Sunday, August 31, 2008
Smokers
Smoking is not a license to litter. Being a smoker does not give you a special "I can litter card." I've seen your devious and defiant glances and I'm on to you. You can't get away with it for much longer.
Running the Race
One day I was running down the street. I came to an intersection and tripped, but was able to maintain my balance. I continued running. A few days later, I was running the same route and arrived at the same intersection. I tripped again at a different spot, but in the same intersection.
This time I fell and skinned my hands and left knee. I was only a third of the way through my route and was compelled to complete the course. After a block I checked my hands and there was no blood, I checked my knee and it was bloody. A few blocks later I checked my knee again and blood was streaming down my shin and soaking my sock.
I thought about what I must look like to the outsider. I had a bloody knee, snot all over my face, and sweat pouring through my shirt like broth through a strainer. I looked foreign, I looked pained, and I looked insane.
Then I thought about what I looked like to the initiated, to others in my community. The phrase, “the joy is in the journey” came to mind. Other runners understand that the outer demeanor does not matter. The bloodied knee, the labored breathing, and the grimaced face mean excellence to others in my fraternity. It is the sign of someone who is striving for a goal, for a destination known only to the runner.
Life is like the run, there is a destination and sometimes we struggle to reach it. Our breathing grows labored and we stumble over the same thing over and over until some day we are able to run over the obstacle instead of stumbling over it. Even when we stumble over something we
cannot quit or else we will not be able make the destination. Regardless of our goals in life, we must continue on in the race towards greatness.
Greatness is the destination of our lives. Everyone has at least one talent; the journey is finding it and developing it. Therefore, we must learn to invest in ourselves. A company I worked for had an operating principle, “Invest for total return.” We must learn how to invest in ourselves so as to affect total return. In order to do this we must like the runner, focus on our destination or goal and let nothing stop us from reaching it.
Remember, as the runner, you control the pace, the training, and the duration and the course of your run.
You are in control of your own destiny; it comes down to the choices you make. Don’t waste your life, choose wisely.
This time I fell and skinned my hands and left knee. I was only a third of the way through my route and was compelled to complete the course. After a block I checked my hands and there was no blood, I checked my knee and it was bloody. A few blocks later I checked my knee again and blood was streaming down my shin and soaking my sock.
I thought about what I must look like to the outsider. I had a bloody knee, snot all over my face, and sweat pouring through my shirt like broth through a strainer. I looked foreign, I looked pained, and I looked insane.
Then I thought about what I looked like to the initiated, to others in my community. The phrase, “the joy is in the journey” came to mind. Other runners understand that the outer demeanor does not matter. The bloodied knee, the labored breathing, and the grimaced face mean excellence to others in my fraternity. It is the sign of someone who is striving for a goal, for a destination known only to the runner.
Life is like the run, there is a destination and sometimes we struggle to reach it. Our breathing grows labored and we stumble over the same thing over and over until some day we are able to run over the obstacle instead of stumbling over it. Even when we stumble over something we
cannot quit or else we will not be able make the destination. Regardless of our goals in life, we must continue on in the race towards greatness.
Greatness is the destination of our lives. Everyone has at least one talent; the journey is finding it and developing it. Therefore, we must learn to invest in ourselves. A company I worked for had an operating principle, “Invest for total return.” We must learn how to invest in ourselves so as to affect total return. In order to do this we must like the runner, focus on our destination or goal and let nothing stop us from reaching it.
Remember, as the runner, you control the pace, the training, and the duration and the course of your run.
You are in control of your own destiny; it comes down to the choices you make. Don’t waste your life, choose wisely.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
How to Know You are White...
I know I'm white because I prefer my social activities to have as few other white people as possible.
Prose
The loss of years, the loss of tears has left you dry and older. Sitting on a rocking chair, you refuse to be bolder. You are not worried about the weather; hotter or colder. You only want to be left alone. You have no TV, utilities, or phone. Communication in words is not what you are seeking. In fact, at times the anger is leaking, seething out from your pores. Could’ve done more. The thoughts attack, they attract worry. Like a flurry of punches from Mike Tyson in his prime they steal joy. It’s a crime.
For there is one who is higher. He shuts the mouth of the roaring lion, the liar. Listen to the town crier. He makes his rounds with a heavenly sound, he is preaching the good news. The words that he speaks has a short fuse. It’s a bomb that will explode. Taking off that heavy load. Throw your burden down, you were lost now found.
The heavenly hosts rejoice, in one accord, in one voice. You are now a righteous one, accepting of God’s true Son. You are bold as a lion. You are on the road to Zion, the promised land, given to you by the Jew with pierced hands. So don’t shrink back; attack. There is no fear, there is only power, love and a sound mind. It’s amazing what you might find in other earthen vessels. Speak words of life before they jump from suicidal tressels.
He said, “Go therefore.” Understand we are at war where the victor’s blood is already spilt. From the beginning this earth built on the understanding that His plan was flawless to defeat Satan, the lawless man, and the evil prophet.
So believe today that Christ is the way, we are his children. He calls us by name. In our mother’s wombs he constructed our frame. We are running towards the prize. taking heed of truth not lies. Setting our eyes on the glory of the Father. It’s for you. It’s for you.
For there is one who is higher. He shuts the mouth of the roaring lion, the liar. Listen to the town crier. He makes his rounds with a heavenly sound, he is preaching the good news. The words that he speaks has a short fuse. It’s a bomb that will explode. Taking off that heavy load. Throw your burden down, you were lost now found.
The heavenly hosts rejoice, in one accord, in one voice. You are now a righteous one, accepting of God’s true Son. You are bold as a lion. You are on the road to Zion, the promised land, given to you by the Jew with pierced hands. So don’t shrink back; attack. There is no fear, there is only power, love and a sound mind. It’s amazing what you might find in other earthen vessels. Speak words of life before they jump from suicidal tressels.
He said, “Go therefore.” Understand we are at war where the victor’s blood is already spilt. From the beginning this earth built on the understanding that His plan was flawless to defeat Satan, the lawless man, and the evil prophet.
So believe today that Christ is the way, we are his children. He calls us by name. In our mother’s wombs he constructed our frame. We are running towards the prize. taking heed of truth not lies. Setting our eyes on the glory of the Father. It’s for you. It’s for you.
Friday, August 29, 2008
I Know Nothing!
That’s right, I’ve said it. I know nothing about her, but I want to. She is light and I am obscurity. She is the unknown variable and I am the constant in my life’s’ equation. Alas, this is not simple algebra. The complex algorithms of unique heart beats splatter across the white board. I am an imperfect number, decimals not rounding, but continuing into the recesses of Pythagoras’ mind. Could she be my counterpart, with her thousandths and millionths colliding with mine to form a whole number of 2? To determine the answer, there may be a theorem, a formula, or postulate, but I simply want to be the Montegue to her Capulet.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Lean Years Tradition...
Being unemployed, even by choice, is discouraging. Watching money leave your account and not being replenished is like watching the water supply of a major city shrink during a drought with no rain in sight. The worries mount, not because of the lessening supply, but because the thought of not having anything is troubling.
Paul said he learned to be content in all circumstances. He was also very sure to point out that contentment does not equal comfort. He asked God three times to remove a thorn from his side. Now it is not important what the thorn was, but it is important to note that God denied Paul’s request and yet Paul was not discouraged, he was content!
Paul recognized that the God had a supreme plan for him that incidentally included many trials and tribulations, but in the end produced immeasurable fruit. This is the ultimate understanding of life; to know that regardless of circumstance that God’s plan is in action and His purposes will be fulfilled. This understanding is true meekness.
Joseph had extraordinary dreams, was favored above his brothers, and given special privileges and because of this his brothers despised him. One day they decided to kill him, but were persuaded by their eldest brother to sell him into slavery instead. Here were opposing sides; the brothers who never wanted to see their brother again and the brother who wanted to see his family again regardless of the wrong they had done him.
Joseph spent years thinking not about how to get back at his brothers, but how he could succeed in the positions God placed him in. He was favored in Potiphar’s house and then wrongly accused of rape. He was then sent to prison and became assistant to the jailer. By empirical evidence, we gather that he held fast to the dreams he had as a small boy.
Because of this dedication to the dream and his reliance on Yahweh, he was eventually put into the position of assistant to Pharaoh. It was at this point that Joseph encountered another man’s dreams. They were dreams that relayed a future of plenty followed by seven years of famine. It was through God given interpretation that Joseph was able to plan for the lean years.
Just like Joseph, we must learn how to bring the resources of our kingdom into storehouses for the lean years. This has far reaching implications in the modern Christian life. We must fill two storehouses; our tithes must go to God’s storehouse and we must save extra so that we are prepared for everything God has in store for us.
If we do not put money into God’s storehouse we neglect the church and show the world that we are universally poor stewards and if we do not save, we are show the world that we are individually poor stewards. The universal church and the individual believer must be the first place of economic recovery and welfare during hard times. Remember the passage that says, Jehovah Jirah, He provides all my needs according to His riches and glories. If God is the owner of cattle on a thousand hills and we take to heart the parable of the talents, we will begin to look at our economy in a different light.
Our economy is built on the belief that God is our provider and that through us, the spiritual children of Abraham, we will bless the world both spiritually and practically. And so in this economic theory we do not serve a class or landowners, but our authority is God and our Savior Jesus Christ to whom all authority has been given in heaven and in earth. It is by this we can know that true economic freedom can only come from a true following of Christ for it is written, “He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.”
Paul said he learned to be content in all circumstances. He was also very sure to point out that contentment does not equal comfort. He asked God three times to remove a thorn from his side. Now it is not important what the thorn was, but it is important to note that God denied Paul’s request and yet Paul was not discouraged, he was content!
Paul recognized that the God had a supreme plan for him that incidentally included many trials and tribulations, but in the end produced immeasurable fruit. This is the ultimate understanding of life; to know that regardless of circumstance that God’s plan is in action and His purposes will be fulfilled. This understanding is true meekness.
Joseph had extraordinary dreams, was favored above his brothers, and given special privileges and because of this his brothers despised him. One day they decided to kill him, but were persuaded by their eldest brother to sell him into slavery instead. Here were opposing sides; the brothers who never wanted to see their brother again and the brother who wanted to see his family again regardless of the wrong they had done him.
Joseph spent years thinking not about how to get back at his brothers, but how he could succeed in the positions God placed him in. He was favored in Potiphar’s house and then wrongly accused of rape. He was then sent to prison and became assistant to the jailer. By empirical evidence, we gather that he held fast to the dreams he had as a small boy.
Because of this dedication to the dream and his reliance on Yahweh, he was eventually put into the position of assistant to Pharaoh. It was at this point that Joseph encountered another man’s dreams. They were dreams that relayed a future of plenty followed by seven years of famine. It was through God given interpretation that Joseph was able to plan for the lean years.
Just like Joseph, we must learn how to bring the resources of our kingdom into storehouses for the lean years. This has far reaching implications in the modern Christian life. We must fill two storehouses; our tithes must go to God’s storehouse and we must save extra so that we are prepared for everything God has in store for us.
If we do not put money into God’s storehouse we neglect the church and show the world that we are universally poor stewards and if we do not save, we are show the world that we are individually poor stewards. The universal church and the individual believer must be the first place of economic recovery and welfare during hard times. Remember the passage that says, Jehovah Jirah, He provides all my needs according to His riches and glories. If God is the owner of cattle on a thousand hills and we take to heart the parable of the talents, we will begin to look at our economy in a different light.
Our economy is built on the belief that God is our provider and that through us, the spiritual children of Abraham, we will bless the world both spiritually and practically. And so in this economic theory we do not serve a class or landowners, but our authority is God and our Savior Jesus Christ to whom all authority has been given in heaven and in earth. It is by this we can know that true economic freedom can only come from a true following of Christ for it is written, “He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.”
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Act 4
The play of eternity was unfolding rapidly the days after Pentecost as Peter stood up to deliver an inspired speech.
He pleaded, "Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As I read this passage today, I began to see something spectacular happening. I began to see threats as a type of challenge to my destiny. I began to open my sleepy eyes and rise out of my precious coma. I called upon God and declared, "I will not let the threats failure or words of unbelief take over, but I will speak the word of the LORD! I will possess the promised land!"
To be certain, there are setbacks. Paul talks about the concept of being content in every circumstance. The reason he could be content in everything was because he understood that God was in control of all things. The secret to living a fulfilling life is recognizing that God has the final say in all things. Shakespeare said something like we are all players and the world is a stage. Let's make sure we know who the director is and play our parts to perfection.
He pleaded, "Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As I read this passage today, I began to see something spectacular happening. I began to see threats as a type of challenge to my destiny. I began to open my sleepy eyes and rise out of my precious coma. I called upon God and declared, "I will not let the threats failure or words of unbelief take over, but I will speak the word of the LORD! I will possess the promised land!"
To be certain, there are setbacks. Paul talks about the concept of being content in every circumstance. The reason he could be content in everything was because he understood that God was in control of all things. The secret to living a fulfilling life is recognizing that God has the final say in all things. Shakespeare said something like we are all players and the world is a stage. Let's make sure we know who the director is and play our parts to perfection.
Musician Moment of the Day
No matter how horrible someone may be at guitar, please look at them with awe when they produce a capo. Capos are for serious musicians only. This has been a public service anouncement. Thank you.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Voices and Old Memories
On Thursday I went to a Jeremy Enigk show with my sister and a friend. I suffered through the opener and her story of peeing outside and her limited use of vocal range and boring choice of chord arrangement by staring blankly towards the stage the same way a mosquito stares at a bug zapper. I was stuck here, I could not escape.
After her too long set, Enigk stepped onto the stage. There were two accoustic guitars, a keyboard, and his microphone. He started his first song with gusto. This was the Enigk we remembered from SDRE. The one we grew up with and stayed true to from Diary to Rising Tide to Return of The Frog Queen. His voice crashed and crescendo like the waves of an epic typhoon.
Half way through the set, I found myself singing along and remembering. It's been about thirteen years since I started listening to this uniquely inspired voice. The lyrics, the melodies, and the memories inspired me as they swirled in the whirlpool of my mind. It was then that I realized why I came.
It was not the venue, the atmosphere, or the friends. It was the voice of something I loved. As I sang along life began to flow into me. The incredible euphoria of purpose tingled in my spine and my memory soared with the experiences tied to the voice. I felt my sister's eyes and that of our friend follow me as I walked briskly to the front. I hestitated for just moment and then threw the yolk of doubt down. This was my field, this was my promised land. I was returning to one of my first loves.
After a few lines, I realized I had forgotten some of the words, but the emotion was the same as the first time I heard the lines. I was reminded that this mirrored the journey of faith for many including myself. A journey of divine revelation of the savior, walking close to Him, being rocked by the storms of life, seemingly walking on water, denying Him, and reconciling.
Just like Peter we rise and fall, sink and are rescued. In the end it is our choice to return to the God who first loved us. In the end we must push past all our works, all our prophesies and miracles just to touch His heart. We must listen to the voice of the Master and return to our first love.
After her too long set, Enigk stepped onto the stage. There were two accoustic guitars, a keyboard, and his microphone. He started his first song with gusto. This was the Enigk we remembered from SDRE. The one we grew up with and stayed true to from Diary to Rising Tide to Return of The Frog Queen. His voice crashed and crescendo like the waves of an epic typhoon.
Half way through the set, I found myself singing along and remembering. It's been about thirteen years since I started listening to this uniquely inspired voice. The lyrics, the melodies, and the memories inspired me as they swirled in the whirlpool of my mind. It was then that I realized why I came.
It was not the venue, the atmosphere, or the friends. It was the voice of something I loved. As I sang along life began to flow into me. The incredible euphoria of purpose tingled in my spine and my memory soared with the experiences tied to the voice. I felt my sister's eyes and that of our friend follow me as I walked briskly to the front. I hestitated for just moment and then threw the yolk of doubt down. This was my field, this was my promised land. I was returning to one of my first loves.
After a few lines, I realized I had forgotten some of the words, but the emotion was the same as the first time I heard the lines. I was reminded that this mirrored the journey of faith for many including myself. A journey of divine revelation of the savior, walking close to Him, being rocked by the storms of life, seemingly walking on water, denying Him, and reconciling.
Just like Peter we rise and fall, sink and are rescued. In the end it is our choice to return to the God who first loved us. In the end we must push past all our works, all our prophesies and miracles just to touch His heart. We must listen to the voice of the Master and return to our first love.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Church, The Para church, and the Paraclete. Part 1
The so called “para-church” is not outside the local church. It is the local church. We say and hear all the time that we are the church; meaning that people are the church. Unfortunately, the veracity of this notion seems to escape the general Christian world.
What do I mean? This is a question that we must ask over the entire church. Let me first state the answers and then we will journey through the questions.
The “para-church” is not apostate, problematic, or somehow “sub church”
The “para-church” is artificially separated from those of us who attend a particular “house of worship.”
To some, these ideas make sense, to some this is a revelation, and to others it is blasphemous. Regardless of where one stands, please listen to the Word of God which we say is infallible and put aside the traditions of men and our fathers.
The church is indeed segregated. Not necessarily by color or denomination, but by those who hold tradition and the maxim “because we always have” closer to their hearts than the call of Jesus that echoes throughout eternity. That call is, “Follow Me.”
Please do not be offended as offense is not the point. The point is that every Christ follower must examine their beliefs and therefore their hearts. We must look past the because and into the why.
How do we do this? We must examine the Scripture so that our lives conform to what we profess in the saying, “Sola Scriptura.” Therefore we must commit ourselves to the word together. We will begin with the Luke-Acts codex and read through the epistles.
Before we begin our study of Scripture, let us first ask the following:
What does the word para mean?
What does the Bible mean when it says church?
Is there a difference between the church and a church?
Has this definition changed over time? If so, how?
The word para is a Greek preposition that, depending on its contextual use, can mean from, of at, by, besides, near, and sometimes contrary. In the context of Christian belief we see it used in the transliterated word paraclete which refers to the Holy Spirit. It means a comforter, a consoler, and an advocate. I am not plowing unknown ground here and will refrain from commenting further on this subject.
How does this relate to the phrase Para church? In this question we will attack several inquiries at once. First we must define the church. The Bible never refers to denominations in the sense of Presbyterian or Methodist, but it does talk about division in the Corinthian church.
Paul addressed it this way,
“One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
And later,
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task.”
The problem with denominations is that people cling to them for salvation instead of to Jesus. I once met a member of a southern denomination that told me that his “church” worshiped and lived the right way, that his church’s preferred translation of the Bible was inerrant and that anything else was erroneous. Those are controversial statements which I attempted to disprove, but failed. I used Biblical text and the overall theme of Scripture, but his stance did not change. Instead, he clung to his denominational ties instead of to the actual word of God.
The popular Socratic quote that the only life worth living is an examined one is correct. We must examine our lives continually in light of Scripture. Our standard is not that which is set by men and tradition, but by the Word of God. Please understand that this is not an indictment against denominations. Instead, it is a call to find truth.
To further belabor the point let us look at the word for church used in The Bible. The word is ecclesia and denotes a group of people or community. Denominations are large communities that agree on both essential and non essential articles of faith. They function by providing a place for Christians to fellowship, study, and worship. The most important function of a denomination or any church is to further the kingdom of God. If a group ceases to build the spiritual kingdom of God, it directly violates the mandate Jesus gave in the Great Commission.
In essence, many groups that are considered para church are actually churches themselves. Programs like YWAM or Fellowship of Christian Athletes fulfill the Biblical pattern of the church. They are a group of people who seek God together. Unfortunately, in these settings it is often asked, “What church are you from?”
Why is this an unfortunate question? It is because the emphasis of the question is the manmade distinction based upon the practice of non essential doctrines. Although outwardly it seems to be a question to determine what culture someone is from, at its root it is an irreverent and irrelevant question that refuses to acknowledge the life changing power of Christ that unites the ecclesia or called out ones and separates us from the rest of the world.
The bride of Christ cannot live effectively with multiple personalities. We must agree on what it means to be a Christian. To do this we must peel hundreds of years of tradition back to reveal a simple truth. According to Acts 11:26 the name Christian was given to the church in Antioch. This name is the believers’ only true identity. All other attempts to classify my following of Christ are rubbish.
One day, Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He was. The answers were the recently executed John the Baptist, the fiery prophet Elijah, or the weeping prophet Jeremiah. He then asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then called him blessed! Why? Because human wisdom did not reveal this to him, but it was by the revelation of God that Peter was able to declare this. Peter is now the first recorded convert to Christianity. He has confessed with his mouth and through his actions it is evident he believed in his heart.
What is at stake is the personhood of Christ. We must distinguish the name of Christ from amongst a host of good men and moral teachers. Even if one truly believes that Christ was a good man, the fact that He did not dissuade Peter from calling him the Son of God leads to two conclusions; He is the Son of God or He is a liar. If He is a liar, He cannot be a great moral teacher because his life work was based on people believing in the salvation He offered and in that sense only God can offer that. Either His life was a giant lie or He really was the Son of God, the full revelation of God to man.
What do I mean? This is a question that we must ask over the entire church. Let me first state the answers and then we will journey through the questions.
The “para-church” is not apostate, problematic, or somehow “sub church”
The “para-church” is artificially separated from those of us who attend a particular “house of worship.”
To some, these ideas make sense, to some this is a revelation, and to others it is blasphemous. Regardless of where one stands, please listen to the Word of God which we say is infallible and put aside the traditions of men and our fathers.
The church is indeed segregated. Not necessarily by color or denomination, but by those who hold tradition and the maxim “because we always have” closer to their hearts than the call of Jesus that echoes throughout eternity. That call is, “Follow Me.”
Please do not be offended as offense is not the point. The point is that every Christ follower must examine their beliefs and therefore their hearts. We must look past the because and into the why.
How do we do this? We must examine the Scripture so that our lives conform to what we profess in the saying, “Sola Scriptura.” Therefore we must commit ourselves to the word together. We will begin with the Luke-Acts codex and read through the epistles.
Before we begin our study of Scripture, let us first ask the following:
What does the word para mean?
What does the Bible mean when it says church?
Is there a difference between the church and a church?
Has this definition changed over time? If so, how?
The word para is a Greek preposition that, depending on its contextual use, can mean from, of at, by, besides, near, and sometimes contrary. In the context of Christian belief we see it used in the transliterated word paraclete which refers to the Holy Spirit. It means a comforter, a consoler, and an advocate. I am not plowing unknown ground here and will refrain from commenting further on this subject.
How does this relate to the phrase Para church? In this question we will attack several inquiries at once. First we must define the church. The Bible never refers to denominations in the sense of Presbyterian or Methodist, but it does talk about division in the Corinthian church.
Paul addressed it this way,
“One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
And later,
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task.”
The problem with denominations is that people cling to them for salvation instead of to Jesus. I once met a member of a southern denomination that told me that his “church” worshiped and lived the right way, that his church’s preferred translation of the Bible was inerrant and that anything else was erroneous. Those are controversial statements which I attempted to disprove, but failed. I used Biblical text and the overall theme of Scripture, but his stance did not change. Instead, he clung to his denominational ties instead of to the actual word of God.
The popular Socratic quote that the only life worth living is an examined one is correct. We must examine our lives continually in light of Scripture. Our standard is not that which is set by men and tradition, but by the Word of God. Please understand that this is not an indictment against denominations. Instead, it is a call to find truth.
To further belabor the point let us look at the word for church used in The Bible. The word is ecclesia and denotes a group of people or community. Denominations are large communities that agree on both essential and non essential articles of faith. They function by providing a place for Christians to fellowship, study, and worship. The most important function of a denomination or any church is to further the kingdom of God. If a group ceases to build the spiritual kingdom of God, it directly violates the mandate Jesus gave in the Great Commission.
In essence, many groups that are considered para church are actually churches themselves. Programs like YWAM or Fellowship of Christian Athletes fulfill the Biblical pattern of the church. They are a group of people who seek God together. Unfortunately, in these settings it is often asked, “What church are you from?”
Why is this an unfortunate question? It is because the emphasis of the question is the manmade distinction based upon the practice of non essential doctrines. Although outwardly it seems to be a question to determine what culture someone is from, at its root it is an irreverent and irrelevant question that refuses to acknowledge the life changing power of Christ that unites the ecclesia or called out ones and separates us from the rest of the world.
The bride of Christ cannot live effectively with multiple personalities. We must agree on what it means to be a Christian. To do this we must peel hundreds of years of tradition back to reveal a simple truth. According to Acts 11:26 the name Christian was given to the church in Antioch. This name is the believers’ only true identity. All other attempts to classify my following of Christ are rubbish.
One day, Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He was. The answers were the recently executed John the Baptist, the fiery prophet Elijah, or the weeping prophet Jeremiah. He then asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then called him blessed! Why? Because human wisdom did not reveal this to him, but it was by the revelation of God that Peter was able to declare this. Peter is now the first recorded convert to Christianity. He has confessed with his mouth and through his actions it is evident he believed in his heart.
What is at stake is the personhood of Christ. We must distinguish the name of Christ from amongst a host of good men and moral teachers. Even if one truly believes that Christ was a good man, the fact that He did not dissuade Peter from calling him the Son of God leads to two conclusions; He is the Son of God or He is a liar. If He is a liar, He cannot be a great moral teacher because his life work was based on people believing in the salvation He offered and in that sense only God can offer that. Either His life was a giant lie or He really was the Son of God, the full revelation of God to man.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Language of Slaves, Part 5
Further, it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out or is projected from him that makes him unclean. In other words, you can make more external rules, but if you cannot keep one, you are guilty of breaking them all. How much simpler is it to apply two questions to every situation.
1. Does this show my love for God?
2. Does this show love towards my neighbor?
Here we go again! From the corner I hear someone yelling that love is subjective. I rebut by declaring that Love is only subjective if you don’t really know what love is. God clearly shows us what love is.
Generally, love is described by the passage, “It is kind, patient…
Truthfully our world was framed by love. For if there was no world God could not send Jesus who is the full expression of God’s love. We also know that God is love. This means that love is defined by the progressive revelation of God and not by human experience or feeling. Just as Jesus is the full expression of God’s love the Bible is God’s full explanation of His love.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
The beautiful thing about God’s love is that it is unconditional. The world was created based on His love and human existence is predicated by it. You see, God is love, which is to say that God defines love, not that love defines God. The Bible says in regards to Christians that we love God because He first loved us. In the simplest form the Christian is the man that responds to God’s love by loving Him back.
There are serious implications to this statement. People will often say things like, “If God really loved me, He would…” or “If God is love, then why is there suffering?” These questions are easily answered, but complicated to explain.
The first is a perverse question that showcases man’s darkened heart. It redefines God’s divine love into a display of selfishness by asking what man can obtain from God aside from unlimited atonement which is given to every man.
Again we revisit the themes of love, faith, and obedience. As Christians we must realize that our salvation is based solely on the gift of God. Also, we must live the Christian life as athletes training and running in such a way as to not be disqualified. We must not live like Judas who was willing to sell Christ for money or Simon the sorcerer who saw the power of God and thought that he could purchase it for what he could obtain with it.
This is the consumerism of life. The world system works on a scale of doing for getting. The motive for doing is getting. That is perhaps, why there are not many who want to become Christians.
Like an athlete who trains for years for one event, the Christian’s reward is obtained only at the end of the race. We run a race of endurance.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
It is often said that it is not how you start, but how you finish. This is true both in life and endurance sports. You see, we are born dead and must be brought to life. Therefore humanity only has two choices; lie dead in the blocks or run the race of a champion.
No man will truly obtain fulfillment without first knowing Christ who is the Word that formed him. Just as we were created to be in constant communion, or common union with God, the pinnacle of individual existence is salvation. How can this be? Let me ask you this…What is the definition of justification? It means; just as if you’d never sinned. And if Adam was created without sin and through Christ we are justified, then we are truly a new creation.
Over the centuries the battle has waged about who can be saved and therefore justified. The study of Soterology seeks to explain the details of salvation. This study takes us beyond the basics of scripture.
1. Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
2. He who believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth will be saved.
3. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Let us study the two main views of salvation today along with some views held by influential church fathers.
Below is a chart outlining the main differences between Calvinism and Armenianism.
Let’s gauge these views against the witness of Scripture both by direct quote and pattern and with the views of the church fathers.
Gideon and salvation
The story of Gideon is framed by the iniquity of the Israelites; God chosen people. Just like Joseph, God gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Midian means strife and every mention of him leaves that impression on the reader. Judges 6 tells us that they were so oppressive that Israel, God’s chosen people, made shelters in the mountains and caves and every time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and other eastern people invaded their country and camped on the land and ruined the crops. They layed waste to everything-“they invaded the land to ravage it.”
Because of this continual oppression Israel cried out to the LORD. The LORD answered them by bringing to remembrance their deliverance from Egypt and the possession of the enemy’s land. Like every covenant or suzerain treaty, God gave a condition to Israel; Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, But you have not listened to me.
So the Israelites were in the middle of possessing their promise, but because of cultural circumstance and compromise they began to leave the way of God. A friend of mine calls this the distance leads to denial principle. If we distance ourselves from Jesus, eventually we will deny Him just like Peter.
The story suddenly skips to Gideon. If this was a movie it would fade from black into a winepress. The camera would start from far above the recessed area of the winepress until it panned to a side view of Gideon threshing wheat. Then the angel of the LORD appears to him. The voice is thundering and reverberates throughout Gideon’s body. God says, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Unimpressed, Gideon mumbles, “But if the LORD is with us why is this happening? Where all His wonders…The one are’s our fathers told us about. Gideon flashes back and quickly draws words from the well of his imagination, “Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?” but now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
GOD: Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?
Gideon: How can I save Israel? My family is the weakest in our tribe and I am the least of my family.
GOD: I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
Gideon: Give me a sign.
Gideon then beseeches the Lord to stay so that he can bring an offering and the LORD waiting for him to return.
Gideon then prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and returned to the spot of the winepress. God commanded Gideon to place the meat and bread on a rock and pour out the broth. Then the angel of the LORD touched them and fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and bread. Then the angel disappeared.
It was then that Gideon realized that he was communing with the Angel of the LORD. He became afraid, but the LORD comforted him and exclaimed, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar and called it the Lord is Peace.
How interesting that the history of Israel was really spurred by Joseph and strife with his brothers and by it was sold into slavery to the Midianites who then transported him to Egypt. Jacob (Israel)
The tribe that Gideon came from was descended from Manasseh which was Joseph’s firstborn. Manasseh means “Causing to forget.” This is the second time that Manasseh saves Israel.
Gideon is commanded to take a seven year old bull, seven signifying the years that they were overrun by the Midianites. He is also commanded to tear down the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that belonged to his father. Gideon obeyed the LORD. He did what every smart person does, he did it at night because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town would attack him.
In the morning the town found Baal’s altar broken, the Asherah pole cut down and the bull sacrificed on “a proper kind of altar.” They asked each other who could have done this and found that it was Gideon. The people wanted to destroy him because he destroyed what they made and now worshiped.
The altars of false gods are often those simple things like friendships, known and unknown dependencies, and other inanimate objects that make us feel secure. These things are invested in our time and other resources and therefore we are bound to them. Fortunately, Joash stops the people with a voice of reason, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him?...If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
How many times in our own lives do we attempt to salvage something because it’s what we want and not what God wants. He wants our undivided attention. He commands His children to take down all the altars that are not setup to worship Him.
1. Does this show my love for God?
2. Does this show love towards my neighbor?
Here we go again! From the corner I hear someone yelling that love is subjective. I rebut by declaring that Love is only subjective if you don’t really know what love is. God clearly shows us what love is.
Generally, love is described by the passage, “It is kind, patient…
Truthfully our world was framed by love. For if there was no world God could not send Jesus who is the full expression of God’s love. We also know that God is love. This means that love is defined by the progressive revelation of God and not by human experience or feeling. Just as Jesus is the full expression of God’s love the Bible is God’s full explanation of His love.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
The beautiful thing about God’s love is that it is unconditional. The world was created based on His love and human existence is predicated by it. You see, God is love, which is to say that God defines love, not that love defines God. The Bible says in regards to Christians that we love God because He first loved us. In the simplest form the Christian is the man that responds to God’s love by loving Him back.
There are serious implications to this statement. People will often say things like, “If God really loved me, He would…” or “If God is love, then why is there suffering?” These questions are easily answered, but complicated to explain.
The first is a perverse question that showcases man’s darkened heart. It redefines God’s divine love into a display of selfishness by asking what man can obtain from God aside from unlimited atonement which is given to every man.
Again we revisit the themes of love, faith, and obedience. As Christians we must realize that our salvation is based solely on the gift of God. Also, we must live the Christian life as athletes training and running in such a way as to not be disqualified. We must not live like Judas who was willing to sell Christ for money or Simon the sorcerer who saw the power of God and thought that he could purchase it for what he could obtain with it.
This is the consumerism of life. The world system works on a scale of doing for getting. The motive for doing is getting. That is perhaps, why there are not many who want to become Christians.
Like an athlete who trains for years for one event, the Christian’s reward is obtained only at the end of the race. We run a race of endurance.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
It is often said that it is not how you start, but how you finish. This is true both in life and endurance sports. You see, we are born dead and must be brought to life. Therefore humanity only has two choices; lie dead in the blocks or run the race of a champion.
No man will truly obtain fulfillment without first knowing Christ who is the Word that formed him. Just as we were created to be in constant communion, or common union with God, the pinnacle of individual existence is salvation. How can this be? Let me ask you this…What is the definition of justification? It means; just as if you’d never sinned. And if Adam was created without sin and through Christ we are justified, then we are truly a new creation.
Over the centuries the battle has waged about who can be saved and therefore justified. The study of Soterology seeks to explain the details of salvation. This study takes us beyond the basics of scripture.
1. Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
2. He who believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth will be saved.
3. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Let us study the two main views of salvation today along with some views held by influential church fathers.
Below is a chart outlining the main differences between Calvinism and Armenianism.
Let’s gauge these views against the witness of Scripture both by direct quote and pattern and with the views of the church fathers.
Gideon and salvation
The story of Gideon is framed by the iniquity of the Israelites; God chosen people. Just like Joseph, God gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Midian means strife and every mention of him leaves that impression on the reader. Judges 6 tells us that they were so oppressive that Israel, God’s chosen people, made shelters in the mountains and caves and every time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and other eastern people invaded their country and camped on the land and ruined the crops. They layed waste to everything-“they invaded the land to ravage it.”
Because of this continual oppression Israel cried out to the LORD. The LORD answered them by bringing to remembrance their deliverance from Egypt and the possession of the enemy’s land. Like every covenant or suzerain treaty, God gave a condition to Israel; Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, But you have not listened to me.
So the Israelites were in the middle of possessing their promise, but because of cultural circumstance and compromise they began to leave the way of God. A friend of mine calls this the distance leads to denial principle. If we distance ourselves from Jesus, eventually we will deny Him just like Peter.
The story suddenly skips to Gideon. If this was a movie it would fade from black into a winepress. The camera would start from far above the recessed area of the winepress until it panned to a side view of Gideon threshing wheat. Then the angel of the LORD appears to him. The voice is thundering and reverberates throughout Gideon’s body. God says, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Unimpressed, Gideon mumbles, “But if the LORD is with us why is this happening? Where all His wonders…The one are’s our fathers told us about. Gideon flashes back and quickly draws words from the well of his imagination, “Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?” but now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
GOD: Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?
Gideon: How can I save Israel? My family is the weakest in our tribe and I am the least of my family.
GOD: I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
Gideon: Give me a sign.
Gideon then beseeches the Lord to stay so that he can bring an offering and the LORD waiting for him to return.
Gideon then prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and returned to the spot of the winepress. God commanded Gideon to place the meat and bread on a rock and pour out the broth. Then the angel of the LORD touched them and fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and bread. Then the angel disappeared.
It was then that Gideon realized that he was communing with the Angel of the LORD. He became afraid, but the LORD comforted him and exclaimed, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar and called it the Lord is Peace.
How interesting that the history of Israel was really spurred by Joseph and strife with his brothers and by it was sold into slavery to the Midianites who then transported him to Egypt. Jacob (Israel)
The tribe that Gideon came from was descended from Manasseh which was Joseph’s firstborn. Manasseh means “Causing to forget.” This is the second time that Manasseh saves Israel.
Gideon is commanded to take a seven year old bull, seven signifying the years that they were overrun by the Midianites. He is also commanded to tear down the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that belonged to his father. Gideon obeyed the LORD. He did what every smart person does, he did it at night because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town would attack him.
In the morning the town found Baal’s altar broken, the Asherah pole cut down and the bull sacrificed on “a proper kind of altar.” They asked each other who could have done this and found that it was Gideon. The people wanted to destroy him because he destroyed what they made and now worshiped.
The altars of false gods are often those simple things like friendships, known and unknown dependencies, and other inanimate objects that make us feel secure. These things are invested in our time and other resources and therefore we are bound to them. Fortunately, Joash stops the people with a voice of reason, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him?...If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
How many times in our own lives do we attempt to salvage something because it’s what we want and not what God wants. He wants our undivided attention. He commands His children to take down all the altars that are not setup to worship Him.
The Language of Slaves, Part 4
When the Hebrews came to the next battle, they were defeated. Logically, Joshua was perplexed. They were in the midst of possessing the promise, but because of one disobedient act they were stopped. Once the secret sin was revealed the offender and his whole family was put to death. What is secret will soon be made known…
This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.” In other words, a little sin will cause the whole to be sinful. And we know this, that sin’s desire is for us and it wants to consume and kill us. Therefore, sin must not reign in our mortal bodies, but we must subjugate ourselves to the will of the Holy Spirit; the voice of God.
Once the sin was dealt with the assembly was able to move forward and eventually they possessed the promise. YE even after they possessed it they still had to fight for it. The lesson is that we must run the race so as not be disqualified. We may be in the midst of overcoming, with the end in sight, but we must give to God what is His. In the end anything less than our entire life surrendered is worthless. We will never see the fullness of God given dreams without completely yielding to God and His word.
What does it mean to follow God’s word? If we believe that the Bible is the plenary-verbally inspired word of God we must take into account the whole scope of Scripture in every situation. Some call this over spiritualizing life, but only a fool fails to see the spiritual significance in every decision of life.
One area where I failed in the past and many continue to fail is the corporate gathering. Tell me if the below equation looks familiar:
Me + Jesus = All I need
We sing songs like All I Need is You Lord and boil our faith down to Jesus alone. I’m not saying that the song is unscriptural; I’m implying that the application is often used as an excuse. The truth is we cannot live a full Christian life without other Christians. The equation works as the basis for our salvation and sustenance, but the Bible is clear that we need people.
Here’s the equation that I prefer:
You and Me + Jesus = The Church
Ecclesiastes tells us that one may be overcome by an adversary but that two can withstand him. Interestingly it talks about two people being together and then refers to a three fold cord and not a two fold cord. I believe that God placed this wording just so because He is the central cord that we wrap around.
This is the essence of the Church. Alone we are more susceptible to attack. The devil roams around like a lion looking for who he may devour and like a lion, when he sees us together in a flock he is less likely to attack. That is why it says, “Only a fool isolates himself and further warns against forsaking the assembly of the upright as is the custom of some.
Some people think that it’s just them and Jesus. But I tell you the truth, Jesus went away to be seated in glory so that the Paraclete, the helper, the Holy Spirit could come. If Jesus, who was of the same substance of the Father, as the physical manifestation of God, was still here on earth it is possible that it could be just you and Jesus…and eleven other disciples…
And so it is that the church is God’s chosen vehicle today in the age of the Holy Spirit or Paraclete. It is only together that we can withstand Satan, the world, or any obstacle. I believe that the wording of this passage is divine. Ecc. 5:8 may be the first three point sermon.
1. Though one may be overcome by another.
2. Two can withstand him.
3. A threefold cord is not easily broken.
As Christians, we walk what Robert Frost called the road less traveled. The Bible calls it the narrow road of righteousness where few pass. It compares the narrow road with the wide path that leads to destruction.
When we begin to walk the narrow road, the choices of life become narrower. Instead of asking yourself whether you are going to the club, the club does not enter the mental multiple choice list. The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a people separated unto God for His own purposes. We need to continually ask ourselves what a son of light has to do with darkness. As Christ followers we cannot entertain the options of the world.
I hear the objections mounting like riders on a thousand warhorses. What about being a witness to the world? Jesus often dined with sinners, why shouldn’t we? Once again the word speaks clearly, “Avoid the very appearance (or perception) of evil.”
Truly, Jesus did dine with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other undesirables of His day. However, if we really want to be like Jesus, then we need to unashamedly proclaim the gospel everywhere we go. In every story of Jesus going to someone’s house He is never mistaken for a sinner himself. In fact, He was never accused of committing sin except for blasphemy when He rightly called God His father and put Himself on the same level as Jehovah.
Jesus did not just hang out or have a good time with these people, He ministered to them.
They realized that His teaching was different from other religious leaders and at the very least that He was a minor celebrity causing controversy. Christ did not add more to the law like the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus said that He came into the world to save it, not condemn it. This infuriated the religious leaders because the prevailing thought of Biblical history is that no one can live up to the law, so there is a temporary covering for sin. The law only serves to show man that he is condemned and cannot escape the just judgment of God.
You see, the earth was created by God in perfection, but man condemned it through his own disobedience. At the time of the Exodus God gave 10 commandments for the Hebrews to follow, but over time well meaning teachers began to heap the burden of man made law onto the people. At the time of Jesus the Ten Commandments had been toppled by over six hundred rabbinical regulations.
Jesus simplified the law into two commandments; Love the LORD your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He made ten into two and man made 10 into hundreds. That is why Jesus shattered the Jewish subconscious when he said to cast your cares upon Him. “For my yoke is easy and my burden light,” He says. He was addressing the very issue of God’s intent and man’s twisted application of it.
This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.” In other words, a little sin will cause the whole to be sinful. And we know this, that sin’s desire is for us and it wants to consume and kill us. Therefore, sin must not reign in our mortal bodies, but we must subjugate ourselves to the will of the Holy Spirit; the voice of God.
Once the sin was dealt with the assembly was able to move forward and eventually they possessed the promise. YE even after they possessed it they still had to fight for it. The lesson is that we must run the race so as not be disqualified. We may be in the midst of overcoming, with the end in sight, but we must give to God what is His. In the end anything less than our entire life surrendered is worthless. We will never see the fullness of God given dreams without completely yielding to God and His word.
What does it mean to follow God’s word? If we believe that the Bible is the plenary-verbally inspired word of God we must take into account the whole scope of Scripture in every situation. Some call this over spiritualizing life, but only a fool fails to see the spiritual significance in every decision of life.
One area where I failed in the past and many continue to fail is the corporate gathering. Tell me if the below equation looks familiar:
Me + Jesus = All I need
We sing songs like All I Need is You Lord and boil our faith down to Jesus alone. I’m not saying that the song is unscriptural; I’m implying that the application is often used as an excuse. The truth is we cannot live a full Christian life without other Christians. The equation works as the basis for our salvation and sustenance, but the Bible is clear that we need people.
Here’s the equation that I prefer:
You and Me + Jesus = The Church
Ecclesiastes tells us that one may be overcome by an adversary but that two can withstand him. Interestingly it talks about two people being together and then refers to a three fold cord and not a two fold cord. I believe that God placed this wording just so because He is the central cord that we wrap around.
This is the essence of the Church. Alone we are more susceptible to attack. The devil roams around like a lion looking for who he may devour and like a lion, when he sees us together in a flock he is less likely to attack. That is why it says, “Only a fool isolates himself and further warns against forsaking the assembly of the upright as is the custom of some.
Some people think that it’s just them and Jesus. But I tell you the truth, Jesus went away to be seated in glory so that the Paraclete, the helper, the Holy Spirit could come. If Jesus, who was of the same substance of the Father, as the physical manifestation of God, was still here on earth it is possible that it could be just you and Jesus…and eleven other disciples…
And so it is that the church is God’s chosen vehicle today in the age of the Holy Spirit or Paraclete. It is only together that we can withstand Satan, the world, or any obstacle. I believe that the wording of this passage is divine. Ecc. 5:8 may be the first three point sermon.
1. Though one may be overcome by another.
2. Two can withstand him.
3. A threefold cord is not easily broken.
As Christians, we walk what Robert Frost called the road less traveled. The Bible calls it the narrow road of righteousness where few pass. It compares the narrow road with the wide path that leads to destruction.
When we begin to walk the narrow road, the choices of life become narrower. Instead of asking yourself whether you are going to the club, the club does not enter the mental multiple choice list. The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a people separated unto God for His own purposes. We need to continually ask ourselves what a son of light has to do with darkness. As Christ followers we cannot entertain the options of the world.
I hear the objections mounting like riders on a thousand warhorses. What about being a witness to the world? Jesus often dined with sinners, why shouldn’t we? Once again the word speaks clearly, “Avoid the very appearance (or perception) of evil.”
Truly, Jesus did dine with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other undesirables of His day. However, if we really want to be like Jesus, then we need to unashamedly proclaim the gospel everywhere we go. In every story of Jesus going to someone’s house He is never mistaken for a sinner himself. In fact, He was never accused of committing sin except for blasphemy when He rightly called God His father and put Himself on the same level as Jehovah.
Jesus did not just hang out or have a good time with these people, He ministered to them.
They realized that His teaching was different from other religious leaders and at the very least that He was a minor celebrity causing controversy. Christ did not add more to the law like the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus said that He came into the world to save it, not condemn it. This infuriated the religious leaders because the prevailing thought of Biblical history is that no one can live up to the law, so there is a temporary covering for sin. The law only serves to show man that he is condemned and cannot escape the just judgment of God.
You see, the earth was created by God in perfection, but man condemned it through his own disobedience. At the time of the Exodus God gave 10 commandments for the Hebrews to follow, but over time well meaning teachers began to heap the burden of man made law onto the people. At the time of Jesus the Ten Commandments had been toppled by over six hundred rabbinical regulations.
Jesus simplified the law into two commandments; Love the LORD your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He made ten into two and man made 10 into hundreds. That is why Jesus shattered the Jewish subconscious when he said to cast your cares upon Him. “For my yoke is easy and my burden light,” He says. He was addressing the very issue of God’s intent and man’s twisted application of it.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Language of Slaves, Part 3
Again when confronted with the outrage of the offended Jesus declares, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12). Indeed He is the Great Physician. Isaiah's Messianic prophesy foresaw his healing nature by saying that it is by his wounds that we are healed and that he took up our infirmities.
Fantasy is when we allow our imagination to dwell outside of God's vision, on those things that aren't as though they were. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think upon whatever is true, whatever is noble, and whatever is pure. Undoubtedly fantasy replaces the sovereignty of God with the self determination of man. Jeremiah 17:9 states that mans' heart is deceitful above all things, meaning that its chief operating principle is distortion of the truth. Fantasy is the distortion of truth, the fraudulent cousin of faith.
Faith may seem similar to fantasy, but in the framework of Scripture we see that faith is the substance of things hoped for, but not seen. It is the hope of obtaining the promise(s) of God given to man. In this faith differentiates itself by originating from God and not from the darkened heart of man.
What do faith and obedience combine to produce? Their fruit is purity. Purity is the predecessor of power and power can only be obtained when we spend time in His presence.
How do we stay in His presence? Primarily, we must realize that every sin takes our hearts farther from the static fixture of Omnipotent God. Sin is rebellion against the LORD and why would the LORD dwell where He is not welcome? Rebellion is the opposite of obedience and so with obedience we are inviting God to work through us.
The whole earth is full of His glory, but the world has bought into a different system. Like Daniel we must tell the world we will not bow down and will not consume the same diet they do. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death.” There is a world system, a way that the world does things that makes sense to them. And we know that to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness. So God again proves that the (perceived) foolishness of God confounds the wise.
Benjamin Franklin said that two things are certain; death and taxes. To the natural man this is all that can be expected. But again the Bible supercedes earthly wisdom by declaring that the wages of sin is death. That means that if you are working and living, enveloped in the world system that worships mammon you are working to obtain death. You cannot serve both God and mammon. The alternative to this is to receive the gift of God that is eternal life. This will mystify man forever.
Our heroes are typified by toil and hardship overcome. They are usually resistant to the current or decree of culture. The same is true in the Bible. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown into a furnace, and David overcame tremendous odds by slaying a giant.
How do we become heroes? We must follow the pattern. In each case, the world system pitted itself against God. Daniel and the three Hebrews refused to bow to an idol and David would not allow fear to overtake his faith in God. They recognized the temporal plane of existence is much less important than obeying God. Our obedience can cause pain to the natural man, but it is only for a short time. However, our disobedience can cause our natural life to be much easier, but it will end in disrepair.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a leader in the German Lutheran church. He watched as the Nazi’s demonic sway overtook his homeland. For awhile he left the country to minister to expatriates in London, but ended up back in Germany. Why? Because he realized that someone needed to stand up for righteousness. The rest of his life was devoted to restoring the sight of the church in Germany.
During the course of the war he went from being a pacifist to taking part in plots to assassinate Hitler. He realized that the only way to stop evil is by dealing with it. We cannot stand by and make excuses about why we are a certain way, we must not allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies.
Bonhoffer was later executed as a political prisoner just days before his camp was liberated by the Allies. His magnus opus is called The Cost of Discipleship. Appropriately, he counted the cost of following Jesus and that cost was his life. Like Boenhoffer we must take hold of the words Paul spoke.
“To live is Christ,
but to die is gain.”
In Him we live and move and have our being. If we abide in Christ, He will abide in us. How can a young man keep his way pure? By reading the Bible. Our Christian witness can be built on II Timothy 2:15. Study to show yourself approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
From this we know that there is power in purity. Before a major move of God in the assembly of Israel they were commanded to purify themselves. However, it is not enough to be pure beforehand. In the story of AI the Israelites were commanded to not take any of the plunder, but one man took some items for himself.
Fantasy is when we allow our imagination to dwell outside of God's vision, on those things that aren't as though they were. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think upon whatever is true, whatever is noble, and whatever is pure. Undoubtedly fantasy replaces the sovereignty of God with the self determination of man. Jeremiah 17:9 states that mans' heart is deceitful above all things, meaning that its chief operating principle is distortion of the truth. Fantasy is the distortion of truth, the fraudulent cousin of faith.
Faith may seem similar to fantasy, but in the framework of Scripture we see that faith is the substance of things hoped for, but not seen. It is the hope of obtaining the promise(s) of God given to man. In this faith differentiates itself by originating from God and not from the darkened heart of man.
What do faith and obedience combine to produce? Their fruit is purity. Purity is the predecessor of power and power can only be obtained when we spend time in His presence.
How do we stay in His presence? Primarily, we must realize that every sin takes our hearts farther from the static fixture of Omnipotent God. Sin is rebellion against the LORD and why would the LORD dwell where He is not welcome? Rebellion is the opposite of obedience and so with obedience we are inviting God to work through us.
The whole earth is full of His glory, but the world has bought into a different system. Like Daniel we must tell the world we will not bow down and will not consume the same diet they do. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death.” There is a world system, a way that the world does things that makes sense to them. And we know that to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness. So God again proves that the (perceived) foolishness of God confounds the wise.
Benjamin Franklin said that two things are certain; death and taxes. To the natural man this is all that can be expected. But again the Bible supercedes earthly wisdom by declaring that the wages of sin is death. That means that if you are working and living, enveloped in the world system that worships mammon you are working to obtain death. You cannot serve both God and mammon. The alternative to this is to receive the gift of God that is eternal life. This will mystify man forever.
Our heroes are typified by toil and hardship overcome. They are usually resistant to the current or decree of culture. The same is true in the Bible. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown into a furnace, and David overcame tremendous odds by slaying a giant.
How do we become heroes? We must follow the pattern. In each case, the world system pitted itself against God. Daniel and the three Hebrews refused to bow to an idol and David would not allow fear to overtake his faith in God. They recognized the temporal plane of existence is much less important than obeying God. Our obedience can cause pain to the natural man, but it is only for a short time. However, our disobedience can cause our natural life to be much easier, but it will end in disrepair.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a leader in the German Lutheran church. He watched as the Nazi’s demonic sway overtook his homeland. For awhile he left the country to minister to expatriates in London, but ended up back in Germany. Why? Because he realized that someone needed to stand up for righteousness. The rest of his life was devoted to restoring the sight of the church in Germany.
During the course of the war he went from being a pacifist to taking part in plots to assassinate Hitler. He realized that the only way to stop evil is by dealing with it. We cannot stand by and make excuses about why we are a certain way, we must not allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies.
Bonhoffer was later executed as a political prisoner just days before his camp was liberated by the Allies. His magnus opus is called The Cost of Discipleship. Appropriately, he counted the cost of following Jesus and that cost was his life. Like Boenhoffer we must take hold of the words Paul spoke.
“To live is Christ,
but to die is gain.”
In Him we live and move and have our being. If we abide in Christ, He will abide in us. How can a young man keep his way pure? By reading the Bible. Our Christian witness can be built on II Timothy 2:15. Study to show yourself approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
From this we know that there is power in purity. Before a major move of God in the assembly of Israel they were commanded to purify themselves. However, it is not enough to be pure beforehand. In the story of AI the Israelites were commanded to not take any of the plunder, but one man took some items for himself.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Language of Slaves, Part 2
You may say that Jesus dined with sinners and even in the sinner’s house. You are right, but you’re not Jesus. The key difference between Jesus and the believer is that people invited him for the express purpose of hearing Him speak and to see miracles. When was the last time your friend asked you to come down to the bar and share the gospel? We live in a darkened world, and as the light of this world we cannot hide our lights by entering into a den of iniquity.
The ultimate dichotomy in my life experience is the story of the Christian stripper. One day while at work a lady walked in the doorway of my business. She was wearing daisy dukes, a pink Barbie shirt, and matching pink socks with white tennis shoes. It was also evident that she had plastic surgery performed to various strategic locations on her body. I automatically thought, “Stripper.” I was not judging her, but rather using observation to identify her occupation. While we discussed business her phone rang. Her ring tone was a popular worship anthem and I felt confused. Everything on the outside indicated stripper, but the ring tone told me otherwise. She then began to talk with a friend and during her conversation mentioned that she was a lap dancer at a local club. On her way out she saw the fish symbol the business owner put on the window and asked who the Christian was. As she walked out she declared, “That’s what the world needs…more Christians.”
We must walk carefully and circumspect to the LORD. There are those at the judgment who will claim Christ but He will cast them aside. Why? Because although they say they are a Christ follower, their actions cancel their words. We must make sure our actions match our chosen identity of Christian.
Coming back to our subject of slavery, we also must hold our bodies in submission. Our desires should not lead us, but we should banish our desires and give all to God from whom every good gift and every perfect gift is derived. The promises of God are greater than any momentary pleasure. By submitting to God and resisting the devil we overcome the world. It is by the word of our testimony and not loving our lives, both spiritual and physical, even unto death.
A friend of mine recently preached about the pain of carrying the promise of God by telling the story of David. He was anointed king as a young man, but he soon came upon a giant. He was confronted with a choice to either step towards his destiny or to shrink back from it. He decided to slay the giant because he knew it was a step towards his destiny. Even after this great accomplishment he did not become, instead he was forced into hiding by the king he was to succeed. For 17 years he was a fugitive, living in caves and acting like a mad man for the purpose of saving his own life. As we read the Psalms, it is interesting to note that David thought about all this trouble constantly, but he did not let it overtake him. In the words of my friend, “If we follow reason we will never see the season.” David put his trust in God and when the right season came God elevated him to the pre appointed position of king.
During the same sermon the preacher also said that we must seal it, speaking of the promise, before the devil steals it. David took the promise seriously and wrote it on the tablet of his heart. Everything he did was not to promote himself, but to glorify God. He did this by slaying the Goliath who blasphemed the LORD and secondly by making sure that Samuel’s prophecy was fulfilled. He was not haphazard; he was careful to guard the promise and gathered men around him that believed in the same thing.
In our lives we must apply this to both spiritual and natural authority. If we want to be successful we must submit to the vision of the house and help make it a success. In our quest to be noticed we cannot deviate from the house because when we do we cast off authority and mimic the pattern of Lucifer.
How harsh! The pattern of Lucifer? Do you really believe that? Yes I do! Why? Because the place of position is not desirable if your heart is only longing for attention and glory. In fact, the position without the proper preparation is poison.
John the Baptist was the greatest voice of his day, but when Jesus came to him to be baptized he immediately recognized a man that was greater. John knew that he was not the Messiah, but rather the one who prepared humanity for Christ’s appearance according to the scripture.
Jesus tells us in Luke 14 to not take the place of honor lest someone greater come and you are shamed when you are displaced. Instead take the lowest place and let the host come to you and set you in a higher seat. Friends, I pray that God does not allow us to be placed into authority unless our motives are pure. On this subject, I leave you with the story of the paralytic.
Were the motives of these men to gain fame? The Bible does not say, but their names are not recorded and the end result was God being honored. They brought a man to be healed of a physical condition and he walked away with his sins forgiven. He was made whole and pure as Jesus uttered the words, “Go and sin no more.”
As Christians we must come with the same motive. Christ did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Everywhere he traveled the message was the same; be healed and sin no more. Why this message? I think God is telling us something very important about life; once we are touched by Christ we must sin no more. In other words, once the promise of salvation is given, we like Abraham are called to be Holy as He is holy.
God commanded him to do so and although he was given the promise, it could not be obtained without his obedience. God says that without vision that people cast off restraint. Interestingly the definition of fantasy is defined as, "imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained."
There is a difference between fantasy and godly revelation.
God inspired vision involves a disciplined following of His commands. In John 15:14-16 Jesus tells His disciples that they are friends if they do what He commands. As Christians we are to be disciplined in the faith, beating our bodies and making it our slave so that our witness is not discounted (I Corinthians 9:27).
This means that we must not be given to the pleasures of the world; that is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Although we may feel the pull of the world and the love of it (I John 2:15-17), we are not obligated to give in. In fact, I John asks the rhetorical question, "Who is it that overcomes the world, only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
When we are born of God in that second and spiritual birth we are joining our vision to the vision of God. Jesus states it plainly in Luke 19, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." To the people of his day, it offended their spiritual pride. Here is the great teacher saying that it is imperative for him to be the guest of a sinner. The complaints are quickly silenced by Zacchaeus as he declares that Christ is Lord, admits he is a sinner, and declares what his repentance will include.
To the Jews, Zacchaeus is an example of the lost sheep of Israel, but he is much more an example of mankind. After all, what is it that Christ came to do? He is always seeking out our hearts-the hearts of sinners to dwell in. Only when we allow him to dwell in our tabernacle will we be saved. Jesus came to seek a home in our hearts and to save the relationship of intimate communion that was lost in the Garden of Eden when man sinned.God reminds us that it is through the actions of one man (Adam) that sin and therefore death enter the world. Romans says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And so, it is through the first Adam that death enters the world and the gift of God, the second Adam; Jesus Christ, that brings eternal life.
The ultimate dichotomy in my life experience is the story of the Christian stripper. One day while at work a lady walked in the doorway of my business. She was wearing daisy dukes, a pink Barbie shirt, and matching pink socks with white tennis shoes. It was also evident that she had plastic surgery performed to various strategic locations on her body. I automatically thought, “Stripper.” I was not judging her, but rather using observation to identify her occupation. While we discussed business her phone rang. Her ring tone was a popular worship anthem and I felt confused. Everything on the outside indicated stripper, but the ring tone told me otherwise. She then began to talk with a friend and during her conversation mentioned that she was a lap dancer at a local club. On her way out she saw the fish symbol the business owner put on the window and asked who the Christian was. As she walked out she declared, “That’s what the world needs…more Christians.”
We must walk carefully and circumspect to the LORD. There are those at the judgment who will claim Christ but He will cast them aside. Why? Because although they say they are a Christ follower, their actions cancel their words. We must make sure our actions match our chosen identity of Christian.
Coming back to our subject of slavery, we also must hold our bodies in submission. Our desires should not lead us, but we should banish our desires and give all to God from whom every good gift and every perfect gift is derived. The promises of God are greater than any momentary pleasure. By submitting to God and resisting the devil we overcome the world. It is by the word of our testimony and not loving our lives, both spiritual and physical, even unto death.
A friend of mine recently preached about the pain of carrying the promise of God by telling the story of David. He was anointed king as a young man, but he soon came upon a giant. He was confronted with a choice to either step towards his destiny or to shrink back from it. He decided to slay the giant because he knew it was a step towards his destiny. Even after this great accomplishment he did not become, instead he was forced into hiding by the king he was to succeed. For 17 years he was a fugitive, living in caves and acting like a mad man for the purpose of saving his own life. As we read the Psalms, it is interesting to note that David thought about all this trouble constantly, but he did not let it overtake him. In the words of my friend, “If we follow reason we will never see the season.” David put his trust in God and when the right season came God elevated him to the pre appointed position of king.
During the same sermon the preacher also said that we must seal it, speaking of the promise, before the devil steals it. David took the promise seriously and wrote it on the tablet of his heart. Everything he did was not to promote himself, but to glorify God. He did this by slaying the Goliath who blasphemed the LORD and secondly by making sure that Samuel’s prophecy was fulfilled. He was not haphazard; he was careful to guard the promise and gathered men around him that believed in the same thing.
In our lives we must apply this to both spiritual and natural authority. If we want to be successful we must submit to the vision of the house and help make it a success. In our quest to be noticed we cannot deviate from the house because when we do we cast off authority and mimic the pattern of Lucifer.
How harsh! The pattern of Lucifer? Do you really believe that? Yes I do! Why? Because the place of position is not desirable if your heart is only longing for attention and glory. In fact, the position without the proper preparation is poison.
John the Baptist was the greatest voice of his day, but when Jesus came to him to be baptized he immediately recognized a man that was greater. John knew that he was not the Messiah, but rather the one who prepared humanity for Christ’s appearance according to the scripture.
Jesus tells us in Luke 14 to not take the place of honor lest someone greater come and you are shamed when you are displaced. Instead take the lowest place and let the host come to you and set you in a higher seat. Friends, I pray that God does not allow us to be placed into authority unless our motives are pure. On this subject, I leave you with the story of the paralytic.
Were the motives of these men to gain fame? The Bible does not say, but their names are not recorded and the end result was God being honored. They brought a man to be healed of a physical condition and he walked away with his sins forgiven. He was made whole and pure as Jesus uttered the words, “Go and sin no more.”
As Christians we must come with the same motive. Christ did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Everywhere he traveled the message was the same; be healed and sin no more. Why this message? I think God is telling us something very important about life; once we are touched by Christ we must sin no more. In other words, once the promise of salvation is given, we like Abraham are called to be Holy as He is holy.
God commanded him to do so and although he was given the promise, it could not be obtained without his obedience. God says that without vision that people cast off restraint. Interestingly the definition of fantasy is defined as, "imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained."
There is a difference between fantasy and godly revelation.
God inspired vision involves a disciplined following of His commands. In John 15:14-16 Jesus tells His disciples that they are friends if they do what He commands. As Christians we are to be disciplined in the faith, beating our bodies and making it our slave so that our witness is not discounted (I Corinthians 9:27).
This means that we must not be given to the pleasures of the world; that is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Although we may feel the pull of the world and the love of it (I John 2:15-17), we are not obligated to give in. In fact, I John asks the rhetorical question, "Who is it that overcomes the world, only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
When we are born of God in that second and spiritual birth we are joining our vision to the vision of God. Jesus states it plainly in Luke 19, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." To the people of his day, it offended their spiritual pride. Here is the great teacher saying that it is imperative for him to be the guest of a sinner. The complaints are quickly silenced by Zacchaeus as he declares that Christ is Lord, admits he is a sinner, and declares what his repentance will include.
To the Jews, Zacchaeus is an example of the lost sheep of Israel, but he is much more an example of mankind. After all, what is it that Christ came to do? He is always seeking out our hearts-the hearts of sinners to dwell in. Only when we allow him to dwell in our tabernacle will we be saved. Jesus came to seek a home in our hearts and to save the relationship of intimate communion that was lost in the Garden of Eden when man sinned.God reminds us that it is through the actions of one man (Adam) that sin and therefore death enter the world. Romans says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And so, it is through the first Adam that death enters the world and the gift of God, the second Adam; Jesus Christ, that brings eternal life.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Language of Slaves, Part 1
The Language of Slaves
A majority of Christians have lost the full meaning of the word slave. The history of the world shows us the pattern of the oppressed and oppressor. From the Hebrew and Egyptian to modern day human trafficking, it is a word that only holds a negative connotation.
To the Christian it must hold a different meaning than what the world says. The culture of God is the true culture of the Earth, but because of sin man has allowed this culture to be turned upside down. Coincidently, when the Bible says that 12 men, meaning the disciples, turned the world upside down they actually turned it right side up. They were showing the world what God through Jesus Christ meant for man to experience from the very beginning of creation.
The question is then, “what was meant for man?” From the beginning man was given authority and created to be an overcomer. Due to the dissension of Satan and one-third of the heavenly hosts, hell was created. In the Bible hell is described as an ending place for those spirits. These created, yet eternal beings, which have no physical body, made an eternal decision to rebel against God. Since their substance is fully eternal, every decision they make is eternal. Their predicament is spelled out through the ages in Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Although the passage is referring to man specifically, I believe that it is a principle of God and therefore applicable to all beings.
The difference in man is the temporary shell in which our eternal spirit/soul dwells. God designed the universe for man to overcome His enemies. Proverbs tells us that haughtiness precedes a fall and this harkens not only to Satan being cast out of heaven, but also to his end.
What does this have to do with slavery? The answer is simple; it has everything to do with it! You see, God set the world on the foundation of Christ. He is the centerpiece of Creation, the Lamb who was slain at the foundation of the world, the capstone the builders rejected; it was this prophet that found no honor in His own city, the king without an earthly crown, the Living Word of God who through his own submission to God freed the world. The Bible says that he who the Son sets free is free indeed and that Christ came to set the captives free.
Before Jesus could complete His earthly duties he had to forsake the world system and submit to God. Paul talks about this type of submission. It is called being a bond slave or more literally a love slave. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our lives must be bridled by the words of the Bible.
As someone who calls themselves a Christian we need to realize that Christian liberty is a myth, or at least the way I observe it in the present day. Growing up I saw people cussing, drinking, and making out with their (in)significant other and defending it because it was in the scope of their Christian liberty. I could systematically argue against all three, but that would belabor the point. The truth is that sin seeks you out and its appetite is never satisfied. In fact, its goal is to consume and kill you. Solomon says that everything is vanity. Relationships, money, and other material wealth will pass away. Paul says that all things are permissible, but not all are profitable. As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
For we know that the wages of sin is death and anything that feeds humanity’s propensity towards sin is worthless. In other words, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are one step away from sinning we must follow the scripture that screams, “Flee youthful lusts.” At this point many readers will stop and shout that blasphemous word, “legalism.” It is not legalism, it is love. My love for God causes me to keep His commandments and when I fall short Christ covers me.
In the meantime why would I give myself the opportunity to sin? Why would I walk into a bar and order a drink? Why would I go someplace private with a romantic interest? God does not lead us into temptation so why follow fleshly desire which is death and forsake the words of the Spirit which are life?
A majority of Christians have lost the full meaning of the word slave. The history of the world shows us the pattern of the oppressed and oppressor. From the Hebrew and Egyptian to modern day human trafficking, it is a word that only holds a negative connotation.
To the Christian it must hold a different meaning than what the world says. The culture of God is the true culture of the Earth, but because of sin man has allowed this culture to be turned upside down. Coincidently, when the Bible says that 12 men, meaning the disciples, turned the world upside down they actually turned it right side up. They were showing the world what God through Jesus Christ meant for man to experience from the very beginning of creation.
The question is then, “what was meant for man?” From the beginning man was given authority and created to be an overcomer. Due to the dissension of Satan and one-third of the heavenly hosts, hell was created. In the Bible hell is described as an ending place for those spirits. These created, yet eternal beings, which have no physical body, made an eternal decision to rebel against God. Since their substance is fully eternal, every decision they make is eternal. Their predicament is spelled out through the ages in Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Although the passage is referring to man specifically, I believe that it is a principle of God and therefore applicable to all beings.
The difference in man is the temporary shell in which our eternal spirit/soul dwells. God designed the universe for man to overcome His enemies. Proverbs tells us that haughtiness precedes a fall and this harkens not only to Satan being cast out of heaven, but also to his end.
What does this have to do with slavery? The answer is simple; it has everything to do with it! You see, God set the world on the foundation of Christ. He is the centerpiece of Creation, the Lamb who was slain at the foundation of the world, the capstone the builders rejected; it was this prophet that found no honor in His own city, the king without an earthly crown, the Living Word of God who through his own submission to God freed the world. The Bible says that he who the Son sets free is free indeed and that Christ came to set the captives free.
Before Jesus could complete His earthly duties he had to forsake the world system and submit to God. Paul talks about this type of submission. It is called being a bond slave or more literally a love slave. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our lives must be bridled by the words of the Bible.
As someone who calls themselves a Christian we need to realize that Christian liberty is a myth, or at least the way I observe it in the present day. Growing up I saw people cussing, drinking, and making out with their (in)significant other and defending it because it was in the scope of their Christian liberty. I could systematically argue against all three, but that would belabor the point. The truth is that sin seeks you out and its appetite is never satisfied. In fact, its goal is to consume and kill you. Solomon says that everything is vanity. Relationships, money, and other material wealth will pass away. Paul says that all things are permissible, but not all are profitable. As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
For we know that the wages of sin is death and anything that feeds humanity’s propensity towards sin is worthless. In other words, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are one step away from sinning we must follow the scripture that screams, “Flee youthful lusts.” At this point many readers will stop and shout that blasphemous word, “legalism.” It is not legalism, it is love. My love for God causes me to keep His commandments and when I fall short Christ covers me.
In the meantime why would I give myself the opportunity to sin? Why would I walk into a bar and order a drink? Why would I go someplace private with a romantic interest? God does not lead us into temptation so why follow fleshly desire which is death and forsake the words of the Spirit which are life?
Saturday, August 16, 2008
A Difference Between College and High School
In college it's ok to say you're on track to finish in five years because you took a year off.
In high school only dummies don't graduate in four years.
In high school only dummies don't graduate in four years.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sushi
It was seventy five degrees and the dewpoint was sixty two. The wind was a gentle south by southwest breeze of six miles per hour and visibility was high. The conditions were perfect for my first daring lunge.
I managed for twenty seven years to avoid this. I said never in Neverland, but unlike Pan I was doing what I said I’d never do. There was no Tinkerbell or Captain Hook, and Wendy had left long ago. This was a crossroads, a quandary, and a burden no one should bare.
I could not ask for help and let her…or them onto my ignorance. This was a game of sly and cunning, one better than Bond ever dreamt of. I scanned for my choices several times. I could not afford to be wrong, but I needed to hurry. The pressure was mounting. This was the bottom of the ninth, it was the last play with time expiring, it was the moment I was waiting for.
Before I arrived at the location, I had visualized the situation. Each time I did, the same problem presented itself. I steeled my mind with one thought; DON’T THROW UP! It was still the only thought I could manage to electronically elicit through my neural synapses.
And so now was the time. I checked all exit paths and angles of attack one last time before I slowly began to pull the trigger. Like the rat tat tat of automatic fire, the words Spicy Tuna stumbled out like spent shell casings. I relaxed my index finger and relinquished my side arm with reckless abandon. They didn’t know my true identity, my cover was safe for now.
It was time for the ultimate showdown. If I could pass this test, no one would ever know. There were only two of us; the Colombian with her impish smile, deep eyes, rich accent, and infinite sushi knowledge and myself, the novice. When our order arrived, it was on one serving dish. I was confused. “Where was my meal,” I wondered aloud. She asks the same-my cover intact I approached the server warily. I asked if my order was on the way and he stared blankly back-the whites of his eyes like a white domino with one small black dot on each side.
It is obvious to me from his posturing that my meal is sitting on the same plate as the Colombian’s. I return to my seat and she is eating. We make small talk and still I am hesitant to take the last step. The weapon of choice is two small, wooden sticks. I unsheathe them carefully and stab the pinkish flesh across from me. As I pull it towards my mouth, I think only one thing: DON’T THROW UP!
I handle the nigiri with little difficulty. Its texture and taste are not familiar, but I easily acquire the taste. I have passed the test and the moment of truth is over. We make small talk for a short while longer and then leave together.
It wasn’t until later that I told her it was my first time. I was nervous and yet I executed flawlessly. She promises it will be better next time and that she will be my sushi guide from this point forward. For the first time since it begin I felt safe knowing there was someone else there with me…
I managed for twenty seven years to avoid this. I said never in Neverland, but unlike Pan I was doing what I said I’d never do. There was no Tinkerbell or Captain Hook, and Wendy had left long ago. This was a crossroads, a quandary, and a burden no one should bare.
I could not ask for help and let her…or them onto my ignorance. This was a game of sly and cunning, one better than Bond ever dreamt of. I scanned for my choices several times. I could not afford to be wrong, but I needed to hurry. The pressure was mounting. This was the bottom of the ninth, it was the last play with time expiring, it was the moment I was waiting for.
Before I arrived at the location, I had visualized the situation. Each time I did, the same problem presented itself. I steeled my mind with one thought; DON’T THROW UP! It was still the only thought I could manage to electronically elicit through my neural synapses.
And so now was the time. I checked all exit paths and angles of attack one last time before I slowly began to pull the trigger. Like the rat tat tat of automatic fire, the words Spicy Tuna stumbled out like spent shell casings. I relaxed my index finger and relinquished my side arm with reckless abandon. They didn’t know my true identity, my cover was safe for now.
It was time for the ultimate showdown. If I could pass this test, no one would ever know. There were only two of us; the Colombian with her impish smile, deep eyes, rich accent, and infinite sushi knowledge and myself, the novice. When our order arrived, it was on one serving dish. I was confused. “Where was my meal,” I wondered aloud. She asks the same-my cover intact I approached the server warily. I asked if my order was on the way and he stared blankly back-the whites of his eyes like a white domino with one small black dot on each side.
It is obvious to me from his posturing that my meal is sitting on the same plate as the Colombian’s. I return to my seat and she is eating. We make small talk and still I am hesitant to take the last step. The weapon of choice is two small, wooden sticks. I unsheathe them carefully and stab the pinkish flesh across from me. As I pull it towards my mouth, I think only one thing: DON’T THROW UP!
I handle the nigiri with little difficulty. Its texture and taste are not familiar, but I easily acquire the taste. I have passed the test and the moment of truth is over. We make small talk for a short while longer and then leave together.
It wasn’t until later that I told her it was my first time. I was nervous and yet I executed flawlessly. She promises it will be better next time and that she will be my sushi guide from this point forward. For the first time since it begin I felt safe knowing there was someone else there with me…
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Language of Slaves
The Language of Slaves
A majority of Christians have lost the full meaning of the word slave. The history of the world shows us the pattern of the oppressed and oppressor. From the Hebrew and Egyptian to modern day human trafficking, it is a word that only holds a negative connotation.
To the Christian it must hold a different meaning than what the world says. The culture of God is the true culture of the Earth, but because of sin man has allowed this culture to be turned upside down. Coincidently, when the Bible says that 12 men, meaning the disciples, turned the world upside down they actually turned it right side up. They were showing the world what God through Jesus Christ meant for man to experience from the very beginning of creation.
The question is then, “what was meant for man?” From the beginning man was given authority and created to be an overcomer. Due to the dissension of Satan and one-third of the heavenly hosts, hell was created. In the Bible hell is described as an ending place for those spirits. These created, yet eternal beings, which have no physical body, made an eternal decision to rebel against God. Since their substance is fully eternal, every decision they make is eternal. Their predicament is spelled out through the ages in Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Although the passage is referring to man specifically, I believe that it is a principle of God and therefore applicable to all beings.
The difference in man is the temporary shell in which our eternal spirit/soul dwells. God designed the universe for man to overcome His enemies. Proverbs tells us that haughtiness precedes a fall and this harkens not only to Satan being cast out of heaven, but also to his end.
What does this have to do with slavery? The answer is simple; it has everything to do with it! You see, God set the world on the foundation of Christ. He is the centerpiece of Creation, the Lamb who was slain at the foundation of the world, the capstone the builders rejected; it was this prophet that found no honor in His own city, the king without an earthly crown, the Living Word of God who through his own submission to God freed the world. The Bible says that he who the Son sets free is free indeed and that Christ came to set the captives free.
Before Jesus could complete His earthly duties he had to forsake the world system and submit to God. Paul talks about this type of submission. It is called being a bond slave or more literally a love slave. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our lives must be bridled by the words of the Bible.
As someone who calls themselves a Christian we need to realize that Christian liberty is a myth, or at least the way I observe it in the present day. Growing up I saw people cussing, drinking, and making out with their (in)significant other and defending it because it was in the scope of their Christian liberty. I could systematically argue against all three, but that would belabor the point. The truth is that sin seeks you out and its appetite is never satisfied. In fact, its goal is to consume and kill you. Solomon says that everything is vanity. Relationships, money, and other material wealth will pass away. Paul says that all things are permissible, but not all are profitable. As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
For we know that the wages of sin is death and anything that feeds humanity’s propensity towards sin is worthless. In other words, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are one step away from sinning we must follow the scripture that screams, “Flee youthful lusts.” At this point many readers will stop and shout that blasphemous word, “legalism.” It is not legalism, it is love. My love for God causes me to keep His commandments and when I fall short Christ covers me.
In the meantime why would I give myself the opportunity to sin? Why would I walk into a bar and order a drink? Why would I go someplace private with a romantic interest? God does not lead us into temptation so why follow fleshly desire which is death and forsake the words of the Spirit which are life?
A majority of Christians have lost the full meaning of the word slave. The history of the world shows us the pattern of the oppressed and oppressor. From the Hebrew and Egyptian to modern day human trafficking, it is a word that only holds a negative connotation.
To the Christian it must hold a different meaning than what the world says. The culture of God is the true culture of the Earth, but because of sin man has allowed this culture to be turned upside down. Coincidently, when the Bible says that 12 men, meaning the disciples, turned the world upside down they actually turned it right side up. They were showing the world what God through Jesus Christ meant for man to experience from the very beginning of creation.
The question is then, “what was meant for man?” From the beginning man was given authority and created to be an overcomer. Due to the dissension of Satan and one-third of the heavenly hosts, hell was created. In the Bible hell is described as an ending place for those spirits. These created, yet eternal beings, which have no physical body, made an eternal decision to rebel against God. Since their substance is fully eternal, every decision they make is eternal. Their predicament is spelled out through the ages in Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Although the passage is referring to man specifically, I believe that it is a principle of God and therefore applicable to all beings.
The difference in man is the temporary shell in which our eternal spirit/soul dwells. God designed the universe for man to overcome His enemies. Proverbs tells us that haughtiness precedes a fall and this harkens not only to Satan being cast out of heaven, but also to his end.
What does this have to do with slavery? The answer is simple; it has everything to do with it! You see, God set the world on the foundation of Christ. He is the centerpiece of Creation, the Lamb who was slain at the foundation of the world, the capstone the builders rejected; it was this prophet that found no honor in His own city, the king without an earthly crown, the Living Word of God who through his own submission to God freed the world. The Bible says that he who the Son sets free is free indeed and that Christ came to set the captives free.
Before Jesus could complete His earthly duties he had to forsake the world system and submit to God. Paul talks about this type of submission. It is called being a bond slave or more literally a love slave. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our lives must be bridled by the words of the Bible.
As someone who calls themselves a Christian we need to realize that Christian liberty is a myth, or at least the way I observe it in the present day. Growing up I saw people cussing, drinking, and making out with their (in)significant other and defending it because it was in the scope of their Christian liberty. I could systematically argue against all three, but that would belabor the point. The truth is that sin seeks you out and its appetite is never satisfied. In fact, its goal is to consume and kill you. Solomon says that everything is vanity. Relationships, money, and other material wealth will pass away. Paul says that all things are permissible, but not all are profitable. As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
For we know that the wages of sin is death and anything that feeds humanity’s propensity towards sin is worthless. In other words, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are one step away from sinning we must follow the scripture that screams, “Flee youthful lusts.” At this point many readers will stop and shout that blasphemous word, “legalism.” It is not legalism, it is love. My love for God causes me to keep His commandments and when I fall short Christ covers me.
In the meantime why would I give myself the opportunity to sin? Why would I walk into a bar and order a drink? Why would I go someplace private with a romantic interest? God does not lead us into temptation so why follow fleshly desire which is death and forsake the words of the Spirit which are life?
The rights of Man.
Man has the right to sin. It is implicit in the basic concept of free will. Although man has the right to do wrong, his obligation is to fulfill and obey the law. Previously I have stated that obedience is faith and vice versa. Therefore, following this reasoning, we find the scripture agreeing when it says that whatever is not of faith is sin.
This concept is tied into who Christ was. If he was truly the God-man, then he had the right to sin in that he had free will. Man has free will and God does what He wills. This is a double positive and cannot be dismissed.
God is the lawgiver and as such, Christ, who Himself was God in human form, gave the law to Moses from whom it was passed for Christ the man to follow. And so when Christ says that His purpose was not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, it is because of the understanding that He gave the law and to that time no man had been able to keep it. Because He kept the law, he was able to fulfill that list of requirements against us and clothe us in the righteousness of God through Himself.
The ultimate moment of clarity for the doctrine of the God-man is the crucifixion. Jesus on various occasions declared that God was His father and the Bible says that He did not consider it robbery to do so. He also asked the question to His disciples, “Who is it that you say I am?” Peter’s answer was that He was the Messiah and Jesus did not dissuade this thought, but affirmed it by declaring that the Holy Spirit revealed it to Peter.
With this in the background we find Jesus hanging on the cross. During this process He utters two phrases that clue us into what is happening. He says, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is something that only God can do and as the Son of God he made intercession for his accusers even as he intercedes for us today.
Secondly he says, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?” This was Jesus speaking from His humanity. You see, God cannot separate from God. This is an impossible paradox that defies scriptural principle that declares that a house divided against itself cannot stand, therefore God cannot forsake God. It was at this moment that God left Christ’s humanity and He died. And so Christ’s spirit did not die, for we believe that the spirit is eternal. But He did shed mortality.
It is this same spirit that went into Abraham’s bosom and ascended into the heavens with the saints. It is the same spirit that was given to the prophets in the Old Testament and the same spirit that dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. More so, this is the same spirit that dwells inside every believer.
There is no veil into the holy of holies, there is instead our hearts. For God declared that He would write on the hearts of his children instead of tablets of stone. And it is in our hearts and minds that God is interested in.
Be renewed by the washing of the word and the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Today we come before our God and say thank you. Thank you for your amazing grace, tender mercy, your loving-kindness, and your chastisement.
Lord, let us live worthy to be called Christians. For it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
This concept is tied into who Christ was. If he was truly the God-man, then he had the right to sin in that he had free will. Man has free will and God does what He wills. This is a double positive and cannot be dismissed.
God is the lawgiver and as such, Christ, who Himself was God in human form, gave the law to Moses from whom it was passed for Christ the man to follow. And so when Christ says that His purpose was not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, it is because of the understanding that He gave the law and to that time no man had been able to keep it. Because He kept the law, he was able to fulfill that list of requirements against us and clothe us in the righteousness of God through Himself.
The ultimate moment of clarity for the doctrine of the God-man is the crucifixion. Jesus on various occasions declared that God was His father and the Bible says that He did not consider it robbery to do so. He also asked the question to His disciples, “Who is it that you say I am?” Peter’s answer was that He was the Messiah and Jesus did not dissuade this thought, but affirmed it by declaring that the Holy Spirit revealed it to Peter.
With this in the background we find Jesus hanging on the cross. During this process He utters two phrases that clue us into what is happening. He says, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is something that only God can do and as the Son of God he made intercession for his accusers even as he intercedes for us today.
Secondly he says, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?” This was Jesus speaking from His humanity. You see, God cannot separate from God. This is an impossible paradox that defies scriptural principle that declares that a house divided against itself cannot stand, therefore God cannot forsake God. It was at this moment that God left Christ’s humanity and He died. And so Christ’s spirit did not die, for we believe that the spirit is eternal. But He did shed mortality.
It is this same spirit that went into Abraham’s bosom and ascended into the heavens with the saints. It is the same spirit that was given to the prophets in the Old Testament and the same spirit that dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. More so, this is the same spirit that dwells inside every believer.
There is no veil into the holy of holies, there is instead our hearts. For God declared that He would write on the hearts of his children instead of tablets of stone. And it is in our hearts and minds that God is interested in.
Be renewed by the washing of the word and the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Today we come before our God and say thank you. Thank you for your amazing grace, tender mercy, your loving-kindness, and your chastisement.
Lord, let us live worthy to be called Christians. For it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
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