The subject of blood is of critical importance throughout the Bible. We see blood in the 10 plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians in convincing the Pharaoh to let the Israelite people leave Egypt, to be freed from slavery. It would seem that this story is the greatest of all events in the Old Testament.
The very first plague was where God turned river water into blood. Of greater import is the final plague where God takes the life of each firstborn child in Egypt. The only salvation from this plague was given to the Israelites: putting animal blood on the door facings of their homes.
The greatest example of blood significance is found with the blood of Jesus. As Jesus was facing His impending death, He told His apostles that He would be killed, that they should always remember Him by taking of the Lord's supper, the communion, remembering the giving of His body and blood. In Matthew 26:28, He said, "..this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Jesus was beaten with whips, scourged (whipped with strands of leather with metal tips), had a crown of thorns put on His head, bringing forth blood, had nails driven through His hands and feet, and even after death, had a spear driven through His side, bringing forth blood and water.
The blood of Jesus is critical to the Christian as it represents the giving of His life for each of us.
Let us remember and give thanks.
And thanks again for reading. Feel the love......
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The Christmas Story
The Christmas story is a beautiful story, telling us of the miraculous birth of Jesus. It is recorded in most detail in the book of Luke, but is also told in Matthew. The other two of the first four books of the New Testament do not tell of the birth, but rather start the story of Jesus as a grown man.
We should note that Jesus was not likely born on December 25. There are a number of reasons why this is the case, one being that shepherds are not in the fields typically at this time of year. But perhaps a better reason is that the date was just picked rather randomly. And here are a few other facts, all of which you can learn by googling the origins of Christmas. The year of Jesus' birth has been miscalculated; He was apparently born between 7 and 2 BC. And Christmas seems to have been started some time around the 4th century. It had some pagan beginnings that came with some gruesome and violent actions on that date. But that was all long ago and we now find ourselves with Santa Claus, Christmas trees and lights, presents and many remembering the birth of Jesus.
In the detailed account of Luke, we read of shepherds who were in the fields with their sheep. An angel appeared to them telling of the birth of the Lord, "a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.......And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' " The shepherds came to Bethlehem and saw the Christ child lying in a manger; after this, they "returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
In the book of Matthew we read of the wise men from the east; they came to Jerusalem looking for the Christ child who was born. They had seen a star and were looking for the "King of the Jews. They were sent by Herod the king to Bethlehem to see the child Jesus; they had read in the OT scriptures that He would be born in Bethlehem. They followed the star which directed them to the baby. "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." Often people make the mistake of saying the three wise men; but there were three types of gifts; we just don't know how many wise men there were.
So we see that there were many miracles involved in the birth of Jesus...and much fulfillment of OT scriptures. We don't read anywhere in the Bible where Christians were to observe the birth of Jesus, and we don't know when that was. But the Bible makes quite a significance of the death of Jesus, especially where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, or Communion, and said "Do this in memory of Me."
Thanks for reading again. Have a Merry Christmas!!
We should note that Jesus was not likely born on December 25. There are a number of reasons why this is the case, one being that shepherds are not in the fields typically at this time of year. But perhaps a better reason is that the date was just picked rather randomly. And here are a few other facts, all of which you can learn by googling the origins of Christmas. The year of Jesus' birth has been miscalculated; He was apparently born between 7 and 2 BC. And Christmas seems to have been started some time around the 4th century. It had some pagan beginnings that came with some gruesome and violent actions on that date. But that was all long ago and we now find ourselves with Santa Claus, Christmas trees and lights, presents and many remembering the birth of Jesus.
In the detailed account of Luke, we read of shepherds who were in the fields with their sheep. An angel appeared to them telling of the birth of the Lord, "a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.......And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' " The shepherds came to Bethlehem and saw the Christ child lying in a manger; after this, they "returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
In the book of Matthew we read of the wise men from the east; they came to Jerusalem looking for the Christ child who was born. They had seen a star and were looking for the "King of the Jews. They were sent by Herod the king to Bethlehem to see the child Jesus; they had read in the OT scriptures that He would be born in Bethlehem. They followed the star which directed them to the baby. "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." Often people make the mistake of saying the three wise men; but there were three types of gifts; we just don't know how many wise men there were.
So we see that there were many miracles involved in the birth of Jesus...and much fulfillment of OT scriptures. We don't read anywhere in the Bible where Christians were to observe the birth of Jesus, and we don't know when that was. But the Bible makes quite a significance of the death of Jesus, especially where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, or Communion, and said "Do this in memory of Me."
Thanks for reading again. Have a Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Story of Three Mountains
There are a number of mountains referenced in the Bible. I want to mention three mountains in this lesson; and it will be noted that they are of increasing importance. And we will get to it shortly, but if you want to read ahead, these are covered in a very powerful statement in Hebrews 12:18.
The first mountain is Mt. Sinai. it is where Moses went up on the mountain to get the Law of Moses from God, to include the 10 commandments. This mountain is still there today on the Sinai Peninsula, though we don't know the exact location of Moses' ascent.
The second mountain is more important; it is Mount Moriah. Many important events occurred here on Mt. Moriah. We read in Genesis 22 that God told Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, go to Mt. Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. God spared Isaac at the last minute. This is the same mountain where David reigned over his powerful kingdom and where Solomon built the temple for worship to God. But of greater significance was the crucifixion of Jesus--done on this mountain. Still the location of the city of Jerusalem, this is the greatest mountain ever known...except for mountain number three:
Hebrews 12:18 says, "You have not come to the mountain..." where Moses climbed. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem..." This is referring to the heavenly city, heaven. Jerusalem could be said to be the greatest city ever known on earth. But as Christians, we look forward to a life eternal in the heavenly Jerusalem, heaven itself. Thus, those of us who follow God come to the greatest mountain of all.
The first mountain is Mt. Sinai. it is where Moses went up on the mountain to get the Law of Moses from God, to include the 10 commandments. This mountain is still there today on the Sinai Peninsula, though we don't know the exact location of Moses' ascent.
The second mountain is more important; it is Mount Moriah. Many important events occurred here on Mt. Moriah. We read in Genesis 22 that God told Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, go to Mt. Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. God spared Isaac at the last minute. This is the same mountain where David reigned over his powerful kingdom and where Solomon built the temple for worship to God. But of greater significance was the crucifixion of Jesus--done on this mountain. Still the location of the city of Jerusalem, this is the greatest mountain ever known...except for mountain number three:
Hebrews 12:18 says, "You have not come to the mountain..." where Moses climbed. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem..." This is referring to the heavenly city, heaven. Jerusalem could be said to be the greatest city ever known on earth. But as Christians, we look forward to a life eternal in the heavenly Jerusalem, heaven itself. Thus, those of us who follow God come to the greatest mountain of all.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Question Regarding "Silence" in the Bible
I received a good question regarding "silence" of the Bible; how do we decide about matters that aren't specifically covered in the Bible. The particular question used slavery as an example; since slavery isn't specifically condemned in the Bible, what should be our position?
First, I want to address the questioner's reference to the beginnings of the church. All denominations have a starting point. That is, we can trace every denomination back to a person or persons, to a date of beginning, or approximately so. But none of this is biblical. The true church of Jesus Christ got its beginning in about 33AD at about the time of the death of Jesus. The very first church was founded in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2. The very first Christians were in Jerusalem when they believed, repented and were baptized. Acts 2 says that the Lord "added them to the church." As true Christians, we don't trace our roots back to the 1900's or the 1800's or the 1700's. We must consider that there is only one church and it began with Jesus.
Now speaking of silence, the Bible covers every imaginable subject in a general way; i.e., there is general teaching that would guide us with any decision that we might face. But the choice of "slavery" is an interesting one, in that the Bible does not directly denounce slavery as such. But it teaches, for example in Ephesians 6, that the slave is to be a good slave, and the master is to be a good master..."giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him." Regarding "partiality," we see in Galatians 3:28 that all men are equal in God's eyes. "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 in the book of Philemon, Paul writes Philemon and tells him to accept back Philemon's former slave, Onesimus, who had run away but is now returning to Philemon as a new Christian. Verse 17 says, "Receive him as you would me." He probably will continue to work for Philemon, but you can be sure that Philemon will be treating Onesimus in a good way...at Paul's request.
So we see Christian principles throughout the Bible to help with every decision. But we should notice that the Bible does not try to change the social structure of the times or the government. It doesn't try to change evil governments; we are to obey the government even if we don't like it. It doesn't denounce slavery; it tells how to deal with it. And the church of the New Testament is never shown as an organization that is out to solve social problems. The mission is spiritual; the goal is spiritual; the kingdom is spiritual, and the result, heaven, is spiritual.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
First, I want to address the questioner's reference to the beginnings of the church. All denominations have a starting point. That is, we can trace every denomination back to a person or persons, to a date of beginning, or approximately so. But none of this is biblical. The true church of Jesus Christ got its beginning in about 33AD at about the time of the death of Jesus. The very first church was founded in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2. The very first Christians were in Jerusalem when they believed, repented and were baptized. Acts 2 says that the Lord "added them to the church." As true Christians, we don't trace our roots back to the 1900's or the 1800's or the 1700's. We must consider that there is only one church and it began with Jesus.
Now speaking of silence, the Bible covers every imaginable subject in a general way; i.e., there is general teaching that would guide us with any decision that we might face. But the choice of "slavery" is an interesting one, in that the Bible does not directly denounce slavery as such. But it teaches, for example in Ephesians 6, that the slave is to be a good slave, and the master is to be a good master..."giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him." Regarding "partiality," we see in Galatians 3:28 that all men are equal in God's eyes. "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 in the book of Philemon, Paul writes Philemon and tells him to accept back Philemon's former slave, Onesimus, who had run away but is now returning to Philemon as a new Christian. Verse 17 says, "Receive him as you would me." He probably will continue to work for Philemon, but you can be sure that Philemon will be treating Onesimus in a good way...at Paul's request.
So we see Christian principles throughout the Bible to help with every decision. But we should notice that the Bible does not try to change the social structure of the times or the government. It doesn't try to change evil governments; we are to obey the government even if we don't like it. It doesn't denounce slavery; it tells how to deal with it. And the church of the New Testament is never shown as an organization that is out to solve social problems. The mission is spiritual; the goal is spiritual; the kingdom is spiritual, and the result, heaven, is spiritual.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Question received: Should the Bible be taken literally?
There is a lot of question in today's world as to how literally to follow the Bible teaching, or perhaps the Bible example. This posting will give a summary of what the Bible is trying to say and the reader can decide for yourself.
We read all through the Old Testament about the coming Kingdom. The greatest kingdom in the OT was that of David, and Jesus is described in the NT as "the son of David." In a number of places, but notably in Joel 2, we read of the kingdom that is to come; and in that kingdom, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh." So when we get to the NT, Jesus comes and says that He will build His church. But He doesn't build it Himself; He leaves it to the apostles to do, and sends back the Holy Spirit to direct them. Read Acts 2 where Peter, in delivering the very first gospel sermon, quotes Joel 2 and says that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they have just witnessed is what Joel was talking about.
Following this amazing start to the "kingdom," we see the development of the church, people becoming Christians by repenting and being baptized, leaders being set up in each church (elders) and worship occurring each Sunday. As mentioned in the last blog posting, detailed qualifications are given in 1Timothy and Titus for these elders who would lead each individual church.
Now with this background, the question is: Considering the times and customs of those being different from today, should we not be changing our religious practices today to go with today's customs? This a good question and truly gets to the crux of the matter. Here is what I see:
When we study the Bible, we learn in 3 different ways: 1) Direct command--an example would be when Jesus met with His apostles and said regarding the Lord's Supper, "Do this in remembrance of Me." He commanded them to take of the Communion in future days. 2) Example--we see example after example in the NT, particularly in Acts, of people being baptized; thus, we learn that is how God wanted people to become Christians. Jesus left the earth and left the apostles to teach what was needed; and what they taught is recorded in the NT. Another example is that we learn to worship on Sunday, not Saturday or Monday, by example from the early church. 3) Necessary inference--some things we can learn in the NT simply by inferring. Perhaps an example of this could be applied to what is said right at the end of the Bible, where it says, "..I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life.." While this is speaking directly of the book of Revelation, it can be inferred that God feels the same for the whole Bible.
So when we look at how the Bible develops, how it starts with the OT to build to the coming of Jesus, how Jesus talks of the coming kingdom, how He leaves it to the apostles to carry on and how they go about setting up the church, does it not seem reasonable that this Bible is our pattern, our only pattern to follow, to see how God wants the church to be organized, to see how one becomes a Christian, to see what constitutes worship, and to see how Christians are to act? These things don't change over time. My conclusion is that the Bible is timeless, is not outdated, and can be followed precisely. And a final note: When men conclude otherwise, that the church must change with the times, we get denomination after denomination, after denomination, division, disagreement, distortion, religion that suits man...but ultimately not God, watered down Christianity that might be a lot of fun, but doesn't look at all like the church of the Bible.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love!
We read all through the Old Testament about the coming Kingdom. The greatest kingdom in the OT was that of David, and Jesus is described in the NT as "the son of David." In a number of places, but notably in Joel 2, we read of the kingdom that is to come; and in that kingdom, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh." So when we get to the NT, Jesus comes and says that He will build His church. But He doesn't build it Himself; He leaves it to the apostles to do, and sends back the Holy Spirit to direct them. Read Acts 2 where Peter, in delivering the very first gospel sermon, quotes Joel 2 and says that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they have just witnessed is what Joel was talking about.
Following this amazing start to the "kingdom," we see the development of the church, people becoming Christians by repenting and being baptized, leaders being set up in each church (elders) and worship occurring each Sunday. As mentioned in the last blog posting, detailed qualifications are given in 1Timothy and Titus for these elders who would lead each individual church.
Now with this background, the question is: Considering the times and customs of those being different from today, should we not be changing our religious practices today to go with today's customs? This a good question and truly gets to the crux of the matter. Here is what I see:
When we study the Bible, we learn in 3 different ways: 1) Direct command--an example would be when Jesus met with His apostles and said regarding the Lord's Supper, "Do this in remembrance of Me." He commanded them to take of the Communion in future days. 2) Example--we see example after example in the NT, particularly in Acts, of people being baptized; thus, we learn that is how God wanted people to become Christians. Jesus left the earth and left the apostles to teach what was needed; and what they taught is recorded in the NT. Another example is that we learn to worship on Sunday, not Saturday or Monday, by example from the early church. 3) Necessary inference--some things we can learn in the NT simply by inferring. Perhaps an example of this could be applied to what is said right at the end of the Bible, where it says, "..I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life.." While this is speaking directly of the book of Revelation, it can be inferred that God feels the same for the whole Bible.
So when we look at how the Bible develops, how it starts with the OT to build to the coming of Jesus, how Jesus talks of the coming kingdom, how He leaves it to the apostles to carry on and how they go about setting up the church, does it not seem reasonable that this Bible is our pattern, our only pattern to follow, to see how God wants the church to be organized, to see how one becomes a Christian, to see what constitutes worship, and to see how Christians are to act? These things don't change over time. My conclusion is that the Bible is timeless, is not outdated, and can be followed precisely. And a final note: When men conclude otherwise, that the church must change with the times, we get denomination after denomination, after denomination, division, disagreement, distortion, religion that suits man...but ultimately not God, watered down Christianity that might be a lot of fun, but doesn't look at all like the church of the Bible.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Pastors and Elders/Deacons
I received a question this week regarding whether pastors, elders and deacons should continue in their positions if they divorce. The Bible gives us indications on the answer or answers here; but it is important that we define what these positions are. There is a great deal of confusion on the meaning of these words.
In today's world, it is common to call a preacher or minister by the name of "pastor." This is a misnomer from a Bible standpoint. The word comes from the Greek word "poimen" which means "shepherd" or "overseer." A good use of the term can be seen in Acts 20, verses 17 and 28. In this passage we find Paul calling for the elders (poimen) in Ephesus to come meet with him. In this particular passage, there are several different words used for these elders including elders, overseers, bishops and shepherds. They aren't preachers; they are men who have been selected, who have certain qualifications to lead the church in Ephesus, to oversee, to shepherd, to watch over.
We should look closer at the position of elder in the New Testament. In Acts 11, right at the end, we see that Christians in Judea needed help due to a famine. Help was sent: "This they also did, and sent it to the elders..." Later in chapter 14, verse 23, much preaching was going on. Speaking of the preachers, it says, "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Elders were being established in the various churches.
One might ask what the qualifications are for being an elder (or pastor--same thing)? This is clearly stated in 1 Timothy chapter 3. "This is a faithful saying; If a man desires the position of bishop, (Greek word Episkopos, simply meaning elder, or overseer; also used in Acts 20 regarding the Ephesian elders) he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife...." Further clarification is given in Titus 1. Paul is speaking to Timothy: "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.."
Nowhere in the NT is there given any qualification of "preacher." Anyone can preach the teachings of Jesus. But specific qualifications are given for the position of elder (or bishop, overseer, shepherd--all the same). And one of these requirements is that he be the "husband of one wife." This requirement is not put on the preachers but is made for the overseers. And note that the term "bishop" is just another word for elder in the NT.
On a side note, the position of "deacon" is not talked about much in the NT, but qualifications are given in I Timothy 3. Close examination will show that these requirements are not as stringent, that it is an actual position in the church, and that the work is one of servant, worker. The word comes from the Greek, Diakonos, meaning "servant."
Maybe that is enough for now. This kind of study seems a bit legalistic, but the Bible is clear on this and we should take note so that we properly follow the pattern for the organization of the church. Thanks for reading again. See you next week.
In today's world, it is common to call a preacher or minister by the name of "pastor." This is a misnomer from a Bible standpoint. The word comes from the Greek word "poimen" which means "shepherd" or "overseer." A good use of the term can be seen in Acts 20, verses 17 and 28. In this passage we find Paul calling for the elders (poimen) in Ephesus to come meet with him. In this particular passage, there are several different words used for these elders including elders, overseers, bishops and shepherds. They aren't preachers; they are men who have been selected, who have certain qualifications to lead the church in Ephesus, to oversee, to shepherd, to watch over.
We should look closer at the position of elder in the New Testament. In Acts 11, right at the end, we see that Christians in Judea needed help due to a famine. Help was sent: "This they also did, and sent it to the elders..." Later in chapter 14, verse 23, much preaching was going on. Speaking of the preachers, it says, "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Elders were being established in the various churches.
One might ask what the qualifications are for being an elder (or pastor--same thing)? This is clearly stated in 1 Timothy chapter 3. "This is a faithful saying; If a man desires the position of bishop, (Greek word Episkopos, simply meaning elder, or overseer; also used in Acts 20 regarding the Ephesian elders) he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife...." Further clarification is given in Titus 1. Paul is speaking to Timothy: "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.."
Nowhere in the NT is there given any qualification of "preacher." Anyone can preach the teachings of Jesus. But specific qualifications are given for the position of elder (or bishop, overseer, shepherd--all the same). And one of these requirements is that he be the "husband of one wife." This requirement is not put on the preachers but is made for the overseers. And note that the term "bishop" is just another word for elder in the NT.
On a side note, the position of "deacon" is not talked about much in the NT, but qualifications are given in I Timothy 3. Close examination will show that these requirements are not as stringent, that it is an actual position in the church, and that the work is one of servant, worker. The word comes from the Greek, Diakonos, meaning "servant."
Maybe that is enough for now. This kind of study seems a bit legalistic, but the Bible is clear on this and we should take note so that we properly follow the pattern for the organization of the church. Thanks for reading again. See you next week.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Heaven
It would be impossible for a mere mortal like me to properly describe heaven. We don't have the mental capacity to fully understand and describe the afterlife; we only know this life. this life on earth. But we can go to the only source for information on heaven, which is the Bible. And we will note that even the Bible doesn't try to bring us to a full understanding of this subject, for the obvious reason that we just can't comprehend it before getting there.
For a detailed description of heaven we go to Revelation 21. The book of Revelation is a vision given by God to a man, John, who then reveals this to Christians. In chapter 21 he talks of heaven and uses a number of names for it, such as new heaven, holy city, New Jerusalem, great city, etc. And beginning in verse 9, there is a good deal of detail given about heaven. But we need to keep in mind that the whole book is a vision, a figurative book that, while giving lots of detail, isn't meant to be taken literally. So when we read of the dimensions of the city, the gold and precious stone construction and all of the special characteristics, we must remember that this detail is given so the we can get some idea of its greatness; physical characteristics are provided, but this is a spiritual place.
In Philippians 3, we read these verses, beginning with verse 20: "..our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself." Just prior to this passage, the writer is discussing those who are committed to sin, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly..." and more. The committed Christian is already thinking of heaven, is already a citizen of heaven, in a sense.
Much more can be said of heaven, but it can be summed up in saying that we all want to be there; and all will not be there. The Bible makes it clear that only those who follow Christ will have that opportunity. To some that will sound hard, but it is still true. It is up to each one of us to be a follower and as such, receive the blessings that come through Jesus Christ.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
For a detailed description of heaven we go to Revelation 21. The book of Revelation is a vision given by God to a man, John, who then reveals this to Christians. In chapter 21 he talks of heaven and uses a number of names for it, such as new heaven, holy city, New Jerusalem, great city, etc. And beginning in verse 9, there is a good deal of detail given about heaven. But we need to keep in mind that the whole book is a vision, a figurative book that, while giving lots of detail, isn't meant to be taken literally. So when we read of the dimensions of the city, the gold and precious stone construction and all of the special characteristics, we must remember that this detail is given so the we can get some idea of its greatness; physical characteristics are provided, but this is a spiritual place.
In Philippians 3, we read these verses, beginning with verse 20: "..our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself." Just prior to this passage, the writer is discussing those who are committed to sin, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly..." and more. The committed Christian is already thinking of heaven, is already a citizen of heaven, in a sense.
Much more can be said of heaven, but it can be summed up in saying that we all want to be there; and all will not be there. The Bible makes it clear that only those who follow Christ will have that opportunity. To some that will sound hard, but it is still true. It is up to each one of us to be a follower and as such, receive the blessings that come through Jesus Christ.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Jesus and the Government
It is interesting that Jesus never got involved in governmental matters. In this posting we will look at a few verses that show what the Bible teaching is regarding following governmental laws.
First, we might note that Jesus had no interest in pursuing the rich and powerful; certainly not to the exclusion of the poor man. Jesus showed over and over that He came to save people, anyone who would follow Him. When He picked the 12 apostles, He went to just regular working men; men not particularly educated or who would stand out in any special way. When He taught, He sought out sinners, people who were rejected by society, people who needed to change their lives. We see all of this as we read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
But the Jewish leaders were not satisfied with this. They pursued Him further. Note Matthew 22:15+: "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciple with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.' So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And he said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' When they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way." Jesus made it clear that laws are to be followed, taxes paid.
But we also note in Acts 4, well after Jesus has left the earth to return to heaven, the Jewish leaders, not the Roman government, pressed the apostles to stop speaking of Jesus. The answer (Acts 4:20) was, "..we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." Then in the next chapter, Acts 5, when commanded by the Jewish leaders to not teach, the answer was, "We ought to obey God rather than men." The truth needed to be taught....and these men were going to do it.
We can keep in mind that the government at the time of Jesus, and even after for awhile, was quite corrupt. It was run by the Romans. They were brutal, unfair, and dominating. Still, Jesus was not concerned with the government, was not a reactionary. He came to bring "change" but it was only in the spiritual lives of people.
And it can change us....if we let it.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
First, we might note that Jesus had no interest in pursuing the rich and powerful; certainly not to the exclusion of the poor man. Jesus showed over and over that He came to save people, anyone who would follow Him. When He picked the 12 apostles, He went to just regular working men; men not particularly educated or who would stand out in any special way. When He taught, He sought out sinners, people who were rejected by society, people who needed to change their lives. We see all of this as we read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
But the Jewish leaders were not satisfied with this. They pursued Him further. Note Matthew 22:15+: "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciple with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.' So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And he said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' When they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way." Jesus made it clear that laws are to be followed, taxes paid.
But we also note in Acts 4, well after Jesus has left the earth to return to heaven, the Jewish leaders, not the Roman government, pressed the apostles to stop speaking of Jesus. The answer (Acts 4:20) was, "..we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." Then in the next chapter, Acts 5, when commanded by the Jewish leaders to not teach, the answer was, "We ought to obey God rather than men." The truth needed to be taught....and these men were going to do it.
We can keep in mind that the government at the time of Jesus, and even after for awhile, was quite corrupt. It was run by the Romans. They were brutal, unfair, and dominating. Still, Jesus was not concerned with the government, was not a reactionary. He came to bring "change" but it was only in the spiritual lives of people.
And it can change us....if we let it.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Here I Am
One of the most emotional stories of the Bible is found in Genesis 22. "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.' So Abraham rose early in the morning......"
This story has a heartbreaking beginning. Imagine the pain that Abraham was feeling. He had to travel a long ways, then climb a mountain and sacrifice his beloved son. There are many points to be noted here, but the most significant will be left for last. Notice that after being told to do this, Abraham starts early in the morning of the next day. He didn't wait around to follow God's command. And imagine how difficult it must have been for Abraham to get any sleep that night!
Another fact to be noticed is that the mountain that God sent Abraham on was the very same mountain on which Solomon built the temple. This is the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built, the mountain from which king David reigned, and the mountain where Jesus was crucified. Much of the Bible history revolves around this key spot, where modern day Jerusalem still stands.
And going back to the beginning of the story, it can be noted that when God called Abraham, he replied, "Here I am." Abraham was not a shirker. I'm sure that he would like to have hidden, or run; but that was not Abraham's way.
And then there is the most significant point of the story: There is a direct correlation between this story and the story of God sacrificing His Son, Jesus. Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only and beloved son, God would generations later offer his Son to be sacrificed. The key difference here is that God spares Abraham's son, Isaac, and lets a ram be sacrificed instead; but Jesus is not spared and gives His life to bring salvation to all....to all who would give their lives in service to Jesus.
The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 had a great ending. But the story of the death of Jesus, the sacrifice of His life, is quite painful. And yet the ending is great here, too. Jesus overcomes death by rising from the dead, walks on the earth for 40 days (Acts 1), and ascends to heaven to reign on the throne of God.
We can learn from Abraham and try to imitate his great faith in following God. And we can be ready to say, "Here I am" whenever God calls us to His service.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
This story has a heartbreaking beginning. Imagine the pain that Abraham was feeling. He had to travel a long ways, then climb a mountain and sacrifice his beloved son. There are many points to be noted here, but the most significant will be left for last. Notice that after being told to do this, Abraham starts early in the morning of the next day. He didn't wait around to follow God's command. And imagine how difficult it must have been for Abraham to get any sleep that night!
Another fact to be noticed is that the mountain that God sent Abraham on was the very same mountain on which Solomon built the temple. This is the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built, the mountain from which king David reigned, and the mountain where Jesus was crucified. Much of the Bible history revolves around this key spot, where modern day Jerusalem still stands.
And going back to the beginning of the story, it can be noted that when God called Abraham, he replied, "Here I am." Abraham was not a shirker. I'm sure that he would like to have hidden, or run; but that was not Abraham's way.
And then there is the most significant point of the story: There is a direct correlation between this story and the story of God sacrificing His Son, Jesus. Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only and beloved son, God would generations later offer his Son to be sacrificed. The key difference here is that God spares Abraham's son, Isaac, and lets a ram be sacrificed instead; but Jesus is not spared and gives His life to bring salvation to all....to all who would give their lives in service to Jesus.
The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 had a great ending. But the story of the death of Jesus, the sacrifice of His life, is quite painful. And yet the ending is great here, too. Jesus overcomes death by rising from the dead, walks on the earth for 40 days (Acts 1), and ascends to heaven to reign on the throne of God.
We can learn from Abraham and try to imitate his great faith in following God. And we can be ready to say, "Here I am" whenever God calls us to His service.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Between the OT & the NT
The Bible can be described in many ways including God's plan of salvation for man and the genealogy of Jesus. But it can be noted that the Bible is a great history book. The Old Testament begins with the creation, the first people and follows human history almost to the time of Jesus.
There is a 400 year period between the OT and the NT which is not covered historically in the Bible. Note that world history shows that during this period there are 3 major kingdoms ruling. The first is the end of the Medo-Persian rule, then the kingdom of Greece including the reign of Alexander the Great, and finally the rise of the Roman Empire. As the NT opens, the Romans are in power and are ruling Israel where Christ is born.
It is interesting that the Bible, while not giving detail of this 400 year period, it is does not totally disregard it. The book of Daniel tells of these future kingdoms long before they come into existence. Daniel 10:6 says, "...the prince of Greece will come.." And Daniel 11:3 predicts, "Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will." This is king Alexander.
The Bible knew and teaches what was to come during this 400 year period. Once again we see that God's word is true.....always.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
There is a 400 year period between the OT and the NT which is not covered historically in the Bible. Note that world history shows that during this period there are 3 major kingdoms ruling. The first is the end of the Medo-Persian rule, then the kingdom of Greece including the reign of Alexander the Great, and finally the rise of the Roman Empire. As the NT opens, the Romans are in power and are ruling Israel where Christ is born.
It is interesting that the Bible, while not giving detail of this 400 year period, it is does not totally disregard it. The book of Daniel tells of these future kingdoms long before they come into existence. Daniel 10:6 says, "...the prince of Greece will come.." And Daniel 11:3 predicts, "Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will." This is king Alexander.
The Bible knew and teaches what was to come during this 400 year period. Once again we see that God's word is true.....always.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Second Gospel Sermon
Peter led the other apostles in making the first gospel sermon as recorded in Acts 2. Then we get the second one in Acts 3. Peter, still in Jerusalem, had just healed a lame man and the people were wild with amazement. Verse 11 says, "Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: 'Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.' " Peter here does two things: 1) he makes it clear that he and the apostles are not the power; it is God. And 2) he convicts them of their wrongdoing; they killed the Savior.
He gives the solution to the problem in verse 19: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things...." This is advice not only to these people, but to us as well. We need to give ourselves completely to Him.
Then he quotes Moses in verse 22, "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from you iniquities."
Galatians chapter 3 tells us that the "seed of Abraham" is Jesus Christ. And it is through Jesus that all the earth is blessed; blessed in being able to receive all that Jesus is, all that He did for us, His grace and His salvation, and His peace. We are the heirs of all these spiritual blessings. Praise God.
Thank you for reading again. Bless you!
He gives the solution to the problem in verse 19: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things...." This is advice not only to these people, but to us as well. We need to give ourselves completely to Him.
Then he quotes Moses in verse 22, "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from you iniquities."
Galatians chapter 3 tells us that the "seed of Abraham" is Jesus Christ. And it is through Jesus that all the earth is blessed; blessed in being able to receive all that Jesus is, all that He did for us, His grace and His salvation, and His peace. We are the heirs of all these spiritual blessings. Praise God.
Thank you for reading again. Bless you!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Death and resulting Pain
There is a great story in John 11 where Jesus loses a close friend, and His humanity is shown so fervently. This is the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. John 11:5 says, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." Jesus finds out in this story that Lazarus is sick. He delays going to him for two more days, seemingly to let Lazarus die and to raise him to God's glory. It is interesting to note that Jesus had close friends, friends that He loved and spent time with and showed great concern for, and friends who loved Him as well.
"Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, by brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will giveYou.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to Him 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?' She said, 'Yes, Lord, I believe......' "
Later, Jesus said, " 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept." Jesus wept. Jesus was so concerned that, even though He was about to raise Lazarus, He was touched by the scene.
And so, when we lose someone special, and I am feeling that today, we can at least know that Jesus understands. He loved Lazarus so much. And I sure know how He felt........
"Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, by brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will giveYou.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to Him 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?' She said, 'Yes, Lord, I believe......' "
Later, Jesus said, " 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept." Jesus wept. Jesus was so concerned that, even though He was about to raise Lazarus, He was touched by the scene.
And so, when we lose someone special, and I am feeling that today, we can at least know that Jesus understands. He loved Lazarus so much. And I sure know how He felt........
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Question re: Old Testament non-Jews
I received a question regarding people of the Old Testament who were not Jews; did they have access to God, and does the Bible address these people. The answer is that the Bible does address this, and they did have access to God.
We recognize that God did set aside the Jewish people, also called Hebrews or Israelites in the OT. Starting with Abraham and his descendants, the OT follows the happenings of the Jews down through history. And not only is the history recorded; God watches over His people, protects them as long as they sincerely try to follow Him. It would seem that one major reason that these people are singled out is that they are the lineage, the family, the forefathers of Jesus. This genealogy is recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Jesus was born a Jew, and He lived that way.
As for the other people who were not Jews, we see many references to them throughout the OT, but they typically are idol worshipers and not followers of the true God. In Romans 1, starting with verse 18, Paul is discussing the unrighteous people, saying, "..what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful." He then goes on to describe in some detail the evil that men get into when they don't follow God.
Another passage that gives us some understanding of the subject is found in Acts 17. In verse 22, we find Paul in Athens talking to a non-Jewish audience about the true God. The Athenians were idol worshipers and were quite confused about their beliefs. Paul said in verse 26, "..He has made from one blood every nation of men...so that they should seek the Lord." Speaking of idol worshipers, he says in verse 30, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent."
So in Romans 1, he says that God's attributes have always been visible to all people. In Acts 17, it is emphasized that the time for excuses is over. All men are to follow God in the same way, i.e., through Jesus Christ.
I hope that this helps. Have a great week!
We recognize that God did set aside the Jewish people, also called Hebrews or Israelites in the OT. Starting with Abraham and his descendants, the OT follows the happenings of the Jews down through history. And not only is the history recorded; God watches over His people, protects them as long as they sincerely try to follow Him. It would seem that one major reason that these people are singled out is that they are the lineage, the family, the forefathers of Jesus. This genealogy is recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Jesus was born a Jew, and He lived that way.
As for the other people who were not Jews, we see many references to them throughout the OT, but they typically are idol worshipers and not followers of the true God. In Romans 1, starting with verse 18, Paul is discussing the unrighteous people, saying, "..what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful." He then goes on to describe in some detail the evil that men get into when they don't follow God.
Another passage that gives us some understanding of the subject is found in Acts 17. In verse 22, we find Paul in Athens talking to a non-Jewish audience about the true God. The Athenians were idol worshipers and were quite confused about their beliefs. Paul said in verse 26, "..He has made from one blood every nation of men...so that they should seek the Lord." Speaking of idol worshipers, he says in verse 30, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent."
So in Romans 1, he says that God's attributes have always been visible to all people. In Acts 17, it is emphasized that the time for excuses is over. All men are to follow God in the same way, i.e., through Jesus Christ.
I hope that this helps. Have a great week!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Worship the Lord
From the very beginning of man, our God wanted to be worshiped. We see this with Cain and Abel where Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, but Cain did not. From this story we know that God had given instruction to these people about what He wanted from them in worship. But all through the Bible we learn of the importance of acceptable worship and respect toward our God.
Leviticus 10 tells us the story of Nadab and Abihu. They offered "strange fire," a type of incense to God, and He ended their lives because of it. The punishment seems extreme, but these men knew better and took it upon themselves to violate God with strange worship.
Early worship consisted of building altars to God and making sacrifices. Later God would give a special Law to the Hebrew, Jewish, people, brought to them through Moses. In this process God set up priests and a High Priest to assist with proper worship. He instructed them to build a tabernacle which would include the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was a box of about 4 feet by 2 and a half feet by 2 and a half feet; it was to be reverenced. There were very specific instructions as to who could see it, when it could be seen, and how it was to be handled, and every Jew knew that. In 2 Samuel 6 we read of the Ark being moved. It wasn't being handled properly and trouble was about to happen. Uzzah, walking along beside the Ark, saw that it was about to fall. He reached out to steady it but was struck dead by God. His action seems only reasonable, justifiable, from a human viewpoint. But God had given specific instructions about how to handle His Ark. Man has his (our) own ideas about what pleases God. But we need to be looking at what He says, what He teaches and what He wants.
So we jump to the New Testament. We learn that Jesus was a good Jew and that He kept the Jewish Law during His lifetime. One of the last things He did before dying was to take the Passover feast with His apostles. But after He leaves them, as recorded at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts, a new age begins. Followers become "Christians." The "church" is born. Sunday worship begins, where before it had always been on Saturday. Christians took the communion, the Lord's Supper, when they came together to worship, an example being Acts 20:7.
So what is the message for us today? First, we must recognize that worship is very important to God. He wants it, and He wants it done His way. And what is His way? We go to His Word, the Bible, and see what He has His early followers doing in terms of worship. They were meeting each week on Sunday, taking the communion to "remember" Him, preaching, praying, singing, giving a contribution as needed. Thus, we should follow the example, the pattern given to us by these early followers. We need to please Him with our worship.....and do it His way.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love....
Leviticus 10 tells us the story of Nadab and Abihu. They offered "strange fire," a type of incense to God, and He ended their lives because of it. The punishment seems extreme, but these men knew better and took it upon themselves to violate God with strange worship.
Early worship consisted of building altars to God and making sacrifices. Later God would give a special Law to the Hebrew, Jewish, people, brought to them through Moses. In this process God set up priests and a High Priest to assist with proper worship. He instructed them to build a tabernacle which would include the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was a box of about 4 feet by 2 and a half feet by 2 and a half feet; it was to be reverenced. There were very specific instructions as to who could see it, when it could be seen, and how it was to be handled, and every Jew knew that. In 2 Samuel 6 we read of the Ark being moved. It wasn't being handled properly and trouble was about to happen. Uzzah, walking along beside the Ark, saw that it was about to fall. He reached out to steady it but was struck dead by God. His action seems only reasonable, justifiable, from a human viewpoint. But God had given specific instructions about how to handle His Ark. Man has his (our) own ideas about what pleases God. But we need to be looking at what He says, what He teaches and what He wants.
So we jump to the New Testament. We learn that Jesus was a good Jew and that He kept the Jewish Law during His lifetime. One of the last things He did before dying was to take the Passover feast with His apostles. But after He leaves them, as recorded at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts, a new age begins. Followers become "Christians." The "church" is born. Sunday worship begins, where before it had always been on Saturday. Christians took the communion, the Lord's Supper, when they came together to worship, an example being Acts 20:7.
So what is the message for us today? First, we must recognize that worship is very important to God. He wants it, and He wants it done His way. And what is His way? We go to His Word, the Bible, and see what He has His early followers doing in terms of worship. They were meeting each week on Sunday, taking the communion to "remember" Him, preaching, praying, singing, giving a contribution as needed. Thus, we should follow the example, the pattern given to us by these early followers. We need to please Him with our worship.....and do it His way.
Thanks for reading. Feel the love....
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Micah
Micah was a prophet to Judah from about 735 to 710 BC. He brought a stern message to Judah about God's judgment to come. He also talked about the coming fall of the Northern kingdom, Israel.
Notice Micah 6:6-8, "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" He is telling us that God does not need our sacrifices, but He does want our hearts, our love, our dedication, our obedience.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:1 on, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." This gives clues as to how we should live during our short time on earth.
Let's listen to these wise words and try to live them daily. Have a great week!
Notice Micah 6:6-8, "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" He is telling us that God does not need our sacrifices, but He does want our hearts, our love, our dedication, our obedience.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:1 on, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." This gives clues as to how we should live during our short time on earth.
Let's listen to these wise words and try to live them daily. Have a great week!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Saul
We can learn a lot of valuable lessons by going to the Old Testament. Saul is a good example of this point, although not a good example of how to do God's will completely. In this post, we will examine two passages that show that God is a particular God.
First, let's notice who Saul is. He was chosen by God to be the first, the very first, king of the nation of Israel. Actually, there was a king in Israel before: God Himself. And God allowed the people to have a king, but He was not in favor of it. So God picked Saul, a tall and beautiful man to be the king.
Saul made a great and powerful start as king; we read of this in 1 Samuel 11 and 12. But as we get to chapter 13, we see that Saul disobeys God. He gets impatient and decides to offer a burnt offering to God that he knows is wrong. he knew this was the job of a prophet and priest , but he didn't wait for Samuel to come and make the offering. God through Samuel pronounced judgment on Saul.
In chapter 15 of 1 Samuel, Saul is clearly charged with utterly destroying the Amalekites. The Amalekites had been a problem for Israel in the time of the Exodus from Egypt. God wanted them punished. but Saul made the decision to save back the king and the best of the spoil for purposes of sacrifice later to God. But Samuel the prophet comes down hard on Saul saying, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." The point is being made to Saul that, yes, he made a sacrifice to God; but he didn't do exactly what God had asked. Consequently, God rejected Saul as king and would proceed to replace him with David.
The main lesson in all of this is that God wants obedience. He wants us to do what He says regardless of what we might think is best. This message is taught all through the Bible. Thanks for reading. I hope your week is a great one!
First, let's notice who Saul is. He was chosen by God to be the first, the very first, king of the nation of Israel. Actually, there was a king in Israel before: God Himself. And God allowed the people to have a king, but He was not in favor of it. So God picked Saul, a tall and beautiful man to be the king.
Saul made a great and powerful start as king; we read of this in 1 Samuel 11 and 12. But as we get to chapter 13, we see that Saul disobeys God. He gets impatient and decides to offer a burnt offering to God that he knows is wrong. he knew this was the job of a prophet and priest , but he didn't wait for Samuel to come and make the offering. God through Samuel pronounced judgment on Saul.
In chapter 15 of 1 Samuel, Saul is clearly charged with utterly destroying the Amalekites. The Amalekites had been a problem for Israel in the time of the Exodus from Egypt. God wanted them punished. but Saul made the decision to save back the king and the best of the spoil for purposes of sacrifice later to God. But Samuel the prophet comes down hard on Saul saying, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." The point is being made to Saul that, yes, he made a sacrifice to God; but he didn't do exactly what God had asked. Consequently, God rejected Saul as king and would proceed to replace him with David.
The main lesson in all of this is that God wants obedience. He wants us to do what He says regardless of what we might think is best. This message is taught all through the Bible. Thanks for reading. I hope your week is a great one!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Weekly Worship
It is common practice in the "Christian" world today to worship God weekly. In this posting we will look at this practice and examine why this is so, and why it matters.
We see in the Old Testament that God instructed Moses, when giving him the 10 commandments (Exodus 20), that worship should be on the Sabbath. This was Saturday worship, set aside because God rested on the seventh day when creating the world. So all through the Old Testament, beginning with the time of Moses, we see the Jewish people doing their worship on Saturday.
This all changes in the New Testament, beginning in the book of Acts; this is after Jesus has left the earth and gone back to heaven. We read about these early Christians worshiping not on the sabbath, on Saturday, but on Sunday, the first day of the week. Note Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." And in 1 Corinthians 16:1,2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collection when I come." In each case we see that the typical practice of these early Christians was to meet on Sunday, the first day of the week.
Yes, times have changed; we live in a new age with new ways. But the Bible is not out of date. We would do well to follow the pattern given to us by these Christians, and really to follow the pattern given to us by God since it is His Word. And not only in worship, but we need to follow the NT pattern that God has given in all ways.
Thanks for reading again. See you next week.
We see in the Old Testament that God instructed Moses, when giving him the 10 commandments (Exodus 20), that worship should be on the Sabbath. This was Saturday worship, set aside because God rested on the seventh day when creating the world. So all through the Old Testament, beginning with the time of Moses, we see the Jewish people doing their worship on Saturday.
This all changes in the New Testament, beginning in the book of Acts; this is after Jesus has left the earth and gone back to heaven. We read about these early Christians worshiping not on the sabbath, on Saturday, but on Sunday, the first day of the week. Note Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." And in 1 Corinthians 16:1,2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collection when I come." In each case we see that the typical practice of these early Christians was to meet on Sunday, the first day of the week.
Yes, times have changed; we live in a new age with new ways. But the Bible is not out of date. We would do well to follow the pattern given to us by these Christians, and really to follow the pattern given to us by God since it is His Word. And not only in worship, but we need to follow the NT pattern that God has given in all ways.
Thanks for reading again. See you next week.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Word
Jesus Christ is the Word of God. This seems confusing; how can a man be "the Word?" We may not understand everything about this, but we can know some things because the Bible gives us clues.
John 1 starts this way: "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, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." He not only is the Word of God; He was with God, was God, in the beginning, at the creation. Verse 14 tells us, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
We see in Revelation 19:11-16 that His name is the Word of God. This is a powerful view into heaven. We see our Savior, the Word of God, with His armies. They are all in white on white horses. He is "clothed with a robe dipped in blood." He gave His all, His life, for us.
The Word of God is called the Son of God, Son of Man, Christ, Savior, Lord and much more. We need to follow Him...the Word of God.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
John 1 starts this way: "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, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." He not only is the Word of God; He was with God, was God, in the beginning, at the creation. Verse 14 tells us, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
We see in Revelation 19:11-16 that His name is the Word of God. This is a powerful view into heaven. We see our Savior, the Word of God, with His armies. They are all in white on white horses. He is "clothed with a robe dipped in blood." He gave His all, His life, for us.
The Word of God is called the Son of God, Son of Man, Christ, Savior, Lord and much more. We need to follow Him...the Word of God.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Repentance
Sometimes there is confusion about what repentance really is. It simply is change. It isn't just a confession, an admittance of doing wrong; it is about recognizing the wrong done and being committed to making the needed change. It is a critical part of coming to our Lord, of being acceptable to our Lord.
We see the importance of repentance in lots of New Testament verses. We read that the Lord is very concerned that we repent in 2Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." The Lord is on our side. He wants us to be on His side.
Paul was preaching in Athens as recorded in Acts 17:30 and said, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." Obviously, this is taken out of context, but the context here is that Paul is addressing the fact that the people there have been worshiping idols and following false Gods. Now it is time to repent, to change.
And in Acts 2:38, Peter was preaching to the Jews who crucified Jesus. He told them how wrong they were. In verse 37, they recognized their wrong and said, "..what shall we do?" Peter's answer to them was, "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 first step was to repent, to make that change of heart, to commit to Jesus.....then to follow that with baptism.
We must all be willing to recognize our wrongs, then make the true commitment to change and conform to the will of our Lord, to repent of our wrongs and to move forward without the baggage of the past dragging us down. Hebrews 12 tells us, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (great men and women of the past), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..."
Thanks for reading. Keep the faith. Feel the love.
We see the importance of repentance in lots of New Testament verses. We read that the Lord is very concerned that we repent in 2Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." The Lord is on our side. He wants us to be on His side.
Paul was preaching in Athens as recorded in Acts 17:30 and said, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." Obviously, this is taken out of context, but the context here is that Paul is addressing the fact that the people there have been worshiping idols and following false Gods. Now it is time to repent, to change.
And in Acts 2:38, Peter was preaching to the Jews who crucified Jesus. He told them how wrong they were. In verse 37, they recognized their wrong and said, "..what shall we do?" Peter's answer to them was, "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 first step was to repent, to make that change of heart, to commit to Jesus.....then to follow that with baptism.
We must all be willing to recognize our wrongs, then make the true commitment to change and conform to the will of our Lord, to repent of our wrongs and to move forward without the baggage of the past dragging us down. Hebrews 12 tells us, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (great men and women of the past), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..."
Thanks for reading. Keep the faith. Feel the love.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Cornelius--A Good Man
The book of Acts is truly an interesting book to read as it follows the early Christians in their spreading of the Good News. We see early in the book that the Gospel is taken first to the Jews in Jerusalem. It makes sense that God would give the Jews the first opportunity to find salvation through Jesus since they were His relatives, they were the ones who had been God's special people, and they were also the ones who turned on Jesus and demanded His crucifixion. So we see in Acts chapter 2 that Peter and the rest of the apostles preached the first Gospel sermon there in Jerusalem to the Jews.
As time goes on, we see the Gospel being taken to Gentiles; this occurs first in chapter 10 with God's direction. Acts 10 begins this way: "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always." He is further described in verse 22 as "..a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews..." The first point here is that he was a good, God fearing man in so many ways.
As the story continues, we see that Cornelius, though a wonderful, God fearing man, needed something else in his life; and, in fact, this is why we see Peter being directed to go to Cornelius and to bring him to another level. Peter, speaking of Jesus in verse 42, said, "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that , through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." But as we read on, we see that this belief included being baptized; note verse 47: "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord."
The point of this is to show that, just like Cornelius, the world is full of good people who are so kind and helpful , sacrificial, and even God fearing. But there is a higher level that is required; one must be a true follower of Jesus, a baptized believer just as Cornelius became.
And I would be remiss if I didn't point out that perhaps the main message of this story of Cornelius is to show that the Gospel is for all; not just for Jews or Gentiles or men or women, not for any one group of people. It is for all....and this message comes through clearly as we read this story.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
As time goes on, we see the Gospel being taken to Gentiles; this occurs first in chapter 10 with God's direction. Acts 10 begins this way: "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always." He is further described in verse 22 as "..a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews..." The first point here is that he was a good, God fearing man in so many ways.
As the story continues, we see that Cornelius, though a wonderful, God fearing man, needed something else in his life; and, in fact, this is why we see Peter being directed to go to Cornelius and to bring him to another level. Peter, speaking of Jesus in verse 42, said, "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that , through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." But as we read on, we see that this belief included being baptized; note verse 47: "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord."
The point of this is to show that, just like Cornelius, the world is full of good people who are so kind and helpful , sacrificial, and even God fearing. But there is a higher level that is required; one must be a true follower of Jesus, a baptized believer just as Cornelius became.
And I would be remiss if I didn't point out that perhaps the main message of this story of Cornelius is to show that the Gospel is for all; not just for Jews or Gentiles or men or women, not for any one group of people. It is for all....and this message comes through clearly as we read this story.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Hannah's Prayer
Hannah is a very Godly woman that we read about in 1 Samuel. She had a good husband, Elkanah, who always was more than good to her. But she was very sad because she could not have children. This is a brief recount of how Hannah dealt with this problem.
Hannah "..was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow before the priest, Eli, and said that if the Lord would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord and no razor would ever come upon his head. This does occur; Hannah has a son, Samuel, who would become a strong leader and follower of God. And he had lots of hair.
Hannah's reaction to this great success from the Lord was to go to Him in prayer. We read about this in 1 Samuel chapter 2: "And Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoices in the Lord....no one is holy like the Lord. For there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.'
'Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed....The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness.' "
Hannah realized that the Lord is everything. He had blessed her; but then, He blesses all who follow Him. Hannah knew this and gave all of the praise to God. We should do the same. Praise be to God, the Father, and to Jesus Christ His Son!
Thanks for reading again. Feel the love; spread the love.
Hannah "..was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow before the priest, Eli, and said that if the Lord would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord and no razor would ever come upon his head. This does occur; Hannah has a son, Samuel, who would become a strong leader and follower of God. And he had lots of hair.
Hannah's reaction to this great success from the Lord was to go to Him in prayer. We read about this in 1 Samuel chapter 2: "And Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoices in the Lord....no one is holy like the Lord. For there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.'
'Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed....The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness.' "
Hannah realized that the Lord is everything. He had blessed her; but then, He blesses all who follow Him. Hannah knew this and gave all of the praise to God. We should do the same. Praise be to God, the Father, and to Jesus Christ His Son!
Thanks for reading again. Feel the love; spread the love.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Judging Others
Having received a question regarding judging others, I will use the blog this week to discuss some of the Bible passages that teach on this matter. First, I remind the reader that I do not claim to have all the answers; I just seek the answers from God's Word.
It must be appropriate to begin this search by going to Matthew 7 and look at the words of Jesus: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?......Hypocrite!" The teaching of Jesus is very clear here. We must have the right attitude toward others....and even toward our own selves. We must recognize our own weaknesses and work on those, giving the remedial priority to ourselves over that of others.
Next we go to the teaching of Paul, as recorded in 1Corinthians 5. The early part of chapter 5 tells us that the church is to purge out anyone who is openly sinning. An example is given of a man who is being sexually immoral with his father's wife. Paul says they are not to tolerate this. In order to follow this teaching, members of the church must judge this person, must be able to make a reasonable judgment that this open sinning is occurring. "Purge out the old leaven.." he says in verse 7. In doing this, the individual Christian still must make it his first priority to work on his own sins and recognize that he is no perfect person either.
Toward the end of chapter 5, rather than church action against open sin, we read teaching to the individual: "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person.' "
As Christians, we must 1) consider first our own sins--not going around judging everyone else, 2) not tolerate open and obvious sin in the church, and 3) not make it our business to judge those outside the church--God will take care of that.
With all of that said, we must each one take to heart the teachings of Paul in 1Corinthians chapter 6, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
And I write this with great trepidation, looking at myself......not at you. Have a great week!
It must be appropriate to begin this search by going to Matthew 7 and look at the words of Jesus: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?......Hypocrite!" The teaching of Jesus is very clear here. We must have the right attitude toward others....and even toward our own selves. We must recognize our own weaknesses and work on those, giving the remedial priority to ourselves over that of others.
Next we go to the teaching of Paul, as recorded in 1Corinthians 5. The early part of chapter 5 tells us that the church is to purge out anyone who is openly sinning. An example is given of a man who is being sexually immoral with his father's wife. Paul says they are not to tolerate this. In order to follow this teaching, members of the church must judge this person, must be able to make a reasonable judgment that this open sinning is occurring. "Purge out the old leaven.." he says in verse 7. In doing this, the individual Christian still must make it his first priority to work on his own sins and recognize that he is no perfect person either.
Toward the end of chapter 5, rather than church action against open sin, we read teaching to the individual: "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person.' "
As Christians, we must 1) consider first our own sins--not going around judging everyone else, 2) not tolerate open and obvious sin in the church, and 3) not make it our business to judge those outside the church--God will take care of that.
With all of that said, we must each one take to heart the teachings of Paul in 1Corinthians chapter 6, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
And I write this with great trepidation, looking at myself......not at you. Have a great week!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Paul's Last Major Journey
Being a sailor myself, I take special interest in the last major journey of Paul as recorded in Acts 27 and 28. This is a fascinating account of the trip to Rome that Paul took under Roman control. We'll look a bit at the events of this trip. If you haven't read it lately, be sure to read the account in these two chapters.
Paul was being unfairly tried; so, being a legitimate Roman citizen, he chose to appeal to Caesar, letting him be the final judge. This meant making a major trip from Caesarea through the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. They were trying to somewhat follow the coastline, going North from Caesarea to Sidon, then North of the island of Cyprus: "...we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary......When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone." It is interesting to note that the Bible is full of real places and real people....the Bible is real.
Paul predicted that "..this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Paul was letting his overseers know that they shouldn't sail out into dangerous conditions. He was overruled and we read that the trip does result in shipwreck; and it would have ended in death for all except that God intervened. they found themselves on the island of Malta amongst friendly natives. They were especially friendly to Paul when they realized that God was with him.
Paul eventually makes it to Rome where we know that he stayed for at least two years. We see God's hand with Paul over and again, through this story and really throughout his ministry. And so it is with us when we are faithful to Him.
Have a great week....a God filled week!
Paul was being unfairly tried; so, being a legitimate Roman citizen, he chose to appeal to Caesar, letting him be the final judge. This meant making a major trip from Caesarea through the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. They were trying to somewhat follow the coastline, going North from Caesarea to Sidon, then North of the island of Cyprus: "...we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary......When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone." It is interesting to note that the Bible is full of real places and real people....the Bible is real.
Paul predicted that "..this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Paul was letting his overseers know that they shouldn't sail out into dangerous conditions. He was overruled and we read that the trip does result in shipwreck; and it would have ended in death for all except that God intervened. they found themselves on the island of Malta amongst friendly natives. They were especially friendly to Paul when they realized that God was with him.
Paul eventually makes it to Rome where we know that he stayed for at least two years. We see God's hand with Paul over and again, through this story and really throughout his ministry. And so it is with us when we are faithful to Him.
Have a great week....a God filled week!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The Apostle Paul
Other than Jesus Himself, there is no more noteworthy character in the New Testament than the apostle Paul. Thus it seems wise to spend a bit of time exploring this man and knowing him a little better.
Paul was originally Saul, having his name changed later as he became a Christian. He was from Tarsus of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, a Roman province at the time. He was born a Roman citizen which would be a help to him in later years as there were limits placed on the type of punishment given to one holding citizenship. He was thoroughly Jewish, so much so that he was persecuting Christians, thinking that this new "Way" was detrimental to the flourishment of the Jewish system.
Paul's conversion is recorded in three places in the book of Acts: chapters 9, 22, and 26. In chapter 9 is where the event actually occurs; then it is retold by Paul in chapters 22 and 26. This transformation comes about by the direct visitation to him by Jesus as Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus. Jesus spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Jesus told him to go into the city of Damascus where it would be told to him what he should do. A devout Jew who had become a disciple of Jesus came to Saul, as recorded in Acts 22, and said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." This, of course, he did.
From Acts chapter 9 on, the book of Acts follows the life of Paul and his companions as they preach Jesus to the Jews and the gentiles. Paul is the most prolific writer of the NT, having written about half of the NT books. And he is called, and calls himself, an apostle because he was actually visited by Jesus and had direct contact with him. Paul connects with us as we read his epistles, his letters; we see his love for the Lord, his love for his brethren.....and really his love for us in his teaching and admonition.
Thanks for reading again. Have a blessed week.
Paul was originally Saul, having his name changed later as he became a Christian. He was from Tarsus of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, a Roman province at the time. He was born a Roman citizen which would be a help to him in later years as there were limits placed on the type of punishment given to one holding citizenship. He was thoroughly Jewish, so much so that he was persecuting Christians, thinking that this new "Way" was detrimental to the flourishment of the Jewish system.
Paul's conversion is recorded in three places in the book of Acts: chapters 9, 22, and 26. In chapter 9 is where the event actually occurs; then it is retold by Paul in chapters 22 and 26. This transformation comes about by the direct visitation to him by Jesus as Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus. Jesus spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Jesus told him to go into the city of Damascus where it would be told to him what he should do. A devout Jew who had become a disciple of Jesus came to Saul, as recorded in Acts 22, and said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." This, of course, he did.
From Acts chapter 9 on, the book of Acts follows the life of Paul and his companions as they preach Jesus to the Jews and the gentiles. Paul is the most prolific writer of the NT, having written about half of the NT books. And he is called, and calls himself, an apostle because he was actually visited by Jesus and had direct contact with him. Paul connects with us as we read his epistles, his letters; we see his love for the Lord, his love for his brethren.....and really his love for us in his teaching and admonition.
Thanks for reading again. Have a blessed week.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Authority in Jesus
Authority is not always our most interesting topic. It is a subject kind of like "rules;" something we'd almost like to not deal with. But in the Bible it is a very important matter to consider. God gave us the Bible as His Word, and He wanted us to understand who is in charge. So we will look at a few passages that clearly establish the principles of authority.
In the Old Testament, He said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." The Lord has revealed many things for us to follow.
In the New Testament we see the emphasis being placed on Jesus as the Son of God. Note 2John verse 9: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." And Paul wrote of the "mystery of Christ" in Ephesians 3: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).." It was revealed to Paul, and he has written that we may understand.
It is also noteworthy on a negative note that Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." Authority is not to be given to men on earth.
Perhaps one of the clearest statements of authority came from Jesus Himself. We read in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
It is important to realize that all authority is in Jesus. Thank you for reading. Have a great week!
In the Old Testament, He said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." The Lord has revealed many things for us to follow.
In the New Testament we see the emphasis being placed on Jesus as the Son of God. Note 2John verse 9: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." And Paul wrote of the "mystery of Christ" in Ephesians 3: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).." It was revealed to Paul, and he has written that we may understand.
It is also noteworthy on a negative note that Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." Authority is not to be given to men on earth.
Perhaps one of the clearest statements of authority came from Jesus Himself. We read in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
It is important to realize that all authority is in Jesus. Thank you for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Main Characters of the New Testament
This is a quick review of the main characters that we find in the New Testament. There are plenty more that are important, but we'll look at some of the ones that we read about the most.
For sure, Jesus is the main character. He is the reason for all of the New Testament and for the others being important to us.
The next main characters, after Jesus, are the 12 apostles. These men followed Jesus, spent their lives learning from Him, and after He was gone, carried on the work. Actually, it became 11 when Judas betrayed Jesus, but he was replaced to bring it back to 12 as we read in the 1st chapter of Acts.
Of the 12 apostles, Peter, James and John were His best friends. Jesus had best friends just like we do. As time went on, Peter was a very outspoken one...during the life of Jesus and after Jesus had left the earth. Peter certainly is one of the main characters of the NT. We see Peter stepping up during the life of Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As we continue into the book of Acts and follow the apostles, we see Peter doing a lot of the speaking and carrying a lead role.
Beginning in Acts chapter 8, we see Paul becoming a major leader of the followers of Christ. The emphasis seems to switch from Peter to Paul as the leading spokesman. But regardless of who was carrying the torch of the gospel as the primary spokesman, the real main character always was Jesus. None of His followers ever promoted themselves; they promoted Jesus. The message was all important, the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God, Jesus.
To know these men was to know Jesus. To know Jesus was to know the Father.
Thank you again for reading. It is a simple little blog, but one designed to focus on our Lord.
For sure, Jesus is the main character. He is the reason for all of the New Testament and for the others being important to us.
The next main characters, after Jesus, are the 12 apostles. These men followed Jesus, spent their lives learning from Him, and after He was gone, carried on the work. Actually, it became 11 when Judas betrayed Jesus, but he was replaced to bring it back to 12 as we read in the 1st chapter of Acts.
Of the 12 apostles, Peter, James and John were His best friends. Jesus had best friends just like we do. As time went on, Peter was a very outspoken one...during the life of Jesus and after Jesus had left the earth. Peter certainly is one of the main characters of the NT. We see Peter stepping up during the life of Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As we continue into the book of Acts and follow the apostles, we see Peter doing a lot of the speaking and carrying a lead role.
Beginning in Acts chapter 8, we see Paul becoming a major leader of the followers of Christ. The emphasis seems to switch from Peter to Paul as the leading spokesman. But regardless of who was carrying the torch of the gospel as the primary spokesman, the real main character always was Jesus. None of His followers ever promoted themselves; they promoted Jesus. The message was all important, the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God, Jesus.
To know these men was to know Jesus. To know Jesus was to know the Father.
Thank you again for reading. It is a simple little blog, but one designed to focus on our Lord.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Beginnings of the Church
As we have discussed before, when Jesus was about to leave the earth, He was with His apostles in the city of Jerusalem. He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for power to come upon them from on high. These are the words that He spoke, as recorded in Acts1:8:
"But 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." Just looking at this quote gives the reader the progression of the Gospel, i.e., it will start in Jerusalem, then move out to close areas, then go out further into all the earth.
We then can see the fulfillment, or at least the partial fulfillment, as we read in Acts chapter 8. All of the events that occurred up through chapter 7 happened in Jerusalem. But as we begin chapter 8, we read:
"..At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." This is exactly what Jesus had said in Acts 1 that should happen. As we read further in the book of Acts, we see that the Gospel is carried everywhere, near and far.
In today's world, with all of the high-tech communications that are available, we still face that same old stated challenge that Jesus gave. He said in Mark 16:15,16: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. he who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The message is clear; it is up to us now to see that the Gospel is carried to those who need to hear it....and seen by those who need to see it in our lives.
Have a great week! May God bless you.
"But 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." Just looking at this quote gives the reader the progression of the Gospel, i.e., it will start in Jerusalem, then move out to close areas, then go out further into all the earth.
We then can see the fulfillment, or at least the partial fulfillment, as we read in Acts chapter 8. All of the events that occurred up through chapter 7 happened in Jerusalem. But as we begin chapter 8, we read:
"..At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." This is exactly what Jesus had said in Acts 1 that should happen. As we read further in the book of Acts, we see that the Gospel is carried everywhere, near and far.
In today's world, with all of the high-tech communications that are available, we still face that same old stated challenge that Jesus gave. He said in Mark 16:15,16: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. he who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The message is clear; it is up to us now to see that the Gospel is carried to those who need to hear it....and seen by those who need to see it in our lives.
Have a great week! May God bless you.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
First Sermon....First Church
We've talked here a bit about the speech, or sermon, that Peter preached in Acts 2. It was an important time in that Jesus has just left the earth and the apostles are on their own....except that the Holy Spirit has come back to give them some special powers. Peter explains all of this in his speech. Let's examine this a little closer:
The first thing that Peter does is to quote the prophet Joel from the OT. This is a good example for us; we should go back to scripture when we want to provide an answer. Joel said, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." This is exactly what is happening here in this context; the Spirit has been poured out on these guys, where now they can heal, speak in tongues, etc.
Peter concludes his quoting of Joel by saying, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Being "saved," salvation, is precisely what these people needed.
The primary focus of this speech is JESUS. Note Acts 2:22,23: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God has raised up..." And he concludes in verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
The result of this speech is shown in Acts 2:37: "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.' " And in verse 40, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
Following this, they stuck together, they "were together and had all things in common;" they took care of each other. This is what we need to do. Let's do it!
Have a great week!
The first thing that Peter does is to quote the prophet Joel from the OT. This is a good example for us; we should go back to scripture when we want to provide an answer. Joel said, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." This is exactly what is happening here in this context; the Spirit has been poured out on these guys, where now they can heal, speak in tongues, etc.
Peter concludes his quoting of Joel by saying, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Being "saved," salvation, is precisely what these people needed.
The primary focus of this speech is JESUS. Note Acts 2:22,23: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God has raised up..." And he concludes in verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
The result of this speech is shown in Acts 2:37: "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.' " And in verse 40, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
Following this, they stuck together, they "were together and had all things in common;" they took care of each other. This is what we need to do. Let's do it!
Have a great week!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jesus and the Kingdom
Jesus came to save sinners; plain and simple. That was His purpose. It had been talked about, predicted, prophesied all through time, all through the Old Testament, that a Messiah would be coming one day. Jesus did just that; and His purpose was to save sinners....said many times in the NT, but one place is 1 Timothy 1:15.
What Jesus talked about the most during His time on earth was the Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven. It is by being a part of His kingdom, where He is the king, that we receive the salvation that Jesus came and died for. Here are a few things that He said about the kingdom:
Matt. 10:7 "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
13:11 To His disciples, He said, "..it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom.."
13:24 In the parable of the wheat and tares(weeds), Jesus taught that good seed planted will bring
forth crops and weeds. At the harvest, the weeds will be gathered and burned, the crop will
then be gathered and stored.
13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...the least of all the seeds...but when it is grown
it.....becomes a tree.."
13:33 "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.." A small amount has great effect.
13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for
joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
And this is just a sampling of all that Jesus had to say about the kingdom. But here is a key passage that Jesus said about the kingdom: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' and then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
Much more can be said about the kingdom of heaven. The main point is that we, as His people, need to be sure that we are a part of it. Have a good week; may God bless you!
What Jesus talked about the most during His time on earth was the Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven. It is by being a part of His kingdom, where He is the king, that we receive the salvation that Jesus came and died for. Here are a few things that He said about the kingdom:
Matt. 10:7 "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
13:11 To His disciples, He said, "..it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom.."
13:24 In the parable of the wheat and tares(weeds), Jesus taught that good seed planted will bring
forth crops and weeds. At the harvest, the weeds will be gathered and burned, the crop will
then be gathered and stored.
13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...the least of all the seeds...but when it is grown
it.....becomes a tree.."
13:33 "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.." A small amount has great effect.
13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for
joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
And this is just a sampling of all that Jesus had to say about the kingdom. But here is a key passage that Jesus said about the kingdom: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' and then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
Much more can be said about the kingdom of heaven. The main point is that we, as His people, need to be sure that we are a part of it. Have a good week; may God bless you!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Memorial Day
This day is great for remembering those who have gone before us, and especially those who served our country, allowing us to be free. But it could be a good day to remember those who went before us to see that the Gospel, the "good news," was preserved for us. We'll take a few moments here to review this process, as described to us in the Bible.
It all began with Jesus when He told His followers: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). Just before He left the earth, He charged the apostles to carry on the work after He was gone: "But 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).
The apostles probably did not understand all that Jesus told them before He left; but they did understand the charge that was left to them, i.e., to start in Jerusalem and go out into all the world spreading the good news of Jesus. And as we read on in the book of Acts, we see that they did just that. Acts 4:31 says they "..spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 5:42, after being beaten and persecuted, we read, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
As we read further, we see in the letters, the epistles, where the apostles continued to help the Christians in the churches. In Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, note verses 13-15 and particularly verse 15: "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Verse 15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle."
After Jesus left the earth, the apostles carried on the work, teaching, working miracles, strengthening Christians, spreading the good news. They started churches, they visited churches, they wrote letters to the Christians. These letters and writings were eventually preserved, compiled and now comprise the New Testament.
We certainly can be thankful in our remembrance of these great early Christians. Thanks for reading. Have a great day and a great week. Feel the love.
It all began with Jesus when He told His followers: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). Just before He left the earth, He charged the apostles to carry on the work after He was gone: "But 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).
The apostles probably did not understand all that Jesus told them before He left; but they did understand the charge that was left to them, i.e., to start in Jerusalem and go out into all the world spreading the good news of Jesus. And as we read on in the book of Acts, we see that they did just that. Acts 4:31 says they "..spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 5:42, after being beaten and persecuted, we read, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
As we read further, we see in the letters, the epistles, where the apostles continued to help the Christians in the churches. In Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, note verses 13-15 and particularly verse 15: "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Verse 15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle."
After Jesus left the earth, the apostles carried on the work, teaching, working miracles, strengthening Christians, spreading the good news. They started churches, they visited churches, they wrote letters to the Christians. These letters and writings were eventually preserved, compiled and now comprise the New Testament.
We certainly can be thankful in our remembrance of these great early Christians. Thanks for reading. Have a great day and a great week. Feel the love.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The First Church
In the last two posts that I made here I wrote of the prophet Joel and King David; these were two important characters in the Old Testament. One commonality that they share is that they were both quoted by Peter in the first gospel sermon given by Peter and the rest of the apostles, recorded in Acts 2. The setting for this sermon, or speech, is that the apostles were in Jerusalem speaking to a totally Jewish audience. Jesus has just ascended into heaven, as recorded in Acts 1. What follows is the response by some of the Jews who heard this harsh teaching by Peter and the others. The response is one of shame and hurt; the hearers, being told that they just killed the Messiah, 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.' "
Note verse 41, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. This is the first church that we read about in the Bible; it begins right here in Jerusalem. Read verses 37-47 of Acts 2 and you will get a good picture of what the first Christians were doing. It concludes with verse 47, "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
As we read on through Acts, we learn of the movements of these early Christians. Initially, they stay in Jerusalem, but begin to scatter when we get to chapter 8. But then, this is what Jesus had said to them, this is what had to happen, that they were to go into all the world, and teach all men--see Matthew 28:18 and Mark 16:15-16.
The early church is established and begins to flourish as a result of persecution. And it grew by leaps and bounds because people could see that these Christians had the truth; that Jesus is real; and that salvation was being offered through the good news of the gospel. These characteristics are still true today for those who follow Jesus.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Note verse 41, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. This is the first church that we read about in the Bible; it begins right here in Jerusalem. Read verses 37-47 of Acts 2 and you will get a good picture of what the first Christians were doing. It concludes with verse 47, "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
As we read on through Acts, we learn of the movements of these early Christians. Initially, they stay in Jerusalem, but begin to scatter when we get to chapter 8. But then, this is what Jesus had said to them, this is what had to happen, that they were to go into all the world, and teach all men--see Matthew 28:18 and Mark 16:15-16.
The early church is established and begins to flourish as a result of persecution. And it grew by leaps and bounds because people could see that these Christians had the truth; that Jesus is real; and that salvation was being offered through the good news of the gospel. These characteristics are still true today for those who follow Jesus.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
King David
There are volumes that could be written about King David, but in this post I will be focusing on the way that the Bible references David as a type of Christ, a pre-Christ. We will examine a few of the verses that show the importance that David had in leading up to the Christ coming.
One of the things that we note about David and Jesus is that they were both of the Israelite tribe of Judah. This is not coincidence; the OT follows the descendants of the person Judah, son of Jacob, down through the generations to King David and on down finally to Jesus.
David has to be considered the greatest king of all time up until the coming of Jesus. But Daniel in Dan. 2:44 pointed out that there was a kingdom coming that would never be destroyed. Kings always came and went; but there was one coming that would never go; a kingdom that would last forever.
This subject is referenced in Acts 2, where Peter and the other apostles stand up and make the first gospel sermon. Note the words of Peter as he quotes David from the OT scriptures, where David was speaking of Jesus to come: " I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope, for You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence." Peter goes on to explain that David, as great as he was, is dead and buried. But Jesus, the greater king, is reigning in heaven.
David is described in the Bible as a "man after God's own heart." (1Samuel 13:13-14). But we know that Jesus is the greatest of all kings, Lord of Lords. Praise be to God.....and His Son!
Have a great week!
One of the things that we note about David and Jesus is that they were both of the Israelite tribe of Judah. This is not coincidence; the OT follows the descendants of the person Judah, son of Jacob, down through the generations to King David and on down finally to Jesus.
David has to be considered the greatest king of all time up until the coming of Jesus. But Daniel in Dan. 2:44 pointed out that there was a kingdom coming that would never be destroyed. Kings always came and went; but there was one coming that would never go; a kingdom that would last forever.
This subject is referenced in Acts 2, where Peter and the other apostles stand up and make the first gospel sermon. Note the words of Peter as he quotes David from the OT scriptures, where David was speaking of Jesus to come: " I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope, for You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence." Peter goes on to explain that David, as great as he was, is dead and buried. But Jesus, the greater king, is reigning in heaven.
David is described in the Bible as a "man after God's own heart." (1Samuel 13:13-14). But we know that Jesus is the greatest of all kings, Lord of Lords. Praise be to God.....and His Son!
Have a great week!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Prophet Joel
In this week's article, I want to focus just a little on the prophet Joel. As a prophet, he was a spokesman for God; he brought a message to the people from the Lord. You will recall that the nation of Israel split into 2 parts: the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. The north kept following idols and got further and further away from God; thus, God allowed them to be taken into captivity to the Assyrian Empire, never to return again to their homeland. The southern kingdom, Judah, had periods of failing, but also periods of following God. Therefore, the Lord allowed them time to get their act together. Eventually, the southern kingdom of Judah failed the Lord and ended up in Babylonian captivity. The Lord did allow a remnant to return at a later date to rebuild.
Joel did his work, his prophesying, to the nation of Judah, apparently after the fall of Israel. One of the significant statements made by him is recorded in Joel 2, beginning in verse 27. He speaks here of a time to come when God will "pour out My Spirit in those days." If we did not have further instruction as the the meaning of this, we couldn't be sure of what Joel was saying. But the Bible is very clear on this meaning, since it is quoted over in the NT, in Acts chapter 2.
Acts 2 tells of the occurrences soon after Jesus has left this world, ascended into heaven. Peter stands with the other apostles and delivers the first gospel sermon. This is one of the most fateful days in the history of the world. Standing here in Jerusalem, the apostles kick off the beginnings of the church; the church for which Jesus died. This is the day of which the prophet Joel was speaking; Listen to the words of Peter as he quotes Joel and makes this famous speech:
Acts 2:16: "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dram dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "
In this same speech, Peter quotes king David twice and concludes by telling these Jewish people that they have crucified the Messiah, the very Messiah that they had been waiting on. Verse 27, "...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?' The Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "
The prophet Joel played a key role in foretelling the coming events, events to occur in the "last days."
Ok, enough for now. Have a great week....and thanks for reading!
Joel did his work, his prophesying, to the nation of Judah, apparently after the fall of Israel. One of the significant statements made by him is recorded in Joel 2, beginning in verse 27. He speaks here of a time to come when God will "pour out My Spirit in those days." If we did not have further instruction as the the meaning of this, we couldn't be sure of what Joel was saying. But the Bible is very clear on this meaning, since it is quoted over in the NT, in Acts chapter 2.
Acts 2 tells of the occurrences soon after Jesus has left this world, ascended into heaven. Peter stands with the other apostles and delivers the first gospel sermon. This is one of the most fateful days in the history of the world. Standing here in Jerusalem, the apostles kick off the beginnings of the church; the church for which Jesus died. This is the day of which the prophet Joel was speaking; Listen to the words of Peter as he quotes Joel and makes this famous speech:
Acts 2:16: "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dram dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "
In this same speech, Peter quotes king David twice and concludes by telling these Jewish people that they have crucified the Messiah, the very Messiah that they had been waiting on. Verse 27, "...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?' The Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "
The prophet Joel played a key role in foretelling the coming events, events to occur in the "last days."
Ok, enough for now. Have a great week....and thanks for reading!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Jesus and the Government
There is a question about how Jesus would handle or feel about the government's dealing with the poor; i.e., who should be responsible for the poor; the government, the church, the individuals? And would Jesus weigh in on the Republican/Democrat wrangling over how the government should budget and assist the poor, lower and even middle classes?
I can't say that I have all the answers on this one. Of course, we always want to go to the Bible to get our answers. The best way to solve this is to look at what Jesus said, and what He did during His time on earth. Note these passages:
Matthew 22:17 Jesus was asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? He realized that they were trying to trap Him, so He called them "hypocrites." Then He said, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and render unto God that which is God's."
Matthew 26:8 The woman came and anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. His disciples asked, "Why this waste." Jesus answered, "..the poor you have with you always; you will not always have me." This is just one of the many passages that show that Jesus was not about the physical...but the Spiritual.
Matthew 6:34 Jesus told them not to worry about what they would eat, or drink or wear. Here again, Jesus is putting the emphasis on the Spiritual, not the physical.
In all of Jesus teaching, He showed that He was not interested in the actions of government. His interest was in the soul, in serving God, in preparing for the next life. He did teach about the good Samaritan who reached out to the injured man; taught us to help our "neighbor."
Jesus lived during the oppression of the Roman Empire. He could have railed against the abuses; but rather, He showed respect for the government and impressed upon us the need for individual responsibility.
Thanks for reading. Have a God filled week.
I can't say that I have all the answers on this one. Of course, we always want to go to the Bible to get our answers. The best way to solve this is to look at what Jesus said, and what He did during His time on earth. Note these passages:
Matthew 22:17 Jesus was asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? He realized that they were trying to trap Him, so He called them "hypocrites." Then He said, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and render unto God that which is God's."
Matthew 26:8 The woman came and anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. His disciples asked, "Why this waste." Jesus answered, "..the poor you have with you always; you will not always have me." This is just one of the many passages that show that Jesus was not about the physical...but the Spiritual.
Matthew 6:34 Jesus told them not to worry about what they would eat, or drink or wear. Here again, Jesus is putting the emphasis on the Spiritual, not the physical.
In all of Jesus teaching, He showed that He was not interested in the actions of government. His interest was in the soul, in serving God, in preparing for the next life. He did teach about the good Samaritan who reached out to the injured man; taught us to help our "neighbor."
Jesus lived during the oppression of the Roman Empire. He could have railed against the abuses; but rather, He showed respect for the government and impressed upon us the need for individual responsibility.
Thanks for reading. Have a God filled week.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Last Words-Part 2
We read in Acts 1 that Jesus stayed on the earth for 40 days after He rose from the dead. He showed Himself to many people including the Apostles during this time. The last words that He spoke to the Apostles, at least those recorded, are as follows:
Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Mark 16:15-18 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will be no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Luke 24:46-49 "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
And finally, in Acts 1 He was asked, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But 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."
These are the last recorded words of Jesus before He left the earth. To me this is powerful; who else have you ever heard of that had their last words recorded and remembered for all time? And here we have four different accounts of it! It says that we should take note of these last words and make sure that we do our part to see that His wishes are carried out.
As always, thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Mark 16:15-18 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will be no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Luke 24:46-49 "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
And finally, in Acts 1 He was asked, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But 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."
These are the last recorded words of Jesus before He left the earth. To me this is powerful; who else have you ever heard of that had their last words recorded and remembered for all time? And here we have four different accounts of it! It says that we should take note of these last words and make sure that we do our part to see that His wishes are carried out.
As always, thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
First and Last Words of Jesus
I always enjoy the first and last of any writing; the first page of a good book...and certainly the last page. When we look at the sayings of Jesus, it is interesting to see His first words and His last.
His very first recorded words were recorded in Luke 2, where at the age of 12, He had gotten separated from His parents on a trip to Jerusalem. They looked for 3 days, then found Him in the temple conversing with a group of teachers. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you done this to us?" He answered, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" That is a fascinating story and exchange.
The very last words of Jesus before He dies are: "It is finished." This is a very powerful statement that carries a lot of meaning with it. Rather than just His life being finished and the suffering that He endured being finished, it is likely a statement with much broader significance. Throughout time, in all of the buildup to this great event, considering all of the prophesies of the prophets that Jesus fulfilled, all of this comes down to this last moment on the cross when Jesus finally says, "It is finished." But we know that the story was not over at that point; in fact, it marked a great beginning where Jesus would triumph over death, walk on the earth for 40 days (Acts1:3), ascend to heaven, and following all of this, the apostles would be visited by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), and the church would be established. So we see that there is great meaning to Jesus' last words on the cross.
This leaves us with a discussion of Jesus' last words before He leaves the earth. Perhaps we will discuss this next week in the blog entry then. These are powerful and meaningful as well. Hope you have a great and meaningful week yourself!
His very first recorded words were recorded in Luke 2, where at the age of 12, He had gotten separated from His parents on a trip to Jerusalem. They looked for 3 days, then found Him in the temple conversing with a group of teachers. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you done this to us?" He answered, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" That is a fascinating story and exchange.
The very last words of Jesus before He dies are: "It is finished." This is a very powerful statement that carries a lot of meaning with it. Rather than just His life being finished and the suffering that He endured being finished, it is likely a statement with much broader significance. Throughout time, in all of the buildup to this great event, considering all of the prophesies of the prophets that Jesus fulfilled, all of this comes down to this last moment on the cross when Jesus finally says, "It is finished." But we know that the story was not over at that point; in fact, it marked a great beginning where Jesus would triumph over death, walk on the earth for 40 days (Acts1:3), ascend to heaven, and following all of this, the apostles would be visited by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), and the church would be established. So we see that there is great meaning to Jesus' last words on the cross.
This leaves us with a discussion of Jesus' last words before He leaves the earth. Perhaps we will discuss this next week in the blog entry then. These are powerful and meaningful as well. Hope you have a great and meaningful week yourself!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter
Celebrating the Easter holiday is a fun time and a meaningful thing for many Christians. Easter is the traditional remembrance of Jesus' resurrection. Starting with Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem past cheering crowds and continuing through the death, burial and Resurrection, this is a powerful series of events to recall.
Easter creates a problem for many Christians in that there is no mention of this in the Bible. It has its origins in Pagan religion, is named after Pagan figures, and only got its American beginnings in the 1870's. Some would say, "Well, that doesn't matter. The death, burial and resurrection are surely in the Bible." And that is certainly true. But it is also true that neither Jesus, nor any Bible character, ever made any reference to celebrating Easter as a religious holiday. Now many would say, "Well, it doesn't matter. It still is a good thing to celebrate." And that may be true; it is not for me to say. I'm just giving a few facts here.
What we do see in the Bible is a clear teaching by Jesus to remember his death; this is recorded in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22. This is where Jesus, at the time of taking the Passover feast, institutes the Lord's Supper, telling them to take bread to remember His body and juice of the vine to remember His blood being sacrificed. Then we see in the book of Acts, after Jesus has left them, that the Apostles and other Christians were keeping this Lord's Supper remembrance each Sunday. Thus, many Christians today celebrate this remembrance every week; kind of an "Easter" every week.
But what does God want? You will have to answer this for yourself. All I see is that Jesus taught nothing about an annual celebration, but was very specific about keeping the Lord's Supper...and it seems to be a regular weekly thing in the early church. For sure, these are powerful events and deserve to be remembered.
Have a great week!
Easter creates a problem for many Christians in that there is no mention of this in the Bible. It has its origins in Pagan religion, is named after Pagan figures, and only got its American beginnings in the 1870's. Some would say, "Well, that doesn't matter. The death, burial and resurrection are surely in the Bible." And that is certainly true. But it is also true that neither Jesus, nor any Bible character, ever made any reference to celebrating Easter as a religious holiday. Now many would say, "Well, it doesn't matter. It still is a good thing to celebrate." And that may be true; it is not for me to say. I'm just giving a few facts here.
What we do see in the Bible is a clear teaching by Jesus to remember his death; this is recorded in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22. This is where Jesus, at the time of taking the Passover feast, institutes the Lord's Supper, telling them to take bread to remember His body and juice of the vine to remember His blood being sacrificed. Then we see in the book of Acts, after Jesus has left them, that the Apostles and other Christians were keeping this Lord's Supper remembrance each Sunday. Thus, many Christians today celebrate this remembrance every week; kind of an "Easter" every week.
But what does God want? You will have to answer this for yourself. All I see is that Jesus taught nothing about an annual celebration, but was very specific about keeping the Lord's Supper...and it seems to be a regular weekly thing in the early church. For sure, these are powerful events and deserve to be remembered.
Have a great week!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Christian Walk
We know that Jesus said in Matthew 11, "..My yoke is easy and My burden is light." And yet it can be quite a challenge to resist the devil and walk the Christian walk. We get some help and guidance from Ephesians chapter 4. Note that the first 3 chapters of Ephesians tells us about the great gifts that we have gotten from God. The last 3 chapters talk more about how we are to live.
Note these thoughts in Ephesians 4:
verse 1, "walk worthy of the calling." We got a great gift from God; now we need to live it.
verse 2, "...with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love."
verse 3, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." There is the stress on "unity." He follows this with, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
verse 12, gifts were given "for the edifying of the body of Christ.." He is talking about the church, the body of Christ. Following this, the primary emphasis is on the individual. The church is important, but the individual is critical; that is us.
verse 14, "..we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine....grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ..."
verse 17, "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.....be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man..."
And so, we are challenged to walk the walk, talk the talk, live as Jesus would have us to live, challenging as that may be. Let's try to live it this week. Have a good one!
Note these thoughts in Ephesians 4:
verse 1, "walk worthy of the calling." We got a great gift from God; now we need to live it.
verse 2, "...with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love."
verse 3, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." There is the stress on "unity." He follows this with, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
verse 12, gifts were given "for the edifying of the body of Christ.." He is talking about the church, the body of Christ. Following this, the primary emphasis is on the individual. The church is important, but the individual is critical; that is us.
verse 14, "..we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine....grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ..."
verse 17, "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.....be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man..."
And so, we are challenged to walk the walk, talk the talk, live as Jesus would have us to live, challenging as that may be. Let's try to live it this week. Have a good one!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
New Creature
When a person becomes a Christian, he becomes a new creature. A change takes place where the person is no longer the same, no longer lives as he once did, is transformed into someone new. There are some passages that give further explanation of this change; we'll look at a few here.
In 2 Peter 1, we read that the Christian should have faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Verse 9, "..he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." The Christian is not committing his "old sins."
Romans 6, talking about grace and sin: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.." Verse 7, "For he who has died has been freed from sin." When we become a Christian, we are baptized into Jesus' death and come forth a new creature.
Ephesians 4:22 says that we are to "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, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
When we become a Christian, we become a new creature, one committed to serving God. And I might add, serving Him in His way; not our way; not in what seems right to us, but in His way. His way is found clearly in the Bible, there for us to learn and to follow.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
In 2 Peter 1, we read that the Christian should have faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Verse 9, "..he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." The Christian is not committing his "old sins."
Romans 6, talking about grace and sin: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.." Verse 7, "For he who has died has been freed from sin." When we become a Christian, we are baptized into Jesus' death and come forth a new creature.
Ephesians 4:22 says that we are to "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, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
When we become a Christian, we become a new creature, one committed to serving God. And I might add, serving Him in His way; not our way; not in what seems right to us, but in His way. His way is found clearly in the Bible, there for us to learn and to follow.
Thanks for reading again. Have a great week!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Denominations
We should note right up front that the discussion of denominations cannot be furthered by looking for them in the Bible. It never was God's intention that His people find a way to divide, to form various churches with different names and individual beliefs, however minor the differences may be.
In fact, what we see in the NT is a lot of teaching regarding unity. Jesus, praying right before His arrest (John 17), went to the Father and prayed that His disciples "may be one." This is repeated several times in this one prayer, showing that Jesus was concerned about His followers splintering after He left them.
We see this very same problem occurring in Corinth, causing Paul to have to address this matter to the Christians in his letter of 1Cor. In 1:10, Paul says, "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." He goes on to say that some were saying "I am of Paul," or others, "Apollos" or "Cephas" etc. In 3:3, he continues the discussion by saying, "For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?"
But this is exactly what has evolved in Christendom today; and for the most part, nobody really sees a problem with it. The common answer is: "We are all headed for the same place; we just are getting there a little differently." But that isn't the attitude of the Bible, which is God's Word to us. The Bible attitude is clearly: "NO!" Christians are to be one; just Christians.
Ephesian 4, (read chapter 3 also) says, "...keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body" (church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Oneness, unity, means a great deal to God....and thus, it needs to be important to us. The denominational setup that we men have created is not right, not Biblical, not pleasing to God.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
In fact, what we see in the NT is a lot of teaching regarding unity. Jesus, praying right before His arrest (John 17), went to the Father and prayed that His disciples "may be one." This is repeated several times in this one prayer, showing that Jesus was concerned about His followers splintering after He left them.
We see this very same problem occurring in Corinth, causing Paul to have to address this matter to the Christians in his letter of 1Cor. In 1:10, Paul says, "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." He goes on to say that some were saying "I am of Paul," or others, "Apollos" or "Cephas" etc. In 3:3, he continues the discussion by saying, "For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?"
But this is exactly what has evolved in Christendom today; and for the most part, nobody really sees a problem with it. The common answer is: "We are all headed for the same place; we just are getting there a little differently." But that isn't the attitude of the Bible, which is God's Word to us. The Bible attitude is clearly: "NO!" Christians are to be one; just Christians.
Ephesian 4, (read chapter 3 also) says, "...keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body" (church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Oneness, unity, means a great deal to God....and thus, it needs to be important to us. The denominational setup that we men have created is not right, not Biblical, not pleasing to God.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Resurrection
Nothing stands out as the theme of the New Testament like the subject of the resurrection. Jesus taught His disciples that He would have to die and be raised again the third day. And He made sure that they understood that even though He would leave them, they would be resurrected as well; that they would join Him in heaven, "I go to prepare a place for you. and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2,3).
After Jesus leaves this earth to return to heaven to reign over the kingdom, the apostles begin teaching about Jesus. The main point of their teaching is the resurrection. An example of this is Acts 3 where Peter and John healed a lame man. This got them in trouble with the Jewish leaders as we read in Acts 4: "Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead." We find this theme all through the book of Acts...and all through the NT.
Especially note 1Corinthians 15. This whole chapter is emphasizing the resurrection; of Jesus and of us as we pass from this life. Verse 4: "...that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.." Verse 12: "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" And he goes on from here to show that if there is no resurrection from the dead, no life after death, we Christians have nothing except what happens in this life; verse 19: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."
The significant point about Jesus, the proof that He is the Son of God, that what He taught is what we should follow, is that He has power over death. And since He has power over death, He has power over our death; i.e., we don't have to die and be like Rover, "dead all over," but instead, we can live, and live forever! Be sure and read all of 1Corinthians 15 and see this full description of the resurrection process.
Jesus saves. Thank you for reading again. If you are not already a "follower," sign on for automatic notification. And feel the love!
Good reading: http://thepreachersword.com/2012/03/10/what-cancer-cannot-do/
After Jesus leaves this earth to return to heaven to reign over the kingdom, the apostles begin teaching about Jesus. The main point of their teaching is the resurrection. An example of this is Acts 3 where Peter and John healed a lame man. This got them in trouble with the Jewish leaders as we read in Acts 4: "Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead." We find this theme all through the book of Acts...and all through the NT.
Especially note 1Corinthians 15. This whole chapter is emphasizing the resurrection; of Jesus and of us as we pass from this life. Verse 4: "...that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.." Verse 12: "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" And he goes on from here to show that if there is no resurrection from the dead, no life after death, we Christians have nothing except what happens in this life; verse 19: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."
The significant point about Jesus, the proof that He is the Son of God, that what He taught is what we should follow, is that He has power over death. And since He has power over death, He has power over our death; i.e., we don't have to die and be like Rover, "dead all over," but instead, we can live, and live forever! Be sure and read all of 1Corinthians 15 and see this full description of the resurrection process.
Jesus saves. Thank you for reading again. If you are not already a "follower," sign on for automatic notification. And feel the love!
Good reading: http://thepreachersword.com/2012/03/10/what-cancer-cannot-do/
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Lord's Supper/Passover Feast
We read in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. He had gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem with the apostles to partake of the Passover feast. But while doing that He told them that He would be leaving them, and to remember His death through the eating of bread and juice of the vine.
There are 4 places in the Bible where an account of the beginnings of this observance by Jesus and His apostles is given. The first 3 are 2 chapters back from the end of Matthew (chap. 26), Mark (chap. 14), and Luke (chap. 22). Then Paul gives an account in 1Corinthians 11.
The church that I am a part of observes the Lord's Supper every Sunday. The reason for this is that it appears that the early church, the church in the days of the apostles, partook every Sunday. Note Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." Note that the purpose of their coming together was to "break bread;" not to sing, or preach or pray, though these things are valuable. But the primary purpose was to break bread, to partake of the Lord's Supper and to remember His death. It seems that should be our focus today.
Let us be sure that we don't forsake this important remembering of the Lord's sacrifice for us. It was a direct command of Jesus that this be done by His followers...so we know it is important.
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
There are 4 places in the Bible where an account of the beginnings of this observance by Jesus and His apostles is given. The first 3 are 2 chapters back from the end of Matthew (chap. 26), Mark (chap. 14), and Luke (chap. 22). Then Paul gives an account in 1Corinthians 11.
The church that I am a part of observes the Lord's Supper every Sunday. The reason for this is that it appears that the early church, the church in the days of the apostles, partook every Sunday. Note Acts 20:7, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." Note that the purpose of their coming together was to "break bread;" not to sing, or preach or pray, though these things are valuable. But the primary purpose was to break bread, to partake of the Lord's Supper and to remember His death. It seems that should be our focus today.
Let us be sure that we don't forsake this important remembering of the Lord's sacrifice for us. It was a direct command of Jesus that this be done by His followers...so we know it is important.
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Scriptures
The Bible is clear to give us instructions on what our system of beliefs should be based upon today. First we see that Jesus is the initial basis of all authority. Note Matthew 28:18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth..." This is Jesus making just one of His many statements that He is the only way to heaven. But following this, we know that Jesus was not going to stick around for long; He was to leave the earth and ascend into heaven, leaving the apostles to carry on the work. He promised in John 15:26 that He would send the Holy Spirit back to help them. "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
We, of course, do not have Jesus or the apostles today; but we do have the written word the Bible, to guide us. And it is this that we need to follow in order to know the right way. It says in 2Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Paul's instruction to Timothy in the passage above tells us many things; one is that we do not need to expect any latter day revelations. And the Bible, while written by men, is really from God who inspired these men to write...and what to write. Note this verse in 2Peter 1:20, "...no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." So we need to respect the Word of God, and try to live by it, for it is truly His Word.
Thanks for reading again. Keep the faith.
We, of course, do not have Jesus or the apostles today; but we do have the written word the Bible, to guide us. And it is this that we need to follow in order to know the right way. It says in 2Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Paul's instruction to Timothy in the passage above tells us many things; one is that we do not need to expect any latter day revelations. And the Bible, while written by men, is really from God who inspired these men to write...and what to write. Note this verse in 2Peter 1:20, "...no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." So we need to respect the Word of God, and try to live by it, for it is truly His Word.
Thanks for reading again. Keep the faith.
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