The Conviction of Things Not Seen

Obey

2012-01-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

God's desire is for us to obey Him. However, to 'obey' does not have the same meaning as one might think. God desires obedience so that we live a life that is without chaos. We often think it is blind obedience we are to have. In so doing, we never believe we can obey nor is He ever pleased with us. God does want obedience, however He does not require it to be blind obedience. We see this in several verses and in particular, Isaiah 1:18.

Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Reason: to argue; causatively to decide, justify or convince:

Obedient: to hear intelligently, understand, consent, consider, be content.

The Hebrew words indicates that God wants us to reason with Him, to argue, to understand and be content with what we are hearing.

I recently had a young man come to me for counsel. We dialoged about the solution to some of his problems. He inquired if he had to follow my counsel. I advised him that if he came for counseling and I gave him a solution to his dilemma, he had an opportunity to argue the merits of the counsel. It was my obligation to explain thoroughly and articulately my remedy. He was required to 'hear' me but my role was to convince him that my solution would work. If he didn't understand or didn't agree, he was not obligated however, once he was convinced and left the session, he was required to follow. The principle is that I am required to convince him that my solution would work. He needed to be content with, understand and convicted with what I advised.

The believer is also required to "'obey' them that have rule over you and submit themselves..." Heb 13:17.

The same principle applies here. The word obey is 'peitho' and the meaning is: to convince (by argument, by analogy to pacify or conciliate (stop someone from being angry or discontent, act as mediator), persuade, trust, yield.

It is incumbent upon those that rule to convince, mediate with and persuade those under their rule. It is abhorrent of them to dictate or require blind obedience.

This is played out in Paul's writing to Timothy when he pens the qualifications for those who rule: "One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how [experientially] to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil". 1 Timothy 3

The principle, again, is that the father must rule his house, wife and children, by the same approach, not requiring blind obedience but rather by an appeal, argument, analogy, conciliating and convincing. If he does not learn and know how to do this with his family, he will not know how to do this with the Believer of whom he is responsible.

Lastly, we see that the wives, children and slaves (involuntarily or voluntarily) are told to 'obey'.

The Greek word for this action is: hupakouō

The meaning of this word is: To hear under, to listen attentively, heed or conform; be reported, understand.

The one in authority, if the husband, parent or master, must have an audience and must give clear instruction and reasoning and reference so that the hearer can understand. The subordinate person is required to listen attentively.

The theme in these Scriptures is not a domineering tyrant but rather a kind leader who 'knows his flock', be it in the assembly of Believers or the home.
He leads by communicating with those under him with conversation and convincing and dialog. I propose that the subordinate is not required to comply by blind obedience but rather by being convinced of an action.

The thought behind obedience is not to do what one is told, without question but with reason and reasoning through a command. I have seen youth whose parents want ultimate control over their lives but don't give them a reason for making them obey. Rather, they say, "because I am your parent" or "because I said so". These children often grow to adults who have to experiment with every evil to learn on their own, the 'why or why not', because they don't have a "file cabinet" in their mind, to help them with decision making. This "file cabinet" of information was what the parent should have helped them build when they were young. This is done by helping them make decisions, not deciding for them. It is done by reasoning with them, not by requiring blind obedience.

God 's desire is for the Believer to "lead a tranquil and quiet life in all Godliness and dignity". 1 Tim 2 This proper response to authority is accomplished through proper training and reasoning.

Law of Liberty

2010-01-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

THE LAW OF MERCY

James gives a better way than the Law of Moses.

The law of liberty

“So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13

We cannot keep the Law of Moses fully. The Law of Moses cannot set us free from the law of sin and death. But God has given us a law that can set us free.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

The law of the Spirit of life is the law of liberty. Through the Spirit we can be free from sin in order to fulfill the Law.

“…in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:4

This is what Jesus had promised.

“…If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

The freedom to do good does not come from the Law, but from following Jesus.
This freedom is to be used for others.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

Freedom from sin makes new things possible. We will not be judged by the Law of Moses, but by the law of freedom. (The Greek word translated “free” or freedom” in other places is the same word translated as “liberty” in James.) If we are able to do new things, then we can be judged for what we chose.

We as believers will be judged.

- “…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Romans 14:10

- “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12

- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
- II Corinthians 5:10

- “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
Revelation 22:12

But Christ will judge us by His perfect law, the law of liberty. He gave us a new commandment that sums up the law of liberty – Jesus gave us the freedom and power to love, something the law of Moses could not give us.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34

It is in this commandment that we will be judged, and receive our inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 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? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You in prison, and come to You?

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” Matthew 25:35-40

Judgment is based on what has been given.

“…And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48

Mercy

Freedom makes mercy more important than law, for we are responsible for more.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7

We should speak and act as those who will need mercy in the day of judgment. Our acts of mercy will speak out against the demand for judgment in that day. If we have shown no mercy in this life, judgment will be also without mercy. We will need mercy.

Compassion and mercy are rewarded.

“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

As we look intently at the law of liberty, we do not see rules but responsibility for others.
We will not be judged for sins, but for what we have done. The works of compassion and mercy will stand in the judgment.

“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” I Corinthians 3:12-15

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

“… so speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty … mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:12-13

Mercy instead of judgment

When Israel made the golden calf, God told Moses what they had done. He told Moses to let Him alone that He might destroy them. But Moses interceded for them on the mountain. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf, He broke the tablets written by the finger of God. In anger Moses broke the Law; he broke what God gave him. Even though he already knew what they had done, and he held in his hands the Law written by God Himself, Moses threw away the tablets. Moses destroyed the golden calf; he called for Israel to rid themselves of those who had worshiped it. Moses acted in anger, destroying the tablets, the golden calf, and some of those who had worshiped it.

But the next day, he returned to ask God to forgive them. He went back, not only to ask God to forgive, but also to see His glory. God listened to Moses, showing him His glory, and replacing the tablets that Moses had broken in anger. God did not deal with Moses with judgment but with mercy. Moses had mercy on the people; God had mercy on Moses. In the time that the Law of Moses is being given, Moses needed mercy. Mercy triumphed over judgment.

Greg Whitten-James

GARDENING THE HEART

2009-08-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

There a paradox. The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; yet it is there that Christ is to dwell by faith. It is out of the heart that man is defiled; yet it is with the heart that man believes. Believers’ hearts can be filled by Satan to lie to the Holy Spirit; yet the word of faith can be found in the heart.

The heart is a garden; it will be what we make of it. If we neglect it, our heart will be filled with weeds that will choke out the word. If we tend it, our heart will produce a harvest far in excess of what was given to it.

The promise of the New Covenant is that He will give us a new heart and a new spirit; He will take out the heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh. He does not make our heart perfect; He makes it soft. We can hear His voice speaking to our heart. The word can grow in this heart of flesh.

But we can harden our hearts; we can refuse to listen. We can be hardened by sin. We are the gardeners of our heart.

It is the word that is sown in the heart; we have been born again by this word. But the word implanted in the ground must be received as it sends out roots. The doer of the word receives the word. The word can become rooted in him.

The garden must be watered; even a few days of neglect can kill much of what is growing. We must keep coming to Him and drinking; the heart needs the Holy Spirit.

The garden must be weeded. Weeds choke out the word; the sins and love of this world must be pulled out. Our heart can be cleansed. As we actively confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses us. The sins of our heart keep us from growing.

“…this mystery … which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Colossians 1:27-29

The heart, which will grow only weeds if neglected, can grow Christ when kept. What we do makes a difference in our heart; our heart can be healed.

Gardening is hard work; it takes time every day. Much of it has to be done on our knees.

_Greg Whitten

SHEPHERDING

2009-08-12T10:25:00.001-07:00

The Lord is my Shepherd; He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

He is shepherd to us when He is first Lord to us. He is not shepherd to us if we are unwilling to listen to Him.

He gives His work of shepherding to His under-shepherds; He allots sheep to under-shepherds. It is His work; under-shepherds will give account for the sheep.

Sheep who are shepherded do not lack what they need; under-shepherds are tasked with the work of the Shepherd. All that the Lord would do, they are to do.

Sheep are to be made to lie down in green pastures; shepherding is teaching disciples to meditate in the Word. This can be taught.

Sheep are to be led gently to waters of rest; shepherding is guiding disciples to come to Jesus and drink. Disciples need rest; they need renewal. They need the work of the Spirit.

The souls of sheep are to be brought back from their wandering; shepherding is bringing disciples back from the love of the world. Sheep are near-sighted; they get lost easily. Disciples must be turned back from following their souls.

Sheep are to be guided in the well-worn paths of righteousness; shepherding is leading disciples in the Way. What His sheep do in their life matters to Him, His name is on them. If His sheep wander off, it is the Shepherd’s responsibility. If His sheep are eating a farmer’s grain, it is the Shepherd’s responsibility. There is a Way; shepherds should recognize when their sheep are not on it.

Sheep are not to be afraid of the dark; shepherding is being there with disciples in the darkness. It is the shepherd who carries a club; he can fight what threatens them. It is the shepherd who has a staff; he can take hold of his sheep. The under-shepherd must be there; through him Jesus shepherds.

Shepherding is oversight, not rule. The shepherd watches; he knows what is going on. He leads; he doesn’t drive. The sheep are not there to serve him; he is to serve them. He has a passion for them; he wants them to thrive.

What the under-shepherd does is significant to Jesus.

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 1 Peter 5:4

-Greg Whitten

GIFTS

2009-07-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Spiritual gifts work through a person’s spirit. Our spirit within impels us, like a wind driving ships across the sea. A particular gift implants a drive within; but in order for that gift to be expressed, we must choose to act on what our spirit within impels.

If one is given a gift of teaching, he must work at teaching. The gift does not give him teaching, only the drive to teach. It takes ten years to become an expert at anything. If one is given a gift of service, he must work at what is necessary to serve. A medical degree takes years to earn. Gifts are not shortcuts; they are the drive to do what we are meant to do.

Spiritual gifts are given by God; but they can lie dormant within us because we have not acted upon them. Paul urged Timothy to stir up the spiritual gift within him. What is in our spirit may require years of work to express.

Tiger Woods is gifted; not because golf was easy for him, but because he was driven to practice more than anyone else. He is arguably the best player in the world because he has worked harder at it than anyone else.

Spiritual gifts require spiritual freedom. We cannot serve others effectively if we are slaves ourselves. We must be free to work out what He is working in us. We cannot prophesy if we do not listen to His voice. We cannot teach if we have not learned to follow. We cannot exhort if we have given in to sin.

Only disciples can find freedom.

“…If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

Only disciples can realize the spiritual gift God gave them.

The fulness of what God intended is realized when a disciple fully acts upon what his spirit within impels him to do. It is then that the spiritual gift becomes a gift to the body of Christ.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…” Ephesians 4:11-12

-Greg Whitten

CHURCH

2009-07-15T10:11:00.001-07:00

Christianity has been largely defined by church for most of these two thousand years; Christianity has been understood primarily to be what happens inside a religious service. Our language has no other meaning for “church”.

Our English word “church” does not come from the Greek word it translates, but from a Greek phrase, “kyriakon doma”, meaning “the Lord’s house”. The essential thought in the English word “church” is that it is the Lord’s house.

But there is a true Tabernacle in heaven, which the Lord pitched, not man. This is the Lord’s house; this is the place of His throne, and the soles of His feet. For us to call something on earth the Lord’s house is like Aaron fashioning a golden calf, and saying this is the god who brought you out of Egypt.

His house is in heaven; it is there that we must direct our hearts. We must ascend the hill of the Lord; we must draw near to the throne of grace. Like priests we must enter alone into the holy place, to offer up what is acceptable to Him.

The word used in the Greek New Testament is “ekklesia”, meaning “assembly”. This is the word Jesus used; this is the word the apostles used. In Acts 19 this word is also used three times to refer to Greek citizens of Ephesus gathered together because of rumors about the apostle Paul. This is the primary meaning of this word. When the New Testament uses this word, it is using a non-religious word; ekklesia is an assembly of citizens. It does not imply house; it does not imply a religious service.

By turning ekklesia, assembly, into the Lord’s house, we have placed a graven image between believers and the throne of grace. The graven image can keep believers from a secret life. If “church” is the means to the throne of grace, then believers will not learn to seek Him in the wilderness. We will not learn to seek Him alone in the dawn.

Disciples should walk a narrow path. Disciples give in secret, pray in secret, fast in secret; what the Father rewards was not done to be seen. The riches of discipleship cannot be found by those who do not know how to walk with Him alone.

For us to gather as ekklesia on earth, we must first find grace in heaven. We bear fruit out of an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ; this fruit feeds others. Without this abiding relationship, we will have nothing significant to give others.

Ekklesia is a gathering of the citizens of the kingdom of God, who have walked in the City of God.

-Greg Whitten

PRAGMATISM

2009-07-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

A disciple needs the power of the kingdom of God if he wants Jesus to rule in his life. The kingdom of God is near; we can find the power of the kingdom. If we have not found it, we need change. This is what Jesus preached; it is what John the Baptist had preached.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17

The imperative is to change the mind, metanoeo. But everyone thinks they are doing what they have to do; the mind maintains that illusion.

“There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12

The kingdom of God is near, we can take a very different path. We are not forced to live like victims of the twenty-first century. There is power to change the plagues of our heart.

This is basic to discipleship; discipleship is meaningless if there is no power. But if the kingdom of God is near, it is not here. The power of the kingdom cannot be found in our culture.

Pragmatism focuses on what is necessary. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. Do whatever is necessary to find the kingdom of God. Like Pilgrim in Pilgrim’s Progress, we are on a journey looking for the City of God.

If whatever we thought would work doesn’t lead to life, keep searching. We cannot trust our mind to direct us; it can be deceived. There is no reason to listen to every myth in Christianity; if the myth didn’t work in others, it won’t work in you. There is no time to play other people’s games.

In this chaos there is a voice that is not part of the delusion.

“And your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

He wants to lead you in the way of a disciple; He wants to bring you into His kingdom. He knows what works; He is pragmatic.

Listen; it works.

-Greg Whitten

A TABLE FOR DISCIPLES

2009-07-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

We have ignored the obvious for two thousand years; what we call “church” is the consequence.

Jesus made disciples face to face; He made disciples of those who ate with Him every night. It is at the table that disciples should gather now, in the same way that His disciples gathered two thousand years ago. Discipleship is based on friendship, not form.

The disciples of Jesus were actually following Jesus. Everyone gathered at His table had paid the price of discipleship. Discipleship is a simple choice; following requires leaving. There was no one at His table who had not left his life behind.

We have tried to build a church out of those who are not disciples; we have tried to use form to compensate for the lack of discipleship. What we call “church” abandoned discipleship a long time ago.

At times we have tried to fix the form of “church”. But we continue to return to the old pattern, honoring Him with our lips, while our heart is far from Him.

Two things are necessary to escape this strange attractor of deterministic chaos. We must gather as friends; we must only allow disciples at this table. What Jesus did, we must do.

Discipleship is about reality. Form cannot have a part in this; we can not allow anyone to play the part of a disciple. We must sit down at a real table in a real house, with real food and real noise. We must see each others eyes; we must speak real truth about real life.

We do not meet God here; disciples meet Him in secret. Those who gather must be those who have a secret life. They give alms in secret; they pray in secret; they fast in secret.

When we gather, we meet each other. We are to encourage one another; we are to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We gather as friends who care about one another, not actors in a performance. We know that each is carrying a cross. No one is talking the talk, without walking the walk.

Twenty-first century Christianity has “church”; discipleship has a table.

-Greg Whitten

A CURRICULUM FOR DISCIPLES

2009-07-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

The original twelve apostles were discipled by Jesus in the course of the three years that He preached. What is written in the Gospels can be seen as a curriculum for disciples; this is what Jesus used to make disciples of those who were following Him.

This curriculum, however, looks nothing like any curriculum at any school we know. There was no academic program; there was no classroom.

This curriculum appears to lack any training in spiritual disciplines. At one point they even asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and only got a short prayer as an answer. These disciples of Jesus were questioned by the disciples of John the Baptist about their lack of fasting. In the Garden of Gethsemane, they were obviously unable to pray even for a short time.

His curriculum does not fit any expectation of what we think discipleship should be.

Yet what Jesus did was discipleship; what He did gives us the priorities of discipleship. What He did, we must do to make disciples.

In three years they had come to know Jesus. They knew who He was as a person, even if they knew little of the theology of incarnation and atonement. These men, upon whom the church would be built, knew how Jesus felt about people.

What they saw was that Jesus always put value on the individual; people were never just part of a herd. He always received anyone who came to Him; more than anything else He called individuals to come to Him. Jesus always sought to build faith; even in the midst of a crowd He verbally engaged individuals to trust Him. He was good; He did good. He taught a significant righteousness, one that was truly good. They did not learn a creed; they watched a person.

This is what discipleship must be. A disciple must first see that Jesus is good; the rest of discipleship follows. Without faith in the person of Jesus, all we have is a religious studies class. Spiritual disciplines can follow; obedience can follow. But Jesus must be first.

To make a disciple we must do what Jesus did. We must be imitators of Christ so that they can see Christ in us. We must teach them the words of Christ so they can hear what He said. We must help them to experience that He is good and does good.

The curriculum for disciples must start with the whole person of Jesus; dissection can wait.

-Greg Whitten

A TEACHER FOR DISCIPLES

2009-07-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

A disciple needs a teacher, but the teacher must teach process more than facts. If we are to keep all that He commanded, we must learn more than facts.

There is a place where He teaches us process.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

We learn from Him when we are shoulder to shoulder with Him, like two oxen yoked together to pull a plow. But it is His yoke alone that we must take. All that we think we have to do has to be set aside to learn from Him.

This is a place for two and two only. It is a time to walk quietly, to ask simply, and hear quickly. We come to Him, asking Him what He wants to do. Walking with Him, we can learn to work, at His pace, in His way. He is plowing a field; He wants us to join Him in it. It is simple work that requires steadfastness more that zeal; He will keep plowing in the same field until it is done.

Just as the oxen pull the plow in the hand of the farmer, we will be directed by the hand of God as we are yoked with Jesus. He is teaching us to be directed by God; He is teaching us to keep all that He commanded. He is teaching us process through shared work, not through the classroom.

We thought what we were struggling to do was necessary; we were exhausted trying to carry the burdens of life. We were doing the “right” thing; we thought we understood.

But He has a different way of teaching. What is hidden from the wise and intelligent He reveals to those who are simply yoked together with Him, learning to just work with Him in what He wants to do. The one in the yoke gets to hear Jesus explain what the theologian cannot figure out.

This is not an abstraction; this is a straightforward way to come to Jesus. Walk down a long path with Him, away from everything else. Ask Him what He wants to do working with you. Listen; ask simple real questions. This is the place to learn. He explained the whole Old Testament in a few miles on the road to Emmaus.

Then do what He says.

-Greg Whitten

A TASK FOR DISCIPLES

2009-07-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

A disciple is a fellow-worker with Christ; he is a significant part of the work of God.

The imagery of plowing in Matthew 11 ties in with the parables of Matthew 13; the seed that fell on good soil fell on plowed ground. The field is the heart of man; the heart of man needs to be cultivated.

The cycle of harvest is rain, plowing, sowing, growth, and harvest. The ground cannot be plowed where the rain has not fallen. Christ will only be plowing where the rain has fallen on the ground. We cannot break up what is dry.

But where the rain has fallen, the heart can be cultivated. This is the work that we share with Jesus Christ; He wants to sow the gospel in their hearts, but the heart must be broken up by the plow first.

The good works that come from Jesus working in us are the tools that Jesus uses to turn over the hearts of men. We are the light of the world. But the world that does not believe in Christ is convinced that we are deceived; it is convinced that we have nothing but an empty faith. Their heart has become hard; the gospel will not be able even to begin to grow in it.

These hardened hearts need what will turn their thoughts over; their assumptions need to be broken up by what they see. What we do as we are yoked with Jesus will break up the fallow ground of their hearts.

But what is important is the way in which the light shines; we are to let it shine in such a way that men give glory to the Father. They need to see the good works as the work of sons, not members of an organization. What an organization does, no matter how good it is, is not seen as personal. But what a person does from the heart is personal. Good works are meant to break up hard hearts; good works need to seen as coming from love. Those we help need to see that we value them.

If good works are to prepare a heart for the gospel, they must do more than scratch the surface. The work must dig down into the heart; good works must be significant. What is superficial is of little use, even if many are touched by it. What we do must have a profound effect; even if only one person is touched by it. If we have done significant good for one, we have entered into the work of Jesus.

“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.” Jeremiah 4:3

-Greg Whitten

Discipleship

2009-05-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

A disciple is a copy.

Discipleship requires a decision.

Discipleship requires training.

A disciple is a copy of another person. The copy is to be made of one who is himself fully a disciple, keeping all that Jesus commanded. Good fruit alone gives evidence of discipleship; the lawless can have sheepskins and gifts. Disciples are the good trees; good trees come from the word. The word is the genetics of discipleship.

Those who disciple must make the choice clear: the gate is small, and the way is narrow. The soul must be lost in order to follow Jesus Christ. The beginning in baptism pictures death, burial, and resurrection, not joining a club. A living community of disciples can be built with disciples; but those who will not listen to Him cannot contribute to the life of this community.

Those who disciple must teach process not just facts. A disciple must learn how to keep all that Jesus commanded. He must be taught how to do what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The foundation of discipleship is in what is done in secret; the word of the kingdom stands or falls by what is in secret. Those who have learned to keep all that Jesus commanded will then themselves make disciples, for that is part of what He commanded.

To be discipled we must listen, to God and to others. We need to build a connection between what is said to us and what we do. What may be a still, small voice in our thoughts or in our interactions with others may be the most significant next step that we need to take. We need to trust Him that He is working to disciple us; it should not take years to do what we are being told to do.

To be discipled we must make a place in our life at the cost of everything else. We must clear some ground in the midst of this world. This is the great struggle, keeping the darkness from swallowing up our one place of light.

To be discipled we must be a good place for the word to take root in. There is life in the word; disciples are gardeners of the word, each one in his heart. Christ must be formed in each disciple; there is no equivalent mechanism that will work.

-Greg Whitten-

Held Captive By The Devil

2009-03-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

What would it be like to be held captive by the devil to do his will?

We might think of the demon possessed in Scripture who wandered among the tombs. Or, some sinister being lurking around in the darkness.

Sadly, this person is just as likely to be found in the church. Paul describes him to Timothy. He is a quarrelsome person. He (or she) stands in the way of ministry, through gossip, wronging others without merit. They are trapped in a snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, to do his will.

We never think of those in the church as doing the will of the devil. Yet, some do. They stand in opposition, not by dialoging with those with whom they disagree but rather by means of gossip. The opposed is not given an ability to defend himself, for gossip is done in secret and stimulates the sinful nature of man.

And the Lord's bond-servant must not strive but be kind (gentle) to all (Rom. 2:4), able to teach, patient when wronged (enduring evil), with gentleness correcting (to train or chastise, as a child) those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance (to rethink-this is granted by God) leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

James, A Letter To The Twelve Tribes.

2009-02-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

James writes to the "twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad" at a time when twelve tribes did not exist. The northern tribes had been carried away in 721 BC and lost as a distinct people. Some individuals may have existed at the time of James that claimed descent from some of the lost tribes, but the tribes had disappeared over 700 years before. The northern tribes were taken primarily to the area of what is now Iraq. In that place, those tribes lost their identity as children of Israel and merged into the culture. The present Iraqis are probably some of the descendants of the lost tribes. If James was referring to Jews in

some form of an idiom, he would need to distinguish Jews that believed in Jesus. It does not fit to assume that James was directing the letter only at Jews.

What is fitting with Scripture is that the twelve tribes of the old covenant were a picture of the people of God of the new covenant. James is using the expression to identify believers under the new covenant, since these believers are now the people of God. Paul says in Galatians that we are the Israel of God. It is the same idea as the expression "the twelve tribes". Paul and James were talking about the same thing.

The reason this identification is important is because it is central to understanding the Old Testament. In I Peter 1:10, the point is made that the prophets were prophesying of the grace that would come to us. Jesus on the road to Emmaeus explains the old testament Scriptures to two disciples. There is a key to understanding the Old Testament, and it is not in approaching Scripture as history or literature. The Holy Spirit is speaking of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

Now go read the prophecies. You can see that they are all set in a historical context. When Isaiah makes a statement about a virgin conceiving, he was making a direct statement to a king that made sense in its context and came true in its context. There was an immediate meaning for the message. But we now know that there was a far more powerful meaning, that spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. So the need is to understand the message of the Holy Spirit

that is in the prophecies of the Old Testament.

What is the key is that we are the Israel of God. The message of the Old Testament is to us. It looks like Paul, James, and Peter all understood that, and could look at the prophecies in that way. (Written by Greg Whitten)

James, a Bond-Servant

2009-02-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. James 1:1 (NASB)

James refers to himself as a bond-servant of God. To understand what a bond-servant is, we read Ex.21:1-6. Here, a bond-servant was one who, by his own choice, remained with his master. No matter what the reason for his servitude, during the year of jubilee, he was to be freed. Perhaps he learned a dependence on the master. Perhaps he was cared for and sincerely loved by the master. When you truly serve someone, a genuine love is formed between the two of you.

At the time, of the year of jubilee, the servant was a free man but if he loved his master and wanted to remain with him, if that was the case, he was brought to God (dedication) and taken to a door or post where his ear was pierced with an awl (this was no small hole). Most likely, an earring was inserted to keep the ear open and served as a visible sign to others that he served, not out of bondage, but rather through love and a relationship, the one who previously owned him.

James expresses his love for God in this way. Although he deserves to be a slave, he chooses rather to be a bond-servant.

How can people from afar see that you are a bond-servant of God? Have you been taken to the post and pierced with an awl? Do you wear the earring of a bond-servant, showing that you love the Master?

Evil

2009-01-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

Confession

2009-01-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16

The purpose of confession is to keep oneself aware of their true nature and in a state of humility as “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble”.

Confession brings intimacy and fellowship.

People, who put themselves in a position higher than others, rarely confess to “one another” out of fear. However, “the fear of man brings a snare”.

What Pharaoh Heard

2008-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

When we are wronged by someone, it is natural to tell others about it. We want to tell others about how it happened to garner their sympathy and support. Somehow it makes us feel better to know that others are aware of the injustice committed against us. We seek out sympathy and commit a small act of retaliation.

Commentary

Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. (Genesis 45:16)

Pharaoh was delighted when he heard that Joseph's brothers had come to Egypt. He immediately made provision to bring the entire family to Egypt so they could survive the famine in safety and comfort. He provided wagons for the move. He promised them the best of the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh's warm welcome of Joseph's brothers reveals an important detail about Joseph's time in Egypt. Apparently, the entire time he had been in Egypt, he had never told anyone the story of what his brothers did to him. Pharaoh, at least, had never heard the tale of how Joseph's brother abducted him and sold him. Had he known the story of the villainous deed, he would not have extended the warm welcome.

Joseph loved his brothers and his family so much that he could not bear the thought of having them defamed. He did not want Egyptians saying to one another, "Did you hear about the nasty thing that Joseph's lowlife brothers did to him?" Joseph kept the entire episode to himself. The only thing he ever said about his past was the vague explanation, "I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews" (Genesis 40:15). His love for his brothers compelled him to protect their reputation.

Instead of emulating Joseph, who was concerned about protecting the dignity of his loved ones, it seems we do just the opposite. A husband and wife are eating out at a restaurant when the husband drops his cup, spilling his beverage on the table. Embarrassed, the wife rolls her eyes and says to the stranger sitting at the next table, "He is such a klutz." A man is out with his friends when they begin discussing the foils of marriage. All in good fun, the man complains to the guys about his wife's bad habits. Everyone laughs. Why would we sell out the people we love like this? The wife shows more concern for the opinion of a stranger in a restaurant than she does for the dignity of her husband. The husband has higher regard for a few laughs from his buddies than he does for the reputation of his wife.

A woman was having a hard time at the Messianic synagogue she attended in the southern United States. She was involved in a heated conflict with some other members. This went on for some time. Frustrated with her congregation, she told her unbelieving friend about the problems she was having. Eventually the leadership arbitrated the situation. She made peace with the people. Some time later, she invited her unbelieving friend to attend a service. Her friend said, "Are you crazy? After the way you talked about those people and that place, I wouldn't set foot in there."

Joseph never told the Egyptians about the incident with his brothers because it was none of their business. By maintaining discretion, he was protecting the name and reputation of God in Egypt. Had he told his sad story to everyone, the Egyptians would have had cause to say, "If that's how the followers of your God behave, I want nothing to do with Him or your religion."

www.FFOZ.org

Confession

2008-10-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Explaining how we have failed so that God will not be blamed for the consequences.

If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

2008-10-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Oppression has lead to anger in my life. The anger turned to bitterness and that, to hatred.

In this situation, a Christian worker, misused his position and wasn’t repentant. I did not handle my anger correctly which resulted in hatred.

Hatred, as Greg explained, turned to darkness within. Although I don’t see the affect, I have to realize that “God’s Word is true, and every man a liar.” Rom. 3:4

The manner in which I learn and process information is by experience. I have to rely on my brother, to identify “blind spots” in my life. In so doing, I will repent, as I have, and begin to do the right thing, which is to love my brother. The process is by my act of praying for him. Once I have experienced this truth, and see the darkness, I will be able to see where I was amiss. In this case, moving from darkness into light. Through the experience, and my learning, I hope to write more.

My cause was right, my response was not. Therefore, the cause became unworthy and darkness.

And reproofs for discipline are the way of life, Pr. 6

2008-10-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

First, I want to acknowledge that the Sermon on the Mount is not easy to grasp; perhaps that is why it is seldom studied seriously. It is not just theological difficulties with Reformation Christianity that are the problem; the word pictures themselves are usually difficult. You had mentioned that the issues of salt and light were challenging for the group. I think I may not have understood how difficult much of this is.

The particular issue we talked about is a good example of the difficulty of the wording in Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that the lamp of the body is the eye. Using a metaphor of a lamp in a house, Jesus points out a mechanism at work in man. "If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore, the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." The image is simple at first, but becomes more difficult when we try to understand it. The word "clear" is more literally "without folds". Somehow the way we look at the world around us can result in light filling our body, or can result in great darkness throughout. The consequences of what Jesus described are profound, but we may not understand what a clear eye is.

It is perhaps easier to understand what John says in I John 2. "The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." This great darkness within will be like physical blindness; all aspects of the Christian walk will be like a blind man stumbling over obstacles he cannot see. Hatred of a brother will make progress impossible.

What John said is perhaps a good illustration of the difficult statement of Jesus. The eye is meant to be clear, single, literally without folds. Yet often we have are layers of perception. We want to consider truth at an abstract level, but deal with individuals at another level. We want to hold that God is our Father, but at the same time hate one who is just as much a child of the Father as us. The consequences of this layered perception of reality are overwhelming.

Discipleship is costly: it costs the soul. To make Jesus Lord is to submit to His commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Everything else is only a game, a pretense. Christianity without obedience to this new commandment is role-playing by blind men.

The Sermon on the Mount deals with three areas: outward, inward, and evil; there is a structure in what is taught. One third deals with evil; Jesus concludes this structured teaching with a warning to beware of false prophets. This is a significant aspect of Christianity; appropriately finding a way in this world of sheepskins is challenging. But the particular issue for false prophets, lawlessness, can become the particular point of stumbling for those who oppose them. If we lawlessly hate, we will just as much be false prophets as the ones with nice sheepskins.

How we deal with "posers" is vital; it is not separate from the rest of discipleship. If we fail at it, great darkness will fill us. We need to be able to pray for evil dictators in Africa; we need to be able to pray for evil impostors in America. We are priests not mockers.

Greg

Angry People

2008-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

There are many black Americans who are angry people. Oppression in the natural man (regardless of race) instills anger.

Oppression, however, is a response to their current situation, not historical events.

Some black Americans have been oppressed in childhood; not by people in past generations but by fathers who have abandoned them; by mothers who have decided that other things were more important than their children; by role models who have violated their sense of security, trust, justice and equity.

A part of black America, an angry part, wants to vent. They have found a cause that appears worthy. That cause is prejudice. Yet, their venting produces more prejudice and alienates.

The worthy cause then becomes unworthy.

Any cause worth pursuing should not produce more of the same.

The reason I write this is because the man who discipled me confronted me about a similar behavior.

Tomorrow: The email

Woman's Role

2008-09-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

The role of women in the church has been an area of controversy and contention for many years. When God inspired and Paul scribed the words in Titus, he was instilling the most important task in history (and specifically for our time) for the older women. Sadly, I have seen, for the most part, they abandon these admonitions in pursuit of more gratifying and lauded venue, and the church suffers great loss.

Older women are to teach the younger women (not teach Sunday School, not youth groups, not choir, nor preaching, not working outside the home or anything other than what Paul prescribes): to teach the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands.

Because this is not seen as an important endeavor, we have ignored this and the body and the home suffer defeat. It is no wonder that the divorce rate in the Christian church mirrors that of the world. Sadly, Dr. Laura Schlesinger, a Jewish talk show host and not someone from our Christian culture, has done the best job seen in her book, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. In fact, all that she has written has enveloped these principles commanded by Paul.

We should not write this off but rather take a critical look at the church, ask what the core problems are and you will see the resulting affect. Older women teaching the younger women, who would have thought, that this is more important than any Sunday sermon, more important than any building, any evangelical rally, any physical healing and so on.

The woman loving her husband, loving her children…is more glorious than any other event in the body. It breeds love, security, confidence and strengthens her man to move in ways unimaginable.

The Task of the Young Man

2008-08-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

I am often asked by young men about finding their role in the body. Being young, they are full of energy and desire to change the world, overnight.

I am not sure if Titus discussed this with Paul but in his letter, Paul addressed it (in chapter 2).

Of interest, is that Paul gives direction and tasks to four groups, older men, older women, young women and young men.

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance (note there are six areas that Paul encourages them to pursue).

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women (five areas of important ministry).

[Young women are] to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored (seven critical tasks).

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible (one thing to pursue, sensibility).

"There must be more", one might ask. But, there isn't. The sensibility that a young man learns will serve him for a lifetime (see blog on oxen).

What then is "sensible"? The Greek gives it the definition of: to be of sound mind, having sound judgment, temperate and self controlled.

The Proverbs were written for this very purpose; to receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, to bring wisdom to the young man, prudence, knowledge and discretion. Pro. 1:3-4

This should be our ministry to the young men, encourage them to study and meditate on the Proverbs.

Convictions

2008-08-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

Basic Commands of Scripture which I have purposed to follow, whatever the cost.

Maturing

2008-08-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Discovering that the most difficult lessons that we will ever learn are the ones we thought we already knew.

Grumbling (continued)

2008-08-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

To grumble is to murmur or begrudge something. To dispute is a debate, argue or reason through, i.e. leaning on how you understand things.

Paul says, “don’t”. The next verse gives his rationale. That you may prove yourself to be…

The importance of the word ‘prove’ is that it isn’t that you do it to prove to people you are a Christian i.e. “a witness” but rather, this is an assayer’s term meaning to become. It is that the circumstance, that you would normally grumble about, is there to cause you to become blameless and innocent…

Paul used this term because he was aware of the assayers work and the result of his efforts. An assayer would take soil and put it in a crucible. Intense heat would be applied. Impurities would rise to the top and be be skimmed off then it would be allowed to cool down. The process would begin again, seven times, until the dross (impurities) had been eliminated and a perfect bar of silver remains. (Psalm 12:6; 66:10)

God's desire is that you become blameless and innocent. He does this through trials.

This verse, re-written, might sound like this: Do all things without grumbling or reasoning through the circumstances so that its result will be that you will become blameless and innocent…

Ponder the act of grumbling and how it affects your relationship with others and with God.

The Hallmark of the Believer: Grumbling

2008-07-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world… Philippians 2:14-15

Sadly, next to gossip, grumbling is the most common characteristic of the believer.

As the Rebellion of Korah, grumbling describes one's belief in God. When we grumble, we are saying, “I don’t believe God knows what he is doing. I don’t believe God has his hand in this. I don’t believe all things work together for good”.

The rebellion of Korah was just that, they did not believe that God brought them out of the land of Egypt. They discounted the symbolism and miracles He performed through Moses. They did not trust in the Lord with all their heart but rather leaned on their own understanding. Pr. 3:5

The Rebellion of Korah

2008-07-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. Jude 1:11

The way of Cain: Cain’s sin was that he offered a sacrifice, not of blood, but of the (cursed) ground while Able offered a lamb “… and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. Heb. 9:22 b

Cain’s way was the way of iniquity, "doing my own will even though it is something good".

The error of Balaam: Balaam, the prophet, decided to curse God’s people, for the enemy. His error was to seek worldly gain rather than God’s wealth.

The rebellion of Korah: Korah’s rebellion was grumbling against God and what he was doing, to deliver his people.

NO-FAULT FORGIVENESS IS FATAL

2008-07-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

The fatal error of no-fault forgiveness written by a conservative journalist.

Forgiveness (continued)

2008-07-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

Prior to granting forgiveness, it is my belief, that the offending party must do the following: They must take responsibility, be remorseful, and repair or make restitution.

Jesus makes this point in Matthew 18.

"And if your brother sins (KJV-against you), go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.

It is not required of you to overlook an offense, rather, go to your brother. In fact, there are consequences to not taking responsibility, being remorseful and repairing. They are to be treated as a Gentile. (Do we do this today?)

Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Now, if your brother repents, you are required to forgive him, an unlimited amount of times. Unity of the body is of utmost importance.

"For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.' "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

Jesus then gives an illustration of this. A king is settling accounts (If your brother sins, go to him). He couldn’t repay, so he was to be sold as a slave. (This was God’s law). However, the man took proper steps by taking responsibility, showing remorse (falling down, prostrated himself) and promising restitution. And the king, felt compassion and “released and forgave him his debt”. This is what we are required to do, when one follows the steps to seek forgiveness. Note that if the man had not repented and followed the right steps as indicated, he would have been sold, he and his family, to repay the debt. It says nothing about the king forgiving him without the debtor first falling down and prostrating himself.

Jesus then continues as to what will happen if we don’t forgive, when the proper steps are taken as illustrated when the man refused to forgive his debtor: "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed."

Jesus had a strong rebuke.

"Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

____________________________________________________

In light of this, look at the following verses.

"Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Luke 17:3

"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." Luke 17:4

"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." John 20:23

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ( Confess-homologeo- to speak the same, to agree). I John 1:9

Is A Christian Required To Grant Forgiveness Even Though It Is Not Requested?

2008-06-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

One of the most controversial questions that I have been asked is, “Am I supposed to forgive a brother even though they are not sorry for their offense”.

In reflecting on this question, one must answer basic questions first, so that their response is not emotional, which often happens with this topic.

Does God forgive us our sins and trespasses before we are ‘born again’ without us asking?
If we are to forgive a brother without him being repentant, does God do this for us?
Does God give the world a ‘blanket forgiveness’ and if so, would that allow all to enter eternal life without a relationship?
Did Jesus forgive everyone who offended him? Did Paul?
When did Jesus forgive some without their requesting forgiveness?
Are their examples of forgiveness in the Word, where no one has asked?
On the cross, to whom was Jesus referring when He said, “father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”?
Why didn’t He forgive them, rather than asking God to do so?
In the “Lord’s Prayer”, does it imply that we are to forgive all, without their asking? If so, why in the same verse, does it say “Father, forgive us our trespasses”? Isn’t the one praying asking God for forgiveness?

Tired of Checking Blogs?

2008-06-19T20:49:00.001-07:00

Put the url: http://convictionofthingsnotseen.blogspot.com

into this site and it will notify you whenever a blog is post.

http://www.rssfwd.com/

Anger

2008-06-13T18:57:00.001-07:00

Someone finding a personal right that I have not yet yielded to God.

…Because of the angels.

2008-06-06T23:05:00.001-07:00

In 1 Cor. 11, Paul talks about a woman having a “symbol” of authority on her head “because of the angels”.

In discussing this verse, about women wearing a covering, many denounce the practice and are quick to excuse it stating, “that was only a custom”, “a woman’s hair is her covering” or, “does anyone do that today”?

The point is not to brush off a verse because it may be offensive or untimely but rather to go beyond excusing our current belief and ask, “why did God instruct Paul to pen those words”?

There appears to be something going on in the heavens that are beyond our scope of understanding.

In the book of Job, we see that the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves to God. Satan was among them. Now, Satan is aware of his destiny, which God, pronounced on him in the book of Genesis, yet we see that God has a dialog with him nonetheless. It is as though God is making a point and the point is that God is just and righteous and Lord and that He must continue to demonstrate this to the sons of God, both God’s messengers and the fallen ones.

God asks Satan, “have you considered my servant Job”? This, in my opinion, is a very strange question. Why would God even consider a dialog with Satan? After all, God has won and Satan has lost. We know the final chapters of Revelations.

Our conclusion must then be: there is something going on in the heavens, of which we are unaware. Angels are an audience, we are actors in a play, and God sponsors it.

With that in mind, look again at Paul’s statement “a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels”. It is as though God wants to show the created beings, that there is an authority structure, which God is demonstrating through His people.

In 1 Cor. 4:9, again Paul points out that the apostles are men “condemned to death, ‘because we have become a spectacle to …angels’”.

Next, in Heb. 13, we are instructed to show hospitality to strangers as we have “entertained angels” without knowing it. Why would it matter that we have entertained angels? What is God trying to prove, through us?

Would this knowledge cause a change in your behavior and your reaction to circumstances, knowing that you are actor, in a heavenly play, sponsored by the Almighty, to make a point, to His glory?

The Gold Wedding Band and How to Scam a Scammer

2008-05-31T10:37:00.001-07:00

The end of our Kenya trip brought us to Paris. As we walked along the Seine River, we were stopped by a woman who bent down beside me and picked up a men’s gold wedding band that was at my feet. She handed it to me. I explained that it wasn’t mine and that I didn’t drop it. She said that I must take it, “it is your lucky day”. Again, I refused. She would not take “no” for an answer, so I held it in my closed fist. She then asked for money for food as I had profited from the gold ring. Sensing a scam, I handed her the ring and left.

Some time later, I saw a different woman walk up to a couple, bend over and hand the tourist a gold band, that he apparently dropped. This time, I photographed the transaction. She used the same tactic and explained to the couple that they must have dropped the ring and they must take it, as it was their “lucky day”.

Enjoying psychology, I jumped in, in an attempt to manipulate the scammer, having had some time to think about the scam that was attempted on me.

Remember, she was pawning it off on the unsuspecting victim who was holding the ring.

I walked up and explained to him that it was a ruse to get his money. I asked for the ring and feigned throwing it in the river. The woman went ballistic. At that point, I showed the man that she actually wasn’t trying to give the ring away, but rather cheat him of his money. Otherwise, she would not have been angry that the ring was supposedly in the river.

I handed her the palmed item and she left, yelling “F--- You, sir”. She met up with her partner (who apparently would go to the victim, after the transaction and exchange of money, and pretend that she, in actuality, lost the ring and he must return it to her, or face the consequences).

Now, my interest was piqued. I pondered how I could “scam the scammer” if this happens again (as I found out later from the police, that this is a typical ploy to cheat tourists-must have been the camera around my neck that gave me away).

Sure enough, 20 minutes later, another woman bent down at my feet and held out a gold band and exclaimed that I must have dropped it. I explained that I had not, but again, she insisted I take it. I looked her in the eye and said, someone has lost this valuable item, we must take it to the police. I pocketed the ring and motioned for her to accompany me and make a report.

This response was new to her, and caught her off guard. She said, “no, give it back”, an interesting response from someone who just tried to give it away.

Again, I persisted and began to walk in the opposite direction and motioned for her to come. She retreated because she surely did not want the police involved.

As I distanced myself from her, she yelled and I continued to motion for her to follow.

After several blocks, she was nowhere to be seen and I had the ring.

I did find two officers who explained that this was, in fact, a scam on tourists.

I produced the ring. They laughed.

Isn’t Satan this way. He appeals to our lust with bait but there is a hook at the end. What we think is a treasure, is actually something that depletes our time, money or relationships. (He comes to rob, kill and destroy-Jn 10:10).

The pairs of women have found this to be a lucrative venture, otherwise they would not continue to use the same tactics.

Satan is this way too, his plans work so why should he change.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Pet 5:8

Contentment-realizing that God has already provided everything we need for our present happiness.

2008-05-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

The people of the Soweto slums on the outskirts of Nairobi taught me a lesson that I and most others have never learned, how to be content with what God has provided.

Paul says, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am”.

You will not find a happier people where I spent the day watching children play in rubble or with anything else they could find.

The parents spend their day rummaging through Nairobi’s city dump, scrounging for plastic bags to resell at the market place, used items and magazines to offer for pennies and food for the family.

America is a country where we lack nothing yet we are dissatisfied and always wanting more.

Contentment and gratitude are sisters. One can tell when someone is content with what God has provided by their constant words of giving thanks.

Thank You For The Glass In My Windows

2008-05-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

At Hope Bright Future, one of the children was quick to add this to her prayer.

Humorous-yes. Did God really need to be thanked for glass in the windows? I never have. I take it for granted. In Kenya, glass in the window means light in an otherwise dark room. It is a means to let the sun in and keep malaria infected mosquitoes out. There are numerous benefits to having windows, but in this society, it is a blessing not afforded everyone.

Gratitude: Telling God and others how they have benefited our life.

I write on the subject of gratitude because I see that we are remiss in our attention to this most important act. I know that when someone is genuinely thankful for something I have provided, and expresses that gratitude, I am quick to continue because of their sincerity. How much more is God quick to respond to our thanks?

Do we make it a habit of thanking God and others for the provisions they have bestowed that benefit our life?

In a recent discussion with friends about prayer, I found that the majority go to great length and detail about their needs and requests to God but rarely give much time to thanksgiving.

It is obvious that we need to turn our prayer time up side down and give God the thanks due Him. And, express to others also, as to how they have benefit our lives. Try this for a week and watch the response.

Hope Bright Future

2008-04-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have seen the effect of giving in two very different circumstances. In one orphanage, where leaders said the children were all orphans, but they weren’t, we tried to bring hope by providing the necessities of life and beyond: a well for water, generator to power lights and a TV (for a few hours in the evening), new clothing (on several occasions), extra food (a cow or chickens) and candy. The affect was a growing lack of gratitude. As balls, games, toys and clothing were brought on a regular basis, the children became more aggressive, lacked contentment and were competitive, ungrateful and demanding.

The leaders became discontent, too.

Hope Bright Future started a similar project but with true orphans. They were given nothing except essentials and guests were not allowed to bring gifts or any other items. There is no electricity.

The simplicity demands attention.

The children were given photos of themselves and they decorated the bare cement walls. They had one soccer ball, three jump ropes and a hula-hoop. While putting up the pictures, they were allowed to play with the roll of tape. It amused them for a long time.

The contrast was blinding. They were happy and content. They shared and were not demanding.

Trying to Americanize a group of Kenyans taught a great lesson.

How much more do we get and then become demanding of God, discontent, aggressive, competitive, ungrateful?

The countenance of these children spoke volumes.

James asks, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?”

The Pot-Bellied Pastor

2008-04-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

One would notice if someone was portly in this culture where starvation is rampant. An anomaly is the typical so-called pastor. They are fat. It almost goes without saying here, if a pastor is trim, he is serving the people, if he is fat, the people serve him (financially).

A man came up to me on the street, introduced himself as a Bishop (the highest rank in the Kenyan protestant church), and immediately proceeded to boast of his 29 churches. I looked at his mid-section and quietly said, “I should have known”. The usual request of such person is how I can assist them financially in their ministry. Needless to say, I turned and walked away.

In watching TI ministry, there is a chasm that separates this from other ministries. They never ask anyone for money. They believe, and rightly so, that if God is promoting a ministry, He will supply what is needed. They also believe that they are to minister to the downtrodden and have aligned themselves with other ministries that have done the same.

Day after day I have observed the staff walk the streets, meeting street children and spending time with them. Their current goal is to assess the needs of young girls, some who are pregnant and living on the streets. The goal is to build a shelter, get them off glue, provide education and job training for the future. I will write more about them later when TI believes it is safe to take photos.

The attached photos are of street children, going through trash or living among the swine.

When I think of TI, this verse comes to mind.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Rom. 12:16

A Lesson in Gratitude

2008-04-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth has four children of her own and cares for her deceased daughter’s child and other deceased relative’s children.

The total is nine and they live in a two room “house” that measures 12’ X 24’. There is a twin size bed that occupies ½ of one room (behind sheet) and the other room is for cooking. The children sleep on the dirt floor in sacks made to carry food.

The cooking room is empty with the exception of a fire pit, the common means of cooking. The walls are made of mud packed between sticks and the floors are dried dirt.

Next to the building is a cho. It is similar to the outhouse of our western culture but it is a mud building with a gunnysack “door”. The difference is, there is no stool, just

a hole dug in the ground, that one squats over, (again, typical of the culture).

Upon meeting the family, my heart broke and I vowed to pay for a larger building and food supply.

To my surprise, I learned an interesting fact about the family. They are ungrateful. When TI provides for them and seeks better housing, they want more, they are not thankful for what is provided and do not properly care for what they have.

How much so are we like this with our God despite his constant provisions?

Matunda, Kenya

2008-04-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

A Matatu is a Toyota van, the old box style, which seats seven. Ours was revamped to seat twelve. Twenty people packed onboard for the several mile journey to Matunda. That was the beginning; other

modes of transportation were used including boda-boda (bicycle taxi), and a Toyota truck with a camper and seats in the back. It sat about ten but they continued to pack it until every foot was taken. Two people standing, bent over (the roof was only head high when we were seated) with butt in face and one person’s elbow six inches from my eye. I will try to attach a photo when I get to an internet that is faster than the 31 kbps that is typical for the area.

Oh yes, also, a short journey in the back of a pick-up with several of us and grain for a grandmother caring for her grandchildren.

We also walked five miles, in the rain, to visit the grandkids that were in school.

TI assists this grandmother through sponsors of the children. We took the food and some supplies. She was grateful.

Her house consisted of an empty room with the exception of handmade chair, coffee table (for eating) and handmade couch (wood bench with cushion). In the opposite corner were some pots and food. The neighboring building housed the kitchen (a fire pit on the dirt floor) with nothing else and an adjoining animal pen where the grandson (15) has started to breed rabbits to sell.

The land had corn (maize) planted that will supply them for the year. TI is assisting them to become self-sufficient.

In the front yard are the children’s parents; buried years before, only marked by a mound of dirt that separates the area from the rest of the property.

An open well had been abandoned after the parents were buried nearby. They now travel to the river or neighbor’s to retrieve water.

The area is overwhelmingly beautiful. The children, who have absolutely nothing, are happy. Life is simple.

Kitale, Kenya

2008-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Kitale, Kenya

After a 48 hour journey, we arrived in Kenya to reside on the compound of Transformed International (TransformedInternational.org) for the next month. The TI ministry is three-fold, caring for orphans, assisting widows with micro businesses and providing a unique experience for interns.

Yesterday, we visited a hospital in Kitale where one of the orphans had been admitted, initially for malaria and pneumonia but later contracted meningitis, from a child with whom he shared a bed. To get a glimpse of this facility, see Amanda’s blog to which I previously referred.

There were many people, young and old, on each bed. There were eight beds in every alcove. It was unclear which were patients and which were family members, so each alcove of eight beds had about 32 people in the area of a common living room.

The orphan was released after ten days but during his admission, he was found to have contracted aids, probably from birth. His parents were deceased and his grandmother was caring for him.

A young woman kept calling out to us after we arrived. She had given birth to a child after seven months gestation. She asked us to pray for him as she had seen the team days before pray for children when they visited. The baby, the size of a small football, was writhing in an isolet, stuck in the corner of a room full of people. No one was attending to him. He had no nurse, no monitors, no special aids to keep him alive while he grew, just a band aid on his heal, where blood was taken, flapping open with each jerk of his foot. His fate was grim.

The strong odor of urine permeated the air. Faces were somber. The usual Kenya smiles were missing. Many children lay on beds, staring at nothing, expressionless.

Pagan Christianity?

2008-04-18T22:37:00.001-07:00

One of the most important books of this era is Pagan Christianity? by Viola and Barna.

I recommend everyone read it. It will rock your world.

Faith

2008-04-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

When asked if he needed financial assistance in caring for his orphanage, he replied, "...I do not feel at liberty to speak about the state of our funds. The primary object of this ministry is to lead those who are weak in faith to see that there is reality in dealing with God alone."

The Autobiography of George Muller March 26, 1840

The Fear of the Lord

2008-03-29T08:35:00.001-07:00

The continual awareness that God is watching and weighing every one of my thoughts, words, actions and attitudes.

What is the measure of a man?

2008-03-25T23:18:00.001-07:00

I recently spoke with a friend who attempted to restore an errant
brother, who began using controlled substances and pursuing divorce.

He first went to his brother, with no results.

In light of Matthew 18, he attempted to garner a friend or other member of the brother's church, but they made excuses to keep from getting involved.

It reminded me of the king, in Matthew 22, who had a wedding feast for his son. When servants were sent to gather the guests, they went their way, one to his farm and another to his business.
It is interesting that many young men enjoy movies such as Gladiator and Braveheart. They identify with the hero and visualize or act out fantasies of valor and bouts of manliness.

We've all seen the email "forwards" with imagined stories of terrorists bursting into a church and threatening to shoot those who won't deny Christ. The sender makes it clear that they would proclaim the Savior even in the face of death. But the reality is they shrink in fear at the thought of confronting a brother. They see themselves as the hero in stories of great and noble conquests - - but can't manage to meet the basic requirements of a Godly man.

Confrontation is difficult. It is costly. It is time consuming.
Seldom do THOSE stories of valor get retold. There is hurt and remorse involved.

It most often makes the confronter look bad - - especially in the eyes of those who lack the fortitude to do likewise (or follow the Biblical command).

But, it is the true measure of a man, a man of God.

Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are
spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one
looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Gal. 6:1

Deference

2008-03-13T22:26:00.001-07:00

Limiting our freedom in order not to offend the personal taste of those we are serving.

PTSD and the child

2008-03-09T11:29:00.001-07:00

The other day, I watched a fascinating show called "Hog Genius", National Geographic, on the Discovery Channel.

Scientists found that Swine are closely related to humans in many ways and that the brain and their reactions to stimuli are similar to humans. That being said, they used pigs to test learning and responses to stress.

They found that the animal can problem solve better than dogs or primates however, when stress is introduced, they were unable to cope or solve problems.

This was illustrated by placing it in a large tub of water with a platform submerged, just out of sight. The pig would swim around the tub for a short time, bump into the platform and be able to climb to safety. Ten minutes later, it was reintroduced into the tub and immediately swam to the platform, showing that learning took place.

A stressed animal, however, panicked when introduced to the water and swam without purpose. It was then drawn to the platform by the scientist in order to teach it where to swim, to safety. Ten minutes later, the stressed pig was reintroduced into the tub. He panicked and failed to find the platform.

Scientists referred to this as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the means they used to produce this stress in the pig was, of all things, to wean him from his mother prematurely. As a result, it was unable to cope with normal life stressors having been taken from the basic nurturing that an animal needs.

If the findings are accurate in this well funded study, what affect does removing a child from his mother and placing him in daycare have on a child?

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever. Ps. 131

Bring Forth Fruit

2008-03-02T09:47:00.001-08:00

Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; Matt. 3:5-8

In these verses, there is an interesting point that John makes. Many were coming from all around the area and being baptized. The Pharisees and Sadducees were also but they are rebuked by John because they did not bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. What was the fruit in keeping with their repentance?

I have heard that it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) or works that were evidence of repentance. It is, rather, confession. Those in the district were coming out and were being baptized as they confessed their sins. The Pharisees and Sadducees came too but were stopped short. John said to bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. That did not mean that they had to leave and then come back after they changed or brought evidence of change. It only meant that they needed to confess their sins, at that exact moment, which they were unwilling to do.

Repent is to rethink and agree on, i.e., “I agree that this is in violation of a holy God.” Confession is to verbalize that agreement - - the “fruit” of repentance..

Pride keeps us from confessing.

Determination

2008-01-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

Realizing that my present struggles are essential for future achievement.

Prayer Target

2008-01-17T17:22:00.001-08:00

In the last blog, we mentioned one weapon of defense, the sword of the Spirit. Also, that there was a seventh part of the Armor of God.

You probably weren’t told of another weapon available to you, thus you have been fighting Satan with only part of the arsenal available to you, and, often defeated.

The next verse, Eph 6:18, gives the second weapon, “all prayer” and it tells what it is.

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf”.

When you get tempted to sin, the natural reaction is to grab on and hold on tight for the fight. You “white knuckle it”. You wait for the battle to end and it most often ends in defeat. Then Satan grabs that “handle of guilt” on your back and tells you that you are not worthy of the Kingdom or that you aren’t a believer and reminds you that your “righteousness is as filthy rags”. Then the depression and guilt sets in and you feel worthless and ineffective as a Christian.

The principle of “all prayer” gives you a new weapon to defeat the enemy.

The technique is simple. We all know someone who is a struggling Believer. Choose someone who you know, that if they got their life right with God, they would be a dynamic Christian, effective for the faith. Don’t pick someone that you are intimate with (there is a reason for this) and only pick one person and keep them as your Prayer Target.

Now, when you are tempted, use this temptation as a signal from God to pray for this person, for their walk with God, for their moral purity, for their time with God and their spiritual growth. As you do, you no longer fear the power of the temptation as it comes but rather you welcome it as a reminder from God to pray for your Prayer Target.

When you are tempted to sin, immediately think of your Prayer Target and begin to pray for them, then thank God for the temptation because it reminded you to pray for that person. The power of the temptation immediately loses its grip on you. Satan’s plan was thwarted. He wanted you to fall, not pray for someone.

Using this principle, you have changed a curse into a blessing. Several things will happen. First, Satan will back off on the temptation, as he does not want you to pray for this person, he wants you to fall. Second, the person will start to have a closer walk with God. Third, you will be prompted to contact them to inquire as to how they are growing, as to their faith. This will cause the two of you to be bonded in a deep friendship.

The hindrances are forgetting to use the principle, stopping because it is work or not realizing that it is a blessing when you are tempted. If you become thankful when you are tempted, you can look forward to the temptation as it is a reminder to pray.

The Armor of God

2008-01-12T10:46:00.001-08:00

In Ephesians 6, Paul writes about the armor of God. We often misuse this text to motivate believers in other ways than what is stated in the verses. The admonishment is to simply resist and stand against Satan. We have all heard sermons and teachings using this text. We have heard the six pieces of armor. I will list them and a brief description of their purpose.

· Gird your loins with truth-the loins were described as the “seat of emotions". The writer encourages us to gird, wrap up for action, our emotions as Satan’s first line of attack is in that area. Our emotions are tossed about and we begin to doubt God and His Word. When our emotions tell us one thing, we need to counter them with the truth of a matter.

· The breastplate of righteousness-this piece covers the heart. Satan shoots arrows of doubt and deception and thoughts of guilt. We need to cover the heart with the righteousness that we stand in, reminding ourselves that our “righteousness is as filthy rags” but He is now our righteousness.

· Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace-we often use this verse as a motivator to witness but it actually is another admonition to “stand firm”, not to go out and witness. The verse in the original language is related to putting on shoes with cleats. The cleats cause us to “dig in” when we are hit by the enemy. This is to insure that we remain upright when we stand on the slippery slopes of the evil one. The “gospel of peace” is the good news that we are at peace with God. This is another of the enemy’s tactics, to make you feel ill at ease with Him.

· Take up the shield of faith-its purpose is to extinguish the all the flaming missiles of the evil one. Satan’s goal is to get to the heart, as mentioned above. This is a second layer of defense.

· The helmet of salvation-Satan wants you to believe that you are not saved. If that doesn’t work, then he will hope that at least, you will doubt the stability of your place in Christ. One of the greatest stumbling blocks in the Christian's life is the belief that he can lose his salvation. If you do, Satan wins. The helmet protects your thoughts when you start thinking that you are not saved or you can lose your salvation. These thoughts create an uneasiness in the believer and an insecurity as to his position in Christ.

· The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Jesus used this when He was tempted in the wilderness.

There they are, the six. But wait, the Bible has a theme running from Genesis to Revelations. Six is an incomplete number. Seven is the number of perfection. To be a complete list, one that is perfect, it must have seven principles of standing firm. Where is the seventh?

Life Message

2008-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sharing with others how God is using my weakness to conform me to the image of His Son.

Meditation

2007-12-28T22:10:00.001-08:00

I have found this to be an excellent guide to study the Word. The key to meditation is to ask questions. Many believers are not accustomed to this practice and have a habit of regurgitating information they have heard from someone else but giving the information no further thought. They have never learned to think. Asking questions causes us to think.

We begin with Matthew 5:1.

1. Write the passage:

Matt 5:1 And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2. Ask Questions:

And-what does this word connect?

Seeing-what did He see?

Multitudes-where did they come from? Was it a crowd? What motivated them to come?

Why did seeing the multitudes prompt Him to go up on the mountain?

(Not that we will answer each of these questions but it tunes our Reticular Activation System).

What mountain did He go up on? Why did He go up?

After He sat down, His disciples came to him. Did the multitudes come or just the disciples? If only the disciples came, why didn’t the multitudes?

Compare your answer to this question with Matt. 7:28-8:1.

Did your answer change?

As you visualize this scene, what other questions come to mind? Write them down.

3. Do a word study:

What do each of the words in this verse mean?

Ask more questions (this activates your RAS).

And=but, it compares two things. It is a transition to something new. It is a particle, not a conjunction. What is the word transitioning?

Seeing=to know, perceive with the eyes, be aware of, consider, understand, saw their needs. When you look at someone, what do you see?

Multitude=large group.

Went up=because of the needs that He saw, He went to address them. It implies a motion on His part.

Mountain=lifts itself up above the plains. (Using the Reticular Activation System, think about this when you see a mountain when traveling or on vacation. Picture Him walking up).

4. Look up cross references:

Mark 9- and they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit through him into a convulsion.

Matt. 9-He saw Matthew the tax collector.

Mark-He saw a fig tree.

Matt. 4-He healed the multitudes (individuals).

Matt. 15-fed the multitudes (individually).

5. Paraphrase:

When Jesus considered the throng of people that came out to Him seeking to get their needs met, He went up on the mountain.

6. Personalize:

When I see a group of people, I realize that I can treat them as a group or I could take time to understand the needs of individuals in the group. Like Jesus, I need to take time to get alone with needy people to teach them.

When we memorize a text, we get it into our mind.

When we do a word study, we get it into our will.

When we personalize it, we get it into our emotions.

7. Picture it:

Drawing a picture or visualizing the entire scene as it unfolds will help to capture and feel it. Visualize Jesus with the multitudes and Him looking at just me. Even though He is ministering to many, He has time for me.

Visualize Him walking up to the base of a mountain. Visualize the multitudes. How many do you see? What are they doing, wearing and talking about? Do you see any children? Now visualize the disciples and watch as Jesus sits. How is He sitting? What are the disciples doing? Can you hear the questions they are formulating as they watch the scene unfold? There was a time that Jesus was in the temple, bent over to write on the ground. Do you think He did something like that here? Why or why not? Do you think His behaviors and mannerisms made the most of the situation?

What time of day was it? What were people feeling at that particular time? Were they hungry or sleepy, exhausted or moody? When you listen to people talking, what do you do? What do you think about? Are you tired, hungry etc.? How does that affect your ability to hear?

These are a small number of questions that can and should be asked whenever we encounter God’s Word. They help us to personalize God’s Word and draw it into our emotions after it is a part of our mind and will.

8. Application:

What do I see when I perceive a group of people? Do I see their needs or do I categorize them according to the way I see people?

If I were traveling with Jesus, how long would it take Him to see their health problems in a crowd? Why is it that I don’t ever see peoples needs or suffering? “Lord, I need to see as You see”.

The first word, ‘and’, brought this Scripture together with the previous where Jesus healed many and THEN they came out and He taught them. How often do I get involved in peoples’ physical needs? Do I use this as a springboard to teach them?

Now, try it on your own.

"Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt. 5:31-34

borrowed

Reticular Activation System (RAS)

2007-12-28T21:44:00.001-08:00

Reticular Activation System (RAS)

It’s a common phenomenon. You look for a new car, something not like anyone else’s, something unusual. You pick out what seems to be a unique, unusual choice of a special red car and all of a sudden, there it is– your red car, the one you thought was only yours. It’s on every street corner. It is at every stoplight. You see three of these red cars driving down the freeway. You never saw these cars before. What happened? How did all of these people get your unique red car at the same time?

Well the fact of the matter is that your brain is seeing the red cars that were always there. Since you picked out this car for yourself, that car has become special for you and now you are noticing what was really there all along.

It’s called the “Reticular Activation System” or RAS. It is the part of your brain that automatically filters out what is not important to you and brings your attention to things that are important to you.

In this context, we will now hear a sermon or read a book containing some piece of information we had studied in the Scripture and it will reinforce and personalize what we had studied. borrowed

Waiting on the Lord

2007-12-26T20:49:00.001-08:00

An often misunderstood verse in Scripture is Isaiah 40:31 where one is instructed to wait on the Lord.

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

In this text, one tends to believe that waiting is sitting back, being patient or not doing anything, however, the word "wait" in Hebrew, is to intertwine.

The implication is to intertwine our thoughts with His thoughts. When we do so, we gain a new strength; we mount up, with wings like eagles. We run and don't get tired. We walk and not become weary.

Most of our efforts are, at best, wearisome. Our efforts lack strength. We tire. As we intertwine our thoughts with His thoughts, through meditation on the Word, we will gain a new strength.

Pride

2007-12-18T17:40:00.001-08:00

believing that we accomplished what in reality God and others have done in and for us.

Want to Change the World?

2007-12-15T11:15:00.001-08:00

If each person helped two people in this world, we would all be affected for the better. Please read this blog: http://amandagoble.blogspot.com/2007/12/emotional-day.html and comment me if you want at the comment link to the left of this page. I rarely support Christian programs because I see too much "fleecing the flock" however, I am well acquainted with this ministry and know that 100% is used to aid the people in Kenya.

I am rarely moved by stories but this struck me very deeply. She doesn't make an appeal for money or help but just reports the facts.

Anger

2007-12-13T22:16:00.001-08:00

Someone finding a personal right that I have not yet yielded to God.

Angry Pastors

2007-12-10T22:33:00.001-08:00

I am perplexed at how many so-called pastors are angry men. I have seen this many times and it was again brought to my attention by two friends who attend different churches.

Whenever confronted with a question (usually that they can't answer), idea (that conflicts with their agenda) or confrontation (concerning an error in their behavior), they most often respond in anger. It can be anger that explodes (destroying others) or implodes (destroying themselves). This response happens to be the norm rather than the exception.

Generally, anger is a response that one has when he feels he is losing control or authority. This plays out in parenting too.

It amazes me that many church goers have seen this, but have varied responses and it is usually the whipped dog response, curling the tail between the legs and bowing the head in submission.

Our response should be to follow the Word when it says: Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man, Lest you learn his ways, And find a snare for yourself. Pr. 22: 24-25.

Why is it we ignore this verse? Do we like the feeling we get from angry people? Do we believe we need to stay the course despite a "pastor's" flaws? It dismays me that we have certain "Christian beliefs" of evangelism, witnessing, church planting, outreach, etc. but we ignore these short verses, which are also inspired?

One may say, "but he only blows up once in a great while". This, however, is evidence of a character flaw, not an occasional error in judgment. Would you buy a piece of property near a volcano that "only blows once in awhile"? Probably not, it would endanger you and your family. Solomon said the same thing, don't associate with a man given to anger or a hot tempered man, why, because you would learn his way AND find a snare for yourself. The same concern you have about placing your family at risk by moving near a volcano needs to be given when you are in a church with a pastor given to anger. This is why Scripture gives strict qualifications for the elder. (See Qualifications of the elder)

One friend did not agree with the direction of his church, the way they handled a new believer and some of the ideology. He discussed this with the leaders and was met with resistance and name calling; "you must be having marital problems or you are being divisive". Both statements put the friend both ill at ease and defensive. Whenever someone answers a question you pose with a critique of your character, they are trying to throw you off balance in order to avoid the question.

Why do “pastors” feel the need to manipulate and control under the guise of love? Why does one allow it?

Contentment

2007-12-05T21:41:00.001-08:00

Realizing that God has already provided everything we need for our present happiness.

Lest I Come And Smite The Land With A Curse

2007-11-29T21:12:00.001-08:00

God allows defects (as we call them) and circumstances that shape our future. They are not our fault. How we respond to them and what we do with them, however, will predict our future.

We also determine our children’s future by teaching them how to respond to their circumstances.

As God predestines us, we also predestine our children.

"And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." Mal 4:6

The goal of the Christian worker should be to restore hearts, specifically, the hearts of the fathers to their children.

When a child is exasperated by the father (Col. 3:21), a wedge is driven between the two. The curse to his child will be “moral impurity”. The son will be bound to immoral behaviors and the daughter will try to find a boyfriend who fulfils her desire for intimacy with her father.

Curse: Physically (as shutting in a net or trap, either literally or figuratively); usually a doomed object; a cursed thing, things which should have been utterly destroyed.

Loyalty

2007-11-28T21:15:00.001-08:00

Adjusting my schedule to meet the needs of those I am serving.

Attentiveness

2007-11-25T06:15:00.001-08:00

Listening for the true feelings of a person which he communicates through choice of words, tone of voice and facial expressions.

ADD ADHD

2007-11-21T23:12:00.001-08:00

After spending several years observing youth with a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), I found that there is a common root to the behavior and I call it Absent Dad Disorder.

During his early years of development, a child needs his father's attention. Without this important relationship, he becomes attention seeking, acts out and is very hyperactive. One may try to discipline him, ignore him, seek therapy or medicate him but the cure is to restore the relationship with his father.

After coming to this conclusion, I spoke with a school psychologist who confirmed my suspicion.

When a family approaches me to discuss this behavior, I give the same advice and always get two distinct responses.

The answer I give: The father needs to take his child on dates, every week. He can NEVER miss a scheduled date as this crushes the child's spirit (or in Biblical terms, exasperates them. Col. 3:21)

The date is time spent one-on-one and never involves another family member (showing how important THEY are to the father). It is all about that specific child. The time can be as short as one hour and can be sitting having a coke. The father is never allowed to use the time to scold, correct or discipline, but rather just listening. The father may never use the child's bad behavior to cancel the appointment. Sometimes bad behavior is a way of determining the father's commitment.

The two replies I get:

When prescribed this SIMPLE solution, the father implements it and sees dramatic changes within a month or two.

The response is, "I've tried that", "I give my child everything", "that will never work"... always an excuse and never a resolution.

It is obvious that there are other causes of ADD but the actual number of children needing "counseling" or medication, in my opinion, is small compared to what one sees today.

"And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." Mal. 4:6

A Servants Heart

2007-11-17T17:42:00.001-08:00

Becoming excited about making someone else successful.

Wisdom

2007-11-12T22:01:00.001-08:00

Seeing the relationship between the problems of life and the principles of Scripture which have been violated.

Were David and Jonathan Homosexuals?

2007-11-11T08:55:00.001-08:00

The homosexual community often uses David’s relationship with Jonathan as their '‘proof text" that homosexuality is condoned by God. This is not the case however. Jonathan did exhibit a characteristic that may have been common then and is very common today, Same Sex Attraction (SSA). (See Crosswalk). This phenomenon is not indicative of homosexuality as we see later that Jonathan married and had a son.

SSA is commonly seen in men who have a poor relationship with their father in their early developmental years. It appears that Saul was too busy being king and fighting the Philistines. As a result, Jonathan’s time spent with his father was learning to be a warrior. This resulted in Jonathan’s rebellion. He was probably angry because he did not have his father’s affection.

As these children grow, their longing for male attention turns into a sexual attraction. Jonathan is said to have loved David as he loved his own life and David said, of Jonathan, “your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women”, (2 Sam. 1.26) David is not mentioned as having the same affection for Jonathan. It should be noted that he did not exhibit this SSA characteristic.

Jonathan desired his father’s praise but his father’s praise was showered on David after David killed Goliath and David was able to play the lyre and dispel Saul’s evil spirit. Jonathan projected himself on David and his desire was to be David, all in an effort to have the nurturing of his own father. This is further illustrated when Jonathan strips himself of his outer garment and weapons. Jonathan’s soul (mind, will, emotions) is knit (bound, tie in, love) to the soul of David.

Sometimes, these men continue in SSA and others mature and grow out of the desires as Jonathan may have done, getting married and having children.

The principle we learn is that a boy needs the praise and attention of his father. If he does not, the child’s spirit will be wounded. That injury will turn to anger and the anger bitterness and rebellion. As the youth matures, his orientation will be toward men, constantly seeking the affection and intimacy of a dad. Fathers need to nurture their sons and shower them with praise and affection. The result will be a bond and affection that continues for years beyond adulthood. The son will mature both emotionally and psychologically and will be able to bond with his wife and his own children.

Saul and Jonathan-continued

2007-11-08T07:14:00.001-08:00

A man’s relationship with God is in direct correlation to his relationship with his father.

Jonathan was uncertain of his relationship with his father indicated by his uncertainty of his relationship with God. He may not have had a relationship with God at all, just an observer of how others related to God. He said, “PERHAPS the Lord will work for us”. (14.6)

Jonathan was able to discern the will of God however by “laying out a fleece”, a practice like casting lots, which he had seen others use.

Saul had little regard for his son.

Saul showed little regard for his son when he failed to tell Jonathan that there was a ban on food and goes so far as “cursing the man” who eats. (14:24)

A rebellious man can still be a friend of others.

Jonathan had a good relationship with others that may have sided with him against his father’s compulsive behaviors. We see them gather around him when Saul condemns him to death. (14.44) Jonathan also speaks well of others and knows how to make an appeal on their behalf. His appeals are persuasive. (19.4-6)

He was not a person who was prideful as he speaks of his efforts as, “giving them into the hands of Israel” rather than “giving them into MY hands”. (14:12)

Saul and Jonathan had no relationship.

Jonathan was told all that Saul did but in the light of their relationship, this may have been "table time discussions" or boasting on the part of Saul. (20.2)

Jonathan was deceptive with his father. (20.6, 28)

Saul’s anger burns against Jonathan and he claims that Jonathan is from the lineage of perversion and rebellion. This is an accurate statement as earlier noted: the perversion of the Benjamites and later: God’s condemnation of Saul’s rebellion and insubordination. (20.30, 15.23) Jonathan continued to struggle with these sins.

Saul’s true heart is disclosed when he tries to kill his son and he makes no effort to save Jonathan when the witch of Endor’s spirit foretells of their death the following day. (20.32, 28.19)

Next: Were Jonathan and David homosexuals as stated by the Metropolitan Church?

The Pain of Rejection of the Father

2007-11-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

Jonathan

(From 1 Samuel 14)

The roots of Jonathan’s character sprout not only from his relationship with his father but also from his lineage as a Benjamite.

The Benjamites were a people who were brought under the condemnation of the other tribes for their practice of sodomy. (Judges 19-20)

Jonathan was first mentioned when he was in his father’s military.

Jonathan’s father trained him as a warrior. He is first mentioned as one sent out with a troop of one thousand and conquered the Philistines at Geba. He and his father were the only two with swords. The Israelites did not have swords, as this was a weapon of the more progressive Philistines. The Israelites made weapons with their plowshares. This is significant later because Jonathan gives David his sword. It may be true that Saul’s relationship with Jonathan revolved around what he could do as a soldier. We see many fathers placing this type burden on their sons in that they will show them affection or praise only if they meet a standard or live the life the father plans for them.

Jonathan’s father sowed seeds of rebellion in his son.

Jonathan rebelled and showed little respect for his father, when he “crossed over into the Philistine’s garrison” without consulting his father, the leader of the campaign. (1 Sam. 14.1)

He also showed no respect for his father and undermined his authority when he said, “my father has troubled the land”. (14.29)

This rebelliousness and disrespect for his father may have been the result of a wounded spirit.

Saul was a man given to anger. His iniquity was passed down to his son.

Next, a man's relationship with God and his father as seen in Jonathan.

Gossip:

2007-11-02T21:45:00.001-07:00

Revealing private information with someone who is not a part of the problem or a part of the solution.

Judge Not Lest You Be Judged

2007-10-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus tells us not to judge, lest we be judged. With this Scripture in mind, we are often afraid to speak out when we observe sin. The misnomer is that we are judging when we call on someone to behave differently.

The confusion stems from the three Greek words to express one English word. The Greek word "judge" in this verse is Krino. It means to pass judgment on, to condemn. You rarely see this behavior encouraged in Scripture but rather, we are called to do this Greek word, Anakrino to ask questions, to examine, to evaluate, to investigate, to search out or this Diakrino-to make distinction between (persons), to weigh thoroughly.

Judgment involves opinions that are not checked out for accuracy resulting in krino, condemning, judging. Discernment (anakrino) involves a desire to restore.

We are to examine, to evaluate, to question and check facts for accuracy. Then, we are to follow the steps in Matthew 18.

"And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

"But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

"And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. Matt. 18

The purpose of this principle is restoration not condemnation.

God's Grief

2007-10-24T07:24:00.001-07:00

My friend Kenny answers a question I've had for years.

God was grieved that He had made man because of man’s pervasive wickedness. (Gen. 6:5-11). A couple of questions arise: did God make a mistake when He made man? That He is grieved by his own creation seems to suggest a flaw in the Creator: unless God intended to be grieved. And this should be intuitively understandable to all of us who like stories that make us sad. And many of us particularly like sad stories that turn out happy. Similarly, we like to see our sports teams in danger of losing, only to win. God also likes this kind of contrast, as Paul writes that God made some people for wrath so that he could off-set them against those people He showed mercy.
This is a hard teaching, but not one beyond our intuitive understanding.

Ask in Faith

2007-10-20T18:39:00.001-07:00

Each Believer is given a measure of faith. (Rom. 12:3) All measures of faith are not the same. Faith is a gift.

When we make a request of God, we ask in faith. (James 1)

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for… (Heb. 11)

Why do we inherently ask God, then ponder how we can accomplish the task for which we asked?

I had a friend, Marc, who prayed about a ministry with Campus Crusade. He believed God was calling him into this ministry.

Soon, I received a "Prayer Letter" in the mail. I was requested to check boxes if I would support him on a one time basis, monthly basis or in prayer.

When questioned, he believed that this is a way that God could provide. God, being God, can provide any way He chooses, however, it does take faith out of the equation. If I believe God is calling me, then I also must believe He will provide without my intervention. True, he may use people to provide but that provision is through God's prompting, not man's. When the finances materialize without involving anyone but God, without asking man (or asking them to pray about it, which is another way of asking them for assistance), then He gets the glory.

Many pastors do the same. They say God is calling them to build a building (or some other project). They then go about asking the members to give, to dig deeper, to pledge… They even go to a secular banking institution and agree to pay a percentage of "God's money" to the bank to give them a loan.

More people are hurt by these tactics and leave the church. This can not be of God, the flock scattered over a building project. They are caused to stumble as they see clergy acting out secular techniques to do God's bidding. They never learn to walk by faith.

If God is truly calling, He will provide.

Mike's reply to the Little Foxes

2007-10-13T11:27:00.001-07:00

We have a tendency to focus on the foxes.
But what is the vineyard?
If we don’t know what our “grapes” are, how can we recognize when they’re being destroyed?
Are we trying to grow obedience? Integrity? Knowledge?
When Jesus was asked what the “first” (most important) commandment was, He responded “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” and the second: “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Love of God must be our primary crop - - everything else comes from or after it. If we don’t understand God’s love for us, we can’t love in return.
And we can’t love ourselves, which means we can’t love our neighbor.
It is interesting that when the scribe showed his understanding of what Jesus had said (he had “repented”, or changed his thinking), Jesus let him know he was “not far from the kingdom of God.”
If others don’t see that we love them, they don’t see that we are disciples. We may be “Christians” (saved), but we really aren’t His disciples. The foxes (petty issues between people) are destroying the vineyard (the love of God).
A military Chaplain and friend was the best example of this to me. I could spend all day picking apart his theology, but I couldn’t overlook the love that radiated from him. It was very, very obvious that he was a disciple of the Living God. And it was that love, more than anything else in my life, that made me want to have a relationship with God and continues to motivate me.

Little Foxes

2007-10-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

Ken suggested writing a few examples of little foxes that ruin the vineyard:

Aimlessly surfing Internet or TV channels leading to pornography.

Reading novels or books that stimulate sensual desires.

Casual flirtation leading to relationship with non-believer.

Social activities with non-believers leading to ungodly activities and attitudes.

Gossip leading to slander and harmed reputation.

Using credit cards casually leading to huge debt.

Teasing or rudeness that leads to broken relationships.

Sleeping in later and later leading to slothfulness.

Telling “white lies” leading to bigger lies.

Catch The Foxes...

2007-10-07T16:56:00.001-07:00

Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom." Song of Solomon 2:15

The foxes, the little foxes, were not there to destroy the grapes, they were playing. They were cute. They didn't seem to be a problem. However, they ruined the vineyard.

There are things in our life that are major, but they most likely started out small, something we thought amusing.

If we don't take care of them, catch them in their infancy, they grow and become problematic.

They may not appear to be a problem but they grow and bring us to ruin.

Making Promises We Can't Keep

2007-10-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

My friend Jon was wondering what one does if he has signed a pledge card to give to a church building or other financial commitment and then realizes that he has made a promise that he can not fulfill or believes it was in error.

Proverbs gives the steps to gain relief.

My son, if you have become surety (a cosigner) for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a stranger, If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth, Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. Do not give sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. Proverbs 6: 1-5

The writer of the Proverbs breaks down several ways we make promises:

1) becoming a cosigner for your neighbor (or companion).

2) given a pledge for a stranger.

3) trapped by the words of your mouth (making a promise).

4) captured by the words of your mouth saying you can or will do something you may not be able to do).

The way out, to deliver ones self:

1) go.

2) humble yourself.

3) importune your neighbor (a strong word meaning to beg even to the point of being arrogant).

4) don't sleep until you have accomplished what you are seeking.

5) deliver yourself like an animal fleeing the hunter.

The Foundation of Discipleship

2007-09-25T07:07:00.001-07:00

“Teaching needs to address the inward; otherwise discipleship becomes a school of acting. Discipleship should give a heart that has been cleansed from sin, an internal conscience that is useful in doing what is good, and a faith that is not the result of role playing. Love is to come from a changed person, not a well-acted part”. Greg Whitten

Ministry

2007-09-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

My friend Jon was discussing people who have left family to go into the ministry. The idea was that these men and women, who have led multitudes to Christ, are more worthy of the Kingdom. We often see this with pastors and missionaries and excuse their failures with their children because of the work they do, neglecting them to do "God's work". Many missionaries send their children to schools in another country, not seeing them for months at a time. Billy Graham did this and it caused a childhood of great pain, rebellion and grief in his son Franklin. The typical response of the children is to rebel. Jon quipped, "but look at Franklin now, he has taken over his father's ministry". My question, "At what cost?"

There is no other success that can compensate for failures in the family.

An Argument for Paying the Pastor

2007-09-16T09:13:00.001-07:00

Concerning the blog on Paying Pastors, my friend Ken writes:

1 Cor. 9 seems to speak to this question, particularly verse 14: "In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
Now, I recognize that sometimes someone who actually is gifted as a "pastor" may be doing the preaching that should be being done by a "teacher," and vice versa. But, as a general principle, this verse would support someone who felt that it was appropriate to pay someone for full-time service in teaching the Bible.
And personally, I see no reason why not to generalize this principle to anyone who works full time in spiritual things, whether in their gifting (pastor, teacher, prophet, mercy, servant, whatever...) or by role (elder, deacon). For this principle, look at 1 Cor. 9:11: "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?" The principle I see here is that spiritual things are at least as valuable as material things, so that if someone works full-time in the spiritual realm, it is appropriate to pay them.

This was a section that I considered when looking into "paying a pastor" and heard arguments using these verses in the past. The conclusion that I had come to was this: Paul begins by calling himself an apostle. The gift is unique and one that is not often seen today. It was identified, from my perspective, as one who had all the gifts (2 Cor. 12:12). These were men who traveled to different countries to bring the gospel.

Paul continues that he and the other apostles had a right to eat and drink and take along a believing wife.

He then explains from the Old Testament his argument. "Those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share with the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel". I concur with Paul's claim and believe this to be the case with the apostle (but we don't see this with any other gift once the church is established) and that it is specifically room and board only, not a stipend or wage. If one wants to travel to establish churches, he would be free, if he so desired, to live with someone and take their food but would not plan for a savings account and not save for his retirement. He would be required to trust God to supply his future needs and not the church.

Circumcision

2007-09-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

In Gen. 17, God prescribes an odd procedure in establishing his covenant with Abraham. God said, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations". "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised". "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you".

Why did God choose this part of the anatomy to establish a covenant?

He chose something that was sensitive, something private, something that they never exposed, something that would be painful.

"And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin".

Ishmael was the 13 year old son of Abraham. They never exposed their bodies in those days. It was condemned by God. The conversation between Abraham and Ishmael may have sounded something like this, "Guess what I have to do to you, son, in order to establish our covenant with God". Ishmael, who was going through puberty, probably said, "You want to do what to my what"? "I don’t think so".

The mode of circumcision was with a flint knife. The procedure lent to cleanliness and prevented infections later in life. It was a sign of belief. It was to establish a covenant and whoever was not circumcised was cut off from God’s people.

We read in 1Cor 10:11, Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Circumcision was an example for our instruction today.

Our application is circumcision of the flesh of our heart. "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My wrath go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds." Jer. 4:4 It is to expose our heart. God wants us to expose the sensitive parts of our life. Open up. It is painful, sensitive, it is private, and it hurts. To circumcise the flesh of our heart is to establish a covenant with God.

The process of circumcising our heart is to "confess our sins to one another and pray for one another…" this is exposing those private, sensitive, painful hidden areas of our life.

This leads to cleanliness and prevents infection. Confessing our sins to one another is cathartic and prevents the infection of sin from consuming our life.

We do this to establish covenant. If we don’t, we become cut off from God’s people.

During the original Olympic Games, there was a process of restoring the foreskin once circumcised. One sought a surgical procedure to assimilate themselves to the heathen around them so that they not be known as Jews while in the games.

Have you circumcised your heart but now cover it up to look like the rest of the world?

Should the Pastor be a paid gift?

2007-09-01T11:38:00.001-07:00

A dangerous error is that we have made this gift a paid position. There is not a Scripture in the New Testament that requires or recommends this. If that were the case, then why shouldn’t we pay those with the other gifts? When one Exhorts or uses the gift of Mercy, shouldn’t we also pay them? Or better yet, when those with the gift of Giving use their gifting, should they also not be paid? This would be ludicrous.

The church has put too much emphasis on this gift to the exclusion of the others. We have elevated it to a position of authority, although there is no indication in the New Testament that a pastor has authority. We have made it a paid position, although there is no New Testament verse that authorizes this. In doing so, we have promoted failure. The failure comes due to haughtiness, a feeling of authority and superiority.

A Scripture that is most often used to justify the pay is:

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." 1Tim 5:17-18

At first glance, this appears to say that they are to be paid double, using the example of the ox being fed and the laborer worthy of his wage. We make a connection that the pastor, should get a wage, since his is “laboring”.

However, when one looks intently at the verse, it is actually an analogy, showing similarity by making a comparison.

As an ox is worthy of grain, while he works, so one who labors is worthy of a wage. By analogy, the elder is worthy of, “double honor”.

What is honor? Is it money? No. It is defined in chapter 6, we see that the slave is to give his master the same; honor. Would we see a slave paying his master money or paying his master respect?

The Role and Gift of Pastor

2007-08-28T12:25:00.001-07:00

Pastor is Spiritual Gift and mentioned only once in Scripture.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, Eph 4:11

Definition: Pastor-(Greek- poime_n): a shepherd

The gift of Pastor differs from the office of the elder (overseer) in that it is a gift and not a position in the church. We often intermix or combine the two but this is in error.

As stated earlier, a Pastor can be an elder and an elder can have the gift of Pastor but it is not necessarily so.

It is important to make a distinction between the two. An elder has oversight. A pastor shepherds. An elder is a watchman while a Pastor could best be described as one who disciples.

The Pastor does not need to meet the qualifications of the elder.

Paul left Titus in Crete for the purpose of appointing elders but you never read anywhere in Scripture where Paul instructs one to appoint a Pastor. A church’s success is not dependent upon the Pastor.

By definition, the pastor is a shepherd. The early shepherds and those that are in Israel today (Bedouin), had a flock of not more than 20. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament by Gerhard Kittel, Ronald E. Pitkin

We see the roll of shepherd illustrated in the Psalms; the early shepherds knew their sheep. They cared for each, individually. In Ps 23, it says “Thou hast anointed my head with oil”. The picture is of individual personal care. The shepherd would put oil on the sheep to help heal any wounds that were inflicted while moving through brush. Oil, put on ticks, imbedded in the skin, would cause them to pull out of their host. These irritants, cuts and ticks, impeded the sheep’s ability to foraging and ruminate.

The picture is of a Believer, who tries to take in the Word and meditate on it. The shepherd, who knows his sheep, will look at the things in the sheep’s life that impedes this process and help him through the “irritants”.

Today, we don’t see the pastor taking this role, that of a shepherd, one who knows his sheep, who anoints them, individually. Having a flock of 20 provided for personal attention and the shepherd could not become inflated due to the size of his flock.

After years of watching the church, it is evident that the original plan of God has been abandoned.

Next: Should the Pastor be a paid position?

God Breathed or Selective Reasoning

2007-08-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

Review the original post "Is the Word Inspired?", ask yourself, "If I believe God's Word is inspired, would I do things differently or do I have selective reasoning?"

The Reputation of an Elder

2007-08-19T20:27:00.001-07:00

And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1 Tim 3:7

Of these verses, this is the more complex to understand. In the church, we tend to overlook some faults and (hopefully) not listen to negative words concerning the reputation of others however; we are instructed here to consider how those outside the church perceive the prospective elder.

In meditating on this verse, I thought of two Believers with whom I was acquainted. Both were businessmen. They had a reputation for shoddy workmanship, poor follow through and shady business practices. In another case, I also know a so called Christian who attends church weekly, talks like a Believer in Christian circles, but has a reputation outside the church for being involved in the occult. I wonder why, as a church, we are unable or unwilling to see and address these character and moral issues? Perhaps it is that we don’t want to be accused of being judgmental or once we identify the problem, we don’t know how to provide a solution. No matter, the world is both willing and able to see and voice the faults of those in the church. And, we should consider what they say in regards to the prospective elder.

If we select such a person as elder, he may fall into reproach (shame, disgrace) and a snare (trap with bait).

And Not a New Convert

2007-08-16T06:51:00.001-07:00

---and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 1Tim 3:6

Often times there are verses with commands that give no rationale for the mandate. It is not the case in this verse. Here, Paul gives insight into the reasoning. “Not a new convert unless they become conceited AND fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil”.

When I hear a word like “new”, I tend to think, “How old would one need to be before assuming responsibility for a thriving business”. I would not put a teen in charge. So too, I would not put someone who has not been a Believer, less than 20 years, in charge of church. The ages correlate to one another. Conceit leads to the “condemnation incurred by the devil”. What was the condemnation? It is the “same judgment as”. The devil’s judgment was separation and condemnation.

The Home and Children of the Elder.

2007-08-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

The most important portions of the Scripture concerning the qualifications of the elder are as follows:

…having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. Titus 1

Having children-in the Greek the order is to have children in one’s possession. He must possess children. As if you were told that you must possess a license to drive. It is not saying that you should be working to that end but it must be in your possession.

The word ‘children’ is plural. He must have more than one child. The reason will be explained in the next verse.

Having children who believe-the children must be older, not babies. They must be at the age where it is evident that they are Believers.

Not accused of dissipation or rebellion-this refers to the children, they must not be rebellious nor wasting their time, (riotous, as was the prodigal son). These too reflect on an older child. Why is this important? The children must be older as one will be able to see the “fruit” of the elder’s work. If he can not run his home, he can not run a church. Men can mask their character. We know this by all the news we hear of godly men leading double lives. However, children have not learned the fine art of hypocrisy. If the children are rebellious or without self control, so is the home and prospective elder.

This is borne out in Timothy, “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)” 1 Tim. 3

“If a man does not know…” (oida-to have seen or perceived-to learn from observation). You see, one can not select an elder by personality or gifting, but rather he must be selected on how he manages his home. If he has no wife and has no children, he has not learned to manage people. Is not the body of Believers like raising a family, nurturing, meeting needs, giving of ones self for others, settling disputes, wiping noses, feeding? If a man did not learn this experientially, he is not to learn on or at the expense of other Believers.

Having one child, as opposed to more than one, does not teach the elder important aspects of parenting i.e. settling disputes among siblings, multi-tasking, giving more of ones self, etc.

Finally if a man must possess children, conversely, he must be married. As mentioned in the previous post, he can not be a single man and hold the position of elder.

The gist of these verses is: God prescribes elders to be married men and have older children. The character of the elder is modeled by his children and we are to observe his children to assist in making a selection for this position. God teaches men by allowing them the day-to-day experience and year-to-year faithfulness of child rearing in preparation to lead a church. If a man fails at raising children, he will fail at leading a church.

Despite what we think, feel or experience, we must follow this prescription.

Qualifications-Part Two

2007-08-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

The next 8 characteristics of the elder are self explanatory.

4.Temperate-sober and watchful

5. Prudent-self controlled

6. Respectable-orderly

7. Hospitable-friendly toward strangers

8. Able to teach

9. Not addicted to wine-not to be constantly around wine (drinking often).

10. Nor pugnacious, but gentle-not quarrelsome but patient

11. Free from the love of money.

Next: The home and children of the elder.

The Qualifications of an Elder

2007-08-03T17:43:00.001-07:00

It is imperative that one differentiates a pastor from elder. Pastor is a Spiritual gift. Elder is an office in the church that one aspires to.

Ephesians 4:11 is the only reference to the gift of pastor. It is shepherding. A pastor can aspire to the office of an elder (overseer) and elder can have a gift of pastor but the two are not synonymous and they should not be viewed as the same gift/office.

I will write more on the gift of pastor following the qualifications of an elder.

Paul lists the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Each portion of the list is of utmost importance.

1. Paul begins with “an overseer then must be…” As he lists the qualifications, he starts with the most important point, he must be. The word must means that he has to have reached the point and moved on. It is not, “he is working toward or, it is his goal”; rather, he must have reached these points.

Living in Nevada one casino has on its entrance a plaque that reads: One must be 21 to gamble. This sign reveals the minimum age, 21. It does not say, you must aspire to this age nor does it say that it is one’s intended goal. He “must be”, having reached it and gone beyond.

So too, an elder “must be”. These markers are the minimum, not the intended goal for one taking this office.

2. Above reproach is living a life with no blame laid to his name. If he has past errors, he must have cleared his name by seeking forgiveness and making restitution, “having a clear conscience and pure heart…”

3. The husband of one wife is one of the most argued portions of this text. Some say, they can not practice polygamy, having more than one wife at the same time; others, not divorced; and some, they must be married. The polygamist argument can be easily eliminated as the same text is used in 5:9 of the widow, “having been the wife of one man”. History tells us that women never had more than one husband at the same time. This refers to: not divorced. We will delve further into the “must be married” further on.

We have heard, “but what if he was married and divorced before becoming a Christian, can he qualify? The answer is, no. It does not disqualify him as a Believer but it does as an elder. It references his character, not his eternal position. But, aren’t we “new creatures in Christ”? Yes, we are however, can we claim that in our new nature we don’t hold on to our old characteristics?

Next: More qualifications.

Is the Word Inspired?

2007-07-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

My friend Ken and I were talking over coffee, again.

He was discussing his thoughts on the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. He is not sure that the whole of the Bible is inerrant (as it's commonly understood).

He had an interesting observation about those of us who believe every word and idea is God breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), both the New and Old Testament.

He noted that the majority of Christians believe all Scripture is God breathed, inspired, infallible and applicable to the Believer today.

Do you?

Then, he remarked that most Christians actually DON’T believe that the Word is inerrant. He used as evidence, a simple few verses in 1Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. They are references for the qualifications of an overseer (elder).

If we truly believed these short verses, and selected our elders based on these and not on personality etc., how would it change our church? How would it change how we do church?

I find it interesting how, when brought up, people know that this is God breathed, but rationalize it away: “well, that was important back then”, “society has changed”, “we are more enlightened today”, “that is not what God meant”, “it was a cultural thing”, …

Do we truly believe that God knew what our culture would be like today, when He inspired these verses?

The Value of the Trial

2007-07-25T22:38:00.001-07:00

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, Phil 2:14-15

Paul tells the church at Philippi that a situation, which may cause grumbling or disputing, is there to “prove yourself to be a blameless and innocent child of God…” The word “prove” is not as our translation, “to prove a point” or “proving one is right” but rather, in the Greek, its meaning is “to become or cause to become” and would best be translated, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God…” In other words, don’t grumble about your circumstances, as they are there to cause in you a blameless innocence. Your circumstances have a purpose. They are there to produce something in your life. Grumbling is counterproductive. The children of Israel could have completed their journey, to the Promised Land, in two weeks. It took, however, 40 years, because they kept grumbling.

James too reflects on this principle when he pens, “Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance…” James 1

Rather than grumbling, meet the trial with joy, not because it is joyful but because of the end result, endurance and perfection, completeness and lacking nothing. 1:4

The value of the situation or circumstance, where God has led you, is to cause you to be perfect in Him. (The word "perfect" in the Greek is correctly translated "complete").

The Remedy for Bitter Waters

2007-07-20T17:27:00.001-07:00

An important part of meditation is "visualization". Form a mental image of the people, standing at the bitter water, which they have spit out, grumbling to Moses.

So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. Ex 15:24-25

Now picture Moses directing his people, to the tree he was shown, to throw it in the water. They push on it, back and forth until the roots begin to lift and dirt falls from the roots. The tree drops, with a thunderous thud, dust flies from the place it landed.

They drag it to the water. Can you see the lines in the sand from the roots as they are pulled to the shore? As it falls in, it slaps the water with a crack. Circular ripples emanate from the tree on the water’s surface. As they do, the water sweetens. The people, cautious at first, begin to fall into the water, as did the tree, drinking from its clear sweetness.

Ponder what this illustrates for the Christian. You have a situation, which is bitter. Your response: grumbling. You grumble to God, to others, to yourself. Rather, look to the tree. Apply the cross to the bitterness. It becomes sweet. It has value.

Next, the value of the trial (bitter situation).

A Way Through The Wilderness

2007-07-19T19:39:00.001-07:00

God's desire is to lead us out of bondage through our wilderness experience.

The journey of the believer is a time of purging, testing and humbling.

There are many types in the Old Testament. Pharaoh typified Satan; Egypt was an illustration of the world; Moses of Christ; the wilderness experience represented the journey of the believer; the pillar of cloud (and fire by night), the Holy Spirit; passing through the Red Sea, baptism etc.

The children of Israel, upon being taken out of Egypt by Moses were led through the red Sea into the wilderness. They were led by the pillar of cloud (led by Holy Spirit).

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Ex 15:22

Visualize this scene.

It is important to remember, that the people are being led by the pillar. It should be noted that there were times when the pillar moved; the people looked around, no pillar. They had to quickly catch up. Other times, they uprooted their tents, began to travel to the Promised Land, looked around; no pillar. They had to return and wait.

Sometimes, as Christians, we just plod on, not waiting, and have to look around and return, waiting on God to move.

Now, they went for three days without water. This is the maximum time the body can go without. They were taxed to their limit.

I visualize the animals, being first to sense water, their heads lifting, nostrils flaring and their pace quickens. The Israelites too felt the tension of the animals and walked faster.

Keep trying to visualize the scene.

And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?” Ex 15:23

When they saw the water, it gave hope. But as they bent to drink and brought it to their mouth, they spit it out because it was bitter. It was named Marah, meaning bitter

Of interest, is that they looked to Moses and grumbled, as though they were not being led by the pillar. In essence, they were saying, God did not know what he was doing. This is what grumbling is in our life. We say, “God does not know what he is doing. He led me to this place and it is bitter”.

Have you had situations that God brought you to and then you grumbled? Have you been led to something and it was bitter? What was your response?

Next, The Remedy for Bitter Waters.

Self-sufficiency

2007-07-14T16:16:00.002-07:00

My friend Ken and I were talking over coffee, discussing sin and why we don’t have consistent victory. He believed it was due to pride. "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 I struggled with his answer as I don’t consider myself a prideful person, yet struggle.

He came up with a more plausible answer, self-sufficiency.

I became a Christian because I found I could not conquer my failures. After I “gave my life to Him, I began efforts to “clean up my act”, to be a better person, after all, aren’t we to be “a light unto the world”. This caused me to mask my failures because I didn’t want people to know me, the person that I was before becoming a Christian, and still am.

I find that I change the outward in my own effort, my own strength but in reality, am still me.

Training from my youth tells me that “I can do it, keep trying harder, raise the bar”.

Why is it that we can’t be holy so we become Christians, then when we do, we try to figure out “how to be holy”.

Self-sufficiency is iniquity.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Purpose

2007-07-04T09:30:00.001-07:00

As Christians, we all seek purpose but we often seek the purpose that makes us look good or appears to be of value. This is iniquity.

Women and men of the church have a basic purpose and that is to train the younger believers. The original churches, which met in homes, did not have Sunday School, Children’s Church or child care. They did not take the youth on Mission Trips to give them that Spiritual high or separate them from the elder. Everyone sat in a common area in a symbiotic relationship. This was how growth occurred.

If one looks at today’s church, we see major separation and the separation is not good.

I was viewing several church web sites and noted that all had made a distinction of groups: Children’s Ministry, 18-20’s, Youth, Adults, Singles, Preschool… And, they had many different roles: Senior Pastor, Executive Director, Director of Life Skills, Director of Operations, Director of Outreach, Administration Pastor, Music Pastor, Office Manager, Multi-Media Coordinator, Creative Director, Christian School Director (Day Care), and many different ministries: Parking Lot Ministry, Television Ministry, Drama and Dance Ministry, Visitation and Touch Ministry, Recovery (divorce, 12-step)…

It is important that we look at the early church and compare it to what we have made the church today.

It has been my experience and that of many I have spoken with, that most of these ministries and roles are ineffective. We have reduced the church to a corporation. If I can quote a local, so called pastor, he referred to himself as a CEO.

Paul prescribes this direction to the believers:

[The older women are to ] encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be dishonored. Titus 2:4-5

[The older men] likewise urge (encourage, exhort) the young men to be sensible; Titus 2:6

This is very easy for women and men to accomplish. It is done without fanfare and in a quiet manner. Progress is slow and not easily measured; however, it is the mandate. It grows strong families. Strong families make strong churches.

Simple prescription. Simple practice. Lasting results.

What Is God’s Will For My Life

2007-06-28T22:04:00.001-07:00

Today, I heard an ad for a local group that was interviewing people about God. They made statements as, “I don’t know if I can know God’s will for my life”, “I would like to know His will”…

My thoughts turned to the question, “what IS His will for my life” and “am I accomplishing that goal”?

I am often asked this question. It appears that many become Christians find themselves lacking purpose. They wander in a Christian haze hoping that someone, some where and in some way will direct them in knowing God’s will.

As a result, some meander down path of the ultra Charismatic or swing the other direction into schemes and ideas that God’s desire is to bless with financial abundance. One seeks physical benefits and the other, emotional. They desire to see the hand of God in their life, God’s direction, God’s prospering but the end is one of want.

Both are amiss.

We have discussed the means to know His will.

I am sure His will for people is individual, unique, and specific, however, in a generic sense, I see in Scripture that it is His will that our energy be directed specifically to one end: …to present every man complete in Christ. Col. 1:28

When we are Born Again, we receive the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit. We are to employ them in serving in our effort to cause others to be complete.

This gives us direction. This gives us purpose.

Are you pursuing that goal?

What is Iniquity?

2007-06-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

In the book of Genesis ( 20:2 ), we see Abraham on a journey. He fears that the king of the foreign land will harm him in order that he can take Abraham’s wife Sarah. Because of this fear, he tells Sarah to say that she is his sister.

Now, Isaac, Abraham’s son, lived in the land of his father and at a certain time, he too feared that his wife would be admired and taken from him (Gen 26:6 ) so he, like his father, told her to say that she was his sister because he feared the people.

Now comes Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham (Gen 27:32). He goes into his father and says, “I am Esau, your first born”.

We see a pattern of deception. Something was passed on from father to son. God calls this deception iniquity.

In Exodus 20:5, God tells Moses that the iniquity of the father’s will be passed on to the children of the third and forth generations.

We often think that it is the ‘sins’ of the father that is passed on but it isn’t. It is the iniquity. It is important to make a distinction between the iniquity of the fathers and the sins of the fathers. Sin is not passed down, iniquity is.

So, what is the definition of iniquity?

Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven".

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles' "?

"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity'". Matt 7:21

When is preaching iniquity? When is casting out demons iniquity? And, when is doing good works iniquity? The answer is given in the verse. It is when we do these activities in our own will rather than according to the father’s will.

Iniquity is, “doing my own will even though it is something good”.

King Saul provides a powerful study in the concept of iniquity. After a battle with the Philistines, Saul offered a sacrifice to God. Samuel arrived and reproved him because it was not done according to God’s command. God commanded the priest to offer the sacrifice, not the king. In 1 Sam. 13:11, Saul tried to justify his behavior.

Again, in 1 Sam. 15, we see Saul save sheep and oxen from the battle against the Amalekites in order to offer them to God. Samuel reproves him because he was to utterly destroy everything in the battle. Once more, Saul tries to justify his behavior.

Samuel replies: "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king."

The mystery of iniquity is that we will follow our own faulty reasoning when we have available to us the infinite wisdom of God.

The opposite of iniquity is “good works” as we see in the following verses.

2Tim 2:19-21, Titus 2:14

The definition of iniquity is verified in Isaiah: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our ‘iniquities’: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have ‘turned every one to his own way’; and the LORD hath laid on him the ‘iniquity’ of us all.

______________________________borrowed______________________________

An Illustration of the Double-minded Christian

2007-06-17T09:05:00.001-07:00

Double-Minded (link)

I want to make a comparison between Abraham’s decision to have a son in his own strength and Christians who use their own strength to accomplish God’s work.

God told Abraham that he would give him a son in his old age. Gen 15:4-6

-A Christian believes God wants them to go on a mission trip, build a church, start a project.

After God made this proclamation to Abraham, God was silent.

-A Christian “hears” from God, and then He is silent.

Abraham began to waiver in his belief and sought ways to fulfill God’s promise on his own.

-Christians do the same. We start to panic when we don’t see God fulfill what we think is His will. This often happens when we talk to others about things we believe God is doing. We don’t see God move, we need to save face so we plan how we are going to fulfill God’s “project”.

Abraham and his wife, questioning God, begin to plan ways to make God’s proclamation a reality. As a result, Abraham took Sarah’s maidservant and she bore a son, Ishmael. Gen 16:2-3

It is important to note that Hagar the maidservant was an Egyptian. In the Old Testament, Egypt was a type of the world, those opposed to God’s people and God’s plans.

-Christians question God and begin to make plans to fulfill His will. They take on the practices of the world to complete God’s work. They will take out bank loans to build a church, send out “prayer letters” to seek support for their mission trip, or pressure believers in “financing” their endeavor, forgetting that the God who calls them, will fulfill it in His power.

Abraham’s decision resulted in division in his household and raised a people who were a thorn in the side of his son, Isaac and his descendants. Gen 16:12

-Christians who pursue God’s work through efforts of the flesh will reap similar results, division in the house of God, a thorn in the sides of believers, shame in the eyes of the world.

We miss God’s blessing.

We practice iniquity.

In what ways are you seeking God’s will in your own strength?