Randy Green's Blog, page 440
August 1, 2013
Sweet and Sour Sauce Bible – Part 1
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” [Revelation 10:10-11]
There is this silly old TV commercial I always got a kick out of. These three brothers are the center of attention. Two of them appear to be elementary school age, while the third is pre-school age. Well, the two older ones hang together, while the little tyke is kind of off on his own, too young to fit in with his older siblings.
As is common once kids get out of the house, their eyes open up to the world outside the home. They see other kids and feed off of each other’s idiosyncrasies. They develop their own likes and dislikes and start in with the individualistic behaviors.
In that vein the two older kids are finicky about the family meals. The commercial shows them apprehensive about some newfangled cereal mom brought home. Since mom wants them to eat it, you see, they automatically dig in the heels. After all, they’re big kids now. They have their own likes! It didn’t help any that mom insisted the cereal was healthy either.
Anyway, in the commercial the two older siblings have to figure out what to make of this new cereal named “Life”. They bounce some ideas off each other and finally glance at the youngest sibling. He’s too young to be finicky yet. He’ll try anything! The oldest brother tells his buddy brother, “I know. Let’s give it to Mikey. He eats anything!”
I get a kick out of it, but that’s just me. I think part of the reason I enjoy the commercial is because I’ve always been the exact opposite. I’m a meat and potatoes guy. The most ethnic dish I ever eat is pizza, and only sausage pizza will do. All other kinds are not real pizza, if you ask me.
So no, I’m not Mikey by any stretch of the imagination. I won’t try anything, and I’m quite content not to. I am not at all hard to please, unlike some folks I know. If they don’t have a different type of food daily, they think they’re being abused! Me, I can eat sausage pizza everyday and think I died and went to heaven! But that’s just me.
My kids are not meat and potatoes people. They are those weirdo types who need something different all the time. They are Mikeys. Give it to ‘em: they’ll eat anything!
This is an excellent time to pause and ponder the Bible text quoted to kick off this study. John was told to eat, and I’ve descanted on eating a bit today. Do you see the connection yet? We’ll pursue the topic on the morrow. Enjoy time with Jesus now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
There is this silly old TV commercial I always got a kick out of. These three brothers are the center of attention. Two of them appear to be elementary school age, while the third is pre-school age. Well, the two older ones hang together, while the little tyke is kind of off on his own, too young to fit in with his older siblings.
As is common once kids get out of the house, their eyes open up to the world outside the home. They see other kids and feed off of each other’s idiosyncrasies. They develop their own likes and dislikes and start in with the individualistic behaviors.
In that vein the two older kids are finicky about the family meals. The commercial shows them apprehensive about some newfangled cereal mom brought home. Since mom wants them to eat it, you see, they automatically dig in the heels. After all, they’re big kids now. They have their own likes! It didn’t help any that mom insisted the cereal was healthy either.
Anyway, in the commercial the two older siblings have to figure out what to make of this new cereal named “Life”. They bounce some ideas off each other and finally glance at the youngest sibling. He’s too young to be finicky yet. He’ll try anything! The oldest brother tells his buddy brother, “I know. Let’s give it to Mikey. He eats anything!”
I get a kick out of it, but that’s just me. I think part of the reason I enjoy the commercial is because I’ve always been the exact opposite. I’m a meat and potatoes guy. The most ethnic dish I ever eat is pizza, and only sausage pizza will do. All other kinds are not real pizza, if you ask me.
So no, I’m not Mikey by any stretch of the imagination. I won’t try anything, and I’m quite content not to. I am not at all hard to please, unlike some folks I know. If they don’t have a different type of food daily, they think they’re being abused! Me, I can eat sausage pizza everyday and think I died and went to heaven! But that’s just me.
My kids are not meat and potatoes people. They are those weirdo types who need something different all the time. They are Mikeys. Give it to ‘em: they’ll eat anything!
This is an excellent time to pause and ponder the Bible text quoted to kick off this study. John was told to eat, and I’ve descanted on eating a bit today. Do you see the connection yet? We’ll pursue the topic on the morrow. Enjoy time with Jesus now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
July 31, 2013
Church or Disney? – Part 5
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
Some Israelites were just handed a hall pass, carte blanche, to skip some obligatory religious exercise. They could stay home and watch Walt Disney! What? They had a problem with that? Let’s investigate and see what their problem was.
Here is the wonderful part. They came to Moses and objected to being excluded from worshiping the Lord via the Passover. They didn’t want to stay home and watch Walt Disney on the TV, you see. They were perturbed at being excluded from participation in the Passover.
On the other hand they weren’t perturbed because the Passover was a grandiose public event, an opportunity to socialize and have all you can eat, where festivities flowed profusely. The wilderness Passover was celebrated in each home, in their case in each tent. It wasn’t a social event: it was a family affair.
So these Israelites who were unclean from contact with a corpse didn’t want to skip out on the Lord’s worship (i.e., stay home and watch Disney). Nor did they want to attend in order to socialize and eat a lot. They didn’t care about either of those two extremes, whether extrovert or introvert.
These Israelites were hurt because they weren’t allowed to be with the Lord and worship Him. The Passover was one of those times established by the Lord to do so. They wanted their part in the true worship of the Lord. Hallelujah!
So they marched straightway to Moses and objected, Why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel? See! They didn’t want to get out of attending. They were “restrained” from attending. And they didn’t want to party and have a gala bash. They wanted to “present the offering of the Lord” (i.e., worship Him).
Martha wanted to socialize, but Mary wanted to hear the voice of Jesus proclaim the Word of God. I think we can identify Mary’s genes from our study in Numbers 9. They came from the Israelites of Moses’ day who were restrained from worshiping the Lord, who responded to this with vehement objection.
The Lord appreciated their love for Him and desire to be with Him. The Lord isn’t in the habit of turning away anyone who approaches Him on His terms with the desire to have fellowship with Him. So the Lord allowed them to celebrate the Passover on the second month after they were ritually cleansed, rather than on the first month.
There’s a message for us in this story. Are we living like Martha or like Mary? Are we the Israelites who insisted on participating in the worship of the Lord, or do we prefer to stay home and watch Walt Disney? Or maybe we attend for the festivities and socializing, and for the social recognition of being upstanding and moral church members.
Only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the better part, and it won’t be taken away from her. If I can be alone with Jesus daily and worship Him in spirit and in truth, it suffices for me. All else pales in the light of His glory.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Some Israelites were just handed a hall pass, carte blanche, to skip some obligatory religious exercise. They could stay home and watch Walt Disney! What? They had a problem with that? Let’s investigate and see what their problem was.
Here is the wonderful part. They came to Moses and objected to being excluded from worshiping the Lord via the Passover. They didn’t want to stay home and watch Walt Disney on the TV, you see. They were perturbed at being excluded from participation in the Passover.
On the other hand they weren’t perturbed because the Passover was a grandiose public event, an opportunity to socialize and have all you can eat, where festivities flowed profusely. The wilderness Passover was celebrated in each home, in their case in each tent. It wasn’t a social event: it was a family affair.
So these Israelites who were unclean from contact with a corpse didn’t want to skip out on the Lord’s worship (i.e., stay home and watch Disney). Nor did they want to attend in order to socialize and eat a lot. They didn’t care about either of those two extremes, whether extrovert or introvert.
These Israelites were hurt because they weren’t allowed to be with the Lord and worship Him. The Passover was one of those times established by the Lord to do so. They wanted their part in the true worship of the Lord. Hallelujah!
So they marched straightway to Moses and objected, Why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel? See! They didn’t want to get out of attending. They were “restrained” from attending. And they didn’t want to party and have a gala bash. They wanted to “present the offering of the Lord” (i.e., worship Him).
Martha wanted to socialize, but Mary wanted to hear the voice of Jesus proclaim the Word of God. I think we can identify Mary’s genes from our study in Numbers 9. They came from the Israelites of Moses’ day who were restrained from worshiping the Lord, who responded to this with vehement objection.
The Lord appreciated their love for Him and desire to be with Him. The Lord isn’t in the habit of turning away anyone who approaches Him on His terms with the desire to have fellowship with Him. So the Lord allowed them to celebrate the Passover on the second month after they were ritually cleansed, rather than on the first month.
There’s a message for us in this story. Are we living like Martha or like Mary? Are we the Israelites who insisted on participating in the worship of the Lord, or do we prefer to stay home and watch Walt Disney? Or maybe we attend for the festivities and socializing, and for the social recognition of being upstanding and moral church members.
Only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the better part, and it won’t be taken away from her. If I can be alone with Jesus daily and worship Him in spirit and in truth, it suffices for me. All else pales in the light of His glory.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 30, 2013
Church or Disney? – Part 4
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
The tale of Mary and Martha is right on target for teaching this spiritual truth, dear friends. Salvation is not an organization (church) or activities (service to God). Neither is salvation a set of doctrines or denominational beliefs. Salvation is not even Bible reading, though we dispense with it to our own peril.
Salvation is a person, more accurately the Person of Jesus Christ. If we are born again, it is because we personally took the Person of Jesus Christ up on His offer. Whatever spiritual growth we achieve after being born again will come from personal time alone with the Person of Jesus Christ.
This time consists of prayer and Bible meditation. We talk to Jesus in prayer and He talks to us in the Bible as the Holy Spirit guides us. This time is personal, not social. Studying Sunday School booklets and topical books about the Bible cannot replace God’s personal Word to us, which we acquire in time alone with Jesus and the Bible.
Man’s teachings feed the mind and so we think we’re “smart”, but we’re still the same sinner. God’s teachings feed the heart as well as the mind and change us into the image of Jesus. Man’s words are intellectual, but God’s Word is life.
The story of Martha and Mary illustrates this admirably, but our study today is not about them. There is another story in Numbers 9 which warms my heart, and I just have to share it with you. I’ll begin at the beginning with the context.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by means of ten plagues on Egypt. The tenth plague was the Passover, where all the firstborn sons in every home throughout Egypt were killed by the destroying angel—all, that is, except those whose front doors were outlined with the blood of the Passover Lamb, as per the Lord’s precise instructions.
The Passover served as the birthday for the nation of Israel. They were to reenact it every year as a memorial of their birth as a nation. One year after the actual Passover event, the first memorial of the Passover was reenacted by the Israelites. They were still under the shadow of Mount Sinai at the time.
Well, the Passover was one of the holidays of Israel, and holidays are “holy days”. Whatever is holy cannot be handled or participated in by what is not holy. And that is where the problem occurred.
Some Israelites came into contact with a corpse at Passover time. They weren’t careless, and they certainly weren’t indifferent when they contacted the corpse. Notwithstanding, contact with a corpse under the Law of Moses ritually defiled a person. Those Israelites were unclean (i.e., not holy but profane) because of it. Ergo, they were prevented from celebrating the Passover with their compatriots.
This didn’t sit too well with them, let me tell you. No, don’t let me tell you. I’ll have to tell you in our next study because we are out of time again. Enjoy our blessed Lord a while, why don’cha.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The tale of Mary and Martha is right on target for teaching this spiritual truth, dear friends. Salvation is not an organization (church) or activities (service to God). Neither is salvation a set of doctrines or denominational beliefs. Salvation is not even Bible reading, though we dispense with it to our own peril.
Salvation is a person, more accurately the Person of Jesus Christ. If we are born again, it is because we personally took the Person of Jesus Christ up on His offer. Whatever spiritual growth we achieve after being born again will come from personal time alone with the Person of Jesus Christ.
This time consists of prayer and Bible meditation. We talk to Jesus in prayer and He talks to us in the Bible as the Holy Spirit guides us. This time is personal, not social. Studying Sunday School booklets and topical books about the Bible cannot replace God’s personal Word to us, which we acquire in time alone with Jesus and the Bible.
Man’s teachings feed the mind and so we think we’re “smart”, but we’re still the same sinner. God’s teachings feed the heart as well as the mind and change us into the image of Jesus. Man’s words are intellectual, but God’s Word is life.
The story of Martha and Mary illustrates this admirably, but our study today is not about them. There is another story in Numbers 9 which warms my heart, and I just have to share it with you. I’ll begin at the beginning with the context.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by means of ten plagues on Egypt. The tenth plague was the Passover, where all the firstborn sons in every home throughout Egypt were killed by the destroying angel—all, that is, except those whose front doors were outlined with the blood of the Passover Lamb, as per the Lord’s precise instructions.
The Passover served as the birthday for the nation of Israel. They were to reenact it every year as a memorial of their birth as a nation. One year after the actual Passover event, the first memorial of the Passover was reenacted by the Israelites. They were still under the shadow of Mount Sinai at the time.
Well, the Passover was one of the holidays of Israel, and holidays are “holy days”. Whatever is holy cannot be handled or participated in by what is not holy. And that is where the problem occurred.
Some Israelites came into contact with a corpse at Passover time. They weren’t careless, and they certainly weren’t indifferent when they contacted the corpse. Notwithstanding, contact with a corpse under the Law of Moses ritually defiled a person. Those Israelites were unclean (i.e., not holy but profane) because of it. Ergo, they were prevented from celebrating the Passover with their compatriots.
This didn’t sit too well with them, let me tell you. No, don’t let me tell you. I’ll have to tell you in our next study because we are out of time again. Enjoy our blessed Lord a while, why don’cha.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 29, 2013
Church or Disney? – Part 3
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
A fly on the wall of a Martha person will see a life in great contrast to the life the same fly will see in the house of a Mary person. That fly in a Martha person’s house will see someone busy with many things, such that he can’t and won’t set aside daily time to be alone with the Lord Jesus in prayer and Bible reading. The Martha person will be caught up in social entertainment and distracted by friends, shopping, eating out, etc. Those activities will have him missing out on personal time alone with the Lord.
In Mary’s house, contrariwise—Mary being the spiritual person—the fly on the wall observes Mary sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus, oblivious to worldly pursuits like socializing and entertaining, because Jesus is talking and she wants to listen. When Jesus talks, by definition that is the Word of God. Mary, you see, chose the Word of God over socializing. Martha for her part chose socializing and activities over the Word of God.
We could play modern man and rationalize this away, as is frequently done even in the churches. We could postulate that Martha’s and Mary’s choices were based on entirely different personalities, and that would have some truth to it.
Martha couldn’t help that she was gregarious, while Mary was an introvert. This is a common understanding in today’s activities-driven milieu, where activities and socializing trump introspection and self-improvement every day all day. In today’s society Martha is heralded and Mary is pitied.
But is that the way Jesus expressed it (cf., Luke 10:38-42)? Am I getting my values from what is prevalent in society today, or do my values grow inside the covers of the Bible? Martha people are needed in the church and in society as a whole. That’s not the issue, dear friends.
Martha people must not, nay, cannot be one-sided, like the Martha depicted in Luke 10. And Mary people must get up off their knees at the feet of Jesus sooner or later and take care of business. Truth be told, Mary people are led by their time alone with the Lord to do just that.
The same doesn’t follow for Martha people though, especially in today’s social climate where we are expected to run until we drop. The temptation and danger for the Martha people is to become so preoccupied and distracted by functions and activities, that time unwittingly disappears and none is left to spend alone with Jesus.
Spiritual lethargy and enervation are the symptoms, when time alone with Jesus falls to the wayside in our daily living. We will pursue this topic further tomorrow. I’m going to arise and go to Jesus now. You no doubt want to do the same.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
A fly on the wall of a Martha person will see a life in great contrast to the life the same fly will see in the house of a Mary person. That fly in a Martha person’s house will see someone busy with many things, such that he can’t and won’t set aside daily time to be alone with the Lord Jesus in prayer and Bible reading. The Martha person will be caught up in social entertainment and distracted by friends, shopping, eating out, etc. Those activities will have him missing out on personal time alone with the Lord.
In Mary’s house, contrariwise—Mary being the spiritual person—the fly on the wall observes Mary sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus, oblivious to worldly pursuits like socializing and entertaining, because Jesus is talking and she wants to listen. When Jesus talks, by definition that is the Word of God. Mary, you see, chose the Word of God over socializing. Martha for her part chose socializing and activities over the Word of God.
We could play modern man and rationalize this away, as is frequently done even in the churches. We could postulate that Martha’s and Mary’s choices were based on entirely different personalities, and that would have some truth to it.
Martha couldn’t help that she was gregarious, while Mary was an introvert. This is a common understanding in today’s activities-driven milieu, where activities and socializing trump introspection and self-improvement every day all day. In today’s society Martha is heralded and Mary is pitied.
But is that the way Jesus expressed it (cf., Luke 10:38-42)? Am I getting my values from what is prevalent in society today, or do my values grow inside the covers of the Bible? Martha people are needed in the church and in society as a whole. That’s not the issue, dear friends.
Martha people must not, nay, cannot be one-sided, like the Martha depicted in Luke 10. And Mary people must get up off their knees at the feet of Jesus sooner or later and take care of business. Truth be told, Mary people are led by their time alone with the Lord to do just that.
The same doesn’t follow for Martha people though, especially in today’s social climate where we are expected to run until we drop. The temptation and danger for the Martha people is to become so preoccupied and distracted by functions and activities, that time unwittingly disappears and none is left to spend alone with Jesus.
Spiritual lethargy and enervation are the symptoms, when time alone with Jesus falls to the wayside in our daily living. We will pursue this topic further tomorrow. I’m going to arise and go to Jesus now. You no doubt want to do the same.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 28, 2013
Church or Disney? – Part 2
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
In my days of youth I wanted nothing to do with the Lord. But He wanted me and didn’t stop wooing me until He finally won me over. It wasn’t because I was such a great catch, mind you. It all stemmed from His love, not from anything in me. It was all of grace. But I appreciate Him all the more because of it. I don’t take Him for granted or find it an onerous chore to be with Him.
When I try to communicate with my grown kids about this, they can understand what I’m saying intellectually but not from the heart. They never experienced having difficulty going to church. They never knew how not to read the Bible and pray. It shouldn’t be hard to understand from this how they potentially could miss out on really growing close to the Lord in real love for Him. It is normal not to value something as much, when we’ve always had it and know no different a life than that.
I am long past the grade school years (lo~~~ng past!), even past my born again day (my rebirthday). My current spiritual state is much more satisfactory than all that has gone before. Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needful, and her sister Mary chose it, the better part. That is where I am in my relationship with the Lord at this time of my life. I choose the better part, the one thing needful.
There are always more church services, more church functions, more trips and fellowship gatherings, more Bible studies—more social activities and events. Each and every one of them can be worthwhile and rewarding too. I’m not knocking them in the least. But they only matter if they are spiritual events and activities, not social occasions alone.
Anything spiritual grows out of the Word of God and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If I enjoy church because I am a social creature at heart and know no other existence, then my church life isn’t spiritual, it’s social. If I am naturally gregarious, my jovial personality at church can appear to be Holy Spirit fire. Looks can be deceiving, dear friends.
The church life of a naturally sociable person might and probably does appear the same as someone whose church life is spiritual, mind you. But a fly on the wall of his house will see an altogether different reality than that same fly will see in the house of the spiritual person.
“How so?” you wonder.
Well, that is a good question, and the answer is well worth the hearing. Alas, but our time is up today, so the answer will have to await the morrow. For now enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In my days of youth I wanted nothing to do with the Lord. But He wanted me and didn’t stop wooing me until He finally won me over. It wasn’t because I was such a great catch, mind you. It all stemmed from His love, not from anything in me. It was all of grace. But I appreciate Him all the more because of it. I don’t take Him for granted or find it an onerous chore to be with Him.
When I try to communicate with my grown kids about this, they can understand what I’m saying intellectually but not from the heart. They never experienced having difficulty going to church. They never knew how not to read the Bible and pray. It shouldn’t be hard to understand from this how they potentially could miss out on really growing close to the Lord in real love for Him. It is normal not to value something as much, when we’ve always had it and know no different a life than that.
I am long past the grade school years (lo~~~ng past!), even past my born again day (my rebirthday). My current spiritual state is much more satisfactory than all that has gone before. Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needful, and her sister Mary chose it, the better part. That is where I am in my relationship with the Lord at this time of my life. I choose the better part, the one thing needful.
There are always more church services, more church functions, more trips and fellowship gatherings, more Bible studies—more social activities and events. Each and every one of them can be worthwhile and rewarding too. I’m not knocking them in the least. But they only matter if they are spiritual events and activities, not social occasions alone.
Anything spiritual grows out of the Word of God and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If I enjoy church because I am a social creature at heart and know no other existence, then my church life isn’t spiritual, it’s social. If I am naturally gregarious, my jovial personality at church can appear to be Holy Spirit fire. Looks can be deceiving, dear friends.
The church life of a naturally sociable person might and probably does appear the same as someone whose church life is spiritual, mind you. But a fly on the wall of his house will see an altogether different reality than that same fly will see in the house of the spiritual person.
“How so?” you wonder.
Well, that is a good question, and the answer is well worth the hearing. Alas, but our time is up today, so the answer will have to await the morrow. For now enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 27, 2013
Church or Disney? – Part 1
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
When I was in grade school, Walt Disney shows came on Sunday night at the same time church services occurred. Back in the day there was no DVR or TiVo. Consequently, either I stayed home and watched Walt Disney or I went to church, but I couldn’t do both.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom did, and she chose church. To this day I think Walt Disney held all the more prominence to me back then, just because I couldn’t see it! It’s funny how things work that way, huh? We want something even more if we cannot have it.
That was just me. As a kid I didn’t have much interest in the things of God. I was closer to Esau than Jacob, though neither one were anything to write home about when they both lived with mom and dad.
It was quite different with my kids. I raised them while being a pastor, and we had daily family devotions from the time they were born—actually from the time my wife and I were married, which was long before they were born. We also had our daily personal time alone with the Lord and regular Bible readings.
With the proper spiritual climate established, my two young’uns took to church like ducks take to water. They wouldn’t want to stay home to see Disney (an anachronism for them), even if I permitted them to do so. They wanted to be in church.
Though they as kids responded to church quite opposite to how I did as a kid, still things were not necessarily what they seemed to be. I mean, their social existence revolved around the church building and church services, even more than it did around school or school vacations. It was a social thing, you see. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be and often is.
Because I wasn’t all gung-ho for church as a kid, later in life when I truly met the Lord the experience was much more real and deeper seated. Again, when we can’t have something we want, we value it all the more. My background led me to not want church. When I finally realized what I was missing, I couldn’t just flip on a wall switch and become all gung-ho for church.
It took the Lord to flip the switch. He expended much effort to woo me to Him because I was quite resistant to His advances. When He finally won out by wearing me out, I was so glad He did and appreciated my new life with Him all the more.
And I still do! But we are out of time today. I’ll continue this saga in our next study. Jesus calls us. Let’s not keep Him waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was in grade school, Walt Disney shows came on Sunday night at the same time church services occurred. Back in the day there was no DVR or TiVo. Consequently, either I stayed home and watched Walt Disney or I went to church, but I couldn’t do both.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom did, and she chose church. To this day I think Walt Disney held all the more prominence to me back then, just because I couldn’t see it! It’s funny how things work that way, huh? We want something even more if we cannot have it.
That was just me. As a kid I didn’t have much interest in the things of God. I was closer to Esau than Jacob, though neither one were anything to write home about when they both lived with mom and dad.
It was quite different with my kids. I raised them while being a pastor, and we had daily family devotions from the time they were born—actually from the time my wife and I were married, which was long before they were born. We also had our daily personal time alone with the Lord and regular Bible readings.
With the proper spiritual climate established, my two young’uns took to church like ducks take to water. They wouldn’t want to stay home to see Disney (an anachronism for them), even if I permitted them to do so. They wanted to be in church.
Though they as kids responded to church quite opposite to how I did as a kid, still things were not necessarily what they seemed to be. I mean, their social existence revolved around the church building and church services, even more than it did around school or school vacations. It was a social thing, you see. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be and often is.
Because I wasn’t all gung-ho for church as a kid, later in life when I truly met the Lord the experience was much more real and deeper seated. Again, when we can’t have something we want, we value it all the more. My background led me to not want church. When I finally realized what I was missing, I couldn’t just flip on a wall switch and become all gung-ho for church.
It took the Lord to flip the switch. He expended much effort to woo me to Him because I was quite resistant to His advances. When He finally won out by wearing me out, I was so glad He did and appreciated my new life with Him all the more.
And I still do! But we are out of time today. I’ll continue this saga in our next study. Jesus calls us. Let’s not keep Him waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 26, 2013
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 5
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Christians were persecuted for refusing to worship all the pagan gods along with Jesus. So financial times were hard for them. The churches established a list of their needy members, and they tried to aid them with food and other necessities.
Paul told them not to include certain widows on the list. If the widow had adult children or other relatives around, they should take care of her. That was simple Christian love in action. If the widow was still young, she was not a candidate for the list either.
“Huh?” someone is flummoxed. “How’d that get in here? Why would Paul not want a widow to be helped just because she was young? Age discrimination ‘tis!”
Uh, that would be a no, dear brother. Paul didn’t make the rule up. The Holy Spirit inspired him to write it, so God is responsible. Listen to the various clauses in Paul’s explanation:
1. they feel sensual desires (i.e., youth)
2. this is in disregard of Christ
3. so they want to remarry
4. they incur condemnation by remarrying
5. they are condemned for breaking their pledge
A careful reading of those five points teaches us how the list functioned. Those on the list pledged themselves to Christ and the work of the church. Otherwise they sought their livelihood on a regular job or in a marriage. Or they moved back in with dear old dad or another relative.
They committed themselves to this arrangement, when they accepted their name on the list of the needy. They gave themselves to the church and were cared for by the church. It was a mutual pledge.
Since they were still young, their biological clock ticked increasingly louder as time went by, and they sooner or later wanted to remarry. To remarry they had to renege on their pledge to Christ and His church, in order to pledge themselves to their husband.
Keeping our word is an absolute must for Christians! The Lord cannot tolerate us breaking our oaths, whether we call them oaths or promises or pledges or whatever. The Lord never breaks His Word, and His kids must emulate Him.
Paul’s teaching reveals the principle that we Christians must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus said so and Paul taught it too. We mustn’t let guilt lead us. “Leading us” is in the job description of the Bible, not in the job description of guilt.
We must accept responsibility for our actions, including the act of giving charity. Don’t be a participant in the sins of Christian freeloaders. Don’t encourage them to continue their lives as leaches on the Body of Christ. Be wise, intelligent, sagacious in giving aid to folks.
We don’t want to be afraid to help. We just mustn’t be too lazy to be sure we are helping the needy, rather than enabling the freeloaders. After all, it is Christ’s money we are spending…or wasting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Christians were persecuted for refusing to worship all the pagan gods along with Jesus. So financial times were hard for them. The churches established a list of their needy members, and they tried to aid them with food and other necessities.
Paul told them not to include certain widows on the list. If the widow had adult children or other relatives around, they should take care of her. That was simple Christian love in action. If the widow was still young, she was not a candidate for the list either.
“Huh?” someone is flummoxed. “How’d that get in here? Why would Paul not want a widow to be helped just because she was young? Age discrimination ‘tis!”
Uh, that would be a no, dear brother. Paul didn’t make the rule up. The Holy Spirit inspired him to write it, so God is responsible. Listen to the various clauses in Paul’s explanation:
1. they feel sensual desires (i.e., youth)
2. this is in disregard of Christ
3. so they want to remarry
4. they incur condemnation by remarrying
5. they are condemned for breaking their pledge
A careful reading of those five points teaches us how the list functioned. Those on the list pledged themselves to Christ and the work of the church. Otherwise they sought their livelihood on a regular job or in a marriage. Or they moved back in with dear old dad or another relative.
They committed themselves to this arrangement, when they accepted their name on the list of the needy. They gave themselves to the church and were cared for by the church. It was a mutual pledge.
Since they were still young, their biological clock ticked increasingly louder as time went by, and they sooner or later wanted to remarry. To remarry they had to renege on their pledge to Christ and His church, in order to pledge themselves to their husband.
Keeping our word is an absolute must for Christians! The Lord cannot tolerate us breaking our oaths, whether we call them oaths or promises or pledges or whatever. The Lord never breaks His Word, and His kids must emulate Him.
Paul’s teaching reveals the principle that we Christians must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus said so and Paul taught it too. We mustn’t let guilt lead us. “Leading us” is in the job description of the Bible, not in the job description of guilt.
We must accept responsibility for our actions, including the act of giving charity. Don’t be a participant in the sins of Christian freeloaders. Don’t encourage them to continue their lives as leaches on the Body of Christ. Be wise, intelligent, sagacious in giving aid to folks.
We don’t want to be afraid to help. We just mustn’t be too lazy to be sure we are helping the needy, rather than enabling the freeloaders. After all, it is Christ’s money we are spending…or wasting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 25, 2013
Of Churches and Truck Stops - Part 4
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Similar sorts of predicaments faced the churches back in the times of the Apostle Paul. He makes reference to this in the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Allow me to present the context for your benefit.
Originally the Christians were all Jewish. The Jewish authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, so they persecuted the Christians. After all, being a Jewish Christian meant that the believer received Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
In consequence the Jewish Christians were ostracized. They were not welcomed at the temple or synagogue. They were not hired for jobs and were fired from the ones they had. Aside from their fellow Christians—who also had no jobs or influence with the authorities—their friends were few and far between. No one wanted to be persecuted along with the Christians, you see.
When Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish peoples), he started churches in various cities throughout the Roman world. The Roman world was pagan through-and-through, veritable card-carrying heathens. The motto of heathenism is that there are gods for everything and every city, and all gods are real and to be worshiped.
Well, this didn’t fly with Judaism or Christianity. The foundation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that there is one and only one true God, and His name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). For Christianity this one true God reveals Himself as three Persons at the same time, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son.
So how do you think the relationship fared between Christians and heathens? Would you believe it didn’t! The heathens wanted the Christians to incorporate their God YHWH into the pantheon of all the heathen gods, and worship them all. The Christians refused and worshiped only Jesus.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Christians also taught the heathens that they should turn from the false gods they worshiped and commit to Jesus alone. The nerve of some people, huh? So the heathen Gentiles denounced this upstart God named Jesus and persecuted His followers, the Christians. In consequence the Gentile Christians also often faced financial straights from unemployment.
Paul didn’t write about that general situation in 1 Timothy 5 though. He addressed a specific case arising from the general situation. Because the Gentile Christians faced social and financial handicaps, widows were hit especially hard. So the churches found it critical to create a list of needy folks, and then they did what they could to aid the needy folks.
We’ll conclude our examination in the next study. For the while we would be blessed to worship in the presence of our blessed Lord.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Similar sorts of predicaments faced the churches back in the times of the Apostle Paul. He makes reference to this in the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Allow me to present the context for your benefit.
Originally the Christians were all Jewish. The Jewish authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, so they persecuted the Christians. After all, being a Jewish Christian meant that the believer received Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
In consequence the Jewish Christians were ostracized. They were not welcomed at the temple or synagogue. They were not hired for jobs and were fired from the ones they had. Aside from their fellow Christians—who also had no jobs or influence with the authorities—their friends were few and far between. No one wanted to be persecuted along with the Christians, you see.
When Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish peoples), he started churches in various cities throughout the Roman world. The Roman world was pagan through-and-through, veritable card-carrying heathens. The motto of heathenism is that there are gods for everything and every city, and all gods are real and to be worshiped.
Well, this didn’t fly with Judaism or Christianity. The foundation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that there is one and only one true God, and His name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). For Christianity this one true God reveals Himself as three Persons at the same time, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son.
So how do you think the relationship fared between Christians and heathens? Would you believe it didn’t! The heathens wanted the Christians to incorporate their God YHWH into the pantheon of all the heathen gods, and worship them all. The Christians refused and worshiped only Jesus.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Christians also taught the heathens that they should turn from the false gods they worshiped and commit to Jesus alone. The nerve of some people, huh? So the heathen Gentiles denounced this upstart God named Jesus and persecuted His followers, the Christians. In consequence the Gentile Christians also often faced financial straights from unemployment.
Paul didn’t write about that general situation in 1 Timothy 5 though. He addressed a specific case arising from the general situation. Because the Gentile Christians faced social and financial handicaps, widows were hit especially hard. So the churches found it critical to create a list of needy folks, and then they did what they could to aid the needy folks.
We’ll conclude our examination in the next study. For the while we would be blessed to worship in the presence of our blessed Lord.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 24, 2013
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 3
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
There are Christians in the church building who would rather attend all the functions and socialize, rather than work to improve their lot in life. So they play on the guilt feelings of their fellow church members to collect aid from them.
Here’s the thing. Someone in need for the church to support should be someone who is truly in need. Because I want more doesn’t mean I am in need. If I’m one of those vagabonds who gads about from one truck stop to another, feeling sorry for myself and wanting everyone else to do so too, it doesn’t make me someone in need. My real need isn’t a $10 bill: it is to accept responsibility and get a job!
So it is with some of our church folk. They would rather socialize at all the church functions and be the life of the party, rather than do the hard work to better their social estate. Indeed, I’ve known some who have no qualms about taking trips to many places, and then return and whine because they are broke! You think I’m joking, don’t you? Would that it were true, dear friends. Would that it were true.
As Christians we are accountable to God for the things He gives us. And every good gift comes from Him, as Brother James wrote in his epistle. We need to act responsibly in giving money and gifts to “the needy”. Are they really needy? What are they doing about it to improve themselves?
When those hitchhikers came to the door of the church, I never gave them any money. It’s no telling how much money they already had in their pockets from visits to my neighbors! And who knows what they would spend it on…wine, drugs, etc.
They said they were hungry, huh? Then they received food, not money. I even banded together with other pastors in the area to share in a church food pantry. We rotated the pantry between the churches monthly.
When a poor wretch knocked on the door, he was directed to the church of the month to be fed. If we deemed him truly weak enough to need transportation to that church, we drove him there. Would you believe it wasn’t long before the knocks on the door dwindled to a rarity? Word gets around with those traveling vagrants! When the freebies dry up, they know it and stop coming.
If someone at church is in need, by all means we should help them. No strings attached either. But help should be given intelligently, dear friends. We should also keep our eyes and ears open for available job openings, for example.
When someone expresses concern about their financial condition, if we direct him to job opportunities and he is a church freeloader, he’ll soon cease and desist with the sob stories. The talk about a job will freak him out and send him to new feeding grounds to whine for sympathy. If the brother or sister is truly in need, he/she will be receptive to and appreciative of our concern for his/her welfare.
We must stop for the day and take our rest. Let’s roll what we learned today over the tongue and allow the Spirit to assimilate it into our beings. We will continue this subject on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
There are Christians in the church building who would rather attend all the functions and socialize, rather than work to improve their lot in life. So they play on the guilt feelings of their fellow church members to collect aid from them.
Here’s the thing. Someone in need for the church to support should be someone who is truly in need. Because I want more doesn’t mean I am in need. If I’m one of those vagabonds who gads about from one truck stop to another, feeling sorry for myself and wanting everyone else to do so too, it doesn’t make me someone in need. My real need isn’t a $10 bill: it is to accept responsibility and get a job!
So it is with some of our church folk. They would rather socialize at all the church functions and be the life of the party, rather than do the hard work to better their social estate. Indeed, I’ve known some who have no qualms about taking trips to many places, and then return and whine because they are broke! You think I’m joking, don’t you? Would that it were true, dear friends. Would that it were true.
As Christians we are accountable to God for the things He gives us. And every good gift comes from Him, as Brother James wrote in his epistle. We need to act responsibly in giving money and gifts to “the needy”. Are they really needy? What are they doing about it to improve themselves?
When those hitchhikers came to the door of the church, I never gave them any money. It’s no telling how much money they already had in their pockets from visits to my neighbors! And who knows what they would spend it on…wine, drugs, etc.
They said they were hungry, huh? Then they received food, not money. I even banded together with other pastors in the area to share in a church food pantry. We rotated the pantry between the churches monthly.
When a poor wretch knocked on the door, he was directed to the church of the month to be fed. If we deemed him truly weak enough to need transportation to that church, we drove him there. Would you believe it wasn’t long before the knocks on the door dwindled to a rarity? Word gets around with those traveling vagrants! When the freebies dry up, they know it and stop coming.
If someone at church is in need, by all means we should help them. No strings attached either. But help should be given intelligently, dear friends. We should also keep our eyes and ears open for available job openings, for example.
When someone expresses concern about their financial condition, if we direct him to job opportunities and he is a church freeloader, he’ll soon cease and desist with the sob stories. The talk about a job will freak him out and send him to new feeding grounds to whine for sympathy. If the brother or sister is truly in need, he/she will be receptive to and appreciative of our concern for his/her welfare.
We must stop for the day and take our rest. Let’s roll what we learned today over the tongue and allow the Spirit to assimilate it into our beings. We will continue this subject on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 23, 2013
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 2
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Many a needy soul is needy by choice. We were discussing this in our last study. They like not having responsibilities, so they move from place to place to meet folks who don’t know they never change. If the folks knew this, they’d stop giving them handouts, you see.
So they flitter aimlessly from wherever to wherever, bumming free handouts wherever they can get them, and in general being leaches on society. In today’s climate these shameless derelicts are the ones for whom the hard-working adults of society are expected to foot the medical bills.
What we must never do is be irresponsible, as they hope we will be. They come to the door and play on our guilt trip for having the money we worked so hard for, all the while they are poor and needy. They expect us to be overcome with guilt for having so much while they have so little, you see.
Don’t give in to the guilt trip, dear people. Turn the tables and think how we have to get up and go to work and take all the…well, you know what you have to put up with at work. But they don’t have to put up with it because they don’t bother to work or even try. Shame on them, not on us!
There are other types of bums and hobos too. Most of us are not aware of them because they appear to be so respectable. Some even belong to church and frequent the establishment regularly. Indeed, they sometimes are quite active and gain the respect and appreciation of many a church member. And they do have jobs too.
Here’s the thing. Imagine a person who goes to the job, works, and collects a paycheck. Now the person doesn’t make enough to satisfy his wants, so to him he is always “poor”. You would think he’d go back to school, maybe nights, and advance his career. Or at least apply for other positions. Do something to change his financial estate.
And there is always the path of curbing his lusts so he doesn’t want so much. I know many folks cannot advance themselves, no matter how hard they try. I don’t mean this as a blanket judgment on everyone, or for that matter on anyone in particular.
Fact is though, there are folks in the church who are in a rut. They get a job they don’t particularly want, just to pay the bills. They don’t try to better their education and/or training, so they can better their salary. They prefer to go to all the church functions and have a grand old time being a model Christian. For them, socializing at church sure beats studying to change their lot in life.
So they hang around the church building, whining about how hard life is and currying favor with the church folks. They play on guilt feelings (intentionally or unintentionally), especially since it occurs in church. After all, what kind of Christians would we be, if we didn’t help our poor brother or sister out?
What kind of Christian, indeed! We’ll get into that issue tomorrow. For now let us pause and be refreshed by the presence of the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Many a needy soul is needy by choice. We were discussing this in our last study. They like not having responsibilities, so they move from place to place to meet folks who don’t know they never change. If the folks knew this, they’d stop giving them handouts, you see.
So they flitter aimlessly from wherever to wherever, bumming free handouts wherever they can get them, and in general being leaches on society. In today’s climate these shameless derelicts are the ones for whom the hard-working adults of society are expected to foot the medical bills.
What we must never do is be irresponsible, as they hope we will be. They come to the door and play on our guilt trip for having the money we worked so hard for, all the while they are poor and needy. They expect us to be overcome with guilt for having so much while they have so little, you see.
Don’t give in to the guilt trip, dear people. Turn the tables and think how we have to get up and go to work and take all the…well, you know what you have to put up with at work. But they don’t have to put up with it because they don’t bother to work or even try. Shame on them, not on us!
There are other types of bums and hobos too. Most of us are not aware of them because they appear to be so respectable. Some even belong to church and frequent the establishment regularly. Indeed, they sometimes are quite active and gain the respect and appreciation of many a church member. And they do have jobs too.
Here’s the thing. Imagine a person who goes to the job, works, and collects a paycheck. Now the person doesn’t make enough to satisfy his wants, so to him he is always “poor”. You would think he’d go back to school, maybe nights, and advance his career. Or at least apply for other positions. Do something to change his financial estate.
And there is always the path of curbing his lusts so he doesn’t want so much. I know many folks cannot advance themselves, no matter how hard they try. I don’t mean this as a blanket judgment on everyone, or for that matter on anyone in particular.
Fact is though, there are folks in the church who are in a rut. They get a job they don’t particularly want, just to pay the bills. They don’t try to better their education and/or training, so they can better their salary. They prefer to go to all the church functions and have a grand old time being a model Christian. For them, socializing at church sure beats studying to change their lot in life.
So they hang around the church building, whining about how hard life is and currying favor with the church folks. They play on guilt feelings (intentionally or unintentionally), especially since it occurs in church. After all, what kind of Christians would we be, if we didn’t help our poor brother or sister out?
What kind of Christian, indeed! We’ll get into that issue tomorrow. For now let us pause and be refreshed by the presence of the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
