The VEXED Soul

 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, "Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me."

 2 Kings 4:27 

Take some time to read this story, it is a telling one. It may seem a little confusing, and it involves Elisha, Gehazi, and a Shunammite woman. I don't know all the ins and outs of the customs of the day, but there are some practical things that are stated in this chapter that we can all learn from

1. Vs.27 (quoted above) Elisha tells Gehazi to leave the woman alone because as the KJV puts it, she is "vexed" in her soul. The ESV quoted above, defines this as in "bitter distress."  We could focus on Elisha's statement, that God had hidden this from him, but if we do, we will miss the point. Whatever is happening to the woman, it is upsetting to her to the point that she is "stressing out" about it.
2. What we might miss, is that in vs.26 when she is directly asked about her state, she maintains “all is well.”  Now, how do we reconcile this with what Vs.27 reveals? Is she adapting the typical human response when asked how we are and we dont' want people to know - we tell them, "I'm ok?" Is she lying? or, has she adapted a frame of mind that even though there are things in life that are stressful and cause us to be troubled, we are "alive and well, therefore it is a good day?"

I will leave it to you to read the chapter and come to your own conclusions. Here is what I do know. Regardless of how bad things are for you, they could be far worse! In our plights of life, we often lose perspective because we get caught up in the stress of the moment and do not take the time to realize that things could be even worse. We don't take the time to realize that even though things are bad, I may be suffering, hurting crying - I have life and I have God - ALL IS WELL. 

On Nov.2, 1873, a ship called Villa de Havre (1) collided with another ship and sank within

Ville de Havre

twelve minutes. Three hundred and thirteen passengers were on board, among which were Rufus Wheeler Peckham a congressman and judge from New York. Hamilton Murray and his sister, for whom the Hamilton Murray Theater at Princeton is named. Lesser known, was the wife of a man, Horatio Spafford, Anna and their four daughters. Anna survived the wreck, but the four daughters did not. Anna was found unconscious, floating on a plank. Picked up by the crew of the Loch Earn, she was carried to Cardiff, Wales in the UK where she then sent telegram to her husband who could not join them on the trip, "Saved alone....what shall I do..."  Horatio Spafford who was in Chicago, left immediately to join to his wife in Cardiff. On the Atlantic, the Captain of the ship called Spafford to the bridge, where he told him that they were passing over the place where his daughters had drowned. He wrote to Anna's half-sister, "On Thursday we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, three miles deep. But, I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs."  It would be later, that Spafford would write what would become a well known hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul."  Phillip Bliss originally composed the music to the song, that was originally called, "Ville de Havre." But the cry of the song was so great, that it became known by the title which it now bears.

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul!"  

So, no matter what they cry, what the sorrow, plague, hurt, torment, stress of life, know this. It could be worse. If nothing else today, know that God has looked upon your helpless estate and given you a pearl of great price. You can languish in your circumstance, or you can understand, that even if you die today, if you are in Christ you have everything. What is worse? Not the circumstance you find yourself in, but to for you to allow that circumstance to keep you from seeing the one most valuable thing in front of you. The estate of your soul now and in eternity.

Jim

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FOOTNOTES

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ville_du_Havre 

Was Jesus made Divine by Humans? Part 2

The last article brought us in text to an accumulation of letters written by Paul, discovered in

Engraving of Polycarp

1937 and having been written around 175 A.D. In particular, the letter of Paul to the Phillippians was penned by Paul around 62 A.D. was quoted by Polycarp who lived in the latter half of the second century, quoting from the Philippians text of Ph'p.2:7-10, just as we have it in our bibles today. This tells us that the text of this was unaltered from the time that Paul penned it. In it, he says that, "So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!" Php 2:10,11.

So, we have seen that the concept that Jesus was and is Divine was not something promoted simply by the Council of Nicea in 321 under Constantine. The Council therefore adapted a "tenet" that Jesus was the "true Son of God" ergo divine, therefore as with Php.2:7-10 He was God. It was not the Council that made Him God, but they were simply agreeing with what was already in the scripture of that day (300's A.D.) and putting down an argument they considered to be in controversy to that.  However, the next dart thrown, is that Jesus was made divine by Paul. The proposition is that Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus), who was a Jewish scholar at one point, became corrupted by the Greek polytheistic influences that he encountered and resulting from that he began to proclaim Jesus as Divine or God. This is supposedly in opposition to the original disciples/apostles who lived with and followed Jesus who claimed him to be the "Messiah" - not God.

Did the disciples/apostles (excluding Paul) proclaim Jesus as divine? 

Well, it is interesting that if we isolate certain things in the New Testament from others, we can make the apostles say anything that we want to. We need to remember that taking things in context here is going to be crucial. Another thing to take in mind, is that the things we see these men saying in the beginning of the gospels, are made in more mature statements by much older men by the time we get to their letters in the New Testament. That said, let's begin in the beginning - with the Gospels.

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), containing narratives from the life of Jesus through His resurrection and ascension. A significant fact in dating these particular books, is a historical event, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus foretold of this event (Mt.24), and the fact that this event is not included or mentioned outside of Jesus' prediction suggests their writing was before that date.  Matthew (originally in Aramaic or Hebrew) has dates ranging between 40-140 A.D. However as it was quoted by Iraneus in

Iraneus of Lyons

115 A.D. we know that it had to be written before then, and with no mention of the Temple's destruction outside of Jesus' prediction in Mt.24 gives us a rounded date of around 50 A.D.  Mark also, is supposed to have been written within 5 years prior to Matthew. While Mark was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus' life. He was a disciple of Peter and it is suggested that it was Peter who informed Mark of the life of Christ and guided him in writing the Gospel known by his name.  Luke also was not a direct disciple of Jesus, but a convert and partner with Paul. He was a physician and also a historian. Luke was written before the book of Acts and Acts does not mention "Nero's persecution of the Christians in A.D. 64 or the deaths of James (A.D. 62), Paul (A.D. 64), and Peter (A.D. 65). John's gospel is the only one of the four, which the date is uncertain. We know the Revelation (also penned by John supposedly near the end of the first century after the Temple's destruction) and it is assumed the gospel was written around the same timeframe. 

Did they simply proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, or did they - He proclaim himself to be divine?  Peter's statement in Mat 16:16 is a key one, "Simon Peter spoke up, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."  Not only does Peter state that Jesus is the Messiah (Anointed One of God), but he includes in this statement, "Son of the Living God."  He literally declares Jesus to be the Offspring of God - of God, i.e., Divine. What is also significant, is that Jesus in none of the gospels repudiates Peter for making this statement.   In Matt 14:33 after calming the storm on Galilee the statement "And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Same as in Mt.16 and prior to Mt.16, where again the exclamation is made that they considered Him not just "Messiah," but Divine - God!  Again, the statement is not repudiated. One other key instance, is

Fragment  of Gospel of Mark

recorded in Mark 9:7,8 where Jesus is transfigured on the mountain. Peter, James, and John are there and the record states, " And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only." So, if only the four of them were there, and Jesus is transfigured, who is the voice coming from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son"?  If we take this to be God speaking, saying "This is my beloved Son" then what does that tell you? It's not Peter, James, John, any of the apostles or Paul and definitely not the Nicean Council.  Perhaps the most significant of the gospels exclaiming that Jesus is Divine and God, is the gospel of John. The entire gospel is devoted to and presents this as a physically witnessed fact that "...the Word WAS God.....the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  It is also presented to an audience that lived during the time of the events, and to those who were aware of the events about which John writes.

In our previous article, we have seen that the presentation of Jesus as divine, was not something made up by the Nicean Council. They believed it, but their declaration was based on belief and teaching that existed before they did, and it was in effort to squelch those who were teaching the opposite as "doctrine." To say that Paul was the one who made Jesus divine is another straw being grasped by those who have not seriously handled the scriptures with any depth. Yes, Paul does believe, preach, and proclaim that Jesus is Divine - the Son of God!  What is interesting to me, is that Paul came to this conclusion on his own  (Acts 9:6; 26:16) without the help of the other apostles, who even considered him a threat in the beginning. But, the teaching that Jesus was Divine, the Son of God, is as we have seen, inherent in the Gospels themselves. It is presented and proclaimed by those who were the initial disciples of Jesus, as well as presented outside of them. In fact, the conclusion the gospels expect you to reach after reading the accounts and weighing the events and history, is that Jesus is not only the Messiah/Christ, He is indeed the Son of the Living God!

Next to consider in this, is whether the Old Testament scriptures present the Messiah as one who would be Divine? Or was the Messiah just going to be another human leader that would make Israel victorious? Have we misunderstood God altogether?  Check out the blog next week!

Jim

Was Jesus made divine by humans?

A recent discussion that I had was interesting, where the question arose as to whether Jesus is/was "God" or he was made divine by Paul or by the Council of Nicea formed under Constantine. This has been a huge debate among many for years.  Jesus said , "During this very night, all of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' (Mat 26:31) and this was to his own disciples. So, doubting Him, was something that even Jesus said would happen.The question is, whether the hypothesis presented is true. Was Jesus made divine by humans, did He claim to be divine, and then finally WAS He divine.

Needless to say, this is not something that can be diligently considered in one article, so I am going to try to approach this in several different articles. As such, I encourage you to follow them. This particular article will center on whether His disciples or Paul made Him Divine, or was it the Council of Nicea under Constantine that made Jesus divine.

The Council of Nicea in 321, arose partially because of what was known of as the Arian

controversy. Arius was a "presbyter" in Alexandria, who because of disputes over the words "begotten," "born" "created," "essence," "substance," nature," and "person" began to postulate that The Father alone was divine and since Jesus was "born" of a human mother he could not be divine or God.  The majority of the council argued against this, stating that the scriptures clearly stated Jesus' divinity therefore Arius' argument was rejected. The Council therefore adapted a "tenet" that Jesus was the "true Son of God" ergo divine, therefore as with Php.2:7-10 He was God. It was not the Council that made Him God, but they were simply agreeing with what was already in the scripture of that day (300's A.D.) and putting down an argument they considered to be in controversy to that. 

This brings us to another consideration in this, what were the scriptures between the first and third centuries?  It is a foregone conclusion, that the Old Testament as we have it in our own bibles today, was in existence even in the time of Jesus, and was quoted by Jesus and his Disciples in the New Testament. There were even Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek versions of the Old Testament that existed and were quoted within the time frame of the first century. But what about the New Testament (33 A.D.-100 A.D.)?  There has been much controversy over this as well, as well as many spurious books that came up in the latter first century through fourth centuries. All making their claim for a position to be recognized as "true" scripture. So, this section will deal with how do we establish the books of the New Testament and the second part of this shall be do they proclaim Jesus as God or divine.

What is called by scholars as the "canon" of the New Testament, are the 26 books or letters

that we have assembled in our bibles today. This was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of the Year 692, although it was universally accepted in the mid 300's to be the most accurate records of Jesus and his apostles. The "original" letters written by the apostles (gospels and letters) have not been authenticated of found. What we do have though are copies written by fellow Christians so that they could be circulated among the numerous churches of the day. The latest substantial find was in 2008, when 47 new manuscripts were discovered in Albania; at least seventeen of these were unknown to Western scholars. In 1937 a manuscript containing the majority of the letters written by Paul were discovered and are on display at housed in part at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland. While the earliest manuscript is dated to 175 A.D., it is interesting that Polycarp (69-156 AD) quoted from 2 Thessalonians, Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke, Acts of the Apostles, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Epistle to the Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, 3 John. Paul is said to have  penned the letter to the Philippians in 62 A.D. which is only 29 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and Polycarp is quoting this in the mid First Century. What is the point of all of this tracking and dating?  It shows that the text of Php.2:7-10 existed in the form that we have it without change or alteration. So it wasn't the Nicean Council that was proclaiming Jesus as God, they were quoting Paul who penned it in 62 A.D.

Now we come to another argument raised, that it was Paul that made Jesus "divine" and that before Paul neither Jesus or his apostles taught such. That - we shall examine in the next article. 

Jim

Money Changers In The Temple

Now days before the crucifixion and coming resurrection, Jesus has arrived at the Temple riding on the foal of a Donkey to the lauds and praise of the crowd. Already in motion, is the plot to “silence” him. This is not his first trip to the Temple, he has done so before.  On that occasion (John 2:13-25), Jesus saw things in the Temple that were wrong and not seeing the religious authorities doing anything about it, Jesus chased the perpetrators out.  Money Changers, people engaged in currency exchange and animals and birds that were for sale to those coming to Jerusalem to worship (John 2:16; Matthew 21:12). Now he enters the Temple again, and once again sees these same events (Matt.21:12-13; Mk. 11:15-18; Lke. 19:45-48). Now for a second time, Jesus chases these people out of the Temple.

In our world today, especially if we are not acquainted with the traditions, the Biblical Law and matters, we might wonder what the big deal is. Let’s look at some things together:

1.    

 

    The temple, or the area being spoken of here is the “hieron,” in the outer courtyard. Not the sanctuary where only priests were allowed (the naos). This is commonly called the Court of the Gentiles as seen in the picture above.  According to Jewish tradition the Messiah will enter Jerusalem from the east. Jesus entered Jerusalem through the East gate (also referred to as the Golden Gate) as he came down from the Mount of Olives and entered the Temple (Lke 19:28-48)

     Money changers. Foreign money (Roman currency, Greek Currency etc.) was not allowed to be offered in the Temple. As such, the money had to be changed into the half-shekel of Hebrew currency. This would necessitate “money changers,” or what would be like an ancient ATM where you could exchange one country’s currency for another.  Ferrell Jenkins in his Travel Blog points out that it is generally held that the coin used by the Jews for the temple tax was the Tyre shekel, which after 19 B.C. was most likely minted in Jerusalem (cf. Hendin, Guide to Biblical Coins, 175). Alfred Edersheim, who wrote a book on The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, pointed out that the total sum derived annually from the Temple tribute was large.  

What was so wrong with this? Jesus exclaimed a quote from Isaiah, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers (Lk.19:46)." How so?  The act of the money changers in the Temple was a profanity of the Temple itself. The Temple was a house of Worship and prayer and the religious authorities had allowed merchants to come in and make what was to be a joyful experience, a solemn, prayerful and insightful experience into something of hardship and commerce.  They were a den of robbers because they were gouging people in the exchange of coinage and offering purchase of sacrificial animals at exorbitant rates. A lot like going to a theater today and having to pay $5 for a $1 cola.  

There are several warnings here. 

1. First, is that God’s assemblies, churches, temples are NEVER to be places where usury, or commerce. God’s house is always a place of worship, prayer, and communing with God.  
2. Second, man does not have authority to make God’s house something it is not. When we do, we face the wrath of God.

We would do well to heed these warnings, and work toward making worship the spiritual experience and learning that it was always meant to be.

Jim

Throw Up - Sometimes It's the Best Thing

“You must also rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

Col. 3:8

Notice the word RID here. In the original language it means to put away from, throw away, be rid of, divest yourself of, PURGE! That’s strong language.  It has the same connotation as your stomach throwing up something that is sour, spoiled or poison.  Now notice what Paul says to throw up from your life as a Godly person. Anger, Rage, Malice, Slander, Filthy Language.

We all have a certain amount of emotional energy. In conversations involving conflict, you can use the energy to fix blame or to resolve the problem.  One, looks for an excuse, ANY excuse not to have to deal with the issue.  It will always be someone else, something else and never what I can do. It will never look for a solution because it is too busy trying feel important, blame others, blame things, blame situations – never look for ways to resolve or reconcile issues. So you've got to ask yourself what’s more important, to blame the other person or to resolve the conflict. Too often we choose the former because we feel it is easier.  It is a product of our society today – why fix something? Just go get a new one. However, that is not so easy when others feelings, emotions, - SOULS are at stake

.

So, let’s consider Paul’s advice.  As a Christian, especially in conflicts there are things I need to throw away from me.

1. ANGER – the word here is the word from which we get passion, however here it is violent passion.  The idea is that we all know what it takes to set us off, or set something off. When in conversations with others that we know are going to be emotional – GET RID of anger before the conversation starts, or reschedule the conversation for another time when you can keep things under control.  Prov.17:14, “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”
2. RAGE – the word here again is passion, but it is used in the sense of the fierceness of a bull.  Other places in the Bible this is called “Gnashing of Teeth” when used in proximity to anger. Here Paul is using it in connection with anger as the two are cousins. When anger is chronic in your life, RAGE is not far behind. Rage is the out of control part of anger, and has no place in someone who seeks peace. To be a peacemaker you have to have the mind of God, and you can’t have that if you are given to rage.  Mat 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
3. MALICE - is the vice which lies below anger and wrath, as a root or spring.  That is because this word rather than emotion, is directly associated with my intent.  It is one thing to be angry, another to fly into a fit of rage on an occasion. But to deliberately do either is malice and speaks to forethought. It is what leads to murder.  It has NO good in it and if you are harboring it, you are harboring Satan in your heart and not God.
4. SLANDER – The word here in the original language is blasphemy, as used in the since of vilifying someone. Saying things to make the other person look bad, lay blame, fault etc. Its brother is malice, because to do this involves forethought. Gossip is the 2^nd cousin as is backbiting. They all hang around together. This and its cousins were what drove the nails in Jesus’ hands.
5. FILTHY LANGUAGE - “abusive conversation.” This involves quite a few things, especially as borrowed from the above. The emphasis is that the language is intended to “abuse” rather than just be polluting. This is made likely by the words in context, anger, rage, malice, et.al. It is the same thing that Peter does in the courtyard while Jesus is undergoing his trial. He allows his language and oaths to become base and abusive so as to sound like the crowd and not be associated with Jesus. When we do it, it is the same.

The reason we need to focus ridding our lives and hearts of these things, is that they are all a form of judging. You’re not the judge. You can’t figure out anybody else’s motivation on anything, we don’t know our own motivations most of the time! Only God knows and only He can be the judge. We need to “..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Ph’p.2:12)” and work on getting ungodly habits and things out of our own lives before we try to get something out of someone else’s. 

Jim

Herding Cats and Managing Chaos

I had a fun discussion this past week, with someone about their position in management. Their summation of their job was "trying to manage chaos."  A most interesting description, almost like one I heard just recently when a person muttered that what they did was like trying to herd cats.

Life is a confusing thing and definitely not for wimps. It has many challenges and sometimes the directions are not certain.  And sometimes, reading the manual doesn't help.  I got an item just recently that came with "assembly" instructions, that may as well have bee written by someone trying to create a crossword puzzle. I had chaos in front of me and part 2A looked almost identical to part 10c and the diagram was so small, that you couldn't tell what went where.

We all face dead ends at times, whether financial, emotional, or everyday life. We're not certain where to turn, what decision to make, etc.  Prov.3:5,6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  We must learn that trusting God is the best way, even if we cannot always see the outcome and are not sure within ourselves.  We must stick to what we know to be true (1 Pet.3:13) and trust God to reveal to us the rest in His own time and according to His own will.

Sometimes, understanding is not a requirement for us to start down the path God lays out for us. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter till the full light of day.” (NIV)  We may not even understand until we make it to eternity. But the events, circumstances, and happenings in my life are not coincidence, chance or "luck." We are where we are, doing what we are doing for a reason. One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you and then state, "ah...now I understand."

In the meantime, be patient. God knows what He’s doing and part of your circumstance is to see if you trust God in this. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result, you cannot. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays—all the things that make you ask “why”—one day will all be clear in the light of God’s love. Until then, "Psa 23:4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Jim 

Dying on The Vine

Many over the years, have misunderstood what "church" is. Unfortunately, through abuse of the term, the idea of the "church" as God planned it has become many things, from a philosophy, culture, civil government, and even a business. None of these are what God intended. God intended his church to be three things - 

1. The body of His Son (1 Cor.12:27; Col.1:13-18)  
2. His administrator and ambassador of His message to the world (Eph.3:1-11) 
3. A fellowship of believers, encouraging one another toward the prize in Christ (Eph.3:1-11; 1 Cor.1:9; Ph'p.1:5; 1 Jn.1:3)

This "fellowship" is a partnership, a union and joining to which we are connected by Christ. It is the one place where of all places we should see God's will being done. The fellowship of God's church is provided to encourage us to fulfill our calling to serve others in practical ways. This is what Paul told the Corinthians, "Now you together constitute the body of the Messiah, and individually you are parts of it  (1Cor 12:27 )." He informed the Ephesians, "from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Eph.4:16)."  

Your service, participation, being part of this fellowship is essential to the Body of Christ. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters - even the smallest part.  There are many things that are seen within the church, and just as many if not more that are hidden behind the scenes, but all are valuable and ALL important. 

What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick and the rest of your body suffers, aches, hurts, or in some way misses what the other part supplied.  What happens if for instance your heart decided to start living for itself: -- “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.”  What would happen? Your body would die.

Today churches are dying because of Christians who are either unwilling to serve, or are just plain stubborn and don't want to. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and watch while the Body of CHRIST suffers. So, here are a couple of thoughts for us all to consider.

1. It is God who calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. He created YOU for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for you to do (see Ephesians 2:10). If you're not listening to this call, it is to Him you shall have to answer, not to anyone else. Are you sure you want to do that?

2.) Whenever you serve others, you are serving God (Mt.25:40). If you are not....well you supply the answer.  (Hint - read vs.44,45)  Are you sure you want to be on that side of the fence?

3.) Withholding your fellowship and participation hurts only yourself. Heb.10:25 is often quoted in places like this, to remind us that every one's presence is a special and important thing ..to everyone, including God. Yes, the body does suffer because we withhold our fellowship and participation. But, God's Church will survive.  However, to abandon my fellowship, ignore participating, or neglect that...is to neglect God.  Is that something that you want to do?

Jim

"Used gods"

"We Sell Used Gods"

This was the headline on a Tweet I received from out of the blue. I had to do a double take -- 0_o  Then I laughed.  Let's remember, Act 17:29  Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 

God's Call

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call." 

Joel 2:32

Salvation - plainly put, is of God. It is not man, nor by the will of men! It is by the sheer will and grace of God (Eph.2:8). Personally, I am glad. No one can dictate my salvation except myself and God. No one except God's Son (Heb.9:15; 12:24) can stand between me and God at anytime for any reason.

It’s very important to understand though, that in any rescue operation, the rescuer gets to determine means and method of the rescue. You and I do not get to determine how we are saved. God has placed this authority in His Son only.  "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col.1:18-20)."  Jesus said, "I am the way…. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Jesus doesn’t say he’s a good way, or a nice way, or even the best way because there are many ways. He says, “I am THE way..."  If there was an alternate way, another way, another savior besides Jesus, then God wouldn’t have sent Him to die for you. How cruel would it have been to have Jesus go through all the suffering and pain of the cross, only to have God say - "Sorry...there's also this way and this way, and this prophet and that guru that can get you here too!"  We know that this is NOT what the scriptures teach! If you’re going to be saved and have all your sins forgiven, there’s only one way it will happen, and there’s only one person you can call on … Jesus.

Many will fuss at this, many like those who have gone before will downright refuse it. Yet, this does not negate what God has said.  "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Heb.1:1,2)" You have the right and the freedom to choose another way, another shepherd, another Savior. Yet again, hear what God says,   "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.(Jn.10:1-3)." 

So, maybe its time to ask yourself - Are you following the right Shepherd? If you feel that you are not, can I introduce you to Jesus?

Jim

God had it right all along!

God had it right all along!

Daniel Dennett, is one of the ’4 Horsemen’ of what is called the New Atheism. He recently delivered a lecture on a post-religious world. He outlined his ‘end of religion’ thesis and his vision of a (better) world free of its restrictions, guilt, irrationality, hypocrisy, and xenophobic hatreds. What became interesting, is while proclaiming with utter certainty the end of all religion, is a very religious atheist indeed. As his lecture continued, his statement sounded more and more like listening to a rather optimistic, naive, kind-hearted yet legalistic preacher. Here are some of the highlights of his talk:

• Moral Behavior: the entire thrust of his talk was an exhortation to good and decent and moral behavior. These are the sorts of values that should shape our behavior and our world, let’s commit to and work for them.
• Note from Jim GOD SAID - Lev 19:18; Mt.22:39 "Don't take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself"
• Mission: he talked of the need to build a missionary movement. Let’s take the secular good news out to the world and make it a better place. His closing words were ‘Let’s do it’. The good news bit was negative – the end of all religion.
• Note from Jim GOD SAID - Matt 28:19,20 "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world."
• Worship: he wanted to inspire us with hymns and get us emotionally inspired, excited, joyful and happy.
• Note from Jim GOD SAID - Eph 5:19 "When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart."
• Community: Dennett offered the vision of democratic networks emerging of people working towards a common vision of improving the world. He even suggested that this new atheist movement might consider buying defunct churches in which to meet (he didn’t say what they would do there. Sing atheist songs?).
• Note from Jim GOD SAID Act 20:7 "On the first day of the week we met to break bread together."
• Eschatological Hope: his whole lecture was built around a narrative of hope – a future vision of a better world (without religion) to inspire us to work passionately in the here and now to bring it about.
• Note from Jim - GOD SAID Gal 5:5 "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness."
• Doctrine of Man: Dennett has great faith in humankind. He asserted (while also describing himself as an ‘objective engineer’ of the human consciousness) that ‘People just want to be good.’ Wow.
• Note from Jim - GOD SAID Pro 20:24 "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? "

The above is recorded by Patrick Mitchell in Ireland on his Blog - FaithInIreland (with the exception of the GOD SAID portions inserted by yours truly). I thought it amusing that here is an atheist (someone who denies the existence of God), extolling the values and principles that Christianity has been promoting for more than 2000 years and the Bible since the beginning of man. Seems like God had it right all along!

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;

but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Rom 1:21

Jim

Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone

Matt. 4:3,4: Lk.4:3,4

And when the tempter (The Devil) came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (that proceeds out of the mouth of God.")

This passage has always fascinated me, ever since I began studying the Bible. The temptation to command the stones be made bread is one that to the common person makes sense. You're hungry, so why not eat. After all, you've been in the wilderness, fasted a very long time and after all, you have the power to do it. So, why not? After all, IF you are the Son of God then you should be able to.

Jesus answers this by quoting the sum of Deut.8:1-3 ""Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (that proceeds out of the mouth of God.")."

Let's look further at Deut.8:1-3. Deuteronomy was written to the 2nd generation of Israel to come out of Egypt. The children and grandchildren of the original group that came out of the Exodus.

"All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD."

This was a reminder to them to remember God and what God had done and provided for them in His grace over the years that they had wandered in the wilderness. To remember that there is a difference between NEED and WANT, and that just because I WANT something does not make it God's Will that I get it or have it. Whether we wish to admit it or not, our existence itself is by the sheer will of God. Neh.9:6 states, "You alone are the LORD, Creator of the heavens and all the stars, Creator of the earth and those who live on it, Creator of the ocean and all its creatures. You are the source of life (AMP You preserve them all, NASB You give life to all of them, YLT Thou art keeping all of them alive) praised by the stars that fill the heavens."

Thus, for me to state that I WANT something, without considering God's Will in it, is a foolish thing. There isn't anything that I have, that God has NOT provided. Air to breath, food to eat, shelter over my head, my health, etc. One might try to argue, that these are man's to do with what he wants. Heb.1:3 states, "upholding all that exists by his powerful word.." Once again, if God upholds ALL that exists, then doesn't it make sense that I should consider what HE wants me to do in all things?

Jesus responds to Satan, that man doesn't live by bread alone. He lives by God's will and as such, should live by the words which God has spoken (Heb.1:1-3; Jn.12:48). We should remember every day all that God has done for us, brought to us, given to us and in thanks - live by the Word that He in His Grace has also given us.

Next time, we'll explore further into these text and responses to see what else we can learn.

Jim

Does God want us to cast our burdens on Him even if their burdens we have created?

Does God want us to cast our burdens on Him even if their burdens we have created?

The passage referred to is 1 Pet.5:7. Study of the context of the passage will tell us what we should know...

1Pe 5:6-8 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up. Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you. Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The first thing you notice, is the passage refers to humility. Defined, this is is the quality of being modest, reverential, even politely submissive, and never being arrogant, contemptuous. The passage beckons us to humble ourselves before God. So, in first response to your question, if the situation is one that I have created, it would depend upon my attitude. Is my attitude one of "Hey God - Guess what, I'm here again. Now get down here and help me out" -- then the answer to my prayer and behest of God is going to be a flat NO! Because until I learn humility, "God opposes the arrogant, but to the humble he gives grace." James 4:6

If my attitude is, "not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God! Have mercy on me, sinner that I am!' (Lke.1813), then the answer would be yes, God would look upon my anxiety and strive to help and be gracious.

The second part to this, is that God does care for us, even when we walk into the devil's jaws. He does not promise us that we will not be hurt, suffer consequences, or even have to wallow in the manure of sin for a while before we come to understand what God offers and that what He offers is not to be taken for granted (Lk.15:11-32)

Third - Notice vs.8. Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Sober here means just that - the opposite of drunk! Not drunk as in intoxicated, but to keep my mind clear at all times. To not allow my thinking to become mottled with intoxicants, life, sin, or anything else that will cause me to drop my guard. Because when I do, that is when Satan will attack and temptation will be least likely to be resisted. I am to stay alert so that I can see what is going on around me at all times, and so that I can see clearly the dangers in front of me and avoid them. It doesn't take too many times stubbing toes in the dark and running headlong into sharp cornered furniture in the dark to realize that it is better to navigate the room with the light on.

We are all prodigal sons at some point, gathered all together, and taking our journeys into a far country, and there wasted our substance and ourselves with riotous and reckless living. It is the HUMBLE, that come to their senses, realize what they have given up, what they have done, and returning to their Father. These are the ones that God seeks.

On The Cause of Pain and Suffering

I had a friend write me recently and ask the following question, "... why do we pray and ask Him (God)to protect us and keep us from harm and to take care of our loved ones...if He does not heal us then why do we pray for Him to heal?"

This is a good question. God's plan for us all along is to make us Holy, so that we can have the fellowship and relationship that he has designed for us from the beginning. It is we who have made a mess of things, not Him. So, we need to remember (because we were the ones that messed things up) …

• That Holiness comes before personal happiness.
• That making us Holy is hard work for God and for us

That said, man often understands and preaches that misunderstanding and makes the mistake of underestimating the energy and nature of UNHOLINESS in the human heart. God is love (1 Jn.4:8), but while there is the goodness of God, there is also the severity (Rom.11:22) of that love.

God loved the people of Israel when be brought them out of Egypt and set their direction for the Promised Land. When they started out (as Numbers indicates) there were 603,550 men (not including women, children and elderly), but when they get to the brink of the Promised Land 603,548 of them don't make it. In their hearts, they became presumptuous and unbelieving. They never looked into their own hearts, and they wouldn't believe that God could overcome EVERY problem including their own presumption and unbelief (Heb.3:12-19). What does all of this teach us?

1. That God hates sin and will punish the sinner.
2. That everything in us that is bad, God destroys in order to bring out and release in us what is good.
3. Goodness is in us because God put it there and revealed it by His Son.

How does that apply to the question? Bad things happen to us in life, not BECAUSE of what God has done, but because of what WE do or have done, or others like us have done. When a person such as you that has had cancer, goes to a doctor - the doctor did not cause the cancer. It is sin that has brought the consequence of human decay and disease into the world, because MAN chose to eat of the fruit in the Garden (Gen.3:3,6). God cannot "coddle" us any more than a good surgeon could coddle the cancer in a patient. However, just as a surgeon can remove the cancer, so God can remove and purify that which keeps us from eternal life.

The world's way of thinking assumes that life should be more comfortable and much easier, and if it isn't, then it must be God's fault because He made it all. Just like Israel in the wandering, they forget that God didn't make it that way! Man's choice did. Man made the mess, and then we want God to clean it up.

Why then do we pray and ask Him to protect us and keep us from harm and to take care of our loved ones...if He does not heal us then why do we pray for Him to heal?

Because like Job, we feel that we did not warrant what happens to us and that I shouldn't suffer because of someone else's wrong. We feel that we deserve an answer from God, and that the answer should be what WE want.

• We ask God to keep us from harm - Jesus taught that we should pray " lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Mt.6:13)
• We ask to God take care of our loved ones à Jesus taught that we should pray " Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Mt.6:10)

Once Job understood this, read Job 42:1-6.

If He does not heal us then why do we pray for Him to heal?

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

God will often make these the means of recovery; but there just as often cases where faith and prayer are both ineffectual - because God sees it will be prejudicial to the patient’s salvation or spiritual growth to be restored (2 Cor.12:8,9). Faith and prayer on such occasions should be that if it is best for God's glory, and the eternal good of that person's soul, then let him be restored. This goes back to Matt.6:10, that we should submit all things, prayer and faith to God's will, and not presuppose that what I want is the will of God.

There is much to human suffering and pain, yet, it is a mistake to blame God. It is our mess and our (mankind's) own doing. We should appreciate as did Job, when he came to understand ,that God looks upon us with grace and mercy even though we do not deserve it.

BOOK REVIEW: The Shack by William P. Young

The Shack: William P Young
http://theshackbook.com/

My wife and I read this to one another, and WOW! Normally I don't get "involved" in books like this, but as soon as I started reading, we were hooked.

If you're reading this for the first time, there are some things in this book that are different, but my encouragement to you is stay with it and read it through. You will be the better for it. There are definitely some things in this book that the author deals with on a very personal level and definitely some things that will make you take a look at yourself deeply. One thing that I got out of the book, is not to put your concept of God, nor your thinking of God in a box.

I think that this is a book, that the outcome of the book and the impact will be different, depending upon the person reading it. I was talking with a friend the other day, who didn't have the same reaction that I had to it, but then I spoke with another who came away breath taken.
So...all I can encourage you to do is buckle up and read. Try not to do so with preconceived prejudices. Then...sit down and talk with God about yourself when you get done.

Am I going to tell you what it is about? Its about a visit to "The Shack" Maybe we all need to go to "The Shack" sometimes. I know I do.

Resolutions

RESOLUTIONS – Is Reading the Bible One of Yours?

Started thinking about New Year’s resolutions yet? Something that we resolve many times is that I want to be a “better Christian.” Yet, do we spend the time doing the things that help facilitate being a better Christian? Have you ever read the Bible through? Have you ever spent time just studying some of what the Bible says, in depth – just you and God?

· Nothing will foster interest in the Bible more than reading it. It is exciting, stimulating and challenging, nourishing the soul as nothing else can! (John 8:31f; 10:10; 15:1-8,10) To live it, we must read it. Make your aim to spend quality time in God’s Word each day this year!

· The Bereans in Acts really something. Receiving the message they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11). Their desire for truth reflected a genuine interest on their part in God’s Word and what God had to say on a subject! We should not simply pass over those hard to understand passages. We should study them out! Dust off the dictionaries and look up those obscure words. Make comparisons of translations. Ask questions—lots of questions. Most importantly, pray that God will give you wisdom and spiritual insight so that you might see wonderful things in His word (Psalm 119:18). The deeper we dig the more engrossed we become and the more interested we are.

· Reading the Bible through is certainly a worthwhile goal. As we’ve seen in our study of the Post Exile return and rebuilding of the Temple, the manner in which the books are arranged can be confusing. One way to see the biblical story unfold is to read The Bible in Chronological Order. If you need help with this, get with me and I can get you recommendations on Daily Reading Lists, or Chronological Bibles that can help with understanding.

· Application of the Bible to our lives is our primary reason for reading. It is much better to read, study and apply one verse than to skim through chapter after chapter for the umpteenth time. The Word of God serves as the lamp to our feet and light to our path. (Psalm 119:105.) Each time we open our Bibles, we should be asking: What has God revealed about Himself in this text? What does God require of me? We should read the Bible with keen interest and a firm resolve to live into God’s will!

Let one of your resolutions this year be to become a diligent reader of God’s word. You won’t be sorry that you did (2 Tim.2:15).

Jim