, there are about 9 days left after Jesus ascends for the Apostles to wait in Jerusalem.

This might all seem a bit involved, but I think it helps to get further understanding of the timing of the final events of Jesus' life. He spent the 40 days showing himself to numerous witnesses so that faith would be strengthened.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great week!

The Lord's Supper

Jesus taught His apostles to keep taking the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him. This is taught in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and 1Corinthians 11. We see the early Christians taking the supper on a weekly basis as we study the book of Acts. This was, and is, important to Christians for several reasons: one is that Jesus taught it; and we see the early Christians following that instruction; and also we want to remember and honor our Lord by doing this.

But not only is it important to remember how our Lord died for us, it is also useful to know that God always planned it that way. From the very beginning of man, from man's first sin, it was planned by God to send His Son to save us from our sins. We see the first reference in Gen. 3:15 where it indicates that the Son would be bruised by Satan. This is a reference to the suffering that Jesus would have to go through. In Genesis 22 we see that God tells Abraham to take his only son Isaac up on the mountain and sacrifice him. We see that God spares Isaac in that story. But later, when it is time for God to sacrifice His only Son, the Son does not get spared. All through the Bible we see the plan being developed for Jesus to be sacrificed.

The prophets taught the people to stop their sinning and come back to the Lord. In dozens, maybe hundreds, of places they told of the Messiah to come. For example, Isaiah 53 tells us that the Messiah must go like a lamb to the slaughter.

So the Savior is born, to a poor family, starts His ministry at the age of 30, and begins His journey toward the suffering and impending death to come. Just before He starts this death process, He meets with His apostles and teaches them that He must die, be raised and leave them. But he teaches them that they are to remember Him by taking of the supper. This fits the plan that Jesus not only carries out, but was always planned by the Father. Thus, it is supremely important. Let's make sure that it is to each of us.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Lessons from Philippians 4

Chapter 4 is a powerful wrap up of the book of Philippians. Note a few of the points given in this one chapter of the Bible:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" It is interesting to see that Paul is rejoicing and encouraging others to do so when the persecution is heavy, and Paul is even in jail.

Then he says "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." As Christians, we are to be gentle people. We see more of this thought later in the chapter.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God." We get two main thoughts here: not to be anxious; something Jesus taught much about. And pray; make our requests to God. He wants to hear that and certainly has the power to do meet our needs.

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things." This gives us the challenge to think good things; keeps us away from the devil.

"I have learned.......to be content..." And this is a good lesson for us all....especially in this materialistic society.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Jesus loves you and me. And He will strengthen us if we only let Him! Have a good week.

Moral State of Society

Most people in our country today would say that the moral condition is decaying. There are many signs of such, but perhaps it is unnecessary to cite them.

The prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament faced a society with lots of degradation. He cried out to the Lord, "O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, 'Violence!' and You will not save." (1:2). God makes it clear to him that He is going to use a more sinful nation to punish Judah. Habakkuk, though frustrated, responds, "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills." We must be like Habakkuk; no matter how bad things get around us, we must put our trust in the Lord, for He is still in control.

The prophet Daniel is another good example for us. When faced with the decision of whether to obey the king or to serve his God, Daniel did not waiver. It was at great risk that Daniel made the right moral choice...and it worked out right in the end because God took care of him.

Isaiah 55: 8,9 tells us that our ways are not God's ways; His are higher.....and we must put our trust in Him. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Once Saved Always Saved

I received a question regarding salvation, and specifically questioning the Billy Graham type of calling for someone to come forward and profess their faith and receive salvation on the spot. To me, this is a challenging question and requires some soul-searching and Bible searching to answer. The best I can do here is to cite some Bible examples of salvation. The questioner cited the conversion of Simon in Acts 8. The scripture says that Simon "believed," but then we read where Simon sinned trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money. So was Simon saved and then fell away, or was he never really saved in the first place. I have an opinion, but can't be sure because we aren't told the answer in the text. I think all we can do is look elsewhere in the Bible.

There are some people who profess Christianity that believe once a person is saved, he cannot be lost. But the New Testament presents the theme clearly that a Christian must beware of not falling back into sin. Probably a thousand verses could be found, but I will offer one. In Hebrews, in writing to a group of Christian believers, Hebrews 3:12-14 says, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is call 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end..." If a saved Christian couldn't sin and fall away there would not be all of the warnings about such.

The questioner seems correct in saying that "heart of God actions have to follow these initial first steps. " But the New Testament does give us examples of the early Christians taking those first steps. For example, in Acts 8 we see the Ethiopian eunuch nobleman being taught "Jesus." That is all that we are told that he was taught; but following that, he asks to be baptized. The preacher says, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." In this example we see the obedience in baptism but also are witnessing an appeal to the heart. So then the question: is he saved at this point? From the text, the answer seems clear that he is. Will he always be saved? That depends on his keeping his heart right, seeking the Lord.

Back to Simon; Was Simon's heart right when he "believed?" I don't know, and we aren't told. It turned sour rather quickly, but you will have to judge that one. But I agree with the questioner that the key to real salvation is not just the first steps but the desire of the heart following those first steps. Have a good week! May God Bless You!

Question: The Role of Women in the Church

I received a question regarding the role of women in the church. I will start by trying to briefly state the question: In Romans 16:1, 2 & 7, there is mention of Phoebe and Junia as servants or possibly an apostle or deacon versus 1 Timothy 2 where " I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." How does one reconcile these seemingly contradictory passages?

First, let me assure the reader that I do not claim to have all the answers; I do believe that the Bible does, that the Bible is completely accurate, and it does not contradict itself. With that disclaimer, here is what I see; here are a few basic facts, what I believe are basic facts:

God made man, then made woman from man to be a helper to him (Genesis 2:18).

In God's eyes, all are equal. Galatians 3:28, "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."

In the New Testament, starting with Acts and following, as we follow the development of the church, we see that the Lord started the church with the Apostles. To be an apostle was to first meet certain qualifications. These are made clear in Acts 1:15-26. The primary qualification was to have been a direct eyewitness of Jesus. When Judas betrayed, they filled his position with another in Acts 1. Later Paul is called an apostle; and in fact he was an eyewitness of Jesus having witnessed Him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). I would suggest that there is no other person in the New Testament who is called an "Apostle." Junia in Romans 16 is not. Junia was "of note among the apostles," but was not an apostle.

And from Acts and the following books, we see that there were other positions that were established in the churches (Acts 14:23). In Acts 20, Paul called the Ephesian elders to meet with him. In this one passage, the terms for "elder" are also called overseer, shepherd and bishop, all the same thing. This same multiple name situation occurs in 1 Peter 5. There were specific qualifications for the men of this position; these are given in 1 Timothy and Titus. But without question, these qualifications only apply to men.

In addition, there are men appointed to the position of "deacon," as recorded in 1 Timothy and Titus. The qualifications given here are specific to men. But the word "deacon" just means servant. So what I see in the NT is that there were men appointed to the position of "deacon" and also people, men and women, who were described as servants; this can be hard to distinguish; I won't try. Were there women deacons? I don't know, but there were women "servants" as I see in Romans 16:1.

In summary, what I see in the NT is that men and women were equal in God's eyes. Women did teach; we see examples of that, but not perhaps taking charge over a man. And while equal, men and women are given different roles. There were no women apostles and there were no women elders (overseers, shepherds, bishops.) There were women teachers and even women prophets. Women were, and are, important in the work of the Lord!

I hope that all of my answers here are purely Biblical, not my opinion; I have tried hard to keep opinion out of this. And I hope this helps. God bless you!

Literal Interpretation of the Bible

I received a question regarding how literal should the Bible be interpreted. I don't propose to know all the answers; I do believe that the Bible has all the answers, however. So I won't spend much time on my opinions. I recommend letting the Bible answer the questions for you.

Perhaps the number one rule for understanding the Bible is to consider the context. Taking verses out of context will only lead to wrong conclusions, misunderstanding, and is "cherry picking" as one reader would call it. One must always consider the context, to whom the writing is being made, who is doing the writing and from what circumstance. An extreme example would be the book of Revelation. This book is written clearly in a form that is not to be taken literally. But every book has its special situation that must be considered in order to get the full meaning.

But beyond this, there are disagreements of accuracy of the Bible. Some will say that because of obvious discrepancies in the Bible, inaccuracies, the Bible cannot be taken literally. I pause here to recall 1Timothy 2:12, where Paul said, "..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," so you are on your own here. For me, the Bible is accurate and contains no mistakes; it is from God, the Holy Spirit guiding the writers. And if that is true, it is mistake free. If it had mistakes, then I couldn't trust it.

As for taking statements in the Bible literally, yes, I see no other way than to take many things literally, at face value. That is, if it says it clearly, straight out, then it means what it says. An example: In Mark 16 where Jesus said to His disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned," He meant that to be done. No interpretation required. But we also see that the Bible uses figurative language often. Jesus said "You are the salt of the earth." We understand that this is figurative language, not literal. Generally, it is easy enough to distinguish.

Enough for now. Whatever we believe about literal interpretation, we still work together to seek the truth in love, love for God and love for each other. Have a good week!

Two Good Men

When one sees the title of this article, it might not bring to mind the two individuals that I plan to cite here. But the purpose of this treatise is to point out two really great men who served God but were not followers of Jesus Christ and were not in a saved condition.

The first person to be noted is the Ethiopian nobleman, finance office for the queen of Ethiopia, as we read about in Acts 8 beginning with verse 26. He was clearly a man of God; he had left Ethiopia and traveled on a chariot all the way to Jerusalem to worship and now was returning home; this is a long trip. He comes to our attention while he is sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. Now this is a godly man! But as we read on, we see that he did not know Jesus. And the preacher, Philip, teaches him about Jesus and about salvation. He asked to be baptized and went on his way rejoicing.

We also note the man Cornelius, who is discussed in Acts 10 and 11. He is described as a "devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always." This for sure is a Godly man! But as the story goes on, we realize that Cornelius doesn't know Jesus and is not in a saved condition. Peter preaches to him and concludes his speech in Acts 10:48 with "and he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord."

So the conclusion to these two accounts is obvious. It is not enough to just be a good man. It is not enough to worship God, give money to God's work, or to live a good life. We must be followers of Jesus and to do what He has taught us, i.e., keep His commandments. Here we have two good men who still had something else to do to be pleasing to God and to find salvation. And that, of course, is what we all want. Have a good week and see you next time.

How Great Is God?

How great is God? Well, of course, we will not know this until after this life. But we get some glimpses of His greatness in the Bible.

One powerful expression of His greatness is given to us in Isaiah chapter 40. Beginning in verse 12, speaking of God, it says, "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?" Obviously, nobody can do any of this, as God is supreme!

In the book of Job, God challenges Job with these questions: (chapter 38) "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line on it? To what were its foundations fastened?" Only God holds the key to the universe; He is the Creator and Sustainer.

Sometimes the wise and educated of this world believe they have the answers. But God says in 1Corinthians 1:25, "...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

And back to Isaiah 40, it concludes with: "The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

To me, He is an awesome God; one to be feared (and loved and worshiped and thanked). And thank you for reading. See you next week, I hope.

The "Sinner's Prayer"

I recently ran across some research on the "Sinner's Prayer" that is practiced widely among many evangelists and denominations. I did some further reading on the subject and found that Wikipedia had what seemed a fair and accurate summary of the history of the prayer. Further quotes here will be from Wikipedia.

The Sinner's Prayer is "prayer of repentance." "Often at the end of a worship service an evangelist will invite those desiring to receive Christ (become converted) to 'repeat after me' the words of some form of a sinner's prayer." The practice has been traced to as "early as the 18th century."

The problem with this is that in order to know how to become Christians and live the Christian life, we need to go back to the 1st century and see what the Bible is telling us and what the early Christians were doing as they had been instructed by Christ and His apostles. It is true that people were taught to repent and call upon the Lord as their Savior. But that isn't all that was taught in being converted. Jesus taught His apostles in Mark 16 to go into all the world and "preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved..." And when Paul was converted in Acts 22 we see that he was taught to "arise, be baptized and wash away your sins." It never was enough to just repeat a confession before an evangelist whether in person or in front of the tv.

Let's just follow the Bible pattern in matters of becoming Christians, living the Christian life, and worshiping together as local churches. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Witnessing

The word "witnessing" is used a lot in today's religious world. How we might use it differs some from the meaning that we see in the New Testament.

There are lots of references to witnesses in the Bible. In fact, our Lord knew that it would be important that true eyewitnesses be established in the time of Christ. We base our beliefs on these eyewitness accounts because we didn't see it happen; we need facts upon which to base our beliefs. Before Jesus left the earth He told His apostles, "..you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." ( Acts 1:8).

John, in 1 John 1:1-4, talks about the process of witnesses: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concering the Word of Life.......we declare to you." Here is an eyewitness telling us about it.

Luke was not an eyewitness, but he wrote the book of Luke having been given details by the eyewitnesses of Jesus. Luke 1 tells us: "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account..."

The result of all this is to establish our faith. John 20:30,31 says, "and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." We can be very thankful for those who were eyewitnesses and left us the detailed accounts for us to learn of Him and believe.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

How do you worship God?

Most people do not write their own obituary, but Joe Blanchard of Florida recently died and left an obit in his own words. Here is what he wanted us to know: "I have never been an outward communication religious man, but have always had a strong belief in the Lord and His power. My communications have been in the duck blind, deer stand, fishing boat and on the golf course." Now I find this quite impressive, just probably not in the way that he intended.

What we must do as Christians is to find out what God wants/expects us to do when it comes to worship. It always mattered to Him. If we go back to the very beginning, we see Abel bringing an acceptable sacrifice and Cain not doing so. All through the Bible God teaches us over and over the importance of doing things His way, and certainly this applies to our worship.

In the New Testament we note that Jesus, right before His death, taught His disciples the importance of taking the Lord's Supper after He was gone, to eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine as a remembrance. We see this being done by the early Christians in the book of Acts. And we see the importance of the church, the gathering of Christians weekly, to worship together and to remember the Lord.

Now back to Joe and the duck blind. Of course it is good to commune with God wherever one is, whether that be a duck blind or in a bath tub. But if that is the limit of our worship to God, we need to go back to the Bible and see what God wants. Our worship isn't just for us; it is for Him also. And we need to do it His way....not just as a sideline to our play, or to our work or to whatever we find ourselves doing. This is not an editorial; this is what the Bible teaches, what God has said to us, and we need to be listening. Have a great week! ........written in love from one who cares.

The Word

One of the ways that Jesus is referenced in the Bible is "The Word." It is through Him that we have salvation, and it is His word that was given to the apostles and passed down to us.

The book of John begins with a discussion of the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him...." Verse 14: "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." It stretches our imagination to view Jesus as the person and as the Word. But that is how it is. And perhaps it adds extra meaning to our study of the Bible when we see it as the "Word" of God and coming from the Son, Jesus.

Hebrews chapter 2 gives an interesting perspective on the word: "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" This is a good summary of how we got the Word, that is, spoken by Jesus, confirmed by the witnesses, the apostles, and by miracles given by the Holy Spirit, all according to God's will.

The Word is powerful; and it saves us. Thanks be to God for this wonderful gift! See you next week.

Simplicity

Perhaps we tend to make the matter of being a Christian too complicated. It is possible to over think some things, and I would suggest that this could be the case here.

When we look at the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 16:16, in a conversation with Jesus, Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus said, "..on this rock I will build My church.." Thus, we know that Jesus is the foundation of the church..and our beliefs. But Jesus didn't start the church during His lifetime. He told the apostles to do that, to wait in Jerusalem after He had departed to heaven for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. We see these events unfolding in Acts 2 and even the beginnings of the church. Peter was doing the talking in Acts 2:41 when it says that "...those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship..." When we look at this in context we see that people had come into town for the Jewish Passover and stayed over for this new Christian relationship to develop; they were sharing with each other to be sure that no one went without.

The simplicity of becoming a Christian is shown in Acts 8:35 where Philip teaches an Ethiopian nobleman about Jesus. "Now as they went down the road , they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?' Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' " We see here that there wasn't any deep doctrine or philosophy taught. Philip just taught him about "Jesus."

A study of the church in the New Testament seems just as straightforward, or "simple." We don't see any complicated formal structure. Each church was independent in the early church; and each church had leaders, elders to guide and protect the church (see Acts 20, 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1), and deacons to help in the work. But simplicity was the order of the early church, far more so than we see in most "Christian" churches today.

Living the Christian life isn't so complicated, but it surely can be difficult sometimes as we fight the temptations of this life. Enough for today. Thanks for reading.

Church Unity part 2

I received a question regarding what is meant by "unity?" Certainly the church is made up of individuals, people who are different in many ways, in how they think, their opinions and ideas, and their understanding of the Bible. But when we look at the teaching of the New Testament, we see that we are still taught to be "one" people.

When Jesus was about to leave this earth, He prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one, "that they all may be one." Jesus knew that there is a natural tendency to divide, to disagree, to argue. He wanted better than that for His people.

Paul said in Philippians 2:2, "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." This doesn't mean we lose our individuality; it means that we pull together, we work together, and we strive to follow God's word as it has been given to us. But Paul was already seeing trouble when he wrote the first Corinthian letter. Instead of just being Christians and being unified, the people were forming factions. 1 Corinthians 1:12 says some were saying they were "of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas or I am of Christ." This is the attitude, that of division, that Jesus and Paul were trying to head off.

If you look at the history of the forming of denominations you will see that most were created because of disagreement, contention, and strife. This is not what the Bible teaches us as Christians on how we should act. We must work at unity in Christ Jesus. Thanks for reading!

Church Unity

The Bible is clear that the Lord always expected His people to be one, to be unified. It seems only human to want to divide. We see division occur in all aspects of our society; and certainly we see it in the creation of denominations. Even the word "denomination" shows the recognition of division. But it was never wanted by our Lord.

Just before His death, Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17 a rather long prayer calling for unity of His followers. Note John 17:11: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one." He says this several times in this prayer, "that they be one as We are one." Unity was very important to Jesus. Shame on us for dividing.

Paul taught about this in 1 Corinthians 1. Note verse 10: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you , my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that 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?" Division had already started in the early church. It should not be so among us.

One might say, "What is the solution?" The only solution is to follow God's Word, the Bible. We have a great pattern to follow, showing us what the early church was taught to do. We should be doing the same, following that same pattern. Every one of us needs to read, understand , and follow the Bible. Only in doing so are we able to unite in one teaching and one purpose.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Paul's Speech in Athens

It is interesting to read Paul's speech in Athens as recorded in Acts 17. When Paul would speak to a Jewish audience, he would mention the Jewish Fathers like Moses, Abraham and Noah so that the people could relate to him. But in speaking to the Athenians, primarily a gentile audience, he mentioned nothing about the Jewish history, but concentrated on them, their situation, their lifestyle.

Paul noticed right off that the city was given over to idol worship (vs 16). He was challenged by the Greek philosophers who pumped him for information. Verse 21 tells us, "..all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing."

Paul noticed that they even had an idol to the "Unknown God." Paul, in a twist of meanings, lets them know that they are right; the real God is unknown to them. He then proceeds to tell them about the real God, the only real God: He "...made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands," and lots more.

He then concludes this speech with this, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." It was this mentioning of "raising Him from the dead," the resurrection, that stirred the people; some mocked, some were interested.

The power is in the resurrection. Without that, Christianity would be weak, nothing. But God will take us beyond the grave.....and that is a big part of the message here in Athens...and to us.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Living the Christian Life

It is hard!.....and it is easy. It is hard to live the Christian life in some ways, because the standard is so high that we must watch constantly for a misstep. But it is easy in that when we do it right, things go better for us. But the answers to how to live it are given clearly in the New Testament. The teachings of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give us a lot of insight into how to make our character what it should be. And the letters, starting with the book of Romans and going through Jude, give us much help in knowing what we are to be.

Picking one of the letters for a closer look, let us consider Ephesians. The first 3 chapters tell us a lot about what God has done for us. For example, Eph. 2:4 begins, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus...."

Beginning in chapter 4 and on through the end of the book in chapter 6, he tells us how we can be better people. Note 4:1, "..walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..."

4:22 "..put off , concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind..."

4:28 "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands..."

4:29 "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth...."

4:32 "And be kind to one another..."

5:15 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time..."

6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

If you read the whole book of Ephesians, one must be impressed with what God has done for us, and what we should do to live the Christian life. Thanks for reading!

The Masses

The masses, the crowds of Jews, loved Jesus.....for awhile. We see in Mark 1 and 2 that Jesus was pressed on every side by the people. He healed a leper, told him not to tell anyone; he told anyway, and Jesus drew such a crowd that he could not go into the city safely. He went into a house in Capernaum and drew such a crowd that the guys carrying the paralytic to be healed had to let him down through the roof to get to Jesus. He went down to the sea to preach; the crowds were so great that He had to get onto a small boat and preach from there.

Later, in Matthew 21, we read that when it was time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, He sent disciples into a village to get a donkey and a colt (young male) of the donkey. The disciples said, "What if the man won't give them to us." He said, " 'Say, "The Lord needs them." ' " They did that and Jesus rode into Jerusalem (prophesied in Zecharia 9:9) with the people chanting and singing and laying down their clothes and palm branches. They were calling out, "Hosanna ('Save we pray')to the son of David" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," a common Jewish phrase from Psalm 118:26. These expressions of appreciation on this day were often used by the Jews to chant and sing when they went up to worship in Jerusalem.

But as much as the people loved Jesus at this time, they turned against him in a later time. It wasn't long before these same crowds would shout out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." And almost suddenly Jesus found himself alone. He had been deserted by everyone, even His best supporters. But He knew this was coming, that He would have to do this for evil men. And He did it once for all time. He is our savior; let us worship Him....and remember Him.....and love Him and serve Him! Thanks for reading; see you next week!

Jesus Prayed

It is interesting that Jesus prayed often even though He was God Himself. He found it helpful and important to spend time in prayer with the Father.

Note Mark 1:35, where Jesus had been busy the night before healing and casting out demons: "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." This was a common practice for Jesus.

In Matthew 6, Jesus gave His disciples for all time the Lord's Prayer, teaching us some good things to pray for. Then in John 17 we have a prayer of Jesus shortly before His death. "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come...' "

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was with the Apostles, took with Him Peter, James and John and went off to pray. He separated Himself completely and said to God, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." In good and hard times, Jesus made it a point to pray. These are just a few examples; there are lots more.

Let us follow this great example of our Lord. He kept the relationship strong with the Father in prayer; we can do that. He found strength in times of stress; so can we. He didn't mind asking for deliverance in time of need; that can be us. And He prayed for His friends to be OK. "Ask and you shall receive...."

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Resisting Temptation

Resisting temptation is a challenge for every single person. Everyone is tempted; and everyone gives into temptation from time to time. James 1:13 tells us "...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death." But we have much comfort in the Bible regarding how to deal with the temptation. Notice 1Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Jesus was able to deal with temptation and difficulty by going to the Father in prayer. He taught His disciples in Matthew 6 the Lord's Prayer, saying "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." And in the garden of Gethsemane, just before His death, He prayed fervently and encouraged His followers to "watch and pray." They didn't do it; they slept, but that is beside the point. Paul taught the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We can take that same attitude in our lives, particularly in resisting temptation.

And finally, we can view temptation as a challenge. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." We can overcome.....with God's help! Thanks for reading; see you next week.

Repent and Live

Along the lines of the last article, the Bible makes a strong point of the need to Repent. Repentance is simply changing. It isn't just confessing that we've done wrong; it is a commitment of heart to being a different person, to not repeating the wrongdoing. Throughout the Bible, OT and NT, we find the teaching of the need to repent, to turn away from the evil of the world and back to God. One of the beauties of the Bible is that it shows that God has always been willing to give man a second (and more) chance, a chance to turn and come back. God always provided a way, a leader, a miracle, an opportunity for man to see that He is the Way, that He is for us, that His way triumphs. In the OT He sent prophets, when things got really bad, to lead the people back to Him. The OT is full of teaching on this principle, but an example of the prophetic teaching is to look at Hosea, like 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you...." And 5:4, "They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord." And talking about the Jews, He said in 9:17, "My God will cast them away, because they did not obey Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations." This is still true today about the Jewish Nation. Yes, Israel still exists, but no more like it did; and never again like it was. Then there is Malachi, the prophet. Note 3:6, "For I am the Lord. I do not change." And 4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." This is apparently speaking of the sending of John the Baptist and Jesus to follow. All through the Bible history, God continued to do for His people and call for repentance. This was a major message of Jesus. Both John and Jesus taught "Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand." And following Jesus, the Apostles were given to carry on the teaching. The Apostle Paul taught in Acts 17:30, as he was speaking to the "wise" people in Athens, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." And Peter was asked by some Jews in Acts 2:37 what they needed to do. He answered, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." God has always called for repentance.....and He has always provided a way for us to come back. He loves us, so much that He gave His only begotten Son. Such love! Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Welcome Home

Thomas Wolfe said "You can't go home again." And in the sense that he meant it, that is true. Going back to your hometown after awhile, to old friends and old places just isn't the same. But home is always special in the sense of our parents; they are always welcoming. When everyone else fails us, our father and mother always want us to feel welcomed. (Occasionally, a parent is not a good parent and does not follow the general rule stated here.) God is like the perfect parent. He is our Father. And He makes sure that we know that we are always welcome back home; no matter what we've done, what has happened, no matter what. Ezekiel 18 tells us this, as a message from the Father: 18:21+, "...if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live." He also says that the converse if true; if a righteous man turns to a life of sin and stays there, he will not live (eternally). Then in verse 25, He says, "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?" This is very interesting information direct from God. You might want to read all of the end of Ezekiel 18. In Luke 15, we are given much the same teaching. This whole chapter denotes the importance of one sinner repenting, how there is great rejoicing in heaven. A man has 100 sheep, but loses one, when the one is found there is great joy. And the prodigal son goes off and squanders everything, becomes as low as a pig, then goes home with no expectation but to be a servant. Instead of arriving in shame (which is what he deserved), he comes in to a hero's welcome. That is how glad our Father is to see one person straighten out his life.......even if a total mess has been made of it. What a great Father we have! Welcome home! Have a great week.

Sabbath

There is a lot of confusion regarding the use of the term "Sabbath" in today's world; and I want to begin by saying that I don't have all of the answers on this. Here is what I see in the Bible. The Sabbath was an old testament concept that was given to the Jews as a part of the Law of Moses. The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, Saturday. We see this referenced in many Old Testament places as a part of the Law of Moses, given to the "Sons of Israel" as a part of their Law. Note Exodus 31 beginning in verse 12: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death...' ' " Later in this passage, He says, "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever." It would seem clear that He is speaking specifically to the "children of Israel" which is the Jewish people, establishing here the covenant between God and the Jews. It should be noted that the keeping the Sabbath was the fourth commandment in the 10 commandments given to Moses to be given to the children of Israel as a part of the Jewish Law. The Jewish Law was done away by the coming of Jesus, the new law beginning in Acts chapter 2; this is called "Faith" in many places in the New Testament, referring to faith in Jesus, note Galatians 3:23-29. Many of the 10 commandments were carried over into the Law of Christ, but only by reference in the New Testament. The Sabbath is not carried over into the worship and service of the church of the New Testament. We do see the New Testament church worshipping on Sunday, note Acts 20:7 and 1Corinthians 16:2. In summary, it seems clear by reading the New Testament that we are not under the Law of Moses and that "Sabbath" was a part of the Jewish Law. The question in my mind is what the Lord intended for us in today's world. When He created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1, He rested on the seventh day. He then told the children of Israel to keep the seventh day (Sabbath) holy. He didn't specifically say for His people under Christ to rest on the seventh day. But with the precedent of the Old Testament emphasis of resting on the seventh day, one might wonder if He wants His people today to rest one day of the week. Give that some thought and I will see you next week. Thanks for reading.

Should the Bible be taken literally?

Here is a subject that surely would draw some controversy in some circles. Should the Bible be taken literally? Let's start by saying that there are some parts of the Bible, however the minority, that are obviously not literal. Examples are the book of Revelation and parts of Ezekiel. These are recognized by all as figurative language written in an apocalyptic style that was common in the first century, but not so much understood today. But there are many places, times, people and instructions given in the Bible that are entirely literal and should be taken as factual and true. Here are a few examples of this, many of which are not generally accepted in today's world: Genesis 1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...." He did just that. We are to take this as fact. We could discuss all day the timing of this and the correlation with scientific studies, but what the Bible says is true. Sin: This is not a relative or subjective term, where we bend the rules to suit ourselves. Note Galatians 5:19: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." I doubt this is intended to be a complete list, but it seems complete enough for now. We surely don't want to be guilty of these things. Remember that God always provides a way of escape from temptation..... and a way of redemption from our past sins for the truly repentant, i.e.,the blood of Jesus! Time and length will limit this list. But other matters that are clearly taught in the New Testament but are not being followed by many "Christians" are taking of the Lord's Supper regularly, baptism for the remission of our sins, church organization; these are all matters that are clearly and forcefully taught in the Bible that are not being taken literally by many Christians and churches. We must follow what God teaches on these and other matters. And the Bible is understandable. We must study it.....and follow it. Thanks for reading! (please pardon the lack of paragraphs; for some reason the computer will not allow such at this time--aren't computers great?)

Egypt

Here are two thoughts to consider. More than any other statement made by God in the Bible is this: "I AM the Lord." In reading the Old Testament, one will find that God said this more than any other thing. It was so important to Him that we know this one thing. Usually He would say it in conjunction with something else; for example, "I did (such and such) that you will know that I AM the Lord." And it is always I AM. There is no "I was" or "I will be." With God is it is always, "I AM." And Jesus talked in the same way. He said, "I AM the light of the world." "I AM the way, the truth, the life."


The second point here is that God often used the expression in the Old Testament, "I AM the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt." I would suggest to you that "out of Egypt" is a good thing. Throughout the Old Testament we read where people went into Egypt when they had to "get out of Dodge." In some cases there was a famine elsewhere, such as the case in Genesis 12 where Abram (Abraham) went down to Egypt; it wasn't long before he came "out of Egypt." And Jesus was taken to Egypt by his parents to avoid the Herod's attempt to kill him; he came out as soon as it was safe. Jeremiah was told by God not to go to Egypt near the end of his life, but he was essentially kidnapped by the people and forced to go. And, of course, the Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt for about 400 years; and it was only through God's help that they were able to escape. Going to Egypt had its place; but leaving Egypt generally, perhaps always, was a good thing.

I was able to go to Egypt in 2009, thankful for the opportunity. I got to go "out of Egypt;" and just my personal feelings: that felt great! You can go to Egypt to see a pyramid up close, or a camel, or a lot of sand. But I am done. Have a great week!

Evolution and the Bible

Before another word, let me say that I am not an expert on Evolution. I don't have all the answers and make no pretense of such. With that out of the way, some people say that it is evolution vs the Bible, science vs the Bible, etc. I am here to tell you that is wrong and to say a little of what the Bible speaks about the beginnings of the universe.


We know that the Bible begins with "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
That ends the argument of who created what. But what about evolution and Darwin's theory, and the multiple theories to follow over the years? I would suggest to you that you believe in evolution; and I will assure you that I believe in evolution. The problem comes in the definition of what we are talking about.


Darwin went to the islands and saw creatures that had evolved, had changed to adapt to the local environment. He drew conclusions from this and created his theory of evolution. The problem with that is that he went too far. But we can see in our world today examples of evolution that cannot be denied. A good example is the snowshoe rabbit. He is still a rabbit, but because he dwells in the snowy arctic, he has changed, adapted by becoming a white rabbit with huge feet to allow him to run (hop) in the snow. Examples like this can be seen throughout nature. Even people change over time to adapt to their environment. (Isn't this fun!)


But the Bible speaks directly to this subject. Genesis 1:24: "Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind': and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." Notice the emphasis on "according to its kind" here. This is repeated several times to show that there is no crossing of kinds; i.e., cats are cats, dogs are dogs, and there is no crossing over. There is no evolution over a thousand years or a milliion years of a cat becoming a dog. You see the point and likely agree. Thus, there is evolution within the "kind", the species. Now, there are lots of unanswered questions on this subject, but enough for today. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Temptation and Sin

Temptation and sin are subjects that affect us all. We all struggle with this from time to time; certainly I do. James 1:12 says "Blessed is the man who endures temptation..." Verse 13, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God' " And verse 14, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren." But we are deceived, aren't we? We deceive ourselves sometimes, convincing ourselves that it will be ok, that no one will be hurt, that no one will know, that it will make us happy. That is all a lie. And it is the devil's lie; he wants us to be deceived.

Note the next verse in the passage; James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights..." I think this is trying to tell us that if it isn't from God, we don't want it; it will kill us, bring us death. There is a tv commercial running now for Yellowood where an old guy at the end says, "If it hasn't got a yellow tag on the wood, you don't want it." Well, that may be baloney, but James is right when he says that only if it is from God do you want it.

Finally, let us remember verse 12 when it says, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." And that, my dear friend, is what we all want! See you next week. Be good.

Nehemiah

The story of Nehemiah is a fascinating one. He lived during the Persian Empire, around 425 B.C. and was a Jewish servant of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. The Israelite, Jewish, people had been in captivity and dispersed from their homeland for a long time, but some had been allowed to go home to Jerusalem. Now in Nehemiah chapter 2, we see Nehemiah is sad before the king because he realizes that the wall of Jerusalem has not been restored, and he feels greatly that this needs to be done.

The first lesson we learn here is that before doing anything, Nehemiah prays to God. This would be a great first step for us as we contemplate taking on some task. God actually cares and will direct our lives if we but let him.


Then Nehemiah asks the king if he can return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He is granted this opportunity. We see that Nehemiah has prepared himself for this very difficult task; we need to do the same. We need to be prepared for whatever opportunity comes our way; prepare ourselves well to meet the challenges ahead, especially if we are seeking to do God's will.

The story goes on to show that Nehemiah faces lots of opposition from people outside his ranks and even some from within. Anytime we take on a challenge for good, we will face opposition; the devil will see to it. But with God's help we can overcome and persevere.

The wall was completed in 52 days! That is amazing. It had sat in ruins for so many years. We can, with God's help, turn ruined things, ruined lives, sometimes total destruction into something good, something complete, something pleasing to God. Let us prepare ourselves, look for the opportunity to serve, not be deterred by the opposition, and build for God. If you can, take the time to read the book of Nehemiah--it is a great read.


Thanks for tuning in. I hope you have a great week!

Vision Into Heaven

Most people are hesitant to spend much time in the book of Revelation because it is complicated, and it raises many questions of the meaning. But much of the book is very clear and has great meaning to us as Christians. The Bible ends with this Revelation, this view directly into heaven. The introduction tells us that Jesus reveals these things to John who is on the Isle of Patmos. Patmos is a Greek Island, quite rocky and still there today. The book describes many things that are yet to come; and we can't cover all of that here. But it is especially interesting to look at the throne scenes in chapters 4 and 5. In 4, there is a view of the Father on the throne. In chapter 5, we see Jesus there on the throne and some of the things that are going on around Him. The reader should spend a few minutes reading these two chapters. Nowhere else in this life can one get a vision into heaven like this.


Note these passages in the book of Revelation, chapters 19-22: "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True...He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God" (19:11,13). "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.....and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (20:11-15). "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (21:2-4). "There shall be no night there; They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever" (22:5). This is such a beautiful and powerful vision into what awaits us, as Jesus promised.

Let's make sure that we are there, that we serve Him in the way He wants here on earth...during our short time here. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Everything Happens For A Reason? Or does it?

We all hear this expression often. "Everything happens for a reason." No, it really doesn't; not in the way most people mean it. This is not Bible teaching; this is man's reasoning. But when you really think about it, it isn't reasonable.

Before looking at what the Bible says, let's consider a case: A man is tired, but wants to take a walk along a cliff. He knows that this is dangerous and especially so since he is very tired and a bit wobbly today. Still, he decides that he will take the chance. He walks the walk, stumbles on a loose rock and falls to his death. Should we say, "well, everything happens for a reason?" If we mean, as most people do, that this is God's plan or is in some higher scheme, it was "meant to be," we are missing the point. The reason for this death is that the man made a poor choice, and the laws of nature (gravity, etc) took over.

Now here is what the Bible tells us: In Ecclesiastes 9:11, the wise man Solomon, with God's guiding hand, tells us, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time; like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them." Thus we learn that things happen, evil happens. And it isn't always God making things happen. We learn here that sometimes we are "just in the wrong place at the wrong time." For example, a tornado hits a neighborhood; 10 people are killed. Are they all bad, are they all good? Did God do this? The Bible tells us that this is not the case. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:45, the Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust."

But we must also know that God can and does direct our lives. He does get involved; otherwise, there would be no teaching on the value and importance of prayer. We see all through the Bible that God does care...and He takes action when it is His will to do so. But let's not take the position that everything happens because God wants it to; that isn't so. Sometimes things happen because of other factors, like poor choices, or sometimes it is the work of the devil; like a murder, or a DUI driver hits a car and kills innocent people.

Finally, to end on an up note, let's remember that God loves us, loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us (Jn 3:16), and He tells us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God...."

Thanks for reading. You are important! See you next week.

2 Great Questions of Life--OK, 3

How could a person answer three of the greatest questions of life in one blog entry? Easy, God makes this very easy. Notice the 3 big questions to follow:

1. Where did our universe come from? The Bible answers this is in the very first verse. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Period. Isn't it interesting that God started the Bible that way. No beating about the bush; no delay. Here's the truth. Believe it!

2. What is man's purpose on earth? The book of Ecclesiastes answers this and a lot of other questions about what is important during our time on earth. Eccles. 12:13 says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." He concludes with, "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."

3. What happens to man after death? This is answered in many places, but it is interesting that the Bible ends with this. Revelation 21 and 22 give a description of heaven and what awaits His followers. But it makes it clear that only the followers will triumph with Him. Rev. 22:14 says, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." 22:20 concludes the Bible, "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."

The Bible from start to finish gives us all the answers. No other book anywhere even attempts to answer these questions....nor to provide the truth as we find in the Bible.

Thanks for reading! Have a God-filled week.

The Promise.

I have made reference to "The Promise" in this blog before, but because it is such a key subject in the Bible, it should be addressed again. I would guess that most "Christians" today would not think too much about seeing the word "promise" in the Bible. But it has major significance to us. Here are a few samples of the word being used in the scriptures:

Acts 2:39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Galatians 3:14 "...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Gal. 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ."
Gal. 3:29 "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Hebrews 11:39 "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." Here he is saying that all the people of faith in the Old Testament, as great as they were, didn't receive the fulfillment of the "promise" as do we.

All of this use of the term promise relates back to Genesis 12, where God gave a promise to Abraham there. Actually, he made several promises, but the significant one, the one referenced over and over in the NT, is that "..in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." This is a reference to Jesus, saying that through the genealogy of Abraham would come the Messiah. If you haven't read it in awhile, read all of Hebrews 11; this gives a good perspective of the significance of the promise to us. It is amazing how God made a promise to Abraham and fulfilled it several thousand years later in Jesus; and what a blessing to us!

Have a good week; God bless!