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Water seeks its own level. The celebration held around this time of the year will always go back to its source. It has no root in Scripture though many try to wrap nativity images around non-Christian symbolism like wrapping paper, insisting that this makes everything alright because it looks nice.
Wrapping the good around the bad and calling it pretty just doesn't work. Check out the story at Exodus 32:1-10. The Israelites were not worshipping a false god or an Egyptian god. They claimed the calf idol they fashioned (probably copying the symbol of strength portrayed by the Egyptian god Apis) represented the god who led them out of Egypt and claimed the festival was for Him, Yahweh (or Jehovah in English), not Apis. Was He happy with the arrangement? Not according to verse 10.
So then, is this just a nice story? Or is there something we can, and should, take away from it? (Isaiah 5:20, 21)
The origins of this holidays observed at this time of year are clear.
http://www.history.com/historyoftheholi
Jesus was not born on December 25th. The "wise" men visited a house and young child later--they weren't at the stable. In an effort to destroy Jesus, Herod killed all boys two and under when the magicians didn't return to him as he'd asked; Jesus may have been as old as two when the men from the east presented him with the gifts.
The traditions developed to honor gods like Saturn and Oden and Mithra have been "re-tooled" to suit Christian ends. This period of time was always one for revelry and hedonism. The celebration does indeed go back to its roots, year after year after year, and any attempt to "consecrate" it is not going to work.
Perhaps there is a reason that the Bible never mentions on which day Christ was born. It does pinpoint the day he died. It also pinpoints that he his ministry was 3 1/2 years long; he was 33 1/2 years old when he died. Half a year from the spring is the fall of the year. No where near December.
So how do we honor him? In the way we live our lives. We obey him. We are kind and mild and staunch for what is right. We obey his command to commemorate his death, not his birth.
You can't go wrong going back to the first century Christians and doing what they did. Jesus and his apostles foretold that after these initial followers passed off the scene, true Christianity would become tainted by the One pitted against God and his minions who sought to gain their own following. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; Acts 20:29, 30) The first century Christians did not celebrate Christmas; they didn't celebrate birthdays at all.
Wrapping the good around the bad and calling it pretty just doesn't work. Check out the story at Exodus 32:1-10. The Israelites were not worshipping a false god or an Egyptian god. They claimed the calf idol they fashioned (probably copying the symbol of strength portrayed by the Egyptian god Apis) represented the god who led them out of Egypt and claimed the festival was for Him, Yahweh (or Jehovah in English), not Apis. Was He happy with the arrangement? Not according to verse 10.
So then, is this just a nice story? Or is there something we can, and should, take away from it? (Isaiah 5:20, 21)
The origins of this holidays observed at this time of year are clear.
http://www.history.com/historyoftheholi
Jesus was not born on December 25th. The "wise" men visited a house and young child later--they weren't at the stable. In an effort to destroy Jesus, Herod killed all boys two and under when the magicians didn't return to him as he'd asked; Jesus may have been as old as two when the men from the east presented him with the gifts.
The traditions developed to honor gods like Saturn and Oden and Mithra have been "re-tooled" to suit Christian ends. This period of time was always one for revelry and hedonism. The celebration does indeed go back to its roots, year after year after year, and any attempt to "consecrate" it is not going to work.
Perhaps there is a reason that the Bible never mentions on which day Christ was born. It does pinpoint the day he died. It also pinpoints that he his ministry was 3 1/2 years long; he was 33 1/2 years old when he died. Half a year from the spring is the fall of the year. No where near December.
So how do we honor him? In the way we live our lives. We obey him. We are kind and mild and staunch for what is right. We obey his command to commemorate his death, not his birth.
You can't go wrong going back to the first century Christians and doing what they did. Jesus and his apostles foretold that after these initial followers passed off the scene, true Christianity would become tainted by the One pitted against God and his minions who sought to gain their own following. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; Acts 20:29, 30) The first century Christians did not celebrate Christmas; they didn't celebrate birthdays at all.
- Mood:
relieved
As difficult as it is to hear, imagine, write about, the more necessary it becomes to sort out tragedies as horrific as the one in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
If you've ever visited the area, you know it by its peace. Cleanliness, order and peace.
I find it convincing that the world cannot understand the forgiveness of the community. Even in the US, which claims to be "Christian" the attitude of the Amish is foreign to most. Violence on this scale calls for the placing of blame, for retaliation, for "closure" through being an eyewitness of swift and severe justice. None of those things bring the peace sought. That's man's way, not God's.
When it comes to exercising Christ-like principles, the Amish have it down better than most Christians.
God does not take delight in the death of someone wicked. This doesn't mean that he will sidestep issues of justice and leave the righteous to suffer. In his due time he will do away with wickedness and those who insist on practicing it. But that is his decision to make, not ours. Until he executes his judgment, we are under command to be peaceable with all men.
Forgiveness is also a Christian requirement. Not an option, not a choice, but a requirement. Jesus offered the parable of the slave who owed his master more than he could possibly ever repay. Yet when this slave begged his master for mercy, his master granted it to a great degree. He didn't lessen the man's debt, or force him into hard labor in exchange for the money due. He completely forgave the debt. It was gone. The crisis was over.
Yet upon his release, what did the slave do? He found another slave who owed him a paltry amount of money, and refused mercy when it was asked of him. Instead he beat his fellow slave and had him thrown into prison until the debt was paid in full. The end result? Find the parable and read it. Forgiveness is not an option. God has much more to forgive us for in our imperfection than we have to forgive in words or deeds against us, no matter how horrific those actions may be. We have no right to hang on to a vengeful spirit.
Impossible, people say. How can you possibly forgive without an "unusual degree of detachment" as one new anchor put it. In other words, isn't it damaging to be so distant from your child that you could forgive the person who murdered her? At what point does forgiveness become bad?
It can't become bad.
Understandably, true forgiveness not something we can accomplish in our own strength. It is another area in which we need the direction and support of our Father. He promises his spirit to those asking for it. That spirit created the planet and everything on it; it has the power to mold our minds and hearts into peace through the exercise of mercy. The fruitage of the spirit includes such qualities as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control. Forgiveness is possible.
Forgiveness doesn't mean that hearts aren't rent in two. It doesn't mean there isn't grief, it doesn't mean there is no anger. It does mean we leave the judging in God's hands. We trust him to make it right. With God nothing is impossible. His very name means he will become whatever he needs to become to fulfill his purpose. He can comfort us beyond human words and deeds, put in us a calm spirit that transcends the absolute horror of this world under the governance of the wicked one. He can see us through.
God does not give this pain. God had nothing to "teach" these people. God didn't need more angels. God didn't "take" these children from their loving parents. Go back and read the opening chapters of Job.
He allows atrocities for now. He allowed the atrocity of the death of his perfect son. He undid that, and can undo all of the pain suffered today. Learn more. You can trust him and he can give you strength beyond what is normal. He can provide a calm heart; he can protect the mind. He does these things for those whose heart is complete toward him. Let go. Let go of human thinking, of that thirst for revenge, and turn to the source of true peace and security.
If you've ever visited the area, you know it by its peace. Cleanliness, order and peace.
I find it convincing that the world cannot understand the forgiveness of the community. Even in the US, which claims to be "Christian" the attitude of the Amish is foreign to most. Violence on this scale calls for the placing of blame, for retaliation, for "closure" through being an eyewitness of swift and severe justice. None of those things bring the peace sought. That's man's way, not God's.
When it comes to exercising Christ-like principles, the Amish have it down better than most Christians.
God does not take delight in the death of someone wicked. This doesn't mean that he will sidestep issues of justice and leave the righteous to suffer. In his due time he will do away with wickedness and those who insist on practicing it. But that is his decision to make, not ours. Until he executes his judgment, we are under command to be peaceable with all men.
Forgiveness is also a Christian requirement. Not an option, not a choice, but a requirement. Jesus offered the parable of the slave who owed his master more than he could possibly ever repay. Yet when this slave begged his master for mercy, his master granted it to a great degree. He didn't lessen the man's debt, or force him into hard labor in exchange for the money due. He completely forgave the debt. It was gone. The crisis was over.
Yet upon his release, what did the slave do? He found another slave who owed him a paltry amount of money, and refused mercy when it was asked of him. Instead he beat his fellow slave and had him thrown into prison until the debt was paid in full. The end result? Find the parable and read it. Forgiveness is not an option. God has much more to forgive us for in our imperfection than we have to forgive in words or deeds against us, no matter how horrific those actions may be. We have no right to hang on to a vengeful spirit.
Impossible, people say. How can you possibly forgive without an "unusual degree of detachment" as one new anchor put it. In other words, isn't it damaging to be so distant from your child that you could forgive the person who murdered her? At what point does forgiveness become bad?
It can't become bad.
Understandably, true forgiveness not something we can accomplish in our own strength. It is another area in which we need the direction and support of our Father. He promises his spirit to those asking for it. That spirit created the planet and everything on it; it has the power to mold our minds and hearts into peace through the exercise of mercy. The fruitage of the spirit includes such qualities as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control. Forgiveness is possible.
Forgiveness doesn't mean that hearts aren't rent in two. It doesn't mean there isn't grief, it doesn't mean there is no anger. It does mean we leave the judging in God's hands. We trust him to make it right. With God nothing is impossible. His very name means he will become whatever he needs to become to fulfill his purpose. He can comfort us beyond human words and deeds, put in us a calm spirit that transcends the absolute horror of this world under the governance of the wicked one. He can see us through.
God does not give this pain. God had nothing to "teach" these people. God didn't need more angels. God didn't "take" these children from their loving parents. Go back and read the opening chapters of Job.
He allows atrocities for now. He allowed the atrocity of the death of his perfect son. He undid that, and can undo all of the pain suffered today. Learn more. You can trust him and he can give you strength beyond what is normal. He can provide a calm heart; he can protect the mind. He does these things for those whose heart is complete toward him. Let go. Let go of human thinking, of that thirst for revenge, and turn to the source of true peace and security.
- Mood:
sad
James 4:8: Draw close to God; and he will draw close to you. (Acts 17:27)
God does not want to be a mysterious entity that we can't understand. He has revealed himself to us, within the scope of our limited ability to comprehend, in a number of different ways:
His creation: Romans 1:20, 21
His Word: Romans 10:11
and especially, his Son: John 1:18, Colossians 1:15; Matthew 11:25-27
And he has made himself known to such a degree that it is "inexcusable" not to acknowledge his Godship. We can know his personality, his requirements, his love, and his name. He wants us to allow that knowledge to deepen into trust, faith and love. Through Christ we continue building a close, intimate, personal relationship with him so that we firmly attach ourselves to him and refuse to allow anything to damage that bond. We obey his commands, understanding that they are never burdensome, but for our own good. (1 John 3:5)
If he were hidden, mysterious and unfathomable, then in all justice, he couldn't hold people accountable for not coming to know him. Acts 17:22-31.
The Athenians mocked too. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It's the philosophy and teaching of humans, under the influence of God's enemy, that separate people from the Creator, teaching that he cannot be known through things like the Scriptures and creation. What a disservice to people everywhere.
- Mood:
distressed
It requires effort and honest self-examination--along with a willingness to repent and make adjustments--to remain in the faith, as is evidenced by the counsel at 2 Corinthians 13:5. No we are not saved by works--God's gift of life through Christ is still an expression of his undeserved kindness and loyal love--but we certainly can be destroyed by them.
It is a wise thing to remain spiritually healthy, calling for periodic check-ups. Do my words and deeds harmonize with my faith? Do they honor God? Is my relationship with my Creator growing ever closer, ever stronger, ever more sure as this system folds in on itself, and times become more difficult than they have ever been. Now is the time to build faith and trust and do our best to represent an accurate picture of who God is. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)
I read an editorial in the newspaper that scoffed at the idea that we are living in the last days or the end times, simply because previous "predictions" down through the years have proved unreliable. Here is yet another instance where misinterpretation and human reasoning has led to disappointment and a turning away from God and the Bible.
Yet the warning continues to go out: 2 Peter 3:3-7: For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: "Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning." For, according to their wish, this fact escapes their notice, that there were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; and by those [means] the world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water. But by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.
Notice: the destruction is not of the earth, but of the elements that persist in ruining it (Revelation 11:18). Also it is not a destruction that comes about at the hands of man, wiping out guilty as well as innocent life. The end of this world in the end of man's rule upon it and the beginning of God's rule, as he intended at the beginning. Those who understand God's right and his unerring capacity to rule with love, wisdom and justice do not fear the end as it approaches but welcome it, and encourage others to come to a faith that will allow them to do the same. Noah was not whisked away to a place of safety away from the destruction that took place all around him. He was given a place of refuge, built by his own hand at God's direction and in complete faith. Another time, the Hebrews were backed up against the Red Sea, facing certain destruction at the hand of the world power of the day, until God made the way out. This tired old system under Satan's rule (2 Corinthians 4:4) will try again to wipe out God's people as this system comes to its close. We know beyond a doubt that God knows how to deliver his people. (2 Peter 2:7-9)
Our faithful actions prove who we are and they keep us safe. Without faithful action--and carrying that action to its completion--neither Noah, nor the escaping Hebrews could have experienced God's saving power. (2 Corinthians 13:5)
It is a wise thing to remain spiritually healthy, calling for periodic check-ups. Do my words and deeds harmonize with my faith? Do they honor God? Is my relationship with my Creator growing ever closer, ever stronger, ever more sure as this system folds in on itself, and times become more difficult than they have ever been. Now is the time to build faith and trust and do our best to represent an accurate picture of who God is. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)
I read an editorial in the newspaper that scoffed at the idea that we are living in the last days or the end times, simply because previous "predictions" down through the years have proved unreliable. Here is yet another instance where misinterpretation and human reasoning has led to disappointment and a turning away from God and the Bible.
Yet the warning continues to go out: 2 Peter 3:3-7: For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: "Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning." For, according to their wish, this fact escapes their notice, that there were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; and by those [means] the world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water. But by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.
Notice: the destruction is not of the earth, but of the elements that persist in ruining it (Revelation 11:18). Also it is not a destruction that comes about at the hands of man, wiping out guilty as well as innocent life. The end of this world in the end of man's rule upon it and the beginning of God's rule, as he intended at the beginning. Those who understand God's right and his unerring capacity to rule with love, wisdom and justice do not fear the end as it approaches but welcome it, and encourage others to come to a faith that will allow them to do the same. Noah was not whisked away to a place of safety away from the destruction that took place all around him. He was given a place of refuge, built by his own hand at God's direction and in complete faith. Another time, the Hebrews were backed up against the Red Sea, facing certain destruction at the hand of the world power of the day, until God made the way out. This tired old system under Satan's rule (2 Corinthians 4:4) will try again to wipe out God's people as this system comes to its close. We know beyond a doubt that God knows how to deliver his people. (2 Peter 2:7-9)
Our faithful actions prove who we are and they keep us safe. Without faithful action--and carrying that action to its completion--neither Noah, nor the escaping Hebrews could have experienced God's saving power. (2 Corinthians 13:5)
- Mood:
energetic
What happened to Matthew 23:8-12?
Every time I read about a "lay" perspective or a "clerical" perspective, I want to ask the above question.
(Matthew 23:8-12) 8 But YOU, do not YOU be called Rabbi, for one is YOUR teacher, whereas all YOU are brothers. 9 Moreover, do not call anyone YOUR father on earth, for one is YOUR Father, the heavenly One. 10 Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for YOUR Leader is one, the Christ. 11 But the greatest one among YOU must be YOUR minister. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus' apostles did not need extensive training in theology to be bold and accurate witnesses. It was something that puzzled those of the Sanhedrin about Peter and John:
Acts 4:13 - Now when they beheld the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were men unlettered and ordinary, they got to wondering. And they began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus;
What Jesus taught them was enough. Their actions, their manner of speaking, the record of their dealing with the early congregation is all part of the record of God's word. Any person can study it, but it's not the wisdom of men that will unlock it.
(1 Corinthians 3:18-19) 18 Let no one be seducing himself: If anyone among YOU thinks he is wise in this system of things, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written: "He catches the wise in their own cunning."
Being adequately qualified to teach God's word comes from God. (2 Corinthians 3:4) But even one qualified to teach is not in some way elevated above the rest of the flock, to be honored with special titles or special clothes, or salaries. We are all brothers. Paul didn't draw a salary. Peter didn't draw a salary. John, Mark, Silas, Philip--none of them were honored with titles. They worked side by side with those in the congregations, people they viewed as brothers and sisters. Their eagerness to serve was the only thing that set them apart, and there was an organization through which decisions were rendered and distributed for the unity of all congregations. But there is no mention of a clerical title for any of the Christian pillars of the first century.
And that is why I was intrigued by an organization that has no paid clergy, in which no one is known by a special title, and no man's name appears on a marquee outside. We are all brothers. We are all taught by the Great Teacher and that is all that's necessary to be adequately qualified, uniquely qualified, to carry out God's will for the good news to be preached to all the nations. (Matthew 24:14)
- Mood: grateful
As the world becomes ever more divided and un-unifiable, to be among a people who know no divisions--racial, economic, national, political, educational, social, ethical--has become ever more refreshing and precious.
When I think of all the things that unite us, first and foremost is a love for God that includes trust. We love him, so we obey him (1 John 5:3). Like children, we may not understand the why behind some of his commands, and we may not even personally *like* some of them, but because we trust him to act in our own best interests, because we trust a wisdom superior to our own, because we understand and accept his right to set the laws and principles by which we live, we become one in service to him. We understand that any man in any nation who obeys his commands is precious to him and therefore is precious to us.
In time, we come to understand. Obeying even when it does not come easy proves Satan the liar that he is when he implied that humans love God out of selfish motives--for what they get from him and only when it's easy.
Do problems arise? Yes. Do personalities clash? Yes. But the answer to these problems lies in the procedure followed by the apostles and the congregations in the first century. The questions are brought to a central group, the matter is discussed scripturally and prayerfully, a decision is rendered and it is sent out to all the congregations. Examine the issue over circumcision that threatened the peace and unity of the early Christians. The matter was brought to the older men, it was decided upon, the decision was sent out. The decision was repeatedly explained for a number of years, and finally those who did not accept the decision and continued to make an issue of it were put outside the congregation. That was the pattern set and the pattern that unifies God's people today.
Where there is no central law, no adherance to what God has given mankind as a guide, there can be no unity and without unity there is no peace. It leaves too many people angry and bitter and focused on themselves rather than on God and the work he's given for his worshippers to do now. Time is getting too short to be sidetracked.
When I think of all the things that unite us, first and foremost is a love for God that includes trust. We love him, so we obey him (1 John 5:3). Like children, we may not understand the why behind some of his commands, and we may not even personally *like* some of them, but because we trust him to act in our own best interests, because we trust a wisdom superior to our own, because we understand and accept his right to set the laws and principles by which we live, we become one in service to him. We understand that any man in any nation who obeys his commands is precious to him and therefore is precious to us.
In time, we come to understand. Obeying even when it does not come easy proves Satan the liar that he is when he implied that humans love God out of selfish motives--for what they get from him and only when it's easy.
Do problems arise? Yes. Do personalities clash? Yes. But the answer to these problems lies in the procedure followed by the apostles and the congregations in the first century. The questions are brought to a central group, the matter is discussed scripturally and prayerfully, a decision is rendered and it is sent out to all the congregations. Examine the issue over circumcision that threatened the peace and unity of the early Christians. The matter was brought to the older men, it was decided upon, the decision was sent out. The decision was repeatedly explained for a number of years, and finally those who did not accept the decision and continued to make an issue of it were put outside the congregation. That was the pattern set and the pattern that unifies God's people today.
Where there is no central law, no adherance to what God has given mankind as a guide, there can be no unity and without unity there is no peace. It leaves too many people angry and bitter and focused on themselves rather than on God and the work he's given for his worshippers to do now. Time is getting too short to be sidetracked.
- Mood: content
At times I marvel at God's patience.
I read an article in a newspaper--probably from several days ago as I am way behind but loathe to throw them out unfurled--about how a denomination is considering changing "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" to something more gender neutral, like Rock, Redeemer & Something or Other." Another suggestion, far from gender neutrality: Mother, Child, Womb.
Poor souls. There are real issues to focus on.
He is a simple pronoun. A mere word. Whether you use it, or its opposite, you are never fully describing God. The fact of the matter is that God is an It, and he created both genders and knows more about them and what they need than we do ourselves.
Not to mention that God gave himself a name, and perhaps he would rather be called by that than a pronoun or a title? This is also a good example of why the Bible is a superior testimony to who God is than His creation is. Yes, the wind, trees, animals, plants, flowers, colors, tastes, smells, etc., etc., all tell us something about the Person who made them. But the Bible reveals him ever more clearly, discussing his laws and principles and enabling us to develop an intimate relationship with him by revealing his name. What deep and lasting friendship have you had in which you didn't know the other party's name?
Forget quibbling about gender. God knows and values each gender equally. He understands how they operate best, both singly and together. So instead of trying to fashion the Scriptures according to political correctness, try studying them. So many I talk to who doubt the reliability of the Bible have NEVER read it cover to cover!!! It drives me nuts. They listen to what people say is in there, base opinions on the actions of people who claim to follow it, never investigate it for themselves, and the instant they find something in there they find hard, or distasteful, or at odds with what they want to do, they dismiss the fact that 40 authors writing over the period of over 2,000 years have written a text around the same theme, that upholds science where it touches on science, has been preserved through numerous attempts to destroy it, has been made available around the globe, despite all efforts to keep it from the masses, and is unfailingly reliable as a prophetic guide. By any standard, it is an awesome book!
In the end, Paul is so correct about some becoming "mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions, violent disputes about trifles on the part of men corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth, thinking that godly devotion is a means of gain." (1 Timothy 6:4, 5) Quibbling about pronouns and titles detracts from the major issues, such as upholding God's right to rule mankind and exercising faith in Christ's ransom sacrifice.
I read an article in a newspaper--probably from several days ago as I am way behind but loathe to throw them out unfurled--about how a denomination is considering changing "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" to something more gender neutral, like Rock, Redeemer & Something or Other." Another suggestion, far from gender neutrality: Mother, Child, Womb.
Poor souls. There are real issues to focus on.
He is a simple pronoun. A mere word. Whether you use it, or its opposite, you are never fully describing God. The fact of the matter is that God is an It, and he created both genders and knows more about them and what they need than we do ourselves.
Not to mention that God gave himself a name, and perhaps he would rather be called by that than a pronoun or a title? This is also a good example of why the Bible is a superior testimony to who God is than His creation is. Yes, the wind, trees, animals, plants, flowers, colors, tastes, smells, etc., etc., all tell us something about the Person who made them. But the Bible reveals him ever more clearly, discussing his laws and principles and enabling us to develop an intimate relationship with him by revealing his name. What deep and lasting friendship have you had in which you didn't know the other party's name?
Forget quibbling about gender. God knows and values each gender equally. He understands how they operate best, both singly and together. So instead of trying to fashion the Scriptures according to political correctness, try studying them. So many I talk to who doubt the reliability of the Bible have NEVER read it cover to cover!!! It drives me nuts. They listen to what people say is in there, base opinions on the actions of people who claim to follow it, never investigate it for themselves, and the instant they find something in there they find hard, or distasteful, or at odds with what they want to do, they dismiss the fact that 40 authors writing over the period of over 2,000 years have written a text around the same theme, that upholds science where it touches on science, has been preserved through numerous attempts to destroy it, has been made available around the globe, despite all efforts to keep it from the masses, and is unfailingly reliable as a prophetic guide. By any standard, it is an awesome book!
In the end, Paul is so correct about some becoming "mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions, violent disputes about trifles on the part of men corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth, thinking that godly devotion is a means of gain." (1 Timothy 6:4, 5) Quibbling about pronouns and titles detracts from the major issues, such as upholding God's right to rule mankind and exercising faith in Christ's ransom sacrifice.
- Mood: amused
We must obey him.
1 John 5:3
There is no relationship, no closeness, no peace without faithful obedience.
Love is not just a feeling. It's actions too.
1 John 5:3
There is no relationship, no closeness, no peace without faithful obedience.
Love is not just a feeling. It's actions too.
It is sad that the attitude that brought on the Inquisition still exists among "Christians" today, the idea being that if people aren't going to "give their lives to Christ" now, then it's okay to just kill them off, because that's what will happen sooner or later anyway. Back in the Dark Ages, it was the idea that torture now was better than eternal torture, neither of which had a Biblical basis. (Compare Jeremiah 32:35. This verse could not be true of a person who had created hellfire.)
Neither is there a Biblical basis for this idea that humans can judge one another now. Again, mankind oversteps his bounds. Isn't it true that Christ bought us all out of slavery to sin and death? Don't we then belong to him? What right do we have to be judging another person's slave? Considering that the Master is perfect and can read a man's heart, and that any human is both imperfect and limited, it stands to reason that judging and condemning a slave is the right of his Master and no other. (Romans 14:4)
In the glorious wonder of our technological age, we now have the "attitude" made into a video game. How disgusted Christ must be to have his name associated with it. It is quite easy to see him quoting Matthew 7:21-23 while the recipients of his chastisement gawk in disbelief. "We were only trying to do powerful works in your name!" they will complain.
The thing is, to be a follower of Christ a person has to hear his teachings and his commandments, then accept and practice them. (Matthew 7:24-26) Loving your enemy means just that. You don't wish him evil. You don't look forward to slaughtering him with a machine gun. Retaliation is not Christ-like by any stretch of the imagination. (Romans 12:17-21) Vengeful violence is Satanic and shows all the fruitages of the flesh that will yield no good results (Galatians 5:19-21). While I can understand the human tendency evident in those who gleefully watch the execution of a person who murdered a loved one and then consign the wretch to an eternity of misery, it is not the position that God or his Son take. Given the unity between the two, the death of someone wicked, even when just and necessary, is a sad thing for them. (Ezekiel 18:23). It should be the same for us.
Christ gave his followers the Holy Spirit as a helper for them and this force motivates people in a totally different direction, one that is often alien to typical imperfect human nature. Notice the fruitage of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22, 23. Then there's the qualities of love listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It hopes and believes all things. If a person doesn't accept the Truth now, love believes that as long as there is life, there is hope that there will be a change. There is a continual, patient reaching out until God decides to "close the door" as he did when he separated Noah from the rest of the ungodly men of his era and kept him safe through the flood. When a true Christian exercises love based on principle (agape) there is no room for provocation, self-interest, indecency, jealousy or a prideful spirit; instead there is the love the Christ said would identify his true followers--the treating of all humans with basic human dignity, the continual reaching out in hope, and the unity among those who accept Christ's law. (John 13:34, 35) It is men who rule by force and coersion. Christ rules in love and draws people to his rule through that love.
God has given the responsibility of judging to the one he has set as King of his promised kingdom. (Matthew 6:10; John 5:22) That right has been given to no human. Humans cannot read hearts. Humans cannot see what holds a person back, nor can they see the potential in people when those hurdles are crossed. The opportunity for change is there. God is reaching out to people now, telling them why he allows sorrow and suffering to continue, how they can lead better lives now, and how to rest their hope on a solid future to be established, not by imperfect humans, but by God, as was originally intended back at the start of man's existence on earth. Through his Son he opens up the way to reconciliation, salvation and peace.
Conversely, it's just as irresponsible to tell people that God accepts them no matter who they are or what they do. (Isaiah 5:20, 21; Ezekiel 33:7-9) God will hold people accountable. (Romans 14:12) He has the right as our Creator to set the standard, make people aware of the standard and then judge based on their response. (Ezekiel 18: 26, 27) It is arrogant to insist otherwise (Ezekiel 18:25). And when you really get to know who He is and how he cares for us, faith carries us through because we know his love, justice, wisdom and power are perfectly balanced and perfectly exercised.
Neither is there a Biblical basis for this idea that humans can judge one another now. Again, mankind oversteps his bounds. Isn't it true that Christ bought us all out of slavery to sin and death? Don't we then belong to him? What right do we have to be judging another person's slave? Considering that the Master is perfect and can read a man's heart, and that any human is both imperfect and limited, it stands to reason that judging and condemning a slave is the right of his Master and no other. (Romans 14:4)
In the glorious wonder of our technological age, we now have the "attitude" made into a video game. How disgusted Christ must be to have his name associated with it. It is quite easy to see him quoting Matthew 7:21-23 while the recipients of his chastisement gawk in disbelief. "We were only trying to do powerful works in your name!" they will complain.
The thing is, to be a follower of Christ a person has to hear his teachings and his commandments, then accept and practice them. (Matthew 7:24-26) Loving your enemy means just that. You don't wish him evil. You don't look forward to slaughtering him with a machine gun. Retaliation is not Christ-like by any stretch of the imagination. (Romans 12:17-21) Vengeful violence is Satanic and shows all the fruitages of the flesh that will yield no good results (Galatians 5:19-21). While I can understand the human tendency evident in those who gleefully watch the execution of a person who murdered a loved one and then consign the wretch to an eternity of misery, it is not the position that God or his Son take. Given the unity between the two, the death of someone wicked, even when just and necessary, is a sad thing for them. (Ezekiel 18:23). It should be the same for us.
Christ gave his followers the Holy Spirit as a helper for them and this force motivates people in a totally different direction, one that is often alien to typical imperfect human nature. Notice the fruitage of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22, 23. Then there's the qualities of love listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It hopes and believes all things. If a person doesn't accept the Truth now, love believes that as long as there is life, there is hope that there will be a change. There is a continual, patient reaching out until God decides to "close the door" as he did when he separated Noah from the rest of the ungodly men of his era and kept him safe through the flood. When a true Christian exercises love based on principle (agape) there is no room for provocation, self-interest, indecency, jealousy or a prideful spirit; instead there is the love the Christ said would identify his true followers--the treating of all humans with basic human dignity, the continual reaching out in hope, and the unity among those who accept Christ's law. (John 13:34, 35) It is men who rule by force and coersion. Christ rules in love and draws people to his rule through that love.
God has given the responsibility of judging to the one he has set as King of his promised kingdom. (Matthew 6:10; John 5:22) That right has been given to no human. Humans cannot read hearts. Humans cannot see what holds a person back, nor can they see the potential in people when those hurdles are crossed. The opportunity for change is there. God is reaching out to people now, telling them why he allows sorrow and suffering to continue, how they can lead better lives now, and how to rest their hope on a solid future to be established, not by imperfect humans, but by God, as was originally intended back at the start of man's existence on earth. Through his Son he opens up the way to reconciliation, salvation and peace.
Conversely, it's just as irresponsible to tell people that God accepts them no matter who they are or what they do. (Isaiah 5:20, 21; Ezekiel 33:7-9) God will hold people accountable. (Romans 14:12) He has the right as our Creator to set the standard, make people aware of the standard and then judge based on their response. (Ezekiel 18: 26, 27) It is arrogant to insist otherwise (Ezekiel 18:25). And when you really get to know who He is and how he cares for us, faith carries us through because we know his love, justice, wisdom and power are perfectly balanced and perfectly exercised.
- Mood:
contemplative
"But you take away all the mystery!" my friend complained.
I've heard the complaint quite often, and I imagine there is a personality type that prefers things open-ended. But not everything can be open-ended. The critical questions people ask should and do have solid answers. That doesn't mean that all mystery is solved, all questions are answered. But when it comes to basic precepts of who God is, what his purposes are and what he wants from us--why leave those things to chance. People have died from chosing not to know or not to care what the answers are. That being true, it stands to reason that a just God would make sure the answers are available, and that all who seek would find them. But first you have to want answers. You can't be content with a "mystery" in hopes that ignorance will absolve.
Exodus 32:1-8 is a good example of trying to tie an acceptable name to an unacceptable practice and how much that displeased God. The Israelites here have adopted the idol worship they heard and saw every day in Egypt, but attempt to claim it now involves their true God and is therefore now acceptable. It was not.
Mystery is a convenient shroud to avoid the discomfort of taking a stand. Adhering to a firm sense of right and wrong is not a popular thing these days. It certainly wasn't a popular thing in Hitler's time. The easy thing was to conform. Those who refused were executed. That didn't keep true believers from taking a stand, from refusing to support what they knew was against Bible teaching. They are hailed now as heroes for their staunch refusal, their adherance to right, and their willingness to die before they'd ignore their conscience and compromise their standards. However, move that same body of believers with the same conscience and same action to the current time period in a "free" country. Then it is hideous and woeful and punishable that they do not take a stand for the "right" government. What people fail to see is that the stand is the same throughout the earth regardless of the accidental place of birth.
There is no "right" human government. There is no inherent acceptability attributed to a person just because of his or her country of birth. The Bible teaches that in every nation the man who fears God and works righteousness is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34, 35)
Note the need for standards and the need for a clear indication of what those standards are. There are conditions for acceptability. Those conditions are not for God's good. They are for our own and give us the opportunity to demonstrate that we love and trust our heavenly father to act in our best interests. As a loving Father, he explains them to us. Where? In his written Word, the Bible.
And so again, understanding yields peace.--Phillipians 4:6, 7.
I've heard the complaint quite often, and I imagine there is a personality type that prefers things open-ended. But not everything can be open-ended. The critical questions people ask should and do have solid answers. That doesn't mean that all mystery is solved, all questions are answered. But when it comes to basic precepts of who God is, what his purposes are and what he wants from us--why leave those things to chance. People have died from chosing not to know or not to care what the answers are. That being true, it stands to reason that a just God would make sure the answers are available, and that all who seek would find them. But first you have to want answers. You can't be content with a "mystery" in hopes that ignorance will absolve.
Exodus 32:1-8 is a good example of trying to tie an acceptable name to an unacceptable practice and how much that displeased God. The Israelites here have adopted the idol worship they heard and saw every day in Egypt, but attempt to claim it now involves their true God and is therefore now acceptable. It was not.
Mystery is a convenient shroud to avoid the discomfort of taking a stand. Adhering to a firm sense of right and wrong is not a popular thing these days. It certainly wasn't a popular thing in Hitler's time. The easy thing was to conform. Those who refused were executed. That didn't keep true believers from taking a stand, from refusing to support what they knew was against Bible teaching. They are hailed now as heroes for their staunch refusal, their adherance to right, and their willingness to die before they'd ignore their conscience and compromise their standards. However, move that same body of believers with the same conscience and same action to the current time period in a "free" country. Then it is hideous and woeful and punishable that they do not take a stand for the "right" government. What people fail to see is that the stand is the same throughout the earth regardless of the accidental place of birth.
There is no "right" human government. There is no inherent acceptability attributed to a person just because of his or her country of birth. The Bible teaches that in every nation the man who fears God and works righteousness is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34, 35)
Note the need for standards and the need for a clear indication of what those standards are. There are conditions for acceptability. Those conditions are not for God's good. They are for our own and give us the opportunity to demonstrate that we love and trust our heavenly father to act in our best interests. As a loving Father, he explains them to us. Where? In his written Word, the Bible.
And so again, understanding yields peace.--Phillipians 4:6, 7.
- Mood:determined
and it's not about you; it's not about any individual person in the entire world. Not first anyway. First it's about God.
God has been slandered. He has been called a liar, incompetent, and deceiptful. That was at the start. Now people who claim to follow him say he supports human wars, kills off people's loved ones because he "needs" them, and tries people with tribulation so that they understand what good is. He has been maligned, misrepresented and misunderstood. He has been reduced to customs and rituals and a distant, hazy three-in-one entity that we can never understand or draw close to. Man, relying on his own ideas, is always separate from God. First we have to be humble, teachable, moldable.
It is no surprise then that Jesus taught his followers to pray first and foremost for God's name to be sanctified. How can we work in harmony with that prayer? By deciding for ourselves how we should feel about God, what to do to please him, by everyone claiming they love him going their separate ways to prove it?
We honor and respect God by understanding what he wants us to do, and then doing it. 1 John 5:3 explains it clearly. The obedience we display is borne out of a love for the God we have come to know and faith in his ability to decide what it best for us.
Man has been deciding for himself for all this time, and has exploring an individual path to God brought about peace and unity and brotherhood? Instead it has produce schisms, bloodshed and apostasy.
Those who have accepted God's standards, and more importantly his right to set those standards, enjoy a peace that the world in general does not. They love their brothers that they have never met, regardless of what country they were born into. They put God first--what he wants and requires come above and before personal desires and inclinations. As a result they have achieved a unity, that while still marred by our imperfection, has as a whole overcome each and every barrier common to mankind. That is what God wants. Obedient humans in humble submission, willing to seek and pursue peace by applying his laws and principles. Where do we find those? In the Scriptures.
We need to understand God's will and purpose and not superimpose our own ideas or feelings on that will or purpose. (Romans 10:2, 3) We work in harmony with holy spirit when we understand and accept the Scriptures not as mere words of men, but the revelation of God himself, through his holy spirit. (2 Thessalonians 2:13) The Scriptures were not brought about by man's will. (2 Peter 1:21) To dismiss them as such is to dismiss knowing God. He used the spirit to write them, he uses the spirit to help people who want to know him understand it. This is the same spirit he used to create the universe and the earth, how could it possibly be too weak to produce God's word among mankind and through mankind and preserve it intact for the edification of God's people? (Romans 15:4) Yet people are in a great hurry to dismiss Scripture as limited and out-of-date. How dangerous. That simply means Scripture doesn't fit their idea of what or who God should be or they would rather not accept the standards of right and wrong that he establishes there. They serve to bolster Satan's claim that when it becomes difficult to serve God, humans will abandon him. (Job 1:9-11) It also means they limit the power of the holy spirit to convey to them accurately what God wants of people.
When we accept God's standards because we love him and understand that he is teaching us what will benefit us (Isaiah 48:17), even if we don't understand why or when we must struggle more than others to comform to them, we provide a different answer. (Proverbs 27:11)
There cannot be peace without order. (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40) There cannot be order without rules and principles. We cannot expect that God will bend his laws to fit our desires and inclinations. We were made in God's image, not God in ours that he should change to fit our imperfect standards of the day. He is constant. He is the same now as he was when the Scriptures were written. He is the same as he was when he used his holy spirit to create our earth. That spirit continues to do his will and eventually will accomplish on the earth what God intended from the beginning. It is our helper to draw us to and teach us about our Creator. When we resist the Scriptures, we are in fact resisting the holy spirit.
God has been slandered. He has been called a liar, incompetent, and deceiptful. That was at the start. Now people who claim to follow him say he supports human wars, kills off people's loved ones because he "needs" them, and tries people with tribulation so that they understand what good is. He has been maligned, misrepresented and misunderstood. He has been reduced to customs and rituals and a distant, hazy three-in-one entity that we can never understand or draw close to. Man, relying on his own ideas, is always separate from God. First we have to be humble, teachable, moldable.
It is no surprise then that Jesus taught his followers to pray first and foremost for God's name to be sanctified. How can we work in harmony with that prayer? By deciding for ourselves how we should feel about God, what to do to please him, by everyone claiming they love him going their separate ways to prove it?
We honor and respect God by understanding what he wants us to do, and then doing it. 1 John 5:3 explains it clearly. The obedience we display is borne out of a love for the God we have come to know and faith in his ability to decide what it best for us.
Man has been deciding for himself for all this time, and has exploring an individual path to God brought about peace and unity and brotherhood? Instead it has produce schisms, bloodshed and apostasy.
Those who have accepted God's standards, and more importantly his right to set those standards, enjoy a peace that the world in general does not. They love their brothers that they have never met, regardless of what country they were born into. They put God first--what he wants and requires come above and before personal desires and inclinations. As a result they have achieved a unity, that while still marred by our imperfection, has as a whole overcome each and every barrier common to mankind. That is what God wants. Obedient humans in humble submission, willing to seek and pursue peace by applying his laws and principles. Where do we find those? In the Scriptures.
We need to understand God's will and purpose and not superimpose our own ideas or feelings on that will or purpose. (Romans 10:2, 3) We work in harmony with holy spirit when we understand and accept the Scriptures not as mere words of men, but the revelation of God himself, through his holy spirit. (2 Thessalonians 2:13) The Scriptures were not brought about by man's will. (2 Peter 1:21) To dismiss them as such is to dismiss knowing God. He used the spirit to write them, he uses the spirit to help people who want to know him understand it. This is the same spirit he used to create the universe and the earth, how could it possibly be too weak to produce God's word among mankind and through mankind and preserve it intact for the edification of God's people? (Romans 15:4) Yet people are in a great hurry to dismiss Scripture as limited and out-of-date. How dangerous. That simply means Scripture doesn't fit their idea of what or who God should be or they would rather not accept the standards of right and wrong that he establishes there. They serve to bolster Satan's claim that when it becomes difficult to serve God, humans will abandon him. (Job 1:9-11) It also means they limit the power of the holy spirit to convey to them accurately what God wants of people.
When we accept God's standards because we love him and understand that he is teaching us what will benefit us (Isaiah 48:17), even if we don't understand why or when we must struggle more than others to comform to them, we provide a different answer. (Proverbs 27:11)
There cannot be peace without order. (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40) There cannot be order without rules and principles. We cannot expect that God will bend his laws to fit our desires and inclinations. We were made in God's image, not God in ours that he should change to fit our imperfect standards of the day. He is constant. He is the same now as he was when the Scriptures were written. He is the same as he was when he used his holy spirit to create our earth. That spirit continues to do his will and eventually will accomplish on the earth what God intended from the beginning. It is our helper to draw us to and teach us about our Creator. When we resist the Scriptures, we are in fact resisting the holy spirit.
- Mood:determined
Imagine a very generous landlord. He built a house that is perfect. It's clean, energy efficient, environmentally friendly. There is an abundance of fresh, sweet water. He's even gone to the lengths of stocking the cabinets with food. The rooms are furnished with high-quality pieces, and are beautifully decorated with priceless pieces of art. He literally has done absolutely everything he can to make sure that future tenants will be healthy, secure and happy in this home.
However, he has problems finding good tenants. The first tenants want to sell the artwork to make some extra money. The next tenants are evicted because they won't clean or take out the garbage and the place was infested with pests. The next tenants decide to use the premises to traffic in drugs.
So, rather than put up with any more bad tenants, the landlord decides to torch the house and walk away from it.
Would you say he built that house in vain?
Isaiah 45:18 - For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain,
In order for the earth not to have been made in vain, or for nothing, it would necessitate that it continue in existance.
"Not necessarily," some might say. "If the earth is meant to be a testing ground for mankind, then when it's served it's purpose, it can be destroyed and will not have been created in vain.
But Isaiah 45:18 concludes: he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
The purpose of the earth is clearly stated here. It is to be inhabited. Other versions state that he did not create it to be empty.
There is nothing wrong with the earth. It was made to be a perfect home for humans. God's original purpose was to have perfect people living here in peace and security. God doesn't have to destroy it to bring about that original purpose. After all don't we grow up asking, "Let your kingdom come, let your will take place on earth as it is in heaven"?
This is one example in which not all religions can be right. Either the earth will remain forever or it will not. Both cannot happen; it must be one way or the other.
Oh, but science says it is impossible for the earth to continue forever. Sooner or later the sun will burn out and....
Science doesn't factor in the very last part of verse 18: I am the LORD; and there is none else. The One who created the laws that govern the universe can surely use them to keep the earth in existance forever, if that is his will and purpose. Science is limited by imperfect human thinking. (Jeremiah 10:23)
- Mood: happy
People like to compare all the different religions to spokes on a wheel that all lead to the same hub. But is that the perspective that Christ gave his followers when he was on earth?
People will read Matthew chapter 7 and stop at verse one. "There, I have no business saying whether people's beliefs are right or wrong! I am not to be judging."
First there is a difference between judging--as in attempting to determining a fate for an individual--and saying what they are doing is right or wrong. To start with, people can change. No matter what they're doing and whether it's wrong or right, we owe them basic human dignity and respect. (Matthew 7:12) However, when an action is condemned in the scriptures, it stands condemned. It is not up to an individual to decide that lying is fine, just because the person doesn't want to "judge" a liar. Lying is always wrong. That standard is established by the one who does the final judging. In other words it is wrong for us to decide that a person is not worth of salvation or our efforts to share the Truth with them. It is not wrong to show from the scriptures how they can change their lives for the better by stopping practices that are condemned.
Secondly, the remainder of chapter 7 of Matthew goes on to explain how to tell the difference between true and false, true Christianity and pretend Christianity. In verses 13 through 29 in particular Christ gives clear counsel on how to tell the difference between the two. By default it contends that there would be a need to tell the difference.
It is to this standard that any Christian group should be compared. Notice that any one person within a group does not constitute a group. There are bad apples in every barrel and imperfection makes it impossible for any one individual to perfectly reflect the Christian personality at all times. Collectively, though, the body should bring praise to the "head" it follows.
In summary, Matthew chapter 7 indicates that:
*The truth wouldn't be popular or followed by the masses (v. 13, 14)(John 15:19)
*There would be the need to identify the true from the false. (v.15-20)(John 13:34, 35)
*There would be those who claimed to be following Christ and performing powerful works in his name but would not be interested in what God's will was for them. In other words they would be establishing their own form of worship. (v. 21-23) (Romans 10:2, 3)
*Among true followers, obeying Christ's commands would be more important than speaking them. Nor would his followers invalidate those commands by putting greater emphasis on man-made traditions.(v. 24-27)(Mark 7:7; Titus 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:5)
Scripturally the true "church" can be measured by the fact that it would:
*be separate from the world (again, John 15:19)
*show a love that would transcend national, cultural, educational, racial, political, or ethnic boundaries. There would be nothing that would come before love of brother to generate an atmosphere in which the fruitage of the flesh would grow and flourish. (Gal 5:19-21; John 13:34, 35)
*accept and follow Christ's teaching above and before any other rule of law (Acts 5:21)
*not be caught up in human thinking and tradition (Mark 7:7)
Once an organization starts setting their own standards of law rather than relying on the standards and principles already set by God, they begin the decline. For unity and love to flourish, there has to be a universally accepted standard that people choose to adhere to because they trust the one who set it--even if they don't understand why it's necessary, or if it seems in their limited human way of thinking to be unfair. He knows better than we do. It's a matter of having faith in the certainty of God's love and concern for our well-being on a personal level, and knowing his laws and principles are borne out of that love for us as children. God is not a god of disorder, but of peace. (1 Cor 14:33)
People will read Matthew chapter 7 and stop at verse one. "There, I have no business saying whether people's beliefs are right or wrong! I am not to be judging."
First there is a difference between judging--as in attempting to determining a fate for an individual--and saying what they are doing is right or wrong. To start with, people can change. No matter what they're doing and whether it's wrong or right, we owe them basic human dignity and respect. (Matthew 7:12) However, when an action is condemned in the scriptures, it stands condemned. It is not up to an individual to decide that lying is fine, just because the person doesn't want to "judge" a liar. Lying is always wrong. That standard is established by the one who does the final judging. In other words it is wrong for us to decide that a person is not worth of salvation or our efforts to share the Truth with them. It is not wrong to show from the scriptures how they can change their lives for the better by stopping practices that are condemned.
Secondly, the remainder of chapter 7 of Matthew goes on to explain how to tell the difference between true and false, true Christianity and pretend Christianity. In verses 13 through 29 in particular Christ gives clear counsel on how to tell the difference between the two. By default it contends that there would be a need to tell the difference.
It is to this standard that any Christian group should be compared. Notice that any one person within a group does not constitute a group. There are bad apples in every barrel and imperfection makes it impossible for any one individual to perfectly reflect the Christian personality at all times. Collectively, though, the body should bring praise to the "head" it follows.
In summary, Matthew chapter 7 indicates that:
*The truth wouldn't be popular or followed by the masses (v. 13, 14)(John 15:19)
*There would be the need to identify the true from the false. (v.15-20)(John 13:34, 35)
*There would be those who claimed to be following Christ and performing powerful works in his name but would not be interested in what God's will was for them. In other words they would be establishing their own form of worship. (v. 21-23) (Romans 10:2, 3)
*Among true followers, obeying Christ's commands would be more important than speaking them. Nor would his followers invalidate those commands by putting greater emphasis on man-made traditions.(v. 24-27)(Mark 7:7; Titus 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:5)
Scripturally the true "church" can be measured by the fact that it would:
*be separate from the world (again, John 15:19)
*show a love that would transcend national, cultural, educational, racial, political, or ethnic boundaries. There would be nothing that would come before love of brother to generate an atmosphere in which the fruitage of the flesh would grow and flourish. (Gal 5:19-21; John 13:34, 35)
*accept and follow Christ's teaching above and before any other rule of law (Acts 5:21)
*not be caught up in human thinking and tradition (Mark 7:7)
Once an organization starts setting their own standards of law rather than relying on the standards and principles already set by God, they begin the decline. For unity and love to flourish, there has to be a universally accepted standard that people choose to adhere to because they trust the one who set it--even if they don't understand why it's necessary, or if it seems in their limited human way of thinking to be unfair. He knows better than we do. It's a matter of having faith in the certainty of God's love and concern for our well-being on a personal level, and knowing his laws and principles are borne out of that love for us as children. God is not a god of disorder, but of peace. (1 Cor 14:33)
- Mood: full
Early in mankind's existance God determined that it was not good for people to experience extended periods of isolation. After he created Adam, he said to his son: "It is not good for the man to continue by himself." To establish what was good for the man, Eve was created as a helper and complement. (Genesis 2:18)
People will point to the fact that Eve started trouble and that if perhaps Adam had continued alone, we'd be in a different state at this time. Nonetheless, even with things being as they are, God has never encouraged isolation for those who want to worship him.
The Israelites, as a model of a nation under God's rulership, were commanded to meet together on a regular basis. They did not sneak out of Egypt one by one, nor did they individually go to Mount Sinai and accept the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant, making them God's people. God dealt with them as a group, and those who wanted God's favor at that time joined themselves with that group. (Exodus 24:3)
In Proverbs 18:1, we are warned that "one isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth."
When we isolate ourselves we increase the tendency to focus on our wants, our needs, to the exclusion of others. If we are depressed, or have a tendency to find fault and complain, we will not have the help we need to adjust our thinking. Solitary, long-term self-focus is not good, because the exercising of faith in Christ requires that we shift our focus from self to following Christ, which includes serving others. (Mark 8:34; Philippians 2:4; Matthew 28:19, 20)
Jesus also indicated the importance of gathering with fellow believers when he said, "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:20)
Paul too exhorted, "let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24, 25)
It is not the structure in which we meet that deserves the emphasis. It is the fact that we meet. Elaborate churches that require expensive upkeep are unnecessary. A building adequate, modest, and that honors the Creator will suffice as a gathering place. Neither are numbers important. However, if a three-fold cord cannot be torn in two, it stands to reason that a cord of many more strands would be even stronger. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
What's more important is that those who come together there put their unity before their own selfish interests. This is why a central authority is so important. When all who come together agree that they will abide by the same set of rules and principles, that will override our selfish tendency to insist on what we individually want or prefer.
I recently heard our need for regular association with fellow believers described using the illustration of a mass of glowing coals. Pull one of those coals away from the others and leave it by itself, it quickly cools and is no longer of any use. But when clustered with the others, all as close as they can possibly be, all serving together with one goal in mind, they stay warm and can accomplish much.
Christians are supposed to be united. (John 13:34, 35; 1 Corinthians 1:10). If you are not eager to meet with fellow believers, if you don't feel you have a spiritual family as precious and close as your physical family, you should keep looking until you find a group united not just locally, not just nationally, but in a worldwide brotherhood.
Impossible? Nope. That's where my strength comes from. (Colossians 4:11)
People will point to the fact that Eve started trouble and that if perhaps Adam had continued alone, we'd be in a different state at this time. Nonetheless, even with things being as they are, God has never encouraged isolation for those who want to worship him.
The Israelites, as a model of a nation under God's rulership, were commanded to meet together on a regular basis. They did not sneak out of Egypt one by one, nor did they individually go to Mount Sinai and accept the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant, making them God's people. God dealt with them as a group, and those who wanted God's favor at that time joined themselves with that group. (Exodus 24:3)
In Proverbs 18:1, we are warned that "one isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth."
When we isolate ourselves we increase the tendency to focus on our wants, our needs, to the exclusion of others. If we are depressed, or have a tendency to find fault and complain, we will not have the help we need to adjust our thinking. Solitary, long-term self-focus is not good, because the exercising of faith in Christ requires that we shift our focus from self to following Christ, which includes serving others. (Mark 8:34; Philippians 2:4; Matthew 28:19, 20)
Jesus also indicated the importance of gathering with fellow believers when he said, "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:20)
Paul too exhorted, "let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24, 25)
It is not the structure in which we meet that deserves the emphasis. It is the fact that we meet. Elaborate churches that require expensive upkeep are unnecessary. A building adequate, modest, and that honors the Creator will suffice as a gathering place. Neither are numbers important. However, if a three-fold cord cannot be torn in two, it stands to reason that a cord of many more strands would be even stronger. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
What's more important is that those who come together there put their unity before their own selfish interests. This is why a central authority is so important. When all who come together agree that they will abide by the same set of rules and principles, that will override our selfish tendency to insist on what we individually want or prefer.
I recently heard our need for regular association with fellow believers described using the illustration of a mass of glowing coals. Pull one of those coals away from the others and leave it by itself, it quickly cools and is no longer of any use. But when clustered with the others, all as close as they can possibly be, all serving together with one goal in mind, they stay warm and can accomplish much.
Christians are supposed to be united. (John 13:34, 35; 1 Corinthians 1:10). If you are not eager to meet with fellow believers, if you don't feel you have a spiritual family as precious and close as your physical family, you should keep looking until you find a group united not just locally, not just nationally, but in a worldwide brotherhood.
Impossible? Nope. That's where my strength comes from. (Colossians 4:11)
- Mood: grateful
Malachi 3:6
There are those who insist that God today has to be different from the God of centuries ago, different from the God that was penned in antiquity.
Perfection never has to change.
Okay, they will insist. Point taken. It is not actually God that changes but our imperfect perception of God that must be updated.
Usually these are the people who want to do something that the scriptures say is wrong. Or out of this misguided idea that to say a person is sinning is somehow unkind, they want to allow people to live immoral lives and shield them from the consequences. Yes, they want to reason, it was wrong for them way back there, but us, we're different. Humanity has changed. Isn't it cruel and unkind to label a person's actions as wicked or sinful? We must accept the changes and be--like God--loving.
Calling good bad and bad good is not loving. (Isaiah 5:20) Telling your children not to cross the street in heavy traffic, then changing your mind because you're restricting their freedom to choose is not good parenting. Establishing guidelines and parameters for the safety and well-being of your children is loving.
We are created in God's image that way. The laws and principles he has established in his Word work for our good. Ignore them, but it is impossible to do so with impunity. Just look at the fruitage! We continue on a downhill spiral from bad to worse, swimming in a sea of broken families and broken lives, all the consequences of ignoring basic moral laws established for our own protection and well-being.
Humans are forced to accept the physical laws that God has established. Ignore gravity and it can kill you. Just try to stop the rain cycle. When we get hungry, we eat. In fact, we are forced to eat and drink in order to stay alive. The precision and timing of the movement of the universe is out of our hands. No one asks if we like it that way or will offer to change it if we don't.
So who is crying foul about these laws that we have no choice but to live by? How awful to be under the tyranny of standards we neither set or accepted!
It's laughable to think that way, and yet it is the common thinking among humans when it comes to his established moral laws. Why are such laws established? Simply to restrict our freedom and show us who is boss? Or would it rather be more consistant to conclude that they are in place to lovingly guide us away from heartache, pain and perhaps death, just like the physical laws?
There is no need for perfection to be changed. The physical laws that have worked in our favor through the centuries will continue to work in our favor. The moral laws that keep us from heartache and pain will continue to work for those who have faith that the things God asks of us are for our good and who have faith that he is a perfect parent.
There are those who insist that God today has to be different from the God of centuries ago, different from the God that was penned in antiquity.
Perfection never has to change.
Okay, they will insist. Point taken. It is not actually God that changes but our imperfect perception of God that must be updated.
Usually these are the people who want to do something that the scriptures say is wrong. Or out of this misguided idea that to say a person is sinning is somehow unkind, they want to allow people to live immoral lives and shield them from the consequences. Yes, they want to reason, it was wrong for them way back there, but us, we're different. Humanity has changed. Isn't it cruel and unkind to label a person's actions as wicked or sinful? We must accept the changes and be--like God--loving.
Calling good bad and bad good is not loving. (Isaiah 5:20) Telling your children not to cross the street in heavy traffic, then changing your mind because you're restricting their freedom to choose is not good parenting. Establishing guidelines and parameters for the safety and well-being of your children is loving.
We are created in God's image that way. The laws and principles he has established in his Word work for our good. Ignore them, but it is impossible to do so with impunity. Just look at the fruitage! We continue on a downhill spiral from bad to worse, swimming in a sea of broken families and broken lives, all the consequences of ignoring basic moral laws established for our own protection and well-being.
Humans are forced to accept the physical laws that God has established. Ignore gravity and it can kill you. Just try to stop the rain cycle. When we get hungry, we eat. In fact, we are forced to eat and drink in order to stay alive. The precision and timing of the movement of the universe is out of our hands. No one asks if we like it that way or will offer to change it if we don't.
So who is crying foul about these laws that we have no choice but to live by? How awful to be under the tyranny of standards we neither set or accepted!
It's laughable to think that way, and yet it is the common thinking among humans when it comes to his established moral laws. Why are such laws established? Simply to restrict our freedom and show us who is boss? Or would it rather be more consistant to conclude that they are in place to lovingly guide us away from heartache, pain and perhaps death, just like the physical laws?
There is no need for perfection to be changed. The physical laws that have worked in our favor through the centuries will continue to work in our favor. The moral laws that keep us from heartache and pain will continue to work for those who have faith that the things God asks of us are for our good and who have faith that he is a perfect parent.
- Mood: content
Suppose you learned there was a ruler in a far-away place, someone you knew by his title only, who indicated that he wanted very much to become your friend. You've heard numerous accounts about this individual that have shown him to be wise, happy, patient, loving, just. His power was always used for the immediate good of all he came in contact with; he didn't wait to see if the people he ruled "deserved" his kindness or not before he generously provided for their every need.
Now this person whom you have come to admire very much has extended an invitation to you and wants very much to become the kind of friend you can confide in and trust utterly and completely. He asks in return that you get to know him better.
Sounds like an ideal prospect, doesn't it? Let's say you eagerly accept his invitation.
Now how would you feel if at this point, this individual made it deliberately difficult for you to know him. What if he remained purposely mysterious? What if he was cryptic about his personality, never letting you know what he liked or disliked, what made him happy or sad, or hid from you the qualities that he looked for in a friend, despite his assurance that he wanted to develop a relationship with you? What if he used terms to describe himself that you did not understand and then refused to clarify them? What if he came across as so exalted that you could never figure out exactly what he was or how to view him? What if he refused to tell you his name?
You would have every reason to doubt that he was sincere in his request to have you draw close to him.
Is this how you would expect a loving God to behave? Not at all. Yet theologians insist on painting God as some unfathomable entity that we cannot explain or understand.
God reveals himself as he wants to be understood in the Scriptures because he wants us to come into a close personal relationship with him.
*James 4:8--Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU.
*Acts 17:22-29: Paul now stood in the midst of the Ar·e·op′a·gus and said: “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things YOU seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. 23 For instance, while passing along and carefully observing YOUR objects of veneration I also found an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore what YOU are unknowingly giving godly devotion to, this I am publishing to YOU. 24 The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples, 25 neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all [persons] life and breath and all things. 26 And he made out of one [man] every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of [men], 27 for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among YOU have said, ‘For we are also his progeny.’ 29 “Seeing, therefore, that we are the progeny of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.
He is definitely not human and is far above us in nature. Yet, after we prove our sincerity by groping for him, he makes himself plain to us. "He is not far off."
People who insist that God must be an entity beyond definition or comprehension needlessly distance themselves from the best friend they can ever have. How much better to know him intimately and personally, and like Abraham, come to be God's friend. (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23) Yes he is a magnificent person and aspects of him are beyond our ability to grasp, but in an effort to draw us close, he has humbled himself, describing himself clearly in terms that humans can understand and in turn appreciate.
Now this person whom you have come to admire very much has extended an invitation to you and wants very much to become the kind of friend you can confide in and trust utterly and completely. He asks in return that you get to know him better.
Sounds like an ideal prospect, doesn't it? Let's say you eagerly accept his invitation.
Now how would you feel if at this point, this individual made it deliberately difficult for you to know him. What if he remained purposely mysterious? What if he was cryptic about his personality, never letting you know what he liked or disliked, what made him happy or sad, or hid from you the qualities that he looked for in a friend, despite his assurance that he wanted to develop a relationship with you? What if he used terms to describe himself that you did not understand and then refused to clarify them? What if he came across as so exalted that you could never figure out exactly what he was or how to view him? What if he refused to tell you his name?
You would have every reason to doubt that he was sincere in his request to have you draw close to him.
Is this how you would expect a loving God to behave? Not at all. Yet theologians insist on painting God as some unfathomable entity that we cannot explain or understand.
God reveals himself as he wants to be understood in the Scriptures because he wants us to come into a close personal relationship with him.
*James 4:8--Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU.
*Acts 17:22-29: Paul now stood in the midst of the Ar·e·op′a·gus and said: “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things YOU seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. 23 For instance, while passing along and carefully observing YOUR objects of veneration I also found an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore what YOU are unknowingly giving godly devotion to, this I am publishing to YOU. 24 The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples, 25 neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all [persons] life and breath and all things. 26 And he made out of one [man] every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of [men], 27 for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among YOU have said, ‘For we are also his progeny.’ 29 “Seeing, therefore, that we are the progeny of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.
He is definitely not human and is far above us in nature. Yet, after we prove our sincerity by groping for him, he makes himself plain to us. "He is not far off."
People who insist that God must be an entity beyond definition or comprehension needlessly distance themselves from the best friend they can ever have. How much better to know him intimately and personally, and like Abraham, come to be God's friend. (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23) Yes he is a magnificent person and aspects of him are beyond our ability to grasp, but in an effort to draw us close, he has humbled himself, describing himself clearly in terms that humans can understand and in turn appreciate.
- Mood: contemplative
Well, I have a new spot that gets neglected. This is it.
However, it's hard to feel badly about not writing about faith if you're busy living it. It's only when your faith is relegated to the back burner that there's reason for concern. Without action, faith dies. (James 2:17) Writing about it will help clarify thoughts and principles, but it won't accomplish the work that's been assigned to Jesus' followers now. (Matthew 24:14; John 13:34, 35)
Today's scripture for consideration triggered a cascade of thought. I've come up against this repeatedly in my conversations and readings: people still seem to want to decide for themselves how they will worship God. Isn't that a little backwards? Shouldn't God be the one who decides how he wants to be worshipped?
The result of humans deciding for themselves and relying on their own understanding has never worked out well. (Genesis 3:1-6; Proverbs 3:5, 6; Proverbs 14:12) Instead we should recognize the need to be open to direction. That's been the issue from the start. That direction should not come from men. It should come from God himself.
From where does God's direction come? The Scriptures. It's fruitless to get wrapped up in what people say the Bible says or means, because then again the focus is on imperfect thinking and not perfect thinking. It is imperative to go to the source itself, read it and let holy spirit show how this incredible book explains itself.
Here comes all the arguments about why and how the Bible must be flawed. After all, it's been under the control of humans for thousands of years. What makes it possible that it could come down through those ages untainted by the thinking of humans?
God.
Certainly the one with the power to create the entire universe could see to it that His word was preserved down through the ages, intact, so that he could instruct people on what is best for them. He gave us a manual for life that, when used properly, always succeeds. It is a book like no other on the face of the earth, despite ongoing efforts to rob the population of the gift: keep it unavailable to the masses, destroy it, discredit it, or misuse it.
The darkness that envelopes the earth today, according to Daniel (Daniel 12:4, 10) is a direct result of not having a spiritual understanding. However, those who search the Scriptures for truth will come away with peace and confidence in the future. We do well to pay attention to God's instructions, instead of wasting time or effort inventing our own. (2 Peter 1:19)
However, it's hard to feel badly about not writing about faith if you're busy living it. It's only when your faith is relegated to the back burner that there's reason for concern. Without action, faith dies. (James 2:17) Writing about it will help clarify thoughts and principles, but it won't accomplish the work that's been assigned to Jesus' followers now. (Matthew 24:14; John 13:34, 35)
Today's scripture for consideration triggered a cascade of thought. I've come up against this repeatedly in my conversations and readings: people still seem to want to decide for themselves how they will worship God. Isn't that a little backwards? Shouldn't God be the one who decides how he wants to be worshipped?
The result of humans deciding for themselves and relying on their own understanding has never worked out well. (Genesis 3:1-6; Proverbs 3:5, 6; Proverbs 14:12) Instead we should recognize the need to be open to direction. That's been the issue from the start. That direction should not come from men. It should come from God himself.
From where does God's direction come? The Scriptures. It's fruitless to get wrapped up in what people say the Bible says or means, because then again the focus is on imperfect thinking and not perfect thinking. It is imperative to go to the source itself, read it and let holy spirit show how this incredible book explains itself.
Here comes all the arguments about why and how the Bible must be flawed. After all, it's been under the control of humans for thousands of years. What makes it possible that it could come down through those ages untainted by the thinking of humans?
God.
Certainly the one with the power to create the entire universe could see to it that His word was preserved down through the ages, intact, so that he could instruct people on what is best for them. He gave us a manual for life that, when used properly, always succeeds. It is a book like no other on the face of the earth, despite ongoing efforts to rob the population of the gift: keep it unavailable to the masses, destroy it, discredit it, or misuse it.
The darkness that envelopes the earth today, according to Daniel (Daniel 12:4, 10) is a direct result of not having a spiritual understanding. However, those who search the Scriptures for truth will come away with peace and confidence in the future. We do well to pay attention to God's instructions, instead of wasting time or effort inventing our own. (2 Peter 1:19)
- Mood: thoughtful
(James 1:27) The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.
At a time when the world is becoming colder and harsher (Matthew 24:12) there has never been a time when people are in more need of help.
Does this mean that the handouts should come free and easy to each and every person who finds him- or herself in need--all that is left to do is sit back and take? Are we as Christians required to make life easy for those who make bad decisions and bring difficult times on themselves? Is it fair to make those who are industrious and thrifty pay for those who are spendthrifts and who do not want to work?
No, no and definitely NO!
The obligation to care for people falls first on the shoulders of the family:
(1 Timothy 5:3-4) 3 Honor widows that are actually widows. 4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let these learn first to practice godly devotion in their own household and to keep paying a due compensation to their parents and grandparents, for this is acceptable in God’s sight.
No one gets a free ride:
(2 Thessalonians 3:10) 10 In fact, also, when we were with YOU, we used to give YOU this order: “If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.”
The primary job of the Christian congregation is not to distribute physical food and help. Jesus himself refused to feed those who were only following him for a hand-out. (John 6:16-51) He took care of the physical needs of the people so that they could devote their attention to spiritual things. When they did not, but continued to focus on the physical and what they could get from him, did he feed them again? No. He taught them.
It's a matter of balance. And another weakness of human government is brought into focus. Man doesn't have the ability to see into the heart--the motivation, thoughts and feelings inside a person. The US doesn't look at each individual case and decide if the person is or is not deserving of assistance, and therefore some who really need it get left out while some who need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and take responsibility for their lives are lulled into an entitlement attitude. That's why man can't rule. The King of God's Kingdom has proven that he can and does look at the heart, and can therefore make perfect decisions as to whether or not a person is deserving of mercy or should reap the consequences of his or her own mistakes.
In the meantime what to do? Grin and bear it. Help people on an individual basis learn why it is good to lead moral lives and how to make wise decisions. Give them the tools they need to become industrious and hard-working and able to put first what is most important, a guarantee that their necessities will be cared for. (Matthew 6:32, 33) Pay the taxes we're asked to pay. Take care of our own families. And pray for the Kingdom to come and for all this mess to be wiped away and a perfect government put in it's place (Daniel 2:44).
I have to add that people who do receive help should understand that because they are in a position of accepting help, for whatever reason, they need to be grateful for whatever they get--whether it meets their expectations or not. Make the most of what you have, and learn to do without--our family motto. Made into a palatable concoction: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
People have to understand that there is a difference between necessities and wants. Cable TV is not a necessity and neither is eating out. A person who can't buy food should not have cable, and shouldn't be whining because they don't. A newspaper or magazine subscription is a luxury. Air conditioning is a luxury. Prescribed gifts at prescribed times of the year are not necessary either. We can always share the simple gifts of care, comfort and company and they cost little or nothing. Pre-packaged, pre-cooked food is a luxury--cooking from scratch is cheaper and healthier. We used food stamps for a time when we were in need and had to work to use them all. No TV dinners, no mac-n-cheese boxes, no chips or cookies or other junk. We ate simply and we ate well. It can be done.
Our government has created unrealistic expectations of what constitutes "success." Sustenance, covering and contentment will lead to happiness quicker than a PhD, demanding career, and the continual desire for more and better. Another failure in human rule.
- Mood: content
The latest "free speech" wrangle here is over protesting at funerals.
First, no governmental entity is denying these people the right to say what they want to say. But because people today seem to have lost the sense of decorum and manners, they fuel this drive to pass laws to make people do what they should know to do in the first place. Anyone's funeral is not a place to spread a message that stomps on the feelings of another human being, even if the message were Scriptural. It is a solemn occasion marking the passing of a life that was important. The people to whom the person was most important to have a right to grieve without having the funeral turned into a circus.
Secondly, what the protesters are saying--that God is killing soldiers because of America's acceptance of homosexuality--is simply a lie. If this were true, he would have started executing soldiers eons ago because homosexuality is just one among many of the things listed, and America has accepted several of those other things since its inception (greed being a good example). (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) It is another case of human's twisting Scripture to fit their own weak reasoning, and giving God a black name in the process. If they would simply read the Bibles they love to tote and pound, they would understand that God is not killing soldiers indiscriminately because other people are disobeying his laws. God is still allowing people to make their own choice to accept his standards or not, and is still being gracious to them--giving them what they need for survival. When it's time for him to take action, he'll do it, and he's not going to send funeral-crashing Bible thumpers to do it. That is a job he's given to his Son as King of his Kingdom. In the meantime, God's servants on earth do have a commission to spread the good news and provide a warning, but it is far more effective to put people in a receptive frame of mind first by showing them kindness and respect. It's hard for me to believe that any of these protesters truly believe anyone is listening to their message and changing because of it.
(Colossians 4:6) 6 Let YOUR utterance be always with graciousness, seasoned with salt, so as to know how YOU ought to give an answer to each one.
The most heinous lie is that God is causing the grief and sorrow of all these families. God does not cause human suffering.
(James 1:13) When under trial, let no one say: "I am being tried by God." For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.
(Job 34:10-12) Therefore, YOU men of heart, listen to me. Far be it from the [true] God to act wickedly, And the Almighty to act unjustly! 11 For [according to] the way earthling man acts he will reward him, And according to the path of man he will cause it to come upon him. 12 Yes, for a fact, God himself does not act wickedly, And the Almighty himself does not pervert judgment.
Claiming to be a Christian does not make a person one. In fact, a person's actions can in fact prove that the person is lying when s/he says s/he is. (Titus 1:16, 2 Timothy 3:5)
First, no governmental entity is denying these people the right to say what they want to say. But because people today seem to have lost the sense of decorum and manners, they fuel this drive to pass laws to make people do what they should know to do in the first place. Anyone's funeral is not a place to spread a message that stomps on the feelings of another human being, even if the message were Scriptural. It is a solemn occasion marking the passing of a life that was important. The people to whom the person was most important to have a right to grieve without having the funeral turned into a circus.
Secondly, what the protesters are saying--that God is killing soldiers because of America's acceptance of homosexuality--is simply a lie. If this were true, he would have started executing soldiers eons ago because homosexuality is just one among many of the things listed, and America has accepted several of those other things since its inception (greed being a good example). (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) It is another case of human's twisting Scripture to fit their own weak reasoning, and giving God a black name in the process. If they would simply read the Bibles they love to tote and pound, they would understand that God is not killing soldiers indiscriminately because other people are disobeying his laws. God is still allowing people to make their own choice to accept his standards or not, and is still being gracious to them--giving them what they need for survival. When it's time for him to take action, he'll do it, and he's not going to send funeral-crashing Bible thumpers to do it. That is a job he's given to his Son as King of his Kingdom. In the meantime, God's servants on earth do have a commission to spread the good news and provide a warning, but it is far more effective to put people in a receptive frame of mind first by showing them kindness and respect. It's hard for me to believe that any of these protesters truly believe anyone is listening to their message and changing because of it.
(Colossians 4:6) 6 Let YOUR utterance be always with graciousness, seasoned with salt, so as to know how YOU ought to give an answer to each one.
The most heinous lie is that God is causing the grief and sorrow of all these families. God does not cause human suffering.
(James 1:13) When under trial, let no one say: "I am being tried by God." For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.
(Job 34:10-12) Therefore, YOU men of heart, listen to me. Far be it from the [true] God to act wickedly, And the Almighty to act unjustly! 11 For [according to] the way earthling man acts he will reward him, And according to the path of man he will cause it to come upon him. 12 Yes, for a fact, God himself does not act wickedly, And the Almighty himself does not pervert judgment.
Notice that mankind's actions yield their own consequences. Allowing bad to happen is not the same as causing it. If a parent deliberately and maliciously hurts a child, they are acting against the law and are punishable under that law. However, if a parent allows a painful operation to be performed on that same child, knowing that in the long run it will work out for the better, it's a totally different situation. God allows humans to chose in opposition to his laws, and allows the inevitable outcome to affect them. It is serving to demonstrate beyond a doubt that we need to accept his direction.
Perhaps Matthew 7:16-23 would be a sobering study for the protesters who insist on hurting people in the name of God:
(Matthew 7:16-23) 16 By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; 18 a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men]. 21 "Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew YOU! Get away from me, YOU workers of lawlessness.
Claiming to be a Christian does not make a person one. In fact, a person's actions can in fact prove that the person is lying when s/he says s/he is. (Titus 1:16, 2 Timothy 3:5)
- Mood:determined
Do we decide?
Or does God?
There seems to be quite an issue these days with the idea that there are things of which God does not approve, and will not sanction. People find it out of sync with their favorite focus: God is love.
But the single focus blurs perspective.
The thing is, there are other aspects of God's personality and they were evident in the life course his Son lived while on earth. Yes, there was love. Lots of it. And mercy. Kindness, goodness, mildness--all things against which there is no law (Gal 5:20). But there exists also in God--in perfect balance--the attributes of justice, wisdom and power.
There was a time when even Jesus said, "Enough." He never held back from rebuking the false religious leaders of his day and from warning them that unless they changed, they would be destroyed. There was even a time when he told the crowds who were looking for food that they needed to look elsewhere. He did not feed them, nor did he teach them, because he could read what was in their hearts and did not want them following him for a handout. His work was more important that simply distributing food.
The reason we wince at the idea of God exercising justice and power is that we have come to associate it with the human ineptitude when it comes to exercising either. Power is an excuse to dominate (no love), or act in a rash and short sighted manner (no wisdom), or to use it to further one's own interests while ignoring the needs of another (no justice).
There are so many situations in which justice is difficult for us to find because we can't act on the basis of a person's inner motivation. All we can see is what is on the surface. But that's okay. Because in the end, it's not a human that will decide what is kept and what is destroyed or why. It is God. Given the fact that he can read the heart and not just the outward appearance of things, his justice is perfect. As is his wisdom, his power and his love.
So it comes down again to the question of trust? Do we trust our heavenly Father to guide us, or do we believe Satan's lie that he is keeping something from us by not letting us decide for ourselves what is good and bad?
Is it just to promise a righteous earth, and then never bring it about? (Psalm 37:10, 11) And how can a righteous earth exist when there remain people who flatly refuse to give up the things that ruin peace and are against the law? (Gal 5:19) Justice demands that God step in and brings unrighteousness to an end, which entails bringing an end to people who, after given every opportunity to change, stubbornly persist in exercising unrighteousness.
To condemn people because they did not adhere to a set standard is not unjust as long as they have had every opportunity to know that standard. Love extends the warning, the urging, the reasoning, the writing, the prophets, the countless examples of why God's moral laws work just as consistently and justly as his physical laws. Wisdom allows the time for people to have a chance to change. This is the example he set with his dealings with Israel. Time and again he sent warnings and prophets to tell the people what was in store for them if they did not return to the promise they had made to him. In the end, he allowed them to perish, and it was just on his part.
So where do we find his standards? God is not a god of disorder, but of peace. The only fair thing to do is make his standards available on a broad and wide spectrum to people of all races, languages and creeds. This has been done. Look at the publication statistics of God's Word, and the lives that have been given up for the sake of getting it into the hands of as many people as possible.
I wonder sometimes if people just plain don't want to be told what to do. That would put us back to square one. Adam and Eve apparently didn't want to be told what to do either.
Or does God?
There seems to be quite an issue these days with the idea that there are things of which God does not approve, and will not sanction. People find it out of sync with their favorite focus: God is love.
But the single focus blurs perspective.
The thing is, there are other aspects of God's personality and they were evident in the life course his Son lived while on earth. Yes, there was love. Lots of it. And mercy. Kindness, goodness, mildness--all things against which there is no law (Gal 5:20). But there exists also in God--in perfect balance--the attributes of justice, wisdom and power.
There was a time when even Jesus said, "Enough." He never held back from rebuking the false religious leaders of his day and from warning them that unless they changed, they would be destroyed. There was even a time when he told the crowds who were looking for food that they needed to look elsewhere. He did not feed them, nor did he teach them, because he could read what was in their hearts and did not want them following him for a handout. His work was more important that simply distributing food.
The reason we wince at the idea of God exercising justice and power is that we have come to associate it with the human ineptitude when it comes to exercising either. Power is an excuse to dominate (no love), or act in a rash and short sighted manner (no wisdom), or to use it to further one's own interests while ignoring the needs of another (no justice).
There are so many situations in which justice is difficult for us to find because we can't act on the basis of a person's inner motivation. All we can see is what is on the surface. But that's okay. Because in the end, it's not a human that will decide what is kept and what is destroyed or why. It is God. Given the fact that he can read the heart and not just the outward appearance of things, his justice is perfect. As is his wisdom, his power and his love.
So it comes down again to the question of trust? Do we trust our heavenly Father to guide us, or do we believe Satan's lie that he is keeping something from us by not letting us decide for ourselves what is good and bad?
Is it just to promise a righteous earth, and then never bring it about? (Psalm 37:10, 11) And how can a righteous earth exist when there remain people who flatly refuse to give up the things that ruin peace and are against the law? (Gal 5:19) Justice demands that God step in and brings unrighteousness to an end, which entails bringing an end to people who, after given every opportunity to change, stubbornly persist in exercising unrighteousness.
To condemn people because they did not adhere to a set standard is not unjust as long as they have had every opportunity to know that standard. Love extends the warning, the urging, the reasoning, the writing, the prophets, the countless examples of why God's moral laws work just as consistently and justly as his physical laws. Wisdom allows the time for people to have a chance to change. This is the example he set with his dealings with Israel. Time and again he sent warnings and prophets to tell the people what was in store for them if they did not return to the promise they had made to him. In the end, he allowed them to perish, and it was just on his part.
So where do we find his standards? God is not a god of disorder, but of peace. The only fair thing to do is make his standards available on a broad and wide spectrum to people of all races, languages and creeds. This has been done. Look at the publication statistics of God's Word, and the lives that have been given up for the sake of getting it into the hands of as many people as possible.
I wonder sometimes if people just plain don't want to be told what to do. That would put us back to square one. Adam and Eve apparently didn't want to be told what to do either.
- Mood:
annoyed
