Honoring Ancestors

A day to honor ancestors, those who have passed from this life before us is common. In the Western Christian practice, All Saints Day is the liturgical celebration begins at Vespers on the evening of 31 October, All Hallows' Eve (All Saints' Eve) aka Halloween, and ends at the close of 1 November. It is thus the day before All Souls' Day (a feast in honor of all saints), which respectfully commemorates the faithful departed ancestors. The word “hallow” is defined as: To make holy; to consecrate; to set apart for holy or religious use. To devote to holy or religious exercises; to treat as sacred with reverence and to honor as sacred. 

In Mexico, the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 may be included depending on the locality. It largely originated in Mexico, where it is mostly observed, but also in other places. Although associated with the Western Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember family members who have died. 

In America, Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May at national cemeteries, by placing flowers and American flags on graves of military personnel. Decoration practices are localized and unique to individual families, cemeteries, and communities with many families honoring their ancestors by visiting and decorating their gravesites on Memorial Day, but common elements that unify the various Decoration Day practices are thought to represent predominantly Christian cultures in 19th century. Cemetery decoration traditions are thought to have more in common with one another today than with United States Memorial Day traditions which are focused on honoring the military dead.

A friend of mine in Japan told me that their country holds a three-day festival called “Obon” in August to honor and remember their Ancestors. Obon is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years. 

1 Kings 8:57 "May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us nor forsake us."

Happy All Hallow Eve and have a blessed All Saints Day as you honor your ancestors.

In Christ, Brian

Exalting God

Michael writes: What was the purpose for Jesus’ mission? He was sent by his Father to conform us into his own image. He has called us to the purpose for which God designed each of us individually. According to Philippians 1:20 Paul said, I want to exalt Jesus Christ in my body by the way I live. The nature of Christ in us is perfection according to God’s Holy Spirit he created in us when we were born again. The ultimate purpose is to lift up, exalt, praise, and glorify God though following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 If people know us by witnessing our lives and the motives of our hearts as born-again believers, then they will perceive the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. God called us to be his love letters…. Living epistles of Jesus Christ known and read of all men. We are worthy of God’s calling because he loved us before we could love him in return…. Even while we were yet sinners, he gave his son Jesus Christ to shed his innocent blood in exchange for our guilty blood that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. 

Because we are called to manifest the love of God and the Word of God, John 3:30 says…. Therefore let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Even though we are righteous spiritually, we still must still contend with the nature of the flesh we inherited from Adam. As Paul said, in my flesh dwells no good thing. Jesus said to the rich young ruler, there is none good (in the flesh,) no not one. Psalm 103 says, the Lord knows our frame… he remembers that we are but dust. Even when we fail, we can glorify God by how we respond to adversity… by making restitution to those we’ve wronged and through repentance asking God for forgiveness. 

 When we stray from the narrow way, We will learn to exalt God by turning from our own way back into the narrow way through the narrow gate… Jesus Christ himself. Then with a heart of humility and meekness, when we fall, we can fall into God’s net of mercy and grace. For if we confess our sins (of breaking fellowship by separating our hearts from God’s heart), he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God’s grace delivers us from a works-based system of self-righteousness and conforms us into the image of his dear son... Christ in us the hope of glory. 

 The impact of walking in the narrow way will last into eternity. Salvation is a past, present and future truth… For God is faithful to His Word yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore Oswald Chambers said, I have to manifest the power of Christ in me by following him step by step in the little things of life. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? God has cleansed and made us acceptable as his dwelling place. He made us holy according to his in-dwelling spirt…. Therefore Philippians 2:1 says I must work out my own salvation (deliverance and wholeness) with fear and trembling…. With awe, respect, and reverence for my loving Heavenly Father. 

 Our Father will set us free from the bondage of sin and death when we turn our hearts to the Lord and in obedience serve him from Christ’s spirit within us with a heart of love. Isaiah 40 says, he tends his flock like a shepherd…. Who has known the mind of the Lord and instructed him in the right way? What image will you compare him to? ……Who is my equal says the holy one? Who created the heavens and brings out the starry host and calls each of them by name? Philippians 2:9-11 says about Jesus Christ, ……Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

 In Luke 4, Jesus announced his mission. He stood up in the tabernacle in Nazareth and read from the scroll of Isaiah: I have come to heal the broken hearted, to open the eyes of those born blind.. I have come to preach deliverance, to set free those who have been held captive by sin and the consequences of sin. Now is the acceptable year of the Lord… now is the day of salvation. Then he closed the scroll, gave it to the minister, and said, Today is this prophecy fulfilled in your ears. Everyone in the synagogue in Jesus’ home town was amazed at Jesus’ words. They were surprised at his gracious words because they had grown up with him and knew his family. They were not ready to receive him as God’s Messiah…. The savior foretold by Isaiah. Jesus said to his disciples, a man is not without honor except in his own country. 

Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. Today is still the acceptable year of the Lord. When we accept God’s offer of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then it is God who will work with us and within us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Therefore treasure treasures in heaven where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. Heavenly treasures will last into eternity. For the things of this life will soon be past…. Only that which is done in Christ will last. Everything done for our own vain glory will amount to nothing… As Ecclesiastes says, vanity of vanities, everything is nothing but dust in the wind if done for the selfishness of our own vain glory. Things done for our own vain motives will come to naught. 

 What endures? Everything we do to exalt God from a heart of prayer and praise is a picture of the golden bowls in Revelation 4:8. These bowls are filled with the prayers of the saints which are a sweet smelling fragrance, holy acceptable unto God that last into eternity. According to Romans 12, I beseech ye therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable act of worship. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God that we may exalt Him alone… to the praise of the glory of His grace, mercy, and love.  

Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Meaning of Halloween

Matthew 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?

I posted this message a few years ago, but I think about it every year at this time, so let's revisit the origins of Halloween again. It's that important! `In a couple days, we celebrate Halloween by dressing up in costumes, going to parties, playing games and “trick or treating” for the little kids. But when I ask people what is the significance of the "hallow" day and what exactly are we celebrating on this “second most popular” holiday in the United States of America? The answer always seems to be the same: “I don’t really know.” Let's take a look at what it truly means.

I've listened to a couple Pastors (James Kennedy and Chuck Smith) explain that there is a confluence of three streams that flow together to form this modern celebration. The first goes back to the Druids, who were the pagan inhabitants of pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. The Druid or Celtic year began on November 1, which was called “Samhain”. This was their New Year’s day, and consequently, October 31 was “New Year’s Eve”. It was also a combination of a “Harvest Festival” and thought of as a “Festival of the Dead”, for it was said that it was this night that the Earth came to its closest contact with the unseen and spiritual world. Consequently, ghosts, goblins and witches terrified the populous, supposedly destroying crops, killing babies, stealing farm animals, upsetting garbage cans and reeking all sorts of havoc on the people. Bon fires were set upon the hills, either to keep the ghosts away, or perhaps to guide the spirits of the dead back to their homes, where it was believed that the spirits of the deceased on the eve of Samhain find warmth and good cheer in the home of their kinfolk before the onslaught of winter. Therefore, we see a lot of the folk custom of Halloween has come from this Druid celebration.

Another one of them is the custom of “Trick or Treat”. It originated when the people of Ireland went around to homes asking for various treats for the celebration which was to follow later in the evening. Then, when the belief in the reality of goblins and ghosts began to decline, and it was no longer believed that they were really doing these mischievous things, the children decided to help out. So they dressed up in various costumes and put on masks, then went house to house asking for treats, but adding a little something extra … threatening also tricks if they failed to be generous. And so, there were garbage cans upset, gate posts found in trees, and all sorts of pandemonium that took place on that night, supposedly attributed to the ghosts and goblins, but, of course, wrought by the dressed up children.

Deuteronomy 18:9-11 “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.”

The second stream that flows into the modern celebration of Halloween comes from Central Europe, when the Christian church made its attack upon the pagan bastions, destroying the temples of the various heathen gods and goddesses. But it was never able to completely eradicate the pagan worship which reappeared in the “Dark Ages” in the form of witchcraft. One of the important aspects of witchcraft are a number of celebrations each year, which are called “Witch’s Sabbaths”. One of the highest witch’s Sabbaths, the “Black Sabbath” of witches, occurred on October 31. This was a night of feasting and revelry, and imagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, black cats, bats, mythical monsters and other related Halloween paraphernalia. The source of much of our Halloween folklore today stems from the high witch’s Black Sabbath of October 31 celebrated in Central Europe in the Middle Ages.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

The third stream that completes the modern concept of Halloween comes from the Roman Catholic Church. The church was engaged had been engaged in appointing certain days to honor and reverence certain Saints that the church had appointed or declared. There had become so many of these days that it became impossible to have a specific day for each Saint, so they decided to have one day in which they would remember all of the Saints, called “All Saints Day”. In the 700’s A.D., Pope Gregory III changed the date if “All Saints Day” to November 1, and in the year 834 A.D., Pope Gregory IV extended this celebration to the entire Roman Catholic Church. There was a celebration associated with this, on the evening before called “All-Hallows-Mas” or “All-Hallows-Even” on October 31 and it is from these two words that we have the contraction “Halloween”. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a non-biblical two-day festival originated and observed in Mexico that takes place every November 1 and 2 for Mexican Catholics celebrated on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, minor holidays in the Catholic calendar for honoring and celebrating the lives of the deceased family saints (those who have been sanctified) and their souls. 

 

Here you see the three-fold origin of the celebration of Halloween. Are you still excited to celebrate this holiday? Well, unrelated to these three streams, on October 31, 1517 @ noon in Wittenberg, Germany, a young professor of Theology by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the University door that sprung into existence the Protestant Reformation and churches. So October 31 is the birthday of Protestantism and the Evangelical faith. Saved by grace alone, saved by faith alone, saved by Christ alone. Now that’s no trick, but the greatest treat of all.

In Christ, Brian

Believers & Unbelievers - Part 4

 

Ephesians 5:5-6 “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

 

Pastor Herk continues that the term “sons of disobedience” are people characterized by a life of immorality. When the Apostle Paul writes “for because of these things the wrath of God comes, he is implying that there is both a present and future aspect of God’s wrath that sinful and immoral people are going to experience. The Apostle writes in Romans 1:16-20 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [the Gentiles]. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

 

The sin in the lives of the inhabitance of the earth then, was so much like the sin in the lives of those today. The term “wedded bless” means the happiness experienced by people who are married. The divorce rate rose from 25% of marriages in 1960 to 50% in 1975. Unmarried co-habitation rose from 1.1% in 1960 to. 11.6% in 2010. The percent of unwed mothers rose from 6% in 1960 to 40.8% in 2010. It is a sad, sad fact, the culture is “going to Hell in a hand-basket , meaning headed for disastrous results and social collapse. What happened? 

In 1962 the US Supreme Court ruled to band prayer in Public School. In 1963 the US Supreme court ruled to band the Bible from Public Schools. In 1980 the US Supreme court ruled to ban the Ten Commandments from Public School. The Moral Compass of the Word of God and God’s Moral Law was removed and darkness filled the void. Without moral restraint, people felt freer to pick and choose their life trajectories and felt less compelled to marry. That is not what God intended. In Matthew 19:4-6 the Lord Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” 

 

Romans 1:24-26a “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.” They were and are still receiving the due penalty for their sinful disobedient perversions (physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Apostle Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:5-10,  “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

 

When this life is over, every single one of us will stand before God and give an account of ourselves and answer for each sin in thought, word and deed. And the godless with their lawless immorality receive God’s wrath and will be banished from the presence of God; throw into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for eternity, a lake of fire, an everlasting place of torment and punishment, pure Hell. This is the wrath of God and what the repentant sinner that believes in God, and by faith accepts the free gift of salvation via redemption through the atoning death of God’s Son Jesus Christ on the Cross in their place to pay the punishment that they deserved is saved from. The difference between a lapse and a leap lies in who you love, who you obey and ultimately who is your Lord. It is a transformational difference between Believers and unbelievers, a positional difference and an eternal difference. 

 

In Luke 6:46-47a Jesus asks, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we talk about Him being our Savior and Lord, but do we understand the full implication of what those terms mean? Many accept Jesus as their Savior, but are reluctant to make Him the Lord of their life and obey His teachings and commands. The Lord Jesus declares plainly in John 14:15, 23-24 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.” Jesus Christ must be your Lord and Savior. 

 

In God our Heavenly Father we trust, in the Holy Spirit our Counselor we listen, and in Christ our Lord we follow and obey. Sola scriptura: “Scripture alone”, Sola fide: by “faith alone”, Sola gratia: by “grace alone”, Solo Christo: in “Christ alone”, Soli Deo gloria: “to the glory of God alone”.

Your brother in Christ, Brian

Believers & Unbelievers - Part 3

 

Ephesians 5:5-6 “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

 

Pastor Herk continues that there are a couple interesting aspects in verse five (above). The Apostle uses the present-tense word “has” rather than the future-tense phase “will" not have. The fallen natural man, having a sexually immoral or impure or greedy nature and lifestyle of darkness, will not have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God, because the sin and their condemnation remains. Jesus said in John 8:23-24, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” 

 

Colossians 1:13-14 “For He [God] has rescued us [those who revere God as their father, the pious worshippers of God, those who in character and life resemble God, those who are governed by the Spirit of God, repose the same calm and joyful trust in God which children do in their parents] from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son [Jesus Christ] he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The kingdom of the Son and the kingdom of Christ is not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, so properly “of the royal power and reign of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah”. The word “kingdom” is the conjunction of two words “king’s” and “domain”. This world is Jesus Christ’s [the Son of God's] domain, the Messiah’s reign, for Jesus [the Lord of lords] is our Divine king who conquered sin and death; the Savior of the world and the head of the human family. 

 

Revelation 20:10 tells us, “the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Since we know that Satan, the evil one, is not going to have any place in the future kingdom of God in Heaven, "in the kingdom of Christ" here refers to the current kingdom which is the sphere of influence and dominion of the Messiah and God on this earth, right here and now. The fallen natural man’s immoral desires of the flesh loves their darkness and will leap into sin headfirst. Because of sin and unbelief;  they reject God’s offer of salvation through Christ, and forfeits their right to participate in the kingdom of Christ today and eternally in Heaven thereafter. They fail to receive the abundant life to the full that Jesus promised to His born-again, believing followers; the content, joyful and satisfied flock of the Good Shepherd.    

 

The kingdom of God is the future home of Believers; where God resides, seated on His throne in Heaven and reigning outside of time and space throughout eternity. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery [drug abuse], hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The Apostle uses the future-tense phrase “will not inherit”. 

It is clear that anyone who love the darkness of sin and unbelief, fails to repent and chooses to reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, therefore remains in their fallen sinful state and continues to live in their immoral lifestyle, therefore forfeiting their chance for redemption, forgiveness and eternal salvation from Hell and their rights to participate in the eternal kingdom of God in Heaven. Imagine that; keeping the wrath of God, accepting eternal punishment in Hell and forfeiting heaven for the fleshly, shortsighted, existential pleasures of sin for a season! By using the term “the kingdom of Christ and God”, the Apostle is emphasizing the fact that those unregenerate sinners who live an immoral lifestyle have absolutely no part or rights in the temporary kingdom on Earth or in the eternal kingdom in Heaven and with suffer the wrath of God for their sin, both temporally and eternally.     

 

So, see that no one deceives you with vain empty words, devoid of truth, destitute of spiritual wealth, of one who boasts of his faith as a transcendent possession, yet is without the fruits of faith, with no purpose and without effect. For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells born-again Christians, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” 

Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message on Believers and Unbelievers in the nest post.

In Christ, Brian

Believers & Unbelievers - Part 2

 

Ephesians 5:5-6 “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

 

Pastor Herk continues, stating that the Apostle Paul was warning the church in Ephesus against those who were trying to deceive them into thinking that they could still pursue the secular immoral lifestyle which was totally acceptable to their culture and still be Followers of Jesus Christ. A lifestyle that is immoral in the eyes of God is totally incompatible with a disciple in Christianity. Sin and righteousness is like darkness and light; they do not mix. Not only is there a difference between leaping into sin and lapsing into sin, but there is also a difference in the consequences. John 3:36 confirms that” the one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

 

Ephesians 1:11-14 “In Him [Jesus] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” The born-again Believer that occasionally lapses and falls in sin does not lose their inheritance into the kingdom of Heaven. Though there will be disciplinary action by our heavenly Father as a consequence of our voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command. You don’t get off scot-free. 

 

Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God.” Since it is the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross, and not our own merit, that provides our inheritance, there is nothing that we can do to forfeit it. The gift of the Holy Spirit has always been God’s means of regenerating his people to new life. The indwelling Holy Spirit guides Christians in their faith and is the seal upon them that they will ultimately inherit all the blessings of Christ. Once we have become children of God as a result of God’s work of redemption and reconciliation on our lives, He is not going to write us off. Romans 8:16-17 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Those who are saved by grace through faith and then lapse into sin, do not endure the wrath of God. 

 

Ephesians 2:1-3 explains that “you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.” But, those who have repented of their sin, believed, accepted and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord have replaced that wrath with God’s mercy and grace, receiving salvation by faith. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 corroborates, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God does disciple His children when they sin. Hebrews 12:9-11 expounds, “we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].” We have to be aware that there are consequences when we sin. At the very least, our lapses in sin always hinders our relationship with God. But God must disciple us in order for us to recognize our sin, confess it and repent. 

 

Those who loved the darkness rather than the Light of Christ because their deeds were evil, willfully and intentionally leap into sin, forfeit their redemption and the wrath of God remains on them. John 3:17-18 states, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him [the Savior of the world]. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Hebrews 9:27 declares, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” What is that judgment? Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Today counts forever.

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on believers and unbelievers in the nest post.

In Christ, Brian

Believers & Unbelievers - Part 1

  

Ephesians 5:5-6 “For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

 

Pastor Herk continued in his Sunday sermon series through the Pauline Epistle of Ephesians, stating that it is impossible to be content with your sins and truly be a Christian. The follower of Christ has to look at their life and recognize that in our fallen, just how flesh vulnerable they are to immorality all around us in society. The grace of God is not a license to sin. Some feel that by Jesus dying in our place to pay for all their sins (past, present and future), they had a “get out of Hell free” card to now sin all they want, confess it, hang it on Christ to pay and then they were guilt-free and shamelessly fine. That is not how forgiveness of sin works. There is no salvation without repentance. In John 8:11 Jesus said, “go, and from now on sin no more.”

 

We have become far too accustomed to and comfortable with sin around us in our lives. Godless secular society has been on a campaign to normalize sin for so long that the culture is at the point where we are desensitized to it and don’t even recognize some of it as sin anymore. It has gone far beyond tolerance. Things which used to be considered horrific sin, today are accepted and affirmed in public life because we have become familiar and callous to it. Sin is much too common and people of God have become too tolerant of its presence in our presence. Our worldly moral standards have changed so much, becoming so infested and infected, that our actions prove that we no longer believe that is sin is the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; being any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act of iniquity against God and man. 

 

Yet, Ephesians 5:5-6 is encouraging and a source of great joy for the Followers of Jesus Christ. The difference between delight and dreed boils down to the difference between a lapse and a leap. Unconverted sinners leap into sin and love it; Converted sinners lapse into sin and loathe it. Everyone on earth is a sinner. Romans 3:23tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Just like in Galatians 5:21, the Apostle Paul is writing about those who live a lifestyle consistent and characterized by sin. And continuing in Galatians 6:7-8the Apostle warns, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” For those who are children of God and have the Holy Spirit living in them, they are going to strive to live their lives to please their heavenly Father and endeavor to never let Him down by their thoughts, words and actions. 

1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

 

When a child of God lapses into sin, they are convicted by it and are sincerely sorrow, knowing that they having sinned against our just and holy Creator God, confessing, repenting and asking for forgiveness. Daniel 2:22 proclaims, “It is He [God] who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.” On the other, the sons and daughters of disobedience leap into sin knowing fully what they are doing. They live to feed their fallen flesh and sin nature because what they do comes out of who they truly are. In John 3:19-20 the Lord Jesus teaches us, “this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.” They love their sin because they love their self more than they love God. Their selfish desires are characterized by pleasure-seeking, materialistic and existential hedonism where they idolize themselves, but are slaves to sin. As the Country song says: “It’s all about me, it’s all about I, and its all about number one, oh my-me-my. What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.” To make a god out of yourself is idolatry.

Let's continue Pator Herk's message on believers and unbelievers in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Spirit

 

Job 32:7-8 “I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.”

This week Michael writes: There is a difference between Holy Spirit and the spirit of man. The spirit of man is the breath of the Almighty life that we received when we were conceived in our mothers’ womb. Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, the supernatural [born of the Spirit] transforming agent in conversion of the soul and regeneration of the human spirit, and God’s indwelling gift for all Believers to guide the child of God, which we received when we were born-again of God’s incorruptible seed. The natural man is the fallen soul of all flesh that we inherited from Adam. This fallen spirit of Adam is contrary to the spirit of life in Christ we received when we were “born again” of God’s Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2 says that we who have received the spirit of Christ can understand the things of God. However, the natural man who does not have God’s spirit receives not the things of the spirit of life in Christ because these things are spiritually discerned. Through the Holy Spirit within us we can understand, know, acknowledge, and affirm that Jesus Christ is Lord. We can know that the Word of God is the final authority for truth, that we are men and women of prayer, that we can link together with likeminded spiritual Believers, and that we can give away the gospel message of salvation.

Even though we who have received Christ may feel broken, blind and deaf in the flesh, Jesus Christ is still Lord of our lives. 2 Corinthians 2 says, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty to the pulling down of (spiritual) strongholds. When the Holy Spirit takes residence inside us, we can work out our own salvation, our own wholeness with awe, respect, and reverence toward God and His Word. Then, when we allow our minds to be renewed, God will work within us to do of His good pleasure. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which He has foreordained that we should walk in them. For when we dwell within the word and will of God, we all with open-face beholding as in a mirror (of the word) will change from the reflection of the world into the reflection of the glory of the Lord. (2 Cor. 3:18)

Colossians 3 says, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we turn from the flesh and unto the Lord, we will allow our minds to be renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, don’t worry about the things that sustain your physical life (food, shelter, clothing and drink), but instead focus on the things of the kingdom of God, then all these other things shall be added unto you. God will sustain us. He is our sole provider and our soul provider; our Jehovah-Jireh. As He said to Abraham, I am your provider, your portion, and your sustenance for life.

As bond-servants of the Lord, we serve Him from a heart of love. We love Him because He first loved us. For even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly, which includes us. He loved us, rescued us, and saved us, not because of who we were but because of who he is. For Jesus Christ came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. When we turn to the Lord, the things of this world will become strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When we turn to the spirit of life in Christ, then faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (through worldly eyes.)

In the things of this world he has called us to steward. Jesus said, he who is faithful in little, then he will be faithful also in much … the things of the spirit of life in Christ. The work God did within us and through us when we were born-again unto salvation, He has dedicated to his love, honor, and glory, that we might live according to the good pleasure of His will in the abundance of the spirit of life in Christ,

To the praise of the glory of His grace,
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Yoked - Part 2

 

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

 

Pastor Kyle continues: This passage of Holy Scripture flushes out what the holiness of God temple in us looks like. Going from lawlessness to righteousness. From darkness of sin and unbelief to the light of godliness and a steadfast belief. From worshipping idols to being indwelled by the living Creator God. It culminates in Born again Believers  being the temple in which the Lord dwells among His people and us being His people. We carry God’s image, so our temples must reflect our heavenly Father. 

 

The church building is not the dwelling place of the living God today. When the temple bearing people of God gather together in corporate worship as the body of Believers in the name of Jesus Christ, in the study of the Word or in Fellowship, we supernaturally become the corporate temple of the living God and He is there among His people. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” The called to holiness is challenging because even at our very best on this side of eternity, we are always in the fallen flesh and we never measure up to the high calling of God. That is exactly why Jesus came. The Lord tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

 

The third godly identity-forming spiritual truth is (1) that God makes it possible for us to live under Jesus’ yoke. Thanks to Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christians can live like sons and daughters of God and be the temples that He has called us to be. We cannot do this in our own strength, but yoked to Jesus we can, because we walk in the weight of His righteousness every single day. If we were unequally yoked, then we could not pull in unison and in synchronization. The illustration of the yoke is to help us understand God’s design for our relationship with Him, then to our most important partnership that we have in life. Unequally yoked in life are mismatched alliances and partnerships that are inconsistent with your faith. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.      

 

Sin separates. The Gospel is how God saves people, then brings them back into relationship with Himself. The Great Commission of Jesus is to go spread the Gospel and make disciples of all nations, communities and peoples using the tools of obedient Christian living, the Word of God and a biblical worldview to advance the kingdom of God through relationships, loving your neighbor. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief [the devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” At this time, Satan is using the sinful secular humanistic worldview to distort God’s moral compass and redefine terms away from the holy biblical worldview of His sacred Word, Will and Way to unyoke people from the Lord. Ephesians 6:10-14a instructs us, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore.” In God We Trust.

 

In Christ we follow. Brian

Yoked - Part 1

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued in our church’s sermon series through the second Pauline Epistle to the Corinthian church. Today, farmers used modern tractors to plow fields, but prior to the invention of mechanical engines for framing equipment, beasts of burden were used to prepare the soil for crops. Two draft animals of equal size and strength could work in unison to perform the work of pulling a plow through the earth more quickly and efficiently than one, but they need a device called a yoke in order to join the faunae together to work as a team. A yoke is a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (such as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for this working together. 

 

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

What does it mean in your own heart to be yoked to Jesus, to get through this life pulling more with the Lord than we ever dreamt possible before. Pastor Kyle gave us three godly identity-forming spiritual truth. (1) God is my heavenly Father and we are His children. John 1:12-13 explains, “All who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to  become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” We were made in God’s image and our identity is in Him. So, throughout history, God has been calling His children out of something (ungodliness, oppression or wilderness) and into something better (godliness, freedom and the Promised Land).  God says, “I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me.” That is foundational Theology. And only God is a perfect Father. Grasp what it is to be a child of God every day.  

 

(2) We are temple of the living God. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them. Once a person is born-again of the Spirit through confession of sin, repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and makes Him Lord of their life, they become a temples of God. After the Israelites escaped Egypt, He instructed them to carry and set up a temporary tent tabernacle wherever they when in the Wilderness. In this tabernacle was a curtained off room called the Holy of Hollies God would dwell with them. I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. When the Temple was built in Jerusalem, it included a curtained area called the Holy of Hollies where God dwelled among His people as the Shekinah glory of the Lord filled the house. Since, Christ’s atoning death, the physical temple and Holy of Hollies was no longer necessary. 

 

1 Corinthians 3:16 asks, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish, came to live the sinless life that we were meant to live, he suffers the punishment for sin that every one of us deserved, was the only one eligible to be the perfect sacrifice in our place, then he dies the death that every fallen in sin human being should have died. Upon the death of Jesus on the Cross. the vail in the Jerusalem Temple was torn from top to bottom by the hand of God to symbolize that the presence of God had shifted so that God’s people could be the new temple of the living God. Jesus established that on the Cross. God’s Moral Law carries over, and God wants holiness in His temple, inside of us.  

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on being yoked to Christ in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Righteousness in Christ - Part 2

Michael continues: According to Isaiah 6:1-7, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the Seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory, and the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the Seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”

In the presence of our Holy God, we are all undone. In his presence we are humbled and fall on our knees in awe and wonder, overwhelmed by his holy presence. God condescended to our level…. He bowed down to our level in order to communicate with our feeble minds. He blessed us before we could receive His blessings and then we bless and bow down in awe and reverence to Him in return. Grace is God’s giving us what we did not deserve; it is a gift given of God’s unconditional love. For by grace are you saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should work. The most often used descriptions of God in the Old Testament KJV is “loving kindness and tender mercy.” Other translations translate this phrase as “steadfast love.” Mercy, grace and love is the nature of God himself.

Jesus Christ is the picture of God’s grace, mercy, and justice side by side. God is also a God of Justice; the scales of his righteous judgement must be balanced according to God’s righteous standard. All have sinned and come short of God’s righteousness … Thou art weighted in the balance and called wanting. However, Jesus Christ died in our stead to balance the scales of God’s justice for us. To come to the Lord Jesus Christ is to forsake the god of self. This is a hard lesson to learn … the kingdom of self is heavily defended territory. What brings a person to repentance… to the inflection point of turning from self and unto the Lord? Peter had said, though everyone else will forsake you, I will never leave you. Jesus said to the Apostle Peter, “Before the cock crows twice you shall deny me three times”.

Peter thought that he could follow Jesus in his own strength. While Peter was warming himself in the courtyard of the high priest, a girl said to him. I recognize you as one of those Jesus-followers. I recognize by your accent that you are one of those Galileans who follow him. Peter cursed and said, I know not the man. Then the cock crowed the third time and Jesus from inside the judgment hall looked at Peter in the courtyard. They locked eyes. Peter realized that he had denied his Lord. He went off and wept bitterly. A broken and a contrite heart, the Lord will not forsake. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, the things of this world will grow strangely dim… in the light of his glory and grace. The Apostle John wrote, Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.  

According to Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” … that in loving God above all and our neighbor as ourselves, we may live to the praise of the glory of God’s grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Righteousness in Christ - Part 1

Michael writes: According to Ecclesiastes 1:9, there is nothing new under the sun. The devil is up to his old tricks. Our sin nature keeps raising its ugly head. We’re all judged according to the standard of the truth of the Word of God. How can we sit in a seat of judgement to judge others? We ourselves are judged according to God’s righteous standard. In Matthew 7 Jesus continued his sermon on the mount. 
declaring, ask and keep asking, seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened unto you. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. God, our loving Heavenly Father has in store only that which is good for his children. His nature is to abundantly bless those who come to Him with a heart to love Him above all.

Jesus sums up his sermon in Matthew 7:12, “As you would that men should do unto you, do you also to them. Treat others as you would have them treat you.” The context of this “golden rule” is hypocrisy. Being nice to others doesn’t guarantee that they will reciprocate, but makes the chances more likely. Matthew 7:1-5 states that if you want to bless and encourage others, if you want to correct others, then get the log out of your own eye. The log is the 2 x 4 of judgementalism. If we think that we can judge others because we’re superior, then the attitude of self-righteousness is the plank in your own eye. Before you can see clearly and take the splinter out of your brother’s eye, you need to yank the plank of self-righteousness. But, Matthew 7:6 plainly states that you are to judge “right from wrong”, good from evil, and godly from ungodly”. 

You cannot legislate righteousness ... true righteousness is only in Christ. We were all born sinners … it’s part of the nature of the flesh we inherited from Adam. Without righteous men and women, you cannot keep the peace. President George Washington stated: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” Why? Because our Creator God is our moral compass to navigate through life. You cannot hire enough police if religion [which consists in the performance of the duties we owe directly to God, from a principle of obedience to his will] and morality [the conformity of an act to the divine law, or to the principles of rectitude. This conformity implies that the act must be performed by a free agent, and from a motive of obedience to the divine will] cease. True righteousness is through salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

The world is obsessed with self. There are over two hundred words in English that begin with the prefix “self.” There is selfish, self-centeredness, self-aggrandizement, self-fulfillment, self-satisfaction, and self-actualization. There are only two commandments that sum up all of the commandments in the Old Testament law. The first commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength. Only in keeping this first commandment can we keep the second great commandment: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The keeping of the Moral Law starts with loving God above all.

Let's continue Michael's message on righteousness in the next post. In Christ, Brian

The Greatest Miracle

Michael writes that in Luke 21, Jesus prepared his disciples for the events that would unfold before his second coming. He said his followers would be brought unjustly before unrighteousness men to be tried in their unjust courts and be unjustly accused and convicted by their unjust laws. He said Believers will suffer in the end times before my return. Jesus said, be prepared not to defend yourselves … though you will be unjustly convicted, the justice of your Heavenly Father will ultimately prevail. I did not come to bring a declaration of war against the kingdoms of this world; I have come to deliver a peace treaty from the Kingdom of heaven. When Jesus had commissioned the seventy to go into the villages in Judea to prepare the way for him, he said I give you power to cast out demons and to heal the sick. When they returned to Jesus, they were overjoyed and said to Jesus, “we saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Jesus said, don’t rejoice because you cast out devils with power over darkness, Instead rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

What is the greatest of all miracles? The greatest miracle is your redemption and mine. What’s good about Good Friday? In England, they call it Good Friday because the greatest good was done that day: He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Before the day of the Passover, Jesus had said to his disciples, with yearning I have desired to eat the Passover feast with you before I suffer. Jesus knew that on that Passover day, he himself would be the Passover lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. In the upper room, Jesus took the bread and said, take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Do in remembrance of me. Likewise also, he took the cup after supper saying, This cup is the New Testament of my blood which is shed for you for the remission of your sins. When you eat this bread and drink this cup, This do in remembrance of me. Jesus knew what was in the heart of man because his Father revealed it to him. He said, one who dips bread with me in the bowl will betray me. The disciples asked him one by one, Is it I? When Judas asked him the same question, Jesus said, you have said it.  

The disciples didn’t realize the significance of the last supper. They argued among themselves who would be the greatest. Jesus had said, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. He who is chief among you shall be servant of all. Then he demonstrated this truth by assuming the role of the lowest household servant. He girded himself with a towel and washed their dirty feet. Peter said, Don’t stoop to wash my feet, I should wash your feet. Jesus knew Peter’s heart. He had said to him, satan is waiting to sift you like wheat. Unless I wash your feet you shall have no part of me.

The devil will confuse and deny our Lord and His word. He will cause us to rationalize our own will instead of subjecting our will to God’s will in meekness and humility. Before Peter could become the rock, he had to be crushed in order to come to understand that in my own flesh dwellers no good thing. Until we die to self, we cannot live unto the Lord. Until Peter was broken of himself, he could not relinquish his life to serve his Lord. After the Last Supper, Jesus took his disciples to the edge of the Garden of Gethsemane. Then he took Peter, James and John into the garden and said, watch and pray. Jesus prayed three times, If there be any other way, let this cup (of condemnation, guilt, sin of the world, death and separation from the Father) be taken away from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Then the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Judas met them and kissed Jesus, the signal identifying Jesus as the one they came to came to arrest.

They took Jesus and brought him to the high priest. The leaders of the temple accused him of false charges. The ones who testified against him couldn’t get their stories straight. Usually the Romans would allow the Judeans to try their own citizens in their own local courts. However, the rulers of Judea couldn’t sentence him to death. They took him to Pilate, the Roman governor for trial in a Roman court. Crucifixion was known as death on the torture stake. The Romans were expert at excruciating torture and a slow agonizing, humiliating, shameful death, lifted up on a cross as a signal to all around that Rome was in command and that anyone who dared defy the power of Rome would suffer a humiliating death.

Many thousands of people were convicted of capital crimes and crucified by the Roman government. Why was Jesus’ crucifixion any different? The difference is that all men and women have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. Every man and woman is guilty as charged. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. As the innocent sinless lamb of God without spot or blemish, He alone was worthy to suffer and die for the sins of the world. We are all guilty of sin and justly deserve the wages we earned. Only Jesus shed innocent blood. Romans 5:17-18 says, For if by one man's (Adam’s) offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, (Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men and women to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Again, the greatest miracle of all is the new birth …. being born again of the Spirit of life in Christ. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin by shedding His innocent blood in exchange for our guilty blood. 1 Corinthians 15:42-45 says, So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Because of the price Jesus Christ paid on our behalf, we have been redeemed from the power of sin and death. When we confess Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised him from the dead (that he is risen), we are saved, born again, redeemed and made righteous. Salvation is by God’s grace alone because God has raised him from the dead. This gift of salvation is the greatest of all miracles. That because God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead, we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Talk is Cheap

 

Matthew 21:28-31 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” 

 

I remember one of my adult Bible Study teachers stating that in a legal Contract Agreement for work or services rendered, the written document describing the amenities and signatures are not realized until the actual commencement of said work of services. Words, whether written or spoken, are qualified by doing what you say you were going to. The same is in the Christian faith. The word Christian is defined as a real disciple of Christ; one who wholeheartedly professes of his belief in Jesus Christ, believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example, and obey the precepts of Christ as Lord and Savior of their life; a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety, walking the talk. 

 

James 2:15-19 gives the example, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. Author and Pastor Frances Chan states in his book “Crazy Love” that “the lives of many people that call themselves “Christians” in America lack manifestations of a vital and active faith. God doesn’t want us to have good Theology; He wants us to know and love Him. The thought of a person calling themselves a “Christian” without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.”

 

In Mark 7:6-7 Jesus said, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.  And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Lip service never cuts it. Pastor Chan clarifies that “God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best. Our leftovers are not merely inadequate from God’s view point, they’re evil”. What scares me most are people who are lukewarm and just don’t care. How could we think for even a second that something on this puny little earth compares to the Creator and Sustainer and Savior of it all.” Jesus declared in John 14:15, 23-24, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. 

 

As a Christian, to deny yourself, take up your Cross and follow Jesus means to stand up and get off the throne of your life, repent and die to sin, and allow Christ to take your seat on the throne and be the Lord of your Lord, following, learning and obeying Him out of transformational love and gratitude. We must always seek the glory of God before my own, following the Lord in everything we do and everywhere He leads us. Jesus explains in Luke 6:46-49, “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, building your foundational faith on the Rock of your salvation.

 

Talk is cheap, but faith in action is of eternal value.

In Christ, Brian

Through the Storm

 

This week Michael asks: Does God still love us when the world says there is no justice? In times of storms of confusion all around us, according to Scottish churchman and theologian Alexander Balmain Bruce (31 January 1831 – 7 August 1899) in the book, “The Training of the Twelve,” Jesus answered them and said, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and fishes. Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that leads to eternal life. Jesus continued, Moses did not give you bread from heaven. For It is only God who gives the true bread. I myself am the bread of life that God sent down from heaven. For whosoever eats of this bread will inherit eternal life. Jesus said, He who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life so that one may eat and not die. If anyone eats of this bread he shall live forever. Whosoever eats of my flesh and drinks my blood, he shall have eternal life. he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall never die. After these sayings many who had followed Jesus left and no longer walked with him. Jesus said to the twelve disciples, will you also leave? He knew that Judas would eventually betray him. Jesus’ sermon separated the true disciples from the hangers-on who wanted to see his miracles…. He culled the crowd and gave them an ultimatum. Choose you this day…. Are you living for bread to fill your bellies or are you living for the bread of spiritual life?

Rich Christiano’s upcoming movie “The Mind Reader” is about Jesus’ ultimate purpose. The Jews thought that Jesus would appear as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to run the Roman rulers out of Judea, but this was not Jesus’ mission. We often ponder, What does God have in store for our country? How could God have blessed America but now Christians in America are in danger of prosecution and persecution for so-called “hate crimes” for following biblical principles and “hate speech” for saying what the Bible says. “Harmful Language Alert” labels can now be found on pages displaying the scanned versions of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. This in a nation whose National Motto is “In God We Trust”. 

 

Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

 

The devil continues to sow seeds of confusion, of division, strife, and contention. His purpose is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. His ultimate purpose is to separate our hearts from God’s heart. Oswald Chamber’s essay about spiritual confusion asks the question: How can the affairs of this world work together for good to those who love God, who work according to his purpose? The ways of the Lord are contrary to the God-rejecting world’s definition of success. It is the age-old battle between the light of faith and darkness of unbelief. It is spiritual warfare.

Luke 18:8 says, when the Son of man returns will He find a faithful man, proven in the things that are unseen, the things of the character of Christ in you? In the meantime, you will not understand in the midst of trial what God is preparing you for. He is proving His character within you through the crucible of the melting pot and the refining and purifying of the fiery furnace.

Despite the confusion of the secular world around us and the attacks, chaos, panic, pandemonium, our prayer is not Lord deliver us from the storm. Instead our prayer is deliver us through the storm. Storms drive people to shelter. The storms of this life will prove His strength. This is the lesson that God will reveal through the storm: My strength is made perfect in thy weakness. My grace is sufficient for you that we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael