For Christians Struggling with Sin | Parchment and Pen

For Christians Struggling with Sin | Parchment and Pen

by C Michael PattonMay 9th, 2011

For those of you who, like me, struggle daily not only with sin, but with the “How-Can-I-As-A-Christian-Still-Struggle-With-Sin” thing, find encouragement in Stedman’s Authentic Christianity. Specifically from a section entitled “The Battle Already Won”:

“Since we can live only in one area of relationships of our life at any given moment, it is evident that we can be in a Spirit-controlled area one moment and in a flesh-dominated area the next. This is why we can be a great person to live with one minute (delightful, because we are in the Spirit) and then a moment later some old habit of the flesh reasserts itself and we are right back in our old covenant behavior—harsh, nasty, or cruel. When we become aware of those feelings within, we know we will lose our Christian reputation if we are allowed to show, so we snatch an evangelical veil and hide the fading glory.

But how encouraging to know that the Spirit will never give up the battle! He seeks in a thousand ways to invade each separate relationship of the soul, and gradually He is doing so—sometimes faster, as we yield to him; sometimes very slowly, as we resist and cling to our veils. The more we work and live with the face of Jesus clearly in view, the more quickly we find each area of our life being changed into His likeness” (102-103).

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By C Michael Patton in Christian Life, Grace on May 9, 2011

New photos of the pinnacle of the temple | Ferrell's Travel Blog

New photos of the pinnacle of the temple | Ferrell's Travel Blog

New photos of the pinnacle of the temple

by Ferrell Jenkins - Posted on May 9, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| Leave a comment

A few months ago we wrote about the pinnacle of the temple here and here. At that time I included comments by William Barclay, Benjamin Mazar, William Hendriksen, and Josephus, Leen Ritmeyer, and Mackowski.

Today I made a new photo of the southeast corner of the Herodian temple precinct.

The southeast corner of the temple precinct. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Here is a new photo of the southwest corner of the temple precinct. Notice the people at the bottom of the photo.

Southwest corner of the Herodian temple precinct. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; (Luke 4:9 NAU)

See also Matthew 4:5

Words of Wisdom Heal

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 

Romans 14:19 

It goes without saying, that God wants us to build one another up.  In fact, the word used for "build one another up" comes from a root word meaning "architecture."  It is the supporting structure attached to the foundation (Christ) that keeps everything together. It carries the idea of strengthening one another, to make one another more able to face the challenges of living.    Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(Ph'p.3:14)" To complete the course we need encouragement to keep running, to keep pursuing!  Young, old, we are in the race together. There will be people that will drop out, walk out, and fall out. While we wish that this would not happen, it does. But, we can minimize this by being there for one another and helping to be someone's strength when they have need.  The writer of Hebrews states,  “Encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25, NIV).

God does this for us. He “supports us in every hardship, so that we are able to come to the support of others, in every hardship of theirs because of the encouragement that we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:14). In the same way, God wants us be patient with one another, supportive of one another. Even after we grow close enough to each other to learn one another’s quirks and annoying little habits, we still stick by each other’s side. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love” (Eph 4:2).

Is there someone who could use your encouragement today? Don’t wait until later! Encourage them now. This is vital, because they may not be here to run the race tomorrow. Your words of encouragement may be just what they need to make it another day!  So, today you have a choice. Will you build up? Or will you tear down?

Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal . ~ Pro 12:18    

Jim

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there! From the Spiritual Forge!

Visiting Nebi Samwil (Prophet Samuel) | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Visiting Nebi Samwil (Prophet Samuel) | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Posted on May 7, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| Leave a comment

There was some rain in Jerusalem sometime between the time we returned from the airport and the time we got up. When we went out we noticed that a cold front had come in and the entire day was much cooler than it had been earlier in the week. This made the sky more clear with beautiful clouds.

We could see Nebi Samwil (Prophet Samuel) from our hotel window. This is a site suggested as the location of Mizpah by some scholars. Others suggest Tell en-Nasbeh, a mound located at Al Bira in the West Bank.

Samuel, the last judge of Israel, called all of the people of Israel to Mizpah and judged them (1 Samuel 7:5-6). Samuel also anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel at Mizpah (1 Samuel 10:1). Mizpah became the headquarters of Gedaliah as governor of Judah after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:23).

The photo shows how clear the view was on the southern side of the ridge where Nebi Samwil sits. The view on the north side of the territory of Benjamin was also clear. Specifically we enjoyed seeing the site of Gibeon.

View of Nebi Samwil from the south. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

We also did some photography in the Wilderness of Judea and in the Jordan Valley. I made a picture of a baby camel for my grandson. Perhaps other kids might enjoy seeing it.

Baby camel and mother near Jericho. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

We have learned this afternoon that our group arrived safely back in Atlanta where the tour started. Hopefully everyone will be at their own home by the evening. We had a great tour. Thanks for taking time to follow along.

Clenched FISTS!

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. "

Matt. 10:8 

Let’s do an experiment. For a moment, take your hand (left or right it doesn’t matter) and make a fist. Now, clench your fist as tightly as you can and hold it there for a moment. 

Now, open your hand all the way!  Feel the rush? That’s because physically, when you clench your fist it retracts and constricts the blood vessels and flow. Instead of flowing freely, the blood is forced to back up in the veins. In some people, this can actually hurt. But when you open your hand, the blood can flow freely because there is nothing to constrict. Now, let’s apply this principle to life.  There is a quote that says, “If you give a man a fish, you’ve fed him for one meal. If you teach him how to fish, you’ve fed him for life.” The first part of the quote, while good in that it feeds a person is also a stingy thing. It does consider the person’s plight and provide for an immediate necessity. Yet, it does not consider the future state of the individual and does nothing to address that state. It does not help the person get to the point of where they can stand on their own or provide for themselves, nor does it help them to that end.  It is only when we open ourselves up to consider the overall need and in turn open ourselves up to sharing with that person how to fish that we can provide something more, and that becomes a blessing to the person receiving as well as to the myself as the giver.

So many times in life, especially for “church going folks” the concept of “giving” always revolves around money.  Don’t get me wrong, money is a nice thing and can alleviate an immediate need. But there are times that it does little for the overall necessity. In  Mt.19:16-30; Mk.10:17-31; Lk.18:18-30, Jesus teaches regarding a man that came to him, asking what it would take for him to be able to inherit eternal life. It is obvious from the texts, that the man was a keeper of the law in regard to following the tenets and statutes. This was a commendable thing because not many could make such a claim. Jesus then tells the man that there is one thing that he lacks. "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  The man then goes away grieved and heavy because the texts say, “he had many possessions.”  Such is our own plight, which we have received of God many “things.”  Many take this teaching to state that the person did not follow Christ because his possessions hindered him.  This would be correct. Yet, there is a deeper meaning here too, and one that Jesus hastily teaches his disciples upon seeing this man’s reaction.  Mat 19:23  And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.”   It is true, that worldly wealth hinders a person’s spirituality if they do not keep the right mind. Yet, the Bible is replete with examples of men that for their day were considered wealthy, even equal to today’s millionaires, and still very spiritual people.  Consider that the man here is a law keeper! His problem comes in letting go of what he has because he is “clenching his fists.”  He wants eternal life, but does not want to give of what he has to others so that they can have it also.

How many of us are like this? We go to church for years, we learn the scriptures, we learn the principles – yet, we never give of what we learn to others so that they can benefit from our knowledge and experience. We never mentor another, never show someone how.  Oh…we TELL them. But this is a far cry from what Paul says in 2 Tim.2:2 “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

 

It is only when we open ourselves to what Jesus told his disciples in the beginning, “freely you have received, freely give” that we can comprehend the full blessing of what is intended by God for man.  It is only then that we can “feel” God coursing through us to accomplish great things (Rev.3:20).   Then again, don’t believe me just because of what I have written here. Get your own bibles and look at how many times it talks about “GIVE.”  Then look up what it says about KEEP.  Then – you will know.

Jim 

Osama bin Laden Question | Jesus Creed

Osama bin Laden Question | Jesus Creed (A GOOD ARTICLE!)

From a former student and now in seminary:

Scot,
I’m writing to you in regards to the death of Osama Bin Laden. I’ve been reflecting a lot this week on how to respond to these moments as a citizen of America, and ultimately of the Kingdom of God.

The Psalms, Proverbs, and Romans 12:9-21 & Romans 13:1-7 (and more) seem to give us paradoxical responses in regards to a death like this, and to all that the death represents. I’m weary of how quickly this event becomes a case study for the Christian response towards “our enemies” when this was never a Christian decision to take out Osama. It was a country and a president deciding to seek justice as is defined by the administration in light of his job as the leader of a people. I’m also worried about my own tendency to gravitate to certain positions through singular eisegesis. All the while forgetting to pray and mourn for all the people and families who lost their lives or loved ones unjustly on 9/11 and the bloodshed that followed. Sometimes there is so much to be said that very little should be said out of reverence for God, compassion for others, and the fear of not wanting to come across as the central authoritative voice in these matters and perhaps doing an injustice to Scripture. Yet, the wisdom of God and faithful exegesis should always be valued along with the voice of God’s people. Especially as many Christians and leaders seem to lack interpreting the Scriptures through the triune nature of our Sovereign Lord, and seem to highjack the words of Jesus to an either/or paradigm that seems to be either void or incomplete in comparison to the fullness of God and Scripture. We don’t have a Nicene creedal statement on these matters. I believe the cross of Christ is never to be proclaimed through the sword and that God’s Word is clear that vengeance is ultimately his, and his alone. Therefore we should seek to forgive and love our enemies. However, we’re not a Christian nation, and Osama was more of an enemy of the West and the USA, then an enemy of the cross.

As a pastor in training I’m learning to rightly handle the word of truth. I know I will be held to greater accountability on the day of judgment. My reaction today has been to spend time in Scripture (especially Psalm 99) and continue to learn my Greek so I can handle Romans 12 and 13 and other biblical passages in the future, while seeking clarity and wisdom from others.

I imagine you’re hard at work grading papers and writing but any perspectives, wisdom, or biblical clarity that you could share is always greatly appreciated.

Thanks brother, and nice to hear from you.

There are a number of places to begin and ideas to consider.

But I have to begin with this. Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Osama bin Laden was a violent man, and he breathed and threatened violence, he funded violence, and he trained some to use violence. That he met a violent end is in accord with the life he chose. Violence was the game he played, and the game eventually caught up to him. The sword cuts in both directions.

Having said that, I can’t rejoice that he was shot to death or that he or anyone else is dead; I can’t rejoice because violence does not bring peace. It unleashes cycles of more violence. We may never know, but it sure looks to me that he could have been captured alive. Of course, bin Laden alive and captured could be one of the biggest nightmares our government could imagine, but that won’t change my view that if he could have been captured alive that would have been more Christian.

Which brings me back to the original point: militaries believe the path to peace is secured by the path of defense and power. Our military is not seeking to be biblical or Christian. It has a mission to protect our interests. Osama bin Laden was a violent man who maliciously murdered innocents and diabolically developed plans of violence against the USA and Western countries. It within the rights of such countries to defend themselves and pursue their senses of justice through power and the use of violence. The words of Jesus, though, come back around: those who use the sword will die by the sword. Swords bring “peace” only to the degree that the one with power can suppress revenge. The sword can bring retributive justice, but time will only permit more violence to simmer and eventually break forth.

The question for us is how should we as Christians respond? We can grieve over deaths, we can be relieved by the removal of a violent man who was making the world violent, we can stand with those who lost loved ones in bin Laden’s wake, from 9/11 onwards into the wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, we can pray for the world and for our leaders and for ourselves and for our enemies and for other countries …

… and we can live a different way. The way of the cross. The way of reconciliation. The way of forgiveness. The way of peace.

And, I see absolutely no reason to release photos of the dead bin Laden.