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

A Quote about Blogs from a child

Breakfast discussion with my daughter about blogs. Her conclusion? "Blog" is an extremely funny word that should be used to cheer up sad classmates.
                                                                                                                          - Kinsey Goodman

BiblePlaces Blog: Seven New Kingdom Tombs Opened in Saqqara

BiblePlaces Blog: Seven New Kingdom Tombs Opened in Saqqara

Seven New Kingdom Tombs Opened in Saqqara

Egypt is looking to bring visitors back with the opening of seven new tombs 20 miles from Cairo. From the Jerusalem Post:

Egypt's antiquities ministry on Monday opened seven New Kingdom tombs that were previously unavailable to the public. The tombs include the final resting place of King Tutankhamen's treasurer as well as a general, Horemheb, who would later become king.

Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass announced the opening of the South Saqqara tombs on his website on May 22. The tombs are located about 30 kilometers south of Cairo and near Djoser's Step Pyramid. The seven tombs are from New Kingdom, a period that lasted from the 16th century to 11th century B.C.

The tomb of King Tut's treasurer, Maya, while unfinished, features images of Maya and his wife Merit. Maya helped Tutankhamen reopen temples in the then-capital Luxor, further south in Egypt, which had been abndoned during his father Akhenaton's rule for the site of Amarna. He helped Tutankhamen restore order in a country that had been disrupted by his father's drastic changes including the move of the capital and abolishing of the priestly order.

The full story is here. The story is also reported by the AP. NTDTV has a four-minute video.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, told reporters:

We are opening this new cemetery today to tell the whole world that Egypt is safe and come to smell and to see the magic and the mystery of Egypt.

Ebla and the Ebla Tablets | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Ebla and the Ebla Tablets | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Ebla and the Ebla Tablets

Posted on May 24, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| Leave a comment

The Ebla tablets were discovered by an Italian team of excavators at Tell Mardikh in Syria (about 30 miles S of Aleppo) in 1975. More than 17,000 cuneiform tablets were discovered. They date to the mid-third millennium B.C. when Ebla was the capital of a great Canaanite empire. Scholars state that there are important affinities between the Eblaite language and biblical Hebrew, both being members of the Northwest Semitic family.

Tell Mardikh (Ebla) in Syria. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins, May 2002.

Numerous articles have appeared in the popular press and in scholarly journals stating that the names of Sodom and Gomorrah appear in the Ebla tablets. At one point it was even being said that all five cities of the plain (Gen. 14), and perhaps the name of one of the kings, were mentioned in the tablets. Much controversy has surrounded this discussion. Infighting between the excavator (Paolo Matthiae), the epigrapher (Giovanni Pettinato), and other scholars, along with some political implications, clouded the whole issue.

The late Mitchell Dahood (died 1982), an expert in Ugaritic literature, claimed that the cities of Sodom and Zeboim “may have counterparts” in the Ebla tablets (Giovanni Pettinato, The Archives of Ebla, 287). Pettinato was the first to read and interpret tablets from the Ebla archives and the first to identify the Northwest Semitic language in which they are written. Paolo Matthiae, the archaeologist, says the rumors that there is proof of the historical accuracy of the Bible patriarchs, references to Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. “are tales without foundation” (Ebla: An Empire Rediscovered, 11). One scholar states, “the initial enthusiasm about the light the tablets would shed on the early stages of biblical culture is now mostly seen as exaggerated. Clearly, no biblical personages can be identified in the tablets … ” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, [1985] 235). Dahood, in the Afterword of Pettinato’s book, commented on the pessimism of one university professor with this classic put down:

How a savant can determine how relevant to the Bible a new discovery may be before the tablets have been published must remain a mystery. (Pettinato, The Archives of Ebla, 273).

Dahood says that the people of Ebla spoke a dialect of Canaanite and that their principal god was Dagan the Canaanite or the Lord of Canaan. This indicates that Canaan extended much further north than previously thought (Pettinato, 272). Dahood cites several biblical passages in which he believes a parallel exists between the Hebrew and Eblaite words (271-321). Numerous names in Genesis find parallel in the Ebla tablets. I had the opportunity to hear Dahood speak on this subject at a professional meeting in Dallas years ago.

An Ebla Tablet. BLMJ. Originally the museum allowed photos. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

At this point scholars are not agreed on the proper reading of some of the Eblaite words. Perhaps in time we will know more about this. For the present we must wait patiently. Numerous articles about Ebla have appeared in Biblical Archaeologist and Biblical Archaeology Review, as well as other journals.

Word comes regarding the death of Professor Giovanni Pettinato at the age of 77. Details here. HT: Bible Places Blog.

Saul visited a medium at En-Dor (Endor) | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Saul visited a medium at En-Dor (Endor) | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Saul visited a medium at En-Dor (Endor)

Posted on May 17, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| 1 Comment

En-Dor (or Endor) is a fairly insignificant site. It is now located in the middle of wheat fields and groves. I had seen it from the road, but this time I was able in a car to drive to it and get some better photos. This one shows the low tel, and a wheat field ready for harvest. The view is to the north. Mount Tabor dominates the scene to the right, but it is not visible in this photo. One has to go with the light in making photos.

En-Dor on the shoulder of the Hill of Moreh. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Shards of pottery are visible all around, especially in the low areas of the farm road as well as in the plowed field. This is a certain indication of an ancient inhabited site.

Pottery shards at En-Dor. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

En-Dor was located in the territory of Issachar, but was allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh that settled on the west bank of the Jordan (Joshua 17:11).

The most significant biblical event recorded in connection with En-Dor is the visit of King Saul to the medium of En-Dor.

The Israelites were gathered with Saul on Mount Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistines gathered against him in the valley below he was afraid and sought out a medium or necromancer, even though earlier he had them removed from the land. This medium lived over the Hill of Moreh on the northern slopes at En-Dor. This tel is located about 2½ miles south of Mount Tabor on the south and east side of Highway 65. It is easily discernible by the palm trees growing there.

Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” (1 Samuel 28:7 ESV)

Map showing location of En-Dor. Courtesy of BibleAtlas.org.

Praying for Someone Who Does Not Know Christ as Savior | Evangelism.net

Praying for Someone Who Does Not Know Christ as Savior | Evangelism.net

Praying for Someone Who Does Not Know Christ as Savior MAY 19, 2011 | WRITTEN BY MM GIBSON

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“I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers…”. Philemon 4

This blog post focuses on prayers for salvation. Of course, we pray for many things for friends – for health, for God to provide for them and their family, maybe for help in finding a job, or that their travel will be uncomplicated. But this post is about prayer for the most important thing in life — trusting Christ as Savior.

It is hard to watch friends struggle through life without Christ. Praying for our friends and family who have not yet trusted Christ as their Savior is a loving and appropriate response to our concern and love for them. Some of our friends might doubt some aspect of their Christian faith. We are to pray for them, too. So how should we pray for them?

Praying the Scripture is a good way to pray at any time. Here are a few examples of Scripture passages you might consider in prayer for not-yet-Christian friends. These prayers are just examples to encourage you to pray in your own words.

Pray Faithfully (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Father, here I am again praying for my friend, Joe, who is without Christ in his life. He is a good friend to me and I rejoice that you have given me such a good friend and a kind person. Father I pray for Joe to trust Christ as his Savior. You have told us to pray for the outcomes we want, Father, and so I’m praying for Joe to receive the forgiveness that is his through faith in Christ. I pray he will be reconciled to You, Father, through the finished work of Jesus on the cross who died and rose from the dead for Joe, just as He did for all of us. Thank you so much for the assurance of eternal life with you, and I pray that Joe will know this assurance in his life, too. Thank You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pray for an Ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Father, my prayer is that an ambassador in addition to me might go to my friend, Joe, to present the gospel of Christ to him. I pray that the Holy Spirit would open Joe’s heart to the gospel, Father, so he can hear and understand that it is for him. I pray he will hear, understand, and trust the truth of the gospel so that he can be made new in Christ through his faith and receive eternal life. I’m praying in Jesus’ name for Joe.

Pray Believing (John 20:29)

“Jesus said to him, ‘… Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Father, I you know that I am Your child by virtue of Christ’s sacrifice for me. You know how much gratitude I have for Your gift of faith and eternal life through Christ. I pray that You will help Joe to hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ as I present it to him today. I believe that Joe can hear the gospel, Father, and that he, too, can call You “Abba! Father!” because You love him. I am convinced that nothing can separate us from Your love. I want this awareness of Your love for Joe, and I pray, believing that all things are possible for You. May Joe trust Christ alone today as his Savior, not the good things he may have done for others, but that he will realize that Christ died for him and that trusting Christ as Savior is the only way. I pray he will know that his sins are forgiven because of Christ’s sacrifice as his substitute, and that, through faith in Christ alone, he will have the gift of eternal life in heaven, and the Holy Spirit’s presence in his life to help him live each day. Thanks in advance for Your mercy and grace for Joe, Father. I’m praying in Jesus’ name for Joe.

Pray faithfully. Pray for an Ambassador. Pray believing. And share the gospel.

Hedges - There are Different Kinds!

Hedges - There are Different Kinds!

I came across a very interesting article by Jon Walker called  Prayer: The Hedge of Protection that inspired me for this post. We are all familiar with Job, where Satan accuses God of placing a "hedge of protection" around Job (Job.1:10,11).  This hedge, God allowed to be lifted, so that Job might prove that he was "a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil (vs.8)."   A similar type of thing happens to Peter. The removing of the hedge of protection, is implied in Peter’s life: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31 NIV). We shudder to think about this, yet, we are told that our faith will be tested and proven.  Either we will endure the evil and prove God's trust in us, or we will fail and have to endure the consequences of our choice.

Yet, have you considered that just as in life, there are different kinds of hedges?  Job's hedge was one of protection to keep things out. However, there is another kind of hedge that is designed to keep one in. In Hosea 2:6,7  "Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now."  We stated that we will either endure and prove God's trust, or we will fail and endure the consequences?  Well...here are the consequences.  Jonah found himself in a similar situation, as well as Pharaoh of the Exodus and many other characters in biblical history. 

We can ask God to hedge us, to find the right kind of friends but be protected from the wrong kind of influences. When Gomer, the Old Testament prophet Hosea’s wife, continued to chase after other lovers, God placed a hedge of thorns around her, keeping her from finding adulterous relationships and eventually driving her back to her husband. We should not be surprised, if the tall hedge of protection that we desire, turns into a hedge of thorns when we make the wrong choices.  We all want God's protection, and God gives this protection. Yet, we should not expect God to leave it in place all the time and He does not promise us to do so. 

Learn to be thankful (Col.1:12; 2:7; 3:17, Psa.100:4; 107:22; 116:17) and appreciate what God does for you, whether it is protecting you or letting you loose. There is always something to learn, and there is always something to appreciate.  Remember the Bible's teaching, that it is “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (Jas. 5:16)

Jim