Randy Green's Blog, page 489
February 5, 2012
Whistling Dixie – Part 2
But the Lord said to him (i.e., to Ananias), “Go, for he (i.e., Saul/Paul) is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” [Acts 9:15-16]
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him (i.e., to Jesus), “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” [Luke 13:31-33]
In our last study we paused after hearing the claims against Paul’s ministry to the Jews. Now let’s beging with our investigation of these claims.
All I can say is, “Wow! Let’s all go home and throw in the towel. No need to pursue this discussion any further, with such formidable and indisputable evidence quelling any other understanding.” But no, I don’t want to go home and throw in the towel. I don’t concede any such evidence exists to show that Paul was doing his own thing, when he took the Gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem.
Two different portions of Scripture are recorded to start this study. The first one records Paul’s call to ministry from the Lord Jesus. Read it again at this time, please. I’ll wait a second for you to do so… Okay. What did the Lord declare Paul was to do? Let’s use a bulleted list to itemize Paul’s ministry. He was to bear My name,
• before the Gentiles
• before kings
• before the sons of Israel
When Paul performed his ministry before those three categories of persons, there would be consequences to pay. Listen to the Lord express them: for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake. Let us be aware that, as Paul proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world to each category of persons, he would suffer from each category for bringing Jesus to them.
Category #1, “The Gentiles”: this refers to every human being who is not a Hebrew by birth or by proselytism. When Paul went to the Gentiles with the Gospel, he was routinely persecuted by both the Jews and the Gentiles.
Category #2, “Kings”: As he went throughout the Roman world preaching the Gospel, Paul appeared before kings as well as other public officials. Sometimes he was received agreeably, at other times with indifference, while on still other occasions he endured extreme persecution.
Category #3, “the sons of Israel”: this refers to those whose forefather was Jacob/Israel, as well as to those Gentiles who converted to Judaism and were thereby incorporated into the Lord’s covenant with Israel. Paul preached to his fellow Israelites both in Israel and in the diaspora (i.e., the Jews who were dispersed in locations outside of Israel).
In every town he entered to share Jesus Paul went to the synagogues first before going to the Gentiles. He wanted to allow his fellow Jews to have their chance to receive their Messiah before the Gentiles did. Paul said unabashedly that the Gospel is to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). Whether he preached the Gospel to the Jews in Israel or to the Jews in the diaspora, Paul faced extreme persecution for doing so—just as he did when he proclaimed Jesus to the Gentiles and to kings.
You see, the Gospel provokes hostility and violence from sinners. It doesn’t matter one whit whether they be Jews or Gentiles, dear friends. God called Paul to take the Gospel to three categories of people, and God warned Paul of what he would encounter when he did so. Paul wasn’t doing wrong when he went to all three categories. He was obeying the Word of God. Had he not done so, he would have been sinning. He said, “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel!”
We will conclude this analysis in our next study. In the interim weigh the evidence for yourself. Be in prayer and meditate on the matter. And may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 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...
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him (i.e., to Jesus), “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” [Luke 13:31-33]
In our last study we paused after hearing the claims against Paul’s ministry to the Jews. Now let’s beging with our investigation of these claims.
All I can say is, “Wow! Let’s all go home and throw in the towel. No need to pursue this discussion any further, with such formidable and indisputable evidence quelling any other understanding.” But no, I don’t want to go home and throw in the towel. I don’t concede any such evidence exists to show that Paul was doing his own thing, when he took the Gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem.
Two different portions of Scripture are recorded to start this study. The first one records Paul’s call to ministry from the Lord Jesus. Read it again at this time, please. I’ll wait a second for you to do so… Okay. What did the Lord declare Paul was to do? Let’s use a bulleted list to itemize Paul’s ministry. He was to bear My name,
• before the Gentiles
• before kings
• before the sons of Israel
When Paul performed his ministry before those three categories of persons, there would be consequences to pay. Listen to the Lord express them: for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake. Let us be aware that, as Paul proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world to each category of persons, he would suffer from each category for bringing Jesus to them.
Category #1, “The Gentiles”: this refers to every human being who is not a Hebrew by birth or by proselytism. When Paul went to the Gentiles with the Gospel, he was routinely persecuted by both the Jews and the Gentiles.
Category #2, “Kings”: As he went throughout the Roman world preaching the Gospel, Paul appeared before kings as well as other public officials. Sometimes he was received agreeably, at other times with indifference, while on still other occasions he endured extreme persecution.
Category #3, “the sons of Israel”: this refers to those whose forefather was Jacob/Israel, as well as to those Gentiles who converted to Judaism and were thereby incorporated into the Lord’s covenant with Israel. Paul preached to his fellow Israelites both in Israel and in the diaspora (i.e., the Jews who were dispersed in locations outside of Israel).
In every town he entered to share Jesus Paul went to the synagogues first before going to the Gentiles. He wanted to allow his fellow Jews to have their chance to receive their Messiah before the Gentiles did. Paul said unabashedly that the Gospel is to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). Whether he preached the Gospel to the Jews in Israel or to the Jews in the diaspora, Paul faced extreme persecution for doing so—just as he did when he proclaimed Jesus to the Gentiles and to kings.
You see, the Gospel provokes hostility and violence from sinners. It doesn’t matter one whit whether they be Jews or Gentiles, dear friends. God called Paul to take the Gospel to three categories of people, and God warned Paul of what he would encounter when he did so. Paul wasn’t doing wrong when he went to all three categories. He was obeying the Word of God. Had he not done so, he would have been sinning. He said, “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel!”
We will conclude this analysis in our next study. In the interim weigh the evidence for yourself. Be in prayer and meditate on the matter. And may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 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...
February 4, 2012
Whistling Dixie – Part 1
But the Lord said to him (i.e., to Ananias), “Go, for he (i.e., Saul/Paul) is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” [Acts 9:15-16]
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him (i.e., to Jesus), “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” [Luke 13:31-33]
I remember the time I accepted the Lord’s call to ministry. It was a process because I needed time to weigh the consequences and determine whether or not I was prepared to make the sacrifices necessary. After bowing to the Lord’s will—and that with the greatest relish—I announced it to the church.
Some folks were congratulatory, but others expressed words of discouragement to me. The discouragers were looking out for my best interests, at least in their own eyes. Trouble was, they viewed the matter according to the flesh. They based their conclusion on my background and things of that nature. They didn’t see the Lord’s hand in the call because they walked by sight in making their judgment.
The Lord’s call to ministry is based on His own purpose and grace, dear friends. It is NOT based on man’s worthiness or background. The Lord chooses the weak things, the beggarly elements of mankind, in order to show His own power and worth. If He depended on the worldly strong or wise or wealthy or high class folks to accomplish His goals, then it would appear they achieved success by their own abilities.
I’m discussing this issue because today’s study is about the Apostle Paul’s call to ministry. Paul was originally known as Saul. I’ve read in books and heard in sermons that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. Therefore he should not have gone to Jerusalem to the Jews. It is claimed that the Holy Spirit even told him as much on his way there. But Paul was too determined to reach the Jews, when all along his ministry was to the Gentiles. Consequently Paul was imprisoned and his ministry hampered.
To support such a position Scripture is quoted. Let’s read a sample together, shall we?
As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” [Acts 21:10-11]
And then with glee it is alleged, “See! The Holy Spirit told Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul wouldn’t listen. He was too stubborn to obey the Holy Spirit because of his blindness for the Jews.”
In our next study we will investigate these claims. For now let’s pause and reflect on what we’ve discussed today.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 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...
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him (i.e., to Jesus), “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” [Luke 13:31-33]
I remember the time I accepted the Lord’s call to ministry. It was a process because I needed time to weigh the consequences and determine whether or not I was prepared to make the sacrifices necessary. After bowing to the Lord’s will—and that with the greatest relish—I announced it to the church.
Some folks were congratulatory, but others expressed words of discouragement to me. The discouragers were looking out for my best interests, at least in their own eyes. Trouble was, they viewed the matter according to the flesh. They based their conclusion on my background and things of that nature. They didn’t see the Lord’s hand in the call because they walked by sight in making their judgment.
The Lord’s call to ministry is based on His own purpose and grace, dear friends. It is NOT based on man’s worthiness or background. The Lord chooses the weak things, the beggarly elements of mankind, in order to show His own power and worth. If He depended on the worldly strong or wise or wealthy or high class folks to accomplish His goals, then it would appear they achieved success by their own abilities.
I’m discussing this issue because today’s study is about the Apostle Paul’s call to ministry. Paul was originally known as Saul. I’ve read in books and heard in sermons that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. Therefore he should not have gone to Jerusalem to the Jews. It is claimed that the Holy Spirit even told him as much on his way there. But Paul was too determined to reach the Jews, when all along his ministry was to the Gentiles. Consequently Paul was imprisoned and his ministry hampered.
To support such a position Scripture is quoted. Let’s read a sample together, shall we?
As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” [Acts 21:10-11]
And then with glee it is alleged, “See! The Holy Spirit told Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul wouldn’t listen. He was too stubborn to obey the Holy Spirit because of his blindness for the Jews.”
In our next study we will investigate these claims. For now let’s pause and reflect on what we’ve discussed today.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 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...
February 3, 2012
My Hero – Part 2
“I myself (i.e., John the Baptist) have seen, and have testified that this (i.e., Jesus) is the Son of God.” [John 1:34]
Now when John (i.e., the Baptist), while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” [Matthew 11:2-3]
In our last study we expatiated on the hazards of hero worship in the church. Permit me now to interpret the Bible verses quoted at the initiation of this study. In them we encounter what appears to be a contradiction, but there is no contradiction. Every man of God is susceptible to doubts and fears at times. It is a part of life. It is a part of our sinful human nature. Our job as men and women of God is to grow from these failings by learning to trust the Lord better, not cover them up as if we are too perfect to fail.
Let’s get to the Bible verses with which we began this study. Jesus began His ministry at about 30 years of age. He was baptized by John the Baptist, who recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Read John 1:29-36 and get the full extent of John Baptist’s recognition of Jesus’ true identity.
Some time later John Baptist was arrested by that no-account Herod for preaching the Law of Moses to him. So Herod tossed John Baptist into prison. After considerable time as John rotted in prison, he heard about the ministry Jesus was conducting. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He fed multitudes of people by multiplying scanty amounts of food. He freed the prisoners too…but not John the Baptist.
The prevailing belief amongst the Jews back in the day was that the Messiah was soon to appear. John Baptist recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was also the prevailing belief that the Messiah would be a mighty warrior, a military conqueror who whupped the Gentiles and restored Israel as God’s ruling world power. It is no stretch to see John Baptist as holding to that belief. Jesus’ own disciples did!
So there was John Baptist rotting in prison, and awaiting Messiah Jesus to overthrow Herod, re-establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and free Prisoner John. But the reports he heard about Jesus’ ministry showed a humble and gentle Shepherd of the sheep, not a mighty warrior. Jesus didn’t raise an army. He didn’t even raise His voice much.
This didn’t jell with John Baptist. He was utterly taken aback by Jesus’ behavior. So John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “What gives? You’re supposed to be the Messiah. So stop doing this touchy-feely stuff and start messiah-ing already! Lead an army to conquer the Gentiles and overthrow Herod.”
Some Christians hold John the Baptist as a hero to worship. There were times when I taught this truth out of the Bible, and they charged at me with bayonets attached to cut me down to size. You see, they are hero worshipers, and heroes don’t make mistakes or fall short. I offended their sense of propriety when it comes to addressing heroes.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Hero. Our heavenly Father is my Hero. The Holy Spirit is my Hero. Everyone else is somewhere far below them. Some of us are much better than others, but none of us deserves to be the Christian’s hero. When we fix our eyes on men like that, we wind up following men instead of the Lord Jesus. Let’s be in prayer about this and rectify hero worship in the Church.
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...
Now when John (i.e., the Baptist), while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” [Matthew 11:2-3]
In our last study we expatiated on the hazards of hero worship in the church. Permit me now to interpret the Bible verses quoted at the initiation of this study. In them we encounter what appears to be a contradiction, but there is no contradiction. Every man of God is susceptible to doubts and fears at times. It is a part of life. It is a part of our sinful human nature. Our job as men and women of God is to grow from these failings by learning to trust the Lord better, not cover them up as if we are too perfect to fail.
Let’s get to the Bible verses with which we began this study. Jesus began His ministry at about 30 years of age. He was baptized by John the Baptist, who recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Read John 1:29-36 and get the full extent of John Baptist’s recognition of Jesus’ true identity.
Some time later John Baptist was arrested by that no-account Herod for preaching the Law of Moses to him. So Herod tossed John Baptist into prison. After considerable time as John rotted in prison, he heard about the ministry Jesus was conducting. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He fed multitudes of people by multiplying scanty amounts of food. He freed the prisoners too…but not John the Baptist.
The prevailing belief amongst the Jews back in the day was that the Messiah was soon to appear. John Baptist recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was also the prevailing belief that the Messiah would be a mighty warrior, a military conqueror who whupped the Gentiles and restored Israel as God’s ruling world power. It is no stretch to see John Baptist as holding to that belief. Jesus’ own disciples did!
So there was John Baptist rotting in prison, and awaiting Messiah Jesus to overthrow Herod, re-establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and free Prisoner John. But the reports he heard about Jesus’ ministry showed a humble and gentle Shepherd of the sheep, not a mighty warrior. Jesus didn’t raise an army. He didn’t even raise His voice much.
This didn’t jell with John Baptist. He was utterly taken aback by Jesus’ behavior. So John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “What gives? You’re supposed to be the Messiah. So stop doing this touchy-feely stuff and start messiah-ing already! Lead an army to conquer the Gentiles and overthrow Herod.”
Some Christians hold John the Baptist as a hero to worship. There were times when I taught this truth out of the Bible, and they charged at me with bayonets attached to cut me down to size. You see, they are hero worshipers, and heroes don’t make mistakes or fall short. I offended their sense of propriety when it comes to addressing heroes.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Hero. Our heavenly Father is my Hero. The Holy Spirit is my Hero. Everyone else is somewhere far below them. Some of us are much better than others, but none of us deserves to be the Christian’s hero. When we fix our eyes on men like that, we wind up following men instead of the Lord Jesus. Let’s be in prayer about this and rectify hero worship in the Church.
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...
February 2, 2012
My Hero – Part 1
“I myself (i.e., John the Baptist) have seen, and have testified that this (i.e., Jesus) is the Son of God.” [John 1:34]
Now when John (i.e., the Baptist), while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” [Matthew 11:2-3]
Hero worship is about the most commonplace practice in the world today. Everyone is looking for a hero…including Bonnie Tyler. Yes, you and I are included in “everyone”. Don’t believe me? When you watch the football game, you have your heroes and your goats. When you want to buy a product, you have your heroes and your goats. When you want to go to a restaurant, you have your… Well, you get the point. We all have our heroes.
This extends to the church too. Some folks worship Luther, some Calvin, and some John Knox. Some prefer labels like Calvinism, others Arminianism, and still others Lutheranism. There are the Pentecostals, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, and the Catholics. You name it, there’s an “ism” for it. We all have our heroes.
In the Corinthian Church of the Apostle Paul’s day, they had there heroes. Listen to Paul portray the quarrelsome bunch:
Each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” [1 Corinthians 1:12]
You see, heroes occur in the church too. Paul was a good steward of Christ. Apollos was a good steward of Christ. Cephas was a good steward of Christ. And Christ…well, He is Christ! Nothing was wrong with admiring such godly men for their service to our Lord. But the Corinthians took it a step further and turned them into heroes, to the extent they were on a level above men.
In many high church denominations you can take a gander at statues of the Apostles. These godly men are put on a pedestal and worshiped. Oh, I know, folks in those denominations deny that is what they are doing, but in actual practice that is what is done. Some even go so far as to pray to these super-heroes, stealing God’s prerogatives and giving them to mere men.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to bash specific denominations. I here to shine light on darkness and get to the truth of the Bible. In one way or another hero worship is a product of today’s world, whether it be in sports or TV or movies or music. The church should is to be salt and light in the world to lead unbelievers out of hero worship to God worship. Sadly, but we’re sometimes saltless and dark and participate in hero worship right along with them. Lord, forgive us.
Allow me to cite one example of how Christians have confronted me with hero worship. John the Baptist was one of the most godly men of his time, and of all time too. Still, he was a man, a sinner who needed a Savior to provide him with righteousness and eternal life. He wasn’t perfect, or all-powerful, or all-knowing. He had flaws and fell short of the glory of God, just as every other son of Adam has always done and will always do this side of eternity.
This being the case, we should not feel the need to justify John Baptist’s flaws or weaknesses when they appear in Scripture. But some Christians do just that, should John Baptist (or any other godly man in the Bible) have his warts exposed. Not that you or I are to expose anyone’s failings, mind you. The Bible does a good job of that all on its own! My job as a teacher is to teach the Bible, and I haven’t the luxury of leaving some of it out because some Christians need to have perfect heroes to worship.
Oh, it’s time to stop again. We will continue this topic in our next study. In the interim spend some time in prayer about this matter. Who are your heroes? How high are you exalting them? Do you look to them instead of to the Lord Jesus Christ?
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...
Now when John (i.e., the Baptist), while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” [Matthew 11:2-3]
Hero worship is about the most commonplace practice in the world today. Everyone is looking for a hero…including Bonnie Tyler. Yes, you and I are included in “everyone”. Don’t believe me? When you watch the football game, you have your heroes and your goats. When you want to buy a product, you have your heroes and your goats. When you want to go to a restaurant, you have your… Well, you get the point. We all have our heroes.
This extends to the church too. Some folks worship Luther, some Calvin, and some John Knox. Some prefer labels like Calvinism, others Arminianism, and still others Lutheranism. There are the Pentecostals, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, and the Catholics. You name it, there’s an “ism” for it. We all have our heroes.
In the Corinthian Church of the Apostle Paul’s day, they had there heroes. Listen to Paul portray the quarrelsome bunch:
Each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” [1 Corinthians 1:12]
You see, heroes occur in the church too. Paul was a good steward of Christ. Apollos was a good steward of Christ. Cephas was a good steward of Christ. And Christ…well, He is Christ! Nothing was wrong with admiring such godly men for their service to our Lord. But the Corinthians took it a step further and turned them into heroes, to the extent they were on a level above men.
In many high church denominations you can take a gander at statues of the Apostles. These godly men are put on a pedestal and worshiped. Oh, I know, folks in those denominations deny that is what they are doing, but in actual practice that is what is done. Some even go so far as to pray to these super-heroes, stealing God’s prerogatives and giving them to mere men.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to bash specific denominations. I here to shine light on darkness and get to the truth of the Bible. In one way or another hero worship is a product of today’s world, whether it be in sports or TV or movies or music. The church should is to be salt and light in the world to lead unbelievers out of hero worship to God worship. Sadly, but we’re sometimes saltless and dark and participate in hero worship right along with them. Lord, forgive us.
Allow me to cite one example of how Christians have confronted me with hero worship. John the Baptist was one of the most godly men of his time, and of all time too. Still, he was a man, a sinner who needed a Savior to provide him with righteousness and eternal life. He wasn’t perfect, or all-powerful, or all-knowing. He had flaws and fell short of the glory of God, just as every other son of Adam has always done and will always do this side of eternity.
This being the case, we should not feel the need to justify John Baptist’s flaws or weaknesses when they appear in Scripture. But some Christians do just that, should John Baptist (or any other godly man in the Bible) have his warts exposed. Not that you or I are to expose anyone’s failings, mind you. The Bible does a good job of that all on its own! My job as a teacher is to teach the Bible, and I haven’t the luxury of leaving some of it out because some Christians need to have perfect heroes to worship.
Oh, it’s time to stop again. We will continue this topic in our next study. In the interim spend some time in prayer about this matter. Who are your heroes? How high are you exalting them? Do you look to them instead of to the Lord Jesus Christ?
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...
February 1, 2012
Uncovering Secrets in the Bible – Part 2
Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him [1 Corinthians 8:6].
Yesterday we began our study of this verse by noting that it contains two parallel concepts. We expressed it as a numbered list.
1. from whom are all things and we exist for Him (i.e., the Father)
2. by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (i.e., the Son)
So that no one should miss out on the fine details, we again employed a numbered list to point them out.
1. from whom are all things parallels by whom are all things
2. we exist for Him parallels we exist through Him
We concluded yesterday’s lesson by deciphering Line#1. This line reveals how creation came about. God did the creating, and He did so in the Persons of God the Father and God the Son. All things came into being “from” the Father. All things came into being “by” the Son. Line #1 in itself teaches the truth of the Trinity, or at least of two Persons in one God. Creation was accomplished by the Father and the Son working together as one God.
Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work deciphering Line #2. When a person builds something, it is his. He can get a patent on it and sell it exclusively because it is his property. It was built “for” him, and he is free to use it for any purpose he so desires.
If he built a boat he could fish with it, sail around the world in it, live on it, or just plain dry dock it and use it for scenery. It is his boat. He built it and it exists “for” him. The boat represents creation, you see, and God the Father is the Person from whom the boat came into existence.
But what if the boat builder actually employed someone else to do the work, a subcontractor if you will? The subcontractor was the means by which the boat came into existence. The boat exists “through” him, while the designer and initiator of the process was the contractor.
The contractor is of course God the Father, and the subcontractor is God the Son. The boat (i.e., creation) exists “for” the Father, while it came into existence “through” the Son. Do you see how intimately connected the Father and the Son are? The same is true of the Holy Spirit, though He isn’t in the equation of 1 Corinthians 8:6. This example is quite deficient, though, because a human contractor and a human subcontractor are not “one”. But God is One.
We cannot know God because He is the One Who created us. We are finite creatures, while He is infinite. Now we see through a glass darkly, but in eternity we will see clearly, face to face, and we will know Him even as we are known by Him. The Bible contains many mysteries, many secrets for our discovery, and the Trinity is one of them. We should approach the Bible as explorers looking for the lost continent of Atlantis, or as treasure hunters digging for buried treasure. How excited and enthusiastic would we be then? We would brook no delays or go off on any tangents.
Under our present limitations we cannot possibly get a handle on how there can be one God but three equal Persons who comprise the one God. Notwithstanding this, the Bible distinctly shows this to be true. Faith is taking the Bible at face value and obeying it, placing our trust in it as the inerrant and infallible Word of God Himself. Without faith it is impossible to please God (cf., Hebrews 11:6).
I know I can believe what the Bible teaches me about God being one while simultaneously existing as three Persons. He has proven Himself to me time after time, grace upon grace. I cannot help but trust Him. I cannot deny Him. This is why I subscribe to Rule #2 for Bible study, the Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
So what about you? Do you know God? Do you trust Him in all things without reservation? What value do you place on His Word? You can never feed on His Word too much. Just be sure to confess your sins to Him first and be cleansed and filled with the Spirit. That is how we put our money where our mouth is.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
Yesterday we began our study of this verse by noting that it contains two parallel concepts. We expressed it as a numbered list.
1. from whom are all things and we exist for Him (i.e., the Father)
2. by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (i.e., the Son)
So that no one should miss out on the fine details, we again employed a numbered list to point them out.
1. from whom are all things parallels by whom are all things
2. we exist for Him parallels we exist through Him
We concluded yesterday’s lesson by deciphering Line#1. This line reveals how creation came about. God did the creating, and He did so in the Persons of God the Father and God the Son. All things came into being “from” the Father. All things came into being “by” the Son. Line #1 in itself teaches the truth of the Trinity, or at least of two Persons in one God. Creation was accomplished by the Father and the Son working together as one God.
Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work deciphering Line #2. When a person builds something, it is his. He can get a patent on it and sell it exclusively because it is his property. It was built “for” him, and he is free to use it for any purpose he so desires.
If he built a boat he could fish with it, sail around the world in it, live on it, or just plain dry dock it and use it for scenery. It is his boat. He built it and it exists “for” him. The boat represents creation, you see, and God the Father is the Person from whom the boat came into existence.
But what if the boat builder actually employed someone else to do the work, a subcontractor if you will? The subcontractor was the means by which the boat came into existence. The boat exists “through” him, while the designer and initiator of the process was the contractor.
The contractor is of course God the Father, and the subcontractor is God the Son. The boat (i.e., creation) exists “for” the Father, while it came into existence “through” the Son. Do you see how intimately connected the Father and the Son are? The same is true of the Holy Spirit, though He isn’t in the equation of 1 Corinthians 8:6. This example is quite deficient, though, because a human contractor and a human subcontractor are not “one”. But God is One.
We cannot know God because He is the One Who created us. We are finite creatures, while He is infinite. Now we see through a glass darkly, but in eternity we will see clearly, face to face, and we will know Him even as we are known by Him. The Bible contains many mysteries, many secrets for our discovery, and the Trinity is one of them. We should approach the Bible as explorers looking for the lost continent of Atlantis, or as treasure hunters digging for buried treasure. How excited and enthusiastic would we be then? We would brook no delays or go off on any tangents.
Under our present limitations we cannot possibly get a handle on how there can be one God but three equal Persons who comprise the one God. Notwithstanding this, the Bible distinctly shows this to be true. Faith is taking the Bible at face value and obeying it, placing our trust in it as the inerrant and infallible Word of God Himself. Without faith it is impossible to please God (cf., Hebrews 11:6).
I know I can believe what the Bible teaches me about God being one while simultaneously existing as three Persons. He has proven Himself to me time after time, grace upon grace. I cannot help but trust Him. I cannot deny Him. This is why I subscribe to Rule #2 for Bible study, the Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
So what about you? Do you know God? Do you trust Him in all things without reservation? What value do you place on His Word? You can never feed on His Word too much. Just be sure to confess your sins to Him first and be cleansed and filled with the Spirit. That is how we put our money where our mouth is.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
January 31, 2012
Uncovering Secrets in the Bible – Part 1
Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him [1 Corinthians 8:6].
1 Corinthians is in the New Testament, which means it was originally written in koine Greek. The word koine is Greek for “common”, meaning that it wasn’t the flowery Greek of cultured society, or the educated Greek of the Greek philosophers. It was the Greek spoken by the common man on the street of that time.
Even though we’re dealing with the Greek language in the New Testament, nonetheless we are also dealing with the Hebrew people. This means that, though they were speaking another language, they still spoke as Jews and not Gentiles. With this in mind we shouldn’t be taken aback when we realize they often expressed themselves in terms of parallelism.
Parallelism is the style used in Biblical Hebrew poetry. We today rhyme words at the ends of lines and call that poetry. The Hebrews rhymed ideas within the lines and called that poetry. The ideas might roughly coincide with each other, or they might be opposites of each other. Poetry which expresses coinciding ideas is known as synonymous parallelism. Poetry which expresses opposite ideas is known as antonymous parallelism.
Even when they presented narrative instead of poetry, it was not unusual by any means to find parallelism in the writing. When we today use alliteration in our narrative writing, we are employing a concept from poetry. And this is what we have in our Bible verse which kicked off our study today. Let’s consider it in that light now.
The parallelism is between the Father and the Son, and it is synonymous. The Father is identified as “God”, while the Son (i.e., “Jesus Christ”) is identified as “Lord”. But what follows from this is where the parallelism really comes into play. Permit me to express it as a numbered list.
1. from whom are all things and we exist for Him (i.e., the Father)
2. by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (i.e., the Son)
It should be ostensible to you, the way the two phrases run “parallel” with each other. But lest perchance anyone miss out on the fine details, I will spell them out to you. Again, a numbered list suits our purposes and shortens the explanation needed.
1. from whom are all things parallels by whom are all things
2. we exist for Him parallels we exist through Him
Now mull over the difference between the words “from” and “by”. They express the only difference in Line #1 of the preceding list. Both words are prepositions. So, then, what difference is portrayed by them in these two prepositional phrases? Answer: the phrase from whom are all things emphasizes the Father as the originator of all things. The phrase by whom are all things tells us that the Father created all things by means of His Son.
Do you see why I identified this as synonymous parallelism and not antonymous? The two ideas parallel each other in an agreeable fashion. They pull together rather than push apart. We learn that God is the Creator. He created as both the Father and the Son, and the two Persons worked together in perfect harmony, as One God.
We will decipher Line #2 in our next study. Be sure to be there. It gets even tastier.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
1 Corinthians is in the New Testament, which means it was originally written in koine Greek. The word koine is Greek for “common”, meaning that it wasn’t the flowery Greek of cultured society, or the educated Greek of the Greek philosophers. It was the Greek spoken by the common man on the street of that time.
Even though we’re dealing with the Greek language in the New Testament, nonetheless we are also dealing with the Hebrew people. This means that, though they were speaking another language, they still spoke as Jews and not Gentiles. With this in mind we shouldn’t be taken aback when we realize they often expressed themselves in terms of parallelism.
Parallelism is the style used in Biblical Hebrew poetry. We today rhyme words at the ends of lines and call that poetry. The Hebrews rhymed ideas within the lines and called that poetry. The ideas might roughly coincide with each other, or they might be opposites of each other. Poetry which expresses coinciding ideas is known as synonymous parallelism. Poetry which expresses opposite ideas is known as antonymous parallelism.
Even when they presented narrative instead of poetry, it was not unusual by any means to find parallelism in the writing. When we today use alliteration in our narrative writing, we are employing a concept from poetry. And this is what we have in our Bible verse which kicked off our study today. Let’s consider it in that light now.
The parallelism is between the Father and the Son, and it is synonymous. The Father is identified as “God”, while the Son (i.e., “Jesus Christ”) is identified as “Lord”. But what follows from this is where the parallelism really comes into play. Permit me to express it as a numbered list.
1. from whom are all things and we exist for Him (i.e., the Father)
2. by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (i.e., the Son)
It should be ostensible to you, the way the two phrases run “parallel” with each other. But lest perchance anyone miss out on the fine details, I will spell them out to you. Again, a numbered list suits our purposes and shortens the explanation needed.
1. from whom are all things parallels by whom are all things
2. we exist for Him parallels we exist through Him
Now mull over the difference between the words “from” and “by”. They express the only difference in Line #1 of the preceding list. Both words are prepositions. So, then, what difference is portrayed by them in these two prepositional phrases? Answer: the phrase from whom are all things emphasizes the Father as the originator of all things. The phrase by whom are all things tells us that the Father created all things by means of His Son.
Do you see why I identified this as synonymous parallelism and not antonymous? The two ideas parallel each other in an agreeable fashion. They pull together rather than push apart. We learn that God is the Creator. He created as both the Father and the Son, and the two Persons worked together in perfect harmony, as One God.
We will decipher Line #2 in our next study. Be sure to be there. It gets even tastier.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
January 30, 2012
Gigantic Exaggerations – Part 3
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” [1 Samuel 17:32-33]
Let’s continue right where we left off yesterday. We were talking about the word “youth”, as it was used to portray David when he fought Goliath. We need to understand it in the context of Old Testament Israel in the Promised Land under the Law of Moses, not in terms of today.
Back in Old Testament Israel the Law of Moses set the age of military service at “twenty years old and upward”. It was the age of accountability for Israelite males. Those younger were “youth” or “young men” (i.e., na‘ar). David was a na‘ar. Goliath began his military training when he was still a na‘ar. David was less than twenty years old when he killed Goliath. He was NOT a “little boy”. That is not the definition of na‘ar, dear friends.
David had seven brothers, and he was the youngest male sibling in the family. The words and depictions of David in the chapters preceding and following 1 Samuel 17, as well as in chapter 17 itself, do not lead us to envision a “boy”. We see a person who was old enough and strong enough to do manly things. Imagine a teenager, say 18 or 19 years old, who played offensive left tackle on the football team today.
David was no “giant” like Goliath, but he was a seasoned young man who fought lions and bears when those critters attacked his sheep. This was because David knew the Lord and daily spent time with Him. When he killed Goliath he was already playing the harp for King Saul. It was while playing the harp that David wrote his Psalms, many of which we have in the Bible. This demonstrates that David knew the Lord already at this time—knew the Lord not just as being saved but as demonstrating spiritual maturity to an extent. This takes a little age, a little seasoning from life’s experiences and learning, in order to learn how to depend on the Lord.
David said as much to King Saul, when he volunteered to fight Goliath. He said as much to Goliath when he charged at him with his sling and stones. “You, Goliath, have insulted the God of Israel, so He has given your life into my hands!” That’s basically what David said. Little boys don’t do that!
In terms of pure military abilities, and adding size and training to the equation, David was no match for Goliath. He knew that! He wasn’t depending on himself. He depended on the Lord to defeat the giant. David merely made himself available to the Lord and was happy to do so. That is what we need to learn from the David vs. Goliath saga, not that this kindergartner stomped on the head of the giant. For that story you should read Jack and the Beanstalk!
Let’s not be content to be spiritually obtuse with the Bible, dear friends. Let’s take it seriously and spend time daily with the Word of God and the Lord Jesus, so that He can teach us His Word and spiritually mature us. It’s much more delightful to be spiritual adults than spiritual delinquents. Baby twaddle is indecorous in adults. Let’s make Jesus proud of us, shall we?
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...
Let’s continue right where we left off yesterday. We were talking about the word “youth”, as it was used to portray David when he fought Goliath. We need to understand it in the context of Old Testament Israel in the Promised Land under the Law of Moses, not in terms of today.
Back in Old Testament Israel the Law of Moses set the age of military service at “twenty years old and upward”. It was the age of accountability for Israelite males. Those younger were “youth” or “young men” (i.e., na‘ar). David was a na‘ar. Goliath began his military training when he was still a na‘ar. David was less than twenty years old when he killed Goliath. He was NOT a “little boy”. That is not the definition of na‘ar, dear friends.
David had seven brothers, and he was the youngest male sibling in the family. The words and depictions of David in the chapters preceding and following 1 Samuel 17, as well as in chapter 17 itself, do not lead us to envision a “boy”. We see a person who was old enough and strong enough to do manly things. Imagine a teenager, say 18 or 19 years old, who played offensive left tackle on the football team today.
David was no “giant” like Goliath, but he was a seasoned young man who fought lions and bears when those critters attacked his sheep. This was because David knew the Lord and daily spent time with Him. When he killed Goliath he was already playing the harp for King Saul. It was while playing the harp that David wrote his Psalms, many of which we have in the Bible. This demonstrates that David knew the Lord already at this time—knew the Lord not just as being saved but as demonstrating spiritual maturity to an extent. This takes a little age, a little seasoning from life’s experiences and learning, in order to learn how to depend on the Lord.
David said as much to King Saul, when he volunteered to fight Goliath. He said as much to Goliath when he charged at him with his sling and stones. “You, Goliath, have insulted the God of Israel, so He has given your life into my hands!” That’s basically what David said. Little boys don’t do that!
In terms of pure military abilities, and adding size and training to the equation, David was no match for Goliath. He knew that! He wasn’t depending on himself. He depended on the Lord to defeat the giant. David merely made himself available to the Lord and was happy to do so. That is what we need to learn from the David vs. Goliath saga, not that this kindergartner stomped on the head of the giant. For that story you should read Jack and the Beanstalk!
Let’s not be content to be spiritually obtuse with the Bible, dear friends. Let’s take it seriously and spend time daily with the Word of God and the Lord Jesus, so that He can teach us His Word and spiritually mature us. It’s much more delightful to be spiritual adults than spiritual delinquents. Baby twaddle is indecorous in adults. Let’s make Jesus proud of us, shall we?
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...
January 29, 2012
Gigantic Exaggerations – Part 2
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” [1 Samuel 17:32-33]
We paused our last lesson by noting that we Christians often are spiritually immature in our understanding of the Bible. Allow me to give one more example of spiritually obtuse thinking vis-à-vis the Bible. In our Bible verses quoted at the commencement of this study, the Philistine “giant” Goliath daily challenged the Israelites to send out their champion warrior to fight him. Whoever won the fight would be accredited with winning the war for his people, and the other people would be their slaves.
Well, Goliath is a bit on the large size—oh, think head and shoulders above Shaquille O’Neal. All the Israelites cowered before his blustering. Israel needed a Michael Jordan to step forward, but instead they got timorous mice who hid in their holes.
One day while Goliath was fuming his morning rant, David ben Jesse brought some food from home to his three oldest brothers who were on the battlefield with the other Israelite soldiers. When he heard the blasphemy against the God of Israel spewing from Goliath’s lips, he looked around at the Israelite troops and was astonished. Not a soul would stand up and honor the name of God by defeating this giant moron, Goliath.
So David told King Saul, “Not to worry, O King. I’ll whop him for ya’.”
King Saul pointed out to David that Goliath had been trained from his “youth” to be a mighty soldier, an expert in the art of war. On the other hand David was simply a “youth”, so he wasn’t equipped to confront such a gigantic warrior. Then Saul added, “Thanks but no thanks, son. Take yourself home and leave the fighting to us men.” Like there were any “men” to be seen on the side of Israel that day!
Let’s cut to the chase. Saul’s word to describe David, i.e., a youth or a young man, has given rise to thinking in a vacuum. It is commonly assumed that David killed Goliath when he was only ten or twelve years old, maybe even younger! After all, he was a youth. The word and its connotation is imagined in terms of today’s imagery. But that is to take the word out of context. As Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. So let’s consider the word within the context of those days, rather than in the context of today.
The Hebrew word is na‘ar. It means “a young man” or “a youth”. The wording is used of teenagers today. Sometimes we refer to our teenagers as “young adults”, which in today’s immature society is wishful thinking. Sorry, teenagers who read this. Don’t know you personally, but I do know our society.
Wow! Time sure flies when you’re having fun. We must be having fun because we’re already out of time for today. See you tomorrow, same time, same channel.
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...
We paused our last lesson by noting that we Christians often are spiritually immature in our understanding of the Bible. Allow me to give one more example of spiritually obtuse thinking vis-à-vis the Bible. In our Bible verses quoted at the commencement of this study, the Philistine “giant” Goliath daily challenged the Israelites to send out their champion warrior to fight him. Whoever won the fight would be accredited with winning the war for his people, and the other people would be their slaves.
Well, Goliath is a bit on the large size—oh, think head and shoulders above Shaquille O’Neal. All the Israelites cowered before his blustering. Israel needed a Michael Jordan to step forward, but instead they got timorous mice who hid in their holes.
One day while Goliath was fuming his morning rant, David ben Jesse brought some food from home to his three oldest brothers who were on the battlefield with the other Israelite soldiers. When he heard the blasphemy against the God of Israel spewing from Goliath’s lips, he looked around at the Israelite troops and was astonished. Not a soul would stand up and honor the name of God by defeating this giant moron, Goliath.
So David told King Saul, “Not to worry, O King. I’ll whop him for ya’.”
King Saul pointed out to David that Goliath had been trained from his “youth” to be a mighty soldier, an expert in the art of war. On the other hand David was simply a “youth”, so he wasn’t equipped to confront such a gigantic warrior. Then Saul added, “Thanks but no thanks, son. Take yourself home and leave the fighting to us men.” Like there were any “men” to be seen on the side of Israel that day!
Let’s cut to the chase. Saul’s word to describe David, i.e., a youth or a young man, has given rise to thinking in a vacuum. It is commonly assumed that David killed Goliath when he was only ten or twelve years old, maybe even younger! After all, he was a youth. The word and its connotation is imagined in terms of today’s imagery. But that is to take the word out of context. As Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. So let’s consider the word within the context of those days, rather than in the context of today.
The Hebrew word is na‘ar. It means “a young man” or “a youth”. The wording is used of teenagers today. Sometimes we refer to our teenagers as “young adults”, which in today’s immature society is wishful thinking. Sorry, teenagers who read this. Don’t know you personally, but I do know our society.
Wow! Time sure flies when you’re having fun. We must be having fun because we’re already out of time for today. See you tomorrow, same time, same channel.
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...
January 28, 2012
Gigantic Exaggerations – Part 1
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” [1 Samuel 17:32-33]
I recall this silly story about a children’s Sunday School class. The teacher, Ms. Joy, habitually asked her kids a question and waited to see who would volunteer an answer. One time she asked them, “Okay, children. Who can tell me what has a long, bushy tail, jumps through trees, and eats nuts?”
Then she paused and awaited a response. Unlike normally, however, her kids remained totally silent. So she prodded them a bit, “Now don’t be bashful. I know you know the answer, so some one spit it out!”
Well, her students persisted with their vow of silence to the point it was becoming embarrassing. So Ms. Joy pleaded, “Please, someone answer the question!”
From the back of the room little Johnnie B. Goode raised his hand, and was Ms. Joy relieved. “Okay, Johnnie. What is the answer?”
To which Johnnie responded, “Well, it sounds like a squirrel to me. But since we’re in Sunday School class, I guess it’s got to be Jesus.”
Yes, I know…silly billy stuff. Nonetheless, there is a goodly amount of reality to it. We Christians today don’t value the Bible like our ancestors did in days of old. We’re distracted with TV and movies and computer games, with running from store to store and restaurant to restaurant, with hanging out and having a grand old time. Affluence does not foster spiritual maturity, you see: it stifles it!
We are so busy with ourselves, that we prefer to save time by reading a digest of the Bible in other people’s booklets about the Bible. What we should be doing is spending daily time alone with the Lord Jesus and allowing Him to teach us His Word.
Alas, but you get what you pay for. Little Bible in, little Bible out. Oodles of sawdust and ashes in, oodles of sawdust and ashes out. When it comes to knowing God and eternity, man’s words about the Bible are just that, sawdust and ashes. God gives us spiritual teachers to aid us in learning how to read the Bible and hear God’s voice for ourselves, not to replace our quiet time alone with our blessed Savior.
Sometimes we can be a pigheaded bunch! No matter how many times in the Bible the Lord demonstrates the perils of drifting away from His Word, the tendency is to think this applies only to other people. Consequently there is the danger of becoming spiritual simpletons. We know the answer to Ms. Joy’s question is a squirrel, you see; but we assume it’s wrong because in church everything has to be Jesus. Fact of the matter is, in real life everything is about Jesus, but everything is not Jesus…like a squirrel, for instance.
Oh, dear. We are out of time for today. Let’s ponder what we’ve learned today and return tomorrow to continue our study.
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...
I recall this silly story about a children’s Sunday School class. The teacher, Ms. Joy, habitually asked her kids a question and waited to see who would volunteer an answer. One time she asked them, “Okay, children. Who can tell me what has a long, bushy tail, jumps through trees, and eats nuts?”
Then she paused and awaited a response. Unlike normally, however, her kids remained totally silent. So she prodded them a bit, “Now don’t be bashful. I know you know the answer, so some one spit it out!”
Well, her students persisted with their vow of silence to the point it was becoming embarrassing. So Ms. Joy pleaded, “Please, someone answer the question!”
From the back of the room little Johnnie B. Goode raised his hand, and was Ms. Joy relieved. “Okay, Johnnie. What is the answer?”
To which Johnnie responded, “Well, it sounds like a squirrel to me. But since we’re in Sunday School class, I guess it’s got to be Jesus.”
Yes, I know…silly billy stuff. Nonetheless, there is a goodly amount of reality to it. We Christians today don’t value the Bible like our ancestors did in days of old. We’re distracted with TV and movies and computer games, with running from store to store and restaurant to restaurant, with hanging out and having a grand old time. Affluence does not foster spiritual maturity, you see: it stifles it!
We are so busy with ourselves, that we prefer to save time by reading a digest of the Bible in other people’s booklets about the Bible. What we should be doing is spending daily time alone with the Lord Jesus and allowing Him to teach us His Word.
Alas, but you get what you pay for. Little Bible in, little Bible out. Oodles of sawdust and ashes in, oodles of sawdust and ashes out. When it comes to knowing God and eternity, man’s words about the Bible are just that, sawdust and ashes. God gives us spiritual teachers to aid us in learning how to read the Bible and hear God’s voice for ourselves, not to replace our quiet time alone with our blessed Savior.
Sometimes we can be a pigheaded bunch! No matter how many times in the Bible the Lord demonstrates the perils of drifting away from His Word, the tendency is to think this applies only to other people. Consequently there is the danger of becoming spiritual simpletons. We know the answer to Ms. Joy’s question is a squirrel, you see; but we assume it’s wrong because in church everything has to be Jesus. Fact of the matter is, in real life everything is about Jesus, but everything is not Jesus…like a squirrel, for instance.
Oh, dear. We are out of time for today. Let’s ponder what we’ve learned today and return tomorrow to continue our study.
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...
January 27, 2012
The Lord of the Beings
He must increase, but I must decrease [John 3:30].
When I was a young tyke in Christ circa 1978, a Christian lady who made it a practice to encourage me gave me a gift. It was a small metal placard which sat on the desk or bookshelf. Inscribed on it were the words of John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. I’ve spent over thirty years struggling with this issue, wrestling with the Lord in prayer to make it so. I suspect I’ll be doing the same until I am promoted to eternity.
This is not to say the Lord hasn’t changed me one iota. Indeed, when I think back to the days before I was born again and then compare that person with me now, there is no comparison. The old man most assuredly is dead on the cross with Christ, and the new man now lives. I AM in Christ the righteousness of God (cf., 2 Corinthians 5:21).
This is my standing before the throne of God (i.e., justification), but it is not my actual state (i.e., sanctification). The same truth applies to every son of Adam the First, so long as his address is this side of eternity. What varies with each of us is the extent of our actual state, and even that is in a constant state of flux. Some of us were born again, and then we left it at that. Our state, then, is that of a spiritual newborn. It is sad to remain in the crib our entire lives, sipping from the nipple, being burped, and having our diapers changed. What a drain on the church and an affront to the name of Christ!
Others of us have fed on the Word of God every day from the beginning of our new life in Christ; sat as His feet alone with Him as He taught us His Word; learned to hear His voice instead of depending on man’s words about Him; and made our way through the entire Bible on a regular basis. After all, the Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food, in contrast to books about the Bible. We learned to personally relate to the Lord Jesus on a daily basis, allowing Him to transform us into His image.
Those are the two extremes for Christians. On the one hand we have the newborn babies, on the other the mature men and women of God. I don’t fit at either extreme, but I cannot state exactly where I do fit because that knowledge belongs to the purview of Christ alone. Only Christ can know my heart. You can’t, and for that matter neither can I. We can know to an extent, but not specifically.
At times I see more Christ in me and am humbled by it. I see Him doing His work in me and through me to others and am excited by this. During such times I would place myself much closer to the extreme of the mature man of God.
Alas, but there are those other times, those pesky rascals who embarrass anyone who has an ounce of spiritual maturity. Such times would be equivalent in natural life to the crying baby in the crib who needs his diaper changed, or the refractory teenage urchin at his best. During those times I would place myself much closer to the extreme of the newborn baby.
What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Not! The Apostle Paul afforded us the answer when he taught the Philippian saints,
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude [Philippians 3:13-15].
Yes, He must increase, but I must decrease. The word must is intensive and demanding. It allows for no exception and brooks no indolence. It requires a regimen of spiritual exercise and discipline on a consistent basis, much like that of an athlete.
So what say ye? Will it be increase or decrease? Better yet, who will increase and who will decrease? This applies to every Christian throughout his or her entire lifetime. After all, it is the act of growing up in real spiritual life. It never stops until we are dead to the world and alive in eternity.
I personally don’t like to see me in the mirror. I much prefer to see the Lord Jesus in the mirror. Sometimes I get my preference. What I try to do is get it more frequently with more regularity.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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 a young tyke in Christ circa 1978, a Christian lady who made it a practice to encourage me gave me a gift. It was a small metal placard which sat on the desk or bookshelf. Inscribed on it were the words of John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. I’ve spent over thirty years struggling with this issue, wrestling with the Lord in prayer to make it so. I suspect I’ll be doing the same until I am promoted to eternity.
This is not to say the Lord hasn’t changed me one iota. Indeed, when I think back to the days before I was born again and then compare that person with me now, there is no comparison. The old man most assuredly is dead on the cross with Christ, and the new man now lives. I AM in Christ the righteousness of God (cf., 2 Corinthians 5:21).
This is my standing before the throne of God (i.e., justification), but it is not my actual state (i.e., sanctification). The same truth applies to every son of Adam the First, so long as his address is this side of eternity. What varies with each of us is the extent of our actual state, and even that is in a constant state of flux. Some of us were born again, and then we left it at that. Our state, then, is that of a spiritual newborn. It is sad to remain in the crib our entire lives, sipping from the nipple, being burped, and having our diapers changed. What a drain on the church and an affront to the name of Christ!
Others of us have fed on the Word of God every day from the beginning of our new life in Christ; sat as His feet alone with Him as He taught us His Word; learned to hear His voice instead of depending on man’s words about Him; and made our way through the entire Bible on a regular basis. After all, the Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food, in contrast to books about the Bible. We learned to personally relate to the Lord Jesus on a daily basis, allowing Him to transform us into His image.
Those are the two extremes for Christians. On the one hand we have the newborn babies, on the other the mature men and women of God. I don’t fit at either extreme, but I cannot state exactly where I do fit because that knowledge belongs to the purview of Christ alone. Only Christ can know my heart. You can’t, and for that matter neither can I. We can know to an extent, but not specifically.
At times I see more Christ in me and am humbled by it. I see Him doing His work in me and through me to others and am excited by this. During such times I would place myself much closer to the extreme of the mature man of God.
Alas, but there are those other times, those pesky rascals who embarrass anyone who has an ounce of spiritual maturity. Such times would be equivalent in natural life to the crying baby in the crib who needs his diaper changed, or the refractory teenage urchin at his best. During those times I would place myself much closer to the extreme of the newborn baby.
What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Not! The Apostle Paul afforded us the answer when he taught the Philippian saints,
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude [Philippians 3:13-15].
Yes, He must increase, but I must decrease. The word must is intensive and demanding. It allows for no exception and brooks no indolence. It requires a regimen of spiritual exercise and discipline on a consistent basis, much like that of an athlete.
So what say ye? Will it be increase or decrease? Better yet, who will increase and who will decrease? This applies to every Christian throughout his or her entire lifetime. After all, it is the act of growing up in real spiritual life. It never stops until we are dead to the world and alive in eternity.
I personally don’t like to see me in the mirror. I much prefer to see the Lord Jesus in the mirror. Sometimes I get my preference. What I try to do is get it more frequently with more regularity.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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...
