Stand

The Sermon Edited; Was Jesus Human or Divine?

2012-01-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello. I’m honored to be here with you today and to share God’s Word with you. Won’t you bow your heads with me to pray to our Lord:

Father, we pray for understanding that all might know you as their savior and that you may enter our hearts so the Holy Spirit may be reflected through us. Praise your Holy Name in All Things. Amen.

Have you ever stopped to consider how miraculous is was that Jesus’ three year ministry has led to the growth of Christianity so that it is the World’s largest religion and has survived 2,000 years of turmoil, war, suffering, and strife?

There was a time in my life where I wasn’t fully committed to being a Christian. In fact I had some difficult questions about Jesus.

1. Who was Jesus?
2. Did he really work miracles?
3. Did he really die on a cross for me?
4. Why did the apostles and the early Christian church grow so rapidly despite terrible suffering, persecution, and brutality at the hands of the Romans?
5. What was Jesus’ true message for humanity then and now?

Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized it all really came down to these:

Was Jesus God, or simply really good man and prophet? Was he just a righteous teacher or was he God manifested on Earth?

Let’s begin our study with this: Was Jesus human?

The book of Matthew in Chapter 1, verses 1 to 17 begins with a genealogy of Christ going back to King David, and from David back to the Old Father Abraham.

Why do you suppose the writer of the Book of Matthew began his book this way?

It was the human generations of Christ’s family proving his human ancestry and his right to claim the title Son of David, the long predicted Messiah, the true King of the Jews.

Next we have the story of Mary and Joseph. How Christ was born in a manger; it was really an underground barn where animals were kept. He was born just like you and I. Mary experienced the pain of childbirth. Joseph, the anxious young husband of Mary, I’m sure was pacing the floor, upset that his son would be born in such a place. Jesus was born, had to be diapered, fed, kept safe and warm, just like all children. Some stories and legends state he never cried, but I call bunk. Babies cry to express their needs, and if Jesus was a true human baby, he cried. Mary nursed him, and Joseph kept them safe.

We don’t really know much about his young life except that he grew up in a home as the eldest of several children and learned how to work, possibly as a carpenter, like Joseph. The family lived “on the wrong side of the tracks,” in the poor neighborhood known as Nazareth. In fact one early disciple heard about Jesus and replied “Can anything good come out of Nazereth?” Oh boy, never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge someone by where they are from, the color of their skin, or what side of the tracks they are from, because you never know what God has in store for them and for you!

This tells us something about his home doesn’t it. Now we know Jesus experienced the loss of a parent. Somewhere between the age of 12 and 30, Joseph died. This had a great effect upon Jesus as throughout his ministry he often referred to taking care of the widows and orphans.

How else was Jesus like all of us?

We know that he grew up from a child to a man. The Bible states that he “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was on him.”

Jesus studied and grew in knowledge to prepare for his ministry, just as we study and learn to be successful in our working lives. He studied to increase in wisdom. He studied with the Jewish Rabbi’s of the day, even when he was only 12 years old, he was found at the Holy Temple of Jerusalem listening and asking questions.

Jesus experienced Hunger. Before beginning his ministry Jesus went into the desert and prayed and “fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”

Jesus was often tired, bone weary, and had to sleep just as we all must do. Matthew 8:24 states, “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.” John 4:6 states that Jesus came to Jacob’s well and “Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.”

Jesus was troubled and even betrayed by a trusted friend. Judas one of the disciples had decided to betray him to the Romans and we learn that “Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" And we later learn about how Judas did betray him with a kiss on the cheek.

Jesus experienced sadness, cried and mourned over the loss of friends and family. Jesus learned of his friend Lazarus’ death. John 11:33-35 states “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus Wept. That verse is the shortest verse in the Bible; but it is exceedingly important and tender. It shows the Lord Jesus as a saddened friend, and proves his character as a man.

Jesus experienced anger. When he came to the temple in Jerusalem, he was angry at the merchants who had come into the place to sell their wares and to make money off the religion of the day. In fact he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”

And like all of us he experienced suffering, felt abandoned by others, and died. He died horribly on a cross. Luke 22:44 tells the story of Jesus, knowing he was facing death and seeking to pray to God states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” If you have ever faced death, tragedy, perhaps you have fallen to your knees and cried out to God. I know I have. Can anything be more human? He was beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his brow, and nails driven through his wrists and ankles, then suspended on a cross, where every breath was an agony, and death came slowly and painfully, in the worst of slow human torture ever devised by the Romans. Most died of their lungs filling with fluid and choking to death seeking one more breath. His friends and disciples, who swore to never leave him, abandoned him and fled for their lives. As Christ died on that Cross, Christian’s believe he took all our sins upon himself as the pure sacrifice so we might be truly forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. God turned away from Jesus that day. See God cannot look upon sin. It is the opposite of everything that is good and truthful. In Matthew 27: 45-46 we learn of the worst hour of Jesus’ life when he felt alone, abandoned not just by his friends, but by God: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!' That is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"

So…Jesus was born, grew up, studied, lost a parent, experienced hunger, tiredness, worry, betrayal, sadness, mourning, anger, suffering, abandonment, and death. Jesus often referred to himself as the “son of man.” So, was he human? Definitely. Totally. He was fully human! He experienced the same feelings and loss we all have, as well as joy and laughter. Oh yes that too. Throughout his ministry we learn of him attending weddings, dinners, and enjoying the company of his friends and disciples. Yes, he was fully human!

Now the next big question is was he God?

If Jesus is part of God, what Christ followers call the Trinity, the Father (God), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit (the Great Comforter), then he has to have existed, even before he was born a human child to Mary. Remember God is eternal.

Followers of Christ refer to Christ as the Word that is the truth of God’s revelation to man. In John Chapter 1, verses 1 to 3 we learn that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.” Jesus later says, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

He goes on to explain that he “came forth from the Father,” and Jesus prayed “Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the World was.”

His coming was prophesied in the Old Testament and the prophecies and promises of the manifestation of Christ as the Redeemer of Mankind the Messiah is interwoven throughout the scriptures from the first promise of Him given to Adam in Genesis to the promise of his ultimate glory as the “Son of Righteousness”.

He was manifested in the Garden of Eden as he spoke of himself as the coming seed of the woman. Similar manifestations are found as the spirit of Christ is revealed to Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Manoah, Isaiah, and Zachariah throughout the Old Testament. This pre-existence of Christ leads to his true earthly manifestation in the New Testament as the Angel of the Redeemer is now “arrayed in mortal flesh, He like an Angel stands, and holds the promises and pardon in His hands; Commissioned from the Father’s Throne, To make His grace to mortals known.”

So Jesus was pre-existent with God, created everything, and was manifested to man throughout the Old Testament in preparation for his earthly mission. That is to save and reconcile all mankind from sin and death.

The New Testament books also state that he was born “thd seed of a woman. The Apostle Paul states that when God sent forth His son he was “made of a woman,” not of a man and a woman, but only a woman. Christ is the only baby the world has ever known who did not have human father. He was divinely conceived. His birth marked by signs and angels appearing and singing of His glory.

Think about this for a second. God was seeking us. God wanted a relationship with us. He wanted us and loved us so much, that he sent a part of Himself to become human to repair our relationship with him. Think about this. It’s all about God seeking Man. It is not about what man can do to achieve or be worthy of God. In Christianity there is nothing we human beings can do to be worthy of Heaven, of a relationship with the Creator of everything. He sought us and is still seeking us. That’s amazing and one of a kind in the religions of the world. That’s Grace. God seeking us. God seeking you.

What other ways was Jesus divine?

Jesus was immutable. This means he was unchanging, unalterable, and ageless. Hebrews 1: 10-12 states: “And, you, Lord, in the beginning have laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

Jesus was omnipresent. This means he is present everywhere at all times. He was there at the beginning, he became human 2,000 years ago, he is with us today, and he will be with us forever.

Jesus was omnipotent. This means he is all mighty and unlimited in authority and power over the universe. The people of Jesus’ time were all “amazed” at his teaching, his authority, his miracles, and his love for others. He cured the blind, healed sick, raised the dead, and proved his power and authority over our world.

Jesus proved his divine nature through his works and miracles as the redeemer of our sins and the final judge of all humanity.

How did He do this?

Jesus, though fully human, was sinless. He was truly obedient to God’s will and as such became the sacrifice necessary to pay the costs of our sins, so that we might have eternal, glorious life with God. He died on a cross for the redemption of our sins. He paid the cost of our sins. My sins. Your sins.

He suffered and died on that cross for me, for you, for all humanity for all times and places. But you want to hear something that will blow your mind? He would have done it just for you. If you were the only one willing to follow him, accept him, he would have suffered all that, for you.

As he was dying, he asked God to “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And he died.

But here’s the glorious part. He rose from the Dead and ministered to the living. Those who knew him before his death, they knew him after this miracle. He had returned in all his glory and his teachings to them was so powerful, that he set the early church on fire. People were eager to share the good news, that Christ had died, Christ had risen, and that Christ will come again. It was so powerful that the apostles faced death and suffering all in his name for his glory. Think about that. Those same men who had abandoned him, never did so again, even when faced with Roman persecution, beheading, crucifixion, and death. Something miraculous had occurred, and that set the stage for the growth of the Body of Christ, what we call the Church, today.

So Jesus was fully human and he was fully divine. He was both man and God. God became human, experienced the joy and the sorrow of humanity, death on a cross, so we could be forgiven, redeemed, and have everlasting life and hope in him.

Why was this important? Imagine an eternal gulf between God and man. God cannot look upon sin, so the pure spirit of God could not cross the gulf that divides us. Man, in his sinful state cannot cross the Gulf to reach God. But Christ, who was fully human, and fully God can cross the gulf. See Christ was human and divine, and he was sinless. He paid the price for all our sins, so when God sees us after we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, he sees Christ in us. He sees us without sin. That’s why only Christ could cross the gulf and save us, redeem us, and allow us to join him for eternity in fellowship with God and one another.

God Seeking Us. God Seeking you. That’s grace. Do you have grace? Do you know him? Do you want to? When services are over please come see me or any of the worship team and we’d love to talk with you and help you begin the journey, to accept Christ, and to welcome him into your heart. Thank you.

Was Jesus Human?

2012-01-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is the first half of a sermon I'm preparing for Feb. 12th. I've been given the assignment to minister about Was Jesus Human or Divine? Of couse, the answer is both. This sermon is to take 20 to 30 minutes, so it's a bit longer than my previous efforts. Here is the fist half of it.

Have you ever stopped to consider how miraculous it was that Jesus’ three year ministry has led to the growth of Christianity so that it is the World’s largest religion and has survived 2,000 years of turmoil, war, suffering, and strife?
I don’t know about you, but before I fully committed to live my life for Christ, I still had some difficult questions about Him.

1. Who was Jesus?
2. Did he really work miracles?
3. Did he really die on a cross for me?
4. Why did the apostles and the early Christian church grow so rapidly despite terrible suffering, persecution, and brutality at the hands of the Romans?
5. What was Jesus’ true message for humanity then and now?

Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized it all really came down to this one:

Was Jesus God, or simply really good man and prophet? Was he just a righteous teacher or was he God manifested on Earth?

Let’s begin our study with this: Was Jesus human?

The book of Matthew in Chapter 1, verses 1 to 17 begins with a genealogy of Christ going back to King David, and from David back to the Old Father Abraham.

Why do you suppose the writer of the Book of Matthew began his book this way?

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states that this “book is an account, not of the divine, but human generation of Christ; and not merely of his birth, which lies in a very little compass; nor of his genealogy, which is contained in this chapter; but also of his whole life and actions.”

So this genealogy proved Christ’s human ancestry and his right to claim the Son of David, the long predicted Messiah, King of the Jews.

Next we have the story of Mary and Joseph. How Christ was born in a manger, it was really an underground barn where animals were kept. He was born just like you and I. Mary experienced the pain of childbirth. Joseph, the anxious young husband of Mary, I’m sure was pacing the floor, upset that his son would be born in such a hovel. Jesus was born, had to be diapered, fed, kept safe and warm, just like all children. Some stories and legends state he never cried, but I call bunk. Babies cry to express their needs, and if Jesus was a true human baby, he cried. Mary nursed him, and Joseph kept them safe.

We don’t really know much about his young life except that he grew up in a home as the eldest of several children and learned how to work, possibly as a carpenter, like Joseph. The family lived “on the wrong side of the tracks,” in the poor neighborhood known as Nazareth. In fact in John 2: 46, we learn that the apostle Philip was first telling Nathanial about Jesus. Nathanial responds with “Can anything good come out of Nazereth?” Oh boy, never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge someone by where they are from, the color of their skin, or what side of the tracks they are from, because you never know what God has in store for them and for you!

This tells us something about his home doesn’t it. Now we know Jesus experienced the loss of a parent. Somewhere between the age of 12 and 30, Joseph died. This had a great effect upon Jesus as throughout his ministry he often referred to taking care of the widows and orphans.

How else was Jesus like all of us?

We know that he grew up from a child to a man. Luke 2:40 states, “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was on him.”

Jesus studied and grew in knowledge as Luke 2:52 states, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”

Jesus experienced Hunger. In Matthew 4:2 we learn that Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”

Jesus was often tired, bone weary, and had to sleep just as we all must do. Matthew 8:24 states, “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.” John 4:6 states that Jesus came to Jacob’s well and “Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.”

Jesus was troubled and even betrayed by a trusted friend, John 13: 21 states “Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" And we later learn about how Judas did betray him.

Jesus experienced sadness, cried and mourned over the loss of friends and family. Jesus learned of his friend Lazarus’ death. John 11:33-35 states “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus Wept. That verse is the shortest verse in the Bible; but it is exceedingly important and tender. It shows the Lord Jesus as a saddened friend, and proves his character as a man.

Jesus experienced anger. When he came to the temple in Jerusalem, he was angered at the merchants who had come into the place to sell their wares and to make money off the religion of the day. Mark 11: 15-16 states “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”

And like all of us are fated to die, he too experienced suffering, felt abandoned by God, and died horribly on a cross. Luke 22:44 tells the story of Jesus, knowing he was facing death and seeking to pray to God states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” If you have ever faced death, tragedy, perhaps you have fallen to your knees and cried out to God. I know I have. Can anything be more human? He was beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his brow, and nails driven through his wrists and ankles, then suspended on a cross, where every breath was an agony, and death came slowly and painfully, in the worst of slow human torture ever devised by the Romans. Most died of their lungs filling with fluid and choking to death seeking one more breath. As Christ died on that Cross, Christian’s believe he took all our sins upon himself as the pure sacrifice so we might be truly forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. God turned away from Jesus that day. See God cannot look upon sin. It is an anathema to Him. In Matthew 27: 45-46 we learn of the worst hour of his life, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!' That is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"

So…Jesus was born, grew up, studied, lost a parent, experienced hunger, tiredness, worry, betrayal, sadness, mourning, anger, suffering, abandonment, and death. Jesus often referred to himself as the “son of man.” So, was he human? Definitely. Totally. He was fully human! He experienced the same feelings and loss we all have, as well as joy and laughter. Oh yes, that too. Throughout his ministry we learn of him attending weddings, dinners, celebrations, and enjoying the company of his friends and disciples. Yes, he was fully human!

Now the next big question is was he God?

The Flood

2012-01-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

Concerning Genesis Chapter 5

This chapter shows the genealogy from Adam to Noah. It begins with a statement that relates to the beginning and the creation of man. How man was created to live in God’s glory, but due to his choices he now lives in a fallen state. This chapter only lists the descendants of Adam and not Cain or any other collateral branches in the line of Seth. Wesley writes that “it is a list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came; the names, ages, and deaths of those that were the successors of the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of the second Adam.” (Christ)

Wesley goes on to observe that God created man, and man should not attempt to be his own master. 2. That God made man in his own likeness, righteous and holy. 3. That God created them male and femaile. And 4. That God blessed them with children and posterity.

Chapters Six to Eight discuss the other lines of descendants and many teach that the “sons of God” are the “immediate children of Cain and Seth. They were cursed with a fallen nature to produce degenerate sons of a degenerate father, governed by the desire of the flesh.” (Clarke’s Commentary). Kell and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament goes further saying the “Sons of Man” were either the sons of princes, angels, or godly men. The “daughters of men” were the daughters of people of the lower orders, mankind, or of the Cainites. Some others interpret this to be about angels or demons who came to earth and slept with humans.

The depravity of mankind leads to the great deluge of destruction. Man’s sin is God’s sorrow. God decides that mankind is too degenerate to save, except for Noah and his family. We are all generally familiar with the story of Noah, his ark, the gathering of animals, the great flood, and the waters rising and then receding so the ark comes to rest on mount Ararat. This story is one of faith in God. Noah showed faith and his family was saved.

I’ve always wondered about the flood story. Many ancient civilizations write of a great flood, but geological evidence for a world-wide flood doesn’t exist. I have always leaned towards the “regional” flood that destroyed part of ancient Sumer. The NIV study Bible says:

“Others argue that the deluge was worldwide, partly because of the apparently universal terms of the text- both here and elsewhere. Others argue that nothing in the narrative of chs. 6-9 prevents the flood from being understood as regional-destroying everything in its wake, but of relatively limited scope and universal only from the standpoint of Moses’ geographic knowledge….Since the purpose of the floodwaters was to destroy sinful mankind and since the writer possibly had in mind only the inhabitants of the ancient Near East, the is flood may not have had to be worldwide to destroy them.”

The covenant agreements made between God and Noah set the stage for everything to come. In Chapter 6 verse 18 we see that the “story of Noah’s salvation from the flood illustrates God’s redemption of his children and typified baptism…. God extends his loving concern oto the whole family of righteous Noah- a underscoring the moral and responsible relationship of parents to their children.”

In Chapter 9 verse 5 we see God demanding an accounting for every animal. “God himself is the great defender of human life, which is precious to him because man was created in his image and because man is the earthly representative and focal point of God’s kingdom.”
This also reinforces man’s place in the universe, that we were created to be the caretakers of the earth, the animals, and each other.

The flood story ends with a new covenant promise from God to not destroy the earth again until “his purposes for his creation are fully realized.”

So what have I learned from the flood story.
1. Man’s sin leads to violence and depravity. It is our choice to live separate from God (which is the very definition of sin).
2. That for the personal relationship with God to be meaningful, we must have freewill to choose to follow him or to live in sin.
3. Our duty to be caretakers of the earth. We are definitely not doing a great job at this.
4. The story of the Flood reinforces the fact that God is faithful and that if we choose to follow him, he will see us through the darkest days in our lives to a time of renewal and hope.

Genesis Chapter 4: Cain and Abel

2012-01-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

The fourth chapter of Genesis concerns the first male children of Adam and Eve, the first murder, and the first few generations. In verse one, Eve says, “With the help of the Lord, I have produced a man.” This shows that her faith has remained in God and she acknowledges the precious gift of children and gives God the credit for it.

The boys grow to manhood and we can assume they were taught how to worship God as they both made sacrifices to the Lord. It is unknown how ritual sacrifices began, but it was done to atone for their sins. Cain brought the “fruits of the soil” or the Hebrew word minchah. This means an offering of fine flour, with oil, and frankincense. This shows that Cain did not take the sin sacrifice seriously as he brought dead things. Abel brought the best of his flock and offered a blood sacrifice as an offering of atonement. This was a living, blood sacrifice and shows Abel’s faith in God. Cain is angry that his brother’s sacrifice is greater than his own and feel’s resentment against Abel. There is “no spirit of inquiry, self-examination, prayer to God for light, or pardon.” (Barne’s Notes on the Bible)

God then asks Cain, “why are you wroth (angry)?” God did this not out of ignorance, but as a call to repentance. Again this shows God’s Prevenient Grace, as He initiates the contact, not man.

God warns Cain to do what is right and that sin is “crouching at your door.” This is all explained as “Cain’s fault now was not bringing a Sin-offering when his brother brought one, and his neglect and contempt caused his other offering to be rejected. However, God now graciously informs him that, though he had miscarried, his case was not yet desperate, as the means of faith” were still in his power. (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)

However, Cain rejected the means of grace and instead led his brother into a field and murdered him. It is interesting that in the original ancient texts there is a mark here indicating more to the story. I researched Jewish Rabbinical theories on Genesis and learned about what is called a Midrash. A midrash is generally defined as a process of interpretation by which Rabbis filled in “gaps” found in the Torah. It is a series of writings and studies that seeks to answer the questions people may have on the why and how of things that occurred in the Torah. I find these to be fascinating as it helps us understand the Jewish thoughts and ideas of the ancient texts and this would be some of the same ways that Jesus would have studied the Torah as a Jewish Rabbi of the times.

The following was written by Rabbi Iscah Waldman, director of education and family programming at Ansche Chesed in New York City and come from the website www.myjewishlearning.com:

If we look beyond Breishit Rabbah, we find many more rabbinic responses to this story. In Midrash Tanhuma, a compilation completed between 300 and 500 years after Breishit Rabbah, another aspect of the reasons for violence between brothers is explored.The Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" and he said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper? (ha-shomer achi anokhi?)" (Genesis 4:9-10)

A parable: To what is this similar? To a thief who stole things in the night and was not caught. In the morning the gatekeeper caught him. He said to the thief, "Why did you steal those things?" He said, "I am a thief and I didn't let down my profession, but you, your profession is to guard the gate, why did you let down your profession? And now you ask me this?"
And this is what Cain said (to God): "I killed him [because] you created in me the evil inclination. But You--You are the keeper (haShomer) of all things, why did you allow me to kill him? You are the one who killed him--You who are called I (Anokhi), for if you had accepted my sacrifice as you did his, I wouldn't have been jealous of him!" (Tanhuma Bereishit).
Here, the biblical retort in which Cain asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?" has been turned on its head. The word in the text is Anokhi, a somewhat uncommon form of the word meaning 'I,' which is, strikingly, also used at the beginning of the 10 commandments, as in, "I am the Lord your God…."

I believe it is supremely important that we study the Old Testament understanding the Jewish teachings and Jewish thought. In my opinion one of the biggest mistakes we make when reading the Old Testament is reading it from a thoroughly western, Latin-Greek thought process and taking each story fully literally as A leads to B leads to C. Some of the stories are historical, some are allegory, some are parables, but all are important to understand the will of God.

God curses Cain and he is forced to leave home and to wander the world. Cain is not sorry and does not repent of the sin of murder, in fact his response shows his pride and unbelief that he had done anything wrong. He blames god, and complains “not about his sin, but of his punishment.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary) Cain is not concerned about his family, but that someone will seek revenge on him for the murder. Again God shows grace and states that anyone who kills Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over.

The rest of the chapter is a quick genealogy of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Lamech, one of Cain’s descendents boasts of killing a man who had injured him. Lamech boasts that if Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then his was seventy-sevenfold. This shows his own pride, and he mocks God! He seems to “abuse the patience of God in sparing Cain” in making others believe that you may sin and go unpunished.

My thoughts:
I am very interested in the Midrash by the early Rabbis and think it is important to understand Jewish thought, traditions, and teachings.

God is always seeking man and His grace is always present, even when we turn against Him.

God Bless

Genesis Chapter 3: The Fall of Man

2011-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

Genesis Chapter 3 is about the fall of man. Historically this has been taught as man’s punishment for disobedience to God by eating the apple, and some churches say the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was about sex.

Hawgwash! I heard all these stories growing up and as I started this commentary I was excited about learning some new things about it.

It begins with the crafty old serpent. The original Hebrew word for serpent is “nachash” and is best translated as something that signifies to view or observe attentively, divine or use enchantments. It also involves something that is “brass or brazen”, and of course it signifies a “serpent, but of what kind is not determined.” (Clark’s Commenary on the Bible). There is some evidence that the ancient Hebrews considered this serpent to be a crocodile. What is known is that many early civilizations had advanced snake/serpent worship such as Thoth in Egypt, or the god’s of the Phoenicians, as snakes were sacred to most of the Heathen worship of ancient times. Many Jewish scholars and early Christian leaders identified the serpent as Satan. Some state that Satan used the serpent.

Of course there are also many arguments about if this is a historical story or an allegory. The Essential Bible Handbook says, “The writers of Genesis did not produce objective, footnoted, cross referenced documents with specific dates for the people and events they describe. They had a very definite perspective from which they wrote the book, and this perspective is that all reality, and specifically the reality of the community of faith, is grounded in the will and power of God. They wrote a theological history that seeks to preserve the experiences, remembrances, and beliefs of this earliest community.” What is agreed upon by all is that God created the world and everything on it. That it was good. And that man, with free will, broke the relationship with God.

The serpent, whatever it was, was crafty and subtle. First he approaches Eve, when she is alone and perhaps vulnerable, and asks her a simple question, “Has God told you not to eat of any tree in the Garden?” It is an ambiguous question designed to bring about doubt and to get her to question the divine goodness of God. Eve responds that God has said not to eat of the one tree, and even adds “nor shall you touch it or you will die.” This little addition is not what God had said and may show that she was already considering what was to happen.

The serpent sees this vulnerability and seizes upon it and tells her that she would not die, that God simply does not want her to be as wise as God and know good and evil. This question raised doubts as if God is good and righteous you would not die by eating fruit of the tree. He uses this logic to subtly contradict God. Remember, Faith leads to obedience, and doubt leads to disobedience. The seed of doubt was planted.

When Eve looked at the fruit she saw that it was pleasant to the eye (wants of the flesh), good to eat (food for the body), and held wisdom (religion). These are the same three temptations of Christ by the Devil.

What the serpent had said was only a half-truth, as Eve, and later Adam, didn’t die by eating the fruit, but it did not turn out like they had hoped.

So she ate it and then gave some to Adam, who also ate. Their eyes were opened and they felt shame at their nakedness. They tried to hide from God, knowing that they had done wrong, and attempting to hide their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together. Dr. Magee points out that the fig tree is the only tree mentioned that we have today. He says, “This is man today in religion. We go through rituals and churches in an outward form. We become very religious. It is interesting that Christ cursed the fig tree and denounced religion right after that.”

God sought them out; they did not seek out God. This is important because it shows the prevenient Grace of God. He seeks us out even when we run from Him or turn away from Him, and when we finally learn that we cannot live according to the Law, He takes it upon Himself to come to earth, live as a man, and to die, so that the sins of all may be forgiven. Man cannot save himself. Only God can save man. “It is the call of divine love that recovers man from sin and into relationship with God.” (Dr. Magee)

Salvation is God’s search for man, not man’s search for God.

When confronted by God, they do what all human beings do, they sought to blame someone else. Adam first blames Eve and God. “The woman you put here with me.” Eve blames the serpent who deceived her. But the truth is both chose to eat the fruit. They had freewill and they chose to be disobedient to God. John Wesley saw this as their determination to seek happiness “not in God, but in the world.”

God banishes them from the Garden into a world of work and pain, but not, as Wesley points out, a world of eternal torment, which could have been their fate. Again this shows God’s divine mercy and forgiveness.

He even gives them animal skins to wear; this clothing is to protect them and is again an expression of His love for them.

The issue now is that since mankind has the knowledge of good and evil, has freewill to chose, will he chose to be obedient to God, or to himself. Sin has been introduced, and the wages of sin is death.

Final Thoughts: I lean toward this being an allegorical tale that shows how mankind fails to be obedient to God, makes the wrong choices, and how man cannot possibly restore the relationship with a God who is perfect truth and love. A God to which sin is an anathema. This is why God had to design man’s salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. We can blame the devil, but truly all the blame lies in our own hearts, and the choices we make.

My First Sermon

2011-12-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

I've been invited to preach at Reagan and Kosse Texas Methodist churches this Sunday. Here is the sermon I've prepared for the occassion and pray that God uses me to say what He wills.

Good Morning.

I am so blessed to be here today and to celebrate this New Year with all of you. For me and my family it has been a wonderful Christmas season. And as to celebrating the New Year, I think Bill Vaughn said it best. He said, “Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s eve, Old age is when you are forced to.” So bless all of you for coming to Church this morning to worship our blessed Savior, especially if you stayed up to celebrate the New Year.
New Year’s celebrations always remind me of our rebirth in Christ, how we are renewed by His grace, and sustained in His love for us. I also often think about those New Year’s Resolutions we so often make this time of year.

You know, things like going on a diet, losing all the weight we gained from Thanksgiving to New Years, getting more exercise, being a better friend, father, mother, grandparent, or son or daughter.

I teach US History to 8th graders and my favorite historical American is Ben Franklin. He said, “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”

As Christians I think we can agree with old Ben Franklin. What can we do to “be at war” with our vices, have peace with our neighbors, and become a better person?

To do this we must hear the word of God and allow it to change our hearts and our minds, so that we might show Christian Action and represent Christ to others. Only through this growth in the Christian life can we overcome our vices, and live a life of peace and joy.
Our founder, John Wesley was concerned for social issues of his day, the oppressed, the poor, the hungry, the needy. The early Methodist groups in England set out to identify the problems in their communities and then to take action to rectify it.

Now some people get a little nervous when we talk about “social justice.” For some it may sound like we are advancing a liberal gospel based on works. They argue that we should simply preach the gospel. That is true, and I wholeheartedly agree!

However, the power of the Gospel transforms lives. James the brother of Jesus, was very concerned about social justice from a Christian perspective. He instructed that we should take care of orphans and widows, and warned that the rich and powerful could take advantage of those less fortunate. James had a social conscious.

God’s word tells us how to live, it speaks truth and we can rest in what it says, everything it affirms is true. James holds the same high view of scripture. He states the word should be implanted into our hearts. The word in our hearts should produce fruit. We should be doers of the word. It should have an effect on our lives.

Jesus’ parable about the sower of seeds reflects this idea. In Matthew 13:3-8, Jesus said, “A farmer went out to sow his seeds. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path and the birds came and ate them. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop- a hundred, sixty or thrity times what was sown.” We as Christians, must plant the seeds in fertile soil, this comes from Christian Action.

We must hear the word with humility and seek understanding and be willing to change our ways, our habits, to serve God as He wills, not as we would, but as he wants us to. Christian faith should provide change in our lives that brings about new habits in our lives. Habits that serve him and seek justice, show mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Now if you are like me, you may be a bit of a hothead. I find anger rises pretty easily with me when I am confronted by unexpected or unwelcomed change, or by social injustices. Can we truly spread the love and grace of Christ when we are angry?

In the Book of James Chapter 1 verse 19, James tells us, “You must understand this my beloved, let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” We must learn to confront these things with love, grace, patience, and being effective in our community trying to work for change.

Don’t have worthless religion. Some come to Church but make no changes in their hearts, and do nothing with the instruction of the word within them. If we don’t take this out of the walls of the Church, then we are not doing what we have been called by Christ to do. James speaks in the second chapter of those who profess to have faith, but have no works. Remember works come from our Faith, the change in our lives provided by Christ’s sacrfice and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We do works because we are new creations, acting in joy and love to share th grace of God with others. Christian faith produces ACTION. This is shown in the life of our founder John Wesley. He travelled many miles daily preaching and sharing the good news. Now we are not all called to be ministers, but we are all called to represent Christ to the others we meet in our lives. Our family, our friends, coworkers, and those in our community need us to reflect Christ to them.

It is so important that we walk the walk, not just talk the talk. St. Augustine said we should go preach the good ne ws and use words if necessary.

Jesus told us what to do. Normally He taught in parables and stories, but in this instance he told us exactly what each of us are to do in simple, very understandable words. And when God speaks so directly, we-who profess His love and grace, had better listen and take it into our hearts and let it show in our actions towards others.

Jesus was teaching in Matthew 25 versus 34-45, about the judgment of mankind, when God will divide the people. On his right are the righteous, on the left those who are to be cursed due to His divine judgments. He said, “Come you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for as I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison, and visited you? And the King will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

And those on the left? He said, “You are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Like the righteous, they also plead and ask when was He hungry, naked, in prison? Again he answers, “Truly I tell you just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

So, what does this mean for us as Christians? This is Jesus telling us to take Action, to make a new resolution to truly serve him by sharing the grace of the Lord with others. Take a moment to reflect on the past year, the year that was 2011. In Texas we saw horrible drought, wild fires, a bad economy. Take a moment and prayerfully consider the following questions:
1. What have we done to help the hungry in our community and state?
2. Have we welcomed strangers into our Church? Our town, our neighborhoods, and our businesses?
3. Have we helped those in need by visiting the sick, those friends who are homebound, bedridden, or dying? Have we done anything to help those fellow Texans who have suffered so much in the summer wildfires, or from the drought?
4. Can someone look at our lives and tell by how we have lived that we were Christians?
Friends these are heavy questions. As for me, I can tell you that I have done some of these things, but not enough, and definitely not all of them. I pray that people will know me as a Christian man, but have my actions shown this to be true?

Remember, we don’t do good works to be saved, we do good works because we are saved! We are called to represent Christ on earth to a hurting world, to share the good news that Christ has paid the costs of our sins, that He is Risen and that through Him we may all have eternal life!
So lets become active doers! Let us act on the Gospel. Don’t simply just listen to the word and go about our normal lives. God is calling. Let us make a change. It could be a big one, or even a small one, but seek what God has in mind for you. James Chapter 1: verses 22 to 25 says, “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves, and on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act- they will be blessed in their doing.”

So, back to our New Year’s resolutions. Only God knows what fortunes and misfortunes await our communities in the coming year, but the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will provide each of us with everything we need to represent Christ on earth to others. We just have to be willing to step out. Welcome that stranger, feed the hungry, help the poor, visit the homebound, give a smile even when you don’t feel like cheerful, help spread joy. Share God’s grace wherever you go to whomever you meet, as well as you can, for as long as you can.

God Bless you this New Year’s Day and may He bless you throughout the coming year.
Amen.

Genesis Chapter 2

2011-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

My wife has agreed to join me in this Bible study. We are using the Message Bible, the NIV study Bible, and the Wesley Study Bible, as well as http://bible.cc/ which is a great website with many other versions of verses, commentaries, and cross references. I also use the Essential Bible Handbook by Abingdon Press out of Nashville, Tenn 2009. I also have many other reference books that I will use from time to time.

The 2nd Chapter of Genesis is about the creation of man in the Garden of Eden and the creation of Eve. It is the second creation story of the Bible and does differ from the first in a few ways. In Chapter One it says that God created men and women and gave them dominion over the earth. This second tale of creation describes the Garden of Eden and the first man and the first woman.

It was a minor revelation to me that Adam was created to look after the earth, to till the soil. I had always believed and been taught that Adam and Eve did not have to work in the Garden, but that is not the case. It was Adam’s role to be the earth’s keeper, which implies work.

Another thing that I had read before, but really didn’t understand was that God created man physically, and then gave him the breath of life (which was the spiritual creation of man). The shaping of man from the dust links man forever to the earth as its caretaker. The breath of God forever linked man’s soul to God.

The name Eden actually translates as “delight.” The garden is described as a place of abundant fruits and animals with two very supernatural trees: The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. Many different ideas about this have emerged, some believing that the Tree of Life gave immortality and full sustenance to Adam, while the Tree of Knowledge was there so God could experience our obedience to His will.

Adam needed an equal companion to take care of the earth. So God created Eve from Adam’s rib. This forever binds man and woman together as one flesh, one body. It was revealing to me that several commentaries discuss how the original Mosaic writings regarding “helper as his partner” does not imply subordination or inferior rank, but rather another to help cultivate the earth and someone suitable for procreation of the species and marriage. With the creation of Eve, God is no longer a potter, but He rather creates a living work of art out of flesh. Women are definitely works of art to me and I love this reference.

Genesis 2:24 to 25 refers to marriage being defined as a reuniting of two parts of a single whole

So questions and thoughts that we shared after reading and studying this chapter:

1. I will admit that I do not see anything in Genesis that goes against my ideas of God’s creation, whether he did it by evolution, or by actually mixing clay. Perhaps I’ll grow in understanding but as of today, it doesn’t really matter to me how God did it, but that He did it.
2. The crux of the Gay marriage debate amongst Christians goes back to this Chapter of Genesis. Marriage is for procreation of the species and a reuniting of two parts into a single whole. (BTW I’m not stating my own beliefs about this, just pointing out where Christians get their ideas about Marriage from).
3. Tracey wanted to know about the Lilith story and we spent some time in study about Lilith, which was interesting, but neither of us thought it to be very important.
4. It is awesome to be able to pray with my wife, study the Bible, and learn with the one who completes me.

Until next time,

God Bless all of you.

My study of Genesis Chapter One

2011-12-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

I've decided to endeavor into a personal study of the Bible. I will do this by reading the Bible Chapter by Chapter and then all the commentaries I can find on them to better understand the truth, and the lessons we can learn from it. I have no timetable for doing this, and it is a personal journey of faith, but I'm going to post my thoughts and findings here for any to read. I will also include my own thoughts and you may disagree with me, and I hope you will correct me when I'm wrong, or at least be open to debate and prayerful consideration.

Genesis Chapter One begins with the great line, "In the beginning...." This indicates that before existance, before time, before anything, there was God. The Jewish name for how they referred to God was Elohim. This is a plural word, meaning God. Clark's Commentary on the Bible says:

"The original word אלהים Elohim, God, is certainly the plural form of אל El, or אלה Eloah, and has long been supposed, by the most eminently learned and pious men, to imply a plurality of Persons in the Divine nature. As this plurality appears in so many parts of the sacred writings to be confined to three Persons, hence the doctrine of the Trinity, which has formed a part of the creed of all those who have been deemed sound in the faith, from the earliest ages of Christianity. Nor are the Christians singular in receiving this doctrine, and in deriving it from the first words of Divine revelation. An eminent Jewish rabbi, Simeon ben Joachi, in his comment on the sixth section of Leviticus, has these remarkable words: "Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim; there are three degrees, and each degree by itself alone, and yet notwithstanding they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other."

The first chapter of Genesis is truly about the soveriegnty of God and the goodness of His creation. How does God create everything? With a single word. Hebrews taught that words have power and that the Word is part of God. Christians believe the Word made flesh is Jesus Christ.

I really like John Wesley's interpretation of Genesis 1. He says that "This is not a scientific explanation of the creation of the universe, and it makes no claim to answer the "how" of creation. Rather the text is focuesed on the "who" and "what" of creation. As Wesley says Gen 1-2 "gives us a surer, and better, a more satisfying and useful knowledge of the origin of the universe, then all the volumes of philosophers." [Wesley Study bible]. With John Wesley we understand, "there are secrets which cannot be fathomed, nor accounted for" yet "from what we see of heaven and earth, we may infer the eternal power and godhead of the Great Creator."

The story continues as God creates light, day and night, the earth and the seas, the plants and animals and humanity which the Bibles states was created, "in our own image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

So what does this mean? Our physical bodies or our spiritual ones? My own beliefs have always been that we are created in the spiritual image of God, that we are hardwired to seek God, to seek understanding and truth. John Wesley stated that we were created in three ways to be in the image of God. He wrote that we were created in the political, natural, and moral image of God. This spiritual self is where our reason, will, and freedom comes from, but his ideas on the political and moral images of God are thought provoking. He stated that the political image was "man's calling to take care of the earth and the other creatures that inhabit it. Just as God is Ruler over all creation, so himanity is caretaker and "governor" of this world." We are to be the "channel of conveyance" of the blessings of God to our fellow creatures.

The moral image is what lets us know internally when we are out of sync with God's plan for us and his creation. It is man's stubborn disobedience that distorts our reason, will, and freedom, that causes us to "exploit the earth of selfish purposes." The Wesley Study Bible says, "This is why one of Wesley's favorite descriptions of salvation is "the renewal of our souls in the images of God,"recoveromg the calling for which we were created."

Creation was Good because it was perfect in the unfolding of God's will. God is truth, goodness, love, all that is perfection, so his creation was perfect according to His desires.

Now as to historical and scientific accuracy, it must be understood that the stories of the first five books of the Old Testament were written by Moses, who in turn heard them as the oral histories of the Hebrew people passed down for many, many generations and using their understanding of the world and their place in it. For instance the "dome" that separted the sky from the seas is written that way because in antiquity it was a common belief that the sky was a dome above the earth. One of the great issues I have with studying the Bible is that it was written by Hebrews using eastern thought processes that are alien to those of us raised to think in the logical, ordered A-B Greco-Roman thought. Eastern thought processes are more A-C-B-A in a circular pattern. I heard it said that if you asked a Jewish Rabbi what the truth of Genesis is, they might answer you with the relationship of man and woman, a covenant arrangement between husband and wife. Meanwhile the Western thoughts range from was the earth created in seven actual days, was man created from dust, or did we evolve according to some divine plan? Maybe one of the reasons so many disagree about Genesis and humanities origins are that we don't understand the Eastern thought processes.

I can honestly say that I don't care how God did it, but I do believe He did it all according to His plan and it was Good.

Remember...

2011-12-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 13:5

I will never leave you, I will never abandon you.

What a promise from God!

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day in America is a day of eating turkey, pies, stuffing, dressing, cakes, cookies, green beans with mushroom soup and French onions, sweet potatoes, and more. It is a day for watching football. It is a day to be with family, to talk, laugh, break bread, and celebrate all the good things in our lives. It is a day for reflection on the year that has been, and the promise of the year to come. It is the beginning of the Holiday Season. What a great day!

So, what is missing? Is God invited to your dining room table? Does your family take time to remember Him? Christians know that all good things come from God; that he sees to our needs, and loves us as His children. He loves us so much he became human and died on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven in divine justice, so that we could freely enter into a personal relationship with him, so when he looks at us, he only sees the sinless Christ, sacrificed so that we might have eternal life in Him.

We are so blessed to have been born in such a great nation. So many opportunities and choices are our right, simply due to our place of birth. Some might call this divine providence. But Americans are not alone in receiving God’s love, it is there at our dinner tables, it is with the starving child in a third world nation, it is in the nations that deny His existence as a matter of political discourse. God’s gift of justifying grace is the true reason for celebration, for we are freed from sin and death by it. It is not due to anything we do, but what He did for us.

Here are some famous quotes about the true meaning of Thanksgiving:

“A sensible thanksgiving for mercies received is a mighty prayer in the Spirit of God. It prevails with Him unspeakably.” John Bunyan

“We ought to shout out our thanksgiving as if every war were over; as if there were no more big taxes; as if there were no sickness, no crime.” John R.Rice

“I preached on the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith. While I was speaking, several dropped down as dead and among the rest such a cry was heard of sinners groaning for the righteousness of faith that it almost drowned my voice. But many of these soon lifted up their heads with joy and broke out into thanksgiving, being assured they now had the desire of their soul—the forgiveness of their sins.” John Wesley

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

1st Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

And the one I leave you with to ponder, pray, and praise over:

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule your heats, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

So remember, like the song says, “give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks for the Holy One. Give thanks because He’s Risen, Jesus Christ is Lord!”

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends out there. May you all be blessed with family, food, fun, and the love of Christ.

Wesley's 2nd Sermon. Almost a Christian

2011-11-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

A modern take on John Wesley’s 2nd Sermon
My thoughts on this. Wesley is speaking to Christians, not the unchurched. Today I would say that the “almost Christians” are saved, but they simply haven’t grown in their spirituality and understanding. They are baby Christians. They attend Church every Sunday, and are generally good, but they don’t take the next step. They don’t grow in their Christianity. They are stifled and do not really understand just how wonderful being an authentic Christian can be. These are the “Frozen Chosen.” They go to Church, they profess Christ, but they don’t go any further than that. Wesley was truly on fire for God and tended to preach such sermons that upset the listeners to the point he was rejected and told to “never return.” I have tried to put this sermon into as much modern language as possible, but even then I think you will see why many churches in the mid 1700s would get angry at his teachings. Actually, many churches today would as well. What do you think?

Preached at St. Mary's, Oxford, before the University, on July 25, 1741.

Acts 26:28-29 Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian? Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am.”

How many people go this far, and do not take the final step to accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, to accepting him as their personal savior? Ever since Christ’s sacrifice for us, there have been in every age and nation people who were almost persuaded to become Christians. But if they do not take the next step of acceptance, they achieve nothing by almost becoming a Christian. It is important for us to consider two questions: First, what is implied in being almost? Secondly, what does it mean to be an authentic Christian?

So what good is it to become almost a Christian? Most people in the world are not evil. They are not generally raised to do bad things, or to treat others unjustly; most were not taught to steal, oppress others, to cheat, or defraud other people. Even non-Christians seek justice. Most people do not set out to lie about others, or falsely accuse people of supposed crimes, but this does occur, even in the most civilized of societies today. Most civilized people hold those who commit these types of crimes as criminal and disgraceful, even pests to society.

Most people in the world today expect love and assistance from one another. Many do many good and righteous acts for others such as feeding the hungry, giving aid to those in need. Indeed this is what Christians are called to do, so these almost Christians are not far off the mark, but they are still almost Christians.

Many almost Christians keep to the teachings of Jesus. They do not take the name of God in vain, avoids adultery, sexual promiscuity, and live very moral lives. Many abstain from excess drinking, reveling, and gluttony. Most want to live in peace with others, and they are not brawlers, racists, or thugs. This person would not deliberately due bad things to hurt others and even live by the golden rule, to do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

The almost Christian may work hard to do good works for others. This person seems to be a Godly person in his actions and life. He may even say that he is a Christian, attend church, partake of the means of Grace, and may even try to lead others to Christ. This person may have a family prayer life, and practice all the forms of religion. We may refer to these people as being “religious”, but there is a problem. They need one more thing to become a true Christian. They need sincerity and the faith to truly accept Christ into their lives. Sincerity is the inward principle of belief in Christ. It is from this faith, this true belief, that our Christian actions flow. For indeed, if we don’t have this crucial faith in Christ, we are just good people, maybe we are only almost Christians. An ancient poet once said, “Good men avoid sin from the love of virtue; Wicked men avoid sin from fear of punishment.” This means that a person who does not break the laws of society, may only be doing it to avoid punishment. If he/she is doing so out of love for others, not just to avoid punishment, then he/she may be an almost Christian. If a person has no real principles in their heart, then they are nothing more than hypocrites.

So an almost Christian may be sincere, may even want to serve God in all things. Of course the question that is now asked is, “Is it possible that any person should go so far as this, and nevertheless, be almost a Christian?” John Wesley answered, “It is possible to go thus far, and yet be but almost a Christian. I learn, not only from the oracles of God, but also from the sure testimony of experience.” He asks that those who are listening (reading this) “suffer me, then, to speak freely of myself, even as of another man. I am content to be abased, so ye may be exalted, and to be yet more vile for the glory of my Lord.” He is about to tell his own personal account of how he was an almost Christian.
He says he went for many years speaking against all evil, and with a hope to avoid offending others, doing good works to all men and using the public and private “means of grace.” He constantly monitored his behavior to appear to be a Christian, and he was sincere in his actions. He desired to “fight the good fight,” and to “lay hold of eternal life.” Yet he doubted his own faith in Christ. He did not have a true personal relationship with God. He was “almost a Christian.” If anyone studies John Wesley’s life they know how he came to America as a missionary, but failed utterly, and soon returned to England. It was only after attending a special meeting at Aldersgate that he came to understand that God died for him, personally, and he felt his heart filled with the Holy Spirit. It was at this point that his life changed, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and became the founder of Methodism.

So what does it mean to be an authentic Christian? First, it means to know the love of God. The Bible teaches, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” Such a love fills our hearts with affection, and fills our soul to capacity. The Christian that truly loves the Lord has a spirit that continually rejoices in God his Savior. This person’s delight is in the Lord, our All-in-All. It is this person’s true desire to serve God in all aspects of their life. Their heart is constantly crying out, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon the earth that I desire besides Thee.” Indeed what can such a person desire more than God’s love and mercy. Not the world, or the things of this world, for he is crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him.” This person attempts to overcome the carnal desires of the flesh, the eye, and pride. The true Christian should be dead to pride of every kind for love is not “puffed up” but “he that dwelling in love, dwells in God, and God in him.”

The second thing that is implied in being an authentic Christian is, the love of our neighbors. For Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” If any person asks, Who is my neighbor? We should reply Every person in the world; every child is God’s child. This includes our enemies, the enemies of God, and any who stand against us. We are called to love even those who are difficult or hard to love. We should love them as Christ loved us. Paul explained this love for us. He described it as a love that is “long suffering and kind.” It does not envy others. It is not rash or hasty, and does not judge others. It is “not puffed up,” but makes us the least of mankind, a servant to all. This person seeks to do good to all others that they might be saved. “Love is not provoked.” It is not wrathful, thinks of no evil, and rejoices in the truth. This kind of love covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things in the name of the Lord.

Finally, the authentic Christian has faith. John said, “Every one that believes is born to God.” He gives the Holy Spirit to every one of us, all we have to do is believe that Jesus was the son of God who died for our sins so that we may have everlasting life in him. For “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” God declares, “He that believes in the Son has everlasting life; and comes not into condemnation, but is passed from death into life.”

Wesley then warns us not to deceive ourselves. False faith does not bring about true repentance, love, good works, and is not the living faith, but a dead and devilish one. Even devils believe that Christ was born of a virgin; that he performed miracles, declared himself the son of God, and suffered a painful death to redeem all humanity from death everlasting, that he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will return one day to judge the quick and the dead. Yet for all this faith, they are still devils.

The authentic Christian faith is “not only to believe that Holy Scripture and the Articles of our Faith are true, but also to have a sure trust and confidence to be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ. It is a sure trust and confidence in God, that our sins are forgiven and by Christ we are reconciled with God, and have the loving heart for others, and attempt to obey his commandments. Whoever has this kind of authentic faith “purifies the heart” (by the power of God, who dwells within us) from “pride, anger, desire, from all unrighteousness” from “all filthiness of flesh and spirit;” which fills it with love stronger than death, both to God and to all people, love that does the works of God, that endures all troubles with joy, even when mocked, ridiculed, and despised by others. These folks use the wisdom God gave them that with their true faith and working by love, are truly authentic Christians.

So now we should ask ourselves, looking into our own hearts, “Am I an authentic Christian, or an almost Christian? Do I practice justice, mercy, and truth as God would have me do it? Do I act like a Christian, but do not have true faith? Do I stay away from evil things, and keep the commandments? Do I always look for ways to do good and help others? Do I keep to the word of God and do as Jesus instructed, not to judge, but to love others, to represent Christ on earth to them, so that they might come to know the power and saving Grace of God? Do I do all these things with the sincere desire to please God in every aspect of my life?”

Now, many of us may realize that we have never quite come that far, that we have been good at almost being a Christian, but has God seen true sincerity and faith in you? Do you devote all your words, works, business, studies, and diversions to His glory?

So you have tried, you generally do good works, and have a general desire to be a Christian. Remember that “Hell is paved with good intentions.” The great question still remains then, Is the love of God in your heart? Can you cry out, “My God, and my All!” Do you desire nothing but him? Are you happy in God? Is he your glory, your delight, your crown of rejoicing? Is this commandment written in your heart? “He that loves God loves his brother also.” Do you love your neighbors as yourself? Do you love every person, even your enemies, even the enemies of God, as your own soul? As Christ loved you? Do you truly believe that Christ loved you, and died for you personally? That Jesus has taken away your sins and cast them as a stone into the depths of the sea? That he has blotted out everything bad that you have done in your life by nailing your sins to the cross? Do you believe that you have been redeemed, saved, by his blood? Does you spirit bear witness that you are a child of God?

Jesus knows you. Do not rest until you can proclaim salvation in the name of God. “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin.” Do not rest short of becoming an authentic Christian. Cry out and pray to him daily until we know in whom we truly believe and can say, “My Lord, and my God!” Remember to always pray until you can no longer lift your hands to heaven, and declare to the Lord, “Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love thee.”

May we all experience what it is to be, not almost, but altogether a true and authentic Christian; justified by His free grace, through the forgiveness of our sins in Jesus; knowing we have eternal peace through Him; rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God; and having the love of God filling our hearts, by the Holy Spirit filling us with His love

Salvation by Faith

2011-11-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

A modern take on John Wesley’s first sermon preached at St. Mary’s, Oxford on June 18th, 1738.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

All the many blessings that God has given us are undeserved. It is a free grace that created mankind in the spiritual image of God, and is the same grace that God gives each of us today. There is nothing we can do or be, or works of our hands, or our minds, that can equal God’s free Grace, the gift of eternal salvation. The truth of Grace is not found in man, but in God.

So what about our sins? Can we do anything to atone for them, to make our personal relationship with God right? No. We are sinful, broken, and no matter how hard we try, remain so. We all “come short of the glory of God.” What could any of us do to equal Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? He took the sins of the world, throughout time and history, all of human sins, wickedness, vileness, my sins and your sins, upon Himself, and cleansed us, so that when we stand before God, we are pure in Him.

The only way we can have a personal relationship with God is to have the grace to accept His Grace! What else can we do but accept His grace. For “while we were yet sinners, Christ died” to save us “by grace” then “are you saved through faith.” Grace is the source, faith is the condition, of our salvation.

This leads us to two great questions: (Wesley had three, the third being how to argue against those who believe in human works, rather than faith)

1. What does it mean to have faith?
2. What is the salvation we receive through this faith?

Faith is a belief in Jesus Christ. This belief is not a cold, rational thing, but is a condition of the heart. The Bible tells us that “With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness” and, “if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.” This faith realizes the necessity of Jesus’ death on the cross, and his resurrection as the restoration of us to a eternal life with Him. He was “delivered for our sins, and rose again for our justification.” Christian faith is the full reliance on the blood of Christ; a trust in the merits of His life, death, and resurrection; a belief that he has atoned for our sins, and dwells within us, as we hold to him as our “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,” or in one word, our salvation.

So what is salvation? It is something attainable for all of us, by all those who decide to have faith in Him. This salvation is the Grace of God. The entire world of man is guilty before God. But he paid the price for our sins, we are saved from the divine judgment of God. None of us are perfect enough to attain heaven. In fact we should all be sent to Hell based on our sins. But Christ sacrificed so that we might be saved for eternity, that we can be in communion with God, to have a personal relationship with him. “So God gave his only begotten son, that whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” We are justified by Jesus’ gift of Grace. We have been forgiven in God’s divine court, not by our doing, but through Christ.

As we have been saved from guilt, we have been saved from fear. We do not have to fear eternal torment, punishment, or the wrath of God, as “They have not received again the spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father: the Spirit itself also bearing witness with their spirits, that they are the children of God.” We all fall short of the Glory of God, but through the Grace of God “neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through our faith, we are saved from the power of sin, as well as from the guilt of it. As the Apostle states, “You know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. Whosoever abides in him sins not. (1 John 3:5). “Whosoever is born of god, does not commit sin for his seed (Jesus) remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

So this is the salvation which is through faith; a salvation from sin, and the consequences of sin. This means we have been justified by Christ’s sacrifice for us. This implies a deliverance from guilt and punishment by the atonement of Christ’s blood, a deliverance from the power of sin, so that any who believe in Him is justified, or saved by faith. This is what we mean by being born again. We are born again in the spirit, born into a new Christian life in relationship with God.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, along with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, all our blessings, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, for ever and ever, Amen.

Thankful and Content

2011-11-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

When Paul was in prison in Rome, awaiting his trial with the mad Emperor Nero, he could have given up. Cried out that his life had been a failure. He knew that Christians in the time of Nero would not be given fair trials. Nero had blamed the burning of Rome on the Christians, and enjoyed having them killed for fun and sport. Paul would eventually be killed as well.

One can imagine Paul, huddled in the cold cell, little food, nasty water, bodily waste, sweat, blood, tears, abusive guards and you get a small picture of what his life was like at this time.

How did Paul respond? He wrote letters to help others keep the faith. He testified in Phillipians 1:12-14 that "what has happened to me has actually helped spread the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ: and most of the borthers and sisters having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldnes and without fear."

He actually used his imprisonment to spread the good news, and heartily testified to others about God's love and mercy. God's Grace.

But what Paul really teaches us, me anyway, in this letter is how to be thankful and content with our circumstances in life. Here he is facing judgement and death in the barbaric court of Nero, and he teaches us that whatever happens in our lives, God is with us. All we have to do to be truly thankful and content is to reocognize God's work in our lives. He writes in Phillipians 4:4-9 that we should "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your gentlness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplicaiton with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and recieved and heard and seen in me, and the God of Peace will be with you."

What does all this mean? That we should take the time to always see God at work in our lives. To see what is good and uplifting and celebrate that! He is teaching us to not worry about all the hard things in our lives, or things that might or might not happen. We should celebrate all that is good in our lives, to take time to recognize God's work in our lives.

Christ teaches in Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for temorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." My mother said this to me many times growing up when we would discuss my sister Stephanie. The worry of all parents for their children is great, but it is uncertain and consuming when you have a special needs child that may never be able to fully take care of themselves. I know Tracey and I constantly worry that we are doing everything we can to help Kevin. It seems many times that we fail, and that uncertainty and worry creeps in. That is when I think of Paul in that cell facing death with joy and love knowing the Grace of God and remembering to see the great works of God everywhere around him, even in that Roman prison.

Give thanks and be content, for God is with you. If He is with you, who can be against you?

Praise God!

(Inspired by morning sermon of Grandpa Jordan)

A Letter from Paul to the 21st Century Christian Churches of America

2011-11-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

Imagine if Paul was writing to modern Christian Churches in the 21st Century. It might sound something like this.

Based on the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
1:1-31.

To the Christian Churches of America,

Hello. I am Paul and I am an evangelist of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing this letter to all the Christian Churches of America, to all those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, and to all those fellow Christians who call on the name of our Savior.

Grace and peace to you all. May you be blessed by our Father and our Savior Christ Jesus.

I praise God that you have all found the Grace and forgiveness of Christ, and I know you have from listening to the sermons, watching your actions, and hearing the wonderful testimonies that have strengthened our faith and understanding of the Gospel. None of you are lacking for any spiritual gifts and God’s plan is constantly being revealed through you. Jesus will give us strength throughout our lives, and all our sins are forgiven through the sacrifice of our savior. Remember that God is faithful and has called us into Christian fellowship through Christ’s love.

I hope that we can all be in agreement and not have any divisions amongst us. We, as Christians, must seek unity of the Church so as to be of the same mind and have the same goal of spreading the Gospel to others.

It has come to my attention that many of you are arguing amongst yourselves. Our doctrines are dividing the body of Christ. I hear people saying that “I belong to the Southern Baptists, or I am a Methodist, or I go to the Church of God, or Church of Christ, or I go to a Bible Church, non-denominational, or Catholic.” Has Christ’s love been divided? Was John Wesley killed for you? Were you baptized in the name of a denomination, or the name of Christ Jesus? I didn’t baptize any of you, and those I did, were not baptized in the name of any Church, but in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Christ sent me, and many of you, not to Baptize, but to proclaim the gospel. It is not about eloquence and good speeches, but the power of God’s Love; Christ’s sacrifice for us. It is about Christ’s suffering and dying on a cross so that we might be saved that is important.

Those who do not know Christ are ignorant of the truth and are perishing, but those of us who know the Savior know the power of God’s love. It was written long ago that “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Who is wise amongst us? Where are the great Christian writers and the great evangelists of our time? Doesn’t God’s grace make foolish the wisdom of our modern, secular world? God tried to teach us with divine wisdom, but we didn’t learn the lesson. God decided that all we have to do is make our proclamation of belief in Christ Jesus as our savior to be saved. It may seem trivial or silly, but there is power in that proclamation. Some demand signs and others want to be taught and know all the facts, but we proclaim that Christ was crucified for us. This is faith. This idea confuses those who do not understand but they still need to know of God’s love. God’s wisdom and love is infinite, man’s is finite. God’s strength and faithfulness is greater than any of us.

Consider your own testimony of the Faith. Not all of us would be considered wise, most have failed in many areas of their lives, most of us are not rich, or come from powerful families. But God chose to use us to show the world His love and faithfulness. He chose the weak to shame the strong. He took those of us who have stumbled and failed in this world, and uses us for the glory of His kingdom. No one should ever boast that it is through their own doing that man is saved. God is the source of our lives in Christ Jesus, who is the truth of God’s love for us. Jesus gives us wisdom for living, righteousness to stay in a relationship with Him, and sanctifies and redeems us of our sins so that if we are to boast, we boast of the Lord’s love, forgiveness, and wisdom.

Perseverance

2011-11-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

I recently was blessed to be the Lay Director on Walk 86 of the Brazos Valley Emmaus Community. Here is part of the talk I gave to the pilgrims.

Perseverance

In 1963, my mother, Betty Wetterman gave birth to my older sister, Stephanie Denise Wetterman. Stephanie was born with a major birth defect called Spinomeningoencephalocill. That big words means that her skull did not form properly in the womb and that there was a hole about the size of a .50 cent piece at the base of her skull. Her brain had partially formed outside the skull and there was a sack-like bag of flesh on the back of her head. Very few babies ever survived such a birth defect. The Doctor was blunt to my 19 year old mother, “Mrs. Wetterman,” she said, “forget this baby. It is going to die. You are young, you can have more babies.”

Stephanie was given two weeks to live, though the doctors believed it probably wouldn’t be that long.

The family prayed for help to come, but the neurosurgeon in charge waited for several weeks, expecting the child would die. She did not.

Eventually another neurosurgeon became involved. He offered to attempt a radical surgery to replace Stephanie’s brain into her skull, take off the excess skin sack, and to cover the hole in her skull with a wire mesh. The brain’s swelling could be controlled with a shunt that would funnel excess brain fluid into her stomach to be reabsorbed into her body. The prognoses for her surviving the surgery was very low, but there was hope, and the family: the parents, grandparents, and their brothers and sisters in blood and in Christ, prayed. She survived the surgery.

Tom had worked as a mechanic at the time, and Betty had been a legal secretary, but quit her job to stay with the baby at the hospital. Tom took a second job and worked long hours, but it was impossible for the young couple to pay the mounting bills. The family prayed.

A hospital administrator called Betty into her office one day and told her that if she didn’t have anymore insurance, or the money to pay the bills, she would be asked to leave the hospital. The young mother, distraught and overcome with the burdens she faced and the prospect of her baby being kicked out of the hospital and dying due to lack of medical care, was sobbing as the neurosurgeon entered the room to check on Stephanie. He asked her what was wrong. She told him what had happened. He told her not to worry about it anymore, that there was no way the hospital would kick them out, and that he would take care of it.

The administrator never again spoke to Betty, and they were never charged for the surgery or the hospital stay.

The baby suffered through 13 surgeries the first 9 years of her life, 10 of them before she was a year and a half old. The first saved her life, and she was the first such child to live with that birth defect. Unfortunately, the brain had to be separated from the skin it had become attached to, and the scraping of the brain left her profoundly retarded and subject to grand moll seizures, one of which left her paralyzed on half of her body.

Many will hear her story and say for what purpose did this child live? What possible effect could a profoundly retarded child have on our world?

My sister Stephanie had many problems. To control the frequency and severity of seizures she has to take some very hard drugs including Phenobarbitol. She can do little for herself now, but I remember when we were both young, and how she would try to walk in her physical therapy class, how she would laugh at her little brother’s antics, how she would radiate God’s glory as she belted out songs such as “Jesus Loves me this I know” and other children’s songs. She loved her papaw, and he loved her. He had lived a very hard life, but three heart attacks and his love for his grandchildren, especially Stephanie, greatly affected him, and he died a good, Christian man.

I remember our parents in the choir of our church, while Stephanie and I would sit in the pews listening and watching. She would move her hand to the time of the music and smile the greatest smile. She touched many lives including the pastor of our church, many ladies who have had to care and look after her as she got older, extended family members, and many others.

However, the greatest impact she had was on me. From her I learned empathy for others. I learned to see the pure love of the Lord reflected in her. I remember being called a “retard” because she was my sister, but I always loved her and as a child dealt with such teasing the best way a young boy could.

Eventually, as an adult, I became a special education teacher, knowing that I could make a difference in the lives of not only my students, but their families as well. It means so much to have a teacher that has seen such handicaps in their own lives.

In August of 2001, my youngest son, Kevin was born. I knew from the beginning that something was wrong. He could not ever get comfortable or be comforted. He could not look me in the eye. He did not speak more than a few words by the time he was 3, and he was lost in his own world for most of the time. I suspected Autism, but the Dr. continued to say he as only behind developmentally delayed. I remember losing it one day. Yelling at him, begging him to speak to me, to let me know he understood that I was his father. That I loved him. Finally, he was diagnosed as a high functioning autistic. My wife read many books and developed a plan of action. We placed him on the gluten free/casein free diet and used some behavior modification techniques with him. Miraculously, and I do believe it was a miracle, Kevin began talking in days, and stopped many autistic behaviors like hand flapping and screaming underneath tables at school. Everyone saw and were amazed at the difference.

What do these two stories have in common? Faith in God, familial love, and perseverance.

My name is Ed Wetterman and the title of this talk is Perseverance.

What is perseverance?

To persevere may be defined as “continuing with an undertaking in spite of difficulty, opposition, or discouragement. To remain steadfast in purpose.

How can we persevere in the Christian life? We must feed on spiritual food to grow, develop, and function as Christians. We must persevere in the life of grace. Because we have shared in the Christian banquet, we see the need for a continued diet of God’s grace. We must learn how to live in God’s grace and keep it in our daily lives.

A better life is possible. The treasure of a life lived in grace is ours to have. Matthew 13:45-46 compares the “life of grace to the pearl of great price.” It takes effort on our part to receive and maintain that life in grace. Christians cannot live in a vacuum, but must maintain a relationship with God and others. To persevere involves maintaining contact with Christ and contact with other Christians.

How can we maintain contact with Christ? We do this through prayer, meditation, the sacraments, and the living Word. Total security comes from encountering Christ, surrendering to His will, and accepting the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This is a life-long process, achieved through perseverance and the hard work of remaining open to God’s persistent love. However, there is a difference between the feeling of security and the state of being secure. Only that which is absolute can give absolute security. We, as Christians, have that through Jesus Christ. He is the source of our eternal life (John 15: 1-11). In a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we strengthen the life of God in us. It is by His power, His love, His Holy Spirit that we may persevere and follow His will for our lives.

How can we maintain contact with other Christians? First, we do this by being active in our Church, being Hands reaching out, being His feet willing to go where is needed and to spread the Good News that Jesus lived and died so we may have eternal life in grace. Secondly, in the Emmaus movement, we do this by attending group reunions. Group reunions are a way we help each other live in grace. The groups provide mutual support, encouragement, and accountability. We need mutual Christian-centered sharing. As Christian men we are faced with so much in our daily lives, be it alcohol, sex, or some other addiction or idol, as well as those dark days when those we love are suffering, lost, or in pain. We need to fellowship with others to grow in our understanding and to gain strength to face the difficulties in our lives.

No battle is ever won without cost. The more valuable the prize, the more costly the effort to achieve it. The weekly reunion group meeting is the premium we pay to persevere as disciples.

My accountability group has supported me many times when I have faltered and failed, and there is a lot of wisdom and unconditional love in their words. Perseverance should be our aim, to help one another continue the journey in the life of grace.

Finally and most importantly, stay connected in your local church. Your church is the primary Christian Community in your life. The Emmaus activities are meant to supplement and enliven, never to replace, your local Church.

A few years ago, I attended Walk 60 as a Pilgrim. That Thursday night, I feared that I had been dropped off in some kind of cult and thought of how I might escape. By Saturday night my Christian life had forever been changed. I have the treasure of God’s grace. I have a personal relationship with Him! I have worked several teams as Assistant Table Leader, Table Leader, Assistant Lay Director, Outside team Coordinator, in the kitchens, and on the Brazos Valley Board of Directors. It has been a most worthwhile journey. My understanding of God’s love, that great gift of Grace, came from my Walk and service. However, it was never me. I never felt so inadequate as when I was chosen to be Lay Director for this Walk. But one of my reunion group said to me, “God doesn’t chose the equipped, he equips the chosen.” That’s a fact, my friends.

Keep the love flowing through friendship and association with fellow seekers; participate in a group reunion and in your local church.

As for my sister, Stephanie, she is now 47 years old, and the pure love she and others like her radiate, are lessons for us all. I have had her caretakers tell me about how she continues to astonish them and how her simple smile can help them through a difficult day.

Stephanie has been one of the greatest influences on my life. Would I be the person I am today without her? Because of her I became a teacher. Because of her I know empathy and understanding for those who live daily with various ailments and disabilities.

As for Kevin, my son, he is a smart, talkative, fun-loving boy who has recently started the 5th grade in regular classes. He loves everyone, and my favorite memory was when he asked me to go to the altar to pray with him one day at my church.

I am blessed.
De Colores.

God's Love

2011-11-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

What is God’s love and what are we to do with it?

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary states that it is a “strong affection for another arising out of personal ties…affection and tenderness felt by lovers…affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests…a warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion…unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another…the fatherly concern of God for mankind…a brotherly concern of others.” Synonyms for Love are affection, attachment, devotedness, devotion, fondness, and passion.

The Wesley Study Bible says on page 830:

“God always acts to redeem and rescue us. We can’t outrun, out-give, outlast, or out grow God’s love….would send the Son to rescue the world. The whole of Scripture captures Gods’ great love affair with humanity. We may try to run and hide, but the arm of God’s love for us is always long enough to reach and rescue us.”

John Wesley’s Teachings on the Loving God:

“Love is such an easy word to say and such a hard thing to do. Ultimately love shows itself not by declarations of affection but by the service we render to the one we profess to love, especially service that inconveniences us or that calls for sacrifice. What is true in expressions of human love is equally true of our love for God. Jesus put the matter quite simply: If we love him, we will keep his commandments. “(John 14:15)

How great is God’s love?

Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

Everlasting means there is no beginning and no ending. Since God is eternal and God is love, the more we discover about Love, the more we know God; and the more we know about God, the more we know about love.

God’s love is infinite. In Eph 3:18-19, Paul writes “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you many be filled with all the fullness of God. “ The Message reads “And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.”

Dr. Barnhouse described God’s love like this. He said we are touched by the edge of this love, bathed in it, but we can’t fathom just how great the love is, even as the sea is beyond the human swimmer to conquer.

Why does he love us? There is no cause why God should ever love us. But as His heart is love, He found his own purpose for his divine love of us.

God’s heart is love. As God is perfect love, he cannot even look upon sin. Sin is anything that keeps us out of our personal relationship with God. Anything that keeps us from knowing God’s grace and forgiveness is Sin. We could not overcome our own sinful nature to love God and reach Him. He had to reach for us, by becoming human, and being a living sacrifice to overcome our sins.

As Jesus was perfection sacrificed, and His spirit dwells in all of his believers, when God looks upon us he no longer sees our sins, but he sees Jesus reflected in us. This is the great and eternal gift of God.

Love was manifested in Jesus Christ. To manifest is the revelation of something that had before been hidden. When Christ was made visible, the eternal, infinite sovereign love was with us. He was to become a sacrificial lamb and to die for all of mankind’s sins, past, present and future. Imagine that. He took every sin upon himself for every one of us, throughout history from the beginning to the end, and died so that we could live in His eternal grace. Think of that. He died for You! Your personally, as well as humanity universally, so we could have a relationship with him. So that we could experience and share in His divine love.

He was the gift of God’s love, he loved us enough to give his life for you. For you personally, and humanity universally.

In John 15:12-13 Jesus tells us “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

So Christians are called to witness through loving acts of Agape, to love one another as Jesus had done. Do we? We should be reaching out to those that are hurting, those in mourning, those that are hungry, suffering, in prisons, addicted, stricken, and ostracized from society. When I hear Christians attacking others such as homosexuals, drug addicts, abortionists with venom and verve, I cry inside, for this is not what we are called to do. That is not the great commission.

The song by Casting Crowns gets this absolutely right:

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way
Jesus payed much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

God’s love is for everyone and is so powerful that nothing can come between Him and us, if we simply accept Him into our hearts as our savior.

Romans 8:38 states ”For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor other things, present, nor things to come, not powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the Message Romans 8:38 reads “None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing, nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable- absolutely NOTHING can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

God’s love is universal and personal.

No one needs to ever feel left out, as God’s love is open to all. That’s right, all of us. We are all sinners, none stands before God in perfection except through Christ Jesus. God’s love is open to EVERYONE, not just the Frozen Chosen, but the prostitute, the abortionist, the homosexual, the pornographer, the wife-beater, murderer, liar, cheat, adulterer, alcoholic, road-rager, abuser, and yes, even the lawyer-politicians. Every one of us. None of us are reconciled to God through anything we do, but through the Grace of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Many folks stop there, but if you continue into John 3:17-18 you discover “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because the have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

So what do you have to do to know him? Simply accept Him into your heart. Confess that you are a sinner. Ask Him to save you and accept His grace, his sacrifice for you. If you do this, you shall be saved and know the personal love of the God of the Universe.

We are made partakers of divine salvation, and divine love.

God’s love is everlasting, infinite, manifest, redeeming, sacrificial, personal, rebuking, providing, protecting, universal, sustaining, and pure.

Accept it. Accept Him. Then show His love to others by your actions. Good works do not save you, Christ already did that and what can you possibly do to equal that Holy Sacrifice? We do good works because we are Christians. Show it.

(This was inspired by a Bible lesson on God’s Love by Dr. Barnhouse that can be listened to at alliancenet.org.)

Seeing God

2011-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have a testimony to share. Last month, I received a phone call from one of my very best friends, Mark Ramsey. It was bad news. Mark's mother, Yvonne, had been diagnosed with spinal cancer and had been given no more than three months to live. She had fought cancer seven years or so earlier and it had gone into remission. Two years ago she nearly died when she suffered a stroke. The past year she had been living in an assisted living home, and was as happy as I think I'd ever seen her. I had visited her only two weeks earlier and she was complaining of constant back pain. Mark had taken her to the Doctor and after many tests they had delivered the news. Mark asked if I would help move his mother's furniture to a new home where she could receive constant care and attention. This call was on a Sunday, I told him I couldn't be there until Wednesday, he said no problem.

When I arrived Wednesday morning I learned that Yvonne had never left the hospital and had gone down very quickly. Mark's sister Kim and his oldest daughter, Erica, had stayed at the hospital with her. Mark and I left his home to get Yvonne's stuff moved. It was very hot, over 100 degrees, and after some sweating, we had just begun to move the furniture to my truck when Mark's cell phone rang. It was Kim. She reported that their mother was going down fast and that he should return to the hospital as soon as possible.

We left the home and began the drive to the hospital. Mark and I had been having very deep theological discussions about God, His plan for us, and our lives as Christians. Mark was hurting, knowing that his mother's death was near. I told him, "Even in the darkest times, God is with us. If you look for Him today, you will see him."

We stopped at a convenience store to get some drinks. I had just driven in from Caldwell and was very thirsty. Mark got an energy drink, and I got a diet coke with a bottle of water. We stood behind five or six people in line to the counter and good-naturedly argued about which of us were going to pay for the beverages, as men are want to do. I said, "I got this." Mark said, "No your my guest I got it." Etc.

A Hispanic day-laborer was in the line in front of us. He turned to us and smiled, "I got it!" Mark and I laughed. It was a good release to the tension we were both feeling about what the rest of the day would hold for his family. When we got to the counter, the lady said, "He already paid for it," and pointed out the door. We were moved to say the least. Here a complete stranger, a Hispanic, day-laborer had paid for our drinks on the day Mark needed to see human agape love the most. Mark couldn't speak. I went outside and found the man sitting on the curb eating a sandwich and drinking a coke. I didn't know what to say, but managed to thank him, "Man, you don't know what you just did for us. My friend's mother is dying. We are on the way to the hospital now. God used you. God bless you." He just smiled and waved me off.

On the way to the hospital, we were quiet for a while. I know we were both thinking of my words, that you will see God had come true. This small random act of kindness from one human being to another was a small miracle. As we approached the hospital, we noticed a poor man living on the streets, walking by with a limp. I stopped the truck and handed Mark the unopened water bottle. Mark offered the man the water. He smiled and said, "God bless you. I was just praying for water. This is exactly what I need in this heat."

In the hospital, Kim told us what had occurred earlier in the day. Yvonne woke up and asked who all the people were in the room. There had not been anyone there but Kim and Erica. Yvonne drifted back to sleep only to wake up later saying, "Kim, my momma's here. What do I do?" Yvonne's mother had died some years before. Kim told her, "Momma, she's here to take you home. You can go. Don't worry about us, we are fine." Yvonne woke a few more times, including while Mark and I were there. She was in a lot of pain and her breathing had turned into that death rattle that I found all too familiar having been with my grandmother and with my mother-in-law as they passed.

Kim and I began discussing Yvonne's condition and I told her that I thought she had six or seven more hours at the most. Yvonne died about six and half hours later. The miracle here is that Yvonne had not suffered very long. Two weeks earlier I had walked and visited with her. Mark, Kim, and Erica witnessed God taking their mother home, and Christ's love shone in a little Hispanic day-laborer's small act of kindness. A week later we gathered and spread her ashes. We prayed and cried, but it was a good day.

God is with you. Through good and bad. Through triumph and sorrow. He loves you. Look for Him and you will see him.

When Christians hurt Christianity

2011-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

The older I get and the more I come to understand about God's Word, the body of Christ, the Priesthood of all believers, and God's Grace, the more upset I get at those Christians who attack, belittle, and show NO agape love of others. Now I've always considered those like the Westboro Baptist cult as extremists and fringe groups that are heretical likened to the early heresies suffered in the Church of the first three centuries. Then I started listening to Christian Radio. Some of it is wonderful and uplifting-sharing the Good News as the Great Commission requires of all Christians. But other things I heard on the radio greatly upset me. I don't believe you can lead anyone to God's Saving Grace by telling them that they are evil and going to burn in Hell for eternity. Or that if someone believes in evolution, they are damned for eternity.

Here is a message for all Christians: Only God Saves! You can point the way, but only the Holy Spirit can change hearts, and only by the precious blood of Christ is anyone saved.

Jesus sought out the sinners, ate with them, taught them, loved them. He didn't stay in the clean walls of the synagogues with the Pharisees who sought pure cleanliness and holier-than-thou attitudes. There is a HUGE lesson there for us. He also spoke more about judgementalism than love! Uh-oh. What lesson do we take from that?

Do I believe Hell exists? Yes. But I think Hell is truly the total absence of God's love and spirit. And if you are a Christian, then you know this is a fate worse than eternal burning. Jesus referred to Hell as Gehenna. Gehenna was the trash pit outside of Jerusalem where all the trash was burned on a daily basis. The trash existed, was destroyed, and was no more.

No one is saved by being told they are going to burn in Hell. They are led to Christ by Christians living the Christian life, and offering the love of God and acceptance to those who have not known it. Walk the Walk, don't just talk the talk. Be what he has called us to be.

We can disagree on many, many issues, but if you teach anything more than Grace, you are missing the point. Read the words of Christ. What does He say? Love you neighbor as yourself. Give to the poor, feed the hungry, cloth those that need it, visit those in prison, help the widows and the orphans. Love your enemies. Pray for them.

He did not cut them off from His fellowship. If you cast out sinners, then none will ever be in the Church. I have news for all of you. You and I are sinners. None of us will ever stand before God in a sinless state.

Now as to sin. Only man places degrees of horribleness on sin. God is pure and all sin is an anathema to Him. That means the little ones (using God's name in vain) and the big ones (murder, rape) are all the same to Him!

Do NOT be a Pharisee. Seek understanding, wisdom, and friendship with those who are not Christians. Let them learn by your example. Pray, love, and seek peace in all situations.

We can disagree and still be Christians, but you will never lead others into a relationship with God by bashing, attacking, or other radical actions or words. Be an instrument of God's love, or get out of His way. If you are the cause of others turning away from God and you call yourself a Christian, than I think you will have a difficult time on that day when you stand before him and he reviews what you did and said in this life!

What have you done lately to show the love of Christ to others? What have you said? Where is your heart? Who has come to see God in you?

That is the Great Commission. If you call yourself a Christian, put up or shut up!

Praying for you,

Ed

Early Christian Teachers: Philo of Alexandria c15 B.C. to c. 50 A.D.

2010-10-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Okay. Philo was not a Christian, but a Jewish philosopher and interpreter of the Torah. However his ideas of studying would greatly influence the early Christians.

Philo was a Hellenistic (Greek) Jew. He was one of the first to combine the logical processes of the Greeks with the truths of Judaism. He was a Stoic. Stoicism was a type of Greek philosophy founded in Athens in the early 3rd century B.C. They believed that strong emotions resulted in errors in judgment and strove to separate themselves from such emotion. They were very interested in the free will of humanity compared to the gods, or God. They sought to use logical processes to understand the cosmic universe.

Philo regarded the Torah as the "source not only of religious revelation, but also of philosophic truth." (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=281&letter=P) He wrote commentaries on Jewish law and he also wrote in allegory searching for the inner truths and meanings of the Torah, not just the literal ones. In fact, he often rejected any literal sense of scriptural passages if it raised any type of factual contradiction. He also pointed out that what the scriptures didn't literally state was also important, and that a single word is often the key to true interpretation. He believed that each word should be studied for the inner meaning or truth of the passage.

"According to Philo, God transcends all first principles,...is incorporeal and cannot even be said to occupy a space or place; He is eternal, changeless, self-sufficient and free from all constraint or necessity (cf. Tripolitis 1978, pp. 5-6 ff.). God freely willed the creation of the cosmos, first in a purely intellectual manner, and then, through the agency of His Logos (Philo's philosophical term for the Wisdom figure of Proverbs 8:22)....Philo calls the thoughts of the Logos "rational seeds" (logoi spermatikoi), and describes them as having a role in the production of the cosmos which, he insists, was brought into being out of non-being by the agency of God." [http://www.sullivan-county.com/id2/neoplatonism.htm]

Christians took to the idea of the Logos. In fact the introduction of the Book of John in the New Testament has seeds of Philo's writings such as using the term "Word" translated as "Logos." He also taught that God helps His followers based on their love and devotion to him and their fellow man.

Many early Christian teachers would follow his Hellenistic example of understanding the verses through Allegory, word meanings, and the silence of the scriptures. These included Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Augustine.

It should be noted that many of the Jews of Judea did not accept his teachings as they were opposed to the teachings of the Pharasees at that time.

What does all this mean? Human beings have struggled to understand the Bible for thousands of years. Some view a literal interpretation of everything in it. Some look for the allegorical truths, while others debate the meanings of the words. I think all of this together in the Weslayan tradition should be studied, prayed over, and the truths sought out.

Why Were the Early Christians Hated and Persecuted?

2010-10-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

The early Christians of Jerusalem, as I've already discussed, were seen as a Jewish sect. Paul came to the Jerusalem Council and argued to allow Gentiles (non-Jews) to become Christians. As more gentiles joined the fold, many true Jews were upset, and they were angry with some of the teachings of the Christians. Remember the martyrdom of Stephen. Following the Stephen's murder, the Christians fled Jerusalem and spread the Gospel throughout Judea and into Asia-Minor (Turkey) and North Africa, as well as throughout the Roman Empire.

The Romans worshipped and sacrificed to many gods, while the Christians denied the existance of any god, but the one true God. The Christians practiced Communion in secret, and rumors developed about Christians being cannibals (eating the body and drinking blood). Christians also stood against the status quo and were revolutionary with their teachings such as Love your enemies, and that slaves could be rewarded equally with the rich and the nobles in Christ's service. In fact in Galatians 3:28, Paul stated that there was neither Jew nor Greek, neither "slave nor free, there is neither male nor female." This type of talk was very offensive to the castes of the Romans.

The Romans were also fed up with the Jewish zealots and revolts throughout Judea that had been occurring for almost a hundred years. Around 50 A.D. during a Passover ceremony, a Roman guard "mooned" the Jewish elect and chaos and rioting resulted. When all was over, nearly 30,000 Jews were killed. Eventually Jewish zealots attacked Roman outposts and Nero sent General Vespasian to end the problem. Soon after, Vespasian was crowned the Roman emperor. On August 5, 70 A.D. the Romans conquered Jerusalem and burned the temple mount to the ground. Following this tragedy the Jewish leaders of the Diaspora (the time of scattering througout all the lands of the world), began to exclude other groups, such as the Christians. Timothy Paul Jones, a modern scholar and minister, writes that by "90 A.D. the weekly synagogue prayers included a curse against" the Christians.

Emperor Domitian (son of Vespasian) continued persecuting all Jewish groups, including the Christians. Then Emperor Trajan also persecuted the Christians. Christians were considered outlaws and criminals and were hunted down, killed in the arenas, burned, and crucified. Many of the early Christians began to believe that they could earn their way to Heaven by dying as martyrs, though most of the leaders of the Church taught against this early "heresy." By the mid-100s, many Christian leaders became known as apologists, as they argued to prove that Christians were not criminals or outlaws.

The Christian God was different from the Roman ones. He was a personal savior. He had suffered and died. He understood human suffering and loss. Despite all the persecution and violence, Christianity continued to grow throughout the Roman Empire, as people sought this personal relationship with a loving God. It has been said the Church grows more when it is persecuted. This may be true, it certainly was in the Roman days.

God did not promise anything in this life, but peace and joy of the soul in relationship with Him. To the early Christians, that was enough.

The Apostles

2010-10-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

The 12 Disciples of Jesus were chosen to experience his ministry first hand and following his crucifixion and resurrection the 11 remaining were caught up in the Holy Fire of the Holy Spirit and set out to work in his service.

Christians are not promised success, wealth, or even good health in this life. Sorry to the mega success churches out there, but they got it wrong. The proof. Here is what happened to the Apostles:

1. Simon-Peter: The Fisherman who was chosen by Jesus to the the Rock of his Church (to establish Christianity), the only human to ever walk on water (though he ultimately failed when he took his eyes off Jesus), the one who swore to never deny Christ, though he did three times in one night, and after the ressurrection-it was Peter who Jesus told to "Feed my sheep." He eventually made his way to Rome where he was crucified during Nero's persecution of the Christians. Nero blamed the Christians for setting Rome on fire in 65 A.D., making them scapegoats for what many believe was his plan to rebuild Rome. Peter refused to be crucified as Jesus had been, "I'm not worthy." Instead tradition states he was crucified upside down and suffered a horrible death.

2. James-Son of Zebedee, one of the first chosen by Jesus, and witness to the transfiguration. Following the first wave of anti-Christian rioting with the murder of Stephen, James is said to have traveled to Spain, then after a vision, returned home to be beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I in 44 A.D.

3. John-Son of Zebedee, one of the first chosen by Jesus, witness to the transfiguration, member of the Jerusalem ruling council, and the only disciple to remain with Jesus' mother at the foot of the cross watching Jesus die. John is the one "Jesus loved," though he obviously loved them all. He lived to be very old and died in 100 A.D. after recieving many prophetic visions. He was the only Apostle that died of natural causes.

4. Andrew, brother of Simon-Peter, an original follower of John the Baptist and then Jesus, and later he spread the Gospel to north of the Black Sea, and to the new city of Byzantium. He was crucified in Patras in Greece. Like Simon-Peter, he begged not to be crucified as Jesus had been, but instead was tied to a cross that made an X now known as Saint Andrew's Cross.

5. Philip. He preached to the Hellenistic (Greek) Jews. Tradition states that he converted the wife of the Roman Proconsul in Heirapolis. The Proconsul was so angry he had Philip, Bartholomew, and Mariamne tortured and then crucified Philip and Bartholomew upside-down, but Philip continued to preach from the cross. The crowd, converted, and released Bartholomew, but Philip refused to be released and died on the cross. Another legend has him beheaded in Hierapolis. Either way, he was probably killed there for his teachings.

6. Bartholomew (Nathaniel). The Apostle usually linked with Philip. Following the resurrection, tradition states he traveled to India through Mesopotamia and Armenia. Stories tell that he was flayed alive, and crucified, head downward by the brother of the King of Armenia after he converted the King to Christianity. Other stories state he was beheaded in Armenia.

7. Matthew. He followed Jesus and was a witness to the resurrection and ascension of Christ. He lived in the upper room with Mary and other Christians in Jerusalem. He preached the Gospel throughout Judea and later to Ethiopia, Greece, and Persia. He may have died of natural causes, but the Catholic church claim he died a martyrs death.

8. Thomas, the one who doubted. He may have also been known as Judas (no not that one, he is listed later). It is believed he traveled to India and preached the Good News until about 72 A.D., when he upset Madai, a local king at mylapore. Madai ordered Thomas to be taken to a nearby mountain, be allowed to pray, then they stoned and stabbled him to death.

9. James the lesser, the Just. According to tradition he may have been a early leader of the Christian sect in Jerusalem following the Ascencion of Christ. Tradition states he was martyred by being beaten to death by a club at Ostrakine in Lower Egypt while preaching the Gospel.

10. Jude, possibly also known as Thaddeus. According to Armenian tradition he was martyred in 65 A.D. in Beirut, Lebanon.

11. Simon the Zealot. He wanted to free Israel from the Romans and like Judas Iscariot, probably wanted Jesus to be a warrior king rather than the Prince of Peace. After the Ascension, Simon evangelized with Jude in Egypt, Persia, and Armenia. There are many traditions about his death and possible martyrdom. Justus Lipsius writes that Simon was sawed in half at Suanir, Persia. Others state he was martyred in Spain, Britain, or even was killed in the Jewish revolt against Rome. Only one states he died peacefully in Edessa.

12. Judas Iscariot. The Betrayer of Christ. He may have committed suicide after the betrayal, some traditions state his innards burst out of his body, some state he grew enormous and was crushed by a chariot, and one even states that the other disciples stoned him to death. I go with the Gospel of Matthew and believe he killed himself, probably by a sword or dagger to the gut (hence the field of blood reference).

13. Matthais. Judas Iscariot's replacement following the Ascension. An early historian, Nicephorus wrote that Matthais taught in Judea, then in the modern region of Georgia (no not the state, the nation near Russia) where he was crucified in Colchis. Another tradition states he was stoned in Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers and beheaded.

So. Only one for sure, and possibly two of the original Apostles lived a long life and died of natural causes. We are not assured of peace, health, or success in this life. We are assured that we are saved in the next life with Jesus in eternal worship and joy. We are promised earthly joy in Christ. If you have a personal relationship with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will comfort and guide you, and your earthly days will be a monument to His grace, love, and forgiveness.

De Colores.

Peter's Life

2010-06-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Apostle Peter

Simon was a simple fisherman. Jesus chose him to become “fishers of men.” Can you imagine meeting someone, they ask you to leave everything you have, all the people in your life, your job, perhaps even a wife and children, and you do? Obviously there was power with Jesus and charisma that drew people to him.

Simon’s brother is the Apostle Andrew and their father was John of Jonah from the village of Bethsaida in Galilee. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist and had witnessed John announce Jesus as the Lamb of God. Andrew then went to Simon and and brought him to hear Jesus. Simon owned a fishing boat and was listening to Jesus teach on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. The crowd was pressing closely to Jesus, and He used Simon’s boat to stand on to preach to the masses. Jesus then performed a miracle by having Simon, and his fishing buddies, James and John, lower their nets and catch a large number of fish. Amazed, they decided to follow him.

Later, Peter is called upon by Christ to establish the Christian Church. “And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.” (Matthew 16: 18-19. Peter or Petra is translated to be “rock,” though there was some controversy in the translation from the Hebrew and Greek. Jesus then said to Peter in verse 19, “I will give to thee the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” According to Acts 1-2, 10-11, 15, Peter is the leader of the early church of Jerusalem and church traditions state he later moved to Rome and established the Church there.

The Protestant view is that Jesus is not referring to Peter when talking about the rock, but referring to Peter’s confession of faith in the preceding versus. This would mean that the Church would be built upon the foundation of “revelation of and confession of faith of Jesus as the Christ.” Even this is debated amongst Protestant Church historians.

Does this debate matter? Yes and no. Yes if you are proving the primacy of Peter as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, or if you are teaching that faith is the rock that would establish the Christian church on earth. No when it comes to salvation. Some things we can put on a shelf and trust that God knows what we do not.

After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter established the church in Antioch and preached to other churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, and Bithynia. He was arraigned before the Jewish Sanhedrin twice for preaching the Good News and directly defied their orders. He supported Paul and the evangelizing to the Gentiles.

When the persecutions began he fled Jerusalem and went to Rome to establish Christianity there. Jesus had told him, “when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and take you where you do not want to go.” Many believe Peter was crucified at Rome. He was placed on an upside down cross as he did not consider himself to die the same way as his master. This was probably during the time of the great fire of Rome in the year 64. Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome and had many rounded up and crucified for it.

Now consider this. Peter loved Jesus as a disciple, but denied him three times on the day of his crucifixion. He was human and afraid for his own life. Then following Pentecost, he was on fire for Christ, willing to go anywhere, face any hardship, to teach the saving news that Christ loves us, died for us, so we could have everlasting life with him. He was a Christian. He faced death on an upside down cross to serve the Lord.

Christianity does not promise an easy life on this earth. However, it is a life of peace, understanding, love of others, and service that makes this life worthwhile. Christianity offers us a new way to live as brothers and sisters in a Society of Agape, and promises everlasting life with our Savior and with our loved ones.

Consider Peter’s story of Christian growth from denial to facing death on a cross to srve the God he loved.

What are you called to do? How can you serve? I ask myself this everyday and though I fail most days, I keep this truth close to my heart. Am I serving Him today? Am I living an authentic Christian witness? What can I do differently?

Love to all,

Ed

Wesley's Quadrilateral

2010-05-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I could post. Here is something I've learned only during the past few weeks. Thanks Jeff Gage of Bryan's First United Methodist Church for introducing me to this concept.

I believe in growth through study. I am also a devout Wesleyan in how I view my Christian life and service. John Wesley was a man way ahead of his time in how he viewed the Christian life and our responsibilities to our fellow man. He was chased out of many towns and churches for preaching hard truths and forcing them to think about what they were doing and why they were doing it.

I’ll write more about John Wesley another time though, as today I want to discuss the “Wesley Quadrilateral.” First know that Wesley never wrote directly about this, but people who have studied his writings and journals have summarized his views this way.

The Wesley Quadrilateral is a way we can study the Bible to come to various theological conclusions (truths) about how to live our lives as Christians. I have recently heard a radio preacher speaking about women preaching and how the Bible expressly forbids this. He then said, “You can’t pick and choose what you believe and don’t believe. It’s in the Bible, therefore you have to do it.”

Really? So when your brother dies, you marry your sister in law to keep the bloodline strong? You take part in stoning adulterers? Oh that part doesn’t apply? But you just said, “You can’t pick and choose what you believe and don’t believe.”

So how do we find the answers we seek? What are the truths that God reveals to us in the Bible? Wesley’s thoughts on this are my own and they come down to the famous Wesley Quadrilateral.

First the Bible is divinely inspired and is the primary way we learn of God’s will for our lives. Wesley taught that the Bible was “primary, but not solitary.” This meant that the Bible is where all instruction begins and all the answers are there, but we must also apply reason, experience, and tradition to truly come to the understandings we so desperately seek.

I’ve heard a minister say, “The King James version of the Bible is the only Bible.” Really? What about all the other Bibles printed or copied since the 3rd century? The King James was an English language version in the 16th century marking a Reformation movement for people to be able to read the Bible in their own language. See Education and the application of REASON are important. God would not have given us reason if he did not expect us to use it. I’ve also heard another minister teach that it is “easier for to get a camel through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” He then held up a sewing needle basically emphasizing that no rich man could ever get to Heaven. Okay, let’s apply some reason here. The “Eye of the Needle” was the gate leading to where the Camels and other animals were kept in the “barnyard.” Camels are big, dumb animals and have to be kicked and prodded to be brought into the yard through the gate, but they do make it inside, usually on a daily basis. See this changes the entire meaning of the quote. Don’t half-quote scripture, and do not attempt to apply it without Reason!

To truly understand what Paul was saying about lady ministers we must understand the culture and times he lived in, the basic morals and values, and traditions of that time. If you read the scripture, apply Reason, personal experiences, and church (universal) traditions then you can come to an understanding of what is right and wrong, what are the truths, and how they effect your PERSONAL relationship with God.

Personal experiences are also important in our understanding of God’s love and grace. I believe that every person must “seek God with fear and trembling” as each of us must answer to him for our own lives. My experiences in various churches growing up had both positive and negative effects on me. My personal growth through study in my Church and in my life have given me some insights that may be wrong, but I hope are right. My goal is to live an authentic, Christian life that may help others to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. My goal is not to attack my brother’s and sisters, to be judgmental, or to drive them away from knowing God’s love and grace. How has God worked in my life and how can I grow and develop from these experiences? We do not exist in a vacuum, and God is ever revealing himself to us in our personal relationship with him. If you came to the alter to get married, you wouldn’t say goodbye as soon as the ceremony was done and leave to live the rest of your life without your spouse. The conversion experience is like that. You must foster a personal relationship with God to grow in that relationship. This is the purpose for your life.

Finally there is the idea of church traditions. Why do Methodist’s always do Communion during the 1st Sunday of a Month? A hundred years ago, itinerate ministers rode from town to town and would perform Communion and weddings while he was there, usually once a month. The Bible actually doesn’t prescribe when to have the Communion service. Jesus said, “Do this as often as you eat it.” Does this mean every meal, or does this mean when we stop to remember him? The church must change and grow with the times. It does not make sense for the church to practice and teach as it did 1000 years ago. The truths may be the same, but the culture, the technology, even the literacy rates are different.

Only by using the Bible as the primary source for learning, and then applying reason, experience, and traditions can we truly discover the truths of God’s grace and love for us and further our personal relationships with him.

The Ever-Revealing God

2010-01-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Who is God? What is he? She? How did humanity move from being mostly polytheistic (worshipping many gods), to being mostly monotheistic (worshipping one God)? In 1912, Father Wilhelm Schmidt, in his book, The Origin of the Idea of God,” suggested that there had been a primitive monotheism before men and women had started to worship a number of gods”. He states that this original, High God, was replaced by the “more attractive gods of the pagan pantheons.” However, most anthropologists believe that most of the ancient world was polytheistic.

It was with an ancient man named Abraham in the land of Sumer, outside of the city-state of Ur, that the God of the Jews is revealed. Abraham is said to have left Ur and eventually settled in the land of Canaan sometime between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries BC, or about 4000 years ago. God tells Abraham that he has a special destiny as the father of a great nation. His sons become the fathers of the tribes of Israel and eventually move to Egypt to escape a famine. Abraham knew Him as El Shaddai. In these ancient times God would appear and walk among men in an intimate manner. They could talk to him and even wrestle with Him, as Jacob did on the West Bank of Jabbok. God tested Abraham’s trust (faith) when he ordered him to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is a horrible story to our modern understanding, and many Christians have debated what this was for. We need to understand that many of the gods of ancient days practiced human sacrifice as they required “the input of energy from men and women.” God did not, and by stopping the sacrifice of Isaac he was distancing himself from these other human-created gods. Abraham had proven his faith and the covenant was secure. God was seen as a jealous, war-like God, who protected His elect, and punished all who stood against them. So afraid of Him were the Jews, that they refused to call him by name (they believed that names had power, and that no mere mortal could contain the power of God by naming him). Ancient Hebrew writing YHWH, left out the vowels so His name would not be pronounced.

Later, when God led Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he sent many plagues and finally the Angel of Death to strike down all the first born males of Egypt, then destroyed Pharaoh’s army by swallowing them up in the miracle at the Sea of Reeds. At this time the Israelites saw God as a God of War, also known as Yahwek Sabaoth, the God of Armies. God would make a new covenant with Moses. The people of Israel were to worship only God and would keep to his laws. He required obedience, but time and time again the Israelites would fail in their part of this agreement.

Eventually the Jews created a temple as a place to house the Ark of the Covenant and they began to see it as a “replica of Yahweh’s heavenly court.” His worshippers saw him as a being of fire and power, though Elijah would show another aspect of God when he took refuge on a mountain of the Sinai peninsula. He sheltered in the rocks and waited to see God. There was a mighty wind, but God was not in it. Then a great earthquake, but God was not in it. Then fire, but again God was not in it. After the fire came the sound of a gentle breeze. Elijah knew God was there and he “covered his face with a cloak.” Unlike the pagan gods, the God of the Hebrews was not in any of the “forces of nature but in a realm apart. He is experienced in the scarcely perceptible timbre of a tiny breeze in the paradox of voiced silence.”

Around 900 B.C., the Hebrew’s ideas of God began to change again. God’s prophets communed with him and new ideas of social justice began to develop. What was in men’s hearts was more important than the outward observances of Jewish traditions. God, ever seeking a closer relationship with man was continually being revealed. In fact, a basic tenet of the Jewish religious beliefs includes studying the Torah, as well as the ever-revealing truth of God. This is something that many Christians have lost in their traditions. God is always seeking a closer relationship with us and is ever-revealing Himself to us. Jews were required to profess their faith in the Shema: “Listen Israel! Yahweh is our God. He alone! You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “

At the time of Christ, the most progressive of the Jewish sects were the Pharisees. Yes, I know they have been depicted as hypocrites in our modern churches, but some scholars suggest that Christ was one of them as he often debated with them in their style of questioning and debate (only other Pharisees were allowed to debate in this manner). They believed that everyone in Israel were “called to be a holy nation of priests. God could be present in the humblest home as well as in the Temple….Jews could now approach [H]im directly without the mediation of a priestly caste and an elaborate ritual. They could atone for their sins by acts of loving-kindness to their neighbor; charity was the most important mitzvah in the Torah; when two or three Jews studied the Torah together, God was in their midst.”

One story of Pharisaic Master Hillial, states he was approached by a pagan and told that the man would convert if the Master could recite the Torah while standing on one foot. “Hillial replied: ‘Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you. That is the whole of the Torah: go and learn it.”

Another story, following the destruction of the temple by the Romans has the Rabbi Yohannan teaching another not to be upset, that “We have another atonement as effective as this. And what is it? It is the acts of loving kindness, as it is said: ‘For I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’”

So God is ever revealing himself to us. He desires a personal relationship with us. His grace calls to us. He loved us enough to take on human form, to live amongst us, to suffer loss, end experience the joys and sorrows of mankind, and to finally experience death on a cross in our place, so we may come to him justified, and have life-everlasting in him.

God loves you. Accept it.

Most of this was extracted from the book A History of God by Karen Armstrong and from the Bible.

Sunday School Commentary by Dale Timien

2009-12-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

Dale is a good friend of mine and he is leading our Sunday School class. Each week we discuss something new about the Bible or pose questions to the group for study. Dale responds by writing a commentary that is good to get us started on our journey of discovery. I've asked, and gotten his permission, to post these on this blog. Here is the first one. It is about Acts 5 and the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira.

Acts 5

Ananias and Sapphira
1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.
3-4Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."
5-6Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7-8Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?"
"Yes," she said, "that price."
9-10Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.

Commentary:The death of Ananias and Sapphira.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may fore-go their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle of unbelief reigning in the heart of Ananias. But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles.

The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavoring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But if we think to put a cheat upon God, we shall put a fatal cheat upon our own souls. How sad to see those relations who should quicken one another to that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil! And this punishment was in reality mercy to vast numbers. It would cause strict self-examination, prayer, and dread of hypocrisy, covetousness, and vain-glory, and it should still do so. It would prevent the increase of false professors. Let us learn hence how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and not only shun a direct lie, but all advantages from the use of doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech. (Ac 5:12-16)

Paul's Contributions

2009-12-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

The Apostle Paul is one of the key figures in the growth of Christianity from simply a splinter-Jewish group to the largest religion in the world today. How could one man make such a difference?

What's even more bizarre is that Paul was a Hellenistic Jew (named Saul), trained as a Pharisee, who hated the Christians and even led the early assaults in Jerusalem against them. He was a witness to the murder of St. Stephen and was considered one of the biggest anti-Christian's in Israel. Not satisfied with his "threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" in Jerusalem, he attainted letters from the High Priests to go to the synagogues in Damascus to search for any members of the Way (Christians). On the road to Damascus he had a personal interaction with Jesus that changed his life forever.

Acts 9:3-9:9 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

First we need to understand that the original persecution following the stoning of St. Stephen was according to God's plan. The Christians of Jerusalem had to be broken up to spread into the rest of the middle east. The communal life style of their first few years was set up to await His coming, and did not really go forth to preach the Good News to all the Earth. The persecution led by Paul caused many Christians to spread into Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and soon the rest of the Roman Empire.

Second, we need to know that Saul was a Godly man, who was devout in his Hebraic studies, and lived as a Pharisee. He was attacking the Christians because he believed they had blasphemed the Lord of Abraham, and the laws of Moses. God knew his heart, and that is why he chose Saul to become his instrument on Earth to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and to help start the early Church.

Third, as devoted as he was as a Pharisee, he was just as devoted to the Lord following his conversion, if not more so.

Time and again in the Bible we learn that God chooses those whom we would not. Moses suffered from a speech impediment, David from Lust, and Saul the Christian hating Pharisee!

He can use anyone! He can use you!

Will you answer the call?

Will you stand for Jesus?

De Colores

Stephen, the First Martyr

2009-12-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

The two groups of Christian-Jews were experiencing some difficulties in their communal living arrangements. The Hebrews, those born in Israel, were taking better care of the Hebraic widows, while the Hellenistic (Greek-foriegn born) widows were being "neglected in the daily distribution of food."

The Apostles realized that something had to be done, but they had too much on their plate already. So they ordained seven others to see that the apportionments would be equal for all. One of the men they chose was Stephen, "a man filled with the Holy Spirit," who was "full of grace and power, did wonders and great signs among the people."

Stephen was on fire for the Lord and preached to all who would listen. He spoke of the good news that Christ was the Savior to such an extent that one Jewish group was offended by his words and accused him of blasphemy against God and Moses. They had Stephen arrested and brought to the ruling Sanhedron to have him judged. They had many "false witnesses" who swore that Stephen spoke against the "holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazereth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us."

The book of Acts then says that as they looked upon him, his face was "like the face of an angel." What does this mean? Perhaps it means he was quiet and serene. Some think the Holy Spirit was with him, and it was obvious for all who looked upon him that day.

Then they asked him to reply to these charges. Stephen took the opportunity to preach! He boldly spoke of the history of Israel and of how time and again they turned their backs on God and his prophets. His harangue started with Abraham then went to Joseph, to Moses, to Jacob, then he attacks the idea that God lives in a temple, "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hand." He's really rolling in his attack on them now and ends with, "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in the heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that recieved the law as ordained by the angels, and yet you have not kept it."

Okay. This made them furious! He had just told the most "religious" men of Israel that they did not hear, nor head the Holy Spirit, that they persecuted the prophets, and had murdered Christ! I wonder if the "Angelic face" made them realize that he spoke for the Lord, as they lost all control and took him out to kill him. They "dragged him out and began to stone him" to death. God was with Stephen through this. He was "filled with the Holy Spirit," and "gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jsus standing at the right hand of God!" As they were killing him, Stephen prayed for them, "Lord Jesus, recieve my spirit." He knelt down and cried, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

You can imagine the anger and venom with which each stone was hurtled at Stephen's head. One of the men there that day with the Council was Saul. He held the coats of those that killed Stephen and he "approved of their killing him." Saul hated the Christians and led much of the persecution against them that began following Stephen's martyrdom.

The Book of Acts states that the Church of Jerusalem was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Saul led many righteous Jews and Romans against the Christians and was "ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women," and placing them into prison.

Where did the Christians go and what did they do? They went forth and spread the Good News "from place to place." Samaria became the next place where the Good News would take hold and many were converted to Christianity, thanks to the work of Philip and the testamonies of Peter and John.

This would only be the first of many times of persecution, but the Church would grow with each organized attack on it.

Remember, the early Christians "boldly" spoke the Good News.

Go Boldly into the World and proclaim the Good News, "Jesus died, Jesus is Risen, Jesus will come again."

Christianity Threatened traditional Jewish Traditions

2009-11-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Sadducees had already brought Peter and John before them and told them to no longer proclaim Jesus as the Savior. Peter and John responded by praising the Lord and continuing to spread the Good News. The people of Jerusalem continued to respond, even to the point where the sick were carried out into the streets and laid on cots and mats in order for Peter's shadow to fall upon them as he came by, hoping for healing. The Book of Acts states that "they were all cured."

The High Priest of the temple (A Sadducee) was "filled with jealousy" and arrested the Apostles and put them in prison to await punishment. However, in the night an Angel of the Lord "opened the prison doors, brought them out," and told them to "Go stand in the temple and tell the people the whold message about this life." Peter and the others returned to the temple and began to teach. Later that day the High Priest arrived and called together the council and all the Elders of Israel, and sent for the prisoners to be brought to them. The police returned and stated that the Apostles were no longer inside, but the prison had been "securely locked and the guards standing at the doors." He soon learned that they were in the temple teaching. Again they were arrested and brought before the council.

The High Priest accused them of teaching in Jesus' name and placing his blood (or death) upon the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem. Peter's answer, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." This angered the Priests, but Peter's next words almost signed his death warrent: "The god of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom YOU had killed by hanging him on a tree." Uh oh! When they heard this, "they were enraged and wanted to kill them."

Peter and the others were saved from death by a leader of the Pharisee's on the Council, Gamaliel. He warned of making them martyrs and causing even more trouble with the Roman rulers of Israel. He also warned that "if this plan is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them- in that case you may even be found to be fighting against God."

The Council was convinced and had the Apostles flogged.

How did the Apostle's respond to the whipping, which split their skin, and the public humiliation?

They "rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name." And despite being told once more to not speak in the name of Jesus, they continued to "teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah."

What can we learn from this? We are called to go "boldly" to proclaim Christ the Savior to the world. We may face trials, tribulations, ridicule, or even physical threats and responses, possibly even death, but if we are listening to God's will and following his plan, we will never be "overthrown."

God never leaves us. He never abandons us. He is always there. Even after we have walked away from him. That is his forever, prevenient grace. He loved us before we were born, he loves us today, and he will love us tomorrow. We fail.

I know I fail often.

He never does.

Amen.

The Church in Jerusalem...Socialism?

2009-11-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Apostles and the converts to Christianity were truly on fire for God as "when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness." The Book of Acts 4:32-35 says "the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common...There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."

Wow...they were...Socialists!

This used to bother me. I'm a devout Capitalist, and a believer in things like Popular Sovereignty, Republicanism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and Civil Liberties. I believe in personal liberties, equality, and the basic idea that you can achieve anything you are willing to work for.

Then I started considering why the early church was this way. First they did not know how long Christ would be away from the earth, and many wanted to sit around and wait for his return. Second, it makes sense as far as spreading the Good News to have the devout followers in one place, working together to extend the blessings of God's promise to everyone. Many missions were undertaken to spread Christianity thoughout not only Israel, but to the various ends of the Roman Empire. Of course these were originally meant only for Jewish converts, but that would soon change.

So this communal living arrangement worked for the early Church in Jerusalem, but ultimately it failed. Why? Some waited around and did not want to work. Bickering between the various Jewish-Christian groups (particularly the Hellenistic and Jerusalem Jews) caused schisms, and then the growth of various heresies over the next three hundred or so years of history.

It is also worth noting that the Essenes movement (prior to Christ) also believed in Communal living and that the end times were here, and this may have played a part in the early development of the Church in Jerusalem.

In fact is was expected that those in the commune give everything to the Church. One story is told in Acts 5 about Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Apparently they sold a piece of property, gave some of the money to the Church, but told everyone they had given all. Peter was very grave about this saying that Ananias had not just lied to the apostles, but to God. Ananias and his wife then died on the spot for putting the Spirit of the Lord to the test. Why did this happen?

This is one of those passages that gives me pause. It doesn't seem to jive with everything else that had happened from the birth of Christ to the formation of the Church in Jerusalem. The only thing I can think of is that this happened so God could show the people that this Church was real, the Holy Spirit was real, and they were not just playing at creating something new. The passage goes on to state that a "great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things." The word fear is not a true translation of the ancient Hebrew/Aramaic as I understand it. It does mean fear, but it also means respect and honor. I wonder if the tale of Ananias and his wife was really a "course correction" for the early church?

More to come...

A Break from History

2009-10-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

I had a long discussion with my wife Tracey the past two days. Our discussion goes back to the age old questions about why God allows bad things to happen to good people? Why do children get stricken with severe diseases and illnesses only to die young? Why do accidents often steal our loved ones from us? Why do good Christians, who supposedly are living the life in relationship with the Lord, have to suffer and die like everyone else?

I have answers to these questions, but first I want to state that these are my ideas that have developed over many years of wrangling with these questions, and many of my brother and sister Christians may disagree. That is okay. "Seek your salvation with fear and trembling," or some similar quote from the Bible is at the heart of my answer. I have an older sister who was born with spinomeningoencephalocill, which means the base of her skull did not close properly when she was forming in the womb. This left her with profound brain damage. I had a cousin Bradley, who was one of the sweetest down-syndrome kids anyone could ever know. I have a son who lives with autism.

Did God do this to us? Does he say, "I'll curse that child and his/her family?"

In my opinion...no. He does not.

God gave us Free Will. He did this so we can choose to love him. Otherwise we would simply be automatonic slaves with no real meaning in our relationship to him. Free Will means we get to decide how we are going to live, and whether we will choose to follow his teachings. Free Will shows the infinite love He has for us. You may have heard the expression, "If you love something set it free, if it comes back it is yours." Free Will and our relationship with God is kinda like that.

However, Free Will does mean that we may make bad choices. It means we get to develop in a world that is humanly controlled, despite the divine inspiration he seeks through us. It means that we, in our sinful, fallen nature, must suffer. It means we must die. Some of us will develop horrible diseases. Some will die or be mangled in accidents. Sometimes our children suffer birth defects.

It has always angered me when I hear other Christians say, "God gave you this child as a test." Right. God decided, "I'll retard this child to see if his parent's will grow in their faith." If He is love and truly is a Father, as Jesus pointed out, he would not do such a thing. If we have Free Will, he certainly would not do such a thing.

So what do I believe? I believe mankind lives in a sinful state with Free Will. We choose whether or not to follow Him, to serve Him, or to be obedient to His will. To quote that bumper sticker, "Sh.. Happens!" This is the life we live. The Lord never promises Christians a better life in this world than the non-believers. Our rewards are in the afterlife with him, in eternal communion in the loving spirit of God.

Even Jesus was destined to die. He faced death knowing that he did not have to, but if mankind was to be lifted above their sinful nature, and to have everlasting life in God, it had to happen. There is an eternal justice, and the sins of man had to be reconciled. He did it.

Do I believe that God has a plan for us and our world? Definitely. However, he works through His followers. He entrusts us with the earthly kingdom. Does God make his plans known? Yes, again, I definitely believe that God can do anything He chooses to do, but it will be for His glory, and to further the Body of Christ on Earth.

Some Christians believe that God has a plan for which shoes they should wear. I think this goes against the basic precepts of Free Will.

The greatest gift, outside of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, is the Holy Spirit. The Great Councilor. I believe that although God does not strike down our children, he offers the Holy Spirit to give us the Grace to overcome, to relate to, to understand, to accept, and to teach from our sorrows and pains. I know how Stephanie, my sister, effected me and countless others. I know how blessed I am to have Kevin in my life, and I have also seen how his enduring smile and infectious love of others effects everyone who comes in contact with him. I know how much I learned from watching my Grandfather Edgar die of cancer with grace and dignity.

All life is a lesson. If you let the Holy Spirit guide you, council you, and open yourself to the love, forgiveness, and acceptance that Christ offers, you can live in peace and acceptance. Yes, it still hurts. Yes, it is unfair. Yes, the pain never really goes away. But, the relationship with God is eternal. And in Heaven, all pain is gone, all disease cured, all children- perfect.

When I die and go to Heaven, someday I will dance with my sister. See there is one great truth. Those who never leave a state of innocence are destined to be in Heaven, and there they are perfect.

What a glorious day that will be.

Love in Christ to All,

Ed

The Growth of Christianity

2009-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Jesus rose from the Dead and appeared to his followers. The Book of Acts states this number was about 120 members. After teaching them for a period of time (40 days), He ascended back to heaven as a "cloud took him out of their sight." The followers then returned to Jerusalem and went to the "Upper Room" where they were staying.

The leaders at this time were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James (Son of Aplaheus), Simon, and Judas (son of James). They were joined by many female followers of Christ as well, including Mary, the mother of Christ.

Peter immediately took the reigns he had been given as the "Rock" upon which Jesus would build his Church on Earth. He gathered them together and they discussed who would take Judas Iscariot's position as an apostle. Not able to decide, they let fate intervene by throwing lots, and the follower, Matthias, was added to the eleven apostles.

The the Day of Pentecost came and all of them felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as it came down from heaven like a "rush of violent wind" and tongues of something like fire rested on each of them as they were filled by the Holy Spirit. They began speaking in other tongues, and many foreigners heard them speaking and were shocked at this development. It caused such a commotion, that some men accused them of all being drunk "with new wine." Peter began to preach to them and told the story of Christ and all that had been foretold about him. His words and the Spirit filled the crowd and many asked what they should do.

His answer, "Repent, and be baptized." Amazingly, the Book of Acts reports that over three thousand people were saved that day and became devoted to following the apostle's teachings.

Many began to sell everything they owned to live in a commune style to learn and praise, but also looking to the day that God would return. They shared everything and "day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."

Daily the apostles went to the temple and taught the Jews the good news. This disturbed the Sadducees who had Peter and John arrested for it, but they couldn't prevent the rapid growth of the Christian sect of Judaism. The Book of Acts records that the number of Christians were now over 5,000.

The leaders of the Jews brought them to trial, but they knew that Peter and John had caused a lame man to be healed and everyone was talking about the miracle. They decided to allow Peter and John to go free if they agreed to no longer do things in the "name" of Jesus. Peter, who had once denied Christ three times, refused, and in his righteousness, the leaders could not agree on a punishment and let them go.

It was only the beginning.

Peter's Story

2009-07-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

The Church was truly founded about 33 A.D. when Jesus made Peter his Vicar. Jesus asked him, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon (Peter), son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-19)

Let's break this down a bit. It was very dangerous for anyone to call Jesus the "Christ." The Romans had been fighting the Zealots of Jerusalem, and publicly naming Jesus the Christ would lead to his crucifixion. In Hebrew, this term meant the "Messiah," while in Greek it meant "The Anointed One." The anointed one was chosen by God for a special and unique mission on earth. The Jewish followers of Jesus believed he was the Son of God, who had come to save them from Roman rule, but eventually they understood the purpose was greater than that. It was to deliver all humanity from sin and death. The Old Testament "denoted the ideal king anointed and empowered by God to rescue his people from their enemies and establish his righteous Kingdom." The Romans would not have any Jews follow a Christ, as they knew that it would lead to an overall rebellion. Hence the punishment for any sedition was crucifixion.

In Greek the name Peter is Petros (detached stone), and rock is translated as bedrock. Here Jesus is making Peter the bedrock upon which the Church would be built. Peter really did not understand this until the day of Pentecost. At which time the Church could be said to be built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.

Some historians and theologians believe that the "keys" to Heaven were used symbolically on the day of Pentecost as the "door of the kingdom was unlocked to Jews" and later he acknowledged it was also opened to the Gentiles.

It wasn't too long afterward that Jesus and the Apostles celebrated the first Communion at the Last Supper. Jesus attempted to tell his disciples what was about to occur, but Peter, rash, bold, and strong, objected and said he would never betray Jesus. Jesus responded, "I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." Peter's response: "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."

But he did. Three times. He ran fearing for his life, and when the rooster crowed, he realized how he had betrayed Jesus by denying him. Jesus was put on trial, tortured, and crucified. What did Peter do then?

He went fishing. We can attempt to understand what he felt. He had betrayed the Son of God by denying him. Jesus was brutally murdered, and he had fled. He probably felt worthless and this was definitely the lowest point of his life.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the banks searching for his wayward disciples. He saw them throwing their nets to no avail. He called out to them, "Throw your nets on the right side of the boat and you will find some." They must have heard him, because they did so, yet at that time they did not realize just who it was that had called out to them. They found their nets so full of fish they couldn't haul up the nets. Seeing this miracle, John realized just who it was that had called to them from the shore. Peter grabs his clothing and jumps into the water swimming about one hundred yards to the shore as John was shouting, "It is the Lord!" Peter needed Jesus. He needed forgiveness, and he needed hope. The other disciples in the boat slowly made their way in, but Peter couldn't wait. He needed the Lord's saving Grace.

What does Jesus do? He cooks them a breakfast of fish. A true expression of love and friendship. Is there a greater blessing than to break bread with your closest family and friends? Do we not bring food after funerals to comfort our loved ones? What would Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter be without the great feast? I'll be honest, when I think of the Passion of the Christ and what he had to suffer, and what those who denied him had to deal with, I think this is the perfect way to bring them all back together again. Especially Peter.

He was probably beating himself up. He had denied Jesus, and failed in his promise to him. I think he sat there in stunned silence, probably his eyes swimming in tears. I wonder if he could even make himself eat?

Jesus knew his pain. He knew just what Peter needed. "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" Perhaps this was a question about Peter's love of fishing, or his love of Jesus more than the other friends, or more than the other's loved Jesus.

Peter answered, "You know that I love you."

Jesus told him, "Feed my lambs." Peter may not have fully understood what Jesus had instructed. So Jesus asked him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?"

Peter again replies, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you."

Jesus again instructs him to "take care of my sheep." Again Peter does not reply.

Jesus asks him a third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt, thinking maybe that Jesus did not believe his answers. "Lord you know all things; you know that I love you."

Why did Jesus ask him three times? Because Peter had denied him three times. He did this so Peter could forgive himself, and accept the loving grace and peace that Jesus offers everyone. However, he does then go on to let Peter know that he will again be placed in the situation of choosing to follow or deny him, but that next time he will choose to go willingly where he does "not want to go." This is a prophecy of Peter's future death as a martyr. Does this scare Peter? Not at all. He is a new man. His faith is now fully in Jesus, and he is willing to do anything God wills. He responds to Jesus next command, "Follow me."

How will you respond to His command?

The Jewish Community in Jerusalem at the Time of Christ

2009-07-24T13:16:00.001-07:00

While their were many political groups, most of which served to undermine Roman rule of Israel, there were four main religious orders of the Jews in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Many Christians read of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, but really do not know what the purpose of each was.

The Pharisees were perhaps the most influential and vocal of the groups in Jerusulam 2000 years ago. The first historical mention of them is by the Roman historian Flavius Joseph who wrote of the various religious groups about 145 B.C. They may have developed from the Assideans (the Pious) who rebelled against the rule of Antiochus IV (and the Hellenistic Greek culture) in the Maccabean revolt of about 165 B.C. The name Pharisee actually translates to Separatists or Those Who Live Separate, and they were often known as Chasidim, which means Loyal to God, or Loved of God. They believed in the Torah and the Oral Traditions of the Hebrew ideas of the constant revelations of God. They believed in the Free Will of man and the Sovereignty of God. They believed there was a "future for the dead," the immortality of the soul, and in reward and punishment for the rightious and the evil. They beleived in human equality (at least for Jewish folks), and their teaching was more about ethics (right and wrong), than theology (worship). Most Christian writings and doctrine make it out that the Pharisees were self-righteous hypocrites, who believed in the letter of the law, but not the spirit. In fact Jesus often rebuked them for these behaviors.

However some historians think Jesus may have been a Pharisee in that much of his teachings seem to come from basic Pharisee beliefs. In fact the way Jesus would debate the Pharisees is seen as a sign of inclusion amongst them, rather than an outsider. The Pharisees believed in the Oral Torah (Talmud. The ever-revealing truth of God) and believed that debates were ways to understand it. The ideas of resurrection and life everlasting, forgiveness for everyone, and equality were all ideas of the Pharisees and are found in the teachings of Jesus.

The Sadducees became the Levites or High Priests of the Temple after Antiochus IVs Syrians desecrated the Temple about 175 B.C. They replaced the previous High Priests and swore to protect the Temple from any future desecrations. They set themselves up as the High Priests and even rulers of Jerusalem after that time and would rule until the final Roman destruction of the city in 70 A.D. The Sadducees denied the Talmud (Oral revelations of God), and believed in the strict interpretation of the Law of Moses as found in the Torah. They believed in the total purity of the Priestly class and attributed everything in life to man's free will. They did not believe in resurrection or in eternal life. They did not believe in any spiritual world (demons, Angels, and Devil). Jesus apparently was rebuking the Sadducees when he said in Matthew 22: 31, "But about the resurrection of the dead- have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." The Sadducees were opposed in many ways by the Pharisees, especially on ideas of purity, the Talmud, resurrection, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Essenes may have started out as the Pharisees, but eventually separated from them, though there is some evidence that they may have actually descended from the original Levites of the Temple that were deposed by the Syrians under Antiochus IV. They were a group of very strict and zealous Jews who fought with the Maccbeans in the revolt against the Syrians. They believed in strict observance of the purity laws of the Torah and were noted for their ideas of communal property (very similar to the early Christians in the Book of Acts). They believed in mutual responsibility for each other and for society as a whole. they believed in daily worship and study of the scriptures as found in the Torah. They often avoided marriage, though it was not a condemned practice. They believed everything that happened was due to fate as God had predestined everything and did not believe in the ideas of free will, though they cherished personal freedoms and stood against the practice of slavery. They beleived in the afterlife, resurrection, and in purification rituals, especially with water (some say John the Baptist was an Essene). Many Essenes believed they were the last of the Generations of Man and believed that a Messiah was soon to come and save the Chosen People. Many believe the Dead Sea Scrolls were the Essene Library that was hidden and preserved when the Romans made their final push to rid Israel of the Zealots and other Jews. They believed in forgiveness and non-violence, and some historians believe Jesus may have learned in this tradition. The Essenes were definately outsiders in the society of Jerusalem 2000 years ago.

Finally there were the Zealots. These were nationalistic Jews who would go to any lengths to rid their land of Roman rule. The Romans considered them to be terrorists and instituted crucifixian as a punishment for those zealots who attacked, murdered, or committed acts of terrorism (sedition) agains the Romans. In fact this is what the Jewish leaders of the Temple accused Jesus of doing when they brought him before Pilate. They said that his followers called him King of the Jews and the Messiah who would drive the Romans out. The punishment for sedition against Rome was crucifixtion. Most Zealots were looking for a Savior who would bring Israel Salvation, were opposed to the use of the Greek language, and were very loyal to Jewish traiditions.

It was into this polical and religious mix that Jesus came, taught, suffered, died, and was resurrected so that everyone could have forgiveness and a personal relationship with God. He says as much when Pilate asks "you are a king then?" Jesus answers, "You are right in saying I am a king. in fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Truth, Love, Peace

The Early Christian Groups

2009-07-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

The early Christians were a Jewish sect in Jerusalem and they became known as Nazarenes. They possibly took this name as Jesus was sometimes known as the "Nazarene." Another reference I've found states that the term comes from the Hebrew word "Netzer" as found in Isaiahh 11:1, and means a "branch," thus they could have been called the Branchites, or followers of the one they considered to be "The Branch." The word Nazur in Aramaic means separate, so they could also have gotten their name from being a new, separate sect of Judaism, and may have been a derogatory term, that they accepted for themselves.

One of the greatest of miracles is how Christianity spread from the 120 or so followers in the beginning of Acts to the largest world religion. They also referred to themselves as "The Way" (Acts 24).

The term Christian actually developed later by the Greek followers as they attempted to translate the term "Nazarene" and it means "Messianists". This would have possibly been a derogatory term as well, that the early Christians made their own.

The Nazarenes were located in Jerusalem and lead by several of the Apostles who had known Christ, such as Peter, and were led by James the Just whom some believe was the brother of Jesus, or perhaps a cousin.

The Nazarenes lived a Communal life, dedicated to spreading the Good News, and accepting Gentiles into the fold.

Another group of Christians in Jersusalem were the Ebionites. They followed the Jewish traditions and Mosaic Law, as well as the teachings of Christ, but did not consider Christ divine, and followed the Nazarene Church of Jerusalem and rejected Paul's spreading of Christianity to the Gentiles, without the Gentiles becoming fully Jewish in practices.

The early Christians believed that the leader of the Church was the community of the Nazarenes in Jerusalem. This changed when the Romans decided they had enough of Hebrew Revolution and Zealotry and in 70 AD they entered the city in force and killed those that refused to leave the city. Peter had moved to Rome, and it would eventually be the seat of the Church on Earth.

So by 70 AD there were several Christian groups that had developed throughout the Roman Empire. Pauline Christianity, Nazarenes, and Ebionites.

Pauline Christianity would be the most successful. Though many other psuedo groups would develop over the next three hundred years, many of which would be considered heresies.

The Early Christians

2009-07-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

The first century Christians had no Bible to learn from. As they were a Jewish sect, they studied the Torah, Jewish Law, the prophets, and the psalms, especially all the scriptures they felt foreshadowed Jesus.

They made simple affirmations of faith, such as "Jesus is Lord." They had no real formal creeds or confessions and there was little structure to their worship. Their studies led to a shift from learning from the priests and rabbis for scriptural interpretation to Jesus and his followers, and the believe that the truth of the ancient texts could only be understood through the context of Jesus' ministry. The early Christians used allegory to imbue symbols and new interpretations from the older Jewish Scriptures. They beleived that the story of Sarah and Isaac symbolized the line of true believers, that Hagar and Ishmael stood for the Jews that rejected Christ. They also came to believe that by studying the ancient prophecies that the truth of the Lord could be revealed.

Even as the Jewish Sect of Christianity grew, it was spreading into the Hellenistic world. All the early non-Jewish converts were expected to convert to Judaism, until the Apostle Paul's teachings would change all that. Paul was a Hellenistic Jew who had been converted after a time of persecuting the Christians. He taught that it was more important to convert all mankind to Christianity, than to continuing the ordinances of Judaism. He was called to task for this and had to return to Jerusalem to answer to the early Christian leaders.

The main issue was whether these new converts had to be circumcised. According to the Book of Acts 15:1-21, there were some who taught that unless "you are circumciaed, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." Paul and Barnabus disputed this claim. The Christian Pharisees (yes, some of them had converted to Christianity), argued for circumcision and that all gentiles must be required to obey the law of Moses.

Paul stood and argued his case that, "God , who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. he made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." He went on to state that "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." Paul won the arguement as James the Just (brother or cousin of Jesus, and current leader of the Christian Sect in Jerusalem), ruled that they should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are "turning to God", but to council them in what is right.

In fact the idea of interpreting the Torah to understand Jesus can be seen in James the Just's ruling in Acts. "The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages."

Remember, we are saved by Grace, not by man, or by our own actions. Only by accepting the love of Christ, recognizing his sacrifice and resurrection, are we saved.

Peace and Love,

Ed

The Early Christians

2009-07-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've really developed a love of studying the early church, and am even considering going back to college to get a Doctorate in Religious History or some such degree.

The early Church was Jewish. The followers of Christ were considered a Jewish Sect mainly located in Jerusalem. In my opinion it is a shame that this is not more widely taught throughout Christianity.

We should never forget that Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi. Everyday, from the time he was little, Jesus, like all observant Jews would recite the Shema. This was the closest thing to a Creed to be found in Judaism. It was the greatest expression of their basic beliefs and their commitment to Judaism. The Shema can be found in the Jewish Torah, or the Book of Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord or God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The word Shema actually means "Hear" in Hebrew, so this is a command, not a request! He's not saying "Hey guys, think about this," he is saying "Listen! These are the facts!" The "Lord is One" is very important, as the people of that time, around 1400 B.C., generally worshipped many gods, being polytheistic, but the Hebrew people were monotheistic and this was an important part of the Shema.

Love for God is to be total and with one's whole being. Many Jews take these verses very literally and have been known (in the last 2600 years) to tie notes to their heads and forearms, and to place small wooden or metal containers with these commands on the doorframes of their homes.

Jesus and the Disciples, who were all Jewish, would not only recite the Shema, but celebrated Passover with the famous meal, and the youngest at the table would ask specific questions of the elder, wise one, or Rabbi. The dinner consisted of bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and roasted meat(lamb) to remember the night of the original passover in Egypt that led to the freedom of the Jewish people.

So why have these practices, so important for the early Christians, been abandoned by the Modern Churches? In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus added to the Shema in a revolutionary way when he was asked by a teacher of the Law of Moses this question: "Of all the commandments, which the most important?"

Jesus responded by refering to the Shema first: "The most important one is this: Hear, O Issrael, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." He then took the commandment from Leviticus 19:18 and added, "The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Jesus did this to show that love for one's neighbor is a "natural and logical outgrowth of love for God." The teacher of the Law understood and realized that to "love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." This is important as this probably took place in the temple courts where the priests were preparing the offerings and sacrifices.

How often do Christians get so stuck in a routine, or ritualism, that they forget what we are actually called to do? To love God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Jesus also changed the Passover meal with the famous Communion celebration, and this act shocked his disciples and led to great confusion amongst them. It was only after his crucifixion, death, and resurrection that they came to truly understand what he had done.

So why have we lost our Jewish origins and practices? When Paul began converting non-Jews, how did the Jewish-Christians in Jerusalem react? I'll get to that next time.

Love to all.

The above was inspired by the book The Jesus Creed by Scott McKnight, and by my study group at Church. I highly recommend this book as I have learned a great deal from it. I use the NIV Study Bible and all references from the Bible are taken from it.

My Heritage

2009-07-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is an edited version of a talk I gave for the Emmaus Community. In it I discussed two of the most influential men in my life and how they were disciples of Christ.

Today I’m going to tell you the story of two Christian men who meant a lot to me, whose examples of living the Christian life still guide me to this day. They were my grandfathers; Eddie Arthur Wetterman of Waco and Leslie Lowe of Lufkin.

Eddie Arthur Wetterman was a boy during World War I. His parents were 1st generation Americans, whose families had come from Old Prussia, before it had been united into Germany. I’d like to relate a family legend with you. I can’t verify this happened, but it is an old tale that’s been passed down in my family. During the war in Giddings, Texas, the family was threatened because they spoke German and had an old painting of the Kaiser in their home. A mob threatened to burn them out. My great-grandfather, Charles Henry Wetterman, reportedly took the painting out and burned it before the crowd, stating, “We are Americans.” This must have satisfied the crowd as they did not burn the home down, but the Anti-German sentiment was strong. Young Eddie and his three brothers were told never to speak German, but only English from that time on. While raised in the Lutheran church, Eddie became Baptist upon moving to Waco and marrying my grandmother Louise. They were always involved in the Church, despite moving many times across Texas. Eddie always looked for the next big challenge, and liked to take on new jobs. They raised three boys and one girl and they were always in Church.

Eddie suffered in life as we all must do. He watched his mother die of lung cancer in the late 1930s. He helped care for his father into the late 1950s. He worked throughout the Great Depression as a mechanic, and during World War II he worked on the plane factories that had sprung up between Waco and Dallas. Finally, in 1979, after suffering from back pain, the Doctor told him that he, like his mother, had lung cancer and that even with treatment, he only had six months or so to live.

Like so many facing death, he could have felt cheated, he could have wallowed in self-pity, or yelled at God, but he did not. Eddie wanted to make sure that he died after making peace with anyone who had any reason to be upset with him. He began contacting everyone he could, everyone he thought might have any reason to be upset with him. He didn’t tell them he was dying. He simply apologized for any problems they might have had between them, witnessed to them about God’s love, and made peace.

He had been a Sunday school teacher for years and he continued to do so, even as the chemo therapy took what little hair he had left, made him thoroughly ill, and made his feet swell to the point he could barely walk.

I remember the last time I visited with him. It was a Sunday, and I was about 12 years old. I reached down and kissed his cheek, I remember my eyes swimming in tears. He reached out, touched by head and I remember him saying, “Live a good life. Be a good person. Always do your best.” It was the first time I every saw my father cry.

The next day, my Aunt, who lives in Indiana, told my grandfather that they had to return home. They had come down to be with him when he died, but he had lived a week longer than expected. That morning he went outside and sat in a chair in his front yard, listening to the sounds of his neighborhood, the birds singing, the feel of the warm sunlight on his skin. He sat there for several hours, then returned into the house, laid down, and died. My father swears that Grandpa Eddie didn’t want his daughter to have to make the trip home, only to return for the funeral, and that he made up his mind to die that day. Despite being a fairly poor man, he had one of the largest funerals I’ve ever seen, as people lined the walls in standing room only to pay respects to this good Christian man.

My other grandfather, whom I referred to as Papaw was Leslie Lowe. He was born in Scrappin’ Valley in deep East Texas. He had a rough life as they grew up poor, and worked in the fields to grow enough food to feed the family. He and his brothers had many fights with some of the other families in the area. His father was a gruff man, who by all accounts was very stingy, and never showed the children much affection. I remember him telling me that he could not remember his mother ever hugging him or telling him, “I love you.” He and his brothers worked through the Depression and all of them went to War by enlisting after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Leslie served in the Navy, leaving his young wife and three children behind.
Upon returning home from the war, another child, Kenneth, was still born. Leslie became a shipwright, and worked in the dockyards of Beaumont. In the mid 1950s, the scaffolding he was on broke, and he fell several stories and suffered a broken back. He couldn’t work for over a year, and the family lived on canned peas and cornbread, as my grandmother worked in a chicken factory to help the family survive.
Leslie was bitter and like his father, was harsh on the children. My aunt Helen was hardheaded and would stand up to him only to be knocked down time and time again. While he had been raised to be a Christian, I’m not sure he really knew what that meant. In the late 1950s the family was Pentecostal, and though he would sing in Church and minister to others, he remained a difficult father, and fell many times short of the Christian ideal. He got into a few fights, drank too much upon occasion, and was a man who seemed to always have a chip on his shoulder.

Then, in 1972 he suffered the first of four major heart attacks. He no longer could be employed, as the Doctor’s told him only about a fourth of his heart was still working properly. My grandmother then took a job working at Lufkin Foundry to help pay the costs of living. While he was bedridden he began watching television, including Billy Graham, and though I’m loath to admit it, the P.T.L. club. He began to realize what it really meant to be a Christian and he began to change. I wish I could ask him what the turning point of his life was, but that’s a question I’ll have to ask him in heaven one sweet reunion day.

As a child I stayed with him, then everyday after school until the fifth grade. I was very close to my Papaw and I never knew him to be anything but loving, kind, and the most wonderful man I ever knew. He had indeed changed, as my mother and aunt are witness to.

When my parents stopped going to Church, I began going with my Papaw and Mamaw. He exemplified a Christian man to me then. I remember him kneeling in prayer every service, and when I spent the night with him, we would kneel at the foot of his bed and pray. I remember him singing “I’ll Fly Away” as we drove all over East Texas together in his red dodge pickup. It was his favorite song and to this day I can hear his voice singing that wonderful old hymn.

I remember him telling me not to put my faith in man, as I had with a certain charismatic young preacher, but in God. I wish I would have taken this advice to heart, as after being told I shouldn’t want to be a Police officer due to if I ever had to shoot someone, I’d go to Hell, I quit the Church for twenty years.

The last time I was with him, I went to Church in a fairly foul mood. I didn’t hug his neck that day, or tell him I loved him. The next day, a Monday, August 29th, 1983, he suffered his last heart attack and died entering the emergency room of the hospital.

These two men, who meant so much to me, were both Christian disciples, though their stories and lives were different. One was always full of Christian love and filled with the Holy Spirit, the other was a work in progress most of his life, but today both are in Heaven and are examples to us on what it means to be a disciple.

My grandfather’s, Eddie and Leslie, each taught me through their lives about Christ. Each knew about priority, discipline, reality, empathy, initiative, and were most generous with sharing the Good News. They had faith, were humble, had hope, and showed love.

I inherited some of my grandfather Eddie Wetterman’s Sunday school lessons. I’m posting a copy of a special one to you so that he may continue to be a disciple for Christ even though his physical being has been gone now almost thirty years. In it, Grandpa instructs us to Stop, Look, and Listen. We should stop living for the world, and start living for Christ. We should look for God’s love and the work of the Holy Spirit all around us, everyday. We should listen to the teachings of Christ and use his instructions to be servants for others.

In closing I give you my Grandfather Eddie Wetterman’s words, “Could it be that right now some of us are approaching a critical crossroad in our lives. Please take time to Stop, Look, and Listen to what God is saying to you.”

Are you willing to respond to God’s call on your life? Will you gratefully and wholeheartedly respond by becoming true Disciples of Christ Jesus?

STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN

Transcribed lesson from Sunday School teaching of Eddie Arthur Wetterman circa 1977.

Stop, Look, and Listen. Small, simple words, but they represent some important concepts that are essential to Christian life.
We need to Stop pursuing the pleasures of this world for they are passing and many times harmful in their consequences.
We must Stop loving the world since it too will pass away and give little if any help to the Christian life.
We should Stop wasting our time for it is the greatest commodity that we have.
We need to Stop thinking wrong thoughts for they will lead us away from God and into Spiritual captivity.
We must Stop neglecting prayer since this is our live line to spiritual insight and strength.
We need to Stop neglecting Bible study for without it we become easy victims of Satan’s teachings.
We are advised to Look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
We Look to Him for our salvation.
We Look to him for sanctification in our daily lives.
We Look to Jesus for Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We can Look to Christ for victory over temptation.
We can Look to Jesus for a clean example for living the Christian life.
We Look to Jesus for that blessed hpe beyond the grave and eternal life with him.
The life that is continually looking to Christ will find power to survive the temptation Satan can bring against the children of God.
There are important things to Listen for. To hear mans to recieve sound by using your ears. Read these words in Mark 9:7 “And a voice from the cloud said this is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And also in Mark 11:24 when Jesus said, “Listen to me. You can pray for anything and if you believe you have it, it’s yours.”
But Listen to the rest of what he said. “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in Heaven will forgive you your sins too.
We need to Listen to God’s Word not just with the ear, but with the inner soul.
It is important to have God’s guidance if we are to live the life and do the things He desires that we do. Some times drastic things happen before we will Stop, Look, and Listen.
It is very dangerous to live at a pace where there is no time for spiritual things.
I am sure that many will miss heaven because they did not Stop, Look, and Listen. I have read in the paper where there were three people killed at a rail road crossing as they failed to head this old warning to Stop, Look, and Listen. Could it be that right now some of us are approaching a critical crossroad in our lives? Please take time to Stop, Look, and Listen to what God is saying to you.

My Sister, Stephanie

2009-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm posting edited versions of various talks I've given for the Emmaus community. I think it's important to know where I've come from, to realize where I'm going.

In 1963, Tom and Betty Wetterman, a 21 and 19 year old, were a young married couple and were about to become first time parents. What for most people should be the greatest day of joy in their lives became a nightmare. But even in the worst of days, the Holy Spirit was with them.

Their newborn baby, Stephanie Denise Wetterman, had serious problems. She was born with Spinomeningoencephalocyll. That means her skull did not close properly as she was forming in the womb. Part of her brain had slipped out of her skull into a bag of flesh that had formed on the back of her head.

No child ever born with this particular birth defect, of this severity, had ever lived. The young mother was told by the Doctor, “Forget this baby. It is going to die. You are young. You can have more babies.” Stephanie was given two weeks to live, though the doctors believed it probably wouldn’t be that long.

The family prayed for help to come, but the neurosurgeon in charge waited for several weeks, expecting the child would die. She did not.

Eventually another neurosurgeon became involved. He offered to attempt a radical surgery to replace Stephanie’s brain into her skull, take off the excess skin sack, and to cover the hole in her skull with a wire mesh. The brain’s swelling could be controlled with a shunt that would funnel excess brain fluid into her stomach to be reabsorbed into her body. The prognoses for her surviving the surgery was very low, but there was hope, and the family: the parents, grandparents, and their brothers and sisters in blood and in Christ, prayed. She survived the surgery.

Tom had worked as a mechanic at the time, and Betty had been a legal secretary, but quit her job to stay with the baby at the hospital. Tom took a second job and worked long hours, but it was impossible for the young couple to pay the mounting bills. The family prayed.

A hospital administrator called Betty into her office one day and told her that if she didn’t have anymore insurance, or the money to pay the bills, she would be asked to leave the hospital. The young mother, distraught and overcome with the burdens she faced and the prospect of her baby being kicked out of the hospital and dying due to lack of medical care, was sobbing as the neurosurgeon entered the room to check on Stephanie. He asked her what was wrong. She told him what had happened. He told her not to worry about it anymore, that there was no way the hospital would kick them out, and that he would take care of it.

The administrator never again spoke to Betty, and they were never charged for the surgery or the hospital stay.

The baby suffered through 13 surgeries the first 9 years of her life, 10 of them before she was a year and a half old. The first saved her life, and she was the first such child to live with that birth defect. Unfortunately, the brain had to be separated from the skin it had become attached to, and the scraping of the brain left her profoundly retarded and subject to grand moll seizures, one of which left her paralyzed on half of her body.

Many will hear her story and say for what purpose did this child live? What possible effect could a profoundly retarded child have on our world?

My sister Stephanie had many problems. To control the frequency and severity of seizures she has to take some very hard drugs including Phenobarbitol. She can do little for herself now, but I remember when we were both young, and how she would try to walk in her physical therapy class, how she would laugh at her little brother’s antics, how she would radiate God’s glory as she belted out songs such as “Jesus Loves me this I know” and other children’s songs. She loved her papaw, and he loved her. He had lived a very hard life, but three heart attacks and his love for his grandchildren, especially Stephanie, greatly affected him, and he died a good, Christian man.

I remember our parents in the choir of our church, while Stephanie and I would sit in the pews listening and watching. She would move her hand to the time of the music and smile the greatest smile. She touched many lives including the pastor of our church, many ladies who have had to care and look after her as she got older, extended family members, and many others.

However, the greatest impact she had was on me. From her I learned empathy for others. I learned to see the pure love of the Lord reflected in her. I remember being called a “retard” because she was my sister, but I always loved her and as a child dealt with such teasing the best way a young boy could.

Eventually, as an adult, I became a special education teacher, knowing that I could make a difference in the lives of not only my students, but their families as well. It means so much to have a teacher that has seen such handicaps in their own lives. I know, especially since one of my own sons is autistic, and I have to attend school meetings as the parent, not just the professional.

Stephanie’s presence in my life, and God’s Grace made me who I am today. Despite these lessons, there was a time I tried to do things my way, and not God’s way. I knew him, but had no real relationship with him except during holiday prayers before meals and the football games. Eventually, my wife got me to begin attending our church, but I kept a distance. I knew I needed more, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it.

My sister, Stephanie, will turn 46 in a couple ofmonths. Hundreds of people have come into her life and are amazed by her life’s story and the pure love she and others like her radiate. I have had her caretakers tell me about how she continues to astonish them and how her simple smile can help them through a difficult day.

Stephanie has been one of the greatest influences on my life. Would I be the person I am today without her? Because of her I became a Special Education teacher, and now work with at-risk kids, most of whom come from broken homes, have broken lives, and little hope They need to know there are people who truly care about them. They need to know God’s love.

Every child I touch and make a difference with is a blessing made possible by God’s grace and my sister’s presence in my life.

God touched me through her. If God can use someone like her, imagine what he can do with you.

A Call to Respond

2009-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

(This is an edited version of a talk I gave at an Emmaus Event.)

I’ve always been a Christian, but I have not always lived the Christian life. Do you know what I mean?

See I was raised to believe that Christ was the Son of God, my personal savior, and that he died on a cross that was mine and bore all the sins of my life, so that I might have eternal life. I’ve always believed that, but I have not always lived it.

As a young teenager I was a devoted Christian. I loved Church and attended whenever the doors were open. I hung on every word of the Charismatic preacher and knew I wanted to dedicate my life to serving the Lord. So what happened? What went wrong? Where did I go wrong?

One day, the preacher’s wife was teaching my Sunday school class and she asked us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At that time I thought it would be great to protect and serve the public. I wanted to be a policeman and I told her so.

She answered, “Oh Eddie, if you become a policeman you might have to kill someone and you will go to Hell!”

I was shocked. I was stunned. That answer did not jive with the stories of the Bible I had read, such as King David wiping out entire tribes of people and still being God’s Beloved.

I was a kid, but these few words, said by another human being whom I had respected, turned my heart to stone.

I stopped going to Church. In high school I was fairly popular, had lots of friends, went to lots of parties, and did the usual teenage things such as drinking and worst of all became sexually active with several partners. But through it all, I never lost my belief in Christ, but I did abandon my relationship with him.

However, He never abandoned me! Amen!

It took me a while to recognize God’s Grace. In 1992 I married my wonderful wife, Tracey, and we attended a church in Albuquerque for a short time. We enjoyed this church as it was very large, we could be lost in the crowd and never had to commit. We could be faceless and nameless. I did love the preacher though. He was an ex-surfer, who sat on a stool up on the stage, and read the Bible from front to back, using historical references and huge maps. My kind of Bible study. Unfortunately, we soon moved back to Houston and again I stopped going to Church.

Then in 1995 my oldest son, David, was born. Like many young parents we decided our children should be raised in a Church. I remember thinking, "I didn’t need it, but they did."

We joined a church in Katy, Texas, but again never felt a part of them. Many of them made much more money than we did, had huge beautiful houses, and honestly we felt inferior, and never felt at home there. After a few months we stopped attending. Six months later we received a card in the mail asking for our tithes. Not a “Where have you been, we missed you,” but “We need the money you promised us.” This made me very angry, self-righteous, and …well, dumb! I began to believe that I could be a Christian without going to any Church. I viewed all Christians as hypocrites and treated those I met from that perspective. I swore I’d never join a Church again. I would not be a hypocrite. My heart had become a stone and I did not walk with Christ, but he never abandoned me.

In 2000 we moved from Katy to Caldwell, Texas and had our second son, Kevin. Our lives in Caldwell were not easy. Tracey had trouble finding a job after having the baby. I took a huge paycut to leave Alief Independent School District to work for the Bryan Independent School as a teacher. My wife and I had trouble making all our bills for a while, and we argued for the first time in our marriage and grew to resent each other.

The worst part of this time was the slow creeping feeling of dread as I came to know something was wrong with our baby. He never liked being hugged, he couldn’t be consoled, and despite walking very early, he was very slow to develop speech. At three and half years old, he could say “mom, dad, and coke,” and that was about it. I remember yelling at him, begging him to speak to me, to say I love you, to acknowledge he could hear me, to just be with us!

Turns out he is a high, functioning autistic. Part of me wanted to be angry at God. Why me? Why my family? See I also have a profoundly retarded older sister, I had a Downs Syndrome cousin, and now I had an autistic child. Honestly this sort of thing can break a marriage. I’ve heard my mother say of raising my sister, that it either makes your marriage stronger, or ends it. I have to give my wife credit. Despite all our troubles, she never seemed to consider leaving me. I probably would have! God protected us. He blessed us, but again, we didn’t realize it at the time.

Finally she said, “I’m taking our kids to Church. You don’t have to go, but I’m going.” I figured this was only a passing phase and if I went along with it, she would get tired of it and I could go back to devoting my Sundays to Football.

We attended a couple of churches and finally went to the First United Methodist church of Caldwell. The second Sunday we attended the Open Doors Sunday School class and met many wonderful friends there. They immediately made us feel accepted and they were reading the Purpose Driven Life, and the chapter that Sunday was “Why you need a Church Home.” Yeah, God was talking and this time I was listening.

We joined the Church. I rededicated my life to Christ’s service. Then Pat Baker, who had become not only a good friend, but a mentor and someone I greatly admire, asked me to go on the Walk to Emmaus.

The Walk to Emmaus is a religious retreat where you spend 72 hours listening to, and responding to, a series of talks about your personal relationship with Christ.

I went, but hesitantly. I spent the first night wondering if I was in some sort of cult, but I had a wonderful time, and realized that I had denied myself a personal relationship with Christ. Man my walk was awesome. If you are a Christian, consider the Walk to Emmaus. There is nothing I can recommend more.

On the Walk I learned what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, how to work to strengthen the Christian Community (notice I didn't say a particular denomination), to develop skills to become a better disciple of Christ,

I learned that as a member of the Body of Christ we have a mission! We must go forth and share the Good News that Christ died and has risen so that we may have eternal life with him. We are reminded in Romans 15:16 that we have a “priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God.” We are to serve others, and we are to live the Christian life. Our mission is to bring others into a relationship with Christ.

Remember that Life in grace is a journey, not a destination and not a lifestyle to be achieved. It is a pilgrimage of love that never ends in this life. We all have had events that have shaped our lives and led us to becoming who we are, but those events are only steps in the process of life. God grabbed Moses’ attention with a burning bush, but that event only served to begin his life’s mission of working for the Lord. Jonah’s time with the whale was an event, but it was what he did later in Ninevah that is the true message.

We are called to bear witness to Christ through the quality of our walk, not just the quantity of our talk. It must become every Christian's purpose to seek ways to serve Christ in Church and to employ our energies and gifts for love of others. We should be joyful. Live a Christian life.

Finally I learned that we are to have a clear concept of our priorities. We must attempt to keep our focus on Christ and to have a clear concept of our mission as Christians. The world needs change, and it can happen when we put forth the effort to change it.

Some folks do not like the Emmaus movement, some do not like aggressive Christians, some do not like Christians at all. We cannot force change on people, but we can love them as they are and present an authentic witness to them through our actions. When you are disappointed or downtrodden remember it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convince and change. You keep the authentic witness and God does the rest. Jesus promises to be with us always. In John 8:12 he says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When my walk was over I stayed high on the mountain for months. I now volunteer in my church and do all I can to share God’s love with everyone I encounter. I strive to be a better husband, father, friend, and teacher. Despite all this I have bad days too. I stray at times (too many to count, but now I know who I serve. For much of my life I abandoned God. But He never abandoned me.

As for my son, Kevin, he’s doing very well and will be staring the third grade. He is reading on level with his “normal” classmates, loves to be hugged, and is a great blessing. He is a light and God works through him. Just as he will work through you.

Be Joyful and Stand.

Why Stand?

2009-07-07T21:19:00.001-07:00

You ever heard the phrase "You gotta stand for something or you will fall for anything?" I believe this. I try to to live this. However, I am definately the opposite of perfection, and I fail as often as anybody. That being said, I keep getting back up and trying again.

You see I have help along the path of life. I have a friend who is always with me, giving aid and comfort when necessary and a swift knock upside the head when I'm in the wrong.

I bet you know what's coming next. Your right. I am a Christian. Jesus is my personal Savior and I want to serve him. I have been considering some radical changes in my life and creating this blog is one of the smaller ones I feel compelled to do.

So yes, this blog will be about my core Christian beliefs, the Holy catholic church, and my own struggles to live a Christian life. Those of you that know me personally, know that I can be crass, obnoxious, drink too much (I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol), and I have not lived the ideal Christian life in any sense of the word.

But I'm still saved.

Christ doesn't care about that stuff, as I have repented of my sins, and he has restored me to his service. He forgives all. The big stuff and the little stuff. Even better, he forgets what he forgives. That's his divinity. We humans (except for the extremely rare few, of which I am not one) are generally incapable of true forgiveness and really can't forget the hurts, especially the big ones.

So I'm creating this blog as a kind of self-searching, answer seeking exercise of the heart and mind, and hope that maybe someone else can learn from it as I will be learning by doing it. There are so many questions about religion, God, and the Church today. I'm hoping to take on many of them herein. I will do so with a prayerful heart, seeking the knowledge from His Word and various theologians, pastors, historians, and even non-believers.

What kinds of questions am I talking about? Why was Jesus Baptised? What is marriage? What about Homosexuality? What about the "Big" sins like murder, rape, etcetera? What is the role of the Church today? Why do I get angry when I listen to Christian Talk Radio and all I hear are accusatios, judgementalism, and anger from people who should be speaking of God's love and forgiveness? What about the afterlife? Is there really a devil and demons? How did the Church evolve from a Jewish Sect to the leading world religion? Why are there so many different "types" of Christians? And finally what does it mean to be saved?

I'm not going into this with any real gameplan. I'm just going to blog about whatever strikes my fancy at the time, but I am hoping to be led in the Spirit, and I hope, if nothing else comes from this, that someone, somewhere, may take some solace, inspiration, or knowledge from my meager efforts.

So join me. Stand for something. Even if you disagree with me. I invite you to stand with me.