Isaiah 49 This is Messiah speaking to his Father, 1-6, and the Father answering, 7-13
1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Jesus in Genesis: I have waited for thy salvation
In Genesis 49 Jacob prophesies over his sons and in verses 8-12 he reveals that Messiah will come from Judah: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Then, after he addresses Zebulun, Issachar, and Dan, he cries out, I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD (49:18).
I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. What an interesting declaration! And, as I hope to point out, what an amazing declaration!
Jacob knew Messiah was coming, and he knew he would bring salvation. Salvation is coming when Messiah comes because Messiah is our salvation.
When the angel explained Mary’s pregnancy to Joseph he said, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Jesus will save his people, he is a Savior - he is our salvation.
When Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary took him to the Temple to present him to the Lord and we read:
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:25-32)
Wow! Simeon was told he would see the Lord’s Christ and when he saw Jesus he cried out, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Simeon saw what Jacob was waiting for! This is awesome. Thy salvation is the Lord’s Christ, and the Lord’s Christ is Jesus. Amen.
Jacob said, I have waited for thy salvation. Simeon said, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Jacob was waiting for Jesus. Simeon saw Jesus. And here is where it gets really interesting.
The Hebrew word for salvation in Genesis 49:18 is yeshuwah. Jesus’ name in Hebrew is formed from this very word. His name is actually, Yehoshuwa which in the English Old Testament is translated, Joshua. Yeshuwah means salvation, Yehoshuwa means Yahweh is salvation.
Joshua’s birth name was Oshea, a word that comes from the same root as yeshuwah and also means salvation. Moses added “a letter of the incommunicable name of God” to his name to form the new name Jehoshua. As I said, this is most often translated Joshua in our Bibles. It was probably pronounced, Yeshua, because when the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Joshua was translated Ἰησοῦς, in English this is Iesus, or as we spell it now, Jesus.
The salvation of God, thy yeshuwah, is not a thing, it is a person. Thy salvation, thy yeshuwah, is Yeshua - Ἰησοῦς, Jesus. Amen!
I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Jacob was waiting for Messiah and he knew the Lord’s Christ was salvation. And in an awesome move by God, the name of Christ the Savior is Yeshua, Ἰησοῦς, Jesus – Yahweh is salvation. Amen and Praise God!
I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. What an interesting declaration! And, as I hope to point out, what an amazing declaration!
Jacob knew Messiah was coming, and he knew he would bring salvation. Salvation is coming when Messiah comes because Messiah is our salvation.
When the angel explained Mary’s pregnancy to Joseph he said, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Jesus will save his people, he is a Savior - he is our salvation.
When Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary took him to the Temple to present him to the Lord and we read:
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:25-32)
Wow! Simeon was told he would see the Lord’s Christ and when he saw Jesus he cried out, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Simeon saw what Jacob was waiting for! This is awesome. Thy salvation is the Lord’s Christ, and the Lord’s Christ is Jesus. Amen.
Jacob said, I have waited for thy salvation. Simeon said, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Jacob was waiting for Jesus. Simeon saw Jesus. And here is where it gets really interesting.
The Hebrew word for salvation in Genesis 49:18 is yeshuwah. Jesus’ name in Hebrew is formed from this very word. His name is actually, Yehoshuwa which in the English Old Testament is translated, Joshua. Yeshuwah means salvation, Yehoshuwa means Yahweh is salvation.
Joshua’s birth name was Oshea, a word that comes from the same root as yeshuwah and also means salvation. Moses added “a letter of the incommunicable name of God” to his name to form the new name Jehoshua. As I said, this is most often translated Joshua in our Bibles. It was probably pronounced, Yeshua, because when the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Joshua was translated Ἰησοῦς, in English this is Iesus, or as we spell it now, Jesus.
The salvation of God, thy yeshuwah, is not a thing, it is a person. Thy salvation, thy yeshuwah, is Yeshua - Ἰησοῦς, Jesus. Amen!
I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Jacob was waiting for Messiah and he knew the Lord’s Christ was salvation. And in an awesome move by God, the name of Christ the Savior is Yeshua, Ἰησοῦς, Jesus – Yahweh is salvation. Amen and Praise God!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Jesus in Genesis: Abraham
Abraham. A pivotal figure in the Bible and an extraordinary man. He is “father Abraham” – father of Israel, father of circumcision, father of all who believe in Christ. He had a remarkable walk with God, full of grace, faith, promises, and revelations of God. This week I want to consider two incidents in his life that reveal Jesus in Genesis. These two chapters are long and my blog is short, so I am only going to offer a cursory look at them and would therefore urge you to read them in their entirety.
Genesis 18
1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
This is amazing! We read, the Lord appeared unto him and that he saw three men. Did he see the Lord or did he see three men? Yes. Two of these men were angels (19:1), the other was the Lord. And the Scripture is very clear, this was Yahweh himself (whenever LORD appears in the Old Testament in all caps it is the name of God): the LORD appeared to him and ate a meal with him (1-8); the LORD spoke to him about Sarah his wife and the son she would have (9-15); the LORD told Abraham about his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham made intercession for them (16-33). Wow!
No man hath seen God at any time - so how in the world did Abraham see Him, eat with Him, and intercede face to face with Him??? This is the Word of God, the Son of God, “a personal appearance of him who was afterwards incarnated for the salvation of mankind” (Adam Clarke). This is not merely an angel, this is Jesus, the Son of God. And Abraham saw him!
The reason for this visit was to confirm the promised of a son (9-15). This is a great story full of real human emotion: the Promised One reaffirms the promise of a son. Jesus is both the giver of the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. Amen!
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?
As the two men (angels) head toward Sodom, the Lord reveals to Abraham what He plans to do to Sodom.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
I realize that to “stand before the Lord” is often metaphorical, but the context indicates that this is physical, Abraham and Christ, the LORD, are standing together discussing the fate of Sodom.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham intercedes for Sodom (24-32). This is instructive, enlightening, powerful!
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
What a day Abraham had! He met with the LORD face to face, shared a meal with Him, had a promise reaffirmed by Him, and secured Lot’s safety through Him. And in this he encountered Christ, the Son of God.
Genesis 22
Abraham’s faith was tested when God asked him to offer his son. When Isaac asked, where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham replied with a declaration of faith and a prophetic word, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Amen!
As Abraham stood there with Isaac on the altar, the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven … And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Abraham offered a ram in the stead of his son. Such a picture of Christ and his death on the cross for us. And this is really cool: “the angel of the LORD” who directed Abraham to the ram was probably Christ himself! Many times in the Old Testament “the angel of the LORD” is Christ, the Son of God. So, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world points out the type, the ram offered in the stead of his son. Amen!
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
This is all a wonderful type of Christ: his death in our stead and his resurrection from the dead. Ah, but where is the resurrection in this? Abraham said, I and the lad will go and come again. The New Testament explains, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
“Jehovah - jireh (Yehovah-yireh), literally interpreted in the margin, The Lord will see; that is, God will take care that every thing shall be done that is necessary for the comfort and support of them who trust in him: hence the words are usually translated, The Lord will provide. On This Mount The Lord Shall Be Seen. Abraham offered Isaac on that very mountain on which, in the fullness of time, Jesus suffered.” ~Adam Clarke
Abraham lived in the early days of the Bible and yet he enjoyed such a rich revelation of Christ: the promised seed who would bless all the families of the earth, who would be offered in our stead, who would be raised from the dead. And he saw him and supped with him! Amen and amen! This is the very One “who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures”
Genesis 18
1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
This is amazing! We read, the Lord appeared unto him and that he saw three men. Did he see the Lord or did he see three men? Yes. Two of these men were angels (19:1), the other was the Lord. And the Scripture is very clear, this was Yahweh himself (whenever LORD appears in the Old Testament in all caps it is the name of God): the LORD appeared to him and ate a meal with him (1-8); the LORD spoke to him about Sarah his wife and the son she would have (9-15); the LORD told Abraham about his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham made intercession for them (16-33). Wow!
No man hath seen God at any time - so how in the world did Abraham see Him, eat with Him, and intercede face to face with Him??? This is the Word of God, the Son of God, “a personal appearance of him who was afterwards incarnated for the salvation of mankind” (Adam Clarke). This is not merely an angel, this is Jesus, the Son of God. And Abraham saw him!
The reason for this visit was to confirm the promised of a son (9-15). This is a great story full of real human emotion: the Promised One reaffirms the promise of a son. Jesus is both the giver of the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. Amen!
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?
As the two men (angels) head toward Sodom, the Lord reveals to Abraham what He plans to do to Sodom.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
I realize that to “stand before the Lord” is often metaphorical, but the context indicates that this is physical, Abraham and Christ, the LORD, are standing together discussing the fate of Sodom.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham intercedes for Sodom (24-32). This is instructive, enlightening, powerful!
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
What a day Abraham had! He met with the LORD face to face, shared a meal with Him, had a promise reaffirmed by Him, and secured Lot’s safety through Him. And in this he encountered Christ, the Son of God.
Genesis 22
Abraham’s faith was tested when God asked him to offer his son. When Isaac asked, where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham replied with a declaration of faith and a prophetic word, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Amen!
As Abraham stood there with Isaac on the altar, the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven … And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Abraham offered a ram in the stead of his son. Such a picture of Christ and his death on the cross for us. And this is really cool: “the angel of the LORD” who directed Abraham to the ram was probably Christ himself! Many times in the Old Testament “the angel of the LORD” is Christ, the Son of God. So, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world points out the type, the ram offered in the stead of his son. Amen!
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
This is all a wonderful type of Christ: his death in our stead and his resurrection from the dead. Ah, but where is the resurrection in this? Abraham said, I and the lad will go and come again. The New Testament explains, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
“Jehovah - jireh (Yehovah-yireh), literally interpreted in the margin, The Lord will see; that is, God will take care that every thing shall be done that is necessary for the comfort and support of them who trust in him: hence the words are usually translated, The Lord will provide. On This Mount The Lord Shall Be Seen. Abraham offered Isaac on that very mountain on which, in the fullness of time, Jesus suffered.” ~Adam Clarke
Abraham lived in the early days of the Bible and yet he enjoyed such a rich revelation of Christ: the promised seed who would bless all the families of the earth, who would be offered in our stead, who would be raised from the dead. And he saw him and supped with him! Amen and amen! This is the very One “who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures”
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Jesus in Genesis - The Promised Seed
I know the Old Testament can be a confusing book. It is actually 39 books, with so many stories a person can get lost. It is helpful to know that there is a theme running throughout the Old Testament. And what is this theme around which the Old Testament is centered? On the surface, the Old Testament is the story of Israel and her great king, David. But, since the Old Testament continues after the reign of David, there’s something else going on, and David is just a part of it - that greater theme is Messiah, the Promised Savior. And we find this theme running through Genesis
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy the adversary and restore the presence of the Lord. This is the first promise of Messiah and it tells us the Promised Savior will be a human.
“And just as through a disobedient virgin man was stricken down and fell into death, so through the Virgin who was obedient to the Word of God man was reanimated and received life” ~Irenaeus, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is a signal event in the Bible, this is when salvation history kicks into gear. God calls Abram and promises him a land and to make of him a nation - that’s Israel and the “promised land”. Then He says, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. From the beginning, the plan and the promise was “all families of the earth.”
The Promised Savior would come from the family of Abraham. But Abraham had many sons, the two most prominent being Ishmael and Isaac. And God made it clear that his choice was Isaac: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. (17:19; see also 17:15-21, 22:18)
The promise is then renewed with Isaac:
26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the firstborn and the one expected to receive the promise, but God chose Jacob instead.
In 28:10-15 God renewed the promise to Jacob
28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
The Promised Savior will be from Jacob, who was later named Israel - Messiah will be from Israel.
But Jacob had 12 sons! As he was dying, Jacob gathered his sons around him and prophesied over them, and in so doing he revealed which tribe the Promised Savior would be from:
49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Amen! The Promised Savior will be from the tribe of Judah.
Shiloh is the promised Savior, the Messiah, but what is Shiloh? As Adam Clarke explains:
“The duration of the power of this famous tribe is next determined: 'the scepter' or it’s civil government, was not to cease or depart from Judah until the birth or coming of Shiloh, signifying the Apostle, as Christ is styled, Hebrews 3:1 (the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus); nor was the native lawgiver, or expounder of the law, teacher, or scribe, intimating their ecclesiastical polity, to cease, until Shiloh should have a congregation of peoples, or religious followers, attached to him. And how accurately was this fulfilled in both these respects!
Here then we find the true meaning and derivation of the much disputed term Shiloh in this prophecy of Jacob, which is fortunately preserved by the Vulgate, "The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations," and also by a rabbinical comment on Deu 22:7: 'If you keep this precept, you hasten the coming of the Messiah, who is called Sent.' " (commentary on Genesis)
This theme of the promised seed runs throughout Genesis. This book is not simply interesting stories about ancient people, or even the story of the beginning of Israel. Genesis is the story of the creation of man, the fall of man into sin and death, and the promise of God to send a Savior who will restore man to the presence of the Lord. The Promised Savior will be a human, of the family of Abraham, from the nation Israel, from the tribe of Judah.
And the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a woman, a son of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah.
Jesus is the promised seed, the Messiah.
Amen.
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy the adversary and restore the presence of the Lord. This is the first promise of Messiah and it tells us the Promised Savior will be a human.
“And just as through a disobedient virgin man was stricken down and fell into death, so through the Virgin who was obedient to the Word of God man was reanimated and received life” ~Irenaeus, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is a signal event in the Bible, this is when salvation history kicks into gear. God calls Abram and promises him a land and to make of him a nation - that’s Israel and the “promised land”. Then He says, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. From the beginning, the plan and the promise was “all families of the earth.”
The Promised Savior would come from the family of Abraham. But Abraham had many sons, the two most prominent being Ishmael and Isaac. And God made it clear that his choice was Isaac: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. (17:19; see also 17:15-21, 22:18)
The promise is then renewed with Isaac:
26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the firstborn and the one expected to receive the promise, but God chose Jacob instead.
In 28:10-15 God renewed the promise to Jacob
28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
The Promised Savior will be from Jacob, who was later named Israel - Messiah will be from Israel.
But Jacob had 12 sons! As he was dying, Jacob gathered his sons around him and prophesied over them, and in so doing he revealed which tribe the Promised Savior would be from:
49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Amen! The Promised Savior will be from the tribe of Judah.
Shiloh is the promised Savior, the Messiah, but what is Shiloh? As Adam Clarke explains:
“The duration of the power of this famous tribe is next determined: 'the scepter' or it’s civil government, was not to cease or depart from Judah until the birth or coming of Shiloh, signifying the Apostle, as Christ is styled, Hebrews 3:1 (the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus); nor was the native lawgiver, or expounder of the law, teacher, or scribe, intimating their ecclesiastical polity, to cease, until Shiloh should have a congregation of peoples, or religious followers, attached to him. And how accurately was this fulfilled in both these respects!
Here then we find the true meaning and derivation of the much disputed term Shiloh in this prophecy of Jacob, which is fortunately preserved by the Vulgate, "The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations," and also by a rabbinical comment on Deu 22:7: 'If you keep this precept, you hasten the coming of the Messiah, who is called Sent.' " (commentary on Genesis)
This theme of the promised seed runs throughout Genesis. This book is not simply interesting stories about ancient people, or even the story of the beginning of Israel. Genesis is the story of the creation of man, the fall of man into sin and death, and the promise of God to send a Savior who will restore man to the presence of the Lord. The Promised Savior will be a human, of the family of Abraham, from the nation Israel, from the tribe of Judah.
And the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a woman, a son of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah.
Jesus is the promised seed, the Messiah.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
It's like I grew up on another planet
Sometimes, when I talk with my grandson, it’s like I grew up on another planet. Yes, that’s how different the world was lo these many years ago!
My grandson thrives on technology: video games; satellite TV; DVR; smart phones; laptop computers; kindle; iPad; YouTube. He asked me today what my favorite move was when I was his age. And that’s how it began.
First I said that he has possibly seen more movies in his 13 years than I have in my entire life. That may be hyperbole, but not by much. Then I tried to explain.
When I was young I saw movies. At the local theater. On Saturdays. If we did our chores in the morning, my Dad would give us money and we would walk to the theater. Sometimes the whole family might go to the drive in theater. This was a treat.
And TV. There were three channels that were not broadcasting 24 hours a day. At midnight they would “sign off” and show a test pattern until 5 am, at which time the broadcast day would begin with the national anthem. And that was when we had a TV. There were many years when we didn’t even own a TV. And when we did get one, my Dad put it outside. He wouldn’t have one in the house. When we got it we were only allowed so many hours per week and had a sign in sheet to verify.
No videos either. Well, there weren’t any video playing devices for that matter!
As I was telling him some of this, he asked incredulously, “What did you do?”
We played outside. There was nothing to do inside, so we went outside. Besides, our house wasn’t very big. My grandson lives in a house that may be larger than any I ever saw growing up. For that matter, I now live in a house bigger than I ever had in my entire life. In my family, there were 10 of us (8 children) living in a three bedroom house. Alone time? The only chance for that was outside.
I walked to school and from 9th grade on I had to hitchhike to get to school. When we weren’t in school we roamed. We’d leave in the morning and come back for lunch, then wander around in the afternoon and return for supper. After supper we’d play hide and seek until my parents called us home. We played football in the street. We explored the creek. We’d run up to the school grounds and play football there, or baseball. And got into all kinds of trouble. My mother never knew where I was. I am not saying she was a bad mother. Nobody knew where there kids were. I remember the TV campaign that sought to change that, “It’s 10 O’Clock. Do you know where you kids are?” You should’ve seen Halloween – the streets were full of children wandering around begging candy - no parents anywhere to be seen.
What was my mother doing while we were out roaming? Somebody had to be at the house when the police came looking for me! Actually, she was keeping house and taking care of my younger brothers and sisters. But even when they were young and somewhat yard bound, they wandered largely unsupervised. It’s just the way it was in those days.
When I got older I added surfing to my outside activities. And when I was old enough to drive, I asked to borrow the car to go surfing, but I don’t recall telling her where I was going.
My mother ran a pretty regulated home – we ate lunch at noon and supper at 6. Like clockwork. I remember my Dad laying down the law, “I don't care where you are or what you're doing, I want everybody home a half hour before dinner.” That’s all he said, half hour. We all knew that meant 5:30.
As I got older I added reading to my activities list. My Dad had built a book case that took up an entire wall. So cool. Reading was important in our family. I’ve had a library card as long as I can remember. We had a two-volume dictionary. My brother and I would play a game, each would take one volume and take turns randomly looking up a word and asking the other if he knew what it meant. High tech!
That’s what I did when I was young. Electronics and technology? I didn’t have time for them! I did get into a lot of trouble when I was young. Some of it pretty serious. I probably wasn’t the kid you wanted living next door, when I was growing up on that other planet.
My grandson thrives on technology: video games; satellite TV; DVR; smart phones; laptop computers; kindle; iPad; YouTube. He asked me today what my favorite move was when I was his age. And that’s how it began.
First I said that he has possibly seen more movies in his 13 years than I have in my entire life. That may be hyperbole, but not by much. Then I tried to explain.
When I was young I saw movies. At the local theater. On Saturdays. If we did our chores in the morning, my Dad would give us money and we would walk to the theater. Sometimes the whole family might go to the drive in theater. This was a treat.
And TV. There were three channels that were not broadcasting 24 hours a day. At midnight they would “sign off” and show a test pattern until 5 am, at which time the broadcast day would begin with the national anthem. And that was when we had a TV. There were many years when we didn’t even own a TV. And when we did get one, my Dad put it outside. He wouldn’t have one in the house. When we got it we were only allowed so many hours per week and had a sign in sheet to verify.
No videos either. Well, there weren’t any video playing devices for that matter!
As I was telling him some of this, he asked incredulously, “What did you do?”
We played outside. There was nothing to do inside, so we went outside. Besides, our house wasn’t very big. My grandson lives in a house that may be larger than any I ever saw growing up. For that matter, I now live in a house bigger than I ever had in my entire life. In my family, there were 10 of us (8 children) living in a three bedroom house. Alone time? The only chance for that was outside.
I walked to school and from 9th grade on I had to hitchhike to get to school. When we weren’t in school we roamed. We’d leave in the morning and come back for lunch, then wander around in the afternoon and return for supper. After supper we’d play hide and seek until my parents called us home. We played football in the street. We explored the creek. We’d run up to the school grounds and play football there, or baseball. And got into all kinds of trouble. My mother never knew where I was. I am not saying she was a bad mother. Nobody knew where there kids were. I remember the TV campaign that sought to change that, “It’s 10 O’Clock. Do you know where you kids are?” You should’ve seen Halloween – the streets were full of children wandering around begging candy - no parents anywhere to be seen.
What was my mother doing while we were out roaming? Somebody had to be at the house when the police came looking for me! Actually, she was keeping house and taking care of my younger brothers and sisters. But even when they were young and somewhat yard bound, they wandered largely unsupervised. It’s just the way it was in those days.
When I got older I added surfing to my outside activities. And when I was old enough to drive, I asked to borrow the car to go surfing, but I don’t recall telling her where I was going.
My mother ran a pretty regulated home – we ate lunch at noon and supper at 6. Like clockwork. I remember my Dad laying down the law, “I don't care where you are or what you're doing, I want everybody home a half hour before dinner.” That’s all he said, half hour. We all knew that meant 5:30.
As I got older I added reading to my activities list. My Dad had built a book case that took up an entire wall. So cool. Reading was important in our family. I’ve had a library card as long as I can remember. We had a two-volume dictionary. My brother and I would play a game, each would take one volume and take turns randomly looking up a word and asking the other if he knew what it meant. High tech!
That’s what I did when I was young. Electronics and technology? I didn’t have time for them! I did get into a lot of trouble when I was young. Some of it pretty serious. I probably wasn’t the kid you wanted living next door, when I was growing up on that other planet.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Jesus in Genesis
A couple of weeks ago I asked my pastor about his plans for Advent. He said he was still working on it. When I got off the phone I asked myself, “What would I do?” My first thought was, Jesus in Genesis. I often used that theme, “Jesus in…” a particular book or section of the Old Testament but I never got around to Genesis. One of the recurring themes in my teaching was this, The Old Testament is a Jesus book, and I was always eager to point out the prophecies and types of Christ in the Old Testament.
I won’t have the opportunity to preach this Advent season so I thought I would use my blog to point to Jesus in Genesis. This is a long book and Jesus’ shadow and footprint are all over it. For this first week of Advent I will consider Genesis 1-8
1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The Bible opens with a bang and Jesus is right in the thick of it! Right at the beginning of the Bible we find the Word, the Son of God, Christ, Jesus, who in the proper time came to the world to bring salvation. How can I say the Son of God is in verse 1 when the verse clearly says, God created?
First, the word for God is Elohim. It is a plural word. So from the very beginning of the Bible there is this idea of plurality in God. It runs throughout the Old Testament and is fully revealed in the New Testament.
Second, the Gospel according to John begins, In the beginning was the Word… John’s “in the beginning” is the same as Genesis and explains this plurality: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Amen!
This first chapter describes God’s creative activity. Ten times we read, And God said. Hebrews 11:3 tells us, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Framed by Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:15-17). Our Savior is the Creator of the world!
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Who is this “us”? Some people say he is speaking to angels; others say it is the plural of majesty, a royal we. No. It is the Father speaking to the Son. "It was not angels, therefore, who made us, nor who formed us, neither had angels power to make an image of God, nor any one else, except the Word of the Lord, nor any Power remotely distant from the Father of all things. For God did not stand in need of these [beings], in order to the accomplishing of what He had Himself determined with Himself beforehand should be done…. For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks, saying, "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness” Irenaeus
And concerning this “image” Irenaeus said . . . “For in times long past, it was said that man was created after the image of God, but it was not [actually] shown; for the Word was as yet invisible, after whose image man was created... When, however, the Word of God became flesh, He showed forth the image truly, since He became Himself what was His image…”
There are two other “us” passages in Genesis: 3:22, 11:7 These are also references of the Father speaking with the Son.
3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Isn’t this a beautiful description, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking? This is clearly the Word, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (called Christophany). Why is it clear that this is the Son? In John 1:18 we are told, No man hath seen God at any time. Yet the Old Testament has many accounts of people seeing God. How can we explain this? No man has ever seen the Father, all such appearances have been the Son, Christ, Jesus. Despite the beauty of the word picture, this is a sad verse: Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God. Say what you will about the pleasures of sin, the effect of sin is you hide yourself from the presence of the Lord, who is light and life. We need redemption. We need a Savior.
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Amen. This is known as the Protevangelium, the first gospel or promise of redemption. As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy our adversary and restore the presence of the Lord.
Chapters 6-8 The Flood. This foreshadowed salvation through Christ: by entering the ark we are saved from the judgment of God, and when we pass through the waters (of baptism) we begin a new life (1 Peter 3:21)
Next week I plan to trace the promise of a Savior through Genesis.
I won’t have the opportunity to preach this Advent season so I thought I would use my blog to point to Jesus in Genesis. This is a long book and Jesus’ shadow and footprint are all over it. For this first week of Advent I will consider Genesis 1-8
1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The Bible opens with a bang and Jesus is right in the thick of it! Right at the beginning of the Bible we find the Word, the Son of God, Christ, Jesus, who in the proper time came to the world to bring salvation. How can I say the Son of God is in verse 1 when the verse clearly says, God created?
First, the word for God is Elohim. It is a plural word. So from the very beginning of the Bible there is this idea of plurality in God. It runs throughout the Old Testament and is fully revealed in the New Testament.
Second, the Gospel according to John begins, In the beginning was the Word… John’s “in the beginning” is the same as Genesis and explains this plurality: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Amen!
This first chapter describes God’s creative activity. Ten times we read, And God said. Hebrews 11:3 tells us, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Framed by Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:15-17). Our Savior is the Creator of the world!
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Who is this “us”? Some people say he is speaking to angels; others say it is the plural of majesty, a royal we. No. It is the Father speaking to the Son. "It was not angels, therefore, who made us, nor who formed us, neither had angels power to make an image of God, nor any one else, except the Word of the Lord, nor any Power remotely distant from the Father of all things. For God did not stand in need of these [beings], in order to the accomplishing of what He had Himself determined with Himself beforehand should be done…. For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks, saying, "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness” Irenaeus
And concerning this “image” Irenaeus said . . . “For in times long past, it was said that man was created after the image of God, but it was not [actually] shown; for the Word was as yet invisible, after whose image man was created... When, however, the Word of God became flesh, He showed forth the image truly, since He became Himself what was His image…”
There are two other “us” passages in Genesis: 3:22, 11:7 These are also references of the Father speaking with the Son.
3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Isn’t this a beautiful description, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking? This is clearly the Word, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (called Christophany). Why is it clear that this is the Son? In John 1:18 we are told, No man hath seen God at any time. Yet the Old Testament has many accounts of people seeing God. How can we explain this? No man has ever seen the Father, all such appearances have been the Son, Christ, Jesus. Despite the beauty of the word picture, this is a sad verse: Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God. Say what you will about the pleasures of sin, the effect of sin is you hide yourself from the presence of the Lord, who is light and life. We need redemption. We need a Savior.
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Amen. This is known as the Protevangelium, the first gospel or promise of redemption. As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy our adversary and restore the presence of the Lord.
Chapters 6-8 The Flood. This foreshadowed salvation through Christ: by entering the ark we are saved from the judgment of God, and when we pass through the waters (of baptism) we begin a new life (1 Peter 3:21)
Next week I plan to trace the promise of a Savior through Genesis.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
This was very interesting
And when she was baptized, and her household (Acts 16:15)
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about whole house baptism in the New Testament. I determined to study the word house (οικος) in the Old Testament (especially the Septuagint) to see how it is used and to answer the question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? I finished and boy did I learn a lot!
It occurs quite often and is used in a variety of ways. The meaning of the word house (οικος) is a building and this is the primary use. I noticed a trend as I went through every occurrence of this word in the Old Testament - from 1 Chronicles on it is primarily used to refer to the temple, the house of God. The house of God is a very important concept in the Old Testament. House (οικος) is also used idiomatically. One of the most interesting is “house of bondage”, referring to Israel’s time in Egypt.
Let’s get back to my question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? The simple answer is, Yes. “House” is similar to “family” - sometimes it obviously includes children, but not always. This is interesting. Many times it is used to refer to the adults only, and often to adult males only. But, it is routinely used to refer to the entire family, men, women, and children.
Ezekiel 34.30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. This is a particularly tender passage and clearly refers to men, women, and children.
Psalm 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language… Again, clearly men, women, children
House of Israel occurs frequently, but there are other times house includes children
Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
Genesis 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
Then there are times when there is emphasis added to make it clear that everyone is included
Joshua 2:13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death. (Septuagint)
This is Rahab asking the spies to deliver her entire family.
1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. Elkanah had two wives, one had no children (yet) and one had children.
Then there are some really wonderful passages dealing with atonement
Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
When they put the blood on the door posts and lintel, everyone in the house was covered. Amen!
Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Isn’t this amazing? Aaron offered a sacrifice and made atonement for himself, for his house, and for all the congregation of Israel!
I also learned that house is generational. That is, I am part of my father’s house, along with my brothers and sisters, but they are not part of my house. My house is my wife and children. My father’s house is his wife and children (me). It always looks forward, never backward.
This brings us back to the New Testament. Paul wrote, And I baptized also the household (οικος) of Stephanas . . . Does this (and other occasions of whole house baptism) ipso facto mean children were included? As I learned from the use of house (οικος) in the Old Testament, the answer is, No, it does not necessarily mean children were included. But, it does not necessarily exclude children, either.
Ha! I seem to have gone nowhere! Well, that’s not completely true. My study did not settle the matter, but it did open the door a little. Baptism is primarily a response to the gospel, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” this is me coming into covenant with God. But there is a powerful truth I learned from the Old Testament, when Israel entered into covenant with God, the children were included: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. Is this not what Paul meant when he told the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house?
I am still persuaded that believer’s baptism should be primary, but I’m beginning to think that including the children of said believers may have a more biblical foundation than I previously thought.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about whole house baptism in the New Testament. I determined to study the word house (οικος) in the Old Testament (especially the Septuagint) to see how it is used and to answer the question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? I finished and boy did I learn a lot!
It occurs quite often and is used in a variety of ways. The meaning of the word house (οικος) is a building and this is the primary use. I noticed a trend as I went through every occurrence of this word in the Old Testament - from 1 Chronicles on it is primarily used to refer to the temple, the house of God. The house of God is a very important concept in the Old Testament. House (οικος) is also used idiomatically. One of the most interesting is “house of bondage”, referring to Israel’s time in Egypt.
Let’s get back to my question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? The simple answer is, Yes. “House” is similar to “family” - sometimes it obviously includes children, but not always. This is interesting. Many times it is used to refer to the adults only, and often to adult males only. But, it is routinely used to refer to the entire family, men, women, and children.
Ezekiel 34.30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. This is a particularly tender passage and clearly refers to men, women, and children.
Psalm 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language… Again, clearly men, women, children
House of Israel occurs frequently, but there are other times house includes children
Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
Genesis 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
Then there are times when there is emphasis added to make it clear that everyone is included
Joshua 2:13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death. (Septuagint)
This is Rahab asking the spies to deliver her entire family.
1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. Elkanah had two wives, one had no children (yet) and one had children.
Then there are some really wonderful passages dealing with atonement
Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
When they put the blood on the door posts and lintel, everyone in the house was covered. Amen!
Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Isn’t this amazing? Aaron offered a sacrifice and made atonement for himself, for his house, and for all the congregation of Israel!
I also learned that house is generational. That is, I am part of my father’s house, along with my brothers and sisters, but they are not part of my house. My house is my wife and children. My father’s house is his wife and children (me). It always looks forward, never backward.
This brings us back to the New Testament. Paul wrote, And I baptized also the household (οικος) of Stephanas . . . Does this (and other occasions of whole house baptism) ipso facto mean children were included? As I learned from the use of house (οικος) in the Old Testament, the answer is, No, it does not necessarily mean children were included. But, it does not necessarily exclude children, either.
Ha! I seem to have gone nowhere! Well, that’s not completely true. My study did not settle the matter, but it did open the door a little. Baptism is primarily a response to the gospel, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” this is me coming into covenant with God. But there is a powerful truth I learned from the Old Testament, when Israel entered into covenant with God, the children were included: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. Is this not what Paul meant when he told the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house?
I am still persuaded that believer’s baptism should be primary, but I’m beginning to think that including the children of said believers may have a more biblical foundation than I previously thought.
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:
for of such is the kingdom of heaven
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
pass the time of your sojourning here in fear
And since ye call on the Father, who judgeth without respect of persons, according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear 1 Peter 1:17
So says St. Peter: Ye have through faith hereunto attained, that ye are the children of God, and He is your Father. And ye have obtained an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, (as has been already said.) Thus nothing more now remains, except that the veil be taken away, and that be uncovered which is now concealed, for which ye are still to wait until ye shall behold it. Though ye are now arrived at that state in which ye may joyfully call God your Father, yet is He so righteous that he will reward every man according to his works, and respect not persons. Wherefore thou art not to imagine, although thou hast that great name so that thou art called a Christian or a child of God, that He will therefore continue thine if thou livest without fear, and thinkest that it is enough that thou dost glory in such a name. The world indeed judges by the person, since it does not punish all alike, and respects those who are friendly, rich, reputable, learned, wise, and powerful. But God regards nothing of this kind; it is all alike to him, be the person as great as he may. Thus in Egypt he struck the son of King Pharaoh dead, as well as the son of the poor miller.
Therefore the Apostle would have us expect such judgment from God, and stand in fear, so that we do not glory in our title that we are Christian, and thereupon become negligent, as though he would for this reason pass us over more readily than others. For in this the Jews were formerly deceived, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and God's people. Scripture makes no difference in respect to the flesh, but in respect to the spirit. It is true that Christ was to be born of Abraham's seed and that a holy people should spring from him, but it does not therefore follow that all who are born of Abraham are the children of God. He also promised that the Gentiles should be saved, but he has not said that he would save all the Gentiles.
But here now a question arises: When we say that God saves us alone by faith, without regard to works, why does St. Peter say that He judges not according to the person, but according to works? Answer. What we have taught as to faith alone justifying before God, is true beyond doubt, since it is so clear from Scripture that it cannot be denied. That which the Apostle here says, that God judges according to the works, is also true; but we must certainly hold, therefore, that where there is no faith, there can be no good work; and on the other hand, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore join together faith and good works, since it is in both that the sum of the whole christian life consists. As you now live, so will it be with you, for thereafter God will judge you. Therefore, although God judges us according to our works, still it remains true that works are only the fruits of faith, by which we perceive when there is faith or unbelief; therefore God will sentence you from your works and convict you, either that you have or have not believed. So it is that no one can convict and judge a liar, except from his words. Yet it is evident that he is not made a liar by the word, but became a liar before he spoke the lie, for the lie must come from the heart into the mouth. Therefore, understand this passage thus, in the plainest way: that works are fruits and signs of faith, and that God judges men according to such fruits which must certainly follow it, so that it shall be openly seen whether there is faith or unbelief in the heart. God will not judge by this whether you are called a Christian, or have been baptized, but will ask you, "Art thou a Christian? then tell me where are the fruits by which you can evidence your faith."
Therefore St. Peter goes on to say: Since ye have such a Father, who judges not after the person, pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear; that is, stand in fear before the Father, not of pain and punishment,--as the Christless, and even the devil, is afraid,--but lest He forsake you and withdraw His hand; just as a dutiful child is afraid lest he provoke his father, and do something that might not please him. Such a fear would God have within us, that we guard ourselves against sin, and serve our neighbor, while we live here upon the earth.
A Christian, if he truly believes, possesses all the good things of God, and is God's child, as we have heard. But the time which he yet lives is only a pilgrimage: for the spirit is already in heaven by faith, through which he becomes Lord over all things. But to this end God permits him yet to live in the flesh, and his body to remain on earth, that he may help others and bring them also to heaven. Therefore we are to use all things on earth as a guest, who goes on wearily and arrives at an inn where he must tarry over night, and can receive nothing from it but food and lodging; yet does not say that the property of the inn is his. So must we also proceed in regard to our temporal possessions, as though they were not ours, and we enjoyed only so much of them as is needful to sustain the body, and with the rest we are to help our neighbor. Thus the christian life is only a night's sojourning; for we have here no abiding city, but must find it, where our Father is, in heaven. Therefore we should not here live in wantonness, but stand in fear, says St. Peter.
The Epistles Of St. Peter And St. Jude Preached And Explained
By Martin Luther.
Wittemberg, 1523-4.
Translated By E. H. Gillett.
So says St. Peter: Ye have through faith hereunto attained, that ye are the children of God, and He is your Father. And ye have obtained an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, (as has been already said.) Thus nothing more now remains, except that the veil be taken away, and that be uncovered which is now concealed, for which ye are still to wait until ye shall behold it. Though ye are now arrived at that state in which ye may joyfully call God your Father, yet is He so righteous that he will reward every man according to his works, and respect not persons. Wherefore thou art not to imagine, although thou hast that great name so that thou art called a Christian or a child of God, that He will therefore continue thine if thou livest without fear, and thinkest that it is enough that thou dost glory in such a name. The world indeed judges by the person, since it does not punish all alike, and respects those who are friendly, rich, reputable, learned, wise, and powerful. But God regards nothing of this kind; it is all alike to him, be the person as great as he may. Thus in Egypt he struck the son of King Pharaoh dead, as well as the son of the poor miller.
Therefore the Apostle would have us expect such judgment from God, and stand in fear, so that we do not glory in our title that we are Christian, and thereupon become negligent, as though he would for this reason pass us over more readily than others. For in this the Jews were formerly deceived, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and God's people. Scripture makes no difference in respect to the flesh, but in respect to the spirit. It is true that Christ was to be born of Abraham's seed and that a holy people should spring from him, but it does not therefore follow that all who are born of Abraham are the children of God. He also promised that the Gentiles should be saved, but he has not said that he would save all the Gentiles.
But here now a question arises: When we say that God saves us alone by faith, without regard to works, why does St. Peter say that He judges not according to the person, but according to works? Answer. What we have taught as to faith alone justifying before God, is true beyond doubt, since it is so clear from Scripture that it cannot be denied. That which the Apostle here says, that God judges according to the works, is also true; but we must certainly hold, therefore, that where there is no faith, there can be no good work; and on the other hand, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore join together faith and good works, since it is in both that the sum of the whole christian life consists. As you now live, so will it be with you, for thereafter God will judge you. Therefore, although God judges us according to our works, still it remains true that works are only the fruits of faith, by which we perceive when there is faith or unbelief; therefore God will sentence you from your works and convict you, either that you have or have not believed. So it is that no one can convict and judge a liar, except from his words. Yet it is evident that he is not made a liar by the word, but became a liar before he spoke the lie, for the lie must come from the heart into the mouth. Therefore, understand this passage thus, in the plainest way: that works are fruits and signs of faith, and that God judges men according to such fruits which must certainly follow it, so that it shall be openly seen whether there is faith or unbelief in the heart. God will not judge by this whether you are called a Christian, or have been baptized, but will ask you, "Art thou a Christian? then tell me where are the fruits by which you can evidence your faith."
Therefore St. Peter goes on to say: Since ye have such a Father, who judges not after the person, pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear; that is, stand in fear before the Father, not of pain and punishment,--as the Christless, and even the devil, is afraid,--but lest He forsake you and withdraw His hand; just as a dutiful child is afraid lest he provoke his father, and do something that might not please him. Such a fear would God have within us, that we guard ourselves against sin, and serve our neighbor, while we live here upon the earth.
A Christian, if he truly believes, possesses all the good things of God, and is God's child, as we have heard. But the time which he yet lives is only a pilgrimage: for the spirit is already in heaven by faith, through which he becomes Lord over all things. But to this end God permits him yet to live in the flesh, and his body to remain on earth, that he may help others and bring them also to heaven. Therefore we are to use all things on earth as a guest, who goes on wearily and arrives at an inn where he must tarry over night, and can receive nothing from it but food and lodging; yet does not say that the property of the inn is his. So must we also proceed in regard to our temporal possessions, as though they were not ours, and we enjoyed only so much of them as is needful to sustain the body, and with the rest we are to help our neighbor. Thus the christian life is only a night's sojourning; for we have here no abiding city, but must find it, where our Father is, in heaven. Therefore we should not here live in wantonness, but stand in fear, says St. Peter.
The Epistles Of St. Peter And St. Jude Preached And Explained
By Martin Luther.
Wittemberg, 1523-4.
Translated By E. H. Gillett.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Whole House Baptism
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach in the morning Bible study (read Sunday school). We were in Acts chapter 16 and I covered Timothy and Lydia. When we got to Lydia I had to say something about a whole house being baptized, since Luke said that's what happened. And just a little bit later on in Chapter 16 there is the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. So we took a look at it and I said it looks like there is at least the possibility that their children were included. I mean little ones.
I still have a lot of questions about this matter of whole house baptism, but I am being persuaded that what is meant by whole house baptism is just that, the adults believed and they were baptized, as was everyone else in the house. I wasn't dogmatic but I did present it as a possibility. We are a church that practices believers baptism so I knew this would be different and something to think about. But I figured our goal is to teach, believe, and practice what the Bible says.
This morning the pastor was still in chapter 16 and he took up the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. I determined not to say anything more, but I felt like there was some "correction" being presented, emphasizing that only professing believers are in view in this case of the Philippian jailer's house being baptized. On the way home, Mary and I talked about this and she brought up something very interesting: in Egypt, when the Israelites applied the blood to their door post and lintel, everyone in the house was covered by the blood, even the littlest ones. Very interesting.
I have read comments on Acts 16 that said house or household occurs frequently in the Old Testament and nearly always includes children and gives us the framework for understanding its usage in the New Testament. You know what this means, don't you? I need to go through the Old Testament and look at this matter of "house" and see just what it says. I think I'm going to be busy!
I still have a lot of questions about this matter of whole house baptism, but I am being persuaded that what is meant by whole house baptism is just that, the adults believed and they were baptized, as was everyone else in the house. I wasn't dogmatic but I did present it as a possibility. We are a church that practices believers baptism so I knew this would be different and something to think about. But I figured our goal is to teach, believe, and practice what the Bible says.
This morning the pastor was still in chapter 16 and he took up the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. I determined not to say anything more, but I felt like there was some "correction" being presented, emphasizing that only professing believers are in view in this case of the Philippian jailer's house being baptized. On the way home, Mary and I talked about this and she brought up something very interesting: in Egypt, when the Israelites applied the blood to their door post and lintel, everyone in the house was covered by the blood, even the littlest ones. Very interesting.
I have read comments on Acts 16 that said house or household occurs frequently in the Old Testament and nearly always includes children and gives us the framework for understanding its usage in the New Testament. You know what this means, don't you? I need to go through the Old Testament and look at this matter of "house" and see just what it says. I think I'm going to be busy!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Some thoughts on Kim Davis
I wonder if Kim Davis ever wanted to be on TV? As everybody knows, she is the Kentucky Court Clerk who refused to grant a marriage license to a homosexual couple. That got her on TV for the last couple of weeks. Naturally, I’ve been thinking about this.
The Government
How did the government respond to Kim Davis? Arrested her. Seems to me to be a little over the top. I realize she broke the law, but other government officials have broken the law or not upheld the law and have not been arrested immediately. Consider Lois Lerner. She was the Internal Revenue Service official who was illegally harassing conservative political groups. She broke the law, was never arrested, and was allowed to retire and receive a pension! She was questioned but refused to cooperate. Never arrested. Kim Davis was arrested and no bail was set. The judge said there were groups who would pay her bail so he wouldn’t set one. What? Since when does the judge care how you get the money together? We know that the current darling law of the government is homosexual marriage. And we know that conservative Christians oppose this. The government wants to stifle all resistance and here was an opportunity to make an example of those (Christians) who resist. I don’t think she was singled out per se (Let’s get Kim Davis), or that Christians were targeted, but it was a perfect opportunity to stifle resistance to their beloved new direction.
The Clerk
Kim Davis is a Christian who objects to homosexual marriage and, because of this religious conviction, chose not to issue marriage certificates to homosexual couples. Officials offered her an alternative, You may refuse but let one of your staff issue them. She rejected this offer. I don’t know Kim Davis, so I don’t know why she refused, but I admit, the offer sounds reasonable to me. It may be her objection was, My name is on the certificate no matter who issues it. I don’t know.
The Reaction
I was amazed at the reaction when this hit the news. I refer to social media. Anger. Venom. Hatred. If there were still coliseums with lions . . . Then there was the regional bigotry: She looks so stupid, just like Kentucky; Look how she dresses, she’s so stupid; Those backwater Kentucky people are so stupid. These personal attacks came from people who would have had a cow if Kim Davis had been quoted saying something like that. Interesting.
Ah, then there are those people who cried, “It’s the law, she has to do it.” The law is suddenly sacrosanct. Inviolable. Really? Let’s consider immigration. Every level of government ignores immigration laws. And when the state of Arizona was enforcing the immigration laws on the books, the federal government rebuked and threatened the Governor of Arizona. Were these people screaming, “It’s the law!” No. But then, gay marriage is a cherished law, and this law must be enforced with all haste. Civil disobedience has a long history in the US and when it is carried out against nuclear facilities, or a war, or Wall Street, it’s cool. But not in this case. “It’s the law”.
This incident is enlightening. It’s one of many recent incidents that reveal the direction of the country. And in my opinion, it’s only going to get worse. Pastors and churches are likely to be targeted before long. The train has left the station, man, get on board or get slammed. And what about all these “tolerance loving” people? Another example that tolerance is a one way street. Woe to the Christian who stands for righteousness and calls sin sin. But then, this really isn’t new. The Apostle Peter, speaking by the Holy Spirit, forewarned us, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.
These are trying times. How are we supposed to respond to laws we believe to be unrighteous? What if the law says you can't give birth at home? can't homeschool? can't breastfeed in public? can't teach your children about Jesus? You say, "Now you're just being ridiculous, there are no laws like that." Really? You need to get out more. We need wisdom. And boldness.
The Government
How did the government respond to Kim Davis? Arrested her. Seems to me to be a little over the top. I realize she broke the law, but other government officials have broken the law or not upheld the law and have not been arrested immediately. Consider Lois Lerner. She was the Internal Revenue Service official who was illegally harassing conservative political groups. She broke the law, was never arrested, and was allowed to retire and receive a pension! She was questioned but refused to cooperate. Never arrested. Kim Davis was arrested and no bail was set. The judge said there were groups who would pay her bail so he wouldn’t set one. What? Since when does the judge care how you get the money together? We know that the current darling law of the government is homosexual marriage. And we know that conservative Christians oppose this. The government wants to stifle all resistance and here was an opportunity to make an example of those (Christians) who resist. I don’t think she was singled out per se (Let’s get Kim Davis), or that Christians were targeted, but it was a perfect opportunity to stifle resistance to their beloved new direction.
The Clerk
Kim Davis is a Christian who objects to homosexual marriage and, because of this religious conviction, chose not to issue marriage certificates to homosexual couples. Officials offered her an alternative, You may refuse but let one of your staff issue them. She rejected this offer. I don’t know Kim Davis, so I don’t know why she refused, but I admit, the offer sounds reasonable to me. It may be her objection was, My name is on the certificate no matter who issues it. I don’t know.
The Reaction
I was amazed at the reaction when this hit the news. I refer to social media. Anger. Venom. Hatred. If there were still coliseums with lions . . . Then there was the regional bigotry: She looks so stupid, just like Kentucky; Look how she dresses, she’s so stupid; Those backwater Kentucky people are so stupid. These personal attacks came from people who would have had a cow if Kim Davis had been quoted saying something like that. Interesting.
Ah, then there are those people who cried, “It’s the law, she has to do it.” The law is suddenly sacrosanct. Inviolable. Really? Let’s consider immigration. Every level of government ignores immigration laws. And when the state of Arizona was enforcing the immigration laws on the books, the federal government rebuked and threatened the Governor of Arizona. Were these people screaming, “It’s the law!” No. But then, gay marriage is a cherished law, and this law must be enforced with all haste. Civil disobedience has a long history in the US and when it is carried out against nuclear facilities, or a war, or Wall Street, it’s cool. But not in this case. “It’s the law”.
This incident is enlightening. It’s one of many recent incidents that reveal the direction of the country. And in my opinion, it’s only going to get worse. Pastors and churches are likely to be targeted before long. The train has left the station, man, get on board or get slammed. And what about all these “tolerance loving” people? Another example that tolerance is a one way street. Woe to the Christian who stands for righteousness and calls sin sin. But then, this really isn’t new. The Apostle Peter, speaking by the Holy Spirit, forewarned us, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.
These are trying times. How are we supposed to respond to laws we believe to be unrighteous? What if the law says you can't give birth at home? can't homeschool? can't breastfeed in public? can't teach your children about Jesus? You say, "Now you're just being ridiculous, there are no laws like that." Really? You need to get out more. We need wisdom. And boldness.
We ought to obey God rather than men.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
That Pestiferous Virginia Creeper
That Pestiferous Virginia Creeper
This morning I went around the backyard cutting down plants that I didn’t want growing in my yard. I had noticed a plant with bright green leaves growing in the grass next to a dogwood and had mowed it down a couple of times, but it came back with alarming speed. Today I decided to put an end to this and began plucking it up. It was Virginia Creeper and it had runners all through that part of the yard. I’m talking serious runners.
Earlier this summer I had pulled it out of the shrubbery and thought maybe I had taken care of it. Ha! I think all I did was make it angry and it attacked the yard with a vengeance. Here is a photo of all the runners I plucked up from the yard.
I think pestiferous is an apt description. As is pernicious and malevolent. I think it is evil. Or perhaps it is better to say it is a good illustration of evil and sin – where you see the leaf is not necessarily where it came from; it will send out a runner a long way, getting well rooted before the leaf pops up. How do you deal with it? Carefully pull up the runners until you get to the root. (I guess I could spray it with something, but since I don’t use pesticides I’m left with my method ☺).
I dealt with pestiferous this morning, what did you do?
This morning I went around the backyard cutting down plants that I didn’t want growing in my yard. I had noticed a plant with bright green leaves growing in the grass next to a dogwood and had mowed it down a couple of times, but it came back with alarming speed. Today I decided to put an end to this and began plucking it up. It was Virginia Creeper and it had runners all through that part of the yard. I’m talking serious runners.
This is 10-12 feet long!
Earlier this summer I had pulled it out of the shrubbery and thought maybe I had taken care of it. Ha! I think all I did was make it angry and it attacked the yard with a vengeance. Here is a photo of all the runners I plucked up from the yard.
I think pestiferous is an apt description. As is pernicious and malevolent. I think it is evil. Or perhaps it is better to say it is a good illustration of evil and sin – where you see the leaf is not necessarily where it came from; it will send out a runner a long way, getting well rooted before the leaf pops up. How do you deal with it? Carefully pull up the runners until you get to the root. (I guess I could spray it with something, but since I don’t use pesticides I’m left with my method ☺).
I dealt with pestiferous this morning, what did you do?
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Do you ever think about time?
I was sitting in a chair on the beach. I was separated from the others, sitting close to the water so I could keep an eye on Ryan and Chase (and Dan, too!). Drew, my soon-to-be-thirteen year old grandson, plopped a chair down next to me and sat down. Do you ever think about time?
I replied, “All the time.” He laughed. It took me a moment to realize what I had said.
Then we discussed time: What is it? Is it real or an illusion? Clocks and more. What a neat thing it was to discuss something I’m fascinated by with my grandson!!
And, as it is with all good discussions, I continued to think about it afterwards. I must confess, while I did explain that God created time, I didn’t say anything about Genesis. But it did come to mind later.
Genesis 1:14-18
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
God created time, and the markers for time: the sun, the moon, and the stars. This passage mentions day, night, seasons, and years. The moon rules the night and is also the marker for the month. Natural time, or time in nature, is the day, the night, the month, the seasons (solstice and equinox), and the year.
Early man was keenly aware of this and many ancient structures were built based on the movement of the sun. Did I say many, I mean a lot. While ancient people were aware of this, sadly, we have calendars and are unaware of the movement of the sun and moon. Many of us barely even notice the new and full moon.
Then there is the seven day week. Where does this come from? You cannot come to this from the movement of the sun or moon, and yet it is recognized worldwide. God established it when he created the world: six days of creating, one day of rest.
What about the calendar and the clock? These are man-made. But the calendar is based on the sun (year), the moon (months), and the seven days of creation (week). The clock, on the other hand, is an arbitrary division of the day into smaller units (hours, minutes, seconds). When you are away from clocks, you are not aware of hours and minutes, but you are aware of time – the movement of the sun across the sky, the lateness of the day, the onset of night. If you are separated from the clock and calendar long enough, you are aware of day, night, month, season, and year, but you will have no idea of the hour, and without effort on your part, you will not know the day of the week.
Time is real and I’m fascinated by it. The earth tirelessly rotates and revolves around the sun. The moon orbits the earth. Day and night and month and season and year, creation never wearies in its obedience to the Creator. It silently obeys whether I pay attention or not. And yet, how glorious it is when I pay attention!
I love the questions my grandchildren ask me!
I replied, “All the time.” He laughed. It took me a moment to realize what I had said.
Then we discussed time: What is it? Is it real or an illusion? Clocks and more. What a neat thing it was to discuss something I’m fascinated by with my grandson!!
And, as it is with all good discussions, I continued to think about it afterwards. I must confess, while I did explain that God created time, I didn’t say anything about Genesis. But it did come to mind later.
Genesis 1:14-18
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
God created time, and the markers for time: the sun, the moon, and the stars. This passage mentions day, night, seasons, and years. The moon rules the night and is also the marker for the month. Natural time, or time in nature, is the day, the night, the month, the seasons (solstice and equinox), and the year.
Early man was keenly aware of this and many ancient structures were built based on the movement of the sun. Did I say many, I mean a lot. While ancient people were aware of this, sadly, we have calendars and are unaware of the movement of the sun and moon. Many of us barely even notice the new and full moon.
Then there is the seven day week. Where does this come from? You cannot come to this from the movement of the sun or moon, and yet it is recognized worldwide. God established it when he created the world: six days of creating, one day of rest.
What about the calendar and the clock? These are man-made. But the calendar is based on the sun (year), the moon (months), and the seven days of creation (week). The clock, on the other hand, is an arbitrary division of the day into smaller units (hours, minutes, seconds). When you are away from clocks, you are not aware of hours and minutes, but you are aware of time – the movement of the sun across the sky, the lateness of the day, the onset of night. If you are separated from the clock and calendar long enough, you are aware of day, night, month, season, and year, but you will have no idea of the hour, and without effort on your part, you will not know the day of the week.
Time is real and I’m fascinated by it. The earth tirelessly rotates and revolves around the sun. The moon orbits the earth. Day and night and month and season and year, creation never wearies in its obedience to the Creator. It silently obeys whether I pay attention or not. And yet, how glorious it is when I pay attention!
I love the questions my grandchildren ask me!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
The Revelation of Jesus Christ (part 2)
As I wrote earlier, “I planned to read the Book of Revelation for my vacation study. At the last minute I refined it – I decided to see how Revelation describes Jesus Christ.” My plan was to glide through the book looking for the names and titles ascribed to Jesus. This brought an extra blessing, rather than being absorbed in the details, I was able to see the big picture.
I used to say about the book of Revelation, “This is not a catalog of end time events, it's a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Doesn’t that sound good? I based my opinion on the first verse of chapter one, The Revelation of Jesus Christ… I had to change my mind a little. What did I see in my week of reading?
1. The book opens up with this statement, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. While the book is not simply a catalog of end time events, it was given to show us things which must come to pass. It is not my intention to interpret the events described in the book, I’m simply pointing out that the book does describe events which must shortly come to pass.
2. As I said, I used to declare that the book was a revelation of Jesus Christ. And that's how I approached my reading of it my week of vacation. But my reading revealed something I guess I hadn't noticed before. Jesus is an important figure in the book, and plays a key role in the end time events described herein, but Jesus is not the central or dominant character. God is. This book reveals to us that God is in control, that God has a plan, and that God will see to it that his plan is carried out. I think this explains why there are a few chapters (4,8,9,10,18) that do not mention Jesus at all, while no chapter goes without mentioning God. Before any events happen on earth, we have a vision of heaven. And there is the encouragement for us, God is on the throne, God is in control.
3. And this is one of the main purposes of the book, to offer encouragement. No matter what is going on around us, God is on the throne. If our lives now can look and feel like things are out of control, just imagine the days of the end: there are seals opened, trumpets blasting, vials poured out, Antichrist, wars, persecutions - it certainly looks and feels like things are totally out of control. But be of good courage: God is on the throne! This is why worship is mentioned so often throughout the book. And oh how rich is this worship!
4. Flowing out of this encouragement is the exhortation to keep the faith. This book describes a time when the beast will make war on the saints and overcome them. Tribulation, persecution, and martyrdom are recurring themes. But the saints, despite being persecuted, harried, and martyred, overcome the devil and the beast and the world by their faith. They are described as those who keep the faith, have the testimony of Jesus and hold the faith of Jesus. The world thinks that if you die you lose. But this book tells us, that if you die and keep your faith, you win. You win big! So I suppose we could sum it up this way, “Don't you dare quit. You…keep...holding on.”
5. So if God is the main character of the book, where does Jesus fit into this? And who is this Jesus? He's the one who rose from the dead - I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. He is the Lamb: he has redeemed us from our sins by his blood; he has made us kings and priests unto God; he has restored us to God and made us the people of God. He is also the Prince of the kings of the earth; the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is the one who brings to pass God's purpose: by his sacrifice he saves us and with his return he establishes God's kingdom on the earth. Amen. He also describes himself with some of the same words used by God. God is described as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus calls himself, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. This is why Jesus is also worshiped throughout this book. Ah, this book is a revelation of Jesus: he is the Lamb; he is the one who rose from the dead; he is the root and offspring of David; he is the Alpha and the Omega; he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is to be worshiped!
So, don’t get lost in the trumpets and seals, the two witnesses and the beast, and Babylon the great. See God on the throne, and Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb. Keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And worship him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb that was slain!
I used to say about the book of Revelation, “This is not a catalog of end time events, it's a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Doesn’t that sound good? I based my opinion on the first verse of chapter one, The Revelation of Jesus Christ… I had to change my mind a little. What did I see in my week of reading?
1. The book opens up with this statement, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. While the book is not simply a catalog of end time events, it was given to show us things which must come to pass. It is not my intention to interpret the events described in the book, I’m simply pointing out that the book does describe events which must shortly come to pass.
2. As I said, I used to declare that the book was a revelation of Jesus Christ. And that's how I approached my reading of it my week of vacation. But my reading revealed something I guess I hadn't noticed before. Jesus is an important figure in the book, and plays a key role in the end time events described herein, but Jesus is not the central or dominant character. God is. This book reveals to us that God is in control, that God has a plan, and that God will see to it that his plan is carried out. I think this explains why there are a few chapters (4,8,9,10,18) that do not mention Jesus at all, while no chapter goes without mentioning God. Before any events happen on earth, we have a vision of heaven. And there is the encouragement for us, God is on the throne, God is in control.
3. And this is one of the main purposes of the book, to offer encouragement. No matter what is going on around us, God is on the throne. If our lives now can look and feel like things are out of control, just imagine the days of the end: there are seals opened, trumpets blasting, vials poured out, Antichrist, wars, persecutions - it certainly looks and feels like things are totally out of control. But be of good courage: God is on the throne! This is why worship is mentioned so often throughout the book. And oh how rich is this worship!
4. Flowing out of this encouragement is the exhortation to keep the faith. This book describes a time when the beast will make war on the saints and overcome them. Tribulation, persecution, and martyrdom are recurring themes. But the saints, despite being persecuted, harried, and martyred, overcome the devil and the beast and the world by their faith. They are described as those who keep the faith, have the testimony of Jesus and hold the faith of Jesus. The world thinks that if you die you lose. But this book tells us, that if you die and keep your faith, you win. You win big! So I suppose we could sum it up this way, “Don't you dare quit. You…keep...holding on.”
5. So if God is the main character of the book, where does Jesus fit into this? And who is this Jesus? He's the one who rose from the dead - I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. He is the Lamb: he has redeemed us from our sins by his blood; he has made us kings and priests unto God; he has restored us to God and made us the people of God. He is also the Prince of the kings of the earth; the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is the one who brings to pass God's purpose: by his sacrifice he saves us and with his return he establishes God's kingdom on the earth. Amen. He also describes himself with some of the same words used by God. God is described as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus calls himself, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. This is why Jesus is also worshiped throughout this book. Ah, this book is a revelation of Jesus: he is the Lamb; he is the one who rose from the dead; he is the root and offspring of David; he is the Alpha and the Omega; he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is to be worshiped!
So, don’t get lost in the trumpets and seals, the two witnesses and the beast, and Babylon the great. See God on the throne, and Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb. Keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And worship him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb that was slain!
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
It is what it is
I was texting a friend the other day and he mentioned that he wasn’t feeling good. I said, “Sorry to hear you’re not feeling good. May tonight and tomorrow be better.” He replied, “It is what it is.”
It is what it is. That ranks up there in my Top Ten Least Favorite Sayings.
I Googled “it is what it is” and this is what came back: “A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.”
And that’s why I don’t like the phrase. Helpless. Can’t do anything about it. Can’t change a thing. Whatcha gonna do?
Is this true? Are we stuck in our situation? Are we just to sit back and endure our circumstances, with no hope of deliverance or change?
No.
No!
NO!
I knew a man who used to come by the store on his break. We talked about the Lord and his church. A few months went by and I didn’t see him. One night he dropped in and we caught up. Sadly, his spiritual life had spiraled down since I last saw him. As we talked about it he said, “Oh, it is what it is.” I grew bold and said, “Not so. What if John the Baptist had preached, ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand and you’re not ready’ and the Jews had responded, ‘Hey man, it is what it is.’ No, it is not. They were to repent, turn to God and change the way they were. There was hope.”
God has made promises to us. There is power. There is hope. Deliverance. Salvation. Grace. Mercy. Rescue. Amen!
“Wait. Hold on. We’re just talking about a cold.” Perhaps, but should we not trust the Lord for healing? Should we not expect to get better? hope to get better?
Or some other minor inconvenience. Like the time we headed to Ohio and I discovered I had forgotten my shoes. That’s right, I was headed to Ohio for a week and had no shoes. It is what it is, right? No, we stopped and bought some flip flops. I wasn’t willing to settle for what it was, I changed it.
What if I am powerless to change my circumstances? Do I then take refuge in, “It is what it is”? Hopeless, helpless, powerless.
This is exactly why I don’t like this expression. I am a Christian. I am not hopeless, helpless, powerless. Jesus is working in my life. “Call unto me and I will answer thee.” What if you are not a Christian? Not a believer in Jesus? “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” There is hope. There is help.
It is what it is. Well, that’s partly true. But, does what it is have to stay what it is? Nope. And I encourage everyone who is reading this and uses this phrase to lift your eyes to the Lord. Don’t settle for what is, trust the Lord for deliverance, salvation, rescue, transformation. Get rid of hopelessness and helplessness, there is hope in the Lord!
It is what it is. That ranks up there in my Top Ten Least Favorite Sayings.
I Googled “it is what it is” and this is what came back: “A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.”
And that’s why I don’t like the phrase. Helpless. Can’t do anything about it. Can’t change a thing. Whatcha gonna do?
Is this true? Are we stuck in our situation? Are we just to sit back and endure our circumstances, with no hope of deliverance or change?
No.
No!
NO!
I knew a man who used to come by the store on his break. We talked about the Lord and his church. A few months went by and I didn’t see him. One night he dropped in and we caught up. Sadly, his spiritual life had spiraled down since I last saw him. As we talked about it he said, “Oh, it is what it is.” I grew bold and said, “Not so. What if John the Baptist had preached, ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand and you’re not ready’ and the Jews had responded, ‘Hey man, it is what it is.’ No, it is not. They were to repent, turn to God and change the way they were. There was hope.”
God has made promises to us. There is power. There is hope. Deliverance. Salvation. Grace. Mercy. Rescue. Amen!
“Wait. Hold on. We’re just talking about a cold.” Perhaps, but should we not trust the Lord for healing? Should we not expect to get better? hope to get better?
Or some other minor inconvenience. Like the time we headed to Ohio and I discovered I had forgotten my shoes. That’s right, I was headed to Ohio for a week and had no shoes. It is what it is, right? No, we stopped and bought some flip flops. I wasn’t willing to settle for what it was, I changed it.
What if I am powerless to change my circumstances? Do I then take refuge in, “It is what it is”? Hopeless, helpless, powerless.
This is exactly why I don’t like this expression. I am a Christian. I am not hopeless, helpless, powerless. Jesus is working in my life. “Call unto me and I will answer thee.” What if you are not a Christian? Not a believer in Jesus? “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” There is hope. There is help.
It is what it is. Well, that’s partly true. But, does what it is have to stay what it is? Nope. And I encourage everyone who is reading this and uses this phrase to lift your eyes to the Lord. Don’t settle for what is, trust the Lord for deliverance, salvation, rescue, transformation. Get rid of hopelessness and helplessness, there is hope in the Lord!
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Monday, August 24, 2015
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
I planned to read the Book of Revelation for my vacation study. At the last minute I refined it – I decided to see how Revelation describes Jesus Christ. This was interesting.
First, the different names and titles ascribed to Jesus and the number of times each one is used. If no number follows, it occurs only once.
Jesus Christ 3x
the faithful witness
the first begotten of the dead
the Prince of the kings of the earth
Alpha and Omega 2x
the first and the last 3x
the Lion of the tribe of Juda
the Root of David
Lamb 28x
Lord 2x
Christ 4x
Man child
Son of man 2x
Jesus 5x
Lord of lords and King of kings
King of kings and Lord of lords
faithful and true
the Word of God
the beginning and the end
the root and offspring of David
the bright and morning star
Lord Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ
Quite an impressive list! I noticed:
- Lamb is used nearly as many times as all the other titles combined
- the book opens with “Jesus Christ” and closes with “our Lord Jesus Christ”
- Jesus is not mentioned at all in chapters 4, 8, 9, 10, 18
Second, in addition to the descriptions of Jesus as a Lamb (as it had been slain), there are two extended descriptions of the Lord Jesus:
Revelation 1:12-16 Jesus’ appearance to John at the beginning of the book
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
The elements of this vision are used in the letters to the seven churches (2-3).
Revelation 19:11-16 the second advent
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Amen!
All I really did was skim through the book, but it was encouraging, edifying, and enlightening. I was reminded: Jesus is a central figure in the Book of Revelation, and I can’t capture this in a brief blog post. I hope (and plan) to write about a couple of other things I noticed while reading through the book, things I hope will remove some of the fear that often accompanies the reading of The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
First, the different names and titles ascribed to Jesus and the number of times each one is used. If no number follows, it occurs only once.
Jesus Christ 3x
the faithful witness
the first begotten of the dead
the Prince of the kings of the earth
Alpha and Omega 2x
the first and the last 3x
the Lion of the tribe of Juda
the Root of David
Lamb 28x
Lord 2x
Christ 4x
Man child
Son of man 2x
Jesus 5x
Lord of lords and King of kings
King of kings and Lord of lords
faithful and true
the Word of God
the beginning and the end
the root and offspring of David
the bright and morning star
Lord Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ
Quite an impressive list! I noticed:
- Lamb is used nearly as many times as all the other titles combined
- the book opens with “Jesus Christ” and closes with “our Lord Jesus Christ”
- Jesus is not mentioned at all in chapters 4, 8, 9, 10, 18
Second, in addition to the descriptions of Jesus as a Lamb (as it had been slain), there are two extended descriptions of the Lord Jesus:
Revelation 1:12-16 Jesus’ appearance to John at the beginning of the book
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
The elements of this vision are used in the letters to the seven churches (2-3).
Revelation 19:11-16 the second advent
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Amen!
All I really did was skim through the book, but it was encouraging, edifying, and enlightening. I was reminded: Jesus is a central figure in the Book of Revelation, and I can’t capture this in a brief blog post. I hope (and plan) to write about a couple of other things I noticed while reading through the book, things I hope will remove some of the fear that often accompanies the reading of The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Monday, August 10, 2015
The difference between religion and salvation
We always encourage and exhort you to do righteousness, live in holiness, walk in love. We are right to do so but I confess, it can be wearying – “Oh man, I have so much to do already, work, and bills, and yard work and family and and and … now I have to worry about righteousness and holiness and love.” If we are not careful then it can sound like our message is: Do. Do more. Do it better. This is religion.
We have a picket fence in our back yard. It is an unfinished wood fence. By the time we bought the house, it was dried and weathered, and some of the wood was bowing. A few years ago I painted it. This year I’m repainting it. It looks better – all white and bright, but underneath it’s the same old fence. Everyone who knew it before knows that.
That’s what religion is, sprucing up the outside but not changing the inside.
He also will hear their cry, and will save them. (v 19) Jesus promises salvation. It’s true, God calls us to do righteousness, live in holiness, walk in love, BUT, he has made great promises. He promises to work in us what he wants us to work out in our lives. He will righteoufy you so righteousness will flow from you. He will holify you so you can live holy. And he will pour out his love in your heart so you can walk in love. This is salvation. Cry out to him and he will save you!
~from my message on Psalm 145, Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
We have a picket fence in our back yard. It is an unfinished wood fence. By the time we bought the house, it was dried and weathered, and some of the wood was bowing. A few years ago I painted it. This year I’m repainting it. It looks better – all white and bright, but underneath it’s the same old fence. Everyone who knew it before knows that.
That’s what religion is, sprucing up the outside but not changing the inside.
He also will hear their cry, and will save them. (v 19) Jesus promises salvation. It’s true, God calls us to do righteousness, live in holiness, walk in love, BUT, he has made great promises. He promises to work in us what he wants us to work out in our lives. He will righteoufy you so righteousness will flow from you. He will holify you so you can live holy. And he will pour out his love in your heart so you can walk in love. This is salvation. Cry out to him and he will save you!
~from my message on Psalm 145, Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
My journey as a pastor – Fellowship
I can still clearly remember listening to Chuck Smith on the radio one day commenting on Acts 2:42, And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. He said fellowship was a vital part of church life and went on to share some of the things they did at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa to promote fellowship.
I had teaching (doctrine) and prayer (prayer meeting) down, but fellowship…
I went to work on fellowship.
My earliest efforts were sincere but almost comical. Fellowship is a participation in something, and in our case, that is Jesus and the life in him. When the brethren got together, most of our conversation was sports and work and vacation etc. So I set out to change that. Once a month we had a “fellowship” in the Sunday School hour.
I bought a cook timer and announced that until it dinged we could only talk about spiritual things. I set it for 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes.
I was trying…
Then I determined that just hanging out together was the important first step, so that’s what we did. Lots of it.
5th Wednesday Fellowship – We had Wednesday night Prayer/Youth/Children’s Meetings and every month that had five Wednesdays we had a fellowship. It was usually a supper and the Deaconesses would plan what we did that night. Sometimes it would be ice cream. Just getting together.
Christmas Feast – This was a big deal. This was probably the closest thing we had to a “dressed up” gathering. This was always a wonderful night.
New Year’s Eve Family Night – I knew that New Year’s Eve services were traditionally “watchnight services” but we got together for a family night of food, games, and fellowship. And bonfires. Shortly before midnight we would count down to the new year, then rejoice together.
End of Summer - Usually at the end of summer a family in the church with a pool would host the church and we would have another big gathering. Actually, as often as they would host us we would go over there and hang out! They graciously hosted all kind of meetings: baptisms, missions conference, as well as fellowships.
We also did something a little more intimate called Dinner 8. Four couples would agree to meet in each other’s homes over the next four months.
I know there were a lot of things I didn’t get right as pastor, but by the grace of God we had a good fellowship. A sweet fellowship. And I am persuaded that it was the fruit of these intentional efforts to promote fellowship among the brethren.
I had teaching (doctrine) and prayer (prayer meeting) down, but fellowship…
I went to work on fellowship.
My earliest efforts were sincere but almost comical. Fellowship is a participation in something, and in our case, that is Jesus and the life in him. When the brethren got together, most of our conversation was sports and work and vacation etc. So I set out to change that. Once a month we had a “fellowship” in the Sunday School hour.
I bought a cook timer and announced that until it dinged we could only talk about spiritual things. I set it for 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes.
I was trying…
Then I determined that just hanging out together was the important first step, so that’s what we did. Lots of it.
5th Wednesday Fellowship – We had Wednesday night Prayer/Youth/Children’s Meetings and every month that had five Wednesdays we had a fellowship. It was usually a supper and the Deaconesses would plan what we did that night. Sometimes it would be ice cream. Just getting together.
Christmas Feast – This was a big deal. This was probably the closest thing we had to a “dressed up” gathering. This was always a wonderful night.
New Year’s Eve Family Night – I knew that New Year’s Eve services were traditionally “watchnight services” but we got together for a family night of food, games, and fellowship. And bonfires. Shortly before midnight we would count down to the new year, then rejoice together.
End of Summer - Usually at the end of summer a family in the church with a pool would host the church and we would have another big gathering. Actually, as often as they would host us we would go over there and hang out! They graciously hosted all kind of meetings: baptisms, missions conference, as well as fellowships.
We also did something a little more intimate called Dinner 8. Four couples would agree to meet in each other’s homes over the next four months.
I know there were a lot of things I didn’t get right as pastor, but by the grace of God we had a good fellowship. A sweet fellowship. And I am persuaded that it was the fruit of these intentional efforts to promote fellowship among the brethren.
Monday, July 27, 2015
My journey as a pastor - Church
I began my new life in a Baptist church. And the Bible College I attended was baptistic in its view of church. They thought (and taught) that liturgy, having something written and repeated, was not spiritual. The irony is, the Baptist churches I attended did have a liturgy, they just called it ‘the order of service’ – you knew what was going to happen and when in each service. The church service was always: welcome, couple of hymns, offering, special music, and sermon. And you always knew exactly what the ushers would pray after receiving the offering! When I started attending the Alliance Church in Memphis, while the Sunday night service was a good bit more unpredictable because of the opportunities for unplanned “testifying”, it was pretty much the same thing. No church I ever attended had regular Scripture reading, and (Sunday) prayer was limited to a rather brief “Pastoral Prayer.”
So, when I began pastoring that’s what I went with. I was constantly working to incorporate a contemporary aspect to the service to promote worship, but I confess, I did not see the need to read the Scriptures each week and I have a feeling that my “pastoral prayers” were probably pretty weak. But God was working.
The Lord began showing me that the reading of the Scripture was an ancient practice. The Jews systematically read through the Scriptures. I don’t mean simply the passage someone was going to preach from that day. No, they read through The Law (first five books of the Bible) every year. They systematically read through the Prophets as well. The Apostles continued this practice. They commanded, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” and the early church was obedient to the apostolic charge. I slowly became convinced and convicted of this and established a Scripture reading program in which we publicly read through entire books of the Bible.
I still remember sitting in a Methodist Church in Jackson, MS when God spoke to me about prayer. They had a “time of prayer” and I was convicted: this was ancient and apostolic. I began to research this. The liturgical churches often had a Litany, “a series of petitions for use in church services, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people.” That is,
Leader: We pray for our pastor and all the pastors in this area.
People: Lord, hear our prayer / or, Lord, have mercy
Then I found that liturgical worship was very old and I found the early prayers. Man, they prayed for everything. Every week. So I printed those prayers found in the four or five oldest liturgies and they became my pastoral prayers.
And speaking of Liturgy, when I discovered it wasn’t merely the “dead ritual of dead churches” but ancient and apostolic, I began to incorporate that as well. Every Communion service was now always observed as a liturgical service. Was this stuffy ritual that I resorted to because I was no longer operating under the Spirit? No, this was a purposeful effort to make this richer for us. Here is the congregation’s copy:
-----
Communion Service
Old Testament Reading
Pastor: Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
All: We praise You; we bless You; we worship You; we glorify You; we magnify You; we give thanks to You for Your great mercy. O Lord heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,; Lamb of God Who takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. You Who sit at the right-hand of God the Father, receive our prayers. Have mercy upon us, for You only art holy, You only are the Lord, You only are glorious; with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Prayer
Reading of the Gospel
Prayer
All: Hallelujah, The Lord is my strength and my praise and He is become my Salvation. Hallelujah
Reading of the Epistle
Sermon
Confession of Faith (The Nicene Creed)
Prayer
All: We believe You; we bless You; we adore You; and we praise Your Name forever: You through Whom is the Salvation of the world; through Whom is the Life of men; through Whom is the Resurrection of the dead. Amen!
Communion
Prayer
All: We believe, O Lord. We believe we have been redeemed by the breaking of the Body, and the pouring forth of the Blood; and we rely on this Sacrifice
The Lord's Prayer
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Benediction
-----
We were certainly an interesting church: We had contemporary worship led by the best praise team ever, we were reading through books of the Bible, had a definite time of prayer, and a teaching time as well! We had the form and we had the life.
So, when I began pastoring that’s what I went with. I was constantly working to incorporate a contemporary aspect to the service to promote worship, but I confess, I did not see the need to read the Scriptures each week and I have a feeling that my “pastoral prayers” were probably pretty weak. But God was working.
The Lord began showing me that the reading of the Scripture was an ancient practice. The Jews systematically read through the Scriptures. I don’t mean simply the passage someone was going to preach from that day. No, they read through The Law (first five books of the Bible) every year. They systematically read through the Prophets as well. The Apostles continued this practice. They commanded, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” and the early church was obedient to the apostolic charge. I slowly became convinced and convicted of this and established a Scripture reading program in which we publicly read through entire books of the Bible.
I still remember sitting in a Methodist Church in Jackson, MS when God spoke to me about prayer. They had a “time of prayer” and I was convicted: this was ancient and apostolic. I began to research this. The liturgical churches often had a Litany, “a series of petitions for use in church services, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people.” That is,
Leader: We pray for our pastor and all the pastors in this area.
People: Lord, hear our prayer / or, Lord, have mercy
Then I found that liturgical worship was very old and I found the early prayers. Man, they prayed for everything. Every week. So I printed those prayers found in the four or five oldest liturgies and they became my pastoral prayers.
And speaking of Liturgy, when I discovered it wasn’t merely the “dead ritual of dead churches” but ancient and apostolic, I began to incorporate that as well. Every Communion service was now always observed as a liturgical service. Was this stuffy ritual that I resorted to because I was no longer operating under the Spirit? No, this was a purposeful effort to make this richer for us. Here is the congregation’s copy:
-----
Communion Service
Old Testament Reading
Pastor: Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
All: We praise You; we bless You; we worship You; we glorify You; we magnify You; we give thanks to You for Your great mercy. O Lord heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,; Lamb of God Who takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. You Who sit at the right-hand of God the Father, receive our prayers. Have mercy upon us, for You only art holy, You only are the Lord, You only are glorious; with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Prayer
Reading of the Gospel
Prayer
All: Hallelujah, The Lord is my strength and my praise and He is become my Salvation. Hallelujah
Reading of the Epistle
Sermon
Confession of Faith (The Nicene Creed)
Prayer
All: We believe You; we bless You; we adore You; and we praise Your Name forever: You through Whom is the Salvation of the world; through Whom is the Life of men; through Whom is the Resurrection of the dead. Amen!
Communion
Prayer
All: We believe, O Lord. We believe we have been redeemed by the breaking of the Body, and the pouring forth of the Blood; and we rely on this Sacrifice
The Lord's Prayer
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Benediction
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We were certainly an interesting church: We had contemporary worship led by the best praise team ever, we were reading through books of the Bible, had a definite time of prayer, and a teaching time as well! We had the form and we had the life.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Why bother with a funeral?
Why bother with a funeral? There are those who dispense with it altogether. “Why bother? The person is dead. Let’s just move on.” Without criticizing those who do not hold funerals, I want to offer my thoughts on why a funeral is good and helpful.
First, the funeral is for the departed. Clearly, they are no longer with us. They are dead. They have departed. They’ve passed on. They’re gone. Do you notice have many expressions refer to the soul? It’s not simply that life has ceased in that vessel, they are gone. That which made them them has left. But I digress… The funeral is a time to honor and remember this person. They didn’t just live a meaningless, purposeless life. They meant something to somebody. They touched somebody. They impacted someone. They changed someone’s life. The funeral is a time to honor them for their life.
It’s also a time to say “Good-bye.” I believe this is important and healthy. Do I mean literally say good-bye? Yes. “What are you talking about? You’ve already admitted they’re gone. Now you say I should talk to them?” Yes. When you lose a loved one and visit their grave, what do you do? You talk to them. Sometimes you offer family updates. Other times you ask for counsel. They’re not actually there. And they are not going to respond. Yet you talk to them. I believe this is normal. If you don’t understand this, I can’t explain it.
Second, the funeral is for the family. This is a time to gather with them and offer comfort and condolences. This is very helpful and encouraging. Of course, this needs to be followed up with practical demonstrations of love, but the funeral is a time to stand with them in their sorrow. This is important. We are community. There is tendency today to move indoors and isolate ourselves. This is not good. Or healthy.
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
This is why we should bother with a funeral.
First, the funeral is for the departed. Clearly, they are no longer with us. They are dead. They have departed. They’ve passed on. They’re gone. Do you notice have many expressions refer to the soul? It’s not simply that life has ceased in that vessel, they are gone. That which made them them has left. But I digress… The funeral is a time to honor and remember this person. They didn’t just live a meaningless, purposeless life. They meant something to somebody. They touched somebody. They impacted someone. They changed someone’s life. The funeral is a time to honor them for their life.
It’s also a time to say “Good-bye.” I believe this is important and healthy. Do I mean literally say good-bye? Yes. “What are you talking about? You’ve already admitted they’re gone. Now you say I should talk to them?” Yes. When you lose a loved one and visit their grave, what do you do? You talk to them. Sometimes you offer family updates. Other times you ask for counsel. They’re not actually there. And they are not going to respond. Yet you talk to them. I believe this is normal. If you don’t understand this, I can’t explain it.
Second, the funeral is for the family. This is a time to gather with them and offer comfort and condolences. This is very helpful and encouraging. Of course, this needs to be followed up with practical demonstrations of love, but the funeral is a time to stand with them in their sorrow. This is important. We are community. There is tendency today to move indoors and isolate ourselves. This is not good. Or healthy.
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
This is why we should bother with a funeral.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Maybe this flag should come down as well
Every day now, and on every side, we are hearing calls and demands for the Confederate flag to be removed. Companies like Amazon and Walmart have removed it and all products showing it from their offerings. One video game even removed it from a Civil War game. A protester took it upon herself to remove it from its pole at the State Capitol in Columbia. People are outdoing each other in their displays of “righteous indignation” over this flag.
In addition to this, I have heard calls to go further – rename all buildings, streets, cities, parks that bear the names of Confederate era heroes and remove all statues of the same. After all, they were all slave owning, violently racist men, without an ounce of honor. I recently read an article written by a Robert Lee, whose great, great, great grandfather was Robert E. Lee, in which he expressed the “great guilt” he felt being related to such a monster.
I’m wondering if they are going far enough. Should they think about removing all flags and memorials associated with slavery and racism? This would include the American flag.
Consider:
• Slavery in America was not restricted to the South. (Slavery did not even originate in the South, it is almost as old as the human race itself.) Did you know that all of the original thirteen colonies were slave states? All of them.
• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners. Washington freed his slaves, but only at his death. Jefferson fathered children with his slaves.
• In the years preceding the war of northern aggression there were states admitted to the Union as “slave states.”
• After the North won the war, they sent carpetbaggers to the South to rape and pillage while their military heroes went out West. And what did they do out there? They were part of the genocidal campaign against those pesky Indians. The policy of the US was to round up them Indians and place them on reservations if they were cooperative, otherwise to wipe the buggers out.
• A legitimate Monarch of an internationally recognized kingdom was arrested by a band of Marines and held under house arrest the rest of her life and this kingdom "claimed" by the United States (Hawai'i).
All of this and more under the banner of the American flag. I would think that for this “righteous indignation” to be consistent they would turn on this banner too, as well as all streets and cities and states that bear the names of those two villainous, racist, slave-owning guys, Washington and Jefferson.
But that won’t happen. Besides, we know that once the Confederate flag comes down and is no longer allowed to be displayed anywhere by anyone, all racism will cease. It’s a known fact that there are no racial problems or tensions in cities and states where the Confederate flag is not flown or displayed.
In addition to this, I have heard calls to go further – rename all buildings, streets, cities, parks that bear the names of Confederate era heroes and remove all statues of the same. After all, they were all slave owning, violently racist men, without an ounce of honor. I recently read an article written by a Robert Lee, whose great, great, great grandfather was Robert E. Lee, in which he expressed the “great guilt” he felt being related to such a monster.
I’m wondering if they are going far enough. Should they think about removing all flags and memorials associated with slavery and racism? This would include the American flag.
Consider:
• Slavery in America was not restricted to the South. (Slavery did not even originate in the South, it is almost as old as the human race itself.) Did you know that all of the original thirteen colonies were slave states? All of them.
• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners. Washington freed his slaves, but only at his death. Jefferson fathered children with his slaves.
• In the years preceding the war of northern aggression there were states admitted to the Union as “slave states.”
• After the North won the war, they sent carpetbaggers to the South to rape and pillage while their military heroes went out West. And what did they do out there? They were part of the genocidal campaign against those pesky Indians. The policy of the US was to round up them Indians and place them on reservations if they were cooperative, otherwise to wipe the buggers out.
• A legitimate Monarch of an internationally recognized kingdom was arrested by a band of Marines and held under house arrest the rest of her life and this kingdom "claimed" by the United States (Hawai'i).
All of this and more under the banner of the American flag. I would think that for this “righteous indignation” to be consistent they would turn on this banner too, as well as all streets and cities and states that bear the names of those two villainous, racist, slave-owning guys, Washington and Jefferson.
But that won’t happen. Besides, we know that once the Confederate flag comes down and is no longer allowed to be displayed anywhere by anyone, all racism will cease. It’s a known fact that there are no racial problems or tensions in cities and states where the Confederate flag is not flown or displayed.
remember, history is written by the victor
Monday, June 29, 2015
What are you going to do now?
February 14, 2008. That was the day I began my life at Petro Express (which became Kangaroo Express, and will soon become Circle K). I remember that day well. There was a man who had robbed several convenience stores and shot the clerks despite their cooperation, he robbed the store down the road that day, and shot the clerk. There were deputies everywhere looking for him. I recall one deputy walking in the store, talking on the phone and saying, “And we don’t think he’s done.” What a beginning!
They caught him by the way. After another robbery. And although I was robbed once, it wasn’t by him. And I wasn’t shot!
July 1, 2015. My last day at Kangaroo Express. That’s right, my last day. After 7 ½ years I am quitting.
I have told a few people and they always ask the same two questions:
Why?
What are you going to do now?
Why?
The answer is complex and has many layers. I can summarize it this way: it was time, and certain things happened which gave me the freedom to take this step.
What are you going to do now?
I confess, I have nothing lined up yet. As I told a friend, my plan is (1) escape Circle K, (2) go to Ohio for a week (3) look for something else. I told Mary I could go on EBT, but she didn’t like that!
I have met some neat people and made a few friends. I will miss the interaction with some of the people but I am glad to be getting out. No idea what I will be doing, but did I mention I am glad to be getting out?
They caught him by the way. After another robbery. And although I was robbed once, it wasn’t by him. And I wasn’t shot!
July 1, 2015. My last day at Kangaroo Express. That’s right, my last day. After 7 ½ years I am quitting.
I have told a few people and they always ask the same two questions:
Why?
What are you going to do now?
Why?
The answer is complex and has many layers. I can summarize it this way: it was time, and certain things happened which gave me the freedom to take this step.
What are you going to do now?
I confess, I have nothing lined up yet. As I told a friend, my plan is (1) escape Circle K, (2) go to Ohio for a week (3) look for something else. I told Mary I could go on EBT, but she didn’t like that!
I have met some neat people and made a few friends. I will miss the interaction with some of the people but I am glad to be getting out. No idea what I will be doing, but did I mention I am glad to be getting out?
Friday, June 19, 2015
My journey as pastor – Beginnings
I became a Christian in 1973 while living in Nashville. I was Catholic in my youth but in my teens I had become an atheist/agnostic seeker for spiritual reality. I began my spiritual life in a Baptist church and was an active “Christian worker” in all the churches we attended. When I went off to college (1974) I was introduced to the charismatic renewal. Well, before that, my pastor in Nashville had challenged us one night to read a book by R.A. Torrey, The Holy Spirit: Who He Is And What He Does. I read it and thus began my drift away from the Baptist Church.
When Mary graduated from Nursing School we moved to Memphis so she could work and I could attend Mid-South Bible College. Mid-South was dispensational, baptistic, and moderately Calvinistic. That’s a mouthful! I don’t even want to attempt to define all the terms but perhaps this will help: it was like an independent Bible church.
I received a good theological foundation. I never bought into the dispensationalism, which made it fun navigating the waters. And I was never comfortable with the Calvinsim vs Arminianism they proposed - in their minds these were the only two possibilities, and Arminianism wasn’t an acceptable alternative.
We were taught about the Reformers, but never read them. Of course, the Reformers wrote a lot of stuff… I really learned a lot once I began reading Calvin and Luther and Zwingli. The Fathers? They were mentioned and dismissed in almost the same breath – ‘they had a merely childlike understanding of the faith’. Oh what I learned by reading them! My Bible college was also very anti-pentecostal. More fun!
Then came the break with the Baptist church – over the Spirit, gifts, healing, and worship. That was when I found the Christian & Missionary Alliance (with their distinctives of sanctication/deeper life, healing, and missions).
Every group I was affiliated with was basically baptistic in their view of church and the sacraments, excuse me, ordinances. That is, no liturgy ever. Never. That would be Catholic at worst or simply un-spiritual at best. We never even prayed the Lord’s Prayer. And the ordinances are memorial acts and nothing more.
So that was me when I began pastoring: theologically trained and equipped, baptistic background, charismatic leanings, and very little practical experience. Well, I had a lot of personal work experience (teaching in Sunday School and Training Union, children, young people, VBS, backyard Bible schools, and a lot of evangelism) but very little experience as pastor. Very little? I had none!
So, when I got to my first pastorate in Pensacola (Brent Alliance Church), I could preach and teach but didn’t really know how to pastor a church. It was a small church and I did everything but play the piano. I knew nothing about administration, so I was merely going from Sunday to Sunday. After a while, the Lord began to convict me about administration. My response? “Lord, I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know how to do that.” His response? “Just do it.” Ha! He doesn’t coddle you. Thanks be to God, I learned. And by the time I got to my last pastorate I had quite an excellent team assembled.
That was how I began. So green but God was so good. And I threw myself into what I knew: preach and teach the Word; love and visit the saints; door-to-door evangelism. They took us in and loved on us and we learned and grew a lot in Pensacola.
When Mary graduated from Nursing School we moved to Memphis so she could work and I could attend Mid-South Bible College. Mid-South was dispensational, baptistic, and moderately Calvinistic. That’s a mouthful! I don’t even want to attempt to define all the terms but perhaps this will help: it was like an independent Bible church.
I received a good theological foundation. I never bought into the dispensationalism, which made it fun navigating the waters. And I was never comfortable with the Calvinsim vs Arminianism they proposed - in their minds these were the only two possibilities, and Arminianism wasn’t an acceptable alternative.
We were taught about the Reformers, but never read them. Of course, the Reformers wrote a lot of stuff… I really learned a lot once I began reading Calvin and Luther and Zwingli. The Fathers? They were mentioned and dismissed in almost the same breath – ‘they had a merely childlike understanding of the faith’. Oh what I learned by reading them! My Bible college was also very anti-pentecostal. More fun!
Then came the break with the Baptist church – over the Spirit, gifts, healing, and worship. That was when I found the Christian & Missionary Alliance (with their distinctives of sanctication/deeper life, healing, and missions).
Every group I was affiliated with was basically baptistic in their view of church and the sacraments, excuse me, ordinances. That is, no liturgy ever. Never. That would be Catholic at worst or simply un-spiritual at best. We never even prayed the Lord’s Prayer. And the ordinances are memorial acts and nothing more.
So that was me when I began pastoring: theologically trained and equipped, baptistic background, charismatic leanings, and very little practical experience. Well, I had a lot of personal work experience (teaching in Sunday School and Training Union, children, young people, VBS, backyard Bible schools, and a lot of evangelism) but very little experience as pastor. Very little? I had none!
So, when I got to my first pastorate in Pensacola (Brent Alliance Church), I could preach and teach but didn’t really know how to pastor a church. It was a small church and I did everything but play the piano. I knew nothing about administration, so I was merely going from Sunday to Sunday. After a while, the Lord began to convict me about administration. My response? “Lord, I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know how to do that.” His response? “Just do it.” Ha! He doesn’t coddle you. Thanks be to God, I learned. And by the time I got to my last pastorate I had quite an excellent team assembled.
That was how I began. So green but God was so good. And I threw myself into what I knew: preach and teach the Word; love and visit the saints; door-to-door evangelism. They took us in and loved on us and we learned and grew a lot in Pensacola.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
The marks of a Christian
1 Thessalonnians 1: 9 . . . how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
What is different about Christians? What is it that marks them?
When I became a Christian, back in 1973, I was in church circles where the emphasis was: a Christian is somebody who believes in Jesus, goes to church faithfully, and doesn't smoke or drink or play cards or dance or play the pinball machine. The humorous summary was,
Christians don't smoke or drink or chew
and don't hang out with those who do.
When I moved into different circles the emphasis was: believing in Jesus, faithfully assembling, and a devotional life. I don’t really hear any of these emphases any longer; now the marks of the true Christian are faithful attendance at church, and of course giving.
I admit that when I was pastoring, or pastoring in one particular church, the Holy Spirit stressed to me that he was serious when he said, forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. So I kept a chart tracking the attendance of the brethren, not as a standard but as something that as the pastor I needed to be on top of. So, if I noticed that people were not assembling I would go visit them, just to check up on my flock. Then in another church I placed a great emphasis on the devotional life. I stressed it, I wrote a devotional guide and passed it out, when I encouraged accountability that was the main emphasis, and I encouraged testimonies from their devotions.
When I left the pastorate I re-read the Gospels and discovered that Jesus did not emphasize any of these things. And I've been thinking about, contemplating and pondering the question, What is the distinguishing mark of the Christian? What separates us from non-Christians or what is it that characterizes us as Christians?
I came to a five-fold conclusion. One day I would like to be able to teach this, but for now I present a summary. As we meditate on this we will easily see how radical these points really are.
• they embrace the faith of Christ, that is, they believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who came, died, rose again, and is returning, and of course have been baptized into this faith
• they are waiting for his Son from heaven; their hope is the kingdom to come
They are waiting for, looking for, anticipating, living for the coming of Christ. Not politics, or power, or possessions, or vacations etc.
• they serve God; they seek to do those things that please Him
Before we became Christians we lived for different things. some to get drunk, some to party, some for fun, or excitement, or sex, or money or possessions - a lot of different things. In essence we were serving those things we were living for, doing what it took to achieve them, obtain them, have them.
I serve the people I work for, that is, they tell me how to dress, how to conduct myself, and they have a list of duties they expect me to do. Failure to abide by these things earns a warning and can get me fired. In a way this is how it is when I serve God: I want to know how he wants me to live and act and conduct myself, what pleases him and what doesn't. I serve Him.
• they do unto others as they want them to do unto them
Or as Jesus actually said it, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. We have watered this down to mean, Be as nice to people as you wish they would be to you. But this is so much bigger. For example, consider all the people we encounter who ask for some kind of help or assistance. If that was me, what would I want? Wow!
• they love one another as Christ loved them
We have pretty much made Christianity a me thing. as if the whole purpose of the coming of Christ, his death and resurrection, was about me and all that matters is whether I have my salvation or not. No, biblical Christianity is a "we" thing. As soon as I believe in Jesus I become part of we. The non-Christian doesn't like Christians, and doesn't like the church. The mark of the Christian is His love for other believers. That's why Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. And this is so much more than greeting each other at church. I have really become impressed with this passage:
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:34-35
That is loving one another!
• love your neighbor as yourself
This is very practical. Quoting John Wyclif:
“Christ tells in order six works of mercy — I hungered, and you fed me; I thirsted, and you gave me drink; you harbored me in your house; I was naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and then you came and visited me.
Then there are the seven works of mercy that we call spiritual — Teach, Counsel, Chastise, Comfort, Forgive, Suffer (longsuffering), and Pray (for our enemies).”
Now the tough part. Is this what people see when they look at me?
What is different about Christians? What is it that marks them?
When I became a Christian, back in 1973, I was in church circles where the emphasis was: a Christian is somebody who believes in Jesus, goes to church faithfully, and doesn't smoke or drink or play cards or dance or play the pinball machine. The humorous summary was,
Christians don't smoke or drink or chew
and don't hang out with those who do.
When I moved into different circles the emphasis was: believing in Jesus, faithfully assembling, and a devotional life. I don’t really hear any of these emphases any longer; now the marks of the true Christian are faithful attendance at church, and of course giving.
I admit that when I was pastoring, or pastoring in one particular church, the Holy Spirit stressed to me that he was serious when he said, forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. So I kept a chart tracking the attendance of the brethren, not as a standard but as something that as the pastor I needed to be on top of. So, if I noticed that people were not assembling I would go visit them, just to check up on my flock. Then in another church I placed a great emphasis on the devotional life. I stressed it, I wrote a devotional guide and passed it out, when I encouraged accountability that was the main emphasis, and I encouraged testimonies from their devotions.
When I left the pastorate I re-read the Gospels and discovered that Jesus did not emphasize any of these things. And I've been thinking about, contemplating and pondering the question, What is the distinguishing mark of the Christian? What separates us from non-Christians or what is it that characterizes us as Christians?
I came to a five-fold conclusion. One day I would like to be able to teach this, but for now I present a summary. As we meditate on this we will easily see how radical these points really are.
• they embrace the faith of Christ, that is, they believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who came, died, rose again, and is returning, and of course have been baptized into this faith
• they are waiting for his Son from heaven; their hope is the kingdom to come
They are waiting for, looking for, anticipating, living for the coming of Christ. Not politics, or power, or possessions, or vacations etc.
• they serve God; they seek to do those things that please Him
Before we became Christians we lived for different things. some to get drunk, some to party, some for fun, or excitement, or sex, or money or possessions - a lot of different things. In essence we were serving those things we were living for, doing what it took to achieve them, obtain them, have them.
I serve the people I work for, that is, they tell me how to dress, how to conduct myself, and they have a list of duties they expect me to do. Failure to abide by these things earns a warning and can get me fired. In a way this is how it is when I serve God: I want to know how he wants me to live and act and conduct myself, what pleases him and what doesn't. I serve Him.
• they do unto others as they want them to do unto them
Or as Jesus actually said it, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. We have watered this down to mean, Be as nice to people as you wish they would be to you. But this is so much bigger. For example, consider all the people we encounter who ask for some kind of help or assistance. If that was me, what would I want? Wow!
• they love one another as Christ loved them
We have pretty much made Christianity a me thing. as if the whole purpose of the coming of Christ, his death and resurrection, was about me and all that matters is whether I have my salvation or not. No, biblical Christianity is a "we" thing. As soon as I believe in Jesus I become part of we. The non-Christian doesn't like Christians, and doesn't like the church. The mark of the Christian is His love for other believers. That's why Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. And this is so much more than greeting each other at church. I have really become impressed with this passage:
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:34-35
That is loving one another!
• love your neighbor as yourself
This is very practical. Quoting John Wyclif:
“Christ tells in order six works of mercy — I hungered, and you fed me; I thirsted, and you gave me drink; you harbored me in your house; I was naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and then you came and visited me.
Then there are the seven works of mercy that we call spiritual — Teach, Counsel, Chastise, Comfort, Forgive, Suffer (longsuffering), and Pray (for our enemies).”
Now the tough part. Is this what people see when they look at me?
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Oh, I could never do that
A man came in last night who I hadn’t seen in a while. I asked him what he was doing these days and he said he was roofing. As we talked he explained that he didn’t get paid by the hour but by the square. "By the square? Do you use a nail gun." “Oh yeah.”
I told him I used to roof and that we just used a regular hammer. “Oh, I could never do that” he said. I laughed and told him how I hit my finger so often that it ached for a year after I quit and that I was pretty sure I probably broke it.
I went on and told him that I helped this man frame his house and how we put the roof trusses up by hand – one man on each end; one would climb the ladder and place his end on the frame, and the other would do the same; then we would tie a rope to the peak and pull it up straight. “Oh, I could never do that” he said.
I said, “You probably have the bundles (of shingles) brought up to the roof by a lift, don’t you?” He said, “Yes.” I laughed and said, “Man, we had to carry the bundles up the ladder ourselves.” He shook his head, “Oh, I could never do that. That’s too physical.” I replied, “Ha, yeah it was physical!”
A little later on I recalled something I wished I had told him, how Willie Metzger, who at the time was older than I am now, would carry two bundles at a time up the ladder! After that I spent some time remembering Willie Metzger (and his wife Jean, and their son Carl). I liked that brother.
Sometimes, something pleasant happens in the middle of the night.
I told him I used to roof and that we just used a regular hammer. “Oh, I could never do that” he said. I laughed and told him how I hit my finger so often that it ached for a year after I quit and that I was pretty sure I probably broke it.
I went on and told him that I helped this man frame his house and how we put the roof trusses up by hand – one man on each end; one would climb the ladder and place his end on the frame, and the other would do the same; then we would tie a rope to the peak and pull it up straight. “Oh, I could never do that” he said.
I said, “You probably have the bundles (of shingles) brought up to the roof by a lift, don’t you?” He said, “Yes.” I laughed and said, “Man, we had to carry the bundles up the ladder ourselves.” He shook his head, “Oh, I could never do that. That’s too physical.” I replied, “Ha, yeah it was physical!”
A little later on I recalled something I wished I had told him, how Willie Metzger, who at the time was older than I am now, would carry two bundles at a time up the ladder! After that I spent some time remembering Willie Metzger (and his wife Jean, and their son Carl). I liked that brother.
Sometimes, something pleasant happens in the middle of the night.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
softly singing a sweet song
I’m confused:
the things I know
are greater by far
in number and weight
than the things I don’t
yet it is that
which I don’t know
that weighs on me
that makes me sigh
and steals my joy
they crowd together
they rush to the front
they demand attention
these questions
these problems
is there no answer?
is there no solution?
I need a sword!
I need a shield!
I need a helmet!
they buffet me -
I need an anchor!
I hear a Voice softly
singing a sweet song:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous runneth into it and is safe
O my soul, it’s time to run!
the things I know
are greater by far
in number and weight
than the things I don’t
yet it is that
which I don’t know
that weighs on me
that makes me sigh
and steals my joy
they crowd together
they rush to the front
they demand attention
these questions
these problems
is there no answer?
is there no solution?
I need a sword!
I need a shield!
I need a helmet!
they buffet me -
I need an anchor!
I hear a Voice softly
singing a sweet song:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous runneth into it and is safe
O my soul, it’s time to run!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Warning! Danger! You are living at ease!
I am reading John Chrysostom’s (349 – 407, Archbishop of Constantinople) Homilies On The Book Of Acts (that his, his sermons as he preached through Acts). I came across this in his sermon on Acts 11, Peter’s defense of his going to Cornelius (in ch 10). Such powerful words for Christians in America, who are truly living at ease!
“They that live godly are always undergoing persecution, if not from men, at any rate from evil spirits, which is a more grievous persecution. Yes, and it is in consequence, first and foremost, of ease and comfort, that those who are not vigilant undergo this. Or thinkest thou it is a trifling persecution to be living at ease? This is more grievous than all, this is worse than persecution. For, like a running flux, ease makes the soul languid. But to show you that this is the worse persecution, listen: it induces sleep in the soul, an excessive yawning and drowsiness, it stirs up the passions on every side, it arms pride, it arms pleasure, it arms anger, envy, vainglory, jealousy. But in time of persecution none of these is able to make a disturbance; but fear, entering in, will not let any of these passions so much as attempt to give tongue. Who shall be able in time of persecution to indulge in vain glory? Who to live in pleasure? Not one: but there is much trembling and fear, making a great calm, composing the harbor into stillness, filling the soul with awe. I have heard from our fathers, that in the persecution of old time one might see men that were indeed Christian. None of them cared for money, none for a wife, children, nor home, nor country: the one great concern with all was to save their souls. There were they hiding, some in tombs and sepulchres, some in deserts: yes tender and dainty women too, fighting all the while with constant hunger.
Then think whether any longing for sumptuous and dainty living at all came into the mind of a woman, while in hiding beside a coffin, and waiting for her maid-servant to bring her meal, and trembling lest she should be taken, and lying in her terror as in a furnace: was she even aware that there ever was such a thing as dainty living, that such things as dress and ornaments exist at all? Seest thou that now is the persecution, with our passions, like wild beasts, setting upon us on every side? Now is the trying persecution, both in this regard, and especially if it is not even thought to be persecution at all. For this persecution has also this evil in it, that being war, it is thought to be peace, so that we do not even arm ourselves against it, so that we do not even rise: no one fears, no one trembles. But if you do not believe me, ask the heathen, the persecutors, at what time was the conduct of the Christians more strict, at what time were they all more proved? Few indeed had they then become in number, but rich in virtue.”
“They that live godly are always undergoing persecution, if not from men, at any rate from evil spirits, which is a more grievous persecution. Yes, and it is in consequence, first and foremost, of ease and comfort, that those who are not vigilant undergo this. Or thinkest thou it is a trifling persecution to be living at ease? This is more grievous than all, this is worse than persecution. For, like a running flux, ease makes the soul languid. But to show you that this is the worse persecution, listen: it induces sleep in the soul, an excessive yawning and drowsiness, it stirs up the passions on every side, it arms pride, it arms pleasure, it arms anger, envy, vainglory, jealousy. But in time of persecution none of these is able to make a disturbance; but fear, entering in, will not let any of these passions so much as attempt to give tongue. Who shall be able in time of persecution to indulge in vain glory? Who to live in pleasure? Not one: but there is much trembling and fear, making a great calm, composing the harbor into stillness, filling the soul with awe. I have heard from our fathers, that in the persecution of old time one might see men that were indeed Christian. None of them cared for money, none for a wife, children, nor home, nor country: the one great concern with all was to save their souls. There were they hiding, some in tombs and sepulchres, some in deserts: yes tender and dainty women too, fighting all the while with constant hunger.
Then think whether any longing for sumptuous and dainty living at all came into the mind of a woman, while in hiding beside a coffin, and waiting for her maid-servant to bring her meal, and trembling lest she should be taken, and lying in her terror as in a furnace: was she even aware that there ever was such a thing as dainty living, that such things as dress and ornaments exist at all? Seest thou that now is the persecution, with our passions, like wild beasts, setting upon us on every side? Now is the trying persecution, both in this regard, and especially if it is not even thought to be persecution at all. For this persecution has also this evil in it, that being war, it is thought to be peace, so that we do not even arm ourselves against it, so that we do not even rise: no one fears, no one trembles. But if you do not believe me, ask the heathen, the persecutors, at what time was the conduct of the Christians more strict, at what time were they all more proved? Few indeed had they then become in number, but rich in virtue.”
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