Any good Bible student knows the story of the circumstances in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. All of the Apostles were gathered together, waiting for something to happen, which of course it did, with the Holy Spirit entering the room pouring Himself out upon them. We know that they began speaking in tongues and went out and started working miracles and preaching the Word to all. But have we ever stopped to wonder why this was done at this time? How did the Word spread so quickly throughout the known world. Most scholars believe that all the "farthest reaches" of the world had heard of the gospel within a mere 50 years. Paul wrote in Romans 16:25-26, "Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the MYSTERY, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made MANIFEST, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to ALL NATIONS for the obedience of faith." So by the time Paul was in Rome, all nations in the known world had heard, without cars, telephones, internet, or cable t.v. Miracles were of course involved, but that was normally through physical contact. So how and why could the new concept of Christianity have spread when it has been said that most people did not stray further than 30 miles from where they were born for their whole lives? Let's go back and look at what happened some 2,000 years ago.
First of all, as Jesus as doing his ministry, He wasn't walking extreme distances. For us today it might be extreme, but Jesus' travels from His home in Galilee to the end of His life in Jerusalem is a distance of about 70 miles. He traveled to other places as well, but not far off, and considering his ministry was 3 to 4 years, His total travels doubtfully was more than 200 miles in radius. The key to all of this was the time frame. He entered Jerusalem for the final time on the last week of His life during Passover. This Jewish feast which dates back to Exodus, was the Holiest of Jewish holidays, and Jews from around the world would make this pilgrimage to Jerusalem at least once in their lives to celebrate. The historian Josephus wrote that the population would swell in Jerusalem to almost ten times it's normal populace, and this was the time that Jesus entered in. This was providence, but also prophecy fulfilled (Zech.9:9), that He came in with one of the world's largest transient populations.
Of course during that week, Jesus was teaching many, and word was spreading throughout the city, even falling on the ears of the Jewish leaders, but most likely the majority of the people there never saw Jesus personally, and many probably knew nothing at all of Him. Once He was arrested and tried and executed, more people may have come out to watch, but the scriptures don't give us a number, nor does it say those that came out were believers, as we sometimes see in the movie versions. I am certain many were just curious over these events that were taking place. However, this would change when on the moments of His death, a great eclipse and earthquake shook the land. People began to take notice, even as far away as Greece, where the famed atheist Thalus, wrote of both the eclipse and earthquake, giving even more evidence to the story. But it was after these events that the Word really began to spread, as the Apostles were waiting for the Spirit after they had spent forty days with Christ who had arisen.
Once the spirit entered the room and filled them, they all began to speak in tongues. Now this has been debated over the years as to what "tongues" meant, but in Acts 2:6, it is clear that the tongues were different languages that the Apostles suddenly could speak, because the multitude were amazed that they could understand their own language from men from Galilee. You see, the multitude was there from around the world celebrating Passover, nothing states that they were believers who could speak angelic language. Although the Apostles for the most part were educated, they obviously did not know all the languages of the world, until now. They immediately went out and used this miracle, which got the attention of the whole city, most of which (Acts 2:8-12) were from around the world. The miracle amazed them, the Word made them believe, and on that day 3,000 souls were saved. God uses providence with miracles to get the people to hear, then believe. Many of these same people sold what possessions they had to support the Apostles, and shortly after, the great persecution began, scattering these souls back to their homes around the world, taking the message of God with them. It was not long at all that Asia, Africa, and Europe knew the Truth.
God is using this wonderful tool today, and providence brings us to people we have never met to tell them about the Word. We have such an opportunity with the internet, social media, phones, and still the most effective, speaking to each other, that we should not overlook these chances and tell people not only what they are missing, but what will happen if they don't believe. The providence of God is all around us, and He uses it every day, but it is up to us to take advantage of these opportunities, we are His mouthpieces, His representatives on earth. He no longer needs to use those miracles of the first century, He has something more powerful, faithful men and women who would lay down their lives to save lost souls. It was no accident that Jesus came into Jerusalem during Passover, this was the plan that God put in motion before time began, and how we are we are today.
A Christian Blog that uses the Bible as it's only source of doctrine.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Am I Worthy Enough?
Am I worthy enough to be accepted by Christ and even be a part of His Church? I have done so many bad things in my life, and continue to do these things, that I am not the type of person that Jesus is looking for. How many times have we either heard this or probably even said this about ourselves? Many times, when we are in this position and feel this way, people will tell us "Give it to God", or "He will take care of you", which is absolutely true, but it doesn't really answer your question. Am I worthy enough? The answer is...no. Shocking? Well, if any of us were worthy, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for each and every one of us. This is why it is said we are saved by the cross. God however, in all His great knowledge, knew that man would still struggle with this concept, so that is why there are so many examples of man committing horrible sins, yet God still tells us all we need to do is repent. "If God truly knows what I have done, He won't forgive me." Please don't ever feel this way, because as we are about to see, some of the greatest people of the Bible did atrocities that we would never even dream of doing, yet they have eternal salvation. One even arrested Christians and had them executed, and he was made an apostle and was the greatest preacher in history. Let me give you some examples.
We can go back to the very beginning, back to Genesis. Adam and Eve were the first and only people God created, and they were the only ones who were perfect, yet they were deceived by Satan and ate of the tree of knowledge. Because of their sin they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and forced to work for their food, go through the pain of childbirth, and suffer in their lives like the rest of us. Yet God was forgiving to them. He blessed them with many children to start the age of civilization, and they continued to walk with God. Later on, we come to Moses, who we know God loved very much, even speaking to him one on one in many occasions and giving Moses His law to give to the Israelites. Moses however was still a man, and just like all men, decided to do something other than what God commanded. In Numbers chapter 20, the people were crying for water and God tells Moses to speak to a rock and water will flow from it. Moses, with all of his worldly knowledge, hit the rock twice, and water flowed. God was not pleased that Moses decided to do his own thing, and punished Moses with never being able to live or enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:12). Moses did however repent, and because of God's great love for him, He showed Moses the land, and even buried Moses Himself in Deut. 34:6.
Of course we can read the whole story of David who had many ups and downs with the Lord. He basically committed murder after he committed adultery, had many wives, raised children who were anything but faithful, yet he repented, changed his heart, and became the first king of Israel. And God loved David, so much so Jesus was a direct descendant of the Davidian line. We can also learn much about the Jews in the Old Testament, and how time and time again they went against God, worshipping idols and even other Gods, yet no matter how many times they did this, God allowed them back into His fold. In Jeremiah chapter 3, the northern kingdom of Israel has fallen away and is committing horrible sins against God, which He has promised they would be punished for, but read what verses 12-14 say. He is begging them to come back to Him, repent of their ways, and be one with Him again. Think about that. God is begging men to stop sinning against Him and return. It didn't matter what their sins were, just come back and start anew.
Then we can look at the New Testament and the amazing story of Paul of Tarsus. Before he became Paul, he was named Saul, and his job was to hunt down Christians and arrest them. Many, if not all of those arrests ended in execution, just like the martyrdom of Stephen. It was Saul who actually convinced the high priests to include women and children in the arrests as well. Yet Christ approached Saul on the road to Damascus, where he was travelling to arrest more people. Saul was blinded by the Spirit, and changed his ways, becoming baptized and preaching the lessons taught by Jesus. When he became baptized, his past sins were completely washed away, and he was born again into Christ, changing his name to Paul, becoming an apostle and spreading the Word like no one else has ever done.
We are all imperfect and commit sin every day. We are all far from worthy of God and His forgiveness, but He sacrificed His only Son for all of us. Jesus died for our sins, no matter how great or small, each sin is the same and is forgiven, IF we repent in our hearts and try to change our ways. When I say try, that means with the full intention of doing so, but it will take hard work, and we will fail from time to time, like Israel did. Here are a couple of examples of what I'm trying to say. Some ask me if it is possible that a child killer can go to Heaven. Absolutely, if they repent and are baptized, after all, Paul was a killer. What about the alcoholic or drug abuser? Well, baptism does save, but it is not magical, and an addiction will not just disappear when you come up out of the water will it? You will still be addicted, and need to get to help, but God knows this and knows what's in your heart and if you try to quit with all your might, you eventually will, and God will be waiting for you. Christians aren't perfect when we are saved, we were saved because we realized we are broken and need God to help us. According to all that He wrote in the Bible, He cares not what sins you commit, and you will, He just begs you to repent and come back to Him and live in eternity with Him. We are not worthy to have such an amazing and wonderful God, but He has done this for us, so it is the least we can do for Him.
We can go back to the very beginning, back to Genesis. Adam and Eve were the first and only people God created, and they were the only ones who were perfect, yet they were deceived by Satan and ate of the tree of knowledge. Because of their sin they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and forced to work for their food, go through the pain of childbirth, and suffer in their lives like the rest of us. Yet God was forgiving to them. He blessed them with many children to start the age of civilization, and they continued to walk with God. Later on, we come to Moses, who we know God loved very much, even speaking to him one on one in many occasions and giving Moses His law to give to the Israelites. Moses however was still a man, and just like all men, decided to do something other than what God commanded. In Numbers chapter 20, the people were crying for water and God tells Moses to speak to a rock and water will flow from it. Moses, with all of his worldly knowledge, hit the rock twice, and water flowed. God was not pleased that Moses decided to do his own thing, and punished Moses with never being able to live or enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:12). Moses did however repent, and because of God's great love for him, He showed Moses the land, and even buried Moses Himself in Deut. 34:6.
Of course we can read the whole story of David who had many ups and downs with the Lord. He basically committed murder after he committed adultery, had many wives, raised children who were anything but faithful, yet he repented, changed his heart, and became the first king of Israel. And God loved David, so much so Jesus was a direct descendant of the Davidian line. We can also learn much about the Jews in the Old Testament, and how time and time again they went against God, worshipping idols and even other Gods, yet no matter how many times they did this, God allowed them back into His fold. In Jeremiah chapter 3, the northern kingdom of Israel has fallen away and is committing horrible sins against God, which He has promised they would be punished for, but read what verses 12-14 say. He is begging them to come back to Him, repent of their ways, and be one with Him again. Think about that. God is begging men to stop sinning against Him and return. It didn't matter what their sins were, just come back and start anew.
Then we can look at the New Testament and the amazing story of Paul of Tarsus. Before he became Paul, he was named Saul, and his job was to hunt down Christians and arrest them. Many, if not all of those arrests ended in execution, just like the martyrdom of Stephen. It was Saul who actually convinced the high priests to include women and children in the arrests as well. Yet Christ approached Saul on the road to Damascus, where he was travelling to arrest more people. Saul was blinded by the Spirit, and changed his ways, becoming baptized and preaching the lessons taught by Jesus. When he became baptized, his past sins were completely washed away, and he was born again into Christ, changing his name to Paul, becoming an apostle and spreading the Word like no one else has ever done.
We are all imperfect and commit sin every day. We are all far from worthy of God and His forgiveness, but He sacrificed His only Son for all of us. Jesus died for our sins, no matter how great or small, each sin is the same and is forgiven, IF we repent in our hearts and try to change our ways. When I say try, that means with the full intention of doing so, but it will take hard work, and we will fail from time to time, like Israel did. Here are a couple of examples of what I'm trying to say. Some ask me if it is possible that a child killer can go to Heaven. Absolutely, if they repent and are baptized, after all, Paul was a killer. What about the alcoholic or drug abuser? Well, baptism does save, but it is not magical, and an addiction will not just disappear when you come up out of the water will it? You will still be addicted, and need to get to help, but God knows this and knows what's in your heart and if you try to quit with all your might, you eventually will, and God will be waiting for you. Christians aren't perfect when we are saved, we were saved because we realized we are broken and need God to help us. According to all that He wrote in the Bible, He cares not what sins you commit, and you will, He just begs you to repent and come back to Him and live in eternity with Him. We are not worthy to have such an amazing and wonderful God, but He has done this for us, so it is the least we can do for Him.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Liars and False Teachers
The biggest problem facing the Word of God today, are false teachers spreading lies or adding their own beliefs to produce mass followers. These evil men and women will say or do anything to get people to come to their services, watch them on T.V., and give huge amounts of money to put in their own pockets. This is by far not a new phenomena, in fact it dates back to the Old Testament and is prominent in the New. I'll give examples of this and the warnings that our Lord gave us to watch for these "wolves in sheep's clothing", but we are also told the best way to know who these false teachers are, and the lies they tell is by knowing the scriptures and proving the Word of God, and if need be, defend it. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The truth of the Word, scripture, "is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.", (2 Timothy 3:16). God is telling us that anything other than His doctrine is unrighteous, and it is up to us to know the difference.
In Paul's second letter to his friend and young preacher Timothy, Paul says to him to preach the Word at all times because a time will come when the people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will change the Word to follow after their own lusts, change the truth and follow false teachers (2 Timothy 4:1-4). This occurs in all churches today, just as it did then. Paul knew that God had given us His Word, and all we need to know to be saved and to save others is in the scriptures, proving that if any allow themselves to worship or teach something other than the Word is wrong. We will be lost if we think it is okay to worship God however we want as long as we worship God. If this were true, the Bible would indeed be very short and simply say, believe in God and you'll be fine. So why did God bother to give us so many commandments, examples and inferences on everything from daily living to the way we should worship? Because He knew that man would very shortly begin perverting the Bible and doing what he wanted to make it more pleasing to him.
In Paul's second letter to Peter, in chapter 2, Paul describes what a false teacher does and why he/she does it. They do it many times for money, and fame. Think of all the T.V. evangelists. What they say might make you feel good, and might inspire you to go out and help people, or pray, or just do something good for someone else, and that's fine, but is it still fine if it took a lie to get you to do it? In 2 Peter, Paul reminds us that the angels who were tricked and followed Satan were chained in darkness and must suffer punishment. If angels were condemned, what makes us think we are safe if someone tricks us? We must know the truth that someone is teaching us. I have heard there are some churches who's ministers tell the congregation that it is impossible to fully understand the Bible, and that it takes a trained person to help you understand. Think about this, that is the most perfect way Satan might be able to trick a Christian, after all, he was able to trick Eve while she was still perfect. Three to four hundred years ago, the Catholic Church told the people they could not even study the Bible without being in the presence of a priest, and this is of course why Martin Luther broke away and struck out on his own. He understood that the Bible could be understood, and this is why God inspired men to write it. After all, what author ever wrote a book that he didn't intend the reader to know what he was talking about?
So what are these false teachers teaching us that is not true? Well, where could we possibly start? Paul admonishes the Galatians in chapter 3 for following doctrine other than Christ's. He also tells the Corinthians that he thanked God he was not the one who baptized them for they would follow him and look to him as their leader instead of Christ. So basically anything that is not found in scriptures would be false teaching, and must be avoided at all costs. As I said, this happens in all churches and normally is the reason for churches to split and new doctrines created, so the only way to be sure to get it right is to study scripture and know what God is telling us. More and more people are leaving the churches today and becoming less spiritual than ever before because I believe, and this is just my opinion here, that when they attend a "modern" church, deep down they know this is not what God intended or can be happy with. Multi-million dollar buildings, ministers living in million dollar homes, driving luxury cars and then preaching about how humble they are is just plain wrong! Some issues that are falsely taught are what are to do during worship. Yes, the Bible lays out a plan on what we should do during worship, so we could start there and by using scripture, see if you're church is following what God said to do. Don't forget that He was very specific in the Old Testament, and the Jews were often punished for disobeying, and the same is true today. My next post will be about what the Bible says on the pattern of worship and what He expects from each and every one of us.
We can understand all that is written in the Bible (Romans 16:25-26), and must do as He commands, which really is not as hard as some make it out to be. And that is ALL that we should do, for adding OR taking away is a sin, (Revelation 22:18, Deut. 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-7) and the one who does so, is a liar according to Him (Proverb 30:7). As always, this was written with the hopes that those who read it might change if what they are doing is different than God, for their soul depends on it.
In Paul's second letter to his friend and young preacher Timothy, Paul says to him to preach the Word at all times because a time will come when the people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will change the Word to follow after their own lusts, change the truth and follow false teachers (2 Timothy 4:1-4). This occurs in all churches today, just as it did then. Paul knew that God had given us His Word, and all we need to know to be saved and to save others is in the scriptures, proving that if any allow themselves to worship or teach something other than the Word is wrong. We will be lost if we think it is okay to worship God however we want as long as we worship God. If this were true, the Bible would indeed be very short and simply say, believe in God and you'll be fine. So why did God bother to give us so many commandments, examples and inferences on everything from daily living to the way we should worship? Because He knew that man would very shortly begin perverting the Bible and doing what he wanted to make it more pleasing to him.
In Paul's second letter to Peter, in chapter 2, Paul describes what a false teacher does and why he/she does it. They do it many times for money, and fame. Think of all the T.V. evangelists. What they say might make you feel good, and might inspire you to go out and help people, or pray, or just do something good for someone else, and that's fine, but is it still fine if it took a lie to get you to do it? In 2 Peter, Paul reminds us that the angels who were tricked and followed Satan were chained in darkness and must suffer punishment. If angels were condemned, what makes us think we are safe if someone tricks us? We must know the truth that someone is teaching us. I have heard there are some churches who's ministers tell the congregation that it is impossible to fully understand the Bible, and that it takes a trained person to help you understand. Think about this, that is the most perfect way Satan might be able to trick a Christian, after all, he was able to trick Eve while she was still perfect. Three to four hundred years ago, the Catholic Church told the people they could not even study the Bible without being in the presence of a priest, and this is of course why Martin Luther broke away and struck out on his own. He understood that the Bible could be understood, and this is why God inspired men to write it. After all, what author ever wrote a book that he didn't intend the reader to know what he was talking about?
So what are these false teachers teaching us that is not true? Well, where could we possibly start? Paul admonishes the Galatians in chapter 3 for following doctrine other than Christ's. He also tells the Corinthians that he thanked God he was not the one who baptized them for they would follow him and look to him as their leader instead of Christ. So basically anything that is not found in scriptures would be false teaching, and must be avoided at all costs. As I said, this happens in all churches and normally is the reason for churches to split and new doctrines created, so the only way to be sure to get it right is to study scripture and know what God is telling us. More and more people are leaving the churches today and becoming less spiritual than ever before because I believe, and this is just my opinion here, that when they attend a "modern" church, deep down they know this is not what God intended or can be happy with. Multi-million dollar buildings, ministers living in million dollar homes, driving luxury cars and then preaching about how humble they are is just plain wrong! Some issues that are falsely taught are what are to do during worship. Yes, the Bible lays out a plan on what we should do during worship, so we could start there and by using scripture, see if you're church is following what God said to do. Don't forget that He was very specific in the Old Testament, and the Jews were often punished for disobeying, and the same is true today. My next post will be about what the Bible says on the pattern of worship and what He expects from each and every one of us.
We can understand all that is written in the Bible (Romans 16:25-26), and must do as He commands, which really is not as hard as some make it out to be. And that is ALL that we should do, for adding OR taking away is a sin, (Revelation 22:18, Deut. 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-7) and the one who does so, is a liar according to Him (Proverb 30:7). As always, this was written with the hopes that those who read it might change if what they are doing is different than God, for their soul depends on it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
The Lesson We Can Learn From Joshua
The Book of Joshua is an amazing and wonderful book that many times gets overlooked in our study of scripture. I hear quite often, especially from the youth that the Bible is "so boring", when that tells me they obviously have never read Joshua and the conquests of God's people into the Promised Land. But what can we learn, if anything, from this book besides the history? After all, we are New Testament Christians and Joshua was leading the Israelites after the death of Moses, so it is simply history, right? Actually, this is the time when God's people were the most faithful than in any other time in the Bible, or since. And because of their faithfulness, God stayed with them, ensured their victory, and even stopped the sun from setting for an hour to give His people victory. All they had to do in return was to follow His commands exactly, even if they didn't understand them at the time. Complete obedience is necessary for our reward, just as it was for theirs. Partial obedience is the equivalent of total damnation, and God just wants us to simply obey His commands. Unfortunately, many today feel that partial obedience, or just by God's grace we are saved. We can learn from Joshua that there is more to the story.
After the death of Moses, Joshua became the leader of the Israelite people, and God commands Joshua to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. God tells Joshua that if he walks with Him, He will stand by the people and fight for them. So the promise of God was conditional, just as it is today (Mat. 7:21). In Joshua 1:16-18, we read where all the people spoke with voice, and all declared unity with God, swearing to obey. So the first thing they do is send spies into Jericho to scout out the land. They come upon a woman named Rahab, who hides the spies from the king, and asks them to spare her and her family when the army attacks. The spies agree, but again there is a condition. She must tell no one of the Israelites, she must tie a scarlet rope and hang it from her window, and all that she wants saved must be in her house at the time of the attack. She did exactly as she was told, and she was spared. If she had faltered in any way, she would have surely perished.
In chapter 3 of Joshua, the people begin getting their exact commands from God to attack Jericho. The ark is to go before them, for God is always our king and should be followed. In verses 7-8, God parts the Jordan just as the priests feet touch the water. Then in chapter 4 there are commands that many did not understand at first, but they did them anyway without question. Each tribe were to take one stone and place it in the river as a memorial to the greatness of God. The people were to march around the city for six days, and then on the seventh day let out a great shout. Why? What did this have to do with anything? It was because God was testing them, to see if they could follow simple instructions. They did, and the walls came down, and the city fell. Of course, the faithfulness of the people was short lived, as Achan, a man in the army, went against God's wishes and broke the law, and he paid with his life.
You see, God just wants us to do the same thing today. He has given us His very specific rules and laws that really are not that hard to understand, and simply follow them. After all, that is why He wrote them down. It wasn't for His own amusement, it was for man to follow, because without it, man would simply wander aimlessly and create his own wild religious ideas. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, James 1:21-22 tells us to do as God says, not as man says. If we just go, and teach the Word, the exact Word, God will be with us and guide us (Mark 16:20). Today, so many people want to be somewhat obedient, that is, obedient to their own extent. They figure that God won't mind that the rules might be changed a little, because they always kept Him in their minds. This is simply not true. Achan paid for this mistake with his life, as did Ananais and Saphira later on in the New Testament. God was proud of His people, yet it wasn't long before they turned their back on Him, and it would take a savior to reunite us with God, but on His terms and conditions. Thank God that so many men gave their lives so that we might have the gospel today, and follow our Father's simple commands.
After the death of Moses, Joshua became the leader of the Israelite people, and God commands Joshua to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. God tells Joshua that if he walks with Him, He will stand by the people and fight for them. So the promise of God was conditional, just as it is today (Mat. 7:21). In Joshua 1:16-18, we read where all the people spoke with voice, and all declared unity with God, swearing to obey. So the first thing they do is send spies into Jericho to scout out the land. They come upon a woman named Rahab, who hides the spies from the king, and asks them to spare her and her family when the army attacks. The spies agree, but again there is a condition. She must tell no one of the Israelites, she must tie a scarlet rope and hang it from her window, and all that she wants saved must be in her house at the time of the attack. She did exactly as she was told, and she was spared. If she had faltered in any way, she would have surely perished.
In chapter 3 of Joshua, the people begin getting their exact commands from God to attack Jericho. The ark is to go before them, for God is always our king and should be followed. In verses 7-8, God parts the Jordan just as the priests feet touch the water. Then in chapter 4 there are commands that many did not understand at first, but they did them anyway without question. Each tribe were to take one stone and place it in the river as a memorial to the greatness of God. The people were to march around the city for six days, and then on the seventh day let out a great shout. Why? What did this have to do with anything? It was because God was testing them, to see if they could follow simple instructions. They did, and the walls came down, and the city fell. Of course, the faithfulness of the people was short lived, as Achan, a man in the army, went against God's wishes and broke the law, and he paid with his life.
You see, God just wants us to do the same thing today. He has given us His very specific rules and laws that really are not that hard to understand, and simply follow them. After all, that is why He wrote them down. It wasn't for His own amusement, it was for man to follow, because without it, man would simply wander aimlessly and create his own wild religious ideas. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, James 1:21-22 tells us to do as God says, not as man says. If we just go, and teach the Word, the exact Word, God will be with us and guide us (Mark 16:20). Today, so many people want to be somewhat obedient, that is, obedient to their own extent. They figure that God won't mind that the rules might be changed a little, because they always kept Him in their minds. This is simply not true. Achan paid for this mistake with his life, as did Ananais and Saphira later on in the New Testament. God was proud of His people, yet it wasn't long before they turned their back on Him, and it would take a savior to reunite us with God, but on His terms and conditions. Thank God that so many men gave their lives so that we might have the gospel today, and follow our Father's simple commands.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
What Would a New Church Look Like?
What would a new church look like if all they had to go on was the Bible? Sounds interesting doesn't it? I think a question like this could even put a little panic into some denominational leaders of today, whose organization looks nothing like the descriptions in the Bible. I was recently told by someone lately who is a member of a major denomination that the church of the first century no longer exists, things change, and hey, change is good right? If so, why didn't God foresee these changes? He gave no instructions, examples, references or even inferences to what to do in the future, except to do His will which He already gave to us. In Mal. 3:6 He says He does not change, and in the next verse He begs us to return to His ordinances. His ordinances, not those of men who think the rules need to be rewritten to keep up with the times. How arrogant can anyone be to think they can help God better explain things than He can? So, what am I talking about? How has man changed the church of our Lord, and is it for the better?
There are something in the neighborhood of 2,000 different Christian beliefs in society today. Each one is at least a little different than the next, and many if not all denominations have many separate sects within their own organizations that do something a little different, thus the reason for their split at sometime in their history. It may be due to financial, types of worship, times of worship, days of worship, the way they sing, don't sing, pray, don't pray, or a million other nuances that make them different. Some churches have their ministers wearing suits and ties, while others make them wear long flowing robes with crown-like hats that reach the ceiling, while some prefer a more relaxed style of shorts and flip-flops. Some prefer wine with their communion, grape juice, maybe even grape soda, (yes, I have even seen that), and recently I saw on the news of one drinking beer, which was okay because God told them so. But here's the kicker, even after all their different and separate beliefs, they all believe that the other groups are okay as well as long as they believe God. In reality, I think they are afraid to offend anyone, forgetting that God has already given us instructions and we could be offending Him. But what if all we knew was erased, all churches of every belief closed down and our memories vanished. What would happen then? What would a new church look like if all we had to go by was a single surviving Bible? Guess what? This has happened, and the results might shock you.
In the 1950's, Communism was spreading rapidly in Southeast Asia, gobbling up countries like Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. When the communists took over, usually what they would do is outlaw any type of religion and religious materials. If there were any missionaries in the area, they had to flee quickly, usually with nothing more than their clothes on their backs. Many items were left to be destroyed, but in some cases, small villages would be able to hide certain items from their enemies. This is exactly what happened in a small village in Laos where a Presbyterian mission group left a case of Bibles behind in their rush to escape. The villagers found the Bibles and hid them to use later. After a few years, these Bibles were brought out and a few people began reading them and spreading the truth that they were reading. It was kept as a closely guarded secret to protect any believers.
In the 1990's, word spread to the U.S. of a number of villages in Laos and Northern Vietnam were practicing Christianity when no group had been there to teach them. When a mission group finally got permission to go there, what they found shocked them entirely. The Christians there were following a pattern that had been set up strictly by the Bible standards. They were meeting on the first day of the week as the Bible stated, believed that you can only be saved by hearing, believing, confessing Christ as their savior, repenting for their sins and being baptized by full immersion. Why would they do these things? Because the Bible told them so. There surprisingly wasn't any prayer's bench, choir, men blessing people, Holy water or people being saved by grace only or by sprinkling water over their heads. The name of the churches were simply the church at whatever village they were from, just as in the Bible, and the together they called themselves the churches of Christ, just as in the Bible. It appeared the church of the first century has not died, and is in fact alive and well just as God has said His church will never die, and His Word shall abide forever.
There are something in the neighborhood of 2,000 different Christian beliefs in society today. Each one is at least a little different than the next, and many if not all denominations have many separate sects within their own organizations that do something a little different, thus the reason for their split at sometime in their history. It may be due to financial, types of worship, times of worship, days of worship, the way they sing, don't sing, pray, don't pray, or a million other nuances that make them different. Some churches have their ministers wearing suits and ties, while others make them wear long flowing robes with crown-like hats that reach the ceiling, while some prefer a more relaxed style of shorts and flip-flops. Some prefer wine with their communion, grape juice, maybe even grape soda, (yes, I have even seen that), and recently I saw on the news of one drinking beer, which was okay because God told them so. But here's the kicker, even after all their different and separate beliefs, they all believe that the other groups are okay as well as long as they believe God. In reality, I think they are afraid to offend anyone, forgetting that God has already given us instructions and we could be offending Him. But what if all we knew was erased, all churches of every belief closed down and our memories vanished. What would happen then? What would a new church look like if all we had to go by was a single surviving Bible? Guess what? This has happened, and the results might shock you.
In the 1950's, Communism was spreading rapidly in Southeast Asia, gobbling up countries like Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. When the communists took over, usually what they would do is outlaw any type of religion and religious materials. If there were any missionaries in the area, they had to flee quickly, usually with nothing more than their clothes on their backs. Many items were left to be destroyed, but in some cases, small villages would be able to hide certain items from their enemies. This is exactly what happened in a small village in Laos where a Presbyterian mission group left a case of Bibles behind in their rush to escape. The villagers found the Bibles and hid them to use later. After a few years, these Bibles were brought out and a few people began reading them and spreading the truth that they were reading. It was kept as a closely guarded secret to protect any believers.
In the 1990's, word spread to the U.S. of a number of villages in Laos and Northern Vietnam were practicing Christianity when no group had been there to teach them. When a mission group finally got permission to go there, what they found shocked them entirely. The Christians there were following a pattern that had been set up strictly by the Bible standards. They were meeting on the first day of the week as the Bible stated, believed that you can only be saved by hearing, believing, confessing Christ as their savior, repenting for their sins and being baptized by full immersion. Why would they do these things? Because the Bible told them so. There surprisingly wasn't any prayer's bench, choir, men blessing people, Holy water or people being saved by grace only or by sprinkling water over their heads. The name of the churches were simply the church at whatever village they were from, just as in the Bible, and the together they called themselves the churches of Christ, just as in the Bible. It appeared the church of the first century has not died, and is in fact alive and well just as God has said His church will never die, and His Word shall abide forever.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
What Would I Do If I Were the Devil?
What do we know about the devil? Many people, when they hear his name have instant images in their minds of maybe a monster, or a little red being with horns and a pitchfork. Maybe you might think of him as the way the modern movies portray him, a tall skinny, pale skinned man wearing a black cloak and moving among the people, but in the shadows. But let's think about this for a minute. If the devil looked like this, and he walked the earth possessing people and physically causing mayhem, wouldn't we see him for what he is and therefore run to God? Is that what the devil wants? Think about it, he doesn't want people running to God, and he doesn't need people running to him, he needs people staying away from God. That's how he wins. This is why the Bible describes him as the "deceiver" or "prince of lies" or simply, "the enemy". He is a monster, but not in the classic sense that parents use to scare their children. He wants us, sure, but he can't physically take us, God won't allow that. So he must trick us to pull us away from God. How can he do that? Let me tell you what I would do if I were the devil.
If I were the devil, I would try to devalue marriage. I would convince men and women that the most important things in life are material things, and the only way to get those things are to work harder and longer so they are away from their families more and more. If they are away from their families, I would then encourage the men and women to start having conversations that are inappropriate, ones that might lead to relationships that only Satan would approve of. If I could drive a wedge between the families, I could drive God away from the homes. Spend more time at work, and less with your children, because remember, Christianity is a learned religion, and if you aren't spending time teaching your children about God, how else will they learn? From their friends? From school?
If I were the devil, of course I would want the White House, but that is too obvious. I would want the courthouses as well, which is more important than the White House because then I could encourage judges to make decisions like Roe vs. Wade, but those decisions won't force people to do what is wrong. What I would really want is the schoolhouse. If I could get into the schools and convince teachers and staff to force the children to accept "alternate lifestyles" and even punish them if they don't, I could change the next generations way of thinking. I would punish those children who refused to accept homosexuality as a way of life. Have teachers as well as student bully them, and laugh at them. I would convince teachers to teach evolution as fact and creation as merely a fairytale, and put up theories that can't be proven as fact. I would do what the government of England has done, making it illegal to even teach creation.
If I were the devil, I would tell people that it's ok to worship God however you wanted. This is a big one. The Bible is simply a loose book of rules that man can interpret however he chooses, and it's ok as long as God is the center. After all, isn't this what the Bible teaches in Ephesians 4:4-6, when it says "One Body, One Faith, One God, One Church?" Isn't this why Paul admonishes the Galatians, calling them foolish, and saying he thanks God that he did not baptize them for they would then follow his teachings instead of Christ? I would convince people to worship however they wanted, in fact have many denominations, thousands, and still believe that all are okay and going to Heaven. I would even tell people to go to church on Sunday. That's right, go to church for an hour or two, but the rest of the week, do whatever you want, as long as you don't offend anyone. Be Holy one day a week, be mine the other six. And whatever you do, don't offend another human being for their belief, even if it offends God, because God has forgiven you and you don't have to do anything else because you are saved by His grace alone. Faith and works aren't really that important. I would convince people this is what the scriptures teach, and there's no need to study ALL that it teaches.
There is so much more, but this is where I would start if I were the devil. Luckily though, this is just imagination, just make believe, because it is much more plausible to be that monster that haunts us in the dark, or comes out when we play certain board games or even call upon him. Thankfully, this is all a joke, and the devil probably doesn't even exist, and all we have to do is live until we die.
If I were the devil, I would try to devalue marriage. I would convince men and women that the most important things in life are material things, and the only way to get those things are to work harder and longer so they are away from their families more and more. If they are away from their families, I would then encourage the men and women to start having conversations that are inappropriate, ones that might lead to relationships that only Satan would approve of. If I could drive a wedge between the families, I could drive God away from the homes. Spend more time at work, and less with your children, because remember, Christianity is a learned religion, and if you aren't spending time teaching your children about God, how else will they learn? From their friends? From school?
If I were the devil, of course I would want the White House, but that is too obvious. I would want the courthouses as well, which is more important than the White House because then I could encourage judges to make decisions like Roe vs. Wade, but those decisions won't force people to do what is wrong. What I would really want is the schoolhouse. If I could get into the schools and convince teachers and staff to force the children to accept "alternate lifestyles" and even punish them if they don't, I could change the next generations way of thinking. I would punish those children who refused to accept homosexuality as a way of life. Have teachers as well as student bully them, and laugh at them. I would convince teachers to teach evolution as fact and creation as merely a fairytale, and put up theories that can't be proven as fact. I would do what the government of England has done, making it illegal to even teach creation.
If I were the devil, I would tell people that it's ok to worship God however you wanted. This is a big one. The Bible is simply a loose book of rules that man can interpret however he chooses, and it's ok as long as God is the center. After all, isn't this what the Bible teaches in Ephesians 4:4-6, when it says "One Body, One Faith, One God, One Church?" Isn't this why Paul admonishes the Galatians, calling them foolish, and saying he thanks God that he did not baptize them for they would then follow his teachings instead of Christ? I would convince people to worship however they wanted, in fact have many denominations, thousands, and still believe that all are okay and going to Heaven. I would even tell people to go to church on Sunday. That's right, go to church for an hour or two, but the rest of the week, do whatever you want, as long as you don't offend anyone. Be Holy one day a week, be mine the other six. And whatever you do, don't offend another human being for their belief, even if it offends God, because God has forgiven you and you don't have to do anything else because you are saved by His grace alone. Faith and works aren't really that important. I would convince people this is what the scriptures teach, and there's no need to study ALL that it teaches.
There is so much more, but this is where I would start if I were the devil. Luckily though, this is just imagination, just make believe, because it is much more plausible to be that monster that haunts us in the dark, or comes out when we play certain board games or even call upon him. Thankfully, this is all a joke, and the devil probably doesn't even exist, and all we have to do is live until we die.
Friday, July 18, 2014
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