My Bible Study

What You Eat

2011-09-15T11:57:00.000-05:00

I believe in the health of your spirit, soul, and body. Over on my health blog, All Things Health, I posted about Ezekiel 4. Click here to read it.

The Bridge

2011-09-02T14:25:00.000-05:00

This week, both my kids (ages 6 and 11) reacted negatively (and fairly strongly) to a Biblical truth (these were two separate instances). This was very unusual. They have both always been excited about the Bible and church and spiritual things I have taught them, in the past.

This got me to thinking about parenting.

Let's think about sending our children across a bridge as the analogy of their maturing process. Point A is birth and point B is adulthood. The piers are the values we parents impart.

I think most parents think that by sending their children to church and private school, and maybe even reading them Bible stories, they are putting the supports (values) in place, for a steady, secure life, for their children. They believe that their children will get to the other side of that bridge safely.

But it doesn't quite work out that way. I have been doing a lot of learning in the area of understanding my children's heart. We as parents could be imparting values, but if it just goes in one ear and out the other, without sinking down into the heart of the child, that pier is not made of solid material. It's going to be a shaky foundation. It's not going to last.

You may not see the effects right away. Most of the time, we see the effects when the child is about 3/4 of the way across the bridge, in the teen years. All of a sudden, the child becomes a totally different (so-called) person. But in fact, this is who they were all along, in their heart of hearts. It just took the added stress of teenage-hood to shake the already unsteady foundation of their bridge.

And many times, by the time they reach adulthood, this is what we see...

How do you know if your values are reaching your child's heart? How do you know if their bridge's piers are solid? You test them--along the way. You don't want until the teenage years to see what becomes of them. Before that, you put some pressure on them, some tension on them (the piers/values). What do I mean? All of us will reveal our true character under pressure, the pressures of life. Tension is a pulling action. I try to pull out what's inside my kid's hearts by asking lots of questions, have a lot of dialog (not monologue--and I'm still working on that one).

Are your children free to show disagreement (in a respectful way)? Are they free to ask why you believe what you believe? Do you ever ask for their opinion on matters of values? Do they have the freedom to speak their mind to you?

I showed each of my children from the Bible what the truth was (which was different from their own opinions). We had open discussions about those beliefs. I'm glad they were able to speak their minds, and I'm sure those issues will come up again. I could tell they each didn't really find resolution in their own minds. So, these are piers in their life that are not quite solid yet. I pray that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to God's truth in these areas. (Eph. 1:17-19, Is. 54:13)

If you want to learn more about reaching the heart of your children, I highly recommend reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, and Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp.

P.S. I'm thinking, as I'm writing this, that some of you may be thinking that children don't necessarily have to adopt the values of their parents to have a fine life. In fact, I've read of parents that want their children to be such "free-thinkers" that they want them to question everything and they in turn expose them to everything and expect that they won't adopt their values. They think that these "free-thinkers" have brought much needed change and toleration to our world. So, let me clarify. I am speaking to Christian parents, and I'm assuming your set of values are based on the Bible, which is the only absolute truth in this world. If your values are not (now would be a good time to check that out), then I hope your children don't adopt them.

I found top bridge picture at Wikimedia Commons. It is a picture taken by David Monniaux of the Rio-Antirio Bridge in Greece. I thought it beautiful. David Monniaux has no affiliation with this blog whatsoever. The second picture is of part of I-35 that bridged the Mississippi river. It is public domain.

Book Review: Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway

2011-08-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

I read Rob Bell's newest book, Love Wins, and blogged about it. You can read that review here. Then I ran across this book that counters Bell's philosophy by Dr. Bobby Conway.

First, I will say that Rob Bell makes a smooth argument. You leave the book feeling very persuaded, and it all sounds very nice. I can see that many will accept this philosophy just based on the feel-good factor. But, I got to thinking--human nature craves justice. We all want to see evil punished, things evened out in a fair manner, that is, until it comes to us. So the "no-hell" theory sounds nice, and makes you feel very comfortable, until you start thinking about the worst offenders in our world--pedophiles, kidnappers, Nazi concentration camp officers, rapists, serial killers--admit it, you want to see them burn. It's the truth. That throws a wrench into the works, doesn't it? This changes things a bit. You could change your theory to a "bar set really low" theory, it becomes a "most get into heaven" theory, but I do not see how anyone can really have an "everyone gets into heaven" theory. You say, "well, I'm not nearly as bad as those kind of people, surely God would let me into heaven." But the fact is, sin is sin, and we all deserve hell. I'm no better than a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterer. It say so in James 2:10.

That is how Bobby Conway opens his book, and I like that approach. With a very loving tone, his focus is on grace. He does not come from the stance of attacking Bell, but rather goes to the Bible to show the truth. It's the truth, you deserve hell, I deserve hell, we all do. And if you follow Bell's thoughts through to their conclusion (which Bell did not do in his own book), you will start to question many, many things about the Bible. The biggest question becomes, "why did Jesus have to die?" Conway addresses this issue. As he puts it, "Why did the Father allow His wrath to be poured out on His Son?" Doesn't that make God out to be more cruel than the God Bell portrays? If everyone gets into heaven, there was no point to God's wrath on Jesus.

This brings me to the heart of the matter. Bell ultimately does not take the Word of God as inerrant, and inspired, he doesn't take it seriously. Conway puts it this way, "One thing becomes clear when reading Bell’s writings: he is more comfortable casting doubt on the Bible than offering credible contextual interpretations." He says that we must go to the Word with an attitude of "what does the Bible say?" rather than "what do I want the Bible to say?" I completely agree. Conway quotes Darrell Bock, saying, "Bell reads Revelation 21–22 as if Revelation 19–20 did not exist." I thought the same thing when I read Love Wins. We cannot pick and choose from the Bible as if it's a salad bar.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that has read Love Wins, or anyone that has questions about heaven, hell, death, or the afterlife. As Conway puts it, "Jesus wins!" I agree!

This book is only available in ebook format. I have to say, I wasn't thrilled about that. I thought my eyes would get too fatigued reading on my PC (I don't have a Kindle or Nook), but they didn't. I do like the feel of a book in my hand, but this book is pretty short, so I didn't have to sit at the computer for very long. It is only 58 pages, not counting end notes, table of contents, etc. Perhaps it will be released in print at some point. But don't let the ebook format stop you from checking it out now.

I agree with Conway that it does seem that Bell has the right heart, to see people come to Christ, but I'm telling you, when you start doubting parts of God's Word, you tread on thin ice. You will open the door for the devil to tempt you with other deceptions--the ultimate being that Jesus is not really the Son of God, He was not really born of a virgin, and therefore cannot save. If you will recall that is the same thing he did in the Garden of Eden--tempted Eve with doubting God's Word (Gen. 3). I will be curious to watch the path that Bell follows in the coming years. I really hope he doesn't end up like the Carlton Pearsons and Charles Templetons of the world, but I see him opening himself up to that.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Love Wins by Rob Bell

2011-07-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

This book contains some truths, and a lot of falsehoods. I sincerely hope some of the readers get saved through it. I believe the Holy Spirit can work despite false teaching. There are elements here—unconditional love, grace, mercy, the cross, the resurrection, etc.—but I’m not going to recommend this book to any of my unsaved or immature Christian friends or family. I do recommend that a serious student of God’s Word read it. If you are very familiar with doctrine and have at least read through most of the Bible, go ahead and read this for yourself. Otherwise, don’t waste your time, you will just end up confused. I really like what Mark Driscoll says on this topic, “get very familiar with your Bible before you read books about the Bible.”

Now, if you would like to see a breakdown of the things I agreed with and the things I didn’t, read on. If not, don't bother, it is long. I took notes as I read, and I will list them in the order that I wrote them. I say that not all of these quotes are word for word, I paraphrased some, but I tried to put quotation marks to differentiate between what was in the book and what are my thought.

I will say that I was very, very skeptical upon opening this book. After the second chapter, I was pleasantly surprised that Bell was not as far out there as I imagined. But then after the third chapter, it goes downhill. By chapter six, he lays it all out, and what I had heard was true. And I was very disappointed that Bell did not include footnotes or endnotes, and all of his scripture references are just book and chapter, no specific verse listed; so it's hard to quickly look up the references he includes to see if he's right or wrong.

I am going to read Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway next and I will post a review. Then I would like to read The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, since Bell mentioned it.

Love Wins by Rob Bell

Preface – Pg. viii – what part of the gospel is causing people’s stomachs to churn? Who is teaching that only a select few will go to heaven? This sounds blown out of proportion to me. I agree we should be free to question, but that does not mean our opinions are the answers. The answers will only be found in God's Word. Pg. x – he’s not the first to bring these ideas up, he says—so?—that doesn’t make them right ideas.

Chapter 1, pg. 5 – the tone seems mocking.
Pg.6 – the emphasis seems to be on works.
Pg. 7 – that is the problem—most look at salvation as a ticket to heaven and aren’t living for Christ. Just because they are wrong, doesn’t mean the gospel is wrong.
Pg. 9 – I agree, many representations of Christ are false, and should be rejected.
Pg. 10 – "no where in the Bible is the phrase 'personal relationship' with Jesus found." It doesn’t have to be, because it’s the topic of all the epistles! And what about John 15—if you ABIDE in Me, and I in you… And who the heck is this “woman” who wrote the letter to the Hebrews? Hadn’t heard that one before.
Pg. 11 – Bell is taking issue with the fact that accepting, confessing, and believing are all actions. He states we aren’t saved by works (that’s true), so therefore if you tell someone they have to accept Jesus, confess their sins, believe on Jesus, etc., it isn’t grace, or a gift, or good news. Now hold one just a minute. If I go out and buy a really nice item and wrap it up and take it down to the maximum security prison to give to one of the worst prisoners--the least deserving person I can think of, that prisoner has the choice to accept that gift, or reject it, and has to open it in order to use it. How is it any less gracious, or any less of a gift, if he has to take it and open it? See Eph. 2:8—salvation is BY grace, THROUGH faith—it is your faith in the free gift that opens it up for you.
Pg. 13 – Bell is blowing apart the theory that you must recite a specific “sinner’s prayer.” I agree, there isn’t a specific prayer anywhere in the Bible.

Chapter 2, Pg. 30 – Jesus doesn’t refer to heaven, but eternal life, says Bell. (I think this was the rich young ruler passage.) Is Bell trying to break down the image of “heaven” as a far away place? (Yes, he was.) John 17:3 says eternal life is knowing God and that starts here, but I do believe heaven is a real place.
Pg. 33 – Lots of references to the millennium to counter the idea that heaven is a far off place.
Pg. 37 – mention of the “day of the Lord”, so he’s not denying a judgment. This will be the end of injustice, oppression etc. “God declares a ban on weapons.” What? Is he throwing in his political stance here? How about the verses that say Jesus will rule with a rod of iron? That’s a weapon.
Pg. 39 – mention of sins. This surprised me. Do pure universalists (what you call those that believe everyone goes to heaven) believe there are sins?
Pg. 42 – "In ancient times the word heaven was substituted for God because people didn’t like to use the name of God for fear of disrespect" Not sure of the truth in this. "So when you see heaven in the text, it could really mean God." I can’t counter this, but it sounds out there to me. Bell defines heaven as the place where God’s will and only God’s will is done. He says that Jewish tradition was that someday earth and heaven would be one. That may be true, there are many Old Testament passages about the time of the millennial rule and the descriptions are of heaven on earth, but I don't know for sure.
Pg. 43 – I agree that many of our perceptions and traditions of heaven are wrong, and that a lot of people focus on the material possessions of heaven; but the word, “mansions” is in fact in the Bible (John 14:2).
Pg. 45 – bringing in the social causes. I’ve never heard Bell speak, or read any of his other books, but this makes me think he probably preaches a social gospel—feed the poor, don’t trash the earth, make sure those in other countries have fresh clean water etc.—and these are all good things, but the gospel should be our first and foremost priority. Basically, there is an end--that this world will be restored and there will be an end to injustice and misery, and there will be peace and love all around. But there are two approaches to this end. One paradigm says that we Christians must work, work, work, to bring this kingdom into realization. The other paradigm says that Christ will bring His kingdom into being, in His timing, and in His power, regardless of how much we have prepared it for Him. One approach puts us at the center, the other Christ at the center. I prefer to stick with the one with Christ at the center. Does that mean I don't believe in helping the poor? Certainly not! But my focus is not to make this world a better place, but rather to show God's love, to bring that person into a knowledge of the Savior.
Pg. 46 – I agree that we should not just be looking for evacuation from this world. And that's what many look at salvation for--an escape from this life.
Pg. 47 – I don’t like the phrase, “heaven to be about partnering with God to make a new and better world." Bell indicates we start now--this leans too far to social gospel for me. See above on my position, on pg. 45.
Pg. 50 - I don't agree that it is all of your bad qualities that get burned up in I Cor. 3, but rather works of the flesh. You can have a bad character quality, but choose to walk after the Spirit, rather than your flesh, and store up gold, silver, and precious stones, rather than wood, hay, and stubble. I agree that Jesus is interested in heart transformation.
Pg. 51 - Bell says that this idea that in the blink of an eye we will automatically become totally different people who "know" everything brings confusion. No, it's scriptural and you must understand spirit, soul, and body in order to get it. I can think of II Cor. 5:17, Phil. 1:6, I Thess. 5:23, I Cor. 13:12, I John 3:2 on that topic. Bell says that our heart, character, desires, etc. take time to change. I agree and will cite Phil. 1:6, but the moment Jesus comes back we will be fully changed. Bell says the idea is to start the transformation now, I agree with that point, that's sanctification, but you can't start to be sanctified until you are first justified.
Pg. 52 - cites the surprise of the sheep in Matt. 25 (sheep and goats) on being "let in." I have a feeling this is going to come into play later (and it did). Bell hammers away that the sinners were treated with compassion while the religious were rebuked, while Jesus walked this earth. Yes, very true, but don't think that means you don't actually have to get saved.
Pg. 53 - Bell paints a picture of a single mom in dire circumstances, coming out of an abusive situation, and speculates that she will be in heaven, because she is doing the best she can with what she has--she takes good care of her children, works long hours to provide for them, etc. God doesn't save on pity. This points to salvation by works. She may very well be in heaven, but it won't have anything to do with how hard she worked or how well she took care of her children, but on whether or not she accepted God's gift of grace.
Pg. 57 - heaven is more real than what we experience now--I agree.
Pg. 58 - it transcends time--I agree.
Pg. 59 - mentions 11 dimensions--very interesting!
Pg. 62 - I pretty much agree with Bell's summary and I agree that we will be surprised by who we see in heaven. I think we should step outside of our little parameters for who we think "gets in."
In summary, chapter 2 says heaven could refer to God, the millennium, and the abundant life here and now. I agree that if we are to live the abundant life we need to be totally focused on the things of the Spirit. (Rom. 8:6).

Chapter 3, pg. 64 - "sin, refuse to repent, it's over." This is what Bell says most churches are teaching. This is wrong teaching and if it's what you're hearing, please find a new church, or at least get some quality teaching online. The fact is, our sin is not what sends us to hell and that myth needs busting. You will go to hell by your conscious decision to reject the provision God has made for your sin. No one will be in hell by surprise. "God is loving and kind and full of grace and mercy--unless there isn't confession and repentance, right?" If you don't repent, it does not change the fact that God is loving and gracious. The real question is, "have you accepted His love and grace or rejected it?"
Pg. 69 - "For many in the modern world, the idea of hell is a holdover from primitive, mythic religion that uses fear to control people."
Pg. 71-72 - stories of various people in really bad circumstance to illustrate that we can have hell on earth. Bell says, "I tell these stories because it is absolutely vital to acknowledge that love, grace, and humanity can be rejected." I agree. We are free to choose. Bell says, "When people say they don't believe in hell or sin, I ask, 'Have you sat and talked with a parent of a molested child?'" I would like to ask Bell if he believes that that child molester will be in heaven, just not "enjoying" it.
Pg. 73 - "There are very real consequences of rejecting our God-given goodness and humanity." I don't agree with that wording--it implies we are all good at heart, but Rom. 3:23 says we have all sinned and fall short of God's glory.
Pg. 75 - "Jesus brings a social revolution"--partially true--it won't be fully realized until He sits on His earthly throne. See notes on pg. 45 for exposition.
Pg. 78 - "Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem the least concerned about hell after death." I agree. I don't believe in a social gospel, but preaching the gospel so that people can be free here and now. Again, see my full position on my note for pg. 45.
Pg. 80 - "Jesus taught that God's love doesn't wield a sword." What about Rev. 19:15, when Jesus returns with a sword coming out of His mouth, to fight His enemies? Or do you just take that allegorically?
Pg. 81 - Bell is explaining that the passages about wrath in the Bible were fulfilled at the fall of Jerusalem. Wrong.
Pg. 84 - Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed, but Bell cites Ez. 16 that says they will be restored. His point is that all the bad, all wrath, all judgment is to reconcile and restore you and if you choose to live in hell you will eventually come around to see that God is the way. Huh? So then, hell is temporary?
Pg. 85 - more examples of wrath as correction, cites Jer. 32 & 5.
Pg. 86 - Bell says God's rejection isn't forever--cites Lam. 3, Hos. 14, Zeph. 3. The only problem with using these passages is that they all specifically refer to Israel's restoration, that is yet future.
Pg. 87 - more on that--Is. 57, Hos. 6, Joel 3, Amos 9, Nahum 2, Zeph. 2, 3, 9, 10, & Micah 7. Again, ALL those are referring to Israel.
Pg. 91 - the goats get sent (Matt. 25) to an aion of kolazo. Bell says aion is an age and kolazo is a term of horticulture--pruning, trimming, so plants can flourish. I'm having a hard time swallowing this one, since the passage says that they are sent to the same place that was prepared for the devil and his angels. Are the devil and his angels being judged and pruned and trimmed, in order to flourish and be reconciled and restored? Well, I looked it up on Blueletterbible.org. Verse 46 of Matthew 25 uses the phrase, "everlasting punishment." The Greek words translated everlasting and punishment are aionios and kolasis, respectively. Aionios means without beginning or end, or never to cease. It is used 42 times as eternal and 25 times as everlasting. It does come from the root aion, which can mean eternity, the worlds, or period of time, an age. Kolasis means correction, punishment, or penalty. It is only used twice, here in Matthew, and in the familiar verse I John 4:18, translated torment. It does come from the root kolazo, which can mean to lop or prune, as in trees or wings; to curb, check, or restrain; to chastise, correct, punishment; and to cause to be punished. It is only used twice and both times is translated as punish. I'm not too sure this word kolazo is meant to prune in a positive sense. Sometimes you have to cut off a branch that has disease and such. This would not be the same kind of pruning that is done so that a tree can bear more fruit. Now I'm not a Greek scholar, but this word prune made me think of John 15:2. It is the word purge in the KJV, but prune in the NKJV. I found it interesting that it is the Greek word kathairo, and it means to cleanse, as in to prune a plant from useless shoots, or a person from guilt. Based on all of my findings, I do not see support for Bell's position on Matt. 25:46, that is is a temporary place of correction.
Pg. 93 - summary of chapter 3--Bell says, "hell is a good word for all the junk that goes on in this life." Hmmm. So he isn't going to answer the question of whether there is a literal hell that some will go to.

Chapter 4, Pg. 99 - Uh, oh! Here comes the "brotherhood of man/fatherhood of God" philosphy. [Adolf Harnack is credited for spreading this idea at the end of the19th century.] Bell says, "all people will come to God." He cites Ps. 65 and Phil. 2, "every knee will bow and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord." Yes, but if you notice, those that are bowing are in three separate locations--some on the earth, some above the earth, and some UNDER the earth.
Pg. 100 - making the case for God's sovereignty, that He is ultimately in control and will get His way, and His way is that all come to the knowledge of Him. That takes away free will.
Pg. 107 - opening up the idea that people get a chance to turn to God after death. Cites Matt. 19, Acts 3, Col. 1 regarding restoring, renewing, reconciling all things. Brings up early church fathers Clement, Origen, Gregory of Hyssa, and Eusebius as holding this view--that doesn't make the view correct. Origen is one that began allegorizing the text and said that God was done with Israel. Augustine followed this line of thinking, as well.
Pg. 108 - "God's love will eventually melt even the hardest of hearts." That is true that some of even the hardest hearts will turn. But I do not agree that this chance is open for all of eternity. God wants to see who will choose Him while there are still other choices (i.e. here on earth). If the choice was extended to those in hell, there is no doubt that everyone would choose God, but that's their only choice at that point. Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man did not have the choice extended to him in hell, and then all of a sudden, he was concerned about his brothers. If there was a choice for him, even in hell, then he shouldn't be concerned about his brothers.
Pg. 110 - "This is a wide stream we're swimming in." Again, I say, majority opinion doesn't equal truth.
Pg. 112 - Bell keeps calling the Apostle John a pastor and he says he's writing his congregation by writing the book of Revelation. But John was on Patmos for about 10 years and was very old, and in the beginning of Revelation, we see that Jesus appeared to him and told him to write to seven specific churches. So Revelation is really Jesus writing to those seven churches.
Pg. 115 - the gates of the New Jerusalem are never closed, so Bell speculates that this indicates that those in hell can come back anytime they want. In his defense, Bell says that we can't answer that question. He says that we need to be careful not to treat something in the Bible so literally that it becomes less true. This is a red flag to me--does Bell take the Word of God seriously and literally? Or does Bell look at the Bible more allegorically? Like Origen? This is a very dangerous position.
Pg. 117 - Bell reiterates that if you really, really want isolation and despair, God in His love, lets you have it. I agree.

Chapter 5 - lots of mention of the cross, blood, sacrifice, etc. I was surprised by this.
Pg. 126 - terms like reconciled, justified (from Rom. 3), and victory--he says these terms are from relationships, the courtroom, and battle. I think that someone could actually get saved reading this book.
Pg. 129 - Bell purports that these metaphors were to help the 1st century Christians understand the cross, but those things don't really ring for us today. Huh? We still have relationships, still have courtrooms, and still have battles and wars. He says for us today, we just need to know that Jesus is where life is--I can agree with that.
Pg. 132 - "the writers of the Bible were extremely clever, employing incredibly complex patterns with numbers." Again, what? When you get into the study of all the patterns and numbers and heptadic structure (sevens) of the Bible, you will see how it is humanely impossible to devise and really points to the true authorship of the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 6, Pg. 147 - so far he has mentioned the cross, the resurrection and Jesus as divine--this is good.
Pg. 152 - Bell mentions a girl so anesthetized to Jesus from saturation of Christian culture that she doesn't even know Him--she goes to Christian school, goes to youth group, has always belonged to the church--yes, I can see that, but that doesn't mean that all people in that situation don't know Him. You can be saturated and be on fire. Bell says that conversely you can go visit a group of pagans in the far reaches of the world and when they hear they gospel they respond and say, "That's His name? We've been talking about Him for years..." I have a harder time swallowing this one. Yes, I believe God can reach the pagans in the far reaches of the world, whether anyone ever visited them and preached the gospel message to them. But if they are still practicing their paganism, they have not met the real God. The real God sets them free from ritual and religion.
Pg. 154 - Bell says Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, but he also says that He doesn't tell us how, or when, or in what manner people get to God through Him. Huh? "He [Jesus] doesn't even state that those coming to the Father through Him will even know that they are coming exclusively through Him." This is out there on a limb. Aren't there plenty of verses that mention faith in Jesus? [I just looked on Biblegateway.com and found 4 verses with the exact phrase, "faith in Jesus" in the epistles--two in Romans, two in Galatians. There are 6 verses with the exact phrase, "faith in Christ" in the epistles, from Galatians, Philipians, and Colossians.] "Inclusivity--the kind that is open to all religions, the kind that trusts that good people will get in [there's works again], that there is only one mountain, but it has many paths." Here we go, he's laid it all out on the table now.
Pg. 155 - "The door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baptists..." Yes! But they must reject their false system of religion and recognize that Christ is THE only way! I do not believe that you can hold to Islam, Buddha, or Hinduism and be a Christian at the same time. What about having "no other gods before Me (the God of Israel)"?
Pg. 158 - Bell almost sounds like he is making Jesus out to be the divine spark of the New Age religion--that He is in everthing and everyone already, and we Christians just happen to call it, "Jesus." Using verses like Col. 1:17. Very thin ice, this.
Pg. 159 - Bell says that people have experiences [I see a lot of focus on the emotional in this book, rather than solid truth], but they may not call it Jesus, because they have a negative association with that name. On the flip side, I know a lot of New Agers have experiences with "Jesus" that are not really Jesus. They encounter a "spirit-guide" that calls himself Jesus. Jesus told us that many would come in His name and not to be deceived (Matt. 24:5). I'm sorry (no, I'm not), but if you come to know the real Jesus you will love to say His name and identify Him for others, in His Word, and you will love to read His Word to learn more and more about Him.
Pg. 160 - "It is our responsibility to be extremely careful about making judgments about people's eternal destinies." I agree, we can never see a person't heart, only God can. Uh, oh! Bell is now using a couple of parables in the wrong way. I will explain after the quote. "This new reality is like yeast (from Matt. 13), it spreads through the dough." The problem is, is that parable is talking about sin being like yeast, and sin will spread like yeast through the church, specifically the sin of legalism, the leaven of the Pharisees. Yeast is always sin in scripture, you can't take this parable any differently. And again Bell cites the parable of the mustard seed that grows into the big tree that is so big all the birds make their nests in the branches. Again, uh, oh, for Bell. He has used another parable wrongly. Using expositional constancy (as before with the yeast), the birds in the beginning of this passage were ministers of Satan--eating the seed, stealing the Word, so they are here, too. A mustard plant, no matter what variety, does not grow as big as a tree. I have planted mustard in my backyard. It grows about 3 or 4 feet tall, but that is all. Jesus is saying that the church will grow bigger than it should and ministers of Satan will nest in it. We see that today, there are false teachers all throughout the church. Paul even said to the Ephesian elders, as he was leaving (in Acts 20) to beware of wolves in the flock. I find it ironic that Bell chose these two parable to illustrate his point, when in actuality they are referring to sin and false teaching. Hmmm.

Chapter 7, Pg. 165 - Bell is now using the story of the Prodigal Son. He shows that there was reconciliation, return, and redemption, with the younger son. Bell said he is now a son again. But again, this brings up the view of the brotherhood of man/fatherhood of God belief that all mankind are God's children. Not so. We are born into God's family by the New Birth (John 3). The story of the Prodigal Son is not one of a sinner getting saved, but rather a Christian that has been living in the flesh, living for themselves, not for God, squandering their inheritance by works of the flesh, and repents. They realize it would be better to be a servant of the Father, than the life they are living, and so come home. But the Father welcomes this fleshly Christian with open arms, showing that they never lost their salvation, they never lost their sonship, and the Father still loves them, despite how they had been living. Now that doesn't mean that it's okay to live that way, remember the son lost all his inheritance.
Pg. 169 - still on the Prodigal Son story--Bell says the older brother chooses hell, which is just his attitude, his lack of peace and joy about the party and the younger brother's return. Bell points out that both sons are still with the father. He is equating the feast with heaven and so says that both brothers are in heaven together, but one enjoys it and one doesn't--it's their choosing. Again, you have to use the story properly--they are both sons, so are both Christians--one chose to live as a carnal Christian, and the other was legalistic and counted himself worthy based on how he lived, but both are saved and so are both going to heaven. This does not mean that everyone will be in heaven.
Pg. 170 - "Hell is our refusal to trust God's re-telling of our story." But this leaves no room for our free will and choice. If God has predetermined that everyone will live in heaven with Him, then what choice do we have? Bell says the choice is whether we enjoy it or not. Well, since we will not have to deal with the devil, our flesh, or the world's pressures and temptations in heaven, I don't see how we could possibly have a bad attitude.
Pg. 174 - Bell says we've been sold a gospel that says God is loving one moment, vicious the next. But God is not the one doing the torment the way Bell paints it out to be. If you choose to go to hell, you certainly may and God, in His love, will not stop you.
Pg. 175 - Bell says the church can't keep spreading this image of a God that will punish people for all eternity, for their sins. He calls it an unacceptable, awful reality that the church is purporting.
Pg. 178 - We cannot reduce the good news to a ticket to heaven. I agree. But to say that God's invitation is a call to enjoy what He has already predetermined that you will have is a rejection of the basic doctrinal truth that at the moment of salvation you become a new creature (II Cor. 5:17), and you are now "in Christ" and He in "in you." See Eph. 1:1 and Eph. 3:17.
Pg. 180 - "People have picked up the toxic notion that God is a slave driver." Yes, they have, but this, "everyone gets into heaven, but not everyone will enjoy it," message is not the answer. That is a false teaching trying to address another false teaching. Legalism is wrong, God is not a slave driver, Jesus said so 2,000 years ago. What we really need is a revival in the church of people reading the Bible for themselves, getting a revelation of who God really is--loving, gracious, merciful, compassionate, etc., FOR themselves (rather than relying on regurgitated food from their pastor, for all their substinence), and we would really start impacting our world! The problem with the whole book is he's attacking a lie with a lie, rather than correcting a falsehood with a truth.
Pg. 182 - "We shape our God and then our God shapes us." What?!? I agree that a distored understanding of who God is will bring fear, worry, depression, lack of peace, bitterness, etc., but the answer is to find out what the Word says about who God is.
Pg. 187 - "it's not our goodness, that separates us from God, it's our thinking that our works are eaning us things from God." Still talking about the Prodigal Son story, specifically the older brother. "Your deepest, darkest sins and your shameful secrets are simply irrelevant when it comes to the counterintuitive, ecstatic announcement of the gospel." Yes, your sins shouldn't keep you from God, He's already paid the price. "So are your goodness, your rightness, your church attendance, and all of the wise, moral, mature decisions you have made and actions you have taken." Again, yes, your works don't get you anything from God. But these two statements apply to people that will accept God's gift of salvation, they don't mean that everyone is automatically saved.
Pg. 188 - "Our trusting, our change of heart, our believing...doesn't make it happen [God grace and love and forgiveness]." True, but you don't experience it unless you receive and open the gift. Again, I refer you to Eph. 2:8--we are saved BY grace, THROUGH faith.

Chapter 8 - In conclusion, love wins, and Bell invites you to experience that love. I agree, love wins. It is God's love that will allow you to go to hell (yes, a literal place of torment), if that is your deepest heart's desire. No one will go to hell for their sin.

Book Review: Love At Last Sight

2011-07-09T22:24:00.002-05:00

Love At Last Sight by Kerry and Chris Shook sets out to tell you that everything you've been taught about relationships is wrong. This is so true. The world tells us that we'll just "fall" head over heels with someone, and if it's Mr. or Mrs. Right, we won't have any problems, life will be a fairy tale.

But the Bible says...

"The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." --I Corinthians 3:19

and

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." --Isaiah 55:8-9

I really like how the authors point out repeatedly throughout the book that what the world keeps telling us won't work. If we think like the world thinks, our relationships will end in ruin. This is what Romans 12:2 is all about.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

I like that this book was so easy to read. It is broken down into 30 daily readings, which are not long. And don't make the mistake I did, thinking it's just about marriage. This book is for all types of relationships.

The devil wants to destroy our relationships because it will destroy our witness, to others and especially to our kids. If you need help in your relationship, don't wait, get help. This book may be just what you need.

I was given this book to review by Water Brook Multnomah.

Dispensations in Parenting

2011-05-12T14:07:00.000-05:00

In my last post on dispensations I promised a follow-up on how this can apply to parenting. So you will want to be familiar with that list in order to understand this article. Click the link to read that. I have inserted numbers here and there to indicate which dispensation I am referencing.

When children are born, they are innocent (1); they do not have a knowledge of good and evil. At some point they do learn of good and evil, right and wrong. This is a different time for every child. Sometimes you can see the 18-month old that knows not to touch the plant, by the look in their eye—you know that look. This is not to be confused with the "age of accountability", I believe that comes at an older age. That is the age when a child realizes their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. With the really young child we are talking about the conscience stage (2). At the point we begin to see that the child has a knowledge of right and wrong, we institute rules of the house. This is the government stage (3), family government. We institute consequences to help them choose right, because if left to their own devices, they will inevitably choose wrong.

As our children grow, we should be teaching our children about God’s promises (4)—His blessings, His favor, His grace, His character. We should be teaching our children about God’s principles, His laws (5) and why they were given, His standards and how we cannot measure up, His symbolism showing His plan for a Savior. Don’t present God’s law just as a back-up for your rules. This is manipulation. We should be teaching our children about God’s Spirit (6) and how He indwells us and enables us to meet His standards; how He works in us our whole lives to conform us to the image of Christ. And finally we should be teaching our children about the Kingdom of God (7), how He is returning to rule on the earth, how He is going to judge our works and reward us, and how we can rule and reign with Him. This gives them hope--hope that one day all will be made right in the world, good will triumph over evil.

If we leave any of these categories out, we fall out of balance. If we decide to use family government and God’s law, but leave out the aspects of God’s Spirit enabling us and His promises of blessing that He has for us (separate from our works), this is called legalism. Legalistic families produce children that are full of resentment, rebellion, self-righteousness, and possibly even end up rejecting the faith.

Conversely, some families want to disregard the government (3) and law (5) categories because they know that God loves them unconditionally and makes His grace abound toward us. They know that He does not pour out wrath and punishment on us (He already did that with Christ and He was our substitute). So the tendency is to be lenient with our children. God is merciful with us, so shouldn’t we be merciful with our children? We are no longer under the law, so why are we putting our children under it? The tendency is not to discipline but just to try to convince kids through reasoning that they should behanve. But if you leave out government and law, you will produce children with no godly character, and their lives will suffer because of it.

Too many of us just stop at the stage of government. We really just want to keep control of our children. But who are our children anyway? Why did God give them to us?

In this area as well as all others we need to take in the whole counsel of God. I believe that looking at God’s plan for man, these 7 dispensations, will help us parent more completely. The goal should be to teach our children that God loves them unconditionally, even though they are sinners. They need Christ, not only to save them, but to empower them to live their lives the way God planned, to be conformed to the image of Christ, developing godly character. They will never be perfect, but they can press on, as Paul put it. The earlier they learn these principles, the more peace they will have in their lives—with their siblings, with you, with teachers, coaches, with friends, eventually co-workers, a spouse, and their own children. And most importantly, we need to teach them how to know God and hear His voice. If they won’t receive correction from us, how will they receive correction from God’s Word as adults?

Please don’t think I have mastered this. I am learning, too. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp, and Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp.

Dispensations

2011-05-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

I'm studying Ephesians right now and have come to verse 10. In this verse we see the word dispensation. What is a dispensation? It is the Greek word is oikonomia. It means the management of household affairs, or administration. It's simply the rule of the house, the way things operate for this time. It is used 4 times as dispensation (I Cor. 9:17, Eph. 1:10, 3:2, & Col. 1:25) and 3 times as stewardship (Luke 16:2-4). Some translations will use the word stewardship rather than dispensation. I use the NKJV, which is based on the Textus Receptus. In Eph. 3:9 there appears a word for fellowship--koinonia. But some translations are based on the Alexandrian text, which uses the word oikonomia in that verse instead Just something to be aware of. The NKJV reads, "fellowship of the mystery", the ESV reads, "plan of the mystery", and NASB reads, "dispensation of the mystery."

Heb. 1:1 – God works in different ways in different times. This does not mean that God tried one thing and it didn’t work so He tried something else. The reason for each of these periods is to lead man to the cross, until the final period where Christ will reign forever.

These dispensations help us understand the overall plan of scripture. They help us have a big picture perspective. Understanding these dispensations particularly helps us understand how we are no longer under the law.

So, what are the different dispensations? There are seven, here is a list. I interpret them slightly differently than some. You may ask, "who cares?" Does this information really do us any good in our day-to-day life? For one, I will use them to explain the Sheep and the Goats post. And I see a very practical aspect applied to our parenting. I will post about that soon.

1. Innocence (Gen. 1:28) – from creation to the fall. How long did it last? We don’t really know, but we do know it ended when they sinned. They were no longer innocent at that point.

2. Conscience/Moral Responsibility (Gen. 3:7) – from the fall onward. You now know good and evil, I will leave you to your conscience to choose between those. But man tends toward evil, so we get up to Gen. 6:5 and God says that ALL the purposes of man were evil continually.

3. Government (Gen. 8:15) – from the flood onward. After the flood there were consequences for evil. Man was still accountable to his conscience to choose between good and evil, but God added an incentive. He says that anyone that takes a human life will have his taken away. We see the value God is placing on human life here. If you can’t govern yourself, someone else will have to. See also Rom. 13.

4. Promise (Gen. 12:1) – from the call of Abram onward. This promise was not based on anything Abraham had done; it was unconditional. All Abraham had to do was believe. This promise is still available to us by faith, as well. So this dispensation, too, has not gone away. Gen. 12 & Gal. 3, 4. God is now teaching humans to trust in Him.

5. Law (Ex. 19:1) – from Mt. Sinai until Jesus (or specifically John the Baptist—Luke 16:16). Promise does not end and the Law did not bring justification. It brought a picture of the Savior. It brought many, many types and shadows to point us to the cross. You can study everything in the law, from the Sabbath, to the Feasts, to the elements of the Tabernacle, to the Dietary Laws, to the specific instructions to the priests on how to administer offerings, to the laws for declaring leprosy cleansed, and you will see Christ through and through. Beyond all the symbolism, the law was meant to frustrate man and show him he could never make it on his own, even with conscience and human government.

6. Church (Acts 2:1) – from Pentecost until the rapture. This is sometimes called the Age of Grace (I do not agree with this title) or the Dispensation of Faith (again, I don’t think this is entirely accurate), or the Dispensation of the Spirit. This is the mystery Paul is talking about, the secret that was hidden, not revealed in the OT, that Gentiles and Jews would be part of the same Body, and that the Spirit would indwell us. These were mind-blowing truths. This is one of the reasons Paul prayed for revelation for the people he was writing to. We need to pray this pray, too, that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes to these profound truths.

· Do we still have moral responsibility (#2)? Yes, but now we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, to give us the power to choose right and wrong, and our human spirits have been recreated in the image of Christ—it wants to follow after Him.

· Do we still have human government (#3)? Yes, we do, but if we walk according to the Spirit, we don’t have to be afraid of the government. If they put us to death for righteousness sake, the Bible says we’re supposed to be happy.

· What about the law? Does it still stand? I Tim. 1:8-10 says that the law is not for the righteous—we have been made the righteousness of Christ—but for the lawless, the ungodly, the sinners. The law still stands to point people to Christ, to show them their need. The law still stands as a standard in our world, that if people would follow it, our world would be a better place to live in. The law does not justify us, but it sets the standard and grace gives us the power to live it.

7. Kingdom (Rev. 20:4) – from Armageddon onward. The visible rule of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. We can see II Sam. 7:12-16, Is. 9:6-7, Luke 1:31-33, Rev. 3:21, and Matt. 25:31. He came once to die, the second to reign.

Now, the thread that is common throughout all these dispensations is grace. That is why I do not call the Church Age the Age of Grace. Every single age has been the age of grace. It was God’s grace that blocked Adam and Eve from the Tree of Life. He did not want them to live forever in their fallen state. It was grace that God had on Cain when He marked him and sent him away. It was grace that saved Noah and his family. Grace called Abram out of Ur. Grace redeemed Israel from their bondage to the Egyptians. Grace came and dwelt among us. Grace will rule on a literal throne forever and ever. The other side of this coin is faith. You can read about people of faith throughout all the past in Hebrews 11. Just like them, we are saved by grace, through faith, in whatever age we live.

The Sheep and the Goats

2011-04-27T09:14:00.003-05:00

To finish my series on Matthew 25 I have to include the Sheep and the Goats. At first I would have called this the parable of the Sheep and Goats, but I don't know if this qualifies as a parable. It does use some symbolism, though. To read about the first parable in this chapter click here. To read about the second parable click here and here, for part two.

I'm trying to keep my tag list as clutter-free as I can and include mostly books of the Bible, to be more of a cross-reference system. But if I were tagging traditionally, I would tag this blog with words like law, grace, wrath, works, punishment, condemnation, justification, sanctification, heaven, and hell. So think of those things as you read through this. After you read this, I have a few questions for you. I will publish a Part 2 to this post to address those questions.

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Have you ever wondered about this story in the Bible? Have you ever felt condemned reading it? Does it make you squirm? What does it tell us about law and grace? What about unconditional love? What about verses like Romans 8:1, I Thessalonians 1:10, I Thessalonians 5:9, II Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:4-6, or Ephesians 2:8-9? Does this story illustrate verses like Revelation 22:12?
I would love to hear your thoughts and I will post a follow-up soon. Thanks!

What is Grace?

2011-04-21T09:09:00.003-05:00

I listened to a fabulous message the other day by John Bevere. You can listen to it, too, here.

He included a great analogy that has really stuck with me.

Imagine a tribe that lives in the bush, in Africa. They live far from all amenities. They have to travel far for water. They have to travel really, really far for medical supplies. They have to go out and hunt their food and then carry the heavy load back to the village. They have no connection to the outside world--no radios, no TV, no Internet. They have no A/C in their huts. And on and on and on.

We decide to grace them, to show them favor, to give them a great gift. We buy them a Land Rover. We bring it over and explain many of its benefits. We show them the A/C, heater, DVD player, Satellite Radio--really awesome things, that will benefit their lives. They are in awe and ask how they can pay for this. No, no, no, this is a FREE gift. We are giving it to them and expect no payment.

We leave and then come back to visit in 10 years. We find that the Land Rover is still sitting in the same spot! We find the odometer reads 0 miles! Why haven't they used it? Why haven't they taken advantage of the benefit of using it for transporting water, medical supplies, food, and more? Why haven't they used it to make their lives better?

Because we FAILED to explain to them the PRIMARY function of the Land Rover--transportation! We explained other good benefits, but not the primary benefit. They wrote songs about how great this gift was, they wrote books about it being a free gift that they didn't earn, they preached sermons about how it covered them when they climbed in to get out of the rain. But they WASTED our gift!

Is Jesus going to come back and see that we have wasted His gift of grace? We write songs about how amazing His grace is--and it is. We write books about how it's a free gift that we could never possibly earn--and it is. We preach sermons about how it covers all our sin--and it does. BUT, we are not teaching people the primary purpose and that is...

Empowerment!

Grace empowers us to overcome sin, overcome our weaknesses, overcome the world, overcome the devil, to be all that God has planned for us to be!

There is much more to the message and I encourage you to listen to it. The different references that were used were Eph. 3:9-10 Msg, Rom. 5:18 Msg, Gen. 1:27 Msg, II Cor. 12:9 TEV & NLT, II Pet. 1:2-3, John 1:16, I John 4:17, I John 2:6 NLT, II Cor. 7:1 TEV, Heb. 12:14, Heb. 12:28, II Cor. 6:1 TEV, John 20:21, Acts 4:33, Acts 6:8 NLT, Luke 2:40, John 14:12, Rom. 5:17 TEV, Dan. 6:3 NASB, Dan. 1:20. Look all of these up and see what the Holy Spirit wants to teach you. All unmarked references are NKJV.

Book Review: God Loves Me More Than That

2011-03-08T22:01:00.002-06:00

I really, really enjoyed this children's book, and so did my 5-year old daughter. It perfectly illustrates Ephesians 3:17-19.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and
deep is the love of Christ,and to know this
love that surpasses knowledge--that you may
be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The author (Dandi Daley Mackall) and delightful illustrations (David Hohn) make it easy for children to see how God loves them higher than the moon in the sky, deeper than a treasure chest in the sea, wider than an open prairie field, and much, much more. Communicating to our children how awesome God's love is for them is so very foundational. Pick up this book to read to your child. You'll be glad you did.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Parable of the Talents pt. 2

2011-03-06T15:43:00.009-06:00

This is part two of two posts on the Parable of the Talents. You can read the first part here.

I asked some questions last time, and here I will lay out what I believe the answers are. But remember, do your own study, come to your own conclusions.

Who is the lord? God.

Who are the servants? Christians. Not all believe this. I have heard it preached that the foolish servant was not a believer. I don't agree because in verse 14 you see the lord called his own servants. This reminds me of Romans 8:28. These are the called. These are the lord's servants, the unsaved are not serving God. And God is not lord of the unsaved.

What is a talent? A talent was a measure of weight used back in Bible times. This was a weight of gold or silver given to these servants. This is why I have always heard this passage taught in the context of financial stewardship, but I believe this has a broader application. I believe that the word talent means just that--a talent or a gift. There are many, many passages that refer to gifts God has given us. Some that come to my mind are Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 7:7, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 6:7-8, I Timothy 4:14, II Timothy 1:6, I Peter 4:10, Proverbs 18:16. God has given you a gift, or gifts. What have you done with them?

What does this parable mean? This parable illustrates the Bema Seat of Christ. The Bema Seat in Roman times was the seat of judgment. Jesus was brought before the Bema Seat to see Pilate (Matthew 27 & John 19), and Paul was brought before the Bema Seat to see Gallio, in Achaia, and Festus, in Caesarea. We will all stand before the Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 & II Corinthians 5:10). I believe this is what I Corinthians 3:9-15 is referring to. Our works will be judged, but our spirit's will not. That was done when Christ hung on the cross. All sin was judged when He took the penalty. This is about rewards.

What is the outer darkness? I have always heard this referred to as hell. Some will teach that the servant that buried the talent wasn't really saved and is sent to hell. Others will teach that all were saved, but the servant that buried his talent lost his salvation, and thus was sent to hell. But I present a third option to you.

Outer darkness in Greek is exoteros skotos and it means simply the darkness outside. Charles Stanley, Kenneth Wuest, Erwin Lutzer, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, and Warren Wiersbe all agree this is not hell. Thayer's Greek/English Lexicon says that the outer darkness is "the darkness outside the limits of the lighted palace." Kenneth Wuest in his Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament said, "The outer darkness is the darkness that is outside of the King's banqueting house." That is very interesting to me, in light of what I presented about the Parable of the Virgins and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. You can read about that in this post.

What does weeping and gnashing of teeth mean? This phrase has always sounded so strange to me. Obviously the weeping part is simple--it is weeping. And gnashing of teeth means profound regret.

So, is the outer darkness a place apart from God's light and joy, where we will weep and feel profound regret? IF...we do not steward the gifts and talents that God has given us? Remember that Revelation 21:4 says that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. Why are they crying?

Whatever it is, it is not a place of punishment. Remember Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus." Are you in Christ? If so, you have nothing to fear. All sin was judged at the cross. If you have accepted the work that Christ did on your behalf, God has forgiven you of your sin, and therefore you cannot be punished.

Parable of the Talents

2011-03-06T15:20:00.003-06:00

This parable follows the Parable of the Virgins, that my last post focused on. I am splitting this post up into two parts, so stay tuned. A few questions to think about--"What does this parable mean? Who is the lord? Who are the servants? What is a talent? What is this outer darkness? What does weeping and gnashing of teeth mean?"

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Wise and Foolish Virgins

2011-02-26T15:17:00.007-06:00

Matthew 25:1-13

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

I have been pondering this topic of the race for many months now and I see how many things in the Bible tie into it. If you want to read my post on The Race, click the link. Paul compared our Christian life to a race. He said he was pressing on to win the race and receive the prize. Later in his life, he said he had fought the good fight, he had finished the race, and he knew the prize was awaiting him. He told us in Hebrews 12 how to run that race, how not to get tripped up.

This is important because I know that a lot of Christians don't view their lives as a race. Rather they view Christianity as a ticket to heaven, a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, and that is the extent of their relationship with God. They hear about God's saving grace and sit back and don't ever find out anything else about Him and His plan. They sit around and don't ever do anything, telling themselves and others that they aren't saved by works (which is true). They don't ever take the time to enter into relationship with God, they don't even know him. They are like a bride that had a wedding, but doesn't want to live with the groom.

I heard something recently that was great -

"Between conversion and resurrection is discipleship."

Salvation is not the end, it is the beginning. How is your race going? Are you a disciple or a convert? Are you moving forward or regressing? I don't believe you can remain stationary in this race.

That is why I want to bring up this parable of the virgins. This story tells us of the consequences of running the race well, or not running well.

The general belief is that the wise virgins are Christians, but the foolish are not. I don't agree. Another view is that they are all Christians, but the wise virgins are the ones that get raptured, the foolish ones do not. Again, I don't agree. There are just too many things in the Bible that indicate that the WHOLE church is raptured. And that is a topic for another post.

I believe that all 10 are Christians. First, because they are virgins, they are pure. When we get saved, we are made new, pure, clean. We are made the righteousness of Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). We didn't deserve or earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8).

Next, notice that all 10 virgins have oil in their lamps. Oil in the Bible represents the Holy Spirit. They would not have the Holy Spirit if they were not saved. Now most who read this (and I did before, too) assume that the foolish virgins didn't have any oil (because of verse 3), but notice in verse 4 that the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. The vessel was apparently a separate container, so that they could keep their lamp full. And this is confirmed in verse 8 when the foolish say their lamps are going out. This tells me they did have oil at one time, but no reserves. Their lamps were lit, but they were going out. So they all started out with oil. They are all Christians that started out filled with the Holy Spirit.

Why did 5 of them get into the wedding and 5 did not? And what is the wedding? Revelation 19 tells of the marriage supper of the Lamb and the wife that has made herself ready. Verse 9 says, "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" I take this to mean there is really a literal wedding and marriage feast. And so only those that have made themselves ready get to enter. How do we make ourselves ready?

By keeping our lamps full of oil. This is walking in the Spirit (Romans 8:6, Galatians 5:16-26). Obeying the voice of the Spirit. Yielding in everything to the Spirit. Less of me, more of Him. This is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment decision. We don't just decide one day and then every day after that we are set. Again, it's not about starting, it's about finishing. There are many, many examples in the Bible of people that didn't finish well--Samson, Gideon, King Saul, Solomon, to name a few. These are to show us how NOT to live. (Romans 15:4)

Revelation 19:8 tells us that the bride is dressed in fine linen, clean and bright, and that linen is the righteous acts of the saints. So, you can't just sit still, you have to act! That is the only way you move forward in this race.

But...

You cannot just make up your own acts. This is what got Abraham in trouble. He had a son of his own will, Ishmael. That was not God's plan. Romans 14:23--whatever is not from faith is sin. What is faith? Faith is responding to God's grace. Is your action a response to God's grace, or is it an action to gain something from God, to get God to move? This is how you determine if it is of the flesh or of the Spirit. If it's in response, it's of the Spirit. If it is to gain, to make God pity you and do something for you, it is of the flesh. These works of the flesh will be burned up (I Corinthians 3:5-17). To obey is better than sacrifice (I Samuel. 15:22). You must be filling up with God's Word in order to know what His Spirit is asking of you. Remember my post on fruit? It fits perfectly with this post, click here to read.

Now, this does not mean that some of us attain perfection. Remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:12, "I have not achieved perfection." This is THE apostle Paul talking here. He wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, but he said he had not achieved perfection?!? None of us ever will. But notice his next statement, "I press on to possess that perfection." None of us will be complete and perfect until Christ comes back (Philippians 1:6). But we press on. This includes repenting when we fail (I John 1:9).

This is where it is helpful to know the difference between spirit, soul, and body. Our spirits are complete, they are made perfect. It is our soul that takes a lifetime to be regenerated, transformed, and sanctified. Our bodies on the other hand will be made perfect, in an instant, when Christ returns.

So those that sit around and say you're not saved by works, you are right. But that is justification and that is your ticket to heaven. However, your sanctification takes an effort on your part. It is the Holy Spirit that does the work, but you have to yield to it. This seems to determine whether you get in to that wedding feast or not.

Now is your chance. It's never too late. You can start moving forward in this race. You can fill up with oil. You can be ready for when the bridegroom comes!

So then, is this wedding one of the prizes that Paul referred to? Could it be one of the rewards? I don't know. This brings up an interesting question that may rattle you a bit. If you are like me, you have been taught your whole life that if you are a Christian you are part of the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. But Revelation 19 and this Parable of the Virgins seems to indicate otherwise. But don't listen to me, dig in and be like a Berean--search the scriptures daily to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11).

A Lesson in Agriculture

2011-02-17T14:36:00.006-06:00

I gave my kids a lesson in agriculture this morning. I thought I would share it with you.

Do you want fruit? You will first need some seed.

Plant the seed into good soil.

Then water it.
Your plant will also need a good source of light.
Finally, you need time. Lots of it. Your plant will not grow overnight and will not bear fruit overnight. The amount of time needed depends on what you planted, say tomatoes, melons, or apples, for example. Tomatoes can bear fruit in 90 days, melons take at least 100, and apples can take a few years. But your hard work and patience has paid off and you will reap the rewards--your fruit!
Sound simple? What happens if you leave one of those ingredients out of the formula? You will not get fruit. Simple enough. If you don't plant a seed, you don't get fruit. If you don't have good soil, you will not get fruit. If you don't water, you will not get fruit. If you plant a seed in fantastic soil and water it everyday, but leave it in an unlit closet--you won't get fruit! If you do all the right things, yet don't give the plant enough time, you won't get to enjoy the fruit!

Let's put this into a spiritual context. What is fruit? Fruit is our works, our obedience, our good choices. You want to bear fruit spiritually?

First you will need to plant a seed--God's Word. (Luke 8:11)
Plant it into good soil--your heart. (Luke 8:11-15) We could go on a tangent here about the condition of the heart being right, but I will save that for another time.

Water it regularly--water is God's Word and the Holy Spirit. (Hint--once a week isn't enough!) (Ephesians 5:26 & John 7:38-39)
Expose it to a good source of light--that is also God's Word and the Holy Spirit. John 8:12 speaks of Jesus as the light, but John 1:1 tells us Jesus is the Word. Psalm 119:105 tells us the Word is light. The oil in the Parable of the Virgins (Matthew 25) is a picture of the Holy Spirit, the source of light in our life. John 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirt will teach us all things. Afterall, it only makes sense that the author of the Scriptures would be the One to explain them. (II Timothy 3:16)Finally, you need time--that is patience. (Luke 8:15) Spiritual fruit doesn't come overnight, it comes in its season (Psalm 1:3). Never give up, no matter how long it takes.

Alas--fruit! There is a lot of emphasis on fruit and rightly so! But we HAVE to know HOW to get that fruit. We can't go to the spiritual store and buy the fruit. We can't take anyone else's fruit. We can't just make up our own fruit (not sure how one would do that, but I do see people make up their own works that were not directed by God--remember Abraham and Hagar!). Oh, and that fruit--you do want it, because Jesus said in John 15 that every branch that does not bear fruit will be taken away! But notice that He tells us just a few verses down (vs. 5) that we can do nothing without Him. We must never forget that--it is through His power!

I hope you see a pattern here--want fruit? You need the Word, planted in your heart, sprinkled with more Word, illuminated with more Word, and patience. Word, Word, Word.

I tried to keep this as simple as I could, since it was for my kids. I know there are more aspects to the parable of the sower. I went over this and then asked them, "okay, how do you make right choices (this is the fruit)?" The first response was, "make good choices." I said, "that's the fruit. How do you get the fruit?" The answer was, "prayer?" People, it takes repetition. So, we went over this list again. Word, Word, Word. Yes, prayer is a part. You can ask God to reveal things to you, to give you wisdom, and He will through His Holy Spirit, but it will be in proportion to how much you feed on His Word. So, I asked them again, this time they got it. They said, "plant a seed in good ground, water it, give it light, and be patient." Can we adults get this, too? It may take a few times of going over it, even for us. I sincerely hope you do get this as it is vital!

Why Did God Save You?

2011-02-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Why did God save you? Or rather, what did He save you for? Have you ever thought about it? There are general answers and specific answers, and this is beyond the basic answer of, "God is love, God saved me because He loved me."

Let's think about this a different way.

Why did you marry your husband? Why did he marry you? Was it so you could keep his house clean? Was it so that he could keep your car running right? Or move heavy objects around the house? How about opening those tough jars? Why did you have kids? Was it so there would be extra hands to help around the house? NO.

Relationship is primary. We married our spouses because we enjoyed spending time with them. We had kids to have more people in our family, to spend time with.

Marriage is the picture of our relationship with God, the church is called the Bride of Christ. See Ephesians 5. God wanted a family, that is why He saved you. See Galatians 4. He wants to spend time with you. He knows all about you, He wants you to know all about Him.

Let's flip this around--what if I never have time for my husband or kids because I’m too busy serving them. I'm doing the laundry, the dishes, the cooking, but never stop to spend any time with them. There’s not much relationship, is there? Many in the church are doing just that. They are in up to their eyeballs with service, but never make time for relationship with God. God wants Marys and Marthas, but Mary comes first. Read about Mary & Martha in Luke 10.

God wants to be your all in all. He wants to be the most important thing in your life. He will not take second place.

So, how do we spend time developing that relationship? Will it grow with a once a week meeting? (i.e. church) How would your marriage do, if you sat down to spend time together just once a week? How well would you know your children, and they get to know you, if you only saw them once a week?

Spend time with God in conversation. That can be prayer, He talks back through His Word and sometimes a still small voice. That voice needs confirming, most often through His Word, sometimes through experiences. I have a friend that wanted to bless a practical stranger, at the gym where she works out. She asked God to show her what flavor of ice cream to buy this girl, so that she would know God's love. She distinctly heard the word strawberry. She would never have thought of that on her own, my friend is a big-time chocolate lover. She bought the ice cream and sure enough, strawberry was this girl's favorite flavor. This opened the door for my friend to tell this girl how much God loves her, He loves even the little things about us, He cares about what flavor ice cream we like. This is an example of hearing from God that could not be confirmed directly in His Word, but was confirmed in a sure way.

Now on the topic of prayer--what is it? Again, back to the easily understood picture of the family. Do you get together to spend quality time with your husband and then run down a list of things you want from him? Things you want him to do? Does he take you out on a date night and then proceed to tell you he has a big meeting in the morning and needs his shirt ironed, and lunch packed? Or do you sit and complain to him of your miseries? "I’m not paid enough, I can’t ever catch up on the laundry, the kids are wearing me out!" Do you sit down with your kids and go through a list of what is to be expected of them? NO! You spend time with your spouse and kids getting to know them, talking about your dreams, ambitions, goals, sharing fun experiences together. There are times for requests, but this isn’t our primary communication! It should be the same with God. We spend time in His Word, getting to know Him. Not out of our sense of obligation to Him, not to be worthy, but to be in relationship. Not to complain, not to run down our list of wants, but to get to know Him more. And the more we know, the more we trust.

What other ways can we communicate with God? Through worship. We were created for His pleasure. Rev. 4:11 KJV Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. This is not a forte of mine, I am not a gushy person. When I want to worship, I open the Psalms. I do sometimes listen to worship music, but I am very, very picky that the lyrics be scriptural—and a lot aren’t.

Study of His Word The Bible is God's Word, it is God speaking to us. You want God to talk to you more? Read more. He's given us 66 books that reveal Himself to us. All we have to do is open it up and we can hear from Him anytime. The Jews believe that study is the highest form of worship. Us Westerners think of learning and study as a chore, and we think it ends when we finish school. In the Jewish Talmud, the term education was synonymous with "heavenly work." Yes, it is work. You have to work at your marriage. You have to work at being a good parent. If we don't put in any effort, then we don't really love.

Action We cannot simply think in our hearts that we love God and we cannot simply say with out mouths that we love God. There must be some proof. It costs us nothing to say it. Notice Revelation 2:5 says to get back to the first work. Relationship is work. Our marriage’s won’t work if we just tell our spouse’s we love them, but never show them. Our kid’s will not feel our love if it is never backed up with action.

God proved His love to us, by His action. We prove our love to Him, by our action.

And this is where the motives of our heart are very important. Are we sitting down to pray and read our Bibles to check religion off of our “To Do” list? Are we trying to earn God’s favor? We must have pure hearts when we come before Him, for He knows our thoughts afterall. See Hebrews 4:12 and John 4:24.

What about service? Aren't we supposed to be doing a job for the Lord? I'm glad you asked. The answer is yes, but it must be in proper priority, and with the proper motivation of heart. If all God wanted was servants, He didn't need to create mankind, He could have stopped with the angels. Remember the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10. We are to be Marys first (sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning and worshipping), then Marthas (serving). Again, I bring up the comparison of the family. Husbands, wives, and children all have duties in the home, but we discussed previously how if service was all they did, the relationships in the family would break down. Service is a form of worship, but if we don’t have these other things in place—prayer and study time, service doesn’t mean anything. I Samuel 15:22 – to obey is better than sacrifice. We cannot just make up things to do that are in service to God. We must be doing things out of obedience. Romans 14:23b—whatever is not from faith is sin. So, if God didn’t tell us to do it, it is not from faith, it is not out of obedience, EVEN if it is a good thing, then it is sin. Did we hear God tell us to do such and such? Are we sure that is God’s will for us? How do we know? We only hear from God if we are spending time with Him, regularly. We can sacrifice all day long, all year long, all our lives, but when we stand before the Lord, He says, “I never asked you to do any of those things.” See I Corinthians 3—those works will be burned up in the fire. See also the Parable of the Virgins in Matthew 25. The virgins (Christians) that didn’t keep their lamps continually full of oil (the Holy Spirit) did not get to go in to the wedding (see Revelation 19:7-9). Revelation 19:8 tells us that the wedding garment is the righteous acts of the saints, but are these acts we just come up with on our own? I don’t believe so. Back to I Samuel 15:22—obedience is supreme, how are we to obey if we never take the time to listen to what God is telling us? Therefore time for prayer and study is key.

Revelation 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Let's get back to our first love. Let's repent and do the first works.

A Word of Warning

2011-02-10T10:31:00.003-06:00

Warning: If you start reading the Bible regularly to your children, they will start using it on you!

For a little background, I have a 5-year old daughter that is very perceptive. She's also very verbal and is not afraid of saying what is on her mind.

We read a chapter from the Bible to our children (ages 5 and 11), each night at the dinner table. We just finished up reading the book of Ephesians, from the New Living Translation. This translation has proved wonderful for reading to children. Any time in the past that we tried to read from any of the epistles, we had to stop, it was so far above their heads. We switched over to the New Living Translation recently. We have read through all of Acts and Ephesians thus far.

So then, we read the last chapter of Ephesians, which is the 6th one, the night before last. If you will recall, Ephesians 6 has some specific instruction for children and parents.

We were eating chicken noodle soup for dinner last night. Sometimes I make it with egg noodles from the store (we'll call those curly noodles), and sometimes I make homemade. My daughter noticed the homemade noodles in her bowl and said, "Mom, why didn't you use the curly noodles? I like the curly noodles better!" I say, "Well, tonight we're having homemade noodles." Daughter's response--"But the Bible says that parents are supposed to make their children happy!"

What?!?

I burst out laughing! This is apparently what my daughter got out of Ephesians 6:4.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat
them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from
the Lord.

We had to explain the difference between provoking someone to wrath (the word used in the KJV) and keeping someone happy at all costs. There were examples given, such as Veruca Salt.

So, let that be a warning to you, that if you read the Bible to your children, they may turn it back around on you. Hopefully, there will be many laughs involved, as in our case.

The Pendulum

2011-01-22T10:51:00.000-06:00

I see the pendulum swinging, always to one side or the other, rarely does it rest in the middle. The pendulum I speak of swings between grace and faith. It seems people want one or the other, but rarely a mix. They want to lean to one side or the other, but not balance between.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

I see a mixture of grace and faith here. I see balance. It does not just say we are saved by grace, it says by grace, through faith. And grace is not just for salvation. This is how we get through each and every day--by God's grace, through our faith. This is how we do anything we do--by God's grace and through our faith.

It is when the pendulum stops in the middle, it is at rest. This is the place of rest mentioned in Hebrews 3 and 4, and the yoke mentioned by Christ in Matthew 11:29-30.

I see many that latch on to the faith aspect, they want to do something, but then they discount the grace side. They do things in their own strength and don't give God the glory. Or they give God the glory, but turn around and tell others how to rise above and don't include the key detail of God's grace.

It seems grace isn't welcome in a lot of churches. Pastors would rather tell their flock about faith, what they can do, but without grace this is just willpower. The word grace has become taboo because, to a lot of pastors it is equated with sinful living. If people know all about God's grace, they will just do whatever they want! But we can't pick and choose topics from the Bible, like it's a salad bar. We must teach the whole counsel of God. Teaching faith without grace is humanism that has crept into the church.

Grace is what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5:16. When you rely on God's grace, and take the step of faith He is asking of you, you will be empowered by His spirit, to rise about the lusts of the flesh.

Remember Rahab in the city of Jericho (Joshua 2). The two spies came to scope out the city. She told them she believed they knew the one true God and asked them to spare her family. She has faith here. The spies tell her they will spare her if she will hang a scarlet cord out of her window. She does--that is the act of proving her faith (James 2:17). Her family is spared (saved) by grace, through her faith.

Remember Moses with the Israelites at the Red Sea (Exodus 14). They were cornered with no way out. The Egyptian army was behind them, they had mountains on each side and in front of them was the Red Sea. God already told Moses He would save the Israelites. Moses had faith in God's promise. God tells him to lift up his rod. Moses obeys--this is the act of proving his faith. God parted the Red Sea and the Israelites traveled through to safety. God saved them by His grace, through their faith.

Remember Joshua preparing to conquer the city of Jericho (Joshua 6). God promised the Israelites the land over 400 years earlier. Joshua believes this, as he told Moses 40 years earlier, when he was one of the 12 spies. And God confirmed this word to Joshua just before this battle. God tells Joshua to have the army and the priests march around the city of Jericho. How very strange? They were to march around the city once each day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were to march around seven times and then blow their trumpets. All of this was what proved their faith. God brought the walls crumbling down. God gave them the victory by grace, through their faith.

One thing I see in all three of these stories is how miniscule the part we have to play. We do have to act, we do have to obey, we do have to step out in the natural, but it's always something so much smaller than what God is going to do. That way, there is no question who did the saving, who gets the glory. And our step is not of our doing. It's not something we make up. This is not where you set rules for yourself. You will end up breaking your own made up rules. For example, "God I really need you to help me out. I promise to read my Bible an hour a day." We are not bargaining with God, or manipulating Him. We are asking for His help. He will ask you to take a small step, to test your faith. You take that step, and then His grace kicks in and empowers you to overcome.

The pitfalls I see of using my faith, without acknowledging God's grace--it's all me, this leads to pride, I'm not as likely to give God glory and trust in Him, I trust in myself. I do achieve a pseudo-abundant life, but it's a false success, built on a sandy foundation. There are not many storms, because I have chosen to build my house in the prime location, far from the beach. After all, life is all about my choices, right? But one day the storm will come, something big that is out of my control. Then my house will come crashing down because I have been in the habit of fixing things myself, not turning to God. Hopefully at that moment I will repent and see my need for God. If not, I may blame God, when it wasn't His fault.

The pitfalls I see of solely relying on God's grace, yet never exercising faith--I don't have to do anything, Jesus did it all (and that is true, but we have to prove our faith), I don't have to commit to church, I don't have to study my Bible, I don't have to ask you for forgiveness, because God forgives me. I don't have to teach my children, God's grace will keep them in church. I stay bound up in my strongholds, I never see true freedom. I never achieve the abundant life, because I never build any foundation. The wind and the waves tear my house down in every storm. Hopefully, during one of these storms, I will think to ask God what I need to be doing, to show Him I do have faith.

I hope you see that you will walk in victory, you will be building on the rock (see Matthew 7:24-27) only when you walk in the balance of grace and faith. It is shifting sand on either side of the middle. This is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day decision. We will all be tempted at one time, or another, to shift to either side. If you do, simply repent, and get back on track.

Book Review: Sun Stand Still

2011-01-15T13:32:00.000-06:00

Do you want to know what faith is? Do you want to know what faith is capable of? Is your faith capable of commanding the sun to stand still in the sky?

Sound arrogant? Sound like another "name it and claim it" type book? Sound irreverent and manipulative?

I have to admit, I thought all those things before I read this book. I thought it would be a lot of hype and not a lot of substance. I thought it would be a lot of hope, without much real talk of faith.

Boy was I wrong!

"Faith isn't just a 'Get Out of Hell Free' Card." This quote is from chapter one. This quote had my bias quavering.

"It's not about thinking you can get God in your back pocket so that you can manipulate Him for your own purposes." I read this in chapter two. Okay, I'm setting aside my bias and getting very interested.

Right from chapter one the emphasis was more on serving God, rather than "what can God do for me."

The core passage Steven Furtick uses throughout the book is Joshua 10. This is an awesome story of Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. This chapter details the third battle they had to fight, in Gibeon. The detail that makes this story so great is found in verses 12 and 13. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still in the sky, so his army could keep on fighting. Subsequently, they won the battle. What an audacious (a word Furtick uses often) thing to do!

Furtick explains that we, too, can pray "Sun Stand Still" prayers.

"The same power that stopped the sun and raised Christ from the grave lives in every believer." Amen!

He explains it starts with having a vision--a plan or goal. "If the dream in your heart isn't biblically based, focused on Jesus, affirmed by the key people in your life, and tethered to your passions, gifts, and life experiences, chances are, you're way off prompt." People perish for lack of vision. Proverbs 29:18 KJV

God has a purpose for each one of us. "Seizing His big purpose for your life is not just about figuring out what God wants from you and getting down to business. It's also about becoming intimately acquainted with who Jesus is. It's about mining the depths of who you are in Him. And out of that revelation, you will fulfill the purpose that He put you on the earth to fulfill." Amen and amen!!!

He emphasizes this is not something you do in your own strength. And I love that, because John 15:5 says without Jesus we can do nothing.

And this isn't just for pastors and leaders. "There are certain phrases I'd like to see permanently banned from our Christian vocabulary. The one that sets me off the most is 'full-time ministry'."

He connects real-life experiences, like playing with his son in the ocean, and his wife delivering one of their babies, to foundational concepts of God's kingdom, making this book very easy to read and understand.

But what about being arrogant with God? "Confidence without humility is arrogance. Humility without confidence is weakness." Furtick explains how we can come boldly before God and ask for things that are according to His will. See Hebrews 4:16 and I John 5:14.

"Audacious faith is more than an attitude. It's much more than simply believing in yourself and what you are capable of. True faith is founded on what you believe about God and what he is capable of."

Furtick definitely has a very different personality than me, and it comes through in his writing, but the core message is the same as I preach on my blog. Dig into God's Word, find out what His will is for your life, without faith it's impossible to please God, and faith without works is dead! His theology is practically spot-on, with one exception. In chapter 13 he implies that healing may not be God's will for everyone. I have to disagree with this point.

Check this book out, you won't be sorry you did. You can buy it on Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Click here to read chapter one.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A Running Theme (Pun Intended)

2011-01-07T16:00:00.000-06:00

II Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.

Paul is at the end of his life. He knows this is the end, he is about to be executed. He is confident that he has fought the good fight, finished the race, and remained faithful. Do you want to be able to say that at the end of your life? That you fought the good fight? That you finished the race, you didn't quit? That you remained faithful?

In another translation the part about remaining faithful is translated kept the faith. So if Paul is saying he kept the faith, is it possible to lose it? This brings up many questions, such as, can you lose your salvation? Can we become disqualified in any way? Paul was concerned about that in I Cor. 9:27.

I Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

If there is a way to run to obtain the prize (and what is that anyway?), then there must be a way to run to hinder yourself from obtaining the prize.

This verse gives us a clue:

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off and throw aside every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author, source, and finisher of our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, ignoring the shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Just think of Him who endured such grievous and bitter hostility from sinners, so that you may not grow weary and give up.

This one, too:

Acts 20:24
Nothing moves me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news of God's grace.

And this one:

Philippians 2:16
I will hold fast the Word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run the race in vain or labored in vain.

Throw aside sin, it trips you up, you can only do that by keeping your eyes on Jesus; don't let anything move you, or count your life dear; and hold fast the Word of life!

Now, this is not about achieving perfection:

Philippians 3:12-14
I have not achieved or reached perfection, but I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me and made me His own. I have not grasped it yet, but one thing I do, I forget what lies behind and look forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

This is about pressing on, forgetting what lies behind, and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Notice every one of these verses mentions a race. How is your race going? Are you running? Are you moving forward? I don't think you can sit still in this race. I think you are either going forward or backward. As a Christian, does your behavior matter? Didn't God forgive all your sin when Christ died on the cross? And what about the prize mentioned in so many of these verses? Stay tuned...

(Note: Some of these verses may be a combination of translations.)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T06:03:00.001-06:00

When I think of New Year's Resolutions, I think of this verse -

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

For this very reason, I really enjoyed reading Greg Laurie's article on New Year's resolutions. I think you will profit from reading it. I love that he mentions the race. That is my theme lately and I will posting shortly on that very topic.

Two Years in Review

2010-12-31T09:20:00.000-06:00

I started this blog in December, two years ago. I thought it would be fun to see some stats.

Apparently I have posted 147 articles. Of those, I have mentioned the Book of John the most. That makes a lot of sense as it is one of my favorite books.

Here are the top 20 books of the Bible I have referenced:

Corinthians (that is first and second combined) - 24

Timothy (that is also first and second combined) - 13

Peter (first and second) - 11

Revelation - 10

Remember to use the list on the right. I have tried to tag each post and list each book I reference, to make a cross-referenced list, so that you can click on any book and see what I have pulled out, to help you in your own study of that book.

I pray you have a blessed New Year and that you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Ultimate Gift

2010-12-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

What is the ULTIMATE gift you could get for Christmas? A Wii? An iPhone? An engagement ring? A new car?

If you get it, will you react like this?

There is a gift that is greater than any of these things.

This is a gift of peace.

A gift of joy.

A gift of life!

This is the ULTIMATE gift. God's gift of His Son, Jesus.

But God isn't like Santa. He's not looking to see who's naughty and who's nice. Who's deserving of good gifts and who's not. None of us deserve this gift, but He freely gives it to all. All you have to do is accept it. Won't you accept it?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I John 4:9

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Romans 5:8

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9-10

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Odds

2010-12-24T13:00:00.000-06:00

I promised at the beginning of my Christmas Prophecy series to answer a few questions. What are the odds that one man could fulfill all these prophecies? Is it likely that many other people in our world coincidentally fulfilled some of these prophecies also? Or could it be that Jesus organized this and made things in His life fit the Scriptures?

To answer those questions, I consulted The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell. This book is an amazing resource! If you have questions about the validity of the virgin birth, the reality of the resurrection, the historical reliability and accuracy of our Bible, and more, please check this book out. Our faith is not based merely on feelings, but facts.

McDowell deals with every possible question and criticism. He even brings up incongruities and contradictions, like if Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, why do they record his death? McDowell was an atheist, and in college was challenged to prove the Bible to be untrue. He did intense homework, including travel throughout Europe to access various documents, and became thoroughly convinced for himself and became a believer.

If you, too, have doubts about Jesus, God, and the Bible, I challenge you to prove them. Check out Josh McDowell's materials and also C. S. Lewis'. C. S. Lewis was also an atheist. He was highly intelligent--he taught at both Oxford and Cambridge universities. (Christianity doesn't defy rational thought, it is actually the most logical thing in this world.) But he became a believer, too. You can find out why in his books. My favorite is Mere Christianity.

I covered 24 different prophecies about Jesus in my Christmas Prophecy series. There are actually 61 listed in Josh McDowell's book. If you include types of Christ and all the symbolism of the Old Testament, there are many, many more. What are the odds that one man would fulfill 24 prophecies, or 61, or what about just 8?

Let's examine just eight prophecies. These eight, specifically, were totally beyond the human control of Jesus. He could not have possible planned them.

1. Place of birth - Bethlehem

2. Time of birth - for more explanation on this one, see the book. I did not specifically go into detail on this one in my series.

3. Manner of birth - by a virgin

4. Betrayal

5. Manner of death - crucifixion

6. People's reactions (mocking, spitting, staring, etc.)

7. Piercing

8. Burial

These could not have been engineered by the Christ.

Now, this list of eight prophecies is slightly different, and this is where the odds come in. Peter Stoner published a mathematical analysis for Science Speaks, and it was carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members.

1. Place of birth - Bethlehem

2. Preceded by a messenger (John the Baptist--Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, fulfilled in Matthew 3:1-2) - I did not include this one in my series

3. Entering Jerusalem on a donkey

4. Betrayed and crucified

5. Sold for 30 pieces of silver

6. Money to be thrown into God's house & Money used to buy Potter's field

7. Silent before accusers

8. Crucified and with thieves

I am not a scientist or a mathematician, but I know the logic goes something like this. You look at each prophecy individually and figure the odds. Such as, what are the odds of a person being born in Bethlehem? I know Bethlehem has always been a small town, do you think there have been one million people born there over time? That would make the odds of being born in Bethlehem 1 in 1,000,000. What are the odds of someone being betrayed by a friend and the results are crucifixion? That one seems pretty slim. I know that Peter Stoner was even generous in his figuring of each individual item. Let's say 1 in 1,000 people in the world have been betrayed by a friend and crucified. How many people have been sold for 30 pieces of silver? Joseph was sold for 20. How many people are silent and don't even try to defend themselves in court, EVEN though they are innocent? That one seems incredibly slim, but again, shall we say 1 in 1,000? These aren't the real numbers, but that is to give you the idea of how Peter Stoner figured these. Then he takes all these and adds them together.

Doing all the calculations for each prophecy (remember, mine weren't the real calculations), Peter Stoner came up with this total. The odds that one man could fulfill all eight of these things is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That is a 1 with 17 zeros behind it. It looks like this--100,000,000,000,000,000. That is a really, really big number. That's not millions, or billions, or trillions. That's one hundred quadrillion!!! So the chances of one person fulfilling all eight of these prophecies is 1 in one hundred quadrillion!

That's hard to visualize, so let's think about it like this. Suppose that was your chance of winning a lottery prize. Say I told you all you had to do to win the prize money is pick out the red-marked silver dollar out of a group of unmarked silver dollars. Not too bad, you say? Well, the area of unmarked silver dollars for you to pull from is the state of Texas. And those unmarked silver dollars cover the ENTIRE surface of the state, AND are stacked two feet deep. I've just thrown the red-marked silver dollar in there somewhere, you have one chance to pull it out. Are you going to try Dallas, how about Houston, how about up in the panhandle, how about down near the Rio Grande? I hope now you can see how utterly impossible these odds are! And that is just for eight prophecies! Jesus fulfilled many, many more. (If you would like to dig into this further and see the probability of Jesus fulfilling 48 prophecies, you need to check out The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell, or even track down a copy of Science Speaks, by Peter Stoner.)

Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord of lords. He could not just merely be a man that taught some good moral lessons. You just can't leave it at that. If he taught some good moral lessons, but wasn't really God incarnate, then that says he was either a liar or a raving lunatic. Do you want to listen to the moral lessons a liar has to teach? That makes him a hypocrite. Same with lunacy. I don't know about you, but if I know someone is certifiably insane, I'm not going to trust their teachings. That leaves the only other alternative, that Jesus was in fact God, come in the flesh, the Bible is true, every Word, and I had better make sure I am right with the God of the universe. I have a choice to make. You have a choice to make.

"You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." --C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

Christmas Prophecy 24

2010-12-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would rise from the dead!

Prophecy -

Psalm 16:10

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 28:6

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Mark 16:6

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

Luke 24:46

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

Acts 2:32

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

Acts 13:26-33 (NLT)

“Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

“When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
“And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus.

Our faith means NOTHING without this all important detail. This is the gospel, that Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred at once. (I Corinthians 15:5-6) But if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and our faith is empty. (I Corinthians 15:14) If Christ is not risen, your faith is in vain--devoid of truth, useless, and of no purpose, you are still in your sins!

This Christmas season I want you to see more than the birth of Christ, I want you to see His sacrifice, His substitutionary death for you, His payment for your sins. But none of this means anything if He didn't rise from the grave.

He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. (Ephesians 1:20 & Hebrews 8:1)

One day, He will come back for us. (I Thessalonians 4:16-18) One day, He will rule and reign on a literal throne, on the earth, and He will remain forever and ever. (Luke 1:31-33, Isaiah 9:6-7, Daniel 7:14) This is good news! He will put an end to injustice, pain, suffering, misery, fear, worry, dread.

Won't you accept the gift? (Ephesians 2:8)

Most of the information in these posts has been from The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell. Check it out for much, much more detail. And check out my next post where I deal with the questions I brought up in the first post.

This is part of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read all the other entries, click on any of these:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

Christmas Prophecy 19

Christmas Prophecy 20

Christmas Prophecy 21

Christmas Prophecy 22

Christmas Prophecy 23

2010-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be laid in a rich man's tomb.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 53:9

And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 27:57-60

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

I don't really know why this detail is significant, but if it is in the Bible, it has to have meaning. Every detail, every name, every jot and tittle has significance, if it is in the Bible. The Holy Spirit inspired over 40 men to write 66 books that we call our Bible. The Holy Spirit also oversaw the details of the councils that canonized the books that we have included in our Bible.

Did you know there were other books written? There was a Book of Enoch and a Book of Jasher (this one is referenced in Joshua 10:13 and II Samuel 1:18), there was a third epistle that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that is "lost." Whatever books didn't get included was completely planned by the Holy Spirit. What we have, we have for a reason, and everything included in it, is there for a reason.

Perhaps Jesus was laid in a rich man's tomb because it had the giant stone as the door. This makes the resurrection miracle all the more awesome! Without that giant stone it would have been easier to say that the disciples just stole His body. But to move that big giant stone, while Romans soldiers were on guard?!? It just isn't plausible. But that reason is purely my own conjecture.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of the previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

Christmas Prophecy 19

Christmas Prophecy 20

Christmas Prophecy 21

Christmas Prophecy 22

2010-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah's heart would literally break.

Prophecy -

Psalm 22:14

I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.

Fulfillment -

John 19:34

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

In The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell, it says that the blood and water that came forth from His pierced side are evidence that the heart had literally burst.

Jesus' heart broke for you. His heart broke so your heart could be recreated brand-new (II Corinthians 5:17 and Ezekiel 36:26). His heart burst so that your's could be made whole.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of the previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

Christmas Prophecy 19

Christmas Prophecy 20

Christmas Prophecy 21

2010-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would have no bones broken.

Prophecy -

Psalm 34:20

He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.

Fulfillment -

John 19:33

But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

It may be an odd detail to say that none of the Messiah's bones would be broken, until we look at the law for choosing a Passover lamb. We see in Exodus 12:5 that the people were to select a lamb without blemish, meaning perfect, no spot or oddity (Jesus fulfilled this by being sinless), and in verse 46 that no bone could be broken. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world (see John 1:29).

Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He was even crucified on Passover!

Jewish law dictated that the bodies of the executed criminals be removed from sight before sunset (Deuteronomy 21:23). The Jews asked Pilate to break the legs of the three men being crucified (one of whom was Christ), so that they would die quicker and they could have them down before sunset. The crucifixion victim would push up on his feet to ease the constriction of the chest and draw breath. If the legs were broken they would suffocate to death. When the soldier came to Jesus, though, He was already dead. We see in John 19:30 that He gave up His spirit. It was Jesus' choice to give Himself as a sacrifice, He willingly did it. The Jewish leaders were only able to arrest Him when He chose, and He even died when He chose. It was all according to plan, every detail.

Did you know Jesus could have chosen not to go to the cross? His story is not a tragedy, it is not a story of martyrdom either. He did not die to stand up for something He believed in. He was not fighting against the establishment. He was giving Himself. Philippians 2:5-11 tells us that Jesus was obedient, this tells me He had a choice. In the Garden of Gethsemane, before the crucifixion, He was very distraught, and prayed to the Father and asked if there could be any other way. But there wasn't. So He willingly obeyed. He died for YOU.

But, GET THIS! Jesus is fully man AND fully God...

SO...

God really died for you.

God died in YOUR place!

God took YOUR sins on Himself.

Isn't that GOOD NEWS?!?

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

Christmas Prophecy 19

Christmas Prophecy 20

2010-12-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would suffer thirst.

Prophecy -

Psalm 69:21

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Fulfillment -

John 19:28-30

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

It is interesting to me that the cross-reference in my Bible for this passage is Psalm 22:15. Psalm 22 is another one of the Messianic Psalms. Read it through and picture Christ on the cross. Read it as if He is thinking and saying these things. It is amazing! Verse 15 says my tongue clings to my jaws. That very well could be describing intense thirst. This Psalm was written about 1,000 years before Christ! How could it detail so many things about Christ, from being reproached and despised by people, to them even saying, "let God rescue Him!" (the Pharisees indeed taunted Him aloud and indicated that He should call on God to deliver Him from the cross, IF He was the Son of God--see Matthew 27:43), to detailed descriptions of the pain in His bones and heart, to the piercing of His hands and feet, to the dividing of His clothing?

Because our Bible is not simple a book of stories passed down from men. It is the inspired Word of God. It is a message system from outside our time-domain. It is a love story! It tells how much God loves YOU, that He sent His only Son to die for YOU, to take YOUR place, to pay for YOUR sins!

I love the last few verses of Psalm 22 -

²⁷ All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
²⁸ For the kingdom is the LORD’s,
And He rules over the nations.

One day soon, Jesus will come back and rule and reign on a literal throne forever and ever.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

Christmas Prophecy 19

2010-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be given gall and vinegar to drink.

Prophecy -

Psalm 69:21

They also gave me gall for my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Psalm 69 is Messianic through and through. This one Psalm is referenced 12 times in the gospels alone. Jesus quotes part of verse four in John 15:25.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 27:34

They gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

What is gall? I wanted to know, so I dug into this a little bit. The Hebrew word used in Psalm 69 is rosh and means something bitter or poisonous. The Greek word used in Matthew 27 is chole and means bile, gall, or something bitter, like wormwood. If we read the same story as told in the gospel of Mark, chapter 15, verse 23, we see that it was myrrh mixed with sour wine. Perhaps myrrh is bitter, I don't know.

The commentary in my Bible says that victims to be executed customarily received wine drugged with myrrh to dull the senses. Perhaps Jesus refused the drink because of the bitter taste, or more likely, because He had to go through the pain and suffering for you and I.

The note on this passage in The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell, says that the concoction given to a criminal is kindness, but given to the Sin-bearer, it was an insult.

Also to note, sour wine is vinegar. It is a process that happens as the wine is exposed to oxygen. Leave an open bottle of wine for a while and see for yourself, that it turns into vinegar.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

Christmas Prophecy 18

2010-12-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah was to have His garments divided and lots cast for them.

Prophecy -

Psalm 22:18

They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.

Fulfillment -

John 19:23-24

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:

“ They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Therefore the soldiers did these things.

The soldiers here are casting lots for the tunic. They divided the other pieces of clothing among themselves, but this tunic was special. It was woven and all one piece, it was seamless. It wasn't something you would divide, that would ruin it's worth.

Realize the shame here that Jesus endured for you and I. They stripped Him of His clothing, so that you and I would be clothed with His righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10, Psalm 51:14, Psalm 71:2, Psalm 71:15-16, and many, many more.)

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

Christmas Prophecy 17

The Plan Bible

2010-12-17T19:00:00.000-06:00

Amos 3:7 - Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Did you know that God tells us what He's going to do, before He does it? That is one of the things His Word is for. Our Bible is the literal Word of God. Every single detail contained in it is important (yes, even the genealogies!).

Do you know why God saved you? Do you know that God has a plan for your life? He says so in Jeremiah 29:11-13. Do you have questions concerning God's plan for you and for this world? Do you have questions concerning His will for you? I have questions regarding the millennium. (What does this have to do with life here and now, you say? Plenty, and I will be posting more about that in January.) That is why I like to pass along good study tools every chance I get. I believe the key to walking the victorious Christian life is revelation of God's will. That will only come through your own study, not through a hand-me-down revelation someone else received in their own study time.

I am excited to tell you about a new Bible called The Plan. The Plan is available in ebook form, BUT I was SO happy to learn that you don't have to have a Kindle to read it! Amazon now offers Kindle software for free download to a PC. That is good news for me. And at the bottom of this post there is a link to a giveaway of The Plan Bible. If you enter before December 23rd, you could win a free copy! This would make a great Christmas gift, too!

About The Plan

Jeff Swanson has a passion for the truth of God’s word. He believes that understanding is being revealed today like never before in history because the enemy has unleashed more deception than ever before on this generation. Jeff was part of the first American generation educated in the public school system after the removal of the Bible. The same school system that was founded over 300 years ago to teach students how to read the Bible!

THE PLAN is the first Bible, rearranged verse by verse into chronological order beginning with the creation of all things and ending with prophesied events yet to come. A world history outline provides the framework including all biblical dates. Prophetic verses are placed at the time of either their historical fulfillment (Red) or future fulfillment (Orange). Prophecies are hyperlinked from when they were spoken (Blue) to when they are fulfilled in over 650 threads. There is also a reading plan so it can be read in one year in less than 30 minutes a day.

You can learn more about the story of The Plan Bible at www.PlanBible.com

Interview

Jeff has graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions. I think you will gain a wealth of wisdom reading his answers. And at the bottom, follow the link to a giveaway of a copy of The Plan. Hurry and enter, the giveaway ends December 23rd!

Shannon (SS): What sparked your passion for God's Word?

Jeff (JS): At age 18 I had a spiritual encounter that solidified my desire to walk in the truth and to never be lied to again. It was a temptation that, without the authority of the name of Jesus, would have led my life to destruction. This led me on a journey of seeking absolute truth. I purchased a Ryrie New American Standard study Bible that was excellent for researching truth. This is when I made the discovery that some events in the Bible had not occurred yet (prophecy) and others that were predicted had already come to pass. It was at that time that I made a decision to master the book of revelation. It did not take me long to realize that would take a lot of study. First, I would have to understand Old Testament prophecy such as the Book of Daniel which corresponds with the Book of Revelation. Second, I learned I was going to have to understand Old Testament history. When I came to ORU that helped me in the journey, however, I found I was still going to have to do the studying myself. I found myself seeking the truth of history further and further back until I had a desire to understand “The days of Noah” since they are likened to the time we are in now.

SS: How did you find the time to do this in-depth study?

JS: Starting out requires very little time, just the decision to do it daily: even if it is only one verse a day. The important thing is to do something daily. My study time keeps increasing over the 28 years of study required to develop The Plan. For me the best study time is in between 3:00–6:00 am. That is when life is at the most peace and the greatest concentration levels can be attained. Second, I have a great respect for the Sabbath principle. I enjoy studying on Sundays as a time set aside to honor God’s word. [SS: Even just a verse a day--love that! So true!]

SS: As a writer personally (I have a book God has placed in my heart), I would like to know how long this project took you, from idea to completion? And was there ever a time during that period that you felt like giving up?

JS: The belief of this project being published as an eBook came to me in the fall of 2009 (10/5/09). Before that it was a vision to have a website available for people to obtain the truth. I studied for 9 years before I started my first chronology (1989). Then I compiled a prophetic list for the next 14 years before God led me to intensify my study and consolidate the chronological history and prophetic list in 2006. In all, this work required more than 12,000 hours of study, research, and development time. Do not let that discourage a new writer, this is not your average first time project. It was God leading me step by step without realizing what the final outcome would be. As a matter of fact it took a huge adjustment for me to even grasp that God wanted me to publish this. It would require a miracle. See the story on the website www.PlanBible.com. God leads us through the process. It starts as a desire or a word in our hearts. As we accept the assignment, we get understanding in our minds, and then we ultimately put our hand to work. That is when you do a little each day until your goals are completed. [SS: I can see how this can apply to anyone, whether writing a book, or adopting a child, waiting on the right person to marry, whatever it is God has called you to do. Waiting patiently on God's timing, letting Him lead, step by step, and not trying to figure out the whole picture at once.]

SS: How has this study personally impacted your life? Has it changed you, helped your relationship with God grow, etc.?

JS: It has changed the way I see everything. So much of what we interpret in the now is based on who we believe God is. The way we see things currently, is based on what we believe happened in the past and what we believe will happen in the future. This would be considered our worldview. I also understand what the enemy is doing. He has tried to remove God’s word from our education system to try to change God’s word. The picture of this can be found in Genesis chapter 3. Satan has been trying to revise history since the beginning and in Daniel chapter 7:25 states that he will try to do this again in the future. How much easier will it be to have people believe a lie about the future if they already believe a lie about the past? I thank God that we have God’s unbreakable word that we stand upon so that we can escape the lies of the enemy.

SS: Did you have any special training that made you feel qualified to study the Bible? Or would you consider yourself a layman?

JS: I do not have a degree from a Bible school; my training at ORU was management. So yes, I consider myself a layman who diligently studies the word of God. I like to turn to God’s word as the authority and guide. This has been one of my guiding scriptures since I was 18:

John 16:13a - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (NIV)

As I studied and researched scripture through the years, I used many prophecy Bibles in order to get as much of a consortium as possible. The prophecy Bibles utilized were by Grant Jeffery, Tim LaHaye, and Jack Van Impe. Hilton Sutton also has an excellent book on Revelation. Another man who has influenced my understanding of prophecy is Pastor Willie George, who is well grounded in prophecy.

We must remember that men can give you their opinions, but God gives you revelation. That is one reason that I wanted to keep The Plan as simple as possible and let the Word of God speak for itself.

Here is what I believe the one who studies The Plan will obtain:

-- God's perspective of history unfolding

-- God’s time schedule for world history

-- The big picture and where you fit into it

-- God’s faithfulness to fulfill His unbreakable word

-- The future as God has already spoken it

[SS: Readers, I hope this makes you feel confident, that you don't have to have a special degree or training, to open up your Bible and study it for yourself. There are so many good resources out there to help you along.]
SS: Is there anything else you would like to let people know about?
JS: Walking in obedience to what God is telling you may require everything of you. However, you will be grateful for the satisfied feeling of knowing you are doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.

Thank you Jeff for taking time out of your busy Christmas season to answer my questions! If you want to learn more about The Plan Bible, please visit the website at www.PlanBible.com. And go on over to A Sequence of Continuous Delights to enter the giveaway by December 23rd!

Christmas Prophecy 17

2010-12-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be crucified with thieves.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 53:12

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 27:38

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

Mark 15:27-28

With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

Christmas Prophecy 16

2010-12-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced.

Prophecy -

Psalm 22:16

For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;

Zechariah 12:10

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.

Fulfillment -

Luke 23:33

And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him.

John 20:24-27
[After the resurrection.] Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

The death penalty under Jewish law was carried out by stoning. Jesus should have been stoned. But that would not have fulfilled these particular prophecies. The prophecy in the Book of Psalm was written by King David hundreds of years before Christ. It was translated into the Greek (Septuagint) almost 300 years before Christ. My point is that at the time of the writing, crucifixion did not exist and the Jews did not pierce anyone. They stoned criminals. They only hung the body on a pole after the death as an additional punishment for idolaters and blasphemers, to brand that person accursed of God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

The Persians invented crucifixion and the Romans practiced it. They would sometimes crucify hundreds in one day. Tradition says that Peter was crucified, but did not deem himself worthy to die as his Lord, so requested to be crucified upside down. Crucifixion involved piercing the hands and feet with large, dull spikes--these attached the body to a wooden cross or stake.

Crucifixion was the most shameful and degrading death penalty even to the non-Jewish world, but the Jews regarded a person crucified as being over and above, accursed of God. I have no doubt that crucifixion is the most painful, awful type of execution invented, before or since. In order to draw breath, the victim had to push up on his feet, causing excruciating pain.

Jesus was brutally murdered, and you and I are the ones that killed Him. But He willingly gave Himself, so that you and I could be saved. He took our place of punishment for the sin we committed. He was shamed and degraded so that you and I could be exalted into right-standing with God.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

Christmas Prophecy 15

2010-12-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be smitten and spit upon.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 50:6

I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

Micah 5:1

Now gather yourself in troops,
O daughter of troops;
He has laid siege against us;
They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 26:67

Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands.

As with yesterday's post, you can read a full account of the beating Jesus endured in Matthew 26:57 - 27:56, Mark 14:53 - 15:41, Luke 22:63 - 23:49, and John 18:19 - 19:37.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

Christmas Prophecy 14

2010-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be wounded and bruised.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 53:5

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 27:26b

...and when he [Roman governor Pilate] had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

You can read a full account of the beating Jesus endured in Matthew 26:57 - 27:56, Mark 14:53 - 15:41, Luke 22:63 - 23:49, and John 18:19 - 19:37.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of the previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

Christmas Prophecy 13

2010-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be silent before His accusers.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 27:12

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

Why was Jesus silent? He was falsely accused, He had committed no crime. Even the so-called witnesses that were brought in couldn't get their stories about Him straight. So why didn't He defend Himself?

He couldn't. He was standing there in OUR place, and YOU AND I are guilty! We deserve death. But the good news is that He took the punishment on Himself, so that we don't have to. Will you accept what He has done for you?

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

Christmas Prophecy 12

2010-12-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver.

Prophecy -

Zechariah 11:12

Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave (see Exodus 21:32). Is it coincidence that Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver? Did He become a slave so that we could be free? Is it coincidence that it was a close friend that betrayed Him for the 30 pieces of silver (see the last post)? Not only was Jesus betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver, those silver pieces were thrown down (not placed) in the temple, and used to buy the potter's field (the Jewish leaders couldn't use it for anything else, it was blood money). We see these details also in Zechariah.

Zechariah 11:13

And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

After Judas betrayed Him (you can see yesterday's post), he came back to the chief priests with a different attitude.

Matthew 27:3-9
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Do you think that perhaps Judas deliberately sought to fulfill these prophecies? Do you think that Judas' motives were that of making sure the world believed that Jesus was the true Messiah? Is that why he betrayed him for the 30 pieces? That doesn't make a lot of sense. These details were out of Jesus' control, so if someone were deliberately contriving to fulfill them, it would be either Judas or the chief priests. We are told in John 13 that Judas had control of the money box (the money for all the expenses of Jesus and the disciples during His ministry time), but in John 12 we see that he used to steal from that money box. That doesn't sound like someone that wants the world to know Jesus is the true Messiah. And of course the chief priests didn't want the world to know Jesus was the Messiah, they wanted to kill Him. And after this Judas went and hanged himself. If the motive was to fulfill prophecy, on purpose, so that the world would label Jesus as the Messiah, it makes no sense to kill oneself. No, it is not coincidence that Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver (not 29), was betrayed by a friend (He had many enemies that could have done it), the money was silver (not gold), it was thrown down in the temple (not placed), and was used to buy the potter's field. This is the hand of God in human history. He has a plan and He does fulfill it.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. Here is a list of the previous entries:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

Christmas Prophecy 11

2010-12-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would be betrayed by a friend.

Prophecy -

Psalm 41:9

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 55:12-14

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 10:2-5

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Matthew 26:45-50
Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

John 13:21
When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 10

2010-12-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah was to be a King and would enter Jerusalem on a donkey.

Prophecy -

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 21:6-11

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
^{Hosanna in the highest!”}

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Luke 19:35-39

Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:
“‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

See also Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-15.

This is called the triumphal entry. Jesus is entering as the King, He is allowing the people to worship Him as King. The Pharisees were not happy and asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples--why?--because to worship anyone as the King and Messiah, IF he was not the real deal, was blasphemy. Jesus was not just a good man, a teacher, a moralist, a prophet, He is the King of Kings, and IS the Messiah of Israel.

How can this be, you say? He did not become King, He died on the cross! You are right, and this is what confused the Jewish leadership. He has been anointed King, but He has yet to rule as that King. That part of this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. He will rule and reign on a literal throne in the near future, forever and ever. (Luke 1:31-33)

He humbled Himself and rode into the city on a donkey, a symbol of humility. He will return on a white horse. (Revelation 19:11-16)

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

2010-12-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would take away sickness.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 53:4

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 8:16-17

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”

Why the discrepancy between the verses? Isaiah says borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, but Matthew says bore our sicknesses. What's up? The Hebrew word choliy is the word used in Isaiah and is translated grief in our King James Bible. It literally means sickness and is translated that way 12 other times in the Old Testament. It is translated seven times as disease. So Isaiah did mean sickness in that passage. The word sorrows in Isaiah is the Hebrew word makob, and it means pain, whether physical or mental. So we could very well read Isaiah 53:4 as, "Surely He has borne our sickness and carried our pain." For Matthew to write it as sickness is entirely accurate.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

2010-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah would speak in parables.

Prophecy -

Psalm 78:2

I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 13:34

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 5

Christmas Prophecy 6

Christmas Prophecy 7

2010-12-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah had to minister in Galilee.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 9:1-2

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 4:12-14

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum [a city in Galilee], which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 5

Christmas Prophecy 6

2010-12-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah had to come out of Egypt.

Prophecy -

Hosea 11:1

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son."

Now this one seems to be a stretch, right? This is clearly talking of the Israelites being brought out of Egypt, out of their slavery, when they crossed the Red Sea, into their Promised Land. Right? So, are we taking it out of context? We don't have to wonder. Matthew, a disciple of Jesus, took this verse and tells us that Jesus was fulfilling it. I believe that the Holy Spirit is the true author of every single word of our Bible. If He allowed this in, then it is God's Word.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 2:13-15
Now when they had departed [the wise men], behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Herod gave an edict (see verse 16) to put to death all male children two and under, for this was the time range that Jesus could have been born in, according to the information he had from the wise men. Mary and Joseph and Jesus stayed in Egypt until Herod was dead, then they came back to Israel (see verses 19 through 21). So we can see how Jesus could both be born in Bethlehem, but come out of Egypt, fulfilling two different prophecies.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 5

2010-12-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem.

Prophecy -

Micah 5:2

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."

I read an article recently by someone skeptical of this prophecy. Their main point was that we Christians take this verse out of context and just make it fit the life of Jesus. But to this I say that if you will read the whole counsel of God, you will find your answer. When the wise men came from the east to worship the Christ, they came to King Herod to inquire where He could be found. Herod had to ask the scribes (the scholars), they told him the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. See Matthew 2:5-6. And then about 30 years later, during Jesus' ministry years, some people were debating as to whether He was the Christ or not. Their determining criteria was that the Christ had to be from Bethlehem! See John 7:40-43. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in a region called Galilee, (Bethlehem is in Judea) so they were a bit confused. We don't even know if they knew Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so it is easy to see why they were doubtful. I imagine Jesus didn't come in showing his birth certificate (they probably didn't have those back then) and telling everyone His life history, everywhere He went. We have something they didn't have--Matthew and Luke's accounts of His life--they were written after Jesus died and ascended.

I love what Matthew Henry has to say on the matter. "It is only fitting that Bethlehem, which means house of bread, should be the birthplace of the one who is the Bread of Life."

Fulfillment -

Matthew 2:1-2

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

Luke 2:4-7

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:

Christmas Prophecy 1

Christmas Prophecy 2

Christmas Prophecy 3

Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 4

2010-12-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah had to be of the house (descendant) of David.

Prophecy -

Jeremiah 23:5

“ Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“ That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

Fulfillment -

Luke 3:31

...the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David...

[Partial genealogy of Christ. You can read the full genealogy from Luke 3:23-38.]

Matthew 1:1

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham...

[Again, part of a genealogy. To read this one in full, read Matthew 1:1-17.]

Matthew 22:41-42
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “ The Son of David.”

[The Pharisees, who were the scholars of the day, fully understood that the scriptures clearly spelled out that the Messiah must be of the family of David.]

Acts 13:22-23

[Paul speaking.] And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus.

Revelation 22:16

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Matthew 9:27, Matthew 15:22, Matthew 20:30-31, Matthew 21:9, 15, Mark 10:47-48, and Luke 18:38-39 all show that the people called Jesus by the title of, "Son of David."

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:

Christmas Prophecy 1

Christmas Prophecy 2

Christmas Prophecy 3

Christmas Prophecy 3

2010-12-03T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah was to be of the tribe of Judah (this is one of the twelve tribes of Israel).

Prophecy -

Genesis 49:10

The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Fulfillment -

Luke 3:33

[partial genealogy, to read in full, see Luke 3:23-38]

The son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

Matthew 1:2

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

[Again, partial genealogy, to read in full, see Matthew 1:1-17]

Hebrews 7:14

For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:

Christmas Prophecy 1

Christmas Prophecy 2

Christmas Prophecy 2

2010-12-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Messiah was to be of the seed (family/descendant) of Abraham.

Prophecy -

Genesis 12:2-3 & 22:18

[God is speaking to Abraham]

I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you and make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Genesis 22:18
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 1:1

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham...

Galatians 3:16

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

All the families and nations of the earth have been blessed through Abraham, because Jesus was born of Abraham's family and salvation is only through Jesus. Salvation is for Jews and Gentiles (all non-Jews). (John 14:6, Acts 26:23, Romans 3:29)

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. You can read the first post here.

Happy Hanukkah!

2010-12-01T16:00:00.000-06:00

I am not just trying to be politically correct as I mention Hanukkah, here on a Christian blog. Did you know that Jesus was Jewish? Did you know that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah? See John 10:22. Did you know that Hanukkah points to Christ, as all the other Jewish holidays do? The history of Hanukkah is a fascinating one, and is prophetic of the end times, as well. (It will help you understand Matthew 24:15 & Mark 13:14.) If you don't know much about Hanukkah, I encourage you to educate yourself, click on the link below.

Hanukkah starts at sundown tonight, and lasts for eight nights. You can read about the history of Hanukkah here, and find other interesting information as to how the holiday points to Christ, ways you can celebrate with your family (even if you're not Jewish), and recipes, too.

Christmas Prophecy 1

2010-12-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus (yes, I know He wasn't really born on December 25th and there is no where in the Bible that tells us to celebrate His birth, but I think any time we stop and focus on Him, God is pleased).

But was Jesus really the Son of God? Was He really the Messiah?

I've decided to do a countdown to Christmas and post, every day, one prophecy concerning Jesus and show the fulfillment. What are the odds that one man could fulfill all these prophecies? Could He have engineered it Himself, just made His life fit each prophecy? Or was it coincidence that He just happened to fit all these prophesies? Or what about the context of the prophecies themselves, are we taking them out of context and trying to make them fit the life of Jesus? Stay tuned and I will answer these questions throughout and at the end of the series.

The first prophecy I want to focus on is that the Messiah had to be born of a virgin.

Prophecy -

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. [Immanuel means God with us.]

You can also see Genesis 3:15. It refers to the seed of the woman. Women don't have seed, only men do. This also implies a virgin birth.

Fulfillment -

Luke 1:26-35

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Matthew 1:18, 24, 25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together [referring to marital relations], she was found with child of the Holy Spirit...Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her [again, referring to marital relations] till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Chewing Gum

2010-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Would you give up gum for God?

But wait, we're not under the law!

We try to pull so far away from the Mosaic law, that the attitude ends up being, "Hey! I can do such and such, the Bible doesn't say I can't!" People ask the common question of how far is too far. How much can I get away with and still be a Christian. How much can I do and still get into heaven.

First things first, we are NOT justified (saved) by ANY work that we do, it was entirely paid for by Christ AND we do not keep our salvation by ANY work that we do, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. However, that does not mean there is nothing to obey. Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, on the cross. (Philippians 2:8) Did you know that He didn't have to do it, He had a choice to obey or not? I'm so glad He did obey.

This falls under the category of sanctification. That is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. This is about your soul. Your spirit was recreated brand-new at the new birth, but your soul was not. Your soul takes a lifetime to be changed (Philippians 1:6). Some submit to this change more readily than others, and as such, we have some Christians that are matured and are walking in victory and are able to minister to others, and then we have some that the world can't really tell are saved.

This sanctification process is purely done by the Holy Spirit, we take no credit whatsoever, but we are involved in submitting to it. Submission--that is a word many people don't like to hear. It has negative connotations. We don't like being told what to do. My own five-year-old told us a few months ago that she couldn't wait to grow up, because then no one could tell her what to do. This was said very matter-of-fact, and not in a rebellious, reactive tone. It was funny to us, but we explained to her that every single one of us is under authority at all times. We don't reach a place in life where we are free from that. You may be under the authority of a husband, a boss, a pastor, the law/government of your country, and always God.

So when I ask if you would give up gum for God, I really mean, are you fully, whole-heartedly submitted to Him, to do His will, in all things, whether it is specifically spelled out in scripture or not.

So many want to question the alcohol issue. Rather than thinking of yourself, think of others. Will it ruin your witness if you have a drink? Will it cause someone around you to stumble? (Romans 14:21) Will it lead you to temptation, perhaps to overindulge, or fall in another area? You are more likely to give in to things when your senses are dulled.

What about movies? It seems we all have our standard and those that watch worse than us, we judge, those that don't watch what we watch are prudes. Our standard should be the Bible, not our own made-up rule. See Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 13:20 fits, too. What are you filling your mind with? The mind is transformed by whatever it is filled with, good or bad. (Romans 12:2 is an example of the good.) We felt convicted a few years ago to cut way, way back on movies. We don't go around telling everyone they are sinning for watching movies. That is called legalism. If it comes up in conversation I will tell a friend what we have decided. Sometimes it makes an impact, other times not. That is between them and God, not them and me.

One question in these extra-biblical areas is dependence. Do you rely on, look to, and/or crave such and such more than God? This can apply to a lot of things, food, coffee, alcohol, music, video games, books, shopping, hanging out with certain friends, and on and on. This may sound really strange, but that's what music was for me, for a very, very long time. Music was my escape. I always reached for music when I was feeling down. I depended on it to bring peace and joy to my life. I don't so much anymore. It wasn't that I decided to use my willpower and break this in my life, I didn't make any rules for myself, but rather as I study God's Word more and more and learn His ways and learn of His character, it is easier and easier to trust Him, and I find myself less and less reaching for my music. I will put on music now simply for praise and worship, to focus on Him, no longer myself. Very occasionally I will put on some music just for fun. I don't go around telling others not to listen to music, this is just between me and God. It was my heart that was in the wrong.

I love what Mark Driscoll said once, that we have liberties, but some of us need to give up those liberties. It's not about nitpicking over whether the Bible allows it, the question really is, does God want you doing it. In order to be conformed to the image of Christ, you are going to have to shed some things. (Romans 8:29) The Bible says not to be conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2) Jesus is trying to prune you, so that you can bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

This brings me to my post the other day on John 15:5. We cannot do any of these things in our own power, it is only through Christ's power. So, I ask you again, would you give up gum for God? If He asks you to, He will give you the ability to.

Work

2010-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

My husband pointed this out to me the other day. In reference to II Thessalonians 3:10, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." We always think of this in context of labor and that is the context in which it was written, but perhaps it could also apply to our study of God's Word. Jesus said He is the Bread of Life (John 6) and He is the Word made flesh (John 1), so we are to eat His Word (see Ezekiel 3 & Revelation 10). But it takes work (diligence - see II Peter 1:5-11 & Hebrews 11:6) to get the food to eat. It takes study to dig out the truths of God and digest them. I'm not saying they are so hidden and obscure, but it takes more than a surface, cursory read to reveal them and get the nourishment from them.

This leads me to something a friend said the other day. She was pointing out that we each need to get revelation for ourselves. We can't rely on our pastor's revelation (although that is helpful, I'm not discounting that), or our friend's, but the truth of God's Word has to come alive to each and every one of us, in order to be effective in our lives. She compared it to eating someone else's food, after they had already eaten it--you don't get any nourishment from it, they already did! That is gross, but really good. Think about the baby bird sitting there with it's mouth open wide, waiting for the mommy bird to chew up the worm and spit it into it's mouth. Many of us go to church that way, saying, "feed me, feed me, chew on it for me, half digest it, and then give it to me." Sermons at church should be a springboard for your own study, NOT your sole nourishment. If so, you are eating someone else's food. They got the full nourishment from it, you are getting a by-product.

Homeschooling has taught me this well, the person doing the research is the person doing the learning. Many times we homeschool moms do a lot of research to teach our kids a lesson and we learn a lot, but the kids don't really. I have learned that it is much better to lead my kids through research, so that they themselves are the ones learning. This is the same with us and church. The pastor is doing the study, getting the revelation, and then passing it on to us. It is easily forgotten if we do not apply it, use it, study it further.

It's time to get to work.

Verse for Today

2010-11-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremiah 18:7-10

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

Where does America fit into this scenario?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

Psalm 100
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Thanksgiving was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863. Here is a portion of his speech:

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy... I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday in November next as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in heaven.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and pray that you never forget the Source of all your blessings!