Everything Jesus did he seemed to do with and ease and an absence of weight and anxiety. To those who worried about daily things, what do we eat? What do we do? Where will we get money to pay for the food to feed 5,000 people? To those who asked him these questions...he simply replied, a sparrow does not fall to the ground without your heavenly Father seeing it. The lilies of the field neither "toil or spin" yet even Solomon was not dressed like these. Jesus was trying to get them to think on another plane of reality. A plane that took their eyes off of the natural worries and set them on a heavenly course.
In Genesis the Garden we were put into must have been absolutely beautiful. If we can open our eyes and still behold today the beauty that still surrounds us even in our terrorized state of things, then we can see the reflection of God himself.
Try walking out the door today, stop take a breath of fresh air, hear the birds early in the morning sing with their song of praise, each unique in their own way then go to work and thank God there is a way to look at things, take the weight off and trust him for your life and possessions, and family. On your journey take nothing with you "scrip and or baggage" feel the lightness of the journey. In other words let God be God and let him help you think a different way today. Breathe.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Concerning the Church: Life inside and life outside it.
Jesus Christ was the ultimate agent for change. I propose that anyone who came in contact with him was A: changed forever because they were looking for him or B: unchanged because of being unable to comprehend who he was, nevertheless they were convicted deeply inside and made a conscious decision to reject his claims and teachings.
Life inside this new "way" of living required a different conduct of living. Almost anyone who converted to early Christianity was changed and adopted the many teachings of Christ based on a new morality of "sinning no more" these words spoken to the adulterous woman who was forgiven by Jesus. No one threw the first stone because they all knew they had sin in them. Otherwise all the blood of goats and bulls would have covered them for all time and no other sacrifice would have been needed. Sin was a constant reminder to the Jews of their separation from their God. Atonement was necessary part of their religious life. Required by God himself. This type and shadow of things to come set the stage for our final redemption in buying back our life and reconciling us to God through Jesus Christ," once and for all".
Because of this buyback of our lives we are joyful of our eternal status with our God. We as Christians also know that we no longer live for the life we gave up. It means turning away from a life of self and taking on Christ's nature and doing the things that he did. In this we must forsake everything that we know without a shadow of doubt that is not of God's kingdom, even including issues of our own morality, choices and things the secular world embraces. We are challenged in this democracy we live in to rein in our tendencies it gives to us and others and to live in a citizenship of a higher calling. This is especially true in Church Government. We are facing a time of weakening Churches that submit to secular thinking. In other words instead of the change Christ preached and the conversion he told Peter about when he said "feed my sheep" Church has gone the other way and it is becoming converted to secular ways. If one takes on Christianities's mantle then there are things that go with the territory. If one gets hired by a company, it presumably follows its rules of order, likewise if one goes to Christ's church then they follow his order.
In following Christ's way, we must always remember that he allowed himself to be hung on a cross for us taking on all of the pain and suffering we should have had, and he did this for all of us, to give all of us a chance to have life, a life forever changed and headed in new directions. And this life we live we live by faith and in the power of the Spirit that keeps us until that day when we will be raised up with him at the sound of the last trump. (rev.)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Deafened Ears: from the noise around us>
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[d]?
41 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
The words of Jesus that he spoke to the Jewish leaders on the Sabbath were pretty stern. On reflection of these words spoken we can see that unbelief was the main issue Jesus was dealing with. For these leaders taught and lead their nation supposedly on the values of godly living. They followed Moses's law to the to the letter but broke many commandments by their heart issues not aligning with God's heart. They sought their own glory as it says above. From today's perspective, we also have sought our own glory and have neglected many of the teachings of Jesus who in fact represented all there was to be represented of God's glory here on earth. Healing, he did it. Raised people from the dead, he raised his friend Lazarus. And when the rulers found out they tried to kill him! (Lazarus) He Spoke like no other with an authority many were confounded by, yes. But still we in this country are gravitating dangerously to the left of common sense in issues that will usher in a morality that is not Godly. We can already see weakening in our Churches with issues of morality that should not be there. Major institutional Churches are being split down the middle because of Orthodoxy, those who would follow it and those who would allow for a looser interpretation of scriptures. The Catholic Church reels from hidden sins now open and those leaders too afraid to let the light in are now indicted for their actions, of actions done decades ago. Why? It is because of deafened ears. The once minority of those with moral standing at question are now becoming the majority and those who still stand on God's word now are swimming against a tide of acceptance not only in politics but in activist churches that win out over what should not be won. Especially in the realm of the Church. And when I use the word Church I "mean the called out ones." Those who follow Christ and not necessarily the institutions that have been around for centuries. Like the Jewish leaders of Christ's day we have become a religious people standing with fingers in our ears and have let the word of God become of none effect. When we begin to bend the word to our own hurt then we must stand back and look again at what we are doing. We must have compassion, love, and a joy to give to those who are seeking answers in a confusing time. To those who would say that we are becoming a more "open society" then take a look back at some of the world's greatest cities that have fallen because of their sins. The word sin merely means, "missing the mark, like a sharpshooter misses his target. We miss what God had intended for us.
To become the people that we read about in the NT early Church, those who died during the first persecutions against them we must look at the joy and the perseverance they had and emulate them. When we become Christians and also non-judgemental, picky and or disputatious against others of the Christian faith then we can move in the direction our Lord wanted us to. To become servants and not "greater than the master as Jesus had said and to become last and not first and to allow for differences of opinion without attack and allow for God himself to intervene through our prayers and through our reflections of our God himself in us. The intensity Jesus had or should I say "zeal for his house" often got him into trouble, he did not pull his punches and neither should we. If we have crossed from death into life, and from a darkness into light, then we should be reflective of the one who gave us that standing. It is not a boastful standing as Paul contended with those who accused him of but of solid ground on the one he trusted as well. Remember he was a murderer before he was a follower. Then any one can be too.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Stormy weather: First Port in a Storm?
A sailor sets off to a destination across a vast ocean in hopes for an adventure of his life. The weather is calm the sea is like glass and the sky is as blue as can be. Distance seems like nothing as the ship sails effortlessly across the miles of ocean. Nothing diminishes the joy in his heart.
Then without warning storm clouds develop, waves batter the small vessel and lightening strikes out across the ocean threatening to sink the tiny ship. The sailor panics checks his compass and steers towards the first island on his map, an island called heath-en. Known for it's wild ways and a people not necessarily nice and easy to get along with. Also on the map is an island called mor-al slightly further in distance but widely known for it's people of kindness and strength, a people willing to take chances with others and known for hospitality and forbearing.
First port in a storm? Is this you? Are we afraid today, forced to make choices that may not be the best? Pause, take a rest, look at the surroundings and check out the choices before you. Riding the storm may be the best choice after all. The shortest distance may not be best after all. Sometimes we are in it for the long haul and we must be like marathoners and run past the pain, just enough until the endorphins kick in! Or until we receive our help from one who is stronger than we are.
"The Lord he is my strong tower, my rock in time of refuge. This is how King David saw his Lord. He hid in caves, away from his city and away from his people choosing to take the long road until the timing was right. Anointed King as a young man, he didn't take kingship until many years later. Battles raged around him yet he remained true. Wait upon the Lord and see where he takes you.
Then without warning storm clouds develop, waves batter the small vessel and lightening strikes out across the ocean threatening to sink the tiny ship. The sailor panics checks his compass and steers towards the first island on his map, an island called heath-en. Known for it's wild ways and a people not necessarily nice and easy to get along with. Also on the map is an island called mor-al slightly further in distance but widely known for it's people of kindness and strength, a people willing to take chances with others and known for hospitality and forbearing.
First port in a storm? Is this you? Are we afraid today, forced to make choices that may not be the best? Pause, take a rest, look at the surroundings and check out the choices before you. Riding the storm may be the best choice after all. The shortest distance may not be best after all. Sometimes we are in it for the long haul and we must be like marathoners and run past the pain, just enough until the endorphins kick in! Or until we receive our help from one who is stronger than we are.
"The Lord he is my strong tower, my rock in time of refuge. This is how King David saw his Lord. He hid in caves, away from his city and away from his people choosing to take the long road until the timing was right. Anointed King as a young man, he didn't take kingship until many years later. Battles raged around him yet he remained true. Wait upon the Lord and see where he takes you.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Desperation:What are our limits?
What have you ever been faced with that pushes your limits? What has stopped you in your tracks and made you want to get off the merry-go-round? If you have been in this place and looked deeper within your self first before doing something outrageous, then there is hope. If you have lost jobs, been homeless and without some immediate recourse then you will have experienced the limits of your abilities in this world you live in. If also you have done all to survive within the confines of what there is to offer you then still face serious situations then you will know the limits of your abilities right away. If exposed to this situation for a prolonged period to time then perhaps an oppressive feeling overtakes you and begins to alter your thinking. In times like these and if there is no one to help, then our thinking may not be clear.
What if there was one who was able to know what you were going through with out the slightest doubt...knew that you could make it through that time in your life? Would you listen?
I have been in that place and I have trusted one who could get me through. Jesus.
"The Son of Man has no where to lay his head..." was a comment made to one of his followers. Unusual comment? Yes and it was the truth. Born in humility, not of wealth or fame, riding on a donkey and beaten without recognition in his own land and finally betrayed by a friend... he knew my frailties.
It wasn't until I completely let all my inner most fears leave me and let him lead in a certain peace that is not always easy to attain that I began to see a way out of my troubles. And it is not always in the way we expect. Most of the time it is by grace of others he puts....in your path! If you can be in a place to receive help in that time and not let the pride of life get in the way then you will see how God works.
Have you ever caught sight of a person stealing food just for a meal? I have and it hurts. My first thought is not that but...Why not help yourself...get a job do something? What do I know of that person's life at that moment? Instead have mercy and find Jesus in that time of your life. You won't be disappointed.
What if there was one who was able to know what you were going through with out the slightest doubt...knew that you could make it through that time in your life? Would you listen?
I have been in that place and I have trusted one who could get me through. Jesus.
"The Son of Man has no where to lay his head..." was a comment made to one of his followers. Unusual comment? Yes and it was the truth. Born in humility, not of wealth or fame, riding on a donkey and beaten without recognition in his own land and finally betrayed by a friend... he knew my frailties.
It wasn't until I completely let all my inner most fears leave me and let him lead in a certain peace that is not always easy to attain that I began to see a way out of my troubles. And it is not always in the way we expect. Most of the time it is by grace of others he puts....in your path! If you can be in a place to receive help in that time and not let the pride of life get in the way then you will see how God works.
Have you ever caught sight of a person stealing food just for a meal? I have and it hurts. My first thought is not that but...Why not help yourself...get a job do something? What do I know of that person's life at that moment? Instead have mercy and find Jesus in that time of your life. You won't be disappointed.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Thru Blind Alleys and Dark Corners
Is today a day when we will just walk through these dark times without hope? Do we really have to walk through blind alleys and dark corners and feel the fear imposed upon us by others? Do we have to have a world in which it is dominated by bad news and events that strips us of our moral composure? These are questions that are almost answered in our subconscious daily as we prepare to start our day. There are people out there with "causes" that seem to want us to conform to their world view and to their type of world they live in. Which is violent in nature. Scripture reveals that it is inside the heart that the issues of life take place. It is also said that we are naturally haters of God or that and enmity exists between us and him until such time as we behave with a change of heart towards ourselves and others. This is extremely hard to do alone and without a sense of direction in which we are going. If the world's events continue to encroach upon our daily lives then there will be a pressure inside of us to contend with. It is how we deal with these things that make or break us. To respond with love and to turn away from our own angers is necessary at times like these. It is difficult especially when innocent lives are taken away in senseless violence. We have been privileged to live in a free society where our freedoms have been protected by laws and have been free from reprisals when we challenge systems of belief. It is not so in many other countries of the world. Regimes are inherently bad when one person controls the majority of power and the ordinary person cannot break the repressions they live in daily.
Christ lived in a time when three quarters of the world bowed to a Roman rule. It was supreme and it meant death to oppose Caesar. Yet he went about preaching a kingdom of God with intensity that was to overcome Rome by love and by being last instead of first. Though it ended in his death, it prepared the way for us to enter a new kingdom...even while still here on a violent Earth..............This is a hope that has not been quenched for over two-thousand years and continues to thrive in places like China,places in Latin America, and other counties where man has imposed harsh systems government that cripples the human spirit.
So have hope even today when driving to work and your mind is coping with these times....
Christ lived in a time when three quarters of the world bowed to a Roman rule. It was supreme and it meant death to oppose Caesar. Yet he went about preaching a kingdom of God with intensity that was to overcome Rome by love and by being last instead of first. Though it ended in his death, it prepared the way for us to enter a new kingdom...even while still here on a violent Earth..............This is a hope that has not been quenched for over two-thousand years and continues to thrive in places like China,places in Latin America, and other counties where man has imposed harsh systems government that cripples the human spirit.
So have hope even today when driving to work and your mind is coping with these times....
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
NY Times Opinion:Rebuttal to Susan Jacoby's "The Blessing of Atheism" Jan. 16th 2013
The original sin-exaltation: of ourselves above God and a refusal of his moral commands equals our death and gives rise to a false sense of our own righteousness or (free thinking/atheistic tendencies) to run rampant. A-theism or without God...is nothing new to mankind. These ideas have been around since the dawn of man and are not obviously new in any sense of the word new. What maybe new is only new to us individually as we experience for the first time events such as these that rend our hearts. Since we are not immortal and our death is imminent we are limited to our own short and ignorant self gained knowledge or are reliant on others to provide it to us and thereby incorporate it as our own experience. This short life of 70 years give or take a decade can in no way explain all there is to know about our wonderful world or universe. The "why" of anything in these situations exposes us to a moral dilemma that asks us to question our existence and it wreaks havoc in our soul that forces us to think and reason on a deeper level. If Susan Jacoby is offering up Atheism as an alternative way to deal with extreme emotional loss of life of loved ones, it pales next to the consolation of what the Kingdom of God can offer. If Susan Jacoby is indeed "free" not to ask an all powerful God why he allows such things to happen I would say it limits her depth of understanding.
Job as I recall also wrestled with mighty questions over the suffering condition he found himself to be in...(a wretched man sitting in ashes with wounds that would not heal) all allowable by God to let Satan afflict him but not to take his life. We also know from the narrative of his three friends that they tried vary hard to convince him it was his own sin and fault that led him to this state. His friends obviously did not remember his former state of significant stature before his suffering. In answer to Job's pleas to his God he was rebuked and there followed some of the deepest prose in history of God's answer to him of his supreme and rightful Deity over his creation.
There is a certain sadness to this reasoning that once death occurs nothing else exists for us. To those who have lost precious little ones to a person who was obviously ill it offers no relief and no hope at all of a restoration and a returned peace to their lives. A belief in nothing is absurd.
The Gospel of our Lord offers a sane answer to all of our troubles in the here and now and also to the beyond. It also answers the question of why a good and benevolent God would allow this and it returns us to the beginning...Genesis the beginning and the root of evil that grows alongside of the good.
Christ is the restoration of all things and the sacrifice that atoned for our wrong choices and for all time and for all people regardless of their condition and or persuasion or moral condition. If there ever was a balancer for all people it is Christ Imanuel God with us. I have my doubts that Christ would have expended so much energy in his ministry of three short years if it were all to be "dust" in the end. I suspect that those who have not experienced the profound love of God cannot reflect it to others.
There are so many written letters we ave available that prove the unquenchable spirit that we have within us that must transcend our natural life to the beyond. Not only in the NT but in the arts and humanities as well forever trapped in our great libraries throughout the world. I am convinced of an afterlife because of this and will always offer hope to those who suffer. There is and will be a resurrection of the dead and of those who are innocent... no more tears. This far more consoling I think than to think little ones simply have a perfect rest in death only.
"And they brought unto him also infants that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God.
Job as I recall also wrestled with mighty questions over the suffering condition he found himself to be in...(a wretched man sitting in ashes with wounds that would not heal) all allowable by God to let Satan afflict him but not to take his life. We also know from the narrative of his three friends that they tried vary hard to convince him it was his own sin and fault that led him to this state. His friends obviously did not remember his former state of significant stature before his suffering. In answer to Job's pleas to his God he was rebuked and there followed some of the deepest prose in history of God's answer to him of his supreme and rightful Deity over his creation.
There is a certain sadness to this reasoning that once death occurs nothing else exists for us. To those who have lost precious little ones to a person who was obviously ill it offers no relief and no hope at all of a restoration and a returned peace to their lives. A belief in nothing is absurd.
The Gospel of our Lord offers a sane answer to all of our troubles in the here and now and also to the beyond. It also answers the question of why a good and benevolent God would allow this and it returns us to the beginning...Genesis the beginning and the root of evil that grows alongside of the good.
Christ is the restoration of all things and the sacrifice that atoned for our wrong choices and for all time and for all people regardless of their condition and or persuasion or moral condition. If there ever was a balancer for all people it is Christ Imanuel God with us. I have my doubts that Christ would have expended so much energy in his ministry of three short years if it were all to be "dust" in the end. I suspect that those who have not experienced the profound love of God cannot reflect it to others.
There are so many written letters we ave available that prove the unquenchable spirit that we have within us that must transcend our natural life to the beyond. Not only in the NT but in the arts and humanities as well forever trapped in our great libraries throughout the world. I am convinced of an afterlife because of this and will always offer hope to those who suffer. There is and will be a resurrection of the dead and of those who are innocent... no more tears. This far more consoling I think than to think little ones simply have a perfect rest in death only.
"And they brought unto him also infants that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
A Visit In The Night
After the day's end a man walks out of the high council and into the night countryside seeking one who teaches and is now notable and has acquired some fame. This man Nicodemus a "teacher of Israel" seeks another to teach him now. He is no longer a young man and has earned the respect of many is Israel. Gray with age and stooped he comes across Jesus sitting with his disciples quietly discussing the days events. With hesitation he invites himself into the discussion. sits and faces the master himself. Jesus not hesitating gazes on the face that has taught Israel for the past 30 years. Only 30 himself Jesus has had an electrifying effect on the villages and towns he has already visited.
Nicodemus has come to learn from a man half his age. Proverbs 8:12 teaches that " I wisdom dwell together with prudence. I possess knowledge and discretion." So here we have a man a wise man seeking answers who I believe felt it prudent to seek out Jesus in the night hours. Some sources speculate that he was a coward in seeking the Lord at night so as not to be seen openly, perhaps. But if Nicodemus was wise then he felt it prudent not to stir up the council members and announce his intentions prematurely. Maybe just maybe, if prudence won out he would have advantage in the future with other influential members of the council.
Nicodemus has rightly recognized that "Jesus was from God" for no one could do the works you do if he were not. Jesus seeing that Nicodemus could not see the kingdom correctly teaches that he must be born again of water and spirit. "You a teacher of Israel, do not understand this? I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not accept them, How then will you understand heavenly things?" As a group the Pharisees rejected the teachings of Jesus. Here though was a man, willing to buck the traditional and seek answers from a man younger than he. This was a showing of both prudence and discretion, I believe. If Nicodemus had announced his intentions to the other members of the Pharisees, he would probably have been driven out or at the very least lost his respect among his peers. If after having been in the presence of Jesus he was also "born again" then he had and accurate witness to relay to others who might not believe on an otherwise shallow testimony. He would have in fact been one who had seen for himself and testified to that which he had seen and experienced in the presence of Jesus.
This was the root beginnings of the New Testament Church that Jesus had set in motion. It was based on real life witness and testimony of those who had been changed by this "Rabbi" teacher forever. It was not some fictional story or rumor at all. The choice we face today is to put off unbelief if even for an hour and check out the witness for ourselves. Have you met anyone who has been truly born again? If so then I assure you that he or she would possess the same qualities of Jesus himself. Not one to push for an agenda or some doctrine to pick apart or a to merely become member of some organizational structure.
But rather this would be a person of substance and of joy pointing to the one who has dramatically changed their life
Nicodemus has come to learn from a man half his age. Proverbs 8:12 teaches that " I wisdom dwell together with prudence. I possess knowledge and discretion." So here we have a man a wise man seeking answers who I believe felt it prudent to seek out Jesus in the night hours. Some sources speculate that he was a coward in seeking the Lord at night so as not to be seen openly, perhaps. But if Nicodemus was wise then he felt it prudent not to stir up the council members and announce his intentions prematurely. Maybe just maybe, if prudence won out he would have advantage in the future with other influential members of the council.
Nicodemus has rightly recognized that "Jesus was from God" for no one could do the works you do if he were not. Jesus seeing that Nicodemus could not see the kingdom correctly teaches that he must be born again of water and spirit. "You a teacher of Israel, do not understand this? I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not accept them, How then will you understand heavenly things?" As a group the Pharisees rejected the teachings of Jesus. Here though was a man, willing to buck the traditional and seek answers from a man younger than he. This was a showing of both prudence and discretion, I believe. If Nicodemus had announced his intentions to the other members of the Pharisees, he would probably have been driven out or at the very least lost his respect among his peers. If after having been in the presence of Jesus he was also "born again" then he had and accurate witness to relay to others who might not believe on an otherwise shallow testimony. He would have in fact been one who had seen for himself and testified to that which he had seen and experienced in the presence of Jesus.
This was the root beginnings of the New Testament Church that Jesus had set in motion. It was based on real life witness and testimony of those who had been changed by this "Rabbi" teacher forever. It was not some fictional story or rumor at all. The choice we face today is to put off unbelief if even for an hour and check out the witness for ourselves. Have you met anyone who has been truly born again? If so then I assure you that he or she would possess the same qualities of Jesus himself. Not one to push for an agenda or some doctrine to pick apart or a to merely become member of some organizational structure.
But rather this would be a person of substance and of joy pointing to the one who has dramatically changed their life
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Searching The Heart: What's in a name? Everything,if that name is Jesus...
Searching The Heart: What's in a name? Everything,if that name is Jesus...: In the middle ages if a King was to make or send a decree throughout his kingdom he would set a seal to it with a wax seal of his...
What's in a name? Everything,if that name is JesusI
In the middle ages if a King was to make or send a decree throughout his kingdom he would set a seal to it with a wax seal of his signet ring. Then everyone would know it was of the king's authority. No questions asked. The mark of the King was I'm sure widely recognized through the kingdom as his and his alone. Even the illiterate would recognize it as that of his sovereign.
Recognition is the key to understanding authority, in any kingdom or any government. When is the last time you were pulled over for a traffic violation. Heart in the throat, right away? Why? Because we know and recognize that authority is about to be revealed to us in either an unpleasant manner or maybe we are confidant we are compliant with that authority and have..."no worries." So what's in the name of Jesus? And why was Peter commanded not to speak any longer in that name while preaching the gospel of good news?
Because for three years it carried proven results of a certain authority that wreaked havoc with the current authorities and turned them upside down. A new King had appeared and had taken over in a most unlikely way! Riding upon a donkey and with humility, no evidence of pride evident he banded together a group of men and began to expound to them a" kingdom not easily seen."
They must have recognized and reasoned that this man had authority to do what he was doing and they were compelled to follow him. They walked with him and were direct witness to his authority in this world.
These are the things that name has done;
Resurrection of Lazarus
The blind seeing & the lame walking
Healing the broken hearted
Calming stormy seas
Delivering Legion of spirits
Healing the Centurion's daughter
Fortelling his death and resurrection
Promising the Holy Spirit & delivering it on Pentecost
and on the list goes for many more events listed in the New Testament.
Why then do we suffer the things we do if we have an advocate for us? It is because we are mixed in a world with many authorities and have not recognized the true King. We are still limited yes in what we can and do in our world and subject to authorities around us that Jesus commanded we obey. To a point. When it becomes clear that we are violating a supreme God's authority then get ready for a heart in the throat experience!.. Maybe it will not be today or even ten years, but it will come. A review of the Old Testament's writings would possible help in seeing a God's judgement on world events then. Ninevah repented and so was spared wrath. However 200 years later it was destroyed for the very same thing it had repented for before.
We still live in a day of grace and our knowledge of history bears out the fact that there was a man named Jesus. Every now and then when I go into a supermarket and look at tabloids, there with all the nonsense, I see Time magazine with the face of a man (Jesus) with an absurd title; Who was this man?
Do we still not recognize the King?
Recognition is the key to understanding authority, in any kingdom or any government. When is the last time you were pulled over for a traffic violation. Heart in the throat, right away? Why? Because we know and recognize that authority is about to be revealed to us in either an unpleasant manner or maybe we are confidant we are compliant with that authority and have..."no worries." So what's in the name of Jesus? And why was Peter commanded not to speak any longer in that name while preaching the gospel of good news?
Because for three years it carried proven results of a certain authority that wreaked havoc with the current authorities and turned them upside down. A new King had appeared and had taken over in a most unlikely way! Riding upon a donkey and with humility, no evidence of pride evident he banded together a group of men and began to expound to them a" kingdom not easily seen."
They must have recognized and reasoned that this man had authority to do what he was doing and they were compelled to follow him. They walked with him and were direct witness to his authority in this world.
These are the things that name has done;
Resurrection of Lazarus
The blind seeing & the lame walking
Healing the broken hearted
Calming stormy seas
Delivering Legion of spirits
Healing the Centurion's daughter
Fortelling his death and resurrection
Promising the Holy Spirit & delivering it on Pentecost
and on the list goes for many more events listed in the New Testament.
Why then do we suffer the things we do if we have an advocate for us? It is because we are mixed in a world with many authorities and have not recognized the true King. We are still limited yes in what we can and do in our world and subject to authorities around us that Jesus commanded we obey. To a point. When it becomes clear that we are violating a supreme God's authority then get ready for a heart in the throat experience!.. Maybe it will not be today or even ten years, but it will come. A review of the Old Testament's writings would possible help in seeing a God's judgement on world events then. Ninevah repented and so was spared wrath. However 200 years later it was destroyed for the very same thing it had repented for before.
We still live in a day of grace and our knowledge of history bears out the fact that there was a man named Jesus. Every now and then when I go into a supermarket and look at tabloids, there with all the nonsense, I see Time magazine with the face of a man (Jesus) with an absurd title; Who was this man?
Do we still not recognize the King?
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dining with the dead?
Are you dining with the dead today? If not listen to these words. Jesus, after recruiting disciples told them to" go into cities or towns and inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go hence. And when ye come to into a house salute it. And if a house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it not be worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake the dust off of your feet." Curious words? Harsh? Yes they are!
But here is the thing. We carry with us just like Christ, the power of an unseen kingdom that has broken into our present world that beckons like a lighthouse to those in a place of deadness. And because this is so we can labor as Christ did and discern just where our words fall. On deaf ears, yes many times, or on receiving ears that will sense what we carry in these earthen vessels.
In our democracy today Christians can and are viewed skeptically because we can draw lines of distinction in what we do. We have a forerunner that went before us and taught many things that are not necessarily democratic in nature. Jesus also told a young disciple wanting to follow him, but first had to bury a father "to let the dead bury the dead." This again is seemingly harsh and probably would raise eyebrows if overheard in our society today. If then we are directed to go and make disciples of all nations as Christ directed his very first followers, then it must be done with a presentation of love,reason and with a sense of just who our audience is at the time. Not every one will like the words of Christ because they can be offensive and target something in our natures that will be repelled by them.
However, we,(I included) have a desire for those who want to be free, like Christ who went about tirelessly, preaching a kingdom here and now, with signs, that followed him wherever he went and also causing a stir to those who were upset with his words. He ate with "publicans, sinners, the poor and yes even those with different belief systems but was unfazed by any of his accusers. Because this was a joy he brought to those who would hear. So I dine daily with the dead, according to Christ, not with a superiority complex but with humility knowing I was dead too at one time...and then a young man came and shared a message of hope to me at a time I most needed to hear it, changing forever my point of view.
But here is the thing. We carry with us just like Christ, the power of an unseen kingdom that has broken into our present world that beckons like a lighthouse to those in a place of deadness. And because this is so we can labor as Christ did and discern just where our words fall. On deaf ears, yes many times, or on receiving ears that will sense what we carry in these earthen vessels.
In our democracy today Christians can and are viewed skeptically because we can draw lines of distinction in what we do. We have a forerunner that went before us and taught many things that are not necessarily democratic in nature. Jesus also told a young disciple wanting to follow him, but first had to bury a father "to let the dead bury the dead." This again is seemingly harsh and probably would raise eyebrows if overheard in our society today. If then we are directed to go and make disciples of all nations as Christ directed his very first followers, then it must be done with a presentation of love,reason and with a sense of just who our audience is at the time. Not every one will like the words of Christ because they can be offensive and target something in our natures that will be repelled by them.
However, we,(I included) have a desire for those who want to be free, like Christ who went about tirelessly, preaching a kingdom here and now, with signs, that followed him wherever he went and also causing a stir to those who were upset with his words. He ate with "publicans, sinners, the poor and yes even those with different belief systems but was unfazed by any of his accusers. Because this was a joy he brought to those who would hear. So I dine daily with the dead, according to Christ, not with a superiority complex but with humility knowing I was dead too at one time...and then a young man came and shared a message of hope to me at a time I most needed to hear it, changing forever my point of view.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Planted? or are you a Pilgrim?
It wasn't until later or my late twenties that I started searching for this feeling to be born out and I discovered that there were finally others that felt as I. These were other Christians that had already made the pilgrimage and shared it with me. What I found was indeed true...there was another alternate reality along side of the one I had lived for the two and a half decades of my life. Another kingdom that was eternal not easily seen by the eyes but very much felt by my spirit and born witness to by the many other Christian's I have met along the way. Fellow travelers all on a personal journey to "apprehend that which they were apprehended for" as Paul wrote. An organic living body of people working out their salvation with fear and trembling as now do I. These laws of the kingdom of God transcend anything here seen by the natural eye. For it says, "No eye has seen nor ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love him." I know this though, the daily living here and now pales before what is to come. All of the pain,coupled with life's misunderstandings, and the travail of world events gone haywire will be eventually explained. There are also joy's to our life here and now greatly enriched by the knowledge of what awaits us. For it it a season now in the natural and then the Son's of God will be revealed and will be a new creation as we are already are in a world that we will no longer be a pilgrims. "Those the Son has set free, are free indeed."
What are these new laws that exist for us? Freedom from addictions, lust's pride, keeping up with the Joneses or striving, greed, envy and many other things that have been broken down by Christ's atonement for us. We now enjoy freedom as Christ intended though not yet fully perfected we are able to comprehend and enjoy better way of life than before. Test him and see for yourself...he is good.
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